[h3][b]Katherine[/b][/h3][hr]

Maybe it was the thunder that led her to have such a restless night, or maybe it was the fact that this was the first time in years that she was staying on the property, which unfortunately wasn’t for a good reason… Or both. Katherine stared back at her reflection with unmistakably tired eyes; her hair messy from the seemingly endless tossing and turning. She also recalled being jolted awake at one point from her body tricking her into believing she was about to fall of the bed. 

A sigh escaped her lips before she bowed forward to wash her face. Her phone sitting on the side of the sink began to ring, and she was already annoyed knowing who it was without having to look at the screen.

Katherine picked up the call almost immediately, drops of water falling from her face before she reached for the small towelette with her free hand. Sam and her talked for a few minutes. For some unknown reason, Katherine wasn’t looking forward to the day. In fact, she was dreading it just a bit. But that was news she didn’t bother to share, not even with her partner of years. The young woman rushed through the conversation, hoping Sam would get the hint without making it sound too intentional. And after a few quick minutes, he advised that he needed to get moving. That was his tell, but at least he didn’t push the typical “what’s wrong” like he usually did every once in a while.

It was some time later when Katherine arrived for the will reading. She was dressed in a simple, dark grey dress and a black coat paired with black heels. The young woman had previously perfected the art of looking genuinely pleasant when offering the typical greeting such as “good morning”, smiling politely to whomever she saw as she made her way through the office before arriving at the conference room. Katherine then greeted those present, and the charade stopped there. 

To busy herself while waiting for things to commence, Katherine took out her cell phone and answered some quick work emails. To be honest, none were urgent, but it did help keeping her nerves in check. And all was fine until her father’s PA arrived. 

Her voice alone was annoying, and the remark she had made… Katherine stopped her typing, looking at Kayleigh dead in the eyes. This conniving whore really had opened with that comment. 

The youngest child cleared her throat, intentionally setting the phone down on the table in front of her with enough force to draw attention while simultaneously not being overly dramatic.