Chapter 125: Chapter 92: Now Are We Friends?

"You live in a place like this?"

The moment Catherine walked in the door, she arrogantly commented on Don Quixote’s house on Bei Ling Ridge, "I thought you’d made a comeback, but this place is just so-so."

Don Quixote stood at the door, showing no intention of inviting her in for a cup of tea.

In fact, if he’d had a teapot handy, he probably would have thrown the tea right in Catherine’s face.

As soon as she came in, Lily shrank behind Don Quixote, gripping his pants tightly and peeking at Catherine with half her head.

"If you have something to say, say it," Don Quixote said coldly. "If you’re here to start a fight, don’t do it in front of the child."

Catherine waved a hand in front of her nose in disgust, as if the air were thick with the stench of poverty. She scanned the room’s old furniture and slightly cramped layout with contempt, her eyes finally landing on Don Quixote’s faded, washed-out shirt.

"Hmph. A place like this? Even if you invited me, I’d worry about getting my dress dirty," Catherine said smugly. "After all, we’ll soon be living in two different worlds."

"Are you dying?" Don Quixote said. "Thank God. That would be the best Christmas present I could ask for."

"Oh, put away that vicious attitude of yours." Catherine wasn’t angry. On the contrary, she acted as if she’d heard a joke, casually tucking her curly hair behind her ear. In doing so, she deliberately let the massive diamond ring on her fourth finger flash a blinding glint of light.

"I don’t expect you to understand. After all, you’re not the man you were in your early thirties," she said, looking at Don Quixote with an almost pitying gaze. "I’m getting married, right after Christmas."

"To whom?" Don Quixote scoffed. "That trust manager you’ve only known for a little over two weeks?"

"Lily, that little blabbermouth, really does tell you everything," Catherine said. "For truly compatible souls, time is no issue. Robert Anderson is nothing like you. He’s someone who truly understands me."

"If he didn’t have money, you would’ve told him to get lost ages ago," Don Quixote retorted. "Just like when you married me. You were only after my money then, too. You put on a much better act when we signed the divorce papers, crying your eyes out and begging me to sign—so I’d take all the debt while you got the property and cash. You said that way, you could support me after I went bankrupt. You’re a real schemer. Good luck to your future husband."

"How dare you compare yourself to Luo Luo? That’s ridiculous," Catherine said. "He’s the only one who’s understood me in all these years. We both love the California sun—he’s already picked out a seaside villa in Santa Barbara and promised to start a whole new life with me."

As she spoke, a rapturous expression appeared on her face, as if she could already smell the sea breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean.

"You can’t even imagine how generous he is," Catherine boasted. "Yesterday on Fifth Avenue, I just glanced a couple of times at this forty-thousand-USD ring, and he swiped his card without batting an eye. You weren’t even willing to buy me a ring this expensive when we got married. He said I’m the purest soul he’s ever met in this filthy world, and that only the best things are good enough for me."

Li Wei, who had been leaning against the wall without saying a word, couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch when he heard the phrase "purest soul."

’Do women actually fall for that kind of crap?’

"So you just came here to show off the great man you’ve found?" Don Quixote’s resentment boiled over, and he prepared to kick her out. "If there’s nothing else, get the hell out."

"Hold on!" Catherine pulled a document out of her handbag and tossed it onto the shoe cabinet by the door. "This is the second reason I’m here."

"Luo Luo wants us to have a world that belongs completely to the two of us. He doesn’t want the crying of a small child in the house," she said with a shrug. "So, I’ve agreed to give up custody of Lily. This is an agreement to relinquish custody and waive any future claims to alimony from you. My lawyer already drew it up. As long as you sign it, Lily is yours from now on. We’ll be even."

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Don Quixote stood frozen on the spot. He had been preparing for a long and expensive court battle with Catherine, even steeling himself for the possibility of going broke to win custody of his daughter.

And now, happiness had arrived so suddenly it was almost absurd.

"Are... are you serious?" Don Quixote’s lips trembled. "You’re that desperate to get rid of your own daughter?"

"He’s willing to spend over a hundred thousand USD on me in just two weeks. That’s proof enough of his means and his love for me, so don’t make it sound so ugly. This is better for everyone," Catherine said, glancing impatiently at her watch. "Sign it quickly. Robert is waiting for me in the car. We’re going out for French food to celebrate. I don’t want to keep him waiting; he’s very particular about time."

Don Quixote wasted no more words. He didn’t even look for a proper pen, just rushed back into the room, grabbed a felt-tip pen, and hurried back out. He quickly signed his name on the document, pressing so hard the ink nearly bled through the paper, as if terrified Catherine would change her mind if he delayed for even a second.

"Take it!" He shoved the signed copy of the document back into Catherine’s hand. For the first time, there was no anger in his eyes, only the ecstatic joy of liberation. "Now, take your diamond ring and your Robert, and get out of my sight."

"Hmph, so crude." Catherine took the document back and stroked Lily’s small face, completely ignoring that her own daughter was now biting her lip, with huge teardrops welling in her eyes. "It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll still be your mother. If you get a chance to come to California, we’ll hang out together."