Chapter 4

"You always use that to pressure me."

Gavin was about to storm off when a delicate hand suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt.

He turned around to see Catherine looking at him with an expectant expression.

"Stay and play with us," she said.

Catherine deliberately spoke up to keep Gavin there.

"You're such a fool," Gavin sneered after a moment of surprise. "You asked for it."

"Please?" Catherine tugged on Gavin's sleeve. Richard, standing nearby, frowned, unsure of what Catherine was planning.

"Fine, I'll stay and play with you," Gavin said with a sinister smile. He then turned to the butler. "They asked me to stay, so if anything happens, it's not my fault."

The butler sighed and left.

Catherine immediately cheered, "Yay, let's play hide and seek!"

She tugged on Richard's sleeve, tilting her head slightly and flashing a mysterious smile.

"Don't pull on my clothes. Do you know how expensive this shirt is?" Gavin snapped.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible cold smile crossed Catherine's eyes before she returned to her innocent, confused expression.

"What does 'expensive' mean?"

Gavin was taken aback, suddenly feeling that staying was a bad choice.

"Expensive means you couldn't afford this shirt even if you sold yourself. Now, let's play the game. I have things to do and no time to waste with you!"

Gavin watched Catherine's childish behavior with increasing disdain and asked offhandedly, "What if you lose?"

Catherine nodded slowly, biting her finger as she thought. "Then we'll do whatever you say."

Gavin glanced at Richard in his wheelchair, a mocking smile on his face. "This fool said it, so I'll take you up on that."

Catherine led Gavin to a wardrobe, pointing at it mysteriously. "You hide in here, and we'll come find you!"

Gavin found it amusing that this fool wanted him to hide in a wardrobe. Just as he was about to say something, his vision went black, and he felt himself losing consciousness. He slumped into the wardrobe, unable to speak.

Catherine's lips curled into a slight smile as she tossed away the small medicine pouch in her hand.

This newly developed drug was truly impressive; she really should properly reward her colleagues who built the new laboratory.

The drug's effect was just right—it could give Gavin a good sleep in the closet while making him forget what had just happened.

As the wardrobe door closed, Catherine allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.

"Serves you right for bullying people," she whispered outside the door.

Richard, watching from his wheelchair, was stunned and even more intrigued by Catherine.

Catherine didn't seem as simple as she appeared.

Richard quickly changed his expression, covering his eyes and shouting, "Let's play hide and seek!"

Catherine walked over to Richard and whispered, "He seems tired. Let's go get something to eat and not disturb him, okay?"

Richard pretended to be disappointed. "Then I want something delicious."

Catherine smiled, moving behind Richard and grabbing the wheelchair handles. She suddenly pushed him forward, racing out of the room.

"Let's go get something yummy!"

Richard was startled by Catherine's actions but had to play along, waving his arms as if he was enjoying it.

When Catherine brought Richard back, they ran into a bewildered Gavin emerging from the wardrobe. Seeing them, Gavin looked flustered.

Catherine tilted her head and asked, "Do you like hiding in wardrobes?"

Gavin had completely forgotten about the hide-and-seek game. His memory only went back to the butler asking him to leave, but somehow he had fallen asleep in Richard's wardrobe.

"This is crazy," Gavin muttered as he walked away, leaving Catherine giggling behind him.

As night fell, Richard thought about the day's events, his curiosity about Catherine growing stronger.

Catherine seemed more interesting by the minute.

He maneuvered his wheelchair to Catherine's room and gently pushed the door open. It wasn't locked.

The room was filled with a faint, unique fragrance that Richard had never smelled before. It felt like an invisible hand was gently touching his face, making him momentarily lose his senses.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

"Who's there?" Catherine called out, instantly alert. One hand held a towel, the other a knife hidden in the bathtub.

Her voice was perfectly disguised, sounding like a frightened, innocent girl.

The person outside seemed to hesitate, then there was a noise as if something had been knocked over, followed by a pleasant male voice.

"It's me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm so clumsy."

Richard snapped back to reality, his heart racing, and quickly responded.

Hearing the familiar voice, Catherine pictured a familiar face in her mind.

To be precise, two faces.

One was the cold, intelligent Cedric, president of TY Group; the other was the fool she had met today, Richard.

Though she was still suspicious, Catherine leaned towards believing that the current Richard was indeed a fool.

With this conclusion, Catherine let down her guard.

At that moment, the bathroom door suddenly opened!

Even though she was prepared, Catherine was startled, her heart racing.

Strangely, when she saw Richard's handsome face and his dazed expression, she relaxed.

Almost simultaneously, Catherine adopted the same dazed look.

"Richard, do you want to take a bath with me?" She asked, her head tilted and a silly smile on her face.

Richard's eyes first landed on Catherine's flushed face, then involuntarily drifted to her chest, where the bubbles had mostly dissipated, revealing her cleavage.

Feeling a warm trickle from his nose, Richard quickly turned and closed the door, muttering an apology.

There was another sound of something being knocked over.

Catherine felt a twinge of pain just hearing it, her body relaxing as she released the knife in the bathtub.

But she was deep in thought.

Had she just seen a look of panic on Richard's face?

And that clear, slightly hoarse apology—was that really the reaction of a fool?