Chapter 9 The Windsor Family Has Two Other Daughters.
"Not feeling it? Wanna try something else?"
Catherine shrugged, "Nah, I ain't into condiments like onions, ginger, or garlic."
No biggie, she didn't sweat it.
In the Smith fam, Celeste never gave a damn about what Catherine liked to eat, always shoving stuff she hated down her throat just to flex her control.
Aurora snatched the bowl of soup from her hand and shot a look at Lucy, "From now on, no onions, ginger, or garlic in any of our food!"
Lucy was floored. 'Esme's favorite dishes are loaded with onions, ginger, and garlic!'
She didn't dare say a word, just glared daggers at Catherine, who'd barely been home and was already throwing her weight around, almost gnashing her teeth to bits.
Catherine blinked, not expecting Aurora to go that far.
"No need for that, I'm good."
Aurora waved it off, holding Catherine's hand, "Catherine, when you get a sec, jot down what you like and don't like. From now on, if you like it, Brandon and I will too. If you don't, it ain't showing up in this house!"
Brandon nodded along, "Yeah, look how skinny you are. The Smiths must've fed you crap."
To Brandon and Aurora, the Smiths were the bad guys who treated Catherine like dirt.
Her clothes were basic, no fancy brands, and her suitcase was tiny, just an old laptop inside!
So broke!
Aurora hesitated but then said, "Sweetie, you got four brothers and a sister here. We found out a few years back that you and Juniper got switched at birth, been looking for you ever since."
"Brandon and I didn't mean for it to happen."
Catherine nodded.
'No one swaps babies on purpose.'
"As for Juniper, she's innocent. We've raised her for years, and she won't be fighting you for anything. Until she finds her real fam, we hope she can stay with us. Don't worry, she's usually off doing research in Tranquil County," Aurora added.
"She the one who called me?" Catherine asked.
She remembered Oliver saying there was a rooster crowing on the other end of the call.
"Yeah, Juniper found you and called. We've been digging into this for two years and found out Juniper's a few days older than you. We're also trying to find her real fam."
'Finding the real fam is all about fate.'
'Brandon and Aurora just hope Juniper can stick around.'
Catherine didn't mind who the Windsors wanted to support.
"I get it."
Brandon and Aurora both let out a sigh of relief.
'We know Catherine ain't the type to kick Juniper out of the Windsor fam.'
Juniper had been with them for years, and even though they found out she wasn't their bio kid, Brandon and Aurora couldn't just boot her out!
Aurora said excitedly, "If you meet Juniper, you'll totally dig her!"
Catherine stayed quiet, no expression.
Lucy whispered, "And Esme."
Mentioning Esme, Brandon and Aurora's excitement took a nosedive.
Aurora, taking a sip of soup, said calmly, "Oh, right, there's also Esme, an orphan your grandma adopted, not a Windsor by blood, so don't worry 'bout her."
Lucy shot a dirty look at Catherine. 'Finally, with Juniper off doing research, Esme's the only girl in the house, and Brandon and Aurora would totally warm up to Esme! But now that Catherine's here, everything Esme had is gonna get snatched away!'
Catherine caught Lucy's dirty look but didn't give a damn.
"Why adopt?"
Mentioning Esme, Brandon and Aurora's vibes were kinda meh.
"Your grandma was pretty sick before, and after she got out off the hospital, she adopted Esme to keep her company. Your brothers are all busy, so we'll introduce you to them later."
Catherine nodded, eyes downcast.
Brandon clapped his hands, "Catherine, let's check out your room."
Seeing the eager looks on Brandon and Aurora's faces, Catherine nodded.
She followed them upstairs.
"Catherine, I heard you're taking your college entrance exams next month. Got any schools in mind? No worries if your grades ain't great. We can always go abroad! Any university you fancy?" Aurora asked.
Catherine hadn't really thought about it.
She'd gotten offers from Dawn University and Stellar Academy last month, still deciding which one to pick, and the Smiths had no clue.
Since Celeste had been messing with her studies to not pissing off Clara, she hadn't shared her grades with the Smiths.
"I haven't decided yet," Catherine said.
"It's cool, take your time. Your brothers all studied abroad, and Juniper, who graduated from Stellar Academy, is now working on her Ph.D. You can hit her up for advice."
It was clear Juniper was a brainiac in the science world.
No wonder Brandon and Aurora didn't wanna let her go.
Brandon puffed out his chest, "You can ask me too! I graduated from Dawn University!"
Aurora snickered, "You only got in 'cause Marcus donated two buildings to Dawn University."
Brandon laughed awkwardly, pushing open the door to the second-floor hallway.
The whole floor had a minimalist vibe but screamed low-key luxury.
Shelves packed with priceless antiques, a massive walk-in closet, a see-through bathroom floor, and rooms for studying, dancing, gaming, and more...
Brandon waved his hand grandly, "This whole floor is yours, Catherine. You dig it?"
'The entire second floor, at least 3,000 square feet, all for me?' Catherine thought.
Aurora chimed in, "Yeah, see if you like this style. If not, we'll redo it. The third floor's yours too. We'll change it up however you want!"
Catherine stayed quiet.
"No need, just the second floor is cool."
Brandon and Aurora were worried she wouldn't like it, both letting out a sigh of relief when she nodded.
Aurora opened the walk-in closet door, "Do you like the loungewear I got for you?"
Half the closet was packed with high-end loungewear.
"These are Quinn's latest. You like them?" Aurora asked.
Catherine felt a mix of emotions, "Yeah, I like them."
Aurora and Brandon were almost in tears when Catherine said she liked them.
"Sweetie, you chill for a bit. I'll get your brothers to come home for dinner tonight!" Aurora said.
"Okay," Catherine replied.
Aurora and Brandon went downstairs, all smiles.
Catherine thought for a moment and sent a message.
[Find out why Nightfall showed up in Imperia City and when he took the job on Marcus.]
[Got it!]
Five minutes later, a call came in.
"Nightfall took a job from some rich dude in Imperia City, but it wasn't on Marcus."
Catherine was silent.
Damn Nightfall!
"Look into the Windsor family baby switch incident."
"On it!"
Catherine had always felt there was more to that story!
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