CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44- REPUTATIONS

In fact, during all these years since marrying Tracy, Channing hadn’t exactly been faithful either. But Tracy had mostly turned a blind eye; as long as it didn’t threaten her status as Channing’s legal wife, she never made a big fuss.

But now Channing had outright filed for divorce — could Tracy really stay calm?

Channing tried desperately to explain that Bert had forced him into the divorce, yet Tracy only pressed him to reveal who the woman behind it all was. Furious, Channing didn’t want to continue talking and was about to leave when an exasperated Tracy grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at his hefty body.

Channing had no time to dodge; the vase struck him, and his body swayed. He barely managed to steady himself against a cabinet, his head spinning, and a burning, stinging pain spreading across his back.

Channing was utterly enraged. He turned to glare at Tracy, shouting,

"Tracy! You shrew! I swear I’ll divorce you for real!"

Just as Tracy was about to escalate the fight again, Lucca, having heard the commotion, rushed downstairs to intervene,

"What are you two doing?!"

Lucca’s own emotions were fraying as she shouted,

"As if my life isn’t already complicated enough! Gerald wants to break off our engagement, and now you two want a divorce!"

Ever since returning from the police station that day, Gerald had been distant and indifferent toward Lucca. At first, Lucca thought she’d give him the cold shoulder, believing he would miss her — after all, she was stunning and charming, qualities Catherine lacked.

Yet Gerald never reached out. Eventually, unable to contain herself, Lucca went to his office. At that time, Gerald was in a meeting with several important clients. His secretary told her to wait.

Lucca didn’t believe Gerald was actually in a meeting and assumed he was deliberately avoiding her. Boldly, she barged into his office — only to find out he truly was meeting clients.

The moment she intruded, Gerald’s face darkened, and the clients all frowned at the rude interruption.

Gerald, furious, scolded her for not understanding basic etiquette and resolutely demanded to break off the engagement. No matter how she pleaded, he refused to relent.

In a moment of impulsive anger, she yelled at Gerald, accusing him of rushing to break off the engagement because Catherine had returned. In the end, Gerald’s eyes turned red with anger, and he called security to remove her.

Now, her parents were also arguing about divorce, and Lucca felt utterly on the verge of collapse.

Both Channing and Tracy were aware of Gerald wanting to end the engagement. That evening, Gerald called Channing directly, explaining Lucca’s behavior earlier that day and announcing his decision to break off the engagement.

Channing spent a long time on the phone reassuring Gerald, then instructed Tracy to communicate quickly with Gerald’s parents, emphasizing that the children’s engagement must not be broken under any circumstances, since it would affect both families’ reputations.

The plan had originally been to arrange a family gathering to resolve the conflict between Gerald and Lucca, but Channing had been too preoccupied with debt issues to remember Lucca’s situation.

Now that Lucca brought it up again, Channing realized he truly needed to take responsibility for his younger daughter’s marriage. Impatiently, he instructed Tracy,

"Arrange a meeting with the S family and make sure Gerald is there. We’ll find a time to have dinner together."

Channing planned to settle Lucca and Gerald’s marriage once and for all at this dinner, selecting an auspicious date so the marriage could proceed smoothly and without further complications.

But Lucca suddenly ground her teeth and spat,

"Catherine! It’s all Catherine’s fault!"

"She’s the reason Gerald broke off our engagement. She’s the one who seduced that Bert and forced you guys to divorce!"

The more Lucca spoke, the more agitated she became,

"I have to go confront her!"

Turning abruptly, she tried to rush out. Channing remembered Bert’s warning — no one was to cause trouble for Catherine — and quickly blocked her path,

"Stop right there!"

Channing was also feeling a headache coming on.

"Dad’s already in enough trouble as it is. Don’t make things worse by provoking her, alright? Bert is our only savior right now. If you offend him, the Channing family is finished!"

Channing spoke with clear respect — even fear — toward Bert. Meanwhile, Lucca’s anger at Catherine only grew. She tried to rush out again, but Channing blocked her path.

With a sharp slap across her face came Channing’s furious shout:

"I said, stand still!"

Lucca was dazed from Channing’s slap; it was obvious he had used considerable force. She had never been hit by Channing before, and she never imagined that the first time would be such a heavy blow.

She was shocked, in pain, and furious all at once, holding her burning cheek, frozen in disbelief that she had actually been struck.

Tracy, who had initially intended to argue with Channing, saw Lucca get hit and rushed over, distressed, to shield her.

"Channing, are you crazy?"

Seeing the five red finger marks on Lucca’s face, Tracy couldn’t help but shout at Channing in anger.

Channing calmed himself for a moment, then pointed at the two of them, speaking fiercely:

"I’m warning you both: starting today, no one is allowed to cause trouble for Catherine or Renata. Unless you want the Channing family’s company to be completely ruined and yourselves forced to live a life of chaos and hardship!"

Bert’s previous warnings echoed clearly in Channing’s mind. Channing hadn’t interacted much with Bert, but during their daytime tea house meeting, he had already sensed some of Bert’s ruthless tendencies.

Moreover, there were countless negative rumors about Bert circulating in Burg Eltz.

Stories about Bert’s past control over Washington Co. and his half-year rule as the company’s lord, though details were unknown to the public, suggested that if Bert hadn’t done something ruthless, Dave wouldn’t have handed over his position overnight. People whispered that Bert was cold-blooded, ruthless, and cunning.

Now that Bert had publicly claimed Catherine as his girlfriend, anyone who dared to harm Catherine or Renata would face consequences they couldn’t handle. Even with the Channing family’s previous wealth and influence, they could not hope to challenge Bert.

Hence, Channing had no choice but to be ruthless toward Tracy and her daughter.

For Channing, nothing was more important than keeping his company, so he would not allow Tracy and Lucca to act recklessly. That slap was both a warning to Lucca and a warning to Tracy.

Tracy and Lucca had never experienced such rough treatment from Channing over all these years, and Lucca, especially, had been struck hard. The mother and daughter huddled together, too shocked and fearful to say a word.

Channing continued to warn them:

"The company is indeed in a difficult situation right now. Bert is willing to step in and help—and he’s doing so as Catherine’s boyfriend. I don’t want anything to go wrong. You two better behave yourselves!"

After saying this, Channing intended to walk upstairs, but Lucca, fuming, shouted after him:

"That Bert is such a cunning man! How do you know he’ll truly help you? What if he ends up harming you instead?"

Since Channing had divorced Renata and married Tracy, Lucca had always acted superior in front of Catherine for all these years. Now, suddenly being told that their family’s fate rested in Catherine’s hands, Lucca could not swallow her anger.

Channing responded firmly:

"No matter how cunning he is, all I know is that if I follow his instructions, he will protect my company!"

The implication was clear: if Bert said he should divorce Tracy, Channing would comply, leaving Tracy and Lucca almost foaming with frustration.

After Channing went upstairs, Lucca stomped her foot and turned to Tracy, gritting her teeth:

"Mom, are we just going to let that mother and daughter ride over us like this?"

Tracy, frustrated and angry, sat down on the sofa, her face cold and expressionless.

Lucca anxiously sat next to her and grabbed her arm:

"Mom, you have to think of something!"

Tracy, equally impatient, replied:

"Do you think I want this? Now that Bert has intervened and your father is acting that way, solutions aren’t something I can come up with instantly."

Tracy, like Lucca, could not swallow her anger—especially now, with Channing planning to divorce her. If Channing hadn’t issued such a severe warning, she would have wanted to go confront Renata and Catherine herself.

However, for the moment, there was nothing they could do. The mother and daughter sat on the sofa, silently stewing in their frustration.

Eventually, Lucca could not bear the tense atmosphere any longer. She stood up, fuming, and stormed out. Tracy remained alone on the sofa, arms crossed over her chest, deep in thought, turning over plans and strategies in her mind.