Chapter 146

Annie's POV

"I have the latest news about Bill White. Want to hear it?" Susan's voice suddenly came from behind us, startling both Catherine and me. We had been standing in a quiet corner of the hallway discussing Bill White's predicament, completely unaware of Susan's approach.

Susan's lips curled into a slight smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.as if she could barely contain some shocking secret. After glancing around to ensure no one else was within earshot, she leaned forward, her voice dropping to just above a whisper.

Catherine and I instinctively moved closer to her. "What is it?" I asked softly, drawn in by her air of mystery.

"Pretty much as you guessed," Susan whispered, "many people have been lending money to Bill White." She paused, tilting her chin up slightly,her right hand delicately adjusting a strand of her hair as she waited for our reaction.

I noticed how Susan unconsciously straightened her back-a posture she typically adopted when in possession of particularly significant information.

"And then?" Catherine leaned forward, her eyes fixed intently on Susan.

"He had no intention of repaying any of it," Susan's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude, "he simply told everyone who lent him money to go ask my father for it.' These people thought he had reconciled with his father,so they all flocked to Mr. White demanding payment!" As she spoke,her right hand involuntarily made a circular motion in the air, as if illustrating the creditors surrounding Mr. White.

Susan leaned against the wall and continued: "Mr. White's company was barely staying afloat. It was only because Mr. Morgan and Mr. Thompson returned his investment that he had any chance of filling the financial gap."She shook her head, lips pressed together, "But the money his precious son borrowed already exceeds the total of all Mr. White's funds. If he truly helped Bill repay these debts, the entire family would collapse."

From Susan's slightly flushed cheeks and quickened breathing, I could tell this news must be very recent-she had hurried to share it with us.

"Are there really people this irresponsible in the world?" Catherine frowned,her fingers unconsciously tapping against her arm.

She pressed her lips together, her gaze flickering with realization: "I always thought I spent too much money, but compared to him, I'm incredibly disciplined."

"How did Mr. White react?" I broke the momentary silence,curious about what happened next.

Susan glanced around again, making sure the hallway remained empty before leaning closer: "Mr. White was so angry his facechanged color."She lowered her voice, her fingers clenched into a fist, mimicking an expression of fury, "He pointed at the group of creditors and said, 'I warned you all before, I won't help him repay a single cent! You should all abandon that idea!"

Susan's expression grew increasingly animated, her eyes gleaming: "Those creditors, afraid Bill wouldn't repay them, started gathering at his door demanding payment." She suddenly paused, her eyebrows arching upward,

Catherine's eyes widened as she leaned forward: "What?"

Susan's lips curved into asmirk, her voice tinged with mockery: "Bill claimed his girlfriend was pregnant, threatening that if Mr. White didn't help him repay his debts, he would make his girlfriend terminate the pregnancy."

I couldn't help but furrow my brow, a wave of discomfort rising in my stomach. Catherine gasped, her face showing evident disgust, her fingers unconsciously clutching at the hem of her clothing. Our eyes met, and without words, we understood each other's thoughts.

"That's too much," Catherine said, biting her lower lip, "I truly feel sorry for Mr. White, having such a despicable son."

"Mr. WNhite will have a lot to deal with," I nodded, my voice calmn and low.

Susan leaned against the wall of the corridor and continued: "Mr.White clearly didn't expect Bill to be soshameless, but this time he stood his ground.He told Bill directly: 'If you want to terminate the pregnancy,that s up to you. No one's stopping you."

She took a deep breath, "Everyone thought that if Bill quietly left and apologized after Mr. White calmed down, father and son might still have a chance at reconciliation, but.,." she deliberately paused, her eyebrows raised high.

"Bill did something even more foolish?" Catherine raised her hand to cover her mouth.

Susan nodded, her lips pressed tight: "Bill publicly insulted Mr. White,and the old man was so angry he ended up in the hospital, reportedly almost suffering a stroke. Fortunately, he received thrombolytic therapy in

time and is now recovering." She glanced down at her watch, "If I'm not mistaken, we should be able to see an official statement from the White family now."

Catherine and I simultaneously pulled out our phones to check the latest news. My fingers slid across the screen, quickly finding the announcement from White's company: Mr. White had officially severed ties with Bill White. The statement declared that since Bill wwas an adult, he should be responsible for his own choices. From now on, Bill's actions would have nothing to do with Mr. White, who would no longer interfere in Bill's affairs.

After reading it. Catherine couldn't help but smile: "Abandoned by his own father! Bill's future will be miserable!" Her voice contained undisguised satisfaction.

"No need to wait for the future," Susan moved closer to us, her voice barely above a whisper, "he's already miserable. That Grace Brown who claimed to be pregnant immediately broke up with him after he lost his family's support, telling him the pregnancy was fake and she had been deceiving him all along."

Susan's fingers made slight gestures, as if recreating the scene: "Bill didn't believe it and grabbed Grace's shoulders, demanding to know if she hadn't said she loved him. Grace pushed him away in disgust and told him directly that she never loved him-those words were only to make him spend money on her."

"Serves him right!" Catherine clapped her hands once, her eyes flashing with vengeful pleasure.

Just when I thought the story had ended, Susan's expression suddenly changed. She looked at Catherine with a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

Catherine noticed and immediately frowned: "What is it?"

Susan slowly exhaled: "I heard that after being dumped, Bill started thinking about you again."

"What does he want with me?" Catherine's shoulders visibly tensed, the smile disappearing from her face. Her fingers anxiously intertwined, clearly worried that Bill might cause her trouble again.

"He said that after Grace's betrayal, he realized what a wonderful woman he had given up," Susan's lips curved upward, "Now he wants to win this woman back."

"Ha!" Catherine let out a cold laugh, her eyes flashing with derision,"He missed out on me? Were we ever together? Never!" Her voice unconsciously rose.

Susan patted Catherine's shoulder, her expression turning serious: "He has nothing to do now, which means he might have plenty of time to pursue you."

"That's impossible!" Catherine widened her eyes, shaking her head almost in horror, "He's gone too far! After being abandoned, instead of looking for Grace, he comes after me?" Her pale cheeks flushed wit anger, "Do I look like a garbage collector? Someone who accepts any trash? What kind of person is he!"

She nervously smoothed her clothes, as if trying to shake off Bill's very existence. Then she turned to me, her tone suddenly dejected: "I was planning to have lunch with you, but I think the moment I leave the company,he'll be lying in wait." She bit her lower lip, "I'll be safer eating in the company cafeteria... I'm sorry."

Before I could respond. Catherine turned and hurried away, her high heels making sharp, rapid sounds against the marble floor. I couldn't help but smile, watching her nervous figure retreat. Though her situation deserved sympathy, there was something slightly amusing about it.

With the gossip sharing complete. Susan's expression suddenly turned serious. She straightened her posture, as if returning to wwork mode:"By the way, there's something I need to tell you. Sarah Johnson has been disparaging your work while promoting her comics,claiming her data is better and that she surpassed in days what took us months to build. As a result, many of our readers have gone to look at her work instead."

I pressed my lips together. Though I knew readers had plenty of time to read different comics, Sarah's underhanded tactics deserved a response-ignoring them would only make us look like easy targets. I replied calmly:"If she wants to borrow our popularity, then we can borrow hers too."

Susan's eyes flashed with surprise, then her lips curved into a slight smile:"I know what to do." She walked toward the elevator, glancing back at me once before stepping inside.