My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 193: Not Public Yet

"Engaged?"

Katherine heard her own voice echo the word before she could stop it. Her lips parted, eyes widening only briefly before she managed to pull her composure back in place like a snapped rubber band. She blinked once, as if to buy herself time.

Across from her, Lara Johanssen smiled.

"Yes." Her smile widened, the kind that looked too polished, too effortless, like it had been worn too often for convenience. "It’s not public yet. But it’s official."

Katherine’s throat felt tight. She swallowed, ignoring the sudden dryness that scratched against the back of her tongue.

"That’s surprising," she replied evenly, folding her hands neatly on her lap. "He never mentioned it."

She was proud of how calm she sounded. Not a single syllable betrayed the hundred thoughts surging in her head, each vying for attention like spectators in a courtroom.

Lara let out a soft hum and tapped her manicured fingernail against the rim of her coffee cup. "I suppose he wouldn’t," she mused, lifting her lashes in an almost lazy blink. "Especially if he thought it might complicate things. You know how Felix is, private, calculated. Always putting business first."

Katherine’s smile didn’t falter, but it felt like glass cracking beneath the surface.

She knew Felix was private. Hell, she respected him for it, until now. Now, the idea that he might be hiding something of this magnitude from her made her chest tighten in a different way. She could hear her own thoughts trying to sort themselves into rational conclusions: Maybe Lara was lying. Maybe Felix hadn’t had time to tell her. Maybe it was an arrangement and not something emotional. Maybe—

But then again, why hadn’t he told her?

They’d shared too much for this to be a minor oversight. If it really was nothing, just some family acquaintance, he could’ve brought it up in passing.

But instead, it had come from Lara’s lips, like a secret dangled just close enough to sting.

Katherine felt something twist in her stomach, quiet, invisible, but persistent.

She glanced toward the window, trying to calm the thrum of disappointment rising in her throat. Was she overreacting? Reading too much into it?

Still, she lifted her chin slightly and met Lara’s gaze head-on.

"I see," she said, calm as ever. "Well, congratulations."

Lara tilted her head slightly, like a cat batting at a mouse it had no intention of eating yet. "Thank you," she replied sweetly. "It’s been a long time coming. Our families always expected it, and now that things are aligning..." She trailed off, as if letting the implications fill the air like perfume. "Well. It feels right."

Arranged, Katherine thought. That’s what this felt like. Not love or desire. Something orchestrated.

And Lara’s presence here wasn’t to casually share the news. No, this wasn’t a casual chat between friends. It was a display. A warning.

Dominance, thinly veiled under sugar-coated words.

Katherine glanced down at her drink, the steam now gone. The clink of Lara’s spoon against porcelain sounded louder in the quiet corner of the café.

"I admit, I didn’t expect you to be so involved with Felix," Lara continued, dabbing the corner of her mouth with a napkin, though there was nothing there. "But you’re quite...present. Felix must trust you a lot."

Katherine smiled politely. "Trust is important in any professional setting."

Lara laughed gently, tilting her head. "Of course. Though I imagine trust between a man and his secretary, especially one as poised and lovely as yourself, must come with... complexities."

The insinuation hung heavy in the air.

Katherine’s fingers tightened around her cup, but her tone didn’t waver. "Mr. Crawford and I have a strong working relationship. I take pride in maintaining professionalism."

"And yet," Lara said, swirling her coffee lazily with the tiny silver spoon, "there’s a kind of familiarity between you two. I noticed it that day."

Katherine met her gaze, unwavering. "I’m sure you saw whatever you were looking for."

Lara blinked, surprised for half a second. Then, she smiled again. "I suppose I did." Lara lifted her cup again. "Not to mention Felix treats your child awfully well. That’s rare, don’t you think? For a boss to be so... attentive."

"That’s just the kind of person he is," she answered back. "He looks after the people under his care."

Lara hummed as if she wasn’t quite convinced. "Perhaps. Or maybe he makes exceptions, when he’s... emotionally invested."

Katherine’s jaw flexed ever so slightly, but she didn’t take the bait. "Children are easy to be fond of. Mine especially."

"I don’t doubt that," Lara said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "It’s just, well, it’s touching, really. The twins seem very attached to him. Almost as if they see him as a father already."

Katherine leaned back slightly, smoothing her skirt. The conversation was becoming increasingly pointed, but she wouldn’t give Lara the reaction she wanted. If Lara thought she could shake her, corner her into defensiveness, she had another thing coming.

"Well," Katherine said, glancing at her phone as though she had a reason to check the time, "I should return to the office. I have things to attend to."

This was a waste of time. Lara had come to send a message. To mark territory and rattle her.

Lara gave a little pout, then stood as well. "Of course. I didn’t mean to keep you so long."

Katherine Katherine stood before stepped back from the table and grabbed her bag. Lara mirrored her movement, but her hand came to rest lightly on Katherine’s arm before she could walk away.

"I do hope we can be friends," she said with softness, her eyes glittering. "After all, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other."

Katherine looked at the hand on her arm for just a moment before gently pulling away.

She didn’t say anything. Not yes or no. Not a polite lie or an empty nod.

She simply met Lara’s gaze before walking away.