The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 38: Chapter 38

After dinner, drowsiness crept in. I yawned my way upstairs, took a quick shower, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
Sometime past midnight, I suddenly felt a large hand around my waist.
Startled, I turned my head—only to come face-to-face with Mason.
"You can't... I haven't recovered, you know," I mumbled, flustered.
"Just sleep. Don't talk." His voice was low and groggy, thick with fatigue, clearly annoyed that I had interrupted his rest.
He sneaked into my bed in the middle of the night, and I ended up the one bothering him? I was about to argue, but then I heard the soft rhythm of his breathing. He was already fast asleep.
That hand was still wrapped around my waist. His face, relaxed in sleep, seemed far less cold than usual. The longer I looked, the more I thought he resembled the prince charming I used to dream about when I was little.
Without thinking, I reached out and brushed his cheek. He frowned slightly, probably uncomfortable. I quickly pulled my hand back like a kid caught doing something wrong.
I made a silly face at him. His eyes were shut, but somehow, it felt like he saw me. His hand tightened slightly, pulling me a little closer into his arms.
I froze, didn't dare move again. I shut my eyes and snuggled into Mason's embrace. Within minutes, I was asleep again.
It was one of the best nights of sleep I'd had in a long time. When I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was empty. Mason probably went out for his usual morning run.
After washing up, I headed downstairs—only to find two people sitting in the living room.
It was Mason's father, Martin, and his stepmother, Helen.
Oh my goodness. What were they doing here so early in the morning?
My instinct was to bolt back upstairs, but Helen's voice called me back. "Morning, Kate, hope we're not disturbing you?"
Helen had already seen me. Turning around now would just look rude. I forced a smile and replied, "Not at all. Good morning, Mr. Knight, Mrs. Knight."
Helen explained, "We couldn't get through to Mason's phone, and we had something urgent to discuss. Hope you don't mind us dropping by."
She said it like I was mad at their sudden appearance. Just as Helen finished speaking, Martin's brows furrowed. Helen was indeed impressive. That seemingly polite sentence put me on the defensive.
"He probably didn't bring his phone. He's out running. I'll get him home now," I said.
Martin stopped me. "Wait, don't bother. Just sit here with us."
His curt tone caught me off guard. Weren't they here because of something urgent with Mason? Now suddenly it wasn't that urgent. It hit me—they weren't really here for Mason. They were here for me, and they came while he was gone on purpose.
If it was fate, I might as well face it.
I straightened up and spoke politely, "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll get you some drinks."
Helen looked kind, but every word out of her mouth was a trap. One wrong move, and I'd fall right in. I needed to think carefully.
But Helen didn't give me a chance. She said with a smile, "Sweetie, we don't want anything. Come here and sit with us. It's been years since we saw you. You've really turned into a proper young lady."
I really didn't want to talk with them.
Before I could figure out what to say, the door opened. Mason walked in, still a bit out of breath from his run.
He had a smile on his face—until he saw who was on the couch. He instantly put on a long face and asked, "How did you even find this place?"
Martin shot up from the couch, snapping, "You ungrateful brat. You mean I can't come here? You and Katherine are not married yet, and you're living together?"
Those words hit hard. I suddenly felt awkward.
Mason didn't hesitate to retort, "That's still better than some people, isn't it? Married and still living with other women. I'm basically a saint compared to that."
The moment those words left his lips, both Martin and Helen turned grim.
"Shut your mouth," Martin snapped, his expression cloudy.
But Mason clearly had no intention of stopping. He asked, "Mom, do you think what I said makes sense?"
Helen's eyes turned red. "It... makes sense."
"You brat!" Martin exploded. "You think you can judge your parents like that? You've got no respect. I should beat some sense into you." He lunged forward, raising his hand.
Mason didn't move an inch. Martin's palm hung in the air, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to strike.
Helen pulled on Martin's arm and said, "Darling, don't take his words to heart. He's not mature. Come on, sit down. Calm down, okay?"
She meant well on the surface. But that one phrase "he's not mature" poured oil right on the fire. Martin flared up again and slapped Mason hard across the face. Mason didn't dodge and took it squarely.
"He's not mature? Don't find excuses for him. He's nearly thirty," Martin snarled.
The slap was brutal. Blood trickled from the corner of Mason's mouth. Helen gasped and rushed toward Mason with a handkerchief. "Oh my, why'd you have to hit him that hard? He's your son."
I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved Helen aside. "Back off. I'll take care of it."
I grabbed a few tissues and gently dabbed at Mason's lip. Then I turned and glared at Helen. "You keep sowing discord between them. What's the point? Do you enjoy their fighting that much?"
"Oh, you're upset now?" Helen said with a mocking smile. "Ms. Gordon, this is our family's business. Not yours to comment on, is it?"
I shot back, "But you're standing on my turf."
Martin turned around and stormed toward the door. As he reached it, he threw one last line over his shoulder. "Break up as soon as possible. You cannot marry this woman."
Helen shot me a smug glance and hurried after Martin. "Darling, wait for me."
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut. I turned to Mason, nervous. "I'm sorry. I messed everything up again."
He wiped at his lips and looked at me. "No, you did great this time. Keep doing exactly that."
"What?" I blinked. "But your dad just said I can't marry you. What if he never changes his mind?"
"Relax, he will," Mason said, his eyes narrowing. A dangerous glint flickered in them.
It was said a bad morning would ruin the whole day. Turned out, that saying was absolutely right.
We thought the morning drama had ended. After breakfast, Mason went to visit his grandma at the hospital. I stayed home, figuring I should probably keep a low profile after being unofficially blacklisted by Martin.
Instead, I curled up on the couch and caught up on my favorite drama series. The episode had me sobbing like crazy. Just as I was sniffling, someone started pounding on the door.
Then came a furious voice. "Open up, Katherine. Get out right now."
I recognized it immediately—Mason's half-sister, Joey.
I sighed deeply. Could I not get a single peaceful day? I didn't even need to guess why she was here. She was clearly here to cause trouble.
When Mason's parents showed up, I had to at least pretend to be respectful. But this girl came to my house to cause trouble? Sorry, sweetie, you came to the wrong house and messed with the wrong person.
I nodded at Nadia to open the door. Then, I switched on the recorder on my phone and slid it under the coffee table. I turned off the TV, sat up straight on the sofa, and waited.
Nadia opened the door, and Joey stormed in like a raging bull. She didn't say a word—just raised her hand and tried to slap me.
But I was ready. I caught her wrist and flung her to the side.
"Wow, look at you, Katherine," she yelled. "You're not even married to Mason yet and already acting all high and mighty? You think you can lecture my mother? I'm gonna make you pay."
She charged again, fingers spread like claws. Her sharp nails were headed straight for my face. If they landed, I'd be scarred for sure.