Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Katherine stood frozen, her gaze locked on the figure at the door where her doppelganger stood.

The room had fallen into stunned silence. The Hollingsworths were speechless, jaws slack with disbelief. Only Massimo wore a smug smile, his eyes fixed on Katherine.

He chuckled as her confused stare flickered between him and the woman beside the door.

Surprise, Hollingsworth, Kassandra thought, stepping inside with a smirk. "I’ve come to play this game too… and that includes you, my dearest fake doppleganger, Katherine."

Uncle Ryan’s jaw clenched. How… How's this even possible?

Then, breaking the tension, Massimo spoke:

“Well, everyone, meet my wife and daughter. I know you’re all shocked and desperate for answers, but I’m not in the mood for explanations. And frankly… I don’t owe any of you one.”

A wave of murmurs rippled through the room.

“But how? How's this even possible? Why haven’t—” Uncle Ryan began.

Massimo raised a hand, cutting him off.

“Not now, Uncle. This is a happy reunion, not a courtroom. I don’t have time for small talk.”

Uncle Ryan’s face flushed red, humiliated. You arrogant brat… he fumed but bit his tongue.

Kassandra moved to the head of the dining table, her smile dripping with confidence. She stood beside, Katherine's little sister, Thelma, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Katherine’s eyes widened. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

Thelma?

The child didn’t even glance at her. Just stared blankly at everyone like a porcelain doll… until her eyes met Katherine’s, and then, just as quickly, looked away.

What the hell was going on?

Kassandra’s voice rang out, sweet and sharp. “Nice to finally meet you, Hollingsworths. I’m Kassandra, Massimo’s wife. And this little beauty beside me is our daughter, Thelma.”

A hush fell over the room again.

All eyes turned to Katherine, whose world had just begun to splinter.

“My dearest husband, Massimo, has told me so much about all of you,” Kassandra said, smiling sweetly, though the glint in her eyes was anything but kind. “Don’t mind my dramatic entrance… It's a pleasure to meet you all. Well… not all of you.”

Her gaze flicked pointedly to Katherine.

“Welcome, love,” Massimo said, wheeling his chair closer to Kassandra and pulling her into a kiss. The two locked lips, unbothered by the stunned silence that fell over the table.

Katherine's knees weakened at the sight. Her heart felt like it was collapsing in on itself.

“This can’t be real,” Amy whispered. “I swear I’m seeing double. Someone pinch me.”

“I got you,” Sienna replied, pinching her arm. Amy yelped.

“You said pinch, I delivered,” Sienna said with a wink.

“Both of you, shut it!” Uncle Ryan barked, his face red with fury. “This’s not a joke.”

Massimo simply chuckled, unbothered.

Kassandra gracefully pulled out a chair beside him and sat down, settling Thelma next to her.

Katherine finally found her voice and stepped closer, eyes glued to the little girl. “Th-Thelma, dear… what're you doing here?” Her voice trembled. “Mass—I mean… Master, how did my kidnapped sister end up as your daughter?”

She looked between Thelma who blinked back at her in confusion, and Massimo, who calmly set down his cutlery and leaned back.

“That’s not your sister, maid,” he said sharply. “She’s my daughter.”

Katherine flinched.

Kassandra leaned in, resting a hand on Thelma’s shoulder. “Maybe she just looks like your missing sister… just like you and I are mirrors of each other. But make no mistake. This girl right here is mine. Our daughter. Not yours. Not your family’s.”

She kissed Thelma on the cheek, eyes never leaving Katherine.

Then Thelma spoke, her voice small but clear. “She’s my mummy. And he’s my daddy,” she said, pointing at Kassandra and Massimo.

Another collective gasp swept through the room. Only Kassandra and Massimo remained amused.

“You heard her,” Massimo said, grinning as he turned to Katherine. “Now go fetch my wife and daughter something to eat. They must be starving after such a long journey.”

He leaned back in satisfaction, watching her every reaction.

“Thanks, honey. I’m famished,” Kassandra purred, her eyes flickering to Katherine’s pale face.

Before Katherine could move, Amy spoke up. “Brother… how long has this been going on? Does Madam Elizabeth even know about this?”

Massimo turned his cold gaze to her. “You’re asking how long?” He chuckled darkly. “Use your brain, Amy. The girl sitting beside me is ten. Do the math.”

Amy gasped, covering her mouth.

“And as for Madam Elizabeth…” He paused, letting the tension stretch. “Yes. She knows. She’s known for a very long time.”

The room erupted in shocked murmurs.

“What?!”

“No way…”

“She knew?”

Uncle Ryan surged to his feet, red-faced and shaking. “How could she have kept this from me?!”

Massimo shrugged. “Ask her that when she returns. I’m not your messenger.”

Then he turned back to Katherine, still frozen in place, her gaze lingering on Thelma.

“I said, get my wife and daughter some food. Or do I need to repeat myself again?”

Katherine’s lips parted, but no words came. Her heart pounded as she gave Thelma one last look, still no recognition in the child’s eyes, then turned, forcing her legs to move toward the kitchen.

*****

One Week Later

Katherine stood in the bustling kitchen, her face pale and weary as she chopped vegetables beside Ma’am Rachel. The savory aroma of dinner simmered around them, but to her, everything smelled like dread.

“I’m so tired, Ma’am Rachel,” she whispered, leaning heavily against the counter. Her hand drifted almost instinctively to her slightly rounded belly. It was growing, and the fear was growing with it.

How long until someone notices? What'll she do when it can't be hidden anymore?

Ma’am Rachel’s sharp eyes flicked to the gesture. She’d noticed it before, Katherine cradling her stomach when she thought no one was watching.

“Kath…” Rachel asked gently, “Are you pregnant?”

Katherine jolted, snatching her hand away like she’d been burned. “W-What? No! Of course not! I’d never… not with someone like Massimo!” she snapped. “Have you not seen how they treat me? Him, Kassandra… the entire Hollingsworth clan? I’m barely human to them.”

Her voice cracked at the edges, raw from everything she’d endured.

But the part she didn’t say, the part gnawing at her heart was what haunted her most.

Thelma.

She couldn’t get the girl out of her mind. Her sweet, quiet face. The way she'd looked at Katherine like a stranger. They lived under the same roof, yet Katherine couldn’t even get close. They said she wasn’t her sister. But every inch of her soul screamed otherwise.

Even the police hadn’t been able to find her own Thelma. And after Kassandra’s dramatic entrance, life had spiraled into an endless storm. Katherine had visited her father at the hospital just days ago, desperate for answers. She’d asked him if she could’ve had a twin. He’d simply sighed and said no, that the resemblance with Kassandra was pure coincidence.

But it didn’t feel like coincidence.

Nothing did anymore.

Ma’am Rachel hummed thoughtfully, still staring at her with a mix of concern and knowing. “I know things have been… brutal. But you’re stronger than you think, child. And you’re not alone. I’m here.”

Katherine’s heart softened. She was grateful. Ma’am Rachel was one of the few kind souls in this house, aside from Madam Elizabeth, who was still away.

“Tha—”

Her words were cut short as the kitchen door slammed open.

Kassandra entered, radiating cold menace. Instantly, the maids stiffened, eyes wide with fear.

Katherine tried to avoid Kassandra’s gaze, but witches had a way of finding you. Kassandra’s eyes flicked to Katherine, a slow, cruel smirk curling her lips as she sauntered past.

“I see you’ve been chatting,” Kassandra sneered. “Is this what y'all do before my arrival into this household? Gossip and idle chatter? Is this what you’re paid for?” Her words slithered through the kitchen, silencing the room. “You peo–”

Ma’am Rachel stepped forward, unintentionally cutting her off. “Ma’am Kassandra, is there something you need? I can send the maid to attend to—”

Before she could finish, Kassandra’s fury exploded. With a sharp, blistering slap, she struck Ma’am Rachel across the face. Milk spilled from Rachel’s trembling hands, cascading onto Kassandra’s polished shoe.

Gasps echoed, the kitchen frozen in horror.

Ma’am Rachel pressed a shaking hand to her cheek, head bowed, eyes stinging.

“You old hag!” Kassandra snarled. “Don’t cut me off when I’m speaking! Do you understand?”

Katherine’s breath caught, but before she could stop herself, she spoke up.

“Ma’am Kassandra, with all due respect… you shouldn’t strike an elder especially one old enough to be your mother. It’s cruel.”

The room fell into a deadly silence.

Kassandra’s eyes blazed with disbelief and fury. The audacity of this worthless maid!

“It’s okay, Kath,” Ma’am Rachel whispered, trying to defuse the tension.

But Kassandra’s glare snapped to Katherine.

“Let her speak,” Kassandra sneered. “Yes, let the worthless maid speak. Do you think that just because my husband hasn’t divorced me yet, you have the right to talk back to the lady of this house? Come here!”

Katherine swallowed hard, stepping closer to Kassandra.

“Kneel!” Kassandra snapped sharply.

Katherine glanced at Ma’am Rachel, who urged her with a worried glance. Slowly, trembling, Katherine sank to her knees before Kassandra, fists clenched tight to hold back the trembling rage.

“Now, lick my shoes. Clean the spilled milk from my shoes, the mess your senior maid dropped,” Kassandra ordered coldly.

Gasps rippled through the maids for the umpethneeth time.

“Ma’am Kassandra, please, I’ll clean it myself. It was my fault,” Ma’am Rachel pleaded, eyes flickering to the agony etched across Katherine’s face.

“Never,” Kassandra spat. “My husband’s debtor will do it.”

“I can’t… please,” Katherine choked, tears prickling.

“You will,” Kassandra hissed. “Unless you want my spiked cane to wipe the floor with your senior protector, and all of you will suffer for her.”

The other maids wept openly, their sobs mixing with the sharp, tense air.

Katherine’s eyes scanned their tear-streaked faces before locking on Kassandra’s cruel glare.

“Why? Why do this to me? I’ve never wronged you. We've no even met before,” Katherine’s voice cracked, tears burning her throat.

“For existing in this house,” Kassandra said darkly, “that is your damnation. No more questions. Do as you’re told.”

Katherine swallowed her pride, bent forward, and reluctantly licked the spilled milk from Kassandra’s shoe.

As soon as she was done, she bolted from the kitchen, tears streaming down her face.

Kassandra’s low chuckle followed her retreating figure. “This is just the beginning, maid. No one is to follow her.”

Down the silent hallway, Katherine collapsed, retching and sobbing on the cold floor.

Why was life so cruel?

A sharp echo of footsteps broke the silence after a while.

Katherine looked up only to see it was Uncle Ryan.

Katherine scrambled to her feet, ready to flee, but he blocked her path.

Poor girl, he thought. Caught in a deadly game she doesn’t understand.

“Good evening, sir,” Katherine said quietly, eyes fixed on the vomit beneath her.

He hummed thoughtfully. “I saw everything. I want to help you. I still hate you, but I want to help.”

Katherine looked up, suspicious. “Why would you want to help me? How would you even go about it?”

Uncle Ryan’s smile twisted with hidden intent. “You want out, right? Free yourself from Massimo, get a divorce?”

She nodded, hesitating. Could she trust him? But freedom was all she wanted. Yet, with her sister tangled in this mess, if that girl even was her sister, could she really leave?

“Can you make that happen?” she finally whispered.

“Yes,” he said, eyes gleaming. “But nothing’s free. We make a deal.”

She stiffened. She knew it! He wanted something.

“And what’s the deal?” she asked, wary.

“You help me steal a file from Massimo’s room. Then you get your freedom. Deal?”