Chapter 18 There's a Bomb in the Ward
Esme watched everyone fawning over Catherine, feeling a mix of anger and jealousy bubbling up inside her.
'Seriously? I'm a Windsor too! Why don't I get the same love?'
The family was all over Catherine, checking her out like she was some rare gem.
Brandon glanced at Esme, still hanging around, and waved her off. "Esme, now that Catherine's back, you can go."
Esme swallowed her tears and reluctantly left.
'This is all Catherine's fault! Why'd she have to come back and mess everything up for me?'
Esme stormed into Lila's ward, tears streaming down her face.
"Lila, what did I do wrong? I saw Catherine getting kidnapped and rushed back to tell Aurora and Brandon, even broke my phone, but they didn't believe me and kicked me out!"
Lila's eyes snapped open, sharp and full of energy.
"You said Catherine was kidnapped?"
"Yeah, I even saw those creeps touching her and taking off her clothes," Esme said.
Lila's eyes flashed with a mix of disgust and excitement.
She frowned and said slowly, "The Windsor family doesn't want someone unclean. Esme, remember, you're the only granddaughter of the Windsor family, got it?"
Esme's face lit up with joy.
"But what about Aurora and Brandon..."
"I'm not dead yet. I still run this family."
Lila patted Esme's hand, her face wrinkling into a smile. "You need to lock down that marriage with the Howard family. Once you're in, you'll always be the only daughter of the Windsor family!"
Esme's eyes sparkled.
'Right, the marriage deal with the Howard family! I've been groomed for this my whole life. Once Alexander sees me, he'll know I'm the perfect match. Catherine's just a country bumpkin, no way she can compete with me. Once I'm Mrs. Howard, both families will be mine!'
"Lila, I'll do my best. I'll visit Felix later! If Felix likes me, Alexander will know I'm the best. I won't let you down."
Lila smiled, satisfied.
'Esme's always been sweet and understanding. Juniper and Catherine? They don't deserve to be my granddaughters!'
Bright Heal Hospital
Catherine was about to step into the hospital when she got an encrypted call from The Azure Ocean island.
"Miss, a new batch of assassins has arrived. Something feels off. Abyssal Blades's been super active lately, and they've linked up with Eli from Sunhaven Isles."
Eli, the drug lord running the darkest corners of the dark web! He controlled the biggest poppy fields and mercenary groups in Sunhaven Isles and was top of the Interpol's most-wanted list, always a shadowy figure.
Catherine frowned and said, "No wonder Abyssal Blades's going nuts. They must be trying to expand their market in Stellara. Use my account to tip off the Interpol, free of charge."
"Got it."
After hanging up, her message inbox started flashing.
Nightfall: [Eli and Abyssal Blades have teamed up. Some staff at Bright Heal Hospital have been bribed. Watch your back.]
'Why's he telling me this? Is he addicted to tipping me off?'
Getting this info required tapping into the deepest parts of their networks. Nightfall handing over his findings so easily made Catherine feel a bit awkward.
As soon as she entered the ward, she heard Marcus yelling, "Don't think you can back out of the game! Don't play dead, get up!"
"Marcus," Catherine called out.
Marcus was fiddling with some chess pieces. When he saw Catherine, his face lit up with a big grin.
"Hey, Catherine! Meet Felix Howard."
"Mr. Howard, nice to meet you."
The moment Felix saw Catherine, it was like all his aches and pains vanished. He sat up straight, eyes gleaming as he took her in. She had this delicate look, a composed and graceful vibe, and something about her just drew you in.
"Good, very good. Finally, I get to see my granddaughter-in-law."
Catherine stayed quiet. 'Granddaughter-in-law?'
She pulled herself together, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, like the dust in the air had frozen in her eyes. Then she looked seriously at Marcus.
"This room feels off. It wasn't like this yesterday."
Marcus was a bit taken aback, but he trusted Catherine without question.
"You check it out, I'll cover you. Come on, Felix, let's keep playing."
Felix couldn't care less about the game now. His eyes were glued to Catherine. 'I am very satisfied!'
Felix had his doubts about Esme. Sure, she was pretty, but she lacked depth, not quite fit to be Mrs. Howard. Juniper was nice too, but the idea of her and the equally quiet Alexander together gave him a headache. 'Catherine is perfect, absolutely perfect!'
Catherine meticulously inspected the room, not missing a single spot. She had once helped the Interpol nab an arms dealer with her top-notch profiling skills, earning her the title of honorary comrade.
Tapping the floor with her fingers, Catherine's brow furrowed slightly.
"Something's wrong here," she said.
Marcus put down his chess pieces and got out of bed, throwing a coat over his shoulders.
One floorboard was clearly hollow. Lifting it revealed a bomb hidden underneath!
The timer showed only two minutes left!
Marcus was shocked and quickly pulled Catherine up. "Go, now! If there's a bomb here, the outside can't be safe either. Catherine, my life doesn't matter, but you must be safe!"
Felix nodded in agreement. "Yes, Catherine, you must go. We'll protect you!"
Catherine stayed silent. 'Do I say I'm leaving?'
"I can defuse this bomb. Let me handle it."
Marcus didn't hesitate and handed the task over to Catherine.
She crouched down, grabbed a small pair of scissors from the ward, held her breath, and started examining the bomb. She had defused many bombs before. This one was a standard BLU-3/B pineapple bomb, a highly lethal aerial bomb in a small area. A modified one could flatten the entire Bright Heal Hospital!
The bomb was cushioned with a lot of cotton. Catherine picked it up, turned it tail-side up, and removed the T-shaped safety pin. The tail fins spread open instantly, and she quickly inserted the scissors into the compression hole.
"Done."
Marcus couldn't hide his smile!
"Good, you are very impressive!"
Felix was also pleased, but before he could say anything, he clutched his chest and collapsed!
Marcus was startled. He picked up the call button but saw Catherine looking at him seriously.
"The medical staff outside aren't reliable. We can't hand Felix over to them."
Marcus, having weathered many storms, understood this. He was just anxious seeing Felix collapse.
Catherine remained calm and said slowly, "I can treat Felix's condition."
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