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Chapter 8

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Marshal household, casting a soft golden glow across the modest kitchen.

Therese picked up a clean towel and headed toward the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower, Mom," she called.

"Alright, dear," Catherine answered.

She was busy preparing breakfast, standing in front of the stove as she fried fish in a shallow pan. The familiar sound of sizzling oil

filled the kitchen, mixing with the aroma of freshly cooked rice and fried fish.

It was an ordinary morning.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

At least, it was supposed to be.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Catherine stopped what she was doing.

She glanced toward the front door.

"Who could that be this early?"

Another knock followed.

Knock. Knock.

Catherine turned down the flame and wiped her hands with a kitchen towel before walking toward the door.

She opened it.

And froze.

Standing outside was a man she never expected to see on her doorstep.

Vermont.

He stood there casually, dressed far more simply than the powerful businessman. His long hair was tied neatly behind his head, and a

faint, almost effortless smile curved across his lips.

In his hand was a large paper bag filled with groceries and assorted goods.

"Good morning, Auntie."

Catherine stared at him.

"Vermont? You're here."

His smile widened.

"I hope I'm not too early."

Catherine widened the door and stepped aside.

"Come in, Vermont. Sorry about the mess. Some of the things from my store are still here. I haven't had the chance to put

everything away."

"It's fine, Auntie."

Vermont entered without hesitation.

He casually looked around the living room, taking in the familiar surroundings. A few boxes were stacked near the wall, while

several bags and household items occupied part of the sofa.

But his eyes weren't really interested in the mess.

They were searching.

He glanced toward the hallway.

Then toward the kitchen.

Nothing.

For a moment, his expression remained perfectly casual.

Then he heard it.

The unmistakable sound of running water coming from somewhere inside the house.

Vermont's lips slowly curved into a grin.

He's right.

Therese was here.

He had hoped she would be.

Now he knew.

Vermont turned back toward Catherine, deliberately keeping his expression innocent.

"Auntie, do you have any other visitor?"

Catherine looked at him, slightly puzzled by the question.

"No. Why?"

Vermont shrugged casually.

"I just thought I heard someone."

Catherine smiled.

"Oh, it's Therese. She arrived last evening."

For the briefest moment, Vermont's eyes flickered with satisfaction.

Therese.

Here.

Under the same roof.

After all these years.

Catherine continued, completely unaware of the thoughts running through his mind.

"It's good that you guys finally meet again."

Vermont's grin returned.

"Yes."

He glanced once more toward the hallway.

"It certainly is."

Catherine picked up the grocery bag gave by Vermont from her.

"I'll put these in the kitchen. You can sit down for a while."

She carried the grocery bag toward the kitchen, then suddenly stopped and looked back at him.

"I thought you went back to Moscow yesterday."

Vermont casually slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I was supposed to."

Catherine turned toward him.

"Then what happened?"

He gave her an easy smile.

"I decided to stay for another two days. I have some personal matters to take care of."

It sounded convincing enough.

But it wasn't the real reason.

The truth was, Vermont had no intention of leaving yet.

Not while Therese was in the area.

He wanted to know where she was going, who she was meeting, and what she intended to do next. He had already instructed Alex to

keep an eye on certain details, but Vermont wanted to see Therese's movements for himself.

Catherine nodded, accepting his explanation.

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

Vermont's lips curled into a mischievous smile.

He glanced toward the stove, where the fried fish was still sizzling.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd ask."

Catherine laughed softly.

"So that's why you brought all these groceries?"

"Not entirely."

He walked toward the kitchen, his expression becoming almost boyishly playful.

"I really did intend to have my breakfast here."

Catherine shook her head.

"You haven't changed."

Vermont smiled.

"Food tastes different when it's homemade, Auntie."

He glanced at the breakfast waiting on the table.

"Especially when someone from home prepares it."

Catherine smiled at that.

"Then sit down. We will cook for you."

Meanwhile, behind the closed bathroom door, Therese stood beneath the warm stream of water.

The moment she heard Vermont's voice from outside, her heart skipped.

She closed her eyes as the water cascaded over her hair and shoulders.

That voice.

After all these years, she still knew it.

She could hear him laughing with her mother, his voice carrying faintly through the walls.

And suddenly, memories of their encounter at Safe Haven came rushing back.

The way he had looked at her.

The way he had spoken to her.

The man standing before her now seemed so different from the Vermont she remembered.

Therese slowly opened her eyes.

"He's not the old Vermont. He changed."

She whispered the words almost as if saying them aloud would make them easier to believe.

But another thought immediately surfaced.

The generous donation.

The enormous amount Vermont had given to Safe Haven.

Therese shook her head, trying to silence the doubts forming in her mind.

"Therese, don't think badly about him."

She paused.

The water continued to fall around her.

"Maybe that's just his way of life now. He's successful. Maybe helping people is simply part of the person he's become."

She took a slow breath.

Perhaps she had been too quick to judge him.

Therese was still lost in her thoughts when her mother's voice suddenly came through the bathroom door.

"Therese! Vermont is here. Hurry up, dear. Come help me with breakfast!"

Therese startled.

For a moment, she simply stood there beneath the running water, processing what her mother had just said.

Vermont is here.

She quickly turned off the shower and reached for her towel.

"Coming, Mom!"

She hurriedly dried herself and began putting on her clothes, her thoughts now racing for an entirely different reason.

She hadn't expected to see him again so soon.

Not here.

Not in her mother's house.

Not this close.

She took a breath and tried to compose herself before stepping out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Vermont was sitting at the table with Catherine.

The moment he heard Therese's voice from behind the closed bathroom door, his heart skipped.

He hadn't heard that voice directed toward him.

But hearing it at all was enough.

His head turned instinctively toward the hallway.

His eyes fixed on the doorway where he expected her to appear.

For several seconds, he simply waited.

Catherine continued arranging the food on the table, unaware of the anticipation in Vermont's eyes.

A second later, the door opened.

Therese stepped out.

And their eyes met.

For a moment, everything seemed to go still.

Vermont looked at her and smiled.

It was casual. Almost effortless.

There was nothing openly threatening in his expression.

"V-Vermont... You're here!"

The words came out with an unmistakable stutter.

Vermont's smile remained.

He watched her carefully, noticing the uncertainty in her eyes and the way she seemed uncomfortable beneath his gaze.

He reminded himself to be patient.

Don't frighten her.

Not yet. There will soon be the day of reckoning.

He had waited too long to ruin the moment by making her retreat.

So he kept his expression calm.

Friendly.

Almost familiar.

"Good morning, Therese."

Her name sounded strangely different coming from him after all those years.

Therese gave him a small nod.

"Good morning."

She didn't linger.

She walked straight toward the kitchen, hoping that keeping herself busy would somehow make the awkwardness disappear.

She picked up the plates one by one and began arranging them on the dining table. Her hands were steady, but her mind was

anything but.

Vermont watched her for a moment.

Then, with a faint smile, he spoke.

"By the way, how should I address you?"

Therese paused.

She looked over her shoulder.

Vermont's expression remained casual.

"Therese?" he asked. "Or should I call you Sister Therese?"

The question made her turn fully toward him.

For a second, their eyes met again.

Therese smiled.

But it wasn't the smile she used to have.

It was polite and carefully composed, yet there was a trace of sadness behind it.

She glanced down at herself before answering.

"I'm not wearing my habit, so you can just call me Therese."

She placed another plate on the table.

Then she looked back at him.

"How about you?"

A faint, almost playful smile touched her lips.

"Shall I call you Sir?"

Vermont's eyebrows lifted slightly.

For a moment, he simply looked at her.

Then he smiled.

"Sir?"

Vermont chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"I'm not your boss, so just Vermont."

He paused, his smile turning slightly more teasing.

Then he added,

"Just like how you used to call me."

The last words carried a meaning that only the two of them could understand.

Therese's hands paused over the plates.

Used to.

The past suddenly felt much closer than it should have.

Vermont noticed the change in her expression and leaned back casually, as though he hadn't said anything significant.

But there was a playful glint in his eyes.

"Alright... Vermont."

Vermont's smile widened.

"There. That's better."

Before either of them could say anything more, Catherine interrupted.

"Alright, you two. Let's eat while the food is still hot."

Vermont immediately shifted his attention toward the dining table.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the breakfast Catherine had prepared.

"Oh, Auntie..."

He smiled, looking at the dishes spread across the table.

"The food looks absolutely mouthwatering. Finally, I can eat homemade food again after so many years."

Catherine frowned, placing another dish on the table.

"Why? Don't you eat at home?"

Vermont chuckled.

"No. Sometimes."

Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"No one cooks for you?"

Vermont gave a small shrug.

"I suppose I'm rarely home long enough for that."

Catherine shook her head.

"So what do you eat? You're probably eating at restaurants almost every day."

Vermont laughed softly.

"Something like that."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"When you're constantly traveling, attending meetings, and dealing with people, restaurants become convenient."

Catherine shook her head again.

"Convenient, maybe. But nothing beats food cooked at home."

Vermont looked at the fried fish and rice in front of him.

"I agree."

"What about your wife? She doesn't cook for you?"

The question caught him off guard.

For a fleeting second, Vermont's expression turned serious.

Something dark passed through his eyes.

But it disappeared almost immediately.

He covered it with a small smile and gave a short, deliberate cough.

"My wife?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, I don't have one."

Catherine's eyes widened.

"What?"

She looked genuinely stunned.

"You're not married yet?"

Vermont chuckled awkwardly.

"Hmm."

Before Catherine could ask another question, Therese quietly joined the conversation.

"Mom, Vermont did have a wife."

Vermont's eyes shifted toward her.

Therese continued carefully.

"But they divorced. I'm correct, right?"

Vermont suddenly froze.

Therese's words had caught him completely off guard.

He never expected her to know about his marriages.

For a brief moment, his jaw tightened.

How the hell did she know about that?

He kept his eyes on the table, forcing himself to remain composed.

He couldn't let Catherine see his reaction.

More importantly, he couldn't let Therese see how much her words had unsettled him.

Vermont slowly loosened his jaw and took a quiet breath.

Then Therese opened her mouth again, seemingly about to say something more.

Before she could finish, Vermont abruptly cut in.

"Excuse me for a moment. I need to take a call."

Catherine nodded.

"Of course. Go ahead."

Therese simply nodded as well.

"Okay."

Vermont stood.

But the moment he turned away from the table, the warmth disappeared from his face.

His expression darkened.

His jaw tightened as he walked toward the front door, each step heavier than the last.

He stepped outside and pulled out his phone.

Alex.

He called immediately.

The first ring.

No answer.

The second.

Still nothing.

Vermont's nostrils flared.

The third ring went unanswered.

"Damn it, Alex!"

He lowered the phone for a moment, his grip tightening around it.

His ears had turned red with anger.

Then he called again.

This time, Alex finally answered.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I-"

"Where the hell were you?"

Alex answered on the next ring, his voice slightly breathless.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I couldn't answer immediately. I'm in the middle of the meeting you instructed me to attend. I had to excuse

myself before I could take your call."

Vermont's jaw tightened.

"I don't care what meeting you're in, Alex."

"I'm sorry, Sir. My phone was on silent."

Vermont cursed under his breath.

"Damn it."

Alex fell silent.

There was something in his employer's voice that told him this wasn't a routine call.

Vermont paced across the front yard, his expression growing darker.

"Therese knows about my marriages."

Silence.

For a moment, Alex didn't know how to respond.

Then he carefully said,

"Sir... your personal profile is available online."

Vermont stopped walking.

"What?"

"Your background information. Your business profile, old interviews, archived articles... they're still accessible."

Alex took a breath.

"You were even featured in a lifestyle magazine years ago. The article mentioned your marriages."

Vermont's face hardened.

"What the hell?"

"Sir, anyone who searches your name can find some of that information."

"Then take it all down." He almost shouted.

Alex was startled.

"Sir?"

"Everything."

His voice became commanding.

"Every personal detail you can find. Old interviews. Lifestyle articles. Profiles. Anything mentioning my marriages or my

private life."

"I'll start contacting the relevant people and-"

"No. Start now."

Alex swallowed.

"Yes, Sir."

Vermont's grip tightened around his phone.

"I want it done immediately. I don't care who you have to contact or how many people you have to deal with."

"Understood."

Vermont ended the call.

For several seconds, he simply stood there.

His expression hardened.

"f**k!"