A Replacement Bride

Chapter 315

Just as Katherine and Joaquin were about to leave the presidential suite to look for Eddie, someone from outside banged on the door hard, and before the two knew it, several strong men wearing black rushed in and surrounded them.

Before she could react, she saw Joaquin's face darken. He promptly stood in front of her in a defensive stance, trying to shield her from the men.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you break into the suite? Get out of here right now!" he yelled as fury flashed across his face. But those men were not afraid of him; they didn't even move an inch. And just when Joaquin was thinking about the next move, a man came in and laughed.

"Why are you acting all scary? We're family, aren't we?"

Katherine recognized the voice the moment the man spoke. She narrowed her eyes and looked straight toward the entrance. She was not surprised to see Mason.

"It's you again," she said dispassionately as she walked from behind Joaquin and stood side by side with him.

Mason raised his eyebrows upon hearing that. "That's right. It's me. It seems that you aren't surprised by my appearance. Are you that sure that we'll meet again?" Without waiting for Katherine's response, he nodded and answered his question as if he was soliloquizing, "Yeah, I bet. After all, we're all Morans. It's normal for family members to be able to read each other's minds. Right, Katherine?"

Katherine couldn't help but tug the corner of her lips in disgust. "Family? Reading each other's minds? Don't make me puke, you moron. Besides, I have made it very clear last time—Grandma has nothing to do with the Morans, let alone me and you."

Mason looked like he wasn't bothered by her words, and he laughed out loud. Even though he was a middle-aged man, his laughter was full of vigor.

"Lose that cold face, Katherine. You're just too immersed in your grandmother's one-sided rhetoric. The Moran Family never agreed to your grandmother leaving the family. You should know that she left by herself, not that we wanted her to leave. In my grandfather's mind, she is still one of the Morans. All Morans are of one mind with my grandfather. So naturally, we won't reject you. I'm even considered your elder cousin."

These words made Katherine feel sick to the core. She let out a snort with an expressionless face. "Grandma told me before that the Morans are a bunch of shameless people. I didn't really believe her at first. I feel bad for not believing her now that I've seen how lowly you can get. It seems that you would throw away your face just to claim ties with someone." She deliberately gritted her teeth and made sure that she uttered the last few words extremely clearly so that she could get the message— her disgust and distaste for the man—across to him.

Mason's face immediately froze after Katherine spoke. Nonetheless, he kept his cool and did not respond with a comeback immediately. Instead, he pretended not to care and shook his head.

"Oh my, it seems that your grandmother had said a lot of things to slander our family back then. No wonder my grandfather didn't fancy her at the time. Turns out she was living off our family while secretly pulling strings behind the scene to disadvantage us. I heard that she was a different person when she married into our family. She used to be very well-behaved and sensible. How did she become an ingrate who never learned to be thankful no matter how nicely we treated her? Katherine, be careful not to end up like your grandmother—"

"Shut your filthy mouth!" The moment he began insulting Jennifer, Katherine's eyes darkened. Her tone was filled with wrath and became more forceful.

Joaquin's expression was not only icy-cold but also covered in strong contempt. He seized the opportunity to speak when Katherine's forceful tone took Mason slightly aback. "Ha! Last I saw you, you couldn't beat the Grants at the funeral and had to run away like a bereaved dog. Funny how you managed to pick a time when the Grants are not around to make trouble. Well, it looks like the noble families of Kyoland are nothing but a bunch of worthless jerks."

Joaquin's provocative words worked; Mason's face turned glum instantly and he looked irked. He stared Joaquin deadly in the eyes, gnashed his teeth, and warned, "There is no beef between the Morans and the Levisays. The internal grievance in the Moran Family has nothing to do with you. Listen up, Joaquin Levisay, stay away from this woman if you know what's good for you, and don't even think of defending her. Or else…"

"Or else what?" Joaquin asked. There was no hint of fear on his expressionless face.

Mason was quite enraged at that point, especially after seeing Joaquin's fearless face. He threatened, "Or else, you'll feel sorry for your sorry *ss! It's simply a walk in the park for the Morans to crush the Levisays!" In Mason's eyes, a mere noble family from Hovington was not sufficient for him to even look down his nose. Not to mention that he had investigated Joaquin and the Levisays after they met last time. After learning that Joaquin was not favored at home and had no real power, Mason despised him even more.

"Don't you dare think you're untouchable just because you married someone from an aristocratic family, Katherine Cornell. Remember, this is Kyoland, not the lowly Hovington. A family from Hovington can never dream of being at the same level as the noble families of Kyoland. Joaquin may be domineering in Hovington, but he's just a piece of trash in Kyoland!"

Joaquin couldn't believe his ears when he heard that. He wore a smile in place of anger. "Trash? Me?"

This was the first time he heard someone label him as trash, and his first response was that it felt refreshing. Though, he started to wonder if Mason would kneel in front of him and beg for mercy if he brought down the Moran Family.

Just when the violent and dark thoughts flashed through his mind, Katherine hissed coldly. "Did you just say he's trash? Then, what are you? Worse than horsesh*t?" Even though there was no obvious raise in her tone, one could easily realize that she was speaking harsher than before, as if Joaquin was a cub that needed protecting. "Of course, I know there is plenty of hidden goings-on in Kyoland, and I know the ways of the city better than you do. Do you really think that Kyoland is even comparable to its past? Kyoland is the past, let alone the Moran Family. Take a good look at who you're threatening now. Find out who you're up against before you even think of starting a fight."

Mason frowned in slight confusion and questioned, "What do you mean?"

Katherine had no intention of answering, though. Times had changed, and the noble families of Kyoland were no longer as powerful and influential as they were in the past. Their power had been dwindling, but they were still living in the past, dreaming of the illusions of maintaining their previous prosperity.

Little did they know that the families from Hovington, which they looked down on, had been developing rapidly in the past few years, springing up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Although the laymen still thought that the families from Hovington could not surpass the noble families of Kyoland, they were by no means inferior. They had even surpassed the noble families of Kyoland in terms of power. This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

So, she merely tugged her lips into a dispassionate smile and refrained from spending another moment talking to him.

"Don't tell me you came knocking things down and threatening us just to catch up with me and have a heart-to-heart talk? I still remember how you scurried away after being intimidated by the Grants at the

funeral. Old dogs never learn, don't they?" she mocked. It was obvious that she had no intention of de- escalating the situation.

Mason paused for a moment before wearing his true feelings on his face upon hearing that. He simply stopped being polite to Katherine because he knew that there was no point in doing so. "Ha. It seems that you are not that much of a fool. Since you already know what I want, hand it over right now!"