Chapter 240: The Aunt
Catherine looked genuinely confused by the question.
"They wrestle."
Maximilian blinked.
"They what?"
"They wrestle."
Sure enough, Bobby Jr. charged first.
Apparently, this was normal.
Maximilian stared in disbelief as father and son squared off in the middle of the backyard while relatives casually moved chairs to create more room.
Nobody attempted to stop them. Several people were placing bets.
"What kind of family am I marrying into?" he muttered.
Catherine merely smiled.
"The fun kind."
Maximilian folded his arms.
As strange as it seemed, he could understand the logic. Young men needed outlets. Pride needed bruising occasionally. Physical exertion solved many problems that words could not.
Still, Bobby was drunk. Very drunk.
Could he really take on a strong teenage boy?
"Can Bobby actually win?" Maximilian asked.
Catherine didn’t even hesitate. "Never once has the son beaten the father."
Maximilian was skeptical. Very skeptical.
Then Bobby Jr. charged.
What happened next unfolded so quickly that Maximilian almost missed it.
Bobby stepped aside, used the boy’s momentum against him, grabbed him by the belt, twisted his body, and threw him onto the ground with shocking efficiency.
The impact wasn’t particularly violent. It was, however, humiliating.
Silence filled the yard for a heartbeat.
Then Bobby threw both hands into the air in victory.
"Who’s embarrassing who now, huh, knucklehead? Come back after your balls drop!!!"
The celebration that followed was completely shameless.
Sophia immediately rushed to help her son up.
Bobby Jr., red-faced and wounded in pride more than body, swatted away her hand and climbed to his feet himself. A few older cousins followed him as he walked away, likely intending to help him recover what remained of his dignity.
Within moments, conversations resumed. The music continued. People returned to eating and drinking, as though a father had not just publicly suplexed his son in the backyard.
Maximilian stared.
Then stared some more.
The Preston family truly operated like a wolf pack. The young challenged authority. Authority reminded them why it was authority. Everyone moved on.
It was strangely effective, because beneath all that was... love.
"What if he comes back stronger?" Maximilian asked. "Five years from now. Ten years from now."
Catherine turned toward him.
"The father always wins."
"But eventually—"
"The father always wins."
Maximilian narrowed his eyes.
"That doesn’t sound mathematically possible."
Catherine laughed.
"He might kick him in the crotch."
Maximilian nearly choked.
"He what?"
"The father always wins," Catherine repeated with absolute certainty.
For a moment, Maximilian simply stared at her.
Then she winked.
"My brothers learned from my father."
That somehow explained everything. Or perhaps nothing.
"Don’t worry," Catherine continued. "You can teach our sons the same way."
Maximilian looked horrified by the suggestion as he was not raised this way, this life, or in the previous life.
Then he imagined a teenage son challenging him to a wrestling match while Catherine sat nearby, judging his performance.
To his own surprise, he started laughing.
The image wasn’t terrible.
It felt oddly warm.
Beneath the stars, surrounded by people who loved loudly, fought loudly, forgave quickly, and never stayed angry for long, Maximilian found himself smiling.
Perhaps this family was ridiculous.
Perhaps they were impossible.
But he was beginning to understand why Catherine loved them so much. And he loved them too.
As the evening continued and the family settled into smaller conversations, Catherine noticed Caleb standing alone near the edge of the yard.
Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t drinking, laughing, or participating in the ongoing arguments over brisket and beer. He stood slightly apart from the crowd, staring at his phone with a frown etched deeply into his face.
Excusing herself from a conversation, she walked over.
"Anything wrong?" she asked.
Caleb glanced up from his screen.
His first instinct was to become defensive. For a moment, it looked as though he might dismiss her concern entirely.
Then he hesitated.
Perhaps it was because he was tired. Or perhaps because, despite everything, some part of him trusted her more than he wanted to admit.
Caleb let out a long breath. Then he showed her the screen.
It was a problem at work.
He had already gathered the necessary information. The reports were there. The numbers were there. The data had already been collected and organized.
The problem was that he couldn’t see a path forward.
So Catherine listened.
She asked a few questions. Read through the information. Thought for a moment.
Then she told him exactly what she would do.
The solution was surprisingly simple once she explained it, because she immediately identified the part everyone else was overlooking.
Caleb stared at her.
The answer was so obvious now that she had pointed it out. Yet it had never occurred to him.
Catherine smiled.
"Try that first."
Then, as though the matter were settled, she started to walk away.
"Aunt Cathy."
She stopped.
Turning around, she looked at him.
Caleb suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He had wanted to apologize. Not only for what happened recently. For years of dismissing her. For assuming people respected her simply because she was Catherine Preston.
For believing she was overly involved in everyone’s business. For not understanding why his father trusted her judgment so much.
Now he did.
He had spent days staring at that problem.
She had solved it in minutes.
She really was that smart.
In the end, all he managed to say was, "Thank you."
A warm smile appeared on Catherine’s face.
"You’re welcome."
Then she walked away.
By the time she reached Maximilian, he already knew what had happened.
"Aunt Cathy, the people pleaser," he said dryly.
Catherine laughed.
He could somehow accept her forgiving Samantha. Samantha had at least been emotional. Caleb, however, had spent years acting stubborn. That was harder for him to forgive.
Catherine stopped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Then she kissed him.
A quick kiss.
The kind that immediately softened whatever annoyance he had been holding onto.
"I’m the Aunt, Uncle," she said, deliberately emphasizing the last word.
Maximilian groaned.
Catherine ignored him.
"If I want the respect that comes with being called Aunt, shouldn’t I act worthy of the title?"
There were nieces and nephews older than she was. Yet every one of them still called her Aunt Catherine.
To her, that title meant responsibility. It meant being patient when they were difficult. Being available when they needed guidance. Being someone they could rely on.
Maximilian looked at her for a moment before laughing.
"Teach me your ways, Professor Aunt."
He even gave her a small bow.
Catherine immediately pushed him. Unfortunately, pushing Maximilian Whitmore was rarely effective. He simply caught her around the waist and lifted her into his arms.
"Moosemilian!"
Ignoring her protests, he carried her back toward the house.
The construction work beside the brownstone continued well into the evening. Floodlights illuminated the site while workers moved equipment around. The sight had become so familiar that Catherine barely paid attention to it anymore.
Later that night, after showering, Catherine stood in front of the vanity applying her skincare products.
Maximilian sat on the edge of the bed watching her. He genuinely enjoyed watching her perform even the most mundane tasks. There was something calming about it.
"They caught a few men trying to sneak onto the property today," he said.
Catherine met his eyes through the mirror.
Maximilian continued.
"Also, several workers from the ranch suddenly quit. They’ve already been replaced, but most of the new hires are outsiders."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I’m looking into them now. I want every single one vetted."
Catherine nodded.
With everything happening recently, she knew why he was concerned. Yet somehow, hearing him say it made her feel safer instead of more anxious. Because Maximilian was already handling it.
She finished her routine and climbed into bed. Almost immediately she curled against his side. Maximilian wrapped an arm around her. Within minutes, she was asleep.
The next morning seemed perfectly ordinary, at least initially.
Catherine stepped outside and immediately spotted Richard showing off his newest purchase.
A brand-new electric vehicle. Richard stood beside it looking absurdly proud of himself. William, meanwhile, looked deeply unimpressed.
"It’s a computer with wheels," William complained.
"It’s innovation," Richard corrected.
"It’s a software subscription pretending to be a car."
"It’s the future."
"It’s a nightmare."
The argument continued.
Richard, however, remained delighted. Proudly, he began explaining various features to Catherine.
Catherine humored him and eventually climbed inside to take a better look. The interior was impressive. Everything controlled through a central screen.
Then the doors locked. The sound was soft, but unmistakable.
Catherine immediately frowned. She reached for the controls.
Nothing happened.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Outside, Maximilian noticed the change in her expression. His smile disappeared instantly.
"Catherine?"
She pressed another control. No response.
The screen flickered. Her pulse accelerated.
Outside, Maximilian was already moving toward the vehicle. He grabbed the door handle.
Locked.
His expression changed immediately.
"Catherine."
She looked up.
For a brief moment their eyes met through the glass.
Then she looked back at the dashboard... At the frozen controls... At the system refusing every command.
Understanding hit her almost instantly.
"It’s hacked."
Her heart began pounding.
Outside, Maximilian was already trying to force the door open.
People were shouting.
Richard’s face had gone white.
William was pulling out his phone.
Then Catherine saw movement. Her gaze shifted beyond the construction site. A truck had entered the area.
It wasn’t slowing down.
It wasn’t turning.
It wasn’t stopping.
It was accelerating.
And it was heading directly toward the car.