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Catherine stood silently, the weight of the room’s collective gaze pressing down on her. The woman’s apologetic words hung in the air, her voice dripping with the kind of forced humility that made it clear how much she regretted her earlier arrogance.
For a long moment, Catherine said nothing. Her eyes flicked briefly to Mr. David, who was still glaring at the couple with visible disdain. He had made it clear—Catherine was no mere cleaner. But she hadn’t expected this sudden shift in attention, the entire room now treating her like someone of great importance.
The woman, seeing Catherine’s continued silence, shifted uncomfortably. Her face was pale, and she lowered her head slightly, clearly expecting some sort of response.
Finally, Catherine’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. She raised one eyebrow slightly, her expression unreadable. “You can go,” she said coolly, her voice as calm and composed as ever. “It’s nothing.”
The woman, startled by the lack of a dramatic scene or the angry response she had expected, blinked in confusion. The crowd, too, seemed to hold its breath, as though unsure how to react to Catherine’s unexpected calmness.
Catherine didn’t care about the woman’s apology. In fact, she didn’t care about any of this. What she had just witnessed—Mr. David’s protection, the shift in the atmosphere—was more than enough for her. She was no longer a powerless outsider; she was someone with power in her own right, and the realization of that fact was something she found quietly satisfying.
After a moment, Catherine turned away, her attention returning to the cup of spilled tea, which had been hastily wiped away by a servant. Her indifference seemed to take the air out of the situation. The woman, now completely humiliated, muttered another apology before retreating to the side, her earlier bossy demeanor now replaced by a hasty attempt to salvage whatever dignity she had left.
Korbin and his family had just arrived back on the scene, having been informed of the incident. Korbin’s face was still grim, but there was an unmistakable glimmer of surprise in his eyes when he saw Catherine standing untouched by the scene.
Liana, on the other hand, had clearly turned pale. The realization of how completely wrong she had been about Catherine was written all over her face. She could hardly hide her shock. The fact that her own family had been part of the ridicule, and that the girl she had so scorned had been singled out by Mr. David as the “most distinguished guest,” was a blow to her pride.
Rachael, who had been watching the interaction from a distance, slowly approached Korbin and whispered, “Did you know about this? That Catherine was Mr. David’s special guest?”
Korbin’s expression tightened. He shook his head, equally baffled. “I had no idea. This isn’t like her to be the center of attention… especially not in this way.”
But despite their surprise, they couldn’t deny the truth. Catherine had just gained something they had never expected her to have—respect. A silent, powerful respect, one that no one could easily disregard.
The woman who had been so haughty only moments ago now stood by the wall, her face flushed with embarrassment, while Mr. David’s presence had brought the room to a hushed silence. His sharp eyes scanned the room before he made a few more remarks, subtly reminding everyone of the proper decorum expected in his home.
As the tension slowly eased and people resumed their conversations, Catherine remained an enigma. She hadn’t needed to say a word, and yet, she had commanded the attention of everyone in the room.
Liana, still recovering from her earlier shock, walked over to Catherine with a forced smile, though her eyes flickered with uncertainty. “So, you really are Mr. David’s guest?” she asked, her tone almost too sweet, but her gaze was still laced with disbelief.
Catherine met her sister’s gaze, her expression as calm and composed as ever. “It seems so,” she said, her voice steady.
Liana’s smile faltered, and for a brief moment, Catherine saw the hint of something—fear, perhaps—flicker across her face before she quickly masked it with a smile.
“Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening,” Liana said, her words still polite but lacking the bite they once held.
Catherine offered a small nod, turning her attention back to the crowd, her gaze sweeping over the guests who were slowly returning to their conversations. The weight of their judgment no longer mattered to her. In this moment, she understood her place in this world—whether they liked it or not, she was no longer invisible.
As she took her seat once more, she felt the eyes of the room on her, but this time, it was different. They weren’t judging her for her clothes, her origins, or her supposed place in society. They were wondering what kind of woman she really was—and that, for Catherine, was the beginning of something new.