From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 91- one-sidedly

"No need," Catherine said quickly. "I can go on my own. Or hitch a ride with some of the others."

The last thing she wanted was for him to pick her up. Everyone else would be arriving in groups—what would it look like if she showed up alone, with him?

Catherine was still desperately resisting the spread of that ambiguous tension between them, even though deep down she already knew she wasn’t going to win.

But he simply lifted a brow and replied,

"Do I not count as your colleague?"

Catherine: "..."

In her eyes, he was absolutely not her colleague.

He was her boss.

He continued,

"Tomorrow’s party requires a lot of prep. Especially the food. I’m not familiar with Burg Eltz. You’ll come with me to buy everything."

It was half a request, half a command. Catherine muttered,

"Then how did you manage ingredients for all the previous parties?"

Even if he didn’t know Burg Eltz well, it wasn’t like this was his first time hosting a party. Back before he knew her, how did he get fresh ingredients? Why did he suddenly have to drag her along?

Sitting across from her, Bert’s gaze softened with amusement.

"Before, I just went to a random supermarket."

"Then just do that again this time..."

Catherine kept resisting, but he immediately countered,

"No. This time, someone special will be there. I can’t just wing it."

His gaze—quiet and intent—locked onto Catherine as he said it.

She knew exactly who he meant by someone special, and she couldn’t bear that look nor the way he delivered such direct affection. She quickly turned away.

"It’s settled," he concluded. "I’ll pick you up tomorrow."

He left no room for argument. Catherine knew she couldn’t win against him, so she could only give in.

"I know a very fresh farmers’ market. You can buy seafood straight from the fishermen and vegetables and meat that arrive fresh every morning. But we need to get there early—they’re so popular you have to queue before dawn."

"No problem. What time should I pick you up?"

Seeing how readily he agreed surprised her. Catherine thought for a moment.

"Six. Driving there takes time too."

She honestly doubted he would go with her. Men like him seemed like the type to just grab everything from some upscale supermarket—or have assistants do the work. Actually going to a noisy, crowded farmers’ market? That didn’t sound like him at all. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

But he agreed.

After lunch, the two returned to the company. The moment the car stopped in the underground garage, Catherine hurried out.

"I’m going first. You take the other elevator later."

Then she practically sprinted away, leaving Bert sitting alone in the car. He let out a helpless sigh before getting out himself.

Back in the office, Catherine didn’t even dare meet Silvia’s or Amy’s eyes. Amy remained calm, busy at her desk. Silvia, however, was anything but calm. The moment Catherine walked in, she darted over.

"Cici, are you and the boss dating?"

"No, no—"

Catherine denied it immediately. She thought that would be enough to stop Silvia’s imagination. After all, she and Bert really weren’t dating... right?

But Silvia’s eyes widened, and she gasped.

"So the boss is pursuing you one-sidedly?"

Silvia’s voice wasn’t loud, but in a quiet office where everyone was focused on their work, several people still heard it. Instantly, a few heads turned toward them.

Catherine felt so embarrassed she wished she could disappear on the spot. Fortunately, there weren’t many women in the design department—just the three of them. The male colleagues weren’t particularly interested in romantic gossip, so they only glanced over before returning to their work.

But even so, Silvia’s words had already planted a new assumption in their minds—that Catherine and the boss had a far-from-simple relationship.

Amy shot Silvia a glare and quickly stepped in to help.

"Silvia, help me make a copy of this."

Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Silvia glanced apologetically at Catherine before grabbing the documents and rushing out.

"Thanks..." Catherine exhaled, relieved. She looked at Amy with gratitude, but Amy kept her eyes down, expression calm, continuing her work as if nothing had happened.

That night, before going to bed, Catherine glanced at the books on her nightstand.

Since she would be going to Bert’s house for the party tomorrow, she decided to take the chance to return the books he had lent her. She slipped them into her bag—this way she wouldn’t need to meet him separately again.

At six in the morning, Bert arrived right on time. Catherine had already told Renata that she needed to get up early on Saturday to help prepare food for a company welcome party—but she never mentioned Bert. She simply said she was helping "a colleague."

She didn’t want Renata to know about Bert. She couldn’t explain their complicated connection, so she avoided the topic altogether.

Early winter mornings were still dim at six, and the air was sharp with cold. Catherine stepped into Bert’s car through the faint dawn light. Inside, the heater was running, warm and comforting. The moment she sat down, a wave of heat wrapped around her frozen limbs.

She had barely fastened her seatbelt when Bert handed her a warm drink—a cup of hot coffee.

"It’s from a shop I passed earlier. Drink something warm to heat up a bit."

His voice still carried that lazy, low morning rasp—the kind that lingered right after waking, deep and magnetic.

On normal days, Bert woke at six, exercised, made himself breakfast, or used the early-morning clarity to think about work. That was already early by ordinary standards.

But today, he had to pick her up—and even stopped to buy her a hot coffee—so he’d gotten up even earlier. No wonder he sounded a little tired.

"Thank you..."

Catherine accepted the drink, quietly touched by his thoughtfulness.

She had woken so early that she only managed to prepare Renata’s breakfast; she didn’t have time to eat her own. A hot coffee on a cold winter morning was truly comforting—warming her hands and body, and easing the emptiness in her stomach.

"Do you know the way? Should I turn on navigation?"

He asked her gently.

Catherine shook her head.

"No, it’s fine. I’ll tell you where to go."

She had grown up in this city and had been going to that seafood market since she was young. Renata loved buying fresh produce there. Catherine had even driven there with Gerald a few times, so she was very familiar with the route.

They set off. Because it was so early, the roads were quiet—no noisy traffic, only the soft light rising along the eastern sky, and the silent companionship of someone she liked sitting beside her.

The atmosphere was just right—subtle, warm, beautiful enough to stir the tenderest parts of a person’s heart.

When they reached the market, it was already bustling. People hurried past in the noise of the crowd. Catherine nearly got bumped into, but Bert quickly pulled her into his arms to shield her. After that, he simply held her hand and never let go.

Catherine could only let him.

She led him to familiar stalls to buy what they needed, sometimes bargaining with unfamiliar vendors. Bert stood beside her watching her with a soft smile, finding the entire scene quietly wonderful.

He didn’t need a pampered heiress untouched by reality.

He needed a real, vibrant woman by his side—someone who brought life back into his otherwise dull existence.

A vegetable vendor auntie suddenly shouted loudly,

"Little girl, your boyfriend is so handsome!"

Catherine had planned to walk away since she didn’t like the vegetables at this stall. But the auntie’s loud comment froze her in place. She wanted to say they weren’t a couple—but then she looked down at their joined hands and gave up on explaining.

Bert suddenly said, "Let’s buy romaine lettuce here."

Catherine quickly whispered,

"I don’t think the vegetables here are that fresh. Let’s check another stall."

But Bert only chuckled.

"I liked what she said. So let’s buy something here."

Catherine: "..."

So that’s how he decided where to shop?

If someone complimented him, he’d buy from them?

Wasn’t that way too arbitrary?

Unable to change his mind, she could only buy a little from the stall.