Handling Her Overbearing Stepmother.

CATALINA

A week later...

I stretched my body on the yoga mat, my breath slow and steady. The sound of the meditation music blasted in my ears, chasing away all distracting thoughts from my mind as I basked in the warm heat of the morning sun. My room smelled like lavender oil I had used earlier, and it calmed me in the most unexpected ways.

A small smile of bliss crept onto my lips when I finally finished my workouts. Yoga wasn't as easy as everyone thought, but it really was an efficient way to remain in shape. I was just about to turn off the speaker when the door suddenly swung open.

“Catalina, we need to talk!” My stepmother's voice sliced through the air. “I have had enough of troublesome behavior in this house!”

I closed my eyes and started rolling the mat slowly, trying to imagine that my arch nemesis wasn't in the room. Like she didn't just burst into my room without permission and scream at me like I was her toddler.

Ten...nine...eight...seven...

Fuck it, where was my gun? Last time I checked, it was still in my purse, right?

“If you thought that sending those messages to Rosalia would make her hate me, then you were sorely mistaken,” she sneered, venom in her voice. “My daughter would never believe another stranger over her mother.

I rolled up the mat calmly, straightened to my full form, and then turned to face my stepmother. She was dressed in a yellow sundress that matched her hat, lips painted in a bright red shade.

I narrowed my eyes when I saw her outfit. My nanny had informed me that the dress was once my mother's favorite dress before she passed away.

What a bitch.

“Well, it may not be enough to turn her against you immediately, but at least she will start asking questions,” I replied with a small smirk, reaching for my water bottle on the table. “For example, why did you keep taking me for late-night walks when I was a child? You should have done that with her instead.”

Josephina's nose flared with rage when she heard my words. “I am going to make you pay for this, Catalina. Make my words, I will make you regret—”

“... regret being born in the Rodriguez family,” I finished her words with an eye roll. Josephina's threats never failed to amuse me, especially since she came into the family after I was born.

But my stepmother wasn't joking after all. She slowly closed the distance between us and looked me straight in the eye.

“I want you to leave this house, Catalina,” Josephina demanded. “Leave before I make things very hard for you here. You don't belong here. You stopped being a member of this family since the day your mother died.”

Anger shot up in my chest when I heard her words. I was so enraged that I instantly grabbed the gun without a second thought and spun around, aiming the gun at her.

Josephina immediately stepped back, eyes wide with fear when she saw my weapon. Yet, she did not back down, probably because she knew I wouldn't pull the trigger on her.

“You wouldn't dare, Catalina,” she sneered, her voice filled with disdain. “It's one thing for you to have a juvenile record that no one knows about, but we both know you won't always get away with killing someone.”

I glocked the gun one more time. “Try me.”

Something on my face must have scared Josephina away because she began to take slow, backward steps towards the door. She gave me one last glare before she shut the door.

“This is not over, Catalina,” she swore. “I will make sure you leave this house at all costs.”

I waited for the door to close before I finally put down the gun on the table. Ever since I left the Knight mansion, I had been in a constant bad mood, and I was really hoping today would be different. Well, it would have been if my stepmother didn't ruin it.

l

Sinking into the bed, I reached for my green juice and turned on my laptop. If my nanny were still around, she would have nagged me into having a shower, but the old woman had retired comfortably with the fat check I gave her after her sixtieth birthday.

As soon as the rerun of my favorite show began, a notification popped up on the screen. I recognized the number to belong to Mr. Knight's secretary.

My eyes widened with surprise when I saw it. It had been a week since I left the Knight mansion, and I hadn't received a single call from Theodore. I thought I would never see him again, but it seemed he still wanted to speak to me.

Clicking on the message, I saw this:

Dear Mrs. Knight,

Mr. Knight requests the pleasure of your company for a brief meeting at your earliest convenience this evening. Kindly note that a car has been arranged for your comfort and will be waiting to pick you up at 7:00 PM. Please do not hesitate to inform us if any adjustments are needed.

We look forward to your confirmation.

Warm regards,

Mr. Albert.

I closed the laptop with a light hiss before sinking onto the bed. I had no idea why I was expecting the message to come straight from Theodore, but I did. Deep down, I had been hoping that he would sort things between us, especially after what happened that night.

There was no way I was going to meet him, I decided.

The truth was my memories came back at random moments, causing me to blush uncontrollably. I could still remember the way his lips created sparks on my skin. My fingernails raked down his back while he fucked me. The addicting feeling of him peppering kisses down my neck.

Flustered, I started fanning myself to get rid of the heat in my body. I turned to the mirror and found myself flushed from head to toe, all because of a man.

Fuck it, I was going to meet him.