Chapter 19
3/1
Ever since Catherine returned to the Jackman family, all news about her had been completely cut off.
Samuel knew Frank Jackman had remarried, but what he didn’t know was that the man had since divorced his new wife as well. That was why Catherine was willing
to return and take over the family business.
After Catherine came back, Frank moved into Jackman Manor by himself to avoid upsetting her. So the huge Jackman residence now housed only her.
One moming, as she came down the stairs, a maid turned on the news channel while setting her breakfast on the table.
After dismissing the maid, Catherine sat cross–legged on the carpet and began eating her breakfast from the coffee table.
She took a sip of milk and casually glanced at the news–only to catch sight of a missing person notice posted by Samuel.
She looked away almost immediately.
Even though she was abroad, she’d heard about what happened between him and Natalie. She knew he’d gotten bored of Natalie, and then tried to cancel the divorce.
She also knew he’d seen the divorce certificate she left for him and realized she was gone.
But Catherine was unfazed by Samuel’s change of heart.
If he’d come to his senses earlier–say, before those 99 love letters he wrote her were torn up–maybe she might’ve gone back to him and tried to make things work again.
But instead, he came back only after Catherine had burned all the letters–when he’d gotten his fill of Natalie, and she’d lost all her hope in him.
If he hadn’t grown tired of Natalie or hadn’t seen her true colors, would he have still come back? Or would he have continued to force Catherine to wait for him her whole lite?
The thought alone made Catherine sick.
To her, the Samuel who once loved her had died the day he cheated. The man that remained now was nothing more than a stranger.
No matter what he did, she’d never let him find her. She would never take him back.
With that thought, she picked up the remote and turned off the TV, then walked into the study.
She’d caught a cold recently, so she was working from home. As soon as she turned on her laptop, messages from the group chat started flooding in.
The pinned message at the top read, “Ms. Jackman, the CEO of Lynch Group wants to acquire your art gallery in Caelora.”
Catherine frowned. That gallery was the only asset Alice had left behind after her death, and she’d treated it as her mother’s keepsake.
And now, just because Samuel couldn’t find her, he was trying to use this tactic to force her out.
However, Alice had once told her that if anyone ever tried to use the gallery to threaten her, she should walk away. The gallery was just superficial–her safety always came first.
So, Catherine wouldn’t show up.
“Let him buy it, then,” she texted back.
She had already taken al! of Alice’s belongings from the gallery and brought them abroad. The gallery now was just an empty shell.
And since she had no plans to return to Caelora, she didn’t care who bought it.
After sending her reply, she closed the chat and went back to work.
–
When Samuel received the response from the gallery, he slammed his phone hard on the desk.
Using the gallery acquisition to draw Catherine out had been a last resort.
Since she left, he’d been on the verge of losing his mind. At home, he couldn’t eat nor sleep, and at work, everything frustrated him to the point of madness.
And that was just the beginning. If this went on, he didn’t know how he’d survive.
But he never imagined that Catherine would be so ruthless as to give up even her mother’s gallery just to avoid seeing him.
How could she be this heartless?
He’d already told her that Natalie meant nothing–that it was just a fling. Once he’d grown tired of Natalie, he would return to her right away.
Compared to other men in their social circle, Samuel thought he was already doing pretty well.
Most of them had mistresses even before marriage, and after marrying, they barely came home. He, on the other hand, waited five full years after getting married before keeping a mistress.
And even then, he still came home.
Catherine had even agreed to it at first. So why had she suddenly changed? Frustrated, Samuel ran a hand through his hair.
Just then, his assistant knocked and came in.
“Mr. Lynch, should we proceed with the acquisition of Mrs. Lynch’s gallery?”
Samuel shot a glare at him. “Didn’t you see how she responded?”
The assistant’s expression changed. “I’ll go prepare the acquisition contract right away!”
