The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 182

His voice floated into the hallway before the office door had even closed.

Catherine stopped and turned back toward Lewis. “Congratulations,” she said.

Lewis looked embarrassed. “I should be thanking you, really. I have no idea how to repay you. Is this going to cause trouble for you?”

Catherine shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

It didn’t feel right to stand around chatting in front of the meeting room. Adolf and Lance might be in there a while, and Catherine didn’t want to leave Lewis alone in the hallway.

She offered, “Do you want to wait in my office for a bit?”

“Are you sure?” Lewis asked politely.

Catherine led the way. “Yeah, it’s no trouble.”

A few minutes later, they were in her office.

“Sorry, I only have water here. Hope that’s okay,” she said, pouring a glass of warm water and handing it over.

Lewis got up from the sofa and took it with both hands. “You don’t drink coffee? I always thought people in these big buildings, with all the stress, lived on coffee.”

“I used to, but not much anymore,” Catherine replied, sitting down next to him. “I called the project manager over, so he should be here soon. You guys can talk about what comes next.”

Since she wasn’t part of the project, there wasn’t much else she and Lewis could talk about that was work related.

Lewis glanced down, then set his glass aside. “Actually, while we have a minute, there’s something personal I wanted to talk to you about.”

He hesitated, looking for the right words. “My mom had surgery last week. She’ll need chemo after this. Things are stable for now, but it’s not looking great.”

Catherine didn’t know much about medicine, but she’d heard stories like this before. It was just about buying time, living day by day.

Lewis’s face lit up with relief and gratitude, then he looked sheepish again. “I never thought I’d put someone I met on a blind date in such an awkward spot.”

Catherine smiled a little. “It’s really not a big deal. Just a small favor. But remember, only this once. Better start thinking about what you’ll say next time.”

Lewis nodded quickly. “You have my word. Just this once.”

Right then, the project manager from NextGen Technologies arrived. Catherine went back to her desk, giving them space to talk.

After a while, Lance and Adolf finished their conversation and were ready to leave.

Catherine walked Lewis downstairs, and they met Adolf at the entrance.

“If you have time, just call me,” Lewis said, pausing beside her before heading over to Adolf.

Lance watched from a distance, taking in every word.