Chapter 9
Chapter 9
By the end of the day, Kimberly was so exhausted that she almost collapsed to the ground.
–
Esther Hansley, the maid at the Larson residence, added Kimberly’s favorite rose. petals into the
bathwater that the former had prepared for the latter.
As the sound of the piano piece Kimberly loved reverberated in the room, she lit her favorite vervain–
scented candle.
At that moment, she could finally let her guard down and relax temporarily.
Whenever she was Katherine, she felt like a puppet as she had to accommodate her life to
Christopher’s schedule.
Nonetheless, she was free most of the time when being Katherine.
On the other hand, whenever she took on the role of Kimberly, her schedule became utterly packed.
She did not dare to slack off in the least.
Even so, she preferred being herself. Only at times like this could she freely express her own thoughts,
feelings, and dignity.
Meanwhile, Levine Group remained brightly lit. All employees were working overtime.
In the CEO’s office was Christopher, who asked, “Are you sure that the CEO of Larson Corporation has
gotten replaced?”
So much had happened that he did not pay much attention to the status of his competitor.
“Yes, Mr. Levine. The eldest daughter of the Larson family, Kimberly Larson, has just been appointed
the new CEO,” answered Felix politely.
“Larson Corporation has announced on social media that they’re gathering stories. related to ‘Queen.
They must be speeding up the launch of their latest jewelry collection,” said Christopher with a
thoughtful gaze and cold aura. “It seems like we shouldn’t underestimate whoever this woman is as she
wants to take advantage of our downfall by snatching up market shares.”
The jewelry business of Levine Group had dwindled significantly at this point.
Fortunately, as public relations had stepped in to rescue things promptly, the company. could slowly
regain its lost market shares.
“Inform the sales and marketing department to give our loyal customers a 20 percent discount, while
new customers get 15 percent,” Christopher instructed.
|||
He knew the cost–performance ratio would not be too high if a well–known company like his wanted to
fight a price war.
Yet, drastic times called for extreme measures. As long as his company survived this crisis, he believed
it could bounce back in the future.
“Go and do a background check on Kimberly Larson, ordered Christopher, who felt curious and had
some admiration for the mysterious Kimberly. Immediately, he changed the topic, asking. “By the way,
is there still no news of the woman?”
Hearing that, Felix was utterly befuddled. “Mr. Levine, didn’t you tell me a few days ago to stop keeping
an eye on Ms. Xander?”
He wondered, “Since when has Mr. Levine become so temperamental? Could he still have feelings for
his ex–wife?”
Christopher replied in a low voice, “I want you to investigate both of them.”
The two women seemed to have nothing to do with each other, but Christopher’s sharp instincts and
senses told him they shared an uncanny connection.
“Yes, Mr. Levine.” With that, Felix slipped out of the CEO’s office.
Since Katherine’s departure, Felix felt it had become increasingly difficult to serve his
CEO.
In Christopher’s eyes, Felix had always been a dependable subordinate.
Yet, the latter showed no progress in the investigation of Katherine’s whereabouts, which made
Christopher a little uneasy.
“Hey, I want you to run a background check on two people,” said Christopher on the phone.
At the other end of the phone was Noah Coleman, Christopher’s childhood friend, who was also a top
hacker.
“Why? Is there something that not even you, the great Christopher, can handle?” Noah teased. He
finally got the chance to mes
with Christopher after so many years.
“Be more serious subordinates are getting less reliable each day. They still haven’t
obtained any information even after days of investigation,” said Christopher.
Noah stopped joking in an instant. His stern voice asked, “Who do you want to investigate? Give me
their details.”
Hence, Christopher sent the only information he had on Katherine to Noah. As for Kimberly, he knew
nothing about her except her name.
K.48
“Chris, are you kidding me? As the saying goes, you can’t make bricks without straw. You’re basically
asking me to look for a needle in a haystack!” exclaimed Noah.
Even so, that was the complicated situation Christopher was facing. He genuinely was not withholding
any details about the two women at all.
After previously getting lectured by Maxwell, Christopher did not dare to return home. before settling
the matter.
He could only stay at the mansion where Katherine previously lived.
At night, he would space out unexpectedly as the image of the unlikeable Katherine appeared in his
mind.
However, he would quickly snap to his senses and tell himself that she was a shameless woman that
would do anything to achieve her goals. To him, she did not deserve any sympathy.
Meanwhile, at the Larson residence, William’s daughter, who was also Kimberly’s cousin, Whitney, was
throwing a tantrum upon finding out that she had to leave the place in three days.
Early that morning, Whitney ran to Kimberly’s room, banging on the door. To the former’s surprise, the
latter was not in the room.
Whitney was very unhappy with her cousin. If Kimberly had not returned, Whitney would have become
the successor of Larson Corporation.
She hated Kimberly’s guts. Ever since the latter returned, her dreams shattered. On top of that,
Kimberly even wanted to chase her out of the house.
Unable to find Kimberly, Whitney could only throw a hissy fit by scattering things. around the former’s
room.
When a high–end customized doll sailed in midair, William caught it and said, “Whitney, stop it. If your
grandfather finds out, he’ll send you abroad straight away. By then, you won’t even have the chance to
whine.”
“Dad, what right does Kimberly have for the world to revolve around her? I’m the actual wealthy young
heiress that grew up here. All this time, we’ve lived under the shadow of Uncle Cameron and his family.
Luck is finally on our side, so we should hold our heads high with pride-”
Hearing her words, William quickly interrupted, “My beloved daughter, you shouldn’t say such
nonsense in the future. You might get into trouble. Listen to me. I’ll ensure our new home is as well–
renovated as this place, or should I say, even better.”
|||
Sat, 20
William was a doting father who would do anything for his daughter.
Yet, after William left for work, Whitney continued pitching a tantrum and messing up the entire house.
Despite the call she received from Esther, Kimberly was not in a rush to head home. Instead, she held
a meeting to assign work within her company.
Besides, she would eventually replace all the furniture in her room, so it did not bother her that Whitney
had trashed everything.
Noah was indeed a loyal friend to Christopher. He was currently occupied with the investigation of
Katherine and Kimberly.
Unfortunately, things did not go well for him.
That was because Kimberly had a brother who always pampered her.
In the cybersecurity industry, Vincent’s skills were second to none.
The more time Noah spent on the investigation, the stranger he felt. Someone was always ahead of
him, and that person would cut off the clues before he could get hold
of them.
He did not manage to find any information even after spending an entire day searching.
It was no wonder Christopher’s subordinates showed no progress despite conducting several days‘
worth of investigation.
“Did you get into trouble with a powerful figure? How come I got interrupted by some stranger every
time I came across a new clue?” asked Noah, feeling defeated. As a professional hacker, he had not
been this humiliated before.
“Are you sure that someone was trying to stop you while you were conducting the investigation on
those two?” asked Christopher as he felt more confused than ever.
Kimberly was the CEO of Larson Corporation. It was reasonable for her information to be under
protection.
Yet, Katherine was merely the adopted daughter of Gregory Xander, whose family had no power or
influence.
“Yeah, you’re really putting me in a difficult situation,” Noah replied.
Now, not even he could do anything about it.
Christopher gradually became more sure that Katherine was a suspicious woman..
The only problem was that he could not figure out what she had up her sleeve.