chapter 5

Katherine moved with a focus that made James fall silent.

She unlocked his phone, set up a temporary investment profile under his name, and navigated through the stock market app with speed and precision. Her fingers tapped swiftly, eyes sharp.

James watched her from across the table—half worried, half mesmerized.

In less than ten minutes, she had transferred a significant amount of money into Apex Technologies stock.

All in.

James swallowed.

“I’ve… never seen anyone invest that fast.”

His voice was half impressed, half terrified.

Katherine didn’t look up.

“It’s done,” she said, closing the phone and placing it in his hand.

“You… invested everything,” he whispered, staring at the screen.

“Yes.”

James swallowed.

“You really think the stock will rise tomorrow?”

“No,” Katherine said, locking his phone and handing it back.

“I know it will.”

The certainty in her voice sent a chill through him again. He didn’t know who she was… but she wasn’t ordinary. Everything about her—the way she watched people, the way she moved, the way she spoke—felt like she was carved from another world.

Maybe she was.

James cleared his throat softly, breaking the tension.

“Um… Katherine?”

She looked up.

“I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch? You haven’t eaten since you woke up, and you must be hungry.”

Katherine paused.

Hungry? No.

She had lived through worse.

But she needed energy. A steady mind. A calm environment.

And… refusing would only make her situation more suspicious.

“Alright,” she said.

A small smile lit James’s face—brief but genuine.

“Great. I’ll have it prepared.”

He stepped out of the room, turning back halfway.

“Oh—and one more thing.”

Katherine raised a brow.

He called down the hallway,

“Anna! Come here for a second.”

The maid from earlier—still a little shaken—appeared quickly.

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Go and buy a few sets of clothes for Katherine,” James instructed softly but firmly. “And the necessities women usually need. Make sure they’re comfortable. She has nothing right now.”

Anna nodded eagerly.

“Yes, sir. I’ll leave immediately.”

Katherine frowned slightly.

“You don’t need to do that,” she said. “I can manage with—”

James shook his head.

“No. You shouldn’t have to manage with anything. You’re a guest here.”

Katherine stared at him.

Guest.

Not prisoner.

Not burden.

Not problem.

It was the first time in two lifetimes someone had called her that.