Chapter 1

"I'll be in Brightonfield in three hours. Shouldn't you be picking me up at the airport?"

Catherine Levin's makeup was flawless, her red backless dress clinging provocatively to her body. The fabric accentuated her full breasts, slim waist, and rounded hips.

The moment she stepped into the airport VIP lounge, her striking beauty immediately drew every eye in the room.

Seemingly oblivious to the heated gazes around her, she continued her phone conversation. "Don't give me that. I was just going shopping..."

Before finishing her sentence, a subtle smile curved her lips as she ended the call, her gaze zeroing in with laser precision on the man sitting across the room.

His features were refined and perfect, his entire being radiating an innate, cold authority that was impossible to ignore.

Philip Foster, heir to the Foster family's vast fortune and uncle to Catherine's current boyfriend, James West.

Catherine walked directly toward him, her smile growing more radiant with each step.

Her unabashed intent made onlookers immediately understand her target.

Just as she approached, a young man quickly stood up, blocking her path. "I'm sorry, my boss is working," he said with practiced ease, suggesting this was a common occurrence for his employer.

"Is that so?" Catherine lowered her gaze slightly, sweeping over the man who remained focused on his laptop, yet a seductive smile played on her lips.

She leaned closer to the man blocking her way and whispered provocatively, "But I didn't come here for your boss. I came for you."

Her fingers gently traced the pattern of his suit, her warm breath caressing his face.

The young assistant, accustomed to handling various situations for his boss, blushed at Catherine's obvious flirtation.

He awkwardly stepped back, trying to maintain his composure, and stammered, "I... I don't know you."

Though skilled at diverting his boss's admirers, he was completely at a loss when it came to himself.

Catherine chuckled softly, turning her attention toward Philip.

Alex's unusual behavior finally caused Philip to look up, meeting Catherine's gaze. He froze momentarily before quickly regaining his composure and coldly shifting his gaze away.

Despite his cold and distant attitude, Catherine wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

She gracefully took a business card from her purse, leaned forward to slip it into Philip's suit pocket, and sweetly asked, "Would you like to get to know each other?"

As she bent forward, her enchanting curves became even more prominent.

"Not interested," Philip responded coldly.

"That's okay," Catherine met his icy gaze with bold, seductive eyes, "My interest is enough for both of us."

Only after the card had completely disappeared into Philip's pocket did she straighten up.

She approached Alex, who had just regained his composure. Her gaze seemed to hook him as she asked, "Would you like to... exchange phone numbers?"

Without waiting for Alex to refuse, Catherine had already reached out, gently covering his hand holding the phone, and unhesitatingly extracted it from his grip.

His mind went blank, completely losing the ability to resist as Catherine not only took his phone but unlocked it with her fingers.

Catherine quickly added him as a Facebook friend, dialed her own number, then returned the phone with a satisfied smile. "Thank you. If your boss fires you over this, call me. Perhaps I could... put in a good word for you."

As she spoke, her gaze carried a challenging look toward Philip.

Though she couldn't directly obtain Philip's contact information, having his assistant's details would allow her to indirectly learn about him.

When Catherine finally sat down across the lounge, Alex turned to his boss with embarrassment, his eyes filled with helplessness.

Philip merely glanced at Alex, said nothing, and returned his attention to the report on his laptop, treating the entire encounter as an insignificant distraction.

Catherine sat in her seat, chin propped up, observing Philip intently.

Strangely, she felt her throat go dry.

She remembered being seventeen and madly infatuated with Philip.

Back then, only after her parents' repeated pleas did Philip's mother reluctantly agree to let Philip serve as her tutor.

After all, in elite circles, he was known for his intelligence and erudition.

During one lesson, as he helped her solve exam questions, she tentatively asked, "Mr. Foster, my friend really likes you. She wanted me to ask what kind of girls you like."

Philip saw right through her poor excuse and mercilessly replied, "Certainly not someone like you."

That embarrassment quickly led her to request a different tutor.

Now her target was Philip—the current CEO of Nova Pharmaceuticals, one of the world's three largest pharmaceutical groups, with businesses spanning pharmaceuticals, fashion, hotels, and entertainment.

She had worried he might recognize her, but those concerns proved unnecessary. Years had passed, and her appearance had undergone subtle changes and careful styling, making her almost unrecognizable.

More importantly, how could a man at the pinnacle of power, constantly surrounded by beautiful women, remember a girl who had never truly caught his eye?

A bitter smile appeared on Catherine's beautiful face, her heart filled with anguish.

She wanted nothing more to do with Philip. But the blood debt from seven years ago burned in her heart daily—Charlotte Wilson had led people to steal her family's drug formula and brutally murdered her father.

Her mother fled with her but was forced to the edge of a cliff, plunging with their car into the cold seawater.

To save her, her mother used her last strength to push Catherine out the window, while she herself sank into darkness...

Those people believed Catherine had drowned and left.

Initially, she planned to use Charlotte's fiancé James for revenge, but James proved more useless than she had anticipated.

To make Charlotte pay for her blood debt, Catherine needed a backer more powerful than the Wilson family—the Foster family.

During boarding, Catherine and Philip were on the same flight.

"I saw your profile—your name is Alex Grey, right?" Catherine looked directly at Alex, her lips curving into a delighted smile.

Seeing her undisguised gaze, Alex felt somewhat afraid.

As Catherine spoke, her bold gaze occasionally swept toward Philip beside her.

But Philip remained cold and indifferent, not even glancing at her.

Noticing an elderly gentleman sitting next to Philip, Catherine immediately changed her strategy.

She approached the old man, blinking her innocent eyes, and pleaded, "Sir, excuse me. Would you mind switching seats with me? My husband and I... had a bit of a tiff."

She tilted her head slightly, looking toward Philip, "He's ignoring me now. I'd like to sit beside him and try to... make up."

The old man glanced at Philip's icy expression and smiled knowingly.

"Of course, my dear." He stood up, patting Philip's shoulder gently like a loving elder: "Young man, men should be more forgiving. Don't stay angry at your wife. It would be a shame to lose such a beautiful wife!"

Catherine sat down triumphantly beside Philip, who finally turned to look at her coldly. "I told you, I'm not interested in you."

"But I told you, my interest in you is enough," Catherine responded with complete nonchalance.

Philip remained unmoved, "I have a girlfriend."

"Just a girlfriend, not a wife," Catherine countered, leaning closer to him, her full breasts brushing against his arm.

Her breath caressed his neck as she intimately said, "Besides, I'm not trying to steal you from your girlfriend. After all, I'm only interested in your body."