A Replacement Bride

Chapter 254

"I heard Kathy's back, so I came." He asked, "Where is she?"

Instead of answering, Joaquin chuckled. "You just ran into her in Fontan, and now you showed up right after she came back. Did you tail her?"

If he's being so straightforward, then… "Yeah. I'm worried about her. Dangers are closing in on her, so I thought I would come and protect her."

You, protect her? What do you think I am? Chopped liver? Joaquin's face fell, but a smirk curled his lips, and he shot Jayden a look. "You don't have to worry about her. I'm her husband, and I can protect her. If nothing else, you can go back to Kyoland now."

Jayden looked at his attire and chortled. "Do you think you can protect her with how you are now?"

Is that a challenge? The look on his face darkened, and his eyes were filled with fury.

Just when he was about to say something, Noah suddenly stood up and stared at Jayden, a sense of solemnity filling her face. "Mister, my mommy doesn't need you. She has my daddy, and that's all she needs."

Jayden froze. He stared at the girl, his eyes filled with shock. "W-Who are you? Who are your parents?" He sounded stiff.

Noah answered, "I'm Noah. Katherine's my mommy." She pointed at Joaquin. "He's my daddy," she answered matter-of-factly.

Shock grasped Jayden's heart. "You're Katherine's daughter?"

He had no idea Katherine had a child that was already in kindergarten, nor did he expect Joaquin to be the father of the child. Impossible. They just got married. No way they have a child who is at this age. A thousand questions raced through his mind. He frowned, but he couldn't say anything.

Joaquin's lips formed into a smile. He didn't even bother to explain. "Mr. Hall, even my daughter thinks her mother doesn't need your help. You should leave. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself further."

Joaquin would spare no pleasantries for Jayden, not when he was trying to go for Katherine. It was already nice enough of him to stay calm.

Jayden tensed up, and then he snapped, "I can choose to stay if I want. You might be her husband, but you have no right to order me around."

Just then, Katherine came back in. She had gone to get some food earlier. She was surprised to see Jayden here. "Jayden? Why are you here?"

Jayden put on a friendly look.

"You're back. I heard you came home and I'm worried, so I came as well." He looked at Joaquin and Noah. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you guys got married. And you have a daughter now."

Katherine cocked her eyebrow and smiled. "It's just a private matter. Getting married and having kids aren't really big deals, and I wanted to lay low, so I told no one."

Jayden noticed the overly formal tone, and he froze. However, he brushed that aside and continued asking questions. "How old is she? You never told me you guys have already been dating for years."

Obviously, Jayden wanted to get more information, but Katherine ignored it. She didn't want to talk to him.

Joaquin took that chance to speak. "Yeah, Mr. Hall. We're destined to be lovers. That will never change."

Dammit.

Tension started brewing in the air. Katherine quickly placed the food on the table. "Sorry, Jayden. I didn't expect you to show up, so I only got food for three. It's lunchtime. You should go for lunch. Call me if you need anything."

She was obviously telling him off, much to his chagrin, but it would look bad on him if he stayed, so he relented. Jayden smiled at Katherine. "I'll be in Hovington for a while. We can meet up anytime. See you around." He smirked at Joaquin before leaving.

Joaquin pursed his lips, but he said nothing. He then took Noah to the bathroom and got their hands washed before they started eating lunch. Still, he was miffed the entire meal.

Katherine blinked. "You look upset. Is it the food?"

Joaquin shot her a look and answered, "No. It's the people."

Katherine looked away. She put her cutlery down and tried to get up.

Joaquin quickly held her hand. "Where are you going?"

"You said the people upset you. We're the only people around, so I must be the one doing the upsetting. I should leave."

Joaquin relaxed his clenched jaw and pulled her back to the chair. "I wasn't talking about you. Sit back down."

Katherine thought it was amusing seeing him so fidgety. "So why the long face? Did someone get on your nerves?" Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"You know who. The guy who came earlier got on my nerves." Joaquin poked her forehead.

"Jayden?" Katherine cocked her eyebrow, her eyes filled with amusement. "Why do you care about him so much?"

Joaquin remained tense and quiet. He couldn't tell her he was jealous. It didn't fit his personality. Not once in his life did he ever feel jealous. He couldn't tell her that, so he could only stay silent. In the end, he picked his cutlery up and said, "Nothing. Just dig in."

Katherine knew what he was feeling, but she didn't expose him, nor did she prod him for answers. She picked her cutlery up as well and dug in.

That made Joaquin a little nervous.

Noah was staring at her parents in confusion and curiosity.