They kept standing there in the parking lot.
Katherin and Frances realized it was time for lunch, so they took a turn in the garden, only to see that
Marshall and Khalid were back.
Frances couldn't help laughing.
Khalid stared at her and couldn't help twitching his lips and grinning a smile, too.
Katherin wasn't smiling; she strolled to Marshall and said, "Do you know Clara invited us over for dinner
tonight?"
Marshall nodded. Frances had called and told him about that.
He reached out and held Katherin's hand. "She invited me into the company today, and I've already
turned her down. I didn't know you would agree."
Katherin chuckled, "Clara is smarter now. She's attacking us on both flanks."
Frances walked to Khalid and asked, "Why are you back at noon? You'll waste lots of time back and
forth."
Khalid didn't seem to care about it. He said, "It's fine. Our lunch break is long enough for us to come
back."
Frances nodded. They walked to the main building together.
Old Mrs. Grant was standing at the door, looking at them. She was here to get Katherin and Frances
for lunch.
That was a scene she had never seen before because Katherin and Marshall didn't get along with each
other well.
Frances and Khalid had never walked side by side so peacefully, either.
They did have walked together, but the vibe between them had never been better.
Frances would do most of the talking when they walked together, while Khalid remained silent.
Old Mrs. Grant had never seen them walking, talking, and laughing.
Katherin walked a bit faster. Seeing Old Mrs. Grant standing there, she knew it was time for lunch. She
exclaimed, "Argh, I'm hungry. Let's go for lunch."
She was even more energetic than before.
Old Mrs. Grant was so satisfied with what was happening.
She laughed, "Hurry up, the food is ready."
, Then she looked at Khalid and Marshall. "I knew you two would come back, so I've prepared lunch for
you, too."
Khalid felt a bit shy. He chuckled at it.
Marshall didn't react.
He was used to be cheeky.
When they had lunch, Katherin said Frances and she were going to Kyle's club later at night.
Marshall paused and agreed, "That's nice. You must be bored staying at home all day. Kyle's club has
enough ways to entertain you. You should go and have fun."
Katherin said, "Go pick us up at the club when you're off work."
Marshall agreed. Then nobody talked for the rest of the meal.
That was part of the table manners of their family.
Halfway through their meal, Frances looked up at Frances.
Frances was also looking at her. They saw the reluctance in each other's eyes.
They used to think this was normal, but now they couldn't stand it anymore.
Khalid ate the food for a while, and then he turned to Frances, asking, "Has your wound healed?"
Frances hesitated and nodded, "It's nothing, just a bump. It won't take long to heal."
Khalid looked back and said, "You used to be mad at me because of a bump."
Frances couldn't help laughing out, "I used to be dramatic. When I got a bump, I would feel agitated. I
complained to you because I want you to be worried about me."
"Later, I realized that complaints were of no use. The redness and swelling would be gone in a few
minutes."
Business affairs were already annoying enough for Khalid back then. He deserved better than those
trifles.
He must be very annoyed at that time.
Khalid's face eased down. He lowered his head and continued to eat. Frances couldn't see his
complicated expressions.
Marshall and Khalid were leaving after lunch.
Marshall looked at Katherin and said, "Go with us. I'll drop you off at the club."
That would be convenient for all of them. Katherin and Frances changed their clothes and went to
Kyle's club in Marshall's car.
On the halfway, Katherin called Kyle, only to find that Kyle wasn't in the club.
Kyle mumbled on the other side of the phone. Katherin had no idea what he was saying.
She frowned, "Kyle, are you OK? I told you we'll come by today. Who are we going to hang out with if
you aren't in?"
Kyle sounded like smiling. "I'll be back as soon as you arrive. Don't worry; I'm already on my way."
After he finished talking to Katherin, he talked to other people on his side, "I've got other things to do
today. Let's talk another day. I'll come by another day. Don't try to hide from me."
Katherin heard him clearly, and she was surprised.
Kyle's tone didn't sound very friendly. The other man should be someone he despised.
Katherin clicked her tongue. Her guess was it was one of the Bennets.
But she still didn't feel it right. If Kyle ran into a Bennet, he would've already rolled up his sleeves and
had a fistfight with him, given his quick temper.
That sounded more than trash talk.
Now that Kyle had hung up, Katherin put her phone back, too.
She frowned and glanced at Marshall. "Do you know what Kyle is doing? I think he's keeping
something from me."
Marshall laughed, "Ask him in person. He'll tell you if he really takes you as his friend."
Katherin exhaled a long breath, "He seemed too embarrassed to tell me about it."
The Kyle Katherine used to know would've told her what was going on without being asked.
The only reason he didn't tell her now must be that he didn't know how to put it.
Marshall turned to look at Katherin and then said, "I heard Hector has a vacation to get relaxed lately.
He'll get to you, I guess."
Katherin exclaimed. The subject changed so fast that she didn't understand what Marshall was talking
about immediately. "Hector?"
She paused and continued, "Oh, Hector... he has a vacation? I guess he'll be back because he had no
friend or place to go. Plus, people here are waiting for him."
Marshall hummed and said, "Throw a dinner party for him then. Also, I think we should tell him about
us."
Frances sat aside and snorted with a thin smile.
She had sided with Katherin recently. Before Katherin asked, Frances did first, "About you? What about
you?"
Marshall blinked, but his tone remained unchanged. "About us living together and Katherin's
pregnancy! Mom, what's wrong with you? You're like a mean stepmother."
He looked at Frances in the rearview mirror. "Am I really your son?"
Frances couldn't help but laugh, "I don't feel like being loved like your real mom, either. I think you treat
Cora better than me."
Marshall was surprised at how Frances thought of him.
He said, "How's that possible? Why would you even think so? Am I treating Aunt Cora too nicely? I
don't think so."
Frances leaned back in his chair. "Just think about your attitude towards me before. Whatever you say,
you were nicer to her than to me."
Marshall laughed, "We did have disagreements in the past, and my tone and attitude were a bit harsh.
That made you think I was partial to Aunt Cora, but I wasn't! Our disagreements are about facts; they
weren't personal. You and Dad weren't getting along with each other well, which gave him a tough time.
I concerned myself with issues, not you."
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