CHAPTER 233: YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SMILE

[Stewart Household]

"Are you sure she’s alright, Dad?" Fiona asked softly, watching her father return from Ester’s room. He looked exhausted—shoulders slumped, eyes shadowed, the weight of the night pressing heavily on him.

Fredrick exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "I think so. The medicine should help her sleep for now."

His voice was low, worn out.

After fielding a barrage of media questions and then hours at the police station, Ester had finally slipped into a fragile calm—one she hadn’t shown since the incident.

Fredrick still couldn’t wrap his head around it. Roseline Bennett... attacked. And his wife—gentle, anxious Ester—had been the one to discover her lying unconscious and bleeding. The shock alone had nearly shattered her. Even after the officers confirmed Roseline had survived the attempt on her life, Ester remained jittery and pale, clinging to Fredrick like she would fall apart without him.

"I keep thinking about it," Fredrick murmured, lowering himself onto the sofa beside Fiona. "Who would do that to Roseline Bennett? I’ve known the Bennetts for years. Tough competitors, yes, but personal attacks? That was never their style. And their rivals aren’t reckless enough to escalate like this." His jaw tightened. "This is a high-profile case now. The police will be all over it."

Fiona nodded absently, her thoughts drifting far from his words.

Fear had crawled into her earlier—an ugly, chilling fear that her mother’s jealousy might have pushed her to do something terrible. But Ester’s breakdown had been too raw, too shaken, too real. She wasn’t involved. Fiona was sure of that now.

And yet... that only opened up more disturbing questions.

If not Mom... then who?

Who would hold such a deep grudge against Roseline Bennett that they’d leave her for dead?

The silence in the living room grew heavy, each of them lost in their own dark suspicions.

"How far have you managed to woo Daniel?" Fredrick asked suddenly, snapping Fiona out of her spiraling thoughts.

Her head jerked up, eyes widening in surprise.

Of all times... now he chooses to ask that?

I can’t let him know I was almost replaced for upsetting Daniel.

Her pulse quickened, panic fluttering beneath her skin.

"I—I’m on it," she replied quickly, tearing her gaze away from his sharp, assessing stare. She could feel it—his suspicion inching closer, his patience thinning.

Fredrick studied her closely. Something about her reaction was off—too jittery, too evasive. He opened his mouth to probe further, but her phone buzzed sharply on the table.

Fiona flinched.

The moment she saw the caller ID, a subtle urgency lit her features. She snatched the phone up, already rising from her seat.

"I’ll be in my room," she said hurriedly, not waiting for a response before practically rushing down the hallway. The door shut behind her with a decisive click.

Fredrick stared after her, brows knitting together.

That wasn’t normal.

With a slow exhale, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with his forefinger.

"This is not what I expected to happen to the Bennetts," he muttered, voice low with calculation rather than concern. "One incident like this... it’ll tank their market value. Stocks, partnerships, everything."

Even with Roseline lying in a hospital bed, even with the chaos unfolding around them, his mind drifted only to numbers, leverage, and opportunity.

"Who would go after her?" he whispered to himself. Not out of fear, not out of worry—out of curiosity.

Curiosity and a desire to understand the threat circling the power structures he relied on.

But no matter how many possibilities he ran through, none of them made sense.

And that unsettled him more than he liked to admit.

***

[Hospital]

"Thank you for coming," Kathrine said softly, fingers wrapped tightly around the warm coffee mug. She sat across from Ethan in the quiet corner of the hospital canteen, still trying to settle her nerves.

After an hour of observation, Roseline had been moved to a private ward. Kathrine refused to leave her side—watching her friend lie unconscious after surgery, sedatives keeping her still, had shaken her far more than she wanted to admit. Eventually, the nurse convinced her to take a short break, just long enough to breathe.

But she hadn’t expected Ethan’s call.

News of the attack had spread everywhere, so it wasn’t surprising he’d heard about it. What stunned her was how quickly he’d shown up and insisted on staying with her until Roseline woke up.

"It’s nothing," Ethan said, lifting his own cup but barely sipping. "If not you, I would’ve been with Anna right now. But... I think Daniel is the one who can calm her better than anyone."

Kathrine blinked, her surprise written all over her face.

"How did you—" she began, but Ethan’s knowing smile cut her off.

"It’s easier than you think," he said gently. "But don’t worry. The secret is safe with me."

Kathrine stared at him for a moment, her pulse skipping. If Ethan hadn’t seen Daniel with Anna outside the hospital that day, he would’ve believed what the rest of the world assumed—that Anna had a simple, nameless boyfriend. But he had seen Daniel. And when he’d confronted Anna about it, she had been honest with him, clearing up the misunderstanding instead of letting him remain in the dark.

Ethan appreciated that honesty more than she realized.

"Your sister is more honest than you, I guess," Ethan added casually.

Kathrine tilted her head, confused.

"Am I being dishonest by appreciating your company?" she asked, unsure whether he was referring to their last visit to the hospital—when she’d practically snapped at him for calling Anna without her permission.

Ethan raised a brow, giving her that knowing, infuriatingly calm look.

She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I should’ve appreciated your help earlier. Thank you for helping me."She even gave him a small, exaggerated bow, which made Ethan chuckle.

"... What was that?

Her head snapped up, eyes widening as she caught the smile on his face—not the charming, camera-ready one he flashed in films, but something softer, genuine... warm. She had never seen him smile like that before.

And before her brain caught up with her mouth, she blurted, "You have a beautiful smile."

She immediately stiffened.

Kathrine Bennett did not compliment men. Ever. Especially not men who got close only because she was Hugo Bennett’s daughter. Those men hovered around her at business events with fake charm and ulterior motives wrapped beneath polished words.

But Ethan wasn’t like them. Not once had she felt the need to shrink back or put on her guarded mask. Around him, she felt... normal.

And that terrified her.

Why is my heart beating so fast? she wondered, swallowing hard.

Ethan’s smile faltered just slightly, surprise flickering in his eyes. He leaned a little closer, studying her face with an intensity that made her throat go dry.

"Y-Your cheeks are flushed red," he murmured, narrowing his eyes as if trying to confirm a suspicion.

Kathrine’s hand flew to her face on instinct, her fingers brushing the undeniable warmth blooming across her cheeks. The moment she felt it, her stomach dropped.

Oh no...

"N-No, I’m not," she denied quickly, snapping her gaze away from him as if looking at Ethan would only make the blush worse. Her voice wavered ever so slightly, betraying her.

Ethan frowned, leaning back a little. For a moment, he wondered if he was imagining it—maybe the exhaustion of the long night was catching up to her, making her look flushed. Or maybe the harsh canteen lighting was playing tricks on him.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling.

And he certainly didn’t know the truth—that his gentle smile, his quiet presence, and his unexpected warmth had tugged on something inside Kathrine she didn’t even know was there.

Something she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

While he tried to make sense of her sudden reaction, Kathrine stared fixedly at the table, heart pounding far too loudly in her chest. She forced her breaths to steady, but every second felt heavier than the last.

Because Ethan Helmsworth—calm, composed, maddeningly perceptive—had unknowingly pulled a string in her heart she had spent years pretending didn’t exist.

***

Inside the dimly lit study, Hugo stood rigidly by the window, shadows carving sharp lines across his face. The phone was pressed tightly to his ear, his jaw clenching with every word spoken on the other end.

"Are you certain?" he asked, voice low and dangerously calm.

The caller—the warden of the prison—confirmed it again: Collin Fort had been released. His sentence reduced due to "good performance" and "exceptional conduct" inside the cell.

The explanation sounded neat. Too neat.

Hugo’s fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white.

Collin Fort... out?After everything?

A cold wave of disbelief washed over him, followed swiftly by something far darker. He had prepared for many possibilities... but not this one.

The revelation didn’t just shock him—it rattled him to the core. But what left him betrayed was Roseline’s hiding it.