Chapter 29 A Desperate Dog
The second the words left my mouth, my chest tightened. Damn it. How did I let that slip?
Sabrina's pupils dilated. She'd clearly caught the key detail in my comment.
Her expression darkened as she stepped toward me, eyes locked on mine. "Catherine, how do you know I'm using test subjects? You really can't let go of the Rosewood family, can you? You've been spying on us! I'm pathetic? You're shameless."
I kept my face blank, but inside, my thoughts were racing. The moment her interests were threatened, Sabrina became razor-sharp—nothing like the innocent, harmless act she put on for my four brothers.
I glanced at Michael, still seething with rage. Cursed internally. Now I understood why they all fell for Sabrina's games. They were genuinely idiots.
No way was I falling into her trap. She was using the Rosewood family to provoke me, trying to figure out how I knew about the test subjects. Nice try.
"Sabrina, if you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place."
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I do still care about the Rosewood family." After all, I really wanted to watch karma hit them in person.
Sabrina pressed on relentlessly. "Sounds like there's a traitor in the Rosewood family. Aren't you worried I'll kick them all out?"
She knew Melissa and I were close. An inexplicable sense of crisis crept over me. My brain went into overdrive. How could I protect Melissa?
Nicholas, who'd been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up. "You're overthinking it. I hired a private investigator to watch you."
Sabrina's face went white. She stared at Nicholas in shock.
Nicholas subtly positioned me behind him. "The Rosewood family targeted my company multiple times. Did you really think I'd let that slide?" His tone was ice-cold and utterly convincing.
Sabrina bought it. She remembered how Andrew had pulled plenty of stunts against Nicholas when I first escaped the Rosewood family. Nicholas had made a name for himself in high society at such a young age—his ruthless methods were undeniable.
She shrank back behind Michael nervously. Michael's rusty brain finally started working. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still tried to act tough, protecting Sabrina.
"Nicholas, what do you want? Come after me if you've got a problem. Leave my sister alone."
Blake had seen enough. He grabbed my arm. "Don't look. Bad luck."
I couldn't help but laugh, warmth spreading through my chest.
Before leaving, I turned back to warn Sabrina. "Watch yourself."
Michael lost it again. "Catherine, you backstabbing traitor! How dare you threaten us? Who the hell do you think you are? Even if you know, what are you gonna do about it? Sabby's going to get better with or without you."
Sabrina nervously tugged at Michael's arm. "Michael, stop talking."
She'd successfully fooled all four Rosewood brothers, which meant she had some brains. As for what she was really thinking? That I couldn't say.
In the car, Blake mulled over the ridiculous scene we'd just witnessed.
"Catherine, I'm feeling weird about all this. Like... satisfied but also frustrated? What's up with that?"
I smiled helplessly. "Don't let them ruin your mood. Just think of it as entertainment."
"Fair point."
I understood his frustration stemmed from concern for me. Both Blake and Nicholas couldn't wrap their heads around why everyone in the Rosewood family favored Sabrina. What kind of magic did she have?
Beyond Herman's death all those years ago, there were years of Sabrina's subtle brainwashing. Loving Sabrina was coded into their DNA.
As for me? I was the wounded outsider who could see her ugly true face crystal clear.
---
That night, as I was getting ready for bed, I received messages from both Daisy and Melissa.
Daisy:
[Miss, I saw the person you mentioned!]
[The address matches exactly what you gave me. They locked me in a room.]
She'd attached a few seconds of video footage. I opened it, watched briefly, then quietly closed it.
That was my old room from when I still lived at the Rosewood family house. Now it was a storage room.
They kept saying they wanted me back, but if it weren't for Sabrina, not a single one of them actually wanted me to return to the Rosewood family. My heart grew increasingly numb. Wasn't this all expected anyway?
I exited and checked Melissa's messages.
[Cate, they brought back that girl you mentioned.]
[Not sure what happened, but Sabrina and Michael came home in a rage and dragged Jason into the study.]
[They were in there planning for ages. Right after dark, they brought her in.]
[Oh yeah, didn't you say you ran into Sabrina and them? Did you accidentally say something?]
I cringed a bit but told her what happened.
Melissa got nervous too.
[I can't go to the surveillance room as often now. Better avoid Sabrina.]
[Oh, and there's no outside access to the study's surveillance. I'm planning to sneak in a bug when I'm cleaning. You better reimburse me.]
I agreed with a smile, formulating a plan. Seemed like Andrew and James weren't usually home.
After we exchanged information, another message from Daisy came through.
[Miss, what should I do now?]
[You'll come save me, right?]
According to Daisy's account, she'd received an invitation from the agency that afternoon—the boss wanted to meet her. She didn't think much of it and went to the agreed location, getting in the car. When the car stopped at the Rosewood family villa, she relaxed slightly, seeing it wasn't some deserted area. But then they led her to my room, said to wait there, and locked her in.
They hadn't restricted her phone use though. The timeline matched what Melissa had said.
I hadn't expected Sabrina to be this paranoid. The afternoon I'd slipped up, she'd gone straight home and secured Daisy.
To avoid leaving evidence, I could only go through proper channels. Once both parties signed a contract and established a business relationship, no one could stop them. I had to prevent that.
With this in mind, I quickly replied to Daisy. After reassuring her, I added: [If anyone comes to make you sign a contract, refuse no matter what. Stall for time. I'm coming right now.]
[Got it.]
I immediately went next door and knocked on Nicholas's door. In that moment, I felt grateful we lived so close.
Nicholas opened the door quickly. After I gave him a brief rundown, his expression turned serious.
"We'll go right now."
While he went back for his car keys and to change, I called the police.
"Hello, police? At XX Villa in the XX District on XX Street, someone's being illegally detained for an illegal transaction. Please send officers immediately."
The police took it seriously and dispatched units right away. Nicholas and I headed downstairs and rushed toward the Rosewood family house.