?<strong>Chapter 817:</strong>


    He then turned his gaze to Catherine, his eyes searching her face. Catherine, initially caught off guard, paused for a moment. Her eyes swept over Lucas and Belinda before a knowing smile tugged at her lips.


    “Yes! We should definitely pay more attention to the people around us,” she said with a lighthearted tone, almost teasing.


    Then, her smile softened, and she raised her ss once more.


    “Well, Lucas, I hope you get Belinda back as soon as possible!”


    Everyone present exchanged nces, their expressions tinged with subtle resignation.


    They all knew that Lucas’ words were directed at Johnson, yet Catherine hadn’t caught on at all.


    Perhaps, in her heart, Johnson was just a brother to her.


    At the thought of this, everyone couldn’t help but silently sigh. It seemed that Johnson’s road to winning Catherine’s heart was still a long and uncertain journey.


    However, Lucas was pleased by what Catherine had said.


    He raised his ss and clinked it gently with Catherine’s, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.


    “Thank you.”


    Belinda, unable to hold back, rolled her eyes in exasperation.


    Catherine’s voice softened as she turned to Belinda and Bethany.


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    “I really owe you both this time. Without you, I’d still bepletely in the dark. Who knows how long it would have taken me to figure those things out?”


    Her gaze lingered on them, her tone sincere and filled with gratitude.


    After Belinda and Bethany clinked sses with Catherine, Belinda said, “A guy who can’t see what he already has and keeps chasing after what isn’t his? He deserves nothing!”


    “Exactly!” Catherine agreed, nodding with passion.


    Though Belinda was clearly talking about Lnd with Catherine, Lucas couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that the words were aimed at him. Midway through the meal,


    Belinda excused herself to use the restroom. She emerged from the stall and made her way to the sinks to wash her hands when a woman’s voice cut through the quiet.


    “Ms. Wright, what a pleasant surprise!”


    Startled, Belinda looked up at the mirror to see who was behind her. She watched as Verena stepped out of a stall and approached her. This was the first time Verena had seen Belinda since their time at the hot springs resort.


    Verena’s eyes couldn’t help but linger on Belinda’s neck.


    After several days, the marks on Belinda’s neck had faded significantly. On top of that, she had carefully applied concealer, making them nearly impossible to notice unless someone looked closely. But Verena’s sharp eyes still caught the faint traces scattered across Belinda’s neck.


    A ze of jealousy flickered in Verena’s gaze. The realization that she had risked everything only to give Belinda a chance to be intimate with Lucas made her furious.


    “Ms. Wright, Lucas haspletely cut ties with me. You must be over the moon about that, right?” Verena said, her voice dripping with bitterness.


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