Chapter 5

Catherine's doubts arose, and by the time she came to her senses, the water in the bathtub had already turned lukewarm.

She stood up from the tub, and as she grabbed the towel, a piece of clothing fell out.

Catherine hooked the barely-there garment with her pinky, her mouth twitching in disbelief.

No wonder the maid who brought the towel earlier had that amused and knowing look in her eyes.

Did they really think that Catherine, the supposed fool, would know what this was?

She tossed the lingerie aside, Richard's handsome yet vacant face flashing through her mind. Something about his reaction earlier seemed off.

A quarter of an hour later, there were some sounds coming from the bathroom door.

Richard, who was sitting on the bed watching cartoons, pricked up his ears but kept his eyes glued to the screen.

Until a figure emerged from the bathroom.

Richard tilted his head and asked, "Why are you still wearing a bathrobe?"

Catherine had been walking cautiously, not expecting the fool Richard to be sitting right there.

Recalling her original plan, Catherine steeled herself.

She threw the towel aside, revealing the black bunny costume underneath.

For a moment, the room was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

Richard struggled to suppress the surge of emotions from deep within, quickly averting his gaze and shouting at the TV.

"Oh no! My cartoon is gone! I don't want this! I want my cartoon!"

His voice was so loud that Catherine feared he might call people in from outside.

Terrified, Catherine rushed over and clamped a hand over Richard's mouth.

"Keep it down, or you'll call everyone in here!"

Richard's eyes flickered with confusion, his voice dull as he asked, "Why can't we let them in?"

Then his gaze fell on Catherine's exposed chest and thighs, and he suddenly laughed.

As his mouth opened, a shiny string of drool trickled down.

Catherine's pupils contracted, and she shouted, "Don't move!"

She grabbed the towel and roughly wiped Richard's mouth, making him look at her with resentment.

"Can you be gentler? It hurts!"

Catherine's eyelid twitched violently. She had to suppress the strange feeling several times before finally managing a forced smile.

"My bad, I hurt you. I'm sorry. But you have to understand, you can't tell anyone about what just happened, okay?"

Richard nodded, seemingly understanding. Just as Catherine thought the matter was settled, she felt a warm hand on her breasts.

Catherine's face cracked, her mouth twitching as she looked at the hand on her breasts.

"What... what are you doing?"

Richard's eyes were clear, his confusion evident as he asked, "Why is yours different from mine?"

He even gave it a squeeze, making Catherine's face flush. She slapped his hand away.

She must be crazy to think this fool was pretending like her. Now she was being harassed. What bad luck!

When she came out of the bathroom again, Catherine had changed into normal pajamas. Meeting Richard's still curious eyes, she felt a pang of guilt.

"Alright, let's go to sleep now. No more talking."

Seeing Richard about to speak, Catherine quickly stopped him.

Watching Richard's eyelids droop, Catherine hesitated for a moment before taking a spare blanket from the closet and making a makeshift bed on the couch. She fell into a deep sleep.

As the sound of steady breathing filled the room, Richard, who should have been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.

His deep, intelligent eyes were a far cry from the foolishness he had shown earlier.

Bathed in moonlight, Richard walked barefoot to the couch where Catherine lay, her strange sleeping posture making him smile involuntarily.

Catherine's blanket had slipped halfway off. As Richard covered her up, his gaze unintentionally fell on her chest.

The soft, delicate sensation from earlier seemed to linger in his hand.

Richard's eyes grew deeper. After a long while, he sighed softly and turned to walk into the bathroom.

The next morning, Catherine stretched with a big yawn.

She had slept quite comfortably. The Smith family truly lived up to their reputation as a wealthy family; even the sofa was incredibly soft.

Catherine looked around and walked to the bed, seeing a slight bulge under the white covers.

She instinctively reached out and poked it, and a head popped out from under the blanket.

Richard, rubbing his eyes sleepily, asked, "What's up?"

Richard's innocent, adorable look made Catherine feel like she had done something wrong by waking him.

Catherine cleared her throat and said, "Nothing, just checking if you were awake."

Richard sat up in bed, his eyes still half-closed.

His voice, husky with the unique magnetism of a grown man, sent a shiver down Catherine's spine with a simple "No."

Richard seemed to realize something and, before Catherine could delve deeper, said in a naive voice, "I'm so tired. I want to sleep in today."

Catherine's suspicions dissipated instantly.

She glanced at the dark circles under Richard's eyes, assuming he had stayed up watching cartoons after she fell asleep.

Catherine gently patted Richard's head, her voice soft. "It's okay, you can sleep. I'll go do something."

Richard was so tired that he could barely keep his eyelids open. Just as he was about to continue sleeping after hearing that, he was disturbed by a knock on the door.

Catherine paused, then walked to the door and opened it.

The maid stood outside, momentarily stunned upon seeing Catherine, then her eyes took on a knowing look.

Catherine disliked that look and put on a foolish expression and voice.

"What's up?"

The maid smiled and said, "I came to see if you were up. Mr. Lucas Smith has brought a renowned doctor to examine Mr. Richard Smith. He asked me to inform you."

Catherine's attention was immediately drawn to the renowned doctor.

Given the Smith family's influence, the doctor must be one of the top in the world. Who could it be today?

She was curious.

After all, she had another identity...

Catherine's lips curled into a meaningful smile. Yesterday, she had checked Richard's pulse amidst the chaos. His pulse was steady and strong, seemingly fine.

But only she could see the turmoil beneath the surface.

Richard was poisoned, and it was no ordinary poison.

She needed to meet the doctor and the rest of the Smith family to prepare for her plans.

With that in mind, Catherine perked up and turned to speak, only to find Richard had burrowed back under the covers.

"Richard, get up! I want to see the doctor too! Come with me!"