From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 122- Don’t be angry

Just as Catherine was struggling with her embarrassment, the man stood up and politely extended his hand toward her, his smile warm and courteous.

"Hello, Catherine. My name is Ford. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Out of courtesy, Catherine could only reach out and lightly shake his hand.

"Hello—"

At that moment, the private room door was suddenly pushed open.

All three of them turned their heads at once, only to see Bert walk in with a dark expression. The look on his face was heavier than the storm clouds before a midsummer downpour.

Catherine was still holding Ford’s hand. Seeing Bert enter, she froze in shock and forgot to let go—causing Bert’s expression to darken even further.

Riley was the first to recover. She stared at Bert in disbelief.

"Washington... Lord Washington?"

As Riley spoke, Catherine snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly released Ford’s hand and turned to Bert, equally stunned.

"Why are you here?"

Bert stepped forward and stopped in front of the three of them. His voice was cold and rigid, and his gaze locked fiercely onto Catherine.

"My girlfriend is here having a blind date with another man. How could I not come?"

The last time Riley had called Catherine saying she wanted to introduce her to a well-built male model, Bert had been right beside her. And just now, standing outside the private room and overhearing Riley’s words, he instantly understood what this dinner really was.

A blind date.

And Catherine was the main attraction.

Riley let out a startled cry, just short of screaming.

"Girlfriend?"

She immediately grabbed Catherine and demanded, "Cici, when did you become his girlfriend? Didn’t you say last time that his heart already belonged to someone else?"

Riley’s understanding of their relationship was still stuck at what Catherine had heard from Amy before—that Bert was supposedly in love with someone else. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Catherine replied awkwardly, "Yesterday..."

They had only made things official last night. Catherine hadn’t even had the chance to tell Riley yet. Who could have imagined that the moment Riley returned, she would arrange a blind date for her? And who could have imagined that Bert would follow her here and catch her red-handed?

Bert’s expression at that moment was downright terrifying. Catherine didn’t even dare meet his eyes as she heard him speak again in a cold, biting tone.

"No wonder you wouldn’t let me come tonight. So this was a blind date?"

In truth, Bert knew Catherine wasn’t that kind of person. He knew she wasn’t the sort to date him while keeping other men in mind. But after an entire afternoon of being ignored, coupled with the image of her shaking another man’s hand, his pent-up anger was brutally provoked. In that moment, he no longer cared what should or shouldn’t be said—everything spilled out.

Catherine hurried to explain herself.

"You’ve misunderstood. I had no intention of coming to a blind date!"

She had had no idea what Riley was planning that evening. She thought it was just a simple dinner with her friend. If she had known Riley would arrange something like this, she would have brought Bert along without hesitation.

Riley quickly stepped in to clarify as well.

"Lord Washington, please calm down. You really have misunderstood Cici. She truly didn’t know in advance—this was all my doing."

Her voice was filled with regret.

"I meant it as a surprise for Cici. I never imagined it would turn into a shock!"

Riley’s intentions had been pure. She had wanted to introduce Catherine to what she believed was the most handsome, most capable, and most reliable man she knew. Instead, everything backfired spectacularly.

As for the man who had been introduced to Catherine—Ford—he remained standing off to the side the entire time, calm and composed, watching the scene unfold like a piece of live entertainment: jealousy flaring, explanations tumbling out, frustration thick in the air.

Even after Catherine and Riley explained everything, Bert still couldn’t shake his anger.

After shooting Catherine one last fierce glare, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Catherine and Riley exchanged helpless looks, neither knowing what to do.

In the end, Catherine spoke with a hint of resignation.

"I’ll go after him. You two go ahead and eat. I’m sorry..."

This time, Catherine chose to follow the furious Bert. Even though she felt his anger was unnecessary—hadn’t they already explained everything?—he was clearly far more upset than she’d expected.

Given how angry he was, Catherine decided to chase after him.

Riley gently shoved her toward the door.

"Go, go—hurry!"

Once Catherine left, the private room finally fell quiet. Riley let out a helpless sigh and spread her hands at Ford.

"I’m sorry. I ruined what was supposed to be a perfectly good dinner. I had no idea she and Bert were already together. I originally wanted to introduce the two of you—she really is a wonderful girl. But now..."

Ford chuckled.

"It’s fine. That just means she and I weren’t meant to be."

Then he added casually, "Since we’re already here, let’s order and eat."

Seeing that he wasn’t upset at all, Riley relaxed and sat down as well.

"To make up for it, dinner’s on me."

While waiting for the food to arrive, Ford idly played with the lighter in his hand and asked, seemingly offhand,

"Why did you want to introduce me to your best friend?"

Riley answered honestly.

"Because you’re good-looking, in great shape, rich, and a genuinely nice person. Why let good resources go to waste? Of course I’d think of introducing you to my best friend first."

Riley was the type who said exactly what she meant—no beating around the bush, no sugarcoating. She didn’t hide at all what she liked about him on Catherine’s behalf: his looks, his body, his wealth, and his character.

Ford was a well-known male model in Burg Eltz. With his physique and striking looks, he had recently crossed into film and television as a rising star. It was also rumored that his family was wealthy—his parents owned companies, and their business empire was sizable.

Although Riley had never heard Ford talk about his family background himself, she could easily tell from his lifestyle just how solid his financial standing was.

Of course, while Riley was undeniably looks-oriented, when it came to choosing a future partner for Catherine, character mattered most. In her eyes, a good girl like Catherine deserved a good man who would treat her with genuine care.

Riley had worked with Ford several times and got along well with him. She knew he was exceptionally decent—gentlemanly and warm. Even in the chaotic worlds of modeling and entertainment, he had always kept himself clean. That was precisely why she felt comfortable introducing him to Catherine.

After hearing her answer, Ford narrowed his eyes slightly and asked,

"If you think I’m that great, why didn’t you consider me yourself?"

"Me? Consider you?"

Riley reacted as if she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"That’s ridiculous. We’re basically bros. If I considered you, wouldn’t that be like dating a man?"

The corner of Ford’s mouth twitched, his face going momentarily dark. He corrected her solemnly,

"I am a man."

Realizing her poor phrasing, Riley quickly tapped her lips and laughed.

"Sorry, sorry—you are a man. That was my bad. What I meant is, I’ve been treating myself like a man for so long that dating you would feel like a same-sex relationship. Totally inappropriate."

Because of her height, Riley often gave off serious "boyfriend energy" when standing among other women. Combined with her carefree, straightforward personality, she got along especially well with men. Over time, she’d begun to blur her own sense of gender, subconsciously treating herself as "one of the guys."

So when Ford suggested she consider him, her first instinctive reaction was: That’s gay—terrifying.

Ford glanced at her and said calmly,

"That’s exactly why you need to start a relationship soon. You need to reconnect with your identity as a woman. If this keeps up, you’ll really turn into a full-on guy—and then no one will want you."

Riley didn’t care in the slightest.

"So what if I do? If I can’t get married, I’ll just live on my own."

"No rule says women have to get married and have kids, right?"

Her attitude was effortlessly free-spirited. Though she sometimes longed for love and marriage, she never saw them as necessities—certainly not things she couldn’t live without.

Just then, their food arrived, and Ford didn’t press the topic further.

Riley had ordered drinks as well, and the two of them began eating and chatting over alcohol.

Meanwhile, Catherine chased Bert out of the restaurant. He strode ahead toward his car, and she had to jog to catch up.

She reached out and took his hand, speaking softly,

"Don’t be angry. I really had no intention of going on a blind date."

Even as Catherine repeated her explanation, Bert ignored her. He brushed her hand aside and kept walking.

Catherine felt a headache coming on. What kind of temper was this? Why wouldn’t he listen to her at all? It had clearly been a misunderstanding—once it was explained, shouldn’t everything have been resolved?