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