Chapter 12

Catherine got up to her feet. She returned to the house to pack up her belongings and left. 2:00 a.m. She did not want to disrupt her friend’s sleep, so she drove to the nearest five-star hotel right away. In the lobby, she retrieved her credit card and handed it to the receptionist. It was returned into her hands a few seconds later. “I’m sorry to inform you that this card can’t be used.” Startled, she received it and gave the person another card. However, she failed to make the payment even after several tries with her other cards. It finally dawned upon her that the Joneses had suspended all of her credit cards. Although she had earned a few million dollars in the past couple of years from working on several projects, she had handed over the money to Sally without keeping any for herself. She normally used the credit cards given to her by Jeffery for her daily expenses, but those cards were all currently suspended. All she had left was a pay card that only had a little over 10,000 dollars. The receptionist got impatient. “If you can’t afford to stay in our hotel, there’s a guesthouse about 300 yards away after taking a left turn by the main entrance.” She was offended. “Is this how you treat your customers?” “I’m just being honest. You shouldn’t come to a five-star hotel if you can’t afford it.” Catherine was exasperated by now. She did not expect herself, a young lady from the affluent Jones household, to one day be subjected to such humiliation. “I can very well afford it, I…” She retrieved her pay card but started to hesitate. The cheapest room in this hotel was at least 2,000 dollars a night. Given the current situation, she really could not tell when she could return to the Jones household again. She was now jobless and homeless. How could she survive in the future if she spent everything she had left? “Alright, stop pretending. Leave. This is not somewhere you belong,” the receptionist said rudely. Catherine swallowed her pride and left the hotel with her suitcase dragging behind her. Many of the hotels did not have spare rooms at this hour of the night. She wandered around for a bit before checking into a budget hotel that charged around 100 dollars per night. Without her knowledge, someone took a picture of her entering the cheap hotel and sent it to their high school group chat. … Shaun, who had arrived at the veterinary hospital, was personally greeted by the head veterinary surgeon. He was waiting by the door with his lips tightly pursed. The man was filled with regret as he pondered over his decision to marry a woman he knew nothing of. 15 minutes later, the door of the surgical room opened. Out came Dr. Lewis. Shaun stepped forward immediately, his face all tensed up. “How’s the cat doing?” Dr. Lewis readjusted his glasses before revealing a smile. “Your cat is two weeks pregnant.” “...” He was at a loss for words. “Congratulations.” Dr. Lewis smiled. “For the new addition to your household.” Shaun inhaled sharply as he suppressed his strong desire to lash out. Two weeks? That was before they moved to Melbourne. Some random male cat must have taken advantage of Fudge while they were still living in Canberra. He would undoubtedly punish the perpetrator if he managed to locate it. “Um… You don’t look pleased about the news. Should we get rid of them?” Dr. Lewis, who had encountered numerous pet parents, had developed a strong sixth sense. “If that’s the case, we can perform a spaying operation to remove the kittens, but it’s rather cruel. I did an X-Ray on the cat earlier and she’s carrying three kittens. It’s good luck...” Before he could finish his sentence, Dr. Lewis shuddered as he felt a deadly stare piercing through him. Immediately, he stopped speaking. Shaun questioned in a deep voice, “Does a pregnant cat throw up like a human mother does?” “It depends on each cat’s condition,” the doctor explained with a smile, “Some people who don't know better will think the cat is having digestive problems.” It was exactly what Shaun thought. He even shifted the blame to Catherine. He seemed to recall pushing her to the ground before he left. In other words, he had wrongfully accused her. Frustrated, he massaged the area between his eyebrows. He wondered how that woman was doing right now.