After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 70

Catherine’s phone buzzed, and when she saw Lenny’s name on the screen, she slipped away to a quieter corner to answer.

Lenny filled her in on his trip to Veridian. He was trying to track down the security footage from five years ago, the night her USB drive disappeared.

“Just be careful, okay? And don’t do anything reckless,” Catherine said. She ended the call, but as she turned to leave, a familiar voice stopped her.

“Catherine, can we talk?” Waldo walked over, one hand in his pocket, looking every inch the powerful CEO. He was even more intimidating now, with his fortune putting him on the verge of being the richest man around.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Catherine said, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“I heard from your dad that you gave him a hundred million. Where did you get that kind of money?” Waldo stepped in front of her, his eyes sharp and demanding. Then he let out a cold laugh. “Don’t tell me Lawrence stole it for you.”

“Watch your mouth. That money was an advance from Nexus Dynamics. Don’t assume everyone’s as shady as you,” Catherine snapped.

Waldo stared at her, clearly taken aback. “Nexus Dynamics gave you an advance of a hundred million? That’s impossible.”

He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Sure, Catherine had been talented before, but she’d been lying low for five years. Why would Nexus Dynamics give her that much?

“Just because other people can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t,” Catherine replied, lifting her chin with confidence.

Waldo looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time, his heart thumping in his chest.

Was this who Catherine really was?

She was confident, radiant, and magnetic. So much more captivating than the quiet, obedient woman she’d been beside him all those years.

Waldo took a slow breath. “Why are you being so stubborn? I’m just trying to help. And about that advance from Nexus Dynamics—have you thought about what happens if you can’t meet their expectations? What if you have to pay them back?”

“Mind your own business. My life doesn’t concern you,” Catherine said, and walked away without looking back.

Waldo stood there, his chest tight, but then a slow smile crept across his face. Why was he even bothering? If she failed at Nexus Dynamics and had nowhere else to go, wouldn’t she come running back to him?

That thought made him smile, and somehow, he felt a little better.

Neither of them noticed the figure standing behind a nearby pillar.

Shirley stared, her face frozen in shock, her nails digging into her palm. How was it possible? Nexus Dynamics actually gave Catherine a hundred-million-dollar advance?