Chapter 204 - Boss says it’s okay!

There's something about good food and good friends together. Katherine, Damien, Caleb, and Jeffrey thoroughly enjoyed their lunch talking about how the times had changed now that they were in their early thirties compared to when they were still teenagers.

Katherine particularly liked it when they tell her things about the things that Damien did when he was younger. He was popular in school and was mostly nice, as long as people didn't bother him when he was reading a book.

The girls who had a crush on him would follow him around, parading at his back, but instead of telling them to back off, he'd flash them a smile. The girls would fawn over him even more, but he still wouldn't talk to them – he didn't entertain suitors.

Listening to these stories, Katherine wondered how she was growing up. If she had met Damien a long time ago, would she have been one of those girls chasing him around? Would she also be ignored by him if she was in the same group? Did she even have friends just like he had Caleb and Jeffrey?

"Katherine?"

She snapped her head to the left and saw Damien's waiting hand. He was standing next to her, waiting for her to get up. Placing her hand in his, she smiled at him, and they walked out of the restaurant.

Their cars were in front of the restaurant, and the men strolled towards their expensive toys when Katherine caught their attention, "Do you guys want to have some dessert?"

The three of them turned their heads towards her, and she suddenly felt conscious. "I mean… um…" she glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was already fifteen minutes past one in the afternoon. She mumbled, "I would have to ask my Boss if he's okay with me being late. I'd like to treat him and his friends for some gelato."

Jeffrey and Caleb looked at each other before they turned to Damien who met their gazes. Damien was touched because of the gesture, he loved that she was making efforts to be friends with his friends.

"Your Boss says it's okay." Damien smiled, his hands in his pockets as he stood next to his car.

"Heyo~!" Caleb and Jeffrey cheered as they moved towards Katherine who was still standing by the restaurant's door.

Matching Damien's smile, she beamed at them. "Okay, great! I think it's around the corner."

"This is why we like you, Katherine. You definitely know your way to a man's heart." Jeffrey swung an arm and draped it over Katherine's shoulder.

She glanced at his arm and raised a brow at him in question. "Through his stomach?"

Caleb let out a cheerful laugh as he — just like Jeffrey — placed an arm around her shoulder, sandwiching her in between them. "No, silly. Through gelato.''

The two men nudged her forward and they started walking with their arms still draped over her shoulders. She tilted her head and subconsciously walked with them while still wondering about Caleb's statement. 'Is it really gelato? Since when?' she thought to herself.

A scowl slowly replaced the smile on Damien's face. He glared at their backs as they left him behind.

He huffed and groaned as he caught up to them and did what he could only do at that moment – grabbing the back of the collars of his friends, he tugged them off her and pushed them to the side.

"Stop hogging my fiancée," he said under gritted teeth, taking Katherine's hand in his and dragging her to walk faster… away from his friends. How dare they?

Caleb and Jeffrey were sent into a coughing fit, soothing their necks with their hands before bursting out laughing their asses off from witnessing how Damien lost his cool.

He was so possessive of Katherine and it was entertaining for them to see his reactions every single time. He never reacted like that before — a different side of Damien that they got to see all because he was head over heels with Katherine.

A few meters away, there was a white Mercedes-Benz CLS parked at the curb near the restaurant.

Chairman Theodore Young sat quietly inside the car, looking out the window and watching Katherine with three men around her. His eyes were longing as though he was wishing… hoping that the woman he was looking at was his granddaughter.

"Who is that young man holding her hand?" he asked.

"Chairman, that's Chairman Damien Park of Crown Resort Group," his assistant responded from behind the wheel.

"That's him?" Theodore Young looked thoughtful, admiring Damien's features and noting his achievements at such a young age. "He looks so smitten by her," he commented, his tone sounded light and proud. "And it seems that she is as well."

When Katherine's group turned at the corner and was no longer in sight, Chairman Young lowered his gaze to the sealed envelope in his hand. He clutched it tightly and closed his eyes a few minutes before he ordered, "Let's go back to the mansion."

His assistant nodded and drove the car away from the curb, joining the traffic.

…

Young Mansion's study at 8 in the evening

Theodore Young had been sitting at his desk for the past hour. He was considering opening the result of the DNA test that was inside the envelope in front of him.

He was dreading to know the result but there was a massive part of him that was wary, not wanting to be disappointed. He had a lot of hope and if the result came out negative, he would give up.

He poured himself a shot of scotch and took a long sip, hoping that some liquid courage was going to help him.

Finally having the guts to see what was inside the envelope, he picked it up and ran a letter opener through the edge. With trembling fingers, he took out the paper and carefully unfolded it, skimming the entire page that was full of jargon until he reached the bottom of the paper.

Positive.

Chairman Theodore Young's body stiffened, his hands clutching the paper shakily at the same time that tears he didn't know existed escaped his eyes.

"Oh my lord," he muttered. Huffed. And he let out a gaspy breath. "My lord. My little Katherine."

He sobbed for a long time, unsure of the different emotions that he was feeling all at the same time.

He couldn't figure out what happened in the past on how his granddaughter survived. Did she escape? Why did she not come back? Did someone save her? If that was the case, why did they not bring her back to him? No matter what it was… or if someone had saved her, he didn't care. He was so happy that he felt like he had won the lottery.

He must repay whoever saved her. As long as they didn't hurt his granddaughter, he will make sure that he will forever be grateful.

After a while, he composed himself and called for his assistant, telling him of the great news. "Tomorrow! We must meet her tomorrow! I could not wait any longer!" He had thought of calling Katherine over at that hour but stopped himself, thinking that he was being silly. They had to meet properly or he might scare her off.

"Chairman, what about your daughter? Shall I—"

"I will tell her tomorrow as well before we leave so she can come with us. Oh, this is such great news!" The old man had a huge smile on his face as he got up from his chair and headed towards his bedroom.

With the help of his assistant, he was picking out his outfit for tomorrow when he'll finally meet his granddaughter Katherine. He was so excited that even choosing which cufflinks to wear was difficult for him.

For so many years that he hadn't seen her, his heart warmed and throbbed, wishing that tomorrow will come sooner.