Chapter 575


    Catherine eyed me with a quizzical expression, her wordsced with a biting curiosity. "Aaliyah, what group do you belong to


    anyway?"


    Feigning innocence, | shot back, "What do you mean? Aren''t we all on the same team?"


    Hannah quickly chimed in, "That''s not quite right."


    Catherine''s face fell into a mock despair, "Off-topic again."


    | steered us back on course with a yful insistence, "Right, off-topic. Your turn to spill the beans."


    Janice nced at us, her tone suddenly serious, "How do | put this? My connection with Baber was just serendipity.”


    Catherine wouldn''t have it, "Come on, there''s got to be more to it than that. Spill the details."


    With no way out, Janice sighed and began her tale, "Honestly, at first nce, he wasn''t my type. | mean, every girl likes


    handsome guys, and | am no exception. If it hadn''t been for the drama with Jta, | would never have agreed to marry him."


    Catherine''s brows knitted in confusion, "What does Jta have to do with any of this?"


    Janice''s voice wavered as she recalled the family turmoil, "Well, Jta ended up with this guy, Irving. It nearly sent my mom


    into depression. Every day she was either crying, fuming, or throwing a fit." Jta''s eyes brimmed with tears at the memory.


    "It became this dark cloud over our family, spoiling the mood for ages. My parents even forbade Jta froming home.


    They didn''t mean it, but they can''t take back words once they''re out there. The whole atmosphere at home was gloomy, and | got


    caught up in the storm. | didn''t dare go against them. It would''ve broken my mother''s heart."


    Janice paused to pat Jta''s shoulder in aforting gesture.


    "So how did you and Baber meet?" | prodded with curiosity.


    Janice chuckled at the memory, "Meeting him was kind of a story in itself. To everyone else, it was a set-up by a matchmaker,


    our first date. But the truth is, | met him way before that."


    "Oh? Do tell," | urged, my interest piqued.


    "He was quite the strategist," Janice admitted, "Some of the things | only learned after we got married. He said he never


    imagined I''d marry him."


    "Why not?" Geneva inquired, joining the conversation.


    "He first saw me in our university''s library."


    "The library? But he''s so much older than you, and he couldn''t have been a fellow student," Catherine prodded further.


    "No," Janice quickly rified, "His team needed some research for a case and couldn''t find it anywhere. They ended up at our


    library. He told me once how | went out of there, arms full of books, only to have them scattered by one of his subordinates. | was


    livid, shouting, “Is this a farmers'' market? Are you in a rush to snag the best veggies?”


    Catherineughed, pointing at Janice, "That''s so you, fiery and fierce, with a touch of pride."


    "Baber, without saying a word, bent


    down to pick up the books for me


    and organized all the bgoks fechad |


    peiacliion poner in the hands


    offhis subordinate and punished him


    for sending them back to me. |


    epted, so | let the kid carry the


    books and send them back to our


    ssroom." Please read the original


    content at .


    Janiceughed uncontrobly at this, "It turns out | did know that guy carrying the books, and him, | don''t remember a thing.”


    Janice grinned unabashedly, "I guess that''s when he took notice of me. After doing his research, he even checked up on me. By


    the time | graduated and started working, he''d already reached out to my mom through some connections."


    "He is ying the long game." | quipped.


    Janice nodded earnestly, "By then, he


    had been promoted to a pretty


    high-ranking position, one of the


    youngest to do so. My mom was


    actually hesita tapoutltim. fttook


    Hey days to@ven bring up the idea of


    a date. And when she did introduce


    Baber to me, she kept going on about


    his potential, calling him a young,


    promising talent with a bright future.


    After all, it''s rare to reach his rank at


    such an age. She even hinted that he


    might be up for another promotion


    after some additional training."


    Please read the original content at


    .


    "It seems like he’s had a pretty smooth ascension up the ranks," Catherine said, her voice echoing with a hint of envy.


    “His career certainly was on a fast track," Geneva added.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "True! And they didn''t dare show me


    his picture before the date. | went


    there full of a eect


    dregsert upall hice, but when he


    walked in, it felt like a bucket of ice


    water had been dumped over my


    head. | was speechless." Please read


    the original content at


    .