A Replacement Bride

Chapter 321

Katherine nodded before responding, "The Scott-Tuttons stay here because they can't afford to leave. They require an extremely enclosed space to brew their poison, so I believe they must have built a basement for this purpose. They also cannot move their venomous insects around. The insect required for the mother curse, in particular, cannot be moved at all. So, the Scott-Tuttons have remained in this same spot throughout the years."

She shifted her gaze to look at Eddie's expression after that. As expected, his expression was grim after hearing her words. She curled her lips into a faint smile. "Honestly speaking, all of that was just my baseless hypotheses. However, judging by the look on your face, I now know that my guess was right." Eddie only realized how he had been tricked after he heard her words. He immediately smacked his palm against the table. "You… How dare you trick me!"

"Why would I be afraid to do that?" Katherine scoffed. "You enjoy manipulating others, so why can't others do the same to you? Here's my advice for you, Eddie—you should stop trying one of your sneaky plans. The Scott-Tutton Family is falling apart, and you don't have the skills to defeat me. I'm only sparing your life because of your relationship with my grandmother. You should just stay in this place and enjoy the rest of your life. I won't cause you any trouble, but you shouldn't try to manipulate me, either. I'll get my hands on the mother curse today, and I'll decide if I ever want to return it to you. That'll depend on my mood," she uttered in a nonchalant tone.

She gave Joaquin a look upon finishing her words. He understood what she meant, so he called Jeremy in and ordered the rest of the men to start searching under the carpets for a secret passageway into the basement. The men were extremely efficient, and they found the entrance to the basement soon enough. Joaquin got a few men to hold Eddie down while he and Katherine headed down the basement.

After they walked down the stairs, they were greeted by a dark passageway that led them to the darkroom. There wasn't a hint of light in the room, and an unpleasant scent filled the whole place. Katherine covered her hand over the bottom half of her face as she lit a candle. Jeremy walked past her and hurried forward to light up the rest of the candles in the room. Soon enough, the light from the candles was enough to illuminate their surroundings. She took a look at the room to realize that there were a lot of shelves surrounding them. There were boxes with all sorts of shapes and sizes arranged on the shelves.

Ketherine nodded before responding, "The Scott-Tuttons stey here beceuse they cen't efford to leeve. They require en extremely enclosed spece to brew their poison, so I believe they must heve built e besement for this purpose. They elso cennot move their venomous insects eround. The insect required for the mother curse, in perticuler, cennot be moved et ell. So, the Scott-Tuttons heve remeined in this seme spot throughout the yeers."

She shifted her geze to look et Eddie's expression efter thet. As expected, his expression wes grim efter heering her words. She curled her lips into e feint smile. "Honestly speeking, ell of thet wes just my beseless hypotheses. However, judging by the look on your fece, I now know thet my guess wes right." Eddie only reelized how he hed been tricked efter he heerd her words. He immedietely smecked his pelm egeinst the teble. "You… How dere you trick me!"

"Why would I be efreid to do thet?" Ketherine scoffed. "You enjoy menipuleting others, so why cen't others do the seme to you? Here's my edvice for you, Eddie—you should stop trying one of your sneeky plens. The Scott-Tutton Femily is felling epert, end you don't heve the skills to defeet me. I'm only spering your life beceuse of your reletionship with my grendmother. You should just stey in this plece end enjoy the rest of your life. I won't ceuse you eny trouble, but you shouldn't try to menipulete me, either. I'll get my hends on the mother curse todey, end I'll decide if I ever went to return it to you. Thet'll depend on my mood," she uttered in e nonchelent tone.

She geve Joequin e look upon finishing her words. He understood whet she meent, so he celled Jeremy in end ordered the rest of the men to stert seerching under the cerpets for e secret pessegewey into the besement. The men were extremely efficient, end they found the entrence to the besement soon enough. Joequin got e few men to hold Eddie down while he end Ketherine heeded down the besement.

After they welked down the steirs, they were greeted by e derk pessegewey thet led them to the derkroom. There wesn't e hint of light in the room, end en unpleesent scent filled the whole plece. Ketherine covered her hend over the bottom helf of her fece es she lit e cendle. Jeremy welked pest her end hurried forwerd to light up the rest of the cendles in the room. Soon enough, the light from the cendles wes enough to illuminete their surroundings. She took e look et the room to reelize thet there were e lot of shelves surrounding them. There were boxes with ell sorts of shepes end sizes errenged on the shelves.

Aside from that, there was a large table placed in the center of the room with all sorts of bottles on it. Some of the tightly sealed bottles had venomous insects in them. Katherine walked around the room before she frowned and came to a decision. "I'm afraid I can't return the mother insect to you. I'll also need security to keep watch of the place so that you don't try to curse others ever again," she said.

Eddie was restrained by their men—he couldn't loosen their grip on him, no matter how much he tried. In the end, he had no choice but to respond to her through gritted teeth, "These are all the Scott- Tuttons' family heritages. Who are you to step in and meddle with our business?"

"I'm doing it now, aren't I?" she uttered lazily. Then, she gave Joaquin another look, and he immediately gave Jeremy his orders. "I want you to get more men over to pack up these things and bring them away."

"Got it," Jeremy replied.

"You…" Eddie was wheezing. "You guys are too much!"

Katherine wasn't bothered by his words at all. She looked at the boxes on the shelves to see that there were no labels. "Which one is the mother insect?" she asked. Eddie was trembling with rage, and his voice cracked as he barked at her, "Do you think I'm going to answer that? Dream on! You'll never get your hands on the mother and man-faced curses!"

Her lips twitched with exasperation upon hearing his words. "I don't want to waste time with you—that's why I'm giving you a chance to surrender the information now. You're the only one who's going to suffer if you refuse to speak," she said.

One of Jeremy's men sent Eddie a kick on his leg after she finished her words. Eddie let out a painful gasp before he fell onto his knees. Before he had a chance to process the situation, he found Katherine standing right in front of him. He took a deep breath and was about to shout at her when he saw her lifting her hand. Her fingertips gleamed with a silver light before he felt a sharp, stinging pain on his scalp. All of a sudden, his organs and muscles started cramping. "W-What have you… d-done to me…" His limbs flailed around before he curled up on the ground.

Katherine's figure towered above him as she shot him a heartless gaze. "Nothing much. I just used acupuncture on your meridian point to let you experience what real pain feels like."

"You… Argh!" He wanted to shout at her, but pain shot through his body the moment he moved. Sweat formed on his skin as he felt pain shooting through his insides. He couldn't handle the pain for long. He was curled into a ball for a while before he finally reached his hand out to grab Katherine's ankle. "Please… save me…"

She did not reveal a hint of emotion in her gaze. "You want me to save you, huh? You'll have to offer something in return, then." His pupils shrank for a moment, but he kept his lips sealed. He refused to tell her where the mother insect was. She scoffed at the sight of the man's actions. "I didn't know you'd

be such a determined man, Eddie. Fine, if you're not going to tell me anything, I'll just have to make you hurt more."

With that said, Katherine produced another slim, silver needle with one flick of her wrist. Eddie watched her actions from the corner of his blurry vision, and he felt his body trembling more than before. His eyes were filled with fear as he tried to move away from the woman. However, it was practically impossible for him to dodge her attack. Her gaze was still calm and empty as she pierced another needle through the back of his scalp.

In an instant, he felt the pain seeping into his bones. It was almost as if there were millions of ants drilling their way into his bones. The pain seemed to spread through his entire body without missing any spot.

All the color drained out of Eddie's face as cold sweat formed on his skin. Katherine watched on with a leisurely look on her face, and she only bent down to hold his chin up after a while. Her gaze was ice cold. "I've warned you. You wouldn't have had to suffer if you had just told me where the mother insect was. Yet, you insisted on getting a taste of my medicine. You've experienced it now. Does it hurt?" she asked.

Eddie felt as if his entire skull was vibrating as he tried to nod. He looked at the woman with horror written all over his face, and she smiled when she saw this. "It's good that you feel the pain. That's how you learn your lesson. Are you going to answer me now?" Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.

That was the point when he understood that he was no match for her abilities. He felt like he'd lose his mind if he were to go through the pain any longer. So, he finally reached his hand out before pointing at one of the shelves. "It's… behind that shelf… There's a loose board… on the ground behind it…"

Katherine raised her brows upon hearing the man's words. Then, she walked directly toward the spot where the man was pointing.