Chapter 35: Revenge, Kathrina or Both
Even after leaving the main office of FSS and arriving at her apartment, the fire in Kathrina's heart had not subsided; instead, it blazed even more intensely like a wildfire in the woods. She detested that a mere word from Arthur could easily tickle her heart.
Kathrina was not an emotional person. She rarely got attached to someone so fast. Besides her family, she had never once felt this kind of burning anger. It consumed her to the core and clouded her judgment.
'A mistake, he said, tch.' What surprised her the most was that her rage was totally not because of his inappropriate action but rather because he dismissed it by saying what he did was a mistake.
Kathrina searched for her cousin Jenna as she wished her cousin were present so that she could use her as a punching bag. But sadly, there was no one in the apartment except for her, making her sigh in frustration.
Usually, during the investigation period, Kathrina would spend her time recalling all the details and rereading the case file. Yet now, she was lying lazily on her couch while fiercely gripping her pillow and periodically giving it a flying kick out of rage.
'This is not you, Kath. Even when your first boyfriend cheated, you are not this mad. So why now?'
With her past record, Kathrina did not really fall too deep with her boyfriend. When they cheated, she was sad but not to the point that she could go mad because she was aware that she could not give them what they wanted. Sex and trust, she could not give them that. Therefore, she thought it was normal for her boyfriend to look for someone better.
After years since her past relationship, she did not have the desire to start a new one. Why? Because why would she bother her when nothing changed in her? She still felt scared when someone wanted to touch her down there. And trust? It would be a miracle if she could give her future boyfriend blindly.
But Arthur, that man, seemed to have a special power, like a magnet to pull her into him. She liked him, of course. Visual and professional-wise, Arthur was a catch. She was almost ready to give him a chance once the case was closed. However, after what he did today, she was no longer sure.
Kathrina was beyond furious only because of a little reason. She felt like a young girl wallowing in self-pity after their boyfriend denied their request.
"Fuck you, Arthur." Look, she even cursed.
Kathrina put the pillow over her face, suffocating herself before she went mad.
The ringtone from her phone made Kathrina's attention shift. She extended her right hand to reach the phone on the small table, then took it to place it beside her ears.
"Hello?"
"Kathrina, it's Clarissa. I found something important."
Kathrina changed her position from sleeping to sitting with crossed legs. Her face turned serious.
"What is it?"
"Marcella's mother said Marcella is the type to write a diary daily. So, she must write something in her diary before she dies." Clarissa's voice was eager, as though she had found a gold mine.
"But there is no diary in her place." Kathrina looked at her nails that had grown longer while thinking about the diary.
"Maybe there is a secret safe or a secret passage somewhere in her apartment."
That's right. Why she had not thought about that since the first time she visited the crime scene.
'That is because you are thinking about Arthur and your memory.' The other part of her remembered what she had been doing the past day. What an embarrassing moment.
"Good. What else?"
"About Angela, she's a little off, not in a bad way, though. She was genuinely sad but held back when I talked to her."
"Then what about the apartment? Did Theo and Joe find something new?"
"Nothing. But maybe tomorrow we can find something since we knew we were looking for a diary."
"Okay, see you tomorrow then."
"Wait," Clarissa stopped Kathrina from ending the phone call. "What about Arthur Ford?"
"What about him? Kathrina fringed innocent. She had no desire to talk about him at all.
"Is he suspicious?"
"No. He is unaware of the alarm, and his side is also looking for someone who hacked their system." Kathrina explained briefly.
"Then, hmmm," Clarissa's voice trailed off as she hesitated to continue her sentence, but still, she gathered her courage to speak her mind. "Is he as handsome as people say?"
'He is.'
"Just so-so." Kathrina lied. Anyone with perfectly functional eyes could give Arthur's appearance a ten out of ten scores. The reason why she lied? She did not want to dwell on such thoughts at all.
"Really? People said he is as handsome as a Greek god." The doubt in Clarissa was so visible, and she did not bother to hide it.
"Everyone has different tastes, I guess."
"So, Arthur Ford is not your taste," Clarissa concluded.
"….." Kathrina remained silent.
"Hello, are you there?"
"Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. See you tomorrow." Kathrina ended the call unilaterally. Continuing to engage in conversation with Clarissa would just result in her telling another lie.
Kathrina exhaled heavily. She sat back on the couch, let her head fall back, and then started thinking about her life choice. Why did you even have to lie for unreasonable reasons?
'Stop thinking. You know the answer already. You feel possessive over him.'
As though a devil had just whispered in her ears, Kathrina scratched both of her ears incessantly. It was better to pretend like she did not know than to admit her feelings.
"Let's just sleep and forget everything." She muttered, then started making her way into her bedroom to enter a dreamland and push Arthur out of her mind.
***
At the same time, in a boxing ring, two men were busy punching each other. They were Arthur and Dion.
While Dion looked elevated, Arthur's face was twisted into an angry scowl. Even Arthur's movement to attack Dion showed that the man was not calm at all.
Arthur was in a rage for something Dion did not know about.
"What is it this time, Arthur?" Dion asked while punching Arthur's left side, which Arthur blocked successfully. "The alarm?" He asked again, but Arthur kept silent and blocked his punch. "The short hair? What's her name again, Kathrina Reed?" And Arthur's punch landed successfully on Dion's face.
Arthur was breathing hard. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest and the sweat dripping down his face. "How did you know her full name?"
Dion lay flatly on the ring's ground with a sly smile on his mouth. "So you already know," Dion said, then added. "I did a background check for the redhead girl and found they are cousins."
"I already told you not to do that. Didn't I, Dion?" Arthur shot an icy gaze in Dion'sdirection.
"Just a precaution measure," Dion replied carelessly. "Then what will you do about Kathrina?"
"Everything is over with her." What Arthur said left a bitter taste in his mouth. What was over; they had not even started anything.
"I have an idea to nurse your broken heart." The glint in Dion's eyes showed that the man was up to no good.
"No, thanks."
Arthur was about to leave Dion when his friend's words suddenly caught his attention.
"You can get both your revenge and Kathrina."
Arthur had an inkling that what Dion had in mind was the same as what he had.
"Date her and destroy her uncle at the same time."
As expected, their brain worked almost the same way. Arthur would be lying if he had not thought about that. He did ever since the funeral. He never stopped thinking about it.
"No." Arthur declined. He won't play with her.
"You can be in love and get close to her family. Who knows, maybe you will find the evidence sooner." Dion walked close to him and tapped Arthur's should a few times, then added, "Think about it." And Dion left Arthur.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone