A Billionaire In Disguise

Chapter Thirty

With her back turned to Rome, Catherine clutched onto the sheets, unable to stop thinking about how

Rome had broken yet another promise.

Then she felt him shift on the bed, but she remained stiff, holding in her breath because she didn't want

to talk about last night with him again since she was still annoyed by it.

'Is she still mad?' Rome thought as he stared at Catherine's back, wondering when she would turn

around and gaze at him.

After a couple of minutes passed and she didn't, he got off the bed and headed for the shower.

When Catherine heard the bathroom door shut, she closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and then

slowly exhaled.

'Why do I feel so mad? I should be over this by now.' Catherine thought, tightening her grip on the

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A few minutes went by, then Rome returned to the bedroom, and finally, Catherine turned around and

stared at him.

Her gaze lowered towards the bandage on his side, and she frowned with a hint of sadness in her

eyes.

"What are you doing?" Catherine asked when she saw Rome walking over to the closet door.

"Getting ready for work," Rome said, stopping in his tracks, and then he turned around to face her.

"No, you are not, especially in your current condition."

"Babe, come on. I'm not a kid. Also, these wounds are not that serious. I can go to work with them."

"I know, but,"

The sudden sound of her ringtone caused Catherine to pause and frown at Rome. Then she reached

for her phone and answered the call.

"Morning, dad," Catherine said, staring intensely at Rome.

"You and your husband should come to the mansion now!" Edward harshly said from the other side of

the line.

"Wait, what!?"

"Get Rome down here immediately!"

"What's going on, dad?"

"We can talk when you guys get here!"

As Catherine was about to speak again, Edward ended the call, and she scowled.

"What's going on?" Rome asked, noticing the look of worry on her face.

"My dad wants us to go to the mansion, and he won't say why. But he sounded upset." Catherine

mumbled, unable to stop the sudden negative thoughts crowding her head.

Seeing how bothered and stressed she looked, Rome said without hesitating, "Okay. I can excuse

myself from work today, and we can drive there."

"Thanks," Catherine mumbled beneath her breath.

At ten on the dot, a blue Lamborghini drove into the Barlows yard, and when it came to a stop in front

of the mansion, Catherine stepped down from the front seat, and then the driver's door opened, and

Rome got out.

Shutting the door, he looked at the building and frowned before walking over to Catherine.

Afterward, both of them headed into the house, and when they arrived in the living room, Catherine and

Rome realized that the entire family was there.

Even though they were concerned and annoyed that everyone was present, Catherine and Rome

calmly greeted. But the tension in the atmosphere didn't decrease.

"Well, it takes wealth and power to make a man's true colors show! I can see that now." Edward said as

he scowled at Rome.

"What's the meaning of that?" Catherine asked, feeling annoyed because she didn't know what the

meeting was about, and now her father was throwing ridiculous statements at her husband.

"You don't need to defend him or play strong, Catherine."

"Okay, can someone tell me what is going on, like now!"

Feeling extremely happy within himself, Charles frowned at Rome and said, "Uncle is talking about how

your husband is cheating on you!"

"What!" Catherine said in confusion.

With a touch of satisfaction in her eyes, Chloe met Catherine's gaze and said, "Cousin, I know it's

shameful to experience something so humiliating. But you don't have to play dumb in front of us to

keep face. We are your family and are here for you."

"My husband is not cheating on me!" Catherine harshly said, unable to contain her anger.

As tears shimmered in her eyes, Catherine's mother gazed at her and whispered, "My poor baby."

"Mom, he's not." Catherine softly intoned.

Eyeing Catherine, Richard sneered at her before gazing the other way as he thought, 'I wish so badly

that your words are lies, and Rome is messing around because you two downfall is something that I

can't wait to see."

Finally deciding that he had had enough of everyone's nonsense, Rome glared at all of them and firmly

said, "Where did you all get such stupid news from that I was cheating on my wife?!"

"Don't pretend like you haven't seen the news about you being at a strip club and leaving with one of

their dancers. There are even testimonies about you getting into a fight and getting wounded for her."

Edward lashed out, slapping his palm on the couch.

Shutting his eyes for a second, Rome took a moment to get over the feeling of frustration he felt. Then

he looked Edward dead in his eyes and said, "Last night had nothing to do with me having a

relationship with another woman."

Anger glowed in Edward's expression as he frowned and firmly intoned, "Do you think I'm stupid and

don't know what rich men go to that place to do!"

"Have you been there?" Rome casually asked, staring coldly at his father-in-law.

Immediately, Edward's face went blank. Then he slightly coughed and said, "Of course not!"

"Then how do you know what rich men do there?" Rome asked with a straight face.

It got silent as Edward stared away from Rome, and then he calmly uttered, "If you didn't go to 'XS club'

to cheat on my daughter, then why were you there?"

"I don't think I owe anyone here an explanation of what I do and don't do, except my wife." Rome coldly

uttered.

Frowning, Mr. Barlow cleared his throat and said, "I know to you this news is nothing but a rumor that

wouldn't affect you. But Catherine is a Barlow, and news about her husband visiting a strip club a few

months after her wedding wouldn't look good for our family."

Then he frowned at Rome and said, "We are not as powerful as you to shield ourselves from such

news, so even if you and my granddaughter are having marital issues, can you please be careful about

how you go about your business?"

"Rome and I are not having marital issues!" Catherine said, narrowing her eyes at her grandfather.

"I know that you love Rome. But you don't have to stand up for him, especially when he has wronged

you in such a way! You should be standing up for yourself and not make this family lose face!" Edward

said in anger.

Then he scowled at Rome and said, "After what he did for you at the party the other day, he had my

total admiration. But even so, I wouldn't let him make us Barlows a laughing stock in the country!"

"It seems like you are not only confused but delusion!" Rome said in anger.

"What do you mean!"

"If you didn't fail at your job as a father to Catherine for all those years, maybe your parents, your

brothers, and their children wouldn't have had the opportunity to look down on her, giving her

difficulties!"

Noticing that Edward looked angry by his remark, Rome hardened his face and said, "After all these

years, you didn't reflect on where you are lacking as a father in her life and correct yourself. Instead,

you are worried about her not making your family lose face!"

Then he sighed and calmly uttered, "I thought you were going to do better. But I'm disappointed."

"Don't try to escape from the discussion at hand by bringing up an irrelevant topic." Edward lashed out.

Even though he felt guilty in that instant, he boldly continued, "Our family will become a mockery

because of what you did last night, and you want to teach me a lesson about being a good father. How

about being a good husband to help us save face!"

"It's Catherine's fault, so why are you all lashing out at Rome." Madam Rosey abruptly mumbled.

Immediately the room became quiet, and everyone's attention swayed towards her.

When Madam Rosey saw Catherine frowning at her, she narrowed her eyes and said without any

remorse, "It's a woman's job to keep her home and make her husband satisfied. So if he starts looking

for pleasure in other women, isn't it her fault for not keeping him satisfied at home!"

"Wow!" Catherine said in anger, feeling infuriated and stunned by her grandmother's words.

Drunk with rage, Rome clenched his fist and shouted, "That's enough!! I need you all to shut up

because it's clear you don't know a damn thing about what you are saying!"

The room immediately got silent, and he harshly said, "Ahhaha!! I'm so pissed right now that I'm

rethinking my decision not drag you all down into the dust and remove you guys from my wife's way!!"