Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 886: Is She a Substitute for Abigail?

Chapter 886: Chapter 886: Is She a Substitute for Abigail?

On stage, Catherine Ford was completely focused on hosting. Initially nervous, she relaxed as the leader finished his speech and the first performance ended smoothly. Occasionally, she’d playfully tease, drawing laughter from the audience.

During the lucky draw segment, Catherine truly excelled. With the company’s generous prizes, the annual meeting reached a climax. By the final performance, everyone cooperated enthusiastically with her, some even went on stage to confess their feelings without knowing Catherine’s situation.

The atmosphere was incredibly joyous; everyone was still immersed in the joy when Gene Meredith came on stage to summarize the event.

The young CEO, after finishing his speech, interestingly praised Catherine, which caused a round of applause below the stage. Anna Ford and Nancy Newman, dressed similarly and seated not far from her, twisted in jealousy.

With the program over, the masked dance party began.

The company had booked rooms for everyone in advance, and all left for the party, changing into dance attire and masks amidst laughter.

Catherine watched everyone leave before finally stepping down from the stage and letting out a deep breath. When she looked up, she was met with a handsome and noble face, pausing briefly and then laughing lightly, "I didn’t embarrass you, did I?"

"Not exactly, but it’s getting hard to hide," Benjamin Jones said, annoyed. Thinking about the men who confessed to Catherine and Gene’s ambiguously flattering words, he felt quite sour.

Upon hearing this, Catherine paused for a moment, then looked at him with amusement, "Are you jealous? Seriously?"

But it made her feel even better.

"Will you come to the dance later?" Catherine asked with a smile, looking into his eyes.

Benjamin laughed along with her, "Is that an invitation?"

Raising her large eyes playfully, Catherine replied, "If you must think so, yes."

"I’m honored," Benjamin said, his lips curving in pleasure.

Just then, Carol Hopkin came over and seeing the two, asked Catherine with a smile, "Catherine, aren’t you going to introduce me?"

Blushing a bit at Carol’s teasing, Catherine responded, "Carol, this is Benjamin Jones, a lawyer. Benjamin, this is my boss, Carol."

"Hahaha, a lawyer? That’s quite the introduction," Carol laughed, amused by Catherine’s words and looked at Benjamin, "Lawyer Jones, you’ll have to take great care of our Catherine from now on."

"Of course, I will. Thanks for your care of our Catherine before," Benjamin responded with a raised eyebrow, marveling at how she introduced him as ’a lawyer’.

Sandwiched between them, Catherine’s cheeks turned even redder, slightly embarrassed. She hadn’t intentionally introduced him that way; it was just that saying ’boyfriend’ felt too awkward to say out loud.

After exchanging pleasantries, Carol said to Catherine, "Go ahead and dance with Lawyer Jones without worry at the party later; others will take care of everything else."

"Carol!" Catherine exclaimed lightly, suspecting Carol was teasing her. What did she mean by ’go ahead and dance with Benjamin without worry’?

Tickled by Catherine’s shy demeanor, Carol laughed heartily, patting Catherine on the shoulder, "Lawyer Jones, we entrust our Catherine to you."

Benjamin acknowledged with a sound, and Carol hurried off to attend to other matters.

After Carol left, Catherine Ford awkwardly looked at the man, "Umm... where is your mask? Do you need to change your outfit?"

But after she finished speaking, Benjamin Jones did not directly answer her question, instead half of his body leaned forward to her face, "A lawyer?"

Catherine Ford looked at the enlarged handsome face in front of her, feeling her heartbeat somewhat out of control, "Umm... I just said that casually."

"Oh, I thought you regretted it." Benjamin Jones sighed with a hint of disappointment.

Catherine Ford quickly shook her head, "No, I didn’t."

"Then do you know how to introduce me to others next time?" Benjamin Jones did not want to hear the introduction of ’a lawyer’ from this woman again.

Feeling the man’s breath on her face, Catherine felt tingles all over her body, but looking into those deep eyes she knew she couldn’t easily evade this question, so she pursed her lips, "Umm... as a boyfriend."

"Louder, I didn’t hear that." Benjamin Jones said deliberately.

Catherine Ford glared at the man annoyedly, then looked back to make sure the other colleagues had gone to the ballroom and were busy, before repeating, "As a boyfriend."

Her voice was much louder this time.

Benjamin Jones seemed more satisfied, nudged her nose with his, "Hmm, that’s more like it, girlfriend."

After being pushed by the man to emphasize ’boyfriend’ twice, Catherine’s heartbeat was still a bit messy, but suddenly hearing him say ’girlfriend’, her large eyes widened, staring blankly at the handsome man in front of her.

It was just three words, but she could sense a lingering tenderness from it, her heart sweetened, and it took her a while to softly repeat, "Girlfriend?"

"Yes, girlfriend." Benjamin Jones, amused by Catherine Ford’s dazed silly look, felt his heart soften, and he nudged her cheek with his nose again, "Go change now, girlfriend."

"Ah? Oh." Catherine Ford, feeling the man’s affection, tiptoed to return the gesture, and then obediently went to change, not realizing until she was out of Benjamin Jones’s sight that the man had not mentioned what mask he would wear, or what outfit he would need!

Since she did not have her phone with her because of her dress, she had to go back to the hotel room first.

The hotel room was arranged by the logistics department; originally Catherine Ford was supposed to stay on the same floor as her logistics colleagues, but since she was hosting tonight for convenience, they temporarily moved her to a room on the first floor.

Unlike other hotels, the rooms on the first floor of the hotel they booked for today’s annual meeting were not numerous. When Catherine Ford got there, there was no one else around. She was about to enter the password when she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it was someone from another room, she didn’t pay much attention, until the person stopped as they approached her.

Catherine Ford looked over curiously, only to see Nancy Newman wearing a hat and a mask, showing only a pair of eyes.

If it were someone else, Catherine Ford might not have recognized them, but Nancy Newman’s eyes were just too detestable to Catherine, and upon seeing them, she furrowed her brows and continued to enter the password, planning to ignore her.

But Nancy Newman clearly wasn’t going to let Catherine Ford go, stepping forward to block her way.

Catherine Ford looked at Nancy Newman coldly, "Move aside."

"Do you want to know why Lawyer Jones chose you?" Nancy Newman had contacted Foster Newman, but it would take some time before he arrived. She originally planned to stay in the hotel bathroom to wait and watch the drama unfold, but unexpectedly she overheard a huge secret.

"No matter the reason, it’s my own business." Catherine Ford doesn’t yet understand Nancy Newman, this woman can’t stand seeing her live a good life.

"Do you know Abigail?" Nancy Newman didn’t care whether Catherine Ford wanted to hear or not, after hearing this name in the bathroom, she immediately searched for her online, unexpectedly finding that Abigail was very well-known, and soon she found many photos of her, just as those people had described.

Catherine Ford frowned at Nancy Newman, not knowing what she was up to, "I don’t know her, you can move aside."

Saying this, Catherine Ford didn’t hold back, and pulled Nancy Newman aside and headed into the room.

However, Nancy Newman shouted loudly, "She was Lawyer Jones’ childhood sweetheart and his lifelong regret. She died, and you resemble her by seventy percent, now do you know why you were chosen? Catherine Ford, you think you found your Prince Charming and climbed up to Benjamin Jones, but in reality, you are just a replacement, a joke!"

Fearing Catherine Ford would not listen, Nancy Newman said it all in one breath, and didn’t forget to add, "If you don’t believe it, you can Google Abigail, she’s a descendant of imperial physicians, a genius girl, a medical student from Yale University, someone you could never compare to in your entire life."

Catherine Ford’s steps halted for a moment as she entered the door, and then with a bang, she closed the door.

What Nancy Newman was thinking, Catherine Ford could naturally guess, but the moment she closed the door, her mind uncontrollably kept replaying one of Nancy Newman’s phrases, "You resemble her by seventy percent, seventy percent..."

Even though she tried to control herself, Catherine Ford couldn’t help but find her phone, opening the search page. It wasn’t that she believed what Nancy Newman said, but the name Abigail was indeed familiar to her.

Specifically, she had heard it four years ago, and it was from the mouth of Benjamin Jones himself.

Quite melodramatically, they were lying in the same bed, yet he was calling out another woman’s name.

Back then, Catherine Ford never took this matter to heart, who would delve deeply into whom a fleeting romance truly loves?

But now it’s different.

Claire Ford held her cellphone, she loves him, so she couldn’t help but care.

She wanted to control herself not to think about this matter, after all, who doesn’t have a past, especially a man as outstanding as Benjamin Jones, but her hand already typed up Abigail’s name, quickly presenting hundreds of search results.

As Nancy Newman said, she was a genius girl, a descendant of imperial physicians, a graduate of Yale University, among many other titles, each shining brightly, honors that ordinary people could not achieve in a lifetime. Yet, Abigail had already made her name at the mere age of twenty-seven. If not for the jealously of heaven over talented individuals, perhaps her life could have achieved even more splendid accomplishments.

However, these were not the points Catherine Ford cared most about. From the moment she accessed Abigail’s information, her attention was captured by her photos.

Reluctantly admitting it, but looking at those photos, Catherine Ford had to accept that Nancy Newman was somewhat right, she did resemble that Abigail.

Maybe not seventy percent, but definitely fifty to sixty percent.

The hopes she held earlier shattered, followed by her heart sinking bit by bit. She wanted to convince herself that Benjamin Jones liked her, that the person he wanted to be with was her, but looking at the similar eyebrows and eyes of another woman on her phone, she couldn’t deceive herself any longer.

So was she being treated as a substitute?

Because she looked like the person he deeply loved, was that why he tenderly cherished her?

Catherine Ford wanted to laugh, but it looked uglier than crying.

Just minutes ago she felt a happiness so surreal, yet now she trembled in pain, having to admit that Nancy Newman’s tactics were crude but successfully hurt her.

Sitting in a hotel room brimming with winter warmth, Catherine Ford felt chilly in her limbs and dazed. She thought of many things: that crazy night long ago, the despair when she got pregnant with Alice, raising Alice single-handedly, meeting Benjamin Jones again, and being with him. She thought all her past sufferings were exchanged for the sweetness before her eyes.

But now she felt that an ordinary person like her could hardly be like the sweet-novel heroine who, after endless hardships, is finally loved by a knight in shining armor.

Life isn’t like that.

The face-slapping scenes in joyful novels might happen, but they are fleeting; ultimately, everyone must face life’s scattered feathers.

"Haha." Sitting motionless, her whole body somewhat numb, Catherine Ford chuckled self-deprecatingly, then stood up but collapsed to the floor, her legs weak from sitting too long. It took her a while to struggle to her feet. Her gaze fell on two sets of clothes: one her usual work clothes, the other a gown especially prepared by him for today’s ball, even more dazzling than the host’s.

Looking at the beautiful gown that dazzled her, Catherine Ford hesitated but eventually chose it. If tonight was the last night, she still wanted to appear before him in her most beautiful guise.

Even if his eyes, when looking at her, were always fixated on someone else.

After changing into the gown, Catherine Ford looked at herself in the mirror. Completely different from the earlier purple mermaid gown, she was now in an LV haute couture, a blue starry sky dress. Although uninformed, she knew it was a globally limited edition,

a million-dollar gown that a Cinderella like her could never touch in her entire life, yet now it lay before her eyes. She carefully dressed herself, slipping into it slowly, then looked at the overly beautiful woman in the mirror, even she herself was stunned, unable to believe it was her.

"Just love fiercely before the magic ends at midnight." Catherine Ford smiled slightly at the mirror, then picked up her mask and put it on.

When she emerged, the ball was in full swing, lively beyond measure, due to her suggestion, many today found dance partners based on masks, a variety of styles were in sight.

Some people even coordinated their outfits with their mask designs, there were COS Shinichi and Ran, Monkey King and Violet Fairy, Sesshoumaru and Rin, Kagome and InuYasha, more exaggeratedly, Mr. and Mrs. Mickey, these were mostly couples who had arranged beforehand, and some bizarre ones like Joker and The Faceless One, more common were princesses and princes, with numerous mermaids as well.

Catherine Ford touched the mask on her face, finally easing the melancholic mood she felt earlier, realizing most people harbored a fairytale dream.

As Catherine Ford was lost in thought, not far away, a mermaid wearing the same starry sky dress as hers approached a tall and upright figure, the man was wearing the lobster mask they made together with Alice last time.

Instinctively, Catherine Ford walked towards them, but there were too many people. Before she could get close, the mermaid had already invited the lobster mask man, and the tall man seemed stunned for a moment, but after hesitating, he took her hand.

Catherine Ford’s advancing steps halted abruptly, staring blankly at the man holding the mermaid’s hand, unable to recover for a long time. So, Benjamin Jones didn’t recognize her and chose someone else?

But there was a difference in their masks, right?

Catherine Ford’s already heavy heart ached even more at the sight nearby. So, she didn’t even have a chance to dance with him tonight?

Standing in the bustling crowd, Catherine Ford at that moment couldn’t hear or see anything, feeling only a heart dripping blood, until someone lightly tapped her shoulder.

She snapped back to reality and saw a man wearing a Joker mask. Before she could speak, the man, in a deep, sincere voice, invited her,

"Would I have the honor to ask the most beautiful mermaid at the ball for a dance?"