Ch. 461..470
Chapter 461 Picking Her Up
Ronin had just left when Liana suddenly came over. She stood in front of Catherine with her head up and chest straight, her gaze coldly looking at Catherine.
“Catherine, I need to talk to you!”
Catherine lazily rested her head on the table, motionless. Ronin gave Liana a disdainful glance. He wondered why Catherine and Liana were so different even though they were obviously siblings.
Liana and Catherine were naturally incomparable, as they could not be compared on the same level.
But compared to Audrey, Liana was still far inferior. Obviously, they were all born to the same parents. Why were they so different?
“Liana, can’t you see that Catherine is resting? You are really stupid. Hurry up and stay wherever you should stay.”
Ronin’s incessant chatter made Liana frown. She didn’t want to get into it with Ronin, but he kept chattering, and Liana couldn’t bear it.
She tilted her head toward Ronin and gave him a fierce glare.
“Can you be a little cultured? Did I talk to you? Do you have to keep chattering non-stop?”
Facing the annoyed Liana, Ronin laughed smugly, looking at Liana with a flirtatious meaning all in his eyes.
“I’m not cultured?
“Haha… You’re right. I’m not cultured. In front of a lady from a wealthy family like Miss Liana, I do look uncultured. However, I don’t know if it’s because there are many deaf people in the wealthy family or what. Obviously, no one here wants to pay attention to you, but you appear so deaf and still stay here cheekily.
“Now, I understand that this is called ‘ cultured’!”
Liana couldn’t argue with Ronin, and her face turned red with anger.
She could not deal with Ronin and could only go to Catherine.
“Catherine, will you just let Ronin humiliate me like this? Is this what you want?
“You…”
Before she could finish her words, Catherine suddenly looked up.
Her icy, cold eyes fell straight on Liana.
With a cold and domineering look in her sharp gaze, Catherine frightened Liana so much that she froze on the spot, unable to speak. Catherine frowned impatiently and responded to Liana lazily, “Did I ask you to stay here?”
Ronin, who was sitting by the side, immediately chimed in, “Yes, you even dare to blame Catherine. It’s clearly you who stay here cheekily, disturbing Catherine’s rest.
“Miss, the exams are coming up. Can you please not disturb others’ studies? Can’t you see that Catherine is still meditating?
“Just leave and get lost, okay?”
Liana initially approached Catherine to talk about family matters, but she didn’t expect that to happen.
However, she no longer wanted to talk to Catherine about it anymore. She felt that Catherine was deliberately humiliating her, giving her no chance to speak up.
This jinx was really disgusting.
She completely hated Catherine now.
She stared fiercely at Catherine, her eyes filled with hatred.
“Hmph, continue your meditation. I’ll see how well you can do in the exams then!”
A person who hadn’t studied for over half a month still wanted to do well in the exams? Liana didn’t believe Catherine had the strength.
Liana left in a fit of anger after she said those harsh words. Ronin laughed proudly. Liana seemed to be unable to understand normal communication, so he had to use this method to drive her away.
“Catherine, do you think Liana would do something bad behind our back? How about I arrange for someone to teach her a lesson?”
It was too easy to deal with Liana. It was just a matter of whether or not it was necessary. Catherine waved her hand casually and refused Ronin’s proposal.
“She doesn’t have the ability!”
She knew Liana’s intentions. Liana might have received rumors about Korbin’s funds, so she came to question her.
Unexpectedly, Liana didn’t even have the chance to bring it up because of Ronin’s stir-up. Catherine had said long ago that for Vicente’s sake, as long as Liana behaved herself, she could continue to be the wealthy lady of the Swanns, enjoying everything she currently had.
However, if Liana didn’t behave herself and ruined her own future, she could only have herself to blame.
As soon as school ended, Ronin quickly picked up his small backpack and approached Catherine’s side with an attentive face.
“Catherine, let me drive you back!”
After saying that, he didn’t forget to add, “I drove my car today. I didn’t ride a bike!”
Catherine braced herself on the table with one hand, her eyes casually falling on Ronin. “Do you have a driver’s license?”
Ronin proudly took out his driver’s license from his pocket and waved it in front of Catherine.
“When you went out on business last month, I took my driving tests. I passed all the tests in one go. It’s awesome, right?”
Looking at Ronin’s striking face, Catherine’s emotions toward him changed slightly.
“Yes, it’s awesome.”
“Come on, Catherine. I’ll drive you back!”
Ronin was so active that Catherine had no intention of rejecting him. The two of them walked toward the school gate together.
Just as they arrived at the school gate, Ronin suddenly stopped, and his face darkened, looking very gloomy. Sensing something strange, Catherine followed Ronin’s gaze.
The familiar black Maybach caught Catherine’s attention, and the corners of her eyes unconsciously rose a little. Ronin felt like a doormat, looking at Catherine in anger.
“Catherine, you’re not going to take my car, right?”
Catherine glanced at him, indicating with her eyes that he was fully aware. Ronin was so angry that he wanted to hit someone and couldn’t help but mutter, “Catherine, didn’t you say that guy hurt himself all over? How could he still have the strength to come out?”
“How should I know?” Catherine shrugged and approached the car. Branden had hurt himself all over and almost couldn’t get out of bed.
However, this did not prevent him much from looking for Catherine. His wound had opened up again yesterday after he forcefully carried Catherine back from the Swanns’.
When Catherine discovered it, she scolded him, and he was obedient.
Initially, Catherine thought he would recuperate at home quietly, and Ronin also thought so, or else he wouldn’t have driven to school specifically. He had planned to drive Catherine home during Branden’s recovery period personally.
Unexpectedly, the persistent Branden still showed up.
When the car door opened, Catherine saw the man sitting in the car. Changing from his usual rigorous attire, the man wore a set of home clothes today, catching Catherine’s eye.
The man took the initiative to explain without waiting for Catherine to speak.
“Look, Kathy. I had a good rest. I’ve been lying in bed all day today, and my wounds are almost healed.”
Catherine, who had been thinking about how to teach Branden another lesson and make him remember the lesson well, immediately dispelled this idea.
She bent down and sat in the car. Branden reached out to take her backpack skillfully, kneading her hand gently, and his movements were skilled and natural, as if he had made these movements a thousand times.
“Kathy, I’ve arranged for a chef to make you dinner at home. Shall we go back for dinner tonight?”
Branden looked at Catherine inquiringly, his deep eyes filled with anticipation. Initially, he planned to cook on his own, but due to Catherine’s warning, he had to hire a chef.
He didn’t really want Catherine to go to a restaurant for meals. There were too many people who loved to pester his girl, so he had to hide her well.
The simple life made Catherine feel very comfortable, and she nodded in agreement.
The man immediately and cheerfully informed the driver in front of him to drive, and his smile was particularly contagious, causing Catherine’s mouth to curl up uncontrollably.
Chapter 462 She Saw Through Her Thoughts
Audrey suspected something was wrong with her eyes when she saw the butler appear on the set. The butler bowed respectfully to Audrey. “Miss Audrey, Mrs. Swann wants to see you.”
Audrey froze momentarily, then stood up and looked at the butler with wide eyes and a face full of disbelief.
“My mom is here?”
The butler nodded slightly, signaling Audrey.
“Please follow me!”
Seeing this scene, the surrounding staff stopped their movements and focused on Audrey. They had long heard that Audrey had a profound background. Once she debuted, the play she starred in was famous, and her target partner was either a popular star or a top-level star. She had a promising future.
They finally saw the truth today. Audrey was indeed a lady from a wealthy family, and even the butler from her family was so imposing.
Audrey glanced at Kim standing aside, and Kim immediately followed. But the next second, Kim was stopped by the butler.
“I’m sorry, sir. Mrs. Swann only wants to see Miss Audrey!”
Undoubtedly, he was the butler from a wealthy family, and even Kim, who had seen the world, had to give in in front of him.
In order not to cause trouble, Audrey could only compromise.
“Kim, please help me tell the director that I need to take half a day off.”
She then followed the butler and left.
A top-notch RV was parked in the open space at the entrance of the set. It was a film and television base, and many famous movie stars shot there, so it was unsurprising to see luxury vehicles there.
Audrey, however, instantly recognized that it was one of her mother’s vehicles.
She didn’t know the purpose of her mother’s visit this time. Before, every time her mother had something, she would call her and ask her to go back to the Swanns. Audrey had never had the experience of her mother coming to her in person.
With an uneasy heart, Audrey slowly sat in the RV.
Rachael sat elegantly in the RV, drinking coffee. Hearing the movement, she looked up calmly. Her stunning face was wearing exquisite makeup.
It was as if time had forgotten her. She had already given birth to four children, but there was no sign of aging on her face, and she looked a dozen years younger than her actual age.
“Have a seat.”
A simple command instantly made Audrey straighten her waist and sit down demurely.
Ever since Audrey was a child, her mother had felt that she wasn’t as noble and imposing as Liana and that she did not have the wealthy lady demeanor of Liana.
When Audrey was a child, to gain her mother’s attention, she would deliberately restrain herself to put on a wealthy lady’s demeanor at all times.
Even now, in front of her mother, she couldn’t help but straighten her back and did not dare to relax.
Rachael glared impatiently at Audrey.
As for her eldest daughter, Audrey, Rachael had never liked her much, let alone that Audrey was now following Catherine, the jinx, to go against her, which made her deeply disgusted. If it weren’t for her father’s advice, she wouldn’t have wanted to go there.
“Audrey, I’m here today to ask you to do your responsibilities as the big sister. You should advise Catherine to stop antagonizing us.
“Do you know what she has done lately? She conspired with outsiders to seize the assets of the Swanns. Is this something that humans should do?”
The more Rachael spoke, the more agitated she became. If it weren’t for her constant cultivation that kept her alert to maintain her decorum, she would have begun to break into a tirade by now.
Audrey looked at her mother in shock. She was indeed stunned for a moment. After that, she reacted and began shaking her head desperately.
“No, that’s absolutely impossible!”
Hearing Audrey’s denial, Rachael’s face darkened.
“How dare you speak for Catherine? Are you out of your mind?”
Rachael was about to explode. She didn’t know why she had given birth to these children to make herself suffer in the first place.
Looking at her angry mother, Audrey began to explain continuously.
“Mom, this must be a misunderstanding. How could Catherine possibly do such a thing? Absolutely impossible!”
With things at this point and Audrey still defending Catherine, Rachael couldn’t hold back and roared at Audrey, “You’re actually speaking for that jinx. Audrey, are you crazy?”
Jinx!
This word completely stung Audrey. She suddenly looked up at her mother with immense anger in her eyes.
“Mom, I am your daughter, and so is Catherine. What did she do wrong to be labeled as a jinx by you?
“Are there mothers in the world using insulting words to refer to their daughters?”
“You…” Rachael widened her eyes instantly, her chest heaving up and down in anger, and her gaze became extremely sharp immediately. “Are you all going against me?
“I’m just here to ask you to fulfill your responsibilities as a big sister and give Catherine some advice.
“Audrey, weren’t you very cultured before? Is this how you should treat your mother?”
Looking at her mother, who was filled with righteous indignation and anger, Audrey was utterly disappointed.
She didn’t care about her mother’s coldness toward her or mind her mother’s preference for her younger siblings, but she couldn’t accept her mother’s humiliation of Catherine like this.
After all, they were siblings from the same mother, and she knew in her heart what kind of person Catherine really was.
There was no way she could advise her mother on her repeated mistakes, but she would not help her either. Audrey slowly stood up and bent down to bow to Rachael.
“Mom, I’m so sorry.”
After saying that, she didn’t wait for Rachael to respond, and without hesitation, she opened the door and walked down.
Rachael was so angry that she went berserk in public in the car, sweeping everything at hand to the floor and smashing them in a mess.
In the evening, Audrey returned to the apartment from the set. As soon as she entered, she saw Catherine leaning on the couch, with a somewhat domineering posture, holding her phone in her hand while playing games.
The clattering of firearms in the game filled the entire room. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Catherine moved her gaze away from the screen and glanced in Audrey’s direction.
Her gaze was light, but it gave Audrey an awkward feeling of being stripped off and watched on the spot. Fortunately, Catherine’s gaze only lingered on her briefly and then moved away.
Watching Catherine continue to play the game, Audrey breathed a sigh of relief secretly.
After a long time of contemplation, Audrey finally sat next to Catherine.
Catherine held her phone in her hand and moved her fingers quickly, manipulating the buttons on the phone screen to eliminate the enemies accurately in the game one by one.
The game, which was still ten minutes away from ending, ended early under Catherine’s frantic slaughter.
Once the last enemy died, Catherine threw her cell phone aside and raised her eyes toward Audrey.
On her cold and delicate face, a pair of beautiful eyes were glittering with flowing light, shining exceptionally.
“If you have something to say, say it!”
Audrey didn’t expect Catherine to be able to see through her mind. She looked at Catherine with an awkward smile after a pause.
“Kathy, how did you know I have something to say?”
Chapter 463 Monopolize the Property
Catherine glanced at her with a cold expression of disdain. Her wise eyes seemed to tell Audrey, ” How can you fool me with your poor tricks?”
Usually, as soon as Audrey returned, she would inevitably chatter incessantly and then collapse on the couch, screaming and complaining for a while.
As soon as she entered the door today, she had a worried and preoccupied expression and then slowly approached Catherine, sizing her up several times. Catherine wasn’t blind or stupid, so how could she not notice it?
Audrey timidly approached and told Catherine about Rachael’s visit to her this afternoon.
“Kathy, do you have any misunderstandings with our family? Why did Mom say that you have joined hands with outsiders to snatch our family’s money?”
Catherine was not surprised that Rachael went to Audrey about this matter. After all, it was possible for Rachael to do such a thing when she was desperate. Catherine looked at Audrey with a relaxed and leisurely expression. ”
According to her understanding, what she said was right.”
Audrey was really shocked now. She rushed toward Catherine in a hurry.
“Kathy, have you really taken action on the assets of the Swanns? What’s going on? Did Dad bully you again?”
Audrey’s first thought was not that Catherine would embezzle these assets, as Rachael said. In her opinion, Catherine would only fight back after she was hurt. Catherine squinted her eyes slightly, sizing Audrey up with interest.
“Aren’t you worried that I’m trying to monopolize all the money of the Swanns?”
Anyway, the Swanns were considered one of the four wealthiest families in Casier, and the little bit of wealth they casually allocated was the money that many people had never been able to earn in their entire lives.
Audrey shook her head without even thinking. “No one can snatch my things away, and I won’t snatch others’ things. What Grandpa should have given me has already been given to me, and the rest is given to you by Grandpa.
How you handle it is your business.”
Most importantly, Audrey thought Catherine was exceptionally powerful. It was definitely not good to hand over the Swanns to her, but it was different to hand it over to Catherine.
The stock price of the Swanns had recently skyrocketed, and even Kim came to inquire about it from her and asked if she had any internal information.
This was all thanks to Catherine.
“Kathy, what’s going on? If it’s Dad and the others bullying you, you must tell me. I will help you!”
Catherine initially didn’t want to tell Audrey about this, but she changed her mind after hearing what Audrey said.
She told Audrey about Korbin’s transfer of the Swanns’ property.
After listening in confusion, Audrey thought for a long time before roughly understanding the situation.
She was shocked by her father’s actions and didn’t expect him to do such a thing.
“Kathy, is Dad crazy? He’s also a member of the Swanns. How could he do such a thing?”
The Swanns had a century-old foundation, but their father’s actions were undoubtedly ruining the Swanns.
Catherine curled up her lips with a faint evil smile in her eyes.
“As long as the money is in his pocket, what does it matter if the Swanns’s century-long glory is still there?”
Most people were selfish and could do many unimaginable things for money. After listening to Catherine’s description, Audrey suddenly understood why their grandfather did not leave the assets of the Swanns to their father, but rather to Catherine.
Their grandfather was a wise man, and he knew his son very well.
Their grandfather must have known that their father would do anything for profit. For the sake of the Swanns’ century-old foundation, their grandfather entrusted Catherine with managing the Swanns’ property.
Audrey felt a little guilty when she thought that Catherine was younger than her but had to bear so much, and as the elder sister, she couldn’t do anything to help.
Audrey anxiously cautioned Catherine, “Kathy, I think Dad and Mom won’t stop. You’d better be careful. If there’s anything you want me to do, just let me know. I’ll help you.”
Hmph, even if they wouldn’t stop, so what?
Catherine had a cold and calm face. Korbin couldn’t pose any significant threat to her now.
“You just focus on your filming and be at ease. I’ll take care of the rest!”
Audrey still wanted to say something, but when she looked up and saw Catherine’s domineering and absolutely beautiful face, she silently closed her mouth.
Since she couldn’t help, she would listen to Catherine, who was never wrong.
Rachael suffered setbacks from Catherine, and seeing that Audrey was also so disobedient, she immediately became furious.
When she returned to the Swanns’, she immediately instructed the people under her command to ban Audrey. Since Audrey didn’t listen to her, she would make Audrey pay the price for her disobedience.
Rachael thought to herself, “Even if I can’t handle Catherine, can’t I even handle Audrey?”
Rachael had a dedicated secretary who was not only responsible for the business activities she usually attended but also helped her with some tasks.
Rachael asked the secretary to investigate the situation of Audrey’s agency and instructed the secretary to cancel all of Audrey’s activities to ban Audrey from the entertainment industry completely.
Was it not easy for their Swanns to ban a person in the entertainment industry?
The Swann Corporation invested in many advertisements yearly, supporting many celebrities who relied on endorsements for their livelihood so those agencies wouldn’t dare to offend them.
After hanging up the phone, Rachael’s mood finally improved, with a cheerful smile.
Since Audrey dared to go against her, Rachael would make Audrey return obediently and beg her to take her back. Then, she would let Audrey know what would happen when she did not listen to her parents.
Ten minutes later, the secretary called her back.
Rachael answered the call elegantly and said coldly, “Is everything done?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Swann!” The secretary’s apologetic voice came from the other end of the line.
Rachael’s brows instantly tightened.” What’s the situation?”
The secretary said warily, “Mrs. Swann, according to our investigation, the boss behind Miss Audrey’s agency has changed, and the other party is powerful. If we forcefully intervene, it may cause certain damage to us.”
“Who is it?” Rachael raised her volume, and her eyes became incomparably sharp. Were there still people that their Swanns could not afford to offend in Casier?
“It’s the heir of the Duncans, Branden! “the secretary whispered in response to Rachael.
The Swanns were remarkable in Casier, but there was still a big gap compared to the huge Duncans.
After understanding clearly who the opponent was, Rachael exploded completely. She threw the phone in her hand and smashed it to the floor, shattering it into pieces. The Duncans would not protect Audrey without reason.
Needless to say, it must be Catherine who was behind it.
Catherine was really a jinx. She would not feel good before she ruined the Swanns.
Chapter 464 The Kidnapping
In the blink of an eye, it was exam time again.
This test was a big deal for everyone. Even Bryan had been ordered to stay at home and hit the books. He couldn’t even step outside. Ronin was feeling incredibly bored and decided to seek out Catherine. ”
Catherine, not going to school is no fun at all. It’s so dull.”
To attend school, Ronin had delegated all the base matters and was now accompanying Catherine as she studied.
On regular days, he could banter with Bryan at school and play games with David, even when Catherine wasn’t around.
But now, with everyone busy revising for the exams and making that final push, there wasn’t even someone to banter with. He found himself incredibly bored.
Catherine had her laptop on her lap. She was engrossed in studying the data Rodge had sent her. She was conducting three-dimensional simulation tests to assess missile accuracy.
Unfortunately, Ronin was still chattering away nearby. It disrupted her peace. Suddenly, Catherine looked up with her cold gaze fixed on Ronin.
“They’re all studying. Don’t you think you should be too?”
Ronin thought inwardly, “Why bother studying?”
That was what Ronin had initially intended to say, but when he encountered Catherine’s cold stare, he nearly choked on his saliva. In his eyes, the big exam was just about scribbling a few words. Why bother with the hassle of studying?
But with Catherine’s sudden outburst, he realized he had no choice but to hit the books.
In the previous moment, Ronin had been complaining, but now he acted obediently. He didn’t dare to disturb Catherine as she worked.
“Catherine, you keep working. I’ll go back to studying.”
Catherine nodded without lifting her head, and Ronin finally let go of his worries. With bated breath, he tiptoed away and ensured no disruption.
With Ronin’s departure, the room fell quiet.
Catherine was deeply engrossed in her research. She stared at the rapidly changing numbers on her screen. It felt like an eternity had passed. If it weren’t for the incessant buzzing of her phone placed nearby, Catherine wouldn’t have even blinked.
The ringing irritated her. With a furrowed brow, she picked up her phone. She intended to decline the call. However, when she saw the caller ID was Audrey, she finally answered.
“I’m busy now. Speak quickly,” Catherine said coldly. Her cold words perfectly reflected her current state of mind.
To her surprise, a strange man’s voice came from the other end.
“Audrey is in my hands. If you want to keep her safe, follow my instructions!”
The call was abruptly disconnected after the stranger finished speaking. Catherine tried to call back. However, she received a text message from the stranger.
[Don’t call the police. Come alone, or else Audrey will be in a body bag!]
The message included an address.
After Catherine read the text message, a sardonic smile played on her cold face.
She thought the stranger was playing a kidnapping drama with her. It seemed like they thought they lived long enough. They were asking for trouble.
Catherine skillfully dialed a number. She put the phone to her ear when it was answered. From Kim’s tone on the other end, it was evident that he was surprised by Catherine’s call.
“Catherine, why are you calling me all of a sudden?”
“Where is Audrey?” Catherine asked concisely in a cold tone.
Her voice made Kim shiver all over.
“I’m looking for Audrey too. I don’t know what’s going on. She said she’d be out for a bit, but she hasn’t returned, and she’s not answering her phone.”
Maybe thinking he had been complaining too much, Kim suddenly stopped his rambling and asked Catherine seriously, “Do you need anything from her? Should I relay a message when she comes back?”
“No. It’s fine,” Catherine replied and immediately hung up.
She hadn’t told Kim about the possibility of Audrey being in trouble because involving more people would only increase Audrey’s risk.
The kidnapper had contacted Catherine directly, not Kim.
It meant they were targeting Catherine, not Audrey. If that was the case, Catherine had to go alone.
Catherine saved her computer data, picked up her jacket, and left the apartment.
She grabbed her motorcycle from the garage and rushed to the address provided by the kidnapper.
After she removed her helmet, her phone in her pocket began to ring.
On Catherine’s cold, stunning face, her sharp eyes narrowed slightly. With a smile in her eyes, she looked dangerous yet captivating.
She answered the phone, and on the other end, the person with a mechanized voice told her an address and then hung up.
Just as the kidnapper ended the call, Catherine’s phone rang again.
It was a call from Branden.
After glancing at the time on her phone, Catherine assumed he was probably inviting her to dinner. Without hesitation, she hung up.
She knew that someone was likely monitoring her every move in the shadows.
For Audrey’s safety, she needed to comply with the kidnapper’s instructions and avoid contacting anyone.
After ending the call, Catherine revved her motorcycle once more and headed toward the location indicated by the kidnapper. She cooperated meticulously throughout the journey.
After several location changes, Catherine finally arrived at an abandoned factory. There was no need to say it. This was the place the kidnapper had demanded. After parking her motorcycle, Catherine strode confidently toward the abandoned factory.
There was no sign of nervousness on her cold face. She pushed the factory door open forcefully. Behind it stood seven or eight men armed with weapons. They stared at Catherine with their cold, menacing eyes.
The man at the forefront had a gruesome scar on his face that would unsettle most people. However, Catherine exuded a cold aura. She calmly stared at him.
The scarred man examined Catherine and couldn’t fathom why their boss had repeatedly emphasized caution. He thought Catherine was nothing more than a young girl.
“You’re quite bold, coming here all alone. Aren’t you afraid?”
In response to his question, Catherine smirked with sarcasm. She replied, “I came alone. Isn’t that what you arranged?”
“Kid, you’ve got quite a sharp tongue, and you’re fearless. I admire you.” The scarred man pointed at Catherine with appreciation in his eyes.
Catherine came alone and displayed no fear on her face. She really had courage.
Catherine had no time for small talk and lazily said, “Cut the chatter. State your terms.”
The scarred man was secretly taken aback. He initially thought Catherine was just bold, but how she carried herself seemed out of the ordinary.
Thinking of the boss’s instructions before they left, the scarred man didn’t want to waste more time.
“Alright. You’re straightforward, and I’ll be straightforward, too. Come here and sign this document, and I’ll release the person to you.”
Chapter 465 The Scarred Man
Catherine didn’t even glance at the documents the kidnapper held. She had one request.
“I’ll sign when I see her.”
Catherine stood at the entrance of the factory. The afternoon sun cast a glow upon her, which made it impossible to discern her expression or features.
However, she exuded an intense aura that was hard to ignore. Upon hearing Catherine’s demand, the scarred man sneered and squinted his eyes. He stared at Catherine with a malevolent look in his gaze.
“Kid, I’ve got the upper hand now. You’re no one to negotiate with me.
“Come over here and sign this obediently. I’m giving you this opportunity because you’ve got some guts left. Don’t think just because you’re a girl, I can’t handle you.”
The scarred man often enjoyed hunting in the mountains, but when he captured prey, he wouldn’t immediately finish it off.
Instead, he’d give the prey a glimmer of hope and let it escape. When the prey believed it had escaped, he’d recapture and kill it.
He would make his prey experience the utmost despair before eventually dying in agony. To the scarred man, Catherine was now just like the prey he had recently captured. However, this was just the scarred man’s imagination.
After all, he was facing Catherine.
Catherine idly played with her fingers.
She was thoroughly uninterested in the scarred man’s nonsense. She remained calm and casually looked up, with her eyebrows slightly arched.
“Stop wasting time. If you’re going to act, do it quickly!”
“Oh…” the scarred man chortled. He was taken aback by Catherine’s confidence. He looked at Catherine mockingly and waved his hand toward the two henchmen behind him.
Dealing with a girl like Catherine, he thought two of his men were overkill. His two henchmen rubbed their hands eagerly and stepped forward with smiles on their faces.
They had been itching for Catherine for a while now. With her stunning face and attractive figure, she was extremely beautiful.
She was even better than the top-notch ladies from the high-end clubs. And she came from a wealthy family to boot.
Catherine was so extraordinary. Just getting a touch would be a jackpot for them. They would have pounced long ago if their boss hadn’t held them back.
With excitement, the two men inched closer to Catherine. One of them couldn’t resist reaching out a hand when he was just a step away from Catherine. But before his hand could touch Catherine’s clothes, suddenly…
A gust of wind rushed in. The men couldn’t quite grasp how Catherine moved so quickly, but he felt a powerful force pulling his body forward, and then he was sent sprawling.
Then came two crisp snaps, and his forearm was twisted into an unnatural position. He didn’t even have time to register the pain or scream.
Catherine swiftly raised her leg and brought it down hard on the man’s lower back.
“Ah…”
A wretched scream followed, and the man lay writhing on the ground in agony. The force behind that kick was enough to leave him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
On the side, another henchman witnessed everything up close, leaving him petrified. He had been in the game for years and seen many tough folks, but never had he witnessed anything as terrifying as this.
Moreover, Catherine was just a young girl.
Catherine lazily scrutinized the other henchman. She extended her hand and lightly beckoned him with her finger. The henchman screamed in fear and instinctively tried to retreat.
Catherine lifted her foot and delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying through the air before crashing onto the ground.
A loud thud followed as his massive body hit the ground. It caused a cloud of dust. The henchman struggled to get up and attempted to seek help from the scarred man.
But as he opened his mouth, a surge of blood gushed from his lips. Then he collapsed to the ground without lifting his head. The scarred man was splattered with his comrade’s blood. He stood there in shock.
He hadn’t expected Catherine to be this formidable. At that moment, he finally understood why his boss had warned him to be cautious of Catherine.
His grip on the small vial in his pocket tightened. With anxiety, he felt regret that he didn’t use it. His boss had prepared a vial of special substance for him to deal with Catherine.
By threatening her through Audrey, he’d make Catherine take the substance and then have her sign the agreement.
But upon seeing Catherine, he dismissed her as just a pretty girl. He thought his boss was overreacting and didn’t follow the plan.
Now he realized his mistake.
The scarred man turned around and saw his dozen or so henchmen behind him. They were all armed with weapons. He himself had a revolver holstered on his waist. With this kind of firepower, Catherine’s strength was irrelevant.
Thinking of this, the scarred man regained his confidence. He looked at his henchmen as he raised his arms and shouted, “Let’s go together! Once we finish her, we’ll have a victory celebration tonight!”
Motivated by the scarred man’s call, the henchmen brimmed with enthusiasm. Catherine still maintained her indifferent posture. She was seemingly unimpressed with their numbers.
But she thought the scarred man’s decision was quite sensible. For Catherine, dealing with all of them at once was more efficient. With a thunderous roar, the henchmen charged forward and caused a cloud of dust.
Catherine stood her ground and allowed them to approach. When a henchman swung a baseball bat at her head, she casually retaliated. She lifted her leg and delivered a swift kick to the henchman’s head.
With a side kick, the henchman holding the baseball bat went flying in an instant.
Then Catherine grabbed another henchman. She seized his arm and struck his abdomen with her other hand.
Her movements were swift and precise. She delivered a brutal blow.
Coincidentally, the two individuals who were struck happened to be together, providing each other with some company.
In just a few short minutes, Catherine had completely dismantled the opposition. Their previously confident demeanor had crumbled under Catherine’s blows. Now, they were filled with fear. The scarred man was stunned. He stood frozen and forgot to move.
It wasn’t until Catherine sent another henchman flying and landed right in front of him, emitting a deafening scream, that he snapped out of his stupor.
In a frenzy, the scarred man hastily drew his revolver and trembled as he aimed it at Catherine. At that moment, the scarred man was wearing a self-satisfied grin.
In his view, no matter how powerful Catherine’s fists were, she couldn’t withstand the cold bullets. No matter how good she was at fighting, she would still end up dead in his hands shortly.
Catherine, who was in the midst of fighting, suddenly felt a chilling presence behind her. After she quickly turned her head, their gazes met.
The scarred man hadn’t anticipated Catherine to turn around at this critical moment. He was shocked by the look in Catherine’s eyes.
Her gaze was akin to a black hole and seemingly capable of swallowing everything. It brimmed with an incomprehensible and formidable power.
After years in the game, he had lived through some seriously tough times.
He had seen all kinds of tough folks, but it was the first time he’d encountered someone with such an intense presence.
The scarred man was stunned, and his hand paused.
After just a brief lapse of 0.01 seconds, the situation took a complete turn.
Chapter 466 The Bullets
Catherine moved swiftly. The weapon that had been tightly held by the scarred man was suddenly in Catherine’s hand.
The scarred man was genuinely shocked this time. He instinctively examined his palm. He flipped it back and forth comically and ludicrously.
Before he could see how Catherine managed to touch his hand, Catherine had already snatched the weapon away from him. He thought Catherine must not be ordinary.
Her speed was beyond human capabilities.
As the scarred man stared at Catherine, his pupils dilated. His eyes were filled with not just fear but also confusion and bewilderment.
Catherine toyed with the scarred man’s weapon in her hand for a moment.
Then she sneered.
It was just an outdated relic from the last century, and this man had the audacity to play with it. He was not even afraid of being ridiculed.
Catherine suddenly pulled the trigger.
The scarred man’s eyes widened, and his face instantly turned pale. He had a hunch that his life was about to end at that very moment.
His focus was entirely on Catherine, and he had even forgotten how to call for help. However, what happened next left the scarred man even more surprised. It was just like how he initially wanted to toy with Catherine. Catherine didn’t immediately harm him.
The scarred man’s gun was rotated twice in Catherine’s hand and then completely disassembled into individual components.
That was truly impressive.
The scarred man had seen skilled marksmen, even experts who could disassemble and reassemble guns blindfolded.
But someone like Catherine, who disassembled the weapon with one hand while rapidly spinning it, was something he had never witnessed before.
At that moment, the scarred man suddenly realized he had provoked someone extraordinary.
Catherine held seven bullets she had disassembled from the firearm and waved them in front of the scarred man.
Her eyes shifted, and she cast a cold, disdainful glance at the scarred man before uttering three words in a chilling tone.
“Where is she?”
The scarred man had been in this game for many years and had grown indifferent to life and death. While he was fearful, he didn’t reveal his boss’s secrets.
Their boss had leverage over them. Their own life was expendable, but they couldn’t jeopardize their families.
“If you want to kill me, then do it, but you’ll never find out where she is.
“With my lowly life, I’ll kill a rich young lady. I’ve won…”
Catherine sneered. She couldn’t help but admire the scarred man. Even in such a dire situation, he dared to talk tough.
She asked only once and wouldn’t ask again if there was no response.
The scarred man observed the eerie smile on Catherine’s face. She didn’t press him further, nor did she threaten him with any harsh words. He couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spine.
The more silent she became, the more it indicated trouble. As he watched Catherine approach with the disassembled bullets in her hand, he felt an inexplicable sense of danger.
He panicked and stared at Catherine. He involuntarily tried to step back.
“What are you going to do?”
Catherine held a bullet between her fingers. She spun it before pressing it against the scarred man’s cheek.
With astonishing force, Catherine embedded the bullet into his cheek. It caused blood to spray directly onto Catherine’s fair face.
It was such a gruesome sight, and she didn’t even blink.
The scarred man writhed in agony and screamed wildly, but it was futile. To prevent him from struggling, Catherine had tied his hands and feet, rendering any movement a luxury.
Catherine had no intention of stopping.
With bullets one after one, the torment continued.
The pain was unbearable. It was worse than death.
The scarred man would rather she had put him out of his misery with a single shot. Catherine picked up another bullet. This time, it was aiming for the scarred man’s eye.
This time, the scarred man’s lifeless eyes came to life. His instincts kicked in, and he could no longer endure the excruciating pain. He began to beg Catherine, and his voice was hoarse and desperate.
“I was wrong. It was my mistake. I should never have offended you. Please…”
Due to the continuous splattering of blood, Catherine’s once cold and elegant face was now stained with blood. It created a stark contrast to her fair skin.
With her aloof demeanor, the blood added a hint of bewitching charm and made her presence even more formidable.
The scarred man’s plea didn’t make Catherine stop.
She continued to approach with the bullet aimed at the scarred man’s eye. Seeing that she was about to drive the bullet into his eye, the scarred man couldn’t bear it any longer.
He surrendered.
“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you! Just please give me a quick death!”
Catherine halted her actions and gave the scarred man a cold, piercing look. The scarred man didn’t hesitate and quickly pointed toward a small room upstairs.
“She’s up there. We haven’t laid a finger on her. You can trust us.”
Catherine roughly dropped the scarred man to the ground and ascended the rickety stairs to the second-floor room.
The room was dimly lit, with only a small window providing a faint light source. Catherine, with her exceptional eyesight, immediately spotted Audrey in a corner.
Audrey’s hands and feet were bound. She leaned weakly to one side with her head drooping, which suggested she had been drugged.
Catherine approached Audrey and untied her. Then she gave Audrey a sharp pinch on the philtrum.
The intense stimulation made Audrey regain consciousness slowly. She opened her eyes and saw Catherine crouching in front of her. Her eyes widened instantly. She opened her mouth and shouted, “Kathy, run! I’ll cover you. Hurry…”
Catherine was momentarily puzzled by Audrey’s strange behavior, but then she realized and smiled slightly.
“Audrey, why are you still smiling? Don’t you realize we’re in trouble?” Midway through her sentence, Audrey suddenly noticed something and rushed forward. “Kathy, what happened to your face? Why is it covered in blood? Did those kidnappers hurt you?”
Her voice choked as she spoke, and tears welled in her eyes. Facing such an endearing sister, Catherine couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. She casually wiped the blood off her face with her hand.
“Look closely. This is someone else’s blood, not mine.”
Even though Catherine explained, Audrey still couldn’t relax. She rushed forward and gently touched Catherine’s cheek to make sure there were no wounds. After that, she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
She cried out, “You scared me. I thought they disfigured you!”
Catherine was so beautiful. It would have been a shame if anything had happened to her face. Catherine pulled Audrey to her feet. ” Let’s go. We’ll talk later.”
Audrey was surprised. She asked, ” Kathy, are we just leaving like this? What about those kidnappers? What if they catch us again?”
Her words were overflowing, and if Audrey wasn’t her sister, Catherine might have silenced her for good.
Then Catherine dragged Audrey downstairs. Audrey couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the chaotic scene below. “Kathy, look at this!”
Chapter 467 Catherine Got Hurt
Audrey was so shocked when she saw the kidnappers below, who were lying in all sorts of postures and occasionally screaming in pain, that her eyes were almost popping out of her sockets.
She had intended to pull Catherine to watch it together but found that Catherine had already headed toward the kidnappers. Worried that Catherine might encounter any mishap, Audrey quickly caught up with her.
“Be careful, Kathy!”
Catherine didn’t pay attention to Audrey babbling behind her. Her gaze accurately fell on the table ahead. The papers on the table were exactly the ones the kidnappers used to threaten Audrey into signing.
Catherine casually picked up the document and glanced at it. When she saw the huge title on the document cover, a smug smile appeared in her eyes.
Seeing her expression so weird, Audrey felt really strange.
“Kathy, what do you have in your hand?
Catherine casually waved her hand and smoothly placed the document into Audrey’s hands. She then nodded and gestured for Audrey to look at it herself.
With a heart full of doubts, Audrey flipped through the document. The moment she opened it, she was blown away by the contents of the file.
The title was Share Transfer Agreement.
The contents of the document surprisingly requested that Catherine give up her current shares in the Swann Corporation, with the beneficiary being their father, Korbin Swann.
Audrey immediately grasped what had happened here, even though she might have seemed foolish. After she received a phone call from her family, she was kidnapped and taken away shortly after leaving the film set.
Then Catherine appeared in this abandoned factory and managed to rescue her in front of so many kidnappers.
Audrey’s eyes instantly turned red as she looked at the document in her hand. Although she knew the truth in her heart, she still refused to believe it. She lifted her head and fixed her bright red eyes on Catherine, wanting to figure everything out.
“Kathy, how could he do this? We’re both his daughters. As the saying goes, the most ferocious animal wouldn’t eat its own cubs. How could he do such a thing?”
Audrey never imagined she would be kidnapped by her father one day. The most terrible thing was that her father’s kidnapping of her was actually to use her as a threat to her sister to achieve his selfish goals.
When faced with Audrey’s painful questioning, Catherine didn’t utter a single word. A thin layer of coldness was increasingly covering her exquisite and stunning face, and the indifference in her beautiful eyes was also becoming deeper.
For money and power, many people were even willing to sell their own souls. Nothing was surprising about this. Catherine had seen the darkest side of humanity and had long turned a blind eye to it. Audrey was still trapped in her father’s selfishness and couldn’t accept everything she knew.
Catherine also got lost in her memories because of the questioning from Audrey. Neither noticed that the scarred man behind had quietly gotten up and was now holding a short knife, waiting for his chance.
Seeing Catherine with her back facing him, the scarred man felt that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He hated Catherine! He had never been treated this way by anyone in his whole life. Whenever he got the chance, he would definitely make Catherine suffer. Seizing the opportunity, the scarred man lunged forward brutally, aiming to deliver a single decisive blow.
When the opponent approached, Catherine sensed something was wrong, so she looked back and found that the scarred man was counterattacking.
The distance between the two was too close for Catherine to react, so she could only take a step back to create some space before striking the scarred man fiercely.
Seeing that he didn’t manage to harm Catherine on the first attempt, the scarred man desperately swung his knife again to stab her without hesitation.
Catherine calmly waited for the scarred man’s approach. She was already prepared and on guard. The scarred man’s intentions to harm her were simply a delusion.
However, none had anticipated that Audrey would also come to her senses at the same time. As she saw the scarred man intending to harm Catherine, all in her mind was a single thought.
“Kathy must not be harmed. I absolutely cannot let her get hurt,” she said inwardly.
“Kathy, run now!”
Audrey lunged forward directly as if she was going to push Catherine away. This unexpected turn of events caught Catherine off guard.
She had been used to being alone for many years. Even if special tasks required her to take people out, those people were all high-level experts in combat. Usually, everyone minded their own business and had no habit of helping others.
Initially, she didn’t give a damn about the scarred man because she knew he couldn’t lay a finger on her. But then, she didn’t expect to run into a wild card like Audrey.
When the scarred man saw Audrey rush toward him, he pointed the tip of his knife toward her and stabbed it fiercely.
“Anyway, between the two sisters, one must inevitably be hurt in order to break even,” he thought. As Catherine watched Audrey about to be injured, she swiftly reached out and pulled Audrey back with one hand.
To prevent the knife from cutting Audrey’s face, Catherine instinctively shielded it with her hand. The razor-sharp blade sliced Catherine’s arm, leaving a large wound with blood splattering.
Catherine’s reaction was extremely quick. After saving Audrey, she swiftly turned around and delivered a powerful kick, sending the scarred man flying.
The scarred man was kicked away by Catherine and fell hard to the ground, unable to stand up again. Audrey was so scared that she didn’t have time to think much. Catherine’s blood had splattered on her face just now. She knew that Catherine must have been hurt.
When she lowered her head, she noticed the huge gash on Catherine’s arm. She was so scared that her whole body trembled, and her voice choked up as she spoke.
“Kathy, you got hurt! There’s so much blood.
“How am I supposed to deal with this?”
Audrey was freaking out, and her mind was a mess. She instinctively reached out to cover the wound on Catherine’s arm with her hands.
The wound was too severe, and the blood couldn’t be stopped. Fresh blood kept flowing non-stop, driving Audrey to the brink of panic.
However, Catherine remained calm as if nothing had happened, prompting Audrey to yell at her in frustration.
“Kathy, what’s the deal with you? If you’re in pain, just cry out. If that doesn’t work, shout a little. I’m so scared to see you like this.”
Catherine stood motionless, her gaze icy cold. This demeanor left Audrey uncertain about what to do.
“Cry?” thought Catherine.
In her memory, she never cried.
She slowly lifted her gaze, and her cold eyes fell on Audrey’s panicked and distorted face.
“What’s the point of making a fuss about such a minor injury?”
Catherine’s plain tone was like a needle poking into Audrey’s heart, making it so painful that she couldn’t even breathe.
She recalled when Johnathan accidentally tripped at the stairway and scraped his knee.
That brat was crying in such an exaggerated way, like he wanted the whole world to know how badly he had fallen. Finally, Korbin had to personally intervene and coax the little brat into calming down.
Rachael was so upset that she fired the two maids caring for Johnathan. Plus, she went ahead and changed the entire building’s staircase and even got an all- wool carpet custom-made from abroad to cover all of the stairs.
It was ridiculous how much effort Rachael put into for just a little skin scrape while Catherine barely batted an eye at such a severe injury.
Thinking of all this, Audrey felt even more heartbroken for Catherine.
“Kathy, we’re going to the hospital. I will take you to the hospital!”
Audrey was anxiously dragging Catherine to leave.
With a cold look in her eyes, Catherine casually glanced at her arm and watched as the fresh blood continued to flow. Without much thought, she tore her T-shirt and used it as a makeshift bandage to wrap around her arm.
The blood stopped gushing as if on cue, but the wound still looked pretty creepy with the mix of red and white.
Catherine planned on ignoring it, but Audrey kept insisting.
When Catherine saw Audrey’s swollen eyes, which were as big as two walnuts, she silently decided not to argue anymore and let Audrey make all the decisions.
“Just go to the hospital already,” she said inwardly.
Chapter 468 Courage
At Casier Hospital. The car hadn’t even come to a halt when the man impatiently pushed the door open and got out of the car quickly. As soon as he got off, he immediately stretched his legs and strode toward the hospital.
Hurriedly, Paxton got out of the passenger seat and followed closely behind. Triston also followed them as he happened to be hanging out with Branden today.
Ten minutes ago, Branden got a call from Audrey. During the phone call, Audrey informed him that Catherine had been injured and was in the hospital.
Branden immediately left behind the negotiation with the oil prince who had traveled from the Middle Estria and hurried to the hospital.
Everyone was on edge right now, not knowing the actual condition of Catherine. On the phone, Audrey was crying and couldn’t speak properly. She just kept emphasizing for Branden to come quickly.
Branden didn’t say anything but just got up and left.
If something were to happen to Catherine, he might probably overthrow the entire city of Casier. The sound of hurried footsteps messed up the peacefulness in the treatment room.
Catherine was already getting a headache from Audrey’s nagging. Hearing these hurried footsteps just made her frown even more.
She looked up toward where the sound came from and saw Branden hurrying in. As soon as Branden walked in, his gaze was fixed on Catherine. At the next moment, his gaze shifted to Catherine’s injured arm.
The sight of bright red and fresh blood caused a sharp sting in his eyes. Instantly, his handsome face darkened, and the surrounding vibe plummeted in the blink of an eye.
Branden suppressed the emotions about to explode inside him and spoke in a low voice. “What the heck is going on here?”
He went straight up and stood next to Catherine. Before Catherine could say a word, the doctor on the side spoke up first.
“Are you the patient’s family member? Please wait outside, as we are about to perform a stitching procedure. You are not allowed to be here!”
Branden suddenly lifted his head, casting a cold gaze at the doctor. The gaze scared the doctor so much that he trembled all over. He had been in the profession for many years and had never seen such terrifying eyes.
As soon as he picked up the forceps, they fell instantly, causing his shoulders to shake in shock. Upon seeing this scene, the hospital director, Rhys, was almost frightened to his knees. He quickly went forward, pulled the doctor behind him, and respectfully bowed to Branden.
“Mr. Duncan, sorry for the inconvenience. This doctor doesn’t know you. Apologies, and please forgive us.”
At that moment, Branden’s eyes couldn’t contain anything else. His gaze was tightly fixed on Catherine, with a hint of sorrow revealed.
Catherine observed all of this.
Seeing the foolish demeanor of Branden, she couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing. She casually sized him up with a relaxed posture and joked, “Are you going to handle the wound, or do you want my blood to run dry?”
The simple sentence instantly calmed down the man who was on the verge of erupting like a volcano.
Branden turned around to look at Rhys, who was standing behind him. He ordered with a very serious expression, “Arrange the best doctor with excellent skills immediately. Ensure no scars and minimal pain.”
When Rhys saw the hot-tempered big shot being so anxious and caring for someone else for the first time, he immediately knew how important that wounded woman was, so he didn’t dare to delay even for a moment.
Rhys cautiously lifted his head and nervously looked at Branden.
“Mr. Duncan, Dr. Pierce Presley here is the best surgeon in our hospital. His suturing skills are amazing. And if we use scar-removing medicine afterward, I guarantee there won’t be any scars left.”
Pierce just got scared really badly by Branden and was too chicken even to step forward now.
“Here was the renowned Casier Hospital, which could be ranked as one of the best hospitals in the whole country.
“The person before me could earn the director’s respect and was politely addressed as ‘Mr. Duncan.’ He must be none other than the heir of the Duncans, Branden Duncan.
“I just yelled at him so loudly. It will be questionable whether I can continue to stay in Casier.
“If I accidentally offend him, my life might even be in danger,” he said inwardly. After taking on such a thorny issue, Pierce found himself in a dilemma where he couldn’t express his bitterness.
Branden was very aware that Rhys would never dare to deceive him. At present, there was no time to seek a better doctor. Branden could only follow the advice of Rhys and chose Dr. Presley.
He took a step back voluntarily, making space and even speaking politely.
“Dr. Presley, would you please tend to my fiancée’s wound?”
A moment ago, he was acting like a demon, ready to devour people. Now, he had suddenly become so polite. Pierce almost couldn’t react in time. It was only when Rhys nudged him that he snapped back to reality.
After regaining his composure, Pierce immediately stepped forward with respect. “Mr. Duncan, it is my duty to treat the wound. I will definitely be cautious.”
Standing on the side, Triston and the others were left dumbfounded as they watched the scene.
“Branden has always been high and aloof with an air of nobility. When did he ever lower himself like this?
“He’s actually now being so polite to the doctor who had just yelled at him? And all because this doctor is about to perform surgery on Catherine.
“Unbelievable! It’s seriously unbelievable.
“Whenever it comes to anything related to Catherine, Mr. Duncan’s reaction is utterly different from before, “they thought.
Although Branden did not hinder him, let alone express any anger toward him, the mere presence of such a big shot beside him made Pierce’s hands shake uncontrollably as if they were defiant.
Initially, it wasn’t a big deal, but it was made into such a big deal. Catherine didn’t really like it.
Now that she saw Pierce’s reaction, Catherine’s eyes instantly darkened. She raised her head and coldly ordered the man standing beside her like a pillar, “Get out. Wait outside!”
Her tone gave both Pierce and Rhys a real shock.
“Mr. Duncan’s fiancée has some serious guts to talk like that to such a big shot. Doesn’t she even fear the big shot throwing a fit?” they thought.
Both of them were secretly sweating for Catherine in their hearts. But to their utter surprise, Branden didn’t even lay a finger on Catherine.
Moreover, he had an eager look as he watched Catherine and instructed her affectionately, reluctant to part.
“I’ll be waiting at the door. Just call me if you need anything!”
Seeing Branden obediently leaving, Pierce couldn’t help but greatly admire Catherine from the bottom of his heart.
To dare speak to Branden like this and to make him so obedient, there might be no one else in the entire city of Casier who could do it except for Catherine.
Without the supervision of Branden, Pierce’s hand became considerably steadier. Adding to her admiration for Catherine, he became more dedicated, and his actions became more precise. The wound was soon stitched up completely.
When stitching such a large wound, despite being under anesthesia, patients would usually experience excessive discomfort and even shout and scream due to psychological factors.
However, Pierce noticed that Catherine didn’t even furrow her brow throughout the entire process, which only furthered his respect for her.
“Indeed, the woman who could intimidate the big shot was truly something,” he said inwardly.
Chapter 469 Inhumane
When Catherine walked out of the treatment room after the wound stitching was done, a few people waiting outside immediately surrounded her.
Leading the way was Branden, who gently avoided the wound on Catherine’s arm and showed great concern on his face.
“Are you alright?”
Catherine didn’t worry too much about such a minor injury and calmly shook her head in response. Standing aside, Triston was more concerned with Audrey, whose eyes were swollen from crying.
“Weren’t you shooting on set today? Why are you hanging out with Catherine now? Did you get hurt?” he asked.
Faced with Triston’s concern, Audrey didn’t know how to answer him and could only keep shaking her head.
Triston got so mad at her that he was about to have internal injuries. “This girl never speaks her mind in an emergency and always plays dumb with me, which is quite interesting,” he thought.
“Did you hurt your tongue and can’t talk now?”
Audrey didn’t know how to explain this situation to Triston. She didn’t think anyone would believe it even if she said it. Which father in the world would use or even sacrifice his daughter to achieve his own goals?
Realizing that he couldn’t get answers from Audrey, Triston stopped asking her and turned his gaze to Catherine.
It seemed that he could only get the answer from Catherine. Before Catherine could respond, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard. Paxton rushed over to Branden in a panic, pulled out something, and handed it over to him.
“Sir, everyone has been taken care of. We found this in the pocket of the leading scarred man.”
Branden looked down and saw a small medicine bottle with a blank label and no indication or description.
But if it was something that Paxton brought personally, it couldn’t be anything good. Branden was about to reach out, but Catherine was one step ahead and snatched it away.
Paxton wanted to back off, but Catherine squinted her eyes at him. Upon seeing her look, Paxton immediately stepped back and did not dare to make any more moves.
After grabbing the medicine bottle, Catherine directly opened it in front of everyone.
“Wait…” Branden tried to stop her, but it was already too late. Catherine crushed a small pill from the medicine bottle, then held it under her nose to sniff.
The next moment, a slight smile appeared on her lips, eerie and wicked. On that delicate face, her charming eyes were as deep as the abyss. Suddenly, the atmosphere around her became tense.
Even Audrey could tell that something was off with Catherine’s mood. Moreover, all of this started with the medicine bottle held in Catherine’s hand. She curiously stared at Catherine.
“Kathy, what kind of medication is this?”
Catherine couldn’t be bothered to respond initially, but she figured it wouldn’t necessarily be bad for Audrey to know some things, so she replied.
“A hallucinogenic drug that can mess with your mind!”
Paxton added, “With the dosage in this bottle, it’s enough to be lethal!”
“What…” Audrey was shocked, her mouth agape. Even her footsteps became unstable. Her face turned pale instantly as if all the blood had drained away in the blink of an eye.
On her pale little face, a pair of unbelievably large eyes stared lifelessly ahead while murmuring, “How could it…
“How could he…”
Triston observed the state of Audrey and increasingly felt that something was amiss with her.
“Audrey, what’s going on with you? What on earth are you talking about?”
Audrey could not listen to Triston’s words, not even for a moment. Her head was a total mess, and she had no energy to think about anything else.
She couldn’t accept what she was seeing right now.
It was just too cruel.
She suddenly looked up at Catherine and said firmly, “No, I have to see him in person. I want to ask him why he’s treating me like this.”
After saying that, Audrey stormed out like crazy. Catherine followed her closely. Letting Audrey go alone was like sending a lamb into the jaws of a tiger.
When Triston saw the two suddenly run away, he impulsively started running after them but was blocked by Paxton’s swift step.
Triston stared at Paxton with a puzzled expression and asked, “Why are you not helping me chase after them but blocking my way?”
Paxton was like a dedicated guard, standing in front of Triston and blocking his way.
Triston knew very well that Paxton wouldn’t have acted like this without Branden’s consent. He turned around and gave Branden a serious look.
“What’s going on here? The two sisters are running out like this. One is weak, and the other one is injured. Aren’t you worried at all?”
He didn’t believe that Branden was not worried. Everyone present knew how important Catherine was to Branden.
Branden remained calm and stood aside, showing no intention of taking any action.
This was an affair concerning the Swanns. Catherine didn’t wish for them to interfere. Therefore, Branden would not go against her wishes.
He glanced at Paxton, who immediately explained the situation to Triston upon receiving the order. After listening to it, Triston was also shocked, staring at Branden in disbelief.
“So you’re saying that old geezer Korbin Swann kidnapped Audrey and was using her as a tool to threaten Catherine?
“How is this even possible? They’re both the Swanns’ biological daughters! “Triston scoffed sarcastically, unwilling to believe everything he had heard.
Paxton was staring at Triston with a serious look. His eyes said it all.
These were all true stories, not made up. Having grown up listening to the internal struggles of wealthy families, Triston found it hard to believe when he received this news.
He finally got why Audrey got bullied yet hesitated to name the culprit. Finally, he understood why Audrey reacted so excessively upon learning what was inside that medicine bottle.
Now, everything was understandable.
“Korbin is terrifying! He not only disowns his own family but can even harm his daughter when he gets ruthless.
“He’s simply inhumane,” thought Triston.
Once he found out about all of this, he began freaking out even more.
“Since that’s the case, what are we waiting for? Let’s go together! That old geezer is capable of doing something like this. If they go now, they’re walking into a lion’s den, right?”
Ever since Paxton discovered Catherine’s multiple identities, he had never dared to underestimate her even a little bit. Deep down, he was filled with admiration for her.
After hearing what Triston said, he gave Triston a cold glance and asked coldly, “But can you do better than Miss Swann?
“Are you more of a brawn or a brain compared to her?”
It was a simple question, but it made Triston so mad that his face darkened.
He looked up at Paxton with an angry expression and glared. “Hey, kid, your boss hasn’t even spoken yet. What are you trying to boss around for?”
Paxton’s face was full of disdain. “Once my boss speaks, do you think you’ll still have a chance to stand?”
Triston was left at a loss for words. “Fine! You won!” he said inwardly.
Chapter 470 Outright Confrontation
At the Swanns’.
Upon hearing the urgent doorbell, the servants quickly went to open the door. After opening the door, they finally saw who it was, but before they could even say hello, the visitor pushed them aside.
Audrey angrily entered the living room and happened to run into Rachael face- to-face. When Rachael saw Audrey’s angry appearance, her face darkened immediately.
“What’s with that look? Are you treating me like an enemy?
“This is the Swanns’. You don’t have the right to throw a tantrum here!”
Audrey was now filled with anger and had nowhere to vent. The only thing she lamented was that her grandfather passed away early, leaving no one to help her uphold justice.
If her grandpa were there right now, her dad would have been kicked out of the house long ago. Audrey coldly stared at Rachael without the former respect from before. There was only resentment in her eyes now.
“Where is Korbin?
“Where is he? I need to see him!”
Her angry tone shook Rachael up.
“This is not the eldest daughter that I know. Audrey always shows respect and courtesy toward us. It’s impossible for her to speak to us in this manner,” said Rachael inwardly.
Just when Rachael was wondering, Catherine lazily walked in gracefully and unhurriedly from the front gate.
Upon seeing Catherine’s arrival, Rachael seemed to have understood something and shot a menacing glare toward Audrey. When she opened her mouth to speak, her tone was creepily sarcastic.
“Oh, I thought someone had gone crazy and lost her mind. It turns out she was just riding on someone else’s success and acting all high and mighty. Am I right?”
Audrey looked at Rachael in disbelief. It was difficult to believe that a mother could speak such ironic words to her own daughter.1
She slowly snapped out of it and looked at Rachael with a gradually disappointed look in her eyes.
Rachael felt a bit unnerved by Audrey’s stare at her. She couldn’t help but furrow her brows and reprimand Audrey, “Audrey, why are you looking at me like that? How can you be so disrespectful? Do you even still see me as your mother?”
Audrey gave a sarcastic chuckle.
“Hmph, mother?
“Mother, I would like to ask you if you have ever considered me as your daughter. If the Swanns were not wealthy, would I have been abandoned like Kathy at a young age?”
Her attitude made Rachael suddenly unsure of what was going on. Rachael knew something must have happened. Otherwise, Audrey wouldn’t be throwing such a tantrum.
“What’s your problem? What’s going on?”
Audrey no longer wanted to waste time talking to Rachael. She was thoroughly disappointed in them and didn’t have any expectations.
She had just gone there to clarify some things today.
Audrey’s face gradually turned cold, and her voice became much colder.
“Where is Korbin? I want to see him.”
Seeing Audrey oblivious to her presence, Rachael turned her attention to Catherine, who stood aside with a nonchalant posture as if she were just a bystander. She walked toward Catherine and angrily pointed her finger at her.
“It must be you causing trouble and discord, right?”
“Hmph!” Catherine snorted coldly with an indifferent expression, her cold gaze not even bothering to look at Rachael.
The two of them had a cold and arrogant attitude that completely enraged Rachael. Fuming with anger, Rachael angrily shouted at the servants next to her.
“You still standing here watching the show? What’s the use of keeping you here? Hurry up and kick these two girls out of here. Never let them come back in!”
The servants were a bit hesitant. They exchanged glances but ultimately did not dare to defy Rachael’s orders. After all, she was the mistress of the house and was closely related to their work.
A few servants hurriedly came forward. They dared not do anything to Catherine, so they set their sights on Audrey instead.
Catherine casually walked over to the nearby couch and sat down, flaunting a commanding attitude and not giving a damn about the people in the room.
Audrey furrowed her brows and stared at the servants surrounding her, shouting angrily, “What are you doing here? This is none of your business. Get out of here!”
Because of Rachael’s threat, the servants were forced to take action against Audrey. However, before the servant’s hands even touched Audrey, he was hit on the arm by a black shadow, leaving him screaming in pain.
After the black shadow landed, everyone realized that the thing was not a mysterious weapon but a piece of candy.
A piece of candy that was on the coffee table in the living room.
Catherine lazily leaned on the sofa, casually crossing her long legs. Her eyes were slightly narrowed with a hint of danger as she gazed at the servants.
“Anyone wanna snack on some candy?”
It was just a simple sentence, but it made all the servants turn pale with fear. Everyone knew that Catherine was a unique presence, and no one should dare to offend her in the Swanns.
Even the most favored young master, Johnathan, got exiled because he offended Catherine. Now, none of the servants knew where he had been placed.
The servant whom Catherine just hit with the candy was still on the side, wailing and moaning in agony.
It was worth noting that this servant was not only tall and sturdy but also renowned in the Swanns’ for his great strength and pain tolerance. If even he was in such pain, one could only imagine the pain experienced by others.
The servants were too afraid to approach, which made Rachael burst into fury.
“What? Are you all going to turn against me?” she said.
“What could possibly be worth you making a scene here?”
Korbin’s voice came down from upstairs before he appeared in front of everyone. When he saw Audrey and Catherine, there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
Although it disappeared quickly, Audrey, who had been keeping an eye on him, noticed it.
She had noticed it, let alone Catherine. Korbin calmly approached everyone and even chatted animatedly with Audrey.
“You’re not out there being a big star? How do you have time to come to the Swanns’?”
Before Audrey could answer, Rachael couldn’t help but stand up to complain.
“Now that she has grown up, she dares to cause trouble at the Swanns. Korbin, you better take care of these two girls today and make sure they don’t act this arrogantly anymore!”
Korbin glanced back at Rachael, his eyes slightly narrowed and his face showing a hint of displeasure.
Rachael immediately shut her mouth and dared not say another word. Korbin glanced at Audrey and finally settled his cold gaze on Catherine with a terrifying, sinister look.
He didn’t expect Catherine to be so damn lucky and managed to escape yet another fucking close call.
“What exactly are the two of you doing here at the Swanns’ today?”
After hearing what Korbin said, Catherine uncrossed her legs and lifted her gaze to focus on him.
“The slightly lifted edges of her eyes bore an eerie smile.”
“Since you have gone to such great lengths to see us, why don’t we just come to you ourselves, Father?”
As soon as these words came out, Korbin’s face immediately darkened.
“I’m afraid these two girls are here to cause trouble today,” he thought.