CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86- HER BOYFRIEND

For a man nearing sixty, getting a divorce at this age was far from pleasant.

People couldn’t help but associate it with one word—desolate.

Yet he had no choice.

No man could tolerate being cheated on, especially not for years.

If he hadn’t caught Tracy in the act this time, he might’ve continued living in ignorance.

This house used to be warm—a family of four living together harmoniously.

But since his son attended boarding school, it was usually just the three of them.

Now, because of the divorce, Lucca resented him deeply and moved out to live with Tracy.

The huge villa now housed only Channing, making it feel even more desolate.

Channing, who had spent half a lifetime basking in success, never imagined his later years would look like this.

Perhaps it was his terrible mood, but his thoughts drifted—

to Renata and her daughter,

to the simple life they once shared as a family.

To Channing, his marriage with Tracy had been years spent suffocating under the word "money."

Every day, she and Lucca demanded more—bags, clothes, luxury items, even cars and houses.

It felt like his only purpose was to bankroll their desires.

He used to believe a man’s duty was to earn money for his wife and children.

But only now did he truly understand the meaning of family—

that while a man works hard to support his home,

he also needs warmth from that home.

That warmth was what powered him to keep fighting.

In his marriage with Tracy, all he ever felt was taking.

That was why, after divorcing her, he felt only loneliness, not heartbreak.

The love he once had for Tracy and Lucca had evaporated long ago.

What remained was merely the cold maintenance of a marriage already emptied of emotion.

But with Renata...

It was her concern, her gentle care—

scenes from their past surged into his heart on this cold, bleak night.

After the weekend, Catherine returned to her work routine.

She was the type to take everything seriously—work or life—and because of that, she got along well with colleagues.

The first few days of the new week passed quietly.

No further contact with Bert.

But then she received a call from the jeweler saying her ring was ready.

After picking it up, she immediately fell into distress.

The ring was for Bert.

She had no idea how she was supposed to give it to him.

Meeting him privately again—or delivering it to his home—was absolutely out of the question.

Being alone with him was too dangerous.

That man acted like he could kiss her any minute.

Terrifying.

So she figured she would just bring it to the office.

It was a small item.

She could slip the ring box into her pocket, then visit his office "for work."

Yes, it was still a private space, but at least it was within the company.

He couldn’t do anything to her there... right?

Catherine was very satisfied with the ring—it was exactly the style she wanted.

She felt it would suit him perfectly.

But as she admired it, she suddenly remembered how he asked if she knew what it meant to give a man a ring.

Flustered, she snapped the box shut.

He was truly awful—deliberately twisting her intentions.

Her reason for giving him a ring couldn’t be more straightforward:

to thank him for helping with Renata’s surgery.

Nothing more.

The next day, Catherine brought the ring to work.

After sitting down at her desk, she began taking things out of her bag—her phone, and then the ring box.

She intended to stash it in her drawer.

But Silvia, who sat beside her, had sharp eyes.

"Wow, a ring!"

Before Catherine could react, Silvia reached over and snatched the box from her hands, opening it as she spoke.

"Your boyfriend gave you this?"

Catherine didn’t even have time to grab it back before Silvia gasped.

"It’s for a man?"

"So you’re giving a ring to your boyfriend?"

Heat rushed to Catherine’s face at Silvia’s words—and several colleagues around them looked up too.

Mortified, Catherine hurried forward and grabbed the ring back.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"I designed it for a friend, that’s all."

Catherine gave her explanation, then quickly locked the ring away in her drawer.

Since she was a jewelry designer, everyone easily accepted her claim that she had designed the ring for someone else. Silvia even looked suddenly enlightened.

But right after Catherine finished speaking, another voice cut in.

"I have an announcement for everyone."

It was Bert’s assistant, though no one knew how long he’d been standing there.

"Normally, when new employees join the company, we hold a welcome party. But last weekend the boss accepted a last-minute project, so he didn’t have time to organize it. The event has been rescheduled for this week."

Standing at the doorway of the design department, the assistant spoke in a clear voice.

"The boss would like to invite everyone to his villa in the suburbs this weekend for a barbecue. Does anyone have any objections?"

He then added cheerfully:

"Just so you know, the boss’s villa is extremely luxurious. Not only will it meet all your eating-and-drinking needs, it also has a home theater where everyone can sing, dance, and have fun. The newer staff may not know this, but our boss hates the chaotic nightlife outside, so whenever he hosts gatherings for employees, he prefers private house parties."

"And, by the way, the boss’s cooking skills rival a professional chef’s. He’ll personally prepare the barbecue and all the dishes that day."

The moment he finished, the employees broke into excited cheers.

With a private venue and the boss cooking for them, who would have any objections?

Besides, these private parties were always far more enjoyable than anything held at a restaurant. The atmosphere, the food, the drinks—everything was guaranteed to be top-notch. Everyone started buzzing with anticipation.

Some of the senior employees, who had attended previous welcome dinners, began bragging:

"The boss’s cooking is insanely good. After you try it, everything else will taste bland!"

The new hires became even more excited—

except for Catherine, who looked the most miserable among them.

She had absolutely no good memories associated with that villa.

She didn’t want to go.

She wasn’t looking forward to it.

And as for his cooking—yes, she had tasted it and it was amazing—

but no amount of delicious food could erase the psychological trauma caused by him kissing her every time he got the chance.

"Catherine, do you have any objections? You’ve been awfully quiet."

The assistant smiled as he suddenly called her out.

Flustered, Catherine quickly shook her head.

"No, I don’t have any objections. Heh..."

She wanted to ask whether she could skip it.

She thought she could use "taking care of Renata" as an excuse.

But the assistant seemed to read her mind, because he immediately added:

"Every new employee must attend. No matter what happens, all plans must be postponed for Saturday. Unless you’re getting married that day."

He said it jokingly, prompting a round of laughter from everyone.

Someone even said:

"With a party this good, who wouldn’t go?"

With the mood so cheerful, how could Catherine say she wasn’t going?

If she did, everyone would probably think she was being dramatic.

The assistant shot her a meaningful look before turning and leaving the design department.

But he didn’t return to his own office.

Instead, he walked straight into Bert’s office to report what he had just seen.

"When I went to make the announcement just now, Silvia was holding Miss Channing’s ring, saying it was a man’s ring—and that Miss Channing was planning to give it to her boyfriend—"

The assistant stole a glance at Bert’s expression.

Everyone upstairs already knew the boss was interested in Catherine—

while Catherine seemed to keep her distance from him.

So that men’s ring...

Was it for the boss?

Or for someone else entirely?

Bert couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

"Her boyfriend, huh?"

He actually liked the way Silvia had phrased it.

Because he already knew—that ring was exactly the one Catherine had said she was making for him.

And since she had brought it to the office, it meant she was planning to give it to him today.

Hmm.

Suddenly, he was looking forward to it.

Later that morning, after finishing some work, Catherine called him.

She stood out in the hallway, speaking in a very quiet voice as she asked whether he was in his office.

Bert said he was.

She told him she was going to bring him the ring.

He agreed immediately.

When Catherine arrived, she ran into his assistant walking out of Bert’s office.

He shot her a meaningful smile before leaving, and Catherine felt utterly confused.

She didn’t know that almost everyone in upper management had already figured out Bert’s feelings for her—

it was only the regular employees who were still in the dark.

When she stepped inside, Bert was bent over his desk working.

He was wearing a silver-gray three-piece suit today—mature, refined, the very image of a seasoned business elite.

At his age, he no longer needed clothes to elevate his presence;

whatever he wore naturally gained the air and weight of a man like him.

"The ring I said I’d give you is finished," Catherine said, stepping forward and placing the small box on his desk.

Bert glanced at her, took it, and opened it.

He examined it for a long moment, then narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"You’re giving me a ring," he said. "So tell me—are you trying to date me or marry me?"

Catherine: "..."

She glared at him through clenched teeth.

"I told you—it’s just to thank you!"

She had explained this so many times.

Why did he insist on twisting it?

He picked up the ring, rolling it lightly between his fingers, his gaze deep and intense as it rested on her.

"But what if I interpret it as you being interested in me?" he said. "And since I happen to like you quite a lot... why don’t we just be together?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Catherine’s cheeks flushed pink from anger, and she had no idea what else to say.

He kept turning black into white.

A completely innocent gesture—

and he insisted on turning it into a confession of love.

For a moment, she just stood there, completely frozen. It was Bert who picked up the ring and walked toward her. Catherine instinctively stepped back, putting distance between them.

He held the ring out to her, lowered his gaze, and with a soft, amused lilt in his voice, said,

"Won’t you help me try it on?"

Catherine was horrified. She shot him a fierce glare before spinning around and bolting.

Was he out of his mind? It was already absurd enough that he insisted she had feelings for him. If she actually put that ring on him with her own hands, wouldn’t that basically confirm it? She’d never be able to explain her way out of that one.

When Catherine finally got back to her office and sat down, she saw Silvia answering a call. A moment later, Silvia’s face tightened with nerves.

"Oh no... the boss wants to see me in his office. Did I do something wrong?"

Amy gave her a look of pure exasperation.

"Maybe the boss just has a crush on you."

Silvia trudged off with a miserable expression. Truth was, most of the female employees were like her—secretly infatuated with Bert from afar, but the moment they had to face him directly... they all chickened out.

Ten minutes later, Silvia returned. She sat at her desk in a daze for a moment, then slowly turned to Catherine with a scrunched-up expression.

"Cici... I just realized something. The ring the boss is wearing... it looks exactly like the one I saw in your hand earlier."

Catherine: "..."

Her soul practically flew out of her body. Silvia had seen the ring clearly earlier—but what Catherine hadn’t expected was that Bert would immediately put it on... and then summon Silvia to his office.

He definitely did that on purpose!