Lahat ng Kabanata ng Catch Me, Maybe: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Riley pulled the door handle three times.Nothing.She tried the other side.Still nothing.“This is definitely kidnapping.”The huge man sitting across from her didn’t answer.He was the same guy who had confirmed her name back in the alley. Same sunglasses. Same black suit. The car was spacious, but somehow, with him sitting there, it felt a whole lot smaller.“Hey.”“...”“You can hear me, right?”“Yes.”“Then answer me.”“You haven’t asked a question.”“You are exhausting.”Riley dropped back against the seat.Soft.Annoyingly soft.She had never been inside a car like this. There was enough legroom to stretch out, the seats felt like expensive furniture, and almost none of the noise from outside made it through the windows.She’d always imagined kidnapping vehicles would be a lot less comfortable.“Where are you taking me?”“You’ll find out

Riley looked up at her mother’s portrait one more time.

After finishing her burger, Riley leaned back in her chair, thoroughly satisfied.“Thanks for the food.”“Did you enjoy it?” Charles asked.Riley nodded without hesitation.“Yeah. Even the fries were actually good.”“I’m glad to hear it.”“Your one-week rating just went up by one point.”“Out of how many?”“Haven’t decided yet.”“That is a remarkably sloppy rating system,” Grant muttered.Just then, Marcus stepped away from the dining room entrance and approached them.“Riley.”“What?”“About the bag.”Riley froze.“...I forgot about that.”“I didn’t.”“You’re annoyingly responsible, you know that?”“It was stolen property.”“Not so loud!”Vivian went still.“Stolen?”“There’s a whole story—”“It was a purse-snatching,” Marcus said immediately.“Marcus!”“It’s true.”Vivian slowly turned toward Riley.

When Riley walked into the dining room after getting dressed, Charles was already seated at the table.Grant was there too, hidden behind a newspaper.“Morning.”“Good morning, Riley.”Charles looked up.His eyes softened slightly when he saw what she was wearing.“That suits you.”“My aunt dressed me.”“Don’t make it sound like I forced you into it.”Vivian entered behind her.“You put the clothes on yourself.”“You picked them.”“I only chose the outfit.”“I didn’t even own stuff like this yesterday.”Riley pinched the fabric of her blouse.“How much did this cost?”“You don’t need to know.”“That is the scariest possible answer.”Grant laughed behind his newspaper.“Sometimes life is more peaceful when you don’t ask the price.”“Then I won’t.”Riley immediately sat down.“But don’t get mad if I ruin it.”“You could simply

The moment Riley was released from her walking lesson, she headed straight for her room.“Riley.”Vivian called after her.Riley stopped.“...What now?”“I told you we’re practicing introductions this afternoon.”“Doesn’t ‘afternoon’ mean later than this?”“It’s already eleven.”“That’s still morning!”“We’ll cover the basics before lunch.”“That is not what you said before!”Vivian ignored the complaint and started walking.Riley looked up at the ceiling.“One week...”It was still only day two.This was going to be a very long week.◇Vivian led her into a small sitting room.Small by the standards of this house, anyway.Riley was pretty sure her entire apartment could fit inside it three times over.“So what exactly are we practicing?”“Let’s start with the basics of being introduced to someone.”“Can’t I just say hello?”