Chapter 10 Chapter nine

It had become a routine for Catherine to speak to Demiris on the phone at least once a week.He kept sending presents, and whenever she declined, Demiris reassured her that they were just small tokens of his gratitude. "Evelyn told me you handled the Baxter case brilliantly." Or, "Evelyn told me your idea saved us a fortune on shipping." And Catherine is indeed complacent about her work performance.She finds that there are many areas in the office that can improve efficiency.Her previous abilities began to recover, and she also knew that the efficiency of the office had improved a lot because of her.

"I'm so proud of you," Constantin Demiris told her. Catherine felt her face burn.What a nice, considerate man he was. ※※※ It's almost time for me to take the next step, Demiris decided secretly.Stavruth and Chotus have been eliminated without anyone noticing, and now the only person who knows is Catherine.To solve her problem, there is little danger, but as Choetus discovers, Demiris is not one to take risks.What a pity to let her die, Demiris thought, she was so beautiful.Take her to Villa Rafina first. He'd bought the villa, and he was going to take Catherine there, just like Larry and Noelle made love there, fuck her, and...

※※※ Catherine often thought of the past.She had read of the deaths of Frederick Stavruth and Napoleon Chotes in The Times.Neither of these names meant anything to her other than it was mentioned in the text that they had been defense attorneys for Larry and Noelle. That night, she dreamed again. ※※※ Early one morning, Catherine saw a piece of news that shocked her. She put down the newspaper, and the wounds of an old relationship welled up.William Fraser played a very important part in her life.What would it be like if I hadn't left him? Catherine sat at the table, staring at the news with a wretched smile.Fraser was the closest man she could remember.As long as I think of him, there will be warm feelings in my heart.And he's in London now.I must meet him, she thought.According to reports, he was staying at the Claridge Hotel.

Catherine dialed the hotel number, her hands shaking.She has a feeling that all the past will reappear in front of her eyes.She couldn't contain her ecstasy at the thought of seeing Fraser soon.What would he say when he heard my voice?What will happen if you see me? The phone went through. "Good morning, this is the Claridge's Hotel." Catherine took a deep breath. "Mr. William Fraser, please." "Excuse me, ma'am, do you mean Mr. Fraser or Mrs. Fraser?" Catherine's head exploded with a buzz.How stupid I am.Why didn't I think of it?Is he still unmarried?

"lady……" "I... don't bother, thank you." She slowly put down the receiver. Too late.It's passed.Costa is right, let the past be the past. ※※※ Loneliness can erode and devour a person's soul.Everyone needs to share the joys, glory and pains of life with others.Catherine lives in a world full of strangers, sees other people in pairs, and hears the laughter of lovers.But she didn't want to feel sorry for herself. I'm not the only woman living alone in the world.I am not dead!I'm alive! ※※※ There is never nothing to do in London.Catherine was a regular visitor to the cinema, which was showing American films non-stop.She has seen "Anna and the King of Siam". "Gentlemen's Agreement" is distracting, and Cary Grant delivers a fine performance in "The Bachelor and the Girl."

Catherine went to a concert at Albert Hall, a ballet at Sadlers Wells, and she went to Stratford-upon-Avon to see The Taming of the Shrew with Anthony Quayle, Also saw Laurence Olivier's Charles III, but it's undeniably tedious on its own. Kirk Reynolds broke into her lonely life. In the office that day, a tall, handsome man walked up to Catherine and said, "My name is Kirk Reynolds, where have you been?" "What did you say?" "I've been waiting for you." This is the first encounter. ※※※ Kirk Reynolds is an American lawyer who works for Demiris' multinational corporation.He is in his early forties, rigorous in thinking, flexible in mind, and considerate.

Catherine and Evelyn said of Reynolds: "You know what's so attractive about him? He makes me feel like a woman. I haven't felt that way in a long time." "I can't see it." Evelyn disagreed. "If I were you, I would be careful, but don't get too hot." "No," Catherine assured her. ※※※ Reynolds shows Catherine around legal institutions in London.They went to the Old Bailey.Prisoners have served their sentences here for centuries.They wandered the courtroom corridors, brushing shoulders with robed and wig-clad American lawyers.At the site of the New Gate Prison built in the 18th century, they were surprised to find that in front of the original location of the prison, the road first widened and then narrowed again.

"That's strange," said Catherine, "why do they build such roads?" "Accommodating crowds. It used to be a place for public executions." Catherine shuddered.It almost reminded her of her own experience. ※※※ One evening, Reynolds took Catherine to Indian East Quay Street by the pier. “It wasn’t that long ago that a police officer would have to be in twos to get here,” Reynolds said. “This is where criminals hang out.” The area is very dark and daunting to Catherine. They dined in one of Britain's oldest restaurants, sitting on a balcony by the Thames, admiring the strange sight of barges gliding down the river next to ocean liners.

Catherine was intrigued by the fancy names of small London hotels, like Old Cheese, Falstaff, Sheep in Boots, and so on.Another night, they went to a bar called "Eagle" on City Street, which was brightly lit and colorful. "I bet you sang about this place when you were a kid," Reynolds said. Catherine looked at him puzzled. "About this place? I've never heard of this place." "No, you did. There's an old nursery rhyme that comes from the Eagle's." "Which one?" "Many years ago, City Street was the center of the tailoring business, and at weekends, when the tailors ran out of money, they took their irons here and sold them until the day when they were paid. So someone wrote A nursery rhyme:

"Street to street end, Walking around in the "Eagle" brand name, The banknotes flowed away, The iron went into the pawn shop. " Catherine smiled and asked, "How do you even know this?" "A lawyer should know everything, but there is one thing I don't know. Can you ski?" "I'm afraid not. What's the matter?" His face became serious. "I want to go to the village of St. Moritz. The ski instructors there are wonderful. Would you like to come with me, Catherine?" His plea caught her off guard.Reynolds waited until she answered.

"I... I don't know, Kirk." "Can you think about it?" "Okay." She was trembling all over, and she remembered the high feeling of having sex with Larry, and she didn't know if that feeling would come again, "I'll think about it." ※※※ Catherine decides to introduce Kirk to Wim. They picked Wim from his apartment in a car and took him to a restaurant for dinner.Wim seemed timid, never daring to look Kirk Reynolds in the eye during dinner.Catherine nods to Reynolds, motioning for him to break the deadlock.Kirk nodded and turned to Wim. "Wim, do you like London?" "So-so." "Which is your favorite city?" "No." "do you like your job?" "So-so." Kirk glanced at Catherine, shook his head, and shrugged again.Catherine gestured with her mouth again: Please. Kirk sighed, then turned to Wim and said, "I'm going to play golf on Sunday, do you play?" Wim said: "If the golf club is made of steel, the stick and shovel are one layer of iron covered with one layer of iron, and then two layers of iron fragments are sandwiched. Add two layers of shovel points, add a layer of short shovel points, and add the contact surface. If it is a wooden stick shovel, add a copper shovel and a splint." Kirk, Reynolds blinked. "You must have played well." "He's never played," Catherine explained. "Wim just... knows it all. He can describe it all mathematically." Kirk Reynolds has had enough.He wanted to spend this time alone with Catherine, but Catherine brought this annoying guy. Kirk Reynolds forced a smile. "Really?" he turned to Wim earnestly again. "Do you happen to know 2 to the 59th power?" Wim stared at the tablecloth in silence for thirty seconds, and just before Kirk said, "576, 460, 752, 303, 423, 488." "My God!" said Kirk, "is this true?" "Yes," Wim said angrily, "it's true." Catherine said to Wim: "Wim, please find the sixth root, the number is..." She picked a number at random, "It is 24, 137, 585." They both watched Wim sitting in the chair, his face expressionless.After 25 seconds, he said, "17, I'm 16." "I don't believe it!" Kirk exclaimed. "Trust him," Catherine said to him. Kirk stared at Wim. "How do you calculate?" Wim shrugged. Catherine said: "Wim can multiply two four-digit numbers in 30 seconds and memorize 50 phone numbers in five minutes. Once he remembers it, he never forgets it." Kirk Reynolds looked at Wim Fandin in amazement and said, "I need someone like you in my office." "I have a job." Wim said angrily. ※※※ Kirk Reynolds dropped Catherine off at night and said, "You don't forget about St. Moritz, do you?" "I won't forget." Why couldn't I just say yes to it? Constantin Demiris called her late that night.Catherine really wanted to tell him about Kirk Reynolds, but the moment she got to her mouth, she didn't want to.