Chapter 6 Slapping her, he carried her away

Hearing Katherine's mocking words, Katelyn clenched her fists at her sides, her manicured nails pressing into her palms hard enough to sting.

It took her a long moment before she forced a strained smile onto her face. "Katherine, you've changed. You're so harsh with your words now.

You must have suffered a lot over the years, living out there with your mother, haven't you?"

Katherine, unfazed by Katelyn's feigned concern, replied coldly," It's all thanks to your mother's selfishness that I've become this way."

Katelyn's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "I know you hate my mom, but back then, she was just a poor divorced woman with a child. She couldn't refuse your father's help."

Watching Katherine's face closely, Katelyn continued," And about the accident with your brother all those years ago-my mom felt terrible about it. She reluctantly allowed it because your father was insistent-ah!"

A sharp slap rang out, followed by Katelyn's startled scream.

She stumbled backward, clutching her face, and collapsed onto the floor in front of the sink, her face twisted in shock and disbelief.

Katherine's hand still stung from the slap, but she felt no regret. Thinking of the countless surgeries her brother had endured over the past decade, she felt nothing but satisfaction.

A crowd quickly gathered at the restroom door, eager to witness the commotion.

Suddenly, someone called out," Mr. Murphy is here!"

The sound of leather shoes striking the floor grew louder as Vincent approached. Katherine's shoulder was roughly bumped as he brushed past her, striding straight to Katelyn's side and crouching down.

Katherine let out a silent, bitter laugh. Like mother, like daughter. Katelyn was just as manipulative as her mother.

"Vincent," Katelyn whimpered, tears streaming down her face. She moved her hand away from her reddened cheek and clung to his arm.

"My ankle hurts so much. I think I twisted it. Can you take me to the hospital? I have a performance next month."

Vincent supported her by the elbow, his voice low and steady. "What happened?"

Katelyn sniffled, her voice trembling as she explained," I said something wrong and upset Miss Gill. That's why she hit me."

"Even if you said something wrong, that doesn't give her the right to hit you!"

Vincent's tone darkened as he scooped Katelyn up into his arms. His cold, piercing gaze locked onto Katherine.

"Apologize."

Katherine's breath hitched, her lashes fluttering as she pressed her lips into a tight line.

"It's okay," Katelyn murmured softly, leaning against Vincent's chest. "Vincent, I'm sure Miss Gill didn't mean it. Let's just go to the hospital first."

Vincent, however, didn't look away from Katherine. "You'd better pray that Katelyn's ankle is fine," he warned.

With that, he carried Katelyn out of the restroom, not bothering to sidestep Katherine, forcing her to step back against the sink to avoid being knocked over. As the two disappeared, the murmurs of the onlookers filled the cramped restroom.

"Where does she get the nerve to slap the future Mrs. Murphy?"

"Poor Miss Todd."

"Did you see how angry Mr. Murphy was? She's probably going to get fired."

"She's usually so smart. What was she thinking? Doesn't she know how dangerous it is to offend Mr. Murphy? She could get blacklisted and won't survive in Sacford."

"Exactly. If you're just the other woman, you should know your place. Looks like she's about to be discarded."

The other woman? Know her place?

About to be discarded?

Katherine scoffed inwardly.

For the sake of money and survival, she could swallow her pride for her boss or even for unpleasant clients. But she would never bow to Katelyn.

By the time Katherine finished her workday, neither Vincent nor Katelyn had returned to the office.

Though her colleagues continued to gossip and steal glances at her, Katherine remained composed, working like a machine, emotionless and efficient.

When she finally left the office building, she instinctively headed toward the curb.

She didn't like driving, so Vincent had arranged for a driver to pick her up every day and take her back to the upscale Maple Villa.

The car always waited in the same spot, ready for her.

But today, the car was nowhere to be seen.

A pang of unease gripped her chest. Just then, a sleek black sedan glided into the spot where her car was supposed to be, sending a chill down her spine.