Chapter 290

Chapter 290

Howard settled into the massage chair beside her. "Sometimes, not actively defending yourself makes it easier to avoid these troubles. Just relax—even if the sky falls, I'll be there to catch it."

The words came so naturally from Howard that Katherine believed he genuinely meant them in that moment. While she was willing to trust that Howard would protect her and the children, she couldn't place all her hopes on him alone. After all, relying on herself was often the safest bet.

Katherine nodded and lay back, letting the masseuse work on her shoulders and joints. She nibbled on fruit occasionally while checking the tablet to watch the children play—a perfectly peaceful moment.

On the screen, Edward and Flora carefully protected Barry. Whenever the three wanted to try the same activity, they always let Barry go first, with one child guarding from behind and another staying at the starting point. 

"Barry gets treatment I've never experienced—these three act like they're blood relatives," Katherine found herself saying with amusement.

Howard gazed at her smiling face, momentarily lost in thought. "They are family now."

The children played with wild abandon until fatigue set in right on schedule. Before Katherine could go find them, the babysitters were already leading them back. 

"Did you have fun?" Katherine ruffled each child's hair in turn. 

Their hair was so soft and pleasant to touch—truly like close siblings, even sharing similar features.

"Yes!" all three chorused.

Edward hugged Katherine's arm. "When Barry gets better, can he come live with us? We still have projects to finish, and living together would be so much more convenient than being apart!"

Katherine looked hesitant, but Howard immediately agreed. "You're still staying at Michael's place, and Barry needs recovery time. Once he's completely well, I'll take you all to live in your own mansion, okay?"

The prospect of living with Barry made both children jump with excitement. "That's wonderful!" 

However, Edward's face soon clouded with worry. "But will that awful woman be living with us too? We only want to live with Mommy. Maybe I should talk to Uncle Michael—I'm sure he'd agree."

"Arabella will be moving out soon, so don't worry about that," Howard said, deliberately looking at Barry as he spoke.

Barry showed no sign of displeasure—instead, his eyes sparkled with anticipation. After all these days, Arabella had failed to build any emotional connection with Barry. Perhaps a biological mother wasn't necessarily the closest one. Howard only wanted Barry to be happy, and Katherine was the ideal mother figure.

Edward and Flora exchanged glances, their excitement somewhat dampened. Katherine had always taught them not to burden others, so they hadn't considered forcing Arabella out of the mansion—they just wanted to find a perfect solution.

"Barry hasn't recovered yet, and no one can predict the future. Let's discuss this later!" Katherine interrupted the conversation.

She took the three children with the babysitters to change into street clothes. By the time they emerged, it was already nine-thirty—well past the children's usual bedtime.

Howard pressed his car key. "Get in. You three sit in the back and buckle your seatbelts." 

He opened the passenger door for Katherine, then glanced at his phone. "I'll drop you off with Flora and Edward first, then take Barry back to the hospital. The doctor's been calling me repeatedly about missing rounds."

Katherine nodded. Suddenly, a familiar scent filled her nostrils. Howard had somehow leaned over to reach for her seatbelt, bringing them extremely close together. His movements were quick, but Katherine remained dazed for quite a while afterward.

A rustling sound interrupted the moment—something had fallen into the seat crack. Katherine instinctively checked her pocket to find it empty of the business card she always carried. It was Daniel's card, which she'd transferred to every outfit's pocket, hoping for the right moment to use it. After struggling to retrieve it, the once-pristine card was now bent and creased.

Howard leaned over to help her pick it up, nearly bumping her head. The name on the card was clearly visible. 

He froze. "Who gave you this?"

Katherine was startled by his suddenly cold tone and explained somewhat guiltily, "Remember when you told me to stay away from Daniel? He gave it to me that day, before you said that. Is there something wrong with Daniel?"

Howard's gaze fixed on the business card before he looked away, saying nothing more. "It's nothing. I just found the name familiar—haven't seen it in a long time. It seems strange for it to suddenly appear now. I won't interfere with your affairs, don't worry."

Meanwhile, Stella emerged from the amusement park fuming like an angry pufferfish—bristling with rage but unsure where to direct it.

Madeline, who had been waiting outside, approached eagerly. "Ms. Brown, Elijah only cares about his own interests now. Should we try creating some trouble from another angle?"

"If it weren't for your terrible advice, I wouldn't have gone to Elijah in the first place! Now that he's gained power, he's started opposing me!" Stella snapped angrily.

Madeline tried to soothe her. "We're just trying all options. Without Elijah, we still have someone else we can approach."

Stella remained skeptical. "Who? If you give me another bad idea, I won't be so polite!"

"Cooperation usually requires the right conditions. If Katherine can facilitate partnerships, we should obviously look for someone who dislikes her but currently lacks the power to completely bring her down," Madeline said with a smile.

Stella calmed down and began mentally sorting through possibilities. She remembered seeing a woman with Elijah and his mother before.

"You mean Arabella? Howard's ex-girlfriend? She's completely devoted to Howard—would she really help us?"

When Wayne was around, her mother had provided the strategies while Stella persuaded Wayne to act. Now, with the social circle having been reshuffled several times, Stella felt less familiar with the players and had to manage alone.

"On the surface, this scheme would cause losses for the Martinez Group, but in reality, it would make Katherine lose Howard's trust. Our people have been mysteriously eliminated by someone, but this Arabella has been so brazenly opposing Katherine—she must have plenty of leverage!" Madeline continued strategizing.

Stella was growing impatient and didn't want to think further. She waved dismissively. "Fine, let's try our best first and see what happens. All this scheming is giving me a headache. As long as Katherine suffers, I'm satisfied."