Chapter 9
The day passed quickly. Katherine and Derrick got along very well. Katherine stopped trying to kick him out, and Derrick stopped wearing a long face.
By evening, when they were heading upstairs together, Maeve nearly cried. She pressed at the corners of her eyes, feeling happy for Derrick, thinking. “He’s finally come through all the hardships”
On the second floor was Derrick’s room. He followed Katherine up the stairs but stopped at the door. Last night, he had taken the chance to slip in when Katherine was asleep. But tonight, he didn’t want to do that.
“Are you still working?” Not hearing any footsteps, Katherine turned around and saw Derrick standing at the door.
Derrick shook his head. “No.” No one was so clueless as to come and disturb him with work at this hour.
“Well, then come in. Aren’t you going to sleep!” Katherine yawned as she spoke.
With Derrick here, she had walked longer than usual tonight. By now, it was well past her usual bedtime. Katherine was struggling to keep her eyes open. She seriously suspected it wasn’t just her wanting to sleep–it was probably the baby inside her.
Derrick pressed his lips together as he stepped inside, watching Katherine head toward the bathroom with her nightgown. He took a seat on the small couch, mindful not to invade her space.
Katherine wasn’t at the stage of inviting Derrick to bathe with her, so she simply closed the door behind her. The warm light in the bathroom was bright, and the sound of the shower running sparked many unspoken thoughts in Derrick’s head.
Derrick sat still, almost like he was meditating. He didn’t move an inch until Katherine came out after her shower.
Katherine was drying her hair as she glanced at him. “You should wash up”
Derrick stood up, moving as if following an order, and went to the bathroom.
As he turned on the shower, he heard something outside the door. Katherine called, “Derrick, which room is yours? I’ll get your pajamas for you
Derrick glanced at the clothes he had tossed into the laundry basket, then at his bare self. “No need. I have a bathrobe here.
“Okay,” Katherine responded and didn’t say anything else.
A few minutes later, Derrick came out. Katherine unconsciously glanced over. The white bathrobe was one–size–fits–all, but it was a bit short on Derrick, barely covering his thighs. The white belt was tied tightly, and the collar was pulled up high.
Katherine looked down at her own nightgown, which reached just over her chest, then paused for a moment. She thought, “Why does it feel like Derrick is even more conservative than I am? He wasn’t like this the last time we slept together.
“I’ll do it Derrick took the hairdryer from Katherine and gestured for her to sit on the edge of the bed. He had never blown out anyone : hair before, and with short hair, it’d only take him a little while to dry his own hair.
His technique wasn’t very skilled, and he ended up pulling a few strands of Katherine’s hair out. Derrick looked at the strands in his palm, feeling a bit frustrated. His movements grew gentler as he tried again.
Katherine kept her head down. She didn’t feel any pain on her scalp. In fact, she yawned, the warm air and the sound of the blow dryer Julling her
She pressed her forehead against Derrick’s stomach, feeling the tightness of his abs. She rubbed against him a little, thinking that this kind of firmness made for a pretty good pillow.
And so, Katherine fell asleep. Derrick turned off the blow dryer, but she didn’t move. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and realized she had already closed her eyes.
Derrick had heard from Ethan that pregnant women were especially sleepy in the early stages. He glanced at his phone on the nightstand—it was almost 10 PM, and it was definitely getting late.
He placed Katherine’s head on the pillow and adjusted her legs in bed before pulling the blanket over her Then. Derrick looked over at the other side of the bed, thinking. Katherine didn’t exactly say where I should sleep tonight”
He hesitated to climb into bed. The only two times they had shared a bed weren’t
1 great experiences. Every time they woke up
the next
Chapter 9
morning. Katherine would be furious.
Derrick thought, ‘But Katherine called me in here and asked me to shower. It can’t be just to have me sleep on the small couch, right?”
After standing by the bed and thinking for a moment, Derrick, using his sharp business instincts, climbed into the bed.
He mused, ‘She didn’t explicitly say I had to sleep on the small couch, so I’m taking it as a sign that I can sleep here. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the right answer.”
In the middle of the night, Derrick was woken by the heat. He looked at Katherine, who had somehow wriggled into his arms while sleeping, her limbs tangled around him. A wave of heat swept over his entire body.
The weather in April wasn’t too hot, but he knew that pregnant women tended to run a bit warmer. Katherine was sensitive to the cold. so her blanket was extra thick.
The main issue was that Derrick’s thoughts weren’t exactly innocent. His entire body felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside out.
But Katherine, on the other hand, thought it was warm and comfortable and kept snuggling closer to him.
For the first time. Derrick experienced what it was like to be trapped in this sweetest torture. He didn’t dare move, worried about waking. Katherine.
After two nights without sleep, even a strong man like him couldn’t hold up. When Katherine turned over in her sleep. Derrick quickly slid off the bed and made his way downstairs, his steps unsteady.
Maeve, coming out of the kitchen, noticed the dark circles under Derrick’s eyes and frowned, saying, “Last night—”
“Maeve, change Katherine’s blanket to something lighter,” Derrick interrupted. He paused for a moment before adding, “Just get her both. He figured such a good thing as sleeping next to Katherine might not happen every day.
Maeve caught on to what he meant, clapping her hands and grinning. “Got it I’ll get to it right away. Congratulations, Mr. Graham. It looks like you’re finally getting what you’ve always wanted.”
Derrick gave a rare, genuine smile. Thanks. I’ll give you a raise
At her age, Maeve had plenty of savings and wasn’t bothered about the raise. She was just happy for him. “Thank you, Mr. Graham
When Katherine woke up. Derrick had already left for work. She placed her hand on her stomach as she went downstairs, feeling like she had slept especially soundly last night.
She didn’t have any nightmares, and she didn’t feel her hands or feet go cold. It felt like she had been sleeping in a warm, cozy furnace, and it was so comfortable that she could hardly believe İL
“Mrs. Graham, you’re up? I’ll bring out your breakfast right away,” Maeve said, her face lighting up as soon as she saw Katherine. Maeve then hurried to the kitchen..
“I’m not too hungry, Maeve. Take it easy,” Katherine replied. Then she tilted her head, a bit puzzled, and murmured to herself, “Why does Maeve seem so happy?”
“Has Derrick gone to work?” Katherine asked. When she woke up, she couldn’t find him. She’d even checked the bathroom
Maeve placed the scrambled eggs in front of Katherine, explaining thoroughly. “Yeah. Mr. Graham usually leaves around seven in the morning to avoid the rush hour traffic“
Katherine raised an eyebrow, thinking. I guess the universe is fair after all. Even a CEO worth billions of dollars like Derrick has to leave early to dodge the morning rush.’
“To good. I’m not hungry” Katherine really wasn’t that hungry and only took a couple of bites before stopping.
La normal
Til have Dr. Bell come check on you in a bit. Maeve glanced at the half–eaten breakfast, her face showing concern. “You had a appetite yesterday, so why the sudden loss of appetite today?”
Katherine was now the center of attention at Riverbend Manor. If she coughed or sneezed, everyone would be extra alert. Katherine was also worried about the baby, so she didn’t refuse.
Ethan lived in a small villa at the back for the staff, and it only took him ten minutes to
7:51 PM P P
Chapter 9
He used professional equipment to run a few checks before asking Katherine, “Do you smell a strange odor from the food? Is that why your appetite’s off?
Katherine thought for a moment. She had noticed a slightly fishy smell when eating the scrambled eggs, so she nodded.
Ethan sighed, “It’s been two months. Morning sickness is probably setting in.”
Maeve, being experienced, knew exactly what he meant. She also started to worry. It looks like we need to rethink the breakfast menu. We’ll need to avoid any foods that might trigger Mrs. Graham’s sensitivities.”
Katherine brushed it off. “It’s fine. Just keep it normal. I’m just not feeling that hungry today.” She thought, I can try baby. It’ll be okay.
ry to e
eat more for the
At this point, Katherine didn’t yet realize how severe morning sickness could be, and she said it so casually.
Ethan and Maeve exchanged a glance but didn’t say anything more. There was no point in discussing it among themselves. They needed to report to Derrick as soon as possible.
わ
AD
