Chapter 128

That afternoon, Katelyn realized her meeting with Verena was coming up, so she picked out a sleek silver handbag from the closet, dressed herself with meticulous care, and strutted out in her favorite heels.

She arrived at a cozy restaurant in Shoildon, claimed a corner table, and sent Verena a quick message with her location. "I'm here now. See you soon."

Settling in, Katelyn ordered a juice and waited, the picture of composure.

Verena responded with a simple, "Okay." Then she placed her phone aside and continued her work on her laptop.

There was a reason people trusted a woman's instincts-they were hardly ever wrong.

When Katelyn called earlier, Verena instantly picked up on the underlying tension that this was no friendly invitation.

Sensing that Katelyn had her own agenda, Verena had no intention of playing along easily. Since Katelyn had already arrived, Verena decided to let her wait.

Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Katelyn saw Verena's short response and figured she was on her way.

A self-satisfied grin formed on Katelyn's lips. She assumed Isaac's wife would be easy to deal with.After all, she'd agreed to meet without any hesitation.

With her confidence soaring, Katelyn locked her phone and slipped it back into her bag, ready for whatever came next.

Thinking Verena would walk in any minute, she sat back and watched the door, waiting patiently.

After finishing almost three glasses of juice, Katelyn grew impatient, and Verena still hadn't appeared. Her eyes swept the room, but there wasn't a single familiar face heading in her direction.

A quick glance at her phone told Katelyn that nearly an hour had slipped by. Irritation flickered across her features. Apart from Isaac, she'd never waited so long for anyone. If meeting Verena hadn't been essential, she would have walked out ages ago.

Katelyn pushed down her annoyance and kept scrolling through her feed, doing her best to appear unfazed.

Elsewhere, Verena closed her laptop with a quiet snap and made her way downstairs, phone in hand.

Rhonda greeted her with a polite smile. "Are you heading out, Mrs. Bennett? Should I ask the driver to get the car ready?"

Verena shook her head, her expression light.′′NO need, I'll drive myself. I won't be gone long, so there's really no point."

Seraphina Villas weren't far from the restaurant Katelyn picked, so the drive took Verena less than twenty minutes.

Once inside, Verena told a server her name and waited as she was guided through the dining area.

The server pointed toward the far side of the room with a welcoming smile. "Ma'am, your table is over on the right."

Verena gave a nod of appreciation. "Thank you,I see it."

With that, the server offered a small bow and hurried off to her next task.

Turning toward the spot the server indicated,Verena spotted an empty table with just a single glass set out.

At that moment, another server approached with a new glass of juice, while a young woman, her attention fixed on her phone, hurried right into the server's path.

Their paths collided, causing the server to lose balance and splash juice onto the woman's hand.

A quick apology came from the server. "I'm so sorry about that."

She fumbled for a napkin, reaching out to help clean the spill.

The woman sidestepped the gesture, snatching a napkin herself to wipe her hand.

A glance down confirmed Katelyn's outfit was unscathed, much to her relief, especially since the clothes were a rare, limited edition piece.

Annoyance from her long wait for Verena now bubbled up over this small accident. She shot the server a cold glare. "Could you try being more careful?"

The server's cheeks turned crimson as she murmured another apology. "I'm truly sorry, I'll bring you a replacement right away."

Unimpressed, Katelyn waved her off. "Forget it. Just get back to your work." Visibly grateful, the server bowed several more times before retreating.