SWNOVELS Chapter 36 Cheer Mr. Shaffer Up
Chapter 36 Cheer Mr. Shaffer Up
Bennett shot her a chilly glance before turning away.
The silence in the car was deafening.
Catalina's heart was racing faster and faster.
Bennett looked displeased, so she assumed they wouldn't speak to each other again. He surprised her, however, by continuing the conversation a short time later.
"Did you keep your exchange diary for Warren?"
Catalina's face was flushed with surprise as she looked at him.
He, too, was looking at her with his head cocked to the side.
His eyes were icy and indifferent, but they seemed like black holes about to devour her.
"When did you first fall in love with him?" he asked coldly.
After a brief tremble, Catalina's heart sank.
Bennett was the one she had loved for so long, so she found the question odd when he asked her when she fell for his brother.
His question made her feel pain as if she was being tortured.
However, when she noticed he was staring at her, she wondered if she should deny it.
She didn't want Bennett to know she loved him, so she pretended Warren was the one she was interested in.
Catalina knew that if Bennett discovered the truth, he would mock and sarcastically humiliate her as a lunatic who would bite off more than she could chew.
Bennett interpreted Catalina's silence as implicit approval.
Apparently, she admitted that she had written the diary for Warren and that she loved him.
The atmosphere inside the car had turned downbeat and strange.
Even though the car was adequately heated, everyone felt like they were in a freezing cavern.
Bennett was just sitting there, giving off an eerie vibe like an ice sculpture.
Vincent glanced in the rearview mirror to check on them, but his gaze was met by Bennett's gloomy stare. Fear gripped him, which made him immediately avert his gaze.
Vincent quickly glanced at Bennett, noticing that the two hands resting on his knees were balled into fists. Bennett was clearly trying to control his anger, as shown by the bulging veins in the backs of his hands.
"Bennett is furious! This must be serious!" Vincent thought to himself.
***
Since that day, Catalina and Bennett had sparked a new cold war.
Catalina believed she was innocent because she was unsure how she had offended him again.
Everything was fine when they went to see Maggie in the hospital, but Bennett lost his cool after they got into the car and talked for a while.
Catalina couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.
Someone barged into the room while Catalina was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and writing a news article on her laptop. Wendy slammed the door shut as soon as she barged in, and she looked so scared that she seemed to be followed by a ghost.
"What's wrong?"
Catalina asked, puzzled.
Wendy appeared as if she had just experienced a devastating shock.
"I'm so scared!"
Wendy patted her chest to calm herself as she approached the couch. "Mr. Shaffer was venting his rage as I walked past the Lake Compound just now. Ralph was attempting to calm him down, but it didn't appear to be working. Oh my goodness, this is awful!"
It was the first time in her many years of service at Sophora Villa that she had seen Bennett become so enraged.
Catalina was also taken aback, so she couldn't help but look out the window at the Lake Compound.
Only the white mist on the lake was visible to her.
"Do you know what made him so angry?"
"I'm not sure. But..."
"But what?"
Wendy leaned in close to Catalina and whispered, "I heard you were the one who pissed off Mr. Shaffer."
"Me?"
Catalina naively pointed to her nose, "What did I do wrong?"
She then asked angrily, "Why are they blaming me?"
"They say you're the only one in the family who can irritate Mr. Shaffer like that. Don't you see how that makes perfect sense? I doubt maybe that's true."
"Stop making excuses! I know you guys are just trying to pin the blame on me."
"Lina, you really didn't mess with Mr. Shaffer?"
"Yeah... maybe?"
Catalina began to doubt herself after hearing Wendy's series of questions.
"Is he truly upset about what happened in the hospital? But I didn't do anything!" she thought to herself.
"It seems like you're having second thoughts. Is that really the truth?" Wendy asked, and she seemed confident in her answer.
"I didn't! I was always sure I was right about everything every time. He's such an elusive guy! I've never figured out what sets him off."
Wendy said, shaking her head, "The maids at the Lake Compound appear to be in a bad position. And do you know who is the only one can save them now?" "What? You mean it's all my fault?"
"Catalina, why don't you go tell Mr. Shaffer to calm down? Please! I know you're such an angel."
"What can I say to calm him down when I'm not sure what's bothering him? And what makes you think I won't only make matters worse?"
"How do you feel about the difficult situation for the maids working there?"
Catalina gave the Lake Compound another glance.
She knew that the servants had always had it tough because Bennett was difficult to get along with.
"Okay, then. I'll think about it!"
After much convincing, Catalina gave in.
Even so, she never lost sight of the fact that she had no clue what was wrong with him. It was so confusing that she had no idea what to do, which gave her a headache.
****
Catalina had known Bennett since they were both young, so she had a rough idea of what he liked to eat.
In the evening, she prepared a dozen ravioli for him, filling them with ground beef and cabbage.
She dropped the ravioli into the boiling water and scooped them out after a while.
Ralph was there the whole time, but he didn't even have a chance to help her. He said, "Mr. Shaffer has always had a picky palate, especially when it came to ravioli. He asked me to make them years ago, but he didn't even finished one. He never ate my ravioli again after that. Are you sure Mr. Shaffer will really eat yours?"
Bennett was really a picky eater.
Even Catalina had doubts about how well this would go. She looked at the ravioli sizzling on her plate and said, "I can't guarantee that this will work. Still, I'm going to give it a shot."
She had only remembered Bennett liking the ravioli she used to make when they were younger.
She was willing to take a chance.
Ralph bowed to express his gratitude to Catalina. "Catalina, thank you. We'll never forget the kindness you showed us. Good luck."
Catalina was at a loss for words as Ralph made it sound like she was leaving for war.
With the ravioli in her hand and a great deal of apprehension, Catalina began her "journey."
Ralph saw her off at the bridge.
When Catalina entered the Lake Compound, she was greeted by the maids who were waiting on the porch.
She "shushed" them to make them stop.
They all shut up.
Catalina took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she stood in the doorway. It was only then that she summoned the courage to knock on Bennett's door.
There was no answer inside.
The maids at the door all hung their heads down, not even daring to breathe.
They reacted as if a ferocious monster was waiting to snap their necks at any second.
Catalina knocked three more times, but no one answered.
She suspected that Bennett had gone to bed, but then she noticed that the room was still lit.
Catalina pushed the door open after giving it some thought.
As soon as she walked in, a glass ashtray flew directly at her.
Bennett yelled angrily, "Who allowed you to come in?"
To Be Continued