Just as lunch was about to end, Catherine's phone rang. She picked it up, glanced at the screen—and her brows immediately knit together, tightly and deeply.
Bert noticed the change in her expression at once.
"Who's calling?"
Catherine didn't even want to mention that person's name. She simply turned the phone toward Bert, a trace of irritation between her delicate brows.
It was Channing.
She didn't need to think to know why he was calling—of course it was because of Lucca, coming to plead.
The night before, following Bert's instructions, Catherine had turned off her phone before going to bed, which allowed her to sleep soundly without interruption. When she turned it back on that morning, she saw several missed calls from Channing.
She had guessed immediately that it must have been about Lucca—or that he wanted something from her. Otherwise, Channing would never call her. So she chose to ignore those calls.
She hadn't expected him to try again now.
