Chapter Seventeen

Katherine

It was Monday morning, and it was a depressing sunny day.

I sighed as I approached the towering glass building of Kane Group. It has been three days, three days had passed since that humiliating disaster at the company's anniversary party, yet the whispers and never ending lingering stares still followed me like a shadow behind my back and it was annoying.

It was a nightmare a complete and total catastrophe for me.

Jayden’s name was on everyone’s lips, and not even for the right reasons and neither was mine. He had been utterly humiliated, and by extension, so had I. The thought made my blood boil. I was still furious mostly at that bitch named Emili. She stole my spotlight.

But I wouldn’t let them see me flinch.

Straightening my shoulders, I lifted my chin and stepped inside.

As expected, the moment I entered, all eyes turned to me. The air just starting buzzing with murmurs, hushed low whispers that weren’t even subtle at all. I could feel their judgment crawling over my skin like insects.

Pathetic. Every single one of them was pathetic.

I refused to acknowledge them, keeping my expression poised as I made my way toward the front desk of the building.

Lauren, the receptionist, was busy typing away, her eyes glued to her screen.

I cleared my throat. "Is my father in?"

She didn’t even look up. "Go to his office. If he’s in, you’ll see him there. If he’s not, then..." She shrugged, still typing.

I clenched my jaw. The audacity to speak to me in such manner, it was infuriating.

Lauren was just a lowly receptionist, beneath me in every possible way, and yet she dared to act indifferent? Did she forget who I was?

"You know," I said, lowering my voice to a threatening whisper, "I could have your job just like that."

That got her attention.

Lauren’s fingers paused for a fraction of a second before she finally looked at me. "My apologies, Miss Smith." Her voice was flat, unapologetic.

I scoffed but didn’t waste another second on her. Low lives like her weren’t worth my time.

I walked away, feeling their eyes follow me, but I didn’t care. They were all rats compared to where I stood.

This realization helped me push forward without letting their opinions affect me.

A Waste of My Precious Time

I reached my father’s office, but as expected, he wasn’t there. He never is 

Instead, his secretary—slash-mistress—was inside, organizing his files like a dutiful pet.

I let out a short scoff. How cheap.

She looked exactly like the type of woman who whored herself out for money and power. Pathetic.

"Miss Smith," she greeted me with an overly bright smile, her eyes filled with hopeful excitement.

Disgusting. Always seeking validation from people who don’t even care about them, very desperate.

"Where’s my father?" I demanded, cutting straight to the point.

She visibly stiffened. "Uhm, he—he’s not in."

Her stutter irritated me a lot. Weak. Absolutely weak.

I rolled my eyes and turned on my heel, not bothering to acknowledge her further.

I made my way to my own office, sat at my desk, and flipped through some files.

Meeting after boring meeting passed.

Lunch came and went.

I ate alone, of course, since Jayden was too much of a coward to show his face. He had been hiding in his office for three days straight.

The very sight of him made me sick. How could he let this happen to us? How could he?

We were supposed to be powerful. Untouchable.

Yet now, we were the laughingstock of the company, and all he could do is sit behind his desk.

By late afternoon, I was done.

I shut my laptop with a snap and stood up.

This place had always been a fun killer, and after the disaster at the party, being here felt suffocating. I could barely breathe.

I needed a distraction. Something exciting.

Maybe I’d go shopping. Or to the spa. Anything to get away from this miserable company and the damn people in it.

As I adjusted my coat, preparing to leave, the usual whispers buzzed around me like flies.

I ignored them.

They were nobodies.

Beneath me.

Until—

A commotion outside stopped me in my tracks.

Loud voices.

Heavy footsteps.

Then—

Police sirens.

I froze, my grip tightening around my handbag.

Something was going on. Something bad.

I could feel it.

I turned on my heel and quickly made my way out of the cafeteria, following the sound of sirens and raised voices.

And deep in my gut, I knew—

This was going to change everything.

The moment I stepped outside, the bright flashing lights from the police cars nearly blinded me. A crowd had gathered near the entrance of the company, their faces filled with curiosity and judgment. My breath hitched as I caught sight of the scene unfolding before me.

There—right in the middle of it all—was my father.

Handcuffed.

Surrounded by officers.

Being escorted out like a common criminal.

For a moment, I couldn't move. My mind struggled to process what I was seeing. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

Then, panic took over.

I pushed through the crowd, my heels clicking against the pavement as I hurried toward him.

"Dad?" My voice came out desperate. "What’s going on?"

I tried to reach him, but an officer stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Get out of my way you moron!" I screamed at him.

"You need to stay back, Miss," he said firmly.

I glared at him. "That’s my father!"

My dad turned his head, his expression unreadable. His suit—always perfectly pressed—was slightly wrinkled, his usually sharp eyes filled with something I had never seen before. Worry.

"Katherine, go home," he said, his voice low but firm.

I shook my head. "No! Get out damn it! Tell me what’s happening! This is a mistake, right? It has to be!"

But before he could answer, one of the officers opened the back door of the police car and guided him inside.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

The whispers around me grew much more louder than before.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Why is Mr. Smith being arrested?"

"Don't know, that family is very complicated"

"He’s probably involved in a scandal. That family is always up to no good. Pfft, you could only imagine."

That last comment hit a nerve.

My head snapped toward the direction of the voice.

A young woman—a nobody in this company—stood near the entrance, whispering to a colleague. She wasn’t even trying to be quiet about it.

Before I could stop myself, I marched straight up to her.

"What did you just say about my family?" I demanded.

She barely had time to react before my hand connected with her face.

The sound of the slap echoed through the air.

Her eyes widened in shock, her cheek turning red.

"You better watch your mouth or I'll cut it off." I threatened

I didn’t wait for a response. She wasn’t worth my time. None of them were

Without another word, I turned and walked straight out of the building, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.

I needed to get out of there.

Three days later…

The house felt empty.

Cold.

Lifeless.

Ever since my father’s arrest, I had been trying to reach him, to get anyone to tell me what was going on. But no one would let me see him. No one would tell me anything.

But I wasn’t stupid.

I had a pretty good idea of what was happening.

This had Emilia written all over it.

That stupid bitch.

Ever since she came into our lives, nothing had been the same. First, she humiliated Jayden and me.Then she married Richard. And now, she had somehow managed to ruin my family.

She was out for blood.

But she had messed with the wrong person.

I wasn’t going to sit back and watch her destroy everything.

I was going to confront her.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed my coat and stormed out of the house.

The moment I stepped into Kane Group, all eyes turned to me.

I could hear the whispers.

"Isn’t that Katherine Smith?"

"Did you hear about her father?"

"She still has the nerve to show up here?"

I ignored them. These people were beneath me.

I marched straight to Emilia’s office.

Empty.

I let out a frustrated breath.

Where the hell was she?

Then I realized there was only one other place she could be.

I turned on my heel and headed straight for Richard’s office.

And when I pushed the doors open—

There she was.

Sitting comfortably in his office.

Laughing.

Having a nice little chat with Richard.

Like nothing had happened.

Like she hadn’t just destroyed my family.

Rage burned through me.

She was going to regret this. I will definitely make sure of that