Third Person's POV
Catherine's beautiful eyes flickered. "Why do I always feel like you've found a solution? Can you share it with me? Why does it need time to prove itself?"
Blake's face froze for a moment. Then, he reached out and whispered into Catherine's ear, "Catherine, don't be too clever right now, okay? There are things I can't tell you yet, but trust me, it's not because I don't want to."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? You might as well tell me. I can keep a secret. If you tell me, I won't breathe a word."
"I know you can keep it secret, but I don't want to worry you. It's better not to tell you for now," Blake said affectionately.
Catherine chuckled. "If that's the case, then fine. I trust you're doing the right thing. Your decisions are always wise."
"Are you doubting your husband?" Blake's handsome face contorted.
Catherine was only teasing him. After all they'd been through, she knew Blake well enough to trust him wholeheartedly.
"I'm going to bathe the kids. Want to join?" Catherine playfully winked at him.
"Sure!" Blake was more than happy to help.
The two children were immersed in their play. Upon hearing about bath time, Hedwig immediately pouted in protest. "Mommy, can I skip bathing today? I haven't even broken a sweat!"
"You must get into the habit of bathing daily," Catherine said firmly, one hand on her hip.
"I still want to draw! And no hair washing!" Hedwig was growing more argumentative by the day, likely due to her developing sense of self.
Catherine was at a loss for words. Hedwig's defiance was becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Blake gestured to his son. "Come upstairs for a bath now. No conditions, no arguments. Just obey."
Noah rolled his eyes dramatically. "Mom, what if Dad gets mad at me?"
Catherine didn't expect her son to complain to her like this. She asked, "How did he treat you harshly? I didn't hear anything," she said.
"He did get mad! I'm telling Grandma!" Noah, ever the cunning child, tried to maneuver around Blake.
"Noah, come back here!" Blake couldn't believe he, the head of the family, was struggling to discipline his own son. How embarrassing.
Noah stood at the staircase, neither ascending nor descending. In the end, he reluctantly approached his father. "Alright, Dad, I'll go have a bath with you!"
Seeing their son subdued, Catherine immediately turned to her daughter with a gentle smile. "Hedwig, see how obedient your brother is? Can you be good too?"
"No way. Dad won't be mean to me anyway!" Hedwig glanced up at her mother and continued coloring her little flowers and grass.
Catherine felt utterly defeated. Why did her daughter become more unruly as she grew older?
Emily sat alone on the sofa. Richard and Nick had both left.
Suddenly, she stood up and pushed open Richard's bedroom door.
Every day was a torment for her, especially having to accompany that old man every few days. She was on the brink of collapse.
This wasn't the life she wanted. Rather than endure such misery, she'd rather be imprisoned, living a solitary but peaceful existence.
So, with a heart full of resolve, Emily was done waiting.
She needed to help Blake find evidence to ruin Richard's reputation and make him pay for his crimes.
She often considered poisoning Richard outright, but the thought would vanish as quickly as it came.
She felt inexplicably sorrowful, her heart softening at the thought that she was raised by him, preventing her from hardening her heart.
Instead of death, Emily yearned to see Richard's downfall, to witness the shame on his face as his mask was torn off.
Emily wiped Richard's desk with a cloth, her eyes fixed on the documents.
She wondered if there was anything useful among them.
Eventually, she dared to search through them directly.
Suddenly, she spotted a map with a location circled in red. To her shock, the circled place was a school.
Emily quickly took out her phone and secretly photographed the document before nervously returning it to its place.
Knowing Richard hadn't installed surveillance in his study, she felt bold enough to search for evidence.
However, due to the strict training from her childhood, she still harbored an innate fear of Richard. After snapping the photo, she swiftly left the room.
In the afternoon, when Richard returned, Emily brought him a cup of coffee. With a stern expression, he headed toward his study.
"From now on, don't be so eager to meet Baldwin when he calls," Richard suddenly said coldly.
Emily's expression flickered. She sneered inwardly but feigned surprise. "Why? Did he upset you?"