Chapter 1
"I'll be in Brightonfield in three hours. Shouldn't you be coming to pick me up at the airport?"
Catherine Levin wore impeccable makeup, dressed in a striking red backless dress that clung to her body. Her ample bosom was prominently displayed, while her slender waist gave way to perfectly rounded hips that subtly moved with her graceful steps.
The moment she entered the airport VIP lounge, her strikingly beautiful appearance instantly drew every gaze in the room.
She seemed oblivious to the heated stares focused on her as she continued her phone conversation. "Don't even get me started. I just went shopping and couldn't find a single dress I liked..."
Before she finished her sentence, her lips curved into a slight smile. She ended the call, her eyes precisely locking onto a man sitting directly across from her.
He had a tall, slender frame with exquisitely perfect features, exuding an inherently cold and dignified aura that made him impossible to ignore.
Philip Foster, the heir to the Foster family fortune, was also the uncle of her boyfriend, James West.
Catherine's smile deepened as she walked directly toward him.
Her undisguised, direct gaze made her intentions immediately clear to everyone in the lounge.
As she approached, the young man in front of her quickly stood up, blocking her path. "I'm sorry; my boss is working," he said, his practiced refusal suggesting this was a common occurrence for his employer.
"Is that so?" Catherine lowered her eyes slightly, her long lashes casting shadows beneath them, adding an innocent quality. Her gaze swept over the man still focused on his laptop, but her lips curled into an alluring smile.
She leaned closer to the man blocking her way, her breath warm as she whispered, "But I'm not here for your boss. I'm here for you."
Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, fingers subtly tracing the texture of his suit. The fragrance of her perfume surrounded him as her warm breath caressed his face.
The young assistant, accustomed to handling various situations for his boss, found himself blushing at Catherine's overt flirtation. He stepped back awkwardly, trying to maintain composure as he stammered, "I... I don't know you."
While skilled at deflecting admirers from his boss, he was completely thrown off when it came to himself.
Catherine responded with a soft laugh. She turned to look at Philip.
Alex's unusual behavior finally prompted Philip to look up and meet Catherine's gaze. For a brief moment, he seemed startled, but quickly regained his composure, coldly shifting his attention elsewhere.
Despite his cold and distant demeanor, Catherine remained completely undeterred.
She elegantly retrieved a business card from her purse and leaned forward gracefully.
Her movement accentuated her already impressive neckline and created an even deeper shadow in her low-cut dress.
She slipped the card into Philip's suit pocket and asked in a sweet voice, "Care to get acquainted?"
As she bent forward, the tight red fabric stretched across her curves, highlighting the perfect shape of her hips, taut under the red material with an appealing elasticity.
"Not interested," Philip replied coldly.
"My interest is enough for both of us," Catherine responded, her gaze fixed on his, sensuality emanating from her every glance.
Only after the business card had completely disappeared into Philip's pocket did she straighten up.
She approached Alex, who had barely regained his composure. Her eyes seemed to hook into him as she asked, "Would you like to... exchange numbers?"
Alex shook his head reflexively, but before he could verbalize his refusal, Catherine pressed against him. Her palm gently covered his hand as she slowly extracted the phone from his grip.
He felt his mind go blank, completely losing any ability to resist as Catherine not only took his phone but used his finger to unlock it.
Catherine quickly added herself to his Facebook and called her own number before returning the phone with a satisfied smile. "Thank you. If your boss fires you over this, give me a call. Perhaps I could... put in a good word for you with him."
As she spoke, her eyes darted challengingly toward Philip.
Though she couldn't get Philip's contact directly, having his assistant's information would allow her to indirectly learn about him.
When Catherine finally sat down across the lounge, Alex turned to his boss with an embarrassed expression, his eyes full of helplessness.
Philip merely gave Alex a brief glance without saying anything, then returned his attention to the report on his laptop, treating the entire encounter as nothing but an insignificant interruption.
From her seat, Catherine studied Philip's profile intently.
Strangely, she felt her throat go dry.
She remembered being seventeen, foolishly harboring a crush on Philip when he was her home tutor.
At her parents' request, Philip had tutored her for a period of time.
After all, in elite circles, he was known as the cold, brilliant scholar.
Her parents had gone to great lengths to convince Philip's mother, who finally agreed to let him tutor their daughter who was struggling academically.
During one lesson, as he helped her with exam problems, she had tried testing the waters. "Mr. Foster, my friend really likes you. She wanted me to ask what kind of girl you prefer."
Philip, seeing through her attempt, had replied coolly, "Certainly not someone like you."
After that, she was too embarrassed to continue and requested another tutor.
Now Philip was her target—the current CEO of Nova Pharmaceuticals, one of the world's three largest pharmaceutical conglomerates with businesses spanning pharmaceuticals, fashion, hotels, and entertainment.
She had worried he might recognize her, but those concerns proved unfounded. Years had passed, and her appearance had been refined through subtle changes and careful styling, making her virtually unrecognizable.
Of course, a man at his level, constantly surrounded by beautiful women, would never remember someone he hadn't truly noticed in the first place.
Catherine felt a bitter sense of irony as a cold smile crossed her beautiful features.
She had wanted nothing more to do with Philip. But the blood debt from seven years ago burned within her daily—Charlotte Wilson had brought men to steal her family's drug formula, brutally killing her father.
Her mother had fled with her, only to be forced off the road into a river. To save Catherine, her mother had sacrificed herself...
Those men had left, believing Catherine had drowned.
Initially, she had planned to use Charlotte's fiancé James to exact revenge, but James proved more worthless than she had anticipated.
To make Charlotte pay her blood debt, Catherine needed someone with more power than the Wilson family—the Foster family.
While boarding, Catherine accidentally discovered that Philip was on the same flight.
"What a coincidence! I saw your profile—you're Alex Grey, right?" Catherine's lips curved into a delighted smile as she stared directly at him.
Seeing her unabashed gaze, Alex inwardly dreaded what might come next.
As Catherine spoke, her bold glances kept drifting toward Philip beside him.
Yet Philip remained coldly indifferent, not even sparing her a peripheral glance.
Next to Philip sat an elderly gentleman. Catherine immediately shifted tactics.
She approached the old man with a suddenly sweet demeanor, blinking innocent eyes as she mixed coquettishness with charm. "Sir, could I switch seats with you? I had a fight with my husband, and he's ignoring me now. I'd like to sit next to him and make up."
The elderly man glanced at Philip's cold expression and smiled knowingly.
He cheerfully stood to change seats, even patting Philip's shoulder with fatherly advice. "Young man, men should be more forgiving. Don't stay angry with your wife. It would be a shame to lose such a beautiful woman!"
As Catherine settled beside Philip with a triumphant expression, he finally turned to look at her coldly. "I told you, I'm not interested."
"And I told you, my interest is enough," Catherine replied with an unconcerned smile, her full red lips curving into an enticing arc.
Philip remained unmoved. "I have a girlfriend."
"Just a girlfriend, not a wife," Catherine countered, turning toward him and leaning closer until her impressive curves nearly touched his arm. Her warm breath caressed his neck as she whispered, "Besides, I'm not trying to steal you from your girlfriend. After all, I'm only interested in your body."