Chapter 18 Helped Me Again
Dealing with two Rosewood family members in one day put me in a great mood.
That good mood screeched to a halt the moment I walked out of the office building.
Not far away, Michael was chatting and laughing with Sabrina. He spotted me too. The smile vanished from his face instantly.
The two of them turned cold and headed my way.
"Catherine, come here. I need to talk to you."
Michael never had any manners with me. Today he had extra anger fueling him.
Considering my personal safety, I stayed put.
"Michael, whatever you need to say, say it here."
I used his first name. Then I glanced toward the security booth nearby, which settled my nerves considerably.
Sure enough, Michael exploded at the slightest provocation. He stormed back over, livid. "Did you feed all your manners to the dogs?"
"Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?"
I smiled, my expression calm. "You don't need manners to talk to a dog."
"Catherine!"
Michael looked like an enraged lion. I scratched my ear, completely unbothered.
"What, Sabrina brought her rabid dog to pick a fight, and I'm supposed to invite you in for coffee?"
In just a few words, I'd managed to insult Michael several times over.
I grew impatient. "Spit it out already."
The Rosewood family really lived up to their name—they all used the same tactics. Jason ambushed me outside my apartment. Michael brought Sabrina to ambush me outside my office.
That's all they had. Pathetic, really.
Seeing the obvious disdain and contempt on my face, Michael could no longer suppress his rage.
"Catherine, have you lost your mind?"
"You think that joke of a severance letter means you're not part of the Rosewood family anymore? Don't forget—Rosewood blood still runs through your veins!"
"If it weren't for me and your brothers, and Sabby's father, you'd be dead already."
"We allow you to live. That's your good fortune. But instead of being grateful, you've got the nerve to push your luck."
"Oh," I said flatly.
I'd heard these lines so many times my ears were about to develop calluses.
I stared coldly back at Michael. "If you came all the way here just to say this, you can leave now."
How ironic. Out of everyone in the Rosewood family, only Sabrina and I shared the same blood type.
"Michael, do you think I give a damn about Rosewood blood? If I could swap it out, I'd gladly trade this filthy bloodline."
If I didn't have this blood, I wouldn't have to be Sabrina's human medicine cabinet anymore.
Neither Michael nor Sabrina expected me to say something so final.
Sabrina rushed to smooth things over. "Catherine, don't be rash. If you don't want to help me, that's fine. Just don't let this come between you and your brothers."
Michael immediately dismissed my words. He stepped in front of Sabrina, shielding her completely.
"Catherine, nobody cares if you want to throw a tantrum."
"But people have to face consequences for their actions. Apologize to Sabby."
"You hit her last time, and now you're bullying her again. Your character is absolutely rotten!"
Michael's tone dripped with disgust. Behind him, Sabrina tugged on his sleeve and spoke softly. "Forget it, Mike. I shouldn't have appeared in front of Catherine in the first place."
"On her birthday, I didn't give her advance notice. I wanted the brothers to celebrate with her—I thought it would be a nice surprise, but it turned into a disaster. It's all my fault."
Then she looked at me with those wounded eyes.
"Catherine, please stop fighting with your brothers. As long as you're willing to come back to the Rosewood family, I don't mind dying."
"Don't say that!"
Michael snapped at her lightly. When he turned to me, his expression turned ice cold. "Catherine, if you had even a tenth of Sabby's sense, we wouldn't have to deal with you!"
My chest tightened. Was it really because I wasn't sensible enough that I couldn't win the affection of those four brothers?
In my past life, I'd been trapped by that narrative. Stubbornly believing that if I just did well enough, I'd earn their love.
I'd worked tirelessly, cooperating with James's experiments to save Sabrina. When Michael's artwork got attacked by haters online, I'd stayed up all night firing back at thousands of nasty comments.
And then there were Andrew and Jason...
I cut off the memories. Living this second life, I finally understood—they didn't deserve the good I'd shown them.
"Michael, is Sabrina really blameless?"
With that, I pulled up the video from that day. Sabrina's pupils contracted sharply. Her face went pale, and her voice started trembling. "Mike, let's go. Catherine doesn't want to see us. Why are we asking for trouble?"
Damn it! Catherine still hadn't deleted it.
Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to explain this away.
Before she could speak, Michael had already taken my phone and started watching the video.
From start to finish, I hadn't done a single thing to bully Sabrina. His face grew uncomfortable.
"You obviously edited this video. Don't think you can fool me!"
Hearing Michael cover for her, Sabrina quickly chimed in. "Right, Catherine. I was just trying to have fun with you that day, to get closer. I didn't think you'd misunderstand."
"Have fun?"
"Misunderstand?"
I laughed bitterly. "Sabrina, do we have the kind of relationship where we 'have fun' together?"
Sabrina looked guilty and hid behind Michael.
Michael shielded her completely. "Catherine, stop being so aggressive."
"Sabby is pure-hearted, not scheming like you. You think everyone's as vicious as you are?"
"Huh?"
I'm vicious? Even in this second life, as vicious as I might be, I haven't tried to kill Sabrina—but she's always wished for my death!
"Michael, is there something wrong up here?"
I tapped my temple pointedly. I knew Michael would be biased, but I hadn't expected him to side with Sabrina without hesitation even when faced with hard evidence.
After mocking them both, I felt utterly exhausted. I tried to walk around them and head home.
"Catherine, stop right there! Did I say you could leave?"
Michael chased after me to block my path. A tall figure beat him to it, gripping his shoulder firmly.
Michael was an artist—lean and slender. Nicholas only used thirty percent of his strength with one hand.
"Who are you?"
Nicholas ignored him. He glanced at Sabrina behind Michael and said mockingly, "Catherine, I heard your lifesaver's daughter was supposedly delicate and fragile. How come she looks so full of energy now?"
"Before, when you weren't around, she was supposedly on death's door. But now that you've left, her health's actually improved?"
I instantly caught on to what Nicholas was implying.
"Nicholas, you don't understand. Sabrina's condition is rare, but it doesn't flare up constantly—only at 'critical' moments!"
"I see."
He looked like he'd just had an epiphany.
Recognizing Nicholas, Michael didn't dare push back too hard. But Nicholas had no intention of letting him off easy.
"Well, today's been eye-opening, Mr. Rosewood. Ganging up on someone weaker, and she's your own sister no less. Real classy."
"No wonder Sabrina's treatment can't use you. With those scrawny arms and legs, what use would you be anyway?"
Michael turned red with fury. "You—!"
Nicholas snorted coldly and called out to me, "Let's go. These two are bad luck."