Chapter 284

Alexander made his way down the staircase, only to discover Katrina feigning nonchalance as she watched the television.

Outside, in the courtyard, Daniela was deep in conversation on the phone.

Bits and pieces of her chat floated in through the open window. It sounded as though Lillian was inquiring if Daniela fancied a midnight meal.

Alexander's eyes lingered on Katrina once more.

Katrina was preoccupied with an apple, devouring it with increasing fervor.

"Katrina." Alexander broke the silence abruptly.

Startled, Katrina nearly leaped out of her skin."Huh?"

"You're practically down to the apple's skeleton." Katrina glanced at the apple, paused, then let out a forced chuckle. "I wasn't paying attention. Did you come to see Daniela?"

Alexander didn't reply immediately. His intense stare continued to bore into Katrina, as if he was about to strip away her veneer at any moment.

"I need to leave now. If you need to speak with Daniela,go ahead. I'll leave you two to it."

Katrina rose hurriedly without waiting for his response, scrambled into a pair of heels at random,and scurried out the door.

Since her marriage to Caiden, Katrina had always been a stickler for sartorial precision.

Her ensembles were meticulously planned, with not a color out of place.

But just now, Alexander noticed Katrina was wearing a long black dress paired with garish yellow high heels.

It was the exact ensemble Joyce once attempted to wear,which Katrina had adamantly criticized.

Now here was Katrina, adorned in just that.

Alexander's suspicions about Katrina's erratic behavior deepened.

He opted to remain in the living room, awaiting Daniela's conclusion to her phone call.

Outside, Daniela wrapped up her dialogue with Lillian.

Cedric dialed Daniela. "Katrina's just left."

Peeking inside, Daniela noted the now-vacant couch.

"Did you capture anything worthwhile?"

"Yes, she spilled the beans. But then Alexander appeared out of the blue, and threw a wrench in the works."

Daniela had orchestrated this scenario meticulously,only for Alexander to unwittingly throw it off course.

This did little to improve Daniela's disposition. Cedric tried to soothe her over the phone. "Let it go.We'll hatch another plan later."

Daniela sighed. "Okay. It's getting cold out here.Why don't you come inside?"

After ending the call, she lingered in the courtyard to compose herself before entering.

Alexander rose from the sofa. "Daniela, we need to talk."

Daniela was visibly fatigued. "Let's talk another day.I'm rather worn out."

"But it's important."

At this moment, Cedric barged through the door.

Alexander hesitated, locking eyes with Daniela, and fell silent for a long stretch.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Daniela prodded,looking at Alexander.

Alexander pressed his lips tightly together, hesitant to disclose his discovery in Cedric's presence. He believed it was a secret between Daniela and him.It needed no other ears.

While Alexander wrestled with his thoughts, Cedric made his way into the living room.

Daniela kept her gaze fixed on Alexander.

Alexander finally spoke. "It's nothing. I heard you've been battling sleepless nights, so I got my hands on some supplements."

Daniela nodded. "Thank you. That's very thoughtful.Fortunately, I don't suffer from insomnia anymore, so I won't be needing them." With that, she ascended the stairs.

Cedric, who had spent a good part of the night by the door, hoping to record Katrina trying to kill Daniela, was thwarted by Alexander's untimely arrival.

He decided to shower. Emerging from the bathroom,he found Alexander had left. He proceeded upstairs.

He found Daniela lying in her bed, engulfed in gloom Kneeling beside her, he whispered, "It's okay. We'll get another shot at this."

Daniela remained mute.

Cedric persisted, "Do you reckon Alexander picked up on something today?"

"Likely. When he walked in, Katrina's voice quivered so much, it would've been difficult not to notice something was amiss."

"I wonder why he showed up out of the blue in the first place."

Daniela stared at the ceiling. "Who knows? Maybe he genuinely came to deliver supplements."

Cedric tilted his head to regard Daniela. "Want to try them? He left them on the table."

Daniela rested her head against Cedric's abdomen and murmured, "No need. I have you now, and sleepless nights are a thing of the past for me."