Chapter 3

In the end, Catherine went to the banquet with Baxter and Katie. What she hadn't expected was that as soon as they stepped into Lindberg Manor, she saw the same woman from yesterday standing next to Raphael again. Not only that, but Raphael was also escorting her through the crowd of guests. He was treating her as if she were the lady of the house. Everyone knew that Raphael, the heir to the Lindberg family, was always distant and never had any women by his side. Bringing this woman to the Lindberg family's banquet was tantamount to publicly announcing that their relationship was official. It was the first time anything like this had ever happened. As a result, all the guests treated the woman with great respect. In contrast, only Catherine's face grew paler by the minute. Oblivious to her distress, her parents continued chatting happily. "It's rare to see Raphael with a date." "Could she be his girlfriend? They do look good together." Every word they said was like a stab to Catherine's heart. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, but she couldn't help looking over at them. Just then, a young boy, who was the son of one of the guests, was running through the garden. He accidentally bumped into Raphael's female companion. Raphael immediately reached out and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist. As their eyes met, the woman gave him a shy smile—it was the look of a woman in love. Catherine couldn't bear to watch their intimate interactions. Her nails dug into her palms, but she still couldn't tear her eyes away. Soon, her parents took her to greet Raphael's grandfather, Jason Lindberg. When they finished and returned to the main hall, Catherine realized that Raphael and his girlfriend were nowhere to be seen. The couple who had been mingling moments ago had vanished without a trace. Instinctively, Catherine glanced around but saw no sign of them. She ran out to the pool area, but they weren't there, either. After a few minutes, Raphael reappeared, holding Fiona's hand as they headed toward Catherine. "Catherine, where are your parents?" "They're talking with Mr. Lindberg Senior…" Catherine replied, but her voice trailed off. Her breath was caught in her throat as she noticed something. Raphael's suit was slightly unbuttoned. She saw a faint lipstick stain on the collar of his white shirt. Catherine's mind went blank as a loud buzzing sound filled it. So, the reason they had disappeared just now was because… The sight of the lipstick mark caused her heart to ache immensely. Just then, Raphael spoke up, "This is Fiona Xantus, my girlfriend." Catherine stared at the gentle and graceful woman in front of her and felt a sting in her eyes. With a hoarse voice, she greeted, "Hello, Fiona." Fiona nodded in response and gave her an enigmatic smile. Before long, Raphael was called back into the main hall, leaving Fiona behind. Catherine didn't want to be alone with her, so she made an excuse and began to walk away. But just as she took a few steps, she heard Fiona's voice come from behind her. "You're still so young. Are your parents aware of your feelings for Raphael?" Catherine felt as if an explosion had gone off in her head. She spun around in shock and horror. Fiona had a knowing expression on her face, as if she had always known about Catherine's feelings for Raphael. But then… How could she know? Not even Catherine's parents knew about this. Could it have been Raphael? That was impossible! It was more likely for him to do all he could to ensure that no one found out about it. Catherine was so stunned that she forgot to deny it. "H-How did you know?" "Your eyes gave everything away," Fiona said with a smirk, her gaze filled with disdain. "But what do little girls like you know about love? My advice to you is that you should give up. And besides, Raphael has a girlfriend now. You're not thinking of coming between us, are you?" Catherine's face turned ghostly pale. Unable to bear Fiona's sharp words, she retorted, "I would never do such a thing! I won't ever come between you two!" She turned to leave after saying that, so she didn't notice the dark look in Fiona's eyes. Suddenly, Fiona reached out and shoved her at the waist. Catherine stumbled forward. In the next moment, she fell into the pool. Fiona then smirked and jumped in after her. The two loud splashes that rang out immediately drew everyone's attention. Raphael was alarmed when he heard that Catherine and Fiona had fallen into the pool. A look of anxiety appeared on his face as he rushed over right away. He threw off his suit jacket and dove straight into the pool. The pool was deep, and Catherine couldn't swim. The waves of water overwhelmed her. She struggled desperately, consumed with fear. In the darkness of the pool, a sudden beam of light broke through. Through her blurred vision, she saw Raphael! Her eyes lit up, and she struggled to reach out to him. However, the Raphael who had always spoiled her didn't even look her way but turned in another direction instead. He swam over to Fiona without hesitation.