Chapter 3

How could he be part of the Smith family?

And he looked like a fool with leg problems!

As she was pondering this, she saw that face she had briefly glimpsed at the party, a face that looked noble and extraordinary, now grinning foolishly. He pointed at her and loudly said, "Pretty, I wanna play with you!"

Catherine was stunned.

She couldn't deny that he was indeed very handsome, so handsome that she had once considered keeping him as a lover.

But seeing him smile like an idiot was so surreal that she couldn't believe he was Cedric.

The servants, noticing Richard seemed to want to approach Catherine, smirked and pushed Richard's wheelchair in front of her.

Catherine stood there, trying her best to muster an awkward yet polite smile.

To onlookers, it looked like two fools smiling at each other, which was quite amusing.

Catherine's mind was in a daze, completely missing the fleeting sharpness in Richard's eyes.

Richard quietly observed Catherine, a barely noticeable smile playing on his lips.

Richard recalled the scene when he saw her during his last visit to the small village.

The way she fiercely stood up to those bullies didn't make her look like a fool at all.

Since she was just pretending to be stupid, he might as well test her.

With that thought, Richard looked up at her with an innocent expression, "I like you! Let me show you my toys! Let's play together!"

Catherine finally snapped back to reality, quickly assessing the situation.

If Richard was just pretending and was actually Cedric, then someone must have been trying to harm him, and he was deliberately acting this way. Even if he wasn't Cedric and just happened to look like him, the fact that the eldest son of the Smith family died suddenly suggested that someone might have been behind it.

Her marriage into the family could very well be a trap.

The best way to protect herself now was probably to play along and not draw attention.

With that in mind, Catherine grinned foolishly and grabbed Richard's outstretched hand, "I want to play with big airplanes!"

Richard responded with a silly smile, "I have lots of big airplanes, even bigger than houses!"

The two "fools" entered the toy room on the first floor under the servants' amused gazes. Richard's smile faded as he was about to toss a toy to Catherine to keep her occupied while he got to work. But Catherine's expression suddenly turned serious, and she grabbed his face.

"Hey, are you really an idiot or just pretending? There's no one around now, so tell me if someone's trying to harm you."

This woman had only met him today, and she hadn't seen him from afar that day. Why was she asking such questions?

Richard suppressed his inner shock and confusion, putting on a dumb expression, "I'm not an idiot! You're the idiot!"

Catherine, undeterred, grabbed his face with both hands, "Don't make me hurt you. Confess now, or it'll be worse for you!"

Richard's handsome face turned red from her pinching, his features twisted comically. Suddenly, he pushed her away, a flash of anger crossing his face.

Was he about to lose it?

Catherine rubbed her hands, waiting for Richard to break character, but instead, he threw a toy airplane on the ground. "You're a bad person! I don't wanna play with you anymore!"

Richard's expression was innocent and sulky, completely different from the cold and indifferent Cedric she remembered.

She had every reason to believe that this wasn't Cedric, and something was seriously wrong with the world.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Let's play together."

Catherine pressed her temples in frustration, feeling a pang of guilt for mistreating an idiot as she looked at Richard's handsome, sulking face. "What do you want to play? I'll play with you."

Richard was engulfed in a storm of emotions.

It was clear that Catherine was pretending to be an idiot!

Who was she really? Why did she marry into the Smith family, and what was her goal?

"I wanna play with the remote-control car!"

Richard quickly hid his doubts, pointing at the remote-control car with a childish expression.

"Okay, I'll play with you."

Catherine instinctively ruffled his hair, then stood up to get the remote-control car. Suddenly, a sinister voice came from the doorway.

"Remote-control car? That sounds good, I'd like to play too."

A gloomy-looking man stood at the door, holding a black remote, smirking at the two of them. "Cousin, want me to play with you?"

Richard's fists clenched slightly, but he maintained a curious expression. "Yeah, I want you to play with me."

Catherine frowned at the man, feeling uneasy about his presence. She didn't expect him to suddenly press a button, causing Richard's wheelchair to head straight for a vase on the wall!

He had the remote for the electric wheelchair!

Catherine's pupils contracted instantly.

If the vase fell from the impact, the consequences would be disastrous!

Were these people really heartless enough to hurt even a fool?

Catherine's brows furrowed tightly as she grabbed the remote-control car and hurled it at the man's face.

Richard had closed his eyes, bracing for impact, but instead heard a scream, and the wheelchair stopped just before the vase.

"Your remote-control car is bigger! I wanna play with yours!"

Catherine jumped in front of the man, clumsily trying to grab his remote, while secretly kneeing him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"You damn bitch!"

Catherine ignored him, snatching the remote and pretending to play with it, maneuvering the wheelchair to a safe corner. "Yay! Your remote-control car is so fun! Thank you!"

Gavin Smith gasped, struggling to get up, his eyes filled with venomous hatred as he glared at Catherine. "You stupid fool, I'll teach you a lesson!"

He raised his fist to hit Catherine, but a drone suddenly crashed into his head.

Richard held the drone's remote, deliberately raising his voice. "I'm fighting the monster! You're the monster! You can't hurt my friend!"

Gavin, even angrier, tried to grab Richard's remote, but footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

"Mr. Gavin Smith, please don't disturb Mr. Richard Smith's playtime."

A butler in a tailcoat stood at the door, his expression stern. "Otherwise, I'll have to report this to Mr. Simon Smith."