In the end, he had lost the most precious thing.

Something no one could ever replace.

He turned, and without another word, he walked away.

"Son."

Quentin Grant stopped and turned his head. "Mrs. Grant, the real show is yet to come."

With that, he left the hospital.

Mrs. Grant was furious. She looked at Catherine Callahan. "Catherine, tell me, what on earth is going on? Whose child is it, really?"

Catherine Callahan didn’t want to say a single word right now. She sat dejectedly on the bench, hands clasped tightly, head bowed.

"Say something!"

She knew that this time, she and Quentin Grant were worlds apart once more.

There was no longer any chance for them.

They were once so in love.

’How had it come to this?’

’Why!’

Lifting her head again to look at Mrs. Grant, she said through tears, "Godmother, I’m sorry. I deceived you and everyone else. The child wasn’t his."

It was just as she had suspected.

Mrs. Grant sat down beside her, her mind in a daze.

Little did she know, this was only a secondary matter. Catherine Callahan’s greatest deception was still deeply hidden—a lie that, on its own, wasn’t enough to shatter her.

"Then whose was it?"

"I don’t know whose it is either," she answered in a low voice.

Mrs. Grant looked at her. "To have a child whose father you don’t even know, all just to marry Quentin?"

She answered with silence, tacitly admitting it.

"You’re so foolish," Mrs. Grant said after a long pause.

The doors to the operating room opened again, and the doctors all walked out.

"Family of the patient, we did everything we could. The child died suddenly on the operating table. We were unable to save her life."

Catherine Callahan sat there in a daze, as if all the strength had been drained from her body.

Although Mrs. Grant was still having trouble processing everything, she remained surprisingly calm. "In that case, don’t send her to the morgue. We’ll take her to the crematorium and arrange for the burial."

Catherine Callahan stood up, at a loss for words. "You can decide what to do, Godmother."

Mrs. Grant had someone take the child’s body to the crematorium, and she followed behind, leaving Catherine Callahan and a silent Martin Grant in the hallway.

Suddenly, she burst into tears, wailing loudly.

No matter what, this was still her biological daughter.

Martin Grant handed her a handkerchief.

She took it and dabbed her eyes, a lump in her throat making it impossible to speak.

Finally, she ran to the restroom and splashed her face with water. When she came out, he was waiting for her by the door.

"Why are you still here?"

"You haven’t left, so how could I? I’m here to keep you company. We’ve known each other for over a year now. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

She started crying again and threw herself into his arms. "I’ve known you for over a year, and you’re still here. I’ve known him for so many years, yet he doesn’t even want to see me."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don’t be sad. He treats you like this, so why do you insist on holding on?"

Catherine Callahan walked slowly, her head down. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"But I can’t accept this. I can’t accept that I’ve given so much and gotten nothing in return. In the end, it was all for nothing."

"So what if you can’t accept it? What can you possibly do? He’ll just find another woman to marry. He’ll have children and build a happy family with her. As for you? You’ll just be a passerby in his life he’ll never think of again."

His words were undoubtedly fuel on the fire, perfectly articulating all the grievances and anger Catherine Callahan had held in for so many years.

"I won’t let this go."

He smiled, opened the car door for her, and then got into the driver’s seat himself.

"So what do you want to do? I’ll help you."

Catherine Callahan’s heart tightened. "What does Quentin Grant care about most? It’s nothing more than two things. The first is Nora Ainsworth, and she’s long gone. The second is the Grant Group."

Martin Grant had to admit, Catherine Callahan was an extremely clever woman.

He started the car, but instead of driving to the Grant Residence, he drove to his own private home.

He opened the door and invited her in.

After closing the door, he unexpectedly pulled her into an embrace.

"Catherine, actually, I’ve liked you for a long time."

Catherine Callahan trembled, looking at him in disbelief. "What... what did you say?"

"I like you. Seeing you cry makes me feel awful." He cupped her face. "A woman like you... my cousin is blind not to see your worth. It’s a shame I’m not him. If I were, I would cherish you and never let you down."

Such sweet words, offered when she was at her most vulnerable, were nothing short of brainwashing.

A warmth couldn’t help but spread through Catherine Callahan’s heart.

He seized the opportunity to kiss her, slowly pressing her down.

Catherine Callahan didn’t refuse. Their hearts drew close together.

By the afternoon, she emerged from the bathroom after a shower, her face soft and sweet. All traces of the grief from losing her child were gone.

Looking at Martin Grant lying there, she leisurely lit a cigarette and took a slow drag.

"How will you help me?"

He beckoned to her. "Come here and I’ll tell you."

She walked over, stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray, and lay down in his arms. "Tell me."

Martin Grant laughed. "All you have to do is learn to act like someone who has completely given up on him. If you repent sincerely like that, he’ll let his guard down around you in the future. Then, you just have my aunt get you a job at the company. Once that’s done, we can work together from the inside and out. Won’t it be easy to succeed then?"

Hearing this, Catherine Callahan thought it made sense.

She couldn’t help but look at him with new appreciation. "I thought you were just a good-for-nothing playboy, but you’re actually quite cunning."

He pulled her closer. "I’ve always had my mind on you. I really like a charmer like you."

She immediately sat up. "Alright, I’ll do as you say. I’ll do whatever you tell me to. I trust you."

His hand ruffled her hair. "Good girl. Trusting me is the right move."

When she returned to the Grant Residence, Mrs. Grant was already waiting for her in the living room.

"Why are you only back now?"

Catherine Callahan’s eyes were red and swollen. She stood beside her, then suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Mrs. Grant with a THUD. "Godmother, it’s all my fault. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. It will never happen again. I’ve thought it through. From now on, I’ll only treat Quentin like a brother."

Seeing this, Mrs. Grant thought she had truly come to her senses. She helped her up by the arm. "Child, everyone makes mistakes when they’re young. The important thing is to learn from them. Alright, let’s consider this matter closed. Don’t bring it up again."

Hearing this, Catherine Callahan’s heart leaped with joy. She then added, "Godmother, I don’t want to just live a comfortable life at home anymore. I want to experience the real world. Could you let me work as a junior employee at Grant Group, to survive on my own?"

Mrs. Grant felt that she had truly grown up in an instant. "Why would that be a problem? It’s just arranging a position, isn’t it? I’ll call the HR department later. You can get up now, right?"

Only then did Catherine Callahan stand up, grasping her hand with teary eyes. "Godmother, you’re kinder to me than my own mother. I think, if my mother ever comes back one day, she’ll forgive you, just based on how well you’re treating me now."