Chapter 84


    Jonathan stared at Rachel with his eyebrows raised. "Did something happen?" he asked.


    Jack tapped on Rachel''s shoulder and shook his head. It was his way of telling her that she didn''t


    have to say anything. "She got her clothes wet by ident," he said to his father.


    Then he turned to Rachel. "You should go upstairs and change your clothes."


    "Yes, Jack is right," Jonathan agreed. "Don''t catch a cold."


    Rachel nodded and started walking upstairs.


    Jonathan asked Mendes toe closer. He was holding something behind his back. Mendes


    noticed this and immediately went to Jonathan. The old man had been hiding the toys he had


    bought for Mendes. The boy was so happy to see all the toys that he started ying with them as


    soon as he got them.


    While Rachel was upstairs, Jonathan took this chance to talk to his son. "So, how''s it going?" he


    whispered. "Are you and Rachel getting along well?"


    "Everything''s going smoothly, Dad. Don''t worry too much about it," said Jack.


    Jonathan squinted at him. He knew his son wasn''t telling him everything. "I''m not thinking too much.


    I just wanted to know if you''re having trouble with Rachel these days." ■d


    Jack felt like he was seven years old again, and his dad was asking him if he was quarrelling with


    his friend.


    Nevertheless, he put his hands in his pockets and leaned closer to Jonathan''s ear.


    "Dad, please. Don''t embarrass me."


    Jonathan rubbed his fingers on his chin, lost in his thought.


    Jack saw Rachel walking down the stairs in his peripheral vision. "Just let me handle this, okay?" he


    whispered to his father.


    ''He better not screw this up!''


    Jonathan swore in his mind. It wasn''t easy for him to help his son to woo his wife.


    As soon as Rachel was done changing, she returned downstairs. Jonathan called her attention. He


    told her that he wanted to taste her cooking. She smiled at him and rolled up her sleeves. She went


    to the kitchen with high spirits.


    When the dinner was ready, Jack took the initiative to help arrange the dining table.


    "It''s so rare to see these two cooperating," Jonathan muttered under his breath. He was so satisfied


    watching Jack and Rachel work together that he could barely hide his smile.


    Jonathan had been nning this all along. He thought that if he could get them to live under the


    same roof, they could use this chance to get closer to each other. Maybe they could even discover


    something about themselves that they hadn''t known before. ■d


    If their personalities didn''t match each other, then let it be. He would not really force them to do


    anything they were not willing to.


    Jonathan was eager to know Jack''s n to deal with this marriage. He knew Jack could have many


    ways to get a divorce.


    Jonathan knew the kind of person his son was —Jack would never go against him.


    Jack would only try to end this marriage in roundabout ways.


    If things did not go well, Jonathan hoped that they could at least be closer. It didn''t matter if they


    wouldn''t be together, but he wanted to see the two of them getting along.


    Other than her cousin and aunt, she had no rtives. Jonathan wanted someone to take care of her


    after he died.


    He was afraid that she might get bullied by some people in the future and no one would stand up to


    protect her. He also nned to leave some shares of thepany to her.


    His health was deteriorating. He had to make preparations to protect Rachel.


    His wife was unreliable. She didn''t care for Rachel as much as he did. If Jack and Rachel got a


    divorce, they would end up being strangers. Rachel would be left to fend for herself.


    So Jonathan nned to make them closer. He wanted Jack to take good care of Rachel.


    The Fu family owed Rachel so much. Jonathan didn''t want to leave her so defenseless, without ■d


    anyone to rely on.


    Rachel called them to have dinner. Jonathan cleared his mind, turned around and took Mendes1


    hand with a smile. "Come on, my boy. Let''s go have dinner!"


    If anything, it was a lovely dinner. Rachel and Jack didn''t say anything to each other but they did


    enjoy the food.


    However, on the other side of the table, Mendes kept talking. He seemed to have treated Jonathan


    as a friend, so he had a lot to talk with this old man.


    Strangely enough, they were perfect match for each other and kept talking nonstop.


    Jack picked up some vegetables and thought that Rachel must have learned from his father who


    knew just how to talk to children.


    Jonathan put some food on Mendes'' te. The boy thanked him. Mendes'' sweet smile almost


    melted the old man''s heart. Watching the boy eat with so much glee made the old man feel that his


    life wasplete.


    Suddenly, something urred to Mendes. He winked at Rachel and Jack. "Uncle Jack, why don''t


    you help Rachel with her food?"


    Then he reminded what Jack had told him and corrected himself. "Jack!"


    Jack picked up a piece of fish and was about to put it into Rachel''s bowl, but Jonathan stopped him.


    "Rachel doesn''t like fish. Maybe get her something else, Jack?" said Jonathan. ■d


    Jack was surprised at how much Jonathan knew Rachel. Jonathan might not even know what his


    son liked to eat.


    If she didn''t like fish, why did she cook fish? After thinking for a while, Jack picked up the vegetables


    and looked at her, as if asking whether she liked vegetables or not.


    "Thanks, Jack. I''m really not that picky," said Rachel.


    Jonathan and Mendes stared at her. Rachel felt like she was under pressure. She tried to eat the


    food that Jack had given her.


    Mendes looked happy watching Rachel and Jack. "That''s right, you two should love each other!"


    It took a lot of effort for Rachel to swallow all the food. ''Love each other, he said. I wonder who


    taught him that,'' she thought to herself.


    Jonathan gave a thumbs up to Mendes and made the boy giggle again.


    Silence fell between Jack and Rachel. They couldn''t even look at each other''s eyes.


    Rachel suddenly remembered that Jack picked up food for her with his own chopsticks.


    After dinner, Mendes yed for a while. When it was about time, Rachel received the call from


    Lucas. "Will you send Mendes back?" he asked.


    Rachel took a look at the child who was ying with toys on the sofa in the living room. "I don''t think


    he wants to go back right now. Dad bought him a lot of toys," she said. "Hold on, let me go ask him."


    Lucasughed on the other end of the line. "It ■d


    seems that Jonathan is really fond of him."


    On the sofa, Mendes was fiddling with the toys.


    She crouched down to talk to Mendes. "Uncle Lucas called. He wants to know if you''re going


    home."


    Mendes put down the toys and reached for the cellphone. "Let me talk to him," he said.


    Rachel handed the phone to Mendes. He put the cellphone next to his ear and began to tell him


    what he had done in Rachel''s ce. He told Lucas he was so happy and wanted to stay here for


    one night.


    Lucas agreed, and then Mendes returned the phone to Rachel.


    "Rachel, do me a favor and look after him for tonight, please?" Lucas asked.


    Rachel smiled. "Don''t worry, I got it," she replied.


    Lucas was happy to hear that. "I''m not worry at all. You''ve got experience now," he said as he


    giggled a little. "By the way, are you sure you''re free this weekend?" he added.


    Rachel didn''t understand why he would ask again. "Yes. What''s wrong? Has the n changed?"


    Jack was walking downstairs when he heard someone talking over the phone. He stopped before


    he could fully get off the stairs.


    When Rachel heard someone''s footsteps, she went over by the window so she could talk in private.


    "Nothing has changed. I just realized there''s ■d


    going to be a lot of people going there on that day," said Lucas.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t mind it," Rachel answered.


    Jack walked up to Mendes and lifted him up. Mendes was unhappy to be carried, he struggled for a


    while but eventually gave up. "What is it, Jack?"


    "It''s time to take a shower," Jack replied, carrying the boy upstairs.


    With a frightened look, Mendes covered his chest with one hand. "You''re going to bathe me?"


    The corner of Jack''s mouth twitched. This boy just had the audacity to make him feel like he was


    about to vite the boy.


    Jack put the boy down and pped his buttocks, "Go upstairs and bathe by yourself!" Mendes


    giggled impishly.


    Before going upstairs, he turned to Jack. "Is it okay if I sleep with Grandpa Jonathan tonight?"


    Jonathan decided to stay here too. Rachel finished the call and happened to overhear what Mendes


    and Jack were talking about. She had only cleaned one guest room.


    Originally the three of them were nning to sleep together. But if Mendes was going to sleep next


    to Jonathan, she would sleep be sleeping alone with Jack.


    Rachel walked towards them and coughed. "Why would you suddenly want to sleep next to


    Grandpa Jonathan?"


    Mendes looked at Rachel as if he was a puppy begging for food. "He promised to tell me stories ■d


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    before sleeping." Mendes sounded sincere. It was hard to say no to him at this point.


    Jonathan''s promise was so enticing that Mendes would abandon Rachel and Jack immediately.


    Rachel wondered if she could tell Mendes any interesting stories to keep him with her. But she


    couldn''t think of anything at the top of her head.


    Mendes'' eyes looked like tiny jewels that could hypnotize anyone that stared at them. "Please?" he


    pleaded. Jonathan heard them talking. Before Rachel had the chance to refuse, he already gave his


    answer. "I don''t see any problem with that setup."


    They raised their heads and saw Jonathan waving at the child. Mendes strode forward andtched


    onto Jonathan''s leg.


    Rachel and Jack looked at each other in frustration.