Chapter 428: I just grabbed whatever caught my eye

After confronting Daniel, Kathrine drove straight to Bennett Enterprises, where she finally uncovered the real truth behind the project’s sudden cancellation.

Both Kathrine and Hugo were aware that Daniel was the CEO of Glorious International, yet the true owner remained the elusive chairman, someone they had never met even once.

They had only heard that the chairman was a woman who handled most of the business overseas, leaving Daniel in charge of operations here. However, now that she had decided to step directly into Glorious International’s affairs, it became painfully clear that she was just as ruthless as the CEO himself.

“Ha… I just hope the remaining deals we’ve secured so far don’t backfire on us,” Kathrine muttered.

After working relentlessly to manage the losses, she finally decided to call it a day.

She had not met Hugo since then, nor had she told anyone about her encounter with Daniel. For her, it was a meeting that needed to remain strictly confidential, known only to the two of them.

With that thought lingering in her mind, Kathrine finally wrapped up her work and left the company. However, the moment she stepped out of the building, a car abruptly stopped in front of her.

Kathrine gasped in surprise, but the instant the window rolled down, Anna’s face came into view.

“So you are alive,” Anna said coolly.

Taken aback, Kathrine quickly composed herself and scoffed. She did not bother replying. Instead, she understood Anna’s intention, opened the car door, and got in. Moments later, the car sped away.

***

[Bookstore]

“You drove all the way just to take me to a bookstore?” Kathrine chuckled as she followed her sister, who was scanning the tall bookshelves with interest.

“I needed company. Someone who could actually help me find what I’m looking for,” Anna replied lightly. “And guess what, you happen to be the perfect person. So you’re helping me.”

“I’m glad you told me what I’m supposed to do,” Kathrine replied with playful sarcasm. “Otherwise, I would have assumed my dear sister was simply messing with me.”

As she spoke, something caught her attention.

“Anna, are you in pain or something? Why do you keep stopping every few minutes?” Kathrine frowned as she looked her sister up and down. The slight wobble in Anna’s legs did not go unnoticed.

“I started going to the gym, and now my legs are giving me a hard time,” Anna admitted casually. “Luckily, it’s not as bad as it was last night.”

She had taken a painkiller earlier to ease the soreness, especially since she could not afford any issues during her photoshoot. Thankfully, it seemed to be working for now.

Kathrine, on the other hand, was amused. Knowing how gluttonous her sister used to be, the idea of Anna voluntarily hitting the gym was almost laughable. Still, Kathrine knew this was not about desire.

Anna was a star now, and maintaining her physique was part of the price that came with fame. So when Anna mentioned working out, Kathrine did not tease her further. She simply smiled.

“So,” Kathrine said, stepping closer as they stood side by side, her eyes scanning the shelves with curiosity, “tell me which book you want help with.”

“So,” Kathrine said, stepping closer as they stood side by side, her eyes scanning the shelves with curiosity. “Tell me which book you want help with.”

Anna did not answer immediately.

Instead, she slowed to a stop, her gaze fixed on a particular section. Her fingers brushed past several titles before pausing on one book tucked slightly deeper into the shelf.

Kathrine followed her line of sight and raised a brow.

“Human psychology?” she asked, glancing at the title. “That’s not exactly your usual pick.”

Anna finally pulled the book out and weighed it in her hands, her expression unreadable. “People are more interesting when you know how they think,” she said lightly, as if it were nothing more than a passing thought.

Kathrine studied her sister for a moment. “Since when did you care about how people think?”

Anna smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes. “Since I realized appearances lie. And emotions are easy to manipulate if you know where to look.”

She flipped a few pages, then closed the book as if satisfied.

Kathrine’s amusement faded slightly. There was something deliberate in the way Anna handled the book, like she had come here for this very reason.

“Looking for something specific?” Kathrine asked, her voice careful.

Anna glanced at her, the smile returning, softer this time. “Just trying to understand human behavior a little better. Fame teaches you that much.”

She slid the book back into the shelf, but her fingers lingered on the spine for a second longer than necessary before walking away.

Kathrine watched her go, an uneasy feeling settling in her chest.

Anna picked a random book from the shelf and headed toward the sitting area near the tall glass windows.

The city lights filtered in softly, casting long shadows across the wooden floor.

Kathrine followed a moment later, her unease growing for reasons she could not quite explain. She pulled out a chair and sat opposite her sister, placing her bag neatly at her feet.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Anna settled comfortably, crossing one leg over the other as she opened the book. Her posture was relaxed, almost casual, as though this were nothing more than a harmless outing between sisters.

Kathrine tried to mirror that ease, but something about the silence gnawed at her.

She studied Anna quietly.

The way Anna read was different today. Usually, she skimmed pages impatiently, losing interest within minutes. Now, her eyes moved slowly, carefully, as though she were absorbing every word. She did not glance up. She did not comment. She did not even acknowledge Kathrine’s presence.

Kathrine’s stomach twisted.

The strange feeling from earlier returned, stronger this time. She shifted in her seat, resisting the urge to break the silence. It was only a book, she reminded herself. A bookstore. Nothing more.

Then Anna spoke.

“Now this one is an interesting case,” Anna said suddenly, her voice bright with excitement as she looked up. Her eyes gleamed, almost animated. “Doctor Norman handled it personally.”

Kathrine blinked, caught off guard. “A case?” she asked lightly.

Anna nodded and turned the book slightly, as if to show her the page. “Yes. A memory suppression case.”

Kathrine felt her smile stiffen, just a fraction.

Anna continued, seemingly oblivious. “The patient was a woman who had gone through something deeply traumatic. Something her mind decided she could not survive remembering.”

Kathrine leaned back slightly, folding her arms. “Psychology books love trauma,” she said with a small shrug. “It sells.”

Anna smiled at that, but there was hesitation in her eyes. A flicker that vanished almost as soon as it appeared.

“That’s true,” Anna agreed. “But this one is different.”

She glanced back down at the book, her finger tracing a line on the page before she continued. “The woman underwent a controlled procedure. Her most painful memories were suppressed, not erased completely, just locked away.”

Kathrine’s fingers tightened against her sleeves.

“At first,” Anna went on, her tone calm and almost conversational, “the results were remarkable. She slept better. She laughed more. She believed she had finally moved on.”

Anna paused and looked up again.

“But the memories did not disappear,” she said softly. “They lingered.”

Kathrine swallowed.

“They surfaced in strange ways,” Anna added. “Nightmares she could not explain. Panic attacks with no clear cause. A constant sense of fear that followed her even during moments of happiness.”

Kathrine forced a small smile. “That sounds exhausting.”

“It was,” Anna replied. “Doctor Norman noted that the human mind hates empty spaces. When you remove the truth, it fills the gap with something worse.”

Kathrine’s gaze dropped to the table between them. The wood grain suddenly seemed far too detailed, far too real.

Anna turned another page.

“The woman began experiencing flash emotions,” Anna said. “Fear without context. Pain without memory. Her body remembered what her mind refused to.”

Kathrine’s heart thudded heavily against her ribs.

Anna watched her carefully now. “Eventually, the suppression failed,” she said. “Not all at once. Just little cracks.”

Kathrine looked up sharply. “Failed?”

“Yes,” Anna said. “Because no matter how deeply you bury something, it still belongs to you.”

The words settled heavily in the space between them.

Kathrine felt heat creep up her spine. “And what happened to her?” she asked, keeping her voice steady through sheer will.

Anna tilted her head. “She was given a choice.”

“A choice?” Kathrine echoed.

“To continue suppressing the memories,” Anna explained, “or to face them fully. To relive them, understand them, and reclaim them.”

Anna closed the book gently.

“At first, she refused,” Anna said. “She believed the pain would destroy her. That remembering would be worse than living in fragments.”

Kathrine’s lips parted slightly, then pressed together again.

“But eventually,” Anna continued, “she realized something important.”

Kathrine met her gaze.

“The memories were not her enemy,” Anna said quietly. “Avoiding them was.”

Silence fell again.

Kathrine felt as though the air had thickened around her. Her mind raced, instinctively searching for an escape, for humor, for anything to deflect the direction this conversation had taken.

“That’s quite the dramatic case,” she said, forcing a light laugh. “Are you sure you didn’t pick this book on purpose?”

Anna smiled.

It was soft. Almost gentle.

“Of course not,” she said. “You know me. I just grabbed whatever caught my eye.”

Her gaze dropped briefly to Kathrine’s hands, which had curled into fists without her realizing it.

“But it does make you think,” Anna added. “How many people walk around believing they are fine, when in reality they are only surviving on half-truths.”

Kathrine noticed how her eyes didn’t leave her, but it pressed hard on her.

“So tell me Kathrine, why were you avoiding me”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep