CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72- UNCOMFORTABLE

After all, two years ago she had been at Burg Eltz—a truly notorious reputation. To put it another way, she had been infamous. If he had bothered to investigate even a little, he could have found out. Had she not spent the past two years abroad, those rumors might still not have died down.

Thinking of this, Catherine’s face turned a little pale.

"Catherine!"

It was Amy calling her name, pulling her out of that messy swirl of emotions.

Catherine looked up at Amy, who frowned and asked,

"What are you thinking about? I’ve called you several times and you didn’t respond. We’re leaving now—are you coming or not?"

"I... I’ll go."

Catherine quickly agreed. Though she had just been in a bad mood, she knew clearly that personal matters were personal, and work was work. She couldn’t let her private emotions affect her and cause her to miss this chance to learn from Amy.

She hurried to grab her things and followed Amy and Silvia out of the office.

"Thank you, Amy," Catherine said.

Amy merely glanced at her, saying nothing.

When they got to the elevator, the three of them stepped in—and found that two people were already there: Bert and his assistant.

All three froze for a moment. Then Amy confidently walked in, and Catherine and Silvia had no choice but to follow. Silvia, even more nervous than Catherine, quickly slid into a corner and stayed put.

Amy stood slightly forward. Catherine had intended to stand next to her, but Bert’s assistant suddenly stepped forward and occupied the space beside Amy, chatting with her comfortably.

Catherine had no choice but to move a bit inward, ending up standing next to Bert.

After Amy’s earlier words, Catherine instinctively felt a strong aversion to Bert. Standing by him, she subtly stepped a little to the side, trying to create some distance.

Since he already had someone he loved, it was better for them to maintain distance from now on.

Bert stood tall with his hands in his pockets. He could sense the little woman next to him creating distance, and his intuition told him her actions weren’t just to avoid letting Silvia and Amy see any private connection—they were motivated by something else as well.

He frowned slightly.

Up ahead, Amy and Bert’s assistant were chatting:

"What else can we do? We’re going to meet a client, and also give the two newcomers a lesson."

Bert’s assistant laughed.

"Amy is truly a senior at Burg Eltz."

With their conversation continuing, the group took the elevator down to the underground parking lot.

After only a few steps, Amy suddenly exclaimed,

"Oh! I forgot something important!"

Having just left the elevator, the group had not yet separated, and her sudden shout drew the attention of Bert and his assistant, who had originally been heading in a different direction. They stopped and turned back to look at the three of them.

Amy frowned at Catherine and Silvia.

"I forgot to tell you—my car is a Beetle and can only fit one passenger. I had originally planned for you two to share a ride together, but in the elevator I got caught up chatting and forgot to send you downstairs first."

Catherine smiled and replied,

"That’s okay. You can take Silvia first; I’ll go catch a cab."

Silvia quickly said,

"No, no, it’s better if we take a cab together—let’s keep each other company."

Amy felt genuinely apologetic,

"I’m really sorry. Then you two take a cab upstairs, I’ll send you the café address later."

After they agreed, just as they were about to part ways, Bert’s assistant asked,

"Amy, where are you headed?"

Amy told him the café address where she was meeting the client. The assistant laughed,

"Coincidentally, I’m going near that area with Lord Washington. I can give you a ride."

"That’s great, thank you so much."

Amy didn’t hesitate and turned to ask Catherine and Silvia,

"So, which of you two will take Lord Washington’s car?"

Catherine was about to say she’d go with Amy, but Silvia suddenly grabbed Amy, looking at Catherine with a pleading expression,

"Cici, you go with Lord Washington’s car. I’m way too nervous—if I sit with him, I’ll probably faint."

Silvia’s anxious words prompted Amy to scold her disdainfully,

"Look at you, what a weakling!"

With Silvia so insistent, Catherine had no choice but to glance toward Bert and his assistant. The assistant was smiling, watching them, while Bert stood silently beside him, expressionless and aloof.

Catherine really did not want to ride in the same car as him, but Amy nudged her,

"I’m leaving with Silvia first. Hurry up, or we’ll be late."

Amy then led Silvia toward her car, leaving Catherine with no choice but to steel herself and walk over.

The three of them got in their cars. Catherine ended up sitting in the back seat with Bert.

True to her instinct to keep all distance from Bert, Catherine immediately hugged the side near the car door, leaving a gap between herself and Bert that could easily fit another person.

The assistant in the front glanced in the rearview mirror at the two of them, slightly embarrassed. Offering Amy and Silvia a ride had been his idea. As a personal assistant, his specialty was reading the room—and he had assumed the boss would be happy to ride with Catherine.

But now, what was this scene about?

Silent, not speaking to each other, the space between them as distant as strangers.

Bert crossed his long legs, sitting with a calm expression, but inside he was slightly restless. His unease came from Catherine’s inexplicable rejection. Just last night, they had gotten along quite harmoniously...

In the past, he had interpreted her maintaining some distance as a natural part of her personality—appropriate behavior for someone like Catherine. If she had been warm and enthusiastic toward him, she wouldn’t have been herself.

But from the moment she deliberately shifted a step to the side in the elevator, Bert sensed something was off.

If the distance before had been due to her natural reserve, a product of her instinct and personality, then the space between them now was deliberate.

Bert didn’t know why she had suddenly started keeping him at such a distance, but the sensation made him very uncomfortable.

When everything was under his control, when he thought their relationship was slowly moving toward closeness, she suddenly pulled back so far—it was no wonder he felt unsettled.

After finishing a work call, he was the first to break the silence:

"After work tonight, let’s have dinner together. Morrison’s brother said he’d like to treat us and also go over his requirements for the engagement dress and ring."

Karl had indeed called early that morning to say this. Bert had originally planned to wait until near the end of the day to inform her, but given the unusually quiet atmosphere between them, he needed a topic to break the tension, so he mentioned it.

Catherine instinctively wanted to refuse, because she didn’t want to have dinner with Bert—and he kept saying "us" in a way that carried a subtly intimate implication, which made her feel awkward all over.

Yet she also knew she couldn’t refuse. She had taken on the task of designing the engagement ring last night; this was her work. Karl was her client, and listening to a client’s requirements was normal and reasonable.

Caught in this conflicting mindset, she simply pressed her lips together and remained silent in response to Bert’s words.

His tone suddenly sharpened slightly as he asked her,

"What’s making you so uncomfortable?"