Katherine received a call from old Mrs. Walters herself around dinner time, who told her that the set of jewelry that Katherine had forgotten to take when she left the party had been packed up and was currently in Grandma Grant’s custody, and that Grandma Grant would deliver it to her some other time.
“Okay,” said Katherine, “got it. Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re most welcome, dear,” replied old Mrs. Walters, sounding warm and affectionate, “it’s what you deserve. You know, Katherine, you should pay me more visits should you be available in the future. I will be at home most of the time.”
Unsure if the old lady was just being polite, Katherine answered cooperatively, “Sure, ma’am, I will call on you as soon as I’m free.”
The conversation didn’t last long before Katherine hung up the phone, since old Mrs. Walters seemed busy on the other end of the line.
Katherine, resting in bed, decided to post a life update on her social media. Not wanting to post a selfie, she ended up positing a picture she took with Hector at the club in the afternoon instead. She had intended to take a pic with Kyle, but Kyle was too busy planning his retaliation against Ariel Kingsey with his minions to answer her request.
Katherine hit “send” on her post, not minding who would see it since she didn’t have a lot of friends on this app, and the people who had access to her updates were already close to her. After sending it, she turned to one side, closed her eyes, and dozed off in less than a minute.
It had been an exhausting day.
Marshall, on the other hand, was wide awake. He caught sight of Katherine’s update post the minute it was sent. The caption was harmless, as Katherine had only mentioned feeling “tired, happy, and slightly disturbed all at the same time.”
The picture, however, was what truly bothered him. In the picture, Katherine was sitting with Hector – not Kyle – on the sofa, and they were squinting at each other, their shoulders touching.
From the vibe of it, the picture couldn’t be interpreted solely as funny. In fact, the two of them had looked more than a little bit in sync.
It was a harmonious sight. So harmonious, it turned out, that Marshall couldn’t help feeling supremely uneasy. After gritting his teeth forever, the only thing Marshall could do was to log off the app and exhale deeply. Tossing his phone away, Marshall pondered for some more before he murmured, “Son of a bitch.”
That remark was directed to nobody in particular.
Katherine enjoyed a soundly restful night, only to be woken up by the doorbell ringing incessantly. It was still early morning, so she pushed open her bedroom window and poked her torso out of it. “Who is it and what do you need so early in the morning?”
Marshall, standing in front of the door, took a few steps back and looked up when he heard her. “I’ve got something for you.”
Katherine’s hair was messy and her facial expressions slightly distorted. “What are you doing here?”
Marshall waved what he was carrying in his hand at her. “I’m here to deliver your prize from yesterday, which I heard is quite pricy.”
Well, Katherine wasn’t sure about pricy, but it certainly looked ugly.
Staring at Marshall, Katherine demanded, “Put it downstairs and I’ll come get it in a while.”
Marshall was still looking up at her. “Do you have any idea how valuable this is? I’d be worried if it’s simply kept here, out in the open.”
Leaning on the windowsill, Katherine looked sleepy as she replied, “Mind your own business, man.”
But Marshall was in no hurry to leave; instead, he continued to stand patiently downstairs.
Katherine knew what Marshall was like. If she didn’t let him in, he probably would simply refuse to leave. Hence, she had no choice but to go downstairs in her pajamas, toilette routine be damned.
Marshall was still at the door, the item in his hand beautifully wrapped.
Katherine opened the door and held out a hand. “Give it to me, then.”
She had no intention of letting Marshall in, but Marshall somehow managed to push his way into the house. He then walked over to the coffee table, on which he set down the item, before turning around to look at Katherine.
Katherine leaned back on the door. “So, you’ve accomplished your mission. Bye now.”
When Katherine got ready, she went to look out of the window once more. Naturally, by then, Marshall had long gone.
Relieved, Katherine walked out of the house and ran into Kyle’s car at the front gate.
Kyle waved at her from inside the car. “Come with me! I’ll show you something fun.”
“Huh?” replied Katherine. “What do you want? I’ve got stuff to do today.”
But Kyle couldn’t care less as he dragged Katherine into the car. “It won’t be long, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Without giving her a chance to protest, Kyle asked the chauffeur to drive away, which the latter man did.
“What exactly are you up to? Tell me now,” demanded Katherine with a frown.
Sitting with one leg over another, Kyle answered smugly, “So you know how Ariel Kingsey conspired against me, right? She might have taken me for an idiot but I’m not. I’ve always disliked them without them doing anything, but now that they’ve dared to mess with me, I’ll show you how the empire strikes back.”
Katherine paused. “They?”
Raising an eyebrow, Kyle said, “Well, it’s not like the two Bennett children are innocent, anyway. Might as well do a trifecta.”
“Don’t do anything too egregious,” said Katherine as she stared out of the window, “the police is already onto you, mind you.”
Kyle hummed in agreement, knowing what Katherine meant. After a second, he abruptly changed the subject. “Marshall called me last night to ask about you and Hector.”
Katherine was instantly displeased. Was Marshall shameless or what? Was he seriously trying to put a damper on her friendship with Hector when he himself was still entangled in the whole Clara affair?
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