Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 884: Just to Amuse You?

Chapter 884: Chapter 884: Just to Amuse You?

As soon as breakfast was over, Mrs. Jones came over.

The old lady couldn’t bear to let her little granddaughter go to the kindergarten run by the property management, so she came to pick up Alice.

"Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back to you in the evening," Mrs. Jones, fearing Catherine Ford would be uneasy, did not forget to make a promise before leaving.

Yesterday, Catherine Ford and Alice had received red envelopes from the elders of the Jones family, essentially acknowledging her relationship with Benjamin Jones, and since Alice was Mrs. Jones’s own granddaughter, there was no reason for her to refuse. Moreover, who would want to send their daughter to kindergarten in the freezing snow if a relative could help take care of the child?

After wrapping Alice up warmly and watching the delighted little girl get into the car, Catherine Ford truly felt for the first time that she finally had someone to rely on in this cold city.

This was an experience she had never had during her marriage with Foster Newman.

"We should prepare to go as well," Benjamin Jones said as he watched Catherine Ford see off Alice’s car and reached out to hold her hand.

Catherine Ford turned back to see the man’s handsome face and suddenly felt that life was truly marvelous, and nodded gently towards Benjamin Jones, "Okay."

Just as she finished speaking, her phone rang abruptly. She took it out and saw it was Director Hopkin’s number, so she hurriedly answered, "Carol."

"Catherine, there’s something I might need to ask for your help with," Carol Hopkin had just hung up the phone with the design department and immediately thought of Catherine Ford.

Catherine Ford didn’t know what could have made Carol so troubled and her tone became serious, "Please say."

"You know about Anna Ford’s situation, right? The higher-ups just found out about her condition and decided she can no longer host the annual meeting, so they asked me to recommend someone. I recommended you," Carol Hopkin explained briefly.

Catherine Ford was taken aback; seeing Anna Ford’s face scratched up like that yesterday, she figured that Anna probably couldn’t host the annual meeting, but never did she imagine that this task would fall to her.

She hesitated a bit, "Carol, I haven’t prepared, and I don’t have the experience."

Hosting competitions in college were completely different from such a live event.

"I’ve discussed it with the leaders of several departments before, and there’s no other suitable candidate. Even if someone volunteered, they wouldn’t be able to familiarize themselves with the script so quickly. But it’s different for you; you wrote the script, which gives you an advantage over the others," Carol Hopkin said soothingly, then finally added the key point, "Catherine, if you host successfully this time, staying on won’t be a problem."

That was the main reason Carol Hopkin had fought for this opportunity for Catherine Ford.

Having heard all this, Catherine Ford could more or less guess Carol’s intentions, but she was somewhat undecided. Could she really do it?

"How will you know if you don’t try?" As Catherine Ford hesitated, Benjamin Jones, who had been standing by her side, spoke up.

Catherine Ford looked up at the man, seeing nothing but encouragement in his dark eyes, and suddenly her heart settled. Indeed, how would she know whether she could do it if she didn’t try?

"Okay, Carol, I agree," Catherine Ford took a deep breath and gave her direct response to Director Hopkin.

Carol Hopkin was also very pleased, "Good, then let’s settle it that way. Come over early today to prepare, you need to try on the dress and do your hair and makeup."

Catherine Ford responded with a grunt and looked at the man beside her, "What if I make a fool of myself today?"

"Consider it a joke for the king?" Benjamin Jones quipped with a smile.

Catherine Ford, "..." So much for thinking he would encourage her! What kind of joke for the king was that?

Disgusted!

But her mood did indeed relax a lot.

After a quick clean up, Catherine Ford went to the company with Benjamin Jones. After yesterday’s commotion, their relationship was exposed, and they had no need to hide anymore. Benjamin Jones let Reed drive the car to the parking lot before allowing Catherine Ford to get out.

Catherine Ford was helpless, only to get out and find many people glancing over at them, intentionally or unintentionally, including employees from LG and people from Universal. Even though they were a distance away, she could feel the flames of gossip burning in everyone’s eyes.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward. Why had she never before noticed so many people in the underground parking lot?

It was quite embarrassing.

Yet the man who got out of the car behind her seemed completely unfazed, as if everyone around him was mere air, and even went ahead to adjust her slightly disheveled scarf around her neck.

In that moment, Catherine Ford felt the weight of all the stares directed at her, as if she was inciting animosity!

Catherine glared at the man next to her and hurried toward the public elevator by the LG area.

Benjamin Jones watched Catherine’s seemingly stable but actually panic-stricken back with a light smile on his lips, startling Harmony Meredith who had just gotten out of the car, "What’s this about?"

"It’s nothing," replied Benjamin, as he headed to the private elevator.

Harmony glanced in the direction Benjamin had been looking and remembered the gossip she heard yesterday as she followed him in her high heels, "The rumor from yesterday can’t be true, can it?"

"Which rumor are you referring to?" Benjamin unlocked his phone with his fingerprint.

Harmony chuckled softly, "Which one could it be? Of course, it’s about your heroic rescue. You couldn’t possibly have taken a liking to Ms. Ford, could you?"

Having worked with Benjamin for many years, aside from the recent tumultuous episodes involving a certain young Mrs. Piers, she had never seen him show special attention to other women.

Not even to her.

Benjamin, hearing ’Ms. Ford’, his usually indifferent gaze softened slightly, and he nodded to Harmony, "Mhm."

Even though yesterday’s incident caused quite the stir, Harmony didn’t believe it. She hadn’t watched the video that everyone else was sharing, thinking instead that Benjamin probably sympathized with Catherine due to handling her divorce case, and that’s why he publicly aided her. But she never expected that Benjamin would admit he liked Ms. Ford.

She was stunned for a good while, unable to recover, until the elevator doors opened, and she quickly followed Benjamin, "Why would you fall for her?"

Benjamin paused momentarily, "Why can’t I fall for her?"

This retort left Harmony speechless, unable to formulate a rebuttal. Wanting to probe further into the matter, she saw Benjamin had already strode toward his own office, leaving her to stand there, pondering his words, why couldn’t it be her?

Then why couldn’t it be me?

But she couldn’t voice this question.

She remembered what her older brother had said all those years ago: if you want to collaborate with Benjamin, then you need to rein in your feelings.

She had done well over the years, staying by his side as a friend and business partner, always assuming that over time he would come to see her as someone special. Yet now, she realized she couldn’t even compare to a divorcee.

Harmony gave a self-deprecating laugh. At that moment, a subordinate came looking for her, and she managed to regain her composure, but once in her office, she dialed a number, "Send me the information on Catherine Ford from LG’s logistics department."

She was really curious about what virtues and abilities this divorced woman had to capture the attention of an iceberg like Benjamin Jones.

...

LG.

Not many people came to the company this morning because of the annual event, and since she was part of the logistics department and had to host, she arrived early. Yet she could feel the intentional and unintentional stares from everyone wherever she went.

Upon reaching the logistics department, everyone who was busy stopped their work and turned to look directly at her as she walked in.

Catherine Ford scratched her face feeling self-conscious from all the attention, "Um... good morning, everyone."

"You’re finally here, the director has been waiting for you inside," Lewis quickly broke the awkward silence.

Catherine laughed awkwardly, rushing toward Director Hopkin’s office.

Thud!

Just as she was passing by Rita Pansy’s desk, the girl slammed whatever she was holding onto the desk with a thud, quieting the already quiet logistics department even further, to the point where one could hear everyone’s breathing.

Catherine Ford turned her head to look at Rita, only to see the girl angrily looking at her and asking, "You’re actually Lawyer Jones’s girlfriend? How did you manage to chase after Lawyer Jones!"

She just couldn’t understand, what charm could an old woman possibly have?

Although everyone felt that Rita’s behavior and question were a bit over the top, they couldn’t suppress their curiosity. Even Lewis was curiously watching Catherine.

Seeing this, Catherine touched her nose and said, "What if I say that it was Benjamin Jones who chased after me? Would you believe that?"

"Pfft!"

"As if!"

"You’re bragging a bit too much there."

"..."

As soon as Catherine finished speaking, everyone disdainfully started mocking her, and the office suddenly came to life.

"But what I said is true. If you don’t believe it, you can ask him yourself," Catherine said with shrugged shoulders, a bit thick-skinned.

It wasn’t a lie, after all.

Everyone was stunned, especially Rita, who immediately came over and scrutinized Catherine from head to toe, her face full of disbelief.

Catherine felt insulted, "Is that really necessary?"

Rita nodded, "Of course, it is necessary. Is Lawyer Jones blind?"

Catherine was a little angry, but Rita’s expression was so genuine and filled with distress that Catherine actually found it cuter than her usual arrogant demeanor; she smiled slightly at Rita, "I’m so beautiful, of course, he chose me precisely because he’s not blind."

Rita, "..." Does this woman have no shame? But faced with Catherine’s clear and graceful face, although not stunningly beautiful at first glance, it grew more appealing the more one looked at it, and Rita found herself at a loss for words.

It was Lewis who couldn’t help but exclaim, "Indeed, love brings blind confidence."

Catherine, "..."

Whose side is he on, exactly?

As it turned out, Lewis’s comment triggered light laughter from others, and they all nodded in agreement, while Rita sullenly replied, "If Lawyer Jones liked me and pursued me actively, I’d also think I was a fairy descending from heaven!"

Ha ha ha ha ha!

The sour tone, plus that ’fairy descending from heaven’ remark, got everyone laughing, and the atmosphere in the office lightened up a lot.

Catherine’s previously tense body also relaxed quite a bit, but just then Carol Hopkin came out, "You’re all in the mood to joke around, have you forgotten today’s task? Get moving quickly, Catherine, you come in."

Immediately, everyone scattered like birds and beasts.

Catherine said "Oh" and quickly followed Director Hopkin into the office.

"Are you confident?" Carol asked as soon as they entered.

Catherine shook her head, "I’m not confident, but I’ll do my best not to let you down!"

"Bravo! Hurry and prepare, you must be fluent in your script. As long as you persist until the ball, there won’t be any trouble. You may not believe in yourself, but I definitely do," Carol Hopkin scolded Catherine Ford playfully, then encouraged her.

"Thank you, Carol."

"Don’t be so polite with me. The higher-ups are paying a lot of attention to this annual event. If you perform well and want to stay, it would be much easier," Carol Hopkin said with earnest concern.

Catherine Ford certainly understood. A lot of LG’s leaders would be attending this year’s event, and as the emcee, her performance would surely be remembered, unlike how back-office work often goes unnoticed no matter how much is done.

After finishing talking about work, Carol Hopkin’s expression turned somber, "Has Grace Clarke been in contact with you?"

Catherine Ford shook her head.

"She’s mentioned resigning to me," Carol Hopkin sighed and said, "That girl isn’t very scheming; she lost her sense of proportion after being provoked by others. Don’t take it too hard."

Carol Hopkin knew that Grace Clarke and Catherine Ford had the best relationship ordinarily, and the matter of masks had originally been Catherine’s own idea. Yet, to make amends for Grace Clarke, she insisted that it was Grace’s idea, which was a pity.

"I know." Catherine Ford’s tone was much lighter. It was false to say she wasn’t disappointed, but over the years she had seen too many different sides of people. If anything, she didn’t blame Grace Clarke too much, but that was it.

She doesn’t blame her, but they can’t be friends anymore.

"All right, don’t dwell on it," Carol Hopkin comforted, then remembered the gossip that had been spreading since yesterday, "By the way, are you really with Lawyer Jones?"

Although this was a personal matter, as a woman, Director Hopkin couldn’t help her gossiping heart.

The topic changed too quickly, and Catherine Ford was stunned for a moment, then blushed and nodded, "Sort of."

She had originally planned to wait until after the annual event to accept his offer, but after yesterday’s commotion, the whole Jones family showed up and even accepted the red envelopes; it would seem too coy to not acknowledge it now.

"Since you’re together, you’re together. What do you mean by ’sort of’? But you must be careful, the Jones family has a complicated background, don’t get deceived," Director Hopkin advised out of her sense of responsibility toward Catherine as an elder.

Catherine Ford nodded, "Don’t worry, I will."

"Okay, get busy now. Memorize the script well; you still have to go get styled after lunch," Carol Hopkin reminded before finally letting Catherine Ford go.

When Catherine Ford left Director Hopkin’s office, the other colleagues were no longer there. As for where they had gone, there was no need to guess, as the whole logistics department was somewhat busy today.

She sat at her desk, printed out the script she had written earlier, and copied a copy of the event schedule for herself, then focused on smoothing out the script.

Since she had written the script herself, it wasn’t hard to go through it. However, Catherine Ford thought it would be even better if she could do without it, so she paid extra attention and was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice someone standing by her side until she felt a tickle in her throat and got up to get some water—that’s when she realized Grace Clarke was standing beside her at some point.

Startled for a moment, Catherine Ford got up to continue getting water, and Grace Clarke followed her to the pantry.

Catherine Ford remained still, watching her.

"Catherine, I’m sorry," Grace Clarke said softly, looking down in apology. She had thought about it all night, and the more she thought, the worse she felt. If she hadn’t been jealous of Catherine Ford and Lawyer Jones being together, and hadn’t completely ignored Catherine’s messages and calls due to Anna Ford’s instigation, so many misunderstandings and the scene from yesterday wouldn’t have happened.

Last night, she received a call from Assistant Manager Helin, demanding that she pay tenfold in damages. But when did she cause any loss to him? Worse still, that scoundrel belonged to a significant family from Swallow City, Gertrude, who was now pressing her for compensation and had given an ultimatum—if she didn’t pay, he would sue her.

One million was the demand—where could she get that? Her family was just working class; they didn’t have a million!

But it was different for Catherine Ford. Toby Price was so attentive to Lawyer Jones; perhaps with just one word from Lawyer Jones, he might let her off the hook.

After apologizing, Grace Clarke watched Catherine Ford uneasily; all her hopes were pinned on Catherine now.

Having heard this, Catherine Ford looked at Grace Clarke, whose eyelids were bruised and eyes were red. Thinking of how she had lost her job over this, Catherine sighed lightly, "Let’s let bygones be bygones. I have things to attend to."

After she spoke, Catherine Ford was ready to leave, but Grace Clarke suddenly grabbed her hand, "Catherine, please help me!"