Chapter 545 Poor Child
Katherine kicked back in the guest seat, a sly grin on her face. "Mrs. Mitchell, why you so worked up? I ain't even said anything yet."
Alice, seeing Katherine all chill, got even more pissed. Her earlier jabs didn't faze Katherine one bit, and she was grinding her teeth in frustration. "Katherine, don't get too full of yourself! You think the Melville family’s gonna keep you around? You're just a nobody. Alex is gonna boot you out so fast, you won't know what hit you!"
Katherine shrugged. "Thanks for the heads-up, Mrs. Mitchell. Anyway, let's cut to the chase. You know why I'm here. Charles is useless to you now. Keeping him is just a pain. Let me take him, and everyone wins."
Alice's eyes went wide. "No way! Charles is my grandson, legally adopted by my daughter. What makes you think you can take him?"
Katherine shot back, "Alex is also Charles's legal guardian. Mrs. Mitchell, Scarlett's already been hauled off to the cops. You don't care about this kid, so why keep him?"
Alice sneered, "Yeah, the kid's no use to me anymore. But don't think I don't see through you. You wanna take him back and play the hero in front of the Melville family. Not happening! What can a nobody like you do about it?"
Leander chimed in, "Mrs. Mitchell, show some respect when talking to Mrs. Melville!"
Alice crossed her arms, all smug. She didn't need to fake it in front of the Melville family anymore; it wouldn't help. "Respect Katherine? What's there to respect? She's just a country bumpkin. Marrying a prince doesn't make her a princess. She can't boss me around!"
"You..." Leander frowned, about to snap back, but Katherine raised her hand to stop him.
Katherine didn't give a damn about Alice's attitude and asked, "What’s it gonna take for you to let me take Charles?"
Alice looked stubborn. "No way I'm letting you take my grandson! If you try, I'll bash my head in right here! Katherine, don't push me!"
Katherine wasn't here to push her; she came to negotiate.
Alice might look all fancy, but she was in deep trouble and knew she had no cards left. That's why she clung to Charles so hard.
If they tried to take Charles by force, she might really bash her head in out of desperation.
If she did, it’d be a huge mess.
Katherine didn't care about Alice's life, but Alice couldn't die just yet. The evidence for her mom's wrongful accusation wasn't found, and Alice, the main culprit, couldn't die. If she did, there'd be no one left to testify.
Thinking this through, Katherine decided to back off a bit. "Where's Charles? I might not take him, but since I'm here, I should at least see him."
Alice rolled her eyes. "My grandson's well-fed and napping! He ain't got time for you right now!"
Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Mrs. Mitchell, I got the green light from Vincent and Hellen to be here. If you still wanna get outta here and back to the Mitchell family, you better not make this worse. It won't end well for you."
Alice stared, mulling over Katherine's words.
Katherine must've gotten the okay from Vincent and Hellen to step foot in the estate. Plus, she had the title of Vincent's savior, so Alice had to play nice.
If she didn't let her see the kid, the Mitchell family would find out, and Vincent and Hellen would think even less of her.
After a moment, Alice grudgingly said, "I'll go see if the kid's awake. You wait here."
Katherine smiled, satisfied. "Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell."
Alice disappeared for a bit and then came back with Charles.
Charles looked around nervously, his eyes lighting up momentarily when he spotted Katherine, only to dim again.
Growing up in an orphanage, Charles was a shy, sensitive kid. Katherine remembered the first few times she saw him, his eyes still had that childlike curiosity about the world.
But now, he looked so beaten down he couldn't even make eye contact. Such a young kid, yet he looked at the world with eyes full of despair.
Katherine thought of her own rough childhood and raised her hand, motioning him over. "Come here."
Charles instinctively took a step back and glanced up at Alice.
Since Alice had brought the kid over, she didn't stop Katherine from interacting with him. She said sarcastically, "Go on, she's calling you!"
Charles didn't catch the sarcasm and thought his 'grandmother' was genuinely okay with it, so he dared to walk towards Katherine.
Katherine gently touched Charles's thin face. "You've lost so much weight. Haven't you been eating well?"
Charles's first reaction wasn't to answer Katherine but to look back at Alice, seeking her permission.
Alice glared at him, signaling to keep his mouth shut.
Charles, scared, shrank back and didn't say a word.
Katherine noticed not only had Charles lost a lot of weight, but he also had a bunch of small injuries. She frowned and asked, "What happened to the injuries on your body?"
Charles shook his head, looking down, staying silent.
Katherine knew he was too scared to talk and gently encouraged him, "Don't be afraid. Tell the truth. I'm here, and no one will hurt you."
Charles looked up at Katherine uneasily, opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.
Alice deliberately cleared her throat, scaring Charles into shrinking back and lowering his head again.
Seeing this, Katherine's frown deepened.
Alice said, "Ms. Galatea, you're asking too many questions for a kid his age. How can he answer? Besides, boys are naturally mischievous. It's normal for them to get bumps and bruises from playing around. Boys don't need to be raised so delicately; otherwise, they'll grow up soft!"
Katherine clenched her fists, wanting to curse out Alice and Scarlett, this twisted mother-daughter duo. They were heartless, taking out their anger on a kid.
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