Catherine’s POV
The moment I got the text message from Julian, I didn’t hesitate. I hurriedly ran in silence to my room and took his shirt off, changing into a shirt and shorts, with frantic speed. I grabbed my purse, confirmed Kiera’s text, and was out the door and down the grand staircase in under a minute.
I moved through the house like a ghost, skirting the main foyer and heading for the side garden entrance Kiera had mentioned.
Kiera was leaning against a sleek, black car, she was wearing a simple, dark uniform, completing the disguise she’d mentioned on the phone. The sheer relief of seeing her was overwhelming.
I ran the final few steps and threw my arms around her. "Oh, Kiera!"
She hugged me back, but only for a second, then pulled away, her expression all business. "Okay, enough. We have to leave, before your brother finds us. I need to change out of this hideous uniform. Get in the car."
OMG, this car was hers!
I didn’t ask any questions, I just climbed into the car, and she pulled away from the Vaughn property.
Once we were safely on the road, the urgency eased, and my curiosity took over. I turned to her, still thinking of it all.
"Kiera, you have to tell me. How did you do that? The voice, you sounded exactly like me, and you knew exactly what to say to throw off Gabriel. It was brilliant, even Julian was amazed."
She glanced at me, and a slight, knowing smile played on her lips. "Let’s just say I’m a bit of a tech wiz, Catherine. I can be whoever I need to be, whenever I need to be them."
The reply struck me as odd, and honestly, a little confusing. Tech wiz? It sounded like something out of a spy movie, not the kind of answer I expected. Before I could press her on the meaning, she announced our arrival.
"We’re here."
I looked out the window, and my jaw dropped.
The outside of the house was exquisite, framed by towering walls and manicured gardens that rivaled a national park but when we drove through the main gates, I realized exquisite was an understatement.
The home that came into view was sprawling, modern, and built with glass and steel. It was huge, significantly larger and more expensive than the stately, old-money Vaughn mansion. Our house was grand, but Kiera’s house felt like an international hub of wealth and power.
We pulled up to the main entrance, and before the car had even fully stopped, a flurry of staff appeared. They immediately opened her door and greeted her with deep deference.
"Welcome home, Ma’am," one of the staff members said, his tone holding one of profound respect.
Huh? Was she this rich?
I walked beside Kiera, completely stunned. I nudged her with my elbow, whispering, "Ma’am? Kiera, you are seriously respected here. This place is unbelievable. I’m literally friends with a member of the Bill Gates family."
She let out a light laugh, and shrugged off the compliment. "Stop it," she added in between her laugh.
"Stop what? I’m serious. You are rich rich!"
"Come on. Let’s get you settled. I need to get this uniform off." She grabbed my hand and led me through a massive, airy foyer that looked more like a corporate art gallery than a home.
When we finally arrived in her room, which was the size of my entire wing at the Vaughn mansion, I stopped dead, taking in the panoramic view and the expensive, minimalist design.
"Kiera, seriously," I asked, excitement and confusion bubbling up inside me. "What do your parents really do? And how rich are they?"
Kiera laughed again, walking over to her massive closet. "It’s fine, Catherine. Ask whatever you want." She pulled out a flowing silk gown. "My father is into tech; he owns a massive security and software company. And my mom is... well, my mom is late."
My smile disappeared instantly and the air suddenly felt thick with my lack of tact.
"Oh, my goodness. Ki, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked."
She turned to me, her eyes were calm and surprisingly clear. "No no. Don’t apologize, there’s no need for that. My mom left a long time ago. She died during childbirth. I never even got to know or see her."
I still felt embarrassed, kicking myself for bringing up such a painful topic. I tried to change the subject, gesturing vaguely toward the windows. "This view is incredible, though. Look at that—"
She noticed my discomfort and laughed softly, cutting me off. "Hey, stop. Don’t make it awkward. It’s fine, really." She slipped quickly out of the uniform and into a silk gown, I could tell that cost a couple thousand dollars.
As she dressed, she returned to the crisis we’d just escaped. "So, tell me everything. Julian confirmed that Sasha was the one who put up that picture?"
I explained the sequence of events: Sasha’s furious arrival, her attack, Gabriel saving me, and Julian’s discovery of the Collins video proving Sasha’s hypocrisy.
"No, we are not sure if she has a hand in it," I clarified. "But the main suspect is Collins. He sent me tons of threatening messages, which I ignored, and then posted that photo of Julian and me to try to get me to talk to him, I guess. Sasha could have a hand in it, though. That girl is crazy, she can’t even hide it. She tried to stab me but lucky enough, Gabriel protected me and ended up taking the cut instead."
Kiera paused, running a hand through her hair, a strange, calculating look in her eyes.
"Wow, she really tried to stab you?" she asked, her voice laced with a dark amusement. "Now I am truly and genuinely eager to meet Sasha. She sounds even more mentally unstable than Lucy."
I nodded, agreeing entirely. "I can bet you on that. Sasha is pure, unadulterated madness."