Sean watched her storm into the house. A strange mix of emotions churned in his chest. Before the door could shut behind her, he jogged forward and grabbed her, pulling her body close to his. She gasped—a small, surprised sound—and his heart pounded against his ribs.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

​​

He pulled her even closer, pressing her head against his chest, forcing her body to mold to his. She felt delicate in his arms—soft and defenseless. The floral smell of her shampoo wafted up from her hair, and he reluctantly relaxed his grip.

"Sean, you're scaring me," she whispered.

"You're my wife," he said. "Do you understand what that means?"

Her enchanting eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly, "I-I do. And I am grateful that you're helping me. King's College is much better than Queen Mary, and it's much better than any school I would have gone to in the US."

"What?" he asked, surprised by the sincerity of her answer.

"I mean it," she said. "Sophia was also admitted to King's College, and I'm sure many of my old friends were too. It will be nice to study with them again."

"Oh?" he asked.

"I mean Madison might be there too," she continued quickly. "But I can stay away from her, and I'm sure my studies will be so intense I won't have much time to worry about her anyway. I only resisted at first because I thought it was impossible. My exam scores are dismal, and I didn't think I stood a chance. But I'm glad about it. Really."

He held her away from him and stared down at her face. "It's stupid to refuse me," he finally said.

Her eyes flashed, "Well, we're not all as smart as you. Fews of us are born with such natural talent."

Sean's heart hammered against his chest. Her words made him furious, but her mischievous look made him want to pull her closer. The two desires warred in him. He'd just decided on the second when a dry cough sounded behind him. He turned to see Levi looking at him awkwardly.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"I have something to report, sir," Levi said.

"Fine," Sean said, releasing Catherine. "Let's step into my study."

He followed Levi into the study, shutting the thick doors behind him.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"I collected the information you asked for on James Stewart," Levi said.

"Well, tell me," he snapped.

"Four years ago, James was in a serious car accident," Levi said. The circumstances around the accident are still a bit unclear, but he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition."

"I knew that already," Sean said.

Levi looked wounded, but he continued, "In his place, Lawson Stewart took over the Feather Textile Corporation. Though Lawson had been involved with the company from the beginning, he only had a few shares. But once James was in the hospital, Lawson found a way to seize James' shares as his own, becoming the second-largest shareholder in the company. Though there are still some shares unaccounted for."

"Hmm," Sean said. "I thought Lawson had played a bigger role at the beginning."

"It seems that he wanted to, sir," Levi said. "But the board refused."

"I see," Sean said. "And the house?"

"James purchased the mansion ten years ago," Levi said. "When James finally passed away, Lawson tried to change the name on the real estate certificate, but it seems he was never able to find the original certificate. There are some copies where he's changed the name, but they wouldn't hold up in a court of law. In the eyes of the law, the house belongs to James or his legal heir."

Sean closed his eyes—no wonder Catherine seemed so angry with the Stewarts. They had taken her home as their own.

"And what's his relationship with Catherine?" he asked.

"That's more complicated," Levi said. "The sources I spoke to had very different accounts, but it seems that the two families got along fairly well before James' death. They got together during the holidays and on some weekends. Though there are a few people who suspect that there was some disagreement between them in the last few years."

"A disagreement about what?" Sean asked.

Levi shook his head, "No one knew. As for the rest of the family, Lawson's wife Melanie is a very mean woman. She's conniving and money-grabbing and always concerned about her image. Very nouveau-riche, if you want my opinion. Anyway, it seems that Melanie treated Catherine very well, even spoiled her."

"Hmm," Sean said. "If Melanie has such a good relationship with my wife, why does Catherine hate her aunt?"

"I don't know," Levi said.

"And what did you learn about Catherine?" Sean asked.

"According to everyone I spoke to, she was a very reasonable and well-behaved child," Levi said. "She was naturally curious, and she worked hard and got some of the best marks at school. Her classmates and teachers liked her—she was a charmed child. But everything changed when she got to high school. She started to fail exams and then classes, she was caught smoking on campus, and whenever there was a fight or some drama between the girls, she was usually involved."

Sean paced the room, thinking about Levi's words. What else trouble had his young wife gotten into?

"One of my sources thought that maybe Melanie Stewart was involved," Levi said. "They thought that Melanie intentionally tried to ruin Catherine—she seemed to be worried that Catherine would outshine her daughter."

"Is that so?" Sean asked.

"I don't know," Levi said. "The school psychologist's reports blame Catherine's change on the grief of her father's death."

"And what about Madison?" Sean asked, thinking of the vulgar young woman with disgust.

"She was undoubtedly a huge influence on Catherine," Levi said. "And my sources think there might be some truth in what Catherine claims—they think Madison encouraged her and Marco to be together."

Sean muttered a curse and continued pacing the room, "And what about her stepmother and her half brother?"

"Catherine's mother died giving birth to her, and James remarried when Catherine was quite young," Levi said. "As far as Catherine is concerned, Maria is her mother—she raised her and cared for her as if she were her own. Maria is also related to Catherine's best friend—Sophia Wells."

"Why did she disappear when James died?" Sean asked.

"As Catherine's mother's brother, Lawson was always a bit cold with Maria," Levi said. "When James died, he tried to claim that Samuel isn't James' true son, but a bastard. He found DNA tests to support his claims, but the sources were suspicious. In the end, he successfully drove Maria and Samuel out of the family home."

"Interesting," Sean said. "Very interesting."

"It seems that Catherine believed the DNA test, though," Levi continued. "She rejected her stepmother and brother and cut off all contact with them after Lawson showed her the report."

"He's a damn cruel man," Sean said.

"That he is, sir," Levi agreed. "And an opportunist, too. When James passed away, he left behind an inexperienced wife and two young children. Lawson saw his chance to get control of the company, and he took it."

"He's a bad man," Sean said.

"So, do you want me to cancel the investment in Feather Textile Corporation?" Levi asked.

"No," Sean said. "I've done business with bad men before."

"But sir—" Levi objected.

"Do as I say," Sean ordered.

Levi left the room, and Sean sank into his desk chair. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He'd long had suspicions about Lawson, but he couldn't fight the anger rising in his chest. He thought of Lawson's saggy, round face and his greedy little eyes, and he imagined pummeling him into nothing.