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