The Best Revenge It Wasn't Even Your Child novel Chapter 65

“You’ve got the wrong person.” Catherine slid her credit card toward the sales associate.

The woman smiled, then pulled out a photo from her bag. “Catherine, everyone who works here has a copy of your picture.”

Catherine knew her face was hard to miss. She looked almost exactly like the woman in the photo. Someone must have recognized her the second she walked in and posted her photo in the staff group chat.

“Sorry, I don’t want the shoes anymore,” Catherine said, setting the box down and turning to leave.

The sales associate scrambled to grab the shoes and hurried after her, holding out the bag. “Please, Catherine, don’t make this harder for us. If you leave now, Gavin will take it out on us.”

“She’s right. Catherine, please just help us out,” another worker pleaded, stepping in front of her.

Catherine could tell they were genuinely worried. With Gavin’s temper, she didn’t blame them. She sighed, resigned. “Fine. I’ll pay Gavin back later.”

She took the shoes and finally managed to get out. She headed straight to SilverLeaf Industries, barely slowing down on her way through the city.

When she reached the office, she grabbed her briefcase and went directly to the conference room. The project manager was already deep into a presentation about the upcoming partnership with the Green family.

The meeting had already stretched to an hour and a half. Lance was slouched back in his chair, legs crossed, looking completely at ease.

Catherine’s entrance drew a few looks. She just nodded, then quietly took the seat next to Lance.

“Lance,” she said softly.

He barely looked up, eyelids flicking open. That was as much of a greeting as she was going to get.

The project manager, sensing Lance’s scrutiny, grew even more tense. “SilverLeaf has done plenty of projects like this, but don’t worry, Lance. We’ll stay sharp. We’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.”

For the Green family, this deal was huge. It could decide their entire future. For SilverLeaf, it was just another project, but because Lance was here in person, everyone was on edge.

Catherine had come in late, but she caught up quickly, jotting down the key points and organizing them before turning her laptop toward Lance.

Lance closed the laptop and stood up, smoothing his suit jacket. “Catherine, double-check the details with the project team. When you’re done, report back to me. That’s all for today.”

He was already heading out the door.

“Bet he’s in a hurry to catch up with Adelina,” the project manager muttered, walking over to Catherine with a stack of folders. “Now that you’re here, he can finally escape.”

Catherine’s eyelid twitched as she watched Lance’s retreating figure. She forced a tired smile. “Josh, can we go over this one more time?”

Josh shook his head, lowering his voice. “Honestly, Lance has never cared this much, even for bigger deals than the Green family’s. He—”

Before he could finish, someone clapped a hand over his mouth. “Are you crazy? If Lance hears you, you’re done for.”

The rest of the team started to leave in small groups, leaving just Catherine and a few others behind.

By noon, Catherine set her work aside. “Thanks for all your hard work this morning. Go grab some lunch. I’ll handle the rest for now, and if anything comes up, I’ll find you this afternoon.”