A Replacement Bride

Chapter 204

"Come again?" The smile on Jennifer's face faded, and her voice turned grim.

"Come again?" The smile on Jennifer's face faded, and her voice turned grim.

A startled Katherine looked doubtfully at Jennifer, for she did not remember seeing Jennifer with such a stern expression before. There was always a gentle smile on Jennifer's face, and she seemed to be a mild-tempered person all year round.

Therefore, Katherine was shocked to see her with such an expression.

"Old bat, if you don't believe me, you can try to ignore me. Let's see how much of your man's bone ash will be left by then." The other party snickered and hung up the call.

Jennifer clenched her phone, her eyes spitting fire.

Life had been kind to her, for she had never experienced any hardship before. Even when Darren passed away, she only spat blood and passed out because she was too furious. Then, she remained unconscious for a pretty long time.

When she regained consciousness, she realized that Katherine was pregnant. She pushed the hatred to the back of her mind and kept Katherine company. After Noah was born, she took good care of the child.

For years, she had remained calm and collected. Even when Emma made a scene in her home, she only found it laughable; she wasn't mad at all. However, she was enraged this time.

Those people shouldn't have threatened her with her deceased husband. This is too much!

Seeing that Jennifer was infuriated, Katherine called out with concern, "Grandma?"

The fury on Jennifer's face vanished into thin air in an instant as she turned to look at Katherine with a smile. "I'm fine, Kathy. I'm just tired. By the way, it's your Grandpa's birthday tomorrow, so I'll visit him at the cemetery. Can you prepare something for me?"

After staring at Jennifer for a while, Katherine nodded. "Sure."

Jennifer put on a smile and yawned, as though she was truly exhausted. Then, she rose from the chair and returned to her room. Katherine watched her leave in silence. After Jennifer was gone, Keith leaned close to Katherine and called out, "Kathy?"

"Yeah?" Katherine gazed at him with an arched brow.

A diffident Keith stroked his nose. "There's something off about Grandma."

"It has nothing to do with you. Go back to your room and get some rest." Katherine glowered at him.

Keith appeared helpless. As a nineteen-year-old man, he was all grown up, but Katherine still treated him like he was a child. He had the urge to refute her, but he didn't have the nerve to disobey his sister. Left with no choice, he returned to his room to get some rest.

"Kathy?" Seeing that there was something wrong with Katherine, Joaquin gaped at her with a frown.

"My Grandpa's birthday was a long time ago." Katherine turned to look at him.

"So, she's lied about the birthday, but she's going to the cemetery tomorrow. The phone call…" Joaquin soon realized the crux of the problem.

Katherine curled up her lips. She loved talking to intelligent people like him.

"We'll find out by going to the cemetery tomorrow." Katherine didn't intend to dwell on this topic as she got to her feet and yawned. Seeing that Noah was spacing out, she gently flicked her body. "It's getting late. Take a shower and go to sleep now."

"Mom… can I not untie the hair? I want to keep it," Noah asked cautiously with a flushing face.

Katherine felt helpless at her expression, so she stroked her hair and replied, "I'll do it for you again tomorrow. Take a shower and go to sleep now."

"Alright," Noah replied obediently, then shuffled toward the bathroom.

Katherine returned to her room while Joaquin followed her. As soon as she stepped into her room, she turned around to gaze at him and asked in puzzlement, "Your sister has returned to the Foster Residence. Why don't you go back to your home? Does it feel good to sleep on the floor in my room?"

Joaquin stroked his nose. "We're married now, so it'd be appropriate if we lived in separate places. I'll stay here to protect you."

The corners of Katherine's mouth twitched. Ah! What's with this man?

Soon, Noah was done with the shower. Knocking on the door, she stepped into the room with a pink pillow, looking adorable and obedient. Standing at the door, she asked in a small voice, "Mom, can I sleep in your room with my pillow?"

"Come over here." Katherine knew that Noah was always cautious and timid because she had treated her coldly in the past, so she beckoned the child. Noah's eyes instantly brightened as she joyfully shuffled toward her mother.

"Why isn't your hair dry yet?" Seeing that water was still dripping from Noah's hair, Katherine frowned.

At that instant, Noah became anxious as she stood by the bed. She clenched the floor with her toes. "I- I…"

"Don't wash your hair at night, and when you do, you have to blow it dry. Do you get it?" Then, Katherine turned to look at Joaquin, who was stealing glances at them, and directly ordered, "Can you get me the hair dryer, Joaquin?"

A moment later, Joaquin brought the hair dryer out of the bathroom. Just as Katherine was ready to blow dry her daughter's hair, she was stopped by the man. "I'll do it for you. Go shower now."

"Can you do it?" Katherine gave him a doubtful look.

"Do not tell a man there's something he can't do," Joaquin glanced at her and replied with a mischievous smile.

Figuring out the innuendo in his words, Katherine couldn't help but glare at him. She then told the man to help blow dry Noah's hair while she headed to the bathroom.

By the time she was done with the shower, Joaquin was already lying on the bed with Noah in his arms. Presently, Noah's head rested against the man's shoulder as she appeared petite in comparison to the man's build. Meanwhile, Joaquin looked down at the little one in his arms with a caring gaze.

Seeing Katherine, he looked at her with a helpless expression. "She's pretty clingy. She insisted that I tell her a bedtime story. There's nothing else I could do."

"Are you going to take a shower?" While wiping her hair with a towel, Katherine shot the man a glance.

"I'll take a shower right away." Joaquin pulled out his hand from beneath Noah's head with a look of disappointment.Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Katherine was speechless when she saw his expression.

When Joaquin came out of the bathroom, Katherine was still wide awake. She was seated on the bed and looking at her laptop. After staring at the woman for a while, he opened the cupboard and searched for a quilt to be placed on the floor.

Without lifting her head, Katherine said impassively, "The quilt was dirtied, so I washed it. It's not dry yet."

"Huh?" Joaquin gaped at her with speculation in mind.

"So, you can sleep on the bed tonight, but be gentle and make sure not to wake Noah up." Katherine did not spare him a glance. After finishing her words, she continued working.

Joaquin's eyes brightened as he no longer had to sleep on the floor. It seemed that their bond had strengthened as he was now allowed to sleep on the bed.

Exalted, he climbed onto the bed and lay down beside Noah. Then, he couldn't help but gaze at Katherine.

The warm lamp light in the room cast its glow on Katherine's face, making her look even more alluring.

Just as he felt his heart throbbing fast, he recalled what Beatrice had told him a while back. In an instant, he became crestfallen.