Chapter 317 A Meal Together


    The rtionship between Rachel and Jack should have ended three years ago. She didn''t want to get


    involved with him again.


    Rachel continued to walk ahead. Eric walked faster until he caught up with her. He grabbed her arm


    and stopped her. "Rachel, it''s just an ointment for burns. Just take it."


    "If you bought it, then I would definitely take it," Rachel replied seriously.


    She wouldn''t casually ept anything from Jack, though.


    Eric felt confused and thought that he had to ask about it. "Why do you always take for granted how


    much other people care for you?"


    In his opinion, Jack did a pretty good job of it.


    "You don''t understand, Eric. I just hope that you will not get yourself involved in this matter. You don''t


    have to do anything for us. It''s useless."


    It was one of the most difficult things to do to exin anything rted to rtionships to someone who


    was not involved in that rtionship.


    It was her opinion that two people who had been separated for years had gone through a lot of things


    during that time that turned each of them into a different person than they were before. Because of this,


    getting back together was very difficult.


    However, there was nock of real world examples where couples who got separated were able to


    rebuild their rtionship once more. A contrast to what Rachel believed.


    But how many of these couples were separated by a woman like Celine?


    It would be a lie to im the she didn''t care at all. How many women wouldn''t be jealous of their


    husbands'' ex-girlfriends? Additionally, Jack had love Celine so deeply back then.


    When Jack answered his phone and heard Eric''s low voice, he knew that the mission was aplete


    failure.


    Each time he thought that he was getting closer to Rachel, there was always something that would get


    in the way of their rtionship and bring them back to square one.


    In the past few years, Jack had convinced himself that he should move on.


    And he had long thought that he was sessful in convincing himself.


    However, when he saw Rachel at the airport, it made him realize that his feelings for her never truly


    disappeared, but was only hidden deep in his heart.


    And now, those feelings had returned to the forefront and were even stronger than before. He felt that


    he had to get back no matter what.


    When he reached his office, Eric sighed and shook his head. Five minutester, he picked up the


    ointment and threw it into the trash can.


    Out of nowhere, a fair-skinned, slender hand reached into the trash bin and took out the ointment once


    more. She turned her head to Eric with a confused look. "Why did you throw it away, Eric? It doesn''t


    look like it has ever been used before."


    Eric turned to the source of the voice and was surprised to see that it was Zoe Huang from the


    executive department.


    She was one of the most graceful girls in thepany. Many of the male employees in thepany


    had a crush on her. However, none of them had ever had a chance with her.


    Eric had always thought that she was pretty, but they didn''t know each other personally. Since she took


    the initiative to have a conversation with him, he was takenpletely by surprise. "I no longer have


    any use for it. So, I decided to throw it away."


    Zoe Huang brought out a piece of tissue and wiped the outside of the bottle, and ced it on the table.


    "Just keep it. Maybe someone will have need of it someday."


    Eric silently nodded his head in response. He did not dare to say "no" to her.


    Zoe Huang didn''t leave immediately, and instead smiled at him sweetly. "Are you free tonight, Eric?"


    she asked. "Myptop is broken. Do you have the time to check it for me?"


    Eric worked in the technology department of MK Group and dealt withputer issues every day.


    "Yes, of course, but I have no idea where you live," he replied immediately with a nod.


    "I''lle to you after your shift. Just wait for me."


    Eric began to smile to himself as he watched her walk away. ''Is this an opportunity for me to go further


    with her?'' he wondered to himself.


    It was rare for Rachel to remain quiet for two days. She slowly untied the bandage wrapped around her


    arm. The blisters had almostpletely disappeared, but there were still traces left. She just needed to


    use the scald ointment.


    Celia, who seemed to be more scared than her, remained silent all the time.


    "Celia, take a breath. You might suffocate yourself," Rachel said tofort her.


    Her words seemed to have brought Celia to her senses. She turned to Rachel and asked, "Is that going


    to leave a scar on your arm, Rachel?"


    "No, it won''t," Rachel replied briefly. She rolled down her sleeve to cover the wound. She then turned to


    Celia, who still looked more like a child. "Be careful in the future," she reminded her.


    The woman who said that she wanted to take revenge was detained by the police for two days and


    then released. It made Rachel worried that the woman might find another way to do something bad to


    Celia.


    And there was no way that she would always be so lucky to escape each time.


    "I understand. I''ll be careful."


    The telephone of her desk suddenly rang. Rachel reached for the phone to answer it right away. She


    was then very busy that she didn''t notice when Celia''s face flushed.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    It was James and he called Rachel into his office again. She assumed that he wanted to talk about


    Lucas once more.


    Lucas was in the emergency department for a very long time, but he never asked to be transferred


    back.


    Rachel knocked on the door of the office and then peeked inside. "Uncle James, you wanted to talk to


    me?"


    James looked at her, and motioned for her toe in and sit down. "Are you free tonight, Rachel?"


    "Yes, what can I do for you?" Rachel replied.


    "My wife and I have an appointment with Iris, tonight. Would you like to join us?"


    ''For the purpose of breaking up the couple?''


    she wondered to herself.


    Rachel thought a while and then shook her head. "I don''t think it would be appropriate for me to join


    you and your wife on such an asion."


    James seemed to have guessed what she was thinking. He forced a slight smile and then said,


    "Rachel, you misunderstood it. We asked her out to have a casual conversation and to get to know her


    better.


    And since Lucas insists on being with her, we figured to just let them do whatever they decide to do.


    However, we should at least get to know her character first, don''t you agree?


    My wife and I are afraid that she''d be too embarrassed to show her true self with us. So, having


    you with us would help lighten the atmosphere."


    Rachel smiled awkwardly when she realized that James had seen through her. "Does Lucas know


    about this?" she asked lightly.


    "Not yet. And you should not tell him about it either. My wife and I want to learn about this girl''s


    personality first."


    Since it would just be a meet-up for a casual conversation, Rachel thought that it would be


    inappropriate for her to refuse. After work, she joined James in his car and they drove to the restaurant


    where they would meet to spend some time and have dinner.


    Rachel first met Iris three years ago when thetter was sick and in a bad mental state. When they met


    again, she had to agree that Lucas indeed had good taste in women.


    After several years of hard work, Iris was now a regional agent of a popr cosmeticspany. She


    was confident and charming, and this made it difficult for people to take their eyes off her.


    Rachel smiled, opened her arms and hugged Iris warmly. "It''s good to see you again. It''s been a long


    time since west met."


    Rachel then introduced James and his wife to Iris since Lucas was not there to join them.


    She thought that the meal would go smooth and friendly as nned. She never expected that it would


    go a different way.


    The rm clock went off at exactly six in the morning.


    The first thing Rachel did was to turn off the rm before she crawled out of bed with sleepy eyes. She


    then threw a duck egg into the pot to boil it. She hurriedly went to the bathroom and washed up


    afterwards.


    She was barely done brushing her teeth when the doorbell rang and she almost jumped out of her skin.


    "Rachel, open the door!" Lucas called from outside the door.


    ''What is Lucas doing here this early in the morning?'' Rachel wondered to herself.


    Lucas rushed in with a nervous look on his face as soon as Rachel opened the door.


    "What''s wrong, Lucas?" Rachel took a step back from him because his arrival felt strange.


    Lucas looked straight into Rachel''s eyes and asked nervously, "Where is Iris?"


    "Is she not at home?" she asked in reply. Rachel wondered why Lucas came to her house so early in


    the morning just to look for Iris. She wondered what had happened and if she was truly missing.


    Lucas grabbed Rachel''s shoulders without warning. "What happenedst night? Why isn''t she


    answering her phone and why isn''t she at home? Where is she?!" Lucas roared at Rachel.


    He had to work overtime at the emergency department for the whole night.


    Thus, Lucas and Iris simply agreed to have breakfast that morning together.


    However, when he got out of work that morning, he was not able to find her at her apartment. He stood


    at the door and rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one answered. He even called her phone more


    than fifty times, but he couldn''t contact her. He didn''t know where she was until he was able to speak to


    a neighbor. The neighbor came back from the supermarket and informed him that Iris left early in the


    morning with a suitcase in her hand.


    The words of the neighbor made him feel like he was about to go crazy.


    Was she going to leave without saying goodbye again like she did many years ago?


    Lucas then went to thepany where Iris worked. He found out from her colleagues at work that she


    suddenly resigned without any exnation.


    Fortunately, he knew one of her colleagues who had a good rtionship with Iris. What he found out


    from that colleague was the reason why he went to see Rachel in a hurry. He wanted to know what his


    parents said to Iris during the dinner the evening before.


    Rachel was stunned at what Lucas said. "Everything was fine," she said with a surprised look on her


    face.


    Yesterday, after the four of them sat down for dinner, the atmosphere started off as a little awkward. But


    once they started to chat, the dinner quickly became very harmonious.


    The things that they talked about were mostly trivial and funny things in life. James then asked about


    Iris'' job, but nothing unusual ever happened throughout the dinner.


    At the end of the dinner, James asked Rachel to pay the bill. So, she had no idea what they talked


    about during the time that she was away.


    Rachel suddenly thought about this and recalled that the expression on Iris'' face suddenly changed


    when she got back to her seat after paying the bill.


    After she got back, Rachel also asked Iris if she was feeling okay, and she replied that it was just


    because she was a little tired. She exined that she was too busy with work during the day.


    However, when Rachel considered the situation now, she felt that there was something wrong at that


    time.


    But she immediately shook her head in disbelief. "No, it can''t be. Uncle James told me that he just


    wanted to know Iris'' true character," she exined.


    Lucas was suddenly angry. "Did my father say anything that implied to her that she had to leave me?"


    he asked furiously.