Chapter 168

Before heading upstairs, Katelyn quietly commended Kaia in her heart and sent her a quick message.

"In two hours,make sure you bring Danica over."

Within moments of sending it, Kaia responded with a brief,"Okay."

Slipping the phone into her pocket, Katelyn started up the stairs.

Since Kaia had already described which room belonged to Isaac, she walked straight toward it.

When she eased the door open, she found the curtains drawn tightly,leaving the space in shadow.

Only the faint glow from the hallway allowed her to see the outline of a man stretched out on the bed.

The sight ofIsaac, the man she had admired for so many years, made her heart race wildly, and color rushed to her cheeks.

Even though she was certain he had taken the drugged milk, caution still lingered, and she moved carefully,afraid someone might hear.

Once she shut the door behind her, only his dim figure remained visible.

But that indistinct silhouette alone was enough to ignite the emotions she had long suppressed.

Bending close, she stroked his face and pressed her lips against his.

Soon after, desire overtook hesitation, and the night took a different turn.

...

Kaia accompanied Bobby to Slater's residence.

When Slater appeared from the stairs and caught sight of her behind Bobby, his expression tightened."Why did you bring her here?"

His voice carried disdain, yet Kaia chose to interpret it another way. She convinced herself he was only too embarrassed to admit he needed her help after he posted on social media to expose her lies.

Before Bobby had the chance to explain, Kaia spoke first. "Slater, pain in the legs isn't something to overlook. Why don't you allow me to check on your grandfather's condition before it gets worse?" Her poise and warm demeanor caught Slater off guard,leaving him staring for a moment before he blurted out, "What are you talking about?"

For an instant, Kaia looked uncertain, and then quickly composed herself with a smile. "Isn't your grandfather sick?"

Leaping to his feet, Slater jabbed a finger in her direction and yelled, "Kaia Willis, listen to me! My grandfather is in perfect health. Say something like that again, and you'll regret it!"

The words left Kaia stunned, and once she pieced it together,she whirled on Bobby with fury. "You tricked me?"

With a casual shrug, Bobby replied, "Maybe I misheard.My mistake."

Color rushed to Kaia's face, her hand trembling as she jabbed a finger at him. "You!"

The realization struck her hard-Bobby's sudden friendliness had been nothing but a setup to humiliate her.

In a fit of anger, she stormed out without so much as a backward glance.

As her angry figure disappeared, Slater frowned, sensing that something wasn't quite right.

He turned to Bobby and asked, "What's this about? Did you deliberately play her?"

Putting on an air of mystery, Bobby answered,"Too complicated to explain now. I'll tell you later."

Left fuming with no outlet, Kaia thought about calling friends to drink away her anger, but the reminder that she had to speak with Danica kept her from doing so.

Instead,she treated herself to dessert at a restaurant and,once the time was right, hailed a cab toward the Bennett Mansion.

Inside,Danica was in the middle of a beauty treatment when the maid came to announce Kaia's arrival.Reclining with a beauty device in hand and the television on, she sneered, "What does she want now?"”

Danica had never liked Kaia, and with Verena in the picture, her opinion of the woman had only worsened.

In a respectful tone, the maid explained, "She said it concerns Mr. Isaac Bennett."

That name made Danica's brows knit tightly. "Isaac?"

Though the quarrel with Isaac earlier still stung, Danica couldn't forget he was her son. No matter the rift, a mother's instinct wouldn't allow her to ignore any news concerning him. And since she was aware Kaia lived at Seraphina Villas, if Isaac's health was somehow at risk...

After thinking for a moment, Danica instructed, "Let her come in."

The maid gave a small nod. "Yes, ma'am."

Moments later, Kaia hurried through the doorway.

Casting a cold glance her way, Danica asked, "Talk.What's wrong with lsaac?"

Still catching her breath, Kaia blurted out, "Mrs.Bennett,Isaac...Isaac and Katelyn..."

She let her words trail off, her expression deliberately troubled.

Danica's hands stilled and she sat upright, her tone sharp. "What about Isaac and Katelyn?"

With fingers twisting together, Kaia pretended to hesitate before saying, "They were... in bed together."

Danica's eyes widened as she shot to her feet. "What did you just say?"

A deep breath steadied her, and then she asked urgently, "Are they at Seraphina Villas now?"

Kaia bobbed her head again and again. "Yes."

At once, Danica brushed past her and snapped to the maid, "Prepare the car."

Before long, the vehicle stopped at the entrance of Isaac's villa.

Danica all but ran inside. She stormed upstairs to the master bedroom, shoving the door wide open.

Already positioned against the man's chest, Katelyn lifted her head at the sudden noise. Playing the part of a frightened doe, she whispered, "Mrs. Bennett,don't blame Isaac. We lost control of ourselves..."

When Danica switched on the light, a storm of emotions surged through her. "Isaac, you actually-"

She cut herself off mid-sentence, her brow furrowing."Wait. Who is this man?"

With a faint smile,Katelyn retorted, "Don't tell me you can't even recognize lsaac?"

But when her eyes shifted upward, her expression froze in place. The man beside her wasn't Isaac at all.She had been in bed with someone else.

Silent and unreadable, the man lay there as though he had simply completed an assignment. Several seconds passed in eerie quiet before Katelyn suddenly shrieked.

She scrambled back, clutching the sheets around her.

"Mrs. Bennett, I swear it was Isaac!" Katelyn's voice wavered,shrinking lower with every word.

Isaac would never allow another man inside the bedroom he shared with Verena. This had to be orchestrated. The man hadn't uttered a sound the whole time.

The realization struck her, and she cried out, "I understand now! Isaac planned this. He trapped me!"

Danica's expression was impossible to read as she turned her gaze on the stranger. "Tell me, who are you?"

Bearing marks of intimacy across his chest,the man sat up and lowered his head respectfully. "I'm Mr. Isaac Bennett's bodyguard."

With anger rising in her chest, Danica asked sharply,"So this really was Isaac's doing?"

Before the bodyguard could answer, a calm but commanding voice cut in from the doorway. "Yes. I arranged it." Both women snapped their heads toward the source of the voice.

At the sight of Isaac sitting in his wheelchair at the doorway, fully dressed and composed, Katelyn nearly collapsed under the weight of despair. "Why? Why would you treat me this way?"

Danica's reproach followed quickly. "Isaac, do you realize how cruel this is to a woman? How could you put Katelyn through such humiliation?"

His eyes hardened, his voice like ice. "Cruel? You're my mother, yet you judge me without a shred of truth.Did it occur to you that she schemed against me first,and what you're seeing is my answer to her trap?"

Earlier tensions between them only fueled Danica's fury, and she retorted, "Even if that's true, you went too far! How can she show her face again after this?"

Isaac let out a sharp scoff. "If I hadn't fought back,I would have been the one lying in that bed. How do you expect me to face Verena after that?"