Chapter 857: Chapter 857 by Chestnut

Chapter 857 Threat

Catherine scrutinized the man. Despite his peculiar behavior, his well-made, custom-tailored clothes suggested his affluence.

As Catherine observed him, the man smiled warmly and extended his hand. “Hello, Catherine, I’m Audrey’s husband, Brian, White.”

Shocked, Catherine looked at him coldly and furrowed her brow. ” Audrey’s boyfriend?”

“Humph” Branden sneered.

Branden’s sneer made Brian angry. He glared at Branden and said, “What are you laughing at? Did I talk to you?”

“Hmph!” Branden sneered. “Audrey’s husband? Did you give yourself that title? If you’re Audrey’s boyfriend, why do you need a telescope to spy on her?”

Branden’s direct remark exposed Brian’s secret, making him furious. ” This is just temporary. I will soon become Audrey’s husband. Just wait and see,” Brian retorted firmly.

Catherine, feeling hostile towards this sudden self-proclaimed “Audrey’s husband,” approached Brian with an icy gaze. “I don’t care who you are, but if you dare to harass Audrey, I’ll teach you a lesson. Leave now, or you’ll regret it.”

Knowing that he was no match for Branden, Brian silently accepted Catherine’s harsh words. “Catherine, tell Audrey I won’t give up. She must wait for me,” he said before reluctantly leaving.

Seeing this, Branden and Catherine left.

“I’ll have someone investigate him when we get back. You don’t need to worry,” Branden reassured Catherine.

“Okay,” Catherine agreed, feeling somewhat reassured by the idea of an investigation. She suspected that Brian was the person who had been calling Audrey but had been rejected. As long as he posed no threat and it was just a simple pursuit between a man and a woman, Catherine had no intention of intervening, as she didn’t have the time for such matters.

Branden dropped Catherine off at the laboratory, and as she got out of the car, he looked at her with reluctance in his eyes. “Shall I pick you up tonight?” he asked.

“I’m going to Audrey’s place,” Catherine replied.

Audrey had just returned, and there were things she wanted to discuss with Catherine, so Catherine had agreed to visit her in the evening.

Knowing that she was going to Audrey’s apartment, Branden felt a bit stifled but didn’t express it. Audrey had been away for a long time and now that she was back, it was understandable that she wanted to chat with Catherine.

Without blocking her, he could only say, “I’ll pick you up when you’re done.

Catherine nodded in agreement. “Okay, I’ll contact you when it’s over,” she said before heading back to the laboratory.

As soon as she logged onto her computer, she received a call from Zobber. “Boss, check the message I sent you on the computer!” Zobber exclaimed.

“Okay,” Catherine replied before hanging up and opening the chat box.

Zobber had sent a message containing an email that had been sent to the official mailbox of Hacker Alliance, specifically addressed to the chief. The email was password-protected, making it difficult for an ordinary person to read it.

Catherine quickly cracked the password and opened the email. After scanning its contents, she smirked. The long- awaited message had finally arrived. The sender was the person who had stolen the experimental data and completed the authentication process in advance.

The sender had left a phone number for Catherine to call. Without hesitation, she took out her phone and dialed the number.

The call was quickly answered by a deep, disguised voice. “Miss Swann, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Cut the small talk. Just tell me what you want,” Catherine replied, showing no interest in engaging with such a person.

“Alright, I like straightforward people. Our request is simple. We are willing to return the authentication qualifications to your laboratory, under the condition that you cooperate with our company on the experimental results. We don’t ask for much, just a fair fifty-fifty split,” the voice explained.

Catherine scoffed silently and muttered, “You do have some guts, using my research to threaten me.”

The other person laughed upon hearing her words. “You shouldn’t speak like that, Miss Swann. We just want to gain some benefits. As long as you agree, we won’t let you lose out,” the voice said.

“What if I don’t agree?” Catherine countered.

“If you don’t agree, you might have to spend another year or more researching and modifying the data. Who knows if your experiment will still be ahead by then,” they threatened.

The blatant threat made Catherine sneer. Seeing her lack of willingness to agree, the other person softened their tone. “Miss Swann, you don’t have to answer right away. I’ll give you three days to think it over. I hope you can give me a surprise,” they said before hanging up.

Catherine looked at the dark screen with a calm expression. Shortly after the mysterious person’s call, Zobber immediately called to inquire about the situation. “Catherine, what’s going on? Who sent the message?”

Catherine relayed the conversation to Zobber.

Upon hearing this, Zobber became furious. “This guy is too arrogant. He stole the report from us and is now trying to threaten us. Does he know who he’s dealing with? He’s really pushing his luck this time.”

Catherine, initially unfazed, couldn’t help but laugh when she heard Zobber’s furious remark. “I’ll handle it. Just wait for my message,” she assured Zobber.

Zobber agreed, “Okay, Catherine, I’ll wait for your message.” She waited for Catherine to assign her the task. When the time was right, she planned to deal with these ignorant troublemakers.

After ending the call with Zobber, Catherine focused on her experiments. The other party had given her three days, so she decided to address the situation after that time.