Chapter 3

Catherine clutched the debris of the burned love letter, the lingering warmth of the flame burning her palm. "Nothing. Just some unwanted stuff." Frowning, Samuel stared at the burned pieces and felt that they were somewhat familiar. Before he could mull it over, Natalie's voice rang out from outside. "Mr. Lynch, are you going to the gathering? If not, I'm not going too!" Catherine looked up. "What gathering is it?" "I plan to bring her there so that she gets to know the people in our circle." After a momentary pause, he continued, "But she said that since she's your caregiver, she'll only go if you're also going. Cathy, just come with me." Catherine felt as if she had been punched in the chest. She smiled bitterly. "Samuel Lynch, what am I to you?" Samuel was taken aback for a bit. After a while, he finally said, "Cathy, I explained to you before. I've never met a woman who's so hard to get, so I'm really interested in her. "You don't have to feel jealous of her. When I'm sick of her, I'll come back to you." Catherine closed her eyes gradually. It seemed like she could no longer feel any pain. In the end, Samuel forcefully took her to the gathering. In the car, Natalie suddenly took out a few white tablets from her bag. "Mrs. Lynch, these are the anti-inflammatory medicines. You'll recover faster if you take them." Catherine merely stared at the tablets without taking them. "Are you sure these are the anti-inflammatory medicines?" Natalie's face fell. "I have nothing to say if you don't trust me." "Cathy, take the medicine." Samuel frowned and spoke up for Natalie. Under his cold stare, Catherine felt a wave of weariness. Closing her eyes, she picked up the tablets and gulped them down with water. … Samuel's friends had been waiting for a long time in the private room. When they saw the three come in, they instantly started teasing them. "Samuel finally brought Ms. Sullivan out!" "So this is Ms. Sullivan, whom Samuel has fallen head over heels for? She's truly one-of-a-kind!" Sitting in a corner, Catherine watched the same group of people who had helped Samuel pursue her last time and felt her heart aching. "Ms. Sullivan, Samuel truly loves you! As long as you ask, he'll even get the stars for you!" one of them said with a smile. Natalie was doubtful. "Really?" She was skeptical, so they persuaded her to try it. "Hmm… What about giving the most expensive car in your garage to him?" Natalie pointed at one of Samuel's friends. Without hesitation, Samuel tossed the car keys over with a grin. Everyone rejoiced at that. After that, she made another few requests from asking for a watch to a house, and Samuel fulfilled all of them. The ecstatic atmosphere in the private room peaked in an instant. "Did you see that? Samuel's feelings for you are real. I think you should just give in and become Samuel's sugar baby!" Natalie was firm. "No way! I'll never be anyone's sugar baby! I'm leaving if you all keep this going!" Fearing that she would leave, everyone changed the topic and started playing games. They would deliberately make Natalie lose in every round. And they either dared her to sit on Samuel's lap or to intertwine her fingers with his. When Natalie lost for the tenth time, they challenged her to kiss the person next to her for three minutes. Clamor and cheers echoed in the private room. Samuel was sitting right next to Natalie. Her face stiffened as she stood up abruptly. "Did you do that on purpose? I'm out if you keep this going." "We're just playing. Don't take it seriously." "Exactly. Why would we cheat? Samuel is a multi-billionaire. Would he be so immature?" Catherine gripped the wine glass tightly and forced a smile while staring at Samuel. Why wouldn't he? A multi-billionaire like Samuel was pulling such childish tricks with his friends so that he could create more opportunities to get intimate with Natalie. The last time Catherine had seen Samuel acting like this was when he was still courting her. It felt as though someone was slitting her heart slowly with a knife. She was bleeding inside and suffering from the pain. To make things worse, she felt increasingly uncomfortable and had difficulty breathing. Catherine was in so much distress that she clutched her chest. Only then did she notice that her arm was covered with horrifying rashes. It was obviously an allergic reaction. However, she had always been careful with what she ate. She started gasping for air and thought of the medicine Natalie had given her. With everyone cheering in the back, Natalie swiftly planted a kiss on Samuel's cheek. Obviously, he wasn't happy about it. All of a sudden, he held the back of her head. "Is this even a kiss? Let me show you what a real kiss is." The next instant, Catherine watched them kiss each other passionately as he ran his fingers through Natalie's hair. He didn't even notice that the rashes had spread up to Catherine's neck. Her breathing grew increasingly rapid. "Samuel Lynch…" Catherine used all her might to grab his arm. "Send me to the hospital. I'm having an allergic reaction." "Stop messing around." Without looking back, he pushed her away, one of his hands still clutching Natalie's nape. "Please…" She tugged at his sleeve again, her voice hoarse. He shook Catherine off and pinned Natalie to the couch, deepening the kiss. He became increasingly aggressive when he kissed Natalie. It was like an addiction as their lips locked into a passionate kiss. Just as he was fully immersed in the kiss, Catherine's vision became blurred, and she knocked against the champagne tower. As the glasses shattered, Natalie's scream echoed in the room. "She's fainted!"