A Replacement Bride

Chapter 366

When Katherine heard Joaquin say that, an icy glare flashed in her eyes. "Only the living room?"

He nodded. "They must have predicted we would be extremely cautious in checking out the bedroom. Thus, there were no cameras there. They only installed hidden cameras in the dead corners of the living room where they would be easily missed. That way, they could continue spying on us. I only thought about that after you left. Hence, I checked the whole place once more. As expected, there were several cameras."

She frowned. She had checked the bedroom from top to bottom before leaving. Even then, she did not examine the living room. Nevertheless, she ignored that room because there was not much furniture. It seemed like she had been too careless. Life has been so eventful and hectic lately. With limited time to focus on everything, it was hard to prevent missing out on something.

Their enemy must have seen her disguise. That was why she was followed. However, Katherine had already thrown off everyone following her. How did the mercenaries find her?

Moreover, she went out the back door. If their enemy did not know the place beforehand, they must have combed the entire area to encircle the laboratory. Even then, how did they know she would be there? While her job with Professor Muller at the laboratory was not a big secret, few knew about it.

When Katherine was racking her brain over it, Joaquin grabbed her hand. "Let's go. Get it in the car first. While those men are gone, this place is still not safe. We can talk once we're home."

She nodded, then asked, "About back home—"

"Don't worry." He knew what she was going to ask. "I have asked Jeremy to thoroughly search the entire place back home. My men have even combed through the area around Soulin International.

Everything is so well-guarded that not even a fly can enter without us knowing."

She only relaxed after hearing that, so she grabbed the backpack and followed Joaquin to the vehicle.

Back home, Katherine first checked on Noah. After experiencing a traumatic event, the girl could only relax at home, where she was fast asleep in her bed.

"She fell asleep not long after you left. Only then did I have the time to search the other sections of the house. After I found the cameras, I recalled how the other party likely knew what you look like when disguised. That was when I told Jeremy to look for you. Thankfully, we arrived in time." When he said that, his face went cold. He did not dare think about what terrifying consequences there would be if he was late.

The more Joaquin thought about it, the more afraid he was. So, he gripped Katherine's hand and held it tightly. He was worried she might vanish right before his eyes.

"Kathy, no matter what happens in the future, I will always do my best to be by your side. I will never let you face any danger alone again."

If something terrible happened, like the incident five years ago, he might go mad. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Her bright eyes gleamed as Katherine stared at Joaquin's solemn face. Something tugged at her heart as it slowly pounded faster and faster. Soon, she smiled with pursed lips before clearly responding, "Okay." Unable to contain her indescribable joy, she accepted his generosity without reservation for the first time.

Still, for the moment, they did not have much time left. They were also not in the mood to ponder their feelings. Hence, they began to discuss the oddities of the day.

"Do you suspect something?" He got up and poured her a glass of water, only handing it to her after he tested the glass with his hand to ensure it was warm.

She accepted it and took a few sips while organizing her thoughts. It was only then that she briefly summarized her suspicions.

For every word that Katherine spoke, Joaquin's frown deepened. "This is certainly abnormal. Since he knew your disguise, why would he send only two cars after you? After you threw them off their trail, how could they ambush you at the laboratory? How did they know?"

She set the glass of water down, and because the warmth on the tips of her fingertips lingered, she subconsciously rubbed them together. Her eyes slowly darkened as she sank deeper into her thoughts. She pursed her lips as if she were trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for all the suspicious events.

"They are very meticulous, so there was no way they would only send two cars after me. Doing all this meant they were in full control of everything."

"Full control?"

"Yes." Katherine nodded. "The only possibility is that they already know where I was going to go."

It was then that Joaquin thought of something. "You suspect they might be someone you know?"

Then, she leaned back against the couch and crossed her arms. "Not only do I know them, but they might also be someone very close to us."

He scowled harder as he slowly said in his deep voice, "They could only anticipate you going to Professor Muller's laboratory because they are close to you. In that case—" At that thought, his gaze turned frigid. "That means those mercenaries did not catch up to you. Instead, they were patiently

waiting in ambush. They might not know there is a secret room or a trapdoor inside. However, they had their men be ready. The whole place was likely surrounded. So, when you appear, you will be trapped."

Katherine solemnly nodded before pouting at what Joaquin said. "I might have been nearly caught, but I was not trapped."

She then turned her attention back to the topic. "Still, they were well-prepared to deal with me. Hah! I was too careless this time."

She never expected the enemy to send mercenaries after her.

Still, Joaquin found that rather suspicious. "Anyone who wants you dead will not be weak. They can hire so many mercenaries to steal grandma's possession from you. Do you have any suspects in mind?"

Katherine pondered in silence for a moment before shaking her head. "Not at the moment. I never liked to suspect my friends. Since they have the nerve to do this, it is clear they are not worried I would find any damning evidence against them."

Even when she said that there was no sign of upset or anger on her face. Instead, her lips were tilted upward in a mischievous smirk.

"I am quite curious as to who this secret mastermind is," she commented with a chuckle. "Why are they so interested in what grandma left me?"

She then turned her attention to the backpack before glancing at him. "Shall we take a look? Let's see what grandma left me."

With raised eyebrows, he sat beside her and pulled out the wooden box from the bag. "You open it."

She silently pulled out the key she had kept close to her and finally opened the intricately carved wooden box.