Chapter 7
In the living room downstairs, Mia took the coffee Maeve had made and brought it up to her nose for a sniff. She immediately frowned.
“What kind of coffee is this? It smells awful. Are you trying to get yourself fired by treating your mistress’s sister like this?” Mia said, slamming the cup onto the table, the sound of it clinking sharply in the room.
Maeve bent down, using the motion to hide the impatience and disdain on her face. She thought, “What sister? She’s just Mrs. Graham’s stepsister, not a real Lawson. Besides, every time Mia visits, she tries to set up Mrs. Graham with that guy. It’s disgusting”
“Sorry. Ms. Grant. I’ll make you another cup right away, Maeve replied, picking up the cup and heading to the kitchen. As she turned. she saw two people coming down the stairs together, one behind the other.
She froze, and as her hand relaxed, the cup slipped from her grip and crashed to the floor, shattering-
“Mr. and Mrs. Graham?” Maeve muttered in surprise. She thought. They’re coming down together? And it looks like they’re getting along well. They didn’t fight, did they?
With her mind full of questions, Maeve quickly crouched down to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain
Maeve. Derrick called out to her, “use the broom, not your hands.”
Maeve paused for a moment before replying, then walked toward the tool room.
“Kate.” As soon as Mia saw Katherine, she stood up.
Mia, noticing that Katherine seemed to be in good condition, gave a slight frown, but then quickly flashed a big smile. She ran over to Katherine and hooked her arm around hers.
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. You didn’t even bother to call home and check in,” Mia remarked, glancing over at Derrick. who was following behind them.
She leaned in close to Katherine’s ear and whispered,
- “Charlie’s worried about you. He asked me to come check on you”
Mia lowered her voice, but Derrick was right behind them: Unless he was deaf, he would hear everything.
Katherine thought, “She’s obviously doing this on purpose. What’s with the act?‘
She curied her lips into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Really? Charles sent you?” Katherine blatantly said his name, doing so right in front of Derrick
“Kate” Mia pulled on Katherine’s arm.
Mia thought, ‘Can she really say that out loud? Doesn’t Katherine realize Derrick night lose his mind? We’ve seen it before–Derrick went mad and dragged Katherine out of Windridge Villa by force. Anyone who provokes him might not even see the next day
Katherine smiled, her tone biting, “Aren’t you just trying to get Derrick to know? Do you think I’m too dumb to see through it, or does. he have trouble hearing?”
Katherine pulled her arm away from Mia’s and distanced herself, clearly repelled.
“Mia, stop with your little schemes.” Katherine’s gaze sharpened, sending a chill down Mia’s spine. “If you think you can use me to climb the social ladder, don’t even think about ruining my marriage.
Katherine waved her hand at Derrick, who paused for a moment before walking over.
Hooking her arm around Derrick’s strong one, Katherine lifted her chin proudly. “Look closely. My husband is Derrick. Any other man is just another stranger to me.
“If you keep trying to stir trouble in front of my husband, spreading these misleading words, don’t blame me for cutting you ofl. Mia stood frozen, disbelief written all over her face. She thought. How could Katherine say that? And isn’t she supposed to hate Derrick
with all her heart?
She couldn’t stop staring at Katherine’s arm linked with Derrick’s. Mia just couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.
Mia thought. Could it be that Katherine has suddenly had a change of heart? But Derrick’s a maniac who raped her against her will”
751 PM P
Chapter 7
“Kate, are you being threatened? You can tell me. I—” Mia anxiously tried to reel Katherine back in, wanting to ensure Katherine was still a pawn in her and Miranda’s hands. She spoke without thinking.
Suddenly, a chilling pressure pressed down from behind, suffocating Mia and making it hard for her to breathe.
Mia looked up and saw Derrick’s grim, menacing eyes. She swallowed hard, instinctively backing away, but forgot that the stairs were behind her.
She screamed in shock, reaching out for Katherine, thinking. Katherine won’t just stand there and watch me fall:
However, when Mia reached out in desperation, Katherine only looked on coldly, even stepping back when Mia’s hand was about to touch her.
Derrick moved to stand behind Katherine, shielding her from the handrail.
With a dull thud, Mia crashed down the stairs. Fortunately, it was only a few steps, and she didn’t even scrape her skin. But Mia lay there motionless for a while, as if she had just gone through some great disaster.
If it weren’t for the fact that Mia’s eyes were still moving, Katherine might have thought that Mia was so fragile that the fall had killed
her.
When Mia suddenly sat up, glaring at her, Katherine felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Katherine thought. They say villains are tough to kill, and with someone like Mia, even death probably can’t claim her
“Katherine.” Mia yelled, but didn’t say anything more. It was because Derrick, standing next to Katherine, was staring at Mia with a look that warned her if she said one more word, Derrick would send her straight to hell.
Mia, facing Derrick, didn’t dare lose her temper. After a moment to calm herself, she stood up, glaring at Katherine, and left without saying another word.
By the time Maeve came back with a broom from the tool room, Mia had already gone. Derrick and Katherine were sitting together, eating breakfast. It was the breakfast Derrick had personally brought out from the kitchen.
Maeve noticed how smoothly they were getting along. While she found it odd, she also felt happy for Derrick, thinking, I hope this time, Katherine understands who’s actually good to her,
Katherine’s breakfast was quite lavish, with scrambled eggs, sausages, and oatmeal–varied in types but all in small portions. It was all about balanced nutrition, but also about controlling the quantity.
Derrick seemed quite familiar with her routine, even knowing that Katherine usually ate the scrambled eggs first, followed by the osuneal.
Katherine stared at the scrambled eggs in front of her, her gaze once again drifting to the decoration on the chair across from her, but she didn’t say anything.
Her actions were hard to miss. Derrick paused for a moment as he served the food, but still remained quiet.
“Aren’t you going to explain anything to me?” Katherine asked, not in a hurry to eat. She rested her hands under her chin, blinking as she watched Derrick. She observed his lips pressing together in a sign of guilt, and his eyes lowered.
Unfortunately, he was unmoved—a sly fox who thrived in psychological battles in the business world. Even with all the hints and unspoken messages, he remained calm, as if nothing had happened and he had nothing to feel guilty about.
Katherine stood up, walking halfway around the table, and placed her hand on that very chair. “Derrick, I’m giving you one last chance. Be honest.”
Her fingers gently traced the beautiful bead on the chair, her nails tinged with a pinkish hue.
Derrick’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, then again. Under Katherine’s intense gaze, his supposedly strong mental composure instantly crumbled.
He stood up, took Katherine’s hand to move her lingers away, and pried the bead off, revealing the black machine hidden inside.
For a moment, there was nothing but deafening silence in the living room. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, and Derrick felt like his heartbeat was in sync with that ticking sound. He held his breath, waiting for Katherine’s judgment
Then, Katherine merely toyed with the bead in her hand for a moment. “This little thing is quite delicate.” She watched it for a while. then, right in front of Derrick, pressed it back into place. “Alright. Let’s eat”
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Chapter 7
“Kate, are you being threatened? You can tell me. I- Mia anxiously tried to reel Katherine back in, wanting to ensure Katherine was s a pawn in her and Miranda’s hands. She spoke without thinking.
Suddenly, a chilling pressure pressed down from behind, suffocating Mia and making it hard for her to breathe.
Mia looked up and saw Derrick’s grim, menacing eyes. She swallowed hard, instinctively backing away, but forgot that the stairs were behind her.
She screamed in shock, reaching out for Katherine, thinking, “Katherine won’t just stand there and watch me fall.
However, when Mia reached out in desperation. Katherine only looked on coldly, even stepping back when Mia’s hand was about to touch her.
Derrick moved to stand behind Katherine, shielding her from the handrail.
still
With a dull thud, Mia crashed down the stairs. Fortunately, it was only a few steps, and she didn’t even scrape her skin. But Mia lay there motionless for a while, as if she had just gone through some great disaster.
If it weren’t for the fact that Mia’s eyes were still moving, Katherine might have thought that Mia was so fragile that the fall had killed her.
When Mia suddenly sat up, glaring at her, Katherine felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Katherine thought, They say villains are tough to kill, and with someone like Mia, even death probably can’t claim her!
“Katherine.” Mia yelled, but didn’t say anything more. It was because Derrick, standing next to Katherine, was staring at Mia with a look that warned her if she said one more word, Derrick would send her straight to hell.
Mia, facing Derrick, didn’t dare lose her temper. After a moment to calm herself, she stood up, glaring at Katherine, and left without saying another word.
By the time Maeve came back with a broom from the tool room, Mia had already gone. Derrick and Katherine were sitting together, eating breakfast. It was the breakfast Derrick had personally brought out from the kitchen.
Maeve noticed how smoothly they were getting along. While she found it odd, she also felt happy for Derrick, thinking, “I hope this time, Katherine understands who’s actually good to her.
Katherine’s breakfast was quite lavish, with scrambled eggs, sausages, and oatmeal–varied in types but all in small portions. It was all about balanced nutrition, but also about controlling the quantity.
Derrick seemed quite familiar with her routine, even knowing that Katherine usually ate the scrambled eggs first, followed by the oatmeal
Katherine stared at the scrambled eggs in front of her, her gaze once again drifting to the decoration on the chair across from her, but she didn’t say anything.
Her actions were hard to miss. Derrick paused for a moment as he served the food, but still remained quiet,
“Aren’t you going to explain anything to me?” Katherine asked, not in a hurry to eat. She rested her hands under her chin, blinking as she watched Derrick. She observed his lips pressing together in a sign of guilt, and his eyes lowered
Unfortunately, he was unmoved—a sly fox who thrived in psychological battles in the business world. Even with all the hints and unspoken messages, he remained calm, as if nothing had happened and he had nothing to feel guilty about.
Katherine stood up, walking halfway around the table, and placed her hand on that very chair. “Derrick, I’m giving you one last chance. Be honest
Her fingers gently traced the beautiful bead on the chair, her nails tinged with a pinkish line.
Derrick’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, then again. Under Katherine’s intense gaze, his supposedly strong mental composure instantly crumbled.
He stood up, took Katherine’s land to move her fingers away, and pried the head off. revealing the black machine hidden inside
For a moment, there was nothing but deafening silence in the living room. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, and Derrick felt like his heartbeat was in sync with that ticking sound. He held his breath, waiting for Katherine’s judgment.
Then, Katherine merely toyed with the bead in her hand for a moment. “This little thing is quite delicate.” She watched it for a while, then, right in front of Derrick, pressed it back into place. “Alright. Let’s eat?
751 PM P P.
Chapter 7
Katherine returned to her seat, glancing at Derrick who was still standing. She waved at him. “What are you standing there for? I didn’t tell you to take a time–out.
Derrick looked at her steadily, trying to read something on her face. But for some reason, ever since the suicide incident, Derrick felt like Katherine had changed. It was like he couldn’t read her anymore.
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