The Bound Between Us

Chapter 428
Katie described, “He’s around thirty, about 180 centimeters in height, medium build, with blond curly hair. I’ve seen him several
times, even at night.”
At this, Anastasia’s alarm bells went off. “Katie, why didn’t you say something before? When did you start seeing him?”
“I didn’t think much of it at first, so I forgot to mention it,” Katie recalled. “I think it was about a month ago. I saw him climbing out
of our backyard. I thought he was a burglar, so I confronted him. He said he dropped something in our yard and was retrieving it.
I didn’t suspect anything at the time. But last night, I saw him lurking around our front door again.”
“Let’s check the surveillance footage,” Anastasia suggested quickly.
They hadn’t lost anything from the house recently, so it didn’t seem like burglary.
Salma admitted, “I’ve never seen him.” If it hadn’t been for Katie’s disclosure, Anastasia would have been completely unaware.
Anastasia pulled up the surveillance footage and searched for the time Katie mentioned. Sure enough, the footage showed a
man skulking around their front door.
The man was wearing a hat and a mask. He climbed into the yard around nine o’clock the previous evening, sat on the porch
steps for a while, and then climbed back out.
“Not a burglar?” Anastasia was puzzled. He climbed in but didn’t steal anything. What was he doing? To be precise, the man did
nothing that could be seen on the video.
Salma noted, “I was home at that time last night. I was in the art studio with Pattie, helping her paint.”
Anastasia turned to Salma, “Mom, did you hear anything last night?”
“No,” Salma shook her head. “Not a sound.”
Katie added, “He always stays by the door. I only saw him climb out of the yard once, and he didn’t seem to be carrying anything
stolen.”
Anastasia stared at the screen, deep in thought. “Who is this man?” She didn’t recognize him. She watched the footage again
and again but still couldn’t figure out what he was doing.

Whether they had lost anything or not, Anastasia had to tell Herman about the intruder. This was not a trivial matter.
Anastasia sent a screenshot of the video to Herman, with a note: “Katie said she first saw this man lurking around our house
about a month ago.” They had not lived in their new house for long.
At this time, Herman, after dropping Pattie at school, was on his way to Salstrom Manor.
Last night, Grannie Anita had slipped away with a flimsy excuse. Herman had held his tongue, not wanting to embarrass her in
front of Anastasia. But he had to find Grannie Anita.
Seeing Anastasia’s message, he frowned and handed the screenshot to Dailey. “Find out who this man is.”
Salstrom Manor.
Ever since she returned last night, Grannie Anita had felt uneasy. She had made a mess of things. Julie had ended up in bed
with Joseph. Julie was supposed to be interested in Herman. Now Grannie Anita was worried about what Julie might do. This
was all part of her scheme, after all.
“Mom, what’s the matter?” Feiman was about to leave the house. Seeing his mother sitting on the living room sofa, lost in
thought, he asked curiously.
Grannie Anita, immersed in her thoughts, jumped at his voice. “Son, you scared me out of my wits!”
Feiman sat down. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just go,” Grannie Anita waved him off impatiently. She was still pondering over Julie and Joseph’s affair. She stopped
Feiman, “When are you going to acknowledge Joseph? It’s pitiful. He’s lost his mother, and he’s a Salstrom. He shouldn’t be left
out in the cold.”
“Mom, why are you bringing this up again?” Feiman frowned. “Katelyn’s still mad at me. It’s been months, but she’s not forgiven
me yet. Don’t mention Joseph.”
“Why should an outsider like her stop me from welcoming a Salstrom into my home?” Grannie Anita huffed. “Listen to me.
Acknowledge Joseph. Not only that, but we should also start arranging his marriage. Joseph’s not getting any younger. It’s time
he settled down.”

“Mom, be careful not to say this in front of Katelyn. And don’t meddle in this. I know what I’m doing.” Feiman was not going to let
Grannie Anita mess things up. “I was wrong in the first place. How can I bring Joseph home without Katelyn’s consent?”
“What if she doesn’t agree? Is she going to divorce you?” Grannie Anita’s voice rose, “Feiman, you’re my son. It’s only natural
that...
Before she could finish, the butler came over. “Grannie Anita, Mr. Herman is back.”
Hearing that Herman was back, Grannie Anita, who had been full of energy, suddenly feigned weakness. She clung to Feiman’s
arm. “Son, help me to my room to rest. I think I’m ill.”
Herman’s frosty voice echoed, “Grandmother, your illness is in your mind. Rest won’t cure