After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 335

Shirley almost never heard him praise her like that, and it instantly lifted her mood. “Waldo, does that mean you’ll spend some time with me tonight?”

Waldo wanted nothing more than for Shirley to give her best at Resonance AI right now. He grinned. “Of course. Tonight, you’re getting a proper reward.”

A tingle of excitement ran through Shirley. Ever since their first time together, Waldo hadn’t touched her again, and she was only human—of course she longed for that closeness.

“Thank you, honey.” Shirley stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “I’m off to work now!”

***

The news about the court date came almost simultaneously to Nexus Dynamics and The James Group.

Friday morning at nine, Cabinda Court, Intellectual Property Division.

When Shirley saw the message the next morning, she nearly burst out laughing. She had been waiting for this day for so long.

The sooner they went to court, the sooner Catherine would dig her own grave. Everyone would finally see just how low she could go.

Waldo handled it with a lot more composure. He immediately called a meeting. Whether they were the ones suing or on the receiving end, they needed a bulletproof plan.

Shirley couldn’t help herself—she had to call Amy.

“Hello, Shirley.”

“Amy, the court date’s set for this Friday at nine. Have you made up your mind? Would you be willing to come and testify for me?” Shirley’s tone was tentative, but she quickly added, “I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. I really mean it.”

She was just a step away from naming her price. Frankly, in her current position, anything was up for negotiation.

Amy was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly said, “Shirley, I’ll be there. I’ll testify.”

Shirley felt her heart leap. That was the answer she’d been waiting for. She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Amy, I’ll send someone to pick you up Friday morning.”

“No need. I’ll be staying in the city from Thursday.”

“Alright then. See you Friday.”

“See you Friday.”

There was a data string embedded across the entire Resonance AI codebase—it was Catherine’s own DNA sequence.

Shirley’s team had found it and suspected it was a genetic code, but they just assumed it belonged to Amy. They didn’t bother double-checking.

***

For the next few days, both tech giants kept unusually quiet. The media didn’t pick up on a thing—it was like no one knew a courtroom showdown was coming.

To unwind, Catherine invited Nettie out for some shopping. Six bodyguards kept a discreet distance, leaving them free to enjoy their day.

Nettie had been busy with work too, but there was something she felt a little embarrassed to bring up. After some gentle coaxing from Catherine, she finally admitted it.

“I went out to dinner with Nicol. Twice,” Nettie said, her cheeks turning pink.

Catherine laughed softly and squeezed her hand. “That’s great! It just proves how irresistible you are.”

“Nicol told me he likes me, but I’m still not sure if I want to date him,” Nettie sighed. She’d been through a lot, and working in the fashion world, she’d heard way too many stories about rich boys and their games. It made her pretty wary of men.