The Billionaire's Secret Bump

Katherine was very furious after the conversation that happened between her and Fiona.

She stood frozen in the hallway for several long seconds , her perfectly manicured nails digging so hard into her palms that she nearly drew blood. The echo of Fiona’s words still burned in her ears — sharp, direct, and far too bold for someone in her position.

*"You’re not here to help the event. You’re here to make sure everything looks perfect for your wedding photos..."*

How dare she?

How dare that woman speak to her like that — in front of colleagues, in the middle of the office, as if they were equals?

Katherine’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her flawless smile had cracked in public, something she had been trained from childhood never to allow. The few team members who had witnessed the exchange were pretending to look busy, but she could feel their eyes on her, whispering already.

She straightened her posture, lifted her chin, and forced her expression back into composure.

But inside, the fury was boiling over.

"Where the hell is Martin amidst all this?" she hissed under her breath, voice low but venomous. "Shouldn’t he be here reprimanding his workers? This is his company. His employee just disrespected his fiancée in front of everyone, and he’s nowhere to be found? Pathetic."

She turned on her heel and stormed toward the cafeteria , her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor like gunshots. She needed something cold to drink — anything to cool the heat rising in her cheeks and settle the storm raging in her chest.

The cafeteria was relatively quiet at this hour, with only a few employees scattered at tables, chatting or working on laptops. Katherine walked straight to the beverage station, poured herself a tall glass of iced lemon water, and took a long, angry sip.

It did nothing to calm her.

Katherine slammed the glass down on the counter harder than she intended, the ice rattling loudly.

"How dare she speak to me like that?" she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling with rage. "I am going to be the wife of the CEO. I am going to be part of the leadership of this company. And she — some low-level marketing assistant who can’t even keep her personal life out of the office — thinks she can challenge me? In public? In my own future husband’s building?"

She took another angry sip, her perfectly styled hair slightly out of place from the force of her movements.

"I have spent my entire life preparing for this role. Smiling through every arranged dinner, every strategic event, every expectation. I have never once embarrassed my family. And now this... this nobody thinks she can undermine me? No. Absolutely not. She needs to go. She needs to be removed before the wedding. Before she can cause any more damage."

From a quiet corner of the cafeteria, Martin watched.

He had been grabbing a quick coffee when he saw Katherine storm in. He had seen the fury in her posture, the tight line of her mouth, the way she moved with barely contained anger. He knew exactly what had happened word of the hallway exchange had already reached him through a concerned assistant.

He knew very well not to meddle between them right now.

An interim was holding a tray walked past ,she lost balance and spilled coffee on Katherine.

It happened in an instant.

Hot coffee splashed across Katherine’s cream blouse and onto her tailored trousers.

The stain spread instantly, dark and ugly against the expensive fabric.

The intern froze, eyes wide with horror.

"Oh my God — I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you — let me get some napkins —"

Katherine’s fury, already boiling from the confrontation with Fiona, erupted like a volcano.

All the anger she had been holding back poured out onto the poor lady in one vicious wave.

"Watch where you’re going!" Katherine snapped, her voice sharp and loud enough to turn heads across the cafeteria. "Do you have any idea how much this outfit costs? This is ruined! Completely ruined because of your clumsiness!"

The intern stammered, face turning bright red.

"I-I’m really sorry, Miss Thorne. It was an accident. I can pay for the dry cleaning —"

"Pay for the dry cleaning?" Katherine laughed bitterly, her perfect composure shattered. "This is designer. You couldn’t afford to touch it, let alone replace it. Do you even know who I am? I am about to marry the CEO of this company. And you — some clumsy little intern — think you can just spill coffee on me and walk away with an apology?"

Her voice rose, trembling with rage.

"Do you know how important this week is? The wedding is days away. The merger is at stake. And instead of focusing on my future, I have to deal with incompetent people like you ruining my clothes and my day!"

The cafeteria had gone almost completely silent.

People were staring.

Some whispered.

Others looked uncomfortable.

Martin, still hidden in the corner, watched the entire scene with a heavy heart. He knew he should step in. He knew Katherine’s anger was misplaced and unfair. But he also knew that intervening now would only make things worse .

So he stayed silent.

Katherine continued, her voice cutting through the quiet room.

"Clean this up. Now. And consider yourself lucky I don’t have you fired on the spot. This company has standards. Clearly, you don’t meet them."

The intern was near tears, frantically grabbing napkins and trying to blot the stain.

Katherine snatched the napkins from her hand and threw them on the floor.

"Useless," she muttered.

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the cafeteria, her cream blouse now ruined, her pride even more damaged.

Martin looking at the scene felt sick.

This was the woman he was supposed to marry .

This was the future his father had forced upon him.

Katherine’s sharp, venomous voice slicing through the quiet space, the intern’s terrified face, the way everyone had frozen and stared. He had watched the entire outburst from his hidden spot, coffee cup forgotten in his hand, a cold knot forming in his stomach.

He had seen Katherine angry before, but never like this.

Katherine saw Martin on the corner the moment she turned to leave the cafeteria.

Her heart stuttered.

He was standing half-hidden behind one of the tall potted plants near the side exit, coffee cup still in his hand, face pale and expression unreadable. But his eyes — those dark, intense eyes — told her everything.

He had witnessed everything.

The spilled coffee.

The intern’s terrified face.

Her own outburst — the sharp, venomous words she had hurled at the poor girl in front of everyone.

Katherine’s perfect mask, already cracked from the hallway confrontation with Fiona, threatened to shatter completely.

She forced a bright, graceful smile and walked toward him, her heels clicking with measured elegance.

"Martin, darling," she said, voice sweet and melodic, as if nothing had happened. "There you are. I was just getting a drink to cool down after a long morning. The office is so busy today, isn’t it?"

She reached out to touch his arm — the same affectionate gesture she had used all day — but Martin stepped back slightly, his expression unchanged.

He had witnessed everything.

Katherine’s smile faltered for a split second before she recovered, tilting her head with practiced innocence.

"Is something wrong? You look a little tense."

Martin stared at her for a long moment.

His voice, when it finally came, was quiet but heavy.

"I saw what happened."

Katherine blinked.

"Saw what?"

"The intern. The coffee. The way you spoke to her."

Katherine’s laugh was light, almost dismissive, but there was a nervous edge to it.

"Oh, that? It was just a little accident. The poor girl was clumsy. My outfit is ruined, but I’m sure it can be fixed. No need to make a big deal out of it."

Martin’s eyes didn’t soften.

"You humiliated her in front of everyone, Katherine. You threw the napkins on the floor. You told her she couldn’t afford to touch your clothes. That wasn’t an accident. That was cruel."

Katherine’s smile disappeared completely.

Her voice dropped, the sweetness replaced by a colder, defensive tone.

"Cruel? I was simply stating the truth. This is a high-standard company. People need to be more careful. Especially when they’re handling things around the future wife of the CEO."

Martin shook his head slowly.

"This isn’t about the coffee. This is about how you treat people when you think no one important is watching. I saw the way you spoke to Fiona earlier too. The way you let Clara undermine her in the meeting. You’re not just ’getting acquainted’ with the workplace. You’re trying to control it. To control me."

Katherine’s eyes flashed with anger and hurt.

"I’m trying to protect our future!" she hissed, stepping closer. "You think I don’t see the way you look at her? The way you tense up every time she’s near? I know there’s something between you two....