Chapter 4
Windridge Villa was a property of the Lawson family. But now, no one living inside was actually part of the Lawson family.
“Mom, has Richard left again for a business trip?” Mia, dressed in a light purple chiffon gown, descended the stairs, holding onto the burgundy banister.
She moved gracefully, the fabric of her dress shimmering, gleaming with every step. But there was a hint of irritation on her face. “He just got back from a business trip and now he’s left again. Is he avoiding you on purpose?”
Miranda Lawson was sitting on a luxurious fabric sofa, admiring her freshly done nails when she heard Mia’s question. Miranda scoffed, “He can stay away forever for all I care.”
Miranda thought, ‘All I want to do is fulfill my duties as his wife and give him an heir for the Lawson family. But that ungrateful jerk avoids me like the plague, fleeing whenever I come near, even running away from home!‘
“But don’t worry. I’ll talk to Katherine later. I’ll have her talk to her father,” Miranda remarked.
Mia sat beside Miranda, murmu
“Something doesn’t feel right. Katherine used to contact us every day, but it’s been a week since she
last called.” Mia hesitated and continued, “Do you think she’s figured something out?”
Miranda froze for a moment, then shot her daughter a glare. “Stop talking nonsense.”
She smirked again, a mocking curve to her lips, “What could that fool Katherine possibly figure out? She’s probably locked up by that lunatic.”
Even though Miranda put it that way, Mia still wasn’t reassured and suggested, “How about this? I’ll go check on her sometime, just to make sure nothing’s happened.”
Miranda thought for a moment and replied, “Alright. Just make sure to get her to talk some sense into her dad. With such a big family business, they can’t afford to not have an heir to inherit it.”
Mia smiled sweetly, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure she does exactly what we want.”
“The baby’s in good condition, and your body’s recovering a little bit,” Ethan said as he removed the fetal heart monitor, offering an encouraging smile. “Keep it up.”
Katherine felt the weight lift from her chest. She tugged at her shirt hem and replied, “Thank you, Dr. Bell.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Graham, you’ve changed a lot recently.”
www.
In the past, whenever he came, Katherine would yell at him and throw things, and it took Derrick forcing her into bed before she would accept any treatment.
But now, Ethan didn’t feel any relief. Instead, he grew increasingly uneasy. He had a feeling Katherine was holding something back, waiting to catch them all off guard.
Katherine smiled, glancing down at her stomach, “I suppose it’s because I’ve become a mother. My perspective has changed. Dr. Bell, could I ask you for a favor?”
She lifted her gaze, her bright eyes locking onto Ethan’s, looking like a well–cared–for kitten, drawing sympathy.
Ethan’s heart melted at the sight, but he didn’t dare make any promises. “Mrs. Graham, please, go ahead.”
“I want to see Derrick Katherine said.
Ethan paused as he packed up his equipment, his smile faltering. “You want to see Mr. Graham?”
He hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly, “Mrs. Graham, if you want the baby to be safe, it’s best not to see Mr. Graham during the pregnancy.”
Ethan thought, ‘After all, every time they meet, it’s like a battle. If she gets upset, it could affect the pregnancy, and no doctor, no matter how skilled, could save Mrs. Graham’s baby, who has already been through so much before even being born.
Katherine saw the alert look on Ethan’s face and beamed, “You’re overthinking this. I just need to talk to Derrick.”
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Chapter 4
Plus, no one cared more about the baby’s safety than she did. That was precisely why she knew she had to see Derrick.
This way, Katherine wouldn’t wake up from nightmares every night, haunted by the image of Derrick lying in a pool of blood.
If it weren’t for the baby inside her, for the familiar faces and surroundings, Katherine might have thought she was just dreaming. She wanted to see Derrick, to see him alive and standing right in front of her.
But no matter what she said, the people at Windridge Villa remained unresponsive. It was as if they had been ordered to stay quiet, and they just kept their mouths shut, especially Maeve.
As soon as Maeve heard that Katherine wanted to see Derrick, she immediately turned and walked away, afraid of being pestered with endless questions by Katherine.
“Mrs. Graham, if there’s anything, you can tell me. I’ll make sure to pass it along to Mr. Graham,” Ethan said, not letting his guard down. After all, he vividly remembered how bad things had gotten between her and Derrick.
He thought, ‘Maybe Mrs. Graham has been playing along all this time for this moment!’
“I…” Katherine sighed. She thought, ‘What kind of reputation do I have that makes everyone around me so wary?‘
Suddenly, Katherine’s eyes shifted. “Alright then,” she responded, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips as she raised an eyebrow. For some reason, Ethan’s eyelid twitched involuntarily.
Katherine continued, “Just tell him that my estrogen and progesterone levels have increased, so my needs have also—”
“Mrs. Graham,” Ethan quickly interrupted. Katherine was daring to say it, but he certainly wasn’t brave enough to listen. Although he was nearing forty and considered a mature man, his employer’s possessiveness was overwhelming.
Ethan spoke, “I’ll tell Mr. Graham you want to see him, but whether he comes or not-
“I understand. Thank you, Dr. Bell,” Katherine said, her playful spark completely gone, replaced by a sweet smile.
As he left the room, Ethan glanced back at Katherine, who was now wearing a tender expression. He thought, ‘Can a person really change this much so suddenly?‘
“What did you say?” Derrick looked up, his hands folded across his lap, his eyesing as he studied Ethan.
Ethan wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling like Derrick’s eyes might burn him. “Mrs. Graham did say she has some issues that require your personal attention.”
Ethan struggled to say it directly, but he couldn’t just keep quiet either. He thought, ‘I told Mr. Graham that Mrs. Graham wants to see him, and he just coldly refused.
‘His reaction was so harsh and indifferent that it almost seemed like he thought she was. trying to trap him with the baby. It’s hard to believe he was once so eager to please her!
Derrick thought, ‘My personal attention?‘ He sneered, “Is she planning to take me down with her again, like holding a vase to end it all?”
Ethan quickly fell silent. The memory of Katherine once trying to smash a vase on Derrick’s head, intent on taking them both down, still haunted Ethan.
Ethan thought, ‘Mrs. Graham is way too reckless. To get back at Mr. Graham, she’d risk her own life!
“I think Mrs. Graham wants to have a proper talk with you this time, Ethan said, feeling the weight of the pressure.
He went on to explain the changes he’d observed in Katherine during this time, “Mrs. Graham really cares about the baby. She eats and sleeps on time every day and worries more about the baby’s development than I do.
“She hasn’t even touched her phone, all to take better care of herself and the baby.”
Ethan stressed the last part, thinking, “The fact that she hasn’t been on her phone means she hasn’t been secretly in touch with that man. This should make Mr. Graham feel a little better, right?‘
“Is that so?” Derrick responded flatly. He thought, ‘Maeve has already reported all of this to me word for word. But so what? Maybe Katherine’s just pretending to be good, luring me in to let her smash another vase over my head.
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‘If I hadn’t reacted quickly that day and instinctively moved to the side, it wouldn’t have just been the vase that shattered, but my head
too.’
Having said his piece, Ethan didn’t say anything more. Before leaving, he couldn’t help but add, “Mrs. Graham’s been zoning out a lot lately. She seems down, probably from being too lonely. Mr. Graham, if you have time, you should go see her.”
Derrick remained silent. The entire afternoon, he stayed seated, not touching any of the work on his desk.
It wasn’t until the evening when his assistant knocked on the door to report tomorrow’s schedule that Derrick suddenly stood up. He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, cutting off the assistant mid–sentence, “I’m not going to work tomorrow. Postpone everything.”
The assistant hesitated for a moment, then quickly responded, “Understood. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
No matter what important meetings were scheduled, the assistant pushed them all back. After working for Derrick for so long, he knew one thing for sure–never question his boss’s decisions, or he’ll end up with a generous severance package.
******
The jet–black Maybach shot of the garage, its engine roaring as it sped down the road. Derrick kept one hand on the steering wheel, his face set in a cold, unreadable expression. He thought, Katherine, you better really want to see me. Otherwise…
After a long while, the outline of Rind Manor came into view. Derrick still hadn’t figured out what to do with Katherine.
He couldn’t bring himself to be harsh with her or hurt her. So all he could do was lock her up, where no one could see her.
wwwwwwwwww
wwwwwwww.x
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