A Replacement Bride

It had been five years, but he still had no plans to marry her. She could not figure out what

he was thinking.

"Let's wait. Now is not the right time. I'll marry you when the time comes." Joaquin

exhausted all his patience on Beatrice.

Since he chose her five years ago, he deserved to be held accountable.

After all, what his mother told him on her deathbed was still fresh in his mind.

He could not be like his father, who was an irresponsible scumbag.

"But I'm insecure. You're successful and attractive, and you're surrounded by a lot of

amazing girls whereas I'm a nobody. I only have you. What do I do if you decide you no

longer want me?"

At that moment, Beatrice's voice was filled with worry and vulnerability.

Joaquin stared in disbelief for a long time before slowly exhaling. "There will be no one

else, just you."

This was his promise to Beatrice.

"I haven't seen you in quite some time. Can you make time for me? You're my boyfriend,

but meeting you is difficult. When other people ask why, I can't even answer them."

Beatrice smiled, gripping her phone and acting coquettishly with Joaquin as she heard his

promise.

Before hanging up, he calmed her down by saying, "I'm busy these days, but let's meet

the day after tomorrow."

Turning around, he noticed Katherine, who was sleeping on the chair earlier, was already

awake and now stared at himself with bright eyes.

"I suppose Miss Cornell has a habit of eavesdropping, huh?" Joaquin asked, raising his

brow.

"Eavesdropping?" Katherine smirked as she arched her brow.

He was the one who answered the phone and spoke openly in front of her! As a matter of

fact, she was forced to listen to his mushy chatter on the phone.

"Let me correct you, my dear fiancé. I wasn't even interested in listening to what you had

to say. Plus, I didn't even say anything about the fact that you had to answer the call and

disrupt my sleep."

"I see you have quite a temper." Joaquin snickered as he observed Katherine's delicate

side profile.

It was apparent that she was exhausted and frail because of how pale her face was.

Currently, her brows were furrowed, which made her look rather annoyed.

As she did not want to engage in a conversation, Katherine yawned. "Drop me at the city

center. There's something I need to do."

She had just completed an exhausting operation on a patient, which resulted in her pale

complexion.

She would get a short fuse when she was tired, especially when she was woken up from

her nap. As a result, Katherine conveyed her irritation with her brows tightened. If she

could be violent with Joaquin, she would have done so right away.

With a tired expression, she shut her eyes after saying those words. Seeing that, Joaquin

decided to stop talking so she could rest.

Alhough the mountain roads ahead were rather flat, there were many road curves. As

such, he drove slowly and steadily to avoid waking Katherine, who was fast asleep.

Halfway through the drive, Ian phoned him in excitement. "Captain! Winson is awake! He's

wide awake! Greg also stated that his injuries are no longer a concern. He simply needs to

rest well for a few weeks! Who exactly is that woman, Captain? How could she be so

talented? You should ask her if she wants to work with us. She's more skilled than Greg,

and possibly even better than Greg's professor!"

After finding out the patient had woken up, there was a one-eighty in Ian's attitude.

Had he known Katherine's medical skills from the beginning, he would have worshiped her.

Joaquin looked over at the sleeping woman next to him and her brows furrowed as if

irritated by the noise, looking like she was about to wake up.

At once, he hung up the phone without hesitation and put his phone on silent after some

thought.

Meanwhile, Katherine was not able to sleep and was woken up as soon as Ian called.

The silence in the car was so loud that one could hear a pin drop. However, Joaquin did not

bother Katherine, whose eyes were closed. She only opened her eyes when they arrived at

the city center. "Stop right here," she said faintly in her clear voice.

Casting a glance at her, he remained wordless and informed the driver accordingly. The

driver then looked for a space to park the car after which Katherine alighted from the

vehicle.

"I won't be returning to the Levisays for the time being, but I'll be back before the wedding

ceremony," she said, pulling the strap of her backpack, and then disappeared into the

crowd without looking at Joaquin.

She had a lot to sort out after returning to the country. Aside from the research institute,

there were many things to deal with at the company, so she was extremely busy.

Meanwhile, Joaquin took a long look in the direction she was going. His lips quivered

before he faintly said, "Let's go."

"Mr. Levisay, where to?" the driver asked carefully.

"Home."

…

Following Katherine's exit from the vehicle, she turned left and right before entering a

cafe.

In a quiet private room, a beautiful and competent woman came to deliver a document,

and stated solemnly, "The company has been registered according to your requirements.

Since the equipment has arrived, production can begin at any time. However, we have yet

to find a technician. Also, Miss Cornell, there are many cosmeceutical companies in this

country, so we are at a disadvantage. Given that we're starting from scratch, it looks like

we'd be in a really difficult situation, so you might want to reconsider."

"There's no need. The technician will arrive at the factory in three days' time and you

should be there to welcome them. I'll email the formulation to you shortly, which you can

apply for the patent. As for the rest, you don't have to worry. Just leave it to me."

As Katherine picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip, a faint smile formed on the

corner of her lips.

Seeing that Katherine would not listen, the woman dropped the subject and said nothing

more.