Chapter: 254

“The first time I saw you, you reminded me of someone from my past,"

Shawn confessed, rubbing his forehead with a bitter smile. "Kaitlin, you might find my behavior odd, right? Being overly attentive to someone I barely know might seem suspicious. But you two are so similar..."

Kaitlin's mouth twitched involuntarily. Was she a stand-in for someone else?

Shawn paused, his gaze lifting to meet hers with a sorrowful expression.

“Mr. Murphy, please calm down," Kaitlin urged gently.

Thankfully, Shawn held back his tears, which was a relief to Kaitlin.

She wouldn't have known how to handle them otherwise.

"Kaitlin, I apologize. I didn't intend to. Despite it all being in the past, I can't resist the urge to look after you, and that's why..."

Kaitlin nodded, beginning to understand his motives a bit more. Yet, she still chose not to proceed with the collaboration. "Mr. Murphy, perhaps after I have my baby, if another opportunity arises for us to work together, I'll consider it."

Shawn let out a sigh. "I suppose that's the best we can hope for. I didn't think everything through this time."

Kaitlin offered an awkward laugh, at a loss for words.

Shawn didn't linger much longer and soon left the studio.

After his departure, Kaitlin relayed the entire encounter to Phoebe, whose reaction echoed her own.

"Are you serious? Mr. Murphy actually..." Phoebe exclaimed.

"It's his personal issue, so I didn't want to delve too deep. But now, a lot of things start to make more sense," Kaitlin reflected.

Phoebe nodded and then shook her head, still in disbelief.

Kaitlin told Phoebe that she hadn't seen Alan for a while as he appeared to be swamped with work.

"You know, you don't have much work to attend to today. You might as well drop by," Phoebe suggested, encouraging Kaitlin to visit the Hewitt Group.

After mulling it over, Kaitlin decided to make the trip. However, upon arrival, she didn't anticipate encountering Alan and Ashley deep in a work discussion in the office.

Dylan noticed her presence and clarified, "Mr. Hewitt is currently discussing some ongoing issues with the company's projects."

Kaitlin nodded. "Okay, I'll wait here so I won't interrupt them. Please, continue with your tasks."

Dylan appeared reluctant but was soon distracted by a ringing phone.

With the office door slightly open, Kaitlin found herself eavesdropping on the conversation.

Initially, Ashley indeed focused on business topics.