Chapter 575: Queen's Adversity (1)

Earlier at Hillcrest Hospital

When Katherine left the team to accompany her grandfather for his doctor's appointment, Felix and Noah came with her. They first went to fetch Grandpa Theo from the mansion before going to the hospital. Frank, Grandpa Theo's assistant, also came with them along with two more of his bodyguards.

Grandpa Theo slowly walked with his walking cane in his right hand while Katherine hooked arms with him on the opposite side. They headed towards the doctor's clinic. "I know you've been really busy with Damien lately. Planning a wedding is a huge task. Isn't it too tedious? It's why I offered to handle it for you, but you refused."

A smile formed on Katherine's face as she patted his arm. All this time, she and Damien used 'wedding planning' as their excuse for when they had to work on things. Truth be told, they hadn't even decided the date for their wedding yet. Was it weird? Maybe so… But with everything that's been going on, they just couldn't have a wedding at the moment. Even so, she calmly responded, "It's not tedious… challenging, yes—a little… But working with Damien is quite fun. Besides, I want to do it myself, Grandpa."

"You've always been independent even when you were still a little girl. Well—apart from the times you weren't chasing young Matthew around wherever he went." Grandpa Theo laughed. "I thought you were going to marry him… Where is he right now?"

"I thought so too…" She laughed with him, remembering how silly she was when she was still very young. Kids really do say a lot of stuff that becomes laughable when they grow up. "Last I talked to him was a couple of weeks ago. He's been very busy with a movie in L.A., so we only exchange texts once in a while."

"Is he still single? If he visits, let me know. I'll set him up with a nice young lady," Grandpa informed with a knowing smile on his face.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him as they stopped in front of the doctor's clinic. "I'm now really convinced that you are running a dating agency, Grandpa."

Grandpa Theo did not respond, but the cunning smile on his face remained as they entered the clinic.

…

While Grandpa Theo went through the physical check-up, Katherine spoke with Damien on the phone for a quick minute. The team was currently tailing the truck outside of Harbor City. She was worried about him and the rest, but Damien reassured her that they would take care of things just fine. He wanted her to focus on Grandpa Theo instead of worrying about them.

Though reluctant, Katherine could only trust that they would be safe and that today would end with everyone going home in one piece.

When the check-up was over, the two stayed to discuss Grandpa Theo's health condition with the doctor. The doctor was concerned about Chairman Young's blood pressure. When they had the check-up a while ago, Grandpa Theo wasn't hypertensive, but he was in the risk zone—borderline hypertension. And for a man at his age, this was definitely dangerous. He had improved compared to the last check-up they had a few days ago, but they had to continue taking precautions.

After receiving the doctor's advice, they left the clinic. "I should stay with you more… I want to make sure you're properly eating and taking your medicines," Katherine muttered, her voice laced with dismay.

Sensing his granddaughter's worry, Grandpa Theo curled the corners of his mouth upward into a smile and patted the back of her hand as they waited in front of the elevator. "You've been taking care of me enough. I'm going live up to a hundred, Pumpkin."

"Still…" She clicked her tongue and tightened her hold on his arm.

Something caught her periphery, and when she turned her head to the left to check, Katherine's heart raced rapidly. Three Shadow agents were headed in their direction. She maintained her calm demeanor as she turned her head to the right. There were two Shadow agents—and they were smiling at her mockingly as if they thought of something malicious.

Swallowing, Katherine thought about her odds. At the moment, it was only her, Felix, Noah, Grandpa Theo, and one of his bodyguards. Of all the times that Shadow could have come to her, why now when they were outnumbered?

The elevator door opened, and an impulse struck her. "Grandpa… I forgot that I was supposed to meet a friend today. You go home first. I will see you later."

"Is that so? Okay… You come back home for dinner."

Without Grandpa Theo noticing, Katherine grabbed Felix by the arm—he was standing next to her—and squeezed it tightly. "Will you make sure Grandpa gets home safe?"

Feeling her deathly grip, Felix checked the surroundings and saw suspicious-looking men. He furrowed his brows and was about to protest, but Katherine's insistence won over him when she whispered, "I'm taking Noah with me. Grandpa's safety is my priority. I beg you. Keep him safe."

She had no choice. Although Grandpa Theo had one bodyguard with him, who knows what would happen if she left him with only one while going back to the car? Felix was skillful, and she trusted him completely—which was why she insisted that he took care of Grandpa Theo's safety. There was no way that she would risk being with her grandfather at the moment when she saw Shadow agents heading towards her.

It didn't matter when and where—she would always put her grandfather's safety first before hers.

Seeing the urgency in her eyes, Felix could no longer refuse. "I'll make sure they leave safely and come back right away," he responded.

"Okay, Grandpa. Take care," she told Grandpa Theo, kissing his cheek before letting him go.

Noah, who caught up to their situation quickly, grabbed hold of Katherine's arm—ready to flee. Grandpa Theo, Felix, and the bodyguard got inside the elevator. As soon as the door closed, Noah and Katherine turned around and entered a hallway that's headed to the wards. She had to lure them away from her grandfather.

The five shadow agents at their tail split up and continued to stalk them. Katherine and Noah hastened their steps without looking back. Her heart rammed against her chest, and for a second, her past flashed in her mind. When she was still in Shadow, she wasn't the one on the run—she was the hunter. Now, the world has flipped. She wanted to run for her life because she knew what would happen once they got to her.

Reaching the end of the hall, the two pushed the door and entered the stairwell. They were currently on the fifth floor, so they hurriedly climbed down the stairs, hoping they were faster. When they landed on the fourth floor, the door above them opened, and they met the eyes of two Shadow agents.

"Let's get out on the third," said Noah as they went down the flight of stairs.

Just as they were about to reach the door to the third floor's access, the door opened, and a strong fist immediately greeted them. Fortunately, Katherine and Noah were quick to dodge, but the two agents that followed them also reached the landing—in a split second, Katherine and Noah received blows while they defended themselves.

She managed to knock out one agent and was quick to draw her knife out and helped Noah fight the two other agents in the stairwell. Just when she thought they were getting the upper hand, another agent appeared behind her, kicking her back and causing her body to slam against the hard wall.

The knife fell out of her hands. She coughed harshly, and everything hurt. Ignoring the pain, Katherine turned around and fought with the two agents.

The door opened, and another one joined, pointing a gun at Noah's head, saying, "You coming with us—or I blow his brains out?"

"Wait—No! Don't shoot!" Katherine yelled, halting the agent from pulling the trigger.

The Shadow agent grinned at her reaction. "Tsk tsk tsk. You've gotten soft, Queen. I used to look up to you."

While she was distracted, two pairs of strong arms held her back while the others beat up Noah. Katherine tried to pull herself away from their vice grips but failed. Then she saw Noah drop to the floor unconscious. Something cold pricked her neck, and in the next second, her vision went dark.

...

A few hours later

Katherine groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. It felt as though she got hit by a truck. A broken rib, bruised muscles, a pounding headache, and a busted lip. She fluttered her eyes open carefully only to squint as soon as she tried because of the blaring light that was directed at her. She looked away and hissed—that's when she recalled what happened before she fell unconscious.

Wanting to reach for her head, she whimpered, realizing that her arms and legs were tied to the armchair she was sitting in.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the room—it seemed like a large empty room. Katherine struggled to face the front where the sound came from. She wasn't scared at first, but what she heard next sent shivers down her spine.

"Welcome home, Queen," said Parker in a low and cold voice.