Chapter 3 Encountering the Same Man

Kathleen chose to smile rather than express anger. "It doesn't concern me, but I'm aware that your son isn't a good one! Since my cousin and the sc*m already have your grandson, you should focus more on prenatal education. Otherwise, you might end up with another bad child that won't give in to anything good!" "Do you dare to insult us?" Lucia shot back, seething with rage, and raised her hand to strike Kathleen. Kathleen quickly caught her wrist and shook it vigorously. "I'm no longer involved with you! If you insult me and I don't retaliate, that would make me foolish. If you dare to reach out again, let's see if I'm brave enough to hit you!" Lucia took two steps back, staring in disbelief at the confident Kathleen, but she hesitated to come any closer, muttering resentfully, "A barren woman actually dares to fight back!" Paisley quickly intervened, pulling her back. "Mrs. Oatrun, please try not to get upset. Kathleen just went through a divorce, so she's likely not in a good place. Let's not provoke her." "It's fine! Feel free to provoke me! In the past, I had to put up with you because of my position, but now that it no longer matters, I'm more than willing to see this through with you!" With an icy expression, Kathleen finished her words decisively and swiftly exited the room. Lucia finally snapped to attention, pointing at her and shouting angrily, "Kathleen, you barren woman, how dare you threaten us!" Kathleen let out a derisive laugh, thinking to herself. Of course, that's the only thing you can come up with. Once she reached the ground floor, she hurriedly packed her belongings from the doorway into her suitcase, picked it up, and made her way out of the house while ordering a ride on her phone. As she entered her destination, she hesitated for a moment. A few days earlier, after informing her parents about the divorce, they sighed heavily during the phone call. If she returned home now, it would surely lead to another round of complaints. It might be wiser to spend a few days at her best friend Maeve Spade's place first. She had just paused at the roadside near the community entrance when a black Maybach pulled up. What an impressive car! It was definitely not the car she had booked. Kathleen glanced down at her phone, and the window of the Maybach's front passenger seat rolled down, revealing a voice asking, "Where are you going?" The voice was deep, smooth, and captivating, reminiscent of a sudden cello. Kathleen was taken aback. The man's question, "Does it still hurt?" resonated in her mind. Was it the same man from last night? In disbelief, she turned her head to see. The driver's door swung open, and the man stepped out of the car, making his way around to the front. He stood tall, with a slender frame measuring at least 6.2 feet, dressed in a gray, upscale suit that accentuated his long and powerful legs encased in tailored trousers. As she watched the man approach, her mind went momentarily blank. It was truly him! Even though she had been quite drunk when she encountered him last night, his strikingly handsome and slightly enigmatic face was too memorable for her to easily forget. Kathleen let out another sigh. The standard of "mister" these days is truly impressive. Their lifestyles are equally luxurious, especially driving a Maybach. "That's not your concern!" Kathleen snapped out of her stupor and tried to move past him with her suitcase. "Are you leaving already?" The man extended his long legs to block her path, lazily raising an eyebrow. "Eight hundred dollars, and you're not going to explain?" Frustrated, Kathleen shut her eyes. She gazed at him with patience, grinding her teeth as she murmured, "There are rules in this line of work. Once the deal is done, we don't engage with one another. Are you trying to cling to me?" The man frowned, his attractive features tense. "Rules? What rules are you talking about?" Eager to escape, Kathleen didn't want to waste any more time with this man and responded bluntly, "Mister, don't tell me you don't know! Even though I had too much to drink at the bar last night, I distinctly heard them refer to you as a mister!" Mister? Indeed, she had seen people from the Franklins last night referring to him as mister. Even though he wasn't particularly fond of that title. Arthur Franklin was about to say something when he suddenly realized. This woman is seeing me as that kind of "mister" ... a male escort? Does this woman really not remember me? Did she really forget everything from that night three years ago just like that? Forcing down the unease in his chest, the man's alluring lips curved into a smile. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable." Kathleen met his gaze and replied earnestly, "Don't get me wrong! I don't think less of your profession. If I did, I wouldn't have sought you out last night, would I? Besides, I believe everything exists for a reason! Since your line of work is out there, there must be a justification for it. However ... " Her tone shifted as she recalled her current circumstances. To finalize the divorce, she feared that Rhett might not agree, so she insisted on a clean break. After finishing college, she became a full-time housewife. Although she had a role at her father's construction firm, she had been pursuing her postgraduate studies for the last two years and had barely worked. She had never wanted to use her salary card. Currently, she had only a few tens of thousands of dollars remaining in her account, which consisted of the prize money from some minor design competitions she had entered. She needed to conserve it for renting a place and securing a job. "What do you mean by 'however'? Do you think I'm only worth 800 dollars?" The man's curiosity intensified as he leaned closer, softly whispering in her ear, "It appears I didn't meet your expectations last night?"