From a Wrong Turn to Mr. Right novel Chapter 321

A moment later, the hurried sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Catherine Blair watched Shirley Carter’s retreating back, remembering her earlier attitude. For a split second, anger and resentment flickered in Catherine’s eyes, but she pushed it down quickly.

Lowering her voice, she called out, soft as a summer breeze, “Adelina?”

Shirley didn’t answer. For a long, tense pause, Catherine bit her lip, about to call her again, when Shirley finally turned around.

Her striking face was utterly expressionless. She looked at Catherine with a cold, dismissive gaze, as if she were staring down at a speck of dust on her designer shoes.

A heavy, suffocating feeling pressed on Catherine’s chest. After all, she was only here because Shirley had summoned her—yet Shirley couldn’t even bother to hide her annoyance and disdain.

Swallowing her pride, Catherine lowered her eyes and asked in a hushed voice, “Why did Adelina want to see me?”

Shirley barely glanced at her. With all the grace of a queen holding court, she strolled over to the leather couch and sat down.

Catherine hesitated, then followed, keeping a careful distance. She didn’t dare to sit, just stood awkwardly nearby, shoulders hunched, looking fragile and timid—like a kitten left out in the rain.

Two seconds passed before Shirley’s lips curled into a faint, icy smirk. “I hear you haven’t left the house lately.”

Catherine’s fingers twitched. She fought to get the word out: “No.”

“What about that thing I asked you to do?”

At that, Catherine went pale. Her lips moved, struggling for words. “I haven’t been able to get close to Adelina Lane. And I can’t find a way to approach Ethan Carter, either.”

Ever since the incident in the parking lot, Catherine hadn’t managed to set foot in Carter Group HQ. She’d thought that little stunt would be enough to drive a wedge between Ethan and Olivia Bennett. But weeks had passed, and she hadn’t heard a whisper about them breaking up.

Olivia Bennett was even more tough than Catherine had expected.

Then again, maybe it made sense. If she married Ethan and kept her spot as Mrs. Carter, maybe she wouldn’t care what he did with his side flings.

“Useless,” Shirley snapped. “You used to brag about how smart you were. Now you can’t even get close to the right people. I gave you one job—a whole month, and nothing?”

Catherine’s cheeks burned with humiliation. She dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from snapping back.

“I’m trying,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“So, what, you want me to fix it for you?” Shirley sneered, her tone cutting.

Catherine shook her head quickly, her voice trembling. “I’ll figure it out myself.”

Shirley rolled her eyes. “Like you could figure out anything.”

No matter what Catherine said, Shirley only ever had scorn to give.

Catherine bit her lip so hard it almost bled. Her pride felt trampled, ground under Shirley’s heel again and again.

She fell silent, staring at the floor.

Shirley grew even more irritated. With a huff, she glanced up, annoyed. “Ethan Carter’s got a dinner meeting tomorrow night at Savory & Grace. Private room 601.”

Her words were sharp, clipped, and icy.

Catherine blinked, but understood. She nodded. “Okay. I get it.”

Shirley grunted. “If there isn’t some news soon, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

“Yes,” Catherine said quietly.

She flipped her phone so he could see the picture.

Ethan glanced at it and nodded. “Yeah, looks good.”

She shot him a mock glare. “That’s a half-hearted answer if I’ve ever heard one.”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Hey, if you like it, buy it. We can never have too many cribs.”

He sounded every bit the big spender.

Olivia rolled her eyes, half-laughing. “What, you want the baby to sleep in a different crib every night?”

He grinned. “Could be fun.”

“…”

“We just bought one the other day. I’m not buying another. I’m just browsing.” She shut him down with a playful huff.

She hesitated, then looked up at him with a serious expression. “We can’t spoil the kid, Ethan. We can’t just buy them everything they want.”

He met her gaze, trying to keep a straight face. “You’re the boss. If you don’t give the green light, I won’t spend a dime.”

Olivia put her phone down, smirking. “There’s no need to go that far. If something makes sense, sure, we can get it. But if we spoil this kid the way you’re suggesting, we’ll run out of space before they’re even born. The two of us will end up sleeping in the crib.”

Ethan pretended to think about it, then smirked. “If you’re in the crib, I’m there with you.”

She groaned, pinching his cheek with mock irritation. “Would you behave yourself? Keep that up and I’ll bite you.”

He grinned, eyes twinkling. “Where, exactly?”