A Replacement Bride

Chapter 24

"N-Nothing," Bella eventually forced herself to answer. After she said that, it felt like she was sitting on a bed of nails instead of a chair.

She shuffled uneasily, too embarrassed to continue dining with them.

Soon, she came up with the excuse that she was not feeling well and fled back to her room.

Hera could not help but be amused by the look on Bella's face.

Bella was Elizabeth's grandniece. A few years ago, her parents passed away, leaving her all alone. Her tragic fate and young age made Elizabeth take her in out of pity. All these years, she had been raised as a daughter of the Levisays.

She was frailer than a piece of paper, yet her ego was greater than the world. She insisted on marrying Joaquin. Unfortunately, he barely even bothered glancing at her throughout her years of staying with them.

Katherine had humiliated Bella; based on Bella's personality, she would definitely bad-mouth Katherine to Elizabeth. Joaquin was currently a useless, disabled man, and Katherine could not give him a boost in any way as she was not beloved by the Cornells. That meant her son would be the only potential head of the family.

"It is getting late, Kathy. Why don't you stay the night instead?" Hera asked as she dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

Katherine, who had been in the middle of putting more food on Joaquin's plate, froze.

If people found out that she stayed the night on her very first visit to her fiancée's home, her reputation would be ruined while the Cornells would be turned into a laughing stock.

However, that was what she wanted, right?

Hence, she immediately nodded. "Sure."

Jorge had wanted to reject the suggestion, but Katherine answered before he could even react. When he heard her answer though, he could not help but scowl.

That was simply outrageous.

No lady would stay the night at her fiancée's home as soon as the engagement was confirmed.

If word spread, people would criticize the Cornells for being so lax with their children.

"Kathy!" he snapped before turning to apologize to Hera, "I am so sorry, Madam Levisay. I was unable to raise her properly as she had grown up in Fontan. She will head back with us tonight. We do not want people to gossip, after all."

Hera had smiled upon hearing Katherine's answer. However, when Jorge said that, her smile faded as she shot him a look.

"It is fine, Dad," Katherine nonchalantly said. "I am going to marry Joaquin anyway. I will be staying here tonight so that I can bond with him as well. Well, Joaquin? Shall I sleep in your room tonight?"

The moment she said that, the jaws of the servants in the room dropped.

They had never seen anyone as shameless as her before. How indecent of her to sleep in the same bed as her fiancée on the first visit!

No wonder everyone said the Cornells' eldest daughter was a slut who did not know restraint. Her birth mother was similarly lustful, for she was caught cheating back then and only committed suicide because she could not deal with the consequences. As expected, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

While Hera was smirking on the inside, she put on a friendly smile and said, "It would not be appropriate for you to stay in the same room. How about I put you in the room next to his?"

"Okay," Katherine replied after pretending to think about it without forgetting to put on an upset expression.

Her response made Hera look down on her even more.

"Katherine Cornell, what are you doing? Do you not know what people will say if you stay? You are going home with me right now. Apologize to Madam Levisay; she will not be angry with you." Jorge had dragged Katherine to the side to berate her as soon as dinner was over.

"She asked me to stay, Dad," she innocently replied. "Why would it be wrong for me to stay? Joaquin and I are engaged anyway, and we will be married in just over two weeks. Even if we did something, isn't that normal?"

When Jorge heard that, he was so pissed that he wished to slap her right then and there.

If people found out about this, the Cornells would be the joke of high society.

That would be absolutely humiliating.

"Katherine, you…"

"I'm going over there, Dad. Joaquin is asking for me," Katherine interrupted as she turned to glance at Joaquin before rushing away without giving Jorge a chance to even protest.

His face turned red as he was filled with the urge to just beat up Katherine for her disobedience.

It was a pity that he was at the Levisay Residence. He could not let his anger show and had to just accept the situation as it was.

Joaquin was silent the entire time as an unapproachable air hung around him.

"Let me help you back to your room, Joaquin," Katherine affectionately said as she walked over and pushed him away.

Seeing that, Hera smiled and did not even try to stop her.

Soon, Katherine and Joaquin were back in his room. As soon as they were inside, the fake smile on her face vanished.

"Have you ever thought of being an actress? You are really good at it." He was awed by the speed at which she could take off a mask; she was likely faster than professional magicians who specialized in putting on and off actual masks.

"That is not a bad idea. How far do you think my looks will carry me as an entertainer? I think I will be famous overnight," she excitedly chattered while leaning in close to him.

A faint fragrance filled his nose. It felt familiar to him. He wondered where he could have smelled the scent before, and it was not during his last two meetings with Katherine. In fact, the sense of familiarity seemed to stem from a much earlier time. Just as he was about to explore that train of thought, she stood up and walked toward the door. "I'm tired and going to bed now. See you tomorrow, dear fiancée."

The dazzling shimmer of her back brought a smile to his face.

He was lost in his thoughts when an ear-piercing ringing shattered the silence in the room.

His face darkened as he stood up and pulled out a black, heavy phone that had been hiding inside a drawer. The display showed an unknown incoming caller with no caller ID or number.

"Hey," he said, answering the phone.

"We have not found where Dr. C is yet, but we are certain she has left Fontan. She must have left for Cechirus, but we do not know for sure where she is yet. She is hidden extremely well, sir. We have contacted her research lab, but they would not give us the experimental drug we wanted." The caller spoke fast as if he was reporting on something urgent.

Joaquin's fingers tapped on the desk as he frowned. "Can Hawk hold on?"

"The doctor said that he cannot last longer than three days without the drug."

Joaquin heaved a heavy sigh upon hearing that as his face clouded over. "I see. Leave it to me. I will find a way."

If his memory served him right, Beatrice's grandfather's research lab seemed to have imported a drug Dr. C created. If he could talk to Beatrice's grandfather, he might be able to meet the mysterious Dr. C.