A Replacement Bride

Chapter 156

Katherine's heart twisted when she saw how upset Jennifer was.

Noah had been ill for a long time, and while Katherine had pored over countless medical journals in hopes of finding alternative treatments, the only one that was suitable and generally approved for Noah's condition was a bone marrow transplant.

However, the little girl's rare blood type made it a disproportionately difficult procedure. For all Katherine's wealth, she knew it would be near-impossible to find a compatible bone marrow donor for Noah.

"Don't worry, Grandma. I won't give up on Noah. Maybe we'll find a compatible donor here in the country. I promise I'll keep looking," Katherine said as she sat down next to Jennifer and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Jennifer glanced at Katherine and sighed as she said, "I know you're trying, dear. I just wish I could be of more help. Maybe if I were more capable, I could have protected you both."

"None of this is your fault, Grandma. Anyway, I'll be heading out in a bit, so stay put and help me keep an eye on Noah. I'll be back soon." Katherine went on to offer more words of solace, and she did not leave until she was sure her grandmother was feeling better.

Presently, a man with colorful hair and ear studs stood by the entrance of Soulin International. He was dressed head to toe in leather, which exemplified his nonconformist stance toward mainstream fashion.

The security guard had one hand on his stun baton as he eyed the flamboyant man warily, ready to strike.

Meanwhile, the man, Xavier, merely glanced at the time on his watch and peered through the neighborhood entrance. Finally, the person he had been waiting for came into view.

His eyes lit up and filled with admiration as he registered Katherine's arrival.

She walked up to the security guard at the entrance and exchanged a few words with him, then turned to look at Xavier. After that, she winced at his colorful hair. "Get your butt over here."

He grinned as he sauntered over to her. When he walked past the wary and suspicious security guard at the entrance, he tipped his chin up at a defiant angle, which earned him a berating kick from Katherine.

Then, he flashed her a sheepish smile. When he passed the entrance, he remarked, "You know, the security system here is top-notch. I couldn't hack into it at all."

Katherine looked at him like he was stupid.

Xavier froze at first when he caught this before something clicked in his mind and he gaped at her with wide eyes. "You have to be joking. You're the one who set up the security system here?"

"Save your inane questions for later. I asked you to come back because I have a favor to ask of you. I'm too tied up these days to deal with trivial stuff like this," she interrupted his rants impatiently.

"Oh, man, are you serious? You wanted me to come all the way back here to help you out with something you could probably get done with a snap of your fingers? You're just wasting my talent at this point," he grumbled, making a face to show that he was insulted.

She rolled her eyes and kicked out at him once more, but he dodged it swiftly as he broke into a grin.

"The job's too important for me to entrust to someone else," she explained, shooting him a death glare. "Plus, I don't have the time to keep track of its progress. You've got plenty of time on your hands, don't

you? So, who better to get the job done than you?"

He wrinkled his nose and pointed out, "I'm not that free, you know."

"I swear, if you try to hack into the presidential building's defense system one more time, I will upload your personal information and activity log on the Red Web. Let's see if you'd be so free by then," she warned through gritted teeth.

After hearing this, Xavier shuddered and said, "Okay, you got me. I'm really sorry, and of course I have plenty of time to help you with anything. I promise I'll deliver!"

Katherine ignored him and led him into the building, then pressed the button on the elevator panel. As he stood behind her, he looked around curiously and asked, "Hey, Boss, this is a pretty nice crib. How's the real estate pricing here?"

"Pretty cheap, all things considered. I think this goes for about a dozen million or so," she said breezily. Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

He pursed his lips and kept quiet after hearing this.

The elevator kept going up until it stopped at the eighteenth floor.

When the doors opened, Katherine led the way out.

At that moment, Joaquin's door swung open as well, and he came out from his unit. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Katherine out in the hallway, then quickly noticed Xavier standing behind her.

Xavier, on the other hand, felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention at the sight of Joaquin. Fortunately, he remembered that Joaquin had never seen him before, and he let out a sigh of relief even though he was still anxious.

"A friend of yours?" Joaquin asked forthrightly as he appraised Xavier like a predator whose territory had been invaded by another.

Katherine hummed in response and elaborated after a moment of thought, "I brought him back to keep my grandmother company."

"Funnily enough, she called me today and invited me over for a meal," Joaquin replied. He did not say anything else after that, though he did give Xavier's colorful hair a second glance.

Katherine reached for the doorknob, and the two men followed her into the apartment.

As if on purpose, Xavier slowly took off his shoes at the threshold and observed Joaquin furtively.

This was the man who was in charge of Area Seven. Known as the modern Hades, he was ruthless and unforgiving when it came to hunting down criminals on the run on an international scale.

Xavier didn't think that he would one day meet Joaquin in person, much less be in such close proximity with him.

Sensing the other man's gaze, Joaquin turned and raised a brow at him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Xavier gulped at the dark gleam in Joaquin's eyes and stopped gawking at him immediately. He quickly slipped off his shoes and dashed into the apartment.

"Hey, Grandma!" he said sweetly when he saw Jennifer reading a magazine on the couch.

Jennifer beamed at the sight of him as well. She beckoned him over as she exclaimed, "Is that you, Xavier? What brings you here? Don't you have work? And what's going on with that hair of yours? It's a riot of colors!"

"Katherine had me come over so you'd have company, Grandma," Xavier explained. He took a seat next to her and did not hold back on the compliments. "You haven't aged a day since I last saw you, Grandma! You don't look a day over eighteen! Goodness, you're glowing!"

Jennifer burst into laughter. "Oh, if you keep flattering me like that it'll go straight to my head! I'm getting old, and I certainly don't look eighteen! I'm sure Noah will be happy to see you here."

"Is Noah back, too? I'm going to have to have a proper talk with that young lady and see how far she's gotten along with her studies," Xavier quipped.

Joaquin couldn't help raising a brow at this. It was hard for anyone to approach Noah given her autism, which meant Xavier had to be someone special to have such a close bond to her. Not to mention, he seemed to be on good terms with Jennifer as well.

For some reason, Joaquin felt threatened all of a sudden.