After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 276

Nicol raised his eyebrows, a playful glint in his eyes. “Alright, it’s a deal.”

On the way home, Catherine had a million questions for Lawrence. She wanted to know everything—why he was undercover at Nexus Dynamics, what he was doing on that cruise, and a dozen other things that had been on her mind.

Lawrence answered all of them patiently. When she finally paused for breath, she puffed out her cheeks and looked at him sideways. “If you’re so rich, why does your dad work security at the institute?”

Nicol, focused on the road, did a double take. He turned to Catherine, completely shocked. “Wait. You’re telling me Lawrence’s dad works as a security guard at the institute?”

Catherine nodded. “Yeah, I saw him there last time I was studying.”

Lawrence couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. “My dad isn’t a security guard.”

Nicol jumped in before he could finish. “Catherine, you’re way off. Patrick isn’t a security guard. He’s actually…” Nicol glanced into the rearview mirror at Lawrence, checking if it was okay to spill the secret.

Lawrence smiled back, giving him a silent nod. “He’s a general.”

Catherine stared, completely thrown off. She blinked, trying to process it. “A general? What do you mean, general?”

Nicol grinned. “Like, a real military general.”

Catherine sat there, stunned, her mouth hanging open. The shock of finding out Lawrence’s dad was a general was somehow even bigger than learning Lawrence was the boss of Nexus Dynamics.

Lawrence looked at her, amused and touched by how adorable she was when she was this surprised. He pinched her cheek gently. “Did that scare you?”

She stammered, still flustered. “But then… why was your dad pretending to be a security guard at the institute?”

Lawrence tried to explain. “He wanted to meet you but didn’t know how to introduce himself, so he kind of went undercover.”

At The James Group, Waldo had been silent the entire drive back. Now, inside his office, he completely lost it. He swept everything off his desk, sending expensive decorations crashing to the floor and papers flying everywhere. The sound of breaking glass filled the air along with his angry shouts.

“Lawrence, you bastard!” Waldo’s eyes were wild, his chest heaving from the mix of rage and humiliation.

Finding out Lawrence’s secret identity was about to push him over the edge. The jealousy and resentment were eating him alive. He’d never imagined a day would come when Lawrence would completely overshadow him, beating him at both status and wealth.

It was unbearable, worse than anything he’d ever felt.

In another office, Shirley sat at her desk, her mind spinning. She couldn’t stop replaying the image of Lawrence standing on stage. The mysterious founder of Nexus Dynamics, the man everyone had speculated about, turned out to be him. The “consultant” she thought she knew was suddenly the most powerful person in the company.

She bit her lip, her eyes shining with admiration she couldn’t hide.

Just then, her office door flew open. Her assistant rushed in, frantic. “Shirley, something’s wrong. Waldo is smashing up his office. I think he’s about to destroy the place.”