After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 73

Waldo’s eyes found Catherine and Lawrence through the crowd. He stood on stage, the youngest of all the representatives, a milestone Lawrence could only dream of reaching.

His speech was sharp and visionary. The audience buzzed with excitement and admiration.

All the young women in the room were drawn to Waldo, the rising star of the tech world. Shirley was no exception.

She watched him with open admiration. He was as magnetic as ever. She just couldn’t understand how Catherine could walk away from someone so brilliant and handsome, just because he hadn’t chosen to save her that one time on the boat.

If she were Catherine, she would have forgiven him. She’d make him spend a lifetime making it up to her.

But Catherine was too proud. She’d dumped Waldo over a single mistake and picked some broke engineer instead. She even took out a massive salary advance just to give him a wedding present. The whole thing was ridiculous.

So, was Catherine stuck working at Nexus Dynamics for the rest of her life?

The panel ended soon after. Waldo glanced over at Catherine, letting his confidence and wealth speak for him.

Catherine met his eyes for a second, then turned away. Even if Waldo became the richest man on the planet, she refused to look back.

A man who could leave her when her life was on the line didn’t deserve forgiveness.

That day in the ocean, if Lawrence hadn’t gotten to her in time, she would have gone under. Even if Waldo had brought help, the current would have swept her away. She would have been gone.

Later, Shirley slipped into a quiet lounge. An idea came to her, and she smiled to herself as she sent Catherine a message.

Shirley grinned. “Did you see my Resonance AI? It’s going to change the tech world. That’s exactly what Waldo wants more than anything.”

Catherine let out a short laugh. “Are you sure you’ve got the complete Resonance AI?”

Shirley’s smile faltered, but she quickly recovered, her tone smug. “Is that jealousy I hear? You’re living off a paycheck advance and still think you can judge me?”

Catherine just smiled. “Maybe other people can’t see what’s wrong with your system, but I can. Your Resonance AI isn’t whole.”

Shirley’s smirk froze. For a moment, she seemed lost for words, then she clapped her hands together and forced a laugh. “Not bad. You’ve got some brains after all. But Waldo’s investing a billion in my research. It’s just a few glitches, nothing we can’t fix.”

She leaned in, her voice low and taunting. “Try not to be too jealous. The resources I have at The James Group are way out of reach for someone stuck at Nexus Dynamics.”