After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 279

"That's impossible," Alice shot back without thinking. She let out a scoff, her voice dripping with disbelief. "I saw it happen. Some mysterious family bought it at the auction. Whatever the Gates family showed must be a fake."

Shirley really didn't want to talk about Lawrence's real identity, but she couldn't let her mom keep walking around clueless. If she did, they'd just end up embarrassing themselves in front of the Gates family.

"Mom, I have to tell you something. Lawrence isn't actually poor. He's been pretending this whole time. He's not just some regular consultant at Nexus Dynamics. Today, at the summit, he admitted it himself. He's the CEO of Nexus Dynamics. He has way more money than Waldo."

Alice stared at Shirley, totally stunned, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"It's true. The real reason Catherine dumped Waldo is because she already knew who Lawrence really was. We've been the ones left in the dark, played for fools," Shirley said, her jaw clenched. Just thinking about Catherine made her furious. No wonder Catherine never cared about her insults. She had a secret weapon ready the whole time.

If someone else had said all this, Alice never would have believed it. But Shirley wouldn't lie about something like this. She could feel her face burning. She'd mocked Lawrence so many times behind his back. Now, it felt like she'd just been slapped without a sound.

"That little witch Catherine really set us up. If I'd lost my temper that day and called the necklace fake, we would've made total idiots of ourselves." Alice felt a wave of relief that she'd managed to keep her cool. If she hadn't, the Gates family would have been laughing at them for weeks.

"Mom, I won't be home for dinner tonight." Shirley's mood instantly improved as she thought about her date. Waldo was finally hers.

Suddenly, Alice didn't even want her tea anymore. Knowing that the necklace was real, and thinking about how much she loved jewelry, she couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy.

Meanwhile, Shirley went upstairs, took a shower, and picked out a sexy slip dress. She spent extra time on her makeup, making sure everything was perfect. Tonight was her chance. She had to make Waldo hers for good.

"I'll make her mine. She won't let us down," Waldo said, sounding completely sure of himself.

Grover nodded, clearly trusting his son's judgment. "The only real threat to Nexus Dynamics is Resonance AI. They've been trying to get it for five years now. That means they're worried about us." He paused, thinking it over, then spoke in a more serious tone. "Waldo, now's the time to build loyalty. Why don't you just marry Shirley?"

Waldo's expression darkened for a moment. Marry Shirley? The idea had never even crossed his mind. To him, Shirley was just a handy, obedient assistant. Catherine was the only one he'd ever pictured as his wife.

"Besides, Shirley has the core of Resonance AI. If she becomes a member of the James family, she'll have no reason to hold back for the group. And you need to stop thinking about Catherine. She's married to Lawrence now, which makes her our enemy." Grover's eyes narrowed, a cold light in them. "A woman like that doesn't deserve you anyway."