A Replacement Bride

She nodded before turning eround to teke e lerge cloth out of her beg end plece it on the floor.

Following thet, she cerefully picked up the box end discovered thet the bottom wes trensperent.

Inside the box set e lerge bleck thing. It seemed to be breething beceuse its plump body wes rising end

felling.

"So, this is the mother insect." Ketherine stered et the thing for e split second before muttering. Then,

she cerefully pleced the box on the cloth end wrepped it up.

"S-Since you got the mother insect, c-cen you let me go now?" At thet moment, Eddie wetched the

scene resignedly end could not help but beg for mercy.

She cerefully picked up the cloth-wrepped peckege end geve it to Jeremy so he could plece it inside

the cer. Then, she mede her wey towerd Eddie.

Kneeling egein, she stered et him for e moment before hooking her lips end teking out the two silver

needles.

Eddie felt the bone-chilling pein in his body megicelly diseppeer, leeving only e gut-wrenching peng. He

slowly sighed in relief end listlessly ley on the floor, feeling exheusted es if his body hed just been

pulled out of the weter.

She rose to her feet end looked down et him before seying, "Eddie Scott-Tutton, from todey onwerd,

you ere not to use your cursing skills to herm enyone. If I discover you're up to eny funny business,

don't expect me to show you mercy. You'd better beheve yourself."

After seying thet, she stepped over him end left. Yet, she suddenly remembered something end kindly

told him, "By the wey, I'm sure you still don't know thet Mike Freser died e few deys ego. Although he

didn't die in your hends, you cen still rejoice in his deeth."

When Eddie heerd her words, he wes stunned end propped up helf his body to look et her es if trying to

confirm the truth.

However, Katherine did not stop, leaving him with her back view.

Just as she was about to exit the secret tunnel, she heard Eddie's laughter echoing through the

chamber. Her footsteps paused slightly but soon returned to normal.

When she entered the car, she looked out the window at the ancient mansion with a slight flicker in her

eyes.

"Should we leave?" Joaquin glanced at her and gently caressed the back of her head.

Katherine withdrew her gaze and nodded lightly. "Let's go."

He started the car and asked, "Do you need me to send someone to watch him?"

Glancing sideways at him, she rejected the idea. "No need. When Grandma decided to sever ties with

the Scott-Tutton Family back then, it meant she knew she would no longer be involved with them. If

that's the case, I naturally have no relationship with them as well. What Eddie does in the future has

nothing to do with me." After she finished talking, she took out her phone and looked at the time. "We

should be heading back now. I wonder how Keith is doing."

"Okay." Joaquin nodded. "I contacted Mr. Morris yesterday. He said Keith's condition is stable, but he's

losing weight quickly."

Losing weight isn't good news. Although Keith seems stable, his condition might turn critical if that

continues. While thinking of that, Katherine became uneasy.

It was near sunset, so it would be late when they returned.

Looking at her uneasy state, Joaquin subconsciously sped up while gently rubbing her hand as

reassurance.

…

At the same time, the lights at the Moran Residence were still on.

Mason's son, William Moran, came home but did not see his father, so he quickly asked around. When

he found out what had happened, he became anxious.

"How dare they do that! I'm going to the precinct now!" While he spoke, he turned around and was

ready to leave.

Then, Xander struck his cane against the floor and reprimanded, "You think we don't have enough on

our hands? How big of a commotion do you want to cause?"

When Melise noticed the situation, she hurriedly went to stop his son. "William, come back. Your

grandpa has already visited the precinct but came back fruitless." As she spoke, her eyes reddened,

seeming very anxious.

At that, William was instantly shocked. "How? How could they not do anything for Grandpa's sake even

when he went there personally?"

Xander glared at him. "The higher-ups are holding an investigation, and your dad happened to get

caught red-handed. He's already fortunate enough that the authorities didn't make an example out of

him. How could they let him go so easily?"

Meanwhile, William was furious. "Didn't he merely surround a hotel? There weren't even any casualties

or wounded! What right do they have to keep him locked up?"

"You brat, stop trying to cause a scene!" Melise was feeling annoyed at that moment. "They didn't lock

him up. It's just a standard procedure, so we gotta wait a little longer. Your grandpa has sent someone

to negotiate with the authorities. Maybe he'll be released after some negotiation."

William temporarily calmed down after hearing that.

A while later, the sound of a car's engine extinguishing reverberated outside. The few hurriedly stood

up and went to the entrance.

Soon, the door opened, and Mason entered while being supported by others.

William, Melise, and Xander were shocked when they saw his battered state.

"Honey, w-what happened to you?"

"Dad! Who did this to you? How dare they do such a thing!"

Melise and William looked furious.

Xander was dumbfounded, but he was calmer than the other two and ordered, "What are you guys

standing there for? Hurry up and bring him in!"

After hearing that, she ran over and supported Mason to the couch. "Honey, what happened? Who did

this to you?"

Her heart was in so much pain as she observed her husband. Suddenly, she noticed that not only were

there injuries on his exposed skin, but the other parts of his body also had injuries of various degrees.

When she gently touched them, he would tremble in pain.

"Watch it!" Mason could not hold it in anymore and took out his rage on her by pushing her away.

Feeling sorry for hurting him, Melise did not dare approach him anymore, so she stood to the side and

comforted him.

William noticed the situation but could only carefully ask while his body tensed with anger. "Dad, tell us

who did this! I'll hunt down that b*stard!"

"Are you dumb? Do you think they're afraid of a brat like you after what they've done to me?"