A Billionaire In Disguise

Chapter Seventy-Seven

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.

At two o'clock, the moment Mr. Orlando brought the vehicle to a stop in front of Refine hotel, the lights

from the cameras began to go off and on as reporters waited for Rome and Catherine to step out.

When Catherine suddenly drew a deep breath, Rome laced his fingers with hers and calmly uttered, "I

got you."

Swaying her gaze on his calmly eyes, Catherine gave a faint smile and said, "Thank you."

Then she inhaled deeply and heartily intoned, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this!" Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

A moment later, K opened the back door, and Catherine stepped out, raising her chin as she stared at

the reporters.

Once Rome got out of the vehicle, he rested his palm on Catherine's waist and secured her in the

comfort of his arm.

The lights from multiple cameras remained focused on them, and Catherine kept her head held high as

Rome escorted her into the building.

After he and Catherine entered the hotel conference hall, Catherine's sight rested on her family seated

in the room. But she ignored their presence as she gracefully matched towards the front of the room

with Rome, making sure to keep a calm appearance even though she was freaking out a bit inside.

A moment later, Catherine and Rome took their seat, facing the group of reporters and others in the

room, and it was silent for a while.

“Good afternoon. Thank you all for being present. Not to waste you guys precious time, I would like to

announce that there has been a change in the leadership of DreamTeam, and I will no longer be a part

of the company.” Catherine calmly stated, staring at the smirk on Charles's lip.

The hall instantly grew noisy with whispering and mumbling as the reporters stared at each other in

shock.

‘I didn't expect progress to hurt this much. But this is good! I need to grieve the pain to be able to move

on and find myself again.' Catherine thought, enduring the dull ache in her chest.

After the noise had quieted down in the room, a reporter stood up and asked, “May I asked what

sparked such a decision, Mrs. Ford? It is no secret that the growth of DreamTeam had increased

rapidly over a short period since you took charge ."

Watching the look of pride on Charles' face, Catherine met his eyes and boldly uttered, "My dear cousin

thinks he can do better, so I'm stepping back and giving him a chance."

"So what you are saying is that you are unwillingly leaving the company?"

"I wouldn't say, unwillingly..."

"So, you are being forced?"

A look of worry clouded Mr. Barlow's expression, and he felt a raise in his heartbeat. Then when he

locked eyes with Rome, and Rome gave him a half-smile, Mr. Barlow felt nothing but raw fear as he

thought, 'These questions! He's the one behind them! Is he trying to drag down DreamTeam now that

Catherine isn't a part of it?!'

Swaying his gaze away from Mr. Barlow, Rome looked at the reporter and said, "That's enough

question. My wife and I simply hosted this conference to inform everyone that she and I have no more

dealings or involvment with DreamTeam, so her absence from the company can't come as a shock to

her clients and others."

'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!"