Chapter 3 Katherine's Combat Power

"Hey, have we met before?" Katherine's brows knitted together as a memory of someone rushing into a smoky fire scene flickered in her mind.

But she quickly brushed it off.

She and Howard were just strangers. "No way, the guy who saved me from the fire was definitely Michael."

"Is this the sister-in-law trying to climb the social ladder and marry into power? Aren't you really something else?" A cheeky voice suddenly interrupted Katherine's thoughts. She turned to see a guy who looked a bit like Howard but had a totally different vibe.

Decked out in a flashy pink suit, he oozed sleaziness. No doubt, this had to be Elijah Martinez, Howard's half-brother.

"Who would've thought Howard would end up in a coma and still land such a gorgeous wife," Elijah sneered, leaning against the door frame and nodding towards Howard lying on the bed. His eyes were full of contempt, not a hint of brotherly love.

Katherine pressed her lips together, a flash of coldness in her eyes. But Elijah was too wrapped up in his own words to notice.

He even stepped closer, standing right in front of Katherine. "Since he's out of commission, I can take his place..."

As he reached out to touch her shoulder, Katherine grabbed his hand with surprising strength. Even a guy like him couldn't shake her off.

She turned to him, her eyes icy. Elijah was so shocked by her look that he forgot to cry out in pain.

Katherine stared him down and said slowly, "I'm your sister-in-law, not someone you can mess with."

"If your parents find out you disrespected me, you're in for it, don't you think?" With that, she flung his hand away with a bit of force.

Elijah winced in pain, his face going pale, but he just gritted his teeth and took it. He never expected Katherine to be such a tough cookie. Not only was she sharp, but she also had quite a temper, making him feel like his hand was dislocated.

"You just wait." With those words, Elijah quickly left the room. He couldn't take her on himself, but others could, right? He'd definitely teach Katherine a lesson! Just wait and see!

Katherine didn't let the incident bother her, focusing on her own stuff instead.

After a while, there was a knock on the door. A servant asked her to get Howard's medicine.

Something felt off.

Sure enough, when she reached a small storage room, she was shoved inside before she could ask anything.

Katherine stumbled but quickly regained her balance, assessing the situation.

"Is this the woman who messed with Mr. Elijah Martinez?"

"Who cares, just rough her up and she'll fall in line."

A few guys stood in front of her, talking like she wasn't even there. From their conversation, Katherine got the gist. She looked them over with disdain, "Just you guys?"

Hearing this, the guys got even more pissed off. Without thinking, they started swinging punches and kicks all over the place.

Ten minutes later, they were all sprawled out on the floor in front of Katherine.

"Go tell that petty, useless Elijah Martinez to quit his dirty tricks. Next time, I won't be so nice."

With that, she walked out of the storage room, not even glancing back at the mess.

Over the years, she'd picked up a lot, including boxing and self-defense. Now, unless they were pros, she could handle most people.

After the dust settled, Katherine headed back to Howard's room. Looking at him lying there, she couldn't help but think of her old self, who was weak and helpless.

She grabbed a towel and gently wiped him down.

"Howard, from now on, we're in this together. Our fates are tied. I need the status of the Martinez family matriarch, and you need me. I'll do everything I can to cure you, trust me." She didn't know if he could hear her, but she made the promise anyway.

After wiping his hands, her eyes lingered on his handsome face. She realized she hadn't even introduced herself.

"By the way, my name is Katherine Wilson."

Unseen by her, Howard's finger twitched slightly.

After finishing up, Katherine was about to rest when she heard shouting outside. "You little brat with no parents, are you gonna eat or not?"

She frowned and opened the door to see a few servants downstairs surrounding a little boy, hurling insults. The boy hung his head low, silent and indifferent.

Katherine quickly went downstairs, standing in front of the boy, her gaze sharp. "What did this child do wrong for you to treat him like this?"

As a mom, she couldn't stand seeing a kid being bullied. Plus, the boy looked about the same age as Edward and Flora, so she couldn't just stand by.

The lead servant put on a fake concerned look and said, "This is Martinez family business, no need for you to worry."

Katherine sneered, the lead servant was implying she was meddling. Well, today she would meddle.

Katherine didn't argue further. Instead, she turned and squatted down to look the boy in the eye, asking gently, "Can you tell me what happened?"

The boy didn't answer.

Even without a response, Katherine stayed patient and asked again. This time, another servant spoke up, loud enough for everyone to hear, "What do you expect a child with autism to say?"

Hearing this, a trace of heartache flashed in Katherine's eyes. The next second, she stood up and said sternly, "So you bully him because he's sick?"

"He doesn't know what's good for him..."

The servant's words were cut off by a slap from Katherine. "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

A red, swollen handprint instantly appeared on the servant's cheek, showing how much force Katherine had used. The others, seeing her fierce demeanor, all lowered their heads and fell silent.

No one noticed the strange look in the boy's eyes.