The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1027

Katrina nodded. "Get home and get some rest. You should probably drink some water to help sober up."

"I will."

————

That night, Katrina was plagued by insomnia once again.

When she finally managed to drift off, she had several deeply embarrassing, chaotic, and incredibly hot dreams. She couldn't clearly see the man's face, but she knew implicitly that aside from Naylor, it couldn't have been anyone else.

When she woke up the next morning, she sat frozen in bed for a long time, her mind still vividly replaying those steamy, ambiguous scenes.

Unbelievable.

How could she be having dreams like that?

Was she seriously that deprived after being single for a few months?

Katrina forcefully shook her head to clear her mind. She hurried out of bed, got ready, went down to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a hearty stew, and then carried the thermos straight to the hospital.

Willa Lester noticed her daughter had time to cook and asked warmly, "Work slowing down?"

Katrina poured a bowl of the hot stew and nodded. "Things should be quiet for the next few days."

Willa took a sip of her daughter's homemade cooking and sighed. "You're a true heiress, yet you've mastered the art of cooking. I bet you're the only one in the entire city with these skills."

Her mother's comment was a thinly veiled jab at her ex-husband, still bitter about how he had failed their daughter.

Katrina had stopped caring about any of that a long time ago. She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's good to have practical skills. I've never thought of myself as some untouchable heiress anyway."

Seeing her daughter so grounded and optimistic put Willa at ease.

At the very least, with a personality like that, she knew her daughter would be strong enough to survive once she was gone.

"By the way, what's going on with Naylor? Where do you two stand? Didn't he say he wanted to marry you? Are you still saying no?" Willa asked casually as she sipped her stew, probing into her daughter's love life.

Katrina pressed her lips together, thinking for a moment before answering. "He's been reaching out a lot, but I've been so swamped with work lately that I haven't even had time to process it."

Willa set her spoon down. "Honestly, if he's willing to marry you, I think you should seize the opportunity."

Katrina was genuinely shocked. "I thought you didn't approve of him? You literally said he was a player who couldn't commit."

"I did. But I've been thinking about it differently. Honestly, how many men out there aren't players? At the very least, he's incredibly generous with you, and his parents are decent people. Even if things don't work out and you two eventually split up, I seriously doubt he'd ever mistreat you or leave you with nothing."

Willa paused before adding, "Of course, I'm just offering my advice. The final decision is entirely up to you. Like I told you, I'm not going to force you into marriage anymore."

Her mother's closing remark struck a deep chord within Katrina.

Naylor smoothly claimed he had some legal questions he needed her professional opinion on and used it as an excuse to invite her to lunch.

Once they found a quiet restaurant and sat down, Naylor studied her face for a moment before a slow smirk spread across his lips. "I honestly thought you'd be hiding from me after the other night."

Katrina met his gaze effortlessly. "Nothing even happened. There's no reason for me to hide."

"Glad you see it that way."

Katrina had zero interest in discussing their romantic status, so she quickly pivoted. "You said you had some work issues you wanted to ask me about. Let's hear it. I'll see if I can help."

Naylor sighed internally, knowing she was deliberately dodging the conversation he actually wanted to have. Defeated, he had no choice but to shift to business.

When it came to the law, Katrina was a total professional.

The legal strategy she laid out was nearly identical to the one provided by Naylor's outrageously expensive corporate legal team.

"No wonder your boss values you so much. You really know your stuff. Lunch is on me today, consider it a waiver for your consultation fee."

Katrina offered a confident, proud smile. "Once I open my own practice, I'll be billing you by the hour for legal advice. A single lunch definitely isn't going to cover it."

Naylor laughed, his eyes flashing with implication. "By then, we'll be family. There'll be no need to keep score."

"..." Katrina's smile froze. She honestly couldn't comprehend how he managed to effortlessly steer literally every single topic back to their relationship.