Chapter 4 His fiancée turned out to be her!

Katherine bought the medicine and returned upstairs to her office.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she ran into a group of female colleagues from the secretarial department whispering among themselves.

The moment they saw her, their chatter ceased abruptly, but their eyes lingered on her, scrutinizing her with undisguised mockery.

Katherine's expression remained unchanged as she stepped out of the elevator in her high heels.

She was used to it by now. Nearly half of the secretarial department refused to acknowledge her authority.

She was strict at work, and her relationship with Vincent wasn't just a typical superior-subordinate dynamic.

The Murphy family was one of the most influential families in Browood, holding significant sway in both politics and the military. Because of this, many women sought to climb their way to Vincent.

Vincent had personally built a thriving business empire in Sacford, and with his youthful good looks, there was no shortage of women who wanted to be his lover, just like her.

Still, the conversation that drifted from behind her made Katherine tighten her grip on her handbag.

"Miss Todd isn't even engaged to Mr. Murphy yet, and she's already barging into the company like she owns the place!"

"Hey, she's been with Mr. Murphy for five years. Back then, Miss Todd wasn't even in the picture."

"Pfft, so what if it's been five years? To Mr. Murphy, she's just a fleeting amusement to him. Just wait and see-now that Miss Todd is here, Mr. Murphy won't even spare her a glance. Let's see if she still dares to act all high and mighty in front of us!"

"I heard Mr. Murphy rushed back from Helster overnight and personally picked Miss Todd up from the airport."

The elevator doors closed, taking their gossiping voices with them as it descended.

Katherine drew in a deep breath, suppressing the suffocating ache in her chest, and continued walking toward the secretarial department.

The secretarial department was separated from Vincent's CEO office by just one wall. To get there from the elevator, she had to pass through an open office area.

As she walked, she endured another round of stares.

Nearly everyone paused their work to look at her, their gazes filled with pity, curiosity, and schadenfreude. Katherine feigned indifference, as if she had mastered the art of ignoring such stares.

Back at her desk, she set down her handbag, which contained painkillers and a pregnancy test kit. The first thing she did was ask Bryson if he had delivered the contract to Vincent. Bryson hesitated.

"Katherine, Mr. Murphy and... and someone else seem to be having a good time chatting, so I haven't sent it in yet."

"It's fine. Give it to me. I'll take it in myself, " Katherine replied.

She figured she might as well deliver her resignation letter at the same time. Before she became a complete laughingstock, she needed to end this absurd relationship that was destined to go nowhere.

After printing her resignation letter, she walked to the door of the CEO's office.

She raised her hand to knock but paused when she heard laughter from inside-Vincent's laughter, deep and hearty. Just from the sound of it, Katherine could picture his smiling face in her mind.

It had been a long time since Vincent had laughed like that in front of her.

Perhaps their relationship had already shown signs of unraveling, and Miss Todd's arrival was merely the catalyst.

Katherine's hand wavered mid-air, trembling slightly. She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and steadied herself.

Looking down at the folder containing her resignation letter, she imagined Vincent's angry reaction. After a moment's hesitation, she swapped the positions of the folder and the resignation letter.

Finally, she knocked on the door.

The laughter inside stopped.

After a brief silence, Vincent's voice came through, deliberately subdued, carrying a faint edge of cold detachment. "Come in."

Katherine pushed the door open and entered.

The first thing she saw was Vincent's long legs, clad in tailored suit pants, casually resting on the floor. He was leaning against the desk in a relaxed posture, his broad back facing the door.

His figure blocked her view, but she could see a girl sitting in his office chair, her chestnut curls cascading over her shoulders.

Katherine couldn't make out the girl's face at first.

As she stepped closer, she finally saw the girl's bright, sunny smile, her eyes brimming with admiration for Vincent.

Her smile was as bright and warm as a spring morning.

But when Katherine got a clear look at her face, it felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss.

A chill ran through her entire body, leaving her frozen in place.

How could it be her?

The girl seemed to sense Katherine's gaze and turned her head slightly to look at her.

Their eyes met, and recognition flickered in the girl's expression. Her smile froze, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.