Chapter 4 Windridge Villa was a property of the Lawson family . But now , no one living inside was actually part of the Lawson family . " Mom , has Richard left again for a business trip ? " Mia , dressed in a light purple chiffon gown , descended the stairs , holding onto the burgundy banister . She moved gracefully , the fabric of her dress shimmering , gleaming with every step . But there was a hint of irritation on her face . " He just got back from a business trip and now he's left again . Is he avoiding you on purpose ? " Miranda Lawson was sitting on a luxurious fabric sofa , admiring her freshly done nails when she heard Mia's question . Miranda scoffed , " He can stay away forever for all I care . " Miranda thought , ' All I want to do is fulfill my duties as his wife and give him an heir for the Lawson family . But that ungrateful jerk avoids me like the plague , fleeing whenever I come near , even running away from home ! ' " But don't worry . I'll talk to Katherine later . I'll have her talk to her father ," Miranda remarked . Mia sat beside Miranda , murmu " Something doesn't feel right . Katherine used to contact us every day , but it's been a week since she last called . " Mia hesitated and continued , " Do you think she's figured something out ? " Miranda froze for a moment , then shot her daughter a glare . " Stop talking nonsense ." She smirked again , a mocking curve to her lips , " What could that fool Katherine possibly figure out ? She's probably locked up by that lunatic ." Even though Miranda put it that way , Mia still wasn't reassured and suggested , " How about this ? I'll go check on her sometime , just to make sure nothing's happened ." Miranda thought for a moment and replied , " Alright . Just make sure to get her to talk some sense into her dad . With such a big family business , they can't afford to not have an heir to inherit it . " Mia smiled sweetly , " Don't worry , Mom . I'll make sure she does exactly what we want." " The baby's in good condition , and your body's recovering a little bit , " Ethan said as he removed the fetal heart monitor , offering an encouraging smile . " Keep it up . " Katherine felt the weight lift from her chest . She tugged at her shirt hem and replied , " Thank you , Dr. Bell ." Ethan raised an eyebrow . " Mrs. Graham , you've changed a lot recently . " www . In the past , whenever he came , Katherine would yell at him and throw things , and it took Derrick forcing her into bed before she would accept any treatment . But now , Ethan didn't feel any relief . Instead , he grew increasingly uneasy . He had a feeling Katherine was holding something back , waiting to catch them all off guard . Katherine smiled , glancing down at her stomach , " I suppose it's because I've become a mother . My perspective has changed . Dr. Bell , could I ask you for a favor ? " She lifted her gaze , her bright eyes locking onto Ethan's , looking like a well - cared - for kitten , drawing sympathy . Ethan's heart melted at the sight , but he didn't dare make any promises . " Mrs. Graham , please , go ahead . " " I want to see Derrick Katherine said . Ethan paused as he packed up his equipment , his smile faltering . " You want to see Mr. Graham ? " He hesitated for a moment , then spoke honestly , " Mrs. Graham , if you want the baby to be safe , it's best not to see Mr. Graham during the pregnancy . " Ethan thought , ' After all , every time they meet , it's like a battle . If she gets upset , it could affect the pregnancy , and no doctor , no matter how skilled , could save Mrs. Graham's baby , who has already been through so much before even being born . Katherine saw the alert look on Ethan's face and beamed , " You're overthinking this . I just need to talk to Derrick . " 128 P P. Chapter 4 Plus , no one cared more about the baby's safety than she did . That was precisely why she knew she had to see Derrick . This way , Katherine wouldn't wake up from nightmares every night , haunted by the image of Derrick lying in a pool of blood . If it weren't for the baby inside her , for the familiar faces and surroundings , Katherine might have thought she was just dreaming . She wanted to see Derrick , to see him alive and standing right in front of her . But no matter what she said , the people at Windridge Villa remained unresponsive . It was as if they had been ordered to stay quiet , and they just kept their mouths shut , especially Maeve . As soon as Maeve heard that Katherine wanted to see Derrick , she immediately turned and walked away , afraid of being pestered with endless questions by Katherine . " Mrs. Graham , if there's anything , you can tell me . I'll make sure to pass it along to Mr. Graham , " Ethan said , not letting his guard down . After all , he vividly remembered how bad things had gotten between her and Derrick . He thought , ' Maybe Mrs. Graham has been playing along all this time for this moment !' " I ... " Katherine sighed . She thought , ' What kind of reputation do I have that makes everyone around me so wary ? ' Suddenly , Katherine's eyes shifted . " Alright then ," she responded , a mischievous smile tugging at her lips as she raised an eyebrow . For some reason , Ethan's eyelid twitched involuntarily . Katherine continued , " Just tell him that my estrogen and progesterone levels have increased , so my needs have also- " " Mrs. Graham , " Ethan quickly interrupted . Katherine was daring to say it , but he certainly wasn't brave enough to listen . Although he was nearing forty and considered a mature man , his employer's possessiveness was overwhelming . Ethan spoke , " I'll tell Mr. Graham you want to see him , but whether he comes or not- " I understand . Thank you , Dr. Bell , " Katherine said , her playful spark completely gone , replaced by a sweet smile . As he left the room , Ethan glanced back at Katherine , who was now wearing a tender expression . He thought , ' Can a person really change this much so suddenly ? ' " What did you say ? " Derrick looked up , his hands folded across his lap , his eyesing as he studied Ethan . Ethan wiped the sweat from his forehead , feeling like Derrick's eyes might burn him . " Mrs. Graham did say she has some issues that require your personal attention . " Ethan struggled to say it directly , but he couldn't just keep quiet either . He thought , ' I told Mr. Graham that Mrs. Graham wants to see him , and he just coldly refused . ' His reaction was so harsh and indifferent that it almost seemed like he thought she was . trying to trap him with the baby . It's hard to believe he was once so eager to please her ! Derrick thought , ' My personal attention ? ' He sneered , " Is she planning to take me down with her again , like holding a vase to end it all ? " Ethan quickly fell silent . The memory of Katherine once trying to smash a vase on Derrick's head , intent on taking them both down , still haunted Ethan . Ethan thought , ' Mrs. Graham is way too reckless . To get back at Mr. Graham , she'd risk her own life ! " I think Mrs. Graham wants to have a proper talk with you this time , Ethan said , feeling the weight of the pressure . He went on to explain the changes he'd observed in Katherine during this time , " Mrs. Graham really cares about the baby . She eats and sleeps on time every day and worries more about the baby's development than I do . " She hasn't even touched her phone , all to take better care of herself and the baby . " Ethan stressed the last part , thinking , " The fact that she hasn't been on her phone means she hasn't been secretly in touch with that man . This should make Mr. Graham feel a little better , right ? ' " Is that so ? " Derrick responded flatly . He thought , ' Maeve has already reported all of this to me word for word . But so what ? Maybe Katherine's just pretending to be good , luring me in to let her smash another vase over my head . 2/8 P P. Chapter 4 ' If I hadn't reacted quickly that day and instinctively moved to the side , it wouldn't have just been the vase that shattered , but my head too .' Having said his piece , Ethan didn't say anything more . Before leaving , he couldn't help but add , " Mrs. Graham's been zoning out a lot lately . She seems down , probably from being too lonely . Mr. Graham , if you have time , you should go see her . " Derrick remained silent . The entire afternoon , he stayed seated , not touching any of the work on his desk . It wasn't until the evening when his assistant knocked on the door to report tomorrow's schedule that Derrick suddenly stood up . He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair , cutting off the assistant mid - sentence , " I'm not going to work tomorrow . Postpone everything . " The assistant hesitated for a moment , then quickly responded , " Understood . I'll arrange it immediately . " No matter what important meetings were scheduled , the assistant pushed them all back . After working for Derrick for so long , he knew one thing for sure - never question his boss's decisions , or he'll end up with a generous severance package . ****** The jet - black Maybach shot of the garage , its engine roaring as it sped down the road . Derrick kept one hand on the steering wheel , his face set in a cold , unreadable expression . He thought , Katherine , you better really want to see me . Otherwise ... After a long while , the outline of Rind Manor came into view . Derrick still hadn't figured out what to do with Katherine . He couldn't bring himself to be harsh with her or hurt her . So all he could do was lock her up , where no one could see her . wwwwwwwwww wwwwwwww.x 3/8