A Replacement Bride

Chapter 36

After exiting the cafe, Katherine wore a baseball cap before getting on a cab to head to the Waldorf Garden in Northside. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

It happened to be the 5.00PM rush hour when people were going in and out of the neighborhood. She stood on the street and waited patiently while looking at her wristwatch once in a while.

Right at 6.05PM, a frail old man wobbled out of the garden holding his grandson.

Katherine walked over after gazing at the little boy for a while.

"Hi, Mr. Torres. Care for a talk?" she asked directly and dropped the pretense.

Looking at the young lady before him, Richard waved his hands impatiently. "I'm busy. There's nothing much to talk about. Go back to where you came from."

"You haven't produced the formula for Celestial Beauty. Are you going to give up just like this, Mr. Torres?"

She looked at him head-on with no surprise because she knew that he would reject her. However, she had foreseen this and came up with a plan to countermeasure his reaction.

As expected, his facial expression changed upon hearing her words. His eyes widened as he looked at the young lady before him who had crossed the line. Then, he slowly drawled out, "You. Who is Darren Olsen to you?"

"He's my grandpa." Katherine knew she was successful after looking at his wavering expression.

She had her hands on a few ancient formulas as she knew that Richard was the pioneer of the cosmeceutical industry in Cechirus. His skills were all for show, so as long as he was willing to return, people would go crazy over his products just based on his reputation.

"Let's head up and talk." Richard stared at her deeply before agreeing solemnly.

Katherine nodded and trailed after him into the garden before they went up the stairs.

The Torres Residence was on the fifth floor, which was not considered a low-floor for an old man like Richard. He had overworked his body when he was younger. Since he was not young anymore, he suffered from osteoarthritis due to joint damage. So, walking up the stairs was torture for him.

She noticed it while walking behind him, but did not say anything and quietly followed him up.

"Go to your grandma, Gordon," he told his grandson when they walked past the door so they had some privacy. Then, he led Katherine into a room and closed the door.

"What do you want from me since you came all the way here?" Despite being old, he was not a dotard. The Olsen Family was gone and Darren had passed away a few years back. He did not know much about what happened with Elsie, but he knew enough to understand that Jorge had taken over what was left of the Olsen Family.

Even if Katherine owned the formulas, she was just a young lady. So, he did not have much confidence in her.

"I hope you can resurface to help me, Mr. Torres." She was direct upon seeing that he was being straightforward too.

Frowning, Richard questioned, "Resurface to help you? Even if I did, what can you do? The market is being controlled by a few local and foreign corporations now. What do you think we can do to beat

them? It's good that you have dreams, but being too ambitious is not good. Have you even researched the market before you made this decision?"

"Of course. I've done the research before coming back home. Currently, the best-selling foreign cosmeceutical brands in Cechirus are from the countries of Huwait and Rosico for their herbal beauty formula. There are also two local brands that are doing pretty well, marketing themselves with the secret to royal beauty, and one of them just so happens to be the Cornells. I'm not making empty and unrealistic promises. Since I've decided to join the cosmeceutical industry, I have the confidence to come out as the winner. Please don't reject me so quickly, Mr. Torres. I'll give you my dad's Celestial Beauty formula. Take a look at it before you decide if you want to resurface and help me. I'll wait for you."

Katherine spoke confidently and then took out the ancient formula before passing it to Richard.

He was surprised as he did not think that she would give him something so important.

"I've already got the factory and production line ready to go. The company is registered too and the patent for Celestial Beauty is being processed as well. It should be approved right about when you've made your decision. Mr. Torres, you're my grandpa's best friend. You should know what he thinks. I really hope that you can help me. I don't want all of Grandpa's blood, sweat, and tears to fall into the hands of outsiders. That's the reason why I came back to claim all that belongs to the Olsen Family." She bowed to him and did not say anything else.

Richard was still in a daze even after Katherine left for some time. He looked down at the formula in his hand and only felt its weight on him. He was almost seventy years old. Did he still have the drive to resurface and join the industry again? Shaking his head, he looked at the formula in his hand again and sighed.

After exiting Waldorf Garden, Katherine headed to her company, which she had gloriously named it as Celestial Cosmeceutical.

Nadia was exceptionally competent and found a strategic location for the company right in the middle of the city. It was a manor with colonial-style decor that suited the concept of their company's products.

"Miss Cornell," Nadia greeted Katherine. She had just returned to the office after settling some matters. So, she brought Katherine around to look at the newly set up office.

The facilities were complete with the most advanced equipment in the research and development laboratory. They even moved a few delicate apparatus from the testing laboratory over as well.

At the moment, they only had a few employees. However, Nadia was in the process of recruitment. The hardest part was not hiring people, but the continuity of technical support.

"The patent registration has been submitted, Miss Cornell. We should be expecting an answer in three days' time. The recruitment for the factory is ongoing, but the technical part—" She hesitated as she looked uncertainly at Katherine.

"Hire a few general lab assistants even if they've just graduated. It's best if they have some experience. Leave the rest to me."

Katherine quietly interrupted Nadia. She was confident in Celestial Beauty's formula. As long as Richard had read it, he would be willing to resurface. Even if he did not read it, she was sure that he would come since his relationship with Darren was not as simple as it seemed.

Seeing that Katherine was so confident, Nadia was reassured.

"HQ has gotten a hold of the collaboration with Levisay Group and transferred it to you. Keep it up and work hard. Look out for the Cornell Group as well and notify me if anything happens with them."

Katherine did not just want to take back what Jorge had taken away. She wanted him to be left with nothing and suffer for life. She would repay what he did to Elsie all those years ago and ensure he received the punishment he deserved.

"Okay. I'll do my best." Nadia felt the heavy burden on her shoulders, but she was a little excited at the challenge.

After touring the company, they left.

Nadia needed to go to the factory to overlook the recruitment matters while Katherine had something else to do. So, they parted ways at the junction. Just as Katherine was going to call for a ride, she saw a motionless person on the ground not too far away. Frowning, she clicked open the Uber app while walking in the person's direction.