CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24- TOO MANY DRAMAS

Catherine froze mid-step, her brows knitting slightly.

Channing had just mentioned the name Bert twice.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered what Lucca had said—the man who had helped her also had the last name Washington.

So that was it. The man’s full name was Bert Washington.

As for what Channing said about Riley claiming Bert was her boyfriend—Catherine instantly figured it out.

After being friends with Riley for so many years, how could she not know her personality?

Riley had probably said that just to spite Gerald and Lucca.

But... had Bert not denied it?

While Catherine’s thoughts tangled in silence, Channing continued speaking with a pained expression.

"Cici, you’re the only one I can turn to now. Whether it’s Bert himself or Washington Co., as long as either of them invests in my company, I can keep it running!"

"I think you’re mistaken," Catherine replied coolly. "He’s not my boyfriend."

She turned away, adding, "Riley was talking nonsense that day. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Bert yourself."

With that, she brushed past Channing and walked away without hesitation.

There was nothing between her and Bert—nothing at all.

She already owed him enough for what he’d done to help with Renata’s surgery; how could she possibly ask him to bail out Channing’s company?

And besides, investment wasn’t some casual favor one could request on a whim.

"Catherine!"

Channing’s pleas turned into desperation when she didn’t even glance back. His face twisted with anger.

"How can you be so heartless? I raised you! I gave you life! And now you’d just watch your own father suffer?"

But Catherine didn’t look back.

She kept walking, boarded the bus at the hospital stop, and left him behind.

Sitting by the window, she let out a cold, humorless laugh as Channing’s words echoed in her head—"I raised you."

Yes, he had—until she was twelve.

Channing and Renata divorced that year. Before that, he had indeed supported her. But after the divorce, Catherine had gone with her mother, and Channing had completely abandoned his duties as a father.

Renata, proud and self-reliant, hadn’t asked for a single cent—not even child support.

And from that day on, Channing had never given Catherine anything.

Not a coin, not even a red envelope during New Year’s, not a single gift or piece of clothing.

Everything they had lived on came from Renata’s steady salary.

Catherine was deeply grateful to her mother for that.

Because if Renata had taken Channing’s money back then, he would now be using it to guilt-trip her—to claim that she owed him, to morally blackmail her into fixing his company’s crisis under the guise of "filial duty."

Whatever debt she owed him for those twelve years of childhood was long erased—buried under years of neglect, and the day he had tried to sell her off to that bank president.

There are fathers who love their daughters tenderly, and fathers who are nothing but strangers.

She had simply been unlucky enough to have the latter.

After calming herself, Catherine pulled out her phone and called Riley, asking about the whole "Bert is my boyfriend" incident.

Riley admitted it with a guilty laugh, explaining how things had really happened—exactly as Catherine had guessed.

Knowing Riley’s words had come from good intentions, Catherine couldn’t stay angry. She just sighed softly and said,

"Next time, don’t say things like that. It’ll cause unnecessary trouble."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Riley replied, and then asked, curious as ever,

"So... has that handsome guy contacted you again?"

Catherine could practically see the sparkle of gossip in Riley’s eyes and rolled hers in exasperation.

"No! After my mom’s surgery, I haven’t seen him once."

She hadn’t even had a chance to properly thank him.

It wasn’t until Channing mentioned his name today that she finally learned it—Bert.

"Wait, that’s not how the story’s supposed to go!" Riley exclaimed on the other end.

"Isn’t it supposed to be: the rich young man helps the poor girl, falls for her kindness, and then they live happily ever after?"

Catherine let out a helpless sigh.

"You’ve been watching too many dramas, Riley."

After being treated so coldly by Catherine that day, Channing felt unwilling to let it go. He convinced himself that she had refused to help only because she still resented him. He didn’t believe for a second that Catherine and Bert weren’t in a relationship.

So, he decided to speak to Bert in person.

After all, he was Catherine’s father. If Bert and Catherine were really dating—and might even get married one day—then he, as the future father-in-law, should be someone Bert would give face to.

But before Channing could even find a way to contact Bert, fate took the lead. The very next evening, at a high-profile banquet, the two of them crossed paths.

Channing had thought Bert would at least greet him politely, maybe with a smile or a nod—after all, he was supposedly dating Channing’s daughter. In Channing’s mind, Bert should even try to win him over a little, show some respect to his "future in-law."

But to Channing’s growing irritation, Bert treated him as if he were invisible.

In the end, Channing had to take the initiative to approach him. Bert simply raised his glass slightly in acknowledgment, his tone distant.

"Mr. Channing," he said coolly, "was there something you wanted?"

Channing looked at the man standing before him.

Because it was a formal banquet, Bert was dressed in a sleek, perfectly tailored black suit. A dark brown pocket square, folded with precision, peeked from his breast pocket—an understated detail that revealed both taste and confidence.

Channing had been quietly observing him earlier. Every movement Bert made carried poise and quiet power. His demeanor was calm, his gestures measured, his presence commanding but never ostentatious.

A mature, magnetic man—successful and self-assured.

Channing couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. He never would have imagined that after all the scandal and disgrace surrounding Catherine, she could still attract such a man. He used to think Gerald was already the best she could do, but clearly, he’d been wrong.

Still, this wasn’t the time for sentiment. Channing raised his glass with a forced smile and began in a tone of affected familiarity:

"Bert, how are things going between you and our Cici lately?"

It was a deliberate opening. Since he believed Bert and Catherine were dating, Channing saw himself as Bert’s elder—someone entitled to speak with paternal authority rather than deference.

So he addressed Bert by name directly, and even referred to Catherine affectionately as our Cici, flaunting his supposed fatherly position.

Bert’s brow lifted ever so slightly at the remark.

He immediately understood what was happening.

So, the man had actually believed Riley’s offhand comment from that day at the police station—and now he was using his "father" status to cozy up for his own benefit.

And as for his real purpose, Bert didn’t need to guess. He already knew all too well.

Channing’s company had been in trouble lately; Bert had overheard him complaining about it to Catherine that night in the restaurant.

But even setting that aside, Bert found Channing’s calculated approach disgusting. After what he’d done to Catherine—trying to pawn her off to an old banker and even slapping her across the face—Bert’s disdain for him had solidified into something absolute.

As a father, Channing was beneath contempt. Trash was the only word that came to mind.

Bert thought, if he ever had a daughter of his own, he would treat her like the most precious thing in the world—cherish her, protect her, give her the best life he could. He could not comprehend how someone could be so heartless toward their own child.

So when Channing tried to strike up a friendly conversation, Bert’s eyes flickered with faint mockery.

"Why do you ask, Mr. Channing?" he replied, voice calm but cutting.

The implication was clear—there’s nothing between me and your daughter.

Channing caught the undertone, but confusion still lingered.

That day at the police station, Bert hadn’t denied Riley’s words... so what did this mean?

Then he kept smiling as he continued,

"Our Cici may look gentle, but she’s actually quite stubborn deep down. As her boyfriend, you’ll have to be patient with her, you know?"

Channing spoke in the tone of an elder, trying to win Bert’s favor.

But to his surprise, Bert turned to him with a distant look and asked,

"Sorry—Cici... who is that?"

Channing: "..."

He was caught completely off guard by the question. After a moment of stunned silence, he forced a polite smile and explained,

"Cici is Catherine, my eldest daughter. That day at the police station—you even took her friend away, remember?"

Bert had been about to take a sip of his wine. Hearing that, he paused, frowned as if thinking deeply, then put down his glass and said with a courteous smile,

"I don’t know anyone by that name. You must be mistaken, Mr. Channing."

Channing was utterly dumbfounded. He had no idea what game Bert was playing.

He clearly remembered everything from that day at the police station—

that boy, Riley, had loudly declared himself to be Catherine’s boyfriend, and Bert hadn’t denied it. He had even taken Riley away afterward.

And now Bert claimed he didn’t know Catherine?

Of course, Bert was doing it on purpose—to humiliate Channing, to toy with him.

Watching Channing’s face darken, watching his confusion twist into silent frustration, brought Bert a deep, malicious satisfaction.

To deal with a man like Channing, being cruel and shameless was perfectly fair.

After all, Bert was never one to pretend to be noble.

He felt no guilt, no unease—only an exhilarating sense of vindictive pleasure.

Channing, on the other hand, was completely thrown off. He stood there, speechless for a long time.

Bert had already made it clear—he didn’t know Catherine.

For Channing to keep clinging to the subject would only make him look more pathetic.

Bert lifted his wine glass, gave Channing a polite smile, and said,

"Excuse me. I have something to attend to."

Then he turned and walked away—graceful, composed, and cold.

Channing had spent the entire evening scheming for this meeting, yet he gained nothing.

Instead, he had been mocked, left standing there with bitterness churning inside him.

Catherine had said there was nothing between her and Bert, and Bert’s words just now confirmed it—but then what about that scene at the police station...?

Channing felt his head was about to explode.

No matter how he tried, he simply couldn’t make sense of what had happened.