Chapter 374 The Dispute


    Celia''s voice sounded a little throaty when she answered, "I''m still at home right now because I


    have a fever."


    "Really? Then I''lle over to see you at noon," Rachel answered.


    "Thanks, but I''m fine. Marcus is here with me." She coughed a few more times before she hung up


    the phone. Marcus then came to her with a bowl of millet porridge. He scooped a spoonful, gently


    blew it, and put it into her mouth. He said, "Good girl. Finish this porridge and take medicine so you


    can have a good sleep."


    But his phone suddenly rang. He looked at the screen with an unusual expression.


    It was Eden.


    Celia lowered her gaze to hide the disappointment in her eyes. When she raised her head again,


    she was already smiling as if it was nothing. She then said, "Marcus, give me the bowl. I''ll eat it


    myself while you answer your phone."


    Marcus went to the balcony with his phone. As soon as he answered it, he immediately got annoyed


    with Eden''s ttering voice. He asked sulkily, "What''s the matter?"


    "Your mom and I went shopping in the mall earlier, and we thought of buying you a cashmere shirt.


    But we don''t know your size, so we''re not sure if this fits you. Would you like toe over and try it


    on?"


    "No, thanks," he refused coldly.


    Without waiting for Eden to speak again, he hung up at once. He was about to go back to Celia''s


    room, but his phone rang again. This time, it was his mother. She asked him to go shop with them,


    and he could not refuse.


    Based on his facial expression, Celia could already tell. Somehow, she felt relieved that he wasn''t


    leaving because of another woman. She touched her forehead and said, "I''m fine now. If you have


    anything to do, just go ahead. I''m sure I can have a good sleep."


    "Are you sure you''re feeling better? Call me if you need anything."


    "I will."


    Wrapped in a quilt, she stood on the balcony and looked down to watch his receding figure. As his


    car disappeared from her sight, tears suddenly fell from her eyes.


    She ended up sobbing and thought of sending a message to Rachel.


    It was almost time to get off work when Rachel received Celia''s message. It read, "Rachel, it seems


    like I find it more and more difficult to leave him." The message was full of helplessness and


    sadness.


    But since she wasn''t good atforting others, she didn''t know what to reply. Staring at her phone


    for so long, she decided to exit the message interface.


    Jack''s efficiency seemed to have really improved a lot recently after receiving a few threats from


    Rachel.


    When she came back from work today, he was already sitting on the sofa with legs crossed. With a


    faint smile, he picked up the teacup and sipped slowly.


    She took off her coat, hung it on the coat rack, and asked, "Didn''t you tell me this noon that you had


    something to deal with in thepany? Why are you home early?"


    He put down his teacup and answered, "I have something more important to tell you."


    Tilting her head, she picked up the teacup that he hadn''t finished yet and drank it up. When her


    throat felt moistened, she asked, "What''s the matter?"


    She was still surprised that he was home so early today.


    Jack took out a blurry photo from an envelope, raised his chin, and motioned for her to take a look


    while he exined, "This photo came from the cafe. It''s not so clear, but we both know that the


    person sitting here is Bertha." Rachel nodded in agreement. "Yes, that''s right. I remember she wore


    the same dress yesterday. But who is that person on the other side? Is she... someone from the Ji


    family? She can''t be Marcus'' mother, can she?"


    The moment she finished her words, she caught him staring at her unblinkingly.


    Puzzled by his reaction, she raised her hand and touched her face. "Is there anything wrong with


    my face?"


    "I didn''t expect my wife to be so smart," he said in a low and gentle voice.


    His remark made her smile. All of a sudden, her heart filled with sweetness.


    However, she immediately realized something, so she poked him on the shoulder and asked, "What


    do you mean you didn''t expect? Are you saying that I am not smart before?"


    He smiled but didn''t answer. Instead, he took out another photo and said, "Have a look. Does this


    woman look like the one sitting opposite Bertha?"


    "Yes,


    that''s her," she replied unhesitatingly. "She is Marcus'' aunt. She is a housewife, and her husband is


    just an ordinary factory worker. In short, they only rely on the Ji family when ites to their living


    expenses. Thus, since it''s not convenient for the Ji family to deal with Celia''s matter directly, they let


    her take charge of it."


    Rachel listened to Jack''s exnation quietly. She thought for a moment before she asked, "Have


    you found out what the Ji family had offered to Bertha?"


    "There is no need to investigate," he said. "You must have seen it on some TV dramas. It can be


    money or power. But I''m pretty sure that the Ji family won''t give power to the Xu family, so it can


    only be money."


    Rachel sighed. When Tracy got bored at home, she usually watched some TV dramas, and most of


    the time, she would watch with her. This kind of scene frequently happened. But she didn''t expect


    that it could also transpire in real life.


    Jack raised his hand and stroked her hair. "As you said before, Bertha is a greedy woman. It''s not


    surprising that she suddenly forced Celia to go on a blind date."


    She nodded and looked up at him. He was also staring at her with his deep-set eyes. When she


    was about to say something, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. "Since I''ve already


    fulfilled your request to investigate this matter, it''s now time for you to pay me."


    She was always amused by how his sudden words could make her smile when she felt sad.


    Pinching his cheek, she asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?" He admitted calmly, "Well, this year


    is about to end. We have to hurry up to have a baby next year."


    Her eyes widened in surprise upon hearing his words. "Next year? Didn''t we agree to have a baby


    later?"


    "I changed my mind. Rachel, we are not getting any younger. If you don''t give birth by next year,


    your metabolism will already decline, and your body won''t recover easily by then."


    "Well, it''s true that you are not young anymore. But me? Of course, I''m still young," she countered.


    She wanted to push him away, but he held her even tighter.


    "You''re right. I''m not young anymore. So if I don''t put it on my bucket list next year, I''m afraid I won''t


    have enough energyter. Please, satisfy an elderly man like me to be a father."


    Before Rachel could say anything more, Jack had already sealed her mouth with a passionate kiss.


    He then lifted her up and strode to the bedroom, ignoring her stare.


    At this time, she couldn''t help crying in her heart. She didn''t want to wear a wedding dress with a


    big belly. It would look too ugly.


    The next morning, the rm clock rang on time. Rachel got out of bed and freshened up. As soon


    as she finished, her phone suddenly rang. When she answered it, she heard Celia''s hoarse voice


    from the other end of the line. "Rachel, please help me. She is forcing me to have a blind date, but I


    really don''t want to go."


    Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that Celia was referring to Bertha. Without thinking twice, she


    grabbed her coat and put it on. She was about to leave when Jack grabbed her arm from behind, so


    she said, "Don''t be naughty. I have to see Celia now."


    But Jack said, "How can you drive like this? Let me drive you there."


    The moment they entered Celia''s apartment, everything looked unusual. The tidy living room was all


    in a mess. The sofa cushions and the neatly arranged books on the shelves before, now scattered


    on the floor.


    There were also some bloodstains on the TV mounted on the wall.


    Rachel felt a little uneasy as she nced at Jack.


    He gave her a reassuring look and said, "Go check the bedroom."


    The bedroom door was ajar. When she pushed it to open wider, she saw Celia squatting at the


    corner beside the bed. She was holding herself tightly in her arms, shivering.


    She got scared seeing Celia like this, so she asked, "What''s wrong? Are you hurt?"


    Celia raised her head and answered in a trembling voice, fine."


    "Get up first."


    Feeling slightly relieved, Rachel pulled Celia gently to sit down on the bed. She looked at the door,


    but Jack was no longer standing there. He already went to the living room and cleaned up the mess


    there.


    Jack had always been reading and signing documents with his hands in the office. But now, he was


    with her, helping her clean her friend''s apartment.


    She turned to look at Celia and asked, "Why are there some bloodstains on the wall?"


    "It''s Bertha''s," Celia replied.


    But upon mentioning Bertha''s name, she could no longer suppress the fear in her heart. Her


    shoulders shook between sobs. A few momentster, she continued, "She came over and insisted


    on taking me to a blind date, but I refused. I pushed her and... she..."


    She found it hard to finish her words, so Rachelforted her, "Don''t think too much. Have a good


    rest first."


    The bloodstains on the wall were not much, so it should not be a big deal. However, the rtionship


    between Celia and Bertha would probably get worse.


    When Celia fell asleep, Rachel came out of the bedroom quietly. Jack had already packed up and


    waved at her, motioning for her to sit on the sofa.


    Pursing her lips, she raised her eyebrows and pointed at the wall where they saw the bloodstains


    earlier. Jack had already cleaned them up, so they weren''t visible anymore. "Celia said that the


    blood was Bertha''s. Perhaps she hit her forehead on the wall when Celia pushed her. I don''t know


    how she is now. Shall we go and check on her?"


    With a frown, Jack replied, "I''ll ask Austin to do that."


    She held his arm and leaned on his shoulder. "Thank you, Jack."


    His eyes lit upon hearing her words of gratitude. He turned to look at her gloomy face and said, "No


    need to thank me. After all, you are my woman."


    "Will you regret this in the future?" She paused and counted the past with her fingers.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He sat up straight, stared at her, and asked seriously, "Can I regret now?"


    Rachel was stunned for a while before she finally realized what he meant. Sheughed and pinched


    his thigh. "You wish!"


    After a while, Marcus arrived with a thermos in his hand. When it was Jack who opened the door for


    him, surprised was written all over his face. With creased brows, he asked, "Why are you here?"


    Jack said with a smile, "Don''t get me wrong. I''m here with Rachel."


    Author''s note


    Goose


    Trantor: Scarlett5555