Chapter 319 A Glutton
Before returning, Branden had considered asking Catherine why she appeared at the underground boxing gym and even inquiring about her intentions in taking Erick away.
However, he abandoned all those thoughts when he saw Catherine’s smile. There was no need to question these things. After all, Catherine trusted him so much and surrendered immediately.
Branden reached out and gently caressed Catherine’s beautiful face with his long fingers. His voice also softened instantly. “Are you hungry?”
Catherine had rushed to the black market right after school and hadn’t eaten anything. If Branden hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten that she hadn’t eaten.
She subconsciously moved her face closer to his hand and rubbed her cheek against his palm for some reason. She was just like a kitten seeking affection from its owner.
The slight touch felt electrifying. It made Branden’s heart instantly restless. In front of Catherine, Branden’s once- proud self-control could easily crumble.
“Be good and wait here for me. I’ll go prepare something for you.”
As she watched Branden flee, Catherine smiled faintly. It was amusing. Catherine had clearly seen the fire in his eyes just moments ago.
Branden worked quickly. In just ten minutes, he had prepared a bowl of fragrant pasta with tomato sauce. Catherine followed the scent to him without needing an invitation.
Upon closer inspection, the sauce was indeed red, but it was obvious there was no spiciness at all. Instantly, Catherine frowned.
Branden didn’t need to guess. He knew exactly what was on Catherine’s mind. He gently handed Catherine a fork he had brought out.
“It’s late. Don’t eat anything too spicy.”
Catherine didn’t say anything and silently protested. Branden patiently coaxed her. He said, “Try a bite. If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else.”
Catherine was the type who responded better to gentle persuasion. Branden’s soft coaxing was the most effective with her. She obediently sat down and took a bite.
The pasta was so delicious that it made her involuntarily squint her eyes in appreciation. When she had a barbecue, she despised those who added tomato sauce.
She didn’t like the tomato flavor. However, the pasta made by Branden, despite containing tomato sauce, had no discernible tomato taste.
It was incredibly savory, and she had forgotten entirely about the spiciness she was expecting. She started eating the pasta with a rare look of contentment.
Branden had been standing by and observing her with a faint smile. As Branden watched her eat the pasta one bite at a time, he knew he had made the right decision.
Catherine was not only a fierce beast but also a glutton After finishing the meal, Branden brought over a few sets of worksheets. He placed them in front of Catherine. These were supplementary exercises for Catherine to reinforce her learning.
Even though Catherine’s grades were already excellent, Branden insisted that she couldn’t slack off since there would be an upcoming exam.
Catherine was unable to resist him and reluctantly started working on the worksheets. She couldn’t help but feel that Branden was playing tricks on her for some unknown reason.
She had an inexplicable sense that Branden had bad intentions. Catherine thought inwardly, “Could it be that he knows I didn’t attend the rehearsal tonight?”
The next day after school, Catherine declined Bryan’s invitation to play games by citing a prior engagement. Just as she left the school gates, Ronin caught up to her.
“Catherine, are you going to the black market?”
Catherine didn’t respond. Ronin lowered his voice and leaned in closer. Then he whispered, “Catherine, take me with you. I promise to keep it a secret and won’t let Bryan and the others find out.”
Ronin thought Catherine was concerned that taking him along might lead to Bryan and the others finding out. That was why she hadn’t responded immediately.
Ronin regretted not going with Catherine yesterday. He initially thought it was just Catherine’s routine visit to the black market.
He didn’t expect Catherine to intervene personally. When he saw the video sent by Sean, he wished he could turn back time and cheer for Catherine when she entered the fray.
Ronin couldn’t believe he had missed such an exciting show. With Ronin’s insistence, Sean sold Ronin a piece of information.
Catherine would be going to the black market again that night and taking the boy named Tyler she had recently acquired. Ronin had missed out on the big show the day before, and he wasn’t about to let it happen again that day.
Ronin pleaded with Catherine relentlessly. Catherine knew his character well. Once Ronin set his mind on something, he was extremely stubborn. So, she decided to take him along. She stared at him coldly and said, ” Hurry up and start the car. I don’t like being late.”
Ronin was stunned for a moment. Then he realized what had happened and happily shouted, “Thank you, Catherine!”
After the shout, he rushed away happily. He was afraid that Catherine would scold him if he moved too slowly. He knew that Catherine didn’t like being late, so he absolutely couldn’t let her down.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the black market. Sean had received advance notice and was waiting at the entrance.
However, to their surprise, Erick was standing alongside Sean. Catherine’s presence instantly brought a spark to Erick’s usually gloomy face. Sean took the initiative to greet Catherine. He asked, “Cassie, why did you bring Ronin along?”
Hearing this, Ronin immediately kicked Sean. Sean reacted quickly and jumped aside. He narrowly avoided the attack. Sean’s face darkened as he cursed at Ronin, “You little brat, you’ve got some nerve. You dare to mess with me!”
The Scotts were a prominent family in the dark underworld. Moreover, the name of the Scotts carried a lot of respect and fear in the criminal world.
Sean was the young heir of the Scotts. He single-handedly managed the entire black market and had risen rapidly to a position of significant influence.
Anyone with a bit of a reputation had to show some respect to Sean, as no one wanted to provoke him. But Ronin dared to take direct action. He was really audacious.
However, Ronin seemed utterly unfazed. After he heard Sean’s threat, he sneered, “Does my business concern you? Catherine wants to bring me along. If you dare to meddle with my relationship with Catherine, I will just set fire to this underground market of yours.”
Sean’s face darkened further as he gritted his teeth. He replied, “Try making a move on me!”
Tensions rose, and the surrounding underlings were trembling with fear. They didn’t dare to intervene. Since Ronin dared to bicker with Sean and threatened to burn down the black market, he couldn’t be a small fry.
The two continued their heated exchange, and Catherine had had enough. She frowned and sternly reprimanded them. She shouted, “That’s enough!”
The next moment, the two individuals who had been ready to fight each other fell silent.
A few seconds later, Sean cleared his throat and found a way to save face for himself. He coughed and said, “Today, I’ll let it slide for Cassie’s sake.”
Ronin sneered and was not willing to back down. He replied, “Fine. I won’t argue with you for the sake of Catherine.”
