Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Curtis lifted an eyebrow, “What’s the point of going home?”

Caleb choked for a moment. That was indeed a good question.

He shifted the conversation, “Look, we’ve all been running on fumes lately, tagging along with your marathon meetings. You’re full of beans, but the rest of us are burning the midnight oil to the point of going bald. We have thirty-year-old souls with the health of octogenarians. If someone drops dead from exhaustion, that’s gonna cost a pretty penny.”

All of Caleb’s smooth talk was learned from Curtis. Using it in front of the man himself felt like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Curtis scoffed, “Do you think I can’t pick up the tab?”

That wasn’t exactly the point.

The secretary wasn’t wrong. Ever since Curtis got back from his trip, he’d been more demanding by the day. Caleb, having been by his side for years, had a knack for gauging his thoughts.

Caleb repeated to himself like a mantra, “For the sake of ElitePinnacle.”

Then, with a sense of resigned courage, he asked, “Mr. Richardson, are you afraid of confronting your wife?”

The sound of shattering in the CEO’s office sent a chill down the spines of the secretaries.

outside.

“It’s over. Caleb’s done for… Oh dear!”

Soon after th

swung open, and Caleb stepped out.

The

hist

diately swarmed him with concern, “Caleb, are you alright?”

ked over a coffee mug.”

g his tie and letting out a sigh of relief, Caleb announced, “Let the other

ents know – Mr. Richardson says everyone’s been putting in a lot of effort and

es a three-day break. Tell them to go home and recharge.”

tement erupted through ElitePinnacle. The place cleared out before the end of the day. en Curtis finally emerged from his office, he found no one but Caleb.

They scampered off faster than rabbits,” Curtis grumbled upon seeing Caleb, “You too.”

Jake had the misfortune of catching a nasty cold the day before, so Curtis found himself driving alone on the snowy streets, feeling an unexpected sense of desolation.

1/2

In the end, he turned the car around and headed back to Crystal Cove Villas.

The house was toasty as spring with the heating on but felt eerily empty.

Curtis paused, calling out, “Leanne?”

The chill in his voice went unnoticed.

His echo nearly answered him in the hollow. space.

Dropping his coat on the couch, he made a beeline for the master bedroom upstairs. Seeing Leanne’s clothes and personal items still there, his tense muscles finally relaxed.

Heading back downstairs, he heard a few meows.

He approached the room where they kept the gats and barely cracked the door open when the cats squeezed out, followed by a litter of kittens rushing past with their little tails bouncing, sniffing and climbing Curtis’ pant leg.

Trying to nudge them back in with his foot was futile. There was no one who complied, instead leaping over his shoes and darting away.

Laura, back from grocery shopping, saw the feline frenzy in the living room, with a couple of them tumbling and play-fighting on the sofal

Cat hair fluttered in the air, and Curtis stood at a distance, sneezing uncontrollably.

Laura gasped, “Oh my goodness, how did they all get out?!”

“The door wasn’t shut properly. It was like this when I got back,” Curtis replied.

Laura didn’t dare question him, though she wondered if one of the cats had evolved enough to unlock doors and start a locksmith career.

She scrambled after the tabby kittens, whose athletic prowess was evident. The more she chased, the m seemed to enjoy it. Sweating profusely, Laura only managed to catch a

e others made their escape again.

Cu

y on the stairs, suggested, “Call Leanne to come home and deal

with a cat toy, turned to him, “Mrs. Richardson went out of state for a She won’t be back till the day after tomorrow.”

in his pockets, Curtis hummed with a hint of insinuation, “Seems like she’s got the busy schedule.”