All Too Late

“Well then, when did your affair with Christopher begin?” Samuel asked coldly.

Kathleen leered at him sideways. “Do you truly want to know? Aren’t you afraid of getting triggered?”

“I am,” Samuel answered. His tone was bone-chilling.

“So don’t ask.” Kathleen paused, hesitating. She then continued, “I take a person’s privacy very seriously. Hence, I have no interest in sharing my private life with outsiders.”

Kathleen’s word echoed in Samuel’s mind. Outsiders?

A shadow gradually enshrouded his eyes. She called me family not long ago, but now I’m an outsider?

“It’s done. You can eat now.” Kathleen turned off the fire at the stove.

She then moved the plate of pasta out to the dining room.

Meanwhile, Samuel tried to stamp out the hostility in his eyes, attempting to regain his composure. “Thank you.”

“All right, enjoy your meal. I’m heading home now.” Kathleen removed her apron and got ready to leave.

Samuel paused for a moment, then asked, “Would you stay and talk for a bit?”

Kathleen gazed at him serenely. “I’m going to bed. The face of a female celebrity is of utmost importance. No botox injections can compare to the benefits of beauty sleep.”

Samuel stared at her in return.

Kathleen had spoken calmly without spite. She was merely stating a fact.

It appeared as if she was undeniably treating Samuel as an average family member.

“Okay, then. Goodnight,” Samuel uttered in disbelief.

Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do about it.

He had no other choice. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to grow closer to Kathleen in his entire lifetime.

When Kathleen approached the doorway, she swiveled around. “Samuel, please revoke my VIP status from the malls.”

Samuel looked at her coldly. “All you need to do is not spend your money there. I’ll stop the subscriptions then.”

“I’ll pay you back next time.” Kathleen desired a clean slate with him.

Samuel glared at her. “Will you be spending Charles’ money?”

“Of course.” Kathleen tipped her head up, then declared proudly, “He’s my brother after all.”

money instead?” Samuel was slightly peeved by then. “Or is it that you don’t want to be family

right, I understand.” Kathleen always had difficulty winning an

then turned around and

stared at his plate, which had a sunny-side-up egg on it. The egg was round and

bite of it. Instantaneously, the corner of his thin

back to the Johnson

into the house, she

“Where did you go? I hadn’t heard from you the entire

and Benjamin,” Kathleen explained. “I even bought you a

Charles’ lips twitched. “You had only a meal with them? That’s still no excuse

thinking that Kathleen was trying to mislead him

“I

I thought it was

through with Samuel. From today onward, the two of us are only family members. He is something like a brother

never be his brother. It’ll be asking

all that. In the end, if you do somehow enrage him to the point where he no longer wants to be my family, he’ll

Charles was rendered speechless.

promptly made her

really promise to be his family?” Charles

at him. “That’s right. You

do believe that it can be true. But if it’s Samuel, I don’t believe it at all.”

family is probably just a way for him to buy more time. I bet it’s so that he could get closer to her. Why is she so foolish, though?

what Samuel is planning. But, at least, with a deal like this, he won’t intervene if we decide to leave one day.

Charles pursed his lips.

of Samuel, Charles feared that Kathleen would be the one to pay for it if Samuel did end up plaguing

“You should

taken aback by her

marched up the

she’s actually clever but she doesn’t show it. Some things are better

next morning, Kathleen was having breakfast when Maria brought over an invitation. “Ms. Johnson, this is an invitation from the Morris

surprised. The Morris

then flipped it open. As she scanned through it, Kathleen began to grin from ear to ear.

Ms. Johnson. It’s from Felix Morris,” Maria answered. Kathleen immediately placed the invitation down. “It’s

is he inviting

to ask about what’s going on between Christopher and me. Now, do you understand what I meant? Nothing was happening between Christopher and me, but in the end, the Morris family misread the situation. They’re making a commotion out of nothing.” There was no readable expression on Kathleen’s clean face as she

in a heartbeat. “So should we give Christopher a call

wants to speak with me alone. So what’s

you plan on telling them?”

Kathleen had no desire to