CHAPTER 150: WHEN HOME FEELS LIKE A HUG
On arriving at the Pierce household the next day, Katherine stood at the steps of the house with her family, waiting to receive Suzanne. Diana had called them earlier to let them know she was coming home to spend the week. Katherine couldn't be happier. The thought of seeing her daughter again filled her heart with joy, but seeing her now, her joy knew no bounds.
The moment Diana pulled up, Katherine flew down the remaining steps to welcome her.
Diana opened her door and ran into her mother's open arms.
"Oh, my dear child," Katherine moaned, holding her tightly. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Mom," Diana replied sweetly.
Suzanne stood by the side, smiling warmly as she watched the mother-daughter reunion unfold.
Raymond walked up and greeted Suzanne first. "Mrs. Suzanne Alfred," he said curtly.
Diana, suddenly remembering herself, quickly pinched her mother, and the rest of the children came to stand behind their father.
"Please, call me Suzanne," she said, shifting past the hand he had extended for a handshake — and hugged him instead, surprising everyone.
Raymond chuckled after the short hug, then turned to introduce the rest of the family.
"Meet my wife, Katherine," he said.
"Suzanne," Katherine greeted sweetly, "I'm so sorry I forgot my manners for a second."
"Oh, nonsense!" Suzanne laughed and embraced her. "I reacted the exact same way when I saw my grandson with your daughter." She pulled away and looked at her. "Now I see where Diana gets her charm."
Everyone chuckled as Diana blushed.
"And these are my children," Raymond said, introducing each of them; from Jason, his first, to Phoebe, the last.
The children chorused their greetings all at once.
Suzanne beamed and tapped each of their cheeks in turn. "What a beautiful bunch."
"Well, Suzanne, I wasn't expecting you to still be this young and agile!" Raymond boomed.
Suzanne laughed. "What can I say, Raymond? Your daughter added fifty more years to my age with her incredible news."
Raymond chuckled, offering his hand. "We should get inside. Welcome to our humble abode."
"Thank you," Suzanne smiled, walking in beside him. Katherine followed closely behind.
Jason was the first to pull Diana into a hug.
"Congratulations, sis! I'm so happy for you. Can't wait to be an uncle."
Diana grinned and hugged him back. "Thanks, bro."
Rebecca stepped forward, gave her a sideways look, and tapped her shoulder. "Diana, I can't wait to see how miserable motherhood makes you. God forbid I find myself in that situation."
"Rebecca!" the siblings called out in unison, alarmed.
"What? Just stating facts," Rebecca said as she turned and walked upstairs.
Now it was Phoebe's turn. "I want you to get laid so badly, Rebs, so you stop being so damn cranky!" she shouted after her retreating sister.
Diana laughed and pulled Phoebe into a hug. "Pheebs, you know Rebs, she'll always be Rebs."
Jason looked at her. "You're too nice to her. That's why she gets away with bullying you. She wouldn't dare talk to Phoebe that way."
"Well, I am nice, Jason," Diana replied, smiling.
"Congratulations, mummy!" Phoebe grinned, and everyone burst into laughter.
Jackson was the last to hug her. As he embraced her, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I can see you're happy, Di. And I'm happy that you're happy."
Diana smiled and hugged him even tighter. "Thank you, Jacks."
He kept a gentle hand on her shoulder as they all walked inside completely ignoring Beatrice, who stood silently off to the side.
At a certain distance from the house, the sharp sound of camera snapshots echoed softly in the air, nearly drowned by the family's joyous chatter as they entered the house.
As soon as they stepped inside, Beatrice broke away, moving quickly toward the source of the sound. Her senses were sharp, her instincts sharper. She knew what she heard.
Creeping around the side of the building, she caught sight of a man hastily trying to leave the scene. Without hesitation, she lunged forward and delivered a flying kick straight to his back.
The man hit the ground with a heavy thud, his face smacking the concrete as blood spilled from his mouth and nose.
"The fuck!" the man growled, trying to scramble up.
But Beatrice was faster. She subdued him with ease, flipping him over and slamming her foot against his chest, pressing down hard.
"Who the fuck are you?" she demanded, her eyes blazing.
The man coughed, blood bubbling at his lips. "Who the fuck are you?" he shot back, undeterred.
Beatrice blinked. Was this guy insane? He was clearly overpowered, bleeding, and pinned yet still had the guts to sass her?
She snatched his camera, yanked out the memory card, and narrowed her eyes.
The man laughed.
"Oh, you really came for that," he sneered. "Now I remember you. You're that bitch's bodyguard."
He cackled even harder, realization dawning on him like a twisted gift.
"Well, you're too late, bitch. I already sent the photos to their rightful destination."
Beatrice's heart skipped. Her fingers clenched the card tighter.
"Who the fuck did you send it to?" she roared, leaning closer.
The man chuckled again, coughing blood. "I don't have to tell you shit. You can kill me. It's done."
Beatrice's jaw clenched, fury and frustration boiling inside her. She felt stupid. She had heard the snapshots but chose not to react immediately not wanting to cause panic in front of Diana or her family. She'd waited just a little, thinking she could handle it quietly.
But she had miscalculated.
The bastard had already sent the photos.
Beatrice immediately whipped out her phone and called her boss.
"Hello, boss"
"Yes, Beatrice, what is it?" James's gruff voice snapped through the line.
"Something serious just happened."
"What!" James shouted, already rising from his seat.
The people around the conference table turned toward him with startled expressions, but he didn't care. Without a second thought, he stormed out of the meeting room.
"What is it, Beatrice?"
"Boss, while we went to drop Madam off, I heard someone taking pictures. I didn't want to cause a scene, so I waited for her to go inside. But by the time I confronted the guy... he had already sent the photos."
"Well, who the fuck did he send them to?" James barked, his patience fraying fast.
"I don't know," Beatrice admitted shakily. "He wouldn't say. Even after I beat him to a pulp, he still kept his mouth shut."
"You bastard," James growled but it wasn't aimed at the man. It was directed at her.
Fury boiled in his veins, and his voice dropped lower, darker. "Just wait to die."
Then, almost as an afterthought: "What are you waiting for?"
Beatrice didn't hesitate. With trembling hands but hardened resolve, she nodded, turned to the man, and snapped his neck; swift, brutal, and final.
Her heart pounded. She knew she'd messed up, and badly. Now, her only hope of surviving James's wrath was to earn his woman's favor.
God help me, she thought.
Back on the other end, James ended the call with a snap. His hand clenched around the phone so tightly that it shattered under the pressure.
Shards of glass and metal rained to the floor.
Antonio appeared at that moment, catching his boss in a barely-contained storm of fury.
"Boss..." Antonio called out carefully, cautious of every syllable. At a time like this, even breathing too loud could get you hurt.
James didn't answer. He simply hurled the mangled pieces of his phone to the ground and strode back toward the meeting room, his silence heavier than any scream.