A Billionaire In Disguise novel Chapter 199

A yawn escaped Catherine’s lips as she stretched her hands and then smiled, inhaling deeply.

“Someone looks happy this morning,” Rome said with his gaze glued to her cute grin. “I guess I was worried for nothing.”

After sitting up, he hugged her from the back and kissed her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder.

“I know that I should feel sad, and I am a little bit. But I feel relieved like a suffocating burden has gotten lifted of my shoulder. And now, I have the chance to start from scratch and figure out who I am outside of being a Barlow,” Catherine said, giving him a side-eyed.

Then she drew a deep breath and mumbled, "I wonder who she is?"

"Who?" Rome asked, drawing his brows together.

"Who is Catherine without her last names?"

"Only you can figure that out, babe, and I promise that I will be right here, by your side while you do."

Resting her fingers on the back of Rome's hands, Catherine felt her worries fade as she drowned in the warmth she felt from his hug.

The peaceful atmosphere in the room suddenly got interrupted by Rome's ringtone, and he slightly frowned when Catherine pulled away from his arms.

After getting ahold of his phone, Rome's expression softened while he stared at Catherine and said, it's your father.

"I turned my phone off because I don't want to talk to them," Catherine mumbled in annoyance.

"Should I cancel it?"

"No, they will just keep calling if you do."

Even though she felt hesitant and annoyed, Catherine took the phone out of Rome's hand and answered the call, "Hello, father."

"I heard what happened yesterday. Are you okay?" Edward said from the other end of the line in a calm tone.

There were numerous things Catherine thought her father was going to say. But his remark left her speechless because she felt happy.

"Yeah, I am fine, dad." Catherine calmly uttered.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but are you okay with Charles taking over the company."

"Well, if he is going to take good care of the company, then yes, I am fine with him running things there."

"Okay. Although your grandparents are pressuring me to make you change your mind, I am fine with that too. Do whatever makes you happy."

After the call with her father ended a few minutes later, Catherine looked at Rome and asked, "Are you not going to work?"

"No, I'm accompanying you today," Rome said with a straight face.

"O-kay. But to where?"

"To a press conference."

When Catherine raised her brows with a look of confusion on her face, Rome kept his serious expression and said, "I think it will be best for people to know the change in the authority of the DreamTeam, so your clients and others can be in the know."

"It will look awful on my end if I just leave like that, right?" Catherine subconsciously mumbled.

"Yes. So, what do you think?"

"That's a great idea. Let's do it!"

Looking into her eyes, Rome gave her a faint smile and said, "Okay, I will start making some calls."

At that moment, the was a knock on the door, and a few seconds later, Maria's voice echoed in the room, "Sir, your father asked you to meet him in his bedroom."

Sighing, Rome drew his focus away from the doorway and looked at Catherine before saying, "I will be back."

Then he gave her a quick kiss on the head and left the bed, hardening his face as he headed for the door.

When Rome reached his father's room a few minutes later, he shut the door behind him and approached the couch.

After Rome had taken a seat beside him, Mr. Ford met his eyes and said, "You worked so hard to make Catherine the Barlow family top heir, tell me that you are not going to sit back and watch her lose it all."

"Of course not. I know how much that company means to Catherine. There is no way I'm going to let her lose it." Rome coldly uttered.

'He is butchering the company without even making it obvious. Charles, you stupid fool! You have doomed us all!'

After the conference was over a couple of minutes later, Catherine and Rome were about to get into their car when the entire Barlow family approached them.

"Dear cousin, I didn't know you had it in you to be selfless and put others' wants before yours." Charles sarcastically said, keeping his distance away from Rome.

"Shut up!" Mr. Barlow lashed out, scowling at his grandson.

Then he looked at Catherine and pitifully said, "Dear,"

"Please, grandpa, just don't," Catherine mumbled with a sad look in her eyes.

After briefly staring at her father, and he faintly smiled at her, Catherine got into the backseat of the car, and Rome was about to follow her in, but Mr. Barlow suddenly grabbed his arm, causing him to stop.

When Rome looked back at him, he pitifully stared at him and whispered, "Spare us, please."

Without saying a word, Rome hardened his face and slowly pulled his hand out of Mr. Barlow's grip before getting into the car and slammed the door shut.

After the family arrived home at five pm, Mr. Barlow and Madam Barlow's phones started buzzing within a matter of minutes.

Sighing, Mr. Barlow looked at his phone screen, frowning at the message notification on its. Then his eyes darkened as he read, "This is to inform you that your membership at BlackLabel Club has gotten terminated."

"I just got uninvited from the governor wife visit weekly book reading club, and Rebecca doesn't want me coming to her daughter wedding again. How dare she!" Madam Barlow said, widening her eyes as she stared at her husband.

Their worse nightmare was coming to pass, and all the connection they built off Rome and Catherine's name, they were losing it within a blink of an eye.

"Suck for you two. That's what you get for kissing up to that douchebag!" Richard casually mumbled as he walked out of the living room.

"Charles, do you see what you have done! You think you are going to enjoy this family wealth peacefully with a man like Rome Ford as your enemy!" Mr. Barlow lashed out. "He is going to drag you down to the mud, and because of your stupidity, you are going to take us with you!"

"Nah. Richard was right. But unlike you two, I shake hands with the right people. Rome can try, but I have a powerful connection!" Charles pridefully uttered. "We can wait and see who will have the last laugh!"