ă€ŠThe Silent Wifeă€‹


 Chapter 1

    On the night of her wedding, Rachel Hudson sat on the edge of the bed with a bitter taste in her mouth that extended deep into the bottom of her heart. Amber Hudson was unwilling to marry the disfigured eldest son of the Burton Family, so her father had asked Rachel to take her ce instead. After that, she was carried into the Burton Residence with neither a wedding ceremony nor wedding guests like a bride who couldn''t rise to the asion, making her utterly disappointed with the Hudson Family.

    Just then, the creak of the door being pushed open interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to meet a man''s long, narrow, and sharp ck eyes.

    It was Justin Burton, her current husband. He was tall and slender but not burly, whereas his angr face and tightlypressed lips made him look cold, arrogant, and aloof-just like amanding hawk in the dark night. However, his originally handsome face was regrettably marred by a scar. It ran from his forehead to his chin, lending him an air of ferocity.

    Rachel subconsciously averted her eyes under his prating gaze. Suddenly, he said with absolute certainty, "You aren''t Amber Hudson." Thedy before his eyes was obviously more beautiful than Amber. Rachel instinctively put out her hands and gestured to him.

    Justin frowned. "What are you doing?"

    Rachel was startled for a moment. It was only then did she realize with the benefit of hindsight that he couldn''t understand her signnguage. After smiling an embarrassed smile, she took out the paper and pen she had brought with her, wrote down a sentence, and showed it to him.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    The next instant, she saw the man''spletely frosty eyes. He let out a sneer and said, "What does Jefferey Hudson mean by this? He knows that I want Amber, yet he sent a mute, illegitimate daughter over on purpose?"

    The words ''mute, illegitimate daughter'' caused Rachel''s breath to pause, and she slowly dropped her eyes. The next instant, the man lifted her chin and asked with a voice as chilly as the water in winter, "Does the Hudson Family think I''m so easy to fool?"

    Rachel''s tiny hands clenched into fists in her sleeves. He''s furious. Is he going to throw me out right away? If that''s the case, what about Grandma''s medical expenses... she thought to herself. She wanted to exin, but she could only feel her throat tighten under the man''s chilling gaze.

    As her eyes slowly dimmed, the man suddenly ordered, "Come here."

    This is... Is he allowing me to stay? Rachel was delighted at first, but she then thought of what she was about to face. She slowly became nervous, and a thin sheen of sweat coated her palms.

    Upon seeing her hesitation, Justin thought she had chickened out. He then demanded impassively, "I''m very dissatisfied with the fact that your family has substituted the bride with someone else. But now that you''re already married to me, you have to fulfill your obligations as my wife.ˇ±

    Rachel bit her lower lip,y t, and turned her face to the left. Then, she heard a mocking sneer as it reached her ears. "I''m asking you to wait on me while I take a bath."

    Rachel''s face, which was as white as porcin, turned red instantly. She swiftly sat up and saw the man coldly enjoying how she had made a fool of herself. Anger filled her eyes, and she thought to herself, Is he having fun while making fun of me?

    Justin''s eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice turned grim. "What are you waiting for?"

    Rachel suppressed her emotions and slowly walked up to him, but she identally scratched his skin with her clumsy fingers. Suddenly, Justin grabbed her wrist and closed in on her. "Did you do it on purpose?"

    Rachel was dumbfounded for a moment. Then, she shook her head with confusion in her clear eyes.

    As Justin stared at her, another pair of clear and bright eyes unwittingly appeared in his mind, reminding him of the Hudson Family-the chief culprit who had destroyed those very eyes. He promptly sneered and said, "I had no intention of touching you tonight, but since you can''t stand being lonely, I can only help you out."

 Chapter 2

    One nightter, Rachel woke up with her body aching all over. However, Justin was nowhere to be seen, and only the slightly cool smell of tobo lingered in the air.

    Rachel dragged her fatigued body to the bathroom and took a shower. She first saw a beautiful middle-aged woman sitting on the sofa aftering downstairs, but thetter simply stared at her coldly with her arms folded across her chest.

    Rachel had seen this woman in the photo her father had shown her. She was Sue Praham, Justin''s maternal aunt. It was said that Justin lost his parents as a child and was brought up single-handedly by Sue until Arthur Burton, the Old Master of the Burton Family, brought them back to the Burton Residence. Justin built his own business empire with his own abilities, and he had always been filial to Sue as if she were his biological mother.

    At this moment, Sue looked Rachel up and down before saying, "Jefferey Hudson, that old fox, didn''t keep his word. He knew that we wanted Amber to marry into the family, yet he sent you-a mute-instead. Does he think the Burton Family is a garbage recycling center? I always wonder why Justin keeps you around, but since things have turned out this way, you''d better behave yourself. Don''t think you will have a meteoric rise by marrying into our family. We, the Burtons, aren''t fools. All right, go and prepare lunch first. Since you''ve married into our family, you should be a virtuous wife!" Therge Burton Residence was obviously not short of servants, but Sue ordered a neer who had just married into the family to prepare lunch.

    Rachel dropped her eyes in the face of Sue''s sharp gaze. Even though the woman was making things difficult for her on purpose, she couldn''t fight back for the time being. A woman with neither power nor influence could never disobey these people, so she could only avoid trouble whenever possible. As such, she merely turned around and went to the kitchen. It''s just a meal, so it''s not a big deal, she thought to herself.

    However, her concession didn''t earn her respect. Instead, Sue took it for granted by assuming that Rachel was weak and could be easily bullied. She let out a cold snort and curled her lips before saying, "As expected, you''re simply unpresentable!"

    Rachel paused for a moment and then left as if nothing had happened.

    Soon after that, Justin returned from hispany. As Sue smiled and asked him to have lunch, he turned around and immediately saw Rachel bustling about in the kitchen with an apron on. He knitted his brows, but Sue lied with a smile when she noticed this. "She insisted on preparing lunch herself. Perhaps she wants us to taste her cooking," she said.

    Justin nodded his head without saying anything else.

    Rachel had lived with her grandmother since she was a child, so she was pretty good at cooking and doing household chores. She soon made four dishes and one soup before serving them at the dining table. The servants saw how virtuous and capable she was, yet they had little respect for this newly married wife of the family. In the eyes of the public, only those of the lower sses would serve people; after all, the upper-ss people were to be served.

    Throughout lunch, every single person including the servants focused their attention on Justin while ignoring Rachel as if she didn''t exist. She felt ill at ease because of this, wanting to get away from such an atmosphere. Hence, she casually took a few bites, nodded to them, got up, and went upstairs.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    After Rachel left, Sue curled her lips andined, "She''s so rude. Does she think she can look down her nose at everyone because she''s mute?"

    Justin picked up his documents right away and began reading them without raising his head.

    When she saw that he wasn''t responding to her words, Sue rolled her eyes and continued, "Justin, the Hudsons don''t know what is good for them. They have simply insulted us by palming off an inferior and giving us a mute! How dare they expect you to give financial aid to their family business? I think they must be dreaming!" Sue was aware of her nephew''s means and wasn''t worried about the Hudson Family taking advantage of him; she simply couldn''t help feeling ufortable at the thought that they had taken such an unpresentable mute as a wife, for it would inevitably cause her to beughed at by the wives of other families when she went out.

    However, Justin still gave no response-he didn''t even have an expression on his face.

    When she saw that he obviously didn''t want to talk about this subject, Sue said with an ingratiating smile, "Julian is finallying back after studying medicine in France for so many years. He can''t call a mute an inw, can he? People willugh at him if word gets out about this. Just get rid of that mute after a while. I''ll help you look for someone else to assume the position of Young Madam Hudson, okay?" Atst, Justin gave a response this time. He nced at her expressionlessly and replied, "I know what I''m doing regarding this matter, so don''t worry, Aunt Sue."

    Sue''s face froze at the cold and distant tone of his voice. After he left, Mrs. Duncan, one of the servants at the Burton Residence, came up from behind andforted Sue in a whisper, "Please don''t think too much of it, Madam. Young Master Justin said so because he''s worried that you''ll be overburdened with worries."

    Sue sighed with a worried expression. "How could I not overthink it? Justin''s personality has changed a lot ever since he was rescued from the human traffickers. He''s no longer as easily approachable as he used to be when he was a child. Even though I have been living in ease andfort ever since he brought me to the Burton Residence, I know that he mes me deep down inside. If it hadn''t been for my carelessness, he wouldn''t have been abducted by the human traffickers and suffered so much."

    Mrs. Duncan''s lips quivered, but she didn''t know what else to say. She thought to herself, Young Master Justin has been invincible in themercial world over the past ten years, but he has also be increasingly unfeeling and indifferent. It''s no wonder the Madam is so worried about him.

 Chapter 3

    Meanwhile, the Hudson Residence was ringing with cheers andughter. Blessed with incredibly pretty looks, Amber was holding Jefferey''s arm as she pleaded like a spoiled child, "Please buy me a Maserati, Dad. Our family received 10 million from the Burtons, so we don''t have to worry about money anymore!"

    Jefferey was sitting on a chair and reading a newspaper. Upon hearing her words, he turned his head and red at her peevishly. "How could you have the cheek to ask for a luxury car? You refused to marry into the Burtons when you were asked to. I really have no idea what you were thinking about. The Burtons are so rich; would you not have whatever you wanted once you married into the family?"

    Amber wrinkled her nose with a disdainful expression. ˇ°Dad! Justin Burton looks extremely ugly and is said to have an entric character. It disgusts me just to think about him, so I''ll never agree to marry him! Rachel, that forsaken mute, married him in my stead, didn''t she?" she protested before pausing for a moment. Then, she rolled her eyes and smiled slyly. "I would be willing to get married if I were to marry Julian Peters, though. He is said to be a Doctor of Medicine in France. He''s such a handsome and promising young man, which is pretty close to my ideal type of person."

    She''s the apple of my eye, after all-I have spoiled her ever since she was a child. I can''t force her to marry someone she dislikes, but she has be more and more unreasonable as I spoil her, Jefferey thought to himself. He poked Amber in the nose and replied, "Julian Peters is Sue Praham''s son, not the heir of the Burton Family. What''s so special about him? Besides, Justin Burton will not be made a fool of easily. Where was I supposed to find a substitute for you in a short time if it weren''t for her?"

    Amber raised her chin disdainfully. "Even if she wasn''t there to substitute for me, there would be someone else. Perhaps she''s only too eager to marry into the Burtons! A mute who cannot speak should simply be grateful for being able to marry into a wealthy family!"

    Jefferey merely smiled without saying a word. Only he knew that he had forced Rachel to marry Justin using her grandmother''s life-saving money, but there was no need for his little princess to worry about this. Even though Rachel was also his own daughter, a mute who had been left in a remote mountain vige for many years before resuming her rtionship with him had noparability with a beloved daughter who had been spoiled and doted on since childhood. Moreover, unlike Amber, Rachel couldn''t win glory for the Hudson Family.

    As the father and daughter were chatting happily, thepany suddenly called. After Jefferey answered the phone, his countenance changed all of a sudden. "What did you say? The funding from the Burton Family is empty? That''s impossible!" Then, his face became increasingly grave as the person on the other end said something.

    Amber was seated near Jefferey, and she turned ghastly pale when she heard that the money that should havee to their hands was gone. "What should we do, Dad?"

    Jefferey knitted his brows as he thought of something. Then, he uttered bitterly between clenched teeth, "What a b*stard Justin Burton is! How dare he y tricks on me? How could he go back on his word after I married my daughter to him?"Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "That ugly monster is simply too annoying!" Amber thanked her lucky stars. "It''s lucky that I didn''t marry him. It''s crude for that sc*m to go back on his word!" Then, she looked at her father and asked hesitantly, "What should we do next, Dad?"

    Jefferey collected himself and pondered for a moment. "Since he''s being unkind to me, he shouldn''t me me for being treacherous. Don''t forget that Rachel is now one of the Burtons."

    Amber smiled instantly when she saw how her father appeared to have a card up his sleeve. She thought to herself, Dad has always been wise and resourceful. Well, Justin can only resign himself to getting ripped off!

    In the meantime, Rachel was mopping the floor while Sue sat on the sofa and drank some tea, eyeing the other woman in a nitpicking manner. "Be sure to mop the floor clean. As the daughter-inw of the Burton Family, you ought to manage your household with industry and thrift. You shall sweep and clean up the rooms every day from now on. Mrs. Duncan is an old servant of the Burtons, so we shouldn''t keep overworking her. Share some of her burdens as you should since we Burtons don''t want azy daughter-inw," she said. She despised this mute, but she couldn''t drive thetter away in a grant way. After all, it was mainly out of concern for the Burton Family''s reputation that hadsted for 100 years. Therefore, she wanted to make Rachel back out and go away herself in the face of hardships. "Of course, if you feel wronged, you may leave the Burton Family. All right, I''ll be having afternoon tea with someone else outside very soon. Hurry up and work, and don''t bezy!" After finishing her sentence, she picked up her handbag and went out.

    Rachel watched until Sue had gone out before she heaved a long sigh. She thought to herself, Sue Parham is simply too difficult to deal with, and it''s quite tiring to get along with her.

 Chapter 4

    After Rachel spent the entire morning doing household chores, she had a dry throat and wanted to help herself to some water. As she walked past the turn of the staircase, she incidentally overheard two servants secretly talking about her.

    The first servant said, "I heard that Amber Hudson graduated overseas with a doctorate. Not only does she have a pretty face, she''s very good at dancing as well; she even won the Riverdale White Swan Dance Championshipst year."

    The other servant replied, "Isn''t that so? Just look at the woman Young Master Justin is currently married to. She can''t speak and is submissive all the time; moreover, she married into the Burtons without a wedding. She''s so cheap. Just what kind of a madam is she?"

    "Well, Young Master Justin has a scar on his face, but he is a man of great capabilities. Besides, he is rich and powerful. A mute woman would never have the chance to be his wife, don''t you think so?" "Oh, you''re right. I heard that mute people like her arebeled as people with third-grade disabilities."

    Third-grade disabilities... Rachel''s eyes flickered. In reality, she wasn''t born unable to speak. A big fire had damaged her throat when she was ten, but her father was reluctant to spend a lot of money to send her abroad for treatment. Hence, her medical treatment was dyed again and again. She didn''t understand why when she was little, and it wasn''t until she had grown up that Rachel realized this was only because she was not the beloved daughter who grew up by her father''s side. Instead, she was an outsider who had been brought back to the Hudson Family midway.

    Therefore, thesements had no effect on her at all. She smiled unconcernedly and was about to turn around and leave when an icy and harsh voice spoke outside. "Who allowed you to gossip about the Burton Family''s matters as you please?"Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    The two old female servants looked back sharply and saw the frosty-looking Justin, who could freeze someone to death with his eyes alone, staring at them with narrowed eyes. They panicked at once and begged him by saying, "We won''t do it again, sir! It''s our fault! We''ll never shoot our mouths off again! Please let us off, sir!"

    However, Justin still looked frosty and was not visibly moved at all. Frankie Beckham, his assistant who had been following behind him, stepped to the front and said to the two servants, "From tomorrow onward, both of you don''t have toe to work anymore."

    The two servants were immediately devastated.

    Suddenly, Justin looked in Rachel''s direction. After ncing at the dirt on her hands and the apron on her waist, he knitted his brows slightly. "Why are you doing these things? You''re thedy of the house." Rachel was somewhat baffled by the interrogative tone of his voice. Is he really unaware that Sue has been ordering me about?

    Justin frowned slightly at her silence. "There are servants in the house, so you don''t have to do these things from now on."

    A myriad of thoughts crossed Rachel''s mind, but she nodded obediently without giving anything away. She untied her apron and put down the broom. As she was about to go upstairs, she inadvertently cast he eyes upon the two old female servants. They had been fired, and they were currently kneeling on the ground.

    A thought came into her mind. In reality, this man didn''t do so to help me; he merely did so for the sake of the Burton Family''s dignity, she thought to herself. Cindere''s story existed only in fairy tales, not in her understanding of reality. Therefore, she wasn''t grateful to Justin since it would be too foolish to do so.

    She returned upstairs and had just opened the door to her bedroom when her cell phone suddenly registered an iing phone call. She nced at the screen and saw that Jefferey was calling her. After a moment''s hesitation, she answered the phone.

    Unbeknownst to her, Justin received a text message from Frankie downstairs. It read, ''The Hudsons have called Mrs. Burton.'' Justin''s eyes darkened slightly, and his expression was inscrutable.

    Rachel, who didn''t know that her cell phone had been tapped by the Burton Family, listened quietly as Jefferey spoke on the phone. He said, "I need your help, Rachel-it''s an emergency. Go to Justin''s study, look for a business contract marked in red with the word ''Property'', and take pictures of it for me. Be sure to photograph every page of it, and don''t get caught by him." He spoke like it was an easy thing to do, but it wasn''t a trivial matter at all. Naturally, Rachel fell silent for a moment without agreeing to it. Since Jefferey had expected that she might be reluctant to do so, he added meaningfully in a colder voice, "I know that you''re a filial kid. Don''t forget that your grandmother is still waiting for you."

    Rachel was stunned by the words, ''your grandmother is still waiting for you.'' Her grandmother was still lyingatose in the hospital, and she knew from her understanding of her father''s cold-blooded personality that he really wouldn''t care about the former''s life and death. She couldn''t bring herself to feel any familial affection toward him since she had long been thoroughly disappointed with such a cold- blooded father, but her grandmother was different. No matter what, she couldn''t ignore her grandmother''s safety.

    Which was more important? She had made a choice deep down inside.

    When she returned to the room, Justin was leaving with an overcoat in his hand. Before he left, he took a nce at her. There was a dark glint in his eyes that she couldn''t understand, but she didn''t give it much thought and waited in silence until night fell.

    After 11.00PM, the servants had gone to rest. Rachel stood outside the door to Justin''s study, her hand already pushing down on the door handle.

 Chapter 5

    Rachel''s palms were a bit sweaty as she was still somewhat nervous. After a moment''s hesitation, she pushed the door open.

    The room was dark. Lighting her way using her cell phone, she walked up to the desk until her eyes fell upon the drawer below the table. When she opened the drawer, she saw an envelope marked in red with the word ''Property'' as she had expected.

    She then picked up the envelope, feeling somewhat puzzled as to why such an important document wasn''t locked away. She quickly realized something, and her expression changed slightly. Just as she was about to leave, the lights suddenly turned on with a click. "Are you looking for this?" When the man''s apathetic and cold voice sounded, she dropped the envelope in her hand to the floor in fright.

    At this moment, Justin was holding an identical envelope, whereas the envelope Rachel had dropped to the floor opened up. Is the envelope actually empty? she thought to herself in great shock. Justin''s deep eyes were calm and inky ck, but they were more like the sea before the storm with invisible waves surging underneath the sea surface. "Jefferey Hudson told you toe and take it, am I right?"

    Rachel''s breaths quickened involuntarily. He knew the truth all along and was waiting to catch me in the study? Upon realizing this, she instantly felt a chill running up her spine!

    Suddenly, the man stepped toward her. Her pupils shrank, and she felt like he was stepping on her heart with every step he took. Finally, he stopped in front of Rachel and looked down at her taut face. "You''re bolder than I thought," he said, though no one knew if he was actually mocking or praising her.

    Rachel smiled wryly in her heart. She wasn''t bold, but she simply had no other choice. She didn''t try her best to exin herself in front of this clever man; the harder she tried to exin herself, the more she would seem to be covering it up. The more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make as well. Hence, the only thing she could do was to remain silent.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Suddenly, Justin''s voice became extremely prating. "As my nominal wife, you stole the Burton Family''s trade secret. If I call the police right now, you''ll spend the rest of your life in jail." He took out his cell phone with the number 110 disyed on its screen. His thumb hovered over the dial button, and it seemed like he was about to press it the next instant.

    Rachel looked up sharply as she could no longer maintain herposure. However, Justin was still indifferent. "Are you afraid now?"

    Rachel pressed her lips together with all her might as all the blood drained from her face. If I go to jail, what will happen to Grandma in the future?

    Upon seeing how pathetic she looked, Justin asked with a sneer, "Do you want me to let you off?"

    Rachel raised her eyes at once. Will he really be so kind-hearted?

    Just as she had expected, the man smiled a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. He then said in a mocking voice, "You''re quite obedient to Jefferey. You do whatever he asks you to do, but don''t you know that this is illegal? Well, since you''re so obedient, take off your clothes right now to please me! Perhaps I can be pleased enough not to hold you ountable."

    Rachel was stunned. She was as humble and weak as an ant before this powerful man, but even an ant clung to life, let alone a living person like her. She closed her eyes forcefully. After opening her eyes again, she began to undress slowly while her hands trembled.

    Justin was surprised. He had purposely mocked her in such a way, but he didn''t expect her to do as he asked. Great, I''d like to see to what extent she can go for this! he thought to himself.

    Rachel first took off her coat before unbuttoning her shirt... Perhaps even God was helping her, for when she was about to take off her bra, Justin''s cell phone rang right then-Frankie was calling him. "It''s been arranged, sir. Jefferey Hudson has taken the bait."

    "Uh-huh," Justin replied softly. After hanging up the phone, he looked up at Rachel. The woman''s thin and frail body trembled as she stood there; concealed in her reddened eyes were feelings of vulnerability and sadness that she wouldn''t easily reveal. Suddenly, he lost the will to go on, and he waved his hand. "That''s enough. Your long face is disgusting, so get out."

    Rachel froze in ce at his sudden change of mind, her hands still on her bra as she was about to unsp it.

    Justin impatiently urged, "What are you waiting for? Get out!"

    Only then did the sudden realization dawn on Rachel. Is he actually... letting me off? She quickly got up and left, not daring to stay even a second longer.

    After returning to her room, Rachel was in a constant state of trepidation since she feared that Justin might suddenly change his mind again. She waited in fear until it was 12.00AM, and she gradually felt relieved when she didn''t see the maning back.

 Chapter 6

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Hudson Residence was tense. After answering the phone call, Jefferey paced back and forth in the living room with a sullen look on his face.

    Just then, Amber came back from outside and was puzzled at the sight of this. "Dad?"

    Jefferey smashed a mug in anger. "What an idiot Rachel is! The photos of the contract she sent to me are all fake! She must have been caught by Justin! I was actually careless! Thepany''s share prices have plummeted, and it won''t be long before thepany loses more than tens of millions."

    Amber was so shocked that she dropped the handbag in her hand. She asked hurriedly, "How did this happen? Are there any solutions?"

    Jefferey thought for a long time with a grim expression. Then, he looked at her meaningfully and said, "Only you can help me, Amber."

    "Me?"N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Jefferey nodded. "Yes. Rachel probably angered Justin by marrying him in your stead, which is why he''s taking revenge on us Hudsons in such a way. Unfortunately, I''m not someone at his disposal! Amber, don''t you fancy Sue''s son, Julian? As long as you can make him side with you, I''ll have a way to help him gain possession of Justin''s entire wealth. By then, wouldn''t everything the Burtons own belong to our family instead? Ha... Since Justin has the guts to treat me like this, I''ll make him pay a heavy price!"

    "Can you really ruin Justin, Dad?"

    When he saw how his daughter doubted his words, Jefferey sneered and said, "Of course. With Rachel as my pawn, what should I be afraid of? Hence, you must go to the Burton Residence as soon as possible you must waste no time."

    However, Amber instantly hesitated when she heard Jefferey asking her to go to the Burton Residence. "Here''s the thing, Dad... I have no problem with seducing Julian. After all, I don''t mind doing so since he''s an excellent young man, but... what if that ugly monster named Justin takes liberties with me? I heard that he likes me, so I''m afraid that he might take advantage of me, Dad."

    Since Jefferey knew what she was worried about, he patted her hand andforted her by saying, "Don''t worry. Butter Sue up first when you''re at the Burton Residence. If Justin does something to you, ask Rachel toe out and act as your shield-she wouldn''t dare to refuse helping you. Moreover, you can take advantage of her to make Julian yours."

    Amber bit her lip in reluctance. In the end, however, she agreed to it for the sake of her family''s business.

    When Rachel got up in the morning, she found that Justin hadn''te back all night. As such, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn''t know how to face him at present, so she felt more relieved by not seeing him for the time being.

    She wasbing her hair in front of the mirror when a servant suddenly barged into the room and took her stuff out of the master bedroom right away without saying a word. ''What are you doing?'' Rachel signed in confusion. To her horror, the servant replied with a contemptuous smile, "Young Master Justin said that you are to stay in the room in the side wing, and you shall not get close to the master bedroom from now on!"

    Rachel was stunned. She didn''t expect Justin to continue holding her ountable forst night, but he had no intention of letting her off easily at all. Now, he had driven her out of the bedroom. With that, Rachel carried her stuff and went to the furthest room under the servant''s mocking gaze. Since Justin didn''t allow her to get close to him, she would stay as far away from him as possible. At present, everyone in the Burton Residence knew that Justin had thrown his newly married wife out of the master bedroom, so everyone looked at the woman with mockery wherever she went. Even Sue looked at her gloatingly as if she had already guessed what would happen to her. "How is it? It''s not that easy being the wife of the Burton Family. It''s not toote to leave right now, you know."

    Every word Sue said implied that Rachel should get lost. However, thetter remained silent in her own way, and it felt as though she couldn''t understand what Sue was saying at all. It was her way of using silence as a countermeasure, but Sue gnashed her teeth in anger. "You''re quite stubborn for a mute who can''t speak. I''ll see how long you can hang on!"

    No one in the Hudson Family hade to visit Rachel ever since she came to the Burton Residence, and no one even cared or asked about her. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Rachel was spurned in the Hudson Family, and this made Sue confident enough to bully her as if justice was on her side.

    Rachel was in no mood to tangle with Sue, so she stayed quietly in the room in the wing, never stirring from her own turf. However, Amber suddenly came not long after that.

    As soon as Amber arrived, she was chased away by a frigid-looking Sue. "How dare you have the cheek toe to the Burton Residence? Get out, please."

    However, Amber''s purpose this time was to win Sue''s favor first. Instead of being frightened, she behaved as if she was at a loss for what to do. "I''m sorry, Madam Parham. It''s my fault for blindly listening to Rachel and agreeing to let her marry into the Burtons. Please don''t be angry, okay?"

    Sue''s eyes widened when she heard something fishy about Amber''s words. "What do you mean? Make yourself clear!"

 Chapter 7

    Amber told Sue the entire story from A to Z in an innocent demeanor,beling Rachel as a vain and scheming woman who had coaxed her younger sister. As she stood beside them, Rachel watched Amber''s pretentious act coldly with an expressionless face. She didn''t defend herself under Sue''s disgusted and contemptuous gaze, for she knew it was unnecessary to do that. Since Sue didn''t like her, she would never believe her.

    As she expected, Sue looked askance at her as though she was looking at something filthy. "No wonder you don''t want to leave-you''re after the Burtons'' family fortune. What a vain and scheming b*tch you are!"

    Amber smiled smugly upon seeing this. Then, she moved close to Rachel and whispered in a voice audible to only both of them, "Dad said you must go along with me."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel turned her head suddenly, and her pupils shrank. What do you want to do?

    Naturally, Amber could understand Rachel''s signnguage. She smiled and replied in a whisper, "You don''t have to care about that. You just have to go along with me, or else... I''ll tell Dad about it."

    Seeing how the sisters weremunicating, Sue looked at Amber and asked in puzzlement, "What did she say to you?"

    Amber acted worried as she sighed and said, "Rachel hates me now. I''m apologizing to her since I didn''t do it on purpose."

    Sue let out a cold snort. "What a disgusting woman you are! I have seen many scheming b*tches who try to climb the socialdder by marrying above their station, but it''s my first time seeing such an annoying mute."

    Rachel''s heart had gone numb after hearing so many hurtful remarks.

    In the ensuing time, Sue softened her attitude toward Amber, and they soon talked andughed while chatting. After all,pared to the mute Rachel, Amber was more to Sue''s liking. Moreover, she had a silver tongue and made Sue happy with just a few words. On the contrary, Rachel seemed like an unconcerned outsider.

    In the evening, Justin came back. Apart from being dressed scrupulously in a ck suit with no creases, he had his short hair slicked back neatly which revealed his attractive forehead. He looked very much like a business tycoon; despite the scary scar on his face, the way he pursed his thin lips looked very masculine and noble.

    Amber was stunned the instant she saw him. Rumor had it that Justin was an extremely ugly man, and Amber believed it, but she didn''t expect him to still be so handsome even with a scar on his face! Amber was overwhelmed with regret. She couldn''t reconcile herself to this; had she known earlier that Justin was so masculine, she would have never let Rachel marry him back then! However, she then remembered what Jefferey had asked her to do... She was in a dilemma, but her own idea got the better of her in the end. I will have both Justin and Julian to myself! As long as these two men fall deeply in love with me, Dad''s objective will be achieved in a different fashion, she thought to herself. "You''re back, Justin." She approached him while assuming a veneer of maidenly shyness, feeling indescribably smug at the thought that this excellent man had proposed marriage to her back then.

    To everyone''s surprise, however, Justin looked at Amber very coldly. The woman was puzzled, and even Sue herself was in disbelief. Justin had personally proposed marriage to Amber back then, so he definitely liked her. Why was he reacting like this?

    Is it because Rachel married him in my stead? Is that why he''s angry with me and giving me the cold shoulder on purpose? Amber thought to herself. When she became convinced of this, she felt relieved at once. "I have something very important to talk to you about, Justin."

    The man paused, knowing that Amber hade because of Jefferey. "Come with me."

    She hurriedly followed Justin with a hint of joy on her face. On the other hand, Rachel stood beside the sofa with her eyes fixed on him the whole time, yet he went straight to the second floor without looking at her.

    Sue darted a look at Rachel, who had always been practically non-existent, and sneered. "Do you see it? Amber is the one Justin loves, and there is no ce for you here. If you''re smart enough, you should leave as soon as possible. Don''t end up in misery and bring disgrace upon yourself."

    Rachel had gone numb after hearing a lot of Sue''s taunts. However, there was one thing that she couldn''t figure out. Before the wedding, the Burton Family had always believed that it was Amber who was going to marry Justin, but why weren''t there any wedding ceremonies or wedding guests? After all, Justin was the one who had asked for Amber''s hand on his own initiative. Nheless, she didn''t want to think about this. However strange this was, it had nothing to do with her.

    When Rachel returned to her room, she suddenly found that her cell phone had registered several missed calls. When she looked at it carefully, she found that these calls were from Riverdale General Hospital and she immediately called them back. "Is this Miss Hudson speaking? There''s something wrong with the patient, so pleasee to the hospital as soon as possible," said the person on the other end. Did something happen to Grandma?! Rachel thought to herself.

 Chapter 8

    Rachel panicked at once, and she went downstairs before running out in a hurry. The servants were about to stop her, but Sue stopped them from doing so since she thought that Rachel had run away in a fit o pique after being irritated by the scene of Amber and Justin getting along. She said, "Ignore her. It''s good that she''s leaving!"

    On the other hand, Rachel took a taxi to the hospital downtown. Fortunately, her grandmother was already out of danger-a new resident doctor of internal medicine had operated on her.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Lying on the sickbed with her eyes closed was a gray-haired old woman whose faint breaths proved that she was still alive. Rachel''s tears fell in drops as she kneeled before the sickbed while holding her grandmother''s hand. She didn''t cry when her father forced her to marry into the Burton Family, nor did she cry whenever Sue gave her a hard time or whenever the servants looked down on her. However, her grandmother, who had treated her most kindly, was the only thing who could tug at her heartstrings; she would break down if her emotional anchor copsed.

    Just then, there was a knock on the door. Rachel looked back subconsciously and saw a young and handsome man in a white coat. "Hello. I''m Julian Peters, the patient''s chief surgeon. You must be the patient''s family. I need to talk to you about her condition."

    Rachel was grateful to the doctor who had helped her grandmother. She wiped her tears, made a few gestures, and gave him a sincerely grateful smile.

    Julian was stunned by thedy''s smile. Her eyes, which had been washed with tears, were as extremely beautiful as the rainbow after the rain. "Ahem, you''re wee." He didn''t understand signnguage, bu he somehow understood what Rachel meant. "The old madam''s condition is only stabilized for the time being, and she still needs to undergo another major surgery. In the meantime, please try your best to speak to her ear and spend more time with her. Soothe her emotions and tell her not to be nervous; it will be good for the surgery''s effects."

    Rachel pursed her lips and nodded slightly. Since she knew that the doctor didn''t understand signnguage, she merely listened quietly to him while smiling politely from time to time.

    Julian felt very well-disposed toward this beautifuldy at first sight, so he made a special effort to tell her some safety precautions. Just as he was about to leave, Rachel stopped him. She took a pen from her handbag, wrote an IOU with her name and phone number on it, then handed the paper to him with both hands.

    Julian looked at the beautiful handwriting on the IOU, then at her fair and elegantly beautiful face. He shook his head with a smile and replied, "That won''t be necessary." He knew that the old woman''s granddaughter had financial difficulties at present, so he had no intention of taking it.

    However, Rachel didn''t agree and stubbornly shoved the IOU into Julian''s hand.

    Julian turned her down repeatedly but failed, so he had no choice but to ept it. However, he now had a different understanding of thisdy''s character and felt increasingly well-disposed toward her. After he left, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief with a clear conscience. Her grandmother had a tumor in her brain, but no one dared to operate on her since she was too old. She had beenatose for a long time, and arge amount of money was needed to keep her alive. Rachel learned from the nurse that the Hudson Family had stopped paying for her grandmother''s medical expenses. With no one paying the medical bills, her grandmother''s medication was naturally cut off, which was why her grandmother''s life had fallen in danger. If it weren''t for Julian''s help, her grandmother could have died today.

    This showed how cruel Jefferey was. Not only did stealing the document cause her to offend Justin, even her father stopped paying for her grandmother''s medical expenses. Since that''s the case, why should I go back to the Burton Residence? Since Dad won''t pay for Grandma''s treatment, there''s no need for me to go back anymore, Rachel thought to herself.

 Chapter 9

    Rachel stayed in the hospital the whole time. However, Jefferey called her again at 10.00PM. She stared at the phone for a long time without answering it, but the screen continued to sh rapidly. In the end, she gritted her teeth and answered the phone.

    Jefferey''s voice was unusually cold. "I heard from Amber that you left the Burton Residence this morning, so I figured that you must be at the hospital with your grandmother. You should know why I stopped paying the hospital bills, right?"Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel pressed her lips together, knowing it was because she had failed to aplish what he previously told her to do.

    Then, she heard Jefferey sneer. He threatened, "Do you not want to go back to the Burton Residence anymore? I''m telling you, Rachel you must go back! If you refuse to return, I''ll make all the hospitals in the city afraid to take your grandmother in. You know that I can do so. Of course, if you don''t believe me, you can give it a bold try. If your grandmother dies unexpectedly, you''ll be the one killing her." Rachel''s expression changed; she held her cell phone tightly and breathed rapidly in fear. At this moment, she wished she could speak and vent all the resentment she harbored against this father of hers. Having achieved his goal, Jefferey smiled in satisfaction. "You''d better be obedient, or else you won''t be able to bear the consequences."

    After Jefferey hung up, Rachel looked at her grandmother as she continued to lie on her sickbed. She thought bitterly to herself, Had I been a little more sessful in life, I wouldn''t have been at Dad''s disposal, nor would Grandma''s illness have dragged on until now.

    Soon, it was 11.00PM. After taking a deep breath, Rachel took a taxi back to the Burton Residence. The servants had gone to rest by then; since Rachel hadn''t had anything to eat since this morning, she walked lightly to the kitchen to grab a quick bite. However, as soon as she reached the living room, she was startled by a dark silhouette leaning against the wall in a corner. Apparently, the man had spotted he as well. Why is Justin here? Where''s Amber? she thought to herself.

    When he saw her looking around, Justin narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you looking for?"

    Rachel took out her pen and paper and wrote, ''Amber.''

    Justin''s eyes darkened. Staring at the woman''s face, he then asked, "Aren''t you afraid that I might rece you with her?"

    Rachel was stunned by Justin''s question. For a moment, she didn''t know what to say.

    Justin lightly flicked the cigarette butt between his fingertips that hadn''t burned to the end with his fingers, and the cigarette butt fell to the floor, its sparks dying out bit by bit. Then, he raised his eyes and looked at her. "Amber is staying at the Burton Residence. I hope you''ll understand what to say and what not to say in front of her in the future."

    Rachel was startled. Was he warning her not to make Amber angry? She slowly dropped her eyes upon recalling how Amber looked like she was determined to win Justin''s heart during the daytime. Her sister had always bullied her over the years, so why would Rachel cross Amber on her own ord? If possible, she wished she had no dealings with Amber forever. Unfortunately, things turned out contrary to her wishes.

    As it turned out, Amber knocked on the door of Rachel''s room the next morning. "Rachel, I heard from Madam Parham that the pond in the backyard is quite a fun ce. Would you like to go with me to have a look at it?" She looked at Rachel expectantly like a vivacious and harmless little girl.

    Rachel looked around imperceptibly and found that Mrs. Duncan and the other servants were keeping a close eye in their direction. Perhaps the Burtons might say something about me again if I refuse to go, she thought to herself. Therefore, she nodded in agreement.

    The two sisters walked together in the Burton Residence''s courtyard. It had to be said that the Burton Residence was simply too magnificent, for even Rachel sighed to herself. It was said that Arthur stepped down from his position ten years ago and had been recuperating physically and mentally at the Burton Residence since then, whereas Justin managed everything and was even more powerful than Arthur had been back when he was in his prime. No one could take advantage of Justin in themercial world, and numerous people were eager to ingratiate themselves with him.

    The pond in the backyard of the Burton Residence-the residence of a family with an abundance of manpower and wealth-was asrge as an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and there were all kinds of precious fishes swimming in it. Rachel stood on the ssical-style bridge with Amber as they looked down and appreciated the scenery.

    For the next one or two hours, Amber happily enjoyed the scenery, and both sisters got along well enough without any trouble. However, as they were about to leave, Rachel who had been walking ahead of Amber-was suddenly pushed by thetter from behind. She nearly tripped, but when she steadied herself and looked back, Amber had fallen into the fish pond with a ssh. "Help! Help-"

    Rachel was stunned on the spot as Amber''s cheap trick was too obvious. How could therge Burton Residence not have any surveince cameras installed? Amber would give herself away once the surveince videos were checked. However, she had always been a clever one. Could she have not thought about this?

 Chapter 10

    Before long, Amber''s cries for help had drawn a group of people from the front hall. As Rachel had expected, the first thing Amber did after being rescued from the pond was to question her tearfully, "Why did you push me, Rachel?"

    Rachel frowned at the sight of the reproachful eyes from the people around her. However, with so many people watching, what ought to be exined had to be exined. She shook her head while exining with signnguage. I didn''t push her.

    Amber, the only person at the scene who could understand what she was signing, snickered in her heart. She pretended to look shocked and replied loudly, "Did you say that you hate me? Rachel... Why would you hate me? We''re blood sisters... How could you be so cruel?"

    Rachel''s expression turned cold, for Amber had wilfully distorted the meaning of her exnation. Judging from the peculiar expressions of those around her, they obviously believed Amber''s lies. Thanks to the lies that Amber deliberately spread, everyone in the Burton Residence knew that Justin loved Amber but ended up marrying Rachel the one who had schemed to get married to him. As a result, they loathed Rachel and sympathized with Amber. Moreover, thetter won their favor with her honeyed words.

    "The way I see it, she did it because she''s envious of Miss Amber."

    "What a vicious woman she is! She evenid a hand on her sister."

    "She looks pitiful on the outside, but she has such a wicked heart."

    Amber felt smug deep down inside upon hearing thements around her, yet she pretended to look aggrieved as she turned to Sue. "What happened isn''t what you think it is, Madam Parham. My sister didn''t do it on purpose!"

    Sue''s eyes were as piercing as knives as she scolded Rachel harshly, "What a dishonest and vicious woman you are! A woman like you doesn''t have to stay at the Burton Residence anymore!" Amber even added fuel to the fire as she said, "Please let my sister off, Madam Parham. I understand her; if it weren''t for my sudden visit to the Burton Residence, she wouldn''t have been provoked to the point of doing this to me."

    Rachel looked even colder upon hearing what everyone had said. How could she not understand Amber''s purpose in doing this? She simply wanted to drive her away from the Burton Residence, and Sue, who happened to have the same idea in mind, yed along with her. The two women clicked instantly as they took advantage of each other.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Nheless, how could Rachel let herself be made a scapegoat? She took out the pen and paper that she had brought with her in her handbag and wrote, ''I''d like to request to have the surveince videos checked to prove my innocence.''

    However, Amber didn''t get nervous at all; instead, she was emboldened by Sue''s support. "I really won''t me you, Rachel. Just admit it; even if you have the surveince videos checked, you''ll only get humiliated even further."

    Just then, Mrs. Duncan chimed in, "The surveince camera is broken, Madam."

    Sue nced at Mrs. Duncan and nodded. She lied through her teeth, "That''s right. It has been broken for several days, and the repairman will being to fix it tomorrow."

    All of a sudden, Rachel wanted tough; this was clearly the crappiest set-up. These women were from wealthy and distinguished families. Crafty as they were, they couldn''t have possibly been unable to tell what actually happened, yet they deliberately ignored the truth. They probably had the surveince cameras switched off in advance, which was why they didn''t have anything to fear. It wasn''t that Amber had seeded in setting her up; it was just that everyone here never epted her. To them, it didn''t matter whether she was right or wrong. All that mattered was that only Amber was worthy of Justin, and sheˇŞa mute was not!

    Rachel initially thought that Amber was the only person behind this set-up, but she didn''t expect that everyone in the Burton Residence would gang up with her sister and target her. Perhaps this has been premeditated? she thought to herself.

    As it turned out, Rachel was right. Sue took advantage of the situation and demanded, "Now that you''ve done something so wrong, it is useless no matter how you exin it. You must apologize to Amber!" Rachel''s hands clenched into fists at her sides. After all, an apology would be an admission of wrongdoing in a different form. Right now, she was enduring everyone''s scornful and contemptuous gazes like a universally condemned vicious woman. She took a deep breath, looked at everyone in a dignified manner, and wrote down her stance. ''Why should I apologize for something that I didn''t do?''

 Chapter 11

    Sue frowned in displeasure. This mute simply won''t back down! she thought to herself. "The servants around have seen you pushing Amber into the pond. Do you still want to make excuses for yourself?" These people were far away in the front hall when Amber fell into the pond. Do they have irvoyance? She didn''t even bother to tell a more convincing lie, Rachel thought to herself. Her jaw was set. Evidently, she didn''t believe such a ridiculous excuse.

    The atmosphere was tense for a moment; the Burton Family purposely said that the surveince camera was broken, yet Rachel couldn''t forcibly have the surveince videos checked. Just then, a familiar and gentle voice spoke from behind them. "I can prove that she didn''t push the other woman."

    Rachel was stunned when she saw who the visitor was. Isn''t he... Dr. Peters?

    The slender young man walked toward them and came to Sue''s side. He said, "I''m back, Mom."

    Sue beamed with delight at once as she affectionately held her son''s arm. "Weren''t you supposed toe back this afternoon, Julian? Why did youe back in advance?"

    Julian answered with a smile, "Actually, I came back half a month ago-it''s just that I interned at the hospital for some time. I came back today to give you a surprise at first, but I didn''t expect to see such a scene." As he spoke of this, his eyes fell on Amber, and his smile faded somewhat. ˇ°I clearly saw you falling into the pond yourself. Why did you use Miss Hudson of pushing you into the pond?" Everyone was stunned upon hearing his words. In particr, Amber had a slight change in countenance, and she bit her lip. "I... I... I felt like Rachel pushed me. P-Perhaps... I was wrong."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Mrs. Duncan was about to say something, but Sue instantly silenced her with a nce. After all, she knew how stubborn her son was. Now that he had seen it, the tension would only rise if others continued to mislead him. At the thought of this, she turned to look at Rachel in a disapproving attitude. "You and Amber are sisters. She isn''t an outsider, so a little misunderstanding isn''t a big deal."

    Amber nodded vigorously as she took the opportunity Sue had given her to get herself out of the awkward situation. "That''s right, Rachel. I must''ve mistaken someone else for you, and I''m sorry about that. Don''t take it to heart."

    However, Rachel didn''t want to ept Amber''s perfunctory apology, so she didn''t give thetter even a look in response. Instead, she fixed her eyes on Julian. This man has helped me once again, she thought to herself. As she was really grateful, she thanked him with a gesture.

    Since he understood what her gesture meant, Julian nodded at Rachel. In reality, he was also surprised at first. He didn''t expect thedy whom he had met once at the hospital and felt well-disposed to would be his cousin-inw. For some reason, he had a strange feeling; it was as though he found this regrettable. However, he didn''t give it much thought as he could only turn his eyes back to Sue. "Let''s drop the matter here, Mom."

    Sue understood that Julian didn''t want them to go on. That''s the kind of person he is. He always steps in whenever he encounters an injustice because of his particrly strong sense of right and wrong, she thought to herself. Since she didn''t want to upset her son over such a trivial matter, she nodded with a smile and replied, "Let''s go. I haven''t seen you for so many years, so let''s have a nice chat." The crowd then left slowly, leaving only Rachel and Amber at the scene. Amber got up from the ground and stared at Rachel with a slightly peculiar look in her eyes. "Do you know Julian in person?" Rachel ignored her, though.

    Amber quipped, "Rachel... As expected, you and your mother are people of the same sort." She then left, leaving a cold-looking Rachel behind.

    Ever since Rachel went to live with the Hudson Family more than ten years ago, Amber had been using her of being the daughter of a homewrecker, insinuating that her mother had given birth to her by seducing Jefferey. When Rachel was little, she wished she could tell them that her mother wasn''t that kind of person. Her mother was not only of gentle disposition but also talented and well-versed in literature she was the best mother in the world! However, it wasn''t until she had grown up that she found how foolish she had been. Why would a bunch of bloodsuckers who couldn''t tell right from wrong care about the truth?

 Chapter 12

    After Justin came back, Sue exined the incident and made a few indifferent remarks. The man merely cast a casual nce at Rachel, who was standing in a corner, without stating his position. Even so, Rachel wasn''t disappointed since she had expected such an oue long ago.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    On the other hand, Amber couldn''t help but chuckle inwardly. Doesn''t this show that he doesn''t care about Rachel at all? she thought to herself. With a big smile on her face, she walked up to Justin and held out to him the coffee she had brewed. "Have some coffee, Justin. You''ve been busy all day long, so let''s quench your thirst with this."

    Much to her surprise, Justin refused and said, "It''s not necessary. It''ste, so you should go home now."

    Amber''s smile froze on her lips. She deliberately acted cute, pretending not to understand that Justin wanted to chase her away. "I want to learn something from you so that I''ll do a better job of helping my Dad manage hispany in the future, Justin. Can I do that?"

    Normally, a man wouldn''t have the heart to refuse a coquettish plea made by such a pretty and gracefuldy, but Justin narrowed his eyes. "If you don''t leave right now, you don''t have toe here anymore." The scar on his face made him look very menacing when he looked at someone chillingly.

    Upon that, Amber''s expression changed slightly. She hurriedly smiled in a cating manner to save herself from the embarrassment. "All right, all right. I know you are afraid that my Dad will be worried about me, right? You''re only saying so for my own good, and I understand that, Justin. In that case, I''ll be going home first. I''lle again some other day." She was still smiling when she left, but her face instantly darkened as soon as she left the ce. In the end, she nced at the Burton Residence''s gate with a look of determination in her eyes.

    After Amber left, Rachel held a cup of brewed Earl Grey tea and ced it on Justin''s desk. She knew that Justin liked to make a cup of tea whenever he came home from work, which was why he refused to drink the coffee Amber had brewed. However, her body tensed up subconsciously as she could sense his dark gaze falling on her even with her head lowered.

    "Why are you lingering around here?"

    Rachel pursed her lips and looked up at him. Then, she put her palms together and ced them between her neck and her shoulder to make a sleeping gesture. Aren''t you going to sleep?

    She merely asked the question casually, but the man had obviously misunderstood her. Justin furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you want to sleep with me?"

    Rachel was stunned for a moment before she shook her head vigorously.

    Justin then strode off and replied, "Since that isn''t the case, don''t disturb me."

    Rachel froze on the spot for a moment before leaving in silence.

    However, neither of them spotted Julian standing outside the window. A hint of shock shed across his eyes; he wanted to reminisce about the past with Justin at first, but he didn''t expect to witness this scene. Justin isn''t actually nice to her, he thought to himself. Upon realizing this, he immediately figured out what had been puzzling him. No wonder even Mrs. Duncan dares to lord it over her. Julian heard from the nurse who looked after Rachel''s grandmother that someone had paid for the old woman''s treatment at first, but the financial support had been cut off for no reason. Thus, he spected that Justin was probably the one who cut off the financial support, which was why Rachel was worried. Furthermore, he heard what Mrs. Duncan said during the daytime and witnessed Sue''s manner toward Rachel. What else could he not understand? Come to think of it, any woman would find herself in a very difficult situation if she was a mute who couldn''t speak, was detested by her husband, and had an awkward position in the Burton Family, let alone a weak and helpless woman like Rachel. How could she afford her grandmother''s expensive medical bills?

    Rachel was only a stranger whom Julian had met twice, but for some unfathomable reason, Julian found his heart aching for her. Perhaps I should help her, he thought to himself.

    When Rachel woke up the next morning, everyone else in the Burton Residence continued to ignore her. Sue had stopped asking her to do the household chores ever since she did it and was stopped by Justin. Rachel finished her lunch under the servants'' contemptuous gazes, but when she got up, Julian called her, "Miss Hudson." He did not address her as his cousin-inw. Instead, he kept calling her ''Miss Hudson'' so that she didn''t feel so embarrassed.

    Rachel''s face showed a look of confusion. Then, she heard Julian reply, "The hospital director told me that your grandmother has regained consciousness. As it happens, I''m going to the hospital to do a follow- up examination on her, so I can give you a lift."

    Rachel was first delighted at the news of her grandmother regaining consciousness, but she then hesitated somewhat. She asked with signnguage. Can I go with you?

    Since he knew what she was worried about, Julian shook his head with a smile. "It''ll be fine."

    In the end, Rachel''s eagerness to visit her grandmother got the better of her.

 Chapter 13

    Julian''s car was a gray Infiniti; it looked very inconspicuous on the outside, and it felt as gentle and peaceful as the feeling Julian gave Rachel. It was quite the opposite of Justin, for that unfeeling man always drove a ck Maybach, a luxury car worth more than 20 million that drew the eyes of the crowd. Why am I thinking about him all of a sudden? Rachel thought to herself. She bit her lower lip in vexation and looked out of the window.

    Meanwhile, Sue happened toe back with Mrs. Duncan as soon as the car drove out of the Burton Residence''s gate. Mrs. Duncan was stunned for a moment and said, "Madam, was that Young Master Peters'' car just now?"

    Sue nodded. "What''s wrong?"

    Mrs. Duncan replied hesitantly, "I just saw... Young Mistress Rachel in the car."

    Sue''s face darkened. "Are you sure you didn''t mistake someone else for her?"

    Mrs. Duncan nodded seriously. "No, I didn''t. Young Mistress Rachel was sitting in the passenger seat, and Young Master Peters was talking merrily to her."

    Sue fell silent and nced at the outside of the gate with a gloomy look in her eyes. "Find out how they know each other."

    Meanwhile, Rachel and Julian hurried to her grandmother''s ward after they arrived at the hospital. When she arrived at the door, Rachel heard her grandmotherughing; she saw through the ss door that the nurse was telling her grandmother a joke. As she looked at her grandmother''s gentle smile, she felt warmth in her heart.

    Rachel pushed the door open, and her grandmother''s eyes lit up when she raised her head and saw her. "Rae!" As she got very emotional, Rachel hurried to her side and supported her. Then, she shook her head at her and gesticted. You''ve just gotten a little better, so you can''t get out of bed just yet. You should get some more rest.

    Rachel''s grandmother could only go along with her andy back on the bed. She replied with a smile, "I''m in good health. In fact, I feel full of strength."

    Rachel peeled an apple for her grandmother with a gentle smile. Then, she scooped it out into a bowl with a spoon, put a tiny fork that she had brought with her in the bowl, and handed it over to her grandmother.

    Rachel''s grandmother was old, and her eyes were lined with wrinkles. When she saw how filial Rachel was, her eyes couldn''t help but sparkle with tears. "I have been a burden to you, my dear granddaughter." Rachel slowly shook her head and gestured. We''re a family, so there''s no burden to speak of. Grandma, you have to build up your health and get better as soon as possible. I still want to travel with you in the future; didn''t you say that your greatest wish is to see Mount Fuji in Japan?

    Rachel''s grandmother smiled with tears in her eyes. "Fine, fine. I''ll get better as soon as possible."

    Julian sighed inwardly at the warm and touching scene before his eyes. He hadn''t had a father since he was a child, but Sue had been very attentive to him, and she had never denied him anything in terms of material needs. Even so, he was touched deeply by Rachel''s rtionship with her grandmother. Heforted Rachel in a gentle voice and said, "I just talked to the nurse, Miss Burton-she said that your grandmother is fine. I''ll go to prepare the documents needed for the follow-up examination on her, so take her to my officeter."

    Only then did Rachel recall that Julian was here as well. Upon realizing that she had ignored him for a moment, she felt somewhat embarrassed. Thank you, Dr. Peters. Thank you for your help over thest few days. You''re a kind person.

    Julian couldn''t understand Rachel''splicated signnguage, but her grandmother exined it to him. "It''s nothing. It''s my duty anyway," he replied with a smile.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    After Julian left, Rachel''s grandmother winked at her and teased, "Is this handsome young man your boyfriend, my dear granddaughter? I have been in aa for such a long time, so why didn''t you tell me that?"

    Rachel was startled; she didn''t expect her grandmother to get the wrong idea about her rtionship with Julian. Her grandmother had beenatose for such a long time and was totally unaware of what had happened to her. Moreover, she didn''t want to tell her grandmother that she had gotten married lest thetter became upset. Therefore, she shook her head and gestured to her. That''s not the case, Grandma. He is a kind-hearted doctor who has helped us.

    Rachel''s grandmother was a bit disappointed, but she got over it nheless. My granddaughter is such an outstandingdy, so she''ll meet a partner who is truly nice to her in due time.

    Rachel spent the entire afternoon with her grandmother before leaving the ward. She then went to the hospital director, intending to ask how much money would be needed for her grandmother to undergo her next major surgery. To her surprise, the hospital director replied with a smile, "Please be rest assured, Miss Hudson-someone has already paid the money on your behalf. Your grandmother''s surgery has been scheduled for next Monday, and you don''t have to pay for it again."

 Chapter 14

    Rachel was shocked. Who is helping me? she thought to herself. She wrote down on the paper, ''Sir, could you tell me who paid the money so that I can thank the person?''

    After recalling how Julian had told him not to let it slip, the hospital director could only refuse with a smile, "I''m sorry, Miss Hudson, but the person forbade our hospital to reveal his name, so please forgive me for withholding the information."

    Rachel nodded in disappointment. On her way back, she kept thinking about this. Out of the people she knew, no one could have helped her to pay the money in full. No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn''t figure out who it was. Even though she didn''t understand why the person wanted to help her, she had to repay such an act of great kindness! I don''t need to worry. I''ll find a way to find the benefactor in the future either way, she thought to herself.

    The car soon returned to the Burton Residence. At that moment, the sky gradually darkened; no sooner had Rachel arrived did Juliane back as well. As luck would have it, they met again in the living hall. "I was about to pick you up and send you back, Miss Hudson. I searched all over the hospital, but I didn''t find you; it wasn''t until I asked the nurse that I learned you had left," said Julian as he greeted her with a smile. For some reason, seeing the fair and beautiful face before his eyes put him in a good mood. It was as if all the fatigue he felt after spending an entire day operating on patients had been swept away. Rachel smiled apologetically and wrote to him. ''Thank you, Dr. Peters. I had something else to attend to, so I left first.''

    Julian waved his hand and smiled, revealing his white and shiny regr teeth, Meanwhile, his eyes sparkled as though there were stars in them. "You don''t have to thank me since it''s nothing. I can give you a lift again if you want to go to the hospital in the future. It''s all right."

    Rachel truly thought that Julian was very kind as he was the only person in the Burton Residence who had shown her kindness. He was Sue''s son, but the mother and son were unlike each other. Compared to the stern Sue, Julian had an unusually great affability that made people unconsciously feel drawn to him. She wrote, ''The hospital director said that my grandmother''s surgery has been scheduled for next Monday. Are you going to be the chief surgeon, Dr. Peters?''

    Julian nodded with a smile at the sight of her beautiful handwriting. "Yes. Please be rest assured, for your grandmother will make a full recovery after the surgery."

    Rachel smiled in relief upon hearing his words.

    They chatted for a while before Rachel went upstairs. As soon as she entered her room, she saw Justin sitting on the sofa. He lit a cigarette with dexterity while fiddling with the cigarette case and lighter in his hand. His expression was cryptic and hard to discern in the curling white smoke, causing the atmosphere in the entire room to be extremely strange.

    Rachel was a bit surprised. They had met by chance outside the kitchenst time, so could this be a chance encounter too? But if this encounter happened by chance, why would he make a special effort to show up in her room?

    Just then, Justin stood up from the sofa, moved close to her, and lowered his head. "You had fun outside with Julian for the entire day; when you came back, you two exchanged nces and chatted for a long time downstairs. You look soft and weak, Rachel, but I didn''t expect you to be so ambitious as to have designs on Julian."

    Rachel''s expression changed. She quickly took out her pen and paper and exined, ''It''s not what you think it is. Julian is my grandmother''s chief surgeon, and we were talking about my grandmother''s condition."

    Justin took the paper and nced indifferently at the words on it. Then, he tore it with both hands and threw it to the floor. His brow darkened, and his eyes were deep and chilling. "Do you think I''m blind?" he asked. This woman has never smiled ever since she came to the Burton Residence, yet she smiled more happily than ever at Julian downstairs just now. On the other hand, Julian was looking at her as if he was looking at the woman he loved. Only a fool would believe there''s nothing fishy about this! he thought to himself. "You couldn''t take advantage of me, so you approached Julian instead. Do you think he''ll really love you? Do you think he''ll really love a mute who is no longer a virgin?"

    Rachel''s face suddenly turned pale. There''s nothing between Julian and me, so why would he misunderstand me? Is it fun to insult me in such a way? she thought to herself.

    She was no longer in the mood to exin herself. Just let him believe whatever he thinks. Her expression turned cold. Not wanting to argue with Justin, she walked past him and moved ahead, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist!

    Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 15

    The world spun around Rachel as she found herself being pinned down on the sofa by Justin, whose eyes were so sharp as if they could prate a person''s mind. "How dare you have designs on Julian, of all people? What is your purpose, to sow discord between us or to make me lose face? Or are you doing so to deliberately take revenge on Sue because of your hatred toward her?"

    Rachel couldn''t move at all as Justin held her wrists in a vice-like grip. She panicked at once. What does he want to do?! she thought to herself.

    Justin gently traced her brows and eyes with his thumb. "What a clear and beautiful pair of eyes you have. Unfortunately, they''re tainted with ill intentions and the filth of someone who would stop at nothing to get what she wants. How could a pretty and innocentdy exist in the Hudson Family?"

    Surprisingly, his tone of voice betrayed a hint of strange hatred. Hatred? Rachel couldn''t understand where his hatred came from. She tried with all her might to break free of his grasp, and her mouth opened and closed repeatedly as she mouthed, "Let go of me... Let go of me..."

    However, Justin grasped her so hard that it hurt her. As she thought of how she had been living in trepidation in the Burton Residence over thest few days and how he was slinging mud at her right now, all her grievances welled up inside her at once. While she struggled, the medical report issued by the hospital fell out of her pocket-it contained her grandmother''s medical history.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Justin picked up the report, took a look at it, and looked stunned for a moment. It turns out that she isn''t lying, he thought to himself. He then looked down at the woman beneath him who had already burst into tears. This was her first time shedding tears in front of him, and she cried without making a sound as tears flowed silently down the corners of her eyes. For some reason, his initial anger dissipated inexplicably "I''ll let you off this time. If I see you getting too close to Julian again in the future, I will lock you up," he uttered.

    Thest three words he uttered made Rachel tremble all over. After he left, she tremblingly picked up the medical report and put it away. Finally, she closed her eyes hard as a slightly hoarse crying voice came from her throat. If it weren''t for the fact that she had no choice, she really wished she could stay away from the Burton Residence and never see Justin ever again!

    The next morning, Rachel woke up with her eyes puffy from crying. She had deliberately avoided meeting Julian since the night before; whenever she happened to run into him, she would pretend not to see him. In order to avoid suspicion, she didn''t even go downstairs until Julian had left.

    On the other hand, Sue felt even angrier when she saw how Julian was about to speak, yet he said nothing in disappointment. She went straight up to Rachel and warned, "No matter what your purpose is, you mustn''t get close to my son in the future. Do you hear me?!"

    Since she had no intention of arguing with the older woman, Rachel nodded and was about to leave. However, Sue barked coldly and said, "Stay where you are!"

    Rachel stood in ce with her back to Sue. She listened as the woman let out a sneer behind her and threatened, "If you dare to harbor any improper and dirty thoughts, I''ll make your life worse than death.ˇ± Rachel turned around and looked at her. She then exined with her paper and pen, ''Dr. Peters and I met purely by chance; there isn''t any purpose that you''re thinking about. I''ll never speak to him again in the future, and I''ll stay away from him.''

    Sue''s expression eased somewhat when she saw that Rachel had written down her pledge. "I don''t care whether what you said is true. In any case, if you dare to act counter to what you''ve said today, I will let you know that I, Sue Praham, am no slouch!"

    Rachel put away her paper and pen and left in exhaustion. After she left, Mrs. Duncan came forward and said to Sue, "Madam, I don''t think what she said is believable."

    Sue raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say so?"

    Mrs. Duncan''s expression was meaningful. "Young Master Justin loves Miss Amber, so he''ll divorce Rachel sooner orter. Rachel has probably predicted this, which is why she''s hitting on the kind Young Master Peters, foolishly attempting to take advantage of him to seek connections with those rich and powerful. Therefore, she wrote the pledge today just to keep you in check."

    Sue''s face darkened at Mrs. Duncan''s words. "In that case, how do you think I should deal with her?"

    Mrs. Duncan thought for a moment and replied, "I think there are two things we should do. Firstly, we should stop Young Master Peters from meeting her. Secondly, we should get Miss Amber to drive Rachel out as soon as possible. That way, this scourge will not be able to continue staying at the Burton Residence. Otherwise, there might be untowardplications..."

    Sue was lost in thought upon hearing Mrs. Duncan''s words. After a long time, she dialed Amber''s phone number.

 Chapter 16

    Meanwhile, Amber was savoring her freshly painted fingernails. She tucked her cell phone between her chin and her shoulder as she greeted, "Hi, Madam Parham."

    It''s me. Amber. There''s something that I''d like to talk to you about."

    Amber straightened up upon hearing Sue''s words. "Please tell me about it, Madam Parham. After listening to Sue''s words, she hung up the phone and stared nkly at a spot on the floor.

    After Jefferey came back from hispany, he waved his hand before her eyes. "What''s wrong with you, Amber?"

    His daughter came back to her senses and grabbed his arm at once. "Dad! You must help me with the matter that I told youst time!"

    Jefferey was startled for a moment before he knitted his brows. "Don''t fool around! Rachel is still of use to me in the Burton Residence, so don''t do anything foolish."

    Amber was unconvinced. "Dad, I can also help you if I win the two men''s hearts. Why must you count on Rachel, that mute? What can she do?"

    Even though Jefferey doted on Amber, he was aware of her willfulness. "That''s enough, Amber. All you have to do is win Julian''s heart. It will be better if you can make him do

    whatever you say since that will enable my n to be better aplished in the future. Don''t think about everything else. Justin has a heart of stone, so you''d better not mess with him."

    Amber shook her head. "No, no, no. You''re wrong, Dad. Justin is very nice to me. He likes me, and I''m confident of making him fall in love with me. As for Julian, he''ll also be mine sooner orter-please say yes, Dad. If you get Rachel out of the Burton Residence, my n will be halfway aplished! Please, Dad!"

    However, Jefferey didn''t want to see Amber making trouble no matter how much he doted on her. "All right, don''t say that anymore. I won''t help you with this, so you should stop having designs on Justin as soon as possible. I''ll never let him off, let alone allow you to fall in love with him. That''s impossible."

    In the end, Amber still couldn''t shake Jefferey''s determination; she red at him from behind with a look of displeasure as he left. However, even her father couldn''t stop her when she became wayward. "I must get married to Justin by whatever means. He should have been my man! Rachel seized my husband for herself!" After that, she gritted her teeth. "Since you''re not going to help me, I''ll just do it myself, Dad!" Then, she dialed Rachel''s number.

    Rachel was watering the flowers when she received a phone call from an unfamiliar number. It was not until she heard the voice on

    the other end that she realized it was Amber. "It''s me, Rachel."

    Rachel''s hand that was holding the watering can paused for a moment when she heard Amber''s maliciousugh over the phone. Amber then stated her purpose on her own by saying, "I won''t beat around the bush, Rachel. I want Justin, so please leave on your own initiative. Since you''re my sister, I won''t make things too difficult for you. How about that?"

    Rachel simply wanted tough. They''re father and daughter, yet one is forcing me to stay at the Burton Residence while the other is threatening and asking me to leave instead. Does that make a fence-sitter who does whatever they want me to do? she thought to herself.

    Of course, she wasn''t intimidated by Amber''s threat. Jefferey controlled her grandmother''s health, whereas Amber was only a wayward and self-centered little girl. Therefore, she hung up the phone directly without saying a word after Amber made this absurd request.

    The other woman red at her cell phone with an extremely gloomy expression, and her face was as ck as thunder. Suddenly, she hit upon an idea, and the corner of her lips turned up. "You forced me to do this, Rachel!" The smile on her lips was as strangely and charmingly beautiful as a flower. Right after that, she called another person and said, "John, I want you to help me find a high school PE teacher. ByContent provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    whatever means, get him toe and see me."

    As expected, a video made it into the list of trending topics on social media by the third day. It contained a confession of a bald middle aged man, who gave an ount of how he had a rtionship with a female student a few years ago when he was a teacher at a high school. Furthermore, he described a string of unscrupulous details, including how he and the female student had had sex in hotel rooms. Rachel''s photo appeared in the lower corner of the video. After that, someone began to dox her, andizens quickly dug up her name, her address, and her identity as an illegitimate daughter. As the incident escted very quickly, another post titled ''The Scandalous Story Between the Mute Wife of the Burton Group''s President and Her High School Teacher'' made it into the list of trending topics and was ranked first by theizens.

 Chapter 17

    "Holy smokes, how exciting this is! That''s Mr. Burton''s wife! What a cheater!

    "Speaking of which, why would Mr. Burton marry someone who''s mute? It makes no sense whatsoever.''

    ''Thedy''s quite the looker herself. Just how specific are her tastes for her to go after a bald teacher like him? That''s just so gross!

    Instantly, Justin read a series of stingingments. He stood up with a whoosh before picking up his jacket and leaving the office.

    Meanwhile, Frankie hastily followed him.

    Oh dear, Mrs. Burton is going to be in trouble.

    Justin soon drove home in his Maybach, and he immediately flung his phone at Rachel the moment he stepped inside the house.

    Rachel was taking an afternoon nap when he did so, her eyes suddenly fluttering open from his actions. Her eyes were still hazy with sleep when she quickly sat up and picked up his phone. She looked at it in confusion for a few moments before opening up the link disyed on the screen. As she scrolled further down, her expression sank.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Who was the one who posted all of that online?

    Many people knew about what had happened

    back during her high school days, but she had lived a peaceful life for so many years since then. Why was it resurfacing now?

    A frosty and low voice rang out above her. "What is going on here?"

    Rachel pressed her lips together tightly, and her expression could not get any more tense. She quickly scribbled out her answer on a piece of paper. ''I don''t know what''s going on either.''

    Everything was pure fiction, be it the bald teacher''s ims, the lies that she had seduced a teacher, or the other nderous stories!

    Justin still didn''t make a sound. All of a sudden, Sue came into the room with Amber in tow. She charged over furiously and pointed at Rachel''s head while tearing into her by saying, "You shameless woman! You''vepletely ruined the Burtons'' name! All those ugly past deeds of yours are stered over the inte right now!"

    Amber stood behind Sue, and a look of schadenfreude shed across her eyes when she caught sight of Rachel''s pale face. She then feigned worry as she spoke to her. "What''s going on, Rachel? Wasn''t he your PE teacher back in high school? Why would he say such scandalous things? Is he getting revenge on you because you broke up with him years ago?"

    Amber had especially emphasized those triggering words such as ''PE teacher back in

    high school and ''broke up''. As such, Sue immediately blew her top upon hearing that. "Even Amber knows all about it! How are you going to exin yourself now?"

    Rachel turned her head to look at Amber before writing down her response. ''You''re lying. You said that I broke up with the PE teacher. Do you swear on your conscience that you''re not lying?''

    Deep down, Amber wasn''t afraid of all those lies and blind beliefs. She feigned a hurt look on her face and said, "Why are you talking to me in such a way? I''m just worried about you."

    I guess Amber is just too into her role. It''ll be a pity if she doesn''t go on to be an actress, Rachel thought to herself.

    Hence, she turned around to look at Justin. When she saw how his brows were furrowed into a tight frown as he stared at her with a probing gaze, Rachel gave the situation some thought again. She then wrote on her paper, I''ve never done any of this. Please believe me.''

    Sue pointed a finger at Rachel''s nose. "All right, you mute-you clearly ended up like this because you gave into temptation willingly and have no respect for yourself, and you''re here ying the victim? I''m going to kick you out of the Burton Family today. We do not want women who aren''t mindful of their conduct!"

    Rachel thought that she had exined

    everything that she needed to. It didn''t matter whether Sue believed her or not, for the important thing was that Justin believed her.

    After all, only Justin had the power to help her prove her innocence!

    As such, she kept her eyes on his expression.

    Sue nearly keeled over from anger when she saw how Rachel ignored her, and her words turned even more caustic. "Why didn''t he name anyone else in the video? Why was it only you? Your behavior is the problem! I''d advise you not to argue anymore, this matter has already caused a huge stir, and everyone out there knows about it. Don''t me me for being cruel either-we, the Burtons, cannot allow you to stay any longer!"

    All of a sudden, she shoved Rachel forcefully.

    Thetter stumbled from the force of the push, and she steadied herself with much difficulty. She reflexively looked at Justin, only to see that the man''s eyes were filled with bottomless cold apathy-there was no sign of concern at all.

    Rachel''s heart immediately sank into the abyss.

 Chapter 18

    "Please don''t me my sister, Madam Parham. It''s all in the past. Rachel was young, and she didn''t know any better. It was only because of a slip in judgment that she-"

    Amber pretended to beg for mercy on Rachel''s behalf. In truth, however, she was deliberately fanning the mes.

    Just as she wanted, those words instantly drew Sue''s ire. She grabbed Amber''s hand and interrupted her by saying, "You''re still speaking up for her, Amber? She plotted to steal your fiance, and she also has no sense of propriety. A woman like her is practically sullying the Burtons'' name!"

    Sue got more and more worked up as she continued. She then pointed at Rachel. "You''d better scram right now! You,"

    Sue still had more words to say, but then Justin stopped her with a gesture. His gaze darkened as he immediately gripped Rachel''s wrist and coldly tossed a few words her way. "You there. Follow me." He didn''t even give her a chance to respond.

    Justin was exceptionally strong, and Rachel felt like her wrist was about to be broken from being squeezed in his hand. He dragged Rachel back to his room and mmed the door before swinging her onto the bed.

    Rachel fell clumsily, for the sudden movement made her head spin. Just as she was about to get up from the bed, Justin pressed down on her and locked her firmly underneath his body.

    What is he nning to do?

    Panic immediately colored Rachel''s eyes, and she couldn''t stop herself from shrinking back. However, she couldn''t escape at all because Justin had her firmly pinned down.

    A dangerous aura radiated from him, making her feel extremely uneasy.

    "What are you hiding for? Feeling guilty already?"

    Justin gave a cold chuckle, and the mocking look in his eyes intensified.

    Rachel had seen that expression of his; when she heard him speak again, she promptly widened her eyes and red back.

    Justin eyed her. The cold words raining down on her head seemed to be a precursor to his

    fury.

    "Jeffrey really did raise an obedient dog."

    N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 19

    Rachel froze before she grabbed at the bedsheets. She then shook her head and gestured, I didn''t do anything.

    She was not Jeffrey''s dog, and she hated the Hudsons. After all, she was forced to marry into the Burton Family only because she was concerned about her grandmother.

    "What? You want me to believe you just because you shook your head?" Justin''s voice gradually became deeper. His rough hand moved upward, seeming as though he would snap Rachel''s neck at any moment.

    He was truly incensed now. Ever since the mute woman arrived at their household, the Burtons hadn''t had a moment of peace. Now, she even caused a huge scandal like this. She was just a mute, yet they had underestimated her.

    Rachel''s face turned red from exertion as she valiantly tried to fight off his powerful grip. She didn''t want to die, for her grandmother was still waiting to be rescued-she could not die either.

    "Looks like you won''t admit it unless I mete out some sort of punishment!" Justin let out a cold scoff when he saw her struggling stubbornly. All of a sudden, he put in more power and lifted her uppletely Rachel was so startled that she let out a cry. Even though she couldn''t speak, fear still made her throat produce a hoarse sound. It was

    scratchy and unpleasant to the ear, and it drew Justin''s ire.

    The man lifted her up and brought her straight to the bathroom. Then, he flung her into the gigantic bathtub before he coldly ordered, "Take off your clothes!"

    Rachel froze.

    What was Justin going to do?

    She lifted her head, but all that met her gaze was Justin''s icy cold eyes, devoid of any warmth. Right now, any exnation she could give would seem weak and useless.

    Rachel snapped her eyes shut and bit her lip. After some hesitation, she gave into the situation, and she began taking off her skirt with slow movements. Off went her blouse, and off went her safety shorts. In the end, all she had on was her bra.

    Every inch of her body was exposed to Justin''s eyes, and nothing was hidden. Right now, she felt she was like a ything with no respect.

    The next moment, Justin turned on the tap filled with cold water.

    Icy cold water spilled over her head, viciously drenching the rest of her body. Instantly, all the warmth that her body had vanished. Rachel shuddered violently as all the color left her

    face.

    It''s so freezing cold.

    "I''ll ask you one more time is the news true?" Beyond the curtain of water, Justin spoke to her in a low voice, each word he said pounding at Rachel''s heart icily.

    Rachel shivered as she shook her head. Even though her teeth chattered, she would not admit to something that she hadn''t done.

    No, it''s not true.

    Her entire body was being assaulted by the cold water to the point that she was shivering from the cold. Any other man would have felt something upon seeing her like this. Likewise, Justin was no exception. After he temporarily stopped the water to let it drain, Rachel wrapped her arms around her chest. She kept shivering, and her face had already turned green from the cold. "As long as you admit it, I will let you go," he said frostily. This was thest chance he would give her.

    Rachel continued to shake her head. She forced herself to put up with her difort and gestured with her hands, still shivering all this while.

    I never did any of it. Won''t you believe me?

    Justin did not know signnguage, but he could still see that she was denying the usations valiantly

    If she hadn''t been a Hudson, he wouldn''t have continued treating her like this. After all, he had ways of finding out the truth, and there was no need for him to do any of this. However, she was a Hudson, and she had to fail in upholding her duties and caused such trouble.

    Can the Hudson family even breed good people?

    With that thought in mind, Justin''s anger reared its head again. He immediately turned on the tap once more and said, "Stubborn, aren''t you? In that case, just stand here until you admit it."

    Water once again spilled over her, and Rachel''s shoulders shrank back violently.

    However, Justin took a step back and coldly looked at his watch, nary a sign of concern on his face. He wanted to see how long Rachel could withstand this treatment.

    Time ticked by. Rachel stood in the tub, her mind addled from the rush of cold water. Meanwhile, her thin legs kept shaking. Several times, she nearly toppled over from losing her footing. Despite all that, she had no intention of giving in. She could not shoulder such a heavy, scandalous burden, but she wasn''t willing to let

    herself be humiliated for nothing either.

    She would not admit to something she never did! Wasn''t it just water anyway?

    She was not afraid.

    Rachel had no idea how much time had passed. Justin''s expression turned darker and darker as he looked at his watch amidst the sloshing of the water in the bathroom. Thump.

    In the end, Rachel could no longer hold herself up and copsed into the water. The agony she felt when her knees smashed into the edge of the tub left her sight dark, and she keeled over. Justin''s forehead screwed up into a tight frown, and the expression on his face turnedplicated. Hisrge frame made the bathroom seem cramped inparison.

    She never once said anything even before she fainted

    There must be something else behind this matter

    In the end, Justin fished the little figure out of the bath. He dried her with a towel and carried her back to the bed.

    My head hurts, and my throat itches.

    Rachel felt absolutely weak when she woke up, and she was drenched in cold sweat. She shivered as she clutched her nkets tighter, tears misting over her eyes. The door suddenly swung open violently just then, and it startled her.

    Mrs. Duncan looked at her in displeasure before pping a bowl down. "Mr. Burton wishes for you to have this." The soup sshed out of the bowl, sttering over the bedside table. Rachel quietly pulled out some tissue paper and wiped away the spilled soup.

    Judging from the smell...

    It''s ginger soup

    "Such a cmity-bringer, falling sick shortly after marrying into the family. A cripple is a cripple, all right," Mrs. Duncan scoffed coldly. With that, she whipped around and left.

    Rachel''s head felt like it was about to split apart. Naturally, she was in no shape to get worked up over Mrs. Duncan''s caustic words. She did her best to lift her hand up and toss the tissue paper into the bin nearby.

    Meanwhile, She didn''t consume a drop of the

    ginger soup. Who knew whether someone had spiked it? After all, there were too many people in this household who wished her harm.

    It hadn''t been long since she set the ginger soup aside when the door opened again. This time, it was Justin.

    Rachel couldn''t stop herself from shuddering when she saw him. At the thought of what had happenedst night, her skin chilled again, seeming as though she was soaking inside a tub of icy water onceN?velDrama.Org content rights.

    more.

    I''m scared...

    Rachel forced down her fear and did her best to sign. Someone framed me.

    Unfortunately, Justin didn''t understand her. His tone was cold as he said, "There''s no need to keep gesturing. Since you won''t admit to it, then you will have to prove to me yourself that you have nothing to do with that matter."

    Rachel stiffened. What did he mean by that?

    "Put on some clothes." With that, Justin turned around. "I''ll be waiting for you downstairs."

    Justin drove her straight to the private high school she once studied at. Other than the principal, the PE teacher who was involved stood inside the principal''s office as well.

    "Mr. Burton, there''s most likely been a misunderstanding over that incident back then." The principal was a nervous, timid mess when faced with Justin. He was deeply afraid that he would offend the Burtons because of this old incident.

    Justin lifted a hand and cut off the principal. "Is that him?" he asked expressionlessly as he looked at Rachel.

    Rachel and the bald PE teacher looked each other in the eye from where they stood between the principal and Justin. All those unpleasant memories from high school instantly crashed over her, and she reflexively shrank back toward Justin

    Justin caught sight of this instinctive action, and it inexplicably caused his heart to clench.

    Yes. Rachel stiffly nodded.

    "Tell me everything about the incident now-I want to know the beginning, the in-between, and the results." Justin''s voice was frosty and distant. When he looked at Rachel, his gaze was devoid of any warmth a husband should have.

    The others inside the office exchanged nces. It seemed that the rumors were true; what kind of rights would a mute who married into the Burton Family have?

 Chapter 20

    Justin had brought a signnguage teacher to the principal''s office so that she could help Rachel interpret her responses.

    At that moment, the woman clenched her teeth and met the PE teacher''s gaze. The person in the video isn''t me. Please exin yourself.

    "How can it not be you?" the PE teacher insisted. "You were the one who seduced me back then."

    You''re lying. Rachel quickly signed. Why would I seduce you?

    When the teacher''s interpreted response reached Justin''s ears, he fell into thought. Although Rachel was a mute, she was still the eldest daughter of the Hudson Family after putting aside her unfortunate circumstances. It was indeed unexpected to think that she would seduce an ugly PE teacher.

    However, the PE teacher had his owneback. "You wanted to raise your gym scores. The university you applied for required excellent scores across the board, but your grades for gym were too low. You couldn''t sessfully tempt me and you threatened me with a video clip, so I was forced to change your scores."

    Rachel''s face drained of color, and she frantically defended herself by signing away,

    "How could I seduce a teacher just to change my scores?''

    The way Justin looked at her changed. Amidst the tense stand-off, he gave an order coldly. "Check the records," he said.

    The school records would have all of a student''s grades, and everything would be clear as long as they checked the records.

    Rachel''s school records were soon retrieved. Despite her muteness, she excelled in every subject, save for the ''fail'' grade at the end of her second semester as a sophomore, which had been struck out with red pen.

    Anyone could see what the problem was since the grade had been changed to a higher one when she had failed it.

    Intense coldness bubbled instantly in Justin''s eyes. "What else do you have to say for yourself?" he asked Rachel coldly.

    Rachel''s face was even whiter than the walls around her, and she shook her head weakly.

    Smack. The packet containing her school records was flung onto the desk. "From now on, you are no longer the mistress of the Burton Family."

    The entire office went horrendously silent after those words fell.

    Rachel panicked. She didn''t dare to believe that Justin would so easily believe the PE teacher''s testimony

    No, she could not let the Burtons hate her! She had to exin things clearly since she couldn''t afford to leave the Burtons. After all, her grandmother Since she was still in a panic, Rachel blocked Justin''s path and hastily signed something. I can get my schoolmates back then to back me up.

    still in Jeffrey''s clutches.

    "There''s no need for that. We Burtons have already been embarrassed enough!" Justin''s tone was cold beyond belief. He swept his gaze over her in distaste and left withrge strides, not once hesitating at all.

    "Allow me to send you off, Mr. Burton." The principal quickly followed him. Meanwhile, the teachers who were left behind also scattered.

    Rachel''s mind was nk as she looked at Justin''s back. Someone bumped into her, and she staggered from the impact. Her knees crashed against the coffee table from this, and she crouched down from the pain.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "Are you okay, Rachel?" a man called out behind her.

    Rachel snapped out of her pain. She reflexively turned around, but before she could regain her

    footing, she hastily took several steps back to look fearfully at the bald man before her.

    Everyone else in the office had left; she and the PE teacher were the only ones left.

    Don''te closer.

    "I thought that there was going to be a huge disaster since Justin Burton came knocking on the school''s door." The PE teacher chuckled coldly. "Who would have thought that it would be resolved so easily? Looks like your time with the Burtons hasn''t been great, Rachel."

    Thetter''s limbs instantly chilled. She looked at the door through the corners of her eyes before she tried to make a break for it. However, the PE teacher''s eyes were sharp and his movements were swift. In one move, he gripped her arm and dragged her back roughly before viciously flinging her onto the couch. "You haven''t even exined yourself properly. Why are you running?" he asked maliciously. Rachel saw stars from the impact, and her heart dropped into an abyss.

    Don''t touch me! Someone, save me!

    She opened her mouth and did her best in an attempt to make a sound, but regardless of her efforts, all she could make her throat produce was a hoarse, sobbing sound.

    "Don''t be scared." The PE teacher''s gaze moved downward, a perverted smile appearing on his face as he stared at Rachel''s heaving chest. "If you had just been willing to be a good girl back then, I wouldn''t have been worried about you making a fuss, and I wouldn''t have thought of covering it up. Now''s a good chance for me; not even Justin Burton wants you now, so why don''t you juste with me..." Rachel shook her head in despair. She shrank into the corner of the couch, her entire body

    trembling.

    The truth back then was actually simple-a lecherous PE teacher wanted to take advantage of a mute girl, but he wasn''t able to get what he wanted. In order to hide the truth, he fashioned a situation, one where he blew the whistle instead when he was the viin, and he sent the school into an uproar. No one cared about the truth at all, for all they wanted was to be entertained.

    Right now, not even Justin believed her.

    The man''s hand was already reaching toward her. Rachel''s eyes were filled with fear, and they were wide with despair.

    Don''te closer...

    All of a sudden, the office''s door was sent flying onto the wall with a loud crash. The entire room practically shook. The next moment, the PE

    teacher let out a blood-curdling cry as someone knocked him over.

    By the time Rachel regained her senses, the PE teacher''s lecherous face was already viciously mashed into the ground by a foot in a leather shoe. That foot rubbed hard against his face like it was a cleaning rag.

    "Ah-" The PE teacher''s features contorted into an eerie facsimile as he screamed.

    Rachel lifted her head. When her gaze moved upward from the shoe, her entire body froze.

    The gigantic figure''s shadow descended, swallowing up Rachel''s entire figure amidst the dust in the room.

    The man''s cold, handsome face was a little bit of a blur. His voice wasn''t loud, but it was authoritative. "Whichever hand he used to touch my woman, then that hand will be maimed."

    It was Justin.

    Didn''t he leave?

    Justin''s assistant, Frankie, retrieved a pinhole camera from behind a painting in the office. "Everything has been recorded, Mr. Burton."

    It wasn''t until the PE teacher had been dragged outside that Rachel returned to reality. She

    looked at the man in front of her in shock. You were here the whole time?

    Justin''s forehead twisted into a small frown as he looked at the disheveled woman.

    There were far too many holes in the news story, and it couldn''t hold up at all. However, it was also difficult to find any definitive proof because of how long ago it was. That was why he pulled this stunt so that the PE teacher could have a taste of his own medicine. However, Rachel had to suffer unjustly for this.

    Suffer unjustly?

    When those words shed across Justin''s mind, his forehead twitched.

    Rachel didn''t know what Justin was thinking, but she let out a sigh now that the truth hade to light. She gripped the corner of the couch, just barely managing to support herself. However, the pain from her knees assaulted her again when she stood up, making her topple to the ground.

    As she let out a scratchy cry of shock, a pair ofrge hands steadied her just in time.

    Justin''s eyes darkened when he saw the bruises on Rachel''s knees. "Are they injuries from just now?"

    Rachel felt uneasy, afraid that she had once

    again caused trouble for him. She leaned against the couch and carefully signed. I can walk by myself.

    The tears in the tiny woman''s eyes had yet to dry, and her pretty little face was pale and haggard. She clearly was in a lot of pain, yet she still gritted her teeth and forced herself to pretend that everything was okay.

    Justin''s heart clenched. When she stood up, he pressed a hand onto her shoulder before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her. Without another word, he scooped her up into a princess carry and carried her away under everyone''s stunned gazes.

    8

 Chapter 21

    It felt like a dream to Rachel as Justin carried her into his car; she couldn''t even feel the pain in her knees anymore. It was the first time she felt that this man wasn''t as cruel and heartless as he seemed on the surface.

    Rachel looked at him as she sat inside the car. Why did you help me?

    Justin still hadn''t answered the question that she had asked him back in the principal''s office. After all, deliberately going through the effort to set up a trap did not seem like something that he would do. Justin watched as her hands signed away. Even though he couldn''t understand signnguage, he could still figure out her thoughts through the grateful look in Rachel''s eyes.

    "You don''t have to thank me. I didn''t do it for you." Justin''s tone was as cold as his expression. "I only looked into this matter for the Burtons'' reputation. You married into my family, so you are a Burton. It''s best that you behave yourself so that we can live together peacefully. Otherwise, do not me me for my callousness if you cause another controversy like this."

    The icy voice resounding around the car interior instantly smothered the warmth flickering in Rachel''s heart. That''s right. Why would Justin go through so much trouble for me?

    Rachel couldn''t stop herself from shivering at the memory of his treatment of herst night. It wasn''t cold, but she still shuddered. If something like this happened again, Justin would certainly kick her out. As such, neither of them spoke on the trip

    home.

    Justin did not stay after he sent Rachel back to the Burton home. Instead, he got the chauffeur to send him to his workce. Soon, the car sped down the highway.

    "Everything with the school has been dealt with, Mr. Burton. There won''t be any rumors about that past incident anymore. The media outlets have also prepared their scripts for their apologies."

    Justin leaned back in the back seat, his eyes closed as he rested. His handsome features were reflected in the window''s ss, but his expression turned harsher and colder. "A mere gym teacher wouldn''t have been able to spread the news about such an old incident and cause it toe back to public consciousness."

    "You''re saying that someone else is behind the incident''s resurgence?"Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Investigate the situation properly before he''s handed over."

    "Understood."

    The next morning, news of Rachel''s gym teacher sexually harassing female students surged to the top of many trending news lists, and multiple victims jointly voiced their condemnation. News about the Young Mistress of the Burton Family was promptly buried by this, dropping from its top spot on the trending list. Discussions about that promptly fell to the wayside.

    "The gym teacher has already been handed over to the relevant authorities. We will continue to follow up on the developments regarding his years of crimes..."

    A reporter was narrating the news for the day on the television screen.

    "You can''t believe the news nowadays-they''re always changing their stories every day." Sue huffily switched the television off. She then crossed her arms and sat on the couch, fuming.

    She initially thought that she could use that piece of news to kick out that eyesore of a mute, but she hadn''t expected for the mute to be wrongfully used. Even more surprisingly, it was Justin who personally brought the mute with him to get to the bottom of the matter.

    Could it be? Sue''s brows furrowed. How was it possible, though? She had personally raised Justin herself. How could he be interested in someone like Rachel? Yet, she still couldn''t figure out why Justin continued allowing Rachel

    to stay with the Burtons.

    "Miss Hudson is here, Madam Parham."

    The servant''s voice pulled Sue''s thoughts back to reality

    "You''re here, Amber." Sue got up to greet the woman. "Why are you here so early in the morning? Have you... seen the news?"

    "News? What news?" Amber sat down on the couch as she looked at Sue with a puzzled expression.

    "You know, news about that mu-your sister. Investigations now show that she had been framed. That gym teacher from your school has been reported as well. He''s been arrested already."

    "Huh? How could that be?"

    "Also, weren''t you confident when you said that your sister used to be in a rtionship with that teacher? How could things have turned on its head so suddenly? Now, everything is just going great. I''m worried that Justin will say that I was jumping at shadows!"

    Obviously, Sue was putting the me on Amber.

    Thetter stiffened slightly, a bewildered look on her face. "Madam Parham, that incident had

    innocence of a mute woman? He had to be doing it for the Burtons'' reputation. That damned girl!

    Upon thinking about this, Sue set her teacup down heavily. "Mrs. Duncan, where is that girl? Where did she run off to? Doesn''t she know that she has to greet the guests whenever they are over? Such ack of manners!" she said none-too-kindly.

    "I shall call her now."

    Meanwhile, Rachel was currently resting in her bedroom. She didn''t dare to drink the ginger soup that Justin had gotten Mrs. Duncan to bring to her after being drenched in cold water. When she came home that morning, her entire body was wrecked with chills. Even with her nket wrapped tightly around her, she still shivered.

    The graceless sound of the door opening woke Rachel right up from her nightmares. When she opened her eyes, she saw Mrs. Duncan standing by the door.

    "Why are you still sleeping?" Mrs. Duncan asked in surprise.

    Rachel stretched a hand out from under her nket and weakly signed. Did something happen?

    "Stop gesturing. I don''t understand anything."

    Mrs. Duncan''s voice was dripping with distaste. "Madam Parham wants you to go downstairs. Miss Hudson is here."

    Amber is here? Rachel''s heart sank. After internally struggling with herself for a long while, she gritted her teeth and mbered out of bed.

    Amber had to be involved for that high school incident to suddenly see a resurgence. After all, she was the one who wanted to get her kicked out of the Burton Family. Since her threats didn''t yield any results, then this was most likely her revenge.

    Although Rachel wasn''t willing to interact with Amber more than was necessary, Justin loathed for her to cause more trouble for him. So, Rachel had to carefully handle Amber. At the very least, she couldn''t ge into another fight with her sister.

    Rachel changed into a simple white dress before heading downstairs, and her face waspletely devoid of any color. When she went down the stairs, her footsteps were also shaky. If she hadn''t had a hand on the rails, she would have probably lost her bnce and rolled down the stairs.

    "Rachel, why don''t you look so good?" Amber lifted her head to look at her, feigning a look of worry.

    Sue rolled her eyes at Rachel in displeasure. "Why are you acting like you''re on death''s door? Is it because you want your family to think that you haven''t been living well with us? Is it so that you can embarrass us? Aren''t you yourself to me for your own condition?"

    Rachel stood at the bottom of the stairs. She didn''t even have the strength to argue otherwise.

    "What are you standing around for? Bring some snacks here. You''re an illegitimate child, all right-you don''t even know any decorum around guests. What a useless thing with no mother to raise her."

    Rachel quietly clenched her fists as she listened to Sue''s insufferable grumbling. However, all she could do was take it. She nodded her head before heading into the kitchen.

    Amber''s gaze shifted over to her. "Rachel looks unwell. I''ll go and help her."

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 22

    Rachel was dishing up some desserts in the kitchen when Amber suddenly came in. "Let me help you, Rachel."

    Rachel''s back froze, and she subconsciously took a step back to keep a safe distance from Amber. Amber looked at her with her head tilted to one side and asked, "What''s with that look on your face? Are you afraid that I''ll eat you alive?"

    Rachel signed, You don''t have to pretend to be kind to me. You''re the one behind the news, aren''t you? Rachel was good-tempered, but she had always had a clear understanding of things.

    "What do I have to do with something you''ve done yourself?" Amber snorted coldly with her arms folded across her chest. "You should''ve seen clearly by way of this incident that you''re unwee in the Burton Residence. Why would you ask for trouble by insisting on staying?"

    Rachel looked at her and exined dryly. You and Dad arranged for me to marry into the Burton Family

    "Yeah, that''s right, but I didn''t know what kind of person Justin was back then. Now it seems to me that Dad''s move is as wrong as wrong can be. As his daughter, I should help him correct his mistakes."

    You should say that to Dad. The look in Rachel''s eyes was determined. If Jefferey wanted her to leave the Burton Family, she would definitely leave at once without a word. As long as her grandmother''s life wouldn''t be endangered, she would not stay in the Burton Residence with her heart in her mouth even for a moment longer.

    However, Amber misunderstood what Rachel meant, and her face fell at once. "Are you trying to pressure me using Dad? What do you think you are? Do you think he married you into the Burton Family because he thinks highly of you?"

    Rachel frowned. What sort of logic does she have? Did she be dull while studying abroad? They disliked Justin for his ugly appearance, but they had to depend on the Burton Family. Hence, they secretly substituted Amber with me and plunged me into this abyss of suffering. What does she mean by saying that Dad thinks highly of me?

    Just then, Amber added, "I''m telling you, Rachel - Justin is mine. The status of Mrs. Burton should have belonged to me, so you should give up the idea as soon as possible. Otherwise, don''t me me for being unpleasant with you. I have shown you mercy this time!"

    Has she shown me mercy? Rachel thought to herself. She red at Amber and wanted to refute thetter at first, but she didn''t want to make this a bigger deal than it was. What do you want me to do? "I want you to ask Justin for a divorce and leave the Burton Family."

    That''s impossible. Rachel shook her head.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "In that case, don''t me me for being unpleasant with you, Rachel. Don''t forget that I have got something else on you even if the matter with the PE teacher is false!"

    Rachel knitted her brows.

    "I heard that Hans has returned to the country. If Justin learns about that matter..." Amber''s eyes were full of cold sarcasm.

    Don''t talk nonsense! At the mention of the name, Rachel''s face suddenly became even paler, and her hand trembled slightly as she held the corner of the table with it to support herself. I haven''t been in touch with Hans for a long time. Seeing that Amber refused to give up, she clenched her fists before the look in her eyes gradually turned calm. If you insist on doing so, then I guarantee you that you won''t be able to marry into the Burton Family even if I leave the ce.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Rachel took her cell phone out of her pocket in front of Amber.

    "Did you record our conversation?" Amber''s face darkened fiercely. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Rachel, who had always submitted meekly to insults, to have such a card up her sleeve. If Justin heard what she had just said to threaten Rachel, the consequences would be disastrous. After all, the news about the so-called ''PE teacher'' had brought disgrace on the Burton Family.

    Rachel signed back. I don''t want to fight with you over anything. As long as Dad agrees to it, I''ll leave the Burton Family at once, so don''t force me! Even a worm would turn, and Rachel looked quietly at Amber with calm and powerful eyes. Since Jefferey couldn''t do anything with Amber, Rachel was under pressure from both of them. She couldn''t keep awaiting her doom in such a way; if she really caused Amber stretched out her hand exasperatedly and tried to snatch Rachel''s cell phone. "Give me your cell phone!" I have been careless, and I need to get rid of this voice recording! she thought to herself. Rachel hurriedly dodged Amber''s hand, identally knocking over the te of desserts behind her as she failed to dodge it in time. The te hit the ground with a loud tter and smashed into pieces. "What''s wrong, Amber?" Sue''s inquiring voice sounded from the living room.

    Upon seeing this, Amber became even more anxious. While Rachel was unprepared, she snatched the cell phone from her and threw it directly into the kitchen sink. The cell phone was instantly submerged under the running water with a ssh. Then, as they were scrambling for the cell phone, Amber unexpectedly hugged Rachel right away before both of them fell onto the ground. "Aaah-" Her scream reverberated around the kitchen.

    "What''s the matter?" A man''s deep and cold voice sounded at the kitchen''s entrance. Before they realized it, Justin hade back, and he happened to stumble upon their argument.

    At this moment, Rachel was pinned underneath; she raised her head in pain to see Sue and Justin walking inside one after another. Justin''s tall figure stood behind Sue like amanding mountain. At the sight of the scene, she trembled subconsciously.

    Before Rachel could exin herself, Amber, who was sitting on the floor, cried first, "My hand is bleeding, Justin!"

    Red blood oozed out of Amber''s palm and dripped onto the ground as her hand pressed on the porcin shards. "I saw that Rachel looked unwell so I went to help her, but I didn''t know why she pushed me instead. Ugh... It hurts so much, Justin..."

    This... is sheer nonsense! She''s confusing right and wrong! Rachel thought to herself. With her face deathly pale, she subconsciously looked at Justin and shook her head vigorously. She believed that Justin wouldn''t easily believe Amber''s clumsy trick.

    Meanwhile, Justin frowned slightly as he strode past Sue and crouched down in front of the two women. However, he merely took a cold nce at Rachel. The next instant, he stretched out his hand toward Amber. "Let me take a look."

    Amber was still sobbing as she tremblingly reached out her ''tender'' hand to Justin. "Ugh... It really hurts. I just wanted to help Rachel, but she said she doesn''t like it that I keep turning up here. She even said that she''s thedy of the house here. Should I note, Justin..."

    Thedy of the house? Justin''s face darkened slightly as he gave Rachel a cold look. "This is the Burton

    Residence. It''s not your turn to decide who cane, don''t you think so?"

    Rachel''s heart sank as she looked at Justin in disbelief. Her face was pale as if she had lost too much blood, and she shook her head almost imperceptibly. I didn''t say that. She thought to herself, I didn''t do anything. Why does he refuse to listen to even a word of my exnation?

    Justin helped Amber up and ordered the servant to fetch the medicine right in front of Rachel. When Amber took the opportunity to lean against him, he didn''t dodge her.

    As they left the kitchen, Amber''s eyes gleamed with smugness, and she threw Rachel a warning look. Your cell phone is gone. If you still dare to shoot your mouth off, you''ll be dead meat.

    On the other hand, Sue red at Rachel with disgust when she saw that thetter was still sitting on the floor. "Why are you still sitting here? Hurry up and clean up the ce! I really have no idea what is wrong with the Hudson Family. You and Amber are both daughters of the same family, yet they married such an unpresentable person into our family. What bad luck this is!"

 Chapter 23

    "Clean up this ce and pour another cup of tea," ordered Sue.

    After the woman left, Rachel fished her cell phone out of the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, the cell phone had been thoroughly submerged under water and could not be switched on anymore.

    Rachel didn''t expect Amber to have the nerve to be so reckless in the Burton Residence. However, when she recalled how Amber had just acted like a spoiled child in front of Justin, she was somewhat saddened. It wasn''t because of Justin, but because she had seen Amber having her way in such a way as she grew up. Amber will get whatever she wants as long as she acts like a spoiled child before the people around her. On the contrary, I... Never mind, everyone has their own destiny, she thought to herself. After putting her cell phone away, she gathered the porcin shards and threw them into the garbage can without saying a word. Then, she dished up the desserts again, made the tea, and brought them to the living room.

    At this moment, the servants had treated the wound on Amber''s hand. In reality, her injury wasn''t serious. It was merely a small cut made by the porcin shards, and it had stopped bleeding while the servant was bandaging it, but Amber''s eyes were still teary. "It hurts so much, Justin. Is the wound not bandaged properly?"

    Justin held her hand and looked at it carefully. Then, he replied impassively, "It''s not a big deal. If you''re worried, I''ll have someone take you to the hospital."

    "Will the wound be infected? I might have to get a tetanus shot."

    Rachel felt likeughing deep down inside upon hearing Amber''s words. The woman studied medicine herself, yet she pretended to be naive and ignorant.

    "Why are you still standing over there, Rachel?" Sue snapped when she suddenly noticed Racheling out. "Not only are you mute, but you''re clumsy and oblivious as well. What are you waiting for? Hurry up ande over to apologize to Amber."

    Rachel was stunned. Why should she apologize? She didn''t do anything wrong. After putting down the desserts and the tea, she silently stepped to one side.

    Sue refused to let her off, though. "Did you hear me telling you to apologize? Are you not only mute but also deaf?"

    "Never mind, Madam Parham." Amber leaned against Justin while assuming a magnanimous demeanor. "Rachel probably didn''t mean it."

    Upon hearing Amber''s words, Sue took her hand and replied, "You''re too kind-hearted. No wonder you were hoodwinked by some heartless people. If only you were the daughter-inw of the Burton Family."

    Upon hearing her words, all the servants in the Burton Residence had a peculiar look in their eyes.

    Rachel clenched her fists secretly as she felt deeply humiliated. After all, Sue''s attitude toward her was the most important reason why she had no position in the Burton Family.

    "It''s gettingte. I came back to get something, and I have to go back to thepany in a while. Have a nice chat." Justin''s voice interrupted their conversation as his tall figure stood up from the sofa. He then shot a nce at Rachel before saying, "Come with me."

    A startled Rachel looked at Justin in surprise. Is he helping me out of this predicament?

    Sue''s face darkened for a moment as she watched Rachel and Justin going upstairs. She said angrily, "This mute really does have some tricks up her sleeve. She has made Justin so protective of her!" Amber thought nothing of it, though. "Justin is only doing so because he pities her, Madam Parham. If he really was protecting her, why didn''t he refute your words?" In her opinion, not only was Justin not protecting Rachel, he even loathed the woman very much. Perhaps he called her upstairs at this moment to give her a dressing-down. It''s her fault that I''m wounded, after all, she thought to herself. She felt incredibly smug upon recalling how attentive Justin was to her just now.

    Meanwhile, after Justin closed the door to his study, Rachel took out the pen and paper she had brought with her, wrote down a sentence, and showed it to him. ''Thank you for helping me out just now.'' Justin nced at the sentence and snorted coldly. "Helping you out? That''s just your imagination."

    Rachel was startled.

    "What happened in the kitchen just now?"

    ''I didn''t do anything!

    "How did Amber hurt her hand if you didn''t do anything? What were you two arguing about?" Justin stared coldly at Rachel with stern eyes. "Did Jefferey tell you to search my ce for something again?" ''No, he didn''t'' Rachel hurriedly shook her head. ''Amber... She suddenly stopped before finishing the sentence in her notebook. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether she shouldplete the sentence or not.

    "Keep on writing." Justin''s cold and deep voice sounded from above Rachel''s head as he suddenly closed in on her, causing her to mark a dot on the paper as if the tip of her pen had been filled with lead. She could only bite the bullet and continue, ''Amber told me to ask you for divorce because she wants to marry you.'' This was true, and everyone in the Burton Family could tell what Amber was thinking about even if she didn''t say it.

    "Are you unwilling to do so?" Justin''s voice sounded in her ear.

    Rachel was surprised at once. For a moment, she was at a loss for a reply. This wasn''t a question of whether she was unwilling to do so or not. After all, she didn''t marry him in Amber''s stead on her own will back then.

    "What? Has Jefferey Hudson regretted it so soon?" Justin let out a cold snort. "You Hudsons really are as shameless as usual. You marry their daughters off as casually as if you''re selling cabbage."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    His insulting remark was harsh to the ear, but Rachel had grown used to it. What puzzled her was how he sounded like he didn''t care about Amber. Instead, he seemed to loathe the Hudson Family. But if he loathed the Hudson Family, why would he insist on marrying Amber back then? Why would he be so attentive to Amber in the presence of other people?

    However, Justin didn''t continue his speech. He stared at her coldly and said, "I called you upstairs to tell you something."

    Puzzlement showed in Rachel''s eyes.

    "You''ve been married to me for such a long time, but you have not returned to your parents'' home, right?"

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat when she heard the word ''home''. She carefully nodded her head, though the Hudson Family really wasn''t worthy of the tender sentiments meant by the word ''home'' in her opinion.

    "I''m free tomorrow, so I''ll apany you back to your parents'' ce."

    Rachel threw Justin a look of surprise. Why would he want to apany her back to the Hudson Residence?

    Justin''s eyes darkened when he saw her hesitation. "What is it? Do you not want me to go back with

    you?"

    Rachel quickly shook her head. It wasn''t that she didn''t want him to go back with her; it was just that she couldn''t understand why he wanted to do so.

    Justin waved his hand impatiently when he saw how inarticte Rachel was. "All right, there''s nothing else. You may get out now."

    Rachel nodded. When she reached the door, she heard Justin''s voice from behind. "I didn''t mean that you should submit to humiliation when I told you to know your ce. You''re the wife of the Burton Family, so think over what you should do and what you shouldn''t."

    Rachel paused for a moment as she was closing the door. After a long time, she nodded her head and left.

    As soon as the door closed, Justin sat down behind his desk and swiped his slender finger twice across his phone''s screen. After he tapped the icon of an application unavable in the market, Amber''s voice rang from the phone. She sounded very different from just now with her biting and harsh words.

    In reality, Rachel''s cell phone had been tapped since the first day she married into the Burton Family. Therefore, Justin knew exactly who she had talked to on the phone, what the person on the other end had said, and what had been recorded on her device. However, he was truly surprised that Rachel would record her conversation with her own younger sister. I have underestimated this mute, he thought to himself.

    "You probably don''t know this yet-Hans has returned to the country."

    Justin''s brow furrowed slightly when Amber''s threatening voice sounded through his cell phone''s speaker. Hans? He let out a cold snort. None of the two Hudson sisters is easy to deal with. I''d like to see for myself during the visit to the Hudson Residence what Jefferey Hudson, that old fox, is nning, he thought to himself.

 Chapter 24

    After returning from the Burton Residence, Amber was on cloud nine.

    been, Amber?"

    Since Amber had just set foot into the house and hadn''t noticed her father sitting on the couch, she was taken aback by his voice. "I... I went to the Burton Residence... You wanted me to get close to Justin, right?"

    "Foolery!" After smacking his hand against the table, her father sprung up from his seat. "I asked for you to get close to the family, not fool around as you wish! Exin the news to me." She asked guiltily, "What news? I-I''ve got no idea."

    "As if!" Jefferey was utterly vexed as he said, "You''re my daughter, and I''ll never allow you to be married to such a rascal like Justin Burton. You''ve seen what he''s capable of, and he''s a bone-deep schemer!"N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    After having countless exchanges with Justin, Jefferey had long figured out that the former was a man who never let his actions be limited by moral boundaries. Otherwise, Jefferey wouldn''t have taken the risk of offending the man by sending Rachel over as a substitute spouse.

    On the other hand, Amber, who had a different opinion, saw a slight relief of tension on her father''s face and immediately took the opportunity to grab his arm. As she tried to charm her father, she expressed, "Don''t worry, Dad. In truth, Justin treats me very well. Earlier today, he even gave Rachel a good scolding right in front of me, believing whatever I told him! From what I see, there''s no point letting Rachel stay in the Burton Family."

    Gradually, she revealed everything that had taken ce in the Burton Residence earlier. Of course, it was filled with twists of her own.

    The more Jefferey listened, the uneasier he grew. "Listen to me, Amber-Justin is no simple man. Do you think he hasn''t seen through your subtle gestures?"

    For a man who dwelled so deep in the business world, Justin had certainly witnessed every plot that could happen. Thus, how could he possibly fall for mere tricks of a simple-minded girl?

    "Jeez, Dad, don''t worry! I promise I''ll get married into the Burton Family, and by then, Justin would surely help with our business."

    "Amber!" Jefferey was outraged, and he revealed a ring gaze as he rebuked, "This will be myst warning! I won''t allow you to proceed with this fantasy of yours. If you still insist on it, I''ll send you out of the country to continue your studies at once, and you''ll no longer have to even think about Julian."

    Amber dumbfoundedly stared at her father''s stern look and quickly swallowed up the words she was about to speak as a smirk froze on her face. It was not until she finally regained her senses that she nodded her head, agreeing to her father''s words.

    Upon seeing his daughter so dispirited, Jefferey felt slightly sympathetic and patiently stated, "I''m only deciding this for your sake. Don''t be mad, okay? Go get some rest now. Justin''sing to visit in the morning."

    "Justin''sing to our ce?" Amber''s eyes instantly twinkled.

    Is heing because he knows I''m hurt?

    The next second, her father''s words shattered her dreams. "If Rachel was indeed of no use, she would''ve returned without her husband."

    "Return? Rachel''sing back as well?"

    end everything you have going on with Justin, and do not cause any trouble tomorrow."

    Although Amber was dissatisfied, she didn''t dare to show her objection to her father.

    In her mind, Rachel wasn''t evenpetition, so Justin had to being for her.

    As for Julian, she had already formed a n to bait him.

    These men will surely fall under my grasp!

    The next morning, Justin brought Rachel back to the Hudson Family.

    In the living room were gifts of all shapes and sizes, which left the servants of the family peering in confusion.

    Isn''t Miss Rachel said to bepletely worthless in the Burton Family, even more so than the servants there?

    Besides, the man was supposed to be hideous ording to the rumors, but that wasn''t the case at all. Despite the scar on his face, his appearance was impable. Instead, the scar had proven to be a boost to his masculinity.

    Upon seeing this, Amber was drenched in envy as she saltily uttered, "Wow, Justin, you''re so nice to Rachel. She''s very fortunate to have entered the Burton Family!"

    "Mr. Hudson." Justin lifted hismissures and greeted, "These are some simple gifts I''ve prepared for you, including a couple of presents specifically chosen for the both of you since it''s our first time meeting."

    Upon those words, Amber''s eyes instantly glistened. "There''s a present for me too?"

    With that, Justin nced at Rachel.

    Upon recognizing the signal, she handed a bag that she had been holding on to Amber.

    Justin had given her the bag before they came down from the car, and she didn''t know what was inside it either

    Without showing any courteousness, Amber tore the gift open and quickly cried, "This is the ne that I''ve been dreaming of! How did you know, Justin?"

    In the bag was Tiffany''s newest release. Evidently, the amulet was very pricey, and it was highlighted by the diamonds glowing underneath the sunlight. At that, Rachel was also stunned.

    Although Justin had always been a generous man, for him to give his sister-inw such avish item on their first official meeting was quite the surprise.

    Jefferey felt awkward by this and said, "That''s too expensive for a gift. Return the gift, Amber!"

    "It isn''t much, Mr. Hudson-it''s merely a ne," Justin replied in a calm voice. All of a sudden, he grabbed Rachel''s hand and said, "After all, it''s a gift personally selected by a sister to another, isn''t it?" When Justin clutched her hand, she felt a chilly sensation on her back while looking at his inexplicable

    grin.

    Hesitantly, she nodded her head.

    Meanwhile, Amber was certain that Rachel wasn''t the one who had picked the ne, and it was

    solely an excuse to confuse Jefferey while allowing Amber to receive the gift. After bearing that thought in mind, she was exhrated.

    For a while, the group had a casual chat.

    In the meantime, Rachel was silently peeling some fruits at the side. Just as she was about to bring the apples to Justin, Amber suddenly said, "It''s your first time here, Justin, so let me show you around!" "Amber..."

    "Jeez, Dad, you''re always talking about business during family moments. That''s so boring! I''m showing Justin around."

    As she spoke, she separated both of their hands and pulled Justin away before Jefferey could say anything else.

    After withdrawing his vision from the duo, the father turned to Rachel with a cold gaze and interrogated, "Did you buy the ne?"

    Rachel put the te of peeled apples down and nodded her head.

    "You must catch him fast before he develops any intentions toward Amber."

    Rachel remained silent for a while before she signaled something. Amber has feelings for Justin. There''s nothing I can do if she were to approach him actively.

    "She''s still an immature youngdy. Are you going to let her do as she wishes?" Jefferey angrily stared at her. "No matter what, you''re still her sister. Are you going to watch as she walks herself into the fire?" Upon hearing that, Rachel felt a stab in her heart.

    Amber and Rachel were only one year apart, yet her younger sister was the one to receive all the love from their father while she was unhesitantly shoved into the hell that was the Burton Family. Not only that, she was even guilt-tripped to continue doing so.

    My sister?

    Other than to put on a facade, when had she ever called me her sister?

    "You still owe me an exnation for the mess-up with the documents previously. You''d better fulfill your orders this time."

    Upon hearing those words, Rachel''s heart skipped a beat.

    What does he want me to do right now?

    She didn''t have the courage to anger Justin anymore.

    Out of the blue, Jefferey''s tone turned gentle. "Rachel, you''re my daughter regardless of what happens. It pains me to see you getting mistreated in the Burton Family, so I''ll surely give you a solid spot in the family."

    After listening to her father, Rachel was stupefied.

    Jefferey looked at her and handed Rachel a miniature paper bag. "As long as you bear his child."

 Chapter 25

    Although he was speaking in a low volume, the words thundered in Rachel''s ears.

    unfiltered cold treatments. Despite knowing what kind of man he was, Jefferey still insisted that Rachel was to bear his child.

    What bullsh*t is this?

    That''s impossible. Rachel shook her head.

    Jefferey''s expression remained calm as he stated, "It''s not impossible. Feed him with this-pour it in his drink when he''s not watching, and you''ll eventually get impregnated." Instantly, Rachel was thoroughly dumbfounded.

    What father in the right mind would say such things to his daughter?

    When she previously returned to the Hudson Residence, she bore an optimism that her father would show her some sympathy, but it ultimately vanished as each day went by. Despite that, she had never expected her father to treat her as an object that was to simply be sold off to the Burton Family. After all, she believed that he still had a heart.

    Did you ever see me as your own daughter, Dad? As she stared at Jefferey, she attempted to draw a little empathy from her father.

    "Of course! You''re even the young mistress of the Hudson Family, so you''ve got to know that these burdens are yours to carry, Rachel. Once you give birth to Justin''s child, his family will belong to you this will be beneficial to you as well."

    As he smugly continued exining his ns, the insatiable greed in his eyes felt like an avnche falling upon his elder daughter.

    She gritted her teeth and expressed. I can''t do it.

    After receiving a warning from Justin, she refused to y with fire any longer.

    Instantly, Jefferey''s face became gloomy. "Do it even if you can''t."

    Before Rachel could sign anything, she was interrupted by Amber and Justin''s voices from outside the room.

    He swiftly shoved the paper bag into her hands, grabbing her hands as he sternly reminded, "Don''t forget that your grandmother is still in the hospital."

    Since her father had leverage on her, no matter how resistant she was, she had to force herself to take on the mission.

    "What are you talking about?" Justin''s voice sounded behind them.

    Upon feeling a chill in her spine, Rachel hastily stuffed the paper bag into her sleeves.

    "Nothing much. Just a simple catch-up since it''s been a while since shest returned." After straightening his back, he calmly turned to Justin with a forced smirk. "She mentioned that she has been well taken care of at the Burton Residence."

    "Is that so?" Justin gave Rachel a knowing look.

    As their eyes met, she couldn''t hide her guilt as her face turned pale.

    "Uhh... Dad hasn''t seen Rachel for so long, so why don''t we just leave them two to chat? Let me bring you upstairs, Justin." Amber hated it when Justin showed Rachel any attention, so she dragged his arm. "It''s fine. Rachel can lead me."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel was visibly stunned as she peered at him in a perplexed manner.

    Amber tugged his arm disappointedly. "Justin..."

    After jerking his arm away, he sent Rachel a cold leer. "Isn''t that right, Rachel?"

    At the mention of her name, all she could feel was coldness and nothing else.

    What does he want to do?

    Amber watched as Justin and Rachel went upstairs, and she furiously stomped her foot.

    "Sit down, Amber." Looking at his rebellious daughter, Jefferey was tilted.

    How intriguing of him! Jefferey couldn''t help but wonder what it was that Justin did to charm his daughter, making her so hooked onto him.

    If that were to go on, he would be in a lose-lose situation.

    Meanwhile, Rachel led Justin to her bedroom upstairs.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    As her room was facing north, there wasn''t much sunlight in the space.

    She felt slightly cramped after shutting the door and pulled the chair at the desk out, inviting Justin over for a seat.

    "This used to be your room?" He gave her an indescribable look.

    In response, Rachel nodded her head, to which the man in front of her frowned.

    Rather than a woman''s bedroom, the room seemed much more like an isted study. It only had

    Who would ever expect Jefferey to let her daughter live in such a miserable room? After all, the Hudson Family came from a wealthy background as well. However, with how he was willing to send Rachel into the Burton Family, it was clear that the mutedy bore no significance in her father''s heart-she was merely a tool. Meanwhile, Rachel anxiously stared at Justin, having no idea what he was about to do. After all, he

    simply stood before the bookshelves. After pulling a book out from the collection, he asked in a seemingly nonchnt manner, "What did Jefferey say to you just now?" Rachel shook her head carefully, but she was feeling nervous deep down inside.

    "Nothing?" He raised his head and revealed an icy gaze. "What''s that in your hand, then?"

    As the words escaped his mouth, Rachel''s mind instantly went nk as she subconsciously took a step backward, almost drenching the paper bag in her hand with her sweat.

    He saw it!

    Despite her retreat, Justin stood still-it was even scarier than if he were to move forward. Gazing at her chillingly were his eyes that resembled an abyss.

    Rachel remained still even though her shoulders trembled, and she eventually reached out an arm toward the man before slowly opening her shut palm.

    Now, all she could do was resort to her survival instincts.

    All of a sudden, the door suddenly sounded with a creak.

    "Justin!" With the sweetest smile in the world, Amber pushed the door open and entered. "I brought some fruits for you."

    Instantaneously, there was a slight impatience on Justin''s face. He answered in a dull tone, "Thanks."

    "No worries. Just make yourself at home." As she brought the fruit tter into the room, Amber gave her sister a mean nce when she walked past her. "Do you want to go and help in the kitchen, Rachel? The servants don''t know what Justin is allergic to."

    After nodding her head, Rachel sneakily jerked her leg and kicked the paper bag she identally dropped earlier under the bed.

    I shall take my leave. Have a good chat.

    As soon as the door was shut, she was finally able to breathe properly. Thanks to being anxious around Justin, she had drenched the back of her clothes with cold sweat.

    She could never bring herself to drug anyone.

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Justin and Amber''s voices could be heard.

    "Do you like the ne?"

    "I love it! How can I not? It''s a present from you!"

    "You studied medicine when you were overseas, right?"

    "Yeah, it''s what the family specializes in."

    "You already have the forms from Hudson Pharmaceuticals. What''s the point of studying abroad?"

    "I know, right? I have no clue as to what''s going on in my father''s head. We already have patents for the forms. Why should I even bother learning any other stuff?"

    "Is that so? Then you must have seen the forms at home, haven''t you?"

    Upon the term ''form'' being uttered from inside the room, Rachel''s heart immediately sank.

    At that moment, everything became clear to her, she finally understood why Justin had decided to apany her back home and tried getting close to Amber.

    thepany wasn''t their brand nor Jefferey''s sense of business, but the family''s secret forms that had been kept away from public knowledge. That was what Justin wasing for.

 Chapter 26

    Meanwhile, Amber felt a little awkward during Justin''s interrogation inside the bedroom. "O-Of course, I have! It''s a family heirloom!"

    Having mastered psychology after years of business, he could tell she hadn''t the slightest idea based on how she was mumbling.

    You sly fox, Jefferey! You don''t even trust your daughter!

    However, since Jefferey had sent Amber to study medicine, it was obvious that he wanted to prepare her to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the future.

    Justin didn''t expose his rival despite knowing this.

    Just then, Amber hastily switched the topic. "Honestly, Justin, I''ve got no interest in managing the family business. Besides, Dad sent me to study traditional medicine, so I think I should branch out on my own. Why don''t you lend me a hand?"

    Justin lifted his gaze from the book and asked, "What do you want?"

    "I want to work in a hospital."

    "Which one?"

    "Tran-Q." Amber Warily studied Justin''s expression, fearing that she might expose herself.

    Tran-Q?

    Justin seemed like he had realized something.

    "Sure." He spoke with a freezing tone that resonated within the house, and anyone who paid attention to his voice could easily be captivated.

    It was lunchtime soon, and Amber continuously served food to Justin.

    In response, he simply thanked her and turned to grab a ss of water without touching any of his cutleries.

    Upon seeing that, Rachel mentally shook her head.

    Having spent her fair share of days at the Burton Residence, she knew Justin''s dining habits very well. For one, would never eat any food that was served to him with personal cutleries. Also, as long as there wasn''t a serving spoon on the table, he wouldn''t start eating.

    Amber is going overboard with her bootlicking.

    However, since they''re so close to each other, perhaps he''ll make an exception for her, Rachel guessed.

    Meanwhile, Justin noticed that she was zoning out and pushed his te before her. "The family chef is quite talented! Eat up, Rachel."

    The woman was surprised by his caring tone; when she regained her senses, she saw that Amber was evidently upset.

    If gazes could kill, she would''ve been murdered by her sister a million times over.

    Rachel felt a chill down her spine, and she couldn''t help but suspect that Justin was purposefully doing this to trigger Amber''s hatred toward her.

    I can''t finish this. She signaled and pushed the te back to him. You eat up.

    However, the te was stopped halfway on its way back to Justin.

    When Rachel saw his cold leer, her hand immediately turned into jelly and she no longer dared to push the te any further.

    After a short while, she forced a smirk and pulled the te back to herself. Thanks.

    Throughout lunch, Jefferey sneaked some questions about Justin''s business. Thetter was probably in a good mood, for he revealed some inside information about hispany.

    "Director Humphries from the Security Council said that?" Jefferey''s eyes shone like stars.

    As he remained as calm as usual, Justin stated, "Actually, it was my assistant who heard it from Director Humphries during a partnership meetingst week. However, the risk of loaning remains high, so even the Arden Group is still waiting whilst observing."

    "If Arden Group has set its eyes on the loaning terms, it must mean they''re exceptional," Jefferey expressed in delight, "What a fine day. Bring some wine over, Rosa!"

    When she saw her father being sox, Rachel couldn''t help but break into a cold sweat.

    Although she wasn''t exactly informed about the business industry, she could tell what Justin just said was merely a guess, and the profit-loss probability was 50-50. Moreover, the way he casually brought up Director Humphries and the Arden Group bought Jefferey off so easily.

    With how significant the Hudson Group''s loss was right now, Jefferey''s debts would certainly reach new highs if he were to actually invest in a new field. By then, one mistake could cost him the entirepany Despite the endless thoughts in her head, Rachel never once made a single sound.

    Later on, the hellish lunch finally ended.

    Since Justin had a meeting to attend at work, he couldn''t stay any longer. He took his leave along with Rachel, to which Amber and her father went and sent them off.

    "Come visit often, Justin!" Amber acted cutely as she dragged Justin''s arm. Anyone who heard her right then had goosebumps all over themselves.

    "It''s gettingte, Mr. Burton. You still have to go home and change." Justin''s driver let out a small cough and reminded them of the time.

    "All right," Justin responded with a subtle nod before ncing at Rachel as she stood beside him. "Get

    in."

    Upon that, Rachel regained her focus and immediately followed behind after nodding.

    Meanwhile, Justin revealed a frown as he grew impatient. In his mind, Rachel was always staring into

    space lethargically like a dummy. She watched him converse with Amber all this while, yet she showed zero reaction.

    Before she got on the vehicle, she walked past Amber. Thetter whispered in her ears, "What he said about returning to keep youpany is just bullsh*t! Justin''s only here to see me. Well, you''ve seen how much he adores me. I reckon you''ve never even gotten a gift from him, have you? In his eyes, you''re nothing more than a ve."

    Although Rachel was tilted, she maintained an apathetic expression and signaled. In that case, why are you trying so hard to be his ve?

    She was a kind person, but she would never give in to a bully.

    After expressing that, she turned around and hopped into the car.

    As they watched the car fade into the distance, Amber stomped her feet and vented to her father by saying, "Look at her smug face, Dad! If she were to stay with the Burton Family any longer, she''s going to step over us sooner orter."

    Jefferey revealed a frown and uttered, "Stop your foolery. Did you tell Justin what I told you to?"

    Amber was stunned for a while before she realized what he meant and answered, "Yes, I did."

    "What was his reaction?"

    "He agreed to it without any hesitation." Upon being reminded of that, Amber felt overjoyed. "He said I could check in with Tran-Q to work any time soon. By then, I''ll get to meet Julian every single day." "Good." Jefferey thought about it for a bit before he nodded his head. "By then, you shall direct your focus on Julian and less on Justin."

    Despite her reluctance, Amber obediently nodded her head like a good daughter would before grabbing her father''s arm. Then, they walked back into the house together.

    On the other hand, the vehicle which Rachel and Justin were in had just exited Hudson Residence, proceeding slowly on the road while a good-looking duo could be seen in the rear mirror.

    "You haven''t told me what Jefferey gave you earlier."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    A man''s low voice sounded in the car, and not a tinge of emotion could be found in it.

    Since Rachel was prepared for this, she warily signed. Nothing. He just told me to warn Amber not to get too close to you to avoid spreading any rumors.

    "Is that so?"

    Unexpectedly, her chin was tightly clutched as a tingling pain took her by surprise, causing her to let out a cry.

    "Aaah,"

    He''s not buying it?

    Then, Justin coldly scoffed as he strengthened his grip, seeming like he was squeezing a little duckling to death. "Is my man Jefferey afraid of rumors, or is he afraid of sending his beloved daughter to the wolf''s den?"

    At that, Rachel was so startled that even her actions of attempting to shove Justin''s arm away slowed down.

    The wolf''s den?

    Is he straight-up admitting that he''s scheming against the Hudson Family?

    Is he really going for the forms?

 Chapter 27

    Rachel was badly hurt by Justin''s grip, yet she could only let out a hideous wail. Even the driver, who sneaked a couple of peeks, was pained by the view.

    "What about the item Jefferey gave you?" His freezing voice echoed in the car. Justin was certain that Jefferey had handed her something, but they were interrupted by Amber just then. Rachel started tearing up as she continuously shook her head in an aggravated manner.

    When her devastated look reached Justin''s eyes, he subconsciously loosened his grip.

    It had been so long since that particr exchange; even if he did give her something, she must''ve concealed it by now. There was no way she would show it to him.

    "It''s best if you remember that living with the Burtons means you''re one of us. You''d better not waver your loyalty... or else."

    After seeing her curl up in the corner of the seat with a face as pale as snow, he immediately let go of her.

    He was aware of Rachel''s position in her family. Although he wasn''t sure back then, he had certainly confirmed his suspicions after having visited the Hudson Residence earlier.

    If it weren''t for the leverage her father had against her, she wouldn''t have been so obedient toward him.

    After being reminded of the matter with the hospital, Justin had alreadye up with a n.

    Meanwhile, Rachel, who was staring at him in terror, grabbed her aching neck with one hand as she pushed herself against the car door. It was not until she was sure that he had unhanded her that she finally dared to take a breath.

    As a result, the strangling incident moments ago had left a scar in her heart-it was indeed a challenge for her to remain by Justin''s side.

    After dropping her off at the Burton Residence, Justin went straight to Burton Group.

    Frankie, who was Justin''s assistant, poured a ss of tea and entered thetter''s office.

    "I''ve talked to the hospital, Mr. Burton. Miss Amber can go for her internship first thing tomorrow."

    "Have you informed Julian already?" Without lifting his head, Justin took a sip of the tea before turning a page of his book.

    "Not yet. Doctor Peters is absent today, but the Dean will inform him soon."

    He lifted his head slightly and asked, "Is Rachel''s grandmother hospitalized there?"

    "Yes." Frankie nodded. "Doctor Peters is indeed her main operator, but..."

    Upon sensing the pause in his assistant''s speech, Justin raised his head and asked coldly, "But what?"

    "The hospital records show that he had paid for her operation bills."

    Frankie was thoroughly baffled as to why Julian would pay for Rachel''s grandmother to undergo surgery.

    Upon hearing that, Justin revealed a frown.

    As he continued to turn the pages, Frankie''s face slightly froze.

    After a while, he hesitantly stated, "You seem to care about your wife very much, Mr. Burton."

    In fact, the book Justin was reading was a guide to signnguages-one that Frankie had never seen in his boss'' office. Since having entered his office, Justin never once let go of the book.

    As he pondered on Rachel''s situation, Frankie couldn''t help but feel confused.

    "Should we call the hospital and request for a more refined surgeon?"

    Just as Justin was thinking about something, he became distracted by Frankie''s words and immediately shot him a cold leer.

    His assistant was taken aback by this and hastily apologized, "I''ve spoken too much."

    After he exited the office, the room became silent.

    As Justin''s fingers brushed against the pages of the book, he had reached itsst page and noticed some words on an empty space there. Evidently, the book had its share of age given its faded texts, though one could still read it with ease. It was the lyrics of ''To the Oak''.

    ''If I love you, I won''t climb over you like the vines, stepping over you to look refined...

    As Justin read the elegant handwriting, the image of Rachel''s weak, tranquil eyes popped up in his

    On the other hand, Rachel had just entered the Burtons'' home.

    In the living room, Mrs. Duncan was cleaning the table alone. Although she had seen Rachel''s return, she didn''t even bother to greet her.

    Rachel wasn''t mad about this, and she simply signed. Where''s Madam Parham?Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    If Sue wasn''t at home, she could rx and go upstairs for a rest.

    Sadly, Mrs. Duncan showed her a scowl. "What are you saying, Mrs. Burton? I can''t understand you."

    At that, Rachel was stunned because what she had just expressed wasn''t actually signnguage. A normal person would havepletely acknowledged what she was trying to ask.

    from behind. "My mom went out with her friends. What do you need?"

    When she turned around, she saw Julian smiling at her.

    Rachel turned toward him and nodded her head as her way of greeting him. Then, she proceeded to write in her notebook, ''Nothing much. I brought something from home, and I just wanted to give it to her In fact, the item she brought from home had been prepared by Jefferey''s underlings under his order.

    After all, she was a daughter of the Hudsons, and the family was depending on her although they weren''t showing her any love. Hence, out of courtesy, Jefferey had prepared a simple gift for the Burtons. "I think she''s going toe homete. Whatever it is, you can hand it to Mrs. Duncan."

    She nodded her head to express her acknowledgment.

    ''Why are you home? Don''t you have work today?''

    "I''m on leave today," Julian exined. "By the way, I''m going to the hospital tonight. Do you want toe along?"

    Rachel was surprised by his offer, but she shook her head after a short while, rejecting his offer with a beam. ''Maybe not today, but I''ll go tomorrow.''

    Upon remembering Justin''s mistreatment of her after her interaction with Julian, she was immediately perturbed. Thus, she thought it was best for everyone not to cause any misunderstandings. After expressing that, Rachel pointed upward and made a sleeping gesture, suggesting that she was going upstairs for a rest.

    In Julian''s eyes were subtle traces of disappointment, though he still nodded his head. "Okay. Rest well."

    Then, he watched as she walked up the staircase, noticing that she was visibly weak. For some reason, Julian''s desire to protect her grew even stronger.

    When night fell upon the city, the second bedroom on the second floor of the Hudson Residence still had its lights on.

    "All right. Thank you, Dean. I''ll arrive at the hospital first thing in the morning."

    As she clutched her phone, she couldn''t hide the merriness in her voice.

    Shortly after the call disconnected, she received an employment notification on her phone and immediately sent a text to Justin. ''I''ve received the news from the hospital, Justin. It''s such a pleasant surprise that you arranged this so quickly. Thank you so much!

    After waiting for a long while, she had yet to receive a reply.

    At that time, it was already eleven at night. Justin is probably home and is sharing a bed with Rachel right now. At that thought, the grin on her face froze.

    No, wait! Rachel and Justin don''t share a room! She remembered what Sue told her.

    But Dad...

    She seemed to have realized something, and she hastily picked up a tiny, white bag from her drawer.

    Earlier that day, she had retrieved the bag under Rachel''s bed before leaving her room.

    Thanks to the fact that she majored in medicine and how she had been familiar with both traditional and modern medicine since young, she could easily determine theponents thatprised the substance in the bag just by looking at it and taking a whiff.

    If I''m not mistaken, Dad was the one who gave this to Rachel... Is he asking her to drug Justin with this?

 Chapter 28

    The next day was a fine day.

    Sue woke up early in the morning to have breakfast with her son.

    Sitting in front of the table, Julian couldn''t help but nce upstairs and ask, "Where''s Rachel?"

    By right, he didn''t have to care about Rachel this much, but he just couldn''t bear seeing Justin''s attitude toward her.

    "Why do you have to bring her up this early in the morning? You''ve just spoiled my day!" Sue put a peeled egg onto Julian''s te and said, "Have an egg, son."

    Julian frowned. "Mom, please be kinder toward Rachel. It''s not easy for her either."

    Sue was displeased on hearing that. "You just got back recently. You don''t know about our current family situation. Originally, Justin was supposed to marry Amber-the second daughter of the Hudson Family, but Rachel tricked Amber and palmed herself off to marry Justin. Are you expecting me to be kind to a woman like her? In my opinion, Justin should divorce her and cast her out."

    Julian''s frown deepened as he had never known this story.

    Just as they were talking, the sound of footstepsing down from upstairs came forth from the living room-it was Rachel getting ready to head out.

    thetest to wake up in the whole family. You''re just azy good-for-nothing."

    Rachel stood quietly and made a gesture. I''m sorry

    "Do you think I''ll understand your hand gestures?" Sue rebuked crabbily. "Where are you going early in the morning?"

    ''Hospital.'' Rachel wrote in her notebook.

    Sue looked disgusted. "Don''t you know you''ll carry home a lot of bacteria going to the hospital every day?"

    When she said this, she hadpletely forgotten the fact that her son was a doctor, and the period of him staying in the hospital was way much longer than Rachel''s. Therefore, the number of patients and bacteria that he got in touch with was much more than Rachel too.

    Seeing Rachel being yelled at by Sue, Julian quickly stood up from the dining table and interrupted, "I''m done eating, Mom."

    "Already? Eat more, Julian."

    "I''m good." Julian grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and said, "Rachel, I need to talk to you about your grandmother''s surgery. I can give you a ride to the hospital.ˇ± Rachel quickly nodded.

    The top priority now was to escape from Sue; otherwise, Rachel might not be able to get away from being scolded by the former the entire day, let alone going to the hospital. "Hey,"

    Sue didn''t manage to stop Julian, and she couldn''t be too mean to Rachel since Julian was around, so she could only watch them leave the house one after another. "Damn it, that mute! Julian must be possessed. How could he side with her?"

    Mrs. Duncan, who was setting up the dining table at the side, reminded Sue as she heard their conversation. "We have to put our guard up, Madam. Although Young Master Justin always gives Rachel the cold shoulder, Young Master Julian is good-tempered and kind. We won''t know if this mute has some other thoughts."

    Sue''s heart jolted when she heard that, and her expression changed immediately. She better not! If she dares to approach my son, I''ll surely drive her out of the Burton Family!"

    However, Sue was indeed worried knowing Julian''s temperament.

    While on the way to the hospital, Julian took out a packet of biscuits from the back seat. "You haven''t had breakfast, have you? You can have some of this first. There''s a breakfast shop beside the hospital; you can get breakfast there when we arriveter."

    Rachel received the biscuit and wrote in the notebook. ''Thank you.

    Julian took a look at it and praised, "You have very nice handwriting."

    Rachel continued to write, ''Thank you for helping me just now!

    "It''s my mom''s fault. Please don''t mind her." With his hands ced on the steering wheel, Julian apologized to Rachel while driving. "My mom is a little stubborn. She''s often mean to people outside of the family. If she has treated you badly, I''d like to apologize to you on her behalf."

    Rachel stared at the man in front of her who was good-looking and soft spoken. It was hard to imagine that Julian was Sue''s son because there was a world of difference between him and Sue, who was mean and hostile.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "By the way, I heard that the one who was supposed to marry Justin initially is your younger sister?"

    Startled, Rachel then nodded slowly.

    "What happened? Why did you take her ce instead?"

    Rachel remained silent.

    The reason wasplicated and could not be exined in just a few words. Moreover, she couldn''t tell Julian the true reason as she wasn''t someone that would speak ill of others behind their backs. The truth was, Amber thought Justin was ugly, so she made Rachel stand in for her in the marriage instead.

    Seeing Rachel remain silent, Julian felt sorry for her. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have asked you this."

    ''It''s okay.'' Rachel shook her head. I''ll tell you in the future if there''s a chance.''

    "Sure." Julian smiled. "Next time, if you''re getting bullied in the household or if Justin doesn''t treat you well, you can always talk to me. I can help to talk to him.ˇ±

    ''It''s okay.'' Rachel quickly waved her hands about.

    If Julian really said something to Justin, she couldn''t imagine how Justin would treat her. It would most probably make things worse.

    Julian felt helpless all of a sudden.

    Although this girl was a mute who looked delicate and fragile, she had a determined aura. Her gentle

    eyes were filled with strength, which caused one to not be able to look away from her.

    Wasn''t a girl like this more worthy to be loved than Amber?

    Julian just couldn''t understand what was on Justin''s mind.

    Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Julian went to meet his walk-in patients while Rachel went straight to her grandmother''s ward.

    During this period of recuperation, Nancy looked much better than before. When Rachel arrived, she was busily chatting with the patient next to her. The moment Rachel came into her sight, she smiled brightly "Speak of the devil! I was just saying Rae should being to visit me soon."

    Rachel smiled gently and held Nancy''s rough hand. How are you feeling? Is everything okay?

    "I''m good, but look at you! You''ve lost so much weight in such a short period. Did you not eat properly because you''re worried about me? Or is it because Jeffery didn''t treat you well?"

    Nancy had always been displeased with Jefferey.

    Don''t worry, Grandma. I''m good.

    "d to know. By the way, Rae, is the operation fee very expensive? I think I''m fine now and I can be discharged tomorrow."

    No way. Rachel pressed Nancy''s hands and wore a serious look. You must do the operation. Don''t worry about the money. It has already been settled.

    "How?"

    Rachel pursed her lips. My dad got it settled.

    Nancy looked at Rachel in suspicion. "Really?"

    Yeah. Rachel nodded seriously.

    To not make Nancy worry, she could only say so. If Nancy knew she married into the Burton Family for the sake of her medical fee, she would surely refuse to proceed with the operation.

    True enough, Nancy was relieved. "Hmph! Looks like Jefferey still has some conscience. Nevertheless, I don''t think he genuinely wants to help us but he''s just eyeing our prescription." Rachel was startled. What prescription is that?

    Nancy looked around the ward before she lowered her voice and said, "I''ve not told you thisst time but back then, Jefferey fetched you back to our family precisely for the sake of the prescription. The prescription"

    "Rachel."

    A familiar voice emerged from the door and interrupted Nancy''s speech.

 Chapter 29

    The moment Rachel heard the familiar female voice, her back immediately became stiff. Then, she turned around to see Amber standing at the door in a white robe, staring back at her with an arrogant look. Why are you here? Rachel was shocked.

    Nancy frowned. Subconsciously, she held Rachel''s hand tight and bit her tongue.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "I''m here to do my internship. Do you think everyone''s like you-unemployed and living off the elderly?" Amber mocked Rachel nastily.

    Internship?

    Rachel stared at Amber in shock.

    Indeed, Amber was dressed in a white robe of Riverdale General Hospital. Holding the patients'' record book, she entered the ward and walked up to Rachel and Nancy. "What a coincidence. I''m assigned to do a checkup for your grandma on the first day of my job."

    Rachel instinctively put her guard up and stood in front of Nancy protectively.

    "Rae." Nancy patted Rachel''s shoulder before looking at Amber and said calmly, "I''ve never thought that the second daughter of the Hudson Family would leave the family business aside to work in a hospital. What an ambitious girl."

    Amber had an arrogant look on her face. "The elderly sure know how to speak appropriately. Unlike someone, who''s not only a mute but even irritates the others."

    Truth was, Amber had arrived at the hospital early in the morning and the director received her personally. Besides that, everyone in the hospital treated her respectfully.

    Hearing that, Nancy snorted, "But s, a person with an evil heart can never be a good doctor. Amber Hudson, I don''t need you to do my checkup. Please ask another medical staff toe." "What did you say?" Amber''s expression changed. "Who are you calling evil-hearted?"

    "The one who attacks others like a mad dog."

    All this while, Nancy''s temper wasn''t the best thanks to the hostile treatment she had received during the early years when she raised Rachel on her own.

    Moreover, she had seen the doings of Jefferey and Amber over the years. If it wasn''t that she wished for Rachel to receive adequate education, she wouldn''t allow Rachel to stay in the Hudson Family. Amber had never been provoked like this before, so she immediately yelled, "You old hag, don''t you be ungrateful! It''s your honor to have me do a checkup for you, yet you call me evil-hearted?! The evil ones here are you and your daughter who passed away at a young age. She was a mistress and still wanted to retain a good reputation? Serves her right to give birth to a daughter who is a mute. All these are retributions!"

    "You..." Nancy was so annoyed that her face turned pale. With her hand ced at her chest, she was at a loss for words.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was stirred up. She quickly helped Nancy with her breathing while waving her hands at Amber, gesturing for her to stop going on.

    "What? Did I hit on the nail and make you feel embarrassed? Rachel. You, your mother and your grandma are all the same. Do you think very highly of yourselves? I''m warning you-you better stay away from Julian and stop having wishful thoughts."

    Rachel was worried that Nancy would be provoked again, so she shoved Amber to drive her out.

    "How dare you touch me? Let go of me! What are you doing?" Amber pushed Rachel forcefully, which caused thetter to stumble backward with a bang and slump onto the ground. Her back hit the edge of the bed, and it was so painful that she almost couldn''t breathe.

    "What happened?" A male voice emerged from the entrance.

    "Julian." Amber quickly changed her expression. Initially, she still wanted to continue humiliating Rachel, but she immediately feigned a pitiful look the moment she saw Julian. "Julian, she pushed me first." However, Julian couldn''t be bothered to talk to her and quickly went up to help Rachel get up. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

    Rachel was in so much pain that even her tears rolled down, but she shook her head and looked toward Nancy, who was lying on the bed.

    Julian understood her intention. After helping Rachel to sit down at the side, he quickly did a checkup for Nancy with his stethoscope. "Take a deep breath, ma''am. Lie down first and don''t think of anything else Try to control your breathing."

    On the other hand, Amber was pissed off. "Julian, 1-"

    "Shut up!" With the stethoscope in his hand, Julian turned around and shot a fierce re at Amber. "Who allowed you toe here? Get out!"

    It was just her first day in the hospital as an intern, but she actually came to the ward without any doctor''s permission and proper training. Worst of all, she hurled insults at the patient. After the situation was settled, Julian reckoned he had to have a talk with the chief doctor who allowed Amber to barge in the ward.

    After some time, Nancy finally calmed down and her heart rate went back to normal. Shey on the bed and rested while Rachel sat beside her, holding her hands tight.

    Rachel nodded.

    ''Is Amber going to work here? Can you not let her be in-charge of Grandma''s case?''

    Julian''s face turned gloomy when Rachel brought this up. "Leave this matter to me. Don''t worry."

    With that, he immediately turned and walked out.

    Meanwhile, Amber was still waiting outside the ward. The moment she saw Julian walk out, she quickly walked up to him and exined, "Julian, it''s really not like what you''ve seen. It''s her who pushed me first."

    With a darkened face, Julian wore a rare, cold expression. "Amber Hudson, do you really think the other patients have not heard what you said to Rachel and Grandma?"

    There were other patients in the ward too, so Julian could find out the truth by just asking them.

    Amber''s face turned pale. The process of her getting into the hospital was so easy with Justin''s help that she got too carried away. She merely wanted to humiliate Rachel but had never expected things to turn out this way.

    She was even more aggrieved to see Julian siding with Rachel. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Julian, why are you always protecting her? Don''t forget that she''s your inw."

    With an indifferent look, Julian said, "We''re in a hospital and she''s the family of a patient. What does it have to do with what you said?"

    Amber was rendered speechless. Blood boiled, she stomped and snapped, "I''m going to tell Madam Parham!ˇ±

    With that, she ran away angrily.

    Standing in the corridor, Julian frowned with an impatient look as he watched Amber run away.

    Both Rachel and Amber were the daughters of the Hudson Family, yet there was a world of difference between them. Rachel couldn''t even afford Nancy''s medical fee, so it wasn''t hard to imagine how much suffering she had gone through at home since young.

    After coaxing Nancy to rest, Rachel followed Julian to his office to treat the wound.

    Rachel''s ankle was scratched as a result of being pushed by Amber. Actually, the bleeding had stopped and she wasn''t affected too badly, but Julian still insisted on treating her wound.

    "Done. Try to stay away from water these few days."

    ''Thank you.'' Rachel wrote the two words and showed them to Julian.

    Seeing Rachel''s neat handwriting in the notebook, Julian asked out of the blue, "Before this, I''ve heard from your grandma that you were not born mute. Have you thought of treating it?" Startled, Rachel then shook her head.

    Indeed, she wasn''t born mute. Back then, a fire ident caused her to lose her voice. Initially, the doctor said it could be cured, but after so many years, she had missed the best timing to treat it. Besides, she couldn''t afford the medical fee, so she had never thought about getting it healed at all.

    "It''s okay. I can talk to you about thister. Did you hurt your back too? Let me have a look."

    At that moment, Julian''s office door was left ajar. None of them had realized that someone from the outside was taking pictures of them being alone in the room. Snap! A scene of them which could easily cause misunderstanding was captured.

 Chapter 30

    In the office of Burton Group, Justin was reading the ns of a project from hisptop.

    "Mr. Burton, our greatestpetitor for the East Pearl Project this time is Imperial Group. They''ve already negotiated the terms for the piece ofnd, so it''s quite difficult for us to overtake them at this moment. Frankie''s voice, which was filled with worry, came forth from behind theptop.

    Justin said, "Easy doesn''t exist in building a business."

    Frankie chewed on Justin''s words.

    Burton Group was an establishedpany, so theirpetitors would naturally be powerful too. Moreover, an insignificantpetitor would not possibly show up in front of Justin.

    Just as they were talking, Justin''s eyes darkened as he saw something on theptop screen.

    "What''s wrong, Mr. Burton?" Frankie''s heart skipped a beat as he started worrying for the staff in the engineering department. "Is there a problem with the n?"

    It was only after seeing theptop screen, which was turned around by Justin, did Frankiee to a sudden realization.

    The screen showed Justin''s mailbox. Half a minute ago, he received an anonymous email that only contained a picture, and the content of the picture was... Frankie''s expression turned sullen. "Mr. Burton, this picture..."

    Rachel and Julian were visibly seen in the picture, and the pair was in a treatment room. Julian was holding Rachel''s hand while checking on her with his head lowered. Justin stared fixedly at their hands which were held together and ordered coldly, "Look into the IP address and find the sender."

    Frankie shivered as a chill ran down his spine. "Yes, sir."

    Staring at the picture, Justin tapped the table with his finger. His eyes darkened more at the thought of the incidents that happened recently.

    Although the Hudson Family had sessfully swapped Rachel with Amber and made the former marry into the Burton Family, the oue was not as well as they had expected.

    On the other hand, Rachel''s eyelids had been twitching the whole afternoon, and she felt perturbed for some reason.

    She stayed in the hospital until the evening. Just so happened, Julian was about to get off from work, so he fetched her home too.

    The moment they arrived at the Burton Residence, Sue stopped them.

    With a displeased look, Sue darted a nce at Rachel and said, "Julian, why did you guyse back together?"

    Before Rachel could write something in her notebook, Julian had already spoken up to exin. "Coincidentally, I was done with work, so I drove her back. It''s just a small favor since we''re rtives." "Who says she''s our rtive?" Sue cast a disdainful nce at Rachel. "No one knows how long more she will be able to stay at ours. 1-"

    "Mom." Julian immediately interrupted Sue with a slightly sullen look.

    Seeing Julian''s reaction, Sue had no choice but to m up reluctantly and bite her tongue. "Alright, I''ll stop. It''s rare that youe home this early, so let''s spend some time together," Sue said kindly. Considering Rachel''s situation in the Burton Family, Julian nodded and turned to Rachel. "Rachel, go and have some rest first. I''ll call you when it''s time for dinner."

    Rachel looked at Sue hesitantly.

    "Go ahead." Sue wanted to talk to Julian and had no desire to be bothered with Rachel, so she waved her hands about and wanted Rachel to leave quickly as if she was a jinx.

    Rachel was relieved.

    After hearing the sound of the door closing from upstairs, Sue removed her disdainful look and peeled an apple for Julian, who was sitting across from her on the couch. After some small talk, she asked, "Julian, I heard Amber is now an intern in your hospital?"

    "Mm-hmm." Julian was a little absent-minded.

    "Amber is the second daughter of the Hudson Family. Not only is she educated with a good family background, but she''s pretty and innocent too. I''ve met her before. She''s a kind girl. Do take care of her more since she''s working with you now."

    Julian replied indifferently, "She doesn''t work with me."

    After seeing how Amber hurled insults at a patient in the morning, Julian decided that he would definitely not ept someone like her to be his assistant intern. Regardless of how she got into the hospital he was determined to ask for Amber to be reced.

    "Did Rachel tell you something?" Sue furrowed her brows. "That mute, she can''t talk yet she''s good at gossiping. She just can''t bear to see her sister doing better than her."

    Julian wore a solemn expression. "Mom, can you stop judging a book by its cover?"

    He was well aware that his mother was a mean woman. In addition to Justin''s attitude, Julian knew Rachel''s situation would be full of hardships in the Burton Family, so he felt sorry for her.

    "I''m not judging a book by its cover. I''ve investigated it before," Sue exined to Julian patiently. "The mute''s mother was a mistress and caused Amber''s mother''s death back then. A woman like her is a jinx."

    Julian frowned. "Who told you that?"

    "Amber told me personally." Sue sighed. "This afternoon, that girl came to me, weeping. She told me that an unpleasant incident happened in the hospital this morning and that you''ve misunderstood her. After hearing her exnation only did I realize how pitiful that girl is. She lost her mother at a young age. It must have been tough for her."

    So, it''s Amber.

    Julian''s frown deepened as the guilty party was actually filing aint first. "Mom, you can''t justContent provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    listen to a story from one side."

    "What''s wrong with you?" Sue''s expression changed all of a sudden seeing how Julian was still siding with Rachel after all that she had told him. "Did the mute bewitch you? Why do you keep siding with her?" "I''m not siding with her; I''m just siding with the truth. Also, Mom, you should stop interfering with

    Justin''s household matters. He has his life, and we have ours." Julian looked at Sue seriously. "What do you mean? You,"

    "I''m tired, Mom. I''m going back to my room to have some rest first." Julian ced his mug forcefully on the table to interrupt Sue. Thereafter, he went straight back to his room. Meanwhile, Sue was hot under the cor to see Julian leave.

    Rachel was resting in her room and was shocked when she heard a bang from downstairs all of a sudden. Although the room door was closed, she could still hear Sue''s angry yell from downstairs. "After all these years of raising him, he started rebuking me now that he has some achievements?!"

    "Please don''t be angry, Madam. I''m sure that''s not Young Master Julian''s intention."

    "How is it not? He thinks I''m shameless for staying in the Burton Residence, doesn''t he? Even Justin, his cousin, has neverined about me, but he on the other hand-is he really my son?" "Please calm down and have some tea, Madam."

    Just then, another loud bang emerged, which sounded like ceramic shattering.

    Rachel tightened her grip on the book, feeling puzzled.

    In fact, she thought it was weird all this while. The Burton Family had an extensive family business. Even though Justin had lost his parents at a young age, he didn''t necessarily have to be raised by Sue, his youngest aunt.

    On the other hand, given Julian''s attitude, it seemed like he didn''t prefer Sue to stay in the Burton Family

    A whileter, Rachel finally heaved a sigh of relief as the noise downstairs gradually ceased. Flipping to the next page of the book, she just had no intention to care about these matters of the Burton Family But s, the peace did notst long. Before she could finish reading a page, someone flung her door open from the outside without even knocking on it.

    Shocked, Rachel lifted her head in puzzlement.

    Standing at the door was Sue, who was staring at her furiously as she had nowhere else to vent her anger but at her. "Stupid mute! Pack up your stuff and get out of the Burton Residence immediately!" Rachel''s heart skipped a beat as she gripped the page tight.

 Chapter 31

    Looking arrogant, Sue was filled with contempt as she red at Rachel.

    "You''ve seen Justin''s attitude toward you. I don''t care what tricks you''ve used to rece your sister to

    harry into this family, but do you think you''re fit to be a part of the Burton Family given you disability? Don''t you dare to start dreaming about approaching my Julian. I''m telling you in your dreams!" I''ve never thought of approaching Julian. He''s just my grandma''s doctor-in-charge.''

    Rachel quickly wrote down this sentence to show Sue.

    "What the hell!" Sue flipped Rachel''s notebook away furiously.

    The notebook fell on the floor, so Rachel quickly went to pick it up.

    "Mrs. Duncan, get a cab and send her back to the Hudson Residence right now! Tell them that she''s not allowed to enter the Burton Residence again in the future; otherwise, they shall bear the consequences!'' Looking contemptuous, Sue immediately ordered the servant to pack up Rachel''s stuff and throw them out.

    Mrs. Duncan couldn''t wait to see Rachel be driven out of the Burton Residence, so she rapidly stuffed Rachel''s belongings into the luggage and dragged it out.

    Rachel had very few things to begin with, so her stuff couldn''t even fill the entire luggage.

    Rachel''s face turned pale all of a sudden when she saw that a corner of the luggage was not properly zipped up. She staggered toward Mrs. Duncan to take the luggage back from her because there were her mother''s relics in it.

    "Mm... mm..." Rachel struggled to speak, so all she could do was let out a coarse sound. Despite her trying hard to gesture, no one understood her.

    As such, they argued all the way to the entrance.

    "Get lost!" Sue pointed at Rachel with an extremely menacing look.

    All Rachel wanted was to get her luggage back, but she was mistaken for refusing to leave. As such, Mrs. Duncan pushed her and said crabbily, "We''re asking you to leave. What are you doing?!" Rachel stumbled and lost her bnce. She screamed as her body fell backward.

    However, she didn''t feel any pain as she had imagined. A pair of big hands supported her back steadily from behind. "What are you guys doing?" A cold rebuke emerged.

    Rachel lifted her head to see Justin''s frigid face under the light. At this moment, he was staring at the front with a slightly angry look.

    Rachel''s belongings fell out of the luggage and spread over the floor. With that, Justin immediately realized that she was going to be chased out.

    "How dare you?" Justin let go of Rachel as his face darkened even more.

    "I-It''s..." With her face turned as pale as a sheet, Mrs. Duncan stuttered while ncing at Sue helplessly

    Neither did Sue expect that Justin would appear all of a sudden. Guilt-stricken, she still said stubbornly, "Justin, we can''t let this woman stay. The Hudsons are clearly ying with us by doing as such. We can''t be bullied by them!"

    "Whether I keep her or not is my own business. Others have no right to interfere with it."

    Justin''s voice wasn''t too loud but it was strong, and no one was excused from his statement.

    It was rare to have moments like this where Sue would feel embarrassed. She raised Justin on her own, and everyone in the Burton Family respected her, so she had always been arrogant. However, she didn''t dare to be haughty when faced with Justin.

    Immediately, she was intimidated and attempted to exhort Justin nicely, "Justin, don''t be angry. You shouldn''t take your marriage lightly. You guys have not registered anyway, so it doesn''t count." Hearing that, Rachel clenched her fists as she became hopeful all of a sudden.

    The marriage between the Burton Family and the Hudson Family was a sudden decision. Although Rachel couldn''t escape from it, if Justin was determined to abandon her, there was nothing Jefferey could do either. If that happened, she wouldn''t have to continue staying cautiously with the Burton Family.

    However, Justin caught a glimpse of Rachel''s hope in her eyes. At that moment, without even realizing it, Justin''s face darkened.

    Is she hoping to leave the Burton Family? In her dreams!

    Justin''s strong and loud voice emerged in the yard. "If you''re referring to this matter, you don''t have to be worried, Aunt Sue. We''ll get our registration done tomorrow by 2 P.M."

    "What?"

    There was a change in everyone''s expression, including Julian, who just walked out of the house upon hearing the noise.

    Seeing Julian walk out, Justin''s eyes darkened even more. He grabbed Rachel abruptly and stared fixedly at her. "Without my permission, she''s not allowed to leave the Burton Residence, even if it''s her own will."

    Rachel moaned and gritted her teeth as she felt her arm hurting.

    In everyone''s eyes at that moment, it seemed as if Justin was protecting Rachel.

    However, Julian''s eyes darkened.

    Sue wore a sulky look but didn''t dare to say anything further.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    After all, they were staying at the Burton Residence, and Justin was the master of this ce.

    "Follow me upstairs." After giving the short, precisemand, Justin retracted his gaze from Rachel and strode toward the mansion.

    Rachel quickly took the luggage and followed Justin. While passing by Julian, she heard him asking in a low voice, "Are you okay?"

    She nodded and quickly caught up with Justin as she didn''t dare to stay on any longer. However, Justin

    overheard Julian''s question and felt disturbed for some reason.

    Once the door of the master bedroom upstairs was closed, the mansion became silent.

    "What''s going on?" Giving off a cold aura, Justin unbuttoned his zer and sat down on the couch.

    Rachel shook her head. I don''t know.

    "Oh, really?" Justin snorted. "Are you very close to Julian?"

    His cold voice echoed in the room while Rachel''s heart jolted.

    "Mm... mm..."

    Before she could think of a reply, Justin stood up suddenly and grabbed her cheeks with a fierce look. "You''re really something. Aunt Sue wants to drive you out because of Julian, isn''t it?"

    "Mm...mm..."

    "You''re refusing to admit it? What''s it about then?"

    Rachel shook her head incessantly to deny it, but Justin showed her his phone. On the screen stered a picture of her and Julian in the hospital.

    Justin did not let go of her cheeks and continued with harsher words. "Does Jefferey think that he would be able to seize the Burton Family through his two daughters?"

    Rachel shook her head helplessly as tears welled up in her eyes.

    Justin''s pupils dted as he saw her weak and helpless look. "The reason you willingly reced Amber to marry into the Burton Family is due to your grandma''s illness, am I right?" Rachel''s heart skipped a beat when she heard the word ''grandma''. Fear umted in her eyes at once.

    What does Justin want to do?

    "Is that why you''re so obedient to Jefferey?"

    Justin''s eyes were so frosty that it would leave one flustered. Rachel instinctively wanted to recoil, but her back was already ttened against the wall, and she could feel the coldness from it. "Have you ever thought that if Jefferey can control you due to this matter, so can I?"

    At that moment, Rachel felt her blood run cold.

 Chapter 32

    There was a tinge of coldnessing from his fingers onto her cheeks that were held with force. However, the voice ringing next to Rachel''s ear was even colder.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    At this moment, she felt her head ringing as it went nk. Anxious, she quickly turned to look at Justin.

    It was only then that he gradually let his grip off and took his seat on the sofa again. With his chin slightly tilted upward, he said with an arrogant, cold look, "I thought that you were lying. Now I see that you''re willing to do anything to help with your grandma''s illness."

    After a few moments, she suddenly remembered that she had to breathe, so she took a deep breath in too quickly. Due to that, she choked hard and ended up holding her neck with her body leaning against the wall as she had a consecutive string of coughs.

    She choked so badly that tears welled up in her eyes. Amidst her coughs, her hand that was holding a pen trembled. ''What do you mean?''

    Seeing that, he calmly took a breath in before letting it out. As he tucked his crossed fingers between his knees, he looked up at her before saying, "I want to make a deal with you."

    There was a brief pause before he continued his next sentence.

    "I want the Hudson Family''s prescription."

    It''s the prescription again! He''s indeeding for the Hudson''s prescription!

    When she heard that, her face turned pale as she shook her head several times. ''What prescription? I

    don''t know."

    The Hudson Family''s prescription was a trade secret that serves as the key livelihood of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Even Amber didn''t know much about it, much less Rachel, the neglected daughter who was born out of wedlock.

    "We''re not in a rush."

    Of course, he was aware of the limitations of her capabilities.

    "The Hudson Family owns many prescriptions, but I only want one-the one in Jefferey''s private safe."

    Upon hearing that, she shook her head helplessly. ''You''re asking too much from me!

    No matter which prescription he''d ask for, she wouldn''t be able to obtain any of them.

    "Too much?" As he looked at her neat handwriting on the notebook, his face turned dark. He then looked at her with a cold gaze before he blurted, "That''s right! I''m asking a lot from you because it''s what you Hudsons owe me!"

    Years back, they were the ones who caused Katie''s death in that fire. It was a blood debt that had to be paid back, so there was no way he''d be asking too much from them.

    As his train of thoughts ran through his mind, his face turned even darker. In a cold tone, he continued, "Jefferey will be celebrating his birthday at the end of the month. If you manage to get it, I''ll help you eliminate the evidence he has against you. You will no longer be restricted by them."

    Hearing his deep voice echo in the room, she shuddered.

    Justin wants to do something to Grandma...

    No way!

    "Have you considered it?"

    ''Give me some time''. She could onlypromise.

    Nevertheless, she knew that she was unable to do what he asked of her. Not to mention, she didn''t even know where the safe he mentioned was. How could she get the prescription? "Are you trying to negotiate with me?"

    Gritting her teeth, she held onto the pen tightly as she wrote, ''Grandma''s operation is next Monday. I can only do that after her operation ends." Looking at her determined look, he knew that he''d gained nothing if he were to push her further. After giving it some thought, he briefly replied, "Okay." After waiting for so many years, he didn''t mind waiting for a mere few days.

    "Don''t try to pull anything funny." Before he left, he gave her a warning. "Don''t forget. No one is going to have your back if you screw up."

    Right after that, the door was mmed shut with a bang, causing Rachel to tremble.

    After a few seconds, she held onto the arms of the chair before she sat down as her legs felt weak.

    It seemed that she could no longer reside in the Burton Family nor in Riverdale, so she must bring her grandma and leave as soon as possible.

    The next day.

    When Justin was about to head out in the morning, he bumped into Julian at the door.

    "Morning."

    "Waiting for someone?" Justin nodded in acknowledgment as he gazed past Julian and noticed that he was leaning against a car like he was waiting for someone. Without bothering to evade, he replied, "I''m going to work. On the way, I''ll bring Rae to see her grandma at the hospital."

    "Rae?" The nickname sounded extra unpleasant to Justin''s ears as the look in his eyes turned cold.

    At this moment, Rachel came out of the house carrying a minimalistic white tote bag. Seeing the two men looking at her, she was stumped.

    What are the odds of such a coincidence?

    She had even deliberately decided to leave a littleter than usual just to avoid these two men.

    "Morning, Rae!" Julian''s voice traveled past Justin''s figure and entered her ears.

    Out of instinct, she looked up and offered the source of the voice a smile, but her smile quickly faltered when her eyes met Justin''s. Hence, she tentatively gave a nod in response without budging. "Let''s go. I''ll take you to the hospital."

    Julian''s voice could be heard once again. It was as warm and gentle as the morning sunlight.

    "There''s no need for that. I''ll drop her off on my way to work." At this moment, Justin''s voice echoed in the front porch, somehow dimming the warmth of this morning''s sunlight.

    Hearing that made her face freeze.

    "Rae..." Julian''s gaze turned serious.

    Inevitably, she didn''t have the guts to look at Julian in his eyes as her clutch on the tote bag strap tightened. Under Justin''s pressuring gaze, she slowly threaded toward him and got into his car. He didn''t even have to say anything else.

    Meanwhile, Julian seemed like a kicked puppy as he watched her sitting in Justin''s car.

    As Justin walked past Julian, he put his palm on Julian''s shoulder firmly before saying in a cold tone, "You should call her Rachel; she is your inw, not your friend."

    Upon hearing that, Julian froze in his tracks.

    As the MPV left the front porch, the atmosphere at the scene seemed too heavy for a day in summer.

    The white figure standing at the front porch became smaller and smaller in the rear mirror, and Rachel couldn''t help but sink into a state of guilt.

    "What''s wrong? Are you unwilling to be in my car?"

    At this moment, a cold voice spoke up from beside her. At once, she snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head in denial.

    "Then, are you disappointed because you didn''t get to ride with Julian?"

    Once again, she shook her head. ''I don''t want to ride in his car. Even if I didn''t get into yours, I wouldn''t have gone with him."

    "Oh? Really?"

    ''Madam Parham doesn''t like it when I get too close with Julian, so I will keep my distance from him.

    After being around Justin for some time, she learned that it was vital for her to get things straight so that unnecessary misunderstandings wouldn''t happen.

    Hearing that, he couldn''t help but scoff. "Very sensible of you."

    Sue had always taken Julian''s marriage seriously. Usually, she wouldn''t even approve of normal girls, much less Rachel.

    After taking a nce at her, Justin turned his attention away to the view outside the window before he said monotonously, "Stay away from Julian. Don''t get into trouble."

    She nodded immediately to indicate that she had understood.

    Seeing how obtuse she seemed, he no longer felt like talking to her. Hence, he shut his eyes and leaned back into the seat.

    The view outside the window was moving backward at a high speed, and it was silent in the car. Hearing the steady and soft breathsing from the man sitting next to her, Rachel no longer felt

    anxious.

    At this moment, she tentatively turned to look at him.

    The scar on his face seemed to have faded a lot, and he didn''t look as scary and tenacious in his sleep.

    Just as she was observing his features, she suddenly saw from her hindsight that the driver was checking her out from the rearview mirror. At once, she was stumped. Not knowing what else to do, she quickly bowed down to reach for her tote bag that had fallen between the two seats in hopes that the awkwardness would dissipate.

    The moment she picked up the tote bag, her wrist was grabbed by a big hand.

    Inevitably, she was caught off guard. She initially thought that Justin must have woken up, but he seemed to be still having his eyes closed when she turned to check on him. Nheless, she also noticed that droplets of cold sweat trickled down his forehead where the scar was imprinted on his skin. He must be having a nightmare.

    Would a person like him get nightmares too? Though she couldn''t understand why, she felt a little bad for him.

    After a few moments, she finally calmed herself back down and decided to carefully retract her hand back.

    "Katie..."

    After a string of murmurs, he suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, his gaze was as cold as a sharp sword, puncturing into her eyes in a swift action. Stupefied, she couldn''t help but shudder as she held her breath

 Chapter 33

    The atmosphere in the car almost felt like it was frozen.

    Justin looked like he was still trapped in his dream as he hadn''t loosened his grip on Rachel''s wrist. His sharp gaze slowly turned out of focus as he looked in her direction, and it seemed like he was looking at someone else through her.

    At this moment, she was too terrified to budge an inch.

    "Mr. Burton, we''ve reached the hospital."

    The driver''s announcement managed to snap him out of his thoughts, clearing the haze before his eyes as he began to get a clear look at the woman in front of him. Almost immediately, his expression turned back to his usual cold look before he blurted, "Get down."

    Not daring to dy further, she quickly obliged by grabbing her tote bag and got out of the car.

    As she watched the MPV take off from the hospital''s entrance, she heaved a sigh of relief. However,

    she was still dwelling on what happened earlier as she rubbed her wrist that was held forcefully. Out of instinct, she turned her wrist several times to ensure that it was still intact.

    This man is scary even in his sleep.

    However... She heard him call out a name earlier.

    Was it... Katie?

    Meanwhile, Justin was still in a trance after the car had left the hospital.

    As the driver held the wheels, he asked with a worried look, "Mr. Burton, did you have a nightmare again just now?"

    Justin''s thick brows furrowed as his expression turned stoic.

    It had been years since hest dreamt about the big fire.

    Human''s memory was bound to fade off as time passed. No matter how hard he tried to remember, his memory of her seemed to be gradually fading away.

    He couldn''t recall when was thest time he remembered her face. All he could remember was a pair of eyes filled with tears in the big fire. Every time he tried to take a better look at her face, the dream would end.

    Earlier, he saw Rachel''s face on the girl in the fire.

    At the thought of that, he clenched his fists so tight that his green veins looked as if they were popping out.

    How could she?

    "To the cemetery." The driver could hear Justin''s cold voiceing from the backseat.

    The driver was caught off guard when his gaze met Justin''s through the rear-view mirror. At once, his hands that were gripping the wheel trembled before he answered, "Alright."

    Justin didn''t say anything else after that sinct instruction.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was spending the entire day at the hospital with her grandma.

    It was going to be Monday the next day, and her grandma''s operation was scheduled to start early in the morning. It was specially arranged by Julian in regards to Rachel, so she was going to keep her grandmapany throughout the night.

    "Her temperature''s normal. If no problem urs, she''ll be able to undergo the operation early in the morning."

    In the ward, Julian was measuring Nancy''s body temperature as he spoke to Rachel about things she should look out for prior to the operation.

    "She has to fast starting this afternoon. Later around 2 P.M., she''ll have to undergo an enema. There will be some slight difort, so do give her a heads up to mentally prepare."

    With a nod, Rachel wrote, "I''ll let my grandma know."

    "Right, you must''ve not had lunch yet." Taking a nce at his watch, he proposed, "Come on, let''s eat together."

    Nheless, she shook her head in rejection. ''No thanks. I''d like to keep my grandmapany."

    As Julian was about to say something, a woman''s voice cut him off. "Julian, you''re here. I''ve been looking for you high and low."N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Upon hearing that, both Rachel and Julian frowned, and they did it almost in sync.

    None of them needed to look to know that it was Amber.

    Dr. Peters, you can go along with your work. I''ll head back in.''

    At once, Julian held on to Rachel before he said, "You still need to eat."

    That made her halt her steps. In the next moment, Amber was already standing right before the two of them.

    When Amber saw how he was holding onto Rachel, her face turned dark.

    It took Rachel a moment before she snapped out of the trance and pulled her hand back with a frown on her forehead.

    As Julian''s gaze swept past Amber, he said coldly, "We''re going to eat. What do you need?"

    "You two?" The raging fire in her eyes was evident. She gritted her teeth as she said, "Isn''t it a little inappropriate for you two to eat together?"

    Just as Rachel was about to free herself from his grip, he spoke up. "There are so many people in the hospital cafeteria. What''s inappropriate about eating together? Your house rules must be very strict, Miss Hudson."

    "I don''t mean it that way, ... Julian, I''m here to ask for your thoughts on a case diagnosis..."

    "It''s lunch break now."

    With a courteous yet distant tone, he didn''t bother to let her finish as he cut her off. "We can talk after | have my lunch. Let''s go."

    It was rare for Rachel to see Amber embarrassed like that. What was more, Rachel didn''t expect that Julian, who had always been kind to everyone, would treat her so coldly. She was a little stumped at the moment, and she was already led down the hallway away from Amber when she came to her senses.

    ''Wait. At this moment, she tentatively tugged on his sleeve.

    "What is it?" He stopped in his tracks immediately.

    ''Dr. Peters, you should go ahead and eat. I''m not hungry yet.''

    Though it was satisfying to see Amber getting bbergasted, Rachel insisted on turning him down.

    In response, he frowned and asked with patience, "Are you avoiding me? Is there a reason why you''re doing that?"

    Hearing that, she shook her head before offering him a smile. ''I need to go keep grandmapany.

    After that, she turned on her heels and headed back to the ward.

    The moment she turned around, the smile on her lips slowly went missing. In the current situation she was in, she couldn''t afford to offend Sue anymore.

    As he watched her walk away, he couldn''t help but feel a mixture of sadness and disappointment.

    It was a feeling that he had not felt before in the past two decades.

    As soon as she walked into the ward, her grandma looked at her with a stumped expression. "Why are you back already? Didn''t you go to eat with Julian?"

    How did you know that?

    Obviously, Rachel was surprised to see her reaction.

    "How can I not know? I was the one who asked him to bring you to get something to eat," she said with a triumphant smile on her face. "Dr. Julian is a good man. Not only does he look good, but he''s also good in many other aspects as well. Most importantly, I can see that he has feelings for you. Rae, you should grab the chance."

    At once, Rachel reached forward to cover her grandma''s mouth. Don''t say that! We shouldn''t tarnish his image and name. The rtionship between us isn''t what you think it is. You''re overthinking it. What is Grandma thinking? Is she trying to y cupid?

    Seeing that Rachel had gotten all flustered, her grandma thought it was best for her to stop going on. Nheless, she still felt a little dissatisfied with how the conversation ended. "Rae, never think too lowly o yourself. In my eyes, you are so much better than Amber."

    Hearing that, Rachel could only shake her head helplessly.

    Whether she was better or not, it no longer mattered. The truth was, she was already married to Justin.

    At this moment, her grandma held onto her hand before sighing, "My beloved Rae is all grown up already. You''re a chip off the old block; you look as beautiful as your mother was."

    Rachel didn''t really have many memories about her mother, and whatever she now knew were stories

    she heard from her grandma. From her grandma''s eyes, her mother was smart, gentle and kind-she was the finest woman in the world.

    How did my mother die?

    When Rachel brought this up, her grandma''s face turned pale, and she fell silent.

    Just as Rachel thought that her grandma would tell her the story as she usually would, she suddenly lowered her voice before murmuring, "Because of a piece of the prescription." Prescription? Why is it the prescription again?

    At once, Rachel''s heart skipped a beat. She simply stared at her grandma with a dumbfounded face.

    Her grandma then asked, "Rae, do you remember what happened when you were young?"

 Chapter 34

    Shaking her head, Rachel gave her grandma a nk look.

    She couldn''t remember most of the things that had happened when she was young. All this while, she suspected she learned the ability to recollect memories a littleter than other children since she couldn''t remember much. Besides that, she only remembered a little of the time before she arrived at Riverdale.

    Seeing her reaction, Nancy reached out her frail, bony hand to brush several strands of Rachel''s fringe behind her ear, revealing her neat, beautiful face.

    As if she was talking to herself, she murmured, "It seems that you don''t remember. If you did, you wouldn''t have followed Jefferey here."

    Hearing that, she was dumbfounded. Why? Didn''t Dad bring us over to Riverdale because he thought that our old ce wasn''t safe?

    When Rachel was young, she lived in the mountains with her grandma and mother. After a huge forest fire happened which resulted in her mother''s death, Jefferey brought her and her grandma over to Riverdale. "Of course not, that old dog, he did it because..."

    Because of what?

    After the ident was brought up, Nancy looked uneasy. Sadness seemed to have emanated from her clouded eyes.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    At this moment, Rachel tugged on her grandma''s sleeve. Grandma, are you okay?

    All of a sudden, Nancy snapped out of the trance before she replied, "Yeah."

    She then gently patted the back of Rachel''s hand as she said, "Rae, you must live a happy life. We just have to be honest and true to ourselves. That suffices. Your mom who''s looking over you from above will want you to be safe and sound."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel nodded obediently.

    "Right, Rae, do you still keep the box that your mom left for you?"

    Yes. She nodded once again.

    "You must keep it well."

    Grandma, what''s inside the box?

    From what seemed to be the beginning of her memories, Nancy had been asking her to keep the box well. However, the box was square like a cube, and there was no opening to it. It looked like a piece of wood that had been tinkered on.

    Nevertheless, Nancy referred to that as a box.

    "One day, when you open it, you''ll know."

    She said that meaningfully, but Rachel was still confused. She couldn''t help but feel that her grandma was hiding something from her.

    As the operation was scheduled to take ce in the early morning, Rachel could only catch a wink of sleep for a brief moment.

    The fact that Julian would be the lead surgeon for the operation made her feel so much more at ease.

    The light of the operation room was on while she waited alone. At the break of dawn, the operation was finally done and the door of the operation room was pushed open, revealing Julian who walked out as he was taking off his mask.

    "The operation was sessful. Your grandma is fine." With his gaze fixed on her, he told her with a smile.

    It was only then that Rachel could heave a sigh of relief as shey back against the chair.

    "Are you okay?" Instinctively, he quickly reached out, making a gesture to help support her.

    She then shook her head. Thank you.

    "Don''t mention it. It''s my job as a doctor. You should go catch some sleep since you didn''t rest very wellst night. Your grandma''s still on anesthesia and she won''t be waking up so soon." Hearing that, she nodded without shifting her body.

    Throughout the operation, she had been tense as she waited. Now that she could rx, her legs felt so weak that she couldn''t even walk.

    Seeing that, Julian felt his heart ache. "Let me help you."

    She then waved him off. ''I''ll rest here for a while. I''ll leave my grandma to you then.ˇ±

    Needless to say, he could clearly feel she was distancing herself from him. He was about to ask her something, but he held it back when he saw how weak she seemed. After debating with himself, he didn''t speak up about what was on his mind.

    "I''ll buy you some food then."

    Before she could reject him, he had already handed her a bottle of water and left.

    Once again, she was alone in the empty hallway.

    Since the operation was over, she now had to face the things that she dreaded. She couldn''t help but feel nervous about it.

    Meanwhile, in the morning, at the Burton Residence.

    "Justin, go easy on the caffeine. It''s bad for your health."

    At this moment, Sue ced a cup of fruit juice in front of him before taking a nce in the direction of the second room. "Rachel didn''te back for the past two days. I wonder what she is up to that she can''t even take care of her husband. This is absurd."

    As Justin read the newspaper, he said disdainfully, "She''s taking care of her grandma at the hospital."

    "There are caretakers in the hospital. Is it really necessary for her to be there 24/7? Julian hasn''te home for these past two days too. Every time I called him, he said that he was busy. I''m sure that Rachel is bugging him."

    Hearing that, Justin looked up from behind the newspaper with a dark gaze.

    "Justin, don''t get mad at me if I say this as I know that you feel sympathy for the mute, but the Burton Family isn''t doing charity. We don''t just take in anyone. Not only is the mute not behaving herself, she ever goes out to do inappropriate stuff. I''m sure she has some ulterior motive."

    Sue got more agitated as she went on. "Julian''s always helping her, and he doesn''t even listen to his mother now. You remember how soft-hearted he always was, don''t you? It must be the mute who seduced..."

    Suddenly, a loud thud sounded from the coffee cup colliding with the dining table. Sue''s ongoing nag stopped at once as she looked up frantically to meet with Justin''s cold expression.

    "Justin, I may have said a little too much, but... I''m doing this for you."

    He then cut her off, "Aunt Sue, you can start thinking about Julian''s marriage if you''re free."

    That caught Sue off guard.

    "I''m done eating. I''m heading to thepany now."

    With that, he grabbed his coat and left the dining room inrge strides.

    Hearing the roar of the engine starting from the porch, Sue blurted out as her face sank, "That mute is such a scourge! Justin made it obvious that he doesn''t want my input on this, so it seems that she won''t be going anywhere for some time. What a bummer."

    As Mrs. Duncan tidied the table, she consoled Sue. "Madam, there''s no need to let her bother you. After all, she is mute. That''s all she is. Julian won''t be interested in her. However, are you really interested in Ms. Amber?"

    "Amber Hudson?" Sue scoffed. "What''s so great about the Hudson Family? They just run a traditional medicine business. If it wasn''t for Justin''s proposal, they would''ve never had the chance to enter our family."

    Meanwhile, Mrs. Duncan was confused. "Then you mean..."

    "We''ll just watch them fight. It''ll even be great if they both end up losing. The thing is, I''ll have to talk to the Tuscan Family if the mute stays any longer."

    At the mention of the Tuscan Family, Mrs. Duncan was stumped. "Are you still dealing with the Tuscans-"

    Before she could finish, Sue suddenly recalled something and she beamed. "It''s been some time since west visited Old Mr. Burton."

    With a nod, Mrs. Duncan agreed. "Every summer, he''de from his hometown to the summer vi in

    Riverdale for vacation. We have just missed the season."

    At this moment, Sue looked like she had an idea. "Ever since Justin got married, Old Mr. Burton has yet to meet his new daughter-inw. I should go visit him and give him a heads up."

    Hearing that, Mrs. Duncan was stunned for a moment before she quickly reacted with a smile on her face. "That''s right. You''re the one who raised Young Master Justin. Everyone in the Burton household respects you-even Old Mr. Burton listens to you."

    What Mrs. Duncan said had sent all of Sue''s worries out of the window. With a triumphant look, Sue announced, "This weekend then. Prepare some presents. I''ll pay Old Mr. Burton a visit." "Yes, ma''am."

 Chapter 35

    In the headquarters of the Burton Group, there was incense with the scent of tea leaves burning. The refreshing scent had set a good tone for people to focus.

    Though Justin wasn''t old, he was rather old-fashioned. He did things in a minimal manner, and he always had a stoic expression. Perhaps that was why he was in charge of thepany at such a young age. Moreover, he was well-respected by everyone there.

    "Mr. Burton, the East Pearl Project is almost finalized. These are thetest updates."

    "Alright." He took over the documents and flipped through them as he leaned against the couch. At this moment, he casually asked, "How are things at the hospital?"

    At once, Frankie answered, "The operation went smoothly. Mrs. Burton has been taking care of her grandma on her own, and she''s recovering well and will be discharged in a week. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Besides that, Mrs. Burton has been looking around for houses."

    "She''s looking for houses?"

    "Most probably it''s for her grandma to stay after she gets discharged," he exined. "Initially, Mrs. Burton has been staying with her grandma in the Hudson Residence. However, now that Mrs. Burton''s married, her grandma probably doesn''t want to continue staying there since they aren''t rted."

    His words were carefully chosen as the truth was actually harsher. Based on Rachel''s position in the Hudson Family, her grandma would probably not livefortably there.

    Hearing that, Justin remained quiet for a moment before saying, "Regarding the house, arrange it for them privately."

    Snapping out of a trance, Frankie answered, "Okay."

    Wasn''t Mr. Burton uninterested in Mrs. Burton''s condition? His attitude toward her changes every day...

    On the other hand, Rachel had kept her grandmapany at the hospital for a few days. Seeing that she seemed to be covering well as she regained her energy, Rachel felt relieved. Early in the morning, Julian did his rounds and came to check for any post-op infections. After that, the hospital had arranged a single ward for Nancy which was much quieter than before.

    "Your grandma''s recovering well. If this goes on, she may be able to get discharged earlier than expected" (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Julian said with a smile as he tucked his stethoscope into the pocket of his white coat.

    "Thank you for everything these past few days, Dr. Peters." Although Nancy''s head was bandaged, she didn''t look like a patient at all. She was very energetic as she held Julian''s hand, giving him a look of adoration.

    "There''s something that I''ve been meaning to ask you."

    With a gentle smile on his lips, he said, "What is it? Please go ahead."

    "What do you think about Rachel?"

    What Nancy said had left Rachel bbergasted, and she had nearly cut herself with the knife she was using to cut apples.

    Meanwhile, Julian didn''t think it was odd. He took a nce at her before saying, "Rae''s good. She''s beautiful, and her personality is easygoing. Most importantly, she''s kind."

    "Do you not mind that she can''t speak?"

    It was only then that he sensed where the conversation was heading, so he was stunned for a moment.

    Before he could answer, Rachel quickly tugged on her grandma as she signed. Grandma, what are you talking about? Cut it out.

    "She''s even shy now," Nancy said with a smile. "Dr. Peters, Rae is around the same age as you. Although her academic background isn''t as extensive as yours, she didplete her masters and now has a steady job. She''s working at the Riverdale City Council Library as a bookkeeper."

    Just like that, Nancy blurted everything out. She sounded like she was on a blind date trying to build her reputation. At that moment, Rachel wanted to bury herself deep in the ground.

    "Dr. Peters, Rae is a gooddy. You should consider her."

    At this point, Julian looked a little confused. As he took a nce at Rachel, he noticed that she was carefully shaking her head as if asking him for help.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    It seemed that Nancy had yet to know his rtionship with Rachel. Not only that, she might not even know that Rachel was already married to someone.

    After chit-chatting, Nancy urged Rachel to send Julian off, which was a rather obvious attempt of giving them a chance to be alone. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    ''I''m sorry. Please don''t take what my grandma said earlier to heart''

    As soon as they exited the ward, she quickly apologized to him.

    Obviously, Julian didn''t understand. "Does your grandma not know that you got married? Why didn''t you tell her?"

    The Burton Family was a rich family in Riverdale, so getting married into the family was considered a good thing no matter what Justin was like as a person.

    However, she could only show a forced look. ''Please keep this a secret from my grandma for now. I''ll tell her everything when the timees.''

    Maybe she wouldn''t even have to tell her if she could sessfully bring her grandma and leave Riverdale together.

    Seeing how troubled she looked, he frowned. "Is there something held against you that forced you into marriage with my cousin?"

    Hearing that, she froze.

    "He has always been introverted, so it was surprising when I heard that he was getting married. I initially thought that it''d be a business marriage of some sort. I heard that Hudson Pharmaceuticals had been in a pickle previously. Are you doing this because of the Hudson Family..."

    Seeing his concerned look, Rachel was touched, yet she felt aggrieved.

    Although Julian''s guess was notpletely right, it was the first time anyone had asked her this question after she was married to Justin.

    Everyone thought that she was very lucky to get married into the Burton Family; a mute that got married with Justin Burton must be very grateful. Shaking her head, she denied.

    At this moment, her phone rang, interrupting their conversation.

    After unlocking her cell phone, she saw an unfamiliar number calling her. After the call got connected, the sound of a man could be heard. "You must be Miss Hudson. I''m from the property center. Are you looking for a house? I happen to have one on hand, and I can bring you over to take a look this afternoon."

    As she couldn''t speak, she wanted to end the call and text him back. However, Julian reached out and offered, "Let me."

    As the two of them stood quite close, he heard what the property agent said earlier.

    He knew about her looking for a stay anyway.

    With gratitude, she then passed the phone over.

    "Hello, it''s not very convenient for her to pick up the phone right now. You can tell me about the property instead. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) This afternoon?" He took a nce at his wrist watch before saying, "Can we meet around 12.30 at noon? I''ll be having my break at that time so I can go over to take a look. Mm-hmm, okay then."

    After hanging up, he returned the phone back to Rachel. "I''ll apany you to look at the house at 12 noonter."

    At once, she shook her head frantically. ''No need to trouble you. I can go myself.

    "It''s fine, you seem a little gullible." He offered a subtle smile before adding, "I''m free this afternoon anyway, so I''ll go with you."

    ''Thank you!

    She couldn''t reject him as she knew that she''d be a little afraid to view the property on her own.

    Not long after, it was 12 noon. Julian drove Rachel to meet with the property agent at the ce they agreed on earlier.

    The property agent who was wearing a formal suit was very friendly as he introduced them to the features of the house. "A unit is 150 square meters. Each block has a lift of its own, making it very convenient for elder people. It''s very suitable for your condition."

    Following the property agent, Rachel took a good look at the unit right in front of her. It did seem like quite a good ce.

    The building has fifteen floors, and each unit had kitchens and bathrooms. They were also fully renovated and ready for moving in. Most importantly, the location was great. It was just a ten-minute walk away from the library she worked at. If something urgent came up with her grandma, Rachel could rush home very quickly.

    But...

    "Why? You don''t like it?" Julian''s voice came from behind. "I think it''s not bad here."

    With doubts, she asked, ''How much is the rent here?''

    Seeing her handwriting, the property agent smiled. "Don''t worry, Miss Hudson, this unit is very affordable. The monthly rent is three thousand."

    Three thousand?

    Rachel was stunned to hear that.

    Though she didn''t have experience in renting houses, she knew that based on the location and the renovations, she couldn''t even afford a bathroom with three thousand. How is that possible?

 Chapter 36

    Having noticed that Rachel seemed doubtful, the property agent quickly said, "If you think it''s expensive, the price is still negotiable. I can bring the price down to two thousand."

    At once, she widened her eyes in disbelief at what she just heard.

    She hadn''t even said anything, and yet the property agent lowered the price by a thousand?

    That''s ridiculous!

    Simrly, Julian sensed that something was off, so he asked straightforwardly, "Are there any problems with this unit?"

    "What do you mean by that, sir? There isn''t any ce that is more suitable within three miles. There are no problems with this unit-it''s even new! (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) The price is also very affordable."

    "Based on what you said and what we see, the rental of this house is the problem."

    When the property agent heard that, his face froze. Looking at Rachel with a questioning face, he asked, "Do you two think that it''s too cheap?"

    Rachel then nodded honestly.

    "This." The property agent scratched the back of his head immediately. "Two thousand isn''t so bad..."

    At this moment, Rachel looked up the rental of houses within the area on her phone only to find out that the average rental was around fifteen thousand. That made her even more suspicious. Tugging on Julian''s sleeve, she shook her head.

    Understanding what she meant, he announced, "We want to have a look at other ces first. We''ll decide againter."

    With that, he was prepared to leave with Rachel.

    Anxious that they might leave, the property agent called out to them. "Why don''t you name a price? You can pay any price and rent it."

    That rendered them speechless.

    When they were back in the car, Rachel took a look at the other houses and their respective rentals that were sent by the same property agent. It only left a frown on her face.

    Was the market price so bad these days or was the property agent just bad at his job? Even for a unit with four rooms and two living rooms, the monthly rental was below three thousand.

    ''Sorry, I don''t think any of the houses you offered suit me.''

    She replied to the text message courteously.

    In response, the property agent said, ''What kind of houses are you looking for? I have all kinds of variety.''

    She didn''t reply to him anymore. Looking at the conversation on her phone, she silently sighed.

    To be frank, she didn''t have much money at the moment. All she could afford was a small house.

    Julian could see the content disyed on her phone screen, so hemented, "This property agent is so weird. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) There are all sorts of people these days. It''s lucky that I came with you today. Who knows

    what his ulterior motive is."

    In response, she nodded in agreement before she quickly blocked the property agent with a flick of the finger

    "You shouldn''t rush when looking for houses. Don''t worry, I''ll settle this issue for you."

    ''There''s no need, thank you. I can do it on my own!

    After thanking him, she continued to scroll through her phone to look for information regarding house rentals online.

    She really didn''t want to bother him with anything else anymore.

    Meanwhile, Justin was reading through documents in his office.

    After his assistant, Frankie, got a call, he came over to report tentatively. "Mr. Burton, there were someplications with the agent. He got blocked by Mrs. Burton."

    Furrowing his brows, hemented, "Such a small matter, yet they can''t even do it right."

    Hearing that, Frankie was breaking out in cold sweat. "It''s mainly because the houses you own aren''t exactly suitable to be rented out. It''s also hard to match the price with the market ratings. This..." Seeing that Justin had a cold, stoic look on, Frankie quickly added, "I''ll figure something out."

    That seemed to satisfy the man more than the excuses.

    Frankie then sighed to himself.

    Why is my boss doing this to me? They''re already married, and there''s nothing wrong with taking care of his own wife. Why can''t he just arrange it for her? Why does he have to make it so much moreplicated?

    "Right, Mr. Burton, Old Mr. Burton called earlier in the afternoon when you were in a meeting."

    "Oh," he acknowledged. "What did my grandpa say?"

    "Old Mr. Burton is at the summer vi. He has invited you over to have a meal this weekend."

    "What else did he say?"

    "For y-you to bring Mrs. Burton too."

    Hearing that, he furrowed his brows.

    At night, Rachel ate dinner with her grandma before she left to head back to the Burton Residence.

    By the time she got home, it was alreadyte and the maids of the Burton Residence had already gone to rest. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) That made her sigh in relief as she quietly headed to her room to get a fresh set of clothes.

    When she was organizing her items, she saw something that her mother had left behind-the ck cube box.

    Recalling what Nancy said, Rachel had a hunch that there must be some secret kept with the box.

    As she was scrutinizing the box, the sound of an opening door could be hearding from next door.

    Justin''s study room was right beside.

    He''s home?

    As she registered that, she quickly stuffed the box back into the bottom of her wardrobe.

    After waiting for some time, things seemed to have quieted down. Nheless, she was still a little uneasy as she hesitated to open the door. Once she did, she saw that the light in the kitchen was lit, and a tall silhouette could be seen standing by the door.

    It was not her first time seeing him boil water in the middle of the night.

    There were maids at home, but Justin wasn''t one to always order them around.

    "Is stalking part of the task Jefferey gave you?" A cold voice came from the kitchen.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    At once, she snapped out of her trance. With one of her hands on the rail, she didn''t know whether she should go downstairs or just head back.

    "Prepare some tea and send it to the study." After that instruction, he ced the tin of tea leaves that was half-opened back down on the table before heading upstairs using the stairs on the other side. After standing for a while, she walked downstairs to make some tea.

    Justin had a habit of drinking Earl Grey tea when he did his work at night. It was the first habit of his that she learned about after getting married. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) The scent of the tea leaves emanated in the study room, and it had a hint of milk to it.

    "I heard that your grandma''s operation has already been done."

    She was about to leave after putting down the teacup, but his voice stopped her. Hearing that, she looked up and nodded tentatively.

    "Have you thought of how to execute what I told you to do?"

    She clenched her fists as her expression turned helpless.

    "Jefferey is holding a birthday party at the end of this month. This is the invitation card."

    A gray invitation card was slowly pushed in her direction until it was right before her. His long fingers were pressing on the paper with force.

    "It will be held at the West Magnolia Wine Brewery. If my guess is right, his safe should be right within the brewery."

    Her hand that was holding the invitation card trembled.

    How does he know about the Hudson Family so well?

    ''How do you know that?''

    At this moment, he took a nce at her. He didn''t answer her, but he said, "On that day, all you have to do is to avoid the guests and go to Jefferey''s study room to find the safe."

    She was put in a tough spot. ''Even if I find the safe, I don''t have the passcode to open it!

    "You don''t have to worry about that."

    Confused, she didn''t understand what he meant. All she had to do was find the safe? If she couldn''t open it, finding it would be useless. However, she could only say yes for her grandma''s sake.

    "Take this." Justin handed her a piece of card. "There''s no passcode."

    She was surprised and couldn''t help but look at him with a stupefied look.

    Is he helping me?

    He didn''t bother to wait for her to take it, so he simply tossed it onto the table.

    frighten her.

    "If Jefferey ckmails you again next time, let me know immediately."

    As she bit her lower lip, the feeling of gratitude that she hadn''t expressed was instantly washed away.

    So that''s the reason.

 Chapter 37

    It was only until Rachel left the room that Justin took the tea next to him and had a sip.

    The Earl Grey tea had a thick fragrance and the light vor of the milk bnced out the bitterness perfectly. The fragrance mixed with the aroma of the room and it had a calming effect. He was actually lost in his thoughts when he heard the door of the next room close.

    After Rachel took care of her grandma in the hospital for a few days, thetter had a great recovery.

    This afternoon, Rachel was getting some things in a convenience store nearby. As soon as she walked out of the store, she saw a figure in a suit bow slightly to her. "Miss Hudson, Old Master Burton wants to see you."

    The person was none other than Arthur''s personal butler. This time around, it seemed like Arthur wanted to meet her.

    Ever since Justin took over the Burton Group, Arthur had already retired and he rarely appeared in Riverdale anymore. It was rumored that he would go to a mansion in the suburbs of Riverdale every summer to avoid the heat. Apart from that season, even the family members of the Burton Family would normally not be able to see him too.

    After Rachel got into the car, she fidgeted with her fingers anxiously as she watched the scenery outside the window going backward.

    It was most likely that the butler noticed her anxiety, so he consoled her, "Miss Hudson, you don''t have to worry. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) After all, you have already married Young Master Justin. It''s time to pay a visit to the elderly in the family."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel pursed her lips and nodded politely.

    At this moment in the summer mansion in the suburbs, Sue appraised Tina Burton from head to toe as the formerplimented sweetly, "It''s been a while since Ist saw you and you''ve grown into a fine young woman."

    Tina was Justin''s cousin and she was the only daughter of his paternal uncle. She had been spoiled since young, which resulted in her short temper. However, she knew how to please Arthur. Currently, she was sitting beside Arthur as she replied with a chuckle, "You look younger too, Aunt Sue."

    Sue sighed. "Young? Not at all. I''m so worried that the white hair on my head has increased."

    "What''s wrong?" Tina blinked in response. "Is there something that is troubling you? Let us know so that Grandpa can help you out."

    "It''s not that I want to speak ill of this but based on Justin''s character and family background, it is impossible for him to marry a mute. If you knew this, you wouldn''t have agreed, would you?" Meanwhile, Arthur was sitting in a master chair. He had a white beard on his face, and he looked stern

    he has already made a decision, I''m sure he has his own reasons for doing so. Even though the youngdy of the Hudson Family has a speech disability, she might be good at something else." Arthur had done his research and he knew that Rachel had graduated with a masters degree. Even though she had never inherited her family business, she had a stable job and was also a humble person. No matter what, she was still the youngdy of a prestigious family. It was better to marry her than to marry someone who just wanted the wealth of the Burton Family.

    "Good at something else? Well..." Sue frowned and muttered, "We can skip this topic. I feel(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    embarrassed even by just talking about it. It''s fine if they just have a quarrel among their family members. It''s not a good thing to expose the ws of the family to the public after all, but it was on the news." "The news?" However, before Arthur could say anything, Tina opened her mouth. "I''ve also heard about that. I thought Justin had resolved everything?"

    "What news?" Arthur asked with a frown.

    "Don''t you know?" Tina immediately took her phone out. "This is it. I wanted to tell you this but before could do that, an exnation had been published. Since that was the case, I didn''t want to disturb your rest."

    After seeing that Tina took the opportunity to speak about Rachel, Sue was overjoyed. She sipped her tea quietly at the side as she enjoyed the drama that was indirectly started by the other woman.

    Sure enough, as soon as Arthur read the news, his expression immediately darkened. "What rubbish! Are they joking around with the reputation of the Burton Family?"

    Upon hearing that, Tina tried to console him, "Don''t get angry, Grandpa. Didn''t I say that they had given an exnation? No matter what the truth is, I''m sure Justin will handle this."

    "If he doesn''t even have the ability to handle this, he doesn''t have to be the president of Burton Group anymore," Arthur announced with a dark expression. "Rachel has only joined our family for such a short time, yet she already caused so much trouble. It''s clear that she''s up to no good." She''s just a mute. How could she have stirred up such trouble? It''s unreasonable!

    After some hesitation, Tina said, "Grandpa, actually I''ve heard some stories about this cousin-inw of mine."

    "What about it? Do you know her before this, Tina?" Sue asked with a shocked expression.

    Tina then exined, "I''ve studied abroad with her sister, Amber, and I am quite close with her. Back then, I heard her mention this elder sister of hers and I heard that she was a loner. It seemed like she had a hard time getting along with her ssmates and her behavior in school wasn''t that good. Apart from that..."

    "What else is there?"

    "Apart from that, she''s also an illegitimate child. She is not a real member of the Hudson Family to begin with, so I think she''s not good enough for Justin." With that, Tina revealed a disdainful expression on he face.

    While they were chatting, someone announced from outside, "Sir, Miss Hudson has arrived."

    With a frown on his face, Arthur said, "Let her in."

    Hence, the butler brought Rachel into the room. She still had her usual canvas bag as she held a bag of fruits she brought from the convenience store. It was quite difficult to tell that she was the youngdy of a prestigious family.

    Upon seeing that, Sue asked rather grumpily, "Why did youe here wearing such clothes?"

    Rachel held the bag close to her as she felt wrongly med. After all, no one had told her that Arthur wanted to meet her today. Since the butler picked her up from the hospital immediately, she did not have the time to change.

    Tina had heard of Rachel before this, so she appraised thetter from head to toe. When she saw Rachel''s face, she could not help feeling pangs of jealousy. I can''t believe that she''s so pretty. However, as soon as she remembered that Rachel was a mute, she immediately felt better. So what if she''s pretty? She''s just a mute in the end.

    "Miss Hudson, this is Old Master Burton and that is Young Master Justin''s cousin, Tina." The butler introduced the people present to Rachel before Arthur indicated for him to stand aside.

    Rachel nodded politely at Arthur and Tina as she pointed at her lips to exin that she could not speak, looking polite and understanding the whole time.

    Arthur, on the other hand, was looking closely at her. Even though she could not speak, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) her demeanor was quite graceful, so he was slightly relieved. "Take a seat."

    Hence, she sat on the chair next to Sue, but she only sat on half the chair with her back straight.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Arthur nodded and continued, "It''s been a while since you married Justin. I''ve been wanting to see you and I understand that it''s quite sudden today. I hope I didn''t interrupt your day." Rachel then took out a pen and a piece of paper. Since the elders in the family want to see me, it''s perfectly reasonable, no matter when it is.

    When Arthur saw her neat handwriting, he quietly approved of her more. At the same time, her handwriting reminded him that she was a mute.

    Arthur''s expression darkened as he asked in a low voice, "I heard that the person who was about to marry Justin first was your younger sister?" Upon hearing that question, Rachel felt her heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 38

    Rachel could not refute Arthur''s words.

    Everyone in the Burton Family knew that the person whom Justin initially wanted to marry was Amber, but she, a mute, was sent to the Burton Family on the night of their wedding instead.

    Before Rachel could reply, Sue immediately continued speaking, "I know, right? I heard that she threatened her sister and said that our family is a dangerous tiger den. Apart from that, she also said that Justin is ugly and weird. Then, she pretended to be doing her younger sister a favor by marrying into our family."

    Rachel''s expression immediately changed when she heard that.

    ''I have never said these words.''

    "You are still trying to argue!" Sue still wanted to say something but Arthur broke her off.

    "Enough. We don''t have to dwell on the facts." Arthur''s eyes were as cold as Justin when he looked at Rachel, which in turn made her shudder even though she was not cold.

    "Miss Hudson, since it was a misunderstanding, why don''t we resolve it? It brings no one happiness to force both of you to be together. It''s without a doubt that you are notpatible with Justin." Rachel clenched her fists tightly as she looked at Arthur in shock.

    He then continued in a low voice, "Not many people know this marriage to begin with, so it''s probably better to stop right here to prevent more losses. The Burton Family willpensate you. Just forget about the marriage after that."

    Rachel looked at the people around her. Some of them were looking at her gleefully, while others merely seemed disinterested.

    Even in her dreams she wanted to get away from the Burton Family, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) but Jefferey would never let her do that and neither would Justin. She could imagine the consequences if she did that.

    With the great pressure ced on her, she shook her head.

    Arthur''s expression darkened in response. "You don''t want to do that? Even if you are the youngdy of the Hudson Family, you are not good enough for our family. On top of that, you are an illegitimate daughter. No matter what, to our family,"

    The words ''illegitimate daughter'' stabbed at Rachel like sharp daggers.

    She clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her skin.

    "Grandpa." A loud voice rang from the door, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room.

    Rachel immediately raised her head and saw Justin walk past the door inrge strides. His tailor-made ck suit fit his body perfectly and his tall height emanated a cold and indifferent air.

    "You''re here, Justin," Arthur said coolly. "Good timing-let''s clear things in your presence."

    "Grandpa." Justin shot a nce at Rachel. "Rachel is already my official wife. Marriage is not child''s y and I have never considered a divorce."

    "What nonsense!" Arthur''s expression darkened as his tone became harsher. "The woman whom you are going to marry is the second youngdy of the Hudson Family, but they were so ''kind'' to give us a mu-'' "Grandpa."

    Before Arthur could utter the word ''mute'', Justin interrupted him. "I''ve never said that the person | wanted to marry was the second youngdy of the Hudson Family."

    With that, silence fell upon the entire room.

    Rachel was also stunned to hear that and she looked at him in surprise.

    "I want to marry the daughter of the Hudson Family but I never said that she was Amber Hudson."

    Justin''s exnation had once again proven that they had heard him correctly.

    With a confused look on his face, Arthur asked, "You''re saying that the woman you wanted to marry from the beginning was Rachel?"

    Justin did not reply to him. However, Sue was unable to stand the former''s silent approval anymore.

    "Aunt Sue, you probably don''t understand me well."

    With that, Justin shot her a stare so cold that she shut her mouth on her own ord.

    He did not n to bring Rachel here at all. He could immediately (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) know the person who gave Arthur the suggestion to bring her here. And so, the atmosphere seemed to have be frozen at that moment.

    Justin was almost as stubborn as Arthur. Upon seeing this situation, the butler quickly tried to calm them down. "Sir, young master, the chef said that dinner is ready. Why don''t we start the meal first?"

    Arthur frowned before he stood up, holding his crutch for support. "Let''s tuck in," he said coolly.

    Upon hearing that, Rachel heaved a sigh of relief.

    When they ate, she sat beside Justin. Even though her clothes were quite in, her demeanor was graceful and elegant.

    When she saw that Justin did not eat much, she took the initiative to peel the shells of the prawns for him, leaving just beautifully peeled prawn meat in his te.

    Of course, Arthur did not miss this.

    Rachel has the rare air of an elegant and generous youngdy, and she also has the attributes of being an obedient wife who can take good care of her family. If she weren''t a mute, it''s actually not a bad idea for Justin to marry her.

    After dinner, Justin was summoned to the study by Arthur while Rachel waited for them in the living room.

    After the maid poured tea for them, Sue chatted happily with Tina.

    "It''s been so long since west met, Tina. I heard that you are nning to be engaged soon aftering back?" "Indeed," Tina replied with a smile.

    "I heard that your partner is the eldest son of Riley Corp., who is young and capable. I have to say-you

    really are lucky!"Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Tina, however, seemed to avoid the topic of the engagement as she murmured, "Actually, I don''t have ns to get married so soon." Through the corner of her eye, she shot a nce at Rachel and suddenly changed the topic. "Hey, why didn''t you hold a wedding when you marry Justin?"

    Rachel was sipping her tea when she heard that. In the end, she lifted her head but she had no idea what to reply.

    Sue then said annoyedly, "Look at her! If we hold a wedding like this, we will be aughing stock. We can''t possibly risk such embarrassment."

    "You have a point."

    Tina looked at Rachel and said, "I heard from Amber that if I told her about Justin''s character, the person who would marry him might be her, not you."

    Rachel froze upon hearing that, having no idea what Tina meant by this.

    "I saw you peel the prawns for Justin but he doesn''t eat any of it. Is there a point in pleasing him this way? I hate materialistic women who don''t have dignity."

    Even though Tina''s voice was not loud, her arrogant attitude still insulted Rachel, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) as though thetter was lesser than Tina.

    As the time dragged on, Rachel found her expression bing more forced.

    While they were speaking, Tina''s phone rang. As Rachel was quite close to her, she saw the caller''s name-''Amber Hudson''. Truth was, it was a rather unpleasant sight for her. "Excuse me for a moment. I need to pick up this call. Aunt Sue, do have a nice chat with her."

    With that, Tina walked out of the room while holding her phone. Before she left, she even shot a nce at Rachel disdainfully and arrogantly, as though she was not worth looking at. Meanwhile, Sue sipped her tea slowly. This trip back home is worth it. Even if Rachel''s marriage can''t be cancelled for the time being, the rudeness of everyone in the Burton Family is enough. I just don''t believe that this little mute is able to take the pressure for a long time.

    On the other hand, after Justin was called into the study by Arthur, thetter went straight to the point.

    "What the hell do you think about this marriage?"

    Justin had a cold look on his face. "I won''t have a divorce with her for the time being."

    "Why? I can tell that you don''t like her. If she''s healthy, then so be it. However, she''s a mute. She is obviously not good enough for you."

    "Grandpa, I don''t care who I marry, as long as she is the daughter of the Hudson Family."

    Arthur froze upon hearing that. He looked at Justin in shock for a long while before he returned to his senses. "Justin, don''t tell me that you are still brooding over that past incident."

    A cold look appeared on Justin''s face and his expression became even darker with the mention of the incident

    Upon seeing that, Arthur frowned. "I''ve already told you that the fire was an ident."

    "No, it wasn''t." Justin''s gaze was firm and harsh. "The mountain fire was caused by Jefferey just to kill one person."

 Chapter 39

    "Who did he want to kill?"

    "Lionel Hudson."

    This name had disappeared in Riverdale for many years. It had been so long that even Arthur was unfamiliar with him, but it was easy to tell that Lionel''s incident was strongly rted to Jefferey. "Jefferey''s older brother?"

    Justin nodded. "After the fire, the shares in Jefferey''s hands had increased by more than 130 percent. He became the biggest shareholder of Hudson Pharmaceuticals and took over thepany after that." Arthur''s gaze became more serious. "Justin, this is the private matters of the Hudson Family."

    The casualties resulting from internal battles within rich and prestigious families were usually covered up pretty well. It was meaningless to recount such a mysterious incident from so many years ago. Meanwhile, Justin''s tone was extremely cold. "There''s karma in murdering someone. Jefferey should pay the price for this."

    After seeing that it was useless to advise him anymore, Arthur controlled his expression and sighed helplessly. "I''m tired. You may go back first."

    Without another word, Justin left.

    After that, the butler came into the room to pour a cup of tea for Arthur.

    "Sir, the young master is still young so he is more impulsive. It''s natural that he cannot tolerate the urrence of such an incident. After all, the fire that year almost killed him."

    Back then, the members of the Hudson Family stopped the Burton Family from putting out the fire. If

    Justin did not get lucky and escaped, he would have died in that fire.

    "Do you really think that it''s because of his own life that he never let the Hudson Family off the hook?" A worried expression shrouded Arthur''s face. "I''m sure that another child died in the fire back then." The butler froze. "You''re saying that the young master is doing this because of the child?"

    Arthur nodded in response.

    Everyone else knew that Justin Burton, the first young master of the family, was a cold blooded man with a heart made of stone. He would do anything to achieve the greatest profit. However, only Arthur, his grandfather, knew that Justin valued loyalty and decency.

    Upon hearing that, the butler sighed. "In that case, this is a tricky matter indeed."

    Ever since Justin returned from the summer vi, he was not in a good mood at all.

    In the evening, Rachel brewed a cup of tea and brought it to his study.

    However, Justin did not drink tea like how he usually would and neither did he look at her. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) He just looked at the page in front of him, but he never even flipped it. The frown on his face was quite

    Are you in a bad mood?

    Rachel looked at him tentatively.

    He shot a look at her and clenched his hands around the page, but he did not reply to her.

    She asked worriedly, Is it because your grandfather asked us to have a divorce? If he asks about this again, how do you want me to reply?

    She merely wanted to be clear about what he thought, so that she would not make any mistakes that would offend him in the future. "It''s none of your business."

    After hearing those five cold words, Rachel pursed her lips and took a step back tentatively as she prepared to leave.

    Justin''s temperament was changing quite fast and it made her unable to anticipate anything at all.

    "Wait."

    His voice suddenly rang from behind her, making her turn around in shock.

    With a huge study table between them, Justin was looking at her coldly. His stony expression was entuated by the ugly scar on his face. As he stared at her with a pair of cold eyes that sent shivers down her spine, anxiety bubbled up within her.

    His voice was not loud but it was firm. "Do you hate Jefferey Hudson?"

    Rachel''s heart stopped beating for a moment before she shook her head.

    Justin''s expression darkened. "Why do you not him? He asked you to take Amber''s ce to marry me, and he put you near me just like a chess piece whom he could control. Apart from that, he even threatened you with your family''s life. Why don''t you hate him?"

    Rachel''s expression tightened as she clenched her fists.

    After a moment, she still shook her head.

    Even so, he is still my father who raised me for so many years, and he has given me an excellent education and a life that''s better than the average.

    Otherwise, with my disability, I''m afraid my life would not be asfortable now.

    "He is also a murderer!"

    His cold voice echoed in the room and as Rachel met his red eyes, her heart sank.

    What do you mean? Who did he kill?

    Justin''s expression became increasingly sullen.

    Perhaps the conversation he had with Arthur just now-the first conversation of this topic that included the truth that he had been finding out all these years-or the nightmares that happened frequently because of Rachel''s presence caused that emotion to bubble up within him again.

    Presently, he looked at Rachel in front of him. She had a pair of eyes that were very simr to Katie''s innocent, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) na?ve, and pure. It was as if all the adjectives that describe beauty would describe her eyes.

    However, Katie was gone forever and the person currently in front of him was a mute, who was also

    the daughter of a murderer.

    Justin swept away the drink that Rachel made with a loud crash. The tea cup fell to the ground and split into many pieces, and the hot water sshed onto her ankle.

    "Oh!" she yelped in pain.

    "Get out of here!"

    She froze. What happened to you?

    "Can''t you understand me?" Justin roared, his eyes rather terrifying at this moment.

    She took a step backward subconsciously. After a while, she did not care about the pain she felt in her ankle anymore and left in a rush.

    She could not imagine the consequences if she stayed for another second longer, for she might be torn apart by the man in front of her.

    After she left, Justin walked to the windows and opened them to let the cold air blow on his face. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) After his depressed emotion was slowly brought away by the wind, he slowly calmed down.

    Then, he heard the sound of the door closing in the next room, followed by the sound of the lock clicking.

    He arched his eyebrows when he heard the sound.

    As soon as he remembered the conversation he had with Rachel just now, he suddenly became flustered.

    So what if I tell her so much? This mute is just Jefferey''s chess piece! Even if I hold her soft spots against her, it can''t change the fact that she is a member of the Hudson Family

    On the other hand, Rachel sat by the bed for a while as she felt the aftershock.

    Through the corner of her eye, she nced at the grey invitation card on the dressing table.

    When she saw that, her heart immediately tightened. Jefferey''s birthday party would fall on the day after tomorrow, and she could not escape the thing that Justin wanted her to do.

    The night had fallen, and the Burtons'' summer vi in the countryside was solemn and quiet.

    On the balcony on the second floor, Tina wasying downzily with her phone in her hand. "Grandpa doesn''t like her but Justin insisted on marrying her, so he can''t do anything about it. Amber, I think you should just give up. Justin is a weird person."

    Amber said something on the other end of the phone that made Tina slightly impatient.

    "Well, we''ll see about that. It''s gettingte now. ''Ill hang up first."

    With that, she immediately hung up andined, "She''s asking me for help for such a small matter. I''m toozy to care about it."N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    "What''s wrong?" A tall figure walked out from the room. Even though the lights were dim, his handsome face was not obscured.

    Tina turned around from the balcony and shrugged. "Nothing much. Amber asked me to attend the birthday party of Old Mr. Hudson. It seems like she still hasn''t given up on Justin." "Are you going, then?"

    tter him?"

    The man hugged her waist. "But your father asked me to go."

    "What?" She froze for a moment before returning to her senses. Her eyes lit up as she said, "Then I''m

 Chapter 40

    In the end, two days passed since Rachelst saw Justin.

    "Mrs. Burton, Young Master Justin has a meeting so he''ll be backter."

    The driver exined to her the reason Justin was absent as he drove her to the birthday dinner party.

    Meanwhile, she nodded to indicate that she understood. Nheless, there was a hint of apprehension on her face.

    Rachel was well-aware of her non-existent position in Justin''s heart. Furthermore, his instructions for her to attend this birthday dinner weren''t even for the sake of celebrating the birthday of his father-inw, Jefferey.

    Right after she got out of the car, the butler led her toward the reception area.

    "Miss Rachel, the Master is greeting his guests at the front foyer and Miss Amber is in the living room with her friends. I''ll lead you there."

    Thanks.

    As they crossed the main hall, therge semi-outdoor swimming pool was located right past the french doors and there were a bunch of balloons by the side of the pool.

    Suddenly, she was caught by surprise and she slowed down her footsteps subsequently.

    She could distinctly remember from her fuzzy memories of the first and only time she came here many years ago.

    It was during Amber''s tenth birthday and Jefferey had spent 1.8 billion to purchase this manor, which was registered under Amber''s name. That day, there were many guests in attendance, such as their rtives and elders from the Hudson Family and Jefferey''s business associates.

    Rachel remembered a ten-year-old Amber being surrounded by the guests and thetter stood right in the middle, standing out like a shining diamond among the children.

    "Rachel, if you agree to be my servant then I''ll allow you toe and stay with me anytime you want."

    "Amber, are you actually asking your sister to be your servant?"

    "She''s no sister of mine! What kind of sister is she? Do you have a mute sister?"(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    "Hahaha..."

    At that time, Rachel had juste to stay with the Hudson Family for about two years and she had been quite unwell as she recuperated in the hospital for almost a year. Therefore, the time she had actually spent together with Amber was barely more than six months and the former had merely known that thetter had a straightforward but wild personality.

    "You stupid mute. It would be an honor for you to be my servant. Don''t you dare act so high and mighty!"

    "Let''s hit her!"

    "Ah!"

    "Blood! She''s bleeding!"

    Just then, Rachel stood by the edge of the french windows and suddenly, she felt a prick of pain on her

    forehead which caused her brows to furrow tightly.

    "Miss Rachel." The butler''s voice brought her back to reality.

    "Miss Rachel, what''s wrong?"

    She revealed a forced smile and shook her head. I''m fine. Let''s go.

    In fact, she wasn''t originally so submissive but she was forced to give in as she was in a less advantageous position. She hade to the realization that remaining alive was not as easy as she thought after going through hardships and experiencing so much pain.

    In the living room, there was a group of youngsters gathered around. Most of them present were youngsters from the Hudson n, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) plus some of Amber''s ssmates and friends.

    "Amber, your elder sister is here."

    Standing among the crowd, Amber turned her head and just then, there was a sh of disdain across her face. Half-jokingly, she replied, but there was a serious note to her tone, "My sister''s no longer the same as before. She''s full of air now. Everyone''s here waiting for her to arrive. I guess she''s made a good match so she no longer gives any regard to us."

    Rachel frowned in response and merely nodded to the crowd as an indication of greeting. Then, she remained silent.

    Meanwhile, Amber looked behind her and she purposely raised her voice as she announced, "Rachel, why are you here by yourself? Where''s Justin?"

    Amber didn''t address Justin as her brother-inw but she called him by his name to prove their intimate rtionship.

    He''s busy so he couldn''t make it under short notice.

    "What''s there to be busy with? Even so, couldn''t he take some time to apany his wife to his father-inw''s birthday dinner?" Someone in the crowd blurted this out and shortly after that, the crowd whispered among themselves.

    "I thought Rachel had married well but perhaps her life is not as good as it seems."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "That''s quite obvious with her being mute. Furthermore, she married Justin on behalf of Amber so obviously he wouldn''t be attracted to her, would he?"

    "I heard that the Hudson Family was spared because Amber went to plead for mercy."

    Just then, Rachel nervously gripped her bag tightly. She had no intention to exin herself so she turned around and headed toward a corner to avoid the crowd.

    However, Amber grabbed Rachel''s arm andmented with a condescending tone, "Go and get me a bottle of wine from the cer."

    Rachel frowned and responded, Why don''t you go and get it yourself?

    "Me?" Amber surveyed the surroundings and replied matter-of-factly, "I need to entertain my guests, can''t you see that? If I leave right now, would you be able to entertain them?"

    Rachel was unable to speak and she wasn''t familiar with these people either so Amber''s words were clearly intended to embarrass her. The former clenched her teeth and then she spun on her heel to walk away.

    However, Amber raised her voice and shouted, "Hey! Don''t you know where the cer is? If you don''t then make sure to ask one of the servants. They can''t understand your gestures so you''d better bring a notepad with you!"

    At that moment, there were countless mockingughs that rang out, which sounded quite grating to the ears. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)

    Meanwhile, Amber reached out for a ss of wine from a waiter as she looked at Rachel''s retreating back, a deep look in her eyes.

    The show was about to start.

    The wine cer was located on the other side of the living room and it was one level below so Rachel had to take the elevator.

    However, perhaps the elevator was faulty and awaiting repair or for some specific reason, but Rachel waited for ages but to no avail. In the end, she decided to take the stairs which was situated by the

    side.

    She walked on the carpeted floor in her high heels so the sound she made was soft and practically inaudible over the loud music from upstairs.

    As soon as she arrived at the lower floor, she came toward a row of bookshelves and a resting area. The wine racks were ced further inside and the racks were much taller than her. She took a few steps forward before realizing that she hadn''t asked Amber which wine she wanted.

    Originally, Rachel intended to head back to rify but in the end, she considered it and realized that she was quite likely to be humiliated by Amber for no reason once again. As such, she decided to grab a random bottle.

    As soon as she took the bottle of wine in her hands, she suddenly heard some whispers from outside.

    Rachel paused in her tracks immediately.

    Someone''s here?

    "Aren''t you going to join your friends upstairs and have a chat?" The man had a low baritone.

    "What''s there to talk about? If it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t even attend this dinner. None of them from the group upstairs are worthy of anything. Their family background is quite normal. The Hudson Family is going downhill too. Otherwise, do you think Jefferey Hudson would have sold off his daughter for a mere twenty to thirty million?"

    The woman''s voice sounds familiar. Rachel gripped the wine bottle tightly in her hands and her expression tightened. She looked through the gaps in the wine rack and saw that there was a shadow of a couple in a tight embrace by the corner. Tina?

    In the corner of the cer, there were two figures closely entangled with each other on the couch. The woman had a throw covering her body but her bare shoulders were exposed to the air. She looked seductive as she leaned against the man''s shoulders and panted. It was quite evident that they had just ended an intense tryst.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was significantly stunned and she couldn''t believe her eyes.

    In fact, Tina was betrothed to the eldest son of the Hindenburg family-Noah Hindenburg. Are they just seeking exhration in someone else''s wine cer?

    Rachel didn''t want to get involved in someone else''s matters. After all, it was best to avoid things that

    were indecent so she turned around to leave.

    She was in a hurry and didn''t pay attention to her surroundings. Just then, a loud noise was produced as her dress got caught on the edge of the rack. The ripping sound of material rang out all of a sudden and it was exceptionally grating to the ears in the silent cer.

    The air became still for a short moment and soon after that, someone reacted.

    "Who''s there?" Tina''s voice rang out instantly.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s expression changed and she hurriedly grabbed the hem of her skirt to run off.

    However, Tina''s cold voice suddenly rang out from behind. "Stop!"

 Chapter 41

    "Rachel?" Tina frantically yelled out to her.

    Instinctively, Rachel turned back. She was way more embarrassed to have encountered such a transgression.

    "Y-You shouldn''t misunderstand..." Tina''s current expression was quite ugly.

    Just then, Rachel didn''t understand why Tina was so anxious. Although this was an awkward situation, thetter was engaged to Noah anyway, so it was quite normal for them to be enamored with each other. Pleasure time with each other wasn''t exactly something to be ashamed of. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) However, a momentter, as soon as she saw the guy behind Tina, the reason finally dawned upon Rachel. The man wasn''t Noah at all.

    I came to get a bottle of wine. Rachel tried to put on a calm front and held up the bottle of wine in her hands to show Tina.

    In fact, she had never met Noah and she didn''t know what he looked like either, but she happened to have met the guy behind Tina yesterday at the Burtons'' summer vi located in the outskirts of town. If she wasn''t mistaken, this man was the driver for the Burtons.

    "Rachel... I mean... Rach" At that moment, Tina was evidently at a loss for what to do and she stammered as well. "Things are not what it seems. We were just..."

    "She saw everything." A male voice rang out from behind Tina and the man spoke with a definite tone.

    Upon hearing that, Rachel unconsciously shuddered.

    Just then, Tina had also begun to calm down and her expression darkened as she stared at Rachel. "Did you see everything?"

    Instantly, Rachel shook her head vigorously to deny it.

    "Stop pretending. You''ve seen everything, right?" Tina nced at the wine bottle in Rachel''s hands. ˇ°How long have you been here for?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel took a step backward. She had an awkward look on her face and she couldn''t quite find the words to exin herself.

    "It doesn''t matter even though you''ve seen us." Tina exhaled deeply and her expression was quite somber. "If you dare to reveal what you saw today, I swear you won''t be able to live in peace in Riverdale." Rachel held onto the wine bottle tightly. After a short pause, she nodded in response, as she did not want trouble either. It would not benefit her to reveal Tina''s private matters.

    Tina''s fingers continued to tremble uncontrobly as she watched Rachel leave the cer. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Soon after that, the man behind her took her hands into his before he said in a low voice near her ears, "Can she be trusted?"

    Tina''s expression was solemn. "Even if she can''t be trusted, there''s nothing we can do about it. She''s a mute and she already has trouble surviving in our family, so do you think she would have the guts to reveal anything? Besides, she doesn''t have any proof at all."

    Meanwhile, the man glowered.

    On the other end, Rachel ran out of the cer frantically. Finally, she managed to get to the upper floor

    and she ran toward an area with people around. Unfortunately, she ran straight into a waiter and fell to the ground.

    "Miss, are you fine?"

    Shocked, Rachel quickly shook her head and she slowly came to her senses.

    She heard some musicing from the living room further ahead so she quickly handed over the bottle of wine in her hands to the waiter. Then, she gestured, Please help me pass this to Amber. Earlier in the cer, she had torn her dress. There was not much time left and she still had toplete the task assigned by Justin. It was quite likely she would be mocked by Amber if she went back into the living room.

    The dinner hadn''t officially started so Jefferey was still entertaining his guests in the reception area. Therefore, she would have to take this opportunity while he was still entertaining his guests to slip into his study room and look for the safe that Justin mentioned. The mansion was massive but fortunately for her, Jefferey''s bedroom and study room were located on the third floor of the function room tonight. In the end, Rachel seeded in finding the exact location of the study room based on her memory

    She pushed the door open with a loud ''ck''. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) There was a smell of smoke that hit her as soon as she entered the room. It didn''t smell like sandalwood but rather, it resembled the smell of incense that was usually burnt during prayers.

    She scanned the surroundings and finally located the source of the smell. There was an extinguished incense burner located on the first row of the bookshelf and behind it was a statue of the Deity of Medications.

    The Hudson Family came from a medical background so naturally, it was their tradition to pray to the Deity of Medications. Jefferey was quite particr about maintaining traditions so all of this seemed quite reasonable.

    ording to Justin, Jefferey''s safe was located within the shelf to the right of his study table.

    And so, Rachel swiftly made her way there and pulled open the shelf door.

    Indeed, Justin was right and there was a rectangr silver safe located within the shelf and it was built into the bookshelf. The safe was digitally locked and a password was required to unlock it. Without that, there was no chance of opening it. Moreover, it would be wishful to attempt to steal the safe as it was built into the bookshelf.

    She took a few photos of the safe and sent them off to Justin.

    The safe is here, so can I go now?''

    She waited and waited, but there was no reply from the other end.

    Rachel felt quite anxious and just as she was about to leave, she heard voicesing from outside all of a sudden.

    It looked like Jefferey was back.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    She nced to her left and right but then she realized that there was nowhere for her to hide.

    "Umph-"

    Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind her and mped down on her mouth. Then, she was dragged toward the back.

    After Rachel hade to her senses, she found that she was in a dark environment and there seemed to be a suffocating smell of incense that was quite offensive. She would have coughed out loud if her mouth wasn''t currently covered.

    "Don''t make a sound." A low voice rang out by her ear.

    Just then, Rachel''s back stiffened.

    It''s Justin! He was here all this while!

    It seemed like Jefferey had brought a guest into the room and their conversation from outside was clearly audible through the thin board of the bookshelf. It sounded like they were discussing the problems faced with the transport of medical equipment.

    At that moment, Justin had a hand ced against the board of the bookshelf and he concentrated on the sounds outside for a short while. His sharp nose was illuminated by the rays of light that passed through the crevices and his expression looked quite cold.

    As for Rachel, she slowly calmed down.

    After Justin had ensured that they wouldn''t be discovered for the time being, he released her from his tight grip and she could finally breathe in normally.

    The secret room waspletely dark and nothing could be seen in here. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)There was merely a flickering light source from behind and the whole ce was quite eerie.

    Rachel drew back and remained in a fixed position.

    Her back remained tightly pressed against Justin''s chest and their breaths were in sync just then. The tiny secret room was so quiet that their rapid heartbeats were clearly audible.

    After quite some time, there was a burst ofughter from outside.

    "Alright, Mr. Riley. I''ll get Tomas to draft the agreement."

    "Sure, no problem."

    Rachel finally heaved a sign of relief upon hearing the door shut from outside.

    Just then, Justin released her from his arms.

    Somehow, he pressed on a button and the bookshelf gently twisted and it opened outward. Suddenly, the light flowed in from outside and illuminated more than half of the secret room. "Everyone''s gone. Come on out."

    Rachel recollected her senses and nodded her head as she followed Justin out of the room.

    How did you get here?

    If he was able toe here in person then why did he force me to go through this frightful episode?

    Justin shot her a cold and indifferent look. "If I wasn''t here, do you think you would be able to open the safe?"

    Can you open it?

    Shocked, Rachel stared at him but she quickly regained herposure.

    Justin was a man of many talents so surely, there was nothing that could trouble him. Besides, this was merely a simple and tiny safe.

    Meanwhile, he ignored her and nced behind her thoughtfully. Then, he coldly eximed, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) "How many people do you think have lost their lives because of your family?! We''re already in the 21st century but you''re still worshiping such a thing?"

    Worshiping such a thing?

    Rachel''s expression went still and her eyes followed his gaze behind her. Just then, she saw the full view of the secret room. Inside the room, there was a mini-sized altar and the flickering light from earlier was in fact an incense burning in an incense holder.

    She couldn''t help moving closer to take a look, but her face paled immediately upon noticing the deities on the altar.

 Chapter 42

    The so-called Deities were in fact not deities but a piece of wooden que carved with the birthdate and time. The four edges had locks on it, which were spray-painted red and bolted tightly to the ground. On the right side of the que, there was a framed piece of bright yellow talisman and the writing on it was messy and indecipherable.

    Just then, Rachel''s feet felt as if they were filled with lead. Her eyes were fixated upon the talisman and it felt as if she was about to bore a hole into it and find out what was beneath the frame.

    Just then, Justin could sense that there was something wrong with her. "What''s wrong?".

    However, it seemed that Rachel didn''t hear his words at all and she reached out an arm toward the talisman.

    "What are you doing?" Justin pulled her back.

    They must not touch a single item here. Otherwise, if Jefferey came back and saw it, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) he would definitely realize that someone had broken into the ce and therefore it would be harder for them to obtain the form next time if they failed to get it this time.

    However, Rachel''s face was as pale as a sheet and she was still staring fixedly on the talisman with a dazed look on her.

    Is she possessed?

    Meanwhile, Justin frowned and admonished, "Don''t move."

    He was never a believer of spiritual objects, so he reached out his arm and immediately removed the

    talisman to reveal the frame behind.

    There was a ck-and-white artistic photo in the frame and it was evidently taken from a studio. The photo looked like it had been taken in thest century.

    The woman had on a traditional outfit and she looked very young. She had a demure smile on her face which somehow looked quite familiar to Justin. He seemed to have seen her from somewhere before.

    "Boohoo-"

    Suddenly, there was a sobbing sound that came from behind.

    Justin was momentarily shocked and he looked back to see a face filled with tears.

    Rachel''s hands gripped the bookshelf tightly and her eyes were red-rimmed. Although she tried hard to suppress her emotions, she couldn''t seem to control her immense sorrow and she sobbed in a hoarse voice.

    Justin nced at her face and suddenly, he seemed toprehend the part of the situation.

    The woman in this photo was...

    At that moment, Rachel''s vision was blurry. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)The bright-red ne, the clear birthdate and time, coupled with that exact same photo that she had as well... Each of them seemed to be a clear indication for her.

    Just then, the sound of Justin''s phone vibrations rang out from his pocket. Frustrated, he nced at

    the safe right in front of him and then he took a look at Rachel.

    After quite some time, he put back the talisman and dragged Rachel out of the room.

    "Umphhhh-" Rachel struggled to break free as she wanted to remain there.

    "Don''t look at it!" Justin reprimanded her in a low voice. "Even if you continue staring at it, she won''t be able toe back from the dead."

    This woman''s such a bother. If I knew that there would be such an ident, I might as well not get her toe along

    At the lounge of the second floor, Frankie sent a paper bag containing a gown into the room before retreating and closing the door after him. "Mr. Burton, how did Mrs. Burton end up like this?".

    Justin frowned slightly in response and he remained lost in thought. "How did Rachel''s birth mother pass away?"

    Previously, he had assigned Frankie to conduct the investigation when he knew that he was going to marry Jefferey''s daughter.

    Frankie paused momentarily. "It was due to a car ident."

    "Is that confirmed?"

    "This was what was recorded at the police station. Mrs. Burton''s birth mother didn''t have a stable job in the past and she usually went out to work at night. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Once, she consumed too much alcohol and ended up losing control. That''s how she got into a car ident and passed away."

    "What did she work as?"

    "Well..." Frankie hesitated.

    Truth be told, Frankie had already reported this matter to Justin in the past and it wasn''t something that was hard to find out either. In the records, Rachel''s mother provided illicit services. Because of her great looks, she was considered to be a popr hostess at one of the high-end clubs at that time and Jefferey had been a regr customer there.

    "After some time, she suddenly quit and left the industry. She disappeared for quite some time and after that, Jefferey received the news that she had passed away from a car ident, leaving a young daughter behind."

    Illicit services?

    Justin recalled the photo he saw at the altar. Come to think of it, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Rachel had a strong resemnce to the woman in the photo and both of them had a demure and docile look-there was a clean look in their eyes. Whatever it was, she didn''t seem like one who would resort to working in such an industry.

    Just then, Frankie noticed Justin''s silence and he couldn''t help asking, "I thought you went to seek for the form today? Why are you suddenly asking about this? Did something happen?"

    Upon hearing that, Justin finally recollected his thoughts. "Let''s talk about the form another time."

    As soon as he finished his words, he raised his arm to look at his watch. "Has the dinner party

    started?"

    "It''s started. Everyone''s waiting for you to get there and they''ve asked after you quite a few times already." "I''m leaving."

    "What?" Frankie asked, revealing a surprised look.

    Just then, Justin replied in a low voice, "Inform Jefferey that I''ve got something else on. I''ll head back with Rachel."

    His original n was to get Rachel to look for the safe. Once her face was captured on the footage of the surveince camera at the corridor, then even if he took the form with him, she would be the suspec in Jefferey''s mind.

    However, he didn''t expect that there were so many disruptions which had dyed his time.

    Right now, it looked like Rachel wouldn''t be able to continue attending the dinner party.

    As soon as he finished his sentence, there came the sound of the door opening.

    Rachel pulled open the door and stood at the entrance. Her new gown was quite figure-forming and the ck-colored ruffled dress perfectly entuated her neck and shoulders, putting her snowy-white neck on disy.

    It was quite evident from her eyes that she had just cried as they were tinged red from earlier, but that just made her seem more delicate than ever.

    I''m fine. I can attend the dinner party.

    Justin was significantly stunned by her response.

    Meanwhile, it was dark out and the ballroom was filled with people.''

    Amber was currently chatting with her friend. Mid-conversation, one of the waiters handed over a bottle of wine from the cer to her. Subsequently, he leaned over to whisper something into her ear. .Thereafter, she revealed a smug smile.

    "What''s up, Amber? Why are you so happy about a bottle of wine?"

    "What''s there to be happy about? It''s just wine," Amber muttered as she raised her brows. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"I''m happy because someone who''s overestimated herself has jumped into a trap herself without even taking a look."

    "What are you talking about?" Her friend couldn''t understand Amber''s words and surveyed the surroundings confusedly. "I thought Tina said she wasing? It''s quitete already, so why is she not here yet?"

    "She left"

    "Left? When did that happen?"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Amber then mentioned with a meaningful tone, "Her well-kept secret was revealed so she''s busy sorting things out. I don''t think she will be in the mood to join the dinner party. If I were her, I would definitely be trying to figure out how to kill off the person who knows my secret."

    "Kill someone? What in the world is going on?" her friend questioned with a frown. "I really don''t know what you''re talking about anymore."

    As she said that, someone standing next to them suddenly said, "Justin''s here."

    Amber''s expression brightened upon hearing that and she stood up from the couch immediately. She hurriedly checked her hair and straightened her clothes. Then, she followed everyone''s gaze and nced in that direction.

    "Isn''t that your elder sister?"

    In fact, Amber had already seen the duo as soon as her friend''s words hit her ears.

    Standing at the staircase, Justin was dressed in a crisp, ck tuxedo and his expression was as cold as before. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) The terrifying scar on his face did nothing to hide his good looks and right now, he was walking toward the middle of the ballroom.

    Rachel was his partner and she had changed into a ck-colored ball gown. At the moment, she held onto his arm and had an elegant andposed look on her face. In truth, their arrival was quite harmonious and they looked the perfect match.

    However, this scene was quite jarring to Amber.

    All of a sudden, she clenched her fingers tightly and her newly manicured nails pierced into her palm, practically piercing through her flesh. Rachel''s able to attend tonight''s dinner with Justin and she exhibits suchposure too! Is she showing off in front of everyone and mocking me?

 Chapter 43

    Justin very rarely appeared in public, but the guests present at the Hudson''s dinner party could clearly identify him by the ugly scar on his face.

    "Is this Justin Burton?"

    "He doesn''t look as terrifying as everyone mentioned."

    "Exactly! And his rtionship with Rachel seems quite good too."

    Just then, the crowd whispered among themselves in the ballroom. Fortunately, there was background music to mask their voices and at the same time, someone had already approached Justin to greet him s the scene became quite lively all of a sudden.

    Countless people came forward to hand Justin their name cards. Just then, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Rachel instinctively wanted to withdraw her hand and walk off but Justin grabbed her hand tightly. She nced sideways and met his calm, steady look.

    All of a sudden, she was significantly shocked. After that, she stood there hearing thepliments from the crowd and once she looked up again, she had already revealed a graceful smile to the crowd around them.

    Since young, she had practically never experienced such attention from anyone. In the past ten years, her life had been as quiet as her condition and there was not a single ripple in her uneventful life. She was always the non-existent person at every event of the Hudson Family.

    However, her marriage to Justin seemed to be the turning point of her life.

    "Amber, your sister and brother-inw seem to have a good rtionship."

    Amber''s friend''s words hit her ears and the ugly look already present on Amber''s face turned uglier. "It''s all just for show. He can''t possibly ignore her in front of so many people!"

    As Amber said that, she left her friend and strode purposefully toward Justin.

    "Justin."

    Rachel was currently by Justin''s side greeting the crowd when she was suddenly interrupted by Amber''s voice.

    "Justin, why did you arrive sote? Rachel came by herself earlier so I thought that you were not joining us tonight."

    Amber behaved as if Rachel, who was currently standing by the side, was invisible. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) In short, the former focused only on talking to Justin. Everyone present clearly caught her emphasized words that Rachel had ''came by herself''.

    Meanwhile, Justin replied indifferently, "There was something urgent at thepany so I got the driver to send Rae here first. Did I miss anything interesting?" His words spoke volumes. Amber''s expression stiffened in response and she nced at Rachel before replying awkwardly, "You didn''t miss anything. Did Rachel mention anything to you?"

    Justin didn''t answer. However, his eyes focused on Amber''s neck. "The ne suits you."

    He changed the topic so quickly that everyone was quite perplexed. Meanwhile, Amber''s face lit up

    and she suddenly revealed a coy expression as she touched the diamond ne on her neck without saying a word.

    This was a gift from Justin when he apanied Rachel back to the Hudson Residence previously.

    "The birthday boy is here."

    Someone hollered loudly and the crowd''s attention became focused on the other entrance of the ballroom. Just then, Jefferey entered the room while chit-chatting with a few of the Hudson rtives and they managed to attract everyone''s attention.

    "Justin, let''s go and wish Dad a happy birthday!"

    Amber immediately reached out for Justin''s hand and dragged him along. As for Justin, he didn''t object to it and he left Rachel standing right there.

    Momentarily stunned, Rachel felt an inexplicable sense of sadness well up as soon as Justin''s arms were removed from her side. In all honesty, she couldn''t control the emptiness in her heart. Obviously, everyone would like a dazzling woman, right?

    Despite Amber''s personality in private, at the very least, she was a likable character on the surface.

    Meanwhile, Justin was dragged by Amber and they came to stand right in front of Jefferey. The former

    then turned around to nce further toward the back and noticed that Rachel had walked off quite a distance away.

    "Justin, could you give me a hand with the cake?"

    "Sure." He then collected his thoughts and followed Amber along to push the cake trolley. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) However, his thoughts remained fixated on where it was originally. All of the thoughts swirling in his mind were rted to the scene earlier in the study room. He couldn''t quite shake off the scene of that woman''s devastated and distraught look from his mind.

    As for Rachel, she had no intention to join the crowd so she took a seat in a secluded corner. As she sat there, she saw Amber and Justin push out a cart with the birthday cake on it for Jefferey. Soon after that she walked off by herself to get a bottle of wine. Normally, she abstained from alcohol but today, she wished to have a drink.

    As soon as she recalled her mom''s tablet being locked-up in such a cramped space by Jefferey, she felt a burst of anger that welled up within her and threatened to spill over.

    It was clearly evident that it wasn''t an altar tomemorate the dead. The bright-red locks and the walls full of talismans were clearly an arrangement specifically there for the dead and it wasn''t intended tomemorate but instead, it was to suppress the dead!

    Did Mom really lose her life from a car ident? Suddenly, Rachel was quite suspicious of the whole incident.

    The night had fallen and the full moon was clearly mirrored in the swimming pool by the ballroom.

    "Do you n to get drunk and then act pitiful in front of Justin?"

    There was a female voice that rang out from in front of Rachel, causing her to clench the bottle of wine in her hands tightly as she raised her head to nce across the room. Somehow, Amber had trailed after her.

    "Are you keeping quiet because I guessed correctly?" Amber crossed her arms and her four-and-a-half inch high heels clicked loudly against the tiles next to the swimming pool. She nced at Rachel with a cold expression and the haughty look on her face was clearly evident. "I''m sorry, I must have forgotten. You''re a mute so you can''t even express yourself."

    Rachel shot her a look and gestured, What do you want?

    She''s not inside fawning over Justin or acting as the dutiful daughter in front of Jefferey, but she came over to find fault with me. What''s the point anyway?

    "I''m here for something important of course! Justin just drank some wine earlier and now, he''s having a discussion with my dad about business matters so I came out to take a breather. I''ll have to head back inside soon." As soon as Amber finished her words, she snorted coldly and added, "Do you think that everyone is as useless as you?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel clenched her fists tightly and her expression darkened slightly.

    "What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong?" Amber scanned her surroundings and replied smugly, "How dare youe here anyway? Have you forgotten how you fell to the ground and sliced your forehead open when you were young?"

    Just then, Rachel felt a throbbing pain on her forehead as soon as Amber brought up the incident from their childhood. Since young, Amber had a mean streak in her that was asparable as right now. In the past, she had pushed Rachel into the unfilled swimming pool, causing thetter to fall to the ground and bleed profusely. This remained Rachel''s worst nightmare even up till today.

    "Do you think that Justin will stand by me, just like how Dad did, if the same thing happened again today?(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)" Amber questioned, her expression turning vicious.

    Instantly, Rachel''s face turned and she took a step backward instinctively.

    "Why are you so anxious?" Amber stared at Rachel with a cold look and then the former removed her ne in front of thetter. "We''re no longer kids so obviously we have to act our age. Do you think that I''m still the same as when we were kids?"

    As soon as she said that, the ne soared into the air at a perfect angle andnded with a ''plop'' sound into the swimming pool.

    Rachel frowned at her, What are you doing?

    "You''ve got two options right now. One, jump into the pool and get it for me. Two, I''ll tell Justin that you grabbed my ne and dumped it into the pool. Do pick one. I must say that I''m quite generous to you. Pale-faced, Rachel confronted Amber, Why are you doing this?

    Meanwhile, Amber scanned her from head to toe and replied, "I haven''t avenged myself from the

    episode at the pondst time, so I suddenly realized it. This is fair, right?"N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    Upon hearing that, Rachel clenched her fist tightly and her palm throbbed with pain. She fell into the pond at the Hudson Residence because of her own doing and now she''s ming everything on me?

    In the past, Rachel had tolerated Amber''s tyranny and overbearingness because the former was thankful for Jefferey''s kindness in taking in her and her grandmother after her mom had passed away. However, the scene at the altar today had overthrown everything in her mind.

    Amber, I think I''ve got a third option.

 Chapter 44

    Amber was startled. "What do you mean by a third choice?"

    Before the woman could even react, Rachel suddenly lifted her hand to push Amber''s shoulder.

    Ssh!

    There was a huge ssh in the swimming pool.

    "Cough... Ahhh... Help me!"

    Rachel silently stood beside the pool as her expression grew colder under the moonlight.

    The third choice that she had mentioned was to push Amber with that damn ne together into the swimming pool.

    Themotion at the swimming pool quickly alerted the people in the hall, so the attendants immediately saved Amber from the pool. One by one, they hurriedly covered her with towels, but even so, she had made herself a fool in front of everyone.

    "Amber." Jefferey held Amber in distress. "Are you alright?"

    Then, she let out a loud cry while pointing at Rachel with a trembling finger. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"She pushed me!".

    The moment her words came out, it caused an uproar among the surrounding guests.

    His face darkened as he red at Rachel. "What happened?"

    However, she remained silent and refused to deny or confirm Amber''s usation.

    "I can''t believe this, Rachel. Have you already decided to abandon your family just because you are now Mrs. Burton? How dare you do this to Amber! If anything happens to her, I''ll ˇŞˇ±

    "What will you do?" A deep voice was suddenly heard from behind Rachel as it interrupted Jefferey''s lecture.

    Before she could even turn around, her body waspletely engulfed by an enormous shadow.

    As he looked at Justin, Jefferey could not help but significantly control his temper. "What is it, President Burton? Are you now going to defend your wife?"

    His words immediately reminded everyone else that Rachel was no longer the neglected daughter of the Hudson Family. Rather, she was now Justin Burton''s wife, so no matter what she did, he still needed to pay some respect to Justin.

    While being as indifferent as usual, Justin uttered, "This is your family''s business. I''m just here to have a look."

    His words were clear as ever.

    Upon listening to him, Rachel couldn''t help but silentlyugh at herself. How could he ever speak up for

    me?

    If he were willing to help her, Amber wouldn''t have had the confidence to y such tricks with her.

    Upon hearing Justin''s words, Jefferey finally let out a huge sigh of relief. After all, since Justin was here, it wouldn''t be wise for Jefferey to immediately use Rachel, so he coldly questioned, "Rachel, I want you to tell me what happened earlier. How did Amber fall into the pool all of a sudden?"

    Meanwhile, Justin tucked both his hands into his pockets and he stood aside as if he was an outsider watching the drama,

    After withdrawing her gaze, Rachel lost all hope as a hint of grievance was seen on her gorgeous face. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Amber wanted to grab her ne which fell into the pool. I tried to pull her back, but she fell in the end, she exined through her gestures.

    "Nonsense." Jefferey''s voice deepened. "Why would Amber jump into the pool for a ne?"

    You can ask her that for yourself. When she was in the Burton Residence back then, she also jumped into the fish pond for no reason. Am I right, Amber?

    There was a hint of coldness on her face as her usual calm personality had now turned aggressive when she brought up the ''fish pond'' incident.

    Sure enough, Amber''s expression suddenly changed as she hid inside Jefferey''s arms. If she mentions the ''fish pond'' incident at the Burton Residence, it wouldpletely destroy my reputation.

    The surrounding guests couldn''t understand signnguage except for Jefferey and Amber, so all of them were looking at each other, wondering what Rachel had said.

    "What fish pond?" Justin''s voice was loud, but those three simple words just so happened to fall into Rachel''s ears.

    She instinctively nced at him in shock. He actually knows signnguage?

    As for Amber, her face quickly paled while she exined in panic, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"It''s nothing. I didn''t say that it was her who pushed me into the pool. I... I was just trying to grab my ne. It''s my fault."

    The moment she exined what had happened, the guests immediately discussed it among themselves.

    "Did she really use the other woman by mistake?"

    "Doesn''t this count as nder?"

    Meanwhile, Jefferey''s expression darkened because he was infuriated after being embarrassed in front of all the guests. "Amber, what are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" Upon listening to the whispers of the other guests, he angrily threw her aside before leaving.

    "Dad!"

    Amber was now covered in a towel as she looked really embarrassed.

    Then, the housekeeper asked everyone to return to the hall while leaving the frantic Amber alone. Rachel, I''m not done with you yet!

    Because of the farcical scene, Jefferey was so embarrassed that he ended the banquet early.

    Therefore, Rachel and Justin returned to the Burton Residence in the same vehicle.

    "You are quite a good liar." His deep sarcastic voice echoed within the car.

    She was immediately left dumbfounded as she stared at him. He knows that I was lying?

    Justin''s narrow eyes slowly focused. "Unfortunately, you were still too impulsive. There are many surveince cameras at the banquet."

    If Amber hadn''t panicked after Rachel mentioned the fish pond, Amber could have checked the surveince video straight away and the truth would have been revealed.

    Rachel let out a sign of relief and leaned against her seat after she heard him. There wouldn''t be any surveince cameras at the pool. She isn''t that stupid.

    Since Amber had the courage to throw the ne into the pool for her to retrieve, she would have definitely made sure that the scene wouldn''t be captured by the surveince camera just like what she had done at the Burton Residencest time.

    Sadly, she didn''t expect Rachel to push her straight into the pool.

    However, it was all thanks to Justin''s help.

    After a moment of silence, Rachel asked, Do you understand signnguage?

    She wanted to know why he acted like he didn''t understand her at all when she came to Burton Residence when he actually knew signnguage all this while.

    While looking at her, Justin slightly furrowed his brows to show his annoyance. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"What does that have to do with you?"

    For a moment, Rachel was taken aback, so she changed the question. You knew that I was lying, so why did you help me?

    If she hadn''t mentioned the fish pond all of a sudden, Amber wouldn''t have felt nervous and the scuffle wouldn''t have ended so quickly.

    "Help you? You are thinking too much. I was just helping to preserve the Burton Family''s reputation. The Young Madam of the Burton Family wouldn''t do such a degrading act," he coldly answered.

    Upon listening to him, she couldn''t help but feel gloomy. Is he ming me for causing him trouble again?

    Ding!

    Suddenly, a message was sent to Justin''s phone, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

    Rachel quickly withdrew her gaze and silently swallowed the other questions she had in mind. Instinctively, she turned her head toward the car window.

    Meanwhile, he unlocked his phone and read the message sent to him.

    ''President Burton, I''ve done what you asked me to do. Just as you had expected, it is a method of suppressing wronged souls that is rumored among the geomancy believers.

    As he looked at the message, his eyes nced to one side.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    At the same time, Rachel leaned against the car window while quietly gazing outside in a daze. The side of her face looked extremely gentle and soft, but after a closer look, he could see the gloom within her eyes which she started to have after exiting the study room.

    Then, Justin replied to Frankie, ''Go and investigate how Rachel''s mother had died back then!

    ''Didn''t she die in a car crash?''

    ''Apparently not!

    After he typed those two firm words, he kept his phone away as his expression became serious.

    If her mother actually died from a car crash, Jefferey wouldn''t have felt so guilty that he has to turn to such a superstitious method. Suppressing a memorial tablet is just simply absurd.

 Chapter 45

    Rachel had always been in a daze ever since she returned from the Hudson Family''s birthday banquet.

    She went to the hospital the next morning.

    "She always goes out every day. At this point, she might as well stay at the hospital." Sue stood in front of the dining table as she red at Rachel, but she didn''t stop Rachel.

    "Madam, I don''t think you should worry too much about it since she definitely won''tst long with Mr. Burton" Mrs. Duncan answered.

    "Why do you think so?"

    "The two of them are still sleeping in different rooms at this moment and if this woman can''t bear any child for him, they won''tst long even if they don''t hate each other. On top of that, she is a mute."

    Upon listening to Mrs. Duncan''s words, Sue subconsciously nced upstairs and suddenly thought of something. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) "Then, if another woman bears his child, won''t this solve all of our problems?" she asked thoughtfully.

    Inside the ward of Tran-Q, Nancy was recovering well and she could now begin to walk.

    Rachel was apanying Nancy while she ate her breakfast. Granny, can I ask you something?

    "What is it?"

    Last time, you told me that my dad brought me home because of something else. Wasn''t it because my mom passed away?

    Nancy''s hand trembled slightly as she ate the porridge. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

    Rachel gently smiled. In the past, I would get a headache whenever I tried to remember my childhood, so you always told me not to think about it. Now, I''vepletely forgotten everything. If I don''t ask you, / may not even remember what my mom looks like.

    "Are you starting to miss your mom?" Nancy sighed as she pulled Rachel into her arms and patted the younger woman''s shoulder tofort her. "Don''t think too much if you can''t remember. All you need to do is to be happy."

    As she leaned against her granny''s arms, Rachel was filled with mixed emotions.

    Granny, my dad told me that Mom died from a car crash.

    Nancy''s eyes immediately darkened as she fell into silence.

    Due to Rachel''s identity as Jefferey''s illegitimate daughter, she seldom mentioned her biological mother in front of him or the Hudson Family.

    However, the statement that her mother died in a car ident was the one she had heard the most.

    "That''s right. She died in a car crash." Nancy''s voice sounded obscure and reluctant.

    Then, Rachel rose to her feet. However, you told me before that I lost my voice in a forest fire. Before that, Mom had been with us all the time in the mountains with no roads, so how did she end up in a car ident?

    Even though she had no memory about it, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) she had heard about it from Nancy many times before.

    Before the Hudson Family had brought her home, Rachel, Nancy and her mother lived in a remote mountainous area where there were no roads and cars. That was the reason why the fire brigade couldn''t enter to save them during the forest fire.

    After listening to Rachel, Nancy turned her face away as she was obviously dodging her granddaughter''s question. "Why are you asking me this today?"

    Rachel pulled Nancy''s sleeves, trying to gesture at Nancy to lift her head so that she could be observed while speaking.

    "Rae, I''m feeling a bit tired today. I''m heading to sleep." Nancy''s voice sounded hoarse as she pulled her nket andy down on the bed.

    Upon seeing her this way, Rachel did not dare to ask any more questions.

    Since Rachel was a kid, Nancy would rarely mention her mother to her. Now that her body was not in the best of health, Rachel did not want to agitate her any longer, especially when she had discovered that the cause of her mother''s death wasn''t an ident.

    When Nancy fell asleep, Rachel closed the door and went out.

    "Rae." The moment she went out, she ran into Julian, who just came to work. "You arrived much earlier today."

    He initially wanted to drive her here, but Sue had informed him that Rachel left earlier in the morning.

    Upon seeing him, Rachel nodded and smiled reluctantly.

    "What is it? Is there something bothering you?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "Is it because you still can''t rent a room?" A concerned Julian asked.

    She didn''t want to exin much to him, so she simply nodded her head. I''ll just tell him it''s because I can''t rent a room. Besides, it is indeed something that bothers me.

    He smiled and answered, "You don''t need to worry anymore since I''ve already arranged everything for

    you."

    Rachel was stunned when she heard his words. He has arranged everything?

    "There is a housing estate half a mile away from the hospital called Glendale." After they entered his office, Julian ced his keys on the desk and showed her the photos on his phone.

    "It is a house with two bedrooms and it belongs to my friend. At the moment, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) he is studying abroad for another two more years, so it is temporarily unupied."

    However, without even looking at the photos, Rachel immediately shook her head. Your friend''s house is not suitable for granny.

    "Don''t worry, I''ve already spoken to my friend. He said that he doesn''t care about the rent. He just wants you to take care of his furniture."

    While Rachel still hesitated, Julian took out the tenancy agreement. "It''s a formal process and I''m just the middleman. You don''t need to feel pressured by it."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    At this point, there was no way for her to reject him.

    Although he had helped her a lot to secure this house, she knew clearly that she should stay far away from him.

    Thank you, but I can''t ept it. She returned the contract to him with a firm look. Dr. Peters, Granny will be discharged in a few days'' time, so I will find a house for her myself. Thank you for taking care of her during this period. Granny and I really appreciate it.

    "You don''t need to be polite with me." Julian''s face darkened.

    Rachel shook her head while she clenched the writing pad in her hand. Then, she rose to her height from the front of the desk and gestured to leave.

    He knew that it was useless to say anything, but upon looking at her leaving, he suddenly felt disappointed in his heart.

    Julian had never tried so hard to help a girl or felt this frustrated before. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)No matter how much he tried to help Rachel, she always seemed to shrug it off. His instincts were telling him that she was avoiding him on purpose.

    Frankie went into Justin''s office with a document in the afternoon. "Director Burton, this is the investigation report you wanted."

    Justin lifted his head slightly before he flipped through the document. "Tell me everything."

    "Since you are in a hurry, I still can''t confirm the minor details, but I found out that Miss Hudson''s mother is actually someone else. The woman who died in the car crash isn''t her biological mother," Frankie exined.

    Justin nced at him. "Continue."

    "Their ages don''t match. The woman died in the car crash when she was 23 years old, but at that time, Miss Hudson was eight when she was brought back to the Hudson Family."

    Her mother was 23 years old when she was eight? Justin''s eyes grew colder. "This doesn''t mean anything per se." We can''t rule out the possibility that Jefferey might be inhumane enough to impregnate a 15- year-old girl.

    "It''s not just their ages. Their backgrounds don''t match either. We had previously overlooked one thing, which is Miss Hudson''s granny."

    Justin''s eyes happened tond on Nancy''s profile in the document.

    Frankie continued, ˇ°Miss Hudson''s granny was born in Somerset Mountain and she has nothing to do with the woman who died in the car crash at all."

    Somerset Mountain?

    Justin''s hands suddenly trembled as he held onto the document. At the same time, his eyes seemed to grow tense.

    Frankie suddenly seemed to realize something that made his face freeze. How could I forget that I must never mention Somerset Mountain in front of Mr. Burton?

    Back then, the biggest kidnapping case in Riverdale was the abduction of the Young Master of the Burton Family, who was Justin himself, by human traffickers. Therefore, Somerset Mountain was the ce where he had almost lost his life.

 Chapter 46

    The name ''Somerset Mountain'' echoed within the office.

    Justin''s expression visibly darkened as the ugly scar on his face trembled vigorously, as if the protruding vein from his forehead was suppressing his sudden surge of emotions.

    "She was born in Somerset Mountain?"

    Frankie returned to his senses and he quickly nodded his head. "Yes, Miss Hudson was eight years old when she was sent to the Hudson Family with her granny."

    "They were brought from Somerset Mountain?"

    "That... I''m not sure." He nervously looked at Justin.

    After all, 20 years had already passed and the servants of the Hudson Family had changed many times, so it wasn''t easy for Frankie to find out that Rachel was brought over with her granny, let alone discovering their origins.

    Upon listening to Frankie''s answers, Justin was instantly filled with mixed emotions. All of a sudden, he closed the document in his hands and said, "I want you to find out more about it. Let someone else head to Somerset Mountain to investigate."

    For a moment, Frankie was startled. "President Burton, why are you suddenly so interested in investigating this?"

    However, Justin didn''t answer as he coldly uttered, "Go and look for the survivors of that forest fire back then. No matter how big or small, I want to learn everything about Rachel, her granny and the Hudson Family. Hurry up and go."

    Upon facing Justin''s cold gaze, Frankie quickly nodded his head. "I''ll ask someone to look into it immediately."

    Justin nodded slightly.

    "By the way, there is one more thing I need to tell you, President Burton."

    "What is it?"

    "About Miss Hudson renting a house outside, the intermediary couldn''t get into contact with her, but he has Dr. Peters'' number. When I called him today, he told me that Dr. Peters had already rented the house."

    "He rented it? Where is the house?"

    Frankie stuttered, "Glendale."

    Justin tightly furrowed his brows in that instant. A house in Glendale?

    In the night, the particrly clear sound of an engine was heard in the courtyard of the Burton Residence.

    Rachel had already taken a shower and she was now reading a book on the side of her bed. As soon as she heard the engine sound, she immediately closed the book and put it aside before wearing her sandals.

    She had been waiting for Justin to return.

    When she went downstairs to the living room, he had just removed his jacket and handed it over to the maid. The moment he saw hering down, he immediately furrowed his thick brows. "Why aren''t you asleep yet?"

    Rachel shook her head and pointed at the kitchen. I''ll go and make some tea for you.

    When she was done making the tea, she brought it over to Justin''s study room, but he wasn''t there. However, the bedroom next to his study wasn''t closed shut, so she could hear the sound of water sshing on the floor.

    Therefore, she simply waited for him in the study room, but a frayed newspaper on his desk quickly caught her attention.

    Even though the paper looked ancient, the masthead ''Riverdale Times'' was still clear to the naked eye. Below, the front page headline had an eye-catching title-''Justin Burtin, the eldest grandson of the Burton Family was sessfully rescued from a group of human traffickers in Somerset Mountain before their den was burned to crisp by a forest fire.

    It''s a newspaper from 20 years ago.

    Rachel was stunned upon that sight.

    It wasn''t difficult for her to discover that Justin was abducted years ago, but she was curious as to why he had retained the newspaper until now. "What are you doing?" A gloomy voice was suddenly heard behind her, which gave her a fright. Immediately, the newspaper fell onto the floor mat. I''m sorry. Rachel quickly leaned over to pick it up.

    However, Justin was much faster than her. Before she even had the chance to touch the newspaper, his huge hand had already taken it away.

    With a dissatisfied tone, he asked, "Who allowed you to simply touch my stuff?"

    Rachel felt her heart racing as she revealed an apologetic expression. I''m sorry.

    After he impatiently red at her, he ced the newspaper back in the drawer of his desk.

    Before he closed the drawer, he saw the ck and white photo of ''the burning Somerset Mountain'' in the newspaper. All of a sudden, he tightened his fingers as if he wanted to tear off the edge of the newspaper.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Justin nced at Rachel and remembered what Frankie said to him earlier in the evening. Suddenly, he had a suspicion in his heart. "When did the Hudson Family bring you back?'' For a moment, Rachel was left startled, but she carefully answered him. When I was about eight or nine years old.

    "Don''t you know how old you were when they took you back?" Justin nced at her sideways and questioned, "Where did you live beforeing back to the Hudson Family?" Rachel shook her head. I don''t remember.

    After seeing her reaction, the anger on his face grew as he sneered, "You don''t remember or you don''t

    want to talk about it?"

    Even though he was certain that it was Jefferey who set that fire in Somerset Mountain 20 years ago, he never found any evidence to prove the man''s guilt.

    When Justin realized that Rachel was brought back to the Hudson Family not long after the fire, he couldn''t help but suspect whether these two situations were connected.

    However, she just couldn''t remember what happened to her back then as she revealed a bitter expression. I fell really ill after they brought me back to the Hudson Family, so I can''t remember anything before I was eight.

    She couldn''t even remember what her mother looked like, but Nancy had luckily kept a photo of her so that Rachel wouldn''t forget.

    Upon seeing that Rachel couldn''t remember anything, Justin began to lose his patience. "Since you don''t know anything, what are you standing here for?"

    After gritting her teeth, she decided to tell him. You told me before that you want to make a deal. Now, I would like to renegotiate the terms with you.

    His expression immediately darkened as he scanned her face with his cold gaze.

    "You want to leave the Burton Family?" Justin''s narrow eyes focused slightly on her.

    Rachel pressed her lips and exined, since I wasn''t the one you nned to marry in the first ce, you can go to the Hudson Family and ask forpensation after my departure. If you really want to, I''m sure Amber will still be willing to marry you.N?velDrama.Org content rights.

    In the meantime, Justin''s face became gloomy. "What happens afterward?"

    Afterward? She was confused. What do you mean by afterward?

    Then, he stepped forward toward her. As she was engulfed by his imposing shadow, she could hear his cold voice sweeping across her ears. "You can finally be together with whoever you like afterward. For example, Julian. Am I right?"

    A startled Rachel took a step back, but Justin grabbed her at that moment.

    "Are you starting to think that I''ve been too tolerant with youtely?"

    She shook her head and tried to calm herself down. There''s nothing between the two of us.

    "I''ve known Julian for many years, but I''ve never seen him this concerned about a woman. He would drive you to the hospital, buy you breakfast, take care of your family, and even..." Justin''s eyes suddenly grew colder. "He even took you and your family in to live with him."

    Rachel''s expression immediately changed. What are you talking about?

    She was confused because she did not agree to live with Julian at all.

    "Are you now denying what I''m saying?" He tightened his fingers around her hand to the point where it almost shattered her delicate wrist. "Don''t tell me that you didn''t know that the house in Glendale was registered under Julian''s name. Also, don''t tell me that you are only renting his house. This kind of

    childish trickery won''t work on me."

    Her face paled as she never agreed to rent Julian''s house at all. I really don''t know anything about it.

    Justin coldly stared at Rachel with his knife-like eyes as if he was slicing her body bit by bit. "If you want to negotiate, you must first have a bargaining chip. What is yours? Is it your body?"

 Chapter 47

    The sky was already bright when Rachel regained consciousness. She didn''t know when the man next to her left, but the residual warmth of his body was still on the bed. When she tried to move, she could feel the soreness and pain all over her body as if she was crushedst night.

    Rachel tried her best to sit up while she held her nket. After a moment of dizziness, she stared at the light shining through the curtains and thought about what Justin had said to herst night. "I want you to remember this. Once you''ve joined the Burton Family, only I can decide when you can leave."

    Rachel then tightly held the nket. Am I destined to be under the control of someone for the rest of my life? No. For Grandma''s sake, I must change my current situation. I can''t let it continue.

    As she thought about it, her phone suddenly rang. On the other side, Jefferey''s cold voice was heard. "I want you toe home immediately as I need to talk to you."

    As she looked at her phone, Rachel furrowed her brows. He''s definitely calling me over to ask about what happened that day at the banquet. It just so happens that I have something to ask him too. When she arrived at the Hudson Residence, the housekeeper informed her that Jefferey was waiting for her in the backyard.

    "I''ve told you before that I''m only having her by my side for a purpose other than cing someone near Justin."

    "What purpose does she have? That mute whom you raised for many years is always bullying Amber."

    When Rachel came to the entrance of the backyard, she could hear the voices of two men through a screen. One of whom was Amber''s uncle-Josh Steward.

    Since Josh had doted on his niece, Amber, he was now infuriated with Jefferey''s decision. "Jefferey! Don''t forget that Amber''s mother suffered from depression then because of that mute! Do you want to see Amber going down the same path?"

    "That won''t happen. Amber is my precious daughter; otherwise, I wouldn''t have allowed Rachel to marry Justin. Don''t you know what kind of a person Justin is?"

    As she listened to their conversation, Rachel froze on the spot as she suddenly felt empty in her heart.

    He''s right. Everyone knows what kind of a person Justin is. He knew that sending me over would be a torture, but he still did it. It is a fact that I was never well-liked in the Hudson Family.

    Then, she heard Josh''s response. "Since she has married him, you should just sever your rtions with her. Overall, I don''t want Amber to see her ever again. Even I feel infuriated whenever I see her." "I can''t do that. Even if she isn''t married to the Burton Family, I still can''t afford to cut off my rtions with her."

    "Why?"

    "Have you forgotten that she is our only clue to the form?"

    The form? Rachel felt a thump in her heart. I''m sure that he mentioned that I''m the only clue to that form.

    However, she didn''t dare to continue eavesdropping on their conversation anymore, so she went to

    wait for him in the living room. At the same time, she carefully thought about their conversation and felt that something was wrong.

    Not long after, Jefferey sent Josh off and saw her in the living room. "When did you return?" Jefferey''s expression looked strange.

    Rachel calmly exined, I''ve been here for a while. Rosa told me that you are meeting a guest, so I chose to wait here.

    Now that she had exined to him, she nodded her head at Josh, who was behind Jefferey, to greet him. However, Josh let out a grunt and nced at her with disdain before leaving without saying a word. After Jefferey had sent the man off, he returned to sit down while the maid served them with some

    tea.

    Dad, what did you want to ask me about?

    "Amber told me everything. You were the one who pushed her at the banquet, right?"

    Jefferey had a somber expression and his eyes were staring at Rachel in a way that he wouldn''t even use on strangers.

    However, she remained calm. The truth depends on who you believe in. No matter what I say, you''ll always believe Amber''s words. Am I right?

    It was always the same ever since she was a kid. There was one time when they went to the vineyard in the outskirts where she had been pushed by Amber into a waterless pool. It had resulted in Rachel knocking her head on the ground, but no matter how much she had used Amber, it was all brushed off by Amber''s simple reply. "It was Rachel herself who tripped."

    Amber never bothered to apologize.

    Upon listening to Rachel''s words, he was infuriated as he bellowed, "What are you saying? You are Amber''s older sister, so you should always tolerate her"

    So, if shemits murder in the future, are you going to frame me for her crime as well if you have the chance to do so?

    It was what Jefferey had done when he forced her to marry into the Burton Family.

    Rachel was usually calm and she had hardly ever been this aggressive, so Jefferey was taken aback for a moment. After a while, he was enraged and mmed the table in front of him. "Do you really think you can say anything you want now that you have the Burton Family''s backing? Don''t forget that you are still a member of the Hudson Family."

    While she looked at his angry face, she became calmer instead. Dad, I have dreamed of Mom for the past two days.

    He was stunned for a moment as the rage faded from his expression, but no one knew whether it was from guilt or something else. "Your mom passed away many years ago. Didn''t you forget everything after a bout with that serious illness?"

    She wore a gentle expression. My memory has be better recently.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Jefferey was stunned as he looked at her in shock. "Do you remember anything?"

    Rachel tentatively exined, I keep having the same dream of Mom bringing me up to the mountains to collect the herbs. At the same time, she kept telling me to memorize the

    "What?"

    The form

    He immediately jumped from the couch and looked at her in joy. "The form? Have you remembered it?"

    As Rachel looked at him, she was stunned as her eyes were filled with mixed emotions. Before she arrived, she had already prepared what she was going to tell him so that she could find out the cause of her mother''s death from him. Actually, she wasn''t sure whether the form had anything to do with her mother''s death, but she gambled with her chance. By the looks of it, her suspicions were correct. The car drove all the way to the Hudson Vineyard in the outskirts.

    While he sat on the back seat, Jefferey continued tofort Rachel. "It''s fine if you can''t remember it. I''ll take you to see something that''ll definitely spark your memory."

    She gently nodded her head and thoughtfully looked outside the window. What is this form? What does it have anything to do with me? Why would Jefferey, who loves her daughter a lot, stop interrogating me to hurriedly bring me to this vineyard as soon as I mentioned the form?

    While they were on the road, those words echoed in her mind. She is the only clue to the form. I''m the only clue? Does this mean that Jefferey raised me up in the Hudson Family all these years because of this?

    The moment they arrived at the vineyard, Jefferey immediately brought Rachel to the same study room as their previous trip. As she looked at the direction of the bookcases, she suddenly became gloomy while resisting the urge to question him about the tablet and geomancy located behind the bookcase.

    "Rae,e here." Jefferey immediately opened the safe under the desk in front of her and removed a letter before handing it over to her. "Open it and have a look."

    What is this? Rachel silently guessed something in her heart.

    "This is the secret form of the Hudson Family that has been passed down from generation to generation."

    She clenched her hands. This is the thing that Justin is trying to locate.

 Chapter 48

    As Rachel retrieved the envelope from Jefferey''s hands, she noticed that it was thin and virtually weightless

    Can I look at it? she asked, looking curiously at him.

    It was strange that he was handing her something that even Amber hadn''t seen before.

    Yet, he nodded his head in the affirmative. "You''re my daughter. Whatever belongs to the Hudson Family also belongs to you. Why wouldn''t you be able to open it?"

    With that, Rachel carefully opened the envelope in front of him and pulled out a yellowing piece of paper with delicate rows of writing in between red lines.

    Valerian, passionflower, hops...

    There was nothing special about this piece of paper. Wasn''t it simply the form for the Hudson Pharmaceutical''s sleeping pills? The ingredients listed on the paper were exactly the same as those listed on their medicine boxes.

    Perhaps that was the only strange thing-the contents were exactly the same, with no listed dosages on this piece of paper.

    As Rachel was pondering the matter, Jefferey spoke urgently, "Well, Rae, do you remember anything?"

    She shook her head.

    Of course she didn''t remember anything. She had been lying to him from the get-go.

    "Look at it carefully." He seemed a bit impatient. "Didn''t you say your mother had you memorize the medicine''s dosages? Try to remember it."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Upon hearing his words, she finally understood what he meant.

    It was obvious that Jefferey had a list of ingredients but none of the required dosages.

    Yet, the sleeping pills were Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' top-selling product. Its production had never stopped all these years. How did they manage to produce it if he didn''t have the precise dosages?

    All of a sudden, Rachel''s heart sank.

    Dad, how did my mom die? she asked.

    The sudden question caused his expression to stiffen. "I thought I told you she died in a car ident. Why? Did your grandmother say something?"

    While looking at Jefferey''s guilty expression, Rachel happened to nce at the bookcase situated at the far end of the room from the corner of her eye.

    After a heartbeat, she slowly shook her head in denial.

    Only then did his expression rx.

    Given that she couldn''t remember anything, he sank in disappointment onto the chair behind his desk.

    Even when she returned the form to him, he carelessly tossed it aside, as if absolutely unconcerned about it.

    Indeed, the contents listed on the paper did not have any financial value-what was worth a lot were the required dosages. It was no wonder he previously had the paper locked up so carefully. "Let''s forget Amber for now. How''s your progress on what I asked you to do?" Jefferey asked coldly from behind the desk.

    As she tried her best to look calm, Rachel answered, I''m on it.

    "It''s true we can''t rush it, but you need to hurry. The Hudson Family needs the support of the Burton Family, not just for me but for yourself too." While looking at her, he asked, "Do you have any more of the drug left?"

    She frowned before she shook her head.

    That packet of drugs had been thrown away a long time ago. After all, her room was rarely visited by anyone; so, she imagined that the drugs were still under her bed at this moment.

    On the other hand, her father was thrilled, thinking she had already used them up. "I''ll have someone send you another packet soon. Remember-don''t use too much at one go, or you''ll be discovered." Upon having no other choice, Rachel nodded in understanding.

    For now, Jefferey locked the form for the sleeping pill inside the cab. With a demeanor that waspletely different from how he usually treated her, he added, "Rae, you don''t get to return often. You shoulde home with me tonight and have dinner with the family."

    His change in attitude surprised her, but she surmised that it was likely because she brought up the medicine form.

    It was only when night fell that Riverdale became a bustling city.

    Inside the summer vi owned by the Burton Family at the outskirts of the city, it had been a while since Tina was summoned into the study by Jason. ng!

    The thunderous sound of porcin being shattered rang from the study.

    "Tina!" While in the living room, Lilian anxiously stood up.

    "Sit down." Arthur was still holding his cane and seated unmoving on the couch with a severe expression.

    Lilian''s face paled, but she dared not rebel against him. "Tina is still a young kid who doesn''t understand things, Dad. I''m afraid she might say something that enrages Jason so much that he''lly a hand on her."

    "You can''t interfere even if he does. She is indeed the one at fault here."

    "She''s your most beloved granddaughter, DadˇŞ"

    "Enough!" His cane mmed once on the floorboards, interrupting her words. "Did she consider the repercussions of what she did? Clearly, I must have spoiled her too much for her to turn out so bold andwless! How are we going to exin ourselves if the Johansson Family finds out about this?"

    Lilian watched Arthur in the silence as her face became pallid.

    Meanwhile, Tina was still on her knees inside the study. Her knees were already slightly bruised, but she had remained stubborn. "I take responsibility for what I did, but I''m not going to exin myself."

    At this moment, Jason was so angry that he was trembling. While pointing at her nose, he yelled, "No? Tell me, then-what are you going to do about your betrothal to the Johansson Family? You''ve disgraced me. You''ve even disgraced your grandfather!"

    "What''s the big deal? We can just call off the engagement. I don''t want to get married anymore."

    "Hah! And what makes you think we''ll call off the engagement just because you don''t want to get married anymore? This n was set in motion a long time ago and it''s not up to you to decide whether you want to or not!"

    As she turned her face away, Tina muttered, "Whatever you say."

    Her recalcitrance had enraged Jason even more. "Let me tell you something, Tina Burton. I have already transferred Henry Offerman somewhere else, so don''t think you''ll ever see him again from today onward!"

    Tina''s expression immediately changed. "Where did you transfer him to?"

    "That''s none of your business. At any rate, it''s somece you''ll never locate and if I find out that you''re looking for him, I''ll send him somewhere even worse and farther." "How can you do that?"

    "Because I''m your father!" Jason coldly red at Tina. "You can continue to kneel here until you finally figure things out and willingly marry into the Johansson Family." With that, he stormed out of the study without looking back.

    The door mmed shut with a bang.

    Upon hearing the door being locked, Tina gritted her teeth so hard that they nearly shattered before pulling her cell phone out of her pocket to call Henry. "Hello?"

    The other end of the line was silent for a long time.

    "Say something! My dad says he has transferred you. Where did he transfer you to?"

    "We can''t talk to each other again in the future, Tina."

    "What?" she asked anxiously. "Where are you right now?"

    "At the airport" Henry answered weakly. "Mr. Burton''s men are right next to me, so I can''t tell you where I''m going. The point is that I won''t be able to see you again in the future. Keep your head down and don''t enrage him. Live your life well."

    "Wait, you''re at the airport? Where are you going? I''ming to find you." Tina immediately stood up and went to open the door, but it was locked from outside and couldn''t be opened no matter what. Bang! Bang! Bang!

    "Open the door! Open the f*cking door! Are you all dead?"

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    From the other end of the line came the announcement to board the flight and the call ended before Tina could say anything else.

    "Hello? Hello? Henry!" While still holding onto her cell phone, she finally broke down.

    Deep in her heart, she wondered who had spilled the beans. How did they know to tell what had transpired to her father and her grandfather so that she would have no way of hiding the truth? There weren''t many people who knew about this matter.

    All of a sudden, Tina recalled the incident from the Hudson Family birthday feast a few days prior. It''s her. It has to be her, that mute woman!

 Chapter 49

    A weekter, Nancy was discharged from the hospital.

    Ever since Rachel indicated that she was about to regain her memories, Jefferey''s attitude toward her had warmed considerably. He called her multiple times in that week itself and invited her home for dinnerContent provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    His behavior led her to confirm that her mother''s death was connected to the medication form.

    "I can take care of myself, Rae. Why did you hire a nurse?"

    Inside her bedroom, Nancy was looking out through the door and she grumbled a little at Rachel''s waste of money.

    As Rachel stacked a pile of clothing onto the shelves, she nced up at Nancy with a smile. The nurse was introduced by Dr. Peters, she signed. She''lle over every day only to help you make your meals and tidy up the ce. If anything happens, she can also contact me in a timely manner.

    Although Rachel hadn''t epted Julian''s offer to help her find a ce, she had epted his assistance to introduce a nurse instead.

    "What can happen to me? I''m fully recovered now." After looking around for a moment, Nancy sighed. "It is true that this ce is a little toorge for a single person. It''s such a pity that you can''te over to stay with me."

    Rachel lowered her head in guilt without much exnation.

    Nancy had assumed Rachel was still living at Hudson Residence, in which Rachel saw no need to rify the situation as she was considered a member of the Hudson Family.

    "Dr. Peters is a good man, Rae. We should find an opportunity to thank him."

    Yes, Dr. Peters is a good man, Rachel agreed.

    "How about this? Have hime over for dinner this weekend. I''ll make us all some pierogi."

    The moment she heard Nancy''s words, Rachel stopped stacking the clothes for a while and immediately shook her head. He''s an extremely busy man.

    "Whether he''s upied or not is his business because we have to show our gratitude."

    Knowing that she wouldn''t be able to change her grandmother''s mind, Rachel surrendered and agreed.

    When the time came, she simply needed to tell Nancy that Julian wasn''t free.

    As if she saw through her granddaughter at a nce, Nancy responded, "Well, call him now and arrange a time. I want to ask him whether there is anything I should avoid eating, anyway." At once, Rachel lifted her head and nced at her watch. I have no time, Grandma. I have to be at work soon.

    "Oh, Rae..."

    It was only after she mmed the door shut that she let out a sigh of relief.

    She knew that her grandmother was intending to set her up with Julian, but she knew that it was impossible. As she couldn''t exin much to Nancy, she could only avoid her grandmother for now.

    Moreover, she hadn''t lied, her leave had ended today and she would have to head to the City Council Library in the afternoon for work,

    Meanwhile, at the Burton Group, the engineering department was holding a project summary meeting for their bid inside a conference room.

    "The bidding results for the Brentwood New City project have been released. Everyone''s hard work during this period has paid off, thanks to President Burton''s great support of our engineering department too. Once the contract has been signed, we''ll be able to start implementing our overall n..."

    After Justin had listened in for a while, Frankie entered the meeting room after answering a phone call and whispered, "We''ve finished investigating your email leak, President Burton." "What did you find?"

    "We have tracked the IP address of the sender to an address abroad and managed to pinpoint a specific location."

    Justin frowned at that.

    When the meeting ended, he returned to his office,

    With a solemn expression, Frankie handed the investigation report to him while saying, "Here''s the specific address."

    When Justin saw the ''SG Conglomerate'' logo on the report, his gaze slightly darkened. "Are you sure it came from aputer inside SG Conglomerate?"

    Frankie nodded. "ording to this report, five of the floors in this SG Conglomerate building are rented out. For now, we''ve only managed to pinpoint the IP address to this building but not to a specificputer there. Thework in this building is protected and our technology department hasn''t been able to hack into it yet."

    SG Conglomerate had crossed paths with Burton Group three years ago. At that time, SG Conglomerate was trying to break into the domestic energy market only to have Burton Group snatch the project right from their hands. Because of that incident, the twopanies were not on good terms.

    "Do you think these photographs were sent by someone within SG Conglomerate, President Burton?"

    As he lifted his head from perusing the report, Justin answered coolly, "How do you think the previous two photographs have affected Burton Group?"

    Now that the two photographs involving Julian and Rachel had been brought up, Frankie felt perturbed and answered hesitantly, "Maybe they''re trying to do the same thing that happened before and exploit public opinions to affect Burton Group''s reputation and, with that, its stock price."

    "They wouldn''t need to send the photographs to me if that were the case." Unerringly, Justin pointed out the w in Frankie''s logic.

    If the other party was trying to do as Frankie said, they could simply send the photographs to the media, write a news report, and hire some people to smear Burton Group''s name online. There wouldn''t be any need to send the photographs to Justin''s email inbox at all.

    A stumped Frankie stood there with mouth agape as Justin''s logic was irrefutable. "So, they''re -"

    "It might not have anything to do with them."

    After all, five floors of the building were rented out. From their previous conflict, Justin knew the people of SG Conglomerate weren''t so foolish as to do something that could be discovered upon initial investigation

    As such, he instructed Frankie, "Find out whichpanies are renting the five floors and the backgrounds of their respective person-in-charge. Also, have the overseas market research department monitor SG Conglomerate''s recent movements."

    In truth, Justin wasn''t expecting for an incident so minor to be connected with SG Conglomerate. After all, Rachel was the intended target of the email. At first, Justin even assumed that it was a repeat of the previous rumor incident and he was nearly certain that it was the handiwork of the mindless Amber

    However, judging from the current situation, things weren''t as simple as he thought they were.

    As the saying went, it was better to be safe than to be sorry. It was best that he investigated the incident thoroughly.

    "What has Rachel been doingtely?"

    Frankie paused. "I was just about to tell you that her grandmother has left the hospital today and she is staying near Newbridge. She has a nurse taking care of her and the nurse-"

    "What about the nurse?"

    "The nurse was introduced by Dr. Peters," Frankie answered in nervousness.

    Justin snorted coldly. "I see that he''s making a career change from a doctor to a housekeeping agent."

    He and Julian had never gotten along as kids and as they grew up, their personalities had only drastically diverged. In his eyes, Julian was an idealistic child who never grew up whereas in Julian''s eyes, Justin was nothing more than an opportunistic businessman.

    "And the ce that she rented is at Newbridge?" Justin continued asking.

    "Yes." Frankie nodded. "It''s not far from the City Council Library where she works."

    Works?

    If Frankie hadn''t mentioned it, Justin would have forgotten that Rachel was a working adult with a job at the City Council Library.

    "She must have a lot of time on her hands if she can take such a long break."

    "She applied for annual leave," Frankie exined. "It was followed by another week of sick leave because of her grandmother. That''s why she could take such a long break."

    "Annual leave?" Justin narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, it wasn''t marriage leave that she applied for?"

    Frankie froze, afraid of having misspoken.

    It was already in the afternoon when Rachel left her grandmother''s rented residence. When she arrived at her ce of work, it was still the lunch hour.

    In an attempt not to disturb her coworkers resting in the office, she immediately entered the library to organize the shelves after she kept her bag aside.

    Her main responsibility was to return the borrowed books to the shelves and to keep the mantelpieces and archives organized. Although it was not a well-paid nine-to-five job, the workload was steady and leisurely. More importantly, not a lot of social interaction was required.

    "Excuse me, are there books about history and literature over here?"

    Rachel was in the midst of moving a few returned books from a small cart onto the shelves when a man spoke up behind her all of a sudden. Her body had stiffened as a result and she froze, feeling like her feet had been cemented into the ground.

    As if it carried all the brightness of her childhood with it, the man''s voice had illuminated the rare few memories of her younger days where she was kindly treated.

 Chapter 50

    "I remember that they were here." The voice behind her was clear and powerful. "Am I correct, Rachel?"

    As she slowly returned to her senses, Rachel spun around to look at Hans.

    "Long time no see." The man before her was a head taller than her. In the eight years that passed since shest saw him, his bright and handsome visage was more mature than in her memory, but his smile was as still as brilliant as ever.

    In astonishment, she gaped and signed. How... Why are you here?

    As his entire family emigrated eight years ago, she thought she would never see him again.

    In her twenty-nine years of living, he was one of those rare folks who brought warmth to her life. Like a sun, he had brightened her entire youth. When she was lonely and helpless, he stood firm and unmoving by her side.

    Now that they were in the cafe next to the library, where the rich smell of coffee wafted, Rachel studied the man in front of her for a long time, feeling like she was in a dream.

    "I know I''m handsome, Rachel, but I''m going to blush if you keep looking at me like that" Hans teased by batting his eyelids at her.

    She couldn''t resist rolling her eyes at him. I see that your narcissism has never gone away, she retorted.

    "Well, I''ll treat that as apliment," he chuckled before he looked out the window. "Things have changed a lot here, but you work in a good environment and it puts me at ease." When did you return? she asked.

    "A while ago, but I was busy with the procedures surrounding my work transfer. If I knew your grandmother was in the hospital, I would have looked for you sooner to help you out."

    Work transfer?

    A dumbfounded Rachel stared at Hans. You''reing back for work?

    "Of course. Did you think I was back on vacation?"

    How about your parents... Midway through her signing, Rachel stopped as she suddenly realized that

    something was amiss.

    Hans, who was seated opposite her, forced a smile before he admitted with a pained expression, "My mom... passed away two years ago."

    Her expression froze. I''m sorry.

    The primary reason why he had suddenly emigrated all those years ago was because of his ailing mother and she needed year-long treatment abroad. For the ease of receiving treatment, his father chose to sell theirpany and move the entire family along.

    "It''s okay." Hans purposefully gave a breezy smile. "Two years have passed since then. My mother has suffered a lot in life and maybe death was a relief to her."

    All of a sudden, Rachel felt saddened.

    His mother, whom she had met before, had been an extraordinarily gentle mom and that was how she

    raised a son with such a bright and warm personality.

    Snap!

    Hans suddenly reached out and snapped his fingers in front of Rachel''s face, which startled her.

    What are you doing? she asked,

    "Don''t look so sad, okay? Whenever you do that, I''ll have tofort you instead. I remembered that when we were in high school and I broke my leg, you cried so hard that someone not in the know thought I hurt you..."

    Rachel snickered.

    "Alright, forget about me. How are you doing?"

    Before she could finish signing, her cell phone rang, which interrupted her..

    When she looked down at it, she realized that it was a call from Frankie. All of a sudden, her heart thumped with a bad sense of foreboding.

    "Are you at the library right now, Mrs. Burton?" Frankie asked when she answered the call.

    Rachel tapped once on the back of her phone in reply.

    "Oh, that''s good. President Burton has arranged for me to send some candy to your office as wedding favors for your coworkers. The candy is on its way here and I''ll have someone drop it off for you once it arrives."

    Wedding favors? she thought in astonishment. Had she heard wrongly? Was Justin actually arranging for her coworkers to receive wedding favors?

    "What''s wrong?" Hans piped up opposite her.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    As she looked into his bright eyes, she felt inexplicably bitter. Nheless, she simply tapped on her phone once more and hung up after a moment. "What''s wrong?" he repeated. "Why do you look so upset?"

    While forcing herself to be calm, Rachel shook her head. Nothing, she signed. It''s just that I''m needed back at the office and can''t apany you anymore.

    "Oh! That''s okay, go back to work then. I don''t need you to keep mepany." With a sigh of relief, Hans slouched in his chair with a smile. "I''ll just sit here for a bit before heading home. I''ll look for you on another day."

    Okay. After she nodded, she stood up only for him to stop her.

    "Haven''t you forgotten something?"

    Rachel paused and looked at Hans uprehendingly. What? she asked.

    He waved his cell phone at her. "Aren''t you going to leave me with a way to contact you?"

    For some reason, or maybe due to the ring afternoon sun, his smile was so brilliant that it felt like he was pulling her from the brink of hell back into the world.

    A few minutester, still seated next to the window, Hans rxed when he saw that the WhatsApp number she gave him was valid. Then, he put his phone down in relief. He couldn''t help smiling as he picked up his coffee cup and looked out of the window to see her returning to the library.

    Rachel was still awkward and silly in a cute way just like all those years ago.

    Meanwhile, she was surrounded by her coworkers once she returned to the office.

    "I can''t believe you didn''t say a word, Rachel!"

    "I know! So secretive."

    "It must be because your husband is rich and handsome, isn''t it?"

    "Don''t hide him! Bring him here for us to look at him sometime."

    As she was bombarded by questions of all sorts, Rachel stared at her coworkers in befuddlement.

    Since she couldn''t speak, she rarely interacted with them. While they weren''t hard to get along with, she wasn''t exactly close to them either and it was truly her first time being swarmed like that by them. "Rachel must have married well. Look at how her husband had someone send us wedding favors. How sweet!"

    Immediately after her colleague had said those words, Rachel spotted favor boxes on the nearby desks. Those red and intricately carved wooden boxes were elegant and ssy.

    She immediately understood what was going on in an instant.

    The person in charge of distributing the favors was a man in a suit. He had a straight posture and wore the look of an assistant, but it was Rachel''s first time seeing him.

    After he finished distributing the boxes, he asked in an extremely deferential manner, "Where do I leave the leftovers, Mrs. Burton? Assistant Beckham had me bring some extra over just in case." All at once, her coworkers'' voices lowered as they stared at her in envy.

    Their eyes on her made her feel uneasy, but she forced herself to be calm and pointed to her own workstation. Just leave it there.

    The man who had brought the wedding favors immediately nodded and he dropped the remaining boxes on her desk before saying, "If there''s nothing else you need, Mrs. Burton, I''ll take my leave now." Rachel quickly thanked him, hoping he would leave sooner.

    The moment he left, the atmosphere in the office minutely changed. As they stood around the office, her coworkers exchanged nces with all sorts of expressions.

    From a corner, someone piped up, "Let''s wish Rachel a happy marriage!"

    Once the dam was broken, wishes of ''Happy marriage!'' was thrown at Rachel from all four corners of the floor.

    Even though she forced herself to smile in gratitude, a sense of uneasiness was brewing in her heart as she thought, What on earth is Justin up to?

 Chapter 51

    Rachel entered the study at night to serve Justin with some tea.

    At the sound of the door being opened, he instructed her without looking up, "Put it down."

    Even though she did as he asked her to, she stood there without leaving.

    Finally, he looked up at her. "Did you need something else?"

    Rachel hesitated for a moment before she signed. Do you have a solution for the medication form?

    While keeping his gaze on her, Justin answered, "We previously missed our chance, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)so it''ll be difficult for us to go back to Hudson Vineyard. We might be able to head there on the pretext of discussing the wine business, though. Why? Do you have a solution?"

    She shook her head.

    For now, Rachel didn''t n on telling him that she had seen the form.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Since the dosages weren''t listed, she was worried that even if she informed Justin about it, he would think she was hiding something from him.

    Justin asked in a careless manner, "I heard Jefferey took you to the vineyardst week. What were you doing there?"

    It was right after he dropped the question that Rachel''s heart raced loudly.

    How could she have forgotten that he knew her whereabouts like the back of his hand?

    He...

    Upon seeing that she was unable to exin herself, his gaze darkened. "Did he ask you to do something else?"

    As her expression tightened anxiously, she nodded. He gave me a packet of drugs.

    "Drugs?" Justin frowned. "What kind of drugs?"

    Rachel made a few hand gestures with slight embarrassment.

    As he hadn''t learned signnguage for a long time, he waspletely unable to read the specialized term. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)Since he was close to losing his patience, he tossed a pen and a piece of paper onto the table before he instructed, "Write it down. What kind of drug was it?"

    Her face reddened. Even after she had picked up the pen, she hesitated for what seemed like eternity before she finally and carefully wrote the word-LSD.

    The drug Jefferey gave her was actually researched and developed by Hudson Pharmaceuticals itself. LSD was merely a simr drug that was avable on the market.

    After having worked in the market for many years, Justin was long ustomed to the darker side of human nature. Drugs like these were always essories in ces like nightclubs and he instantly understood Rachel''s meaning.

    "Jefferey wanted you to drug me with it?"

    She felt both embarrassed and terrified as she nodded again

    He snorted coldly, "And where is it now?"

    Rachel pursed her lips. I threw it away.

    In truth, she never even brought it back to Burton Residence as she had discarded it outside the house as a precautionary method.

    "He doesn''t even consider you a person." The mocking tone stung as it came from behind the desk and reached her ears.

    Although what Justin said was the truth, Rachel neither had the wish nor the method to deny it. Yet, it was still humiliating to be ridiculed like that.

    If there''s nothing else, I''m going back to my room now.

    He subtly nodded.

    As he watched her walk away with such fragility that a slight gust of wind could knock her over, he suddenly asked, "Were there enough wedding favors to share with your coworkers?"

    A startled Rachel looked over her shoulder in confusion.

    Now that he was separated from her by the length of the study and the huge desk, Justin''s severe face was softened by the soft yellow light above him, which made him suddenly look friendlier-even with

    that terrible scar on his face.

    As she stared absent-mindedly at the scar, she suddenly returned to her senses and quickly nodded. Yes.

    She was rmed-slightly fearful and repulsed, even-to the point where her shoulders shook as she nodded, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) as if she was afraid he would do something harmful to her in the next second.

    It was in that moment when any cordiality that Justin felt dissipated into thin air, although he himself couldn''t describe what he was expecting.

    What gratitude could he have hoped for from a woman who was forced by her family to marry him and spend her life walking on eggshells by his side?

    Once she returned to her room, Rachel let out the breath she had been holding.

    When she recalled Justin''s sudden change in expression, she felt a tad bit of the lingering fear.

    As the man''s mood easily changed from one moment to the next, she had no idea on how to read him.

    However, it was likely that he asked someone to drop off the wedding favors to make it clear to her coworkers that she was married and to prevent anything untoward from happening to her.

    Rachel concluded that was the most likely exnation.

    The next day, she went to work as usual.

    The moment she stepped off the subway, she received a text from Hans. ''Good morning!

    ''Morning!

    ''Do you usuallye to work at this hour?''

    She thought, Come?

    As the word shed before her eyes, Rachel stopped in front of the library and looked up from her phone only to spot a figure with a straight posture, standing by the door and waving at her from a distance. Hans?

    Her eyes brightened as she quickened her footsteps toward Hans while she clutched her phone. Yet, before she could even take two steps, a shrill voice shouted behind her, "Rachel Hudson!"

    The people around Rachel who were heading into work halted in their steps and she was no exception. As she turned her head to look at the source of the voice, a loud p descended fiercely upon her cheek Before Rachel could even see who the culprit was, the other woman had already caught Rachel''s shirt and unceremoniously threw Rachel to the ground before hurling her fists.

    "You b*tch, you''re trying to destroy someone else''s happiness just because you''re unhappy! I''ll kill you!"

    "Rachel!" Hans sprinted down from the steps and he forcefully separated the two women before warning, "I''m calling the police if you hit her again."

    "Go ahead!" The woman retorted shrilly. "Do it. I want to see whether anyone in all of Riverdale would dare to arrest me."

    However crazed the woman was acting, her arrogant tone was familiar.

    While Rachel was being protected behind Hans'' back, she was shocked to discover who her visitor was-it was Tina.

    "Are you okay, Rachel?" Hans asked.

    At this moment, Rachel''s ears were still ringing and as she clutched the cheek that was pped, she stared at Tina in bewilderment. What are you doing? she signed.

    What on earth had happened to cause Tina to lose her marbles when Rachel had no quarrel with her?

    "I''ve really underestimated you. I can''t believe you''re still trying to act innocent! Who do you think you are? You''re just some b*tch that your family sold to my cousin. Didn''t my cousin tell you that the Burton Family matters are none of your business?" A furious Tina red at Rachel as she continued, "I''m telling you that I''ll never forget this. You made life difficult for me and Henry, so I''m returning the favor!" None of the barrage of usations had made any sense to Rachel, but she understood one thing, which was Tina must have misunderstood her.

    "What do you mean by the Burton Family? Your cousin? What are you talking about? Don''t be afraid, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Rachel. We''ll call the police. This woman must be mad." While he still protected Rachel, Hans pulled out his cell to call the cops.

    Rachel quickly caught hold of his sleeve. You can''t call the police, she signed.

    A long time ago, Justin had already warned her to mind her ce and not cause any more trouble for him. Since Tina was a member of Burton Family, the only one who would be hurt was Rachel herself if she allowed the situation to escte.

    Meanwhile, the crowd around them was gossiping.

    "Wasn''t it just yesterday when Rachel came to work to give out wedding favors? What''s going on here?"

    "I don''t know! ''Destroying someone else''s happiness''? Is her husband cheating on someone else with her?"

    A shocked Hans looked at Rachel. "You''re married?"

 Chapter 52

    Facing Hans''s surprised look, Rachel could only force a bitter smile. Yes, I am indeed married, but for rather embarrassing reasons.

    The library security guard hurried over but was blocked by Tina''s bodyguard, and the two parties were at a standstill.

    Hans was calm in the face of the ruckus. "I don''t care about your background. We are living in a civilized andwful society now. Do you really think you''re beyond thew?"

    "Who do you think you are?" Tina snorted mockingly and turned to Rachel. "I underestimated you. I have heard that you have aplicated rtionship with Julian Peters, and now, there''s another man! Does Justin know that you are spending his money on men?"

    In the face of public condemnation, Rachel clenched her teeth and was about to stand up for herself when Hans shielded her behind him.

    She looked up with a shocked expression. The next second, he confronted Tina,menting, "Battery and assault of others in public ces will result in five to ten days of jail. As for nder and defamation, serious cases will warrant a maximum of three years'' prison sentence."

    His words were confident and persuasive. Even Tina, who was used to having her own ways, was secretly taken aback by the seriousness of the offense.

    Just then, a bodyguard stepped in and advised her in a whisper, "Miss Burton, if this gets out of hand, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) I''m afraid that it''d be hard for us to exin to Mr. Burton. Let''s leave now."

    Tina was recently released by Jason after being grounded for a while. If the Burtons got hold of her misdemeanor, she might be grounded again. By then, it would be harder for her to regain her freedom. "You stupid girl! We shall see. This thing between us is not settled yet!" After ring at Rachel, she immediately scurried out of the building with her bodyguards.

    "Nothing to watch here. Ladies and gentlemen, please disperse." The security helped to disperse the crowds that had gathered.

    Hans turned around to check on Rachel. "Are you alright? I''ll bring you to the hospital for a checkup."

    She shook her head. I''m fine, thank you.

    He took a better look at her and said with heartache, ˇ°Look, your face is swollen. Your injury must be quite serious. Since my ce is not far from here, I''ll bring you home to dress your wounds." Indeed, Tina did not hold back at all when she delivered that p. As a result, Rachel''s right cheek was awfully swollen, and she looked disheveled, with a head of messy hair.

    She knew that she couldn''t head into work in her current state. She did feel ufortable when the crowd gossiped about her just now, so she epted his kind offer. To be honest, she cared less about how the others perceived her than how Hans saw her. Therefore, she wanted to use the opportunity to exin herself.

    He rented a duplex one block away from the library. His ce was decorated in a simple fashion, and his living room was full of boxes of various sizes.

    "Take a seat for now. I haven''t had the time to tidy up my ce."

    She nodded and took a seat on the sofa, and soon, he appeared with a pack of ice. Thank you. She

    took the ice pack and carefully pressed them against her cheek.

    The chilliness of the pack contacting the burning sensation on her cheek resulted in a sharp pain that shot through her, turning her cheek numb from the coldness.

    "Have some water." He poured her a ss of water. Steam from the hot water rose in the transparent ss and dissipated into the air in no time.

    Across the coffee table, he took a seat facing her and asked out of concern, "Are you sure you don''t want to lodge a police report? She assaulted you in a public space, and there are multiple witnesses. Cases like these are sure wins."

    Even after hearing his question, she shook her head slowly. Since he was an attorney, she knew that he''d definitely help her if she asked. Still, considering that the perpetrator was Tina, a member of the Burton Family, she could only endure it all.

    She is the cousin of Justin Burton, the president of Burton Group.

    "The Burton Group?" His face went nk. "How did you get into trouble with the people from Burton Group?"

    When he connected the dots with clues from Tina''s words, he suddenly came to a realization and gave Rachel a shocked look. "Are you really... married?"

    Once he asked the question she feared the most, she tightened her grip around the ice pack and tried to keep her calm. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Then, she gave him a slight nod. It''s an undeniable fact after all.

    A look of disappointment shed across his eyes, but he forced a smile. "Well, I should wish you a happy marriage!"

    His wish-though well-intended-sounded like piercing sarcasm when itnded on her ears.

    "When was it? Have you had the wedding?"

    She shook her head slowly. Why would the Burtons want to hold the wedding for their mute daughter-inw? They''d only make a joke out of themselves.

    More than that, she was well aware that Justin only kept her around to use her. Once she had no value to him, he''d kick her aside.

    Hans followed up, "What is your husband like? Is he good to you? You''re not put into any difficult positions, right?"

    She was caught by surprise and felt a lump in her throat. Everything''s pretty good. I still have things to do. I need to head back to work.

    Lowering her head to dodge his gaze, she hurriedly picked up her bag to leave.

    "Rachel!"

    She heard him calling from behind, but she dared not turn around lest he saw tears streaming down her face. Things had changed over the eight long years, and the same went for rtionships. Even though he would always be the light in her life, they could never be the same again.

    Meanwhile, Tina had hopped on an army green supercar.

    "I don''t need you guys following me around." Dismissing her bodyguards with a few words, she finally took off her sunsses.

    After a loud revving of the engine, the supercar sped through the street. Amber''s gentle voice was heard from the direction of the front passenger seat. "You alright, Tina?"

    Tina answered with silence and a sullen expression. Although the sunsses shielded half of her face, it was easy to tell that she was sulky.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    A clever twinkle shed across Amber''s eyes. "Tina, I know the man who protected Rachel just now."

    In the morning, Tina had called her to ask for the address of Rachel''s workce. At that time, she knew that things were going to turn into a dramatic mess, which was why she happily followed along to witness the drama. However, it was beyond expectation that she got juicer gossip from the trip.

    "Don''t beat around the bush." Without as much as taking a look at Amber, Tina stepped hard on the elerator and brought the car onto the freeway.

    Shocked, Amber hurriedly clutched at her seatbelt, suppressing the nausea in her. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"The man is called Hans Egerton, and he is Rachel''s first boyfriend. He attended the same high school we attended."

    "What does that have to do with me?"

    The car was speeding too fast, and they even had a couple of close calls, where they almost crashed into the divider when Tina changednes. In the passenger seat, Amber was scared out of her mind. Tina Burton is a madwoman!

    She quickly added, "Hans and his family migrated overseas early on. Recently, he suddenly returned, and the first thing he did was to look for Rachel. There must be something fishy between them. Don''t you want to teach her a lesson?"

    Hearing that, Tina finally released her foot on the elerator, after which the car finally settled into a

    steady and normal speed.

    "Continue," she ordered coldly.

    When Amberposed herself, she exined, "You can''t teach Rachel a lesson by assaulting her like what you did today. Anyway, her rtionship with Hans is definitely a valid concern. If Justin hears about that, I bet Rachel is going to have a tough time."

    "Do you think she''s cheating on Justin?"

    "Who knows? It''s suspicious no matter how you look at it. No one really knows for sure."

    Tina gave it some serious thought and shot a look at Amber through her sunsses. Then, she smirked. "You''re really something! With that, you are trying to turn her into a scapegoat. To make Justin divorce her, you have the heart to trample over your own sister."

 Chapter 53

    Amber grinned at Tina''sment. "That''s one of the reasons. Humans are self-centered, aren''t we all? Still,pared to my rtionship with her, our rtionship is more solid! Who does she think she is? She could neverpare to you! I don''t know what the bad blood between you two is, but as your bestie, I choose to stand by your side."

    In the matter of a few words, she slyly absolved herself from any responsibility in the incident today.

    To her, Tina was nothing more than a foolish daughter of a wealthy family who had given up a potential match with the eldest son of the Hindenburg Conglomerate and went with a chauffeur! Wasn''t that pure foolishness?

    As expected, Tina did not doubt her words at all, still appearing rather glum. "I want that mute to suffer ten times the humiliation that Henry had gone through! I''m only driving her out of the family-that''s considered going easy on her!"

    Amber moved her gaze away. A malicious gleam appeared in her eyes when she looked down with glee.

    Night descended on the city. After work, Rachel went home to the Burton Residence and headed straight to the bathroom. Staring at her swollen and red cheek in the mirror, she tried to touch it but only ended up inhaling sharply from the pain.

    The injury was obvious, and it was hard to miss. Apart from the red marks, she suffered a couple of scratches that were probably the product of Tina''s diamond nail art.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    After an afternoon, scabs started to form on the scratch marks, which made them look even more terrifying

    I guess I can''t meet Grandma today with this face of mine.

    At the sudden thought of her grandmother, she reluctantly took out her phone to text her.

    ''Grandma, I have been quite busy with worktely. I won''t be visiting you for now. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Take care of your health and eat your meals regrly Grandma''s reply came fast. ''Are you off on weekends then?''

    She hesitated for a moment and decided that her injuries would have healed by the weekend. ''Yes, I''m off this weekend!

    ''Great. Visit me on the weekend. I''ll make you some delicious gnhis.''

    Rachel beamed warmly at the text from her grandmother and replied, ''Sure!

    At the same time, she heard car engine sounds from downstairs, and she immediately knew that Justin was back.

    Sue was busy leading Justin to the dining hall. "Justin, you''re home! Julian''s home early today as well. Dinner''s ready, so get your hands washed and join me. It''s so rare to have the whole family back for dinner!"

    Justin took off his coat and handed it to the attendant. First, he scanned the living room, where he found Julian seated on the sofa. Next, he stole a look at the stairs and asked, "Where''s Rachel?" "She went straight into her room aftering home."

    "Tell her toe down for dinner."

    With that, Justin went into the living room, leaving Sue standing there. She stole a nce at Mrs. Duncan and reluctantly had thetter go upstairs to get Rachel.

    Right as Justin seated himself on the sofa, Mrs. Duncan walked down from the staircase. "Young Master Justin, Mrs. Burton says that she''s feeling sick. She will skip dinner and sleep."

    "Why is she so fussy?" Sue rolled her eyes and mocked Rachel out loud, saying, "It''s just her first day of work. Was it that tiring for her? Why is she acting so dramatic?"

    "Mom." Julian gave her an impatient look, turned to face Mrs. Duncan, and asked, "Why is she sick? I''ll check on her."

    "It''s fine." Justin spoke all of a sudden, and Julian''s movements froze. Across from the coffee table, she met his icy re that came with a hint of warning.

    He wanted to say something more, but Sue''s re made him hold his tongue. "Go on without me. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)" He left an emotionlessment and turned to walk up to check on his wife. His mom stared as he left and grabbed Julian before hissing, "What were you thinking just now?"

    "I just wanted to check on her."

    "Why check on her? Julian, this is thest time I''m telling you this: do not get involved with Rachel''s business in the future. If not, don''t me me for being hard on her."

    In the guest bedroom on the second floor, Rachel had just turned off themp on the desk and was about to go to bed when the door creaked loudly behind her.

    Shocked, she quickly spun around, only to find a slender figure standing straight at the entrance. The bright lights in the corridor lengthened his shadows that were cast onto the floor and so happened to end a her toes.

    Almost as if it was reflexive, she took a few steps back and gave him a terror-stricken look.

    His eyes narrowed at the sight of the ice pack in her hands and the swollen cheek. "What''s the matter with your cheek?"

    Before she could react, he had walked up to her and lifted her chin between her fingers. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) When he noticed the injuries, his face fell. "Who did this to you?" She pursed her lips.

    Nothing. I was careless and got into an ident.

    "Do you think I''m blind?"

    The marks on her face were clearly from a p. Under his cold stare, she knew that lying was futile and decided toe clean.

    It''s Tina.

    The answer was unexpected, and Justin had a look of shock in his eyes.

    "Do you know the reason behind this?"

    Rachel nodded, but after some hesitation, she shook her head.

    She only had two encounters with Tina: once at the summer vi and once at the underground wine cer of the Hudson Vineyard. Although she did not know the exact reason behind Tina''s hostility, she guessed that it must have had something to do with that incident at Hudson Vineyard.

    Justin fell into deep thought as he connected the dots between the incidents that had happened during the week. He mumbled in a low voice, "Her rtionship with the chauffeur has been brought up to Grandpa. She was grounded until today. Do you think that was the reason?"

    While speaking, he stared squarely at her with a chilling look.

    Wait, has Tina''s affair with the chauffeur gotten out? Is she angry because the cat''s out of the bag?

    Her hands that were holding the ice pack turned numb. A heavy silenceter, she nodded and confessed to him. At the underground cer of Hudson Vineyard, I identally bumped into her and the chauffeur together.

    When she confessed, she cautiously observed the change in his expression and exined.

    But I promised her that I wouldn''t tell a soul about it.

    "I believe you''re not that foolish." His face scrunched up into an unfriendly expression.

    Indeed, Rachel telling on Tina and the chauffeur would not benefit her at all.

    It was all a misunderstanding because the birdbrained Tina thought that Rachel was the only person that knew the secret. That was why she immediately believed that Rachel was the rat after the affair was exposed.

    I''m sorry for giving you trouble again.

    She looked at him uneasily. Her doll-like face was badly swollen, bruised, and bloodied. In her dark and

    clear eyes, he saw anxiety and vulnerability like a fragile porcin doll.

    gued by a mix of annoyance and perplexity, he coldly reprimanded her, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) "I told you to follow the rules, but I didn''t tell you to take abuse! Do you not understand my words?"

    His sudden temper took her by shock.

    "As long as you are my wife, you don''t have to tread carefully around anyone in Riverdale, including

    Tina."

    His expression darkened even more. After that, he flung the door open and yelled down the staircase, ˇ°Julian, bring the first aid kit to me!"

    The door to the guest room remained open. She looked on as Justin''s figure wandered further away, and it took her a long time to recover.

    This was probably the first time she had enjoyed his kindness first-hand. Was he caring for her?

    She frowned at that notion. Even if he was truly caring for her, that was no reason for her to change her perception of him.

    After all, he and Dad are the reasons behind my suffering now.

 Chapter 54

    "Keep your injury away from water, or it might get infected."

    Thank you, Doctor Peters.

    "Just drop the formalities around me." While packing the first aid kit, he took a look at the ice pack at the side. "Don''t use that anymore. An ice pack is good for reducing swelling, but you have external injuries as well."

    She nodded obediently.

    From the start, she had only been using the ice pack as a pain killing measure. After putting on the cooling medical ointment, her burning skin felt more relieved. Since the pain was reduced, she didn''t need the ice pack anymore.

    "By the way, I haven''t asked you this. How did you get injured?"

    She shook her head. It''s nothing. I was just careless.

    As it was alreadyte, but Julian was still hanging around, she dared not keep him around for long, even though he was technically helping Justin out.

    When Julian noticed Rachel ncing at her watch, he picked up the hint and knew that she wanted him to leave. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Forcing a smile, he said to her, "You should get some rest for now. I''m leaving."

    She nodded at him.

    On his way back to his room, he walked past Justin''s study. Be it intentional or unintentional, the room to Justin''s study was kept slightly ajar. In it, Justin was seated at the study table and pouring over documents as usual.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Julian went up and knocked lightly on the door. Only when Justin looked up did Julian say, "Justin, Rae''s injury isn''t serious. You don''t have to worry too much about it." "Thanks." Justin stared at him and corrected, "You should call her Rachel."

    Julian tightened his grip on the first aid kit and replied with a serious expression, "Justin, instead of finding fault with me, why don''t you show her more care?" "That''s between me and her. None of your business."

    Then, he turned his gaze to the documents in his hands and added, "Shut the door when you leave."

    Hearing that, Julian had his eyes darkened, and soon came the sound of the door closing.

    Regardless of his emotions, Julian would always remain rational and mannered, a quality that marked the greatest difference between him and Justin.

    After the footsteps faded away, Justin tapped on his phone screen and made a call.

    "Arrange for two men to follow Rachel around."

    Frankie paused over the phone and said in confusion, "I thought you said not to track her anymore."

    Justin merely answered, "This is for her personal safety."

    In the next two days, Rachel had no choice but to go to work with a face mask on.

    The incident at the library entrance went viral, and her coworkers all knew about it, but no one brought it up in front of her. Still, people were gossiping behind her back.

    Standing in front of a bookshelf, she was organizing the books ording to their codes as usual when she overheard familiar voices a row of shelves away.

    "I never heard about her dating, and now she''s suddenly married. Who knows? She might have had an affair with a married man, got him to divorce the wife and marry her!" "Right? I heard what happened that day! She was beaten up badly, but she didn''t even fight back!"

    "I bet the man who protected her was the husband. He''s rather hot, not gonna lie."

    Rachel clutched the books tightly and silently pressed herself against the bookshelf that hid her well. It wasn''t until the two coworkers left that she straightened up and continued arranging the books. "Why didn''t you exin yourself when they spread the rumors?"

    A male voice rang out from behind, causing her to pause in surprise. She whipped around to find Hans standing there. She had known that he''d be here because he had texted her in the morning to inform her about having something to tell her.

    They have their freedom. I can''t control what they want to say about me anyway.

    "What about your husband? Is he going to watch on as you get bullied?"

    Hans''s brows were knitted in a fury. "Last time, it was his cousin who hit you. Today, your coworkers were talking behind you. Is this what you mean by doing well?"

    Rachel had no idea what prompted him to blow up right as he met her, and she frowned worriedly.

    What''s wrong with you?

    He looked as if he had nowhere to release his pent-up anger. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) He wanted to say something, but he could not speak freely in the quiet atmosphere of the library. Frustrated, he took her arm and said, "Follow me out. Let''s talk."

    Just like that, she followed him all the way to the courtyard between the two library buildings.

    "Rachel, tell me truthfully. Did you willingly marry Justin?"

    At this point, he had let go of her hand, and a serious expression crept up his refreshingly handsome and clean face.

    She was huffing and puffing, and her chest rose and fell with it. His words made her heart sink as she turned her face to the side in an attempt to escape his gaze.

    Despite that, he could sense her guilt and said sternly, "Look at me in the eye. Don''t lie."

    She pinched her palm and forced herself to calm down when she lifted her face to look at him.

    I have nothing much to say to you.

    "Jefferey forced you to marry Justin, didn''t he?" Hans did not want to go in circles anymore. "To finance Hudson Pharmaceuticals, he sold you to Justin Burton!"

    His words were direct and firm, and he gave her no chance to exin herself, leaving her staring at him in shock.

    How did you find out?

    He took a sharp breath, and his face looked ashen. "Ah, so that is the case."

    Muffled groans suddenly escaped from her throat.

    Hans!

    She eximed in her heart, but she failed to stop him. She could only look on as he cursed. "That son of a b*tch!" Then, he whipped around to punch on the wall. The next second, his ring red blood trickled down from the white wall.

    Eyes widened, she hurriedly grabbed his hand to check on him. The skin of his knuckles was torn; the white debris from the wall was mixed with his blood, looking scarily messy. Follow me to the hospital.

    Instead, he tugged at her. "Rachel, get a divorce and leave the Burtons."

    She stopped in her tracks with her back facing him, having no courage to turn around. Of course, she was dying to get a divorce so she could leave the Burtons alongside that scary man whom she called her husband.

    "I know what your concerns are. I will help you to take care of your grandma. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) If you''re worried about the reach of the Burton Group because of their influence, I could arrange for your grandma to settle down overseas. I am going to take up your divorce case, and I promise you that you could leave the Burtons unharmed."

    Since Hans was an attorney who had made his name in the industry, he had the confidence to make .the promise.

    A long silenceter, she mustered up the courage to turn around and face him.

    Thanks, but I can''t leave just yet.

    "Why?" His expression fell, and he fumed. "What are you waiting for? I heard that Justin Burton is a cruel man who''d do anything to get his way. He''s also a greedy person. What kind of life are you leading with the Burtons?"

    She narrowed her eyes upon hearing that. Who told you so?

    As Hans had just returned to the country, he wouldn''t have known the details if no one had revealed insider information to him.

    "Is that important? Aren''t those facts?"

    She nodded solemnly and stared calmly but firmly at him.

    It is important

    She had an inkling that someone must have set up a trap behind her back and somehow got Hans involved.

    Knowing that Rachel was as stubborn as a mule, Hans could onlye clean. "I don''t know who that person is. Last night, I received an anonymous text, but when I called back, the number was already invalid." As he spoke, he handed her his phone. "Look."

    The text was short, but it sinctly exined the background of how Rachel married into the Burton Family. On top of that, it mentioned the grievances she suffered in the family: facing the dismissive attitude of the servants and getting framed for things she did not do...

    After reading the text, she had a better idea of the mastermind behind this plot.

    Hans, do you really want to help me?

 Chapter 55

    Hans replied firmly, "Of course!"

    Without a doubt, he''d love to help her out so that she could live well. If not, he wouldn''t have decided to return to work in the country.

    If so, you should just stay out of this.

    "Why?" He frowned in utter disbelief.

    If my guess is correct, the text was from Amber.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Amber''s warning was still fresh in her mind. If the Burtons and the Hudsons were a pool of mud, she was already knee-deep in it. She had no wish to get Hans involved in the mess. "Amber Hudson?" His frown deepened. "Why would she do that?"

    Back in high school, Amber was a grade lower since she was younger. Because of that, Hans did not interact with her much, and his only knowledge of her was her being Rachel''s sister.

    Hans'' question took Rachel by surprise, and a bold guess popped up into her mind. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)She started to suspect that all the scheme was merely Amber''s plot to make her leave the Burtons.

    I don''t know. Still, she kept the idea to herself.

    "Rachel." After calming down, Hans attempted to persuade her. "No matter who sent me the text, the content is a fact. Am I right? If the Burtons are unfair to you, you don''t have to stay with them and endure the sufferings."

    She shook her head.

    I am not staying at the Burtons for their sake.

    "Who are you doing this for?"

    At this point, Hans did not get her at all.

    Since Rachel''s grandmother had been discharged from the hospital after a sessful surgery, as long as she agreed to it, she could totally leave the city that brought her sorrows with her grandma.

    A short hesitationter, she finally confessed the real reason behind her insistence on staying put.

    I need to look into my mom''s cause of death

    Next, she told him about the incident at the Hudson Vineyard, to which he responded with shock. "Are you suspecting Jefferey for killing her?"

    She gave him a heavy nod, and a stifling silenceter, heposed himself and returned to the topic. "So, are you going to leave the Burton''s after you get to the bottom of your mom''s death?"

    Yes.

    With a grave expression, he vowed, "Great. I will help you with the investigation."

    To that, she reacted with a frown and a serious stare. Initially, he wanted to add something, but she was staring at his hand as she signed.

    I will bring you to the hospital.

    When dusk arrived, the skies of Riverdale that extended into the distant mountains were decorated with gorgeous colors.

    Once Amber was home, she was immediately called to the study.

    "Dad, did you call for me?"

    She was in a great mood and had been smiling ear-to-ear since she stepped into the house. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) In contrast, Jefferey had a serious expression on his face as he interrogated her, asking, "Where were youst weekend?"

    "Last weekend?" She went nk for a moment before answering, "I yed golf with some friends. Why?"

    "With whom?"

    She was taken aback again, and guilt crept onto her face. At this point, she was talking in a cautious whisper. "My college mates."

    "That was Tina Burton! She is Justin''s cousin and Jason''s daughter!" Jefferey''s expression fell. "Jason and Justin have never seen eye-to-eye. Look, the Burtons have a very different family dynamic than ours- theirs are superplicated, and trust me, you can''t handle it. Don''t hang out too much with her."

    His warning earned her protest. "Oh, if I can''t handle their family dynamics, how is that mute going to handle it better?"

    Jefferey raised his voice. "How could youpare yourself to Rachel? I only need her there as Mrs. Burton. As long as she is still Justin''s wife, we could borrow the prestige of the Burtons to run our business. As for the life she''s leading at the Burtons... That depends on her luck."

    Amber paid no attention to his words. "Dad, have you ever considered this? She isn''t even close to us. If she has firmly established herself as Mrs. Burton, do you seriously think she''d bother to help us out?"

    Jefferey''s heart sank at the possibility, and the wrinkles around his eyes scrunched up.

    "Before this, she had to listen to us because of Grandma. Now that Grandma''s out of the hospital, that is no longer an effective bargaining chip for us. If Rachel manages to capture Justin''s heart, do you really think she''d bat an eye at us?"

    Jefferey fell into deep thoughts after the somber reminder from Amber.

    Even after she left, her words were still echoing in his ears, prompting him to revisit Rachel''s unusual behaviortely. After some thought, he started to feel that something was wrong.

    In Rachel''s twenty years of living at the Hudsons, she had never once brought up the past. Why did she suddenly bring up the topic of some herbal medicine form after a mere few days of marrying into the Burtons?

    His expression hardened as he walked around the sofa to pull out a drawer from a side dresser, from which he took out a brown-colored pill bottle.

    He red at it for some time before he made a call.

    "Tomas,e over tomorrow morning. I need your help to deliver an item to the Burtons."

    During the night, Rachel prepared some tea and delivered it to the study for Justin.

    Lately, he had gotten used to drinking the tea she made for him. Inparison, the tea prepared by Mrs. Duncan was too unrefined, ording to hisints. Therefore, if Rachel had the time, she would bring him a pot of tea at the same time every day.

    The tea delivery was also one of the rare moments in the day when she would meet with him.

    He looked up and rested his gaze on her right cheek. Then, an almost unnoticeable frown appeared on his face. "How''s your cheek?"

    She reflexively touched her cheek.

    The red marks and the swelling were basically gone, and thankfully, the scabs from the nail scratch were already falling off, leaving two pinkish scars that were jarring on her pale skin.

    She shook her head at him.

    Nothing serious.

    He nodded and changed the topic. "Can youe with me to Old Mr. Burton''s summer vi tomorrow?"

    She was taken aback and asked him cautiously.

    Do I really have to go?

    "Why? Are you busy?" He stared at her again. "There''s a family banquet tomorrow."

    She fell deeper into thoughts. Wait, is Justin attending the banquet with me? But I have agreed to meet up with Hans tomorrow.

    When she met his inquisitive eyes, she quickly exined.

    Oh, no, nothing important. I have agreed to spend the weekend with Grandma and make some gnhi. That''s okay. I will update her and change the date.

    Her uneasy expression reminded him of her conflict with Tina, and he interpreted her reluctance as her unwillingness to meet Tina. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) "Since you have agreed to meet your grandma, just go ahead with the n. There''s no need to cancel."

    Surprised by his words, she stared at him nkly.

    Can I?

    He replied emotionlessly, "It''s a family banquet tomorrow. There will be a lot of attendees, and your absence won''t be felt. You''re not that important, anyway."

    Despite his icy tone, she felt relieved to be excused from the event and nodded in silence.

    Indeed, she was a nobody to the Burtons. More precisely, her absence at the family banquet would be the best for everyone involved.

    The next morning, the driver and assistant picked up Justin from the residence very early.

    There was a shareholders meeting in the morning. After that, they would travel to the summer vi.

    Arthur rarely visited Riverdale, and the only time he returned was during July or August when he''d enjoy a short stay at the summer vi. Therefore, the family decided to hold the banquet around that time. "President Burton." Frankie was waiting for him beside the car. When he saw Justin, he immediately went up with a package in his hands. "A delivery person stopped by just now and handed me a package for Miss Hudson, so I signed it for her."

    Justin took a quick nce and was surprised to find out that the sender was Hudson Pharmaceuticals. He frowned and questioned, "Who delivered this again?" "Uh, he was just an ordinary delivery person." Frankie quickly nced in the direction in which the delivery person left. "There''s nothing odd about him."

    On the other hand, the look in Justin''s eyes hardened. He curtly ordered while eyeing the package, "Open this."

 Chapter 56

    Frankie paused for a while before reacting and hurriedly took apart the wrapper. Then, he took out the item enclosed in bubble wrap.

    Looking confused, he reported, "It''s a bottle of cough syrup."

    There was abel for cough syrup on the bottle, and it carried the logo of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. One could clearly read the manufactured date and ingredients. It was a product that Hudson Pharmaceuticals marketed.

    However, Justin''s gaze turned slightly heavy at the discovery of the bottle, for he believed that the Hudsons would not have posted a bottle of cough syrup to Rachel. That is impossible!

    At this point, Frankie also picked up on Justin''s uneasiness and trod carefully. "President Hudson, is there any problem?"

    Justin looked calm and did not give away his emotions, after which he instructed Frankie in a low voice, saying, "Get someone to test the contents of the bottle."

    "Sure." Frankie nodded and secretly guessed that the bottle of medicine must be problematic. After that, the business sedan left the neighborhood and traveled to the building of Burton Group.

    On the way, Frankie brought up the topic of the shareholders meeting. "President Burton, I think your uncle might create trouble in the meeting over the Brentwood New City project."

    Jason Burton?

    Justin''s face was as expressionless as usual. "Huh. Ever since he formed connections with the Hindenburgs, he appears more confident than before."

    "It seems so. The internal issues that surfaced from the project this time are closely rted to him."

    "Have we dealt with those involved?"

    "Yes. We left one unharmed, ording to your orders."

    Justin gave a light nod and changed the topic. "Tina is going to attend the meeting, isn''t she?"

    After all, she also holds somepany shares.

    Frankie nodded. "If everything goes smoothly, all the shareholders will show up."

    Although Justin remained silent, his steely gaze, as seen from the rearview mirror, was as deterring and unapproachable as a steep cliff to climbers.

    The day of the family banquet was arranged so that it coincided with the annual shareholders meeting.

    All the shareholders of Burton Group would normally show up. Since the Burton Group was a family business, their shareholders were the Burton family members and some old business friends who had helped build thepany into its empire.

    "Burton Group has invested more in the Brentwood New City projectpared to the sum of the other two major projects fromst year. Do you think that''s reasonable?"

    In the meeting, Jason aimed the question directly at Justin, but thetter did not look disturbed at all.

    "The new project''s estimated return is five times ofst year''s projects. In other words, byunching this project, we will receive the same amount of profits as all the projectsbined fromst year." "What about the risks? Are you disregarding the risks as well? Our industry is currently going through a change due to the tightening of federal policy. This is not the time to expand our investments." "Policies are only there for show. If everyone is as timid as you, what is the point of investing?"

    The air of the meeting room froze after Justin left his unreserved remark. As anticipated, Jason''s face turned ashen after being attacked by his nephew.

    In the end, the other shareholders had to interject to spare Jason from the humiliation so that the meeting could be continued.

    After the meeting, Jason scoffed and left the room fuming without as much as taking a look at Justin. As for the remaining attendees, none had the guts to talk more than needed, and they dispersed right after: Only Tina was lingering in the room. She leaned sideways against the meeting table as she confronted, "Justin, you humiliated Dad in front of everyone. Don''t you think you''ve crossed a line?"

    He nced at her and leaned back into his chair with sped hands. "Not all businessmen need to y nice and charitable to get around. Speaking of which, Uncle Jason seems to be very charitable toward the Hindenburgs. Too bad I am not going to do the same to him."

    Tina''s expression fell. "Are you mocking me?"

    It was a known fact that Jason had attempted to arrange a marriage with the Hindenburgs in order to forge business connections. To most people, such action was normal for the elite families, but Tina took offense and felt humiliated.

    "That was a reminder." His gaze was as cold as ice, sending out warning signs. "Clean your own mess. Don''t involve the innocent."

    "The innocent? Who are you referring to?" The corner of her lips lifted into a smirk. "Ah, that mute, Rachel?"

    The way she referred to Rachel as ''that mute'' was surprisingly jarring for him, and his displeasure was evident from the look in his eyes.

    She whipped around and pressed her hands on the table. With a mocking expression, she fired back at him, "Justin, I am reminding you out of kindness as well: take control of that mute of yours. And don''t keep your own family at arm''s length. Today, she could only be meeting with her first love that shows up from nowhere, but who knows she''d carry his child someday down the road? You''d get cuckooed." He calmly rose up and questioned with a low and dismissive tone, "Do you think every girl acts like you?"

    Her expression darkened at his insult.

    Standing up, he buttoned his coat and replied casually, "If you keep finding trouble, I don''t mind sending an address to the Hindenburgs. I believe that Noah Hindenburg would love to take care of that lover of yours."

    "How dare you!" She gritted her teeth in resentment. "My marriage to Noah is arranged by Grandpa! How dare you interfere?"

    "What do you think?"

    His reply was curt but explosive.

    She felt a shiver across her body, knowing very well that Justin had the ability to do almost anything she could imagine.

    "Wow, look at you acting all protective, threatening me because of her! Could you have fallen for her?"Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    He was already at the door when he heard Tina''s fuming interrogation. His pupils wavered.

    The insolent girl went in full force and fanned the fire. "Do you really believe that she''s a prim and proper youngdy? Do you know who she met and what she did behind your back?" "Don''t be a busybody."

    With that, he marched out of the meeting room.

    Frankie had been waiting for him at the door. The moment he saw his boss walking out with a chilling expression, he got goosebumps from the fear.

    "President Burton, shall we head directly to the vi or..."

    Justin cut him off with a sour look, demanding, "What has Rachel been up totely?"

    "Miss Hudson goes to work andes home as usual."

    "How about today?"

    Frankie felt his heart sink; he did not arrange for the men to follow Rachel around on weekends.

    The thought of Rachel''s words fromst night troubled Justin. "It''s been quite some time since Grandma was discharged from the hospital. Send her some tonics as a token." Frankie was taken aback by the random request. "Now?"

    "Now."

    The icy tone sent a chill down Frankie''s spine. "Sure, I will get it arranged."

    Night descended on the city, and the streets were lit up with warm lights.

    A cab came to a stop in front of Burton Residence. Rachel paid her fee and looked up at the second floor from the entrance, from where she could see the brightly-lit study.

    Justin is home.

    When she stepped into the living room, she was greeted by Mrs. Duncan''s bizarre remark. "Mrs. Burton, could you please inform-me if you areing homete? I have been thinking if I should deliver tea to the young master!"

    Rachel forced an apologetic smile at her. She put away her belongings and immediately went to prepare tea.

    Upstairs, Justin had been waiting for a long time in the study.

    When he heard her soft knocking on the door, he announced, "Come in."

    She pushed the door open and instantly spotted his face that was calm as usual. Next, she glided toward him with the tray of tea in her hands.

    "Where did you go today?" His voice was low.

    She carefully ced the teacup on the table.

    I told youst night that I would be visiting my Grandma.

    "How''s her health?"

    She''s doing pretty good.

    "Is that so?" He lifted his head without warning. "Has she taken the tonics I sent her?"

    She turned to him with a thunderstruck look.

    Tonics? What tonics? She thought to herself.

 Chapter 57

    The next moment, Justin had already stood up, prompting Rachel to instinctively take a step backward.

    Closing the distance between them, Justin spoke in a cold voice. "Why? Is it not to your grandmother''s liking? Has she not taken it yet? Or... do you not know anything about it?"

    Justin closed his hands around her neck and... Bang! She ruthlessly mmed against the closet. Scared out of her life, Rachel yelped, but her hoarse voice only made her look even more pitiful. Even though he watched the woman''s facial features distort in pain, moisture clouding her beautiful innocent eyes, he felt nothing in his heart.

    The one thing he hated the most was people lying to him, and even more so if the lie was particrly crude.

    "Was I too lenient with you? Is that why you are so fearless to do these things under my nose?"

    Rachel shook her head and sobbed, her face turning red.

    "Tell me, where did you go today?"

    I never went anywhere.

    "Is that so? If you didn''t go anywhere, that means you disappeared into thin air for a whole day?"

    Justin tightened his grip, causing Rachel to throw her head back in pain, her hands clinging on to Justin''s arms and making frantic motions.

    That was her survival instinct.

    "You''re plotting something with Jefferey behind my back, aren''t you?"

    That''s not true.

    Rachel shook her head furiously, and with a mighty wave of his hand, Justin swept the tea set off the study desk onto the floor.

    Crash! the cups and saucers shattered into pieces, and the scalding tea sshed onto Rachel''s feet. She screamed in pain, her hoarse voice resounding eerily in the room.

    Justin pinned her down on the desk violently, then proceeded to scoop up a medicine bottle from the mess. His expression was cold as he asked, "Is this the medicine?"

    There was abel on the brown bottle stating that it contained cough medicine from Hudson Pharmaceuticals. The liquid within it rippled under themp, a cold light shimmering within. Rachel''s expression went stiff.

    What is this?

    She had never seen this object before.

    "This is the medicine Jefferey sent to you. How would you not know anything about it?"

    Mr. Burton, this bottle of medicine contains hallucinogens, and if consumed over a long period of time, it would cause blindness and even kidney failure. This medicine isn''t even supposed to be on the market. Frankie''s words still rang in Justin''s ears, and he tightened his grip around the woman''s neck.

    Rachel''s already weak voice waspletely distinguished in her throat, leaving only her eyes that still had a deathly stare, as if threatening to fall out from their sockets.

    Justin''s expression was terrifyingly dark. "You''re so obedient to Jefferey. If you died here, do you think he woulde and take care of your corpse?"

    He didn''t even give Rachel any chance to exin as his hand mped harder, intent on strangling the woman. However, her struggles to be freed from his grip only proved to be futile.

    The woman''s face turned purple and tears fell from the corners of her eyes. She was in an obvious panic, and Justin''s eyebrows were also knitted tightly together.

    After a while, he let go of her.

    The force pressing against Rachel''s neck disappeared, and her instinct to survive propelled her to break free from Justin''s death grip. She fell onto the rug, coughing incessantly. Justin stooped down in front of Rachel with the medicine bottle in hand. "Drink it."

    Rachel put a hand over her neck and whimpered. There was no strength left in her to exin.

    "Didn''t you say that this is an aphrodisiac?"

    Raising Rachel''s chin, Justin forced her to look up at him. With his other hand, he put the bottle to her mouth, "Drink it."

    Rachel''s shoulders trembled violently as her body went cold. She shook her head helplessly, trying to move back and escape.

    Justin grabbed her cheeks forcefully and didn''t wait for her to swallow as he poured the liquid into her open mouth.

    The bitter medicine flowed down her throat with no signs of stopping, and even her nasal cavity was flooded.

    Rachel struggled desperately; the brown medicine spilled all over her body, but arge amount was already in her stomach.

    She coughed and sputtered and even tried to throw up.

    The bitter sting of the medicine conquered her mouth, and the fishy stench caused her stomach to turn. She kept coughing and retching, but nothing came out of her mouth.

    Soon, a burning sensation invaded her stomach, leading her to fall onto the floor in agony and curled up into a ball.

    Justin looked coldly down at her. "Next time Jeffery sends another bottle over, you''ll have to finish it as well. This is what you get for being arrogant."

    Rachel''s ears were still ringing, so she couldn''t make out what Justin was saying. Her eyes couldn''t focus, then everything faded into darkness.

    She didn''t know how much time had passed, but she did feel that someone was carrying her, after which she heard someone arguing.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    The next time she woke up, she found herself in a hospital ward. The blinding white greeted her when she opened her eyes. "You''re awake?" An unfamiliar girl''s voice sounded.

    Rachel took a long time to adjust so that she could see the nurse clearly.

    "She''s awake. Go get Dr. Peters."

    Rachel sank into thought.

    Dr. Peters?

    Is that Julian Peters?

    Rachel rested her head on the pillow, remembering what had happened to her before she passed out. Justin had forced her to drink the medicine.

    Soon, a set of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Julian had arrived.

    After the checkup, Julian had Rachel lean against the bed. "You''ll have to be hospitalized for two days. Don''t move around too much because your body is still quite weak. You''ll also get drips every day." Rachel was pale.

    You''re the one who saved me?

    Julian nodded.

    The night before, he was downstairs when he heard noisesing from the study and suspected that something was wrong. When he barged in, Rachel was already lying on the floor, unconscious. "About that medicine you drank, its contents have already been analyzed. It is a chronic medicine not found anywhere on the market, and if you take too much of it, it will cause kidney failure. It''s a good thing that we discovered it earlier; you would''ve died otherwise."

    So it wasn''t an aphrodisiac? Rachel thought.

    She gripped the nket tightly, the ringing in her ears now singing in her mind. If she remembered correctly,st night Justin said that Jefferey had sent her the medicine.

    Dad wants me to poison Justin''s food with the medicine so that he would die?So this is why Justin was so angry, she realized.

    Seeing Rachel''s pale face, Julian prodded, "Rae, tell me the truth. Was it my brother who forced you to down the medicine?"

    Rachel didn''t have time to nod before a cold and low voice sounded from the other side of the door.

    "Thebel on the medicine bottle belongs to Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Julian, I''m afraid you have the wrong idea on who was forcing who to drink it."

    When she realized who it was, she froze.

    The anger still remained on Justin''s face. As soon as he made it through the door, he threw Rachel a cold re. "I can sue you for intentional homicide based on this bottle of medicine alone." Julian frowned as he looked at Justin, then turned his gaze toward Rachel. After a long while, Rachel gritted her teeth.

    | drank the medicine myself.

    "Why?" Julian''s face was full of disbelief.

    "Now that things are cleared up, Dr. Peters can leave and mind his own business now.". Justin chased Julian out unapologetically as he locked his eyes on Rachel. "I still have something to talk to her about." Hearing that, Rachel had her face turned as pale as ashes. Julian wanted to say something, but

 Chapter 58

    I didn''t

    Rachel shook her head furiously to deny.

    "You didn''t join hands with Jefferey, or you didn''t poison me?"

    Justin gave another snort. "Ah, I forgot. You didn''t have time to poison me, did you?"

    Rachel leaned against the headboard with helplessness reflected in her eyes. She couldn''t do anything except shake her head and deny it.

    I really don''t know what that bottle of medicine does. It wasn''t the medicine I got before.

    Justin grew impatient. "You don''t have to rush to deny it. It doesn''t matter anymore. By the way, did you forget about something? Our deal is still ongoing."

    Rachel froze.

    I already did as you told me to. I went to the vineyard.

    "Yes, but what of the end result? You didn''t get the prescription, did you?".

    At the mention of the prescription, Rachel gave her own palm a mighty pinch in an attempt to calm herself.

    Will you let me go if I give you the prescription?

    Justin''s cold gaze bore into her. "You know the prescription?"

    Jefferey took me to the vineyard and showed me the prescription.

    "Why would he suddenly take you to the vineyard?"

    It''s part of a deal. I agreed to help with his work at the Burtons.

    Justin''s eyebrows scrunched up as he examined her, trying to judge if her words were real.

    After a while, he grabbed a notebook from the bedside table and tossed it on the sheets. Then, a coldmand came from his thin lips. "Write it down!"

    Rachel took the pen with her slender yet pale fingers. She recalled the contents of the prescription she saw in the study that day and replicated them on the notebook stroke by stroke. Angelica...

    After writing down the first ingredient, Rachel''s hand paused for a while. Out of the corner of her eye, she nced at Justin, who was staring at her. Her heart trembled a little, and then she gritted her teeth as she wrote two words. Three ounces.

    "Done?" Justin took the notebook offered to him suspiciously while she gingerly nodded.

    The ingredients in the prescription were all traditional medicine and their amounts, which were beyond Justin''s professional knowledge.

    "If this were the real deal, then we''ll let bygones be bygones. But if you dare lie to me..." Justin threw her a cold re, then finished his sentence while putting the prescription away safely. "Be ready for a permanent stay in the hospital."

    Rachel shivered, then unconsciously gripped the nket tighter.

    After obtaining the prescription, Justin left in a hurry, for he needed to verify it as soon as possible. It was not until after the door clicked shut when Rachel gradually rxed and stopped pinching her palm.

    Phew! She must not stay in Riverdale any longer, and she dared not imagine what would happen to her if Justin found out that the doses in the prescription were incorrect.

    Presently in the MPV that was leaving the hospital and heading toward Burton Group.

    "Mr. Burton, do we go straight to thepany or "

    "To the research institute."

    Justin held the prescription Rachel wrote, deep in thought. After a while, he ordered, "Have someone check if Rachel went to Hudson Vineyard after Jefferey''s birthday celebration."

    Frankie was stunned for a moment. "Understood."

    The car soon arrived at the medical research institute owned by Burton Group that was located on the west side of the city.

    Burton Group''s intention to purchase Hudson Pharmaceuticals wasn''t something new. Even before this, Justin had nned its execution for a long while, but Burton Group had never entered the medical field before. Hence, many things had to be built from scratch.

    The medical research institute was one of the crucial starting points.

    "Mr. Burton! What brings you here?" A middle-aged man in a white coat greeted Justin as he walked out of theboratory.

    Justin handed the prescription to him. "Professor Collins, I''d like you to take a look at this prescription."

    "Prescription?" Professor Collins pushed his sses and studied the contents on the paper for a long while, his expression serious. "Isn''t this the prescription for the sleeping pill manufactured by Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "Sleeping pill?" Justin suddenly remembered the medication he saw when he was going through the list of contract breaches, and the Burtons'' ancestral sleeping pill was one of them.

    He then asked, "Can you really concoct the medication based on this prescription?"

    "Of course. The prescription isn''t that rare, since the ingredients are already listed on the package. The key is in the dosage. Everypany has their own doses and usage, and those must never be announced to the public, or others would copy them."

    At that, the look in Professor Collins'' eyes turned curious. "Mr. Burton, how did you get this prescription? It should have been one of the trade secrets of Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Justin had no intention of answering. Instead, he looked at theboratory behind Professor Collins. "I heard that there''s a neer in theb?"

    "Ah, yes. Tommy is my student, and he''s an intern here. Still, the professional tasks are left to the

    professionals only. Oh, right, Tommy was the one who analyzed the medicine Assistant Beckham brought over yesterday."

    "Right, the medicine. I took a look at it too, and I wanted to ask you. The medicine is unable to save or harm anyone, so why would Hudson Pharmaceuticals produce something like that?"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    At that, Justin frowned ever so slightly. "What do you mean by ''the medicine is unable to save or harm anyone?"

    "It''s a bitter medicine with a stinging smell to boot. However, it''s a chronic medicine that would only take effect if taken over a long period of time. No one in this world would be foolish enough to take this medicine for that long."

    "What if it was mixed in with the food?"

    "That''s impossible." Professor Collins shook his head. "If that medicine is mixed in with any food at all, it would be detected almost instantly. The taste is so weird that no one would be fooled." Justin''s frown deepened at those words.

    In the afternoon the next day, Rachel had slept drowsily for a whole day in the hospital, and she didn''t even have any lunch. It was almost evening when she woke up, and the vibration of her phone had roused her.

    "Hello? Rachel, is that you?" Hans'' panicked voice sounded from the other end of the line.

    Rachel knocked twice on the back of the phone to indicate that it was her.

    Hans immediately rxed, and his relief was felt on the other side of the line. Heined, "I sent you so many messages, but you didn''t reply. Okay, since you''re here, I''ll hang up now. I''ll tell you on WhatsApp."

    Rachel found a number of unread messages and missed calls on her phone, all from Hans.

    ''I''m passing by the libraryter. I''ll bring you something to eat!

    ''You''re noting to work?''

    ''Why aren''t you replying? Is this an inconvenient time?''

    ''The people at the library said that you took the day off. What happened?''

    Rachel checked the timestamps. The first message was sent in the morning, and thest one was sent 12 minutes ago. Almost a whole day had passed without any replies from her. No wonder Hans was worried.

    ''I''m fine. I just felt a little unwell and had to stay in the hospital for a few days!

    ''You''re hospitalized? Is it that serious? Which hospital is it?''

    ''It''s not serious at all. The doctor just said I had to stay in the hospital to recover. Don''t worry, and you don''t have toe!

    After a while, Hans sent another message. ''Tell me the truth. Did Justin do anything to you?''

    Rachel''s hands trembled as they held the phone. Even the mere sight of Justin''s name invoked fear in

    her. The terror he incurred in her had seeped into her very being.

    It took a long while before she sent the simple message. ''No.

    ''Which hospital are you staying at?''

    Hans was persistent in his questioning, and his attitude was resolute. ''I''ming over to visit you!

 Chapter 59

    Seeing the continuous stream of iing messages, Rachel made a decision and replied, ''I''m really fine, just a little tired. I''m going to sleep now!

    After that, no matter what Hans sent, she refused to reply. After a while, Hans sent onest message. ''Rest well!

    Then, Rachel''s phone finally went inactive, allowing her to sigh in relief, but her emotions at that moment were unbearable.

    If Hans came at this hour and bumped into Justin, or if anyone else witnessed his visit, it would only cause more trouble. Rachel put down her phone and got down from the bed to pour herself some water.

    It was then when she heard the sound of the door opening, and a set of high heels screeched against the floor. "Mrs. Burton! Why are you pouring water on your own? Could it be that Justin didn''t even bother to hire a care worker for you?"

    Rachel didn''t even have to look up to know that it was Amber.

    It was a great chance for Amber to ridicule Rachel now that thetter was hospitalized, so Amber wouldn''t pass it up so easily.

    Why are you here?

    "Don''t get so wary. I heard that you''re hospitalized, so I came over to visit. After all, you''re my sister, right?" Amber''s cynicism was unmistakable right from the start. "Even Dad asked me to treat you better, so apparently, the Hudson Family has to rely on you in the future."

    Amber walked up to the table. "Allow me to pour you some water; it''s just a little matter you shouldn''t concern yourself with."

    With that, she poured out a ss of water in front of Rachel and handed it to her. "There. Drink up."

    The water was still boiling hot and emitting vapor.

    Rachel nodded slightly in thanks, but she never believed that Amber would be so kindhearted all of a sudden.

    Just as expected, right before Rachel was about to take the ss, Amber let go.

    The ss went crashing on the floor, and as it shattered, the hot water sshed in all directions.

    Rachel didn''t manage to dodge in time, so the hot water scalded her feet and caused her to inhale sharply in pain. She had to use a corner of the table as support in order to stabilize herself. "Oops! I''m so sorry. I thought you''d hold it better."

    Amber feigned surprise at Rachel. "Did you get scalded? Come on! I told you not to drink water that''s boiling hot. I''ll go get another ss of cold water for you."

    What do you want?

    "What do I want? Don''t you know already?" Amber''s expression changed faster than lightning. "Did you think I forgot about the time you pushed me into the water? You good-for-nothing dummy!" Rachel''s face went pale as her pupils contracted rapidly.

    How could she forget? Amber wasn''t one to let someone off the hook so easily. Rachel had made a fool of Amber in front of the guests at the birthday celebration, so she wouldn''t let it go just like that. While Rachel was wrapping her head around that fact, Amber had already fetched a cold ss of water.

    The warm sunlight shone in from outside the window, and it lit the ss up like antern. However, the light in Amber''s eyes was stone cold.

    Rachel instinctively put up her arms to cover her face.

    "Aaah!"

    The chill Rachel had braced for didn''te. Instead, Amber''s scream shocked her, and as she raised her head to look, she saw Amber''s arm pinned behind her by a short-haired woman. Amber''s back was forced into a bend to amodate the posture, and she was still screaming when the ss in her hand was taken away from her.

    "Who are you? How did you get in?"

    "It''s no wonder that the rtionship between doctors and their patients is so tense; it''s thanks to doctors like you who abuse their patients."

    The woman''s voice was cool andcked emotion, and she seemed to be pinning Amber''s arm effortlessly. However, no matter how much Amber struggled, she couldn''t break free.

    "Ah!"

    Amber shrieked. "Let go right now, or I''ll call the police!"

    "Struggle any more, and you''ll have to bid your arm goodbye."

    "Don''t bluff me; I''m a doctor, and I -"

    Amber was still prideful at first as she tried to move a little, but a crisp sound of something cracking filled the space when she moved, as if it were the sound of celery being broken in half. She was stunned for a while, and then another horrifying scream escaped her mouth. "Argh!"

    Rachel''s heart was beating wildly as she witnessed the scene. She frantically gestured, pleading with the short-haired woman to let Amber go.

    Amber was the apple of Jefferey''s eye. If anything happened to her, no ordinary person would be able to handle the consequences. "What are you doing?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    A man''s voice came from the door. Rachel quickly looked up to see Julian at the door.

    Julian walked hurriedly-in. At the same time, the short-haired woman had already tossed Amber to the side.

    Amber staggered a little, and Julian hurried over to support her. "What happened?"

    "Julian!... I think my arm is broken." Amber was in so much pain that beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and she was close to tears. She leaned into Julian''s embrace and kept shouting, "It hurts so much!"

    Julian spoke to the short-haired woman coldly. "Who ordered you to do this? Do you know how long you''d be in jail for assaulting someone?"

    It''s not like that!

    Rachel immediately stood in front of the short-haired woman and shook her head furiously in Julian''s direction.

    She helped me.

    Julian was slightly stunned in disbelief.

    At that moment, Amber sobbed even louder in Julian''s arms. "Julian, it hurts so much that I''m going to die! Take me to the orthopedics and ask for Doctor Edwards! I think my arm is really broken." "You should take a trip to the psychiatry first."

    Rachel was still bewildered when a hand grabbed her. The short-haired woman had pulled her behind her, and she spoke with a poker face. "So you call a crazydy who sshes hot water on her patients a doctor?

    "Hot water?"

    Out of the corner of his eye, Julian saw the mess under the table and noticed that Rachel''s feet were swollen and red from the scalding. In an instant, he understood the events that transpired, and he pushed Amber away with a livid expression.

    "Ah!" Amber shrieked as she supported her dislocated arm, tears streaming down her face. Still, she gritted her teeth and said, "Julian, don''t believe them! They''re working together toy the me on me!" "I''ll be the judge of that." Julian sent her a cold re.

    Ever since he witnessed Amber''s wickedness at the pond in the Burton Residence, he knew then that Amber was no kind soul. He guessed that the incident today must also be Amber''s doing. Seeing the futility in covering the truth, Amber was so pissed that she started crying. "Julian, how could you!"

    "If you have time to yelp here, you''d be better off getting a doctor to join your bones back." The short haired woman nced at Amber and said meaningfully, "If you drag it out, there might be side effects even they were joined back."

    At that, Amber was so frightened that she went pale in the face. She could only manage to stutter, "Y You just wait! You''ll get awyer''s letter in no time!"

    After saying that, she ran away in haste, shielding her ''broken'' arm, and even her silhouette looked panicked. As soon as she was gone, Julian took Rachel''s hand. "Let me check for any injuries."

    Rachel sat by the bed and carefully lifted the legs of her pants. There was arge swollen area on the exposed surface, and blisters were already forming on her skin. Julian frowned inpassion. "Hang in there. I''ll go get some medicine."

    Following that, Julian left as quickly as he hade.

    After the door mmed shut, Rachel was left alone in the ward with the short-haired stranger, allowing

    her to finally have the time to observe and register her appearance.

    The stranger was a great deal taller than Rachel. She had a slender figure and was d in army green overalls and leather boots. The features on her face were bright and bold, and she looked cool yet spirited at the same time.

    She said, "My name is Janice Hawkins. Hans sent me."

    Her reply caught Rachel by surprise.

    Janice walked over to the corner where she had ced the gifts and picked up the fruits and flowers. She held them higher for Rachel to see. "He said that you got sick and were hospitalized. He thought he shouldn''t make an appearance, so he asked me to visit you in his stead."

 Chapter 60

    "Try to avoid water around your injured area, and take care not to burst the blisters."

    After Julian applied the ointment on Rachel''s injury, he told her, "The weather is too hot, so I won''t bandage it. Don''t let the nket touch it when you''re sleeping; just stick your legs out as much as possible." Thank you.

    Rachel expressed her thanks as she looked at Julian, but still, thetter was worried(This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar). "If Amberes again, you have to press the bell to call for a nurse. I''ve ryed the matters to the hospital, and they''ll get her transferred as soon as possible."

    Rachel''s pretty forehead wrinkled ever so slightly.

    It''ll be fine. You don''t have to go to such lengths for my sake.

    The tension between Amber and Rachel went beyond the hospital, so no matter where she went, as long as they saw each other, Amber would never give up on humiliating her sister.

    "Don''t worry. It''s not solely for your sake. Her character is ill-suited for a doctor." At that, Julian frowned and nced at his watch. "Just rest up first."

    Rachel''s gaze was soft as she nodded in response. When Julian was leaving, Janice was in the corridor making a call.

    "I''m already at the hospital, and I''m right outside her ward now. I met her just now too."

    "She seems to be fine, so she must be all right. I''ll askter."

    As she was talking, she saw Julian leaving the ward. They exchanged nces and gave each other a nod in ce of a greeting.

    "I''m hanging up. The doctor just left, so I''ll go in now."

    In the ward, Rachel invited Janice to take a seat.

    How did Hans find out that I''m staying here?

    After signing, Rachel realized that thetter might not understand, so she was about to take out her phone when Janice replied, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"He didn''t know either. I simply made deductions, and I only told him where you are just now."

    Rachel was stunned. You understand signnguage?

    Janice seemed to be at ease. "A little."

    "Hans mentioned that your grandma underwent surgery here before, and coincidentally, I have a friend in this hospital."

    After hearing her reply, Rachel nodded.

    Sorry for all the trouble you took toe here. I''m all right.

    "It''s not much trouble. Also, there''s something about you that I''m quite interested in."

    Rachel was bewildered.

    What about me?

    "The matter with Hudson Pharmaceuticals."Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Janice remained calm as she looked at Rachel in silence. However, her calm gaze caused Rachel''s heart to squeeze in panic.

    What do you want to ask me about?

    Janice asked, "Do you know anyone by the name of James Baker? Your father Jefferey might know him."

    Rachel thought for a while, confusion apparent on her face.

    "Or should I say, he also goes by the nickname ''Gunny''."

    At that, Rachel immediately nodded.

    "Gunny'' was one of Jefferey''s assistants. He used to drop by the Hudson Residence often, and he was also on good terms with Amber. Amber, too, used to call him ''Uncle Gunny''. "Have you seen him recently?"

    T haven''t seen him in a long while.

    "When was thest time you saw him?"

    Rachel tried to recall. Around half a year ago. I remember it was winter, and it was snowing. It was right before New Year''s.

    "Half a year ago?" Janice repeated the time, then asked, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)"Then do you remember what he brought to the Hudson Residence? What he said, what he did, anything of the sort?"

    To Janice''s dismay, Rachel shook her head. It had been too long, and she never liked to be in contact with such people. Every time they came, her grandmother would pull her aside and avoid them as much as possible, so she didn''t have much of a chance to see anything.

    Seeing Janice''s serious expression, Rachel couldn''t hold back her question.

    Why are you asking about him?

    Janice came to her senses and looked at Rachel. "Nothing, we just suspect that he''s a murderer on the

    run."

    Rachel was stunned, and her pupils constricted quickly.

    Murderer? she thought.

    Still emotionless, Janice changed the topic. "Right, other than asking me to visit you, Hans also asked me another thing."

    Rachel was still in shock and wasn''t able toe around; she simply stared at Janice in bewilderment.

    "Hans told me that you suspect that your mother was murdered. If it were true, then it wouldn''t be too far-fetched to assume that James was involved."

    Who exactly are you?

    Rachel forced herself to calm down and stared intently at Janice.

    "Oh right, I forgot to tell you what I do for a living." Janice lowered her head and retrieved her credentials from her pocket. "I am the vice leader of the Riverdale Investigation Bureau." Investigation Bureau? Rachel thought as she looked at the credentials in disbelief.

    Meanwhile, at the Burton Group Headquarters. Frankie rushed into Justin''s office with a document and a recording in hand.

    "Mr. Burton, after the birthday celebration, Miss Hudson really did go to Hudson Vineyard with Jefferey, and someone actually witnessed Jefferey taking Miss Hudson to the study."

    The recording was yed on Justin''sputer, and it showed footage from the CCTV at Hudson Vineyard. The screen showed Jefferey and Rachel getting out of the car together and walking into the residence.

    At theputer, Justin''s slender fingers were propped up against his chin, and the shadow cast on his face hid the scars out of view. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) Only his cold side profile was visible, and it was obvious that he frowned as he watched the recording.

    Looks like she wasn''t lying.

    Frankie handed the document to him. "Another thing. You asked me to investigate matters regarding Miss Hudson''s mother, and I found something that might need your immediate attention."

    Justin calmed himself down, took the document, then leaned against the chair as he flipped through it casually. Seeing therge words ''Missing Persons'' printed on the document, he had his gaze darkened. "What is this?"

    Frankie replied, "Not long ago, you asked me to investigate Miss Hudson''s background, but I found out that Miss Hudson had zero records before she returned to the Hudson Family. I got someone to dig deeper, then found out that... 8 years ago, Miss Hudson was trafficked."

    Trafficked?

    The expression on Justin''s face changed as he looked more closely at the files in the document.

    The word ''trafficked'' was almost a taboo to Justin.

    Caution was written all over Frankie''s face.

    "Even though we still haven''t figured out the exact situation at that time, we can infer from the timing of the report that Miss Hudson went missing at birth. 28 years ago, Jefferey filed a report at the police station in person, and he had been looking for her since then, until he found her again 20 years ago."

    Justin knew all too well what it was like to be trafficked by human traffickers. His hand held the papers with a little more force, and he tightened his grip until his knuckles went white. He couldn''t believe that Rachel was trafficked as well, and itsted for 8 whole years.

    "Mr. Burton" Frankie called Justin gingerly. "Are you all right?"

    Justin came to his senses, but still, he looked at the document in his hand, lost in thought. After a while, he ordered, "Get someone you can trust and ask them to pay Hudson Vineyard a visit." "Go take a few pictures."

    After Frankie left, Justin found that his gaze kept going to that document. He read the records time and again, and he still couldn''t calm down after a long while. He didn''t expect that Rachel went through the same experience he did.

    So, 20 years ago, when Jefferey set fire to everything, Rachel hadn''t been taken home to the Hudsons yet, and she was living in extremely difficult conditions. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)She must have been around Katie''s age then.

    For unknown reasons, when Justin connected all this to Professor Collins'' words, his frown deepened.

    Could it be that Rachel really had no idea that there was something wrong with the medicine from Jefferey?

 Chapter 61

    For several days in a row, Rachel didn''t see Justin. On the contrary, Janice came every day, bringing prepared meals with her.

    Sorry to trouble you.

    Rachel felt very embarrassed about it. Then, Janice opened the lunchboxes and put them on the table, saying, "I was entrusted by others to be faithful to you. Besides, I also have a favor to ask of you." Rachel''s eyebrows knitted slightly at that.

    If you''re asking about James, I really don''t know much about it. Other than my father, who was close to him, Amber was too, so maybe you should ask her.

    "No, we''ll alert them if I ask her. Oh yeah, you should not mention this matter to your family either. It''s for your own good."

    Rachel nodded a little to show that she understood, but she was still puzzled.

    You guys suspect that James killed someone, right? Who did he kill?

    "The sales agent of a pharmaceuticalpany."

    Why?

    "Our initial hypothesis is that it was due to businesspetition, and James was just a henchman who was instructed to do so."

    Rachel''s heart stuttered at that. Did this mean that Hudson Pharmaceuticals was involved? What about Dad?

    Aren''t you afraid of alerting them by telling me this?

    "You won''t." Janice looked at her, her gaze calm. "James is Jefferey''s tool. Aren''t you also suspecting that your mother''s death is rted to Jefferey? And don''t you already n to leave Riverdale? By the way, Hans asked me to bring word, saying that your grandma''s situation has been arranged. As long as you''re ready, you can leave Riverdale at any time."

    Hearing these words, Rachel had her face suddenly be tense, and her fingers clutching the silverware trembled slightly.

    She had to leave because she could never hide the fake prescription from Justin.

    It waste in the evening when the roar of nes crossed over the Riverdale airport. After the van picked up the people from the terminal building, it drove down the airport highway.

    "Mr. Burton, it''s still necessary for you to personallye. This time, the contract for Brentwood New City has finally been signed, so the engineering team can go ahead and carry out tasks with confidence." Holding the contract in his hand, Frankie couldn''t hold back his joy.

    Justin said, "Don''t take it lightly. They might jump the gun."

    "You mean Jason Burton,"

    "He has suffered a loss this time. I''m afraid the marriage between Tina and the Hindenburgs will have to be ahead of the agenda."

    "Don''t worry, the things you asked me to prepare have been ready for a long time."

    Justin nodded slightly.

    "Mr. Burton, I believe you must be tired after these few days. Let''s send you home to restter.ˇ±

    "No, we''ll go to the hospital."

    Hearing the crisp reply, Frankie felt his heart thump faster. Somehow, he inexplicably felt worried for Rachel.

    It was already dark when Julian took Rachel''s examination report and knocked on the door to enter the ward. When he came in, Rachel was leaning on the bed, looking at the moonlight outside the window. "Do you want to go out for a walk?" Julian''s voice pulled Rachel''s thoughts back. Then, she froze for a moment and turned her head back.

    Putting his hands in the pockets of his white coat, Julian showed her a warm smile. "It should be boring for you to stay in the ward all the time, right? The rosebuds are blooming outside, so I''ll take you out to have a look."

    Rachel hesitated for a moment but nodded. She didn''t tell Julian that she was leaving Riverdale, so she still had to thank him for taking care of her these days.

    The hospital''s courtyard wall was filled with rose vines of all colors at this moment as Julian helped Rachel walk toward the small pavilion. "Your health indicators are already normal, but the injury of your foot has yet to heal, so it''s not convenient for you to walk around. Therefore, I still rmend you stay in the hospital for two more days for observation before being discharged; it''s safer that way."

    It''s better for me to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible.

    "Why are you in such a hurry? Do you have something to do?"

    Nothing. I''m just bored staying in the hospital.

    Julian nodded to show that he understood.

    By the way, thank you for taking care of me this time, and thank you for helping to hide this from my grandma.

    "It''s fine. However, do you still n to keep the matter of your marriage to my brother hidden from her?"

    Rachel thought for a moment. There should be no need for that in the future.

    Hearing that, Julian froze. "Are you nning to tell her?"

    Rachel was about to answer when her gaze suddenly withdrew for a moment, and her hand trembled before she reflexively pulled it out of Julian''s hand.

    "What''s wrong?" Confused, Julian followed Rachel''s gaze only to see Justining toward them.

    "Justin? When did youe?"

    Justin had been here for a while. When he didn''t see Rachel in the ward, he looked through the window and saw the scene of Julian holding Rachel as they went for a walk downstairs.

    "I just arrived." With that said, he fixed his gaze on Rachel and continued, "Are you so seriously injured? Why don''t I have someone get you a wheelchair so that you can go out easily." Hearing that, Rachel turned pale, and she bit her lip.

    Julian''s gaze settled on his brother, and he said, "Justin, Rachel''s foot is injured."

    The weather was hot, and despite Julian''s repeated instructions to be careful, Rachel''s burns still

    I had to be wrapped up in gauze, and now, with gauze wrapped around her feet and her wearingrge slippers that didn''t fit her feet, she was having a hard time walking.

    Justin''s eyebrows knitted slightly, and his gaze fell on the injured foot. "How did you get it infected?"

    It''s nothing; it''s almost healed.

    Rachel wasn''t willing to exin further.

    "It''s wounded again, even though the old wounds are not yet healed. Therefore, she still needs more rest. Justin, if you are too busy with your work, you don''t need toe to the hospital so often. I am here to take care of her."

    Due to the medicine, Julian had been wary of Justin. Thus, he was about to support Rachel to go back to the ward when Justin stopped them with a dark look. "Wait."

    Rachel''s shoulders trembled when she felt Justin''s tug on her arm. Then, she looked up at him with shock and fear.

    Instantly, Julian''s face changed. "She''s already hurt in such a manner; what else do you want? Don''t go overboard!"

    "Dr. Peters, you''re too dedicated to your patient." Justin gave him a sideways nce and picked up Rachel in front of him. "But you seem to have forgotten that she is my legal wife.ˇ±

    At that, Rachel''s mind went nk as she looked up and saw the slightly green stubble on the man''s sharp chin. The outline of his whole face was extraordinarily cold and angr when illuminated by the moonlight. Suddenly, the summer breeze blew, blowing the roses in the courtyard and making the petals fall on the ground. After that,rge dark clouds in the distant sky crept in, as if there was a big storming.

    At this moment, the corridor was full of people staring at them, so Rachel struggled to get down.

    "You''d better not move."

    A deep, cold voice rang in her ears as she did so.

    "But if you really want to sit in a wheelchair, I don''t mind either."Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Rachel shivered as she used one hand to clutch the corner of her hospital gown tightly. The faint smell of tobo that came from the man''s body was familiar, yet struck fear into her heart.

    Later, Justin put her back on the hospital bed and swept a nce at her. "How did your foot get hurt?"

    Rachel clutched the sheets, her face pale.

    I identally burned it.

    "You did this to yourself?"

    Seeing that she didn''t speak again, Justin frowned before pouring a cup of water. On seeing Rachel''s fearful expression, his frown deepened, and he handed over the cup. "Have some warm water." Hearing that, Rachel revealed a stunned look of disbelief.

 Chapter 62

    "I''ve taken the prescription to have it analyzed. If this prescription is true, I''ll let bygones be bygones." As Justin''s voice fell, Rachel felt flustered.

    Then, Justin nced around the ward, where there were a few piles of fruits and flowers. "Someone came to see you?"

    Rachel''s heart thudded, and she tried to suppress her anxiety. My friends came by.

    Justin didn''t seem to think much about it as he replied, "Since you''re injured, stay in the hospital for two more days, and go back when you''ve recuperated fully." No need. I can be discharged tomorrow.

    "Tomorrow?" Justin looked at her gauze-covered foot and said firmly, "No."

    I still have to go back to work at the library.

    "You don''t have to worry about that; your leave is already approved."

    At that, Rachel looked stunned, as Justin seemed to be different from his usual self today.

    As they were talking, the sound of a door opening came from outside. "Justin, when did you arrive?"

    The voice of Amber interrupted the conversation between the two people. As soon as Rachel heard her voice, her foot hurt reflexively.

    Frowning, Justin questioned unhappily, "Why didn''t you knock on the door?"

    Amber put out her tongue at him and smiled intimately at him. "I forgot. After all, I got too excited to hear that you''re here. You''ve been away for work for so long and didn''t even pick up the phone." Justin answered indifferently, "I was busy."

    "I understand; work is important."

    Amber stood in the doorway for a while, then suddenly looked at Rachel before warning her, "Rachel, you need to rest more since you are injured. Why are you still running around? Others in the hospital are talking about you."

    Rachel pursed her lips and did not say a word. No wonder Amber came so quickly.

    "Is there something wrong?" Justin looked at Amber.

    "Can''t I look for you even when nothing is wrong?" Amber instantly turned around and pulled out a chair to sit

    "Actually, I''ve received Tina''s invitation yesterday. She''s going to be engaged at the end of this month. Justin, since you don''t have a female partner and I don''t have a male partner either, why don''t we go together?"

    Hearing these words, Rachel looked upset, and she silently clenched her fists. She was very self aware, but it was too awful of Amber to say this in front of her.

    Justin nced at her and replied, "Let Julian apany you."

    "Why?"

    "I have a female partner, so I can''t apany you."

    Amber''s face changed, and she said sharply, "How is that possible? Who is it? Why didn''t I know about this?"

    A trace of impatience surfaced on Justin''s face. Looking at Amber, he said, "Don''t you remember the engagement party of my family? Is it hard to guess who my female partner is?"Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    "You mean.." Amber''s face stiffened, and she subconsciously looked at Rachel. Justin actually wants to bring Rachel to attend the party?

    Rachel was also surprised as she looked at them in disbelief.

    Gritting her teeth, Amber still said obstinately, "She''s injured. I don''t think she can go."

    "There is no hurry. The engagement party is at the end of the month, so there is still time."

    Hearing that, Amber felt speechless. Seeing that Justin looked cold and unwilling to entertain her anymore, she suddenly thought of something and said to Rachel, "Did you tell Justin something? You got injured because you were careless and didn''t hold the cup properly. You can''t use me of that!"

    Rachel frowned. For a moment, she didn''t know whether Amber was stupid or what. Justin''s face changed as he looked at Amber and questioned, "Her injury is rted to you?"

    Shocked, Amber panicked. "No, I don''t mean that. Justin, it has nothing to do with me. They wronged me! That woman even twisted my arm. -"

    "That''s enough!" Justin frowned coldly.

    Seeing his expression, Amber felt despair filling her. "Justin, don''t misunderstand me. I''ll exin to you another time."

    With that, Amber red at Rachel and then quickly left. As the door of the ward closed with a click, the room returned to silence. Whenever Justin and Rachel were alone together, they always felt that the room was extra quiet. She couldn''t talk, and she did things carefully and cautiously, as if she was always trying to make herself invisible.

    "Was your injury caused by Amber?"

    Rachel clutched the sheets and did not say anything; she had no intention of provoking a disagreement between them. "You''re both daughters of the Hudson Family. Even if you are the illegitimate one, you don''t have to be so submissive." Looking at her unresponsive appearance, Justin coldly barked, "Did you hear what I said?"

    Rachel trembled in fear and looked at Justin in trepidation.

    "Your weakness and ipetence are a disgrace to me!"

    When Rachel saw Justin''s irritated look, she suddenly felt that this man was not as unfeeling as outsiders said. Perhaps he just didn''t want to hurt her.

    If you want, I can leave your family, and you can marry Amber.

    Justin''s expression sank as he fixed his gaze on her.

    It wasn''t me that you wanted to marry initially either, and you know that it was my father''s arrangement for me to stay by your side. So, instead of suspecting me of harming you all the time like this, why don''t you let me go?

    "What makes you think I will let you go?"

    I''m no use to you. No matter if you want to deal with the Hudson Family or do something else, Amber is more suitable than me.

    Rachel was calm as she gestured with her pair of fair and slender hands. She still had a glimmer of expectation that Justin would let her go since she had no value to him, so she could leave Riverdale with her grandmother openly.

    "What kind of ce do you think my family is? You cane and go whenever you want?" Justin''s hands pressed hard on the sheets as his tall figure enveloped Rachel in it. At that, her shoulders jerked, and she backed up reflexively.

    "Let you go? Let you go so that you can remind Jefferey that I''m looking for the Hudson Family''s remedy?"

    I won''t do that! Rachel hurriedly shook her head.

    "I don''t believe it." Justin stared at her coldly and continued, "I''ve only ever believed in things I can control in my own hands or dead people."

    Taken aback, Rachel froze on the spot, unable to move.

    "You''d better stay here and not make a fool of yourself. It''s not for you to say which one among you is more valuable."

    With that, Justin straightened up and left, banging the door as he went. As the cold wind blew across Rachel''s face, she shivered. Clenching her fists, she looked in the direction of the door, her brows furrowing.

    How could she forget that for Justin, she was simply a ything in his palm and a pawn against the Hudson Family? Even if she was an unwanted child, it was impossible for him to discard her like that. Outside the corridor, Justin looked angry. Frankie had been waiting there and spoke when he saw Justin. "Mr. Burton. Just now, Miss Amber came out crying. Is she-"

    Before he could finish, Justin nced at the door and interrupted, "Book a restaurant tomorrow and invite her out for dinner."

    Frankie froze for a moment, but he did not dare to ask more. "Yes, sir."

 Chapter 63

    The next morning, Rachel insisted on going through with the discharge procedure. Therefore, Julian took half a day off to send her back to the Burton Residence.

    "My mother is not at home today, so you can take a good rest for a day," he urged as he helped her back to her room. "Even if you are recuperating at home, you should rest well. Don''t move around as your injury will take at least three to five days to fully heal."

    She nodded. Thank you.

    Then, Julian nced at a figure hiding by the door before he deliberately raised his voice and added, "Some servants in the family have stayed here for a long time and have thus forgotten their identity. Although I am not the head of this house, I still have the power to dismiss servants."

    The shadow at the door shifted for a moment before it was Mrs. Duncan who walked out. She sheepishly answered, "Young Master Peters, I just care about Ra-I just care about Mrs. Burton and wanted to see whether there is anything I can help with."

    Julian snorted coldly. "Is that so? You''re not here to spy on us?"

    At that, Mrs. Duncan''s face paled.

    He warned, "I''m going back to work in the afternoon, so you better serve her well. If anything happens to her, my brother won''t let you off the hook."

    She hurriedly nodded, not daring to say anything more.

    When he left, she stood in the doorway and looked at Rachel before speaking in an odd way, "Mrs. Burton, what do you want to eat tonight? I''ll have the kitchen prepare it."

    Rachel shook her head. I don''t have much appetite. Don''t mind me; just close the door for me.

    "You need to eat a little. I''ll have the kitchen prepare something light for you."

    Mrs. Duncan''s uncharacteristic manner left Rachel feeling puzzled, but Rachel thought that her behavior was a result of Julian''s words just now. So, Rachel didn''t think much about it. "Please rest first and I will send up the food tonight."

    Once Mrs. Duncan left, Rachel carefully got out of bed and opened her suitcase. Then, she ced the small wooden box that her mother left her into the canvas bag she usually took with her. Rachel did not intend to bring many things with her when she left Riverdale as a little savings and her mother''s items would be enough.

    At night, Rachel ate some food before she felt tired. Then, she pulled the covers over her and went to sleep. At this time, the sound of an engine roared in the courtyard. It wasn''t long before Amber helped Justin into the living room.

    "Oh, Amber, what''s wrong with Justin? Has he been drinking?" Sue eximed and went forward to help.

    "Madam Parham, Justin seems to be drunk. I''ll send him up to rest." Amber had a concerned look.

    "Miss Amber, you drank a lot too. Are you alright?" Mrs. Duncan wanted to lend a hand, but Sue''s nce had stopped her from doing so.

    Then, Sue instructed, "Mrs. Duncan, go and search for some hangover remedy and send it upter.

    Amber, you should send Justin to his room. It''s the second room on your left on the second floor. Don''t enter the wrong room."Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Amber nodded as she met Sue''s gaze, trying to suppress her excitement that even her hands that were supporting Justin trembled. Sue smiled meaningfully and added, "Amber, please take good care of Justin."

    "I will, Madam Parham."

    After she ced Justin on the bed, Amber carefully probed him. "Justin, are you okay?"

    However, Justin remained unresponsive as hey on the bed.

    Upon seeing that, she carefully removed a white paper bag from her purse before she turned her back on him to pour the substance from the bag into a cup of water by the bed. "Justin, drink some water. You''ll feel better."

    As he was knocked out from the alcohol, he did not react as she poured half the cup of water down his throat. After she ced the cup aside, she then climbed onto him and pulled off his shirt.

    At that instance, the man''s wheat-colored chest waspletely exposed in front of her while his cold and handsome face was like the embodiment of desire such that she couldn''t help but want to leap on

    him.

    While Amber kneeled on his body, she began to remove her own clothes.

    In his state of drunkenness, the man suddenly opened his eyes. A startled Amber paled with fear as she stammered, "Y-You''re not drunk..."

    In the next second, the man''s gaze drifted up before he fiercely rolled the woman over and pressed her down. As his alcoholic breath came toward her, she looked into his handsome and drunk face. Suddenly, she came back to her senses and calmed down. After drinking so much tonight, how could he still be sober? Not to mention, she had given him that packet of pills!

    While the man ripped her clothes, she immediately went all in. Moving around to circle the man''s neck with her arms, she called out to him in a soft voice, "Justin..."

    At this time in the living room on the first floor, Sue listened to themotioning from upstairs and she couldn''t hide a smug smile. She waved her hand toward Mrs. Duncan before she said, "There''s no need to send it."

    Mrs. Duncan understood and ced the hangover remedy aside.

    "By the way, that mute-"

    "Don''t worry, I''ve included a sufficient amount of sleeping pills in the food given to her earlier. She won''t wake up tonight, so she definitely won''t ruin anything."

    "That''s great then. This is such a golden chance, so she must not ruin it. She''s just a useless mute, so how can she even begin to fight for a ce in the family? Dream on," Sue snarkily replied.

    She knew that Justin had invited Amber out for dinner, so she guessed that they would be intimateter at night. After all, she had confidence in Amber''s wiles and tricks. All Sue needed to do was to go with the flow and take care of that mute for them.

    "Madam, isn''t it a bit too risky for us to do this?" Mrs. Duncan looked concerned. "If outsiders know

    about this, isn''t this bad for the reputation of the Burton Family?"

    Sueughed. "Who will spread this around? Amber?"

    Mrs. Duncan looked startled. "Young Master Justin will me us for this, though."

    "What does this have to do with us? Amber was the one who brought him back and we can''t control what they doter, right? Don''t think so much about it. We didn''t do anything." After saying this, Sue yawned and went toward the bedroom. "I''ll get a good night''s sleep tonight."

    It was alreadyte at night, so Rachel was in a deep sleep and having a dream. Suddenly, she vaguely felt like someone had pulled her up as the cold breeze snaked into her pajamas, making her shiver and subconsciously stretch out with her hands to pull the quilt up. However, before her hand could even reach the quilt, she was pressed down and something entered her body in the next second.

    "Ahhh!"

    The d¨¦j¨¤ vu feeling invaded all Rachel''s limbs, causing her to cry out in pain and shock. Then, she was jolted awake from her dream and when she opened her eyes, she saw the man who was riding on her body.

    Justin! How could he be here!

    Cold sweat instantly broke out from Rachel''s back at that sight. She wanted to scream, but she couldn''t as she desperately tried to escape this nightmare. This must be a nightmare.

    With bloodshot eyes, Justin looked like a beast that had escaped its cage and was nearly ripping her apart. No matter how she struggled, he had her in his grip. Next, the sweat slid down the scars on the man''s face andnded on her face as it mixed with her tears.

 Chapter 64

    The next day.

    "Madam! Madam,e upstairs and take a look!"

    The inside of the room was dim and the curtains were drawn tight.

    Rachel was woken up by the shouts outside the room. With a bang, the door of the room opened from outside. She cowered in fear before the pain on her feet forced her to open her eyes.

    Sue stood at the door and with just a nce, she saw Rachel with her bare shoulders and the room was messy. She immediately became upset and scolded, "What the hell is going on?" The room still smelled of lovemaking while the floor was scattered with women''s intimate clothing. On top of that, there was blood on the sheets mixed with unknown stains too. It was not difficult to imagine what had happened in this roomst night.

    However, Rachel was bewildered. What happenedst night? The soreness all over her body was reminding her ofst night''s memory. She was deep asleep when Justin suddenly barged in and tore her clothes. No matter how much she had struggled, he pounced and wrestled with her like a wild animal. As she shuddered violently, she did not dare to believe the scene before her.

    "Madam, Miss Amber is still in Young Master Justin''s room." Mrs. Duncan''s voice came from behind Sue.

    Sue red at Rachel. "Hurry up and wear your clothes! Are you nning to show your body for the whole family to see? What a shameless thing!" With these words, Sue and Mrs. Duncan left in a hurry. Rachel''s mind went nk as her ears buzzed.

    On the other hand, Amber woke up alone from Justin''s bed in the master bedroom. She was unclothed while therge room was empty, save for herself. "Amber." Sue hurriedly entered.

    "Madam Parham!" As soon as Amber saw Sue, she immediately jumped into Sue''s arms and cried.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "What''s wrong with you?"

    "I don''t know, Madam Parham. Why am I here? Isn''t this Justin''s room? My clothes... Me and Justin..." Amber burst into tears.

    Sue looked around the messy bed before she revealed a puzzled look. "Amber, don''t cry first. What happenedst night?"

    "I don''t know, I don''t remember anything!" Amber''s eyes were red and tears were falling from them. "If my father knows about it, he will kill me!"

    Was Amber trying to ckmail the Burton Family? As she was a sly old fox herself, Sue looked slightly contemptuous as she nced at Mrs. Duncan.

    Mrs. Duncan immediately understood and added, "Miss Amber, don''t cry first. Young Master Justin went out early in the morning and he seemed to be sleeping in Mrs. Burton''s roomst night."

    At these words, Amber''s tears stopped abruptly and she looked at Mrs. Duncan incredulously.

    Sueforted Amber by patting her shoulder. "It''s okay, Amber; if you can''t remember it, you can

    slowly think about it. Go and wash up first while I''ll have someone send you a set of clean clothes." After saying this, Sue waved her hand and brought Mrs. Duncan away with her.

    As soon as the door closed, Sue''s expression sank. "Useless fellow. She literally allowed the chance to slip away herself."

    Mrs. Duncan asked, "Then, about what happenedst night..."

    "We won''t bother with it. Let her figure it out herself." A furious Sue coldly added, "That mute ended up benefiting from it!"

    Inside the room, Amber''s face was gloomy. Did Justin actually sleep in Rachel''s roomst night?

    It was noon at the headquarters of Burton Group when Justin ended his call in exasperation after he noted the number of missed calls on his phone. After a while, Frankie came in a hurry. "President Burton, Miss Amber called again. She said she wants to see you."

    "Tell her that I''m not avable."

    "Yes, sir." Frankie nodded.

    Justin had an ugly expression earlier this morning.

    "Were there any other calls besides hers?"

    Frankie was taken aback. "No."

    Justin''s eyebrows instantly knotted together before he threw the phone onto the table in impatience.

    It was out of necessity when he used that woman to vent his desire. Last night, he wasn''t drunk at all, but he wanted to see what kind of tricks Amber had up her sleeves. However, he didn''t expect her to be so bold as to dare to drug him. However, when he woke up early in the morning and saw Rachel''s tear stained face beside him, he suddenly felt indescribable guilt in his heart and hurriedly fled.

    "Mr. Burton, if you have no other orders, I''ll take my leave first." Frankie''s voice pulled back Justin''s thoughts.

    Justin frowned and answered, "Wait. Go and find a geomancy master who can read my fortune toe to my office."

    "Huh?" Frankie froze for a moment, looking incredulous. A geomancy masterwho can tell one''s fortune? "President Burton, what do you want to do? I thought you didn''t believe in that." "Just do as you''re told."

    Frankie nodded. "Yes, I''m going."

    Justin acted in an extremely irritated manner today and several heads of departments were scolded early in the morning. Thus, it was better to talk less and just focus on work.

    It had rained all afternoon in Riverdale and the drizzle only stopped in the evening. Mrs. Duncan knocked on the door with dinner again with a shifty look. "Mrs. Burton, dinner is ready." Just put it on the table, thanks.

    "I don''t care when you eat the food, but I have to watch you take this medicine."

    Medicine?

    Since Rachel was taken aback, she looked up and saw the box of medicine in Mrs. Duncan''s hands. Then, she noticed thebel ''morning after pills'' on it. She felt a stabbing pain in her heart for no reason, which caused her face to pale at once. If Justin didn''t want her to get pregnant, why did he treat her that wayst night?

    She remembered all that happenedst night. In fact,pared to their wedding night, he even gave her the illusion of being gentlest night. However, at this moment, the pills told her that it was really just a mirage.

    As Mrs. Duncan thought that Rachel was unwilling to take the pills, she said, "Mrs. Burton, this is not me giving you a hard time, so don''t make it difficult for me."

    Give it to me. Rachel stretched her hand out.

    After she watched Rachel finishing her medicine, Mrs. Duncan was relieved and added contemptuously, "Remember to eat your food."

    Rachel did not respond as she held the cup with a gloomy face. Perhaps the pills had dissolved too quickly as she felt a burst of bitterness in her throat.

    Then, the phone on the table lit up for a moment before a text message from Hans popped out. ''How is it going? You''re discharged from the hospital and returned to the Burton Family, right?''

    Rachel collected her thoughts and quickly replied with two words. I''m fine!

    Then, Hans asked, ''Grandma''s side has been arranged for. How much luggage do you have? Do you need my help?''

    ''Not much; I have nothing to take with me!

    Rachel nced at the canvas bag hanging by the door. Only her mother''s belongings and her bank card were in the bag and she needed to leave Riverdale with as little as possible, so she didn''t n to take anything else with her to avoid alerting others to her n.

    ''Okay, when you''re ready to go, let me know!

    As she typed on the phone, the door opened from behind her. When she looked up, she met the gaze from a pair of narrow and cold eyes and her hands trembled. With a plop, the phone fell with a loud sound in the quiet room.

    A frowning Justin looked at the floor and asked, "What are you doing?"

 Chapter 65

    The phone on the ground was still disying the WhatsApp screen and the lighting from the screen was piercing her eyes. Before she coulde back to her senses, Justin''s long legs had already stopped in front of her before he slowly bent down. Rachel''s face immediately pale as her heart started to race.

    Right when she was about to take her phone, the screen suddenly dimmed before it blinked to lock itself.

    "Check whether it''s still working."

    As she stared at the phone that he handed her, she gingerly took it. It should be fine.

    "Have you eaten yet?"

    Justin''s gazended on the table and he wasn''t suspicious at all.

    The dishes that Mrs. Duncan sent over were still releasing steam.

    When Rachel calmed down, she ced her phone on the table with the screen facing downward and she acted like nothing happened.

    Why did you return much earlier today?

    Justin frowned. "What? Do you want me toe backter?"

    Rachel was taken aback. That''s not what I meant.

    While gazing at her, he threw a document file on the table. "Take a look at this."

    The ck filended on the table with a silent thud.

    After she hesitantly opened the document file, Rachel''s pupils constricted when she read the content of the document before her frail shoulders started trembling.

    There was a sealed rune paper in a stic bag on the first page. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) It was exactly the same as the one she saw in Jefferey''s darkroom with detailed exnations next to the rune paper.

    "Those in geomancy said that this is used to subdue vengeful souls and it has a ritual along with it. It''s not easy to carry out the ritual unless you have murdered someone or caused someone''s death." Rachel''s head abruptly shot up before she looked at Justin in disbelief.

    "Don''t give me that look. I don''t believe in this, but I still find it weird that Jefferey keeps items like this in his darkroom, so I had someone investigate it to see whether we can get something. It seems like he''s probably involved in your mother''s death at this rate."

    At this moment, Rachel''s hand that grasped the document tightened to the point where the joints of her fingers turned pale.

    Although she couldn''t understand what the rune had meant, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) she knew that it wasn''t a good omen when she saw her mother''s tomb being chained by four crippled men in red.

    Why did you help me to investigate this?

    "Since we had a deal where you help me to look for the medication form, I can assist in investigating the mystery behind your mother''s death."

    Her eyes darkened.

    To be honest, she didn''t want Justin to help her out with this.

    This man was too maniptive. Even if he really wanted to lend her a helping hand to investigate her mother''s death, he might end up using it as a leverage to coerce her in the future.

    There wouldn''t be any good ending if she were to make a deal with the demon, but she had no choice but to follow along with it.

    Thank you.

    Rachel felt anxious as she looked at Justin and noticed that he hadn''t left.

    Is there anything else?

    At the same time, he was staring at the woman in front of him intently as he couldn''t seem to forget about what happened yesterday night.

    He had been like this for the entire day.

    At first, Justin concluded that it was due to the effects of the alcoholbined with the drug that Amber gave him yesterday, but he could feel his body getting heated up the moment he saw Rachel again. "Did you know that Amber drugged me after sending me home yesterday night?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel looked stunned before she quickly shook her head. I didn''t know.

    "Is that so? Are you sure that Jefferey didn''t ask Amber to seduce me since he couldn''t rely on you to do so?"

    Amber? That''s impossible. If he wanted to do that, he wouldn''t have asked me to rece her as your bride.

    Upon hearing that, the man''s narrowed eyes became cold.

    Are you sure you were drugged yesterday night?

    Justin looked at her. "Why do you sound disappointed?"

    At that, Rachel was taken aback before her face flushed red. That''s not what I meant

    "What do you mean then?"

    She took a step back instinctively. When her back was closely pressed against the back of the chair, the strap of her night gown suddenly slid off her shoulder, revealing her pale shoulder. In the meanwhile, the other thin strap of her night gown rested on her corbone and looked like it might snap anytime soon.

    His pupils constricted, causing her to anxiously pull up her strap.

    "What are you trying to cover when I''ve already seen everything?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Upon hearing that, Rachel became so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear. Still, she couldn''t help but think about what happenedst night before her face blushed even more.

    As he watched the woman in front of him bit her lips and sucked in her cheeks, Justin''s frown deepened.

    A whileter, she gasped loudly when he dragged her to the bed.

    She could feel her mind bing nk the moment her nightgown was peeled off.

    As the sky darkened, the Burton Family''s summer vi was illuminated by yellow lights.

    Tina''s outfit was in a mess as shey on the couch while wearing her green spectacles. The television in front of her was currently ying a foreign romance movie while she was surrounded by bottles of alcohol on the ground.

    ''ng!'' The loud noise of beer bottles shing into each other rang from the entrance of the door.

    "Who said that you are allowed to drink a lot? What if someone else sees you like this?"

    Jason was standing in the living room and the moment he saw her looking like she was in a mess, he was pissed off. "Don''t forget that you''re getting engaged at the end of the month!"

    However, she didn''t spare him any nces before she chuckled coldly. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) "Don''t worry, I won''t forget about that. I''ll marry into the Hindenburg Family as you wish and help you with your business."

    "What are you talking about? Isn''t this arrangement for your own good? Noah Hindenburg is young and sessful. Everyone in Riverdale will be envious of your marriage!" Upon noticing that Tina couldn''t be bothered by what he had said, Jason dropped the topic. However, his expression turned serious. "I''m here to discuss something with you."

    "What is it? I''m listening."

    "Do not interfere with anything rted to Justin."

    When she heard those words, Tina burst intoughter with an obnoxious expression.

    "Are you even listening to what I''m saying?!" Jason raised his voice. "He has removed all of the men whom I''ve arranged for the project in Brentwood New City. Although he''s considered young among your generation, his connection runs deep. Try not to offend him, do you hear me?"

    "Alright," she answered nonchntly before pulling her nket. "I''m going to rest now. If you still want to lecture me, you can continue to do so!"

    "You,"

    His eyes widened in anger and he couldn''t be bothered to talk to Tina any longer when he saw her slumped state. If it weren''t for the engagement at the end of the month, he would have asked her to kneel for a few more days.

    "You better behave yourself for the rest of the month! If not, that kid''s not going to make it back alive!"

    The sound of the door mming shut echoed throughout the room.

    After a long while, Tina suddenly rose from the couch before she took the whiskey bottle next to her and took a huge gulp from it. Then, she aimed the bottle at the television screen in front of her.

    "What a bunch of useless losers! Why can''t I offend him? (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)So what if I do it? He can try to kill me if he can!"

    The sound of the ringing phone on the table finally reached her ears after a series of crashing noises.

    However, her gaze darkened upon seeing the caller ID.

 Chapter 66

    Although it was already midnight, the bars along Riverdale''s Vista Road were still brightly illuminated by the streetlights.

    "Why did you ask me out sote at night?"

    Tina toyed with the wine ss on the table as she dragged her sharp nails along the surface of the ss.

    Then, Amber exined, "Remember when you wanted me to investigate Henry''s current location? | managed to get it two days ago."

    Tina''s expression changed at that moment and she was bing agitated. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier? Where is he now?"

    "He''s at a factory situated in the north of Africa. That''s probably the furthest foreign factory under the Burton Group. Your father had transferred him there to be a coolie."

    "Send me his exact address."

    "I''m afraid doing that would be useless." Amber frowned with a conflicted expression.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Then, she opened the gallery in her phone before she pushed her phone slowly toward Tina''s direction.

    Under the illuminating bar lights, the dazzling phone disy showed the image of a foreign death certificate with Henry''s name printed on it.

    It was at this moment when Tina''s pupils constricted before she snatched the phone in disbelief.

    "Two days ago, my men returned with the news that Henry was robbed on his way to purchase supplies and by the time those from the Burton Group found him, he was already gone.."

    "That''s impossible" Tina mumbled as her face paled. Then, she quickly contacted someone and asked with a cold voice, "Hugh, where is Henry right now?"

    "I don''t want to listen to your excuses! If you don''t tell me where he is now, I''ll make sure that you won''t be working in Burton Group from tomorrow onward!"

    After she heard something from the other end of the call, her gaze slowly dimmed.

    She suddenly threw the phone aside in anger, which resulted in a loud crash and causing Amber to shriek before she stared at Tina in fear.

    A secondter, tears started to fall from Tina''s eyes.

    A whileter, Amberposed herself before she tried to console Tina. "Tina, you have to stay strong because it''s impossible for the dead to be resurrected. I feel like I''m also partly responsible for this as I shouldn''t have invited you over for my father''s birthday party. If I hadn''t done that, Rachel wouldn''t have discovered the truth and the subsequent events wouldn''t have..."

    Tina''s eyes were red. "Rachel..."

    She repeatedly mumbled Rachel''s name as she continued downing shots after shots of whiskey.

    An eye for an eye, Tina swore to exact revenge on those who caused Henry''s death.

    The morning sunlight pierced through the curtains the next morning.

    Rachel woke up from her dream and she opened her eyes to see the repetitive patterns of the ceiling. It took her a while to recover from her daze when she heard the sound of water running down the drain in the bathroom.

    A whileter, she quickly closed her eyes and turned around when she heard the bathroom door opening.

    The sound of soft footsteps was approaching closer toward her before the other person sat by the bedside. "Still tired from yesterday?"

    Justin''s simple words had caused Rachel''s eyelids to twitch before her face flushed. After she forced herself to open her eyes, she cautiously wrapped the nket around her before she sat up.

    Then, hemented nonchntly, "I was still wondering how long you''re going to keep up the act."

    His hair was still wet as water droplets continued to drip onto his tanned chest before it fell into his towel.

    As she recalled what had happened yesterday night, Rachel lost all courage to look at the man.

    After wearing his shirt, Justin looked at her before he sneered, "I can''t believe you are unable to even fake being asleep. What was Jefferey thinking when he sent you over?"

    With that, he rose to his feet and prepared to leave. However, a hand reached out from the nket and grabbed hold of him.

    When he turned around to see the woman, he noticed that most of her flushed face was hidden under the nket as she stared at him with teary eyes.

    A frowning Justin stared at her from above before he asked, "Do you want me to apany you?"

    Rachel immediately quickly shook her head before her slender finger cautiously pointed at his shirt.

    Your shirt button''s wrong.

    He was taken aback and looked down to see that two of his buttons had been wrongly buttoned, making him look disheveled.

    A whileter, his deep voice rang out in the room. "Do it for me."

    A stunned Rachel had no choice but to extend her bare arms and grab her nket with one hand while she used another hand to undo the buttons on Justin''s shirt amidst his pressurizing gaze.

    As he stared at her exposed bare shoulder, his dark pupils slowly constricted. "Are you taking your sweet time so that you can try to seduce me?"

    Rachel paused and quickly shook her head.

    I''m not

    "You''re not what?"

    She followed the direction of Justin''s gaze and looked down before gasping and tightening her hold on the nket. At this moment, her pale face went as red as a tomato before she quickly hid her face underneath the nket.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Justin didn''t know why, but his mood brightened when he saw Rachel being so anxious.

    After he buttoned his shirt again, he got up and left.

    "It''s still early. You should continue sleeping if you''re still tired."

    Justin''s maic low voice along with a slight hint of gentleness echoed through the room.

    By the time Rachel came back to her senses, he had already left. It seems like this is the first time

    Justin has actually spoken to me with so much calm. Is he worried about me?

    She was confused.

    Buzz

    The sound of the vibrating phone rang out from the side of the bed.

    When Rachel saw Hans'' text messages on her phone, she quickly returned to her senses.

    In the library, he was walking past rows and rows of bookshelves while pushing his cart, helping her to ce books on the higher parts of the shelves. "Is your leg better now?"

    Rachel nodded. It''s almost healed.

    "How''s the packing?"

    I''m almost done since I don''t have much to pack in the first ce and I can leave anytime I want to. I''m just worried about Grandma.

    As Nancy''s condition was unstable, she might not be able to withstand the long distance travel.

    Upon hearing that, Hans suggested, "I can help you with that. I have a friend who works in a private hospital and he can help you out. If you send your grandma to the hospital earlier, they can help to make your identity anonymous."

    However, Rachel looked hesitant. That might not be possible. If I send Grandma over, it would be hard for me to keep it a secret. Moreover, Justin might be able to trace everything to you, so you''ll be dragged into this as well.

    "I''m fine with it."

    No. She shook her head with determination and rejected Hans'' suggestion.

    Although she was fine with him helping her out with small issues, she couldn''t risk having him involved in her ns.

    Knowing that Rachel was a stubborn person, Hans argued, "ording to what you''ve said, Burton Group is extremely powerful, so Justin will be able to track you down no matter where you try to

    escape to. If you were to bring Nancy along with you, it would be impossible for you to even leave. I swear to God-Justin will get his karma one day."

    Upon hearing Hans cursing Justin, Rachel suddenly frowned.

    She didn''t agree with hisments about Justin. Although Justin was a fearful man, he did help her out on several asions in the past.

    "Rachel, what are you thinking about?"

    I have an idea. She snapped out of her trance.

    "What is it?"

    He mentioned that besides those whom he can control, he only trusts those who are dead.

    Hans was stunned.

    As long as I''m dead, he won''t try to look for me or make things difficult for Grandma.

    Rachel ced the book in her hand onto the bookshelf with a calm and determined look in her eyes.

 Chapter 67

    While Rachel was in the midst of her conversation with Hans, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

    Upon reading the message that she had received, she looked stunned.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Nothing. It''s just a spam message. Don''t you still need to provide legal aid? Go on with it, then.

    Hans took a look at his watch. "Aright. We shall leave it at that for now. I''ll talk to Janice if you want to continue with your n so that she can get someone in the system to help you out." After he left, she unlocked her phone again and frowned as she stared at the text.

    It was a message from Justin.

    ''Don''t go anywhere after work. I''lle and pick you up.

    If it weren''t for his saved caller ID, Rachel would have had a hard time believing that this was something Justin would say.

    ''I have a meeting at noon, which means I''ll get offter than usual today. So, I don''t want to bother you!

    Still, she didn''t receive any reply after sending him that text.

    As Rachel was still busy with her work, she didn''t think much about it and kept her phone in her pocket.

    At noon, Sandy, the library''s director, went to Rachel''s department to get a few helping hands.

    "We do not have enough manpower, so I''ll need one person from your department to help attend to the guests during the meeting for these two days."

    Upon hearing that, everyone in the office looked down. It seemed like none of them wanted to do something that wasn''t beneficial to them.

    Why would someone want to attend to guests when they could just stay at the back and scroll their phone?

    "Rachel should be the one." Suddenly, an ill-intentioned voice rang out from the corner.

    A stunned Rachel looked up from herptop.

    "We are all super tired from rearranging the archives, but Rachel took a two month holiday and probably had rested well, so I think that it would be fair to get her to do it. Don''t you think so as well, Rachel?ˇ± However, Sandy frowned and interrupted before Rachel could say anything, "Adelyn, if you don''t want to take the job, you don''t have to make others your sacrificialmb.ˇ±

    The woman who was by the corner answered with a voice that wavered, "I was just kidding."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Sandy red at her before deciding, "Is this a suitable time to crack a joke? I''ve decided-you''ll be the one then. Follow me."

    Upon hearing that, Adelyn''s expression changed.

    Moments after Sandy left with Adelyn, everyone in the office looked at each other before they started to gossip

    "Didn''t I mention before that Rachel has someone backing her up? Look at Miss Patterson''s attitude earlier. She was obviously shielding Rachel."

    "Nah. I feel like Adelyn asked for it since she shouldn''t have assigned someone else to do the job that she didn''t want."

    "I mean, Rachel took so many days off this month and she even took sick leave for a few days after returning from her wedding leave. I heard that her husband actually contacted the manager and personally informed him about it."

    "Seriously?"

    "Why would I lie to you?"

    Some of their gossip had reached Rachel''s ears, which caused her to frown instinctively. Still, she maintained herposure and continued her work to bookmark the overdue books that hadn''t been returned on herptop.

    Nheless, just because she avoided trouble didn''t mean that it wouldn''t look for her.

    "Rachel." Olivia, who was sitting right in front of Rachel, knocked at the partition between them. "It''s been a while since you got married, but we still haven''t met your husband. What does he look like? Who is he? When are you letting us meet him?"

    When she recalled Justin''s face, Rachel felt her heart tightening.

    He''s just an ordinary man. There''s not much about him.

    "That''s impossible. Your husband has sent his secretary over to provide us with your wedding sweets after your return from your wedding leave. He even contacted the manager for your sick leave and the manager immediately gave you a month off."

    As she was aware about this, Rachel looked shocked when she heard Olivia''s words. Did Justin contact the manager to take a month of sick leave for me?

    Well, he overreacted. I''m fine anyway. Aren''t I at work now?

    "Still, we all want to meet him, Rachel.".

    Nevertheless, Rachel knew that none of these people cared about her wellbeing after her marriage. Instead, most of them just wanted to see her making a fool out of herself.

    Still, this conversation would never end if she refused to let them meet Justin.

    He''sing over to pick me up from workter tonight.

    "Is that so? That''s so sweet!" Everyone in the office sounded jealous.

    "He even picks you up from work!"

    Rachel lightly added, You guys can meet him by then.

    "Sure! We will just observe him from afar to satisfy our curiosity."

    Still, her facial expression was nonchnt and devoid of any emotions.

    While the others were still gossiping, thendline on Rachel''s table rang.

    "Hello? This is the file management department."

    "Rachel, I need you toe and help at the meeting room. We don''t have enough manpower right now."

    It was an internal call from the vice manager of the library.

    "Miss Patterson has asked someone else to help out, though. Do you guys still need more help?"

    "Oh, that''s being responsible for giving out drinks for the guests. We still need someone to serve the executives at the front row, which you''re most suited for."

    A slightly confused Rachel still agreed in the end.

    It had been a while since the meeting had started and when she entered the room with a jug of water, Mr. Ronin, who was the manager, only informed that the person whom Rachel would serve was seated in the first row.

    Among the midst of men in suits in the meeting room, there was a woman in a royal blue working suit who was on her feet. She had a slender body with perfect makeup and she was now currently seated in the first row of the room.

    Miss Patterson pointed at that woman. "That''s the person in charge of the charity donation by thepany this time."

    As the man sitting next to that woman was extremely tall, most of her figure had been blocked by him. So, Rachel was unable to see the woman well even after looking in the direction that Sandy pointed at. "Just serve them water as you go along."

    Alright

    Rachel quickly went over with a jug of water.

    As the attendees were having a short break from the meeting, the entire area was noisy as everyone discussed the new building expansion.

    At the same time, she had bent down to refill the sses of everyone in the first row before she finally reached the woman in the royal blue suit. Right when Rachel was about to refill the woman''s drink, her familiar voice rang, "What a coincidence. We ran into each other again."

    Rachel was shocked as she looked up to meet the woman''s gaze.

    It was at that moment when the atmosphere became tense.

    Who else could act so obnoxious if it wasn''t for Tina?

    Why is she here?

    Rachel felt pity toward Tina after learning from Justin that Henry had passed away. She couldn''t help but wonder whether Tina was aware of the news yet.

    "Is it that hard to refill my drink? Do I have to do it myself?"

    Tina''s voice caused Rachel to return to her senses.

    I''ll do it.

    Rachel refilled Tina''s drink before giving Tina a look that indicated that she was leaving.

    However, Tina suddenly smirked and pushed the ss of beverage that Rachel had just refilled right in front of her while no one noticed.

    "Hey!"

    The document on the table was immediately almost drenched, which caused the nning department''s executive to gasp as he stood up abruptly. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

    Rachel couldn''t believe that Tina would frame her tantly right in front of everyone.

    "Did

    I you do that on purpose?" She red at Rachel coldly with hatred in her eyes. "I can''t believe that the professional qualities of an employee in City Council Library would be worse than that of the workers in our frozen warehouse!"

    Rachel''s expression froze.

 Chapter 68

    Everyone''s gaze immediatelynded on her while some of those in charge of the meeting had already headed over with some tissues to help clean up the mess.

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry."

    "Look at this! All of our materials are soiled now."

    "Tomas, grab five fresh copies of the meeting materials."

    The spilled beverage continued to drip from the table to the ground, forcing all the executives at the first row to stand up. As a result, the scene quickly became chaotic.

    When an anxious Rachel tried to grab more tissue papers from another helper to clean the table, she was stopped by Sandy. "Rachel, you can head back now. You''re not needed here anymore."

    "You can''t just let her off without getting her to apologize for causing the meeting to end up like this, can you? The library is really generous to allow someone with professional qualities such as hers to continue working here, huh? Is there even a need for an expansion at this rate?"

    Although Tina''s voice wasn''t loud, her cold voice still echoed in the huge meeting room.

    Rachel''s expression immediately changed before Sandy quickly came to her rescue. "Miss Burton, this is really a misunderstanding. She''s not doing it on purpose by not apologizing."

    "Can''t you let her speak for herself? Does she need others to help her exin herself?"

    Sandy frowned. "Miss Burton, that''s because-"

    Not wanting to cause any dilemma for Sandy, Rachel interrupted with a sign gesture. I''m sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose.

    "This..." The nning department''s vice executive looked stunned. "She is..."

    At this moment, everyone gave Rachel strange looks. Although it wasn''t her first time being stared at like this, it didn''t make her feel any better.

    Sympathy as well as ill-intentioned looks were both humiliating for her.

    "You can''t speak?" Tina gave her a side-eye before she intentionally added, "It''s my bad, then. Since everyone is raising awareness to be nicer to the disabled, my apologies to you." "Rachel, is it?" Tina continued her acting and nced at Rachel''s work permit. "I''m sorry. You won''t me me for this, won''t you?"

    At this moment, a bitter smile appeared on Rachel''s face. It''s fine.

    "It''s just a misunderstanding." Sandy came to her rescue again.

    After giving the crowd an apologetic nod, Rachel decided to turn and leave with clenched fists.

    "Hang on" Tina called out. "Miss Patterson, since we need to understand more about the library''s historical and cultural background, you should allow her to be in charge of providing us with guidance."

    A stunned Rachel gave Tina a shocked look before Sandy exined, "Miss Burton, Rachel has never been in charge of any foreign exchange work. Moreover, as you can see, she''s not really suitable for this job."

    "Is that so? From what I see, she''s quite suitable for it. Besides, since she has been working at the library for a long time, she should know her workce''s historical background well, am I right?"

    "Of course! No one else is better than Rachel in terms of how familiar she is with the library. She even won first ce in the library''s historical quizst year."

    Another woman''s voice rang out behind Sandy and it immediately attracted everyone''s attention.

    Rachel felt her heart clenching up at that moment as her ears rang from that woman''s sharp voice. Then, she turned around to see Adelyn staring at her with a hostile look.

    Sandy still wanted to defend Rachel, but the library manager shot Sandy a warning look. "Sure. Since this is someone whom Miss Burton has handpicked herself, it would be easier tomunicate with each other in the future."

    As Burton Group was the main donor of the library''s reparation and expansion, even the executives of the nning department had to listen to Tina. Even though it was obvious that Tina was targeting Rachel, they didn''t want to offend Burton Group because of an employee.

    "Well, I''m looking forward to working together with you." Tina looked at Rachel with a cold glint in her eyes, causing Rachel to quiver a little.

    When the meeting had finally ended, Rachel started to pack her stuff to leave the office.

    Her intuition told her that Tina was up to no good after Tina selected her to be in charge of docking.

    "Rachel!"

    Rachel stopped in her tracks after one of her colleagues called out for her.

    As she turned around, she saw Olivia, who was in the same department as her, running toward her with two more colleagues. Do you guys need anything? "Rachel, have you forgotten that you were supposed to bring us to meet your husband after work?"

    Rachel was stunned as she hadpletely forgotten about this.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Since I got off workte today, he won''t being anymore, so I''m taking the subway home.

    This was the excuse that she prepared beforehand.

    "Huh? Why didn''t you tell us about it earlier? We even waited for you for such a long time."

    "Exactly! We wouldn''t have wasted our time if you had told us earlier."

    I''m sorry.

    Suddenly, the sound of a car honking interrupted the others fromining. Rachel looked up to see a stationary ck business car at the side of the road. "Miss Hudson." Frankie alighted from the front passenger seat before waving at her.

    She was stunned.

    Justin actually is here? I already texted him to tell him that he didn''t have to, though. "Rachel, is that your husband?"

    "Didn''t you say that he''s noting?"

    I didn''t know that he would being.

    "That''s great. Let us meet him then!"

    As she forced a smile, Rachel felt her throat bing bitter.

    I''ll ask whether he wants to see you guys.

    She initially wanted to prevaricate them, but she was left with no choice at this moment.

    "Miss Hudson." Frankie quickly moved forward as he wanted to open the car door for her.

    Hold on. Don''t open the car door yet.

    Rachel motioned at the driver.

    "What''s wrong?" Justin''s voice rang out next to her ear.

    Rachel hesitated for a while before she asked cautiously, Those are my colleagues and they said that they want to meet you.

    He frowned.

    I''m sorry. You can just act like I never said it.

    Then, she continued, Please wait for me for a bit, I''ll get down and exin to them.

    However, Justin reached out to grab her hand before she could get down from the car.

    The moment Rachel felt his cold hand on her palm, she trembled before looking up in confusion.

    However, he wasn''t looking at her. Instead, he rolled the car window down.

    "Are those your colleagues?" His deep voice echoed through the car.

    As it was already evening, the scar on Justin''s forehead made him look fierce under the streetlights, which caused Olivia and the other colleagues to shudder when they saw him. All of them looked like they had seen a ghost and none of them dared to move forward.

    Rachel suddenly felt embarrassed and angry. Without waiting for Justin to say anything, she reached over him and pressed on the window button to roll the window up.

    Let''s go.

    Upon noticing Rachel''s gesture, Frankie gave Justin a hesitant look before Justin slightly nodded.

    As the car drove toward the city, the view of the library slowly disappeared behind their backs.

    When he observed that Rachel wasn''t in a good mood, Justin asked, "What''s wrong?"

    However, she remained quiet for a long while.

    I''m sorry. I didn''t expect my colleagues to react like that.

    "Are you angry on my behalf? It''s not a bad thing to bring people fear."

    As she paused for a moment, her confused gaze met Justin''s dark gaze. He had a calm look that looked way more mature than someone of his age.

    Why?

    "If you are feared, others won''t try to provoke you and that will save you from a lot of trouble."

    Rachel was taken aback as she looked at Justin. With the progress of medical technology and the Burton Family''s financial resources, the scar on his face could be removed as long as he was willing to undergo the process.

    So... What you''re saying is that you left the scar on purpose?

    Justin then gave her a look and didn''t deny her words.

    The car became quiet for a moment before Rachel summoned her courage and asked, Where did you get this scar?

    Upon seeing her hand signals, the man''s gaze darkened. "Do you want to know?"

    Rachel was shocked.

 Chapter 69

    However, she shook her head after hesitating for a few seconds.

    She didn''t want to know.

    Her grandma had always told her that knowing many secrets wasn''t a good thing since she was young.

    Still, Justin continued with his words, "It happened a long time ago."

    Rachel was slightly stunned.

    His parents had passed away when he was a kid, so he had grown up with his aunt after that. It would have been fine if he came from a normal family, but he spent most of his life in the Burton Family where everyone was sly and cunning. She couldn''t fathom what he had endured while he was growing up.

    Suddenly, she felt like he wasn''t as fearful as he was in the past and his scar wasn''t no longer intimidating.

    Then, Justin asked, "I heard from your father that you were kidnapped as a child?"

    Kidnapped?

    Rachel froze for a moment before she cautiously shook her head. I don''t remember much about my childhood. Why are you suddenly asking this?

    "It''s nothing."

    He looked away before he closed his eyes while she looked deep in thought.

    As to the matter of her kidnapping, Rachel had heard twopletely different versions ever since she was young. ording to Jefferey and the servants in the Hudson Family, she was kidnapped at birth and taken away before being stranded for eight years.

    However, her grandmother had told Rachel that she had been living with her in the mountains since young.

    It was impossible for her grandmother to kidnap her in the mountains, wasn''t it?

    Rachel suddenly thought of something.

    The next day, she asked Janice to meet her at a cafe.

    "One cup oftte and a cup of cappino, please."

    "Alright. Please wait a minute."

    As soon as the waiter left, Janice asked, "Hans has already told me about your ns to leave Riverdale. Have you thought things through?"

    I can only leave.

    "But, the risk of faking your own death is extremely high. It won''t be worth it if something really happens to you."

    I know, but there is no other way.

    "Why exactly do you want to leave all of a sudden? Hans never said anything specifically on the phone."

    Justin wants me to find a prescription for him, but I couldn''t find it, so I gave him a fake one.

    Rachel briefly exined to Janice about the prescription.

    "Prescription?" Janice pondered. "Isn''t that considered a core secret of Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    Yes. However, the core secret would be the dosage used since all of the ingredients in the herbal form would be stated on the medicine box after all. What matters the most is the amount used. "So, are you saying that even Jefferey doesn''t know the dosage?

    That''s what I''m thinking as well.

    "That''s weird." A puzzled look appeared on Janice''s face. "Since this is the Hudson Family''s core secret as well as an heirloom, how could he not know about it? Didn''t you say that the prescription is in his hands?"

    Rachel looked fairly stunned.

    "Think about it carefully. How did the prescription that you''ve seen look like?"

    The paper is slightly yellowed and it looks like it''s generations old. It''s also written with traditional words. Then, she thought for a moment again. Oh, the prescription is also written in a thin body with a brush. "Are you sure that the exact dosage wasn''t stated?"

    No. There weren''t even spaces for the dosage, so I''m sure that they didn''t fade over time either.

    Nevertheless, Rachel couldn''t understand why Janice was suddenly concerned about the Hudson Family''s prescription. She signed in puzzlement, Why are you asking me this?

    Janice immediately withdrew her serious gaze. "Hang on."

    While Rachel waited, she started to tap on her phone before she slowly pushed the device toward Rachel. "Look, do you know this person?"

    The phone contained the personal information of a person with a ck and white ID photo. It seemed like this file was created years ago.

    The man in the file was in a military uniform. With extremely handsome features, he looked like he was in his early twenties.

    Rachel shook her head in confusion. I don''t know him.

    She had never seen this man or this photo before.

    Janice frowned. "This man is Lionel Hudson."

    Rachel froze.

    Lionel Hudson was Jefferey Hudson''s older brother; in short, Lionel was also her uncle.

    "You must have never met Lionel since he had already passed on when you were born. His death was suspected as a homicide and the police were investigating his case for a long time back then." Rachel had heard about this case as the Hudson Family always talked about Lionel''s cause of death every time his name was mentioned. Apparently, he went hiking with his fianc¨¦e and she ended up pushing him off the cliff.

    Did they catch the perpetrator after that?

    Janice shook her head. "The police had investigated this case for a few years, but they could never discover where that woman went. It was like she had vanished into thin air. Most importantly, the Hudson Family had done all they could to stop the police from pursuing the woman."

    Why?

    "You really don''t know?" The way Janice looked at Rachel was odd.

    I don''t know.

    "Lionel''s fianc¨¦e, Selena Hudson, is also the adopted daughter of Old Mr. Hudson."

    The Hudson Family had already lost a son and they refused to allow their family scandal to be publicized as they might not be able to suppress the news if the murderer was really Selena. The moment that the reporters were informed about this, the Hudson Family''s reputation would be tarnished if the incest rtionship had made the headlines.

    Janice continued, "It was rumored that Selena was already pregnant when she escaped and for the child''s sake, the Hudson Family only stopped pursuing after what happened. Back then, the Hudson Family was way more powerful than they currently ask, so they managed to suppress the case until now."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Rachel looked helpless.

    The Hudson Family indeed had lived a glorious life before Jefferey took over the Hudson Family.

    I''ve never heard anyone mention Selena or the fact that my uncle had a child, though.

    "Well, of course you never heard about it since they are both dead. After their attempt to track her for a few more years, the police finally found the bodies of Selena and her daughter."

    Three sentences into the storyter, three people had already died.

    Rachel only felt a gust of wind from the back of her head. Why are you suddenly talking about this?

    Janice gave Rachel a meaningful look. "It''s because the police suspected Selena and her daughter to be the earliest kills of Gunny after tracing back to his case."

    Gunny again?

    Why would Gunny kill them?

    "Gunny works under Jefferey. To put it bluntly. Jefferey wanted them dead."

    Why?

    "It''s simple." Janice looked at Rachel before using her slender yet strong fingers to take the coffee that

    the waiter brought over. Then, Janice took a sip from the mug with a calm demeanor.

    Rachel gradually returned to her senses. Are you implying that it''s for the prescription?

    After all, this topic had started because of the prescription.

    "Lionel and Jefferey were the only children of the Hudson Family back then. ording to my understanding, Lionel had always been Old Mr. Hudson''s favorite, so the inheritor of Hudson Pharmaceuticals would have been Lionel if there were no idents."

    Are you suspecting that Jefferey murdered Lionel because of the ancestral prescription?

    "It''s highly likely."

    However, the prescription that I saw didn''t even have anything on it, not even the dosage.

    Upon hearing that, Janice looked conflicted. "Rachel, have you ever thought about how this issue might be rted to you?"

    Rachel was taken aback. What do you mean?

    "Selena and her daughter died twenty years ago and you were taken back to the Hudson Family by Jefferey at around the same time as well. Back then, he instructed for you to be taken care of, but he''s now using you without any qualms..."

    You''re saying that my father did all of these because of the prescription...

    Rachel felt her heart sink.

 Chapter 70

    Rachel was confused because she had never met those people whose names Janice had just mentioned. While Rachel never thought that she had anything to do with them, she couldn''t exin why everything seemed to revolve around the prescription.

    "Despite theck of evidence to prove the connection between your return to the Hudson Family and those people''s deaths, I can''t help but think these two matters are somehow rted, if we consider the timeline." Janice then asked in a hushed tone, "Did Grandma talk to you about the prescription?"

    Upon hearing Janice''s question, Rachel was stunned. When her grandma was still in the hospital, she had mentioned the prescription to Rachel, but her exnation was interrupted by other matters at that time,

    No. Rachel gestured as a sign of denial.

    Janice appeared to be disappointed. "It''s alright. Let''s not talk about it then. Anyway, I''ll definitely help you to leave Riverdale. At the same time, you can be rest assured to know that I''ll take care of the rest of the matters."

    Thank you.

    "You''re wee. Anyway, I have other matters to attend to, so I''ll make a move first."

    Rachel nodded as she watched Janice entering a jeep through the caf¨¦ window. Deep down in her heart, she felt sorry for lying to Janice although she didn''t have a choice. After all, Rachel''s grandma used to educate her about how words were capable of misleading people. Thus, she decided not to discuss something she wasn''t sure about until she understood what was going on.

    As soon as Rachel returned to the library, her colleague had informed her, "Rachel, Miss Patterson came earlier. She wants you to deliver these files to the person in charge of the engineering department in Burton Group."

    Rachel was taken aback as she was reminded of her casual encounter with Tina at the meeting the day before. Alright, thank you.

    It waster in the afternoon when Rachel arrived at Burton Group''s lobby where she typed a few words on her phone to show it to ady at the front desk. ''Hi, I''d like to meet Director Rnd of the engineering department!

    The receptionist gave her a strange look. "Do you have an appointment?"

    ''I''m from the City Council Library. I''m here to discuss the library''s architectural history with Director Rnd!

    "Please give me a moment. I''ll make a call right now to confirm your appointment."

    Rachel nodded and stood aside to wait.

    "Hello, Sandy. Someone from the City Council Library is here and it looks like she has an appointment with Director Rnd... Oh, sure, I''ll let her in then." Upon hanging up the call, the receptionist turned to Rachel and said, "Alright, I''ve just confirmed your appointment. Please give me a moment."

    ''Thank you!

    A few momentster, the elevator gave a short ring before someone in a pair of high heels walked out. "Nice to meet you. I''m Director Rnd''s secretary, Sandy Patterson. You must be Miss Hudson, right?" Rachel responded with an affirmative gesture. Yes.

    "Director Rnd is still at the construction site and I''m just about to head there. Perhaps I could take you there with me?"

    Rachel was stunned. If you''re too busy, I cane another day.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "We''re always busy in our line of work. Are you scared of going to the construction site?" Sandy knitted her eyebrows and borated, "Because I just received a phone call and was told that Director Rnd has something rather urgent to talk to you about."

    Okay then, is it far from here?

    "Nope. It''s not that far from here, actually. I''ll drive." Sandy seemed like a nice person as she asked Rachel about the City Council Library while riding the elevator with her to the underground car park. Soon, they hit the road as every single object outside the car window looked like they were traveling in the opposite direction at high speed. As the tall buildings in Riverdale City slowly disappeared from sight, the city view was then reced by greenery and nature.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was sitting on the front passenger seat when she took a look at her watch. Then,

    she realized it was already 4 PM. We still haven''t arrived there yet?

    "We''re almost there. This project site is the closest one to ourpany, in fact. Thest project took us half a day for a round trip."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel set her sights outside the window and wondered, We''re about to arrive at the border between Riverdale and Southville. If we keep going, we''ll soon find ourselves on the East Coast. After another thirty minutes of driving, she leaned against her seat and yawned just when the car finally pulled over.

    "Here we are."

    She exited the vehicle and followed Sandy when she heard the sound of tidal waves a close distance away. Oh my god! I can''t believe we''re now on the East Coast. "This way, Miss Hudson."

    Thank you. Rachel gestured to express her gratitude and wrapped herself in her sweater before she made her way to the beach. Soon, upon the sight of ady standing by the seaside, she froze in her tracks, as if her legs were rooted into the ground.

    "We meet again, Rachel" Tina wore a dress in the color of light beige while the bodyguard who held the umbre above their heads acknowledged Rachel with a smile. At the sight of them, Rachel suddenly had a bad feeling and subconsciously backed away.

    "Here is the person whom you''ve been looking for, Miss Burton. Perhaps I''ll excuse myself then."

    "Please do."

    Rachel was left alone with Tina and her two bodyguards at that moment. Therefore, she gestured in a panicky manner and asked, What do you want?

    "Rx. I just want to have a little chat with you. Look at how beautiful the sea view is." Tina''s voice was apanied by the sound of the rough waves, which sent chills down Rachel''s spine. "Did you know that Henry loved enjoying the sea view? In fact, he once told me that he wanted to buy a house by the

    seaside and live with me there so that he could watch the sunrise every morning. It was because of this that proposed the project of building a seaside resort. This piece ofnd that we''re currently standing on will soon be that resort... Do you think there is a chance Henry can still see it?"

    Rachel paused and expressed her thoughts with her hand gestures. He is in a better ce now. May he rest in peace.

    "He is dead!" Tina suddenly flipped and red at Rachel like an angry beast. "You''re the reason why he is dead. Do you know how it feels to be dead?"

    At that moment, Tina seemed like a lunatic who had just lost her mind as she had a sinister and scary look. An intimidated and frightened Rachel took a step backward as she scanned her surroundings, only to realize there was no one else by the beach.

    "Restrain her!"

    As soon as the two bodyguards heard those cold words, they quickly grabbed Rachel and manhandled her.

    In the meantime, she violently shook her head while staring at Tina like she wanted to say something desperately. However, the voices she made were drowned by the howling sea breeze as she was taken to the seaside, leaving traces of her struggle behind her on the beach.

    On the other hand, Tina followed behind them while the wind caused her hair to billow wildly in the air. "Rachel, we all have to be responsible for the mistakes we make. Did you know you took a life just because you snitched on us?"

    Rachel shook her head, wishing she could just shout with her voice that it wasn''t her who snitched on Henry.

    "I want to know how Henry felt before he died. I want to feel the way he did, so why don''t you tell me about it?!" Tina didn''t even bother to look at Rachel as she instructed the two bodyguards by simply moving her finger.

    A secondter, Rachel felt a violent forceing from behind her head, whereupon she waspletely buried beneath the surface of the water. While the rough tidal waves kept hitting her in the face, her nostrils were also filled with the stench of the seawater. At the same time, she struggled with all her energy, feeling as if her limbs were about to snap, but even so, she couldn''t free herself from the two men''s strong grip.

    After what felt like forever, the two bodyguards lifted her to the surface of the water. When the air she inhaled went down her throat, she couldn''t stop shaking and coughing violently, as if she was about to cough her lungs out. I didn''t do it! I didn''t snitch on you guys!

    Just when Rachel thought Tina had retaliated enough, Tina raised her hands in the air and red at Rachel to give her signal. Then, the sea water flooded into Rachel''s nostrils once again. Although she could hear the sound of waves around her, she was being suffocated to the point where she no longer had the strength to fight back.

 Chapter 71

    "Miss Burton, we''re going to kill her if we continue doing this."

    "Why should we be worried? If she dies in this situation, we''ll just feed her body to the fishes in the sea. I want her to pay for Henry''s death with her life!"

    "Miss Burton, I wouldn''t say anything if it''d someone else, but she is Young Master Justin''s wife after

    all."

    Tina was rendered speechless before she warned, "Rachel, you better learn your lesson this time. Our game has only just started!" Then, she left with her men after making her point clear.

    Then, Rachel crawled back to shore in a drenched state. The sea breeze concurrently blew and sent a cold chill down her spine, making her slouch as she frantically looked around her. A few moments had gone by as she failed to spot a single soul. Soon, she knew why she was alone after she realized that she was on a sea coast that was under development.

    It was already after dark when Justin left thepany and returned to Burton Residence. As soon as he stepped into the house, Sue quickly approached and greeted, "You''re back just in time. Wash your hands and get ready for dinner."

    He removed his vest and asked, "Is Rachel back?"

    "Nope, what''s wrong? Didn''t you pick her up from work?" she probed even though she was happy to see him return without Rachel.

    He frowned and looked at the time, thinking that Rachel should have been back by now because it was already consideredte by the time he had finished his meeting. Thus, he took off his vest and walked toward the living room while making a phone call. ˇ°I''m sorry. The number you''ve dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter." An intercept message was heard.

    Sue added, "She is an adult, so what could possibly happen to her? Don''t worry, Justin. Why don''t you sit down and enjoy your dinner? She''s probably returned to her maiden home or something." Nevertheless, Justin seemed like he didn''t hear Sue''s words as he proceeded to make another phone call. "Hello? It''s me. Is Rachel home?"

    It was after hearing the other party''s answer that he hung up the call and grabbed his vest before leaving.

    Sue quickly gave chase and asked, "Where are you goingte at night, Justin?"

    A few momentster, he sped in his ck sedan on the highway in Riverdale while Frankie''s voice was heard from the earpiece. "I just asked the people from the library and they said Tina had a meeting about expanding their project there, in which she appointed Young Mistress Rachel to be the person in charge."

    "Go on."

    "After that, Young Mistress Rachel went to the Burton Group in the afternoon, but she was never seen again. Then, I requested the security department to show me the security footage, so I''m sure she was taken by someone from the engineering department."

    "What about Tina then?"

    "She was not in the office the whole day and it also appears that she can''t be reached at the moment."

    "Who took Rachel away?" The man''s growl intimidated Frankie.

    "I''ll wait for you in front of Burton Group''s entrance in twenty minutes. Bring our men with you!" Justin ordered with a cial voice. Upon finishing his sentence, he removed his earpiece and tossed it onto the passenger seat next to him with a darkened expression.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    Deep down in his heart, he reckoned Tina had a role in Rachel''s disappearance, considering how lightly Tina regarded a person''s life. After all, she had been spoiled until salt wouldn''t save her since she was a little girl. In fact, his initial n was to have Frankie oversee the City Council Library''s construction project that was funded by Burton Group as he wanted to avoid any unwanted attention and interference. Justin thought that Tina would go easy on Rachel since she was his wife, only to realize he was wrong after the fact

    Twenty minutester, he arrived at Burton Group when Frankie came with Director Rnd. Moments after alighting from his car, Justin shut the door behind him and took big strides toward them.

    "President-"Before Director Rnd could finish his sentence, a heavy kicknded on his chest, whereupon it sent him staggering backward before he toppled over with a painful scream. "You kidnapped her, didn''t you?" Justin''s rage was uncontroble.

    "President Burton, it wasn''t Director Rnd who took her away. It was his secretary instead." As he was scared by what he saw and heard, it took Frankie a while to make sense of what was happening before he anxiously exined, "Since Sandy lives out of the way from here, I don''t think we''re going to make it on time."

    Justin fixed his gaze on Director Rnd. "Your secretary?"

    At this moment, Director Rnd was frightened out of his wits. "President Burton, I swear I don''t know anything about that! I really don''t know what''s going on."

    "Is that so?" Justin walked closer to him and asked, "So, are you saying your secretary did all this behind your back?"

    Director Rnd repeatedly nodded. "I was in a meeting for the entire afternoon, so I have no idea what has been going on." As soon as he finished his words, Justin grabbed him by his cor, towering over the director like a huge mountain and suffocating him with the intimidating aura.

    "I''m going to ask you one more time. Where did Tina tell you to take her to?" Justin''s cial eyes seemed as if he had the intent to kill.

    Frankie, who was standing beside him, answered, "Director Rnd, do you know who Tina kidnapped? It''s President Burton''s wife! Do you have any idea what you''ve done?"

    As soon as Director Rnd heard that, his face paled. "What? She is... President Burton''s..." The moment the man stammered, he had identally given himself away that he was in fact aware of Rachel''s disappearance..

    "I''ll talk!" He decided to cooperate, knowing he couldn''t get away with his mistake. "I''ll give Sandy a call right now and ask her where she took Rachel to." Then, he rummaged through his pocket for his phone in front of Justin and Frankie before dialing his secretary''s number. Once the call was connected, he desperately asked, "Where did you take President Burton''s wife?"

    A few momentster, Director Rnd turned on the loudspeaker, whereupon Sandy''s trembling voice

    was heard. "East Coast. I took her to the East Coast, but I didn''t know she''s the president''s wife! You need to save me, Director Rnd!"

    Save you? He''ll need to save himself first from the way I see it! Frankie thought.

    After learning the exact location, Justin immediately entered his ck car to start the engine before driving across Riverdale at lightning speed in the night.

    On the other hand, Rachel was walking barefoot on the highway for what seemed like an eternity. Her phone was also out of battery as she simply couldn''t switch it on. Then, she tried to g a car down for help, but her sorry state had only scared every driver who approached her away. Because of that, she was forced to continue walking amidst the chilly wind as her entire body shook while she hugged her

    arms.

    Not knowing how long she had been walking, her legs began to feel numb as she struggled to take a step forward. Soon, she felt so overwhelmingly dizzy that she had to stop and hold onto the railing by the roadside to take a rest. However, as soon as her hand came into contact with the railing, she felt as if the whole world was spinning around her shortly before she copsed onto the ground.

    In that instant, Rachel wondered how good it would be if she had just died there and then. After all, her death wouldn''t need to be faked and she no longer needed to worry about her grandma''s safety either.

    While Rachel was absorbed in her thoughts, she was suddenly distracted by a car''s ring headlight that forced her to raise her arms with thest bit of energy to cover her eyes. Soon, the car pulled over by the roadside at a distance not far away from her, whereupon a tall silhouette emerged in the light and ran toward her.

    The man anxiously called out, "Rae!"

    Am I dreaming?

 Chapter 72

    The tall figure ran toward Rachel. As the headlights shone on his back, it almost blinded her. Before she passed out, she could hear a familiar yet strange voice. She recognized it as a specific man''s voice, but his panic and concern was alien to her. It must be me hearing things.

    The ck car then drove without a hitch on the highway toward Riverdale.

    Rachel was roused by the warm breeze in the car. She drowsily opened her eyes to see the man driving at the front seat. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) He looked solemn from the side as his slender fingers were on the steering wheel.

    "You''re awake?" Justin saw her from the back mirror. "Are you all right?"

    She moved her arms, only to realize that a coat was draped over her. It smelled of cologne and tobo. After being stunned for a while, she clenched her fists before reaching out to sign. I''m fine. "Are you hurt?"

    No.

    "I''ll take you to the hospital."

    It''s okay, I just need to head home and rest.

    Even though the heater in the car was already turned on, Rachel was drenched since she was at sea and her body still remembered the sensation of walking for 2 hours in the ocean breeze. As a result, she shivered at that thought.

    Thank you foring to rescue me. I''m a little tired; I want to sleep for a bit.

    Justin frowned before he slightly nodded. "Go to sleep then."

    There was no further movement from the back seat. Then, he nced at the mirror to notice that she had already curled up into a ball under his coat. She looked like a stray cat that had been bullied and his frown deepened at that sight.

    Rachel actually hadn''t slept. She had buried her face in the coat, thinking that Justin knew what Tina was going to do to her since he was able to quickly locate her, yet he had allowed it to happen. Justin and Rachel were still a long way from Riverdale and they had remained silent throughout the entire journey.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

    The car finally pulled up at the garage of Burton Residence. Then, he carried her out from the back seat. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)She was shivering as she hid under the coat and even her lips were pale.

    "Young Master Justin."

    "Where''s Julian? Get him upstairs." As he left the cold words behind him, Justin carried Rachel away.

    The servants in the Burton Residence couldn''t help but stare with eyes as wide as saucers while they watched him carry her up the stairs.

    "How did she end up like this?"

    The moment Julian saw Rachel''s condition, his face went as pale as a white sheet. "Justin, what did you do to her?"

    Justin was indignant. "I just found her and brought her back. What do you think I did to her?" He balled

    his hands into fists, the expression on his face shifting.

    If it weren''t for the fact that Rachel was still unconscious, Julian really wanted to pester her and ask what had happened. What was Justin trying to do?

    Julian took a thermometer and checked her temperature. "She has a fever."

    "Is it serious?"

    "Depends on the person." He didn''t even look at Justin as he exined, "If the person is weak, the fever can affect their brain or induce other symptoms. She hasn''t even fully recovered and her leg''s still injured! How did she end up like this? Where did you find her?"

    Upon seeing the filth on Rachel''s face, Julian shouted as he could no longer control his anger.

    As Sue and Mrs. Duncan eavesdropped from the other side of the door, his shout suddenly startled them. Sue hastily moved to open the door to go in, but Mrs. Duncan held her back. Surprisingly, Justin was slow to anger. His gaze fell upon Rachel''s tightly closed eyes before he pushed out two words between his teeth, "The beach."

    The beach? Julian was stunned before he tried to calm himself down. "Get someone to change her into clean clothes. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)I have some fever medicine with me and I''ll let her take some while observing how it goes. If her fever recedes by tomorrow morning, she''ll be fine. If the fever persists, we''ll have to get her to the hospital."

    "Okay."

    "Justin, I still want to remind you about one thing." Julian stood up and squarely faced Justin. "She is a real live human being. I don''t care how you married her. She''s a good girl, so even if you don''t like her, you can''t torment her."

    Justin''s voice was lowered as he replied, ˇ°Just get the medicine."

    Julian thought that Justin didn''t care about whatever he said, which caused Julian''s handsome face to be distorted in anger. He then clenched his fists and left in fury.

    It was deep into the night when a night breeze picked up on the balcony, which hinted at an iing rainfall.

    "Mr. Burton, Director Rnd''s a senior in the engineering department, so his skill in the profession is unquestionable. He was confused this time around and it really could be Tina who pushed him to it. It may not have been his intention to do it, so I''m afraid it wouldn''t be appropriate to fire him just like that."

    Justin''s tone was cold. "So, you mean to say that he is allowed to do anything as long as he didn''t mean to?"

    On the other side of the phone, Frankie was so scared that he shuddered andcked the courage to raise any objections again.

    "Get the HR department to look for his substitute."

    Justin turned his back to the wind and lit a cigarette. He didn''t manage to get many puffs before the wind scattered it. "What about Henry''s death?"

    Frankie came around and responded gingerly, "We''re still investigating it, so there should be some news soon."

    "Get someone to keep an eye on Tina for the time being."

    "Understood."

    After the call ended, Justin extinguished the cigarette and he strode into the house.

    Rachel had already taken the medicine and headed off to sleep since she was still in a drowsy and feverish state. Her pale cheeks were lined with fine beads of sweat, which reminded him of that day when she passed out after he had forced medicine down her throat.

    He felt his heart turning cold and after a long while, he sat down by the bed to hold her hand. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) She whimpered. It sounded so pitiful and her eyebrows were knitted so tightly, as if she was trapped in a nightmare.

    "Rae," Justin called her name, but he didn''t receive any response.

    It was true that Rachel was in the midst of a dream. She was dreaming about the fire-the one that had haunted her from her younger days up until now. Every time she had that dream, the more she suspected that it was not a dream, but a real memory hidden somewhere in her mind; yet, she couldn''t clearly recall it.

    It was already noon the next day when Rachel woke up. She reached out and felt for the rm clock on the bedside table. 11am?

    When she noticed that, she hastily threw the nket aside and got out of bed.

    Right at that moment, the door clicked to announce Justin''s arrival-he was carrying a bowl of congee with his hands. "You''re awake?"

    Rachel felt a little awkward as she managed to ster a smile on her face. I just woke up. Aren''t you going to the office today? I have to head into work now.

    "I helped you to take the day off." He ced the bowl down and replied earnestly, "So, you don''t have to go to work today. You woke up at the right time. Here, have something to eat."

    I can''t. The library''s expansion is especially crucial in its early stage. I cannot take leave just like that.

    As soon as Rachel finished signing, Justin''srge hand pressed on her shoulders until she surrendered and sat down. "I already said that I took the day off for you. You are not in the condition to do any strenuous work."

    She would never have beaten him in terms of stubbornness, but she suddenly found it weird that he had the patience to convince her like this. In fact, she was bewildered at the fact and sat on the bed again in a daze.

    "Have some congee." Justin pointed toward the bedside table. "It''s with seafood."

    Rachel shook her head. Thank you, but I''m not hungry. Just leave it aside.

    He frowned as indignance creeped onto his face-it was an obvious premonition to another outburst. She instinctively tensed as her face paled.

    Upon seeing her so weak and frightened, Justin suddenly felt endless annoyance. After a while, he suppressed his emotions and reached out with his long arm to take the bowl. "Open your mouth." Rachel stared in disbelief at the spoon being brought right in front of her.

 Chapter 73

    When the spoon came near her mouth, Rachel subconsciously dodged back a little. I''ll do it myself.

    Justin frowned, but he handed the bowl over to her. As for her, she avoided his gaze while lowering her head and slowly eating.

    "Your foot injury is slightly infected, so you shouldn''t work for the next two days."

    As she was taken aback, she thought that if he hadn''t pointed it out, she wouldn''t have noticed that her burned foot, which was healing fast, had been freshly bandaged again. She had returned home sotest night, so she naturally knew who bandaged it.

    They''ve arranged for me to handle the matter of expanding the library, though, so I need to meet the people in charge from the Burton Group.

    "It can wait until your injury is healed."

    But the Burton Group...

    "I will handle it. You don''t need to worry about this matter."

    A stunned Rachel nodded.

    Justin''s recent attitude toward her seemed to have really changed, regardless of whether it reminded her of Henry''s death at that time or arriving on timest night. It made her feel incredulous. Later, Justin waited until Rachel finished her food before he left.

    "Stay at home to recuperate and don''t go anywhere."

    As the low voice echoed in Rachel''s ears, she looked at the empty bowl left by the bed. For a moment, she felt moved and she couldn''t help but grab her wrist.

    Last night, she had actually woken up once in the middle of the night and found herself clutching

    Justin''s shirt. He had been leaning against the bed to sleep on the floor. At that moment, she was still feverishly delirious and thought she was dreaming, but as soon as she released her hand, the man by her bedside opened his eyes.

    Hisrge hand had reached out to touch her forehead as he asked, "Not feeling well?"

    Rachel remembered thest time she was under the weather; someone had also kept an eye on her throughout the night when she was much younger. Her grandmother was by her bedside then and the peace Rachel feltst night was simr to what she experienced in the past.

    Tina was standing at the balcony on the second floor of the vi in her pajamas in thete afternoon when her phone rang.

    "Hello?"

    "Miss Tina, you must help me."

    "What''s wrong?" Tina carefully spoke while she still had a can of beer in her hand.

    The phone call was from Director Rnd of the engineering department.

    "President Burton wants to fire me because of yesterday''s incident."

    "Fire you? Because of what had happened yesterday?"

    "That was not a small incident, Miss Tina. You''ve caused me a lot of trouble this time." On the other end of the phone, Director Rnd cried out, "Why didn''t you tell me earlier that Miss Hudson is Mr. Burton''s wife?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Tina sneered, "If I had told you earlier, would you have dared to do that?"

    No one would dare to be involved if they knew Rachel''s identity, which was not what Tina had intended.

    As he was stuck, Director Rnd had no choice but to rely on Tina now. "Miss Tina, I did everything ording to your instructions. Won''t you speak up for me? My work-"

    "Have you gone through with the interview yet?"

    "Not yet, but the newsing from the HR department is that President Burton has immediately instructed them to look for my recement. So, it should be true."

    Shezily leaned on the railing and took a sip of her beer. "Don''t worry, my brother won''t really fire you, not for now at least."

    "Then, why did he tell the HR-"

    "It was just to threaten me to stop." Tina gave a disdainfulugh. "He never thought that apart from deterring me, he''ll also cause Grandpa to look down on him by doing this. Rx, I will handle this matter." After hanging up the phone, Tina downed all of her beer in one go before she pinched the can so hard that it was deformed.

    She had known Justin for many years, but she had never seen him care this much about anyone since he was a child. As he was born into such a family, it was no wonder he did not dare to care about anyone She''s just a mute. What can she do?

    Rachel had spent the entire day at home. When she heard the engine sounding from downstairs at night, she initially thought that it was Justin who had returned. After a moment, it was Julian who knocked on his door while carrying his medical briefcase.

    "The wound was not wet, right?"

    No.

    "That''s good. You still need to change the bandages and medication again. If there''s no problem after a while, we can remove the bandages and wait for the wound to heal on its own. However, you still need to rest more."

    Thank you.

    As Rachel''s injured leg rested on the square bench, Julian methodically bandaged her wound. The light inside the house was bright and it emitted a soft glow as it reflected off the top of his head. "What happened yesterday? Was it him again?"

    No, it has nothing to do with him.

    "Don''t defend him; I know him. He doesn''t care about anything but his business and he doesn''t care about anyone except himself. He''s been like this since he was a kid."

    She wanted to exin on Justin''s behalf, but upon looking at Julian''s determined look, she didn''t know how to begin.

    As those two were chatting, Mrs Duncan''s voice drifted from downstairs.

    "Young Master Justin, wee back. Have you eaten?"

    "Not yet."

    "Oh, Madam hasn''t eaten yet either. I''ll get the kitchen staff to add another dish."

    "Where is Rachel?"

    "Mrs. Burton is upstairs."

    Mrs. Duncan''s voice was much higher than usual, as if she was deliberately trying to alert someone. It was hard not to hear the oddity in it.

    At that, Rachel''s heart stuttered. Julian, you should go.

    "Don''t worry, he called me in advance to dress your wound. He told me toe back from work earlier. Besides, we aren''t doing anything wrong, so why should we be afraid?"

    After Julian bandaged Rachel''s foot, he unhurriedly packed his medicine case. Soon, the sound of footsteps came from outside. When she turned to look at the door, Justin had already opened the door and he entered. "Are you changing the bandages?"

    "Yeah, I''ve just finished with it. I''ve already told my sister-inw what she should avoid. Rachel, I''m leaving." Julian picked up his medicine case. His repetitive usage of ''sister-inw'' insinuated his deliberate intention to remind everyone about his identity.

    Without a change in expression, Justin answered, "Let''s have dinner togetherter."

    "Okay."

    The moment that Julian left, Justin closed the door and saw that she was holding a book in her hand, so he casually asked, "What book are you reading?"

    Rachel turned the cover over to let him see-it was a novel in German.

    "You know German?"

    I took a course in college, but I''m not very proficient in thenguage.

    Justin had remembered visiting the Hudson Residence once earlier and noticing a whole shelf of books in Rachel''s tiny bedroom. There was a wide range of books in variousnguages, some of which he couldn''t even understand.

    "Are there any more sides to you that I don''t know?" As his low voice sounded in her ears, she subconsciously gripped the corner of the page.

    Justin threw a box toward her before he sat on his own at the side, his long and slender fingers pulling at his tie. "This is for you."

    Rachel saw the box containing a phone next to her and she froze. For me?

    "Isn''t your phone broken? Don''t switch off your phone in the future and once you have turned it on, remember to set the emergency contact to Frankie."

    Why?

    "I asionally won''t be able to take calls, but Frankie will be around 24 hours a day."

    A frowning Rachel looked at Justin in surprise as it seemed that he had misunderstood something.

 Chapter 74

    Regardless of what Justin thought, he had indeed taken care of her a lot in the past two days.

    Thank you.

    At night, Rachel couldn''t concentrate on her book with the sound of water sshing in the bathroom.

    After a certain period of time, the sound of water ceased abruptly. She immediately came to her senses, (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) then closed the book and set it aside before quickly pulling up the quilt and lying down. She turned her back so that it was facing the direction of the bathroom, and she made sure to only upy a small part of her side of the bed.

    After the door opened, there was a slight rustling sound of the covers being lifted behind her.

    "Are you asleep?"

    Rachel shut her eyes even tighter. In the next second, a huge hand passed through the gap between her neck and the pillow, then she was pulled into his arms. His body temperature was abnormally high after the shower, much like a steamer that was exuding heat.

    Rachel opened her eyes in a panic before she heard his voice from above her head. "Go to sleep."

    The sound of even breathing swept past the wisps of hair next to her ears, and the man''s chin was pressed against the top of her head. Rachel felt like a small bun being pressed into the steamer. The heat was making her panic, but somehow, she felt at ease, and she slowly began to rx.

    After Rachel spent a few days at home resting, her foot injury was almost healed. This afternoon, she was alone in the garden tending to the flowers and nts when Mrs. Duncan hurriedly opened the door and came out. "Mrs. Burton, quickly change your clothes. Old Mr. Burton wants to see you."

    The scissors in Rachel''s hand trembled slightly, and she abruptly cut off a rose stem, whereupon arge, vivid rose fell onto the grass. Did he say why he''s looking for me?

    "How would I know that? Anyway, he''s asking for you. Quickly go back and change your clothes. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)It will take quite a while to get to the summer vi from here," Mrs. Duncan urged. Rachel could only set down her things and go back to change her clothes.

    "I''ll call you a cab."

    That''s fine. I''ll drive there.

    After Rachel drove off, Mrs. Duncan''s expression changed immediately. "Damn. When Young Master

    Justin is home, she pretends that it hurts everywhere, yet now she can drive on her own."

    On the road leading to the outskirts of the city, Rachel looked at the three rmended paths on the navigation system. Her finger hovered for a while as she hesitated, then she deliberately chose the third route.

    Janice mentioned that there was the least traffic surveince on that road, especially since there was no time to repair it after the heavy rain some time ago, so there were many blind spots. The sky was gradually getting dark. Justin was attending a liquor party at the famous Gathering Night Club in Riverdale.

    He took over the Burton Group at such a young age, so if he simply relied on his brain and ced himself on a high horse as the rumors imed, it would simply be impossible to carry out certain businesses. Frankie answered a call outside the private room and came back to whisper in Justin''s ear. "Mr. Burton, Old Mr. Burton called on Mrs. Burton again."

    Justin frowned, then calmly clinked sses with Spencer, who was next to him. After taking a sip of the wine, he used the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom to leave the room with Frankie. "When did this happen?"

    "It should be in the afternoon. Someone from the summer vi called and said that Mrs. Burton had already arrived."

    Justin''s eyes darkened a little, and he was seemingly deep in thought.

    "Mr. Burton, I don''t think there''s much to worry about. Old Mr. Burton doesn''t have any grudge against Mrs. Burton. Maybe he just called her over to lecture her a little. It should be fine."

    "Where''s Tina?"

    Frankie was startled. "Do you think this may be rted to Tina again?"

    "I don''t just think so I''m sure of it." With that, Justin strode out of the clubhouse without any hesitation.

    "Mr. Burton, what about Mr. Campbell,"

    "You keep an eye on him."

    Meanwhile, a butler was bringing Rachel into the meeting room where she wentst time. When she walked in, Arthur was drinking tea. There was a middle-aged woman in the room who was standing aside in a straight suit, probably to serve drinks.

    "Old Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson is here. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar)" The butler stood at the door and waited until he got a neutral response before signaling for Rachel to go in. "Have a seat." Although Arthur was getting older, when he spoke, he was still full of life.

    Rachel nodded and cautiously sat down.

    "Just answer whatever I ask you." Arthur nced at her; his bleary eyes contained a hint of coldness, and he made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction toward Rachel.

    Rachel visibly hesitated. At this moment, the middle-aged woman standing next to the old man spoke. "Miss Hudson, don''t worry. I''ll trante for you." It turned out that she was a signnguage interpreter.

    Go on and ask, then.

    "You married into the Burton Family because of your father''s coercion, right?"

    Yes.

    "Jefferey must have also used this to force you to do a lot of other things," Arthur said while taking a sip of tea. "I heard that you were hospitalized some time ago."

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat. Yes.

    Rachel discreetly sped her hands together. I was not in good health, so I was hospitalized to recuperate for a while. There was no special reason.

    "Is that so?" Arthur asked in a rhetorical tone that indicated he was obviously not convinced. "Do you think that because you and Justin are living together far away from me, I''d be too dim-witted from old age to know anything?"

    I didn''t mean that. It was really because my health wasn''t good.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Rachel wanted to exin more, but Arthur seemed to have run out of patience. He tapped his crutches against the ground, then said coldly, "Go to the ancestral hall and pay your respects." Startled, Rachel looked toward the hall in disbelief.

    Because the family banquet was held in the summer vi every year, the Burton Family''s ancestral hall was built there as well. The style of the courtyard house was somewhat ipatible with the European- style buildings in the distance. However, the fact that the Burton Residence survived the fire that year already proved the family''s wisdom and luck.

    "Mrs. Burton, we''re here."

    As she looked at the gate of the ancestral hall in front of her, Rachel clenched her fists, then stepped in. (This novel will be daily updtaed at .noveljar) With a creak, the door behind her was closed, and she was the only one left in the ancestral hall, which was lit only by the swaying candlelight. The moment she looked up, she saw the ques of the Burtons'' ancestors. She shivered involuntarily as she felt a gust of cold wind.

    After walking one round, Rachel hesitated as she stared at the yellow futon ced before the ques, then she finally went to kneel down and pay her respects. To every ancestor of the Burton Family, I have no intention of offending and disturbing. I''m sorry. She didn''t believe in Gods and spirits, but Nancy had taught her to be respectful since she was a child.

    The sky outside waspletely dark now.

    "Miss, Old Mr. Burton asked Rachel to pay her respects at the ancestral hall."

    Upon hearing this, Tina immediately turned around from the balcony. She looked far into the northwest direction, where the ancestral hall was situated, while sneering, "That ce is so eerie. It must be enough to frighten that mute."

    "But I saw that she didn''t talk much with Old Mr. Burton after she arrived. I don''t know what made the old man unhappy, but he straightaway punished her and sent her to the ancestral hall.ˇ±

    "What other reason can there be? She''s not even a pleasant sight, and her very presence is an eyesore. It would be fine if that mute knew her ce, but she''s actually affecting thepany''s personnel transfer, so how could Grandpa possibly keep her?" After saying that, Tina nced toward the southeast direction. "Let''s just wait. I''m guessing my cousin is probably arriving soon."

    "Young Master ising? He can''t possibly care so much for her, right?"

    "You all think that Justin is haughty, indifferent, unscrupulous, and doesn''t treat people like human beings, right?"

    Her subordinate looked sullen and dared not say anything.

    Tina let out a coldugh. "In fact, he''s the most indecisive member of the entire Burton Family!"

 Chapter 75

    The sky was already dark when the MPV drove into the summer vi.

    "Young Master Justin, why are you here at this hour?"

    "Where''s Grandpa?"

    "Old Mr. Burton is already resting. How about I get someone to arrange for you to stay here tonight? Then if there''s anything, you can talk to him tomorrow night." Outside Arthur''s room door, Justin was stopped by the butler. The door was tightly shut, as if the old man didn''t intend to see him at all.

    "Young Master Justin, Old Mr. Burton is really resting

    Justin clenched his fists. "Where''s Rae?"

    The servants on the side dared not speak.

    "Are you all mute?" Justin looked around, but no one dared to answer his question, so his face turned gloomy in an instant. "I''m asking all of you a question!" The atmosphere in the living room was deathly still, and everyone was staying silent out of fear.

    "Oh, a rare visitor."

    A sarcastic voice sounded from the stairs, and Tina stood there with her hand on the handrail. "I thought I was hearing things, but you''re really back, Justin." Justin frowned, but he appeared calm.

    "Justin, it''s unlike you toe here and make a fuss sote at night. Did something happen to thepany?"

    "Where''s Rae?"

    "Rae? Oh, you mean my mute cousin-inw. I seem to have heard that Grandpa called her over today, so you should ask him."

    The impatience in Justin''s eyes intensified. He didn''t want to continue talking nonsense with her. "Leon, is Grandpa really asleep?"

    The butler replied helplessly, "Young Master Justin, If Old Mr. Burton says that he''s going to sleep, that means he doesn''t want to see anyone anymore. If you believe me, then just listen to me and don''t ask any more questions. Tomorrow morning, Mrs. Burton will definitely return in perfect condition."

    "Where is she now?"

    "Young Master Justin-" He was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind him.

    The servant who opened the door stood by the door, then a cold voice sounded from inside. "Ask him toe in."

    Something flickered across Justin''s eyes, then he immediately entered the room.

    The butler wanted to give Justin a word of advice, but he didn''t manage to pull him in time, so he could only stare at the closed door and sigh.

    He had watched Justin grow up, but he had never seen him act as irrational as he was now. He was focused on searching for one person; no wonder Arthur was so angry.

    Right now, the only person in the Burton Family who was delighted was Tina.

    Even in August, the mountains were exceptionally cold at night. This temperature wasn''tparable to the city''s

    Rachel was only wearing a dress, so she was shivering as she kneeled in the ancestral hall.

    The light inside was dim, and she didn''t bring her phone in, so she didn''t even know what time it was.

    The creaking sound of the door opening came from behind, causing Rachel to shudder in fright as she looked vigntly at the door.

    Under the moonlight, a pair of high heels cked against the floor as the woman stepped through the door with the moonlight shining behind her. Then, she walked toward Rachel.

    It wasn''t until the visitor got closer that Rachel saw her figure, and her pupils constricted.

    "It''s only been a few days, but we meet again, Rachel

    Tina stood a short distance away from Rachel. As usual, she appeared domineering. "Don''t you think that we always meet at the weirdest ces? You must''ve owed me a lot of money in your past life, huh?" Rachel didn''t have a phone, nor did she have a paper and pen, so she couldn''t respond to Tina''s remarks and could only listen as she spoke,

    Tina walked one round in her 4-inch high heels, then she crossed her arms, as if she was watching a show, looking extremely smug. "Did you know that Justin arrived half an hour ago?"

    Rachel froze.

    Justin is here?

    "Unfortunately, he didn''t seem to want to care about you at all. Grandpa called upon him to talk about something. After he got out, he went to the guest room to rest. He didn''t even ask about you." How''s that possible?

    "Are you surprised? You don''t believe me? Tina let out a bitterugh. "Let me tell you why: It''s because there''s no need to be falsely affectionate and pretentious with a dead person." What did you say?

    Rachel''s expression changed to one of disbelief.

    "It won''t be long before you be one of these ques. You''ll be ced in this ancestral hall, and it''ll be dered to the public that you have passed away due to a certain illness, leaving Jefferey arge amount of money aspensation. Do you think he''ll pursue it then?"

    Rachel staggered as she stood up from the futon.

    This is impossible. I didn''t do anything wrong, so why would the Burtons want to kill me?

    "You don''t believe me?" Tina yed the recording. "Listen for yourself.'' Chapter 15Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    After a loud noise, Arthur''s voice came from the recorder. "Justin, I''m very disappointed with your recent behavior. The Burton Family is like a tough bone-not easy to chew-but this does not mean that Jefferey won''t try to fool you."

    "Grandpa, Jefferey isn''t that capable yet. You''ve overestimated him."

    *Don''t think that I don''t know anything. He''s capable enough to rece the bride. The way you handled It has already disappointed me. You should''ve let Rachel leave. She''s worthless."

    We''re only keeping her to get the form."

    "Didn''t we already get the form?"

    "We''re still matching the ingredients, so there''s no final product yet."

    "Then, let me ask you-what are you going to do after we get the final product?"

    After a silence thatsted for several seconds, a gust of cold wind blew in the ancestral hall, causing the back of Rachel''s neck to turn cold.

    After some time, Justin''s voice rang in the recording. "I''ll take care of it."

    Arthur didn''t make anyments, but the conversation changed abruptly. "Did you order for thepany''s personnel transfer?"

    "I haven''t given the order, but I had that idea."

    "For that woman?"

    "It''s for the normal operation of thepany," Justin answered in a calm tone. "Since Zayn dared to do anything he desired because of one sentence from Tina, that meant that he didn''t have any regard for thepany''s rules. Keeping him will cause something major to happen."

    "What if I say that something major will happen if that mute stays by your side?"

    When this sentence emerged from the recorder, it echoed in the huge ancestral hall.

    "Then, it''s all up to you, Grandpa."

    When the simple and concise sentence was spoken, not a trace of reluctance could be heard. It was as if she was an item to be bought and sold at will; only her body substantiated her existence. Arthur said, "She will be a que in the Burtons'' ancestral hall. Are you willing to let that happen?"

    "Marrying her was originally for the exchange of benefits."

    Rachel was taken aback, unable to believe what she had just heard,

    After the recording finished ying, Tina gave her a condescending look, but there was slight sympathy in her eyes. "Did you hear that? Grandpa doesn''t n to keep you around anymore Keeping you at the Burton Residence is the biggest mistake Justin has made in his life. If you''re still counting on Justin to save you, then I advise you not to continue with your wishful thinking, because he''s noting Previously I thought he cared about you, but now, it seems like he doesn''t"

    Rachel sank down onto the futon

    Am I really going to die here?

    Every one of Tina''s mocking remarks made its way into her ears, gnawing at her nerves like dense insects.

    Justin was so indifferent in the recording that it felt like he was apletely different person from the one who had been taking care of her for the past few days.

    Which one is the real him?

    Tina continued, "Didn''t I say that if you snitch on me, I''d kill you? I''m a little upset now that you''re not gonna die at my hands."

    Rachel suddenly came to her senses. Shooting Tina a nce, she was struck with a sudden thought as she retrieved a chalk from the incense case and started writing on the ground. "What are you doing?"

    Tina frowned and stared for a long while.

    ''Do you really think the person who snitched on you was me?''

 Chapter 76

    Chapter

    76

    After writing thest word, the chalk Rachel was using broke and rolled around on the ground.

    "It hase to this point. What other tricks are you trying to y with me?" Tina''s expression was nasty. "Of course you''ll refuse to admit that you were the snitch. When would a murderer ever admit that they killed someone?"

    Not bothering to argue with her, Rachel kneeled on the ground and wrote one word.

    Amber

    "Are you saying that Amber revealed the secret?" For a moment, Tina was stunned. Then, she seemed to think of something which caused her to scoff. "If you want to me it on someone, you should at least me it on the right person. Before Henry''s incident, Amber knew nothing about the matter between us. Do you think I''m stupid?"

    Rachel looked silently at Tina, her calm gaze making thetter a little panicked.

    Tina was indeed a little dumb, but she wasn''t an idiot.

    That day, Amber had asked her to go to the wine cer. There were waiters around, but she insisted that Rachel go to the already suspicious ce. As for how Tina and Henry ended up at the wine cer, no one knew, but Rachel was sure that it must have had something to do with Amber.

    "That''s impossible." All of a sudden, there was an extremely unpleasant look on Tina''s face.

    She suddenly remembered that before Jefferey''s birthday banquet, Amber had invited her multiple times to make sure she would turn up, and she waited until she was around before telling the waiter the specific ce to get the wine and to not go to the underground wine cer.

    Suddenly, the creaking sound of the door closing rang out. Tina came and left in a hurry as her figure instantly disappeared from the doorway.

    Looking at the doors of the ancestral hall, which was once again closed, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She felt difort in her palms, so she opened up her hand, only to see that the chalk had broken into countless pieces, and her palm was full of powder.

    The next day, Rachel was awoken by the sound of the door opening.

    "Mrs. Burton, wake up."

    Rachel''s body was freezing as she opened her eyes in a daze, and she could barely prop herself up from the hard ground.

    The butler, Leon, was waiting at the door. "Mrs. Burton, Old Mr. Burton said that you cane out now."

    Rachel nodded, and her knees were numb when she stood up. If it weren''t for the help of the servants on both her sides, she would have tumbled onto the ground.

    When she noticed how skilled the servants were at supporting her, she wondered if the Burtons often sent people to the ancestral hall to kneel as punishment.

    The servants helped Rachel into the guest room, which was actually a suite. There was a living room outside, clean clothes on the bed in the bedroom, and hot water running in the bathroom. Rachel was stunned. Wasn''t I supposed to go see Old Mr. Burton?

    "Old Mr. Burton said to let you shower and freshen up, then have breakfast before going to the living room to talk."

    Where''s Justin?

    "Young Master Justin should be with Old Mr. Burton now."

    He didn''t leavest night?

    "No."

    Upon hearing this, Rachel fell deep in thought. I can handle myself. You guys can leave now

    "All right, Mrs. Burton."

    In the bathroom, the steam was dense as Rachel soaked herself in the bathtub. When she thought of the recording Tina had just let her listen to, she felt dejected.

    At the end of the day, Justin had changed the way he treated her just to get the prescription

    After holding her breath for a while, Rachel suddenly broke through the surface of the water and inhaled deeply.

    After having breakfast, Rachel went to see Arthur, who was eating breakfast with Justin and Tina beside him. When Rachel entered, Justin simply shot her a faint nce but said nothing Arthur asked, "Have you eaten? If you haven''t take a sea! Let''s eat together"

    I''ve already eaten.

    "Sit down, then. Have you figured everything out in the ancestral hallst night?"

    Rachel was struck with the question before she even sat downpletely, so she was caught off guard

    Arthur nced at her. "Have you figured out why I sent you to the ancestral hall?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not 10?"

    Rachel nced subconsciously at Justin

    The man was as calm as ever. As he ate his porridge, his expression never changed. It was as if Arthur''s conversation with her had nothing to do with him.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "Grandpa, why are you trying so hard to talk to her?" Tina rolled her eyes, then ced some food in Arthur''s bowl. "You should''ve just let her kneel for a little longer so that she wouldn''t interfere with your meal."

    Arthur replied, "That''s true. You''re just a pawn the Hudsons sent as a recement to marry There''s no point in talking to you since there''s no cure for stupidity. But, if you don''t understand current affairs, you''re really hopeless."

    I don''t understand what you mean.

    "Forget it if you don''t understand. Starting from today, you''ll stay in the summer vi"

    When Rachel heard this, she was startled

    Widening her eyes, Tina sprung up from her chair. "What do you mean, she''s staying here? What right does she have to stay here?"

    Arthur shot Tina a disgruntled nce. "She''s the Young Madam of the Burton Family

    Obviously, this wasn''t the oue Tina expected.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was even inore surprised than Tina. From the recording Tina let her listen tost night,

    they clearly wanted her dead, so why would he ask her to stay here?

    All of a sudden, she had a bad premonition.

    "Grandpa, because of this mute, Justin,"

    "That''s enough." Arthur forcefully set down his cutleries while shooting Tina a warning nce. "Tina, your attitude has been getting worse recently. Sit down. You have no manners at all." Tina dared not disobey the old man''s wishes no matter how headstrong and reckless she was.

    "Justin, what do you think about this?"

    Justin set down his cutleries as well, then a few words escaped his thin lips. "I''ll listen to you, Grandpa."

    Rachel simply gave him a nk look.

    After breakfast, she returned to the room with Justin.

    Rachel felt anxious the whole way there, because she reckoned that Arthur wasn''t letting her stay here for any good reason.

    In the suite, she was going to ask a servant to send tea over, but Justin pulled her down to sit.

    "Are your knees bruised because ofst night?"

    Rachel nodded cautiously.

    After kneeling all night, her knees were bruised. If it weren''t for the help of the servants this morning, she wouldn''t have managed to walk.

    "You kneeled in the ancestral hall all night just because Grandpa asked you to? Are you stupid?"

    "Young Master Justin, here''s the salve."

    Justin gave a slight nod before waving dismissively at the servant.

    After he heard the door close, he squatted down to apply the salve on her knees.

    Startled, Rachel looked rather abashed. I can do it myself.

    "Don''t move!"

    With his huge hand, he rubbed the salve all over her knees. The salve most likely promoted blood cirction and dispersed stasis; it stung when he first applied it, but soon, there was a cooling sensation, and the smell of musk in the room dissipated.

    At this moment, Justin''s behavior waspletely different from when he was in the dining room just now.

    "It should be fine now."

    Thank you

    Wiping his hands, Justin sat down.

    Rachel carefully asked, Can I not live here?

    Justin frowned slightly. "Grandpa only lives here for two months every year, and he''ll be leaving Riverdale in a month. By then, you won''t have to stay here anymore."

    I need to work. It''s very inconvenient for me to go back and forth from here.

    "We''ve already helped you apply for a leave of absence."

    Rachel''s expression changed, and she wanted to say something, but she eventually set down her hand and wordlessly lowered her head.

    There was a high chance Arthur was asking her to stay here because he nned to find the right time to finish her off. She was about to lose her life, so why was she even talking about work? Justin suddenly held her hand. "Are you upset?"

    Rachel froze; the heat on the back of her hand made her feel a little flustered.

    "When the Burton Group''s East Pearl Project ends, I''lle and get you as soon as I can."

    Justin''s voice was deep and powerful, inexplicably causing Rachel''s heart to thump at an unusual rhythm.

    After Justin slowly drove out of the summer vi, Tina stood on the balcony on the second floor of the vi, her expression solemn.

    "What the hell is Grandpa thinking? Is his mind muddled? He actually wants to keep the mute girl here!"

    "He''s probably keeping her here to prevent her from affecting Young Master Justin''s decisions regarding thepany. It seems like your prediction is correct." The voice of her assistant, Simon Wilde, sounded from behind.

    "But I didn''t expect Grandpa to be so soft-hearted. Now that he''s keeping her here, the other Burtons might think that she''s gotten his approval and is officially part of the family!"

    After saying that, Tina fiercely pped the balcony railing, and the look in her eyes was ruthless. "This is great. Now that she''s being kept here, I can''t even take action against her." "Miss Burton, didn''t you send someone to investigate Amber? Maybe that matter really has nothing to do with Rachel."

    "How''s the investigation going?"

    Simon pondered for a while. "Lately, Amber has been spending time with Young Master Peters. She has also actively signed up for hospital seminars and conferences, and..." "And what?"

    "And I think Jefferey met with Madam Parham in private. It seems like she has some interest in Young Master Peters."

    "Amber''s interested in Julian?" Tina was surprised. "Since when?"

    After all, before this, she had heard Amberining that she should be the one marrying into the Burton Family, not her mute sister. She had always been unsatisfied because of this, so why was she suddenly changing targets?

    "ording to the information I got from the hospital, it has been quite a long time, and the Second Young Lady of the Hudson Family actually went to work as an assistant for Young Master Peters. This happened before the Hudsons'' birthday banquet."

    Upon hearing this, Tina''s brows furrowed.

    She didn''t believe that Amber would snitch on her. After all, the matter about her and Henry wasn''t affecting Amber at all. Besides, now that Amber was interested in Julian, it was even more likely that she wasn''t involved.

    On the balcony, there was a gust of breeze, and Tina could see the parking lot in the distance from the corner of her eyes.

    "Rachel drove here on her ownst night, right?"

    Simon was taken aback for a moment. "Yes."

    Looking at the white car, Tina had a malicious look in her eyes. She hated it most when other people yed tricks on her After Justin left, Rachel hurriedly sent a message to Hans.

 Chapter 77

    ''The n might have to be brought forward!

    Hans'' reply came in an instant. ''What happened?''

    ''The Burton Family is keeping me in the vi on the outskirts.

    ''What did he do to you? Are you okay?''

    I''m okay for now, but I think now''s a good opportunity. When I came, I used the winding mountain road. Although it''s different from the route we previously nned to use, perhaps it''ll make more sense if I met with an ident on the way back to the city!

    It was difficult to convince Justin with their original n of her mitting suicide''. After all, with so many suicide methods, it would be rather bizarre for her to drive all the way out there, but she now had a more reasonable excuse.

    Whatever the reason, if she drove down from the summer vi and something happened along the way, it would be considered an ident.

    After a while, her phone vibrated, whereupon Hans'' message popped up..

    ''No matter what you decide, I''ll support you. Don''t worry. Keep yourself safe. I''ll discuss this with Janice!

    "Okay.

    After she sent out her final message, a knock sounded on the door.

    Rachel immediately deleted the entire conversation and turned away from the window.

    "Mrs. Burton." The woman who came in was dressed in the vi''s maid uniform, and her face was like a robot''s-void of expression. "Butler Leon asked me to show you around." It''s fine. I don''t want to go out

    "Then I''ll call you when it''s lunchtime."

    After the door closed, Rachel breathed a sign of relief and sat down on the edge of her bed with her phone in hand.

    She subconsciously looked around the room she was in. Somehow, ever since she stepped into the vi, she kept getting the feeling that she was being watched. No matter what she did, she felt like they knew.

    After the meeting in the afternoon, Justin returned to the office.

    Frankie had brought three sets of renovation drawings over.

    "The designer made these three sets of drawings in different styles ording to your requirements. Which one do you think is more suitable?"

    Justin studied them for a while. "What do you think?"

    "What do I think?" Frankie hesitated. "The design on the left has a romantic theme thatbines Greek culture withplex mythology, while the one in the middle vaguely looks like the style of a European court, luxurious and extravagant... But I don''t think those are the main points."

    Justin asked nonchntly, "What''s the main point?"

    "The middle one has the brightest and warmest colors, especially the design of this small garden-if you add a swing in it, it would likely paint a beautiful scene when Mrs. Burton reads or ys with the children there during sunset."

    As soon as he said this, the office fell silent.

    "Did I say that she''s going to be staying in this house after it''s renovated?"

    Frankie nearly bit his tongue.

    His bbing would get him in serious trouble sooner orter.

    After a long while, the man tapped the table twice. "This one."

    Frankie carefully looked over and saw his slender and strong finger pointing to the drawing in the middle, whereupon he broke into a grin. "I''ll get the designer to start working on it." "Hold on."

    "Is there anything else you''d like me to do?"

    "Add the swing too."

    Frankie was momentarily stunned, then he quickly recovered and replied, ˇ°Sure."

    The door of the office closed, and Justin sat back in his chair while casually flipping open the folder beside him. Inside was the information about Rachel which Frankie hadpiled.

    As Justin thought of the simr experience he went through when he was a child, his eyebrows twitched vigorously. It was as if the fire that happened two decades ago was uring right in front of him, instantly causing him to clench his fists.

    Jefferey was not fit to be a father; he wasn''t even worthy of being a human.

    After nightfall, Justin read a book as he leaned against the headboard.

    It was 12.00AM, but he found it hard to sleep, as there seemed to be a familiar smell on the pillows and quilts. He had never found the house to be so empty before.

    After unlocking his phone and taking a look, he noticed that there were no personal messages other than some unread emails.

    Meanwhile, Sue was awakened by the sound of an engine running outside the window.

    "Mrs. Duncan? Is Julian back?" She called out aftering out of the bedroom.

    Putting on her coat, Mrs. Duncan came out of the nanny''s room and hurriedly responded, "Madam, you''ve forgotten that Young Master Peters is working the night shift tonight. I think Young Master Justin was the one who went out."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "Justin?" Sue immediately grew a little more alert. "He drove out by himself in the middle of the night? Where did he go?"

    Mrs. Duncan shook her head. "The servants in the house have all gone to bed, and Young Master Justin didn''t tell anyone. I came out because I just heard you calling me."

    Sue frowned. After being struck with a sudden thought, her face suddenly sank. "He couldn''t have gone to..."

 Chapter 78

    Chapte: 78

    Rachel couldnt sleep well the whole night.

    The vi was too quiet She had a nightmare, in the dream, everyone from the Burton family was chasing after her with knives in their hands. There was no way for her to escape, and when they finally chased her into a forest, the knives in their hands turned into torches.

    She yelled for help, but her throat hurt so badly that no voice came out

    *Ahti"

    She woke up in a cold sweat and opened her eyes immediately.

    The curtains were not drawn properly-the moonlight that shone in cast a ghostly shadow on the wallmp.

    A click came from outside the door. When she heard it, she hugged the quilt tightly.

    A tall figure was illuminated by the light outside, casting a long shadow on the carpet.

    *It''s me."

    A familiar voice rang, and Rachel stared at the person at the door expressionlessly. She looked as if she hadn''t woken up from the nightmare-her face was pale under the moonlight.

    In the next second, the lights in the room were turned on, and the room became much brighter in an instant.

    Seeing Rachel still trembling, Justin suddenly felt distressed and strode over. "Did you have a nightmare?"

    Under the bright light, Rachel came back to her senses and nodded absent-mindedly.

    "It''s okay. It''s all over."

    Why are you here?

    It was already past 2.00AM. Looking at the rm clock by the bed, for a moment, Rachel even thought she was still in a dream.

    "I just came back to get something."

    Get something? In your pajamas?

    Rachel''s eyes fell on Justin''s outfit.

    If she recalled correctly, this was his pajamas set from the Burton Residence-blue-gray pajamas.

    "Drink some water." Justin poured her a ss of water.

    Thank you.

    "What did you dream about? Was it so terrible?"

    Rachel was still shaken from recalling the dream just now.

    However, she shook her head. I can''t remember clearly now.

    After a tiring dream like that, Rachel felt even more exhausted-she couldn''t help but let out a yawn.

    Seeing that, Justin said, "Get some sleep."

    Rachel was taken aback for a moment. Are you going to sleep here too?

    "This is also my home. Where am I supposed to sleep if not here?"

    Didn''t you onlye back to get your things?

    "Are you urging me to leave?"

    That''s not what I meant.

    Rachel shook her head hurriedly.

    "Then go to sleep." Justin took away the cup in her hand and put it on the bedside. Before Rachel could react to it, he hugged her and pressed her on the pillow. Although his strength was a little hard on her, it inexplicably brought a sense of peace in her mind.

    Rachel slowly closed her eyes and drifted into slumber.

    Early the next morning, Arthur was feeding his fishes by theke.

    "Did Justine byst night?"

    "I can''t hide anything from you," Leon confessed. "Indeed. He arrived at 2.00AM but left early this morning he also caught up with the morning meeting at the office. Everything is normal." "Do you think this is normal?" Arthur sprinkled all the fish food in his hand, immediately causing a school of carps to fight for it.

    Leon replied, "I heard from the doctor that Young Master Justin can now go to sleep even without taking any medication. I think this may have something to do with Mrs. Burton. In fact, rather than letting the young master travel back and forth everyday, I think you might as well let Mrs. Burton return."

    "The more he is like this, the more I can''t let that little mute go."

    "Why is that so?"

    "Men are meant to do great things. And if they were to be disturbed by these puppy loves, they are destined to achieve nothing in the future. Besides, it''s not as if there were no such precedent in our family!" Leon was startled. "You are thinking of the Second Young Master again."

    Arthur held on to the railing. His sunken cheeks were reflected in theke water, showing a somewhat rare expression. "Isn''t his father''s lesson enough to teach Justin?"

    "Sir, that was just an ident."

    "It''s not an ident, but purely an evil fate. So there should never be such womanly benevolence in Justin anymore." Then, Arthur straightened up and asked, "Is he still investigating the Hudsons recently?" "Yes, he is. He also checked Jefferey''s overseas bank ounts a few days ago and found that he has a tendency to transfer funds, so he''s prepared for whatever that might happen." "Well, it''s good news that he hasn''t gone too far. Continue to shadow him. If there is any trouble, report back to me immediately."

    "Yes, sir."

    Arthur left it at that.

    For the several days that Rachel stayed in the vi, Justin wouldete at night when everyone was asleep, and Rachel had gradually gotten used to his appearance.

    This was a strange feeling-it was as if they were having an affair, but it made her feel at ease each time.

    In this huge vi, Justin had be her only pir of support.

    "Madam, are you going out?"

    I''ve been away for too long, so I''m nning to go back to see grandma.

    Rachel carried her bag and asked carefully, Can I?

    The servant said, "Of course, madam. Butler Leon didn''t leave any words about keeping you home. Do you need me to arrange for a car?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    It''s okay. It''s more convenient for me to drive there myself.

    "Alright, then. Pleasee back soon."

    Then, Rachel heaved a sigh of relief as she drove away from the vi and watched the gate of the vi in the rearview mirror get farther and farther away.

    Arthur didn''t seem to have any great malice towards her. Except for asking her to kneel in the ancestral hall the first night, he never treated her badly after that. She could also do anything freely in the vi. Back in the city, Rachel drove the car directly to the alley in the old city.

    "Rachel! Over here!"

    Across the street, Hans waved at her.

    This was an old neighborhood-many ces were already marked for demolition, and there were many turns into narrow alleys, so it was hard for one to find their way around. "Did you have any trouble getting out?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "This way." Hans led her into a tailor''s shop, whereupon he greeted the old tailor in the shop intimately and then opened the curtain before he took Rachel to the backyard. Janice already had a pot of tea ready under the old locust tree.

    I''m sorry I waste.

    "It''s okay. I''m on leave today anyway-I had nothing to do at home." Janice cocked her chin. "This ce is about to be demolished soon. It wasn''t easy to find your way here, huh?" It was okay.

    Hans said, "This is Janice''s grandpa''s tailor shop. It''s more secretive here."

    "Let''s talk business." Janice dipped her finger in the water and drew some routes on the stone table. "I have studied the routes. When there is heavy rain, the trafficwork in these ces has no signal. This is also a section where idents happen frequently-it''s not going to be hard to hide from everyone."

    Rachel nodded with a grateful expression on her face.

    "The recement corpse has also been found. The person has just passed away more than a month ago she is well preserved, and her figure is simr to yours. When the timees, the car will be burned, and the body will bepletely unrecognizable. We only need to make some arrangements for that."

    You can find things like this too?

    Rachel was surprised.

    Hans nced at Janice. "Do you think she has been in the investigation bureau all these years for nothing? She knows her way around both thewful and uwful worlds. There are still a lot of ces in the ck market that do the business of ghost marriage. I guess this could be said to be a gray area."

    Ghost marriage, huh?

    Rachel had heard people say that before, and she suddenly felt a little bitter in her heart.

    She didn''t expect that, one day, she would be involved in such a situation.

    Janice sipped her tea and looked at the horizon like an old cadre. "Right now, all we are waiting for is a rainstorm."

    The sky in Riverdale was as blue as the ocean. These past few days had been sunny.

    Amercial vehicle was parked opposite a department store in the old town.

    "Mr. Burton, I have actually seen the locations of those holdouts before, and they only have little effect on the nning."

    In the back seat, Justin looked through the car window and saw a white car on the opposite side with a familiar license te number.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter

    79

    "Is that Mrs. Burton''s car?"

    Following Justin''s gaze, Frankie blurted out.

    Night lell.

    Back at the vi, Rachel gave the car key to the servant to park and walked into the house by herself.

    "Mrs. Burton, you''re home! The kitchen crew is preparing dinner."

    No need for that. I''ve eaten.

    Rachel nodded politely and returned to the bedroom.

    She turned on her phone and checked the weather forecast several times on several different applications. ording to those apps, it seemed that there would be signs of rain next week, but weather forecasts were never ones to be the most reliable.

    After a simple wash, Rachel wiped her hair as she came out of the bathroom. When she saw the canvas bag casually ced on the sofa, her eyes froze for a while. After thinking about it, she went over to take the medicine.

    Justin woulde every night, so I''d better eat it just in case.

    Late at night, as Rachel''s sleep was light, she felt someone ''invading'' under her quilt. She had no idea since when it started, but the scent of the man had be familiar to her; it even became a constant somehow.

    "Are you asleep?"

    A low voice came from behind.

    Hearing that, Rachel didn''t open her eyes. On the one hand, she was too sleepy, and on the other hand, her fear of Justin seemed to have dissipated into the night.

    Justin looked at the woman on the pillow; his dark eyes were deep and unfathomable.

    In fact, his face had been somber ever since he entered the room.

    "The butler told me that you went out today."

    Rachel, who was on the pillow, moved her headzily as a response.

    "Where did you go?"

    This questioning tone made Rachel''s heart skip a beat from the nerves.

    When his big hand slithered in along the edge of her nightdress, the cool touch awakened her instantly.

    "Hmm-"

    Rachel tried to turn around but was caught by her shoulders.

    "Hmm!" she eximed, making a hoarse and low voice.

    The moonlight outside the window shone on her face. Before she coulde to her senses, her pupils shrunk suddenly-a broken and tormented voice escaped her throat, and the light in front of her eyes began to tremble intensely.

    In their movements, the dark green silk quilt slipped off the bed, and the moonlight illuminated the men and women who had merged together. Chapter 79

    This feeling of strangeness and familiarity shattered all of Rachel''s rationale while the sensation of pain and joy were entangled; she wanted to yell, but she couldn''t make any noise. After the intense movement, she was already soaking wet from the sweat.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Not knowing how long after, the man''s dull grunt came from behind her ears. He grabbed Rachel''s long hair, causing her severe pain. Rachel raised her neck abruptly and was forced to reach the climax in pain.

    Soon, there was a sound of water in the bathroom.

    After a while, the sound of water stopped,

    Rachel closed her eyes immediately. If Justin were to turn on the light at this moment, he would definitely be able to see that her face was burning red.

    Then, the sound of rustling cloth spread from inside the room.

    With a click that signaled the closing of the door, the huge bedroom fell into a numbing silence.

    It took a while before Rachel dared to open her eyes.

    She got up while holding the quilt, only to see an empty room; Justin had already left.

    He seemed a little strange today.

    In mid-August, the temperature began to drop, while the time that Arthur took for his walks gradually lengthened.

    "Young Master Justin hasn''t been here in two days. I''m not sure what is going on."

    Arthur was leaning on his crutches. While ying with two walnuts in his other hand, he said calmly, "Since when did he stoping over?"

    "Three days ago. After he came by that night, he left in a hurry and didn''t stay overnight."

    "It''s been three days, huh."

    "Yes." Leon helped the old man walk to the bridge. "And the young master hasn''t gone home as well in these three days. He has only been sleeping in thepany, it seems that he hasn''t been in a good mood."

    Hearing that, Arthur''s face darkened. He then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, obviously unhappy.

    "What''s the matter, sir? I thought you wanted the young master to have less contact with Miss Rachel. He hasn''te by for so many days, which means he is concentrating on work. Isn''t that what you wanted?"

    "Do you really think he didn''te over because of work?" Arthur snorted coldly. "He is still too young and reckless-he''s always quick to lose his cool. Forget it. It''s time to tell her toe to the study." Leon was startled slightly before he answered, "Yes, sir."

    Rachel was soon summoned to the old man''s study-the first time since she hade to live in the vi.

    A huge desk separated Arthur and Rachel.

    "This is a check for 10 million, and a divorce agreement."

    A document was slowly pushed to Rachel.

    Seeing that, she was startled. Do you want me to sign it?

    "You and Justin are not suited, and I''m sure you don''t want to stay in the Burton Residence. Am I right?"

    Razte stared at the agreement for a long time then suddenly raised her head. This is not the first time you

    unve Juster why do you think I would agree this time?

    Fools rush in where angels fear to tread At that time, you had only amved at the Burton Residence, and it was normal that you couldn''t see the situation clearly, but now that it has been so long, you should probably understand

    Arthur looked at her with a calm expression in his eyes, but with weather-beaten indifference. Although you can11 speak, you should be a sensible person"

    Rachel clenched her fists subconsciously

    After a long while, she signed the agreement with a few strokes.

    After all, Arthur didn''t really give her an option. On the first day when she was told to kneel in front of the ancestral hall, he had told her that in the Burton family, his words were virtues, and no one could ever disobey his decision

    The following day, at the Burton Group.

    "Mr. Burton, Old Mr. Burton had someone send this over."

    Justin raised his head from behind theputer. As he opened the first page of the folder, his eyes narrowed slightly before he immediately threw the folder aside. "Leave this alone. I will exin to Grandpater."

    "Actually, that''s not all. He also sent over a video."

    With that, Frankie handed over his mobile phone.

    Justin frowned. He tapped his fingertip on the screen, whereupon the video began to y.

    Arthur''s voice sounded first. "This is a check for 10 million, and the divorce agreement."

    And the video showed everything after that.

    Seeing thest image of Rachel''s signature, Justin''s face sank at once, and he quickly picked up the folder at the side to flip directly to thest page.

    Rachel''s clear and neat signature was reflected in his pitch-ck eyes.

    Frankie said cautiously, "Mr. Burton, Mrs. Burton probably didn''t do this willingly, nor was she necessarily interested in the 10 million. It is Old Mr. Burton that we''re talking about."

    As if he didn''t hear him, Justin grabbed his mobile phone and opened a special software. He looked at a radar-like red dot moving along the main roads in downtown Riverdale. She didn''t do it willingly?

    If she were unwilling, why would she leave the vi and run out so impatiently?

    "Mr. Burton, where are you going? You have to attend the dinner tonight!" Justin didn''t answer but rushed out instead.

    Rachel made an appointment with Janice and Hans to meet in their usual spot.

    Janice said, "The day after tomorrow is the best time based on thetest news from the Meteorological Bureau. If nothing goes wrong, this will be thest heavy rain this summer." "I will meet you at the ident site then. Don''t be afraid."

 Chapter 80

    Chapter

    80

    What''s the matter?" Hang asked from beside Rachel.

    However, she ignored him while typing a line on her phone before sending it out. ''I came out to the city to see grandma and to buy something along the way. ''t happen to be near your grandma''s house. I will pick you up. There is a banquet, and I want you to attend with me!

    Rachel''s expression froze, ''I haven''t gone to grandma''s yet. I''m still buying things.

    Seeing Rachel''s expression getting more and more ghastly, Hans realized that something was wrong and asked, "What''s wrong? Is Justin looking for you?"

    Aller the notincation popped up on her phone again, Rachel only nced at it, and immediately picked up her bag before rushing out

    Thave something to deal with. I''ll take my leave first,

    Al once, the white car drove away from the alley and drove all the way to the central business district of the main city

    The screen of her mobile phone remained on the interface of her chat with Justin.

    ''Well, since you are visiting the mall, buy yourself a dress while you''re at it. Then,e to Grand Mapel Hotel in an hour to apany me to the dinner party. By the way, I like red: Racheintly felt that there was something wrong, and her instincts told her that Justin might know something

    Even then, she told herself not to be nervous, or else she would mess everything up.

    As quickly as possible, she went to the dress shop and bought a red gown.

    "Madam, would you like to try something else?"

    No need just this one will do.

    "Hi, The total would be 43,000,"

    Rachel took out a ck card from her bag and handed it over. Swipe this.

    Across the street, in the ck car, the secondary card deduction reminder sounded with a ding.

    Justin''s face remained gloomy as always,

    The sky gradually darkened,

    Rachel arrived at Grand Mapel Hotel before the agreed time. She changed into her high heels before getting out of the car, and as she approached the magnificent hotel door in front of her, she took a deep breath and squeezed her handbag.

    I''m here. Where are you?'' She sent a message over and walted for Justin''s reply.

    "1204"

    Without any further boration, a series of room numbers appeared on the screen of her mobile phone. Rachel was taken aback for a moment and replied, ''Okay

    After getting out of the elevator, she walked toward the room while feeling unsettled along the way. Chapter 80

    As soon as the doorbell was pressed, the door opened up. A tall figure shrouded the lights, making her subconsciously half a step back, but upon seeing Justin''s attire and suit, her hanging heart slowly settled. Aren''t we going to the dinner party? Is it in this hotel?

    As soon as she entered the door, Rachel asked her question.

    Behind him came a clicking sound, signaling the door being locked.

    "Why don''t you ask me why I decided to take you to the party all of a sudden?"

    Rachel was taken aback for a moment. You said to never question whatever you said.

    "Wow. I see that you have taken everything that I have said to heart, huh?"

    Justin''s big hand stroked her hair and touched her earlobe. Feeling that, Rachel trembled.

    What is up with you?

    "The dress looks good. Did you choose it yourself? How long did it take?".

    Rachel''s skin was very fair. Against the redness of her dress, her lips appeared even redder and her teeth even whiter. She looked like a rose-delicate and radiant.

    Not long. There were not too many red dresses in the store.

    "Have you managed to see your grandma?" Justin asked nonchntly as his hand on her earlobe slid down onto the nape of her neck.

    Not yet

    All of a sudden, Rachel gasped.

    Justin squeezed her neck but didn''t put any strength into it. "Was it ''not yet, or you never nned to go at all?"

    At this point, Rachel''s eyes remained clear and innocent; she only looked at him in panic.

    As the grip on her neck got tighter and tighter, the air pressure around her ears got lower as well. "Since you have signed the divorce agreement, why are you in such a hurry toe and apany me to the dinner party? Why didn''t you go to see your grandma? Hmm?"

    Rachel returned to her senses abruptly. Old Mr. Burton told me to sign it.

    "Are you meaning to say that it was not your intention?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "Okay." Justinughed and turned his face to look away at something. "Then tell me: Where did you go this afternoon? And who did you meet?"

    Rachel was immediately taken aback upon realizing that he had found out.

    I don''t know what you are talking about.

    "Still lying to me?" Justin strangled her neck fiercely. "Who is that man? Who is that man that made you run out to see him multiple times?"

    Rachel was choked out of breath for an instant, and there was a hoarse and unpleasant sound in her throat.

    Justin had never once felt what he was feeling at this moment-it was a feeling of burning rage in his chest

    that could never be extinguished. The image of her chatting andughing with that man in the old district three days ago was imprinted on his brain, lingering in his mind.

    Rachel had never smiled like that in front of him, not even once.

    He was jealous-crazily jealous.

    The feeling of being influenced by emotions was very bad, and he didn''t like it one bit, so he didn''t go to the vi for the past three days, thinking that he could get past his irrational state that way-until today, when he saw the signed divorce agreement.

    All of the suppressed emotions exploded in an instant, like a wildfire raging across the wastnd, getting absolutely out of control.

    "I''ll give you onest chance. Who is that man that you went to meet, and what is your rtionship with him?" Rachel shook her head desperately, her face turning blue.

    Justin''s face became more and more serious. "Still refusing to tell the truth, huh. Then how dare you say that you did not sign the agreement voluntarily! I bet you would risk your life for this man, wouldn''t you? If that''s the case, I''ll grant you your wish!"

    In the next second, Rachel was thrown onto the bed, whereupon she hit the back of her head against the edge of the bed. Tears overflowed from her eyes, but she ignored the pain and only shrank back in horror.

    His big, cool hands grabbed her thin ankles and separated them fiercely.

    "Ah!"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    With a ripping sound, the red dress was torn in the air.

    "Rachel Hudson, remember that you were sold to me by your father. Even if you are disabled, as long as I haven''t had enough fun with you, you can never leave the Burton family. Where did he touch you? Here? Or here?"

    The friction on her skin made Rachel yell, and her hoarse voice echoed in the room.

    After the madness, the bed was a mess.

    Rachel was trembling on the bedside while clutching the bed sheet tightly with both hands, as if that was herst piece of dignity. Her eyes were red, and her focus was gone.

    Justin sorted the cuffs of his suit, turned around to see her disheveled state, and reached his hand out toward her.

    Rachel trembled fiercely and quickly retreated back to the corner of the bed while holding the quilt.

    Justin frowned, suppressing the inaudible annoyance in his eyes, and said coldly. "So you feel humiliated? You''d better remember this feeling. If I catch you cheating again, it will be more than that." With a bang, the door closed, and the door frame even trembled.

    Rachel looked at the TV cab with almost lifeless eyes while her tears fell.

    In the corridor of the hotel.

    As soon as Justin came out, Frankie quickly followed. "Mr. Burton, the dinner has already begun, and we are all waiting for you."

    "They are all here?"

    "Mr. Howard of Vortex Networks, Mr. Quill of Omega Productions, and="

    As if he hadn''t heard him, Justin listened with a sullen face and suddenly said, "Go and investigate the man that I saw in the old district that day." "What?"

    . The man whom she refused to name even at the brink of death.

 Chapter 81

    "Grandpa actually asked her to sign it?" Tina turned back to look at her assistant.

    "Yes. He offered her ten million for that. I saw the agreement. It''s true."

    "So she''s moving out, I presume?"

    "In a couple of days, if nothing else happens."

    Tina sneered. "What are you waiting for, then? Now that she''s no longer a part of the family, nobody''s gonna be there for her, not even if she''s dead."

    Riverdale''s skies were getting overcast. ording to the weather forecast, a storm was inbound. It was already dark when Rachel came back to the vi. "What happened, madam? You don''t look so good." I''m fine. I just need some rest.

    Rachel felt distraught, as if she had no strength. The two-hour trip back had exhausted thest of her strength, so she fell asleep the moment she came back to her room. She didn''t even have time to change. The nightmares came as usual. The man in her dream felt more powerful and abusive than he was in real life. Rachel tried to break free of his grasp, but to no avail.

    The night engulfed the vi bit by bit.

    "Young Master Justin." The servant took Justin''s suit from him. "You''re early today. Have you had dinner?"

    Justin nodded. "Where''s the madam? Is she home?"

    "She came back a while ago, but she didn''t look too good. Skipped out on dinner, too."

    Hearing that, Justin frowned.

    The room was dead silent. Rachel was on the bed, covered by a nket. But when she heard someoneing in, she shot up. The moment Justin came in, he was met with Rachel''s fearful gaze, and a pregnant silence came between them.

    "You need to eat." He came in with Rachel''s dinner.

    I''m not hungry.

    "You''ll have to eat even if you''re not hungry." Justin brought the spoon close to her mouth, insisting that she needed to eat.

    Rachel was still traumatized from what happened earlier, so she had a bite without resisting.

    "Is it too hot?"

    Rachel shook her head, scared.

    "Have some more."

    Justin kept feeding her, as if what he did earlier didn''t affect him. Rachel couldn''t understand him no matter how much she tried. It was like he thought everything could be forgiven after a fair punishment was meted out.

    After she was done eating, Justin said, "I''m taking you back to the city tomorrow."

    Did your grandfather say you can do that?This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "I don''t need anyone''s permission when ites to you."

    Rachel gripped the nket tightly, and she felt her heart getting squeezed by something.

    Justin knew he shouldn''t have said that, not after what happened that afternoon, so he tried tofort her. However, Rachel instinctively avoided him. His hand froze for a moment, but still he pushed a lock of her hair back and held the back of her head. "I know you hate what happened earlier, but that''s on you. You should have known the line you cannot cross." He gazed at her.

    Rachel froze up.

    "Do you understand me?" Justin tightened his grip around her neck.

    Yes.

    "I have work tonight, so you''ll have to sleep alone." Justin left right after that.

    A short whileter, Riverdale was graced by rainfall. Rachel pulled back the curtains just in time to see Justin driving away into the dark. After he was out of sight, she texted Hans. ''Two in the afternoon. Tomorrow. That was the only thing she told him.

    The rain was getting heavier. Eventually, a sh of lightning arced across the sky. Unbeknownst to anyone, two men in ck raincoats were secretly approaching the white car in the vi''s car park.

    The rain still didn''t let up the next day, but that didn''t change Rachel''s ns. She packed her things and left the vi, while Arthur was standing beside the window to see her off. However, he looked upset.

    "Sir, I know you''re upset about Young Master Justin''s decision, but you don''t have to worry about it. He''s still young, so he doesn''t know you''re doing it for his own good. Besides, the madam lost her family''s support, and she seems to be a nice person."

    "Being nice won''t cut it in our circle. Even if she doesn''t get herself in trouble, trouble wille to her."

    "What are you worried about, sir?"

    Arthur remembered something, so he didn''t exin. "You''ll see."

    Rachel was driving down the hill, just going past a sign that told the drivers to be careful. With her hands on the wheel, she nced at the GPS and realized she was nearing her destination.

    There was a corner up ahead, so she stepped on the brakes, but the car didn''t slow down. What? She quickly turned the steering wheel, and the tires screeched, but she managed to turn the corner, albeit barely. The car''s wipers were clearing the rain away from the windscreen, while Rachel was drenched in cold sweat. The brakes malfunctioned.

    At the same time, Justin was in the middle of a negotiation in the club.

    "Very well then. Another two percent. For the sake of the coboration.ˇ±

    "I know you''ll make the right choice, Mr. Leoric."

    "I''ll be counting on you, then."

    "Likewise."

    After he sent Mr. Leoric off, Justin got up and buttoned his suit.

    Finally getting his chance, Frankie went up to him in a hurry. "Sir, the madam''s in trouble."

    The news surprised Justin.

    "Our sources told us Tina sabotaged the madam''s car this morning, and the madam left the vi half an hour ago."

    "Why didn''t you tell me sooner?" Justin growled.

    Frankie panicked. "You were negotiating, so..."

    Justin''s face fell. "Give me the car key." Right after Frankie handed him the key, he snatched it and stormed off.

    The rain was pouring then, as unbelievable as it was. Because of the downpour, multiplendslides were urring throughout the city, congesting the traffic. Due to the severity of the situation, even the news was livestreaming the government''s efforts to solve the situation.

    At the same time, Rachel was still stepping on the brakes desperately to stop her car from tumbling down the hill, but to no avail. The car wouldn''t go slower than eighty kilometers per hour, and given the weather condition, she was seriously over the speed limit. Her phone started ringing incessantly halfway through, and after much difficulty, she managed to take the call, though she thought it was just Hans. "Where are you right now? Stop the car!" Justin growled.

    His voice alone made Rachel shiver in fear, and she almost crashed into the guardrail. The tires started screeching again, and Justin heard it as well.

    "Did something happen to the car? Rachel? Dammit!" Justin yelled furiously, but he couldn''t do anything, since Rachel couldn''t give him any response.

    Justin ended the call, and Rachel felt like herst hope was gone. All that was left was despair. She thought she''d y out her fake death n after she departed the vi, but she never thought she would really die. But just when she thought all hope was lost, her phone rang again. When she saw Justin on the screen, she realized he was video calling her.

    "Alright, just nod or shake your head depending on your situation. Are the brakes malfunctioning? Including the handbrake? I got it. Now listen to me. Calm down and head to the East Coast highway." East Coast highway? That''s not in my n, she thought. Rachel had arrived at her destination as they spoke. The rain and the wipers were making it hard for her to see, but she noticed a familiar person on the roadside when she took a nce. Hans!

 Chapter 82

    Rachel''s car wouldn''t stop speeding and swerving through the road, The rain was making it difficult for Hans to see as well, but the moment he saw through the wipers, he could see Rachel in the car. However instead of stopping for him, she kept driving ahead. He knew something was wrong, so he chased after her.

    The East Coast highway was the one with the least traffic in the city, especially on rainy days. Even so, that didn''t make Rachel rx one bit, not after she had sped past three cars. At that point, she was drenched with sweat.

    "You''re on the highway now, aren''t you? The cops are clearing the path right now. Turn on cruise control and brace yourself for a crash."

    A crash? All the color drained from her face, and she started imagining every horrific way to die in a car crash.

    "You''ll be fine, so don''t worry. You should see a container in the middle of the road in a couple of minutes. Crash into it, and the airbags will shield you. That''s the only thing you can do now." He looked at her calmly.

    Rachel gritted her teeth. Not like I have any other choice.

    A whileter, Rachel realized there were barely any cars on the road. The rain was still crashing down, but Rachel had no time to care about that. She was still driving, but her hands were already sweaty, and she almost lost her grip on the steering wheel. Eventually, she saw a blue container standing in the middle of the road. Remembering Justin''s advice, she crashed into the container''s side.

    Bam!

    A momentter, smoke billowed from the engine, and mes roared.

    That was what Hans saw when he got to the scene. At the same time, a ck car sped past him before screeching to a halt in the middle of the highway. Justin then sprinted toward Rachel''s car an smashed the window.

    Hans was in his car, watching the scenario unfold in the rain.

    "Rachell" Justin was roaring and yelling at everyone to disassemble the car to save Rachel.

    The airbags sprung into action the moment Rachel crashed into the contalner. whole body getting squashed by a soft, airy thing, and she felt suffocated by the airbag. The car stopped quickly after the initial crash, but she couldn''t get her ears to stop buzzing. A long whileter, the sound of something smashing her car''s window made her snap out of it. She tried to see who it was, but all she could make out was a familiar face. The rain made everything blurry, after all.

    The scene of the ident was cordoned off by the police a short whileter, while the sirens of firetrucks and ambnces kept ring around her.

    Rachel was sent to the emergency room, while Justin waited for her in the corridor. His fists were clenched, and the veins on his forehead popped. Obviously, he was furious.

    "She''s fine. Just had a minor concussion. She''ll be alright once she rests up," the doctor said, and Justin''s fury was assuaged, albeit only slightly.

    After the doctor was gone, Justin asked Frankie, "Where''s Tina?"

    "Winston just called me. Sald she went to a yacht banquet with some friends."

    Justin''s eyes glinted mercilessly. "Ah, so she has chosen death."

    "President Burton, she is your cousin. Don''t you think it''s" Before he could finish, Justin gave him a look that chilled him to his bone.

    That night, Rachel wouldn''t stop vomiting, and the nurse kept going in and out with a basin in hand.

    Justin''s mood took a turn for the worse. "I thought she''s fine. Why is this happening?"

    The nurse looked fearful. "It''s a side effect from the concussion. Vomiting is normal."

    I''m fine. Rachel was on the bed, looking frail. However, she felt lucky that she got out of that alive. Compared to that, vomiting a few times wasn''t that bad. "Are you alright?"

    Rachel shook her head. She didn''t even have the strength to reply after vomiting so much. I''m tired. I want to sleep.

    "Alright. Sleep tight." Justin tucked her in and patted her through the nket.

    Hls concern felt so unreal for Rachel, but she was too tired to care, so she slept almost immediately.

    When she woke up the next morning, she felt some of her strength returning.

    Frankie came in with a lot of stuff in hand. "President Burton, madam, breakfast is here."

    Rachel sat up against the bed, staring at the table that was filled with food in disbellef. Why''d you buy so much?

    "President Burton told me to. Said he doesn''t know what you like, so I should buy everything first. But I''ll buy your favorite next time."

    "Ahem." At the side, Justin coughed.

    Just when Rachel was still in a trance, Frankie was already pushing the overbed table toward her.

    "What would you like, madam? We have English breakfast, sandwich and coffee, mochi, red velvet cake, and..." As Frankie was listing out the things he bought, he was reminded of something, and he smiled. "Um, President Burton can help you with this. I still have work to do, so see youter."

    Subsequently, Justin cleared his throat. "What would you like?"

    Rachel was surprised, but only for a moment. She then pointed at one of the items on the table. That one. Mushroom soup and garlic bread. A local specialty, and a great one at that too. You should eat

    too.

    Justin nodded, and he took a cup of coffee. "I thought I told you to wait for me yesterday. Why''d you go off on your own?"

    I have a car there. I can''t just leave it in the vi.

    "It''s just a car. Just leave it behind. Not like it''ll go missing anyway. You can still get into an ident even without the brakes malfunctioning in that kind of weather, you know that?" Justin suddenly ralsed his voice, scaring Rachel. "Don''t do that ever again." He frowned.

    Rachel nodded. When she recalled how panicked he looked in the video call the day before, she felt confused.

    Justin was a man of few words, and nobody could guess what he was thinking. However, throughout the terrifying drive the day before, all she could hear was his voice, panicked and worried. She could feel that he was worried, but he kept it in check and calmed her down.

    Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door. "Hello." It was a familiar voice, and Rachel looked up in shock.

    The visitor was none other than Janice. She nodded at Rachel first before turning to Justin. "I''m Rachel''s friend. Heard she''s in the hospital, so I came for a visit."

    Justin, however, froze up when he saw Janice. He saw Janice before back at the old district. She was one of the two people standing beside Rachel after all. "Mr. Burton, I presume?"

    "Yes. Hello."

    "Janice Hawkins."

    "You girls have fun." Justin stood up without asking further.

    However, Janice shrugged calmly. "I''m not here for her. I''m here for you, Mr. Burton."

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Janice curiously. Justin shared her sentiments,

    In the corridor, Janice whipped her ID out. "Sorry for disturbing you, but I need to confirm a few things. I got to know Rachel because of that case as well." At a closer look, Janice''s ID read ''Investigation Bureau Deputy Chief.

    "What case?"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' contraband."

    Upon hearing that, Justin''s face fell.

 Chapter 83

    Rachel rested her head against the pillow, looking at Janice curiously. What did you guys talk about?

    Janice was sitting beside the bed, peeling an orange. "Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' contraband. Wanted to know if he''s looking into it. Makes it easier to see you using that excuse." She gave half the orange to Rachel.

    He admitted it?

    "Of course not. He''s not stupid. Businessmen hate getting involved with us. If he admits to it, he''s gonna have to help us, and that means we''ll be going to hispany a lot. You think he''ll let us do that?" So are they really looking into Hudson Pharmaceuticals?

    "I have no idea."

    Rachel was obviously surprised.

    "Hey, don''t give me that look. Everyone knows the Burtons have been antagonizing the Hudsons for a while now. And from what you told me, I can see what he thinks about the Hudsons. I don''t know much about business, but it''s important to know everything about yourpetitor. That''s why they must have been looking into the Hudsons. As for what they''re investigating, it doesn''t really matter." You''re trying to wheedle something out of him?

    "And I failed, obviously." Janice looked at her. "Hans is right. Justin is moreplex than he lets on. You''re right to leave him."

    Rachel paused for a moment. If it weren''t for him, I would have been gone forever.

    Worried that Justin might get suspicious, Janice didn''t stay for too long. After all, there were people guarding Rachel 24/7 now, and Janice knew they''d report everything back to their boss-Justin.

    Back at Burton Group, Frankie came into Justin''s office with a bag. "The repair shop''s mechanic sent this over, President Burton. Probably the madam''s personal belongings. She must have left it in the

    car."

    The dirty canvas bag made Justin frown. She doesn''t even have a decent bag. This is the same one she''s been using since I met her. "Put it here."

    "Yes."

    "How''s the investigation going?"

    "Janice visited the madam thest time the madam was in the hospital. The staff told me she got into a fight with Amber then. Apparently, that''s the first time she met the madam. They have never seen each other before."

    "What''s her rtionship with Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "The Investigation Bureau is very secretive, but they usually only take on big cases. She didn''t do anything after she got into theirpany, though I suspect that she''s rted to Hudson Pharmaceuticals''s agent''s death."

    Justin thought about what Frankie just said. He knew that case too, so he wanted to see if the connection was there.

    "Should we look into this, President Burton?"

    "No." Justin looked at his desk. "And get everyone back. I want them to stop looking into this. Cease the R&D''s activities on Hudson Pharmaceuticals''s meds. Delete all the data as well."

    Frankie was shocked. "But we spent a lot of time getting those. There''s even Hudson Pharmaceuticals''s sleeping pill''s recipe in there. If we delete everything, everything we did would have been for nothing." "Do you really think the bureau''s deputy chief would personally look into a regr agent''s death?"

    Frankie stopped talking.

    "There must be something off with them. Something we don''t know." Justin''s eyes twinkled. Ever since

    Janice brought up Hudson Pharmaceuticals that morning, he knew his ns had to be changed.

    After the doctor was done checking up on Rachel the next morning, a guest came uninvitingly. When she saw who it was, she couldn''t believe it. Jefferey?

    "Why didn''t you tell me you''re in the hospital, Rachel? I wouldn''t have found out if Amber hadn''t told me. You shouldn''t keep quiet about everything, you know." He put the fruit basket down. "I got your favorite fruits here."

    A frown creased Rachel''s forehead. Why are you here? After everything that happened, she had stopped seeing Jefferey as her father.

    "You''ve been getting along well with Justin recently, haven''t you? I heard Arthur has allowed you to

    stay in the vi. That''s the Burtons'' most important estate. Only those who Arthur acknowledges get to stay there."

    Rachel looked at him calmly, but that only made Jefferey nervous. A whileter, he cracked a smile. "But that''s not important. I know you''ve never been one to chase after something like fame or fortune. As long as you''re happy, I''m fine with it."

    Rachel forced a smile and kept peeling the orange. Always holier than thou. No matter the case, he can justify his actions, just like the time he married me off to Justin. After she finished peeling the orange, she put it on the table, telling Jefferey to eat it.

    That delighted Jefferey. "Rachel, I know Amber''s wronged you, but she''s still your sister after all. Just let it slide this time. She''ll need your help."

    Rachel''s face fell. Why? So she can sleep with Justin? So she can keep urging Tina to kill me?

    Jefferey froze up.

    Dad, I know I''m a mute, so I''ve never asked for much. But that doesn''t mean I''m an idiot. I know more than I let on. Amber tried to kill her on multiple asions. That was just pure evil.

    "Rachel."

    Why are you here? Get to the point.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Jefferey stopped acting loving and resumed his cold, indifferent self. But Rachel was used to it. A momentter, he put something metallic on the table. It was the size of a nail, so it was Inconspicuous.

    "Put this in Justin''s car."

    What is this?

    "A listening device." He looked at her darkly. "Thepany''s running into some trouble. I suspect that Justin''s getting in touch with our supplier."

    The listening device glinted menacingly under the light.

    Rachel frowned. I can''t do this.

    "You have to. The family''s survival rides on this. You''re a part of us. Don''t forget about that."

    If that''s true, then why didn''t youe visit me thest time I was in the hospital? Rachel brought up thest time she was hospitalized.

    Jefferey froze up.

    Do you know why I was hospitalizedst time? Rachel stared at Jefferey coldly. If you really think of me as family, you wouldn''t have tried to kill me. That poison almost killed me. You think you can still get me to help you after that?

    Jefferey was fuming, but he couldn''t say anything to that. A whileter, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Can''t you help me this time, Rachel?"

    Rachel frowned, but her silence was the answer. Now that her grandmother was no longer held hostage, Jefferey couldn''t control her anymore. It would be pure stupidity if she kept sabotaging Justin for him. m! Jefferey mmed open the door and stormed off, but his voice rattled across the corridor. "You ungrateful cur! All the money spent on you, gone to the dogs!" Arriving at the elevators, Jefferey angrily tossed the listening device into the trash can.

    With a ding, the elevator arrived. Jefferey went inside the moment the doors opened, but right after he left, a person in white came out from the corner and rummaged through the trash can. When they found the listening device, they looked at it for a while before holding it tightly.

 Chapter 84

    Rachel stayed in the hospital for just three days, since she didn''t suffer any injuries aside from a minor concussion. On the day of her discharge, it was Frankle who came to deal with the paperwork, and she reflexively looked behind him.

    "President Burton isn''t here," Frankie answered. "He''s been busy over thest couple of days. In some business talk with his partner. That''s why he wanted me to take you home first." Rachel nodded, though she felt slightly crestfallen.

    In the car, Rachel took the back seat, while Frankle took the passenger seat. "Madam, the guys from the repair shop sent your bag back. You left it in your car. It''s in the back seat. Why don''t you check and see if anything''s missing?"

    Looking at the canvas bag beside her, Rachel rummaged through it for a moment, and she frowned. Weird...

    "What''s wrong, madam?" Frankie asked.

    Rachel snapped out of it and shook her head. It''s not anything valuable anyway, so I guess it''s fine, she thought.

    Right after she came back to the Burtons'' vi, a servant came to help her with her stuff.

    They kept asking her if she needed anything, and even Mrs. Duncan-who never smiled at her-was beaming. She even asked what Rachel wanted for dinner.

    Anything''s fine. You don''t have to go that far.

    "No can do. Young Master Justin said the whole family is having dinner together tonight. He''s going to throw you a little wee party."

    Rachel was touched. Nobody had been so kind to her ever since she was little. Even though Justin wasn''t nice to her, at least he had taken care of her welltely. He even saved her life a few days earlier. But that made her hesitate about the n.

    Rachel came downstairs to help even before it was dark, starting with Justin''s favorite tea.

    That of course irked Sue, and she clicked her tongue. "That bitch. She''s nothing more than a lowly servant, but she''s acting like she owns the ce."

    Mrs. Duncan sighed. "Don''t let anyone hear you. Everyone''s saying that Young Master Justin is paying a lot of attention to her now, and Master Arthur wanted her to live in the summer vi. She''s already established her spot here."

    Sue''s face was red with anger, but before she could say anything else, they heard the sound of a caring in.

    Rachel quickly turned around, then the servant greeted, "Young Master Justin, wee home. Hm? Miss Hudson?" Amber and Justin came in side by side, chatting happily. When Rachel saw this, her hand trembled, and the tea fell. "Madam! Are you alright? Let''s clear this up."

    Sue beamed the moment she saw Amber. "Justin, you should have told me you''re bringing Amber

    back. I would have asked them to make her favorite food."

    Amber held Sue''s arm affectionately. "Oh, you know me, Mrs. Parham. I''m not a picky eater, so I''m fine with anything. Besides, I''m on a diet, so I can''t eat that much." "You are still slim though. It''s fine."

    After Justin took his suit off, he noticed Racheling out from the kitchen.

    Do you want some tea?This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "No. Let''s have dinner."

    Rachel looked at Amber. Why''d the two of youe home together?

    "Do I need to report everything to you?"

    Rachel froze up.

    Amber answered, "We went for a golf session and had lunch. Don''t you know that, Rachel?"

    Golf? But Frankie told me he''s busy meeting business clients. Is this his business? ying golf with Amber?

    "Can you stop with the questions? He''s a man. He doesn''t have to report every little detail to you." Sue rolled her eyes. "Besides, Amber''s your sister. Now run along and prepare for dinner." "Justin, I started on a new book two days ago, but some parts confused me. Can you help me with it?" Amber took Justin to the living room, leaving Rachel alone.

    Watching their leaving figures, Rachel looked forlorn.

    After Justin had taken his seat, Rachel was about to sit beside him, but Sue stopped her. "Hold it. Go check on the soup and take it here."

    Rachel obliged, but when she came back, Amber had taken her spot.

    "Here, Justin." Amber fed Justin a fishball right in front of Rachel, and he ate it without any hesitation. "How is it?"

    "Not bad."

    "Told you so. You''ve been exhausting yourselftely. Have some more."

    Rachel wanted to join the conversation as well, but there was no opening, so she left alone after she was done with her soup. Everyone went on happily, as if nobody cared that she left.

    After dinner was over, Justin asked the driver to send Amber home.

    Rachel had been waiting in the bedroom after she showered. The moment the door was opened, she sat up.

    Is she on her way home?

    "Yes," Justin answered curtly. He opened the cab, took his pajamas, and went outside.

    Where are you going?

    "The study."

    Aren''t you going to sleep here?

    Justin gazed at her. "Do you want me to sleep here?"

    Rachel froze up. That''s not what I''m saying. I''m saying that this is your room, so... All at once, she blushed, at a loss for words.

    "Just go to sleep, and you don''t have to do anything around here. That''s the servant''s job. Remember, you''re my wife." With a click, he closed the door behind him, leaving nothing but silence for her. His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

    Rachel remained on the bed, stunned. She wondered what went wrong, and what caused him to give her the cold shoulder again.

    It was alreadyte at night, but Justin was still going through his emails. "A master''s degree from California State University, a famouswyer, and a top partner at aw firm." He was looking through the r¨¦sum¨¦ of an elite. The photo on that r¨¦sum¨¦ showed a handsome, summery young man. In contrast, Justin was looking cold. Eventually, he closed hisptop.

    It was a Friday afternoon. Rachel was packing her things up after work when she received a call from Julian. "I''m waiting for you outside the library. Come right out after you''re done with work."

    Rachel saddled her bag and came out. She saw Julian''s car right away, and he was waving at her from inside. Why''d youe?

    "Get in. We''ll talk then." A short whileter, they rejoined the traffic. Since it was peak hour, it was a bit congested.

    What''s the hurry?

    "Grandma saw the news."

    Rachel was shocked, then she looked at Jun curiously. The case of her crashing into the container because of her car''s malfunctioning brakes shook the city. Even though Justin managed to keep it down, lots of people still found out about it. She thought her grandmother wouldn''t know about it, since she usually didn''t care about current affairs.

    When did she find out?

    "This morning, I guess. She saw the newspaper." Julian frowned. After a while of hesitation, he continued, "It''s in the entertainment section. Didn''t you see it?" Rachel''s heart skipped a beat.

 Chapter 85

    When she searched for the trending entertainment news that day, the first one that showed up was something rted to Burton Group. ''Burton Group CEO, Justin Burton appears with Amber Hudson. That was the first headline she saw, and most of the other news were fake, though that didn''t stop the writers from publishing them. The article that got the most shares went along the lines of ''Sisters

    fighting for the position of CEO wife. At that point, it had more than ten thousand shares.

    Rachel paled, losing the courage to keep on scrolling. How should I exin this to Grandma? What if this is the news she saw?

    "Don''t worry. I''ll go with you." Julian reassured her. "It''s not too serious yet, and Justin should have sent his men to keep this down by now."

    We can''t lie anymore.

    "You want to tell her the truth?"

    That''s all I can do now. Rachel stared down at her phone''s screen that was dark, her fingers trembling.

    §ŕ

    They arrived at Rachel''s grandmother''s ce a short whileter, but her grandmother didn''t look too

    happy

    "I''ll be off to get something. See youter." Julian excused himself after sending Rachel to her grandmother''s ce.

    After he closed the door, Nancy sat down on the sofa, turned the TV on, and kept changing the channels.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Rachel fidgeted for a moment, but eventually, she sat down beside her and started testing the waters. Are you mad at me, Grandma?

    "Why would I? You just forgot to tell me you got married, after all. You just forgot to tell me who you married. Heard he''s from some kind ofpany. Rich man, huh? Can''t even find out anything about him." Rachel knew she was in the wrong, so she tried her best tofort her grandmother. You were undergoing a surgery, so I didn''t tell you about the marriage.

    "Is that so? So you admit it eh?"

    I never wanted to hide it from you. It happened too suddenly, so I didn''t know how I should break it.

    Nancy looked at her seriously. "Tell me the truth. Did Jefferey force you into this? What kind of man is

    Justin Burton? I heard he''s an ugly, grumpy man." When Rachel didn''t answer the question, Nancy shot up furiously. "I''m going to have to talk to Jefferey. What kind of man would force his daughter into this?" Rachel quickly stopped her. No. He''s really nice to me. I was unwilling to marry in the first ce, but he isn''t as bad as the media makes him out to be.

    "If that''s true, then why is he seeing Amber then?"

    It''s a misunderstanding, Grandma. Just some lie a reporter spouted. Don''t believe it.

    She quickly scrolled through the older news on her phone and showed it to Nancy. See? He saved my life. The picture showed Justin breaking the car''s window, and Rachel could be vaguely seen in it. The horrific scene drained the color from Nancy''s face. "When did this happen?"

    Rachel held Nancy and caressed her back to calm her down. It''s in the past now. Don''t worry about it.

    "Let me have a look. Are you hurt anywhere?"

    I''m fine. Really

    "I didn''t even know this happened. I thought you were working." Nancy shivered just from the thought of it. "Is he really nice to you? That Justin?" she asked.

    Yes. Rachel nodded. Worried that Nancy wouldn''t believe her, she added something else. He''s Julian''s cousin. You like Julian, don''t you? He''s a nice guy, so his cousin''s a good guy too.

    Nancy only believed her when she told him that Justin was rted to Julian. Rachel took that chance to massage her, then Nancy held her hand and looked at her. "Don''t lie to me, Rachel. You don''t have to stay married if he''s abusing you. Divorce isn''t a big deal now. Not like how it used to be."

    Rachel nodded.

    Nancy asked Julian to stay for dinner, and she asked him a lot of questions about Justin. Eventually, the dinner came to an end, and Nancy sent them off. "You should let me meet him if you have the chance. Take him to me."

    Rachel agreed vaguely and left in a hurry, saying she had something to settle at home.

    "Buckle up."

    Thanks for helping me back there.

    "No prob." Jun held the steering wheel. "We''re a family now, and Justin isn''t as cruel as the media makes him out to be. I was just telling the truth."

    Is it true he got into a fight for you when you guys were kids?

    "Yep," he answered. That surprised Rachel, since she thought he made that up.

    "I was a sickly kid who grew slow, so everyoneughed at me. Called me names." He smiled gently at Rachel. "Bean sprout. That''s what they called me. Then when I got into elementary school, Justin was already a sixth-grader. One day, our seniors got in my way after school. Justin came to my defense, and guess what happened?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "We were both beaten up, and they took all our money. Justin lost one shoe as well. Our families were shocked when they saw us. Almost called the cops too." Julianughed as he recalled that day. Rachel couldn''t believe it. She couldn''t believe a kind, brave boy who protected his younger cousin like that was Justin. But he doesn''t seem like he''s close to you.

    "Because something happened to him. You should have seen the news too. Justin was abducted when he was thirteen, though he was found after a month. But he got a scar on his face, and he started closing himself off."

    Now, Rachel could understand why Justin turned out the way he was.

    As the night crept on, the lights around and in the vi lit up, showing the way home for the Burtons. Just as he was nearing the gates, Justin saw Rachel getting out of Julian''s car from afar. Jun was chatting with her, and she was smiling at him.

    When they heard the hum of his car''s engine, they looked back.

    "Wee home, Justin."

    Justin looked at them darkly and grunted. He then went into the vi without even looking at Rachel. Rachel froze for a second, and she tried to catch up to him so she could exin herself, but she realized he wasn''t looking back, so he couldn''t see her.

    Justin went to the study after he came home, but then someone knocked on the door. "Come in." A momentter, Rachel came in with the tea set. She poured him a cup of tea and put it on the table. When he realized she wasn''t leaving, he looked at her. "Anything else?"

    Grandma called Julian earlier, so he came to pick me up at the library. That''s why we came back together.

    "And why are you telling me this?"

    She pursed her lips. I don''t want you to take this the wrong way.

    "Take what the wrong way?" He looked at her darkly. "That you might be having an affair with him? Even if he''s not my cousin, Julian''s still a PhD in medicine and the youngest chief in his hospital. Do you think he''d fall for a mute like you?"

    Rachel froze, for the insult hit her like a truck. The shock was enough to cause a ringing in her ears. At the same time, Justin''s gaze was like a sharp knife that stabbed through her heart.

 Chapter 86

    Rachel stared at Justin in disbelief. That''s not what I meant.

    "No? Then why were you exining?"

    Justin looked at her coldly. "You should know the real reason people actually respect you now. Don''t get ahead of yourself."

    Justin''s insult tore her to shreds, but a part of it was her fault. She tried to be frank with him, but there was always a possibility of disaster, and knowing Justin, that possibility was high. "If there''s nothing else, you may leave now. And keep your head down."

    Rachel wanted to stay, but when she met his indifferent gaze, she had no choice but to leave. Right after she left, she bumped into Jun.

    "What''s the matter? You look pale."

    Indeed, she was pale. I''m fine.

    "Is it about something Justin said to you?"

    Rachel shook her head, but she looked crestfallen. Her forlorn look made Julian ufortable for some reason, and he frowned.

    Early the next morning, Rachel woke up to make breakfast.

    "Good morning, Master Justin." A servant greeted Justin, then she served him a cup of coffee.

    "Madam has made breakfast for you."

    "I don''t have time for that," he answered curtly. With that, Justin left without even looking at Rachel.

    As Justin drove away to work, Rachel was left alone, sad and despondent. Justin''s sudden attitude change caught her by surprise.

    That afternoon, Rachel went to the restaurant near the library to have lunch with Hans. Since the fake death n was ruined, they set everything aside for now.

    Janice said, "Burton Group closed their research center."

    Why?

    "Not sure. Probably because I told Justin about the investigation. He''s a cautious man, so you can rx for now. He should be stopping everything rted to the recipe for now." "That''s for the best." Hans heaved a sigh of relief. "We''ll have some time to prepare. Faking your death is too risky. After all, you can''t just live your whole life with a different identity." Janice continued, "And there''s one more thing. It''s about your mother."

    Rachel was surprised. She did tell Janice about the secret room before, but Janice reacted weirdly back then. She said she wanted to look into it.

    "If I''m correct, Jefferey will visit your mother''s grave on Ancestors'' Day."

    Why?Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Janice dipped her finger in water and drew aplex shape on the table. "Is this the talisman you saw back in Jefferey''s secret chamber?"

    Rachel took a look and nodded hesitantly. The memory was too vague, so she could only make out the rough shape.

    "As long as It''s simr. ording to your description, only wronged souls are targeted by the soul locking array and talisman. It''s simr to a case three years ago, so I recognize this talisman." "Can you speak English?" Hans was confused, so he urged, "Make it simple."

    "In other words, this array is locking an innocent soul. The guy who did this is probably scared that his murder victims would haunt him, so he made a secret chamber to make a tribute to appease their spirits." You''re saying Jefferey murdered my mother?

    "You can say so for now. It''s not the first time I''ve seen this kind of case."

    Rachel froze. Even though she had suspected Jefferey for a long time now, Janice''s exnation served to deepen her guess more.

    "Shame you don''t know who your mother was, or it would have been an easier case."

    Rachel looked pale. You said he''s going to visit her grave on Ancestors'' Day?

    "Yes. Anyone who makes this array has to pay a tribute every Ancestors'' Day. Since he believes in the ult, I''m sure he''ll do the same."

    "Wait, that leaves us with..." Hans counted the days. "A few days to work with. Ancestors'' Day is next week."

    "If we''re right, the grave he''ll be visiting on that day is your mother''s."

    Rachel''s heart sank when she heard that.

    A short whileter, she left the restaurant. As they sent Rachel off, Hans started to worry. "You should have told only me, Janice. I can just get this matter investigated on my own. This is just going to pile up on her. Now she won''t leave the city before she gets to the bottom of this."

    Janice looked at him calmly. "Didn''t you feel it? She''s not in a hurry to leave."

    Hans was surprised to hear that.

    As dusk descended upon the city, the neon lights drowned the skies out with its ring ze. The traffic, as usual, was congested.

    Justin had just gotten out of a dinner appointment, a stack of documents on hisp. When he was halfway through it, the car screeched to a halt, and he was thrusted forward, causing his documents to fall. "What happened?" Frankie held the back of his seat.

    "A bike just ran across the driver answered fearfully. "Are you alright, Mr. Burton?"

    "I''m fine."

    "Bikers are crazy." Frankie sighed before going down to pick the documents up. But suddenly, he saw something that made him freeze.

    "Mr. Burton."

    "What is it?"

    He pulled out something ck from under his seat and handed it to Justin.

    It was a ck metallic item the size of a nail. If it wasn''t because of Frankie going down to pick the documents up, nobody would have noticed this item under the seat.

    Justin''s face darkened. The wind started screaming into the night, calling upon a downpour.

    Back at Burton Residence, Rachel was drying her hair after her bath when she heard someone mming the door, shocking her. Oh, you''re back. Are you done with work? Justin had just finished a cigarette, and he was in his suit, looking furlous. "Do I need to report everything to you?"

    That''s not what I meant. Rachel snapped out of it, and she felt worried. Did you have dinner already? Do you want some tea?

    "No." Justin sat down beside the bed, only twenty centimeters away from Rachel. "What have you been doing for the past two days?"

    Rachel paused, then she said honestly. Work. And I went to see Grandma.

    "Besides that?"

    Besides that? Rachel thought of Hans and Janice, and her heart sank.

    "Did you see someone you shouldn''t? Or did you do anything you shouldn''t do?"

    see

    Rachel was looking more panicked by the second. The moment she shook her head, she took an involuntary step back.

    However, Justin caught her hand and asked coldly, "Why do you look so panicked?"

    Rachel let out a hoarse moan, but she held in the pain and shook her head. She started tearing up, but that was only a fa?ade to Justin. The very next moment, he flung her onto the bed. Justin looked at her haughtily. ˇ°Look at this. Take a good look at it." He let the ck listening device fall to the ground, and it spun for a while before stopping at the edge of the carpet. Rachel paled.

    Before she could answer, Justin leaned down and held her cheek tightly. "Don''t say anything. Just nod or shake your head, you hear me?"

    Rachel was already on the verge of tears from the pain.

 Chapter 87

    Rachel''s face was starting to contort from the grip.

    The pain was making her cry, but Justin showed no signs of stopping. In fact, he gripped her even tighter. "Understand?" Rachel nodded with difficulty, and her tears streamed down her cheek, falling onto the back of Justin''s hand.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "Have you seen Jefferey before you were discharged? Did he give you a listening device and asked you to install it in my car?" Rachel nodded. The moment she did so, Justin''s grip tightened even further, almost crushing her face, and it suffocated her.

    "I protected your grandmother, and this is how you repay me?" If looks could kill, Rachel would have been dead by now.

    Rachel shook her head fervently and struggled with all her might, trying to exin herself. By ident, she toppled the ss of water and medicine on the table, sshing the water everywhere. The sight of those medicines drove Justin further into his fury. He was reminded of something, and he flung her onto the bed.

    The back of her head crashed against the edge, and she started seeing stars, while her consciousness started to fade.

    "You''ve been working with Jefferey ever since you married me. You''ve been getting information he needs and using us to control your family''spany. And you n to back out the moment you finish the job.

    No. I didn''t.

    "No? Then what''s this?" He picked up the meds and hurled it at her. "Then what''s this?!" he roared.

    Rachel was shivering with fear. When she finally saw what the meds were, she froze. Walt. Those are the birth control pills I put in my bag. She didn''t find it when Frankie gave her the bag back, so she thought they were lost. Why did they show up here?

    "Finally remembered it? Anything you want to say for yourself?"

    I don''t know what you''re talking about.

    "You don''t know? You just don''t want to admit it, right? You want to cut all ties with us, right? Been contacting awyer for that as well, haven''t you?"

    Rachel was petrified, and she gaped at him.

    "You''re not going to get away with that!" He tore his clothes apart, flying into a rage, not unlike a beast.

    "Aahh!" The pain finally made Rachel cry, and she shouted hoarsely.

    Justin was pulling her halr, thrusting fiercely with every pull, as if he was releasing all his anger with each movement. "You''re not the one who can decide whether you get knocked up. Don''t even think of cutting off your ties with us. Not unless I get tired of you. You''re just an object, and don''t forget about that. This isn''t some ce you cane and go as you please!"

    Rachel struggled at first, but her strength left her eventually. Even though Justin was still humiliating her, she was already numb to it.

    The heinous and inhumane criminal activity that would go unpunished went onte into the night. When he was done, Justin, now a rapist, stormed off and mmed the door shut, the impact causing

    the room to shake.

    Rachel was still staring up into the ceiling, but she couldn''t even feel an inch of her body.

    The next morning, when Julian realized Rachel wasn''t here for breakfast, he asked Mrs. Duncan, "Where''s Rachel?"

    Mrs. Duncan was setting the table, but her expression was odd. "Maybe she''s still sleeping."

    Sue rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Why do you care? The whole house was shakenst night. Honestly, how did she even manage to rlle Justin up that much? Couldn''t even sleep well for Pete''s sake. Alright, enough about them. Finish your breakfast, son."

    Despite his mother''s reassurance, Julian was worried, and he didn''t feel like eating. After breakfast was done, he went upstairs to check on Rachel while his mother and Mrs. Duncan were distracted. "Rachel..."

    Nobody responded. Julian kept waiting by the door, but suddenly, he had a bad feeling about it, so he spun the doorknob. It was unlocked, so he got in with no problem, but when he saw the scene, he immediately froze. "Rachel!"

    Rachel was only covered by a thin nket, and she was curled up like a ball on the bed. She noticed

    Julian, but she didn''t even show any reaction. Her eyes were empty, like two little voids.

    Julian stood there for a while before approaching her carefully. "What happened?"

    He could see her ankle, and it was bruised. Her shoulders were sttered with bruises too. When she saw Julianing closer, Rachel suddenly curled up and moved backward.

    Julian was about to hold her hand, but what he saw next stopped him. The bed was caked In blood; some were dried and ck, while some were fresh. Obviously, she just bled out earlier. "Did Justin do this?" Julian couldn''t believe what he was seeing. A whileter, he held Rachel. "I''ll take you to the hospital."

    But when she heard the word ''hospital'', Rachel turned back and shook her head adamantly.

    Julian teared up. "Give me a second." He rushed downstairs and came back up with his medical kit. Sue and the servants were staring at him welrdly, but he ignored them and locked the door.

    Realizing this, Sue started banging the door. "What are you doing, Julian? Justin''s going to take this the wrong way! Get out here right now!"

    "That''s right, Master Julian."

    "Shut up!" Julian banged the door back, silencing everyone outside. He was furious, but he held it down and sat beside the bed with his medical kit in hand.

    "Calm down, Rachel. Let me see your wounds."

    Rachel stared at him, who was looking at her gently, trying to look as kind as possible so she''d feel more at ease. All of a sudden, she started tearing up, and she cried.

    "Oh, don''t cry, Rachel. Don''t cry." Julian held her hands, but they felt cold. He wanted tofort her, but when the nket slipped away, he teared up after seeing the bruises on her. A momentter, he turned back to wipe his tears. Is he mad? How could he do this to her?

    Sue and Mrs. Duncan were waiting outside for a while, with the former listening closely to everything that was happening inside. When she heard Rachel''s cry, she started panicking. "That vixen! How far does she want to go?"

    "Calm down, Madam. Something must have happened."

    "Of course something''s going to happen. They''re alone in a room In broad daylight. Scandalous!" But then someone suddenly opened the door from inside, and Sue almost fell down. If it weren''t for Mrs. Duncan, she would have bumped against her son.

    Julian was furious.

    Initially, Sue wanted to grumble, but one look at her son silenced her. She had raised Jun for thirty years, but that was the first time she thought he felt terrifying. Most of the time, he was a mild mannered

    man.

    Mrs. Duncan was shocked as well. "What happened, Master Julian?"

    Julian looked at her darkly. "I need someone inside."

 Chapter 88

    "I... I''ll do it." Mrs. Duncan volunteered herself after Sue pinched her.

    "No." Julian was blocking the room, stopping anyone from seeing what was happening inside. He then pointed at a young maid behind Mrs. Duncan. "You. Come with me."

    The young mald was surprised, so she looked at Mrs. Duncan to ask her opinion.

    "Is something the matter, Master Julian? She''s a newbie, so I can,"

    "No. I said I want her. Do you understand me?" Julian growled darkly, silencing everyone. After the young maid went into the room, Julian closed the door again, leaving everyone dumbfounded. When they heard the door locking up, Sue knew she couldn''t find anything out.

    Sue frowned. "What happened inside?"

    Mrs. Duncan shook her head. "It''s dark. Can''t see a thing."

    When Sue recalled what happened the night before, her frown deepened further.

    At the same time, Julian turned the lights on. When the maid saw the state the bed was in, she paled and gasped. Julian told her, "Take her to the bathroom and bathe her."

    "Master Julian, what h-"

    "Don''t ask. And what happened here stays here, got it?"

    The servant nodded hastily.

    Steam from the hot water was filling the bathroom up. Rachel was in a bathtub, staring ahead nkly, while the maid silently was wiping her body.

    In the meantime, Julian was standing outside, telling the maid to put some salve on Rachel''s wound on the lower body. The moment the pain assailed her, Rachel curled up. When she recalled what happened the night before, she started shivering. "Did I hurt you, Madam?"

    A drop of tear rolled down Rachel''s cheek; that was her answer. The maid stopped asking, but she was more careful with Rachel after that.

    Everyone said Madam''s lucky she married Master Justin. Said nobody would want a mute like her otherwise. But I haven''t even been here for a week, and Master Justin has already raped her. Lucky? If thi: is lucky, hell is heaven.

    The rain persisted for a whole day in Riverdale.

    When Amber came back home, she noticed her father''s white car in the yard. "Oh, Dad''s home?"

    "Yes, Miss. He came back this morning. Mr. Grant is here too." She looked up, but the study was locked. "Did something happen?"

    The servant shook her head. "I don''t know, but Master doesn''t look happy. He was talking about some project when I brought him tea. Something about Burton Group."

    Amber''s heart sank.

    At the same time, it was all doom and gloom in the study. Suddenly, Jefferey pushed all the documents onto the ground. "We were so close to signing the contract! Why''d they change their partner all of a sudden? I thought the bid was public. Everyone saw our ranking!"

    Mr. Grant was sweating buckets. "We don''t know what happened. They just changed their minds all of

    a sudden."

    "At least give me a reason."

    "I heard President Wyatt met up with Justin this morning."

    "Justin Burton?" Jefferey''s face fell.

    "Mr. Hudson, Burton Group has been attacking us over thest few years, and you expected that to happen this time too. If this keeps up, they''ll eventually acquire thepany."

    "That won''t happen." Even though they were going downhill, they were still a bigpany, so a merger wouldn''t happen so easily. Jefferey pushed down on the table, his gaze dark. "I have an ace up my sleeve."

    Mr. Grant said nothing.

    On the other hand, Julian took a day off to take care of Rachel. He was worried the servants might botch the job, not to mention Sue and Mrs. Duncan might trigger Rachel''s trauma. "Here, you should eat something. You haven''t had anything for lunch." He helped her sit up. "Take it slow."

    Even though she had done nothing but lie on the bed the whole day, Rachel still looked lethargic. You took a day off for me? Sorry for troubling you. She forced a smile. "It''s alright. Here, have some soup."

    Rachel nodded and took small sips of the soup. k was a sweet soup, but it tasted bitter for her.

    When they heard the hum of Justin''s car, both of them were shocked, but Julian pretended nothing had happened. "Rest up. Text me if you need anything." Alright.

    At the same time, Justin had juste in.

    "It''s raining heavily. Have you had dinner, Master Justin?"

    "Yes," he told Mrs. Duncan curtly and went upstairs, only to see Julianing out of his bedroom.

    After Julian had closed the door, he asked Justin, "Oh, did you juste back?"

    "Yes." He looked at the te Julian was holding. "We have servants here. You don''t have to do everything yourself."

    The fact that Justin didn''t even mention Rachel angered Julian. "Aren''t you going to ask me why I''m doing this? She can''t even get out of bed. Heck, she can''t even move. She..." Julian noticed Mrs. Duncan when he took a nce downstairs, so he held his anger back. "What did you do, Justin?" he growled.

    "I don''t need your opinion about my marriage," Justin retorted coldly before walking past him and heading toward the study.

    Julian asked after him, "Aren''t you going to see her?"

    Justin didn''t even look back. He closed the door, and the sound rattled across the corridor.

    As the night went on, Rachel eventually drifted to sleep. Her pain was keeping her awake, but her exhaustion wouldn''t let her wake up. In her state of semi-consciousness, she felt someone sitting beside her. Is this a dream? The moonlight shone on the bed, casting a shadow on it.

    After she woke up the next morning, Julian came in with breakfast. "Oh, you''re awake."

    Rachel nodded and pushed herself up. Were you herest night?

    "No. Why?" She looked at the ss on the table curiously and shook her head. Nothing. Probably just a dream.

    Just when they were chatting, someone opened the door. When she saw who it was, Rachel trembled, toppling her breakfast.

    Julian quickly moved the te away. "Are you alright?"

    I''m fine.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Justin''s face darkened, but he went into the closet room quietly.

    "Are you hurt?"

    Even though he had closed the door, Justin could still hear Julian''s concerned voice. He was buttoning his sleeve, but he couldn''t make it even after a few tries. Frustrated, he took his tie off and tossed it on the sofa.

    "I''ll take a new one for you." Julian cleaned the ce and was about to leave, but Rachel tugged on the hem of his shirt.

    She was shaking her head nervously, ncing at the closet room. Julian knew what was happening immediately. She''s terrified. What on earth happened that night? What made her so scared of him?

    A momentter, the closet room''s door was opened, and out came Justin in a new set of clothes. The moment he came out, he saw Rachel tugging on the hem of Julian''s shirt. When she saw him, there was a suppressed fear in her eyes, but also disgust.

 Chapter 89

    Justin''s face strode toward the door. "Shouldn''t you leave for work soon, Julian? You should mind your own business," he uttered just before he stepped out of the door.

    *Caring for patients is my business," Jun replied. Justin tightened his grip around the doorknob as his gaze dimmed. Bang! The whole house seemed to shake the moment he mmed the door shut. Rachel''s body jolted with shock, and she flinched as Justin shut the door. "Don''t worry." Justin

    comforted her by patting her gently, but his gaze seemed to turn serious as he did so.

    "Breakfast is ready, Young Master Justin. Would you like to drink coffee or "The maid greet the moment he got down to the living room, but he interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. "I don''t wan anything." Justin shot his maid a hostile re. "You have a lot of free time, huh? You don''t need toe in for work anymore. We don''t need you since we have to get our own food anyway!"

    Justin didn''te back for a whole week after that. In the meantime, Rachel''s injuries were recovering well, and a new batch of maids had arrived to rece the previous batch. One morning, Mrs. Duncan was preparing joss papers in the backyard; she intended to burn them at the cemetery the next day. Rachel was standing by the window on the second floor, and she realized that Ancestors'' Day wasing soon when she saw what Mrs. Duncan was doing. She tightened her fists when Janice''s words rang in her mind all of a sudden.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    That night, Julian ced some vegetables onto Rachel''s te while they all had dinner together. Sue happened to notice this, and she questioned Julian in a rather puzzled tone. "Your brother has been away for nearly a week now, and we haven''t heard any news from him. Did you contact him in the past few days?"

    "No. I''ve been busy in the hospital. I don''t have the time to fuss over his matters," Julian replied.

    "What about you?" Sue shifted her gaze toward Rachel. "Do you know where Justin went? When is heing back?"

    Rachel froze for a moment before she shook her head. Ever since Justin left home a week ago, they hadn''t contacted each other at all. "You don''t even know where your own husband is. How impressive! You don''t even work, and all you do is stay home andze around. I don''t even know what you''re doing," Sue mumbled.

    "Stop talking, Mom," Julian muttered.

    "I''m in my own house. Why can''t I talk? I''m not the one who''s mute," Sue hissed.

    Rachel lowered her bowl. I''m done eating. After excusing herself from the table, Rachel walked off while Sue continued to nag andin at the dining table.

    As the night fell, a ck MPV sped down the highway that led toward Riverdale''s airport. The driver asked, "Where are you headed, Mr. Burton? Home, or..."

    "You can send Gloria back to the hotel, and then I''ll go back to the office," Justin replied in a calm voice.

    "Are you still going to the office at this time of the night? Isn''t your wife going to get worried if you stay out sote?" A woman''s crisp voice came from beside Justin. The reflection on the car window revealed a pretty youngdy in her twenties. She didn''t have the most stunning facial features, but she had the youthful and energetic look of a young girl.

    "She won''t," Justin replied simply.

    The young girl froze for a moment when she heard that, but he simply turned to nce out the window, and neon lights illuminated his skin, leaving spots of light on his face. There seemed to be a hint of loneliness beneath his stoic demeanor.

    The next morning, Rachel drove out of the house on her own. She waited nearby the Hudson Residence, and she finally spotted Jefferey''s car leaving the house during noontime. Without any hesitation, she started her engine and trailed behind his car.

    Jefferey drove all the way to West Magnolia Cemetery. It began to drizzle when he arrived, and ck umbres could be seen moving around the burial grounds. Rachel put on her raincoat before she covered her face with a mask and sunsses. Then, she continued to follow the man into the cemetery. There used to be a piece of privatend in the West Magnolia Cemetery that was used as the Hudson Family''s ancestral grave. Later on, the government decided to expand the grounds and standardize the ce. The Hudson''s ancestral grave was supposed to be removed, but the Hudsons managed to keep a spot just for their family since they had some connections back then.

    This was the first time Rachel had ever set foot in West Magnolia Cemetery. Why would my mother''s grave be in the Hudson Family''s private burial grounds? Rachel felt her heart sinking as she watched Jefferey halting his footsteps in front of a tombstone. "I''m here to see you," he said as he lowered his body and ced some daisies on the ground. "I brought your favorite flowers," he added. Rachel couldn''t hear everything that he said, for the sound of the rain was too distracting. However,

    she saw him kneeling in front of the tombstone for a long while, where he spoke to himself continuously, he even pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

    "I''lle to visit you again this time next year," Jefferey poured the rest of his alcohol on the ground

    your drink. Although you''ve been buried alone here, you wouldn''t be as lonely that way. We''ll all be reunited over here, and we''ll be together even a hundred yearster, alright?"

    Rachel only stepped out from behind a pine tree after Jefferey had walked off into the distance. That was when she carefully made her way over to the tombstone. The cemetery looked especially gloomy due to the cloudy weather. She nced at the fresh daisies as she arrived at the tombstone. Fear seized her as she thought about pushing the daisies aside, for she expected to see her mother''s name engraved on the tombstone once she did so.

    After standing around for a long while, Rachel finally reached her hand toward the flowers. Her pupils narrowed the moment she saw the name on the tombstone, and her expression faltered immediately. At that very moment, a ck shadow towered over her head. Before she had the chance to respond, she felt a strong blow against the back of her head. She let out a groan before she copsed head-first onto the ground. Just before she copsed, she caught sight of the picture on the tombstone. It was the exact same picture as the one that she had seen in the darkroom, and it was the same one that Nancy had been secretly hiding. How could this be possible?

    On the other side, the pitter-patter of the rain continued even after Julian came out from one of his surgeries. He checked his phone to find an unread message. I''m in a bad mood, and I had a few drinks. Can youe and pick me up?''

    Julian frowned. ''Where are you now?''

    ''Hignd Hotel, Room 2318.

    After Amber sent the text with the room number, she turned around to nce at Rachel, who was unconscious. A cruel look surfaced in Amber''s eyes. Julian paid no attention to Amber regardless of how much she tried to attract him, and she felt a strong sense of hatred for Rachel whenever she thought about this. How could a mute like her get to marry Justin? How could she also get all of Julian''s

    care and attention?

    All Amber had to do was snap a photo of both man and woman once they were in the hotel room together. That way, they wouldn''t be able to clear their names no matter how much they tried to. Amber was certain that Justin would no longer be able to ept Rachel once he saw such pictures of his wife.

    Rachel finally woke up because of the pain she felt at the back of her head. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at the simple patterns that covered the ceiling of the room. Where am I? She held onto the sheets as she sat herself up, and she immediately felt a chilling sensation against her skin. Then, she looked down to find herselfpletely naked. There wasn''t a single piece of clothing on her under the sheets, and she panicked the moment she realized this.

    Ding dong. Rachel''s face turned pale when she heard the doorbell. Right then, her cell phone began to vibrate at the bedside table. "Hello? Rachel? It''s me. Are you in there?"

    Rachel froze for a moment, but she heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that the voice belonged to Julian. The only thing she had to wear in the room was a robe, so she wrapped it around her body before she rushed out to open the door.

    "Are you okay?" Julian asked the moment he saw her.

    Rachel''s head was still spinning, and she looked dazed and drowsy as she had just woken up. Julian frowned and sniffed a few times as he looked at her. "Did you really drink alcohol?"

    She was stunned by his question. Momentster, she realized the strong scent of alcoholing from her own robe. I don''t know.

    "What exactly happened?" Julian asked.

    Rachel shook her head. All she recalled was herself being struck in the head, and she woke up in the hotel room after that. "Weren''t you the one who sent me a text message?" Julian stared at her.

 Chapter 90

    What message? Rachel asked In return.

    "Oh no." Julian''s face darkened, for he heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the door.

    "This is the room, Justin. I saw them heading in with my own eyes. They''re even doing this in the middle of the day! They don''t show any respect toward you at all," the voice said. Rachel''s expression grew stern the moment she realized that the voice belonged to Amber. Their visitors jabbed on the doorbell continuously, each ''ding dong''followed by the next.

    "Unlock the door." Justin''s ice-cold voice sounded from behind the door.

    "Sure, Mr. Burton," Amber replied.

    Right then, Rachel turned to see Julian looking as pale as a ghost. She couldn''t imagine how things would turn out if Justin saw her dressed in a robe and sharing a room with Julian. Beep beep. The door was opened from outside. Amber was the first to cry out at the top of her voice. "I can''t believe you''re actually doing such things behind Justin''s back, Rachel!"

    Justin strolled into the room with his long legs, and the look in his eyes made him look like he was about to murder someone. The scar on his face made him seem more sinister than ever. Rachel felt a shudder down her spine. Amber, on the other hand, was pleased with herself. She had initially intended to snap a few pictures and let them be, but she happened to hear that Justin was back in town after a business trip. Therefore, she decided to change her n and get Justin to drop by instead.

    "It''s a misunderstanding, Justin." Julian frowned.

    "A misunderstanding?" Justin muttered in a hostile tone. "Give me an exnation then. What sort of misunderstanding is this?"

    For some reason, Rachel felt a sense of hopelessness when she saw the look on Justin''s face. You won''t believe me regardless of what I say, right?

    "I believe in my own eyes," Justin replied tly. The air was silent around them for a while before Amber shifted her gaze upon Rachel. "Your acts are an embarrassment to the Hudson Family. Rachel, I can''t believe you''d still do this even though Justin has been so nice to you all along."

    Nice? Rachel thought bitterly. There was a tight lump forming in her throat. He hurt me one time after another, and he left injuries all over me. He even has other women outside! He has never trusted me before. Is this what others would consider as a ''nice person?

    Justin''s gaze shot toward Rachel when he caught a whiff of the alcoholic scent in the air. "Were you drinking?"

    No.

    "No?" Justin asked again.

    "Wait a second, guys." Julian spoke up to cut Justin off before looking at Amber. "You seem really certain that Rachel and I came over to get a room. I was wondering... How did you find out about this?" Amber''s expression stiffened Immediately. "... I had a friend that happened to pass by. My friend told me about this, so I immediately gave Justin a phone call."

    "Your friend? Does this person look like your friend?" Julian pulled his phone out and yed the footage he had obtained from the hotel lobby. An hour ago, a man in a raincoat was seen carrying Rachel out of the car. The man brought Rachel all the way up to the hotel room, and soon enough, Amber was seen rushing up behind them.

    Rachel''s expression fell when she realized what had happened. She realized that Amber was the one who had knocked her out, and also the one who brought her over to the hotel, so she turned toward her. Why did you try to harm me?

    "Who''s harming you right now?! Stop talking nonsense," Amber replied indignantly.

    "I knew something was odd even before I came here, so I obtained the CCTVs for the hotel area. It''s obvious that Rachel had been forcefully kidnapped and brought over to this ce. You were the one who nned this all out," Julian dered.

    The look on Amber''s face was no longer as bright as before. "That''s not it, Julian. Rachel had a lot to drink, so I had no choice but to find her a hotel. I went downstairs to call Justin immediately after arriving here because I was hoping Justin would pick her up, but... I can''t believe Julian showed up! That''s right. Rachel must have called Julian toe over. Perhaps she''s a little more honest after drinking. I''m sure she has feelings for Julian." Amber hastily came to that conclusion while she looked at Justin''s stone-cold expression.

    "Only a woman as evil as you would have her head filled with such dirty and nasty thoughts!" Julian let out a light scoff as he red at Amber. He didn''t bother to conceal the hatred he felt toward her. "There are so many loopholes in her story, Justin. Are you really going to believe her words?" Julian asked.

    Amber was starting to get flustered. "It''s the truth! Rachel did have a lot to drink, Justin. I don''t know what is going on here." Everyone-even Rachel-shifted their gazes toward Justin. Things couldn''t be any more obvious, so there didn''t seem to be a need for them to say anything more.

    However, Justin merely threw Rachel a nce before he addressed her in a t tone. "You should get changed and go home since you''re feeling fine now."

    Rachel froze as she couldn''t believe her ears; even Julian was rather taken aback. "Justin," he muttered.

    "I have matters to handle in the office. You can send her home since you''re here, Jun." With that, Justin took a final stare at Rachel; there wasn''t a hint of warmth In his gaze. Rachel felt as If someone had poured a bucketful of cold water on her head as she watched Justin leave.

    Amber was extremely pleased with that oue at that point. "Walt up, Justin!" she cried as she went after him. Their voices gradually disappeared down the corridor.

    "Are you okay, Rachel?" Julian asked.

    Rachel tugged her lips into a bitter smirk. I''m fine, thanks.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Julian clenched his fists in anger. He felt extremely sorry for Rachel then.

    Rachel didn''t return home to the Burton Residence that night. Instead, she paid her grandmother a visit. The wide smile on Nancy''s face refused to leave after she found out that Rachel was there to visit. "I had a feeling that you''de back today. I only thought about it for a while earlier, and here you are now!" Nancy said with a smile. "Are you the only one here?" Nancy nced over her shoulder. you bring that man?"

    "Didn''t

    At that moment, Rachel stuffed her head into Nancy''s chest in order to conceal the tears gathering in her eyes.

    "Aw, what''s this? You''re a grown woman. Do you still want to act all childish in front of me?" The olddy only recognized that something was odd when she noticed that Rachel''s shoulders were trembling. Nancy still had her hands stained with flour from making dumplings. "What Is It, Rachel? Did someone bully you?" Nancy asked.

    Rachel finally burst into tears after she heard her grandmother''s concerned and loving tone. She felt sorry for herself. After getting married into the Burton Family, Rachel hadn''t been concerned even when they shot her cold res. She didn''t even feel too sad when Tina pped her in public, or when everyone gave her judgemental stares. She wasn''t even troubled by the fact that Amber had tried to frame her. However, for some reason, Rachel felt as if her insides were filled with sorrow after she saw how cold and heartless Justin was toward her. That was when she lost control of her emotions.

    Rachel nearly passed out after crying for a long while. Nancy had to pat the younger girl''s back and wait until she was done crying before pouring a ss of water for her. "Tell me about It, Rachel. Who was the one who bullied you? Was it Justin?"

    No. I''m just really stressed out at work. Rachel made a sign while letting out a sob.

    "You''re still trying to lie to me at this point, huh? I watched you grow up. Don''t you think I know the sort of person you are?" Rachel had always been an obedient and thoughtful child, and she had been independent and strong-willed since she was young. So, how could her job stress get her to cry so badly?

    I''m really fine, Grandma. Let me help you with those dumplings. With that, Rachel brushed her tears off before she walked toward the kitchen. It was clear that she wasn''t going to tell Nancy about anything.

 Chapter 91

    Nancy felt her heart ache as she watched Rachel walking off.

    Amber was in her bedroom on a phone call with Tinater that night. "Tina, did you know how angry

    Justin was when he saw that mute girl earlier? If Julian hadn''t stepped forward to protect and rify her side of the story, I''m sure that she would have gotten chased out of the house the very next day," she uttered.

    "What happened after that?" Tina asked.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "Justin found out that I was the one who was behind all of this in the end. However, he didn''t me

    Tina let out a chuckle on the other end of the line. "I''ll have to congratte you then. It looks like you''re one step closer to bing my cousin-inw."

    "To be honest," Amber didn''t finish her words as she was shocked by the person who pushed her bedroom door open. "Dad" she muttered before hastily ending the call.

    Jefferey was clutching onto the doorknob, and his face appeared rather grim. "What have you been doing the whole day today?"

    Amber''s expression stiffened. "N-Nothing much..."

    "I heard everything that you said, and Tomas told me about it as well. That was too bold and risky of a move!" Jefferey cried.

    "Dad..." Amber was so shocked that her face turned into the color of paper. "Please listen to me, Dad. I can exin,"

    "You should think twice before doing such a thing in the future," her father replied.

    The fear in Amber''s expression was reced by a look of confusion after she heard what Jefferey said. "Aren''t you... angry at me?" she asked him. Amber couldn''t believe it at all. She had expected her father to give her a huge scolding after finding out about her scheme against Rachel, and Julian''s Involvement in it.

    "Rachel''s practically one of those useless moves made in chess," Jefferey uttered with the same nk expression on his face.

    "What do you mean by that, Dad?" Amber asked.

    "She has the guts to ignore my orders and words now that she''s in the Burton Family. I should have never allowed her to marry into that family from the very start," he muttered.

    "I told you to watch out for her since a long time ago. She''s a cunning one," Amber replied.

    "Well, that doesn''t mean that you should continue with such reckless ns on your own." Jefferey shot Amber a re. "Today''s incident could have taken a turn for the worse if Justin hadn''t decided to be a little more lenient and generous toward you."

    Amber beamed. Justin does treat me pretty well, Dad. He didn''t me me after what happened today, and he even bought me dinner after that. This shows that he doesn''t care about Rachel at all. She may as well be a decorative piece of furniture at home. I told you, Dad. It would have been much better if you had allowed me to get married into the Burton Family."

    There was a change in Jefferey''s expression as he knitted his brows a little. Hudson Pharmaceuticals had just undergone a spot check by the drug administration agency, and a good number of their medications had been confiscated. Thus, theirpany had no choice but to dy some of their client''s orders. On top of that, Jefferey had lost so much money after investing in property. With that thought in his mind, he gently patted the back of Amber''s hand. "I''m not against the idea of you dating Justin, but I want you to promise me one thing."

    Amber was delighted. "What is it?"

    "I need you to get me some private and confidential files from Justin," he uttered. Amber was stunned to hear his words.

    The next day, Rachel headed out to meet Janice. They had agreed to meet up at their usual spot, and Janice ordered a pot of tea the way she always did. Where''s Hans? Rachel asked after cing her bag aside.

    "He has an important court case today, so I doubt he''ll be able to rush over in time," Janice answered. Rachel nodded to show that she understood.

    "You seemed really anxious to meet up with us. Was there some sort of development in the matter after what happened yesterday?" Janice asked.

    Yeah. Although Rachel had fainted after getting hit in the head, she still had a distinct memory of the photo and name she had seen on the tombstone before passing out. She was surprised when she found ou that the one person the Hudsons never spoke of in the family was rted to her mother. After some contemtion, Rachel finally began to tell Janice about it. You told me that Lionel and Selena''s death was rted to Jefferey somehow, right? Is that true?

    "It is true, but such things are hard to prove since so much time has passed. Lionel died after his car flew off a cliff, and Selena disappeared in the ocean. Both of these incidents urred around the same period of time, and there were a few puzzling details about it but no solid evidence. Why? Why are you talking about them all of a sudden?"

    I stalked Jefferey and followed him to the cemetery yesterday.

    Janice could tell that something was wrong when she saw how Rachel seemed to hesitate with her words. "What is it? Was there an issue?"

    You said that he would visit my mother''s grave during Ancestor''s Day, but I finally saw the grave that he visited yesterday.

    "Do you know that person that he''s visiting?" Janice asked.

    Rachel nodded.

    "Well, who is it?" Janice asked again.

    A troubled look surfaced in Rachel''s eyes as she carefully drew a few strokes on the table with her finger. Janice froze and stared at the other girl with a look of disbelief. "Are you sure? How could it be

    her?"

    Rachel gave Janice a firm nod. She had written the word ''Selena'' on the table, for she was certain that the picture on the tombstone was the one that her grandmother had shown her. It was also the same picture that she had seen in the darkroom-the ck and white image of a young girl with a broad grin.

    Rachel''s hands were trembling as she held onto her cup of tea. Her thoughts were all over the ce. It had been so many years, yet she had no idea that her mother was the child that the Hudsons had adopted all those years ago. Selena was her mother.

    "Hold on. Let me make sense of this." Janice ced her cup on the table. "When looking at Jefferey''s

    took Selena in, and Selena and Jefferey gave birth to you? But that doesn''t make sense. Selena''s just an adopted child, so the family would have no reason to disagree if she wished to be with Jefferey. Why would she have to leave Riverdale?"

    "Selena... Jefferey... Lionel..." Janice repeated those three names a few times before she abruptly lifted her head. "That''s not possible. Selena disappeared out in the ocean back then, so... Rachel, could your mother possibly have been pressured by someone else in the past?"

    Rachel''s expression stiffened. What do you mean by that?

    "Based on what I know, Selena used to be one of the highest achievers in pharmacology. There were only a few women who even had the opportunity to study overseas at that point, so Old Mr. Hudson was very fond of her. She was in charge of half of the Hudsons'' pharmaceutical business back then."

    Was my mother the person who was managing the business?

    "Yeah. We''ve investigated this for a long while, but we still don''t know why the Hudsons chased Selena out. If we look at the timing, this happened when she got pregnant with you."

    That doesn''t make sense. If she were coerced to leave, the Hudsons would have no reason to chase my mother out after she was pregnant.

    Janice knitted her brows. "It''s a shame that most of the people from back then are gone. Furthermore, you don''t remember much of your childhood. This is a tough case."

    Rachel thought of something then. I think there might be someone who can give us answers.

 Chapter 92

    "Who is it?" Janice asked,

    My grandmother. Rachel assumed that the whole picture would be clearer once she found out who her mother was, but things only seemed moreplicated. Somehow, her mother was Involved in the Hudson Family''s fight for their inheritance that happened all those years ago.

    The sun was shining bright on top of her head when Rachel left the restaurant. She saw Hans jogging toward her from a distance away. "I''m sorry I''mte, Rachel. Are you and Janice done talking?"

    Yeah. We''re done. Rachel wore a rather stiff look on her face.

    "What is it? Why do you look so pale?" Hans asked.

    It''s nothing. There are just some things that I need to rify with my grandmother.

    Hans held onto her arm. "Are you sure you''re okay?"

    Rachel gave him a nod, but it was clear that she wasn''t paying attention to his question.

    "Hey, why don''t you let me send you back?" he offered.

    I drove here.

    "No. I''d be worried if you had to drive back now," he replied. Rachel couldn''t reject his stubborn determination in the end. However, neither of them realized a moving figure that had been standing on the street just opposite the restaurant. There were a few cigarette butts lying right beside the man''s feet. "Hello? The person you told me to keep an eye on is going into a car with a man. Do you need me to continue following her? You''ll have to top up some cash for my car ride then," the person said.

    A woman''s voice came from the other end of the line. "Who did she go off with? Did you take any pictures?"

    "How am I supposed to know? You didn''t tell me to take pictures," he replied.

    "Take them now."

    "I told you that she already got into the car with someone else. They''ve left."

    "Are you an idiot? I gave you a simple task, and this is what you managed to aplish?" the woman cried.

    The young man''s face darkened when he heard the woman shouting at him through the phone. "Are you scolding me right now? You watch out! I''m not going to entertain you anymore if you scold me again." The young man ended the call right after finishing his words. He grumpily threw his cigarette butt onto the ground. "F*ck! What was that? How dare she shout at me!"

    The young man turned to look at the car opposite the street. He studied the details for a while, even memorizing the car te number.

    Hans stopped his car in the alleyway and stayed there even after Rachel left. He nced up to look at the light turning on in one of the units. Nancy was both surprised and d to see Rachel showing up at her front door. "What brings you here today?" she asked.

    I have a few questions for you, Grandma.

    It was rare for Rachel to be so serious, and Nancy seemed rather taken aback by this. "What is it? Come in and have a seat before we talk." There was a faint scent ofvender that lingered on the couch. No dilly-dallying was involved-Rachel got straight to her point once she sat down.

    I''d like to ask you about my mother, Grandma.

    The smile on Nancy''s face faded a little as she looked away to avoid Rachel''s gaze. "Why would you ask about your mother all of a sudden?"

    Is she my mother? Rachel typed out Selena''s name and handed her phone over to her grandmother.

    Nancy''s entire body jolted with shock when she first saw the name, and her expression changed within seconds. There was no more exnation needed. "How did you find out about this, Rachel? Did Jefferey tell you about this?"

    No. I did some of my own research.

    "Your research? What have you found so far?"

    I''ve found quite a lot of things. I found out about my mother''s actual identity and her cause of death. Rachel told Nancy about everything that she saw at the Hudson Vineyard. Nancy was trembling with anger by the time she heard about what Jefferey had done in the darkroom. "Jefferey, that disgusting rat! He was already desperate for her when she was alive, and he''s still not letting go of her right now. He''s inhumane! He''s going to hell!"

    What do you know about this, Grandma? What is the truth?

    The anger remained on Nancy''s face, and she sighed and groaned a few more times before she spoke. "I never intended to tell you about this, Rachel. However, I guess I can''t hide it from you now that you''ve found out about this. I''m not actually your biological grandmother." Rachel froze on her spot. She couldn''t believe Nancy''s words.

    "Your birth mother is Miss Selena, whom Old Mr. Hudson adopted as his daughter all those years ago. When I was still with the Hudsons, Miss Selena helped me out a lot. That''s why I left along with her once she got into trouble and was chased out of the Hudsons," Nancy exined. Rachel was starting to see howplicated things were back then.

    Selena was an orphan adopted by Old Mr. Hudson, and she had grown up with two brothers-Jefferey and Lionel. Old Mr. Hudson was a kind and loving man, and he had always treated Selena as his own child He sent her overseas for her studies and let her take over half of the pharmaceutical business after she returned to the country.

    "After that, the Hudsons somehow provoked some other people, and they then found themselves being attacked. Lionel had been doing a lot to help, but he suffered a sudden death during then. All of the pharmacies were shut down for investigation after that, and Old Mr. Hudson''s health only deteriorated more every day. At the same time, the eldest son from Circa Pharmacy in Jacksonville showed up to propose to Selena," Nancy continued.

    Rachel froze. What happened after that?

    Nancy shook her head. "I don''t know what Old Mr. Hudson was thinking. I recall how it was raining heavily that day. Miss Selena knelt outside the house for the whole night, but Old Mr. Hudson ordered the maids to pack her items before he kicked her out of the Hudson Family the next morning. The Hudsons no longer had a daughter after Selena was chased out, so Circa Pharmacy naturally couldn''t continue to ask for a marriage. After that, I left with Miss Selena, but we were kidnapped by some people and thrown into some sort of ferry."

    Was it someone from Circa Pharmacy who kidnapped you guys?

    "No," Nancy said with a stern expression. "You probably wouldn''t have guessed it if I don''t tell you now

    -It was Jefferey, that horrible, evil man. He made a deal with Circa Pharmacy just for the sake of inheriting the family business. He knew that Old Mr. Hudson had given all of the medicinal recipes to Miss Selena, which was why he chose to kidnap her."

    Rachel felt like her mind was spinning in circles. She was too confused by everything she had just heard. Technically, her mother and Jefferey were siblings based on their titles. Yet, Jefferey went against Selena for the sake of some medicinal recipes. But how could that exin Rachel''s existence? How was she brought into the world?Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    How did my mother give birth to me? Did Jefferey do something to her

    "Pfft. That b*stard doesn''t deserve a woman like her," Nancy mumbled. "If Lionel hadn''t passed away so abruptly, the Hudsons had already nned to host a wedding. Miss Selena and Lionel had agreed to exin everything to Old Mr. Hudson once things were over, but they hadn''t expected a sudden ident to ur."

    Are you saying that my father is Lionel?

    "That''s right. You are the only inheritor that descended from the eldest child of the family. Who does

    Jefferey think he is? He''s nothing more than a crazed psychopath and a b*stard who plots and schemes to benefit himself!" Nancy was tearing up as she got emotional. "After Miss Selena and I managed to escape from the boat, we stayed in my old house in the mountains. But a few yearster,

    Jefferey managed to find us. There was a huge fire after that-the fire practically engulfed my whole vige," Nancy said.

    Rachel had vague memories of such an incident. She couldn''t recall much from her past, but she often had a dream in which there was arge fire that wouldn''t end. She remembered how she couldn''t seem to run out of the fire no matter how much she tried. The dreams made sense to her now since it was actually what happened.

    "Your guess was right, Rachel. Jefferey was the one who murdered your mother, and they thought that they could get all the details for the medicinal recipes after that. Unfortunately, there were no quantities or measurements in the recipes."

    Right then, Rachel jumped up in surprise once more. She thought about the prescription that Jefferey had shown her in the Hudson Vineyard. The tiny handwriting she saw then belonged to her mother.

 Chapter 93

    "After your mother passed away, you lost your voice during the huge fire. For the sake of your safety, I told Jefferey that you were the only one who knew about the medicinal recipes. That was why he agreed to bring you back into the Hudson Family. That was also how the public recognized you as an Illegitimate daughter of the Hudsons," Nancy said.

    But I don''t remember any of the medicinal recipes.

    "Your memories are engraved within you, Rachel. I''m sure you remember everything that your mother had ever told you-you simply lost your memories temporarily. You''ll recall all of it someday." Nancy pulled out a picture of Selena-the same ck and white picture that was on the tombstone.

    Rachel felt her heart aching when she saw the picture, and tears trickled down her cheeks without any warning. Nancy teared up as she pulled the young girl in for a hug. "My darling, if Selena is watching from above, she''d be pleased to see what a beautiful and kind woman you''ve turned into."

    Rachel cried for a long while after that. Whatever she had just heard was simply too much to process. No matter how harsh Jefferey had been toward her in the past, she had always treated him as her father. She had always believed that a parent would care for their child regardless of how harsh they might be. However, it turned out that he wasn''t her father at all-that exined why he was so heartless toward her. She brushed her tears off as she recalled what Janice had told her. Grandma, do you remember what the person who killed my mother looks like?

    Nancy clenched her fists. "I''d recognize that person even if he turned into ashes. He was a vicious killer; he set the whole mountain on fire to destroy all evidence. He nearly killed all of the vigers there." Rachel hastily unlocked her phone to look for an image of a wanted man before showing it to Nancy.

    "He''s the one. I recall how he had arge mole on his face." Nancy''s voice was trembling, and her face was pale as she recalled the terrifying memories of her past. Rachel tightened her grip on her phone as she tried to calm herself down. She wanted to avenge her mother''s death, and she wanted these people to pay for what they had done.

    The skies were turning dark, and Hans stepped out of the car when he saw Racheling out of the building. "Are you okay?"

    Rachel shook her head. Grandma told me the whole story. I''ll tell you about it when we get into the car.

    "Okay." Hans pulled the car door open. "Let''s talk in the car." They were talking when a shrill siren Interrupted their conversation. Rachel looked up to see a ck MPV on the street opposite them. Her face turned pale immediately.

    "What is it?" Hans could sense that something was wrong with Rachel.

    She didn''t have the chance to respond to him as her phone kept ringing in her pocket. Her hands were trembling when she pulled her phone out to look at the caller ID. "I''ll give you one minute to walk over and get into the car." The man''s voice on the other end of the phone was deep and stern.

    "Rachel," Hans said when he noticed the car opposite them. He held onto her arm. "Is that him?"

    She gritted her teeth as she pushed Hans aside. You should leave now. I''ll text youter. Rachel hurried toward the opposite side of the street after that. Justin was a man who didn''t take no for an answer Hans might be in danger if she made Justin wait for a while more.

    The man in the ck MPV wore an icy, forbidding expression on his face. His still, dark eyes were so terrifying that anyone who looked into it would feel their hearts pounding with fear. Justin stared out the car window to look at the man in front of the white car parked opposite the street.

    Rachel got in from the other side of the car. "Let''s go," Justin ordered coldly. The MPV left the alleyway right after that. Justin didn''t utter a single word on the way back, and the silence only made Rachel more fearful. She felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. The driver didn''t head in the direction of the Burton Residence, Rachel felt herself getting more terrified as the roads outside looked increasingly unfamiliar to her.

    They arrived at a vi on the outskirts of town. Justin removed his coat and threw it on the couch the moment he stepped into the house. Rachel, on the other hand, hesitated when she arrived at the doorstep. She nced around to see that the interior of the house was modern and brand-new. In fact,

    building.

    Justin loosened his tie before he abruptly turned to face Rachel. "Ah!" She screamed as she felt as if her scalp was about to be torn apart. Justin had grabbed onto a handful of her halr before he shoved her against the wall. "You disappeared for two whole days because you went to meet that guy, right?"

    She was close to fainting because of the pain. Her face was filled with terror as she looked up at him. "Hans Egerton, a Master of Laws graduate from California State University and a rtively well-known youngwyer... Why are you meeting awyer behind my back? What are you trying to do? Are you going to get a divorce?"

    She shook her head frantically as she tried to push him away.

    "What sort of reason are you nning to give, then? Domestic abuse? Or something else? Huh?" Justin tugged onto her hair and flung her aside.

    With a loud cry, she stumbled and fell onto the couch. When she next looked up, Justin had already stepped closer to her. "Tell me, what are you trying to do?"

    Rachel edged away from him fearfully. Both her legs were shaking uncontrobly. No. I''ve never thought of getting a divorce.

    "Why are you meeting awyer, then?"

    I just wanted to ask him about some other things.

    "What other things?"

    She gritted her teeth as she hastily came up with a random excuse. It has to do with my Inheritance in the Hudson Family

    "Oh? Is that all?"

    That''s all.

    "Really? Are you sure you''re not hiding anything from me?" Justin''s gaze was stony and grave-even

    thest hint of humanity had disappeared. ˇ°Doesn''t he have any other rtionship with you apart from meeting you as awyer?"

    Rachel jolted with surprise.

    "I heard that a woman''s first love is the hardest one to let go of, Isn''t that right?" The man''s eyes were filled with jealousy. Rachel felt as if she was falling into an endless pit. Her face turned pale as she realized something Justin knew about this all along!

    The very next moment, she let out another cry as Justin tugged her up from the couch by grabbing

    onto her hair. When she fell back onto the couch, he pressed his fingers against both sides of her cheeks as he hissed at her, "You used Julian as a shield so that I wouldn''t find out about this first love of yours. You sure put in a lot of work just to achieve this!"

    She couldn''t provide him with any other response apart from wailing in agony. The searing pain in her scalp made her feel as if she was about to pass out, but Justin didn''t show a hint of pity toward her as he tore the cor of her shirt open.

    "Which part of you has heid his hands on? Here? Or here?" Rachel''s figure trembled with fear that seemed to fill all of the bones in her body. Her face was the color of paper as she red at Justin with her bloodshot eyes. She couldn''t make a sound at all.

    All of a sudden, she felt a surge of energying from within her, and she used it to shove the man off of her. Bang! He fell back against the coffee table, and he let out a painful groan as he tried to sit himself upright. His hand was covered in blood when he reached and felt the back of his head.

    For some reason, Justin seemed to calm down as he sat on the ground and stared at his bloody hand. "That''s impressive. What is this? Are you trying to protect your own body for the sake of that man?" signed the words that she wanted to say to him. You only got married to me because you want to control the Hudson Family, and I can help you with that.

    "What help can you provide?" Justin scoffed. "Did you forget that you''re just an illegitimate daughter?

    The only purpose you serve is to keep me entertained in bed-you aren''t of any other value to me."Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    I can help you to acquire Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

 Chapter 94

    Justin felt his heart skipping a beat before he darkened his gaze. Both of them weren''t far apart from each other-the couch and the coffee table were the only pieces of furniture between them. A standinmp was ced right next to the couch, and the dim light shone upon Rachel''s face as she moved. It was the first time Justin had ever seen Rachel that way-her bloodshot eyes were filled with hatred and resentment. It didn''t seem like her anger was directed toward him-it looked more like she was angry at the Hudsons.

    He was dazed for a moment, but he quickly calmed himself down before he sneered. "Are you daydreaming or something?"

    There''s something wrong with the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' medication. They''ve provided a number of fake drugs to a few suppliers.

    Justin froze. Even Amber didn''t know anything about this, so how could an illegitimate daughter like Rachel hear about such news?

    As long as you can help me to get a job at Hudson Pharmaceuticals, I will be able to get proof of them manufacturing fake medication. Rachel''s thoughts were clearer once she managed to calm down. She realized that both she and Justin could exchange information and benefit from one another when they couldn''t achieve certain things independently. Jefferey was an enemy to both of them, and she figurec that she could temporarily be friends with her enemy''s enemy.

    Justin was quiet for a long while before he abruptly leaned his weight against the coffee table to get onto his feet. Rachel''s face turned pale as she grabbed onto a vase beside her.

    "What are you doing?" he said as he shot her a re. "Didn''t we just agree to partner up? Are you going to work with a dead body if I die from losing too much blood? Go find me a first-aid kit."

    She was stunned for a long while, but she finally heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that Justin looked a lot calmer than before. A few minutester, she came back with a first-aid kit to help Justin clean his wound. He let out a hiss, and she felt her hands shaking as she tried to clean the blood. She was a lot gentler the next time she touched him.

    "Why are you suddenly going against the Hudsons?" he asked.

    I''ve thought about it. He''s bad to me, and he has never treated me like his biological daughter. / want to make sure I have a n B for myself. Rachel didn''t mention anything about her mother as she recalled how Janice had told her to keep it a secret.

    "Did you find out about something?" Justin asked out of nowhere.

    Rachel was rather surprised at first. Is there something I should know about?

    He frowned. He felt troubled whenever he thought about the information that Frankie had gathered for him. "It''s nothing," he mumbled.

    Rachel stepped aside to tidy the first-aid kit after she was done cleaning Justin''s wound. He no longer seemed as threatening and powerful with a bandage wrapped around his head, and he even looked rather amusing because of the ribbon knotted on the back of his head. "You haven''t exined the whole thing with yourwyer to me yet."

    Rachel''s actions of tidying the first-aid kit came to a halt before she turned around. Her eyes were calm but firm as she stared at him. You''re not allowed toy hands on him.

    His eyes turned cold, and he felt his chest tightening when he looked into Rachel''s steady gaze. "Are you giving me a warning right now?"

    Since you''ve made a deal with me, I deserve to benefit from this deal as well.

    "Benefits? So, the benefit you want is for me to not mess with this man?"

    I''ll help you acquire Hudson Pharmaceuticals, but you cannot touch the people around me. I don''t want you to act all suspicious all the time. This is a pretty good deal for you, don''t you think? Rachel was a little nervous-she had no idea how Justin would respond to her words.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    He stared at her silently as his gaze grew dimmer. "Fine, I promise."

    In the past, Rachel had always been someone whopromised and gave In to him, so It was a shock for him to hear her making such a request. He wondered if Rachel was genuinely looking for a n B or if she just created such lies to protect that guy. Regardless, he was pretty eager to see what sort of impact an Wlegitimate daughter might be able to generate in thepany.

    A conversation was happeningte at night in the Burton Residence. "Are both of them not home? Did you call and ask Frankie?" Sue asked.

    "Yeah. Frankie said that Young Master Justin wouldn''t being home because he has other matters to handle," the maid replied.

    "What about the mute?"

    "Frankie didn''t say anything about that. But considering how distant they seem recently, my guess is that they aren''t together now."

    Sue was visibly pleased as she sipped on her tea. "Things will be over once he''s past that initial stage of excitement. Justin has met so many other girls, anyway; what''s the big deal about this mutedy? She''s not even obedient. He''ll get bored of her after a while."

    *But I heard that Young Master Justin brought another woman back from his business trip, Madam Parham," Mrs. Duncan uttered.

    Sue''s expression grew alert upon hearing the other person''s words. "A woman?"

    "He even arranged for her to stay in a condominium. I heard she''s a university student who got into one of the universities in Riverdale."

    "Who is she? Did you run a thorough investigation on her background?" Sue asked.

    Mrs. Duncan shook her head. She had gotten the news from Justin''s driver. The driver was puzzled to see a woman beside Justin when he picked Justin up from the airport.

    Sue knitted her brows. "Get someone to Investigate her background. I don''t want her to take advantage of Justin."

    "Alright."

    Three dayster, Rachel was called to help out with the logistics at the City Council Library. There was a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation, and Rachel bumped into Tina while they were in the washroom. "It''s been a while, Rachel." Tina shot Rachel a side nce while she fixed her makeup in front of the mirror. "You look like you''re doing fine. I thought you''d have to rest for at least a year after that car ident."

    Rachel clenched her fists. She couldn''t stop herself from shuddering at the mention of the car crash it was something that troubled her even after so long. You were the one who caused that ident! "So what if I was the one who did it? Does my brother look like he''s about to hold me responsible for it?" Tina gave Rachel a cocky stare. "The whole Burton Family knows that I was the one who did it, but what are you going to do about that? I''ve told you this before-no one cares about you, even if you''re part of the Burton Family. You''ll have to pay for Henry''s death eventually."

    Her chilly voice echoed in the washroom, and Rachel felt a chill running down her spine. Tina was aplete psychopath.

    "By the way, there''s something else that I wanted to remind you about." Tina raised an eyebrow. The slight smirk on her lips made her look especially sinister. "I''m afraid you won''t own the title of ''Mrs. Burton'' for much longer. Who would''ve expected another woman to appear in the picture out of nowhere, right?"

    Rachel had no idea what Tina was talking about, but Tina simply let out a cold scoff before she took her handbag and walked off. The groundbreaking ceremony was hosted on an empty piece ofnd. Justin showed up at the ceremony as he was one of the investors. Rachel, on the other hand, stood with a team of girls that were on duty for the ceremony. She held a tray that had a pair of scissors on it

    -the scissors would be used to cut the ribbonter.

    Although Rachel was a distance away from Justin, she could see him with an unfamiliar woman. The woman seemed to have reced Frankie''s role as his secretary. "I''ve never cut a ribbon for a ceremony. Isn''t this fun?" The woman''s high-pitched voice didn''t seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

    However, a rare loving expression surfaced on Justin''s face when he turned to the woman. "Would you like to try it?"

    "Can I do that?" she asked.

    "Of course. It''s just cutting a ribbon," he replied.

    Rachel heard him speaking while she brought the tray over to them, and she looked up to meet Justin''s eyes. His gaze seemed unfamiliar to her.

    Without even a slight change in expression, Justin reached for the scissors on the tray before he handed it to the girl beside him.

    "Thank you." The girl gave Rachel a warm smile. "You''re really pretty, Miss," shemented on Rachel.

    Rachel froze.

    Tina, who had already gotten her own pair of scissors, made a sharpment when she heard their conversation. "Gloria, I''m afraid she doesn''t want you to call her ''Miss." She sniggered. The young girl didn''t understand the meaning behind Tina''sment.

 Chapter 95

    "No one would think you''re mute if you just kept your mouth shut for once, you know." Justin red at Tina from the corner of his eye.

    "I''m not mute," Tina said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at Rachel before she lifted her scissors and cut the red silk ribbon into two. Snip! After the ribbon-cutting ceremony was over, Rachel brought the ribbons off the stage. She felt a sour feeling in her chest while she watched Justin and the other girl standing close to each other. She had never seen Justin being protective of anyone else in such a bold and open manner. Even if he did that to Amber, Rachel knew that he only yed along for the sake of the Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    The rest of the celebration was hosted in a hotel. Rachel felt bored out of her mind as she watched all the guests clinking sses and socializing with one another, so she decided to head out for a walk. "What are you doing here on your own?" A man''s voice sounded from behind. Rachel jumped a little before she turned to see Justin dressed in a full ck suit. He looked especially handsome under the dimly- lit night sky. It was a little hot in there, so I came out for a stroll, she replied.

    Ever since they established the deal between them three days ago, Justin had been treating her in a cold and distant manner. He no longer asked about her schedule or whoever she met up with. Why are you out here? Rachel stole a nce behind him before she continued with the rest of her sentence. Your new secretary looks really young.

    "If you have the free time to check out my new secretary, why don''t you use some of it to think about the partnership between us?" Justin held a document out to her.

    Rachel froze for a second. Is this a letter of appointment?

    It was a contract for the role as the deputy director of the finance department in Burton Group. Justin had already signed his name and stamped thepany''s stamp on the document. "You''re an illegitimate daughter-it would be hard to get Jefferey to allow you to be a part of Hudson Pharmaceuticals as he wouldn''t want you to be involved in their internal affairs. It''d probably take you years toe up with a n that could work," Justinmented.

    How does hiring me as a staff in the Burton Group help with anything?

    "I''m an efficient and effective person. Doesn''t Jefferey wish to learn some details about the Burton Group''s partners? He''ll certainly get closer to you once he learns that you''re a part of thepany." Justin exined.

    She immediately understood the situation. I''ll draft my letter of resignation tomorrow.

    Justin gave her a faint nod.

    "I''ve been looking everywhere for you, Justin. What are you doing here?" A young girl exaggerated her movements to push the heavy ss door open before she stuck her head out the balcony. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her petite face was glowing with youth. Rachel tightened her grip around the documents she was holding.

    The iciness on Justin''s face faded significantly as he turned to look at the young girl. "What brings you here?"

    "I was too bored, and there were a lot of people surrounding me and asking me questions. I had to find a way to escape them." The girl''s eyes lit up when she saw Rachel. "I''ve seen you before! I saw you during the ribbon-cutting ceremony! Hello, my name''s Gloria. I''m Justin''s, Oops." The girl stuck her

    tongue out and giggled. "I mean, I''m President Burton''s secretary. I''m still on probation."

    After a moment of silence, Gloria continued talking. "You... can''t talk?" She eyed Rachel puzzledly.

    Rachel subconsciously stared at Justin, but Justin didn''t seem interested in introducing the two women to each other at all. Instead, he nced at his watch. "Let''s go, Glo. It''ste now." "Huh? Where are we going?" she asked.

    "Didn''t you say that this ce was boring? I''ll bring you somewhere else for food," Justin offered. "Right now? But there are a lot of people waiting out there for you" Gloria protested.

    "You don''t need to care about those people," he muttered. Gloria looked like she wanted to talk to Rachel for a while more, but the younger girl had no choice but to keep up behind Justin as he began to walk off.

    For some reason, the breeze seemed chillier as Rachel watched the two people walking away from her. She couldn''t help but shudder a little. Justin had a new love interest, and he no longer cared about Rachel-but wasn''t this what Rachel had always longed for? If that was the case, why did she feel so hurt deep down?

    As the night went on, Justin sent Gloria home after they had a meal. As he was on the way home, Frankie nced at the rearview mirror for a while before he hesitatingly parted his lips to speak. "President Burton, there''s been some gossip going on in thepany recently."

    "What are they talking about?" Justin asked.

    "It''s about you and Miss Hochmann. They said that you chose a youngdy to be your secretary and that both of you-" Frankie was interrupted before he could finish his words. "Do you need to tell me this? Do you need me to teach you what to do?" Justin uttered.

    Frankie''s face turned pale. "That''s not what I meant. I know that you would like to protect Miss Hochmann, but these rumors can be hurtful, and she''s still a young girl. If someone tries to use this against you guys... The board of directors-Jason and the rest of them-have been waiting to find fault in you."

    "It''s no big deal. Gloria''s starting school next month, so she won''t be at thepany a lot," Justin replied with a calm look on his face. Frankle looked as if he was about to say something else, but he held his words back in the end. He couldn''t understand what his boss was trying to do at all.

    On the other hand, Jefferey was quick to learn about the news of Rachel quitting her job and Jolning the Burton Group. Things went just as Justin had expected it to-Rachel received a call from Jefferey right after she started working at her newpany. Jefferey asked her to meet up with him.

    The breeze was strong, and the sun was blinding at the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' production factory. Rachel squinted to get used to the sunlight when she first got out of the car, and she soon saw a figure waving at her from a distance away. "You''ve been here when you were just a child, Rachel. Do you remember this ce?"

    Jefferey brought her for a walk in the factory''s workshop, and Rachel tagged along with mixed

    Riverdale. The rest of the factories were built in further locations to save costs on the workforce sry and rental. "In the past, our ancestors had insisted that everyone who inherited Hudson Pharmaceuticals had to get a degree in medicine. You know that, right?"

    Yeah.

    "Well, things are different now-we have a research team, and we''re a listedpany, so it''s more important for the person who takes over to have some management skills. In other words, I have the power to decide who I wish to hand thepany to," Jefferey exined.

    Why are you telling me all this? Rachel asked.

    "Do you know why I''ve never allowed Amber to get involved with thepany, Rachel?" Jefferey didn''t answer her question. Rachel shook her head as she didn''t understand why.

    "Amber is bad at managing a business, so I don''t think it''s a good fit for her to take over thepany. Inparison to her, you''re much more mature and stable. You''ve been outstanding ever since you were a child," Jefferey said.

    Rachel let out a scoff in her heart as she could predict what he was about to say next. "Hudson Pharmaceuticals will fall into your hands someday." Her gaze darkened-she didn''t look pleased by the news at all. "I heard that you quit your job and got into the Burton Group, is that right?" Jefferey asked.

    As expected, their topic had shifted onto this matter. Yes, she replied.

    "That''s a good thing. You should help your husband out with some work since you''ve married into the Burton Family. This shows his trust toward you, and it''s also a great oppo continued. What opportunity are you referring to? she asked.

    "It''s a chance for us to build a rtionship between bothpanies. The Burton Group has always taken the lead in the property industry. Wouldn''t all parties be happy if you were able to help your old man ou a little?"

    Would all parties be happy? Rachel let out another scoff in her heart. Jefferey was probably the only one who''d benefit from such a suggestion. But I don''t understand much about Hudson Pharmaceuticals business, so I''m not sure I can be of any help even if I wanted to help you.

    Jefferey beamed at her. "That''s no issue at all. If you''re willing to do this, I can get someone to familiarize you with our business so that you can make someparisons to your work at the Burton Group." Is this the right thing to do? she asked.

    "There''s nothing wrong about it. You''re my daughter, and you''re part of Hudson Pharmaceuticals as well. I trust you to do a good job," he sald while patting her on the shoulder. "Let''s not talk about the past from now on. Family members shouldn''t hold any grudges with each other, right?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Rachel tried her best to force a pollte smile onto her face.

 Chapter 96

    Aftering out of the factory, Rachel said goodbye to Jefferey. Then, she drove out of the area. But suddenly, she stopped by the side of the road, got out of the car at lightning speed, and retched while holding on to a tree on the roadside.

    At the thought of how Jefferey had forced her mother to death, she couldn''t wait to cut him to pieces. Earlier, the feigned courtesy with him made her feel sick in the stomach and very disgusted.

    At Burton Group, Frankie led Rachel through the cubicles in the finance department and said, "Miss Hudson, this is your office." Turning to everyone, he added, "Gather around, guys. Stop the work in your hands for a moment. This is our new deputy finance director. Let''s get to know each other."

    The staff in the finance department all got to their feet and greeted, "Hello, Miss Hudson."

    Maybe it was because Frankie had already told the staff in advance, so everyone in the finance department didn''t act surprised at the fact that Rachel was a mute, and they seemed friendly. After Rachel greeted each of them, she returned to her office.

    Actually, Justin merely sent her here as a pretense, and she didn''t actually have to do any work. Therefore, she wouldn''t really have any interactions with the staff here. Her only job was to keep an eye on the Hudsons'' movements.

    Suddenly, a knock came on her door, and she raised her head to see a familiar face-Gloria.

    On the other hand, Gloria wasn''t the least bit surprised to see her. Standing with her back straight in front of her desk, she ced a document on Rachel''s desk and said with a smile, "Miss Hudson, this is the document President Burton wanted me to send here. Also, he asked me to check if there''s anything else you''ll need."

    hipped through the document, closed it, and pushed it back to her. ''Shouldn''t this be sent to the legal department? Did youe to the wrong ce?''Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Maybe I sent it to the wrong ce, then."

    Quietly. Rachel stared at her and started writing something on the memo pad. ''Are you doing this on purpose?''

    Gloria read the graceful writing on the memo pad and eximed, "You''re very smart, Miss Rachel!" She

    giggled and continued, "Justin is away at the moment, and I was very bored until I heard some secretary saying that a new deputy director has arrived in the finance department. So I came over to confirm my guess."

    ''What was your guess?''

    "When I saw you speaking with him on the balcony that day, I already had a hunch that you have an extraordinary rtionship with him, but I didn''t have the opportunity to ask. Looks like I''ve guessed it correctly! You''re Justin''s wife, aren''t you?"

    Rachel''s heart skipped as she measured up the young girl in front of her. Below the age of twenty, she should be at the most innocent period of her life-simple and candid.

    But if she was really simple and candid, she wouldn''t have appeared next to Justin. All of a sudden, Rachel became wary. "Who are you?''

    "Me?" Gloria asked, blinking. With a sly expression, she sald in a purposeful manner, "Miss Rachel, what you really want to ask is the rtionship between Justin and me, isn''t it?"

    The spot between Rachel''s brows twitched. The look in this young girl''s eyes was very intelligent, untainted and clear. With just one look, Rachel could tell that she was very well protected, which was why she could point out the things she observed so bluntly.

    "Well, you can make a guess about my rtionship with Justin."

    Rachel frowned. ''I can''t guess it! And neither do I want to, she added in her mind.

    "Are you angry?" Gloria asked, blinking at her suddenly. "But I heard that you have a very good temper."

    Her words caught Rachel by surprise, but just then, another knock came at her door.

    "Miss Hochmann." It was Frankie this time, and he seemed relieved at the sight of her. "President Burton is back and looking for you now. Why did youe here?" Gloria said, "I was bored so I was just walking around. Why is he looking for me?"

    Frankie''s eyes darted to Rachel hesitantly, and his voice turned into a whisper. "Well, President Burton found someone to buy some palmiers because you like it."

    "Really?" Gloria eximed with sparkling eyes and immediately walked toward the door. When she reached the door, something popped up in her mind suddenly, and she turned around. Waving at Rachel as she giggled, she asked, "Do you like palmiers, Miss Rachel?"

    Rachel felt a wrench in her heart, and she shook her head grudgingly.

    Looking as though it was unfortunate, Gloria sighed and said, "Alright, I''ll eat it by myself, then. He doesn''t really like sweets as well."

    Then, she disappeared from the door, leaving Rachel feeling suffocated, as though something was stuck in her chest. It was as if the air couldn''t reach her lungs, and it was hard to breathe.

    So there exists such a woman whom Justin is willing to take care of attentively, she thought.

    In the evening, Rachel asked Hans out for dinner.

    "I''ve gone through the legal documents you gave me. Thewsuit with Hudson Pharmaceuticals is very difficult indeed. It can also be seen from thesewsuits that they never resolved its financial crisis from before."

    Rachel was puzzled. But when I married to the Burton Family, Jefferey had made a deal with Justin and got a rather huge sum of money.

    "Maybe this hole is a bottomless pit, and that money Isn''t enough at all."

    Even though Jefferey agreed to let me have ess to the internal works of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, I still haven''t seen the core financial status. Most of the members in the finance department are his confidants.

    "Be patient. There will be a solution in the end."

    Rachel nodded.

    "Let''s not speak about this. You don''t look so good recently. It must be too stressful, isn''t it?"

    I''m fine.

    "Since the first day I knew you, I already know that you''re the kind of person who would carry all the burden by yourself. You can really be such a bore," Hans said, rolling his eyes at her. "Eat some meat to replenish your protein." Then, he cut a piece of beef and ced it onto her te.

    Initially, Rachel wanted to thank him, but for some unknown reason, her stomach felt queasy at the sight of the meat, and she quickly covered her mouth.

    "What happened to you?" he asked with a concerned look in his eyes and stood up.

    It''s nothing. I''m going to the washroom.

    Crouched in front of the toilet in a cubicle, Rachel retched, but nothing else came out except her stomach Juices.

    When she stood up, she felt her eyes spinning, and could only try to recover as she held onto the wall.

    Then, she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor from outside. "I got it, Dad. How can I forget when you''ve said it more than a few hundred times?" Hearing the familiar voice, Rachel stopped her hand from opening the cubicle door. Amber? What is she doing here?

    Outside, Amber directly put her call on loudspeaker mode as she ced her cell phone next to the basin. While retouching her makeup, she continued the call.

    "It''s the information on the internal tender, after all. So, it won''t be that easy to obtain. I''ve only managed to ask Justin out for dinner today. I can''t make it too obvious."

    "Get it done as soon as possible. The deadline is drawing close. You have to get it before the day after tomorrow."

    "I''ll get it, for sure. You should just wait." She reapplied her lipstick delightfully in front of the mirror and continued, "Dad, you still have to rely on me at times like this. What can you expect if you rely on that mute who is siding with others? I''m hanging up now. Justin is still waiting for me at the dinner table."

    The conversation ended. Finally, Amber left, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Information on the internal tender?

    After returning from the washroom, she appeared a little absent-minded, and Hans asked with concern, "What''s up with you? Are you feeling unwell? I''ll bring you for a checkup at the hospital."

 Chapter 97

    Rachel shook her head. My stomach feels sick. Maybe I ate something bad.

    "Let''s order something that goes easy on your stomach, then."

    As her gaze drifted away to a spot far away, Rachel could see Amber having dinner with Justin. Because of the distance, she couldn''t hear what they were saying at all, but she could clearly see him Unknowingly, her hand was gripping the tablecloth underneath the table tightly. Although she was aware that Justin was merely putting up a show with Amber, she was still upset.

    Since when did every move that man made affect her heartstrings so greatly? In addition, his contact with any woman would break her heart.

    For some unknown reason, she suddenly thought of Gloria. If he could act that attentive with Amber even though it''s just a pretense, then how is he treating Gloria? she wondered. "What are you looking at?" Hans asked, twisting his head backward as he followed her gaze, but she suddenly grabbed him. "What happened?"

    Let''s go to another restaurant. A dark shadow hovered over her eyes.

    At night, when all the Burtons had already turned in for the night, Rachel went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. She ran into Justin who had just returned.

    You''re back sote.

    "Yeah," Justin uttered, taking off his jacket and tossing it casually on the couch.

    Seeing that he wasn''t going to bother about her, Rachel felt snubbed, and she strode into the kitchen to make her tea with a gloomy look on her face.

    Recently, she had spent severalte nights as she was busy gathering information about Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    With only the wall lights turned on, the kitchen was a little dingy, and Rachel opened the overhead

    cab to look for the tea leaves while waiting for the water to boil. After she finally saw the container, she realized that it was ced furthest on the inside, and it was difficult for her to reach it with her height. A long arm stretched over her head and leaned against the cab door. In a nonchnt voice which carried a soft tobo scent, he asked, "What do you want to get?"

    The smell of the man''s cologne traveled up her nose, and she felt a tight squeeze at her heart; even her shoulders shuddered along.

    She pointed at the spot, and Justin passed her the tea contalner.

    Thank you. She wanted to offer him a cup when she remembered that he always liked the tea she made.

    But before she could, he asked, "How are things going with Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    Rachel''s fingers, which were about to sign something, turned stiff, and she tasted something bitter from her throat. I found some loopholes, but they aren''t enough to hit any critical points. Jefferey and his employees still don''t trust me at the moment, so maybe I still need to work on it.

    "No hurry. The people from the Investigation Bureau are also investigating Hudson Pharmaceuticals. I can still wait a little."

    After giving him a nod, she suddenly remembered what happened at the restaurant and couldn''t help but ask. Are you still in contact with Amber recently?

    Jerking his head to look at her with a thoughtful look in his eyes, he asked, "Why?"

    It seems like Jefferey is nning to use her to get the information on the tender from you. So, you should be wary of her.

    "How did you find out about this?"

    Stunned, Rachel noticed that Justin didn''t seem one bit surprised at all. She recollected herself. I heard it by chance. Forget it if you don''t believe me.

    The sound of water boiling echoed in the kitchen, and she hurriedly turned around, rushing over to the boiling water. As Justin watched her back while she was busy, the knot between his brows turned tighter. His profile under the lighting appeared especially deep-set with a hint of aloofness.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    leaving earlier this evening popped up in his mind. "Did you hear about that this evening?"

    Upon hearing the voice from behind her, Rachel stopped her hand mid-air while she was pouring herself tea.

    "Where did you go this evening?"

    I had dinner with a friend.

    "Which friend?" Justin asked in a growl, taking a step closer to her. "Do I know him?"

    With her waist against the kitchen counter, she had no other ce to retreat.

    cing his broad palms on both her sides, he leaned down and warned, "Rachel, I did promise you that we''re merely cooperating with each other, but this doesn''t mean that you can go out on a date with another man in a public ce without any care. Don''t forget that you''re Mrs. Burton now."

    There''s nothing else between us. We''re just friends.

    "You don''t have to exin it to me, so keep those words for now. Exin it to the media when they''ve snapped pictures of you." His voice was incredibly icy, and there was not a shard of warmth in his eyes. Spitting each word, he added, "As long as you don''t find it troublesome."

    Rachel was wholly frightened.

    "If there''s an opportunity, remember to find out about Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' situation from that friend, Officer Hawkins, of yours." With that said, he left the kitchen with his jacket in his hand. Then, Rachel heard the sound of footsteps drawing further away in the living room as she held her mmy palms tightly. When she heard the door closing upstairs, she suddenly twirled around and started retching into the washbasin. By the time she was finished throwing up her stomach juices, she had already lost every ounce of energy left.

    At the same time when she was having the bitter aftertaste in her throat, her chest was also feeling tight with bitterness. A sharp sting stung her nose and her eyes turned red, then tears started falling into the washbasin beneath. She had no idea why she was so upset. It was as though she was being strangled and her heart was feeling wave after wave of sharp pain.

    The next day, Frankie passed a document to Justin in the office and said, "President Burton, this is the information you asked for about the tender."

    "Make a reservation for lunch today and find an opportunity to put this in an appropriate ce," Justin instructed.

    In reply, Frankie nodded, understanding what he was nning.

    "Is there anything else?" Justin asked, casting Frankie a look when he saw that he didn''t leave yet.

    Hesitantly, Frankie said, "It''s nothing else, actually. It''s just that, didn''t you find a mini detectaphone from your car thest time? I was thinking about it afterward and remembered that Amber was also in your car before that."

    Justin lifted his head, the look in his eyes shifting.

    "Mrs. Burton doesn''t have many chances to contact Jefferey, and was hospitalized before that. So, I Investigated the surveince at the hospital and saw that Jefferey had been there before, but a fight broke out between them, and this is what I discovered." Then, he took out a USB sh drive and passed it to Justin.

    Justin plugged it into theputer and opened the file. It showed the surveince footage in front of an elevator in the hospital, and the time was the day Jefferey went to look for Rachel. In the video, Jefferey clearly looked furious, and he threw something into the bin. However, when the elevator doors closed, a person wearing a white robe appeared out of the emergency staircase next to it and retrieved that thing after rummaging through the bin.

    "That''s Amber," Frankie said, his volce echoing in the office. He was a little uneasy because he only found out the truth after this incident had passed for quite some time.

    Staring at the frozen image on the screen, Justin looked grim. "I got it. Get back to work for now."

    "Okay."

    After Frankle left, Justin was deep in his thoughts for a long time, looking distracted.

    In the afternoon, Rachel went looking for Justin to report about her Investigations on Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Knock knock, knock

    "Come in."

    His office was huge and old-fashioned. Built and designed in an outdated style, it was not only dreary but lifeless, and this was the first time she visited his office.

 Chapter 98

    "Sit."

    The finance director, Fanny Bronson, is Jefferey''s number one right-hand employee, and they''re guarding against me heavily. I can''t ess their original ount book.

    "Don''t worry," Justin said, pouring out a cup of tea and then pushing it slowly in front of her. "Soon, you''ll be able to check their ounts openly."

    Why?

    "Hudson Pharmaceuticals will soon fall into another round of financial crisis."

    Rachel was puzzled at his words, but the cell phone she ced on his desk suddenly vibrated at this time.

    From the corner of his eyes, Justin saw Hans'' name and lowered his head to taste the tea. Suddenly, he kept away the tea he just had and the one he offered to Rachel, saying, "This tea is regr. By the Startled, Rachel secretly held her palms into fists. Justin was clearly aware that Tina didn''t like her, not to mention she almost got her killed. Yet, he wanted her to attend Tina''s engagement party with him. Can / skip it?

    "No," he said curtly, his eyes fixed on her. "Don''t forget your title now."

    Pursing her lips, she was at a loss for words.

    "Also..." He cast a cold look at the cell phone on the desk. "Since it''s a deal, you should show some progress, but you''ve shown me nothing until now. Do you think I can continue to believe that you have what it takes to help me acquire Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    I''m thinking of a n.

    "I''m afraid there would''ve been progress already had you spent half of the time chatting with others oning up with a n."

    His words caught her by surprise, and she stared at him in shock.

    "I''m giving you three days. I need to see evidence which shows a concrete financial loophole within Hudson Pharmaceuticals." His words echoed in the room.

    Three days? That''s impossible!

    While they were in a stalemate, the door swung open.

    "I went out to buy a watermelon. It''s really sweet, Jus,"

    Rachel peered over at the person who just entered the room, and that person stopped mid-sentence.

    Carrying a watermelon in her hands, Gloria was stunned for a moment when she saw Rachel, and she turned to Justin in reflex. "Uh... Am I interrupting your meeting? Should I go out for now so you guys can continue?"

    "No need," Justin said. "We''re done talking, anyway."

    "I''m going to cut the watermelon, then!" Gloria eximed and looked at Rachel happily. "Miss Rachel, why don''t you join us as well?"

    Thanks, but no. Then, Rachel stood up and gestured to Justin. I''m leaving first.

    Justin''s face was stony, and when he recalled that her phone vibrated for a split second earlier, it turned even more solemn.

    Meanwhile, after Rachel left his office, she heard the lively voice of the girl behind her, and her footsteps gradually slowed down; even her knees and feet felt a little numb. If it wasn''t for the purpose of destroying the Hudsons, Justin would never have married a mute like herself.

    She once thought that the care she received before was maybe because the scar on his face resonated with her, and that was why he felt a little pity for her.

    But Gloria''s appearance shattered all her fantasies, and she could now clearly see that Justin would never have any feelings for herself.

    After seeing how he doted on a person he loved, she was sure that this man was only aloof and emotionless to the person he didn''t love.

    His warning was like a ticking bomb, and it made her very unsettled.

    Rachel knew for a fact that if she didn''t show any real results as soon as possible, Justin might not have the patience to continue coborating with her.

    Hence, for the next few days, she went to Hudson Pharmaceuticals very diligently.

    One afternoon when she just arrived, she was invited into Jefferey''s office by his assistant.

    "What the hell! We''re friends when he can use me, but he kicks me aside when I''m not of any use! Get out, all of you!"

    A document flew out of the office andnded next to Rachel''s foot, startling her. The documents and ornaments on the desk were all swept to the floor, and the secretary was crouching on the floor, clearing up the mess.

    Rachel looked at the assistant in surprise. What happened?

    Sighing, he knocked on the door twice and reported, "President Hudson, Miss Rachel is here."

    "Come in."

    The assistant gestured for Rachel to go in.

    The moment she stepped into the room, she saw Jefferey clutching onto the desk with an ashen face, and the entire room was trashed.

    "You''re finally here, Rachel." Jefferey stepped out from behind the desk. Then, he grabbed her by her shoulders as though she was hisst hope. "You have to help me this time. You have to get Hudson Pharmaceuticals out of this crisis."

    Rachel was puzzled. What happened?

    "Pacific Inc. suddenly withdrew their funds, and our factories abroad have stopped operations. Without funding, we now have a huge problem, and if we don''t fill up this hole quickly, the board of directors will hold someone ountable. I won''t be able to keep my position then!"

    Isn''t Pacific Inc. a long-term partner of Hudson Pharmaceuticals?

    At the mention of this, Jefferey turned sullen. "They''re a bunch of ingrates. I did my best to help them win the tender, but they ced all the me on me when they didn''t win as expected. Then, they withdrew their funding just like that..."

    Tender? Rachel repeated in her mind, and she suddenly figured it out.

    By now, Rachel had alreadyposed herself. Calm down. First, I have to see how much you''recking in funding.

    "You''re willing to help?"

    Of course, but the finance department doesn''t allow me to see the ounts this whole time.

    "You want to check the ounts?" Jefferey asked, and a wary look shed across his face immediately.

    Putting on an awkward look, Rachel stepped away from him. I know you''re worried about me checking the ounts. I''ll try my best to convince Justin, but I''m such a klutz, and I''m afraid it won''t be easy to convince him. I can only hope for the best regarding how much he''s willing to help.

    Silence loomed over the office for a long while as he pondered over it before making a call. "Let Fanny from the finance department know that Rachel is free to check the ounts as she likes in the future. Jus say that I gave her the green light." After hanging up the call, he looked at her. "Rachel, will this

    do?"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    In response, she nodded, and her eyes were calm and friendly. However, it made Jefferey feel inexplicably panicky.

    Somehow, he felt that this submissive daughter waspletely different from before.

    When she came out of the office, the next thing she did was send a text to Justin. ''I have ess to the ounts now. It''s true that Hudson Pharmaceuticals is in trouble because they lost their funding. How do you n to proceed?''

    A few minutester, she received a reply. ''We''ll speak about it when we meet. Let''s have dinner together tonight!

    Rachel was somewhat taken aback by this.

    The venue was a western restaurant. Before getting out of the car, she straightened her hair in front of the mirror. For unknown reasons, her heart was beating very fast.

    This would be the first time she had dinner with Justin in a restaurant.

 Chapter 99

    "Hello, miss. Do you have a reservation?" the waltress at the entrance asked.

    Rachelmunicated in signnguage, and the waitress was at a loss of what to do. Thus, she peered into the restaurant, trying to locate Justin.

    "Miss Rachel, over here!" A crisp, clear voice came from a table next to the windows, and it was Gloria waving her hand at Rachel. She was dressed in a pale yellow dress with her hair down around her shoulders, and her smile was refreshing and warm.

    Rachel felt her heart drop, and her grip on her handbag tightened without her realizing. The seat was at the table next to the window, and the view outside was the bright lights of the city. Why are you here?

    "Justin is making a call right there," Gloria exined, pointing to the outdoor dining area.

    Through the French windows, Rachel saw his tall figure with his back facing the restaurant while he spoke into the phone, and aplicated look shed in her eyes.

    "What would you like to eat, Miss Rachel? We ced our orders earlier, but you should take a look as well," Gloria said, pushing the menu to her. Rachel only managed to nce at the menu when Gloria added, "Why don''t you try this, Miss Rachel? I think it''s not bad, and this dessert as well. I ordered one earlier. Would you like one as well?"

    Rachel froze for a moment and decided to stop flipping the menu, pushing it away. You can decide.

    "I hope you won''t mind that I''m joining you guys for dinner."

    Curling the edge of her lips, Rachel forced a smile. I don''t mind. We''re here to discuss work, anyway.

    "Actually, it was only both of you having dinner together tonight, but I asked if I could join when we were getting off from work, and Justin agreed to let me tag along."

    Narrowing her eyes, Rachel could clearly feel a trace of pressure.

    "For a business marriage like yours, actually you have no rtionship to speak about besides business, right?"

    "Don''t get me wrong. I''m not interested in the title of Mrs. Burton, so you don''t have to worry about me as a threat. However, I won''t leave Justin''s side in this lifetime. We''ve known each other for ten years Instantly, Rachel dug her fingernails into her palms. Ten years... she repeated in her head. Justin already knew this girl for ten years. How old was this girl even ten years ago?

    Just what is your rtionship with him? Rachel asked.

    Giggling, Gloria peered over Rachel''s shoulders and said, "You''re done with your call? I just finished ordering the food with Miss Rachel."

    The ss on the window reflected Justin''s figure as he walked up from behind Rachel and naturally slid into a seat next to Gloria without hesitation. Inparison, Rachel was the one who seemed like an outsider.

    "What were you chatting about? You seem so excited."

    "Miss Rachel just asked me what''s our rtionship, but you came back before I could answer her."

    Hearing that, Justin nced at Rachel and said, "You didn''t seem like such a curious person to me

    Rachel was startled, and Gloria quickly said, "She was just asking casually. Why are you being so fierce? It''s kinda terrifying."

    The muscles on Justin''s face eased up, and he changed the topic of conversation. "How are things going with Hudson Pharmaceuticals?" Rachel cast a nce at Gloria, and he exined calmly, "It''s okay. Gloria is not an outsider. Just speak your mind."

    His words sent a wave of jealousy over Rachel''s chest, leaving her feeling bleak. On the other hand, Gloria merely chuckled. "I''m not the least Interested in your official business. You guys can continue while I go to the washroom."

    Rachel passed a document to Justin. Just as you expected, Hudson Pharmaceuticals is in a financial crisis after falling out with Pacific Inc. Now, they''re in a desperate need for funding, and Jefferey wants me to ask for help from you. As part of the deal, I requested ess to the original ounts, and I''ve already gone through a part of it.

    "The financial situation of Hudson Pharmaceuticals is worse than I imagined."

    What do you n to do?

    Closing the document, Justin looked up at her with aposed face. "Isn''t Jefferey hoping that I''ll help him out? I''ll do as he wishes and help him."

    Startled, the things Justin just said made Rachel''s heart pump faster. She could totally imagine that Jefferey would be so furious when he heard this news, and she was afraid he might even pass out because he couldn''t catch his breath from the sudden rush of anger.

    Are you really doing this? What if he flips?

    "Does he have the guts to?" Justin asked calmly instead. "After having an argument with Pacific Inc. and losing his only backup, where else could he retreat if people within the industry knew that he fell out with the Burton Group as well?"

    From the moment Amber stole the information, he had yed along with her, nning to lure her. Everything was a trap he set up for Jefferey, and he was so shrewd that it gave Rachel the chills.

    Suddenly, the sound of a piano ying came from the stage in the middle of the restaurant, attracting everybody''s attention. Lifting her head to the source, Rachel saw Gloria seated at a white grand no as her fingers danced across the keyboard.

    She yed the plece ''Canon'' very smoothly, and it was filled with robust and lively emotions. The notes chasing after each other in the melody was like she was telling a tale of longing and pursult. When she finished, the restaurant burst out in a round of apuse.

    A group of children gathered next to the stage Immediately pped. "You''re amazing! y another one!"

    Smiling brilliantly, Gloria then changed the tune beneath her fingers, ying a merry piece this time. On

    Then, Rachel suddenly saw the warmth in Justin''s dark eyes across her as he watched Gloria. It was a peaceful look that she had never seen before.

    When Gloria was back from ying the piano, she asked, "Are you guys finished? I''m famished. Can we eat now?"

    As Rachel watched Justin passing a piece of napkin to Gloria for her to clean her hands, she felt a bitter tasteing from her throat. I''m leaving first, then. You two enjoy your meal. "What are you saying, Miss Rachel?" Gloria said, looking curiously at Justin.

    Frowning, he asked, "Why are you in such a rush to leave? Do you have something on?"

    Yes, I''m going back to check the ounts, and to prepare for work tomorrow. Also, I need to prepare the Information on the thing you just mentioned. Enjoy your meal. "You''re so busy that you''re skipping dinner?"

    I''ll eat when I get back. Rachel had already stood up with her handbag in hand as she waited for Justin''s reply.

    Justin was quiet for a couple of seconds before the words left his lips. "Go, then."

    After giving him a nod, Rachel turned and left.

    "Why are you leaving, Miss Rachel?" Gloria asked, standing up.

    "Don''t bother about her," Justin interrupted, looking a little sorrowful. Even his jet-ck eyes seemed very gloomy.

    Seeing how depressed he seemed, Gloria wiped the smile off her face. "Actually, you still care about her a lot, don''t you?" "How can you tell?ˇ±

    "From everything."

    With a knot between his brows, Justin avolded this topic and switched to another, saying, "Didn''t you

    say that you''re not ying the no anymore?"

    Since she was young, Gloria had learned to y the piano, and she was very gifted. Originally, the best for her future would be to continue this study abroad, but she didn''t want to. Instead, she went behind Justin''s back and enrolled into a university in Riverdale. After throwing a round of tantrum, she vowed not to y the piano again, and more than six months had passed since she threw that fit.

    "I felt like ying all of a sudden," she answered, looking at her own hands. "ying asionally is

    good. Maybe I can be a piano teacher in Riverdale one day."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "But your talent is wasted in Riverdale."

    "I don''t think so. I think, Gloria wanted to say something else, but stopped suddenly when she realized that Justin seemed to be in a daze. She rolled her hands into fists as she told herself, Forget it.

 Chapter 100

    Meanwhile, at the basement carpark, after Rachel got into her car, the safety belt wouldn''t budge even after she tugged at it a few times. Drained of energy, she slowly slumped onto the steering wheel while thinking, Ten years... How many decades does a person have in his lifetime?

    Earlier, when she watched how brilliantly Gloria seemed to be shining while surrounded by the children, she felt a sense of shame forming in herself for the first time in her life. That girl was so perfect, and she carried a sense of cheerfulness and brightness which waspletely different from herself.

    Honk! The sound of her car honk echoed through the parking garage as she identally leaned on it. It was so loud that it shocked her and jolted her back to her senses violently.

    What am I thinking about? she asked herself. / still haven''t avenged my mother, and I''m being sorrowful for no reason over here.

    After she cleared her mind, she remembered Justin''s words from dinner earlier, and she drafted a text message before sending it to Jefferey. Then, she drove out of the parking garage. Under thete evening lights, Riverdale appeared to be especially lively. However, Jefferey had been staring at the text on his cell phone for a long time with an incredibly sullen face.

    "I''m home, Dad!" Amber announced from behind him and hugged him around his neck from the back aftering into the house. "Daddy, I saw a bag I really like today. Will you please buy it for me?" After yanking her hand away, he scolded, "What else can you do besides buying handbags?"

    His cold voice boomed through the living room, startling Amber. "What''s the problern?"

    "Let me ask you this. Where did you get the information about the tender?"

    "It''s... from Justin''s car."

    "And he let you take it so easily?" The expression on Jefferey''s face darkened. "I should have known that you won''t be of much help with that intelligence of yours. Great, instead of being any real help, you''ve pushed me into the fire pit and someone else now has something he can use to threaten."

    Never been chided so angrily by Jefferey before, Amber whimpered, "What happened exactly, Daddy?"

    "What happened? It''s all because of you!" he shouted. "The information on the tender is fake, and Pacific Inc. used this information I gave them to join the tender. They ended up inplete defeat and announced one sidedly that they want to end the coboration with us. Now, ourpany has lost its source of funding and we need a huge sum of money. Once the board of directors gets word of this, do you have any idea what will happen?"

    "What''s gonna happen?"

    "I''ll be removed from my current position as the president and someone else will be selected to rece me."

    All blood drained from Amber''s face, and she heard a ringing in her head.

    "Calm down, Dad. I-I''ll ask Justin for help right now."

    "Save it," he spat. "From now on, just stay out of the way. Rachel had already asked Justin for help."

    "She''s willing to help? Justin will never listen to her!"

    "Of course he will since he has something to gain from it. Look at this!" he snapped, showing his cell phone screen to her.

    "15%"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    After she read the text, her eyes widened. "Burton Group wants to buy up 15% of our shares and even wants to put it under Rachel''s name? We can''t let this happen!"

    "I''ve already decided to agree to it and to sell the shares under your name. The press conference will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o''clock."

    "Dad!" she cried. As she watched his back while he walked away without turning back, she was so mad that she stomped her foot. Why should I sell my shares to that mute? Dad''s crazy, and even Justin has lost his mind as well? Furious, she took out her phone and made a call. "Hello, it''s me. I can transfer fifty thousand to you today. Just get the things done early as I instructed. Tomorrow afternoon, I don''t want to see her appearing at Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    The next day, Justin and Rachel left Burton Group together in a car to head toward Hudson Pharmaceuticals to sign the agreement.

    "The fact that Jefferey is willing to cut out a slice of his cake shows that the internal financial situation of Hudson Pharmaceuticals is already very terrible. All you have to do is get a hold of their actual financial situation, and you don''t have to do anything else after that," the man said in an aloof voice in the car.

    Rachel nodded. I got it.

    Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and she hung up the call without even thinking after seeing the caller ID. Since she was seated next to Justin, she didn''t dare to take any risks.

    "Why aren''t you picking up the call?" he asked.

    It''s not an important call. Getting business done is more important.

    After she exined herself, she turned her phone on silent mode, but at that moment, she received a text message. Hans is hospitalized after getting beaten and needs a blood transfusion urgently. Where Instantly, she straightened her back and grabbed the door handle. The text message was from Janice, and so was the call earlier.

    I want to get out

    With a frown, Justin asked, "Why?"

    Anxiously, she gestured at him in signnguage. I''m sorry, but I have to take care of an emergency now. Can you please wait for me to sign the agreement when I''m done?

    "What''s the emergency?"

    Rachel clenched her jaw tightly.

    "You can''t say it?" The look in his eyes gradually darkened. "Give me your cell phone. Give it to me."

    Along with his cold order, the air in the car suddenly turned heavy, and the car slowed down. Facing Justin''s piercing cold stare, Rachel gritted her teeth before suddenly turning around and opened the door. "Stop the car!" he shouted, his eyes widening.

    The screeching sound of the brakes echoed at the intersection.

    Justin caught hold of nothing but air as he stared at the opened car door, for Rachel had already jumped off the car and tumbled onto the street. If it weren''t for the fact that the car was already reducing its speed at the intersection, she would have been half-dead even if she didn''t end uppletely dead after this leap.

    However, she had already scrambled to her feet right now and was running away while staggering.

    The driver was pale from the shock as he uttered, "President Burton."

    The muscles on Justin''s face were stiff while he watched Rachel from behind as she limped away into the distance. Finally, he came back to his senses and withdrew his hand, clutching it into a fist. "Drive on. Let''s go to Hudson Pharmaceuticals first."

    Hurriedly, Rachel took a cab to the hospital, where Janice was pacing around in front of the surgery room. Upon seeing Rachel limping over, she rushed to her and asked, "What happened to you?" How''s Hans doing? Rachel was more worried about him instead.

    "I have no idea who he offended, but he was beaten up badly. He lost too much blood and needs a transfusion urgently, but the blood bank in the hospital doesn''t have enough. I remember him telling me before that you have the same blood type as him. So, you''re the only one I can look for."

    Rachel nodded and quickly indicated that she was willing to donate her blood.

    In her highschool years, when she and Hans became friends, they unexpectedly found out that they shared the same blood type.

    In the surgery room, the needle pierced into her vein, and fresh blood flowed through the catheter. Only one thought was going through her mind as she gazed at Hans, who was unconscious next to her. Please let everything be okay.

    After the blood transfusion, she walked out with a pale face, and Janice helped her to take a seat. "Sit down and rest for a while. The operation will take some time."

    What happened? Why was Hans beaten up?

 Chapter 101

    "The police are still investigating exactly what happened. Apparently, he received an anonymous text and left his office in the afternoon. In the end, he was beaten up."

    Hans has a good temper and had just returned to the country. Who could he have offended?

    Shaking her head, Janice said, "He''s awyer, and it''s very often that they offend someone. It''s not something surprising. We''ll have to wait for the police investigations to know the details." When she saw the injury on Rachel''s legs, she added, "Let''s attend to your wounds first. I''ll take you there."

    At the debridement department of the hospital, the doctor bandaged Rachel''s wounds and left her with advice such as avoiding contact with water and such, to which she nodded obediently.

    After Hans had his surgery done, he was wheeled into a ward, and Rachel stayed with him in the room. Later, Janice received a call and said that she had to leave at thest minute.

    Go ahead. I''ll stay here. It''s fine.

    "Please keep himpany for a while then."

    On the hospital bed, Hansy there with seven or eight stitches on his forehead, and he was still unconscious because the anesthetic had yet to wear off.

    As Rachel tucked him under the nket properly, her heart was in a mess. Hans had just returned to the country and barely received any cases. Why would he suddenly offend someone who would beat him up so badly?

    "Is Hans staying in this hospital?" A familiar voice came from the door.

    Jolted away from her thoughts, Rachel turned and saw that the door was pushed open as Justin stormed in in his ck suit.

    With a bang, the door closed behind him, and Rachel sprang up suddenly. The piercing pain in her knee made her face contorted with agony.

    Justin''s gaze went past her and fell on the bed behind her. "This is the emergency you told me? It is an emergency... if it''s a funeral.ˇ±

    In an instant, Rachel felt as though she had fallen into a pit, and she stepped backward subconsciously until her thigh was pressed against the side of the bed. She held onto the rail at the end of the bed for support.

    Looking at her coldly, Justin asked, "Don''t you have an exnation for me?"

    Hans lost a lot of blood in the surgery and he has a rare blood type. The blood bank in the hospital doesn''t have enough, so I have to be here.

    "Really? So you jumped off the car like a madman without any regard for your life, just because of a call?"

    It was an emergency. I''m sorry. All of a sudden, she felt a tightness in her throat, and her hands stopped mid air as she tried to say something.

    With his hand around her throat, Justin gripped her as easily as he was holding a chick. He was looking down at her from above, enveloping her in a dark shadow. She stopped breathing as he hissed, "I''ve warned you before, Rachel. As long as you''re still Mrs. Burton, you have to stay away from other men. Looks like you didn''t listen to a word I said, huh?"

    No. Rachel shook her head lifelessly and struggled to gesture. Hans and I are only friends.

    However, Justin was unmoved. As a man himself, he didn''t believe at all that pure friendship could exist between a man and a woman. It seemed impossible to him that a man who was willing to travel thousands of miles back from abroad for Rachel''s sake had no designs toward her.

    "So, does this mean that you will drop everything in your hands ande running toward him without a care whenever this friend of yours is in trouble? Is he the most important thing in your life?" Choked by his grip, Rachel was unable to make a sound, and her face was turning blue. In those innocent eyes of hers, hot tears rolled around before falling down and dripping on the back of the man''s hand. At that moment, a surprised look appeared in Justin''s eyes because a hand was suddenly grabbing the hem of his suit, and was tugging it downward strongly.

    Without anyone noticing, Hans had woken up and had gotten a hold of Justin''s clothes. "Let her go!" he cried in a hoarse, trembling voice.

    Rachel''s face waspletely drained of color now. She yelled wildly in her mind, Let go quickly, Hans! Let go now!

    "You''re asking for it!" Justin growled, his dark eyes narrowed.

    Rachel coughed and abruptly lifted her neck, which was held in a death grip, and thest tiny gap in her throat for air was also blocked. In her dizziness, she felt herself being thrown to the side violently. Then, she heard Justin''s loud voice in her ears as he barked, "Someone,e here and break one of his legs!"

    Those words were like a bomb exploding in her head, and she saw two bodyguards barging into the room, but nobody from outside had the guts to stop them.

    Like a madman, Rachel lunged forward and flung herself on Hans. Don''te here! Stay away!

    In spite of that, Justin merely spat coldly, "Pull her away."

    "Rae!"

    Hans'' eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to grab her, but the bodyguards peeled her away from him forcefully and dragged her aside roughly.

    Pulling out a chair, Justin then sat down on it and said emotionlessly, "Do it."

    One of the bodyguards raised a piece of wood and smashed it into Hans'' calf with full force.

    "Argh!"

    The scream of the man echoed in the ward for a while.

    Hans'' eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, and his face was covered in cold sweat. Even though he was in so much pain that his veins were popping, he gritted his teeth and spat, "You... will die a horrible death!"

    Justin merely lifted his hand and moved two fingers slightly. "Continue."

    Blows rained upon Hans'' leg like raindrops in a storm once more.

    "Ah!"

    The blood stain on the bed grew bigger, and Rachel started screaming madly, but all she could make were hoarse, terrible noises.

    In the end, Hans passed outpletely in a pool of blood on the bed which sent shivers down her spine, and she was released. Slumping to the floor lifelessly, she stared in disbelief at everything she just witnessed, and she felt as though her heart had been ripped apart into a million pieces and was trampled on the floor.

    A momentter, she heard the sound of shoes on the floor. She then saw a pair of shiny leather shoes in front

    of her.

    Clutching her by her cheeks, Justin forced her to lift her head. The face that had a scar left by a cut looked especially horrifying at this moment. "Did you see it? You caused all of this." Rachel''s eyes were bloodshot, and her face was covered in tears by now. Doctor! Where''s the doctor?

    Somehow, she managed to break free from his grip with a surge of strength, and she staggered to run outside. She wanted to get the doctor here because he could definitely save Hans.

    However, Justin grabbed her hair and caught her back effortlessly. Then, her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground heavily, sending a piercing jolt of pain through her that almost knocked her out. "Where are you going?" A vicious voice could be heard above her head. He had his big hands pressed down firmly on her shoulders, pinning her to the floor.

    As she knelt there on the floor, all sorts of emotions washed over her simultaneously-humiliation, rage, and despair. Without warning, she grabbed his arm and sank her teeth into it. "Argh!" Justin grunted, and a look of pain shed across his face as he released his hold on Rachel. He was already bleeding from her bite; even his white shirt was now stained red from the blood. "President Burton!" the bodyguards eximed and rushed to support him.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Holding his arm, Justin red furiously at the woman in a corner of the room. The edges of her lips were tinged red with fresh blood, and the look in her eyes was close to insanity as she stared at him with a deep hatred.

    He had never seen her like this before.

 Chapter 102

    A whileter, Rachel stood up by leaning against the wall and staggering away.

    The bodyguards wanted to stop her, but he said coldly, "Let her!"

    Without Justin''s permission, no doctor would listen to Rachel''s request, not even if it was an emergency. Hans was crippled now, since there was aminuted fracture in his left leg.

    Later, Justin took her home by force and locked her up for three days. As a protest, she didn''t even take one bite of the food the servants sent her. It was only three days, but she was only skin and bones at the end of it.

    Riverdale was once again graced by rainfall and lightning. "She''s still not eating?" The servant shook her head, looking troubled. Julian frowned when he heard that. "This can''t go on." With that, he went upstairs.

    "Hey, you can''t go, Julian!" Sue tried to stop him, but to no avail.

    Julian made a beeline for the bedroom. Rachel was curled up on the bed in her white nightgown, her hair unkempt, and her face pale. If he didn''t know better, he would have thought she was dead. "Rachel." He quickly went up to her, but when he came closer, he carefully hunkered down, worried that any sudden move might make her break apart.

    He knew better than anyone what not to do, since it was the same situation asst time. Back then, she was also curled up on the bed, and the bed was caked in blood. She looked like a broken, lifeless doll. "Rachel." He carefully held her shoulders. "What happened? Tell me."

    But Rachel said nothing. She was shrouded in a deep, dark despair.

    Julian felt powerless, but he had to carry on. "You have to live on no matter what happens. Your grandma needs you; don''t forget about that. Just eat and keep on living. Everything will get better."

    Rachel stared at Julian, but she didn''t look like herself anymore. Her mind was nk. On the first day, all she could think of was how Hans'' leg got broken. On the second day, all she could think of was everything that happened ever since she was married to Justin. It was maddening, and it almost killed her. But on the third day, she couldn''t remember anything.

    All she could think of was that she was a jinx; she thought perhaps everyone around her would be better off if she never existed. Nobody would be able to threaten them then. There was nothing in her gaze. Her eyes were lifeless.

    Julian panicked. He couldn''t take it anymore, so he held her up and whispered, "I''ll take you away from this ce."

    Sue was shocked to see Julianing out with Rachel. "What are you doing, Julian? What if Justin sees this? Put her back quickly!"

    The moment she said that, Justin came in from the entrance with all his fury. When she saw Justin, Rachel quickly curled up further.

    "I''m taking her away today no matter what." Julian''s face darkened. "I''m not letting her die here."

    "And why is she going to die?" Justin looked at him gravely.

    "Because of your abuse."

    "Is that so? Is that what you told him? That I''m abusing you?" Justin looked at her and came up to them.

    All the color was drained from her face, and she gripped Julian''s shirt.

    "You''re denying it?" Julian took a step back, rmed.

    Justin was still looking at Rachel calmly. "Your friend was injured because of you. You''ve been throwing a tantrum for a few days now. Yes, you me yourself for this, but I don''t think your friend would want to

    see

    this, right?"

    When Rachel heard this, she quickly looked up, and she started panicking.

    Julian frowned, "What happened?"

    "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you after she heals up."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Julian still had his suspicions, but Rachel tugged on his shirt and signed at him. Put me down.

    That surprised Julian, but before he could put her down, Justin was already taking her from him. "You''re still injured. Best not touch the ground."

    Rachel shivered when she felt his anger, and she tried to break free, but Justin the criminal whispered, "You''d better follow my orders if you don''t want me to break his other leg."

    Rachel trembled, but Justin took her back up nheless. Even though she was in his arms, all she could feel was a terrifying iciness, and all the rm bells went off in her head, as if any sudden movement might break her down.

    "Hans'' report is out. Comminuted fracture in his left leg."

    Rachel paled. You''re a madman, Burton!

    "You should have known it''s not easy dealing with me the moment you married me. Everything you havees from me. You have no choice but to follow my orders from now on." Justin the abuser looked at her coldly. "Or I won''t mind seeing him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his whole life."

    Rachel shuddered heavily.

    After he put her down, Justin tossed a document on the table. "Share transfer agreement. Sign this, and you''ll be one of the biggest shareholders. You''ll have the right to take part in the BOD meetings." Rachel couldn''t bring herself to look at it. If she knew the deal would cost Hans his left leg, she would have killed herself back in the car crash.

    "Sign it," Justin threatened her coldly. He gripped her hand tightly and moved it to the signature line.

    Rachel gritted her teeth and signed the papers, but every stroke felt like torture for her. Tears started falling on the paper, and along with it, thest remnants of hope within her.

    Justin frowned heavily, as if his sorry excuse of a conscience was telling him to stop.

    I won''t see Hans again. Let him go.

    However, Justin''s ego was so fragile that one little plea was enough to make him go berserk and engulf his conscience. What reced it was boundless evil. "Come with me to Tina''s engagement banquet this weekend. You''d better stay in line and act your part as Mrs. Burton," he threatened her once again and

    stormed off with the agreement.

    Rachel plopped down on the carpet and sat there for a long time, all the while holding the edge of the table, trembling in fear.

    After the share transfer, Rachel became one of the shareholders of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and the finance department stopped treating her like garbage. She went into the office to check the ounts, but she found no trouble with it. However, she suspected that the chief had another ount in his hands.

    On the other hand, Janice ordered a cup of coffee and waited for her below thepany.

    Sorry. Been busy thest couple of days.

    "I know. I saw the news. Congrats." Janice had a dark look in her eyes. She was different from usual. "Why did that happen to Hans?"

 Chapter 103

    Rachel gritted her teeth as she held her despair in. I don''t know.

    "You don''t know? I was gone for less than two hours, but he was already unconscious when I came back. Blood was everywhere, but you were nowhere to be seen. And you tell me you don''t know?" How is he looking now?

    "Take a guess, genius," Janice growled. "Comminuted fracture. The doctor suggests getting his left leg amputated and recing it with a prosthetic. Do you have any idea what this will cost him?" Rachel was still gritting her teeth while holding her tears in.

    "What on earth were you thinking?"

    I''m sorry

    "Apologizing won''t cut it! What are you doing? You''re still helping them even at this point? What are you trying to cover up for those b*stards?"

    I''m still looking into it. Give me some time.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "I can afford the time, but not Hans!" Janice was furious. "Rachel, Hans has gone above the call of duty for you. He tried to get you away from the Burtons! Heck, Riverdale, even! But what did you do? You won''t even tell me who broke his leg! If you''re a novel protagonist, you''ll be nothing but a coward!"

    Rachel still wouldn''t say it, but her fists were already red from all the clenching. She couldn''t say it, for the Burtons were unbelievably powerful in Riverdale. Janice might be a deputy chief, but she still had to be careful, even with the Hudsons. There was no way she could take on the Burtons, who could effectively ignore thew. Rachel was clear that she needed more evidence and a more powerful individual to take Justin out.

    "You aren''t talking? Fine!" Janice mmed a document on the table. "This here is a formalint. I''m sure Justin''s behind this. The prosecutor is already looking into the case. I hope you''ll be the witness on the day of the trial. I pray that you at least have that shred of conscience left. You''d be nothing but trash otherwise." Janice then stormed off.

    Rachel was left alone in the caf¨¦, looking pale. A whileter, she drove to the hospital herself. Before she got into the ward, she heard the doctor saying, "We''ll need your family''s permission for this surgery as soon as possible. It''ll be better for you."

    "My father''s overseas, so he can''te at the moment. I don''t n on telling them either, so I''ll sign it," Hans answered weakly.

    Rachel knocked on the door, but she didn''t have the courage to go in.

    "Rae?" Hans looked up to see who was there.

    The doctor said, "Think about it then. I''ll be leaving now."

    "Yes. Thank you, doctor." Hans patted the edge of his bed. He was listless, but he managed to smile. "Come in. Have a seat."

    Hans'' left leg was in a thick bandage, and the nket couldn''t cover it. Rachel was heartbroken to see him in this state. She felt a surge of sadnessing up, and she started crying. I''m sorry. "You don''t have to apologize, silly girl. Stop crying though. It''ll ruin your makeup." Hans raised his hand, but he realized he couldn''t reach her. There was barely any distance between them, but he couldn''t make it. That realization made him despondent. "You can''t stay with the Burtons anymore, Rae. Justin is too dangerous."

    This is my fault.

    "It''s not. I might have lost a leg, but we can still make it if we cut our losses right now. Come with me, Rachel. I can''t protect you here." That was the most powerless Hans felt after he came back. He used to be a proud young man who thought that a sense of justice alone was enough to destroy the world''s injustice. But in the face of the cold, hard truth, his light was swallowed up by the darkness, and what reced it was an overwhelming powerless feeling.

    Rachel clenched her fists, keeping quiet for the longest while. Just drop the case, alright?

    Hans was shocked. "What did you say?"

    Drop the case against Justin and go overseas to get treated. Nevere back. Rachel was holding an enormous pain within her; only her tears could express it. She knew how hurtful it must have been for Hans, but she had to say it.

    "Are you scared of him, Rachel? Did he threaten you?" Hans flew into a rage. "You don''t have to be scared of him. My firm has the bestwyers in the nation. They said the evidence is enough. If we go to trial, we can send him to prison!"

    That won''t happen.

    "Nothing''s impossible! We just have to work for it!" He tried to hold her arm, but the searing pain from his leg forced him back onto the bed.

    Rachel quickly held him.

    "You have to divorce him, Rachel!"

    That can''t happen! Just listen to me, Hans! If you''re doing this for my own good, then drop the case!

    "What if I refuse to?"

    They stayed in a stalemate for a long while, and Rachel kept gritting her teeth. I''ve fallen for him. I can''t leave him. Everything will be better if you just leave.

    Hans was horrified to hear that. He quickly gripped her arm. "Impossible! You wouldn''t fall for a demon like him!"

    Rachel was unbelievably calm, and she pulled her arm away. Just drop the case if you''re really my friend. Thank you. With that, she stood up. Speedy recovery. "Rachel!" Hans yelled after her, and he fell off the bed in an attempt to catch up to her.

    Rachel''s hand trembled, but in the end, she steeled herself and left without turning back. She just pushed away the only man in the world besides her grandmother who actually cherished her. God knew how much that hurt. How did ite to this? She didn''t have time to think about that. All she could do now was the next right thing, and the next right thing was making sure the viins got their just desserts; that included Jefferey and Justin.

    Tina''s engagement banquet was held on the weekend as scheduled. The hall was resplendent and ostentatious, just like how Tina was. Rachel came all alone after sorting out the finance data that morning. "Rachel!" a familiar voice called out to her, and she could recognize it anywhere.

    Gloria was in a sea blue dress that day. She lifted her dress slightly and trotted up to Rachel, a smile stered on her face. "You''rete, Rachel. Justin''s right there. I''ll take you to him."

    Rachel nodded, but just when they were about to leave, they ran into Tina and Amber. Tina was the star of the day, so she was wearing a disgustingly white dress, looking like a viinous princess out of a tacky TV show.

    The moment she saw Rachel, Tina rolled her eyes. "I did not have to see her today."

    "You''re here too, Rachel?" Amber looked at Rachel and Gloria oddly. "And I thought you wouldn''te. Everyone thought Justin only brought his secretary with him. Wow, even a secretary outranks you now, Rachel?"

    Rachel clenched her fists, but she didn''t have a goodeback for that.

 Chapter 104

    As Gloria hated seeing the two, she dragged Rachel and walked away. "Let''s go."

    Rip! Just then, a sound pierced between the quartet.

    "Ah!" Amber screamed. "Gosh, Tina-your dress!"

    Unfortunately, it was already toote by the time Rachel realized it. Her heel had been on Tina''s dress right then, tearing the whitece apart with an idental step and causing a big hole in her outfit. "You did that on purpose, didn''t you?!" Tina eximed, her face filled with fury.

    Meanwhile, Rachel hastily stepped aside. At that moment, they heard another ripping sound. It turned out that her heel was stuck in the hole she had just made on Tina''s dress, and Rachel ended up erging the hole as she jerked her leg away, and it seemed rather ridiculous.

    I''m sorry!

    "What are you signing about?" Tina was utterly vexed as she eximed. "You must have done it on purpose! You want to embarrass me in front of everyone, don''t you?" As she spoke, she shoved Rachel away.

    "Be careful, Rachel!" Thanks to Gloria''s swift senses, she quickly held onto Rachel before getting in front of her. She then said, "It''s just an ident. It''s pretty obvious to me that Rachel was trying to apologize. What do you want more from her? It''s just a dress!"

    "Just a dress, you say?" Amber crossed her arms. "Oh, little girl! Do you know how much effort was put into making this dress? A craftsman from Italy spent one whole year sewing every single thread with his own hands! This dress could buy an entire city!"

    While Amber was adding fuel to the fire, Tina yelled with a dull face, "Security, send her out of the building!"

    At once, the security guards rushed over. When the guards grabbed Rachel, she staggered and almost fell, feeling so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole and hide herself. Upon witnessing this, the people around them had no idea who she was, and they gave her judgmental stares while criticizing her.

    Seeing this, Gloria shouted, "How are you all being so unreasonable? Let go! Let go of her!"

    "This is my engagement banquet! This is my house! Who are you to give orders?"

    Tina proceeded to leer at her guards. "What are you waiting for? Send her out right away!" she yelled.

    Tactfully, the security guards tossed Gloria outside the premises as well.

    "Ah!" Gloria shrieked as both women fell onto the ground simultaneously.

    Out of the blue, a figure walked out from the shadows of the crowd. When he saw that the two of them had copsed to the ground, Justin hurried over and helped Gloria up before interrogating Tina, "What''s the big deal?"

    Once Gloria got up, Rachel, who was still lying on the ground, felt the weight off her. Although her knees were still tingling, she forcefully supported herself against a table beside her and barely managed to stand up, all the while remaining silent.

    For some reason, Justin withdrew his extended hand as he looked at Rachel in confusion.

    "Did you bring her here to throw shade at me, Justin?" Given Tina''s temper and the fact that she was the highlight of the night, she was remarkably bold. "She deliberately destroyed my dress and ruined my banquet! How is she going to pay for this?"

    To that, Justin''s eyes darkened. "So that''s why you had the guards throw them out?"

    Immediately, Tina was stunned.

    "Whoid their hands on these women?" Justin swept his gaze across the squad of security guards, who instantly lost their uniformity upon the man''s intimidation.

    "Perhaps I should break all of your arms!" As he casually spat those words, the room consequently got quiet.

    Among the crowd, some stared at each other in a baffled manner while others gasped out of shock. Rachel was stunned as well, for she had never expected Justin to be this outraged.

    In the nick of time, Jason and Noah arrived at the scene upon hearing the chaos. "What''s all this about?"

    As he held Tina''s hand, Noah then questioned, "Are you hurt, Baby?"

    The woman had a long face as she shook off Noah''s hand.

    Several people from the crowd quickly ran toward Noah and briefly ryed what had happened earlier in a whisper. At once, Noah chuckled and said, "It''s no big trouble. It''s just a dress, Baby. I''ve got another one prepared just for you. Why don''t you go and get changed?"

    Having said that, he turned to Justin and stated, "We''re a family. Justin, so don''t be so hostile. It''s just a minor

    quarrel, and it''s not like you don''t know how Tina''s temper is. She''s just her stubborn self! But for some reason, there are voices constantly telling her to misbehave!"

    Despite fooling around most of the time, Noah was pretty perceptive when it came to determining what kind of personality one possessed. He then proceeded to give Amber a threatening scowl.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    At that, the woman''s face turned pale. Noah then continued, "The banquet is starting soon. Spare me some pride, will you, Justin?"

    When he saw how Justin had no intention of pursuing the matter, Noah asked Tina to go and get changed before he dispersed the crowd, finally keeping the situation under control.

    "I''lle and drink with youter, Justin. Hope that''s enough for an apology." After he finished speaking, Noah walked away.

    Meanwhile, Rachel slowly calmed down as she stood by the side.

    "You good?" Justin''s voice was heard from the front.

    Rachel was momentarily dazed by this, and she raised her head to see Justin holding Gloria''s hand, checking to see if she had any injuries. "Let''s visit the doctorter."

    "I''m fine. Tina''s a bullying b*tch! That''s right-Rachel!" As Rachel popped up in her mind, Gloria turned around

    and quizzed, "Are you fine, Rachel?"

    In response, the woman shook her head.

    At the same time, Justin''s eyes fell upon Rachel, who was lurching while holding herself up at the table. In that instant, there was a trace of sympathy in his eyes, but it quickly vanished when the woman turned to him.

    "Go get rested if you''re hurt." It was yet another emotionless string of words, but that didn''t affect Rachel since she had long gotten used to his apathy.

    Meanwhile, Gloria witnessed the darkness in his eyes and it made her ponder.

    Since Rachel was injured, her knees were in so much pain that she couldn''t walk properly. As such, she could only stay still in the resting area while Gloria tended to the guests along with Justin. When she sav the both of them traveling among the masses, Rachel felt even more like a stranger, not knowing why Justin insisted that she attend the banquet. All this stepping on me just for the sake of the Burtons'' dignity? "Honestly, who''s that Gloriady?"

    A familiar voice sounded from her back, and before she realized it, Amber was already right beside her. At her sister''s presence, Rachel immediately frowned.

    "Earlier on, I heard that Justin hired a young, female secretary who''s constantly following him around. I guess seeing is believing, and reality has smacked me in the face tonight. How could you allow her to stick around him so much like a bug?"

    As she nced at Amber, Rachel responded by signing a few words. Aren''t you constantly sticking to him too?

    "D*mn you..." Amber was visibly tilted. "Where is she from?" Earlier on, she had assumed that Justin was only protecting Rachel, but upon careful observation, she realized that the man only cared for Gloria, and the guards were only hesitating because they were aware of Justin''s rtionship with the younger woman. Thus, knowing that made Amber on edge.

    I have no clue.

    "How could you not know? Don''t you work at Burton Group? That''s his secretary! When did he hire her, and where is she from?"

    If you want to know it so badly, why don''t you go and ask her in person?

 Chapter 105

    "Are you trying to start a fight with me? Don''t think that you''re superior just because you got a spot in the family. If not for Justin, how long do you think you''ll be able to stay on the throne? Either way, I''m still impressed." Amber suddenly lowered her body. "Hans already got his leg broken, yet you''re still attending the banquet with the assant himself like nothing happened."

    Instantly, Rachel''s pupils contracted.

    How did you know about it?

    Even Julian had no clue that it was Justin who broke Hans'' leg, but Amber knew everything about it!

    It was you!

    Rachel immediately straightened her back.

    The whole episode of Hans being beaten up and sent to the hospital-it was all part of Amber''s n!

    It must have been her!

    To avoid the shares in her hand from getting transferred away, Amber came up with a n to take Hans out to dy the transfer. Hence, she was always observing the entire incident, and that was also how she knew that Justin broke his leg afterward.

    How could I have not seen thising?!

    As she stared straight at Amber, Rachel struggled to stand up by herself.

    In response, her younger sister forcibly pressed her shoulder, shoving her back on the couch as she muttered, "Do you really think that Justin''s not aware of this? Do you know what he''s even more aware of? The fact that I''m the real heir to the Hudsons, and you''re but a worthless ident!"

    Like a de that pierced through her chest to the heart, those devastating words hit Rachel''s deepest wounds,

    At once, Rachel''s eyes reddened with tiny blood vessels.

    Curse you, Amber!

    "Hmph!" Amber replied scornfully. "If curses actually work, nobody would be able to live in this world. Since you''re not doing anything about Gloria, I''ll do it myself, so you just wait and see!"

    As she watched her sister''s leaving figure, Rachel couldn''t stop trembling as drops of tears flowed down her cheeks.

    It''s because of me... It''s all because of me!

    I shouldn''t have dragged Hans along in the first ce!

    Everything is toote now!

    At this time, a person in a tailcoat walking across the room came into Rachel''s line of sight.

    After regaining her senses, she seemed to have an epiphany. She swiftly held onto the couch as she struggled to get up.

    Afterforting Tina, Noah had exited the dressing room with a delighted face, clearly satisfied with the engagement party.

    Although it was merely a business engagement, it was still a boost to his name as his fiance was known by the public to be exceptional in terms of looks, academics, and capabilities. All of a sudden, he was blocked by a simple figure.

    "You are?"

    In front of him was a woman that appeared rather gentle with a pair of eyes that seemed to have wept earlier. Everything about her invoked pity.

    Despite his history as ady charmer, he had never seen one with such a look. At first nce, he had a slight indecent urge, to which he quickly took control of. "Rachel?"

    ''I have something to tell you!

    Rachel showed him her phone''s screen.

    After adjusting his cor, Noah peeked around. "That''s not good, is it?"

    ''It''s important, and it''s about Tina.

    Upon reading that, he was slightly taken aback.

    From the center of the banquet hall, the timbre of the piano graciously resonated throughout the air.

    Meanwhile, every guest was awaiting the arrival of thedy of the night.

    After fixing his bowtie, Jason, who was among the crowd, joyously waited for the official deration of the integration between the Burtons and the Hindenburgs. Once that was aplished, he would be ever more respected among the board members in the Burton Group.

    On the other hand, Gloria said, "I haven''t seen Rachel in a bit-let me go and get her."

    "Save it. She doesn''t like such gregarious atmospheres."

    Gloria peered at the man beside her in a daze. "You seem to know very well about her."

    At that, Justin slightly tensed his brows.

    Even he himself was unaware that trivial matters had started popping up in his mind, such as her liking for sweet and sour foods, her love for desserts, and her preference for silence over merriness.

    "I remember how you didn''t know how to read signnguages. Did you learn it for her sake?" Gloria''s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

    "How do you really feel about her?"

    Her volley of inquiries forced him to question his own subconscious, yet after a long time of thinking about it, he didn''t have a definite answer either.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "You''re in love with her."

    "No."

    Justin answered rather quickly.

    Upon that, Gloria''s eyes dimmed. "In linguistics, when people give an answer so quickly without giving the question any thought, the person is most likely telling a lie."

    At that, Justin''s frown became deeper.

    Before they could proceed with the conversation, music thundered across the banquet hall.

    When they heard the music, the guests simultaneously turned toward the spiral staircase.

    As she donned a snowy engagement dress, Tina appeared like a queen as she walked down the stairs to the tform of flowers, waiting for Noah toe and get her.

    Noah, who came out from a door at the opposite side of the room in his ebony tailcoat, appeared as if he was particrly full of energy.

    However, his expression was somewhat hideous as he furiously paced toward Tina.

    A loud p soon pierced through the banquet hall, leaving the masses'' jaws wide open.

    Noah sent Tina falling against the railing with one smack as he yelled furiously, "You b*tch! Has it been fun toying with me for so long?"

    Tina pressed her face and stared at him in disbelief. "How dare you hit me?"

    "That''s not the only thing I want to do. I''m dering that this engagement is officially canceled!"

    "What?"

    Jason rushed toward Noah in a panic. "Are you mental, Noah?"

    "Am I mental?" Noah let out a disdainful scoff before he proceeded to pull Tina''s hair and violently strangled her neck. "This woman is so shameless! Despite our engagement, she''s been seeing another man behind my back, and she even bore a child for that imbecile! How bold of the Burtons to present such an unfaithfuldy to the Hindenburgs! Tell me, who''s the crazy one here?"

    Immediately, the guests gasped in shock and their whispers started filling the banquet hall.

    At once, Jason''s face stiffened. "That''s nonsense, Noah! Who told you such crap? Don''t defame Tina like that!"

    "Is that so?" Noah continued to tug Tina''s hair. The woman couldn''t stop shrieking as she yelled, "Ahh!"

    "Enlighten me, then-whose child is it that''s inside you? Do you dare to take a DNA test?"

    Instantly, Tina''s face turned pale as she covered her abdomen, too afraid to voice a word.

    After he finished speaking, Noah shoved her away from himself.

    When she fell to the ground, Tina let out yet another scream of pain as she held onto the rail of the spiral staircase, unable to help herself up.

    Jason was deeply embarrassed by this, and he attempted to stop Noah''s frenzy. "Come on, Noah. Let''s talk about it properly afterward, okay?"

    "Zip it!"

    Noah shouted furiously. With a swing of a hand, he grabbed Tina by her face. "This must be the reason you tried so hard to intoxicate me, wanting to f*ck me so hastily that night, huh?" As those humiliating words were loudly announced, the Burtons lost every trace of pride they had left.

 Chapter 106

    Upon hearing that, Jason was so embarrassed that he could barely stand still.

    If he had known that Tina was indeed pregnant, he would have forced her to abort it even if it was the end of the world. Little did he know, her ballsiness allowed her to conceal the truth even from her father! Now, how was he supposed to clean such an enormous mess?

    "Ah! Blood!"

    An anonymous voice shouted just then, to which the crowd redirected their eyes at Tina''s crotch.

    Evidently, blood was flowing down her little thighs as her white, silky dress was stained red. The view was rather nauseating.

    As the woman''s father, there was no way Jason could leave her alone. Therefore, he ordered someone else to carry her and send her to the hospital. Meanwhile, the situation was getting out of control. Gloria clutched Justin''s sleeves as her face turned pale. She said, "Oh, dear..."

    In response, Justin patted her shoulders tofort her. Hisposed mannerism suggested that he was used to such a sight.

    It seems that ying with fire eventually got her burned.

    "You''re not surprised at all... Have you known this long ago?"

    "Yeah."

    "Did you cause all of this?"

    "No," answered Justin as he looked into the distance before asking his assistant, "Where''s the missus?"

    With that, Gloria was baffled.

    Indeed, they hadn''t seen her for a while.

    As if he had thought of something, his face darkened all of a sudden.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Wait for me here. I''ll be right back."

    After leaving her behind, Justin hurriedly departed.

    On the second floor of the banquet hall, Rachel was standing in the corner with the greatest view in the room.

    Having witnessed everything that happened downstairs, she gripped the rail tightly. Her hands started

    shaking when Tina started bleeding and was sent to the hospital.

    "Like what you see?"

    A familiar man''s voice sounded from behind.

    At once, her body froze. When she turned around, Justin''s hand was already on her neck. "Who gave you such balls to look for Noah?"

    While being strangled, Rachel was forcefully pushed against the rail as her body was correspondent to the

    ground. A release of a hand would drop her to the first floor.

    Yet, she gritted her teeth.

    I''ve got no idea what you''re talking about.

    "Oh, is that so?" Justin took a step forward as he tightened his grip. "Not many apart from you know about Tina and Henry''s affair. You swear it''s not you?" Will you believe me if I say it''s not me?

    Rachel nced at her surroundings from the corner of her eyes and saw the grand piano on the first floor. If she were to fall, she would be disabled if not dead. Since she did not dare to shake him off too violently, she proceeded to sign a bunch of words. I don''t even know about her pregnancy!

    At once, Justin was stunned.

    Indeed, even Jason didn''t know about Tina''s pregnancy, so how could Rachel possibly know about it?

    With that, the force on her neck lessened as Justin pulled Rachel from above the rail.

    Thetter couldn''t stop coughing as she held onto the rail.

    "It better not be you. If I find out that you were the one who told Noah... You know what''sing for you!"

    Stupefied, Rachel shook her head in panic as she staggered backward.

    Upon seeing that, Justin was reminded of her injury from earlier, and he couldn''t help but frown. "Why are you running around when you''re still hurt? Is this not enough chaos for you?"

    I just wanted to rest in a quieter ce.

    "Go home. Your business here is over."

    Okay.

    As she watched while Justin left, Rachel finally heaved a sign of relief.

    Eventually, she was able to hold back her coughs while the anxiety in her eyes vanished and she regained her cool.

    Back at the library''s pre-construction ceremony, she had caught Tina sneakily swallowing some pills while hiding. From then on, she had been wary of her movements. Later on, she found out that Tina was consuming fte, and that pretty much confirmed her suspicions.

    The child certainly did not belong to Noah, or else she wouldn''t have to be so shady about it.

    After linking to it all the previous incidents, Rachel added fuel to the fire and exaggerated her words while talking to Noah. She was aware that no man in the world would be able to ept the fact that their woman was cheating on them, especially when they were womanizers like Noah.

    Without a doubt, Tina''s engagement banquet had turned into a troublesome drama.

    Meanwhile, Amber was utterly dumbfounded by the exposure. However, as Tina''s so-called best friend and the only doctor on the spot, she had to act like it and escorted Tina to the hospital.

    Outside the surgery room, she was continuously trying to consult Tina''s mother.

    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Burton-that''s Dr. Vidar who''s currently operating on your daughter. He''s the best in the hospital, so Tina will surely be fine."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    As she wiped her tears, Lilian felt upset and perturbed. "Why did she cause such a big feud? Her dad''s now trying to apologize to the Hindenburgs. How embarrassing!"

    Meanwhile, Amber pursed her lips forcefully.

    Now that the connection between Tina and the Hindenburg Family was spected to be over, Amber wondered if Tina could continue staying in Riverdale. If she were to continue interacting with thetter, she would surely stain her name.

    Havinge to that, she came up with an excuse and took her leave.

    Right when she was entering the emergency exit, a figure suddenly grabbed her and covered her mouth while pressing her against the wall.

    Amber widened her eyes and mumbled, "Mmph!"

    With a dull face, Noah then interrogated, "You must have known about the affair between Tina and that foul scoundrel, right? You even hid it for her, didn''t you?"

    After shaking her head vigorously, she started bursting into tears.

    Noah obviously had too much to drink as he reeked of alcohol. As he groped her body, he didn''t even try to conceal the indecency in his eyes. "I should have known that she''s not much of a properdy since she''s always hanging around with you. B*tches, all of you b*tches!"

    As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Amber''s cheeks and said scornfully, "She''s already had her punishment. What about you?"

    Amber cried and pleaded, "I did nothing. Please let me go, Noah, I knew nothing about this! Nothing, I swear!"

    "Nothing at all? How do you expect me to believe that?"

    With that, the clothes on her shoulder were torn. Before she could scream out loud, a big hand was forced upon her mouth.

    In the dark emergency room, all that could be heard were the steps of some medical staff walking around in the building.

    Her body was trembling, yet she was too timid to yell.

    Who is it? Who revealed the entire thing?

    Meanwhile, Rachel put the checkbook back to its spot before leaning against the back of the chair.

    After contemting for a while, she couldn''t figure out who her father would have handed the checkbook to for safekeeping. Since the checkbook was hidden, there had to be some reason behind the concealment. Perhaps...

    Hudson Vineyard popped up in her mind.

    All of a sudden, the door creaked open.

    Upon raising her head, Rachel saw Amber crossing her arms at the door with an irksome face. "How devilish can you be, Rachel? Seizing my shares and viewing yourself as a tycoon? Why didn''t you answer my call?"

    Rachel glowered and took a look at her phone.

    I probably missed it. I was busy this morning. You got a problem?

    "Of course I have a problem. Do you know that Tina miscarried? She wasn''t able to keep her child, and her chances of getting pregnant naturally has decreased. She''s infertile now!"

    Rachel responded with a scowl and gestured. What does that have to do with me?

 Chapter 107

    "Nothing to do with you? Cut the sh*t! If you weren''t the one who exposed Tina, who else could it be?"

    I have no idea what you''re talking about

    As she studied Rachel''s expression, Amber tried to pick out hints of guilt as she skeptically questioned, "It''s really not you?"

    What else should I say to prove it?

    "It better not be you, then! Let me warn you, if we discover that you''re the snitch who affected the business between the Hindenburgs and the Burtons, Justin will surely give you hell!" Amber coldly continued, "The Burtons have decided to send Tina overseas for better care, and I guess that''s something worth celebrating for you, huh?"

    Rachel stared at her sister in silence. You were the one who leaked the incident back at the Hudson Vineyard, weren''t you?

    After reading the signs, Amber''s face stiffened. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

    You''re standing here furiously because you''re concerned about Tina. Or is it because once you lose her, there''s no one else to take a bullet for you? Apparently, Rachel''s words hit the bullseye on Amber''s unhealthy intentions.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    There was no way on earth that she would treat Tina as a true friend; thetter was merely a tool for her sess.

    Amber was triggered by this, and she bellowed, "So what? Who do you think you are? You think you''re worth my while?"

    How was he to you?

    "What? Who?"

    Then, Rachel wrote a name on a strip of paper before pushing it to Amber.

    Noah''s name was clearly written on it.

    At once, Amber''s face turned pale.

    "You... You..."

    Rachel pressed the bell beside her, to which her assistant quickly entered the room. "What is it, Miss Hudson?" Please see the guest out.

    Amber gazed at her sister in dismay. After a while, she regained her senses and clenched her teeth.

    "Just you wait, Rachel!"

    When Amber was finally escorted away, Rachel leaned against the back of her chair as tranquility filled her eyes.

    After the miscarriage, Tina had even be infertile and was so depressed that she was virtually insane; she merely stared into space all day. Since her connection with Noah was thoroughly cut off, Jason decided to send her abroad to heal for the sake of the family and his daughter.

    Does Justin not suspect my involvement in this matter?

    Who am I kidding? Of course he does.

    The cancetion of Tina and Noah''s engagement waspletely disadvantageous to the Burtons. On the other hand, the split was nothing but good news for the Hudsons since the Burtons were theirpetitors.

    A simple but unbreakable n, and all it needed was a push from me!

    When evening came, Rachel invited her grandmother for dinner after cleaning up her desk.

    Due to her force of habit, Nancy took a look behind Rachel, only to be disappointed.

    "How many times have I told you to bring Justin along so I can take a good look at him? There''s not even a strand of hair from him after so long!"

    He''s been upied with work. He''lle as soon as he has the time.

    "Only God knows if that''s the truth," she uttered with a frown. "I''m not trying to be a typical grandma, but if you''re not happy spending the days with him, you should get a divorce soon instead of wasting your time that you can spend on looking for another man instead."

    As she served her grandmother some food, Rachel simply smiled without a word and let the matter pass.

    After dinner, she walked down the stairs alone.

    When she was in the neighborhood, she caught someone hiding behind a tree suspiciously.

    Rachel became alert at once, and she inserted her hand into her bag and grabbed the self-defense rm, preparing to draw it out as soon as any sudden movements urred. Recently, she had been feeling as if someone was observing her every move.

    No... I have to get to the bottom of this!

    "Who''s that? Why are you hiding?"

    As soon as a man yelled, the figure behind the tree twitched.

    The shout hade from a patrolling guard on duty. As such, the figure immediately turned around and rushed toward the neighborhood gates.

    "Freeze!" The security guard started chasing after the silhouette.

    After being stupefied for a few seconds, Rachel followed after the guard.

    Initially, she had chosen this neighborhood for her grandmother to reside in due to its security as all the guards were wary and well-built. As expected, the guard had captured the shady man before he could reach the gates.

    Soon, the residents who were walking around the area went over to surround the guard and the so-called thief.

    "He must be a thief that has been troubling the neighbors these days, huh?"

    "I''m sure of it!"

    "He''s quite young. Why is he doing this?"

    "Kids nowadays have nothing better to do."

    Among the chatter, Rachel studied what was happening from afar.

    It was a young man barely in his twenties. He looked like a delinquent with his hipster, dyed hair that was rather eye-catching.

    "What''s happening to him?" Someone shouted among the crowd, to which the crowd started scattering at once.

    The youngd that was being suppressed by the security guard suddenly shook violently, and white foam appeared in his mouth while his eyes turned white. The freakish sight immediately scared the crowd away.

    Unlike the others, Rachel immediately regained her senses.

    He''s having epilepsy.

    Swiftly, she hurried over to the man and pointed at the passersby. After kneeling on the ground, she lifted the young man''s head from the back of his head before pulling out a pen and sticking it in his mouth, separating the tongue and his two rows of teeth.

    Simultaneously, she made a telephone sign at the witnesses.

    At once, someone understood her. "Ambnce, yes?"

    In response, Rachel nodded her head.

    "Yes, yes. I''ll call for an ambnce right away."

    Very soon, the ambnce arrived. Since Rachel was the first witness and the first person to provide emergency assistance, she was called upon by the medical staff to escort the man to the hospital. "You handled it pretty well. Have you studied first-aid before?"

    In the emergency department of the hospital, the nurse pulled the curtains and came out to talk to Rachel after checking on the patient. "Are you his family?"

    After shaking her head, Rachel wrote a line of words for the nurse. ''I was just passing by and lent a hand as / could. Can I go now?''

    "What? If you don''t know him, who''s supposed to sign for him?"

    The stunned nurse nced at the bed in the ward before patting the side of the bed. "Hey, say something if you''re awake. This kinddy here has sent you to the hospital. Are you going to let her pay the bills for you as well?"

    Behind the piece of curtain, the young man twitched a little, yet he continued to shut his eyes, acting as if he was dead.

    In fact, he had woken up a while ago and was merely pretending to be asleep.

    Then, Rachel reached out her hand and took the bill.

    ''Give it to me.''

    After settling the medical fees, Rachel epted the receipt.

    Meanwhile, the young man was still lying on the bed with his attention-seeking emerald hair on the white pillow.

    After standing beside him for a while, Rachel ced the receipt beside him and tore a piece of paper before writing on it and cing it down.

    Having done that, she finally left.

    When she was gone, the young man opened his eyes, got up from his bed and saw the note beside his pillow. ''Remember to im your meds when you wake up. I''ve paid for the bills, so don''t worry about it.'' After reading Rachel''s clear and elegant handwriting, the young man stared at the exit in confusion.

 Chapter 108

    When Rachel exited the hospital, the sky was already dark.

    "Rachel?"

    A familiar voice from behind her caught her by surprise. Instinctively, she turned around and saw Janice.

    The woman was holding a thermal container and had just left the parking lot. She seemed to be walking toward the inpatient department.

    "Have youe to see Hans?"

    Rachel shook her head and frowned.

    There''s something I have to deal with here.

    "To think I expected you to have thought it through." Suddenly, Janice''s face turned gloomy. "What did you say to Hans that made him drop thewsuit out of nowhere? He''s returning for further treatment at the end of the month."

    However, Rachel revealed nothing.

    Despite the guilt in her heart, she didn''t know how to exin things to Janice. Perhaps in this case, saying nothing was the best choice as ate apology could never justify one''s mistakes. "Where are you headed to?"

    Home.

    Janice nodded her head and said, "I see. Coincidentally, Hans wanted me to hand you something, but since you''re already here, why don''t you go and get it from him instead?" Upon hearing that, Rachel was taken aback.

    When she saw how the woman hesitated, Janice vented her frustration and said, "He''s leaving soon. Aren''t you going to see him even for a bit? Where''s your heart, Rachel?" I don''t mean it like that.

    "In that case, what are you waiting for?"

    As soon as she finished speaking, Janice put the container in Rachel''s hand.

    With that, Rachel entered the ward with the container in hand.

    Janice was right-Hans was leaving soon, and it was only right for her to see him for onest time.

    In the ward, Hans was seen reading a book by the window while sitting in a wheelchair-the sight pained her deeply.

    When she saw him, Rachel zoned out and stood by the door for a long while.

    As if he had a detector in his brain, Hans suddenly turned around and saw Rachel by the door. He was stunned, but his eyes lit up. "Rachel?ˇ±

    In that instant, Rachel felt like she was carrying the weight of ten elephants. Eventually, she started walking into the room.

    Janice wanted me to give this to you. She said that you''re leaving at the end of this month.

    When Hans'' eyes fell on the container, they dimmed slightly.

    "Yes, the doctor suggested overseas treatment. We''ve even contacted the hospital I''ll be heading to."

    That''s good to hear.

    Hans grabbed a wooden box from a bag beside him and handed it to Rachel. "By the way, I believe this should be returned to its rightful owner."

    As she stared at the wooden box, Rachel was devastated inside.

    Back when she decided to fake her death and escape, she had gotten Hans to help her safekeep the wooden box as it was the only thing her mother had left behind for her. Thank you.

    "I''ve dropped thewsuit against Justin."

    She nodded her head and signed some gestures. I heard it from Janice.

    "Do you have nothing else to say to me?"

    Stay well when you go abroad for your treatment.

    As she clutched the wooden box, Rachel turned around and left.

    She feared that if she were to stay any longer, she wouldn''t be able to hold back her tears. By then, her emotions would flood the room, and it would be a hassle to control the situation.

    Before she exited the room, the voice behind her eximed, "Rachel, I don''t believe that you''ve fallen for Justin, nor did you have me drop thewsuit solely because you love him! Can''t you at least tell me the truth before I go?"

    Upon those words, Rachel''s hand that was on the doorknob slightly trembled. However, she simply left the room in the end.

    As she made her way home in a taxi, she clenched her teeth while her eyes turned red.

    Watching as the hospital faded away from the view, she couldn''t hold in her tears any longer.

    The pain in her heart was so agonizing that no words could describe the despair that was surging through every vein in her body-she felt weak.

    In this world full of man-made rules, Hans and Rachel were merely a raft that was struggling not to be swallowed by the deep abyss of a sea.

    The Burton Family was the enigma, and Justin was the hell.

    For Rachel who had been living in hell, Hans was herst ray of light, and she wouldn''t mind watching it from afar. She even hoped for the light to be safe as it continued to glow for a long time. Soon, the sky started pouring as the sound of rain engulfed the city.

    When Rachel finally reached home, it was already pitch ck.

    "Where were you?"

    As soon as she entered the house, Justin''s voice echoed through the living room.

    With that, she stopped taking her shoes off.

    I went to visit Grandma.

    "Is that so? Until this hour?"

    Something happened on the way, and it took some time.

    "Did something happen on the way, or did it happen to a person that you couldn''t let go of?"

    As he stood up from the couch, Justin looked at her with an icy gaze.

    Rachel took a step backward as she shivered. I don''t know what you''re talking about.

    "How was your chat with the man? Merry?" Justin started to approach her. His giant body resembled the colossal, grey clouds. Although he wasn''t even close, his appearance alone was enough to suffocate her.

    He was angry-exasperated, even.

    Rachel startedmitting herself to work and slowly neglected him. Not only that, she started spending all her free time with her grandmother, and all she did when she got home was to sleep.

    Ever since then, Justin had been bearing the frustration. When he was notified that she went to meet Hans again and had also received the files, he could no longer put up with it.

    Hans is leaving Riverdale, so I''ll never meet him again. I was only there to retrieve something that was mine. I honestly have no other intention.

    As she ignored her grandmother''s advice, she anxiously pulled out the wooden box from her bag.

    "What is this?"

    It''s something my mother left behind before her death. It was with him, and he returned it to me. That concludes whatever connection we have between us.

    "Why would your mother''s inheritance be with him?"

    Immediately, Rachel was stupefied.

    How could she have forgotten that the wooden box symbolized something significant?

    Just then, the thunder roared across the sky as the rain got heavier.

    Not only was Justin going to inquire more about the box, he then coldly added, "I heard a joke earlier today, the deputy chief of the Investigation Bureau purchased a corpse from the ck market."

    At that, Rachel felt the goosebumps on her body and started sweating profusely.

    "Since you can''t exin why it was with him, why don''t I give it a go instead?!"

    Suddenly, Justin revealed a dull face as he tossed a folder of documents at Rachel.

    Papers of documents fell upon the ground with a whoosh.

    Among the papers, Rachel was shocked by a couple of photos.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    He knew.

    He knew about the faked death...

    Justin strangled her ferociously and struck her against the wall. He then growled, "On the day of the ident, why did you drive all the way down the hill? Spill!"

    He yelled as if he had forgotten that Rachel was a mute that didn''t have the ability to speak.

    As his growls echoed in her eardrums, Rachel felt like she was being torn apart inside out as buzzing sounds were all her brain could receive.

    "You were slowly setting up your escape ns. I''ve got to give it to you-they were wless. Why have I never realized that you''re such a scheming b*tch? Are all your friends like this too? Huh?"

    As his grip tightened, the green veins in his hand palpitated violently.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s throat was constricted; all she could make were noiseless wails as her face turned purple.

    Her eyes seemed as if they were popping out as she was attempting to cry for help.

    What was a moment more depressing than death?

    Perhaps it was when one was getting strangled by their beloved with no ways to escape.

 Chapter 109

    At that moment, Rachel''s heart was wretched; she had no idea when she''d fallen in love with this man. Perhaps it was at Tina''s wedding banquet, during which she witnessed how he had ignored the rumors and gossip while defending her despite being mad with jealousy himself. Perhaps it was on the day of her car ident, during which heforted Rachel by telling her not to be afraid because he was waiting for her. Perhaps it was when he came to her defense and scolded the servants shortly after she married into the Burton Family. Or perhaps it happened even earlier...

    When Justin saw how Rachel''s eyes slowly dimmed, he felt as though a corner of an iceberg had suddenly broken into pieces. His heart wrenched terribly, and his hands trembled. "I warned you not to test my limits!"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Gasp! Air suddenly filled Rachel''s lungs the instant the grip on her throat loosened, and she copsed onto the ground and coughed incessantly.

    Meanwhile, Justin strode out in a huff. "I''m going to break his other leg right now!"

    Instead, Rachel clung to Justin''s leg with all her might. Thetter had broken one of Han''s legs before, so she would never let the same thing happen again.

    At the sight of this, Justin grew even more irritable. "Let go of me!"

    However, Rachel summoned up all her strength and held onto his leg desperately, she couldn''t let go of it no matter what. Then, with a loud bang, Justin pulled open the door to the vi. The violent storm instantly burst into view, and Rachel, who was clinging desperately onto Justin''s leg, was dragged all the way to the courtyard.

    The woman''s knees bled from being dragged across the cobblestone path. Then, Justin seized her by the cor and roughly lifted her up. "Are you even willing to risk your life for this man''s sake?"

    Rachel couldn''t make any sound other than a whimper, and she couldn''t exin herself. In Justin''s opinion, the only bonding that could exist between a man and a woman was a romantic one. Please let Hans off.

    Hurt suddenly showed in Justin''s eyes as the twinge in his heart made him feel very irascible. "All right, just kneel here if you want me to let him off! The longer you kneel, the longer I''ll spare him!" As soon as he finished his sentence, he clutched Rachel''s cor and flung her onto the cobblestone path with a loud thud.

    Ugh... Rachel gritted her teeth hard and slowly got up. Then, she knelt down at Justin''s feet as the ice-cold rain pattered against her face. She could hardly open her eyes in the rain, yet her pallid face wore an expression that was both vulnerable and stubborn.

    Justin mmed the door shut with a loud bang, leaving Rachel to kneel alone in the rain under the pitch-ck night.

    The night sky darkened, and the rain became heavier. Peals of thunder boomed one after another as if to deliberately keep everyone awake tonight. Just then, a white sedan pulled up in the garage. Julian''s expression changed instantly when he came back to see such a scene in the courtyard. "Rachel..."

    The woman was kneeling as straight as a ramrod like a statue. Drenched to the skin by the rain, she seemed to have lost consciousness, but she still gritted her teeth hard nheless.

    "What are you doing, Rachel? Get up," Julian urged as he pulled at her, but he couldn''t get her to move.

    Just then, Mrs. Duncan hurried out of the house and held the umbre over Julian''s head. "Young Master Peters, y-you''d better stay out of this."

    Julian nced in the direction of the study on the second floor, and his face darkened even more. He immediately walked into the house. "Young Master Peters..." Mrs. Duncan hurriedly went after him. Julian went to knock on the door to Justin''s study, but there was no answer from the inside. "Open the door, Justin! Did you order Rachel to kneel outside? Are you out of your mind? Why do you treat her like this again and again? She is your wife!"

    "Julian!" Sue hurried out and grabbed Julian after hearing the noise. "The way I see it, you''re the one who is out of your mind. Why do you keep meddling in Justin and his wife''s affairs?" "Justin has gone too far!"

    "Even if he has gone too far, it''s still a matter between him and his wife. If that mute cannot ept this, she can just ask for a divorce and leave. However, she''s continuing to stay at the Burton Residence despite Justin''s treatment, isn''t she? Has anyone forced her to do so?"

    "That''s right, Young Master Peters. Please stop adding fuel to the fire. Young Master Justin won''t listen to

    you!"

    However, Julian burned with anger upon listening to Sue and Mrs. Duncan''s words. "All right, he won''t listen to me, and none of you are brave enough to get around him, right? Great!" He dashed downstairs, took an umbre, and ran outside.

    "Where are you going, Julian?"

    Julian took off his coat and draped it around Rachel''s shoulders as he stood next to her while holding an umbre. The umbre wasn''trge enough to cover both of them, and it covered Rachel more than it covered Julian, so it didn''t take long before he was partially drenched.

    Sue was heartbroken at the sight of this. As she stood in the hallway, she kept stamping her feet while urging, "What are you doing, Julian? Hurry up ande back!" "Since Justin insists on torturing people in such a way, I''ll stay with her! Just think of it as me atoning for his wrongs!"

    Julian''s words buzzed in Rachel''s ears. She nced up at him and wanted to say something, but her arms were so heavy that she couldn''t lift them. She could only shake her head weakly at him, signaling for Julian to

    go back.

    Julian tucked Rachel''s bangs to one side and responded in a mild and yet resolute tone, "It''s all right, Rachel. Even if nobody sides with you in this family, I will stay with you!"

    Sue''s head was throbbing with anger. She couldn''t make her stubborn son change his mind, but she didn''t dare to talk to Justin.

    Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor, a corner of the curtain was lifted by arge hand. Justin''s cheerless eyes looked down at the figure standing in the courtyard; no one could describe how affectionate Julian looked as he held the umbre and protected Rachel. At once, Justin flung the curtain away, his face livid.

    Just then, the sound of Sue knocking on the door urgently from the outside could be heard. "Please let Rachele back in, Justin. Even if she has made a big mistake, you can divorce her and let her return to her family as ast resort. Don''t let others use us of bullying people."

    However, her words were met with no answer.

    Sue continued, "Can''t you change your mind out of consideration for Julian? Just think of this as a favor to me. You know how kind-hearted Julian is. He can''t bear to see this!"

    Still, there was no answer from inside the room.

    "Justin..." Sue spent ages trying to persuade both Julian and Justin, but she failed to make any of them change their minds. Finally, she plonked herself down in front of the door and wiped her tears.

    The rain outside the window showed no signs of stopping until midnight, upon which it was slowly reduced to a continuous pitter-patter of raindrops. When Justin pulled the door open with a loud creak, both Sue and Mrs. Duncan let out a gasp. Their eyes were wide open with fright, and all the words they had originally nned to say froze on their lips.

    Justin said in a cold voice, "Tell her to get inside!"

    With that, Rachel and Julian were helped into the house by the servants. Both of them were chilled to the bone; the servants wrapped them in towels, but it couldn''t stop the biting cold from freezing their bodies inside out as they were soaked to the skin. "Hurry up and bring the ginger tea over! Julian, hurry up and have some ginger tea to warm yourself," Sue urged.

    Julian took the cup of ginger tea, but he held it out to Rachel instead.

    Thanks. Rachel carefully took the teacup from him.

    Just then, a servant''s inquiring voice came from behind. "Is this yours, Mrs. Burton?" She was holding a wooden box in her hands. However, the box had gotten so badly soaked by the rain that its surface swelled with signs of chipping. "This box seems to have been soaked through."

    Rachel''s pupils suddenly contracted.

 Chapter 110

    Rachel took the wooden box from the servant and put down her cup of ginger tea without turning a hair. Then,Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    she gesticted several words. I''m going upstairs first.

    Sue shot a nce at her and grumbled snappishly, "What are you gesturing about?" She almost hated Rachel to death at this moment. Ever since Rachel married into the Burton Family, Julian''s rtionship with Justin and herself had gotten worse. She''s simply a scourge, she thought to herself.

    Rachel took a hot bath, during which the wooden box kept floating on the water. The swollen and cracked part of its edges chipped off bit by bit, revealing distinct traces of carving on it. On each of its six faces was a differentbination of Arabic numerals. "13, 20, 22, 18..." Rachel mouthed to herself. This wooden box was the only thing left behind by her mother, and she had been keeping it in a safe ce before this. She had never found a way to open it, but now, it seemed that this wooden box didn''t need to be opened-what mattered were the numbers on its faces instead. What do these numbers mean, though? she thought to herself. "Achoo!" When she sneezed, Rachel finally realized that the water in the bathtub had cooled somewhat.

    The rain stopped the following day, and the sky cleared up. After being exposed to the rain for an entire night, Rachel woke up feeling dizzy. Still, she forced herself to get out of bed. She had to take the wooden box and go to Nancy. Perhaps Grandma knows the secret of this wooden box, she thought to herself.

    However, as soon as she came downstairs, she came face-to-face with Justin, who was walking down the stairs opposite her. Since she was startled by this, she quickly gestured without thinking. Where are you going?

    A sullen look instantly took over Justin''s face. "I''m going to my office!" Is she so worried that I''ll give Hans a hard time? he thought to himself. After finishing his sentence, he quickly went downstairs and left by car without having breakfast.

    Rachel was deeply perturbed as she heard the roar of the car engine outside. Before leaving the Burton Residence, she made a special effort to send Janice a text message. It read, ''Tell Hans to leave Riverdale as

    soon as possible. The sooner, the better.'' Justin might noty a hand on Hans today, but she couldn''t guarantee that he might suddenly be irritable one day and strike again. Janice''s reply came soon afterward. ''It''s none of your concern.'' Her hostile attitude upset Rachel again for a while.

    She then took a taxi to Nancy''s ce. Nancy had juste home from grocery shopping, and her face lit up with happiness when she saw Rachel. "Don''t you have to go to work today? Why are you here so early in the morning?"

    I want to spend time with you, so I took a day off.

    "As it happens, I just bought some groceries, so I''ll make fish soup for you at midday. Look at you-you''ve lost weight," Nancy said while carrying the groceries she had bought into the kitchen. "I met a young man at the food market today, and he helped me to carry the bags of groceries all the way down here. Young men these days are really nice."

    Rachel helped Nancy put the groceries away before tugging at thetter''s sleeve. Grandma, there''s something I''d like to ask you.

    "What is it?"

    Do you remember this? Rachel produced the wooden box that had been soaked in waterst night from her handbag. Right now, it was not so much a wooden box as a rectangr wooden block; it was just that the block had been carved to look like a wooden box to pull the wool over one''s eyes.

    Nancy was stunned for a moment before she recognized the wooden box. "Is this... what yourte mother left behind?"

    Rachel nodded.

    Nancy wiped her hands and carefully took the wooden box from Rachel. "How did it be like this?"

    It became like this after being soaked in water. It''s covered in numbers. What do these numbers mean?

    Nancy frowned with a stumped expression on her face. "Your mother didn''t tell me anything about these numbers back then. She merely told me to give this wooden box to you once anything happens, and she said that the secret of the prescription is all in here. This..."

    The prescription? Rachel was perplexed for a moment. What could these numbers have to do with the prescription? Over the next three days, she clutched the wooden block in her hand and scrutinized it carefully She almost knew all the numbers on its six faces by heart. Still, she couldn''t figure out the connection between these numbers and the prescription.

    At noon on the third day, she suddenly received a phone call. "Where are you?" Janice''s voice sounded chilly, hoarse, and somewhat different from usual.

    Rachel was startled for a moment as she didn''t know how to answer. Just then, Janice continued, "I forgot that you can''t speak. Come here-i''ll send you the address."

    Is anything wrong? Rachel thought to herself.

    "Hans... is dead." Three words came from the other end of the line as Janice spoke with a choke in her muffled voice.

    Rachel''s hand trembled, and her cell phone dropped to the ground with a thud.

    How can that be possible? she thought to herself.

    When Rachel stumbled to the morgue, Hans'' face had been covered with a piece of white cloth. Meanwhile,

    Janice was standing at one side talking to a few police officers. When she saw Rachel, her face instantly clouded over. "I thought you weren''ting."

    Rachel''s mind was nk. When she lifted the white cloth, Hans'' good-looking face appeared under it, and his lips werepletely colorless. Rachel fell to her knees with a loud thud. This can''t be possible! This is impossible! she thought to herself.

    "He was murdered. If I hadn''t tracked his location through his cell phone, the police wouldn''t have found him so soon." Janice''s voice sounded from behind. "He had his throat slit at the western outskirts of Riverdale. Who do you think did it?"

    Rachel couldn''t hear Janice''s voice, nor could she cry out loud. Her kindly and serene-looking face looked like that of a robot as she numbly faced everything before her. She couldn''t ept such reality as it was too much like a nightmare.

    Janice dragged Rachel to her feet. After a few seconds, she could no longer restrain herself. She thundered, "I''m f*cking talking to you! Do you know that Hans was deliberately murdered?"

    Rachel finally came to her senses and turned to look at her in a daze. Why?

    "What do you think? Hans had few acquaintances in Riverdale. Apart from old friends like us, he hardly had any enemies. There''s only one suspect I can think of!"

    Rachel was stunned. Justin... Turns out he didn''t spare Hans'' life after all, she thought to herself. No one knew where she got the strength, but she suddenly broke free of Janice''s grasp and ran outside like crazy.

    Meanwhile, Justin had just finished a meeting at the Burton Group. He took a sip of coffee, looked up, and

    saw Gloria sitting on the sofa reading a book.

    Just then, a suddenmotion broke out outside. "You can''t go in, Mrs. Burton..." Right after that, the door to the office smashed against the wall with a loud bang.

    Rachel stood at the door with bloodshot eyes. Her chest was heaving heavily as if she had run an 800-meter sprint, and her whole body was trembling.

    "Miss Rachel!" Gloria stood up from the sofa.

    Justin asked, "What brings you here?"

    Rachel stepped inside. Feeling that something was wrong with her expression, Gloria immediately told the assistant outside to close the door instead of poking their nose into it.

    What happened to Hans was your doing, wasn''t it? Rachel gestured quickly with her hands as she approached the desk step by step.

    "What happened?" Justin''s face darkened involuntarily at the thought of Hans'' name. He asked icily, "Are you here to question me if I have broken his other leg in secret?"

    Rachel was unmoved by his words, though. She balled her fists so that her nails dug deep into her palms, but her face still wore a serene expression. Do you really think you can escape punishment byw after hiring someone to kill him?

    "What are you talking about?"

    Hans... is dead.

 Chapter 111

    Justin looked visibly stunned at first, but he calmed down soon afterward. He then asked indifferently, "Did youe all the way to question me just because of this?"

    Rachel''s eyes were bloodshot, and her hands kept trembling. A human life is so unworthy of notice in your eyes. You were the one who did it!

    Seeing how aggrieved Rachel was, Justin immediately boiled with rage. He replied with a sneer, "Who cares if I''m the one who did it? This is Riverdale! What can you, a mute illegitimate daughter, do to me?" Rachel''s eyes were bloodshot. Amid Gloria''s scream, she suddenly picked up a bronze figurine from the desk and struck Justin on the head with it.

    "Ouch!" Justin let out a loud cry of pain as he failed to dodge in time. Gloria ran toward them like crazy and pushed Rachel away before asking, "Are you okay, Justin?"

    The man covered his forehead with his hand. Blood seeped through his fingers and trickled down the scar on the corner of his eye to his neck, making him look fiercely menacing.

    Rachel then slumped to the ground, her eyes full of despair and fearlessness. Hans is dead, and Justin''s the one who did it. I must avenge him!

    Gloria stood in front of Justin and yelled like crazy to those outside, "Guards! Where are the security guards?"

    People soon burst into the room, and Rachel was dragged away by the security guards as she continued to clutch the bronze figurine. Before she left, she red furiously at Justin with a look in her eyes that was terrifying-it was as though she would definitely kill him once she had the opportunity.

    Justin felt so suffocated, and it seemed like his chest was about to burst while he watched Rachel being marched away. She actually wants to kill me and then herself for the sake of that guy!

    "I''ll take you to the hospital." Gloria looked anxious as she supported Justin with her hand.

    Janice was the first person to visit Rachel after she was sent to the police station. "I heard about what happened. You''re too impulsive-how could you get yourself into such a state?"

    Merely half a day had passed, but Rachel''s eyes were deeply sunken with exhaustion. She looked like nothing but skin and bones; it was as though she was merely a body without a soul. Upon hearing Janice''s words, she turned up the corner of her mouth to form an aggrieved smile. I''m the one who got Hans killed. I''m guilty.

    "The prosecutors are already collecting the evidence. Since Justin is the prime suspect, I suppose he''ll receive a subpoena from the court very soon."

    What can I do?

    "You can testify as a witness. He broke Hans'' leg, didn''t he?"

    Rachel nodded while gritting her teeth hard. Now that things had turned out this way, she was no longer afraid of anything. If the worst came to the worst, she would fight to the bitter end to send Justin-that murderer-to jail.

    Janice clenched her fists and remarked frostily, "Had you been willing to testify long ago, such a thing probably wouldn''t have happened, nor would have Hans died."

    Janice had always been outspoken, and her words stabbed Rachel in the heart where it hurt the most like a knife, reminding her that what killed Hans was not Justin but her indecision.

    Meanwhile, in the Hudson Residence, Amber was shocked when she heard the news. "What? Rachel

    wounded Justin?"

    Jefferey was putting on his overcoat in a hurry to go out. "How can that be fake? The police department has even called me! She really is out of her mind! How dare she hit her husband? She''s putting us Hudsons in jeopardy!"

    "Wait a minute, Dad." Amber grabbed Jefferey''s arm as he was about to leave. "How on earth did that happen? With her disposition, she wouldn''t have the nerve to do such a thing unless she was driven into a corner."

    "Does being driven into a corner justify her hitting him? She really is insane!" Jefferey was burning with anxiety, fearing that the Burton Family would be displeased with the Hudson Family for this. Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' recently acquired shares might all be transferred back into Justin''s hands by then; theirpany would be handicapped at every turn, and Jefferey would no longer remain in his position as thepany''s chairman. Since he didn''t have time to exin more to Amber, he left home in a hurry.

    Amber stood at the door for a while. Then, she took out her cell phone and made a phone call. "Is this the municipal hospital? Hi, I would like to ask about a patient in Ward 402 named Hans Egerton. How is he?"

    "Ward 402? Let me look it up. Oh, that patient has been discharged from our hospital."

    "Discharged?" Amber was startled for a moment. "Okay, I got it. Thank you."

    "You''re wee."

    Amber had a vague realization when she hung up the phone. The only thing apart from Nancy that could make Rachel so crazy was Hans, so something must have happened to him. Amber clenched her fists as she recalled how Noah had humiliated her at the hospital earlier on. She must get Rachel to leave Riverdale once and for all; only by doing so could she marry Justin and get rid of Noah.

    Rachel stayed in the detention center for half a month. Jefferey hade once during that period, but she refused to see him; she heard that he had made quite a scene outside because of that. Her other visitors were Janice and those from the police station, who came to ask her about some specific details about the

    incident.

    On the day of the scheduled trial half a monthter, Rachel waited in the waiting room for the public servants to take her to the court to testify. Instead, she met Gloria. ''Why are you here?'' "I''m here to get you out." Gloria had lost quite some weight, and she looked at Rachel with a trace of hostility in her eyes. "You probably don''t know this yet, but the trial has been canceled." Rachel was stunned upon hearing her words. ''That can''t be possible!''

    How could the trial be canceled with so much evidence being present? Janice is there, and I''ll testify in court, she thought to herself.

    "There isn''t enough evidence, and Justin has nothing to do with Hans'' death. You have wronged him."

    Rachel popped up from her chair and red at Gloria. She was filled with anger, but she couldn''t find an outlet for it.

    Gloria, who couldn''t understand signnguage, looked at her with sympathy. "It doesn''t matter if you believe it or not, but I am confident that Justin isn''t such a person. He has nothing to do with this. Did you know he had to get seven stitches on his head after you hit him? How could you really have the heart to do that?"

    Rachel clenched her fists tightly, not believing a word of what Gloria said.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "You don''t believe me, do you? Let me take you somewhere!" Gloria said before she picked up her handbag and stepped outside. Then, she urged snappishly, "Aren''t you leaving yet? You''ve been released on bail!"

    Rachel followed Gloria to the western outskirts of the city. The scene had been cleared up; Gloria didn''t tell her about it, but Rachel knew what this ce was. The chalk marks were still on the ground, allowing one to see a vague human-shaped outline. Upon seeing this, Rachel slowly turned pale.

    "On the day Hans was killed, Justin was with me the whole time, so I can testify that he had done nothing."

    Rachel slowly knelt down on the soil, her fine hands touching the withered grass on the ground. Her lips trembled as the jumbled scenes of Hans being killed shed across her mind. The words ''He had his throat slit'' as mentioned by Janice kept reverberating in her head. I don''t believe it!

    Gloria and Justin are in the same boat, so she will definitely shield him no matter what he does, she thought to herself.

    "All right, you won''t believe what I say, but you will probably believe what your friend says, won''t you?"

    A stunned Rachel looked up to see Janice standing behind Gloria-she had arrived before Rachel realized it.

    Gloria got back into her car and waited, watching from afar as Janice squatted down, touched the withered grass on the ground as Rachel did, and sat down casually on the ground. "The police have collected all evidence. Hans'' cell phone records showed a call from an unfamiliar number that couldn''t be traced. He lost contact with me after answering that phone call, and this isn''t the primary crime scene."

    Rachel was stunned. Well, where was it?

    ''It was at the municipal hospital''s parking lot!

 Chapter 112

    Janice showed Rachel a video. "This is the surveince footage of the municipal hospital''s parking lot. Hans had just been discharged from the hospital that day, and I was about to pick him up. But for some reason, he left the inpatient department alone and was caught up from behind by two men."

    Rachel could see the scenes in the video very clearly. Two men dressed in ck caught up to Hans from behind and dragged him into a van, leaving only a wheelchair in the parking lot. He didn''t even have the opportunity to call for help, nor could he run away in time. At the sight of the scene, Rachel felt very suffocated; she felt out of breath with a lump in her throat. How hopeless he must''ve felt at that time! "These two men are fugitives with a criminal record. For now, the investigation shows no connection with

    Justin. The police suspect that Hans was killed because he saw something that shouldn''t be seen." Janice put away her cell phone. "A smuggling transaction, perhaps."

    Rachel couldn''t breathe as she ced her hands on the ground. Even if Justin wasn''t the one who did it, such a thing would never have happened if he didn''t break Hans'' leg.

    After Janice left, Rachel went back to the city in Gloria''s car. Since she could no longer stay at the Burton Residence, Gloria took her to her apartment. "You can stay here first for the time being. Few people know about this, so it''ll be over once youpose yourself and apologize to him as soon as possible. After that, just go to work as you''re supposed to. Life goes on, anyway."

    Rachel''s face was pale as she gripped the sofa cushion. Do I have to apologize to him? Sheughed. Why should she apologize to a madman who had deliberately hurt people?

    Gloria darted a look at her. "I understand how you feel right now..." she said. At first, she wanted to say something, but she ultimately bit back the words on the tip of her tongue. "Never mind. Just get a good rest first."

    The door mmed shut with a loud bang, and the house fell silent.

    After cing her hand on the sofa to support herself, Rachel got up and looked around her. The apartment Justin had arranged for Gloria was a duplex in an upscale neighborhoodplete with a neighborhood security system and property management services. It was furnished extravagantly, which showed how important Gloria was to him.

    Rachel felt for the liquor cab and took out two bottles of wine. Then, she staggered to push the bathroom door open, filled the bathtub with cold water, and soaked herself in it. The liquor gave a burning sensation as it flowed down her throat, but her body was as cold as ice.

    No one knew how much time had passed when the sound of the door being opened was heard outside. By then, Rachel had drunk herself unconscious. When the man pushed the bathroom door open and saw the bathtub filled with red water, his expression changed at once. "Rachel!" A pair ofrge hands immediately lifted her out of the bathtub. Her clothes were soaked through, but there were no wounds on her body. Only then did Justin notice the red wine bottle in the bathtub.

    At that moment, Justin''s anger instantly got the better of him. He grabbed Rachel''s cor fiercely and bellowed, "Do you want to die? Are you sulking here for someone to see? Just slit your wrists and hang yourself if you have the guts! How dare you threaten to kill yourself for another man''s sake? Have you forgotten who you are?"

    Rachel looked drunkenly at the man before her eyes. Since she no longer had the strength to push him away,

    sheughed maniacally. Isn''t this what you want to see? Hans is dead. Isn''t this what you want to see?

    "How many times do I have to repeat that I have nothing to do with his death? If you really have the proof, go out and sue me right now! Sue me!"

    Rachel felt nothing but destion when she heard how confident and righteous Justin sounded. She thought to herself, Such is the world that we live in. It overflows with material desires, and whoever is rich climbs to the top by stepping on countless dead bodies under their feet. Justin is no different from Jefferey since both of them are murderers.

    Seeing how she had made a mess of herself, Justin flew into a rage and mmed her head into the bathtub. "The way I see it, you really are out of your mind. You need to sober up!"

    Rachel''s mouth and nose were filled with alcohol-vored water as the sound of churning water resounded in her ears. When Justin''srge hand grabbed her by the hair and lifted her head up, she leaned against the bathtub and coughed non-stop. She had be much more sober, and she coughed until her eyes turned red. Then, she stared at Justin so hard that her eyes were bulging out of their sockets. I want a divorce!

    Who cares if I''m sober? I hate him; the more sober I am, the more I hate him! she thought to herself.

    Justin''s face darkenedpletely when he realized what Rachel meant. "You really are clueless about ordinary people''s sufferings after living a life offort for such a long time. Do you think I''ll let you off if you pretend that you want to kill yourself? You want to ask for a divorce, riht?" He grabbed her wrist and moved his fiendish-looking face close to hers. Then, as he looked down at her, he uttered word by word, "All right, I''ll give you a chance! I''ll let you off if you do this. Change your clothes and go out with me!"

    Justin took Rachel to a well-known clubhouse in Riverdale. As soon as they arrived, a heavily made-up middle-aged woman took Rachel to the dressing room to change her clothes without the need for his instructions.

    Momentster, Rachel was dressed in a ckce slip dress, and the strong perfume she had on almost suffocated her. Meanwhile, Frankie looked nervous as he stood outside the dressing room. "Who will you arrange for her to serveter, Miss Rosaline?"

    Rosaline nced at him perplexedly with a cigar dangling from her lips. "Since when have you started paying attention to these things, Mr. Beckham? Don''t worry, someone brought here by President Burton himself mustn''t be an ordinary person, so she''ll be presented to the Burton Group''s important clients, of course."

    "To tell you the truth, she is," Frankie began, but Rachel opened the door and came out before he could finish his sentence. "Well, you look really demure." Rosaline immediately went up and grabbed her. "You''re lucky, mydy. Mr. Wayne likes pretty and innocent-lookingdies like you."

    Mr. Wayne? Frankie''s expression changed. Just then, an attendant''s voice sounded from behind. "President Burton is looking for you, Mr. Beckham.ˇ±

    While Frankie was distracted, Rosaline had already taken Rachel away. When he saw what was going on, he became incredibly anxious. How is this allowed at all?Rachel is President Burton''s wife! How can she...

    The moment Rachel stepped into the room and saw the unbearably vulgar furnishings, the purple waterbed, and the tools, she immediately realized what she was about to face. Her pupils dted, and she turned around in an attempt to run.

    "Hey, where are you going?" Rosaline red at her. "You don''t know the rules, do you? Is this your first time?"

    Rachel shook her head desperately, wanting to exin that she wasn''t that kind of person.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "I don''t understand what you''re gesturing about." Rosaline flung Rachel onto the bed with a frosty face. "No one can get out of my ce after entering through the door. Just behave yourself and wait. I''ll teach you a good lesson if you irritate the guest!"

    The door closed with a bang. Soon after that, a man came in. Despite his short stature, he was very fat, and his greasy face was all meat. The instant he saw Rachel, his eyes lit up. "The woman Rosaline has arranged this time is not bad. You look like a high-ss woman! Why haven''t seen you before?"

    Rachel cowered at once; her limbs went cold the instant she looked around the room and saw the blindfolds and the whips hung on the wall. She shook her head. I''m not

    "What''s wrong?" The man took a whip off the wall and stepped toward her with a lewd smile on his face. "Will you get undressed yourself, or do you want me to undress you?" Rachel clutched the clothes on her chest and backed away helplessly. Don''t do this... However, the instant the

    man waved his whip and jumped on her, she fell into despair with hopelessness in her eyes.

 Chapter 113

    Rachel backed away in horror, but she was grabbed by the leg and dragged out of bed. It hurt when she knocked the back of her head against the edge of the bed, but before she could let out a cry, the fat mar reached his hand out and ripped the strap of her dress in two. Then, a storm ofshes rained on her like crazy

    "Aaaah!" She couldn''t dodge theshes in time, but her muffled and hoarse cries of pain filled the man with great sensual pleasure. His greasy face was glowing all over as he became more and more excited, and he impatiently reached for Rachel''s chest.

    Just then, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. Mr. Wayne was startled by this as he shuddered and paused what he was doing. "Who the f*ck="Before he could look back, everything suddenly went ck before his eyes. Someone had quickly covered his head from behind with a piece of ck cloth and held him down in a corner. As he was being beaten up, he screamed repeatedly.

    Meanwhile, Rachel cowered beside the bed. She looked like a rag doll; her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were in tatters. At the sight of the scene, Frankie turned pale. He hurriedly took off his suit jacke and covered her body with it.

    Then, the sound of someone''s slow footsteps came from the door. Upon taking the hint from the frosty look in the man''s eyes, Frankie immediately made a gesture to the security guards and signaled them to drag Mr. Wayne-who was still screaming and moaning inside the bag-out of the room.

    The door closed again with a click, and Rachely prostrate at Justin''s feet, her whole body trembling. I know I''ve done something wrong.

    Don''t do this...

    As he looked down at the woman before him, Justin''s eyes were as cold as a block of ice. He squatted down and lifted her delicate, pretty face in a subtle and gentle manner. "It''s good that you''re aware of you mistakes. Remember what you felt today, once you leave the Burton Family, you''ll be a nobody who can be trampled on by anyone."

    Rachel shivered as she grinded her teeth. Why? Why me? Justin still had numerous choices even without her. Why would he insist on torturing her like this? Why wouldn''t he let her off?

    "That''s because you''re Rachel Hudson. You''re a daughter from the Hudson Family on paper, but in reality, you have no one at your back. Compared to Amber, you''re easier to manipte. Besides, even if you die at the Burton Residence one day, do you think anyone would ask me anything about it?" Justin''s words reached Rachel''s ears one after another, jabbing at her every nerve like thorns. Meanwhile, Rachel''s limbs were as cold as ice as she was plunged into the depths of despair.

    Justin stared at her face and studied it for a moment. Then, he let go of her and turned around before saying, "I''ll give you a night topose yourself. Go to work on time tomorrow morning." After that, he left without looking back.

    Rachel ced her hands on the floor to support her trembling body. She tried hard to clench her hands as if to grab something, but all she could grasp in her hand was nothing but a handful of air. It''s my fault for overestimating the meaning of my existence and underestimating how cruel Justin can be. I got Hans killed by thinking too highly of myself. Since she felt extremely dirty all over, Rachel kept rubbing the areas on her shoulders where the man had touched her. As she recalled what had happened just now, she felt a surge of gastric juices from her stomach. "Ugh..." After cing her hands on the floor, she puked her guts out like crazy.

    Meanwhile, Frankie straightened up when Justin walked out of the private room. "How should we deal with Mr. Wayne, President Burton?"

    "Beat him up, sever his tendons, and leave him in the suburbs. Make sure to leave no trace behind."

    "I got it. By the way, Miss Hochmann just called to ask your whereabouts. She seems to have something urgent to talk to you about."

    Justin took a look at his cell phone and noticed several missed calls from Gloria. After pondering for a moment, he then replied, "Stay here and send her hometer."

    "Yes, President Burton." Frankie sighed as he looked at Justin''s receding figure. I simply can''t understand what''s going on in his mind, he thought to himself.

    Gloria looked anxious as soon as Justin arrived at her apartment. "Why are you sote? Miss Rachel is missing! She was still here when I left. Could something have happened to her? Should we call the police?"

    "She''s fine."

    Gloria was stunned. "Did you take her away?"

    Justin nodded slightly. Then, he let go of Gloria''s hand, went to the sofa, and sat down. "Do you have any liquor?"

    Gloria silently curled up her fingers. As she looked at the man from behind, a hurt look suddenly shed across her eyes. "Yes, I do."

    Later on, Frankie sent Rachel back to the Burton Residence. When Sue saw her, she looked like she had seen a ghost. "It appears that you still know how to return, eh? Your husband was injured, yet you went back to your parents'' home for more than half a month. Since your parents'' home is so good, you might as well note back at all."

    Rachel went straight upstairs without exining a single thing.

    Sue still wanted to say something else, but Frankie stopped her. "Please don''t mind that, Madam. Mrs. Burton is tired after helping President Burton deal with some work-rted matters." "Work-rted matters?" Sue rolled her eyes. "She made a career for herself only by depending on Justin, and now she''s putting on airs with me. She''ll regret it one day."

    Frankie smiled in embarrassment. "Please have an early rest. I''ll be leaving first."

    "Wait a minute! Why hasn''t Justine back yet?"Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    "President Burton has gone to Miss Hochmann''s ce."

    Sue was startled. Then, she asked with a frown, "Just who is this Miss Hochmann? Justin cares so much about her."

    Frankie shook his head to show that he had no idea about it.

    "Do you really have no idea about it, or do you not want to tell me about it?"

    "I really have no idea about it. In any case, she is probably someone important to President Burton," Frankie replied with an indifferent expression. After excusing himself, he promptly left. When she heard the sound of the door being closed upstairs, Sue snorted coldly and sat down sulkily on the sofa with a shawl draped around her shoulders. "I haven''t even gotten rid of the mute, yet there''s already anotherdy popping out. Why weren''t there so many issues before this?"

    Mrs. Duncan came over with a cup of tea. "I don''t think you should be worried, Madam. Miss Hochmann looks young, and it''s said that she''s still a college student."

    "That''s what I''m curious about. How did a little girl who''s just starting college get to know Justin? Furthermore, he''s so protective of her that he even allows her to mess around with thepany''s affairs." Sue pondered for a moment. "No, this won''t do. Mrs. Duncan, have someone check this little girl''s background. I can''t help but feel worried."

    "Yes, Madam."

    Justin didn''te back that night. The next day, Rachel went to work early as she didn''t dare to disobey him. As soon as she arrived at the office, she heard the door opening behind her before she sat down. Gloria waved the paper bag in her hand and said, "I bought some breakfast, and I bought one for you while I was at

    it."

    ''Thanks!

    Gloria put down the breakfast, but she had no intention of leaving. "Hey, do you have any books about signnguage? Why don''t you lend me one or two?"

    Rachel was dumbfounded as she didn''t understand what Gloria''s words meant.

    "Well, I can''t keep talking to myself all the time. It''s tricky tomunicate with you," Gloria exined. Then, before Rachel could respond, she suddenly changed the subject and said, "I''ll be reporting back to college at the end of this month. By that time, you''ll be the only person left by Justin''s side. You must be happy, right?"

    Rachel knitted her brows, and her eyes darkened. ''Do you think I should be happy to be coerced into living a life worse than death in such a prison-like ce?'' Gloria was like a flower that Justin kept in a greenhouse all the time. Since she had never experienced pain, she thought that what she wanted was also what others wanted. In reality, one man''s meat was another man''s poison.

 Chapter 114

    "That''s not what I mean." Gloria''s childish stubbornness was written all over her face. "Never mind, I can''t exin it clearly to you anyway. In short, Justin isn''t as devoid of human feelings as you perceive him to be. He cares about you a lot, you know."

    Does he really care about me? All of a sudden, Rachel felt likeughing.

    When she saw how unmoved Rachel was, Gloria felt annoyed. "How could you be so ignorant of what is good

    for you? I have made myself so clear to you, yet you don''t even understand a word of what I have said. Anyway, I''ll stop being nice to you if you dare to hit him again!" she warned. Then, she picked up the breakfast bag from the table andmented, "I must be out of my mind to have bought breakfast for you!"

    With that, the office door mmed shut with a loud bang. Rachel could see clearly through the blinds how Gloria threw the breakfast she had initially bought for her into the trash can before leaving exasperatedly. She took a deep breath, swept the discarded documents on the table aside, and sat down.

    Meanwhile, Gloria went back into Justin''s office in a huff. Then, she plonked herself down on the sofa and gulped down a ss of water. "What''s the matter? You look so mad." Justin''s voice came from behind theputer.

    "I was bitten by a dog." Gloria replied in a petty manner. "I seriously don''t understand your taste for women. Thedies around you are weirder than one another."

    Justin looked at Gloria in bafflement and was about to say something, but Frankie knocked on the door and came in just then. "President Burton, the human resources department needs you to sign this letter of appointment. Amber Hudson cane to work from tomorrow onward."

    "Give it to me."

    "What?" Gloria sprang up from the sofa. "Amber ising to work at the Burton Group? Why didn''t I know about this?"

    Justin replied impassively, "You never liked to concern yourself with work-rted matters in the first ce."

    "Isn''t she working at the hospital?ˇ±

    "The Burton Group''s research team is short of hands, so I asked her toe."

    "That won''t do." Gloria hurriedly ran over to Justin and held his hand. "You mustn''t sign the letter."

    "Why not?"

    "I don''t like her," Gloria replied with a frown. "She''s obviously a vain woman. Don''t you feel sick to your stomach with her around you every day?" Despite her limited contact with Amber, Gloria disliked her very much.

    Justin let go of her hand and said seriously, "This is about work, Gloria. Be a good girl."

    "Even I can tell that Amber has evil designs on you. If you let her work at the Burton Group, she and Miss Rachel will meet frequently. Don''t you care about what Miss Rachel might think?"

    However, Justin''s eyes darkened at Gloria''s words. "What if I tell you it was Rachel''s suggestion to let Ambere and work at the Burton Group?"

    Gloria was stunned. How could that be possible?

    After letting go of Gloria''s hand, Justin quickly signed the appointment letter. Meanwhile, Frankie hurriedly took to his heels with the document to stay out of trouble. Justin said, "Gloria, you just need to stay happy. These matters are none of your concern."

    The woman looked at Justin while forcing a wry smile on her radiant and beautiful face. For some reason, she couldn''t help feeling that she had made a wrong decision by giving up piano anding to Riverdale to

    further her studies. It wasn''t until she was here that she realized that Justin''s world was much moreplicated than she had imagined, and it seemed that her life was no longer as happy as it used to be. In the afternoon, Rachel went to Justin''s office before clocking out. This is some financial information about Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Since five years ago, huge amounts of money have been transferred into a secret offshore ount in batches every year.

    Justin leafed through the documents, but he didn''t have quite the patience to continue reading them. "Does Jefferey have a trusted confidant who lives abroad?"

    Rachel shook her head. As far as she knew, there wasn''t such a person.

    Justin exined, "It''s almost impossible to have these sums of money transferred to an offshore ount unless someone is managing the money overseas." There''s one possibility

    Justin and Rachel looked at each other as a name crossed their minds. When it came to a trusted person, no one could be more trustworthy than Jefferey''s own daughter. "I''ll ask Amber out for dinner this evening," Justin said.

    Okay. Rachel gathered up the documents and put them into her handbag. If there''s nothing else, I''m clocking off first. I''m going to visit Grandma.

    Justin didn''t even realize that his brows had furrowed in sullenness when he saw how apathetic Rachel looked. However, thetter noticed something and looked at him calmly. If you don''t agree to it, I can go home right now.

    Justin''s eyes darkened at once. "Are you telling me to make a choice or teaching me how to do things?"

    Rachel remained silent. She was doing everything Justin told her to; now that Hans was dead, she had nothing to be afraid of except her grandmother.

    Justin shot her a cold nce. Then, he left first with his cell phone in tow.

    The office became empty in an instant, and a cold wind blew through the window, causing Rachel to shiver with cold before she clutched the cor of her suit jacket. On her way to visit Nancy, she drove to Old Street to buy some of her grandmother''s favorite old-time snacks for her. This street, which was about to be demolished, was the only ce in Riverdale that still made these traditional snacks. After everything was packed up, she walked out of the shop with the snacks in her hands. When she looked up and saw the sign of the tailor''s shop across the street, the scene of her talking and joking with Hans and Janice suddenly shed across her mind, and her heart ached terribly at once.

    "Rachel?"

    Rachel thought it was an illusion when the familiar voice came from behind. Then, a figure emerged from a corner in an alley. Sporting neatly-cut short hair, the person looked her up and down with a pair of deep eyes. "Why are you here?"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Rachel waved the bag of snacks in her hand.

    There was a trace of disappointment in Janice''s eyes when she realized why Rachel was here. "Are these for your grandmother?"

    Rachel nodded. It was entirely through Hans that she got to know Janice. Now that Hans was dead and she was the person who caused it, her rtionship with Janice became strained. They used to be friends who hit it off right from the start, but now, they could only look at each other in silence, and it made both of them feel awkward.

    Janice eventually said, "I''m still investigating Hans'' death. I''ll seek justice for him. Justin didn''t do anything to you, did he?" No, he didn''t.

    "That''s right." Janice sneered coldly. "He didn''t hold you ountable even after you hit him, so why should I be worried about you? Hans came to such a tragic end because he was so worried about you." Rachel was rendered speechless. Her mind was in turmoil, but she couldn''t say a word to refute Janice.

    They then went their own separate ways. As Rachel looked at Janice from behind, she suddenly put her snacks on the roof of her car and went after her. Wait a minute. She tugged at Janice''s sleeve. I have something to tell you.

    Janice cast an inquiring nce at Rachel with a frown.

    I suspect that Jefferey wants to transfer Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' assets. He''s preparing to short-sell thepany, leave it a shell of itself, and then move his entire family out of Riverdale. He might even leave the country

    Janice''s pupils shrank. "How did youe to such a conclusion?"

    I''m certain there''s something wrong with Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' trademark prescription. Thepany has been sustaining itself using fake prescriptions, but medicinal product regtions have be increasingly strict over the past few years, and idents have happened more frequently. I suspect that the agent you talked about had been killed because he discovered something off.

 Chapter 115

    "Is this why you quit your former job and went to work at the Burton Group?" Janice looked at Rachel. "Did Justin ask you to look into it?"

    Rachel averted her eyes in the face of Janice''s questioning. I have something else to attend to, so I''ll be leaving first.

    "Hey!" Since she was unable to stop Rachel, Janice could only watch as her car drove off into the distance.

    When Rachel reached Nancy''s ce, she pressed the doorbell several times, but nobody answered the door. Just then, the door of the opposite house suddenly opened, and a middle-aged woman poked her head out. "Are you Madam Tiller''s granddaughter?" She looked Rachel up and down with a look of puzzlement. "Madam Tiller has been sent to the hospital. Don''t you know that?"

    Immediately, Rachel''s expression changed upon hearing the woman''s words.

    When Rachel arrived at Tran-Q''s emergency department in a hurry, she nearly bumped into a nurse holding some medicine. She gesticted at the medical staff at the nurses'' station for a long time, but no one understood what she meant.

    Just then, a familiar male voice sounded from behind. "Rachel?"

    Hi, Julian. Rachel turned around to see Julian. After she exined the situation to him, Julian asked the staff at the nurses'' station. Upon learning that Nancy was receiving emergency treatment, he hurriedly took Rachel there.

    "Hi, Madam Tiller."

    "Hey." Nancy, who was lying on the sickbed, was startled for a moment when she saw Julian and Rachel. "Why are you here, Rachel?"

    Rachel''s eyes were red with worry. How are you, Grandma?

    "Oh, I''m fine. I just took a tumble and grazed my skin; it will heal once I go home and apply some cream to it. But Victor was worried, and he insisted on sending me to the hospital." Rachel followed Nancy''s gaze and saw the young man standing nearby. It''s you?

    The young man''s blond hair was particrly obtrusive in the white-painted emergency department. Isn''t he the young man who had a fit of epilepsy in the neighborhood that day? Rachel thought to herself. At the sight of Rachel, the young man scratched his head with a look of embarrassment. He exined awkwardly. "Madam Tiller is old, and I was worried that it would be bad if she had a sprain or bone fracture, so I brought her here. I have probably overreacted."

    Rachel shook her head. Thank you.

    After that, Nancy took Rachel''s hand. "I have to thank Victor for helping me catch the thief. Didn''t you say that you wereing over for dinner? I thought of going out to buy some fish, and I ended up having my handbag snatched. I went after the thief, but I fell while doing so."

    How could you go after a thief at such an old age? You shouldn''t have done that. Rachel was exasperated. What should I do if anything happens to you?

    Julianforted her at one side by saying, "It''s fine as long as Madam Tiller is okay. I have asked the doctor who applied medicine to her wound-it''s only a superficial wound, so she doesn''t need to be hospitalized."

    Only then did Rachel breathe a sigh of relief. Still, her heart ached a lot when she saw the gauze bandage on

    Nancy''s knee.

    Victor then carried Nancy piggyback to Rachel''s car, whereas Julian went out after them and handed the medicine to Rachel. "The dosage and directions for use have been written inside. I''ll find time to visit Madam

    Tiller over the next few days, so you don''t have to be too worried."

    Thank you.

    "Don''t mention it." Julian took a nce at Rachel''s car. Then, he asked with a frown, "Do you know that young man?"

    I guess so. We met once before.

    "One should always be mindful of guarding against harm from others, Rachel. This young man seems-"

    I know that. I''ll ask about it. Rachel also felt strange as Nancy seemed to be quite familiar with this young man. Besides, she felt somewhat disturbed upon recalling how he had previously stalked her in the neighborhood.

    Following that, Rachel drove Nancy back to thetter''s ce. After opening the door, she pointed toward the bedroom and signaled for the young man to help her grandmother inside. Please get some rest first Grandma. I''ll go and prepare dinner.

    "Oh, sure. Why don''t you stay for dinner as well, Victor? I have to thank you for what happened today."

    Victor immediately waved his hand, but Rachel nodded. I got it.

    After leaving Nancy''s bedroom, Rachel poured the young man a cup of tea. Then, she keyed in a sentence on her phone''s screen and showed it to him. Thank you for what happened today!

    The young man immediately shook his head. "It''s nothing-that''s what I should do. You saved my life before, and this is nothingpared to it. By the way..." He produced an envelope from his pocket. "This is for you."

    Rachel took the envelope and opened it to see a stack of banknotes contained inside. It was a thick stack consisting of banknotes in small denominations, including banknotes of 100, 50, 20, and even five bucks. Victor then exined, "This is for covering my medical expensesst time. I haven''t collected enough money yet, so I can only give you this much for the time being. I''ll work to return the rest of the money to you bit by

    bit."

    Rachel was startled for a moment before she pushed the envelope back to him. ''It''s not necessary.''

    "No, you have to keep it," the young man said stubbornly. "I never owe anyone favors."

    Rachel had no choice but to drop the subject for the time being. So you''ve been helping Grandma by her side these days?'' She had heard from Nancy several times that a young man often helped her around and scrambled to help with all the dirty and heavy work. At first, Rachel thought the young man was a volunteer serving the elderly in themunity.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    The young man nodded his head somewhat uneasily.

    ''You were stalking mest time, weren''t you?''

    Seeing what Rachel''s gestures meant, the young man suddenly turned pale. He looked like he wanted to exin, but he didn''t know where to start.

    Rachel studied him closely for a long time and was helpless when she noticed that he was sweating profusely. ''What''s your name?''

    Only then did the young mane to his senses and suddenly stand up as straight as a ramrod. "I''m Victor Wade; it''s spelled as V-I-C-T-O-R. You may call me Victor."

    Rachel nodded. ''It''s not a big deal, so you don''t have to overthink it. Since you''ve paid the money back to me, you no longer owe me anything.'' When she noticed that Victor''s expression was still somewhat strained, she offered him to stay. ''Please stay around for dinnerter!

    Only then did Victor''s expression ease, and he immediately helped to carry the vegetables into the kitchen. "I''ll help you. Usually, I''m the one helping Madam Tiller to pluck the vegetables. ording to your grandmother, the vegetables i pluck are very clean."

    Rachel smiled and nodded.

    Victor appeared to be in his early twenties. Normally, a person at his age should still be a student, but he seemed to have entered the workforce for a while.

    Later on, Rachel left after having dinner with Nancy. She asked Victor, ''Where do you live? I''ll drive you home!

    "It''s not necessary." Victor immediately shook his head. "I live nearby, so I''ll go home on foot. Please go ahead with your affairs.ˇ±

    Seeing how fast Victor had run away, Rachel failed to stop him, and her outstretched hand froze mid-air for a long time before she retracted it. She then drove her car around the neighborhood. When she saw from a distance that Victor had gotten on a bus, she followed him. Julian is right; one should always be mindful of guarding against harm from others, she thought to herself.

    The night was dark, and Rachel drove for half an hour and waited until Victor got off the bus at the stop before the final stop. When she looked at her surroundings, she was surprised to find herself in the old district. The tailor''s shop owned by Janice''s family was nearby, and she had been there in the afternoon. The walls around her were marked with the words ''To be demolished.'' Furthermore, Victor lived in a remote valley with low houses.

    Since Rachel couldn''t drive her car into the alley, she could only get out of the car and follow him at a distance. After tailing him for a while, she suddenly lost sight of him.

    "Have you been following me?" A male voice was heard from the darkness behind.

 Chapter 116

    Rachel''s heart tightened, and she instantly pressed her back against the wall.

    Victor emerged from the shadows. Just then, an aged voice suddenly came from inside the alley. "Victor, is that you?"

    Before Rachel coulde to her senses, Victor had walked up to the person. "Why are youing out by yourself, Grandma? How many times have I told you that it''s hard to see things clearly at night? What if you trip and fall again when youe out?"

    Rachel followed the voices with her gaze and saw the innermost small house. The house was dimly lit, and an old woman was standing tremblingly at its door, supporting herself with a walking stick. Meanwhile, Victor addressed her as his grandmother.

    The small house was in a dpidated condition. It was in disrepair for years, and its walls were mottled; there wasn''t even a decent chair in the house. Victor pushed the clothes away from a corner on the sofa before taking off his jacket and spreading it over the surface. "I hope you won''t frown upon this, Miss Hudson. Please have a seat."

    Rachel looked at the old woman who was bustling around in the house.

    Victor exined, "My Grandma is old, so she can neither see nor hear well. But for some reason, she can hear my voice."

    ''Are you and your Grandma the only ones in your family?''

    "Yeah, I have lived with Grandma since I was a child."

    Rachel couldn''t bear to listen to such words. After all, she and Nancy had also depended on each other for

    survival as she grew up.

    Just then, Victor''s grandmother''s voice came from the room inside. "Victor,e and look for the tea caddy. We should pour a cup of tea for our visitor!"

    Victor hurriedly went into the room. "Don''t trouble yourself with that, Grandma. We don''t have tea in the house..."

    "I recall having some tea around the house, though. How could we let the visitor leave without having something to drink?"

    With some difficulty, Victor finally managed to coax his grandmother out of bustling around. He lifted the curtains, came out, and was about to talk to Rachel, only to discover that she had already left with the envelope ced on a corner of the old and shabby table. He was startled by this, and he quickly grabbed the envelope before going out after her, but all Victor heard was the sound of a car engine at the entrance to the alley.

    When Rachel got home, Justin hadn''te back yet. She checked the time, and it was a little past 11.00PM. A dinner wouldn''t have taken such a long time, so it seemed that he must be sending Amber home Since Rachel didn''t give it much thought, she entered the kitchen and helped herself to some water.

    Just then, Julian came out of his bedroom. He asked, "How is Madam Tiller?"

    She''s all right. She''ll be fine after getting some rest at home.

    "What about the young man then?"

    There''s nothing wrong about him either. I have helped him before, so he probably wants to return the favor, which is why he has been helping Grandma around these days.

    Julian was still worried, though. "I''ll help you look into his identity. This person suddenly popped up from

    nowhere, after all."

    Rachel shook her head. Victor and his grandmother depended on each other for survival, and he was filial to the elderly. Even if he seemed slovenly on the outside, he hadn''t done anything bad, so he probably wasn''t a bad guy.

    When he saw that Rachel was reluctant to do so, Julian decided not to insist. "By the way, the results of the

    drug analysis you asked me to do earlier havee out."

    Rachel took the documents from Julian, but she was somewhat confused as she read them. She had never studied medicine and had only a smattering of herbal medicine, so she couldn''t quite understand the ingredients listed in the report.

    Justin exined, "These kinds of herbal medicine and healthcare products, including the pills and the oral liquids, have little effect on the human body. One might as well say that they deserve neither credit nor me. Technically, the Food and Drug Administration should have been able to discover this."

    Everything stays quiet most of the time as long as no human lives are involved.

    Julian was somewhat stunned, whereas Rachel looked very calm. Hudson Pharmaceuticals had set foot in Riverdale for so many years, so it more or less had some connections in the government. Otherwise, it would have gone out of business long ago with the prescriptions Jefferey had. After all, these prescriptions were handed down from their ancestors without the dosage specified. With Julian''sb test results and the previous results from Janice''s investigation, Rachel was now certain that Jefferey had been crying up wine and selling vinegar these years by selling fake medicine. The Hudson Family''s century-old clinic had six prescriptions handed down from the ancestors, but none of them ended up falling into Jefferey''s hands.

    As they were talking, the sound of a car engine was heard from outside. As soon as Justin came in, he saw Julian and Rachel standing together; they looked like a well-matched couple under the kitchen''s bright light. He frowned for a moment, but he quickly assumed his usual expression soon afterward.

    "Hi there, Justin," Julian greeted first.

    ˇ°Mm-hmm,ˇ± Justin responded. "Aren''t you going to sleep yet?"

    "Rachel asked me to test some stuff earlier, and the results happened toe out today, so I''m giving it to her."

    Justin looked thoughtful as his eyes fell on Rachel''s hands. Meanwhile, the woman collected the documents and gestured to him. Let''s talk about it upstairs.

    Justin nodded slightly.

    Rachel truthfully recounted Julian''s words and her own conjecture in the study.

    Justin looked at theb test reports in his hand. "I also had someone test the sleeping pills before the research and developmentboratory was closed, but the results aren''t out yet. This is quite thoughtful of you. However." He suddenly raised his head with darkened eyes. "Didn''t you say that Jefferey doesn''t have the prescriptions in his hands? What about the prescriptions you gave me?"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat, and her hand trembled, causing theb test report in her hand to float down on her feet. I have forgotten about this, she thought to herself.

    Justin stared at her coldly. "Aren''t you going to exin this?"

    Rachel''s throat tightened. I didn''t mean to lie to you. I did so at the time to stay alive.

    "Then why didn''t you tell the truth?"

    You wouldn''t have believed me. Rachel''s expression was strained as she gestured carefully with her hands. ''Under the circumstances at the time, you wouldn''t have believed me at all if I told you that the prescription I''d

    seen had no dosage listed in them.''

    Justin''s originally deep and cold eyes looked stunned for a moment. He had the impression that Rachel seemed to have said many times that he wouldn''t believe her, and he had indeed never done so. Whenever she came into contact with Jefferey or other men, his first response was always to think that she wanted to betray him and run away from him. "Just forget it. I hope that you won''t hide anything from me anymore."

    Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. I need to clock out earlier for the next few days. May I do that?

    "What''s the matter?"

    Grandma has hurt herself a little, so I need to go to her ce every day to look after her.

    Justin nodded. "Okay."

    Also, I saved a kid several days ago when he had an epileptic fit. He has been taking care of Grandmately, so if you''re worried, you can have someone check him out.

    "Why are you telling me this?"

    He''s only in his twenties, and he lives with his grandmother in poor conditions as they depend on each other for survival. Earlier today, I followed him to his ce to take a look. His grandmother can only sink or swim by herself without him. Rachel gestured expressionlessly like a machine devoid of feeling.

    Justin felt irritated for no reason. He chided, "Am I a person who kills people indiscriminately as I please in your eyes?"

    Rachel kept a straight face. That isn''t what I mean. I''m just telling you these things in advance to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. Now that Hans had died, she couldn''t let any innocent people get hurt because of her anymore.

    "Is that so?" Justin stared at her coldly. "Why do I feel that you''re making a stand against me, though? You''re provoking me in such a way!"

 Chapter 117

    Rachel clenched her fists, but her eyes looked as calm as a deep pool of stagnant water.

    "Are you so unwilling to stay by my side?" Justin recalled the night of their wedding when he first saw her. At the time, she looked so weak and serene with a pair of innocent and kind eyes. However, his extreme hatred for the Hudsons was so tangled up with his pity for her that it ultimately gave rise to a desire to imprison her by his side forever.

    Meanwhile, Rachel clenched her fists without uttering a sound. Hans'' death was something she could never get over. Even if Justin didn''t kill him, he had indirectly caused his death by breaking his leg. Therefore, she couldn''t forgive the man before her. Of course, perhaps he didn''t need her forgiveness at all.

    "Get out."

    As soon as the two words were uttered, Rachel turned around and left without hesitation.

    The sound of the door being closed reverberated in the study. After several flicks of the lighter, smoke curled upward behind the desk, blurring the man''s stony and gloomy face as he knitted his brows tightly for a moment.

    A weekter, a batch of drugs sold overseas by Hudson Pharmaceuticals was inspected at the aviation transportation center, and it revealed serious issues regarding the drugs'' quality. This incident was instantly publicized in the news media, causing a public uproar. As a result, arge number of agents gathered at the entrance of Hudson Pharmaceuticals and condemned thepany, demanding refunds and payments of liquidated damages.

    "You must help me this time, Rachel! If Justin doesn''t help us, Hudson Pharmaceuticals will be finished once these agents make trouble!"

    However, Rachel remained calm andposed as she poured a cup of tea and handed it to Jefferey. Don''t worry. No one wants such a thing to happen. Don''t you know someone in the Food and Drug Administration very well?

    "When someone falls from power, those beneath him tend to run away. Who would dare to help me right now if the public outcry isn''t dealt with? What''scking isn''t people, but money!" Jefferey was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat. After all, the situation this time was much more serious than the previous one. "Rachel, you''re now Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' major shareholder, so you''re both responsible and obligated to help solve this. Otherwise, this won''t do you any good either!"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Are you threatening me?

    Jefferey''s face froze at her question. "T-That''s not what I''m saying."

    Rachel turned around and took a document out of the cab.

    "What is this?"

    The solution to the problem. I thought about it as soon as the incident broke out. Now, it depends on whether you''re willing to do so.

    Jefferey''s face gradually hardened as he opened the document and turned a few pages. "Do you want me to cede thend in the southern Suburbs of Riverdale? Is this what you want or what Justin wants?" I don''t have the capability to ask Justin for help without you having to sacrifice anything. Rachel responded with a cold expression. By the way, isn''t Amber working at the Burton Group as well? If you think I can''t help you, you can ask her instead. Perhaps she can persuade Justin better than I can.

    Jefferey''s face darkened. Would he have to go so far as toe here and ask for Rachel''s help if Amber could really persuade Justin? Justin is obviously coaxing her by spending money to buy her some presents, but she can''t see through this herself, he thought to himself. "I''ll take it back and think about it."

    All right then, goodbye and take care. Rachel rang the bell at hand. Soon after that, her secretary opened the

    door and came in to escort Jefferey out of the office.

    After Jefferey left, Rachel sat down with a text message from Justin disyed on her phone''s screen. It read, ''Has he agreed to it?''

    ''Not yet, but I think he''ll agree to it.

    ''Add fuel to the fire then.''

    Rachel slowly clutched her cell phone as she read the text message.

    On Friday, Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' share price plummeted before the stock market was closed for the day, thepany''s stocks even hit rock bottom once.

    At the Hudson Residence, Jefferey threw the contract onto the table. "They''re forcing me to sign my own death warrant!"

    Amber quickly advised by saying, "Take a sip of tea and calm down, Dad. I told you long ago that Rachel is unreliable. Right now, she can do anything just to please Justin."

    "That b*tch is living off me while secretly helping someone else!" When Jefferey recalled how Rachel had climbed her way up to her current position and how he had to do things ording to her likes and dislikes these days, he felt that he had been tricked. He was so angry that he could hardly breathe.

    "Don''t worry, Dad. I''ll definitely find a way to kick Rachel out of the Burton Group."

    "I don''t need you." Jefferey clenched his fists with a slight twitch in the corner of his eyes and his aged face covered with lines. "It''s time to let her know that it''s not that easy to stay by Justin''s side." "What do you want to do, Dad?"

    Jefferey made a phone call. "Jeremy, have someone go to Somerset Mountain and pick up a person for me."

    After signing thend transfer agreement with Jefferey, Justin and Rachel came to the southern Suburbs of Riverdale together. Frankie pointed at a piece ofnd in the distance and said, "ording to the development n, a hot spring resort is to be built on that site. However, we can reduce the area covered by the hot spring resort and build a hotel instead. Meanwhile, thisrge piece ofnd is suitable for being made into a golf course."

    Justin nodded before ncing at Rachel. "What do you think?"

    Rachel was startled for a moment before she answered him solemnly. I don''t think that a sole golf course built here will bepetitive enough with the golf course in the western suburbs. People prefer quietness nowadays, and this ce is very close to the temple. As a matter of fact, we can consider integrating Buddhist elements into the project and build a secluded holiday resort.

    No one knew how much time passed in the mountains as the morning bell rang and the evening drum sounded every day. Since this ce was near Brisc Mountain, one could clearly hear the sound of the monks ringing the bell on the mountain.

    Justin looked thoughtful upon hearing Rachel''s words.

    "Justin!" Just then, Gloria trotted over from a distance and held Justin''s arm. She asked excitedly, "I saw some horses being raised over there. Is a horse ranch going to be built here?"

    "Do you wish to have a horse ranch built here?"

    "Yeah! That way, I cane over to ride horses after itspletion. This ce would be huge! If a horse ranch is built, it''ll be thergest one in Riverdale!"

    Justin shot a nce at Frankie and ordered, "Get it done."

    Frankie looked at Gloria in a stunned manner before he nced at Rachel in amazement. In the end, he bit back what he wanted to say and sighed inwardly.

    On the other hand, Rachel pursed her lips with a bitter taste in her mouth. Since he had never nned to ept my suggestion in the first ce, why did he even ask for my opinion? she thought to herself. Gloria, who was unaware of their previous conversation, cheered happily when she heard that a horse ranch would be built here. "Let''s go and take a look at the horses over there. It''s still early, so let''s ride a horse!" Then, she dragged Justin away.

    Rachel stood where she was, whereas Frankie turned around and spoke to her after taking two steps. "Let''s go there and take a look together, Mrs. Burton."

    Okay.

    "Actually, the horse ranch might not be built in the end. Building a horse ranch here is a huge investment with little profit and high risk. When a feasible nes out in the end, your n would probably be more practical."

    I just mentioned it without thinking, so it has nothing to do with me. Rachel looked unperturbed as she followed the two talking and joking figures ahead of her toward the stable.

    Meanwhile, Frankie caught up with her from behind. "Have you ever ridden a horse, Mrs. Burton?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "In that case, I''ll choose a docile horse for youter to avoid any idents."

 Chapter 118

    Rachel followed behind Justin and Gloria at a distance while listening as the staff member exined the horse before them. "This horse is quite small in stature, and it''s quite docile. Mrs. Burton, since you''re a novice at horse riding, you may try riding this one," he said.

    Rachel tried to touch the colt''s head. When she saw that the colt didn''t resist her, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had never ridden a horse before, but she was looking forward to it.

    After everyone had chosen their own horses, the staff members in charge led the horses out of the stable. At the sight of the scene, Rachel became somewhat nervous.

    "This horse is so good-looking!" Gloria''s voice came from behind. "Miss Rachel, your horse is much more good-looking than the one I chose. I''d like to swap my horse with yours."

    Rachel hesitated somewhat as she looked at the horse behind Gloria. The horse Gloria had chosen was too tall; Rachel had never ridden a horse before, so she didn''t dare to ride such a tall one.

    "What are you two talking about?" Justin, who had already mounted his horse, rode over and eyed the two of them.

    Gloria exined, "I like Miss Rachel''s horse, so I want to swap my horse with hers, but she seems a bit reluctant."

    Justin frowned. "Didn''t you choose this horse yourself? Why don''t you like it anymore?"

    "I didn''t see Miss Rachel''s horse just now. Her horse is so adorable."

    Rachel looked visibly troubled. However, when Justin was about to say something, she suddenly stepped aside and gestured. I''ll give you my horse then.

    Gloria smiled. "Hehe, thanks! I just know that you have a big heart, Miss Rachel," she said. After finishing her sentence, she got on the horse, snatched the reins from the staff member''s hand, and rode off with a squeeze of the horse''s belly. Her voice could be heard in the wind as she shouted, "I''m riding off first! Hurry up and catch up with me!"

    Justin straddled the horse while looking at Rachel. "If you''re afraid, just choose another smaller horse."

    Rachel shook her head. It''s not necessary. I''ll give it a try.

    "The horses in our ranch are quite good-tempered," said the staff member as he mounted her on the horse. Luckily, despite the horse''s tall stature, it was quite good-tempered, and it walked slowly. With the staff member leading the horse, Rachel was no longer afraid after riding the horse for a while.

    Justin didn''t seem to be worried about Gloria, who was galloping her horse in the distance, as he followed behind Rachel with just the right distance between them. Rachel''s long hair was swaying in the wind, and her white shirt, brown vest, and riding outfit fit her figure very well. The scene looked lively from behind as the sun slowly set in the west.

    "Would you like to try riding it faster, Mrs. Burton?"

    Rachel hurriedly shook her head.

    "Actually, you can give it a try," the staff member kept persuading as he pulled the reins, patted the horse, and quickened his pace.

    Rachel instantly became nervous, and her back tensed up. The staff memberforted her by saying, "Rx, Mrs. Burton. The horse isn''t trotting fast."

    Rachel couldn''t speak and wanted to gesture something, but the staff member couldn''t see it since he was leading the horse at the front. At the sight of the scene, Justin immediately bellowed, "Slow down! Who told you to lead the horse at such a quick pace?"

    The staff member was so startled that he stumbled, but he didn''t manage to stop the horse in time. Rachel cried out in rm and nearly let go of the reins in her hand. Luckily, the staff member grabbed the reins with all his might. Still, Rachel broke out in a cold sweat as she felt terrified.

    "Aaaaah!" Just then, a scream was suddenly heard from a distance.

    Upon being surprised by this, Rachel watched from afar while Gloria''s horse raised its hooves high, and the reins snapped in two mid-air. As Gloria failed to catch them, she fell off the horse. "Gloria!" Justin immediately turned his horse around and hurried there.

    Rachel was startled as well, and she hurriedly got off the horse before rushing over to the scene. When she arrived, Gloria was lying on the ground with a look of agony on her face, whereas Justin squatted down next to her but didn''t dare to move her carelessly. He looked back and yelled at Rachel, "What are you waiting for? Call the ambnce!"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Rachel shuddered upon being yelled at. She fumbled for her cell phone in a panic, only to recall that she had left her cell phone in the dressing room while changing her clothes there. Meanwhile, the staff member nearby had called the ambnce. "Hello, is this the first-aid center?"

    There was a first-aid station in the park. Frankie hurried over with the staff members and carried Gloria away on a stretcher, whereas Justin followed them all the way with a look of anxiety on his face that one had never seen before.

    Rachel was somewhat at a loss as she stood where she was. Suddenly, she noticed from a distance that several staff members couldn''t get Gloria''s horse to move even after they had pulled on the reins. Instead, it kept giving backward kicks like crazy. The voice of the staff member who had led her horse just now came from behind. "It''s strange. Why is this horse so irritable today? Has it eaten something wrong?"

    Rachel''s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Somehow, she instinctively sensed that someone had been fixing their gaze on her the whole time. When she looked up toward the direction of that gaze, she saw what seemed like a figure disappearing from the rooftop of the park''s hotel some distance away. If Gloria hadn''t swapped horses with her today, she would''ve probably fell off the horse instead.

    At Tran-Q Hospital, Justin kept waiting outside the operating room as Julian operated on Gloria himself.

    When Rachel arrived, the surgery wasn''tpleted yet. When Justin saw her, he said, "You aren''t needed here. Go home first."

    Just then, the door of the operating room suddenly opened from the inside. Julian took off his face mask and came out. "She''s all right, so don''t worry," he said.

    Justin heaved a sigh of relief.

    "She broke two ribs and tore her thigh muscles, so she needs to be kept under observation in the hospital for quite some time. Isn''t she said to be very good at horse riding? Why did she have such a nasty fall?"

    Justin looked upset. "I shouldn''t have allowed her to fool around. She wasn''t very familiar with the horses in the ranch."

    Suddenly, Rachel shook her head and handed Julian a packet; it was a sealed white bag that contained some particles.

    Julian and Justin were both startled. "What is this?"

    The horse feed from the ranch. Before Rachel left, she deliberately went to the stables and took a look. Surprisingly, the manger used to feed Gloria''s horse had been emptied. Since Rachel had a weird feeling about this, she scratched the bottom of the manger while no one was noticing. Then, she packed the

    particles and left.

    Justin''s face instantly clouded over. "Are you suspecting that this has been premeditated?"

    Rachel nodded.

    "Julian."

    "I got it." Julian took the bag of horse feed. "I''ll take this to my friend and ask him to help test this to see if there''s anything wrong with it."

    "Thank you."

    "It''s gettingte, and Gloria is still under anesthesia. Why don''t you two go home and rest first?"

    Justin shook his head. "That''s not necessary. I''ll be here with her."

    The startled Julian subconsciously looked at Rachel, only to see her imperturbable expression. She seemed to have be ustomed to such situations. In that case, I''ll be going back first. Justin then looked at Julian. "Haven''t you gotten off duty yet, Julian? Go home with her then."

    "Okay."

    Justin wheeled the gurney himself as he followed behind the medical staff to the ward; it was as if his entire mind was focused on the person lying on the sickbed.

    It wasn''t until Justin''s figure disappeared in the elevator that Rachel came to her senses. Suddenly, she felt a surge of gastric juices in her stomach, and she couldn''t help but rush to the trash can before she retched into

    it.

    "Are you okay, Rachel?" Julian''s concerned voice sounded from behind.

    The woman waved her hand to signal that she was fine.

    Julian suddenly recalled how he had once seen her throwing up at home. His tone changed abruptly as he asked, "Does this often happen to you these days?"

 Chapter 119

    After a long while of dry heaving, Rachel suddenly lifted her head at Julian''s question.

    Following his line of sight, she lowered her head to see her abdomen. In that instant, she zoned out as if she had just realized something.

    Meanwhile, Justin was taking care of Gloria in the ward.

    After getting anesthetized the night before, she finally woke up. Seeing the man that was snoozing beside her, she carefully lifted her hand and caressed his face.

    Justin opened his eyes. "You''re awake."

    Gloria hastily withdrew her hand as she trembled and gasped.

    "Don''t move, they''ve put a cast on your leg." Justin pressed her shoulders and continued, "The doctor said that you should rest more, but don''t worry, it''s nothing serious."

    After nodding her head, she rested against the pillow and turned to Justin.

    "Something was wrong with the horse I rode."

    "I know. I''ve sent my men to look into it."

    "The horse was meant to be ridden by Rachel, so whoever did it wasn''t actually targeting me."

    Upon hearing that, Justin''s eyebrows furrowed somewhat. "Are you saying that someone wants to cause Rachel harm?"

    "Yes."

    After letting out a deep sigh, Gloria lifted her head and lowered it back down into a morefortable position. "Many people hate seeing her hanging around you. Even though I haven''t been in Riverdale for long, I''ve seen numerous people who detest her, but I cannot tell who the suspect might possibly be."

    "Don''t worry, they''ll figure it out."

    After covering her with the sheets, Justin then informed, "I''ll go get the doctor."

    Just as he was about to leave, Gloria suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Justin."

    He was slightly dazed by this and asked, "What is it?"

    Gloria''s eyes were filled with a sense of dependence as she asked, "You will never abandon me no matter what happens, right?"

    Justin''s gaze was firm as he held her hand and answered, "Never."

    He then continued, "Stop thinking about these things and get some rest. I''ll help you to apply for a few days off from school."

    "Okay." When Justin disappeared from the door, Gloria''s eyes gradually dulled.

    Ever since she was hospitalized, Justin rejected as many projects as he could while Rachel constantly traveled back and forth between the hospital and the Burton Group.

    In the afternoon, Rachel walked out of Tran-Q with the burning sun above her head.

    As she clutched the test report Julian had given to her earlier, she could feel the dizziness in her head.

    "You''ve been pregnant for two months."

    His words sounded in her ears continuously, yet she couldn''t ept this reality.

    As she caressed her stomach, she couldn''t believe that she was bearing a new life within her-a life she and

    Justin made.

    What should I tell him?

    Since her head was spinning with thoughts, Rachel drove around Riverdale''s city center without knowing where to go, and she ultimately decided to visit her grandmother.

    She had just entered the neighborhood when she saw Victor holding her grandmother as they walked around the area.

    "Rachel!"

    Since Victor had perfect eyesight, he spotted Rachel with one nce and waved at her.

    As she held her purse, Rachel walked over to the duo. How are you, Grandma?

    Grandma squatted and patted her knees. She then smiled and said, "It''s been ages since I recovered. It''s only

    a scratch, so it''s nothing serious. In fact, I''ve been bored as hell these past few days!"

    Still, you''ve got to take care of yourself. Old people heal slower, after all.

    "I know, so you should just stop worrying." As she spoke, she stood up and grabbed Victor with one hand and Rachel with the other. "Let''s go home. We''re making pierogi today!"

    Victor immediately suggested, "In that case, I''ll go get some sauerkraut since Rachel loves to pair them with cheese."

    After he finished his sentence, he left Nancy with Rachel and rushed out of the neighborhood.

    As they watched his fading figure, Grandma chuckled. "Oh, look at that child! I only mentioned it once, and he has already carved it into his brain. He''s quite an attentive boy despite being so clumsy most of the time!"

    Meanwhile, Rachel smiled without saying a word.

    As she helped her grandmother up the stairs, a senile man''s voice was sounded from behind them.

    "Nancy!"

    Rachel hadn''t realized it at first, and it wasn''t until her grandmother halted her steps did she remember that it was her grandmother''s actual name.

    They saw an old man after they turned around, and he was sporting a camouge outfit with an aged, torn, leather bag. Meanwhile, he studied them hesitantly.

    Rachel was stunned for a short while, but she eventually recognized the old man as her eyes lit up.

    Grandpa Irwin?

    Before she was sent back to the Hudson Residence, Rachel lived together with her mother and grandmother. Grandpa Irwin was one of the people she could barely remember from back then. Although her memory was somewhat hazy, she could remember him-he always returned with gifts like candies, books, and toys from the city.

    After all, kids remembered the happy moments in their lives very clearly.

    With Grandpa Irwin''s presence, all the memories from her childhood surged through her mind.

    In Nancy''s living room, Grandpa Irwin started tearing up after finishing his third bowl of pasta. "A big flood happened in our area, and the entire house copsed eventually. Since then, I''ve been living alone. After racking my brains, the only ones I thought I could depend on were you guys, but Riverdale''s so big that it took me more than a month to find this ce."

    "More than a month?" Grandma frowned. "How did you know we were in Riverdale?"

    "20 years ago, the car that sent you and Rae away came from Riverdale!"

    "Like you''ve said, it''s already been 20 years. What made you so sure that we''d still be here?"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Grandpa Irwin was stunned for a bit, but he then exined, "I wasn''t sure either. Since I had no one else left, thought of just trying my luck. Honestly, if I couldn''t locate you guys, I would''ve just looked for a job here in Riverdale and live a lonely old man''s life to the end."

    Just as Nancy was about to continue asking, Rachel interrupted her.

    ''Where are you living right now?''

    "Rae?" Since Grandpa Irwin didn''t know about Rachel''s condition, he was stupefied by how she presented her message by typing into her phone.

    Nancy exined, "The fire from 20 years ago burned her throat, and she never recovered from it."

    "How could that be? Can''t it be cured even with Riverdale''s top-notch medical standards?"

    Grandpa Irwin had a look of sympathy as he continued, "Rae used to be adorable back when she was a little

    girl. Why would the Gods curse you this way?"

    On the other hand, Rachel ignored his words and shook her phone to indicate that he had yet to answer his question.

    Upon seeing that, Grandpa Irwin answered, "I''m currently staying in an underground spot not far from here. Right, I came here because I heard that the neighborhood is looking to hire a security guard. Look at me, almost forgetting what''s important!"

    As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of wrinkled paper from his pocket. "It''s written here."

    ''Looking to hire a security guard for 2,000. Food and shelter provided.

    Rachel took the paper and read it before handing it over to her grandmother.

    "That is indeed our neighborhood." Nancy nodded her head. "However, security is tight around here and the owner has high expectations, so they wouldn''t ept an ounder. Perhaps you should look somewhere else."

    Upon hearing that, Grandpa Irwin was visibly disappointed. "Is that so?"

    However, Rachel waved her hand and signed enthusiastically. ''I can rmend you to the management and discuss your rent as well as the owner''s suggestions. I''m sure it''ll be no problem to secure your employment here!

    Suddenly, Grandma pulled her arm under the table.

    As she turned to her, Rachel saw her grandmother giving her an odd look.

    She failed toprehend her grandmother''s hints, and she felt rather confused.

    Shouldn''t she be happy to see an old friend?

 Chapter 120

    Shutting the door, Nancy gripped Rachel''s arm.

    "Why would you find him a job?"

    Rachel, however, was dazed. Grandpa Irwin is our neighbor and he is always good to me. If he were to move in, you could take care of each other! Besides, you don''t know a lot of people in Riverdale, so it''s a win!

    Seemingly anxious, Nancy frowned and mumbled, "You don''t have to worry about me."

    What''s wrong, Grandma?

    "Irwin... However, Nancy stopped after muttering his name. "Nevermind. I''m sure it''s hard for him as well, being so old and living without his children. We''ll go as you wish, then. Plus, he gave us a lot of help back then."

    Revealing a smile, Rachel grabbed Nancy''s hand.

    I know what you''re worried about, Grandma. Often, those who approach use with ill intent, but not all people are evil, are they?

    Besides, seeing Grandpa Irwin today reminded me of many fond memories from my childhood.

    "Really?" Nancy asked, her eyes shimmering.

    Yes.

    Rachel sternly nodded her head.

    At the sight of Grandpa Irwin, Rachel was able to piece together many fragments of her memory, including the one when he bought her a cotton candy from town and it was her mother that opened the door for him.

    "Cotton Candy for Rae! Do you like it?"

    "Say your thanks, Rae."

    Her mother whispered into her ears. The scene was rather unreal. After all, this was the first time Rachel had recalled it after twenty years.

    Pondering on it, Nancy expressed, "Must have been fate. Some things are meant for you to remember.ˇ±

    Very soon, Victor returned with the chives and Nancy promptly started making the dumplings.

    Meanwhile, Rachel contacted the management team about the security post, which the administration kindly agreed to.

    ''Where do you live, Grandpa Irwin? I''ll help you move to the workers'' hostel tomorrow''

    Grandpa Irwin shook his head and rejected, "It''s fine. I don''t have much to transport. I''ll go hometer and return tomorrow. You just carry on as usual, Rae. Now, I can easily take care of your grandmother!" Upon hearing that, Nancy was visibly annoyed as she revealed a scowl.

    "The pierogi is done!" Victor then served the main dish on the table along with some condiments.

    "Eat up before they get cold, Madam Tiller and Rachel. I shall go home now."

    However, Nancy quickly interjected, "Join us, Victor!"

    "It''s fine. My grandma''s waiting for me to have dinner with her and it''s gettingte."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel caught his arm. ''Let me send you back.

    "There''s no need for that, Rachel."

    After giving her grandmother a signal, she grabbed her bag and put on her shoes, thereafter walking out the door.

    In response, Grandma uttered, "Go on. Drive safe!"

    Following behind Rachel was Victor, who scratched his head and was forced to follow her lead.

    Having sent Victor to his doorstep, Rachel gave him a box of pierogi and told him to share it with his grandmother.

    Victor was taken aback by this, and he murmured, "That''s too much, Rachel."

    After shoving the container into his hands, she pulled an envelope from her bag and ced it on his knees.

    Stunned, he opened the envelope and saw a neat stack of hundreds. He was utterly stupefied by this and asked, "What''s all this, Rachel?"

    In response, she showed him a pre-written message.

    I''m lending this money to you, so remember to write me an IOU. Take this money and sign up for night school. Take up sses that you''re interested in so you can take care of your grandma even better and le her be rest assured!

    Victor peered at Rachel dumbfoundedly and hastily turned away.

    Meanwhile, she could hear choking voices from the co-pilot seat.

    As she was about tofort him, he pushed open the car door, fearing that she would see his weeping face. It was not until he was far away that he shouted, "I''ll pay you back for sure!"

    Rachel beamed and started driving the car amid the night.

    Unfortunately, she didn''t notice that when she had left the alley, Victor was stopped by several unknown figures.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Grab him!"

    As soon as he heard those words, he was restrained by two big men and his face was pushed against the unpainted concrete wall. Eventually, he started bleeding as a result of rubbing his face against the wall.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    Meanwhile, the pierogi and envelope had fallen to the ground.

    From the dark, a woman in a pair of heels appeared and bent down to pick up the envelope. "And I was wondering why you''ve been so distant with me. It seems to me you have found yourself a new mommy, huh?"

    "Give my stuff back!"

    "Your stuff?" The woman got closer to her and patted his face with the envelope. With a vile expression on her face, she pressed his head down and sneered, "So this is what you''ve been doing for me?" "F*ck you! Who agreed to help you, anyway? You begged for a favor, and it''s solely up to me whether to fulfill it or not!"

    Upon getting spit on her face, the woman grew infuriated as she thundered, "Sick of life, aren''t you?"

    "F*ck me up if you have the balls to do so, b*tch!"

    "You think I wouldn''t dare?" The woman took a step backward. "Go on! Rough him up!"

    The young man let out screams of pain as he was trapped in a corner.

    After a while, the woman stepped on Victor with her heels as she looked down on him. Then, she grabbed the money from the envelope and threw it all over his body.

    "What happened today is merely a lesson. If you fail to meet my expectations by the end of this month, I''ll make sure that nobody finds your body. Just know that I was only sparing you some pride, you son of a b*tch!"

    "Let''s go."

    After the gang of men departed, Victor, who was lying t on the ground, eventually helped himself up with tremendous effort.

    ordingly, he picked up all the cash on the ground and attempted to press it t before keeping it safely. Seeing how the box of pierogi was smashed to bits, he gazed at the ruined pieces and finally found some intact ones. He ced them back into the container, cherishing every untouched piece like they were gems.

    After that, he wiped the bloodstains on his face and returned home as if nothing happened.

    That night, Rachel had a nightmare.

    In the dream, she was holding her child''s hand and was running across the field.

    Out of the blue, the sky turned dark and she could only feel the air in her hands. No matter how hard she tried, she could never find the child again.

    All of a sudden, Justin''s face appeared out of thin air.

    "Just do what you''re expected of. Don''t even think of anything you shouldn''t."

    The view then cut to Hans with a bloody face. "He broke my leg and caused me to die, yet you''re bearing his child and living a happy life with him? That''s so unfair, Rachel!"

    Meanwhile, she was surrounded by countless mockeries and scoffs, as if the demons and their underlings had been unleashed from hell and were staring at her with their green, demonic eyes.

    "Ah!"

    She shrieked huskily. Upon being awakened by her nightmare, she got up with her back drenched in sweat.

    By then, the sun was already shining brightly.

    While her heart was still palpitating, she subconsciously touched her abdomen.

    It had only been two months, yet she could already feel the tiny life inside of her.

    Are youforting Mommy, Baby?

    However, Mommy is too weak to protect you as countless people would hate to see you being born.

    Hans has died... Uncle Hans, the one who was always kind to Mommy has died, so she can''t shake your father off herself.

    How could Mommy give birth to your father''s child?

    I''m sorry, Baby!

    As numbness tingled Rachel''s nose, tears started dripping down her face.

 Chapter 121

    After seeing his client, Justin hurried to the hospital.

    Upon entering the ward, he saw Gloria sitting on the bed while having her meal. "You''re early today. Have you eaten? Want to share?"

    "I''m good. I had lunch with a client just now."

    "I see. If you hade even earlier, you would''ve met Rachel. Look, she made some chicken soup for me. It was fish soup yesterday. Though fish soup helps with recovery, she said it''s better to switch to othe vors

    at times."

    Justin was baffled by this, and he promptly asked, "She''s beening every day?"

    "Yeah. Ever since I got hospitalized, she visited me every single day with various kinds of meals. She even insists on preparing them herself because takeaways are too greasy and it''s best I avoid them." "Why have I never seen her?"

    "Perhaps she''s avoiding the time that you woulde."

    Gloria looked into his eyes and continued, "You truly went overboardst time. If I were in her shoes, it would''ve been hard for me as well. Why don''t you take the chance to talk about it with her?" "There''s nothing to talk about."

    "Justin, you''re always holding back your thoughts and behaving like you''re the coldest man in the world."

    "Eat up. I''ll go get some fruit."

    Having said that, Justin exited the ward.

    Upon his exit, Gloria turned to the piling baskets of fruit and snorted.

    Get some fruits? Does he think I''m a child?

    On the other hand, Rachel was cleaning the vegetables in the kitchen while Nancy was watching TV in the living room.

    Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

    "Victor! He''s always forgetting his keys!"

    Nancy nagged as she walked to the door.

    Since she feared that her grandmother would fall victim to more idents, Rachel had given Victor a duplicate house key.

    "Excuse me?"

    "Do you still remember me, Madam Tiller? I''m Frankie. I visited you once before."

    In the kitchen, Rachel was stunned momentarily when she heard the familiar man''s voice. She cleaned her hands and rushed out from the kitchen, only to see Frankie standing by the door with several bags in his hands.

    "Mrs. Burton."

    While Nancy was still in a daze, Frankie had the men behind him start moving things into the house.

    "President Burton heard that Madam Tiller was injured some time ago, so he decided to provide some self care products to her."

    "T-There''s no need for this. I haven''t even finished using the things you gave mest time."

    "It''s merely his token of appreciation. There''s no need to take it too seriously. Do you mind stepping aside, Madam Tiller? We don''t want to injure you."

    Behind Frankie were four men carrying a massage chair into the living room.

    At once, Rachel went to move the furniture in the living room to prevent any unwanted crashes.

    "Where''s your young master, then?" Nancy interrogated Frankie. "It''s been so long since he''s married Rae, yet I''ve never even seen him once."

    To that, Frankie responded, "He''s right downstairs. There are still things left to move up here."

    Downstairs?

    Upon hearing that, Rachel could feel her heart thumping, and she immediately stopped her grandmother from exiting the house. Stay here, Grandma. I''ll go down for a bit.

    However, Nancy did not notice Rachel''s anxiousness and she yelled as thetter was walking out the door, "Tell Justin toe up and eat!"

    When she reached downstairs, Rachel saw Justin just getting out of the car. His hands were tucked in the pockets of his cks as he observed the neighborhood''s atmosphere.

    Why are you here? There was nothing on Rachel''s face but alertness.

    After ncing at Nancy''s unit, Justin then queried, "Did you like the things I sent you?"

    I don''t remember having crossed your boundariestely.

    At this moment, Rachel behaved like a wary wolf that was showing its teeth to predators when it was being threatened.

    Suddenly, the warmth in Justin''s eyes vanished. "I''m just sending some gifts to your grandmother. What''s the big deal?"

    Oh, is that so? Is it as simple as that? Nothing like a warning?

    Rachel signed rather hastily as she was strung tight.

    She was aware of the fact that Justin knew about her weaknesses. After losing Hans, the person that she cared about most in the entire Riverdale would be her grandmother. Thus, rather than ''sending gifts'', it felt more like he was hinting at her not to do anything rash or have any foul ideas.

    Instantly, Justin''s joyous mood disappeared into thin air. "You''re overthinking it, Rachel."

    With that, he immediately pulled open the car door, seeming like he was about to enter the vehicle.

    When she saw that he was leaving, Rachel heaved a sigh and was about to go back upstairs. However, she was stopped by a shout of her name.

    "Rae!"

    Sporting the neighborhood security guard''s outfit, Grandpa Irwin was grabbing a fish by its tail as he walked over to her with a bright smile on his face. "Fresh fish from the market. I heard you wanted to make some fish soup, so I got it for you!

    Rachel suppressed her perplexed emotions. Then, she nodded her head and thanked him.

    Having hopped onto the car, Justin saw the old man conversing with Rachel the moment he shut the door. At one nce, his eyes narrowed and twitched.

    As Rachel was walking up the stairs with Grandpa Irwin, they bumped into Frankie who was talking on the phone.

    "Yes. Got it. I can see them."

    As he made eye contact with Grandpa Irwin on the narrow staircase, Frankie''s eyes instantaneously turned darker as he signaled two of his henchmen. "Go."

    Before she realized it, Grandpa Irwin screamed as two men pinned him down.

    Meanwhile, the fish that was once in his hand fell to the ground and jumped as it struggled.

    What are you doing?

    "My apologies, Mrs. Burton. It''s Mr. Burton''s order."

    Meanwhile, Grandpa Irwin yelled in pain, "What is this about? Let go of me!"

    At the sight of that, Rachel''s face immediately turned pale. As she expected, Justin would never visit with simple intentions.

    Since she knew that Frankie would need to use the stairs, she blocked his path downstairs. Upon catching sight of Justin as he stood downstairs, she immediately gestured, What the hell are you doing? He was an innocent old man that barely had any rtionship with her, yet Justin wouldn''t even let him go.

    Meanwhile, he revealed an expression that was terrifying as ever.

    "Do you know who he is?"

    He''s merely a security guard for the neighborhood! Have you gone insane?

    "He''s a human trafficker!" Justin growled and grabbed Rachel''s wrists that were making signs. "What are you waiting for? Get the man out of here!"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    When Justin shouted toward the back of her, Frankie was slightly stupefied and quickly had the men send Grandpa Irwin to the car.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was trying to shake Justin off, though everyone knew she didn''t have the strength to repel him.

    It was this helpless sensation again-one that resembled an avnche, pushing everything to the ground. It was the same feeling Rachel had in the hospital ward back then, when Justin had his men press her down, making her watch as he broke one of Hans'' legs.

    No... Not again...

    Instinctively, she bit Justin''s wrist.

    "Argh!"

    He loosened his grip after letting out a cry, allowing Rachel to escape his grasp and charge toward Grandpa Irwin.

    Since she could not shout, she could only tug on the henchmen''s arms forcefully.

    As one of the men was growing impatient, he shoved her away with a swing of a hand.

    "Ah!"

    "Mrs. Burton!" Frankie rushed over to help her up after seeing her fall, only to have his face turn pale. "What''s wrong, Mrs. Burton?"

    Justin was pressing his hand when he heard Frankie''s question. Then, he turned to Rachel as she copsed on the ground. Fresh blood was flowing, staining her skirt crimson.

    At once, his eyes opened wide.

 Chapter 122

    Blood spread through Rachel''s skirt as a stabbing pain came from her abdomen. She pressed a hand to it, her face pale.

    My child, my child.

    Justin shoved Frankie aside and scooped Rachel up. "What are you standing around for? Get driving to the hospital!"

    It was then that Frankie snapped out of it, and the car sped down the streets of Riverdale while running several red lights.

    After making it to the emergency room, Julian stepped out once Rachel had been checked over.

    "How is she?"

    Julian confirmed that the door had been shut tight before he allowed his expression to fall. At the same time, he stopped Justin from going in.

    "Are you concerned about her?"

    "Stop asking me things like that. What happened to her?"

    "She''s pregnant!" Julian raised his voice, his low tones reverberating through the corridor, shocking the few medical staff nearby until they had looks of bewilderment on their faces.

    Why was the usually even-tempered Dr. Peters so furious?

    Instantly, Justin''s head was filled with a buzzing sound. "What did you say?"

    "I said that she''s pregnant. She''s already more than two months along." Julian''s expression was dark. "I wanted to tell you about it a few days ago, but you were busy taking care of Gloria. Not only that, you never asked once about Rachel. So, I thought that there was no difference whether I told you at all."

    Justin was still stunned. He stared dumbly at the door to the ward, seeming as though he hadn''t heard Julian.

    Rachel was pregnant all along? Am I going to be a father?

    "Justin Burton!"Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    At the thought of Rachel''s condition, Justin quickly snapped back to reality. "How is she now?"

    "You''re only asking this now? What were you doing before you thought of that?"

    "What exactly is going on with her?"

    "She''s fine for now. The baby is also doing okay. However, her condition isn''t stable. The first three months of pregnancy is the time when you should be at your most careful." Having heard that, Justin let out a breath.

    Meanwhile, Rachel leaned against the headboard of her bed inside the ward. She was already awake, and her mind was wandering as she stared out the window. Just then, the door behind her opened up. She could tell from the sound of the footsteps that it was Justin, and her back stiffened at that.

    "Are you still unwell? I know that you''re awake."

    After a long moment of silence, Rachel finally turned around.

    What did you do to Grandpa Irwin?

    Justin''s face darkened slightly at the mention of the elder man. "That is none of your concern."

    He''s an old man. Just think of it as my plea to you, so please let him go. Take all of it out on me-whether it''s your resentment toward me or the Hudsons. Don''t hurt anyone who''s innocent! Now that Hans is in your sight, is that not enough for you?

    Rachel was on the verge of a breakdown, her eyespletely bloodshot as though they would burst the next moment. Her gaze was fixed right on Justin.

    "Are you saying that he should avoid punishment just because he''s in his twilight years? He''s a human trafficker!"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel''s despair grew. She ended up letting out a chuckle as she looked at Justin.

    You can''t even make up a convincing excuse. Grandpa Irwin, a human trafficker? In that case, why didn''t you hand him over to the police?

    Justin grew impatient. "Think what you want, but I must have him arrested!"

    At the thought of the incident from 20 years ago, he couldn''t wait to chop all of those involved into little pieces.

    Jeffrey Hudson and the gaggle of traffickers who sold him were the true culprits-none of them had better think of escaping.

    However, what about the police? More than 20 years had passed since then. Even if the police could find proof, the statute of limitations on the case had already been reached. Didn''t that mean that the culprits would still go free?

    Justin was in the middle of his tirade when he got a phone call. After ncing at Rachel, he left the room with his phone in hand.

    After the door shut with a bang, the room descended into silence.

    Rachel clutched the bed sheets tightly, her face as gray as ash.

    "Yes?"

    "Mr. Burton." Frankie''s voice rang out over the phone''s speakers. "I''ve gotten hold of some news. The man recently came to Riverdale. He said that he went to a friend for shelter, and that he''s an old acquaintance of Rachel''s grandmother."

    "An old acquaintance, you say?"

    Justin''s forehead tightened into a frown. He recalled that Jefferey had razed the forest around Somerset Mountain back then; Hudson Pharmaceuticals had seemingly bought that forest for development. Hence, it was reasonable for the people who lived there to know Rachel''s grandmother.

    "What else did he say?"

    "Nothing-his lips are sealed. He won''t admit that he''s been an errand boy for traffickers. The documents at the police station have long since been destroyed as well. We won''t be able to dig up anything from them." Frankie''s tone was troubled. "Mr. Burton, it''s been 20 years. Could you have been mistaken about the people involved?"

    "That''s impossible!" Justin''s voice was eerily cold, and one could sense the iciness from it.

    He would never forget that day from 20 years back. It had been swelteringly hot, and the loathsome old man who had locked him up cracked open a corner of the cer and warned him savagely through the opening-if

    Justin did not obey him, he would let the boy starve to death inside the cer.

    The cer had been dark and damp, and he hadn''t been able to see anything. All he could smell was the stench of pickled vegetables.

    If Katie hadn''t saved him back then, he would have died down there.

    "What should we do with him now, Mr. Burton?"

    "Lock him up until he confesses to all his crimes. Then... send him to the police." Justin paused a bit there. If it wasn''t for his concern toward Rachel and the child in her belly, he would have gone over to deal with the old man personally.

    The next day, Rachel continued to rest in her room at the hospital. Julian told her that she needed to stay in bed for the next few days, or she would have difficulty keeping her baby. Tap, tap, tap.

    She looked up from her book and saw Gloria slowly entering the room with a cane in one hand.

    Rachel immediately got up.

    "Don''t move. I can walk by myself." Gloria hastily waved a hand. It was somewhat of an arduous task for her to make her way over to the bed with her cane. "Are you all right?"

    ''I''m okay. Why are you here?''

    "I heard that you were admitted here. I was worried you''d be bored out of your mind, so I came over to chat with you."

    Rachel was stunned.

    Gloria pressed her lips together before she reluctantly admitted the truth. "All right, I was actually bored, so I came to see you. I''ve already asked the doctors about you, and Dr. Peters said that you''re pregnant."

    ''That''s right:

    "That''s good news. Justin is already at that age, and it''s about time for him to have children of his own." Happiness showed in Gloria''s eyes.

    Rachel didn''t understand it, though. ''Don''t you like Justin?''

    If a person liked someone, how could they be so magnanimous to the point of allowing their beloved to have a child with another woman?

    "Yes." Gloria said in a straightforward manner with a shrug. "That still doesn''t stop me from staying by his side. I think that even if he has eight or ten kids, none of them would be more important than me. It''s just like how I don''t think anything has changed even with you being around him."

    The corners of Rachel''s lips twitched up. ''You don''t have to worry about that. I don''t intend on keeping the baby!

    "Huh?" Gloria froze as she stared at the phone''s screen. "Why not? This is your first child with Justin!"

    Rachel felt a bitterness in her throat. She didn''t know how she should exin to Gloria, nor did she feel any need to

    Neither of them realized that someone had been standing by the door all this while.

    Upon hearing Gloria''s question, the person clenched his hands tightly while his expression darkened.

 Chapter 123

    ck. The sound of the door knob turning could be heard loud and clear.

    Gloria and Rachel froze for a moment, and the former''s words came to an abrupt halt. She was surprised by this, and she looked at Justin as he walked inside. "When did you arrive?" Meanwhile, the man''s expression was cold.

    "Gloria, go back to your room for now."

    Gloria stiffened up and eyed Rachel worriedly. She only left once thetter signaled that she would be fine.

    Justin and Rachel were now the only ones left in the room.

    "You don''t intend to keep the child?"

    His cold voice resounded throughout the room.

    Now that Gloria had left, it felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped by several degrees.

    Rachel gripped her nket tightly. Yes.

    Since the baby was fated to live a tragedy if they were born, it would be better if they never got to start their story. They would be born to a mute mother who wouldn''t have the ability to protect them, and to a father who did not love them at all. Who would be able to bear such a childhood?

    Rachel''sposed expression incensed Justin. "And who let you make such a decision by yourself?"

    A shadow loomed over her. The sudden assault of pain from her arm made Rachel suck in a breath. Her face, which was already pale,pletely drained of color then.

    Most frighteningly, she was surprised to find that she could feel a faint sense of happiness.

    At the very least, Justin wanted the baby.

    "Listen up carefully-you will keep this child. You don''t have the right to decide otherwise. Your job includes giving the Burtons children, and they will bear the Burton name. You don''t have to care for them; all you need to do is birth them. Once they''re born, someone else will take care of them."

    Those words of his were like cold water from a bucket, drenching Rachel and making a bone-deep chill settle inside her.

    Did Justin not intend for her to raise her own children?

    She stared at the man before her in disbelief, her heart lurching violently.

    Justin whipped her hand away, his gaze frosty beyondprehension. "Do not make me remind you of your ce again-you are just something that Jefferey Hudson gave us. I do not have that much patience for you!" He even delivered another whammy before he left. "Take a guess as to whether that old man can live the rest of his life in peace if something happens to that child?"

    Rachel''s face was an ashen color.

    The door mmed shut, and the walls vibrated from the impact.

    All of a sudden, she felt nauseous. With a hand on the wall, she ran over to the bathroom and repeatedly dry heaved.

    Everything before her disgusted her.

    All the good people were either dead or being threatened. Meanwhile, the evil people who were left were living their lives out in the open with no restraints despite all the evils they hadmitted. In a mid- sized city

    like Riverdale, people were used to dirtying their hands for an advantage, and they stepped on others to get ahead in life.

    After Justin stepped out of the room, he looked at his hands. He had used too much strength when he closed the door, and his hands had felt the impact. His ears were buzzing as well.

    In reality, he was feeling quite regretful.

    "Are you all right, Mr. Burton?" Frankie had been waiting outside all the while. "Miss Hochmann has been worried sick."

    Justin frowned. A brief silenceter, he spoke. "Let the old man go for now."

    "Huh?"

    "Send someone to keep an eye on him."

    "Understood." Frankie didn''t dare to ask too much. As he followed Justin out of the building, he gave a report on thepany. "We have some results from the investigation on that foreign ount. Each time a huge sum of money was credited into it, Amber just so happened to be abroad."

    Justin''s brows furrowed.

    It turned out that the foreign ount was tied to Amber.

    Nheless, he had already figured that out. Jeffrey treasured that daughter of his; it was impossible that he would not give her anything to do and just let her be a regr doctor.

    "She''s been lying low recently. What has she been doing?"

    "I was about to tell you that-it seems that Jefferey has recently gotten involved with a family business from abroad. Both parties have been pushing hard for a union, and it seems that they intend to have Amber marry into that family. By the way, they''re called the Albrights."

    Justin''s eyes darkened at that.

    After Rachel was discharged, Frankie took her back to the Burton Residence so that she could rest.

    Sue''s face turned green when she received news of Rachel''s pregnancy. "When was this? How long has she been pregnant?"

    Frankie stopped her. "Madam, Mr. Burton has made it clear to let the youngdy rest. Do not disturb her for no reason."

    "No, that wasn''t my intention. This is Justin''s first child, after all. I should get a clear picture of the situation, shouldn''t I? That way, Mrs. Duncan can make the appropriate arrangements as well-we want to find out what she wants for her meals."

    "There''s no need for that, Madam Parham. Mr. Burton has asked me to hire a nutritionist, and this professional will be in charge of her dietary requirements from today onward."

    "Does he need to go to all that trouble? Don''t we have enough servants in this household to wait on her considering how many we have?"

    "I''m not too sure about that. Mr. Burton highly values this child." Frankie knew that there was no use borating. "If there''s nothing else, I shall take my leave. Goodbye, Madam Parham."

    As she looked in the direction of the master bedroom, Sue''s expression quickly darkened. Despite all her bestid ns, the unexpected happened-the mute had gotten pregnant. Things were harder now.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    After Frankie left, she ordered the servants away and returned to her bedroom to make a phone call.

    "Hello? It''s me."

    "What is it?" The voice who answered her belonged to a man, raspy the way that most middle-aged men''s voices were. "What is it?"

    "Would I be calling you for idle conversation?"

    Her question was returned with silence.

    "Fine. You''re always like this," Sue muttered impatiently. "I''m calling you because there''s something I want you to do. Do you know that the mute is pregnant?" "What?"

    "I only found out about it today too. Let me remind you out of the goodness of my heart-if you don''t do something, everything so far will go to waste!"

    The waiter poured the red wine with perfect precision, having already ced white napkins down.

    Justin automatically picked up his ss. "I heard that you''re a connoisseur when ites to wine. Why don''t you try this then?"

    However, Amber''s tone was nd, a departure from her usual enthusiasm and gentleness. "You can''t possibly have called me out here just for a wine tasting session, right?ˇ±

    Justin''s expression did not change. "I''ve been busy with work recently, so I haven''t had time to ask about you, How have you been doing since you started work at your new workce? The others at the research institute haven''t been giving you a hard time, have they?"

    "Why would they? Who doesn''t know that you''re the one who got me into the Burton Medical Research Institute?" Amber changed the topic. "However, I was going to talk to you about this-I might not be able to stay at the research center."

    "Why is that so?"

    "My father still wishes for me to go abroad to further my career."

    Justin fell silent. Then, he lifted up his wine ss and took a sip.

    that staying here won''t achieve anything either. You''re my brother-inw, and people talk about me behind my back since I frequently have lunch with you."

    Justin suddenly brought out a small, ck velvet box and slowly pushed it over to her. "I initially wanted to give you this. Since you''re about to leave the country, this is probably no longer of any use."

    The lid of the box opened with a light click before Amber''s eyes, and a diamond glittered brilliantly under the lights once the box opened up.

    Simrly, the woman''s eyes lit up. "This is... Justin, is this..."

    It was a diamond ring.

 Chapter 124

    Night came, and Rachel leaned against the headboard of her bed as she read her book. There was a bowl near the bed, and its contents-a concoction to keep her energy levels up during her pregnancy-was already finished. As Rachel read her book, she unconsciously caressed her belly.

    Although she wasn''t at a stage where her belly would show yet, she could already sense the presence of this new little life. This was probably what they called the bond between mother and child. Rachel had spent thest few days alone, and as the days passed, she grew even more fonder of this child. She recalled that Justin had also grown up without his own parents as well. As long as the child in her belly had the Burtons'' blood flowing in their veins, no one would mistreat them. After all, the child was innocent.

    Just then, the door opened with a creak. The light footsteps that Rachel then heard were different from how they usually sounded. She froze, and when she turned around, she saw an unwee guest. Amber?

    Why are you here?

    "Why are you so surprised?" Amber paced around her room. "I heard that you''re pregnant, so I came all the way to see you. After all, that kid in your belly is my nephew."

    Amber then stretched a hand out, and the diamond ring glinting on her ring finger was especially radiant. "Take a look. What do you think this is?"

    Rachel frowned. What exactly is your motive?

    A document then fell onto Rachel''s nket with a smack.

    "Sign this."

    Rachel stiffened, having seen the words ''divorce agreement written on the paper. She then looked up in disbelief.

    Amber was absolutely smug. "Justin wanted me to bring this to you. He''s already signed it. As soon as you sign the papers, you won''t have any more ties with him." That''s impossible.

    "Impossible?" Amber chuckled coldly. "You really thought that your position as thedy of the Burton family is secured just because you''ve got a bun in the oven? Let me tell you this-all I need to do is make some little scheme, then that child in your belly will be utterly worthless." The Albrights overseas? It''s all just a cover.

    Amber had begun putting her ns together ever since she heard about Rachel''s pregnancy. After all, she didn''t believe that Justin felt nothing toward her. Men were the embodiment of jealousy, so if Amber showed signs that she would leave, Justin would certainly find a way to stop her from doing so-even if that meant kicking Rachel out of the picture.

    "This is an ambitious gamble. If I lose, then the only thing I can do is go abroad. However, it''s clear that I''ve won this gamble." Amber showed off her ring, a pleased look stered on her face. "I love the ring that Justin has given me. We''re about to get engaged, so don''t me me when I show you the door if you insist on continuing to embarrass yourself."

    Rachel clutched the paper tightly, and her face was awfully pale. This was impossible. Justin has said before that he wants me to keep this child. I won''t believe you.

    "Who cares if you keep that kid? Don''t worry, I''ll help you take good care of the baby as long as it isn''t a stillborn!"

    Amber''s hand reached over, and Rachel whipped the former''s hand away in fear. As a result, the sharp edges of the diamond on the ring sliced across Rachel''s face. Instantly, she felt a deep pain worming its way through her flesh.

    Amber let out a surprised shriek and red at her balefully. "What did you do? You''ve dirtied my ring!"

    Rachel pulled her nket off and got out of bed.

    "Where are you going?"

    Move. I''m going to look for Justin and get the answers straight from him. Evidently, Rachel did not believe a

    single word of what Amber said.

    "Stop right there. Justin doesn''t want to see you at all. How can you be so insolent?"

    As they tussled, the bowl fell to the floor with a crash before shards of porcin flew everywhere.

    "What is going on?" Amanding voice could be hearding from outside the door. Justin then entered the room with wide strides.

    Amber promptly feigned a weak, soft look before making her way over. "Justin, I spoke nicely to her when I asked her to sign the papers, but she lost her temper and threw stuff at me. I''ve gotten hurt." Justin nced at Rachel. Thetter''s eyes were red-rimmed as she stared at him in a stunned manner.

    "Where did you get hurt?" Justin withdrew his gaze and picked Amber''s hand up to check for injuries right before Rachel''s eyes.

    In truth, Amber wasn''t hurt at all. The sole patch of blood on her hand was also from Rachel when the

    "Get the servants to patch you up. It shouldn''t be serious."

    Justin''s worry and concern toward Amber felt like stabs to Rachel''s heart.

    "Leave this to me." Justin wrapped an arm around Amber''s waist and patted her back. "Don''t let your mood be affected by this."

    "What about the divorce agreement?"

    "Okay."

    After Amber left, Justin''s eyes quickly chilled. "Didn''t I tell you to rest well? What were you doing?"

    Was what she said true? You want a divorce?

    "Isn''t this what you''ve been waiting for since the beginning? I''m just fulfilling your wish."

    At that, Rachel''s mind went ck. She staggered backward, but she ended up stepping on a porcin shard. A sharp pain shot up her foot, but she didn''t flinch at all-it seemed as though the pain would make her mind clearer, letting her realize that this was reality and not a nightmare.

    Justin''s eyes darkened. Just as he was about to approach her, he noticed a figure standing near the door through the corner of his eyes.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    "You will leave once the divorce is finalized. Once the child is here, you are free."

    Those cold words made Rachel feel like she had been plunged into an icy bath. She didn''t even have the energy to sign her response, seeming as though something had sucked all the strength out of her in an instant.

    "Sign this." Justin walked over to her side and ced the papers and a pen before her. There were two copies of the divorce agreement, and Justin had already signed both of them.

    Rachel''s eyes instantly teared up, but she forced back her tears as she epted the papers. However, she

    couldn''t stop her hands from shaking. The only sounds that could be heard in the room was the scratching of the pen as she signed her name.

    The freedom that she yearned for was finally in front of her. Once she finished thatst stroke, she would no longer be Justin''s wife, nor would she have any more ties to the Burton Family. However, thatst stroke felt astronomically difficult. No matter how she tried, she couldn''t bring herself to fully finish her signature.

    Justin suddenly grabbed hold of her hand and roughly finished it for her. "That will do. Keep this copy for yourself. Frankie will bring someone over to help you move your belongings tomorrow afternoon." Rachel fell and sat on the bed upon hearing those cold words tossed at her. Meanwhile, her foot continued to bleed. The shard embedded in her flesh was like a thorn, digging deeper and deeper into her foot. It even felt as though it would dig all the way to her heart and open up all those old wounds that never got a chance to properly heal, causing them to bleed again.

    On the other hand, Amber''s cheers drifted up from downstairs.

    A gust blew in from the balcony. The copy of her divorce agreement flipped over from the wind, stering itself to Rachel''s foot. With that, blood soaked into the paper,

    The words ''divorce agreement'' were stark. It was as though a hole had suddenly opened in her heart, and a storm raged on within it. She asked herself this-didn''t she actually wish to escape from this ce? That day hade atst. However, why did she feel so awful about it?

    Rachel pressed a hand to her chest, and her bony fingers clutched her pajamas tightly while creating wrinkles in it. Still, she couldn''t stop the pain that assaulted her like a raging wave. She felt as though she was about to pass out and die, for even breathing was a task.

 Chapter 125

    Rachel moved straight back to Nancy''s ce without bringing much with her. When Nancy saw hering back with all her luggage, she immediately realized that something was wrong. "Why are you moving back suddenly, Rachel? Did something happen?"

    However, Rachel gave her no response. She washed her hands as she stood in the bathroom, rubbing soap on her palms again and again as if to wash something away.

    "Are you trying to worry me to death, Rachel? If you keep doing this, I''ll give Dr. Peters a call."

    Suddenly, the woman came to her senses and stopped Nancy. Let''s move away from Riverdale, Grandma.

    Nancy looked dumbfounded and stunned upon hearing this.

    The next day, Victor put the suitcases into the trunk before pping the dust off his hands. "Remember to give me a call when you and Madam Tiller arrive at the new ce, Rachel. Tell me your address, and I''ll go to visit you two when I''m free."

    Rachel forced a smile while pointing at his unkempt blond hair. A student should behave like a student. Dyeing your hair back to ck would suit you better, you know.

    Victor scratched his head. "I''ll keep that in mind." As the car slowly drove away from the neighborhood, he ran after the car, waved his hand, and shouted, "You have to call me, Rachel! I''ll definitely dye my hair ck when I see you next time!"

    The car soon disappeared at the neighborhood''s entrance, and Victor walked back in dejection. There were still some belongings in Nancy''s apartment, all of which Rachel had given to him.

    As soon as Victor reached the entrance to the apartment building, he bumped into someone in a moment of inattention. "Hey!" Thedy''s shrill voice was somewhat harsh to the ear. He frowned in displeasure and looked back, only to see a youngdy hopping backward on crutches. Turns out that she''s a cripple, he thought to himself.

    Thedy red at Victor. "Are you blind? Why don''t you watch where you''re going?"

    Victor was miffed in the first ce, so thedy''s words enraged him even more. He snapped, "Who are you using of being blind? Don''t you know how to speak properly?"

    "What''s wrong with you? You look like an undesirable person. Are you really a resident of this neighborhood? Are you here to steal things?" Gloria asked. Suddenly, she realized something and immediately reached into her pocket. "Where''s my cell phone?"

    "Me? Steal things?" Victor''s face was livid with rage. "Are you here to fake an ident to ckmail me?"

    "Just you wait! If I can''t find my cell phone, it means you''re the one who stole it! It was still here just now! Stay where you are!" Gloria fumbled about for a while before suddenly finding her cell phone in her trouser pocket.

    Upon seeing the change in her expression, Victor let out a sneer. "Well? Aren''t you going to call the police? Do you want me to lend you my cell phone if you don''t have one?"

    Gloria looked embarrassed.

    Victor shot her a disdainful look before turning around and going upstairs. It just isn''t my day today! he thought to himself. After going upstairs, he took out his keys and unlocked the door. Just as he was about to close the door, an arm suddenly stopped him. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

    Victor flew into a rage when he saw that it was thedy from just now. "Are you done yet? Why are you following me to my house?"

    "Your house? Is this your house?"

    "Surely this isn''t your house even if it isn''t mine, right?"

    Gloria was startled for a moment. She then muttered, "I must have remembered it wrongly. Didn''t Frankie say that Rachel and her grandmother live in Unit 201?"

    Victor was about to close the door at first, but he paused upon hearing Gloria''s words. "Are you looking for Rachel?"

    "Do you know her?" Gloria''s eyes lit up.

    Victor sized her up warily and asked, "What''s your rtionship with her?"

    "Me?" Gloria thought it over for a moment. "You may consider me her sister-inw."

    "Are you Justin''s sister?" Victor blurted.

    "Do you know me?"

    Victor''s face hardened at once. "Get lost at once! Stay as far away from here as possible!" Then, he mmed the door shut right away with a loud bang. When he helped Rachel pack up her belongings, he saw her blood stained divorce agreement, and various news reports of domestic violence shed before his eyes. Moreover, Justin had such a bad reputation, so it wasn''t difficult to imagine what Rachel had suffered.

    The sound of someone banging the door could be heard outside. "Are you done yet?" Victor pulled the door open with an impatient expression.

    Gloria nearly punched him in the face. "Why did you be so hostile all of a sudden? I''m here to look for Miss Rachel, not you! Where is she?"

    "She isn''t here."

    "That''s impossible. She just moved here yesterday!" This time, Gloria was smart enough to prop the door open with her crutches, making Victor unable to close the door. Then, she hopped into his house and yelled as she entered, "Miss Rachel! I know you''re home, Miss Rachel!"

    "Stop yelling! Were you a duck in your previous life?" Victor bellowed to stop Gloria as his head was throbbing because of the noise she made. "Can''t you see that yourself? Rachel has moved away." "Moved away?" Gloria hopped into the room inside to see the belongings packed neatly on the floor. There didn''t seem to be anyone living here. "Where has she moved to?"

    "How would I know that? Rachel left in a hurry without telling me anything. She drove away by herself; anyway, she''s going to leave Riverdale."

    "What?" Gloria''s expression changed. "How could she drive by herself? She''s pregnant!"

    "Pregnant?" Victor''s expression changed as well.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!

    "When did she leave, and in which direction did she head off to?"

    Victor was stupefied. "She left just a moment ago."

    Gloria immediately took out her cell phone and dialed a number. Victor wanted to make a dig at her about her cell phone at first, but he shut up upon seeing her expression. "Justin, Miss Rachel has moved away!"

    On the other end of the line, the person was at the Burton Group''s quarterly summary meeting. As he held his cell phone, Justin slowly clenched hisrge hand with veins pulsing on the back of it. He thought to himself,

    She actually ran away just like that. Who gave her the nerve to do so?

    The expressway was brightly lit with streetmps as night drew in. Rachel pulled up at a rest stop. I''m going to buy some stuff, Grandma. Wait for me inside the car.

    Nancy nodded with a yawn. "Okay. How much longer will it take for us to get there, Rachel? You haven''t told me where we''re going yet."

    Soon. We''ll be there very soon.

    It was easy for an old person to be fatigued by a long journey, and Rachel was worried that Nancy might not be able to bear it. Therefore, she hurried along the way and didn''t dare to waste too much time. She wanted to get off the expressway and find somewhere to take a rest as soon as possible. She didn''t know where she was going, nor did she dare to tell anyone about it. She feared that Justin woulde after her for the baby''s sake, but she was even more afraid that someone with evil intentions might want to kill her to root her out. Without the protection offered by the title of Mrs. Burton, she couldn''t establish herself in Riverdale at all. Not only that, many wanted to kill the baby in her womb. Rachel shuddered at the thought of what Amber had said the other day.

    "Wee. Your total is 103 bucks."

    Rachel walked out of the convenience store with the shopping bags in her hands. Just then, the convenience

    store worker suddenly called out to her from behind, "You forgot your sour plums, miss!"

    Rachel was startled for a moment. As soon as she turned around, her head was suddenly covered from behind with a piece of ck cloth. The next second, everything went pitch-ck before her eyes. "Mmm-"

    Therge shopping bags containing all the stuff she had just bought dropped to the ground, scattering biscuits, milk, and some choctes everywhere. Rachel struggled desperately while attempting to call for help, but she could only let out faint, hoarse cries. Then, as she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, she saw stars and passed out.

 Chapter 126

    Rachel regained consciousness soon afterward. When she came to her senses, she found herself surrounded byplete darkness as her head was still covered with a piece of ck cloth. Meanwhile, her hands and feet were tied as she was thrown into the back seat of a van.

    The van sped along the expressway for a long, long time before finally reaching its destination. "Get her out of the van and into the house."

    Rachel tensed up all over. Right after that, she was carried out of the van by two men. The ck cloth covering her head was pulled off with a swoosh, and a bright pendantmp overhead shone on her eyes. The light was so blinding that she lowered her head and kept averting her eyes, unable to adjust to it for a while.

    "Don''t untie the ropes for her lest she doesn''t stay still."

    "Yes, sir."

    Rachel didn''t even have enough time to see who her abductors were. When she finally adjusted to the light in the room, those people had left, leaving her alone in the spacious living room. As her hands and feet were tied, she sank into the sofa. It was with great difficulty that she turned over and sat up. When she looked around her surroundings, she found this ce somewhat familiar. However, before she could remember which ce this was, the roar of a car engine sounded outside the vi.

    The door opened with a beep. "She''s inside, President Burton."

    Rachel looked up from the sofa, and her heart shuddered violently when she saw the person who entered.

    Dressed in a well-pressed pitch-ck suit, Justin stood at the door and saw Rachel with her hands and feet tied. At the sight of this, his ck eyes were instantly aze with anger. He turned around and gave the man at the door a loud p that resounded around the door. "Who did this?"

    The man was pped so hard that the corner of his mouth bled. As he covered his face with his hand, he shook like a leaf and responded, "President Burton,"

    "President Burton, the ones he brought with him are neers. They didn''t realize it was actually Mrs. Burton," Frankie quickly said in the man''s defense. Then, he red at the group of men. "Can''t you guys do a good job of such a petty thing? Will you bear the responsibility if Mrs. Burton gets hurt?"

    Justin entered the house and locked eyes with the woman sitting on the sofa. The atmosphere was tense for a few seconds as they were locked in a standoff. Then, he untied the ropes on her hands and feet, revealing bruises on her fair skin.

    Frankie hurried to get the first-aid kit.

    "Give it to me."

    "Yes, President Burton."

    At the sound of the door being closed, silence befell the room. Soon enough, Rachel and Justin were the only ones left.

    Justin took out the salve and reached for Rachel''s hand, but she retracted her hand and averted her eyes. He said with a frown, "Amber has information about the Hudson Family''s offshore bank ount. Just set your mind at rest and give birth to the baby. Don''t think about anything else. Once the matter is over, you''ll still be Mrs. Burton."

    However, Rachel remained unmoved.

    As he grew impatient, Justin grabbed her wrist and forcibly applied the salve to her bruises.

    Suddenly, Rachel struggled and pushed him away with all her strength. She tried to run to the door, but unfortunately, she was dragged back and flung onto the sofa before she could even take a step. Justin gripped her cheek. "Where are you going?"

    Rachel''s eyes were red as she stared hard at Justin. She wanted to look for Nancy. He had her abducted from the expressway, but Nancy was still there. Nancy couldn''t drive alone, nor did she know her way around the ce, so Rachel didn''t dare to imagine what would happen to her.

    However, Justin thought Rachel wanted to flee from him. "Don''t make me lose patience with you! Do you think you can simply run away with your grandmother? Don''t you care about the old name named Irwin anymore?"

    What did you do to Grandpa Irwin?

    Justin''s cold eyes darkened. "Guess what will happen to him if anything happens to our baby."

    Rachel''s face turned deathly pale. Why? Why must those around me be put under threat like this one after another? I have never thought of hurting anyone, but why is fate never on my side? Why must be tortured in such a way, so much so that even my friends and rtives have to suffer as well?

    Tears streamed quietly down Rachel''s face before it sshed onto the back of Justin''s hand. His tightly knitted eyebrows twitched, and he unconsciously rxed his grip on her. After a moment, he let go of the woman. "You will stay here from today onward until you give birth to the baby."Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

    Rachely prone on the sofa and coughed with her hand clutching her throat. Will you let me go after I give birth to the baby? She no longer wanted to get involved in the conflict between the Burton Family and the Hudson Family, nor did she want to continue being a part of the divorce-and-remarriage drama. Right now, she just wanted to leave Riverdale and stay out of trouble with her grandmother. Since Justin wanted the baby, she would give him the baby. In fact, she didn''t want the baby anymore.

    Justin''s face darkened at once. She''s still bent on leaving! he thought to himself.

    Just then, amotion was heard from the outside. "What''s the matter?" Justin yelled impatiently toward the door.

    Frankie hurriedly pushed the door open and entered. "President Burton, they caught someone sneaking around outside." "Who is it? Bring him in."

    Several bodyguards came in while twisting a young man''s arms. "Let go of me! I can walk by myself!" The blond-haired young man''s ck T-shirt was stained with mud, and his ripped jeans had been washed multiple times; one could no longer tell its original color. Even though anyone could tell at a nce that this slovenly young man was unlearned and incapable, he looked unruly and rebellious with a fearless expression while being held down by the bodyguards.

    Rachel''s expression changed at the sight of him.

    "Are you all right, Rachel?"

    "Shut up and behave yourself!" A bodyguard kicked the young man in the back of his knee.

    The young man fell to his knees with a muffled moan. Rachel quickly went over to him anxiously, but she was stopped by Justin.

    "What are you doing? Let go of Rachel!" The young man still looked ferocious as he kneeled on the ground.

    "Do you know each other?" Justin shot a nce at Rachel.

    He is innocent! Rachel responded. Then, she quickly gestured to the young man. What are you doing here?

    However, Victor couldn''t understand signnguage, and he thought Rachel was asking him for help. "Don''t worry, Rachel. I''ll get you out of this ce. What an isshole! When I get out of here, I will sue him unti he

    spends the rest of his life in prison for imprisoning you illegally!"

    Just then, Frankie hurriedly trotted to Justin''s side and whispered something to him.

    Justin shot a cold nce at the young man. "Are you Victor Wade?"

    Victor frowned. "Do you know me?"

    "Since you''re already here, just stay here and keep Rachelpany."

    "Why should I stay just because you''re telling me to?"

    "I heard that your only family member is your senile grandmother, right?"

    "What do you want to do?!" Victor''s expression changed. He began to struggle, only to be pinned fiercely to the ground by the bodyguards. With his cheek pressed against the floor, he red furiously at Justin. "Whatever you want to do, direct it at me. If you dare to touch my Grandma, I''ll kill you and your entire family!"

    Rachel''s face instantly turned as white as a sheet, and she staggered to Victor''s side to cover his mouth. "Mmmm! Rachel, let go... Mmm..."

    Justin responded, "Why don''t you ask Rachel if I have the guts to touch your grandmother? Just behave yourself and stay here. Don''t y any tricks. Otherwise, it''s easy to make a person vanish in Riverdale." After finishing his sentence, he shot a nce at Rachel and strode off.

    Justin''s voice continued to reverberate throughout the room. Rachel''s hands and feet were as cold as ice, and her arms were trembling as she helped Victor up. She thought to herself, His words are directed at both Victor and myself.

 Chapter 127

    Once Justin left, Rachel helped Victor up from the ground.

    "I''m fine, Rachel. Are you good?"

    As she shook her head, her eyes remained dull.

    ''I''m sorry for getting you involved!

    "Justin''s simply not human! How could he do that to you? You have a child inside of you!"

    Rachel peered at him in shock. ''How did you know?''

    "Well, it''s a long story. I only knew Justin wasing for you thanks to that crippleddy."

    That crippleddy?

    Victor exined the entire incident to Rachel, to which she finally understood what went down.

    "She imed to be Justin''s sister, and she acted in such an overbearing manner the entire time. She''s just like Justin, for both of them are very difficult to interact with. After I got to know about it, I hid in the Burton Group''s parking lot the entire evening. When Justin finally showed up, I followed his car all the way here, and that''s how I found you. Don''t worry, Rachel-I''ll take you with me tonight."

    However, Rachel shook her head and brushed the grass off his clothes.

    ''We can''t leave just yet.''

    "Although they look tough, there''s no way they''ll be guarding the ce the entire night. I''m certain that we''ll find a way out!"

    Victor was pretty confident with his deduction.

    As she peered out of the living room''s window, Rachel saw three to five bodyguards standing in a disorganized manner outside. They looked into the house from time to time and safeguarded every entrance and exit

    s, Victor is only a young boy.

    As expected, while Victor was on guard in the living room for the entire night, the gang outside stayed around for the same amount of time. When dawn came, he was letting out continuous yawns as his eyes reddened while new batches of guards arrived for the next shift.

    "F*ck!"

    He clenched his fists and uttered, "These b*stards!"

    When the sun rose, Frankie sent a maid over.

    Victor quickly recognized him, and he asked vigntly, "Why are you here? Where''s Justin?"

    Since he had no intention of debating with the kid, Frankie simply signaled for the maid to do her job.

    "This is Madam Mary. She''ll be responsible for taking care of Mrs. Burton from now on."

    However, Victor did not give up and continued, "Do you intend on locking Rachel up in this sh*thole?"

    "This is entirely for Mrs. Burton''s safety."

    "What a load of crap! Do you lock a prisoner up for their own safety?"

    Upon seeing how Victor was significantly dumber, Frankie realized that he couldn''t be reasoned with, yet he

    could do nothing to send him out of the house.

    Just then, he suddenly remembered the young master''s order and ced a few books on the table. "If you have nothing better to do, you can read these."

    "What are these?"

    "These are books on signnguage. It''ll help youmunicate better with Mrs. Burton."

    "You think I''d need a lesson from you guys? Why should you care how Imunicate with Rachel?"

    "Well, it''s entirely up to you!"

    Frankie couldn''t be bothered with such nonsense, and he nced upstairs. He knew that Rachel was already awake but refused toe downstairs, so he shouted, "Mrs. Burton!"

    "Do give me a call if you need anything, Mrs. Burton. Mr. Burton wille whenever he''s free."

    However, he received no response from upstairs.

    Victor crossed his arms and scoffed, "Seems like you''ve been ignored, you imbecile."

    Frankie shot him a warning nce and said, "Here''s a friendly reminder-don''t try anything stupid, and don''t even think of escaping with Mrs. Burton. Otherwise, she''ll meet the same agonizing fate as you.ˇ± At once, Victor charged toward the door and yelled, "You''d better run, you spineless scum!"

    Once Frankie left, the door from upstairs could be heard being pushed open.

    "Rachel!"

    After he rushed up the staircase with big strides, Victor went to support Rachel. "You''re awake."

    Her face seemed pretty messed up with the pair of dark circles around her eyes.

    ''Help me, Victor

    "What is it?"

    I need to know how Grandma is. Can you go check on her for me?''

    "Okay, I''ll go right now."

    After taking a few steps, Victor turned around and asked, "Will you be fine here alone, Rachel?"

    I''ll be fine!

    Upon being reminded of her grandmother''s condition, Rachel couldn''t sleep well the entire night. After all, her grandmother''s health was one of her biggest concerns. "I''ll be back as soon as possible."

    When Victor walked out the door, the guards didn''t care to look at him as their assignment was to keep Rachel under their watch, so Victor''s departure was rather smooth.

    At Tran-Q, Gloria held her cane and pushed the servants that were trying to help her away. "I don''t need your help. I can walk just fine by myself. Where''s Justin? I need to talk to him." "Your leg has yet to fully recover, Miss Hochmann. Mr. Burton has specifically ordered for you to stay put in your bed."

    "Stay put? What makes you think I can do that? Get me discharged by today!"

    As she spoke, she pulled the door open and exited the ward.

    However, she carelessly bumped into Julian and staggered as thetter dropped a stack of books in his arms.

    In a sh, all the magazines and newspapers scattered on the floor.

    "I''m sorry, Dr. Peters."

    As she was about to help him pick up the books, the cast on her leg hindered her from squatting down.

    "It''s fine." Julian stopped her and proceeded to pick them up.

    Gloria initially wanted to express her apology, but she was distracted by the headline in the newspaper that was on the floor. Instantly, she frowned and asked, "What is this?"

    After picking up his magazines, Julian followed her line of sight and answered, "That''s today''s news. Don''t you know about it?"

    At once, she grabbed the newspaper.

    ''JUSTIN BURTON, PRESIDENT OF BURTON GROUP AND AMBER HUDSON, FACE OF HUDSON PHARMACEUTICALS TO BE ENGAGED THIS WEEK. ALLIANCE OF THE CENTURY...This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    As if the gargantuan font size wasn''t enough, the editor of the paper had to bold the texts as well.

    Gloria was shocked by the news, and she frowned even more bitterly. "Is he really getting engaged to Amber? Let me call him."

    As she stood in front of Julian, Gloria dialed Justin''s number on her phone.

    "The number you have dialed is unavable..."

    On the other hand, Julian had anticipated the missed call. He revealed a calm face with an underlying hint of anger. "I''ve been trying to call him these few days, but he hasn''t picked up once. It seems like he''s not going to exin anything to me as well."

    "No way. I have to talk to him! He''s not the unfaithful man he appears to be. He even got Rachel pregnant!"

    As she finished speaking, Gloria clutched her phone with a heavy expression. "I''ll go and find him!"

    Watching as she furiously walked away, Julian stood still, experiencing countless mixed feelings in his heart.

    At that very moment, he realized that he could never bring change to the world as if a person''s destiny was solidified at the beginning of their life. How Justin was always protecting Gloria; how Rachel was always bullied since she was a kid, and the boastfulness of Tina and Amber.

    All of a sudden, he received a call from a foreign number.

    "Hello?"

    "I''ve given it some thought. There are still some things that need to be taken care of, though. I''ll go as soon as I''m done with them."

    Riverdale was no longer what it used to be.

    "Here are some antivirals, Mrs. Burton. Do consume them before each meal."

    As she stared at the bowl of ebony, medicinal soup in front of her, Rachel chugged them down without any

    questions.

    While the bitterness quickly lingered in her throat, the smell from her exhtion almost made her throw up. Nheless, she was able to endure it and swallowed everything down.

    "Please enjoy your meal. I''ll go and clean up the ce."

    Except for Rachel and her food, the dining room became hollow.

    Meanwhile, apanying her was the news that was being broadcast on TV.

    "Yesterday, Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals announced that Justin Burton, the President of Burton Group, has proposed to Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' Amber Hudson!" Upon hearing that, Rachel jerked her neck and swiftly lifted her head, peering at the TV as her face turned pale.

 Chapter 128

    When Victor finally returned, the sky was already pitch ck.

    "Grandma is fine, Rachel."

    Upon entering the house, he ryed everything to her and said, "While you were being sent herest night, they picked Grandma up and brought her back to her ce as well."

    Rachel, who was sitting at the dining table, regained her senses after being stunned for a few seconds.

    ''That''s good to hear.''

    "I''ve done what you told me to do, Rachel. I told Grandma that you got into a fight with Justin, but you''re currently resting at home right now and can''t go visit her for the time being. Grandma bought it and had me bring some fish soup to you."

    As he spoke, he ced the thermal container on the dining table. "Come and have some while it''s still hot."

    However, Rachel simply pursed her lips. She seemed to be rather exhausted.

    ''I don''t have the appetite. Why don''t you eat up instead, and I''ll go get some rest!

    After grabbing her phone, she walked out of the dining room.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Victor watched her leaving back, and he couldn''t stop worrying.

    "What''s wrong with Rachel, Madam Mary?"

    As she grabbed a new pair of cutlery, Madam Mary shook her head and replied, "I have no idea. She looked fine earlier."

    From the corner of his eyes, Victor nced at the remote control on the dining table as he thought about it.

    After returning to her room, Rachel never showed herself again.

    Later on, Madam Mary prepared a ss of hot milk and went upstairs. She knocked on her door, but there wasn''t any response. "I''ming in, Mrs. Burton."

    "Aaaaah!"

    Upon hearing the shriek from the second floor, Victor sprung up from his seat at the dining table and stormed upstairs in a sh.

    Rachel was sitting on the carpet, and her bottoms were full of blood.

    "Rachel!"

    "Hurry up and call Mr. Burton!"

    Madam Mary had fast reflexes, and she quickly said, "This is a sign of a miscarriage. The baby is doomed if we dy any further!" "Get the phone. Where''s the phone?"

    Victor searched for his phone anxiously. "I don''t have that b*stard''s phone number!"

    "I have it. Let me, let me."

    Meanwhile, Justin was having dinner with Amber.

    "Justin, now that the entire Riverdale knows about our engagement, even my father cannot do anything about it even though he''s against it."

    Justin answered curtly, "Mr. Hudson was nning to send you abroad. What''s going to happen to the business over there if you stay here?"

    "Nothing. There''s no business over there except for some minor things that my dad doesn''t want any outsiders to handle, so I''ll have to visit there once or twice every year. It''s not like I''ll have to stay there for extended periods."

    "Is that so? Will you be going this year as well?"

    "Yeah."

    "When are you going? Give me an estimate."

    Upon hearing that, Amber was visibly skeptical as she studied his face. "Why are you asking me all this,

    Justin?"

    He maintained the same expression and exined, "Didn''t you say that you wanted an engagement ceremony? I''m just fearing that your trip might sh with our engagement ns."

    Amber was overjoyed upon hearing his words. "Are you serious?"

    "Of course I''m being serious. As long as you like it, I''ll do anything to make you happy."

    "You''re so nice to me, Justin."

    Just as he was about to ask something else, his pocket started vibrating.

    "Hello?"

    "Mr. Burton, Mrs. Burton is bleeding profusely, and the child may be at great risk. Where are you? There''s no hospital nearby."

    At once, Justin''s eyes sank.

    "What happened?" Amber''s concerned tone came from across the table.

    However, Justin regained his senses and answered, "It''s nothing."

    "Hello? Mr. Burton?"

    After yelling at the phone for a long time, Madam Mary realized that the call had already been disconnected.

    As Victor helped Rachel up, he was enraged and growled, "What did Justin say?"

    "He hung up on me..."

    "What the f*ck? That motherf*cker!"

    Just then, Rachel made a sudden movement in his arms as she clutched his sleeves.

    "Rachel!"

    Julian

    She wrote the name in Victor''s palm.

    "Julian? Dr. Peters?" He quickly acknowledged her message. "I''ll call him right away!"

    Since it was already gettingte at night, Julian put everything he was doing on hold and rushed to the house from the hospital. His heart palpitated at the sight of Rachel''s worn-out body after she had been bleeding out profusely.

    "What happened?"

    "I don''t know either..."

    "Forget I asked. Please get out. I need to stop her bleeding."

    After hauling Madam Mary and Victor out of the room, Julian helped Rachel stop the bleeding and disinfected her wounds.

    As the hemostat crashed into other medical tools, it produced a cold nk.

    Rachel grabbed his arm and moved her light-toned lips, but she couldn''t make a sound.

    Upon seeing that, Julianforted her by saying, "It''s okay. Everything will be fine once I stop the bleeding. It''s okay..."

    Then, Rachel loosened her hand as tears started falling from the corner of her eyes, moistening her pillow.

    When she remembered how Justin wanted to keep the child and insisted that she stay by his side, all the while telling her that his rtionship with Amber was merely a facade, yet he was nowhere to be found

    at

    such a critical moment.

    How did I let a man like this be the father of my child?

    As the anesthesia was dyed, the tingle in her abdomen quickly numbed her.

    In that instant, nothing orderly was in her mind.

    She couldn''t figure out how she had led her life into such a situation.

    All the possibilities in life, yet she managed to find herself in the abyss, unable to crawl out of the darkness. Instead, she found herself sinking even deeper into it.

    Soon, the sound of a car engine was hearding from the yard.

    Upon seeing Justin''s arrival, Victor bellowed, "I thought you''d forgotten about Rachel."

    Before he could approach Justin, thetter''s bodyguard caught him.

    Victor struggled as he shouted, "Let go of me! All you shameful dogs, does it feed your pride suppressing a pregnant woman?"

    Disregarding the young man, Justin went straight upstairs.

    Just as he got upstairs, Julian came out of the room with a dull face.

    "How is she?"

    "The situation is bad."

    After shutting the door, Julian revealed a scowl. "She''ll need a better bed to rest in. If this happens again, the child will be gone for good."

    At once, Justin tensed his brows.

    "I can''tprehend how you''re able to neglect and hurt her so heartlessly simply for the sake of business, money, and influence. She''s forgiven you countless times, yet you constantly cross the line again and again. Do you realize what you''re doing?"

    Julian continued in a more solemn voice, "You''re getting engaged to Amber while you lock her up in here. You''re forcing her to be the third wheel in your rtionship. Have you ever considered how she actually feels

    about the situation?"

    Based on what he knew about Rachel, this was much more agonizing than being murdered.

    While her pride was downright shattered, the boundaries of morality had gone over her head. How could anyone not be worried about her?

    In response, Justin uttered, "There are some things you don''t understand. I''ll exin everything to her."

    "Indeed. There are many things that I do not understand."

    After grabbing his first aid kit, he walked toward the staircase. "Nor do I intend to. I''ll be overseas very soon, so it''s best you hire a private physician to tend to her. Otherwise, you''re going to regret it if anything happens again."

    Among the footsteps descending the stairs, Justin twisted the doorknob.

    After pushing the door open. Rachel was seen quietly resting on the bed in the dim light of the room. On the ground was an uncleaned carpet that was stained with her blood; it sent shivers to anyone who saw it, and that included Justin. He was dumbfounded at the sight of the carpet.

    When he saw how she had no reaction when he walked in, he assumed that she was asleep.

    Then, he walked to the bed and sat down beside her. After raising his hand in the air for a while, he ced it on her cheek.

    Only if you weren''t Jefferey''s daughter; if you weren''t one of the Hudsons, things wouldn''t have turned out this way...

 Chapter 129

    Rachel''s face was soft and tender to the touch. Although she was pregnant, she was much skinnier than she was before.

    At this moment, the initial cold gaze of the man had a sh of pity in it. His gaze was fixated on her for a very long time, and it seemed that he had no ns to leave.

    The sound of vibrationing from the phone was exceptionally loud and clear in the house.

    After taking a look at the caller ID on the phone, Justin covered the nket over her before leaving with his phone.

    At the sound of the door closing, she opened her eyes. She could hear the sound of a phone call going on from outside the door.

    "Have you gotten home?"

    "Alright, I''ll bring you to try the gowns out tomorrow."

    Lingering in the air was a hint of alcohol from his body.

    After hearing the phone call, she could roughly guess who he met beforeing over.

    At the thought of that, her eyes turned red as tears started cascading down her cheeks.

    Meanwhile, Amber, who was in a car, had a dark face after she hung up the phone.

    From the window of the car, she could clearly see the vehicle parked at the entrance of a vi some distance away.

    Before he finished eating with her, he left saying that he had an emergency. As she had a gut feeling that something was off, she decided to tail him, only to see what she wished she didn''t. Rachel, why are you always in the way?

    At once, Amber''s grip on the car''s steering tightened, and her eyes were clouded by a shade of coldness.

    Julian had told Rachel to rest in bed more. To avoid mishappenings, Mary had cleaned and organized the bedroom on the first floor so that Rachel didn''t have to get off the bed much. Not only that, Rachel was also

    served with all sorts of nutritional supplements every day.

    At this moment, Gloria came to visit with bags of items. Rachel didn''t even know how Gloria knew that she was here.

    "Rae, I''ve brought you some presents!"

    After saying that, she started taking out everything in the paper bag and ced them on the bed. "This is a piece of clothing for the baby. It''s pink and super cute! This is a small dress. Maybe she can wear it when she grows up. Oh, and this! It''s a dinosaur onesie. She can wear it when you want to bring her out during winter. There''s also a baby pram that I left outside!"

    Gloria was showcasing all the items she bought on the bed like she was running a store.

    At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

    Holding a rattle drum, Gloria shed Rachel a smile before saying, "Isn''t this rattle drum adorable? The baby will surely like it."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    With the nket covering over half of her body, she caressed her stomach; herplexion was pale yet peaceful.

    ''How are you so sure that it''s a girl?''

    Everything Gloria bought was for a girl.

    "Call it a gut feeling. I think a girl will be adorable. Justin has such a cold personality, so it''s not the best if you get a son like him. Thus, a girl will be better since she will be as gentle as you are." Hearing that, Rachel forced a smile.

    "What''s going on? Are you opening a boutique?"

    With a bowl of soup in his hands, Victor walked in to see that Gloria had ced a number of goods on the bed. At once, his face turned sour before heined, "Are you here to make a mess? Go along, get out. Don''t disturb Rachel from resting."

    "Who''s here to make a mess? Can''t you see that I''ve bought some stuff for the baby?"

    "All I know is that Rachel can''t use these right now, so you can keep them and scram!"

    "Say that again!"

    Seeing that the situation was getting tense, Rachel quickly tugged on Gloria''s hand before she shook her head at the both of them.

    Upon Rachel''s persuasion, Gloria suppressed her anger as she gave Victor onest re.

    "Rachel, try this chicken soup."

    After he set the small table onto the bed, he ced the bowl down while kicking the bunch of items along with the rattle drum away purposely. The goods that were initially ced on the bed then fell to the ground with some cking noise.

    After witnessing that, Gloria was so angry that she could re a hole into his face. If it wasn''t for Rachel, she might have fought with him head-on.

    ''Alright, you two should cut it out and go eat too.''

    "Rachel, remember to drink the soup. I''lle to pick it up in a bit."

    Nodding her head, she patted Gloria on her hand. ''Alright, go ahead.''

    Though Gloria wasn''t in her most active state since she was in crutches, she didn''t forget to bump into him hard enough to make him stagger. With that, she strode out of the room with satisfaction stered on her face.

    Rubbing his arm, he sucked in a deep breath before he followed suit. "We didn''t prepare your share. You can eat outside if you want to."

    "Do you think you can tell me what to do?"

    At this moment, Gloria sat at the dining table before she spoke in the direction of the kitchen. "Mary, I''d like to have half a bowl of rice."

    Mary was the caretaker who previously took care of Gloria at her apartment. She was meticulously chosen by Frankie from a pool of candidates. Due to the suddenness of this incident, they didn''t manage to find someone suitable, so Mary was lent over to help out for the time being.

    That exined how Gloria knew that Rachel lived here.

    With her teeth gritted, Victor was fuming at this point.

    Rolling her eyes at him, she purposely took a bite of the braised pork right before his eyes as she happily munched on it. "Why? Do you want to bite me? Let me tell you, not only do I want to eat here, I''m even nning to stay here!"

    "What did you just say?"

    "If you have the power, then kick me out of the house. Oh, do you own this house?"

    With a scoff, she continued, "Silly kid, do know your ce. You''re just a maid that''s taking care of Rae. Who do you think you are? You''re the one who should scram!"

    At once, Victor''s face turned pale.

    As her initial n was to get him to walk away, she didn''t expect that his next move would be to pull the chair back and sit down. He didn''t waste any time before picking up the utensils and started to eat at a fast speed, In no time, there were not many pieces of braised pork left.

    "Are you mad? Is there nothing for you to eat after you leave this ce? Why are you stuffing yourself up before you leave?"

    After he finished eating, he wiped his mouth before roaring, "Who said I''m leaving? Let me tell you. I will be here as long as Rachel is here. Don''t even dream that you can make me leave!"

    "Y-You..."

    "What you? You can ask Justin. He told me to stay and read more of these books."

    As he said that, he picked up a book about signnguage and flipped it open to a page that he hadn''t read yet. He then waved it in her face with a triumphant look.

    Pouting her lips, she replied, "Can you even understand its content?"

    As the door of the bedroom wasn''t closed shut, Mary heard themotion outside when she came in to send Rachel some side dishes. With a frown, she offered, "Mrs. Burton, I''ll shut the door for you." It''s okay. Let it be.

    At this moment, the corners of her eye crinkled slightly.

    Listening to Victor and Gloria bickering downstairs, Rachel felt as if the atmosphere of the big house became less lonely

    After Mary left, she fished out her phone to take a look at the recent news.

    All of Riverdale was well informed about the engagement of Justin and Amber. Due to the various news outlet interviews, pictures of the two kepting up.

    After scanning through several pages, she saw a picture of Justin putting on a jacket for Amber. Her pupils shrunk on instinct as she ced her phone face down on the table.

    She didn''t want to look at it anymore.

    After some time, she picked up the spoon before forcing herself to eat the rice, dishes and drink the soup.

    One spoon after another, she filled her mouth with the food that was given to her. At this point, she was struggling to munch and swallow.

    Although her abdomen pain was awful, she had to give birth to the baby and think of a way to leave Riverdale.

    Everything will get better.

    However, she suddenly felt that something was stuck in her throat and she couldn''t even swallow the rice.

    At this moment, she coughed.

    Droplets of tears streamed down her face, falling into the bowl of soup.

 Chapter 130

    After Mary came into the room to tidy the small table, Gloria came in hugging a big box.

    Initially, Rachel was trying to figure out what fancy new toy Gloria brought along; she was surprised to see her taking out an old CD yer to put on the cupboard opposite the bed.

    "The music yed by an old CD yer makes people feel calm and peaceful. I heard from Dr. Peters that you have insomnia, so you can try this out."

    After Gloria inserted a CD into the yer, music with a historical tone started ying out of the speakers.

    Rachel enjoyed it as she felt much more at peace in her heart.

    Taking a seat by her bed, Gloria asked, "How is it?"

    ''Thank you.

    "You don''t have to thank me. I''m not the one who got this. I''m just a runner."

    Hearing that, Rachel was stunned.

    The yer seemed to be an authentic vintage item that wasn''t designed to just look old. Hence, it must be an antique with a hefty price. With that information, she could roughly guess the source of this CD yer.

    ''Turn it off.

    As she typed the three words on her phone, the light in her eyes dimmed.

    Looking at Rachel''s expression, Gloria was caught off guard. "Don''t be like that, his intentions and thoughts are good. It''s not that I want to side with him, but he''s really not a bad person. Though he''s cold on the outside and he may do wrong things at times, he has his reasons."

    As Rachel held onto her phone, her face turned sour.

    She couldn''t ept what Gloria said of him. Rachel only knew that Justin was the one who broke Hans'' leg, captured Grandpa Irwin, and decided to marry Amber. Nobody forced him to do any of that. To put it simply, he was just a possessive scumbag who''d do anything to reap benefits from it.

    "Rachel, do you know how Justin got the scar on his face?"

    ''How did he get it?''

    "His parents died in a car ident, and he was the only one who survived the crash. After that day, the scar was left on his face when he was ten years old. Since then, he had gone through various horrifying experiences like being kidnapped, ckmailed, and human trafficked. The fear from everything that you can or cannot possibly think of has been haunting him for over twenty years and counting. Do you know that he has really bad insomnia? He can only sleep with the help of medication, but he doesn''t take them usually as he is afraid that he''ll end up at a different ce when he wakes up."

    Looking at Gloria dumbfounded, Rachel asked, ''How do you know all these?''

    Taking a deep breath, Gloria replied, "Haven''t you always been curious about how I got to know him?"

    ''Yes.''

    "He was in a fire when he was young. A firefighter sacrificed himself to save him. That firefighter was my father."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel seemed to be more stumped.

    She had never imagined that they had such a rtionship.

    Gloria continued, "I was born on the day my father sacrificed himself. Since then, I lived alone with my mother, but she left when I was three. I became a burden to everyone, living in a rtive''s house for a few days before moving to another. That was when... Justin found me."

    Though Gloria didn''t borate much, Rachel could imagine how dark it was for her back then.

    Before Justin appeared, she was a young girl who couldn''t take care of herself. Not only that, she was pushed away by rtives who didn''t care much for her. It was in painful to even think about it.

    No wonder...

    At that moment, Rachel understood why Gloria relied on him so much. Moreover, it also exined why he treated Gloria with all the love and patience that he had.

    They had salvaged each other when they were in a dark ce; they were a god-like presence to each other.

    At this moment, Gloria''s eyes turned red.

    Rachel quickly held her hand as if telling her with the warmth of her n that everything was over.

    Pursing her lips, Gloria said, "Rachel, I''m fine. After that, he helped me with my tuition fees and sent me to piano sses. I got to do whatever I wanted, and nobody ever bullied me anymore. I''ve be happier, but he still seems to be the same after all these years. Nobody has ever been concerned about his happiness, or if he was well. Everyone only wanted to use him, or sabotage him-including his rtives. He''s actually a good person, but he has to make difficult choices at times because of his position."

    Hearing that, Rachel fell silent.

    Gloria then held her hand. "Rachel, believe me. He''ll be a good father!"

    At this moment, Rachel''s brows furrowed.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Gloria''s gaze seemed so sincere like she wanted Rachel to agree with her.

    Perhaps, she''s right-he will be a good father.

    Meanwhile...

    Justin and his assistant had arrived at the restaurant early. They were waiting for a foreign couple to discuss business with

    At this moment, Frankie spoke up, "Miss Hochmann has settled down in the suburbs. She said that she''s not nning to return to the city for the time being. What do we do-"

    "Let her be. Moreover, her leg injury hasn''t healedpletely. Let her rest and heal her injury well. Have you

    "I''ve already arranged it with the school."

    "Mr. Burton, did you arrange for her to go over on purpose so that there will be someone to keep Mrs. Burtonpany? Though Miss Hochmann may be a little capricious at times, she''s joyful and kind. You must trust Miss Hochmann a lot."

    Hearing that, Justin furrowed his brows. "Why do you have so much to say today?"

    At once, Frankie shed him a smile before shutting his mouth.

    Outside the privately reserved room, Amber was holding her bag as she came over to attend the business discussion with Justin. Coincidentally, she heard the conversation that was going on inside. As such, the smile on her face fell.

    So, he indeed still cares about Rachel.

    Well, she was pregnant after all. No matter what, he had to take care of her.

    But what if the child is gone?

    At the thought of that, a cold look crept up her eyes.

    It was a Saturday with lovely weather.

    Early in the morning, Julian came over to the suburbs to give Rachel a checkup.

    "As I said before, it''s better to stay in bed. Try to not do out-of-bed activities more than an hour a day. Another thing to take note of is to maintain a good mood."

    I''ll keep that in mind!

    At the mention of the word ''mood'', Julian silently let out a sigh.

    A person''s mood was not something one could always control.

    Suddenly, a loud noise came from the outside, and the sound of the piano halted abruptly.

    Victor''s voice could be hearding from the living room as his disgruntled tone was hard to miss. "How many times have I told you to not y the piano here? Are you trying to show off? Rachel needs to rest quietly in a peaceful environment. Do you understand that? You''re so noisy!"

    At once, Gloria rebuked, "Who''s being noisy? Quiet means her heart has to be at peace. You''re the one who doesn''t understand that!"

    "Whatever it is, you''re not allowed to y the piano here anymore!"

    "This is called antenatal training! Do you even understand what that is?"

    "To be trained into someone like you?"

    At this moment, Julian caught hints of a smile at the corners of Rachel''s eyes. He then asked, "It seems that having the two of them around is a good thing."

    While Rachel caressed her abdomen, she leaned against the headboard with a gentle gaze.

    "Gloria is a very kind person. I hope that my child will be like her in the future.''

    "Right, do you know that today..."

    Julian seemed to be hesitant to speak.

    As Rachel''s gaze met his, she asked, ''What happened?''

 Chapter 131

    After hesitating for a moment, Julian said, "Nothing. I just wanted to say that the weather''s good today. I''ll bring you and those two out to have a walk. The air here in Southwind is quite clean."

    "Don''t you have to go back to work?''

    "I''m on leave today."

    Hearing that, she gave him a nod as a smile crept up her eyes.

    The moment Gloria heard that they were going out, she quickly got off the piano and ran to the kitchen to discuss with Mary what food to pack. "Sandwiches, juice, milk... Oh, most importantly, the barbecue stand and the hammock!"

    Victor then sighed with exasperation. "Do you think you''re going on a preschool field trip?"

    The two continued to banter.

    As Julian helped Rachel up, they gave each other a helpless smile.

    Before leaving the house, a few bodyguards that Justin had assigned blocked Rachel from going out.

    At once, Gloria said with annoyance, "What are you doing?"

    "Miss Hochmann, Mr. Burton ordered that Mrs. Burton must not leave the premises."

    "We''ll be back at night. Just let it slide this time."

    "We can''t do that. Miss Hochmann, please don''t make things difficult for us."

    Turning back to take a look at Rachel, Gloria saw her face slowly darken.

    ''It''s alright, Gloria. We don''t have to go!

    "No way!"

    With a dark face, Gloria said, "Rae, give me a moment."

    After saying that, she immediately walked away to make a phone call.

    "Hello? It''s me."

    The one who picked up the call was Frankie. "Miss Hochmann? What can I help you with?"

    After hearing what Gloria said, Frankie quickly headed to the ballroom to find Justin. "Mr. Burton, Miss Hochmann has called."

    Today, Justin donned a white suit which he rarely did. Compared to a ck suit, the white suit toned down his angsty evil aura of his. He seemed much more peaceful in white.

    At this moment, a lot of people were crowding the ballroom as they were all here to attend the engagement party of him and Amber.

    "What is it?"

    "Miss Hochmann said that Dr. Peters is with them today. They wanted to bring Mrs. Burton out, but they were stopped by Winston and the others."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    As Justin frowned, he noticed someone making their way toward him as they held their dress. He then said with a deep tone, "Just have them tag along."

    "Okay."

    Immediately, Frankie left with the phone.

    The person who came to Justin was none other than Amber. She was wearing a long gown in light pink, "Why is Frankie in such a hurry? Did something happen?" "Nothing. It''s just work. Let''s go."

    unenthusiastic. Hence, she decided to follow him with a frown.

    As she walked, she asked the person by her side sotto voce, "How''s the n going?"

    "Don''t worry, the people are already prepared."

    Southwind Vi was close to several scenic areas that were less crowded in Riverdale. They were surrounded by forests and a bigke.

    Julian led Rachel and the others to the side of theke toy out the pic mat while Victor was in charge of the barbecue. Though Gloria still had a cast on one of her legs and had to rely on a crutch to support her, she still managed to set up the hammock between two trees.

    Seeing that, Victor couldn''t help butment, "You''re still very active despite being disabled."

    At once, she rolled her eyes at him. "Do you have nothing else to say?"

    As Rachel was sitting on the foldable chair, Julian brought a woolen nket over to cover her. "Are you cold?"

    She shook her head in response. At this moment, she was facing theke that had small ripples on its surface.

    As it was autumn, there were fallen leaves all over the hill. The scenery was really magnificent.

    "Drink some water."

    Thank you.

    Standing by her side, he asked, "When the child is born, what are your ns?"

    Taking a nce at Gloria and Victor, she hummed before she made a hand sign saying, ''Probably leave Riverdale

    Her reply caught him off guard. Then, his gaze transferred to the few bodyguards who were standing nearby. and he understood.

    "I understand."

    Riverdale was a ce that brought her too much pain. If she could leave, it would be good for her.

    Undeniably, Gloria and Victor''s presence had added joy to the one-day trip. After a rxing day outside, they returned home by night time.

    After dinner, Julian left only after seeing Rachel rest.

    "Dr. Peters," Gloria called out as she limped out of the house with a crutch. "Thank you for today."

    "What are you thanking me for?"

    "You chose toe today for a reason, right?"

    Looking back at the well-lit bedroom, Gloria continued, "I didn''t know what to do today. I was afraid that I''d say the wrong things and upset Rachel. Thankfully, you came." Hearing that, he replied, "She''s much stronger than we think."

    The news of Justin and Amber''s engagement today was far-spread across Riverdale. There was no chance that Rachel was oblivious of it.

    Despite that, she went along with them to have fun outside today. They went out and came back in a happy mood, and Rachel didn''t act anything out of normal.

    "Go back. I''ll take my leave first. You can call me anytime if anythinges up."

    "Sure. Drive safe, Dr. Peters."

    After seeing his car leave thepound, she headed back into the house.

    At this moment, Victor was making a gesture facing the tea table. A signnguage book was on the table.

    "You got it wrong." Gloria rolled her eyes as she limped her way to the seat opposite Victor. "At the speed you''re going, you''ll never learn signnguage in this life."

    "You know this?" He got angry because of her insults. "Show me then if you know it."

    "Why would I want to learn this? I just have to understand it."

    At once, he was stunned as realization dawned upon him.

    That''s true. I just have to understand it. I don''t have to learn how to do it myself.

    "Silly. You can have fun learning. I''ll go find Rachel."

    "Don''t keep her up too long. Let her rest early today."

    "Okay!"

    Looking at Gloria''s figure walking away, he felt that he no longer felt as repulsed as he initially did with her.

    The night was getting darker.

    Victor was reading a book alone in the living room. From time to time, he''d take a nce at the bedroom. It''s been so long since Gloria has gone in. Why do women have so much to talk about? After some time, a sharp scream came from the bedroom.

    "Who are you?"

    "Help!"

    Immediately, Victor tossed the book and rushed inside.

    In the bedroom, Gloria was held captive by two men in ck, while Rachel had fallen off the bed. At this moment, a ck shadow holding a shiny metal stick was closing in on her. Without hesitation, Victor rushed forward.

    Nevertheless, the opponent seemed to be very well-trained. It didn''t take long before Victor was defeated.

    "No!"

    Holding onto the heels of the opponent''s leg, Victor gave his all so that the opponent wouldn''t be able to reach Rachel.

    "Rachel, run!"

    "You don''t know when to stop, huh?!" With a hard stomp, the man in ck stepped on Victor''s finger, and a crisp sound of bone cracking was exceptionally loud and clear to the ears.

    At once, Rachel''s pupils contracted in fear. As much as she wanted to scream, she couldn''t. Backing up to the corner of the room, she looked at the ck shadow who stood before her in fear. At this moment, her face turnedpletely pale.

    The bodyguard who should be guarding the house was nowhere to be seen. The three men in ck must have entered from the window on the first floor. The moment they breached in, they apprehended Gloria who started yelling

    At this moment, Gloria''s mouth was covered, and her eyes were red as she was anxious.

    Rachel didn''t have the ability to even yell.

    The metal stick that was swung at her shed a gleam of cold light. Keeping her eyes shut, she felt the pain that followed the next moment.

 Chapter 132

    Julian was driving back to the city from the suburbs. Not long after he exited thepound, he saw a malicious-looking man on the passenger''s seat of a van that passed him by.

    At first, he didn''t pay heed to it, but he started feeling uneasy after he went on for some distance.

    All the people in the van wore ck. What could their business in the suburbs be at midnight?

    "Pardon, the number that you have dialed cannot be reached. Please call..."

    Both Victor and Gloria couldn''t be reached by their phones.

    At once, he made a U-turn and headed back toward the vi.

    By the time he arrived, the vi was in a mess.

    The bodyguards were on the ground, defeated and in pain. Rushing into the bedroom, he was met with a sight of Gloria and Victor passed out on the floor, and Rachel sitting in a pool of blood at the corner of the room.

    "Rachel!"

    The lights on the operating table were bright and blinding.

    The sound of machines colliding rang in her ears, yet she was still too weak to open her eyes. She could only hear the sound of the doctor and nurses speaking by her side.

    The moment her body was cut open, the pain that she initially felt numb to suddenly soared once again. The stimtion to her pain-receptor nerves was so unbearable she was about to pass out.

    At this moment, she felt like she was diving into an abyss. Every time she felt like she was about to drown and die, she would get a breath of air only to drown again.

    It went on and on.

    By the time Justin rushed to the hospital, it was already the wee hours of the next day.

    "How is she?"

    He held onto Julian hastily.

    With an expressionless face, Julian told him, "This child is gone."

    The four words were like a hammer that was mmed down on Justin''s heart.

    The look in his eyes wavered as he staggered a few steps back. Leaning against the wall, he was in utter disbelief.

    "Who did this?"

    After Julian heard that, his face turned dark. "You should ask yourself!"

    After all, it was clear whose position was threatened by the very existence of the child.

    The next day, when Rachel regained consciousness, it was already noon.

    When she opened her eyes, she could see Justin by her bedside. With that, she was surprised. Out of instinct, she wanted to move her hand, but she realized that he was holding onto it. He must''ve held it for some time because it felt a little numb.

    It didn''t take long before he woke up. As their eyes met the atmosphere felt stoic and stagnate.

    "You''re awake? How do you feel? Do you feel difort anywhere?"

    Leaning on the pillow, she couldn''t reply with her hand held.

    It was only then that he let go of her hand.

    A red mark could be seen from where he held onto her.

    Why are you here?

    After asking that, she realized that the surrounding wasn''t the vi in the suburbs. Why am I here?

    The hospital?

    At this moment, the immense pain from her lower body surged through her body, making her pupils contract. She looked toward him and signed, What happened to me?

    His cold face seemed tense. Needless to say, he didn''t know how to break it to her.

    After a moment, he looked into her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "Rae, we can still have kids in the future."

    Her face turned pale in a split second.

    Her memory of the previous night gushed into her head at once.

    Those men in ck who appeared suddenly, Victor and Gloria who were on the ground, the stick that was

    "Ah!"

    Pushing him away with the strength she could muster, she hugged her head as she retreated to the corner of her bed in fear. "Rae!" He had never seen her like this.

    Her head was filled with dreadful memories fromst night, and she couldn''t seem to shut them off.

    The child is gone.

    The baby must be mad because she once had the thoughts of letting him go, so the baby left... Mommy is sorry...

    "Rae!"

    "Ah!"

    As Justin attempted to go closer, she kept on yelling in a hoarse voice. Throwing all the pillows off the bed, she was yelling with all her might.

    It didn''t take long before Julian came. Looking at the situation in the ward, he quickly pulled Justin away. "Head outside for now."

    At this moment, she was sitting in a corner with her knees hugged to her chest. Her shoulders were trembling a lot, and her eyes were already swollen from how hard she cried. Justin stood afar while watching Julian walk toward her before holding her hand.

    At first, she retracted her hand, but she no longer resisted when she saw that it was Julian. She then let him pull herself into his embrace as she cried her heart out in his chest.

    His heart broke for her as he gave her consoling pats on her back. "It''s alright, it will pass. It has already passed."

    This scene was exceptionally ufortable for Justin to see.

    After a moment, he clenched his fists before exiting the room with a dark face.

    "Mr. Burton." Frankie was waiting outside the ward.

    "Have you gotten anything from the investigation of what happenedst night? Who did it?"

    "No. The bunch of people had their faces covered. Their tactics were cruel. All cameras nearby were destroyed, so there was very limited footage of them. Winston and the others had also suffered bad injuries."

    "How''s Gloria?"

    "Miss Hochmann is alright. They seem to have gone easy on her. Other than being frightened, she only had a very mild abrasion. However, Victor was hurt pretty badly. His left arm was fractured."

    Gloria wasn''t hurt?

    A bunch of cruel men unexpectedly let someone off... If it wasn''t for very specific instructions, they would definitely not leave anyone out.

    He already had an idea of the mastermind behind this.

    With a frown, he said, "Arrange the best doctor for her treatment."

    "Yes, I understand."

    "Oh yes, Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson called multiple times this morning asking where you were."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    After he heard that, the frowns on his forehead deepened as his eyes gleamed with a cold light.

    After getting knocked out from crying a very long time, Julian helped Rachel up to get back to bed and rest.

    "Don''t think too much. Take your time to let your body heal. Everything will get better."

    Pulling the nket over her, he patted her shoulder to get her to sleep.

    Rachel''s eyes were red and swollen at this point. You said this many times already.

    He kept saying that everything will get better, but her life kept going downhill. Every time she felt that she was at her lowest, it only got worse. It felt like an abyss that had no end to it. After falling so deep, did she even have the chance to rise back again?

    Julian kept quiet for a moment. After some time, he asked, "If there''s a chance, will you go overseas with me and live there?"

    Rachel was stunned to hear that.

    After a brief pause, she shook her head.

    She still had to take care of her grandma. After all, her grandma was getting older, and she might not get used to living overseas. She couldn''t possibly leave Nancy here alone and escape overseas. Knowing that it was difficult for her, he felt bad, but he couldn''t do anything to help. He then pulled the corner of the nket as he said, "Rest well."

    The moment she closed her eyes, she could see the scene of the nightmare that happenedst night.

    Although no one told her what exactly happened, she could take a smart guess on the person who instructed the killing of her unborn child.

    It''s Amber Hudson. It must be her.

    She was the only one who dreaded Rachel''s unborn child. Only Amber would be d that the child was gone.

 Chapter 133

    Back in the Burton Residence, Sue specially prepared a scrumptious meal and waited with Amber for Justin to be back for dinner.

    "Amber, we''re a family from now on. Although you guys are just engaged, the marriage date has already been decided. So, you''ll marry into our family very soon."

    "Madam Parham, this matter is not finalized yet." Amber blushed.

    Just then, she heard the sound of the door opening from the outside and quicklyid down her cutleries. "Justin."

    Sue walked up too. "Justin, see how virtuous Amber is. It''s only the second day of your engagement and she came over to arrange a meal which consists of all your favorite dishes." Justin wore a cold and nonchnt expression. "I''ve eaten already. You guys go ahead."

    At once, the smile on Amber''s face froze.

    Sueforted her, "It''s okay. Maybe Justin had dinner with his clients earlier. Don''t bother about him, Amber. Let''s eat on our own."

    Sue invited Amber to the dining table, but thetter hadpletely lost her appetite because she was well aware of where Justin came back from.

    Julian ced his keys on the table. "No one will be staying here for a while. So, you can stay here first and let me know if you need anything."

    Rachel nodded. Thank you.

    Initially, Julian rented this ce for Nancy to live in. At that time, Nancy turned it down lest Justin would be unhappy about it. Who knew after the efforts of trying to find the ce a new owner, Julian would be staying in it himself.

    "Do you still have no intention of telling Madam Tiller about this matter? If you tell her now, you can directly move in to stay with her."

    Rachel shook her head. Grandma is already old. Too many things have happened recently, and I don''t want her to be worried about me. Julian nodded reflectively.

    "Settle down here and stop worrying too much then. This ce is close to both the hospital and Madam

    Tiller''s residence."

    Sure. Thank you, Julian.

    "The Burton Family has done you wrong. I''m also doing this so that I''ll feel less guilty."

    Suddenly, Julian recalled something. "But I don''t understand why Justin insists on marrying the Hudsons'' daughters. Is he not satisfied after marrying you? Why does he want to marry Amber all of a sudden? What on earth is he thinking?"

    There are grudges between him and Jefferey.

    "Grudges?"

    Julian frowned. "Do you know what the grudges are exactly?"

    I''m not too sure either. He has not told me before.

    Rachel''s palm reddened as she held the hot mug. Amber is the one whom he wants to marry since the beginning, so he''s just returning to his original n now.

    Now that they had lost their child, the final connection between her and Justin had ceased too. Regardless of the reason behind Justin''s n to marry Amber, his wish could finally be fulfilled now; it was time for Rachel to let go of herself too.

    It was already midnight, but the light in Burton Group''s CEO office was still on.

    "President Burton, these are the documents about Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' overseas transactions in the past three years which you''ve requested. Besides that, here is the information about Miss Hudson''s immigration record."

    "Alright. Is there any news about Jefferey recently?"

    "He has been reducing domestic investments but is rather diplomatic with the overseas party. Do you think he''s nning to expand the business abroad?"

    "Things might not be so simple." Justin''s eyes turned cold. "I reckon he''s rushing to transfer the assets to a secret ount abroad because he knows the investigation bureau is investigating Hudson Pharmaceuticals and he won''t be able to conceal the truth for much longer, so he''s finding a way out for himself now."

    "It seems like Jefferey is going abroad for some business engagement at the end of this month."

    "He''s going there personally?"

    "Yeah. I got this news from our spy in Hudson Pharmaceuticals, so it should be reliable."

    Justin pondered about it. "The officers in the investigation bureau would be happy to receive this news."

    "Find a chance to inform the deputy chief, but leave no trace."

    "Janice Hawkins?"

    "Yes."

    Justin''s n was to leverage Janice''s power to attack Jefferey. Since Janice was currently investigating Hudson Pharmaceuticals, she would definitely want to detain Jefferey in the country, or even Riverdale, at all cost and not give him any chance to escape.

    Frankie took a look at the time. "It''s gettingte, President Burton. Aren''t you going home to rest yet?"

    "You go ahead. I''ll stay on for a while more."

    Frankie still wanted to say something, but seeing that Justin had already started reading the documents, he bit his tongue.

    Recently, Justin had always been working overtime in the office and rarely returned home.

    If this continued, his health would deteriorate.

    After Frankie left, Justin received a call.

    "Hello?"

    Julian''s voice came forth from the other end. "Rest assured. She has already settled down. My ce is rather safe and the security guards won''t easily allow strangers to enter, and it''s close to the police station."

    "Thanks."

    "Hey, Justin." Julian knew Justin was about to hang up the call, so he quickly called out to him. "Since you

    care about her so much, why don''t you go and apany her? You know she has not been in a good state recently, both mentally and physically."

    Justin furrowed his brows and kept quiet for a moment before hanging up the call.

    A weekter, the news of Hudson Pharmaceuticals producing counterfeit drugs was exposed again. A few of the subsidiaries had been seized by the investigation bureau, and even Jefferey was ''invited to the police station for interrogation.

    Given this situation, Amber actually didn''t seek help from Justin but secretly went abroad.

    "Have you sent someone to tail her?

    "Yes, everything has been arranged ordingly. Our man is on the same flight as her and will track her at all times."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    "Keep me updated if there''s any news."

    "Yes, President Burton. Where would you like to go now?"

    Justin''s eyes were filled with coldness as he sat in the backseat. "To the hospital."

    Autumn was an extraordinarily sentimental season. In Riverdale, the leaves of the phoenix trees along the streets had turned yellow and were gradually blown off the tree by the wind as the cars passed by.

    In Tran-Q, after sorting out the garbage, Rachel was spraying disinfectant in the corridor.

    Suddenly, a tall man who was wearing ck, shiny leather shoes, appeared in front of her.

    "Who asked you to do all these?"

    A gloomy voice emerged from above Rachel. At this moment, anger spread across Justin''s face.

    Rachel was wearing a mask and dressed in the hospital''s cleaner uniform with a volunteer vest. She had taken the initiative to be a volunteer in the hospital and this was her second day at work. Seeing Justin, Rachel frowned. This is none of your business. Please step aside.

    Blood-boiled, Justin grabbed Rachel''s wrist and dragged her to the stairway, disregarding her struggles. "Why do you have to embarrass yourself while you can live afortable life? Is this the kind of life that you want?"

    Rachel furrowed her brows as she felt pain being seized by Justin, but she merely endured with it.

    I like this kind of life.

    "What kind of life? Life as a cleaner who is servile and has to grovel to the rogues who came to visit doctors?"

    Rachel remained silent and avoided Justin''s gaze.

    "Would you stop this already?!"

    Justin''s voice deepened. "Recently, I allowed you to move out and have not interfered with any of your matters so that you can adjust your emotions, but that doesn''t mean that you can do as you please." Rachel lifted her head slowly. Behind the mask, she felt a lump rise in her throat. Her eyes soon became red rimmed as tears welled up in them. Have you forgotten that the child is already gone? I''m not rted to you anymore.

 Chapter 134

    Justin was stunned while Rachel''s eyes were brimmed with agonized tears.

    No one knew exactly how much pain Rachel had to endure after suffering from the loss of a child, but Justin still refused to let go of her.

    "We''ll still have kids in the future."

    Justin''s hoarse voice that echoed in the stairway could make one feel surreal.

    Startled, Rachel stared at him and shook her head while stepping backward in disbelief.

    How can he say this?

    She was fuming. You still refuse to let go of me! What on earth have I done wrong?

    Rachel didn''t want to have anything to do with the man in front of her at all.

    Please let go of me! I''m begging you! If you hate the Hudson Family and Jefferey, go after them!

    All of a sudden, Justin''s eyes were filled with intense anger as Rachel''s words had irritated him.

    Rachel felt a sudden, immense pain in her wrist. Wailing in pain, she stood fixedly at the spot as she wasn''t able to retreat anymore.

    It seemed as if the fire was going to st out from Justin''s eyes, but his voice was as cold as ice. "Since you know I hate the Hudsons, then you should stop your wishful thinking."

    Jefferey was responsible for the fire that happened 20 years ago, and none of the Hudsons could be exempted.

    "Don''t you always want to know why I hate the Hudson Family? I''ll tell you right now!"

    "20 years ago, Jefferey forcefully burned down a huge piece of the forest to drive out the residents in order to develop the area. A person died in the fire, and this person has saved my life before!" Rachel''s pupils dted all of a sudden as she was astounded.

    Someone... died in the fire?

    "A father''s debt should be borne by his children. Do I still need to exin this theory to you?"

    A fierce voice buzzed at Rachel''s ear.

    Perhaps it was because of the appearance of the human trafficker, or because Jefferey''s intention of leaving Riverdale was getting too obvious recently, the hatred that had been buried deep down in Justin exploded all of a sudden in these few days.

    Seizing Rachel''s wrist, he snarled, "Don''t you ever dare think of leaving Riverdale in this lifetime. I will make you stay beside me forever and pay for the Hudsons'' sin."

    Rachel was frightened by the brutality in Justin''s eyes. She was engulfed by his coldness as it traveled rapidly from her eyes to her entire body.

    From the very beginning, this man''s intention was to take revenge on the Hudson Family. Both Rachel and Amber were just a tool for him to get revenge on the family. He wanted to destroy each and everyone from the family!

    Rachel was overwhelmed by intense fear. At that moment, her face turned ashen as she started struggling in terror.

    Let go of me! Let go of me!

    A voice screamed incessantly in her, which made her start struggling crazily.

    Annoyed, Justin seized her and pushed her against the wall all of a sudden. "That''s enough!" he roared.

    Rachel could feel her head buzz as the back of it knocked against the wall.

    Just then, the sound of a phone vibrating emerged.

    Justin''s eyes turned clear slightly.

    After ncing at the iing caller ID, he shot a cold re at Rachel. "You better remember carefully everything I''ve said to you today. Otherwise, don''t forget that Irwin and your grandma are not as fit as you I''ll take you back to live in Burton Residence once I finish settling my stuff."

    The cold voice echoed in the stairway.

    Click! The light in the stairway went off.

    Rachel inhaled deeply and started coughing intensely.

    When Julian arrived, Justin had already left.

    Rachel stood numbly against the wall.

    "What happened, Rachel?"

    Julian swiftly supported Rachel just as she was about to slump to the ground. However, when he grabbed her hand, he noticed the red finger marks and obvious bruise on her wrist.

    "Where''s Justin? What did he say to you?"

    Rachel shook her head helplessly as there was only one thought in her mind now-Justin would not let go of her and anyone who was rted to the Hudson Family. Not a single one!

    All the wishes she was having before this turned into ashes at once.

    Justin hated her as much as he hated Jefferey, yet she actually thought he once loved and pitied her-even if it was just the slightest bit. She even thought that he had anticipated their child to be born.

    How absurd!

    When Justin walked out of the hospital, the phone rang in his hand.

    The call was from Amber.

    "Hello?"

    "Hey Justin, guess where I am now."

    "Now?" Justin took a look at the time on his watch. "I''m guessing you''re at the airport."

    "You''re right, but not entirely."

    Amber continued gleefully. "My dad told me that the matters abroad are not that urgent to be attended anymore and just so happened that I have a conference to attend. So, I''ming back from the airport now."

    Justin furrowed his brows while his cold eyes deepened.

    "What''s the silence about? What a surprise, right? Let''s have dinner together tonight."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    A momentter, Justin hummed, "Okay."

    After hanging up the call, he got into the car.

    Frankie said, "I''ve just received news that Amber has turned back from the airport."

    "I''m aware of it. It seems like Jefferey the old fox has noticed something."

    "You think we''ve alerted him?"

    "Not necessarily, but Jefferey has always been prudent, especially when ites to matters that would affect his life-like capital transfer, so it''s expected that he would take a make-believe move." "President Burton, what should we do next then?"

    "Get someone to keep an eye on Jefferey and Amber. Although they didn''t go abroad this time, they might go any other time."

    "Yes, sir."

    Frankie took a look at his phone. "By the way, President Burton, I have another issue to report. Mr. Jason has privately drawn some funds under his own name." "And the amount?"

    "5 million."

    Justin frowned. "Did you find out what he used the money for?"

    "I''m not too sure yet, but it seems like Madam Lilian has caused quite some trouble this year. If my guess is correct, he has taken the money to cover her ats."

    Lilian was addicted to gambling, and Jason would often fork out money to clean up the mess. This was already a norm in the Burton Family.

    "Should we notify Old Master Burton?"

    "It''s such a big amount of money-Grandpa would eventually find out even if we didn''t tip him off."

    Frankie nodded.

    What Justin meant was that they would not meddle with Jason''s family affair and would leave them to stew in their own juice. If Jason failed to return the money before the annual general meeting this year''s end, he would naturally suffer the consequences.

    In a private clubhouse at the outskirts of Riverdale, elegant music could be heard from inside a private room, apanied by a strong aroma of tea.

    It was gettingte into the night.

    Sitting at one end of the tea table, Jason slowly pushed a document toward the other party. "This is the agreement of patent transfer as requested. We''re quits now, but you must not let Justin know that I did this."

    The other party pursed her lips and took a sip of tea calmly. "Fret not. Our families have been friends for so many years; I won''t put you in a difficult position. I''m just taking this opportunity to check up on Burton Group."

    The woman''s voice wasn''t loud. The wind blew through her grey-brown fringe and exposed her exquisite facial features while her almond-shaped eyes were filled with subtle coldness. At that moment, a chill ran down Jason''s spine.

 Chapter 135

    By the time Rachel jolted awake from her nightmare, it was already morning. Like a shadow, the nightmares clung to her every night since Justin told her about the grudge between him and Jefferey that day in the hospital stairwell. The fire, the forest...

    She had a strange and inexplicable feeling that they were familiar to her in some way. In the dream, there was a loud banging noise that kept on rattling loudly against her temples. Presently, she violently opened her eyes, and it was only after being jolted awake for a moment that she realized someone was knocking at her door.

    "Rachel? Rachel!"

    Victor? Pulling the covers off her, she got out of bed and opened the door to see Victor standing there holding bags of all sizes. The wound on his face had yet to heal and one of his arms was still in a sling, but his uninjured one was carrying arge number of items. "I thought you weren''t home, Rachel. You took so long to open the door."

    Quickly, she ushered him in and picked up the kettle to pour him a ss of water. Why are you here?

    "Oh-there''s no need to busy yourself, Rachel. I''ll be leaving now; I''m simply here to deliver the goods that Madam Tiller said you could use."

    What goods? Subconsciously, she lifted her eyes to look into the bags. However, her hand trembled and she nearly scalded herself. Many of the packages inside the bags were marked with the logos of baby and maternity brands. Instantly, the light in her eyes dimmed.

    It was likely that Nancy was looking forward to the birth of this child. Rachel had no idea how she was going to tell her grandmother there would no longer be a child, just like she hadn''t known how to tell her that she was pregnant. Suddenly, she burst into a fit of coughing.

    "Are you feeling okay, Rachel?" Victor asked.

    I''m fine. I just have a bit of a cold.

    Taking in the cold medicine on the table, Victor felt a bit vexed. If he had known Rachel had a cold, he would havee to visit her sooner.

    After a moment of silence, he remembered something important and searched through the bags at his feet to pull out a white canvas bag. "By the way, Madam Tiller said I had to deliver this to you. The rest aren''t as important."

    Coming back to her senses, Rachel took the canvas bag from his hands.

    Before she even looked inside, she already knew what it was.

    It was the ''wooden box''-the item that her mother left behind.

    Having no opposition to Victor''s presence, she pulled out the box in front of him and studied it closely.

    "What''s that?"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    Something my mother left behind. I have no idea what it is.

    "There''s writing carved on top."

    "That cough is pretty bad, Rachel. Maybe you should take some medicine right now. I''ll go get you a spoon!" He stood up immediately.

    Very soon, the syrupy smell of medicine wafted throughout the room. After taking it, Rachel sat at the table and stared absent-mindedly at the packaging that the medicine came in, happening to face the side with the medicine''s ingredients listed on it.

    Perhaps due to her cold, her brain was hazy, and the writing on the packaging and the wooden box started to drift together. Almost of their own ord, the numbers on the wooden box scrambled atop the form.

    With sudden inspiration, her mind linked them together. The herbs, the dosages... They fit! It was then that

    she knew

    As Rachel stared down at the six-sided wooden box in front of her, she realized that each side had a differentbination of numbers. All of a sudden, she felt like she was enlightened. Six traditional Hudson medicine forms, all corresponding with the numbers on the box.

    "Rachel..." Victor''s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

    Startled back to her senses, she stared at him.

    "Are you okay, Rachel? Your phone has been ringing for a long time."

    Distractedly, she looked down, only to discover an iing call on her cell phone from her grandmother.

    "Has Victor delivered you the items, Rae?"

    Pressing the hands-free mode, Rachel gave him a slight smile.

    Understanding her meaning, he immediately said, "I have, Madam Tiller. Don''t you trust me?"

    Upon hearing that, Nancy grumbled, "It would be strange if I did, considering you broke your arm in the few days since Ist saw you."

    "That was an ident," he lied wlessly before continuing with a jovial smile,"-and I have delivered the items."

    "Well, did you inform her what I told you to?"

    "Uh..."

    "I knew you''d forget!" Nancy crowed before emphasizing, "Pizza. You must eat pizza today, Rae."

    Confused, Victor asked, "What pizza?"

    As she realized what her grandmother meant, Rachel felt her nose itch all of a sudden. Today was her birthday and Nancy had remembered when Rachel herself had not. Meanwhile, Nancy continued, "There''s a pizza in a ziplock bag. If you have a servant, have the servant heat it

    up for you. It''s very convenient. You always liked eating pizza on your birthday."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel felt her eyes reddened and tears nearly rolled down her cheeks.

    Scratching his head, Victor mumbled, "I didn''t know it was your birthday today, Rachel." And then, to the phone, he added, "Don''t worry, Madam Tiller. I''ll heat the pizza up for her."

    As she listened to her grandmother instruct him, she swallowed back the thickness in her throat but her tears kept falling

    Upon finally hanging up, he was at a loss. "Don''t cry, Rachel! It''s my fault. I didn''t know it was your birthday."

    Nheless, she shook her head. She, too, had forgotten.

    As Victor bustled away to the kitchen to heat up the pizza, he insisted on ordering a birthday cake as well. However, he was talking to thin air and did not realize that Rachel was looking strange and spacing out. For her part, she continued to stare at the ''wooden box'' on the table, clenching her fists.

    The box might be herst resort for getting rid of Justin. Even if she didn''t do it for herself, she had to find a

    way out of this cycle for her grandmother''s sake.

    Meanwhile, far away, a ck business car was speeding down the highway. Justin was on his way back to Riverdale from Brookville.

    "Alright. As long as it''s there before nightfall." From the passenger seat, Frankie hung up the phone before saying over his shoulder, "Someone is on their way to deliver the things you arranged for, President Burton."

    Justin inclined his head slightly. "How long until we get back to Riverdale?"

    Looking at his watch, Frankie gave an estimate. "About five hours."

    Meanwhile, the driver, Ramsey, couldn''t help interjecting, "Riverdale is very far from Brookville, President Burton. What is so urgent that you had to hurry back to Riverdale today and then back to Brookville for a meeting tonight? That''s such a long journey."

    Chuckling, Frankie interrupted, "Well, here''s what you don''t know, Ramsey. It''s Mrs. Burton''s birthday today, so of course President Burton has to hurry back."

    "Mrs. Burton?" Ramsey repeated before he paused.

    Isn''t President Burton already divorced? he thought. What does Frankie mean by ''Mrs. Burton''? Of course, he didn''t dare voice such thoughts out loud.

    Feeling Justin''s cold re on him, Frankie shuddered and decided to shut his mouth. He stopped smiling, thereafter sinking back into his seat meekly and quietly.

    Just like that, the interior of the car was silent apart from the sound of the wind whistling outside. Absent mindedly. Justin looked out of the window.

    These few days, he had been regretting scaring Rachel by speaking to her in an overly harsh manner at the hospital. It was just that he couldn''t think of another way to make her stay in Riverdale.

    Her attitude that day had incensed him and if she ran away again, the consequences could be unimaginable. After all, the conference in Brookeville required a lot of time-time he wouldn''t necessarily have for her if anything happened to her. Moreover, the worst consequence wouldn''t be her escape but someone secretly taking advantage of it.

 Chapter 136

    Not long after Victor left, Rachel heard the doorbell ring.

    Originally thinking he left something behind, she opened the door, only to see a courier.

    "Ms. Rachel Hudson?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel nodded.

    "There are two intracity express parcels for you. Please sign here."

    Startled, she signed for the parcels, thereafter receiving a cake and a paper bag.

    Right now on the table, there was still half an uneaten cake that Victor had rushed out to buy at noon upon finding out it was her birthday.

    So, who bought the cake that the courier delivered?

    Setting it aside on the table for now, she pulled a rectangr suede box out of the paper bag.

    With a click, she opened it and discovered a silver-colored ne in the box that glimmered underneath the light

    The pendant was in the simple design of a small sun with a hollow center.

    Putting down the box, she found a card on top of the cake box that simply read ''Happy Birthday'' without any signature.

    Dumbfounded, she stared at the items until her phone started vibrating.

    It was a text message from Julian reading, ''Did you receive what I sent?''

    Immediately, she understood. ''I did. I was wondering who would remember my birthday.''

    ''Don''t forget that you''re a patient of mine. It''s not strange that I would remember your birthday.''

    ''Thank you.

    ''You''re wee. Are you free? I just finished work;e down for a walk with me!

    Looking at the time, she agreed, ''Okay.''

    At this hour after dinner, themunity was lively. All of the houses were lit up, and the sound of childrenughing could be heard around the neighborhood as they ran around ying.

    Downstairs, Rachel set the cake box down on a stone table and opened it. Before she could even offer some to anyone, a group of children was surrounding her and staring eagerly at the cake with wide eyes. "Your cake is so pretty, miss!"

    After making a ''wait'' motion with her hand, she lifted a knife and a paper te, preparing to cut into the cake for the children.

    "Hold on, Rae." Julian stopped her and pulled some candles out of a box to the side. "Today is Miss Rachel''s birthday. Before she treats you all to some cake, what should we do?"

    Upon hearing that, the head of the group, which happened to be a little girl in pigtails, immediately said, "Wish Miss Rachel a Happy Birthday!"

    "We must sing the ''Happy Birthday'' song!"

    "Miss Rachel must close her eyes and make a wish!"

    "Miss Rachel must blow out the candles!"

    Shyly, Rachel shook her head to indicate to Julian that there was no need to go to such lengths.

    Nheless, he still lit the candles and had the children sing ''Happy Birthday'' in unison. The delicate chorus of young voices would have a healing effect on any of its listeners.

    "Make a wish."

    There''s no need.

    "You must make a wish on your birthday, Miss Rachel. My mommy says you have to say it in your heart and not out loud, or the wish won''te true," a very young voice piped up beside Rachel. When she lowered her head to look, she found a little girl who wasn''t even at table height yet looking up at her with pretty, sparkling eyes.

    Immediately, Rachel gentled and, under the gazes of the children, sped her hands and made a wish. After that, she blew out the candles and began to give the cake out to the children. "Remember to say thank you!" their parents instructed, standing nearby.

    Carrying their paper tes, the children raced off, dabbing icing on each other''s faces. Just like that, the strangers in themunity suddenly seemed closer and the whole scene was heartwarming indeed. Underneath the light of the streemp, Rachel finally smiled for the first time in days. Thank you, Julian.

    "You don''t need to be so courteous with me." Walking her back to her apartment building, Julian continued, "The most important thing right now is to take care of your body and your mood. You don''t need to worry about anything else. As for the child"

    I know. Don''t worry about me. I never wanted it, anyway, so I might as well pretend it never existed for now. At that point, Rachel''s expression was dull and lifeless.

    Somewhat regretting bringing up the child, he changed the topic and told her, "Go on upstairs, then. It''s been getting coldertely, so make sure to keep warm since you have a cold." Nodding, she turned and headed toward the elevator.

    Soon, she was inside her apartment and about to close the door.

    With a loud m, the door was propped open by arge hand from outside.

    Jerking her head up, Rachel saw Justin glowering at her, his darkened face made all the more grotesque by the centipede-like scar on it. Suddenly, she shivered.

    Wasn''t he out on business? she thought.

    Without exining himself, he slid sideways into the house and shut the door before surveying the house

    coldly. "I see you''ve been getting along fine without me."

    Paling, she took two steps back. Why are you here?

    ring at her resentfully, he stalked toward her as he pulled off his necktie and threw it onto the couch. His

    eyes were like unmelting icebergs as he sneered, "I suppose you wouldn''t want me to ruin your blissful days, would you?"

    Step by step he approached her, forcing her back inch by inch.

    Meanwhile, Rachel had no idea what she did wrong.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    When he caught hold of her arm and pulled, she staggered after him and was dragged all the way to the

    couch, whereupon he threw her down and caused her to let out a muffled groan as he pressed down on top of

    her.

    When she realized what was about to happen, she started struggling.

    Yet, hey more heavily atop her and asked coldly in her ear, "You never wanted this child from the very beginning, did you?"

    She shivered in response.

    Does that mean he followed me and witnessed my conversation during the stroll with Julian?

    At this moment, there was a monstrous fire raging in Justin''s eyes. "I told you to take care of yourself while you waited for me, and this is how you did so?"

    After all, he had spent seven or eight hours rushing back from Brookville partly to spend her birthday with her, and partly to ease their tense rtionship and let her know that they still had a long future ahead o them.

    Never did Justin expect that he would see her and Julian surrounded by a group of singing children the moment he entered the neighborhood.

    The scene had looked so heartwarming that it practically hurt his eyes.

    Yet, if he thought that scene hurt his eyes, herter conversation with Julian about the child hurt his heart even more.

    Looks like she never intended to keep the child!

    At this thought, Justin slowly tightened his grip around her.

    Rachel''s shoulders were crushed and as a shattering ache pulsed through them, the features of her face screwed up in pain. Let go of me! Let go of me!

    She struggled desperately, but that only brought more force upon her.

    A voice from hell asked above her head, "Were you thrilled when those people broke into the vi and caused your miscarriage?"

    Horrified, Rachel gaped at him, unable to believe what she just heard.

    Yet, he was glowering at her with rage. "I suppose you think you will no longer need to be associated with me now that the child is gone. I''ll have you know, Rachel Hudson, that that will never happen!" Suddenly, there was a loud tearing sound and Rachel screamed as the cloth on her shoulder fell away.

    Catching hold of her struggling hands and pinning them above her head, Justin said coldly, "I told you we would have another child!"

    Ashen-faced, she stared up at him.

    No... No!

 Chapter 137

    Early the next morning, the sound of running water could be hearding from inside the bathroom.

    After doing up his necktie and fastening on golden cufflinks, Justin threw open the wardrobe door and pulled out a set of clothing. Tossing them on the bed, he ordered, "Get dressed and pack your things. You''reing with me."

    The redness on Rachel''s face was slowly fading away, making her look pale and weakened. Where are you taking me?

    "Why so many questions? Are you intending to tell Julian or someone else?"

    Hearing that, she clutched the nkets tighter to herself and fell silent again.

    The car sped the entire way.

    Inside the car, Frankie looked in the rearview mirror for a moment at the two people in the backseat. The interior of the car was very strange and quiet.

    Once they reached the hotel and the driver went to park, Frankie mumbled, "They were so quiet the whole way. I didn''t even dare breathe too loud. Are they fighting?"

    Unimpressed, Ramsey side-eyed him. "President Burton was never especially chatty and Mrs. Burton can''t

    speak. Why wouldn''t they be quiet? Did you expect President Burton to speak up first?"

    With a pause, Frankie conceded that Ramsey had a point and that he was probably reading into things too much.

    After all, if the couple were truly quarreling, Rachel wouldn''t havee on this business trip with Justin.

    By the time they reached Brookville, it was alreadyte in the morning.

    Since Justin had to rush off to the meeting, he left Frankie behind to handle Rachel''s check-in.

    "I''ll leave your luggage here, Mrs. Burton. If there''s anything you would like to eat or drink, the hotel menu is over there and you can eat downstairs or call for room service."

    The moment she entered the room, Rachel sunk down on the couch, looking listless.

    Seeing that she wasn''t responding, Frankie added, "You must be tired. The car ride was very long. We were all quite surprised that President Burton was willing to do so much traveling just to celebrate your birthday."

    Celebrate my birthday?

    Astonished, she jerked her head up and gaped at Frankie.

    "Why don''t you get some rest? President Burton might be a bit busy these two days and might not make it back during the daytime to see you. If there''s anything you need, juste to me."

    With a click, Frankie shut the door and the room descended into silence once more.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    However, his words were still ringing in Rachel''s mind.

    It turned out that Justin rushed back to Riverdale from Brookville just to celebrate her birthday with her.

    That meant he must have been waiting at the bottom of her apartment building when he saw her and Julian handing cake out to the children, as well as her telling Julian that she never wanted the child. Is that why he was so angry?

    Is he angry because I was with Julian or because I said I never wanted the child?

    The thoughts in her mind were jumbled.

    Right then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the floor-length mirror opposite her.

    The woman in the mirror had her hair tangled around her shoulders. Her face was gaunt and her eyes were dull and lifeless. Startled, Rachel felt her own face.

    Since when did / start looking like that? She looked neither alive nor dead.

    Why on earth would I assume Justin was starting to fall in love with me?

    How can that be possible?

    With a ''ding, Rachel''s phone chimed as a notification popped up.

    ''I have a new development on Hans'' case.''

    Rachel''s eyebrows jerked skyward at the message from Janice.

    ''You''ve found the killer? Who killed him?''

    ''Not yet, but I have a new lead. Let me show you a picture. See if you recognize this person.

    After that message, Rachel received a picture.

    The man in the photograph was young. Unshaven and dressed in a ck jacket, he had the eyes of a hawk that were cold and unapproachable.

    Suddenly, her heart clenched.

    She had met this person before.

    It was the person who kidnapped her from the highway and brought her back to Southwind Vi. It was also the person who watched over her with his men after that.

    Meanwhile, Janice continued, ''His name is Winston. He''s one of Justin''s hired thugs. He met up with a few

    other people at Tran-Q that day, carrying an aluminum box. If I had to guess, they were carrying out a transaction

    Rachel''s hand started to shake as she could guess what Janice was about to say.

    ''If I had to guess, I''d say Hans likely witnessed their transaction and he was killed to prevent him from spilling the beans. Be on your guard, Rachel. Hans'' death might be rted to Justin and you mustn''t be tricked by Justin''s words. Those businessmen prioritize profit above all else!

    As Rachel stared silently at the words on the screen, she couldn''t keep herself from starting to shake.

    Frantically, her chest rose and fell, and she was unable to catch any breath. She felt like she was drowning or crushed beneath arge boulder. No matter how she tried, she couldn''t breathe normally. After an interminable length of time, Rachel finally sucked in a deep breath.

    Apanied by a violent bout of coughing, tears rolled down her cheeks and a silent roar echoed in her chest.

    It turned out that after going around in a huge circle, Hans'' death was ultimately found to very likely still be rted to Justin.

    It took her a long time to force herself to calm down and reply to Janice, ''Is there anything I can do?''

    ''Eavesdrop. I need to know who Justin''s men are transacting with and what the contents of their transactions

    are.

    Tightening her grip around her cell phone, she deleted the evidence of her conversation with Janice before rising from the couch and heading into the bathroom for a shower.

    After her shower, she stared at herself in the mirror while wrapped in a towel for a long time. Now no longer messy, her hair ran silky and flowed down her shoulder. Though gaunt, her face was still pretty and pleasant.

    She was prettier than Amber-that was something other people would say since she was young.

    If Justin was truly Hans'' killer, she would avenge Hans and send Justin into prison herself.

    Meanwhile on the top floor of Brookville''s highest hotel, the meeting was paused for an intermission.

    Holding onto a document, Frankie rushed into the breakroom in a hurry. "There''s been a turnaround to the project, President Burton. The other party is willing to share the patent that was stolen from us at market price."

    Justin received the document and read it through, the crease in between his eyebrows ttening out. "Draw up a contract and have it signed at once, then draft another contract for our next negotiation. Improve on the original basis by five points."

    "Of course."

    "Wait." He stopped Frankie suddenly. "Why are they finally allowing the right to share?"

    "I heard President Sanders received a call and said your friend got in contact."

    Friend? Justin pondered thoughtfully.

    "By the way, President Burton, when are we reporting the theft of the patent to the board of directors?"

    "There''s no rush. Let''s finish talking about this project first."

    "But Jason..."

    "Well, let''s not alert the enemy yet. The fact that he was able to steal apany patent from under our noses means we have a spy in our midst. Don''t bring this up to anyone for now." "Of course."

    "Go on, then. Get the contracts handled."

    After Frankie left, the breakroom fell into silence once more.

    Leaning back against the couch, Justin closed his eyes and rested. His usually calm face was uncharacteristically weary.

    Truly, a lot had happenedtely. While they weren''t as intense as the struggles he had faced all these years, for the first time in his life, he felt powerless no matter what he did.

 Chapter 138

    It was extremelyte into the night by the time Justin returned to the hotel.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Inside the bedroom was Rachel and she was already fast asleep.

    As a cold wind entered the sheets, she was jolted awake. However, before she could even turn around, he was already wrapping his hands around her shoulders and leisurely pulling her into his embrace from behind.

    The faint smell of tobo and his citrus-scented shampoo had mingled together to tickle her nostrils. It wasn''t until she was certain he would not make any further move that she gradually rxed.

    When he felt the stiffness and the wariness of the woman in his arms, Justin was unable to fall asleep.

    It took an interminable length of time for her breathing to calm down enough for him to close his eyes.

    The hour waste and it happened to be the season when fall changed to winter.

    A car was speeding down a road in Riverdale and just as it passed a controlled intersection, a truck suddenly dashed out from the vehicle''s right.

    The car driver immediately mmed their brakes before the sound of the car screeching to a halt echoed around the intersection.

    s, it mmed into the bottom of the truck with a loud crash followed by nothing but thick smoke billowing out.

    When Justin woke the next day, his arms were empty. All of a sudden, his heart sank.

    Then, he heard the sound of clinking items outside.

    Upon opening the door, he found Rachel setting the table.

    When she heard movement behind her, she turned around and looked at him in surprise.

    After all, he hadn''t even worn his shoes and he was standing on the carpet barefoot.

    "What are you doing?" he asked.

    As she returned to her senses, Rachel lifted the jug of fruit juice in her hand. I had the hotel send up breakfast.

    An astonished Justin stared at her.

    After his shower, he sat down at the table. She handed him a ss of milk before she minded her own business while eating her own breakfast, seemingly having forgotten the unhappy events of the previous day.

    Upon taking two sips, he set down his ss. "When I''m done with my work, I''ll send you back to Riverdale and bring Nancy over to live with you."

    A startled Rachel looked at Justin before she quickly shook her head. There''s no need, she signaled. Grandma''s not doing too well and I intend to send her to a nursing home after this.

    "I''ll have Frankie contact Riverdale''s best nursing home then."

    to return to Riverdale right now.

    "Not convenient?"

    Aren''t you investigating the Hudson Family''s overseas ount? Amber likely doesn''t want to see me right now.

    As Justin frowned slightly, he nced at Rachel.

    For some reason, he had the vague impression that something about her had changed yet he couldn''t tell how.

    In the past, she wouldn''t have willingly brought the topic of Amber, let alone apanied the mention with such a provocative attitude.

    However, Justin felt a little ted. "You needn''t be wary of her. She wouldn''t dare to harm you. We''re only engaged-nothing concrete has been settled. Since you know I''m investigating the overseas ount, just wait patiently for me to finish my work. Understood?" he carelessly said all of this, as if Amber was merely a pawn to him.

    With a quirk of her lips, Rachel nodded, but her heart felt as cold as ice.

    She wondered whether it was how he evaluated her in front of Amber as well-a pawn to investigate the Hudson Family''s ancestral form, and nothing else.

    It was midway through breakfast when Frankie suddenly knocked on the door. "Something has happened in Riverdale, President Burton."

    "What happened?"

    "Madam Lilian was in a car crashst night where she died on the spot. It''s already on the news."

    Justin''s expression immediately changed as he rose from the dinner table to walk into the study.

    After preparing a te of sliced fruit, Rachel stood outside the study to listen to his conversation with Frankie.

    "The truck driver was drunk and ran a red light perpendicr to the road that Madam Lilian was traveling on. Madam Lilian''s driver couldn''t brake in time and ran into the truck, crashing the car and killing everyone."

    "When did this happen?"

    "About one in the morning."

    "She left the house at one in the morning?"

    "She was headed to the airport."

    There was total silence before it was followed with, "Was Jason sending her abroad to lie low as he gave up his fight domestically?"

    "It seems likely."

    Rachel''s hand that was holding onto the fruit tter clenched slightly.

    The fact was that Justin and Jason had been at loggerheads all along, which was exacerbated by the incident involving Tina. While Jason wasn''t much of a businessman, he extremely loved his wife and daughter.

    Hence, if Lilian''s car crash and eventual death were caused by someone else, Justin would be the prime suspect-even if, based on what she was currently hearing, the incident was unrted. As she spaced out, the door suddenly opened.

    Without any warning, Justin appeared in the doorway and stared coldly at her. "What are you doing here?"

    For a moment, she froze before holding up the fruit tter for him to see.

    As the caution in his eyes ebbed, he told her, "There''s no need. I have some business to take care of right now. Stay in the hotel and don''t go anywhere."

    Rachel then obediently nodded her head.

    Justin left together with Frankie.

    Once he left, she put down the fruit tter and sat on the couch while she clutched at her chest as her heart raced.

    "I''m sorry, Jason."

    Amber was the first to arrive andfort Jason at the hospital morgue.

    "I wish to be alone with her. Please leave."

    His face was unfriendly, especially when he talked to Amber. Then, he chased everyone out of the room before he stood alone by histe wife''s side.

    As she clutched her cell phone, she headed to the stairwell to make a call.

    "We''re sorry, but the number you have dialed cannot be reached at this time."

    Justin''s phone had been unreachable ever since she heard the news.

    It was odd because there was no way for him to bepletely unaware of something so serious happening to the Burton Family. Even if he was in Brookville on a business trip, there was no way he indifferent and not rush home as soon as he could.

    as no

    Amber''s phone suddenly received an image file.

    When she opened the image and erged it, her face sank.

    It was evidence that Justin had brought Rachel to Brookville!

    "This can''t be an ident. There''s no way for it to be a coincidence that right as President Burton was about to leave Riverdale, someone blocked his escape route by identally killing his wife in a car crash. Who would believe that?"

    "Who could have done it? The Hindenburg Family?"

    From outside the stairwell, the voices of Jason''s assistant and his bodyguard could be heard. Amber regained her senses and leaned in to eavesdrop on the conversation.

    "Hindenburg Family may have had a falling out with President Burton, but they wouldn''t go to such lengths just yet."

    "Who else could it be then? You''re always by President Burton''s side. What does President Burton think?"

    "He suspects... it''s Young Master Justin who did it."

    The people by Jason''s side had always referred to him as ''President Burton'' and Justin as ''Young Master Justin''. It wasn''t just as a way of distinguishing them, but rather a method of making Jason happy. "President Burton''s decision to sell the patent and siphon the project funds might not have been reported to the board of directors just yet, but Young Master Justin must have known about it. There''s no way Madam Lilian''s death is unrted to him."

    Upon hearing these words, Amber''s heart thudded.

    Could Justin really have sent someone to kill Lilian?

    As Amber shuddered, she turned to head far away from the hospital and this mess.

    However, she only took two steps before she thought of something.

    If a hired killer had been relied upon, targeting Jason was a lot easier than Tina.

 Chapter 139

    By the time Jason exited the morgue, his weather-beaten face was covered in wrinkles. His eyes were so bloodshot that their vessels looked like they were about to rupture in the next second.

    As they both stood at the door, the assistant and the bodyguard fell silent, not daring to take a peep.

    "Where is Justin?" Jason''s voice echoed down the hallway.

    The assistant replied, "Young Master Justin should still be in Brookville discussing the project. The news | receive from there indicates that he has a high chance of winning this bid. It''s more or less already in the bag."

    "In the bag?" Jason clenched his fists so hard that the veins on the back of his hands bulged. "An eye for an

    eye, I say. We shouldn''t have kept this scourge alive in the first ce. Any problem that wasn''tpletely eliminated is bound to arise again."

    "You mean "

    Suddenly, there was a tter from the stairwell as if something had fallen.

    Jason''s face tensed up.

    The assistant and the bodyguard were already yanking the stairwell door open before it immediately revealed a panicked Amber. "You haven''t left?" Jason questioned.

    She was ashen-faced as she clutched the banister while taking two steps back. "I didn''t hear anything, Jason. I''m leaving now." "Didn''t hear anything''? Do you think I''ll believe that?"

    "I really didn''t hear anything."

    "Stand there!"

    As the cold words rang out, the bodyguard immediately understood what Jason meant and caught hold of her.

    A frightened Amber screamed, but she was knocked out before she could call for help.

    "Take her as a hostage." Jason gave her a careless, disdainful nce.

    If she hadn''t manipted Tina, Tina wouldn''t have been so careless as to do many foolish things that resulted in the falling out with the Hindenburg Family. Not to mention, Tina''s psychiatric state wouldn''t be in such disarray.

    When Amber regained consciousness some timeter, she was in an old, abandoned warehouse. "What are you guys going to do to me?"

    "President Burton simply wants you to stay here for a while, Miss Hudson. He has no other intention."

    "Jason?" She suddenly recalled the events from the hospital morgue. "Why is he holding me captive? I don''t know anything! It has nothing to do with me!"

    "Nothing to do with you?" Jason sneered coldly in the dark, "How many of the people by Justin''s side are clean? I don''t care what you did or didn''t do. As long as you''re in my hands, he''ll be forced to listen to me."

    He had to find a way to cause Justin to lose the bid in Brookville or he''d be in hot water once Justin reported his theft of the patent to the board of directors.

    Amber asked with a pale face, "What''s the point of taking me if you wish to threaten him?"

    "You''re his fiancee. The entire Riverdale knows that and he''ll listen to you. Who would we have taken if not

    you?"

    "All of that is fake! The person he cares about the most is that mute woman, not me!"

    Mute woman? Jason frowned.

    "They might be divorced, but did you know that he took her to Brookville? He''s so worried about her safety in Riverdale lest I or someone else hurt her. The person he cares most about is Rachel!" "What''s the point of telling me this? Do you think I can send someone to take her from Brookville now?"

    "You don''t need to take her. She has a soft spot in Riverdale."

    Amber''s cold and sinister voice echoed around the warehouse.

    When Justin concluded his meeting and returned to the hotel at noon, he found Rachel asleep on the couch with a magazine propped open on her knee. It was close to sliding off andnding on the floor. He reflexively reached down to catch it, but perhaps due to him being rough with his actions, she stirred awake.

    She looked up at him in a daze before violentlying to her senses and tensing up.

    "Did I wake you?" Justin dropped the magazine on the coffee table.

    Rachel straightened her posture. When did you get back? she asked.

    "I only just finished my work. Did you stay in for the entire day?"

    She nodded.

    Despite being a grown woman, she had never left Riverdale before and it was her first time in Brookville.

    As Justin raised his wrist to look at the time, he responded, "Get changed and have an outdoor lunch with me."

    A startled Rachel dumbly looked at him.

    A short whileter, someone was greeting him the moment they entered a room in the hotel restaurant, "President Burton! You''re finally here! Come over and sit."

    Never in her wildest dreams would Rachel have imagined Justin bringing her along for a lunch meeting.

    Around the circr table were businessmen, who each had a beautiful young woman by his side. It was obvious from first nce that these women weren''t the men''s wives, but rather hired escorts.

    The moment she sat down, the woman next to Rachel pointed at her purse and asked, "Did President Burton buy this for you? It''s a limited edition."

    Rachel subconsciously looked down at the purse in her hand while feeling conflicted.

    As her trip to Brookville had been rushed, she didn''t bring much luggage. Thus, Justin had sent someone to purchase a fresh set of her entire wardrobe, purses, and essories in Brookville. Despite the items being limited edition, she never paid much attention to it.

    However, the woman next to Rachel hooked an arm around her own malepanion and grumbled, "Look at that. Thedy has such a nice purse that I look positively inferior next to her."

    Although the man was white-haired, he still cated the young woman. "I''ll buy you one that''s exactly the same as soon as we''re done with lunch."

    "Promise me?"

    "Of course! However, you must drink a few more sses on my behalf in a bit."

    "That''s not a problem."

    As the conversation fell on Rachel''s ears, she frowned.

    The men around the table continued to discuss business while the woman minded their own matters. They only lifted their sses and made toasts whenever the atmosphere had cooled enough to lighten things up.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Justin had to leave the area for a while in the midst of the lunch, leaving Rachel alone at the table.

    A man opposite her asked, "Why is the beautiful woman whom President Burton brought along reticent?" Upon hearing that, she was startled.

    "I never knew he liked such quiet, reserved women" someone else piped up. "He has good taste."

    The woman next to the man immediately became unhappy and lifted her wine ss. Then, she spoke in a strange tone, "Since you don''t like to talk, let me make a toast to you. That way, we can also be friends."

    Before Rachel could even react to the fact that she was being spoken to, her wine ss was being filled.

    She kept shooting nces toward the outside of the room with a frown, but Justin was nowhere to be seen.

    The thing was that she couldn''t drink because Julian was trying to cure her mutism. She had to watch her diet as many items could irritate her throat that she couldn''t eat or drink. However, the woman opposite Rachel was dangerously eyeing her. "Won''t you humor me now?"

    "Why are you putting her in such a difficult spot, Rose? If you really want to drink that badly, I''ll drink with you." The woman next to Rachel suddenly rose to her feet to raise her ss. Then, she smiled at the woman opposite them. "Surely, it wouldn''t be good for President Burton to have left for a while only to return and notice that someone had caused his femalepanion to be drunk." With that, she gulped all of the wine in her ss. "Are you satisfied now, Rose?"

    Rose was the woman who sat opposite them, but as Justin happened to return at that moment, she could only suppress her anger and returned to her seat.

    "What''s wrong?" Upon noticing the strange atmosphere in the room, he asked the moment he took his seat.

    "Nothing. Come, President Burton, let us continue our business discussion."

    An unconvinced Justin nced at Rachel, but since she didn''t seem to be acting in an unusual manner, he allowed the topic to leave his mind. Meanwhile, she was staring at the woman next to her.

    After all, they didn''t know each other, so why had this woman helped her?

 Chapter 140

    Everyone left the room when the lunch meeting ended.

    While Justin spoke to some other people, Rachel waited for him by the door.

    At this moment, the woman who drank on her behalf stepped out of the restroom and upon seeing Rachel there, she smiled. "Oh, you''re still here. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Coraline Harper." Rachel gratefully bobbed her head before signing, Thank you for standing up for me earlier.

    "Oh, it was a small matter. It''s no problem, really."

    It wasn''t until Coraline was a distance away that Rachel suddenly realized something.

    It seemed that not only was Coraline not surprised about Rachel''s inability to speak, Coraline could also read signnguage.

    "What are you looking at?" Justin asked behind Rachel, his voice pulling her back to the present.

    As she returned to her senses, she answered, Nothing. Can we leave now?

    "I have some things to do. So, you should return to your room first."

    Remembering what Janice had told her, Rachel asked carefully, Can''t I go with you?

    "It''s business-rted. You''ll be bored, so you might as well head back to rest. I''ll return soon." As Justin said those words, he stroked the back of her head. "Be good and do as I say."

    Rachel''s expression remained unchanged as she nodded. However, as soon as she turned away from Justin, her expression morphed into one of disgust.

    Once she returned to her room, her first order of business was to yank her hair until her scalp ached, as if that was the only way to remove the loath that came with the intimate actions. As she stood at the entryway, she carefully thought about the people at the lunch meeting.

    Although Justin''s current visit to Brookville was ostensibly about Burton Group''s bid, she suspected he was actually here for other matters. After all, she hadn''t heard of a single person at the lunch meeting. The thing was that she had worked at Burton Group for a while and with the excuse of managing the corporation''s finances, she investigated all the clients who had financial dealings with Burton Group. Not a single one of those present at the lunch meeting was among them.

    There had to be a problem somewhere.

    Now that she thought about that, Rachel stepped out of the room again.

    Even if she couldn''t overhear the contents of their conversation, it would perhaps be enough to snap a few photographs and send them to Janice to have her look into them.

    At the entrance to the second floor conference room, two bodyguards were standing watch.

    Rachel hid at a corner of the corridor and waited until those people in the room exited. Then, she rapidly clicked the shutter of her cell phone camera to take several photographs in a row.

    Crash!

    The sound of ss shattering suddenly rang out from the restroom at the other end of the corridor.

    "Who''s there?"

    The two bodyguards immediately rushed over as Rachel''s heart clenched. As shecked the courage to stay even for a moment longer, she departed in a hurry.

    When she rode the elevator back to her floor, she was careful to stop two floors below where her actual room was. After doing so, she headed into the stairwell to ascend the stairs,

    Yet, the moment Rachel entered the stairwell, she heard the sound of coughinging from below.

    A startled Rachel paused and she peered through the gaps between the railing to see blood trail down the stairs.

    Her own blood immediately rushed to her head, leaving her hands and her feet freezing cold.

    Cough cough...

    Judging by the sound of the unsuppressed coughing, there was a woman at the floor below Rachel.

    As Rachel returned to her senses, she carefully crept down half a flight of stairs before looking over the banister to see a silhouette leaning against a door in the stairwell. Coraline?

    She froze.

    It seemed Coraline had noticed Rachel as well, for she looked up warily before sighing with relief when she recognized Rachel. Then, she held a finger to her lips to indicate for Rachel to remain silent.

    Rachel cautiously approached Coraline and spotted the blood all over Coraline''s white suit sleeve. Blood was still flowing down from her arm and dripping all over the ce, staining the banisters below them. Are you injured? Rachel asked.

    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me. You must leave right now."

    How could I do that?

    "This matter is tooplicated for you to handle. You better leave now!" It was right after Coraline said these words that her legs gave way, causing her to slide down the surface of the door. She looked lifeless and about to lose consciousness from blood loss.

    "There''s blood here!"

    "It''s going upstairs!"

    There were men''s voices echoing up the stairway.

    Since Rachel did not have time to care about anything else, she nced at Coraline''s bleeding arm before quickly acting to tear off a corner of her skirt to bandage Coraline''s wound. With the bleeding temporarily stemmed, she proceeded to help Coraline upstairs.

    "Why does the trail stop here?"

    "She must be on this floor."

    "Let''s go, quick! Don''t let her escape!"

    Upon hearing the door open and close in the stairway below them, Rachel took a deep breath of cold air. It was a long while before she calmed down and hastily escorted Coraline back to her own room instead.

    After taking Coraline into the bathroom, she attempted to undo Coraline''s coat to check on her injuries, only to have Coraline stop her instead.

    She tried to exin as she looked at Coraline''s wary face. However, Coraline replied, "Go... Go and look for

    Janice."

    A terrified Rachel froze.

    Then, there was a mor of footsteps running down the hallway.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "This is the only room that the surveince monitors don''t cover, President Shaw. She must be inside."

    "Nonsense. This is President Burton''s hotel room."

    "That''s not a problem. If you''re suspicious, you can head inside to have a look."

    When she heard Justin''s words, Rachel''s heart loudly raced as she looked down at the bloodstains on herself before she immediately locked the bathroom door.

    "Rae..." His voice was heard from outside.

    Although the bodyguards had ransacked the cabs as well as the other rooms in the suite, they could not locate the person of interest.

    "Where''s that femalepanion of yours, President Burton?"

    The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom located in the second bedroom.

    It was the only room in the suite that was left unchecked.

    As Justin slowly approached it step by step, he tried to twist the doorknob to find it locked. "Rae? Are you inside?"

    Since Rachel couldn''t speak, there was no way for her to give a speedy reply, regardless of whether or not she was inside.

    So, he forcefully wrenched the doorknob open and with a loud click, the bathroom door swung open while its hinges shook. Rachel was inside the bathroom getting dressed and she yelped loudly as she covered her chest.

    It was clear that she had only just finished showering as she was barefoot and only half-d in her bathrobe. Arge portion of the snowy fair skin on her shoulder was exposed toward the bathroom door. A mortified Justin immediately mmed the bathroom door shut and he stopped the people behind him. "The spy''s not in here. You can leave now."

    When the bodyguard opened his mouth to say something, President Shaw interrupted and insisted, "Alright. Since she''s not inside, we should look elsewhere. Let''s not disturb President Burton anymore." With that, the group of people left the suite.

    Now that Rachel was properly dressed in her bathrobe and with her hair still wet, she stepped out of the bathroom as she cautiously peeked into the living room. Have they left? she asked. "They have." Justin frowned. "Did I scare you?"

    She nodded.

    He then exined, "Someone eavesdropped on them while they were discussing business, so they''ve been looking for her. You didn''t see anyone strange, did you?"

    No, Rachel signed.

    While Justin caught hold of her hands, he added, "That''s good. Stay inside here for the next few days and

    ignore everything else. When I''m done with my business, I''ll take you back to Riverdale."

    Her inexplicably sweet fragrance was wafting through the air.

    Since she was only dressed in a bathrobe, the water droplets at the ends of her hair continued to drip onto her vicle before it traveled down her fair skin, only to disappear into the grey fabric.

    Justin swallowed hard.

    The moment when Rachel eximed, she was already being carried toward the master bedroom.

    Although she had hooked her arms around his beck, her gaze fell on the doorway of the bathroom in the second bedroom. Through the gap of the door, she could vaguely see a bloody arm behind the shower curtain.

 Chapter 141

    It waste at night and beside Rachel was a sleeping Justin. The sound of steady breathing was right next to her ear like a slight breeze. As such, she carefully lifted the corner of the quilt and left the bed. After confirming that Justin was asleep, she left the bed on her bare feet. Then, she pushed open the door of the second bedroom and entered the bathroom. Pulling apart the shower curtain, she found the bathtub empty and even the blood stains had disappeared. Where was the said person?

    Rachel blinked hard to make sure she wasn''t hallucinating. Where was the woman covered in blood and on the verge of dying? She looked around and tried to locate blood stains in the bathroom, yet she found nothing. However, she noticed that the clothes she wore that day were also gone. However, a USB sh drive was left on the washroom table. Her mind snapped back to what Coraline said-to go and look for Janice.

    The next day, Rachel brought the tea into the study and saw someone known as President Shaw, whom Coraline had apanied the day before, sitting in the study as he lit a cigar. There was a silver safe on the coffee table. He borated, "Yesterday''s incident was an ident. I was not careful in choosing my people and almost ruined the big event."

    Justin asked, "Has the person been caught?"

    "No, but she can''t make any waves. She definitely can''t escape from Brookville."

    "You have always been very thorough in your work."

    "Thank you. Integrity is paramount in business. Our business is risky, so let''s check the goods first..."

    President Shaw''s hand rested on the safe as his cigar smoke curled in the air. Next, he suddenly nced at Rachel.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Justin ordered, "Rachel, why don''t you head out first?"

    Thus, she nodded obediently and left the study. Back in the bedroom, she quickly wore headphones and soon heard the conversation in the studying from the device. In fact, she had recorded the wiretap, which Janice had sent to the hotel for her under the tea tray.

    President Shaw was saying, "If Burton Group''s medical line can achieve such quality, regarding this opportunity abroad, I can pull the strings and give half of it to Burton Group."

    "Just half, President Shaw? The price we are giving is much cheaper than Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Aughing President Shaw responded, "Those in our business know that we shouldn''t put all our eggs in one basket. They do not change suppliers easily and it''s their first time doing business with Burton Group. Therefore, I hope you understand that they''re also taking risks."

    "That''s understandable, but I wish for Burton Group''s personnel to be the one to escort and deliver this batch of goods."

    "That''s not possible."

    "President Shaw, you can''t let mypany undertake all the risks, right? Don''t you think Jefferey will send

    someone to follow you if you''re making a deal with Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "Um..."

    As she listened to the conversation in the headphones, Rachel felt anxious. Justin had intervened in Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' business, but what business was it that required such caution? That silver safe was also simr to what Janice described about the box in which Hans saw in the hospital before he was harmed. Perhaps what he found was also a simr deal.

    Justin came out of the study after President Shaw left. So, Rachel went to the study to remove the tea tray. However, Justin responded, "Leave it. Just ce it aside and let the hotel attendant clean it up. Come

    over

    and sit with me for a while."

    Her hands tightened slightly, but still, she put down the tea tray to walk over.

    "Come over and sit." His big hand patted the seat beside him.

    What''s up?

    "We''ll return to Riverdale in the morning. We''ve found a nursing home for Grandma, so we''ll make an appointment tomorrow and I''ll apany you back to see her."

    No need. "What''s wrong? You don''t want me to see her?"

    Rachel''s face was tense as she pursed her lips. Grandma still doesn''t know about my miscarriage.

    A sh of unhappiness shed across Justin''s cold eyes. After a long time, he held Rachel''s hand and said, "Then, don''t let her know yet. I''ll let Frankie handle the matter of the nursing home, so you don''t have to bother about it."

    She nodded. Upon seeing her obedient appearance, he felt the exhaustion of the past few days subsiding. He lowered his body and leaned down to get closer to her. Nevertheless, she reflexively turned away and blocked him with a hand on his chest. At that instant, he noticed the disgust in her eyes, causing his expression to instantly sink. His big hand pinched her cheek as he forced her to look at him. "What are you thinking?"

    Rachel whimpered twice in pain.

    "Your meekness these few days is all pretense, right? In fact, you still hate me in your heart. Why don''t you continue to pretend? It''s because you are returning to Riverdale tomorrow, right?ˇ±

    Her face reddened and she tried hard to struggle. However, the strength in his hand increased as he angrily continued, "Even if you are pretending, you should continue it for longer. How do you n to live in the future if you can''t even pretend for more than two days?"

    Rachel grimaced as she felt like she was at the mercy of others. This man in front of her only treated her as a ything; he would make herugh or cry whenever he wanted to. He knew that her obedience was all pretense, but he enjoyed it; he did not care what she really thought as long as she obeyed him and what she showed was enough to satisfy him.

    As the pain on her cheeks gradually numbed, she tried to soften her gaze. Then, she began begging for mercy with the man in front of her with tears rolling down the corners of her eyes. Justin felt moved by her actions and impatiently released her.

    With a loud bang, he left and mmed the door behind him. Rachel''s heartbeat slowed and she covered her chest as the air rushed into her nasal cavity, making her cough.

    The sound of a vibrating phone soon came from the coffee table and it had been vibrating for a while. Upon seeing that the caller ID was Victor, she immediately replied to the message. ''What''s wrong?'' ''Your grandma is missing!

    After she saw these words, Rachel''s expression changed abruptly. ''When did it happen? How could she have disappeared?

    "Your grandma''s cart for groceries is not at home; she went out early in the morning and hasn''t returned till now! I''m looking for her in the market, but the vendors who are acquainted with her said that she didn''te to buy vegetables this morning!

    Rachel was about to ask some more questions when her phone suddenly vibrated to indicate an unfamiliar caller ID popping up.

    "Hello? Is this Rachel?" The voice on the other end had been specially processed and it sounded eerily creepy, causing her heart to stutter with an ominous feeling.

    "I know it''s not convenient for you to talk, but it''s okay. Just listen to me. Your grandma is now in my hands and if you want her to return safely, do one thing for me. Beg Justin to voluntarily surrender the bid in Brookville."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel turned pale. How could Justin possibly listen to her?

    She screamed into the phone for a long time as she tried to exin, but she couldn''t make a normal sound tomunicate with the other party, who directly hung up the phone after adding, "Rachel, you don''t have much time. The old woman''s body won''t be able to withstand the torment."

 Chapter 142

    When the call was disconnected, Rachel''s body was trembling and she hurriedly tried to return the call. "Sorry, the number you dialed is unavable."

    She screamed at the wall and her hoarse voice echoed in therge living room as her brain buzzed. Justin...

    Justin is now the only person who can save Grandma.

    Without thinking, she ran out of the lobby of the hotel. There, she saw Justin entering a car at the entrance as soon as he exited the elevator. She quickly went after him, trying to call out to him, but no sound came out of her throat and she could only watch the ck car drive away from the entrance. She chased after the car on foot, as if she could not feel the pain on her soles, while she desperately tried to catch up. Soon, the car stopped at a traffic light intersection, but when she was about to catch up, her knees weakened before her whole body fell forward toward the ground as her vision went dark.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    As the intense pain from her knees spread throughout her body, she almost did not even have the strength to raise her head. All she could do was curl up on the side of the road like a dying shrimp. At this moment, passersby pointed at her and gossiped.

    "What''s wrong with that woman?"

    "I don''t know; should I call the police?"

    "It''s a woman."

    "Is it a car ident? Why is she not even wearing shoes?"

    After a long time, a male voice came from among the chaos of voices, "Mrs. Burton?"

    Rachel''s head buzzed for a moment.

    "President Burton, it''s her!" Frankie shouted sharply toward the back.

    When she lifted her head, a tall figure wasing through the crowd and striding toward her. The moment they looked at each other, Justin''s cold, frosty face was scrunched up in anger. "Are you seeking death? Why are you chasing the car along the road?"

    Please, save Grandma.

    Rachel was lying at Justin''s feet, resisting the pain and gesturing toward him for help.

    "Get her back to the hotel and call a doctor."

    "Yes, President Burton."

    There were wounds all over Rachel''s knees, elbows and soles of her feet. After the doctor had treated her wounds, he threw all of the bloodied cotton balls and gauze into the trash.

    "It''s nothing serious, but just be careful to keep the wounds dry to prevent an infection."

    "Thank you, doctor." Frankie sent the doctor out. "President Burton, there is something fishy about this matter."

    "Definitely." Justin''s expression sank. "We just confirmed the winning bid. Then, someone kidnapped her grandmother in Riverdale to threaten us to withdraw the bid. The biggest suspects are our two rivals." "However, in the end, which one of them is the culprit?"

    "That depends on which one of them knows more about my affairs."

    The culprit did not kidnap a member of the Burton Family nor his rightful fianc¨¦e, but instead captured the grandmother of his long-rumored neglected ex-wife in order to threaten him to withdraw the bid. It was obvious that there was something fishy about it.

    "In your opinion, which one of them is it? Golden Growth Corporation?"

    "I''m afraid it''s neither."

    Frankie was stunned at Justin''s words. "Neither?"

    "Go and check on what Jason Burton has been doingtely."

    With that being said, Frankie was instantly enlightened. "On it right away."

    Soon, Rachel was awakened by a nightmare. When she woke up, it was alreadypletely dark. She violently sprang from the bed, feeling her cheeks drenched in cold sweat and messy hair over her face. On top of that, her entire body was frighteningly pale.

    "You''re awake?" A man''s voice came from the bedside. She snapped to her senses and gestured at him. How is Grandma? Did you save her?

    "I''ve asked Frankie to resolve it and the police should have the results soon."

    The police? Rachel''s face turned pale. You can''t call the police! You absolutely must not call the police. If the kidnappers are alerted, Grandma is as good as dead.

    "What can I do if the police can''t help?" Justin''s indifferent tone was so cold that she felt like she had just heard those words in her nightmare. In the dim light, she gritted her teeth and lifted the quilt. Ignoring the pain in her knees and feet, she fell on her knees in front of him with tears immediately flowing from her eyes. Please, I beg you. As long as you save her, I''m willing to do anything. She is my only family now and I can''t lose her.

    At this moment, Rachel gave up all her dignity. The other party said that as long as you are willing to surrender the bid in Brookville, she will be safe!

    She choked as her tears couldn''t stop falling to the point where her eyes were reddened.

    As he pinched her jaw, he coldly stared at her and asked, "When you left the wiretap in my study, did you ever think of begging me?" Wiretap? He found out?

    As he raised his hand, a phone fell on the carpet in front of her before the recording inside the device yed. It was the entire conversation about Justin and President Shaw''s deal in the study. Her face was instantly ashen at that. After sending it to Janice, she forgot to delete the original recording in her phone and he had peeked into her phone.

    Justin fiercely pinched Rachel''s cheek, forcing her to look up at him amidst her cries of pain. "Tell me, what are you trying to do? I can''t believe I didn''t know that you have guts in you. Who have you given this recording to?"

    Rachel gritted her teeth so hard that blood seeped out from the corners of her lips. No, I didn''t give it to anyone. I really didn''t give it to anyone!

    She knew very well that once she admitted that she had done so, he would no longer save her grandmother.

    "So, why were you listening to us? Were you just curious?" Justin snapped. "Do you think I''m stupid? I''ve been overly patient and indulgent with you, haven''t 1?"

    In order for Frankie to identify the source of the kidnapper''s call that she received as soon as possible, he had checked her phone, but he didn''t expect to find such a thing. The moment that this recording appeared, it melted all the pity in Justin''s heart.

    Unable to say anything, Rachel stared at him in hopelessness with herrge eyes. Even if he wants me to die, I''m fine with it. I just wish he can save Grandma.

    When Justin saw the tears swimming in her eyes, he suddenly felt moved somewhere in the depths of his heart. As he was suddenly irritated, he threw her aside and prepared to leave, but he had just taken a step when something blocked his foot. When he lowered his eyes, he saw that she was clinging onto his leg for life.

    Please save Grandma, I beg you.

    "Why should I save her? Who is she to me? Is she worth me giving up a project worth a hundred million?" Justin impatiently pushed her away and coldly added, "Stay here and you''re not going anywhere without my permission."

    After a loud bang, the room fell into silence. As she rushed up and smashed the door, Rachel hissed with a hoarse and unpleasant voice, but all her anger and despair were drowned in her throat.

 Chapter 143

    After he closed the door, Justin''s face was clouded with gloom. He tossed Rachel''s phone to Frankie and said, "Give the phone to the private detective. I''m sure the kidnappers will call again." "Certainly."

    "Also, inform the project manager in Brookville and prepare to withdraw the bid."

    Frankie looked at Justin in amazement and disbelief. They had been discussing this project for a long time, in which the entirepany knew its importance because it was not only reflected in the profit value, but also in the opportunities for long-term cooperation in the future.

    However, Justin had ordered them to withdraw the bid.

    Over at Riverdale the following afternoon, an argument was close to ensuing.

    "Miss Hochmann, you can''t enter now. Miss Hochmann!"

    "Justin!" Gloria pushed open the door and barged into his office in a rage.

    Justin had just finished his morning meeting and he was sitting behind theputer. Upon seeing her appearance, he frowned. "What''s wrong?"

    "You''re still asking me what''s wrong? Where is Rachel?"

    "She has something to attend to and won''t be back for a while.ˇ±

    "She''s noting back for a while?" Gloria nodded. "Okay. Then, I''ll ask, where''s Rachel''s grandma?"

    He frowned but did not reply.

    "She has been kidnapped; do you know about this?"

    "Yes."

    "Yes?" Gloria''s anger immediately rose and she raised her voice. "Then, how can you still sit here to leisurely drink coffee? That is Rachel''s only family member. Do you know that if anything happens to her grandma, Rachel will never forgive you?"

    Justin asked, "Who told you this?"

    "Never mind! Just tell me whether you care about this matter or not!"

    "I''m not a police officer, so how can I resolve this?"

    "The kidnappers are obviously after you. What has Rachel and her grandmother done wrong? If they weren''t involved with you, who would disturb them? I know that better than anyone!"

    "What you mean by that is that you are ming me for having endangered you all these years?"

    Gloria''s face stiffened as her anger froze at the corners of her mouth.

    "Get out. I still have things to do." Justin converged his gaze on her, his pair of cold eyes frosty.

    She clenched her fist indignantly and shouted, "Fine, I''ll leave!"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    After she left the Burton Group, Victor stopped her at the entrance. "How did it go? Did the talks fall apart?"

    "You saw that and you''re still asking?" Gloria red at him. "I really didn''t expect Justin to be so stone hearted. Is Rachel''s grandma''s life less important than money? If the kidnappers want money, just give it to them! How is he short of money?"

    He only knew that Rachel''s grandmother was kidnapped and Rachel had suddenly lost contact with the world, so he could onlye to look for Gloria. It had already been two days, but Justin was drinking coffee in the office leisurely like nothing was wrong. When Gloria saw this, she lost her temper..

    "All business is treacherous. I have already said that before. Anyway, do you know where Rachel is? Did you find out?"

    She was taken aback as she replied sheepishly, "I forgot."

    Victor stared at her. "So, you just went to quarrel with him?"

    "When I am angry, I forget everything!"

    "You''re really something! I might as well not look for you!"

    "Wait for me!" Gloria caught up with him and said analytically, "I probably know where she is! They went to Brookville; it''s a ce where Justin and I have been before. He always stays in the same hotel!" "You mean we should go directly to Brookville to find Rachel?"

    "Yeah, let''s do so!"

    Once Gloria left, Frankie cautiously entered the office. "President Burton, the coffee is cold. Shall I get you another cup?"

    "No need. How are things going?"

    ˇ°There''s progress. It''s as you expected-it was Jason Burton who had people do the deed. Although the surveince cameras in the area did not capture the suspect, it caught the suspect''s vehicle cruising around that day and the license te number belonged to one of his men."

    Justin''s expression slowly fell. "He is too hasty and intends to go all out."

    "I''m afraid that in his view, he is intending to fight to the death. If we withdraw the bid, he can take advantage of Golden Growth Corporation and seize the opportunity to work with them to establish another business."

    "That''s not the issue right now."

    Frankie returned to his senses and replied, "Yes, I understand. The private detective is already following up on the address of Jason''s hideout. There should be news soon. By the way, the private detective also added that on the day your second aunt died in that car ident, Amber visited the hospital morgue, where Jason was also present. However, she did not leave the hospital that day."

    "Amber?" Justin suddenly raised his eyebrow. "Let''s go to the Hudson Residence then."

    Brookville was a long way from Belleview, so in order to save time, Gloria and Victor had boarded the high speed train, saving half the time on their journey if they had driven.

    "This is the hotel." She pointed at the doors. "Justin will only stay at this hotel when hees to Brookville. I''m 99% sure of it.ˇ±

    "Then, how about the remaining 1%?"

    "Don''t jinx it!"

    Gloria red at Victor and went into the lobby, going straight to the reception to ask about Rachel''s stay there

    "Rachel Hudson, right?" The receptionist carefully checked the records and suddenly had a strange look. "Sorry, but we don''t have this guest in this hotel. You and your friend may havee to the wrong ce."

    "Wrong ce? That''s not possible."

    "How is it impossible?" Victor rolled his eyes. "Brookville is arge ce with many hotels. Are you confident that Justin will definitelye and stay here? You''ve been cocksure. I think I''m out of my mind toe here with you. I might as well head home and go to the market to find out who kidnapped her grandma!"

    However, Gloria was extremely stubborn as she asked the employee, "If Rachel Hudson did not stay here, then what about Justin Burton? He is your VIP guest here."

    "Sorry, there''s no such guest too." This time, the receptionist didn''t even check the guest list.

    Upon seeing this, Gloria understood what was going on.

    As Victor argued to return to Riverdale, she pulled him toward the hotel''s employee room before they sneaked inside.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Shh." She covered his mouth. "Keep your voice down or they''ll discover that you did not leave."

    "What the hell are you doing?"

    "Wearing a disguise to save someone."

    "Save who? Didn''t they tell you that Rachel is not here?"

    "You believe what they said? Where''s your brain?" Gloria snorted before continuing, "I don''t even have to thil... to know that the employee was lying. He first looked at Rachel''s information and he must have stumbled upon something because his expression changed. When I mentioned Justin, he did not even check and simply denied it."

    "So what? Even if Rachel is in this hotel, how can we find her? Do we have to check one room at a time?"

    "Who said we have to do so?"

    She handed a couple of employee''s uniform to Victor. "Justin only lives in suites and there are only two of each per floor. It''s not much trouble at all."

    He suddenly felt that the blonde girl in front of him was actually intelligent. "So, what are we going to do now?"

    Gloria responded with a straight face, "Go to each suite and knock on the door to clean the room!"

 Chapter 144

    "Room service."

    Gloria and Victor were pushing a janitor cart that belonged to the hotel.

    A man in a ck attire opened the door and moved aside. "Come in."

    She was slightly shocked as she quickly ced her hand on Victor.

    The man was one of Justin''s bodyguards and they both had met him before. If it hadn''t been for the masks, the bodyguard would have immediately recognized them.

    If there weren''t any idents, Rachel should be right here in this suite.

    The door to the master bedroom was kept shut.

    Rachel sat on the carpet as she helplessly hugged her knees to her chest. Her tears had run dry a long time

    ago.

    She didn''t know how much time had passed when someone knocked on the door.

    Knock knock

    The door opened from the other side and the bodyguard entered with a meal tray in hand. "Mrs. Burton, you haven''t eaten anything in two days. The hotel has prepared some soup for you, so please at least have some. If something happens to you, President Burton will hold us responsible."

    Rachel flipped the meal tray over as her shoulders trembled.

    When she did so, the hot soup scalded the bodyguard''s hand. He took in a sharp breath, but he dared not say anything as he silently cleaned up and left. Once he was out of earshot, he cursed as he walked. "She''s still not eating?" The other bodyguard outside gave a pitiful look. "You were scalded?"

    "Obviously. No matter what they say, I won''t send the foodter tonight. You should do the job."

    "She won''t eat even if we send in the food, so let''s just stop taking the food in."

    "If Frankie and President Burton learn about this, they''ll rip us into shreds. We''re simply unlucky to be in this position, so let''s just submit to fate.ˇ±

    "Let''s eat first, I suppose."

    The hotel had already sent the bodyguards their lunch and the food was on the dining table.

    The two bodyguards walked over to the table to sit down. As they ate, they nced at the two janitors who were still tidying up the room. "Why are you guys so slow today?"

    "Huh? You don''t have to clean the master bedroom, so you can leave that alone."

    Gloria and Victor hastily nodded and collected their things as they prepared to leave.

    Behind them, the two bodyguards feasted on the meal. They hadn''t eaten much and suddenly fell over before Gloria and Victor could even reach the door. The motionless bodyguards flopped on the table. "Timber!" Victor pulled at Gloria''s sleeve. "Isn''t your drug a little too effective?"

    "I swiped a bottle or two when I visited Justin''s medical research institute. No one dares to sell this sort of drug on the market. Good thing I had foresight." Gloria beamed gleefully. "Now, let''s get down to business."

    The two then ran toward the master bedroom.

    "Miss Rachel!"

    Aplete mess had greeted them when they opened the door to the bedroom. Rachel was seated on the carpet next to the bed and she looked so frail that she could topple over at any moment. When she saw Gloria and Victor, she was stunned for a long while as she thought she was dreaming.

    The three of them then rented a car and sped to Riverdale the same night.

    Gloria was the one behind the wheel on their way back.

    Rachel had borrowed Victor''s phone and contacted Janice first and foremost.

    Since Justin refused to help, she could only turn to Janice.

    "Victor, tell Rachel to calm down first. I''ll check the texts and calls on her phone to see whether I can track where the kidnapping urred."

    "Okay, got it."

    After hanging up the call, Victorforted Rachel, "Miss Rachel, perhaps things aren''t as bad as you think they are. Maybe they would leave Madam Tiller alone when the kidnappers realize that Justin wouldn''t help."

    "Yes, that''s possible." Gloria clutched the steering wheel as she intercepted. "Justin isn''t a heartless person, so I think he might have the same idea."

    "Come on, are you still sticking up for him? This isn''t the first time something like this has happened. This madman even dared to lock Miss Rachel up!" At the mention of Justin, Victor''s expression turned sour. "He has a few screws loose, you know? What does he think other people are-criminals and animals? Is that why he locks people up without thinking twice? He won''te to the rescue and even pushed the whole problem onto Miss Rachel!"

    Gloria responded, "When we arrive in Riverdale, wait for me while I have a word or two with Justin."

    "Would he even listen to you?"

    "It''s still better than nothing. Miss Rachel, don''t worry much since I''ll think of a way. It''s your grandma, so I''m sure Justin won''t just stand by and watch."

    It was only after meeting Rachel that Gloria knew about the kidnapper''s demands.

    ording to her understanding of Justin, Gloria felt that he wouldn''t trade someone''s life for this tiny little bit of benefit, much less allow any harm to befall Rachel''s grandma, who was her one and only family left in the world.

    At that moment, Rachel couldn''t think of anything but her grandma''s safety.

    Victor''s words were logical, but most kidnappers were cruel people. If they knew that Justin was stubborn and wouldn''t give in, there was a high possibility that they would just kill their hostage.

    She had never heard of kidnappers sending their hostage back in one piece after a failed negotiation.

    As for Gloria...

    Rachel felt that Gloria was merely used to Justin''s obedience, which was why she believed that he would go to the rescue.

    Meanwhile, a ck car was speeding down the streets of Riverdale.

    On the passenger seat, Frankie had received a call and his expression immediately fell. "President Burton, I just received a call from Brookville Hotel reporting that Mrs. Burton has escaped." Justin''s cold eyes were reflected in the back mirror as he raged, "Escaped? What do you mean by ''escaped? There are many people there, but none of them can keep an eye over her?" "Gloria was the one who took her away."

    His expression darkened before he immediately made a call.

    Gloria''s phone was repeatedly ringing.

    Seeing the iing call on the disy, she said hastily, "Oh no, I think Justin found out that I helped Miss Rachel escape."

    Victor sneered, "You''re simply doing the right thing. What can hein about?ˇ±

    "Shut up. If you don''t want toplicate things. don''t you dare say a wordter."

    With that. Gloria gingerly pressed the button to initiate a handsfree call.

    Justin''s voice immediately filled the inside of the car. "Gloria, where are you right now?"

    "Me? I''m having a night out with my friends."

    "Spare the nonsense. Gloria, did you go all the way to Brookville Hotel to get Rae out? Is she with you?"

    Now that the beans had been spilled, Gloria couldn''t maintain the pretense anymore. "So what if I did? You never had any right to lock people up and I''m actually on my way to talk to you about this. What are you thinking? Is a business deal more important than someone''s life?"

    "I''m doing this for her safety, Gloria. Listen, is Rae with you right now? If you''ve already taken her back to Riverdale, send her over right now."

    Her anger rose when she heard those words. "You still refuse to help, eh? How long do you think you can maintain your rtionship with Miss Rachel if this continues? If you won''t help us, we''re better off taking this to the police!"

    "Don''t!"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "Why not? Miss Rachel''s friend would definitely lend a helping hand."

    "Because I said so!"

    "Now that''s going overboard! I thought you were someone more decent."

    With that, Gloria ended the call as her face reddened with anger.

    Victor was about to drop a sarcastic word or two when his phone rang. "It''s from Officer Hawkins. Does she already have some news?"

    Rachel''s eyes brightened.

    As soon as the call went through, Janice''s voice rang from the other end of the line. "I''m sorry, Rachel. I couldn''t make it in time." She forcefully pinched her palm. Couldn''t make it in time?

 Chapter 145

    Janice''s voice sounded like the air before the rain-heavy and depressing.

    "When I arrived at the scene immediately after receiving the news, the police team had already been dismissed. The ambnce was still there, but they didn''t manage to save Madam Tiller. She''s gone." Rachel''s head seemed to implode with a bang''. Grandma is... gone?

    Brakes screeched on the street as the high-pitched noise pierced everyone''s ears.

    Gloria turned back in a panic to see the color being drained from Rachel''s face. "Miss Rachel!"

    Rachel didn''t hear Gloria''s voice as she snatched Victor''s phone from him. Rachel was in disbelief as she tried tomunicate through the phone, but the only thing that came out of her open mouth was a heart wrenching ''Aaaaaah!''

    She couldn''t believe Janice''s words. How could Grandma be dead?

    Nancy''s surgery was a sess, especially after all of the hardship that they had to endure. Julian even informed that grandma would live a healthy and peaceful life from then on.

    In the hospital morgue, as soon as the doctor removed the white cloth, Rachel fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face.

    "Miss Rachel"

    Gloria wanted to say something, but Victor interrupted, "Let''s head out first. She needs some time alone with Madam Tiller."

    No one had understood the feeling better than him-to have only one person left in the whole wide world to depend on and support. If his own grandmother passed away, he probably would have reacted in the

    same manner.

    Upon seeing Nancy''s lifeless face, Rachel couldn''t breathe for a moment before she leaned against the bed and wept.

    Her wails echoed in the corridor.

    After what seemed like an eternity, arguments started toe from the corridor.

    "How dare you be here! Who gave you the right to do so? Leave at once!"

    "Calm down, Victor. He''s not the one who caused this to happen, so stop barking."

    "If it weren''t for his heartlessness, grandma wouldn''t have died! He has no right to see her!"

    "What are you doing?" Gloria eximed, "Justin, tell them to let Victor go! What are you doing?"

    The sound of shoes walking came from the door.

    Rachel knelt in front of Nancy with reddened eyes. When she heard footsteps behind her, her hands, which were on the bed, balled into fists and even her lips trembled.

    "Rae." Justin''s hand hung mid-air before it was retracted after a while. "What is gone is gone."

    What is gone is gone?! Rachel whipped her head and she red at the man in front of her. How can he speak of this so nonchntly?

    Justin frowned. "I''ll ask someone to arrange Madam Tiller''s funeral and other rted matters. We''ll purchase a cemetery lot with a beautiful view. Don''t worry too much about whates afterward. Just take care of yourself for now."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    There were still injuries on Rachel''s body, but they couldn''t even bepared to the wounds in her heart.

    Upon seeing Justin''s cold countenance, she couldn''t stand it anymore as she gave him a rough and mighty push. Who gave you the right toe?! Who? What right do you have to be here?

    In her fury, Rachelnded blows after blows on Justin. However, he didn''t dodge her attacks as he stood still and endured it.

    The weak fists did nothing to him and she couldn''t even see the hurt in his eyes as she went on her rampage of fury and hatred.

    Why couldn''t you save Grandma? If you did, maybe I could forgive you for everything you''ve done. I would''ve owed you my life, so no matter what you did to me, I would endure it. Yet, you just stood by and watched.

    Rachel was greatly indebted to Nancy, who had raised her. Although they were not rted by blood, Nancy had still loved Rachel like she was her own granddaughter.

    Rachel bitterly sobbed; her voice was so hoarse that every heart would break at its sound.

    She could feel the intense pain as she thought how she had to continue surviving in this world without her grandma. She had lost her only family who loved her wholeheartedly and protected her. There was no longer anyone to pull her hand as they nagged and no one to treat her like a child either.

    At that instant, the world warped to a point where she could only see a ck scene.

    "Rae!"

    "Frankie, call the doctor!"

    The man''s panicked voice faded into the background and that was thest sound Rachel heard before losing consciousness.

    When she regained her consciousness, it was already afternoon.

    Victor was keeping watch by the bed and as soon as he saw her rousing, he immediately called, "Miss Janice! Miss Rachel is awake!" Janice then poured some water for Rachel. "How are you feeling?"

    Rachel leaned against the headboard and shook her head to gesture that she didn''t want to drink. Her eyes were red and swollen.

    A helpless Janice sighed. "We have to look ahead."

    The words once again sent pain through Rachel''s heart.

    From now onward, there would no longer be any more future with Nancy.

    "The police team was dismissed by the time I arrived. As the culprits have criminal records, they have been arrested. The trial is still ongoing and we''ll apprehend the mastermind soon, don''t worry." Rachel gripped her nket. The murderer was aiming for Justin. He thought that he could threaten Justin if he held Grandma hostage, but they didn''t realize that he never cared about me. Grandma died in vain.

    As she conveyed her thoughts, her tears ran down her cheeks once again.

    Janice didn''t know how tofort her, so she sighed again.

    At that moment, they heard the door opening before it was followed by sounds of high heels clicking against the floor with the squeaky friction. "It''s a pretty decent ward, eh? You must be so pampered to be hospitalized so often."

    Amber stood at the door, looking like a busybody more than anything.

    What are you here for?

    Rachel''s expression turned sour.

    Janice frowned as well. "Why are you here?"

    Amber was a little intimidated at the sight of Janice, so Amber edged toward the table without any intention of getting closer. "What''s all the fuss for? Even though Rachel''s grandma wasn''t my own grandmother, we still kept in contact with each other. She''s dead now, so what''s wrong with me popping in for a look?"

    Janice''s expression darkened. ˇ°I don''t remember you being so nice."

    "What beer do I have with the dead, Officer Hawkins?"

    Rachel kept her gaze on Amber. You''re not only here to see Grandma off, are you?

    Amber never did anything that wouldn''t benefit her, which meant that her presence wasn''t for simple reasons.

    Just as Rachel had expected, Amber wore a wry smile. "You are mistaken. I really am here to see Grandma off. After receiving news about the incident, I tried to convince Justin since it''s someone''s life at stake after all. Still, he thought that such things should be handed over to the police, so I had no choice. Rachel, I''m not the one at fault. Please believe me."

    Amber''s words were like icy knives that stabbed Rachel''s ears as it began to ring.

    Justin was the one who reported it to the police, so he''s the one who caused Grandma''s death? No, he won''t. Even if he really did prioritize his benefits and decide to stand by and watch, he won''t do something unprofitable that harms people. She had already begged him earlier not to call the police.

    "If Justin hadn''t called the police, why would the kidnappers quickly kill the hostage? Also, since Officer Hawkins is here, you should just ask her for confirmation."

    Amber''s words had thrust Rachel into the dark depths of the abyss.

    As for Janice, her expression wasplicated as she added with great difficulty, "It is true that the police had intervened in the matter earlier on."

 Chapter 146

    "I have said everything I should. It''s pretty obvious how Justin thinks of you." Amber sneered with a scornful look. "Your dearest family is gone just like that and if you still insist on remaining by Justin''s side, I''d feel sorry for Grandma."

    Rachel gripped her chest through the fabric of her shirt; her heart was hurting so much that it was on the verge of exploding from her chest, which caused her exquisite face to contort in pain. "Are you okay, Rachel?" Janiceforted her. "I''ll get the doctor."

    Upon seeing Amber still standing there, Janice snapped, "What are you still here for? Get lost!"

    Amber was so frightened by Janice''s tone that she stumbled a step backward. "Sheesh, fine. Don''t worry, I''m leaving. Do you think I''d want to stay here any longer than I should?"

    The click of high heels then disappeared down the corridor.

    Janice was about to call for the doctor when Rachel stopped her from doing so.

    "What''s wrong? Where does it hurt?"

    Rachel gritted her teeth because she was so depressed that she couldn''t even sign her words.

    She finally opened her mouth a whileter, but only blood came out.

    "Rachel!" Janice paled.

    The moment that the infusion needle found a vein, the doctor reduced the rate of infusion as he borated, "She''s experiencing some strong emotions now. So, she should rest and recover in a more peaceful environment; she must not be provoked a second time."

    "Okay, understood. Sorry for the trouble, doctor."

    "No problem. I''m just doing my job."

    It was after the doctor left that Rachel gradually regained her consciousness.

    Janice took a seat by Rachel''s bedside. "Are you alright?"

    Rachel didn''t affirm or deny the notion since her mind was filled with Amber''s words.

    Justin was the cause behind Nancy''s kidnapping. Even though Rachel had begged him to save Nancy, he didn''t do anything about it. Not only that, he even reported it to the cops, which caused the kidnapper to kill the hostage.

    As he had indirectly caused Nancy''s death, it made him a murderer.

    "It''s reasonable to call the police under those circumstances."

    Janice draped the nket over Rachel as she assured, "Don''t think too much about what Amber said. She just wanted to see you suffer, so she just came to add fuel to the fire."

    She is right, though.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Rachel reached out and passed Janice a pen drive.

    "What''s this?"

    When I was in Brookville, Justin took me to a gathering where I met a girl, who asked me to pass this to you.

    Janice''s pupils constricted as she stared at the pen drive in disbelief. "Is her name Coraline Harper?"

    Rachel nodded.

    After being stunned for a long while, Janice asked, "Have you looked at its contents?"

    With the shake of her head, Rachel responded.

    From the moment that Coraline had passed the pen drive to her, Rachel never had the chance to decipher what was inside the pen drive. Still, she guessed that it was somewhat rted to the deal between Justin and that group of people. It must be rted to the matter leavesdropped onst time.

    Janice was slightly shocked. "You want to get revenge on Justin?"

    An eye for an eye.

    Rachel''s face was pale and due to all the tears that she had shed, her eyes were reddened and swollen beyond recognition. However, at that moment, her eyes were like a stagnant puddle without any ripples on the surface.

    She was helpless on her own since she had no way of having Justin pay for his crimes. However, she knew that the deal itself could help as she was fairly certain that the deal between Justin and President Shaw was illegal.

    Janice tightly held onto the pen drive. "Don''t worry, I''ll investigate it right away. If it is really rted to Justin, I will throw him into jail with my own hands."

    Rachel arduously nodded with a deste heart.

    "Rest well. I''ll visit you when I have time."

    Okay.

    When Justin arrived home at night, he saw the patrol cars parked at the entrance to his house.

    "Mr. Burton, we have received a report that you are suspected of smuggling. Pleasee with us for a while."

    The policeman at the front showed his credentials with a serious expression.

    A panicked Sue kept shouting, "How is that possible? You must be mistaken!"

    However, Justin was emotionless as if he had already anticipated this turn of events. "Sure, but I hope you have concrete evidence. I wouldn''t want to waste my time on false usations." The policeman was taken aback for a bit. "Get in the car, Mr. Burton."

    Although the patrol car had driven away, Sue was still adamant about asking Old Master Burton for help.

    Mrs. Duncan said, "Madam, the police have already left."

    The look in Sue''s eyes stilled to a sense of calm before she went inside the residence to make a call.

    "Sorry, the person you called is unavable."

    She had called thrice and received the same automated message. In irritation, she threw her phone on the couch. "Where on earth did he go? He''s been missing for days!"

    Mrs. Duncan brought over the tea. "Madam, please calm down. I don''t think things are that serious yet."

    "Not that serious? How much more serious must it be? I just received news that the board of directors at Burton Group are preparing to hold the year-end meeting where they will discuss the distribution of stock rights."

    "What are you afraid of? Young Master Justin is a major shareholder. No matter what happens, your position will not be affected."

    "It''s not easy having to depend on someone for a living." Sue leaned against the couch with a dark expression. "I thought once the mute girl is gone, things will proceed smoothly. Who knew that Amber would be so vicious as well? And that Gloria? She''s a pain in the neck."

    "Don''t panic, we still haven''t received any news from that party. No news is good news."

    Now that Mrs. Duncan had mentioned that party, Sue nced at her phone on the couch while being lost in thought

    At Nancy''s funeral three dayster, the gray sky was apanied by a drizzle.

    Rachel held Nancy''s photograph in her arms while Julian held an umbre for her, which caused his shoulder to be drenched.

    Victor and Janice attended as well, and Grandpa Irwin too.

    Julian was the one who helped with the arrangements for the grave. The funeral host had ced Nancy''s ashes within before a few workers worked to cover the plot with dirt.

    "Say yourst goodbyes."

    Rachel tried to suppress her tears as she bowed her head.

    She never had the chance to repay Nancy''s kindness in this lifetime and she would never have the opportunity again.

    "My condolences, Rae. Grandma wouldn''t want to see you suffer like this."

    His voice rang beside her. "The murderers will receive their due."

    "I agree. Isn''t Justin already arrested? That sort of person should be put in jail forever," Victor cursed viciously

    Three days ago, after Justin had been brought away by the police, he was continuously interrogated about drug smuggling. Janice was directly in charge of the case and the evidence contained in the pen drive was enough to sentence him to jail.

    She didn''t say anything as she patted Rachel on the shoulder before cing a bouquet of flowers at Nancy''s grave.

    Suddenly, a car''s motor sounded at the graveyard''s entrance.

    The ck car was parked at the gates and a figure alighted from the car with an umbre in hand before it approached them.

    Victor was the first to recognize the man and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Justin?!"

    As soon as she heard the name, Rachel was immensely shocked as she quickly turned around with constricting pupils. He''s already been released?!

 Chapter 147

    "Who allowed you toe?"

    Victor had just taken his first step toward the man when two bodyguards grabbed Victor to drag him aside. As for his curses, the rain had drowned it.

    The ck figure walked in from the rain and he advanced toward Rachel at a steady pace.

    She staggered backward.

    An icy cold face was revealed beneath the ck umbre, his eyes colder than winter rain.

    Justin hadn''t even said anything when the police apanying him walked past and spoke, "Officer Hawkins, we received a notice from the higher ups with regards to the case you''re currently handling. The inspectorate wishes to carry out an investigation with you. Pleasee with us."

    Janice frowned and stole a nce at Justin standing behind them.

    Rachel quickly stepped in front of her.

    What do you want?

    "It''s okay, Rachel," Janiceforted Rachel and turned to the police who came to take her away. "I''ll go with you."

    Victor shouted from a distance away, "What are you doing? Is there no regard for thew these days? Is everyone in Riverdale under the Burton Family?"

    Under the ck umbre, Justin raised his hand to give a slight wave.

    Victor gave a painful yelp and as he fell t on his face into the grass, his cursing stopped.

    Rachel panicked. Victor! What do you want? Let him go!

    Justin held the umbre with one hand to reveal a dark expression. "You seem disappointed to see me here."

    Her shoulders trembled. Should I be happy? ted that the man who caused Grandma''s death has turned up at her funeral in one piece? What is wrong with this world? He has clearly smuggled drugs andmitted many crimes, but it''s like he''s above thew to the point where he can shamelessly show up in front of his victims to continue doing all these horrible things.

    He added, "So, this is why you exercised so much effort and even worked with Janice to throw me behind bars?"

    You deserved it!

    "I did?"

    The coldness in Rachel''s eyes was so painful for Justin to see that his anger started to boil within him.

    Julian was quick on his toes as he pushed her behind him. "What are you trying to do, Justin? If you have anything to say, find another time to do so. We''re at Nancy''s funeral!" "This is between me and my wife. Keep your nose out of this."

    "Justin!" Julian gritted his teeth. "Don''t forget, you two are already divorced. You are now engaged to Amber, so if you keep doing this, what sort of position would she be in?"

    "Move."

    Justin pushed him aside unapologetically before the bodyguards secured him in ce.

    Rachel cried in pain when Justin grabbed her wrist. Let go of me! Let go!

    "The funeral is over and my patience with you is running thin. Come with me right now."

    Where are you bringing me to? Let me go!

    Rachel struggled while her free hand frantically whacked Justin. She had managed to push the umbre in his hand away, causing the freezing rain to pelt down on them. He tightened his grip on her hand. "Have you had enough?"

    Nancy''s grave was disappearing from sight and no matter how much Rachel struggled, Justin had no intention of releasing his grip. Amidst Julian''s shouting, she grabbed Justin''s arm and fiercely bit it. A man''s muffled groan sounded above her head.

    Justin red at Rachel in disbelief. His eyebrows were trembling as they knitted together and his thin lips were tightly pursed. Even so, he didn''t let go of her as he watched blood trickle down his arm. The foul taste of iron had spread in her mouth. As she kept her re on him, her eyes turned red before the tears flooded her vision.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    In the teary blurriness, her body started to shake uncontrobly.

    He carried her in his arms and walked to the entrance of the graveyard without looking back.

    Soon, the rain washed away all traces of the blood on the ground.

    The bodyguards then released their hold on Julian. He rushed to the entrance of the graveyard and could only watch as Justin''s car drove away, which left him in a state of helplessness. Then, Julian turned around to see an unconscious Victor on the ground before deciding to treat the man first.

    Justin took Rachel to his vi on the south side of town,

    Once they had entered, he dragged her to the bedroom and threw her on the couch. "It''s quiet here. This is your home now." Rachel''s hair was in a mess. Her head was lowered as she kept silent, her hands on the cushion beneath her in a death grip. Her sad demeanor irked Justin, who proceeded to call for a servant.

    Soon, a maid gingerly ran in. "Sir."

    "Take her to the bathroom. Make sure she gets a bath and a change of clothes beforeing to see me."

    "Yes, sir."

    Justin gave Rachel a cold nce before he added, "Stop ying the victim. There''s nothing pitiful about you since you asked for it."

    Jefferey had married Rachel off to the Burton Family. When she met Justin, she willingly married him in Amber''s ce. So, since she was the one who started the ball rolling, she shouldn''t do whatever she liked in the end.

    After closing the door to the room, Justin felt a chill down his spine.

    The servant outside noticed the traces of blood on his hand. "Sir, you should get your hand treated. It''s still bleeding."

    The teeth marks were clear on the back of his hand-Rachel had bit through his skin and flesh. After he was

    soaked in the rain, the wound looked like it was rotting, making it a ghastly sight. "Grab me the first aid kit."

    The servant then went to execute Justin''s orders while his phone vibrated in his pocket.

    It was a call from Amber.

    "Hello?"

    "Justin, I heard you''re fine now?"

    "Everything''s okay."

    "That''s great! Where are you now? Let''s have a celebratory meal tonight."

    "I''ll pass. I have some matters to attend to."

    Amber''s tone changed. "Are you with Rachel right now? Don''t forget you are now my fianc¨¦. Why do you keep spending time with another woman?"

    Upon hearing that, Justin couldn''t suppress the anger spilling onto his face. "I have no obligation to report to you, you know. Even if we''re already married, you still don''t have any control over me. If you have nothing else to say, I''m hanging up."

    With that, he ended the call.

    In his entire life, he hated being nagged at. Although Amber possessed something he desired, it didn''t mean that he had to obey her.

    On the other end of the line, Amber said a few more ''hello''s before realizing that the call had ended.

    She was so pissed that she wanted to m her phone on the ground.

    Justin was released from the detention center today and it was a piece of news that she had received earlier. She thought that he woulde to look for her, but the first person whom he went to meet was Rachel. He still can''t get over that woman!

    As she recalled his cold attitude moments before, Amber was suddenly afraid. She had worked so hard to attain the position of his fianc¨¦e. If this continued, her effort would all be in vain.

    She had to n a way to get Justin back.

    After thinking for a while, she typed out a message on her phone and sent it.

    Ding!

    A message alert rang out in the spacious living room of the vi in the south.

    Justin nced at his phone before he jumped off his seat.

    About that matter which you''ve asked me about, I''ve thought about it. I have the evidence with me. I don''t trust other people, so I want to give it directly to you''

    That text was from Amber.

 Chapter 148

    "Mrs. Burton, your wounds..."

    As the maid attended to Rachel''s bath, she was shocked to see the numerous injuries on Rachel''s body.

    Rachel had sustained all those wounds while she was in Brookeville and she didn''t take proper care of them nowadays; this was why they were infected and inmed. However, she didn''t seem like she cared. She simplyy in the bathtub and stared at the lights above her.

    The light from the ceiling lights cast flickering shadows, making her dizzy. Everything that happened in the past half year reyed itself like a movie in her head.

    At first, she wanted to get Nancy''s sickness treated, which was why she was forced to marry Justin in Amber''s ce. However, it was exactly because of her lingering ties with him that caused Nancy''s death in the end.

    At the end of the cycle, Rachel felt like everything she did was for naught.

    After Rachel emerged from the bath, the maid helped her to the bed and to rest on her back. "Mrs. Burton, rest well. Young Master Justin went out moments ago and we''re not sure whether he will be back tonight."

    Upon tearing that, Rachel covered herself with a nket and made herselffortable. She didn''t have the slightest curiosity on where Justin went.

    When the maid saw that, she sighed and left, closing the door after her.

    Meanwhile, the night breeze was blowing on the river bank.

    After hearing the sound of a car motor, Amber immediately turned around. "Justin."

    He wore a jet ck suit and seemed to melt into the dark night. "Where''s the item?"

    She gritted her teeth. "I brought it, alright, but Justin, don''t you think you owe me an exnation? I went around and worked tirelessly these few days for your sake, but the moment you were released, you looked for Rachel instead. If you really can''t let go of her, why bother getting engaged with me?"

    "Because you are Amber Hudson." The look in Justin''s eyes was unfazed. "Right from the start, the one I am supposed to marry is you, not her."

    Amber was stunned.

    "If you do not wish to get married, there''s still time to turn around."

    "I don''t mean it like that." Amber was suddenly flustered. "Of course I''m willing to get married, but Rachel-"

    "No ''but''s. Your father is to me, for he shouldn''t have allowed Rachel to marry into the Burton Family in your stead. Every woman I have touched would be mine forever, even after divorce."

    The cool breeze carried the cold words unforgivingly into her ears, causing her heart to tremble.

    Amber was no fool. Right from the start, she knew all too well what Justin thought of her and her background.

    If she wasn''t Jefferey''s daughter and the sole heir to Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Justin wouldn''t even spare her another look.

    Still, she could not understand something. There were many young women from families on par with the Burton Family in Riverdale, but Justin paid them no mind. She didn''t know why he had his sights set firmly on the Hudsons. Her father''s words then echoed and resonated in her head as she mulled over it.

    "I can give you the item, but I want our wedding date to be brought forward so that we can get married as

    soon as possible."

    Justin wasn''t quick to agree. Instead, he questioned Amber coldly, "You were the one who sent people to Southwind Vi on the night of our engagement party, didn''t you?"

    Under the moonlight, his cold eyes seemed to threaten her.

    Amber trembled violently before she quickly denied the notion. "Of course not. No matter what the circumstances between Rachel and I are, we are still sisters in the end. I wouldn''t dream of doing such things to her."

    "You wouldn''t, but Jason would."

    The people who were sent to Southwind Vi were clearly not the same people whom she had hired. Amber was a spoiled girl from a rich family, so she wouldn''t have connections to vicious criminals. The mos she could find were some street ruffians to do her bidding.

    However, someone took advantage of her involvement and switched up the members to be sent there. They were all criminals aiming to take Rachel''s life.

    Amber paled. "Justin, are you suspecting that I was working together with Jason? I didn''t do it-I swear!"

    "Really? If you didn''t, how did you manage to escape from Jason in one piece?"

    Jason had brought Amber away when she was in the hospital, but she was released that same night. It was something that she had said herself.

    She had nothing to say in return.

    "Justin, you can''t use me like that. I have not the slightest intention of harming you." Amber frantically rummaged through her bag and managed to produce an envelope. "Here''s the recorded evidence of him ordering people to kidnap Rachel''s grandma. Here, take it. Feel free to pass this to the police for verification. Then, he''ll have to spend his whole life in jail. If I really were working together with him, I wouldn''t hold on to this piece of evidence, would I?"

    Justin took the envelope, the joints pronounced in his slender fingers. "There are many things you shouldn''t concern yourself with around me. I hope you know where your limits are. The things I hate most are betrayals and threats."

    The river breeze breathed past Amber and she felt chills running down her spine.

    Rachel was woken up by the servant for breakfast the next day and when she descended the stairs, she found Justin there as well.

    She had no idea when he had returned.

    "Mrs. Burton, Mr. Burton had hurried home this morning to apany you for breakfast. He didn''t want you to feel too bored being alone."

    The maid had thrown in a good word for Justin as she pulled a chair for Rachel to sit at the table.

    Rachel didn''t respond much after hearing those words. She simply took the cutlery and sliced into the sandwich and sausages on her te. She took a few casual bites before she set aside her cutleries and moved to get up.

    "Mrs. Burton, you''re already done?"

    Yes.

    Before Rachel could even manage to leave the table, someone had grabbed her by the wrist.

    Justin''s grip was on her hand when he questioned, "Are you full, or did you lose your appetite at the sight of me?"

    She couldn''t struggle free of his grasp, nor did she have the energy to. The calm look in her eyes was so cold that it brought chills. What do you think? Should I have an appetite when I look at you? You murderer!

    Why would a murderer think that someone would be overjoyed to have meals with him?

    His expression darkened in an instant before he flung her away forcefully.

    Rachel fell back onto the chair, the pain distorting her delicate features.

    Justin ced his hands on the back of the chair and the table, locking Rachel into the tight circle formed by his body. His action had cast a shadow on her. "Do not try my patience. You are not allowed to go anywhere unless you finish the food on your te."

    With that, he threw her a cold re before he returned to his own seat. "Miss Jennifer, pour another ss of fruit juice for her."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

    The shocked maid was standing at the side before she nodded hastily. "Understood. I''ll attend to it right away."

    Rachel''s shoulders were furiously trembling as the anger and embarrassment billowed in her chest.

    Justin spoke, "I have all the time in the world to spend on you this morning. If you can''t finish your breakfast, I''ll just sit here and wait until you do. If the food gets cold, I''ll get them to warm it up for you. If the food is reheated too often, I''ll have them make a fresh batch. If you want to keep me in view so badly, I have all the time in the world to humor you."

    The tension between them continued for a long time in silence.

    Under the man''s persistent gaze, Rachel finally gave up. She picked up the cutlery and tightly held them. Then, she proceeded to slice away at the bacon on her te.

    It was only then when Justin averted his gaze to drink coffee while he read the newspaper at his side.

    "From now on, I''ll return home every day to apany you as you eat. Be prepared for that."

    Rachel was cutting some bread when she paused in the middle of her actions. Then, she gritted her teeth.

 Chapter 149

    When Victor regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Gloria beside him. "How did I end up here?"

    "Come on, you had a concussion. Where else would you be except for the hospital? The crematorium?"

    A still slightly dazed Victor sat up on the bed. "I remember now. It''s Justin. That b*stard knocked me out. Right, where''s Miss Rachel? Where is she right now?" If he wasn''t awake before, he certainly was by now. "Justin took her away, didn''t he? I have to look for her right now!"

    Gloria immediately stopped him as she used every ounce of her strength to keep him on the bed. "What are you going to do in this condition? You know it''s useless!"

    "That good-for-nothing took Miss Rachel away! I can''t just stand by and watch!"

    "She''s fine; she''s now staying at Southwind Vi. I sneaked in to check on her before." Her expression was a littleplicated. "I feel she wouldn''t want to see me, so I didn''t enter, though."

    Victor mmed his fist on the bed. "What does he want with Miss Rachel? They''re already divorced, but he still won''t let her go! He even caused a scene at her grandma''s funeral!"

    "I''ll ask him about this matterter. Don''t worry about it."

    "What do you think his answer would be? How are you still able to see him as a proper human being after all he has done?"

    Victor was so furious that he would blow the roof off the ward if he could. "Look at all the pain he has made Miss Rachel endure!"

    "There must have been a misunderstanding!"

    "Gloria, there''s something wrong with you! You were raised by him, so you''re unable to have unbiased thinking!"

    Gloria''s expression suddenly changed as she rose to her feet. "Fine! I''m biased! Are you happy now?"

    Her hands were clenched into tight fists as her eyes reddened. She managed to swallow her suppressed emotions as she spoke, "Don''t worry about the matters concerning Grandma; I''ve asked someone to take care of them."

    With that, she took her bag and left the ward without looking back.

    Victor watched her leave before he scratched his head in frustration. He was starting to regret not choosing his words earlier.

    To Gloria, Justin was a benefactor who raised her.

    Even if he really was a wretched criminal, she wouldn''t be able to criticize him like everyone else did.

    After she left the hospital, Gloria hailed a cab.

    "To Burton Group, please."

    The driver had just passed the traffic lights when Gloria suddenly thought of something. "Sir, please change the destination to the Burton Medical Research Institute on Central Street."

    Since it was already in the afternoon, the heater was switched on in the caf¨¦ as the winds outside were freezing.

    "Ria, what''s the matter? You didn''t inform me of your visit beforehand; what if I''m not there? You''d havee here for nothing."

    Amber stirred the coffee in front of her as she studied Gloria.

    "Don''t call me that. We''re not that familiar with each other." Gloria''s expression was cold. "Justin wanted you to help with the development of a new drug, so you''d definitely spend time here on a daily basis to have your efforts recognized. You wouldn''t be anywhere else."

    "You don''t have to be so wary around me. We had a misunderstanding before, which Justin has already exined to me. You are his savior''s daughter, so after I''m married to him, I will also treat you well.ˇ±

    "No need. That was between me and him."

    "I''m not here to discuss rtionships. I just want to give you a piece of advice: leave Justin."

    The spoon in Amber''s hand halted as she answered warily, "Don''t tell me you like him?"

    "If I really did, you wouldn''t even have a chance."

    "Then, why should I leave him?"

    "Do you know why Justin wanted to marry you and no one else?" Gloria frowned as she quietly looked at Amber. "The Hudson Family isn''t exactly on par with the Burtons. Why would he insist on marrying you? Haven''t you wondered about that?"

    The tension in Amber''s eyes was unmistakable. ˇ°"Why?"

    While they were all at the dining table in Southwind Vi at night, the maid brought out the final dish and moved aside to await further orders.

    Rachel had her head bowed as she ate and she soon finished half of the food on her te.

    Justin gave her a look and ced a piece of meat on her te. "Take your time. What''s the rush?"

    She tightened her grip on the utensils as she red at the meat on her te. She suddenly felt her stomach churn, so she covered her mouth as she ran to the bathroom where she started to puke. His expression soured at lightning speed.

    With a loud ''bang'', he pped the utensils on the table.

    Rachel gave a painful shout as she felt searing pain on her scalp.

    Justin grabbed her hair and forced her to look at him, "Are you that disgusted with me? Is it so nauseating to dine with me?"

    "Ahhhh!"

    She tried to struggle free as if her life depended on it and her face was flushed.

    As he held her cor in a death grip, Justin dragged her to the dining table and ced a whole te of meat in front of her. "Eat! Finish it all!"

    Rachel gritted her teeth, not making a sound.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Am I expected to feed you?"

    She paled as she picked up the pieces of meat and forced them into her mouth.

    The oily smell suffocated her and she had to suppress her urge to throw up again.

    Justin''s fury never receded. He stubbornly watched Rachel eat the food even though she really could no longer endure the smell, which caused the anger inside him to grow even stronger. "Stop eating!"

    She didn''t seem to hear him as she kept stuffing the meat into her mouth like clockwork.

    "I said, stop eating!"

    Justin snatched the te away.

    The white porcin te crashed to the floor. As the te broke into two against the tiles, the meat and broth that it contained sshed everywhere.

    Rachel covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to resist the nausea at her throat. However, the moment her digestive juices rose up, her nasal cavity was filled with the smell and she was helpless as she vomited

    everything.

    As the smell of vomit invaded their nostrils, Rachel was especially affected by it. She uncontrobly emptied the rest of the contents in her stomach onto the floor.

    Justin was fuming as he grabbed the tablecloth and flipped everything on the table over.

    Amidst the loud crashing of items, he turned and left the scene.

    The maid hurried over the moment he departed. "Mrs. Burton! Are you all right?"

    Rachel could hardly straighten herself as she weakly waved her hand to signify that she was alright.

    "I''ll bring you some water. Please take a rest."

    The maid had only just gone when Rachel slid to the floor while holding the chair for support. It was as if all her energy was drained from her and with a sour feeling in her nose, the tears fell from her eyes. She didn''t know how much longer she had to y the puppet in a puppeteer''s hands.

    Did she really have to live the rest of her life facing Justin and enduring the pain they inflicted on each other?

    The maid prepared a ss of honeyed water for Rachel. "Come, Mrs. Burton. Have a drink."

    "I''ll tidy up and prepare another set of dinner for you."

    It''s okay. I don''t want to eat anything now. Rachel ced the ss down and she straightened the pajamas she was wearing. Please take me to my room to rest. I''m tired.

    Justin didn''t show up at the vi for a number of days.

    After the morning assembly, Frankie brought Justin two documents that required his signature.

    The moment when Justin signed his name and returned the documents to his assistant, he asked, "How is she these days?"

    "Miss Jennifer said that Mrs. Burton has been taking her meals as usual for the past two days. She''s also recovering well from her injuries and she even took a walk in the yard today."

    The look in Justin''s eyes clouded over. Just as expected. As long as I''m not there, she will live happily!

 Chapter 150

    "Mrs. Burton, have some herbal soup."

    Thanks, Miss Jennifer.

    Rachel was reading a book on the couch with a sweater draped over her when Jennifer came with a bowl of soup.

    The recently disgruntled Rachel had finally managed to recover a little thanks to Jennifer''s help in taking care of her by providing nutritious food.

    "Why are you thanking me? All these bowls of herbal soup were sent by Frankie. He had been sending these tonics for the past two days and it would be a waste if you don''t eat them." While she drank the soup, Rachel nced at one corner of the living room where Frankie ced all the tonics

    earlier from the corner of her eye.

    Although Justin hadn''t visited for the past few days, the items at home still continued to arrive as Frankie would swing by with bags after bags of things every morning.

    Even though Rachel didn''t talk to Justin, she still acknowledged everything that he did.

    Miss Jennifer, thank you for the past two days.

    "You''re wee." Jennifer pointed at the kitchen. "There''s still more herbal soup in the kitchen. You should drink some since you haven''t eaten lunch yet, Frankie. I''ll go and get some for you." "It''s fine," came Frankie''s reply.

    Nevertheless, Jennifer still proceeded to the kitchen despite his refusal.

    At the same time, Rachel ced her bowl of herbal soup back on the table before she lowered her head to read her book

    Upon seeing that, Frankie hesitantly responded, "Mrs. Burton, the reason why President Burton hasn''t been returning home is because he''s afraid that you''ll lose your appetite at his sight. He actually cares about you."

    However, she snorted.

    For the past six months, everything that Justin had done made her feel like throwing the towel. As for Hans and Grandma''s deaths, which one of them wasn''t caused by him? What is he trying to do by being nice to me again?

    This isn''t him caring for me; this is him being possessive.

    I''m just a toy to him that he bought from Jefferey. Even though Justin doesn''t like me, he would never let anyone have me since he has purchased me and I belong to him forever.

    "Mrs. Burton, it''s not like that." Frankie didn''t know how to defend Justin. "Do you still me President Burton for Nancy''s death?"

    Shouldn''t I? Rachel shot Frankie a cold look. If she was your family member, would you have acted like nothing happened?

    "It''s not like President Burton didn''t want to save her, though. He already asked his men to withdraw the second it happened,"

    She was stunned before she thought, Justin asked his men to withdraw? Still, he made the police report! If he hadn''t done so, Grandma wouldn''t have died.

    "Police report?" It was his turn to give her an odd look. "Who told you that President Burton made a police report? When the kidnappers demanded a case filled with gold bars, President Burton made a deal to hand

    them the gold bars in exchange for Nancy. He even went alone without me!"

    At this moment, Rachel sat up in disbelief. That''s impossible. How did Grandma die, then?

    "Didn''t the doctor tell you? Nancy''s illnesses acted up again, which was why she passed away the second day after she was kidnapped. The only reason why the kidnappers continued to mess around with us was for more money!"

    Her face immediately turned pale. That''s not possible. How could this be?This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Then, her hand, which was holding the book, started to tremble.

    The book page was torn apart as a dazed Rachel stared at the book on herp before tears started to drop on the page. Her vision became blurry and she couldn''t tell what was written on the book any longer. Justin wanted to save Grandma?

    Frankie sighed. "The police came after that. I don''t know who made the police report, but it''s definitely not President Burton since he went for the deal alone. If it weren''t for the police, something might have already happened to him. You don''t even know how serious it was!"

    His clear voice broke through all the allegations that she had made up in her mind. It was her hatred toward

    Justin that caused her to make a fool out of herself.

    The truth was theplete opposite of what Rachel had imagined.

    "Mrs. Burton, please don''t be angry at President Burton anymore. He has been staying at thepany all this time and even lost a lot of weight."

    After Frankie left, Rachel was left alone as she stared at the book. Did I misunderstand him?

    Although it was alreadyte, she somehow couldn''t fall asleep.

    The sound of the car engine rang out from the window''s direction after a long time and she immediately got up from bed.

    Upon reflecting on Frankie''s words, Rachel finally decided to thrash it out with Justin.

    Nevertheless, voices rang out from outside after she waited for a long time.

    Rachel was slightly taken aback as she thought she had misheard and went to open the door.

    "Justin, why did you bring me here all of the sudden? It''s too far."

    "Is that so? Well, it''s quiet here since the city is overpopted."

    "Still, doesn''t Rachel stay here?"

    "What about it? She''s just another decorative object in this house anyway. Does anything I want to do or anyone I bring home concerns her? Moreover, you''re my fianc¨¦e!"

    Upon hearing those two voices, Rachel''s grip on the staircase''s rail tightened. Her fingernails dug deep into the rail as her face paled.

    Just a decorative object?! As expected, I''m nothing more than that in his eyes. I can''t believe that I was like a fool to have actually believed what Assistant Beckham imed. I even thought that I misunderstood Justin when he cared about me.

    When she heard those two heading upstairs, she quickly hid in her room.

    However, she could still hear those ear-deafening noises from the back of the wall.

    "Justin, stop it!"

    "Wait for me. I''ll go and take a bath."

    There was silence at this point.

    Rachel covered her ears and shook her head helplessly, trying to remove those images in her mind. Still, she couldn''t lie to herself as she fell to the carpeted floor while bitterness filled her mouth. The sound of water sshing down continued to ring in her ears.

    Not able to withstand it anymore, Rachel staggered to the bathroom where she sat in the bathtub without removing her clothes. Then, she turned on the tap. In no time, the bathtub was filled with water before she submerged herself in it as she tried to block all the noises that gued her.

    At the same time, a neatly dressed man sat on the couch and lit up his cigar in the room next door.

    He wasn''t affected by the noises of water in the bathroom whatsoever.

    Nevertheless, his face darkened in the midst of the smoke.

    Throughout the past few days, Rachel had never tried to contact him or send any texts. Even after he had brought Amber home, he did not see Rachel emerging from her room after he waited in the living room for what seemed like eternity.

    Looks like that woman really wishes for me to disappear from her sight since she doesn''t want to be rted to anything about me. Well, it''s true that she didn''t get married into the Burton Family anyway. Justin''s expression darkened at that thought.

    At this moment, Amber''s voice rang out from the bathroom. "Justin, why aren''t there any towels in the bathroom? Can you grab one for me?"

    As he snapped out of his daze, he frowned.

    "Justin, are you outside? Justin?!"

    Amber poked her head out of the bathroom in confusion.

    However, Justin had already left some time ago, only leaving a midst of cigar smoke around the couch.

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 151

    On the corridor of the second floor, Justin walked toward the entrance of the master bedroom. There wasn''t any movement in the room whatsoever. He couldn''t believe that Rachel was able to sleep like a log since it had been so long after he brought Amber back. Suddenly, he felt anger rising within him.

    A tipsy Justin opened the door with a loud crack. "Rachel!"

    There was no one in the room, but he could hear the sound of water sshing. When he noticed the water seeping out from the slit of the bathroom door, his expression changed.

    "Rachel!" He rushed toward the bathroom before noticing that the door was locked. After he kicked the door open, he immediately saw the body in the bathtub while the bloody water continued to drip from the tub. There was a blood-stained dagger on the washstand, and the stain had already dried.

    Rachel had already lost consciousness as her head rested on the side of the bathtub with a peaceful look. However, her left hand was still submerged in the water while blood continued to flow from her wrist. Justin''s mind went nk in that moment as his expression hardened. Then, he dragged Rachel out of the bathtub with a loud ssh and roared, "Prepare the car!"

    When he ran into Amber, who was wrapped around a towel, she shrieked before staring at what happened in disbelief. "Justin!"

    "Move away!" he snapped, causing her to move away in fear. Without exining anything, he carried Rachel downstairs before he yelled, "Get the car ready! We are going to the hospital!"

    He had never expected her to attempt suicide by slitting her wrist. Rachel really hates me to the core, huh? She would rather die than to talk to me, nor is she willing to stay in the same house as I do. Meanwhile, Amber ran after them before she watched as Justin carried Rachel into the car and sped off, leaving her to stand at the doorway wrapped in a towel like a fool.

    "Miss Hudson, the weather is chilly and you''re going to catch a cold if you wear like that." Jennifer''s voice rang out behind Amber.

    As she was unable to release her pent-up anger, Amber snapped, "Who are you to tell me what to wear?"

    "I was just trying to be nice. Are you still staying over tonight? I can tidy up the room for you."

    "That''s not necessary!" Why would Amber still want to embarrass herself further when Justin had already ditched her here?

    Amber''s face was dark as she returned to the room and mmed the door with a loud bang. A whileter, she changed her outfit and left the mansion in Southwind. She contacted someone on her way back. "How''s the investigation on what happened 20 years ago?"

    The person''s reply was unheard.

    "Send the documents to my ce now."

    The other party''s response was muffled.

    Rachel had a dream. In her dream, she was standing on thewn of a farmhouse. It was a sunny day and she felt the warmth under the sunlight. As she looked around in confusion, she spotted a familiar figure wearing a blue floral dress standing at the vegetable plot on thewn.

    "Rachel, don''t you feel hot standing under the sun? Be careful as you could get a sunburn! I don''t want to lose sight of you in the midst of charcoal!"

    Grandma? Rachel was stunned as she watched Nancy harvesting vegetables on the ground.

    "Rachel, I''ll make buns with eggs and vegetables for you tonight since that''s your favorite dish. I''ll go and grab more eggs. You need to eat more in order to grow taller."

    Grandma! Rachel cried as she ran into Nancy''s embrace while Nancy ruffled her hair in confusion. "Why are you crying? Who bullied you again? Let''s go, I''ll fight them off for you."

    Grandma, you''re still alive. I thought that I won''t be able to see you anymore.

    "My child, what are you even talking about? I''m just fine."

    She snuggled into Nancy''s embrace as the smell of cooking eased her. Then, Nancy patted Rachel''s back. "Rachel, why are you behaving like a child now? I still have to leave someday as I won''t be able to be with you forever."

    No! I want to be with you, Grandma.

    "My child, death and parting is a natural course in the human circle. Without me being by your side, you have to learn to take care of yourself and stay strong, no matter what happens." Nancy''s voice became softer and softer. "Rachel, remember what I said. There''s only hope when you''re alive."

    Grandma! Rachel''s eyes snapped open, but the bright lights shining on her made her vision blurry.

    "She''s awake! She''s awake!"

    A woman''s familiar voice rang out. It was Jennifer announcing, "Mr. Burton, Mrs. Burton is awake."

    Rachel''s vision slowly cleared. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, she saw Justin entering before he sat at her bedside. They were the only two souls left in the room after Jennifer left. When Rachel tried to sit up, she found out that she couldn''t move her body. However, when she moved, a piercing pain shot up from her left hand while her wrist felt like it was about to snap into two.

    "Stop moving." Justin''s voice echoed through the room before he held her back by grabbing her shoulders. "Lie down and stop moving if you don''t want to die."

    After he said those words, he suddenly thought of something and chuckled coldly. "How could I have forgotten? You wanted to die anyway. I guess the pain doesn''t matter to you."

    A stunned Rachel followed the direction of his gaze to her left wrist, which was wrapped in bandages. Her right hand was connected to the IV drip and she couldn''t move either hand at all. This was a hospital, the ce that she had frequented the most in the past six months-all thanks to the man in front of her.

    "You hate me, don''t you?" Justin''s finger dug into her shoulders. "Do you think that you can make me feel bad by attempting suicide? Don''t be delusional!"

    Rachel tried her best to ignore the stabbing pain that she felt and looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Still, he reached out to grab her by her chin and forced her to turn to look at him. "I''m telling you that I won''t let you die. You can try doing this again, but I''ll save you every time you try to attempt suicide. The Burton Family has more than enough to feed a useless person, so let''s see who can torture the other even more."

    At this moment, Rachel felt chills from the man''s cold gaze, but she met his eyes with an almost numb and calm look.

    As he was angered by her unaffected gaze, Justin tightened his grip on her. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don''t you want to live anymore? Shouldn''t you hate me? You should stay alive if you do. Do everything that you can to get your revenge for your grandma and Hans. Didn''t you think that I killed them? Hate me, then!"

    However, she didn''t react at all. It was as if she had lost her sense of pain as well. I don''t hate you.

    Since he wasn''t the cause of Nancy''s death, he hadn''t done anything wrong to her. There wasn''t any

    conclusion to Hans'' death at this stage, so Rachel couldn''t hate Justin for that too. Nevertheless, she owed him way too much now, which made it useless for him to keep her alive any longer. Rachel''s calm gaze was unwavering, making it feel like she was looking at nothing.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    When Justin noticed that, his hands suddenly shook a little. He observed that the energy in his hands waspletely drained. Although she was right under him, it also felt like she was miles away at this moment.

 Chapter 152

    "Rest well at the hospital. I''ll ask my men to watch your ward 24/7, so you won''t be able to die," Justin coldly mentioned before he left and closed the door with a loud m, causing the room to shake a little. It was pretty soon after that when Jennifer entered.

    "Mrs. Burton, why are you still being so stubborn with Mr. Burton?"

    Nevertheless, Rachel rested her head on the pillow as she remained silent.

    Then, Jennifer rolled up Rachel''s bed and opened the thermal bottle that she brought. "Mr. Burton had someone prepare this chicken soup for you because he said that you''ll surely be hungry once you''re awake. You don''t even know how long you''ve been out cold and Mr. Burton has been guarding your side the entire time. Come on, have some soup."

    Yet, Rachel, who was pale, looked away.

    Jennifer sighed. "Why would you torture yourself like this?"

    Torture myself? Rachel wanted tough when she heard that. Am I the one torturing myself? For the past six months, is the humiliation that Justin brought upon me still not enough? I''m sick of giving up all my pride just to be humiliated. All I''ve wanted is to die but that can only be wishful thinking now.

    It was in the afternoon when Amber entered Jefferey''s office with a document file.

    "Miss Hudson, the president is still in a discussion. You can''t just enter as you wish."

    "Dad!!!"

    The secretary looked anxious as Amber barged into the office while he was in the midst of a discussion with his client. "President, Miss Hudson insisted on entering and we couldn''t stop her."

    A frowning Jefferey apologized to his client, "That''s about it for the contract. I''ll arrange for someone to draft a new version of the contract as soon as possible."

    "d to work with you."

    After he sent the client off, Jefferey closed the door to his office and red at Amber. "You''re getting even more outrageous now. Don''t you know that I was in a meeting? Do you know how bad the consequences are for barging in like this?"

    Still, Amber couldn''t be bothered. "Dad, I''m here to ask you something important."

    "What kind of important issues can you have?"

    "Did you ask your men to set fire on Somerset Mountain 20 years ago?"

    Jefferey was stunned. "Who told you about this?"

    "I''m asking whether you did it or not!"

    "Probably. What''s wrong?"

    "Do you know that the fire almost caused Justin to burn to death? He was kidnapped and brought to Somerset Mountain back then. And because of you, he almost lost his life!" "Really? That happened?"

    Jefferey frowned before he lowered his head to brew his tea.

    "Dad!"

    Upon noticing Jefferey''s calm look, Amber felt odd before she used, "Dad, you knew about this all along, didn''t you? You knew everything all along!"

    "What''s with that attitude? So what if I do? Who doesn''t know about Justin''s abduction back then when it was so publicised?" He mmed his tea cup on the table. "Does he hate the Hudson Family? He should be hating his kidnappers instead! We are not even rted to what happened! When I obtained the permit to develop Somerset Mountain back then, I had every right to do whatever I wanted on thatnd! How should I know that those human traffickers had hidden him in the mountains?"

    "Was that really what happened, Dad?" Amber scanned Jefferey''s face. "Was it that simple?"

    "What are you implying?"

    "That Grandpa Irwin guy from Somerset Mountain. Why did you bring him over to Riverdale?" Upon hearing her words, his eyebrows twitched a little. "Who told you about all these?"

    "That''s none of your business." Amber clenched her fists. "Dad, just tell me what you''ve done! Why do you know that human trafficker? Are you rted to the case back then..."

    She knew that the Hudson Family had illegal deals, which was why she was already imagining the worst case scenario.

    Jefferey then mmed his fist onto the table. "What are you even talking about? Are you ming everything on me just because you wanted to get married to Justin Burton?"

    "Dad, I''m already engaged to him. Why are you still keeping it a secret from me?"

    "Fine. Since you want to know it so badly, I''ll tell you about it! You''re right; the reason why Justin hates the Hudson Family so much is because of the fire at Somerset Mountain. I know he hates me, and that''s why I never believed that he genuinely helped us out. Because of that, I have done everything that I could to avoid you getting married to him."

    Amber''s face turned pale before she grabbed the couch''s armrest to sit down.

    "Still, I never expected Rachel, that pesky betrayer, to actually gain Justin''s fancy after she became married to him. That''s the reason why I asked Irwin toe to Riverdale. I just wanted to remind him about what happened twenty years ago so that Rachel won''t have a chance to escape from us and crawl to the top of the Burton Family."

    Amber was confused. "Dad, I don''t understand. How are Irwin and Rachel rted? Would Justin and Rachel''s rtionship even bepromised once Irwin arrives in Riverdale?"

    "My daughter, you don''t know this. Before Rachel was taken back to the Hudson Family twenty years ago, Irwin was her neighbor. In fact, they were extremely close, so she would surely protect him over Justin!"

    Is that so? Amber looked deep in thought. "That doesn''t make sense, though. That wasn''t what Gloria told

    me."

    "Who''s Gloria?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "That''s not important." She urged anxiously, "Dad, someone told me that the reason why Justin hates us is not only because his life was almost taken by the fire, but the fact that the fire killed one of his friends."

    "Friend? What friend? Somerset Mountain is a rural area and there''s barely more than ten families in the vige, so how could he have a friend there?"

    "Apparently, it was a girl around the age of 7 or 8. She helped him to escape from the human traffickers and was his lifesaver. However, she died in the fire, so that''s the reason why he wanted revenge on us." "That''s impossible. No one died in that fire!" Jefferey denied, "Moreover, the vige was where all the human

    traffickers gathered together. There''s no one else who stays there besides those human traffickers as well as the kidnapped boy, so where did that girl appear from?"

    "How could that be? It was a vige after all. Wasn''t Rachel taken from that ce?"

    Suddenly, Jefferey looked like he recalled something before turning to Amber in shock. "What did you just

    say?"

    "Huh? I said, wasn''t Rachel..." Amber''s facial expression changed as she trailed off. "Dad, could it be that..."

    If what Jefferey had said was true, and no one died in the fire 20 years ago, there was only one family left in the vige beside the human traffickers. So, who else could that girl have been?

    Despite not knowing much about what happened two decades ago, Amber knew that Rachel''s vocal cords were damaged in the fire and she was brought back from Somerset Mountain by him. How could that be?!

    Amber met Jefferey''s gaze in disbelief and saw a simr look of shock in his eyes as well.

    The girl whom Justin tried to seek revenge for all these years was none other than Rachel

 Chapter 153

    "Are you sure that Justin wanted revenge on the Hudson Family for a girl?"

    Jefferey''s voice was filled with disbelief as it took Amber a long time to return to her senses. "I''m sure."

    There was no reason for Gloria to have made up a story about someone who never existed to lie to her.

    After he was quiet for a while, Jefferey''s eyes suddenly brightened. "Since Rachel isn''t dead, Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' crisis would be resolved if we tell Justin about this."

    "Dad, what are you even thinking about? How could you tell Justin that? It''s true that Rachel isn''t dead and allowing them to reunite with each other might reduce his hatred toward us. However, have you ever thought about how we treated Rachel? Do you really think that she will say nice things about us in front of him?"

    He was immediately taken aback.

    Then, Amber continued, "By then, new grudges will be piled on old ones. Justin might seek revenge from us along with you canceling our engagement! We can''t have Rachel around any longer!"

    Upon hearing that, Jefferey''s hands started to tremble before he identally hit his cup, causing his tea to spill all over the table. "Amber, what are you nning to do?"

    "Removing all obstacles to prevent future troubles, obviously! Didn''t she want to die? I''ll help her out then!" Amber''s eyes were filled with hatred.

    She had never expected that the entanglement between Rachel and Justin had happened all the way back in the past. If he discovered this, all of her own ns would turn to ashes and she might never be able to see the light of day anymore.

    Amber would rather die than to see Rachel living a better life than her!

    "No way! I still need her around! Moreover, she''s still one of the Hudson Family and your sister. As long as she''s still here, Justin would allow us a chance at survival, no matter what happens in the future. Jefferey was a businessman, so he was more calctive. At that moment, he instructed, "Amber, listen to me. I will never allow you to hurt her!" "Dad!"

    "That''s enough! Leave it at that! No one is allowed to speak of it anymore!"

    While giving Jefferey a look filled with hatred, Amber snapped, "Dad, you don''t even care about me!"

    Then, she ran. There''s no one whom I can rely on beside myself.

    On the other hand, Rachel hadn''t been eating or drinking for the past two days in the hospital. As a result, she looked frailer than before.

    "Mrs. Burton, please just eat something. What about some soup?"

    I don''t feel like eating

    "How can you do that? You won''t be able to function without eating anything. The doctor has already said that it will take a long time for your injuries to heal and you still have to stay in the hospital for a while for them to observe your condition!"

    Rachel had slit her wrist and as she had injured her artery as a result, she received seven stitches and couldn''t move her left hand for the entire time.

    It wasn''t as if she wanted to move anyway.

    "President Burton."

    The bodyguard''s voice rang out from outside.

    Rachel''s pupils immediately constricted as she clenched her hands before the pain that shot up caused her to be sober.

    "Mr. Burton, you''ve arrived." Jennifer quickly rose to her feet while she held the bowl of chicken soup with a helpless look.

    Upon noticing the bowl of soup that she was holding, Justin frowned a little. "Hand it over to me. You may leave now." "Alright."

    After that, he sat by the bed while he carried the bowl of soup. Then, he scooped some of the soup with the spoon to blow it a little. "Come on, have some soup."

    However, Rachel stoically looked away, only leaving him with her side view.

    "What are you trying to do?"

    I don''t want to eat.

    "You don''t want to live anymore, huh?"

    As he stared at her, Justin immediately grabbed Rachel by her chin after realizing that she wouldn''t react. Then, he forced the chicken soup down her throat while she grunted in pain. Gulp, gulp, gulp.

    As the warm chicken soup entered her mouth, the umami taste of the soup quickly spread around her mouth.

    Although Rachel tried her best to struggle free from his grasp, the chicken soup continued to flow down her throat. Let me go!

    argh

    With a sudden burst of energy, she pushed Justin away before her eyes widened. What happened next was that she started to puke by the bedside. All of the chicken soup that was forcefully chugged came out, which caused the floor to be in a mess.

    Upon seeing that, he tightened his grip on the bowl as his veins popped up.

    Then, the bowl was thrown at the cab with a loud ng.

    "Do you really want to die that bad?"

    Justin was really angered to the point where he shouted at his bodyguards outside, "Get the doctors here!"

    "From today onward, if you refuse to eat, you''ll be on IV drips. As long as you want to be in bed and act like you''re in a vegetative state, I''ll dly amodate you!"

    At the same time, the doctors rushed over.

    "Get her on IV drips."

    No! Rachel stared at the medical personnels with a helpless look on her face.

    She would rather die than to continue living without any pride.

    "Grab her and ce her on IV drip!"

    At Justin''smand, two nurses held Rachel down by her sides while the doctor grabbed her arm and inserted the needle into it, which allowed the nutrient solution to slowly enter her veins. Let me go! Let go!

    There was a voice in Rachel that kept shrieking and struggling. However, her weakening body couldn''t move any longer.

    After the bag of nutrient solution was inserted, she looked as if she waspletely drained while she gasped for air at the side of the bed.

    Then, Justin grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Did you see that? You won''t be able to die without my permission as I have tons of ideas to keep you alive."

    At this moment, Rachel''s eyes were filled with so much anger and hatred that she could murder him if she could.

    Nevertheless, he wasn''t mad. That''s great. Just hate me instead. It''s better than being an emotionless doll after all.

    After leaving the ward, Justin instructed Jennifer, "Take good care of her and do not leave her alone. Call me if anything happens."

    "Alright. I understand, Mr. Burton."

    Then, she entered the ward and started to tidy all the pillows that were thrown onto the ground.

    Upon noticing that Rachel still refused to move, Jennifer couldn''t help but sigh.

    The bright afternoon sunlight pierced into the room from the window and shone on Rachel''s bedsheet. Nevertheless, she continued to lie on her side against the door.

    When she heard footsteps behind her, she figured that it was Jennifer cleaning the room and behaved likeThis is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Jennifer wasn''t there.

    "Rachel."

    Upon hearing the man''s familiar voice, Rachel abruptly turned around to see who came.

    It was Julian.

    Dr. Peters, why are you here?

    "Lie down and stop moving around." He helped her to lie down. "Jennifer''s the one who allowed me to enter."

    Ever since Rachel was admitted in the hospital, Justin did not allow anyone beside the attending doctor to see her. Even Julian was no exception. However, Jennifer had sneaked him in because she could no longer withstand the situation.

    As he stared at Rachel''s bandaged hand, Julian frowned. "Why did you do something like this?"

    Her eyes dimmed before she forced a weak smile on her face.

    "Janice has been fired."

    Upon hearing what Julian had said all of a sudden, Rachel was stunned. Why?

    "She attempted to arrest my brother without an approved warrant from her superiors. After they had investigated the case again, my brother was released due tock of evidence and she was suspended by the inspectors. I just found out about it as well."

    She only did that to make me feel at ease.

    Rachel''s eyes immediately turned red and she felt like crying.

    Nevertheless, Julian held her hands. "Please do not cry. Although Janice is not in a suitable position to see you right now, she asked me to tell me something. Apparently, you''ll definitely get yourself together after hearing this."

 Chapter 154

    "Janice said that the spy from the foreign investigation bureau has tracked Gunny down. He was the one responsible for dealing with drug smuggling for Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Julian looked conflicted. "She also said that the inspectors had done nothing wrong by punishing her since she had gone on the wrong track as she was too agitated. Although they don''t have enough evidence that Justin was involved in drug smuggling, it can be confirmed that Jefferey has been doing it for years. She had identally alerted those two this time around."

    Rachel was shocked. Did Janice tell you all these?

    "Yes. She also told me that as long as the man named Gunny is caught, you''ll be able to get justice for your mother''s death and force Jefferey to receive all the punishments that he deserves."

    Ever since Rachel had been taken away by Justin from Nancy''s funeral, Julian never had any chance to meet her before receiving the news that she was admitted to the hospital from an attempted suicide. He also heard that Rachel hadn''t been eating or drinking, so he went to look for Janice in anxiety.

    Nevertheless, Julian never expected to learn so much about Rachel from Janice.

    "Rachel, you have to get yourself together for your grandma as well as your mother." As she looked at Julian''s determined gaze, Rachel suddenly felt slightly energized. Although it wasn''t hard to die, it was definitely harder to stay alive.

    I''ll listen to you and pull myself together so that I can heal faster.

    "That''s about right." Julian sighed in relief.

    Justin was pursuing a contract in his office before Frankie came in with documents.

    "This is the stocking records of the batch of medicines that you reserved. I''ve already asked them to stockpile and send it out of Riverdale during the dawn. It will arrive at the port by tonight." "Are they trustworthy?"

    Frankie nodded. "All of them have been working for you for years and are trustworthy. I just don''t know whether those men whom President Shaw has arranged on his side are trustworthy. If anything happens during the journey where they aren''t allowed to upload them

    "It''s fine. It''s normal for him to be nervous since this is his first time stockpiling."

    "President Burton, is this decision too rash? The investigation bureau has been keeping an eye on us. Although they previously didn''t manage to get their hands on any evidence, if we still ship ording to the set timing, I fear,"

    "They better be keeping an eye on us," the manmented nonchntly before he changed the topic. "How is it at the hospital?"

    Frankie came back from his senses. "I just wanted to inform you that Mrs. Burton is finally more emotionally stable now and she has requested for food. Although she didn''t eat much, the doctor said that it''s normal since she hadn''t been eating for a long time and her appetite will improve soon. There won''t be any need for IV drips anymore."

    A surprised look shed past Justin''s eyes. "Why did she suddenly pull herself together?"

    "Mrs. Burton was never a stubborn person from the start. How could she hold a grudge for so long over a couple''s fight?"

    Frankie''s words lodged themselves into Justin''s heart, making Justin suddenly feel warmth.

    It would be nice if it was just a couple fight.

    Justin''s phone started to ring at that moment.

    Nevertheless, upon seeing the caller ID, he ended the call and blocked the number.

    When Frankie saw the caller ID, his expression fell as well. "Miss Hudson has been contacting me for the past two days, asking me about your whereabouts as well."

    "You don''t have to answer her calls," Justin repeated. "Just ignore her calls in the future."

    "In the future? Are you not nning to marry Miss Hudson anymore?"

    "Why are you asking so many questions? Do I have to report everything to you?"

    "That''s not what I meant. You can do whatever you want." Upon saying that, Frankie quickly gathered the documents and left.

    On the other hand, none of Amber''s calls went through.

    "How dare he reject my calls!"

    As she gripped her phone, Amber nced at the building outside the car window. Although she looked arrogant, there was still a yearning look on her face when she stared at the building. The Burton Group must be loaded to be able to afford an office building in the city center at a strategic ce like this. As long as I can think of a way to get into the Burton Family and be married to Justin, do I still have to worry about anything else in the future? Dad must be insane for wanting to keep a burden like Rachel alive. He''s keeping her for his own benefit, but I can''t have her here any longer for my own benefit. Rachel woke up the next day and she ate breakfast.

    "Mrs. Burton, you ate an extra egg yesterday! That''s an improvement! Do you want more soy milk?"

    It''s fine. Please help me up and bring me outside to take a walk. Rachel looked out of the window. I heard that the chrysanthemum at the hospitalwn is still blooming.

    Jennifer immediately caught onto what Rachel was hinting at. "I''ll bring you downstairs to have a look."

    Since the bodyguards listened to what Jennifer said, they didn''t dare to stop Julian when she previously brought him along with her.

    A field of white chrysanthemums bloomed on thewn of the hospital.

    When she helped Rachel to walk around on thewn, they ran into Julian.

    Although it might have looked coincidental, it wasn''t one in this case.

    "Mrs. Burton, I suddenly remembered that I still need to clean up some stuff, so I''ll head back to take a look. Dr. Peters, since we are family, please look out for Mrs. Burton."

    Jennifer was a kind person who knew her ce, which was obvious when she tried to contact Julian for Rachel''s sake.

    As expected, he followed with her suggestion. "Sure, I''ll take care of her."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Then, he helped Rachel with her walk. "Is your hand better now?"

    She nodded. It should be almost healed since the stitched injury is starting to itch a little. The doctor said that they will remove the stitches within these two days and I''ll be allowed to leave once I have rested for a few more days.

    "That''s great. By the way, I have something for you."

    She was confused. What is it?

    Then, he handed her a letter. "There''s something really important inside. If you need it, I can always arrange it for you and help you to leave."

    Leave?

    Rachel looked stunned before she felt her heart sinking.

    As Julian looked at her, she carefully opened the letter to see that it was her passport inside the envelope. This is...

    "I found it when I was tidying Nancy''s ce. I''m guessing that you never brought it along with you."

    Along with the passport was the admission letter of a famous university abroad.

    "I helped you to apply for university abroad with your resume. You''ll still be able to return to your studies if you''re willing to and restart your life in another country."

    Are you implying that you''re bringing me abroad?

    "Yes. However, do not feel pressured since I already intended to further my studies abroad for three years anyway."

    Even if Julian never intended to bring Rachel along with him, he

    didn''t bring Rachel along with him, he still wasn''t nning on staying in Riverdale any longer.

    Still, Rachel couldn''t just restart her life by going overseas and far away from Riverdale.

    After going through so many things, she had already faced her reality, that is, to seek revenge from Jefferey and make him kneel for forgiveness in front of her mother''s grave. Suddenly, a woman''s voice interrupted them from their conversation.

    Despite everything, Amber''s voice was as sharp as ever. "I can''t believe you, Rachel! Is Justin not enough for you? Are you trying to seduce Dr. Peters as well?!" What are you babbling about?

    "You''ll know whether I''m babbling or not when I send these pictures to Justin."

    Then, she waved her phone around, showing the image of Rachel and Julian being together on the screen.

 Chapter 155

    "Amber? You''re confusing the truth with lies." Julian tried to grab Amber''s phone, but since he was supporting Rachel, Amber managed to easily avoid him.

    Amber answered, "Dr. Peters, why would you be scared if you aren''t guilty?"

    "You"

    The tension was almost tangible in the air when a figure appeared behind her. "What''s going on?"

    Upon hearing Justin''s voice, Amber immediately hopped on the opportunity and started to make her usation. "Justin, I was about to tell you that I came here to visit Rachel, but I bumped into them smooching. You told me that even after divorce, she''s still part of the Burton Family. It doesn''t look like she shares the same sentiment. Look at how happy she is."

    When he saw Julian holding onto Rachel, his expression darkened.

    "Justin."

    "Who allowed you toe here?"

    "Huh?"

    Amber was stunned.

    Justin spoke coldly, "You have no business here and there''s no need for you to visit her either."

    He walked past her to yank Rachel away from Julian before returning to the ward section.

    Amber was left behind to stare at the two disappearing figures and she had only taken two steps toward them when Julian halted her. "Amber, you''re a daughter of the Hudson Family. Why do you have to resort to such underhanded methods to join the Burton Family?"

    "Justin is my fianc¨¦ right now!"

    "Really?! Comining about your fiance''s ex-wife to him? I thought I was watching a drama where the concubine is trying to use the legal wife."

    "A concubine? Julian, you, who''s the concubine here?"

    Amber was so furious that she was stomping her feet.

    She had initially left Tran-Q because she couldn''t stand Julian''s coldness toward her. Her father even stressed that she would be better off marrying him instead of Justin, but she never saw the point in it. She was unable to see the benefits about a man who continued to find faults with her and thought that he was blind to side with that woman.

    Justin took Rachel to her ward.

    With a stumble, she fell into a sitting position on the bed.

    Miss Jennifer was tidying up the room and upon seeing the sight, she was shocked. "When did you arrive, Mr. Burton? What happened?"

    His expression was dark. "Who let her out?"

    She was careful to choose her words. "I saw the flowers outside blooming beautifully and since the weather was also perfect, I allowed her to take a walk outside. The doctor also said that getting some fresh air would help the patients to recover better."

    "Then, why didn''t you go with her?"

    Justin''s single question had caused Miss Jennifer to break out in a nervous sweat.

    Rachel stood up. I''m the one who wanted to go out for a walk. This has nothing to do with Miss Jennifer.

    "Mrs. Burton."

    "The outdoor type, aren''t you?" Justin sneered, "I wonder what is so nice to look at out there. Is it the flowers? Or a certain someone?"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Julian is a doctor at Tran-Q. As long as I''m outside, it''s not strange to run into him. If you don''t want to see us together, I don''t mind changing hospitals.

    After she expressed everything that she wanted, Rachel lowered her hands.

    "Miss Jennifer, please leave us alone for now."

    Upon hearing Justin''s order, Miss Jennifer hurried off.

    After the door was closed, Justin and Rachel were the only ones left in the room.

    "Do you really think I''d care if you contacted Julian?" He gave her a look. "I know his character better than you do. It is his principle to help the sick and needy. You are only a patient in his eyes, nothing more than a weakling to sympathize."

    Rachel gripped the sheets under her.

    Even though she only saw Julian as a friend, Justin''s way of describing it was simply blunt shaming.

    In this man''s eyes, she was only a disabled person who should stay behind the scenes. He was indicating that no normal man would want her.

    Rachel couldn''t even retort Justin''s words.

    Was it not out ofpassion that Julian helped her?

    Upon seeing her darkening expression, Justin started to regret his heavy choice of words.

    Amber''s voice sounded from outside. "Justin."

    The previous emotions disappeared from his face.

    At this moment, she entered and soon felt the tension in the air. She then said softly, "Justin, I brought over some fruits, so I was wondering where I should put them."

    "No need. She''s notcking anything here."

    "I know, but I just wanted to express my concern."

    With that, Amber ced the fruits on the table. "Get well soon, Rachel. No matter what, we''re still family. Blood is thicker than water, right? Dad wille to visit after two days when he''s done with his work." Rachel frowned, but she didn''t make a sound.

    When she had learned about her origins, she had severed all ties with the Hudson Family.

    "Justin, we still have to see Grandpa tonight, don''t we?"

    Grandpa? Rachel thought.

    She felt a cold hand tightening around her heart.

    Justin is bringing Amber to see Arthur? Right, they are engaged and will be married soon. Isn''t it normal to meet each other''s families then?

    At that thought, Rachel''s tight grip on the sheets loosened. No matter how awful she felt, her face was calm and void of any expression.

    Justin stole a nce at Rachel. When he saw her indifference, he felt anger rising within him.

    Amber took his arm. "Justin, we''re going to bete. We shouldn''t make our elders wait. Let''s go." "Okay."

    As she heard the door close, Rachel slowly lifted a hand to her chest.

    She felt that the pain in her chest was urring far more often for some unknown reason.

    Amber was still clinging onto Justin''s arm when they left the hospital with glee in her heart. "Justin, is my attire too simple for the party tonight?"

    He suddenly removed his arm from her grasp and coldly answered, "Didn''t I ask you to wait until I''m done? Why did youe all the way here?" Amber was stunned. "I... I came here to visit Rachel. I didn''t know you''d be here as well."

    "Are you two even that close?"

    "We"

    "Since you''re not really close to her, you can quit faking it. You don''t have toe to the hospital anymore."

    With that, Justin entered the car.

    Amber stood on the spot; her nails dug into her palms while her lips formed a thin line.

    Even though he never praised Rachel and never even stood up for her, Amber could see how important Rachel was in his eyes.

    At the thought of the various scuffles between them, Amber felt threatened. "Justin, are you free this Saturday?"

    "Why?"

    "My dad has arranged a charity event for me. Hudson Pharmaceuticals has funded some children''s homes in the mountain areas before and now that some of the children have made it far in life, they decided to establish a charity foundation with Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Upon seeing Justin''sck of interest, she let out a sigh on purpose. "When Hudson Pharmaceuticals decided to develop that area in Somerset Mountain to create a ce for children to go to, we had to exercise notable effort as well. Now, we feel at ease to see the children doing so well."

    Somerset Mountain? He suddenly turned toward Amber. "What did you just say? The ce that Hudson Pharmaceuticals funded?"

 Chapter 156

    Amber answered, "Somerset Mountain. Why?"

    "Hudson Pharmaceuticals has funded children from Somerset Mountain?"

    "Yes, we have been doing it for more than 20 years."

    "How could it be? I remember there wasn''t anyone left after the fire."

    "The fire?" She was slightly stunned. "Justin, how did you know there was a fire in Somerset Mountain?"

    A frown came to Justin''s face as he feigned indifference. "It was on the news. I happened to watch it."

    Amber nodded. "Yes, it was exactly because of the fire that the whole mountain was reduced to ashes. I heard someone almost died too. My dad said that there was a hidden vige in Somerset Mountain and it was home to some human traffickers. They were trying to escape security checks, so when the fire happened, they couldn''t be rescued on time."

    Justin clenched his fists tighter. "That''s what your father told you?"

    "Yes, those traffickers hid in a ditch and the firemen didn''t even know there were people there. They managed to find them in the end, but a little girl almost died in the process."

    "Almost died?"

    His expression changed.

    "She was burned badly, but she managed to survive. My dad did everything he could to save her by sending her to hospitals all over the country. In the end, she was even sent abroad to receive treatment." Amber didn''t manage to finish her words before Justin grabbed her hand to interrogate her, "Where is she now?"

    "She... she''s still out of the country."

    "What''s her name?"

    "Justin, what came over you?"

    "What''s her name?" he repeated.

    "Katherine Cooper." Amber''s features were distorted in pain. "Justin, let me go! What happened to you?"

    Justin''s cold face was stiff as he struggled to believe his ears.

    Katherine...

    Katie...

    He was taken back to the Burton Family after the fire twenty years ago. He didn''t have the ability to investigate the matter at first and when he finally rose to position as the president of Burton Group, thendscape had already changed beyond recognition.

    All these years, he had sent people to search all over Somerset Mountain, but he never seeded in finding even a scrap of information about the girl.

    He thought she was dead.

    He even thought she died in the fire to save him, but she was alive!

    "I want to see her." Justin grabbed Amber''s arm, his cold eyes burning with determination. "Where is she?"

    Amber looked shocked. "She will be attending the charity event this Saturday. If... if you want to see her, you can attend with me this Saturday. However, Justin, what''s wrong with you?"

    He never answered her as it took a long while for him to calm himself. "I''ll attend the event this Saturday with

    you."

    The wind howled on the other side of the car window, signaling that night had fallen over Riverdale like a humongous ck cloth that stretched across the entire sky.

    Amber carefully retracted her hand and she looked down at the bruise on her wrist-a result of Justin''s tight grip.

    She felt that she had made the absolute right choice.

    A girl whom Justin hadn''t seen in more than 20 years was enough to shake him to his core.

    If he knew that Rachel was that very girl from all those years ago, the consequences would be inconceivable.

    The chill in Amber''s cold eyes was reflected in the car window.

    Meanwhile, at the investigation bureau, a conversation was uring.

    "Officer Hawkins."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "Don''t call me that. I''ve been stripped of my position, so just call me by my name."

    "I can''t do that. The position issue is temporary and I''ve already acknowledged you as my only leader."

    "Suit yourself." Janice pulled up a chair and sat on it. Beneath her short haircut, her features were bright and firm. "Any updates on the case that I asked you to investigate?"

    "I was just about to mention that. This is taken from the case files concerning Somerset Mountain. If I were one secondte, they would''ve been destroyed since these files had exceeded the 20-year confidentiality period."

    She took the box of files from her subordinate.

    Due to its long history, the box had already yellowed and it reeked of mold.

    "Officer Hawkins, what are you going to do with these files?"

    "To save someone."

    Janice''s expression was stern, but her eyes betrayed a certainpassion.

    If it weren''t for the limitations set on her due to her position and also the confidentiality period, she would''ve given those files to Rachel long ago. Perhaps if she had done so, those horrible things wouldn''t have happened.

    After Amber had taken Justin away from the hospital, he never appeared again for a few days.

    Rachel was stuck in the ward. Even though she had gone out for walks, Jennifer never left her side.

    She managed to catch sight of Julian a distance away on a few asions, but Jennifer had always pulled her back to the ward in case history repeated itself.

    After closing the door and leaving, Jennifer sighed.

    The food on the tray was almost untouched.

    "Miss Jennifer."

    Julian''s voice rang down the corridor.

    She hastily pulled him aside. "Dr. Peters, it''s not that I refuse to help you. It''s just that Mr. Burton has warned me before; if I allow you to meet Mrs. Burton one more time, I would be done for." "Miss Jennifer, I don''t mean it like that."

    "Then..."

    "How is she these days?"

    "She''s alright. She doesn''t eat as much as she used to, but it''s way better than when she refused to put anything in her mouth."

    "That''s great." Julian seemed panicked as he ced a folder in Miss Jennifer''s hands. "Please pass this to Rae in my stead."

    Miss Jennifer was a little shocked. "What is this?"

    "Don''t worry. Even if my brother sees this, he wouldn''t me you for anything. Just give it to Rae. Perhaps it would turn the tides."

    She was still doubtful, but she nodded and agreed to his request.

    "Thank you so much, Miss Jennifer."

    "It''s the least I can do. Mrs. Burton is the kindest mistress I''ve ever served, for she has never troubled me. I also hope that she will recover as soon as possible. Well then, Dr. Peters, I''ll be taking my leave now."

    Miss Jennifer entered the ward with the folder in hand.

    Rachel was sitting by the window with a foreign book.

    She couldn''t leave the ward, so reading became her only pastime.

    "Mrs. Burton, Dr. Peters just swung by and asked me to pass this to you."

    Rachel was slightly startled as she saw the ck folder in Miss Jennifer''s hands. What is it?

    "I''m not sure either. Dr. Peters wanted you to look at it yourself."

    Rachel opened it to see various photocopied documents inside. Some of the documents were blurred and after flipping through a few pages, she suddenly caught sight of the words ''Somerset Mountain Police Station''.

    Somerset Mountain? Aren''t these documents proving I have lived in Somerset Mountain before? Why is Janice giving me these?

    She then went through a few more pages and found a newspaper clipping from 20 years ago, offering a reward to whoever found a lost child.

    ''The young master of the Burton Family, Justin Burton, was sessfully rescued. The human trafficking nest in Somerset Mountain was discovered, but the mountain went up in mes...

    The mountain was burned?

    Somerset Mountain...

    Upon seeing the photos in the newspaper detailing the fire, Rachel suddenly saw some unfamiliar scenes flit

    across her consciousness.

    "Katie, look. There''s smokeing in that direction. Is something on fire?"

    "Quickly run! You can escape after you pass that mountain!"

    "What about you?"

    "I have to go and tell the others!"

    "No! I''lle with you!"

    Rachel held her head as a severe headache hade upon her. Where did these scenese from? Who is that boy?

 Chapter 157

    "Mrs. Burton, what''s wrong with you?" As soon as Jennifer saw Rachel''s pained appearance, she hurriedly went forward.

    Rachel felt as if something was about to burst out of her brain as she frantically gripped her forehead, but she failed to suppress the pain. As she let out a cry of pain, she fell to the floor. "Mrs. Burton!" Jennifer''s face paled with fear.

    The colorful world suddenly turned ck and white as time wildly receded to that scene in the isted mountainous area more than twenty years ago, where birds and animals fluttered among the mountains and

    forests...This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    The dream that had been with her for more than twenty years was gradually bing clearer at this moment. At this moment, the gentle silhouette that had its back to her for twenty years slowly turned around.

    The woman''s long hair hung over her shoulder as she revealed a warm smile and dimples on her cheeks. "Katie, didn''t I ask you to stay at home with Grandma? Why are you following me up the mountain again?"

    "Mom, it''s too boring at home, so I wanted to follow you up the mountain to collect herbs."

    "Don''t fall down. Come and hold my hand."

    "Okay!"

    "Do you like collecting herbs?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, I will teach you a song about herb-picking, okay?"

    "Okay!"

    "Poria seeds, peony flowers, forsythia, dahurica, mixed with red sand..."

    Rachel''s lips vibrated. Despite the inability to make a sound, the memory of those children''s songs suddenly became iparably clear to her with the name of each herb echoing in her ears. "Mom, are we not going to pick herbs today?"

    "Katie, we have guests at home. I have something to tell this man, so head out and y for a while. Grandma is at the back of the mountain, so go and find her, okay?"

    "Okay!"

    The memories of that day also instantly came flooding back as it invaded her whole brain. She remembered what her mother looked e, how she became a mute, the man with the scar on his forehead, and the fire in Somerset Mountain that had started in the thatched hut she lived in!

    "Doctor, take a look at what''s wrong with Mrs. Burton."

    "Let''s first help her to bed."

    Rachely on the bed as she stared at the ceiling in a daze. The doctors and nurses stood around the bed, shining shlights into her eyes and talking to her, but she could only see their mouths moving as she heard nothing. Her ears were filled with buzzing sounds that were interspersed with the childhood she had forgotten for more than twenty years.

    "There''s nothing wrong with her. She''s just overstimted."

    "What is that thing in her hand?" Someone spoke up, causing Rachel to snap out of it. She jerked up her hand to shield the item in her hands and looked warily at the nurse who came to take it away. The nurse was startled and turned her head to look at the doctor.

    The doctor asked, "Mrs. Burton, are you okay?"

    Rachel looked at the doctor in a daze and finally responded. I''m fine; you all should leave.

    The doctors and nurses looked at each other.

    Jennifer, you should also go.

    Soon, Rachel was left alone in the ward. The information sheet in her hands was already crumpled by her tight grip. She never thought that she would remember the events of twenty years ago in such a situation. In her ears were the words of her grandmother, who once said, Memories will never disappear; you will get them back one day.

    She finally remembered the children''s song her mother taught her, the origin of the Somerset Mountain fire, and the guy who was hidden in the cer. She remembered it all!

    Justin was that guy back then!

    Jennifer!

    Rachel got out of bed and went to call for Jennifer.

    "Mrs. Burton, what''s wrong?" Jennifer was keeping guard at the door.

    Give me the phone.

    "Mrs. Burton, um..."

    I need to contact Justin.

    Jennifer has a difficult look. "Mrs. Burton, Mr. Burton said that you are not allowed to contact the outside world. How about this? If you have anything to tell him, I will call him and pass on the message." Rachel frowned and looked anxious. Just tell him that I have something to say to him and it''s extremely important

    "Okay." Jennifer dialed the number in front of Rachel.

    "Hello? Mr. Burton, it''s me. Mrs. Burton is asking when you''reing back as she has something to say to you."

    The phone was on speaker and Justin''s voice came from the other end. "I''m busy with something right now. It can wait until Ie back."

    "So, when will you be back?"

    "I don''t know." After those three words were spoken, he hung up while a busy tone echoed in the ward.

    Rachel was stunned for a moment and sat down on the couch in disappointment. Jenniferforted, "Mrs. Burton, it''s okay. He wille over when he''s done. If you have something really important, I can ry it on your behalf."

    No need. I''ll just wait for him toe back.

    Rachel shook her head, a little lost in thought. This time, when she calmed down and looked at the information sheet in her hand, she suddenly felt as if she was in a trance. The great tion she had felt earlier was washed away by twenty years of time and all of it suddenly felt worthless.

    Indeed, she had saved Justin before, but, so what? He had considered her his foe for so long and had tortured her all this while. Besides, the origin of that fire still came from the Hudson Family, so it was not clear who saved who and who was in debt to who.

    Justin was at the charity event with many reporters on the scene at this time. Amber was dressed elegantly as a representative of the Hudson Foundation and she had also prepared a speech to speak in the spotlight. When the interview was over, she immediately went backstage.

    "Justin," she said, "I''m sorry for making you wait for me for so long."

    Justin, who wore a ck suit, did not look impatient, but he only asked, "Where is Katherine?"

    "Katherine just called me and said that something happened at the Summend Orphanage and she had to rush over there to deal with it. She has asked the finance department to allocate the donation money for the foundation to me."

    "She is now in Summend?"

    "Yes."

    "Come with me."

    "Now?" Amber was slightly startled. As she nced at the time, shemented, "We''ll arrive there after dark if we go now and we won''t be able to return tonight. Don''t you have matters to attend to tomorrow?"

    "Right now." Justin was determined in his reply. Turning his head, he ordered Frankie, "All of tomorrow''s schedule will be canceled. Prepare the car and we''ll head to Summend." Upon hearing that, Amber was stunned.

    In the night, the ck car sped along the highway. Summend was a four-hour drive from Riverdale and the car didn''t stop on the way at all. When the car was finally off the highway, it went straight to the orphanage at the foot of Summend Mountain.

    After Amber exited the car, she walked in with Justin while saying, "Katherine graduated from a religious college abroad. She has been working for charity organizations that help women and children ever since she graduated."

    Justin didn''t say anything until he entered the courtyard and saw a group of children surrounding a woman from afar.

    "Miss Katie, look at what I drew."

    "Look at what I drew first!"

    "Don''t rush, one by one!"

    Amber waved her hand toward the distance and shouted, "Katie!"

    Under the dim light, the woman straightened her posture and she looked in their direction. Wearing a white sweater, she had a clean and gentle face that initially showed doubt. Then, when she saw them, she immediately smiled.

    Upon seeing that, Justin''s eyes stared at her in astonishment. Her pair of eyes was exactly as what he remembered from his memory.

    It was her.

 Chapter 158

    Rachel had waited for a week at the hospital, but Justin never came. "Mrs. Burton, the discharge procedures are all done, so let''s go."

    Jennifer came over with Rachel''s bag to help Rachel, who waved her hand.

    I can walk by myself.

    Back at the vi in the southern Suburbs, there were two bodyguards guarding the door like usual; it felt like they were guarding a prisoner with three shifts among six of them. Jennifer closed the door andforted, "Mrs. Burton, don''t mind them. Mr. Burton is also worried about your safety, after all, there was an ident here before, and that,"

    Before she finished her sentence, she knew she had spoken too much. "I''m sorry, Mrs. Burton, for talking about something so sad."

    If it weren''t for those people barging in at that time, Rachel wouldn''t have lost her baby. Herplexion was bleak as she barely smiled at Jennifer.

    It''s nothing. Justin hasn''t returned from his business trip yet?

    "Um, I''ll make a phone call and ask. You can rest for a while."

    Jennifer left with the phone while Rachel sat on the couch and took some newspapers from the coffee table. The vi in the southern Suburbs had not been inhabited for quite some time, which resulted in the newspapers umting on the coffee table during this period. Nevertheless, the one at the top was thetest edition.

    Rachel flipped through it and she was attracted by the front-page headline of the financial page. President of Burton Group and Fianc¨¦e Set Up Charity Foundation to Help Lost Children.

    The photo on the page showed Justin and Amber arm in arm as they smiled slightly at the reporters. They lookedpatible together and the content of the interview was even more suggestive.

    ''It is reported that when this charity foundation was established, Justin personally donated 100 million for start-up capital as an engagement gift to his fianc¨¦e...

    Rachel put down the newspaper and turned over to the older newspapers of the previous days. It was only then that she realized that all the news since half a month ago were on these, and that the entire Riverdale had known about the charity foundation he founded for Amber. While looking at the picture of the man and woman standing side by side in the newspaper, Rachel''s hand holding the newspaper trembled slightly. This is what Justin meant when he said that he was busy with a business trip abroad?

    "Mrs. Burton, Mr. Burton said earlier on the phone that things are almost done and he wille back tonight." Jennifer came in from outside with great enthusiasm.

    Rachel, however, was no longer in the living room. A slight clicking sound of the door closing came from the bedroom and it echoed in the house.

    When Jennifer fell asleepte at night, Rachel went to the backyard. The cold wind made her cheeks freeze, and justing out of the house made her wince. She couldn''t help but wrap her jacket tighter around her arms. After looking for a corner where the wind could not reach and making sure there was no one around, she took the information sheets out of her pockets. Then, she took out a lighter and lit a piece of it. Finally, she put the pile of information she brought into the fire one by one.

    The past was meaningless, at least in today''s situation where things already came to this point. If she revealed the truth, it would cause both she and Justin to be awkward. She could not ept that the boy she saved before murdered Hans and her grandmother. Justin probably would not ept that she, whom he had taken extreme revenge on, was the Katie for which he avenged. So, the past could never be mentioned.

    "What are you doing?" A cold voice suddenly came from behind her. The man''s rapid footsteps had already

    arrived before Rachel could react. Thus, she hurriedly threw all the remaining sheets into the fire. The fire quickly rose high, but Justin quickly grabbed two sheets from the inferno. Although she wanted to snatch it from him, it was toote.

    He suspiciously looked at her before he read the scraps of papers in his hands. Then, his expression changed abruptly. "You want to leave the country?" Rachel was stunned; she looked at the scraps in his hand in astonishment.

    Surprisingly, it was the information that Julian had given for her visa to leave the country, but she had not paid attention to it and instead burned it together with those that Janice had given her. Therefore, she hurriedly shook her head.

    As he grabbed her wrist, Justin questioned amidst her cries, "Are you afraid that I would find out, which is why you are burning all these? I thought you have been obedient and quiet these days, but you''ve been doing this behind my back!"

    No!

    Rachel looked at the wall and realized that the fire had quickly burned all her identification, causing all the evidence to turn into soot. As the wind blew and scattered the fragments everywhere, she knew that she had no way to prove herself.

    "No? Then, why did you burn it?" Justin suddenly raised his voice and the anger in his eyes was palpable. "Have you gone through all the process? When do you n to leave?"

    She shook her head desperately, but Justin shouted furiously, "Say it, when do you n to leave?"

    I swear it''s not that!

    Even though Julian said he wanted to take her abroad, she didn''t even think about really leaving with him. Why couldn''t Justin trust her for once?

    Justin ignored Rachel''s struggle as he forcibly dragged her into the bedroom. "Say, who did all this for you? Where do you n to run to?"

    Rachel was pinned against the wall and her eyes were red. Other than shaking her head and denying it, there was nothing else she could say. At this moment, the scar on Justin''s face became iparably hideous while her vision also gradually blurred. The man in front of her gradually ovepped with the friend she made as a child before the few memories of her childhood became unmistakably clear in her mind. How was she going to tell him that they had already met long ago? Did she want to say it in such an awkward situation right now? No, she did not want to.

    Tears instantly swam down her cheeks. However, he thought she was upset because he had discovered her intention to leave the country, so he was consumed with rage. "Do you really wish to run off?" Then, he identally tore open her cor, revealing arge area of skin on her shoulder. Her face turned pale as she struggled to push him away. Let go of me!

    As he watched her frightened gaze, Justin clearly felt her resistance too. His expression fell once again and he asked, "Who are you trying to keep your body for?"

    Rachel was taken aback, but before she could react, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. Then, her whole body was ruthlessly pushed down on the bed. The moment that Justin tore away her clothes, she roughly signaled, Ahhh...

    The sense of humiliation rushed through her blood. She didn''t want this! No!

    Twenty years ago, the boy had pulled her through the fire and told her not to fall asleep as they would definitely get out alive. Yet, how did he be what he was now? That was one of the few warm memories of her childhood, even as warm as Hans. Even if the memory was dusty and only remembered for a moment,

    she still felt that because Justin was there, that deserted forest area had be illuminated by the sun. How could he be like this?

    "Rachel, I''m telling you that now that you have be my woman, you will not be able to run away in this life!"

    The fabric was ripped open in the air with a loud sound before a cool breeze drifted in through the window. Rachel shivered for a moment, and in the next second, she was held down by his weight without any ability to resist except for a hoarse cry. Ahhh!Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    In that instant, disappointment washed over her. The flow of her tears could not be stopped and she desperately wanted to open her mouth to tell him everything -even if it was embarrassing for the both of them in order to stop all the humiliation at this moment, but it was all toote.

 Chapter 159

    The window was left open, allowing the breeze to blow through the curtains. The cool wind brushed against Rachel and it jolted her awake from her nightmare. When she looked beside her, there was no one to be found.

    Justin was long gone and he left nothing but destruction behind. It didn''t take long for Rachel to wake uppletely but that only brought her a new round of suffering. The insults he hurled at her and what happened in the brutal night cut away at her soul like invisible knives. At that thought, she gripped the nket tightly and cried into her pillow.

    Frankie handed the document to Justin the first thing in the morning. "Here''s the information you wanted, President Burton. Dr. Peters is nning to study abroad and he wants to take a family member with him as well. He applied for the spot too."

    He ns to do what? When Justin saw who Julian wanted to bring with him, his face fell and he hurled the whole file into the trash can.

    Upon hearing the crash, Frankie shivered in fear and he said nothing. Justin then ordered, "Go to Julian''s ce and take her passport."

    "Sir, how do you know that he has Mrs. Burton''s passport?"

    "Where else can it be?" Justin roared as he clenched his fists. How dare he try to take her away without my permission? He has stepped out of line! Out loud, he said, "Frankie, I need you to do one more thing."

    "Yes, President Burton."

    And so, Justin told him what Frankie needed to do.

    It was the Hudson Foundation''s opening ceremony the next day and the event was held at Riverdale''s Hotel tinum. After the event ended, Frankie came over in a hurry and reported, "President Burton, Dr. Peters has barged into your home."

    Justin, on the other hand, buttoned his coat calmly and murmured, "Let''s go and take a look then."

    Meanwhile at the vi in Southwind, Julian was injured and being held by two bodyguards. "Let me go, you b*stards!" he yelled. "I''m calling the cops!"

    Justin came just in time to hear that. "You wouldn''t havee over yourself if you thought the cops could help."

    The moment Julian saw Justin, he struggled furiously and roared, "Justin Burton!"

    However, the bodyguards held his arms down firmly. Upon seeing that, Justin raised his hand. "Let him go."

    The bodyguards let Julian go but thetter couldn''t even lift his arms. "Give me my stuff back!" he shouted at Justin.

    "Your stuff?" Justin looked at him mockingly. "It''s your fault you lost your stuff. Why are you making a ruckus here? And call me Justin."

    "You sent someone to break into my ce, took Rachel''s and my passports away, and now you''re denying it?" Julian was usually a mild-mannered person but Justin managed to rile him up. The former was going overseas soon, so he wanted to help Rachel out. Truth was, he had been keeping Rachel''s passport with him so she could leave Riverdale anytime she wanted, but now Justin had crushed that n too. "Your passport, huh?" Justin took a red passport out and handed it to Julian. "I was just about to bring this up. My employee took yours by ident. Was about to give it back to you. Don''t want to mess up your n to

    study overseas or your mother''s going to yell at me."

    Julian snatched it from him. After he took a look to confirm it was his, he asked, "Where''s Rachel''s?"

    However, Justin merely looked at him coldly. "What does her passport have to do with you?"

    "Wake up, Justin! Do you really want to lock her up in Riverdale for life? For what? Just so you can keep her as a mere mistress? That''s an insult to her! What did she do to deserve this?"

    "On her own? Nothing." Justin countered. "It''s just a series of unfortunate events, really. She''s born to the Hudsons and her father gave her to me as a present, so you have no right to criticize me." "What if she''s the one who saved your life?"

    Justin''s expression changed as he questioned, "What did you say?"

    Meanwhile, Julian was shivering angrily but he held his fury down and gritted his teeth. "A girl saved you after

    you were abducted back then, right? That girl is none other than Rachel!"

    All of a sudden, Justin gripped Julian''s cor. "What did you say?"

    "Rachel''s the girl who saved you twenty years ago. You thought she was dead but in fact, she isn''t. Jefferey took her back so that''s why you couldn''t find her, at least until now. But I guess you''re mad enough to torture the one who saved your *ss, huh?"

    Justin couldn''t believe what Julian was saying and the former was petrified for a long while. When he snapped out of it, he shoved Julian away and roared, "You''re the mad one here!"

    "You don''t believe me?"

    Justin, however, only answered coldly, "You just made that up to save her."

    "It''s the truth. Janice gave Rachel all the info on Somerset Mountain. You can take a look if you still aren''t convinced."

    "You''re telling me that you have proof?"

    "Obviously. Why do you think I know all about that story? Let''s meet up with Rachel. I''ll get her to tell you who she really is."

    Suddenly, Justin looked up at the second floor. Someone had been standing behind the curtains ever since he came back. He still didn''t believe Julian fully but in the end, he took thetter into the vi with him.

    On the other hand, Rachel quickly came downstairs and she paled when she saw the injuries on Julian''s face. Are you alright, Dr. Peters? She gave him an apologetic look.

    Julian shook his head. "Where''s the file I gave youst time? I need it."

    Rachel froze before shaking her head.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "You haven''t told him, huh? I knew it. I told him you''re the one who saved him. Now I just need the file to prove

    Rachel was still shaking her head. I burned the file.

    "You burned it?" All the color drained from Julian''s face and he held Rachel by her shoulders. "Why did you burn it? Do you know what you''ve done?" That''s the only evidence Janice managed to scrape up. If Rachel burned it, there''s no way anyone can prove that she''s Katie.

    Justin looked at them coldly. "Had enough?"

    "I wasn''t lying, Justin!"

    "Enough!" Justin barked. "I''ve had enough of your lies! Did you forget I told you everything about Katie, woman? I''ve seen through your lies."

    "Because Rachel forgot about it!" Julian exined. "Rachel, tell him!"

    Rachel teared up but she couldn''t bring herself to say anything.

    Meanwhile, Justin pped mirthlessly. "If I hadn''t found Katie, I would have been fooled by the both of you."

    Rachel was stunned to hear that. What do you mean you found Katie?

    "A month ago, I found the one who saved me. You''re toote, it seems." Justin looked at them icily. At this point, if looks could freeze, the whole vi would have been turned into ice.

    Rachel tried to force a smile but she couldn''t. That''s absurd! She never wanted to talk about her past, but someone just came along and filled the hole she left. To make things worse, Justin believed it like the idiot he was.

 Chapter 160

    "Do you really think I''d believe such an obvious lie?" Justin shouted, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

    "You''d rather believe a stranger over your own family?"

    "Just because you''re my family doesn''t mean you won''t lie."

    Julian couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "Tell him what Janice gave you, Rachel." The evidence would prove what Julian said was the truth whether Justin liked it or not, or so Julian thought.

    Meanwhile, Rachel had been standing there silently for a while. Since she was mute, she never had a big presence whenever it came to groups. Even though there were only the three of them, she was little more than invisible among them. Contrary to Julian''s anger, Rachel looked calm. Since Justin said he found Katie, she didn''t want to exin anything anymore, even though she didn''t know who that ''Katie'' was or how she managed to impersonate her. Simply put, there was no point exining anything to someone who never believed her. Thank you, Dr. Peters, but you don''t have toe up with these excuses. "What''s wrong, Rachel?" Julian stared at her in disbelief. "I thought you got Janice''s package."

    Well, he says he''s found Katie and obviously, it''s not me. Rachel then made some simple gestures, but it felt heavy when she put her hand down.

    Justin nced at her and a sliver of suspicion rose within him.

    Julian clenched his fists. He had been holding his fury back for almost a year now, but it finally erupted at that point and he hurled a punch at Justin. "Why won''t you believe her?"

    The punch caught Justin by surprise and it hit him right in the face. The impact sent him staggering backward, toppling a chair on his way. Rache gasped but she couldn''t stop them in time.

    Even though Justin was caught by surprise the first time, he managed tounch a kick when Julian tried to attack him again as he was much more agile than the other. In the end, they got tangled in a brawl. Panicked, Rachel waved at the bodyguards outside. The bodyguards realized something was up, so they charged inside and pinned Julian down. Rachel tried to pull the bodyguards away but she was shoved off instead

    "Rachel!" Julian couldn''t move an inch since he was pinned against the floor. "Justin, you''re going to regret this one day!" he roared.

    Meanwhile, Justin pushed himself up with the sofa and wiped the blood that was trickling down his mouth. ˇ°I never regret anything. And it''s gettingte. Your mother''s going to be worried if you aren''t home yet.'' Justin

    nced at his bodyguards coldly. They got what he was trying to say, so they dragged Julian out.

    "Let me go! I can walk by myself!" The bodyguards wouldn''t go too far since Julian was Jusitn''s cousin, after all. Thanks to that, Julian broke free of their grasp easily. "You''ll regret this, Justin Burton!" he shouted as he straightened himself out.

    A short whileter, Julian revved up his car and drove away into the night, but he stopped by the roadside when he was out of sight. After that, he slowly unraveled the slip of paper in his palm. It was drenched with sweat but he could make the message out clearly. ''Take me away!

    Rachel had slipped that into his hand when she helped him up earlier. A grim determination rose within Julian and he gripped the slip tightly.

    Meanwhile, the servants sorted out the toppled furniture and cleared away the ss shards on the floor. It was then that Rachel got up weakly, her face pale.

    Upon seeing that, Justin asked, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Deep down, he thought to himself, How dare she lie about Katie? How dare she get Julian involved in this?

    I''ve said everything I should. Dr. Peters was just helping me.

    "He''s helping you? By making that kind of story up? And how did he find out about Katie?"

    Rachel froze at that question.

    Justin inched closer to her. "Did you tell him everything I told you? My, you do get along well with him."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    Rachel took an involuntary step back, but he held her wrist before she could retreat.

    "I know the kind of man Julian is. He is weak but stubborn. He''ll never give up until he takes you away with him, don''t you think?"

    What little color Rachel had drained from her face and she shook her head.

    "Guards," Justin said coldly.

    The bodyguards who sent Julian off quickly came back. "President Burton."

    "Mrs. Burton wants a change of bedroom."

    Rachel couldn''t believe what she was hearing, but the stab of pain that came from her wrist stopped her train of thought. "You seem ufortable here. I think a quiet ce suits you better." Justin had a terrifyingly dark look on his face.

    It was alreadyte at night but Amber was still on the balcony, talking to someone on the phone. "Don''te back if you can help it. You''ll get busted if you see him too much."

    A woman answered, "I get it. When are you going to send me the rest of the money?"

    "Rx. You''ll get it, but not now."

    "Why?"

    "Justin is a paranoid man. I don''t think he trusts youpletely just yet. He''ll use everything he has to verify your identity. You''ll get exposed if he finds out I gave you money." "What a drag!"

    "A drag?" Amber sneered. "You''re not the victim here, so stop it. If he believes that you''re the one who saved him, you can get anything you want in the world. The money I owe you? That''s gonna be pocket change. Even I have to bow to you then."

    "You don''t have to feel me out. I know what I have to do. You did hire me for this, after all."

    Suddenly, Amber nced from the corner of her eye and saw someoneing in. "I see. Catch youter then." She ended the call and came in from the balcony. "It''ste, Dad. Why are you still up?"

    "I couldn''t sleep." Jefferey stood with one hand behind his back. "Who was that?" He asked as he stared at Amber

    "Just a friend."

    "Aren''t you going to say anything about the furore between you and Justin?"

    "Dad, you wanted me to handle the foundation. Why are you doubting me?"

    "I''m not doubting you. Just worried you might drag some unrted people into this." Jefferey''s face fell. "I heard Justin adopted a girl you rmended as his sister."

    "She''s not his sister. Just a partner for the foundation," Amber answered calmly. "Justin and I don''t have time to handle the foundation, so we need a professional for that. That''s why I got my friend to do it."

    "Is that really all?"

    "What are you getting at, Dad?" Amber then held Jefferey''s hand and started acting spoiled. "You''re getting stricter on me, Dad. I know you don''t want me to marry Justin, but Rachel is a lost cause now. I''m jus doing this for thepany. How could you doubt me? I''m your daughter, you know. I won''t harm you."

    It was only then that Jefferey finally cheered up a little. "I''m not doubting you. I just don''t want you to be too rash about this. You must not make a fuss out of Rachel''s incident."

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    U

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 161

    "Rachel''s incident isplex but I''m not getting rid of her just yet," Jefferey answered in a faraway tone, but it sounded more like he was talking to himself. "She''s important to thepany''s survival. I wouldn''t have kept her around otherwise.

    Amber''s heart sank. After her father had gone out, she sat on the edge of her bed and gulped a ss of water. She was a spoiled girl, so that was the first time she ever heard her father talking about Rachel in such

    a high regard. But instead of listening to him, she got jealous. Really? Important to thepany? Why?

    Riverdale''s winter was hauntingly beautiful and it was as if life itself seemed to have gone into a slumber. Not a soul was stirring, at least not on the surface. In a tailor shop within the old area, Janice pulled the curtains back slightly and rubbed her freezing hands. Ever since she was suspended, she had been helping her grandfather with his tailor business.

    "Did you find her?" Julian quickly stood up. It had been two months since he got that slip from Rachel.

    However, Janice shook her head. "No. Not even a clue."

    "How did this happen? She can''t have disappeared into thin air!" Julian was starting to panic. "It''s been two months. This can''t go on any longer. I''m going to ask him where he''s hiding her." "Do you think he''ll tell you?" Janice countered with a serious look. "No news is good news. Perhaps the best news."

    "So we''re just gonna do nothing but wait?" Julian was already getting ready to take Rachel overseas with him when he got that slip two months ago but when he went to see her the next day, there was nobody left in the

    vi, save for Jennifer. That being said, Jennifer knew nothing about Rachel''s disappearance as well. After that, he turned to Janice, thinking that she could at least find some clue.

    "Justin is a cautious man. We won''t find her that easily now that he has hid her away. And he knows I''m Rachel''s friend, so he''s going to be doubly on guard."

    Upon hearing that, Julian asked, "What should we do then? He''s going to kill Rachel at this rate."

    "He''s your cousin. You should know him better than I do. Since he''s hiding her, that means he''s not trying to kill her. My guess is..."

    "What? What is it?"

    "He''s worried that you might take her away."

    Julian paled and he plopped back down on the chair. "Great! Now I feel like punching myself. I should have been more careful and shouldn''t have let him know I was taking her overseas." "Don''t beat yourself up. We''re not out of options just yet."

    "What else can we do?"

    "Since he locked her up, he''ll be seeing her for sure. We can''t get a hold on him, but someone can."

    "Who?"

    "Gloria."

    Julian paused for a moment. Oh-yeah! Justin trusts Gloria the most. He''ll be on his guard, but not when ites to her.

    The bell chimed at midnight, announcing the arrival of Springfest. The feeling of festivity rose with each

    chime, eventually reaching a fever pitch. Although Springfest was here, someone wasn''t in a celebratory mood. She was locked in a ustrophobic room with nothing but a bed, a simple desk, and a TV. It was airing

    a Springfest program, though the show wasing to a close.

    At the same time, the fireworks disy was already starting. Rachel looked outside the window, immersing herself in the shy disy for a moment. Then she held the chair and stood up, revealing her slightly rounded belly. Indeed, she was already four months pregnant.

    She only found out about it after Justin locked her in here. Since then, he told everyone to move everything out so she couldn''t kill the baby easily. Even the window was locked from outside, leaving just a smal crack. It was through that crack Rachel saw the fireworks going up in the city center.

    She touched the ss window, blinking at the blooming fireworks. Her eyes were shining a little but when she heard someone opening the door, the light died out.

    The one who came in was none other than Justin. However, he was surprised to see Rachel standing before the window.

    "I''ll be off then, President Burton. I''ll be here tomorrow morning," Frankie told Justin, snapping thetter out of

    Justin nodded and took the thermos lunch box from Frankie.

    The door was then locked but it wasn''t the end. Rachel heard the sound of a chain rattling as it passed through the handle. Justin wasn''t satisfied with a smart lock, so he had to double up the security by adding a chain. It locked him in as well, but he felt more secure that way.

    Rachel looked at the door and sneered at him. Why did you lock yourself in here too? You can''t get out in time if something were to happen.

    "I''ll be fine," Justin said. He then opened the thermos lunch box and murmured in a shockingly gentle tone, "You should eat something."

    Rachel put a hand on her lower back as she went over to the desk, but she was shocked to see what was inside the lunch box-pierogies.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Pierogies are perfect for Springfest Eve. Gloria said you like leek and egg pierogies, so I got the restaurant to make this." Justin set up the te and poured some vinegar into it before handing a pair of chopsticks to her.

    Pierogies always reminded Rachel of herte grandmother. Her grandmother loved to make her leek and egg pierogies back when she was still alive. They tasted different with or without the vinegar. I don''t feel like eating.

    A frown creased Justin''s forehead. He picked up a pierogi, dipped it in vinegar and tried to feed her. "Here, have a bite."

    However, she turned away.

    "Even if you don''t want to eat, the baby has to."

    I never wanted this child.

    Justin''s face fell. A momentter, he gripped her face harshly. "Say that again."

    At this point, there was nothing but pure, unadulterated iciness on Rachel''s face. Not a day had gone by without misery after she found out she was pregnant. She struggled toe to terms after her first miscarriage, but she couldn''t bring herself to love the child she was bearing this time.

    She was like a bird locked in a cage being fed by her owner. Her freedom was snatched away from her and she had lost the most basic dignity of what it means to be human, all because Justin wanted his child toe to this world.

    Justin then gripped her face even more tightly, warning her, "Do you really think I can''t threaten you anymore? You think you can do anything you want now? I''ll have you know that thug who follows you around is searching for you everywhere. He even tailed me today."

    Rachel froze up when she thought of Victor. What did you do to him?

    Justin let her go and tried to feed her the pierogi again. "Open your mouth."

    Rachel bit her lip as tightly as she could, ring at Justin. She wanted to refuse but in the end, she opened her mouth and let him feed her. However, the pierogi tasted bitter, like despair and sadness. It had been two months. Two whole months of suffering.

 Chapter 162

    Rachel covered her mouth after having some pierogies.

    "What is it? Are you going to puke?" Justin put the chopsticks down and looked at her suspiciously.

    After a hard battle, Rachel finally held her nausea down. That was the worst morning sickness she ever had. The doctor had evene to check on her twice. There were a lot of machines and the checkup was thorough, but they found nothing wrong with the child.

    "Better?" Justin asked as she patted her back.

    Rachel nodded, but a dark me rose within her eyes and something shed within them.

    Justin suddenly gasped in pain and flung her away. As he staggered backward, he stared at his abdomen in disbelief. A sharp ss shard was embedded in his belly and his shirt was fast being drenched in crimson.

    Quickly, Rachel stood up and using the chair as support, she stood behind the table.

    Justin held the ss shard that was embedded in his belly and said through gritted teeth, "Where did you get this?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel looked at the restroom. She shattered the mirror in there during theirst argument and hid a shard before the janitor could clear it away. Since then, she had sharpened the shard, finally putting it to good use today.

    Waves of pain started coursing through Justin and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. His steps were

    getting weak as more blood flowed out of his wound. "Do you really want me to die so badly?"

    Rachel took a few steps back, keeping a safe distance between them.

    Her indifference stoked Justin''s mes of fury, for a wounded pride was more unbearable to him than a wound on his body. "You think you can get away after you kill me? That''s not going to happen so easily." He tried to approach her but everything around him started spinning, and he slowly slid down along the chair''s side. Before he lost consciousness, however, he growled, "Rachel Hudson!"

    As for the woman in question, she quickly banged on the door after Justin lost consciousness.

    Eventually, the window on the door slid open. "Mrs. Burton? Do you need anything?"

    Rachel quickly made some gestures but the guard didn''t know what she was getting at. In the end, she retreated to the side and pointed at the carpet.

    "President Burton!" the bodyguard gasped. A momentter, the chains started rattling.

    When Justin woke up, he realized he was in the hospital. In the end, he had to get eight stitches to his wound

    and it was now heavily bandaged.

    "You''re finally awake, President Burton," Frankie murmured as he sat beside the bed.

    Justin sat up the moment he regained consciousness. The pain was throbbing, but he ignored it and grabbed Frankie. "Where''s Rachel?" he asked.

    "Please don''t move! It will only reopen your wound."

    "Where''s Rachel? Did she escape?" Justin''s fury red. "Search for her! Don''t just stand there! I''m perfectly fine!"

    Frankie froze up in fear. "Mrs. Burton didn''t run away. She''s still there, so please don''t worry."

    This time, it was Justin''s turn to be surprised. "She didn''t escape?"

    "Yes. She''s the one who told the guard to take you here while she stayed behind. The guard didn''t even lock the room in the heat of the moment. He was worried Mrs. Burton might run away, but she was still there when he got back." Frankie then helped Justin down on the bed. "What happened, President Burton?" he asked carefully.

    The question didn''t reach Justin, for he was deep in thought. She went a long way to stab me. That was the perfect chance for her to escape, so why didn''t she? Why did she do that?

    Then, someone knocked on the door.

    "Miss Hochmann''s here."

    "Justin!"

    Gloria called out to him, snapping him out of it.

    "I''ll be going then, President Burton. Have a speedy recovery." Frankie announced, to which Justin hummed in response.

    Meanwhile, Gloria put her bag down in a hurry. "I came as soon as I heard the news. What happened? Did you

    get robbed or something?"

    "It''s nothing. I tripped," Justin answered calmly.

    "And conveniently got eight stitches? I''ve asked the doctor, you know?"

    "I''m fine. Don''t worry." Justin looked at her. "Haven''t seen you for a while. Where were you? Had a lot of fun, huh?"

    Upon hearing that, Gloria was annoyed and she countered, "That''s my line. You were gone for months. What have you been up to? Nothing illegal, I hope. Couldn''t even see you when I want to." Justin smiled, but that tore on his wound and he gasped.

    "Are you alright?" A worried look painted Gloria''s face.

    "Don''t worry, I''m fine and I didn''t do anything illegal. How''s the new piano?"

    "Meh. My old one''s better." Gloria frowned. "Oh-that reminds me. I sent someone to take my piano from the Southwind vi a couple of days ago. Didn''t see Miss Rachel there. Miss Jennifer said she''s been gone for two months. What happened?"

    "She hasn''t been too well, so she''s recuperating somewhere."

    "Where, exactly?"

    "Don''t ask. The fewer people who know, the better. It''s for her own good.

    Gloria was about to ask again but Justin stopped her by saying, "Alright, I''m retiring for the night. Just go home. I''m fine."

    And so, Gloria had no choice but to oblige. After she left the hospital, she hailed a cab at the exit. "Take me to the old district please."

    Janice was still in the tailor shop, making tea.

    Gloria told them about what happened in the hospital after she came in. "I managed to swipe this."

    She whipped out an X-ray image and Julian looked at it. "This wound isn''t caused by a knife. It''s deep and the edges are irregr. It looks like... a ss shard."

    "Bingo." Gloria took a stic bag out of her pocket. "And it''s right here, but I got nothing else. I asked him where he''s hiding her but he won''t even tell me. Guess he doesn''t trust me too."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Janice then poured her a cup of tea. "Calm down. When did this happen?"

    "Last night."

    "Then Rachel''s probably the one who did this."

    A frown creased Janice''s forehead and she mused, "Why did she stab him though?"

    Julian answered, "Maybe she wanted to escape."

    "Not quite right. Justin''s not the only one keeping an eye on her, I''m sure about that. There are other guards there, so stabbing him won''t make a difference." Janice looked at the stic bag. "You said this is the ss shard, correct?"

    "Yes." Gloria nodded. "I got it from the discarded items like you asked me to, but how is this helpful?"

    Janice took the ss shard out and washed the blood off it. "Come here." She beckoned them.

    Julian and Gloria huddled around her. After the blood was washed away, they could see a scratch on it, though it was minuscule. As if worried someone might notice it, the scratches looked like they were made nonchntly, though they could vaguely make a word out of it.

    "River?" Janice looked at it for a long while beforeing up with a guess. "Guys, take a look. I think these scratches look like a word. See if your guess aligns with mine."

    "Looks like ''river'' to me."

    Gloria''s eyes lit up. "Is Miss Rachel trying to tell us she''s locked somewhere beside a river?"

 Chapter 163

    "I''ll get my men to check all the neighborhoods that are near a river." Janice put the ss shard down, looking troubled. "But this will be a big project, so we might go a while without any clues." If Rachel is locked up somewhere near a river, that means every neighborhood in Riverdale that is near a river is going to be on our list.

    Upon hearing that, Gloria offered, "My friend can help. I''ll ask them."

    "No. That''s too conspicuous. You''d besty low or Justin will know something''s up. It''s going to be a problem if he takes Rachel somewhere else."

    "I don''t think he will. He''s seriously injured." The mention of Justin''s situation saddened Gloria. Even though everyone thought he was a cruel person, she couldn''t bring herself to agree. She was really worried for him when she knew he was injured.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Julian patted her shoulder to show solidarity as he shared her sentiment, after all. Justin was his cousin so even though they weren''t on the best of terms, he was still Julian''s family. "Don''t feel too pressured, Gloria. We''re not betraying him. Just trying to make sure he won''t do something he''ll regret for the rest of his life."

    Gloria nodded.

    "Then that''s it for now. I''ll assemble the squad," Janice said.

    "Okay."

    The room was as dim as ever as there was only a small opening on the window that allowed sunlight to shine on the room. Rachel was watching some TV as usual, and a can of sour plums sat on the table before her. Aside from the TV, she had nothing that could connect her to the outside world.

    Someone came to dispose of everything that had ss in it the day after Justin was injured. When Justin came himself, he saw a dozen or so plums lying on the table. "You like those plums? I''ll get Frankie to buy more tomorrow."

    Rachel looked at him. Can I even say no? She had no choice but to passively ept everything he gave her. What will it take for you to let me go?

    Justin frowned. "After you give birth to the child."

    Don''t tell me you can''t find anyone else who wants to bear your child. You can get any woman you want with a wave of your hand, so why won''t you just let me go? Rachel suddenly got agitated and she gestured, Because I''m Jefferey''s daughter? I''ve already told you that I''m not!

    "Calm down." Justin held her wildly waving hands. "I said, calm down," he growled.

    Rachel tried to break free but she couldn''t. Her chest was heaving and her face became flushed. Meanwhile, her lips were trembling but she couldn''t make a sound.

    "You have to stay calm. The doctor said so."

    Stay calm? She felt a lump in her throat and tears streamed down her cheeks. How can I even do that? Pretend my whole childhood never happened? Pretend that this man in front of me isn''t that boy I saved? Pretend that he''s not the cause of Hans and Grandma''s deaths? At that thought, Rachel flung Justin''s hand away.

    Justin wanted to hold her, but he hesitated and decided against that in the end. He then poured her a ss of water and put her medicine on the table. "Take your meds."

    Rachel wiped her tears away and gulped all the meds without even looking at them, but they were stuck in her throat a momentter.

    Upon seeing that, Justin handed her a ss of water. "Have some water."

    The water melted the meds, making it easier for her to swallow. The pills were painful to swallow and it made her eyes redder, but it stopped her tears. At least pain could make sure she stayed sober. The TV was airing a crime movie. The viin was escaping in an abandoned factory but he was shot a momentter and blood sttered everywhere. When Justin saw that, he said, "Watch something else. This

    is too gory for the baby." He switched to a cartoon channel that was showing some sheeps running in the meadow. "This is good."

    So I can''t even choose my shows now?

    Justin frowned and put the remote control down.

    However, Rachel didn''t touch it. I''m tired. I want to sleep.

    She went to her bed but Justin got angry again and he questioned, "How much longer are you going to throw a tantrum?"

    What are you talking about?

    "You could have killed me back then. Why did you tell them to save me?"

    Rachel froze. She knew Justin would bring that matter up eventually, so she answered, I did want to kill you, but I don''t want to die. I can''t run away even if you''re dead, right?

    In response, Justin yelled, "You''re still trying to escape? You literally stabbed me! That should have been enough, so what more do you want? Fine! I broke Hans'' legs, so do you want to get back at me for him?" He suddenly put a dagger on the table. "Here''s a dagger. Stab me anywhere you want. You can do anything as long as you''ll stay here safely and bear the child." He put the dagger in her hand. "Go on, stab me!"

    All the color drained from Rachel''s face as Justin tried to guide the dagger into his chest. You''re mad! Why are you doing this? She was terrified.

    "I thought you wanted to kill me. If you do it now, they''ll let you go. You can leave Riverdale-heck, even the country-and nobody will try to catch you." He let her hand go, but the dagger was still inches away from his chest.

    All Rachel had to do was stab him in the chest and he would die. However, everything started spinning around her, even Justin. The closer the dagger was to his chest, the more the world spun. Eventually, she lost her grip on the dagger and it fell down. All her strength left her and she plopped on the ground,ughing and crying at the same time.

    "You don''t even have the guts to kill me." He held her chin, looking at her with dead, dark eyes. "I gave you a chance, Rachel. You lost it, so now you can''tin anymore. Stop giving me that attitude, you hear me?"

    To Justin, anything could be forgiven as long as it was an eye for an eye. However, he had no inkling that some wounds were so deep that forgiveness was out of the question, and that those wounds would simply not heal.

    Rachel thought Justin''s gesture wasughable. A long, long whileter, she gestured with trembling hands, I''ll give birth to the baby.

    Justin was surprised, but that reply worked well in calming down his temper. While Rachel went to bed, he stood there for a while before going up to her.

    Rachel could feel him getting into her bed and hugging her through the nket. The hug got tighter and tighter as time went on.

    "You don''t have to worry about the baby''s future. Once I finish my business and after you give birth, we''ll get remarried. You''ll still be my wife," Justin said, like it was some sort of divine gift.

    Rachel, on the other hand, was suffocating from the hug but she didn''t struggle.

 Chapter 164

    Rachel slowly closed her eyes. She didn''t care about being his wife or if the baby would be a b*stard. Ever since she got her memories back, she knew the both of them could never be together again.

    It had been a month since Janice and her subordinates started the search in all the riverside neighborhoods. "Still nothing?" Julian asked as he handed her a bottle of water.

    The wind was blowing against Janice''s hair. She took a sip and shook her head. "We searched all the riverside neighborhoods. One by one as well. No clue until now."

    "Maybe she''s locked in a mountain somewhere?"

    "No. It''s mostly manors there. The Bureau of Real Estate has records of the manors'' owners."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Bureau of Real Estate? All of a sudden, Julian had a stroke of inspiration. "I think we''ve been looking at this the wrong way. Even if Justin locked Rachel up, he wouldn''t put her in a ce unrted to him." "What are you getting at?"

    "She''s either in a hotel or a personal estate he owns."

    Janice gripped the water bottle and she realized what Julian was getting at. "Hotels are out. There are too many people there."

    Which meant there were only estates left.

    With how cautious Justin was, he would never take Rachel out of Riverdale, so she must be in one of the estates in the city.

    Julian frowned. "But what''s up with ''river''? What''s she trying to say?"

    "Probably the neighborhood''s name." Janice then made a call. "Hello? It''s me. I want all the details of Justin Burton''s estates in Riverdale ASAP."

    Janice received an email not long after she hung up. "He has a lot of properties in Riverdale."

    Julian nodded. "Good thing it''s still just this one city."

    "I''ll get my men to search the neighborhoods that have ''river'' in their names. If we still can''t find her, we''ll expand the range. Don''t worry about it too much. No news is the best news."

    "I know." It had been more than three months since Rachel''s disappearance, and Julian knew Janice was worried as well.

    At the same time, Gloria came to the Burton Group to settle some matters. However, she ran into a janitoring out of the other elevator when she arrived at her floor. He was pushing the cart as he went toward the president''s office. The janitor wasnky and a tuft of yellow hair sprouted from under his cap. Gloria''s heart sank when she realized who the janitor was, so she chased after him.

    Justin''s secretary would usually stand guard outside his office when he wasn''t in. When the secretary had to leave, she would lock the door to keep any unauthorized personnel out. So when Gloria came to the office, she saw the ''janitor'' trying to unlock the door. "What are you doing?"

    The ''janitor'' leaped in shock, revealing the face underneath the cap. It was none other than Victor. Before he could say anything, they heard someone talking just around the corner. Hence, Gloria quickly grabbed him and put her finger on the fingerprint scanner. The door swung open a momentter and she dragged him in with her.

    After the door swung shut, they heard the secretary''s voice saying, "Who left this cart here? Assistant Beckham''s going to yell at someone if he sees this."

    "I''ll get the janitor to pick this up."

    Meanwhile, Gloria and Victor were in the office. "Are you mad?" She red at him as she questioned, "Why did youe here? How did you manage to even get in?"

    Victor took his face mask off, his face as handsome as ever. That being said, he looked more gaunt and there were a few bruises on his face.

    Gloria was surprised to see that. "What happened to your face?"

    "Ask Burton." Victor looked at her in disgust, which in turn angered her.

    "Why are you looking at me like that, silly kid? I just saved your *ss! You''re so ungrateful."

    "I don''t need your help, you hypocrite." With that, Victor went to Justin''s desk, leaving Gloria behind.

    "Hey, what are you doing? Don''t go through someone''s stuff without permission."

    Victor rummaged through all the drawers and cabs.

    "What are you looking for?"

    "I''m seeing where he has hidden Rachel!"

    "Are you mad? She can''t be here! What do you think she is? A rabbit?"

    Upon hearing that, Victor snapped, "Do you have any better idea, then? I''ve tailed him for three months but I got nothing!"

    He had tailed Justin almost every day for thest three months but every time, he would end up losing

    Justin''s track or getting beaten up by his bodyguards.

    "Be quiet! Someone might hear you!"

    "So what? I''m taking this straight to Burton anyway."

    "You-" However, someone opened the door before she could say anything. Gloria''s face fell and she dragged Victor into a cubicle in the room. She managed to close the door before the people outside coulde in. Victor tried to break free, but she held him back. "You''d better stay put if you don''t want to get messed up."

    Victor didn''t want to listen, but she had a point. He would only get a beating if he went out right now.

    A momentter, Justin and Frankie came in.

    "We bought the video and everything rted to Hans with five million, just like you asked. But we didn''t expect another one to pop up. Seems like Windfall wasn''t the only one who got it on camera." Hans? Victor was angered, but Gloria quickly covered his mouth and red at him.

    Justin answered, "Not quite. Perhaps we paid them the five million too readily, so they let their greed get the better of them. They''re working with another outlet to get more out of us." "You''re saying Windfall has a backup?"

    "Hans saw Winston at the hospital by ident. It''s only by chance Windfall''s reporter got it on video. There''s no way a reporter from another outlet was there."

    Frankie nodded in assent. "That''s true. This is no coincidence, and they could have asked us for the money if they had gotten it at the same time as Windfall. This is just extortion with extra steps." "Settle this as soon as possible. I want it to end here."

    "Roger that, President Burton."

    Meanwhile, Gloria was still in the cubicle. Since the door was ajar, she could see that the cabs and

    drawers were open. If Justin were to approach his desk, he would know someone was here. At that thought, she cursed deep down.

    Just as she feared, Justin stood up after he was done talking. From the looks of it, he was going to go to his desk.

    Suddenly, Frankie''s phone rang. "Hello? I see. I''ll be right there." After he hung up, Frankie said, "President Burton, the doctor is in the underground car park. When are you going over?" Justin nodded and put down the file he was holding. "Right away."

    After they left and locked the door, Gloria finally heaved a sigh of relief. However, Victor pulled the door open and made a beeline for the desk.

 Chapter 165

    "What are you doing, Victor?" Gloria caught up to him.

    Victor, however, picked up the document on the table. The first thing he saw was the stamp of the most famous media outlet in Riverdale, but what caught his attention was the content. It was shocking to say the least. "Burton''s the one who killed Hans!"

    "Impossible! You''re lying!"

    "See for yourself." Victor handed the document to her.

    The document detailed an illegal transaction that happened near a hospital. There were even pictures to prove it. The one who was holding the safe box was the same person who pulled Hans into the van -it was none other than one of Justin''s bodyguards.

    "Winston?" Gloria asked, recognizing the bodyguard right away.

    "He''s the one who took Hans. What do you have to say for Burton now?"

    All the color drained from her face when she heard that. "No. This is a misunderstanding. Even if Winston''s behind Hans'' death, that doesn''t mean Justin ordered him to kill Hans. No, there''s no way

    Justin would do that. He wouldn''t!"

    "He wouldn''t do it? What a farce." Victor snereed. "Didn''t you hear what his assistant said? They had this for a long time and there is even a video too. If he''s not guilty, why did he spend five million on this?" With that, he took the document and was about to walk out of the room.

    "Where are you going?"

    "To the cops. I''m reporting this." Hans was hospitalized because of me. Truth was, Victor had been feeling guilty about it ever since he talked with Rachel. He wanted to apologize but s, Hans was murdered before he could. Victor knew he could never make it up to Hans anymore, so the only thing he could do was expose the murderer so Hans could rest in peace.

    "Victor, are you mad? Hold it right there!" Gloria quickly got in his way. "You can''t report this to the cops."

    "You''re helping that b*stard?"

    "No. This is for your own good! Do you think you can get Justin arrested just because you have this information? This is just a trouble ma." Gloria gritted her teeth. "Even if he''s really the murderer, he''s just going to get rmed if he finds out about this."

    Upon hearing that, Victor paused.

    Since he was starting to calm down, Gloria extended her hand and reassured, "Listen to me. Give me that article and pretend you never saw this."

    Victor, however, doubted her. "You''ll look into this?"

    "I''ve been looking into this for a long time now," Gloria insisted. "I''ve been looking for Rachel for ages. You can help me out if you want to."

    Meanwhile, Victor was still holding the five-million-dor article, suspicious about Gloria. "And how can I know you''re not trying to get rid of this evidence for Justin? How do I know you won''t kill me just like he killed Hans?"

    "Get rid of the evidence? Me?" Gloria red at him furiously. A short whileter, she stomped on Victor''s foot.

    "Ow!" Victor gasped in pain. "What was that for?"

    "I wouldn''t have taken you with me earlier if I wanted to kill you. You''d already be dead by now."

    Victor was gasping from the pain, and Gloria took the article from him. "What are you doing? Give that back!" "You''ll really die if I give this back to you." She red at him and put it back on the table. "Give me your phone." "What are you trying to do?"

    "Just give it to me." She whipped out an old phone from Victor''s pocket and snapped some photos of the article, then she tossed the phone back to him. "You can''t take the manuscript, but you can have these photos. Happy?"

    Victor was surprised.

    Gloria closed the drawers and cabs before turning around to stare at him. "You''re ungrateful, you know that?" She then left thepany but Victor followed her. "Why are you following me?" Gloria growled. "I''m a hypocrite, aren''t I?"

    Victor skidded to a halt and was petrified for a while. "Hey! I just want to say that I''m sorry."

    Gloria finally stopped in her tracks. "That''s all? Just an apology?"

    "What do you want then?"

    "Food. I''m starving!" With that, Gloria turned around. She was still looking angry, and her cheeks were puffed.

    Victor scratched his head. "Sure. My treat."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    The night breeze brushed against Riverdale''s river. It was early spring, so some people were still wearing winter clothes on the street. Gloria was sitting on a bench, chomping down on her chicken drumstick and hamburger.

    Victor then asked, "Are you sure that''s all you want?"

    "What''s wrong? I like these." Gloria raised her chin and muttered, "Give me the Coke."

    Victor gave her the Coke, but since she was holding something in both of her hands, she nudged over to take a big sip. A momentter, she let out a big burp, and an awkward silence fell between them. Gloria rolled her eyes. "What are you looking at? Never seen a hot girl burp?"

    Victor looked at her with tant disgust. "If you call yourself hot, then there''d be no uglies in the world."

    "If I''m not hot, who is?"

    "Rachel. She''s kind, gentle, knowledgeable, and nice to everyone around her. I''ve never seen anyone as beautiful and kind as she was." The more Victor talked about Rachel, the sadder he was. "I wonder how she''s doing."

    Gloria dropped her smile too. "Don''t worry. Justin''s not the monster you think he is," she said. "He

    won''t torture her. Janice said that Justin hid Rachel because he''s worried Julian might take her away."

    "He''s a madman. Locking her up is already a form of torture. She''s not a prisoner!"

    "Calm down." Gloria put her food down and wiped her hands off. "Let''s not talk about this. Janice is almost done with the neighborhood, but there''s still no sign of Rachel. Where could she be?" It''s been three months. She''s gotta be somewhere livable. Gloria then mumbled, "She must be somewhere in Riverdale. Justin was taken to the hospital right after he was injured. If she''s somewhere in the rural area, he would have been dead on arrival."

    Victor frowned. "He was injured? He deserves it. No wonder he was going to see a doctor."

    "A doctor?" Gloria was surprised. "He wanted to see a doctor?" She didn''t hear what Justin and Frankie were talking about in the heat of the moment, since she was trying to keep Victor quiet and praying that Justin didn''t notice his drawers were open.

    "Yeah," Victor answered. "His assistant said Dr. McCarty or something is in the car park. Asked Burton when he''d be seeing the doctor."

    Lots of thoughts were racing in Gloria''s mind. "Why didn''t the doctor go to the office if he''s there for Justin then?" No. He was not there for Justin, which is why he didn''t go to the office.

 Chapter 166

    "This is all the surveince footage of the Burton Group this afternoon."

    Inside the surveince room of the Riverdale Investigation Bureau, Janice''s subordinate was operating theputer and swiftly disying the surveince footage on therge screen. There were eight split screens showing the situation on the third floor of Burton Group''s underground garage.

    Gloria couldn''t help eximing in admiration, "How amazing!"

    Janice stared at the video on the screen with her arms folded in front of her chest. "Do you remember the approximate time?"

    Gloria and Victor exchanged a nce. "It was around 2.00PM. We heard Assistant Beckham saying that the doctor had arrived at the garage, so it should be around that time."

    Janice nodded. "Jesse, please adjust the time."

    "Yes, Officer Hawkins."

    The image on the screen yed at an elerated speed and soon came to the time Gloria and Victor had mentioned. All four of them stared intently at the surveince footage on the screen.

    All of a sudden, Gloria eximed, "Wait! I see it!" She pointed at the monitor showing the entrance of the garage. "The person driving this car is one of Justin''s bodyguards. I''ve seen him before." Janice acknowledged it. "Change cameras and follow this car."

    The screen immediately began to follow the movements of this car in the garage until it finally parked in one of the parking spots. Then, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes got out of the back seat with a box in his hands. One could forgo the whiteb coat, but the medicine box was a must for a doctor who was visiting a patient.

    "Pause for a moment and zoom in on this image." Janice walked closer to the screen. "This is probably him. Run a check on his identity and background information."

    "Wait." Julian''s voice suddenly came from the side. "I think I''ve seen this person before."

    They all showed stunned expressions on their faces. Meanwhile, he leaned closer to the screen and carefully confirmed. "Yes, I''ve seen him at Riverdale''s second quarter medical seminar. He was the representative of Rosewood Hospital, Flynn arty. He is the Director of Rosewood Hospital''s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.ˇ±

    Janice was stunned. "The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department?!"

    Likewise, Gloria and Victor had expressions of disbelief on their faces too. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department?

    After the doctor left, Rachel leaned back against the head of the bed and ced both hands on her swollen belly. Due to her pregnancy, Justin would have a doctor examine her twice every month to check on the development of the fetus. Furthermore, he would visit her every time the doctor came.

    "ording to the doctor, the fetus is developing well. It is very healthy." Justin''s voice sounded from behind her.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Lowering her head, she stared at her belly. She was now more than five months pregnant, so her belly was showing an obvious bulge. The side effects had changed from morning sickness at the beginning of her pregnancy to the recent constant drowsiness. Thus, she spent most of her time sleeping.

    "I hope it''s a girl. What about you?"

    She did not respond to those words. In her opinion, it did not matter whether it was a boy or a girl who was born to the Burton Family. After all, things did not end well even for Tina, who was loved by all, so why would it matter whether it was a boy or a girl?

    Your wedding with Amber should be approaching, right? You don''t need toe and visit me so frequently if you are busy. It''s better for you to concentrate on the wedding preparations. When he heard that, the joy in his eyes immediately disappeared without a trace. A touch of sorrow slowly rose up in his eyes instead. "Are you trying to drive me away?"

    You''re overthinking things. Besides, this is your territory. It''s not my ce to kick you out. She quietly looked out the window. Even though it had been boarded up securely, she gazed out into the distance in silence, as though she could see the scenery outside.

    He clenched his fists tightly and stood behind her for a while before mming the door behind him as he left. He did not know how many times it had been, but over the past few months, they had always parted on bad terms every time he came here. She had changed from her previous timid and gentle nature to bing cold and indifferent instead. Her attitude toward him was of almostplete disregard; she looked at the window more times than she looked at him. Despite that, he came even more diligently than before.

    The sound of the door loudly mming shut behind Justin made the entire room tremble in response. Only then did Rachel turn back. She calmly clenched her fist, got up, and walked over to the window. The gap the size of a fist was just enough for her to see the river view in the distance.

    The Burton Group was located right in themercial center by the riverside. It was the most prosperous area. Traffic was heavy 30 floors below her, and the crowds were bustling about like ants. Nobody could have expected Justin to lock her up on the topmost floor of the Burton Group. It was where he worked every day, so he could monitor her every move at any time and from anywhere.

    Will Janice and the others be able to find me? she wondered as her eyes gradually closed.

    That night, Rachel slept very restlessly. The frequency of her nightmares was increasing. It felt like there was a huge hammer knocking against her temples in her dream, causing her to suffer from a splitting headache. Jerking awake, she suddenly realized that the tapping sound was not from her dream-it wasing from the window.

    This is the top floor of the Burton Group! What could be outside the window?! She abruptly threw aside her nket and ran over to the only gap in the window.

    Knock Knock. The tapping sound was definitelying from the window. She tentatively knocked on the window twice in response, then there was a few seconds of silence from the outside. Just as she was thinking that it was only her imagination, two more taps on the window sounded. Knock Knock.

    Suppressing the surging feelings in her heart, she nced at the fist-sized opening on the window out of the corner of her eyes. It was the only corner in the room that had not been covered by a curtain from the outside. Thus, she jogged over to that piece of ss, lifted her hand, and tapped on it three times. Knock Knock Knock.

    After waiting for some time, somebody suddenly blocked the ss from the outside, whereupon Rachel''s heart sank suddenly. But, in the next moment, she saw a beam of light moving around slightly through the window and shining into the room. Immediately after that, arge corner of the curtain sealing this room from the outside was ripped away to reveal the top of Riverdale''s clock tower in the distance. At the same time, it also revealed the figure of the person leaning against the ss window.

    Rachel covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief, her eyes reddening immediately. Meanwhile, the

    other party was hanging from a safety rope andmunicating with her in signnguage. I finally found you!

    It was Coraline Harper! Caroline was a woman Rachel had met once before in Brookville; she helped Rachel out of a sticky situation at the dining table andter asked her to help hand over a USB drive while the former was on the run from being chased.

    At this moment, Coraline was dressed in pitch-ck tight-fitting clothes. She had practically blended into the night. There were two safety ropes hanging from her body as she walked on the ss surface of the high-rise building as though it were t ground. Her nimble and agile skills indicated that she was no ordinary person.

    Seeing that, Rachel recalled something Janice once mentioned to her-Coraline was an undercover agent of the Riverdale Investigation Bureau. Suppressing the shock in her heart, she hurriedly signed back at Coraline. Why are you here?!

    Janice asked me to find you. How are you?

    After following the doctor who came to Burton Group every two weeks, Janice and the others had quickly inferred where Rachel was being detained. The word ''River'' on that piece of ss was referring to Green River Street, where Burton Group was located.

    Rachel quickly nodded in response. I''m fine.

    The rest will be easy since we''ve confirmed that you''re here. We will rescue you from here. Don''t be afraid. Rachel quickly shook her head and pointed at her belly with aplicated expression. I can''t leave right now. Coraline was slightly taken aback as she stared at Rachel''s swollen belly through the pane of ss.

 Chapter 167

    "She can''t go now."

    As Coraline passed Rachel''s message, everyone was surprised.

    "Why?" Victor stood up suddenly. "Is she scared of being found out by Justin?"

    "No. She is pregnant."

    Everyone else was taken aback.

    Although they had guessed that Rachel was pregnant when Julian mentioned that Flynn was the director of the gynecology department, it was still unbelievable to hear the truth right from Coraline''s mouth.

    No one wanted to believe that Justin actually imprisoned a pregnant woman.

    Victor said coldly to Gloria, "Are you still going to help him out now? He is a lunatic."

    Gloria bit her lip and had nothing to say.

    Janice nced at them. "Then what do we do now? What does Rachel want to do?"

    Coraline replied, "We''ll have to wait until after she gives birth."

    "After she gives birth? Wouldn''t it be more troublesome to escape with a child?" Victor was puzzled.

    Coraline hesitated for a while. "She said that she will leave the child behind."

    The room fell quiet all of a sudden.

    No one could imagine how much Rachel was wronged and tortured to the point that she didn''t even want her child and only wanted to run away from that man.

    Two monthster, Justin officially announced the wedding date with Amber.

    This meant the marriage between the Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals was set in stone. The Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' stock market had skyrocketed overnight, and its market value had doubled as well, effectively lifting them from the past turmoil.

    On the night of the press conference, there was a g dinner.

    Amber held Justin''s hand and toasted with the guests with a smile.

    "Thank you, Mr. Riley."

    "Congrattions!"

    "Justin, the designer I invited from Italy has designed a few wedding dresses for me. Can you help me take a look at themter?"

    "Just get whichever you want."

    Frankie hurriedly walked in from outside but stopped talking as soon as he saw Amber. "President Burton."

    Hearing that, Justin''s eyes narrowed as he let go of Amber. "I have something to deal with. You can go ahead first."

    Amber was taken aback by Justin''s action and was trying to hold him back to ask what was going on, but he had already walked away. Seeing Justin''s hurried departure, Amber frowned and beckoned to her assistant. "Follow them and find out what''s going on." Right then, Justin and Frankie walked to a quieter ce.

    "What is it?"

    Frankie replied, "Mrs. Burton suddenly showed signs of premature delivery."

    "Howe? Wasn''t everything okay during the check up? There''s supposed to still be two more months until her due date!"

    "It was said that Mrs. Burton had identally fallen in the bathroom. Don''t worry, President Burton. She has already been sent to the hospital immediately."

    Justin''s expression froze. "Prepare a car-we''re going to the hospital."

    "What? Then what about the banquet?"

    Justin obviously couldn''t care less about the banquet. Frankie nced back, and while following Justin, he called the secretary to make sure someone would oversee the banquet. Meanwhile, in the operating room.

    "Ah!"

    Rachel was lying on the delivery bed with her legs spread apart-her jaw was tightly clenched, and her voice was hoarse.

    She could feel nothing but numbing pain in her lower body.

    "Breathe in. Breathe out."

    "Push."

    The amniotic sac had long broken, and she even showed symptoms of hemorrhaging.

    "Hold on for a little bit more. Just a little bit more, and the baby will be here-it''s not that big."

    The midwife''s voice rang in her ears.

    Rachel nodded hard and raised her neck high-it was covered in sweat from thebor.

    Outside the operating room, Justin arrived hurriedly.

    "How is she?"

    The bodyguard who sent Rachel here hurriedly stood up and said, "President Burton, s-she is still inside, and the doctor hasn''te out. I''m not sure what is going on in there either."

    Just as Justin was about to erupt in anger, the door of the operating room opened up, and a nurse came out from inside. "Which one of you is her family member?"

    "I am."

    Justin stepped forward immediately.

    Looking at him, the nurse asked Justin, "Who are you to the mother?"

    "I am her husband."

    "The umbilical cord of the newborn is tied around the neck, so the mother can''t give birth naturally. We have to prepare for the cesarean section. Please follow me to sign some documents." Justin''s pupils constricted. "Are there any risks? How is she now?"

    "Well, any woman is inherently at risk when giving birth. On top of that, she is giving birth prematurely. Now that the fetal position is not correct and she can''t give birth naturally, we can only perform surgery on her. Please sign it quickly."

    Holding the pen, Justin immediately signed his name on the consent form for the operation.

    The operation light stayed on while Justin stood in the corridor steadfastly.

    Time passed by, and even when everyone else, including Frankie, couldn''t stand it anymore, Justin stood straight and did nothing but stare at the operating room''s doors.

    In the early morning, the operation lights finally went out.

    The nurse took a baby out of the ward. "Congrattions! It''s a girl."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Justin asked anxiously, "How is she?"

    "Both the mother and daughter are safe."

    Justin breathed a sigh of relief before he lowered his head to see the child in the nurse''s arms. The pinkish baby was curled up into a small ball, her eyes still closed.

    The moment he saw her, Justin suddenly felt that his heart, which had been frozen for many years, began to thaw from the inside out. His eyes were fixed on the child''s face, and he couldn''t bring himself to look away.

    This was his first child-a daughter.

    After the effect of the anesthetic passed, Rachel, who had been out cold for a long time, finally woke

    up.

    It waste at night when she regained consciousness, and as she moved her hands, she found that her hand was being held-only then did she see the man lying on the side of her bed, fast asleep.

    All of a sudden, Justin woke up, his eyes filled with grogginess.

    Seeing how Rachel was looking at himself, he immediately sobered up and asked, "How are you? Let me get a doctor."

    Rachel held his hand. Her pale lips moved, but she still couldn''t make a sound.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Rachel raised her hand weakly and made a gesture.

    I want some water.

    Justin was stunned for a moment before he understood what she meant. "Oh. Wait a moment. I''ll pour some for you."

    Rachel leaned on the pillow and drank half a ss of water to moisturize her chapped lips.

    Justin then said, "Our baby is in the nursery. Do you want me to get the nurses to bring her here for you to see?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    It''s okay. I''ll see her tomorrow.

    "Alright. You just woke up anyway. Get some rest."

    Justin sat down again, not intending to leave.

    Rachel looked at him quietly. All his harshness and indifference to her during this period had dissipated. Overnight, it was as if she had returned to the time when she first married him-his eyes were gentle and calm.

    Justin held her hand. "It''s a girl. She looks very much like you."

    Rachel pointed to her lips. If she''s mute like me too, then it''s not good.

    Justin was taken aback for a moment, and then he chuckled. "She won''t be. Don''t worry."

    Rachel alsoughed.

    Looking at her smile under the dim light, Justin was in a daze. He hadn''t seen her smile so naturally and happily for such a long time now.

    Did I tell you before that I was not born mute?

    "Nope. Was that not the case?"

    Rachel shook her head. I got terribly sick when I was a child and damaged my voice box.

    Justin was startled slightly. As he was about to inquire further about it, his phone suddenly vibrated.

    Out of the corner of Rachel''s eye, she caught a glimpse of Amber''s name on the caller ID.

    "I have to get this."

    Sure. She nodded.

    With that, Justin went out with his mobile phone.

    After a while, he opened the door and walked in. "Rachel, I have to deal with something for a bit."

    Rachel nodded. Go ahead.

    "Get more rest." Justin leaned down and tucked her hair behind her ears. His voice was exceptionally soft and gentle as he uttered, "I''lle see you again tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 168

    Rachel did not refuse.

    Come early tomorrow.

    Seeing how docile and well-behaved she was, Justin''s eyes oozed gentleness, and he couldn''t help but drop a kiss on her forehead. "I''lle back when I''m done."

    Watching Justin''s figure disappear at the door of the ward, Rachel''s eyes slowly dimmed.

    3.00AM in the morning.

    Over the Riverdale International Airport, nes sliced through the clouds, roaring as they flew.

    Under the night, Riverdale became smaller and smaller, eventually bing a small dot that easily disappeared under the clouds.

    Rachel''s gaze retracted from the window of the cabin-her face was pale.

    "Hello, madam. Are you feeling ufortable?"

    The flight attendant''s inquiry came from beside her. Before she could exin, Julian shook his head and answered, "She''s fine. Could you please give me a nket and a ss of warm water?" "Okay. One moment please."

    Julian covered Rachel''s legs with a nket and looked at her with worry. "Why didn''t you rest for a few more days before leaving? I''m afraid that you will have to re-stitch the incision and suffer again when we get there since we left in such a hurry."

    Rachel twitched the corner of her mouth weakly.

    I''m reborned once I left Riverdale. How would I be suffering?

    "The baby-did you even get to take a look at her?"

    I can''t bear to see her. I know I won''t be able to leave if I did.

    Rachel squeezed her palm. In fact, she was awake when the baby was born, and the nurse did hold the baby to her, but she couldn''t bring herself to look at the baby and only closed her eyes.

    Since it was destined that she could not be with this child, she thought she should cut all ties right from her birth.

    Julian was afraid to continue, worrying that it would make her feel ufortable, so he sighed silently. "Take the medicine first and get some sleep-it''s all in the past now."

    Rachel slowly closed her eyes.

    Indeed, it was all in the past.

    Five yearster.

    In Yatruinia.

    he SG Pharmaceutical Group Conference Center located in the center of the capital city of Yatruinia, thepany executives were engaged in a heated discussion.

    "The market for traditional medicine is further deteriorating. The market has extremely poor reviews; it

    is obviously already a sunset industry. No matter how you look at it, the future will be the world of Western medicine, but we are doing research on traditional medicine at this time? What are we trying

    to do? Return to the ancestors?"

    The blond middle-aged man pointed at the data on the presentation screen and threw out a bold statement.

    Everyone in the room nodded.

    Most of the people in the conference room were from Yatruinia, and it caused the two foreign women to stand out even more.

    On the seat closest to the presentation screen, a short-haired woman who was dressed in a chic dark

    green suit maintained a calm expression as she quietly listened to the speech.

    When the speech was over, she knocked on the table slightly. "David, I don''t agree with you."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    The meeting room fell into pindrop silence immediately while David''s expression changed.

    "The market has never deteriorated. It''s just that the industry is too chaotic right now, and people have started to lose faith in traditional medicine-this just proves that the market has a huge opportunity, and there are gaps we could fill. It''s the perfect time for us to venture into it."

    "Chris, you are being unrealistic. Do you want to reshape the entire industry by yourself? This is something that not even the government can do. Do you think you will be able to achieve this alone?" "Yes, I do believe that."

    Hearing that, David sneered and looked at her with his arms crossed on his chest. "Being pretty does not mean that you can seed in doing everything." "Bullsh*t!" Next to Chris, another young woman leaped off her chair. "David, you should focus on the matter! That was apletely personal attack."

    In response, Chris held the woman''s hand and spoke calmly. "I have submitted the n to enter the Asian market many times before, and the risk assessment indicated that we are good to go, but David, you have been difficult about this with me, and you could not provide me with a sensible reason. Hence, I would like to ask the executives to make a resolution."

    David propped his hands on the conference table with a defiant expression on his face.

    "Sorry, but I have already rejected it. Your rank is not enough to ask for a resolution, unless you wait for Ornand toe back from vacation. Based on your rtionship with him, you can do whatever you want with him supporting you."

    "What do you mean by this? What are you suggesting? David, be mindful that we can sue you for nder like this!" Jolly protested.

    "Jolly." Chris'' tone was neither light nor heavy.

    Jolly was so angry that she switched to her nativenguage and said to Chris, "He has insulted you so much. How can you just tolerate it?"

    "Who said I was tolerating it?"

    With this, Chris stood up suddenly. At once, she took off the employee''s badge on her chest, put it on the table, and said lightly, "There''s no need to wait for Ornand toe back. I quit. I''ve prepared the resignation letter. David, remember to sign itter."

    The crowd was in an uproar.

    Without waiting for others to speak, Chris took a look at David and left the conference room.

    Jolly was stunned for a long time before she came back to her senses. Then she, too, removed her employee tag and said, "I quit too! All of you can do whatever the hell you want."

    With that, she chased after Chris.

    "Chris, wait for me. Chris!"

    Even though Jolly kept calling out for her, Chris walked like a gust of wind without stopping, so Jolly grew anxious and shouted in a loud voice, "Rachel Hudson!"

    Upon that, Rachel''s twelve-inch high-heeled shoes came to a halt on the floor in the corridor.

    In the past five years, this name of hers had rarely been brought up, and even Julian had gradually be ustomed to calling her Chris like the others around her. The name ''Rachel Hudson'' seemed to have disappeared when she left Riverdale five years ago.

    Jolly quickly followed while panting. "I knew it''d work with your old name. Since I was a child, I have been terrified when my parents called me by my full name. So do you, I guess!"

    Soon, Rachel came back to her senses and looked at Jolly helplessly. "It''s not about that. I told you didn''t have parents. I grew up with my grandma."

    Jolly waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, they are all the elders. I don''t care about your reasons as long as it''s useful. What did you walk so fast for? I''m exhausted from chasing you."

    "I''ve resigned anyway. Shouldn''t I pack up and leave immediately? I''m afraid David won''t want to see me for even one more second."

    "Are you really quitting?"

    Rachel shrugged. "What do you think? You thought I was just ying around with David?"

    "Wow. I thought you were just bluffing."

    "Why would I bluff him? I only feel that SG is developing in a different direction than mine, so there are no more reasons for me to stay."

    In just three years, Rachel went from being an intern to bing the financial director in the top 500 pharmaceutical group, SG. This was an achievement that no one could imagine achieving. David, as the veteran of SG, had long been upset with her.

    Jolly gave a thumbs up to Rachel. "You''re impressive, alright. How straightforward and decisive. Well, I''ve long gotten sick with this stupidpany anyway. I wouldn''t even have stayed here in the first ce if it wasn''t for Samuel."

    "You''ve quit too?"

    "Of course. Why would I stay if you''re leaving? Hey, Chris, if it wasn''t for you not wanting to go back to Riverdale, I would definitely have asked my dad to give you the position of vice president. It''s totally doable."

    Rachel stood still and solemnly told Jolly. "I am going back."

    Jolly''s eyes widened in surprise. "For real?"

    "Yes."

    Rachel''s tone was determined.

    She had fled and stayed hidden for five years. Five years was long enough for her to think things through and finally deal with the things that should have been resolved a long time ago. When she returned this time, she would finally get her vengeance-once and for all.

 Chapter 169

    Night fell.

    Jolly came out of the bathroom after taking a shower and walked toward Rachel while drying her hair. "It''s sote already. Why are you still not sleeping? You''ve quit your job, but you''re still staring at theputer in the middle of the night."

    Rachel clicked on an email on theputer and said lightly, "This is an email sent to me by a friend of mine two weeks ago."

    "Is it the friend from the Investigation Bureau?"

    "Yup."

    "Let me see."

    Jolly pulled a chair out and sat down next to Rachel.

    "This is the case that you''ve been investigating?"

    "Yes."

    "It says here that there is a video that can prove that it was your ex-husband who caused the death of yourwyer friend." Rachel''s pupils constricted slightly. "Yes."

    Back then, she was abused physically and mentally by Justin; she could hardly protect herself to the point that she had to leave Riverdale in a hurry, so she couldn''t find out who was behind Hans'' death.

    After five years, Janice finally received news from a retired media reporter that Justin had bought a top-secret video from the media five years ago-one which was rted to the death of Hans.

    Jolly finished reading the email. "Is this why you decided to resign and return home all of a sudden?"

    "Not only this, but also my grandma''s death. So far, the real murderer has not been found."

    These were the two lives she must get justice for.

    Rachel clenched her fists, her expression solemn.

    Jolly took her hand. "Chris, I will support you no matter what you do."

    "Thank you."

    "Thank you? We''re each other''s ride-or-die. When we arrive back in the country, it''ll be my turf, so when we get there, whoever dares to bully you would have to go through me."

    Rachel''s gaze became much softer, and a faint warmth reflected in her eyes.

    Meeting Jolly was the best thing that had happened to her in the past five years.

    One monthter, at Riverdale International Airport.

    The announcement of the flight''s arrival was broadcasted in the lobby, and the voice of the stewardess was sweet and gentle as always.

    A red figure ran through the crowd.

    "Miss!"

    "Miss! Please run slowly."

    "Please make way! Look out!"

    The small red figure passed through the crowd all the way, and the person pushing the luggage in front of her could not manage to dodge, so the figure crashed directly into them and bounced to the ground like a ball.

    "Ouch!"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    The adult and child eximed at the same time.

    The red figure that fell on the ground was a five-year-old girl with a red suspender skirt and two little pigtails. She looked bright and delicate, like a child that had walked straight out of a painting. Then, her eight bodyguards finally caught up to her.

    "Miss, are you okay?"

    "Am I okay? Would you be okay if you fell like I did?" The little girl was young, but her eyes were full of deterrence as she red at them. The big bodyguards in front of her didn''t dare to speak after hearing what she said.

    After scolding the bodyguards, the little girl turned around and stared at the person she ran into. "Hey! Didn''t you watch where you were going? And shouldn''t you apologize for crashing into me?"

    The other party who was pushing the luggage was a woman wearing jeans and a white shirt; she looked very chic and capable. Her face under the sunsses was very cold, and her maic voice was rathe unique. "Hey, kiddo, for all I know, I was only standing here; you were the one who ran into me."

    "You were obviously blocking my way!"

    Rachel frowned when she heard this.

    It had been a while since she was back here. Who would have thought that she would meet a kid like this as soon as she came back? If parents don''t educate their kids well, they will definitely suffer sooner orter.

    The little girl red at Rachel. "Are you not going to apologize to me?"

    "You ran into me. It''s you who should apologize, kiddo."

    "What did you say? How dare you tell me to apologize!"

    "Haven''t your parents taught you that you shouldn''t lie, and that you have to apologize when you did something wrong?" Rachel pointed to the camera above her head. "There are surveince cameras everywhere. If you are not convinced, I don''t mind apanying you to get some surveince footage."

    Hearing what Rachel said, the little girl''s pink face turned red from anger.

    All of a sudden, the little girl seemed to have noticed something, then she immediately sat down on the ground as she burst into tears.

    Witnessing that, Rachel''s brow furrowed deeper.

    What the hell is going on?

    In a sh, the eight bodyguards behind the little girl suddenly stood in a line.

    "President Burton."

    "Daddy.."The little girl bawled even louder.

    Behind Rachel, a man''s voice rang. "What''s the matter?"

    The familiar voice of this man had haunted Rachel''s dreams for the past five years. As if time and space fell into chaos and rewinded five years, Rachel''s brain exploded with a buzz-she was only staring nkly at the iing person.

    Staring at his face that was so cold and handsome, she was stunned for a while.

    The scar on his face was gone. But even so, she could recognize that face anywhere.

    It''s him-Justin Burton.

    Rachel looked at the little girl who was sitting on the ground in disbelief. She called him ''Daddy'', which meant that she was Justin''s daughter. If that was the case, then she was... Her heart throbbed right then.

    She even questioned the little girl just now on whether her parents properly educated her.

    The little girl choked and squeezed out more tears. "Daddy! I want a hug!"

    Justin went straight to the little girl and bent down, saying warmly and patiently, "Charlotte, what''s the matter? Why are you crying like a silly baby?"

    The little girl pointed in Rachel''s direction while crying. "Daddy... she... didn''t want to admit that she ran into me and kept bullying me! It hurts so much! Sob, sob."

    Following the little girl''s gaze, Justin noticed Rachel, who was just standing at the side.

    Through the sunsses, their eyes met.

    Rachel wanted to avoid his gaze, but it was toote.

    However, Justin only nced at her and then retracted his gaze naturally. Then, he casually said to the bodyguard in front of him, "Take care of it."

    Rachel was startled.

    Justin''s gaze was too cold; it could even be said to be estranged. He didn''t even take any extra nce at her, not even a second nce-as if he was only looking at a stranger that he had never seen before. Five years. It wasn''t that short, but it also wasn''t a lifetime ago. Is he now unable to recognize me anymore?

    In the next second, the bodyguard quickly blocked Rachel''s sight.

    "Madam, I''m sorry. Our youngdy has a bad temper. Please forgive me if there was any offense."

    Rachel wanted to take another look at the child, but she could only see Justin walking away with her in

    his arms.

    "This is the business card of ourpany. If you want to make any ims or request forpensation, you may go directly to this address."

    Seeing the bronzing body of the ''Burton Group'' on the namecard, Rachel''s eyes slowly tightened.

    "Chris!"

    As soon as Justin and his entourage left, Jolly rushed over from outside the hall, panting. "Thank God I caught up with you. Why do we have so much luggage anyway? The car is parked outside. Let''s go!" After walking two steps further and realizing that Rachel stood frozen, Jolly showed a puzzled look. "Chris, what are you standing around for? Come on!"

    Rachel squeezed the business card in her hand and said solemnly, "I just saw Justin Burton."

    "Huh?" Jolly immediately became vignt and looked around. "Where? Where is he?"

    "He just left." Rachel''s expression wasplicated. "But he didn''t seem to recognize me at all.ˇ±

 Chapter 170

    "Justin couldn''t recognize you?"

    Jolly was stunned for a moment, then she suddenlyughed. "Isn''t that normal? You arepletely different from who you were five years ago. If I hadn''t been with you all the while, I wouldn''t have recognized you too."

    "Is that so?"

    "Of course. Besides, you were a mute five years ago. Even if you told him you are Rachel, would he even believe it?"

    Rachel thought about it for a while.

    With that, Jolly hugged her neck and continued, "That''s enough. Stop thinking too much. My parents have prepared a wee-home banquet for you, and they''ve been urging me the whole day. Hurry up!ˇ± Rachel didn''t have time to think any more; she was immediately pulled into the car by Jolly.

    On the other side, a ckmercial car was speeding on the expressway leaving the airport.

    "Where did it hurt when you fell? Show me."

    "No!" The little girl looked upset. At once, she crossed her arms and stared at Justin. "Daddy, you lied to me again." "What? Why would you say so?"

    "You told me that you would only be away for three days. Tell me-how many days have you been away this time?" Justin was helpless.

    "Five days!" The little girl raised her little hand, showing five fingers. "You have been away for five days.

    "Charlotte, something came up, and I couldn''t just walk away. But I brought you your favorite chocte."

    "You keep lying to me! Daddy, do you not want me anymore? I know you are going to marry that woman. When that happens, you will have children of your own, and you will leave me."

    Hearing this, Justin frowned slightly. "Charlotte, who told you all these?"

    "Everyone says so."

    Justin''s expression sank. "Well, we''re going to have to get a new batch of servants in the family."

    However, Charlotte didn''t care one bit about what he said. "Daddy, why do you even need to change them out? It is not going to solve anything. Even if you don''t let them say it, they will still think so in their hearts."

    "Charlotte."

    "Daddy, I don''t like her. You can''t marry her."

    Justin replied, "This is a grown-up''s affair."

    "Auntie Tina told me that she is not a good person. If you marry her, I will ignore you forever! Bad

    Daddy!"

    The more Charlotte spoke, the angrier she became. Her cheeks were puffed up, as if there were two balls stuffed in her mouth.

    Hearing that, Justin immediately felt a headache.

    The car headed to the summer vi.

    As soon as Justin got out of the car, Amber came out to greet him with smiles painted all over her face.

    "Justin, you''re back! Your mother and grandpa are all waiting for you to eat."

    With that, she reached out to take Justin''s hand.

    Seeing that, Charlotte immediately stretched out her arms toward Justin. "Daddy, carry me!"

    Justin had always fulfilled his daughter''s wishes, so he immediately picked her up and even helped her pull the corners of her skirt; his cold eyes were now filled with doting love.

    Amber lowered her hands disappointedly. "Charlotte, I didn''t know you woulde too."

    Hearing that, Charlotte rolled her eyes at her. Her sweet voice was filled with anger. "Please, this is my house. Do you think it''s problematic that I''vee home with my Daddy for dinner? Do you think I am the extra person here? Aunt Amber?"

    Charlotte ced a lot of emphasis on the word ''Aunt when she said it, as if she was deliberately hinting at something.

    Even though she was only five years old, she was clever; just a few words from her could be just as maddening as an adult''s criticism.

    Amber froze. "Of course I didn''t mean that, Charlotte. You misunderstood."

    "I didn''t. Aunt Amber, look at you-you already despise me so much now, so if you marry my daddy in the future, wouldn''t you throw me away in a heartbeat?"

    Amber was shocked from hearing what Charlotte said. "Charlotte, who told you this? When your father was not at home, have I ever treated you badly? I gave you whatever you wanted, and I bought you so many dolls and dresses."

    "I didn''t ask you to buy anything for me. Besides, those dresses are so ugly-I threw them all away."

    "You threw them all away?" Amber was about to vomit blood as she stomped her feet while speaking to Justin. "Justin, how could she do this?"

    Justin only replied lightly. "Why are you getting so hot and bothered with a child? Didn''t you say that everyone was waiting?"

    After speaking, he walked into the house while holding Charlotte.

    Charlotte leaned on his shoulders and stuck her tongue out at Amber.

    Amber was about to pass out from the anger, but she couldn''t do anything about it, so she could only swallow her anger and follow behind as they walked into the house.

    When Justin and I get married, I''ll send you away, you devil child. Just you wait.

    On the other side, Rachel was sitting in Jolly''s car, looking at the night scene through the car window.

    "Riverdale has changed a lot, huh?"

    Jolly''s voice came from the driver''s seat.

    "Yeah. I can''t even recognize many ces here."

    "You''re exaggerating-only a few more buildings have been built here. The development is focused more around the area surrounding the airport, and the city center is almost the same. After all, it has only beer five years."

    Listening to Jolly mumble along, Rachel leaned on her seat as she let her mind drift away.

    In a mere five years, more high-rise buildings had been built, and more generations of people had flourished in this city.

    There was no huge turmoil in her heart when she returned to Riverdale. The only thing she remembered was her daughter, whom she abandoned at birth.

    "Damn it. I forgot that I shouldn''t take this road. There''s so much traffic on Green River Street. I was stuck here several times during the two weeks that I returnedst time. I was so mad that I wanted to just abandon my car and walk my way back."

    Green River Street?

    Hearing Jolly''sint, Rachel felt a thud in her heart. She turned her head to look out the window, and she saw the tallest building in the distance getting closer and closer to her.

    The Burton Group''s logo gleamed under the night sky.

    Rachel clenched her fists abruptly.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jolly was busy driving. Not noticing Rachel''s reaction, she asked, "By the way, do you really want to ept the offer from the Burton Group?"

    Rachel snapped back to her senses. "Yeah. I will start work in two days."

    Jolly said in a worried tone, "Are you not going to give it further thought? It was an ident that he didn''t recognize you at the airport, but if you really work in Burton Group, both of you will meet easily, and he will definitely recognize you then. What will you do if that happens?"

    "One of the reasons I came back is to look for him anyway. I would have to get close to him no matter if he recognizes me or not. Didn''t Janice say that the evidence is most likely in his hands?"

    "But it''s too dangerous. Julian told me that they barely managed to get you away from him back then. What if he-" Jolly caught herself and suddenly covered her mouth. "Forget it! Knock on wood!"

    Rachel said, "Don''t worry. What happened in the past stays in the past. You should know how important Hans and grandma were to me. I won''t be at ease if I don''t find out who was behind all that. And I know for a fact that these two matters were definitely rted to the Burtons."

    Jolly nced at her. "Don''t worry. I will help you."

    Rachel nodded and smiledfortingly at Jolly.

    She didn''t expect Justin to not recognize her when she returned to the country. After all, she didn''t undergo any stic surgery or change her identity, she was Chris, and she was Rachel as well.

    Jolly asked, "Then what should we do as our first step?"

    Rachel''s brows eased up, and she said lightly, "First off, we''ll meet some old friends."

 Chapter 171

    In the summer vi, the Burtons were seated at the dining table for a meal, and Justin came back holding Charlotte in his arms. Seeing his return, Sue stood up and greeted, "Justin, you must be exhausted after the long trip. Here, let me hold you, Charlotte. Don''t cling on to Daddy."

    "No!" Charlotte said, jerking her face away as she tightened her arms around Justin''s neck.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Take a seat, Aunt Sue. I''ll hold her," Justin said calmly.

    "Forget it, Madam Parham," Amber said. "This girl wants nobody but Justin."

    "What a spoiled little girl. You''re still so clingy to your daddy. Looks like we''ll need to get you a mommy soon," Sue said thoughtfully. Then, she held Amber''s hand and added, "It''s about time we fix the date for your wedding with Justin."

    Amber blushed, and Arthur nodded in agreement. "That''s true. We should pick a date for the wedding. After all, Amber has been by your side for so many years. What do you think, Justin?"

    Justin was expressionless. "Whatever you say, Grandpa."

    "Me too," Amber added.

    "Then, we''ll ask Amber''s father out for a meal one day and speak about the details of the wedding."

    Right after the words left Arthur''s lips, a scream of surprise echoed from Justin''s arms. "Ah!"

    "What happened?" Justin asked, concerned.

    "Daddy, my leg hurts! It''s so painful!" Charlotte cried, her face crumpling in pain.

    "Why is your leg hurting all of a sudden?" Sue asked and wanted to take a look at her leg, but she covered it firmly and refused to show it to her.

    Crying loudly, Charlotte forced out two drops of tears from the corners of her eyes. "Oww! It hurts so much!"

    Heartbroken, Justin asked, "Did you fall in the airport earlier? I''m bringing her to the hospital for a checkup."

    "But we haven''t even discussed the wedding yet," Sue pointed out anxiously, but she quickly changed the topic. "I mean, Justin, you just came back and haven''t even had a bite yet."

    "I can eat anytime," he answered unhappily as he sprang up from his seat holding Charlotte. "Grandpa, I''m going now."

    As Arthur loved his great-granddaughter to bits, he immediately nodded and urged, "Hurry up and go. Her health is more important."

    After Amber sent him out the door, she stood there watching with an ashen face as the car drove off into the distance and left a trail of smoke behind.

    Behind her, Sue came up and said, "This girl is full of ideas. She has used the same trick so many times, and it works every single time."

    "She''s his daughter, after all. It''s only natural that he dotes on her."

    "It''s one thing that he dotes on her, but if even the both of us can see through her trick, what do you think about Justin and the old master?"

    The sarcastic tone she was using made Amber''s face freeze. "Madam Parham, what do you mean by that?"

    "I don''t have to spell out everything, but it''s been five years, Amber. You have to put in some effort yourself and not just depend on our help. Everything I say is nothingpared to that girl''s cries." Patting her shoulder gently, Sue said softly, "It''s cold outside. Let''s go in and eat."

    However, Amber continued to stand at the door with a crestfallen look. It had been five years since their engagement, but Justin didn''t seem interested in marrying her at all, which had turned her into the biggest joke amongst the socialites of Riverdale. And now, even Sue was mocking her!

    The MPV rolled out of thepound of the summer vi, and Justin instructed the driver, "Go back home."

    Startled, the driver asked, "Aren''t we going to the hospital?"

    Peering at Charlotte in his arms, he asked, "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

    Immediately, she shook her head and giggled. "No."

    "Why did you lie?"

    "If I don''t, Great-grandpa and Great-aunt Sue will make you marry Miss Amber."

    "Is it not a good thing if I marry her?"

    "No, it''s not. I don''t like her."

    "Is she mean to you?"

    Shaking her head, she answered, "That''s not the reason. There are too many women who want to marry you, and actually, all of them treat me quite well. But are you going to marry all of them because of that?"

    The look in Justin''s eyes fell as he hadn''t thought about this before. "But Charlotte, you need a mommy as you grow up, and I can''t be by your side all the time because of my busy schedule."

    As though she hadn''t heard a thing he said, Charlotte burrowed into his embrace, curled up into afortable position, and snuggled in it. "I have a mommy, and I want to wait for her return," she mumbled. Lowering his head, Justin saw that she had already fallen asleep with her tightly shut eyes. After they reached home, the servant carried her back to the room to rest for the night. Her bedroom was massive with all sorts of dolls in a corner, and even the ceiling was painted pink. The servant carried Charlotte into the canopy bed and put her to sleep.

    Before closing the door, Justin couldn''t help but linger to look at her, a warm glow glimmering in his cold eyes. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

    "Hello?"

    "I heard that you''re back from your business trip. Wanna have a drink? My friend''s club is open tonight."

    As he descended the staircase, Justin asked, "As my family doctor, do you think it''s appropriate to invite your client out for a drink?"

    "Dear Mr. Burton, it''s after work now."

    "Send me the address."

    "Sure thing!"

    The night was young, and it happened to be the busiest time of the club right now. When Justin arrived, a voice echoed from a booth on the second floor, shouting, "Over here!"

    With his charming eyes, Rudy winked, and the girls on the dance floor gushed out loudly.

    "Can you please keep it down?" Justin shot him a look of disgust as he took a seat across from him.

    After waving at the girls downstairs, Rudy turned back and faced him. "Keep it down? Why? The point ofing to a club is to have fun. So, what do you wanna drink?" "Anything will do."

    "You don''t seem to be in a good mood today. What''s up?"

    "How could you tell?"

    Shrugging, Rudy said, "Well, it''s written all over your face. I''ve known you for five years, and there''s only one reason youe out for a drink every time. Your fianc¨¦e is rushing you to tie the knot again, isn''t she?"

    "You sure talk a lot."

    Rudy sighed. "It''s difficult to be caught between your daughter and fianc¨¦e." Clinking his drink on his ss, he added, "My heart goes out to you, my brother."

    With a frown, Justin replied, "That''s not the reason."

    "What else could it be, then?"

    "I can''t put it into words." The more Justin thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Then, he picked up his ss and took a gulp to suppress his thoughts.

    "There you go again. Even though I don''t really like that fianc¨¦e of yours, I have to admit that she''s rather unlucky to be stuck with you. I wouldn''t marry you if I were in her shoes. Also, research shows that ny percent of sexless marriages are miserable." Judging him with a thoughtful look, Rudy asked, "Are you sure you don''t have any problems in that area?"

    Casting him a warning re, he asked, "Would you like to give it a try?"

    Waving his palm in terror, he answered, "Forget it. I''m doing fine in that aspect. But I''m serious, though.

    Just annul the engagement if you really don''t like her and try it with another woman. How about if I arrange a little something for you tonight?"

 Chapter 172

    At the mention of this, Rudy got all worked up. "Look, you''ve been amnesiac for so long. Maybe you''ll remember everything if a womanes and jolts your senses awake."

    In reply, Justin looked at him coldly and said, "No thanks."

    His gaze was so cold that Rudy decided to shut it. "Fine, I don''t want to be bothered about it, either."

    Meanwhile, in a booth on the first floor, Jolly pushed a bottle of beer into Rachel''s hand and said loudly, "Everyone, a round of drinks for my good friend! From now on, Chris will be an official member of our drinking group!"

    "A round of drinks, everyone!"

    "Wee, Chris!"

    The beer foam sshed out of the bottle from the clinking of bottles, and Rachel''s face remained unchanged from chugging down a bottle of beer.

    "Hey, Jolly, your friend seems to hold her liquor pretty well."

    "Of course! She''s my bestie!"

    "Must you beat about the bush, Timmy? You just wanted to say she looks gorgeous, right?"

    "Oh, shut it. So, is Chris single?"

    Giving that guy a kick, Jolly then said, "She''s not for your taking even if she''s single. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Do you really think you''re good enough for Chris?"

    The groupughed as they joked around, and Rachel was smiling the entire time without turning down anyone, whether they were offering a drink or a guessing game. After all, she had known Jolly for five years, and she had lost count of the times she had been to a club with her.

    On the other side, the DJ was sting the music, and Jolly bobbed her head to the beat as she sat in the booth. A ce like this was her natural habitat. "I''m going to the dance floor. You guys enjoy yourselves. And take care of Chris for me."

    With that said, she picked up a bottle of beer and disappeared onto the dance floor. Amidst the lights and alcohol, the movement of the crowd made Rachel''s eyes giddy.

    While she took another sip of the beer, she suddenly saw a familiar figureing down from the second floor and walking toward the direction of the washroom. Immediately, her eyes narrowed. Although Riverdale was not arge city, she wasn''t expecting it to be such a small ce, either. Less than a day after her return, she had run into Justin twice. What a small world it was, especially for enemies. "What''s wrong, Chris?" Jolly''s sidekick, Timothy Hertz, asked in concern.

    cing the beer on the table, she answered, "Nothing. I''m going to the washroom."

    Would you like me toe along?"

    "It''s okay. I''ll be right back."

    Along the corridor on the first floor, Rachel walked away from the music and people as she followed Justin deeper and deeper inside the building until less people passed by her. Just at the corner of the corridor, she lost sight of him.

    Where did he go? she wondered and scanned around.

    Behind her, a man walked out of the stairwell and asked coldly, "Who sent you?"

    She froze, and the man shouted, "I''m asking you a question!"

    A split second before the man''s handnded on her shoulder, Rachel turned around, grabbed his hand, and staggered toward him.

    Unable to dodge in time, Justin realized that she was already in his arms the next second with her arms around his neck. With a tipsy look, she mumbled, "Where did you go? I''ve been looking for you all day..."

    The scent of alcohol rushed up into his nostrils, and he knitted his brows tightly together. "Hey, let me go. You got the wrong person."

    From the corners of her eyes, Rachel saw Timothying over, and before Justin could push her away, she acted first and pushed him into the stairwell.

    "You,"

    On tiptoes, Rachel lifted her head and kissed him on the lips.

    Shocked, Justin''s eyes widened in disbelief, and his first thought was to shove her aside. However, she held him tightly around his neck, and he couldn''t exert any force for a short while.

    This was the first time in his life when he felt he was being taken advantage of. This woman must be crazy! he thought, giddy from the strong taste of alcohol in her mouth.

    As the kiss deepened, the anger he felt evaporated without a reason, and he actually felt a sense of familiarity-the light scent of this woman, despite the smell of alcohol on her, gave him a d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Could Rudy''s words be true? he wondered as he ced his hands on her waist naturally and kissed her deeper.

    "Mmhm!" Rachel grunted when she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace against Justin''s chest. Instantly, her body temperature rose, and she wondered if she was really confused and acting so passionately because of all the alcohol she consumed.

    "Chris?" Suddenly, Timothy''s voice came from outside, and Rachel was jolted back to her senses. With all her might, she pushed Justin away and left the spot in a hurry as he groaned in pain.

    In a second, she was out of sight, leaving Justin leaning against the wall after hitting the back of his head. His head was ringing with pain, and when he regained himself again, he saw that there was no one else at the stairwell except himself. Everything that happened earlier felt like a dream. What on earth just happened?

    Rachel didn''t return to the booth after that. Instead, she took a cab home after sending Jolly a text.

    "To Springwill Estate," she instructed the driver.

    It looks like Justin has really forgotten about me. What happened in thest five years? she wondered, and her brows furrowed together tightly when she recalled the kiss from earlier.

    Even after five years had passed, she had to admit that she would still be emotionally affected and even be thrown into confusion because of this man. She hated him, but how could hate exist without love?

    Three dayster, the major pharmaceuticalpanies of Riverdale held a joint exhibition of new drugs, gathering the journalists from the biggest media in the city as well.

    As the representative of the R&D team from Burton Group, Amber showed up at the exhibition dressed in a Chanel suit. Before the exhibition began, there was a red-carpet ceremony, and she stood in front of the signed poster as the journalists asked her questions about the new drug with a microphone.

    "Miss Hudson, it''s said that the new pill developed by Burton Group this time has the effect of dying nerve failure and shows great results in the treatment of Alzheimer''s disease. Is that true?"

    "We''ve done many clinical trials and the new drug has also been tested by the Food and Drug Administration," Amber replied.

    "We heard that this drug was proposed by you. Does that have anything to do with Old Mr. Burton''s physical condition?"

    "Well, that can be part of the reason," she answered with a smile. "I studied medicine, after all, and one of the driving forces for R&Des from my consideration for my family." Family?

    Regardless how many new drugs were on the exhibition, it couldn''t be as attention-grabbing as a piece of juicy gossip. With a keen nose for news, the journalists immediately picked up the meaning behind her words.

    "Does that mean the wedding is drawing close, Miss Hudson?"

    "I''ll announce it once there''s good news."

    "Will President Burton be here at the exhibition today?"

    "He''lle a littleter."

    All of a sudden, the journalists were all discussing their wedding news.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    In fact, this was part of Amber''s n. The entire town knew that she had been Justin''s fianc¨¦e for five years, and she believed that with so many people urging the wedding, there was no way that Justin could just sit on it and not do anything.

    At this moment, a woman''s voice echoed from the outside, saying, "Is this an exhibition for new drugs or the press conference for a wedding? Anyone walking in here ignorantly might think that the Burton Group is doing this on purpose to divert the attention from the publicity of the new drugs."

    Surprised, the journalists stopped clicking on their cameras and whispered, "Who''s that?"

    "Yeah, who''s that?" Everyone was asking the same question with a hesitant look in their eyes.

    Only Amber recognized the person when she saw her, and her eyes widened in shock. It''s her? She''s back?!

 Chapter 173

    As everyone stared in wonder at Rachel, cutting through the crowd dressed in a white suit, looking very smart and capable, she stopped next to Amber and whispered, "It''s been a while, my dear sister." Clutching her fists tightly, Amber thought in disbelief, She actually came back and can even speak now? Everything was so shocking to her that she couldn''t find the words to say and was simply dumbstruck. In front of the journalists, Rachel faced them with ease. "Allow me to introduce myself. I''m Chris, the new sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals, as well as the medical representative of thepany for the exhibition this time."

    Her introduction almost made Amber''s eyes fall out of their sockets. She''s the new sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals?

    "Since this is an exhibition jointly organized by the pharmas in Riverdale, I hope everyone will focus on the new drugs. After all, the new drugs are the results of painstaking efforts by our researchers for the benefit of society, and I don''t think it''s fair if the focus of the day is overshadowed by some meaningless topic."

    At her words, the journalists in the venue all nodded their heads in agreement, while Amber was livid. Just when she had finally found the chance to make herself public and be interviewed as Justin''s fianc¨¦e so that the Burtons could push the wedding bells forward, unexpectedly, Rachel came out of nowhere and foiled her ns!

    "Hold it right there, Rachel Hudson!" Amber called out and chased after Rachel when they were away from the journalists.

    Stopping in her steps, Rachel asked, "How may I help you?"

    Giving her a once-over, Amber said, "I never thought that a mute would be able to speak one day. I thought I was imagining things!"

    Rachel snorted, "Didn''t Jefferey tell you that I wasn''t born a mute?ˇ±

    Amber''s fists tightened warily. "You should have just left for good. Why did you return? And you even became the sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals?"

    Five years ago after Rachel disappeared, she had used five years'' time to be by Justin''s side. With only one step away from her marriage to Justin, Rachel suddenly returned at this point. Just what is she nning? Amber pondered.

    Casting her a nce, Rachel crossed her arms. "Why can''t I return? I have my own legs. I''m free to go wherever I want."

    "What are you nning to do?"

    "What do you think?"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Gritting her teeth, Amber hissed, "I''m telling you, no matter what you''re nning, Justin is now my fianc¨¦, and we''ll be getting married soon. It just goes to show how shameless you are if you try to get between us right now!"

    "Fianc¨¦?" Rachel snorted. "You didn''t seem to find it shameless back then when he was my husband and were clinging on to him more than myself. Look, you''re still on the same spot even after five years have passed. Did you think with me out of the picture, you could im the title of Mrs. Burton?"

    "You,"

    The elevator doors opened slowly, and Rachel stepped in before saying nonchntly, "I don''t n to

    hook up with my exes. If you do, that''s your choice. I''m not the least bit interested. Now then, you better pull yourself together. I''ll see you at the exhibition."

    The colors on Amber''s face shifted from pale to red and back again to colorless. She was gritting her teeth so hard that she could have gritted them to pieces. Rachel Hudson. She''s like a changed person now she noted. She definitely has her reasons foring back.

    At the exhibition, the pharmaceuticalpanies gathered at their own booths as they exined and presented their new drugs to the journalists.

    "Miss Hudson, could you please introduce the new drug from Burton Pharmaceuticals this time?"

    "Sure." Amber said and nced at her assistant. Catching her hint, her assistant yed the video behind her.

    However, Amber''s expression shifted the moment it yed, and she gawked at her assistant next to her with a look of confusion. "What''s going on?"

    That''s not the introduction video of the new drug! she thought.

    "Miss Hudson, isn''t this a capsule based on eastern herbs? But the information we received prior to this stated that Burton Pharmaceuticals is working on a western prescription this time."

    "I''m sorry. This isn''t right. She must have yed the wrong video."

    "That''s not the wrong video." Rachel started exining to the journalists right after Amber finished speaking. ˇ°In the beginning, it''s true that the new drug started as a western prescription, but after some marke and clinical research, we think that the supplement will be better off with an eastern prescription. The result is the new drug from Burton Pharmaceuticals this time, the E-Vital Pill." Then, she gestured for the assistant to distribute the samples and introduction brochures to the journalists.

    Next to her, Amber sulked and questioned the assistant, "Who allowed you to let her change my prescription?"

    Hurriedly, the assistant exined, "Amber, she''s the sales director that thepany poached from SG Pharma with a high sry, and the legendary figure in pharma sales for three consecutive years. She''s just like an influencer in the world of pharmaceutical and medical equipment. Nobody dares to disobey her!"

    With that exnation, Amber was mad and tongue-tied. After five years of absence, Rachel actually managed to climb to this position. All of a sudden, a mor started some distance away. Amber

    stared in the direction of the mor. With a sparkle in her eyes, she rushed over and cried out, "Justin!"

    Surrounded by his assistant and others, Justin strode toward the booth of hispany.

    Amber immediately hugged his arm at the sight of him, saying, "You''re finally here, Justin."

    "How are things going?" he asked.

    "You won''t believe this, Justin. Things would''ve gotten out of hand if you hadn''t shown up in time."

    "What happened?"

    "Somebody changed the new drug that thepany is releasing by herself and reced it with a drug that hasn''t been tested by the FDA. The journalists have been through the interview, and there will be a huge problem if we don''t resolve this before they publish their articles."

    Before Justin could say a thing, a woman''s voice sounded. "Who said that the new drug I introduced

    isn''t registered with the FDA?"

    Seeing the woman approaching them, Justin immediately narrowed his eyes. It''s her? All at once, everything that happened in the club that day resurfaced in his mind.

    In her five-inch heels, Rachel walked over steadily, her straight bob hair that reached right above her shoulders tucked neatly behind her ears. The white on her white suit brought out the boldness and precision of her red lipstick as she said, "Do you think I''d have the guts to show this to the journalists if I hadn''t registered the new drug with the FDA before this?"

    "Still, you shouldn''t have rejected my drug by yourself. My drug has been approved by higher management and has passed the clinical trials for a long time. They''re even ready for mass production

    and sale."

    "I''m sorry, but I''m afraid it won''t be mass produced anymore."

    "What did you say?"

    "Amber," Justin interjected in a cold tone.

    The muscles on Amber''s face froze, and she became nervous when she saw that Justin never once took his eyes off Rachel.

    However, after Justin nced at the name tag on Rachel''s chest, he asked, "You''re Chris?"

    The representative from SG Pharma who was well-known in the industry as well as the sales director he had spent a lot of effort on trying to poach for the past six months turned out to be her. Composedly, Rachel answered, "That''s right. I''m Chris. Are you surprised? I''ve always been contacting your HR department through emails, and this is the first time we''re meeting since I took up the position." They held each other''s eyes. This was the scene that greeted them when they met each other again after five years. From his eyes, Rachel could tell that he thought of her as a stranger. He really doesn''t remember me anymore.

    Out of the blue, Amber blurted, "She''s not professional at all, Justin. It''s risky to have her in thepany as the sales director."

    Nonchntly, Rachel said, "Are you worried that I''ll put thepany at risk, or I''ll put you at risk instead because of the fact that I''m his ex-wife?"

    Ex-wife? With furrowed brows, Justin asked, "What did you say?"

 Chapter 174

    Blinking, Rachel spread her hands and sighed. "We were once married, after all. I''ve only been gone for five years, and you''ve wiped me out of your mindpletely. How heartless of you, Justin Burton." Looking at his shocked expression, Amber couldn''t help but turn stiff.

    When the exhibition ended, Justin left Amber at the venue and left by himself. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted at Frankie the moment he got back to his office in Burton Group. "Isn''t she dead already? So what''s this now? A zombie?"

    With his forehead covered in cold sweat, Frankie exined tentatively, "Back then, the doctor said that you couldn''t deal with another blow, so the old master ordered everyone not to mention a word about Mrs Burton and to just say that she''s dead..."

    "So none of you ever told me about any details of her, and there isn''t even a picture?"

    "It''s true that there were no pictures."

    "What?"

    Sighing helplessly, Frankie said, "You should ask Old Mr. Burton about Mrs. Burton. Please don''t put me in a tight spot."

    He was just an employee, and Arthur had already made his orders very clear. So, since five years ago, nobody dared to mention the name ''Rachel in front of Justin. But, who would dare to?

    Seeing how furious he was, Frankie asked cautiously, "Um, President Burton, should I tell the HR department to prepare for her dismissal?"

    "Her dismissal?" Justin shot him an angry re. "We poached her from SG Pharma, and it took us six months to find someone as outstanding as her. Who will rece her if she''s dismissed?" While Frankie was disying a sheepish expression, Justin added, "Keep her for now. And tell the HR department to keep looking for a suitable candidate."

    "Yes, President Burton. But, aren''t you the least curious about what happened in the past?"

    For the past five years, nobody dared to mention Rachel, and neither did Justin ask anyone about her.

    "Not at all," he answered curtly. "I''m just concerned about the results she can bring to Burton Pharmaceuticals."

    Silently, Frankie gushed, He''s indeed fit to be the boss! Even if he has lost his memories, he isn''t a tiny bit interested to know anything about his ex-wife even though she showed up right in front of him now. Hats off to his level of indifference!

    At the same time, Rachel had just returned to her office in Burton Pharmaceuticals. She was on the phone with Jolly while flipping through some documents.

    "So, he really doesn''t remember anything about you at all?"

    "Yeah," Rachel answered. "It really seems like he remembers nothing at all." She was the one who first brought up the term ''ex-wife, and the shock he showed didn''t seem staged at all. "During the past few days, I''ve been checking up on his situation over the years. Everything seemed pretty normal except for one thing." Jolly said.

    "What is it?"

    "It''s my dad who told me this. Five years ago, Burton Group was openly and secretly suppressing Hudson Pharmaceuticals. It was obvious to everyone that they were in a rush to acquire it. However, at that time, the Burton Group suddenly put an end to their acquisition and left it unchecked."

    Rachel frowned. There were too many points that baffled her, and she couldn''t figure anything out for the moment. "Let''s leave this for now. Regardless whether he really lost his memories or how much he forgot, I''ll still go ahead with the things I want to do without a change of ns."

    "So, what do you n to do now?"

    "I think the surveince evidence might be in his house, so I''m nning to make a trip there."

    The next afternoon, Rachel appeared at Justin''s mansion with some documents, and she pressed on the doorbell.

    Ding dong, ding dong.

    "Coming!" the servant said from the inside. "Hello, may I know who you are?"

    "I have something here for President Burton," Rachel began and showed the servant her business card. "He told me to wait for him at his home."

    After the servant took a look at the business card, her expression remained unchanged. "I''m sorry, but you should look for Mr. Burton at thepany. He has instructed us not to allow anyone into the house if it''s regarding work."

    Then, the servant shut the door with a loud bang in her face.

    "Huh?" Rachel gasped after she was snubbed. What''s wrong with Justin? He''s not working at home anymore? He was never this way before!

    Just when she was about to leave, a girl''s voice sounded from above. "Hey, why are you at my ce?"

    Jerking her head to look up, Rachel saw a little girl hanging over the railing on the second floor balcony, blinking her grape-like, shiny dark eyes at her.

    That was her daughter whom she had to leave behind in Riverdale after she gave birth to her. For five whole years, she had never seen her once.

    "Hey, I''m asking you a question! Why are you here to look for my daddy? Do you like him and want to marry him as well?"

    "No, ... I''m here to discuss something with your father."

    "That''s what every woman whoes looking for him says."

    Not sure what she should say, Rachel simply answered, "I''m really not here to marry him. Since he''s not around, I''m leaving now."

    "Hey!" Charlotte yelled and stomped her feet on the balcony. "I didn''t say you can leave yet! Hold on!"

    Just one look and Rachel could tell that she was a pampered child, but her spoiled ways were not annoying at all.

    "Do you know how to bake cookies?"

    Nodding, Rachel asked hesitantly, "Why?"

    The little girl''s eyes sparkled, and she said, "Don''t go. I''ll open the door for you."

    Without waiting for Rachel''s reply, the little girl ran back into the house. And soon, the servant from

    earlier opened the door again. Running out of the house in her teddy bear indoor slippers, she ran up to Rachel in her tiny steps and said, "Come with me." Thertinue door an sreply

    Her hands were warm as she grabbed Rachel''s hand and pulled her into the house.

    Helplessly, the servant said, "Miss Charlotte, Mr. Burton has said many times that you''re not supposed to bring a stranger into the house."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "She''s not a stranger because both Daddy and I have met her before."

    "Huh?"

    "Just go and do your work, Mary. We''re gonna go bake cookies now."

    After that, she dragged Rachel into the kitchen and released her as she pointed at the ingredients on the kitchen counter. "Can you make me a gingerbread man with all these?" Rachel nced at the ingredients and nodded. "Yes."

    "Make it, then," Charlotte said and crossed her arms as she stood aside. At such a small age, she already had a domineering expression, exhibiting a justified look when she instructed people around. However, Rachel was not mad at all, and she rolled up her sleeves to start working without another word.

    After filling the pastry bag with batter and brushing ayer of butter on the baking tray, she squeezed the batter in the pastry bag onto the tray and made flower shapes.

    "You really know how to do it?" Charlotte uttered while looking from the side with her head tilted. "All the women who came before this said they knew how to do it, but they were just humoring me and wanted me to put in a good word for them in front of Daddy."

    All of a sudden, Rachel felt her heart drop, and it wrenched. It was not surprising that many women threw themselves at Justin because of his status. While it didn''t matter to the adults, it was a torture for the child because she had to deal with this sort of issues at such a young age.

    "Why do you want to bake cookies?"

    "My aunt''s birthday ising soon, and I want to prepare a gift for her."

    Seeing how she was looking at the baking tray in anticipation, Rachel held out the pastry bag to her and asked gently, "Would you like to give it a try?"

 Chapter 175

    Charlotte''s expression changed and she frowned when she said, "I''m not doing it."

    "Charlotte, since it''s going to be a gift for your aunt, then you should be making it yourself. That''s how you show your sincerity," Rachel said patiently.

    "If I do it myself, then what would I need you for? Aren''t all of you here to work for me?"

    All of you? When Rachel heard that, she ced the pastry bag down. "I''m done."

    Charlotte''s eyes widened as she stared at Rachel. "What are you doing?"

    While taking off her gloves, Rachel said calmly, "I don''t care how amodating the women who came before were toward your temper, but when ites to me, you have to prepare your own gift for another person. You can learn if you don''t know how to do it, but if you refuse to participate, I won''t help you with the cookies."

    "You''re not doing it? Then I''ll tell Daddy that you''re mean to me!"

    Rachel froze, for she never expected that Charlotte would use this as her weapon. Judging from how confident she sounded, she was sure that this trick had worked wonders everytime.

    Just how has Justin been educating her all these years?

    After taking off her apron, Rachel said in a huff, "Fine. Tell him just that."

    Charlotte was obviously stunned.

    "I''m busy, so I''m leaving now," Rachel said curtly and walked toward the door.

    "I didn''t say you can leave yet!" Charlotte shouted, and Rachel heard her stomping her feet behind her.

    As though she hadn''t heard anything, Rachel continued walking without turning back, and just when she was about to reach the door, Charlotte yelled loudly from behind, "I can give it a try!"

    Immediately, Rachel stopped in her tracks and turned to look toward the kitchen, only to see Charlotte''s tiny face flushing red with reluctance. It was as if this was the first time she had yielded, and she was highly unwilling to do it.

    "I mean, I can give it a try, but I won''t make a lot of it!"

    Despite that, Rachel was already relieved. Looks like she can still be corrected.

    Then, she passed the pastry bag to Charlotte and stood behind her as she held her hand to teach her. "It''s very simple, actually. Just like how you usually draw, the cookies can be any shape you want it to be." In a mechanical and indifferent manner, Charlotte allowed her to move her hand as she pleased.

    "Let''s try to draw a baby tortoise. Here, we''ll start with the shell, and then the head..."

    After the shape of a tortoise appeared on the baking tray, Charlotte straightened her back and her eyes sparkled. "It''s really a baby tortoise!" she eximed in her baby voice that was full of surprise. "We can even draw a piglet."

    "Okay! My aunt loves piglets!"

    This time, Charlotte was very focused, and she followed the movement of her hands with her eyes

    carefully.

    "Did you learn it? Would you like to try it by yourself?"

    "Okay! I''ll give it a try."

    When Charlotte had sessfully drawn out a piglet by herself, Rachel stroked her head andplimented her. "You''re great. It looks amazing!" Charlotte actually appeared a little shy while she was scratching her head. "But why do I think that it looks a little ugly? It''s not as pretty as yours."

    "Just make a few more. You''re so smart. You''ve done so well at the first try, so I''m sure you''ll get better after a few more tries."

    That was encouraging to Charlotte, so she suddenly became pumped up. When Justin returned home, he immediately smelled the scent of cookies in the house.

    "Where''s Charlotte?" he asked.

    A servant replied, "Miss Charlotte is upstairs. She''s probably tired after baking the whole afternoon."

    Baking? Justin wondered. When he thought of Charlotte''s impatient personality, he had no expectations of the cookies she made, so he directly went upstairs after handing the servant his jacket. Something suddenly came into the servant''s mind, and she said, "Sir, someone by the name of Miss Hudson is here, and Miss Charlotte seems to like her a lot. She''s upstairs now after ying with Miss Charlotte the whole afternoon."

    In an instant, that woman came into his mind, which made him frown and quicken his steps to the second floor.

    The child''s bedroom was quiet on the second floor, and when he was about to push the door open to take a look, the person inside happened to open the door. They both almost walked right into each other. Rachel gasped in surprise and staggered, but Justin held her by the waist quickly with his lightning reflexes.

    The fall she was expecting didn''t happen, and she felt a tight grip on her waist. After lifting her head, she saw that Justin''s face was just inches away from hers, and she couldn''t avoid looking at it even if she wanted to do so.

    "Why are you here?"

    "I should be the one asking you that!" Justin said as his eyes gradually turned cold. "What did you tell Charlotte?"

    "Don''t worry. I didn''t tell her anything." Rachel regained her bnce and looked at the door from the corner of her eyes. The look in them was one of gentleness. "She thought I''m just a woman who''s here to look for you."

    Only then did Justin''s face rx a little, but his tone remained aloof. "You''re not the first woman to show up here. Don''t think I have no idea what''s on your mind."

    "I''m just here to ask you about something. What could possibly be on my mind?" While looking at his sullen face, she took a step closer and whispered in such a low voice that her breath tickled his ears as she spoke. "Did you think that I''m here to reconcile with you?"

    The woman''s face that was so close to his was beautiful and confident, but her eyes were innocent. As Justin looked into those eyes, he let his guard down for a few seconds, and some fragmented images shed through his mind.

    All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain in his temples.

    "Justin?" Rachel called upon seeing the weird look on his face.

    Jolted back to his senses, he abruptly grabbed her hand and said, "No matter what you''re nning, I''m telling you now that it''s impossible."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    From their "chance encounter" at the club to her sudden appearance at the exhibition and her showing up at his house on this day, these three encounters were enough to show that nothing was a coincidence. What is this woman nning to do?

    She gasped in pain and cried, "Let go! You''re hurting me!" However, his hand remained on hers tightly. "You''ve gotten it wrong. I''m really here to look for you because of work."

    "Why didn''t you look for me at my office if it''s about work? Instead, you came here and even baked cookies with my daughter?"

    "She''s also my daughter."

    Justin''s eyes darkened. "For five years, you didn''t show up even once and never fulfilled your most basic responsibility of a mother. Yet, you still have the cheek to say she''s your daughter? With her brows furrowed together, she asked, "You really don''t remember anything at all?"

    If she could have brought her daughter with her back then, she would have definitely done it, but she couldn''t because Justin had forced her to a corner. Despite that, his current attitude made it seem like she was the one in the wrong.

    How amazing it is to be amnesiac. He deleted his past and epted everything that had happened in the past while I''m the only one suffering all the pain for five years, she thought. After this man in front of her

    d hurt herpletely, he could actually forget all about it and lead a happy, blissful life with their daughter.

    "It can''t be anything good if I can forget those memories so easily," Justin said nonchntly. Every word was so sharp that it pierced Rachel''s ears.

    "That may not be true. Maybe the days you forgot were the happy days." Instead of getting mad, she ran her fingers through her hair. The way she did that made her appear young and innocent in spite of the womanly charm she carried; any other man who saw her like this would have stared at her. "If you weren''t waiting for my return, then why didn''t you get married to Amber after five years of engagement?" Her words caught him by surprise.

 Chapter 176

    "Did you recall something?"

    The inquisitiveness in her tone pissed him off. "What does the person I''m getting married to have to do with you? Don''t forget that we''ve divorced and we have been living apart for five years."

    "Of course it has something to do with me. I don''t care who you wish to marry, but this woman will be Charlotte''s stepmom in the future. I should have the right to question it if she''s evil and mean to her, right?" "You don''t have to worry about that because Charlotte has nothing to do with you anymore," he said icily. "Also, I''m warning you. Don''t get close to her. Or else, I won''t even care about the fact that we were once married. Are you still not leaving?"

    Even though there was a crack in their married life back then, or they were separated for whatever reason, Rachel shouldn''t have left her newborn daughter alone and never visited her even once in the past five years.

    The coldness in his eyes thickened, and he growled, "I''ll call the security if you''re still not leaving."

    Rachel secretly rolled her eyes in her mind. He''s already amnesiac, but he''s still the same arrogant prick. "I''m leaving now. Do you really think I want to be here?"

    "Another reminder for you; you''re not allowed to tell Charlotte that you''re her mother," he added emotionlessly.

    Before Rachel could say anything, the door behind them opened suddenly, and Charlotte stood at the door in her pajamas while holding a long-eared bunny soft toy. "You''re my mommy?" she asked in shock Rachel''s face froze, and Justin''s expression darkened as well. As the little girl stared at Justin in a daze, she asked for confirmation once more. "Daddy, did you just say that she''s my mommy?" "Go back to your room, Charlotte," Justin said, frowning heavily. "You heard it wrongly."

    "No, I didn''t!" Instantly, Charlotte was wide awake, and she ran toward Rachel before hugging her around her thighs. "Mommy! I missed you so much!" she cried loudly.

    Rachel was at a loss for what to do at this scene, but when she heard Charlotte''s cries, her eyes burned and turned red suddenly. She lowered herself and held Charlotte in her arms before apologizing to her. "It was my fault. I should have returned earlier to look for you."

    "Mommy, don''t leave me again!" Charlotte sobbed.

    "No, I''m not leaving. Be good, Charlotte."

    As Justin watched everything happening before him, he knitted his brows tightly. While coaxing Charlotte, Rachel lifted her gaze and met a pair of cold eyes staring at her. She smirked and cast him a look that showed that she wasn''t the one who mentioned anything about being Charlotte''s mother, but

    him.

    However, Justin wasn''t about to take this at all. In his opinion, all these wouldn''t have happened if she hadn''t shown up at his ce.

    In the living room, Charlotte refused to let go of Rachel''s hand, and her eyes were red and swollen as she choked out the words, "Mommy, you''re not leaving again this time, are you?"

    Rachel''s eyes drifted across the room at the man who was reading the newspaper, but his attention wasn''t on the paper. Instead, he was giving her a warning look.

    After clearing her throat, she tried to ignore the enormous pressure and replied, "I''m not leaving anymore."

    "Will you always be with me, Mommy?"

    "Yes. We''ll bake cookies together."

    At the mention of the cookies, Charlotte broke into a smile in spite of her face still being tear-streaked. She then turned to Justin. "Daddy, Mommy taught me how to bake cookies today. Do you want to try it?" Without hesitation, he answered curtly, "No."

    Nevertheless, Charlotte wriggled away from Rachel''s arms and scurried into the kitchen as though she hadn''t heard him. A minuteter, she returned with a te of cookies in her hands and offered it to Justin. "Try it, Daddy. Mommy taught me how to make these." Then, she picked a piece from the te and stuffed it into his mouth.

    Justin couldn''t say no, so he took a bite and was amazed with the taste. It''s fragrant and neither too sweet nor too buttery. Just perfect. Does she even have this talent?

    Charlotte blinked and watched him in anticipation. "It''s delicious, isn''t it?"

    "It''s okay," he answered after returning to his senses.

    "What do you mean by that? Don''t you know how topliment a person, Daddy? No wonder Mommy left! It''s because you drove her away!"

    "I drove her away? Who told you that?"

    "Miss Hochmann said so," she answered while rolling her eyes at him. Then, she climbed back into Rachel''s arms using her hands and feet, clinging onto her mother tightly. "She said you were a baddie, and that was why Mommy left. When Mommy''s not angry anymore, she will return. Are you still angry, Mommy?"

    At first, Rachel was surprised, but she looked at the person opposite of her with a thoughtful look. ˇ°Not anymore."

    "Then you won''t leave anymore, for sure! Daddy, you''re not allowed to make Mommy mad again!"

    Anger rushed through Justin, and he tossed the half-eaten cookie back onto the te in irritation. How could Gloria tell a kid nonsense like this? Also, this woman didn''t even care to exin things! She''s acting as though I''m the one who made a mistake!

    Right before he could say a thing, Mary came forward and told him, "Sir, dinner will be ready soon. Should I prepare anything else?" While speaking, she cast a nce at Rachel''s direction, making her meaning known.

    cing down the newspaper, he then asked Rachel, "What time do you n to leave?"

    Charlotte red at him and interjected, "What''s wrong with you, Daddy? Mommy just came back! Where do you want her to go?"This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

    "She has her own ce. She can''t keep staying at somebody else''s house!"

    "This is not somebody else''s house! This is my house, so it''s also her house!"

    Justin''s expression was stern when he asked, "Are you going to let her live here?"

    "Every kid has their daddy and mommy living together with them. Why not me?" she asked, her eyes turning red again. Tightening her arms around Rachel''s neck, she shouted at him, "You''re evil, Daddy! I''m not staying here if you don''t let Mommy stay here!"

    Justin was so mad that he bounced up from his seat, and Rachel quickly tried to pacify the situation by saying, "It''s okay. Aren''t you having dinner soon? Charlotte, have dinner with Daddy. I''ll be here again another day, okay?"

    "You don''t want me as well, Mommy?" Charlotte cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. "You don''t want me because I''m not a good girl?"

    At a loss for what to do, Rachel hurriedly wiped away her tears. "That''s not true. Don''t cry, Charlotte."

    However, the little bawled loudly, and her cries echoed throughout the huge living room. "Mommy doesn''t want me anymore! I''m so sad. I''ve never had a mommy since I was young, and now that she''s back, she doesn''t even want me! Am I a bad child?"

    Justin''s heart wrenched when he heard that. Thus, he instructed, "Mary, set the table for another person."

    Surprised by his words, Rachel paused with her hand mid-air as she wiped away Charlotte''s tears, and she looked at him in shock.

    However, his eyes were stone cold. Even though Charlotte was his Achilles'' heel and he could agree to anything she wanted, it didn''t mean that anyone should use her to threaten him.

    "Come to Daddy, Charlotte," he said.

    Charlotte shook her head in reply, all the while still sniffling.

    Hence, Rachel had to hold her in her arms and stroke her back until she calmed down. "Alright now. Hush-hush. I''ll eat with you, okay?"

    "Okay." Charlotte answered, her babyish voice ringing in the living room.

 Chapter 177

    During dinner time, Charlotte wanted to sit next to Rachel. "Mommy, I want to eat that!"

    "This?"

    "Yes!"

    "All right. Eat more and grow tall, Rachel said. Then, she dropped the food the little girl liked onto her te.

    With an unreadable look in his eyes, Justin watched as Charlotte chomped down on the food happily. This girl is usually a picky eater and would alwaysin at the dinner table. No matter how we coaxed her, she wouldn''t even take an extra bite. With this woman around, she just eats anything she gives her and even eats a lot of it. More importantly, everyone knew how Charlotte usually treated other women. She would usually be stubborn, rude, and mean toward them. In contrast, she was very obedient toward Rachel. Is it because they''re rted by blood?

    Night fell, and after Rachel tucked Charlotte into bed, she sneaked out of the room quietly.

    At the top of the staircase, she saw that the light in the study on the first floor was still turned on. If her guess was right, Justin was probably still working there. Therefore, the master bedroom would surely be empty now.

    If the surveince record containing the evidence that could prove that Hans was murdered was in this house, the most probably ce it would be was either the master bedroom or the study.

    After she slipped into the bedroom, she started searching from the head of the bed, opening and checking every drawer. Finally, in the corner of the closet, she found a ck-colored safe. Password... What''s the password? she asked silently while looking at the number pad.

    Beep, beep, beep.

    She punched in Justin''s birth date.

    It''s not right. What about Charlotte''s birthday?

    Beep, beep, beep.

    That''s not it, either. I still have one more try left, she thought. At that moment though, the sound of footsteps came from outside the room, so she quickly closed the closet doors. "What are you doing here?"

    Holding her chest, Rachel turned around and said in surprise, "You gave me a scare! You don''t make a sound at all when you walk!"

    "Why are you sneaking around in my room?" he asked while standing at the door, his expression deadpan.

    "Sneaking around? I just put Charlotte to bed and wanted to tell you that I''m going to leave now. In the end, you came behind me right after I came in and scared the daylights out of me!" "Really? You''re looking for me?" he asked suspiciously as he inched in closer to her.

    Staring at him, she said, "You don''t believe me? What else could I possibly be doing except to look for

    you?"

    "You put in so much effort to make a trip here. You baked cookies with Charlotte and refused to leave.

    At this time now, you even came into my room where we''re alone. So tell me, what do you n to do?"

    After hearing his conclusion, Rachel couldn''t stop herself from bursting intoughter.

    "What are youughing at?"

    "I''m not interested in you," she answered. "At all."

    "What did you say?"

    She shrugged and told him honestly, "I don''t care whether you believe it or not, but I''m simply here to say goodbye. I have to go now."

    "Hold it right there," he said. Then, he grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving. In an icy tone, he asked, "If you''re not interested, why did you show up at the club that night and did that?" Even though he was holding her wrist, she didn''t struggle and asked in return, "What did I do?"

    "You tell me."

    Rachel made a show of thinking about it before suddenly lifting her head and saying, "Are you speaking about that kiss? I had too much to drink that night, so I was a little tipsy. But then, I really didn''t expect that you''re still thinking about it.ˇ±

    Justin''s expression darkened. He was furious as he tightened his jaw and said, "You had too much to drink?"

    "Yeah," she replied before jerking her hand away from his grip. She smirked as she added, "Actually, you don''t have to take it so seriously. We''re adults now. You know we''re capable of anything with a little liquid courage. Don''t take it for real. It''s gettingte, so I''m leaving now." After that, she left the house without looking back.

    When he heard the sound of the car engine starting outside the house, Justin was so furious that his face was red. Such a flirtatious woman can''t possibly be a responsible mother. No wonder I divorced her back then.

    Meanwhile, it was already past eleven at night when Rachel reached home. After Jolly learned that Charlotte had found out that Rachel was her mother, she appeared as though she was expecting it when she said, "I''ve told you before your return that you should think carefully about acknowledging your daughter. It''s impossible for you to avoid your daughter if you want to get close to Justin."

    At the end of the day, it was not a secret that Rachel was Justin''s ex-wife, so how could she hide the fact that she was Charlotte''s biological mother?

    Rachel opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer, feeling frustrated. "I know it''s unavoidable. I just feel... guilty."

    The guilt she had was for her daughter. Back then, she left Riverdale alone to save herself and left her daughter behind. Earlier, her heart was broken into pieces when she heard Charlotte''s cries. Calmly, Jolly said, "There''s nothing to be guilty about. You had no other choice as well." She sighed and continued, "But look how great things are now. You can use your daughter as an excuse to visit Justin''s ce often. That''ll make it easier for you to look for evidence."

    "I found the safe."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah," Rachel answered while nodding. "It''s in Justin''s closet, but I don''t know the password."

    "That''s easy. Wait a minute." Jolly returned to her room and ransacked her drawers beforeing out again with a thumb-sized ss bottle. "Here''s some fluorescent powder. Just scatter this on the number pad and Justin will leave his prints behind when he opens the safe. Then, you''ll find out the numbers he''s using for the password."

    "It''s not easy to arrange andbine a six-digit password."

    "It''s still easier than making random guesses. Maybe there''s a pattern to it."

    Nodding thoughtfully, Rachel decided that she agreed with that. "Yeah." I''ll have to look for another chance to visit his ce again then.

    The next day, Charlotte woke up in the morning and rubbed her eyes while looking for her mother. In her sheep bedroom slippers, she stood at the top of the staircase and asked, "Madam Mary, where''s my mommy?"

    "Miss Hudson left after you fell asleepst night," she exined.

    Suddenly, her eyes popped wide open and she asked, "She leftst night?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, did she say when she''sing again? Will shee again today?"

    "I''m not sure about that, but Mr. Justin doesn''t seem to wee her that much."

    "That''s so mean of Daddy!" Charlotte cried out angrily while stomping her foot. "Mommy finally returned, and he''ll definitely drive her away again if he acts like this!"

    This is bad, if Mommy doesn''t return, Amber will marry Daddy! At that thought, she said anxiously, "Quick, help me get dressed. I want to go out."

    "You didn''t even have your breakfast yet. Where do you want to go?"

    "I''m going to look for Daddy and Mommy at their office," she answered, her hands clenched tightly to show her determination. "I''ll assert Mommy''s dominance for her."

    At the same time, after her morning meeting, the secretary knocked on Rachel''s door and entered her office. "Chris, the head office wants you to make a trip to the president''s office after your meeting." "Right now?" Rachel asked while ncing at her watch.

    "Yes. They called when your meeting just started."

    "Did they mention what it is about?"

    "No, they didn''t."

    "All right. I got it," she answered. She was puzzled about why Justin would look for her at this time all of a sudden.

    Burton Pharmaceuticals was located on the twelfth floor of the Burton Group headquarters building. It went to show just how important this subsidiarypany was to the Group, and the president''s office which belonged to Justin was on the twentieth floor.

    As she pressed the button on the elevator, Rachel analyzed in her mind the possible reasons thatThis text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Justin was looking for her. Is he thinking of dismissing me?

 Chapter 178

    The elevator doors opened with a ''ding'', and the secretary outside of Justin''s office greeted Amber politely when she saw her. "Hello, Miss Amber. President Burton is still in a meeting. What brought you here today?"

    "I made some chicken soup and brought some for him. It has been very busy in thepany recently, and all of you have worked hard. So, I ordered some pastries and they will be delivered soon."

    At this, the people at the reception table looked happy and started thanking her.

    "You''re always so sweet, Miss Amber."

    "Thank you, Miss Amber."

    "You''re wee. I''ll be waiting for Justin in his office then."

    The secretary at the reception quickly stood up and said, "Miss Amber, why don''t you wait in the lounge? There''s already somebody waiting in his office."

    "Somebody?" she repeated, her eyes narrowed. "Who is it?"

    "It''s Charlotte," the secretary replied.

    Amber was relieved when she heard that. She had initially thought that it was another C-list celebrity who hade to throw herself at Justin. "Why did Charlotte suddenlye over today?" "No idea, but she arrived in the early morning."

    "It''s fine," Amber said with a smile. "I''m bored anyway, so I can chat with her since Justin will be finished with the meeting soon."

    Everyone at the reception exchanged nces as they watched Amber disappear into Justin''s office. It was an open secret that Charlotte had a dislike for Amber.

    Most of them reckoned that Justin was still not marrying Amber because of Charlotte''s disapproval. Besides this reason, they couldn''t think of another logical exnation. Someone sighed and said, "The door''s unlocked. Let''s check it out."

    "I hope nothing happens."

    "Yeah, that''s our boss'' precious daughter. We won''t be able to answer him if anything happens to her."

    "But Miss Amber is his fianc¨¦e, so we can''t afford to offend either side." They discussed among themselves as they gathered in front of Justin''s office and stuck their ears to the door.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    In the office, Charlotte was seated on Justin''s chair, dressed in her ck and white-colored skirt with suspenders. Her legs were dangling in the air, and the red rubies embedded in her tiny white leather shoes sparkled in the sunlight.

    She was in a really good mood, for she was even humming a nursery rhyme as she sucked on a lollipop. Upon hearing the sound of the door behind her, she turned around quickly and eximed in delight, "Mom-"

    But the moment she saw the person who came in, she swallowed her words and her expression became indifferent. "Why is it you?"

    With a thermos in her hand, Amber shed her a smile and said, "I''m here to bring lunch for your daddy. What did you call me earlier, Charlotte?"

    "No, no, no!" Charlotte looked disgusted. "What do you think I was calling you? You must be imagining things because you want to be my mommy so bad!"

    Despite her answer, Amber was not the least bit angry. "It''s okay. It doesn''t matter whether you call me ''Mommy'' or not. We''ll be mother and daughter by name after I marry your father. This is a fact that can''t be changed with just a form of address."

    All along, she had never regarded Charlotte highly. Once she had a boy with Justin, he would be the sole heir to the Burton Family''s fortune, and this girl would be nothing by then. Charlotte rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "My daddy won''t ever marry you."

    "That''s not up to you to say. Even if Justin lets you get your way, he won''t let a child decide his marriage. In the end, your influence is limited." As she spoke, she ced the thermos on the desk and stared at Charlotte silently, the huge desk between them. With the usual friendly pretense she had in her eyes, she added, "You''d better be a good girl, or your life won''t be so easy anymore after I marry your father. Do you understand me?"

    Charlotte''s pupils contracted, and she nodded cautiously.

    "You''re pretty smart."

    Tentatively, Charlotte pointed a finger at the thermos and asked, "Miss Amber, what did you bring for Daddy?"

    "It''s chicken soup. Why?"

    "I haven''t had breakfast, so I''m a little hungry now. May I have a little?"

    Since she was rarely this obedient, and she didn''t go against her on this day, Amber was rather pleased. Thus, she said, "Sure. I brought quite a lot anyway. I''ll pour some out for you. If you''re a good girl, I''ll treat you as I would my own daughter. Here, try it."

    Then, she passed her the bowl of soup that she had just poured out in front of Charlotte. Suddenly, the look in Charlotte''s eyes changed and she raised her hand.

    With a loud thud, the bowl and thermos flipped over. The soup scattered from the desk to the floor as Amber shrieked. Quite a lot of the soup had spilled onto her dress as well.

    "You wretched girl! Are you crazy?"

    Charlotte jumped off the chair. There was a sly and proud look on her face as she said, "I''m sorry, Aunt Amber. I didn''t hold it properly because the soup is too hot."

    "You did it on purpose, didn''t you?" Amber shouted, looking at the spilled soup on the floor furiously.

    She raised her hand and was about to grab the little girl when the anxious voice of a woman came from behind her, which made her stop suddenly. "What are you doing?"

    Amber''s expression darkened, but Charlotte had already dashed over while shouting, "Mommy!"

    After lowering herself to pick Charlotte up, Rachel asked, "Are you okay?"

    Charlotte batted her eyelids, and something glinted in her eyes. Then, her eyes misted over with tears when she thought of something. "Mommy, why did you onlye now? Somebody almost killed me!" Shocked, Amber asked, "Charlotte, what did you call her? Say it again!"

    For five whole years, she had painstakingly taken care of this brat. From the time she could only babble to the point now when she would talk back to her and make fun of her, Amber had tolerated her. However, not only did she gain nothing, but she immediately called Rachel ''Mommy'' the moment she returned after five years of disappearance. Rachel doesn''t deserve this! she thought angrily. Charlotte''s cries became louder, and she snuggled in Rachel''s arms as though she was terrified. "Look at her, Mommy!"

    As Rachel wiped away the little girl''s tears, she cooed, "Hush now. Don''t cry anymore." Then, she ced Charlotte behind herself and gaze at Amber with stony eyes. "You don''t have to hear the same thing twice if you''re not deaf. Of course, I won''t mind telling Charlotte to call me Mommy again just for you to hear."

    The color drained from Amber''s face as she shouted, "Rachel Husdon, do you have any idea what you''re talking about? What gives you the right to be her mother?"

    "Are you qualified if not me?" she snapped. After scanning behind Amber, she added, "You almost scalded her. If I didn''t arrive in time, would you have hit her as well? Is this how Justin allowed you to take care of her?"

    "What nonsense are you speaking about?"

    "Then exin to me what happened!"

    Amber was so furious that she was on the verge of pulling her hair. "I can''t exin this to you, but when I see how capable both of you are at framing people, I have to admit that you two are really mother and daughter!"

    Mother and daughter? Outside the door, everyone started whispering among themselves at the shocking news.

    Earlier, when Charlotte called out ''Mommy'', the employees gathered outside already had their jaws hanging, but now, even Amber had confirmed it to be true. So this woman is Charlotte''s real mother and our boss'' ex-wife?

 Chapter 179

    "Didn''t they say that the boss'' ex-wife passed away?" someone muttered.

    "Well, she''s well and alive, isn''t she? I heard she''s the new sales director in thepany," someone else said.

    "You mean Chris, the person that our boss hired at a high rate from another country?" another person asked.

    "Gosh, are they rekindling old mes?" A series of voices came from the office. For some reason, the words ''rekindling old mes'' rang loud in Amber''s ears. She dug her fingernails into her palms as she clenched her fists, and her gaze dimmed as she thought about Rachel. So, this is the reason you''re back. You keep saying that you aren''t interested in Justin, that you don''t want anything, but the truth is that you''ve been carefully scheming this all along. You nted your seeds five years ago, and you got that brat to take care of it for you.

    The surroundings seemed to turn silent as everyone stiffened up and greeted the person who arrived. "President Burton."

    "Why are you guys huddled at the front entrance? Don''t you guys have work?" Frankie barked. Everyone scurried away and scattered off after that.

    "What are you doing here?" Justin asked. He saw Rachel the moment he stepped in.

    "Daddy!" Before Rachel could say anything, Justin felt someone clinging onto his leg. Charlotte began to wail at him. "Mommy''s here to save me. I would''ve gotten hit if Mommy hadn''te to my rescue!" "You got hit?" Justin immediately knelt down and held onto Charlotte to look for any injuries. "What happened?"

    Rachel knitted her brows as her gaze turned cold. "It was all thanks to your fianc¨¦e, of course."

    "Don''t you dare use me!" The look on Amber''s face was one that was twisted with indignance. "Ignore her nonsense, Justin. I didn''t do anything. I just came here to bring you soup, and Charlotte said that she wanted some, but she was the one who intentionally overturned the bowl of soup!! would''ve been burnt if I hadn''t dodged the hot liquid."

    Rachel felt her heart sinking as she looked toward the office table from the corner of her eyes-the soupy mess was still there. Justin heaved a sigh of relief once he checked and ensured that Charlotte wasn''t injured. "What happened, Charlotte?" he asked.

    The young girl rubbed her eyes as she snuggled into Justin''s arms. "The soup was really hot, and I couldn''t hold onto it when Aunt Amber handed it to me. That''s why I dropped it. I didn''t do it on purpose." "How dare you say that it wasn''t on purpose? Would you have spilled the whole sk of soup if you hadn''t done it intentionally?" Amber hissed.

    "I really didn''t do it on purpose. Daddy, Aunt Amber tried to hit me," Charlotte wailed.

    "How dare youin when you were the one who was at fault!" Amber cried.

    Rachel couldn''t stand it any longer. "Let''s not talk about how the soup was spilled for now. I witnessed you attempting to hit her with my own eyes, so how are you going to deny that?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin frowned as he shot Amber a cold re. She felt herself growing anxious. "I didn''ty a finger on the girl at all! You can''t just listen to her side of the story, Justin. She''s obviously back to get revenge on me!"

    "Why does she need to get revenge?" Justin held onto Charlotte''s hand, hisnky shadow extending across the ground.

    Amber gritted her teeth. "Well, because she''s Charlotte''s birth mother! She''s jealous of me because I took the spot that was supposed to belong to her. Can''t you tell, Justin? She''s using her child to gain your sympathy!"

    "My mommy isn''t using me at all!" Charlotte clung onto Justin''s arm. "I came alone today, Daddy. Mommy didn''t know anything. Aunt Amber is lying! She told me that she would treat me worse once she gets married to you, and she warned me to stay in line!"

    "I never said that, Justin. Trust me!" Amber cried.

    "That''s enough." A look of annoyance shed across Justin''s face. "You don''t need to send food to thepany in the future. My assistant can handle that."

    Amber''s face turned pale. "Justin, I..."

    "I have other work to do. You should leave now," Justin muttered. Amber couldn''t say much else to his heartless words. Just as Amber was about to walk out of the building, Charlotte rolled her eyes at the

    woman.

    "Speak up. What happened?" Justin let go of Charlotte''s hand and sat down behind the coffee table as he stared at the woman and girl before his eyes. The two females couldn''t help but feel rather frightened- it was almost as if they were being questioned in court.

    "What do you want us to say, Daddy?" Charlotte was starting to feel rather self-conscious.

    "What else? Tell me about your lie earlier. Was the spige really an ident?" he uttered. Rachel''s heart sank as she looked at Charlotte confusedly. "Were you actually lying, Charlotte?"

    "I didn''t lie, Mommy!" Charlotte shook her head frantically. Rachel then lowered herself and held the young girl''s hand. "I''ll trust you no matter what you say, Charlotte. But I also want you to know that it''s bad for kids to lie to others."

    "Mommy... Hug me." Charlotte sobbed and waddled forward for a hug, but Rachel gently stopped the girl as she spoke in a soft but firm voice. "Let''s clear things up first, Charlotte. Crying and whining isn''t going to solve all your problems."

    After a moment of silence, Charlotte finally spoke up meekly. "She was the one who said that she''d get married to Daddy. She warned me to be obedient and said that she would be bad to me otherwise." "Was that why you spilled the soup on purpose?" Rachel narrowed her brows. Charlotte hung her head low, and her silence had provided the adults with an answer. Rachel sighed; she didn''t me the young girl. "Charlotte''s still a child. It''s normal for her to act in a more immature manner. I think it''s good that she''s willing to admit her faults, and this incident wasn''t entirely her fault anyway. Please don''t me her for this," she said as she turned to the man behind the coffee table.

    "Since when did I say I was ming her?" Justin shot her a stern expression. Rachel froze as she looked at him dumbfoundedly. At the same time, Charlotte lifted her head to look at her as well. "Why would Daddy me me, Mommy?"

    "If I were to criticize her for such matters, I wouldn''t have the time to do anything else in my day," Justin muttered. Ever since Charlotte learned how to speak, she had been especially hostile toward all the women around Justin. She had practically used all the possible ways of throwing tantrums and kicking up fusses with other women, and Justin had witnessed them all. The incident with Amber earlier was amon urrence; it was no big deal.

    Right then, Rachel tugged her lips to form an awkward smile as she nced at both father and daughter. "... I guess I was overreacting then, huh?" So, the two of them were merely putting on a show earlier? I looks like Amber''s the one who was fooled by this.

    "However, you''re the first one that got her to admit her faults," Justin added. Charlotte had been a mischievous girl since she was younger, and she got into a lot of trouble. On top of that, she often refused to admit her mistakes, and she was incredibly stubborn. Yet, she turned into an obedient little kitten in front of Rachel, and she spat the truth out after Rachel told her to do so. "That''s because what Mommy said made a lot of sense." Charlotte giggled as she wrapped her arms around Rachel''s neck. Smooch! She nted a huge kiss on her mother''s cheek.

    Justin seemed rather displeased to see the both of them being so close to each other. "What are you doing here, anyway? You haven''t told me anything."

    His words came as a surprise to Rachel. "Weren''t you the one who told me toe?"

    "I told you toe?" he asked.

    "Didn''t you?" she asked.

    The both of them shifted their gazes to Charlotte at the same time. Charlotte immediately grabbed Rachel''s arm as she changed the topic. "I''m starving, Mommy, Daddy. What are we having for lunch?" The young girl''s attitude cleared things up for them they all knew who the culprit was.

 Chapter 180

    "I don''t have time. I''ll get Frankie to bring you out for lunch," Justin replied.

    "No, Daddy! You need to eat with Mommy and me!" Charlotte wailed. Justin was about to reject the young girl when Rachel spoke up. "Let''s treat this as my wee meal, boss. We can eat with Charlotte; I''ll buy you guys a meal. It''s just one meal with your child, so it''s not going to take up that much time." Justin was captivated by her calm demeanor, and he found it hard to reject her request. For the first time, a sense of confusion flooded him as he considered the one question that popped up in his mind. Why did I divorce this woman in the first ce?

    "I want to eat with both Daddy and Mommy! Let''s go!" Charlotte gave Justin''s arm a powerful tug. Both the girls were asking him to go along, and it''d seem like he had something to hide if he didn''t just agree with them.

    Therefore, Justin pulled his car keys out as he led the way to the car. "I''m heading out. Call me if there''s anything." He left Frankie some orders.

    "Got it, President Burton," Frankie replied.

    With one hand holding onto Rachel''s arm, Charlotte waved her other hand toward Frankie. "I''ll bring some good food back for you, Mr. Beckham!"

    Frankie ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Charlotte." The assistant turned to Rachel and gave her a nod after that. Rachel lookedpletely different from how she used to look five years ago. Frankie wouldn''t even have recognized her if they had bumped into each other on the streets.

    Once they got to the garage, Justin threw his keys to Rachel, who froze. "Why are you handing me this?"

    "Are you expecting me to drive?" he asked her in return.

    "But... It''s your car. Why won''t you drive it?" she uttered. Right when Justin was bending down to put on Charlotte''s seatbelt for her, the young girl stuck her head out and winked at Rachel. "Daddy doesn''t know how to drive, Mommy."

    "How is that possible?" Rachel asked.

    "Why are you talking so much?" Justin straightened himself as he shot Rachel an annoyed re. "Are we going for lunch or not? I don''t have that much free time." He got into the car immediately after that. Rachel knitted her brows as she held the handle on the car door. Does Justin not know how to drive? Charlotte must have been kidding, right?

    They arrived at a restaurant that Charlotte picked. It was a quiet ce with elegant surroundings. "The fish and chips here taste really good, Mommy. Their pasta is really tasty too," Charlotte said. "Do you oftene out for meals with Daddy?" Rachel asked when she realized how Charlotte seemed familiar with the dishes.

    "No. My aunt is the one who brings me out for food," Charlotte muttered.

    Justin was midway pouring them sses of water, but he shot the young girl a stare after hearing what she said. "Have you forgotten about all the times I brought you out for meals, you ungrateful kid?"

    Food was served soon after that. "Is it good?" Rachel asked as she peeled a prawn for Charlotte.

    "Amazing!" the young girl eximed. They were halfway through their meal when the waiter came over with a trolley. "Hello, sir, madam. Today is our restaurant''s family day, so any married couple who

    brings their child out is eligible to get our free fruit tter or a bouquet of flowers." Married couple? Justin froze while Rachel frowned a little. "So, would you guys prefer the fruit tter or some flowers?" "The flowers, of course!" Before Justin could say much, Charlotte pointed toward the trolley excitedly. "Those red roses, please!"

    The young man immediately handed a red rose to Justin. "It seems like the both of you must have a really loving rtionship. I hope that you guys grow old together."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Since the flowers were right in their faces, Justin couldn''t do anything else but take it into his hands. A series of emotions flooded his face as he did so. However, the waiter didn''t leave just yet; he continued to put on a professional smile as he lifted a camera to snap a picture. "Smile! Look at the camera!"

    "You need a picture too?" Justin''s face fell even more.

    "Let''s take one! Let''s..." Charlotte urged Justin. "Give the flower to Mommy, and we''ll take a picture." Everyone was watching him, so Justin didn''t have any choice but to hand the rose to Rachel.

    The waiter pressed the shutter the moment Rachel took the flower from Justin''s hand. Click! The heartwarming moment shared by the family of three was captured and frozen in time. "Thank you, sir, madam. Have a great meal!"

    Justin and Rachel exchanged rather awkward gazes after the waiter left. Charlotte, on the other hand, held onto the empty proid and shook it in the air. "It''sing out! Look at it, Daddy!" Only then did the both of them return to their senses.

    Rachel ced the rose aside to look at the picture in Charlotte''s hand. The outline of their figures was beginning to surface, and Charlotte was grinning so much that her gums were showing. Her eyes were the shape of half-moons as she eximed in joy, "This is my first ever family portrait, Mommy, Daddy!"

    Initially, Justin hadn''t wanted to keep the photo, but he felt his insides melting after he heard what Charlotte said. The young girl was brought up by a single parent. Although she appeared bold and stubborn on the outside, she certainly recognized that she wascking something as a growing child. Justin tried his best to be lenient and understanding toward her, but no amount of leniency had ever made her as happy as she was in the past two days.

    "Can we take more pictures in the future, Mommy, Daddy?" Charlotte looked up at her parents, her gaze filled with anticipation.

    Rachel gave Justin a look before she stroked Charlotte''s hair. "Mommy and Daddy can take tons of pictures with you if that''s what makes you happy, Charlotte." Justin frowned a little.

    None of them noticed a dark figure seated in the corner of the restaurant. Amber had followed them over to the store. At that moment, her face was a sickly pale shade as she watched the family of three getting along happily. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Rachel had left this child here in the past just to achieve what she''s doing now. I hadn''t expected her to y this move. It was too well calcted.

    er pulled her phone out to make a call. "How''s it going with the things I told you to do earlier?" She continued after a short pause, "Okay. I want to see results." An icy expression surfaced in her eyes after she ended the call.

    Meanwhile, Justin had to rush back to thepany after they finished their meal. Rachel parked the car in the garage, and she turned back to find Charlotte fast asleep on the child''s car seat.

    "Can you wait here for a while? I''ll get someone to bring her home," Justin said.

    "It''s fine. You go ahead with your work; I''ll send her back," Rachel replied. "I don''t have much to do in

    the afternoon anyway."

    After taking a look at his daughter, who was fast asleep, he agreed with Rachel''s idea. "Sure."

    While Rachel refastened her seatbelt, she looked into the rearview mirror to see Justin''s figure leaving the garage. She then drove Justin''s car out of the garage and sent Charlotte home into her room. The maid came over to thank Rachel while she was tucking Charlotte into bed. "It''s a little windy today, and Charlotte isn''t dressed in really thick clothes. You should prepare some warm soup so that she can have i once she''s awake."

    "I got it," the maid replied.

    "I''ll be here with her for a while. You can go on with your work," Rachel told her.

    "Ah, okay." After the maid left, Rachel nced at the bedroom door and listened as the maid''s footsteps grew farther and farther away. Once there was no longer any sound from the hallway, Rachel got to her feet and left Charlotte''s bedroom.

    She was familiar with the way to Justin''s bedroom, and she opened the wardrobe to reveal the safebox inside.

 Chapter 181

    Rachel wanted to scatter the powder that Nancy had given her onto the buttons of the keypad. With a mini-shlight that she brought around everywhere, Rachel ensured that every number on the keypad had been covered with some powder before she shut the wardrobe and left the room.

    It began to rain in the evening, and the skies were dark by the time Justin got home. He saw a figure sitting in his living hall the moment he entered the house. "What are you doing here?"

    Rachel looked up from the magazine she was reading and replied in a matter-of-factly tone, "Did you forget that I sent Charlotte back earlier?"

    Justin seemed rather displeased. "What I meant was, what are you still doing here?" Charlotte got home hours ago. What time is it now? Justin thought.

    "Well, I did you a favor, right? Why can''t you offer me dinner or something?" Rachel said.

    "Don''t you have food at home? Do you need to eat here?" Justin was obviously annoyed. "You''d better not think that you''ll be able to gain control over me just because you managed to win Charlotte''s heart. What happened in the past is in the past. I''m not someone who likes looking back."

    "You''re thinking too much." Rachel shot a nce at the room upstairs. "Charlotte has a slight fever, and I stayed back because I was rather worried."

    Justin''s pupils shrank a little after he heard what Rachel said. When Rachel tucked Charlotte into bed earlier, she had already realized how the young girl seemed rather unwell. After taking Charlotte''s temperature, Rachel found that Charlotte had a slight fever. It was probably because Charlotte had dressed too thinly for a windy day out.

    g to the room, Justin took the young girl''s temperature once more. His fatherly gaze was filled with tenderness as he gently ced hisrge palm against Charlotte''s tiny face. Charlotte was half awake as she let out a soft mumble. "Mommy..."

    Justin''s face fell a little. Rachel was too far to hear what Charlotte had said, but she assumed that Justin was worried because of the grim look on his face. "Don''t worry, it''s only normal for kids to have mild fevers and headaches. She''ll be a lot better after she gets some rest," Rachel said.

    He simply responded with a slight nod. The rain only got heavier by the time they left Charlotte''s room and went downstairs. "I''ll leave now," Rachel said.

    Justin nced out the window before he replied, "You didn''t leave when the weather was good earlier, and you''re telling me that you''re leaving now when it''s raining. Are you expecting me to make you stay?" "Honestly, no. I would''ve left if Charlotte didn''t have a fever, and I don''t need to worry now since you''re home," Rachel uttered. "I have food waiting for me at home," she added to prove her point.

    Just then, the sound of a car''s engine rumbled by the front entrance. Rachel took an umbre from the porch as she walked out. "Can I borrow one of your umbres? I''ll return it to you someday. My ride is here, so I''ll make a move now."

    As Justin saw her walking out with the umbre, he couldn''t help but follow her to the living hall, where he nced out the full-length window by the side. He could clearly see the woman''s back as she walked out and got into a car. Someone''s actually here to pick her up, huh? Justin frowned. Could I be overthinking this?

    At the same time, Rachel got into the passenger''s seat of the car. Nancy drove her home at an extremely slow speed as the wipers could barely wipe off the heavy droplets of rain on the windshield. "The rain is so heavy tonight. This could''ve been your perfect excuse to spend a night there. You might''ve even managed to get some evidence by tonight, right? Why did you insist on getting me to

    pick you up?" Nancy asked.

    "Even you can tell that this weather is the perfect excuse for me to stay, so don''t you think Justin might''ve considered that too?" Rachel asked in return.

    "Were you afraid that he''d get suspicious of you?" the driver asked.

    "Yeah." Even if Rachel had managed to find a way to stay the night, Justin would''ve been eyeing her the whole time. Furthermore, he might not have gone to his safebox on the same night, and she wouldn''t have had a chance to do much even if he did. That was how Rachel concluded that there was no need for her to stay

    Nancy sighed. "What a shame. This was a perfect chance. What are you going to do now? You can''t say that you''re going over to visit your daughter, right? Doesn''t Justin hate it when you get close to Charlotte?"

    Rachel tightened her grip on the umbre handle. "There''ll be a lot of other chances in the future."

    The next day, Rachel paid a visit to Justin''s office after they got out of a meeting in the afternoon. Knock-knock. "Come in," Justin uttered from inside.

    "President Burton." He lifted his head when he heard Rachel''s voice.

    "What are you doing here?" he asked.

    She shook the umbre she was holding in her hand. "I''m here to return your umbre."

    "I thought you would''ve used the umbre as an excuse to visit my ce again. What''s this? What''s the rush?" he asked as he pushed his signed documents to one side of his desk.

    "Do I seem to you as someone who''s that desperate to achieve something?" Rachel asked as she ced the umbre into the holder beside the door. "I''ll leave now that I''ve returned the umbre." "Wait," he muttered.

    "Is there anything else?" Rachel asked.

    "Are you busy after work today?" She froze after she heard what he said. "Charlotte mentioned that you haven''t finished teaching her how to bake cookies, so she told me to invite you over after work," he continued. An exasperated look surfaced on his face when he saw how quiet Rachel seemed. "You can forget about it if you''re busy," he said.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "I''m free," she hastily replied.

    "Well, it''s set then. I''ll see you in the garage after work." Justin continued to look at his documents after he finished his sentence. He only lifted his head again after he heard his door being shut. Confusion gathered between his thick eyebrows as he gazed at the door.

    Justin never had a good impression of Rachel. The main reason for this was because she hadpletely abandoned Charlotte five years ago, so he had always thought of Rachel as an irresponsible mother. But Charlotte seems to like her a lot, and she does take good care of Charlotte whenever they''re together. Was my previous impression of her formed due to my personal biases?

    Both Justin and Rachel headed home in one car after work. A tiny figure dressed in red was waiting by the front entrance, and they could see the young girl before they even arrived at the house. "Mommy!" Charlotte flung herself into Rachel''s arms the moment Rachel stepped out of the car.

    Rachel nearly fell backward. "Ah! Charlotte, why are you out in this cold weather when your fever hasn''t gone down?"

    "I''m all better now. You can feel my forehead if you don''t believe me." Charlotte held her head up toward Rachel, who beamed and went along with the young girl''s orders. She pressed one hand against Charlotte''s forehead while pressing the other against her own. "You''re right. It does seem like your fever has gone down."

    "I wasn''t lying, was I, Mommy?"

    "Well, you should still be a little more careful. You should stay home just for these few days."

    "Ahem!"The sound of someone coughing came from behind them while they talked. Rachel didn''t need to turn around to picture the grumpy look on Justin''s face. Instead of looking back immediately, she gave Charlotte a wink before shifting her gaze to Justin.

    Charlotte immediately got what Rachel meant. "Daddy!" The young girl held her arms wide as she ran toward Justin. "I want you to carry me!"

    "Isn''t Mommy the only person you care about? Isn''t she the only one you want?" he asked in a t tone.

    "No way! Daddy and Mommy are supposed to be a pair. I like both of you. I like you two equally."

    "Equally?" Justin was clearly displeased at her answer. Rachel hadn''t been around in the past five years, and he had taken care of Charlotte all by himself. How could Charlotte show equal love toward both of them?

    Charlotte was an extremely observant child, so she clung onto Justin''s thigh the moment she realized the darkening look on Justin''s face. "Carry me, Daddy! Carry me!" she cried as she looked up at the man.

    He couldn''t help but give in when he nced at his adorable daughter, who looked almost like a porcin doll. Then, he lifted her into his arms, and she moved toward him immediately. Smooch! Once Charlotte kissed him on the cheek, all traces of anger melted off his face immediately. "Daddy you''re the best! My dad is the best dad in the whole wide world!"

 Chapter 182

    Justin flicked her on the forehead. "Your sweet-talking isn''t going to work. I''ll send you off to some summer camp in the mountains if you don''t obey me."

    "You''d miss me too much to do that," Charlotte muttered as she pouted and held onto her forehead.

    "Let''s see if I''d miss you." Justin wore an emotionless expression as he spoke. Charlotte could sense that something was up-she knew that Justin was about to tickle her. "Mommy! Save me, Mommy! Hurry!" Charlotte shouted as she wriggled away from Justin.

    "No one''s going to save you!" Justin had already got Charlotte at her ticklish spot before Rachel could even get closer to Charlotte. The young girlughed so hard that she could barely breathe. "Hahahaha..... I was.... Hahahaha... I was wrong, Daddy... Hahahaha! Mommy... Hahahaha!" The young

    girl giggled.

    Even Rachel couldn''t help butugh as she watched the father and daughter fooling around. The night breeze made Rachel''s hair messy, so she tucked some hair behind her ear, revealing her defined jawline. Justin''s hands stopped mid-air, and he no longer tickled Charlotte when he saw Rachel''s warm and gentle smile.

    Rachel had beenughing, but she froze the moment she met gazes with Justin. The sun was setting, and the breeze was cooling. Charlotte''s giggles filled the air as Justin and Rachel looked at one another. The atmosphere around them seemed too warm and loving to be real-their actions felt natural enough to seem like a daily thing, yet it felt rather unfamiliar for them to have such a rtionship.

    The maid''s voice came from inside the kitchen then. "Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson, dinner''s ready! You guys can eat now." Only then did the couple snap back to reality. They hastily looked away from one another. Justin lowered Charlotte onto the ground, and the young girl stomped her feet as she walked toward Rachel while panting. "Daddy''s a big monster!" Charlotte cried as she held onto Rachel''s hand.

    "Fine; I''m a big monster. You shouldn''te home with this big monster from now on," Justin muttered as he walked into the house. Rachel nced at his back figure before she held onto Charlotte''s hand. "Come on, little monster."

    Charlotte blinked puzzledly. "How am I the little monster?"

    The woman blinked back at the young girl. "Shouldn''t the big monster''s daughter be a little monster?"

    Charlotte chuckled for a while. "You should be a big monster too then, Mommy. In that case, we''re a family of monsters!"

    Justin turned around when he heard what Charlotte said, and he gave Rachel a thoughtful gaze for a moment. Rachel couldn''t handle the awkwardness-she looked away and avoided his gaze. Dinner wasn''t anything fancy-they had a few homemade dishes. Charlotte couldn''t seem to sit still at the dinner table. "Are we making cookies togetherter, Daddy?"

    "I''m not," Justin uttered.

    "Why?"

    "You''re the one who''s supposed to prepare a gift for your aunt, not me," he replied.

    "Fine." Charlotte pouted before she turned to Rachel. "Please don''t mind him, Mommy. Daddy''s just this sort of person. I can''t imagine how he managed to win over the heart of a woman like you in the past." Rachel stiffened while Justin nearly choked on his water. "What are you talking about, Charlotte?! How

    could I possibly go after her?" Why would I go after her? he thought.

    "Well, what happened between you two, then?" Charlotte opened her arms as she asked. "Could Mommy have been the one who went after you? She''d never have left if she was the one who went after you. You must''ve made her angry. I can''t believe you''re not admitting to your faults yet!"

    Justin found himselfpletely speechless. He had no memory of his past with Rachel, so he couldn''t even dispute Charlotte''s ims. He had never wondered about his past, but he was starting to get rather curious about it.

    Rachel and Charlotte headed into the kitchen to prepare for their cookie-baking session after dinner. Justin was busy working in his study, but he couldn''t seem to process any of the documents he was reading Eventually, he fished out his phone and dialed a number. "How did I meet Rachel in the past?" he asked in the call.

    The person on the other end paused for a moment. "Why are you wondering about this all of a sudden?" the person asked in a surprised manner.

    "No reason. I''d just like to hear some details about the things that happened between us," he uttered.

    "Old Mr. Burton specifically warned me not to talk about this, President Burton. Please don''t make things hard for me. Why don''t you just ask her if you really want to know?" Frankie was one of the few people Justin actually trusted, so Justin couldn''t bring himself to fault Frankie for following orders.

    "Well, just tell me this-who was the one who chased after the other party in the past?" Justin asked.

    "What?" Frankie was so puzzled-Justin could hear the confusion in his voice. After a while, Frankie finally gave a rather uncertain response. "There wasn''t exactly one party who went after the other... I guess it was a mutual liking. But after that..."

    "What happened after that?" Justin asked.

    "You went after her," Frankie replied.

    "No way!" Justin leaped out of his chair. "Did you remember this wrongly?"

    Frankie sounded rather irritated as he spoke. "Of course not. It has only been five years." Apart from Rachel and Justin themselves, Frankie was the one who knew the most about their rtionship during then. "President Burton, you..."

    Before Frankie could finish his sentence, Justin ended the call on his end of the line. He then slumped into his chair with a grim look on his face.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was busy showing Charlotte how to bake cookies in the kitchen. "Let''s use some molds to shape the dough-every cookie will be about the same size that way." Rachel patiently guided her daughter in a step-by-step manner as they removed the molds from the dough. "Is this right?" Charlotte asked.

    "Yeah. You need to press on it firmly before knocking it out. You''re such a smart girl, Charlotte," Rachel uttered. In fact, Charlotte''s motor skills weren''t that great. It was evident that the young girl had been spoiled from a young age-she hadn''t had to use her hands for much work in the past.

    "Have some tea, Miss Hudson," the maid offered.

    "Okay. Thank you. You can leave it there."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "You can take a break. I''ll be here with Charlotte." The maid ced the tea in the living hall before ushering Rachel to go over. "You shouldn''t strain yourself too much," the maid reminded her. Rachel stole a nce at the room upstairs before she nodded half-heartedly. "Sure. You can look after Charlotte. Make sure that she doesn''t hurt herself. I''ll use the washroom for a bit." "Ah, okay."

    After washing her hands, Rachel stepped out of the kitchen and took a few sips of her tea in the living room. She then headed upstairs to the washroom on the first floor. Once she was in front of the washroom she shut the door from the outside and turned to make sure that the maid wasn''t watching her. Once she made sure that the coast was clear, she hurried up the stairs.

    The skies had turned dark by then. There weren''t any lights in the master bedroom-the whole ce was pitch ck. Rachel had to find her way to the wardrobe door based on her memory of how the room looked. She then pulled her mini-shlight out from her coat before shining it at the keypad of the safebox. Once the light rays stuck against the surface of the keypad, there were neon-colored powder stains that indicated the buttons with fingerprints on it.

    Rachel hastily noted down all the numbers that had fingerprints on them. "Mary..." Justin''s voice came from outside the room. "Bring some tea up, please."

    "Ah, alright. Please hold on, Mr. Burton. Miss Hudson is in the washroom, and I need to take care of Charlotte. I''ll send some tea up once Miss Hudson is back to look after Charlotte," the maid exined. "Come down and take a look at the cookies that Mommy and I made, Daddy!" A child''s sweet and innocent voice came from downstairs.

    Rachel felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. One would attract what one feared the most-Rachel could hear faint footsteps walking in her direction. One step, two steps, three steps... The sound faded off at the stairway. If Rachel''s estimations were right, Justin had gone downstairs.

    Her expression altered as she hastily shut the wardrobe door.

 Chapter 183

    Once Justin got downstairs, he saw Mary and Charlotte baking cookies together. When he turned to look at the washroom on the first floor, the door was shut, and the lights were turned on inside. However, there wasn''t any noiseing from the inside. Suspicion gathered in his eyes as he walked toward the washroom. "Are you in there?"

    There wasn''t any reply. Justin knocked on the door twice. "Rachel?" There was still no reply. Justin''s gaze darkened. He seemed to recall something as he hastily reached for the door handle. Right as he pushed the door open, the flushing sound came from inside the washroom.

    "Are you a pervert or something?" Rachel screamed as she hurriedly pulled her skirt down.

    Justin froze for a moment before he turned to face his back against her. "Why didn''t you say anything if you were in there?"

    "Would you talk to someone outside while you''re in the toilet? I don''t have weird habits like you! Aren''t you going to leave yet? Are you done looking?" she barked. Justin''s face turned pale as he reached his hand to shut the washroom door.

    Rachel finally heaved a sigh of relief once the door was shut. She held onto the wall and slowly lowered herself to sit onto the toilet bowl. She looked down to remove her high heels before she gently touched her feet. A sharp pain shot through her legs immediately-it hurt so much that cold sweat began to form on her skin. She inhaled sharply in response to the pain. Not everyone could manage to climb down from the second floor, after all.

    After washing her hands, Rachel nced at the mirror and calmed herself down a little before she walked out of the washroom. Justin was nowhere to be seen when she passed by the living room, so she assumed that he had gone upstairs.

    "Hurry up ande here, Mommy. I made a little duck cookie!" Charlotte''s voice came from the kitchen. Rachel came back to her senses. "I''ming!" she replied.

    Rachel had only been gone for a while, but Charlotte had already managed to fill the baking tray with cookie doughs that had been removed from their molds. There were all sorts of odd shapes that filled the tray. Rachel pointed helplessly at an oddly shaped pulp. "Miss Charlotte, can you tell me which mold you made this piece from?"

    The young kid spread her lips into a wide grin as she held her fingers out to Rachel. "With this mold!! wanted to make a duck, but we don''t have any molds for ducks. That''s why I had to use my own hands." "You little rascal." Rachel pinched Charlotte''s nose yfully. "Please get her to wash her hands, Mary. I think these biscuits can be baked soon. The previous batch should be done by now."

    "I need to make tea for Mr. Burton. Can you bring Charlotte to wash her hands instead?" Mary asked.

    "It''s fine. I''ll make the tea," Rachel offered. Mary hesitated for a moment as she seemed like she was about to say something. Charlotte spoke up before Mary did. "You can go ahead and make tea for Daddy, Mommy. I''ll go wash my hands."

    The young kid never missed out on an opportunity to bring both of her parents together. Justin had just returned to his study a while ago, and he was back to flipping through documents at his desk. Knock knock. Rachel came in with tea.

    "Why are you the one sending me tea?" Justin looked at her. "Where''s Mary?"

    "Charlotte dragged Mary over to wash her hands and change her clothes. You wanted tea, didn''t you? sent it over since I had nothing else to do." Rachel lowered the tray onto the side of the desk while she spoke. She lifted the pot and poured him a cup of tea.

    The fragrant scent of chamomile tea filled the room immediately. Justin''s eyes widened after he took a sip of the drink. "Were you the one who made this?"

    "What is it? Is there any issue?" she asked.

    "It''s nothing." A series ofplicated emotions filled his face as he lowered the cup. The taste of the tea was really familiar, and it seemed to remind him of something. It tasted even better than the tea that Mary made him-it felt almost as if this was the tea that he used to drink regrly. Could I have loved her before she left me? He was starting to doubt himself.

    Rachel spoke up then. "You might think that I''m crossing your boundaries when I say this, but I''d like to say it anyway."

    "What is it?" He returned to his senses.

    "It''s about Charlotte. I heard Mary telling me that Charlotte hasn''t been to school all this while," she uttered.

    Justin frowned immediately. "Why are you asking about this?"

    "I''d like to know the reason for that," Rachel said.

    "The environment in the school is a little tooplicated, and Charlotte doesn''t like it. I figured that she doesn''t have to go if she doesn''t want to," he exined.

    "Did you agree to her just because she doesn''t want to go? Are you going to make her stay at home forever? Is she not going to interact with the rest of the outside world? The only people around her now are the maids, the security guards, and people from the Burton Family," Rachel protested.

    He frowned. "Are you questioning my way of parenting now?"

    "Don''t you feel like it''s an issue?" Rachel asked in return.

    "No," he muttered.

    "You can''t be like this, Justin. Charlotte should have her own-aged peers, but the only people she interacts with now are adults. Don''t you feel like the way she talks and acts is a little too mature for her age?" Rachel had already realized this since the first time she saw Charlotte at the airport.

    It wasn''t wrong to spoil a child, especially one like Charlotte, who grew up without a mother. However, Justin was too lenient with his love for his daughter-it wouldn''t be good if his pampering turned the child into a rude and arrogant individual. Children were never at fault-the me would always fall upon the parents.

    "If you truly cared for Charlotte, you would''vee back to visit in the past five years." Justin''s words felt like an arrow shooting through Rachel''s heart. His icy re was like two sharp knives-it was just as stern as it had been five years ago. "You might have had a few meals with Charlotte, and she might like you, but that doesn''t give you the right to tell me what to do."

    Rachel stiffened a little. "That''s not what I meant."

    "I''m not interested in what you mean. You can leave if you don''t like what you see; you don''t have to disrupt Charlotte''s life from now on," he uttered.

    Before Rachel could continue exining herself, a loud cry came from outside the room. "What''s the matter, Charlotte?" Charlotte was lying in Mary''s arms in the dining hall on the first floor, and her face was flushed and pink. The young child was gasping for breath, but she couldn''t seem to breathe at all. Her facial features were squeezed together.

    "Charlotte!" Justin ran toward her. "What happened?"

    Mary was nearly in tears because of how anxious she was. "I don''t know. I was with her the whole time, and we had just washed our hands. She became like this right after she ate a piece of cookie."

    "A cookie?" Justin nced at the dining table. There was nothing else apart from the freshly-baked cookies ced on the table.

    Rachel had rushed down the stairs by then. "What happened to Charlotte?"

    "Daddy..." Charlotte clung to Justin''s neck. Her little hands were trembling, and she could barely speak. Justin didn''t have the time to think-he immediately lifted her into his arms. "Get the car!"This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Rachel responded to his words immediately-she ran to the front door to start the car. Once they got in, they sped all the way to the hospital.

    Both Justin and Rachel stayed with Charlotte after they arrived at the emergency room. The doctor lifted Charlotte''s eyelids and checked her pupils with a shlight. "Does the young girl have any allergies?" "Honey. She can''t eat honey," Justin said.

 Chapter 184

    "It''s fortunate that you brought her here so soon. Based on her current condition, it seems like she''s having an asthma attack after a serious case of allergies. You guys are her parents, and you know about her allergies, so why didn''t you guys watch out? She must have identally had some," the doctor said.

    Justin''s face darkened as he nced at Rachel. "Come out for a while." Rachel didn''t know what was going on. Justin tugged her toward the stairway once they walked out of the emergency room. He shoved her against the wall angrily. "What did you do?"

    "Ow!" Rachel cried out as she felt a sharp pain shooting through her back. "What are you talking about?" she cried as she tried to hold back her cries.

    "Didn''t you hear what the doctor said earlier? You fed Charlotte some honey, didn''t you?" he asked.

    "I didn''t."

    "Why would Charlotte be like this after just taking a bite out of the cookie otherwise? Do you know that it''s life-threatening for her even to have a little bit of honey? Honey triggers her asthma instantly!" he cried.

    The cookies? Rachel was stunned for a moment. "That''s impossible. I didn''t put any honey in the cookies," she muttered. Could there have been something in the ingredients of the baking materials that contained honey?

    Justin was even more furious when he saw the doubtful look on her face. "Did you think that criticizing the way I teach my daughter would make you a qualified mother? You don''t care about your daughter at all; you''re just putting on a fake show of being a loving mother."

    "I''m sorry. I really didn''t know that those cookies."

    "That''s enough!" Justin raised his voice as he howled at her. "I''m warning you now, Rachel. I don''t want you anywhere near Charlotte from now on."

    Bang! The sound of the door closing echoed in the stairway, and Rachel felt her ears ringing. The look in Justin''s eyes before he left made him seem like he was ready to kill someone. Rachel had no doubt tha he might have murdered her if something actually happened to Charlotte,

    Her phone had already been vibrating in her pocket for a while before she reacted to it. "Hello? Something came up here; I''m in the hospital. It''s nothing. I''ll tell you about it when I get back."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    After she got off the call, Rachel returned to the emergency room and peeked at Charlotte through the curtains for a while. The young girl was lying on the bed, and she looked much better after she received an IV drip. Rachel only left after she heard the doctor telling Justin that Charlotte''s condition was stable.

    Jolly appeared with a mask on her face once Rachel got home. "What''s going on? Didn''t you say that you were going to Justin''s house for dinner? I thought you were nning to bake cookies with Charlotte before checking the passcode on the safebox. How did you guys end up in the hospital?"

    "Charlotte ingested some honey by ident, and it triggered her asthma attack because she''s allergic to it," Rachel exined.

    "Ah? How did it happen? How is she now?" Jolly asked.

    "Fortunately, we were quick to respond, so her condition is stable now. She should be fine soon," Rachel said. She still felt rather uneasy and worried as she exined the situation.

    Jolly heaved a sigh of relief. "That''s good. As long as she''s fine."

    "There''s something odd about it, though," Rachel uttered.

    "Ah?" Jolly was surprised. "What is it?"

    "I''m not sure for now. I might need your help with something, Jolly." Rachel''s pupils shrank as she spoke. "I think someone got rather impatient to have plotted such a fishy incident. I''m afraid she might make things worse if I don''t do anything about it."

    The next day, Rachel went to the office as usual. There was a meeting in the morning at Burton Group''s headquarters, and the management team of the headquarters had to take part in the meeting. Although Rachel was only the sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals, there weren''t any formal managers in Burton Pharmaceuticals as it was considered a franchise of thepany that was managed by Justin himself. In other words, Rachel''s role in thepany was equivalent to that of the CEO of apany.

    Her position wasn''t too far below Justin''s. When it was her turn to give an update on her work, she briefly exined the recent condition of thepany. "There aren''t many issues with the pharmaceutical side of things. We''ll be weing our foreign clients this afternoon. If the partnership works out, then our international markets will be a little more stable."

    Justin was the one who questioned her. "Have you chosen who to greet the foreign clients?"

    Rachel froze for a moment. Justin had responded with a simple ''okay'' when the other people gave their reports. "What? Have you not nned it out?" Justin''s tone was sharp and cold. "It''s 9.30AM now, and you have less than three hours until lunchtime. Why haven''t you chosen the person in charge for this?"

    Rachel frowned. "I''ll send Lisa to do it." Lisa was her secretary.

    "Lisa? It seems like you don''t really care about this international partnership. Do you think your skills with the international market are too good for you to handle a tiny project like this?" he asked.

    "That''s not what I meant. I just thought that Lisa has the ability to close this deal," Rachel exined.

    "It''s fine," Justin uttered tly. "I think you should handle the wee meeting this afternoon, Chris." Rachel froze for a moment. All of the people in the meeting room exchanged nces upon hearing his

    that the foreign clients they were dealing with that day were just minor projects that didn''t matter much to them. It wasn''t important enough for Rachel to meet up with them personally, let alone for her to go and wee them.

    "Do you not want to do it?" Justin asked.

    Rachel knitted her well-trimmed eyebrows in response to Justin''s cold re.

    "No. I''ll do it," she replied.

    "Great. The meeting''s over, then." Everyone in the meeting room scattered off after he uttered his words-Rachel was the only one who stayed back. She stepped forward to stop Justin before he left. "I might have been too sensitive, President Burton. However, why do I feel like your guidance during the meeting earlier sounded a little like you were taking revenge against me for personal matters?" "Do we have any personal matters between us?" he asked in return.

    "No, I guess not. I don''t think it''s like you to jump to conclusions before rifying the situation. However, this rule doesn''t seem to apply to me-you really haven''t changed at all in the past five years." Justin frowned at Rachel''s words as he couldn''t understand what she meant. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

    "I''ll give you an exnation for Charlotte''s allergy incident. You should prepare yourself to apologize to me." Rachel left the meeting after finishing her words. Her 5-inch heels made a clear, clicking sound against the floorboard, and she walked with elegance and confidence as if she weren''t affected by what happened at the meeting at all.

    Justin straightened his tie a little. She''s just faking it!

    That evening, Justin went to spend time with Charlotte at the hospital. Amber was there as well. "Look what I brought you, Charlotte. I made some of your favorite porridge."

    Charlotte felt moody the moment she saw Amber, but she didn''t have the energy to go against Amber as she wasn''t fully recovered yet. The young girl simply rolled her eyeszily. "I don''t like porridge at all." Amber didn''t lose her temper at Charlotte. "You look so weak. You must have suffered a lot," she said.

    Justin took the bowl of porridge from Amber before he began to blow on a spoonful of porridge. "Come on, be a good girl and have some of this." He moved the spoon closer to Charlotte''s lips. Charlotte turned away from him. "I don''t want it," she said weakly.

    "Charlotte," Justin uttered.

    "Forget it, Justin. We shouldn''t force her to eat it if she doesn''t want to. The porridge is still hot, anyway. I''ll feed herter once it gets cooler," Amber offered.

    "I don''t want you to feed me anything," Charlotte hissed at Amber. "Daddy, I want Mommy to be here. Where is she?"

    "She''s busy with work, so she won''t be able to visit you for a while," Justin replied in a rather cold tone, He felt furious whenever someone spoke of Rachel. Charlotte wouldn''t have been in the hospital if it weren''t for her.

 Chapter 185

    Amber said, "Charlotte, your mother doesn''t even know you''re allergic to honey. You were almost killed. Of course your daddy can''t let her take you." Charlotte was paling from anger, and she clenched her fists.

    But then, someone said, "Ah, talking behind my back the moment I turn around, huh? Looks like you''ve been polishing your skills, my dear Amber." Amber froze up. A momentter, Rachel came in proudly.

    "Mommy!" Charlotte was excited to see her.

    "Hi, Charlotte." Rachel ignored Justin and Amber. "Brought you some soup." She put the thermos on the table. "Make sure you finish it."

    "Yeah, I will!"

    "Here, I''ll help you," Rachel said.

    Just then, Justin could smell a faint stench of alcoholing off from her, and he frowned. Before she could open the thermos, he dragged her out of the ward. "Are you drunk? Who told you you cane here?"

    Rachel staggered backward, almost falling down. "Hey, you asked me to meet up with the foreigners." She broke free of his grasp. Rachel looked drunk, but she could answer calmly, "And I did. Been two hours since I sobered up. I know I''m fine, so I came to see my daughter. Any problem with that?"

    "You''re obviously drunk. You think you can see her in that state?" Amber mocked. "Or did you forget that Charlotte''s in the hospital because of the honey cookies you gave her?" That only served to anger Justin further.

    Amber continued, "Rachel, you abandoned your child years ago. But now you just swoop in and try to take Charlotte away like nobody''s business. What are you trying to do?" "She''s my daughter. I can take her with me if I want to, and you can do nothing about it."

    "Is that so? I''m Justin''s fianc¨¦e." Amber huddled closer to Justin. "I''ve been doing my best to take care of Charlotte. At least I know she''s allergic to honey, unlike you." Suddenly, someone blurted behind them, "And how are you so sure Rachel doesn''t know about Charlotte''s allergy?" The voice was soft, but it echoed throughout the corridor. Amber was petrified, and even Justin froze up.

    It had been five years, but Julian was still as calm as ever. "It''s been a while, Justin, Miss Hudson." He looked at Justin and Amber coldly.

    Amber looked stiff, but she managed to ask, "Dr. Peters. What a surprise. When did youe back?"

    Rachel wanted to know as well.

    Julian answered with a question, "Hm? You don''t seem to wee me, Miss Hudson."

    Amber forced a smile. "Who? Me? That''s a misunderstanding. You''re Justin''s cousin and Madam Parham''s only son. She''s been looking forward to your return for a while now."

    "Is that so? And here I thought you''re worried I might say something that''ll ruin your ns."

    "You''re such a joker, Dr. Peters. I don''t have any ns at all." Amber was starting to get nervous. Julian knew everything about the events that happened five years ago. Justin might not believe Rachel, but Julian was his own cousin. Justin had lost his memories, so Amber was worried Julian mighte back and expose her.

    Justin frowned. "Why''d youe back all of a sudden?"

    Julian answered, "If I don''t, you''d use Rachel without any proof just like you did five years ago." He handed a file to Justin. "See for yourself."

    Justin opened the file, but after he skimmed through a few pages, he looked at Rachel in surprise. "You knew Charlotte''s allergy all along?"

    "Is that so surprising? She''s my daughter after all," Rachel answered calmly. She was still Charlotte''s mother. Even though she couldn''t get a lot of information over thest few years, she at least knew everything about her daughter''s health.

    Amber shot, "So what? Doesn''t mean you wouldn''t forget about it."

    Julian looked at Amber coldly. "Rachel''s memorized Charlotte''s medical history. Do you really think she''d forget something as important as her honey allergy?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Hey, everything''s possible." Amber held Justin''s arm. "You can''t trust them, Justin. They might be lying."

    Justin tensed up. "She has a point. How do I know you''re not lying?"

    Julian was understandably annoyed by his cousin''s stupid question.

    "Julian," Rachel called out to him calmly. "Thanks for your help, but I think I''ll have to settle this myself." Justin was paranoid to a fault. If Rachel didn''t tell him the pieces of the truth and piece it together for him even though it was as easy as a ten-piece puzzle-he wouldn''t believe in this ex-wife of his, who just came out of nowhere.

    "You''ll settle this?" Justin looked at her. "How?"

    "Allergies only act up at least ten minutes after the food is taken. It wouldn''t have acted up that quickly if it was because of the cookies. I personally looked through the cookies'' ingredients, and there''s no honey in it. That''s why the cookies didn''t cause it."

    Justin and Julian were surprised to hear that.

    Rachel continued, "Aside from the cookies, all Charlotte had that day was dinner. She had it right before we made the cookies, so the time matches." In other words, the honey probably was in the dinner Charlotte had that day.

    Amber sneered. "You''re just shifting the me now. Who can prove it?"

    To that, Rachel responded by taking out a report. "As it turns out, I asked my friend to take some samples of the dinner leftovers for analysis that day."

    She handed the report to Justin. All the ingredients used in the dinner that day were listed there, and there was honey in it.

    Amber was starting to panic. "And how can you prove that this report is true? Even if it is, how can you convince us that you actually took the dinner leftovers instead of something else?"

    "Now, calm down." Rachel looked at Justin. "Keep reading."

    Justin flipped the page as she asked, and his face fell when he saw what was written on there.

    "Don''t trust her, Justin. She''s just trying to shift the me."

    Amber was still trying to mock Rachel, but Justin was already giving her a death stare. With a thwack, he hurled the report at Amber. "See for yourself!"

    Amber gasped in surprise, but she was choked when she saw the transaction and purchase history on the report

 Chapter 186

    Rachel crossed her arms. "Mary bought some honey right after you wired her a hundred thousand, and Charlotte''s allergy acted up right after that. Yet you''re trying to... shift the me." "No. I didn''t do this." Amber tried to exin herself. "Justin, I didn''t do this."

    "I''ll get someone to look into this." Justin looked at her icily.

    "Daddy!" Charlotte called out to Justin. He quickly wiped off his fury and went into the ward.

    "Justin!" Amber wanted to go inside too, but Rachel stopped her. "What do you think you''re doing?" Amber looked irritated.

    "I know what you were trying to do. You did this to Charlotte so you can put the me on me, right?"

    "Nonsense! What proof do you have?"

    "Oh, I have a lot of it. I can show it to you if you want. It''s a one-way ticket to prison, and I don''t mind giving it to you early."

    Amber was getting mad. "Why did youe back? What do you want?"

    "What rightfully belongs to me. Justin and Charlotte."

    Amber stared at her in disbelief. So she''s here for Justin! Fury overwhelmed her, and she raised her hand against Rachel, but Rachel caught it before she could even move.

    "I''m not the old Rachel from five years ago anymore. You can''t do as you please to me now."

    "Let me go, Rachel!"

    "Listen up, Amber. Lay a finger on Charlotte again and I''ll make sure you''re ruined." Rachel shot her a terrifying re. "I wonder if Old Mr. Burton will let you marry Justin if I were to, oh I don''t know, upload the video where you''re having sex with Noah?"

    Amber stopped moving all of a sudden and stared at Rachel in disbelief. There wasn''t anyone in the staircase. Julian was pacing outside, leaving only Rachel and a terrified Amber inside.

    Rachel was ying Amber and Noah''s sex video from five years ago on her phone. There was no sound, but judging from the clear resolution, she knew it''d be loud enough for everyone to hear. "E Enough..." Amber''s voice was shaking. She tried to snatch Rachel''s phone, but Rachel dodged her.

    Rachel looked at her icily. "Stand right there. You don''t want Justin to see this, right?"

    "What do you want?"

    "That doesn''t sound like begging to me."

    Amber bit her lip, almost drawing blood. A long whileter, she finally said, "Please. I beg you."

    "Kneel before me," Rachel answered calmly.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    All the color drained from Amber''s face, but she knelt before Rachel in the end. "I beg you, don''t upload the video. We''re sisters, right?"

    "Hold on a second." Rachel turned on her phone''s camera and aimed it at Amber. "Alright. Repeat what you said earlier."

    Amber froze up, and an awkward silence fell between them. A long, long whileter, Amber finally said,

    "I beg you, delete the video. Don''t upload it, Rachel. We''re sisters, right?"

    "And what about Charlotte?"

    "I''m sorry. I won''t do it again."

    With a beep, Rachel stopped recording and kept her phone. But before she left, she said coldly, "Amber,

    I don''t want any trouble, but that doesn''t mean I''m scared of you. Do anything funny again and I will wreck you."

    The door slowly creaked shut after Rachel left. When she was gone, Amber gritted her teeth and red at the door darkly. Rachel!

    When Julian saw hering out, he gave Rachel a bottle of water. "You''re letting her off just like that?"

    Rachel answered, "She''s not a threat. Obviously the Burtons don''t like her either. She''s been dating Justin for five years now, but she''s still not married to him."

    "I''ve heard about that. My mom doesn''t really want her either. Old Mr. Burton only mentioned it in passing, though he never did anything for her."

    Rachel was surprised, but then she realized something. "Oh right. You''re also a Burton, technically speaking. Almost forgot about it."

    "You should have forgotten about it." Julian smiled. "Only then you''ll see me as your friend."

    "Am I that merciless to you?" Rachel winked. "You saved me and cured me of my condition. Not to mention you took care of me over the years. I''d be heartless if I didn''t see you as my friend." "When did youe back anyway? Jolly didn''t tell me about it."

    "Two days ago. Had a seminar so I couldn''t tell you in time. But I heard you''re in trouble, so here I am." Julian worked overseas after he was done studying, but he kept in touch with the doctors back home, so he came back a lot.

    Rachel then remembered something. "Oh, I never heard you talking about Justin''s amnesia."

    Julian stopped. "To be honest, I don''t know a lot about that. I didn''t tell you because you were still shocked after going overseas. It wasn''t the best time to bring it up."

    "Has this been going on for a long time?"

    Julian nodded. "Not long after you went overseas, he got into a car crash. He has a clot in his brain that won''t go away. Stayed in the hospital for three months and woke up without memories."

    "All his memories?"

    "Aside from you, he forgot about Amber, the grudge between him and the Hudsons, and even the time he was abducted as a child."

    Rachel stared ahead in disbelief. "Impossible."

    "Post-traumatic amnesia. PTA for short. The human brain will delete some memories if it recognizes the body can''t take the shock thates from it."

    They finally came back to Charlotte''s ward while Julian was exining everything that happened.

    Julian knew Rachel was shocked, so he reminded her, "He''s not the same man you saw five years ago. That''s why I wasn''t worried when you wanted toe back alone."

    Rachel clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "So he forgot everything and lives like nothing happened for five years?"

    "Technically, yes."

    "How dare he?" Her eyes red, Rachel teared up. He ruined my life and nearly killed me! Why''d he have a second chance at life? Why? "You have to look ahead, Rachel."

    Rachel said, "Yes, but I have to make sure the people who died can rest in peace before I can do that."

 Chapter 187

    Julian nodded pensively. "I''ll stand with you no matter what."

    At the same time, Charlotte kept asking Justin to feed her the soup Rachel brought. "Why isn''t Mommy back yet?" Charlotte started throwing a tantrum, apparently running out of patience. Justin said, "She''ll be back once you finish this."

    "You''re lying, Daddy. She left me because you and Amber made her mad. I don''t wanna see you."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Justin was still thinking about the report. Mary has taken care of Charlotte for three years, but she betrayed my trust anyway. I can''t let any stranger take care of Charlotte from now on. The sound of a door opening broke his train of thoughts, and in came Rachel.

    "You''re finallyback, Mommy!" Charlotte extended her arms. "Hug."

    "Sure, honey." Rachel went to her daughter and held the girl in her arms. "How''s the soup?"

    "Tasty. Did you make it, Mommy?"

    "Yes."

    "I want you to feed me, Mommy."

    "Okay." Rachel looked at Justin, but he was still immersed in his thoughts, so she coughed. "Give me the bowl."

    Justin snapped out of it and gave her the bowl anddle. "Where''s Julian?"

    Rachel didn''t even look up. "He left. He''s a busy man."

    A frown creased Justin''s forehead. "You seem close to him."

    "Rtively speaking. Compared to you, I am closer to Julian."

    "I''m your husband. But you''re saying you''re on better terms with my cousin than you are with me?"

    "Ex-husband," Rachel corrected him calmly.

    Charlotte was in Rachel''s arms, drinking her soup. When she saw her father looking lost, she quickly tried toe up with something to help him out. "Mommy, Daddy is obviously jealous of Julian." Justin stiffened up. "Nonsense, Charlotte."

    Charlotte answered seriously, "I am not talking nonsense. You saw it too, right, Mommy?"

    Rachel was surprised, and she looked Justin in the eye, but an awkward silence fell between them. Jealous? No. He''s just being possessive.

    After finishing her soup, Charlotte finally went to bed.

    Rachel patted the nket and got up after the girl was sound asleep.

    "Don''t leave me, Mommy..." Charlotte mumbled in her sleep, and Rachel sat back down. She couldn''t leave Charlotte alone.

    Justin had been working outside all this time. After he was done with his emails, he looked at the time and realized it waste at night. Rachel hasn''t left yet? He opened the door silently and saw Rachel leaned over on the bed, apparently asleep. She was holding Charlotte''s hand, and a warm light illuminated them. It was a heartwarming sight.

    Justin stood at the doorstep, not knowing what to feel. Regarding Charlotte''s honey allergy, he knew he''d used Rachel wrongly, but that couldn''t prove that she was a responsible mother. She still hadn''t exined why she was gone for five years.

    It waste at night, but business was booming for Riverdale''s bars.

    "You can''t go inside, miss." A pimp stopped Amber, but she went past the disgustingly lit dance floor, pushed the pimp away, and barged into the room.

    A couple was making out in the room, but the woman screamed when she heard someoneing in. "Who are you? Who let you in?"

    "I''m not here for you." Amber looked dark. "Noah, we need to talk."

    The man making out with the woman was none other than Noah. He was a prodigal son to begin with, and he veered off rails after he was humiliated at his engagement banquet six years ago. Ever since then, he changed his girlfriends faster than anyone could say ''phwoar''

    "Who is she, Noah?"

    Noah waved the woman down. After she was gone, only Amber and Noah were left. "So what brings you here?" He lit up a cigarette and shot a sidelong look at Amber. "First time you made the first move. Finally giving in?"

    Amber looked at him coldly. "Someone found out about our affair."

    "So? I''m not afraid."

    "I know. But do you know who found out about that?"

    "Who?"

    "Rachel."

    Noah kept on puffing his cigarette, but when he realized that Amber brought Rachel up, he looked at her. "Rachel? Your sister? I thought she was dead."

    The Burtons didn''t tell anyone about Rachel''s condition, including Justin and the public.

    "No. She''s back, and she''s threatening me with our sex video. The one at the staircase." Amber gritted her teeth. "Do you know what that means? I can never say no to her terms now."

    "What does that have to do with me?"

    "Did you forget why you turned out this way?"

    After the incident at the banquet six years ago, Noah was in the gutters for a while. When he finally mustered enough motivation to work again, thepany was already taken over by his sister''s husband, and he lost his parents'' trust.

    He used to be a famous president in Riverdale, but since then, he lost everything but his name under his belt. After losing everything, he went off the straight and narrow.

    Amber continued, "If it weren''t for Rachel telling you about Tina''s affair, you wouldn''t have insulted her on a whim. If you hadn''t done that, none of this would have happened."

    Sure enough, Noah''s face fell. Back then, Rachel told him about Tina''s affair and embarrassed him. He couldn''t swallow his pride, so he insulted Tina without even thinking. Because of that, his parents thought he was an emotional, impulsive man who''d ruin thepany.

    "You want me to kill her, don''t you?" Noah looked at her darkly, and the smoke made him look dangerous. "It''s a simple task for me, but what can I get from this?"

    Amber clenched her fists. "Come here."

    A short whileter, Noah''s moans could be heard from the room, and his belt nged as his pants fell on the floor.

    Rachel woke up early the next morning, and her arms felt numb. There was a nket on her, though she wondered who draped it over her. She remembered someone doing it vaguelyst night, but she thought it was the nurse.

    It was nearly time for work. Since Charlotte was sound asleep, Rachel could leave her. She carefully let the girl''s hand go and tucked her in before she left. After she went home, she changed into her work attire before heading to herpany for a meeting.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter

    188

    Over the next three days, she only went to the hospital, work, and home. Rachel made different soups and different dishes for Charlotte every day too.

    Frankie ced three files on Justin''s desk. "President Burton, these are the candidates for Charlotte''s nanny. Please take a look."

    Justin skimmed through the files. "They''re the best you got?"

    "They''re professionals in the industry. Experienced and responsible."

    "Denied." Justin pushed the file back.

    "Denied?" Frankie took the files from him. "This one has been working in the industry for fifteen years, and she has never received a single negative review. She''s experienced, and she''s a good cook. Why not?"

    "Not educated enough," Justin answered.

    Not educated enough? Frankie couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "President Burton, we''re not looking for a tutor. We''re looking for a nanny. What does education have to do with this?" "You''re the average of the five people you spend time with the most, get it?"

    "What about this one, then? She''s a graduate from an overseas home economics university. And one of the best ones at that. They specialize in this field, so maybe she can change Charlotte for the better." "She doesn''t have a kid of her own. How can she even take care of someone else''s?"

    "What about this one? She has her own children, plus she''s experienced and well educated. The best of both worlds. And she has the best reviews out of the three." Frankie looked at Justin, expecting him to agree.

    A whileter, Justin said, "She doesn''t have the looks."

    What in the world? That''s a criterion too? Frankie was about to break down. "Tell me what you want then, President Burton. I''ll look for the one you want."

    Justin answered, "I want her to be about five feet five, not older than thirty years old, and a graduate from the top five institutions in Riverdale. Aside from being a nanny, I want her to have her own job, preferably the best in the industry. Also, she needs to be a Riverdale local."

    Frankie scratched his head and answered carefully, "Uhm, isn''t that the madam you''re talking about?"

    Justin frowned in surprise.

    Rachel went back to her office after the morning meeting was done, and she saw Frankie standing up. "Frankie? What brings you here?"

    "Madam."

    Rachel paused. "Don''t call me that anymore. The divorce happened six years ago." Shemented her past whenever she met someone who used to be in it, though it was the first time she met Frankie alone after she started working. "Do you need anything?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "President Burton asked me to see you," Frankie answered politely. "He''s going on a business trip, but he hasn''t found any recement for thest nanny. He wants to ask you if you can take care of Charlotte for a few days."

    "Me?" Rachel thought she heard it wrongly. "He told you that? He wants me to take care of Charlotte?"

    Frankie nodded. "I won''t joke about this. President Burton knows he''s wronged you, so please don''t refuse. For the sake of Charlotte, at least."

    Rachel thought about it. Even if Charlotte wasn''t there, she wouldn''t let this perfect opportunity slide. After all, it wasn''t everyday he''d go on a business trip. "I''m fine with it." Frankie broke into a smile. "Alright. I''ll tell him about the good news, then."

    After Frankie was gone, Rachel dropped her smile, though it was reced by a look of hurry. Jolly told her the phosphor wouldn''tst long, so Rachel had to crack the code ASAP and take what she needed from the safe box.

    Charlotte was discharged that afternoon, so Rachel went to the hospital to take her home. But before she entered the room, she heard Charlotte shouting, "No! I don''t want to go with you! Let me go!" "Charlotte, be a good girl ande with me, alright?"

    "No! I don''t wanna."

    "Charlotte, your father''s going on a business trip, and you don''t have a nanny to take care of you. Who''s going to look after you if you aren''ting with me?"

    "My mommy will!"

    "Your mommy? You shouldn''t go with her, Charlotte. If you keep talking about her, your father''s going to get annoyed and leave you behind."

    Rachel would never forget that voice no matter where she went. Her heart sank, and she went inside without any hesitation. "Threatening a child, huh, Sue? Guess that''s how adults work around here," she mocked Sue the very moment she entered, her voice clear and firm.

    Charlotte wobbled over to her mother right after Rachel came in. "Mommy! Great-aunt Sue and the bad guys want to take me away." She sobbed.

    "Don''t cry, Charlotte. I won''t let anyone take you away."

    Sue''s face fell. "What makes you think you can say that? Just because you ran away for a few years and changed your name? That doesn''t change the fact that you''re just a lowly peasant."

    "Sue, it''s been five years, but that doesn''t change the fact that you''re still as unkind as you were."

    "That''s just the truth. I know why you''re back, but you can forget about it. Justin and Amber are engaged. You''re just going to be a homewrecker if you get between them."

    "Hm, if I recall, I was married to Justin back then, but still you specifically asked Amber to be the homewrecker. Didn''t see you defending me back then."

    "Why you little..." Sue snapped. "You''d better know your ce, Rachel. Just because you can talk now doesn''t mean you can disrespect me. Guards!" Sue shouted, and two bodyguards quickly came in. "Toss her out! Charlotte, you''reing with me."

    "Mommy!" Charlotte hugged Rachel''s neck, her pretty little face pale from the shock.

    Rachel hugged the girl tightly. "Touch me and you''re getting it."

    She was holding Justin''s daughter and the only heir to Burton Group, so nobody dared to make a move.

    "What are you scared of? She''s just one girl!" Sue was furious. "If none of you are doing it, I will!" She went to take Charlotte away.

    But before she could, Rachel shoved her back, and she fell down. "Ouch! You b*tch!" She gasped painfully

    "What are you doing, Mom?" Julian stood at the doorstep, asking in disbelief.

    Sue was stunned, and she looked up just to see her son ring at her. "Mom. I told you to never harass Rachel anymore. What are you doing?"

    "Julian, ... I didn''t do anything. Didn''t you see? This damn woman pushed me! You can''t date her! She''ll kill me one of these days."

 Chapter 189

    Julian didn''t even look at his mother. Instead, he asked Rachel, "Are you alright? Is Charlotte fine?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "You guys go on ahead. I''ll deal with this." Julian held Rachel''s shoulders and pushed her out of the ward.

    If it weren''t for the fact that Sue was Julian''s mother, Rachel would have doubled down on the insults and violence. The moment she got out of the ward, she ran into someone familiar. "I thought you''re on a business trip." Rachel was surprised.

    "Not until tomorrow morning." Justin answered.

    "So everything Sue said earlier..."

    "I heard it."

    Since he was acting calm, Rachel thought he was on Sue''s side, and she sneered silently. Guess they''re birds of a feather, huh?

    Julian came out a short whileter.

    Before he could say anything, Sue went past him, looking furious. Apparently, Julian told her something, so she only red at Rachel and left without a word.

    Julian said, "My mother can be annoying sometimes, Rachel. Just ignore her."

    "It''s fine. I don''t mind." Rachel smiled at Julian. "Thanks for helping me out. I mean it."

    At the side, however, Justin''s face fell.

    Julian lifted his wrist and looked at the time. "Why don''t I treat you to a meal? As an apology for my mother''s behavior."

    "No need for that."

    "Sure!"

    Justin was the one who said no, but Rachel took the offer.

    Justin asked, "Why''d you say yes? Charlotte just got out of hospital. She needs to heal up. What if she gets herself sick again from this?"

    Charlotte tugged on his suit pants and blinked at Justin. "But I wanna go, Daddy."

    "I love democracy. It''s decided, then. Come on, Charlotte, let''s go."

    Julian picked Charlotte up and left. "Chop chop, you two." After he was gone, only Rachel and Justin were left.

    Justin looked furious, but Rachel only felt likeughing. "You can''t be jealous, can you, Justin?"

    "Are you mad?" Justin stared at her like she was insane.

    "So why are you worried? We''re just gonna go have a simple, ordinary meal."

    Veins started popping on Justin''s forehead.

    Suddenly, Rachel stood on tiptoe and inched closer to him, their noses almost touching. "You''re nervous, Justin." She put her hand on his shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat. "And your heart''s beating pretty loudly." A smile curled her lips, sucking him in. Just as he was immersed in her smile, she patted his shoulder. "I''ll be going, then."

    The sound of her heels bellowed into the corridor, and Justin''s face fell. As he saw her off, he started clenching his fists. She''s ying me like a fiddle.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Charlotte and Rachel were sitting together in the restaurant, while Julian and Justin took up the other side.

    Rachel was about to get her drink after it was served, but Julian stopped her. "Hold it." He tested the temperature and handed it back to the waiter right in front of Rachel. "We don''t want this. Please get us a cup of hot ck tea."

    "But I don''t want ck tea!" Rachel protested.

    However, Julian''s decision was final. "You know you have a bad stomach. Iced coffee is off limits."

    Rachel pouted.

    Justin thought that the overly friendly conversation was hurting his ears.

    Suddenly, Charlotte looked up. "Mommy, do you have a bad stomach?"

    Rachel patted her head. "No, I don''t. Julian is just overreacting."

    Julian answered, "I''m not overreacting. You just don''t care about your body. Charlotte, do you want your mommy to be healthy, or do you want her to suffer from stomach ache all the time?"

    Charlotte''s eyes widened. "I want her to be healthy, of course." She quickly pushed Rachel''s sd away. "This one is cold as well, so you shouldn''t eat this, Mommy. Have some soup. Great-grandpa told me it''s perfect for people with a bad stomach."

    Julian''s advice apparently worked, since Charlotte spent the whole time keeping an eye on Rachel. She kept asking her mother to have more veggies and soup.

    That slightly annoyed Rachel, but she felt touched as well. For so many years, she''d thought Charlotte would be angry at her because of her absence, but instead, the girl cared a lot for her.

    Julian said, "Looks like you can listen. Though only to Charlotte, I guess. Not me."

    Rachel shrugged. "Yes, Dr. Peters. This is for all the time I went against the doctor''s orders."

    Justin frowned, and anger red in his pitch-ck eyes.

    After they paid the bill, Julian went to the restroom to wash his hands, then Justin came in. "You came back all of a sudden. Should have given us a heads up."

    Julian looked at him. "I have work at the hospital. And my mother''s going to hold a big party if I tell her. Everyone''s going to be dragged into it, so I figured I''de back in secret."

    "You said you''re busy, but you seem to care about Rachel a lot. Do you have the time for that?"

    "It''s been years. I''m used to it."

    Justin couldn''t believe Julian could say that so easily. "... Years?"

    "Didn''t Rachel tell you? She''s been living with me overseas all these years. I was the one who cured her condition as well."

    Justin frowned fiercely.

    Julian continued, "Oh, and I''ll be working in Riverdale until she leaves." He wiped his hands dry. "I''ll be going out now."

    Justin clenched his fists. She stayed with Julian when she was overseas? But she never told me about that? What is she trying to do?

    Rachel and Charlotte were waiting for the men, but only Julian showed up. "Where''s Justin?"

    "He has work to do. Told me to send you two home first."

    Rachel looked at the restroom pensively.

    Charlotteined, "What''s up with Daddy? He''s going on a trip tomorrow, and god knows when he''ll be back. Now you''re telling me he''s working overtime? No wonder he''s still not married at this

    age."

    "He''s busy, so it''s understandable." Julian patted her head. "Let''s go. I''ll take you home."

    "Sure."

    Since Charlotte was still recuperating, she fell asleep in Rachel''s arms on the way home.

    Julian looked at them through the rear-view mirror. "Rachel, are you sure you''re going to stay at Justin''s ce?"

 Chapter 190

    Rachel answered, "Don''t worry. It''s only temporary."

    "I''m not. He lost his memories, so he doesn''t remember you." Julian looked at Charlotte. "I''m just worried you might stick around for Charlotte in the end."

    Rachel stopped patting Charlotte''s back for a moment and hugged her tighter. Back then, she couldn''t even bring herself to look at the child after she was born, but now that Charlotte was in her arms again, it would be hard for Rachel to leave her behind again. "We''ll see how this goes." Rachel tensed up. "Let''s finish what we started out first for now." People died because of him. They need justice to be served.

    Julian said, "Don''t just shoulder everything on your own. I''m always here."

    "Yeah, I know."

    Once she came to Justin''s ce, Rachel sent Charlotte to her room before she went to crack the code of the safe box. There were too many possiblebinations, since it was a six-number passcode. She stared at it for the longest time and tried two different ones, but they were incorrect. I only have one chance left. What will it be?

    All of a sudden, she heard someoneing, and she panicked. She immediately closed the cab, but she couldn''t get out in time.

    Justin came in a momentter. He went to thepany just to take some documents, and he came back right afterward. As per his orders, Frankie looked into Rachel''s life overseas. He found everything he could, though Justin didn''t read it until now.

    Before that night, he thought he was uninterested in his ex-wife, whom he was unfamiliar with. But when he heard Julian talking like he was Rachel''s boyfriend, Justin changed his mind, albeit inexplicably. The next moment, the bathroom door slid open, and Justin was taken aback. "Why are you here?"

    Rachel was drying her hair. When she met his gaze, she exined, "My bedroom''s bathroom is busted, so I used yours. You''re back early."

    "You''re using my clothes as well, I see." Justin looked at her from top to bottom.

    Rachel was wearing his white shirt. It was oversized, so it was enough to cover her thighs. Water droplets were still dripping from her hair, and it drenched her shirt.

    Rachel answered calmly, "I''m just borrowing it. You aren''t that stingy, are you? I can just give it back to you." She started unbuttoning the shirt.

    Justin shot her a look and held her wrist. "No need for that!"

    The pain on her wrist made Rachel frown.

    "Are you always this bold in front of any man?" Justin asked coldly, as if something had triggered him.

    Rachel paused and looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

    "You left Charlotte five years ago. Who did you go overseas with?"

    Justin''s question made her frown.

    "Julian. You went with him." It wasn''t a question. Justin was just making a statement, and he looked at her coldly. "A casual woman like you can''t be Charlotte''s mother. I can''t believe you seduced my

    cousin."

    Rachel''s face fell. "You didn''t lose your memories. You lost your mind."

    "You''re denying it?"

    "I know you lost your memories, but use your sorry excuse for a brain and think about it. We were divorced before I went overseas with Julian. There was a one-year gap between that. Nothing happened between us. Even if I did date Julian, who gave you the right to judge us? The queen? The Almighty Lord himself?"

    Rachel had a point, but Justin-like the child he was-was furious. "So you are dating him."

    "God, I''m so sorry for saying he has a brain. Apparently he has none." Rachel had nothing further to say, so she tried to break free of his grasp.

    "Hey, answer me! I didn''t say you can leave!" Justin barked at her and tried to pull her back.

    She gasped and slipped, falling down to the bed. "Ah!!"

    Justin fell down on her, and a frown creased his forehead.

    His face was inches away from her, and she could smell the faint scent of cologne on him. His pheromones were tingling her senses. Since it waste at night, she could also hear his breathing. The sound of his heartbeats suddenly made her calm down, and she said, "You got so worked up because you thought I was dating Julian? I swear we''re just friends, and we''ll always be-"

    Before she could finish her sentence, Justin pinned her down and made his advances, pressing a kiss on her lips, cutting her exnation short. As their tongues entwined with each other, she could feel his heartbeat, warmth, and the palpable greeding off him. It felt alien to her, yet oh so familiar. Everything was just like it was five years ago.

    As Justin went deeper with the kiss, he slowly lost control over his lust. He seemed to know how Rachel''s body worked, but when he tried to remember it, there was nothing there. Shards of memories swirled around, and pain stabbed his mind, just like how it did every time he tried to recall something.

    But it was different this time. The more painful it was, the more he didn''t want to stop. He wanted to go deeper, so he slid his hand down to the shirt''s hem and moved up her thigh.

    Rachel gripped the sheets tightly, and she felt herself heating up. The mes of lust burned her nerves, and she closed her eyes.

    Bzzt... Bzzt...

    Suddenly, her phone started vibrating, and she opened her eyes, snapping out of her trance. A surge of strength welled within her out of nowhere, and she pushed Justin away. "Hello? What? I''ll be right there." She held her phone. "I need to go. Something came up."

    "What is it?"

    "It''s personal." She picked her clothes up and left right away. Justin looked furious, but she didn''t notice it.

    That was the first time a woman ever rejected him. How dare you, Rachel!

    Rachel went straight from the vi to Jolly''s ce.

    When Jolly saw Rachel, she started crying. "You''re finally back. What should I do? The cops said I can''t

    file a report unless it has been twenty-four hours since his disappearance. And Samuel''s nationality is going to be a problem. Should I just get my folks to handle this?"

    "Now calm down and talk this over slowly." Rachel calmed her friend down. "Samuel''s teacher called you, right?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Yes. His teacher said the summer camp''s just in the neighboring city, but Samuel''s gone from his room when they went to wake him up this morning. Where could a five-year-old boy like him have gone? He might have been abducted!"

 Chapter 191

    Jolly almost cried. "It''s all my fault. I shouldn''t havee back so soon. I should have been looking after him overseas."

    Rachel said, "Calm down. Samuel wasst seen in the hotel, right? Did you check the surveince camera?"

    Jolly froze, and Rachel knew she hadn''t looked through it yet. "Calm down. I''ll call his teacher." She then called Samuel''s teacher.

    The whole conversation was done in anguage Jolly barely understood. After Rachel asked the hotel''s staff to check the surveince, they told her what they saw a momentter. "The staff said Samuel left or his own. They''ll send the video to us in a moment." After she hung up, Rachel calmed her friend down. "I''ll go to Astoria tonight."

    "I''ll go with you."

    "No. You wait here and call the cops once twenty-four hours have psed." After that, Rachel left with nothing but her handbag and keys.

    Just when she was about to get into her car, she heard the sound of someone towing a suitcase, and a young child stood behind the car with his luggage behind him. "Mommy!"

    Rachel froze, and she stopped opening the door. When she turned around, she saw a boy in a blue navy T-shirt and suspenders. He wore a cap, and tufts of brown, curly hair sprouted underneath it. His eyes were beautifully dark, like olives.

    "Samuel!" Rachel ran to him and gave him a hug. "Where have you been? Jolly and I were worried sick!"

    Samuel was coughing from how hard he was hugged. "I can''t breathe, Mommy."

    Rachel let him go after that, but she quickly asked, "How did you even find this ce? Who gave you the address?"

    Samuel blinked. "Hernandez!"

    Rachel frowned at the mere mention of that name. "Him again! Forget about it. Let''s go back up.

    Jolly''s worried sick."

    Rachel then took Samuel''s luggage and took him upstairs. When Jolly saw the boy, she thought she was hallucinating. "How''d you find him so soon?"

    "He was downstairs." After Rachel put her car keys down, she exined, "This boy tricked his teacher into holding a summer camp in Astoria and ran off on his own. I ran into him right after I went down." When Jolly heard that, she gritted her teeth. "Someone''s bold."

    Samuel quickly hid behind his mother. "I''m just missing Mommy. Mommy!"

    Rachel could never say no to her son, so she squatted and looked him in the eye. "Say sorry to Jolly. And tell her how sorry you are. She''s worried sick for you."

    "Jolly!" Samuel went to Jolly just like his mother told him to.

    Jolly crossed her arms, and she looked upset. "Don''t give me that. You don''t care about me no matter what I do. You only go where your mother goes. You never care about me." Rachel gave Samuel a look, and Samuel quickly tugged on Jolly''s skirt. "But Jolly, you''re my favorite

    person."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Samuel''s adorable voice could melt anyone, but Jolly turned away, refusing to see him.

    "Jolly, it''s not good being angry. It makes you old. You''re a prettydy, so you should smile a lot. Smiling makes you pretty."

    "Don''t give me that. I''m a sad, old witch. Your mother''s the prettydy here."

    "But she''s my mommy. She''s different. I''m gonna marry you when I grow up, not her. You can''t grow old just yet. Wait for me!"

    Not even Rachel could hold back any longer, and she chuckled along with Jolly. Then, Jolly flicked Samuel''s cap. "You cheeky brat. Who taught you that?"

    "Who else?" Rachel shrugged.

    "Hernandez, huh? That yboy. He only knows how to flirt. And now he''s starting to lead Samuel down his path too?"

    "You''re not mad anymore, are you, Jolly?" Samuel grinned toothily. "I brought a gift for you."

    Jolly touched his nose. "You cheeky brat."

    And theyughed away. At the same time, a few people were inside a ck car that was in the neighborhood''s corner. The one in the backseat was quiet but absolutely furious.

    "Sir, this is..." Frankie looked panicked, but he didn''t know what to say. Justin suddenly woke him up and told him to drive to Rachel''s ce, but before he could even get out of the car, they saw Samuel calling out to Rachel. Who is that boy? He''s about the same age as Charlotte. And he called the madam "Mommy"? Is he her son?

    Justin''s expression was dark. "Look into this."

    "All right."

    Rachel made a few calls to Justin the next day, but nobody picked it up.

    "Mommy!" Charlotte called out to her from within the bedroom. "I can''t pick my dress. I need your help."

    Rachel snapped out of it. "Give me a second. I''ll be right there." Maybe he''s on a ne, or maybe he''s busy. Rachel was still worried, since she left him so abruptlyst night. She wanted to exin herself, but he couldn''t be contacted.

    "The red one or the white one?" Charlotte picked a red dress and a white dress.

    "Where are you going, Charlotte? Why are you dressing up all of a sudden?" Rachel asked.

    "The amusement park, Mommy. Let''s go to the amusement park, all right?"

    "I thought you''re still sick."

    Charlotte froze, but a momentter, she covered her mouth and coughed. "I do feel sick, Mommy." But she averted her gaze, obviously feeling guilty.

    She can''t even fake her cough. Rachelughed quietly, but she didn''t expose Charlotte. "This one." She pointed at the red dress. "It''ll look good on an amusement park trip. You''ll heal up faster if you go out more, right?"

    Charlotte''s eyes lit up, and she nodded. "Yeah."

    At the same time, Justin was in a hotel in Ashcroft, the city next to Riverdale. He was standing in front of a French window, looking at the missed calls coldly.

    Frankie said, "I''ve looked into thepany Rachel worked in when she was in Montenegro, and I found her details there. She does have a son that''s four and a half years old."

    Justin gripped his phone tightly. And I thought she went overseas for a reason. So this is her reason.

    The staff was setting up the recording hall, while Rachel''s assistant held the interview script. "Chris, this is the script for the interview. We''ve filtered them, so take a look to see if there are any problems." "Thank you." Rachel took the script from her assistant.

    Her assistant looked around and was about to take a chair for Rachel, but someone shoved her. "What are you doing? Don''t you know this spot is reserved for Amber?"

 Chapter 192

    "Look out!" Rachel stopped her assistant from falling. If it weren''t for her, the assistant would have crashed into the lighting prop, and that''d be disastrous. "Are you alright?" Her assistant paled from the shock. "Thank you, Chris."

    The one who shoved her assistant was a harsh-looking youngdy. "Serves you right." Then, she picked the chair and left.

    Rachel didn''t want to get into any arguments, but she wouldn''t let her assistant get pushed around like that. "Hold it right there!"

    The harshdy frowned. "What do you want?"

    "Apologize."

    "What did you say?" The harshdy couldn''t believe what she was hearing. "Why should I? She tried to take Miss Amber''s stuff. If anyone should be apologizing, it''s her!"

    "First of all, I don''t see Amber''s name anywhere on the chair. And I don''t think you brought it yourself."

    "But..." The harshdy gritted her teeth. "But Miss Amber has been using this chair all this time. Are you a newbie? Don''t you know the rules around here, olddy? Do you know who Miss Amber is? She''s the most popr doctor on the show."

    Rachel ignored her. "And secondly, even if this is her chair, that doesn''t mean you can push anyone however you want. You''re lucky she''s alright, but if she''s not, there''ll be hell to pay," she said coldly. "That''s just unreasonable!" The harshdy red at Rachel. "I''m not arguing with you. Miss Amber is waiting for me."

    "Take one more step and I''m suing you for battery."

    The harshdy was finally looking scared.

    But just then, a woman said, "I can hear you from the next booth over. Rachel, ever since you can talk, you''ve been quite aggressive. And now you''re targeting a helpless intern?" Obviously, the woman was Amber the b*tch. She was a guest the channel invited, so she had toe for a shoot every week for her show.

    Coincidentally, Rachel was also invited to talk about the mass production of Burton Pharmaceuticals, so they ran into each other.

    Amber stood before Rachel and told the onlookers, "Thisdy here, Chris, used to be a mute. Guess that''s a surprise, huh? But then, she miraculously started talking after twenty years of being a mute. If it were me, I''d talk about your experience instead of the new meds. After all, that''s loads better than some fancy new item, right?"

    The crowd was buzzing with excitement.

    However, Rachel answered calmly, "If they''re interested, then I don''t mind sharing my experience, but that''s for another day. Your assistant almost hurt someone, but she''s still not apologizing." Amber replied nonchntly, "Just that? Sophie, just say sorry."

    Sophie was surprised, but a momentter, she said reluctantly, "I''m sorry. Happy?" She red at Rachel and Lisa.

    "She said sorry. Can we go now?" Amber asked, then she told Sophie to take the chair away.

    The onlookers were about to go on with their own business, thinking that this was the end of it, but Rachel suddenly said, "Amber, you don''t need to work today. Just here to inform you."

    "I''m sorry?"

    "No. Not just today. You don''t have toe ever again," Rachel continued calmly.

    "Huh? What makes you think you can say that?" Amber scoffed. "You''re just Burton Pharm''s sales director. Justin might have let you handle thepany, but this is the studio. They invited me to host this show. You don''t have the right to fire me."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "We''ll see about that in a minute." Rachel called someone right there and then. "David, I''ve thought about it, and I ept your offer.ˇ±

    David? Amber''s face fell. "David? Which David?"

    Rachel hung up and smirked. "You should know. There aren''t many Davids in the studio."

    Before Amber could form her thoughts, a production assistant came over from the next booth. "I''m sorry, Dr. Hudson, but a situation popped up. We can''t record the show today." "What do you mean you can''t record the show?"

    "It''s a new notice. Your show is canceled. This week is thest episode. There will be a new show next week."

    Amber looked upset, and Sophie was angered. "How can you do this? We''ve prepared the content, and the rehearsals are done."

    "I''m sorry. We''ll pay the final sum as soon as possible. Sorry for the trouble."

    "Why you..."

    "Sophie." Amber stopped her. "Don''t trouble them. It''s just normal for the studio. We aren''t as powerful as a certain someone, and that''s on us."

    Rachel replied calmly, "Instead of being all sarcastic with me, you should think about your future after your show''s cancetion. Thepany won''t tolerate any ckers." Amber finally lost herposure. First, Rachel''s team crushed her team, and now her show-which she worked hard for-was canceled. There was nothing else she could contribute. "Let''s go, Lisa." Rachel then added, "And take the chair."

    Amber almost went on a rampage right away.

    Lisa took the chair right in front of Rachel and Sophie, but this time, she was confident. "Sorry for the trouble, Chris." She put the chair down and gave Rachel an apologetic look. "It''s fine. It''s not your fault. You can''t reason with an unreasonable person, so you''ll have to take a... different approach, so to speak."

    Lisa nodded.

    Later, Amber left the recording hall and waited for her assistant in her car, but then she heard the staff members who came out engaging in a discussion.

    "Did you see that? One call from Chris and the boss canceled Amber''s show. Awesome."

    "Who is she? She''s just a sales director, right? Amber''s Mr. Burton''s fianc¨¦e. How did she even find the courage to stand up to her?"

    "Oh, you don''t know? Chris is Justin''s ex-wife."

    "Wait, what? Really?"

    "I have a friend who''s working in Burton Group. It''s true. Chris is Justin''s daughter''s mother. She even went to see him in thepany, and they had dinner together. I''m sure it''s true." "I see. So she''s legit. Amber''s just a mistress. No wonder she''s scared of Chris."

    The discussion went on.

 Chapter 193

    The more she heard, the darker Amber looked. She did this on purpose. She humiliated me in front of everyone just to get back at me.

    A white sports car suddenly stopped before her car, and out came a man and a boy with curly hair. They talked about something, then the man picked the boy up and went into the lobby. Just before they were gone, Amber remembered something. If she was right, she had seen the same car in front of Burton Group before.

    On the other hand, the recording took more than two hours, but it eventually came to an end.

    "Good job, guys. We''re done." Rachel told Lisa to give everyone the snacks she bought, then she looked at the time. "I have something to settle, Lisa, so I''m going ahead. Keep an eye on things here." "No problem. Go ahead, Chris."

    Rachel left in a hurry with her phone in hand, but she didn''t leave the studio right away. Instead, she went into the pantry on the ground floor and saw Samuel sitting beside the window, drinking his juice. "Mommy!" Samuel opened his arms the moment he saw Rachel.

    Rachel hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry for asking you to wait with Samuel," she told the man beside the boy.

    The man was wearing a suit, but he answered politely, "It''s fine, Miss Chris. This is my job."

    "Where''s Jolly? Why''d she suddenly ask you to take Samuel here?"

    "She seems to have something to settle, but she told me nothing. Though she said she''d be back by seven."

    Rachel frowned. "She couldn''t have gone to a club again, could she?"

    The bodyguard said nothing, but Samuel looked at her. "Mommy, clubs aren''t open so early. Jolly won''t even get to drink if she is there, so she''s safe."

    "You cheeky boy." Rachel patted his head. "How''d you know the club''s opening hours? Did Jolly tell you?"

    Jolly''s bodyguard then sent Rachel and Samuel home, but unbeknownst to them, someone kept watching them until the white car was out of sight. Only after that did they leave in the opposite direction. Rachel noticed the stack of junk food on the coffee table the moment she came back. Jolly was a carefree person; she didn''t pay too much attention to the children''s food, so they ate what she ate. "Do you want anything, Samuel? I''ll make it for you."

    "Egg sandwich, then."

    "Sure." Rachel took out two eggs and a bottle of mayonnaise from the fridge. "You don''t ask for much, huh?"

    Samuel stared at her. "Your egg sandwich is the best, Mommy."

    Before she could say anything, her phone rang. When she saw who the caller was, Rachel hesitated before taking it. "Hello?"

    "Mommy!" a girl said sweetly, but there was a hurried tone in her voice. "Why aren''t you back yet? I''m

    still waiting for you. It''s dinnertime."

    "I have something to do here, Charlotte," Rachel answered. "I''ll bete, so can you go ahead without me?"

    "No! I want you here!"

    "Be a good girl, Charlotte. I''ll be right there after I''m done."

    "I''m not eating if you''re not here!" Charlotte replied angrily and hung up.

    "Hello? Charlotte?" Rachel looked at her phone and frowned.

    "Is that Charlotte, Mommy?" Samuel asked.

    Rachel stared at Samuel in disbelief. "How do you know about Charlotte?" I''ve never talked about it with him.

    Samuel answered, "I heard it when you were talking with Jolly, but by ident, of course."

    "Why didn''t you tell us then?"

    Samuel answered as maturely as he could. "You and Jolly would have told me if you wanted to. Since none of you did, that means I don''t need to find out about it, so I didn''t bring it up." "You cheeky boy." Rachel touched his nose. "What else are you hiding from me then?"

    "It''s... a secret!"

    "You have your own secrets now, huh?"

    The boy grinned. "You should make the sandwiches now so you can go to see Charlotte as soon as possible. She''s going to starve if you aren''t going back."

    "Sure. You go to your room then."

    Samuel obliged. When he heard the water starting to boil, he closed the door and opened a folder in his PC. There was nothing but a man''s photo in it. Samuel stared at the photo for the longest time, mumbling, "He''s ugly. And there''s a scar on his face. Julian''s more handsome than he is. Heck, even Hernandez looks better." Samuel sighed. Well, he is my dad. What choice do I have? Someone opened the door after Rachel made the egg sandwiches.

    Jolly had changed into her slippers. "Something smells nice. What did you make?"

    Rachel crossed her arms and stared at Jolly interrogatively. "Don''t change the subject. Where did you go? Why''d you suddenly send Samuel to me?"

    "Nothing. A friend asked me out, but it''s going to cause a lot of misunderstanding if Samuel was there. Makes it hard to talk, you see."

    "A friend? Who is it?"

    "You don''t know him."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Is it him?" Jolly was unreliable, but she would never abandon Samuel, unless that man was involved.

    Rachel didn''t even say his name, but they knew who she was talking about. Thus, Jolly looked away in

    guilt. "What are you talking about? There''s no way I''d see him."

    "I didn''t even say who it was. Why''d you get nervous?"

    "I-I''m not nervous. I''m not talking to you. Where''s Samuel? I want to see him."

    "He''s in his room." Rachel took her apron off. "Forget it. I''m going to Charlotte''s ce. The sandwiches are done, so have dinner with Samuel."

    "Sure."

    Rachel was still worried, so before she left, she told Jolly, "You should think this rtionship through."

    Jolly waved at Rachel without even turning around. "I know, I know. You''re starting to nag. I told you | didn''t see him."

    "I hope so."

    Night was descending on the city, and Justin was still in the hotel. However, he was talking to someone on the phone this time, though a frown creased his forehead.

    "She humiliated me in front of everyone! And she canceled my show just because she''s friends with the director! You know how hard I worked for it, Justin!"

    Justin was getting a headache from Amber''s crying. "You called me just for this?"

    "This is important! She stopped me from developing any medicine, and now she canceled my show! That''s too much! Even the staff members were talking about me behind my back!"

 Chapter 194

    Justin looked at the time. "It''s gettingte. Let''s talk about this after I go back."

    That made Amber stop talking, albeit reluctantly. A moment of silenceter, she said, "Sure. Rest early."

    Justin hung up, then Frankie handed him a cup of tea. "Sir."

    "What is this about the studio?" Justin asked.

    "The head director, David, canceled Miss Hudson''s show without a reason. And he added a new show in the same slot."

    "A new show?"

    "It''s about Eastern medicine. Chris is the host."

    Chris frowned. "She''s ambitious. It hasn''t been long since she came back, but she''s trying to get her hands on everything. Everyone can see through her by now."

    "Is she trying to do something here?"

    "Yes. Remarrying me."

    It was a simple response, but Frankie''s jaw dropped. "Huh?"

    Justin never joked, and he looked serious about it. "She hid her identity and worked in a Hudson Pharmaceuticals branch nearest to me. Then, she found an excuse to stay at my ce and warmed up to Charlotte. Now, she''s attacking Amber. Obviously, she''s trying to get back together with me."

    Frankie smiled awkwardly. "Sir, you lost your memories, so I''m obliged to tell you this. Your divorce didn''t go well, to say the least. That''s why Master Arthur wanted everyone to hide it from you."

    "It has been years. It might have been horrible, but she wouldn''te back if she didn''t care." Justin sneered. "But she thinks too highly of herself. She thinks she cane and go as she pleases? She had a baby with someone else overseas, got dumped, and wants toe back to me? I''m not running

    a charity here."

    At the mention of the child, Frankie said carefully, "Sir, Chris is not that kind of woman. I think there''s more to this. I''ve asked the guys in Montenegro to look into this."

    "You don''t have to defend her. I only trust what I see." That boy called her "Mommy". There''s nothing else to say. She couldn''t have given birth to twins in Riverdale and only took away one. Frankie wanted to say something, but he thought Justin was too angry for him to do so.

    Rachel stayed at Justin''s ce while he was away on the business trip. She only had one final chance at opening the safe box. There were four numbers in her hand, but she couldn''t evene up with anybination.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was on the phone with her. "It can''t be four numbers. It must be a six-number

    combination. Can you remember which one is more important?"

    Rachel tried to recall the search back then. "Zero and two, I think."

    "Is it a date?"

    "Probably. Looks simr."

    "Have you tried your birthday?"

    "The numbers don''t match. Not even Charlotte''s."

    "Well, try anniversaries. Everyone uses their wedding anniversary or the day they met as a passcode. Either that, or it''s their wife''s birthday, their kid''s birthday or something like that. Charlotte''s the most important person to him, right? Do you think he won''t set the passcode as something rted to her?"

    Jolly kept talking, but Rachel didn''t think much about it at first. However, halfway through, she remembered one particr date all of a sudden. "I got it, Jolly." She quickly typed the passcode in, and the box was unlocked with a click.

    Rachel looked at it quietly, albeit in disbelief. Not even she herself could believe he used that day as the passcode.

    "So, did you open it?"

    Jolly''s voice snapped Rachel out of it, but she got slightly nervous. "Yes."

    "Nice. So what day was it?"

    Rachel looked conflicted, but eventually, she answered, ˇ°The day I had my first miscarriage.ˇ±

    "Oh?" Jolly said, but then she kept quiet.

    "Talk to youter. I''ll see if it''s here." Rachel hung up and opened the safe box. There were twoyers in there. The topyer contained some cash, while the bottomyer had some estate certificates and a sealed leather bag. Rachel unsealed it and took the contents out, but it wasn''t the thing she wanted. The proof that he killed Hans isn''t here. "It''s not in this ce?"

    After Rachel went back, she told Jolly about it. "So you did all that for nothing?" Jolly was shocked.

    "It only proves that it isn''t in the box. Doesn''t mean it isn''t somewhere else in his ce."

    "Are you going to keep staying there then?"

    "I''ll move back. He''ll be back tomorrow." Rachel leaned back against the sofa, her temples throbbing. All she could think of was the truth behind Hans'' death. "I might have to see someone." For the first time in ages, Jolly looked at her seriously. "Janice?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Yes." She was the one who said Justin had the evidence, so she was the one who knew where it specifically was.

    Rachel went to work like usual the next day. After the morning meeting, she went to the president''s office with the proposal. "I''ve drafted the proposal for the next quarter. See if there''s any problem." She then put it on his desk.

    Justin skimmed through it. "Looks good. Let''s do it your way, but I have one condition. I want a fifteen percent increase in sales." "I''ll do my best."

    "I heard you got the TV station to cancel Amber''s show."

    Rachel''s heart sank. When she looked up, she was greeted with a calm gaze. "So you''re interrogating me now?" She pursed her lips. "You stopped her ns to mass produce Western medicine, and now you canceled her show. Everyone can see you''re attacking her."

    "I wouldn''t have to do it if she actually did her job well." Rachel frowned. "But if you think I''m attacking her just because of these, then I have nothing to say to that." With that, she stood up. "I have work to do, so I''ll be going back to my office now."

    Justin stared at her, but before he could say anything, Frankie came in like a wind. ˇ°Bad news, Sir!"

    "What is it? What''s the hurry?" Justin answered unhappily.

    "You need to see the news." Frankie couldn''t care that Rachel was there. He quickly handed his tablet over to Justin

    When Justin saw the content, his face darkened.

    "What happened?" Rachel asked out of concern.

    "You''re asking me that?" He mmed the tablet down on the table and showed it to her. "See for yourself!"

 Chapter 195

    Rachel noticed Samuel in the photo right away. Even though he was censored, his curly hair told her who he was, not to mention that she was right beside him, holding his hand. An article with a headline that read, ''President Burton''s ex-wife returns with an illegitimate son. The shocking truth behind this aristocrat''s marriage,'' was making waves on the Inte.

    It wasn''t a long article, but it managed to make Rachel out to be a cheating woman who was dumped by Justin because she had a lover out there. The article wasn''t fully made up, since the writer knew Rachel used to be a mute. As there was truth among the lies, it was hard for her to exin things properly. Rachel knew that, so she knew this was trouble.

    "When was this posted?"

    "This morning," Frankie answered quickly. "The PR team didn''t think much about it at first, but then it went viral. It''s getting worse by the minute. Sir, our share prices have been dropping ever since this was posted. The Board of Directors has been calling us to talk about this."

    Even though Rachel and Justin were already divorced, the public questioned the decision of hiring her to work in Burton Pharmaceuticals. Now that a scandal had popped up, it was certain that the share prices would drop.

    Justin looked at Rachel coldly. "What''s your n now?"

    "A press release, of course. We''ll tell them that the illegitimate child doesn''t exist. As long as we tell the same story, the public can''t say anything about it."

    "What about the truth?"

    Rachel was stunned, but she clenched her fists, for she knew what wasing.

    Justin asked, "The article isn''t important. Are you going to tell me about that boy? Is he your son?" Justin knocked on the tablet''s screen, producing two loud thuds.

    Veins started popping on her forehead, but she answered calmly, "He is."

    "You''re quick to answer. I thought you''d defend yourself."

    "He''s my son. I don''t have anything to say for myself." Rachel didn''t want to argue about Samuel. Since Justin was looking mad, she told Frankie, "Tell the PR team to get ready for a press release, and make sure they restrict the questions from the reporters. Dispatch a few more bodyguards, and-"

    "Enough!" Justin barked.

    Rachel was shocked. When she turned around, she realized Justin was looking at her coldly. "You''re not in charge here. I''m the boss. Not you."

    "But we need to hold a press release. The sooner we silence the public, the better for you and thepany."

    "I''m not saying we won''t, but that''s not what we''re going to say."This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    Rachel paused for a moment.

    Justin''s gaze was as cold and dark as the deep sea. "Frankie, tell HR toe up with a notice of termination and post it on the official website. We''ll announce it at the press release," he said coldly.

    "Announce what?" Frankie was shocked.

    "That we''ve canceled the contract with Chris. Her personal life''s degeneracy is not what we stand for, and tell them we will never employ anyone who''s morally bankrupt. Not now, not ever. I''ll tell the reporters that we wouldn''t have hired you if you hadn''t lied about your identity."

    Everything Justin said was a shocker for Rachel, and she looked at him in disbelief. "You''re really doing that?" The shock onlysted for a moment though, for she then regained herposure. Her fists were clenched, and her anger was rising.

    Justin answered coldly, "If I don''t do that, you''re going to ruin the wholepany. We''re not going to pay for your indecency."

    "Indecency?" Rachel looked at him calmly. "Is that what you think of me?"

    "Isn''t it? You have an illegitimate son. What else do you have to say?" Justin glowered. "You''d better work with us and apologize to the public before this gets any worse. Then go back to Montenegro and never show up in front of me again!"

    Apparently, Justin was stupid enough to not even leave an exit for himself; even Frankie felt worried. "Sir, we still need to look into this, so-" He swallowed the rest of the sentence when Justin shot him an icy look.

    Rachel answered, "If that''s what you think, then fine by me. I''ll work with you, but I''ll only tell them the truth. I won''t admit to something I didn''t do. I have work to do, so I''m leaving now." With that, she left the office, and the door swung shut.

    "Sir, this might be a misunderstanding. The madam isn''t ascivious woman."

    "Madam?" Justin looked at him coldly.

    Frankie shivered and changed the way he called her right away. "I mean Chris. We''ll get the truth soon enough once we look into Chris and her child''s details in Montenegro. Do you want to dy the press release, Sir? At least until the recon team is back?"

    "No. We''ll hold it tomorrow morning."

    Frankie wanted to say something else, but Justin mmed the table. "One more word and you''re fired as well!"

    Frankie paled and kept his mouth shut.

    At the same time, Jolly called Rachel the moment she came out of the office. "I saw the news. Are you alright?" There was panic in Jolly''s voice.

    Rachel put her phone a little distance away from her ear. "Just got out of his office. He wants to fire me so he can face the Board of Directors and the public."

    "What? Is that idiot mad? He just believes everything he sees? How can he even run apany like that?"

    "That''s not important. Jolly, this popped up too suddenly. Something''s off. Justin and I aren''t public figures, and we''ve been divorced for five years. Almost nobody has seen me, and no reporters would keep an eye on us at all times."

    "You''re saying someone''s behind this?"

    "They can even track down my medical history in Montenegro. They even found out I gave birth there. The enemy is powerful."

    "If they''re actually powerful, they would have found the real record, not the one we doctored."

    Rachel answered grimly, "It doesn''t matter which one she found. This is precisely the one she wanted, so she sold it to the media without even verifying it. That''s the best way to rile up the public." "Wait. You''re saying you know who did this?"

 Chapter 196

    "I don''t have many enemies, and there''s only one person who''s in conflict of interest with me, no?"

    Then, it suddenly dawned upon Jolly. "It''s Amber, that b*tch!" Angrily, she burst out, "I''m going to call Mom and Dad right now to help me remove all those nasty news! I''m going to block those articles!" On the contrary, Rachel was surprisingly calm. "There''s no need for that. Let''s wait."

    Then, she continued, "This issue is currently gaining a lot of attention from the media, so it would only be counterproductive if you asked for Mr. Carter''s help."

    "What should we do, then? How could we just let Justin defame you and use you as a scapegoat so that he could protect the Burtons'' reputation?" Jolly cried.

    As Rachel held on to her phone, she reassured Jolly, "I won''t. I will not take the me for something I didn''t do."

    Five years ago, Rachel had mutism and was unable to speak. As a result, she had been wrongly used on many asions, but she could not refute. However, things were different now that she had been given the chance to speak again. She would no longer hold back her anger and stay silent.

    As soon as Rachel left, Justin exploded with rage.

    Meeting Justin at the wrong time, the head of the finance department was like a sheep in a lion''s den as he was yelled at beforeing out of the office. He was so startled that he almost banged his head into the door.

    "Woah, slow down, Manager Davidson," Frankie cautioned as he escorted Asher out.

    Wiping off the sweat on his forehead, he asked, "What''s with Mr. Burton today? He rejected the quarterly budget before I even had the chance to speak. What should I do now?"

    "It''s not your fault. You just came at the wrong time. I suggest youe back in two days."

    "What happened?"

    "Don''t ask. Knowing too much will do you no good."

    After sending Asher away, Frankie stood at the doorway for a moment before making a call.

    "Hi, it''s me. How''s it going with the investigation?"

    "You need to speed it up because I''ll need the investigation report by nine in the morning tomorrow. You must verify the time and all its details."

    After putting down the phone, he stared at Justin''s office worriedly.

    If Justin had not lost his memories, he definitely would not have said those words to Rachel the other day.

    That night, Charlotte threw a huge tantrum when she found out that Rachel had moved back home.

    When Justin reached home, a ss cup flew toward his head.

    Smash! Fortunately, he dodged it quickly, so the cup hit the wall behind him and shattered into pieces instantaneously.

    "Sir, are you alright?" the new nanny eximed as her face turned pale in fright.

    In response, he only furrowed his brow gently as he was already used to this. ncing behind the nanny, he asked, "Who made you mad this time?"

    In her puff sleeve nightgown, the little girl pointed at his nose and fumed, "You!"

    "Me?"

    "Were you the one who wouldn''t let Mommy stay with me? Why did Mommy leave?"

    "She has something to do these two days."

    At that moment, his face turned dark when he mentioned Rachel.

    Though Charlotte was still very young, she was much more sensitive than most children her age. She could see that Justin was trying to brush her off with a nce. "She still needs to eat and sleep even if she has things to do. Call Mommy now. I want her to apany me."

    With a frown, he told her, "It''ste. You should go to bed now."

    "Daddy, you''re lying! I want Mommy!"

    Again, she cried, "I want Mommy!"

    "Enough!" This was the first time that he had lost his temper with her. Coldly, he continued, "She won''t being today, nor will she being in the future. Do you really not remember, or are you pretending not to? She has never been by your side since you were young, so what do you need such a mother for?"

    Terrified, she didn''t dare to make a sound. Slowly, her eyes welled up with tears.

    Seeing so, Justin regretted being so harsh on her. Just as he reached out to embrace her, she pushed his arms away before turning around and running toward her bedroom. "Charlotte!" he called her name.

    Bang! She mmed the door.

    Justin was stunned for a while before getting irritated.

    The next day, the Burton Group held a press conference.

    All of Belleville''s major media outlets had arrived at the Burton Group''s press conference.

    There were only ten minutes left before themencement of the press conference, yet Rachel still had not arrived.

    "I just called her. She''s stuck in traffic."

    Lisa exined in Rachel''s defense, but Justin continued to frown. "Why didn''t she leave earlier when she knew that the press conference was today? She''s obviously doing it on purpose." "Sir, she''s not doing it on purpose. She left home very early this morning."

    "Early? It''s already five minutes to nine!"

    "She''s runningte because she had to make breakfast for Charlotte."

    As soon as he heard this, an expressionless look stered on his face.

    Just then, Rachel arrived. "I''m so sorry for beingte!"

    As she tried to catch her breath, he could see that her face was flushed from rushing here.

    He frowned.

    Then, the person in charge of the site shouted, "Mr. Burton, we''re getting ready to start the conference!" Immediately, Rachel tidied her clothes and tried to slow down her breathing. "Let''s go."

    At the site, camera shutter clicks filled the room as soon as Justin and Rachel made their way in.

    "Quiet down. In a while, you can raise questions about thetest news concerning the Burtons."

    Slowly, the shutter clicks died down.

    After that, Justin and Rachel sat down.

    "Mr. Burton, are the contents of the article online true? Is your ex-wife Miss Hudson, whom Burton Pharmaceuticals just hired?"

    "Miss Hudson, did you give birth to the boy in the photo in Montenegro? Who''s the child''s biological father?"

    "Did the two of you divorce because of Miss Hudson''s infidelity, or were both of you already on bad terms and the marriage was just a political alliance?" "Was it true that Miss Hudson was not weed by the Burtons when she first married you?

    "Mr. Burton, have you ever confirmed if you and your daughter are rted?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Like bullets, questions came one after another. It was as if the reporters were trying to blow both of them up with questions like gunpowder kegs.

    When Justin heard this, his face turned grim.

    At the same time, Rachel clenched her fists secretly and dug her nails into her palms.

    She thought that she could deal with anything, yet she never thought that the reporters would doubt Charlotte''s parentage. She was afraid that she might make thingsplicated for the children if she said something wrong.

    "Are the children half-siblings? Is the boy in the photo Mrs. Burton''s illegitimate child?"

    "Who''s the boy''s biological father?"

    At that point, things were going out of control.

    As Rachel nced at Justin, she told him, "I''ll go with whatever you say, but I hope you won''t bring the children into this. They''re innocent."

    "I''ll resign from Burton Group and bear the public criticism alone."

    After all, she was the one who caused such a big mess.

    Coldly, he questioned, "Are you sure you''ll be able to bear it?"

    The reporters in the audience were still bombarding them with questions while holding on to their cameras impatiently.

    "Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson, please answer our questions."

    With her staring at him anxiously, he stood up. "Everyone must have a lot of questions regarding the article that went viral recently. On behalf of myself and the Burton Group, I would like to announce that.....ˇ± Right then, Rachel''s heart stopped.

    Then, he paused and nced at her. "The article was fabricated with tantly false ims and usations."

 Chapter 197

    Justin''s statement caused an uproar in the crowd.

    Rachel was in disbelief when she heard what he had just said.

    Holding on to her shoulders, he pulled her up from the chair so that they were facing the reporters side by side.

    "Rachel and I divorced peacefully and on good terms five years ago. Before that, we lived as an affectionate couple and never did anything to betray each others'' trust throughout our marriage. Even after our separation, we still respect each other and remain friends who wish each other nothing but happiness."

    "Even if you''re friends, how do you exin the child in the photo and Miss Hudson''s maternity records overseas?" the reporters pressed.

    Upon hearing this, Justin questioned them, "What made you think that the child is someone else''s if he was born after the divorce? Both children are mine."

    With that, it sparked an uproar in the audience, and the camera shutter clicks filled the entire conference hall.

    Shocked, Rachel was speechless.

    Justin must have gone mad to have said such things.

    "Therefore, the Burton Group and I will file awsuit against the writer and spreaders of the article. All media outlets that have forwarded ormented on the article are requested to delete all inappropriate remarks immediately. This rumor has caused me, Rachel, and the Burton Group great trouble. We''ll be sure to conduct a thorough investigation about this!"

    At that point, the crowd was in chaos.

    Besides a daughter, the president of the Burton Group also had a son. In addition to that, the mother of the child was his ex-wife. This sudden news was like a bombshell.

    "I''m sorry, we''re done with the press conference today. Kindly make an appointment if you have further questions."

    Then, the site manager tried to keep the crowd under control while the bodyguards escorted Justin and Rachel out of the hall.

    Running up to Justin, Rachel asked, "Why did you say that?"

    "I did it for Charlotte, not you."

    Coldly, he added, "What would Charlotte think if she found out that you abandoned her for five years to marry and have children with someone else?"

    As soon as she heard that, her face turned pale. "I can exin. It''s not what you think."

    "I have no interest in knowing who the father of the child is, and you better keep your mouth shut as well. If anybody finds out the truth, I''ll see to it that you leave Riverdale and nevere back." She wanted to say something but eventually gave up when she saw how reluctant he was to listen to her.

    Besides, she never expected that he would defend her during the press conference.

    Just as he left, her phone rang in her pocket.

    "How was the press conference? I''ve already prepared a draft for you to retaliate." Jolly''s voice sounded on the phone.

    "I''m fine for now."

    "Wait, what happened? The reporters and Justin didn''t eat you alive?"

    "It was not what I expected. I''ll tell you when we meet, alright?"

    "Sure! I''ll post the article first to give them a taste of their own medicine. I''d like to see how brazen that b*tch can be!"

    Listening to this, Rachel only kept quiet.

    As for Justin, he had already gone back to his office.

    As he reyed the video of the press conference earlier, he felt irritated all of a sudden. Immediately, he closed hisptop as he did not want to hear another word.

    Suddenly, Frankie knocked on the door and came in with a stack of documents.

    "Mr. Burton, there''s news from Montenegro."

    With his palm on his forehead, he asked impatiently, "Who''s that man?"

    "What man?"

    Justin''s icy stare gave Frankie a good scare. As soon as Frankie returned to his senses, he continued, "The hospital only has the mother''s information and no information about the father. Besides, Rachel never got married in Montenegro."

    "She gave birth out of wedlock?"

    Handing the documents to Justin, Frankie exined, "It''s not like that. Things are a bitplicated, so you should take a look at it for yourself."

    Two sets of documents withplete information were prepared.

    The first set was the medical report of her hospitalization and childbirth which the reporters had received when news got out. The timestamp on the other set of documents was coincidentally the same as the first with the only difference being the patient''s name.

    "Who''s Jolly? What does she have to do with Rachel?"

    "She''s Miss Hudson''s best friend."

    Upon hearing this, Justin frowned and narrowed his eyes. "So, Rachel''s not the child''s biological mother?"

    With aplicated look, Frankie nodded.

    At that moment, Justin stared at Frankie in disbelief.

    That afternoon, the contents of the press conference started to spread online. New topics regarding this overshadowed the contents of the previous articles.

    ''My God! I never knew there could be such an incredible man who would still defend his ex-wife even after they''ve divorced!''

    ''They had the little boy after the divorce, so that must mean they still have feelings for each other.''

    ''Both of them are still single, so they must still miss each other very much. Otherwise, why have they not remarried after five years?''

    ''Please get back together! I''m rooting for this couple!''

    As Amber read thements, she fell silent.

    Theizens''ments kept refreshing on top of the searched list.

    With a loud bang, she closed herptop with a pale expression on her face.

    She could not believe that Justin would admit that the illegitimate child was his. It was clearly impossible as Rachel had left as soon as she gave birth to Charlotte.

    Theizens must have been blind to believe everything. The child had curly hair. Which part of him resembled Justin?

    Still in her own thoughts, she logged into her private Twitter ount instantaneously to post a fewments.

    ''The child''s obviously illegitimate. How could they be father and son?""

    ''It''s obvious that thepany''s public rtions department said so on purpose. They have no feelings for each other and are on bad terms in reality.''

    ''She''s obviously a slut!''

    After posting a fewments, her phone rang. It was her friend.

    "Hello?" she answered.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "Amber, what are you doing right now? You need to see what''s online at this moment."

    "I''m looking at it right now, and I''ve read the news already. Theseizens only speak and act on hearsay. They need some good scolding from me. Don''t you have a lot of friends from the media? Get me some trolls, won''t you?"

    "What trolls? You should worry about yourself! Your main Twitter ount''s in trouble, don''t you know?"

    "What?" She froze.

    All this while, she had been using her private Twitter ount to tell off theizens, so she did not know what was happening on her main ount.

    "Somebody posted an article titled ''Wealthy Daughter Seduces Brother-inw and Tries to im the Moral High Ground After Forcing Sister to Leave.'' It''s so obvious that it''s talking about you!"

    By then, the article had already exploded on the Inte.

    Just after the Burtons had issued a statement and Justin had defended his ex-wife at the press conference, people already started digging up dirt on Amber-his fianc¨¦e.

    From her hooking up with the attending doctor when she was studying medicine abroad to forcing her sister to leave so that she could rece her, every word hit the nail on the head that it made her gnash her teeth in anger after reading the article.

    When Amber logged into her main ount, she was bombarded with tons of private messages andments.

    ''Homewreckers should die.''

    ''How dare you seduce your brother-inw? How shameless!''

    ''Let me see what this homewrecker looks like! She doesn''t even look half as good as her sister, yet an ugly person like her is causing so much trouble.''

    She was utterly speechless.

    As she typed, her fingers trembled and her face turned white.

    Who did this?

    Who the hell did this?

 Chapter 198

    At that moment, a woman with a bun tied on her head stretched her back and rotated her neck side to side.

    "I did it!"

    As Rachel poured Jolly a cup of tea, she cautioned, "Don''t exaggerate. You might be sued for defamation if you try to provoke Amber."

    "What do I have to be afraid of? Do I seem like I''m short of money to pay for the litigation fee andpensation? No matter how long it takes-even if I lose thewsuit, I''ll let that little b*tch have a taste of what cyberbullying feels like! I''m going to return violence for violence!" Jolly eximed.

    Then, she continued, "She''s the one who always loves to show off on Twitter by presenting herself as a kind daughter from a wealthy family, being a special host to many health TV programs, being a top student who often gets her paper published, and doesn''t mind that her fianc¨¦ has a daughter while promising to be gentle and kind to care for her many years forward."

    The more she said, the more she felt disgusted. Then, she spread out her hands wide open and said, "She''s gentle, modest, courteous, restrained, and magnanimous. She''s literally the epitome of righteousness and the light of the universe that everyone worships!"

    Upon hearing this, Rachel shook her head helplessly. "Well, half of it is indeed true. However, things started to crumble when people started praising and worshiping her too much."

    Besides, Amber had many skeletons in her closet.

    Jolly would get irritated every time at the mention of Amber.

    "She acts as if she''s pretty and rich. My arse! The Hudsons aren''t even half as rich as I am!"

    Quietly, Rachel asked, "So, are all pretty and rich women like you?"

    "What''s wrong with me?"

    Casually picking up a piece of underwear from the chair, Rachel dangled it in front of Jolly with her finger. "A pretty and rich woman who leaves her socks and underwear everywhere in the house."

    With a sheepish smile, Jolly pushed Rachel''s hand away. "I''m a phony, while you''re truly smart, gentle, and virtuous. Well, you''re here at the right time. Wash them for me, will you?"

    As soon as Rachel heard that, she rolled her eyes.

    Meanwhile, at the Burtons'' vi, Charlotte had been throwing tantrums at Justin for two days. She even locked herself in her own room and refused toe out.

    Mrs. Duncan knocked on her door and patiently tried to persuade her toe out of her room, "Miss Charlotte, you only ate very little food during dinner. Come and eat a little something, won''t you? I made some hot chocte."

    "No, I don''t want to."

    Just as she replied, her stomach rumbled loudly through the door.

    "Are you hungry?"

    "I''m not!"

    At this point, Mrs. Duncan did not know what to do anymore.

    Just then, somebody opened the door downstairs. Immediately, she said, "I think sir is back."

    "I don''t care if he''s back! Daddy''s the worst! I don''t want to stay with him anymore!" Charlotte fumed.

    Justin was at a loss for words as soon as he saw Mrs. Duncan holding a tray of food outside of Charlotte''s room.

    "She''s still not eating?"

    "I''ve already tried everything, sir."

    Taking the tray from her, he told her, "Go ahead and rest. I''ll do it."

    "Yes, sir."

    After she left, he knocked on Charlotte''s door. "Charlotte?"

    "Go away! I don''t want to see you!"

    "It''s fine if you don''t want to see me, but you have to eat. Otherwise, how would you meet your mommy if you don''t have enough strength?"

    "I know you won''t let me meet her. You''re a bad person!"

    After pausing for a moment, he questioned, ˇ°Did Mommye to see you this morning?"

    Then, the room fell silent.

    From this, he got his answer.

    It was very likely that Mrs. Duncan had called Rachel. Knowing that Charlotte was refusing to eat, Rachel made breakfast for her.

    Then, Justin said to Charlotte, ˇ°I don''t me you. I''ll bring you to the office tomorrow if you want to see her."

    After a moment of silence, the door finally opened.

    "Really?"

    At that moment, his heart ached as he saw her grubby face. Caressing her head, he reassured her, "Really."

    "You need to keep your promise."

    "I will. Quick, be a good girl and finish this hot chocte."

    The next day, Charlotte woke up early in the morning and turned her wardrobe upside down to look for the perfect outfit before settling with a white dress and leather shoes. Like a princess on a royal progress, she followed Justin to the office.

    When they reached the office, he instructed Frankie to give Rachel a call.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Miss Rachel had gone into a meeting as soon as she came into the office this morning. The meeting just started, and I''m not sure when it''ll end."

    Strictly, he ordered, "Tell her to end it early and ce her on leave today."

    "No!"

    Jumping off the chair, she stood firmly on the carpet and shook her head at him. "You''ll distract her from work if you do that. Then, Mommy will think that I''m a bad child who doesn''t know any better!" "Don''t you want to see her?" he asked.

    "I''ll just wait for her in her office."

    "I''m not sure what time her meeting will end. Are you sure that you can wait?"

    He knew her daughter very well, after all.

    As soon as she could speak, she had not been able to sit still. As such, how long could she wait in Rachel''s office?

    Nodding solemnly, she noted, "I''ll be leaving now, so go ahead and do your stuff. Don''t look for me because Mommy definitely doesn''t want to see you!"

    After saying this, the little girl walked away arrogantly.

    In the meantime, a little boy with curly chestnut brown hair and a little ducky schoolbag came through the revolving door into the Burton Group building. "Good morning, miss!"

    His sweet voice sounded from below the counter as he was still much shorter than it.

    After being stunned for a moment, the receptionist tiptoed and saw the little boy down below. His face was as white as snow and it melted her heart. "Hey, little guy. Who are you looking for?"

    "I''m looking for Mommy!"

    "Who''s your mom?"

    Before he could answer, the other receptionist eximed, "Isn''t he..."

    "Isn''t he what?"

    "The one in the news."

    "Huh?"

    "This hair and height. I''m pretty sure it''s him."

    "Hey, what''s your mom''s name?"

    Unsure of what the two receptionists were talking about, he blinked and responded in a serious manner, "My mom''s Rachel Hudson. She''s the sales director."

    "It''s him!"

    The two receptionists sped their hands over their mouths excitedly.

    The news only exploded two days ago. Therefore, they had never expected to bump into the kid so quickly.

    "Miss, could you bring me to my mommy''s office?"

    "Of course."

    However, the other receptionist halted her. "Shouldn''t you call the pharmaceutical department to confirm?"

    "Silly, he''s Mr. Burton''s son, the heir of thepany. Do I need to call to confirm?"

    ncing at the innocent look on his face, the twodies figured that he did not know anything.

    "If I were him, I would die of happiness when I grow up."

 Chapter 199

    With an innocent look on his face, the little boy held the receptionist''s hand as they went into the elevator. Sweetly, he said, "Miss, this building is so tall!"

    "Yes, it is. Thepany''s pharmaceutical branch is on this floor, which is where your mom is," she replied patiently while pointing at the floor numberings. "The president''s office is on this floor, while the other departments are on the remaining floors."

    Mentally taking note of this, he nodded.

    Ding! The elevator had finally reached the floor where Rachel''s office was.

    "I''ll go in on my own. Thank you!"

    "No, worries, kiddo. Look for me if you have any problems, alright?"

    Then, she patted his head before turning to enter the elevator again.

    As soon as the elevator went down, he stood on his toes and pressed the button to go upstairs. After that, he entered the next elevator and headed to the floor where the receptionist said his dad would be. Meanwhile, Charlotte sat down in Rachel''s office and opened herptop to watch some cartoons.

    The door to the office was not shut properly, so she could hear the two workers gossiping from their workstations nearby.

    Just as she jumped off the chair to close the door, she froze when she overheard what they were discussing.

    "Does Mr. Burton really have a son?"

    "I heard him say it himself at the press conference yesterday. Why would he lie?"

    "I also saw the news. Are those things online about Amber true? Is she really Rachel''s sister? Did she steal Mr. Burton from Rachel?" Upon hearing this, Charlotte stayed silent.

    In the meantime, Justin was in a morning meeting in the boardroom.

    Suddenly, Gloria rushed in after knocking on the door and whispered into Frankie''s ears. Right after, he followed her out of the room.

    As Justin listened to the business proposal, he looked outside the ss window to find a child standing in between Frankie and Gloria, who were speaking to each other.

    He frowned.

    After saying a few words, Frankie pulled Samuel to a quiet corner and asked Gloria, "How did he get in?"

    "I don''t know. He was already standing right in front of me when I looked up."

    "Why did you bring him here then? Don''t you know where this is?"

    "Oh, stop making a fuss, Mr. Beckham. Look at him. He''s clearly Mr. Burton''s son. I''ve seen the news. Where should I bring him to, if not to Mr. Burton?"

    For a moment, Frankie could not find the right words to exin who Samuel actually was.

    Just then, a voice sounded from behind. "What''s the matter?"

    Frankie turned his head and saw Justin.

    "Mr. Burton..."

    Then, Justin raised his hand. Understanding what he meant, Frankie and Gloria left.

    Finally, when there was no one around, Samuel batted his eyes at Justin before asking in a sweet but clear voice, "Are you Justin Burton?"

    "I am. You''re looking for me?"

    "Yes, I''m here to see you."

    From his pocket, Samuel took his phone and unlocked the screen to show Justin. "I saw yesterday''s news."

    Shown on the screen was a photo of Justin at the press conference yesterday.

    "So? You came here to acknowledge me as your dad?"

    Samuel shook his head. "No. I''m here to thank you for helping Mommy yesterday."

    As he was speaking, he took out an exquisite gift box from his little ducky schoolbag. "This is for you. I bought it with the pocket money I saved for a very long time." However, Justin did not reach out to receive the gift.

    Even if Justin knew that the child was not Rachel''s, he felt hostile toward Samuel because Rachel would rather care for someone else''s child for years than her own and never even came back once to see Charlotte.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "There''s no need. I didn''t do it for her."

    "You behave just as Mommy described. Stubborn as a donkey."

    When Justin heard this, his expression changed. "Is that what she said about me?"

    "She even said that you''re incorrigibly obstinate, self-righteous, and self-centered regardless of other people''s feelings. You rejected my gift when you haven''t even seen it. How rude!"

    Though he was adorable, he was a chatterbox that talked too much.

    "I have no idea what Mommy saw in you. I can''t believe you''re my dad."

    "I''m not your dad."

    "Are you trying to take your words back even when you''ve already admitted it to the press?" Samuel stuffed the gift into Justin''s hand. "This isn''t for you. It''s for my sister. Please give it to her." Annoyed, Justin fumed, "I already told you that I''m not your dad. Besides, she''s not your sister!"

    As he spoke, he was trying to stuff the gift back into Samuel''s bag.

    At this point, Samuel was getting irritated. "I said it wasn''t for you! I bought it for my sister!"

    "She doesn''t need it."

    As they bickered, Justin was unaware of his strength and caused the gift to fall to the floor.

    With a crash, the item in the gift box fell out. The lid and box of the music box which was inside fell apart.

    Justin froze immediately.

    Crouching in front of the music box, Samuel picked up the shattered pieces with his tiny hands, an aggrieved look stered on his face.

    "Samuel!"

    At the same time, Rachel''s footsteps sounded on the other end of the hallway. She left the meeting as soon as she received a call from Jolly. True enough, Samuel hade to the office. "Samuel, are you okay?"

    As she saw how terrible he looked, her first reaction was to check if he was injured anywhere.

    With a pout, he showed her the shattered pieces of the music box. "Mommy, I don''t like Daddy anymore. He broke the music box that I wanted to gift to my sister."

    Instantaneously, Rachel pulled him into her arms and seethed, "The child did nothing wrong. Why did you do that?"

    Only a moment ago, Justin was feeling regretful for what had happened. However, his face darkened as soon as she came up to use him. "Indeed, the child did nothing wrong. But have you ever considered how Charlotte would feel if she saw him?"

    Then, he added, "This is the Burton Group''s office and your workce. Not a nursery!"

    After hearing his cold remarks, she covered Samuel''s ears at once and carried him. "Let''s go."

    As she turned around, she saw Charlotte standing there.

    Before, Rachel hade running from the meeting room in a hurry, so she did not notice that Charlotte had followed her as she ran up the stairs.

    The little girl, who was running out of breath earlier, was still trying to catch her breath.

    As Rachel was hugging Samuel, she said helplessly, "Charlotte..."

    Charlotte looked at both of them with an rmed expression.

    Walking over quickly, Justin asked, "Charlotte, when did youe here?"

    When she came back to her senses, she ignored his question and picked up the music box to turn the lever twice. However, no sound came out of it, so tears started to well up in her eyes. Justin''s heart ached as he watched her, thinking that she was feeling upset because of Samuel.

    "Be a good girl and don''t cry, alright? Let''s go out and y, okay?"

    Just as he was about to embrace her, she pushed him away abruptly to the point that he fell backward to the floor with a grunt. He then looked at her with a look of disbelief.

 Chapter 200

    "I don''t want to y with you! How could you treat my little brother this way?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Little brother? Justin was shocked.

    Rachel was also astonished.

    Holding on to the music box, Charlotteined loudly, "This is the first time that my little brother is gifting me a music box, yet you broke it! You''re going overboard again and again!" Stunned, he asked, "Charlotte, you''re angry because of this?"

    "Why else would I be angry? Besides, you guys never told me I had a brother!" She cried as her voice grew louder and her shoulders trembled in anger.

    At that moment, Samuel wiggled out of Rachel''s arms and ran toward Charlotte to hold her hand. Like a little adult, he consoled her, "It''s alright. I''ll get you a new one, so don''t cry, okay?" Seeing this, Rachel was filled with mixed feelings.

    Unlike theplicated thoughts of adults, the hearts of children were so pure.

    In the end, it was Samuel who managed to calm Charlotte down. However, there was still a look of disdain in Justin''s eyes as he watched them bitterly.

    Then, Frankie brought the two children from Justin''s office to the lounge to have some snacks, leaving Rachel and him to face each other.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know Samuel woulde."

    "Do you think that an apology can undo what you have done?"

    He continued with an icy tone, "Well done to you and your son for targeting Charlotte."

    Hearing this, she furrowed her brows. Though everything could be exined, she chose not to say too much.

    "I''ll get someone to pick him up. He won''t be staying long."

    "Whatever."

    After saying this, he turned to look at hisptop and ignored her.

    Right after she came out of the office, she called Jolly, yet no one picked up. Perhaps she had gone somewhere to have fun.

    Just as she was about to enter the elevator, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Initially, when she answered the phone, she thought that it was Jolly, but was met with a strange yet familiar voice.

    "Rachel."

    Jefferey''s voice had not changed at all even after five years. He always spoke to her harshly and arrogantly. "Where are you now? I want to see you."

    She clenched tightly onto her phone before calming down a momentter. "Sure, but I''m not free right now. Let''s talk after I''m off from work."

    It seemed that he did not understand what she was saying. With a low voice, he told her, "I''ll be waiting for you at the caf¨¦ beside the Burton Group in half an hour."

    Half an hour?

    She sneered as she looked at her watch.

    An hour and a halfter, she finally went down to the caf¨¦ slowly after seeing more than ten missed calls on her phone.

    When she reached, she recognized him almost immediately.

    Unsure if it was just an illusion, she felt that he had aged quite a lot seeing that the gray hair on the side of his temples had turnedpletely white. He also looked very haggard.

    Even so, he had a stern look stered on his face the moment he set his eyes on Rachel. With a grim expression, he chided, "You made me wait here for one hour!"

    Unaffected by his behavior, she replied calmly, "It''s just one hour. There are people who wait for a day even after making an appointment to meet me. I''ve already made an exception for you." "What appointment?" His face went livid. "How could you associate me with them? I''m your father!"

    As he was speaking, he looked at her from head to toe. "Don''t try to act so brazenly now that you''ve got your mutism cured. No matter where you go, you still have toe back to Riverdale, to the Hudsons." "You came all the way here just to tell me this?"

    Then, his eyes darkened as he remembered what he hade for. "Were you the one who posted the article about Amber?"

    Rachel wasn''t surprised at his reply as she had already expected it. "No."

    Indeed, it was not her but Jolly who posted the article.

    "Who would post things like that if not you? Who else would know so much besides you?"

    "What are you trying to say?"

    Just as she spoke, he stood up and roared, "What kind of attitude is this? Delete it if you were the one who posted it. Come to me if you have any resentments against me. Why are you taking it out on your sister? She''s marrying Justin soon."

    "What does her marriage have to do with me?" Her fingers circled her cup. Then, she reminded him faintly, "Anyway, she was supposed to marry Justin six years ago, wasn''t she?" Upon hearing this, he froze.

    "Wasn''t the perfect younger daughter of the Hudsons supposed to marry him?"

    "You''re clearly back for revenge." His face darkened immediately. "I''m warning you. Don''t do anything to hurt Amber. Otherwise, don''t me me for disregarding our father-daughter rtionship." "What father-daughter rtionship have we got?"

    Giving him a cold re, she continued, "For many years, I''ve always wanted to ask you how my mother actually died."

    Suddenly, she stood up with a stern expression on her face. As she got up, the chair scuffed against the floor and made an ear-piercing sound.

    Everyone in the caf¨¦ turned to nce at them displeasingly.

    At that moment, he looked as though he had seen a ghost. Gazing at him, she spoke calmly while stirring her coffee, "Don''t worry. Even if you did kill my mother, the statute of limitations had already run out. What are you afraid of?"

    Twenty years have passed, so nothing would happen to him even if there was sufficient evidence now.

    This was the main reason why she was so heartbroken.

    "What nonsense are you talking about? Who told you this? Was it that damned old hag?"

    nk! She dropped her spoon all of a sudden which made a sharp metallic sound when it touched the wall of the cup.

    Staring daggers at him, she warned, "Say one more word about Grandma, and I can assure you that the criticisms of Amber online will be so great that you won''t be able to do anything!"

    "So, you''re admitting that you did it, aren''t you? Amber''s your sister. How could you do this to her?"

    "Why didn''t the fact that we are sisters cross her mind when she spread the rumor of me having an illegitimate child? And why did you turn a blind eye to it then?"

    "I didn''t know you''de back!"

    "Oh, stop pretending! I wouldn''t have left Riverdale for five years if you really treated me like your daughter. What kind of sister behaves like Amber and treats me this way? So, don''t try to tell me that you''re my father."

    "Or perhaps, I should call you Uncle Jefferey?" She gave him a cold re.

    He narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

    "You... What are you talking about? Are you crazy?"

    "You know very well what I''m talking about."

    "Do you remember everything that had happened when you were a kid?"

    "What do you think?" Her lips lifted into a sarcastic smile as she adjusted her sunsses.

 Chapter 201

    "I have something to do, so let''s end it here today. I''ll have a good chat with Uncle Jason about my parents on another day," Rachel said before leaving.

    Besides investigating the cause of Hans'' death, she came back to run a thorough investigation on the murder of her mother. To her, it didn''t matter that the prosecution period had expired.

    She could not hold it in anymore, so she told Jefferey that she knew everything. She bet that he would not be able to sit still after hearing so. After all, what right did a murderer have to live in peace? At that moment, his face turned white and grim as he stood at the desk.

    Never had he thought that her memories from when she was a child woulde back all of a sudden-not to mention events that urred more than 20 years ago. What she had said earlier terrified him and sent chills down his spine.

    He clenched his fists tightly as he watched her leave. No... If she remembers everything when she was a child, then... She should know about the secret prescription.

    Immediately, he made a call. "Hey, it''s me. Help me check on Burton Pharmaceuticals''test product. Send me the ingredients list andb report of the traditional medicine used as soon as possible. There''s no need to specify the dosage. Just the ingredients will do. Hurry!"

    The man on the other side of the phone sounded puzzled. "Why do you want to check on theirtest product all of a sudden? Is something wrong?"

    "I suspect that Rachel has recalled the Hudsons'' prescription and gave it to the Burtons. That ungrateful brat!" Jefferey''s face darkened.

    Hearing this, the man on the phone did not know what to say.

    Meanwhile, Samuel and Charlotte were having a good time with each other in the lounge. As she kept piling up snacks beside him, she bubbled, "Samuel, eat this. It''s really good!" "Thank you."

    "There''s no need to thank me."

    Then, he remembered something halfway through eating the snacks. "Charlotte, how did you know that I''m your brother?"

    Putting on a serious face like a little adult, she chided, "I''m your older sister! I saw Daddy say it himself on TV." Then, she continued, "I''m the youngest at home all this while, so they thought that they could fool me and find me a stepmother since I''m just a kid. Now that you''re here, he''s going to think twice before getting me a stepmother."

    "Why would his decision change if I''m here?"

    "Are you stupid?" Her eyes widened. "Daddy listens to me, and Mommy listens to you. They''ll definitely get back together if we create opportunities for them."

    Scratching his head, he replied, "But I never wanted them to get back together... He treats Mommy badly. Besides, Mommy has many admirers."

    "Daddy has many admirers too! But you need to remember that we''re children from their previous marriage. People who are pursuing our parents don''t actually like us when they say they do."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "I don''t think so... Mr. Peters and Hernandez like me. They even attended the parent-teacher conference for me."

    "Uncle Julian?" She was stunned. "He''s also pursuing Mommy?"

    "I think so. Mr. Peters and Hernandez always quarrel as soon as they see each other. Godmother said that they are love rivals fighting for Mommy''s favor."

    Feeling a sense of crisis, she cried, "What? We can''t let that happen! We must be on the same side. Do you want to be separated from me and Daddy forever? And what will happen to you if Mommy has other children with another man?"

    After a moment''s hesitation, he agreed, "I guess that''s true..."

    With that, she held his hand and spoke earnestly, "That''s why you have to listen to me. We need to get them back together."

    "Okay."

    As they were discussing, Gloria brought them some drinks. "What would you like to have for lunch, Charlotte? Your dad asked me to make a reservation for you two at a restaurant. I''ll bring the both of you there."

    "Won''t Daddy and Mommy be joining us?" Charlotte asked.

    "They''re busy. I did ask them, but they said that they have a meeting to attend."

    When Charlotte heard this, her eyes dimmed. "Then we won''t be going out for lunch. Samuel wants to go to the cafeteria with me."

    "The cafeteria?" Gloria thought that she had misheard her.

    This youngdy is notorious for being difficult to take care of. When she gets into a bad mood, she would be dissatisfied with all the dishes ordered for her and would throw them away without even tasting them. So, what changed her mind and made her decide to eat at the cafeteria?

    When it was noontime, Rachel took a look at the time after finishing her work. "Lisa, has Samuel eaten?"

    Lisa answered from outside, "Somebody from the secretary''s office called and said that Samuel had gone to the cafeteria to have lunch."

    "The cafeteria?" Rachel was slightly startled.

    Located on the fourth floor, the Burton Group''s cafeteria was big and served many types of food. On busier days, Rachel would have lunch there or ask her secretary to pack some food back to the office for her.

    Samuel always had a mind of his own from a young age. Now that he had met the fearless Charlotte, both of them were capable of turning the world upside down. Moreover, the cafeteria was Burton Group''s public space. Hence, she hurried to the cafeteria anxiously.

    Just as she was about to call Samuel to ask where he was when she entered the cafeteria, she saw a figure jumping up by the window, calling out to her, "Mommy! Here!"

    Charlotte''s voice had caused everyone in the cafeteria to turn and stare at her. As Rachel was about to walk over, she saw Justin sitting beside Charlotte. Instantaneously, she frowned. Why''s he here? "Quickly! Come here, Mommy!" Right then, Charlotte was still shouting. It seemed as if she would keep shouting until Rachel went over. Thus, Rachel could only bite the bullet and walk over to where they were seated.

    Obediently, Charlotte ran over to sit beside Samuel and emptied the seat beside Justin. "Sit beside Daddy, Mommy."

    Giving Justin a quick nce, Rachel coughed awkwardly. "Why did you twoe here to eat?"

    Charlotte blinked. "The food here is really delicious, especially the fish and chips. Right, Samuel?"

    Upon hearing this, Samuel nodded his head. "Yes, it''s really good! Come eat with us."

    "It''s fine." Rachel looked around. People seated at other tables were secretly gazing at them as if a spotlight was focused on them.

    "Hurry up and finish your food. I''ll fetch you home after that."

    Underneath the table, Charlotte kicked Samuel, causing him to cough.

    "Did you choke? Here, have some water." Justin pushed the cup of water in front of Samuel at once. "Why are you in such a hurry? Don''t you know that you can''t rush a child who''s eating?" Justin furrowed his brows at Rachel.

 Chapter 202

    Stunned, Rachel exined, "I just wanted to bring Samuel home earlier. People in the cafeteria are watching."

    "So what if they''re watching? I have nothing to be afraid of. Do you?"

    "Why should I be afraid?"

    "Then, eat."

    She became speechless upon hearing Justin''s reply.

    "The first wife''s always the best. They have to get back together, seeing that they already have two children."

    "What a match made in heaven! They look so good together!"

    "Everyone in Miss Chris'' department loves her because she has such a good temper."

    "Now that Charlotte''s biological mother has returned, her bad temper has no doubt improved. A child is always best parented by her real mother because a stepmother would only destroy her."

    One after another, the people in the cafeteria plunged into a discussion and offered theirments. Meanwhile, Amber, who hade all the way to bring Justin some food, was trembling as she held onto her phone outside of the office.

    "Miss Amber, Mr. Burton is not in his office at the moment. Would you like to wait?" Gloria asked carefully, obviously afraid to tell Amber the truth.

    Looking up from her phone, Amber pretended to be calm and smiled. "It''s alright. I''ll leave since he''s not here."

    "Oh, okay. I''ll see you out."

    "There''s no need. The elevator''s here already."

    Watching Amber enter the elevator, Gloria sighed in relief and turned to her colleague to say, "What''s Mr. Burton doing with Miss Chris and Miss Amber at the same time? It''s causing us a dilemma." "What dilemma? Haven''t you realized that Miss Amber hasn''te to the office for some time already?"

    "That''s true."

    For the past few years, Amber often brought lunch for Justin when she was free and staked her im on him. However, she either did note or did not manage to see Justin these days even if she came. What''s happening?

    Quietly, Gloria''s colleague said, "I don''t think she''ll be his fianc¨¦e much longer."

    Right then, Amber threw the thermal container into the rubbish bin when she came out of the elevator. A loud ''boom'' echoed in the parking lot.

    As soon as she got into her car, a grim expression was reflected in the rearview mirror. How could that bastard be Justin''s son? Did he lose his memory? How could he side with Rachel? What kind of tricks is the b*tch ying?

    "Miss, shall we head home now?"

    "No. To the Burton Residence."

    "Yes, Miss."

    With that, the white car was driven out and gradually disappeared from the monitoring range of the parking lot.

    In the cafeteria, Samuel had crumbs all over his mouth after devouring an entire te of fish and chips.

    "Burrp!" He burped satisfactorily and rubbed his belly. "Charlotte, stop giving me so much food. I really can''t eat anymore. I feel like my stomach''s about to burst!"

    "I''m your older sister, so you better listen to what I say!"

    "Well, you don''t look much older than me."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Hearing this, she crossed her arms and put on a serious look. "I''m still your older sister regardless of that. You need to know your manners, so stop grumbling already, okay?" "Fine, I won''t grumble anymore. Happy?"

    "Now, that''s a good boy. Have a meatball."

    "I really can''t eat anymore..." Seeing how she kept feeding him out of love, he cried as he patted his belly, "I''m turning into a ball!"

    Upon hearing this, Rachel couldn''t help but let out a chuckle. "Alright, stop feeding him already, Charlotte. He''s had enough. He''ll get sick if you keep feeding him."

    "But he''s too skinny." Charlotte shook her head. "Mommy, it must have been hard for you to raise him all alone."

    "It was alright. Samuel has always been a good boy."

    "Obedient children don''t live good lives. Daddy said that we don''t need to be obedient children."

    Hearing that, Rachel froze. Though it was a childish remark, it sounded pitiful if carefully considered. Samuel never had to endure any hardships while staying with me, but he did not have a father while growing up. Besides that, Jolly had to juggle between work and study, so she did not have time to take care of him. Hence, it was understandable for him to be an obedient child.

    Noticing the strange look on her face, Justin remarked, "Raising a boy is very much different from raising a girl. Boys should be more sensible." Without waiting for a reply, he stood up. "I see that we''re done here. Let''s go."

    Rachel held Samuel''s hand while he held Charlotte''s. At the same time, Charlotte held Justin''s hand. Together, the family of four walked out of the cafeteria as the people around them spectated admiringly. Before falling asleep at night, Charlotte told Justin, "Daddy, I want to go hiking during the weekend."

    Closing and putting the fairy tale book aside, he responded sternly, "I''m not free this weekend. We''ll go next week."

    "But I''ve already made ns with Samuel. I''ll just go with him if you can''te."

    "Samuel?"

    That means Rachel will be going too, he considered thoughtfully.

    "Do you want to go, Daddy?" She studied his expression. "Daddy?"

    "We''ll see. I might not have time."

    After saying this, he tucked her into her nket. "Alright, you should go to sleep now."

    Extending her small arm out of the nket, she held his thumb and spoke softly, "Daddy, I''m really happy I got to meet my little brother today."

    "You like having a little brother?"

    "Yeah, now I have a little brother to grow up with. I''ll protect him when he''s young, and he''ll protect me when he''s older. Besides, we have Daddy and Mommy..." She was clearly tired as she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep before finishing her sentence.

    Gently patting the nket, he stared at her adorable face for a long while before closing the berth curtains and leaving.

    The next day, Rachel had taken a half day''s leave. The old city had been demolished and high-rise buildings had been rebuilt. Alleyways from five years ago had also disappeared. Following the path in her memory, she found herself arriving at an empty public bookstore.

    Just as she was about to leave, a familiar voice sounded from behind. "Rachel?"

    Rachel froze. When she turned, she saw Janice holding a stack of old books at the entrance of the bookstore. The interior of the bookstore was almost the same as the old tailor shop.

    As Janice poured Rachel a cup of tea, she said, "I thought my eyes were ying games on me. When did youe back?"

    "For quite some time now. I''ve been meaning to contact you, but I didn''t know what to say, so I came here to look for you. I''m actually very surprised you''re still here."

    "What a coincidence! It''s my day off today; otherwise, it''s my grandfather who usually takes care of the shop."

    "Yes, what a coincidence."

    Catching sight of Rachel''s silence, Janice questioned, "You received all the emails I sent, right"

    "Yup."

    "I saw you on the news a few days ago. To be honest, I knew you were back. I was just waiting for you to find me. Hans was right for trusting you. You even came back to investigate his death." Janice sounded determined without the slightest hint of doubt in her statement.

    Taking a deep breath, Rachel confessed slowly, "I wouldn''t have looked for you if I wasn''t in trouble."

    It did not end well for those who were involved with Rachel in the past. Hence, she did not want to drag Janice into this.

 Chapter 203

    "Let''s not talk about that. What''s the matter?"

    "In your email, you stated that Justin has the videos and rejected news articles from that time, but I couldn''t find them in his safe at home. It didn''t look like he would keep them anywhere else in his house." Thoughtfully, Janice admitted, "Five years ago, he went to the investigation hall to look for me not long after you left."

    "Why did he look for you?"

    "I''m not sure. My secretary told me that he brought some documents, but I wasn''t at the office at that time. So, we agreed to meet on another day, but he didn''t show up." Documents? Rachel narrowed her eyes. "What kind of documents?"

    "I didn''t get to see them, and I couldn''t contact him. After that, his attitude toward the Hudsons took a 180-degree turn. From harboring deep-seated hatred and using any means to get rid of them from Riverdale''s market, to supporting their every move. Since I wasn''t able to meet him in person and the Burtons kept a tight lip on everything, I couldn''t find out anything about the situation at that time." Suddenly, Rachel realized something. "This must have something to do with his amnesia."

    "Justin has amnesia?" Janice was surprised to hear so. "When did that happen?"

    Rachel shook her head. "I''m not sure myself, but he didn''t recognize me when I first came back. Up till now, he still doesn''t remember what happened between us back then and even forgot that he was abducted by human traffickers when he was a child."

    "That exins it. I couldn''t wrap my head around his sudden change of attitude toward the Hudsons before this."

    "I''m afraid he probably doesn''t even remember what the video evidence was anymore."

    Hearing this, Janice furrowed her brows. "Seems that way. But it seems a bit weird. Even if Justin has lost his memories, why did the Burtons have to hide it from him and even agreed to his marriage with Amber?"

    "It must be Old Mr. Burton''s doing. At that time, he did say that he didn''t want Justin to dwell on what happened when he was a child, so he made me leave."

    "So, the Burtons are keeping him in the dark."

    "Exactly."

    Janice was deep in thought. "If that''s the case, then Justin wouldn''t have the evidence anymore since Old Mr. Burton wants to keep the past from him." Then, she continued, "The evidence must be at Old Mr. Burtons."

    When Rachel heard this, she froze.

    "There''s one more thing that I didn''t get to tell you in the email because I wasn''t sure," Janice reminded Rachel.

    "Go ahead."

    "I suspect there''s something going on between Jason and Sue. She was well aware of your grandmother''s kidnapping and talked to him frequently on the phone." Rachel squinted. Jason and Sue?

    Back then, it was Jason who kidnapped Nancy, so Rachel was determined to bring him to justice regardless of whether she would leave or not. However, it never urred to her that the Burtons would find someone else to take the fall.

    Jason, the murderer, was still atrge. Things are smooth sailing for wicked people like Jason, Jefferey, Sue, and Amber. How will Hans rest in peace if I didn''te back? Rachel clenched her fists. "I''ll try to get closer to Justin and make him bring me to the Burtons'' summer vi. Old Mr. Burton should be there during this time of the year."

    "Be careful."

    "I will."

    Soon, it was the weekend and the skies were bright and clear.

    Early in the morning, Rachel and Jolly got ready to head out with Samuel. Jolly, who was wearing a flowy sundress, almost had her wide-brimmed sun hat stuck at the door. Speechless, Rachel asked Jolly, "Are you going on a holiday at the beach?"

    "The weather''s so hot. I''ll die of heatstroke if I don''t bring this hat."

    "We''re going on a hike, not a spring outing. How are you supposed to hike in this outfit?"

    Jolly put her hands on her hips. "Pretty girls don''t hike. What''s the use of getting all smelly and sweaty from hiking? It would ruin my image! I''ll be taking the cable car up, of course." "Sure, take the cable car then." Rachel rolled her eyes as she put the pic basket into the trunk.

    In fact, Rachel did not want to tell Jolly the actual condition of the cable car and wanted to let her get a taste of her own medicine so that she would not be so smug next time.

    When they arrived, they parked the car at the foot of the mountain.

    As Samuel held onto Rachel''s hand, he shouted, "Mommy, it''s my sister!"

    From afar, Charlotte, who was wearing a blue denim suspender skirt, dashed toward them. "Mommy! Samuel!"

    When Charlotte plunged into Rachel''s arms, she lifted her head to look at thedy wearing a floral dress standing beside them. Immediately, Charlotte''s eyes twinkled before she greeted thedy politely, "You must be my godmother!"

    Leaning against the car, Jolly pulled down her sunsses. "Wow, what sharp eyes you have! How did you know?"

    "Samuel told me that you''re young and pretty, so I recognized you almost immediately!"

    "Such a sweet girl." The corners of Jolly''s mouth lifted into a smile. "Sweeter than your mom."

    Praising a woman was the best way to get close to her.

    Then, Rachel stood up as she saw Justin walking over slowly. "I thought you weren''ting?"

    "I don''t trust anyone else to take care of my daughter."

    Upon hearing this, Rachel was speechless.

    Instantaneously, Jolly took off her sunsses and crossed her arms. "What do you mean by someone else? Rachel is Charlotte''s biological mother. How could you say that you don''t trust Charlotte''s own mother when you''re willing to let someone else who''s clearly unqualified be her stepmother?"

    Right then, Justin red at her.

    "Who are you ring at? I''m just telling the truth. You can ask Charlotte to see if she likes to be with her own mother or that b*tch who seduced her brother-inw."

    At that moment, Rachel wanted to cover Charlotte''s ears but it was toote. "Jolly, the kids are here."

    Looking at him irritably, Jolly told her, "It''s good to let the children know how dangerous the world can be so that they wouldn''t suffer when they grow up. They have such a blind dad after all."

    "Miss Carter, I have nothing against you, right?" Justin frowned, not understanding why Jolly was acting this way.

    Before Jolly could say anything else, she saw someone walking over behind him. At once, her face brightened as she waved excitedly. "Julian! Right here!"

    Julian? Justin frowned.

    Dressed in a white casual outfit, Julian got out of a car and approached them with a bright smile.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

    "Mr. Peters!" Samuel rushed over. Immediately, Julian hugged him.

    In truth, Charlotte also liked Julian very much, but considering what Samuel had told her before, she stepped back and looked back and forth between her parents hesitantly. This is awkward. As expected, Justin questioned, "Why''s Julian here too?"

 Chapter 204

    Before Rachel could say anything, Jolly rolled her eyes at Justin. "I invited him to this trip. What if both of us defenseless women bump into someone or get into trouble up on the mountains? We''ll need a man

    to help us."

    Immediately, Justin frowned. "Am I not one?"

    "Well, who knew you wereing?"

    Trying to mediate the dispute between them, Rachel cut in, "Alright, you guys. It''s gettingte. Let''s go quickly while the weather''s not hot." As she spoke, she walked toward Julian. "Hurry up ande down, Samuel. You''re too heavy."

    "He''s not." Julian grinned as he handed her a bottle of water. "Here, drink some water."

    "Aww... Juice made out of love?" Jolly jeered, "Only Rachel gets a drink and I don''t."

    ncing at her, Julian replied, "I have more in my car. I''ll get some for you."

    While the three joked around intimately, Justin stood behind and watched. His face turned dark as he felt left out.

    "It''s fine. I don''t deserve it. I''ve already gotten used to it abroad."

    Suddenly, a sigh sounded beside them. "Ugh..."

    Arms crossed like a little adult, Charlotte shook her head at Justin. "Daddy, I already told you to bring some breakfast, but you refused to listen. Look at that. Somebody else has taken the chance!"

    He tensed. "If such trivial matters could win her favor, it need not wait till today."

    "Don''t worry, I''ll help you." She patted his hand. "Watch me and Samuelter."

    When they reached the entrance to the mountain, Jolly parted ways with the others at the intersection to take the cable car while the rest walked up the mountain.

    With that, Jolly went away light-heartedly in her eye-catching wide-brimmed sun hat. Rachel sighed in relief as she didn''t want to be caught walking with Jolly who dressed up as if she was going on holiday to the Maldives. How embarrassing.

    "Let''s go!" Rachel beckoned the others.

    On cue, the three adults and two children followed the trail and walked up the mountain.

    Along the way, Julian chatted with Rachel. "The hospital seminar this time seems to be pretty long. You''ve been back for quite some time already."

    "They offered me a permanent position here, but I''m still considering it."

    "Tran-Q is the most prestigious surgical hospital here. Besides, there are very few cases abroad. I think staying here would suit you best if you''remitted to doing clinical research."

    "I''m not worried about that."

    "Then, what is it?"

    Julian didn''t reply to her question but asked her in response, "Are you nning to stay here, or will you be returning to Montenegro?"

    Hearing this, she was dumbfounded for a moment. All of a sudden, he grabbed onto her. "Hey, careful!" As a result, she narrowly avoided a rock that rolled down from the mountain. The rock hit the spot where she was earlier and rolled to the side of the trail.

    Right then, they were standing so close together that she was almost in his arms already. Shocked, her face turned pale.

    Watching the both of them, Justin frowned even more. Hastily, he stepped forward and pulled Rachel over. When he did that, she stumbled.

    Fortunately, Julian noticed it and pulled her other hand at once. Taking her other arm, Julian looked at Justin with a cold expression. "Justin, what are you trying to do?"

    "Shouldn''t I be the one asking what you''re trying to do?"

    Julian, who was usually gentle and calm, exploded. "Do I have to discuss with you before I do anything? Don''t forget that there''s nothing between you and Rae anymore! "

    "So what? She''s Charlotte''s mother. How could you behave like that in front of Charlotte?"

    "There are some things that the kids should know earlier to avoid wishful thinking."

    "What do you mean?" Justin''s eyes darkened as he stared at Julian intensely.

    Both of them held onto her wrist tightly and argued without giving Rachel a chance to speak. Just listening to them gave her a headache. Right then, she shook Justin''s hand off and drew her hand back from Julian. "Can we go?" Then, she kicked the rock to Justin and stared at him sullenly. "Would you be happy if I got hit by a rock?"

    Just as Justin was about to reply, Charlotte shouted, "Mommy!"

    Rachel gazed at Charlotte. "What''s wrong?"

    "I''m hungry."

    "Hungry?" Rachel looked around. "There''s a restaurant at the top of the mountain. Hold on a little longer, okay? We''ll be reaching soon."

    "But I''m really hungry now." Charlotte pouted. As she said this, she kept winking at Samuel.

    Immediately, the boy knew what she was trying to do. "Ouch! It hurts!" He wrapped his arms around his belly and crouched.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "What''s the matter?" She rushed over to him. "Where does it hurt?"

    "I''m having a stomach ache. I want to go poo," Samuel told her.

    "Didn''t you go to the toilet just now? What happened?"

    Seeing this, Julian came over. "Samuel, let me see."

    Samuel shook his head intensely, scrunching his face while hugging his stomach. "I want to go poo!"

    "There''s a washroom at the top of the mountain. Can''t you hold it?" asked Rachel.

    "How can anyone hold their poop?" Pulling Julian''s hand, Charlotte told him, "Uncle Julian, you should take the cable car down with Samuel quickly. Otherwise, he would poop in his pants."

    Upon hearing this, Samuel smirked but kept his hand on his stomach as he crouched on the floor, pretending to be in pain.

    Then, Julian asked him, "Can you hold on a little longer? I''ll take the cable car down with you."

    Samuel nodded his head furiously.

    Immediately, Charlotte blurted, "I want to go too!" At that moment, a sense of triumph filled her. As long as we distract Uncle Julian, Mommy and Daddy will get some alone time. With that, the chances of them getting back together will be greater.

    It was at that moment that Justin understood what she meant by ''watch me'' when they were at the bottom of the mountain. That little minx. She''s young but she sure has many tricks up her sleeve. Initially, he had wanted to say something, but he got annoyed thinking of how close Julian and Rachel were, so he pretended not to care and said nothing.

    "Alright. I''ll bring the kids down, Rae." Without any hint of doubt, Julian took Samuel''s hand and asked Charlotte toe along.

    "Hold on." Rachel stopped him.

    "What''s wrong?" He turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.

    Squatting down to meet Samuel''s gaze, she asked, "Samuel, look me in the eye and tell Mommy. Do you really want to go to the washroom because you''re having a stomach ache?" Julian froze upon hearing this.

    Meanwhile, Rachel held Samuel''s hand and looked at him seriously. Charlotte always had funny ideas, and Rachel could see through her easily.

    However, Samuel was not a simple-minded child, so it was difficult to predict what they were trying to do. As he bit his lip, he caught Charlotte blinking at him desperately from the corner of his eye. There was nothing he could do now, so he bit the bullet and nodded. "Yes, it hurts."

    "You''re having a stomach ache, right? Mommy will go with you then."

 Chapter 205

    After saying that, Rachel got up and extended her hand to Samuel. Then, she turned to Charlotte to say, "Didn''t you say that you were hungry? Come along with me to the cable car."

    However, Julian, who still hasn''t grasped the situation, insisted, "Let me do it. You rarely have the chance toe out for a walk."

    "It''s okay. Taking the cable car together is the same anyway."

    As soon as Rachel said this, the corner of Charlotte''s mouth twitched as she looked toward Justin intuitively. Softly, Charlotte asked, "Mommy, if we''re to take the cable car together, what about Daddy?" Immediately, Rachel turned to look at Justin. "Would you like to take the cable car or continue hiking?"

    Upon hearing her question, he could feel his temples pulsing. "What do you think?" Surely she did not expect me to hike up the mountain myself while all of them took the cable car, right?

    Not long after, they reached the cable car station.

    "One cable car can only fit up to three people. You guys will have to split into at least two groups." The staff pointed at the boarding guidelines while looking at them with aplicated expression. What are two grown men and a woman doing here with two children?

    Decisively, Justin instructed, "Julian, you''ll bring Samuel with you while Rachel and I will bring Charlotte with us."

    Immediately, Samuel''s eyes widened. "Why are you separating Mommy and me?" he questioned.

    This time, he was clearly unhappy no matter how many times Charlotte tried to wink at him. "I want to sit with Mommy."

    "It''s not a good thing if a boy gets too attached to his mother," Justin noted expressionlessly.

    In response, Samuel snorted and hugged Rachel''s arm tightly.

    Just as the two stared at each other, Julian hade back with the tickets. "So, how are we splitting?"

    Without waiting for Justin and Samuel to speak, Rachel decided, "I''ll bring the kids along with me. You two will go onto the next cable car together."

    In the cable car, Rachel asked the two children to sit across her quietly, "Don''t move around. We''ll reach soon."

    Gazing out of the window, Charlotte watched as the cable car behind followed closely and sighed. Poor Daddy.

    Right then, Justin and Julian sat in the cable car behind Rachel''s. An awkward silence filled the air. Two grown men sitting in such a confined space was already awkward enough. With them being cousins and love rivals only made it worse.

    "It''ll be great if Charlotte used her cleverness elsewhere," Julian broke the silence.

    Casually, Justin nced at Julian. "My daughter doesn''t have to be of great use elsewhere. I''ll be content as long as she''s happy. Besides, I can give her whatever she wants."

    "Including her mother?" Julian stared at Justin coldly. "You''ll give Charlotte whatever she likes, including a mother that she likes, am I right?"

    "What are you saying?"

    "You''re trying to get close to Rachel just because Charlotte likes her."

    Hearing this, Justin frowned. Then, Julian continued, "It''s good that you''ve forgotten the past, so don''t try to get close to Rae. Actions like hurting someone shouldn''t be done over and over-once is enough." "Who are you to intervene in our matter?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "Consider the fact that I saved her lifest time."

    With that, Justin furrowed his brows, causing deep wrinkles between them. Before this, he never had the means of finding out what happened five years ago, but now, he was feeling pressured to find out what actually happened. Even when he pretended to be calm, the feeling of being the only one kept in the dark annoyed him and made him feel uneasy. What did I forget? What exactly happened between Rachel and me?

    After that, silence filled the air once more. When they finally reached the top, Samuel went to the washroom with Julian to keep up the act.

    "Daddy, Mommy, I need to go to the washroom too. Wait for me, okay?" After saying that, Charlotte followed Julian and Samuel.

    When they were gone, Rachel and Justin were left alone. The cypress trees at the top of the mountain towered over them, creating shadows on the stone pavement.

    "Why did youe back?" he asked.

    When she heard that, she gave him a surprised look. From what she could recall, this was the first time that he had asked this question seriously. Before this, he seemed very sure that she hade back for him.

    "What did Julian tell you?"

    "Why must it be him who said something?"

    "What''s the matter with you?"

    "I..." Tongue-tied, he swore that he had never been so furious before. Before she came back, he had never felt that losing a part of his memory had any major impact on his life, but everything changed when she returned.

    "Why did you leave Riverdale back then?"

    Immediately, the puzzled look in her eyes disappeared. Coldly, she replied, "I don''t feel like answering that question. Go ask the Burtons if you''d like to know. I''m sure someone must know." She did not want to talk about the things that happened before and after she left because that was the most humiliating and undignifying period of her life.

    "I''ll go look for Jolly. Wait for them here." After telling him that, she prepared to leave as she did not want to stay a moment longer.

    All of a sudden, he got upset and grabbed her wrist so that she''s facing him. "I didn''t say you can go. You need to make things clear right now."

    "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

    "I''ll let you go once you exin it to me. Every single one of you won''t tell me the whole truth. Do you think it''s fun being mysterious? Do you think it was reasonable of you to abandon Charlotte and leave Riverdale then?"

    She ground her teeth. "Fun being mysterious?" She raised her hand to p him.

    However, he had already seen thating, so he stopped her. Grabbing hold of her hand, he pinned it behind her back. She let out a painful cry as her back hit the tree trunk.

    Coldly, he said, "I''ve never been patient with women, and you''re no exception. If you hated me so much before, why did youe back to see me?"

    As every deafening word sounded clearly in her ears, there was not a single hint of expression that could be found in his cold voice. Her ears buzzed and her wrists hurt, making her recall those days from five years ago that were filled with endless humiliation and torture. How dare he ask me such questions unapologetically? Am I the one at fault? No, the only thing I did wrong was easily agreeing to marry him in Amber''s ce back then.

    "I didn''te back for you." She endured the pain and lifted her delicate yet unyielding face. "Don''t forget that Charlotte''s also my daughter. You can''t deny that no matter what I''ve done."

    "So? Will you tell her that you''ve been with another man all these years? And that the man''s her uncle?"

    At that moment, he was furious. Squeezing her shoulders, he snarled, "Did youe back to do that?"

 Chapter 206

    "So what? I think Julian''s right. I''m not rted to you anymore, so it''s better to let the children acknowledge the fact earlier."

    "Rachel Hudson!" Justin forcefully punched his fist beside her ear.

    Rachel closed her eyes in shock as wind gushed by her ear as a result of Justin''s force. Momentster, she opened her eyes only to be met with Justin''s which were still filled with rage. "Are you done?"

    Rachel''s eyes were as calm as still water when she spat the three simple words while staring quietly at Justin. "Let go of me if you''re done. Charlotte and Samuel areing out soon. You don''t wish for them to see you treating me like this, do you?"

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "Threatening you?" Rachel snorted and looked downward.

    The next second, Justin gasped all of a sudden. He started jumping on one foot while holding his other foot which was stomped and stared at Rachel in disbelief.

    While Justin was still wincing, Rachel quickly kept a safe distance away from him.

    "You''re still as arrogant as always. I have many other ways to make you let go of me. Why would I threaten you?"

    Rachel crossed her arms. Justin was blood-boiled hearing her sarcastic tone, but the pain in his foot was so intense that he couldn''t even say a word. Sure enough, Rachel did not show mercy at all when she stepped on him.

    Just then, Julian came out with the two kids. Seeing Justin leaning against the tree with an agonized look, Julian darted a perplexed nce toward him and Rachel. "What happened?"

    Rachel shrugged. "He said he''s having a stomachache. Maybe he has eaten some unclean food in the morning."

    Julian asked kindly, "A stomachache? Let me take a look."

    "No, thanks!" Justin shot a fierce re at Julian.

    After that, they went to a restaurant to meet Jolly.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "My elegant queen who''s going on a vacation, where''s your hat?" Rachel started teasing Jolly''s flyaway hair the moment she saw her.

    Jolly, on the other hand, looked crabby. "Who knew the wind would be so strong at the peak of the hill? My hat was blown away!" After that, she red at Rachel. "You already knew that, didn''t you?" "Even if I did, you wouldn''t believe me if I told you so. You would surely insist that the hat wouldn''t fly away if you held it tight."

    "Oh, sure. You just wanted to see me being embarrassed!"

    "There, there. I''ll buy you another hat, alright?"

    "That''s more like it!"

    Seeing the two men from a distance who apanied the kids to take some fruits, Jolly nudged Rachel. "Do you feel that the atmosphere is rather tense today?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "The silentpetition between the two men."

    Following Jolly''s gaze, Rachel stared at Justin and Julian in the distance.

    Samuel pointed at a piece of cake and said, "Mr. Peters, I''d like to have that."

    "Sure." Just as Julian was about to get that piece of cake, Justin quickly took it away. "I''m sorry. Charlotte loves this."

    Nevertheless, Julian soon regained hisposure. "It''s okay. I''ll ask the waiter to get us more."

    A waiter who happened to be serving dishes near them overheard their conversation and said apologetically, "I''m sorry. That is thest piece of the cake. There are many customers since today is a weekend." "It''s okay." Julian caressed Samuel''s hair and cooed, "Samuel, let''s get other desserts."

    "Samuel can have mine," Charlotte offered generously.

    But before Samuel spoke up, Justin quickly replied, "Charlotte, some things can''t be shared."

    With that, Julian immediately fought back. "Charlotte is willing to share, so why not? It''s just a piece of cake."

    "That''s because she has nevercked cakes, but it would be a different story when ites to other things."

    "You''re not referring to the cake? Then it''s not an issue of whether to share or not. Samuel wanted the cake first anyway."

    "A family can''t be shared."

    Julian''s pupils dted at once. "Justin!"

    Although Samuel was not Rachel''s biological child, Rachel had been raising him ever since he was a baby, so he was just like a biological son to her. On the other hand, Samuel had always thought that Rachel was his biological mother since the adults had never mentioned anything in front of him. How could Justin say such things in front of the kids?!

    While the atmosphere was getting tense, Samuel blurted, "A cake can be shared."

    Justin was stunned.

    "Yeah, a cake can be shared." Charlotte held Samuel''s hand. The two kids then looked at Justin and Julian in puzzlement. "What''s wrong with you guys?"

    Justin and Julian exchanged nces. At this moment, both their eyes were filled withplexity. The atmosphere was rather weird at the dining table; Justin and Julian were in a stalemate to divide the cake.

    To clear the tension, Jolly couldn''t help but speak up, "Come on guys, it''s just a piece of cake. Why do you have to be so particr about whether it is divided fairly?"

    "Have you heard that inequality rather than poverty is the cause of troubles?" said Justin.

    "What are you talking about? Can''t we just simply cut it?"

    "No way." Justin rejected it resolutely.

    Jolly grumbled impatiently, "What do you want to do then? Are you going to let the kids have the cake or not?"

    Justin nced at Rachel and said, "You can divide it for them." He would like to see who was more important to Rachel the adopted son or the biological daughter.

    Frowning, Rachel did not hesitate but directly ced the cake in front of the two kids and gave each of them a fork. "Samuel, Charlotte, you guys can have them together, alright?"

    The two kids had no issues with that to begin with, so they answered at the same time, "Sure!"

    Rachel said, "Not everything has to be divided equally. There''s no need to be so calctive between friends and family."

    Justin wore aplicated look as he was being snubbed.

    After the meal, they went to the musical fountain on the hill. There were many pigeons flying all over the square. Julian bought two packets of corn and passed them to the two kids. However, Charlotte shook her head incessantly and shrunk into Justin''s arms. "I don''t want them."

    Rachel was confused. "What''s wrong?"

    Justin caressed Charlotte''s hair. "She''s afraid of birds."

    Rachel was startled. "I''m sorry, Charlotte. It''s my fault. I didn''t know you were afraid of birds and I even brought you here."

    Justin looked into the distance and said nonchntly, "How would you know? We came here because of Samuel, am I right?" With that, he carried Charlotte and walked away immediately, leaving Rachel stunned for quite a while.

    On the other hand, Samuel loved feeding pigeons and had already started feeding them with Jolly. There were even a few pigeons that stopped on his shoulders and made him giggle joyfully. "Rachel," Julian''s voice emerged. "Don''t worry. It''s normal for children to be afraid of something. You didn''t mean it anyway."

    Rachel passed the packet of corn to Julian. "I''ll go check out on Charlotte."

    The absence in the past 5 years couldn''t be made up in a short time. As much as Charlotte was fond of Rachel, thetter felt that she had not fulfilled the responsibility of a mother.

    Meanwhile, Justin had already walked away from the square with Charlotte. "Charlotte, there are no pigeons here. Don''t be afraid."

    It was only then did Charlotte lift up her head from Justin''s arms, but her face was still pale as a result of fright when she saw the pigeons which were flying from afar.

    "It''s okay." Justin patted Charlotte''s back gently.

    "Why is Charlotte so afraid of pigeons?"

    When Justin heard the voice, he saw Rachel who caught up with them from the corner of his eye.

 Chapter 207

    Charlotte seemed to be tired as shey against Justin''s shoulder and remained quiet. Justin patted her back intermittently as if he was putting her to bed. Then, he sat down on a bench while carrying her. Rachel followed him over. "What''s wrong? Is she tired?"

    "She was too frightened when she saw the birds. She gets sleepy once she''s rxed."

    "How did this happen?

    Justin furrowed his brows. "Charlotte was injured by a bird before when she was younger."

    It was only after hearing from Justin did Rachel know that Charlotte had not always been staying with Justin since young. More often than not, Justin was too busy and did not have time to take care of her, so Arthur would take her to his ce.

    "There are quite a number of kids from the extended families who are around the same age as Charlotte. They actually don''t have many connections with the Burton Family anymore, but some of them are still racking their brains to im a rtionship with us."

    Justin was talking about the distant rtives which were barely connected to his family. They knew the Burton Family had very few heirs, so quite a number of them had wicked intentions. Arthur was old now and had started missing his hometown for some reason. He had actually brought Charlotte back to his hometown a few times. At that time, he even had the intention to adopt a few of the distant rtives'' children.

    Just then, Charlotte, who was lying on Justin''s shoulder, spoke up all of a sudden. "There are pigeons at Great Uncle''s ce, and they''ll peck my eyes." While saying that, Charlotte rubbed her eyes. Startled, Rachel lifted Charlotte''s hand and caressed the scar at the corner of her eye. Even though it was not obvious, Rachel had noticed it before this.

    Justin exined, "That injury was by a pigeon."

    Rachel felt her heart squeezed. Initially, she thought Charlotte had identally injured herself. Kids were yful, so it wasmon to get some injuries and it didn''t sound like a serious matter. However, from what Justin said, it seemed like the incident was not as simple.

    "The doctor in the neighborhood''s clinic disinfected Charlotte''s wound after she was injured, but she started having a high fever that night. When I rushed over the next day, she was already in aa due to the high fever. So, we quickly rushed to the hospital and were told that she had an infection."

    Later, they realized that the pigeon that injured Charlotte had an infectious disease. It was quarantined in the pigeon farm and was about to be ughtered. However, for some reason, it injured Charlotte and even appeared in the dishes which were prepared ''specially'' for Charlotte that night.

    Justin did not borate further on the details, but Rachel was already petrified hearing that. There were many schemeful people in an established family like the Burtons-they would not even spare an innocent child!

    "It''s Mommy''s fault, Charlotte. I didn''t even know this happened." Feeling sorry, Rachel rubbed Charlotte''s cheeks. "I will never bring you to see birds again."

    Charlotte continued lying obediently on Justin''s shoulder and said softly, "I want a kiss, Mommy."

    Rachel lowered her head and gave Charlotte a kiss on her forehead.

    Because Rachel drew close to Justin, thetter could smell the faint scent of Rachel''s perfume, and it actually made him absentminded for a while. A gust of wind carried away the fragrance, but Justin''s memory resurfaced.

    Rachel lifted her head to see Justin staring at her. Only then did she realize when she was kissing Charlotte just now, she subconsciously held onto Justin''s arm. The moment their eyes met, it was as if the temperature of their surroundings increased while Rachel started blushing.

    Suddenly, Charlotte wanted toe down from Justin''s arms. "Daddy, Mommy, I want to go to the washroom."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Instantly, Rachel and Justin snapped out of their daze. Before they could say something, Charlotte smiled. "You guys carry on." Then, she quickly scurried away.

    Justin and Rachel nced at each other as the atmosphere became awkward. What''s the little girl thinking?

    "What happened next? Did you bring Charlotte back to you?" Rachel initiated a topic to ease the awkward atmosphere.

    "No." Justin shook his head. "There were too many things to attend to in thepany, so I couldn''t bring Charlotte with me all the time. It was Grandpa who sent the adopted child back to his hometown to stop those people''s wishful thinking."

    Sure enough, although Arthur was advanced in age, he was very resolute in handling things. He clearly knew how to make a decision between his real great-granddaughter and a son from the extended family. Rachel nodded slightly. Justin said, "Because of this incident, Grandpa hopes that I''ll get married soon and find someone to take care of Charlotte."

    "With Amber?"

    "Yeah."

    This was the first time they mentioned Amber after Rachel had left for 5 years. Rachel frowned and said firmly, "Anyone else but her." "Why?"

    "She won''t treat Charlotte well. Do you really think that she''ll willingly be Charlotte''s stepmother and take good care of her?" "You don''t even trust your own sister. Who else do you think is fit to be Charlotte''s stepmother?"

    "She should at least be someone whom Charlotte likes."

    "Are you implying yourself? Who else does Charlotte like besides you?"

    Tongue-tied, Rachel looked at Justin in shock.

    "If I were to ask you toe back and look after Charlotte, what would you say?"

    Rachel clenched her fists. Before she could give an answer, the sound of a phone buzzing emerged-Justin''s phone was ringing.

    After seeing the iing caller ID, Justin stood up. "Excuse me."

    "Sure."

    Justin walked toward a tree and picked up the call under it. Amber''s voice came forth from the other end of the line. "Hey Justin, where are you now?"

    "I took Charlotte out to the hills. What''s up?"

    "Oh, nothing. The surveince camera in the mansion was spoiled before this. I''m worried that something will happen to Charlotte again, so I asked the technician toe and check the cameras. However, little did I expect that..." Amber paused.

    "What?"

    "I don''t know if I should say this, Justin. I''m worried that you''ll think I''m deliberately sowing discord."

    "What exactly is it? Just spit it out." Justin had gradually lost his patience. Although Amber had been staying by his side all these years and was his legal fianc¨¦e, he didn''t have any feelings toward her; he couldn''t even recall having any rtionship with her. The woman had always behaved in a coy and coquettish manner, which made Justin impatient to deal with her.

    "There''s an issue with the surveince camera''s footage. I''ll send it directly to you."

    As soon as Amber said that, Justin received a notification on his phone-she had sent him footage of the camera in the mansion.

    In order to ensure Charlotte''s safety and supervise the nanny who took care of Charlotte at home, Justin had installed many surveince cameras in the house. One of them was hidden well in the corridor and wouldn''t be noticed easily by the others.

    The footage that Amber sent was captured by the camera in the second floor''s corridor. When Justin saw a familiar figure appearing in the scene, his eyes darkened. "When did this happen?"

    "Before and after you went on the business trip. I don''t know why she would want to enter your bedroom. Unfortunately, there''s no surveince camera in your bedroom. Given this situation, I can''t say for sure if she has done something. It could be a misunderstanding."

    However, Justin hung up the call before Amber could finish her sentence.

    "Hello? Justin?" Looking at the dark phone screen, Amber was not annoyed at all but wore a triumphant smile instead.

 Chapter 208

    Based on what Amber understood about Justin, she knew he would surely investigate the authenticity of the footage. Justin was a skeptical person, so Amber reckoned he would definitely install surveince cameras at important ces like his bedroom. As for the rest of the matter, she wouldn''t have to worry about it.

    Meanwhile, Justin called Frankie with a darkened face and ordered, "Turn on theptop in my office right now and retrieve the footage of the surveince camera in my bedroom. I''ll send you the time." "President Burton, didn''t you go hiking? Why are you suddenly-"

    "Just do as you''re told."

    Frankie was startled. "Yes, sir."

    Momentster, Justin received the footage from his assistant. Based on the timestamps he had provided, Frankie sent him 4 footages.

    Justin clicked into the first footage and saw the familiar woman standing in front of his wardrobe while entering a password. All the 3 other footages were simr-the woman had gone straight to his safe after entering his bedroom.

    In thest footage, the safe was opened. The scene of the familiar woman taking out documents while uttering something after opening the safe made Justin''s blood boil. His fists slowly curled into a ball while he clenched them tightly to the point his knuckles were cracking. The reason she approached me and Charlotte is not because she misses us!

    "Has the call ended?" Seeing Justin''s return, Rachel subconsciously nced toward the direction of the washroom. "Charlotte is not back yet. I''ll go look for her."

    "Stop there." Suddenly, Justin hailed her in a solemn tone.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel was confused.

    Justin clenched his fist as the content of the footage reyed in his mind. With his eyes filled with coldness, he questioned, "Rachel, what exactly is your intention ofing back?" Rachel frowned. "Who called you?"

    Justin strode forward and seized Rachel''s arm. "Answer me."

    Rachel winced as her frown deepened.

    "Let go of me."

    "I asked you to answer my question. What exactly is your intention ofing back?!"

    "Justin Burton!" Struggling, Rachel inhaled deeply and gritted her teeth. "Did you forget that you were the one who sent me an invitation and headhunted me from SG Pharma?" "Indeed, I was the one who headhunted you, but you could reject it!"

    "Why should I reject it? Just because you''re in Riverdale? Just because you''re the president of Burton Group? Should I then never set foot in Riverdale for the rest of my life?" Justin sneered. "You sound so reasonable that you almost got me."

    "I don''t care if you trust me or not."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Was it easy to guess the password of my bedroom''s safe?" Justin asked coldly, which stunned Rachel at once.

    He knows. No wonder...

    Justin tightened his grip on her arm as if he wanted to break it. "I''m asking you onest time. What are you looking for? Why did youe back?"

    After a short panic, Rachel forced herself to calm down but did not answer Justin''s question. "Let go of me."

    "What on earth were you looking for in my room?"

    Justin approached Rachel while thetter eximed as her back was pressed against the edge of the rail. Her body was nted, so she could fall down the hill at any time if Justin let go of her. "Justin Burton! What are you doing?!"

    A furious male voice emerged from behind Justin. Before Justin could react, he felt a gush of wind followed by a punch in his face. Julian''s forceful punch made him stumble backward, releasing Rachel in the process.

    At the same time, Rachel screamed as she almost fell out from the rail. Fortunately, Julian reacted swiftly and grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?"

    Rachel slumped onto the ground, ashen-faced, as she had not recovered from the shock.

    Julian was irritated to see Justin who fell at the side. He grabbed Justin by the cor and gave him another punch. "Have you lost your mind? Are you actually thinking of killing Rachel?!"

    Then, the two men startednding blows on each other.

    Rachel held the rail and as her legs were so weak from the shock she couldn''t even stand up. Seeing the scene, she had no energy to stop the two.

    Julian was always gentle and kind, but at this moment, he was like an enraged lion and showed no mercy at all as he scowled fiercely. "Haven''t you hurt her enough back then?! 5 years have passed, yet you still refuse to let her off. How can you call yourself a human?!"

    "What the hell are you saying? Do you know what on earth she has done?!" Justin blocked Julian''s fist with his arm and bellowed furiously, "Julian, you must be crazy!"

    "I''m crazy? You are the one who is crazy! Don''t assume that all that has happened doesn''t exist anymore just because you''ve lost your memory. You can never make up for the hurt that you''ve caused Rachel. The loss of memory is just a result of you running away from your remorse deep down!"

    "Remorse?"

    While Justin was stunned, Julian gave him another punch in the corner of his mouth. Immediately, a stench of blood spread in Justin''s cavity.

    "That''s enough!" A weak retort came forth. Holding the rail, Rachel stood up slowly. "That''s enough, Julian."

    Clenching his fists, Julian gritted his teeth and let go of Justin''s cor after a while. Then, he stood up and said, "Let''s go, Rachel."

    Rachel nodded slightly and went down the hill with Julian''s support.

    It was momentster only did Justin get up unsteadily. Seeing Rachel and Julian walk away, Justin could feel his temples pulsating, and he gritted his teeth hard. Rachel was the one who had an ax to grind. Furthermore, Julian was his own cousin. How could he side with her? As such, Justin wouldn''t possibly believe that there was nothing between the two.

    After heading home, Charlotte kept questioning Justin about Rachel''s whereabouts. "Did you make Mommy angry again? Otherwise, why would she leave without even telling me?"

    "No."

    "I don''t believe it. Call Mommy. I''m going to ask her."

    "You''re not allowed to call her from now on. Don''t bring her to our ce and don''t meet her too."

    Charlotte was frightened by Justin''s cold order because he had never been this stern toward her. "What happened, Daddy?"

    Justin did not answer her question but ordered the servant, "Take good care of Miss Charlotte." After that, he left home.

    "Daddy!" Charlotte wanted to go after Justin but was stopped by the servant. "Miss Charlotte, Young Master Justin doesn''t seem to be in a good mood. It''s better to just stay here." Charlotte frowned as she watched Justin leave in a hurry. After a while, she went upstairs and closed the door before making a call.

    "Hey Samuel, it''s me."

    Meanwhile, with a sleepy look, Samuel was yawning on the other end of the line. "What''s up, Charlotte?"

    "What happened between Daddy and Mommy?"

    "What do you mean?" Samuel sounded perplexed.

    "Daddy brought me home all of a sudden and doesn''t allow me to see Mommy anymore. Did Mommy tell you anything?"

 Chapter 209

    "Nope."

    Samuel shook his head as he turned to the bedroom and added, "But Mr. Peters and Godmother came home with us, and they''re chatting outside right now. It sounds like they are talking about Daddy." "Quickly, go listen to what they''re saying."

    Hastily, Charlotte expressed, "Something big must have happened."

    Rolling out of the bed, Samuel tiptoed to the door and cracked it open before putting his ear against the thin gap. In the living room, Julian was seen to be applying some blood-circting ointment on Rachel''s

    arm.

    While doing that, he instructed, "Just rub it like this. Twice a day and the swelling will subside in two days."

    "Thanks."

    With an expressionless face, Rachel unrolled her sleeve. As she was doing that, Jolly furiously questioned, "Is Justin some kind of bruiser? Is he sick in the head? How dare hey his hand on you under broad daylight! That man would have murdered you if we weren''t here!"

    "He asked me about the safe box. He must''ve figured out something."

    Stunned, Jolly seemed to have understood something. "What did you say?"

    Shaking her head, Rachel assured, "Nothing, and that''s how things ended up this way."

    Based on everything that had happened up until now, Justin would surely bar her from seeing Charlotte and himself and be overwhelmingly defensive against her.

    In response, Jolly defended, "So what if you opened the safe box? What about the things he did in the past? He could be sent to jail for those!"

    "Have you forgotten that he lost his memory? He doesn''t remember anything from the past."

    "How convenient. He''s taking advantage of his memory loss, yet you''re still defending him."

    Leering at Jolly, Julian blurted, "Calm down, Jolly."

    At once, she held in her frustrations as she reluctantly gnarled her teeth.

    After remaining silent for a long while, Rachel rified, "I''m not defending him. However, one thing is certain. Memory loss or not, that''s his true color-vicious to his bones. I''m simply trying to stand in his shoes to figure out how to search for those proofs."

    To that, Julian queried, "Have you found out how?"

    "Old Mr. Burton''s birthday is near."

    In the meantime, Justin, who had just arrived at thepany, summoned his assistant into his office.

    "I thought you went hiking, President Burton. How are you back so soon?"

    "Tell me every detail about what happened five years ago."

    With that, Frankie was in a daze. "That''s... sudden. Why are you asking me this? What happened to your face, President?"

    At the corner of Justin''s lip was a visible bruise. It wasn''t as obvious when he traveled down the hills, but now that the bruise had turned worse, the sight of it was rather spine-chilling.

    "Just answer me instead of giving me such crap."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "It''s not that I don''t want to, President Burton. Old Mr. Burton had specifically ordered me to not tell this to anyone."

    With a troubled face, Frankie pleaded, "Please don''t make things difficult for me, President. To be honest, forgetting about the past might actually benefit you. We should always look forward to the future, not the past."

    "Rachel entered my bedroom and opened the safe box!"

    "Oh, is that so?" Despite his slight daze, Frankie didn''t show much shock.

    "You look like you''ve expected this." Justin straightened his back as he gave Frankie a mean gaze.

    Hastily, the assistant shook his head. "No, I don''t. I know nothing about it. Uh... I''ll take my leave if there''s nothing else, President Burton. Just call me if you need my assistance. I''ll have the secretary fetch the medkit and tend to your wound."

    "Did I dismiss you?" Irked, Justin grabbed a file on his table and tossed it toward Frankie. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

    "Something wrong with the file, President Burton? I''ll check it right away." After sessfully evading the attack, Frankie hugged the document to his chest as he ran out with a forced grin.

    Watching Frankie departing hastily, Justin grew even more frustrated. He couldn''t put his head around why Frankie was unbothered when he told him such fatal information about how Rachel opened his safe box. It was as if Frankie''sposure was telling him that it was natural for Rachel to do such a thing.

    What''s in the safe box? What was Rachel looking for? The more he pondered, the tenser his brows grew.

    In a sh, a week had passed, and Rachel never got to see Justin nor Charlotte. Based on the rumors, Justin temporarily sent Charlotte to the summer vi because Arthur''s birthday wasing. He nned to only pick her up when it was over. Although that might be the case, Rachel knew that Justin simply didn''t want Charlotte to contact her by any means.

    "How do you like this school, Samuel?ˇ±

    Holding Samuel''s hand, Rachel walked out of an elementary school. "This school follows an international school system. So, you''re going to have sses like usual even when other schools are having summer breaks. Since this school is near our home, if your godmother and I are too busy to pick you up, you can walk home yourself, okay?"

    Blinking his eyes, Samuel quizzed, "Are we not going back to Montenegro, Mommy?"

    "Not yet. There are things Mommy needs to settle, so you''ll be going to school here for now."

    Initially, it wasn''t part of Rachel''s n to bring Samuel along to Riverdale. However, the boy hade by himself. So, she felt it was best for him to attend school in Riverdale for the time being. Besides, leaving the kid alone in Montenegro would be rather worrying. Furthermore, after scouting a number of schools, Rachel finally found one that shared simr modules to those in Montenegro-she even brought Samuel to a trial ss in fear of his difort.

    Despite her answer, Samuel pursued, "So are we going back?"

    "Yes. It won''t take long."

    Hearing that, the boy seemed to have some thoughts. Before getting into the car, he snapped a photo of the school and sent it to someone.

    Soon, Saturday had arrived. Thanks to the Burtons'' fame, many had gathered in the Burtons'' summer vi for Arthur''s eightieth birthday. This year''s event was unlike the others where Arthur would merely have a simple dinner with the entire family at home instead of hosting such an extravagant banquet, shattering the dreams of countless individuals that intended to engage connections through banquets.

    However, thanks to this one in a million opportunity, the entire Riverdale was able to make a move on Burton with the strategies they came up with. Evidently, the guests'' dazzling vehicles had already filled the parking lots in the vi before the opening ceremony at sunset.

    "Long live Arthur Burton!"

    Before the arrival of the guests, the Burtons were congratting the old man.

    "Great-grandpa!"

    A sweet, delicate voice interrupted the crowd''s wishing.

    Turning to the voice, Arthur immediately beamed. "Who is this little princess?"

    Donning a white dress and diamond tiara on her head, Charlotte appeared rather dazzling as her ebony leather shoes tapped rapidly on the carpet while she ran toward her great-grandfather for an embrace. "Happy birthday, Great-grandpa!"

    "Aww." As the child stormed into his chest, Arthur carried her onto hisp while smiling. "You''re getting taller and prettier each day. Who bought you this dress?"

    "Aunt Gloria did."

    Surprised, the old man queried, "Gloria is back?"

    "Not yet," Sue answered from the side. "She has too many performances going on, so she couldn''t make it. She shipped some snacks and clothes over for Charlotte to cheer her up." Hearing that, Arthur nodded his head in silence.

    "I have a wish, Great-grandpa!"

    Clutching the old man''s arm, Charlotte inquired, ˇ°Can you grant my wish, Great-grandpa?ˇ±

 Chapter 210

    Hearing that, Sue reminded the little girl, "It''s Great-grandpa''s birthday, Charlotte. He should be the one making a wish." However, thanks to Arthur''s adoration for the girl, he simply waved his hand. "It''s fine. What''s your wish, Charlotte?"

    "I want to go to school."

    "School?"

    At once, every single soul in the room was dazed by the little girl''s request.

    Everyone knew that the Burton Family''s golden little girl was self-willed, so it was normal for her actions to be unexpected. However, what shocked everyone was that she had been to school before-in fact, she had been to every school around here, but she always managed to cause trouble wherever she went. Because of that, she was assigned a private tutor at home to overlook her academics instead. Despite everything, the little she-devil actually proposed to go to school?Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "You want to go to school, Charlotte?" Even Justin was dumbfounded.

    Ignoring her father, Charlotte didn''t even care to spare him a nce as she continued to beg Arthur, "Please, Great-grandpa?ˇ±

    "That''s great! How could I say no to that?" Caressing the child''s head, the old man continued, "I''ll have someone find you the best school right away!"

    "No need for that. I''ve already found one myself."

    "You did?"

    "Yup, it''s this one." As she was speaking, she presented a stack of documents she had been carrying by her side to her great-grandfather. "I had someone search it for me. All that''s left is a guardian''s signature and I''m good to go. You''ll sign it for me, won''t you, Great-grandpa?"

    Suspicious, Justin scowled. "When did you start looking for a school, Charlotte? Let me see!"

    "No!"

    Immediately, Charlotte dodged Justin''s hand while giving him a disdainful stare and scorned, "I''m asking for Great-grandpa''s signature, not yours! Why do you even care?"

    Hearing that, everyone was even more baffled.

    Sneakily, Sue went to Amber and tugged on her sleeve, whispering, "What''s the brat''s deal? Why is she quarreling with Justin again?"

    Nheless, Amber casually countered, "Who knows?" The little girl has no idea what she''s up against yet she''s so bold to take on an adult!

    Since Arthur was always spoiling the little girl, he took a look at the documents to verify them before signing his name. "Okay, okay. Since the princess has requested for my signature, I shall grant her wish." Suddenly, Frankie rushed over to the scene and whispered something to Justin, to which thetter wanted to stop the old man from signing. Unfortunately, it was already toote.

    "It''s done. Now you can go to school!"

    Wrapping her arms around Arthur''s neck, Charlotte gave his cheek a peck. "Thank you, Great-grandpa. You''re the best!"

    "If you want to thank me, stay in the vi with me for a few more days."

    "Okie-dokie!"

    Hearing that, Arthur beamed sweetly.

    Very soon, the banquet was about tomence. Since the family''s wishing session wasing to an end, the old man ordered Justin to greet the guests in the hall. "Go tend to the guests, Justin. I won''t be heading in."

    "Yes, Grandpa."

    While walking out of the room, Arthur questioned Frankie, "Who gave Charlotte the registration form?"

    "It was Miss Hochmann, sir."

    "Isn''t she on tour overseas?"

    "It seems that she had her friend send the form over."

    Scowling, Arthur questioned, "Why would she suddenly arrange for Charlotte to go to school?"

    "I''m not sure either, sir. Would you like to give Miss Hochmann a call?"

    Pulling out his phone, the old man ordered, "Yes, head to the hall without me."

    "Yes, sir."

    At this very moment, the guests at the Burton Family''s banquet were gradually filling the hall.

    Meanwhile, Amber, who attended as Justin''s fiancee, was weing the guests at the door with Sue. Although they weren''t from the Burton Family, they behaved as if they were.

    "Isn''t that the mute?" Staring into the distance, Sue notified Amber, who in response raised her head and looked in the same direction.

    A ck Porsche Cayenne was parked at the door and a woman, who appeared rather morous, alighted from the car. The woman wore an off-shoulder emerald evening gown whichplemented her fair milky skin; the hems of her gown dragged gracefully across the carpet as she walked, catching everyone''s attention.

    Rachel? Clenching her fists, Amber stepped forward and stopped Rachel. "Why are you here?"

    "Why can''t I be here?" Letting go of the hem of her dress, Rachel smirked at Amber. "I thought it was the bodyguard''s job to stop the guests. You don''t have to stoop this low even if the Burtons don''t like you, you know? Dad''s heart would break if he were to see you being this pathetic."

    "What..." Frowning, Amber gritted her teeth. "Did Justin invite you? Who invited you here?"

    "What''s wrong, Chris?"

    As the sisters were interacting, a middle-aged man''s voice was heard from behind. The man seemed to be around fifty. Although there were patches of white hair on his head, he appeared no less menacing. Sporting a full ck suit, he dashingly walked to Rachel. Arriving at Rachel''s side, the man interrogated, "Why haven''t you gone in?"

    Before Rachel could answer, Amber nced at the man and scoffed, "Jeez! How long has it even been since you returned, and you already found yourself a sugar daddy, huh? He''s almost as old as Dad. Gotta give it to you, sis!"

    With a dull face, Rachel responded, "What do you mean?"

    Crossing her arms, Amber continued, "Doesn''t matter what I mean. Everyone''s watching you attend the party with a senile man. Is this your way of shaming the Hudsons, or the Burtons?"

    "Watch it, Amber."

    "I''m just stating the obvious. Justin doesn''t know about you seducing an old man, does he?"

    "What the hell are you on about?"

    Before Rachel and the man beside her could rify anything, a furious woman''s voice was heard, interrupting the awkward situation.

    The angry voice belonged to Jolly who was ascending the stairs, hurrying to the trio as she was holding up the skirt of her amber dress. As she was pacing toward them, she leered at Amber. Before anyone could react, a spanknded.

    Smack! The sound of the p thundered across the entrance. Seeing that, the guests were stunned and each of them started gossiping.

    Pressing her face, Amber peered at Jolly in disbelief with her eyes wide open.

    "This one''s for making sh*t up!" Shielding Rachel, Jolly aggressively scolded Amber, "B*tch and her unmannered mouth. Do the Burtons not fear offending the entire Riverdale with you out here attending to the guests?"

    "You..." Utterly infuriated, Amber covered her cheek as she pointed at Jolly and Rachel. "How did you get in here? What do you think this ce is? Where are the guards?"

    "Ah, looks like I finally get to witness Hudson''s Second Young Lady''s true colors!"

    At those words, the crowd was taken aback.

    Behind Jolly and Rachel, an elegant figure walked up the staircase in a jade dress. Blessed with a noble appearance, the woman, who seemed to be in her forties, joined in on the youngdies.

    "Mrs. Carter?" Stupefied, Sue, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly blurted as her pupils contracted.

    Gazing coldly at Sue, the missus wrapped her arm around the middle-aged man''s arm.

    "Mrs. Carter, this is..."

    "Madam Parham, it''s my first time hearing someone describe my husband as a ''senile man'' and publicly insulting both my daughters."

    Mrs. Carter has two daughters? Baffled by the statement, Amber and Sue were visibly shocked. They are actually the President of the Carter Enterprise and his wife? But, how is Rachel their daughter?

 Chapter 211

    Since the senior president of the Carter Enterprise, Richard, rarely showed up in public, it was Marilyn who often socialized with the elites of Riverdale. This was the reason why Sue and Amber only knew her and not her husband.

    "What do you mean that she is your goddaughter?" Sue was in disbelief. "How did Rachel be your goddaughter?"

    "What''s so surprising about it? She and my daughter have been best friends for many years. Why would I need the Burton Family''s permission to acknowledge her as my goddaughter?" Goddaughter? Sue quickly exined, "That''s not what I meant."

    "I''m not interested in what you''re trying to say." Marilyn wasn''t in the mood to exin to Sue. Instead, Marilyn turned toward Rachel and held her hand. "I''m sorry for what you had to experience. Don''t worry. With me here, I don''t believe that these two outsiders are qualified to stop us from joining the Burton Family''s banquet."

    Rachel softly replied, "I''m fine, Mrs. Carter."

    "What do you mean that you''re fine? This isn''t the first time that Amber has insulted you with her vicious tongue. Aren''t you disgusted that she is spreading nonsense about you and my dad?" Jolly growled. Immediately, Marilyn and Richard''s expressions darkened as they showed their displeasure.

    However, Sue quickly read the situation and smiled apologetically. "Mr. and Mrs. Carter, this is all just a misunderstanding. Amber is still young, so she always speaks without thinking about it." "Does that give her an excuse to nder other people? If this spreads to the public, it will affect our families'' business. Can she afford to make such a mistake? Or, will you be responsible for it?" Amber''s face paled as she didn''t know what else to say.

    "We want an apology!" Jolly stared at her. "You must apologize to Rachel."

    "An apology?" Amber gritted her teeth. She wants me to apologize to Rachel? Never!

    Then, Justin emerged from the hall when he heard themotion outside. As his imposing figure stood tall among the crowd, he furrowed his brows and walked straight out.

    Since they had not seen each other for a week, Rachel''s gaze was calm when she saw him. Let''s see what he is going to do about this.

    "Justin." As soon as Amber saw him, she immediately wore a weak facade and hid behind him with an aggrieved face. "They are bullying me."

    While he furrowed his brows, he exchanged nces with Rachel for a second, but she looked so calm that it felt like nothing had transpired between them. "What happened?"

    "Why don''t you ask your Aunt Sue?" Rachel gently asked as her gazended on Sue. "President Burton, your fiancee was speaking without using her brain earlier. I believe your Aunt Sue clearly heard it all." It would have been easy for Sue to direct the me at Rachel if it was just her alone, but now that Rachel had the entire Carter Family backing her, Sue quickly exined with a tense expression, "Justin, this is Amber''s fault. She has crossed the line with her words and offended Mr. and Mrs. Carter. Luckily, they''re generous enough to forgive her. Tell her to quickly apologize."

    Meanwhile, Amber red at Sue in disbelief while she clenched both her fists. After five years, she was already used to Sue always prioritizing her own interest above everything else.

    "What is it, President Burton? Are you nning to protect your woman?" Jolly sneered.

    Before he could speak, Amber grabbed his arm and she stood up while gritting her teeth. "I''ll apologize, so please stop troubling Justin since this is my fault. I''m sorry."

    However, just as Jolly was about to say something, she was halted by Rachel, who then responded, "Since she has apologized, we should just forget about it. I hope that you can be careful with your words in the future. Otherwise, you''ll only embarrass both the Burton and Hudson Families again."

    Rachel''s words were so harsh that they had embarrassed Amber in front of the surrounding crowd, but Amber knew that she needed to endure it, so she could only grit her teeth.

    "Let''s not stand here at the entrance." Sue quickly urged the crowd, "You can all enter. The party is about to start."

    After ring at Amber, Jolly was reluctantly dragged inside the hall by Rachel. On the way inside, Jolly murmured, "How could you let her off the hook with such ease? This is such a rare chance for us to properly teach her a lesson."

    "We can''t be too harsh on her; otherwise, it''ll affect your parents'' reputation. That''s enough to teach her a lesson," Rachel replied.

    "My parents are here to back you up. Otherwise, they wouldn''t attend a party like this. Am I right, Mom?"

    The moment Jolly''s words came out, Marilyn rolled her eyes. "Yes, we are here to give Chris some backing, but you should be more mature with your actions. Why did you start a fight with her?" "Mom, you should know that people like Amber don''t deserve any politeness from us."

    "Mrs. Carter, please don''t me Jolly. She is only doing this for me."

    Then, Marilyn held Rachel''s hand and said lovingly, "How can I me you? I can see that you have suffered a lot during your days in the Burton Family. They really didn''t appreciate you at all. Don''t worry, though. From now on, we will always be here for you."

    Upon listening to Marilyn''s words, Rachel was moved. She didn''t have any rtives, but it was after moving abroad that she met Jolly and her parents afterward. For the past few years, Jolly''s parents had treated Rachel like she was their own daughter. Although they rarely met, they would often video call Rachel to ask about her well-being.

    On the other side, Amber followed Justin from behind.

    "Justin, I promise you that I didn''t do it on purpose. I thought that she found herself another man, so I became angry. I didn''t expect that person to be Mr. Carter."

    "You don''t need to exin it to me. Since it doesn''t affect our coboration with their family, it''s fine. Just be careful from now on."

    "Justin-"

    "I have something else to attend to. You can do whatever you want."

    After that, Justin disappeared among the crowd, leaving Amber with a gloomy face. Even though he had mentioned that he didn''t care about the matter earlier, his indifferent attitude clearly illustrated that he was dissatisfied with her.

    Seeing the scene where the Carter Family and Rachel were surrounded as if they were celebrities, Amber clenched her fists and sank her nails into her palms, bringing about waves of pain. Does she actually think someone like her can turn around her life in such a short period of time? In her dreams!Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Mr. and Mrs. Carter, both of your daughters are really beautiful. I wonder who is lucky enough to marry them in the future."

    "Mr. Howard, are you trying to set up a blind date for them?"

    "That''s great. If you know anyone suitable, you should introduce them to my two daughters."

    "I will. I definitely will."

    Wherever the elders were present, no matter the asion, it would always turn into arge-scale blind date. While they were at a loss, Rachel and Jolly were inexplicably stuck with two young men, who imed that they only wanted to make friends.

    "In the past, I heard that Mr. Carter only has one daughter, so I didn''t expect him to bring another beautiful daughter along today."

    "You''re too kind." Rachel grinned awkwardly while her mind quickly thought of a way to leave.

 Chapter 212

    "I''m usually in Riverdale. If you have the time, we can catch up with each other. Do you like to y golf?"

    "I''m not good at it."

    "Don''t worry, I can teach you the game. Why don''t we exchange our Whatsapp?"

    As Rachel had already expected him to ask for her digits, she resignedly took out her phone.

    She made an excuse to leave once they had exchanged their Whatsapp. "I''m sorry, but I need to use the washroom."

    As she carried the train of her dress and walked out of the hall, she finally escaped the ''blind date''. However, she didn''t notice the pair of eyes watching her all along from the corner of the hall.

    After Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, she looked around the ce and envisioned it based on her memory.

    The banquet was held in a four-story vi at the center of Summer Vi where Arthur usually lived. Rachel also resided here for a period of time 6 years ago, so she was familiar with the paths in the building. Since Janice mentioned that the evidence is situated inside the vi, then it is most likely in this building.

    Even though she couldn''t point out exactly where the evidence was, the most secretive ce in the building was his study room, so it was logical to start from there.

    After she passed through the corridor and arrived at the side hall, the noises from the banquet gradually faded from her ears.

    Across the door, Rachel could hear voicesing from the study room.

    "Great uncle, we still need you at the hall."

    "I thought Justin was already there to help out?"

    "This is still your banquet. So, everyone is waiting to meet you."

    "Alright, I''ll go and take a look."

    Rachel leaned against the wall to hide and waited for Arthur to emerge before she headed to the study room.

    However, the room was locked.

    As she held the doorknob for a while, she furrowed her brows. He really is a calctive old man. This study room contains lots of important information about the Burton Family, so he definitely won''t allow anyone to enter with such ease.

    While Rachel thought about it, a series of footsteps were heard behind her. "What are you doing here?"

    The man''s voice was so cold and powerful that it gave her a shock. When she turned around and saw Justin, it was already toote for her to walk away. "I... was just looking around."

    "So, you just happened toe here? You really don''t see yourself as a guest at all." He took a step toward her. "However, I''m impressed that you are able to be the goddaughter of the Carter Family in such a short period of time. How does it feel to abuse your power now that you have their backing?"

    "You''re thinking too much into it. Jolly is my best friend and her parents treat me well. It''s that simple. As for you, don''t you think that you are the one abusing your power by protecting your fiancee like that?" "You didn''t receive any invitation, which means that you are able toe here because of the Carter Family." Justin took another step closer toward Rachel. "Rachel, why are you really here?"

    "I came to attend the banquet." Her eyes were strangely calm as she stretched a finger to stop Justin''s chest from approaching her. "Do you really think I came here for you? Didn''t you see how many people were rushing to introduce a new boyfriend to me?"

    His eyes immediately darkened. "Don''t you have any shame?"

    "I can see that you rather enjoyed it." She tapped his shirt with a seemingly weak and numbing force. When she lifted her head, the hair that brushed her chin felt extremely amorous. "Are you jealous?" Upon listening to her, Justin grabbed her hand. "You are thinking too much. I hate women like you the most! There seems to be no boundaries when ites to changing the men beside you." "Then, why are you following me?" Rachel lifted her head and met his gaze. "Don''t you want to see what I''m doing?"

    Justin''s face darkened once again as it seemed to be filled with a sense of gloom.

    What he hated the most was how confident this woman looked when she knew every thought that surfaced in his mind. How dare she!Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "I was afraid that you were looking for Charlotte. I''m warning you, you are not allowed to see her from now on."

    "She is my daughter. Why can''t I see her?"

    "Don''t you already have a son that was given to you? Since you would rather take care of someone else''s son instead of your biological daughter, it doesn''t matter whether you see her or not." Rachel''s eyes darkened. "What are you talking about?"

    "You can stop pretending. Is this why the Carter Family epted you as their goddaughter? After all, you helped their only daughter to avoid the embarrassment of a premarital pregnancy. I''m surprised that no one knows that the godmother is actually the biological mother-"

    Before Justin could finish his words, Rachel immediately covered his mouth.

    "Mm..."

    With great strength, she hurriedly pushed him against the wall as her hand around his mouth almost suffocated him.

    "How did you know about this?"

    Rachel furrowed her brows while she nervously looked around.

    Then, Justin angrily pushed her hand aside. "Are you crazy? What do you think you are doing?"

    She pointed at him. "I''m warning you. I don''t care how you are aware of Samuel''s true identity, but you are not allowed to speak a word of it to anyone else!"

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "I don''t care what you think, but please don''t involve others in our grievances. Samuel and Jolly are innocent bystanders."

    After Justin tidied his suit, he answered resentfully, "Then, does Charlotte deserve this?"

    "I''ll try my best to make it up to her."

    "How? How are you nning to make up for five lost years in just a few days?"

    Rachel remained silent with furrowed brows.

    The grudge between her and Justin was one thing, but her guilt for her daughter was another matter.

    As he appraised Rachel, he realized how beautiful and slender her fair swan-like neck was in contrast to her dark green off-shoulder dress. When he remembered the lustful eyes of those men at the banquet earlier, he was suddenly filled with jealousy.

    While he clenched his fists on both sides, he added, "I can give you a chance. From today onward, I want you to move over to apany Charlotte."

    Rachel immediately looked confused. "I thought you wouldn''t allow me to be near her."

    "I''ve changed my mind. Since she likes you and you are also her biological mother, there isn''t anyone more qualified than you to be her nanny. Therefore, you are responsible and obligated to take care of her." The moment the word ''nanny''nded on her eyes, she furrowed her brows for the umpteenth time. "I''m willing to apany her even if you didn''t make this request. I can visit her every weekend or whenever I''m free, but I just can''t move over there."

    "No, you are not in a position to argue with me."

    "Justin, don''t forget that you have a fiancee whom you are engaged with! Aren''t you afraid of people gossiping because I''m living in the same house as you?"

    "Who said that you''ll be living in the same house as me?" While Rachel was startled, Justin suddenly took a step forward and pressed his upper body toward her. As her entire body was engulfed by his massive shadow, she could only hear a cold voiceing from above her. "It seems like you are looking forward to living in the same house as me." Her mind was at a loss, but he released her the next second as he coldly uttered, "If you don''t want the entire Riverdale to know that the daughter of the Carter Family has asked you to look after her son, I suggest that you do as you are told!"

    "You..."

 Chapter 213

    Rachel clenched her fists and her eyes were locked on Justin. He is threatening me.

    Justin then scoffed and roared, "Also, make sure that the brat doesn''t ever appear before me! I don''t wish to see him making any contact with Charlotte. He thinks that they are siblings, huh? Who does he think he is?" Then, he tidied his attire and left in a huff.

    The words that Justin said right before he left echoed in Rachel''s ears, causing her to tighten her fists. She was well aware that the main reason he had her stay at the Burton Residence had never been to take care of Charlotte-something must have raised his suspicion.

    "What? He asked you to stay there?" When Jolly returned to the hall and heard the news, she instantly stomped her foot in anger. "How could he do this? Isn''t this no different from sending you to a lion''s den? You will be staying under the same roof as that man; what if he does something to you?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel shook her head. "That isn''t his motive. The reason he wants me to stay there is so that he can keep an eye on me."

    "Keep an eye on you? What do you mean?"

    "He suspects something. He saw me when I entered Old Mr. Burton''s study, not to mention the incident about the safe at the Burton Residence. So, he must be trying to find out what I''m looking for and the reason I returned to the country."

    In order to conceal his real motive and to prevent alerting Rachel, Justin had asked her to stay at the Burton Residence using the excuse of taking care of Charlotte.

    Jolly frowned in response. "If that''s the case, that''s all the more reason for you not to go there. Since the evidence is not there, there isn''t a need for you to even go over."

    "No, I must go there." Rachel held her wine ss and gently clinked it against Jolly''s. "There is always an advantage of being in a favorable position-I''ll get more chances toe here when I''m close with him, no?"

    Many might not know this, but Rachel was very well aware that Arthur definitely would not sit back and watch her getting close with Justin.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Meanwhile in the study, the butler of the Burton Residence yed the security footage on the screen. "Sir, here it is."

    ying on the screen was the footage caught by the security camera, in which Rachel and Justin appeared one after another in the living room.

    Arthur''s expression became cold in the blink of an eye. "Is she here to look for something? Perhaps I should ask if the whole reason for her sudden return to the country is actually to look for something.ˇ± "Do you mean that thing?"

    "I never expected that she is a rather sentimental person-she still held on to that even after five years have gone by."

    "Should I remind Young Master Justin about this?"

    "There''s no need. Forgetting her is better for Justin. The less he knows about the events back then, the better it is for him."

    At the banquet, Jolly was called away by her parents, leaving Rachel on her own.

    There were quite a number of people who tried to strike a conversation with Rachel, but she maintained a polite yet distant attitude, which further piqued the interest of the gentlemen at the scene. "It''s impossible to transform from a peasant into a wealthy person over the course of one night. If these men knew that you have a kid, would they still be so courteous to you?" Amber''s voice was hearding from behind Rachel.

    Holding a wine ss, Rachel turned to cast her a nce. "You never change, do you? Have you forgotten what happened during the press conference? The fact that I''m Justin''s ex-wife is well-known all over Riverdale. Do you think that they don''t know that I have a kid?"

    Amber''s expression sank when she heard this. "That''s because they don''t know that you have an illegitimate child. How did you make Justin believe you? That b*stard can''t possibly be his child!" "Doesn''t your face hurt?" Rachel remained impassive as she warned Amber, "I suggest that you watch your mouth and never let me hear the word ''b*stard'' again."

    "You" In fact, Amber''s face still stung. The p on her face not only shattered her status among the socialites of Riverdale but also humiliated her before the Burton Family. If Arthur ever found out that she had offended the Carter Family, he definitely would not forgive her easily.

    When Rachel was going to say a few more words to warn Amber, she caught sight of a figure, which instantly made her skin crawl, and her hand that was holding the wine ss trembled.

    "Rachel, youˇŞ" Before Amber managed to finish her words, Rachel suddenly turned around, picked up her skirts and ran off without the slightest hesitation. It was obvious that she was in a fluster. Upon seeing that, Amber was livid with rage. Now she ignores me?

    However, after a brief moment of anger, she spotted a familiar figure as well. In the distance, a man was clinking sses and having a good chat with the guests at the banquet. The moment she saw the plump figure that could hardly fit in the suit, the reason for Rachel''s sudden strangeness dawned on her. Now I understand why Rachel dashed off from the banquet so suddenly!

    "What happened? Did something happen?" Jolly chased after Rachel from behind. It was only when she saw Rachel''s nched face upon entering the car did she realize how serious the matter was. And so, she held Rachel''s hand. "Why are your hands so cold? What happened?"

    After a while, Rachel finally returned to her senses and it was as if she had had a nightmare. Even so, she shook her head at Jolly. "Nothing happened. I''m just a little tired. I want to go back and rest." "Let me keep youpany. Anyway, the banquet is ending and my parents are still there." With that, she instructed the driver to drive away.

    "Sleep if you don''t feel well; I''ll wake you up when we reach home."

    "Okay."

    Rachel then leaned back against the car seat and watched as the night scene outside the window rapidly retreated backward.

    However, she couldn''t fall asleep and she could feel her temple pulsing the moment she shut her eyes.

    When she thought of the man she saw at the banquet, she felt her body shudder involuntarily, and her mind kept on reying the incident that happened in that house six years ago.

    Those degrading and devastating moments when her whole world fell apart before her had been eternally engraved in her mind. Rachel herself thought that she had moved on from that incident but even after

    so many years had gone by, the past still came back to haunt her the moment sheid eyes on that man. Every detail was as vivid as ever and it was as if it had just happened yesterday.

    The long night went by but Rachel did not manage to get a good night''s sleep, so she felt rather lethargic at work in the morning.

    After the morning meeting, Justin asked her to stay. "Other than Chris, the rest may leave."

    Everyone in the meeting room looked at one another with a profound gaze.

    In the end, the crowd dispersed and Frankie shut the door from outside, leaving Justin and Rachel alone in the spacious meeting room.

    "Is there anything I can help you with?" Rachel asked, to which Justin replied, "Have you forgotten what you promised me yesterday? When are you going to move to the Burton Residence?" "I''m quite tied up these two days, so I''ll head over in a couple of days."

    As if he didn''t hear what she said, Justin then ordered, allowing no room for rejection, "You will move to the Burton Residence today. I''ll have Frankie help you to move your things."

    She fell silent for a few seconds before she gave in and muttered, "There''s no need for that. I don''t have much belongings."

    However, Justin coldly stated before leaving the meeting room, "Charlotte is looking forward to your return. Bear in mind not to bring anything or anyone that you shouldn''t." Upon hearing that, Rachel frowned.

 Chapter 214

    In the afternoon, Rachel intentionally packed up and went home an hour earlier than usual.

    "Mommy, why are you back so early today?" Samuel asked as he hopped off the couch with a surprised look on his face.

    Rachel then picked him up. "Samuel, I would like to discuss something with you."

    "What is it?"

    "I will be staying with Charlotte for some time. Can you live with Jolly for the time being?"

    "Sure." Samuel immediately agreed, which surprised Rachel. She fell silent for a moment before she added, "Samuel, I may be gone for quite some time, though."

    "You can stay there as long as you need to. I''m sure Charlotte must have missed you. Since you have never stayed by her side for a long time before, I don''t mind lending you to her for the time being." His words warmed Rachel''s heart and she praised, "Samuel, you are really my good baby."

    Jolly, who returned rather early that day as well, helped Rachel to carry her luggage into the car. "I know that whatever I say won''t be of much help to you since you have always been a more careful and thorough person than I am. Anyway, please be careful."

    "I understand. Please take good care of Samuel."

    "You can rest assured. Of course I will take good care of my son."

    Before Rachel got into the car, however, she asked rather hesitatingly, "Jolly, do you think that I will stand a chance to get Charlotte''s custody if I were to take this to court?"

    "You wish to take Charlotte away from him?" A surprised look appeared on Jolly''s face. "Have you thought this through? Charlotte not only has Justin behind her, but the entire Burton Family as well." Rachel''s brows were knitted into a tight frown and she murmured, "I know that this will be tough and in fact, it sounds like a fantasy. I''ll drop this for now. It''s time for me to leave."

    "Hold on." Jolly suddenly stopped her, and the former was wearing a stern expression that seldom appeared on her face. "If you really wish to take this to court, my parents and I will definitely help you." "Thank you, Jolly."

    Although Rachel knew that Jolly meant what she said, she did not wish to drag the Carter Family into her private matter, so the thought of taking the case to court remained merely a thought. Jolly watched as Rachel''s car slowly drove away, and a rare grim expression reced her usually bright smile as she dialed an international number.

    The phone rang for some time on the other end before it was picked up. A sexy male voice then purred down the line, "Hello. Why did you call me all of a sudden, my sweetheart?" The man spoke in an American ent.

    "Stop messing around, Hernandez. I have something important to ask you. Aren''t you awyer? I would like to ask you regarding a custodywsuit."

    "Sweetheart, I''m now on leave. If you wish to talk about work, let''s talk in two weeks'' time."

    "On leave, you say? So, are you giving up on dating Chris now?"

    "What do you mean?" The male voice on the other end of the call suddenly sounded serious.

    Through his voice over the phone, Jolly could even imagine how Hernandez straightened up from his lounging position in a beach chair.

    She then continued, "If you manage to pull this off, Chris will certainly be impressed by you."

    Hernandez, however, did not reply.

    Meanwhile, Rachel drove her car into the garage of the Burton Residence.

    After she closed her trunk, she raised her head and noticed Justin at the garage entrance.

    "Are you here to wee me personally?" She put down her luggage, shing him a yful smile as she murmured, ˇ°I guess I''m pretty important to you.ˇ±

    "What are you thinking? I''m here to make sure that you don''t bring anyone that you are not supposed to bring."

    "Who is this person that I''m not supposed to bring?"

    "Stop asking the obvious." A hint of impatience crept across his brows and he muttered, "Since you have agreed to keep Charlottepany, don''t think that you can have that brat upy her time." "Charlotte kind of likes Samuel and they can be good friends even if they are not biological siblings, so there is no need to make a fuss out of this."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Friends?" He scoffed and muttered, "There''s no need. Charlotte doesn''t need to share any of her belongings with anyone and she doesn''t need anyone to share anything with her as well!" Belongings? A line appeared between Rachel''s brows as she thought to herself, I''m just a thing in his eyes.

    "Dictatorial!"

    "What did you say?"

    Rachel, however, dragged her luggage and shot back, "I said that you are in my way! Move!"

    As soon as she stepped foot into the house, Charlotte pounced on her. "Mommy! You are really back! Daddy didn''t lie to me!"

    Rachel picked her up. "Yes, I''m here to stay with you, Charlotte. Are you happy?"

    "I am!" Charlotte cast a look behind Rachel and asked, "Where''s Samuel? Why didn''t hee with you?"

    At the mention of Samuel, Rachel turned to look at Justin and under his forceful gaze, she had no choice but to lie. "Samuel prefers sleeping in his own bed and he prefers to stay where he is used to." Charlotte blinked at her in response. "We could just move his bed over here, no?" Then, she turned to Justin and said, "Daddy, ask Mr. Beckham to get some men and move Samuel''s bed over to our house. Samuel should live with us."

    Justin was speechless when he heard that. Rachel, on the other hand, deliberately avoided his gaze and ignored him despite him trying to make eye contact with her.

    "Daddy, hurry up and call Mr. Beckham!" An anxious Charlotte got out of Rachel''s embrace and ran over to him, tugging and shaking his arm. "I want Samuel toe over to apany me." Meanwhile, Rachel leisurely watched their interaction with her arms crossed.

    Justin shot a sharp look at her and spoke in a light voice. "Samuel has his godmother to keep himpany, so we have to get her permission before we take him here, understand?" Rachel clenched her fists and her expression fell while she muttered, "Charlotte, let me help you to take a bath. Your face is dirty and it''s almost bedtime."

    "Samuel-"

    "Samuel is busy. He wille over after he is done with his things."

    "Okay!"

    Rachel then darted Justin a nce before holding Charlotte''s hand and leading the child to the bathroom.

    After putting Charlotte to bed, Rachel exited her room, only to find Justin gone. Surprisingly, he kept his word-she was indeed here to keep Charlottepany only.

    For the next couple of days, Justin did not evene over to stay. Even if he came back for a meal during the day, he did not stay the night.

    At noon, the sun was hanging high in the clear sky.

    Sitting on the indoor swings of The Bilingual Elementary were Charlotte and Samuel, each upying a swing.

    Charlotte heaved a heavy sigh and mumbled, "Daddy hasn''t beening home to sleep. I wonder what happened."

    "It''s fine." Samuel bit on the straw of the milk box while his short legs dangled mid-air. "I don''t like when he spends time with Mommy, anyway."

    "Are you still holding grudges? Have you forgotten what I told you? Only your biological parents make the best family."

    "I remember, which is why I''m being cooperative, but there''s nothing we can do if he doesn''t return home."

    "How about I pretend to be sick so that hees back?"

    Samuel shook her head in a seemingly mature manner. "If you do that, your daddy would think that Mommy didn''t take good care of you."

    "He''s our Daddy!" Charlotte corrected him seriously.

    At that moment, their homeroom teacher''s voice rang from a distance, "Charlotte, Samuel, the outdoor activity session has ended. Why are you guys still out here?"

    The man who entered the sports hall was rather young. He had short ck hair that made him look refreshing, and the contagious smile on his cute face made him appear especially amicable to children who had just entered elementary school.

 Chapter 215

    "Mr. Wade!" Charlotte and Samuel immediately hopped off the swings.

    The teacher held their hands, one on each side. "I knew that the two of you would be here. I''ve told you two multiple times that you have to return to the ssroom right away after the outdoor activity session ends. Also, why didn''t the two of you finish your homework properly in thest two days?"

    Charlotte had never attended elementary school before this, while Samuel had been raised abroad. Thus, they were unlike most children who grew up in this country where respect for teachers formed part of the culture. On top of that, because of their wayward personality, they didn''t take any criticism to heart.

    Upon seeing their unfazed attitude, the good-tempered teacher added resignedly, "Forget it. I''ll speak to your parents during the parent-child activity next week."

    Meanwhile at the Burton Group, Rachel received a call from the nanny of the Burton Family as soon as she finished the task at hand. "Miss Chris, I have something to attend to at my hometown tonight, so I would like to take leave today. Can I trouble you to go and pick Charlotte up from school?"

    "Of course, no worries."

    After Rachel hung up the call, she realized that she forgot to ask which school Charlotte attended but when she called the nanny again, all she heard was the busy tone.

    As it was almost the dismissal time of elementary schools, she decided that she couldn''t afford to wait any longer, so she gave Justin a call.

    "Hello?" Justin''s cold and indifferent voice was heard from the other end of the line. "What''s the matter?"

    "Which school does Charlotte go to?"

    "Why are you asking this question?"

    "Martha has gone back to her hometown to tend to some business, so she asked me to go and pick Charlotte up from school. If you are free now, would you like to go instead?" After a brief moment, he simply uttered, "The Bilingual Elementary."

    The Bilingual Elementary? Stunned, Rachel squeezed the phone in her hand. "The Bilingual Elementary located on Sunnysouth Road?"

    "What''s wrong?"

    Rachel was shocked when he confirmed his reply. This is such a coincidence; Samuel was transferred to that school as well.

    It was time for the school to be dismissed when both Rachel and Justin arrived.

    On their way there, Justin asked with a livid expression, "Why did that brat happen to study in that elementary school? Aren''t you going to give me a reasonable exnation?" "That''s exactly what I wanted to ask you. Samuel''s transfer procedure waspleted a long time ago."

    "Don''t tell me that the two kids colluded on this?"

    Rachel darted him a look and replied indifferently, "You don''t know Charlotte well, do you? It''s not at all surprising if this is really their doing."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Charlotte was quite mischievous and Samuel was no better. There was nothing the two of them couldn''t pull off when an imaginative kid and a daredevil joined forces, let alone when it was merely a small arrangement of studying in the same elementary school.

    "First grade students have been dismissed," Frankie reminded them before Justin and Rachel alighted from the car.

    Headed by a student holding a card that indicated their sses, the students queued up in lines ording to their sses and exited the main gate of the school. The homeroom teachers were leading the queues and handed the children to their respective parents one after another.

    "Samuel''s mother?"

    "Here!" Upon hearing the name Samuel, Rachel reflexively raised her hand to show her presence.

    The teacher raised his head and saw Rachel but the very next instant, his expression abruptly changed.

    "Rachel!" The male teacher suddenly dashed out from the crowd and stared at her in a daze for a long time.

    Rachel froze for a moment as well. Although a name popped up in her head, it seemed to not belong to this man with a refreshing look before her in fact, he lookedpletely different from the person she recalled.

    Before she could respond, she was taken into a firm embrace.

    "Rachel, I knew that you woulde back! I missed you very much these years!"

    Both Samuel and Charlotte''s eyes widened.

    The very next instant, Justin tugged Rachel out of the teacher''s embrace and pulled her behind him, pushing the male teacher away in the course. He then reprimanded, "What are you doing?"

    "Justin?" The male teacher''s expression fell as soon as he saw the other man and he immediately grabbed him by his cor. "Why are you still pestering Rachel?"

    "Daddy! Mr. Wade!" Samuel and Charlotte surrounded them anxiously, while the crowd raised their phones to record them. It was aplete mess at the scene.

    However, when Rachel heard the name ''Wade'', she recalled who he was. "Victor!"

    Victor had actually be a teacher of a private elementary school. His blond hair had been reced by refreshing, dark hair that entuated his clean and gentle features, which made him look much younger.

    "Rachel, is he still pestering you now?"

    "Let go of me!" The minute Justin said that, he was greeted by a whooshing punch to the face.

    "You b*stard!"

    Before Justin managed to react, he felt a pang of pain on his face that made him cover his eye as he fell onto the ground.

    Upon seeing that Victor was about tond another hit, Charlotte rushed up to him. "Stop hitting Daddy!"

    Rachel quickly stopped Victor, for fear that he might hurt the child. "Victor, stop!"

    At that point, someone from the crowd shouted, "The police are here."

    The crowd gave way to the policeman who hurried over from nearby.

    "Who is making trouble? Come with me to the police station."

    They then arrived at the police station. One of Justin''s eyes was swollen due to the impact, and the bruise that circled his eye made him look rather ridiculous.

    "Why did you guys fight?" The policeman asked as he took notes.

    As there were security cameras at the entrance of the elementary school, the footage clearly revealed that it was Justin who made the first move.

    Justin, however, felt that he was in the right. "I didn''t start the fight. Isn''t it a normal reaction to pull him away when a stranger suddenly hugged my daughter''s mother in broad daylight?"

    The policeman furrowed his brows and asked Rachel. "What is your rtionship with him?"

    "He is my ex-husband," Rachel answered.

    The policeman then pointed at Victor and asked, "What''s your rtionship with him, then?"

    "He is my younger brother."

    "Your biological brother?"

    "No, a friend whom I treat like my biological brother."

    "Okay." The policeman nodded thoughtfully before asking Justin, "The two of them know each other, so why did you im that he is a stranger?"

    "I don''t know him."

    "What are you saying? You don''t know me?" Victor, who was off to one side, raised his brow and countered, "Are you pretending that you have lost your memory just because we did not meet for five years?" "Quiet! Did I allow you to speak?" The policeman shot a re at Victor.

    "Sir, this man is prone tomitting domestic violence. Rachel had a hard time when they were filing for divorce back then, but now he is still pestering her. If you were in my shoes, would you be able to speak with him calmly?"

    "Domestic violence? Is this true?"

    "Nonsense!" Justin was in rage. "Rachel, why do you know this kind of a person?"

    Rachel, on the other hand, had aplex look on her face. "Sir, this is a long story. Let''s settle today''s issue first. How should we resolve this?"

    "At least there''s one reasonable person among you guys." The policeman then handed them two forms. "What we usually do is mediate between the two parties. If the two of you agree to reconcile, you two can leave after filling in the forms and you will settle the dispute on your own. If you two refuse, both of you can have your injuries examined and go through the litigation process."

    "We will go through the litigation process."

    "I refuse to reconcile with him."

    Turned out that Justin and Victor both had the same opinion.

    Justin nced at his watch and announced, "Mywyer will be here anytime soon."

    Upon hearing that, Victor snapped, "Do you think that I''m afraid of you? Let''s take this to court then!"

    "Enough! Are the two of you done yet? The kids still haven''t had their lunch!" Rachel snarled. "They will reconcile." She then shoved the two reconcile forms toward each of them and curtly added, "Sign them."

 Chapter 216

    It was already dark outside when everyone came out after signing the documents. "Let''s have dinner together, Rachel." Victor was still delighted. "I haven''t seen you for so many years, and I have lots of stuff to tell you about."

    "No!" Before Rachel could respond, Charlotte suddenly sprang toward them from Justin''s side, clinging onto Rachel''s leg while eyeing Victor with hostility. "Mommy is going home with me. She''s not going to dinner with some bad teacher."

    Victor was startled for a moment before he recalled that Rachel had given birth to a daughter before leaving back then. "Rachel, could Charlotte be..."

    Rachel gave him a slight nod with tenderness in her eyes.

    "Then what about Samuel?"

    "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you about it some other day when there''s an opportunity." Rachel then nced behind her. "It''s already gettingte today, and I may have to go to the hospital, so let''s meet up some other time, Victor."

    Victor was somewhat disappointed. Still, he replied, "Okay."

    "Why don''t we exchange our contact numbers?" Rachel took out her cell phone first.

    "Sure." After that, Victor hailed a taxi and left. However, he warned Justin before he left by saying, "If you dare to harm a hair on Rachel''s head, I will never let you off!"

    Justin''s face darkened at Victor''s words, whereas Rachel quickly urged the taxi driver to drive. When Rachel, Justin, and the two kids were the only ones left at the police station''s entrance, Rachel shot a nce at him. "Let''s go."

    However, Justin was as cross as a bear. "Are you letting him off just like that? I haven''t gotten round to examining my injury yet."

    "Are youing or not?"

    "Where are we going?"

    "To the hospital," Rachel shot back icily. "Don''t you want to have your injury examined? Let''s get it done. I''ll take the responsibility if there''s anything wrong with it."

    When Rachel registered Justin at the hospital''s emergency department, she ran into Julian, who happened to be on duty today. He asked, "Why are you here in the hospital? Are you unwell?"

    "It''s not me; it''s your cousin." Rachel threw a nce at the waiting area in the distance. "Victor is the teacher in charge of Samuel''s ss. He and Justin ran into each other at the school''s entrance, and they came to blows."

    "Victor?" Julian was very surprised. "What a small world."

    "It''s a long story."

    "Just give it to me. I''ll check on him." Julian took the medical card from Rachel and took Justin right away to the debridement room, whereby he examined Justin''s eye injury with the aid of a shlight. "It''s not a big deal. You''ll be fine once we apply some medicine on it."

    "Are you sure that I''mpletely fine?"

    "Who is the doctor here, Justin-me or you?"

    Justin answered back coldly, "I''m afraid that you might shield that brat on purpose. Who knows if you''re on his side?"

    "I have no leisure for that." Julian shot him a disdainful look. "Youpletely deserve to be punched in the face."

    "What do you mean by that?" Justin knitted his brows. "Could there be bad blood between me and that brat as well?"

    "This has nothing much to do with him, but he regards Rachel as his own sister, you know."

    "Is this about Rachel again?" Justin looked annoyed.

    Julian mmed the tweezers down onto the porcin dish. He then replied coldly, "The fact that you don''t remember it doesn''t mean that it never happened. Rachel has never been unfair to you; you''re the one who has been unkind to her the whole time."

    Justin''s face darkened, for it wasn''t the first time he had heard this. "What do you mean by saying that I''ve been unkind to her? The responsibility of a failed marriage should fall on both sides at the very least, yet you speak for her unconditionally and shift all the me onto me. You have such a close rtionship with her, don''t you?"

    "Well, won''t believe me? Let me tell you what you did back then."

    "That''s not necessary! I''ll find out about the truth myself. I don''t need you to tell me about it," Justin replied before he picked his overcoat and stormed out of the room.

    Rachel and the two kids were waiting outside the door when they saw Justining out in a huff. "Daddy!" Charlotte ran toward him.

    However, instead of hugging Charlotte, Justin said coldly to Rachel, "Take Charlotte home. I have something else to attend to, so I won''t be giving you all a ride."

    Rachel was baffled as she watched him storm off in a great rage. "What has gotten into him again?"

    "He''s pissed off because something''s hit a nerve in him, I guess," Julian answered with an apathetic expression. He didn''t believe that Justin was totally uninterested in what had happened back then. When he finds out the truth and figures everything out, he''ll realize how cruel he was to Rachel back then.

    ...

    The night was dark, and the dim yellow light shone on the French window. At that moment, a woman''s figure reflected upon it. The woman''s body was wrapped in a pink silk slip dress as a pair of arms hugged her from behind. "What are you thinking about by yourself here? Did you dress in such an attractive manner because you knew that I''d being today?"

    Amber shuddered. "When did you arrive?"

    "Just a moment ago." Noah seemed impatient as he lowered his head and kissed her neck.

    Amber suddenly grabbed his hand and kept it from moving about. "I''m not in the mood today."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Are you going to keep carrying on with me on the sly like this? Will you marry me if I break off my engagement with Justin?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    In an instant, Noah lost all his interest; he let go of Amber and sat down alone on the sofa nearby. "Why are you talking about this? You''re only saying so simply because you''ve sensed danger upon your sister''s return, am I right? You talk as if you''re willing to give up on Justin for my sake." Just forget about scheming against each other. We''re both wily foxes, after all, he thought to himself.

    "What does that girl think she is? How could she pose a threat to me?"

    "Is she not posing a threat to you?" As he sat with his legs crossed, Noah pulled off his tie, revealing arge part of his chest in a raffish demeanor with a half-smile on his face. "Why did I hear that she''s moved into the Burton Residence, though?"

    "What did you say?" Amber''s expression changed.

    "Don''t you know that yet? No wonder you look so unperturbed."

    "When did this happen? This is impossible!"

    "Why don''t you make a phone call and ask about it yourself? Not only has that woman moved back with feverish haste after Old Mr. Burton''s birthday banquet, she''s even taking the kid to and from school with Justin. The way I see it, you''ll cease to be Justin''s fianc¨¦e very soon, much less marry into the Burton Family." Noah snorted coldly while flicking some cigarette ash away. "I''d advise you to stop indulging in wishful thinking and serve me well. Even though I won''t let you be a part of my family, I''ll give you your due."

    Amber''s shoulders were trembling as Noah''s humiliating words hit her eardrums one after another. Rachel has actually established herself as thedy of the house just like that! I worked hard for five years, yet I didn''t manage to do that. How did she do it upon her return? she thought to herself. "Young Master Noah, I have been carrying on with you for so many years. I won''t be asking too much of you if I beg you to do something for me, right?"

    "Tell me about it."

    "Mr. Wayne of Golden Herbs Enterprise seems to be on good terms with you."

    Noah''s pupils contracted slightly. "What do you want to do?"

    Amber lifted a corner of her mouth and sat astride Noah''sp. "You just need to introduce me to him. It won''t do you any harm."

    Noah was rendered speechless by her words.

    The next morning, Frankie was startled to see Justin when he clocked in at thepany as usual. "President Burton? What brings you here at such an early hour?" Justin looked up from behind theputer. He was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing yesterday.

    "What''s up with your eye, President Burton?"

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    "It''s all right." Justin pushed the processed documents on his desk to the side. "Hand these out to the departments."

    It took a long time before Frankie came to his senses. "Yes, President Burton." Since he was still worried, he asked while taking the documents, "Is your eye really all right, sir?"

    Justin gave him a frosty look.

    Frankie shuddered instantly. "I''ll deliver the documents now."

    "Wait a minute," Justin called out to him. "Find another school for Charlotte." He was worried. Since that brat named Victor held a grudge against him, it was not a good thing for Charlotte to be in his ss. Soon after Frankie left, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Justin.

    "Hey, Justin."

    Justin looked up when he heard Amber''s voice.

    As she hurriedly stepped toward him, Amber eximed, "Oh, gosh! What''s the matter with your eye, Justin?"

    "I knocked into something by ident." Justin frowned as he didn''t want to borate much. "What brings you here?"

    "I have a lecture on medicine this afternoon, so I came to get something and bring you breakfast while I''m at it." Amber waved the breakfast bag she was holding. "It seems pretty bad. Let me look at it." She pu down the breakfast bag before immediately searching the office for the first-aid kit.

    Justin hadn''t had time to take any ointment when he left Julian''s ce hastilyst night. Since the bruise around his eye was left untreated, it had gotten so bad at the moment that he couldn''t even hold this morning''s meeting.

    Amber had been a doctor before, so her skills were more than sufficient to treat such a minor bruise. "It may hurt a little, so please bear with it, Justin." She dipped the cotton swab in the ointment and applied it around Justin''s eyes. Then, she patiently blew on the bruise to relieve the pain.

    Justin was somewhat moved inwardly when he saw how meticulous and attentive Amber was. After all, she was at his bedside when he regained consciousness after the car ident back then, and she had always been by his side over thest five years. Even though he was indifferent to her, she never made a fuss about it. She had a meek disposition, for which she should be given credit.

    After treating the bruise, Amber lowered her head and packed the first-aid kit back up. "It''s done. Try not to let the bruisee into contact with water over the next few days. I''ll tell Frankie which medicine to buy."

    "Are you here expressly to bring me breakfast?"

    Amber was startled for a moment before her eyes reddened slightly. "I can''t hide anything from you, can I? I just want to see you since I haven''t seen you for a long time. I know I shouldn''t disturb you while you''re working."

    "It''s all right. I''m not busy today."

    "Really? I didn''t bother you?" Amber was pleasantly surprised at Justin''s rare disy of patience.

    "No, you didn''t." Justin had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Since you''re here, I''d like to ask you something."

    "Sure, just go ahead."

    "Rachel is your sister, so you should know very well why I married her and divorced her back then, right?"

    Amber''s smile froze on her lips in an instant. It seems like he''s asking about Rachel, she thought to herself. "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

    "Julian said I had done a disservice to your sister back then, but no one can tell me what happened at the time."

    Amber pinched her palm as she tried to calm herself down. "Why would Julian say that? How could you possibly have done a disservice to Rachel? Had she not gotten in the way back then, I would have been the person who married into the Burton Family as your wife..."

    Justin frowned with a puzzled look in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

    Meanwhile, when Rachel left home early in the morning, she received a text message from Victor asking her out for dinner. After five years of separation, it surprised her that the delinquent teenager back then was now a primary school teacher-and Samuel''s ss teacher at that!

    They met up at a hot pot restaurant for dinner that evening, during which Victor kept filling Rachel''s bowl with nched ingredients. "Try this, Rachel. My colleagues and I often visit this hot pot restaurant." "All right, that''s enough. I can''t finish everything here." Rachel felt helpless since she couldn''t stop Victor. "By the way, the fight didn''t affect your job, did it?"

    "No, it didn''t. Charlotte didn''te to school today, though. Did somethinge up?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Rachel was startled. "Didn''t Charlotte go to school?" The girl had gone downstairs for breakfast when Rachel was about to go out early this morning. The servants even had Charlotte''s school bag and school uniform ready in preparation before taking her to school.

    "Is she upset because of the fight I had with Justin yesterday?"

    "No, it''s all right. I''ll find out why once I go back and ask her about it tonight."

    "Rachel, are you staying under the same roof as Justin?"

    "That''s a long story. I have juste back from overseas, after all." Rachel decided not to tell Victor too much about the details since she thought he and Justin had little opportunity to meet each other. Moreover, Justin''s amnesia was tooplicated to exin in a few words. "Don''t worry about these things. Now that you have be a teacher, I can put my mind at ease since you''re doing well." "What about you, Rachel? How have you been doing these years? Why are you suddenly able to speak? Was it Dr. Peters who cured you? Also, what about Samuel? Are you married?"

    Victor fired so many questions at Rachel in rapid session that she didn''t know which question to answer for a moment. She threw her hands up helplessly and replied, "You''ve asked me so many questions. Which of them should I answer first?"

    "I''m sorry, Rachel. I was too excited." Victor scratched his head. "It''s okay, just take your time and tell me about it. We''ve got plenty of time for that, anyway."

    "You''ve be a sensible man, Victor. Your Grandma must be happy to see you like this right now."

    "My Grandma passed away the year beforest."

    Upon hearing this, Rachel looked visibly stunned. After a long time, she reached out and held Victor''s arm. "I''m sorry. I didn''t know that."

    "It''s okay," Victor replied with an anguished smile while trying hard to put on a look of relief. "Grandma had been senile for many years. In the end, she passed away quite peacefully without suffering from much pain. Luckily, Miss Janice was there to help me with Grandma''s funeral at the time. Let''s not talk about this anymore. Have some more of the food, Rachel you''re skinnier than you were back then."

    "You too."

    The clouds of steam enshrouding the hot pot restaurant seemed to transport them back five years in time to the days when Nancy was still alive and Victor often came to her ce to help her make pierogies. As Rachel recalled these memories, she suddenly felt a twinge of anguish in her heart.

    Night soon fell, and it was alreadyte when Rachel returned to the Burton Residence. As soon as she came home, she heard the sound of something being smashed in the dining room. A priceless piece of bone china bowl flew directly out of that area. Luckily, she dodged it quickly enough, and it instantly smashed into pieces at her feet.

    "I''m not transferring to another school! Who told you that I''m going to do that?!" The girl''s shrill voice nearly pierced Rachel''s eardrum. At this moment, Charlotte was like an angry little bird; her face was red with anger as she pounded the table with her tiny fists. One had to say that she definitely inherited Justin''s hot temper and irritable disposition.

    On the other hand, Justin looked imperturbable. "Your teacher isn''t a good person, and your school isn''t that great either. I''ve already gotten someone to find a new school for you."

    "I''m not going to a new school! I want to go to the same school as Samuel!"

    "Is this why you insisted on going to school?"

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    "I''m not transferring to another school! I want to go to school with Samuel." "Haven''t you had enough? I''m doing this for your own good, Charlotte."

    "You''re not!" Charlotte suddenly caught sight of Rachel and instantly burst into tears. She stretched out her arms toward Rachel while saying, "Mommy, Daddy''s bullying me! He wants to transfer me to another school!"

    Rachel promptly held her in her arms. "There, there. Stop crying, my dear Charlotte."

    Charlotte cried even louder in an instant. "Daddy won''t let me go to the same school with Samuel."

    Justin, who was thest person on earth who could bear to see Charlotte cry, immediately furrowed his brows.

    Rachel promptly asked, "Why would you do that? Charlotte is finally willing to go to school. Besides, the school is pretty nice. I have done an on-site survey of the school, and the teachers there are quite responsible. How could you transfer her to another school at whim?"

    "Are all teachers there responsible? Are you talking about the teacher who hit me?"

    "That was an ident."

    "An ident?" Justin let out a cold snort. "A school that has such a teacher mustn''t be a nice school. That brat is on good terms with you, so you''d definitely feel easy about sending your son there. I don''t feel easy about letting Charlotte go to that school, though."

    "Can''t you take Charlotte''s own wishes into ount for once? Say it yourself, Charlotte. Does Mr. Wade treat you well?"

    Charlotte nodded her head while crying. "He''s very nice to me! He''s nice to Samuel and me... I don''t want to go to another school!"

    "You heard that, didn''t you?"

    "So what?" Justin sounded so resolute that he wouldn''t take no for an answer. "I have already made a decision on this matter, and I''m not asking for anyone''s opinion. You''ll transfer to another school as I''m telling you to."

    "I won''t!"

    "Don''t go to school then. Just stay at home and learn from your private tutors like you used to. No one can change my mind on this!" Justin said. After finishing his sentence, he mmed down his cutlery, shot Rachel a cold nce, and stormed out of the dining room without looking back.

    Rachel instantly clenched her fists as a shudder suddenly swept over her. The look Justin shot at her just now was so chilling as if it instantly swept her back six years in time to those days where she was left at his disposal and the nightmares that terrified her. She couldn''t help feeling there was something different in the way he looked at her.

    The next day, Lisa knocked on the door and came in soon after Rachel arrived at the office. "Miss Hudson, the President''s office just called to inform us that we''ll be receiving a herbal supplier at 10.00AM. They told you to get ready and go upstairs before that for a meeting."

    "Haven''t we always ordered herbs from the same supplier? Is President Burton nning to order from someone else instead?"

    "I''m not sure about this, but the supplier seems to have quoted a price lower than the market rate."

    "Okay, I got it."

    Rachel was deep in thought after Lisa left. Why the sudden change of the herbal supplier? Not only that, Justin even bypassed me and ordered the change. As the acting sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals, I haven''t gotten wind of this at all.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Before 10.00AM, Rachel went to Justin''s office with the medicinal product catalog. "Hi, Miss Hudson." Frankie stopped her at the door.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel was baffled. "Isn''t President Burton inside?"

    "Uh, nothing. President Burton is waiting for you. The supplier has arrived as well."

    Rachel replied with a straight face, "Then I''ll go inside right now."

    "Miss Hudson..." Frankie hesitated for a long time as if he wanted to say something.

    "Is there anything else?"

    However, he shook his head in the end. "Nothing. Please go inside."

    With that, the office door was pulled open from the outside. Rachel straightened her clothes and came in to see Justin and the supplier sitting on the sofa, having a nice conversation. However, the instant the supplier raised his head, Rachel''s face was instantly drained of color. She finally realized why Frankie had hesitated to speak just now-the man chatting happily with Justin in the office was a nightmare to her. "Allow me to introduce Mr. Wayne, the president of Golden Herbs Enterprise." Justin sat erect on the sofa. "Mr. Wayne, this is Chris, the sales director of Burton Pharmaceuticals."

    Mr. Wayne turned to look at Rachel. As he gave her a nod, he greeted, "I have heard long ago that Miss Chris is very professional, but I didn''t expect you to be so beautiful."

    Rachel''s hands were covered in a cold sweat. Her face was as white as a sheet, and her ears were buzzing. Six years ago, when she first tried to ask Justin for divorce and requested that she be allowed to leave the Burton Family, Justin took her to a nightclub and left her at the disposal of the man before her eyes. The dazzling purple light in the private room, the man''s greasy and glowing face, the various ''instruments of torture'' hung on the wall, and the sound of the clothes being ripped apart hit her suddenly like a surging tide, instantly overwhelming all her senses.

    "Chris?"

    Justin''s voice brought Rachel back to her senses somewhat. Like a marite, she stepped toward the sofa in a daze, not knowing how she took the steps.

    Mr. Wayne straightened up and extended his hand to her. "Hi, Miss Chris. Nice to meet you."

    Nice to meet you? An overwhelming fishy smell suddenly surged up Rachel''s throat. Before Justin and Mr. Wayne could speak, she suddenly covered her mouth and ran into the restroom. She nearly vomited up the dinner she had yesterday as her stomach churned over and over again. Is Justin doing this on purpose? Is he using Mr. Wayne to disgust me and remind me of that embarrassing past? Just then, she heard someone bang at the door. "What''s wrong with you, Rachel?"

    After a long time, Rachel regained herposure, forcibly suppressed the feelings of resentment and shame within her, and pulled the restroom door open. Justin''s hand was still outstretched. When he saw that she opened the door, his hand naturally fell to his side. "What''s wrong?"

    "I should be the one who asks you this question instead. Is Mr. Wayne the new herbal supplier?"

    "Well? What''s wrong with that?"

    Rachel secretly clenched her fists as she studied Justin''s expression. She asked probingly, "It''s not that Burton Pharmaceuticals hasn''t worked with him before. Ourpany put him on a cklist and vowed to never work with him anymore, so why would we suddenly start working with him again?"

    Justin nced at her in surprise. "You know quite a lot, but do you know there are no permanent enemies in business? Golden Herbs Enterprise has had a nice reputation in the market in recent years. Since our coboration would be a win-win situation, no one will care about some past misunderstandings."

    "Misunderstandings?" Rachel clenched her teeth. "Don''t you even remember that incident?"

    "Remember what?"

    Rachel was too ashamed to tell Justin what had happened. She replied coldly, "He''s a person of disreputable character. One just needs to ask around a little in Riverdale to know that he is a tough nut to crack. I''m not taking this project. Let someone take over it instead." After finishing her sentence, she walked past Justin as if to leave. She would never get in touch with a disgusting person like Mr. Wayne unless she was out of her mind!

    "Stay where you are!" Justin grabbed her arm effortlessly with hisrge hand. His chilling voice could be heard saying, "What ce do you think Burton Pharmaceuticals is? I''m not paying you to act dignified- I''m paying you to work for me! What right do you have to choose your projects?"

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    "Anyone can take up the project. I can take up any project except this one!" As Rachel failed to struggle free of Justin''s grasp, she gritted her teeth and said, "Since this project is such an easy job, let someone else take it up instead. Lots of people would want to work on this!"

    As soon as she finished her sentence, a gust of wind brushed against her ear. Justin pped his hand against the door frame behind her ear, trapping her in a huge shadow by forming an enclosure with his arm and the wall in the corner. "I''m not consulting with you. This is a notice-either ept it or resign," he asserted in a peremptory tone with a frosty look in his eyes.

    Rachel red at Justin; the feelings of resentment that had umted for many years surged in her chest, causing her to tremble involuntarily. She had thousands of reasons to say no to Justin''s threat, but she nevertheless replied, "I''ll ept it." She agreed to take up the project only for one reason-she had to stay at Burton Pharmaceuticals by Justin''s side to find the evidence linked to Hans'' death. "I''ll ept it. Can you let go of me now?" She gradually calmed down while looking at the man fearlessly with an extremely cold look in her eyes.

    Justin let go of her with a frown.

    When Mr. Wayne saw them returning to the office, he asked with concern, "Chris, are you all right?"

    Rachel managed a forced smile. "I''m fine; perhaps I ate something bad. Sorry for being impolite just now, Mr. Wayne. I''ll consult with youter about our coboration. If you have any questions regarding our medicinal materials, you may ask me directly."

    "No problem. Naturally, someone rmended by President Burton must be reliable." Mr. Wayne pushed his sses. The greasy face behind his sses looked as lewd as it had been back then, so much so that it disgusted Rachel just to take another look at it.

    Justin watched their interaction the whole time, but he didn''t notice anything wrong with Mr. Wayne, who spoke and conducted himself in a very polite manner. However, Justin was puzzled by how rmed Rachel looked. Could they have known each other before?

    Rachel was hypervignt at first, but Mr. Wayne didn''t overstep any boundaries at all. All he talked about was the coboration between hispany and Burton Pharmaceuticals, and this caused her to suspect that Mr. Wayne had forgotten her. After all, six years had passed since then, so it shouldn''t be surprising for him to forget a woman whom he had met just once in those six years. As Rachel thought of this, she slowly rxed.

    After the introduction, Mr. Wayne got up and said his farewells. Rachel said, "As for the matters regarding our coboration, I''ll have my assistant draw up the contract and send it for you to look over." "Won''t you see me out, Chris?"

    As soon as Mr. Wayne finished his sentence, Rachel unconsciously curled up her fingers.

    Justin frowned at one side before shooting her a warning nce.

    Rachel pinched the palm of her hand and forced a smile. "This way, please, Mr. Wayne." As the elevator door slowly closed, she pushed the button to the first floor. "Mr. Wayne, if you are dissatisfied with any of the details we have just discussed regarding our coboration, pleasee right out with it. We can talk about them."

    "You look more seductivepared to when Ist met you six years ago, Chris. If President Burton hadn''t introduced us to each other, I wouldn''t have dared to recognize you."

    When Rachel heard Mr. Wayne''s words, her mind went ck at once, and her temples pulsed.

    Mr. Wayne then continued slowly, "However,pared to you, who can now speak, I prefer the little mute who couldn''t even cry out when being whipped back then. She was exciting and interesting enough-" Rachel stepped back; she went so weak at the knees that she could hardly keep her feet. "You recognized me from the beginning."

    "How could I forget you, Mrs. Burton?" Mr. Wayne grabbed Rachel''s arm. "I still remember your smell very well in the past six years!"

    Rachel''s head was buzzing as if she had gotten an electric shock. The arm that Mr. Wayne grabbed was so stiff that she couldn''t move it at all. She tried to make a sound, but she couldn''t make any when she opened her mouth.

    The elevator reached the first floor with a ding. Before the elevator door slowly opened, Mr. Wayne had let go of Rachel''s hand. "Hi, Miss Hudson," those waiting for the elevator outside greeted her. Only then did Rachele to her senses and brace herself to say to the staff, "This is Mr. Wayne from Golden Herbs Enterprise."

    "Hi, Mr. Wayne."

    "Hi, everyone." Mr. Wayne shot a nce at Rachel. "Let''s go, Miss Hudson."

    Rachel''s face was so strained that she couldn''t manage a smile as she pinched the palm of her hand.

    Meanwhile, theputer screen in Justin''s office showed the surveince footage of the elevator, allowing him to hear every word of the conversation between Rachel and Mr. Wayne. As I expected, Rachel and Mr. Wayne have known each other before.

    His eyes gradually darkened as those disgusting words still reverberated in his ears. Soon, a look of deepening anger crept over his face. Rachel didn''t dare to take up this project not because of Mr. Wayne''s character but because she was feeling guilty, he thought to himself. As the words ''your smell'' resounded in his head, he instantly clenched his fists. No wonder... No wonder I divorced this woman back then! How many other scandalous things is she hiding from me?

    "Here''s the new proposal, President Burton."

    Frankie''s voice snapped Justin out of his thoughts. Aftering to his senses, he nced at Frankie and asked, "What did you want to tell me about Mr. Wayne before this?"

    Frankie was stunned for a moment. "I wanted to say that Mr. Wayne is a notorious womanizer, so it isn''t appropriate to let Miss Hudson take up this project. If anything bad happens, we''ll lose more than we gain."

    "In that case, who do you think should take up the project instead?"

    "I think Ronald Weiss of the sales department is a nice candidate. After all, he''s also a man, so he won''t be taken advantage of." Frankie studied Justin''s expression. Then, he immediately suggested, "It''s not toote to let another person take up the project right now, President Burton. Would you like me to inform Miss Hudson right away?"

    "Did I say that I want to let another person take up the project?" Justin darted a look at Frankie. Then, three words came out of his thin lips coldly and resolutely. "There''s no need." She deserves to solve the trouble she''s gotten herself into.

    Mr. Wayne''s appearance made Rachel feel blue all afternoon. When it was finally time to clock out, she heard her cell phone vibrating on her desk. Her face tensed the instant she saw Mr. Wayne''s name disyed on the phone''s screen. "Hello?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "You should be getting off work by now, right, Chris? I have asked several friends to meet up for dinner this evening. Come and join us for a bit."

    "I''m sorry, but I have to work overtime tonight."

    "Meeting clients is considered overtime, right? Or do you mean that I am a petty herbs dealer who''s dispensable and of no importance to Burton Pharmaceuticals?" "That''s not what I mean."

    "See you at 7.00PM at Golden Hill Nightclub then. Be sure to be there."

    Golden Hill Nightclub? Rachel''s face froze at once. The call had disconnected, and the phone''s main interface was disyed on the screen after a few beeps.

    Rachel clutched her cell phone for a long time as she slowly calmed herself down. Why should I be afraid? Times are different now; I''m no longer under Justin''s coercion, nor can Mr. Wayne do anything to me. Why should I be afraid of joining the dinner?

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    Rachel drove to the nightclub alone after work. As soon as she entered the private room, she saw the men inside with the nightclub''s hostesses in each of their arms. Mr. Wayne beckoned to her enthusiastically as he said, "Come over here, Chris. Let me introduce her to you guys. This is Chris, Burton Pharmaceuticals'' sales director. She''s a knockout, isn''t she?"

    "Burton Pharmaceuticals'' sales director? Aren''t you President Burton''s ex-wife?"

    "You were on the news some time ago."

    The atmosphere in the private room livened up at once. These men were in the same circle, so they knew almost everything about the Burton Family.

    Rachel forced a smile at everyone.

    Mr. Wayne waved his hand. "Why are we talking about this? Friendly rtions should exist between buyer and seller even if they fail to clinch a deal. Despite their marriage ending with divorce, they still have to run the business. Just look at how magnanimous Chris is-isn''t she still working at Burton Pharmaceuticals? It''s just that she''s put to a little inconvenience by having to work under her ex-husband."

    "Wow, your heart is aching, Mr. Wayne! What are you waiting for, Chris? Have a drink with him!"

    Rachel frowned as a ss of wine was shoved into her hand. "I drove here, so I can''t drink alcohol."

    "What''s the problem with that? You can just hire a chauffeur to drive your car. There are plenty of them everywhere."

    "Sorry, but I don''t drink."

    The room instantly went silent. Mr. Wayne put down his wine ss and leaned back against the leather sofa. He then asked, "It''s not like I have to coborate with Burton Pharmaceuticals. There are so many people here; it doesn''t make a difference for me to sign the contract with any of them. Sincerity is best expressed by one''s willingness to drink, don''t you think so?"

    Rachel was very hesitant as she looked at the wine ss before her. She knew very well that once one drank a ss of wine in such a social engagement, they would end up drinking even more. Moreover, Mr Wayne was deliberately trying to make her drunk. Then, as her eyes flickered, she suggested, "Mr. Wayne, do you mean that you''ll sign the contract as long as I finish this ss of wine?"

    "That''s not a problem, of course. Am I the kind of person who goes back on his word?"

    "That''s right! What kind of person do you think Mr. Wayne is?"

    "Mr. Wayne feels sorry for you, so he''s taking you out to help you rx. You''d better not do it the hard way," said the toadies around them as they made a fuss.

    Rachel raised her ss. "In that case, thank you, Mr. Wayne. Here''s to you." Then, she downed the wine in one gulp in front of everyone. The strong smell of alcohol spread in her mouth, but she showed everyone the emptied ss without letting her face show any emotion.

    "You can drink a lot!"

    "Come on, let''s drink another ss."

    "Mr. Wayne, about the contract-"

    "Since I''ve promised to sign the contract, I''ll definitely sign it. The contract hasn''t been drafted yet, right? Have your assistant send it to me tomorrow morning, and I''ll sign it right away."

    "It''s not necessary to go through so much trouble. I brought the contract with me," Rachel replied. As she spoke, she took a document out of her handbag, uncapped the felt-tip pen, and handed the pen and the document to Mr. Wayne.

    The room fell silent once again, whereas Mr. Wayne''s greasy face twitched. Obviously, he didn''t expect Rachel to have such things prepared. "It really is rather professional of you to bring the contract along whileing out for drinks, Chris."

    Rachel replied, "Opportunities are for those who are well-prepared, right?"

    "Great! You''re simply great. As expected, you''re a clever woman who deserves to work beside Justin Burton." Mr. Wayne pulled off his tie. Suddenly, he stood up and looked around him. "Get out, everyone." Everyone in the private room looked at each other, but none of them dared to say anything as they left, knowing what to do in such situations.

    When thest person left the private room, Rachel stood up as well. She asked warily, "What do you mean by doing this, Mr. Wayne?"

    Mr. Wayne threw his tie at Rachel right away with a sneer. "Stop pretending. Why y this trick on me when you don''t even bother to pretend? Let''s get even with one another today for what happened back then, shall we?" As he spoke, he unbuckled his belt right away and stepped toward Rachel.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Rachel took two steps back while reaching for her cell phone in her pocket. "What are you doing? This is a public ce. Aren''t you afraid that I''ll call the police?"

    Mr. Wayne sneered. "Call the police? You can try to. This nightclub is now under my name, and the signal jammers have been switched on. I''d like to see how you''re going to call the police." Rachel''s expression changed when she saw the words ''No signal'' on her phone''s screen.

    "God knows how long I have been waiting for this day. Do you know how much trouble the incident back then caused me? I haven''t been able to sleep at night all these years because I''d been waiting to find you!" said Mr. Wayne as he stepped closer and closer toward Rachel.

    Meanwhile, thetter kept backing away until she reached the door. She pushed the door handle, only to realize that the door couldn''t be opened as it had been locked from the outside. "Let me out of here!" "Let you out of here?" Mr. Wayne responded as if he had heard a joke. Then, he picked up the remote control, aimed it at the wall opposite him, and pressed a button.

    The wall automatically split in two and opened up with a loud noise, revealing the hidden bedroom inside. The sight of the whip and the ''instruments of torture'' shining on the wall under the purple light made one shudder, but Mr. Wayne''s spirits soared. With a look of excitement and perversion on his face, he asked, "How is it? Do you remember it now? Is it the same as the room back then?"

    Rachel''s face turned as white as a sheet as a tingling sensation mixed with feelings of nausea instantly spread all over her body. What a pervert Mr. Wayne is-he''s simply a lunatic! He actually had an identica replica of the room back then hidden in the nightclub''s private room! she thought to herself. The instant she came to her senses, she banged the door desperately. "Open the door! Let me out!"

    "It''s too bad that the only difference is that you''re no longer mute now." Mr. Wayne eyed Rachel up and down. "However, it doesn''t matter as long as you bite into this!" Then, he grabbed Rachel''s shoulder while holding a spherical object in his hand.

    The night was already dark. After having dinner with Charlotte, Justin coaxed her to sleep since Rachel had yet to return home.

    Charlotte could hardly keep her eyes open, but she insisted on waiting for Rachel toe back. "Daddy, why isn''t Mommy home yet?"

    "Mommy is too busy with work. You should sleep by yourself today, Charlotte."

    "In that case, tell her to give me a kiss when shees back. I''ll know it in my sleep."

    "All right, my dear Charlotte."

    It wasn''t until he heard the even breathing next to him that Justin got up and left the room. "Sorry, but the number you''ve dialed is currently unavable. Please dial againter." It was already 11.00PM, but he still couldn''t reach Rachel on her cell phone. As he recalled what had happened during the day, his face slowly tensed up, and he called Frankie. "Where is Rachel right now?"

    "Hasn''t Miss Hudson gone back yet? I heard from Lisa that she received a phone call from Mr. Wayne before getting off work. He asked her out to discuss the contract." "Send me the address," Justin uttered before leaving home at once.

    The air was sultry in the midsummer night as Justin stood in front of the garage door with the car keys in his hand. After standing for half a second, he pulled the car door open and got into the driver''s seat. As he gripped the steering wheel, hisrge hands trembled visibly for a moment, but he clenched the steering wheel and forcibly suppressed the feelings of unease soon afterward. With that, the sedan drove out of the vi area and disappeared into the night.

 Chapter 221

    Meanwhile, in the nightclub''s private room, Rachel''s eardrum was hurt by the sound of wine bottles shattering into pieces. "Don''te over!" She walked around the table to evade Mr. Wayne as he approached her, but her head was getting increasingly dizzy. Something''s wrong with that ss of wine, she thought to herself. Indeed, she never expected that there would be something wrong with the ss of wine poured right in front of her.

    "Stop struggling. It''s useless. You''ll lose all your strength very soon, so you''d better behave yourself and go along with me." Mr. Wayne took off his suit jacket and reached out hisrge hands to her.

    Rachel''s eyes blurred, and she fell on the carpet as she no longer had the strength to struggle. As her consciousness slowly faded away, she saw Mr. Wayne dragging her onto the bed. He began to unbutton his shirt in front of her, and his face was as greasy and disgusting as it had been six years ago. She broke down and cursed, "You''ll die a dog''s death!"

    "It was Justin who led you to my bed back then. If someone has to die a dog''s death for this, he should be the one instead." Mr. Wayne grabbed Rachel''s suit jacket and ripped it off her shoulders. Then, his oppressive figure instantly fell on top of her.

    "Aaaah!" Rachel screamed, but Mr. Wayne immediately covered her mouth. "I don''t like it when you make a sound. That''s not exciting enough," he said. Then, he took the whip off the wall and said, "Enjoy it, Mrs. Burton!"

    Rachel immediately closed her eyes. Her body seemed to have predicted the pain brought by the whipnding on her body, for the tragic scene six years ago yed itself over and over again in her mind. Just then, a loud bang was suddenly heard, and Rachel didn''t feel pain as she had expected.

    Before Mr. Wayne could swish his whip, he was suddenly seized by the neck from behind by a pair of hands. Right after that, a forceful kick sent him rolling out of bed, and he let out a blood-curdling scream as someone trampled on his cheek with their leather shoes. "Justin Burton!" Mr. Wayne''s eyes were bulging out of their sockets. This scene was so familiar; the only difference was that he hadn''t seen who the man before him was back then, whereas he saw the person very clearly today. "It''s you!" He clenched his teeth. "It was also you back then!"

    Justin looked as ck as thunder. "How dare you touch one of my people? You really think you''re indispensable to the herbal market in Riverdale, huh?"

    "Aaaah!" Amid his shrill cries, Mr. Wayne covered his groin and curled himself into a ball, writhing about on the floor.

    Meanwhile, Rachel clutched the cor of her shirt and huddled in the corner of the bed while forcibly suppressing her physical difort.

    Justin locked eyes with her the instant he looked up. "Are you all right?"

    "Don''t touch me!" Rachel suddenly barked frostily as she dodged Justin''s hand. Her eyes were extremely cold with no gratitude in them. Instead, the look in her eyes was one of disgust, anger, and profound shame.

    An angry look crept over Justin''s face as he saw the look in Rachel''s eyes. "How could you be so unappreciative of my help when I just saved you?"

    "Did I ask you to save me?"

    "You-"

    Before Justin could finish his sentence, a noise was heard outside the door. "Don''t move! This is the police''s anti-prostitution operation! Get down with your head in your hands!"

    Jolly burst into the room from behind several inclothes policemen. "Chris! We were held up for a while just now. Are you okay?"

    Rachel shook her head.

    "Justin? Why are you here?" When Jolly saw Justin and Mr. Wayne, who was lying in a corner, she immediately realized what had happened. She mocked, "Wow, could you be here to y the hero who saves the damsel in distress?"

    When Justin saw the chaotic scene of policemen rushing into the nightclub and subduing everyone inside, he gave Rachel a long stare and asked in a cold voice, "Did you set this up?"

    Rachel clutched her cor with a terrifyingly calm look in her eyes. "Who else would it be? I''m just doing this to protect myself, President Burton."

    Justin let out a sneer. "Protect yourself? You looked like you were being bullied, and you didn''t dare to say anything this morning. Was that a show you put on in front of me?"

    Rachel didn''t turn a hair. "Naturally, you were only too eager to see me walking right into the trap. Am I brainless enough toe to such a ce, allow such a person to get me drunk, and then wait for you to save me like a hero so that I''ll be deeply grateful to you?"

    "You!"

    "What do you want to do?" Jolly spread her arms wide and stood in front of Rachel while ring at Justin arrogantly. "The police are outside. Do you want to get physical?"

    Justin''s eyes were aze with anger as his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

    "Miss Carter, we need you to assist us by having your testimony recorded."

    "Sure."

    Jolly was called aside by the police to have her testimony recorded, leaving Justin and Rachel the only ones standing in the room. "Come out with me." Justin dragged the woman out of the room right away.

    The drug''s effects on Rachel hadn''t worn off, so she staggered as Justin dragged her. "What are you doing? Let go of me! Justin!" She shook Justin''s hand off with all her strength while panting heavily. "If you''re displeased because I caused the Burton Group to lose a business partner by setting up a trap for Mr. Wayne to be arrested, I''ll find a way to make up for it. You don''t have to make an issue out of this." "Am I such a person in your eyes?" Justin was boiling with rage. "How could you not scruple to use yourself as bait to set up a trap? Did you even think about how you were going to walk out of here if your bestie couldn''t arrive in time or if the nightclub had enough backing?" It scared him just to think of how serious the consequences could''ve been.

    Rachel''s fine eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Justin coldly. "Thanks for caring about me, President Burton. However, have you forgotten that it was you who forced me to discuss the business deal with Mr. Wayne?"

    Justin was stunned.

    Just then, Jolly ran out of the room after them upon realizing that Rachel wasn''t inside. "Did he do anything to you, Chris?"

    "No, he didn''t. Let''s go."

    Jolly helped Rachel by the arm. Before leaving, she shot Justin a fierce re and said, "Stop pretending to care about her here. If you really cared about Chris, you wouldn''t have let her get in touch with such a perverted sc*mbag in the beginning!"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Justin clenched his fists as a trace of regret shed across his eyes. He admitted that he had forced Rachel to take up the project and get in touch with Mr. Wayne at first to punish her a little. He wanted her to know that not everything was under her control, but he never expected things to turn out this way.

    Jolly sent Rachel home after leaving the nightclub. "Are you all right? I''d better take you to the hospital." "I''m all right, and I''ll be fine after having a rest at home. I''ll ask thepany for several days off." "How could you still think about work at such a time?"

    Rachely down right away when she got home. As Jolly tucked her in, she sat on the edge of Rachel''s bed and mumbled to herself, "We''d better finish our business here as soon as possible and go back to Montenegro. I really wonder if Riverdale is a bad ce for us; we''ve gotten into so much trouble ever since we came back." As she was mumbling, her cell phone finally vibrated. Jolly''s pupils contracted slightly when she saw the caller ID, and she went out with her phone in her hand.

    On the other hand, Rachel had a long dream. In reality, she seldom dreamed about her childhood during the years she lived abroad. After she recovered the memories of what had happened back then, the past events of her childhood became so distinct to her that they no longer appeared in her dream. Tonight, however, she dreamed about her childhood and Justin once again.

 Chapter 222

    Somerset Mountain was a poor and remote mountainous area. Few people really lived on the mountain except for a gang of human traffickers, so Rachel hadn''t had any friends since she was little. Then, she met Justin, who was abducted and trafficked to Somerset Mountain. The days since then had been one of the few times in her childhood that she felt truly happy in thepany of someone around her age. "My home is on fire, Justin! I have to go back!"

    "You mustn''t go back, Katie!"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "You should leave first, Justin."

    "Katie!"

    In the burning courtyard, a man with a scar on the corner of his eye stood at the door of the house and threw the emptied can of kerosene aside. After looking around, he came out and stared at the burning fire as the mes spread out of the courtyard.

    "My mom is still inside!"

    "Keep quiet!"

    The teenage boy covered little Rachel''s mouth, and he wouldn''t let go of her no matter how she cried and shouted. He kept waiting until the man with a scar on the corner of his eye left, whereas Rachel cried so hard that she nearly passed out.

    However, the fire was too big. Before the two kids could run down the mountain slope, the thatched cottage copsed in an instant, turning the courtyard into a sea of mes as the fire kept spreading toward the peak of the mountain.

    "Run, Katie! Run!"

    "Mommy! Mommy!"

    When Rachel suddenly heard a child''s voice, she woke up from her nightmare in a daze and noticed the tiny figure standing beside her bed. Her eyelids felt so heavy that she could hardly open her eyes, and her voice was very weak. "Why are you here, Samuel?"

    "Today''s the weekend. What''s wrong with you, Mommy?"

    "I''m feeling a little ill. Can you order some food by yourself?"

    "Okay."

    As Samuel''s sensible and obedient voice reverberated in her ears, Rachel soon closed her eyes and fell back into a deep sleep.

    After the young boy touched Rachel''s hot forehead with his tiny hand, he immediately went out and got some ice packs from the fridge. Then, he wrapped the ice packs in a towel and put them on Rachel''s forehead to help her cool down her body temperature. After doing all that, he stood beside the bed for a while, and his face scrunched up when he saw how ufortable Rachel looked. It''ll be bad if her temperature doesn''te down. As the thought urred to him, he immediately picked up his school bag and left home.

    It was already afternoon, and Justin was reading a magazine in the Burton Residence. He had been in a bad mood all day because of Rachel. Even though he recognized every word in the magazine, he couldn''t concentrate on reading at all. Instead, he couldn''t stop himself from darting a look at the door from time to time as he read the magazine.

    Ding dong! Just then, the sound of the doorbell ringing could be heard outside.

    Justin immediately put down the magazine, but he didn''t see the person he was expecting when he opened the door. Instead, he saw a cute little boy standing behind the carved iron gate across the courtyard with a school bag shaped like a beetle on his back. The boy was pushing the gate with his tiny hands as he demanded in a forceful manner and said, "Open the door for me."

    "Why are you here?" Justin stepped out of the house. "Did youe alone?"

    Samuel replied, "Open the door for me first."

    Justin reluctantly opened the gate, but he pressed Samuel''s head with his hand and refused him entry. "I''m not letting you in. Tell me first-what are you doing here?"

    Samuel shook his hand off in displeasure. "I''m here to see you. Hurry up ande with me."

    "Go with you? Why?"

    "My mom is ill. Come to my house with me."

    Justin let out a cold sneer. "You''re only a child, yet you''re already lying without thinking. I just saw her yesterday. Not only was she as fit as a fiddle, she even plotted against an old fox with her friend. How dare you tell me right now that she''s ill?"

    "I''m telling the truth. I''m not lying."

    "I don''t care whether you''re telling the truth or lying. I''m busy. If she wants to see me, tell her toe here in person instead of using her kid to make a fuss."

    "I''m not lying to you. Hurry up ande with me!" As Samuel got anxious, he grabbed Justin''s arm and tried to pull him outside.

    "Let go of me!" Justin was already in a bad mood in the first ce, so he became even more impatient right now. Since he wasn''t careful with his strength while swinging his arm, he directly flung Samuel out of the way, causing thetter to take a pratfall.

    "Ugh..." Samuel moaned in pain as he fell to the ground.

    Justin was also stunned for a moment, but he adopted a stern countenance soon afterward. "It''s your fault for insisting on pulling me. I''m telling you again if your mother wants to see me, tell her toe in person instead of using such contemptible means."

    Since Samuel was hurt during the fall, his big eyesˇŞwhich looked like ck grapesˇŞinstantly misted over with tears. With an aggrieved look, he then yelled at Justin, "You pushed me! My mom said that adults who hit kids are bad people. I hate you, and I don''t want you to be my dad anymore! I''ll go to Mr. Peters instead!"

    Justin was somewhat regretful at first, but his expression changed the instant he heard Samuel''s words. "I''m not your dad in the first ce." After finishing his sentence, he immediately closed the gate and went back inside without looking back.

    Samuel got up from the ground and stood angrily outside the gate for a few seconds before he left in a fury. I don''t want to see Justin ever again, nor do I want this person to be my dad anymore. Mr. Peters is 10,000 times better than him; even Mr. Hernandez, that womanizer, is ten thousand times better than him!

    Shortly after Samuel walked out of the vi area, a figure stood in his way. He looked up at the man before him and said, "You''re blocking my way, mister."

    The man leaned down toward him. "Come with me, little kid."

    In the meantime, Justin had just returned to the living room. He plonked himself down on the sofa and picked up the magazine he hadn''t finished reading, but he could hardly concentrate as his mind was preupied with what Samuel had just said. How could that brat say he doesn''t want me to be his dad when he is by no means rted to me? Does he think he can intimidate me by doing this? That''s simply ridiculous. Also, how could Rachel feign illness to seek my pity after doing something wrong? That''s thest trick that''ll work on me. She shoulde back by herself if she''s so capable.

    "Daddy!" Just then, Charlotte''s voice was heard upstairs. Her white puff-sleeve nightdress reached down to her ankles as she walked downstairs barefoot while using the handrail to support herself. As she had just woken up from her afternoon nap, she still looked somewhat dazed. "Daddy, I think I heard Samuel''s voice."

    "Why did youe downstairs barefoot?" Justin immediately put down his magazine and went upstairs to carry Charlotte down.

    Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck, but she was still thinking about Samuel. "I really heard Samuel''s voice. Is he here? Where is he?"

    "He just left."

    "Did Samuel reallye?" Charlotte immediately became awake. "Why didn''t you wake me up?"

    Justin replied perfunctorily, "You were sleeping just now. Haven''t you forbidden anyone to disturb you while you''re sleeping?"

    "How could Samuel be one of those people? He''s my brother!"

    Justin frowned. "He isn''t your brother."

    "Yes, he is my brother! How could you speak of him in such a way, Daddy? Didn''t you promise me to be nice to Mommy and Samuel from now on? Where''s Mommy?" "She''s busy with something else."

    "You''re lying!" Charlotte pushed Justin away and struggled to get out of his arms. "I won''t believe you anymore. I''ll find Mommy by myself!" After finishing her sentence, she ran to the dressing room and got changed.

    "Charlotte!" Justin could only go out with her since he couldn''t make the little girl change her mind. They then reached Rachel''s home, but no one answered the door after they rang the doorbell several times.

 Chapter 223

    Justin said, "I told you she isn''t home, Charlotte. She must have headed out for some business. Let''s go home."

    "That''s impossible! It''s the weekend!"

    "But there''s nobody here, and there''s no way for us to enter."

    "I have the password, though!"

    As the little girl spoke, she pulled the door knob and keyed in the password.

    Before Justin came to his senses, the door let out a beep and opened.

    "How do you know the password, Charlotte?"

    "Samuel told me about it. It''s the sum of our birthdays."

    Upon entering the door, the girl called out, "Mommy!"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    The bedroom door was barely cracked open, and a dim, amber light shone from the other side. After pacing toward the room, Justin pushed the door open and saw a woman lying on the bed.

    We''ve been making so much noise, yet there''s not even a single reaction from her. Is she really sick?

    Meanwhile, Charlotte rushed over as well and made her way through under his arm, her feet pattering toward the bed. She lifted Rachel''s hand gently, but before she could yell her mother''s name, she uttered in surprise, "So hot!"

    The stupefied Justin hurried over without pondering much.

    Beside Rachel''s pillow was a fallen ice pack, and no one knew who had prepared it for her.

    Justin quickly reached his hand out and ced it on her forehead. He was shocked upon the scorching heat at a gentle touch. Clearly, it was a grave, high fever. She seemed fine yesterday, though. Why has it be so serious?

    "What''s wrong with Mommy, Daddy?"

    "We''re going to the hospital, Charlotte. Tell your uncle we''ll arrive at once."

    Having said that, he picked Rachel up horizontally from the bed and stormed out the door.

    Very soon, he carried the woman into one of the emergency rooms in the hospital, and his hastiness attracted quite a bit of attention.

    Meanwhile, Julian, who had gotten the call earlier, was already waiting in the room. When he saw Justin carrying Rachel into the room, he immediately rebuked, "What is it this time, Justin? What did you do to her again? She has always been sick, yet you continue to torture her. Can''t you just cut her some ck?"

    "How about you cut me some ck instead and take a look at her?!"

    As he gazed coldly at Julian, Justin put the woman down as he reminded, "We checked her temperature on the way here. Her high fever is at 39.7 degrees."

    As a professional, Julian''s temper was easily controlled. As soon as he calmed down, he lifted Rachel''s eyelids and shone a shlight at her eyeballs, questioning as he inspected, "When did the fever start?" "I''m not sure. Thest time I saw her was at 11.00PM yesterday, and she seemed fine. We found her like this half an hour ago."

    "Did she consume something she shouldn''t have?"

    "I have no idea." The moment Justin blurted that, he seemed as though he had suddenly remembered something. "She must have taken some propofol and some wine afterward. It was yesterday night." Julian lifted his head, dumbfounded. "Propofol?"

    Meanwhile, Justin glowered and said, "Why are you staring at me like that? I didn''t give her the drugs."

    "Prepare for a blood phlebotomy."

    "Yes, Dr. Peters."

    After hassling for almost half an hour, the test results finally came out. As they expected, the fever was caused by the iplete fading of the anestheticponent in the drugs.

    After setting up an infusion for Rachel, Julian pulled the curtains and came out of the ward.

    "What happened?"

    "Ask her yourself when she''s awake."

    Obviously, Justin found it troublesome to exin everything to him.

    When he saw how apathetic the other man was, Julian furiously grabbed his cors and lifted him up. "D*mn it, Justin! Do you even know that she once nned to leave Riverdale after giving birth and ended up with a profuse bleeding at the airport? If I hadn''t been beside her, she would have lost her life. All those years, her life depended on a substantial amount of drugs. Do you intend on destroying her once again?"

    Justin shoved Julian away, visibly irked. "What the f*ck are you talking about? You''re acting like I have no idea that she wasn''t the promised spouse I was supposed to marry! Since she decided to deceive everyone, am I obliged to show her any respect? Instead of showing her baseless affection, I seriously think we''re better off divorced!"

    "Bullsh*t!" Julian gritted his teeth. "Rae? Deceived everyone to marry you? Who on earth told you that? It was Amber, wasn''t it? Rae only married you because Jefferey threatened her with her grandmother''s life and forced her to marry you in Amber''s ce!"

    Justin was baffled by this and questioned, "What are you talking about?"

    "If you actually cared about this, you would have looked into it instead of blindly taking Amber''s words for it. Look at you getting fooled like d*mn clown. After all these years, you''re still clueless as to what kind of woman Amber is, huh?"

    When he heard how Julian reprimanded him, Justin tightened his brows.

    Meanwhile, after an awfully long dream, Rachel woke up and found herself in the hospital. When she came to her senses, she saw Julian yawning by her bed, and it felt like five years back in Montenegro all over again.

    Back then, her health was so atrocious that she was constantly frequenting the hospital, and always woke up by Julian''s side. "Are you awake yet?" After being a doctor for years, he could never fall into deep sleep anymore. "How do you feel? Better?" Rachel expressed apologetically, "I''m sorry for troubling you again."

    "We''re family, aren''t we? Your fever has gone down. Get some more rest, and you''ll be discharged tomorrow morning." "Okay."

    Since she felt drained, Rachel shut her eyes once again and was weed by the scenery in her dream; it seemed like time had stopped, and her yard was covered in mes while a teenager was pulling her away.

    Initially, she had been contemting how to face Justin when she returned to Riverdale, only to find outter that he had already forgotten about everything he had to do with her. Well, it works for me.

    The next morning, Julian was about to send Rachel home after finishing up his shift. Much to his surprise, the ward was already empty by then.

    When a nurse saw him standing there idly, she said, "Miss Hudson just left, and she told me to inform you about it."

    "All right, I got it."

    With that, Julian immediately gave Rachel a call.

    "What''s the rush, Rachel?"

    "There''s something I need to manage in the office, so I left in a hurry. Sorry, Julian, I didn''t manage to say goodbye."

    "As long as you''re fine."

    "By the way, if you have the time, could you check on Samuel for me? Jolly has been missing these few days and the kid has been home alone. He''s only going to school tomorrow." "All right."

    Right when the call ended, Rachel arrived at Burton Group where Lisa was waiting for her in the lobby. "Morning, Chris. Mr. Howard somehow heard about our contact with Mr. Wayne and explicitly expressed to discontinue our partnership contract."

    "Did you try talking to him and rifying that we have no intentions to work with Mr. Wayne?

    "They''re refusing to have any contact with us. Perhaps we should get President Burton to handle this."

    Rachel frowned and answered, "Okay, I got it."

    Meanwhile, Justin was studying some project ns in his office.

    Suddenly, Frankie came over and handed him a couple of documents that needed his signature. "President Burton, I''ve amended these as you requested. If there aren''t any other issues, you may sign them." "Okay."

    "I''ll take my leave, then."

    "Hold on," said Justin, stopping Frankie.

    "What is it, President Burton?"

 Chapter 224

    "When Rachel and I were married, was I a monster to her?"

    At those words, Frankie''s heart skipped a beat as he warily quizzed, "That''s... out of nowhere."

    "I was, wasn''t I? Although I can''t remember those times clearly, Julian has no reason to lie to me about them."

    Justin tensed his eyebrows, attempting to figure out what it was that made him so upset with a woman. Even if Rachel, a trick sent over by the Hudsons, wasn''t the person he wanted to marry, what did she do so wrong to deserve his ill treatment?

    As he held the documents in hand, Frankie paused at the door and muttered, "Don''t overthink it, President Burton. Things must have happened for a reason."

    "What happened to Rachel''s grandmotherter on?"

    After hesitating for a while, the assistant answered, "She was kidnapped, and her health failed her afterward."

    "Did they find out who the kidnappers were?"

    "Yes..." Frankie had a hard time speaking up, but he forcefully answered, "They were some desperateckeys who had bad blood with ourpany. They couldn''t catch anyone, so they targeted her grandmother. Actually, you went to negotiate right away, but it was already toote by then."

    "And that''s the reason for our divorce?"

    Upon seeing how Frankie stayed silent, Justin confirmed his assumption and his eyes darkened. "You may leave."

    "Yes, Sir."

    After changing her clothes in her office, Rachel went to look for Justin.

    Since he was the one who decided to switch to a new supplier, it was only natural to let him settle the issue. After all, Burton Pharmaceuticals was his blood and sweat, so who would take care of it if not him?

    "Come in."

    The office door was pushed open after a series of knocks, and the sound of Rachel''s heels tapping on the floor echoed in the room. When Justin looked up from hisputer, he was stunned when the woman fell into his vision. "Why are you here?"

    "There''s nothing weird here, though. I haven''t resigned, have I?"

    cing a file on his table, Rachel stated, "This morning, I received news regarding Mr. Howard''s refusal to renew our partnership contract. Mr. Howard, who has been the supplier of Burton Pharmaceuticals, must have heard something and assumed that we intend to work with Mr. Wayne."

    "You rushed to work from the hospital just because of this?"

    "How did you know I came from the hospital?"

    Although she was slightly baffled, she didn''t give it much thought. Before Justin could answer her, she steered off from his question and continued, "Anyway, Mr. Howard is definitely not the only one who has heard about it. If this were to spread, the rest of our suppliers would want to cut ties with us, and our uing line of distribution will surely fail."

    "I''ll manage it. Take a couple days off and get some rest."

    "What''s that? Are you firing me?"

    Justin glowered as he said, "What are you saying?"

    Is he not going to fire me?

    Rachel''s first instinct was getting fired. After all, other than the issue with Mr. Howard, the other suppliers were rather troublesome as well, and all of these happened only after she took over thepany. All of a sudden, a thundering ringtone interrupted their conversation.

    Justin answered his phone right in front of Rachel and said, "Hello?"

    From the other side of the phone, a man''s voice was heard. "Justin Burton, your son is in my hands. If you still wish to see him breathing,e to the abandoned theater in Eastown at once!" When he nced at the screen, he saw a fabricated number and hung up right away.

    For God''s sake, when will these scammers ever learn?

    They didn''t even try to find out that he only had one daughter, yet they had the audacity to threaten him.

    After ending the call, Justin then said to Rachel, "I''m saying that since you''re sick, you should go home and rest for a couple days. It''s just sick leave and not a dismissal, okay?"

    Rachel asked in a dazed manner, "You''re allowing me to take some days off?"Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    She was thoroughly confused by Justin''s kind-heartedness.

    "Do you think I''m a maniacal boss who wouldn''t let his sick employees off?"

    "I didn''t mean it like that..."

    Before she couldplete her sentence, Justin''s phone rang again.

    After epting the call, he impatiently said, "What son? I don''t have a son. You''ve gotten the wrong man, dude."

    "D*mn it, Justin, can''t you even recognize your own son?"

    Before the caller could finish, he was already listening to the sound of a disconnected call.

    "Piece of sh*t!"

    As he stared at his phone''s screen, the man instantly frowned. "How can the man not care about his own son? No wonder he''s such a sessful businessman."

    "I told you calling Justin was no use. He doesn''t like me one bit."

    A child''s voice was heard from behind.

    It was Samuel, who had his limbs tied and tossed onto a broken couch. Despite the horrible situation, the boy, who was unusually calm, then said, "It''s not like I like him anyway. He''s never treated me as his own son, and I don''t care if he isn''t my dad!"

    "Bullsh*t. He''s outright acknowledged that you''re his son. With you being the only son of the Burtons, there''s no way he''d ignore you."

    "Your belief is up to you. Either way, he won''te regardless of your petty attempts, and I''d rather be released. Besides, kidnapping is a crime. If the police know you did this, they''ll surely catch you!" "Shut it, kid!"

    "It''s a cliche drama, and the bad guys always get caught. Do you think you can run away from this? If you let me go now, I''ll let this pass."

    Although Samuel was only a young boy, his sense of reason was pretty sharp.

    The kidnapper was surprised after seeing how the victim was soposed. Moreover, since the kid was barely ten, the kidnapper couldn''t bear toy a finger even if he wanted to. Thus, he viciously warned, "One more word and I''ll stuff your mouth. How''s that?"

    Upon hearing that, Samuel reluctantly shut his mouth.

    The kidnapper gazed at his phone and imed, "Daddy doesn''t care about you, but I''m sure mommy does!"

    After saying that, he dialed another number.

    Meanwhile, in Burton Group, Rachel had just exited Justin''s office after being escorted out by Frankie. "Miss Hudson, do not be worried about our suppliers. President Burton has it all under control, and these trivial matters will be dealt with very shortly."

    "He''s prepared for it?"

    "To be frank, Mr. Wayne isn''t a suitable partner, or he wouldn''t have made it in thepany''s cklist back then. We''re only using him for other reasons."

    "Other reasons?"

    Before she could ask more, her phone suddenly rang.

    "I''m sorry. Let me get this."

    "Please do."

    Upon tapping on her phone, she heard a man''s malicious tone. "Your son is in my hands. If you wish to see him alive, have Justin Burtone to the abandoned theater in Eastown. Do not call the cops, or you''ll get to see the lifeless body of this boy!"

    Rachel''s expression changed, and she quickly questioned, "Who the hell are you?"

    Nevertheless, the kidnapper didn''t care to exin to her. Out of the blue, Samuel''s voice could be heard from the phone. "Save me, Mommy!"

 Chapter 225

    When Rachel heard the familiar voice, her hands trembled. "Samuel!"

    Meanwhile, Frankie sensed that something was off and asked, "What''s wrong, Miss Hudson? What happened?"

    "Samuel''s..." As she was about to exin, she remembered the kidnapper''s warning, so she immediately stopped. After all, she was reminded of the incident with her grandmother, and all she could feel in that instant was panic.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "What about Samuel?"

    Since she was too panicked to exin anything, Rachel grew impatient while waiting for the elevator and turned around before she stormed toward the staircase. On the other hand, Frankie couldn''t even stop her.

    "President Burton, Miss Hudson just received a call and rushed off. Something seems to have happened to Samuel." Upon returning to the office, Frankie ryed the situation to Justin.

    Thetter asked doubtfully, "What can possibly happen to that brat?" The brat''s always acting as if he''s a grown-up, running to my home to look for me and all that. Even if he were to bump into a trafficker, he''d be the one to traffic the trafficker.

    "I''m not sure either, but it seemed urgent. Perhaps something has really happened to him. Why don''t we send someone to check it out, President Burton?"

    As he scowled, Justin suddenly remembered the phone call from earlier. Instantly, he gripped the pen in his hand. To the outside world, Samuel was his own son-he was being kidnapped!

    Meanwhile, Rachel phoned Julian as she rushed to the abandoned theater in Eastown. "Hello? Are you at my ce? Is Samuel at home?"

    "I was going to ask you if Samuel went out by himself. There''s no one here."

    Upon hearing Julian''s words, Rachel affirmed the kidnapper''s threats.

    "What''s wrong, Chris?" Julian queried as he sensed something wrong with her tone.

    "Nothing. There''s something I need to do. I''ll talk to youter." Upon finishing her sentence, she quickly hung up on him.

    Since Rachel feared that the kidnapper might be monitoring her phone calls, she didn''t dare to tell him about Samuel''s kidnapper. Otherwise, the kid would be dead.

    After half an hour, the cab started navigating to the abandoned theater in Eastown.

    The sky was rather cloudy, as if a downpour would ur very soon. While bushes of grass filled both sides of the path to the old theater, theplementing tall trees were left unmanaged. Nheless, they had grown quite healthily as the rich leaves shielded the sunrays. Despite being the afternoon, the ce was so dark it felt like the sun had already set.

    Once Rachel got out of the taxi, she stormed right into the theater. In the spacious hall, dust covered every surface as cobwebs pervaded the walls.

    "Samuel!" Rachel immediately yelled when she entered the building as her concerned voice echoed throughout the hallway.

    Unfortunately, the room was empty as there was no one to be seen. After countless shouts, the speakers in the corner suddenly sounded with piercing static noises that would force frowns on faces. "Have youe alone?"

    The dumbfounded Rachel saw someone approaching. On the stage full of fixtures, a figure showed up from backstage, and he was followed by two men that seemed to be bodyguards who carried a chair with them.

    "Mr. Wayne?" Rachel felt a chill. How is he already out of jail?

    The chubby man sat on the chair; the wound on his face was still visible as the bruise under his eye made him appear even more intimidating.

    "Are you surprised to see me, Mrs. Burton?"

    "Don''t call me that. Justin and I divorced five years ago. I bear no rtionship with him!"

    At that moment, Rachel was aware that even if she had offended Mr. Wayne, a nobody like her could ever cause such big trouble that the man woulde to her himself. Hence, it was obvious that the feud was between him and Justin, and that was why he addressed her that way. When she thought back to the earlier phone call, he did explicitly ask for Justin to show up.

    "Am I a moron to you? Can''t I tell whether there''s a connection between the two of you?" Mr. Wayne leered at Rachel icily and continued, "Six years ago, you guys yed me like a fool; six yearster, you guys managed to clown me once more! What a pair you guys are! Masters of deceit, huh?"

    "I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr. Wayne, but Samuel is innocent!"

    "Bullsh*t! If Justin fails toe and kneel before me, I''ll feed the boy to the sharks. You better believe it!" As he finished speaking, another bodyguard appeared from backstage with a child all tied up before tossing him to the ground.

    At once, Samuel let out a muffled sound. Since his mouth was taped, he couldn''t voice much.

    "Samuel!" As the sight of her tormented son devastated her, Rachel charged toward the stage. However, she was easily pinned down by the two bodyguards.

    "Let him go!" Rachel was about to copse. Samuel''s only a boy! What did he do to deserve being tortured like this?

    Mr. Wayne lit up a cigarette, and the subtle smoke wafting in the air of the gloomy theater was barely visible. "Let him go? What leverage would I have on you if I were to let him go? That sh*t you two pulled off years ago f*cked me up bad! In that case, who should I seek revenge from?"

    "I still have no idea what you''re talking about! Justin and I divorced a long time ago!"

    "Cut the sh*t! You were still together when you set me up. And now you''re all slithery, pushing sh*t to each other! Dream on, f*ckers!"

    "What the hell do you want?"

    "Where''s Justin? I want to see him."

    "He won''te. Samuel''s not his son!"

    "Ten minutes." As if he didn''t hear her, he raised his hand and revealed a priceless stopwatch. "I''ll give you ten minutes. If he doesn''t show up by then, I''ll cut off one of the brat''s hands; another ten minutes will cost him the other hand. If he still doesn''t show up after twenty minutes, the brat is as good as fish food!"

    At that moment, Rachel was utterly terrified. She opened her eyes wide and shrieked, "Don''t touch my boy!"

    "Guess you better have Justin over as soon as possible if you want to keep your boy safe!" Mr. Wayne''s voice reverberated in the theater.

    After shaking off the bodyguards grabbing her, she attempted to give Justin a call with her shaking hands.

    "Sorry. The number you''ve dialed is unavable. Please try againter."

    No one answered the call.

    "He''s not picking up!"

    "Seven minutes, Mrs. Burton."

    Even though she was losing hope, Rachel was still desperate. Hence, all she could do was phone Justin repetitively. After a while, the call finally got through as the man''s emotionless voice was heard. "Yes?" At the end of her tether, she panickedly pleaded, "Please save Samuel, Justin!"

    "What are you talking about? Where are you now?"

    "Give me that sh*t!" As Mr. Wayne extended his hand toward Rachel, the bodyguard beside him snatched away the phone that was in her hand and handed it over to his boss.

    Mr. Wayne proceeded to turn on the speakers right in front of Rachel. "How have you been, President Burton?"

    Justin was stupefied for a moment, but he calmly said, "Mr. Wayne? Are you with Rachel?"

 Chapter 226

    "That''s right. Are you that surprised?"

    "Indeed, I''m a bit surprised. Could it be that you''d like to continue working together with Burton Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Wayne? If that''s the case, we can put off firing Rachel for the time being."

    "Don''t give me that crap! Don''t you dare think I have no idea that you and your wife are just pretending in front of me again. I''m telling you, Justin-your son is in my hands right now!" Mr. Wayne suddenly darted a look at Rachel. "Your woman is now in my hands as well. If you don''te over, I''ll throw your son into the river and feed the fishes. Guess what will happen to your woman then."

    Justin let out a sneer on the other end of the line. "Are you kidding me, Mr. Wayne? Everyone in Riverdale knows that I only have a daughter. Since when did I get myself a son?" Mr. Wayne frowned upon hearing Justin''s words.

    "As for the boy you kidnapped, I''m also curious about who his biological father is. Please find that out on my behalf before throwing him into the river. As for Rachel, just keep her for yourself if you want to."

    "Justin! You-"

    The call was disconnected right away.

    Meanwhile, the bodyguards in the theater looked at each other in amazement; this was the first time they had ever seen such a cruel man. Doesn''t he care about his son and woman?

    Mr. Wayne red at Rachel angrily. "You two are pretending in front of me here, aren''t you?"

    Rachel replied, "I''ve told you earlier that he doesn''t care about us. Even if we aren''t divorced, you cannot threaten him by abducting us both."

    Mr. Wayne''s face turned livid with anger. Just then, one of the bodyguards suggested, "Mr. Wayne, it seems that Justin Burton cares about his daughter the most. How about we find a way to get her here?" "Do I need you to say that?" Mr. Wayne shot a re at the bodyguard. "I would have gotten her here a long time ago if I could!" Charlotte had bodyguards around her all year round, and no ordinary person could get close to her. Evidently, this showed how much Justin cared about her.

    Rachel pleaded anxiously, "Please let us go, Mr. Wayne. We mean nothing to Justin, so it won''t work if you try to get even with him by using us."

    "Do you think I''m a fool? If I let you go, you''ll call the police as soon as you get out of there, won''t you?"

    "I won''t, Mr. Wayne. I swear that I''ll never call the police," Rachel replied. "After all, I have no evidence to prove that you''ve abducted Samuel. Even if I call the police, there''s no way to build a case against you. As long as you let us off, I''ll pretend that nothing ever happened. I''m just a nobody, Mr. Wayne. It isn''t worth it to ruin your business in Riverdale and the standing you''ve enjoyed for so many years because of me."

    Mr. Wayne seemed to be persuaded by Rachel''s words. He waved his hand and ordered, "Let them get out of here!"

    One of the bodyguards dragged Samuel to his feet and pushed him to Rachel''s side. "Did you hear that? He''s telling you two to get lost! Hurry up and get out of here!"

    Rachel immediately lifted Samuel up. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne."

    It was somewhat dark outside, and the rain poured down after a rumble of thunder. As soon as Rachel walked out of the theater with Samuel in her arms, she untied him and carefully tore off the adhesive tape on his mouth. "Are you all right, Samuel?"

    Samuel shook his head sensibly. "I''m fine, Mommy. It''s just that my mouth hurts a little. Could you blow on it, Mommy?"

    "Okay, let me blow on it. Let''s go home."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    There wasn''t even a soul near the abandoned theater in the heavy rain, and Rachel couldn''t call a taxi as Mr. Wayne had taken away her cell phone. Just when she was at a loss for what to do, a ck sedan emerged from the rain and pulled up at the theater''s entrance. After the driver''s door opened, the man''s tall figure got out of the car and walked toward them while holding a big ck umbre.

    Justin? Rachel was stunned and in disbelief. Didn''t he say that he wouldn''te?

    "Are you okay?" Justin''s voice brought her attention back to the present. "Let''s go. Get into the car."

    Rachel felt like she was in a dream as she and Samuel sat in the car. "Did you drive here alone? Didn''t you say that you wouldn''te?"

    Before Justin could respond, Samuel revealed his pretty face from under the soft and fluffy towel. "How could you not know this, Mommy? Daddy must''ve been afraid that we might be threatened if the kidnappers know we''re important to him, so he deliberately pretended not to care about us so that they would let us off! Am I right, Daddy?"

    "You know quite a lot." Justin shot a nce at Samuel. He then asked, "Didn''t you say that you hated me the most before vowing to never speak to me again?"

    Upon that, Samuel blinked his eyes and replied, "Since you''re smart enough toe and pick us up in time, we''ll forgive you! Isn''t that right, Mommy?"

    Rachel frowned, and her feelings were mixed. However, just as she was about to say something, the side window of the car broke into pieces with a loud crash.

    The sound of the car''s window shattering into pieces was drowned out by the rumbling thunder as the shattered tempered ss smashed into the car like an ice storm during winter. Surprisingly, it didn''t hurt at all when the pieces of ss hit them.

    Perhaps because of a mother''s instinct and reflexes, Rachel''s first response was to hug Samuel, shielding him in her arms as the shards of ss hit her back. Amid the child''s screams, the car door was opened, and she was forcibly dragged out of the car. Then, she was flung to the ground in the rain with a loud thud.

    Justin immediately opened the car door and got out of the car after her. "Let go of her!" he shouted. When two bodyguards stopped him, he kicked one of them out of the way and seized the other by the cor before giving him a hard punch. Then, he helped Rachel up in the rain and asked, "Are you all right?"

    "Justin!" A voice thundered in the heavy rain.

    "Mommy!" Justin and Rachel''s expressions changed when they heard Samuel''s scream.

    A third hatchet man emerged from nowhere and dragged Samuel out of the car. At this moment, he held a gleaming dagger to Samuel''s throat and dragged him to the theater''s entrance in the heavy rain. The curtain of rain separated Samuel from everyone else as a pair of ck leather shoes appeared beside him. It was still the chair, the bodyguards, and the man with a greasy face, but he no longer looked as brainless as he had been just moments before.

    On the contrary, Mr. Wayne had a sneer on his fleshy face. "It''s enough that you''ve tricked me once. Do you really think that I''ll still believe you? No one will ever let their children get hurt. Besides, if you really didn''t care about this b*tch, you wouldn''t have hurried to the nightclub anxiously that day. Do you think that I''m an idiot, Justin?"

    "Mommy!" Samuel shouted while crying.

    Rachel was so anxious that she tried to rush toward Samuel, but Justin stopped her. "Let go of me!" she urged.

    "Calm down!" Justin said to her. Then, he said to Mr. Wayne, "Let go of Samuel. The child is innocent. Juste at me if you bear any grudges against me."

    "So now you''re willing to be honest, huh? Didn''t you say that you don''t care about him? Mr. Wayne mocked. "If you had admitted this earlier, I wouldn''t have needed to wait here for such a long time. Seeing you three having a nice time in the car makes me want to throw up."

    "What the hell do you want?"

    "Don''t you know what I want? Have you forgotten what you did to me six years ago?"

 Chapter 227

    Mr. Wayne looked as miserable as sin while he spoke of what had happened six years ago. "You offered your wife to me six years ago, only to go back on it at thest minute. Not only did you steal my business away, you even crippled me! How should I get even with you for that?"

    Rachel''s expression changed in disbelief when she heard this. Did Justin cripple Mr. Wayne back then? I never heard him talk about this, though, she thought to herself. "Mr. Wayne!" she called out anxiously as she came to her senses. "So much time has passed since what happened six years ago. No matter what he has done, you look healthy and fine right now. We can negotiate over whatpensation you want, so don''t hurt Samuel."

    "Fine?" Mr. Wayne suddenly flew into a rage and grabbed Samuel toward him. Amid Samuel''s cries of pain and Rachel''s screams, he seized Samuel by the throat and asked, "Look! It''s been six years. You two have kids, whereas I''ll die childless. Is this what you mean by saying that I''m healthy?"

    Die childless? Rachel was stunned. What has Justin done to Mr. Wayne back then...

    "Let''s settle the score today for everything you''ve done to me!"

    "Don''t touch him!" Rachel''s screams were almost desperate. "Let go of Samuel, please!"

    However, Justin grabbed her and stopped her from going to Samuel''s side. He then said to Mr. Wayne, "Now that things have turned out like this, you can''t make up for anything by hurting a child. What exactly do you want? I can promise you anything as long as you let go of Samuel."

    "I want you to kneel down and kowtow to me now!" Mr. Wayne''s bellow reverberated in the rain.

    Rachel''s face turned deathly pale. Before she coulde to her senses, the man beside her knelt down toward Mr. Wayne without batting an eyelid, sshing rainwater as his knees hit the wet ground. Rachel looked at him in disbelief, for no one knew how proud he was better than her.

    Obviously, Mr. Wayne hadn''t expected that either. After being stunned for a moment, he burst intoughter. "Serves you right, doesn''t it, Justin? How could you say you don''t care about this little brat now that you''re kneeling before me?"

    "Can you let go of him now?"

    "In your dreams!" Mr. Wayne replied while holding Samuel by the throat. He threatened, "I want you to kneel down and kowtow to me until I''m satisfied!"

    Justin''s hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Justin!" Rachel said as she tried to drag him up, but before she could reach out her hand, she saw him bending down and kowtowing in Mr. Wayne''s direction. "It''s not loud enough. I can''t hear it."

    Without hesitation, Justin kowtowed again in the rain, his forehead knocking against the ground.

    "I want you to apologize to me and beg me for mercy while you kowtow to me!"

    "I''m sorry, Mr. Wayne. Please be the bigger person and let Samuel off."

    "That''s nice. Just go on."

    Justin bent down and kowtowed in the rain over and over again. Soon, his forehead was grazed, and the blood that trickled down his cheeks was washed away by the rain.

    The rain got heavier and heavier, and Rachel could hardly keep her eyes open as her tears were mixed with the rainwater. He''s such a proud man, yet he''s allowing Mr. Wayne to humiliate him like this. She shouted anxiously, "Isn''t this enough, Mr. Wayne?"

    "Enough? How could this be enough?" Mr. Wayne threw Samuel aside and took a document from the bodyguard beside him. "Here''s a contract. I want you to transfer the piece ofnd that the Burton Group has acquired to me unconditionally."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Rachel''s head buzzed, for the same condition had been put forward six years ago.

    Justin got up from the ground and stood in the rain, drenched. In fact, he could hardly keep his feet if it weren''t that Rachel was helping him by the arm. "Okay."

    "Come over and sign the paper then."

    Rachel supported Justin as they walked step by step toward Mr. Wayne.

    Mr. Wayne''s bodyguard handed the pen to Justin, turned the pages of the contract right away to thest page where the signature was supposed to be, and let Justin sign his name.

    Justin was holding the felt-tip pen, but Rachel stopped him as soon as the tip of the pen touched that page-she wanted to persuade him to wait a minute and rethink it. After all, Samuel wasn''t rted to him by blood, so he needn''t go to such lengths. However, she couldn''t bring herself to say that since she wanted to save Samuel as well.

    It seemed as though Justin knew what she was thinking; he held her hand tightly for a moment and signed his name on the document right away without saying a word. "I''ve signed it, Mr. Wayne."

    Mr. Wayne took the document from the bodyguard and looked it over with satisfaction. "Justin, I really didn''t expect you to be so flexible as to agree to transfer such a huge project without protest. Unfortunately it''s not that easy to forget about what happened back then. I''m still going to throw this boy into the river-"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Justin suddenly kicked the bodyguard beside him out of the way and knocked over the hatchet man who was holding a dagger to Samuel''s throat. After pushing Samuel toward Rachel, he shouted, "Run!"

    Rachel turned around and fled with Samuel in her arms. She didn''t dare to look back, for all she could think about was what Justin had whispered to her ear just now when she supported him to let him sign the document. "I''ll stall them in a while, Rachel. Run away from here with Samuel, and do not look back!" The words ''Keep on running, and don''t look back!'' keep reverberating in her ears.

    Rachel ran into the rain with Samuel in her arms. She didn''t dare to look back, nor could she do so. She knew that there was still hope for everything if she ran away, but Mr. Wayne would never go soft on them if she was caught. She didn''t know how she had run away from there, nor did she know how she found the courage to stop a car by the side of the road. All she knew was that something snapped inside her when she saw that the person who got out of the car was none other than Julian. "Save us, Julian! Call the police!" The sound of police sirens and ambnce sirens mixed together was the only sound she remembered before passing out.

    Rachel found herself in the hospital''s ward when she regained consciousness. "You''re awake." Julian held down her arms. "Lie down, and don''t move."

    Rachel felt dizzy as soon as she got up.

    Julian said, "You''re very weak because you got caught in the rain when you hadn''t fully recovered from your fever. You need to rest for a few more days lest you contract pneumonia."

    Rachel''s throat itched as soon as she opened her mouth, and her head buzzed as she coughed.

    "Don''t worry, Samuel is fine. That kid''s in good health, so he''s already alive and kicking. Jolly has taken him back."

    Rachel nodded in relief. Suddenly, she recalled something and asked anxiously, "What about Justin?"

    Julian''s face instantly wore aplicated look.

    "How is he?" Rachel became anxious at once. I ran away from there at the time, leaving him all alone with those thugs. Also, Mr. Wayne hates his guts, so he definitely wouldn''t go easy on him. And it took so long for the police to arrive... "How exactly is he?"

    "He''s fine!" Julian held her down. "Calm down, okay? He just injured one of his legs and will recover after some rest."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, he''s really all right."

    However, Rachel didn''t believe Julian until he stressed that repeatedly. Julian had aplicated look on his face when he saw how distracted she looked. "Chris, you still care a lot about him, actually."

 Chapter 228

    Rachel was stunned upon hearing Julian''s words.

    "Just have a good rest and call me if you need anything," Julian said. Then, he got up and left with no intention of hearing her response.

    Rachel''s lips quivered as she watched him leave, but she didn''t exin anything in the end.

    Thanks to the conclusive evidence, Mr. Wayne was detained for the kidnapping and was awaiting trial. Furthermore, he had previously been charged with running a prostitution business. Therefore, it was almost impossible for him to escape punishment byw this time, and his predicament had been reported on the news quite a number of times.

    Frankie told Justin about this in the ward. He said, "Now that things have gotten so serious, no one would dare to shield Mr. Wayne anymore. Also, you''d better have another string to your bow. Who settled the case of his nightclub''s involvement in prostitutionst time? Collect the evidence and have it mailed anonymously to the Discipline Inspection Bureau."

    "I have sent someone to get it done already."

    "Great." Justin leaned his back against the head of the bed, his leg still in ster. Then, he nced out of the door and asked, "How is she?"

    Frankie hesitated for a moment. "Miss Hudson has been discharged from the hospital."

    Justin immediately straightened up in disbelief. "She''s already been discharged?" How could she leave the hospital without a word after I did her such a huge favor?

    Frankie exined in embarrassment, "You''ve been unconscious for two days, whereas Miss Hudson was only in frail health. She was discharged from the hospital after a day''s rest, and that is quite normal." "Normal? Do you think it''s normal for her to leave right away without even saying thank you to the person who saved her life?"

    "I''m sorry to say this, President Burton, but it was because of you that Samuel got kidnapped, so this matter is actually-" Frankie said, but he got a dirty look before he could finish his sentence. Since he didn''t dare to say another word, he quickly buttoned his lip. "Uh, please have lunch first."

    "I''m not eating. Take it away!" Justin''s face darkened as he flipped the pages of the contract in his hand loudly.

    Frankie scratched his head. Did I put my foot in it again?

    Frankie looked at the lunch box he was carrying as he left the ward. After hesitating for a long time, he dialed a number. "Hello, Miss Hudson? It''s me, Frankie."

    Rachel was making lunch at home. After answering the phone, she turned down the heat, walked toward the living room, and asked on the other end of the line, "What''s the matter?"

    "Uh, Miss Hudson, could youe to the hospital if you''re free?"

    "Why? Did something happen there?"

    "Nothing. Actually, something did happen." Frankie sounded very troubled. "President Burton refuses to eat anything. The way I see it, he isn''t going to eat anything until you''re here. You don''t have to do anything, though-all you have to do ise here and say that you made the food. I''ll get the meal ready."

    Rachel fell silent at once.

    After a long time, Frankie sighed on the other end of the line. He said carefully, "I know such a request is a bit too unreasonable for you. President Burton has forgotten what happened back then, but I know all of it. I''m sorry for making such a presumptuous request, and please pretend that I never called you."

    After hanging up the phone, Rachel sat on the sofa in a trance with her cell phone in her hand. Samuel poked his head out of the crack of his bedroom door and watched for a long time before calling, "Mommy!"

    Rachel came to her senses at once. "Are you hungry, Samuel? The soup will be ready in a minute."

    "Mommy, I''d like to go to the hospital to visit Daddy. Can I do that?"

    Rachel was startled. "We don''t need to go to the hospital. Somebody is looking after him there."

    Samuel grabbed Rachel''s hand. "But Daddy is staying alone in the hospital with no visitors. Besides, the food in the hospital must be tasteless. If he can''t eat the food in the hospital, he''ll fall sick. That''s pathetic."

    "He won''t fall sick."

    "He will, and I heard it. Didn''t Mr. Beckham say that he''s refusing to eat anything?"

    Rachel frowned. "Do you really want to see him?"

    "Yeah." Samuel nodded solemnly. "Daddy saved my life, after all. Mommy, didn''t you say that we should always repay the kindness that people have shown us?"

    Rachel''s feelings were mixed; she couldn''t tell Samuel that he had been kidnapped only because he was unountably acknowledged as Justin''s son. If it weren''t for Justin, his life would have been peaceful, and nothing would have happened. The same was true of what had happened to Nancy back then. Despite all the efforts Justin had made, it was because of him that Nancy died in the end. However, the words ''Keep on running, and don''t look back,'' had been reverberating in her ears these days ever since she heard them in the rain. These words kept invading her dreams at night as they ovepped with the voices she had heard during the fire back when she was little.

    Just as Frankie was at a loss for what to do in the hospital''s inpatient department, he saw a familiar figureing out of the elevator. When he saw the figure walking toward the ward with short legs, his eyes li up at once. "Samuel?"

    Samuel was carrying his school bag with a lunch box in his hand. "Hi, Mr. Beckham.ˇ±

    "Samuel, where''s your mom?"

    "Mom said she wouldn''te, but she told me to bring this here." Samuel handed the lunch box to Frankie. "This is for Daddy. Mommy made this herself."

    Frankie took the lunch box and nced behind Samuel hesitantly. "Is your mom really not here?"

    Samuel winked and put his tiny hand on his lips as he whispered, "Shh! It''s a secret."

    How could Rachel possibly allow Samuel to go out alone after thetter had been kidnapped once? Frankie smiled as he realized what the boy meant. He knocked on the door, entered the ward, and said, "Look who''s here, President Burton."

    Justin''s cold eyes lit up visibly the instant he saw Samuel, but he regained hisposure soon afterward. "Why are you here?"

    Samuel entered the ward like an adult and put the lunch box on the table. Then, as he put down his school bag, he replied, "I''m here to bring you your lunch. It''s delicious; my mom made it herself." "Where is she? Why didn''t shee in person?"

    "My mom is very busy."

    "Is she so busy that she doesn''t have time to deliver the meal that she had time to prepare?"

    Samuel turned around and looked at Justin with a stern countenance. "Are you going to eat it or not?"

    Justin was rendered speechless by his words.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Meanwhile, Frankie called a nurse over to help adjust the armchair and the small desk beside the sickbed to the right angle so that it would be convenient for Justin to rest his stered leg properly and eat his lunch.

    "Mommy said that the fish soup is rich in calcium. You should drink more of it."

    "No man keeps talking about their mom like you," Justin needled Samuel as he drank the fish soup. Perhaps because people of the same gender often found each other repugnant, he had always given Samuel the cold shoulder. Even after his narrow escape from death this time, he was still impatient with the boy. Frankie seriously suspected that Samuel would have been thrown out of the ward as soon as he entered if it weren''t for the fact that he had brought the food Rachel prepared.

    Samuel disagreed with Justin, though. "My mom is right, so why can''t I say that? Don''t you have a mother?"

    "You..." Justin was so speechless with rage that he could only drown his indignation in food.

 Chapter 229

    Meanwhile, Charlotte got out of the car outside the hospital under escort by her bodyguards. She came to the hospital to visit Justin. She had been angry with him a few days ago when Rachel didn''t return home. However, while she was still in a sulk, she heard that he had been hospitalized. She got anxious at once, and she insisted oning to the hospital.

    As soon as Charlotte exited the elevator and walked toward the ward, she saw a familiar figure standing against the wall from a distance. "Mommy?" she called tentatively at first. The instant Rachel looked back, her eyes immediately lit up, and she ran toward her. "Mommy! Why are you standing here instead of going in?"

    Rachel was startled as well. Evidently, she didn''t expect to run into Charlotte here. "Why are you here, Charlotte?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "I''m here to visit Daddy. You''re here to visit Daddy too, aren''t you, Mommy?"

    "No, I''m not "

    Before Rachel could finish her sentence, Samuel was heard lecturing Justin in the ward. "Don''t waste the food. You must finish the meal Mommy prepared, or I won''t bring you meals anymore!"

    Charlotte instantly figured out what had happened. "Mommy, did you prepare a meal for Daddy?" she asked. Then, before Rachel could speak, she immediately dragged her into the ward. "Come in with me, Mommy. Come in with me!"

    Since Rachel wasn''t prepared, she staggered while Charlotte dragged her into the ward.

    "Mommy?" Samuel looked back and winked at Rachel while standing in front of the sickbed. When he saw Charlotte, the two clever kids looked at each other knowingly.

    Justin, who was eating the fish soup, started coughing at once when he saw Rachel.

    Rachel frowned as she handed the box of tissue beside her to him.

    Justin stopped coughing and resumed his overbearing manner. "Didn''t you say you wouldn''t being?"

    Rachel replied, "Frankie called me and said you refused to eat lunch because the food in the hospital wasn''t to your taste."

    Justin hemmed twice. "What a busybody."

    Charlotte chimed in, "Daddy, you always say one thing and mean another. You wanted to see Mommy, so you should give Mr. Beckham a pay raise. If it weren''t for him, you wouldn''t have had a meal made with love for a patient!"

    A meal prepared with love for a patient? The atmosphere in the ward suddenly became somewhat awkward as Justin and Rachel exchanged nces.

    Justin put down his cutlery without leaving any food in the lunch box. He then said in embarrassment, "I''ve finished the meal."

    Rachel didn''t say much either. She went over, packed up the lunch box, and beckoned to Samuel. "Time to go, Samuel."

    Samuel was startled by this, and he subconsciously shot a nce at Charlotte. Thetter immediately asked, "Mommy, won''t you stay a little longer? Will youe again tonight?" Rachel''s fine eyebrows furrowed slightly. Obviously, her troubled expression exined everything.

    Justin''s face darkened at once. "Just leave. I''m going to have a rest."

    "Daddy!" Charlotte called out to him in displeasure.

    Rachel was about to leave with Samuel when Frankie suddenly knocked on the door and came in. "President Burton, Mr. Jenkins would like to visit you."

    "I won''t see him! Just tell him that I''m asleep," Justin replied impatiently as he picked up a book and read it.

    Frankie looked at Rachel with a troubled expression. As he sensed the awkward atmosphere in the room at this moment, he didn''t dare to say another word, so he left obediently.

    Meanwhile, Rachel carried the lunch box in her hand. After some consideration, she said in the sickbed''s direction, "I''lle againter in the evening. If you''re hungry, eat something first to suppress your hunger."

    Justin''s hands froze for a long time before he responded, "Okay."

    "I''ll be leaving then. Have a good rest and call me if anything happens to Charlotte," Rachel said before leaving with Samuel.

    After Rachel left, Charlotte peeped at Justin from under the book with her head tilted to one side. "She''s left, Daddy. Just stop pretending. You''re happy!" As she spoke, she climbed onto the bed, reached out her hand, and snatched the book from him.

    Justin deliberately kept a straight face despite the obviously unconceble trace of a smile on his face, which was typically stony all year round. "Why should I be happy about it?"

    Charlotte curled her lips. "You''re obviously happy-in fact, you''re bursting with joy. Mommy meant that she''ll bring you meals until you get discharged from the hospital. You must seize such a great opportunity."

    "Did I ask her to deliver meals to me?"

    "Daddy, neither Samuel nor I can help you anymore if you keep going on like this." Charlotte folded her arms across her chest like an adult lecturing someone. "One must be sincere when chasing women, but you look very insincere. I wouldn''t want to talk to you if I were Mommy!"

    Justin pinched her nose. "You''re just a little girl. What do you know about chasing women at such a young age?"

    "I know that! I just know that."

    "Know what?"

    "Hahaha, that''s itchy! You''re so naughty, Daddy!"

    Justin yed boisterously with Charlotte in such a good mood that he didn''t hear the knock on the door. When Dennis Jenkins, the Burton Family''s butler, pushed the door open and came in right away, he immediately dragged Charlotte out of the sickbed after witnessing this. "Miss Charlotte, you mustn''t get too crazy while ying. Young Master Justin has a ster cast on his leg right now."

    Charlotte was instantly displeased when she was dragged out of bed. "I didn''t touch Daddy''s leg!"

    Justin frowned as well. "What brings you here, Mr. Jenkins?"

    "Old Mr. Burton has learned of your injury and is worried, so he told me toe and visit you. You really are too neglectful of your health, Young Master Justin."

    Justin''s eyes darkened slightly. "The summer vi is so far away, but the news traveled there pretty quickly, eh?"

    "Old Mr. Burton is concerned about your safety, after all," Dennis replied with a stern look. "Also, Old Mr. Burton has learned about this time''s incident. How could you put yourself in danger to save a kid who''s totally unrted to you?"

    "Mr. Jenkins! That boy isn''t unrted to me. He''s Charlotte''s brother as well as my son."

    "Old Mr. Burton isn''t in his dotage yet. That boy-"

    "Mr. Jenkins!" Justin''s face suddenly clouded over as he brought Dennis up short with a cold and prating re. "Charlotte, go out and y with Frankie."

    "Okay." Charlotte broke free of Dennis'' grasp and ran out of the ward reluctantly.

    As soon as the door to the ward closed, Justin shot Dennis a cold re. "It doesn''t matter whether Grandpa knows Samuel''s parentage or not. I have made a statement at the press conference, so he''s my son as long as I acknowledge him as mine."

    "You mustn''t act on impulse, Young Master Justin."

    "You guys don''t want the Burtons to be seen as a family that goes back on its words in the eyes of the public, do you? Who could bear the responsibility for the impact on our family''s business if we can''t win the public''s trust at all?"

    Dennis was rendered speechless by Justin''s words. After a long time, he said, "Even so, you''re still engaged to Miss Amber, Young Master Justin. In any case, you should keep some distance from Rachel." Justin frowned slightly upon hearing his words.

 Chapter 230

    "The Old Master has reminded you to discuss your marriage with him once you recover. If everything goes well, he wants everything to be done by the end of the year. Besides, it''s been too long since the

    Burton Familyst had any weddings."

    "Rest well, Young Master. I shall take my leave."

    After finishing his sentence, the butler immediately left the room.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s car was leaving the hospital''s parking lot. After making a circle around the hospital, she got nervous when she saw the Burtons'' butler exiting the hospital entrance.

    Suddenly, Samuel''s sweet voice broke her concentration from behind. "Will you being to visit Daddy every day from now on?"

    "Yeah. What about it, Samuel?"

    "I used to think that Justin was a bad man after how he smashed the music box I gave Charlotte. Later, he pushed me to the ground and hurt me so much. But when he rescued me, he looked very brave, so I think he''s able to protect you."

    "He pushed you?"

    "Yes. He did that when I went to look for him the day you got sick. It was the same day I got kidnapped by that bad man."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel revealed a frown.

    "But he saved me, so I''ve already forgiven him."

    Since she was too focused on the fact that Justin had shoved Samuel to the ground, Rachel missed everything else the boy had said afterward, but that was enough for her to determine she made the right decision today.

    As the most exceptional heir to the Burtons, Justin was highly respected by Arthur. Back when they got married, Arthur had expressed that Justin was allowed to date any woman even if they weren''t as outstanding as him, and he could even be with a nobody. However, the catch was that he couldn''t let the woman affect his business.

    Six years ago, Rachel was nothing but menace to him, and she was someone not even close from being a suitable option to be with.

    Now, in Arthur''s eyes, Chris was someone who hade forth with indecent purposes, and that made her even less of a choice.

    Thus, the old man would surely notice her if she got closer to Justin-this was also the very reason she had decided to visit Justin in the hospital every day.

    Later that night, the sky was already pitch ck when Rachel reached the hospital.

    After pulling the curtain, the nurse asked Justin if he wanted to eat for the third time.

    "I''m not hungry. Thanks."

    As he said that, his eyes were fixated at the door.

    Upon seeing his expectant look, Frankie instinctively felt helpless.

    How the tables have turned!

    "You''re here, Miss Hudson."

    Upon those words, Justin instantlyy back on the bed and exhibited an apathetic look as if he heard nothing.

    Rachel put down the lunchbox and naturally scanned the room. "Where''s Charlotte?"

    Meanwhile, Justin was dissatisfied with the fact that she was only paying attention to the kids. Nheless, Charlotte was their daughter, so there was nothing he could debate with. "There''s bound to be lots of germs in the hospital, so we had the maid get her earlier."

    Rachel opened the lunchbox and asked, "Will you be sending her back to Old Mr. Burton since no one is going to take care of her for now?"

    "What do you mean?" Justin gazed at her. "Are you not going to take care of her?"

    "Jolly is on a business trip, and Samuel is alone at home."

    "Charlotte''s home alone too!"

    Rachel nced at him and continued, "Eat up. I''ll have to go back early. Samuel''s alone at home, and I feel uneasy about that."

    Although she missed Charlotte, there were maids and guards at the Burton Residence, so the girl didn''t have to worry about food and security. Plus, after the kidnapping incident, no one could me Rachel fo worrying about her son being alone at home.

    Upon revealing a gloomy face, Justin then questioned, "Are you still mad at me?"

    "No."

    "Cut the act. You must be ming me for Samuel''s kidnapping, right?"

    Rachel took a deep breath before she raised her head. "Fine, since you''re that persistent, I''ll do you one better. Do you think Mr. Wayne would have kidnapped Samuel if you hadn''t offended him?" "You must have been dying to say that during thest few days, eh?"

    Rachel remained calm and stared at Justin. "More like the past years."

    In fact, it wasn''t just Samuel. Back then, her grandmother''s abduction could also be traced back to Justin.

    Upon hearing the woman''seback, Justin became even more furious.

    The man smashed his cutlery against the table. "I don''t feel like eating anymore. Get this away from me!"Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    After Frankie had told him the details of the kidnapping of Rachel''s grandmother, he was aware that the abduction was caused by himself. Nevertheless, he bore no such a memory, so it was rather difficult for him to ept it, feeling wronged with how people around him were saying that he mistreated her when she came back to Riverdale.

    Unfortunately, he couldn''t recall those memories no matter how hard he tried.

    Frustrating. How frustrating!

    After ncing at the angry man, Rachel started packing the meal without hesitation.

    When he saw that she was about to leave after collecting her belongings, Justin yelled in a vexed manner, "I didn''t say you were allowed to leave!"

    With that, she countered, "Why should I stay if you''re not eating anyway?"

    "I..." Upon being rendered speechless, he responded, "I''m a patient, okay? Can''t you justpromise with me?"

    "No can do."

    At that, Justin was so displeased he could tear the hospital down. However, he clenched his teeth after a while and reluctantly stated, "Samuel may stay at my ce."

    At once, Rachel was stupefied.

    Justin avoided eye contact with her and rified, "I mean that he can only stay there while I''m here! For now, Samuel and Charlotte and stay together. Since there are people taking care of them, they should be safe, and you''ll be able toe here without any distractions."

    Before she coulde to her senses, the man impatiently expressed, "I''m starving here! I need some food!"

    Despite that, Rachel still couldn''t get over the fact that he would propose to let Samuel stay over at his ce.

    After handing him a new set of cutlery, she watched as Justin wolfed down his meal. All of a sudden, the man in front of her felt like an entirely different entity from the one in her memories as there was not even a hint of resemnce between the two.

    To what extent did he lose his memories for him to turn into a new man?

    As she packed up the lunchbox and used cutlery, Rachel said, "Tell me what you feel like eating tomorrow, and I''ll prepare it for you."

    "Anything is fine."

    "in porridge it is."

    "in? Are you actually serious?" If his leg wasn''t hanging above the bed in a cast, Justin would have jumped on her.

    Although she was merely teasing him, when her eyes fell on his leg, her emotions were immediately disrupted.

    Upon seeing her expression, Justinforted her by saying, "I''m fine. I''ll fully recover after half a month, so don''t worry."

    "I''m not worried at all."

    "In that case, why were you staring at it?" Justin gave her a condescending look. "Well, you must have seen how good I eat countless times by now." Having no intention to entertain him, she took the container and left. "I''m leaving. Samuel''s waiting for me."

    "Wait," Justin blurted out. "Grab something for me, will you?"

 Chapter 231

    "What is it?"

    "There''s an agreement file in the bedside dresser."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    Rachel bent down and started going through the dresser. "Which one?"

    "The ck one."

    "They''re all ck."

    "Keep searching. It was the business n we discussed during the meeting."

    Upon seeing a familiar file, she grabbed it and got back up while saying, "Is it this one..."

    Before she could finish her sentence, her cheek bumped into something. When she turned her head while Justin was lying on his stomach, she eliminated the distance between them as the tips of their noses brushed against each other, sharing a breath of air. All of a sudden, the air in the room turned hot.

    Upon Justin''s close-in, Rachel''s primitive instinct acted up before she forcefully shoved him away.

    After letting out a muffled yell, Justin fell back to his bed. "What are you doing?"

    "I should be asking you that instead!"

    As her heart palpitated, Rachel leaned against the wall while her body shook. She thought about how they had almost kissed, and her mind continued to dwell on it.

    Before Justin could say anything, she tossed him the file and swiftly exited the ward.

    The door mmed shut with a bang before Justin forced himself up and revealed a smile.

    On the other hand, Rachel had yet to calm herself down as she was leaving the hospital.

    Justin must have gone insane! How is he so different already? During that unintentional yet intimate moment earlier, she almost went in for the kiss.

    And that was the most fearsome incident that had happened ever since her return to Riverdale.

    Regardless of the memory loss, he''s still Justin Burton-he''s not someone else.

    After repetitively reminding herself that, Rachel started her car and navigated into the night as it got even darker.

    Meanwhile, in the living room of the Hudson Residence, Jefferey had just ended a call with Arthur.

    "What did he say?"

    Amber asked with an eager tone.

    To that, her father replied, "He wants both the families to meet up for a discussion to decide on the wedding day when Justin is discharged from the hospital.ˇ± "Really?"

    Amber was visibly on cloud nine.

    "Don''t get this excited. All this time, did you even care to visit him in the hospital?"

    Upon hearing that, the woman was taken aback.

    When she had heard about his hospitalization, she had actually gone to visit him once. However, since Justin was unconscious at that time, she stayed for a bit and promptly departed. "He just woke up this morning, so I didn''t manage to go..."

    "If you dy your visit any further, I think that it''ll affect your marriage with him in no time."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "The hospital staff informed me that Rachel was there."

    "Why is she there?"

    "To please him, of course-any man would buy that."

    Amber was visibly disturbed as she shouted, "How shameless of her!"

    "There''s something else."

    "What is it?"

    "Do you happen to know anyone called Mr. Wayne?"

    Amber was suddenly taken aback by this, but she deliberately quizzed, "Mr. Wayne? Who are you referring to?"

    "I''m talking about Mr. Wayne from Golden Herbs Enterprise. Why did Gunny inform me that you went to see him in private? What business do you have with him?"

    "Me? He must have mistaken somebody else for me. There''s no way I''d have any connections with that scoundrel."

    Jefferey let out a cold snort and stated, "He''d better have. I warn you, Amber-no matter what you did in the past, handle everything from now on cleanly. Although the Burton Family has controlled the spread, Justin''s injury and Mr. Wayne''s capture on the news are obviously connected."

    They''re connected? At once, Amber''s heart skipped a beat. It was a wonder to her how Justin had managed to break his own leg with bodyguards by his side.

    I''ve only told him about Rachel, though. Was it because of her?

    Late at night, Rachel was rolling on her bed as she failed to fall asleep.

    Suddenly, her phone beeped and showed a message notification.

    After pressing on the message, she saw a photo taken in a restaurant. After zooming on it, she got anxious and hastily dialed a number.

    "Hello? What''s the photo about, Victor?"

    "That''s what I was about to ask you! After hearing about the abduction from Samuel and seeing the news surrounding Mr. Wayne, I was immediately reminded of something I saw in a restaurant. I simply snapped a pic of her when I saw her, but I didn''t pay any attention to it at the time."

    He continued skeptically, "I''m not mistaken, am I? That''s Amber, right?"

    "You''re right. That''s her." Rachel''s tone was rather dull.

    All this while, she had suspicions toward Mr. Wayne''s sudden urrence after so many years. Now that she had seen the photograph, it was evident someone was pulling the strings from behind. The next day, Rachel went to visit Justin.

    Upon exiting the elevator, she saw Amber at the entrance of the ward.

    Just as she expected the so-called loyal girlfriend would be making her appearance at such a time.

    "Rachel?"

    Before Rachel could say anything, Amber shot her a resentful re. As the piercing sound of heels striking the floor filled the room, she then rebuked, "You actually came, huh! You must be addicted to being the third wheel, aren''t you?"

    "Took the words right out of my mouth." Upon leering at Amber, Rachel then countered by saying, "Weren''t so hooked on bing the third wheel back then that you actually obtained your spot?" "Cut the crap!"

    Amber gritted her teeth and said, "I''m telling you this-I''ll let go of the past, but you cannot step foot into this hospital again, and you''re to cut off all contact with Justin. Otherwise, don''t me me for teaching you a lesson!"

    As if Amber had thought of something, she suddenly calmed down and boastfully eximed, "By the way, Justin and I are getting married. That''s what Old Mr. Burton called Dad for, at the very least. If you behave yourself, you might get an invitation."

    "If Justin were to know that you met Mr. Wayne in private, do you think there would even be a wedding?"

    The visibly shocked Amber then questioned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

    Rachel swiftly pulled out her phone and swiped to the photo that Victor had sent her. She then continued calmly, "You cheated on Noah previously, and now there''s this issue with Mr. Wayne. However, I''m not going to show all my cards just yet. You can''t even clean up your own mess, yet you''re throwing threats on me!"

    "It''s... the photo''s fake! Justin would never believe you!"

    Rachel replied casually, "That''s true. Photos and videos can be forged. But you know what, Amber? After all these years, I happen to find something of yours very useful." While Amber was still processing those words, a burning thermos jar was tossed onto her chest.

    "Ahh!"

    A shriek thundered across the hallway.

    As she was screaming, the container of food sttered across her chest. Her dear, vegetable-stained Chanel suit resembled a piece of scrap cloth straight out of the trash bag. "Are you nuts?"

    "You could simply say that you do not wish me to visit President Burton, but did you really have to do this?" Before Amber could continue, Rachel''s voice echoed through the corridor.

    At that moment, Frankie stormed out of the ward and saw the scene of an opened lunch box with itsponents sshed on the ground. Meanwhile, Rachel was squatting on the ground as she cleaned it up.

 Chapter 232

    "Miss Hudson, are you okay?"

    "Have you gone blind, Frankie? Asking her whether she''s all right?" Amber was in disbelief. "She flung that lunchbox at me. Didn''t you see her do that?"

    Frankie walked past Amber, looking as though he hadn''t heard the woman. "Don''t clean up anymore. You''re not hurt, are you? Mr. Burton asked for you to go inside." "It''s fine." Rachel''s head was lowered. "Since the food''s all on the floor now, he can have the hospital''s food for lunch instead."

    "What is this act, Rachel?!" Amber was on the verge of an aneurysm from her anger. "Get up and exin yourself properly!"

    With that, her hand moved toward Rachel. Just as she was about to make contact with her, Rachel gave a shout of surprise and crashed onto the floor, butt-first. "You!" Amber''s expression was unbelievably ugly as she stared at her own hand, still held aloft in the air.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    She hadn''t even touched Rachel.

    "Stop right there!" called a cold voice from behind. Justin had appeared behind her at some point and gripped Amber''s hand. Meanwhile, his face was stormy. "Justin!" Amber''s expression shifted. "It''s not what you think it is. I didn''t touch her at all, and she fell by herself."

    "I saw it all clear as day-you pushed Miss Hudson," Frankie said with certainty as he eyed Amber.

    Amber was so furious that she nearly got tongue-tied. "You''re spewing nonsense! You''re in league with that mute. You came just at the right moment, Justin. You have to fire Frankie today. He can''t tell fantasy from reality anymore. Does he not have eyes? He even sided with that woman and framed it on me!"

    "Has he framed you? What did Frankie use you of?"

    By then, Frankie had helped Rachel up. Although Rachel had gotten some of the food on herself, her expression was calm. On the contrary, it made others pity her even more. "Mr. Burton, Frankie didn''t do anything wrong here. I really shouldn''t havee over every day to waste everyone''s time."

    "So long as you''re self-aware about it!" Amber red at her balefully. "Don''t you know your ce? Anyone can see what your motives are for getting close to Justin."

    "Enough!" Justin coldly cut Amber off. "You still haven''t officially married into the Burton Family. And even if you have, what right do you have to point fingers at my subordinates?"

    Amber was taken aback. She had been with Justin for so many years now; although he was civil to her most of the time, he had never been so harsh with his words before. In an instant, she panicked.

    "Justin."

    Justin coldly dodged Amber''s hand. "I don''t want to see you for the next few days. Go home. Frankie, escort her." After delivering that frosty reply, Justin then reached out to Rachel and gripped her arm. "Stop cleaning ande with me."

    Rachel froze slightly.

    An indignant Amber tried to follow them, but Frankie stopped her. "This way please, Miss Amber."

    Amber nearly blew her top as she stared at Frankie''s frigid expression. "You did that on purpose, didn''t you? Who do you think you are, speaking up for that mute? You think you''ll get a promotion because of that?"

    However, Frankie took her jabs in stride. He simply beckoned at her without humoring her with a reply.

    For the past few years, he observed all that had happened to Justin as a third party, and he took notice of Amber''s actions too. He had promised Arthur that he would stay silent about Justin''s amnesia because he knew too much.

    He could not leave the Burtons, and he certainly could not leave Justin, for he would be the first person Amber would strike at mercilessly once he left this sanctuary.

    Meanwhile, Rachel followed Justin and entered the room.

    "Did you scald yourself anywhere? Let me take a look."

    "I''m fine." Rachel drew back her hands. The back of her right hand was slightly red from the soup that had sshed on it. However, it was nothingpared to Amber''s scathing remarks. She was just going al in with this pretense, for this would just make it seem even more realistic.

    Didn''t Amber love to y this trick back then?

    "What do you mean by that?" Justin had an angry look on his face. Without another word, he pressed the buzzer and called for a nurse to treat Rachel''s hand.

    "It''s nothing serious, and there aren''t any blisters either. Since the weather has been rather hot recently, just be careful not to cover your hands," the nurse said after she rubbed some burn cream on Rachel''s hand.

    "Got it, thank you."

    Once the nurse had left, Rachel lifted her head and looked at Justin, who was sitting across from her. "Don''t you want to lie on the bed instead?"

    His leg was still in its ster cast as he sat on the couch. With nowhere for him to put his leg up properly, the couch seemed overly cramped. He had sat across Rachel and watched her closely as the nurse treated her burn earlier, which made Rachel feel ufortable.

    He ignored her question. "You were like this in the past too. Why don''t you fight back when people beat you down? Why do you hold everything back?" Justin asked.

    Rachel furrowed her brows. "What''s the point of that question?"

    "Isn''t Amber your sister? Why are you scared of her?"

    "She''s no sister of mine." Rachel''s eyes darkened a little. "I''ll help you over to the bed."

    Justin frowned as he took in Rachel''s expression, feeling as though he had said the wrong thing.

    It had been a while since Rachel returned to the country, but he hadn''t heard of her returning home once. Not only that, he never heard anyone mentioning that Jefferey had another daughter during the whole time he had amnesia.

    To her, the Hudsons were probably not her family.

    Justin couldn''t be bothered to think too much about this for now. He simply arrived at the conclusion that Rachel''s hesitance toward the Hudsons was due to Jefferey''s favoritism toward his own biological daughter and the unequal treatment that he gave Rachel.

    "Slow down." Rachel helped Justin onto the bed with one hand supporting his arm. The two of them were close, and the indelible scent of orchids wafting under his nose once again engraved itself into Justin''s mind. All of a sudden, he found himself unable to look away.

    Rachel was very pretty. Her features were defined, yet they were also harmonious and bnced, which was a ssic beauty indeed. When she smiled, the dimples that formed made her look all the more refreshing. Yet, she rarely did so, and even when she smiled, there was also a veneer of fakeness to it, something that he couldn''t quite put his finger on.

    Was she like that in the past too?

    That question once again shed across Justin''s mind. When he realized what had happened, his heart suddenly thumped rapidly.

    Lately, he would unconsciously try and guess how Rachel used to be back then when she was with him.

    Was she always sopromising, always swallowing her true feelings?

    "Justin." Rachel''s voice drifted by, pulling his mind back to reality.

    "What?"

    "How long are you going to stare at me for?"

    When Justin noticed Rachel''s quiet, serene gaze, his mind once again descended into frantess.

    "Was I even staring?" he immediately denied.

    Rachel nced at him. "Really? Don''t you feel tired from standing like that?"

    It was only then that Justin realized that he had been standing by the bed all this while without moving a muscle. He promptly sat down, his expression stiff.

 Chapter 233

    Rachel poured him a ss of water and ced it next to his bed. Then, with well-practiced movements, she took out some papers from the cab and set them aside. "If there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving then. Frankie will be hereter with some new food for you."

    "Why are you in such a rush? Have you been busy at work recently?"

    "Yes, it''s been very busy. I''ve been keeping tabs on this one project."

    "In that case, leave it to others." Justin''s tone brooked no argument. "You only have one task, and that is to take care of me."

    "I won''t being from tomorrow onward."

    Justin promptly stood up right after that. "What did you say?"

    "I hurt my hand, so I can''t cook."

    "That''s it?" Justin stared at her. "I can still eat hospital food if you can''t cook, but you muste every day to take care of me. I ended up hurt because I saved Samuel, so you have to take responsibility for this."

    "I think that Amber was right; I should indeed know when to pull myself back. I shouldn''t have gotten so close to you. Coming to the hospital every day with food for you will make people''s tongues wag. You have a fiancee, so leave this to her in the future," Rachel said with a straight face.

    "Are you angry with me right now?"

    "No, I''m simplyying it to you straight, Mr. Burton. I think you should rify what our rtionship is. I am your ex-wife, and the only person connecting us is Charlotte."

    Justin looked at the woman before him. All of a sudden, he felt a kind of disappointment that he couldn''t describe. She clearly was the one who started it all, but now, he actually couldn''t quite leave everything behind.

    "I''ll be taking my leave then," Rachel said when she saw how Justin remained silent.

    "Stop," Justin called after her. "Even if Charlotte is the only reason we havemon ground, I am still your superior. I am nowmanding you as your superior to stay behind and take care of me." "The Burton Group has no such rule."

    "I make the rules." Justin''s expression darkened. "Unless you want to stop working at the Burton Group, you''ll have to follow my orders." "You''re being unreasonable."

    Justin didn''t seem to have heard her. "Go down to the cafeteria now and get me some food. Also, I want pork rib soup for dinner."

    Rachel''s forehead was screwed up in a tight frown. After standing there for a while, she finally made her way over to the hospital''s cafeteria.

    The ufortable expression on her face vanished without a trace the moment she left Justin''s ward. In the meantime, coldness bubbled up in those quiet eyes of hers.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    For the next week after that, Rachel spent the rest of her time outside of working hours caring for Justin.

    "Frankie, is President Burton the same person we remember?" The secretary promptly stopped Frankie right after dropping off some papers for Justin. "He just smiled when I asked him to sign those papers." Frankie''s expression wasposed as usual. "When finance made a mistake in their data, Mr. Enfield personally came over, expecting to be scolded. Guess what Mr. Burton said to him?"

    "Of course President Burton chewed him out. There''s a chance he might''ve even fired Mr. Enfield on the spot."

    "No, President Burton said to be more careful next time."

    The secretary''s eyes widened. "For real?"

    "Why would I lie to you about this?"

    "Did he get a personality swap? Has the hospital been spiking his food or something?"

    "What''s with that nonsense?" Frankie tapped the secretary''s head, but then he thought about it. "Still, you''re right. There''s a particr medicine that''s being used to treat his condition."

    As he spoke, he saw Rachel walk down the corridor while chatting with Julian.

    "Miss Hudson, Dr. Peters."

    Rachel greeted Frankie back.

    "I''ll continue working then. Let''s leave together once I''m done with work. Wait for me."

    "Sure."

    With that, Rachel stepped inside Justin''s room. The moment she did so, she saw Justin sitting on the couch.

    "Why are you up? Did you feel ufortable lying down?" Rachel asked casually while she ced the lunchbox on the table. "The pork ribs down in the hospital cafeteria aren''t half-bad. I got you some, so give it a try."

    "You didn''t cook again today?" Justin questioned her.

    "I had no time for that. The contract signing for the project is today, so I had to sign it. I asked Julian beforehand to go to the cafeteria and set the food aside."

    Justin''s expression instantly darkened at the mention of Julian''s name.

    "Have a taste."

    "I won''t eat it!" As he spoke, Justin flung his arms out. He had moved them a little too far out, for he ended up knocking over the cutlery that Rachel held in her hands. They ttered to the floor with a loud sound.

    The atmosphere instantly tensed up.

    After a few moments of standing there stiffly, Rachel crouched down to pick up the cutlery.

    Upon seeing her crouch down before him, Justin suddenly felt regretful. "You don''t have to pick it up."

    Rachel seemingly didn''t hear him.

    Justin then bent down, intending to pull her up. However, Rachel suddenly darted back like it was part of her instincts. When she looked up, an obvious look of fear crossed her eyes. Although it was just a brief moment, Justin clearly saw her fear.

    It wasn''t the first time, though-moments like this cropped up frequently. Sometimes, inadvertently, or when she wasn''t paying attention, she would often look like she was scared when he tried to touch her. It seemed like muscle memory to her.

    "I''ll get you a new set." Rachel''s expression had already returned to normal.

    All of a sudden, he asked, "Was I awful to you in the past?"

    Rachel''s hands tensed up slightly, cutlery safely in her grip. "Why the sudden question?"

    "Sometimes, I feel like you''re afraid of me."

    "You''re overthinking it. Why would I be scared of you?" Rachel pretended to shrug casually. "Do you think it''s because you raised your hand against me or something?"

    "Have I ever been violent toward you?"

    He was direct, and Rachel was actually at a loss for words.

    Indeed, he had been.

    There were several instances where he nearly strangled her to death. In fact, that suffocating sensation would still asionally show up in her dreams. No matter how she tried, she couldn''t get to the surface, making it seem as though she was drowning.

    Needless to say, her silence exined everything.

    Justin''s temples twitched. He couldn''t imagine how he could have been violent toward this frail and skinny woman before him. Just how terrible had he been in the past?

    "Is it because you''ve been cooped up too long in the hospital?" Rachel''s voice pulled his mind back. "Don''t think about it anymore. I''ll just get you some new cutlery." Rachel hadn''t even moved when Justin suddenly grabbed her arm.

    "I''m sorry."

    She turned her head back in shock, and her eyes met Justin''s. "Regardless of how I treated you before, it''s all in the past now. Since you''re back, I''ll do all I can to make up for my past mistakes." Justin''s sincere gaze did not mesh with his cold, handsome face. It was like a 17-year-old soul was living inside his body instead, thinking that he could start afresh by acknowledging his mistakes and atoning. However, not everything in the world could be resolved with just a simple ''sorry''. People should apologize when they should, but the recipient of the apology also had the choice not to forgive them.

 Chapter 234

    After Rachel left the ward, Justin looked down at the back of his hand. Her warmth still lingered there from when she had smacked his hand away.

    The sunset outside the window couldn''t havee at a better time, and the evening sun dyed the entire sky lovely warm hues. At that moment, Justin''s lips curved up into a shallow smile. A gentle warmth settled on his face, warming away the coldness.

    People should look ahead, and the past was not important.

    Justin wasn''t sure how much time had passed, but Rachel didn''te back. He was about to press the buzzer and ask a nurse about this when Frankie suddenly knocked on the door and entered. "Mr. Burton."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    "Why are you in such a rush?"

    Frankie was supposed to deliver some papers, but he had worked up a sweat running here. "I just came from the parking lot. I saw Miss Hudson being taken away by some people from the vi." Justin''s expression changed.

    At the same time, Rachel was sitting inside a ck Rolls-Royce with a spacious interior. The world outside the car zoomed past her.

    The sound of a ringing tone reverberated inside the car. She gripped her phone and nced at the old butler next to her.

    "Can I take this phone call?" she asked, neither panicked norfortable with the situation.

    When he saw the name ''Julian'' on her phone screen, the butler nodded his head. "You may, Miss Hudson."

    Rachel answered the call and said, "Hello, Julian. Something hase up at thest moment, so I can''t go back with you. Sorry about this, but please pick up Charlotte and Samuel for me and send them home."

    Julian''s voice drifted over the speakers. There was a hint of anxiety in his voice. "Are you okay? Where are you now?"

    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me."

    Rachel never once mentioned that she had been kidnapped throughout the conversation.

    An hourter, the car arrived at the Burtons'' summer vi. Ever since she first stepped into the car, Rachel more or less knew the reason behind this trip-it certainly was not a simple trip meant for fun. "Old Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson is here."

    "Come in."

    "This way, Miss Hudson."

    The Burtons'' butler opened the door to the study and beckoned her inside.

    Before she entered the room, Rachel nced at the electronic password lock through the corner of her eyes.

    She hadn''t been able to enter this room prior to this visit. Indeed, it seemed that she could only get an open invitation by getting close to Justin.

    The moment she stepped inside, she caught sight of an old man with white hair sitting behind the desk there. He was reading a book, but when he saw Rachele in, he marked his ce with a bookmark and set the book aside. He crossed those withered hands of his and ced them on top of the desk as his heavy gaze settled on her.

    "Sit."

    Rachel sat down across the desk.

    "It has been a while. I heard that your muteness has been cured. Congrattions."

    "Your mind is still as sharp and healthy as ever. I believe the same goes for your physical health?"

    "Not quite, but it doesn''t matter. I simply wish for my descendants to surpass their potential and manage the family business well when they inherit it."

    "You''re a fortunate man to have so many excellent children and grandchildren."

    It was a normal conversation, but the politeness they employed was like a series of dancing des.

    Indeed, Arthur was a man who had seen a lot in life. He was solemn and calm as he poured Rachel a cup of tea, unfazed. "I heard that you have been caring for Justin recently. I should thank you properly." "It''s fine. It''s my duty, after all."

    "No." His words took a turn. "Where should I begin with the word ''duty''? Have you forgotten that you and Justin have divorced? You guys are no longer tied together, you know."

    Rachel showed a small smile. "You''ve misunderstood me. When I said ''duty'', I meant that it is my duty to repay kindness that''s been shown to me. He did get hurt because of me. So, I shall repay this debt with kindness as well. Taking care of him until he has recovered is something that I should do."

    "Is that really what you think?"

    Arthur pressed a button on the remote under his desk, and the projector behind Rachel lit up. Security camera footage began to y on the projector screen behind her. It was during the day of the birthday banquet at the summer vi. Rachel had avoided the guests and crossed the banquet hall before heading into the deserted side hall by herself. She had even attempted to open the door to the study, but she failed in the end, and Justin had discovered her.

    "How would you exin this, Miss Hudson?"

    However, being discovered so quickly was within Rachel''s expectations. "You saw it too. I was looking for something."

    "What were you looking for?"

    "Don''t you know what it is?" Rachel looked at Arthur calmly. "If that incident from five years ago had been resolved, I wouldn''t havee back to cause this bit of trouble for you. You have the evidence for Hans'' death, don''t you?"

    "It turns out that you actually returned for the evidence. You''re a sentimental one." Approval shed across his eyes. "If it wasn''t for how special you were, then it wouldn''t have been out of the question for Justin to marry you."

    "You don''t have to tter me, for I am an ordinary person. Isn''t this the same as thest time you called me here back then? Remember when you wanted to make a deal and get me to leave Justin?" History was a cycle, and it was shocking how simrly events could y out.

    After her forced marriage to Justin back then, Arthur had also brought her over to the study and forced her to sign the divorce papers since he felt that she had been affecting Justin too much. Today, he was doing the same thing-even the tactics he used were the same.

    The old man replied, "I do indeed have the evidence. If I hand it over to you, will you immediately leave Justin and never show your face to him again?"

    The corner of Rachel''s lips quirked up. "You are still the same as ever with your love for trickery."

    "What did you say?"

    "I don''t have to bring up the number of cameras and audio recorders hidden around this house, do I?" Rachel surveyed the room, and her gaze promptlynded on the mini camera on the bookshelf across her "You nned to bait me here and y the recording to Justin, making him think that I only got close to him because of some ulterior motive. You wouldn''t have to give me anything, and you''d get to remove yourself from the picture easily-just like how it was back then."

    Arthur''s expression stiffened. The awkwardness he felt from having his ns exposed was clearly written on his face, and he gave a dry cough. "You''re smarter than you used to be."

    "I do learn from my mistakes. Your family was the one who taught me everything, after all." Rachel smiled. "It''s better to be a bit more honest when striking a deal."

    Arthur''s expression darkened. After a period of silence, he spoke. "I can give the evidence to you, but I need some time in case you renege on your word," he said solemnly. "You have time to think it over. You''re not the sole person I''m relying on."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Julian told me that Justin''s amnesia is a kind of retrograde amnesia. His memories are being intermittently cut off, but he can still remember some things. You probably don''t want him to remember what he has forgotten, do you?"

    "How dare you!" Arthur''s expression instantly shifted as he smacked the desk hard and stood up. That was his Achilles heel, and he had no way of hiding it.

    Rachel had returned to her home country for some time now. While she hadn''t made any progress in her other pursuits, she could clearly see how well Arthur had kept Justin''s amnesia under wraps.

    To the old man, there was nothing better than having Justin put his rage and hatred behind him and throw himself entirely into inheriting the family business. That was why he absolutely didn''t want Justin to recover his memories. To that end, he was willing to let Amber marry into the Burton Family-after all, she didn''t want Justin to remember either.

 Chapter 235

    "I loathe it when others threaten me!" Arthur was incensed as he pointed at Rachel''s face and rebuked her by saying, "Do you think that you can walk out of this ce unscathed today?"

    "Since I even bothered toe all the way here, I''ve naturally made ample preparations. If you dare toy a hand on me, I won''t be the only one going down-you''ll be affecting all the Burton Pharmaceuticals resources that I own too," Rachel answered in a nd tone.

    "You think that I''ll cower because of that? So what if the entire Burton Pharmaceuticals crumbles?"

    "I have the Carters backing me as well. Are you sure you won''t bat an eye when they breathe down your neck?"

    Arthur''s expression was stormy. He had nearly forgotten that Rachel was now the president of Carter Enterprise''s adopted daughter. Everyone knew just how much both the president and his wife adored her; in fact, they loved her no less than if she were their own flesh and blood.

    "I think you should be able to see that I wouldn''t have returned to this country if it wasn''t for that incident with Hans. Since you want me to leave, the best way would, of course, be to hand me the evidence so I can get this over with. I''ll then dy leave without you needing to remind me about it." Rachel stood up. "To me, Riverdale is just a ce filled with pain. I am not attached to this city." As she spoke, loud noises could be heard outside the study.

    "Young Master, your grandfather is currently in discussion with his guest. You cannot go in."

    "What is he discussing that needs Rachel here? Rachel!"

    Rachel''s brows furrowed, and aplicated look came over her face.

    Arthur nced at the locked door. "I can hand the evidence to you, but I need some time to do so. Until then, I hope that you will be able to behave yourself. You must not so much as breathe a word about the past," he said in a low voice.

    "That''s a given."

    Now that she had said those words, the both of them came to a tacit agreement. Rachel then opened the door.

    Justin was outside, sitting in his wheelchair. An undercurrent of anxiety could be seen marring his handsome features. The moment he saw her, he immediately pulled her over and checked her from all angles. "Are you all right?"

    "You haven''t recovered yet, have you? Who allowed you toe all the way here?" Arthur''s voice could be heard scolding Justin from inside the study.

    Justin''s eyes darkened as he immediately pulled Rachel behind him to shield her. Even when confined to a wheelchair, his personality was as forceful as ever. "Grandpa, why did you bring Rachel here?" "I called her over so that I could have a word with her. Do I need to report something like this to you?"

    "If you just wanted to talk to her, couldn''t you have done it over a phone call? Why the racket? Why get the butler to retrieve her?" Justin''s tone was harsh and pressuring.

    "What''s with that attitude? What does having a talk with her have to do with you? I should be able to ask her a few questions even if she is an employee under the Burton Group, no? I have made my decision -I will have her transferred to a subsidiary away from the headquarters!" Arthur stated, incensed.

    "What?" Justin''s expression turned stormy. "She is under my jurisdiction. Apart from myself, no one is allowed to transfer her anywhere!"

    "You wilful child!" Arthur smacked the top of the desk hard. "Do not forget that you are still engaged to Amber. The wedding will be held at the end of the year! Don''t you know when to stop avoiding your responsibilities? Have you not seen what the media has been saying about this?"

    Ever since Justin and Rachel announced that Samuel was their son during that press conference, countless spections and theories had popped up online about their rtionship, their hatred for each other, as well as their love. At the same time, the Burton Group had taken advantage of all the publicity to push sales. But now, Arthur actually med the media for making up stories out of thin air?

    Justin scoffed coldly. "You didn''t voice any objections when the initial marketing n was unveiled, and now you''re kicking Rachel aside since you think she''s in the way? How does it feel to be as heartless as you are?"

    "How dare you... Is this the way to speak to me?"

    Justin drew in a deep breath. "You don''t have to worry about my engagement with Amber. I have already gotten someone to handle the paperwork. Once I have recovered, I will announce that the engagement is canceled."

    Arthur was so furious that he shook. "Are you canceling your engagement because of this woman?"

    Justin held Rachel''s hand right in front of Arthur. "You heard that right-I want to end my engagement," he said boldly and honestly as Rachel looked on in shock.

    "You insolent thing!"

    Justin and Rachel had only just stepped out of the study when an inkstone flew out after them along with Arthur''s furious, breathless yells and the family butler''s soothing tones. The two of them didn''t look back and left the summer vi.

    Justin kept holding Rachel''s hand throughout the entire trip back. Although the air conditioning inside the car was on, sweat kept pouring from his hand.

    Rachel frowned. "There''s no one around to see us now. It''s okay to let go, right?"

    However, Justin gripped her hand tighter. "What did my grandpa say to you?" "What do you think?"

    "He wants you to stay away from me, am I right?" Justin''s expression darkened a little. "You don''t have to care about what he said, and the only one you should listen to is me. If my grandpa''s servants call you over in the future, don''t go. Just tell me and I''ll take care of it. No matter what he says, never agree to whatever deal the old man offers."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    When he noticed that Rachel remained silent, he frowned deeply. "You promised him something, didn''t you?"

    A slight pain spread throughout the hand that Justin gripped. Rachel nced at him. "What deal do you think your grandfather has offered me? What kind of deal do you think could be even more advantageous than us being together? Throwing a hundred million bucks at me?"

    "What is a hundred million? As long as you stay with me, the entire Burton Group will be ours in the future," Justin said.

    "That may not be set in stone. We might not be able to stay together until the end. I won''t even have that one hundred million then, never mind the Burton Group. Wouldn''t that be a massive loss for me then?" "You actually thought about that?" Justin stared at her and squeezed her hand hard. "Don''t you trust me? Alternatively, do you not trust yourself?"

    "Ouch," Rachel gasped under her breath.

    Justin immediately loosened his grip. "Where are you hurt?"

    Nevertheless, she remained silent.

    Soon, night had already fallen. The world outside the car zoomed past them through the windows as they journeyed from the suburbs to the city proper. Six years of experiences zipped around Rachel''s mind; many of the scenes were blurry, blending with each other seamlessly.

    "Rachel."

    "Yeah?"

    "They said that I was terrible to you back then, but I can''t recall anything."

    "It''s fine if you can''t remember it."

    "That''s not what I meant." Although Justin''s voice was by her ear, it sounded a little distant. "Ever since I first saw you and found out who you were to me, I felt like you were a significant part of my old memories. While I can''t bring myself to verbally acknowledge it, and while I truly can''t remember it either, my subconsciousness is telling me that you are important to me."

    His life had initially been rigid and unchanging. He had followed the path that had beenid out for him. Under the arrangements that his family made, he would soon marry Amber. And yet, Rachel had to return right at this moment. Those initially lost memories had seemingly begun to slowly peek out from whatever corners they were tucked away in.

    He couldn''t remember anything about his time with Rachel in the past, but he could remember his feelings. Evidently, he liked her.

    When he still didn''t hear anything from Rachel after a while, Justin turned his head to take a look, only to see her leaning back in the seat with her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep without him noticing, and she looked so serene and at peace.

    Justin''s eyes dulled, and he felt a little disappointed. A momentter, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

 Chapter 236

    After silence had descended inside the car for a short while, Rachel gradually opened her eyes. From the corner of her eye, she saw that the man by her side was currently resting with his eyes shut. Hence, she turned her face to the side and nced at the night scene outside the window. At that moment, there were shes of red illuminated in her eyes.

    Earlier on, when Justin had said all those words, she nearly fell for it and she nearly trusted that there wasn''t any hint of ugliness in their past. For a split second, she had thought that they would be able to star afresh in everything.

    However, that was essentially impossible. One without their memories could proceed with life without any burden, but she was different. There was no way that she could trust the words of someone who had lost his memories, so she would not give in. She would finish off the things that had to be done as soon as possible and then leave Riverdale; thereafter, she would no longer step foot back here.

    On the other end at the Burton Residence, Arthur remained in a fixed position in front of his desk for quite some time even after Justin and Rachel had left.

    "Sir, have a sip of your tea. Why are you so concerned? I can see that Miss Hudson has a kind heart and I don''t think there''s going to be a problem if she gets together with Young Master."

    "You don''t get it. If it was Rachel from six years ago, then I would definitely choose to turn a blind eye. However, so many incidents happened back then and Justin nearly lost his life because of this woman. Hence, they must not enter into a rtionship again."

    Arthur''s brows furrowed tightly as he continued, "I''m indeed quite surprised at how Rachel has turned out to be after all this while being away. After all, she was a mute and the least favored illegitimate daughter of the Hudson Family, but she managed to ascend to her current position in just five years. Furthermore, she also became the goddaughter of the Carter Family, so it''s quite obvious that she possesses a tenacity that''s unlike

    any ordinary person."

    "Doesn''t this indicate that she''s very outstanding?"

    "Justin doesn''t need an outstanding partner by his side. He just needs someone who''ll do as she''s told and not create any trouble for him. You''ve seen his state when that incident happened back then, which is why Rachel must not be allowed toe back. Justin must not recall the past."

    "So what do you n to do?"

    "Get me that item."

    The butler was slightly stunned but he did as he was told and went to unlock the safe. Taking out a brown paper bag from it, he passed it to Arthur and murmured, "It''s been five years since the incident. Are you sure that you still want to bring this up?"

    "Since Justin insists on calling off his engagement with Amber and there''s no stopping him, then we can make use of this to sever all ties with the Hudson Family. There''s really no point in keeping all of these items under lock and key."

    "I''llpile everything and send it to Miss Hudson."

    "Alright. Don''t forget that some items in here shouldn''t be retained. Make sure you sort things out properly."

    "Don''t worry, sir. I understand."

    One weekter, Justin was discharged from the hospital.

    "Rae''s not here yet, is she?"

    Just then, Frankie had just packed up Justin''s belongings and handed them to the secretary to bring to the

    car. Then, he exined, "Miss Hudson has an important meeting today and she just called to say that she won''t be able to make it. I''ll be sending you home."

    "What meeting is so important?"

    "Don''t you remember? It''s the meeting with the medication wholesalers to negotiate the pricing. Miss Hudson has shed the price by two percent lower than the original base price. This is a great preliminary preparation for the start of our nned price war. Miss Hudson''s amazing!"

    "But of course! Who was the one who hired her?" Justin crowed, feeling very smug. Over the past few days, he increasingly felt that Rachel had a lot of attractive points that captured one''s attention.

    Her work performance was undoubtedly great; furthermore, she was humble and gentle in person, and she also managed her subordinates with firmness. That being said, she was not a nasty boss. In the future, she was definitely going to be a great help for him, whether at home or at work.

    At that moment, Frankie noted Justin''s ted expression. "Mr. Burton, I''ll send you home right now."

    "No, let''s go to thepany."

    Upon hearing that, Frankie was significantly speechless.

    It was noon and the meeting had just ended. Rachel sent the wholesalers off with a handshake. "Lisa, send Mr. Riley downstairs."

    "Sure."

    "Miss Hudson, someone is waiting to see you outside."

    "Who is it?" Rachel collected her documents and asked, "Did the person make an appointment?"

    "He ims to be your father. You should hurry up and go out to take a look for yourself." As soon as Rachel heard that, her expression darkened slightly.

    Three days ago, Justin had called off his engagement with Amber. Apparently, he had merely instructed his personal assistant to call and inform them. As such, it was no wonder that Jefferey was hopping mad by Justin''sckadaisical approach.

    At that moment in the Burton Pharmaceuticals'' office, Jefferey barged into the office as he shoved the security guards aside. "Where''s Rachel? I want to see your director Rachel Hudson!"

    "Get her toe out right now!"

    "Miss Hudson is in a meeting. You can''t enter without permission!"

    "Why can''t I enter? I''m her father!"

    Suddenly, Rachel walked out of the conference room amid the chaotic scene and she snapped at him, "What''s with themotion?"

    As soon as Jefferey saw Rachel, he red ferociously at her. "I can''t believe that you''d dare toe out and see me! I''m here to teach you a lesson today! You''re such an ungrateful, unfilial winch and you deserve a beating!"

    Meanwhile, Rachel stared at him with a cold expression. "I''ve been back in the country for so long and this is only the second time we''ve met each other. Are you about toy hands on me now? You should at least give me a reason, don''t you think?"

    "I knew that you came back with bad intentions! First, you took Amber''s job and now, you''ve also gone after her fianc¨¦! You''re her elder sister; how can you behave so shamelessly!" Suddenly, there was an uproar in the office. At that moment, Rachel maintained herposure and she nced at the security guards. "Let go of him."

    "Miss Hudson?"

    "It''s fine. Let go of him. I don''t believe that President Hudson would dare toy hands on his own daughter in broad daylight as we stand here at Burton Pharmaceuticals." This time, she addressed him as ''President Hudson'' to essentially remind him of the entire Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' reputation.

    Just then, Jefferey''s expression stiffened and he clenched his fists tightly. She''s threatening me to be conscious of Hudson Pharmaceutical''s reputation.

    "There are so many people waiting for us to put on a show. President Hudson, is this the reason for you causing thismotion right now? Did you invite members of the press to join you? Or is there someone you trust who''s secretly recording some footage? Do you n to edit the footage and then post it on the inte?"

    With just a few sentences, Rachel managed to easily point out his despicable ways.

    Meanwhile, Jefferey was raging mad and his expression was thunderous. "If you still consider yourself a

    daughter of the Hudson Family, you shouldn''t conduct yourself so shamelessly!"

    "Am I the shameless one? In the past, wasn''t it because your darling daughter, Amber, had taken offense at

    Justin''s ugly looks and difficult personality, which was why I was forced to marry him in her ce? You threatened me with my grandma''s life. If I refused, then I would have to stand there and watch as she lost her life."

    As soon as she said that, everyone in the office started to whisper amongst themselves.

    "So that''s what actually happened! I feel bad for Miss Hudson!"

    "President Burton used to have a scar on his face. I''ve heard this from Sandy before she left thepany."

    "He''s inhumane! He sold off his daughter!"

    "Both of them are his daughters, so how can he be so unfair?"

    "Look, he''se here to create trouble too. He must have intended to embarrass Miss Hudson! This is too much!"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Just then, the crowd''s remarks rang out and Jefferey clearly heard everything. Truth be told, this was all beyond his expectations. He had originally expected that since Amber had five years of history working for Burton Pharmaceutical, she must have built up rtionships with some of the people here. However, he didn''t

    expect Rachel to win the favor of the crowd in just a few months'' time. No one stood up for Amber at the moment.

    And so, Jefferey instantly lost his temper. "This is not true! Rachel, I''ve brought you up for the past twenty odd years and is this how you repay me? I must teach you a lesson today! I...

    At that point, he had lost his reasoning. From the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a pair of scissors by the side and he immediately grabbed it before hurtling it toward Rachel.

 Chapter 237

    Suddenly, there was a cold glint that shed out amid the loud cries of the crowd.

    Rachel instinctively took a step backward but she did not move fast enough. Suddenly, the pair of scissors came flying right at her. She lifted her arm to block it but in the very next moment, she was forcefully pulled into a pair of arms and held in a tight, protective stance.

    Surprisingly, the pain that she had expected did not hit.

    She heard a muffled grunt from the top of her head and the familiar voice that rang out caught her by surprise. She lifted her head, only to see Justin.

    She wasn''t sure when he had appeared behind her and right now, he held her tightly in his arms with his back facing Jefferey.

    Rachel stared at him incredulously and she couldn''t quitee to her senses for some time. ''ng!'' Suddenly, there was a loud tter and the scissors fell to the ground behind them. Meanwhile, Jefferey''s voice, which was full of anger and dismay, rang out, "Justin, why did you"

    "Are you alright?" Justin asked instead, his thoughts only on the woman in his arms.

    It was at that point that Rachel finally came to her senses. "I''m fine. How about you?"

    However, Justin grabbed her hand and stopped her from examining his wound.

    "Where are the security guards?" He turned around and eximed coldly, "Hurry up and get this lunatic out of the ce!"

    "Me?! A lunatic?! I''m Rachel''s dad! Justin, even if you don''t marry Amber and choose Rachel instead, that doesn''t change the fact that I''ll be your father-inw! How dare youy your hands on me?!"

    "I''ve never seen any father like you who wouldy hands on their daughter. I''m already being lenient for Rae''s sake by not calling the cops on you!"

    Meanwhile, the security guard kept a tight hold on Jefferey, but thetter went on a crazy tirade. "How dare you touch me? Justin, you''re such a beast! My darling Amber spent five years of her life with you and ended up with nothing! That''s five long years and this is how you treat her?"

    "Rachel Hudson, I should have just let you die in that fire twenty-five years ago!"

    "I''ve raised an enemy for myself! I have indeed raised an enemy!"

    Just then, Jefferey''s loud cries dimmed until they finally disappeared.

    "Everything''s fine now." Justin held Rachel in his arms and covered her ears as if by doing that, he could protect her from hearing all those callous words.

    Sometimes, only those who were the closest to you would know the most painful spot to inflict pain.

    "President Burton, you''re bleeding!" As Frankie rushed over in a hurry, the first thing he noticed was the wound on Justin''s back.

    There was a huge, gaping wound on Justin''s back from being shed by the scissors and instantaneously. the blood stained his shirt bright red as it trickled down his back.

    Just then, Rachel noticed the bloodstains on the ground and she finally came to her senses. "Why is there so much blood?" It was at this point that she saw the gaping wound on Justin''s back and she eximed, "Call for an ambnce! Hurry!"

    At the hospital, Justin endured seven stitches to his back.

    "Come back one weekter to remove the stitches. Make sure that the wound does not get wet. Do take a seat for a short while and if everything is fine, you can leave after that."

    "Thanks."

    After Frankie had sent the doctor out, he nced at the two in the room and coughed before saying, "Uh-I''ll go and get the medication. Miss Hudson, could you please help me keep an eye on Mr. Burton for a short while?"

    With that, Frankie hurriedly darted out of the room.

    And so, Rachel and Justin were the only two left in the room. She stared at the wound on Justin''s back and saw that the horrendous scar-about the length of an index finger-that ran down his back, resembled a centipede. Upon seeing that, she furrowed her brows.

    "It''s fine. It doesn''t hurt that much." Justin grabbed her hand. "I forgot to ask, though. Were you hurt? Jefferey''s a lunatic! How could he haveid hands on you?"

    Rachel merely shook her head. "I''m fine. Amber is his precious daughter and she''s been pampered since young. You made her wait for five years in vain and now you''ve decided to call off the engagement too. You''ve caused the entire Hudson family, not just Jefferey, to be theughingstock of Riverdale, so how could he possibly take this lying down?!"

    "Well, he has no choice." Justin''s expression turned cold at that. "I mentioned earlier that I wanted to call off the engagement, but she and the entire Hudson family insisted on waiting. I think they deserve all this!"

    Meanwhile, Rachel was quite shocked to hear that. "Did you say that you requested to call off the

    engagement?"

    "Five years ago as soon as I regained consciousness after the ident, everyone told me that Amber and I were engaged, but how could I possibly marry someone I don''t even know?" "Back then, did you not have any impression of her too?"

    Justin hummed and nodded his head in response. "I had a faint impression of her but I forgot the bulk of everything. Grandpa told me that I wanted to marry her to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals. In the end, this got overlooked and was dyed for five years."

    The engagement had dragged on until Charlotte had grown older to the age where she was able to roam around and express herself. However, she had shown an intense dislike for Amber so obviously, this marriage would not be able to proceed.

    Despite Justin''s drastic change in personality after losing his memories, there was one side of him that remained the same, He would never pay heed to anyone he didn''t care of, no matter how much the other party sacrificed themselves for him.

    At this instance, Rachel suddenly sympathized with Amber. Thetter had wasted five precious years of her youth on this man and the ridiculous thing was, this man didn''t even remember her. Moreover, he had no ns to marry her at all.

    They arrived home after being discharged from the hospital, only to discover that Charlotte and Samuel had just arrived home too after being picked up from school by the servants.

    Both kids were seated on the carpet in the living room and each of them had a video game console in their hands.

    As soon as they saw Justin and Rachel walk in, both of them immediately flung the consoles in their hands aside and rushed forward one after the other. "Mommy! Daddy!"

    Before either of them could run into Justin and Rachel''s arms, they were stopped in their tracks right in time by Frankie.

    "Charlotte, President Burton''s hurt, so you can''t touch his wound."

    Meanwhile, Charlotte had run into Frankie and she clung onto his leg. Tilting her head, she turned to nce backward and her expression was full of confusion. "Daddy, you''ve been in the hospital for so long. Are you still hurt?"

    Samuel trailed after her and calmly exined, "As one grows old, it does take longer for them to recover."

    In response to Samuel''s words, Justin couldn''t help grimacing. "Who are you calling old?!"

    Meanwhile, Samuel sucked on his lollipop and he said in a muffled voice, "Look at you. You''ve been in the hospital for so long but you still can''t walk by yourself without my mommy''s help. Don''t tell me you''ll need her to take care of you for the rest of your life?!"

    Just then, Justin''s expression changed and he retorted, "This is just for the time being!"

    He couldn''t tell the two kids that he had been wounded again today, otherwise, Charlotte would surely bawl her eyes out. There were already too many things to deal with.

    In the end, Rachel couldn''t take it. "Alright, you two can go and y by yourselves, but don''t have too many snacks because I''ll be cooking dinner soon."

    As soon as Charlotte heard that, she brightened up and jumped up and down gleefully. "Yay! Tonight, we''ll get to taste Mommy''s cooking!"

    Subsequently, Rachel helped Justin to the bedroom and led him to take a seat on the bed. Then, she stood by the side and studied the medication prescribed by the doctor. "This should be taken on an empty stomach. Take two capsules each time. As for this one, it is to be had after meals,"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    At that moment, the dim, warm light hit her face and there was aid back and gentle expression on her face. It was as if the time had been put to a halt at this exact moment.

    Suddenly, Justin grabbed her.

    Rachel reacted by eximing loudly and by the time she hade to her senses, she was already dragged onto hisp. In this current overly intimate position, they could even clearly hear others'' hearts thudding against their chests. She got a fright and instinctively struggled to get out of hisp.

    However, Justin suddenly took a deep breath and mentioned, "It''s painful."

    She suddenly realized that there were stitches on his back so she stopped moving. "Did I hurt you? Let me have a look."

    Suddenly, Justin turned over and he made use of his abdominal force to press against her.

    "Umph!"

    The soft, delicate silk bed sheets brushed against Rachel''s ears and there was a slightly ruffled sound. Then, there was a shadow that enveloped her and the sound that she was about to make became caught in her throat as her lips were suddenly smothered. Suddenly, her widely-opened eyes lost their focus because of the face that loomed in front of her.

 Chapter 238

    The kiss came about quite unexpectedly and Rachel couldn''t react fast enough before she was pushed onto the genuine silk bed sheets. The only sound she could hear at the moment was the noise of the rustling of clothes by her ears.

    Just as his huge palm traveled down her waist and moved downward, she suddenly came to her senses.

    Suddenly, Justin was pushed aside by Rachel and his back knocked against the bed frame. Instantly, he grunted in pain and stared at her.

    "I''m sorry. Did I jolt your injury?"

    Even though she expressed concern with her words, that two steps backward that she took was in fact her most truthful reaction. It was hard to ignore her body''s instinctive rejection and wariness. Just then, Justin''s expression darkened slightly. "I was too presumptuous."

    At that moment, the atmosphere surrounding them became quite tense and it seemed as if the air had turned quite still. Both of them were at a loss for what to do.

    "I''ll go downstairs to prepare dinner. You should get some rest." With that, Rachel fled the room.

    Meanwhile, Justin frowned upon hearing the door shut behind her. He was slightly frustrated but mostly downcast.

    Suddenly, his cell phone by the side vibrated and he nced at the screen. As soon as he saw the name on the caller ID, he revealed an impatient look and tapped on the reject call sign. However, the person on the other end was relentless and made three consecutive phone calls to him. Just as he was about to block that number, a text message notification popped up with a loud''ping''.

    Justin, you''ve been tricked. Rachel''s back here not because of work or for her child. It''s because of you. She''s here to seek revenge for Hans.

    Justin''s eyes narrowed upon seeing the name ''Hans'' and somehow, the name sounded quite familiar to him. He seemed to have heard of this name from somewhere.

    A few secondster, he ced a phone call to Amber''s number.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Justin! You''re finally taking my call."

    "Who''s Hans?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel popped into the washroom as soon as she reached the ground floor. Rinsing her mouth

    several times, she tried hard to dispel the provocative feelings surrounding her. She faced the mirror and rubbed her lips as if by doing so, she would be able to rub off the kiss from earlier on.

    In the end, she stayed in the washroom for quite some time beforeing out to prepare dinner. The Burton Family had a cook tasked to prepare meals so she didn''t have to do much. "Miss Hudson, I''ve made three dishes. Is there anything else you would like to have?"

    Before Rachel could reply, Samuel ran over from the living room and said, "Mommy, I want spaghetti for dinner!"

    Meanwhile, Charlotte had never tried that before so she chimed in, "I want that too!"

    Just then, Rachel smiled and asked the cook, "Is there any minced meat?"

    "Yes, there is."

    "Anything goes."

    "I''ll make you some spaghetti then. Both Samuel and Charlotte enjoyed it very much." After she said that, she went downstairs and prepared it before serving it to him. "Enjoy it while it''s warm."

    The fragrant smell of spaghetti filled the bedroom but Justin didn''t even make a move to eat. "Just leave it there."

    "The spaghetti can''t be left for too long. The texture won''t be as nice."

    She didn''t get a response from him, so she followed his gaze and noticed the documents in his hand. It was a takeover proposal and from a nce, it seemed to be quite important. However, he should still be able to spare some time to take his meals despite his busy schedule.

    Truth be told, Rachel had sensed that Justin seemed to be in a bad mood when she hade upstairs earlier.

    "Okay, then. I''ll leave you to your work." Rachel took a little pillow and shoved it between his back and the couch. She carefully avoided the area with stitches on his back. "You can lean on this. It''ll be much morefortable this way."

    Just then, Justin was slightly taken aback.

    "I''ll go out now."

    As soon as she said that, she turned around and made her way toward the door. However, Justin stopped her as he muttered, "Hold on."

    "What else do you need?"

    "Tell me, Rachel, what is our current rtionship?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel frowned. "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

    "I want an answer."

    "What do you think?"

    "Lovers." His definite tone shocked her. After all, if it was Justin from five years ago, he would not have said this at all.

    "You clearly know why I called off the engagement with Amber. If this is insufficient to show that we''re lovers, then it''s either you''re acting dumb or you''re just toying with my feelings."

    At that instance, Rachel clenched her hand, which was by the side of her thigh, into a tight fist. However, she calmed down rtively quickly and countered, "If I''m toying with your feelings, why would I promise you that I''d move in here?"

    "Your body response clearly shows your rejection." With just a single sentence, he brought up the awkward situation from earlier.

    "Is that why you refuse to have dinner? Are you throwing a tantrum?" Rachel frowned and nced at him. Her clear eyes suddenly clouded over slightly. "Are you behaving so rudely all of a sudden because I rejected you earlier and I didn''t want things to progress further?"

    "Justin, you need to be aware that I haven''t met you in five years. I can''t pretend that the past five years never existed and jump straight into a rtionship with you after our broken past!"

    "Is this the actual reason?" Justin then looked at her coldly as he questioned, "Who''s Hans?"

    "Alright then, you can go and do your own thing. I''ll prepare thisst dish and then we can have dinner soon."

    Just then, Charlotte rolled up her sleeves with a flourish. "Mommy, I can help you too!"

    "Alright! You''re such a good girl."

    Shortly after that, both kids put down the video game console in their hands and ran into the kitchen.

    Rachel took two little stools for the two of them and ced some water into the basin for them to wash the fruits and vegetables.

    In fact, it wasn''t possible to expect the two of them to be of actual help. Soon after that, Charlotte started to chase after Samuel with the strawberries that she had just washed in her hands, and the whole house became quite lively.

    After dinner was ready, Rachel requested for Martha to go upstairs and get Justin.

    "Miss Hudson, Mr. Burton is asleep and he mentioned that he''s not hungry yet."

    Surprised, Rachel replied, "Okay, let''s have dinner first."

    "Okay, sure."

    "Charlotte, eat your vegetables."

    Meanwhile, Samuel was enjoying his spaghetti and he mumbled while eating, "Mommy makes the best spaghetti ever!"

    "Have some more if you like it but make sure to eat your vegetables too."

    Rachel could clearly see through Samuel''s little trick and she ced the carrots he had picked out back onto his te. "The two of you must take your vegetables; otherwise, you won''t get enough nutrition." "This is what Mr. Wade said too. That''s why he keeps an eye on me every time I''m eating." Just then, Samuel silently heaved a sigh and he sounded like a young adult as hemented, "Why do I have to be under close supervision whether I''m at home or at school?"

    "The vegetables taste okay. Have a strawberry after eating the vegetables." Meanwhile, Charlotte led by example and took a big mouthful of carrots. Then, she handed over a red, juicy strawberry to Samuel to coax him into eating more of his vegetables.

    It was quite clear that Charlotte had changed a lot over this period of time and she was no longer as spoiled and bossy as before. Now, she was even able to be considerate of others.

    After dinner, Rachel apanied the two kids and yed games with them. However, even after she had put them to bed, Justin didn''te out of his room at all and the whole house suddenly felt quiet.

    In the end, Rachel gently knocked twice on the door to the master bedroom,

    "Come in," A male voice rang out from the inside.

    "Oh-are you still awake? I heard the servant mention that you were asleep."

    "I couldn''t sleep."

    Justin sat on the couch. He couldn''t quite lean on the backrest because of the wound on his back, so he sat in a ramrod position with both feet ovepping each other. There was a stack of documents ced on his knees and he looked quite strained in this current posture.

    Just then, Rachel hesitated before asking, "How about I make you some supper? What would you like to have?"

 Chapter 239

    As soon as the name ''Hans'' came out of Justin''s mouth, Rachel was significantly caught by surprise. She then tightened her grip of her tightly clenched fist until her fingernails pressed into her palms painfully. The pain instantly brought her back to her senses.

    "Who did you talk to?"

    "Answer me!" Justin raised his voice all of a sudden and grabbed Rachel''s arm threateningly. "I''m asking you, who''s Hans? Why did youe back to Riverdale?"

    "Why are you asking me about Hans? Why don''t you ask yourself then?"

    Just then, Rachel had a stoic expression on her face. "He was the only person other than grandma who treated me kindly. He moved back from abroad because of me and he helped me multiple times. However, he ended up disabled because of you. He was crippled."

    Rachel flung Justin''s arm aside as her words became much more emotional and her raised voice reverberated in the house. "Do you need me to continue reminding you of the past?!"

    There was a ripping pain that came from the wound on Justin''s back and the vein on his temples pulsed furiously. "That''s why you hate me so much!"

    It''s not even because I mistreated her after our marriage! It''s all because of this guy, Hans! She hates me so intensely because I crippled him!

    "Is there any point in me harboring hatred against you?! Hans is dead! He can''te back from the grave! don''t see any point in discussing this with you any further because you have no recollection of all this Since you don''t trust me and have your suspicions and choose to confront me because of someone dead for nearly six years, what''s the point of entering into a rtionship with me then?" With that, Rachel turned on her heels to leave. However, Justin suddenly grabbed her and roared, "Stop right there!"

    "Let go of me!"

    "I didn''t say that you could leave!"

    "What do you want from me? Let go of me!"

    During their struggle, Justin suddenly hugged Rachel from behind. "I was only asking you who he is! I can''t remember anything so I wanted to confirm his identity with you. I don''t care about what others say, I just wanted to hear it from you."

    "Well, you''ve got your answer now. Is it the same as what others told you? Are you satisfied now?"

    Though she was held in his embrace, her expression remained indifferent. "If you don''t trust my words, why don''t you give Frankie a call? I''m quite sure that he''s well aware of everything that happened in the past and he would never lie to you."

    "There''s no need for that." Justin said, his tone soft.

    Rachel had not hidden anything from him and every single thing that she had said was basically the same as what Amber had mentioned through the phone. The only difference in their words could not be clearly

    confirmed even if he questioned Rachel.

    "Let go of me," Rachel muttered coldly before she shoved him aside mercilessly.

    "Amber was the one who told you all this, I presume?"

    Meanwhile, Justin''s expression stiffened. "Yeah."

    "So this is what you mean when you told me that the engagement is off between the two of you and you won''t have any sort of contact with her anymore?"

    "No, things are different from what you assume!"

    "Tell me, then, how is it actually different? I don''t think she merely mentioned who Hans was. She must have also mentioned that Hans was my first love and I was infatuated with him since high school, huh? That if it weren''t for Mrs. Egerton''s objection, we would have gotten together ages ago, right?"

    Meanwhile, Justin had a shocked expression on his face. "Why do you..."

    "Why do I know all the details?!" Rachel revealed a cold smirk. "That''s because she told you the same thing when we were married to each other and you confronted me about it back then, just like how you did so earlier."

    Just then, Rachel''s annoyance and disappointment troubled Justin.

    "Rae, I really don''t recall a single thing."

    Besides this sentence, he had no idea how to justify his earlier actions. Perhaps this sentence couldn''t quite justify anything either, so he added, "I''m sorry."

    "I''m tired. You should get some rest after you''re done with your meal." With that, Rachel turned around and left the room.

    Meanwhile, Justin called out to her but he didn''t manage to stop her from leaving. In the end, he was significantly frustrated.

    The moment the door to Rachel''s bedroom mmed shut, she leaned against the door and the sullen expression on her face dissipated instantly. All that was left on her face was indifference.

    The night had fallen and Amber was on guard by her phone untilte at night. Finally, she couldn''t take it anymore and she dialed Justin''s number once again.

    "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavable..."

    Unavable? Amber was momentarily shocked so she tried her luck again and sent him a text message. This time, however, there was a notification that her message was rejected. Suddenly, something dawned upon her and her expression darkened instantly.

    "Bam!" She swept everything on her desk, including herputer and cell phone, to the ground and there was a loudmotion as everything fell and smashed into pieces. Her ugly expression that was full of anger was clearly reflected on the full-length mirror in her room.

    How can it be that even after mentioning Hans, their rtionship isn''t affected at all?! She''s indeed quite good at this game and not someone to be taken lightly! I underestimated her from the start! I''m sure she must have a weak point, though!

    At that moment, Amber thought of something and she made a phone call right away. "Hey, it''s me. Help me find out which school Rachel''s son goes to."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    The next morning, Martha dropped off Samuel and Charlotte at the school entrance. "Go on in, you two!"

    "Bye, Martha!"

    Samuel and Charlotte carried a small backpack on their backs. Then, after Martha had left, Charlotte turned to wink at Samuel. ˇ°Samuel, I want to have the pancakes from yesterday."

    Both of them usually agreed with each other when it came to food. "Let''s go."

    Unbeknown to Martha, every morning, after she had dropped the two of them at the school entrance, the two

    children would swiftly make their way across the road to buy pancakes from the breakfast stall.

    "Samuel, why can''t we tell Mommy and Daddy that we ate this?"

    "Mommy said that the food made by stalls like this are not prepared properly so it''s easy to get sick from eating them. That''s why she doesn''t let me have food like this." "Daddy doesn''t allow me to eat outside food too."

    "That''s why we can''t let them know. If we tell them about this, next time they may confiscate our pocket money. By then, both of us won''t get to enjoy such yummy food anymore."

    "You''re right." Charlotte nodded her head earnestly. "Samuel, I want some chocte brownies too."

    "We''re about to bete for ss." Samuel nced at his watch. "How about you go back to ss first and I''ll go buy you some brownies? Don''t forget to let Mr. Wade know that I''m in the toilet." "Okie dokey!" Charlotte signaled okay with her fingers, and both of them went their separate ways.

    As the chocte brownies'' stall was on another street, Samuel carried his little backpack and took a shortcut across a small alley. He seemed to be quite familiar with the ce and it looked like he was used to doing this.

    Suddenly, there was a tall, strapping figure that appeared at the entrance of the alley and the person blocked his path before he had even taken more than a few steps ahead.

    "It''s this kid here. I''m sure of it."

    "Gosh, I can''t believe my luck! Again?!" Samuel frowned. "What do you guys want to do again? Are you going to kidnap me?"

    "Again?!" The two strapping males exchanged looks with each other, seemingly confused.

    Meanwhile, Samuel calmly responded, "I told youst time that you''ll end up in a horrible state if you kidnap me. After all, my daddy''s Justin Burton. Do you guys know him?"

    "You little despicable brat! I can''t believe you''d go about iming that he''s your dad! Rachel''s taught you quite well, hasn''t she?" A high-pitched woman''s voice rang out from behind the two guys and the clicking sound of her high heels tapping against the ground of the alley was clearly audible.

    Just then, both men moved to the side respectfully. Meanwhile, Amber had her arms crossed in front of her as she scrutinized the kid in front of her with a disdainful look. "Who told you that Justin''s your dad?" "I don''t need anyone to tell me that. He is my daddy!" Samuel looked thoughtfully at the woman standing not too far from him. After quite some time, he suddenly recalled who she was. "I know who you are!"

 Chapter 240

    "On-do you know me?" Amber frowned. "I don''t think we''ve met each other before, though?"

    "We haven''t, but Charlotte''s shown me your picture and she said that you''re an annoying old witch."

    "What did you just say?!" Amber''s expression turned all of a sudden. "You little b*stard! Capture him for me!"

    Upon hearing that, Samuel turned around and ran off. As he scrambled to get away, he kept a protective grip on the pancakes in his arms but unfortunately, he was in a rush and the pancakes, which had been cut into smaller pieces, fell to the ground.

    At the back, the tall blokes stepped on the pancakes as they chased after him.

    "Bam!" Suddenly, one of them slipped on the pancakes and fell to the ground. At the same time, the guy behind him tripped over him and both of them fell on all fours. Thereafter, they struggled hard to get up from the ground.

    "You two imbeciles! Hurry up and get him for me!"

    Meanwhile, Samuel had already made his way to the entrance of the alley and he was quite pleased with himself. However, he suddenly saw a strapping figure right in front of him and he hastily halted in his tracks as he nearly crashed into the guy.

    The clicking sound of high heels against the ground rang out once again. "You''re just a silly kid. Do you actually think that you can get away?"

    Just then, Samuel''s expression stiffened. "You guys better noty hands on me! Otherwise, my daddy and mommy won''t let you get away with this."

    "Stop with your bullsh*t! You''re just a b*stard! Just because you''ve fooled the others doesn''t mean that I''m oblivious. You''re not a Burton kid and Justin doesn''t even give a hoot about you. I can''ty hands on that darn girl but that doesn''t mean I can''t do anything to you!"

    Amber then continued, "Once I capture you and chase Rachel away, I''ll have plenty of time to make my way back to the Burton Family."

    And so, Samuel was forced to retreat by the huge bloke in front of him while the two blokes from behind had also caught up with him. Despite Samuel being quite agile due to his size, he couldn''t quite handle all three of them as he was just a child, after all.

    At that moment, just as the strapping bloke in front of Samuel reached out his huge palm to grab Samuel, the bloke suddenly screamed in pain. The man then clutched his head and fell to the ground. It was quite lucky that Samuel managed to dodge the man as he almost got crushed underneath the guy.

    Samuel was stunned for a moment before his eyes brightened when he saw the person who''d just turned up. "Mr. Wade!"

    Victor was currently holding onto a golf club and he reached out to pull Samuel to stand behind him. Then, he stared coldly at Amber and her two thugs who were standing across from him. "Victor?!" Amber''s expression changed.

    "I can''t believe you still recognize me. We haven''t seen each other for quite some time now, my dear ex girlfriend."

    "Excuse me?! Who''s your ex-girlfriend?" Amber replied indignantly. "Why are you appearing everywhere?! Are you stalking me?! Hand me that little bistard!"

    "I dare you to mention ''little b*stard'' again!" Suddenly, Rachel''s voice rang out from behind Amber.

    Upon hearing that, Amber shuddered in response. She turned around and saw that Rachel had three to five hulking blokes behind her. Somehow, they had arrived unnoticed and blocked the entrance to the alley. Hence,

    Amber and her thugs were stuck in between them and Victor, with no path to escape.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    This was unexpected to Amber, and it seemed that the hunter had now be the hunted.

    "You... You guys..."

    "I expected that you wouldn''t just take this lying down so recently, I''ve been here waiting until Samuel and Charlotte enter their school before leaving. I can''t believe you''re socking in self-restraint; you just failed in your efforts to drive me and Justin apart from that phone call you cedst night and today, you''ve gone straight after Samuel."

    Rachel moved forward menacingly as Amber''s face paled bit by bit. Just then, thetter reprimanded herckeys, "What are you waiting for?! Get them!"

    However, it was quite obvious that they were no match for their opponents. Rachel had brought along four to five guys, so the two thugs were obviously on the losing end.

    Just then, Rachel spoke. "If you leave right away. I can ept that nothing happened and that I never met you two as well."

    Both guys instantly nodded earnestly. "Thank you! Thank you so much. We''ll leave right away!"

    "You two, stay right there!"

    However, Amber''s fingers iled in the air without managing to grab hold of anyone. Meanwhile, the two guys fled the scene and left her behind.

    "What are you going to do to me anyway, Rachel?!" Amber red furiously at her. "I was the one who called

    Justin! So what? Don''t tell me that you didn''te back because of Hans?! You have ill intentions anyway!"

    "Yes, I came back because of Hans." Rachel admitted to it readily and she countered, "So what? How does that change anything? You''ve already told Justin but did it make any difference?" "That''s because he''s been deceived! Who knows what sort of shameless methods you''ve used?!"

    Amber responded with gritted teeth and she nced at Samuel by the side from the corner of her eye. "Justin must also have acknowledged this little b*stard here because of your shameless methods, right?" Meanwhile, Rachel''s expression darkened. "Victor, take Samuel away."

    Upon hearing that, Victor immediately took Samuel into his arms and walked off. The whole time, he covered the child''s ears to prevent him from hearing the subsequent words.

    As soon as Victor disappeared from the alley, Rachel removed her watch and ced it into her pocket. Then, she turned to the blokes behind her and mentioned in a low voice, "Keep a hold on her." Upon hearing that, Amber became quite frantic. "What are you trying to do?!"

    Two men held her in a tight grip on her sides and held her tightly against the concrete wall. Before she could even yell out, there was a sharp, ripping pain that originated from her scalp. Turned out that Rachel had grabbed Amber by the hair and the former lifted her arm to p the other woman on the face.

    "Ah!" Amber''s high-pitched scream reverberated throughout the alley and she stared incredulously at Rachel before yelling out, "Have you lost your mind?! How dare you hit me? I swear I''ll kill you if you don''t let me go right now!"

    "Kill me?! I''ve been dead ages ago, Amber." Rachel''s cold sneer was quite terrifying. "I died five years ago after guys worked together to force me to the brink. I held onto myst breath and made my way out to seek revenge for those who''ve died in vain. Do you know that I haven''t had a good night''s sleep all this while?"

    Rachel held tightly onto Amber''s hair. Then, Rachel moved her face closer to the other woman and forced her to look at her. "Do you ever have nightmares of the people you''ve forced to their death? You''re also responsible for Hans'' death. If you hadn''t repeatedly sowed discord, Justin would not haveid his hands on Hans!"

    "Hans''s legs were crippled by Justin, so what does that have to do with me?! Let go of me!"

    "Be patient. I''lle after each of you, one after the other."

    Just then, Rachel clicked on a video from her cell phone in front of Amber. "Do you remember this?"

    "I believe I''ve shown this to you before. How can you forget about this so soon?"

    Rachel dragged Amber by her hair, as if she was holding on to a bag of trash. She then practically shoved the screen of the cell phone right into thetter''s eyes. "Take a good look at it. This is of you and Noah lost in a passionate moment. The media would surely enjoy this very much, I believe?"

    "Ah!" Amber''s voice broke and she couldn''t even utter anything as soon as she saw the intimate scene in the video. Instantly, she turned ashen.

    "Without my reminder, you seem to have forgotten that I''ve got plenty of hold against you. You''ve gone into a frenzy because you''ve failed in your attempt to marry Justin, right? Well, I have my ways to bring you into disrepute. Let''s see who else in Riverdale would want to marry you after this!"

    Amber''s eyes were red-rimmed at that point. Probably due to the pain, or because of the insults she was subjected to, or even out of fear, tears started to stream down her face. "No! It''s all my fault! I''m sorry! I won''t do this again!"

    "I don''t wish forst night''s incident to happen again."

    With that, Rachel flung Amber''s hair aside disgustedly and eximed coldly, "One more thing-if I find out that you''re nning to go after Charlotte or Samuel again, I won''t spare your life. I''m not afraid to go to jail, so feel free to try me."

 Chapter 241

    Rachel let go, causing the back of Amber''s head to m against the wall. Amber wanted to let out an ear piercing shriek but her voice was caught within her throat, and she stared wide-eyed at Rachel, feeling so terrified that she couldn''t make any sound.

    "Let go of her."

    The two men then let go of Amber, and she slid bonelessly down along the wall to the ground as she looked up in terror at Rachel.

    Thetter then squatted in front of Amber and raised a hand slightly, but Amber screamed and put her hands over her head.

    "So scared?" Rachel scoffed coldly, holding a hand over the other woman''s head for a moment before dropping it to her shoulder and brushing away a fallen leaf. Slowly, she stood up again. "It''s good that you''re scared. I trust you''ll mind your own business from now on."

    Only after an insurmountable amount of time and when the alley had fallen silent did Amber lift her shaking head. After staring nkly into space for a while, she stood up and raced out of the alley, stumbling multiple times along the short distance.

    Meanwhile in the office at the school, Victor was pouring Rachel a cup of tea. "Samuel''s gone off to gym ss with his friends. Don''t worry, I''ll stay here in school. Nothing will happen to him."

    In reply, she inclined her head. "I feel better with you here. Plus, I don''t think Amber will be able to cause trouble for much longer."

    "I don''t think she''s the type to let things go easily."

    "Well, if Hudson Pharmaceuticals falls, what more can she do?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "While abroad, Jolly and I drafted an acquisition n for Hudson Pharmaceuticals that has been approved by Carter Enterprise''s internal board of directors. When I''m done with my business on hand, the n will be put in motion."

    "Doesn''t Hudson Pharmaceuticals still have the support of the Burton Group?"

    "If Justin still supports them, I wouldn''t be able to do anything to Amber."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    In an instant, Victor understood. "Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' market reputation has been pretty shoddy these few years. Even Jefferey has handed the care of thepany over to a general manager. The FDA has found multiple issues, and rumors on the Inte are that Amber doesn''t care much about thepany and is focused solely on Burton Pharmaceuticals."

    "It''s not unusual for father and daughter toe to blows considering how capitalistic they both are."

    In truth, Rachel believed Jefferey truly did love Amber as his daughter, but he valued the future of Hudson Pharmaceuticals more. Since Amber wasn''t a fool, how could she possibly allow herself to be manipted by him?

    And the moment there was a rift between them, nothing else would matter.

    Once trouble descended, they would each go their own way.

    Twirling the teacup in her hand, Rachel asked, "I think grandma would approve of my doings if she were still alive. Don''t you think so, Victor?"

    The person that Nancy was closest to in life, apart from Rachel, was Victor. Rarely did Rachel bring Nancy up to other people but in front of Victor, she couldn''t help wanting to reminisce.

    Solemnly, he answered, "I wouldn''t know about anyone else, but I think she would support everything you did as long as you were happy."

    "Well, I can''t live my life solely based on my happiness. There are still plenty of issues I have to resolve. Besides, I''m only taking back what I deserve."

    At the Burton Group, just as Justin was leaving the morning meeting, Frankie rushed up to him to report, "Amber called you multiple times, President Burton, but I refrained from disturbing you as you were in a meeting."

    "What does she want now?"

    "She didn''t specify, but Miss Hudson also called and brought up Miss Charlotte''s bodyguards, so I sent someone to investigate."

    "And what did you find?"

    Frankie ryed the incident where Amber trapped Samuel in an alley this morning to him.

    Justin''s expression darkened in the blink of an eye. "How dare she do such a thing? And what about Charlotte''s bodyguards?"

    Looking conflicted, Frankie answered, "Well, your instructions were to guard only Miss Charlotte, so they didn''t dare to leave her side."

    "Are they stupid? Did they just watch on as Samuel was mobbed by a group of adults?"

    "Don''t worry, President Burton. It seems Miss Burton expected such a thing to happen and arrived in time not only to send Samuel to school, but to teach Amber a lesson as well. She scared Amber quite a bit." "Amber deserved it," Justin muttered coldly. "I don''t want something like this to happen again. Have two more bodyguards assigned to the kids," he ordered.

    "Of course."

    "Also, revoke the section concerning Hudson Pharmaceuticals inst quarter''s investment ns and put the acquisition n on hold."

    The best option for Hudson Pharmaceuticals, given its current precarious state, was to be acquired by the Burton Group.

    Although Arthur had brought up the topic several times, Justin remained lukewarm to the idea. From his perspective, Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' internal management was in chaos, and a thorough investigation had to be conducted so that a few unsavory gray market practices could be done away with prior to acquisition.

    Hence, Amber''s actions today not only angered him but essentially put an end to the future of Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    However, Frankie brought up ufortably, "About Old Mr. Burton..."

    "Don''t worry about him. Just do what I tell you to. I''ll handle him."

    Thoughtfully, Frankie continued, "Even if we don''t take into ount what Amber did, I wasn''t optimistic about the acquisition of Hudson Pharmaceuticals." "Naturally."

    "Oh-by the way, President Burton, here''s the mall event n for Valentine''s Day. Please take a look." As Frankie said that, he ced a document onto the desk.

    When Justin nced at the poster titled ''Blooming Valentine,'' he froze slightly. "It''ll be Valentine''s Day in two

    days?"

    "Yes, it''s this Friday." Being an observant person, Frankie was careful as he added, "The restaurants are bound to be packed to the brim on that day. If you n on having dinner then, it''s best to make reservations for a table, a cake, and flowers beforehand."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, I''ll help you make reservations for cake and a table. What kind of flowers would you like?"

    Finally, Justin came back to his senses and red at Frankie. "Did I mention needing reservations?" Flinching, Frankie answered, "Do you not need them?"

    "You''re taking more and more initiative nowadays. Why don''t I let you sit behind the CEO''s desk instead?"

    "No, no, no. It''s your seat!" Frankie shook his head sheepishly and mumbled, "I was out of turn."

    Upon flipping through the document and finding it to be eptable, Justin put his signature on thest page. "Tell the marketing department to go ording to the n, but switch out half of the red roses for the on-site bouquet arrangements with tulips. Too many red roses would just make the scene tacky."

    "Of course. I''ll let the marketing department know right away." Taking back the document, Frankie prepared to leave.

    "Hold on," Justin called out before pausing once again.

    Puzzled, Frankie stopped in his tracks. "Is there something else you needed, President Burton?"

    "Make them white tulips. Got it?"

    "Of course. Don''t worry, the marketing department can handle such a minor change perfectly." Glumly, Justin watched Frankie leave.

 Chapter 242

    Not long after Frankie stepped out, the originally closed office door suddenly opened a crack as he stuck his head back in and smiled meaningfully. "A bouquet of white tulips for your reservation would be a little drab, President Burton. Shall I have the florist add in a few sshes of color?"

    Upon hearing that, Justin was stunned as he red at him. "Don''t you want to keep your job?"

    It was noon and after putting her signature on a document, Rachel handed it to Lisa. "You can go and have lunch now."

    "What would you like, Miss Burton? I can bring you back something from the cafeteria."

    As Rachel opened her mouth to speak, her phone vibrated. Taking note of the caller ID, she told Lisa, "It''s fine; I''ll be going down for lunch as well in a bit."

    "Of course."

    The moment Lisa left, Rachel answered the call. "Hello?"

    "Are you free, Miss Hudson? I am close to your workce."

    "Is Old Mr. Burton done considering? Or does he wish to renegotiate terms with me?"

    "He wanted me to give you something."

    In response, Rachel narrowed her eyes.

    Close to Burton Group was a caf¨¦. As it was separated from the building by only a single street, the Burton Group logo was clearly visible from the cafe''s window seats.

    By the time Rachel arrived, Leon, the Burton Family butler, had been waiting on a booth seat for a while. "Have a seat, Miss Hudson."

    Upon seeing the contract-like document on the table, Rachel knew this conversation would not end quickly, so she pulled out a chair and sat down. "What did you want to give me?" she asked. "This." He ced a translucent stic bag containing a USB stick on the table. "It contains the video and written evidence you wanted of Hans'' murder."

    "What is this, then?" She nced down at the ck document folder.

    "This is a document that Old Mr. Burton hopes you will sign." As Leon spoke, he slowly pushed the document folder over to her. "As long as you put your signature on it, the USB stick will be yours to do whatever you wish with. We won''t interfere whether that''s filing a police report or ckmailing the real murderer."

    "I take it from your words that Old Mr. Burton knows who the real murderer is." Leon''s expression remained impassive and unchanging despite her blunt question. Knowing that she wouldn''t be able to get anything from him, Rachel caved in and flipped open the document. As she looked through it, she asked, "What is this?"

    "Old Mr. Burton would like you to tender your resignation and leave the Burton Group of your own volition."

    "I can do that," she answered without hesitation. "But I still have some work to hand over. Does Old Mr. Burton''s resignation deadline include the time I need to pass on my work to somebody else?" "You''re a smart woman, Miss Burton. Of course you know it''s not as simple as making you resign. Otherwise, we wouldn''t be able to pay you the damages for breach of contract."

    After all, she was handling many of Burton Pharmaceuticals'' client resources right now, and she was pretty much in charge of the current batch of suppliers. If she didn''t hand those resources over before she left,

    Burton Pharmaceuticals would be left in chaos.

    "I understand. Now, I can sign the document, but I must ascertain whether the video evidence you''re giving me is actually real."

    "I knew you would have such a worry." He opened theptop next to him and pushed it up to her. "You can see for yourself."

    As she inserted the USB stick into theputer and was about to open the video file, she couldn''t stop her hands from trembling.

    "There''s no need." She lifted a pen and put her signature on thest page of the document.

    Ultimately, she knew Arthur wouldn''t try to trick her with fake evidence, for once she was angered, she would disregard the documentpletely and stick by Justin''s side.

    "Old Mr. Burton also says that he hopes this transaction wille to a happy conclusion."

    "Of course." She picked up the USB stick and stood up. "We each have what we need. I have what I want and he can finally rest easy." With that, she walked away.

    After she left, Leon made a phone call. "I''ve done what you asked me to and had her put her signature on the document, Old Mr. Burton."

    "Good."

    In the summer vi at the other end of the line, Arthur had only just finished writing something in a cursive calligraphy script. Upon answering Leon''s call as he put down his pen, he continued, "Since you''re done,e back here. Don''t stay out too long or something bad might happen."

    "Of course, but there''s something I don''t understand."

    "What is it?"

    "Rachel was not at all hesitant about signing her name and she seemed to find no difficulty in leaving Young Master Justin."

    "She wouldn''t use him as a bargaining chip if she found it difficult," Arthur answered calmly, seemingly having expected such an oue. "She''s no longer the mute woman from five years ago who simply took whatever came her way. If someone wants something badly enough, ability and temperamente second. Most importantly, they must have one trait."

    "What''s that?"

    "Ruthlessness." Arthur looked down at the sheet of paper on his desk. Right in the middle of it was the word he had just written-''ruthlessness''. It was full of curves and flourishes, even looking a bit savage, as if it might leap up from the page at any second. "You have to be ruthless to yourself in order to be ruthless to others. And if she was still that woman from all those years ago, I wouldn''t need to fear her so much." There was no way he could permit someone so ruthless to stay by Justin''s side.

    Meanwhile, after receiving the evidence, Rachel went looking for Janice.

    "Have you watched it?"

    Rachel shook her head. "No, but it should be real."

    Noting her reluctance, Janiceforted, "It''s okay. There''s no need to force yourself."

    Perhaps it would be too cruel to make Rachel watch the image of Hans from all those years ago. This issue had tormented her for five years and that was long enough; there was no need to add anotheryer of hurt to

    her sorrow.

    "I''ll import it into theputer for a look. Give me a moment."

    "That''s no problem. I''m not in a rush to get back home." Looking out of the window, Rachel continued, "Can I go out into the courtyard for some fresh air?"

    "Of course. You can wait for me outside."

    Pushing open the screen door, Rachel stepped outside. The courtyard still looked like it did all those years ago. ording to Janice, the building remained standing solely because the old tree in the courtyard was now recognized and protected as an ancient tree, bringing the entire ce into the spotlight along with it.

    As Rachel walked up to the tree, she couldn''t help remembering the scene from all those years ago when Hans, Janice, and herself had sat there drinking tea. At the time, Hans and Janice were doing their best to help her investigate the truth behind her mother''s murder, looking through Hudson Family''s business records and advising her to flee the Burton Family...Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    In the blink of an eye, five or six years had passed.

    "Rae!" Janice called out from inside the room. "Come here and take a look."

    "What''s the matter?"

    "The video''s been edited."

    Startled, Rachel stared at the image on the screen for a long time before asking, "Is it missing anything?"

    "Part of it has been deleted. Look here... and here..."Janice clicked on the images using her mouse. "These two images are obviously not linked. There''s a part in the middle where a man appeared that has been erased."

    "Did Arthur tamper with the video? Why would he want to do that?"

 Chapter 243

    "I can''t think of a reason other than rted interests," Janice said as she reyed the video. "But there''s enough evidence here to follow the lead and find the real culprit."

    Following her line of sight, Rachel stared at the erged image of the man in the video.

    "This is Stanley Tillery," Janice said. "He has a pretty long record. He used to work for Gunny."

    "Gunny?" Rachel paled. "Are you saying Hans'' death is rted to Jefferey?"

    Upon hearing that, Janice nodded seriously. "I didn''t bring it up before, because I couldn''t be certain Hans hadn''t stumbled upon something illicit by ident and was killed in order to silence him. From the look of things now, I can be certain."

    In the video were two groups of people making an exchange. A silver strongbox was in the frame, and the man carrying it was none other than Jefferey''s beater, Stanley.

    Throughout her years of investigation, Rachel never thought the matter was rted to Jefferey.

    "After Gunny left the country, Stanley was the one to work under Jefferey,mitting murders and robberies and other unsavory types of business. Several of the cases i investigated six years ago were rted to him."

    "The drug agent cases?"

    "Yes."

    Unplugging the USB stick from theputer, Janice continued, "Although the evidence has been altered, it meets the basic conditions to serve as criminal evidence. I''ll have Hans'' cases brought out for retrial

    as soon

    as possible. Wait to hear from me."

    "Thank you for your hard work."

    "I haven''t been working hard, you have." Janice gave her a solemn look. "On behalf of Hans, I thank you."

    All of a sudden, Rachel felt her nose itch and she had to turn her face away to keep from crying.

    Currently, Janice was the only person left in the world with whom she could still bring up Hans and the only person, to her, who was rted to Hans in some way. While there were many things they couldn''t say outright to each other, a single nce between them could convey what words could not.

    Patting her shoulder, Janice continued, "This is the Hudson Family business, though. Are you sure you want me to go through with it?"

    "Don''t forget that Jefferey murdered my mother," Rachel answered her. "The statute of limitations on my mother''s case has passed, but not on Hans'' case. He''s not getting away with it again. I''m taking him for everything he''s worth."

    "Alright. I''ll help you."

    After leaving Janice''s ce, Rachel drove aimlessly around by herself for a while before finally going back home.

    By then, the sky was dark.

    The lights in the Burton Residence were on and when Rachel arrived home, the two children were sitting on the rug ying with building blocks.

    "Home sote?" Seated on the couch, Justin lifted his head and immediately tossed the magazine in his hands aside. "Where were you?"

    "I went to meet an old friend and bought a cake on the way home." Calmly, she lifted the cake box in her hand,

    "Wow!" Charlotte cheered, jumping up. "There''s cake today, Samuel!"

    Next to her, Samuel pped his hands. "It''s strawberry cake, my favorite!"

    "Wash your hands and have dinner first," Justin instructed somewhat sternly. "You won''t be able to eat dinner if you have too much junk food."

    "No! I want cake. I won''t be able to have cake if I eat too much dinner," Samuel refuted, rolling his eyes at

    Justin before walking up to Rachel. "Let''s go cut the cake, Mommy!"

    Justin did not feel that it was within his rights to discipline someone else''s son, so he could only instruct his own daughter, "Charlotte, go wash your hands." Unfortunately, the moment he finished saying that, Charlotte ran up to Rachel. "I want to have some cake like Samuel, Mommy! Can I?"

    Faced with the girl''srge, starry eyes, Rachel could only nod her head helplessly.

    With a humph, Justin grumbled, "Well, she''s certainly found someone to back her up. Go ahead and spoil her, then. I doubt she''ll listen to me again in the future."

    "It''s fine to spoil her every once in a while." With that, Rachel led the children into the dining room to cut the cake, leaving him alone in the living room.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    After cutting the cake, she instructed, "Everyone can have only one piece and once you''re done, we''ll have dinner."

    "No problem, Mommy!"

    "Okay."

    She even gave a piece to Martha, but when she turned to look over her shoulder, Justin was sitting alone in the living room, rifling through a magazine. And so, she asked, "Do you want a piece? It''s fragrant and not particrly sweet."

    "How long do you think my arm is in order to reach you from here?"

    His tone was full of resentment, for his back and his thigh were still injured.

    "Mommy," Charlotte said suggestively behind her, "I think Daddy wants you to go feed him."

    Samuel made a face. "Even I don''t need Mommy to feed me, so why does he, as a grown-up?"

    "It''s called romance, Samuel!" Charlotte batted her eyshes in response.

    And so, they bickered happily,pletely ignoring the man in the living room who was quickly bing increasingly embarrassed.

    "The cake can''t shut either of you up, can it?" Rachel rolled her eyes at the two children. "Your teacher has informed me that you''re not allowed to sit together next week because you talk too much and disturb the other children in ss."

    "What?" Charlotte covered her mouth before whining in protest, "But I don''t!"

    "And what about eating in ss?"

    Subconsciously, Charlotte nced at Samuel.

    Guiltily, Samuel dodged Rachel''s gaze and muttered under his breath, "We''re growing children. We need food."

    And just like that, the two of them fell silent. Only then did Rachel smugly carry a piece of cake out into the

    living room.

    "Have a piece," she told Justin as she ced the cake on the coffee table. "I know you''re not fond of sweet things, but Charlotte and Samuel both like this vor."

    Flipping through the magazine, he answered haughtily, "No thanks. I''m busy."

    "You''re holding it upside down."

    "Huh?" Reflexively, Justin flipped to the cover of the magazine for a look before realizing that he was, in fact, holding it correctly and that she was teasing him. Instantly, he scowled. "Come on, now. Have a taste. Do you really want me to feed you?"

    "Go ahead and try. If you dare feed me, I''ll eat it.ˇ±

    Never did Rachel expect he would say such a thing.

    In fact, neither did Justin.

    Yet, in the next second, she was cutting up a small piece of cake with a fork and holding it up to his mouth.

    Instantly, he stiffened, feeling inexplicably nervous all of a sudden. "It''s fine. Put it down; I''ll eat it by myself." "Are you embarrassed?"

    "What?"

    As he parted his lips to say that, she pushed the fork into his mouth. In an instant, ice-cream cake melted away on his tongue and suffused his senses with the faint fragrance of strawberry. "Is it good?" she asked.

    Swallowing hard, he hummed in agreement.

    "Have another bite, then."

    "No, thanks. I''m full." Instantly, he picked up his magazine again, blocking her hand.

    With a nce at him, she put down the fork and said mildly at the same time, "You''re really holding it upside down this time."

    All of the tanks on the cover of the military magazine were the wrong side up. Clearly, the more Justin tried to cover his emotions up, the more he revealed.

 Chapter 244

    "I''m going to help Martha prepare dinner," Rachel said, thereafter going to the kitchen.

    It wasn''t until she left that Justin finally dropped the magazine in his hands with an uncharacteristically vexed expression on his face. In fact, he was very dissatisfied with his previous nervousness.

    After all, it wasn''t as if he was a prepubescent boy. He shared a marriage and a child with her, so how could he still get so nervous?

    Martha''s and Rachel''s voices floated out of the kitchen, blending with the sound of the two children talking andughing in the dining room. Just like that, therge, deserted vi was filled with familial warmth. As Justin looked down at the cake on the coffee table, he couldn''t help picking up the fork once again.

    Indeed, the cake was quite delicious.

    After dinner, Rachel headed into the bathroom to help Charlotte bathe.

    As the four yellow rubber ducks floated atop the bubbles in the filled bathtub, Charlotte said, "These two are Mommy and Daddy. This is me, and this is Samuel."

    Giving her daughter a conflicted look, Rachel started, "Charlotte, if Mommy and Daddy were to separate, who would you want to live with?"

    The smile on Charlotte''s face froze and her small, heat-reddened face crumpled up with anxiety. "Are you leaving again, Mommy?"

    The word ''again'' stabbed into Rachel''s heart like the sharp point of a knife, but she steeled herself and persisted, "I''m saying ''if, Charlotte. If your daddy and I separated, who would you want to go with?" Instantly, the rims of Charlotte''s eyes reddened. "Why do you want to separate, Mommy? Is it because I was bad?"

    Seeing her daughter on the verge of tears, Rachel no longer had the heart to continue asking. Quickly, she wiped her daughter''s eyes and reassured, "It''s not because of you. You''ve been very good. You''re a very good

    girl."

    After carrying Charlotte back to her room, Rachel took some time to cate the child and read to her. Only after an interminable length of time where she watched her daughter fall asleep did she finally let out a deep breath.

    Children were the most vulnerable party in a parental divorce. Often, their first reaction would be to find fault with themselves, whether it be ''I wasn''t well-behaved enough'' or ''my parents no longer wanted me.'' The anxiety of abandonment would wire itself into their brains, leaving them with trauma that would not heal for the rest of their lives.

    If it weren''t for the fact that it was herst resort, Rachel would never subject Charlotte to that.

    By now, it waste in the night. The wind on the balcony was strong and it looked like it was about to rain.

    Rachel''s vibrating cell phone showed an iing call from Jolly.

    "Hey, are you back?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "I justnded. How are things there?"

    "I got what I needed and passed it on to Janice. Barring any idents, we should see the results soon."

    "Is it truly rted to Jefferey?"

    "Yes. The person in charge of the transaction that Hans stumbled upon is Stanley Tillery, one of Jefferey''s men. He currently works as Chief of Security at Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    "Can he be convicted based on one video alone?"

    "Janice is looking into him as well as the other people in the video. He''s only the face of the group. The others operate more covertly."

    While ''Chief of Security at Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' didn''t sound like a particrly important position, it was tantamount to being Jefferey''s right-hand man and monitoring Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' every move when it came to underground business deals.

    As for the rest of the men, though they looked unremarkable and unrted to Hudson Pharmaceuticals, they were actually Jefferey''s way of protecting himself and avoiding scrutiny from the police should any ident

    arise.

    Presently, Jolly advised, "You''d better stay by Justin''s side these few days to avoid arousing any suspicions."

    "Of course. It''ll only be a few more days."

    "Don''t take things too seriously, though. When everything is over, I have a surprise for you."

    Though Jolly''s tone was mysterious, Rachel found it hard to lift her spirits. "Don''t give me another ne ticket and send me to another ce for a vacation. I don''t feel like going anywhere right now." "Do I seem that clueless? Of course it''s not a ne ticket. Right, I can''t talk anymore. My ride''s here."

    Just as Rachel was about to ask what that had to do with not being able to continue talking, she heard a man''s voice calling out from the other end of the line, "Who are you talking to?"

    "No one!"

    In the end, Jolly hung up rather decisively.

    It made Rachel narrow her eyes. Who on earth had gone to pick Jolly up?

    And so, she texted, ''Is it him?''

    Clearly dodging the question and not wishing to borate, Jolly only replied with a few emojis. For her part, Rachel didn''t feel like pursuing the topic, anyway. As ofte, the conclusion of Hans'' murder case had been weighing on her heart and she felt the issue bing more and more imminent.

    The closer she got to thest, critical moment, the longer and more nightmare-ridden her dreams felt.

    For the next three days, a storm enveloped the city.

    "The weather forecast indicates that there will be a storm again tonight, President Burton, so the security team advises that we cancel the celebrity meet-and-greet session lest a safety incident ur. You know how crazy the fans can be."

    A sweaty Mr. Smith, who happened to be the person in charge of publicizing the mall event, rushed over to report on the event progress. "Don''t you have a n B?" From behind the desk, Justin asked coldly, "Did you note up with an alternative for bad weather?" Paling, Mr. Smith answered, "We... We didn''t take the weather into consideration since the event would take ce indoors anyway." "So, you''re telling me now that it''s not your responsibility?"

    "That''s not what I mean, President Burton. ..." Mr. Smith fell silent, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Right then, there was a series of taps on the door.

    Knock! Knock! Knock!

    From outside, the secretary announced, "Miss Hudson is here, President Burton."

    Justin lifted his head. His originally cial expression had melted somewhat as he said, "Get in contact with the celebrity''s agent. Have the star himself send out a tweet to calm his fan base. Additionally, issue shopping vouchers with no expiry date to anyone whoes to the mall today to make up for the cancetion."

    Caught off-guard, Mr. Smith stared at Justin as he mused to himself, Is he handing me a solution just like that? "Is there anything else?" Justin gave him a sharp nce.

    Startling, Mr. Smith mumbled, "Uh-no..."

    "Get lost, then!" Even Frankie was ring impatiently at him. "Can''t you see that there''s someone else waiting by the door?"

    Only then did Mr. Smith came to his senses. "I''ll act ording to your instructions then, President Burton."

    As Rachel entered, she happened toe face-to-face with him.

    Gratefully, he stared at her, but his gaze made her feel somewhat uneasy and she only nodded awkwardly in greeting. "I''m not disturbing you, am I?" she asked Justin as she carried a document over to him. "Wasn''t that Mr. Smith from the marketing department? Why does he look so ufortable?"

    "It''s fine. He was simply here to report on the mall event. We''ve finished our discussion."

    "On-that''s good, then." She handed the document over to Justin. "These are HR''s candidates for general manager. All of them were rmended by headhunters. I took a look at them and they all have good qualifications and broadworks. No matter who you choose, they''ll be able to drive the development of the pharmaceutical industry. Take a look."

    "No need." He pushed the document aside. "I already have a candidate in mind."

 Chapter 245

    "What? Who is that? Why didn''t you tell me earlier? The Human Resources department has been busy with this issue."

    "Was it that hard toe up with this solution?"

    Justin''s eyes were raised. "In my opinion, what the Human Resources department needs to consider is to find a new sales director instead of a general manager."

    Rachel froze slightly before she finally understood.

    Since thest general manager of Burton Pharmaceuticals-the Burton Group''s childpany-left, the position had always been vacant. When Justin hastily hired Rachel from abroad with a high pay, he intended for her to temporarily fill in the role of a sales director while he observed her capabilities to see if she was fit to be a general manager.

    However, Rachel''s true intention of returning to the country was not for the promotion and pay raise.

    "Do you mean me?" she asked in shock.

    Justin slightly nodded. "Apart from you, no one else is suitable for the position, isn''t it?"

    "I think you should reconsider your decision. Managing a team and managing apany is different. I have no experience in thetter, so I think it''s better if you hire a professional for this position." "Everyone has to start somewhere. I believe that you have the capability to do so."

    With a firm expression on his face, he said, "This settles it. I already informed the Human Resources department. After Valentines'' Day, they will issue an official notice to your job scope." "Are you in such a rush?"

    "Is that so? I even thought that it''s pretty slow. If it weren''t for the formal procedures of thepany that we have to adhere to, I would just issue a notice immediately."

    Looking conflicted, Rachel wanted to say something but after a while, she remained silent.

    After all, she knew Justin''s temperament very well. Once he had already made a decision, it would be very difficult to change his mind.

    "Since you have already made your decision, I shall go back first." Rachel got up from her seat. "I think you should take some time to look over the candidates that the Human Resources department gave to you there might be someone else who is more suitable than me for the job."

    "Il pass."

    With that, he threw the documents in the trash right in front of her. "It''s decided, then. You don''t need to ask me to reconsider anymore. As opposed to handing the task to an outsider, I trust you better." Upon hearing that, Rachel smiled at him and made her move to leave.

    However, Justin suddenly asked, "Wait-I assume you''re free after work? Let''s have dinner together."

    "I still have some matters to settle, so I''ll be runningte."

    "I''ll wait for you at the restaurant and I''ll send the address to youter."

    Without even waiting for her reply, he continued, "You can continue with your work now and try to finish it

    earlier."

    Rachel wanted to say something but in the end, she did not utter a word. Her fists that were next to her body were clenched tightly as she left Justin''s office.

    It''s Valentines'' Day today. It''s beyond obvious what he is implying by asking me out for dinner on this day.

    When she returned to her office, she unlocked her phone and saw a message from Janice.

    ''The crime scene has already been cordoned off. The suspects and the evidence have already been caught. No one has escaped, so there will be a result tonight! Rachel''s expression immediately tensed up.

    Everything seems like it''s predestined, as if karma is real.

    In the evening, dark clouds slowly covered the entire sky. With a p of thunder, Riverdale was shrouded in thick mists as rain pelted down to the ground heavily. Justin raised his wrist, revealing an expensive watch.

    He had been sitting in a private room of the restaurant for almost an hour. When he finished work, he wanted to bring Rachel along but she had a sudden meeting, so he came here alone. "President Burton, is Miss Hudson still not here yet?"

    Slightly shocked, Frankie walked into the room with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "It''s pouring outside. I hope that it''s not stopping her from reaching here."

    "Why are you so talkative today?" Justin shot him a nce. "Is it raining?"

    The private room was sound proof, so he had no clue that it was raining outside.

    When he heard Frankie''s words, he immediately opened the curtains to take a look.

    When lightning shed, the bright light was reflected in the ss windows. The rain outside was so heavy that he could not even make out the buildings outside. "President Burton, aren''t you going to call her up? What if the rain is too heavy for her toe here? The roads are slowly getting flooded and many areas are trying to fix it."

    Of course, even without Frankie pointing it out, Justin wanted to call her. However, he did not want Rachel to think of him as a slow and indecisive man.

    "That''s fine. We''ll go to thepany right away."

    "What? What about the flowers?" Frankie waved the flowers in his hands. "These are what you wanted-white tulips."

    "Take it along."

    "What about dinner?"

    "Ask the head chef to make it in thepany."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    With that, Justin walked outside immediately.

    Frankie quickly followed behind him with the flowers in his hands as he hastily took out his phone to call the manager of the restaurant. "President Burton is leaving now. Ask the head chef to bring the necessary ingredients to thepany to prepare the menu for tonight''s dinner. Yes, that''s right-he will be preparing it there. Also, bring all the decorations as well, like the candles and other stuff. As the other end replied to him, the rain became heavier.

    Sitting in the car that was traveling slowly, Justin sent a message to Rachel.

    ''The rain is too heavy, so you don''t have toe here. I''m going back to the office now.''

    After a long time, there was no reply from the other end. After some hesitation, he called her.

    ''The number you have dialed is out of service. Please try againter.

    She switched her phone off?

    His eyebrows knitted into a frown.

    "Frankie, please drive faster."

    "We are already going very fast. The rain is very heavy now. If we drive any faster, we will get into an ident."

    The wipers on the windscreen were not fast enough to remove the rain. All the cars on the road were moving slowly and carefully. On their way to thepany, there were already countless road idents. In the car, the news reporter on the radio was announcing the flooded areas with a serious tone.

    "Onto the next topic, Riverdale''s police caught a group of smugglers trying to smuggle an enormous batch of drugs at the pier. After further investigation, the smugglers were found out to be rted to the ex- president of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Jefferey Hudson. Currently, the drugs are being confiscated at customs..."

    Hudson Pharmaceuticals?

    Justin lifted his head immediately with tension in his eyes. "Frankie, what was the news just now?"

    Frankie also heard the same thing. Looking shocked, he replied, "Yeah, I was listening to it too. It seems like the police caught the smugglers who are rted to Jefferey. This," Justin immediately called Rachel again.

    ''The number you have dialed is out of service. Please try againter.''

    It seemed that her phone was still switched off.

    As soon as they arrived at thepany, Justin immediately went to her office to look for her but no one was around.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s assistant, Lisa, was working overtime in the office. When she saw Justin, she asked him politely, "President Burton, are you looking for Chris?"

    Right behind him, Frankie immediately asked her, "Where is Miss Hudson?"

    "She went back after work."

    Justin''s expression was icy as he questioned, "When did she leave?"

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    ...

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 246

    "It was around half an hour ago. Chris received a phone call right after the meeting ended and she left after that."

    "Do you know who the caller was?"

    "Umm..." Lisa shook her head. How would I know?

    Upon seeing Justin''s expression, Frankie quickly consoled, "President Burton, don''t be anxious. The news was just reported, so maybe Miss Hudson saw the news and quickly went home to resolve the matter."

    "You''re saying that she went back to the Hudson Residence?"

    "That''s not impossible, is it? Even though Miss Hudson is not close to her father, he is still her father after all. If she knows of such a big incident happening to the Hudson Family, I''m sure she won''t turn a blind eye to it."

    The timing had matched as well-they had just left thepany half an hour ago. Not long after that, they heard the news on the radio. It was highly probable that Rachel had received a call from her family. "Where are you going, President Burton?"

    "The Hudson Residence."

    After leaving three short words with Frankie, Justin left the office inrge strides. Frankie had no choice but quickly match Justin''s footsteps with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hands.

    ''Hudson Pharmaceuticals is suspected to be involved in the smuggling of drugs and having close contact with the military abroad. As the police already have concrete evidence of this incident, they have detained the man who controlled thepany, Jefferey Hudson, for further investigation.''

    The news of Hudson Pharmaceuticals being involved in a case of drug smuggling quickly spread like wildfire and was reported by all of the major news outlets. Because of that, Hudson Pharmaceuticals immediately stopped all their operations, which caused their stock prices to plummet.

    While holding a ck umbre, Rachel stood at the gate of the Hudson Residence-a ce where she had lived for two decades. At this moment, it was both a familiar and a strange area for her. Jefferey was in handcuffs as he had already been detained by the police and at this moment, he was being brought out of the mansion by them. He acted as though she was his lifesaver the moment he saw her. After quickly shoving the police aside, he rushed to her. While they were under the heavy rain, he grabbed her arms and said, "Rae, you have finally returned. Please save me ask the Burton Family to save me. At this moment, they are the only ones who are able to save me."

    The umbre in her hand was tilted by him. The rain pelted on her shoulders, leaving her drenched. However, she had a terrifyingly indifferent and cold expression. "Uncle Jefferey, no one can save you now." "What did you just call me?"

    As soon as he heard the words ''Uncle Jefferey'', Jefferey''s old face seemed to have cracked like a dried tree branch. He stared at her fearfully, unable to believe his own ears.

    "What? Don''t you like this salutation of mine?" Rachel smiled stonily. "If my parents were aware of this, they would have hoped that I would behave this way. No matter what you have done, I should still be polite. It''s manners that I have to address you as ''Uncle Jefferey''. Those manners which are already solidified in my bones."

    Although he staggered backward in trepidation, he was immediately captured by the policemen who caught up to him. "Trying to escape? In your dreams!"

    Jefferey merely stared at Rachel with fear in his eyes.

    "Dad! Let go of my dad!"

    Amber had arrived at the scene a tad bit toote. Jefferey had already been forced into the police car, which had departed from the mansion. The lights of the vehicle and the roar of the engine disappeared in the rain.

    "What is going on?" She did not have a chance to even speak to her father, so she asked Rachel anxiously, "Why was Dad taken away by the police?"

    Rachel was still holding her umbre when she coldly gazed at Amber. "Aren''t you clear on why he is being

    arrested?"

    "Clear on what?"

    "What Jefferey Hudson has been secretly doing in Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Do you dare to say that you are unaware of anything? Aren''t you in charge of the secret bank ount abroad?" "What nonsense are you spurting now?" Amber''s expression immediately changed. "Are you nuts? Or, are you nning to harm the entire family?"

    "Family?" Rachel snorted. "At this moment, you guys still think that I''m your family now? Don''t forget, you sold me to the Burton Family. When you didn''t even care whether I was still alive or already dead, have you considered me as a part of the family? Now that you are in trouble and have reached a dead end, you finally remembered that I''m your family?"

    Amber nched. "No matter what you are still part of the Hudson Family. Even though we have different mothers, we still share the same father, which makes us rted by blood. You simply can''t take advantage of us at dire times like this!"

    "Looking at the current state of the Hudson Family, do I even need to take advantage of you guys?"

    "You-" As Amber appraised Rachel, Amber suddenly realized something. "How did you arrive earlier than me?" The maids in the Hudson Family called me as soon as Dad was in trouble and I rushed home immediately. Where did she get the information from?

    "What do you think?"

    "Miss Amber!" Her driver''s voice rang as he quickly brought his phone to her. "Look at this, Miss Amber!"

    Amber then looked at the news on the man''s phone. The media had already received first hand news about the entire story. ''ording to our insider news, Jefferey Hudson had ordered his men to kill the witness five years ago to cover up his drug smuggling business. He killed the person and left his corpse in the wild. The said witness was a certain Mr. Egerton.''

    As soon as Amber saw thest name of Egerton, she immediately understood what had been going on. As she looked at Rachel incredulously, Amber questioned, "You are behind all this?"

    "Is it important to find out who did this? It''s fair and square to get retribution for killing someone."

    "My dad did not kill Hans."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Stanley Tillery was the man who killed him and he was working for Jefferey. Don''t you know Stanley?"

    Amber''s face turned ghastly pale. Everyone knows that Stanley is Dad''s spy in Hudson Pharmaceuticals. ˇ°You are nning to ruin the Hudson Family. You returned not to take revenge on the Burton Family, but on us!"

    Amber suddenly charged forward in fury. However, Rachel had caught the woman''s raised hand.

    "What are you nning to do?" Rachel''s cold gaze swept past Amber. "It''s just something that I''m supposed to do. Jefferey has killed many over the years. Thew will never miss anyone."

    "You mad woman, let go of me!" Amber shrieked and struggled from Rachel, who then shoved her away.

    With another loud scream, Amber staggered and fell in the rain.

    Julian quickly sheltered her with his umbre. "Miss Amber."

    "Enjoy your days as Miss Amber. Once the Hudson Family is captured, you will be left with nothing. The little princess of the Hudson Family might need to live on the streets by then." Rachel coldly looked at Amber. Her arrogance felt like a mountain weighing on Amber, who felt like she was unable to breathe.

    Apart from arresting Jefferey, the police had also seized all the valuable properties in the mansion. They even ced a banner on the front door-once the court hade to their decision, all of the properties would either be auctioned off or returned to the Hudson Family. No matter what, everything rted to the Hudson Family would be frozen during this period. Hence, Amber''s ess to her card would definitely be affected as well.

    "Rachel!" she yelled angrily. "Does Justin know that you returned for Hans''s death? No wonder you stayed by his side like a loyal dog no matter how bad he treated you. You''re like a dog that can''t be chased away!"

    "Of course he doesn''t know that, but the evidence is in his grandfather''s hands. Do you think I can easily leave?"

 Chapter 247

    When Amber heard those words, her eyes widened in shock.

    At this exact moment, a cold man''s voice rang behind Rachel. "So, the reason why you are sticking to me is just to obtain evidence of Hans'' death from Grandpa?" Rachel jolted violently.

    A ck umbre was held firmly by the man''s slender fingers. His tall figure cast a long shadow that covered the ground and his face looked even colder than usual.

    Justin? She did not even notice when he had arrived.

    "Is this the exchange you made with Grandpa?ˇ±

    "Justin." Amber quickly scrambled to her feet and she ran to the spot under his umbre. "Justin, I already told you that she is up to no good, but you refused to believe me. Look at the crazy things that she just did! She even threw her own father into jail. I wonder what else she is capable of doing!"

    Justin''s face darkened as he stared at Rachel. "Aren''t you going to exin?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    However, Rachel merely tightened her hold on her umbre with a tense expression on her face. "Didn''t you hear everything for yourself earlier?"

    She calmly looked at the man in front of her, but her grip on her umbre tightened.

    Everyone could tell that she had ulterior motives when she returned and became closer to Justin. Even he himself was aware of this and even asked her many times in the beginning about the reason for her return.

    It was just that he forgot about itter on.

    In that instant, his cold face was almost ovee with fury. Even though he tried to suppress his anger, the throbbing vein on his forehead betrayed his current emotions.

    "From the beginning, you returned to avenge Hans'' death. Not only did you not consider my feelings, you didn''t even consider Charlotte either. You even used your own daughter!"

    Upon the mention of Charlotte, Rachel''s temples throbbed. The emotions that she had repressed quickly shed on her face before it disappeared. "I don''t care what you think about me."

    "You don''t care about my thoughts? Aren''t your thoughts exactly like how I have described?"

    "I still have other things to attend to."

    Justin grabbed Rachel''s wrist as he bellowed, "I''m not allowing you to leave!"

    Although pain shot through her wrists, Rachel did not groan whatsoever as she merely frowned at him. "It''s meaningless whether I leave or not since my job here is done. What more do you want?" Justin tightened his hold on her, it was as if he would only give up until he crushed her wrist.

    At the same time, he could not believe his ears. This cold woman in front of me just prepared dinner in the kitchenst night and we were chatting happily. She even took the initiative to bring me a bowl of soup and asked me to have more of it for my stomach''s health. After just a night, everything haspletely changed. Her behavior has changed so fast that it feels like she''s a different personpared to yesterday.

    "You have been putting on an act around me, haven''t you?"

    The pain she felt was so intense that she could not even speak.

    "Is that the case?!" His loud voice reverberated in her ears as it crushed her nerves.

    "Let me go!" Rachel tried to wring free from his grasp, but to no avail. The umbre that she had been holding even fell off from her hand.

    The heavy rain immediately pelted on her head like ice cubes.

    Justin''s eyes reddened as he forced her to retreat. "Since you were already putting on an act, why didn''t you continue with it? How long has it been since you returned? Why don''t you continue with the act? Is it because I don''t have any value for you now that you have gotten what you want? Or, is it because you have always been treating the Burton Group lightly?"

    A p of thunder roared in the background.

    A car stopped by the roadside amidst Amber''s shriek. A figure alighted from the car and he immediately walked to them. He then pulled Justin''s cor and sent Justin falling to the ground with a punch.

    "Justin!"

    She quickly approached Justin with an umbre to help him on his feet, but he pushed her away.

    He wiped his lips with his slender hands, leaving a bright red blood trail on his face.

    After the man had punched Justin, he calmly picked up the umbre on the ground and held it above Rachel''s head. "My darling Chris, I''mte. I''m sorry you have suffered greatly." "Hernandez?" A shocked Rachel froze as she looked at the man in front of her. "Why are you here?"

    Amidst the rain, the man with chestnut brown hair looked like he was on a beach vacation with his flowery shirt. He showed his pearly whites as he answered, "Isn''t it a lovely surprise? Do you miss me after no seeing me for such a long time?"

    Is this the time to talk about this? Rachel frowned. "Hernandez, the situation here doesn''t bother you. Why don''t you return to where you came from?"

    "That won''t work. It''s been difficult to catch this moment to save a damsel in distress."

    "Who is he?" Justin rose from the ground with an expression that was as dark as the night.

    "Me?" Upon hearing Justin''s voice, Hernandez returned to his senses and began to appraise Justin from head to toe.

    "I should be the one asking who you are to treat Chris so roughly!" Hernandez stood in front of Rachel to protect her. As he looked at Justin with vignce, a look of understanding suddenly shed across his face. "Oh, I understand now! You must be her ex-husband! It seems like Chris is still as attractive as ever! After many years, you still can''t get over her?!"

    "Rachel! I''m asking you who this guy is!" Justin looked incredibly stony.

    After all, a random man had suddenly popped up and addressed Rachel as ''Chris'' and the way he had protected her illustrated that there was intimacy. It was enough to leave Justin imagining things. Hernandez spoke way before Rachel could even answer. "I''m Chris'' fiance, but we haven''t had our wedding."

    The word ''fiance'' was firmly enunciated, which angered Justin even more.

    "Fiance?" With a deathly expression, he stared at her with ferociousness. "Is he your fiance?" She actually has a fiance abroad?

    Rachel pulled Hernandez''s arm. "Enough of the nonsense. Justin, he is not my fiance and you don''t need to sentence me for the crimes I have never done. I admit that the reason for my return is to avenge Hans. It''s fair and square to seek revenge for his murder. You were the one who indirectly caused his death, so I don''t think I''ve done anything wrong here."

    To Justin, the more she spoke, the more her voice began to sound shriller.

    Nevertheless, she continued with her words, "If you didn''t break his leg, he wouldn''t have gone to the hospital. As a result, he wouldn''t have stumbled upon Jefferey''s drug smuggling. You have also yed a part in his death." The sourcees from him. He is not able to escape from this responsibility forever.

    "You have always thought I''m the cause of that man''s death?"

    Rachel''s silence exined everything.

    Justin tightly clenched his fists beside his body as blood dripped through his fingertips and onto the ground. Then, it was quickly flushed away by the heavy rain.

    "You don''t need to continue the nonsense with him any further." Hernandez grabbed her hand. "You have finished your job here. Let''s go."

    Then, Justin watched as Hernandez left with Rachel.

 Chapter 248

    In the heavy rain, the white sports car sped away with a loud roar of the engine.

    Amber and Justin were the only ones standing outside the Hudson Residence.

    As she was still holding the umbre, she shielded him from the storm as she asked, "Justin, let''s get some shelter. You don''t have to ill-treat yourself."

    "She said everything was caused by me. What do you think?"

    Amber''s heart sank as she looked at him in surprise. "What does Hans'' death have to do with you? That''s because he''s unlucky. We don''t see anyone else encountering something like this, do we?"

    "I was the one who broke his leg, though," Justin mumbled.

    He could not recall the incident, but a memory suddenly shed in his mind.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Hold him down."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Aaaah," The man yelled in pain. After that, his voice broke off as if he had died.

    Then, someone next to him poured a bucket of cold water to wake him up.

    "Continue."

    Justin remembered the white walls in the hospital. The smell of disinfectant was just as strong even in his memories.

    And bit by bit, he started to remember the past incidents.

    "Justin, what''s wrong?" Amber suddenly shrieked as she supported his wobbly figure. "Justin, hang in there! Someone, please call the police! Call the police quickly!"

    Janice''s subordinates had always been keeping an eye on the Hudson Family for years. Now that Jefferey''s men were caught red handed at the pier and he was thrown behind bars, the tangible evidence led to a positive verdict by the court.

    "Jefferey Hudson, the suspect and former president of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, has been involved in huge sums of money associated with drug smuggling. Among his illegal activities, he has killed two people to cover up his crimes. Since he has been convicted for his many crimes, we hereby announce that he would be subjected to a total of 15 years imprisonment and all his properties will be confiscated." In the solemn atmosphere of the court, the judge''s voice rang loud and clear when he announced the guilty verdict.

    As Amber cried so hard that she almost fainted, she was helped out of the courtroom. Meanwhile, when Rachel heard the verdict, she slowly stood up and looked at Jefferey, who was seated in the dock with his striped clothes. She was surprised to realize that she felt nothing but calmness.

    15 years of prison meant that he would have to spend a part of his life in prison. Even though he would be released after 15 years, he would barely be able to do anything after losing touch with society for so long.

    After Hernandez and Rachel walked out of the courtroom and to their car, a shrill voice rang behind them.

    "Are you satisfied now, Rachel?" Amber struggled from her assistant and chased Rachel. "I bet you are finally satisfied now that you have broken our family apart, you vicious woman!"

    Before Rachel could speak, he blocked her with his back to protect her. "Miss, are you going to attack her in front of the court? I don''t mind suing you for insult and assault."

    "So, it''s you!" Amber recognized him in an instant. Then, she scoffed and continued sarcastically, "Rachel, do you think that you are invincible in Riverdale now that you are friends with awyer? Let me tell you this-you will have your fair share of crying in the future!"

    Hernandez had wanted to respond, but he was stopped by Rachel, who coldly looked at Amber.

    "You have been threatening me since we were young." Rachel reminded. "I''m sure you are so used to it that you have forgotten what evidence I''m now holding against you, right?"

    Amber nched.

    "Bear in mind that if any of the evidence in hand is leaked to the public, you can forget about staying in Riverdale altogether. You better take care of yourself. Let''s go, Hernandez." Rachel stared at Amber''s figure in the rearview mirror until Amber became a tiny dot as they went further into the distance. It was only at that moment that Rachel retracted her gaze. Hernandez, who was sitting next to Rachel, yanked her hand toward him and pried her fist open. "Don''t be so tense now. It''s time to rx now that the case is over."

    After she returned to her senses, she responded with a conflicted expression, "Thank you for apanying me here.ˇ±

    "It''s my honor to be of your service."

    "Even though Jefferey is behind bars and Amber will not have a good life from now onward, I still have the muscle memory from twenty years of living with them. I can''t even rx now. Sarcastic, isn''t it?" "It will be better," Hernandez insisted. "Even if it doesn''t, you will feel much better once you leave Riverdale and never see these people again."

    "I still haven''t decided when to leave."

    "You don''t have to rush. I still need some time to collect the evidence for your daughter''s case anyway."

    "Are we really going to court for this?" Rachel frowned. "She might me me in the future."

    "Instead of thinking that she might me you, it''s better to use the effort to consider whether it''s really appropriate for her to grow up in Justin''s care, especially when he''s short-tempered. Isn''t it better for her to be with you-her mom, and your friends like us? Think about Samuel too."

    Hernandez''s words had swayed her.

    Rachel had never seriously considered going to court to obtain Charlotte''s custodial rights before he came to riverdale. However, everything had now changed-and there was no better option apart from bringing Charlotte away.

    "Don''t bother about it anymore. Leave the rest to me and have a break at home."

    "No, I would like to go to the Burton Residence first."

    "I''ll apany you."

    "No, it''s fine."

    Jolly had already brought Samuel abroad with the excuse of school activities. Although he had not been attending school for the past few days, Rachel still had some luggage at the Burton Residence that she wanted to collect and move out for the time being.

    It was already noon when Rachel arrived. She had deliberately chosen Charlotte''s schooling hours to return so that only the nanny would be at home.

    "Miss Hudson, you must be back from your work trip." The nanny treated Rachel as usual when she saw Rachel.

    However, upon hearing those words, Rachel froze. I haven''t returned for such a long time. I guess Justin had to give Charlotte an exnation. Otherwise, that kid would continuously pester him. Well, a work trip is a good excuse for this.

    "Yeah, I guess so." She refused to borate. "Continue with your tasks. I''m merely back to collect some items."

    "I see. Alright."

    Rachel walked upstairs alone and she went to the room to keep the items belonging to her and Samuel away.

    Just as she was about to leave, she saw the ss photo frame from the corner of her eye and immediately froze.

    In the picture was her, Justin, Charlotte and Samuel-it was taken when they were on a trip to the mountainst weekend. Rachel had no idea when the picture was printed out. Since it wasn''t framed when she left, it could have been printed out some time over thest few days.

    "What are you doing?"

    A cold voice rang from the door, which made her jump. The frame in her hands fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

    Justin took a huge step forward reflexively as if he wanted to catch the frame, but he retracted halfway through

 Chapter 249

    Rachel apologized, "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to do it."

    "Do you think an apology will fix the issue? You should apologize to Charlotte herself. After all, she''s the one who printed this picture out."

    She froze upon hearing that. "Charlotte printed it out?"

    "Do you think it''s possible that I printed it out? I can''t wait to throw all of your belongings away, but Charlotte still treats you as her mom and waits for you toe home everyday. However, she has no clue that you merely treated her as a tool for you to collect evidence!"

    "I didn''t treat her as a tool," she exined. "I never had the n to use her since she is our daughter."

    "You really treat her as your own daughter?"

    "Forget it, I can''t possibly exin everything to you." Rachel refused to speak to the man anymore and immediately walked outside with her luggage.

    "Stop right there!" Justin grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"

    "Of course I''m moving out! Didn''t you just say that you can''t wait to throw all of my belongings away? You don''t need to do that-i''ll move out myself."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "You have wreaked havoc in my household and you want to leave just like that? Where do you think this ce is? A ce where you cane and go as you wish?" Justin was beyond furious. "I don''t care what deal you had with Grandpa! You are forbidden to move out from this ce without my approval for you to leave!"

    "Calm down." Rachel tried to shake his hands off her but to no avail. With a frown, she added, "I''ve alreadypleted my n, yet you still want me here to cause more trouble for you?"

    "I have already told you that I don''t agree! Can''t you understand my words?!"

    He grabbed hold of her wrist even harder as fury spewed out of his eyes.

    "Let me go!"

    Amidst their conversation, Rachel tried to harshly push Justin''s hands off, making him groan and clutch his shoulders.

    It was only at this moment that she remembered that his shoulder was still injured. "How are you doing?"

    "I don''t need your fake concern." Justin leaned against the door with a dark expression. "Aren''t you leaving? Why are you pretending to care about me now?"

    When she heard that, her fists tightened. When Jefferey made a scene in thepany some time ago, he would have stabbed her with the scissors if Justin wasn''t there. No matter what, it was because of her that

    Justin sustained his injury.

    No matter how much she hated him, there was no way she can absolve herself from this responsibility. "I''m sorry about that. I''ll send you to the hospital. Or, I can also ask Julian toe over."

    "I don''t need any option. If you really feel sorry, don''t move out first."

    When Rachel heard that, she was stunned.

    Justin continued, "Don''t think too much about it. It''s just that I told Charlotte that you will being home today when she asked me about you yesterday. If you really want to leave, you have to exin to her yourself."

    With that, he shot a nce at the luggage behind her and added coldly, "Compared to never obtaining something to getting it and losing it in the end, which do you think is crueler?"

    His words sent a jolt to her heart like a p of thunder.

    Charlotte had always been the reason why her emotions had never fully recovered over the years. She craved for her mother''spany and Rachel also hoped to stay by her side as well.

    After a moment of hesitation, Rachel replied, "I''ll stay for the time being then. I''ll leave when your wounds are fully healed."

    It would take some time for Justin''s wounds to make a full recovery while Hernandez would also need a while to prepare for the suit to gain Charlotte''s custody rights. As such, it would be a good n for Rachel to stay here to avoid any suspicions.

    No matter what, she had already made a decision to take Charlotte with her.

    It was only at this moment that Justin''s coldness receded slightly.

    During dinner, Charlotte was loquacious as she asked loads of questions. "Mommy, why were you away on a work trip for such a long time? I thought you don''t want me anymore!"

    Rachel shot a nce at Justin as she replied, "Mommy has been quite busy at work. See, now I''m back! How is it possible that I don''t want you anymore?"

    "What about Samuel? Why hasn''t he returned? Where did Godmother bring him to?"

    "The signal isn''t excellent abroad, but he will return in two days."

    Justin seemed like he was deliberately giving Rachel a cold look as she was being questioned by Charlotte. As he listened to her lying to Charlotte, he did not utter a single word.

    Under his oppressive nce, Rachel felt quite anxious, as though he had seen through her. She peeled a prawn for Charlotte as she said, "Charlotte, quickly finish the meal and sleep earlier. You still have to go to school tomorrow."

    "Without Samuel here, I don''t even feel like going to school anymore," Charlotte muttered with a sigh, but she obediently finished her meal.

    After dinner, Rachel emerged from her room after she finally put Charlotte to bed.

    Then, after she saw Justin looking for something in the living room, she asked, "What are you looking for?"

    "The medicine Julian prescribedst time."

    "Are you changing your bandage?"

    "Yeah."

    Rachel took a medicine kit from a drawer in the living room. Then, she perused the types of medicines in the kit before she passed him a tube of cream. "Here it is."

    "Thanks."

    "Are you able to change it on your own?"

    As soon as she asked this question, she regretted her words.

    Since Justin''s wound was on his back, it was beyond obvious that he could not change the bandage himself. Unfortunately, the nanny was off duty, so Rachel was the only remaining adult in the house. "Let me help you," she offered through gritted teeth.

    He nodded slightly as he ced the cream on the table.

    Then, he removed his shirt to reveal his tanned shoulders as well as the bandage in the living room. His heaving chest somehow increased the romance in the air.

    He wasn''t a buff man as one could tell that he did not work out regrly. His shoulders were rather thin and pleasing to the eye; it was something that he naturally had since he never exercised to build muscle in the gym.

    "Have you had enough of looking at me?"

    "What?!" Rachel returned to her senses to notice that Justin was coldly staring at her.

    "If you would like to feel the life you had before marriage, I don''t mind."

    At once, her face darkened. "You are overthinking. If you want me to change the bandage for you, turn around." I''m not in the mood to make flirty jokes with him. Once Hans'' matter hase to an end, I don''t need to flirt with him anymore. I see no difference whether Justin is enthusiastic or cold.

    Hence, Justin turned around to face her with his back.

    After Rachel undid his bandage, the ckened, stitched wound gave her a shock as she thought, It has been so long, but why does his wound still look like this? It even looks as though it was just torn. "Didn''t you say that the stitches will be taken away on Monday? Why are they still here?"

    "They have been removed once, but the recovery hasn''t been going well, so the doctor stitched it up again."

    Justin''s indifferent exnation exined many things.

    Rachel frowned upon hearing his reply.

    Initially, she wanted to ask why the recovery wasn''t going well. However, as she thought about the incidents that happenedtely, she figured that it had impacted his recovery, so she did not voice out the question she had in mind.

    When the cream was rubbed into the wound, it caused Justin''s back muscle to tense even though he did not utter a single word. His reaction had caused her to be more gentle in her actions. After that, she bandaged the wound and kept the medicine away in the kit. "It''s done."

    As Justin wore his shirt, Rachel added, "You still have to take care of your diet. Don''t eat anything that''s spicy, raw, and cold."

    "Are you now concerned about me?"

 Chapter 250

    "I guess so, but I''d usually treat this as being polite."

    After Rachel kept the medicine kit away, she walked upstairs. "It''s gettingte. I''m going to rest now." I should try my best to avoid spending time with Justin alone, now that both of us are living together. After all, I know how strong he is as a man.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    The incident from five years ago was clearly imprinted in her memories, forcing her to defend herself.

    While she was walking halfway up the stairs, Justin''s voice rang.

    "Rachel!"

    "Yeah?" She turned around and saw his slightly raised head as he stared at her under the bright lights of the living room.

    "What is your rtionship with Hernandez?"

    "We''re just friends. Rest earlier."

    After giving a short answer, Rachel directly headed into her room without any intention of staying any longer for further exnation.

    Hence, Justin was left alone in the living room. He tightly clenched his fists next to his body with a dark expression.

    He never believed in any pure friendship between a man and a woman.

    Apart from that, Hernandez was overly close to Rachel-the man kept addressing her as ''babe''. Just the mere thought of it was enough to infuriate Justin. Meanwhile, as soon as Rachel entered the second bedroom, she received a message from Janice.

    After reading the message, her expression stiffened and she immediately gave Janice a ring.

    "Janice, what do you mean by that? Old Mr. Burton has silently agreed to Jefferey''s drug smuggling? Is this rted to the Burton Family as well?" Janice''s voice rang from the other end. "To be precise, it''s rted to Jason Burton."

    Jason Burton?

    Upon hearing that name, Rachel tightly clenched her fists.

    "Old Mr. Burton''s video evidence indicates that there are three people involved in the case. It''s obvious that a few frames have been deleted, but he missed something this time although he''s usually meticulous. When we managed to recover the video in its HD quality, we saw a fourth person in the reflection on one of the car windows."

    Now that they were seated inside a cafe, Janice shoved a few pictures to Rachel from across the table.

    It was all pictures of Hans witnessing the smuggling deal that Hudson Pharmaceuticals was engaged with in the hospital. The car on the left of the picture had been zoomed in, which illustrated another man standing near the corner of the wall.

    Rachel only thought that he looked familiar, but she could not recall his identity. "And this man is?"

    "He''s Bucky. Does it ring a bell now?"

    As soon as she heard that name, her eyebrows trembled and she tightened her grip on the edge of the

    photograph.

    Five years ago, her grandmother was kidnapped. After that, the police had been tracking one of the kidnappers who evaded arrest. In the end, the remaining perpetrator was sentenced to jail for orchestrating Nancy''s kidnapping. This man was none other than Bucky.

    "What you''re saying is that Bucky is also involved in Hans'' case?"

    Rachel could not believe that the same person who caused her grandmother''s death had also killed Hans.

    However, Janice shook her head. "This is not what I meant. At this point, it''s not important whether he is involved in Hans'' case or not. What''s more important is that Old Mr. Burton has deleted Bucky from the video. Have you thought about what this means?"

    Rachel shook her head as well.

    Janice exined, "Bucky is actually not an important person among this group of people since he is just a trivial gangster. My guess is that even he is unaware about the context of the transaction. He was merely running errands for them. In their kind of circle, the less information they know, the safer it is for them."

    Rachel still did not understand what Janice wanted to tell her.

    Her main reason for returning was Hans'' death. Since Bucky was unrted to Hans'' death and the mastermind of the incident-that''d be Jefferey-was already behind bars and received the punishment he deserved, she was unbothered with the rest of the matters. What smuggling case is she referring to? I''m just a normal person, so I don''t have the resolution like Janice, who is a public servant. Apart from that, don''t even have the intention to contribute much to society.

    Janice could tell that Rachel was confused, so she patiently exined, "I know that bringing up the older incidents would hurt you again. However, after reflecting on it for the past two days, I figured that you have the right to know the truth."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "The mastermind behind your grandmother''s kidnapping is still atrge."

    When Rachel heard that, her expression immediately changed. "What did you just say? Hasn''t Bucky already been sentenced to prison?"

    "Haven''t you thought about this? Bucky is just a trivial gangster having a hard time to even buy meals for himself. Would he threaten a big shot like Justin Burton and kidnap your grandmother because of Brookville''s bid? He hasn''t even graduated primary school-I''m afraid he doesn''t even know what a bid means."

    So. he''s just a scapegoat.

    Nancy''s death that year was a huge blow to Rachel as Rachel was at the darkest period of her life. She was being imprisoned by Justin and had no means to track down the mastermind who orchestrated her grandmother''s kidnapping. When the cops arrested Bucky, she thought that he was the perpetrator.

    However, everything she knew in the past was no longer the truth now.

    Rachel''s hand suddenly jolted.

    While looking at her, Janice hesitantly added, "Rachel, you have the right to decide whether you want to know about this or not. If you don''t want to, I won''t say another word and the matter will end here. After all, we can''t revive the dead no matter what. I guess your grandmother also wants you to move on and have a good life."

    As soon as Rachel recalled Nancy''s smile, her heart started to ache. If she knew about this in her afterlife, I''m sure she wouldn''t want me to investigate this case. After all, six years have already passed. It is meaningless to find out who the mastermind behind the case is now. Be it Grandma or myself, we are just coteral damages among business battles. No one will remember us. Just because we are just ordinary people, should they

    sacrifice us?

    "Just tell me. I only want the truth." Rachel''s voice trembled, but she firmly said, "Who was the mastermind who kidnapped my grandma?"

    Janice took a deep breath before she slowly exhaled and mentioned a name. "Jason Burton."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel remained silent.

    The cafe was only a street away from Burton Group.

    Rachel left on her own after she met up with Janice. The traffic lights had turned from red to green, yet she continued to stand by the crosswalk. She looked as if she had lost her soul and forgot to cross the road.

    Her mind continued to think of what Janice said earlier.

    "Six years ago, after your grandmother''s kidnapping, the police had actually suspected Jason. However, the case was suddenly intercepted by someone else within 24 hours and the biggest suspect was now Bucky. The motive was changed to a gangster kidnapping for money. All the logical deductions and the business schemes behind the scenespletely disappeared. After Bucky was caught, Old Mr. Burton slowly revoked Jason''s responsibilities in the Burton Group and even transferred all of Jason''s shares to Justin. Within a year, no one in the Burton Family and the entire business circle in Riverdale ever discussed Jason Burton, as if the man never existed in the family. I''m confident that Bucky is somewhat associated with Jason."

    As Rachel recalled Janice''s words, she was deep in her thoughts.

    "Chris!" A voice rang from the near distance.

 Chapter 251

    Rachel initially didn''t hear her name being called. It was only until after someone tapped on her shoulder that she immediately returned to her senses. She nkly looked at the person who was behind her for a moment before she recognized the woman. "Lisa?"

    Lisa looked at Rachel in shock. "What''s wrong, Miss Hudson? I have been calling you for so long, but you didn''t reply to me."

    When Rachel returned to her senses, she answered, "I''m alright. What brings you here?"

    Lisa waved the file in her hand. "Mr. Beckham asked me to send this file to the meeting room. It''ll be referred to in the meetingter. Congrattions, Miss Hudson."

    "For what?"

    "Why are you still hiding the truth?" Lisa smiled. "Everyone knows that the meeting this afternoon is about your promotion. We''re just waiting for the official announcement from the Human Resources department. I guess President Burton wants to announce the news for himself."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel froze slightly.

    If Lisa hadn''t brought it up, she would''ve forgotten about the promotion that Justin mentioned.

    The corners of Rachel''s lips slightly twitched upward. "You''re exaggerating. Even if there''s a promotion, I won''t be the one to get it." So many incidents have happened recently. Justin already knows that I won'' be staying for long at the Burton Group. I''m sure I won''t receive the position of general manager in thepany. At the very least, this is what I can predict.

    She shot a nce at her watch as the traffic light opposite them turned green once again. "Let''s go. We are having a meeting soon."

    In thepany''s meeting room, Frankie had just finished printing out the documents and distributing them.

    Rachel arrived ratherte, but she did not expect to meet Justin at the door.

    Their nces met for a few seconds before she quickly shifted her gaze and she walked directly into the room, leaving a frowning Justin behind her. "I''m sure everyone has some knowledge of the main topic of today''s meeting-the person who would be the general manager of Burton Pharmaceuticals."

    His low and smart voice reverberated in the room. For meetings appointing the person in charge of a subsidiary, the management team of the main group would be present. In this case, a few leaders from Burton Pharmaceuticals were also in attendance and she was one of them.

    "After many observations and meetings with the management team, we have made a decision." Justin''s eyes scanned the meeting desk before his thin lips spoke a word. "Rachel."

    Rachel was just lowering her head and perusing the documents. When she heard her name being called, she raised her head in shock. She thought she had heard it wrongly, but the apuse rang in the meeting room.

    The congrattory words from the people surrounding her merely served to confirm the fact. How is it possible that Justin still insists on promoting me to the general manager of Burton Pharmaceutical? Everyone left one after another when the meeting ended.

    "Why me?"

    Rachel immediately stood up to question Justin.

    Beside them was Frankie, who tactfully walked out and closed the door behind him, leaving only Rachel and Justin in the meeting room.

    Justin crossed his arms as he leaned back in the leather chair. His calm and collectedposure was exactly the same as five years ago. "The words I say and the decisions I make are rarely changed. Why do you think that you won''t be the one?"

    "You clearly know that I won''t be in Burton Group for long."

    "Everyone including the intern to a high-level manager and even the shareholders can''t guarantee that they will stay in Burton Group forever."

    "That''s different."

    "In my opinion, they are the same. It''s normal for people to enter and leave apany."

    With that, Justin rose to his full height and buttoned his suit as he asked her, "Are you done yet? If yes, I have something else to attend to. I''ll excuse myself first."

    Rachel was at a loss for words.

    "Send your proposal after the promotion to my office in three days," he added.

    Then, he walked to the door inrge strides.

    As she looked at his back, she suddenly asked, "If I tell you that I''m going to resign today, what would you do?"

    Justin clearly stiffened, but he did not turn around to face her. "It takes a month toplete the resignation process. You would at least have a month to do that. I guess I don''t have to teach you to end things well, so just focus on what you need to do."

    Rachel frowned as he left inrge strides.

    Upon seeing that Justin came out of the room with a darkened expression and he walked directly to his office, Frankie guessed that Justin had an argument moments ago.

    Other people might not be clear about the rtionship between Rachel and the trouble that the Hudson Pharmaceuticals had gotten into, but Frankie was clear about that. "President Burton, do you really n to ask Miss Hudson to stay in the Burton Group for a long time?"

    "Why? Are you also against that idea?"

    "What I meant is that she has a deal with Old Mr. Burton. Even without me telling you, I''m sure you are clear that she can''t stay for long, even if she wanted to.ˇ±

    Since the beginning, Arthur had never nned for Rachel to stay in the Burton Group. One could guess that the deal was for her to leave Justin and the Burton Group without thinking deeply into the matter. Justin clenched his fists tightly. "As long as she is willing to stay, there are many ways to ask her to do so formally."

    With that, he immediately entered the office.

    As the office door closed, Frankie suddenly realized something. "President Burton, you''re saying that..."

    He was shocked as he stared at the tightly shut office door. He insisted on Rachel''s promotion so that she doesn''t have to worry about staying? If Rachel is in charge of the future of Burton Pharmaceuticals, no matter what deal she had made with Old Mr. Burton, he would not let her easily leave for the sake of Burton Group''s future. When that time arrives, even if she wants to leave, he would ask her to stay. President Burton has really exercised a lot of effort into this. Would Rachel be appreciative of his actions, though?

    Frankie heaved a quiet sigh as he thought of what Rachel had done after she returned.

    On the other hand, when she returned to her office, the colorful confetti flew around with a loud bang, which startled her.

    "Congrattions on your promotion, Chris! In the future, we would need to address you as President Hudson."

    The members of her department gathered and enthusiastically cheered for her, making her unable to stop smiling.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "You guys..."

    Lisa was the first one to speak, "What did I say? Everyone already knew about the promotion. Chris, from now onward, you are our official boss."

    "Yeah, we will have to address you as President Hudson in the future."

    "Let''s work hard with Chris from now on!"

    Amidst the cheers, the crowd pushed a small trolley that had a cake with lit candles and they asked Rachel to blow out the candles.

    One would have to admit that just in a few months, she had built an excellent culture in Burton Pharmaceuticals. Everyone was loyal to her and they prepared the celebration as soon as they heard the news of her promotion.

    "Chris,e and blow the candles now!"

    "What''s the rush? The main highlight of the show is still not here yet!"

    Rachel asked in confusion, "What highlight of the show?"

    Lisa mysteriously looked at her. Then, the crowd cleared the way to a corner of the office desk as they stood in two rows.

    Then, Rachel immediately saw a huge bouquet of roses.

 Chapter 252

    Lisa stuffed the bouquet of roses into Rachel''s arms and reminded her, "There''s also a card inside." When Rachel saw the card, Lisa started to ambiguously read it out loud. ''Congrattions to my dear Chris for letting go of the past and epting her new life. I love you!

    Instantly, it caused a huge uproar within the office.

    "Did President Burton give you this?"

    "Oh my God, I didn''t expect him to be such a romantic person since he rarely smiles."

    "What do you know? Men are usually romantic when they meet the person whom they love."

    As she perused the contents on the card, Rachel felt a little resigned. She didn''t even need to think to investigate who gave the flowers from this tant style of writing. "It''s not him. You all have misunderstood."

    However, the crowd''s roar instantly overwhelmed her exnation.

    "Alright. We had enough of you two love birds. It''s time to slice the cake."

    "She needs to blow the candles first."

    "That''s right. Congrattions on your promotion, Chris. I hope that you are treating us to dinner tonight."

    Now that the office was filled withughter and chatter, Rachel remained quiet and agreed to treat everyone to a meal while she held therge bouquet of roses in her arms.

    Meanwhile, in the president''s office upstairs, Justin was reading through some documents and noticed that the cup next to him was already empty. "Miss Evergreen."

    He called his secretary to serve him more tea, but there was no response.

    A whileter, he noticed that his cup was still empty, so he immediately furrowed his brows and went out the door. Then, he saw several secretaries gathering around each other as if they were discussing something.

    "What are you all looking at?" His cold voice was heard.

    When the secretaries heard his voice, they instantly rose in shock. "President Burton!"

    The phone fell on the floor, and for some reason, someone had identally yed the video on the screen.

    The screen on the phone was showing the celebrations at Burton Pharmaceuticals.

    In the video, Rachel was holding arge bouquet of roses while Lisa read out the contents of the card.

    "Congrattions to my dear Chris for letting go of the past and epting her new life. I love you."

    "Did President Burton give you this?"

    Although the scenes on the phone were extremely noisy, Justin''s eyes were locked on the woman standing in the middle. As he stared at her joyful face while she held the roses, his cold face immediately darkened.

    "Chris, aren''t you having dinner with us?"

    "It''s fine. You guys can go by yourselves. Feel free to eat anything you want. You don''t have to save money for me."

    Before it was time to get off work, Rachel handed her credit card to Lisa so that she could treat her colleagues to a meal.

    It was due to what Janice had said earlier this afternoon that Rachel wasn''t in the mood for a meal. However, at the same time, Rachel didn''t want to stop her colleagues from having fun, so she simply gave an

    excuse

    and promised to eat with them the next time.

    "Don''t worry, we won''t go easy on you. Let''s go."

    "Have fun."

    She was the only one left in the office because she decided to work overtime tonight. After she finished her first draft since her promotion, she noticed that it was about time for her to leave, so she packed up her stuff and left with that bouquet of roses.

    The reason why she had left sote was because this bouquet of roses was too eye-catching, so she wanted to wait until most people in the building had left first.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Ding!

    The door slowly opened when the elevator arrived on her floor.

    Rachel was startled by the figure standing inside just as she was about to enter.

    As their gazes met, Justin''s face grew cold when his eyesnded on the roses in her hand.

    When the doors were about to close, he suddenly pressed a button while he asked coldly, "Aren''t you leaving?"

    Rachel tightened her grip around the flowers and sheposed herself before entering the elevator. "Thank you." Slowly, the elevator went downstairs.

    "Who gave you these flowers?" His voice was heard from behind her.

    "A friend."

    "Why would a friend send you so many roses?" Rachel furrowed her brows and remained silent. Seeing that she wasn''t responding to his question, Justin was more gloomy as he continued to question her. "Who gave it to you? Is it Julian? Or, is it that foreigner whom I saw thest time?"

    At this point, she could no longer hold back her emotions. Upon hearing his words, she immediately turned around and coldly answered, "In what capacity are you questioning me? It''s none of your business as to who sent this to me."

    Immediately, his expression darkened as he grabbed her arm. "Of course it''s my business. I have the right to know what man my daughter''s mother is in contact with."

    "Let me go!" Rachel could feel the paining from her wrist, so she started to struggle while her screams

    echoed within the elevator. "Justin Burton!"

    However, Justin refused to release his grip on her; he even pressed her entire body against the wall of the elevator while ignoring her shaky feet. "I don''t care what man you are in contact with, but this is a public office. Everyone here knows that you are my ex-wife, so what do you think others will say when they see you tantly flirting with another man? Are you trying to embarrass me or your daughter?" "Justin, don''t you dare insult me!"

    "Am I insulting you? Or, are you the one who is insulting yourself?"

    Then, the elevator door finally opened.

    Justin''s cold gazended on something in the distance across Rachel''s shoulder.

    He could clearly see a white convertible sports car parked at the entrance through the ss door of the hall.

    At the same time, a man in a floral, vacation shirt was leaning against the car door in a manner that did not resemble an attorney. His curly brown hair seemed to be lit up by the setting sun.

    "Chris!"

    Upon hearing his call, Rachel was startled. Hernandez?

    Justin had already let her go and he was now walking toward the entrance in strides.

    "Justin!" She quickly ran over to him, but the bouquet of roses made her actions very eye-catching. Even though most people had already got off work, there were still many who were drawn by what was happening. "What are you doing?" She stood in front of Hernandez to protect him. "Don''t forget that we are still at the Burton Group. Many people are looking at you!"

    Justin had already unbuttoned his cuffs and was now clenching his fists. The violent veins on his forehead revealed his displeasure. Without looking at her, he asked Hernandez, "Did you give her these flowers?"

    After scanning Justin from head to toe, Hernandez furrowed his brows and replied, "It''s you again? So what if it was me?"

    "Go away." Justin coldly uttered to Rachel.

    However, she stood firm. "What do you want?"

    As for Hernandez, he seemed to have understood the man''s intention, so his lips curled upward to reveal a fearless smile. "Chris, you can step aside. This is a battle between two men." She furrowed her brows. "Hernandez..."

    "Don''t worry, we have a way to settle this in peace." He raised his chin toward Justin with a proud and disdainful expression. "Do you dare topete with me in a fair fashion like a man?" Justin''s eyes only grew colder. "You are now in Riverdale. This is my domain, so I ept your challenge."

    Hernandez touched his nose and sneered, "Don''t get too ahead of yourself."

    At the moment, Rachel seemed to have be a mass of air as the two menpletely ignored her. They even left her alone at the entrance of the Burton Group.

 Chapter 253

    Rachel incredulously stood on the sidewalk alone with a bouquet of roses in her arms as she stared at the sports car that drove off in haste.

    After a short moment, she came to her senses and immediately dialed Jolly''s number. "Hey, Hernandez just came and brought Justin with him."

    "What?!"

    On the other end of the phone line was Jolly in a spa room. Despite wearing a facial mask, she suddenly jumped to her full height as her intense curiosity was piqued by Rachel''s words. "Is that true?! When did that happen? Why? Did theye to blows with each other?"

    "It seems like you''re quite keen for them toe to blows with each other, right? Well, it happened before this." Rachel briefly shared what happened earlier before she asked worriedly, "Do you think everything''s alright? Where could they have gone to?"

    "Are you worried about Justin?"

    "Jolly! Is this even the right time to be asking that question?!"

    "Look at you; I was just joking anyway. Why are you anxious? I''ll be there shortly since I know where they are." Jolly instantly removed her face mask and raised her eyebrows at Charlotte, who was by her side. "Charlotte, wake up. Let''s go! I''ll bring you to watch an exciting show."

    There was a pink towel currently wrapped around Charlotte''s head while shezed on a lounge chair with a rxed look. Jolly had ced a face mask on Charlotte''s tiny face as well and her only evident features were her eyes, nostrils and mouth.

    As soon as Charlotte heard that, she asked with a confused voice, "What show is it?"

    Meanwhile, Jolly replied mysteriously, "A boxing show."

    Charlotte maintained her silence. At that moment, the sun had already set and the night sky was brightened by the streetlights.

    In one of the private fitness centers situated somewhere in town, there were currently two tall, strapping figures on each side of the boxing ring as they both concurrently entered the ring. After Hernandez removed his jacket, he nced at Justin and asked, "Are you injured?"

    Meanwhile, Justin had an indifferent look. "Does it matter?"

    "I will never take advantage of my opponent during a match, so I''ll use one hand to fight you." As Hernandez said that, he removed the boxing glove on one hand and moved it behind his back. "That''s not necessary." Justin flexed his neck as his expression gradually turned cold. Then, he warned Hernandez, "Put it back on. Otherwise, you might not be able to get out of the boxing ring alive." The look of disdain gradually disappeared from Hernandez''s face as soon as he noticed Justin''s professionalism and the fierce look in the man''s eyes. "Have you had training before?"

    However, Justin merely uttered, "Are you afraid?"

    "That''s not possible." Hernandez coldly scoffed.

    "Cut to the chase then."

    As soon as the referee blew his whistle, the two of them instantly exchanged blows.

    Since it wasn''t an official match, both Justin and Hernandez were not restricted by any rules. However, the tension between the two was quite evident as their punchesnded hard on each other. None of them took

    the initiative to stop the match and the match would continue until the end unless one party lost.

    On the other hand, Rachel waited for a long time before she finally saw Jolly''s car showing up in front of Burton Group

    "Mommy! Get in!" Charlotte''s head popped out from the backseat of the red sports car before she waved at Rachel in excitement.

    "Why did you bring Charlotte along? Are you intentionally trying to blow up this incident?"

    Meanwhile, the window to the driver''s seat was suddenly wound down as Jolly''s glee was masked by her pair of white-rimmed sunsses. "I was halfway through a spa session with Charlotte, so I couldn''t possibly leave a kid there by herself!"

    In response, Rachel rolled her eyes and replied exasperatedly, "You could have just sent me the address and I would have gone there myself. You wasted my time making me wait for you here." "This is sensational, so you can''t be the only one to witness it! Hurry up and get in the car!"

    A resigned Rachel entered the car since Jolly was the only one with the address.

    As soon as Rachel fastened her seatbelt, Jolly floored the elerator as her car revved up and joined the other cars on the road.

    After half an hour, Jolly stopped the car in front of a boxing gym.

    "A boxing gym?" Rachel eximed in surprise, "How did you know that they are here?"

    "Hernandez is a huge fan of boxing. We met up for lunch two days ago and he mentioned that he''d just joined this club."

    "That doesn''t mean that he would bring Justin here, though."

    "I must say that you''re being too naive here. Males usually prefer such methods to exert their dominance in a fight." Jolly unfastened her seatbelt and gestured to Rachel by throwing a punch in front of Rachel. Then, she yelled toward the backseat, "Let''s go. Charlotte, it''s time to catch the show."

    The loud noise of punches being thrown was clearly audible in the huge gym.

    Inside the boxing ring, Hernandez managed to dodge Justin''s blow from the front, but he couldn''t avoid the next punch in time. As a result, his mind was woozy despite being d in protective headgear. He''s a professional.

    "It''s not toote for you to surrender now."

    "In your dreams!" Hernandez gritted his teeth and readjusted his headgear. "Go on!"

    At this moment, Justin threw a punch, but it was sessfully dodged by Hernandez.

    As Hernandez wasn''t a weak opponent, he immediately responded by making a defensive move. While he tried to defend himself, he tried to concurrently figure out Justin''s weak point. "I will not give up on Chris. She''s the woman I love the most."

    "How many women have heard these words?"

    "Not that many."

    "Not that many?" Justin''s anger suddenly mounted.

    Meanwhile, Hernandez took his chance and punched Justin in the face.

    The blood sshed from Justin''s nostrils. Despite him dodging the blow as fast as he could, he was still badly punched and he stumbled a few steps backward before hended on the side of the ring. Hernandez brushed his nose smugly. "Didn''t I warn you not to be distracted?"

    At that point, he managed to worsen Justin''s raging anger.

    Justin forcefully held onto the side of the ring as he rose to his feet. Then, he went straight for Hernandez.

    Hernandez never expected that Justin would be terrifying in his moment of fury. Justin was like a crazed beast as he threw his punches with all of his might. As for Hernandez, he could feel his arms turning numb as he struggled to block the punches while he fought back and retreated.

    "Hey!! Calm down! We agreed that this would be a friendly match."

    "It''s toote!" Justin didn''t even bother to continue the conversation with Hernandez. "In the future, stay away from Rachel!"

    Just as Hernandez was on the brink of desperation, there was a sudden sh in front of him where he seemed to see the light at the end of a tunnel. "Chris!"

    "Bulls*it!" Justin threw another punch at him.

    "Umm-"Hernandez clutched at his nose and fell to the ground.

    "Hernandez!" Rachel''s voice immediately rang out from behind.

    Justin turned around and he immediately saw the trio running toward them.

    Meanwhile, she rushed right into the boxing ring. As she assisted Hernandez to his feet, she worriedly asked, "Are you alright?"

    He pressed his hand against his nose while responding breathlessly, "Chris, I think I''m about to die."

    Rachel took his hand aside and she was shocked to see the blood spilling out of his nostrils. Soon enough, she regained her senses. "It''s alright. It''s just a normal nosebleed. Lift your head upward and stop moving."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

    As soon as she said that, she took some tissues from her bag to wipe off the blood for him.

    As for Hernandez, hey in her arms and moaned in pain, "Chris, I think my nose bridge must be broken. I won''t be able to gain the affections of any other girls anymore. I''m hurt because of you, so you must bear the responsibility!"

    "I''ll head to the hospital with you to get it checked out."

    "I don''t need a check-up. You just have to treat me to dinner. I want to have your pierogi."

    Meanwhile, upon seeing Hernandez create all sorts of requests to Rachel without a care in the world, Justin couldn''t help but retort, "Hey! Are you done with your act?!"

    Before Hernandez could respond, Rachel was already on her feet as she turned to Justin in annoyance, "What''s wrong with you?! You''ve badly punched him yet you didn''t even apologize?!"

 Chapter 254

    "Apologize?!" Justin roared sullenly. "This is a boxing gym and he voluntarily asked for a match. I''m not responsible for the fact that he became injured and fell to the ground. Ask him whether he understands these rules!"

    "Well, you were too ruthless! It''s not like you''re in apetition!"

    "How am I not in apetition?" he retorted self-righteously. "He lost, so he has to leave you alone from today onward!"

    Rachel stared at him in shock.

    Even Hernandez, who was still in her arms, had to pause before he immediately changed tactics and moaned, "It hurts, Chris!"

    "Where?" She came back to her senses and answered, "Let me take you to the hospital."

    "Okay."

    "Hold up!" An annoyed Justin stepped in front of them to block their way before he questioned Hernandez, "Have you forgotten what you said?"

    Despite being a tall adult man, Hernandez continued to moan as he cowered in Rachel''s shadow.

    As she stood protectively in front of him, she said sternly, "Let me repeat this, Justin. I''m a person, not an item. It''s childish and ridiculous that you''re using me as a wager for apetition in the first ce. Also, there''s no winning or losing when ites to feelings!" With that, she left while still supporting Hernandez''s weight.

    Justin stood rooted to the spot and clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles cracked.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    After an interminable amount of time, a young voice spoke up behind him. "I told you it would be hard to pursue my mom."

    A frowning Justin turned to re at Samuel before asking impatiently, "Why are you still here?"

    "To see how pathetic you look."

    "Excuse me?!"

    As Samuel folded his arms across his chest, he disdainfully took measure of Justin before continuing, "Look at you-you''re handsome, but you don''t know how to use it to your advantage. You''re so silly. Hernandez is smarter than you-he only had to moan in pain a few times before my mom left with him."

    "He was faking it!"

    "So? Aren''t you faking it?"

    The wound on Justin''s back had cracked upon a long time ago, which colored his bandages red. Hernandez did not deliver a light punch either-the traces of blood on the corners of Justin''s mouth had yet to dry.

    Yet, Justin had wanted to win the fight so badly that he was unwilling to show his weakness in front of outsiders.

    "He''s faking an injury whereas you''re faking being fine!" Samuel spread his arms as he shook his head. "There''s no hope for you, you stupid oaf."

    "Samuel, where are you? Quickly get into the car!" Jolly hollered from outside.

    "I''ming!" he answered before he gave Justin a few parting sentences. "You have to be focused on the woman if you want to pursue her. Think about what you''re doing!"

    Now that it was already nightfall, Rachel and Hernandez went straight to the hospital,

    The moment Julian entered the ward upon receiving a call, he saw Hernandez moaning endlessly while holding onto Rachel.

    "What are you doing, Hernandez?" Julian asked grouchily. "Let her go."

    "No," Hernandez whined. "My head hurts, Chris."

    "What do you mean that your head hurts?" Julian asked skeptically. "Drop the act."

    "Julian." A helpless Rachel nced up at him. "Hernandez has been beaten up. He keeps having a nosebleed and he says that he''s dizzy and nauseated. Do you think he needs a CT scan?" "Beaten up?" A startled Julian repeated after her before he recalled Hernandez''s character and suddenly understood the situation. "Well, you deserve it. I told you not to act like that here lest you are mistaken for a hooligan!"

    Upon hearing that, Hernandez protested unhappily, "I wasn''t ''beaten up! We were having a fair boxing match. I didn''t lose; I allowed him to win."

    "Hello. What do you mean by allowing him to win''? I was there," Jolly scoffed from her corner of the room. "I thought you could give him a good beating, but it turns out he''s made a fool of you. You''ve let all of us down!"

    As Julian was now confused, he asked, "What happened? What boxing match? And why is everyone here?"

    Although Rachel didn''t know how to reply, Jolly leaned toward him to gossip, "Justin was the one having a boxing match with Hernandez, Julian.ˇ±

    Upon hearing these words, Julian gaped at Hernandez. "So, Justin was the one who beat you up?"

    Hernandez was seemingly ashamed as he dodged Julian''s gaze. Then, he mumbled, "If it weren''t for the fact that I was fighting with one hand, I wouldn''t have lost. He was exceptionally brutal!"

    Jolly unceremoniously sneered, "Sure, keep on bragging. It''s not like Samuel and I witnessed it. Justin isinjured as well, but he didn''t say anything. Yet, you have the audacity to brag after he knocked you down with one blow!"

    After being utterly humiliated and having no repartee to Jolly''s words, Hernandez changed the topic by gasping and distorting his facial features. "It hurts!"

    "Where?" Rachel pulled him to face her so that she could give him a onceover. "Is your head injured?"

    "Let me see." Julian stepped forward before Hernandez could answer her and pulled her aside.

    "Ow! I don''t need you to-"

    Before Hernandez could finish speaking, Julian pressed on the man''s head. "Where does it hurt? Here?"

    "Tsk... Can you be gentler?"

    "So, not here. How about here then?"

    "Ahhhh! It hurts!!!"

    After a dramatic bout of yelling, Hernandez wrestled out of Julian''s grip and red at him before saying through gritted teeth, "Are you treating me or trying to kill me?"

    "You''re fine. Look at how hearty you sound. Your head doesn''t hurt anymore, does it? If it still does, we have therapists here. I can ask them to massage you and apply acupressure to stimte the blood flow in your head."

    Now that it was already nightfall, Rachel and Hernandez went straight to the hospital,

    The moment Julian entered the ward upon receiving a call, he saw Hernandez moaning endlessly while holding onto Rachel.

    "What are you doing, Hernandez?" Julian asked grouchily. "Let her go."

    "No," Hernandez whined. "My head hurts, Chris."

    "What do you mean that your head hurts?" Julian asked skeptically. "Drop the act."

    "Julian." A helpless Rachel nced up at him. "Hernandez has been beaten up. He keeps having a nosebleed and he says that he''s dizzy and nauseated. Do you think he needs a CT scan?"

    "Beaten up?" A startled Julian repeated after her before he recalled Hernandez''s character and suddenly understood the situation. "Well, you deserve it. I told you not to act like that here lest you are mistaken for a hooligan!"

    Upon hearing that, Hernandez protested unhappily, "I wasn''t ''beaten up! We were having a fair boxing match. I didn''t lose; I allowed him to win."

    "Hello. What do you mean by allowing him to win''? I was there," Jolly scoffed from her corner of the room. "I thought you could give him a good beating, but it turns out he''s made a fool of you. You''ve let all of us down!"

    As Julian was now confused, he asked, "What happened? What boxing match? And why is everyone here?"

    Although Rachel didn''t know how to reply, Jolly leaned toward him to gossip, "Justin was the one having a boxing match with Hernandez, Julian."

    Upon hearing these words, Julian gaped at Hernandez. "So, Justin was the one who beat you up?"

    Hernandez was seemingly ashamed as he dodged Julian''s gaze. Then, he mumbled, "If it weren''t for the fact that I was fighting with one hand, I wouldn''t have lost. He was exceptionally brutal!"

    Jolly unceremoniously sneered, "Sure, keep on bragging. It''s not like Samuel and I witnessed it. Justin isinjured as well, but he didn''t say anything. Yet, you have the audacity to brag after he knocked you down with one blow!"

    After being utterly humiliated and having no repartee to Jolly''s words, Hernandez changed the topic by gasping and distorting his facial features. "It hurts!"

    "Where?" Rachel pulled him to face her so that she could give him a onceover. "Is your head injured?"

    "Let me see." Julian stepped forward before Hernandez could answer her and pulled her aside.

    "Ow! I don''t need you to-"

    Before Hernandez could finish speaking, Julian pressed on the man''s head. "Where does it hurt? Here?"

    "Tsk... Can you be gentler?"

    "So, not here. How about here then?"

    "Ahhhh! It hurts!!!"

    After a dramatic bout of yelling, Hernandez wrestled out of Julian''s grip and red at him before saying through gritted teeth, "Are you treating me or trying to kill me?"

    "You''re fine. Look at how hearty you sound. Your head doesn''t hurt anymore, does it? If it still does, we have therapists here. I can ask them to massage you and apply acupressure to stimte the blood flow in your head."

    A livid Hernandez answered, "No."

    As she was a little worried, Rachel spoke, "Maybe you should get a CT scan or have Julian arrange an appointment for acupressure on your behalf."

    "No!" Hernandez quickly declined. "My head doesn''t hurt anymore. Really, I''m okay now. I''m perfectly fine. Look at me!" Upon saying that, he waved his limbs around in front of her, looking very much like an octopus who was being cooked alive with his silly dance.

    Julian had once given Hernandez an acupressure treatment when they were both abroad.

    At that time, Rachel had only just learned how to perform acupressure and she was looking for people to test her skills on. Since he was eager to be her test subject, he stepped up to the te only to be interrupted by

    Julian. In the end, a single push from Julian had left him feeling like he was half-dead.

    Now, she was exhaling in relief. "I''m d you''re fine."

    "Don''t worry about me, Chris, but if you truly are worried about me..." Hernandez sidled up to her as he batted his eyshes. "You can have dinner with me tonight to celebrate my wellbeing."

    "Take me along." Julian insisted as he removed his gloves and tossed them into the bin. "I happen to be getting off work anyway."

    Hernandez red hatefully at him as he protested, "I didn''t say I wanted to bring you along!"

    Julian ignored what was said and immediately turned to Rachel. "You don''t mind, do you?"

    With a magnanimous smile, she answered, "Of course not. Since Jolly and Samuel are both here, why don''t we all go together? We also haven''t had a get-together in a while. What does everyone want? My treat."

    Jolly shot Hernandez a sympathetic look and shrugged her shoulders, indicating that it wasn''t her intention to be in his way

 Chapter 255

    As night fell, the streets of Riverdale were illuminated by neon lights. A ck car traveled up the hill along the winding paths toward the summer vi of the Burton Family.

    It was moments after Justin left the boxing gym when he received Arthur''s call. Frankie was driving as he said, "You refused to answer Old Mr. Burton''s call, so he contacted me. It seems like he''s really mad this time."

    Justin had taken the liberty to promote Rachel to the position of general manager of the Burton Pharmaceuticals; it was, in fact, an act that went against Arthur''s original intentions.

    "So?" Justin curtly replied, his expression impassive. As a matter of fact, before he made the decision, he had foreseen that Arthur would never allow this to happen if Arthur had known about it. Therefore, he decided to take action without his grandfather''s knowledge.

    Frankie seemed to have something to say, but he ended up swallowing his words. Nobody would be able to stop Justin from doing as he pleased since he was the boss.

    Upon seeing the shallow lines between Justin''s brows, Frankie asked, "President Burton, how is your injury?"

    "I''m fine." Justin held his arm with his other hand, but soon released his grip. If it weren''t for my injury, the match would''ve ended way earlier.

    The vehicle arrived at the summer vi, which seemed especially tranquil and serene under the night sky. As soon as he alighted from the car, he saw a ck vehicle driving away from the vi. When it drove past him, he noticed a freezing re aimed at him from the car window that had yet to be rolled up.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    The Burtons'' butler, who had been standing at the door, immediately stepped forward to wee Justin. "Young Master Justin."

    Justin returned to his senses. "Did Jason just leave?"

    "Yes."

    "That''s something new. I seldom see him returning in all these years. What brought him here today?"

    "It''s nothing important. He was back to visit Old Mr. Burton." It was obvious from Dennis'' response that he did not wish to borate on the topic. "Young Master Justin, let''s head inside. Old Mr. Burton is waiting for you."

    Justin entered the vi with his brows furrowed.

    "Young Master Justin is here," Dennis announced.

    "Let him in." Arthur''s cold voice was heard from the study.

    "Grandpa, I heard that you wanted to see me."

    "Do you know why I want to see you?"

    "I reckon it is about the new general manager of Burton Pharmaceuticals."

    Upon seeing how unashamed Justin was with his actions, Arthur was enraged. "Of course! I''m sure that you know how important Burton Pharmaceuticals is without having me exin it to you. I''ve invested so much blood, sweat and tears in building the brand, yet you are going to watch it go down the drain by handing it to a woman?"

    "Go down the drain?! I don''t think that Rachel has the capability to do so, not to mention that she won''t do so."

    "She won''t?" Arthur mmed the desk and thundered, "How do you know that she won''t? She is a woman who sent her own father to jail! If only you knew..." Before he finished his sentence, the words choked in his throat, as if he suddenly realized something.

    When Justin heard that, puzzlement appeared on his face. "Knew about what?"

    "Nothing!" Arthur''s cold expression returned. "You can''t keep her in the Burton Group. no matter what. She''s bad news and will only bring harm to the Burton Group if she continues to stay." "And this is the reason why you struck a deal with her behind my back?!"

    "Isn''t this enough of a reason? Perhaps you need me to tell you in the face that she had her motives from the very beginning when she tried to get close to you and joined the Burton Group! Don''t you understand now?"

    "I know." Justin seemed cold and calm. "She did all this for the sake of a man named Hans Egerton. Besides, you were the one who gave her the evidence back then. With that evidence, she managed to send Jefferey to prison."

    "If you knew it, why,"

    "Since Hans'' matter has been resolved, why are you still worried?" His expression was as calm as dead water as he interrupted Arthur, rendering Arthur speechless.

    Justin had to admit that he was furious andpletely baffled when he first discovered that Rachel had approached him because of Hans'' death. However, when he finally calmed down, he managed to understand where she came from and even admired her courageous personality.

    Since he was the one who broke Hans'' legs, it was an undeniable fact that he had to bear a certain responsibility for Hans'' death. In contrast, if he was in her shoes, he might not have been able to uphold justice when his family''s well being was at stake. Yet, she was able to do what he couldn''t.

    "All in all, this woman cannot continue to stay in the Burton Group. Do you hear me?" Arthur raised his voice.

    "You have no right to interfere."

    "What did you say?"

    "Rachel holds two-thirds of the list of Burton Pharmaceuticals'' herb suppliers and she has been in charge of the coboration with the Carter Enterprise and our exploration into the international market. You can''t just deny all her efforts, snatch everything that she is currently in charge of and kick her out of thepany with just a word or two. That is if you''re willing to sacrifice the Burton Pharmaceuticals as coteral damage."

    Arthur''s expression changed rapidly and it finally fixed on a nonplussed expression. "That''s impossible! She has just joined the Burton Pharmaceuticals not long ago, so how could she-"

    "You can take a look at this yourself if you don''t believe me." As Justin spoke, he slowly pushed a document that was sitting on his desk toward Arthur.

    In the folder were all the tasks that Rachel had been handling together with her entirework and contacts they were evidence that thepany''s performance would face a major downturn if she were to be kicked out from the Burton Pharmaceutical.

    Justin was certain that Arthur wouldn''t dare to endanger his own hard work. As expected, after reading the entire document, a somber expression appeared on Arthur''s face as he fell into a long silence. "Grandpa, I''ll leave you to continue reading. I shall take my leave now. Justin took a nce at his watch before he rose to his feet and asked, "Speaking of which, why did Jason suddenly return today?" Arthur returned to his senses and nonchntly replied, "He came back to visit."

    Although Justin forwent the question, he clearly noticed Arthur tightening his grip on the document from the corner of his eyes. Arthur clenched his fists so strongly that even his own joints had cracked-a clear sign of nervousness.

    Justin then posed another question before he left. "Is there anything else that you are hiding about Rachel

    from me?"

    Arthur frowned. "Is there any need for me to hide anything from you?"

    "It''s great that you don''t, but even if you do, I will ask her myself."

    However, Arthur stopped him a secondter. "Justin, remember this-that woman is not trustworthy. Don''t waste your time on her."

    "Are you a trustworthy man yourself? You have known the reason why she returned to the country a long time ago, yet you didn''t tell me," Justin countered. To him, nobody was trustworthy. He only believed in what he saw and what he felt.

    While watching Justin as the man left the study, Arthur abruptly threw the document into the waste paper basket.

    Dennis heard themotion and entered the room. "Old Mr. Burton, what''s the matter?"

    With a gloomy expression, Arthur propped his withered arms on the desk as he ordered, "Have all the people keeping an eye on Rachel retreat for now."

    "What happened? Aren''t you worried that she may find out the truth about the video?"

    "I''m afraid that those people whom we sent over may alert her and raise her suspicion instead. After all, she has been keeping in touch with that man from the Investigation Bureautely."

    "How about Mr. Caleb then?"

    "I''ve already ordered him to lie low now and stop all the unimportant business."

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    "Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 256

    Arthur''s dimly lit eyes were filled with coldness. "Ask him to cut all connections with Hudson Pharmaceuticals as soon as possible. Hudson Pharmaceuticals has already been eyed." "Yes, sir."

    Meanwhile, a ck sedan was speeding on a mountain pass.

    The man in the back seat was rather advanced in age. His sideburns were turning gray, and his face was as cold as an iceberg. In a daze, he looked outside of the window.

    Buzz. Suddenly, a sound emerged in the car as a message appeared on the phone screen. After reading the message, the man hummed, "We just got an order. So, back to business." Although the driver was dressed in suits, he had a heavy countryside ent. "Mr. Caleb, didn''t Old Master Burton ask to keep a low profile for now and stop epting orders?" "Stop epting orders?" The man snorted. "He made it sound like a piece of cake. If I quit, do you think my subordinates will settle for it? Do you expect them to be unemployed?" "We can take it slow. I can exin to them."

    "It''s okay. We can finish this deal first and talk about the restter."

    "Yes, Mr. Caleb. You''re loyal to your brothers, so they will definitely be more careful when doing tasks in the future so that the police won''t catch them tripping. Even if they really get caught, they will seal their lips just like Bucky."

    Just then, the driver could sense a cold stare from the rear mirror. He quickly mmed up upon realizing he had said something wrong as cold sweat trickled down his forehead. "Mr. Caleb, I didn''t bring this up on purpose...."

    Caleb red coldly at the driver. "Bucky is going to be released soon, isn''t he?"

    "Yes, sir. Next week."

    "He has done me such a huge favor. I should give him a good treat, shouldn''t I?"

    "You''ve been taking good care of Bucky''s family over these years and he''s very grateful toward you. It''s unnecessary to give him a treat. Bucky has said that it''s his honor to be able to serve you after being released from the jail."

    "Did he say so?"

    "Of course."

    "I''ll leave this matter to you then."

    The driver was startled as he didn''t understand Caleb''s meaning at first. "Mr. Caleb, what do you mean? What do you want me to do?"

    "Only a dead man can be trusted. Be careful, and make sure to not leave a mess."

    The temperature in the car decreased all of a sudden. The driver''s hands which were ced on the steering wheel trembled as his face turned pale.

    Caleb''s extremely bony face was reflected in the rear mirror as his protruding cheekbones gave him a hostile look. His royal vehemence was long gone ever since five years ago, and all that was left was a gaunt look after going through years of suffering.

    Five years ago, all evidence pointed toward him. Due to that, Arthur did everything he could to turn the situation around-even making Bucky a scapegoat to save his life. But at the same time, Caleb was removed

    from the Burton Family. Because of that, his old self had died long ago, making Caleb now an unempathetic person who would climb thedder at all costs for the sake of money and power. What happened five years ago might have been an ending, but it was also a beginning.

    Aftering back from the summer vi, Justin went into the room to check on Charlotte. Charlotte was already asleep but she didn''t sleep well. While opening her eyes in a daze, she rubbed them with her chubby hands. "You''re back, Daddy."

    Justin held her hand. "Don''t rub your eyes."

    Charlotte yawned and said in a soft yet slightly hoarse voice, "Is it morning already?"

    "Not yet. Go back to sleep."

    "Goodnight, Daddy."

    "Goodnight."

    Justin patted the nket covering Charlotte and sat beside her bed for quite some time after seeing her fall asleep again. Although Charlotte was by his side every day, he still missed her dearly. Ever since he lost his memory, being a father was his greatestfort for the past five years; it was as if he got a daughter overnight. To be honest, he started off as an inexperienced father but he gradually got the hang of it-he even managed to change her diaper. His identity as a father had filled in a lot of nks in his memory.

    When he first woke up, he wasn''t able to remember a lot of things. More often than not, he would feel ufortable after seeing some strange yet familiar scenes by the road. Until now, he could still remember the throbbing pain in his heart.

    At that time, the doctor advised him to rest more and try not to overthink. He did as he was told and devoted most of his time to work while spending the remaining time left to apany Charlotte.

    5 years had passed. It was as if the memories that he had lost were discarded, and they didn''t seem to be important anymore. However, when Rachel came back, he couldn''t recall any memories of her existence. Because of that, he came to a realization that his memories were important; not only did he forget about Rachel, he forgot about a part of his life.

    It was alreadyte at night; the cold wind blew across the balcony of the mansion.

    "Hi, Doctor Zane. I''ve thought about psychological therapy."

    The next day, Rachel sent Charlotte to school early in the morning.

    "Will Samuel go to school today too?" Before getting out of the car, Charlotte had asked this question again and again.

    As soon as they got out of the car, they saw from afar Hernandez and Samuel standing at the school entrance waving at Rachel. "We''re here, Chris!" "Samuel!" Charlotte darted over and gave Samuel a big hug.

    Being pounced upon by Charlotte, Samuel stumbled backward and nearly spilled the banana milk that he was holding. "Ouch..."

    "Why is it you who sent Samuel here? Where''s Jolly?" Rachel looked at Hernandez and asked.

    "Jolly called me. She said she has a headache and asked me to pick Samuel up."

    Hearing that, Rachel was rendered speechless. "I''ve told you guys to not let her drink but you all refuse to listen. It''s impossible for her to not get drunk."

    Truth was, Hernandez proposed to have a drink during dinnerst night. The initial n was just to drink a little, but Jolly ended up drinking non-stop. If Rachel didn''t stop her, she would have offered to pay the bills for all the patrons in the bar again.

    Although the Carter Family was wealthy, they couldn''t afford the constant splurges by their prodigal daughter.

    "Let''s not talk about that. This girl must be Charlotte." Hernandez bent down and pinched Charlotte''s cheek. "How cute you are! You''re as cute as your mother!"

    "Hey!" Charlotte widened her eyes crabbily and shoved Hernandez''s hand away. Then, she rubbed her cheek in disgust. "Don''t pinch my cheek!"

    "You have a real temper!"

    "Who are you?"

    "Me?" Hernandez squatted down. "You can call me Hernandez, but since you''re still so young, you can call me Mr. Hernandez for now. Later when your mother and I get married, you can call me Dad." "I''m not going to call you Dad!" Charlotte pulled a long face at once. "I already have a dad!"

    "I know. That''s why you can call me Mr. Hernandez first. It''s okay, you can take your time."

    "You baddie!" Charlotte immediately pushed Hernandez away.

    Surprised, Hernandez lost his bnce and actually slumped on the ground as a result of the push.

    "Hey, Charlotte." Rachel quickly stopped her. "That''s not the right way to behave."

    "Hernandez, are you okay?"

    Hernandez stood up and said sulkily, "No way she could''ve inherited her temper from you. She''s rather hot tempered."

    "I''m sorry."

    "It''s okay. I''ll let it slide since Charlotte is a cutie."

    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 257

    "Who are you calling a cutie?! I don''t like you!" Standing in front of Rachel, Charlotte red at Hernandez angrily with her hands on her hips. "You! Stay away from my Mommy!" Hernandez was amused.

    "There, there. We''re runningte, so go on in." Rachel quickly asked Samuel to bring Charlotte into the school.

    With that, Samuel dragged Charlotte into the school. Unsatisfied, Charlotte kept turning her head back and

    squinting her eyes at Hernandez as a warning.

    It was only after seeing the two kids enter the school did Hernandez turn around and say to Rachel, "Your daughter has a bad temper, unlike you."

    "Oh, really?"

    "There''s a saying that goes, ''One takes the behavior of his or herpany'', so I think we have to speed up the matter about thewsuit."

    Rachel was startled. "Let''s wait for a while more. There are still some matters that I would like to investigate."

    If what Janice said about Jason being the mastermind behind the abduction back then was true, then Rachel was determined to reverse the verdict for Nancy and send Jason to jail. Before achieving that, she shouldn''t be distracted by Charlotte''s matter.

    Meanwhile, Samuel dragged Charlotte all the way into the ssroom.

    "Hey Samuel, why are you dragging me?!" Charlotte shoved Samuel''s hand away and grumbled, "Didn''t you hear that the guy is going to snatch Mommy away?"

    "I heard it. Don''t worry, he won''t be able to win Mommy''s heart." If he was able to, he would have done that long ago and didn''t have to wait until today.

    "You''re saying that you''ve known him for some time, and so does Mommy?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Yeah. Hernandez is Mommy''s superior in Montenegro."

    "Oh no!" Charlotte put her head in her hands while wearing an anxious look. "Mommy is going to be snatched away! You guys knew each other while you were still abroad. He has more advantages than Daddy!"

    "That''s not true." Drinking his banana milk from a straw, Samuel mumbled with a slur, "If we follow your interpretation, Mr. Peters would have more advantage, but even he failed to win Mommy." "Uncle Julian is too introverted, but that guy is different from him! Also, don''t you feel that Mr. Wade has a crush on Mommy too? Mommy just has too many admirers!" "That''s because our mommy is very outstanding!"

    Inparison to Charlotte''s worry, Samuel was rather calm. After all, Rachel''s admirers would want to curry favor with him, so he has been treated kindly by them ever since young. Charlotte was frustrated. "No way. If this continues, Mommy will be snatched away sooner orter. Samuel, you have to cooperate with me. Otherwise, I''ll never talk to you again." "Okay, okay, but what do you want to do?"

    "I want to create opportunities to let Daddy and Mommy meet more often, but how can I do that?"

    Seeing Charlotte''s troubled look, Samuel hesitated and thought of an idea in an instant. "There''s actually a way. Our school is going to hold a cross-country sports day soon, right?" "Oh yeah!" Charlotte''s eyes glistened. "We can get Daddy and Mommy to participate in the sports day

    together!"

    On the other hand, Rachel did not show up in the morning meeting. After the meeting, Justin pondered about it and still couldn''t help but give Rachel a call.

    "Hello?"

    "What''s the matter?" Rachel''s voice came forth from the other end of the line.

    "Are you in the office?"

    "Why?"

    "Why didn''t you attend the morning meeting since you''re in the office?"

    "I took the day off." Rachel sounded reasonable. "A manager has the right to take a day off, don''t they?"

    Little did Justin expect that after giving Rachel a promotion, it actually became a reason for her to go on leave. As such, he was rendered speechless.

    "Is there anything else? If not, I''m going to hang up first."

    Obviously, Rachel couldn''t be bothered to exin her absence to him as she was still not happy that he went boxing with Hernandez when he was still injured. With that, Rachel couldn''t rte to him as she thought his actions were extremely childish and ridiculous. What she hated most was to be deemed as an item- belonging to whoever the winner is.

    "Hold on. Send the proposal to my office."

    "Now?"

    "Yes, now."

    Rachel took a deep breath. "Okay."

    After hanging up the call, Justin lifted his eyebrows slightly. After all, he was the boss, so he had the authority to order his subordinates. He waited excitedly and heard a knock on the door 10 minutester. He gave a dry cough and said, "Come in."

    "President Burton, here is the proposal you''ve asked for."

    The satisfaction in Justin''s eyes froze immediately when he saw Lisa. It was only after a moment did he mumble, "Leave it there."

    "I''ll excuse myself first if there''s nothing else."

    "Wait a minute," Justin hailed Lisa. "Is Miss Hudson very busy today?"

    "Not at all." With her innocent eyes widened, Lisa wore a confused look. "Is there anything? Do you need me to pass a message to Miss Hudson?"

    "It''s okay." Justin waved his hand sulkily and gestured for Lisa to leave.

    The moment Lisa left, Justin flipped the proposal and flung it onto the table. All women are petty. Yesterday''s incident isn''t just my fault but she puts all the me on me. That''s too much! After work, Justin and Rachel reached home one after another. The atmosphere during dinner time was rather uncanny. Because of that, Samuel and Charlotte exchanged nces multiple times. "What''s wrong with Daddy and Mommy?"

    "Shh.." Samuel nced cautiously at Charlotte and lowered his voice. "Yesterday, your dad went boxing with Hernandez, and he ended up injuring Hernandez, so Mommy is annoyed."

    "Huh?" Charlotte widened her eyes. But when the thought of Hernandez crossed her mind, she immediately blurted, "Serves him right!"

    Just as Charlotte was about to put in a good word for Justin, Rachel noticed it and stopped her.

    "Charlotte, let''s remain quiet when having a meal." Rachel ced a peeled prawn on Charlotte''s te and said nonchntly, "Eat up."

    Charlotte mmed up immediately and gave Justin a sympathetic nce. At the same time, she sighed inwardly, Mommy is quite scary when she gets serious. I can''t help you, Daddy. Good luck. "I''m done, Mommy."

    "Me too."

    "Go ahead and y." After sending the two kids off, Rachel stood up and started keeping the dishes,pletely ignoring Justin who was still eating. At that moment, he had not even gotten to take a piece of meat yet.

    "Hey." Justin frowned. "Don''t be too mean. I didn''t even beat him up that badly. I just bruised him slightly. Do you have to be this angry at me?"

    "Am I angry at you?"

    "Aren''t you?"

    Ignoring Justin, Rachel turned a deaf ear on him and continued cleaning the table. Then, she carried the dishes into the kitchen.

    Justin put down his cutleries and went after Rachel. "Rachel!"

    He grabbed Rachel''s arm immediately, almost causing her to stumble. "Why are you even angry at me? It was him who proposed a boxing match, not me. Even if you''re dissatisfied that I agreed topete with him and think I''m wrong to do so, both he and I are culpable. Don''t you think it''s too much to put all the me on me without weighing out the situation? Why do you have to treat me like this? Alright, I admit that I treated you badly in the past. I know it was my fault and I''m trying my best to make up for it now, but you have to give me a chance to do so. Say something!"

    Every time Rachel remained silent, it made Justin even more frustrated.

 Chapter 258

    "Alright, I''ll tell you the reason why I treat you this way."

    p! Rachel hurled the cloth she was holding to the side of the fool before pping it on Justin''s arm. "In your eyes, you always tend to objectify anything and anyone. I''m just an object to you-an object that can be traded and exchanged. You were like this in the past, and you''re still the same now. This pompous act of yours is rooted deep down in you. Everyone below you is merely objects."

    As she blurted that, her gaze was as cold as ice-there wasn''t a trace of warmth in it. She didn''t seem angry: she was just so cold that he started to feel rmed.

    "We are just... different. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

    At this moment, he seemed to be flustered as he failed to speak.

    Tossing him a cold nce, she continued as she started to walk outside, "Do you know why I returned to this country? If it wasn''t because of Charlotte, I wouldn''t be here. I do not expect anything from you. All hope is that we''ll maintain our distance and not get in each other''s way." After saying that, she left the kitchen.

    Hearing the sound of her footsteps heading upstairs, he swung his fist toward the wall with great force. As painful as the collision might have implied on his knuckles, it was iparable to the pain her words brought. It was the first time he felt so defeated; he felt helpless beyond words.

    At this moment, he noticed a shadow lingering by the entrance of the kitchen. With his brows furrowed, he asked, "Who''s there?"

    Upon the cue, Samuel showed his head from behind the door, giving Justin a sympathetic look as he asked, "Are you okay?" "When did youe?"

    "I was here for some time. I heard everything."

    Hearing that, Justin snickered, "Are you here to mock me?"

    Shaking his head, Samuel supported himself against the frame of the door. "Are you trying to court my mommy?"

    "What do you think?!"

    Upon hearing Justinsh out, Samuel grew a little mad. Crossing his arms as he stood, he eximed, "If you continue to talk to me with this attitude, I will not help you!"

    Justin replied with disdain, "You want to help me? How can you possibly help me?"

    In response, Samuel said, "Our school will be holding a sports day soon. It will be held outdoors."

    Unimpressed, Justin asked, "So?"

    "Are you dumb?! If Hernandez hears about this, he will find a way to join. That way, he''ll have plenty of time to spend with my mommy."

    As Justin thought of the possibilities that could ur outdoors, his expression changed in a split second. Hernandez seemed like a yboy who was skillful at courtingdies, so one could imagine what he''d do with such a great chance!

    Seeing how horrible Justin''s expression was, Samuel sent him a wink before saying, "Don''t be too worried because I have a way to make him go away and let you join instead."

    "What do you have in mind?"

    "First of all..." With his chin tipped upward, he put on a proud expression. If it wasn''t for his young age and

    soft voice, he''d sound much more authoritative. "You need to apologize for your cold attitude toward me just now."

    At once, Justin frowned. "You want me to apologize, to you?" The furrows on his brows were deep as he stared at the annoying little kid standing before him. Now that he heard what the kid said, he was certain that all of Rachel''s attention was not on him nor about the idea of leaving Riverdale, but on Samuel.

    Hugging his arms tightly, Samuel huffed, "Forget it if you don''t want to. I don''t mind having Hernandez as my stepfather anyway. I''m leaving. Hmph!" After finishing his sentence, he turned on his heels and was about to leave.

    "Wait." Immediately, Justin called out to Samuel. It took him a brief moment before finally caving in. "I''m sorry."

    It was only then that Samuel turned back to face Justin with a triumphant look as he tilted his head to a side. "That''s more like it. You cannot treat me like that anymore in the future."

    "Hurry up and tell me what idea you have in mind."

    "You''ll know by then. I''m afraid that you''ll mess it up if I tell you now."

    "Hey!"

    "Don''t hey me! I have a name."

    It was Justin''s first time getting ckmailed like this-not to mention, his opponent was just a kid. Though one may think that he''d feel offended, he seemed to be fond of that kid, even when he used to think tha the kid was annoying before.

    "Alright, Samuel." Justin made a mental note to be more patient as he kneeled down before the kid. "I promise that I''ll follow your n. Now, can you tell me what your idea is?"

    At once, he revealed, "It''s simple. I''ll keep Hernandez away for a few days by sending him back to Montenegro."

    "So, you want me to go camping with both of you?"

    "No, no. If you''re going, my mommy will not be willing to go too!" With a wink, he waved at Justin. ˇ°Come closer, I''ll tell you..."

    At this point, Justin could onlyply and lean closer to the kid. When Justin heard what Samuel had in mind, he beamed in a split second.

    The night was getting dark. Behind the glorious, bustling Riverdale, was the darkness that people were oblivious to. In a crowded club, smoke was lingering in the air.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Inside, the deepest private room was so secluded that it was almost separated from everything outside. By the door, two bodyguards were holding their position. As the soundproofing was great, the noise outside didn''t affect whatever that was going on inside.

    On the couch made of authentic leather sat a middle-aged man who had a cigar in his hand.

    Just then, a person who seemed like an assistant came in after knocking on the door. "Mr. Caleb, we''ve managed to gather some people. Would you like to see them or talk to them in person?"

    "There''s no need. Just tell them that this must be executed cleanly. The embassy cannot be involved in this."

    "Don''t worry, this has already been instructed. Due to the fact that the woman involved has a special identity, we wouldn''t dare to be uncautious."

    "There''s actually nothing special about her identity." The man scoffed, "It''s just a mask. Don''t forget. She was

    born out of wedlock; nothing would change even if she''s involved with the Carter Family."

    At that moment, the sound of door knocks rang from outside. "Mr. Caleb, Miss Patterson has arrived."

    As he heard that, the frown on his face was rxed slightly. "Alright."

    "Mr. Caleb, I''ll take my leave first then."

    "Okay."

    With that, the man''s cold face was slowly clouded by the thick smoke.

    The next morning, Rachel saw Justin about to head out with luggage when she was having breakfast with her child.

    "Daddy, where are you going?" Instantly, Charlotte threw Justin a question.

    In response, Justin replied, "I''m going on a business trip. I''ll be back in two days. Behave yourself at home while I''m away."

    "Alright!"

    With Rachel keeping Charlottepany, she no longer threw tantrums whenever Justin went outstation.

    Seeing that there was no reaction from Rachel, Justin was a little dismayed. "Aren''t you going to ask where I''m headed to? Or when will I be back?"

    Upon hearing that, she said ndly, "You''re the president of thepany, so your schedule must be confidential. I have no right to ask you that."

    "Y-You..." He was at a loss for words. Needless to say, he felt wrong-footed after getting mocked by her early in the morning.

    "Care for some breakfast?" She ced a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.

    "Specially prepared for me?"

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    "I cooked extra. It''ll be a waste to throw them away."

    Despite what Rachel said, Justin still proceeded to take a seat happily to have breakfast. To him, the oatmeal was a sign of her showing goodwill.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Seeing that, Samuel, who had been by the side, silently shook his head with a sympathetic expression. Look at how pathetic he is. He''s ecstatic over a bowl of oatmeal.

    After sending the two children to school, Rachel drove to the suburbs alone. The Riverdale Penitentiary was located on a vast emptynd. Some said that the surroundings were wide and empty to prevent the inmates from escaping. After all, it was hard to hide in in sight.

    When Jefferey was brought out, she thought that she''d be hit by waves of emotions, but it was quite the

    contrary. She was so calm that she even surprised herself.

    It had been a while since she saw him, and he had visibly aged; his gray hair had turnedpletely white. He looked like an old folk who didn''t have much time to live. At this moment, she said, "You must''ve not expected to see me here, visiting you."

    On the other side, he sneered after hearing that. "What is there to be unexpected about? Aren''t you here to see how bad of a shape I''m in now? That''d help ease your hatred toward me for giving your hand in marriage to the Burton Family."

    "Burton Family?" The light in her eyes dimmed. "Compared to the other things you did, forcing me to marry Justin was nothing. You should bear the consequences of your actions. Although you''re being punished, it''s not enough to make up for everything you did. Think of all the people you''ve killed and the sins you''vemitted. Do you think the truth can be buried when people are dead?" "Why? Are you trying to catch a slip from me?"

    "Do I have to do that? The prosecutor''s investigation period for my parents'' case has already passed. You can still pay for your sins when you die and see them in the afterlife."

    Throughout her little speech, he listened with a disdainful look. "Are you done?"

    With a 15-year sentence, it meant to him that he had to spend the rest of his life in prison. Hence, nothing she said could anger him anymore.

    "After living for so many years, I''ve gotten everything that I want, so dying right now is worth it. In fact, I hope that I''ll die sooner. You can ask the old man-I mean, your grandfather. He was the one who looked down on me, but I was the one who brought up the entire Hudson Family."

    "What if I tell you that you won''t be listed in our family history when you die?"

    At once, he was stumped.

    She continued, "I''m aiding Carter Enterprise in the process of buying over Hudson Pharmaceuticals. As the eldest daughter of the elder heir, I will be taking over Hudson Pharmaceuticals. The first thing I''ll do when the timees is to remove you from our family records."

    "What right do you have?!" He stood up in a swift movement and was immediately yelled at by the prison guards standing behind him. "What are you doing?! Sit down!" However, Jefferey was raging. "Who do you think you are? Why would the Hudsons listen to you?"

    "Well, because I have 6 of the Hudson Pharmaceutical prescriptions." At that moment, a cold smirk appeared on the corner of her lips. "Don''t you remember? The same 6 prescriptions that troubled you so much for these past few years."

    At this moment, Jefferey was taken aback. How could he not remember? If it weren''t for the prescriptions, he wouldn''t have considered smuggling overseas-which was what brought him here today.

    "I will let my parents get the respect they should''ve gotten. As for you and Amber, I''ll have both of you removed from the Hudson Family''s registry forever. The Hudson Pharmaceuticals that you worked so hard to support will be brought down and rebuilt by me in the name of my parents." At this moment, she brought out the business proposal and waved it in front of him. "Can you see this? Hudson Pharmaceuticals will be rebranded. Do you like it?"

    The moment he saw the name of the brand, he widened his eyes so much that his eyeballs were almost protruding. m! He mmed his palm on the tempered ss as he eximed, "Rachel! You b*tch!" Immediately, Jefferey went mad. It was as if he was going to break through the ss, but the prison guards standing by quickly held him down.

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Take him away."

    "Visiting hours are over."

    Under the roars of the jail rm, he was forcefully taken away as they ended visiting hours earlier.

    Following themotion, the prison guard requested Rachel to show the document that she was holding. "Please show us what you showed the inmate earlier."

    "This?" She cooperatively handed it over. "It''s a business proposal."

    Having flipped through the documents, the prison guards didn''t find anything unusual. Hence, he asked with curiosity, "Why did he get so worked up?"

    In response, she said, "Who knows?"

    Since there wasn''t anything wrong with the documents, the prison guards didn''t question further. With that, she left the penitentiary.

    The moment the metal gate closed behind her, Riverdale''s ray of sunshine shone on her face. At this moment, she could finally feel true justice being brought upon in Riverdale. Under the sunlight, she took out the brand proposal and nced through it. The sunlight hit the name of the brand, making the words ''Lionel Hudson'' gleam. She had used her father''s name for the registration of the brand with an orchid as the brand''s logo.

    Jefferey and Lionel had always beenpeting against each other since young. The highest aplishment for Jefferey was that he had won against Lionel and inherited Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Obviously he couldn''t have expected that ''Lionel Hudson'' would be a brand that Hudson Pharmaceuticals would beunching to the market.

    This also signified that the name ''Lionel Hudson'' would always be intertwined with Hudson Pharmaceuticals as long as it survived; the name would always be remembered by many more people as time passed.

    The moment Jefferey lost it was when Rachel felt that she had finally avenged her parents.

    Three dayster, Justin was having a video conference in a hotel outstation. The meeting was held to discuss the n of buying over Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Closing hisputer, Justin asked Frankie, "During the meeting, you seemed off? What is it?"

    Hearing that, Frankie replied, "I just received news amidst the meeting that Carter Enterprise is also nning to buy Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and their preparations are almost asplete as ours. I think..." In a doubtful tone, he cautiously continued while observing Justin''s expression, "I''m afraid that Miss Hudson may have been involved since the beginning."

    In fact, no one else knew Hudson Pharmaceuticals better than Rachel. Therefore, there was a high chance

    that she was aiding Carter Enterprise as the proposal n was attained so quickly.

    At this moment, Justin furrowed his brow. "You''re saying that Rachel wants to help Carter Enterprise in buying Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "Yes."

    After contemting silently, he said, "If that''s what she wants, then give it to her."

    "Huh?" Frankie couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "Mr. Burton, what did you say?"

 Chapter 260

    "I said, since she wants it, give it to her," Justin repeated his words for Frankie.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Burton Group''s n to buy Hudson Pharmaceuticals will end here. Tomorrow morning, inform the team in charge and tell them that the team is dismissed."

    "President Burton, do you want to think it through first?"

    "There''s no need."

    After Frankie heard that, his jaws dropped.

    Losing Hudson Pharmaceuticals was quite a big matter for the Burton Group as it had been nned for a few years. Besides that, the pharmaceutical products that were about to beunched by the Hudsons might y a big role in the future market.

    Nheless, Justin actually handed everything over with one simple sentence. Hence, Frankie felt that he must be in a dream.

    Three dayster, it was Saturday. The Bilingual Elementary''s students embarked on their outdoor camping activity from Riverdale.

    Early in the morning, Rachel brought the two children to meet up with the other parents at the school''s entrance. After getting onto the big bus, it took around 3 hours before they reached Astoria''s Cloudy Mountain Hignd.

    "Later on, we''ll be forming a tent for each family. There will be a teacher to guide you as you pitch your respective tents. If it''s any parent''s first time joining our camping activity, questions are always weed. Okay, we''ll dismiss and take a break."

    After the leading teacher announced the dismissal, all families that were standing in front of the bus spread out.

    Rachel, who was with Samuel and Charlotte, was staring at the tent feeling flustered. Scratching the back of his head, Samuel said, "Mommy, the three of us can''t pitch a tent."

    Rachel said, "It''s alright, let me try." After that, she pulled out the guide that was inside a bag that was filled with tent-pitching tools. The moment she saw the instructions, she already felt like giving up before she had even started. She then admitted, "It seems that it''s really quite hard."

    However, Charlotte asserted, "Mommy, the guide isn''t hard. The three of us just don''t have the strength to support the tent. The frame is very heavy, and both Samuel and I can''t move it."

    Rachel couldn''t help but feel embarrassed when Charlotte said that the guide wasn''t difficult. After all, both the children were talented smart kids. In some aspects, Rachel could only admit that she was not good enough. After scrutinizing the frame and itsponents, she was a little dispirited. "It''s pretty heavy indeed."

    "Rachel!" A familiar voice could be hearding from behind. "Let me help you!"

    Turning back, she could see Victor making his way toward them. She felt that she was seeing a savior as she almost teared up. "Victor!"

    Meanwhile, Victor''s appearance made Samuel and Charlotte give each other a look. Crap, we forgot that Mr. Wade is also tagging along. This is going to affect our initial n.

    Giving Charlotte a look, Samuel asked sotto voce, "What do we do now?"

    Charlotte quickly started to brainstorm. "Don''t panic, I''ll figure something out."

    "It''s toote." Samuel nced behind Rachel before saying, "He''s here."

    "I said, since she wants it, give it to her," Justin repeated his words for Frankie.

    "Burton Group''s n to buy Hudson Pharmaceuticals will end here. Tomorrow morning, inform the team in charge and tell them that the team is dismissed."

    "President Burton, do you want to think it through first?"

    "There''s no need."

    After Frankie heard that, his jaws dropped.

    Losing Hudson Pharmaceuticals was quite a big matter for the Burton Group as it had been nned for a few years. Besides that, the pharmaceutical products that were about to beunched by the Hudsons might y a big role in the future market.

    Nheless, Justin actually handed everything over with one simple sentence. Hence, Frankie felt that he must be in a dream.

    Three dayster, it was Saturday. The Bilingual Elementary''s students embarked on their outdoor camping activity from Riverdale.

    Early in the morning, Rachel brought the two children to meet up with the other parents at the school''s entrance. After getting onto the big bus, it took around 3 hours before they reached Astoria''s Cloudy Mountain Hignd.

    "Later on, we''ll be forming a tent for each family. There will be a teacher to guide you as you pitch your respective tents. If it''s any parent''s first time joining our camping activity, questions are always weed. Okay, we''ll dismiss and take a break."

    After the leading teacher announced the dismissal, all families that were standing in front of the bus spread out.

    Rachel, who was with Samuel and Charlotte, was staring at the tent feeling flustered. Scratching the back of his head, Samuel said, "Mommy, the three of us can''t pitch a tent."

    Rachel said, "It''s alright, let me try." After that, she pulled out the guide that was inside a bag that was filled with tent-pitching tools. The moment she saw the instructions, she already felt like giving up before she had even started. She then admitted, "It seems that it''s really quite hard."

    However, Charlotte asserted, "Mommy, the guide isn''t hard. The three of us just don''t have the strength to support the tent. The frame is very heavy, and both Samuel and I can''t move it."

    Rachel couldn''t help but feel embarrassed when Charlotte said that the guide wasn''t difficult. After all, both the children were talented smart kids. In some aspects, Rachel could only admit that she was not good enough. After scrutinizing the frame and itsponents, she was a little dispirited. "It''s pretty heavy indeed."

    "Rachel!" A familiar voice could be hearding from behind. "Let me help you!"

    Turning back, she could see Victor making his way toward them. She felt that she was seeing a savior as she almost teared up. "Victor!"

    Meanwhile, Victor''s appearance made Samuel and Charlotte give each other a look. Crap, we forgot that Mr. Wade is also tagging along. This is going to affect our initial n.

    Giving Charlotte a look, Samuel asked sotto voce, "What do we do now?"

    Charlotte quickly started to brainstorm. "Don''t panic, I''ll figure something out."

    "It''s toote." Samuel nced behind Rachel before saying, "He''s here."

    With a low growl, a ck jeep came to a stop by a river that was just a stone''s throw away from their campsite.

    At this moment, Rachel had yet to notice anything. Nheless, Victor, who was one of the leading teachers, was rmed. At once, he put down the things in his hands before marching over. "Victor, this isn''t done yet..."

    Following the direction he was heading, she saw a familiar figure exiting the jeep before closing the door. The string of actions was not done subtly, earning the attention of some parents. At once, she quickly tossed the things in her hands and rushed up.

    "You sc*m! Why are you here?" Victor clutched on Justin''s cor as he roared.

    At that moment, the word ''sc*m'' had earned the attention of all the parents and children at the campsite.

    Initially, Justin was going to brush Victor off, but he quickly raised his hand to exin when he saw Racheling toward them. "I didn''t do anything. This time, you better see it clearly. He''s the one who started it, and I didn''t even lift a finger."

    Not bothering to talk nonsense with him, she immediately held onto Victor and broke the two up. "Victor!"

    "Rachel, don''t stop me! This scambag is always everywhere. Look! He''s even here now!"

    "Many parents and kids are watching. Do you not want to be a teacher anymore?"

    "I don''t care!"

    "Nonsense!" She was so panicked that she was on the verge of pping Victor for his bad temper. After finally turning over a new leaf, he managed to be a teacher. If they were to fight, he would lose his job. It was just not worth it.

    At this moment, a p was sent straight to the back of Victor''s head, causing him to cover it in pain. "Rachel!"

    Turning to look at Justin, she asked, "Care to exin? Didn''t you go on a business trip? Why are you here?" Was his business trip so coincidentally happened to be in Cloudy Mountain Hignd?

    Justin then exined, "The business trip ended sooner than expected. As Charlotte''s father, I have the responsibility to join her school activity with her. Isn''t the goal of this activity to improve the rtionship between the child and their parents?"

    Hearing that, she couldn''t find any words to refute. Since he was Charlotte''s father, he had the right to join the activity. However, if she knew earlier that he would be here, she wouldn''t have even considereding.

    "Mr. Wade, don''t you think so?" Justin was even provoking him now.

    With his brows furrowed, Victor was about to attack Justin again, but he was stopped by Rachel''s firm grip. "Victor, the tent has not sessfully been pitched yet. Let''s go. Don''t fight with him. It''s not worth putting your future at stake for this." With that, she tugged on Victor before they left together.

    Sending Justin a dead re, Victor didn''t forget to point at him as a sign to warn him to keep his distance. After that, he unwillingly followed Rachel to retreat.

    To be frank, it didn''t bother Justin one bit. After all, he didn''t care about anything said by anyone other than Rachel

    Meanwhile, Rachel and Victor were squatting before the tent as they continued to pitch it.

    "Daddy!"

    At this moment, Charlotte ran into Justin''s arms before he picked her up. "Did you miss me?"

    "I did." As she said that, she gave his cheek a kiss.

    On the other hand, Rachel and Victor were ignoring his presence while they continued to discuss and set up the tent. Not only that, even Charlotte, who was in his arms, was also getting ignored. After being in an embrace for a moment, Charlotte contemted for a moment before she whispered something in his ear. Following that, Justin nodded in response before putting her back down.

    At this moment, Charlotte gave Samuel a look as a cue before the two of them ran away from the campsite. However, Rachel and Victor didn''t seem to have noticed that the kids were running off.

    "This should be here."

    With a frame in her hands, Rachel pointed at the guide in Victor''s hand before she gestured something. "It should be connected to here."

    "I think it''s here."

    The duo were both newbies to building a tent. As Victor had just started working at The Bilingual Elementary not long ago, it was his first time joining this activity. Hence, he wasn''t much better at pitching the tentpared to Rachel.

    "It should be here. Join it together with this." A voice of a man could be hearding from behind.

    At the same time, the frame that she was holding was suddenly taken away as Justin fixed the frame without much of a struggle in front of the two. It didn''t take long before a side of the tent was already set. "Now, nail this piece to the ground."

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    Rachel frowned. Continuing to ignore the man, she picked up another tent pole, asking, "Victor, which side

    should this belong to?"

    Victor replied, "Over there. Just put it through."

    "No, you can''t put it through directly." Justin dug out a connector from the bag next to him. "Connect it to this

    first."

    Reaching the end of her patience, Rachel immediately tossed the tent pole aside. The tent pole produced a dull sound as it dropped to the ground and bounced back up. "Since you''re so good at it, do it yourself. I''ll go gather some firewood," she said. Then, she turned around and left the campsite without looking back.

    At first, Victor wanted to go after Rachel, but Justin grabbed him before he could do so. "What are you doing, Mr. Wade? Come and teach me how to pitch the tent."

    Victor shook him off peevishly. "Don''t you know how to do it yourself?"

    "I''ll only pitch one tent. If you can bear the sight of me sharing a tent with Rachel tonight, then leave as you please."

    "In your dreams!" Victor immediately decided to stay. "I''m gonna keep a close eye on you even if I won''t get to

    sleep tonight. Don''t you dare think about taking advantage of Rachel! You can fool her about what the hell you''reing for, but you can''t fool me!"

    Justin confessed right away, "Indeed, I came for Rachel, and I''m not denying it. Why would I fool you?"

    "Bah!" Victor gave him a scornful look. "You think Rachel''s gonna fall for you? You and whose army? I''m telling you, Justin-Rachel will never choose a scumbag like you again even if she''s blind!"

    Justin retorted, "Who else is Rachel gonna choose if she won''t choose me? You? She''s got quite a lot of men protecting her, eh?" Including Victor, there are already three men revolving around Rachel at present. All of them are reckless and courageous men who itch to risk their lives fighting me for Rachel''s sake, he thought.

    "Rachel can marry anyone, but there''s no way she''ll marry you again," Victor said coldly after hammering the tent peg into the ground. "There''s no way I''m gonna sit by and watch what has happened back ther happen again."

    Justin was totally uninterested in what had happened back then. Seeing Victor hammering the tent peg busily with his head down, he looked around and left quietly.

    Meanwhile, Rachel went to gather firewood alone in the mountains. In the dry weather, there were many dead branches on the ground, so she didn''t have much trouble gathering them. In the blink of an eye, the back basket behind her was full.

    "Mommy!" Just then, Samuel trotted up to her. "Mommy! Charlotte is missing!"

    Rachel was startled. For a moment, she thought Samuel was joking with her. "Samuel, I don''t have time to y hide-and-seek with you two right now. Just be good and go back to the campsite and go to Victor after ying on your own for a while, okay?"

    "It''s true! Mommy, Charlotte really is missing!" Samuel looked very anxious. "Charlotte ran away just now, saying she wanted to see if there''s any squirrels in the mountains, but she hasn''t returned yet. Also, I can''t reach her by phone anymore!"

    Rachel finally stopped gathering the firewood. She asked Samuel what had happened at the time, saying, "How much time has passed since then?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Samuel replied, "It''s been a long time. When Charlotte came, she heard there were little squirrels in the mountains, so she brought lots of nuts with her. You were quarreling with Justin just now, so she ran away on her own since nobody was watching over her."

    "That girl is simply reckless!" Rachel put down her back basket right away. After running a few steps, she looked back and asked, "Which way did she go?"

    Samuel hesitated for a moment before pointing in a direction up the mountain. "That way."

    "I''ll go there right away. Samuel, go back to the campsite at once and ask the other teachers to help search for her."

    "Okay," Samuel replied. As soon as he promised Rachel, Justin emerged from behind the ancient tree behind him; the man and the boy gave each other a knowing high-five.

    Having given Samuel the instructions, Rachel immediately went searching for Charlotte. The sky was darkening at the moment. If Charlotte went deep into the mountains by mistake, even if there weren''t any wild animals around, she might get killed by a snakebite.

    Rachel went all the way up the mountain, heading in the direction Samual had pointed to in search of Charlotte. "Charlotte! Charlotte!" she shouted. Just then, she heard a rustling sound behind her. "Charlotte?" She looked back, only to frown at once when she saw a tall figure catching up to her from a distance. "Why are you here?"

    "Samuel told me that Charlotte had run out here."

    "Yeah, he said she had gone this way in search of squirrels or something." Rachel looked around. "Are there any squirrels on this mountain?" For a moment, she couldn''t care less about the old scores between her and Justin. The more people there were searching for a kid, the better, of course.

    Justin replied, "Squirrels are probably in the woods on the mountain. Let''s look for her in the woods."

    "That makes sense." Rachel immediately turned to go deeper into the woods.

    "Give me your back basket."

    "No, it''s not necessary."

    Justin snatched the back basket from her without allowing her to say no. "Let''s go."

    Rachel had no time to argue with him either. Worried sick at the thought of Charlotte having gone missing, she headed into the mountain woods while calling Charlotte''s name along the way. "Where could she have gone? Can''t she hear us calling for her?"

    "That girl is smart. Perhaps she couldn''t find any squirrels and has gone back on her own."

    "Why aren''t you worried at all? Charlotte''s so little; what if anything bad happens to her? What if there are snakes on the mountain?"

    Seeing how worried Rachel looked, Justin suddenly regretted having gone along with Samuel''s n to trick her in such a way. However, what was done was done. If he were to confess to it at this very moment, the consequences would be unthinkable. As a consequence, he could only try to divert the subject by consoling her, saying, "Charlotte isn''t that plucky, and she''s not strong either. She wouldn''t dare to go too far, so don''t worry."

    However, Rachel knew very well how time was of the essence when a kid got lost in the mountains. "No, that won''t do. I''ve got to go back to the campsite and ask the others to help search for her." "Rachel!" Justin grabbed her at once.

    The two were standing on a mountain slope, so their footing wasn''t steady in the first ce. Not only that, but Rachel happened to step on some moss. When Justin grabbed her, she slipped and fell backward with a cry of rm.

    Justin failed to hold Rachel steady in time, so he ended up bing a cushion for thetter as she fell right

    on top of him. "Mmph..."

    Rachel instantly came to her senses when she heard a groan beneath her instead of feeling hurt as she had expected. She hurriedly picked herself up, asking, "Are you alright?"

    Lying perfectly still on the ground with deep furrows in his brow, Justin looked like he was in agony.

    "Did the wound open up? Let me take a look." Rachel was at a loss for what to do. The wound on Justin''s back hadn''t healedpletely yet. Don''t tell me he''s got another injury on top of the preexisting one at the moment, she thought.

    "No, you don''t have to. I''m fine."

    "Don''t y the tough guy. The school has brought the school doctor here with us. Let me call the school doctor over."

    "Rachel!" Justin stopped her. "I''m fine, really. Just help me up."

    Rachel dared not exert too much strength on the man either. She carefully helped him up, asking, "Are you really okay?"

    "My foot hurts a little."

    "Sprained your ankle?" Rachel crouched right in front of Justin while rolling up his trouser leg. "Which part of your foot hurts? Is it this part?"

    Immediately, Justin yed along by letting out a gasp. "Uh-huh."

 Chapter 262

    "It doesn''t seem like there''s anything wrong, though. Could it be that you fractured a bone or something?"

    "It''s not that serious, I guess." Justin stretched out his hand toward Rachel. "Let''s go back with you helping me. I think Charlotte must''ve gone back by now."

    Rachel wanted to search for Charlotte, but she couldn''t leave Justin here in such a state. Having no alternative, she decided to take him back to the campsite first. If Charlotte didn''t return to the campsite, she woulde back to search for her.

    "Just rest assured, Rachel. Charlotte fears the dark more than anything else, so there''s no way she''ll wander outside on her own for such a long time. She must''ve gone back."

    "Let''s hope so."

    With that, the two headed back with Justin''s arm resting on Rachel''s shoulder as she supported him. As the man was nearly 190 centimeters tall, it didn''t look like Rachel was propping him up. Instead, it looked more like he was holding her hostage. In fact, there was no way Rachel could help him up if he didn''t hold himself upright.

    "Actually, I''ve always wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you."

    "Talk about what?"

    "I''d like to formally apologize to you for what has happened in the past. I know that I used to be mean to you, and I can never make up for that, but I''ll do my best. Just give me a chance for Charlotte''s sake." Rachel frowned. "How much do you remember about the past?"

    "I asked Frankie about it, and he told me part of the story. In short, I was mean to you."

    "Not really" Rachel sounded frosty. "It was normal for you to resent me back then. After all, I wasn''t the person you wanted to marry at the time."

    "So, can you forgive me?"

    "Now that we''re divorced, everything that has happened during our marriage doesn''t count anymore."

    "In that case, in the future."

    "There''s no future to speak of." Rachel cut Justin short right away.

    However, Justin still kept at the subject, as though he didn''t notice the impatience in Rachel''s words. "How could there be no future to speak of? Charlotte''s our future. Do you want to break her heart? Ever since she was little, her greatest wish has been to live with her own mother."

    Rachel suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Do you really want me to stay with Charlotte all the time?"

    "Of course," Justin replied with a straight face.

    "Alright then. Give me Charlotte''s custody, and I''ll take care of her in the future."

    Justin was visibly stunned as the fallen leaves rustled in the woods all of a sudden.

    "You can''t do it, can you?" Rachel''s voice broke the deadlock between her and the man as she walked on while helping him by the arm again. "I''m not interested in getting entangled with you any further. Our previous agreement to stay out of each other''s business is my biggest concession already."

    A hint of panic crept into Justin''s eyes. "Are you really not willing to marry me again?"

    "No, I''m not."

    "In that case, are you gonna marry Hernandez?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "It has nothing to do with you."

    "Who else are you gonna marry if it''s not him? Don''t tell me it''s Julian."

    "Justin." Rachel red at him. "Aren''t you done yet?"

    Only then did Justin shut up. After walking with Rachel for a while, however, he could no longer restrain himself. "No matter what you think, my desire to remarry you is my own business, and you have no right to interfere with that."

    "You..." Rachel stopped short of arguing with Justin upon recalling how he had always been like this.

    The two returned to the campsite with Rachel supporting Justin. Upon seeing them from a distance, Victor immediately came up to them. The first thing he said was, "What''s the matter with this guy, Rachel?" "Sprained his ankle." Rachel nced in the campsite''s direction. "Has Charlottee back?"

    Victor replied, "You mean Charlotte? She''s been here all the time. Did she go anywhere?"

    Startled, Rachel looked puzzledly at the campsite, where sounds of people singing and chatting happily could be heard. A little girl''s voice clearly stood out above the others, and Rachel could tell at once that it was Charlotte''s.

    "Ahem, ahem." Justin suddenly hemmed twice. "I told you she woulde back by herself."

    Vaguely realizing what had happened, Rachel shook off Justin''s arm angrily. "So you were fooling me, huh?" "Hey! Rachel,"

    Rachel brushed Justin off and left.

    Justin wanted to go after Rachel to exin himself, but Victor mercilessly stopped him. "What are you doing? Pestering Rachel when she refuses to talk to you, huh? What''s the matter with you? Did you lose your sense of shame along with your memory?" Victor had be even angrier with Justin ever since he learned about thetter''s amnesia. He hurt Rachel so much at the time, only to forget about all of it thanks to a car ident, he thought. "I''m warning you, don''t keep after Rachel like a fly, or I''m gonna beat the shit out of you!" He put out his fist and waved it before Justin with studied ferocity before striding off.

    That night, the school set up several bonfires and threw a bonfire party around them as the ss'' students performed one after another.

    Rachel and Victor sat side by side with Charlotte nestling in Rachel''s arms.

    On the other hand, Justin was warned off by Victor, who bared his teeth at the former as soon as he approached the three because of how he had tricked Rachel just now. "Why are you behaving like a dog?" Justin muttered. After finding a spot to sit down in the distance, he listened to the children''s singing from afar.

    The mountain was quiet andfortable. A short whileter, Samuel slipped away from the crowd and sat down next to Justin in a poised manner. "I told you long ago that Charlotte''s n of having you save a damsel in distress wouldn''t work. I was right, wasn''t I? Now my mom doesn''t talk to you anymore."

    Justin shot a nce at him angrily. "Are you here to make sarcasticments?"

    "Nope. I''m here to help you." Samuel sucked on a lollipop while handing Justin a lighter. "Here. This time, it''ll definitely work."

    "What are you giving me this for?"

    "Come over here." Samuel beckoned to Justin, who reluctantly leaned his ear toward him.

    Halfway through the bonfire party, Charlotte began struggling in Rachel''s arms. "Mommy, I wanna take a pee."

    Rachel immediately took her hand and stood up. "Let''s go."

    There was no washroom where the school held outdoor activities, so everyone had no choice but to relieve themselves in the open. Charlotte walked a long way while holding Rachel''s hand. "Alright, Charlotte. There''s nobody else here."

    "Let''s go a little further. What if there is somebody else whoes here to pee?"

    "Okay, Charlotte, you''re right. It''ll be bad if you''re seen." Rachel nodded, and she walked a little further with the girl. "Charlotte, if you go any further, I won''t be able to see you. Just relieve yourself here; I''ll stay here with you."

    "Okay, Mommy. Just give me a minute while I go behind the grass over there."

    "Alright, just go. Don''t go too far, though."

    After Charlotte left, Rachel stayed in ce alone and inadvertently looked up at the sky. The weather was great, and the stars were shining brightly. Over thest 25 to 26 years since she left Somerset Mountain and came to Riverdale as a child, she had rarely had such pleasant leisure time.

    Suddenly, a ray of light soared into the sky with a swoosh and burst into colorful halos in the night sky.

    Rachel was slightly stunned. Right after that, she heard countless swooshes as numerous fireworks burst in rapid session, illuminating the night sky in an instant asrge fireworks bloomed one after another.

    Is somebody shooting off fireworks at the foot of the mountain? Just as Rachel was stunned, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. "Rachel."

 Chapter 263

    Rachel sharply turned around with a start. "Why are you here?" she asked, before suddenly realizing something. "Were you the one who set off the fireworks?"

    "Do you like them? Samuel said you like to watch fireworks very much. The conditions here are limited, so please make do with it for now. Once we go down the mountain and get back to Riverdale, I''ll take you guys to

    "What the hell do you want?" Rachel interrupted Justin before thetter could finish his sentence. Staring at him with a look of displeasure, she said, "You''ve been following me around for so many days. What on earth do you want?"

    "Don''t you know what I want?" Justin went a step closer. "If you don''t know about that, I can repeat it."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel instinctively stepped back. "I''m not interested in ying this kind of love game with you. Charlotte, are you done?" she shouted toward the grass, but nobody answered her.

    Justin said, "Charlotte has gone back."

    "How could you even use a kid?"

    "No, I''m not the one who used her. Don''t forget about Samuel. He''s your son, not mine." The initially frosty expression on Justin''s handsome face was obscured by the moonlight as he stared at Rachel. "Rachel!" He grabbed her arm. "Please listen to me before you leave."

    Rachel frowned. "Let go of me."

    "Listen to me."

    While neither of them refused to budge, Rachel caught sight of the two kids hiding in the distance from the corner of her eye. They were hiding behind the grass, but they cast two long shadows on the ground as the moonlight shone on them. In consideration of the two kids, she reluctantly replied, "I''ll listen to you. Let go of me first."

    Justin let go of her. "I know you hate me. At first, I didn''t understand why, but I slowly learned about what I''d done to you in the past. I can understand it now. No matter for whose sake or for what you came back and approached me, no matter what you''ve promised Grandpa, I can understand it. No matter what you want, I''ll give it to you as long as I can. After all, I owed you a lot five years ago. If you mind the fact that I''ve forgotten many things, I''ll receive treatment to recall everything that I''ve forgotten. I''m not asking you to ept me

    right away, but I hope that you can get along peacefully with me."

    "Are you done talking?" Rachel looked at the man quietly.

    Justin was startled. "Yeah."

    "Since you''re done talking. I''m leaving." Rachel said. Then, she walked past him and headed straight toward the campsite.

    Stunned, Justin stood frozen in ce. His confession, which he considered sincere, was worth nothing in Rachel''s eyes. After all, words could never speak louder than actions. He had done so many things to hurt Rachel back then, so how could he possibly gain forgiveness with just a few hollow words?

    Just as he was stunned, he suddenly heard a scream behind him. "Ah! What are you doing?"

    Justin came to his senses at once.

    Rachel had just left and was walking along the path when two hefty men popped up from nowhere and stopped her. She asked, "Who are you?"

    The two men weren''t of a sturdy build, and it was obvious from the peaked caps and the ck face masks they were wearing that they didn''t want to be recognized. With one of them standing in front of Rachel and the other standing behind her, they stopped her and prevented her from leaving. Then, one of them drew out a

    knife from behind him, and the knife gleamed with chilliness in the moonlight.

    Rachel staggered and fell. As she was in a panic, she couldn''t muster any strength. Instead, she could only struggle to back away, and she couldn''t be bothered to react to the pain when the stones on the ground rubbed against her hands. "Don''te over! I can give you two however much money you want."

    However, the man with the knife closed in on Rachel without saying a word, as though he didn''t hear what she had said. After signaling to the other man to grab her and cover her nose and mouth right away, he raised the knife in his hand and thrust it toward her.

    Rachel''s eyes widened, and her pupils shrank.

    Just then, her scream was drowned out by the smack of a punchnding on someone''s flesh. She clearly saw the man who had attempted to stab her being kicked away by Justin; he fell onto the muddy ground and rolled about four meters away. Not only that, but the man who had grabbed her was also seized by Justin and dealt with with a few cuffs and kicks.

    The many prone on the ground while begging for mercy repeatedly. At the sight of the scene, the man who had fallen far away took to his heels and ran away very quickly.

    Stepping on the remaining man''s face, Justin asked in a chilly voice, "Who sent you here? Spill it!"

    The man gritted his teeth hard while refusing to make a sound.

    "What''s the use of asking him like this?" Rachel got up from the ground and let go of her aching arm. Then,

    she picked up the knife that had nearly taken her life from the ground and held it to the man''s throat right away without hesitation. "Are you gonna say it or not?" she asked, her tone turning more ferocious by the minute, while pressing the knife deeper into the man''s throat. "Who sent you here?"

    The man''s face nched. "D-Don''t do it! I''ll say it. I-It was Master Jason."

    Master Jason? Justin''s expression darkened as he immediately took off the man''s face mask.

    The man wanted to stop Justin, but it was already toote. With a strained expression, he said, "Y-Young Master Justin..."

    Rachel let out a snort beside them. "Justin, is this the ''chance that you just asked me to give you?"

    "Rachel"

    "Please save me, Young Master Justin!" The man clung onto Justin''s thigh for dear life. "All of this was Master Jason''s idea, and I had nothing to do with it. If you don''t save me, I''ll be dead when I go back!" "Let go of me!"

    However, before Justin could shake the man off, Rachel had tossed the knife directly onto the ground with a nk. After casting a chilly nce at the two men, she left without looking back. He''s one of Jason''s men. Janice is right-Jason''s got to have something to do with Hans'' death back then. That''s why he''s so anxious; he didn''t even hesitate to take risks in order to have me killed.

    As soon as Rachel returned to the campsite, she called Janice and told thetter what had happened just now.

    "Are you sure that he''s Jason''sckey?"

    "I''m pretty certain about it. That guy said it was Master Jason who sent him here, and he called Justin ''Young Master Justin.'' Moreover, Justin does know him in person."

    "Jason isn''t from the underworld, after all. He''s impatient." Janice sounded very calm as her voice came from the other end of the line. "It''s a good thing that Justin went there all of a sudden. At the very least, Jason wouldn''t dare to do anything in front of him."

    "I''m still worried. I''d like to go back with the kids first."

    "No, I''m afraid that you might be in danger on your way back. What you need to do right now is follow Justin closely. As long as Justin''s there, Jason will have misgivings about whatever he wants to do. He won''t take anyone else seriously."

    Rachel clenched her fists. "Are ordinary people''s lives nothing in the eyes of these men?"

    "To them, ordinary people are just stepping stones that they can get rid of like weeds when necessary. They''ll stop at nothing for the sake of their interests."

 Chapter 264

    "Don''t worry, Rachel. I won''t let him off."

    Despite hearing the resolute words on the other end of the line, Rachel felt a terrible dull ache in her heart. Over so many years, Janice had been devoting herself to mping down on underworld gangs, but she was often met with all kinds of obstacles. There were not only external factors but also many on the inside that were shielding these gangs. Arthur couldn''t possibly be the only person who contributed to Jason being cleared of suspicion in Nancy''s kidnapping back then, so it went without saying how many strings had been pulled for this.

    Meanwhile, the night was falling, and Justin was waiting on the mountain path. Soon, his personal bodyguards arrived. "Young Master Justin."

    "Young Master Justin, this is..." The two bodyguards were Justin''s trusted men. In order not to affect the school''s activities, Justin had them stay far away from him when they came, saying that he would call them over if there was anything.

    Justin kicked the half-dead henchman lying next to him. He said coldly, "Tie him up and put him in your car until I get back to Riverdale."

    The two bodyguards exchanged a brief look. "Yes, Young Master Justin."

    "Also, you two take turns to keep watch near the campsite tonight. Keep your guard up."

    "Yes, Young Master Justin."

    After giving the instructions, Justin went back to the campsite.

    The bonfire activities had ended, and all the families returned to their respective tents to sleep and save their strength for the next day''s outdoor sports meet.

    Rachel had just finished washing Charlotte''s face. After urging the two kids to get into the tent, she pulled down the tent''s gauze from the outside and zipped the tent ps shut.

    Just then, Charlotte''s voice sounded from inside the tent. "Mommy, aren''t youing in to sleep with us?"

    Rachel replied, "I''ll be back in a while after washing my hands." After finishing her sentence, however, she sat down beside the bonfire outside. There was no smile on her face; even when illuminated by the bonfire, her face looked very grim. As she poked at the bonfire, the branches crackled audibly in the night.

    Justin came back to see her sitting alone outside the tent. "Just go to sleep. I have somebody keeping watch at a distance, so nothing will happen again."

    Rachel didn''t even look at him. "It''s okay. I''m not sleepy at all."

    "If you''re really worried, I''ll send you guys back to Riverdale first. Outdoor activities aren''t safe in the first ce, anyway."

    "Put off by a slight risk, huh? Is that why you didn''t let Charlotte go to school?" Rachel finally looked up and stared frostily at the man before her. "Samuel is fine; he has joined a lot of such activities since he was little. But can''t you tell how happy Charlotte is toe out here this time?"

    Charlotte had joined almost all the activities at the campsite. Not only did she take part in every little game with great enthusiasm, but she even became one with all her little friends. She had nevere out and yed with so many people at once ever since she learned to speak.

    "If it weren''t for Charlotte, I would''ve left at once." Rachel took a nce at Justin. "But you don''t have to worry. Obviously, your uncle ising after me. The kids have nothing to do with this." Justin frowned. "Once we get back to Riverdale, I''ll investigate the matter thoroughly and give you an exnation."

    "No, you don''t have to." Rachel shot a nce at Justin. "If you really feel bad about it, then stop following me around. Just spend more time with Charlotte and Samuel during the outdoor sports meet tomorrow instead." After all, Justin was Charlotte''s father, and Samuel also regarded him as his father. Therefore, the two kids would be happy to have the man keep thempany during the outdoor activity this time. Knowing that it was useless to say more, Justin could only give her a slight nod in silence.

    As the bonfire crackled, the campsite became increasingly quiet, and the lights of the tents were turned off one after another. Rachel curled herself up in the chair with a yawn. Even though she was sleepy, she was unwilling to go back to sleep. She said she didn''t worry that Jason mighty a hand on the two kids, but she was nheless afraid of the possibility.

    After some time, she couldn''t stay awake anymore, and her eyes closed.

    Charlotte and Samuel were sleeping inside the tent when the tent ps were unzipped from the outside. Samuel wasn''t soundly asleep in the first ce, so he looked at the person in a daze after being roused from sleep.

    "Shh..." Justin took a nce at him before carefully putting down thedy in his arms. Then, he put the pillow below her head and tucked her in. Having done all these, he sat down beside Rachel. As he quietly watched her sleeping, he felt incredibly at ease, and he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

    Just then, a little hand came in front of Justin''s lips, and he looked up to see Samuel beside him. How could I have forgotten about this little brat?

    Samuel stared at Justin with big, round eyes. He asked warily, "What are you doing?"

    Justin grabbed his hand and replied impatiently, "Why are you being so meddlesome? Hurry up and go back to sleep!"

    "I will, but you have to get out."

    "And what if I refuse?"

    "In that case, I''ll call Mr. Wade over!" Samuel replied while waving his cell phone.

    Justin frowned. Both of them refused to budge. After a long time, however, he could only leave the tent in dejection. This brat said he wanted to help me, but all he hade up with were lousy ideas. I wonder if he really wanted to help me or if he wanted to dupe me to get back at me.

    When the light in the tent was turned off, Samuel turned over and held Rachel''s arm while looking out of the tent. The figure of the man outside was visible by the bonfire.

    Instead of returning to his own tent, Justin sat down in front of the bonfire outside. Every once in a while, he poked at the bonfire, and it seemed that he had no intention of leaving.

    At this instant, Samuel''s opinion of the man changed somewhat. He''s quite reliable, after all.

    The next morning, the first match of the outdoor sports meet was the three-legged race.

    Rachel and Charlotte had justpleted their round. When Victor came over to record the contestants''

    finishing positions in the race, he noticed that Rachel had been massaging her arm and that something was wrong with the look on her face. "Rachel, is your arm okay?" Rachel didn''t tell Victor what had happenedst night lest he worry about it. She shook her head and replied, "It''s okay. Which round will Samuel bepeting in?"

    "He''ll bepeting in the next round. Why don''t you rest for a while, Rachel? I''ll let himpete a couple of roundster."

    "There''s no need to go to so much trouble. It''s a three-legged race, after all. We don''t need to use our arms."

    "No, you don''t have to." Rachel shot a nce at Justin. "If you really feel bad about it, then stop following me around. Just spend more time with Charlotte and Samuel during the outdoor sports meet tomorrow instead." After all, Justin was Charlotte''s father, and Samuel also regarded him as his father. Therefore, the two kids would be happy to have the man keep thempany during the outdoor activity this time. Knowing that it was useless to say more, Justin could only give her a slight nod in silence.

    As the bonfire crackled, the campsite became increasingly quiet, and the lights of the tents were turned off one after another. Rachel curled herself up in the chair with a yawn. Even though she was sleepy, she was unwilling to go back to sleep. She said she didn''t worry that Jason mighty a hand on the two kids, but she was nheless afraid of the possibility.

    After some time, she couldn''t stay awake anymore, and her eyes closed.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Charlotte and Samuel were sleeping inside the tent when the tent ps were unzipped from the outside. Samuel wasn''t soundly asleep in the first ce, so he looked at the person in a daze after being roused from sleep.

    "Shh..." Justin took a nce at him before carefully putting down thedy in his arms. Then, he put the pillow below her head and tucked her in. Having done all these, he sat down beside Rachel. As he quietly watched her sleeping, he felt incredibly at ease, and he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

    Just then, a little hand came in front of Justin''s lips, and he looked up to see Samuel beside him. How could I have forgotten about this little brat?

    Samuel stared at Justin with big, round eyes. He asked warily, "What are you doing?"

    Justin grabbed his hand and replied impatiently, "Why are you being so meddlesome? Hurry up and go back to sleep!"

    "I will, but you have to get out."

    "And what if I refuse?"

    "In that case, I''ll call Mr. Wade over!" Samuel replied while waving his cell phone.

    Justin frowned. Both of them refused to budge. After a long time, however, he could only leave the tent in dejection. This brat said he wanted to help me, but all he hade up with were lousy ideas. I wonder if he really wanted to help me or if he wanted to dupe me to get back at me.

    When the light in the tent was turned off, Samuel turned over and held Rachel''s arm while looking out of the tent. The figure of the man outside was visible by the bonfire.

    Instead of returning to his own tent, Justin sat down in front of the bonfire outside. Every once in a while, he poked at the bonfire, and it seemed that he had no intention of leaving.

    At this instant, Samuel''s opinion of the man changed somewhat. He''s quite reliable, after all.

    The next morning, the first match of the outdoor sports meet was the three-legged race.

    Rachel and Charlotte had justpleted their round. When Victor came over to record the contestants''

    finishing positions in the race, he noticed that Rachel had been massaging her arm and that something was wrong with the look on her face. "Rachel, is your arm okay?" Rachel didn''t tell Victor what had happenedst night lest he worry about it. She shook her head and replied, "It''s okay. Which round will Samuel bepeting in?" "He''ll bepeting in the next round. Why don''t you rest for a while, Rachel? I''ll let himpete a couple of roundster."

    "There''s no need to go to so much trouble. It''s a three-legged race, after all. We don''t need to use our arms."

    "Let me do it." The rope in Rachel''s hand was snatched away all of a sudden as Justin''s voice rang beside her.

    "You?" Rachel looked at him, dumbfounded. She found it difficult to imagine Justin and Samuel being tied together in a three-legged race.

    While she was in a daze, Justin had stridden into the distance toward Samuel without giving her the opportunity to say no at all. "Hey..." Victor yelled with the record book in his hand. Grumpily, he muttered, "There''s no way he''s doing this without expecting anything in return.ˇ± Charlotte grabbed the lower hem of Victor''s shirt while blinking her eyes angrily. "Mr. Wade, why do you hate my dad so much? He''s very kind."

 Chapter 265

    Victor could only speak against his will in front of the girl. ˇ°I was just joking. Are you angry, Charlotte?"

    Charlotte replied, "This joke isn''t funny at all, Mr. Wade. If you speak of my dad like this again, I''m really going to get angry!"

    "Okay, I won''t say that anymore," Victor replied helplessly. After Charlotte went far away to cheer Samuel on, he said to Rachel, "The only good thing Justin has done is to take pretty good care of Charlotte." Rachel was startled; she seemed to think of something. "She''s his daughter, after all."

    "But I feel that it might be better for Charlotte to be with you."

    "Did Jolly say something to you?" Rachel asked. Jolly would sometimes pick the kids up at school, so Victor had talked to her quite a number of times as Charlotte and Samuel''s homeroom teacher. Because of Rachel, the two soon warmed to each other.

    Victor replied, "Rachel, I think you''re justified in wanting to take Charlotte away. No matter what you do, I''ll always side with you."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel was lost in thought before her eyes were drawn to the race in the distance.

    All the teams set out after the referee blew the whistle.

    Justin nearly tripped Samuel as soon as he took a big stride forward. "Ouch!" Samuel hugged the man''s thigh right away. "You idiot! I almost fell to my death!"

    "Isn''t that because you have short legs?"

    Samuel''s face turned livid with anger. "I''m a kid!"

    "We''re gonna lose if you keep arguing with me."

    "We''ve lost already!" Samuel rolled his eyes at Justin while standing where he was with his arms folded across his chest. "If I had known this earlier, I''d rather give up on the race than join you. This is so embarrassing." The other teams have reached the halfway mark, whereas he and I are still on the starting line, he thought. "Let''s forget it. I don''t want to run the race anymore," he said while bending down in an attempt to untie the strap that tied his foot to Justin''s.

    "It''s still too early to give up! Why give up before the end of the race?" Justin replied. Grabbing Samuel''s belt right away, he lifted the boy up in midair and ran toward the finishing line in big strides like a sh, quickly overtaking all the other parents.

    The instant they crossed the finishing line, everyone at the scene was stunned.

    "Hey! They''re breaking the rules! How could anyone run a three-legged race like this?"

    "That''s right! It''s a three-legged race, so how could you run the race with the kid in your arms?"

    The teachers nearby hurriedly maintained the order at the scene.

    Samuel covered his eyes, feeling extremely embarrassed as Justin tucked him under his arm. He kept struggling, saying, "Put me down!"

    Justin put him down triumphantly as he still didn''t know what he had done wrong. "Didn''t we win the race?"

    "No, we didn''t! This is so embarrassing!" Samuel shot him a re. "I''m not gonna take part in races with you anymore!" he said, before running away. Whenever he ran into a ssmate, he would say that he didn''t know Justin.

    Meanwhile, the referee came over and said to Justin, "You''re Samuel''s father, right? It was against the rules of fairness for you two to run the race like that. We''ll have to disqualify you two from the race."

    "What?" Justin frowned.

    "Sorry, but you can''t run a three-legged race with the kid in your arms. Both of you must run the race with both your feet on the ground to be fair to the other teams," the referee said before crossing out Justin and Samuel''s records in the race in front of Justin, disqualifying Samuel on the spot.

    Justin was at a loss for a reply.

    Watching the spectacle from a distance, Rachel suddenly gave augh.

    Justin seemed to sense something, and he looked back to see this scene.

    The birds in the mountain woods were chirping nonstop in the height of summer, and the stream was gurgling on. The summer sunshine seeped through the gaps between trees, producing swaying shadows of trees on the ground. At this very moment, however, all this beautiful scenery became the background for the smile.

    As far as Justin remembered, if he wasn''t mistaken, this was the first time Rachel hadughed so heartily at him.

    Rachel wasughing when she saw Justin looking back at her. When their eyes met, she didn''t manage to stopughing in time. For a moment, she was startled, and she felt somewhat embarrassed. Just then, Charlotte took her hand and snapped her out of her thoughts. "Mommy, the beach volleyball match will begin in a while. Let''s win the match!"

    Coming to her senses, Rachel replied perfunctorily, "Let''s do our best!"

    "Yeah, let''s do our best!"

    Rachel was dragged away hurriedly by Charlotte, whereas Victor was still standing in ce while calcting the scores with the referee. Seeing that Justin and Samuel had been disqualified, he felt sorry for Samuel, but he couldn''t help but want to ridicule Justin at the same time. However, when he looked up, he saw Justin cing his hand on the tree beside him for support. Suddenly, the man''s face showed a hint of agony, and the instant he turned around with his back to Victor, some blood seeped through the back of his gray T-shirt.

    Victor''s eyes shrank slightly. Is Justin injured?

    When Justin looked back and saw Victor, he frowned. Immediately, he made a silencing gesture toward Victor, signaling to thetter not to tell Rachel about it.

    Victor threw Justin a disdainful look. This is unnecessary, he thought. He knew how softhearted Rachel was better than anyone else did, so there was no way he would tell her about it even if Justin didn''t ask him to keep it a secret.

    During the matches in the morning, Rachel and Charlotte got the second highestprehensive score. On the other hand, Justin and Samuel finished inst ce, for Samuel steadfastly refused to take part in any match with Justin again after they ran the three-legged race.

    When they were eating lunch at noon, Charlotte couldn''t help but mock, "You''re such a loser, Daddy. How could you finish inst ce? That''s so embarrassing.ˇ±

    Samuel nodded in agreement before twisting the knife, saying, "Our cing in the sports meet doesn''t matter. What matters is that we''ve lost face."

    Justin shoved a washed strawberry into his mouth right away. "Can''t you just shut up and eat?"

    On the other hand, Rachel brought the food out of the serving cart, diverting the two kids'' attention.

    "Mommy, let me help you." Charlotte jumped for joy before running toward Rachel to help thetter take the bag containing cutlery. "What are we gonna eat for lunch?"

    "Potato sd, scrambled eggs, and grilled fish."

    "They''re all my favorites!"

    The families spread their respective pic mats next to their tents to eat on their own.

    Victor helped Rachel put down the stuff. While distributing the cutlery, he reluctantly handed Justin a set of cutlery while saying sarcastically, "You do absolutely nothing; all you know is to be waited on hand and foot."

    Justin darted a look at him. "Would you dare to eat the food that I have a hand in preparing?"

    "No, I wouldn''t. I''m afraid that you mightce the food with poison. If I die, no one will collect my dead body then."

    "It''s good that you know about that."

    Seeing that the two men wouldn''t stop squabbling with each other, Rachel interrupted them, saying, "Okay, that''s enough. Justin, stay aside on your own if you don''t feel like eating."

    "I didn''t say that I don''t feel like eating. Why didn''t you tell him off instead? He was the one who picked the quarrel first."

    However, Rachel ignored himpletely and was watching the two kids eat. "Charlotte, eat your veggies. Don''t discard them in secret." The first time she had dinner with Charlotte, she had found out that the girl didn''t like to eat vegetables. When they were at home, she could blend the vegetables with meat puree and mix them with the other dishes. However, when they had lunch outside together, there was no way she could prepare the food with such meticulous care.

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 Chapter 266

    "Mommy, the veggies are bitter."

    "No, they''re not. Only by eating vegetables will you grow taller with bnced nutrition," Rachel coaxed Charlotte. "Whoever finishes eating the veggies first will get to eat ice cream when we get home tonight." Charlotte''s eyes lit up at Rachel''s words. After whisking the vegetables in her bowl into her mouth in several mouthfuls, she slurred, "I finished my lunch!"

    "Slow down when you eat." Rachel wiped the food off the corner of Charlotte''s mouth. "Have some more of the fish."

    "Okay."

    Justin was somewhat lost in thought upon seeing how Rachel looked after the kids. I must have been crazy to divorce this woman five years ago. What kind of benefits canpare to having such a wonderful woman by my side?

    Victor waved his hand before Justin''s eyes with a peevish expression. "Hey! Have you had enough of watching her?"

    Justin knocked his hand off. "I can watch her for as long as I want to. That''s none of your business!"

    "I can ce my hand wherever I want to. That''s none of your business too!"

    "Picking a quarrel, huh?"

    "What''s the matter? You wanna pick a fight?"

    Justin raised his eyebrows at once. Just as he was about to put down his lunchbox, he suddenly thought of something and shot a dismissive nce at Victor. "I''m not gonna argue with you. Don''t think about taunting me into fighting with you." Rachel hates me fighting with other people more than anything else. From today onward, I''ll refrain from using violence unless necessary. "Have some strawberries." He moved closer to Rachel while putting the washed fruits next to her.

    Rachel refused to go along with him, though. She darted a look at the lunchbox in his hand, saying, "You didn''t touch the food at all. Are you dissatisfied with the food here? You''d better go back as early as possible lest you be famished."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Who said that? I''m very satisfied with the food." Fearing that Rachel might not believe him, Justin ate a big mouthful of the food. Then, he praised, "You''re so good at cooking. The food you make smells especially appetizing."

    Rachel threw him a disdainful look.

    Samuel tugged at Justin''s sleeve next to him while pouting his lips toward the serving tray. "These are made by the cooks of the school canteen." It''s hopeless that he tried to suck up to her and ended up rubbing her the wrong way instead.

    Nevertheless, the two kids had a great time during the outdoor activity. After the activity ended in the

    afternoon, Charlotte won first prize in the sports meet, and she was beside herself with joy while holding a cartoonish thermos in her arms.

    The girl kept talking on their way back, saying, "Look, Daddy-this is my prize! Do you know what prize this is? This is the prize for the person who won first ce. I want to take part in sports meets again in the future..."

    After a long while, the girl quieted down. When Rachel saw the two kids sleeping with their eyes closed through the rearview mirror, she slowed down the car and shot a nce at Justin next to her. "How did you get the car here? You can''t drive."

    "The chauffeur drove the car here, but I told them to leave first."

    Rachel was rendered speechless by the man''s confident reply.

    The mountain road was very smooth with few bumps along the way, so the two kids slept very soundly.

    Rachel asked, "Why do we have to go back in your car? Do you also think that your uncle will attempt to kill me again?"

    Justin replied, "I''ll investigate this matter thoroughly after we get back to Riverdale. For the time being, the security at home will be heightened, so you don''t have to worry about the kids'' safety. I''m more worried about you." One could tell from his reply, which evaded the major issue, that he didn''t want Rachel and Jason toe into conflict with one another. After all, Jason was his second uncle.

    However, Rachel said, "I''d advise you not to look into the matter or get involved in your uncle''s affairs."

    "Why?"

    "There are some things that Old Mr. Burton probably doesn''t want you to know."

    For apany to be as sessful as the Burton Group, it had to gain a foothold somewhere. This depended not only on a business prodigy like Justin, but also the protection by some underworld connections This was because the more sessful a business was, the more liable it was to attacks. An expanded business was bound to cause market disputes. The industries of the same trade woulde up with an endless stream ofpetitive strategies, so a careless mistake would cause thepany to be uprooted. When that happened, the underworld connections would be of use. Hudson Pharmaceuticals engaged in smuggling and other crimes back then because it could no longer make money on the surface.

    Rachel didn''t know what the Burton Group had done in secret. At present, however, it was apparent that Arthur wanted to train Jason to embark on a dark path. Janice had told her that Arthur had the ability to let Jason stay in the Burton Group back then, but instead of doing so, he had Jason change his name and gradually distance himself from the family. After five years, even the members of the Burton Family had almost forgotten about the existence of such a man.

    Just then, Rachel heard Justin asking next to her, "What do you know, Rachel?"

    Rachel replied, "I don''t know anything." All she knew was that Jason wanted to kill her at the moment, so there had to be something on her that he was afraid of. What is it, then?

    It was already dark when the car reached the downtown area of Riverdale. As soon as they reached the Burton Residence, they saw Dennis and the car parked at the gate from a distance.

    With a slight frown, Rachel switched the car''s headlights to low-beam ones and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.

    Justin was annoyed as soon as he got out of the car and saw Dennis. "Why are you here?"

    "Young Master Justin, did you forget about the family dinner today? Old Mr. Burton expressly had me pick you up."

    "Didn''t I say that I wouldn''t be joining the dinner because I couldn''t make it?"

    Dennis raised his wrist to look at his watch. "It''s still early, so you''ll still be able to make it if you go right now. By the way, Young Master Julian is also there today. Everyone''s waiting for you." Justin pretended as though he didn''t hear Dennis'' words, though. Seeing that Rachel was holding Charlotte in her arms, he carried Samuel out of the car and headed straight into the residence. "Young Master Justin..."

    After sending the two kids back to their respective rooms, Rachel stood by the window and lifted a corner of the curtain to take a look. "Dennis is still there. He''s standing at the gate."

    Justin didn''t want to join the family dinner at first, but a hint of chilliness crept into his eyes when he thought of what Jason had sent his men to do. "I''lle back as soon as possible. Go to sleep early with the kids."

    Rachel sat by the bed and tucked Samuel in without saying a word.

    The sound of the car engine downstairs slowly faded away.

    Justin sat in the car, his expression darkened. "The family dinner would''ve ended long ago by the time I get back. Did Grandpa insist that I go back because he wanted to say something to me?" Dennis replied, "I can''t specte about what Old Mr. Burton thinks."

    "You''re already able to read Grandpa''s mind after working for him for so many years. How could you not know what he thinks?"

    "Young Master Justin, you shouldn''t go against Old Mr. Burton no matter what. Old Mr. Burton loves you more than anyone else in the world does. Whatever he does or says, it''s for your own good." "For my own good? Is that why he treats me like a fool and tells me nothing about what happened five years

    ago?"

    "Young Master Justin,"

    "That''s enough. As it happens, I have something to ask Grandpa about. There''s no need to make up so many excuses just to make me go back."

    Dennis frowned, but he couldn''t say anything else.

 Chapter 267

    Soon, night enveloped the summer vi. As Justin had expected, the family dinner had already ended when he arrived. Just as he was about to enter, he heard Julian and Sue talking inside.

    "Julian, you aren''t young anymore. It''s time to start a family. You''ve met the Harper Family''s second daughter once. Her appearance, education, and personality are very good. She excels in all aspects." "Mom, I''m very busy. I don''t have time to date."

    "What are you talking about? No matter how busy you are, you have to get married, don''t you?"

    "Your mother is right, Julian. If Coraline doesn''t fit your tastes, I''ll get someone to find someone else for you. You should meet her too and settle this important matter so that your mother can finally be at peace."

    "Grandpa, you don''t need to worry about this. I know what to do."

    "What do you know about?" Sue''s expression suddenly darkened. She used, "I know what you''re thinking. You''re still thinking about that little mute girl, aren''t you? You''ve been bewitched by her!" "Mom!" Julian frowned in displeasure, his expression changing as well. "Please mind yournguage. How could you call her a little mute girl?"

    "She was mute in the first ce. If I knew that you''ve been treating her abroad all these years, I wouldn''t have let you go back then."

    Irritated by Sue''s cold words, Julian stood up and said, "Grandpa, I have other matters to attend to, so I''ll be leaving."

    Arthur nodded slightly. Although he cared about Julian, Julian was not a child of the Burton Family, and it was not easy to intervene in matters involving Rachel. In fact, he hoped that Julian could get together with Rachel to save himself the trouble.

    "Julian!" Sue chased after Julian in an attempt to stop him, but the mother and son unexpectedly bumped head-on into Justin who had just entered.

    "Justin." Sue''s face paled a little when she saw Justin. "When did you arrive?"

    Julian greeted him indifferently. "Hey, Justin."

    Justin said, "I just reached a while ago. What''s wrong, Aunt Sue? Are you trying to get Julian a girlfriend?"

    Sue replied with a smile, "Yes, he isn''t young anymore. Look at you two. You''re just a few years apart, but Charlotte has already grown so much, and he still hasn''t found someone to date."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "I happen to know a few friends. Perhaps I could introduce some to him."

    "No need." Julian tly refused, his tone a little displeased. "Justin, I don''t want to worry you about this. If you have this much free time, you should introduce them to yourself." "But I don''t need to, do 1?"

    Julian''s brows furrowed slightly, and his usually warm eyes turned cold as he said, "I need it even less."

    A cough sounded in the room, breaking the stand-off between the two.

    Justin narrowed his gaze as he entered the house. "Grandpa."

    Julian stood at the door for a while. Then, ignoring Sue''s nagging by his side, he turned and walked away.

    As soon as Arthur saw Justin, his expression turned serious. "Where have you been these two days?"

    "There was an outdoor parent-child activity at Charlotte''s school."

    "I''m assuming that woman went with you as well."

    "She is Charlotte and Samuel''s mother. How is it surprising that she went with us?"

    "You really didn''t take what I told you to heart at all, did you?" Arthur mmed the teacup in his hand down loudly, and the tea sshed across the table as he ordered, "That woman can''t continue to stay by your side. If you don''t chase her away, I will go to her myself and ask her what she had promised me."

    "It''s my decision to keep her around. No matter what she had promised you, it doesn''t count without my consent."

    "You..."

    "I''d also like to remind you not to worry about my personal affairs in the future."

    "You better watch your words!" Arthur roared, his expression turning livid.

    On the contrary, Justin looked unfazed except for his eyes that had turned dark as he continued, "There''s one more thing I want to ask you. Except for business matters, do I have any history with Jason?" "What history?"

    "Don''t try to hide it from me anymore. Bring him in." As Justin cast a nce outside, the bodyguard standing by the door entered with a bound skinny man and threw him on the floor.

    The skinny man let out a cry of pain and was forced to raise his face. As soon as he saw Arthur, he begged for mercy profusely. "Old Mr. Burton, save me!"

    Arthur rose from behind the table at once. "What''s going on? He''s one of Jason''s people."

    This skinny man was one of Jason''s people. Arthur had seen him a few times and was familiar with him.

    Justin said coldly, "I should be asking you that question. Why are Jason''s right hand men sent to assassinate people? Is he nning to get rid of me and inherit the Burton Group?" "What did you say? Jason sent someone to kill you?" Arthur''s face fell immediately.

    The skinny man on the ground widened his eyes and hurriedly defended himself, "No, that''s not it. Master Jason asked us to kill...ˇ±

    Before he could say anything, Justin raised his foot and stepped on the skinny man''s face fiercely, asking in a chilling tone, "Did I allow you to speak?"

    The skinny man''s screams were lodged in his throat, like a duck that had its neck stepped on, and his face smeared a gruesome trail of blood on the ground.

    Arthur frowned. "How could Jason try to hurt you?"

    "We have all the evidence. What do you think?

    Justin extended his hand to the side, and the bodyguard immediately put a knife wrapped in a sealed bag in his hand. Even though it was separated by ayer of stic film, the sharpness of the knife was very clear.

    "There''s poison on this knife. I don''t know exactly what poison it is, so I''ve asked someone to analyze it. In case you didn''t believe me, I specially brought this physical evidence to you. You can also let someone you trust investigate it themselves."

    "Then, I''ll have Dennis investigate it."

    Saying this, Justin pped the knife on the table with a loud smack.

    Given his old age, Arthur rarely saw knives and swords, so he had quite a shock. Jason and Justin had been at odds for a long time and always had their fair share of rivalries, so it wasn''t unbelievable that Jason wanted to kill Justin. However, after that incident five years ago, Arthur had already warned Justin, so why would he dare to attempt it again?

    "I will have this matter investigated."

    "If you''re saying that does that mean that Jason really has some sort of history with me?" Justin lifted his foot off the skinny man and pulled out a chair to sit down. "I have enough time today to listen carefully to what you have to say."

    "What do you want to know?"

    "I want to know why that arrogant Jason suddenly left the Burton Group five years ago to start some hical entertainment businesses by himself. Why did hee back less and less often and even change his name to something like Caleb?"

    There were many other things that Justin couldn''t recall.

    Arthur replied, "He isn''t cut out for business. Him staying in Burton Group will only cause you trouble."

    "Is it that simple?"

    "Of course." Arthur looked at Justin calmly. Other than this, what other reason would make Jason leave Burton Group?"

    Justin narrowed his eyes and replied, "I hope that''s only the case as well."

 Chapter 268

    "Grandpa, if you have nothing else, I''ll be leaving first."

    "Wait a minute." Arthur ced a document on the table. "I need you to reply to the overseas branch regarding the market expansion n."

    "Just let Frankie handle the integration."

    "Jean is the legal officer there."

    Justin frowned and took the document after a moment. "I see. I''ll send a message back there when I have time."

    As he watched Justin leave with the document, Arthur''s expression became moreplicated.

    At that moment, Dennis hurriedly rushed in from the outside. "Old Mr. Burton, this..."

    The skinny man on the ground had fainted at some point. His face was a cruel sight to see-it was bruised and was even stamped with a footprint. Justin had always been ruthless, and no one in the Burton Family couldpare to him in this department.

    Arthur cast him a sweeping nce as he ordered, "Call Jason back."

    "Now?"

    "Immediately."

    "Understood." Dennis didn''t dare to tarry, so he immediately contacted Jason. He was eavesdropping by the door earlier. If Jason really sent someone to hurt Justin, he would definitely not be able to get through Arthur.

    "Master Jason, Old Mr. Burton wants you to return here."

    "I''m not in Riverdale today. Let''s talk about it another day."

    As the phone was on speakerphone, Arthur could hear everything. His expression darkened as he immediately roared at the phone, "You aren''t in Riverdale? Where are you?"

    "I went out to handle some things. Don''t ask."

    Suppressing his anger, Arthur asked, "When will youe back?"

    "Within two weeks, maybe. A batch of shipment just arrived here, so I''ll hang up first. Take care of yourself, Dad." Saying that, Jason immediately hung up.

    Arthur was going red with anger, and he mmed the table. "Doesn''t that make things obvious now? If he wasn''t feeling guilty about something, why wouldn''t he dare toe back?"

    "Old Mr. Burton, you haven''t found out the truth yet. You should wait for Master Jason toe back."

    Arthur''s expression turned serious. "Have someone to go and find out what this b*stard has been up to recently."

    "Understood. I''ll get to it immediately."

    On the other end, Rachel answered Julian''s call. As soon as he left the vi, he gave Rachel a call.

    "I saw Justin at the vi. Did you twoe back already?"

    "Yeah."

    Rachel opened the ss door leading to the balcony and walked out as she said into the phone, "Was there a family dinner at the summer vi today?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "I wouldn''t consider it a family dinner. It''s merely an excuse to get everyone together and ask about recent events, then organize and exchange the resources at hand with each other. I hate going to these events the most. If it weren''t for my mother... Forget it, I don''t wanna talk about it." Julian rarely mentioned Sue in front of Rachel

    With such an unreasonable mother, even he himself felt disgusted.

    Rachel understood what he was getting at. "Old Mr. Burton must have called Justin over so urgently because of me."

    "I was just about to tell you this. Things have gottenplicated. I saw Justin''s bodyguard tying someone up in the parking lot. Was that person sent by Jason?"

    "Yeah, probably."

    "It seems that he''s going to question Old Mr. Burton about this. Jason is in trouble."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Jason and Justin don''t get along, and Old Mr. Burton has been doing his best to mediate between them. After all, one of them is his son and the other is his grandson. The knife cuts both ways. Now it only depends on who will make the first move... I overheard from outside the door." At this, Julian''s voice became solemn. "Justin said that the people that were sent by Jason wanted to kill him."

    Jason''s mistake was that when he sent someone to kill Rachel, he did not consider that Justin would also be present, putting them in a precarious situation. Now, no one could tell who exactly he was trying to kill. As long as Justin insisted on it, and the evidence was all there, Jason wouldn''t be able to argue against it.

    Rachel''s hand tightened slightly around her phone. "Justin is quite clever for making that move."

    With this, Justin could get rid of more than half of Jason''s power and stabilize his position as the president of the Burton Group.

    On the other end of the phone, Julian asked, "Have you ever thought that he might''ve said that to protect you, or divert Old Mr. Burton''s attention?"

    "I have, but this can''t be his purpose. Isn''t covering up the truth that Jason is here to kill me a simple matter that isn''t worth mentioning for him at all?" Rachel instantly dismissed the act of kindness with a sentence. "It''s in his best interest to blow things out of proportion and get rid of Jason."

    As a man who could divorce himself and marry the daughter of his enemy for the Hudsons'' Six Ancestral Forms back then, the most important thing to him was always profit. For him, feelings were just another part of his boring life. The only thing that could truly make him scheme with all his heart was profit and only profit.

    Julian asked, "Then, what are you going to do next? I don''t think Jason would stop at this."

    Rachel replied, "Didn''t Justin want to drive a wedge between the father and son? Then let''s give him a hand." Let the mes burn a little more vigorously.

    After hanging up, Rachel was unable to fall asleep for a long time. When she was alone, she was not afraid of dealing with anything, but with two children by her side, she was worried that if she pushed Jason too far, he would do the same thing he did six years ago. She wasn''t too worried about Charlotte as she was by Justin''s

    side, but Samuel...

    When Justin got home, the door of the children''s room on the second floor was half-closed, a faint light peeking through. He opened the door a little and saw Rachel sitting by the bed, tucking Samuel in. Perhaps a breeze had blown when he opened the door, as Rachel raised her head suddenly and saw him standing by the entrance. She gestured for him to stay silent before getting up from the side of the bed anding out

    "Did you juste back?" Closing the door, Rachel asked.

    Justin hummed in reply. "I''ll take care of the issue with Jason. You don''t have to worry too much about Samuel''s safety. Worry about yourself instead. Be careful when you''remuting to and from work." Rachel nodded. Suddenly, she asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

    "No."

    "I''ll cook some pasta for you."

    Hearing that, Justin jolted a little. As he watched Rachel''s figure heading downstairs, his cold features warmed, and he immediately followed.

    Rachel prepared a bowl of spaghetti, which she was the best at.

    "Does it taste all right?"

    "It''s perfect. It would be even better if I can eat this tomorrow."

    "I might not be free tomorrow."

    "What''s wrong?"

    Rachel replied, "I have to go to the construction site tomorrow. The project invested by Burton Pharmaceuticals has been going on for a while, and there has been a problem with Phase Three Land. Can you apany me?"

    "Of course." Justin agreed in an instant.

    "I''m not getting in the way of other matters, right?"

    "No, the investment by Burton Pharmaceuticals is a matter of thepany anyway. You are responsible for your work, so I, the boss, must cooperate with you. How could I let you handle it alone?"

    Justin set down his fork and said with a serious expression, "If you encounter any troubling matters like this in the future, just look for me."

    Rachel smiled at his words, but her eyes were a little sad when she lowered her head.

 Chapter 269

    Justin set down his fork and said with a serious expression, "If you encounter any troubling matters like this in the future, just look for me."

    Rachel smiled at his words, but her eyes were a little sad when she lowered her head.

    The next day, Justin kept his word and apanied Rachel to the construction site.

    Everyone at the construction site looked shocked and happy by Justin''s grand presence, and the project leader even personally ran out to greet him, showing more attention to thempared to when Rachel hade alone.

    "President Burton, President Hudson, after thepletion of the shopping mall here, the surrounding house prices will double as well. The apartments in ourmercial building are also selling very well...ˇ± However, Justin did not humor him. "You can just tell President Hudson about these things. I''m only apanying her to have a look."

    His words could not make his intention any more obvious to the Burton Group''s staff.

    The project leader immediately began bowing and scraping to Rachel. "Please watch your step, President Hudson."

    "No matter what, safety is the most important thing," Rachel said as she took the safety helmet. "I''ve heard that there are still some problems with the demolition. Have they all been solved?"

    The project leader confidently replied, "Of course. However, at Phase Three Land, there were a few greedy holdouts who were demanding more money. They''re asking for five million just to demolish a small, old house. Aren''t they quite the dreamer?"

    "How did you settle that?"

    "You don''t have to worry about that. Generally, ourpany''s demolition team is responsible for tricky things like this. We''ll probably be able to demolish it soon."

    Rachel raised her head and shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight with her hand. She looked around before instructing, "Safety alwayses first. It''s now a critical time for the Burton Group to establish

    an

    example of charity. Never conflict with demolition households."

    "Don''t worry."

    "Careful." Justin helped Rachel. "You don''t have to worry too much about this. All construction requirements are Burton Group''s unified standards. I''ve repeatedly instructed them not to start the work without settling everything."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "In that case, it''s all right. I was just worried because I had heard some rumors."

    "What rumors?"

    As they were talking, a worker suddenly ran over in a hurry from a distance. Because he was running too fast, he stumbled in his steps several times and almost fell.

    "Mr. Holmes!"

    "Liam, why are you running? What got you in a hurry?"

    Saying that, the project leader introduced to Rachel, "This is Mr. Liam, the supervisor of our construction site. Liam, this is President Hudson."

    Without greeting Rachel, the worker said hurriedly, "Something happened at Phase Three Land. We had

    already agreed on demolishing the houses today, but the holdouts went back on their word again, saying that they want to increase the price by one million. The guy in charge of the demolition got angry and immediately

    threw a punch. Now, all of them are fighting."

    "What?" Mr. Holmes'' face turned pale.

    Justin said coldly, "Is this what you meant by ensuring safety and resolving everything properly?"

    "President Burton, President Hudson..."

    Justin led Rachel away without looking back. "Frankie, start the car. Head to Phase Three Land immediately."

    "Understood."

    Currently, the ce where the incident happened was in a mess. The surrounding area had already been demolished, and most of the dpidated buildings were only left with its foundation-except for a small bungalow squeezed in the corner. There was even a line of clothes left out to dry outside the house, showing that there was someone living there. It looked extremely out of ce.

    When Justin and Rachel rushed to the scene, chaos was still ensuing, and the fight was brutal.

    There was a family of five living in the old house. The oldest of them all was an elderlydy who struggled to stand. She stood by the side with the help of her daughter-inw, her hands trembling with worry. Those who were fighting did not hold back, and threw something directly toward the elderlydy.

    As soon as she got out of the car, Rachel witnessed this scene, and she quickly grabbed the elderlydy without a second thought. "Careful!" Justin rushed from behind to protect Rachel and was hit square on the back of his head by the flying piece of wood.

    Enveloped in Justin''s protective embrace, Rachel heard a grunt from above her.

    "Are you all right?"

    Justin touched the back of his head, only to see that hisrge palm was covered in blood.

    "Oh my god, you''re bleeding." Rachel''s face fell. "Let me take a look."

    "I''m fine." Justin took her hand, bringing her and the women and children to an open space that was further away. "Don''t go over there."

    In the midst of the chaos, no one saw Justin and Rachel arriving. Frankie looked around and saw the loudspeaker that was left next to him. He picked it up and went to a higher ce, where he shouted, "Stop fighting! President Burton is here!"

    "President Burton? Which President Burton?"

    "Even the King himself can''t stop us today! Destroy everything!"

    The man who led the fight was bald and brawny, with a big gold chain hanging around his neck. He sat on the excavator with a cigarette with an arrogant expression and said, "No matter what happens, we have Master Jason''s support. He said that we must settle this today, so everybody, tten this ce!"

    It was only after someone had reminded the man that he saw Justin and nearly jumped out of his skin in shock.

    "P... President Burton."

    Justin''s face was livid. "Master Jason? Which Master Jason?"

    Justin stood on the periphery of the crowd with a cold expression on his face. His tall figure was silhouetted by the evening setting sun, an air of authority exuding off him.

    The man with the big gold chain practically tumbled down from the excavator. "President Burton, why did youe here in person?"

    Justin said coldly, "Do you know who I am?"

    "I went to settle some matters with Master Jason and met you once; don''t you remember? Ah, who did this to your head? Who was it? Own up now!"

    The man with the big gold chain red behind him, but none of hisckeys dared toe out. With the aura of a gangster, he took out a pack of cigarettes and shook it before handing one to Justin. Justin did not budge. His cold eyes alone sent shivers down their spines.

    Just then, Frankie had already rescued the male owner of the "holdouts" from the group ofckeys. The male owner had been beaten ck and blue, his appearance nearly indistinguishable. "My son!" Seeing that, the elderlydy immediately shed tears and almost fainted.

    Frankie hurriedly got someone to take the male owner to the hospital. Though Frankie repeatedly promised that they would never demolish their house before they agreed, they were still not at ease and left a pair of children to stand guard in front of the house.

    The two children were still young, and the red scarves on their necks were so dirty that the color had worn off. They stood at the door in the pile of ruins like two telephone poles.

    Rachel felt her heart ache at the sight, so she pulled Justin''s sleeve and said, "Hurry up and have them leave. This ce is obviously impossible to live in. We have to arrange a ce for these two children to stay."

    Frankie said, "President Burton, I''ll take care of things here. What about Master Jason''s side?"

    "Call my grandpa." Saying that, Justin nced at the group of people coldly and said, "It''s not Jason''s turn to call the shots in Burton Group yet."

    The man with the big gold chain trembled, dropping his cigarette.

    While Frankie stayed to deal with the rest, Rachel drove Justin to the hospital.

    "Drive slowly. I''m fine."

    "How are you fine? You''re bleeding so much on the back of your head, and we don''t even know if you have a concussion or not. It''ll also be a problem if your wound gets infected."

    Justin looked at her and asked, "Are you worried about me?"

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 Chapter 270

    Rachel frowned slightly and avoided the topic. "Give Julian a call. He should be on duty in the hospital today."

    "There are so many doctors there. Why does it have to be him?"

    "If you want to get another doctor and queue up with everyone else, I don''t mind waiting with you."

    Justin pondered for a moment before he said, "Fine. Let''s look for Julian."

    Rachel thought he merely didn''t want to queue up, but she didn''t realize that he just wanted Julian to see her caring for him.

    In the emergency department of the hospital, Julian had already been waiting after he received the call. "What on earth happened?"

    "Someone caused trouble on the construction site and injured him by mistake," Rachel exined as she helped Justin to sit down. "I''ll tell you moreter. Can you check his wound first?" Justin kept holding onto Rachel without letting go.

    Seeing that, Julian frowned and asked, "What? You injured your head, right? Did you injure your hands as well? Can''t you let go?"

    Justin was obviously doing it on purpose. "If you aren''t willing to treat me, you can get another doctor."

    "I didn''t say that. It''s my duty as a doctor." As he spoke, Julian pulled Rachel away and held Justin down. "Don''t move. Let me have a look." Though he was indeed wounded, it was only a flesh wound.

    "Are you experiencing any nausea?ˇ±

    "No."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Then it shouldn''t be a big issue. You don''t need to take a CT scan. I''ll just disinfect and bandage your wound. You''ll be fine then."

    Hearing that, Rachel finally let out a breath of relief.

    Looking at her, Justin said, "I told you I''m fine. You don''t have to worry."

    Rachel replied, "It''s still better to see a doctor."

    While the two of them were talking, Julian had already gotten a razor and held Justin''s head down. With incredible speed, he shaved his hair around the area of the wound off.

    Justin immediately leaped up from the bed and yelled, "What are you doing?" His loud roar echoed in the emergency department, but it was already toote.

    With the razor in his hand, Julian replied righteously with a calm expression, "How can I disinfect you and clean up the wound if I don''t shave your hair?"

    "You''re just trying to get back at me!" Justin touched the back of his head, and he could clearly feel that it was bald. His face was livid.

    "Justin, you better watch what you''re saying. I''m a doctor. How could I get back at you? There''s still a part that I haven''t shaved off yet. Come here." "Stay back!" Justin retreated backward, resolutely not allowing Julian to approach him as he threatened, "Take that thing in your hand away."

    "Rae, look at him..." Julian spread his hands at Rachel, looking helpless.

    Rachel immediately chided, "You haven''t bandaged your wound yet. Hurry and listen to Julian."

    "Why should I listen to him? He''s not a barber."

    "He''s a doctor," Rachel said firmly. "Enough with you. Is your hair more important than your life? What if your wound gets infected?"

    Seeing that Rachel was getting angry, Justin suppressed his anger and sat down reluctantly. As he listened to the sound of the shaving razor buzzing behind his head, his cold face turned stiffer by the minute, and he gritted his teeth, yearning to bite Julian''s face off.

    Once Julian was done shaving Justin''s hair, he began to disinfect the wound unceremoniously.

    Rachel, who was watching by the side, inhaled a sharp breath. "Doesn''t that hurt? Be gentler."

    "It doesn''t. It''s always like this. If you don''t believe me, ask Justin." Julian pressed Justin''s neck and poured some hydrogen peroxide on the back of his head, asking, "Right, Justin?"

    Justin practically gritted the words out. "It doesn''t hurt."

    What a joke. How could he admit that it hurt in front of his woman?

    After the medicine was finally applied, a piece of gauze was applied to the bald spot on the back of his head. While Rachel was out shopping, Justin took the opportunity to rest in Julian''s office. "This is just too hideous." Justin frowned as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

    "You''re still bothered about that?" Julian mocked while cleaning up the medical equipment. "You used to have such a big scar on your face, but you never cared about it."

    At the mention of the scar, Justin''s brows furrowed slightly. "By the way, Julian, how in the world did I even get that scar?"

    After he woke up from the car ident, he had almost no memory of the scar on his face, and he felt ufortable looking at it, so he went to get it surgically repaired.

    Julian replied, "I don''t know the details, but I think you got the scar when you were abducted and sold by human traffickers when you were a child."

    "Human traffickers?"

    Justin suddenly felt a pang of pain in his temples as some ufortable scenes shed in his mind, making his head buzz. Julian paused slightly as he packed his things, suddenly realizing that he had said too much.

    Justin pressed on, questioning, "What human traffickers?"

    "It''s nothing."

    "Julian!" Justin resisted the pain and grabbed Julian. "Why are you hiding this from me? Exin, what did you mean by human traffickers?"

    "If you want to know, you should just ask Old Mr. Burton." Julian packed up his things, obviously unwilling to tell Justin more about the traffickers.

    "If Grandpa was willing to tell me, do you think I''d ask you?" Justin blocked his way out.

    Julian frowned. "Do you really want to know?"

    "Obviously."

    "Fine, I''ll tell you." Julian crossed his arms and leaned on the office desk, exining indifferently, "When you

    were thirteen years old, you went to the park to y, but you were abducted and sold into the mountains by human traffickers. You were only found half a yearter. When you got back, you had an injury on your face. You refused to tell anyone how you got it, and you didn''t want to have surgery to repair it either."

    "Why?"

    "How would I know? Didn''t I just tell you? You refused to tell anyone, and nobody knew what happened to you in the mountains. Your entire personality changed after you got back."

    Justin''s brows furrowed. "I don''t remember any of this."

    "If you don''t, it''s fine. It''s not important anyway."

    "If it wasn''t important, why did Grandpa ask all of you to hide this from me?"

    "Maybe he just didn''t want you to recall those bad memories. He''s your grandfather after all. He probably hoped that you could have a better life. This isn''t something worth remembering anyway."

    Though Julian was very young when Justin was abducted and sold by human traffickers, he clearly remembered that Justin''s personality had changed drastically after he came back. He was originally sunny and gentle, but he became speechless and extremely unwilling to get close to others and was full of hostility at a young age. If it hadn''t been for the abduction back then, Julian suddenly realized that perhaps Justin would''ve been like the person he was now.

    Though the exnation made sense, Justin still felt doubtful.

    "Are you done?" Rachel entered with two bottles of water, which she handed to Justin and Julian each.

    Julian nodded and said, "We''re done. I''m still on duty at night, so I can''t see you two off."

    "Go ahead. Take care." Before leaving, Rachel nced at Julian meaningfully as she closed the door.

 Chapter 271

    After leaving the hospital, the two of them didn''t bother to return home. Instead, they called their housekeeper and instructed her to take care of the two children before heading straight to thepany. If such a big issue had happened on the construction site, there was definitely going to be a problem.

    Sure enough, within just an hour, the news had spread and the inte was embroiled in discourse.

    "President Burton, news of the demolition crew beating people up is already trending."

    As soon as Justin entered thepany, the head of the Public Rtions department came up to him. "We called the media to try to remove the trending topics, but we couldn''t stop the major tforms from going live one after another. It was already way toote."

    Justin asked, "How are things at the hospital?"

    "Frankie still hasn''t received any news yet."

    "First, make a statement and say that the Burton Group will take full responsibility for this incident. Compensate them and issue an apology. If the head of the household does not agree to the demolition in the end, then we will never touch his house."

    "Uh..." The head of the Public Rtions department looked stiff. "President Burton, isn''t that too conclusive?"

    In all previous crises, the Public Rtions department issued a statement as soon as they happened, but they always left a loophole, and they didn''t make things too certain in case the situation came back to bite them in the future. The Phase Three Land project was finalized a long time ago. If the holdouts truly refused to relocate, the subsequent projects would not be able to proceed at all, and they would suffer a great loss.

    Rachel, who had been following Justin, advised, "Mr. rk, you should do as President Burton said first. If you''re still worried, you can bring the draft statement over and show it to me once you''re done."

    "All right."

    The head of the Public Rtions department cast a grateful look at Rachel. With Rachel controlling these measures, even if something happened in the future, there would be someone else who could share the responsibility. Everyone in thepany knew the rtionship between Rachel and Justin, and that this guarantee was basically equivalent to an exemption from the death penalty-or in other words, getting fired.

    As they followed him into the office, Justin was calling Frankie. With his tall figure, the man stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with a white gauze on the back of his head that was still faintly seeping with blood.

    "How are they? Alright. Let''s talk after you get back."

    After hanging up the phone, Justin turned around and saw Rachel looking at him. He exined, "Frankie said that the man at the hospital has a mild concussion and sustained many external injuries. After the medical examination, things will blow up even more."

    Rachel said, "Didn''t you appeal to the head of the household? We can''t let this matter get out of hand."

    "I did, but they are being stubborn and refusing tomunicate." Justin frowned. "You shouldn''t worry about this anymore."

    "This involves an investment made by Burton Pharmaceuticals. Who will care about it if I don''t?"

    "That holdout is being stubborn and refusing to move no matter how much money we offer to them. There must be someone behind this. I don''t know if it''s Burton Group''spetitor, so you shouldn''t get yourself involved."

    "Don''t worry." Rachel poured a ss of water and offered it to him. "Drink some water. I''m not that weak. I wouldn''t just let my superiors take care of matters once I encountered a problem. If I shy away from every problem, Burton Pharmaceuticals wouldn''t need my help anymore, and you could just run thepany alone.

    I will take care of this matter with you."

    Justin froze for a moment and looked at Rachel. This feeling of working together suddenly felt very familiar, as if it had happened before.

    Justin''s gaze made Rachel feel a little ufortable, so she quickly averted her gaze and changed the topic. "By the way, if we have to deal with this matter today, those people in the demolition team will have toe out and apologize. Those people... Are they Jason''s people?"

    Justin came back to his senses at her words, his eyes darkening. "Yeah, I''ll take care of it."

    At that moment, more than two hours had passed since the incident on the construction site. Just as the news on the inte was trending, the story was heating up. In the summer vi''s study room, Arthur was furious when he saw the news.

    "Did you do this?" Arthur roared into the phone. "Where are you now? Get back here this instant!"

    "Didn''t I tell you? I have matters to take care of out of town, and I''ll only be back after I''m done."

    "You idiot! Your people attacked Justin, and you''re still acting as if nothing happened? Do you even think of him as your nephew?"

    "That was an ident."

    "ident? Did you think I have no idea what you''re doing? I''m warning you, the president of the Burton Group will never be you. Even if it isn''t Justin, it will never be you, so don''t go around getting ideas in your head!"

    As Arthur said that, Dennis, who was next to him, broke out in a cold sweat. Did he really have to corner him like that?

    Sure enough, Jason, on the other end of the phone, coldly replied, "I''ve never thought of him as my nephew, but have you ever thought of me as your son?" Saying that, he immediately hung up the phone. "Hello? Hello?" Arthur was beside himself with anger. "B*stard!" He mmed the phone down with a loud smack.

    Arthur''s cold voice sounded in the huge study. "Cut off all the resources that bastard owns, and recover the funds he asked for immediately."

    In Cred Valley, which was 300 kilometers away from Riverdale, a pier was shrouded in darkness. There was a

    ship full of shipping workers. A ck car was parked far away on the pier, and the middle-aged man inside the car frowned sullenly by the window.

    "Master Jason, don''t be angry with Old Mr. Burton. There might be a misunderstanding. After all, Young Master Justin was injured. Those people in the demolition crew are a bunch of idiots. How could they injure Young Master Justin? They''re just causing you trouble."

    "Even if it wasn''t about the demolition crew, there will be other issues. This kid has been picking fights with me ever since he was a child and relies on my old man''s favoritism. He doesn''t take me seriously at all."

    "Even so, you''re Old Mr. Burton''s only son."

    When Jason heard this, his face eased a little, but not long after he felt better, there was an urgent knocking on the car window.

    "What''s wrong?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The car window rolled down, revealing the face of the assistant outside, and his tone was dire as he said, "Master Jason, there was a call from the drug factory in Riverdale earlier, saying that they didn''t receive the money"

    "What time is it?"

    "It''s almost ten o''clock."

    Jason nced at his watch as well. Then, his face sank, and he made a call, but he was directed to the voicemail. Arthur did not answer his call. After dialing Dennis'' number, the call went through. "Master Jason."

    "My father didn''t allow the finance department to wire the funds to the drug factory?" As soon as the call went through, Jason immediately questioned.

    Dennis replied, "Old Mr. Burton said that everything will be decided after you return to Riverdale."

    "I need that money now! It has to be wired to me by today."

    "Master Jason, this is Old Mr. Burton''s decision. If you really need it, you shoulde back soon.ˇ±

    Jason was about to say something when he heard Arthur''s unsympathetic voiceing from the other end of the phone. "Why are you still talking nonsense with him? Tell him that if he doesn''te back, he won''t be my son anymore, and he can''t rely on the Burton Family for anything in the future! Tell him he''s on his own!"

    At that, Jason''s expression hardened, and he immediately hung up.

    "Master Jason, what shall we do?"

    Jason''s face was glum as he ordered coldly, "Return to Riverdale!"

 Chapter 272

    At this moment, it was veryte at night. Due to the spreading news, Justin had been having meetings with the staff of the entire Public Rtions department for consecutive nights toe up with solutions to tackle the issue publicly.

    Rachel walked out of the office and coincidentally bumped into Frankie, who had just returned from the hospital.

    "President Hudson."

    She nodded in response. "President Burton and the rest are inside. I''m going out to get some food for everyone."

    "I''ll go. Please rest, President Hudson."

    "No. Go join them. He''s waiting for you."

    Unable to counter Rachel, Frankie hastily went into the meeting room.

    With that, Rachel turned around and took a glimpse, only to find out the window blinds behind the meeting room''s ss walls weren''t closed, allowing her to vividly witness the meeting from outside, as well as Justin''s tensed brows that loosened at Frankie''s arrival. In thest few years, Burton Group had undergone major staff reshuffles. Everyone who was once close to Justin had left except Frankie, and that was why Justin had utmost trust in this assistant of his. Rachel figured the reason Frankie was able to remain wasn''t because of his work capabilities, but because of his obedience-his obedience to Arthur. As Rachel was heading to the twenty-four seven convenience store on the other side of the road, she dialed a number. "I''m getting some food right now. It''s about time we put an end to the news." "That''s it?" In the phone was Jolly''s voice, along with the rhythmic clicks of a keyboard. "I was just getting started on thesements, though..."

    "We''ve achieved our goal. There''s no need to overdo it."

    "Why? Is the old man having a huge quarrel?"

    "Yeah."

    "How did you know that?"

    "The Burtons'' butler gave Justin a call during the meeting, and I overheard some things when I was sitting next to him."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "That''s pretty fast. Old Mr. Burton isn''t even in Riverdale right now. How did the news get to him so quickly? He must have ears everywhere!"

    Rachel replied, "A sly old fox like him wouldn''t fully surrender Burton Group to anyone else. Justin or Jason, the old man surely has men watching them in the dark and feeding him reports at all times. That''s all I have to say. I can''t be out here for too long. It''s up to you how you handle the news as long as you get the mass under control by tomorrow afternoon. And stop stirring up more troubles, or we''re gonna get caught red handed."

    "Okay, okay. Don''t worry. I know my limits." Jolly stopped tapping on the keyboard and asked, "Right, what do you n to do with Jason next?"

    Rachel pondered. "He''lle to me."

    The call ended in silence. Rachel grabbed a few pieces of bread and drinks to the counter and paid for them before leaving. Earlier, the incident at Phase Three Land between the demolition team and the holdout property owner was all rooted from the instructions she gave Jolly, which was to stir up some drama along with some hired recruits. From the holdout property owner''s refusal to relocate and his conceited demand to

    sell the property at an exorbitant price, to the angering of the demolition team that resulted in a physical

    brawl-they were all set up by Rachel and Jolly.

    Although Rachel hadn''t been in Burton Group for long, she had read through all of the agreements, and that was how she retrieved information about the holdout situation in Phase Three Land. Burton Group had offered to acquire every property in Phase Three Land with a tremendous sum-one that exceeded their capital-no ordinary person could resist, but among all the houses in Phase Three Land, one remained unobtainable, thanks to Jolly''s anonymous bribery. No matter how much Burton Group offered the owner, Jolly promised to pay double. Given how unwavering the holdout property owner was, Burton Group decided to take things up a notch and sent a team of demolitionborers to intimidate the owner.

    Nheless, Rachel knew that Jason was in charge of Burton Group''s demolition team. After the incident that took ce five years ago, Jason was assigned by Arthur to take on such ignoble responsibilities. He didn''t care when the citizens fought each other. Even if Justin managed to hurry over, there was no telling if he could get the situation under control. And even if he could, Jolly still had men hiding among the quarelers. Hence, that flying "piece of wood" that was identally thrown toward Rachel wasn''t the only card up their sleeves.

    Therefore, Justin getting hurt was within her expectations. In other words, it was merely a milestone in her grand scheme. Only with Justin truly hurt could the damage be pinned on Jason or his men. As such, Arthur would intercept their feud. Sadly, the more the old man wanted to resolve the issue, the more trouble he would find himself in.

    When Rachel got back to thepany. Justin was the only person left in the office. "Where are the others?" She ced down the bag of snacks.

    Justin replied, "The meeting''s over. They''ve all returned to their own offices. Where did you go?"

    Rachel pointed her chin at the bag of snacks. "There, I went and bought some snacks for everyone. Should have gotten off the elevator at the twelfth floor. Man, I gotta go down again now?"

    "Thanks a lot."

    "No need. It''s the least I can do."

    "I''ll send these over, I guess." As she was seemingly reaching for the bag, Justin suddenly grasped her hand.

    "Rachel."

    Stunned, Rachel turned to the man. "What is it?"

    "Please reconsider the remarriage. I''m serious about it."

    Dazed by his words, she subconsciously withdrew her hand, leaving his hand hanging in the air as she attempted to avoid eye contact with the man. It was extremely awkward.

    After a while, Justin added, "It''s okay. I have all the time in the world. So take your time, and don''t rush it. As long as you don''t fall for others, I can wait."

    She couldn''t feel any intimacy or even emotions in his words, knowing he was still the same as before, and the reason he wanted her to stay was to fulfill his obsessions. If it weren''t for the other men that were pursuing her, bringingpetition to the table, he wouldn''t even care to look at her. He was so possessive that he would never surrender things that were, although no longer, once possessed by him. That was just his true color.

    The news about the holdout incident was growing more intense, and even by the next morning, the issue didn''t seem like it would be resolved any time soon.

    "What''s so difficult about such a trivial matter? Are you tired of your job?"

    As Rachel was carrying breakfast into the office, she could hear Justin reprimanding the head of the Public Rtions Department.

    "Don''t be so upset, President Burton. The demolition team was the one that caused the drama, but they..."

    ,

    "What about them?"

    After hesitating for some time, Luther White, the head of the Public Rtions Department, answered, "They''re all Master Jason''s men." Precisely, heid out the root of the problem.

    Yet, only the causer could be the solver. Since the demolition team was the source of the problem, they had to take out the parasites that whipped up the feud, but each of these parasites were closely backed up by Jason himself. Although Jason was officially out of Burton Group, his influence still remained.

    Having been offended by how Jason recently tried to assassinate Rachel, Justin felt even more disgruntled finding his own man terrified of his uncle.

    "What do you mean "his'' men? This is Burton Group, and everyone who got to work here by procedure are all Burton Group''s employees! Since when have they be ''his'' men?"

    Intimidated by his coldness, Luther started breaking out in cold sweat. Nevertheless, the poor man was put on a spot and dared not go against either of them. But who could me him? "President Burton." Suddenly, Rachel knocked on the door and put an end to the freezing atmosphere in the office.

 Chapter 273

    "President Hudson." Luther acted as if Rachel hade to save him, heaving a sigh of relief.

    As expected, her arrival alleviated the tension on Justin''s face. Justin then waved his hand to dismiss Luther. "Have the others prepare for the meeting in ten minutes. I want a solution."

    "At once, President Burton. By the way, President Gunson is back, and he should be attending the meetingter."

    Hearing the name "Gunson," Justin immediately scowled. "Got it."

    After Luther exited the room, Justin asked Rachel, "Why did youe? You went home prettyte yesterday. Didn''t I tell you to take a good rest at home?"

    "I brought you breakfast." Rachel gently shook the bag in her hand. "I made some soup for you."

    "You didn''t have to, you know? I could''ve asked Frankie to buy something for me."

    "So you don''t want them? Guess that''s my cue to leave, then." Saying that, she pretended as if she was about to leave, but was swiftly stopped by Justin. She tripped herself, but Justin managed to save her from the fall. They looked each other in the eyes.

    The man then answered, "Of course, I do. I just didn''t want you to overwork yourself."

    Rachel revealed a subtle smile. "A simple breakfast can''t tire me. Come, eat up."

    "Don''t leave yet. You have some too. I''m going for a meeting very soon."

    "Alright." And so, Rachel apanied Justin in the office. Watching as he ate, she started inquiring about Luther''s words earlier. "Is ''President Gunson'' the guy whom your uncle recognized to be his godson?" "Uh-huh. How did you know?"

    "Heard about him six years ago, but I''ve never once seen him. He must be working at thepany''s overseas branch and didn''t have time to return."

    Justin replied, "Jason transferred him back five years ago."

    In fact, the "President Gunson" whom Luther referred to as was named Robin Gunson, and he was Jason''s godson. Jason had a daughter named Tina, who was sent abroad for her mental disorder to be treated six years ago. With his wife dying in a car ident, all he had left was his godson. Based on what Rachel knew, Robin was highly obedient and loyal to his godfather.

    Justin added, "It''s pretty apparent why Jason had him transferred back here. As he''s no longer in Burton Group, he would do whatever it takes to have someone he trusts to stay in thepany, and Robin is the perfect candidate."

    Rachel pondered for a while and stated, "Regardless of Jason''s trust, at the end of the day, Robin isn''t his own son."

    "What are you getting at?"

    "I shall join the meetingter as well."

    Initially, Justin excluded Rachel from this matter. After all, with Jason involved, things had be rather touchy. However, he approved of Rachel''s participation in the meeting after seeing how determined she

    was.

    At the meeting room, Justin and Rachel arrivedte, and they were greeted by a man''s voice from the meeting table. "There''s been a major problem, yet you still took your time to indulge in your breakfast beforeing to the meeting. Aren''t you awfully calm?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Tracking the source of the voice, Rachel saw Robin for the first time. He had a wide jaw and facial features

    that made him appear strict. His utterance, stiff and mechanical, belonged to no one his age. And to be honest, rather than a godson, he looked like he was Jason''s biological son.

    "Is this my ex sister-inw before me?" Robin nced at Rachel with his condescending, scornful eyes.

    With that, Rachel scowled, but before she could say a word, Justin shot Robin a leer. "Get out if you''re not here for the meeting."

    "I''m just kidding, Justin. Why so serious? I''ll apologize to her, but I''m sure she doesn''t mind, right?"

    Rachel calmly looked at him and briefly introduced herself. "President Gunson, you may call me Chris."

    Robin''s mockery was nothing but hollow words to Rachel. Regardless, he brought up another matter. "I''ve heard that Chris was responsible for the project in Phase Three Land. Why did you withdraw from the project just because of a minor setback?"

    The other staff members were so nervous that they dared not utter a single word. Every one of them knew the reason Justin had Rachel pulled out of the project was to shield her from any possible conflict with the force behind the demolition team. Despite knowing the answer, Robin bluntly challenged them.

    Maintaining a straight face, Rachel replied, "I wouldn''t be here in this meeting if I''d withdrawn from the project."

    "Oh? So you''vee up with a solution?"

    "My solution doesn''t matter. Rather, given how you ignored everything else and rushed back to Burton Group, I''d assume you''ve returned with the perfect answer to help us out."

    Robin felt utterly ttered. Whether Rachel''s words were sincere or not, they seeded in gratifying him, to which he snapped his fingers. "Perceptive, not bad. Indeed, I''ve heard about the problem in Burton Group, so I hurried back from abroad. Perhaps you should let me tend to this matter."

    Justin icily interrogated, "And how do you wish to ''tend'' to it?"

    Robin crossed his arms andy against the back of the chair. "Don''t you worry about that, Justin. After all, I''ve always handled the PR side of thepany. I assure you that I''ll have the entire situation resolved by tomorrow morning. How difficult can a mere holdout be?"

    "A mere holdout?" Justin sneered, "I''m warning you, it''s best you keep your crooked ways away from this. If you end up aggravating the problem, I won''t clean up your mess."

    "Crooked ways? That''s not fair, is it? Are you implying that I''m worth nothing to thepany?"

    Rachel had never seen anyone bold enough to defy Justin right in his face. Back when Jason was still in Burton Group, even he had to hold back against his nephew. Nheless, Robin was either too courageous or too dense to underestimate him. Feeling the atmosphere getting colder and seeing that nobody dared to speak up, she suddenly interrupted, "I''m sure President Gunson wishes only kindness. Since it has alreadye to this anyway, why don''t we give him a chance, President Burton?"

    Justin gazed at Rachel in confusion.

    Feeling even more satisfied, Robin deeply quizzed, "How are you blinder than a woman, Justin?"

    However, Justin, having no intention to entertain the idiotic Robin, knew Rachel had her own ns. "Sure, but you only have half a day. Present your solution by tonight." "So be it."

    After the meeting ended, Justin stopped Rachel. "Why did you want him to handle it?"

    "Well, since you were talking about his crooked ways, I got curious on how low he''ll stoop to get to the roots

    of our problem."

    Thanks to his wit, Justin was able to understand her implication.

    Seeing that the man was staring at her, Rachel touched her own face. "Is there something on my face?"

    All of a sudden, Justin''s eyes darkened, and he held her hands. "I don''t want you to overthink things, Rachel. Just leave them to me."

    Rachel frowned, not knowing what he meant by that.

    Before she couldprehend his words, Justin continued, "While Robin handles the issue, I''ll have Frankie keep an eye on him just in case." "Okay."

    In a double-story vi in the suburb of Riverdale, Jason was indulging in some tea. "She really said that?"

    "Yeah, everyone in the meeting room heard that. You''re being paranoid about her, Godfather. That Rachel woman is as thick as two short nks. She''s just a pretentious wh*re that''s trying to get remarried to Justin."

 Chapter 274

    On the phone was Robin recounting the meeting earlier.

    Jason grew skeptical. "Things must be more than meets the eye. It''s strange how Justin was so obedient to the mute girl."

    "Anyway, Godfather, just leave it to me. Don''t you worry about anything."

    "Right, good luck, then. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner my burden ends." Ending the call, Jason put down his tea cup.

    Beside him was his assistant, who refilled his cup. "What did I say, Master Jason? With Young Master Robin back, the situation is as good as resolved."

    Justin countered, "Robin can be hasty with his actions. His life in Burton Group has been too smooth, so he wouldn''t be able to detect it if someone were to plot against him."

    "Isn''t it too soon for that? Young Master Justin wouldn''t dare to touch him."

    "Touch¨¦." Jason nodded. "Once the problem in Phase Three Land is settled, I''ll have something to offer to my old man in exchange for the funds."

    "Aren''t you going to give Old Mr. Burton an exnation?"

    "What for? It''s in the past now. Justin got injured, and he''s determined that I was the one behind it. Thus, an exnation can''t save me, but a solution just might, and charging at them head-on is just out of the question." Jason was already a middle-aged man, yet he was constantly rebuked by Arthur. Not wanting to face the humiliation, he was always reluctant to tarry in Riverdale. "Remind Robin to stay clean and be wary of that mute. Justin isn''t the only backing she has, but Carter Enterprise as well."

    "Right away."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    It was already afternoon when Rachel carried a fruit basket and a fresh bouquet to the hospital. As soon as she entered the hospital, she bumped into Julian. "Why are you here, Rae?"

    "I''vee to visit." Rachel showed him the fruits and flowers in her hands.

    Julian nodded. "Is it about the news? You''re here for Mr. Onfroy and his family?"

    "I can''t imagine anything else apart from that."

    "Let me bring you to them."

    With that, the two walked next to each other toward the ward as they chatted.

    Julian then quizzed, "What are you going to do next? Are you responsible for the mess?"

    "Nope, it''s been handed to Robin."

    "As in Robin Gunson, Jason''s godson?" The man remained dazed for a while before letting out a snicker. "This is only going to get worse."

    "You know about him?"

    "We''ve known each other since we were kids. I never liked him that much, but Justin straight up abhors him. Robin is highly ambitious but has always been reckless, and Old Mr. Burton is clear about that. Hence, a few years before Justin''s car ident, the old man would always persuade Robin to stay overseas."

    "Justin told me that Robin came back five years ago."

    "Exactly. Robin returned right after Jason was kicked out of Burton Group five years ago. It was the perfect cover as things happened too seamlessly."

    "Isn''t that against the rule?"

    Julian scoffed. "The Burton Family has so much power and influence that rules mean nothing to them. Anyway, Rae, better finish up your work and get your kids and yourself out of here as soon as possible." Rachel subtly beamed. "Don''t worry. Already on it before you said it."

    As they were chatting, they arrived at a ward door, only to see a nurse cleaning up the room and changing the bed sheet. Julian, with his hands tucked in his pockets, entered the ward. "Where are the patients?"

    "Dr. Peters." The nurse put down the items in her hands. "They were discharged. Some men came to take them away."

    "When did that happen? Weren''t they dying to stay?"

    "About half an hour ago. There were three men. They took Mr. Onfroy, who had the gravest injuries, as well as his two friends, saying Mr. Onfroy was no longer staying in the hospital."

    In the incident in Phase Three Land, the holdout property owner, who was inflicted with the most injuries, was a man whose family name was Onfroy. The two other victims appeared to be his friends, but were harmed on different levels. They were then arranged to be hospitalized in the same ward.

    "How can that be?" Rachel glowered. "Jolly didn''t make the request, so they wouldn''t leave willingly."

    Julian, too, frowned. "Then, they were coerced to. Come, I''ll take you to the surveince room." Rachel immediately followed after as she gave Jolly a call. "Jolly, something came up in the hospital."

    "What is it?"

    "Mr. Onfroy and his friends disappeared. Can you check if anything happened to his family and if they''re still at the hotel? And try to contact them." Since Rachel had arranged for Mr. Onfroy''s wife and his kids as well as his mother to live in a hotel nearby, the man wouldn''t choose to leave as long as they were fine. As such, Rachel couldn''t help but suspect that Robin was behind their disappearance. She never expected a tool like him to be so efficient given how he was already executing his ns, and it hadn''t even been that long since the end of their meeting.

    Sensing something was off, Jolly answered, "Okay, I''ll call them now."

    ording to the security footage, Robin had indeed visited the hospital in person, followed by two men donning suits-who seemed to be his assistants. It was them who took Mr. Onfroy and his friends out of the hospital. In the footage, there didn''t seem to be any conflict, but that didn''t mean Mr. Onfroy agreed to leave on his own ord.

    As expected, Jolly sent a text over. ''Mr. Onfroy''s daughter didn''t go to cram school today. She was led away by some men when she was at the entrance of the cram school this morning.''

    ''This morning?'' Rachel glowered and swiftly tapped on her phone. "You sure about that?''

    ''Of course. It was half past eight in the morning. I was the one who set the camera at the cram school entrance.''

    In other words, way before the meeting, Robin had already decided that he would take things into his own hands regardless of Justin''s acknowledgment to pass the matter over to him. He was going to barge in anyway, just to teach the Onfroys a lesson. Although Rachel was the one who plotted this entire incident, she never considered that Robin would get Mr. Onfroy''s child involved.

    ''Where did they bring her?''

    ''Westomania.

    Reading the name of the location, Rachel was perturbed.

    Julian, standing beside her, had also read the message. "He''s good at selecting ces."

    Westomania was a theme park constructed under Burton Group''s name. Although all of its infrastructures wereplete, they were still running safety tests. Therefore, Burton Group had yet tomence Westomania''s operation. With the child abducted to the theme park, Robin could easily get the child under control, and at the same time, no one would notice his shady activities as there would be no visitors. "No way. I have to head there right away. The child''s innocent, and if it wasn''t for me..."

    "Things are escting, but it''s still too soon to me yourself. I''ll go with you." Julian took off hisb coat and followed Rachel to Westomania.

    If they managed to locate the child before Mr. Onfroy gave in to Robin''s terms and agreed to issue a public statement, Robin would have no tricks left to use.

    Having just entered the vehicle, Rachel suddenly grew silent upon starting the engine.

    "What''s wrong?" Julian put on his seatbelt.

    Rachel uttered, "Think about it. If Robin ns to use the child as ckmail against Mr. Onfroy, why would he take Mr. Onfroy with him?"

    Julian was visibly puzzled. "Right. Why is that?"

    "His intention wasn''t to ckmail Mr. Onfroy, but to gain absolute control."

 Chapter 275

    Right in that instant, Jolly called, to which Rachel answered the call.

    "Chris, I''ve sent some men to Westomania to rescue the child, and I''m heading there now as well. If you see Mr. Onfroy before me, be sure to tell him that his wife and child will be fine."

    "Wait, don''te, Jolly. Have your men retreat too."

    "What? Why?"

    "Robin''s target isn''t Mr. Onfroy, but us."

    The reason Robin set up a one-man game of abduction and ckmail was solely to draw Rachel and Jolly out. With the evidence falling right into his hands, he could deliver it to Justin and Arthur. Jason, on the other hand, sure had made full use of his hard-earned experience given how he managed to figure out the

    existence of the string pullers behind Phase Three Land''s drama and even figured out that Rachel and Jolly were involved.

    Soon, Robin brought Mr. Onfroy and his friends to Westomania. The night had set in, and one could hardly see a thing.

    "I''ve followed you here. Where''s my daughter?" Mr. Onfroy was sitting in the car, frustrated.

    After putting out the cigarette in his hand, Robin threw it onto the ground before stomping on the dying ember with his leather sole. "Patience, my guy. Our guest isn''t even here yet." "What do you really want?"

    "To put the conspiracy between you, Rachel, and the bitch from Carter Enterprise into record, of course. Well, make sure you know what and not to say once she arrives."

    Mr. Onfroy''s face nched. "What are you talking about? What conspiracy? Where''s my daughter?"

    "Will you only regret when you see her body? Or are you sick of her? Seems to me you need some ''incentives." Having said that, he revealed his phone screen to Mr. Onfroy, where his daughter''sughter could be heard. It was a video of her daughter riding the carousel alone that afternoon.

    Seeing her daughter''s figure, Mr. Onfroy was visibly triggered. "Klee!"

    Robin swiftly withdrew his phone. "So what will it be? Are you going to talk?"

    Gritting his teeth, Mr. Onfroy changed his decision. "I''ll talk."

    "Rachel goaded you into doing this, right? And what did she have you do?"

    "Yes, it was Rachel''s instructions. She told me not to move even if it costs my life. She even fabricated a conflict to anger the demolition team, causing them to start a brawl. She told me not to resolve the matter privately no matter how bad the feud became..."

    Meanwhile, Robin recorded all of Mr. Onfroy''s words with a recording pen in his hand.

    "Great. Now all we have to do is await their arrival. Just repeat whatever you just said, and change not a word. Capisce? Oh, you were asking for your daughter''s whereabouts, yes?" Robin turned to a dazzling Ferris wheel far away from them. "See that? The brightest spot is where your daughter is. She''s gonna have to stay there for a while."

    Upon those words, Mr. Onfroy''s face paled.

    Robin then snickered. "But don''t worry. She has friends with her."

    After a long time, vehicles could be heard outside the theme park.

    "Someone''s approaching, President Gunson."

    "Aren''t they a little toote? The sky''s so dark already!" Robin smugly gazed at the theme park''s gates, while Mr. Onfroy remained shocked, not daring to raise his head.

    Disorganized footsteps were nearing in toward them. "There, right there!" Before Robin realized it, he was ambushed by shlights that illuminated their murky surroundings, followed by the close-in of a swarm of reporters. "It''s Burton Group''s President Gunson! Mr. Onfroy is here too!"

    Robin was stupefied. "Why are the reporters here?"

    His assistant beside him, too, panicked. "I''ve got no idea. We disclosed not a thing about this!" As he was speaking, the reporters were already raising their "weapons" at them.

    "Is Burton Group ckmailing you, Mr. Onfroy?"

    "Are you nning to resolve the matter by fighting it out?"

    "Please say something, Mr. Onfroy. How did President Gunson bring you all the way here from the hospital?"

    As the number of vehicles outside the theme park increased, so did the number of reporters.

    ordingly, Robin shot Mr. Onfroy a re. "Say it! What are you waiting for?"

    Thest time Mr. Onfroy was surrounded by so many reporters was the previous night. It was the same day when the incident took ce and the news broke out. The reporters jammed into the hospital ward, leaving no space to even breathe, and it didn''t take more than a couple of hours for the news to turn into a headline. Thus, Mr. Onfroy was fully aware of the potential of publicity.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    All of a sudden, he staggered out of the vehicle and tugged on the reporter closest to him. Thud! He fell on his knees. "Please! Please save my daughter!"

    The reporter was dumbfounded. And the next second, all of the cameras were pointing at Mr. Onfroy.

    His face was nched, and his eyes were awfully red. He then pointed at the Ferris wheel in the distance. "My daughter is kidnapped, and she''s on that Ferris wheel as we speak. Please save her! He used my daughter against me so I''d follow him here!"

    The crowd gasped.

    Robin, too, was shocked. He couldn''t believe what he just witnessed.

    Upon Mr. Onfroy''s words, the reporters had a huge reaction. Each of them pointed their cameras at the Ferris wheel. To them, first-hand information was all that mattered to them in that instant. As the high definition cameras zoomed in on the Ferris wheel, the situation in the pod could be seen clearly.

    "Yes, I see it! There''s a child up there!"

    "I''ll send this to the editor right away!"

    "Call the cops first!"

    The situation was getting worse.

    Hearing someone mentioning the cops, Robin immediately glowered and screamed at the reporters as he shoved away their cameras. "Stop filming!"

    However, no one stopped to listen to him.

    To the reporters, first-hand information was astronomically dearer than their own lives. They were always venturing into the most dangerous locations, yet the snaps of their cameras never stopped.

    After a while, the police force and the ambnce arrived simultaneously, and Mr. Onfroy, along with his daughter, was rescued and sent to the hospital.

    Mr. Onfroy took the ambnce out of the theme park. Although he was initially anxious, he quickly loosened up when he noticed Jolly was among the reporters, pretending to be one.

    As expected, Burton Group was, once again, brought onto the justiciary channel. In the TV interview, Mr. Onfroy was seen holding his daughter tightly in his arms. With his reddened eyes, he angrily vented, "That Gunson guy abducted my daughter and came to the hospital, ckmailing me to follow him. And when we arrived at the theme park, he forced me to lie, and to tell everyone I was being manipted." "The cops received an audio recording containing your statements. Robin Gunson gave it to us."

    "They were all the result of his coercion. My daughter was in his hands. There''s no way I''d dare to disobey him!"

    Meanwhile, in the meeting room of the Burton Group''s Public Rtions Department, everyone was silently watching the news. It was so quiet the ps of a mosquito''s wings were audible. Undoubtedly, the problem they had yet to handle was once again brought up into the spotlight by the public.

    Justin was utterly enraged. "Where''s Robin?"

    Frankie answered, "It was said that Master Jason bailed him out, so he should be with Master Jason as we speak."

    "He left this pile of sh*t on my table, and he''s running away now?"

    The staff members peered at each other.

    Indeed, it was ridiculous.

 Chapter 276

    Justin instructed, "Get Robin out of the PR department once this matter is over." No one seemed to object. Even Robin''s supporters couldn''t find any excuse to defend him.

    At the same time, the news had traveled to the summer vi right into Arthur''s ears. "Preposterous! Is this what you had your men do?" On the phone, Arthur was rebuking Jason with all the indignation in his heart. "Look at the news! Listen to what they say!"

    "I''ve seen the news. I''ll handle it."

    "You''ll handle it? I''d rather you do nothing and just stay still."

    "Father."

    "If you continue to cause trouble, you can stop calling me that! You''ll no longer be my son!" Arthur hung up, leaving Jason to his gloom.

    Sitting on the couch in front of him was Robin, who warily apologized, "I''m sorry, Godfather. This is all on me. I will take full responsibility for this."

    "It''s fine. I''ve really underestimated that woman."

    "You mean the mute Rachel?"

    With a frown, Jason answered, "Who else?"

    "But what would she get from this? Exposing us to the reporters would only harm Burton Group. Justin will surely get pissed off if he knows about this."

    "But what proof of her exposure to the reporters do you have?ˇ±

    Robin had noeback.

    Jason then continued, "She knew we were going to use the matter to draw her out into the open, and used that to her advantage and sent a bunch of reporters to you. She''s a lot smarter than I anticipated." Hearing that, Robin clenched his fist in exasperation. "That damned mute! I''ll make sure she pays!"

    "For the time being, don''t do anything."

    "So we''re just gonna watch as she feeds Justin anything she wishes?"

    "Since ying in the dark leads to nothing, we shall bring it into the light." Jason deeply suggested, "Once this matter is over, we will go see her in person."

    Although Robin didn''t know the history behind the feud, he was aware that the recent happenings were all organized in a manner that made him seem like the troublemaker, and it was by some force''s maniption behind the curtains. However, Rachel''s counter was only reasonable since Robin was the initiator.

    The next morning, Mr. Onfroy dropped hiswsuit as he came to an agreement with Burton Group, putting a peaceful end to the drama. While thepany''s Public Rtions Department members were still racking their brains on how to get through to Mr. Onfroy, the news of the agreement was already making it to the headlines on the inte. Thanks to that, Burton Group was able to stabilize their stock prices. While Justin was in the office, Frankie hurried over. "It''s confirmed, President Burton. President Hudson brought Lisa along as she visited Mr. Onfroy in the hospital and managed to talk it out with him." "Rachel did it?"

    "Yes. Lisa has just returned and has submitted her report. The other party demanded 200,000 aspensation for psychological damage and medical expenses, as well as a resettlement house. The contract is already verified and is awaiting your signature."

    "Where''s Rachel now?"

    "President Hudson went straight to Westhill Golf Club after leaving the hospital. Do you want to see Lisa? I''ll call her over."

    Westhill? "No need." Justin stood up and grabbed his coat. "I''m going to Westhill."

    Meanwhile, in Westhill Golf Club, Rachel swung her club. Watching as the white golf ball flew in a wless arc, she revealed a subtle smile. "I''m so bad at this. You''re clearly the better golfer here, Mister." "Isn''t ''Mister'' too much for me? Why, are the rumors true? Have you returned to remarry my nephew?"

    "Who knows? No one can predict the end of a rtionship. Though, why are you so curious?"

    "It pertains to the legacy of the Burton Family. Well, I bear no hope on my side. Thepany will eventually belong to Justin''s bloodline." His words were passive-aggressive. Although they sounded humble, they were, in fact, tremendously malicious.

    "I''ve fallen once. Do you think I''ll fall into the same spot again?" Rachel remained a straight face. "Compared to relying on others, independence is much more practical, and realistic too." Jason frowned, unable toprehend her message.

    She rested her arm on the golf club with its head in the grass. "What do you think, Mr. Jason? Would you prefer inheriting the Burtons'' legacy by putting your life on the line, or establishing a new legacy yourself?"

    "What are you getting at?"

    "I''ll be frank with you. I won''t stay in Burton Group for long, but I will reim Hudson Pharmaceuticals as my own."

    Hearing that, Jason visibly grew nervous. "You?"

    "That sounded doubtful."

    "You''re just an illegitimate daughter of the Hudsons. How are you going to reim Hudson Pharmaceuticals? As far as I know, every tycoon in Riverdale has their eyes set on thepany! Do you have what it takes to go up against them?"

    Rachel replied, "Perhaps you''ve heard about the Hudsons'' Six Ancestral Forms, Mr. Jason?"

    Jason''s brows tensed up as he gazed at Rachel. Anyone who was familiar with the Hudsons knew the family rose to prominence through their pharmaceutical business, and all they depended on were six supplementary medicines. And thanks to those six medicines, the Hudsons were able to establish a solid business foundation thatsted for more than a century, developing the business into Hudson Pharmaceuticals as it was today. When Jefferey took charge of thepany, rumors about the Hudsons'' Six Ancestral Forms having gone missing arose. Thus, during those years, Jefferey only focused on other businesses that had nothing to do with pharmaceuticals.

    "Do you have the forms?"

    Rachel confidently nodded. "Yes. I have them. You probably didn''t know about this: when my grandfather was still alive, he left behind his will-anyone who holds the forms shall have Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Although it has been many years since he passed away, and the position of family head has changed hands many times, everyone in the family is still obligated toply with the terms of his will. As for your concern regarding my capability to reim Hudson Pharmaceuticals..." She satirically grinned. "Perhaps you''ve forgotten my connection with Carter Enterprise."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    As of now, the mostpetitive, significant acquirers of Hudson Pharmaceuticals in Riverdale were none other than Burton Group and Carter Enterprise. And the fate of these twopanies remained undetermined.

    "What''s the point of all this talk? Aren''t you afraid that I''ll ry this to Justin?"

    "Except you won''t. Even your two-million fund is restricted by Old Mr. Burton. Who are you really working so hard for?"

    Jason was instantly dumbfounded.

    The woman went on, "To reform Hudson Pharmaceuticals, I''m gonna need a lot of assistance. Although, Carter Enterprise is definitely pushing it from behind, depending on them solely isn''t going to work in the long run. Hence, for some things, I''m gonna need your help, Mr. Jason."

    As she was speaking, two familiar figures in a line were slowly heading toward them. She conclusively stated, "Do think about it, Mr. Jason. If you agree to this, I''ll forgo the fact that you tried to send killers after me. After all, in the face of opportunities, there shall be no eternal foes."

    When she voiced her final words, Justin and Frankie finally reached them. Justin hastily grabbed her the moment his eyes met hers. "Are you okay?"

    Before Rachel could say anything, Justin quickly dragged her behind him and shot Jason a wary re. "What do you want from her?"

 Chapter 277

    Jason glowered. "What do you mean by that? Is that how you speak to your elders?"

    "It clearly depends on how you handle things!" There was nothing but resentment on Justin''s face. "Give her another trouble and I''ll end you!" With that, he dragged the woman away. "Let''s go, Rachel." Rachel turned back and gave Jason a nce, having no intention to defend him. Before their partnership was established, he was nothing more than an enemy, so she had no obligation to defend him and relieve the tension between him and his nephew. By standing on Justin''s side, she could easily show him the reason to give her proposal a thought.

    After leaving the golf club, Justin took a careful look at Rachel. "He didn''t do anything to you, did he? Are you hurt?"

    "No. I''m fine, really. I barely said a word when you arrived."

    "Did he ask to meet you?"

    "Yeah." Rachel nodded. "I came here from the hospital right after I got his call.ˇ±

    "Aren''t you a little too ballsy? You tantly agreed on meeting him without knowing what he might have done to you. He''s not even afraid to kill someone to shut them up, yet you still came to see him? Do you have a death wish?" There were definitely traces of anger in his scowl. To be fair, he had to hit the guess all the way here from Burton Group just to make sure she was fine.

    Rachel replied, "Look, I''m really fine! Plus, I knew you''de."

    When Justin heard her reply, his face twitched and it quickly soothed. After managing to calm down after a while, he grabbed Rachel''s hand. "Even so, you still shouldn''t pull such a risky stunt. Don''t ever interact with him again. He''s clearly unrighteous."

    Unrighteous? Rachel scanned her eyes all over him, and when he looked over, she swiftly withdrew her gaze. After having lost his memory, Justin had be an entirely different human being. The Justin she knew would do anything-kind or evil-in order to attain his goals nor would he miss out on the opportunities and resources to fulfill his desire. He was truly a man of selfish brutality.

    Contrastingly, the current Justin was like an infant lovingly nurtured into a philosopher that was most enthusiastic about discussions of righteousness. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why Arthur had Jason walk down the "indecent" path.

    Rachel then assured, "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine."

    "By the way, Frankie told me that you were the one who sessfully closed the deal with Mr. Onfroy."

    "Yup, it''s all over the news, so I didn''t manage to report it to you beforehand. You''re not ming me, are you?ˇ±

    "How could I? You''re a hundred times more helpful than the guys in PR. How did you persuade him anyway?"

    Remaining a straight face, Rachel started giving her rehearsed speech. "It''s not that difficult, really. He simply wanted an exnation. Apology, reimbursement-those are but the basics. Of course, we''ll still have to take his pride into consideration. And most importantly, helping him resolve his biggest issue."

    "And what issue is that?"

    "Mr. Onfroy was reluctant against the demolition of his house mainly because he couldn''t find a suitable study area for his children once he settled in the resettlement house. Therefore, I promised to arrange ar education n for his children.

    Justin ponderingly nodded as he clutched her hand. "You''re exceptionally insightful, yet you''re only a manager. I''m wasting your talents away, aren''t I?"

    "I''m already content with what I have."

    "You know, Rachel, knowing you has been the greatest blessing to me."

    Sensing the earnesty in his eyes, she couldn''t help but feel uneasy. If it weren''t for the giant scar he left on her five years ago that developed into a lifelong trauma, she wouldn''t have to constantly remind herself of the man''s true colors. If a woman didn''t know better, she would have given in to his tenderness. However, she would never fall for him. The more patient and adoring Justin was, the clearer her mind would get. Every detail of her memory would always sh before her eyes, cursing her to be unable to move on for the rest of her life.

    It was already afternoon when they returned to Burton Group.

    "You''re back, President Burton and President Hudson!" Upon their return, the secretary dashed to them with a panicked expression. "President Burton, Officer Hawkins from the Investigation Bureau came over and said

    she has something to ask you and President Hudson about."

    At once, Justin turned to nce at the meeting room with a scowl. At the other side of the ss wall was Janice sipping on her tea in her uniform with her short, neat hair. When she saw Justin and Rachel, she stood up and nodded at them, signaling her greetings.

    With that, Rachel subconsciously clenched her fists. She revealed not the slightest bit of her n to Janice not because she was scared the officer may get in her way, but because of Janice''s unique position as letting Janice in too much wouldn''t bring Rachel any benefits. Regardless, she still came to them.

    "Okay. I''ll see her right away." Justin''s voice drew Rachel back from her zone-out. "I''ll be back soon, Rachel."

    "Mmhm." Rachel forcibly pouted her lips, feeling somewhat agitated. Janice''s sudden visit must be rted to Robin''s kidnapping of Mr. Onfroy''s daughter.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Long time no see, Officer Hawkins," Justin greeted Janice upon entering the meeting room.

    With a calm face, Janice briefly stated, "I''m sure you have no desire to see me. The feeling''s mutual." For the past few years, Janice had dropped by Burton Group countless times. And out of ten times, she only got to see Justin once. Nheless, her frequent visit as an investigation officer meant nothing good to thepany, so most of the workers were rather scared of her presence.

    As usual, Justin feigned no interest in Janice''s visit. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Officer Hawkins?"

    "I''ll cut to the chase. After Jefferey got imprisoned for smuggling, we looked into many of his properties and discovered some records. Some of these records explicitly suggested Burton Group''s involvement in his smuggling

    Hearing that, Justin grew nervous. "So you''re suspecting that Burton Group had a hand in his smuggling activities?"

    "That''s what baffled me, so I decided toe over to ask about it." Right in front of him, Janice ced a recording pen on the table. "You don''t mind, do you?"

    Although Justin was disconcerted, he could onlyply.

    Their conversation persisted for half an hour, and it was nearly evening by the time they were finished. Then, Janice exited the meeting room, only to bump into Rachel. The only interaction they had was a brie nod to each other before Janice speedily departed. Since they were in Burton Group, Janice decided to conceal their familiarity with each other to prevent instigating unnecessary problems. After all, no one other than the two of them needed to know about their closeness.

    Watching Justin walk out, Rachel went up to him and asked, "You okay?"

    With a perturbed look, he replied, "Yeah, I''m good. Something came up and I gotta tend to it tonight. You can head home without me."

    "Okay." To Rachel, his cold utterance that came out of nowhere was somewhat off-putting. What did Janice

 Chapter 278

    A silent night descended upon Westhill Vi. After Robin was bailed out, Jason kept him at his ce to avoid any exchange with the swarming reporters.

    "Father, are you really going to agree to work with that mute? Nothing good cane from her."

    "You didn''t need to tell me that. This woman is highly ambitious. If her cause was that beneficial, why would she want to work with me?"

    "Then why are you considering it?"

    "Jefferey is in prison, probably for the rest of his life, but the business recognizes only this one Hudson Family''s signature. Do you think that fool Amber would be able to take on the job?"

    Robin was stunned. If it weren''t for his godfather''s mention, he would have forgotten about the existence of such an individual. Ever since Jefferey was imprisoned, Amber had been "relegated" to a nobody as the upper-ss society wouldn''t have her, including Arthur who had no longer the slightest interest in her. It was said that she attempted to look for him in the summer vi, only to be blocked off by the guards outside the gates.

    "She''s probably easier to manipte."

    "But what''s that moron gonna do other than being maniptable? She doesn''t have the forms."

    Jason took a puff of his cigar and slowly blew out smoke circles before profoundly saying, "Robin, you should know the rules of seeking wealth by now. If Old Mr. Burton won''t entertain us, we should pave a future for ourselves."

    Robin had no objection to his words, but he couldn''t help but feel unjust when he remembered how Rachel set him up. "So you''re gonna partner up with her?"

    "It''s not that simple. After all, she roughed us up badly. It''s only right we return the favor, isn''t it?"

    For consecutive days, Justin had been working overtime in Burton Group and hadn''t even returned home during the weekend. Growing concerned, Rachel gave Janice a call and agreed to meet at West Magnolia Cemetery.

    It was a drizzling morning. Since Hans''s tombstone was close to her grandmother''s, Rachel arrived earlier than agreed with two bouquets of flowers. She then ced one bouquet before her grandmother''s tombstone, and after staying there for a while, she headed to Hans''s tombstone-that was when she bumped into Janice.

    Although it was merely drizzling, Janice brought a ck umbre with her. She, too, had two bouquets of flowers in her hands as she quizzed, "Why didn''t you bring an umbre?"

    "It wasn''t raining when I came out."

    "Hold this." Janice handed the umbre in her hand to Rachel before cing one of her bouquets before the old woman''s tomb.

    Watching as she did so, Rachel recounted, "It was raining too... Six years ago during Grandma''s funeral, when you were taken away by the people from the Investigation Bureau." Back then, Janice was suspended by the bureau for the investigation regarding Justin because there was sufficient evidence.

    Janice took a bow before Nancy''s tomb and took the umbre from Rachel. Then, they walked side by side toward Hans''s tomb. "Why did you call me out so suddenly?"

    "You went to see Justin at Burton Group two days ago. What were you looking into? Is it Mr. Onfroy?"

    "No," Janice denied. "It was smuggling."

    "Smuggling?"

    "As I told you before, Jason has connections within Hudson Pharmaceuticals. After scrutinizing the Hudsons, we discovered a lot of things, and among those was a book of financial records filled with nothing but ciphers. While we''re still trying to decrypt it, many of the transactions in the book stated the exact same amount of imported garments as Jason had reported to the customs."

    "And those transactions belong to Jason?"

    "That''s highly possible, but we don''t have clear proof yet. Besides, judging by Justin''s look, I can''t tell whether he knows about it."

    As they were conversing, they arrived at Hans''s tombstone and ced down their respective bouquets. While doing so, Rachel''s eyes instantly reddened.

    Janice uttered, "In the end, Hans''s death was caused by the aftereffect of a smuggling trade. The longer we leave these smugglers be, the greater the number of victims there will be.

    Hearing that, Rachel remained silent. Although she wasn''t exactly a patriot or a phnthropist, she definitely agreed with what Janice had just said. "Don''t worry. I already have a n to expose Jason." "What''s your n?"

    Rachel took a deep breath while suppressing her emotion. "I thought the reason behind your visit to Burton Group was to look into the news of thepany''s demolition case, so I was going to look for you to exin

    it."

    Janice frowned in confusion.

    Rachel then continued, "Jason is no longer the simpleton we knew. You know his power and influence better than I. He could run around telling everyone he''s a smuggler but the force could do nothing about it as none of us have any evidence against him."

    Janice nodded. Although she wasn''t willing to admit it, that was indeed the truth.

    Back when Robin''s kidnapping of Mr. Onfroy''s daughter made the news, Jason effortlessly bailed him out on the same night, and all the policemen simply imed the situation as ''a simple misunderstanding''. In the end, no one dared to investigate the problem.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    "What are you trying to do, Rachel?" All of a sudden, Janice realized the seriousness of the matter."

    Rachel replied, "Doesn''t matter what I do. Only by infiltrating into their circles will I get to know what they are plotting. I''ll try to provide you with the evidence you need. A man like Jason oughta be given the punishment he deserves."

    "That''s too risky! You have no idea how brutal a smuggler''s actions on international borders can be."

    "I do." Determination surged on Rachel''s face. "I''ve seen the most brutal thing in the world, and to me, that''s Grandma''s death."

    "As you know, Rachel, I''ve been looking into smuggling activities on international borders for many years. Be it Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Burton Group, or perhaps some even more powerful organization, I''ll still scrutinize them. I devote my life to this field. But you''re only an ordinary woman. You bear no responsibilities or obligations to do this! Even for Hans''s sake, I''d never wish to drag you into such a chaotic part of the world." Janice''s voice, despite being disrupted by the sound of the rain, remained clear.

    However, Rachel countered, "You didn''t have to drag me. I''m already in this chaos." Since the day she married Justin, she had made herself the bridge between Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and that was also the day she found herself in the crossfire ofwlessness. In fact, she thought her involvement in this mayhemmenced much earlier. Perhaps twenty-five years ago, her destiny was already bound to chaos when she first met Justin, who was abducted as a teenager.

    "I''ve made up my mind." Her eyes were calm yet resolute. "I''ll be your insider and investigate the smuggling activities between Burton Group and the criminals at international borders." Although she didn''t seem like it, she was truly a daunting woman.

    At once, Janice was reminded of the first time Hans told her about Rachel. He would describe her with terms like ''tenacious'' or ''soft on the outside but tough on the inside''. ording to him, no matter what circumstance she found herself in, she would always thrive toward the light.

    "And I''ll protect you at all cost."

    At those words, warmth surged in Rachel''s eyes. "But you''ve always done that, regardless of me being your insider, haven''t you?" Ever since Hans introduced Janice to her, Janice had always tried her best to ensure her safety. Despite their entirely unrted backgrounds and personalities, Rachel perceived Janice as nothing less than her own elder sister.

 Chapter 279

    The rain gradually grew heavier. Meanwhile, in his office at the Burton Group, Justin flipped through a ledger.

    Since Janice came by a few days ago, he requested someone to retrieve those ledgers so he could personallypare them. After analyzing them by himself, the numbers matched up with what Janice had said.

    "Frankie."

    "You called for me, Mr. Burton?"

    "Please retrieve the contracts for these items for me."

    Frankie took over the ledger and replied, "These are contracts for purchase orders, and they are all from the end ofst year. Is there something wrong with them?"

    "You won''t be able to find any problems just by scouring the ledger. If the purchased materials are in the warehouse, then things should be fine. And if they aren''t-well, that''s going to be a huge problem." "I''ll find those contracts as soon as possible."

    "Thank you."

    As he spoke, a ding came from Justin''sputer, notifying him that he had a new email. It was an anonymous one, containing only a picture. Justin initially thought that it was spam. However, just as he was about to delete it, the picture suddenly erged itself. The picture showed a grave, highlighting the two women standing together under an umbre. One of the women had hair that was past mid-length which was tied back and was dressed in a muted gray zer and office skirt; the other was dressed in a crisp shirt and ck pants. At first nce, she looked like a man.

    Justin''s grip on his mouse tightened a little.

    "I''m leaving to look for the contracts, Mr. Burton."

    Frankie''s voice brought Justin''s mind back to reality. Then, he abruptly stopped Frankie. "Hold on. Have Rachel and Janice known each other for a long time?" Hearing that, Frankie went rigid.

    The rain stoppedter that evening. Rachel deliberately went out to pick up the two kids and also got the babysitter to go out and buy a nice,rge fish for soup.

    By the time Justin returned home, dinner was already on the table.

    "You''re back, Mr. Burton," the babysitter greeted, having emerged from the kitchen. "You may dig in after you have washed your hands.ˇ±

    "Daddy!" Charlotte hopped off the couch and leaped at Justin to engulf him in a hug. "Why didn''t youe home thest few days?"

    Justin picked Charlotte up. "Did you y to your heart''s content?"

    "Yeah! Mommy picked me and Samuel up every day, and she also cooked for us. There were so many activities at school. We''re preparing for a choirpetition too! Daddy, let me and Samuel sing for you." "In a bit." Justin suddenly noticed Rachel step out of the kitchen. His eyes immediately darkened at the sight.

    Charlotte didn''t notice his change in expression as she struggled out of his hold to run to Samuel. "Hey, Samuel! Let''s sing for Daddy."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "You''re back," Rachel stated when she saw Justin.

    "I have something to ask you. Come upstairs with me," Justin said.

    "Can''t you ask me that here?"

    "No."

    Rachel''s heart abruptly stuttered at the cold reply. She could sense the pressureing from Justin''s gaze. And so, Justin and Rachel went upstairs. Meanwhile, Charlotte was pulling Samuel over when she heard their footsteps upstairs. "Where are you

    going..."

    Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a door closing could be heard. After it closed, the massive manor became so quiet that it was frightening. Samuel flopped back onto the couch and picked up his phone controller. "Okay, no singing. It''s gaming time again."

    Charlotte frowned. Her tiny, delicate face looked overly serious. "How are you even in the mood to y games? Didn''t you notice? The vibe earlier was just off!"

    "Chances are, they''re about to fight. The kind where neither of them can be cheered up after," Samuel stated calmly.

    "Then why are you still sitting there?" Charlotte snatched away the controller from Samuel''s hands. "Aren''t you worried at all that they''re fighting? Don''t you want them to get back together?"

    Samuel waved his hand with a look of exasperation that he shouldn''t have at that age on his face. "What else can I do? She''s a hard person to please in the first ce, but he keeps finding trouble for himself. Not even the heavens can save someone when they''re the ones digging their own grave!"

    What regr woman would be able to put up with her partner being sour-faced for no reason aftering back for the first time in days?

    Samuel wasn''t hopeful about Justin getting back together with Rachel. The man was excellent on paper, but it wouldn''t matter if they got back together if he didn''t improve that terrible temper of his. Charlotte did not believe Samuel. "I''m not going to keep talking with you. I''m going up to take a look."

    With that, she went upstairs with light steps and sneaked over to the door of the study. She could hear voices past the door.

    "Why did you suddenly want us to talk upstairs?" Rachel looked at Justin''s back while her heart hammered away in her chest.

    Justin turned around. "Where were you this morning?" he pressed her coldly.

    At those words, Rachel''s heart beat extra hard. It felt like she just dropped into an abyss. She had agreed earlier to be Janice''s mole, and now, she was exposed? This was just ridiculous! "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

    "Answer my question!" Justin was unusually adamant as fury showed through his cold eyes. "Who did you meet?"

    Rachel clenched her fists. She knew what was up when she heard that question.

    Just as Justin expected, Rachel''s answer confirmed his suspicions. "Janice Hawkins."

    "So, you went to see the head of the investigation bureau-Janice."

    "Don''t you already know that? What''s the point of questioning?"

    Justin''s rage grew, and he raised his voice abruptly. "Why the question? If I hadn''t thought of that, were you going to keep hiding the fact that you''ve known Janice for a while now? You know her, and that Hans-you know him as well, don''t you?"

    Rachel stiffened while she stared at Justin, startled.

    She had thought that Justin had found out about her conversation with Janice; she hadn''t expected that he had only seen a photo of her and Janice paying their respects to Hans. So, his current anger was simply because Rachel hadn''t told Justin of her own volition about how she and Janice were old acquaintances, and how Hans was the one who introduced them.

    Once she had figured this out, Rachel immediately calmed down and asked him instead, "You sent someone to tail me?"

    "Do I need to keep tabs on you? I don''t have that much free time on my hands."

    "Then how did you know that Janice and I were at the graveyard?"

    "Is that the point?" The mes of rage in Justin''s eyes almost seemed like they might shoot out of his eyes.

    "If that''s not the point, then what is?"

    "Of course that''s not the point," Justin said, having raised his voice again. Then, he grabbed Rachel''s shoulders and roared at her. "The point is, how long will it take for you to forget about that man, Hans? He''s already dead!"

    Rachel''s eyebrow twitched hard.

    Justin on the other hand, gripped her shoulders hard while his temples kept twitching. He could ept beingpared to Julian or even Hernandez, but he had no way ofpeting with a dead man.

    Hans'' importance to Rachel could not be described. She had been willing to destroy the entire Hudson family because of his death and personally send Jefferey into prison.

    The pain radiating from her shoulders made Rachel frown, but she didn''tin about it.

    "Why would I forget Hans?"

    "You admit it then? You just can''t forget him!" Disappointment and unwillingness to resign himself to his fate were apparent in Justin''s eyes.

    However, Rachel''s gaze grew colder. "Janice and I go way back. When my grandmother passed away, Janice was the one who helped me to arrange her funeral. She and I were the few friends that Hans had in Riverdale,

    so we would regrly pay our respects at his grave. None of this would change, even until the day I die!"

 Chapter 280

    "It''s best if you can ept this. And if you can''t, it doesn''t matter to me."

    With that, Rachel mentally gathered herself. s, after several seconds of standing off, she pushed Justin away.

    The moment she left the study, sounds of items shattering could be heard inside.

    "Mommy!"

    Charlotte had been startled from where she had pressed herself against the door as she hadn''t been able to leave in time.

    Rachel was also stunned by Charlotte''s presence, but hearing the noises behind her, she quickly took Charlotte''s hand. "Let''s go. It''s time for dinner," she said nonchntly.

    Charlotte shyly nodded and followed Rachel downstairs, but she couldn''t stop herself from looking back. She didn''t particrly understand thews of the world due to her young age, but Charlotte was good at figuring out people''s emotions. It was just as Samuel said-Justin was the one who came looking for trouble first. So, making Rachel angry was his own fault.

    But for some reason, Charlotte found Justin pitiful. They clearly had a huge fight, but Rachel wasn''t angry at all-even Charlotte was at a loss for words when faced with Rachel''s icy demeanor. Adult rtionships were just too hard to understand.

    Justin hadpletely trashed the inside of the study-even the shelves had been pushed over. At that moment, the ce was aplete mess.

    Beyond the door of the study, it was quiet.

    In the end, he sat in the middle of the carnage, suffering from his pain as he pressed a hand to his aching forehead. He remembered when he saw the picture in that email at his office earlier. When he saw Rachel and Janice standing together, fragments of an image flew through his mind.

    It was an image of Janice, Hans, and Rachel standing together in an old alley. Rachel grinned between the two, her smile warm and gentle as Hans pulled her away from a cyclist cycling down the alley. That scene had wounded his heart and his mind buzzed that instant. It felt like all those fragments had wound themselves together to assault his mind, making his temples hurt. He was in so much pain that he couldn''t even grip his mouse properly.

    Right now, that scene once again assaulted his mind in the remains of the study, as though someone was hitting his temples repeatedly with a hammer, trying to make his insides burst out. The pain was agonizing.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Hello?" In his pain, Justin called a doctor. "Dr. Aurich, where are you?"

    Rachel brought the children to the dining room for dinner as the ruckus upstairs had been noticeable. The babysitter didn''t dare to speak much, opting to stand by the side and watch instead.

    Not long after, Justin could be hearding downstairs.

    "Where are you going, Mr. Burton?"

    "Daddy!" Charlotte looked at Justin too. As long as he apologized, Rachel would forgive him, right?

    However, it was like he hadn''t heard anything as he rushed out of the house.

    "Charlotte, eat your dinner." Rachel''s voice brought Charlotte''s eyes back to her food. She then dropped a shrimp on Charlotte''s te. "Have another shrimp."

    Charlotte was a little worried. "Mommy, Daddy hasn''t eaten yet."

    Rachel was busy peeling the shrimp for Charlotte, so her answer was half-hearted. "He''s a grown-up. He''ll eat when he''s hungry."

    "Did you fight with Daddy again, Mommy?" Charlotte''s voice was small. "If you guys don''t make up, are you going to take Samuel and leave me and Daddy?"

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat and she stopped peeling the shrimp when she heard Charlotte''s question. Immediately, her heart ached terribly. Regardless of what Justin did, it was his own mistake-the same went for her. What did the children do wrong? Yet every time she and Justin argued, it only worsened Charlotte''s anxiety.

    "I won''t." Rachel wiped her hands before touching Charlotte''s face. "I won''t leave you, and I haven''t been fighting with your father."

    Charlotte didn''t quite believe her. "Really?"

    "Miss Charlotte, why would Miss Hudson lie to you?" The babysitter pointed at the fish soup on the table. "Miss Hudson specially ordered me to buy this fish today. It''s supposedly a good recipe for people who

    are

    still healing. Tell me now, who do you think this soup is for?"

    Charlotte sat there nkly for a moment before she responded by yelling in surprise. "It''s for Daddy!"

    Justin''s injuries hadn''t been able to heal properly. Debts should be repaid. Rachel did not want to owe him, so she paid special attention to Justin''s meals, but she hadn''t expected him to lose his temper like this today.

    Charlotte rxed after hearing the babysitter''s words.

    Seeing that her daughter was willing to eat again, Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

    Meanwhile, Justin had gone to see Dr. Aurich. The pain finally began to subside after he sat in the treatment

    chair for a long while.

    "Feeling better?"

    "Yes." Justin closed his eyes. "I''m thinking of staying here for a bit longer. I seem to sleep better here. You don''t mind, do you?"

    "No, but from the looks of it, your headaches seem to be more frequent, right?"

    "It is a little more frequent than before."

    Dr. Aurich flipped through Justin''s medical records. "I told you before to not exert yourself in the near future. Your amnesia was caused by trauma, and the memories you forgot were ones that had a heavy negative impact on you. It''s your body''s self-defense mechanisms protecting you. If you force yourself to remember, you''ll be fighting with your body," he said gravely. "You''ll have to do this slowly."

    "I can''t dy the return of my memories anymore." Justin''s eyes were shut tightly. His forehead was screwed up tightly as well. "I''m worried I won''t make it."

    "What?" Dr. Aurich looked at Justin in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

    Justin did not answer his question. In truth, he also couldn''t exin it either. He just felt that he would miss some major event that would never be able to be fixed if he couldn''t recover his memories faster. Dr. Aurich knew how Justin was, so he didn''t continue to question him further. "Rest well. I''ll leave you be. By the way, do you need me to wake youter?"

    Just when Dr. Aurich had only just pulled open the door and asked Justin this question, Justin''s phone rang.

    "Hello?"

    "Mr. Burton, where are you now?"

    "What is it?"

    "Jefferey Hudson is dead," came Frankie''s voice over the phone.

    Justin''s eyes promptly flew open and he sat up from the chair. "When did that happen?"

    "Well..."

    Meanwhile, Rachel received the same news as well.

    Riverdale Penitentiary was near the mouth of the east coast ocean. The area was chilly, and the winds in the wee hours of the morning were especially strong-strong enough to pull a person in and rip them to shreds.

    By the time Rachel rushed over, Jefferey''s corpse was already cold.

    "It was an acute heart attack. There were no signs."

    "Did no one notice this in time?"

    "It was already lights-out at night, and the prisoners were supposed to go to sleep. With that, everyone in the cell was already asleep, so no one noticed when the heart attack happened." Rachel''s brows knitted together.

    "Sorry. By the time we discovered him, there were already no signs of life. The paramedics carried out basic first aid, but it was futile." The head of the prison bowed to Rachel in apology. Although Jefferey was sentenced to life imprisonment, he was still entitled to basic human rights. He shouldn''t have died without cause, even inside a prison.

    Before Rachel could ask further questions, a sharp voice rang out behind her.

 Chapter 281

    "Dad!"

    Rachel didn''t even need to spare an iota of brainpower to figure out who it was.

    The hurried cking of high heels sounded through the mortuary. Then, Amber stood by the door of the mortuary, still unable to ept reality even after she had caught her breath. "Dad...ˇ±

    Rachel couldn''t recall a time when Amber was this panicked. Regardless of how cruel Amber was, she was still Jefferey''s daughter who he had raised since she was a young girl. Jefferey was her greatest pir. Now that he was gone, the blow to her was significant.

    Amber stumbled inside. Her fingers touched the white cloth draped over the corpse before they were shakily retracted. All of a sudden, she yelled at the head jailer. "This isn''t my father! You''ve got it all wrong!" "You''re grieving, miss."

    "Grieving? I told you, this isn''t my father! Where are you hiding my dad? Where is he?" At that, Amber''s hand moved toward the head jailer. Her fingers were a stark palepared to the brightness of her red nails. In the darkness of the room, they were an eerie sight.

    The head jailer didn''t manage to back away in time and was caught by the cor.

    "Calm yourself, miss."

    "Where on earth are you hiding my father? He''s a healthy man. How can he just be dead?"

    "Amber!" Rachel couldn''t stop herself from rebuking Amber. "This isn''t a ce for you to show your temper. He passed away due to a sudden heart attack. You''re a doctor, if you don''t believe them, you can examine him."

    "Rachel?" Amber whipped her head around at the sound of Rachel''s voice, seemingly only having just noticed her presence. At that moment, her red eyes made her look very much like a devil from hell. "How dare youe here? What right do you have to be here? You''re the one behind his imprisonment!"

    Amber lunged at Rachel. Rachel backed away as she already anticipated this and grabbed her arm. "Have you gone mad? Death is already a kindness for him. The greatest punishment would have been rotting away in jail until old age. Even if I had the nerve to do it, I wouldn''t."

    With that, Rachel shoved Amber away roughly.

    As a result, Amber stumbled backward and fell over. Fortunately for her, arge figure had entered the room, and he reflexively caught her.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel stiffened at the sight of the neer.

    Amber teared up when she saw the person who helped her up. "Justin!"

    It was Justin, indeed.

    A few hours ago, Rachel ended up getting into a huge fight with him because she and Janice went to visit Hans'' grave. He had then stormed out of the house. To suddenly see him here felt like a p in the face.

    Justin released Amber. His gaze lingered on Rachel for a moment before itnded on the corpse behind her. No one had lifted up the white cloth covering the body until now.

    Jefferey sacrificed his life for Hudson Pharmaceuticals, yet he died like this.

    After they left Riverdale Penitentiary, Amber glued herself beside Justin, sobbing ceaselessly.

    "I''ll get someone to arrange his funeral. You... You two don''t have to worry about that," he said.

    Those words were meant for Rachel, but he couldn''t stop himself from being petty when he recalled the incident with Hans, opting to say ''you two'' instead of ''you''.

    Rachel forced herself to smile. "Thank you." Having said that, she nced at Amber, who trailed behind Justin like a wad of chewing gum that just wouldn''te off. A look of disgust turned up on her face as she continued, "I''ll be going now."

    With that, Rachel headed straight for the parking lot.

    Justin wanted to follow her, but Amber tried to grab his arm. "Justin."

    He instinctively drew his arm back. At the same time, his handsome features schooled in their usual chilly

    expression as he pulled some distance between Amber and himself.

    With that, Amber''s hand hung awkwardly in mid-air. A few momentster, she retracted it. "Can you stay with me for a little?"

    Justin looked at his watch. "It''s gettingte. You should go back. There will be plenty of things that you''ll be handling."

    Amber couldn''t stop herself from clenching her fists when shepared how different Justin''s treatment was to her and Rachel. Her nails dug into her palms and pain surged through her nerves. "Justin, do you think that you''ll be able to get back together with that mute if you distance yourself from me? Look at her-she isn''t at all interested in you! She''s constantly using you! Can''t you tell?" "Enough. I didn''te here to listen to you ramble. You should calm down and go home."

    "I''m being very calm here!" Amber took a step closer. "I''ve been with you for so many years. Regardless of how I treated others, I''ve always been sincere with you. Don''t tell me that you can''t see that?" Judging from the frown on Justin''s eyebrows, he was already impatient with her.

    Amber knew that it would be futile to keep talking, so she gritted her teeth. "I know that it''s no use telling you all this. I just have one final request-if you agree, I''ll consider it repayment for thest six years of my youth."

    "What is it?"

    "Help me manage Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Meanwhile, Rachel drove back alone after leaving Riverdale Penitentiary.

    "I''ve confirmed it-he did have a heart attack." Jolly''s voice sounded through Rachel''s bluetooth earphones. "So, this isn''t something premeditated? He ended up getting his owneuppance?"

    "He wouldn''t have suddenly passed away even if the heart attack was an actual thing. They didn''t even perform proper first aid on him."

    "What do you mean?"

    Rachel''s brows remained furrowed as her hands gripped the steering wheel. "There were six people of

    committed maior crimes. They various ages inside the cell. The prisoners sharing a cell with Jefferey havemitted major crimes. They are very alert even when asleep."

    "What are you trying to get at?"

    "Wouldn''t someone in the middle of a heart attack make some noise at least? His death was about three hours ago. It was lights-out time at the prison, yes, but who would be so deeply asleep at such an early hour? There''s got to be something fishy about the situation."

    "You''re saying that Jefferey was murdered?"

    "I just think that it''s something to be considered."

    "He was already locked up. Who would want to kill him?"

    Rachel''s eyes darkened a little, but her tone was stillnguid. "Plenty of people, actually."

    Jefferey had been a key figure in Hudson Pharmaceutical''s smuggling business. He had plenty of resources at his fingertips. Hudson Pharmaceuticals wouldn''t be the onlypany involved in this shady business in Riverdale; Janice had mentioned beforehand that the ledger recovered from the Hudson residence had implicated Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    The one who killed Jefferey to shut him up had to be tied to that ledger.

    The next afternoon, Rachel took Samuel and Charlotte to themunity pool for a weekend treat. Charlotte couldn''t swim, so she paddled around in the shallow section, looking like a little duckling with her inner tube.

    "Chris!" a man''s voice rang out across the pool, drawing plenty of attention.

    Rachel and the children looked in the direction of the voice to see Hernandez stride out from the changing room in swimming shorts. His muscled frame and the eight-pack he sported made the eyes of every woman by the pool light up.

    "Charlotte, Samuel, have fun by yourselves," Rachel told them. Then, she swam over to the edge of the pool.

 Chapter 282

    Charlotte was the only one out of the trio who didn''t know how to swim. After a few paddles, she stopped trying to move around. "Why is the Curly Weirdo here too?" she said angrily as she sshed around. Samuel ducked his head underwater without answering her.

    Charlotte wised up to the situation when she saw him do that, and she promptly got angry enough to whack him. "Traitor!"

    Naturally, Hernandez handed Rachel a towel when she got out of the pool.

    "How did you know I''m here?"

    "That''s a secret." Hernandez nced at the children in the distance and grinned. "Jolly told me that your father passed away."

    "Yeah." With a dull gaze, Rachel lowered her head. "It happenedst night. The funeral is supposed to be held next Wednesday. You don''t need to console me; I feel nothing for the Hudsons." Rachel immediately stopped Hernandez before he could try andfort her.

    Hernandez waved his hands helplessly. "I haven''t even said anything."

    "Jolly asked you toe, didn''t she?"

    "Of course not." Hernandez''s brows furrowed. "I came to tell you that I just picked up a new piece of evidence while alsoing up with a new n. Once you''ve settled your own business, you can leave for overseas with your daughter in tow."

    "What kind of n?"

    "Justin''s seeing a psychologist. He''s mentally unwell."

    Rachel''s went rigid. At once, a startled look came over her.

    "He thought he was being sneaky about it, but unfortunately for him, my dream prior to bing awyer and the chief legal officer at SG was to be a detective," Hernandez announced smugly. "A parent with mental illness is unfit to take care of their child. When the timees, all we need to do is whip out this piece of evidence, and his custody rights will be pulled out right under his nose. And as Charlotte''s biological mother, you will have full custody rights over her."

    As she watched the two children ying in the distance, Rachel felt a myriad ofplicated emotions.

    "Hernandez, I''ll follow your n for Charlotte, but now is not the time. Please help me with something else first."

    "What is it?"

    "Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' next heir."

    Jefferey had been arrested because he was personally involved in smuggling. All assets under his name had also been seized and frozen, but arge portion of thepany''s stocks was still in Amber''s and the other investors'' hands. Although Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' reputation was in the gutter and thepany was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was still a listedpany. A listedpany was still better off than one that hadpletely copsed and vanished.

    Logically speaking, Amber was supposed to inherit Hudson Pharmaceuticals after Jefferey''s death. All of Jefferey''s old guards supported her. But now, Jefferey''s personal assets as well as his stocks had been confiscated. Whatever Amber had now barely made a blip in the grand scheme of things.

    "I want the rights to Hudson Pharmaceuticals," Rachel stated.

    Meanwhile, Charlotte was y-fighting with Samuel in the pool.

    "You traitor! You said that you would help Daddy, but you''re helping the Curly Weirdo!"

    Samuel darted around in the water since he knew how to swim. On the other hand, Charlotte ended up getting a face full of water from all the waves and sshes he made while he escaped from her wrath. "I don''t want to talk to you anymore."

    Seeing how Charlotte was actually angry, Samuel finally popped up from the water and grabbed her inner tube. "I''m not a traitor. I just think that Justin will be more motivated with Hernandez around. Men likepetition."

    "What did you just say?"

    "Look, Hernandez was out of the country for a long time because of what I did. And what did Justin do? All he did was make Mommy angry. So, I think it''s better that Hernandez is back," Samuel said with a straight face. "Do you know what the catfish effect is?"

    Charlotte''s eyes widened. "Hernandez is the catfish."

    "Yep!"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Charlotte cheered up immensely after getting Samuel''s validation. She turned to look for Rachel, only to find no one by the edge of the pool. "Where''s Mommy?"

    Samuel turned around as well. Upon seeing the familiar figure, he immediately yelled, "Godmother!"

    Jolly had shown up at the pool without them noticing earlier, soaking her feet by the edge of the pool in her patterned swimsuit.

    Samuel swam over to her side, popping his head out of the water to talk to her. "Why are you here, Godmother?"

    "I came with Hernandez, of course. I''ve been sitting here for a while now. It''s been a long time since Ist saw you. Don''t you miss me?"

    Samuel was all smiles as he pressed himself close to Jolly. "Of course, I miss you."

    Charlotte paddled her way over as well. "Godmother, where''s Mommy?"

    "She has something to discuss with Hernandez, so she left first. Now, you''ll be under my care tonight."

    "What?" Charlotte''s eyes immediately bugged out. "Why did they leave?"

    In just a blink of an eye, they had left. What other reason could there be for a man and woman to leave together?

    Jolly reached out and flicked Charlotte''s head. Charlotte doubled over in pain and grabbed her head.

    "What were you thinking? Grown-ups naturally have grown-up things to talk about. You two better start thinking about what you want for dinner tonight; I''m bringing you both out for dinner," Jolly said. "How about fried chicken? Oh, and beer. But kids can''t have beer. You''ll have to settle for a Coke."

    Jolly rambled to herself about tonight''s dinner, but Charlotte seemed distracted.

    Nothing good coulde out of Rachel following the Curly Weirdo.

    Not long after, the night crept up on everyone. Meanwhile, Rachel was sitting next to Hernandez inside a restaurant.

    "You were pretty fond of Asian cuisine when you were abroad. Jolly''s the one who rmended this ce. It''s not half-bad."

    "I prefer your cooking. The dumplings, especially."

    Hernandez''s words amused Rachel enough to let out a giggle. "Fine, we can head back and make some dumplings once we''re done."

    Rachel went to the bathroom alone before their food arrived. After she washed her hands by the sink, her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hello?"

    "Mommy, are you having dinner with Mr. Curly Weirdo?" Charlotte''s angry question came sting over the speakers the moment Rachel answered the call. "How could you just leave me behind and go on a date with him?"

    Rachel was exasperated. "It''s not a date. I''m just discussing some serious things with Hernandez. Isn''t Jolly looking after you and Samuel?"

    "You can''t date Mr. Curly Weirdo, Mommy. Anyone can tell that he''s a bad guy. Samuel said that he''s a womanizer!" Charlotte reminded Rachel solemnly. Rachelughed as she walked out of the bathroom. "Don''t worry about that. Have fun with Jolly. I''ll be backter to pick you up."

    "Okay. Keep in touch, Mommy. Don''t ignore my calls."

    "Sure," Rachel said helplessly.

    Just after she hung up, two familiar figures cut past the hall and approached her. Immediately, Rachel''s eyes zed over a little.

    When did Justin get here together with Amber?

    Justin was stunned as well. Evidently, he hadn''t thought that he would run into Rachel here.

 Chapter 283

    "What are you doing here?" Amber''s expression changed as soon as she saw Rachel, and the former stared at thetter guardedly.

    Just then, Rachel came to her senses. "I should be the one asking you this question, right?"

    "Rachel, what do you mean by that?!"

    "The engagement is already called off, yet the two of you seem to be joined at the hip. Are you guys trying to create further topics for the press and contribute some tabloid news on behalf of both the Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals?" Rachel spoke in a cold voice and she sounded angry. Her reaction caused Justin to feel slightly joyful as he exined himself, "You''ve misunderstood the situation. Amber and I-"

    "Chris!" Hernandez''s voice rang out from behind Rachel and he cut off Justin''s words.

    "Oh-this is such a coincidence. You''ve bumped into someone we know," Hernandez greeted Justin quite naturally and calmly upon seeing him. "It''s been quite a while since west met, Mr. Burton." Meanwhile, Justin frowned. "Why are you here?"

    "I''m here for lunch with Chris. Aren''t the two of you here for lunch as well?"

    Just then, Hernandez shot a suggestive look at Justin and Amber, and then he spoke up meaningfully. "Mr. Burton, it looks like you''ve got a different target, huh? Should I express my gratitude then?" Justin''s expression darkened significantly when he heard that.

    Meanwhile, Amber was her usual pretentious self and she put on a world-ss act as she pretended to

    exin the situation, "You guys have misunderstood us. Justin and I have something to discuss, so we met up here."

    "There''s no need to exin things." As soon as Justin said that, he walked past Rachel and he clearly exuded a cold, domineering demeanor.

    Just then, Arber shot a smug look at Rachel before quickly joining him. "Justin, wait up."

    As for Rachel, she was quiteposed and she merely mentioned, "Let''s go to another restaurant."

    At that moment, Justin paused in his tracks and he turned around to find that Rachel and Hernandez had gone back to their seats to gather their belongings. Subsequently, they left immediately without any intention of staying on any longer than necessary.

    Just then, Amber tried to fuel the mes as she spitefully mentioned, "Justin, what are they discussing anyway? Why are they intentionally avoiding you?"

    Instantly, Justin furrowed his brows, and all of a sudden, there was a frosty look on his face.

    Truth was, Amber was partially correct. Rachel and Hernandez did want to have their discussion privately, but they were trying to avoid Amber instead of Justin. After they had ended the discussion, night had also descended.

    Just then, Rachel received a phone call from Jolly, and thetter mentioned that the two kids were exhausted after a fun-filled day so they had fallen asleep at her house. "I''ll go and pick them up tomorrow, then."

    "Sure. Anyway, you can leave them with me. There''s no need to worry about them."

    After Rachel had hung up the phone, she directly made her way back to the Burton Residence.

    She got back home, but the servants weren''t there and the house was eerily silent without any lights on.

    Just then, she flicked on the light switch and noticed that there was a figure on the couch. Startled, she yelled out, "You''re home? Why didn''t you switch on the lights?"

    There was only a singlemp in the room, so it was quite dim inside. The lights illuminated Justin, but his figure looked quite scary sitting there.

    "You''re back quitete. Where''s Charlotte?"

    Rachel finally recollected herself and she changed into the bedroom slippers as she exined, "She''s at Jolly''s ce. The two kids were too exhausted after their fun-filled day, so she fell asleep there. I''ll pick her up tomorrow."

    "So is this a proper behavior of a mother?"

    His sudden interrogative words caused her to halt in her steps. "What do you mean by that?"

    "You cast your own child aside and hand her over to someone else to take care of. Then, you go on a date with another man ande backte at night without even picking your child up. Is this what responsibility means to you?"

    "Jolly isn''t a stranger and you know very well that she''s rted to Samuel."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "How is she rted to Charlotte, then?"

    "She..."

    "Besides, she''s someone who abandoned her child right after giving birth, and even refused to acknowledge him. How can you trust someone like that with your child?"

    Just then, Rachel found Justin''s random outburst of anger quite illogical.

    She took a deep breath before exhaling slowly as she tried her best to remain calm andmunicate in a nice manner, "Can you calm down first?"

    "I need to calm down?!" At that point, Justin clenched his fists tightly and strode in her direction. However, he didn''t even bother to cast his eyes on her; he only changed his shoes and left the ce. "Where are you going?"

    "I''m going to pick Charlotte up.ˇ±

    "Justin Burton!" Rachel stopped him immediately. "It''s veryte now and they''re fast asleep. Do you really have to go over and wake them up? Why are you losing your temper all of a sudden?" Meanwhile, Justin was insistent on leaving and his actions rendered Rachelpletely speechless.

    "Are you really insisting on going over there right now? Tell me-how do you n on getting there? You can''t catch a cab at this time of the night. Do you dare to drive?"

    At that moment, Justin tightened his grip on the doorknob that he had his hand wrapped around.

    His fear of driving was ultimately an obstacle that bothered him very much. He had thought that he had ovee this fear when Samuel had been kidnapped but unfortunately, after that incident, he still experienced a severe headache as soon as he touched the steering wheel.

    "Are you mocking me?"

    Justin turned around gradually and his expression was thunderous. "In your eyes, I''m just a dysfunctional person who doesn''t even dare to drive and has iplete memories, right?"

    "I didn''t say that."

    "But your actions clearly indicated that."

    "What did I do?"

    Suddenly, there was a sh of anger in Justin''s eyes and he could no longer contain his anger as he grabbed Rachel forcefully by her arms. "How many times have you met up in secret with Hernandez under the pretext of bringing the kids out?!"

    His forceful move caused Rachel''s back to bang against the shoe rack in the foyer, and the intense pain rendered her speechless.

    "Today, I coincidentally bumped into you, but what about those other times when I never did?"

    "Justin Burton, are you out of your mind?" Rachel struggled to get out of his arms. "In your mind, can a man and a woman only be involved in a sexual rtionship? Other than that, there''s nothing else that they could do?! Then, did I mention anything about you and Amber?"

    "Well, I would rather you interrogated me about that!" Suddenly, a loud male voice reverberated in the room.

    Upon hearing that, Rachel was significantly stunned and she looked at him with a shocked expression. Meanwhile, Justin kept both hands tightly pressed against her shoulders to stop her from even moving a

    single inch. His reddened eyes were full of displeased resentment as he growled, "Why didn''t you question me for the reason I met up for lunch with Amber? Actually, you don''t even care that I met up with another woman, right? I''m asking you a question, so answer me!"

    At that point, Rachel tried to push him aside. ˇ°I have nothing to say to you."

    Instantly, Justin''s anger red up and there was practically fireing out of his ears.

    Suddenly, he tightened his grip on her struggling body and leaned forward.

    "Mmph-"

    Rachel''s eyes widened in shock and unexpectedly, her words were cut off as her lips were sealed all of a sudden.

    Justin''s kiss, filled with the scent of tobo, was dominating and raging. It felt as if he was in a race to conquer better ground as he went on without any hint of tenderness. He forced open her lips and invaded forcefully

    Meanwhile, Rachel was fully conscious, so she somehow mustered up her inner strength and shoved him aside abruptly.

    Thwack! Suddenly, the sound of a loud p rang out and it reverberated for quite a while in the living room.

    Instantly, Justin''s face turned red and swollen, and there was an evident handprint on the right side of his face. Meanwhile, he stared back at her in shock.

    At that moment, Rachel panted as she countered, "Did I force you to go and have lunch with Amber? What do you mean by all this? Is this a preemptive move?"

 Chapter 284

    "I''ll say this once-Hernandez and I are innocent. As for you, have you forgotten about Amber''s rtionship with you? Or me for that matter? Have you forgotten that the smuggling case rted to Hudson Pharmaceuticals is still under investigation? I wouldn''t be able to imagine why else would you have to see her other than because you''re still in love with her."

    As soon as Justin heard that, he was at a loss for words. "Rachel, 1-"

    "Don''t touch me!" Rachel pushed his hand aside once again and left by mming the door after her.

    Just then, there was a sound of ignition that echoed over.

    Instantly, Justin took a few steps forward to chase after her, but he suddenly stopped by the doorway and watched as her car disappeared at the junction of their estate. He tightened his grip on the door frame and there was a sh of frustration that crossed his eyes.

    Why has things gotten to this state? But then I really can''t tolerate her being with another man, no matter who it is!

    Meanwhile, Rachel directly drove off and headed to Jolly''s house.

    Jolly was, in fact, fast asleep when Rachel arrived. However, the former came out of the bedroom upon hearing the sound of the door opening, and she saw Rachel walk in with a furious look on her face. Just then, Jolly rubbed her eyes and she even thought that she was seeing things. "I thought you said that you wouldn''t be picking them up today?"

    "I want to stay with you for a couple of days."

    Rachel ced down her car keys. "I''ll go and take a shower first."

    After she had said that, she immediately headed off into the bathroom without even bothering to say another word.

    The water gushed out from the showerhead and Rachel lifted her head to immerse her whole face under the spray. She then scrubbed furiously at her face. Not only that, she grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth with all of her might. It was as if by doing so, she could then rid herself of that kiss from earlier.

    She truly loathed Justin using such a rough manner to force himself on her just like he did earlier. Each time he did that, she would be reminded of the frightening marriage they had five to six years ago. His domineering and barbaric behavior was embedded deep in her mind.

    After her shower, Rachel got out of the bathroom, only to find Jolly waiting for her.

    With a thunk, Jolly opened a can of beer and lifted it in Rachel''s direction. "Let''s have a drink?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel wrapped the towel she was using to dry her hair on her shoulders and she subsequently

    took the can of beer from Jolly. After downing half the can of the beer, she then sat down next to Jolly. At the same time, the television was on and there was a variety show ying, which was annoyingly noisy. Just then, Jolly asked, "Do you feel better now?"

    In response, Rachel nodded her head.

    "Did Justin do something to you again?"

    "No."

    "Stop lying to me. Each time you end up looking like this, it is always because of that guy. He''s such a troublemaker! He''spletely forgotten about the past and he gets to restart his life afresh, but how dare he be so wishful as to turn up innocently and ask to restart a life with you?"

    Jolly was straight to the point but Rachel remained nonchnt. "There''s no way we can restart our life together. Everything has ended between us."

    "Is that true?"

    "Are you doubting me?"

    "I''m not doubting you." Just then, Jolly took a sip of beer and leaned back on the couch as she wriggled her feet on the coffee table. "After all, he has forgotten about the past, so I was worried that he has indeed fallen in love with you right now and is deeply infatuated with you. Are you sure that you can withstand his romantic pursuits?"

    "The moment I see him, I always recall the moment back in the hospital when he instructed his men to break Hans'' leg. Not to mention the time when I begged him to save Grandma, but he refused to."

    Just then, Rachel lowered her head and finished off the entire can of beer. Subsequently, she easily crushed the can and her action resulted in a loud cking'' noise. Soon after that, she lifted her arm and threw the can into the bin.

    "Your worries are unfounded."

    Meanwhile, Jolly lifted her brows, "Okay. You can ignore my words then. How long do you n on staying here?"

    "I''ll stay here for the time being. I find the sight of him quite disgusting."

    At that point, Jolly was quite shocked by Rachel''s words.

    Although Jolly realized that she shouldn''t, inexplicably though, she sympathized with Justin the b*stard.

    In the end, Rachel stayed with Jolly for a few days until Wednesday, which was the day of Jefferey''s funeral.

    Because of the smuggling case, those who had close ties with Jefferey avoided him like the gue so naturally, his funeral was quite deserted. It was only attended by the Hudson Family members and some of the old shareholders from Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Hudson Pharmaceuticals was on the brink of bankruptcy, and the only solution right now was to sell it and find someone to take over the business.

    The burial ce was located in the countryside and it was the Hudsons'' private family cemetery.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Getting out of the car, Rachel was dressed in ck and she had a white flower pinned to her chest.

    Amber stopped Rachel in her tracks with a darkened expression upon seeing thetter walk in. "What are you doing here?"

    "I''m part of the Hudson Family, after all, so why aren''t allowed here?"

    "You''re part of the Hudson Family? If you had actually considered yourself to be a Hudson, would you have caused my dad''s death? The entire Riverdale knows that it was Rachel Hudson who sacrificed her own family for the sake of justice and reported her own father to the authorities!"

    "You do realize too that I did that to uphold justice. He did make a mistake and should be punished for it."

    "Do not talk to me about all these! He''s my dad! Despite what he''s done, he is still my father after all." "Amber," Suddenly, a cold male voice rang out from behind Amber. "Stop making a scene at the funeral. There''s a lot of people around."

    It was Justin who spoke.

    After their fight thest time, Rachel hadn''t seen him at all in thest three days, so it was quite clear why he suddenly appeared at the scene right now.

    On the surface, Hudson Pharmaceuticals was a mess right now but in fact, thepany had a good foundation so there were plenty of people who were keen to take over the business. Justin was one of them.

    "Justin, my dad won''t be able to rest in peace with her around."

    Just then, Rachel came to her senses and she coldly shot a look at Amber. "Don''t worry. I''m just taking the opportunity to speak to the elders present today, then I''ll leave immediately. I won''t hold you up any further."

    Suddenly, Amber panicked. "What are you trying to do?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel remained indifferent. "I would like to purchase the shares each one of you possess. I''m willing to pay ten percent higher than the market rate."

    Just then, there was an uproar.

    As soon as Rachel finished her sentence, every single shareholder of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, who was here for the funeral, exchanged shocked looks with each other. Amber''s expression changed in the blink of an eye. "Are you trying to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals? How dare you?!"

    "How dare I attempt this?" Rachel maintained a neutral expression. "Do you still think that Hudson Pharmaceuticals is well sought after? It''s either thepany files for bankruptcy or some otherpany takes over the business, and Hudson Pharmaceuticals will cease to exist in the pharmaceutical industry. However, if they sell their shares to me, then I''ll definitely be able to restore Hudson Pharmaceuticals back to its former glory."

    Just then, all of the shareholders had joyful expressions on their faces.

    "Rachel, are you being serious? Do you have a solution?"

    "Yeah! Are you seriously interested in buying all of our shares?"

    Everyone was quite worried that their shares would end up worthless if Hudson Pharmaceuticals filed for bankruptcy. No one would be interested in buying the shares. However, they didn''t quite know what to do about it because they were mindful of their close ties with the Hudson Family. Now that Rachel was willing to take over their shares, then it was great news for them because their interest was maintained and at the same time, they didn''t have to forsake their rtionship with the Hudsons too.

    However, Amber''s voice rang out and took dominance over the other voices even before Rachel could respond

    "This is such a joke! We have such a long history in the pharmaceutical industry, so do you actually think that the business would just go bust suddenly?! You''re just saying that you''ll restore the business back to its former glory once you gain control of it. Everyone, please don''t be fooled by her words. She''s just being the representative for Carter Enterprise. She''ll purchase the shares under her name for now but after that, she will definitely merge Hudson Pharmaceuticals with Carter Enterprise."

 Chapter 285

    The Carter Enterprise? Everyone looked askance at each other.

    They had heard that Rachel was goddaughter of the president of Carter Enterprise and his wife. Rachel also had a very good rtionship with the daughter of the Carter Family. Besides, it was public knowledge that the Carter Enterprise was keen to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Just then, Amber spoke. "Everyone, today''s my dad''s funeral so by right, we shouldn''t be talking about work. However, my dad has put his life into Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and that''s also why I have no choice but to

    step up and defend hispany. I have to stop someone else from selling off our family business. I realize that it was my dad who caused the current crisis in Hudson Pharmaceuticals, but he has also stepped up and bore the entire responsibility to uphold the reputation of our business. Everyone present here has watched me grow up, so please have faith in me. I''ll definitely be able to redevelop the business." Each of them present was quite smart, so they were aware that Amber''s exaggerated words had no substance at all.

    "Amber, it''s not that we refuse to support you, but the expenses of thepany have exceeded the ie and we''ve got a serious cash flow issue. The existing contracts have all been terminated and we are currently facing a huge penalty for all of the contractual breaches, so how can you possibly continue operating thepany by yourself?"

    "Exactly. We''ve got a very serious cash flow issue. How can you maintain operations?"

    Meanwhile, Amber grabbed Justin''s elbow as she faced everyone''s remarks. "I won''t be operating thepany by myself. Justin has promised me that he will provide the cash to resolve the penalty for the contractual breaches and help us get through this difficult stage. This will only be possible if each of you agrees to allow me to inherit Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and appoint me as the executive manager."

    "Is that true?"

    "President Burton, I thought you''ve already called off the engagement with Amber?"

    "Yeah. Why is he willing to help?"

    Just then, Justin frowned and discreetly withdrew his hand from Amber''s. Subsequently, he was about to say something when Rachel''s voice rang out and interjected him.

    "I''m sure President Burton must treasure their previous rtionship, so he''s willing to offer his help. However, I''m not too sure whether he''s using the pretext of helping thepany just to pave the way for his takeover of Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the future."

    At that point, Amber''s expression turned. "What sort of nonsense are you on about?! Justin would never do that!"

    "If you''re so sure that he''s not going to do that, then what''s this?"

    At that, Rachel took out a document in front of everyone and handed it over to the main representative of the shareholders. "Mr. Raymond, take a look at this."

    The first page of the document was printed with the logo of Burton Group and the words in bold were quite eye-catching,''Proposal on Hudson Pharmaceuticals Takeover''.

    Justin''s expression changed instantly. The proposal had been in his office all this while and it was a confidential document. How did she get hold of this?

    Amongst the uproar, Rachel continued to mock him with an indifferent look. "Amber, if you had no idea, then this clearly shows that you''re not smart enough. You''re not aplished enough to be a professional manager. However, if you knew about this, then you''ve betrayed your ownpany and aided your enemy to infiltrate thepany."

    Just then, no matter which option took precedence, Amber clearly wasn''t suited to inherit Hudson

    Pharmaceuticals.

    Meanwhile, she couldn''te up with the words to exin herself as the crowd shot her doubtful looks.

    "Even so, I was just thinking of the future of Hudson Pharmaceuticals!"

    In the end, Amber made a reckless decision. "Well, you''re also helping Carter Enterprise to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals, so why can''t I allow Justin to help me? Besides, it''s quite logical for me to inherit the business. Meanwhile, you''re just an illegitimate daughter without any legal identity. What right do you have to inherit Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "Well, based on the six forms I have in my hands, I will be eligible to inherit the business."

    Forms? As soon as Rachel said that, everyone at the scene looked at her with incredulous expressions.

    "Rachel, what are you on about? Did you discover some forms? What sort of forms are they?"

    The person who asked this was one of the representatives of the shareholders-Evan Holt. He was the son of Old Mr. Hudson''s butler, and he had gone overseas for his studies and then returned to work for Hudson Pharmaceuticals. He had been highly valued by Jefferey and he was also one of the shareholder representatives now.

    From Rachel''s investigation, she found out that he was one of the few shareholders who dared to challenge

    Jefferey''s decisions. He was a man of integrity and he frowned upon Amber''s behavior.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Just then, Rachel responded, "Mr. Holt, what other form could it be? Other than those six forms inherited from the Hudson ancestors, do you think there''s anything else that could restore Hudson Pharmaceuticals to its former glory?"

    "Are the forms in your hands?"

    "Of course. My mother got me to recite it since I was young and I know it off the top of my head."

    "Your mother?"

    Evan''s expression was stricken as he mumbled, "Your mother is..."

    They were at the Hudson Family cemetery, and the look he shot through the corner of his eyes was in the direction of Selena''s grave.

    Instantly, Rachel noticed that and she knew that he was aware of her identity.

    "Mr. Holt, with the six forms I have in my hands, am I still ineligible to inherit thepany? Furthermore, I''m nning to inherit thepany by buying over everyone''s shares, unlike someone else who wants everyone to bear the risk along with her."

    "Rachel, you are obviously taking advantage of the situation! No one knows whether the forms are legit or not. Besides, look at what era we are in now! The forms for Eastern medicine are pretty much useless. Everyone currently uses Western medicine!"

    Amber was angered beyond herself and sheshed out at Rachel furiously. "Stop your wishful thinking! You won''t be able toy your hands on Hudson Pharmaceuticals!"

    "Enough!" Suddenly, Evan cut in and interrupted Amber''s tirade. "Eastern medicine is useless? Who was the one that told you that?!"

    Suddenly, the crowd''s titters slowly dissipated in the vast cemetery and silence descended.

    Evan was a man of strong integrity and he was well-respected by all of the shareholders, so even Amber didn''t dare to cross him.

    Just then, she realized that she had said the wrong thing, and she guiltily eximed, "Mr. Holt."

    Meanwhile, Evan shot a look at Amber. "Hudson Pharmaceuticals is a family business, but the people present today aren''t all members of the Hudson n. Many years back, Hudson Pharmacy encountered some slight instabilities so the decision was made to introduce a shareholding system, and everyone who worked for thepany, even all the workers, were eligible to purchase the shares. My father became a shareholder back then and now I''ve inherited that..."

    "Everyone present today owns some or even plenty of shares in thepany. You guys might not be aware of how the Hudsons made their fortune, as it was all in the past during the reform period. They made their fortune from the six forms mentioned. Without the forms, Hudson Pharmacy would not exist and subsequently, there would be no Hudson Pharmaceuticals today."

    "When Old Mr. Hudson was alive, he mentioned that the person in possession of the six forms would be the rightful heir of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Also, the business would not be in such a bad state if it wasn''t for the disappearance of those six forms."

    Just then, Evan''s words caused the shareholders to stare at each other with aghast looks on their faces.

    Although none of them were involved in the actual smuggling details organized by Jefferey, after considering the actual situation afterward, they could more or less figure things out. The loss of the forms critical for generating an ie for Hudson Pharmaceuticals meant that Jefferey had toe up with another risky way to sustain the business.

    "Mr. Holt, what do you mean by that?" Amber was frantic. "Are you out of your mind? She''s just an illegitimate child, so how can she inherit Hudson Pharmaceuticals?! She could just im to own the forms without actually having it!"

    "Her birth mother is Selena Hudson, so that makes her eligible. I wouldn''t be so sure if it was anyone else, but Selena was guided personally by Old Mr. Hudson since she was a child and she was also personally guided by him in the concoction andpounding of medications."

    Evan''s words caught Rachel by surprise. He seems to be quite close with my mother.

    "Rae, leave all of this to me. I''ll personally liaise with each of the shareholders and respond to you soon." Evan ignored Amber''s thunderous expression and stood up for Rachel in front of everyone else.

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

    Wait! I Have Something to Say!

    #

    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 286

    In response, Rachel nodded respectfully. "Thank you."

    Logically speaking, as well as in consideration of their interests, it madeplete sense for the group to ept her offer.

    "Okay, then. I won''t intrude any further. I''ll be on my way." With that, Rachel nced toward a tombstone that was some distance away, and said, ˇ°Mr. Holt, if you would help me pay my respects." After she had said that, she turned around and left.

    Just then, Justin frowned and raced after her. "Rachel!"

    "Justin!" Amber instantly grabbed his sleeve. "Justin, you should be able to clearly see this woman''s true self now. She has been making use of you since the start."

    "Let go!" Justin''s expression was currently cold and thunderous.

    Upon hearing that, Amber trembled and instinctively released her grip on his sleeve.

    Meanwhile, Justin flicked off the nonexistent lint on his shirt and coldly responded, "I promised to attend the funeral to stand up for you for the sake of our coboration. Now that there won''t be a coboration, there''s nothing else left between us."

    He had originally intended to tackle Amber and then subsequently take control of the old fogeys from Hudson Pharmaceuticals so that by the time Rachel needed help, it would be much easier for him to transfer the shares to her. Right now, however, it seemed that Rachel didn''t need his help. On the contrary, his unnecessary interference had resulted in a misunderstanding.

    "Justin!"

    Just then, Amber angrily stomped her feet as soon as she saw him rush off. I''m sure things aren''t irrevocable just yet!

    At that moment, Rachel had just entered her car, but the door to the front passenger seat was suddenly yanked open and someone rushed in.

    "What are you doing here?!"

    Rachel''s expression changed the moment she saw Justin. "Get out of my car!"

    "No," Justin responded. "I''ve got something to tell you."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "If this is regarding Hudson Pharmaceuticals, then I have nothing to say. You should have already known from the start about my intentions toward Hudson Pharmaceuticals, as I have never kept that a secret from you."

    "You stole the document that I was prepared to shred and get rid of, and yet you''re so indignant about the situation?! So, I''m not even allowed to mention anything about that?"

    "I didn''t steal it! I merely..." Hold on! Did he just mention he was going to shred it?

    Just then, Justin nced at her intently. "You took a document that was invalid, so you should thank me for not revealing the truth in front of everyone else. I called off the n to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals ages ago. If you don''t believe me, then you can go and ask Frankie or the project manager. You want it, so I won''t fight you for it."

    At that moment, Rachel stared at Justin with a shell-shocked expression.

    Meanwhile, as she was lost in her thoughts, Justin seemed to have seen something, so he suddenly inched closer by leaning forward. Instinctively, Rachel lifted her hand and pressed on his chest to stop him from getting closer. "What are you trying to do?"

    Suddenly, there was an evident sound of a seat belt being fastened.

    "What do you think I''m trying to do?"

    A deep male voice rang out from above her head and there was a teasing note in his voice. "How does that feel?"

    Rachel''s hand was on Justin''s chest, and the warm feeling through his ck shirt was quite evident. Through her right hand, she could even feel his heart thudding in his chest.

    As soon as Rachel heard his words, she suddenly came to her senses and shoved at him angrily. "You must be nuts!" He''s so childish for his age! He''s still imitating those romantic soap operas and making such tacky moves!

    Just then, Justin was shoved aside abruptly and his head bumped against the roof of the car. He stifled his yelp of pain and immediately fell back against the passenger seat as he gasped for air. "You deserve that!" Rachel was quite annoyed, but she couldn''t helpughing upon seeing theical turn of events.

    At that point, herugh seemed to clear the air between them and their cold war was resolved.

    She released a cough and tried to remain calm. "Since you''re not after Hudson Pharmaceuticals, then why did you turn up today?"

    Meanwhile, Justin regained hisposure and exined, "Amber promised that she would be able to convince those old fogeys to sell me their shares if I helped her. I nned to buy it under my name and then transfer it to you as a betrothal gift."

    Betrothal gift? Suddenly, Rachel frowned but she couldn''t be bothered to argue with him about the matter of the betrothal gift. "Aren''t you afraid that you''ll force Amber to the brink of desperation by doing so? After all, she''s your fianc¨¦e."

    Just then, Justin corrected her, "She''s my ex-fianc¨¦e. Besides, the so-called engagement was just her one sided im when I lost my memories, so I never acknowledged that."

    "Then have you regained your memories?"

    "No, but I''m sure that I''ll definitely be able to recall my past."

    Suddenly, Rachel recalled Hernandez''s words upon seeing Justin''s confident look. Hernandez had mentioned that Justin had gone to see a psychiatrist in private. Is he so intent on regaining his memories? Meanwhile, Justin kept his eyes on Rachel, and the admiring look in his eyes grew.

    It was rare for him to find a woman like her, who was gentle yet full of inner strength. Earlier, at the cemetery, her heroic stance and the way she had easily stirred up trouble within the Hudson Family with a few words had everyone ended up being on her side ultimately. He enjoyed the feeling of finally meeting his match.

    Meanwhile, she was quite ufortable with his intent stare. "Why are you staring at me?"

    And so, he murmured, "I apologize for my behavior from the past few days, but I reckon that it''s quite normal for lovers to get into a tiff. We should try and consider things from each other''s perspectives and reflect on our behavior, and then continue to get along with each other."

    "What''s the oue of your self-reflection?"

    "I shouldn''t have interrogated you for something that I can''t remember and doubt your character. You have the right to befriend any other person and that''s not something that I should interfere with. As for you paying your respects to Hans, I shouldn''t have said anything about that either."

    Justin''s words sounded like a confession of his sins in a church.

    "That''s all I have to say. How about you?"

    "What''s wrong with me?"

    Meanwhile, Justin emphasized his words, "Each of us should reflect on our behavior. I''ve reflected on mine, so what about you?"

    "Didn''t you already reflect on your behavior? Since it''s your fault, then I did nothing wrong, right?"

    "Yes, it is my fault, but I meant-"

    "Besides," Rachel directly interrupted his sentence. "Since when are we lovers?"

    Rachel had never promised Justin anything, so although they had a slightly ambiguous rtionship, she wanted him to know that being previously married to each other didn''t mean that they could just take a step back and be lovers.

    Meanwhile, Justin was slightly snubbed as he didn''t manage to get his way. However, he suddenly realized

    that Rachel was quite lovable. Ultimately, he was the one who had mistreated her in the past, so he was quite willing to bear the brunt of her anger.

    "Fasten your seat belt properly; otherwise, get out of the car."

    Rachel voiced out impatiently before putting her foot on the elerator. Subsequently, she drove out of the cemetery

    After the funeral, Rachel officially took over Hudson Pharmaceuticals and with a total of sixty percent of shares owned, she became the Chief Executive Officer of thepany.

    "I''ll hand over my work at the Burton Group to Lisa to deal with, and I won''t bring with me any of the confidential customer details so you don''t have to worry." Just then, Rachel ced her resignation letter on Justin''s work desk.

    "Is it necessary for you to leave? I can reduce your workload and it won''t affect you from your work at Hudson

    "It won''t work." Rachel''s simple words reverberated inside the huge office.

    Since she had already made up her mind to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals, there was no way she would continue maintaining her position as the general manager of Burton Pharmaceuticals.

    "Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' focus is on pharmaceutics, and it''s the same for Burton Pharmaceuticals. There are plenty of ovepping points, including our raw material suppliers and all of our different marketing avenues. Furthermore, our target customers overseas ovep each other too. Evidently, we are in a directlypetitive line of work, so I can only pick one."

    "So does that mean you''ve chosen Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

 Chapter 287

    Justin purposely asked, though he already knew the answer.

    Nheless, Rachel''s expression remained neutral. "What do you think?"

    From the start, she had never masked her intentions for returning to the country. After all, Hudson Pharmaceuticals originally belonged to her parents, so she was just iming it back on their behalf.

    As for Burton Pharmaceuticals, it was just a temporary stepping-stone for her. Though she regarded thepany as merely a stepping-stone, she had in fact put in a lot of effort in her work for the past few months. She hadn''t cked off at all, so she had a clear conscience.

    Just then, Rachel ced the resignation letter on Justin''s desk and calmly voiced out, "You should just treat my departure from Burton Pharmaceuticals as a regr staff turnover."

    Meanwhile, Justin didn''t respond to her words, and neither did he ept the resignation letter.

    "I''ll get going, then."

    As she reached the doorway, Justin suddenly yelled out, "Rachel!"

    "I''ll retain the position of general manager of Burton Pharmaceuticals for you. You cane back anytime you feel like it."

    However, Rachel opened the door and left without saying another word. I won''te back here.

    Three dayster, afterpleting the handover process, Rachel officially relinquished her position at Burton Pharmaceuticals.

    "Rae, the office is here."

    Mr. Holt personally showed Rachel to her office at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "I''ve instructed the staff to

    rece the work desk and office chair with a brand-new one, but if you find it not to your liking, then you can change it ording to your preferencester on."

    "Thank you, Mr. Holt. This is good enough for me." Rachel scanned her surroundings. "I''m not too fussed about the office environment."

    "You''re too easy going. If anyone refuses to heed your instructions,e and let me know and I''ll take care of them."

    Just then, the secretary had just finished brewing the tea and the scent from it gradually reced the smell of brand-new furniture in the room.

    "Mr. Holt, have a seat."

    "Okay, sure. You should take a seat too."

    Just then, Rachel showed Evan to a chair. At the same time, he scrutinized her and couldn''t help nodding his head. "You''re so alike. You''re indeed alike."

    "Alike?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "You resemble your mother."

    "Did you know my mother?"

    At that point, Evan nodded. "I grew up together with your mother before I left for overseas to study with your uncle. Oh-you might not know it, but your dad had an elder brother. He passed away from an ident many years ago, though."

    Meanwhile, Rachel suddenly looked dazed as she nodded her head calmly.

    Her true identity was tooplicated and it was difficult to verify any verbal ims. Besides, it was of no help in her taking control of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, so she had merely brought up the forms and her mother during the funeral.

    "I was the closest friend of your uncle but unfortunately, I was still overseas when he met his demise. Upon my arrival back home, Old Mr. Hudson had passed away too. In the end, your father was the only one left to inherit Hudson Pharmacy and subsequently, he managed to build it up into the business of Hudson Pharmaceuticals today."

    Inherit? Rachel sneered in her mind. Perhaps usurpation would be a more appropriate word to describe that.

    Despite her thoughts, she managed to maintain a neutral expression.

    Just then, she spoke up. "I have never heard my mother mention a word about the past."

    At that moment, Evan heaved a sigh. "Selena was the smartest among all of us and she was very knowledgeable in pharmacology. If only misfortune hadn''t befallen the Hudsons, then she would have been the next in line to inherit Hudson Pharmacy."

    Suddenly, Rachel couldn''t help but interrupt him. "Mr. Holt, although I''m not too sure about the things that urred in the past, I know that my mother was merely the adopted daughter of the Hudson Family. Even if she had outstanding abilities, would she be eligible to inherit the pharmacy back then?"

    "She was indeed an adopted child, but she was treated like flesh and blood. Furthermore, Lionel and your mother were deeply in love with each other, and Old Mr. Hudson had already made ns for the two of them. The man of the house would be in charge of the business, while the woman would be in charge of the pharmaceutical aspect."

    "Lionel?" Just then, Rachel urately pinpointed the crucial point in Evan''s words.

    Suddenly, Evan was quite stunned.

    After quite some time, he awkwardly corrected himself, "An-I must be old and senile. I''ve gotten your father mixed up with your uncle. I meant Jefferey. It was Jefferey."

    However, Rachel didn''t believe his words. Grandma was right! Mom and Dad were the ones who were in love with each other, and Grandpa knew about it from the start. If only misfortune hadn''t befallen the Hudson Family

    and resulted in Mom being forced to marry someone else, then she would not have been kicked out of the family by Grandpa! He kicked her out to protect her and the child she was carrying! Although Rachel had not experienced the tumultuous time back then, she could still feel the joy her grandfather must have felt back then. Under such circumstances and with his eldest son dead from an ident, the sudden knowledge that he had left behind an heir to continue the bloodline was definitely great news. However, no one would have expected that there would be another catch after that. Her mother had managed to dodge the forced marriage, but she didn''t manage to avoid falling into the hands of her most trusted second brother. Jefferey was a b*stard and he would resort to anything at all to get his way.

    "That will be all, then. If you encounter any issues, feel free to contact me. By the way, I''ll assign you a secretary and I''ll make sure that the person is trustworthy."

    "That''s alright, Mr. Holt. I would like to get familiarized with thepany first. I''ll find someone suitable at ater stage."

    Rachel clearly made her point clear as she rejected his suggestion. After all, she had no ns to pretend to agree and then do the opposite behind his back. Right now, she had no idea whether she could actually trust the person introduced by him, so it was wiser to avoid having too many people around her for the time being

    Meanwhile, Evan seemed to have picked up her concerns, so he didn''t pursue it any further. On the contrary, he revealed an approving look.

    "If only Selena was still alive, she would be so happy to see you right now."

    "Mr. Holt, the elevator''s here."

    "I''ll head off, then."

    Right before the elevator doors slid shut, Rachel seemed to have caught the slightest hint of tears in Evan''s eyes. However, he purposely turned in the other direction to avoid her gaze.

    At that point, she had no time to ponder over the situation. Hudson Pharmaceuticals was in a mess right now and there was a continuous stream of resignation letters handed in every day. It was a tough job trying to provide assurance to the staff left behind.

    Rachel continued to deal with the paperwork for the whole afternoon and before she left work, she received a phone call on her office line.

    "Hello? Who''s on the line?"

    "Rachel, you must be in the office right now, right?"

    "Amber?" Rachel frowned. "What are you after?"

    "I''m downstairs right now. Come down and see me. I''ve got something to say."

    "I''m busy."

    "It''s regarding Charlotte."

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat when she heard that.

    Meanwhile, Amber''s sullen voice rang out on the other end of the line, "Don''t you want to know what I''ve done to her while you were gone for the past five years?" Instantly, Rachel''s expression changed and she also couldn''t help herself from tightening her grip on the phone in her hands.

    "Where are you?"

    "I''m in the cafe across the road from thepany. It''s just directly opposite and you can see it from your office window. I''ll wait for you here." With that, Amber hung up the phone immediately. Without any hesitation, Rachel sped downstairs.

    She had been away from Riverdale for the past few years, and Amber had stayed by Justin''s side as his fianc¨¦e the whole time. Hence, Amber had plenty of opportunities to get close to Charlotte. Besides, there were so many others from the Burton Family who disliked Rachel. Arthur and Sue were among those too, so Amber definitely had a lot of opportunities toy her hands on Charlotte.

    As soon as Rachel reached the ground floor, she was in a rush to cross the road and get to the other side.

    It was still within working hours so there were not many passersby on the street. There was only Rachel, who took the zebra crossing on the wide road. As soon as she saw the lights turn green, she immediately hastened her footsteps and headed to the other end.

    At that moment, a red sports car suddenly diverted from its original route while waiting at the traffic light. It was now headed right in Rachel''s direction.

    Amidst the loud noise from the engine, there were also hysterical screams from the surrounding people.

    All of a sudden, Rachel turned her head and saw the sports car headed right toward her. Her eyes met the eyes of the woman in the driver''s seat through the windscreen, and Rachel could clearly see the evil,

 Chapter 288

    As the elerator roared, those who had yet to make it across the road dodged to either side, leaving a woman with a stroller standing in the middle of the road. Without thinking about it, Rachel sprinted forward and reached out to shove the woman and the stroller aside before turning to nce in fear at the oing car.

    With a screech, the brakes echoed sharply through the air in between the buildings.

    Due to the friction with the road, the tires of the car were smoking and it left clear track marks on the ground. In the end, the car stopped in front of Rachel just in time.

    By now, the surrounding people were frozen in fear and after a short moment of silence, whispers swept through the crowd like a wave.

    Meanwhile, the woman who was shoved aside by Rachel had fallen on the ground, but thankfully, the stroller had been caught by someone who appeared to be the husband, and hadn''t tipped over.

    After the husband helped his wife up and made sure that his wife and his child were both fine, he immediately ran up to Rachel. "Are you okay, miss?"

    Though physically alright, Rachel was still in a state of shock over hertest near-death experience.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    After ensuring that she was all right, the father pointed in the direction of the car and shouted, "What kind of a driver are you? Are you mad? Are you trying to kill someone?"

    Meanwhile, Amber was still stopped in the middle of the road, and her perfectly still figure that was holding onto the steering wheel resembled a statue.

    "Did the car malfunction?"

    "Malfunction? No, the car left the flow of traffic on purpose."

    "Is the driver seeking revenge on society?"

    In the middle of the whispers, Amber left the car.

    "It''s a woman."

    At the sight of Amber, Rachel immediately calmed down. She clenched her fists and strode up to Amber under everyone''s watchful gaze.

    p! She decked Amber across the face.

    Even the man who was yelling was shocked into silence.

    "Are you crazy?" Rachel snarled. "If you wanted to kill me, you should havee for me alone. There are so many pedestrians on the road. Did you want everyone to die along with you? What the f*ck is wrong with you? Tell me-what the f*ck is wrong with you?"

    With her face turned to the side from being pped, Amber suddenly fell to her knees with a thump in front of Rachel, bemoaning, "I''m so sorry, sister."

    Sister?

    The crowd paused. What on earth was going on?

    Was this a family fight?

    At the same time, Rachel was also confused by the reference.

    After all, Amber had looked down on her their entire lives. Rachel could count on one hand the number of times Amber had acknowledged their familial bond, not to mention that it was bad news whenever that happened.

    Sure enough, in the next second, Amber burst into tears. "I know what happened in the past was my fault, but you''re my only family left in Riverdale now that Dad is dead. How am I going to go through life alone if you don''t care about me anymore?"

    The change in attitude was so abrupt that Rachel was caught off guard.

    Never before had she seen Amber show weakness in front of her, let alone weep so tragically. If Rachel remembered correctly, Amber didn''t cry like that even on the day of Jefferey''s funeral.

    "If you have anything to say, get up and say it properly."

    "No. If you won''t forgive me, I''ll stay here forever," Amber choked out. "I know that everything that happened was my fault, but even if we''re tenuously rted, I''m still your younger sister. Are you truly intending to leave me with no one to defend me from being humiliated and trampled upon all over Riverdale?"

    "Who''s humiliating you?"

    "The Hudson Family has fallen. I have nothing now. Who from the past wouldn''t want to trample all over me?"

    "What does that have to do with me?" Rachel asked impatiently. "What are you up to, acting like this?"

    "I need a job. I want to join Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' Research and Development Department." "Impossible," Rachel refused concisely.

    The Research and Development Department was a core department. Even the ordinary person would have to go through levels of interviews and selection to be hired, let alone someone as nefarious as Amber.

    "Please!" Letting go of decorum, Amber threw her arms around Rachel''s leg and begged, "Please, you have such argepany. Can''t you give me a job? No matter what, Dad raised you for twenty years and we were siblings for so long. Do you want to see me die?"

    Since there were many passersby on the road, several people had already raised their cell phones to begin recording the fiasco.

    As the whispers fell on Rachel''s ears, she realized that the scene had already be sensationalized.

    "Which rich family is making aughingstock out of usmon folk by ying out their grudges in front of us like that?"

    "I can''t believe she''s saying she''s poor! That luxury car must cost several million at least."

    "What do you know? To spoiled young princesses like these, several million is no different from several hundred."

    And it went on and on.

    The thing was, Rachel didn''t want to cause a scene. After all, she had just taken over Hudson Pharmaceuticals and if the videos surfaced on the Inte, she would have to clear things up with the public once again. That would be too troublesome.

    "Get up, Amber. Don''t you find this disgraceful?"

    "What do I have to fear now that I have nothing? I''ll stand up once you promise me a job."

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "I''m begging you, sister!" Amber shouted shrilly as she tightened her grip around Rachel''s thigh. There was something dark in the former''s eyes that were hidden beneath her fringe, but only Rachel could sense that.

    All of a sudden, she scoffed internally.

    To think she had underestimated Amber in the past and assumed her little sister was naive for being pampered. Now, it was turning out that Amber was much more flexible than Rachel anticipated and knew how to y up the drama to get what she wanted.

    "Fine, I promise." Rachel suddenly leaned down and, in front of everyone,id a hand on Amber''s shoulder." don''t simply promise you a job, but I''ll take you on as the director of the Research and Development Department so that you can lead the development team."

    Startled, Amber paused. "Are you serious?"

    "Of course. Weren''t you the one who said it? We''re sisters. We might not be wholly rted, but we''re still rted in some way. Family and all that."

    There was something deep in Rachel''s eyes that gave Amber a sense of unease. Suddenly, thetter shivered.

    Nevertheless, this was herst chance. She had to seed or die trying.

    Very soon, the news of Amber joining Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' Research and Development Department spread around the organization.

    Even Evan called to ask about it. "I know you and Amber have had your arguments, Rachel. I can understand your hiring her out of consideration for your sisterly rtionship, but the R&D Department is a core department. If you feel embarrassed to reject her, I can speak to her on your behalf."

    "It''s okay. The Hudson Family has fallen. She has nowhere to go but here."

    "Have you thought about why she wants to enter R&D, though?ˇ±

    "Of course, Mr. Holt." Rachel dodged Evan''s question casually.

    There was virtually no possibility that Amber caused such arge scene to enter the Research and Development Department simply because she loved the job. Rachel didn''t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that Amber was up to no good.

    However, she intended to beat Amber at her own game and see what the other woman was up to.

    At the Burton Residence, Justin nced at the old-fashioned wall clock above the firece. Although it was already 9 PM, Rachel had yet to return.

    At this moment, Samuel was curled up on the couch, gaming happily. There was so much junk food next to him that he had practically been swallowed up by the junk food.

    Since school was on break for these two days, he and Charlotte were home all day.

    "Aren''t you worried about the fact that your mother is back sote these few days?" Justin asked.

    Unimpressed, Samuel shot him a nce. "If you miss her, you can call her or go to find her. What''s the point in asking me this?"

 Chapter 289

    "Yes, Daddy. You can go and find Mommy," Charlotte agreed.

    The responses from the children irritated Justin so much that he was almost rendered speechless. "She''s workingte because she''s very busy."

    "That''s not what it is!" Charlotte dug through the pile of junk food to find something she liked. As she looked, she added, "She still has time no matter how busy she is. She just doesn''t want to talk to you."

    "You think she doesn''t want to talk to me?"

    "Isn''t that obvious?"

    "Charlotte." Justin then caught hold of the girl''s arm. "Stop eating. Come with me to pick up your mother from work."

    "No." She pulled away mercilessly, scampering up to Samuel with some crisps as she shot Justin a disdainful look. "You''re too stupid, Daddy. I don''t want to talk to you."

    ea

    Deep down, she thought, If I keep talking to Daddy, even Mommy will find me annoying. I don''t want that to happen!

    Of course, Justin was incensed.

    Clearly, the little girl was spending too much time with Samuel if she was bing as indifferent as him to the development of her parents'' rtionship.

    Helplessly, Justin stared down at his cell phone for a long time before finally calling Rachel.

    "Hello?" Rachel asked at the other end of the line. "Is something wrong?"

    "Haven''t you finished work yet at this hour?" he asked.

    "Well, I just took over thepany, so I''ve had a lot to dotely. Are Charlotte and Samuel okay?"

    "They''re fine."

    "Oh-that''s good. Thank you."

    "No problem. You-"

    "I have an overseas conference call in a bit, so I''ll have to hang up now. Get some rest."

    Just like that, Justin swallowed the words he had been about to say.

    The call ended and his cell phone returned to its home screen.

    Nearby, Charlotte nudged Samuel''s arm, and Samuel looked up from his game to take in Justin''s lost

    expression before shrugging helplessly to show that he didn''t know what to do either.

    After all, they had tried everything, but Justin was a fool who always dropped the ball at a crucial moment. It was no wonder Rachel was indifferent to him.

    Feeling somewhat bad for him, Charlotte said, "If I''m not wrong, Aunt Gloria''s tour is about to return to the country, Daddy."

    At that, Justin hummed absent-mindedly.

    Exasperatedly, she reminded him, "Mommy and Aunt Gloria have a very good rtionship."

    Pausing, he looked up at his daughter. "How do you know?"

    "Because Aunt Gloria always talks to me about Mommy," Charlotte pointed out matter-of-factly. "You rarely see Aunt Gloria, so you don''t know."

    Since Justin woke up from his car crash five years ago, Gloria had gone overseas to study music and only came back during the holidays. Although she rarely saw him, she would spoil Charlotte with presents and take Charlotte out for trips.

    Did she actually have a good rtionship with Rachel?

    Justin didn''t have the slightest idea.

    Right as he was thinking about it, his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

    "President Burton." It was a call from his assistant, who only had to say a few words before Justin was heading toward the balcony with a grim look on his face. "Are you sure?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "I haven''t verified the news yet, but in all probability, it''s the truth."

    Through the ss door, Charlotte sprawled out on the couch and watched her father speak on the phone.

    After staring at him for a moment, she sighed helplessly.

    "What are you sighing about?" Samuel asked next to her.

    "I think you''re right, Samuel. My Daddy is stupid."

    "I told you so. You didn''t believe me."

    "But I don''t want him to be so stupid. I want him to be with Mommy."

    "What else can we do now?"

    "When Aunt Gloriaes back, she''ll know what to do."

    At the thought of Aunt Gloria, Charlotte suddenly developed a bit of confidence.

    Half a monthter, Hudson Pharmaceuticals was holding an opening ceremony in honor of the establishment of a foundation to help children who were unable to speak.

    All over the scene, there were news reporters and media outlets taking photographs and conducting interviews.

    "Chris." Jolly arrived fashionablyte.

    On behalf of Carter Enterprise, she had donated ten million to the foundation and was thus a special guest of the opening ceremony. In addition, she was using the establishment of the foundation as an excuse to promote the friendly cooperation between Carter Enterprise and Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Pulling her over so that they could be photographed together, Rachel said in a low voice, "I thought you weren''ting. Why are you sote?"

    "I ran into something on the road."

    "What was it?"

    "It''s a long story."

    Since Jolly was always a straightforward person, her evasiveness gave Rachel the sense that something was wrong. "You''re not keeping something from me, are you?"

    "Look at the camera," Jolly changed the subject, taking Rachel''s hand and reminding her that they were being photographed

    Meanwhile, the ceremony hostesses went on the stage with the tray carrying the scissors for the ribbon

    cutting ceremony.

    Upon spotting a familiar figure among the five ceremony hostesses, Jolly asked in astonishment, "My eyes aren''t deceiving me, are they?"

    The person she was looking at was Amber, who was dressed in a red gown and wearing a wee sash. Rachel frowned.

    On the other hand, Amber nodded at the duo in greeting.

    It wasn''t until the ribbon-cutting ceremony ended that Rachel sent her employees to entertain the guests and news reporters while she and Jolly copsed in the hotel lounge.

    Eagerly, Jolly asked her, "I heard you epted Amber into Hudson Pharmaceuticals, but I thought that was because you felt bad for her. What''s going on now? Isn''t she in R&D? Since when did she be a ceremony hostess?"

    "Without anyone to lean on, she would be picked on so easily," Rachel answered mildly. "Ever since that hubaloo all the while back, everyone knows we don''t get along. It''s already kind enough for them to keep their distance from her and not bully her out in the open, but there are plenty of people who would step on her to climb the workdder."

    As for who came up with the idea of sucking up to her by arranging for Amber to be a ceremony hostess, Rachel had no idea.

    "By the way, are you free this Saturday?" She pulled two concert tickets out of her purse.

    ncing at them, Jolly said, "A piano performance? Since when are you into this stuff? You know I have no interest in cultured stuff like this."

    "It''s Gloria''s tour."

    "Gloria?" Jolly immediately sat up and snatched a ticket over. Sure enough, Gloria''s name as the solo pianist was printed in an extremely eye-catching way on the flier. "Why has she suddenly returned?" "She''s touring the country and happened to be reaching Riverdale." Rachel''s expression gentled as she stared at the elegant side profile of the woman in the evening gown on the ticket. "It didn''t matter to her that I haven''t seen her in years."

    Feeling jealous, Jollymented, "I heard from Julian that she has a fantastic rtionship with Justin, and is the daughter of the person who saved Justin''s life. Justin basically raised her."

    "Yes, and she''s helped me a lot as well." Rachel didn''t realize what the jealousy meant and only said, "But I won''t waste your time if you aren''t interested in the performance. I''ll find someone else to go with

    me."

    However, before she could take the ticket back, Jolly suddenly raised it above their heads to keep it out of her grip. "Who says I''m not going?"

    "Are you?" Rachel questioned in surprise.

    "Of course I am! I want to see how truly prodigious this Piano Prodigy is." Jolly''s eyes suddenly gleamed with fighting spirit.

    She wanted to see how great this woman whom Rachel wouldn''t stop praising actually was!

 Chapter 290

    Because of how excited she was that she would soon see Gloria again, Rachel didn''t realize what Jolly was thinking. After all, Gloria ranked among the rare few who were nice to her all those years ago. Very soon, Saturday arrived.

    The performance was being held at the Jubilee Theater.

    "What''s she up to? Surely she must have returned beforehand if she was going to hold a performance here. Why hasn''t she gotten in contact with you before?" Jollyined on the way there.

    "Maybe she feels pressured," Rachel answered. "There are many things to get ready before a performance. Keeping calm is more important."

    "And you even got her flowers," Jolly grumbled as she nced at Rachel''s hands. "I''ve never received any flowers from you."

    "Have you lost your memory?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "Didn''t I give you flowers when you graduated?"

    "They weren''t as pretty as this!" Jolly muttered with dissatisfaction. Upon finding her path down the row of seats blocked by two legs, she snapped, "Excuse me, can''t you see that someone wants to pass? Do you think you bought the whole row?"

    "Godmother!"

    Taken aback to hear the familiar voice, Jolly looked up to see two small figures sitting two seats over.

    Charlotte and Samuel?

    Does that mean the person blocking my path is...

    As she nced out of the corner of her eye, she was met with a cold face.

    At this juncture, Justin pulled his legs back. Indeed, he hadn''t meant to block her path. His legs were simply too long. However, because the space between the rows of seats was too narrow, he gave up and stood. Instantly, he towered over Jolly by a head.

    Unwilling to admit defeat, Jolly looked up at him. "Are you haunting Rachel? Why are you here?"

    Using her own words on her, he replied, "Do you think you bought the whole ce?"

    The moment Justin said that, Samuel put his hand to his forehead, feeling speechless.

    No matter who Justin offended, he wasn''t to offend the best friend of the woman he was interested in. Best friends were only a smidgen below future mothers-inw. Didn''t Justin know that? There was truly no helping him.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was about to get mad when Rachel urged from behind, "There are people behind us, Jolly. Move forward."

    Only then did Jolly reluctantly squeeze past Justin to find her own seat three ces away from him. When

    she found her seat, she sat down, only to turn and re fiercely at Justin.

    Meanwhile, Rachel sat in between Charlotte and Jolly. She was separated from Justin by the two children.

    Next to her, Jolly grumbled, "I knew Gloria was up to no good. What would this be if I wasn''t here? A family outing? Even if she wanted to matchmake, she didn''t have to be so obvious about it, did she?" Meanwhile, Rachel stayed silent.

    After all, Gloria didn''t necessarily have such an intention. She had put in quite a bit of effort to help Rachel escape Riverdale all those years ago, which meant she didn''t necessarily want to see Justin and Rachel

    together.

    Soon after that, the performance started and Jolly fell silent.

    There was one unique thing about Gloria''s solo performance, which was that she had no host. Right before the curtains rose, she began ying, and the crowd gradually quietened as the piano music filled the theater. Once the curtains had risen, the performance was considered officially begun.

    At this moment, Gloria was dressed in a one-shoulder, floor-length evening gown of dark green fabric. From the side, her long, delicate neck happened to be exposed, and seated in front of the grand piano, she no longer looked like the boisterous young woman from all those years ago who could stillugh even when her leg was broken.

    After five years, she had grown up.

    At this moment, Justin turned his head to look at Rachel. When he saw her fixated on the stage, he could not help it when his gaze turnedplicated.

    To the best of his ability, he tried to recall the past interaction between Gloria and Rachel. From his own spection, he would have guessed that they had the rtionship of sisters-inw, because Rachel married him and Gloria could be considered his sister, but such spection had been confirmed false by Frankie.

    "Miss Hochmann and President Hudson have a good rtionship, but it is not because of you," Frankie said. "In private, they''ve always had a good rtionship. When President Burton''s grandmother was still around, Miss Hochmann would even visit her."

    "Did she go with me?"

    "You only met President Hudson''s grandmother once."

    Seemingly finding it awkward, Frankie didn''t borate much until he was pressed. Only then did he reluctantly admit that Gloria had a good rtionship not just with people like Janice, but even people like the schoolteacher, Victor.

    Yet, Gloria never once brought Rachel up to him during the past five years.

    By now, Justin was confused. Perhaps Julian never brought Rachel up to him because they were both interested in Rachel, but what reason could Gloria have?

    At this moment, the piece ended and apuse thundered.

    Picking up the microphone in front of her, Gloria said, "Thest piece is dedicated to someone in the audience who came to see me perform today. I hope she likes it, and I hope everyone else does, too." During the performance, Gloria rarely spoke, and this was one of the rare times when she did.

    Offstage, the reporters went crazy with their photography.

    Once the piano piece began, Rachel teared up.

    Although she wasn''t very well-learned at music, some things were universal. There were some melodies that, when paired with the right instrument, could touch the soul and leave the listener unable to resist. Just like that, Gloria''s piece transported Rachel back to the summer five years ago. Despite the difficulties thetter had endured, the rare moments of sunlight that had made their way through were even more worth cherishing now.

    "Mommy, are you crying?" Charlotte asked timidly as she clutched her seat.

    "No. My eyes itch, that''s all." Rachel evaded Charlotte''s calcting stare and turned toward Jolly instead.

    Handing her a tissue paper, Jolly sneered internally, How capable this Gloria is!

    Once the performance ended, Rachel went backstage with the flowers.

    At this moment, Gloria was epting an interview.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "We heard you lived in Riverdale for a period of time, Miss Hochmann. Did you suggest to the organizers toe back here for the tour?"

    "Yes, I wanted to see what it looked like now."

    "Everyone was moved by the new piece you yed during the performance. Does it have any meaning?"

    "It''s a gift for someone very close to me. I hope she has a new life now."

    And it went on and on.

    Just then, Gloria nced at a spot over the reporter''s shoulder. "My apologies."

    Immediately, her agent interposed between her and the reporter. "Alright, today''s interview has ended. If you have any other questions, we can set up ater date."

    Lifting the hem of her dress, Gloria strode toward the exit. Through the length of the corridor, she could see Rachel walking toward her with a particrly bright and eye-catching bouquet.

    "Miss Rachel."

    Handing her the flowers, Rachel said, "This is for you. Your performance was outstanding."

    Taking measure of Rachel, Gloria continued, "How are you now?"

    "Can''t you tell? I''m great."

    "Miss Rachel..." Suddenly, Gloria couldn''t resist throwing her arms around Rachel and telling her in a choked voice, "I''ve wanted to contact you all these years, but I''ve never quite dared to." Apart from Justin, Rachel was the best friend she had in this world.

    "What''s the matter?" Rachel patted her back. "Why are you crying?"

    "I''ve missed you, Miss Rachel."

    "I''ve missed you as well."

    Instantly, Gloria''s eyes filled with tears.

    Nearby, a woman said mockingly from behind them both, "I say, aren''t you a pianist? Maybe they should just

    give you the Oscar for Best Actress."

 Chapter 291

    Startled, Gloria froze.

    Supporting her weight, Rachel turned back to ask Jolly in exasperation, "Can''t you say something good for once in your life?"

    "Well, it''s my first time meeting a piano prodigy! I never knew prodigies were like that-so full of emotion that they would weep the moment they met someone." Obviously irritated, Jolly had her arms crossed and was rolling her eyes at Gloria as she spoke.

    Frowning, Gloria asked, "Who are you?"

    "Jolly Carter, the heir of Carter Enterprise," Rachel exined.

    "And Rachel''s best friend!" Jolly immediately added, emphasizing ''best'' as she stood with hostility behind Rachel.

    At that, Gloria''s frown deepened. "Best?"

    Jolly took measure of her, and her expression seemed to say, "What? Do you have a problem with that?"

    To her surprise, Gloria didn''t reply to her but instead caught hold of Rachel''s arm. "Let''s have dinner in the evening, Miss Rachel. I haven''t had the local cuisine in a while."

    "Local food? I want some as well!" A young voice said behind the trio as Charlotte rushed up to them. "Mommy, Aunt Gloria, I want to go with you!"

    Before Jolly could interject, Rachel was already agreeing amiably as she ruffled Charlotte''s hair.

    Infuriated, Jolly caught hold of Samuel, whom she saw strolling in. "Samuel and I want to go as well, Chris. He loves the local cuisine."

    Mystified, Samuel said, "Huh? But I want to have pizza today."

    "Are you sure?" Jolly red at him.

    Grimacing, Samuel corrected, "I mean... I want to have dumplings."

    "Let''s go, then," Justin''s voice echoed over from behind Samuel.

    Annoyed to see him, Jolly snapped, "What does it have to do with you? Did we say we were bringing you along?"

    "I''m merely weing Gloria," he pointed out self-righteously.

    Of course, Jolly was enraged to have everyone gang up on her like that.

    Suddenly, Gloria shot Justin a look and spoke mildly. "There''s no need. Miss Rachel can take me out today: the both of us can meet up some other time." And just like that, Justin froze, as did Jolly.

    What on earth was going on?

    "Ria?" Justin asked with a frown.

    "Go home, Justin." Gloria left no room for refusal. "There are only women and children here. Why are youing along?"

    Instantly, Justin was disgraced.

    Although Jolly greatly disliked Gloria, she was still entertained and gratified to hear thetter speak like that.

    After all, Jolly hadn''t seen anyone close to Justin speak to him like that in all her time back in Riverdale. Clearly, Gloria was another matter.

    As if on purpose, Rachel kept silent and after a long stalemate, Justin finally left with a thunderous expression.

    Once they had chased him away, they went to the Eastern Eating House.

    Before she took the two children to the restroom, Rachel said, "You can start ordering first."

    After a long, awkward silence, Jolly announced haughtily, "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I''m Jolly Carter. Since none of us like Justin and the enemy of my enemy is my friend, we shall be friends from now on. With this drink as a substitute for alcohol, I offer you a toast."

    However, Gloria simply raised a hand. "Two bottles of beer, waiter."

    Startled, Jolly paused. "I never knew pianists liked to drink."

    Right in front of Jolly, Gloria uncapped the beer bottle using her teeth. "Pianists even drink directly from the bottle when making friends."

    All of a sudden, Jolly was thrilled.

    This was fated!

    By the time Rachel returned with the children a short whileter, the other two women had already finished a round of beer and were the best of friends. "Goodness, who ordered the beer?" Rachel asked in disbelief. "I was only gone a short while. Have you both been drugged? Why have you drunk so much?"

    "There''s no such thing as drinking too much when you''re with a good friend," Jolly told her.

    Nodding in agreement, Gloria agreed, "New acquaintances are no different from old friends."

    And just like that, Rachel was rendered speechless.

    How could she have forgotten that Gloria was a madwoman? Who could believe that the elegantly dressed pianist was the same person as the tomboy drinking directly from the bottle? Meanwhile, with a straw in between his teeth, Samuel exchanged looks with Charlotte. "Are you sure about your reinforcements?"

    By now, Gloria was practically sworn sisters with his godmother. How could Gloria possibly help Justin?

    Nevertheless, Charlotte nodded surely.

    Her Aunt Gloria was always reliable.

    "Well, don''t drink so much." Rachel poured the two adults a ss of fruit juice each. "Don''t go mad. Gloria still has a performance tomorrow."

    Waving a hand, Gloria disagreed, "It''s fine. I rarely get to drink, anyway."

    "I heard Charlotte say you rarely return to Riverdale," Rachel started.

    "That''s right."

    "That''s a good thing. Why would youe back for this scum?" Jolly pouted disdainfully. "You have the right idea on life, girl! I apud you!"

    Exasperatedly, Rachel interjected, "Ignore her. She has a bad alcohol tolerance-it only takes two sses for her to be like that."

    Gloria chuckled. "She has a good personality."

    Although Gloria''s tolerance was clearly much better than Jolly''s, Rachel felt a sense of unease whenever Gloria spoke calmly. Who knew what she had experienced all these years?

    "What happened between you and Justin?" Rachel questioned. "You no longer seem as close as you were before."

    Denying the assumption, Gloria said, "I merely don''t like him making decisions on others'' behalf. After you left five years ago, I argued with him, but that was before his car ident and he''s forgotten all of it now."

    The p Justin gave Gloria after she sneaked Rachel away all those years ago because she hadn''t wanted to see them torture each other had ruined the mutual affection she held for him.

    Even though heter lost his memory due to the car ident, Gloria was no longer willing to bring Rachel up around him and simply left the country to study, onlying back to see Charlotte. "Why did he argue with you?"

    "We didn''t simply argue-he hit me." Gloria felt her right cheek as if she could still remember the pain at this moment.

    Shocked and in disbelief, Rachel stared at her.

    If Justin had any soft spot five years ago, it would have been Gloria. After all, he protected Gloria like a little sister or even a daughter. "Was it because you let me go?"

    "That was part of it, yes. The other part was that he was under the impression that I knew where you went and refused to tell him. He was like a hedgehog at the time, hurting whomever he got his hands on. No one could talk him down, and that was how he got into a car ident on the way to the airport." Resting her alcohol-flushed face against her hand, Gloria recounted the events from all those years ago. "At the time, you had just left, so he went through every single person and matter rted to you. I think it was on the third day that he got confirmation you left with Julian, so he drove to the airport alone. After that, he got into the car crash and was in the hospital for more than half a year."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel''s gaze grew troubled when she heard that.

    All she had known was that Justin lost his memory from a car ident five years ago. She never knew what actually happened.

 Chapter 292

    As she spoke, Gloria studied Rachel''s expression. "At that time, doctors said it was highly likely that he would fall into a vegetative state where he would never wake up." "Does that mean you took care of Charlotte before he regained consciousness?" Rachel asked.

    "Huh?" Gloria paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

    "In that case, thank you so much." Rachel took her hand. "It''s arduous to take care of a newborn and if it weren''t for you, Charlotte might not have been able to survive."

    "There''s no need to be this courteous with me, Rachel. Charlotte is my niece, so how could I have neglected her?"

    "I still wish to thank you, so this ss is for you." Without saying anything else, Rachel snagged Jolly''s ss and gulped it at one go.

    Now that Jolly was startled awake, she mumbled blearily, "Drink! Drink!"

    However, as she was unable to stop Rachel in time, Gloria could only watch on and frowned as Rachel finished drinking from the ss. Weren''t we talking about Charlotte? How did the topic change? "You were doing fine abroad, Rachel. Why did you suddenlye back?"

    "You must have heard about what happened to the Hudson Family."

    "A little bit."

    "One of the reasons is that we''ve finally sought revenge for Hans. Another cause is that I''m worried about leaving Charlotte here alone."

    Rachel had never once brought up Justin throughout her speech.

    "Well, Justin has taken care of her quite well all these years," Gloria pointed out. "Although I don''t talk to him a lot, his personality has changed a bit since he lost his memory. You must have noticed it as well."

    As she declined to answer, Rachel instead poured Jolly a ss of water, exhorting her to have a drink of it before sleeping.

    After a moment of hesitation, Gloria decided that Rachel still had a cold attitude toward Justin and swallowed the words that she wanted to say.

    It was fine since they still had time.

    Meanwhile, in the restaurant''s children''s y area, Charlotte went down the slide and into the ball pit. She was clearly thrilled to see Gloria return.

    At this point, Samuel looked up from his tablet game to nce at her. "Are you sure Aunt Gloria''s return will do any good? She doesn''t seem very close to Justin either."

    "You don''t know it, but she has her own reasons for doing so."

    "What are those reasons?"

    "I don''t know yet," a confident Charlotte announced.

    "How are you so sure, then?"

    "Because she''s Aunt Gloria. My smartest Aunt Gloria. She was the one who told me how to deal with Amber so that Amber wouldn''t marry Daddy."

    Any mention of Gloria was apanied by a starry-eyed look of worship from Charlotte.

    Samuel thoughtfully paused. Did that mean Gloria was intentionally pretending to act cold toward Justin?

    Gloria and Rachel dined together that evening until it was veryte.

    By the time Rachel returned home with the two children, the streemps in the neighborhood were already lit.

    "Thank you," she soberly thanked the cab driver before leading one child in each hand to head home.

    The moment she opened the door, a figure blocked the entrance. "Why are you back sote?" it asked in a low voice.

    A confused Rachel looked up through the haze of alcohol at the cold, imposing figure shrouded in shadow. "Who are you?"

    The strong smell of alcohol made Justin frown. "How much have you had?"

    It was obvious that she drank quite a bit. What she had used to send the cab driver away was merely thest bit of her sanity and sobriety, and now that she was home, the alcohol was rushing to her head and making her somewhat uncontroble.

    After tilting her face to stare at Justin for a while, Rachel suddenly reached out to pinch his cheeks. "I asked a question. Who. Are. You?"

    Despite him wanting to push her hand away, she helplessly clung to him like sticky candy.

    Perhaps because it was all tooical, but the sound of children muffling theirughter with their hands echoed next to him.

    Justin immediately caught hold of Rachel''s wrists and instructed with a stern face, "Charlotte, Samuel, wash up and head to bed first." "Take good care of Mommy then!" Charlotte chirped.

    Although Samuel looked like he wanted to say something, she had dragged him along with her.

    An annoyed Justin chastised, "You were out with the kids. How could you drink so much?"

    "Are you lecturing me?" Rachel braced her hands against his shoulders and repeated impatiently, "You''re lecturing me!"

    So, he could only change tactics. "Call me next time. I''ll go and pick you up."

    As she waved him away, she stumbled toward her room. "There''s no need. We took a cab!"

    "Slow down!" Afraid that Rachel would fall, Justin attempted to catch her.

    However, he had only just caught her when she shoved him aside and rushed into the bathroom with a hand over her mouth.

    "argh-" Unable to stop her stomach from churning, she hugged the toilet bowl and began to puke like there was no tomorrow.

    Upon sprinting after her and being greeted by the ghastly sight, Justin immediately turned and went to grab a ss of warm water for her instead. Kneeling next to her, he told her, "Come, take a sip. Rinse you mouth and spit it out."

    Surprisingly, Rachel did as she was told to. She was so obedient and well-behaved that he practically felt bad for her.

    "I know you''re drunk, but do you remember whether the other two arrived home safely?"

    "Yes," she muttered with her eyes shut. "Gloria said she would stay at a hotel instead ofing back. Why did you hit her?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "Who did I hit?"

    "Are you still not admitting it?" Rachel suddenly threw an arm around his neck with so much force that she haplessly dragged him down to the floor with her. "What did my departure have to do with her? You shouldn''t have hit her!"

    Thinking that she was speaking in her drunken state, Justin responded, "No, I shouldn''t have."

    "You must apologize to Gloria now."

    "Now?! Can I do that tomorrow instead?"

    "Now."

    Since Rachel refused to budge and Justin couldn''t convince her, he agreed, "Alright, I''ll apologize to her now, but let me send you back to your room first." With that, he carried her to her bedroom. As he stared at her flushed face after tucking her under the covers, he suddenly felt drawn to her.

    Yet, right as he was about to lean in, Rachel suddenly turned over and rolled on the bed for a second before wrapping herself up like a cocoon with her back facing him. Then, she fell asleep. When he saw that, Justin gave up.

    However, before he exited, he adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner and made sure that all of the curtains were drawn, thereafter leaving the room and closing the door after him. As he did so, he heard the sound of a vibrating cell phone in the bathroom.

    Following the sound, Justin discovered that Rachel had left her phone next to the toilet bowl at some point. It was still vibrating with an unmarked number shing on the screen.

    As he bent down to pick up the phone, he frowned once he could properly read the number.

    He always had a good memory and knew the number belonged to his uncle, Jason.

    Why was Jason calling Rachel at this hour?

    As Justin thought about it, the ringing automatically ended before a notification popped up not long after that. It was a short message: ''I''ve contacted them. Everything is ready. Waiting for your goods. And just like that, his hand tightened. Is Rachel working with my uncle?

 Chapter 293

    Rachel had a terrible headache when she woke up the next morning. After her morning routine, she went downstairs and saw Justin having breakfast in the dining room.

    "Are Charlotte and Samuel awake yet?"

    Justin hummed in response as he pushed the phone on the table toward her. "You left your phone in the living roomst night."

    "Thanks. I was looking for it."

    As she was checking her notifications, she pulled the chair back to take a seat. She seemed to have seen something that caused her brows to frown. After sipping her coffee, she rose to her feet and added, ˇ°I have something to attend to. I shall head off first."

    "Where are you going?" he questioned, his cold voice echoing in the spacious room.

    "To the office."

    "You aren''t going to see Jason, are you?"

    Rachel turned to face him. "Did you check my phone?"

    "I saw it by ident. Why are you in touch with Jason? What are you going to do?"

    "This only involves me and Hudson Pharmaceuticals. I don''t think that I need to report to you about this?"

    "Rachel!" Justin rose to his full height with a stern look. "I believe that you know what Jason is up to without me having to remind you. Are you going to lead Hudson Pharmaceuticals into taking the crooked path once again?"

    "The crooked path?" She furrowed her brows. "As far as I''m concerned, Jason''s men have been the one to ensure that many matters of the Burton Group smoothly proceed. Since the Burton Group can use them, why can''t I?"

    "It''s not the same."

    "How so? You walk in integrity if you use it, but I''m taking the crooked path if I do the same?" Rachel''s rebuttal had rendered him speechless.

    Not wanting to make things tense between them, she half-heartedly exined, "Don''t worry, Hudson Pharmaceuticals is currently in a difficult position, so we need to use some unconventional method to ease the situation. I won''t go beyond the principles."

    "Rae, let me help you."

    "No need. I prefer to depend on myself." With that, Rachel turned on her heels and left.

    Judging from Justin''s attitude, he seemed to have known what Jason did in secret. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have given such a huge reaction.

    Without wasting any more time for further consideration, she gave Jason a call once she had left the house. "Mr. Burton, I''m sorry for not answering your callst night, but I saw your message. The goods are ready. From your message, you seemed to agree to coborate with me?"

    "Of course. To show my sincerity, let''s have a meal together where I''ll introduce you to a few friends."

    "No problem."

    "I''ll send you the exact time and locationter."

    "Sure."

    "Remember to bring the drug form along with you."

    "Of course."

    Rachel hung up the call and tightly clenched on the steering wheel.

    ording to the address given in the evening, she drove all the way to a small private restaurant in Riverdale.

    The building that featured an architectural style from the 20th century seemed rather historical while the surrounding shady trees formed shadows that danced under the street lights.

    Rachel remembered that Janice had once said that this sort of ce, where there were many obstructions, would make catching criminals extremely difficult. If they weren''t careful enough, the suspect could easily climb the trees or over the walls to escape.

    While Rachel followed the waiter who led her to the table, she intentionally and casually posed a question. "Does Mr. Burtone here often?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    The waiter, who seemed to know the unspoken rules well, shed a smile at her. "I''m new, so I''m not very sure."

    Judging from the way he was able to handle the question with such ease, he didn''t seem like a new staff member, but his reaction had given Rachel a rough idea of the situation.

    "Mr. Burton, Miss Hudson is here." The waiter knocked on the door and mentioned, to which Jason''s voice came from the private room. "Come in."

    The door of the ancient building swung open and the door hinge creaked from the friction. Rachel stepped over the threshold on her high-heels onto the carpeted floor. Jason and his assistant were seen in the private room, as well as two bodyguards, one standing at the window the other at the door.

    Jason nodded at her and made pleasantries. "I reckon it wasn''t easy for you to locate the ce. Thank you for your patience."

    "It''s fine, although it was a bit difficult. Mr. Burton, how did you know about this ce?"

    "A friend had rmended this ce to me."

    She thoughtfully surveyed the surroundings. "Is this person the friend who ising? Has he arrived?"

    "What''s the rush? We''ve just finalized our coboration and haven''t even establishedplete trust between us. Ms. Hudson, perhaps you should show your sincerity?"

    Jason''s gazended on Rachel''s side where her purse was since that was the only thing which she carried with her.

    Before Rachel had managed to react, a swift bodyguard snatched her purse and emptied its contents onto the table in front of Jason.

    Thud! All her belongings-cosmetics, car keys and a phone-fell on the table, andstly, her empty bag.

    "Where''s the drug form?"

    Rachel seemed unfazed by the situation, as though she had expected this. Calmly, she replied, "Mr. Burton, what''s all this? Are you nning to scam me?"

    "Ms. Hudson, you are surely a bright person. You didn''t bring anything with you."

    "Of course I brought it. I''ve said that I''ll show you my sincerity and I will never eat my words." She touched her temple and added, "The drug form is in my head. If you use this sort of rough method, I''m afraid that things may not go ording to your wish."

    Jason''s expression fell.

    Without beating around the bush, she straightened her posture and continued, "Mr. Burton, I know that you have been dissatisfied with me because of the incident that involved President Gunson. However, if you continue to push my bottomline like this, I''m afraid that our coboration may be dyed until God knows when and nobody will benefit from it."

    After saying that, she took out a list. "This is thetest batch of medicines made by the factories of Hudson Pharmaceuticals and you only need to give me 10 percent of the price stated here. You are free to decide who you want to sell them to and at what price."

    Jason''s eyes brightened, especially when he saw the quantity of the medicine on the list. "So much?"

    Rachel sipped her tea and asked, "What''s wrong? Is it difficult for you?"

    "Let me think for a moment." Arthur had long been dissatisfied with Jason and as a middleman, Jason had no proper business in his hands as his ie came from his connections. Although he seemed sessful on the surface, in fact, he didn''t earn much. Hence, it was apparent that this batch of goods was rather tempting to him.

    It was the reason why Rachel was certain that he would ept her condition.

    Sure enough, after some consideration, he took the list. "ording to the rules, I''ll transfer 30% of the amount as deposit to your ount while the rest will be transferred once the transaction ispleted and the goods have been safely received."

    "No problem."

    She nced at her watch. "Alright, may I take my leave now? From the looks of it, there won''t be any friendsing over today, right?"

    Jason stood up. "Don''t me me for being distrustful. It doesn''t hurt to be extra careful when I''m in this line."

    "It''s understandable."

    "Speaking of which, Ms. Hudson, I heard that you are quite close with Officer Hawkins from the Riverdale Investigation Bureau."

    Rachel remained impassive. "What''s the matter? Do you need her to pull some strings? She''s an impartial person, so I''m afraid that it won''t work."

 Chapter 294

    Jason''s expression greatly eased. "Is that so? Forget about it, then."

    Rachel nodded before she took her bag and left the scene.

    After she left, he walked to the window and drew the curtain. He watched as she exited the old building and headed toward the car park before he closed the curtain.

    "Master Jason, can this woman be trusted?"

    "Nobody is really trustworthy. We can work together as long as there are benefits."

    Jason nced at the list. "The Hudson Pharmaceuticals is facing a dire situation, so they must be having arge backlog of their inventory. If she intends to revive the Hudson Pharmaceuticals, she needs a huge working capital to fill that bottomless pit. As for her rtionship with Janice, we will have someone keep an eye on that."

    Meanwhile, Rachel drove her car onto the main road that headed toward the city before pressing on her right ear stud, which was an exquisitely designedmunication device.

    "Hello?" Janice''s voice was heard from the other end. "It seems like Jason is still wary of you."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "He will take the risk when there''s benefit involved."

    "He is rather concerned about our rtionship, so this is something I''m afraid that we have to mull over."

    "I already have an idea." Rachel held the steering wheel with a calm gaze. "Bucky is going to be released from prison soon, isn''t it?"

    On the other end of the call, Janice''s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. "What are you going to do?"

    "I have to question him about my grandma''s matter."

    "Don''t do anything rash."

    "I know what I''m doing."

    Looking at the traffic light in front, she touched her ear. "I''m almost home. I''m hanging up."

    She ended the call, after which the car returned to silence.

    As soon as she arrived home, Charlotte pounced onto her. "Mommy, Aunt Gloria said that she will bring us to the water theme park tomorrow!"

    Rachel caressed her head. "Aunt Gloria told you that?"

    "Yes, she is not working tomorrow, so she said that she will bring Samuel and me there! Mommy, you shoulde with us too!"

    "Sure." Rachel carried her up and took her into the room. "Aunt Gloria won''t be able to look after the two of you by herself." As Justin was nowhere to be seen, she asked, "Where''s your daddy?"

    Charlotte shook her head. "He hasn''t returned."

    Rachel nodded.

    She thought that it was for the best if they didn''t meet each other. As ofte, she and Justin were arguing with each other, which led to a rather awkward and ufortable interaction. The next day at noon, she brought the two children to the Water World.

    As it was currently near the end of summer, the sun was not as scorchy as before, the weather felt cozy, in

    fact.

    They encountered a problem when they were about to enter the changing room.

    "Boys below six can only enter with thepany of a male adult." The strict employee at the door stopped Samuel from entering the changing room.

    Rachel exined, "My kid can change his clothes by himself, so you only need to give him an entry pass."

    "No, I can''t bear the responsibility if there''s any kidnapping involved."

    His exnation rendered her speechless.

    When they were in a stalemate, a male voice came from behind. "I''ll take him in."

    Rachel was stunned at first. Then, she looked back and saw a familiar figure. "Why are you here?"

    Justin was dressed in white casual top and shorts. Under the sunlight, his intimidating presence seemed to have be much gentler. "Is this the wrong time for me to show up?" He raised an eyebrow as he carried Samuel up and entered the changing room.

    Rachel cast a nce at Charlotte beside her, who scratched her head and giggled in response. "I also thought that it would be tough for you to look after the two of us. Having a man with us will ease your burden!"

    Rachel flicked her nose and helplessly uttered, "You little mischief!"

    After they changed their attire, they found Gloria by the beach.

    Before they managed to say anything, a strong wave pounded on the shore and sshed water in all directions. At that moment, a white figure emerged from the water and caused those around them to

    scream.

    "Hernandez?" Rachel, who had water sshed all over her, broke into a smile when she recognized the person who emerged from the water. "Why are you here?"

    "Surprise!" With a broad grin that revealed his teeth, Hernandez sprang out of the water and gave Rachel a bear hug.

    "Let go of my mommy!" Charlotte pounced out from behind and aimed her water gun at Hernandez. "Curly Weirdo! Let''s defeat the Curly Weirdo!"

    Hernandez had no choice but to release Rachel and ran in rounds with Charlotte chasing after him from behind.

    "What are you two doing? Stop messing around. You are giving me a headache." Rachel was caught up in the center of the ''fight. The water from the water gun thatnded on her by mistake as well as the two figures, onerge and the other small, running in circles around her made her dizzy, although it had amused her at the same time.

    Justin, who was standing at one side, wore a dark expression. He stopped Hernandez and questioned, "How did you know that we are here?"

    Hernandez avoided Charlotte''s water shots with a smug look on his face. "Why wouldn''t I know?"

    Justin attempted to seek for Samuel, but the kid had long jumped into the water and disappeared from their sights. Without giving it any thought, he knew that it was Samuel who betrayed him again. "I didn''te alone, though," Hernandez borated before he whistled.

    Justin looked behind the man. Jolly, who looked as though she was on a vacation to Hawaii with a wide brimmed hat and red polkadot swimwear, elegantly walked in their direction. Julian and Victor were beside her with beaming faces.

    Great, everyone''s here.

    Victor was the happiest one as he jogged toward them while waving at Rachel. "Rachel!"

    Rachel was surprised. "Why are you guys here?"

    Jolly adjusted her hat and replied with a smirk, "We are free. What''s wrong? You don''t want to see us?"

    As she spoke, she darted a look at Gloria. "Someone here wasn''t being honest. That''s an underhanded action that you have pulled off. I thought that I met a true friend, but it turns out that I had nearly invited a wolf into the house."

    A guilty Gloria simpered awkwardly.

    She had to admit that today''s outing was actually a n to set Rachel and Justin up, but never expected that there was a traitor among them who had invited everyone here.

    Victor coldly snorted, "It''s never easy to change one''s true nature. Our so-called Piano Prodigy has always been like this."

    Upon hearing that, Gloria, who had been suppressing her temper, was pissed. "Who are you exactly?"

    He rolled his eyes at her and mocked, "Oh, my, our Piano Prodigy doesn''t recognize an insignificant peasant like me now." With her brows tightly knitted, she appraised him from head to toe but still couldn''t recognize him.

    Rachel couldn''t bear to watch on and chimed in, "Ria, he''s Victor."

    "Victor?" Gloria was so stunned by the answer that she stared at Victor for a while. "Silly kid, did you have stic surgery?" "What stic surgery?"

    "Where''s your blond hair?" she asked, reaching out with her hand to tug his hair. "Is this a wig?"

    "Hey, we can talk, but don''t touch me!" Victor shrank backward to avoid her hand.

 Chapter 295

    "You really are Victor!" Gloria suddenly became so excited that she went after him to touch his hair.

    "Hey, why are you behaving differently now from when you were on stage?"

    "Victor, stand right there! Let me see your hair!"

    "What? This is my real hair. Don''t pull it!" Then, he continued to roar, Gloria! Gloria Hochmann! I''ll be mad if you continue to pull my hair!"

    The two of them had run far off. Jolly removed her sunsses and asked Rachel a question while the corner of her lips twitched. "Are we going to just let them be? Are we going to turn a blind eye when our Piano Prodigy pulls on a teacher''s hair like a crazy woman?"

    Rachel smiled and nodded. "They have always acted like this."

    Hernandez snatched Charlotte''s water gun from behind and spritzed water at them with Charlotte hot on his tail. "Are you guys just going to stand around? Let''s y!"

    Jolly, who was wet because of him, screamed at him, "Hernandez, are you out of your mind? Can''t you aim properly and shoot in that direction?"

    "Not a problem. Everyone will have a fair share of it!"

    The next second, he squirted water at Justin''s face. Justin''s expression had already been gloomy earlier, but it now seemed thunderous when he had water dripping from his hair.

    "Come on!" Hernandez hopped around like a grasshopper, provoking Justin with his words. "Why are you still standing there? Come after me!"

    An irritated Justin wiped the water off his face and furiously charged at Hernandez, who immediately ran off without forgetting to spritz water at Justin again. Hernandez fled because he knew that he was no match for Justin after being in an unfavorable situation once.

    As he ran, he squirted water at everyone on the way.

    Jolly, Rachel and Victor were not spared; their faces were all dripping wet because of that.

    "Hernandez!!!!" Jolly, who could no longer hold back her anger, adjusted her hat and went after Hernandez tond her blow on him.

    "Curly Weirdo! Return the water gun to me!" Charlotte chased after him as well.

    "Charlotte!" Rachel, who was afraid that Charlotte would be injured, went after the group.

    On the other hand, Victor had somehow joined in as well and just like that, the group of people were in a game of tag.

    Gathering could always allow people to temporarily forget their usual positions and disputes and focus on what was currently happening. All of them were rxed as they indulged in the current excitement.

    At the high-altitude semi-enclosed slide of the Water World, rows of people were being pushed down from the tform. The screams of the people echoed in the air along with the sound of water sshing. "No, I can''t do this..." Gloria kept on stepping backward. "I can''t. I really can''t."

    As it was a rare sight to see Gloria actually afraid of something, Victor grabbed her hand without giving her any chance to reject. "There''s nothing to be afraid of. I''ll go with you."

    "I can''t! I really can''t!"

    "Let''s go!"

    With that, he pushed her onto the intable tube while she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ah! I can''t do this! Let me get off!"

    "Let''s go! Here we go!"

    He pressed on her shoulder and waved at the employee. The next second, the intable tube was pushed down the slide. "Ah!!!! Victor Wade, I''m going to kill you!"

    Gloria''s tragic cries made Rachel take a few steps back. "I''ll skip this since it''s a little too high. You guys can go ahead."

    "What''s there to be afraid of? I''ll go down with you." Hernandez held her hand. "Don''t be scared."

    Before Rachel even managed to reject his offer, Justin pressed his hand on Hernandez and warned with his cold gaze. "She has already said that she doesn''t want to y, so let go of her." "Release your grip first!" Hernandez hissed and inhaled sharply. "Let go of me!"

    Justin was unfazed by him.

    "What are they doing?"

    "Are they acting out a scene from a Korean drama?"

    As there was a long line behind them, their quarrel made Rachel feel so embarrassed that she wished that the earth would swallow her up. She struggled and broke free of the two men and dered, "You two can enjoy yourselves!"

    Then, she covered her face and walked to the side. This is so embarrassing.

    Only then did Justin release Hernandez and red at him before turning to chase after Rachel.

    She exhaled in relief after she got off the tower and stepped her foot on the beach.

    "Look out!" A sudden force on her arm pulled her back, which allowed her to barely avoid a volleyball that flew past her ear. The ball had been thrown from the beach.

    As he had his hand ced on her waist, Justin mumbled in a cold and firm voice, "Are you alright?"

    His voice had stunned Rachel. At that moment, they were so close to each other that when she raised her head, her nose nearly whacked his chin. It felt as though the man''s breathnded on her forehead. Amidst the gentle sea breeze, his presence made her heart skip a beat.

    The person, who ran over to grab the ball, apologized, "I''m sorry. I didn''t notice that you guys were here."

    It was only at that moment when Rachel returned to her senses and pushed Justin away in a fluster. "Thank you, I''m fine."

    Justin nodded. "Let''s go then. Samuel and the others should be over there."

    "Okay."

    The two of them walked along the beach shoulder to shoulder to a less crowded ce to search for Samuel and the others.

    As it was currently near the end of summer break, there were many children in the theme park, making the entire beach packed like sardines. They couldn''t even stand next to each other without their skin touching the other person if they didn''t leave the crowded area.

    "I wasn''t at my best yesterday. I''m sorry."

    "No worries. I know that you meant well."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Jason has always been extreme in the way he does things. Five years ago, when he left the Burton Group, he started to be involved in gray area businesses. He even went all out in forming gangs." Rachel slightly frowned as she pretended to be unaware of this. "Why are you telling me this?"

    He replied, "I wanted to tell you that Jason won''t be a good business partner. He does things unscrupulously and uses underhanded means. You will get involved in his schemes if you are not careful enough. It won''t benefit you whatsoever."

    "Don''t tell me that you never used all these underhanded means when you were doing business."

    "That''s another story. The Burton Group is argepany and I''m his nephew. No matter how ruthless his methods are, he won''t betray the Burton Group for the sake of the family. However, it''ll be a different case for you; he even thought of killing you before this."

    "There''s no enemy thatsts forever. Everyone can be friends when there''s a benefit."

    "You have made up your mind to work with him, haven''t you?"

    "Yes." Rachel''s reply was simple, yet it reflected her adamant attitude.

    With a deep frown between his brows, Justin remained quiet for a moment before he acknowledged, "If you have made up your mind to work with Jason, I hope that you can inform me whenever you are going to coborate with him. This is to ensure your safety."

    She was stunned by his words. "Inform you?"

    "I can at least help you to gauge the chances of Jason doing something fishy in the business so that you can reduce the risk."

    "Why are you helping me to this extent? He''s still your uncle."

    Justin suddenly paused in his tracks; aplex expression apparent on his cold face under the bright sun.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel turned to him.

    "You are the person whom I love."

    She was shocked.

    "You are not only Charlotte''s mother but also my lover. I will take responsibility for your safety."

    Amidst the sound of the waves and people, Rachel was certain that she didn''t hear him wrong. The man before her had looked into her eyes when he said those words-it was a sincere confession of love. Seeing that she was as still as a statue, Justin held her hand. ˇ°Rae."

 Chapter 296

    Rachel suddenly took a step back while furrowing her brows. Even though the obvious resistance in her eyes had quickly flickered away, Justin was able to capture it.

    "I''ll pretend that I didn''t hear what you said earlier." After that, she turned around and walked off.

    He was left dumbfounded for a few seconds before he suddenly caught up to her with annoyance and blocked her path. "I''ve always wanted to ask you what you think of our rtionship. You are Charlotte''s mother, and you live in the same house as me. Doesn''t that make us lovers?"

    "No," Rachel answered firmly. "I''m d that you know I''m Charlotte''s mother. After Jefferey was imprisoned, I said that I wanted to move out, but I decided to stay in the end. Have you forgotten why?"

    Justin was slightly infuriated. "I thought it was because you were angry at me."

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t have the time to y these childish games with you."

    "Aren''t you angry at me now?"

    Looking at the raging man in front of her, she felt that she needed to draw a line between them.

    "To me, you''re just my ex-husband in a legal sense and Charlotte''s father. If you really want to know what our rtionship is, I want us to be business partners. We are just friends."

    Friends? Justin gritted his teeth. "Same as Hernandez and the others?"

    A frowning Rachel reluctantly nodded her head.

    She hated to admit that to her, Hernandez and Julian were friends that felt like family whereas Justin wasn''t even close.

    However, she didn''t wish to be too harsh on him since it wouldn''t benefit her future ns if they had a fallout.

    "What if I don''t want to be your friend?"

    "Then, I''ll just move out of the house?"

    "You..."

    "Charlotte and I have talked about it before. We can take turns taking care of her every week. No one will be at a loss. What do you think?"

    "Who says that I''m not at a loss?"

    "Then, what do you suggest?" Rachel calmly crossed her arms.

    After holding back his anger, Justin gritted his teeth and responded, "Who said that you can move out? If you want to be friends, then we''ll just be friends."

    I need to look at the bigger picture and endure this for the moment. I don''t believe that I can''t break through her icy heart

    Then, a familiar sound of cheering was heard in the distance.

    Gloria and Jolly were nowpeting to see who could hold their breath the longest with Victor as the judge. There were also a bunch of onlookers around them.

    "2 minutes... 2 minutes and 15 seconds..."

    Finally, Jolly could no longer hold her breath, so she emerged from under the water. "This doesn''t count. We choose the best out of three rounds."

    Gloria raised her brow and rified, "Even if we y 30 rounds, you still won''t beat me. It''s best if you just give up now."

    "She learns music, so her lung capacity must berger than any normal person. You''ve miscalcted," Victor murmured to Jolly after suddenly realizing this loophole.

    However, she was still dissatisfied with the result as she pushed the sunsses to the top of her head. "No, let''s y one more round."

    "You still won''t give up? Fine, let''s have one more round then!" Gloria didn''t panic at all since she was full of confidence. "However, if I win this time, you have to promise me that you won''t bring anyone to mess with me whenever I start a game."

    "Alright. It''s a deal."

    When Jolly winked at Victor, he nodded his head in agreement.

    After he let out a scream, Gloria and Jolly quickly pinched their noses and sank into the water. Then, Victor took down the rubber crab toy hanging around his neck and sneakily reached into the water to approach Gloria''s calf.

    Pfft!

    Gloria immediately lifted her head in panic.

    Meanwhile, Jolly calmly wiped her face and announced, "It''s a draw!"

    Gloria wasn''t stupid enough not to have noticed the rubber crab toy in the water, so she pointed at Victor and

    shouted, "You cheated. Both of you cheated!"

    He hid behind Jolly and made a funny face at Gloria. "Hehe, you didn''t say that we are not allowed to cheat! It''s a draw anyway!"

    An angry Gloria then jumped. "There''s still one more round!"

    "I''m not ying anymore. Let''s go and y something else."

    "Hey, don''t run away!"

    In the meantime, Rachel and Justin saw Julian piling sand with the two children on shore.

    She asked, "What are those three doing again?"

    Julian smiled. "They are just ying around."

    "Mommy,e and help me build a castle!"

    When Charlotte saw Rachel, she quickly pulled Rachel aside.

    When Julian saw Justin behind her, his eyes darkened a little. "Justin, why do you look like you are clinging onto something?"

    Justin had just suffered defeat from Rachel and was now enraged, so after listening to his sarcastic words, it was enough to make Justin infuriated. "What about you? I didn''t see you achieving any sess when you were alone with her abroad for so many years. Not only that, you even let the Curly Weirdo approach her."

    "A curly weirdo?" Julian chuckled. "Did you learn that word from Charlotte? How old are you?"

    When did he be this childish?

    "Just mind your own business!" Justin red at him.

    Listening to their squabbling, Samuel breathed a thoughtful sigh. Even though he was ying with the sand, his face radiated a sense of calmness that exceeded his peers. "You two are the same, so quit the squabbling!"

    Julian was happy to hear his words, so he moved closer and asked seriously, "Samuel, out of the men present here today, who do you think has a better chance of winning your mommy''s heart?"

    Samuel looked around with his huge eyes before unfolding his hands. "None of you."

    "If you have to choose one, though?"

    "If I have to choose one, that''ll be him." Samuel pointed his chubby finger at Justin.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    At first, Julian thought he had a good chance of winning, but when he saw the direction that Samuel was pointing at the smile on his face instantly froze. "Why him?"

    "I saw his photo in mommy''s notebook before." Both Julian and Justin were startled. "It was a wedding photo. After staring at it, Mommy cried and threw it in the trash can, but she picked it up afterward." Therefore, Justin subconsciously looked into the distance and quickly found Rachel''s extremely skinny back. Her swimsuit had revealed her butterfly-like silhouette as she built a sandcastle with Charlotte. Some time ago, he searched every corner of the house, but he still couldn''t locate the photo he had taken with her. After asking Frankie, he retrieved a photo from their previous wedding certificate. They were both wearing white shirts in front of a red background in the photo, but it was unsurprising that it was the only

    photo that they shared together. If Rachel had never loved me before, why would she take that photo with her when she left?

    Suddenly, a slimmer of hope was suddenly ignited inside his heart and it gradually grew into a huge me.

    "Thank you, kid!"

    Justin suddenly pinched Samuel''s cheek before walking toward Rachel and Charlotte in the distance.

 Chapter 297

    "Mommy, I want to build a huge castle so that you, Daddy, and Samuel can all fit inside." Charlotte was a talkative kid, so she kept on mumbling while piling the sand.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was helping her.

    "Do you need my help?" Justin''s voice was heard from behind.

    She was startled for a moment before turning to see him smiling brightly at her. This man really changes his mood frequently. A while ago, he looked as though he was about to explode in anger, but now, he is looking cheerful again. I don''t know whether his heart or brain has a problem.

    However, she wasn''t in the mood to think about it, so she allowed Charlotte to pull him over to sit down.

    "Daddy, you can help me to build a garden in front of the castle. I want a fountain with a mermaid on top."

    While holding a shovel, Justin didn''t know where to start. "This is a huge project. Should I ask someone from the engineering department?"

    "Why don''t you just bring your entirepany here to build a sand castle?" Rachel rolled her eyes at him.

    He was at a loss upon listening to her. Who can make fountains and mermaid sculptures with their bare hands?

    "There are molds in the bucket next to you," a speechless Rachel simply said. How high of an IQ or skill do you need to y with a kid on the beach? That is whypanies develop these tools to help. "By the looks of it, I can see that you rarely hang out with Charlotte."

    "I always apany her."

    "I said that you rarely hang out with her. The main point is hanging out." She made every word clear to him. "Keeping someonepany and hanging out are two different things. In your eyes, does bringing Charlotte to your office so that she could y by herself counts as ''hanging out''?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin was rendered speechless because she was telling the truth.

    However, she didn''t bother to pay attention to him any longer.

    A whileter, Justin took a mold from the bucket and asked shyly, "I should be using this, right? Is this how you use it?"

    Seeing how clumsy he looked, Rachel couldn''t help but move over to give him a demonstration. ˇ°This is how you use it." "Really?"

    In the meantime, not far away on the beach, Samuel was sucking on his lollipop as hemented, "It seems like dumb people have their advantages. He has actually mastered the art of ying dumb!" "It''s useless. Your mommy definitely won''t be with him," Julian uttered with a calm face.

    "Why?"

    "He isn''t being himself at the moment."

    Samuel looked bewildered because Julian was the only person who knew Justin well since those two adults had grown up together. Julian knew that the personality Justin had before and after losing his memory waspletely different.

    Meanwhile, Gloria and Victor formed two groups with Jolly and Hernandez as they yed all kinds of exciting games while screaming.

    "Damn you, Victor. If you dare to push me down, I''ll kill you!"

    "Get down now! We are losing!" Victor pulled Gloria down the slide immediately afterward.

    At the same time on the other slide, the two extreme sports lovers had already reached the end.

    On the way down, she continued to scream before drinking a mouthful of water when she fell into the water. The moment she rose from the water, she grabbed his head and pressed him into the water. "I''ll kill you!"

    He struggled at first when she pressed his head down, but he suddenly stopped moving after a while.

    Gloria furrowed her brows. "Stop pretending to be dead. I won''t believe it!" Even so, she released him. "Let''s see how long you canst."

    She crossed her arms and waited for him to catch his breath.

    However, 5 minutes had passed and Victor was still motionless. His arms and body were floating in the water, as if he was a floating corpse with his face down.

    Her expression slowly changed as she shouted, "Hey, Victor!"

    Then, Gloria grabbed his arm. "Please don''t scare me!"

    Ssh!

    Suddenly, the water sshed on her face, which scared her and she instinctively covered her face.

    Victorughed aloud. "Do you really think you are the only one good at swimming? You grew up next to the sea, but I grew up next to a river! I can still hold my breath for another 5 minutes with ease! Haha, I got you!"

    "Victor!" Gloria wiped her face to reveal a gloomy expression. "You want to die, right? Then, I''ll fulfill your wish!"

    "Ouch, let go of me!"

    Not long after, he was begging for mercy while he was being beaten up.

    In the meantime, Jolly and Hernandez were looking at them from afar. While leaning on the intable boat, an emotional Jolly sighed. "Hernandez, why do I feel that we are the clowns here? It feels like we have lost even though we''ve won."

    A confused Hernandez asked, "What do you mean?"

    "Can''t you see those two quarrelsome lovers?!" Jolly lifted her chin at Gloria and Victor. "I don''t want to y anymore. It''s so sunny, so I need to wear some sunscreen."

    "Then, I''ll look for Chris!"

    He whistled and jumped into the water before swimming toward Rachel and the others.

    Soon, it was nighttime, but the beach was still as lively as ever.

    Hernandez had rented a private barbeque spot and watched the atmosphere ignite while the crowd jumped around in the water.

    "Chris, the chicken wings are ready. This will taste especially good because I added the honey that you like."

    Rachel received the te. "Thank you."

    However, before she could grab it, Charlotte, who was next to her, picked up the chicken wing and responded, "I also like to eat my chicken wings with honey. Thank you, Curly Weirdo." "Charlotte, you should call him Mr. Hernandez."

    "I won''t." She shook her head. "What''s wrong with calling him a Curly Weirdo?"

    After that, she ran off with the chicken wings.

    Rachel could only apologize to Hernandez. "I''m sorry, I still need to work on her temperament."

    "It''s fine. Do you really think I would argue with a child? She is so adorable." He looked at her with a wide smile to reveal his white teeth. "Just like you."

    She nodded and intentionally teased, "I admit that I''m adorable, but this wasn''t what you said when we first met."

    When she brought up the past, Hernandez scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I''ll go and grill another chicken wing for you."

    Seeing him running away in an embarrassed manner, Rachel smiled.

    At the same time, Justin came over with his grilled food and asked, "What''s so funny about your first meeting with him?"

    After a day of rxation, she was in a good mood, so she had lowered her guard. She received the grilled fish from him and exined with a smile, "I first met him at a bar. At that time, he bought Jolly a drink, but she thought that he was a hooligan, so she sshed the drink on his face."

    "He looks quite like one." Rachel gave him a look, so Justin shrugged his shoulders and added, "Alright, I won''t criticize him. Please continue."

    "The next day, I went to SG Conglomerate to apply for a job as an assistant. Surprisingly, he was my interviewer and a strict one indeed, but he passed me so that he could get back at me. After that, I suffered a lot from him for almost a year."

    Thinking about that year, she felt as though the workce was a hellish torture.

    However, she also thanked him for that year. Because of how harsh Hernandez had been, she was able to massively improve her speaking skills and learn French all by herself. She quickly became independent a yearter from being a rookie who didn''t know anything at the beginning.

 Chapter 298

    "I''m sorry."

    Justin suddenly apologized to Rachel, which startled her. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

    "If I was by your side at that time-"

    "It''s useless." She shrugged her shoulders, looking rxed. "There are some things in life that you just have to experience yourself. It''s no use to rely on others."

    Ever since she was a kid, this was how Nancy had taught her to gain a sense of security by herself.

    When she was being alienated at school, she did her best in her studies and graduated with flying colors.

    When she was being oppressed in the workce, she did her best to gain a promotion as fast as possible.

    "If I had done nothing at that time and waited for someone to save me, I would have been doomed long ago." Rachel revealed a soothing smile, but in Justin''s eyes, it was a little hard to bear for him. "Chris!" Jolly''s voice was heard from afar. "Come over here!"

    "I''ming." Rachel jumped from the rock and walked two steps toward them before looking back to wave the grilled fish at Justin. "It tastes a bit nd. Remember to sprinkle more cumin on it next time." Suddenly, his stern face softened as he couldn''t help but smile.

    Meanwhile, Gloria asked Victor, "When Miss Rachel left 5 years ago, why did you disappear?"

    "Miss Janice told me to leave Riverdale so that I wouldn''t be targeted by some people." He flipped themb skewer and stared at Justin in the distance. "It wouldn''t be nice if I was killed and silenced." "What are you talking about? No matter how insane he became, he wouldn''t actually kill someone."

    "He wouldn''t do it to you," Victor noted angrily. "As for us, he wouldn''t have that much patience."

    Gloria didn''t know what else to say. "You''re going to overcook themb, you know."

    "It''s not ready yet. Do you really want to eat raw meat? Go and get some cumin. Rachel loves to eat those."

    "You only know what she wants." Gloria rolled her eyes at him. Even though she had said no, she still quickly headed off to get the condiments.

    Victor was the only one left in front of the barbecue grill.

    As he looked at Justin in the distance, the two of them stared at each other. Suddenly, Justin nodded his head politely as an acknowledgment, which startled Victor, so he turned around and pretended not to

    see

    Justin.

    It''s even worse now that you have lost your memories. Now, everyone is treating you as the innocent one while the rest of us are the bad guy.

    It was finally deep into the night when thest light at the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' researchb was switched off.

    The highly-paid pharmacist whom Rachel hired removed his white coat and exited the automated sliding door. It was only after he checked whether the entrance was locked that he left.

    This was the core research department of Hudson Pharmaceuticals where all the data of the new drugs were stored.

    A rustling sound was suddenly heard in theb a short while after the main entrance was closed. The sound was particrly clear in the peacefulb.

    Then, the light from a phone screen came through the locker.

    Creek!

    The locker was opened from the inside before a slim figure crept out. After looking around to make sure that no one else was there, the person quickly went to the front of ab machine to locate the experimental data on the table.

    In fact, those were the new drugs, but they were all halfway done since they were still undergoing medical trials.

    Amber furrowed her brows and looked around one more time.

    Rachel wouldn''t tell others about the dosage of the drugs because that was the core secret of the pharmaceutical. However, the pharmaceuticals needed these data to mass produce those drugs, so the data of those dosages was only stored in theputer that couldn''t be essed without deciphering the codes.

    Amber endured everything and came to this hellhole just to retrieve the dosages.

    It was hard for me to get in, so I can''t go back empty-handed. Looking at theputers in theb, she tightly gripped the sh drive in her hand. This is the only way.

    The next day, when Rachel came to her office, the secretary rushed toward her. "President Hudson, why didn''t you answer the call this morning?"

    "What is it? What happened?"

    "Chairman Holt called you this morning, but he said that he couldn''t reach you. He asked me to tell you to call him back as soon as possible."

    Rachel nced at her and asked, "Did he tell you why?"

    "I''m not sure." The secretary shook her head sheepishly.

    Rachel already had something in mind as she ced her bag down and pulled out the chair to have a seat. "Then, there''s nothing to worry about. I''ll call him once I''m done with everything in hand." Seeing that Rachel wasn''t panicking, the secretary became worried. "There''s no time to deal with anything else. Amber sneaked into thebst night and copied theputer data to steal the prescription." "I can see that you are well-informed." Rachel nced at her with eyes so calm that it would make anyone panic.

    The secretary''s expression froze. "President Hudson,"

    "I was wondering why Mr. Holt would know about thepany''s situation quicker than me. Is it because he is well-informed, or is it because you were quick enough to tell him?" "President Hudson, I''m doing this for thepany''s good. Chairman Holt is also afraid that you are being set up by Amber."

    "Then, I should thank Mr. Holt for his concerns."

    "Chairman Holt was right. Amber actually stole the prescription. Shouldn''t we deal with this first?"

    In front of the secretary, Rachel made a call to Evan. "Hello, Mr. Holt. It''s me."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "Rachel, I was about to head over to thepany if you didn''t call me sooner. Don''t worry, I''lle to thepany right now to meet you."

    "There''s no need to rush. Is it because of the theft in thebst night?"

    "So, you do know about it. Don''t worry, I''lle over to help you deal with it."

    "Mr. Holt, you don''t need toe over. The prescription is fine. Nothing is lost other than some useless medical trial data of the new drugs."

    "Really? How are you so sure?"

    "Why would I simply leave such an important prescription in theputer for anyone to decipher? Even if Amber had copied all of the data, she wouldn''t locate the prescription." "I see. T-Then, that''s great. I''m relieved.

    "Thank you, Mr. Holt, for your concerns. I''ll deal with thepany myself so that you and the people around you don''t have to worry," Rachel said while looking at the secretary next to her. The secretary was obviously feeling guilty, so she didn''t even dare to look Rachel in the eye.

    After hanging up the phone, Rachel uttered faintly, "There''s something I''m curious about. Isn''t theb so heavily guarded that even a fly can''t enter? How did Amber break into the ce?" The secretary was startled. "I''m not sure about that."

    "Where have I heard that before?"

    Listening to her, the secretary''s face turned pale.

    Then, Rachel handed a document over. "Send this to theb and tell Mr. Jonas that someone broke into theb and stole something. Tell him to re-encrypt the security codes." "Alright. I''ll do it now."

    As the secretary left, Rachel''s eyes grew darker as she stared at the secretary.

    It seems like Hudson Pharmaceuticals is a den of wolves. Everyone might look friendly on the surface, but they would actually do anything to get their hands on the prescription. Amber is just a smokescreen. If she did retrieve the real prescription, Evan wouldn''t even inform me about it and take it for himself. Otherwise, why would he wait until this morning to call me?

 Chapter 299

    After the morning meeting, Rachel returned to her office and noticed that her phone on the desk suddenly lit up as a message appeared.

    Her eyes darkened slightly when she nced at it.

    "President Hudson, where are you going?"

    "I have something to do."

    "When will you being back?"

    "I don''t know. Call me if anything happens."

    After that, she went into the elevator. Looking at how hurried she was, the secretary quickly went back to her office to make a call. "Chairman Holt, President Hudson just went out."

    Meanwhile, Rachel drove out from the parking garage and drove straight to the suburbs.

    This wasn''t the first time that she arrived at Riverdale Penitentiary.

    Thest time she came was because Jefferey had suddenly died, so as her legal daughter, she was summoned by the prison guards to collect his body.

    She came this time because Bucky was being released.

    2 hourster, Rachel drove to the entrance of Riverdale Penitentiary and took a look at her wristwatch. It''s almost time.

    Then, a small door that only a person could walk through was opened on the side of the bulletproof door. The prison guard was the first toe out before he was followed by a dark-skinned man with a shaved head. The man''s dark expression seemed to exude a cold aura under the sun.

    "You better behave now." The prison guard''s voice echoed in the air.

    As if by reflex, the man nodded his head and agreed.

    Bang!

    When the prison door behind him was closed, he lifted his head once more to look at the sunlight outside.

    Five years. He had stayed in this ce for five whole years.

    Other than a big empty road and some weeds scattered around, there was nothing in front of the prison''s entrance. He didn''t hope for anyone toe and pick him up as he carried a bag and took out half a pack of cigarettes and a lighter that he had before his imprisonment.

    It didn''t matter whether the cigarettes were expired or not, but after sticking a cigarette in his mouth for a while, he realized that the lighter was useless.

    As he felt a bit frustrated, he finally noticed the woman walking toward him.

    "Are you Bucky? I came to pick you up."

    In fairness, she wasn''t asking him because the certainty in her eyes told him that she came here looking for him.

    After finally being released from prison five yearster, he could only dream of having a beautiful woman pick him up on the first day, so he went into her car without any hesitation. My life is cheap anyway. What else can/ do?

    As for Rachel, she wasn''t surprised that this man agreed to follow her without saying a word. Once a violent

    ouw like him has his eyes on a beautiful woman and luxurious cars, there is nothing to be afraid of.

    "Do you have a lighter?"

    "I don''t smoke, but you can have something to eat."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Rachel pressed the button on the right hand side, and the lid in between the driver''s seat and the passenger side slowly opened, revealing some water and snacks.

    Not holding back, Bucky unwrapped a bag of bread and a bottle of water.

    "Don''t you want to know who I am?" she asked.

    "Why do I need to know who you are? I have never known that many rich people in my life, but the only one who values me is him."

    Him? I knew it. Rachel secretly smiled. Does he think that Jason sent me here?

    On the surface, she remained unmoved. "I came to ask you something. To prevent any misunderstandings, let me introduce myself first. I''m Rachel Hudson." Suddenly, he paused while eating and looked at her in shock. "The person that you kidnapped 5 years ago was my grandma," she uttered calmly.

    The atmosphere in the car became tense all of a sudden.

    As Bucky''s hands trembled, he didn''t know how to react to the situation, so he instinctively grabbed the door handle.

    Rachel nced at him from the corner of her eye. "The car is now traveling at 55 miles per hour. If you jump out of the car, chances are you won''t live."

    "What do you want? You''re right. I kidnapped your grandma, but I''ve already served 5 years of my sentence."

    "I know. I didn''te to you for revenge."

    Seeing how calm Rachel looked, Bucky slowly regained hisposure and leaned back in his seat. "Then, why are you looking for me? Do you want to scold me? Beating me up won''t bring her back. Also, I didn''t know that she was in such bad health at that time."

    She tightened her fingers around the steering wheel. "I want to ask who ordered you to kidnap my grandma back then."

    "No one ordered me. I was desperate for money at that time."

    "Are you sure? I can understand that an ordinary person like you would want to ckmail the rich, but why did you tell Justin to surrender the development rights of that piece ofnd? What good does it do to you?" As he listened to her, Bucky furrowed his brow. "Who ordered you to do it?"

    "I want to get out of the car."

    He is obviously refusing to spill anything.

    However, Rachel wasn''t in a hurry as she slowly uttered, "When you took that bread earlier, you might not have noticed that there is a photo next to it. Why don''t you take a look at it?"

    A startled Bucky turned his head and saw a photo wedged between two bottles of water.

    His face suddenly froze and turned pale when he took out the photo. "What did you do to Lily?"

    "Nothing. I only funded her school so that the poor students could head abroad for a month for an exchange programme. During this period, all her traveling expenses, food and amodation would be covered. However, what do you think about her being abroad in a ce where she is unfamiliar with-"

    "What are you going to do to her?" He suddenly raised his voice and roared, "If you have any problems, you can take it out on me, but if you dare toy a finger on my little sister, I''ll kill you!" Then, the screeches of the brakes were heard as Bucky almost mmed his head on the windshield.

    Rachel stopped the car and gave him a warning gaze. "I don''t like to threaten people, so I''ll give you a day to consider it. You cane and meet me at this address tomorrow morning."

    As he looked at the business card, his tanned face only grew darker. He immediately exited the car upon receipt of the card.

    Seeing the car in front speeding away, he smashed everything in his hands before making a call right after. A whileter, someone answered the call and an impatient voice was heard on the other end. "Hello?" "Mr. Walsh, it''s me."

    "Oh, are you Bucky? Are you already released?"

    "Mr. Walsh, I''m looking for Master Jason. Where is he?"

    "You''re looking for Master Jason? I thought you just came out." The other party''s voice immediately turned cold. "What''s the problem? Are you not getting enough money, which is why you want to ask for more? Let me tell you something. There''s nothing to be gained by being greedy."

    "My little sister has been kidnapped! I really don''t have any other choice. If Master Jason chooses not to help me, I have no other choice but to tell the truth."

    The other end went silent for a moment. "Are you sure? Do you know who did it?"

    "She says her name is Rachel Hudson."

    The phone on the other end was on speaker-mode. The game room was filled with smoke and seated on the leather couch in the corner was Jason, who stuck a cigar in his mouth while his face darkened a little.

    "Master Jason, what should we do?"

    "Kidnapped?" He chuckled coldly. "This is Riverdale. Unless she wants to be imprisoned, would she dare to do it?"

    "Bucky''s sister is indeed abroad right now, though."

    "Then, we''ll just report this to the investigation bureau. Isn''t that officer in the investigation bureau on good terms with her? Let''s see if she decides to be righteous or help a criminal."

    No matter what the oue was, if he yed both ends correctly, eliminating any one of them would be beneficial to his business.

 Chapter 300

    In the evening, the afterglow of the sunset spread throughout the sky,

    The sound of an engine in the garage reached the living room.

    "Why are you back so early? Have you finished all your work?" Seeing Racheling in, Justin was a little surprised.

    "I''m a bit tired, so I came back to rest. Where are Charlotte and Samuel?"

    "Gloria took them out."

    She thoughtfully nodded her head before walking toward the stairs.

    Looking around therge house, he thought about the harmonious scenest night when they hung out on the beach. All of a sudden, he became restless and sent a message to Gloria immediately. ''Charlotte and Samuel can stay with you tonight. Don''t need to send them back."

    After sending the message, he quickly made a call.

    "President Burton." It was Frankie on the other end.

    "I want you to order two dinner sets and deliver them to my house."

    "Two dinner sets?" Frankie was slightly stunned as he carefully asked, "Is President Hudson alone with you at home?"

    "Where''s all this talking from? Just order the dinner sets."

    "Okay, I''ll also prepare a bouquet of flowers for you, but are you sure there won''t be any idents this time?"

    "Shut your mouth!"

    As Justin thought about how she had stood him up thest time because of the sudden change of ns in the Hudson Family, his face darkened a little. Will there be something worse thanst time? Impossible.

    At the moment, Rachel had already returned to her room to rest.

    Even though she maintained herposure when she met Bucky, deep in her heart, she couldn''t wait to kill the man in front of her. However, she knew that he was just a smokescreen and not the true mastermind behind all this.

    As for who the mastermind was, Rachel and Janice both knew it in their hearts, but they couldn''t locate any evidence.

    As long as Bucky was willing to be the witness, they could appeal the case back then and directly convict Jason.

    Knock! Knock Knock!

    Suddenly, a few knocks were heard outside the door.

    "What is it?"

    Other than her and Justin, there wasn''t anyone else in the house.

    "I''ve ordered a meal. You cane downter to eat your dinner and rest afterward."

    "No need for that. I''m not hungry."

    "Are you sure you''re going to keep on talking to me with the door closed? This is my house."

    A moment of hesitationter, Rachel opened the door. "What do you want to say?"

    Justin was so tall that his head had almost touched the door frame. The moment his shadow descended on her, it almost engulfed her whole body. The unspeakable sense of oppression made her subconsciously take a step backward and stumble on her feet.

    "Be careful!"

    Justin was quick enough to support her waist.

    With a rustling sound, the coat rack behind Rachel fell down at the same time. However, he was able to hold her as they fell to the side. If he was a littlete, the rack would have mmed into her body. When she lifted her head in shock, her forehead bumped into his chin.

    After letting out a muffled grunt, he endured the pain and released his hands that were supporting her above the floor to lower her.

    Rachel''s eyes were wide open, but she couldn''t stop the kissnding on her forehead.

    Justin''s thin lips were a little cold when they were pressed on her forehead for a long time without leaving. As their body temperature rose, the atmosphere around them seemed to be ignited as it became inexplicably

    hot.

    He also froze while trying to lift himself up with his hands, but in the end, he couldn''t stop himself from kissing her eyes and nose.

    Meanwhile, her fingers instinctively tightened.

    Rachel was still wide awake at that moment, but she didn''t wish to be. Maybe I need to do something crazy to forget about my meeting with Bucky today. Maybe this is the only way to relieve the pain in my heart no matter if it was Justin or anyone else.

    Therefore, she slowly rxed her body, but there wasn''t a hint of love in her eyes except for her desperate need to relieve her emotions.

    Ding dong!

    Suddenly, a doorbell was heard from outside.

    Justin immediately came around and uttered ''damn it'' inside his heart, but as soon as he lifted his head and saw her eyes, he was shocked to see how sober she was.

    He thought that his actions had angered her again, so he quickly rose to his feet. "I''m sorry, Rae. I didn''t mean to offend you. I-It was because..."

    Should I say that it was because I couldn''t control myself? That''ll only make things worse.

    However, Rachel calmly tidied herself up and responded, "The dinner you ordered is here, right? Let''s head down to eat."

    Justin returned to his senses. "Yes, I''ll head down first then."

    Seeing him leaving in a hurry, she couldn''t help but find him somewhat cute.

    The second the idea came up in her mind, she immediately regained herposure as her face turned gloomy. Cute? If it was Justin 5 years ago, this would not be possible.

    The best chef in Riverdale had personally arrived at the house with fresh ingredients so that he could cook on the spot.

    Rachel and Justin sat at opposite ends of the table with a bouquet of roses and a candle between them.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "This is the meal you ordered?" She nced at the chef next to her. "Why did you have to bring a chef and an entire kitchen to the house just to order a meal?" Although Jolly was a huge spender, she didn''t pay much attention to eating, so this was the first time Rachel saw someone hiring a top chef to cook in his house.

    "You don''t like it?"

    "That''s not what I meant." Rachel smiled and exined, "This experience is quite... bizarre."

    Justin breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you like it. By the way, I''ve prepared a gift for you."

    "A gift?" Looking at the box that he handed over, she furrowed her brows slightly.

    "Open it." After opening the box, she saw a ne inside. It was a perfectly designed diamond ne with an emerald embedded in the pendant. "You don''t need to care about the price too much. I only asked Frankie to randomly select one in the shop for you to try on."

    After that, he finally noticed that on Rachel''s neck, there was a ne with a pendant shaped like the side of a ck cat.

    Looking at it, Justin was stunned. Where have I seen that ne before? "This ne..."

    Rachel instinctively touched her neck. "This one? Julian gave it to me before as a birthday gift. I especially like it."

    He clenched his fists. "Julian gave it to you?"

    She looked at his eyes and nodded nkly. "Yes."

    Julian gave her this birthday gift and apanied her during the darkest period of her life. Also, it was one of the few gifts that she had ever received in her life, so she always wore it all these years. "Before I left Riverdale, he apanied me on my birthday. I remember that we couldn''t finish the cake ourselves, so we gave it to the other children in themunity," she talked about the past as if Justin wasn''t there.

    However, he wasn''t focused on her words. When he stared at the cat-shaped pendant, it felt as though he was pierced through the heart. Suddenly, he held the table to support himself while his face turned pale.

    "What''s wrong?"

    At that moment, Justin''s mind had be a mess.

    A birthday gift? Giving out cakes in themunity? No. This pendant feels very familiar to me. How could it be given to her by Julian? All of a sudden, the image of the woman speaking in signnguage appeared in his mind. I don''t want that child anyway.

    Then, he felt his heart contracting before it was followed by an immense pain.

    Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls.

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    Send a Gift to the Writer!

 Chapter 301

    "Are you fine?"

    Justin, who was still in a daze, heard Rachel questioning him. He had a blurry vision in front of him; it felt like she had multiplied herself and wiggled in front of him.

    He uncontrobly grabbed her hand hard and asked, "What''s going on between you and Julian?"

    A stunned Rachel''s expression immediately changed.

    At that moment, his gaze was exactly like it had been five years ago, causing her to shake his hand off reflexively. Stumbling backward, she even bumped into a chair. With a loud bang, the chair fell down.

    Standing up, Justin wanted to hold onto Rachel. However, the instant that he rose to his feet, he was so dizzy as he held his head, feeling as if something was going to burst from his brain as a result of the splitting headache.

    As she leaned against a wall, Rachel looked at him from a safe distance. She merely looked at him motionlessly on the floor for a period of time after he had copsed.

    "Justin?"

    Rachel called out in a trembling voice.

    She had only proceeded to walk over with caution after he didn''t respond to her. Then, she called out again and patted his shoulder. "Justin?ˇ±

    Seeing Justin''s pale face made her realize that something was off, so she immediately called the ambnce.

    It waste at night when Gloria rushed to the hospital not long after Rachel, who was in the ambnce, arrived.

    "How''s Justin?"

    "He''s still inside. The doctor is still checking on him." Peering through the curtains, Rachel continued, "For some reason, he copsed just like that." "Copsed? Suddenly?"

    "Yup."

    Gloria''s reaction made Rachel think that she knew something about all this. Just as Rachel was going to

    question her about it, the curtains behind her were drawn open to reveal the doctoring out.

    "Who here is a family member of Justin Burton?"

    "I am." Gloria immediately stepped up.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    The doctor then asked, "The patient has suffered from brain trauma before and we suspect that it''s the effect from an old wound. We''ll need to conduct a CT scan of his brain to determine the cause. Has he also fainted or exhibit such symptoms like this before? Or, did he have other illnesses?"

    "I just came back from abroad a few days ago, so I''m not entirely sure of his body condition, actually." Gloria was saying this as she nced at Rachel.

    Shaking her head, Rachel replied, "I''m not too sure either. This is my first time witnessing such a thing."

    The doctor pondered deeply before he said, "I''ll run a check on him first. In the meantime, you two don''t have to be so worried."

    The CT scan showed no abnormalities in his brain, but since Justin was still in aa, he could only continue to stay in the hospital as they waited for the attending physician to conduct a full body scan on him.

    After registering the documents for his hospitalization, Rachel saw Gloria at the entrance to the ward on her way back

    "Are you not entering?"

    "Hey, Rachel." Raising her head, Gloria felt a bit more relieved upon the sight of Rachel.

    It was the same five years ago as Justin was on the hospital bed, just like now. Besides Justin, she had no other friends in Riverdale and didn''t know which path to take in her future or who to trust.

    As both of them entered the room, Rachelforted Gloria, "Don''t worry too much. Didn''t they say that there were no problems after checking on him? Maybe it was just fatigue that caught up to him and he would be alright after a good long sleep."

    "I''m only scared, Rachel."

    "What are you scared of?"

    "Five years ago, when the doctor said that he would not regain consciousness again, I was terrified every day since he is the only rtive I have after all."

    Nobody understood the feeling of one losing their rtives more than Rachel.

    Not being able to hold it in any long, Rachel hugged Gloria and lightly patted her on the back. "This won''t happen again. If he could wake up from that horrific ident five years ago, why wouldn''t he do the same this time, especially when he didn''t even sustain any injuries? Even if something did happen, I''m still one of your rtives too."

    Gloria''s eyes immediately welled up with tears.

    "He''ll be fine."

    "It''s good that you''re back, Rachel." After sobbing on Rachel''s shoulder for a while, Gloria continued, "Don''t leave this time. He''s a changed man."

    After being dazed for a moment, Rachel pushed Gloria aside when she remembered how Justin was right before he copsed.

    Coming back to her senses, Gloria knew that she had misspoken when she saw the slightly awful expression on Rachel''s face. "I didn''t mean anything by that. Judging from his current situation, I was just wondering whether fate might be giving you two another chance. Please stay, Rachel. Charlotte needs you too."

    Rachel admitted to herself that she dealt with Justin with intentions of exploiting him, but Gloria was like a sister to her.

    "Ria, not everything can be fixed. He will always be Justin Burton."

    "Rachel."

    Just as Gloria wanted to say something, a knock came from the door. "President Hudson, Miss Hochmann."

    The person who had arrived was Frankie with another man in tow.

    "This is the psychiatrist of President Burton, Dr. Aurich."

    A shocked Rachel asked, "He''s been seeing a psychiatrist?"

    Frankie nodded.

    Allowing the doctor to examine Justin''s body in the ward, Rachel and Gloria left the room and followed Frankie to the living room outside.

    Gloria questioned, "Why was Justin seeing a psychiatrist? Was there something wrong with him?"

    Frankie replied, "It''s nothing like that, so don''t worry. It''s just that President Burton has had an increasing amount of migraines these few years. Suspecting it might be from mental stress, he arranged to see a psychiatrist for counseling. On top of that, the car crash from five years ago had also created a mental block of sorts, as I''m sure you know."

    Rachel said hesitatingly, "You mean the fact that he doesn''t dare to drive anymore?"

    Nodding, Frankie replied, "Yes. However, him not daring to drive was just something he said outwardly. The most important fact was that the trauma caused by the things the president had forgotten five years ago was

    severe."

    "Trauma?" Rachel asked confoundingly, "What trauma does he have?"

    "I''m not too sure about this. As Dr. Aurich is President Burton''s private doctor, they had signed a non disclosure agreement, so even I don''t know the specifics."

    Gloria spoke up, "What trauma could he have? It must have been the fact that Miss Rachel''s absence had dealt a huge blow to him. After knowing his own faults, he regretted it. That''s the root of the trauma. See, Miss Rachel, I told you that he''s changed. He has actually regretted his actions that time. So, please seriously reconsider all this."

    A frowning Rachel did not answer Gloria as she subconsciously looked toward the direction of the ward.

    Gloria is speaking up for Justin out of sheer habit. The so-called trauma can''t be just because of me. She did not believe that Justin became hurt because of her.

    Maybe it was because he had been kidnapped as a kid? Or, was it the incident with the fire?

    Since Rachel didn''t understand the cause, she also did not want to further delve into all this.

    As all their attention was focused on Justin''s condition, nobody noticed that the door of the ward was not tightly closed. Outside, a figure had been standing there for a long time as they listened to every single word that was being said.

    Since it was alrightte at night, there were only a few people walking around in the hospital. As the person leaned against the wall, they slightly clenched their fist as they listened in on the conversation. Who knew that they would identally gain valuable information as they came to the hospital?

    Justin was actually seeing a psychiatrist?

 Chapter 302

    The next day, Gloria stayed with Justin at the hospital while Rachel went to attend apany meeting.

    "Hello, Mr. Holt, why are you here?"

    After having arrived at thepany, Rachel ran into Evan at the entrance.

    Evan gave a wide smile as he regarded her in the same way that a senior would for their junior while greeting, "I was worried that you could face opposition since you''ve just taken over thepany, so I''m here as backup to see who would dare to bully you. Rachel, you don''t look too good. You must have been exhausted by all the eventstely."

    "I''m ok. It''s not that tiring."

    "How could you not be tired? I''ve already said that we should arrange to have an assistant help you so that the workload can be delegated, so don''t be this courteous with me. Also, Vivian has been under you for quite a while now. How do you find her?"

    Vivian, who was the secretary of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, was the reason why Evan had always been ahead of everyone in terms of information.

    "She''s a good worker. You''ve taught her well, Mr. Holt."

    "It reassures me to hear you saying this. How about you allow Vivian to fill in as the role of an assistant for you?"

    The difference between an assistant and a secretary was that an assistant had to be on call twenty-four seven with every confidential document that Rachel was looking at passing through their hands. "It''s fine, Mr. Holt. I already have a person in mind for that position."

    "You have?"

    As they were talking, a roar of an engine bellowed behind the crowd as a blue supercar parked at the entrance.

    Stepping out of the car, Jolly passed the car key to the valet as he walked toward Rachel in a pair of high heels with a height of 4 inches. "Sorry, I''mte. There was some congestion on the way here."

    As Rachel reached out to take Jolly''s hand, she calmly introduced, "Mr. Holt, let me introduce you to my assistant, Jolly Carter."

    Evan, who came to his senses after a while, answered, "If memory serves me right, aren''t you the precious daughter of the CEO of Carter Enterprises?"

    "Do you know my dad, Mr. Holt?"

    Removing her sunsses, Jolly revealed a pair of eyes that had eyeshadow applied on it.

    "Acquaintances would be more appropriate. We''ve only met once."

    "Oh, I see." She wore her sunsses again.

    A smiling Rachel didn''t n to exin too much at once. "If there''s nothing else, we''ll be heading first. Mr. Holt, will you be attending the meetingter?" This question had stunned Evan.

    Then, she continued, "It''s totally okay if you don''t attend it since Vivian will be reporting the minutes to you, anyway. No time would be wasted, right?" After that, Rachel and Jolly walked into the building together.

    Evan and the others were left standing at the entrance, dumbfounded and speechless.

    While holding onto Rachel''s elbow, Jolly asked, "Aren''t you being spunky today? Are you not nning to maintain your facade in front of that old man anymore?"

    "I don''t have to. Seeing how obvious he has been nting his people on my side, I would be treated a fool if I didn''t give him a warning."

    "Aren''t you afraid of the retaliation afterward?"

    "With the precious princess of the Carter Enterprise luring the fire away from me, what do I have to be afraid

    of?"

    Jolly replied with a smile, "I''ll be showing what I can do, then."

    As a family-owned enterprise, there were a lot of high-ranking personnel in Hudson Pharmaceuticals who were selected through nepotism, which resulted in a lot of parasites in the hierarchy on a long-term basis. What Rachel needed now was a person who would y the bad guy with her.

    Jolly had already assumed her position within thepany in the afternoon.

    While Rachel was looking at documents in her office, Vivian suddenly knocked on the door and rushed in. "President Hudson, there are people from the Riverdale Investigation Bureau looking for you. They''re waiting outside."

    Rachel was slightly stunned by this.

    At the entrance to the office stood two men who sported the gray uniform of the Investigation Bureau.

    One of them then showed his identification to her. "Are you Miss Rachel Hudson? You are suspected of being involved in a kidnapping, so pleasee with us to assist in our investigations." "Kidnapping? What makes you say that?"

    "You are now only a suspect, so I''ll have to trouble you toply with our investigation."

    "Let me call Janice first."

    "Officer Hawkins was the one who issued the order."

    Their words made Rachel stop dead in her tracks as she raised her head with eyes of disbelief.

    Then, she was led away by the two officers in front of thepany employees.

    At that moment, in the hospital ward, Justin had been awake since morning and was now discussing his headache with Dr. Aurich.

    "Normally, your case would be a result of your memory being triggered by something impactful in your life. What did you see before the headache happened?"

    "I saw a ne."

    "A ne?" After a brief moment of silence, the doctor asked, "Could you describe its design?"

    "I think it had the shape of a cat." As soon as he thought of that ne, Justin had to press his temples as his head began to hurt again. "Why is it like this?"

    "It''s normal. The return of a memory could often be described as a burst dam since the impact at first instance would always be strongest. You need a strong stimulus to be able to recall your past." "A strong stimulus?"

    "Justin!" Interrupting their conversation, Gloria suddenly rushed in with a worried expression. "Miss Rachel has been brought in by the people from the Riverdale Investigation Bureau." "What?" Justin straightened his posture. "When did this happen?"

    "It just happened. Jolly called me and said the officers dispatched to Hudson Pharmaceuticals had brought Miss Rachel in under the suspicion of being involved in a kidnapping." Kidnapping?

    With a serious expression, he immediately took off the nket and jumped off the bed.

    "Where are you going?" Dr. Aurich tried to stop him. "You can''t be discharged yet."Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin ignored the doctor''s words and immediately left.

    At the same time, in the hall of the Investigation Bureau, Rachel had just been brought in.

    Janice was already waiting for her in the hall for the longest time.

    When she saw Janice, Rachel''s expression darkened. "Officer Hawkins, do you know the damage you''ve done by suddenly sending your people to mypany to bring me in?" Bearing a simr expression, Janice retorted, "Then, do you know the extent of the effect of what you''ve done?"

    "What did I do?"

    "Are you really asking me that? Bucky! Didn''t you look for him?"

    "Is that illegal?"

    "Why did you go and look for him?"

    "To have a chat."

    "Rachel! What kind of attitude are you disying now?" Raising her voice, the echo of Janice''s bellowing tone reverberated across the whole hall, which caused everyone to take notice. However, no one darec to make a sound.

    "How many times have I told you that the case involving your grandma had been closed five years ago? Even if there was something suspicious, it would be up to the Investigation Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Department to decide. You can''t just take matters into your own hands like this! Not to mention the extreme methods that you employed! Resorting to kidnapping and ckmail? Do you think that our country''sws are inapplicable against you after you''ve changed your nationality? You''remitting an international crime here! We can ask that you be deported to your home country!" "Officer Hawkins, you should be showing some form of evidence to back up your words."

    "You want evidence?" A livid Janice continued, "Fine, I''ll show you some evidence!"

    "Bring her over."

    After Janice left with such an order, she turned around and walked off, leaving the two officers at Rachel''s side. They exchanged a nce with each other before one of them led the way. "This way, Miss Hudson."

 Chapter 303

    Rachel followed Janice to the interrogation room.

    "Officer Hawkins, how about I conduct the questioning to avoid any suspicion from arising?"

    While they entered the room, a huge silhouette stepped in Janice and Rachel''s way. The silhouette in question was a cold and stern looking man, looking simr in age to Janice. "No need. All of you, get out."

    One word from Janice was all it took to clear the room before the depressing mood from the hollow room substituted the personnel.

    A calm Rachel said, "So, this is what the interrogation room looks like, huh? Hey, Janice, do you guys keep the criminals here? Is there any surveince in here?"

    "You should sit down." After pulling a chair, Janice nced coldly at Rachel. "I''m not in the mood to joke around with you."

    Upon saying that, Janice opened her notebook and began the questioning. "Where were you yesterday afternoon?"Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Seeing Janice being so serious caused Rachel''s face to disappear as she sat down.

    "I was at the Riverdale Penitentiary."

    "Why were you there?"

    "Don''t you know all this? Why are you still asking them?"

    As she mmed the table, Janice roared, "Whatever I ask of you, you must answer them! Let me make this clear that you''re in the Investigation Bureau and I''m the officer of this ce. I''m also the person in charge of this kidnapping case today, and I''m not some rtive of yours!"

    Clenching her fists, Rachel slowly spoke, "I went to pick Bucky up."

    "I asked him about the details of my grandmother''s kidnapping five years ago."

    "Continue."

    "He said that he wanted to ckmail Justin, which was why he kidnapped my grandmother after knowing the rtionship between me and Justin. Originally, he wanted to release her after asking for two million in ransom, but an intervention made him ask for five million instead. He threatened Justin to surrender a bid fornd back then, to which Justin promised. However, when I asked who gave the instructions to kidnap, Bucky refused to tell me."

    "Was that why you kidnapped his sister, Lily?"

    "Who said that? Was it Bucky?" Rachel asked in return.

    With a m, Janice ced a picture on the table. "This was given to me personally by Bucky. Arranging for Lily to have a month-long exchange program abroad and using it to threaten Bucky, was that your doing?"

    "It was not."

    "You''re still lying! Rachel, I told you that the case had its odd points, but it was not up to you to interfere!"

    When she saw Janice acting like she was in search of justice, Rachel was pissed off. "Not up to me to

    interfere? Does that mean I shouldn''t do anything until the day I die while waiting for you people to investigate the case? Will you guys even do that? After all, my grandmother''s death won''t mean anything to you all because she''s a nobody!"

    After that, an angry Rachel stood up whilst being supported by the table.

    "Janice Hawkins, I always thought you were a righteous person with a sense of conscience. During thest few years, you''ve changed into the same as those cold blooded people who only want to be promoted to the top without caring about people''s life or death. Bucky isn''t the person who murdered my grandmother!"

    "You''ve no proof on the matter!"

    "I am the proof! He admitted it himself after I asked him!"

    "Can''t you be more rational here?"

    "I am being very rational here!"

    The sound of them arguing was rife inside the room as the atmosphere inside became tense. In the midst of all this, a knock came from the door.

    After somewhat managing to calm herself down, Janice said, "Come in."

    "Officer Hawkins."

    "What is it?"

    "There''s someone outside who wants to look for Miss Hudson."

    "Can''t you see that I''m in the middle of interrogating her? Bying here to look for her, what do they treat the Bureau as?"

    The subordinate answered cautiously, "The top brass called earlier and wanted me to release Miss Hudson due to ack of evidence."

    "What?" Janice was full of disbelief as she looked outside and saw a familiar huge silhouette. Justin?

    Clenching her fists, she directed a question to Rachel, "Does he know that you''re using him?"

    After being momentarily stunned by her question, Rachel quicklyposed herself. "I don''t think that Officer Hawkins should worry about that. Since it was an order from above, I don''t think you''ll have any more questions for me if you don''t want your promotion to be blocked, I suppose?"

    "You..."

    "I''ll be leaving now if there''s nothing else."

    After stating her piece, she left without sparing an extra nce.

    In the hall, Justin ran to her as soon as he saw Racheling out. "Are you alright?"

    "Why are you here?"

    "I told him as soon as I heard that you were brought in." Standing beside them was Gloria, who was also worried sick. "When Justin heard that you were being charged for kidnapping, he knew that this incident wasn''t as simple as it seemed. If you went to jail after being sentenced, we would have had a real problem on our hands."

    ncing at him, Rachel then rified, "That''s why you used your connections?"

    Justin replied, "I know you wouldn''t like it, but I had no choice at that time. Janice and I have some bad blood between us, so it would onlyplicate things if I came here to demand your release." As they were talking, the sound of footsteps indicated that it was Janice walking toward them.

    Immediately, Justin pulled Rachel behind her as he ced himself between the two people. "Hello, Officer Hawkins, long time no see."

    "It hasn''t been that long yet. Didn''t we meet at yourpanyst time?" While observing Justin, Janice then continued, "I didn''t know that you two had be so close. It was only moments after my subordinates brought her in that my superior called to demand that I release her. I wouldn''t have offended you back then if I knew how well-connected you were, Mr. Burton."

    He rebuked, "If I wasn''t in a pickle, I wouldn''t have used those kinds of methods either. Why should I be afraid of thew when I''ve notmitted a crime?"

    "So, are you implying that the incident this time is so special that you can simply ignore thew?"

    After hearing Janice''s sarcasm, Justin''s expression darkened since neither one of them was going to back down. "Officer Hawkins, you can decide whether I have ignored thew or not after obtaining some evidence. Let''s go, Rae."

    After that, Justin held Rachel''s hand and left.

    As Gloria looked like she had samething to say to Janice as she looked at Janice, she instead chose to leave after hesitating for a while.

    On the way back, Gloria then asked Rachel, "Aren''t you quite close with Janice? What happened there? You guys were practically at each other''s throat."

    Not wanting to answer her, Rachel replied, "Just let me off at the intersection there."

    "What?" Gloria was stunned by her request.

    Hearing this, Justinmented, "Ignore her and continue driving."

    It was after emerging from the Bureau that he had a dark expression.

    A frowning Rachel questioned, "What do you mean by this? I still have matters to attend to."

    "Matters to attend to? Do you mean looking for Bucky?"

    Justin, who was straightforward, looked at Rachel coldly. "Did you really kidnap someone?"

    "What does that have to do with you?"

    "I bailed you out from the Bureau. How does that make me not have the right to question you about it?"

    "I didn''t ask for it."

    "So, are you suggesting that I''m a busybody?"

    "Ria, stop the car here." Not wanting to waste any more words on Justin, Rachel wanted to locate Bucky as soon as possible and ask him what in the world he was thinking.

    "No, don''t!" Shouting coldly, Justin grabbed her arm. "Are you crazy? Where is Bucky''s sister right now? Call your people and make them release her this instant!"

 Chapter 304

    The impact of the screeching brakes caused Justin and Rachel to fly forward and nearly m into the back of the front seats due to the momentum.

    "Sorry, there''s a red light. I didn''t notice it in time."

    Gloria''s voice came from the driver''s seat.

    As a result of that, their argument had been interrupted.

    Rachel then shook Justin off as she tried to open the car door. "Rie, I want you to open the door now!"

    A frowning Gloria responded, "I think you both need to calm down first."

    "I am calm."

    Justin and Rachel said at the same time.

    Sweeping her gaze across both of them, Gloria added, "Either you follow my advice wherein we have a nice talk after we''ve found some ce to sit or we can all be locked in this car with nobody leaving anytime soon."

    While it was a stalemate on one hand, it was a spectacle for the audience to watch on the other hand,

    "Master Jason, there is news from the Investigation Bureau."

    The holiday resort was situated in the mountain located at the western side of Riverdale. Jason was seated in the courtyard while he fished in a rxing manner, looking nothing like the man who frequented clubs.

    "What did they say?"

    "The news that Rachel Hudson and Officer Hawkins fiercely arguing is spreading all over the Bureau. Officer Hawkins, who personally interrogated her, mmed the table and stared at her with a bad attitude." "How did they deal with her in the end? Did they throw her behind bars?"

    "They didn''t. Young Master Justin interfered."

    "Oh?"

    "Young Master Justin had given Chief Maxim a ring and exined that Bucky''s so-called proof was hearsay and not physical evidence. So, Chief Maxim could only order Officer Hawkins, to release her, but it can be said that this has caused a huge rifit between Rachel and Officer Hawkins."

    Now that he was immersed in his thoughts, Jason rified, "Justin had actually sought help from the chief because of this woman?"

    "Yes, the info was validated."

    Hmph. With a sneer, Jason continued, "He''s still the same as before: soft-hearted. I thought that him forgetting all those things would make him let this woman go. It seems that this weakness of his would be hard to get rid of. No wonder my father wanted this woman gone at all costs."

    "How about we make Bucky-"

    Jason raised his hand to interrupt his subordinate. "No need. From this, you can see that the friendship these two women have isn''t that deep. After all, how close could a businessman and an incorruptiblemissioner be? Changing our perspective, this woman might just be the key to controlling my nephew, so in the future..."

    Although he did not finish his sentence, his long-time followers all understood what he meant.

    "Then, about Bucky..."

    The fishing pole in Jason''s hand suddenly moved. Raising a hand, he gestured to his subordinates to remain silent whereupon the fish took the bait.

    The fish sprung out from the water with a ssh.

    His subordinates immediately ttered, "What a big fish!"

    "When the fish takes the bait, we have to loosen the handle a bit and reel it in when it has no more strength. We can''t forcefully pull it out of the water from the get go..."

    While retrieving the hook from the fish''s mouth, Jason sighed. "Look at it, it''spletely exhausted. Under this kind of circumstance, it won''t make for a delicious dish." "Then, are you releasing it?"

    "Releasing it? I''ve spent so much time catching it and you now want me to release it? On top of that, this fish will emit a warning signal once it returns to the water. When that happens, we''ll only be catching air."

    "I understand Master Jason''s words."

    "Get going now."

    "Yes."

    In the afternoon, Gloria had parked the car in the courtyard of a restaurant.

    "This restaurant was opened by my friend. It''s secluded with not many people here, so you guys can talk without worrying about anyone overhearing you. Since it''s coincidentally afternoon, we''re in time for lunch. Have a look at the menu and order."

    Taking the menu, Rachel flipped through the menu distractingly before saying, "I''m not hungry. You guys can eat first."

    "Where are you going?"

    Standing up, Justin asked, "Are you going to find Bucky?"

    "Sit down, Justin?"

    Frustratingly, Gloria pulled on him. "We agreed to talk this out calmly. Did you not understand what I said? Can''t you just talk peacefully?"

    Panicking inside, Justin was worried that Rachel, who was blinded by revenge, might do something foolish. But, knowing that going at each throat''s now would only amount to nothing, he sat down defeatedly. "If she doesn''t leave, then I can talk in peace."

    "Why does it concern you whether I''m leaving or not?"

    Letting her anger flow, Rachel retorted, "I still have a mountain load of things to do. Are you going to stick to me while I''m sorting through them one by one?"

    "That actually works. How about this, I''ll let Frankie move my office to yourpany. This way, I can go to work and clock off together with you. Where you''d be, I''d be there too." "Are you insane?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "I think you''re the one that is insane." With a stone cold face, Justin stated, "Look at what you''ve been doing recently. Who gave the idea to kidnap someone? Was it Jason?" This stunned Gloria. "You mean your second uncle? What does this have to do with him?"

    "This isn''t important." Waving her hand, Gloria quickly changed the subject back. "I don''t believe that Miss Hudson would kidnap someone innocent, so stop talking now, Justin." "Please tell me, Miss Hudson, what actually happened?"

    Shooting a nce at Justin, Rachel was going to exin her side of the story when a message from her phone caught her attention. With an emotionless gaze, she sat down once again. "No matter what I say, a certain someone already thinks that I''m in on it with his second uncle, doing illegal things and using unspeakable methods on normal citizens, don''t they?" Justin was slightly shocked by her words.

    Rachel exined while taking out a photo from her bag, "This was a photo taken at Montenegro, where Lily has been studying for the past month and a half. I only used this photo for a while to scare Bucky into speaking. Since he couldn''t contact her, he really believed that I was the one who kidnapped Lily. He is the one who''s acting like he has something to hide."

    After all, a bad person always thought others would deal with them in the same way.

    "So, what you''re saying is that you didn''t kidnap her at all?"

    "I don''t have that capability yet."

    Breathing a sigh of relief, Gloria stared at Justin. "What did I say? How about apologizing to Miss Hudson now?

    Before Justin could speak, Rachel had interrupted him. "No need for that. Since he did bail me out from the Bureau, we''ll make it even."

    With an awkward expression, he asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to look for Bucky, though?ˇ±

    To this, she replied, "Just because Janice has left me off the hook this time doesn''t mean the entire thing is over. Once the Investigation Bureau dispatches someone from the embassy there to check on Lily, they''ll quickly learn that she''s merely been studying in istion with no threat to her personal safety. When Bucky finds out about that fact, do you still think that I can get anything out of him?"

    Reacting to this, Gloria eximed, "Ahhh! Then, why did I drag you all the way to this ce?"

    "I''ll send you there right now, Miss Rachel!"

    Upon saying that, she immediately stood up to grab her car keys with the intention of leaving.

    Yet, Rachel was wiping her hand with the towel before she spread the tablecloth on her legs. She calmly stated, "There''s no need. It''s already toote."

    A perplexed Gloria asked, "Why?"

    Looking at her phone, Rachel continued, "Jolly has just informed me that the quarantine hotel over there has already ryed her current situation to the embassy." Based on Bucky''s rtion to Lily, he would have already received the information by now as well.

 Chapter 305

    Still holding the keys in her hands, Gloria med herself. "It''s all my fault. I insisted on dragging you guys here to eat."

    Rachelmented with a calm expression, "I don''t me you. Even if you didn''t bring me here, what could I do when a certain individual doesn''t want to let me go?"

    A speechless Justin had a tense expression.

    "Let''s just eat." Looking through the menu, Rachel ordered, "The codfish is the signature dish here, right? We''ll have one of those."

    Upon seeing Rachel act like nothing had happened resulted in Gloria taking her seat as she rmended, "Their prawns here are tasty as well."

    "Is that so? One of those too, I guess."

    When all the dishes had been served, Rachel ate and drank like a normal person. It was Justin and Gloria who felt ufortable instead. He particrly felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles.

    At that moment, although he did not want to admit it, reality had revealed the truth to Samuel''s words: he was a fool.

    He just had to push Rachel''s buttons for no reason again.

    Looking at therge bowl of peanut soup on the table, Gloria signaled with her eyes at Justin and even kicked him from under the table.

    When he finally understood what she hinted at, he immediately filled a small bowl with soup and intentionally gave it to her first before passing a second bowl to Rachel in an attempt to make the scene more natural. "Have some soup."

    "Thank you."

    What came out of Rachel''s mouth was t and carried no emotion in it.

    "Oh, right, Charlotte and Samuel are still at your ce, aren''t they? How are they doing now?"

    "They are quite obedient. I have left them with my assistant, so you guys don''t have to worry about anything."

    "I can pick them upter today."

    "You don''t have to. Let them y around in the theater group for a few days. Since I''ve discovered that Samuel seems to be musically talented, I was thinking that for the final concert in two days'' time, I might bring him onstage to perform as a final act of thanks to the audience."

    "Samuel?" Rachel thought that she had misheard Gloria''s words. "Can he do it? He hasn''t taken a music lesson before, has he?"

    Since Samuel was still youngbined with the fact that he had grown up abroad, Rachel had always thought that he needed a rtively free and happy childhood. That was the reason why she never forced him to attend any extracurricr activities.

    Then, Gloria added, "Samuel does have a great sense for music. I coincidentally wanted to ask for your opinion on the matt If you agree to

    I''ll arrange for him

    perform onstage."

    "I don''t have any opinion on this. I''m just afraid that he might affect the level of the group''s performance."

    "He won''t."

    Justin, who couldn''t barge into the two women''s conversation, could only helplessly look on.

    Although Rachel didn''t express her anger, it was actually more tortuous for him to be ignored like this. He would rather have her scold him thoroughly and be done with it. Sadly, she treated him as if he was invisible throughout the entire meal.

    "Where are you going, Miss Rachel? I can send you there."

    While holding onto her car keys, Gloria and the other two walked out of the restaurant.

    As Rachel held her purse, she replied, "No need. I''ll just take a cab and yes, I''m going to look for Bucky."

    "Doesn''t he already know the truth, though? Why are you still going to look for him?"

    "I have to know the truth about what happened to my grandmother. If ckmail and threats don''t work, maybe I can try to bait him with something irresistible." Justin suddenlymented, "You cannot go."

    As soon as he said that, Rachel''s expression darkened. "What? Even though I''ve clearly exined everything, are you still going to stick your finger in my pie?" "What I meant was that you cannot go there alone."

    While opening the car door, he said in determination as his deep gazended on her face, "Gloria and I will apany you there."

    "Yeah, Miss Rachel. We can apany you."

    "It''s just me investigating some private matters, so there''s no need to be this cautious." A frustrated Rachel then continued, "What do you intend to do with so many people?ˇ±

    "You can allow Justin to apany you then. It just so happens that I have something else to do, so I''ll be leaving first."

    After that, Gloria thrusted the keys into Justin''s hands before turning around and leaving. "I''ll just take a cab. Bye!" "Hey!"

    Rachel attempted to call out to Gloria, but couldn''t stop her as the woman had quickly left.

    The only ones remaining were Justin and Rachel as they stood at the car door and stared at each other.

    Then, he broke the silence with a question. "You drive? Or, shall I do it?"

    "What do you think?"

    Rolling her eyes, Rachel snatched the keys and mumbled angrily, "Can you even drive?"

    Even if Justin really dared to drive, she did not have the guts to sit in it. After all, although he might not have any ns to continue living, she still wanted to live her life.

    Bucky''s home was situated at the west side of the old district. The houses there were all dpidated and most of them had a demolition sign glued on it. Even though the demolition had already urred, it did

    not

    seem like the residents there had moved after all these years.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    Getting out of the car, Justin frowned as he looked at the ruins in front of him. "Are you sure that people are

    still living here?"

    Rachel looked at a faraway point and noted that the houses here had all been demolished with its debris spread all over.

    "Young Master Justin, of course you won''t know about the sufferings of mere mortals. When a person is truly broke, they would already be thanking God if there was a ce that could shield them from the elements."

    Passing around the ruin, she walked to an alley, after which Justin immediately followed.

    Since it was already afternoon, the sun was scorching the ground with its heat. However, the old houses that were half-demolished had a pathway so narrow that the two of them found it hard to traverse without any

    sunlight. As a result, it resulted in a depressing atmosphere.

    Justin asked, "Have you visited this ce before?"

    "I haven''t, but I have been to simr ces like this."

    "When was it?"

    "It was a long time ago. I still haven''t left Riverdale at that time. Victor and his grandmother lived in this kind of ce too."

    As she reminisced the first time that she went to Victor''s house, she had also walked in a simr alley and it was even at night back then. The air was filled with the smell of dust with rubble and rocks underneath her everywhere. Although there was no streetlight, the dim light from within the alley had more warmth than the moonlight itself.

    Victor was in the same situation as her-their only rtive had already passed on.

    When Justin saw Rachel spacing out, he reminded, "Be careful when you''re walking. You''re wearing heels,

    after all."

    "I know."

    Moments after she replied, she screamed in shock and it was his quick reaction that prevented her from falling as he held onto her waist.

    Lowering her head, Rachel saw that the heel of her right shoe was stuck inside the mesh of the drain. It refused to budge, no matter how hard she tried.

    "Let me try." After making sure she was standing properly, Justin kneeled down and twisted her shoe a few times.

    With a crack, she also felt her heart breaking.

    As expected, he was holding a shoe that had separated itself from the heel.

    The man''s usually stern face had a rare awkward expression. "I didn''t think that it would be that weak."

    Feeling the corners of her mouth twitching, Rachel responded, "It''s fine. Just give it to me."

    "How are you going to wear that?"

    Not wanting to waste words on him, she took the shoe from his hand and wore it before limping further into the alley

    As the surface of the road was full of potholes caused by the stones, coupled with the fact that one of her shoes was missing a heel, she wobbled around as she walked with one leg higher than the other. It looked like she would lose her bnce at any moment.

    "This can''t be done!"

    "I don''t need you caring about me."

    Rachel hadn''t even taken two steps when she heard Justin readily approaching her from behind. By the time

    she eximed out of shock, her waist had suddenly tightened as her legs were swept up from the floor.

    When she finally realized what had happened, she was already in Justin''s embrace.

    The strong scent of pheromones attacked her as she lifted her chin to look at the man in disbelief.

 Chapter 306

    "Put me down at this instance!"

    "Until we arrive at the entrance of Bucky''s house, I will not do that."

    To Justin, who stood at a frame of six feet three inches, carrying Rachel was as easy as handling a cat. As he crushed the stones with his leather shoes along the way, they quickly traversed the alley. Meanwhile, Rachel''s heart was racing.

    "Is it over there?"

    She heard a man''s voice from above her, which brought her back to reality..

    As Rachel looked at the spot faraway, it was the only house that had windows sealed with old newspaper. On the door were a few ropes with two tattered towels attached to it. "Looks like it."

    When she investigated Bucky''s background earlier, she found out that he had an old home here, but it was a ce most of the residents had moved out from. His unit was the only exception. He only had one sister, who stayed in the school dorm and asionally returned during the winter and summer breaks.

    Since Bucky was recently released, it wasn''t that he couldn''t freely move out. However, since his sister was already staying here, the possibility of him returning to the vige was exceptionally great. "Put me down."

    When they arrived at the entrance, Rachel started to struggle as she wanted to be on her feet. After setting her down, Justin proceeded to knock on the door.

    "Is anyone home?"

    His voice echoed in the alley.

    No response came from the other side.

    "No one''s home."

    Rachel frowned because she saw the dripping wet towel at the entrance and said in confusion, "That can''t be possible."

    She stumbled ahead.

    He was ready to hold her with a gesture. "Be careful!"

    While ignoring him, Rachel reached out and mmed the door.

    Just a tap was enough to make the old door creak before it copsed.

    The moment that it fell down, she screamed as she turned around and subconsciously hugged Justin.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

    "What''s wrong?"

    A confused Justin focused his gaze over Rachel''s shoulder and into the house. Upon seeing the scene inside, his pupils contracted.

    There was a man on the old sofa at a corner in the dimly lit house. With a wide stare and fierce gaze, he stared at them with a terrifying expression. What was even more frightening was that a knife had been stabbed into his chest whereas the area below his stab wound was drenched in blood.

    Hugging the woman in his embrace tightly, Justin could feel her trembling and her heart racing for dear life.

    At that moment, he felt that it was out of sheer luck that he apanied her. If Rachel had witnessed this on her own, or even worse, met the killer face to face...

    He did not dare to imagine the consequences.

    After half an hour, the perimeter of Bucky''s house was surrounded by yellow tape.

    Janice arrived at the scene as she personally led people from the Riverdale Investigation Bureau. After photographing the crime scene, the forensic personnel bagged the body and brought it back to perform an autopsy on it.

    Sitting in the car, Rachel could not calm down even after a long time.

    "Drink some water." Justin''s voice came from the side.

    As she returned to her senses, she was still pale as she shook her head. "I don''t want it."

    Whenever she closed her eyes, all she recalled was the vivid scene of Bucky''s death.

    "Rachel." A familiar woman''s voice came from outside the car.

    It was Janice.

    Justin gently pressed Rachel''s shoulders with a frown before he exited the car.

    "Is there anything we can help you with, Officer Hawkins?"

    "You two were the first witnesses of the crime scene. As such, I have some questions to ask you guys."

    "You can just ask me. I came with Rae."

    A stern Janice answered, "Mr. Burton, you do need to cooperate with our investigation, but I''ll need to question Rachel too. Not only was she the first witness of the crime scene, she had also been involved with Bucky before. So, I can''t eliminate her as a suspect just yet."

    "Officer Hawkins, you should be choosing your words more carefully. After all, you might find yourself regretting whates out of your mouth."

    "Whether I''ll regret it or not, I''ll know it after the investigation."

    After saying that, Janice was going to bypass Justin to look for Rachel.

    "Officer Hawkins!"

    As Justin raised his voice, he blocked Janice''s path.

    "If you don''t make way, I will charge you with obstruction of an ongoing investigation."

    "You can try."

    Right after Justin said those words, the faint sound of a car door opening came from behind him.

    Rachel poked her head out and asked, "What do you want to ask? Just ask away."

    After wounding up the car window, the buzz from outside was somewhat isted,

    Taking the initiative to leave the two women alone, he chose to stand at a nearby spot since he was still wary toward Janice.

    "You don''t look too good. Are you traumatized by this?" Observing Rachel''s face, Janice then added, "Luckily he apanied you here."

    Her concern and gentle tone toward Rachel was a stark difference to the person going after Rachel''s throat at the Bureau earlier that morning. Rachel struggled to open her mouth. "Who do you think did it?ˇ±

    With a frown, Janice replied, "There''s no surveince here and since this area has been designated for demolition, even the highway cameras don''t cover this spot. However, there should be clues at a murder scene. There''s no such thing as a perfect crime."

    "It''s Jason, Jason Burton," a confident Rachel suggested. "After seeing our fallout, he lowered his guard against me and decided to work with me. Bucky was like a time bomb for him, though, so he had to get rid of Bucky first. I should''ve predicted this all sooner."

    Janice held Rachel''s hands with an even deeper frown. "You don''t have to me yourself so much. He deserves this after all hisplicity. I''ll definitely get to the bottom of this-one day in the future..."

    She could not continue with her sentence.

    There were many cases in the Bureau where the range of effect was so wide that the cases had turned cold without any new leads. On top of that, numerous people had been sacrificed as a result. Clenching her fists, Rachel said, "Janice, Bucky was nothing but a pawn for Jason. He was someone fated to be silenced or killed off after serving his purposes. What do you think his next step would be if he wanted to erase all traces?"

    Janice''s expression froze.

    She suddenly released Rachel''s hand as she refused to permit that luxury of thinking and reminded with a low tone, "Rae."

    As Rachel came around, she looked outside the window to see Justin walking toward them. He must have been restless after seeing us talk for so long.

    "We''ll end our conversation here. I''ll contact you if I have any questions."

    While walking over, he could only catch the second half of Janice''s sentence as she stepped out of the vehicle.

    As she crossed paths with Justin, Janice nodded as a sign of greeting. "She does seem to be in shock, so head home earlier. I''ll be keeping in touch."

    He replied, "I''ll prefer it if you contact me directly, Officer Hawkins."

    "I''ll try."

    After leaving such a statement, she walked toward the police line.

    It was at this moment when Frankie arrived at the scene. He was a bit confused when he saw the police line and all the vehicles from the Bureau. "President Burton, what is all this? Did something happen?" Throwing the keys at Frankie, Justin only gave a single order instead of exining the situation. "Drive."

    Frankie took them home thereafter.

    On the way, an absent-minded Rachel continuously stared out the car window.

    She did not know whether she had done the right thing. If she hadn''t squeezed the words out of Bucky''s mouth, would he have been silenced? Or was it precisely the fact that he knew too much that caused his death?

    At least it provided one thing-Bucky was merely a scapegoat.

    Now that he was dead, the clue to the kidnapping back then would be severed unless they found the person who murdered Bucky.

 Chapter 307

    "President Burton, we have arrived." Frankie''s voice was heard from the front.

    Before Rachel could even return to her senses, Justin alighted from the car and walked around the vehicle toward her side. The moment Frankie opened the door, Justin carried her out of the back seat. As she no longer had the strength to even struggle, she allowed him to carry her.

    "Put me down." She patted him on his arm when they arrived at the foyer so that she could change to a pair of flip-flops.

    She was contemting about Bucky''s matter. Although she was afraid, she had to consider other possibilities, after which she sat on the couch with a distracted mind.

    "Are you alright?" Justin poured her a ss of water.

    Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I''m fine."

    "You don''t look well, though. Do you want to get some sleep?"

    "I can''t sleep."

    "I''ll sit here and apany you then."

    As Justin spoke, he took a seat opposite her and retrieved a few packets of snacks from under the coffee table and shoving them to her in the process. He seemed to find nothing wrong with his actions. When Rachel moved in with Samuel, he seemed not to know where the snacks were kept in the house, butst night, he had taken a magazine from the book shelf to read.

    Since he didn''t bear any intention to exin about his actions, she merely allowed him to have his way.

    After mingling with him for such a long time, she had noticed that Justin had one fine quality. Whenever she was with him, they rarely needed to talk; the two of them could each read a book and spend the entire afternoon just like that without any of them finding it strange.

    As she used to be mute, reading was her greatest hobby since she was little. Even after Julian had cured her illness, she still retained her old habits and seldom talked whenever there was no such need to do

    SO.

    The afternoon soon flew past.

    During that period, the Riverdale Investigation Bureau had called them twice to ask questions regarding the crime scene in the afternoon, to which both Rachel and Justin answered in the best possible way. In the evening, Rachel fell asleep without realizing it.

    By the time she woke up with a groggy head, only the kitchen was bright and she heard some nking sounds of the kitchen utensils. It was those sounds that woke her up.

    When she arrived at the kitchen entrance, what she saw made her close to doubting her eyes.

    "Are you cooking?"

    Justin looked behind him. "You are awake. Did I wake you up?"

    "Yes." Then, Rachel directly entered the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

    Before him was a pot of noodles on the heated stove. "I thought about it and still find this an easier choice."

    She hesitantly asked, "How long have you been cooking the noodles?"

    "Twenty minutes."

    "Twenty minutes?!" There was an incredulous look on her face.

    "What''s wrong? Is that not enough?" Justin was confused. "How long does it usually take?"

    The corner of Rachel''s lips twitched. "Just turn off the stove. It''s more than enough."

    Talking about cooking with this man, who had barely entered the kitchen all his life, would be akin to casting pearls before swine and she had no intention to waste her time teaching him how to cook either.

    It was only when Justin attempted to take the noodles out from the pot that he realized his attempt at cooking seemed to have failed. The noodles had practically be so mushy that it broke when he tried to dish it out with a pair of tongs; he couldn''t take them out at all.

    "We''ll serve it with the pot." Rachel found a coaster from the cab and ced it on the dining table. "Just ce it here."

    This was the first time she ate noodles from a pot and it surprisingly felt refreshing.

    As Rachel was starving, she took a fork and spoon to scoop the noodles and blew on it before cing it into her mouth.

    "How does it taste?"

    "Not bad, but it will taste better with a sunny-side up."

    "A sunny-side up?" A hesitant Justin nced at the kitchen.

    "I was teasing you. A simple meal will suit me fine. Do you want some?"

    He unexpectedly replied, "Frying an egg is not hard."

    With that, he took two eggs and returned to the kitchen.

    Rachel raised her brow in response and continued to bury her head in the food without even giving him a nce.

    Truth be told, she didn''t really crave for a sunny-side up egg; she had merely found an excuse to make Justin leave since the meal tasted better without him in front of her.

    Soon, she heard a sizzling sound from the kitchen that was followed by a loud ng. As the sound had startled her, it caused her to drop her utensils into the bowl.

    "What happened?" She asked as she turned to the kitchen in shock.

    "Nothing." However, it was obvious from Justin''s voice that something wasn''t right.

    Rachel immediately ced her spoon down and headed into the kitchen. As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw the pan sizzling as well as an egg and spat on the floor. One look at it was enough to tell her that the ce was in a mess.

    A pale Justin was standing far away from the stove as his left hand held his right hand.

    She immediately covered the pan and turned off the stove. "You can''t add oil when there''s water in the pan. Are you alright? Did you burn yourself?"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "I''m fine."

    "What do you mean that you are fine? Let me see." She took his hand and carefully looked at it, whereupon there were a few blisters on the back of his hand which soon swelled up. "Come with me. I''ll get you some medicine."

    Justin was pulled along for several steps before he finally returned to his senses and his gazended on her hand that was pulling him.

    Thest time she had treated him with such patience was when he had been injured.

    Since a woman was known to have a maternal nature, it would be her natural instinct to sympathize with the weak. Is it this part of sympathizing with the weak?

    "Don''t pop the blister. Be careful when you change your clothes for the next two days. Remember to apply medicine twice a day-once in the morning and once in the evening." Then, Rachel ced the medicine on the table. "Apply it yourself."

    After she said that, she picked up the fork and spoon and continued eating noodles.

    Justin still hadn''t regained his senses as he pointed out, "I''m already in such a state. Aren''t you going to apply the medicine for me?"

    "What''s wrong with you? It''s only two blisters; it''s not like you broke your hand."

    "You,"

    "I''m done. I''m going out to pick up Samuel and Charlotte. You can stay at home on your own."

    With that, she took the car keys and left the house, leaving a frustrated Justin standing in the dining room alone with an injured hand.

    When Rachel arrived at the music room, Gloria was practicing piano while Samuel was singing next to the piano.

    It was a French nursery rhyme, which he fluently sang.

    Once he finished singing, a warm apuse came from one side. "That''s awesome! Samuel, you''re amazing! I''ll get the whole ss to attend your performance!" Gloria spoke, "However, I won''t buy the tickets; you have to buy them for your ssmates."

    "Aunt Gloria, you are being petty!"

    "What did you say? I dare you to say it another time!"

    When Samuel raised his head and saw Rachel, his eyes brightened. "Mommy!"

    She pushed the door open and entered the room, whereupon Charlotte and Samuel pounced on her one after another to hug her waist while refusing to let go of her.

    A helpless Rachel uttered, "Ria, I''m here to pick them up. Did they give you any trouble?"

    Gloria immediately waved her hand, "No, no, Samuel is a good boy; as for Charlotte, she has always been a little mischievous, so I''m used to that!"

    "Are you really nning to allow Samuel to perform together with you?"

    "Of course, Miss Rachel. Did you think that I was messing with you?" She rose up from the piano bench. "You must have heard how well Samuel sang, right?"

    Rachel caressed Samuel''s head. "I didn''t know that you have such talent in singing. Maybe I should send you to a vocal ss so that you are able to learn it systematically."

    However, Samuel immediately shook his head. "I don''t want to attend sses; I want to learn from Aunt Gloria!"

    "You really know how to pick the best, don''t you? Do you know how many people are in the line waiting for your Aunt Gloria to teach them?"

    Gloria broke into a smile. "The long line won''t stop me when I''m willing to teach Samuel."

    As they chatted, Rachel suddenly felt a presence at the door but failed to see anyone when she looked in that direction. She frowned, thinking that she might have sensed it wrong.

 Chapter 308

    "Miss Rachel, what''s wrong?" Gloria was puzzled after noticing that Rachel seemed to have spaced out.

    Rachel retracted her gaze from the window and replied, "Nothing."

    "Miss Rachel, have you eaten? I was about to take them out to eat."

    Her question reminded Rachel of the mushy noodles that Justin had made, which made herugh in her heart. "I have sort of eaten, but I can tag along. It may be hard for you to care for two children." "Alright, let''s invite Jolly too."

    "Since when are the two of you so close with each other?"

    "We shouldn''t mix things up. Although our standings are different, it doesn''t stop us from being friends," Gloria answered with a raised brow.

    Rachel understood what Gloria meant by ''standings'' without having to ask. In Rachel''s opinion, the ''standings'' was merely a childish game because who she chose to be with hadpletely depended on her own willingness. It wasn''t something that those two could change with a word or two.

    "Charlotte, Samuel, let''s go." Rachel waved at the two kids before she walked out of the room. However, after barely taking a few steps out, Gloria suddenly stopped her. "Miss Rachel."

    "What''s the matter?"

    "Shhh-"Gloria raised her right hand to ce her index finger at her lips to gesture at Rachel to be quiet.

    When Rachel followed Gloria''s gaze, she saw a shadow around the corner of the staircase.

    Her pupils contracted because it meant that she was right. It wasn''t an illusion; someone was indeed spying on them in secret.

    Gloria reached into her bag as she carefully inched toward the corner of the staircase.

    Perhaps due to the sudden silence in the air, the stalker seemed to have realized something and the shadow on the floor then started to move.

    "Ahhhh!"

    She shrieked and aimed her pepper spray at the person''s face.

    The man cried in agony as he covered his face and bent over.

    Without any hesitation, Gloria pounded the man with her purse. "Serve you right, you stalker and pervert! Pervert! Pervert!"

    Rachel initially intended to help out, but before she managed toe closer to them, the man had already been subdued by Gloria.

    At that moment, the man''s face was covered in bruises and it looked staggering. Rachel carried her two kids and pressed the back of their heads against her body. The scene had escted to a level of violence that was inappropriate for young children to watch.

    Soon, the man copsed on the ground and tragically cried. Gloria stepped on his back with her high heels and directly called the police. "I''vee across perverts like you. I''m calling the police now!" "No, don''t call the police! This is all but a misunderstanding!"

    "Misunderstanding, you say? My foot!"

    She stepped harder, to which he let out a miserable cry again. "I know that you are trying to stall for time. Just

    forget about it!"

    As she spoke, the call went through.

    "Hello, I want to make a police report. I have caught a perverted stalker here! The address is Music Room No. 2 at Lily Avenue."

    As they were at the city center, the police officers in charge of Lily Avenue soon arrived at the scene.

    The group of people then escorted the terribly beaten ''perverted stalker'' to the police station to have their statements recorded.

    "Officer, I''m innocent. I didn''t stalk them; I was just passing by."

    "Passing by? I saw you lurking around outside the music room two days ago."

    "I really happened to pass by."

    Rachel, who was seated at one side, watched as Gloria argued with the ''stalker''; she vaguely felt that the man seemed familiar, but she couldn''t recall where she had seen him before. The said man was rather handsome and dressed in a formal suit; he looked nothing like a pervert.

    "We''ve checked the security footage. The man had indeed shown up around the music room three days ago, so he was indeed stalking someone." The police officer soon retrieved the security footage. Once the evidence was uncovered, the man instantly seemed dispirited.

    Gloria demanded fiercely, "What else you have to say? You are indeed a pervert! Officer, you have to throw this man behind bars for a few years. Otherwise, he will do this again after he is released. This sort o person tends to have the mentality of harming the society."

    The man helplessly mumbled, "It''s really a misunderstanding."

    The police officer coldly responded, "Cut the crap. Follow me and call your family to bail you out after 15 days."

    Color drained from the man''s face when he heard that.

    At this moment, a flustered female voice rang at the lobby of the police station. "Where''s the stalker? How dare that pervert stalk my best friend!"

    "Jolly." Rachel rose up from the couch.

    Upon seeing Rachel, Jolly quickly marched over. "How are you? Are you guys fine? How are Samuel and Charlotte?"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Rachel pouted in the direction of the two kids at a distance away.

    Samuel and Charlotte were able to make themselves at home no matter where they were. They didn''t make a fuss when they were brought to a police station. As it stood, they were hungry and a few female police officers gave them some snacks; they even took photos together with the police officers.

    Jolly heaved a sigh of relief. "Where''s the pervert?"

    "Over there." She followed Rachel''s gaze and saw Gloria before noticing the ''perverted stalker'', who had bruises all over his face.

    Jolly blurted out, "Mr. Rivers?"

    The man''s expression instantly changed the moment he saw her as he tried to cover his face.

    She then strode up to them. "What happened?"

    A puzzled Gloria rified, "You two know each other?"

    "We don''t!" He immediately shook his head in denial.

    Jolly frowned. "Mr. Rivers, you don''t owe me any money. So, why are you avoiding me?"

    Gloria muttered in disbelief, "Jolly, this can''t be happening! You actually know this perverted stalker?"

    "He''s the stalker whom you guys talked about?"

    "Yes, the police officer has checked the security footage and found that he had been stalking me for the past three days. He lingered around outside the music room and even climbed in through the window. He is going to be imprisoned for 15 days."

    Upon hearing that, Jolly''s expression immediately fell. "You were stalking Gloria? Who asked you to do so? Was it him?"

    Him? Rachel was initially doubtful, but her pupils contracted when she heard that. "Jolly, who is he working for?"

    Jolly slowly balled her fist by her sides and muttered a name. "Ryan Sutton."

    Both Rachel and Gloria froze at the mention of the name.

    Ryan Sutton was the president of Majestic Corp, which was one of the four majorpanies in Riverdale. He was a renowned tycoon of the real estate industry and the dream man of most women in Riverdale.

    This man works with Ryan?

    Before the crowd had even returned to their senses, Jolly broke the silence. "Did Ryan ask you to follow Gloria?"

    Edison immediately shook his head as fast as he could. "No, President Sutton has asked me to watch over that kid."

    As he answered, he nced into the distance before his gazended on Samuel.

    Rachel was fully aware of Samuel''s background.

    No matter how hard they had tried to hide the truth, Samuel was now being targeted.

    Jolly''s expression immediately changed when she heard that. Judging by her usual behavior, she would have been engulfed by rage at that point, but she suppressed her temper and growled through gritted teeth instead, "Why did he ask you to stalk Samuel?"

    Edison whispered, "President Sutton suspects that Samuel is his son-"

    "That''s bullsh*it!" Before he even managed to finish his sentence, she interrupted, "Is he dreaming? Samuel has nothing to do with him!"

    While scratching his head, Edison borated, "Miss Carter, that''s not a very convincing argument. Samuel looks exactly the same as the photos taken when President Sutton was a kid."

    As soon as he said that, Gloria gaped at him with an incredulous look on her face. This surely is one of the shocking and juiciest news for wealthy families!

 Chapter 309

    Meanwhile, Edison seemed blissfully oblivious to one''s mood. The anger on Jolly''s face was rather evident, yet he continued to fuel the mes.

    Then, Rachel had managed to stop Jolly in time before sternly reprimanding him, "You must be Mr. Rivers. Based on the words that you just said, I can sue you for libel, you know."

    "I''m Rachel and Samuel''s mom." Rachel continued to stare at him with aposed look. "This is my business card. I''ve never met President Sutton before, so why did he send someone to follow my son out of nowhere? What are you guys trying to do?"

    It was evident that Edison had already conducted the necessary investigation. "Miss Hudson, this is a matter between President Sutton and Miss Carter, so you better stay out of it. You haven''t even sorted out your affairs, right?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    "What has that got to do with you? Ryan Sutton thinks he can do whatever he wants, huh?"

    An extremely mad Jolly roared, "Call him now! If he doesn''t show up today, you won''t be stepping foot out of this ce!"

    At that point, Edison shrank backward and pretended not to hear her as he maintained his silence.

    "So, you''re not going to make the call, huh? I''ll do it, then!" After she had said that, she instantly dialed Ryan''s number.

    "Hello? Ryan Sutton, you have twenty minutes to get to the Lily Avenue Police Station to pick up your personal assistant. If you''re even one minutete, I''ll make sure he remains in that holding cell for another month!"

    Rachel frowned. Is Ryan Sutton evening?

    Meanwhile, Gloria was someone who was fond of excitement and tugged on Rachel''s hand before continuously asking, "What''s going on? I heard that Ryan Sutton is extremely handsome. He founded Majestic Corp and single-handedly developed it. He was once married, but has already divorced from his wife. That makes him the most popr bachelor in Riverdale right now. Is he romantically involved with Jolly? Don''t tell me that he had a divorce because of Jolly?"

    "Stop saying all that nonsense." Rachel frowned again. "Ryan Sutton filed for divorce three years ago. At that point, Jolly and I were still abroad and not even in town, so that had nothing to do with her." "Then, is he actually Samuel''s biological father?"

    "Gloria." The frown on Rachel''s face deepened even further. "Just ignore whatever that man said from before and don''t let Samuel know about it."

    Rachel and Jolly had made a lot of effort all these years to keep Samuel''s identity a secret, so Rachel didn''t want their efforts to go down the drain.

    Gloria had in fact always found it strange that Rachel had skipped town immediately after giving birth to Charlotte back then. Meanwhile, Samuel was only a couple of months older than Charlotte, so there was no way he could be Rachel''s son.

    It was something that Gloria had wanted to ask Rachel about for the longest time.

    Right now, it looked like Edison had been telling the truth in which Samuel was indeed the son of the infamous real estate mogul-Ryan Sutton.

    "I''ll definitely keep my lips sealed." Gloria nodded solemnly. "Despite my personal feud with Jolly, I promise I''ll definitely keep such a major thing to myself."

    "That''s great, then." Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. "If you have something else on, how about you head off first?"

    "I don''t have anything else on. I''m not busy at all."

    Gloria remained fixed in position and refused to budge. There''s something exciting going on, so I would definitely spare my time for this.

    Besides, she was keen to know how Ryan Sutton, someone reputable for being dashingly handsome, looked

    like.

    "Judging from Jolly''s fiery temper, she''s quite likely toe to blows with the other party. So, it''ll make things worse if someone gets hurt. This is a police station after all. I''ll be able to help stop herter on." Meanwhile, Rachel was aware of Gloria''s thoughts, so she calmly mentioned, "I reckon that you wouldn''t need to stop her."

    In less than twenty minutes, a ck-colored Maybach pulled up and stopped in front of the entrance of the police station.

    A man wearing a shiny pair of ck shoes stepped out of the car and his attire from head to toe was also in ck. His hair was cut short and chestnut brown. With impable brows, his glittering eyes were apliment to his perfectly sculpted features. Indeed, he had lived up to his reputation of being an enchanting man.

    Gloria was in shock. "He''s really handsome!"

    Jolly, who generally had a fiery temper, clenched her hand that was loosely hanging by the side of her body tightly into a fist. Then, she quickly strode toward him. Under the dark night skies, the duo stood at opposite ends of each other, which was a distance of about half a meter apart. Neither was it too near nor was it too far.

    "Ryan Sutton, did you send someone to track Samuel?"

    "Yup."

    "Who gave you the right to do such a thing!!"

    "I did that based on the fact that he could be my son."

    "Are you out of your mind?" Jolly''s expression darkened. "You should know Justin Burton from Burton Group, right? He''s the son of Justin and his ex-wife, Rachel Hudson."

    "Take a look at his hair, his pair of eyes, and his face! You could perhaps im that he''s not my son. However, if you im that he''s Justin''s son..."

    At this moment, Ryan''s lips curled into a slight smile as he moved closer toward Jolly.

    Meanwhile, she was forced to retreat.

    "Surely, no one would believe that at all."

    His casual words rang out from above her head.

    At that point, she clenched her teeth and there was a sound of her knuckles cracking as she tightened her fists. "I don''t care whether you believe me or not, but please just stay away from Samuel from now on!"

    "That''s not possible. Since he''s my son, then I''ll definitely apply to have custody of him. After all, we were originally engaged to be married, weren''t we?"

    As soon as Jolly heard that, she whipped up her head all of a sudden and stared at him incredulously. "Ryan

    Sutton, how could you even mention that so nonchntly?"

    "It''s a fact that we were originally engaged to be married."

    "You''ve already married someone else!"

    "And I''ve also obtained a divorce."

    Ryan voiced out the simple statement and said that without any hint of emotion. To him, it was as if getting married and subsequently a divorce was as natural as it could be and it was something quite normal. Then, Jolly took a few steps backward but found her shoulders being firmly supported by someone. She turned and saw that Rachel was standing behind her.

    Rachel lightly patted Jolly on the shoulders with a hand to provide some reassurance. At the same time, she nced toward the man opposite her. "You must be President Sutton from Majestic Corp." "Miss Hudson."

    Ryan nodded his head slightly as a manner of greeting Rachel.

    However, she wasn''t as polite as he was. "It''s quite embarrassing that our first meeting has to be under such unpleasant circumstances. However, after all of the things that you did to Jolly in the past, I can fully understand why this has urred."

    "Miss Hudson, what do you mean by that?"

    "It''s human nature for one to choose a better path by using underhanded tactics to achieve that. However, it''s no wonder that the people whom you have offended in the past don''t want to approach you at all.ˇ± Meanwhile, Ryan''s expression darkened slightly upon hearing that.

    Nheless, Rachel maintained a neutral expression. "Samuel''s my son. I can let today''s incident slide, but I''ll be in contact with mywyers and reserve the right to pursue this matter as well. If anything like this happens again, I''ll definitely file awsuit against you."

    As soon as she said that, she turned back and shot a look at Gloria.

    Gloria quickly escorted the two kids outside from the police station.

    Meanwhile, as soon as Ryan saw Samuel, he attempted to say something when he saw Rachel''s warning look. "Mr. Sutton."

    Everyone within the social circles of Riverdale was well aware that the youngdy of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Rachel Hudson, was ruthless with her tactics. She had personally imprisoned her father and kicked her biological sister out of the family in order to inherit Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    As such, Ryan was reluctant to cross the path of a crazed woman like her.

    He could only helplessly watch on as they drove off. Then, he stood at the entrance of the police station as a frustrated look shed across his eyes.

    "President Sutton." His personal assistant''s meek voice rang out from behind, "Should we still continue to trail after the child? I think Miss Hudson actually means her word and she isn''t just saying that to scare us off. I reckon that she would actually take action against us. If she discovers me again, I''ll definitely be taken into custody."

    "Stop doing it." Ryan calmly mentioned, "She''s still exactly as how she was back then. She can''t even lie to save her life and it doesn''t take much to make her spill the beans."

    "So, what do you mean?"

    "There''s no need to continue investigating Samuel''s identity. Just contact the bestwyer in Riverdale."

    "Do you actually n to fight Miss Carter in court?"

    He then nced into the distance and realized that the other party''s car was gone, thereafter replying nonchntly, "I''m just making the necessary preparations to be on the safe side.ˇ±

 Chapter 310

    Gloria drove Jolly''s car and sent them directly back home.

    "Mommy, who was that man from before?"

    Now that they were inside the car, Charlotte asked Rachel.

    Then, Rachel responded, "I don''t know him."

    However, Samuel spoke up, "Before we went on our school break, I ran into that man by the school entrance where he gave me a box of choctes too!"

    "What choctes did he give you?" Jolly suddenly turned around to look at him from the front passenger seat with an ugly expression.

    "It''s the liqueur-filled choctes that we both enjoy, but you won''t allow me to have too much of it because it''ll make me drunk."

    "Did you eat them? When was that?" She immediately panicked. ˇ°Gloria, head to the hospital right now."

    Gloria was significantly shocked.

    Meanwhile, Rachel hurriedly borated, "Gloria, just keep driving. Jolly, calm down. Samuel''s school holidays had started quite a while ago. If the choctes were indeed dubious, surely we would have noticed the issue way before this!"

    Jolly''s expression remained ugly. "Ryan Sutton isn''t a nice guy. In the past,"

    At that point, she swallowed the words that she wanted to say due to the kids'' presence.

    However, Samuel was quite confused. "Is that man a bad guy? He doesn''t look like one, though."

    In response, Rachel ruffled his hair. "It''s usually impossible to identify bad guys by their looks. Next time, if you meet this man again, stay away from him to keep me and Godmother at ease, alright?" Although he couldn''t quite understand the reason, he nheless nodded.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was preupied with her thoughts for the entire journey.

    Her face was reflected as she kept her eyes on Samuel with a zed expression from the rearview mirror.

    "We''ve arrived."

    It was at that moment wheir car arrived at Jolly''s penthouse apartment located in the town center. Then, Gloria prompted, "Do you want us to apany you upstairs?" Suddenly, Jolly responded, "I don''t want to go home anymore."

    "Huh?"

    A stunned Gloria rified, "Then, where are you going to stay?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel spoke up, "Are you concerned..."

    Concerned about Samuel? Jolly nodded.

    "How about this? Why don''t you bring Samuel along with you and stay over at your parents'' ce for the time being?"

    "I''m worried that he wille over to seek us out directly."

    At that point, Rachel became lost in her thoughts. After all, Ryan and Jolly were originally engaged to be

    married, so it was usible that he might head over to seek them out.

    After deliberating about the situation for quite some time, she finally spoke up, "Chris, how about this: I''ll move over to your ce temporarily to stay for the next few days." "My ce? Whereabouts are you talking about?"

    "Justin''s house." Jolly had suddenly found a solution wherein her eyes immediately brightened. "That b*stard, Ryan Sutton, can disregard me, but I''m sure he would be mindful of Justin, right?" "It''s all sorted, then. Gloria, start the ignition."

    Upon saying that, Jolly fastened her seat belt once again as she finished speaking while the gloomy look she had earlier swiftly dissipated.

    Gloria was stunned. "Are you being serious? How can you possibly stay over at Justin''s ce?"

    "What''s wrong? Are there no spare rooms avable for me?"

    "This has nothing to do with the number of rooms!" Gloria stared at her for some time before blurting out, "Don''t tell me that you''re interested in Justin?!"

    At that point, Jolly grimaced. "Are you out of your mind or am I the one going crazy here?"

    "Fine, I want to move in too."

    "Huh?"

    "What''s there to be confused about? There are plenty of rooms for us." After saying that, Gloria fastened her seat belt and started the ignition.

    Neither one of them had asked Rachel for her opinion throughout their exchange and didn''t call or text Justin to seek his permission either. They happily decided to move into his house on the spot. Half an hourter, in the living room of Burton Residence, a dumbfounded Justin stared at the two women walking in with their luggage for what seemed like eternity. "Are you two moving in?" "Don''t mind me. I''ll stay in the room downstairs by the back garden," Gloria spoke as she dragged her luggage to head inside.

    Meanwhile, Jolly scanned her surroundings. "Then, I''ll stay in the room next to her. You don''t have to serve

    me."

    Serve her? Who''s here to serve her? Justim was angered beyond words.

    "So, this is what you went out to do?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel expressed her resignation by throwing both of her hands into the air. "It''s just temporary."

    Jolly was definitely not going to stay for long.

    Meanwhile, he took a few minutes to process this fact. "Can I ask for the reason?"

    At that point, Rachel hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, I would have to start by exining Samuel''s identity. Five years ago, I had just left Riverdale after giving birth to Charlotte and copsed right after disembarking from the ne. Coincidentally, Jolly, who had just gotten off the same flight, also lost consciousness. The only difference was that I fainted from postpartum weakness whereas she fainted from exhaustion sustained during pregnancy."

    Back then, Jolly, who was five months into her pregnancy, was emaciated to the point where her baby bump wasn''t even significant. She had gone to Montenegro for two reasons: one was to give birth while the other

    was for her studies.

    "Jolly waspletely different from how she is right now. If you had met her back then, you would''ve realized how miserable she was when she left Riverdale then."

    She wasn''t born with her happy-go-lucky attitude, but rather, if she didn''t maintain this attitude, it would have been arduous for her to get through life.

    "We stayed in the same hospital so over time, we became familiar with each other. After that, I helped her to conceal her birth and she assisted me by organizing the process with my migration to Montenegro." Initially, Rachel had thought that Jolly was some rich man''s mistress and went abroad to give birth without the person''s wife knowing. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that Jolly was the daughter of the president of Carter Enterprise.

    "I only realized afterward that her fiance had married someone else. Since she couldn''t bear to abort the child, she went abroad to give birth. However, her depression worsened as her due date approached." Depression? Justin frowned but didn''t question Rachel. He remained silent and allowed her to continue speaking as he listened.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel then added, "Coincidentally, I saw it when she slit her wrists and after her life was saved, the doctors told me that it was her seventh episode that month. Based on her mental status back then, they preferred her to abort the child, but she was too far along in her pregnancy. There was no choice but to continue with the pregnancy."

    Justin couldn''t quite imagine someone as haughty and cocky as Jolly to have such a dark past. "What happened after that?" "After that, she told me that she had been abandoned by Samuel''s biological father and he had married another woman..." "The princess of Carter Enterprise was jilted?"

    "That sounds unbelievable, right?" She paused as she tried toe up with the words to exin the rest. "This is quite a long story and it''splicated to exin too. Anyway, it''s just a story of how humanity cannot withstand trials. If only Jolly hadn''t concealed her identity from the beginning, then she might already be married to Ryan Sutton now and be living a great life."

    "Ryan Sutton?" His eyes faintly narrowed.

    After that, Rachel nodded her head. "I was just about to tell you about it. I think I might have offended him today. I heard that he''s someone who holds a grudge, so I might get into trouble in the future and would need your help."

    Justin took some time toprehend her words and finally understood what she meant. "So, the reason for you patiently speaking to me for so long is because you wanted me to protect you guys from harm?"

    At that, she remained nonchnt. "I mean, you''ve already acknowledged Samuel''s identity in public. You can''t possibly watch on as someone snatches him from us and him subsequently addressing someone else as Daddy, right?"

    That would make him aughing stock by then. He suddenly felt that he had gone overboard beyond the point of no return.

 Chapter 311

    "Are you going to watch Ryan keep sending his men to stalk Samuel and do nothing? Samuel''s the one being stalked now, and he might do the same thing to us next time." Rachel stared at Justin in silence. Her clear gaze and innocent expression made anyone unable to turn her down.

    Justin furrowed his brows. Although Burton Group and Majestic Corp were not in any partnerships, he had met Ryan in several social gatherings before. The fact that Ryan had managed to make hispany thrive in just a few years suggested that he was someone intelligent. If he was reallying at Jolly, Rachel would also be affected as she was Samuel''s mother on paper. "Don''t worry. I''ll handle this." Rachel''s expression immediately softened. "I''ll say thanks on Samuel''s behalf."

    "Rachel, you know that your gratitude is not what I want." Justin stared at her with a serious expression. "|| hope that you''ll immediately seek my help whenever youe across any danger in the future, be it a work rted or private matter. As for my uncle,"

    Pretending not to understand him, Rachel uttered, "I''ll check on Jolly and Gloria before getting the bedsheets in the guest room changed."

    She left the ce right after she finished speaking, leaving no chance for Justin to continue his words.

    Those from Hudson Pharmaceuticals had been in frequent contact with Jason. As Jason''s nephew, Justin was certainly aware of this. It was understandable that he wanted to stop Rachel from getting into contact with Jason, but she couldn''t obey him whatsoever.

    Meanwhile, Gloria and Jolly had already put down their luggage in the guest room. At the moment, they were having a discussion on what to order for dinner.

    "Jolly, why are you ordering Surstr?mming for dinner? Do you want to make the room stink?"

    "Look at what you''re ordering. Does Parmesan cheese smell any better?"

    "I''ll also add some Brussels sprouts."

    Rachel overheard their conversation as soon as she arrived at the room. The corners of her mouth twitched as she uttered, "What are you two trying to do at this hour?"

    "We''re going to have our dinner," they said in unison. Not only were they in sync, they also spoke in an unabashed manner.

    Gloria uttered, "We haven''t had our dinner either."

    "That''s right. We were unable to eat anything because of that incident." Jolly waved her hand. "No more arguments. Dinner is on me."

    A helpless Rachel said, "Please stop messing around. If you''re really going to order the food you just mentioned, the entire house will stink since we always close the doors and windows at night." Then, she rolled up her sleeves. "I''ll prepare dinner for you."

    Jolly pretended to be bashful. "There''s no need for that. It''s veryte."

    "It won''t be just for the two of you; Samuel and Charlotte haven''t had anything as well. I''ll prepare some noodles for everyone."

    "Alright." Jolly became energized instantly. "I want two poached eggs on my noodles. One of them should be fully cooked and the other has to be half-cooked."

    "What about you, Gloria?"

    "I''ll have some tomatoes and eggs on my noodles. I don''t like heavy food, so please cut down on the salt."

    "Alright, I''ll get them prepared for you guys right now."

    Rachel took a nce at Gloria, who got her hint and took Jolly''s arm. "Let''s go down as well. It''s so boring up here." "Just head down on your own. Why are you making me go with you?"

    "I can''t take care of two kids by myself, you know."

    "Justin will also be downstairs."

    "A man like him doesn''t know how to take care of kids. Come with me right now! Aren''t you their godmother?"

    Gloria directly pulled Jolly away from the bed.

    Upon seeing that Jolly still went downstairs despite her reluctance, Rachel heaved a sign of relief. She was worried that given her temperament, Jolly would be too agitated after seeing what Ryan had done to Samuel. Hence, it was a great idea that she also moved into this ce. With so many people watching over Samuel, it was a relief for both sides.

    The usually quiet vi became bustling with noise once the twodies moved in. Shortlyter, all of them were seated at the table to have dinner together. Upon seeing that Justin was getting a bowl, Jolly shot him a

    nce. "Haven''t you already had dinner?"

    "Why can''t he have more food after having dinner?" Gloria responded with an annoyed expression. "Rachel is adept at cooking, so it''s expected that men love the food she prepares. I don''t think it''s too much to ask for. Also, don''t forget that you''re living under his roof, Jolly."

    Upon hearing that, Jolly became exasperated. "Living under his roof? I''m just giving him a chance to prove his worth in front of Rachel."

    "I''ll have to thank you on his behalf then."

    "Can''t he speak? Why does he need you to thank me on his behalf?"

    Unable to take it anymore, Rachel snapped, "It seems that even food can''t shut your mouths. If you dare utter one more word, stay away from my dinner table."

    It was then the two of them kept their mouths shut. Unlike Gloria and Jolly, who basically wolfed down the food, Justin was much slower and more elegant when having noodles. In fact. The two women were already on their second bowls while the man was only halfway through his first. After the meal, Samuel and Charlotte went to the living room and started watching some cartoons.

    Justin said, "Don''t worry about Ryan. I''ll deal with him."

    The sudden mention of Ryan caught Jolly off guard.

    "Yes, we do need your help with this." Gloria nodded. "After all, this matter has implicated Rachel as well. How dare the man named Ryan send his men to stalk Samuel?"

    "I''ll tell Frankie to handle this." As he spoke, Justin took a look at Jolly. "There''s one more thing I''m not supposed to say, but you''re very beautiful, Miss Carter. You can easily find a brilliant man to be your partner, and there''s no point staying loyal to only one man."

    "What do you mean?" Jolly was puzzled.

    Justin exined, "I heard that you tried to kill yourself for the man who dumped you. It''s not worth it."

    What does he mean that I tried to kill myself? Jolly was dumbfounded, "What on earth are you talking about?"

    "Didn''t you cut your wrists for Ryan?"

    What? Jolly choked on the spices and started coughing violently. Her eyes were covered in tears. When did / ever cut my wrists?

    Rachel immediately passed her a cup of water and patted her shoulder. At the same time, she shot a signal with her gaze. Upon seeing that, Jolly immediately understood what was going on.

    "Are you alright?" Justin asked with concern.

    Jolly straightened up and coughed a bit more. "I''m fine."

    "What''s wrong? Did I say anything wrong?"

    "No, but I hope that you''ll never bring up this kind of embarrassing incident again. Thanks for your concern." While nodding, Jolly forcefully pinched Rachel under the table. This is embarrassing! How could she lie to

    Justin that I cut my wrists for Ryan? I''m a straightforward woman who has the courage to love and hate. There''s no man that I can''t leave behind. Why would I try to kill myself for a man who uses others to gain benefits for himself?Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    A bbergasted Gloria said, "You tried to kill yourself for that bastard? I can''t believe that you''ve been acting tough all along, Jolly!"

    Jolly put on a hollowugh and replied, "I wasn''t myself at that time."

    As she endured the paining from her thigh, Rachel sported a nonchnt expression and uttered, "Let''s drink some juice that I''ve just squeezed. I''ll get it from the fridge."

    With a hideous smile, Jolly demanded, "Please get me more of the juice. My throat is burning."

 Chapter 312

    Rachel scowled at Jason''s words.

    "I''ll see you at the Deluxe Hall of the Golden Cruise at 7.30PM. I''m sure you''ll meet the people you''re interested in at the cocktail party."

    "I''ll go."

    After hanging up the call, Rachel traded nces with Jolly.

    "Jason told me to join a cocktail party with him on the Golden Cruise."

    "The Golden Cruise?" Jolly became startled. "Is it an event organized by the Jockey Club?"

    "Do you know anything about it?"

    "My dad was one of the founders of that club. When I was a young kid, he used to bring me to the events organized by the club. For some reason, he stopped attending them one day and quit watching horse racing altogether."

    "Did anything happen?"

    "I''m not sure. I was already in the university when that happened, so I wasn''t home most of the time."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel fell into her thoughts. Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside. "Come in," Rachel uttered.

    The person who came in was the secretary to the director of the Advertising Department, Linda Cook. "The director told me to send you this, President Hudson. It is Leroy Bet''stest schedule." A puzzled Rachel asked, "What do I need his schedule for? Why can''t we contact his agent directly?"

    Linda exined, "The director has alreadye to an agreement with Leroy''s agent regarding the contract. However, Leroy is different from other celebrities-he likes to take things into his hands. Therefore, the contract has to be sent to him and signed by him."

    "Can''t we just meet up with his agent?"

    A helpless Linda uttered, "Leroy is the hottest celebrity now, so he has a tight schedule. If we want to book a time slot with his agent to have a meet-up, that will be two monthster." Upon hearing her exnation, Rachel said, "In other words, you''re saying that we have to fit into his schedule and look for him to get the contract signed wherever he is."

    "That''s right." Linda appeared embarrassed. Since she was worried that Rachel would be displeased, she quickly exined, "That''s how things work in showbiz, President Hudson. Brands have to cooperate with the hottest celebrities to get them to endorse their products."

    While Rachel was silent, Jolly uttered, "Let me handle this. You can do your own work first."

    "Alright."

    After taking the schedule, Jolly flipped through it andmented, "It''s all easy money in showbiz, huh? It just proves that these brands are right to look for these celebrities to endorse their products. These celebrities are basically giving themselves airs, but their fans are still willing to support them."

    Rachel knitted her brows. "You should meet up with Leroy. If there''s a problem with his personality, I don''t want him to be our spokesperson. We''re in the market for the long term, not just to sell something quick."

    "I get it. Don''t worry." As she spoke, Jolly suddenly saw something and frowned. "The Golden Cruise? Leroy is

    going to the Golden Cruise as well, Chris."

    "What? Is he also a member of the Jockey Club?"

    As Jolly went through the contents of his schedule, she said, "I don''t think so. It''s mentioned here that he''s attending an event, so I think he''s been invited to the cruise." "Can you get all the information regarding the Jockey Club?"

    "I''ll look into it."

    Jolly ran a quick search about the Golden Cruise and the Jockey Club, but she realized that there wasn''t anything useful. "Why don''t I call my dad and ask him about it?" "Wait a minute." Rachel raised her hand to stop her. "There''s no need for that right now."

    Something was probably off since the event on the cruise ship had something to do with Jason. Rachel reckoned that she''d better not inform the older generation about it so that they wouldn''t be worried. Regardless of the purpose of this event, Rachel had to attend it.

    "I''m going with you," Jolly said with the schedule in her hand. "I have to look for Leroy anyway."

    "I only have one invitation card. How are you going to get in?"

    "I''ll just go home and get it." Jolly smiled smugly. "Even though my dad no longer attends these events, those from the club still insist on sending him the invitation cards to all the functions, and I know where he ces them."

    Some people would scramble to get their hands on the invitation cards so that they could attend the event on the cruise ship, but to Jolly''s parents, the event was like a gue that had to be avoided at all costs.

    Soon, darkness descended upon them in the evening.

    d in evening dresses, Rachel and Jolly arrived at the harbor in Riverdale.

    When the attendant took the invitation card from Jolly, he became startled. "You are..."

    "This is my dad''s invitation card. He told me toe here on his behalf."

    Upon hearing her exnation, the attendant said, "You''re Miss Carter. Wee, and this is your room card."

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t mention it."

    Rachel and Jolly boarded the cruise ship in an arrogant manner, and it wasn''t until they stepped into the elevator that they breathed a sigh of relief.

    "If my dad finds out that I came here with his invitation card, he''ll kill me."

    "Why? The attendant was pretty respectful when he saw your dad''s name." Rachel examined Jolly''s room card for a bit. "It seems that your room is a suite."

    Jolly wasn''t surprised at all as she had already expected it. "My dad is one of the founders, so they have to show him enough respect. The other founders are also my dad''s friends, but they quit contacting each other a long time ago."

    "Who are they?"

    "They were my dad''s ssmates at university. One of them is named Baxter-I always called him Mr. Baxter. The other person is a woman named Bowman, and I''d call her Mrs. Bowman."

    After a pause, she went on to say, "I don''t think you know them as their entities are not in Riverdale, and I have

    no idea the nature of their businesses. My dad fell out with them eventually. I remember mentioning Mrs. Bowman at home one day, and my dad immediately blew his top."

    "Your dad is a mild-tempered person. I can''t believe he blew his top because of this."

    "That''s right. I also find it inconceivable. As far as I''m concerned, he rarely throws a tantrum."

    "There''s something off about it.ˇ±

    Just as Jolly wanted to say something, Rachel suddenly took her arm and uttered in a grim voice, "Let''s get into our room first."

    The Golden Cruise was arge cruise ship where many events could be held at the same time. This time round, the Jockey Club had booked the entire cruise ship. Since the event had yet to begin, the vessel was still parked beside the harbor as they awaited the guests'' arrival.

    Upon entering the room, Rachel examined everything thoroughly. "What are you looking for?"

    "Shh."

    Rachel shut the curtains and scanned the room with her phone''s torchlight. Upon making sure that there were no hidden cameras, she turned on the light as the room became illuminated. "Someone was stalking us in the corridor just now."Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jolly''s expression changed. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes."

    Jolly immediately dashed toward the door and looked out through the peephole. Presently, only other guests were walking along the corridor, so she wasn''t sure whether they were being stalked. Rachel uttered, "Stop looking. The stalker wouldn''t stay right outside our room."

    "Who could be stalking us?" Jolly frowned as a name sprang into her mind. "Could it be Ryan? He must be insane! I''m calling him right now."

    "Wait a minute." Rachel pulled the other woman''s arm. "We''re on the Golden Cruise now. Are you sure Ryan''s men can get in here?" Upon hearing that, Jolly was startled.

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    Rachel scowled at Jason''s words.

    "I''ll see you at the Deluxe Hall of the Golden Cruise at 7.30PM. I''m sure you''ll meet the people you''re interested in at the cocktail party."

    "I''ll go."

    After hanging up the call, Rachel traded nces with Jolly.

    "Jason told me to join a cocktail party with him on the Golden Cruise."

    "The Golden Cruise?" Jolly became startled. "Is it an event organized by the Jockey Club?"

    "Do you know anything about it?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "My dad was one of the founders of that club. When I was a young kid, he used to bring me to the events organized by the club. For some reason, he stopped attending them one day and quit watching horse racing altogether."

    "Did anything happen?"

    "I''m not sure. I was already in the university when that happened, so I wasn''t home most of the time."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel fell into her thoughts. Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside. "Come in," Rachel uttered.

    The person who came in was the secretary to the director of the Advertising Department, Linda Cook. "The director told me to send you this, President Hudson. It is Leroy Bet''stest schedule." A puzzled Rachel asked, "What do I need his schedule for? Why can''t we contact his agent directly?"

    Linda exined, "The director has alreadye to an agreement with Leroy''s agent regarding the contract. However, Leroy is different from other celebrities-he likes to take things into his hands. Therefore, the contract has to be sent to him and signed by him."

    "Can''t we just meet up with his agent?"

    A helpless Linda uttered, "Leroy is the hottest celebrity now, so he has a tight schedule. If we want to book a time slot with his agent to have a meet-up, that will be two monthster." Upon hearing her exnation, Rachel said, "In other words, you''re saying that we have to fit into his schedule and look for him to get the contract signed wherever he is."

    "That''s right." Linda appeared embarrassed. Since she was worried that Rachel would be displeased, she quickly exined, "That''s how things work in showbiz, President Hudson. Brands have to cooperate with the hottest celebrities to get them to endorse their products."

    While Rachel was silent, Jolly uttered, "Let me handle this. You can do your own work first."

    "Alright."

    After taking the schedule, Jolly flipped through it andmented, "It''s all easy money in showbiz, huh? It just proves that these brands are right to look for these celebrities to endorse their products. These celebrities are basically giving themselves airs, but their fans are still willing to support them."

    Rachel knitted her brows. "You should meet up with Leroy. If there''s a problem with his personality, I don''t want him to be our spokesperson. We''re in the market for the long term, not just to sell something quick."

    "I get it. Don''t worry." As she spoke, Jolly suddenly saw something and frowned. "The Golden Cruise? Leroy is

    going to the Golden Cruise as well, Chris."

    "What? Is he also a member of the Jockey Club?"

    As Jolly went through the contents of his schedule, she said, "I don''t think so. It''s mentioned here that he''s attending an event, so I think he''s been invited to the cruise." "Can you get all the information regarding the Jockey Club?"

    "I''ll look into it."

    Jolly ran a quick search about the Golden Cruise and the Jockey Club, but she realized that there wasn''t anything useful. "Why don''t I call my dad and ask him about it?" "Wait a minute." Rachel raised her hand to stop her. "There''s no need for that right now."

    Something was probably off since the event on the cruise ship had something to do with Jason. Rachel reckoned that she''d better not inform the older generation about it so that they wouldn''t be worried. Regardless of the purpose of this event, Rachel had to attend it.

    "I''m going with you," Jolly said with the schedule in her hand. "I have to look for Leroy anyway."

    "I only have one invitation card. How are you going to get in?"

    "I''ll just go home and get it." Jolly smiled smugly. "Even though my dad no longer attends these events, those from the club still insist on sending him the invitation cards to all the functions, and I know where he ces them."

    Some people would scramble to get their hands on the invitation cards so that they could attend the event on the cruise ship, but to Jolly''s parents, the event was like a gue that had to be avoided at all costs.

    Soon, darkness descended upon them in the evening.

    d in evening dresses, Rachel and Jolly arrived at the harbor in Riverdale.

    When the attendant took the invitation card from Jolly, he became startled. "You are..."

    "This is my dad''s invitation card. He told me toe here on his behalf."

    Upon hearing her exnation, the attendant said, "You''re Miss Carter. Wee, and this is your room card."

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t mention it."

    Rachel and Jolly boarded the cruise ship in an arrogant manner, and it wasn''t until they stepped into the elevator that they breathed a sigh of relief.

    "If my dad finds out that I came here with his invitation card, he''ll kill me."

    "Why? The attendant was pretty respectful when he saw your dad''s name." Rachel examined Jolly''s room card for a bit. "It seems that your room is a suite."

    Jolly wasn''t surprised at all as she had already expected it. "My dad is one of the founders, so they have to show him enough respect. The other founders are also my dad''s friends, but they quit contacting each other a long time ago."

    "Who are they?"

    "They were my dad''s ssmates at university. One of them is named Baxter-I always called him Mr. Baxter. The other person is a woman named Bowman, and I''d call her Mrs. Bowman."

    After a pause, she went on to say, "I don''t think you know them as their entities are not in Riverdale, and I have

    no idea the nature of their businesses. My dad fell out with them eventually. I remember mentioning Mrs. Bowman at home one day, and my dad immediately blew his top."

    "Your dad is a mild-tempered person. I can''t believe he blew his top because of this."

    "That''s right. I also find it inconceivable. As far as I''m concerned, he rarely throws a tantrum."

    "There''s something off about it.ˇ±

    Just as Jolly wanted to say something, Rachel suddenly took her arm and uttered in a grim voice, "Let''s get into our room first."

    The Golden Cruise was arge cruise ship where many events could be held at the same time. This time round, the Jockey Club had booked the entire cruise ship. Since the event had yet to begin, the vessel was still parked beside the harbor as they awaited the guests'' arrival.

    Upon entering the room, Rachel examined everything thoroughly. "What are you looking for?"

    "Shh."

    Rachel shut the curtains and scanned the room with her phone''s torchlight. Upon making sure that there were no hidden cameras, she turned on the light as the room became illuminated. "Someone was stalking us in the corridor just now."

    Jolly''s expression changed. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes."

    Jolly immediately dashed toward the door and looked out through the peephole. Presently, only other guests were walking along the corridor, so she wasn''t sure whether they were being stalked. Rachel uttered, "Stop looking. The stalker wouldn''t stay right outside our room."

    "Who could be stalking us?" Jolly frowned as a name sprang into her mind. "Could it be Ryan? He must be insane! I''m calling him right now."

    "Wait a minute." Rachel pulled the other woman''s arm. "We''re on the Golden Cruise now. Are you sure Ryan''s men can get in here?" Upon hearing that, Jolly was startled.

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    "Haven''t you noticed yet? All the guests here are not apanied by their assistants. If Ryan wanted to stalk you, he''d have to personallye over."

    Upon hearing Rachel''s analysis, Jolly asked, "If it isn''t him, who else can it be?"

    "Perhaps it has something to do with your invitation card."

    Their gazes fell upon the table where Jolly''s invitation card and a spare room card were ced.

    The entire cruise ship was shrouded in mystery-or to put it in another way-strangeness.

    "Is that the case?" Jolly was never afraid of anything. However, when she caught a glimpse of the cellr connectivity on her phone, she became startled. "Is there no connectivity on the cruise ship?" Rachel took a look at her phone and realized that it was the same. It''s no wonder he asked me to meet him here. There must be something wrong with this cruise ship.

    Jolly directly pressed the call bell.

    A respectful woman''s voice was hearding from the other end of the line. "Hello, Miss Carter. How may help you?"

    Jolly asked, "Why is there no cellr connectivity in the room? Do you guys have Wi-Fi?"

    "I''m sorry, Miss Carter. Privacy is very important on this cruise ship, so all personalmunications devices are not usable here. If you need to contact your friends on the cruise ship, you can use the interconnected phone in your room."

    Jolly frowned andined, "What''s wrong with this ce? We can''t even use our own phones!"

    Unfortunately, it was toote for her to get off the ship.

    There were two old-fashioned ck phones on the table that couldn''t even be used to take photos. In addition, one could only contact other people through the phone.

    After hanging up the call, Jolly continued her rant as she said, "Is this a ce where criminals gather together? Are they worried that I''ll contact the police to arrest them?"

    "Since we''re already onboard, just be at ease." Rachel examined the phones for a moment before passing one of them to Jolly. "If we part wayster, use this to contact me at any moment." "Alright. Just by looking at this phone, I feel a headacheing on."

    The cruise ship left the harbor at exactly 7.00PM.

    Rachel and Jolly shuffled toward the banquet hall together.

    "There are so many people here. How am I supposed to look for him?" After looking around, Jolly randomly stopped a waiter and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where Leroy Bet is?"

    The waiter shook his head to show that he had no idea.

    On the other hand, Rachel could already see Jason in the distance.

    "Keep looking for him, Jolly. I see Jason over there."

    "Go ahead then."

    "Keep in touch and be careful."

    "Alright."

    After they parted ways, Rachel walked past the crowd in the banquet hall. When Jason saw her, he put on an amiable smile as though he was truly pleased to see the young woman. "How are you, Rachel?"

    "Hi, Jason."

    Rachel remained polite to him. Outsiders would usually call him Mr. Jason, but she could call him by his name like how Justin usually did.

    "Is everything alright? Did anyone make things difficult for you?"

    "It''s all good. However, I didn''t expect privacy to be so important on this cruise ship."

    There was a faint smile on Jason''s face. "If the privacy here wasn''t strong, I would''ve not invited you toe here."

    "You didn''t tell me clearly over the phone, Jason. I don''t think you''ve invited me to this ce just to introduce some friends to me."

    "I sent some samples over some time ago, and the other party was pleased with it. They have offered a very attractive price, and the person wants to meet you. The way I see it, I think they''re going to purchase your goods in bulk."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "You invited me over to have a discussion with them?"

    Rachel finally understood his intention.

    Jason had obtained some benefits through selling the goods back then, so he wanted an even bigger business deal. Apparently, the other party didn''t believe that he could easily get his hands on arge amount of medicine, so they wanted to meet the supplier herself-Rachel.

    Every detail in this kind of underhanded business deal was important. If any news was leaked by ident, they''d be in trouble.

    "Haven''t we already coborated for a long time?"

    When Jason looked over the woman''s shoulder and saw the figure in the distance, his gaze brightened. "He''s here."

    Rachel became startled for a moment before she turned her head and followed his gaze. There was a young man being surrounded by a group of people, and he was apanied by ady.

    "Mr. Porter!" Jason scurried over and called out in a respectful manner. Rachel had never seen this side of

    Jason before.

    He was Arthur''s son, after all. Even though he yed second fiddle to Justin in the Burton Family, he was still an important figure who was born wealthy. He was arrogant wherever he went, so it was surprising to see him being so subservient to someone else.

    The man named Mr. Porter was a clean-looking man in his thirties, and his brown eyes gave off a gloomy feeling for some reason.

    "Are you Miss Hudson?"

    Mr. Porter''s gaze fell upon Rachel. The moment he saw the woman, a light suddenly lit up in his gloomy looking eyes, to which she found pretty unsettling.

    "I''ve always heard that you''re a resolute businesswoman, but I never expected you to be such a stunning beauty."

    Rachel replied with a smile, "Why can''t a beautifuldy be a resolute businesswoman? Are only ugly people allowed to do business? You''re basically belittling yourself, Mr. Porter."

    As soon as she finished speaking, all of them fell silent.

    A horrified Jason snapped, "What on earth are you talking about, Rachel?"

    Right then, Mr. Porter suddenly burst intoughter. "Interesting. I love people who are humorous."

    All of them exchanged nces and breathed a sign of relief.

    Rachel thought, Why are they so afraid of him? It''s not like he''s a beast that will eat them alive. Do they have to be so anxious?

    Worried that she would say anything inappropriate again, Jason quickly uttered, "Let me introduce you guys to each other. This is the president of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Rachel Hudson. Rachel, this is Dillon Porter. Most people call him Young Master Porter."

    The man extended his hand toward Rachel. "My name is Dillon Porter. Just call me Dillon."

    Rachel shook hands with him and realized that his palm was rather warm. When she tried to withdraw her hand, she discovered that the other person had no intention of releasing her.

    A shocked Rachel looked up, and as their eyes met, Dillon uttered, "You haven''t introduced yourself, Miss Hudson."

    An unfazed Rachel exerted more force with her hand and struggled out of his grip. "I don''t think an introduction is needed anyway. If you hadn''t looked into my background, you wouldn''t have let me board the cruise ship."

    Dillon slightly narrowed his eyes. "You''re indeed intelligent, Miss Hudson. You should be aware that not anyone can board this ship."

    "Of course."

    "I don''t think you''re showing enough sincerity. I have some personal questions for you, so why don''t we go to a private room?"

    Certainly, Rachel was clever enough to realize that he had some ill intentions.

    However, she was surprised that this man didn''t seem to have the intention of concealing hisscivious motives right in front of so many people. Needless to say, this ce was his territory.

    Who is this guy named Dillon Porter? I know many big shots in Riverdale, but I''ve never heard of this name before.

    "Let''s go, Miss Hudson." Dillon gestured for her to make a move, whereas Jason didn''t seem like he was going to stop him anytime soon.

    Rachel balled up her fists with a grim expression.

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    After Dillon finished speaking, he wanted Rachel to follow him to a private room.

    Just as Rachel was about to reject him, a woman''s voice was hearding from behind Dillon. "Young Master Porter, the banquet is about to start."

    Finding the voice familiar, Rachel looked at the source of it and saw a young woman standing among the crowd. Her appearance wasn''t outstanding, but no one could neglect her when she spoke. Rachel felt her heart skipping a beat as she stared fixedly at the woman.

    She sported a short, clean-looking hairstyle while her body was d in a ck one-piece dress. Her tanned skin appeared rather out of ce in a hall where most women had fair skin. Furthermore, she looked like someone who was supposed to be practicing pistol-shooting in a shooting range instead of a woman d in an evening dress in a banquet hall.

    An impatient Dillon refuted, "Can''t you see that I''m busy?"

    "All of them are waiting for you to open the champagne bottle."

    Her attitude was neither arrogant nor subservient. After a moment of deadlock, Dillon eventually gave in. "Alright, we''ll do that first."

    Then, he turned to look at Rachel. "Come with us, Miss Hudson."

    Rachel came to her senses and nodded with a polite smile.

    After that, Dillon shuffled forward while the woman merely walked alongside him. Looking at her straight back, Rachel felt that she must have met her before.

    "Who is she, Jason?"

    "L Hart. She''s Mr. Porter''s bodyguard."

    "What?" Rachel was startled. "A female bodyguard?"

    "Of course. Do you think she looks like a man? However, I heard that she''s better at fighting than most men, so don''t offend her. Even Mr. Porter has to listen to her." His words puzzled Rachel.

    "Why? Isn''t she just a bodyguard?"

    "Rather than a bodyguard, she''s actually a mole."

    "A mole?"

    All of a sudden, Jason started coughing.

    Rachel looked up and saw L staring at her. She shuddered as the woman seemed to be warning her with her cold-looking eyes.

    While Rachel was in a dazed state, the woman slowly retracted her gaze.

    On the side, Jason uttered in a small voice, "Stop asking and stay away from her. She''s someone that even Mr. Porter has to be wary of."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel dipped her head. It was apparent that Jason knew little about L as well.

    Presently, the center of the banquet hall was filled with people. Rachel and Jason were slow to arrive, so they could only stand in a ce that was far away from the center.

    Just then, someone was heard speaking over a microphone. "Hi, I''m Randall Baxter. Thanks foring to this event organized by the Jockey Club. I''m truly honored. I especially have to thank Mr. Porter for making the effort toe here despite his busy schedule..."

    Randall Baxter? Rachel recalled what Jolly had said to her.

    "That''s Randall Baxter-he''s one of the founders of the Jockey Club."

    Rachel snapped back to reality upon hearing Jason''s voice. "Does Mr. Porter have anything to do with him?"

    There was a faint smile on Jason''s face. "Well, the reason the Jockey Club has so much influence is all thanks to Mr. Porter. You see, all of the guests here are the wealthiest people in Riverdale. It''s easy to be a part of the upper ss in Riverdale, but it''s extremely hard to join the circle you''re seeing now."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The underground circle." Jason gave her a meaningful look. "Do you think it''s just a normal event on this cruise ship?"

    Rachel''s eyes darkened. "Are you saying that these people are here for trade deals?"

    "Of course not." Jason lowered his voice. "We do have some outsiders here to conceal the nature of this event."

    As Rachel gazed at these people, a realization suddenly dawned upon her.

    It was an annual event that wasn''t what the organizer purported it to be, and the risk they had to bear increased year by year. If this cruise ship was inspected by the authorities, the outsiders who scrambled to attend this event would be used as a cover-up. If those who engaged in illegal trades couldn''t flee, they would hold these people captive.

    Once they had the captives in their hands, those from the Investigation Bureau wouldn''t dare to make a move.

    Rachel felt her heart sinking as the bustling banquet turned into something else in her eyes. These people with bright smiles on their faces were like moving captives to her now.

    After Dillon was done with opening the champagne bottle, the crowd dispersed as the banquet hall became lively again.

    Rachel and Jason were standing in a spot that was far away from the stage. When Jason saw Dillon beckoning to them, he immediately understood his hint.

    He then said, "Let''s go. Mr. Porter wants us to head to the private room."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel came to her senses. When they reached the private room, two male bodyguards stopped them and uttered, "We''ll have to inspect you." Rachel subconsciously took a step back. It wasn''t that she wanted to refuse their inspection, but the bodyguards were men.

    Just then, someone opened the door from inside and said, "I''ll do it."

    L took a nce at the bodyguard nearest to Rachel, whereupon he meekly stepped aside. It seemed like he was afraid of her.

    While staring at Rachel, L said, "This is our rule, Miss Hudson. Please raise your hands."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Rachel became startled for a moment before raising her hands as she was told.

    L went on to carefully inspect her, including all the essories Rachel was wearing.

    Since they were in such close proximity, L''s face magnified before Rachel''s eyes. At that moment, she had a feeling that she had met this female bodyguard before. "Have we met before?" she subconsciously spurted out.

    However, L denied with a frown and said, "It''s our first encounter, Miss Hudson."

    Meanwhile, Jason was being inspected as well. In the midst of Rachel''s doubts, he said, "Miss Hart rarelyes to Riverdale, so it isn''t likely that you''ve met her before."

    An astounded Rachel replied, "Perhaps I''ve mistaken her for someone else."

    "Alright, you cane in now" L uttered.

    After thanking her, Rachel shuffled into the private room with Jason.

    As soon as they entered the ce, Dillon asked, "What were you talking about outside the room? I heard you saying that you''ve mistaken someone for somebody else, am I right?"

    Before Rachel could speak, Jason enthusiastically went over and exined, "It was Rachel. She said that she might have met Miss Hart before, but I told her that it wasn''t likely. There''s no way they''de across each other before."

    "Oh?" Dillon''s gaze fell upon Rachel. "Have you met L before, Miss Hudson?"

    A startled Rachel subconsciously took a nce at L, who directly headed toward Dillon after entering the ce. Presently, she was also looking at Rachel. As Rachel examined her, she increasingly found he facial features familiar.

    I must have met her before. Where did we meet, though? All of a sudden, all the dots connected as she recalled something.

    "Miss Hudson?"

    Dillon''s voice pulled her back to reality as she quickly denied by saying, "No, I''m just mistaken."

    "Really? What''s wrong? Do you know a person who resembles L? Tell me about it."

    "She was a ssmate, but we haven''t met for ages."

    Rachel took one more look at L as she believed that her spection was right.

    Even though L''s face was different from that person five years ago, her voice sounded familiar to Rachel. Also, her gaze never changed one bit.

    Rachel could still remember climbing on the window of the hotel where she had been confined to. A woman gestured with her hand while telling Rachel not to be afraid, and she looked truly valiant back then.

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    L Hart is Coraline Harper. Rachel''s mind instantly shed to that hair-raising night five years ago. She didn''t even have time to thank Coraline at the time. Unfortunately, they never met each other again afterward. Why is she here? Why did she be Dillon''s bodyguard?

    Thinking of Coraline''s identity in the Riverdale Investigation Bureau, she suddenly understood the situation, and her hand trembled uncontrobly. Afraid that somebody might notice, she quietly shifted her hand behind her back.

    "What? Are you old ssmates? What a coincidence!" Dillon looked like he wanted to get to the bottom of this matter.

    Rachel was trying to think of a way to gloss over this incident when ''L'' said, "Young Master Porter, let''s get back to business."

    Clearly unhappy, he nced sideways at L. "I was kindly asking on your behalf. Who knows? Maybe you have a long-lost twin sister or something out there. You should get to know your family as soon as possible so that you won''t be alone for the rest of your life."

    "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Porter. Compared to being alone for the rest of my life, I''m more worried that you won''t be able to provide the higher-ups with a satisfactory exnation if this matter does not go well."

    He was reminded of the situation with a single sentence. Having been embarrassed in front of Rachel, his expression turned even more sour.

    Jason said, "Young Master Porter, you came all the way to Riverdale. I''m sure things will go beautifully. Look, I''ve already brought this person here. It only takes one sentence from her to prepare however much goods you need."

    The conversation was finally brought back on track and Rachel sat down.

    On the opposite side, Dillon looked her up and down. "I''m sure you''re already aware of the reason I came here, Miss Hudson."

    She smiled. "Mr. Jason only gave me a rough exnation regarding the matter. Having only been notified of the banquet this afternoon, I did not have time to learn more."

    "Don''t worry. This is normal in our line of work. You will gradually get used to it." Now that the conversation was much closer to the main topic, his expression became serious. He put away his yboy attitude and continued, "The quality of the drugs we receivedst time was good. Compared to the other supply channels where the quality is non-standard, what you supplied was way more excellent than the rest. Truly what you''d expect from a family of pharmaceuticals."

    "You''re too kind, Young Master Porter."

    "You don''t need to be humble. I would not have set up a meeting with you if your goods were substandard. I will only say that we are very satisfied with your goods, so we hope to build a long-term rtionship with you. In the future, we will need arger quantity of goods."

    "Arger quantity? Can you be a little more specific?"

    "Ten times more than thest."

    Her eyes narrowed slightly. "The amountst time had already been very noticeable. With such arge barge of goods, it will be very difficult to ship them out in secret. What if something goes wrong? "You don''t need to worry about that." He cut her off with a single sentence. "You only need to tell me this: are you going to ept this order?"

    She looked hesitant.

    Next to her, Jason urged, "What are you hesitating for? Why are you hesitating when there''s such a great opportunity to make money? Do you know how much the remaining tariffs and misceneous fees cost?"

    "The risks are very high after all. They''ve been very stringent with their investigation recently."

    "Doing business alwayses with risks. Don''t worry, Miss Hudson. You will not be involved in anything else aside from providing the goods for our first official cooperation. Our people will be in charge of everything starting from the shipment of goods." While speaking, Dillon pushed a document on the table over to Rachel. "This is the price we are offering for the drugs. You can have a look yourself."

    Rachel flipped through the document and clenched her fingers around the edges of the document when she saw the price they offered. Without the costs of the various customs duties and misceneous fees, the price he offered was the actual ie. The profit was still several times higher than the market price even after deducting the original cost. This is just from a single order, but the ie is already so high. It''s no wonder Dad took such a risk back then.

    "You still have time to turn back if you are hesitating, Miss Hudson."

    "No." She raised her head. "When will you make payment? I am in urgent need of money."

    He roared withughter. "I knew you''d be a straightforward person, Miss Hudson. 30 percent of the deposit will be credited to your ount within the next two days. The rest will be transferred to you once the goods have been safely received."

    "No problem." She closed the document. "I need a month to prepare the amount you want."

    "A month?" He shook his head. "I can only give you half a month.ˇ±

    "What''s the rush?"

    "Undue dy may bring unwanted trouble." Those concise words highlighted the risk tolerance value in this transaction.

    She nodded slightly. "I will do my best to make the factory work overtime."Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    Now that the business talks were over, all that was left was to enjoy the banquet.

    "Miss Hudson, if you''re not in a hurry, you should stay on the boat tonight. The banquet is only just starting."

    She took a sip of tea. "With pleasure."

    Let''s agree for now. It will only ruin the mood if I say that I want to leave immediately.

    After walking out of the private room, Rachel took out her phone from her bag to give Jolly a call. All of a sudden, she caught a glimpse of L avoiding the crowd in the banquet hall and walking toward the bathroom. Thus, she hurriedly followed.

    She cautiously walked into the bathroom but did not see anybody inside. Is she inside the cubicle?

    "Miss Hart?" She tentatively called out to L.

    There was no response from the cubicles.

    She frowned. She had only taken several steps forward to take a look when somebody suddenly dragged her backward from behind and pressed her against the wall. "Miss Hudson, can you exin why you''re following me?" L red at her coldly.

    Rachel could barely breathe from the pressure of being pressed against the wall. Struggling, she gasped out. "Caroline, it''s me..."

    "Who is Caroline?"

    "Aren''t you Caroline Harper? It''s impossible for me to mistake you for somebody else. You saved me five years ago."

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. You''ve gotten the wrong person." The look in L''s eyes was

    extremely cruel. It was not something Caroline from five years ago would have had.

    Rachel suddenly recalled what Janice once said when she questioned Janice about Caroline''s whereabouts in the past. Janice imed that Caroline had vanished after failing in an undercover mission. The Riverdale Investigation Bureau had been unable to contact Caroline until now.

    The conversation had taken ce in front of Hans'' grave. She had voluntarily offered to work undercover beside Jason and be an informant for Janice.

    Janice had said, "Those who work as undercover informants either die in duty ore back alive. Most people believe that these are the only two oues, but it''s not."

    "Then, what else is there?"

    "Identity disorientation. They forget who they are."

    When you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss stares back at you. In the end, you will be swallowed by the abyss. You will forget who you are or why you''re here, unable to return to a normal life ever again. It is amon urrence.

    At that thought, Rachel felt her heart thump in fear.

    Caroline had been missing for nearly five years. If she had been safe and sound during these five years, then she would have had the chance to contact Janice during that period. However, she obviously had not.

    Is this the third oue Janice meant? Rachel did not have time to wonder. Nevertheless, the strength pressing down harder and harder on her shoulders confirmed her conjecture. There was nobody here, but L had no intention of releasing her whatsoever.

    "Speak. What is your true purpose for following me? Who sent you here? If you refuse to speak, then I don''t mind adding an extra person dying on this ship today. You only have five minutes to talk." L''s voice echoed in Rachel''s ear like a basin of cold water pouring down on her head and chilling her heart. "Five... Four..."

 Chapter 317

    The countdown of the warning echoed in Rachel''s ears. She lowered her voice and said, "Are you afraid of being discovered? I checked before I came. There''s nobody following me."

    As soon as the statement came out of her mouth, a gun pressed against her forehead. The cold touch of metal spread out across her forehead, causing her to shudder. She finally understood that L was not joking

    around with her.

    L questioned, "I''m curious now. Just who is the friend that you speak of?"

    The blood drained out of her face, little by little. "I followed you here because you look like a friend of mine. I don''t have any other intentions. If I''ve offended you by mistaking you for somebody else, then I apologize."

    L studied her expressionlessly. Her gaze was extremely sharp, almost as though she could pierce a person''s heart.

    Rachel did not know how long passed before the pressure on her shoulder eased and the cold feeling of metal against her forehead disappeared.

    Putting away the gun, L stepped away from Rachel and coldly said, "Before you act, you had better consider first whether or not you can bear the consequences for every word you speak and every action you take on this ship. The ship will eventuallye to shore, but a person may not be able to walk off the boat on their own two feet."

    Rachel jerked in surprise and subconsciously clenched her fingers. It was not until L left the bathroom that she leaned against the wall and clutched at her chest abruptly. Her heart was beating wildly through theyer of her dress. When L held the gun to her head just now, the cold gaze in those eyes had indicated no hesitation to kill her.

    She isn''t Coraline? I don''t believe it. Although there are some differences in their appearances, it''s impossible for me to mistake those eyes and that voice which belong to Coraline. Nevertheless, she did not have the time to ponder over this matter. She felt like she was sitting on a bed of pins and needles on this ship. Since the business talks are over, I should leave this ce as soon as possible.

    When Rachel walked out of the bathroom, a waiter suddenly stopped her. "Are you Miss Hudson?"

    "Yes, I am." She nced at the waiter in front of her warily. "How can I help you?"

    "Please don''t be so nervous. It''s like this. The Madam wishes to talk to you."

    Madam? "Who is this ''Madam''?"

    "You will know once you''ve met her, Miss Hudson."

    She frowned slightly. "Does this Madam go by the surname ''Bowman''?"

    The waiter nodded and said nothing else.

    Be that as it may, that response gave her a rough grasp of the situation. "Fine. I''lle with you." While following the waiter, she sent a message to Jolly to say that she was going to meet an old friend of Jolly''s father.

    They arrived at a private room and the waiter opened the door. "The Madam is waiting for you inside."

    Rachel nodded and walked straight into the room. The room was very luxuriously furnished. If she had not known that she was currently on board a ship, she would have thought that they were the furnishings of a vi. A golden chandelier illuminated the entire room with a golden brilliance.

    "Miss Hudson." A woman''s voice came from behind. She spun around and saw a middle-aged woman.

    The middle-aged woman was dressed in a sky-blue traditional dress. She looked elegant and graceful.

    Although her skincare was so good that she appeared to be in her forties, the weather-beaten and calm gaze in her eyes betrayed her actual age.

    "Hello." Rachel observed the woman. "Are you Mrs. Bowman?ˇ±

    "Do you know me? Did Richard mention me to you?"

    Richard Carter was the name of Jolly''s father.

    Rachel was in no rush to refute that statement. Instead, she countered with a question of her own. "Didn''t you bring me here to confirm whether or not Mr. Carter has told me about you?

    A bitter expression appeared in the middle-aged woman''s face. "I knew he had not mentioned me to you before. If he did, you would not have agreed to meet me in the first ce."

    Rachel looked at her in confusion.

    "Sit." The middle-aged woman raised a hand and indicated for Rachel to take a seat.

    A Herm¨¨s nket was draped over the genuine leather sofa. All the furniture in the room were very delicate and elegant. It didn''t look like a temporary residence. Rachel looked around and asked, "Do you usually live here?"

    "How can you tell?"

    "Few would have the leisure to arrange flowers in a hotel, especially if they''re only going to stay for a short while. Isn''t that right?"

    Following Rachel''s gaze, the middle-ageddy turned to look behind her. There were fresh cut flowers and nts scattered across the table behind her. Moreover, they were next to a half-finished vase. Then, she looked at Rachel with a measuring gaze. "No wonder Richard took you in as his goddaughter. You are smart and meticulous. I''m sure you''ll be of great help to Jolly in the future. I brought you here because I wanted your help to pass something to Jolly.

    "What is it?"

    "This." In front of Rachel, the middle-aged woman opened the pink gift box at her feet to reveal the white gown inside. "What is this? A wedding dress?" Rachel was confused.

    The middle-aged woman noticed her doubts and exined, "This is what I promised Richard in the past. At the time, Jolly was still very young and there were no disputes over business matters between Richard and I. After I won the award in the Maynie Designer Competition, Richard told me that he wanted me to design his daughter''s wedding dress in the future. ording to my calctions, Jolly should be nearly at the marriageable age by now."

    The Maynie Designer Competition was an international-level fashion designpetition. Only the most popr fashion designers could win any awards in thispetition.

    "Are you a fashion designer?"

    "I was. This wedding gown is thest piece that I worked on. This way, it can be considered that I''ve fulfilled the promise between Richard and I." The middle-aged woman sounded sincere. "I hope you can help me with this."

    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and did not answer immediately. "Jolly is also onboard this boat. You can hand it to her yourself."

    "I wouldn''t have needed to trouble you if I could hand it to her myself, right?"

    "I''m sorry. I can''t help you with this."

    "Miss Hudson, I don''t know who else I can ask for help aside from you. You don''t need to tell them that this wedding dress was designed by me. You can just im that you''re giving it to Jolly. Only you and I need to know about this. This is my thank-you gift for you." The middle-aged woman took out a ck suede jewelry box and opened the box in front of Rachel without further ado. Then, she pushed the box over to Rachel.

    There was a jade bangle inside the jewelry box. Judging by the quality of the bangle, it was worth quite a lot.

    Rachel immediately got to her feet and the scowl on her face deepened considerably. "What do you mean by this?"

    "Don''t misunderstand me. This is just a small thank-you gift."

    "I have not promised to help you, but I can no longer help you because of this thank-you gift." Rachel nced at the box containing the wedding dress. The feeling that this situation was very odd became stronger.

    "I''m sorry. I''m leaving now." Just as Rachel hurried to the door, somebody threw open the door from the outside. "Chris!"

    It was Jolly

    Jolly had rushed over as soon as she saw the message. At this moment, she looked very anxious. "Are you alright?"

    "I''m fine." Rachel shook her head. "Let''s go."

    For some reason, she wanted Jolly to leave this ce as soon as possible.

    Jolly''s gaze slid past Rachel''s shoulder tond on the middle-aged woman behind them. However, she withdrew her gaze after a brief nce. "Yeah. Let''s go."

    "Jolly." The middle-aged woman suddenly called out to Jolly

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 318

    "You must be Jolly."

    "Who are you?" Jolly furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the middle-aged woman behind Rachel with a wary expression.

    "I''m Mrs. Bowman! I used to take care of you when you were younger." The woman seemed inexplicably

    emotional to see Jolly. Her eyes reddened as she spoke. "It''s been so long since Ist saw you."

    Jolly frowned, reacting in a surprisingly rational and clear-headed manner. "Wait. Don''t move. I know about Mrs. Bowman who established the club together with my father, but why did you summon Chris here alone?"

    The other party was clearly taken aback for a moment. "I..."

    Rachel said, "She imed that it would be bad to meet you. She was also scared that you might be unwilling to meet her. That''s why she called me here."

    "Why would it be bad to meet me?"

    Jolly was a straightforward person who had always been blunt with her words. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bowman looked like a person who would beat around the bush. She was far from her gentle and demure appearance.

    "Jolly, your father and I have some misunderstandings between us. That''s why we have not been in touch with each other for many years. Didn''t your father tell you anything?"

    "My father has never mentioned you to me."

    Rachel wanted to stop Jolly, but Jolly blurted out those words and gave up the game.

    Sure enough, the middle-aged woman''s expression rxed considerably.

    Rachel tugged at Jolly. "Let''s go."

    However, Jolly was no longer in a hurry. She asked the middle-aged woman bluntly, "Spit it out. Why are you looking for me?ˇ±

    The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment before she recovered from her shock. "It''s like this. I have something I wanted to give you."

    "What is it?"

    "A wedding dress that I designed myself. I promised your father that I would make this wedding dress for you, so ..."

    "You want to give it to me?"

    Interrupted mid-sentence only for her sentence to be finished by Jolly, she was taken aback again. "Yes."

    "This is the dress, right?" Jolly nced at the gift box by the middle-aged woman''s words.

    "That''s right. Do you want to have a look?"

    "No need. Since you''re giving it to me, then hand it to me."

    When Jolly''s words rang out, both Rachel and the middle-aged woman were startled and caught off guard.

    It took the middle-aged woman a long while toe back to her senses. Seemingly afraid that Jolly might regret her decision, the middle-aged woman ced the gift box back in the bag and handed the bag to Jolly herself. "Jolly, I''m so d that you''re willing to ept this."

    "No worries. Pleasee to me directly for these kinds of things in the future. Don''t look for Chris again."

    "Your outspoken temper is exactly like your father''s." The middle-aged woman walked the two of them to the door. As she watched Rachel and Jolly''s departing backs, her gentle expression gradually returned to calmness. Then, she turned around and returned to the room.

    At this time, Rachel and Jolly were walking back along the corridor.

    Rachel scolded Jolly. "Why did you ept stuff from other people so nonchntly? Didn''t you say that the rtionship between Mr. Carter and his two friends is very tense?"

    "Are you stupid? Won''t it be fine as long as we don''t say anything when we go back?" Jolly sounded very righteous. "If you and I both stay silent, then how will my father know?"

    "A secret can only be kept for so long!"

    "As long as your mouth is shut tight enough, the secret won''t be revealed."

    Rachel couldn''t be bothered to argue with Jolly. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Jolly carried the bag joyfully. "What do you n to do with this wedding dress? It''s not like you''re getting married soon. Do you really n to keep it until you''re married?"

    "Wear it? Do you think a wedding dress is something that can be worn so casually?"

    "Then, why did you ept it?"

    "It''s such a waste not to ept it. I''ll sell it once we get off the boat. Didn''t you mention that she is a famous designer? This wedding dress should be quite valuable. Let''s find out how famous she ister." Speaking of this, Rachel suddenly realized something. From the start to the end, neither of them had bothered to ask the woman for her name.

    After returning to the room and putting the bag away, Jolly dragged Rachel out to search for Leroy. "I heard that Leroy is staying on the same floor as us. He seems to have been invited by a rich woman."

    "A rich woman?"

    "It''s exactly what you''re thinking of." Jolly clicked her tongue and said in disgust, "He used to be the male idol who swept the entire school off their feet, but he has fallen to be a ything in the entertainment industry."

    "Why do you make it sound so creepy? Will we identally see something we shouldn''t see if we go over now?"

    "It''s better if we see something. That way, I will have a weakness that can be used to negotiate his endorsement fee a little more."

    "Why are you still thinking about work at this time? Should I give you a raise?"

    "Forget it. The pitiful sry you pay me won''t even buy me a handbag."

    At the exact moment the elevator doors closed, Rachel looked up and saw the doors of the elevator on the opposite side closing at the same time. A familiar figure entered her vision, causing her to freeze in surprise. "Noah."

    "What did you say?"

    "I just saw Noah and Amber."

    Jolly was taken aback for a moment. Then, she calmed down and said, "Noah is a yboy. He must be one of the members of the Jockey Club. It''s quite normal for him to participate in this event. As for Amber... isn''t she having an affair with him? But, why did he openly bring her here?"

    "He didn''t do it openly."

    Dressed in casual clothes and a hat, Amber had been wrapped up very inconspicuously. If Rachel had not noticed Noah first, she would not have recognized Amber. It was obvious that Amber''s getup was meant to hide her identity-she did not wish to be seen.

    During their conversation, the elevator arrived at one of the floors.

    Rachel saw that the elevator on the opposite side had arrived on the fifth floor. Thus, she headed straight toward the stairwell. "Jolly, go and look for Leroy on your own. I have something to do." "Hey, what are you doing!?"

    "I want to see what Noah and Amber came here to do."

    Jason mentioned that there were two types of people in this boat, so she wanted to know which type Noah and Amber belonged to. Do they know or not know? Or, are they aware but have not participated? Di they simplye here in search of an opportunity?

    Unable to stop Rachel, Jolly could only follow Rachel up the stairs.

    "Why are you following me?"

    "To join in the stalking. How can I not participate in something so exciting?" The mes of gossip zed on her face. "Who knows? Maybe they came here for a secret rendezvous."

    "Shh." Rachel covered Jolly''s mouth to signal the other party not to talk nonsense.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Ding. The sound of the elevator arriving on this floor rang out from outside the stairwell. Rachel pulled the stairwell door open by a fraction in time to see somebodying out of the elevator.

    Noah and Amber were mostly likely trying to be stealthy. They did not walk out of the elevator together. On the contrary, they took turns toe out of the elevator and headed down the depths of the corridor. The entrance to the terrace was located in that direction on every floor of the ship.

    "Let''s go!" Rachel reminded Jolly. Then, she took the lead and followed after them.

    Unbeknownst to them, there were two people on the boat who were on the verge of going crazy from searching for the two women. The presence of these two men drew a lot of attention in the banquet hall on the second floor. In just a few minutes, several women had already tried to flirt with them. However, they both had sullen expressions and didn''t even bother to nce at those women.

    "Didn''t you say those two were here!? Well!? Where are they!?"

    "Are you interrogating me!? That''s what I want to ask you! Your uncle is the one who brought them here!"

    Ryan''s expression was very ugly, and he red at Justin coldly. "I don''t care what kind of shady business the Burton Family is involved in. But, you had better watch that woman called Rachel carefully! Don''t let her drag Jolly down with her!"

 Chapter 319

    Justin responded in a cold voice. "It takes two to tango."

    "I don''t have the time to debate this with you. Hurry up and search for them!" Ryan looked around. Unfortunately, he only met Jason a handful of times before and did not recall how the other party looked. There was no way he could easily spot Jason from among the crowd, so he could only nce back at Justin.

    Justin nced at a spot in the distance. "There."

    Following Justin''s gaze, Ryan saw Jason standing by the bar in the distance. Jason was holding a ss of wine in his hand while gaily chatting with the people around him.

    Ryan was about to head there when he was stopped by Justin. "You don''t need to go there."

    Upon hearing those words, he became pensive for a moment and immediately understood what Justin meant. The two of them were not very familiar with the situation on this ship. If they acted together, then it would be over for both of them if they were to encounter any danger. Not only would they lose everything, but they wouldn''t even have a corpse to bury.

    "I''ll wander around."

    "Okay." After watching Ryan leave the banquet hall, Justin finally turned around and walked toward Jason.

    Jason was discussing ''business'' with his friends. During this time every year, he would make a lot of money through this banquet. It was also his highest and most triumphant time of the year.

    He was savoring his triumph when he suddenly noticed a familiar figureing toward him out of the corner of his eyes. The sight startled him.

    "Jason." Justin''s expression was frosty and his manner of speech was rather aloof. "Long time no see."

    Jason was very puzzled. "Why are you here?"

    "Don''t you know, Jason? Don''t you know why I came here?"

    He quickly snapped back to his senses and studied Justin pensively. "You came to find Rachel. Don''t worry.

    She is safe and sound. She is only apanying me for some events at the banquet after all. We are business partners now. Don''t you think you are making a huge fuss out of a molehill?" "Then, where is she right now?"

    "After our business talks, she returned to the room to rest. This ship is sorge that it''s possible that she is taking a stroll on her own. What''s wrong? Can''t you contact her?"

    He was asking this question despite knowing the answer. It was impossible for a personal phone to send out any messages on this ship. Likewise, the phones specially provided on the ship were as useless as scrap metal if one did not have the other party''s contact information.

    At present, he was the only person who knew Rachel''s whereabouts and whether she was safe.

    Justin had no choice but to mediate with Jason. "Jason, I have no interest in knowing what kind of business you''ve been doing over the years in the name of the Burton Group. However, I will not sit idly by if you drag Rachel into this mess."

    "Those words displease me. Did you think I dragged her into these affairs? I''m afraid you''ve underestimated her abilities."

    "It has not been long since Rachel returned to the country. No matter how capable she is, she won''t be able to board the Golden Cruise. Isn''t that right?"

    The invitation came from Jason. If Rachel had not heard about the news from the secretary, Justin would not be going crazy right now because he could not get in contact with her.

    "Jason, you had better tell me now. Where is Rachel?"

    "What kind of attitude is that?" Jason''s expression was astonished. He observed Justin''s anxious and impatient appearance, then he immediately said coldly, "Didn''t you grow out your own wings? Find her yourself!" After saying that, he nced at his watch. "I still have friends to meet."

    He had long since been dissatisfied with Justin when Arthur indiscriminately withdrew all funding previously.

    There was no need to think to know that Justin was the one who mentioned something to Arthur. How dare he take this attitude with me! What can he do even if he knows Rachel''s whereabouts?

    Justin watched as Jason left without another word and clenched his fists tightly. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. If it were anybody else, he would have his ways to pressure them into answering his questions. But, Jason was his uncle.

    His thoughts turned in a different direction. If Jason is currently cooperating with Rachel, then he won''t harm her for the time being. She should be safe at the moment. It''s just that I don''t know where she is. Nevertheless, the Golden Cruise is a ce beyond thew. We can''t stay here for long. I have to find her and get her off the ship as soon as possible.

    It was alreadyte at night by this time. The luxury cruise ship stopped on the river, facing the most prosperous business district in Riverdale.

    At this moment, almost all the people on the cruise ship were gathered in the banquet hall on the second floor. There was barely anybody else on the other floors and the terrace on the fifth floor was even more quiet.

    Rachel and Jolly secretly followed Noah and Amber onto the terrace.

    "Where are they?" Jolly looked around. "Didn''t theye this way just now?"

    "Shh." Rachel indicated for Jolly to be quiet.

    Jolly spread her arms wide. "Look! Do you see anybody here?"

    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows slightly. I clearly saw Amber and Noah entering this ce, one after another. How can they just vanish into thin air? Could it be... This thought had barely formed when she felt something cold pressing against the back of her neck. A woman''s voice entered her ears. It was a fierce warning. "Don''t move!"

    It was Amber. Sure enough, she had been hiding behind the door.

    At this moment, there was a knife pressed against Rachel''s neck. The sharp edge of the knife slid against her skin. It was followed by a stinging pain. She jerked in surprise and did not dare to move a single muscle. "Did you notice me a long time ago?"

    "Chris, who are you talking to? I don''t think those two are here..." Jolly turned around only to see this scene. Her expression immediately changed and the rest of her sentence trailed off. She couldn''t even utter a single word.

    "Stand there and don''t move!" The words had only just left Amber''s mouth when Rachel felt something cold against her neck. Bright red blood trickled down her neck and her corbone. It was a particrly shocking sight against her fair skin.

    How could Jolly dare to move after that? She was so scared that her face turned pale with fright. "I won''t move. Let go of Chris."

    "Let go? It wasn''t easy for me to finally get this opportunity. Do you think I''ll let her go?" Amber''s expression was gloomy and her voice was extremely chilling.

    Rachel forced herself to calm down. "You knew we were following you. You did this on purpose."

    "Of course. You are dressed so conspicuously. All the men in the banquet hall were crazy about you. How could I fail to notice you? This worked out fine though. It saves me the effort of searching for you instead."

    "You want to kill me?"

    "Everything started because of you! You are a jinx! You ruined my entire family! My mother passed away the moment you arrived. And now, my father is gone. My fiance and mypany... All of them are gone!"

    As Amber became emotional, her hand trembled uncontrobly. As a result, the edge of the knife sliced through the flesh on Rachel''s neck. It hurt so much that Rachel was drenched in cold sweat. Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth and did not dare to make a sound, lest she made Amber even crazier.

    Unfortunately, Amber was already deranged.

    "If I kill you now, everything will be over."

    "Amber Hudson, do you really believe that killing me will solve all your troubles? Will the people in Hudson Pharmaceuticals obey you? Will Justin listen to you?"

    "As long as you''re not around, they will! I am the only daughter of the Hudson Family! You''re just a wild sprout!"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "They won''t! Did you think that Evan Holt supported me and allowed me to manage thepany just because I''m a daughter of the Hudson Family? That''s not true at all. It''s because of the form! Have you gotten the form?"

    At the mention of the form, Amber''s expression immediately darkened. It was precisely because of that damned form that she had fallen so far from grace.

 Chapter 320

    "You don''t have the form yet, right?"

    Rachel''s words undoubtedly agitated Amber, and thetter''s expression was as dark as could be. Her eyes were so gloomy that she looked like she could slice Rachel to bits in the next moment. "You''re mocking me!"

    The knife around Rachel''s neck tightened slightly, forcing Rachel to stand on her tiptoes. Her entire back was tense, but she continued to grit her teeth and bravely say, "No. I''m trying to tell you that nobody else will ever tell you the form if you kill me. What makes you think that Evan and the others will let you be the President of Hudson Pharmaceuticals then?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Let me go. I''ll give you the form. That way, you and I will have the same bargaining chip."

    "Do you think I''m stupid? How do I know whether the form you give me is real?"

    Although Amber imed that she didn''t believe Rachel, Rachel could clearly feel the stinging pain on her neck easing slightly. The edge of the knife had moved away from her neck.

    "I can give you the password to connect to the pharmaceutical factory''sputer."

    "The password?"

    "I''m sure you have your own people in the pharmaceutical factory. You can ask your men to operate backstage. The factory is working overtime right now to produce those very medicines. I can''t waste so many medicinal materials just to deceive you."

    Amber looked pensive. "Alright. Give me the password now."

    She continued to hold the knife but shouted behind her, "Why are you still hiding? Come out and call the people at the pharmaceutical factory. Ask them to verify her statement."

    There was no need for Rachel to turn around to know who Amber was talking to. It was Noah.

    Nobody knew better than Rachel as to when these two got together. Five years ago, Noah had vented all his rage and resentment on Amber when an ident urred at Tina''s wedding. However, she turned out to be very adaptable. It was hard to say how she managed to mediate with him, but they were now using each other.

    Sure enough, a male figure stepped out of the shadows. "Miss Hudson, it''s been a while."

    "Did you n this together?"

    Jolly was impatient. "Noah, are you not afraid that my parents will never forgive you once we get off this boat if you do this? I''m telling you. If you dare to let that crazy woman touch a single hair on Chris'' head, my parents will not go easy on Hindenburg Conglomerate."

    Noah snorted coldly and nced sideways at Jolly. "Miss Carter, you can''t even save yourself right now. Do you still have the time to worry about your friend?"

    "Don''t touch her!" Rachel''s expression changed. "Let Jolly go first. Otherwise, I won''t say a single word. You won''t get the form even if you kill me."

    "I''m not leaving!" Jolly was furious. She had bever been threatened in this manner before.

    Rachel ignored Jolly and red at Noah coldly. "You should know just how valuable the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' form is. But, the two elders of the Carter Enterprise will never forgive you if you harm Jolly in this ce. Did you think you can keep your actions here a secret? Paper cannot contain fire."

    Noah scowled. "You''re threatening me."

    "I''m not threatening you. It''s a warning. A sincere warning."

    After pondering for a moment, he nced at Jolly. "Miss Carter, please leave."

    Rachel was nothing more than Richard''s goddaughter. On the other hand, Jolly was the only precious daughter of the Carter Family. If anything were to happen to her, the husband-and-wife of the Carter Family would surely use all their resources in the Carter Enterprise to locate the murderer. It would be very troublesome by then.

    Jolly was reluctant to leave Rachel alone, but she would only cause more at this time if she refused to leave. Thus, she gritted her teeth and left.

    When Rachel saw Jolly leaving, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Noah said, "You can give us the password now, right? Miss Hudson."

    "Young Master Noah, it''s not hard to tell you the password. But, are you sure you want me to tell this woman the password as well?"

    He was taken aback by her words.

    The words had just left her mouth when then the knife sliced deeper into her neck. A wave of pain immediately washed over her.

    Amber pressed the knife against Rachel''s neck and snarled fiercely. "Even at a time like this, you''re still trying to instigate us!? The form belongs to the Hudson Family in the first ce! You should have told me a long time ago! Speak! What is the password!?"

    "Young Master Noah!" Rachel cried out in pain. "Think this over carefully! If you don''t mind, then I''ll tell you right now. The password is 6..."

    "Wait!" Noah interrupted just in time. "Amber, why don''t you go out first?"

    Amber couldn''t believe her ears. "What do you mean by that?"

    "I think it''ll be safer if less people know about this form. You don''t have a single person by your side to help you. I''m afraid you will attract a lot of unscrupulous people if you obtain the form. I''m doing this for your sake."

    "For my sake?" She gnashed her teeth. "Young Master Noah, you might actually be able to fool other people with your lies. However, I''ve been with you for nearly six years now. Do you think you can still fool me?"

    His expression immediately turned grim. "Amber, follow my orders or face the consequences! Don''t forget who has been helping you all this time! If it weren''t for me, do you think you''d have a ce to stay in Riverdale?"

    The stalemate between them continued and she panicked. When she saw him approaching, she immediately dragged Rachel backward. "Don''te over! What do you want to do!?"

    Rachel had bled a lot from her neck by this time. The moment she was dragged backward, she immediately felt the world spinning around her. She suppressed her difort and worked with Amber to move backward, lest she got hurt by ident.

    There was no way she could give out the form, for it was extremely rare and valuable. Moreover, the Hudson Family''s form was only valuable because it only belonged to the Hudson Family. If the form were publicized, then anybody could produce the medicines and the form would be worthless.

    At this moment, there was no other way except to provoke a dispute between these two people.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Amber Hudson, hand her over to me! I will guarantee you afortable life in Riverdale."

    "Forget it. Do you think I don''t know how you are? Noah Hindenburg, you''re a deranged lunatic! Haven''t you tortured me enough all these years!? I''ve had enough of you a long time ago!" Rachel staggered backward and caught a glimpse of the deck railing behind her out of the corner of her eye. "Amber!"

    Amber was already leaning against the railing. She subconsciously looked back when she heard Rachel''s cry. It was also at this moment that Noah suddenly grabbed Rachel''s arm. Rachel screamed in surprise. Her entire body fell forward, pulled by his strength. The edge of the knife narrowly missed her ear. It could be seen with the naked eye as a strand of hair was cut off in the process.

    The corners of his eyes lifted in a smug grin. Unfortunately, his smile didn''t evenst for a moment before it froze with a cold sh of light.

    Amber seemed to have been prepared in advance. The moment Rachel was pulled away, she didn''t retreat but lunged forward instead. A dagger glinting with a cold light stabbed hard into Noah''s chest, then she immediately pulled the knife out again. Blood sttered everywhere, sshing onto Rachel''s face.

    "Ugh..."

    The grip around Rachel''s arm loosened. She watched helplessly as Noah backed away and stumbled over to the railing. He was clutching at his chest and trying to stop the bleeding. However, Amber was a medical student. She knew about the vital spots of a human''s body better than anybody else. That attack had cost him his life.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s eyes were filled with a blood mist. She could barely see what was happening in front of her. This is insane! Amber has gone crazy!

 Chapter 321

    Amber pushed Noah over the railing right in front of Rachel.

    The man fell from the five-story high deck and plunged into the river with a ssh. While the lights on the deck were luminous, the view around them was pitch ck. At the same time, the ship was shrouded in fog.

    Not even a single soul discovered that a life was lost on that fateful night.

    "You killed him." Rachel covered her bleeding neck and took a step back.

    At this moment, Amber''s face was livid, but her eyes were horrendously red. She crouched down to pick up the knife. Even though it was covered in blood, she didn''t mind it one bit.

    As she stared at Rachel, she sneered, "He deserved it. He tortured me for six years. He should have gone to hell a long time ago! I''m about to get the form, so he wasn''t supposed to stay alive anymore!" The de reflected the moonlight as she pointed the knife at Rachel. "Tell me, what''s the password?"

    With a pale face, Rachel held the railing behind her with one hand.

    "Don''t expect anyone to save you. Do you think Noah was foolish? Do you believe he''d release Jolly just because you told him to do that?" Rachel felt her heart skipping a beat. "What did the two of you do to Jolly?"

    "Don''t worry. He wouldn''t dare to harm Jolly; she is just being detained somewhere. We were nning to release her after we got the password from you and left this ce." All of a sudden, Amber startedughing. "He shouldn''t have been so greedy. Now, he''ll never leave this ce again; he''ll have to stay in this river forever! Alright, stop wasting time. Tell me the password, and I''ll give you a decent death." Apart from telling her the password, Rachel had no other way to stall for time. Left with no choice, she told her a set of numbers.

    An eerie light lit up behind Amber''s eyes as she fished out her phone to contact someone from the pharmaceutical factory. Right then, she realized that there was no connectivity in this ce. "What''s going on?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Pretending to be clueless, Rachel asked, "What''s wrong?"

    She was certain that Amber had no right to board this ship. That was the reason why Amber had dressed up to disguise herself. Amber must have told Noah to help her sneak into the ship, so she wasn''t aware that there was no connectivity in this ce.

    "Don''t move!" Amber pointed the knife at her and warned her before lifting her phone in an attempt to look for some cellr connectivity. "The connection here is terrible. If you dare to move, I''ll kill you right now!"

    "I''m not moving." Rachel raised her hands as she racked her brain toe up with a way to escape. "There doesn''t seem to be any connectivity here, Amber. Why don''t I leave with you and head to the factory after the ship reaches the harbor?"

    Amber frowned and examined her. "Are you trying to flee when leaving the ship?"

    "If you kill me now, how are you going to verify the password I''ve told you?"

    The password? Suddenly thinking of something, Amber sneered. As she kept her phone, she inched closer to the other woman. "What do I need the password for? After I kill you, I''ll take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals and get someone to decode it. It''s not like your password is unbreakable."

    Damn it! Rachel felt her chest tightening. Why has she be so clever all of a sudden?

    "You shouldn''t havee back, Rachel. All this wouldn''t have happened without you. So, you can''t me me for doing this to you. me yourself for being sick of living!" As she spoke, Amber grasped the other woman''s arm.

    A cold glint shed through the de. When Rachel was about to be harmed by the knife, she eximed as her pupils expanded. At this moment, she could clearly see a figure charging toward Amber from behind.

    "Ahhh!" It was Amber who groaned in pain instead of Rachel as the towering figure kicked Amber aside.

    When Amber saw the person, her gaze turned as dark as ink. "Justin! I''ll kill you all!"

    Like a mad woman, she brandished the knife and dashed toward them.

    While supporting Rachel''s weight, Justin hurriedlynded a kick on Amber, who eximed and fell backward. Rachel''s pupils contracted as she extended her hand, but it was toote. They watched as Amber flipped over the railing and disappeared into the river.

    Rachel rushed toward the railing and looked down at the river. She could see a billow on the river as it diminished and disappeared in just a while, as though nothing had happened. "Rachel, are you alright?"

    She snapped back to reality upon hearing Justin''s voice. Staring at the man, she asked, "Why are you here?"

    "I should be the one asking you this question." When Justin saw the blood on her neck, he bit his tongue. "Forget it. We''ll go home first. Come with me."

    Presently, Rachel''s mind waspletely nk as she let the man lug her toward the cabin.

    Before she left, she caught a glimpse of a trace of blood on the railing that was left behind by Noah. It so happened that it was about to rain, and after that, all the traces would be washed away, and no one would discover anything.

    Upon entering the cabin, Rachel suddenly thought of something important. "Jolly! Jolly is still held captive by Noah''s people."

    "Noah?" Justin furrowed his brows.

    With no time to exin anything to him, Rachel uttered, "I have to look for Jolly."

    Right then, an argument was hearding from the stairwell. "Release me, Ryan! I said let me go!"

    Justin uttered, "It seems that we''ve found her."

    The door of the stairwell was pushed open as Ryan rudely lugged the woman out.

    As she was pulled forward, Jolly kicked him and snapped, "I''ll scream if you don''t release me. Help! Someone is molesting me! Help!"

    "Jolly!" Ryan bellowed. "Do you know I have many ways to keep your mouth shut?"

    "Do you think I''ll be intimidated? Let me go! Who do you think you are?"

    "I just saved you!"

    "Nonsense! You saved me? I was all good without you. I don''t have time to argue with you now. I have to get some people to save Chris!"

    Rachel couldn''t help but call out, "Jolly."

    When Jolly turned her head and saw Rachel standing alongside Justin, she became startled for a moment. Then, she pounced on Rachel and started crying. "Are you alright? I thought you were dead! I couldn''t find anyone to help me!"

    "I''m fine." Rachel hugged her and patted her back to appease her. "I''m still alive and kicking. How are you?"

    Jolly sniffled and said angrily, "I knew that Noah was ill-intentioned, so as soon as I left the ce, I started to flee and randomly snuck into a room. Guess what? I came across a perverted naked man. I didn''t deliberately try to watch him. I begged him to save me, but he said I was mad and pushed me out of the room. Damn it!"

    A puzzled Rachel asked, "What are you talking about?"

    A perverted naked man?

 My Mute Bride Chapter 322

    Chapter 322 The Engagement

    Jolly parted her lips in an attempt to exin herself, but she was unable to gather her thoughts and put it into words. Eventually, she waved her hand and uttered, "Forget it. We''ll talk about itter. Where are Noah and Amber?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel sported a conflicted expression and exchanged nces with Justin. There was an infirmary on the ship.

    Rachel''s neck was severely wounded. If her wounds were any deeper, they would have to be stitched up.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "Alright, don''t let your woundse into contact with water. Go to a hospital to have your wounds checked after you leave the ship. It''d be troublesome if your wounds are infected." "Thanks, doctor."

    "Don''t mention it. But what happened? Why are you seriously injured?"

    Just when Rachel was about to reply to him, Justin interrupted her by saying, "She tripped over and hit something sharp. It was an ident."

    Rachel took a nce at the man with a frown. When she was ready to say something, she saw the man sporting a solemn expression. Therefore, she decided to bite her tongue. Meanwhile, Jolly and Ryan were waiting for them in the room.

    As soon as the door was closed, Rachel asked, "Why didn''t you let me tell the truth just now? Two people are dead. I have to call the police now."

    Justin uttered, "If the murders that take ce here can be solved by calling the police, this vessel will be no different from other ships."

    "Two lives are gone for good. No one will care whether Amber is missing. However, Noah is the eldest son of the Hindenburg Conglomerate''s boss. Do you think the Hindenburgs won''t look into it?"

    "I don''t think the Hindenburgs are aware of Noah''s whereabouts tonight."

    Rachel became startled for a moment before turning to look at Ryan.

    With an emotionless expression, Ryan stared at her intently. There wasn''t a hint of fluster behind his cold-looking eyes. "Even if they''re aware of it, they can only call the police. What can the police find out? There are no surveince cameras on this cruise ship at all."

    In fact, Rachel had already discovered it.

    Since there were no surveince cameras, it meant that no one would find out what had happened. Even if there were witnesses, they couldn''t provide any solid evidence.

    "Do we just pretend that nothing has happened?" Rachel uttered in disbelief, for she reckoned that she should call the police since such an incident had happened.

    Ryan uttered rudely, "You''d better pretend nothing has happened. Even if you want to invite trouble to yourself, don''t drag others into it. When the cruise ship reaches the harbor, I''ll leave with Jolly. I don''t care whether you''ll leave this ce, but don''t mention Jolly when others ask you about the incident today."

    Rachel furrowed her brows. This guy named Ryan keeps talking about Jolly in a caring manner. He doesn''t seem as cold-blooded as what Jolly had described.

    However, Jolly retorted, "Stop scaring us. Am I even close to you? Why should I leave the ship with you just because you tell me to? Ryan, I''m telling you-stop telling my best friend what to do. Who do you think you are?"

    "Jolly! Can''t you see I''m helping you?"

    "I don''t believe anything you say."

    Ryan''s face fell instantly. "What do you mean by that? I''vee all the way here to save you because I''m worried about your safety, but in the end, it''s all my fault. You''re just as reckless and unreasonable as back then."

    "Back then? How do you even have the nerve to talk about the past with me?"

    It seemed that an argument between them was inevitable.

    Just as Rachel wanted to say something, she was pulled into the bedroom by Justin.

    "Why are you pulling me away?"

    "It''s a matter between them. Let them sort it out themselves."

    "Ryan is a hypocrite," Rachel said furiously. "If he were a responsible man, he wouldn''t have dumped the pregnant Jolly and married another woman."

    Justin''s face stiffened when he heard that. He had no right to give anyment because he was also a scoundrel, just like Ryan. He had done the same thing to Rachel before. "I''m sorry, Rachel."

    It took Rachel quite some time to understand why he apologized to her. Then, she gazed at him with a frown. "I wasn''t talking about you."

    She had gotten even with Justin, and she had no intention of bringing up the incident from the past.

    Upon seeing that she had calmed down, Justin turned around and poured a cup of water. "It''ll take some time before the ship reaches the harbor. Take a rest."

    As Rachel listened to the argument outside, she knew that there was nothing she could do. Instead, she might even worsen the situation if she decided to interfere. After a nod, she took a seat and touched her neck.

    "Don''t move." An agile Justin quickly grabbed her wrist. "You can''t touch it."

    His rather warm palm sent Rachel into a dazed state. It wasn''t until a momentter that she came to her senses and gently struggled out of his grip. "Thanks."

    "What are you thanking me for?"

    "Thanks for caring about my safety. If you hadn''t saved me in time, I would''ve been hurled into the river."

    Justin uttered gently, "If you really want to thank me, don''t do anything dangerous again. As you can see, no one will find out, even if murders take ce on this ship."

    Rachel fell silent.

    Upon seeing her expression, Justin knew that she had taken his advice lightly. At that instant, he was torn between getting furious and continuing to persuade her. His chest heaved with frustration. The air seemed to have frozen instantly.

    Rachel took a sip of her tea, as she had no intention of having a discussion with him. At the same time, she kept looking at the door and listened to the argument between Jolly and Ryan.

    "You dumped me in the past because you wanted to pursue a brighter future. How do you have the gall to pester me now? You got married once, Ryan. Do you think you''re still as attractive as before?" "If you hadn''t lied to me, I would''ve married you!"

    "No! It was the youngdy of Carter Enterprise who was getting married to you, not me."

    "What''s the difference?"

    The argument went on. They used to be lovers, but everything changed when they met again. As expected, their argument revolved around trivial matters.

    "Do men always have so many excuses? Parents, career, future... But they still have the nerve to say that they''re doing it for the other party and go on to hurt their women."

    Justin frowned. "I heard that Ryan and Jolly were engaged."

    "Yes." Rachel nodded. "In fact, Ryan was right. If Jolly hadn''t made a scene back then, they would''ve gotten married. They might even be living a happy life together now. However, he doesn''t have a right to say that Jolly was wrong."

    Ryan and Jolly were engaged at that time, but they had never met each other before. Naturally, she wouldn''t want to marry a man she had nevere into contact with before. Therefore, she approached the man with a fake name and identity.

    "She didn''t expect that she''d really get together with Ryan eventually. However, Ryan suddenly told her that he had a fianc¨¦e and that he wouldn''t call off the wedding."

    Upon hearing that, Justin furrowed his brows. "Did he break up with Jolly?"

    Rachel sneered, "He would''ve been considered a gentleman if he broke up with Jolly. The fact is, he wanted to make Jolly wait for him for three years."

    Jolly had always been a haughty person. Even though the so-called fianc¨¦e was herself, she couldn''t put up with the humiliation that the man had inflicted upon her. Infuriated, she decided to go missing. "Do her parents know that Samuel''s father is Ryan?"

    "They don''t. That''s why they''ve always felt sorry about the wedding that had been called off. Over the years, they''ve offered a lot of help to Ryan in his business. Why do you think he could be so sessful now?"

    Staring at the door, she uttered coldly, "How can he say that he still loves Jolly? He''s doing all this because he knows that Jolly is the youngdy from the Carter Family. It''s revolting!"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 323

    Chapter 323 Using Jolly for Money Laundering

    For some reason, as Justin listened to Rachelmbasting Ryan, he couldn''t help but specte that she might be seeing him in the same light.

    "Why are they so silent?" Rachel stared at the door and frowned. She had to check on Jolly and Ryan, as the notion that they were staying in the same ce alone unsettled her.

    All of a sudden, Justin took her hand. A startled Rachel turned her head and saw the man sporting a solemn expression. "I don''t know whether Ryan is really the kind of person you''ve described, but you need to know that I''m not the same."

    At that moment, Rachel was astounded.

    Justin went on to say, "From now on, I''ll never hurt you using any excuse. If I do, I''ll die a horrible death."

    The way he made an oath stunned Rachel.

    Amnesia was the most inconceivable thing to her ever. The man who used to be ruthless and indifferent was now making an oath to make her happy.

    Unfortunately, she didn''t take the oath seriously, as she believed that the man was just trying to please her. Justin and Ryan are birds of a feather.

    "Chris!" Jolly suddenly eximed. "Come here now!"

    Rachel came to her senses and replied, "I''ming."

    She took a nce at Justin, who then let her go.

    They shuffled toward the living room before seeing that Jolly and Ryan were standing at the table, on which the gift box given to Jolly by Julia was ced.

    The box was opened, and the hem of the wedding dress was hung over the edge of the box.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel walked over. "Why did you take it out?"

    Jolly uttered, "There''s something wrong with this wedding dress."

    Rachel''s eyes fell upon the wedding dress. "What do you mean?"

    "Look."

    The wedding dress was intricately made, as there wereyers ofces. Jolly lifted the hem and took Rachel''s hand before leading her to feel it. There seemed to be some very hard objects in one of theyers. They had no idea what those were, but these objects felt as hard as stones.

    After lifting theces, they saw the interfacing in the middle of the dress where the objects were concealed.

    If they hadn''t deliberately looked into it, they wouldn''t have discovered it, as the wedding dress was multiyered.

    "What are these?"

    "I don''t know." Jolly shook her head. "He discovered it."

    While they were having an argument earlier, they identally knocked the gift box over.

    As soon as Ryan saw the wedding dress, he questioned Jolly about what was going on. Upon learning that it was a wedding dress given to her by someone from the club, he immediately realized that something must be wrong with it. He was eventually proven right.

    "Is this some kind of new design?" Jolly ran her hand over the hem as she let her imagination run wild. "Maybe it''s for a massage effect or to keep the hem in ce."

    "I''ve never heard of such a design before." Rachel touched the dress and felt that something was off. "Why are these objects fixed inside? I can''t even move them." "We just have to cut it and see what''s inside." Ryan''s voice reverberated in the room.

    Jolly nned on selling the wedding dress, so she didn''t agree to it. However, she was unable to stop him as the man already had a pair of scissors in his hand.

    The next moment, the interfacing in the middle was cut open. As soon as the objects inside it were revealed, all of them were dazzled by the icy glint. With narrowed eyes, they stared at the objects in disbelief. Presently, they could see that a lot of diamonds asrge as nails had been woven on the interfacing as these precious items twinkled under the light.

    "My goodness." Even though Jolly was born wealthy, she had never seen so many diamonds all at once.

    Ryan put down the wedding dress and said with a solemn expression, "There''s no free lunch in this world. Have you ever thought about why Julia Bowman would give you a wedding dress woven with diamonds when you''re not even close to her?"

    "She said that it''s a promise between my dad and her."

    "She promised to give you a wedding dress embedded with diamonds?" Ryan shot her a nce. "If I''m not mistaken, she''s trying to do some moneyundering by using this wedding dress as a disguise." "Moneyundering?" Jolly''s expression changed. "What do you mean?"

    "If nothing unexpected happens, you''ll leave the ship with this wedding dress, and you won''t use it in a short period of time. The way I see it, you''ll probably sell the wedding dress, which will be resold several times and end up in a foreign country. In the end, it''ll go back into Julia''s hands, but she''ll already be overseas by then."

    The customs officers would never discover the diamonds inside the wedding dress. That way, arge amount of money in the form of diamonds would arrive in a foreign country safely, and those from the Investigation Bureau would never find out.

    Even if they discovered anything, this wedding dress belonged to Jolly, and there was no evidence to suggest that it had anything to do with Julia.

    A horrified Rachel uttered, "You mean Julia is using Jolly for moneyundering by sending these diamonds abroad?"

    "Yes."

    A nonchnt Jolly said, "It''s not like I care. Since I''ve discovered these diamonds, I won''t sell them. Instead, I''ll go to a jewelry shop and turn them into diamond essories."

    "Do you think Julia will let you keep these diamonds?"

    As Ryan''s voice reverberated around the room, Rachel knitted her brows.

    At this moment, she couldn''t help but admire the fact that Ryan was truly astute. If he hadn''t found these diamonds, Jolly and she would leave the ship with these precious items without knowing it.

    If they came across any danger in the future, they would never realize that it had anything to do with the wedding dress.

    "The ship is reaching the harbor soon."

    All of them came to their senses upon hearing Justin''s words.

    These precious items were undoubtedly hot potatoes for them now. If they left the ship with these diamonds, they''d invite trouble to themselves. However, if they left these diamonds behind, they''d still fall into danger.

    Without needing Ryan to break it to them, Rachel and Jolly were aware that some people were paying close attention to the wedding dress outside the room.

    Rachel asked, "Please stop putting us on tenterhooks, Mr. Sutton. We''re about to reach the harbor. What should we do now?"

    "Keep it inside the box and leave the ship with it."

    "Before Julia retrieves these diamonds, we''ll be continuously monitored, right?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    "They''re keeping a close eye on the wedding dress, not you all. What if the dress is in someone else''s hands?"

    Rachel and Jolly were startled upon hearing that.

    As she listened to the sound of the ship''s horn, Jolly uttered impatiently, "Cut to the chase. Stop beating around the bush with us! I don''t understand it, and I have no time for this." Ryan suggested by saying, "When we leave the ship, I''ll bring the wedding dress with me."

    Jolly was shocked. "You want to take this dress with you?"

    Upon understanding his intention, Rachel and Justin exchanged nces.

    Ryan was doing this to protect Jolly. Once the wedding dress was in his hands, Julia''s subordinates would only have their eyes on him. After what happened on the cruise ship, Rachel became aware of what Julia was really like.

    She might appear to be a gentle and elegantdy, but she was actually a ruthless person who had no qualms about killing people. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have organized such a banquet on the Golden Cruise.

    However, Jolly snorted. "Ryan, you''re trying to take these diamonds away, right?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 324

    Chapter 324 Men Cannot Be Trusted

    As soon as Jolly finished speaking, all of them in the room fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The veins on Ryan''s hand pulsated as he grasped the wedding dress. Even though he remained silent, his expression suggested that he was incensed. Rachel was starting to sweat upon seeing that.

    In fact, Rachel wasn''t fond of Ryan either. However, in this kind of situation, they had figured out that the diamonds in the wedding dress were nothing more than hot potatoes, so there was no way he could swallow them up.

    Jolly had gone overboard by saying that.

    "Jolly." Rachel took her arm. "I believe Mr. Sutton is sincerely trying to help you. You''ve got him wrong.ˇ±

    "Really?" Jolly stared coldly at the man. "If he really doesn''t have any ill intentions, why doesn''t he leave an IOU?"

    Rachel pursed her lips and uttered in a small voice, "You''re crossing the line..."

    Ryan had offered to help them handle this wedding dress and divert Julia''s attention. Instead of thanking him, Jolly doubted his sincerity and even demanded an IOU, which was ridiculous.

    What was even more inconceivable was that Ryan nodded in agreement without hesitation. "Alright. How do you want me to write it?"

    Initially, Rachel thought that Jolly was just trying to enrage Ryan, but she never expected her best friend to pick up a piece of paper and a pen before passing them to Ryan. "Jot down what I''m about to say." Right in front of everyone''s eyes, Ryan directly took the pen and paper before sitting down.

    "I, Ryan Sutton, have borrowed D Color five-carat diamonds from Jolly Carter on the Golden Cruise..." Just then, Jolly turned to look at Rachel. "Count how many diamonds there are." Rachel came to her senses and straightened the intecing before doing a quick multiplication by using the grid method. "Three hundred."

    Given the grade of these diamonds, one five-carat diamond would cost somewhere between 600,000 to 2 million. Hence, the diamonds hidden within the wedding dress were worth over 100 million. That revtion made Rachel gasp.

    Even if Julia and Richard were close to each other, there was no way she''d give Jolly diamonds that were worth over 100 million. Moreover, if these diamonds were really meant to be given to Jolly, why were they hidden in a wedding dress? Wasn''t she worried that Jolly might lose them by ident?

    Hence, Ryan''s analysis was right. There must be something off about it. The diamonds were most probably used for moneyundering.

    Jolly went on to say, "There are three hundred five-carat diamonds in total. You have to return them to me in one month. If they''re damaged or lost, you have to give mepensation that is equivalent to the market value of these diamonds."

    "One month?" Ryan shot her a nce. "I can''t guarantee that Julia will believe the wedding dress will never go back to you in one month. It''s dangerous."

    "How long do you need, then?"

    "One year."

    "One year?"

    "Don''t worry." Ryan could clearly see the displeasure at her gaze. "I''ll return the diamonds to you in one year. If I fail to do that by then, I''llpensate you double the market value of these diamonds." Upon hearing that, Justin was surprised as well.

    Despite knowing that Jolly was just trying to con him, Ryan didn''t mind it one bit. Not only was he willing to give her hundreds of millions, but he was also bearing the risk in her stead. There was no doubt that he was a generous and valiant man.

    Jolly traded nces with Rachel, who nodded at her. It was apparent that Jolly should stop pushing her luck.

    "Alright, one year that is. Write it down."

    Certainly, Rachel had figured out what was on Jolly''s mind.

    Jolly didn''t have the courage to keep the wedding dress by her side, but she was also reluctant to throw it away. Obviously, she would want to con Ryan into giving her arge amount of money. Now, she secretly hoped that the man would lose the diamonds and give her the money.

    This way, not only did she not have to bear the risk, but she would also earn hundreds of millions. She believed that she would have a sweet dreamter that night.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    On the other hand, Rachel was rmed. What is Ryan trying to achieve by agreeing to a deal that will certainly make him lose money?

    "What is he trying to achieve?" When leaving the ship, Jolly directly helped Rachel clear her doubt. "This kind of man ces himself first, and the people rted to him by bloode second. I''m not important, but he believes that Samuel is his son. Isn''t Justin the same?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel balled up her fists. She''s right. The reason Justin always follows me around is that Charlotte is my daughter. The child only wants me and no one else.

    Jolly remarked, "Men cannot be trusted."

    Rachel took a look at the bag in the other woman''s hand and said, "Only diamonds can be trusted. Am I right?ˇ±

    "That''s right." Jolly arched her brow.

    The cruise ship had been parked at the harbor. At the lower end of thedder, two ushers were retrieving all of their electronic bracelets and registering their departure. Presently, Ryan and Justin walked in front of thedies.

    There were many people around, so Rachel was unable to identify the person sent by Julia to keep an eye on the wedding dress. Maybe the person was a dapper young man who disguised himself as one of the guests. Maybe the person was the usher at the door.

    She realized that she was too anxious.

    On the other hand, Jolly was calm and collected. Right in front of everyone, she yelled at Ryan, who was facing away from her. "Ryan! Can you wait for me?"

    The man yed along and turned around to wait for her in the same spot. There was a helpless but loving expression on his face. It wasn''t certain whether he was putting on a show or being sincere. Jolly walked over in a haughty manner. When the electronic bracelet was taken away from her, she passed the bag to Ryan. "Take it."

    The two ushers traded nces.

    Upon seeing that, Rachel felt her palms sweating.

    If Ryan and Justin hadn''te, or if Jolly and Ryan hadn''t gotten into an argument, no one would''ve discovered the diamonds inside the wedding dress. In that case, they would be targeted the moment they left the ship, and no one knew what would happen next.

    It was already the small hours, but the banquet on the cruise ship was still ongoing.

    When Julia, who was seated in a luxuriously decorated room, heard a subordinate''s report, her expression changed. "Did you see it clearly? Did she pass the dress to Ryan?"

    "Yes."

    "Aren''t they together?"

    "No. They parted ways after leaving the ship. Ryan left the ce alone. Miss Carter seems to be living in the Burton Residence for now, so she has left with Miss Hudson and President Burton from the Burton Group."

    "I told you that it wasn''t going to work! Ryan is a scheming man. Through the contact between us, I know that it''s not easy to manipte him, so I''ve always restricted his right to attend the club''s events so that he won''t be able to leak our secrets. However, you sent the diamonds straight to him!"

    A man''s voice was suddenly heard in the room. He was one of the founders of the Jockey Club, Randall Baxter. Presently, he was criticizing Julia with a dark expression.

    Julia refuted, "How would I know that Ryan would interfere in this matter? After Jefferey got into trouble, the situation in the country was terrible for us as we were targeted by the Investigation Bureau. If we don''t get rid of the diamonds quickly, are we going to wait for inspection?"

    "What do you think we can do, then?"

    "Keep an eye on Ryan." Julia''s face fell as she ordered, "All of you, keep a close eye on him and retrieve the diamonds as soon as possible. If there''s something wrong with him, just kill him and remember not to leave any traces behind."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 325

    Chapter 325 The Reason She Stays by His Side

    It had been a night of a roller-coaster ride, which felt surreal to all of them. At the break of dawn, they finally arrived at the Burton Residence.

    Justin took a look at the time and uttered, "You two can wash up first. The chauffeur will fetch meter. I''ll tell him to buy you breakfast. You can have some food before sleeping."

    A surprised Rachel asked, "Aren''t you going to have a rest?"

    "No. My flight will take off at about 9.00AM. I have to go on a business trip for a few days."

    "What a busy man." Jolly yawned. "I''m not going to have breakfast. I''m dead-tired. You guys can have all the food."

    Rachel was exhausted, but she wasn''t sleepy at all. Both Noah and Amber fell into the river right in front of her. As soon as she closed her eyes, she would recall those horrifying moments.

    Knowing what was on her mind, Justinforted her by saying, "Stop thinking about it. They only have themselves to me."

    Rachel pursed her lips as constion was thest thing she needed now. "I''m not going to have breakfast. I need a rest now."

    When she left, she staggered and almost fell to the ground. An agile Justin wanted to support her weight, but before he even touched her, the woman moved away from him. Upon seeing the aversion behind her eyes, he became startled.

    Without saying anything, Rachel frowned and headed upstairs.

    As Justin''s bony fingers curled inwards, all he could grasp was air, and he felt hollow in his heart.

    "Daddy."

    Justin came to his senses when he heard a child''s voice from upstairs. Charlotte was d in pajamas with strawberry patterns, and as she rubbed her eyes, she looked like she was still very sleepy.

    In a sweet voice, she said, "Did you juste home, Daddy? Where''s Mommy?"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Justin replied, "She has returned to her room."

    Charlotte yawned as her chubby face turned to Rachel''s room. Still in a groggy state, she shuffled toward her mother''s room.

    Upon seeing that, Justin scurried upstairs and quickly picked up the young kid before uttering in a gentle voice, "Your mommy is exhausted, Charlotte. Let her have a rest."

    "But I want to sleep with Mommy."

    "I''ll keep youpany."

    Charlotte''s eyes were only half-open, as she was still sleepy. Upon hearing that, she subconsciously nodded and rested her head on her father''s shoulder, almost dozing off in his embrace. With the young kid in his arms, Justin ambled toward her room and put her down on the bed. When he saw that she had slumbered off with stable breathing, he couldn''t help but smile. Was she sleepwalking or something?

    When he thought of the fact that he wasn''t going to see his daughter for a few days, he decided to take a seat by the bed and examine the young kid. Her gaze looked just like Rachel''s, and there seemed to be a permanent smile on her lips.

    While he was doing that, he caught a glimpse of a palm-sized paper crane on the bedside table. It was supposed to be her holiday homework.

    The paper crane was beautifully folded. The only problem was that it was folded from a piece of in white paper. Moreover, there seemed to be some words written on it.

    When Justin took a closer look at it, he narrowed his eyes.

    At this moment, Rachel was taking a shower in the guest room''s bathroom as she let the watering from the showerhead rain on her. As soon as she closed her eyes, she recalled the moment Amber jabbed her knife into Noah''s body as the blood sshed on her.

    Amber wasn''t supposed to stay alive. If it weren''t because of Jeffery and her, all this wouldn''t have happened.

    Rachel lowered her head and rubbed her fingers under the running water, but she still felt as though she could take a whiff of blood. When she opened her eyes, she became frustrated.

    It wasn''t until her fingers turned pale that she stopped and turned off the running water. After putting on her pajamas, she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Justin sitting on the couch. "Why are you here?" Justin uttered, "I''m going on a business trip for a few days, so I won''t be able to contact you during this period of time."

    Rachel frowned. "I''ll take good care of Charlotte."

    "Don''t you have anything else to say to me?"

    "Have a safe trip." She didn''t even bother to conceal her perfunctory behavior when she said that.

    Instantly, Justin''s face fell. "Do you think you''ll only be at ease when I''m not around, Rachel?"

    "You''re overthinking. Isn''t your flight going to take off at 9.00AM? Where''s the chauffeur?" "Let''s get married."

    His sudden announcement caught Rachel off guard as she stopped toweling her hair and gazed at the man. "What did you just say?"

    "I said let''s get married."

    "We''ve had this conversation before. I won''t consider getting married now."

    "Tell me when you''ll ever consider it and whether you''re even taking me into your consideration. Perhaps I''ve never been in your future ns, am I right?"

    "What''s wrong with you?" Rachel furrowed her brows. "I''m not in the mood to talk about it now, Justin. Aren''t you going to board a ne? We''ll talk about it when you return." "When I return?" Justin suddenly snorted as his gaze was filled with coldness. "Will you wait for my return? When I''m back, you''ll probably have left this house with Charlotte." "What on earth are you talking about?"

    Just then, Justin mmed a piece of wrinkled paper on the table and roared, "This is the real reason you''re staying by my side, Rachel!"

    The contents of the paper could be seen clearly-it was awsuit for the child''s custody.

    Rachel narrowed her eyes and gripped the towel tighter.

    "Why are you silent? Exin yourself!"

    "What do you want me to say?" Rachel''s gaze was so calm that she almost seemed indifferent. "Are there any reasons for me to stay in this house if not for Charlotte?"

    "You''ve never told me about it!"

    "What do you want me to tell you? I''m leaving with Charlotte? Or I''m ready to fight for the child''s custody? What would you say if you were me?"

    Justin stared at the woman in disbelief. "Is this what''s on your mind all along? I thought you..."

    He didn''t finish his words as he found what he was about to sayughable. He thought that since they had stayed in the same house for quite some time now, she would see him in a different light. With that said, he was aware that it might be difficult for her to forget the grudges between them. However, it never crossed his mind that all she wanted all along was the child''s custody.

    "So, you''ve always had an ulterior motive and never been frank with me since your return."

    "Frank with you?" Rachel uttered with a disdainful sneer.

    At this moment, she stared at the man with an indifferent gaze, but at the same time, she found himughable and pitiful. He was the one who taught her not to be frank with anyone five years ago, but here he was using her of concealing her intentions from him now. In a slow manner, she uttered, "Do you think you''re suffering a loss, Justin? You''re still so conceited. You''ve never changed one bit."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 326

    Chapter 326 You Don''t Deserve to Be a Father

    "Rachel Hudson! What have I ever done to you for you to treat me in this manner!? I''ve resolved all the misunderstandings and apologized for everything. Isn''t that enough!?" Justin''s roar reverberated throughout the house.

    On the other hand, Rachel was calmer by the minute. "Do you think I''m trying to get revenge on you? I don''t think so. I just feel that you don''t deserve to be a father."

    Justin had many opportunities throughout these five years to raise Charlotte well, but he had failed to do so. Willful, arrogant, overbearing, and conceited... These were all the bad traits that could be found in the five-year-old girl. This was the most important reason as to why Rachel wanted to take Charlotte away.

    "I''m not worthy?" He was so furious that heughed. "You vanished for five years, but you think I''m not worthy?"

    "I refuse to argue with you about this. Since I''ve said everything that needs to be said, I''m going to take Samuel away with me today."

    Rachel went to take her luggage as she spoke. She never intended to stay here for long in the first ce, so the items that she brought with her were minimal. Spreading her luggage open on the bed, it only took her a short while to finish packing most of her things.

    "I won''t allow you to leave!" Justin pressed down on her luggage. In his rage, he pushed the luggage to the ground.

    Crash. Everything inside was overturned.

    She only frowned and looked at him as he held her hand. "Let go."

    He gnashed his teeth together. "What do you take this ce for? Did you think you can juste and go as you please?"

    "You can refuse to let go." She turned on the voice recording function of her phone right in front of him and coldly added, "However, I will keep the evidence. I don''t mind asking Hernandez to help me to file another personal injurywsuit.ˇ±

    "Hernandez! It''s always Hernandez!" Hearing this name again at this time undoubtedly served to add fuel to the fire. It felt as though all the rage in Justin''s heart rushed to his head. He was unable to control the strength in his arms. It was almost as though he could keep a firm hold on her by doing this. Thus, he refused to release Rachel''s hand no matter what.

    Looking at the woman in front of him who was holding back but being indifferent at the same time, he felt as though he was a clown who had been taken for a fool all this time. She had him wrapped around her finger. "Don''t forget that you and I have amonw rtionship right now. There are some things that cannot be defined by thew!"

    "What are you doing!?"

    Rachel stumbled and fell on the bed as the pupils of her eyes abruptly contracted. In the moment that her shoulder was forcefully pressed down, her voice was stuck in her throat. The magnified face of a man suddenly appeared right in front of her.

    Justin pinned her arms down with absolute overwhelming force, holding them high above her head. It was not a kiss. It was possession. This was the most primal and basic instinct a man had toward a woman since it was the most brutal possession and the most arrogant control over her.

    "Umm-"

    In desperation, she bit down on him.

    His eyebrows trembled fiercely, but he refused to stop. The taste of blood spread in his mouth, causing the mouth cavity to be filled with blood. Blood trickled out from the corner of her mouth and dripped onto the gray bedspread. One drop... Two drops...

    He freed one of his hands before the crisp metal sound of his belt being unbuckled echoed in the space between them.

    When Rachel realized what he wanted to do, a feeling of nausea immediately flooded her. She did not know where the strength came from. Her eyes glinted and she viciously raised her knee. "Argh!" Justin let out a pained cry and released her, clutching at his abdomen. It hurt so much that he felt like he was going to die.

    Even so, she seemed to feel that it was not enough. She used all her strength to kick him straight off the bed as a result. Without the slightest hesitation, she then grabbed her phone and ran outside. It took a long while before Justin could recover from the extreme pain.

    His eyes turned crimson when he saw Rachel''s departing back. The hand that was supporting himself against the bedpost suddenly lost all strength and he slid onto the carpet. There was no space for him to ce his feet, so his legs were curled up together. It was truly a miserable sight.

    The words ''You don''t deserve to be a father'' echoed in his ears and it lingered for ages.

    I don''t exist in her heart, not in the slightest. She only stayed here for her daughter. She nned all of this from the beginning. Approaching me was only to use the Burton Family name to gain a firm foothold in Riverdale, bring down the Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and take revenge on Jefferey and Amber to avenge Hans. Agreeing to stay here was only because it was more convenient for her to take care of Charlotte and learn more about me in preparation for future custody battles. Howughable. And, here I thought that she still had some feelings for me.

    At this moment, his phone rang. It was a call from Frankie.

    "President Burton, I''m going to buy breakfast now. Are there any special requests?"

    "Don''t need it anymore."

    "Huh?" Frankie was stunned for a moment. "Then, should I pick you up right now and head for the airport?"

    "Book another ticket. I''m bringing Charlotte with me."

    "You''re bringing Charlotte?"

    "You don''t need to go anymore. Stay in Riverdale and get the best divorce attorney avable."

    He waspletely confused at this point. "A divorce attorney? Who is getting a divorce?"

    Justin''s expression was extremely grim. The veins in his hand that was holding the phone throbbed as he responded coldly, "Not a divorce. It''s about the custodial rights for Charlotte."

    His daughter was his bottom line. He would never allow anybody to take his daughter away from him, not even Rachel.

    On the other side, Rachel was still in a bathrobe when she ran out of the Burton Residence. Moreover, she only had her phone on her.

    She entered the garage and locked the car seconds after she hopped inside. At the same time, she dialed Hernandez''s number.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Hernandez had the habit of waking up early to exercise. Therefore, he was already awake and running in the gym. While running, he answered Rachel''s phone call in high spirits. "Hey, Chris. Did you miss me so early in the morning, Babe?"

    Rachel was in no mood to joke around with him. She clenched her fists to suppress the trembling of her fingers and forced herself to remain calm. "You can begin the litigation process now."

    "What''s wrong?" He could tell that something was wrong from her voice. "Why so suddenly? Did something happen?"

    "Justin saw one of the draftwsuits that I left behind earlier."

    "Just only?"

    "Yes, it happened just now."

    "Where are you right now? I''ll pick you up." Hernandez''s first reaction was to worry about Rachel''s safety. Thus, he immediately leaped off the treadmill.

    "No need, I''ve already left the house. I''m inside my car. I will drive myself. Pleasee here to pick Jolly and Samuel upter."

    Jolly and Samuel were still staying there. Rachel was not worried that Justin would do something to them because Jolly was the precious daughter of the Carter Enterprise after all. In addition, he was also aware of Samuel''s origins. He would not offend the Carter Enterprise just to take revenge on Rachel.

    Hernandez agreed immediately. "Don''t worry. Leave it to me."

    Even after ending the phone call, Rachel''s hand that was holding the steering wheel continued to tremble lightly. She was not afraid but disgusted. Whenever she thought of what Justin was going to do to her earlier, she was ovee with a physical sense of disgust.

    The darkest days of her life were the days after she was locked up five years ago. She would never forget those days and yet, the initial perpetrator dared to question her why she felt nothing for him.

    Howughable. Rachel did not think deeply about this matter. Driving the car out of the garage, she left quickly. I had no intention of fighting thiswsuit so early, but it would seem that things are out of my control now.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 327

    Chapter 327 Fighting for Custodial Rights

    Hernandez went to pick Jolly and Samuel up in the afternoon. As soon as they arrived, she sent Samuel to wait in his room. "Chris, Justin took Charlotte with him.

    Rachel was sitting on the sofa and ying with her tea set. "He is going on a business trip. Furthermore, he suddenly learned that I n to fight him for Charlotte''s custodial rights. He must be worried that I will take Charlotte away when he isn''t around, so he took countermeasures in advance."

    "Does he think that everybody is as despicable as him? We had plenty of opportunities to secretly take Charlotte away if we wanted to. Why would we wait until today?" Jolly plopped herself down on the sofa. "Just because he himself is shameless, he thinks that everybody else is shameless too."

    "Hernandez, how high are our chances of winning thiswsuit?" Rachel handed a cup of tea to Hernandez.

    Hernandez replied, ˇ°50-50."

    "Only 50-50?" Jolly raised an eyebrow at those words. "Hernandez, that''s not what you told me previously."

    "First of all, as the incident from five years ago had urred too long ago, there''s not enough evidence. That''s why we nned to target the fact that Justin has a tendency for violence, but it might be a little difficult. Not to mention that there''s no way to build concrete evidence around the fact that he visits a psychologist. If the other party provides a medical report, then it won''t work if we use him of having psychological issues... There''s one more point and the most important one at that."

    "What is it?" She was a little anxious. "Don''t keep us hanging. Just tell us."

    Hernandez continued, "The issue regarding Samuel. This is not an absolute stiption. Nevertheless, the local divorcews generally state that each parent would obtain custody of one child in situations where there are two children and no issues with the parents'' respective economic power."

    "Samuel is not Chris'' child, though."

    "As long as he is her child in the legal sense, then that''s enough."

    Jolly furrowed her eyebrows. "In the worst case scenario..."

    "There''s no need for that." Rachel suddenly interrupted Jolly. "I know what you''re thinking. There won''t be any problems with Samuel to be registered under my name as I''ve already thought of a way." "What way?"

    "We might not have concrete evidence for the incident five years ago, but what about now?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    She unlocked her phone and ced it on the table. Justin''s thunderous roar sounded from the recording. It was what she had recorded when he came to her room to question her after he discovered thewsuit papers earlier this morning.

    Hernandez stood up abruptly and shouted furiously. "This beast! How dare he treat you like that! I''m going to sue him for rape!"

    "Calm down, Hernandez. We need to focus on the big picture here."

    He clenched his fists tightly and revealed a rare menacing expression. "Chris, I will definitely win thiswsuit for you. This man is neither deserving of you nor a daughter."

    "Thank you." Rachel nodded lightly.

    "I didn''t even know anything. I was asleep at the time." Jolly held Rachel''s hand. "Did you get hurt?"

    "Don''t worry. I''m fine."

    Ever since returning to the country, Rachel had already mentally prepared herself to face everything. A leopard could not change its spots. Even if Justin had lost his memories, the selfish and cruel nature that was etched into his very bones would never change. As he could not tolerate betrayal and schemes, she was not surprised by how today''s incident had yed out.

    Hernandez affirmed her words. "It''s true that this recording can serve as part of the evidence."

    "However, this is not enough. The Burton Family has deep roots in Riverdale. Unless we have an overwhelming advantage, even Ick the confidence to win thewsuit."

    He was slightly taken aback by those words. As he looked into her eyes, he asked, "Chris, what do you n to do?"

    "If there is no evidence, then we can always create it."

    The look in Rachel''s eyes was unexpectedly cold and fierce. It was a huge difference from her usual gentle and quiet appearance. She slowly tightened her hand around her teacup until even her knuckles had turned white.

    Ever since I was young, my grandmother taught me to be considerate and righteous. She taught me to be kind to others. However, society is a ce governed by natural selection and the survival of the fittest. If I don''t deal with other people decisively, then those people will turn on me instead.

    Late at night in Cred Valley.

    "I don''t want to stay here! I want to go back to Riverdale! I want my mommy!"

    "Miss Charlotte, please don''t make things difficult for me. President Burton is in a meeting right now and has informed us to take care of you. We can get you anything you want."

    "I don''t want anything! I want to go home!"

    "Miss Charlotte, please behave. Eat something first. After you finish eating, President Burton will bring you home once he is done with his work." While speaking, the servant walked over with a te of food. Crash. Charlotte unceremoniously knocked the te over, which caused the food to scatter all over the ground.

    The five-year-old girl did not hold back at all when she screamed. Her eyes zed with rage as she yelled with great authority, "Who are you trying to fool?! Don''t think I don''t know that Daddy didn''t ask you to take care of me! He asked you to lock me up instead!"

    When she woke up this morning, she found herself in a hotel. In her drowsy state, she originally thought that it was just a dream. It was not until she saw the two servants in front of her that she understood- she had been brought along on one of her father''s business trips.

    The two servants knew that this spoiled child was not easy to serve. One of them knelt on the floor to clean up the mess while the other blocked the door to prevent Charlotte from leaving. "Miss Charlotte, you cannot leave. Please don''t make things difficult for us."

    "Move aside!" A childish voice echoed throughout the room. "I told you to move aside!"

    The sound of a door opening came from the living room, to which the two servants reacted like salvation hade for them. "President Burton, you''re back!"

    Justin immediately knew that Charlotte was being difficult when he saw the mess in the room.

    "What''s wrong?" He entered the room patiently and waved his hand to dismiss the two servants. "Is the food not to your liking?"

    "I don''t want to eat! I want Mommy!" Charlotte crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking extremely angry. "Why did you bring me here?"

    He responded without batting an eye. "Didn''t you always say that I spend so much time on business trips that I don''t have time to take care of you? That''s why I brought you along with me this time. I''ll bring you back once I''m done with my work."

    "When will you be done with your work?"

    "I don''t know."

    "Daddy! You''re lying to me!"

    "What did I lie to you about?"

    "Did you fight with Mommy again?" Charlotte hit the nail on the head. "I want to call Mommy. Give me your phone."

    Justin frowned. Looking at his daughter who was nearly six years old, he suddenly felt as though time had passed very quickly. Back then, she was just a baby with big and innocent eyes swaddled tightly in cloth. The child who used to know nothing and only knew how to cry was now able to eloquently argue and rebel against him. In fact, she often caused so much trouble that he didn''t know what to do. There were some questions that he needed to ask clearly. "Charlotte,e here."

    "Why?" She was still angry at him, so she walked over to him unwillingly. "Don''t even think about trying to coax me. I want to see Mommy. Why don''t you bring Mommy here? Don''t forget Samuel, Godmother, and Aunt Gloria. Bring them all here."

    He crouched down and asked in all seriousness, "Charlotte, what if your mommy and I will never be together again? Who will you follow?"

    She was stunned by those words. Her furious expression immediately copsed and she burst into tears with a loud wail.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 328

    Chapter 328 Secret Rivalry

    Raised by Justin himself, Charlotte was used to being spoiled and willful. It was true that she often burst into tears and kicked up a fuss, but most of the time, she only did so to frighten others into doing what she wanted and rarely cried for real. However, her eyes reddened at this moment asrge drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn''t stop her tears.

    Justin immediately panicked. "Charlotte."

    "Sob, sob, sob..." She wept uncontrobly. "I finally waited until Mommy came back. Why are you guys separating again? You don''t love me at all. Sob, sob, sob..."

    "I love you, Charlotte."

    "Then, what about Mommy? Doesn''t Mommy love me too?"

    He was very reluctant to answer this question, but he could not deny that Rachel loved Charlotte a lot. If not for the child, why else would she choose to remain in the Burton Residence even though she clearly hated him so much?

    "She loves you too."

    "Sob, sob... You are liars! If you love me... Sob, sob... Then, why can''t you stay together for my sake?"

    Charlotte was still young and did not understand the rtionships between adults or the principle that something done by force would not turn out well. In her mind, having a family was a happy and blissful thing. It was something that could be done, so why couldn''t they just do it?

    Unable to exin his reasons to her, Justin could only hold her andfort her. Besides, she no longer heard what he said to her at this point since she was crying her heart out with all her might.

    It was hard to say how much time had passed before she became exhausted from crying. There were no more movements from her except for the asional shudder of her shoulders as she choked back a sob. She was clearly in extreme distress.

    He sighed and walked around the room while carrying her in his arms. Just like how it was when she was younger, he patted her back and coaxed her to sleep.

    Three dayster, in the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' pharmaceutical factory.

    "Chris, it''s not a problem for the workers to work overtime or to produce the medicines that Dillon ordered on time. However, the warehouse is unable to keep up with the supply. The previous batch of new medicine that the factory mass-produced has basically filled up the warehouses."

    Jolly and Rachel were inspecting the pharmaceutical factory together. At the same time, she reported the situation to Rachel while they walked.

    Rachel asked, "Are there any other warehouses in the vicinity for rent?"

    "Originally, there were. The people below have been discussing this matter. It''s just that these warehouses all belong to the same logisticspany. The boss of the logisticspany, Mr. Ollie Foster, seems to have had some disputes with Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the past. He has refused to work with us for years."

    "They should know that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has changed hands."

    "While that''s true... ording to the report of the person who went there to negotiate, the other party believes that the change was in name only. They im that we are all the same and refuse to cooperate with us..."

    "I''ll visit them myself. Give me the number; I''ll make a call to Mr. Foster and ask him when he''s free."

    "I''ll do it." Jolly dialed the other party''s number without another word. "Hello? Mr. Foster, it''s me. I have contacted you previously. My name is Jolly, the special assistant of Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' president." She was greeted with silence from the other end of the line.

    "It''s like this; President Hudson understands that you had some misunderstandings with Hudson Pharmaceuticals before, so she wants to find a time to discuss matters with you. When would be a convenient time for you?"

    She waited for Ollie''s response.

    "What!?" Jolly''s tone suddenly changed. Rachel nced at Jolly, not understanding what was going on. She did not know what the other party was saying on the other side of the phone while Jolly''s expression darkened considerably. "I got it. I understand. Thank you."

    After ending the phone call, Jolly exploded in a fit of rage. "Justin, that despicable and shameless man!"Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "ording to Mr. Foster, Justin rented out all the vacant warehouses near the factory! There''s not a single one left!"

    "Justin did that?"

    "Who else could it have been but him?!" Jolly nodded strongly. "He obviously knows that our factory is currently attending to arge number of pharmaceutical sales in order to obtain funds as soon as possible. That''s why he is doing this on purpose! It''s going to rain in two days. The batch of medicines stored outside must be stored into warehouses. Otherwise, the losses will be huge."

    Rachel nced at the sky. Her hands that were hanging by her sides clenched into fists as she quietly said, "He is giving me a warning not to fight him."

    "How despicable!" Jolly spat in disgust. "Does he think that such trivial means will make you bow to him in defeat? Who is he looking down on? I''ll go and ask my father for help."

    "No need." Rachel shook her head. "Not only are the Carter Enterprise''s warehouses a distance away, the costs of transporting the goods back and forth are also over our budget. There''s no need for that." "It''s still better than letting the medicines go to waste under the rain, right?"

    "I have my ways. Don''t worry." Rachel took the inventory list and retracted her gaze to study the list.

    That evening, a ne swept across the sky above the Riverdale Airport and it was already night time when the aircraftnded.

    Justin carried Charlotte in his arms. He was greeted by Frankie and Martha, who came to pick him up. Handing the child over to the nanny, he asked Frankie, ˇ°How is it going with the warehouses?ˇ±

    "I did as you instructed. We have rented all the vacant warehouses avable for rent in the vicinity of the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' pharmaceutical factory and signed a two-year lease contract." "Good job." Justin nodded lightly.

    "It didn''t take a lot of effort. The boss of the logisticspany has had some disputes with Hudson Pharmaceuticals in the past. He actually lost a lot of money over the years because he upied those ces and refused to leave. Hudson Pharmaceuticals is the only pharmaceutical factory in that area after all, so it was basically impossible to find any other tenants if he refused to rent to them. However, President Burton, are you really nning to be so ruthless? Hudson Pharmaceuticals is only just beginning to make aeback and improve their circumstances. Their inventory turnover is definitely not enough at the moment. Moreover, it''s going to rain in two days."

    "If Rachel does not want those medicines to go to waste in the factory, then she wille to me."

    "Why do you need to go this far? You''re just making a scene. I''m sure President Hudson will not be happy about this."

    Justin red at Frankie fiercely. Frankie immediately shut his mouth in obedience. Watching his boss enter the car, he retorted in his heart, He is clearly trying to force President Hudson into meeting him but refuses to be straightforward about it. Isn''t he just asking for trouble by doing this?

    When they all entered the car, Martha sat in the backseat while carrying Charlotte in her arms. Shemented in a quiet whisper, "Sir, Charlotte doesn''t look too good."

    Justin replied, "Don''t worry about her. She should fix that temper of hers."

    Charlotte had barely eaten anything over the past three days, screaming and crying to return to Riverdale. He had to deal with work matters during the day and coax her into eating something when he returned to the hotel at night. It had been very exhausting for him.

    Despite saying those words on the surface, he couldn''t bring himself to actually do that. "Frankie."

    Frankie turned around from the front passenger''s seat. "What is it, President Burton?"

    "Draft a warehouse rights-sharing agreement and hand it to me tomorrow morning."

    He stiffened slightly. "A rights-sharing agreement?"

    "Draw up an agreement for capital injection in the form of intangible assets, including all the warehouses we have leased recently."

    Frankie suddenly returned to his senses and immediately broke into a smile. "Are you nning to inject capital into Hudson Pharmaceuticals? Are you nning to cooperate with President Hudson? I knew you wouldn''t actually confront her. Why didn''t you say so earlier?"

    "Have I ever mentioned that this rights-sharing agreement is meant for her?"

    "You didn''t say that. You didn''t say that at all. I misspoke." He pretended to p his mouth, but his face was all smiles. How should I say it? Everything has its vanquisher. Even a decisive man like President Hudson is helpless after meeting a woman like Rachel. Even though she has angered him to the point of driving him mad, he still turned into putty in her hands once he has calmed down.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 329

    Chapter 329 The Highest Bidder Wins

    By the time Justin returned home, it was alreadyte at night. The servant took Charlotte to the bedroom to rest. When she came out of the bedroom, she saw that the lights of the study were on and the door was open.

    Knock. Knock. Knock. Justin looked up to see the servant. "Sir, have you eaten dinner? Should I make something for you?"

    "Is Gloria not back yet?"

    "She said that she''ll be back soon as she has dinner with the troupe tonight. Sir, do you have anything you want to eat?"

    He pondered for a moment. "Please make me some noodles."

    "Alright. Please wait for a moment. It''ll be ready soon."

    "Okay."

    After the servant left, he sat in front of hisputer for a long time but could hardlyprehend any of the words on the screen.

    The house had been lively before he left on his business trip. It used to be filled with the sounds of Jolly and Gloria bickering whenever they met, Samuel and Charlotte running up and down the stairs, and Rachel chasing after the two children while shouting for them to slow down. However, the house suddenly seemed empty and dreary when he came back from this business trip.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin looked at his phone on the table. There were several times when he reached out to pick the phone up, but he held himself back. A long whileter, he decided to get up and leave his phone behind to head downstairs.

    "Sir, why did youe down? I was just about to call you." The servant had finished making the noodles. It was just a simple bowl of egg noodles with tomatoes and an additional sunny-side up egg that was served with a side dish.

    He had only just taken his seat when the electronic lock made a beep to indicate the door opening.

    "When did youe back?" Gloria looked at Justin while changing to her indoor shoes.

    "I just arrived."

    "Are you having dinner?" She walked into the dining room, opened the fridge to grab a bottle of coke, and gulped half a bottle in one go. "Then, take your time eating. I''m going upstairs to sleep." "Don''t you have anything that you want to ask me?"

    Justin''s words made her pause mid-step.

    "Ask you about what?" Gloria turned around to look at him. "Ask you why you have chased Miss Rachel out again? Or, why did you take Charlotte away?"

    "She left on her own."

    "In my opinion, there is no difference between the two." Her gaze was gloomy. "She also chose to leave five years ago, but did she really leave because she wanted to?"

    He scowled. "Do you all take me for a heinous viin? Does it not matter what I do now? Is it impossible for me to make up for all the damage I caused back then? If that''s the case, then why does every one of you act like you''re so magnanimous? Why do you act like the past is behind you? Even prison sentences have a time limit and life sentences can be reced with shorter sentences. Did I murder somebody or caused an arson? Can''t I get a chance to be forgiven?"

    The more he talked, the more agitated Justin became. The veins in his hand that gripped the corner of the table throbbed.

    The past three days had been incredibly depressing for him. He had to maintain a good mood every day to take care of Charlotte, so only he knew just how torturous it had been. The woman he loved the most had been scheming against him all this time, but he didn''t even have the right to me her!

    Gloria looked at Justin quietly. "An apology does not mean saying the words ''I''m sorry''. Those who made a mistake have to suffer the consequences of their evil actions. This includes the other party''s refusal to forgive you. It is the victim''s right to do so. Why should you be forgiven just because you have apologized and repented for your actions?"

    "Then, tell me! What should I do?! She can retaliate against me a hundred times or a thousand times over for what I did to her. Will that be enough!?"

    She suddenly sighed heavily. "Forget it."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I''m saying you should return Charlotte to Miss Rachel and stop disturbing her."

    Upon hearing those words, the pupils in his eyes contracted abruptly in disbelief.

    Meanwhile, Gloria went upstairs without another word. The dining room fell into a dead silence again following the sound of a door closing upstairs.

    Justin gripped his fork and stared nkly at the noodles that had gone mushy in front of him. When he thought back to the past few months, those days felt like a dream.

    The woman cooking noodles for him just a few days ago had betrayed him without any warning. Moreover, the reason for her betrayal was something that did not exist in his memories. Everything that he knew he heard from the people around him. He supposedly deserved to be spurned and abandoned. However, the most outrageous part was that he could not recall anything.

    The more he stewed in his thoughts, the more aggrieved he felt. He angrily took a few bites of his noodles, but it felt like he was chewing on wax.

    tter. He threw his utensils onto the table in a rage.

    The next day, Justin instructed Frankie to give Rachel a call as soon as he arrived at thepany. "Ask her to visit the Burton Group. As long as she signs the agreement and allows the Burton Group to be one of thepany shareholders, the warehouses located in the vicinity of Hudson Pharmaceuticals can be used at will."

    Frankie was holding some documents in his hands. "I was just about to report this matter to you."

    "What is it?"

    "Mr. Foster called to cancel the leasing agreement. He is willing to pay us three times the fee to terminate the contract. He has already signed a contract with Hudson Pharmaceuticals." Justin paused mid-step as his expression darkened. "When was that?"

    "Justst night." Frankie looked at Justin''s expression fearfully. "President Burton, I''ve already handed this matter over to the Legal Department."

    However, Justin didn''t seem to have heard Frankie as he gnashed his teeth and spat out a name. "Rachel Hudson!"

    Afterward, he strode toward his office.

    At this moment, Rachel was in a meeting. The sound of her vibrating phone came from her pocket before she had a look at the caller ID and said, "Continue with the discussion. I''m going to take this call. Hello?"

    "Aren''t you a capable woman? You managed to terminate a contract that the Burton Group has already finalized." As soon as the call connected, Justin''s voice rang out from the other side. He was blunt and straight to the point.

    She answered lightly. "It has not been finalized. The contract for the transfer of rights for use has not been signed. All you did was pay a deposit. I can still afford to pay the contract-breaking fee." "Mr. Foster has a grudge against Hudson Pharmaceuticals. What did you do?"

    "Don''t you understand the principle of ''the highest bidder wins''? I offered an extravagant price to buy thosends. It doesn''t matter how stubborn one is; there''s no way a businessman will turn his nose up at money. Besides, I''m not Jefferey Hudson. I exined some of the past grievances and we decided to leave well enough alone."

    There was nothing in the vicinity of Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' pharmaceutical factory. It was given that some pollution would ur due to factory production. In addition, it was located in a remote area, which was why Mr. Foster''s logistics and warehousing business had been very bleak and it was more so since he broke off rtions with Hudson Pharmaceuticals. It was practically a money-losing business. Not to mention, he had to pay highnd taxes for those properties every year.

    Rachel''s actions of holding out an olive branch represented a solution to one of his major concerns. These warehouses were very important to her, but they were a thorn in his sides. It was better to get rid of them as soon as possible.

    Justin''s voice was mixed with a hint of rage. "Rachel, Riverdale is not like abroad. An acquisition does not rescind the lease. So what if you bought thend? My two-year lease still stands, but your transaction is illegal. You can''t use the warehouse as long as I don''t agree to it."

    "Go ahead. Why don''t you send more men to block the warehouses?"

    "Do you think I won''t dare to do so?"

    "I''ll be waiting." Three cold words sounded through the phone, sounding extremely contemptuous.

    "You..." Before he could finish his sentence, the other party ended the call.

    A ball of rage brewed in his chest while he gripped his phone tightly for a moment. Crash. Everything on his desk was swept to the ground with a resounding crash before he gripped the corners of the table, looking extremely furious.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 330

    Chapter 330 The Dusty Truth

    Justin supported himself against the table as blood rushed to his head, making him feel very dizzy. Frankie was worried. "President Burton, are you okay?"

    "I''m fine." Those words had only just left Justin''s mouth when he abruptly stumbled. He could barely stand as all the strength left his knees.

    Frankie moved quickly to support Justin. "President Burton, are you feeling dizzy again? I''ll send you to the hospital."

    "No need!" Justin clenched his fists tightly and it took a long while for him to recover his strength.

    The difference in Rachel''s attitude almost made her seem like she was a different person altogether. Her voice over the phone was so cold that she sounded like a stranger when he would rather have her show some emotions for him. However, there was nothing-not the slightest hint whatsoever.

    "President Burton, please don''t be angry. The Legal Department is urgently working on this matter. Mr. Foster has no contractual integrity either. You originally nned to hand these warehouses to President Hudson out of kindness, but now... What a terrible mess. I''ll go and exin to President Hudson."

    "No need." Justin leaned against the chair and slowly lowered himself into the seat. "You can leave for now."

    Frankie was slightly taken aback by those words and nced at Justin a few times with worry. Before he left, he quietly heaved a sigh in his heart. Who could have imagined that things would turn into such a huge mess? I''m sure President Hudson thinks that Mr. Burton is deliberately finding faults with her. At this point, it''s impossible to clear up this misunderstanding.

    After Frankie left, Justin quietly sat at his desk alone. A pounding headache threatened to split his head apart as he tremblingly pulled open the drawer on his left to search for his medicine. It took some searching before he found the bottle of medicine, only to discover that the bottle was empty.

    A moment of dizziness washed over him, causing him to copse to the floor. The pain was so intense that he could barely breathe. His entire body curled up into a ball; hisplexion was pale and his body was drenched in cold sweat.

    He did not know how long passed. All of a sudden, an image of the ident that urred five years before shed through his mind.

    Crash. There was a loud crash that was apanied by the sharp squeal of brakes. The car he was driving had mmed into the protective barrier along the highway to the airport, after which the entire car teetered on the edge of the road and his vision gradually turned hazy.

    Before he lost consciousness, he was staring up at the sky. A ne swept across the shattered sky beyond the shattered windscreen in an arc, passing through the clouds and heading for the other side of the

    ocean.

    "Ahhh!" Justin suddenly let out a cry of pain and clutched his head.

    Resembling the floodwaters that rushed out of a broken dam, various unfamiliar memories flooded his mind. These memories gradually washed away the original and inurate memories, recing them with abusive and violent behavior...

    He remembered everything.

    He did not know how much time passed, but the hand that was clutching tightly at his head slowly rxed. Using the chair and desk nearby to support himself, he staggered to his feet with difficulty since he was breathing heavily and his entire body trembled.

    At this moment, the dusty memories that had been sealed away for five whole years were swirling madly in his head.

    Five years ago, he was the one who wronged Rachel. Everything was a mistake. Be it gratitude or revenge, all of them were wrong.

    Ayer of mist suddenly covered the man''s eyes. Forbearance, regret, pain... He was flooded with a myriad of emotions that tangled together, which left him feeling guilty and remorseful for the distant past. Five years ago.

    It was the third day since Rachel left. Justin searched the entire Riverdale but failed to locate even the slightest hint of her shadow.

    He sat on the couch in the living room of the Burton Residence. A scar stretched from his forehead across his stern face and it was this scar that made him look terrifying as though his entire face had been divided into two. At this moment, his expression was extremely gloomy.

    Frankie couldn''t help shuddering when he entered and saw this sight, after which he cautiously said, "President Burton, the person you wanted has been brought here."Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Upon hearing those words, Justin immediately rose from the sofa. "Bring him in."

    The words had only just left his mouth when two of his subordinates entered from outside with an old man who was being restrained.

    The old man was none other than Irwin Chase, the human trafficker, whom Rachel called ''Grandpa Irwin''.

    Irwin immediately fell to his knees with a thud and shivered in fear like a leaf in the wind when he saw Justin. "I beg you, please let me go. I have no grievances against you. Why do you keep capturing me? Why?!"

    "No grievances?" Justin snorted coldly. "Old man, take a good look at me. Have you forgotten who I am?"

    Irwin had met Justin before. He looked up only to see Justin''s ferocious expression, which frightened him so much that he shuddered and immediately lowered his head again. "I... I really don''t remember. How can I forget an influential person like you if I''ve met you before?"

    "What? That''s not what you said when you kidnapped me and locked me up in the underground dungeon twenty years ago."

    What? Twenty years ago? Irwin stiffened at those words. The man in front of him seemed to be approximately thirty years old. Twenty years ago, he would have been around ten years old.

    Those who worked in human trafficking rarely targeted children of at that age. The first reason was that these children were older, so they remembered more things and were more opinionated. Hence, they were not easy to manage. The second reason was that older children were not easy to sell. Their buyers preferred younger children.

    Among all the children he kidnapped and sold in the past, there was only one child who was around ten years old or so. Hisplexion turned deathly pale when that thought urred to him. "You... You are..."

    "Have you remembered me now?" Justin stared at the old man coldly. "That''s good."

    "Please let me go! I beg you! I had no choice back then!" Irwin desperately prostrated himself in front of Justin and groveled. "Please have mercy on me. I''m nothing more than a sack of old bones now. How much longer can I live? Just... Just let me go, for Rachel''s sake. Please let me go."

    At the mention of Rachel''s name, Justin abruptly clenched his fists. "For her sake? Even that would require her to intervene personally. Where is she?"

    Irwin was taken aback. "Rachel? Hasn''t Rae been by your side all this time?"

    "So, you won''t say?" Justin turned his back to Irwin and coldly instructed, "Drag him back and chop one of his fingers off. If he refuses to speak, then chop another finger off."

    Before Irwin could say a word, he was marched out by the two bodyguards standing beside him. "Save me! Save me! I really don''t know anything! I really don''t know anything! Ahhh!"

    A terrible scream came from the courtyard outside. Even Frankie couldn''t help closing his eyes as hecked the courage to look.

    "Young Master Justin, the man has fainted!" The voice of one of the bodyguards came from outside.

    Justin didn''t even nce over. "Wake him up."

    "Yes."

    Not long afterward, Irwin was awoken by a bucket of cold water. The intense pain made him lie on the ground as he trembled uncontrobly. "I really don''t know where Rachel went. I have not seen her since her grandmother passed away. She-"

    "Chop off another finger." The cold voice of a man came from within the house.

    The bodyguard immediately grabbed Irwin''s hand and ced it on a rock. Then, he raised the knife in his hand again. When the cold glint of light shed, Irwin''s eyes widened in fright. In his desperation, he yelled, "I saved your life before!"

    Inside the house, Justin raised a hand. The bodyguard''s knife stopped right above Irwin''s finger, nearly chopping it off.

    Irwin gasped for breath. Cold sweat dripped down his neck as he shivered uncontrobly. "I was not the one who kidnapped and sold you. Back then, you would have died in that fire if I had not turned the other way and let you escape! I saved your life!"

    Justin sneered. "You sure dare to say just about anything in order to survive, don''t you?"

    "I''m not lying!" Irwin knelt on the ground, gasping due to the pain. "Rae... Rae can be my witness. Back then... Back then, she was the one who came to beg me. She begged me to save you!" Justin jerked his head in surprise. "What did you say?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 331

    Chapter 331 It''s Too Late for Regrets

    Irwin trembled as he continued, "I treated Rae like my own granddaughter. She wept so hard and insisted that I release you. I thought... I was thinking that it wouldn''t be easy to deal with a ten-year-old child, anyway. If you were released, then so be it. Besides, it''s impossible for you to escape far in the forest located so deep in the mountains. You could never go home¨D"

    Before he could finish speaking, Justin suddenly lifted him up by his neck. "What the hell are you talking about!? The person who rescued me was a little girl named Katie! How could it have been Rae?!" The man was shaken so badly that he could barely breathe. "Rae... is Katie..."

    Those words were undoubtedly a huge shock that exploded violently in Justin''s mind. Rae is Katie?! That''s impossible! "Exin clearly!"

    "President Burton, he has already passed out!" Frankie saw what had happened from the side and quickly stepped forward to stop Justin. He was afraid that if things were to continue, it would only lead to the man''s death. "Hurry up and send him to the hospital."

    Irwin was an old man. Moreover, he was bleeding non-stop from where his finger had been chopped. If they did not send him to the hospital soon, there was a high possibility that he could die from extreme loss of blood.

    Justin snapped back to his senses. "Send him to the hospital! Contact the hospital!"

    This old man is the only person who knows the truth of what happened back then. I can''t let him die. His hands were covered in blood and his thoughts were a chaotic mess while they were on the way to the hospital. How could Rachel be Katie?

    All the clues from the past suddenly surfaced in his mind. Rachel had been kidnapped and sold when she was a little girl. Her grandmother had a good rtionship with Irwin as the two of them were neighbors Jefferey brought back an illegitimate daughter twenty years ago and imed that she was a congenital mute...

    Along the corridor in the hospital, Frankie hurried over with a document in his hand. "President Burton, this is the hospital''s medical records."

    Justin took the documents. Hisplexion immediately turned pale at the sight of Rachel''s name on the document. After pursuing the medical records written inside, he stumbled without any warning and had to lean against the wall just to barely maintain his bnce.

    Rachel''s muteness was not congenital. The cause for her condition was clearly written on the medical record-she had sustained damage to her vocal cords in a fire twenty years ago. The record also contained the signature of her attending doctor, Julian Peters.

    Rachel is Katie from back then. She is the Katie who saved my life in the past. I thought she was dead. Justin went through a lot just to seed the Burton Group on his own for the sake of avenging Katie. Heter discovered the financial loophole in Hudson Pharmaceuticals, suppressed them, got hold of Jefferey''s weakness, and tried to bring Jefferey down.

    However, as it turned out, the person he took revenge on was the same person who rescued him in the first ce.

    "If she is Katie, then why did Jefferey set the fire? He set his own daughter on fire!" Justin leaned against the wall and muttered to himself. All of a sudden, he recalled the scene that he witnessed during the fire.

    The burning thatched cottage had revealed a woman''s figure on the ground while the man who emerged from the house wore a vicious expression. Even across the hill, the two children had clearly witnessed the scene. Justin could still remember the coldness in that man''s eyes even though so many years had passed. So, that was the person whom Jefferey sent to kill Rachel''s mother, Selena Hudson. He then set fire to erase the evidence and disguised the murder as an ident instead.

    The secret room hidden inside Jefferey''s study in Hudson Vineyard shed through his mind. The innocent woman who died in vain...

    An influx of images filled his mind, which all pointed to Rachel''s real identity. There was no doubt that she was Katie from back then. "argh." Justin abruptly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

    "President Burton!" Frankie eximed in shock and hurried forward. "Are you alright, President Burton!? Doctor! Doctor,e and take a look!"

    However, Justin pushed Frankie aside and staggered away before he suddenly burst into hystericalughter. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Rachel, I was wrong!"

    I found the wrong person. I took revenge on the wrong person. All the evil consequences should have fallen on me, but, why!? Katie has never done anything wrong! Why does she have to be unfairly victimized just because she met me? I was wrong! I was very wrong!

    The scenes from five years ago shed through his mind once more. When he recalled everything, he felt as though he was suffocating. He leaned against the tables and chairs while trying to head toward the exit with great difficulty.

    Thud. He copsed on the ground again. Before he lost consciousness, he saw Frankie entering the room and running toward him.

    It was afternoon by the time Rachel had finished her phone call with the person in charge of the pharmaceutical factory.

    A delighted Jolly said, "This is great! Thend around here now belongs to us. We can build a warehouse or even expand the factory if we want to!"

    "You must be dreaming." Rachelughed. "We don''t need to build a warehouse since we already have one. As for the factory, I don''t need to tell you howplicated the approval process is for industrialnd, right? How can it be that simple?"

    It was something that Jolly didn''t take seriously. "At least we don''t need to lower our heads to that despicable viin, Justin Burton. That''s enough to make me delirious with joy. He thought he had our weakness. Hmph! In his dreams!"

    "The Burton Family has deep roots in Riverdale after all. We will have a lot of business dealings with them, so he will have many opportunities to make things difficult for us in the future."

    "What are you afraid of!? You have me!"

    "Hmm?" Rachel raised her eyebrow at Jolly.

    Jolly immediately changed her stance. "Even if I''m powerless, I still have my parents. Hehe."

    While they were conversing with each other, Rachel''s phone rang. "Hello?"

    "President Hudson, pleasee to the hospital."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "President Burton suddenly passed out and is receiving emergency treatment in the hospital right now."

    Rachel frowned slightly at those words.

    Jolly was standing next to Rachel at the time. When she noticed that Rachel''s expression seemed strange, she rified, "Who is it?"

    Immediately after that, Rachel activated the loudspeaker function on her phone and ced it on the table.

    Frankie''s anxious voice came from the other side of the phone. "President Burton has been frequently suffering from headaches and dizziness for the past two days. He fainted not long after the call with you earlier today. The doctor said that he has a blood clot in his brain that has impacted his cranial nerves and requires brain surgery. He has been on the operating table for about half an hour now.

    Without waiting for Rachel to speak, Jolly grabbed the phone and said angrily, "So, he has a blood clot in his brain. What does that have to do with us!? How dare you even mention that phone call! That phone call was something Justin himself made. What''s this? Are you trying to deceive us?"

    "Miss Carter, I really didn''t mean it that way. President Burton is in critical condition right now, but he doesn''t even have a single family member around him-"

    "So what? How is Chris a part of his family?"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Frankie was on the verge of crying. Even so, he had no way of winning against Jolly in an argument. "President Hudson, pleasee. If something were to go wrong, I am sure President Burton will wish to see you."

    Rachel nced at the phone. A momentter, she responded indifferently, "I''m sorry. I don''t have the time. Once I''m done dealing with the matters on hand and have the time, I will visit him at the hospital." He was desperate. "President Hudson! What if the surgery goes wrong!?"

    She replied, "In that case, I will take the time to attend his funeral."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 332

    Chapter 332 He Wants to Notarize a Will?

    Rachel''s voice was not loud. On the other end of the phone, Frankie waspletely stunned after she finished her sentence. He knew that she had changed greatly following her return. However, he never imagined that she hated Justin to this extent-she didn''t even show any concern for Justin''s life or death.

    Before Frankie could react, she ended the call. Jolly suppressed her usatory expression and looked at Rachel in worry. "Chris, are you okay?"

    "Look at me. Do I look like I''m not okay?"

    "Are you really not going to the hospital?"

    "Many people will be fighting to visit him now that he has been admitted to the hospital. I am neither his family nor friend. Why should I visit him?" Rachel''s expression was cold. "Besides, it''s not the first time that he used this method of harming himself to trick me."

    Jolly hesitated for a long time. In the end, she swallowed the words that she wanted to say: What if he isn''t pretending this time?

    Then, she found herself thinking, Even if he isn''t pretending, it serves him right. It''s his fault for making Rachel''s life so difficult in the first ce. "Do we continue with thewsuit?"

    "Yes." Rachel''s tone was firm. "Why not? It''s a good thing for us if he is not in good health. Hernandez can use Justin''s poor health to justify that he is not fit to take care of Charlotte." "You''ve thought that far?"

    To that, Rachel said nothing, but her slightly clenched fist exined everything. Over the past few years, she had learned to seize all the opportunities in her best interests at any given time. After all, time did not repeat itself while opportunities did not wait for others. We''ve already severed all ties with each other; why bother pretending otherwise?

    At the hospital the next day, it was already noon by the time Justin woke up.

    "President Burton." Frankie had stayed by Justin''s side all night long. He didn''t get a wink of sleep during that time and his eyes were red as a result. "You''re finally awake. Please don''t move about. I''ll go and get the doctor."

    Justin stared at the ceiling boards without moving and the back of his head felt slightly swollen.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    He felt as though he had been dreaming all this time. It was a delusional dream where he had spent five years trying to escape his mistakes and live for the sake of living. Unfortunately, he should never have forgotten that what was bound toe would eventuallye.

    "The critical period has passed. You will need to remain in the hospital for half a month for observations. If your recovery is going well after half a month, you can go through the discharge procedures and return home for further recuperation."

    "Thank you, doctor."

    "No problem."

    After seeing the doctor off, Frankie breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you feel right now, President Burton? Are you feeling ufortable anywhere?"

    Justin looked incredibly lost and depressed.

    "President Burton?"

    It took a long while for him to regain his senses, after which he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Frankie, please do something for me."

    "Please say."

    "Organize all the assets under my name and contact awyer. I want to make a notarization."

    As he was slightly startled by those words, Frankie nced at Justin in surprise. Is he nning to write a will after his close brush with death?

    After issuing the instructions regarding thewyer, Justin continued to stare at the ceiling boards with a hazy vision.

    A letter from the attorney arrived at the hospitalter that afternoon.

    "President Burton..." Frankie had originally nned to suppress thewsuit, but he did not expect Justin to yank the attorney''s correspondence from the stack of documents. By the time he entered the room, Justin was already reading the letter.

    "President Hudson''s attitude had gone overboard. You''re still in the hospital. It''s hard to say whether you can even attend the court hearing on the day of the trial..."

    Justin lifted a hand and stopped Frankie from continuing before he asked, "Isn''t there the option of an out-of-court settlement before the court hearing?"

    Frankie was surprised. "Are you thinking of resolving this issue out of court? Judging by President Hudson''s current attitude, she will not be willing to agree to an out-of-court settlement. Not unless you refuse to continue thewsuit and hand over Charlotte''s custodial rights."

    "That''s impossible." Justin''s voice might be weak, but it remained as firm as ever. Charlotte was his one and only connection left with Rachel, as well as his only hope.

    "Then, what do you n to discuss with President Hudson?"

    "Just to get in touch with her. Hand me the phone."

    He did not exin much and only weakly uttered that sentence. One look at his paleplexion was enough to stop Frankie from saying anything else, for fear of agitating him. Therefore, Frankie could only hand the phone over to him.

    ncing at Rachel''s name on the phone screen, Justin dialed the number.

    The call connected after ringing for a long time.

    "Hello?" On the other end of the phone, Rachel was sitting in her office and reading the documents that Hernandez had organized for her. When she received the phone call from Justin, she didn''t even need to think that he had received the attorney''s letter. "What is it?"

    "Are you free? I want to discuss Charlotte''s custodial rights with you in private."

    "If you''re nning to persuade me into giving up, then I don''t think that there''s anything to discuss. We might as well discuss it directly in court."

    "Rachel, do it for Charlotte. I wish to have a peaceful discussion with you. Do you think Charlotte will be happy when she learns that we are on such bad terms with each other?"

    She frowned at those words. If not for the fact that she was worried about Charlotte''s feelings, she would not have taken so long to deal with him. She lifted her wrist and nced at the time. "I have an appointment for dinner tonight, so I only have half an hour''s time to talk to you. If you don''t mind, I can give you the location. You cane over to talk."

    "Okay, no problem." Justin agreed immediately.

    Listening to his tone, Rachel frowned in suspicion. Why does it sound different from his usual manner of speech?

    It was evening and the lights had just been turned on. He had already been there for some time by the time she arrived at the restaurant. As he was wearing a baseball cap with the brim pulled low over his eyes, she failed to recognize him at first nce.

    Considering that he was a semi-public figure, she realized that he probably did not want to be recognized and did not ask any questions. "Have you been waiting long?"

    "No, I just arrived." When he saw her, he immediately rose to his feet and seemed a little embarrassed. "What do you want to drink? Istte alright?"

    "Anything is fine. I can''t stay for long." Rachel casually hung her jacket over the back of the chair and exined, "I have an appointment with somebody else at this ce tonight, so I only have half an hour. What did you want to discuss?"

    Justin stared at the woman in front of him for some time, seeming a little entranced by her voice.

    Under the warm lights of the restaurant, the little girl who secretly threw some bread into the dungeon more than twenty years ago gradually ovepped with the person in front of him before it merged into one.

    A thinyer of mist surfaced in his eyes. Emotions such as self-me, regret, and pain flooded him like a rising tide to crush every nerve in his body. For a long time, he could not make a sound. "Justin?" Rachel repeatedly called his name with a slight frown. "Are you alright?"

    Only then did Justin return to his senses and avoid her gaze. "I''m fine. I apologize. I''ve been a little distracted recently. What did you say?"

    "I asked you what you wanted to discuss with me. I have to leave soon."

    "I wanted to apologize."

    "Huh?" The frown on her face deepened at those words. What''s the reason for this apology that came out of nowhere? "What are you talking about?" "I''m sorry. I''m sorry for everything I did in the past."

    Rachel became a little impatient. "You called me here just for this? Did you think that an apology would end thiswsuit?"

    "That''s not what I meant."

    "Justin, I will only ept your apology if you hand over Charlotte''s custodial rights."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 333

    Chapter 333 Secret Meeting

    Rachel''s words stunned Justin. A long time had passed before he said, "Rachel, as long as you are willing, you cane and visit Charlotte any time you want. You can even bring her home with you when you''re free. I only have one request. Please don''t take her away from me. No matter what you say, Charlotte is also my daughter. Can we please end thiswsuit?"

    She looked astonished. That''s not something Justin will ever say.

    Despite her perplexity, she was not so easily swayed. "Justin, it''s true that Charlotte is your only daughter at the moment. Can you guarantee that you will never get married and have other children in the future, though? You know better than I do what kind of environment surrounds the Burton Family. Do you want Charlotte to grow up in the middle of all those conflicts?"

    Just based on this point alone, I can never allow Charlotte to remain by his side.

    "It doesn''t matter whether you believe me or not, but I will never remarry or have other children."

    "Nobody can say for sure what will happen in the future. You don''t need to say such words."

    The indifference in her eyes made Justin smile bitterly.

    "This is an asset transfer agreement." He pushed a document over to her. "I understand your worries. These are all the assets under my name. I''ve already notarized these assets through an attorney. If I die one day, Charlotte will inherit all of my assets."

    Rachel was taken aback by those words for a moment. Then, she flipped through the document. The number of assets under his name was absolutely staggering; from residential properties tomercial properties to cash to antiques, the list of assets made up an entire book. Is he really willing to notarize all of his assets as an inheritance for Charlotte?

    She was so shocked that she became a little hesitant.

    "I''m not rushing you to make a decision. There''s still some time before the court hearing and the out-of-court settlement has yet to begin. You can take your time to think things through." "I''ll consider it." Rachel ced the document on the table.

    At this moment, she could not figure out the reason behind his behavior. Is he taking a step back for the sake of advancement and stabilizing his position for the time being? Or, does he have something else hidden up his sleeve? In any case, I can''t trust him so easily.

    She nced at the time. "I have to go now. My client is waiting for me."

    "Rachel." Justin suddenly called out to her. "I''m very sorry for what I did in the past. It truly was not intentional."

    Not intentional? Rachel sneered in her heart, but her expression remained unchanged on the surface. "The past is in the past. We should go our separate ways in the future."

    After saying that, she walked straight toward the elevator in the lobby.

    It so happened that Jason and Dillon arrived at the same time. When they came face-to-face with her, Dillon immediately stepped forward with a smile on his effeminate face. "Are wete? I can''t believe Chris arrived first."

    "I happened to be meeting a friend."

    "Meeting a friend?" Following her gaze, he nced into the cafe next to the lobby and immediately spotted Justin. Justin was dressed in all ck and had a matching cap pulled low over his face to avoid being recognized.

    Dillon then teased, "Is that your boyfriend?"

    She smiled faintly. "Young Master Porter, you sure are good at cracking jokes. I''m afraid I have more interest in my career."

    He was only joking around and didn''t take the matter seriously.

    On the other hand, Jason recognized Justin at a nce. In the instant where their gazes met, Justin''s posture abruptly straightened and the look in his eyes immediately became icy cold. Jason quicklymented, "Young Master Porter, let''s talk inside a private room. There are too many eyes here."

    "Sure. Let''s go, Chris."

    Rachel nodded at Dillon in acknowledgment and entered the elevator first. Nevertheless, she couldn''t help ncing at the person behind him. And just like how they had metst time, L had remained silent all this time and stayed close beside Dillon with a cold expression.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    The doors of the elevator slowly closed, but Justin''s gaze had been fixed on the man standing next to Rachel all along. I remember seeing that man briefly on the Golden Cruise before. Why is Rachel in contact with a person like that?

    Inside the private room, Dillon had his men open the briefcase to reveal the dazzling gold in it before borating, "This is the deposit. Once we receive the goods, we will pay the bnce. Please check the quantity."

    "No need." Rachel nodded lightly. "The price you offered me is basically unattainable in Riverdale''s market, Young Master Porter. I believe a person as generous as you will not underpay me, but..." "But, what?"

    "You asked to meet but did not allow me to bring my subordinates with me. Young Master Porter, I can''t carry this briefcase of gold alone."

    When Dillon heard those words, heughed. "That''s not an issue. I''ll have L bring this to your carter."

    Those words were exactly what she wanted to hear. Even so, she pretended to look at L in surprise. "Can she carry that? Why don''t we get one of the hotel employees to help?"

    "You''re underestimating L." He nced at the woman standing beside him as he drank, a look of admiration appearing in his gloomy eyes. "Forget carrying this briefcase. It''s not a problem even if you add a few more briefcases to the equation."

    "You found yourself a great assistant, Young Master Porter. Where did you look for her? I want one too. It''ll be more convenient to travel if my bodyguards are women like myself."

    "I''m afraid you''ll be disappointed. I daresay you will not find many like L in this world. Hahaha!"

    Jason added, "Miss Hart is one in a million indeed. Rachel, you''re troubling Young Master Porter."

    "It''s no trouble at all. If you really need one, I''ll ask my men to look around. After all, we''ll be working together for a long time. Isn''t that right?"

    Rachel smiled and nodded in response.

    After a few rounds of drinks, she went to the restroom. Just as she was about to leave the room, she ran into L about to enter the room. She was about to greet L when she felt something warm touching her fingers that were hanging by the side of her body.

    In the next moment, Rachel felt something being stuffed into the palm of her hand. Her pupils contracted abruptly, but L brushed past her without the slightest change in expression.

    "Chris, we''ve only had a few rounds of drinks. Where are you going?" Dillon''s voice came from behind her.

    She returned to her senses and replied, "Please continue drinking, Young Master Porter. I''m just going to the restroom for a bit."

    Dillon was an alcoholic maniac who could barely even remember his own name after several bottles of alcohol. At this moment, he was fooling around with Jason like they were brothers.

    Meanwhile, Rachel nonchntly went to the restroom. After confirming that there was nobody else inside the restroom, she sat on the toilet and unfolded the slip of paper in her palm. The ink had gotten a little blurry and only an address was written on the paper.

    ''11 o''clock. No.11, Millstone Street. Public phone booth.''

    She gripped the slip of paper with slightly trembling hands. There''s something strange about L after all. She is definitely Coraline Harper.

    At the same time, Dillon had gotten so drunk that he passed out inside the private room.

    "Miss Hart, Young Master Porter is so drunk. Will he be okay?"

    "It''s fine. I''ll just let him rest in a room for a while. We will leaveter tonight."

    "Sigh. Alright. That''s what I thought too. He''s so drunk; it''s best to sober up slightly before you leave." Jason immediately summoned a waiter from outside and informed, "Get a vacant suite and help Young Master Porter there."

    "Yes."

    Several waiters immediately entered from the outside. Supporting Dillon on both sides, they walked in the direction of the hotel''s suite with L following closely behind.

    "I''m not drunk! I can continue drinking!" Dillon continued to shout about drinking even after he was ced on the bed. "Where''s Chris?! Ask her to drink with me!" "Young Master Porter, everybody has left." L called out.

    The drunken Dillon slowly opened his eyes to reveal not even the slightest hint of drunkenness in his eyes. He sat up on the bed, his gloomy eyes looking rather frosty. Only one word broke the silence in the room. "Go."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 334

    Chapter 334 Life on the Line

    By the time Rachel returned to the private room, only Jason was left alone inside the room and he also had quite a lot to drink earlier. "Where is Young Master Porter?"

    "He drank too much. Miss Hart has brought him back to a room to rest. I think we''ll end things here today." She nodded. "Thank you for pulling the strings on my behalf, Jason."

    He waved his hand dismissively. "Young Master Porter likes you very much, so you better not have any other strange ideas. Also, it''s best if you draw a clear line with my nephew so that your future will remain bright and promising."

    Rachel did notment much on Jason''s words and merely drove out of the hotel alone after he departed. Following the instructions on the note that L handed to her, she drove around and circled back to the hotel since Millstone Street was just one street away from the hotel. It was an old alleyway that did not permit entry to cars.

    She parked her car by the curb and walked into the alleyway. At this time, the sky waspletely dark with no trace of anyone else. The only sounds that she heard were that of her own footsteps.

    It didn''t take long before she found a public phone booth behind an abandoned bungalow. The phone booth looked like it had been abandoned for a long time and did not look like it could be used, which left her with a slight frown. Turning on the shlight on her phone, she shone the light at the phone booth and walked around but did not find anything.

    It was going to be 11:00PM soon.

    Ring... A crisp ringing sound pierced through the night air. The sound that suddenly came from the abandoned phone booth seemed extremely strange in the quiet night and caused Rachel to slightly shiver. Thinking about the rtionship between L and Coraline, she quickly stepped forward and hesitated for several seconds before she picked up the receiver.

    "Hello?"

    "It''s me?"

    "Miss Hart?"

    "Perhaps, you should call me by another name."

    Rachel seemed stunned for a moment before a joyous light appeared in her eyes.

    ...

    Dillon, who should have passed out from being drunk, was currently sitting in the living room of Hotel tinum''s suite and had a pair of extremely bright, clear eyes. There was a pot of tea on the coffee table in front of him with L sitting opposite him. In front of her was a mobile phone with the speakerphone turned on. Rachel''s voice came from the other side of the phone.

    There was a cold smile on his face as he looked at the phone with extremely contemptuous eyes. Nobody has ever managed to fool me with petty tricks before.

    He had sent somebody to investigate Rachel a long time ago. She apparently had a close rtionship with the Investigation Bureau Deputy Chief, Janice Hawkins. How could Jason dare to ce somebody with that kind of rtionship beside him? Has his greed for money left him insane?

    "Where are you right now?" Rachel''s questioning voice came from the phone.

    L nced at Dillon, asking for an answer with her eyes.

    Dillon raised his chin in the direction of the bedroom.

    She answered, "I''m still at the hotel, but I have to return to the ship in a short while. I have something to pass to you. Please deliver it to Officer Hawkins as soon as possible." "What is it?"

    "The route map for the next shipment."

    "The route map? Where is it?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Return to the hotel. It''s just behind the toilet of the private room where we were in earlier."

    After thatst sentence, Dillon reached out a finger and ended the call with a tap.

    L''splexion paled slightly. "Young Master Porter."

    Before she could finish her sentence, he waved to the side and coldly said, "Tie her up."

    The two bodyguards by the side immediately stepped forward. When they met her threatening gaze, they subconsciously took a step back.

    It was enough to immediately make Dillion unhappy. "Are you my subordinates or her subordinates?"

    When the two bodyguards heard that question, they stepped forward again. "Sorry, L."

    L raised a hand to stop them as her cold aura left them losing the courage to act rashly. She expressionlessly said, "Young Master Porter, you only need to inform Master Porter if you don''t want me by your side anymore. There''s no need to use such methods to falsely use me. Even if there''s something wrong with me, don''t forget that I work for Master Porter. You will have to answer for your actions to Master Porter."

    "Don''t use my father to threaten me." Dillon snorted coldly. "You have private dealings with people in the Riverdale Investigation Bureau. If my father learns about this matter, I''ll be able to kill you right now without bringing you back."

    "Young Master Porter, I''m saying this again: I didn''t do anything."

    ,

    "If you didn''t do anything, then why did Rachel listen to you? Why did she run off to answer your phone call in the middle of the night?"

    "I can only say that curiosity exists in everybody. How did you know that she went there to answer my phone call because she has private dealings with me? Isn''t this matter still undecided?"

    He sneered. "Fine. It doesn''t matter whether there''s anything wrong with you. In any case, there''s definitely something wrong with Rachel." After that, he ced a gun on the coffee table. "Kill her, and I will believe you."

    The pistol was small andpact. Moreover, it was equipped with a silencer-perfect for killing people silently in a ce like this.

    L frowned slightly.

    "What''s wrong? Are you unwilling? Didn''t you use to kill others without batting an eyelid? Why are you feeling reluctant now?"

    "It''s not that I''m not willing. It''s just that killing somebody here will alert the authorities. I''m afraid we won''t be able to remain in Riverdale for long. If Rachel dies, a lot of people will surely be involved in the investigation. Jason''s nephew is quite concerned about her." Those words clearly could not convince him. Therefore, she simply took the gun and loaded the chamber in front of him. "If you really want to see me kill somebody, Young Master Porter, then I don''t mind taking action. When Master Porter and Miss Porter scolds us for messing up this business deal, I will just have to suffer the me together with you." "Hmph! I''ll be waiting for your good news." Dillon was unmoved by those words as he picked up his tea cup and took a sip.

    When she heard his response, L left the room.

    As soon as L departed, one of the subordinates standing nearby walked forward to refill Dillon''s cup with tea. That subordinate asked in worry, "Young Master Porter, are we really going to watch L make her move here? This is the heart of Riverdale. We might not be able toe here for some time if something happens. Likewise, the business deal with Miss Rachel will fall through."

    "This business deal is bound to fail. There''s something fishy about Rachel. It would have been nothing if she did note today. Our business deal would have ended there and then and I would have spared her life. If she came then... Well then, I''m sorry."

    "Does that mean there''s something wrong with L too?"

    "L?" The look in Dillon''s eyes darkened slightly. "Rachel imed that she looked familiar the moment they met. Don''t you think that''s strange? I knew something was fishy when our goods were intercepted by the customs department for smuggling the other day."

    "L works for Master Porter, though."

    "The old man is blind from age. Who is to say he did not make a mistake? He would rather kill a thousand than let one go free. The information from the higher-ups ims that there''s a traitor among us. It could very well be somebody beside me."

    While he was speaking, another one of his subordinates turned on the projector in the living room to show the real-time surveince footage of the hotel''s private room. "Young Master Porter, she''s here."

    The projection screen illustrated Rachel talking to one of the serving staff where she seemed to have made up an excuse that she had left something behind to enter the private room once more. The serving staff had already unlocked the doors for her to enter.

    Dillon''s grip tightened around his cup. When he saw the woman in the surveince footage, his eyes darkened immensely as he coldly questioned, "She came rather quickly. Where is L?"

    "She has just gotten out of the elevator and will probably arrive at the private room soon."

    "Tell her to kill that woman in the private room."

    "What if... L refuses to take action?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 335

    Chapter 335 Love Over Gold

    "Refuse to take action?" Dillon''s gloomy gaze darkened even more. "In that case, there''s no reason for her to return with us today."

    At this moment, L''s figure was hidden behind the door of the stairwell in the hotel. She was used to taking the stairs whenever she was ''working''. After all, many things could go wrong when taking the elevator.

    The sound of light footsteps did not escape her ears and she nced upstairs from the corner of her eyes. Ayer of dust settled on the shoulder of her ck jacket before she tightened her fingers around the gun and her palms began to perspire.

    She had killed many people over the years and it was not easy for her to finally attain her current position. Nevertheless, she never imagined that the first person whom Dillon wanted her to kill when she returned to Riverdale again was her old friend.

    "Miss Hudson, have you found what you were looking for?"

    The stairwell was not far from the private room. It was only separated by a door, so L could clearly hear the conversation between the serving staff and Rachel.

    Rachel''s voice came from within the private room. "Not yet. You can go back to your work. I will search for it myself."

    "Alright. Just let us know if you need anything."

    "Sure."

    The serving staff''s footsteps disappeared along the corridor. At this moment, Rachel was the only person left inside the private room.

    L stood behind the door of the stairwell, but she attentively listened to themotion behind her. She knew that if she did not take action now, the people whom Dillon sent would kill her without hesitation and Rachel would not survive either.

    On the other hand, Rachel stood at the door to the restroom. She was just about to enter the restroom after confirming that the serving staff outside had left when she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening behind her.

    "Who is it?" She spun around and saw Justin. "Why are you here?"

    She quickly closed the door to the restroom.

    Justin red at her with a look of dense rage on his cold, handsome face. "Come with me."

    "Go where? What are you doing!? Let go of me!" As she was unable to win against him, he forcefully dragged her out of the private room. "Justin Burton, I''m going to report you to the police if you don''t let me go now!"

    "You''re going to file a police report? Sure! Go ahead and do it!" Justin released his grip on her with a furious expression. "Who did you meet today? What did you talk about? Do you dare to tell the police about it?"

    "Why would I need to tell the police about that? I only need to say that you''re stalking me! I thought you had changed! I can''t believe that you''re just the same as usual!"

    He did not wish to argue with her. "Come with me right now."

    "Don''t touch me!"

    He refused to be reasoned with and dragged her directly to the underground parking garage.

    "I don''t care what you want to do. It doesn''t even matter whether it is for Hudson Pharmaceuticals or for yourself. In any case, you''re not allowed to interfere in matters involving Jason anymore!"

    After dragging her all the way over, Justin yanked her toward the spot where he had parked his car. She was unable to break free of his grip and continued to struggle, but identally knocked off his hat before her expression immediately changed. "Justin, you..."

    All of his hair had been shaved off while his head was wrapped in bandages and gauze. He looked exactly like a patient who was undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital. Despite the dim lights in the garage, Rachel could still see how vulnerable he was. She suddenly recalled the phone call she received from Frankie earlier, telling her that Justin was on the operating table.

    Before she had time for further thoughts, the sound of someone pping slowly came from behind her. "What is this little show? Miss Hudson, will you exin this to me?"

    It was Dillon with two bodyguards behind him and they suddenly appeared behind them at some point in time.

    Her expression froze for a moment. "Young Master Porter, weren''t you drunk?"

    "If I had not gotten drunk, how would I have the chance to witness this strange and twisted y? Miss Hudson, I''m bing more curious about you."

    Justin tugged at Rachel''s hand. "Come with me."

    "She''s not going anywhere anymore." Dillon nced at Justin coldly. "You can barely protect yourself. Do you think you can take her away?"

    "This is Riverdale, not the Golden Cruise." Justin stood protectively in front of Rachel with a grim expression. "I don''t care who you are, but I can guarantee that you will not walk out of Riverdale alive if you touch a single hair on my head or Rachel''s head."

    "How arrogant. You are Jason''s nephew, right? I''ve heard of you." Dillon snorted withughter. "Do you know how your uncle grovels before my feet?"

    Justin''s expression remained unchanged. "I am not him."

    "Hah!" Dillon nced at him. "In my opinion, there''s no difference."

    L arrived at this time. As soon as Rachel saw L, her eyes narrowed considerably and she subconsciously stepped forward.

    "Rael!" Justin stopped her. "Get in the car."

    However, Dillon gave a wave of his hand. "L, what are you waiting for?"

    L walked straight toward Justin and Rachel with a dark expression.

    Justin pulled Rachel behind him, lifted his hand, and blocked L''s flying kick. In the blink of an eye, the two of them exchanged a series of blows in the garage. Fists mmed against flesh as the cold wind rustled.

    Although his martial arts skills were not bad, L was a person who survived numerous grave situations. Not to mention, he had just undergone surgery. It didn''t take them to fight for long before she kicked him to the ground and a gun was pressed against his forehead in the time that he took to stand up.

    "Run, Rae!" His first reaction was to ask Rachel to escape.

    On the contrary, Rachel did not listen to Justin and instead stood motionlessly in ce. It was not the first time that she saw L holding a gun because that item had been pointed at her headst time. Dillon pped his hands and said in amazement, "This is rare! It is said that the President of the Burton Group is cold, ruthless, and disinterested in women, but I have learned something new today. Love is stronger than gold! He doesn''t even care for his own life! Miss Hudson, I feel so touched on your behalf."

    Rachel''s expression was grim. "Young Master Porter, I don''t understand. Why are you doing this? We have yet toplete our business deal, so isn''t it too early to burn your bridges?"

    "Burn my bridges? Based on your rtionship with the Chief of the Riverdale Investigation Bureau, I don''t think I''d be able to cross the bridge anyway. Right?"

    After saying that, his expression immediately became frosty. "Miss Hudson, I warned you when we first started working together. I hate traitors. I also hate the Riverdale Investigation Bureau. You''ve stepped or the two things I despise the most."

    "Traitor?" She was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

    "If not for Mr. Burton appearing out of nowhere, wouldn''t you have gotten hold of the route map for ourtest shipment of goods? What are you pretending for?"

    As Dillon looked around, he pointed at Justin, then at Rachel, and finally at L. "You, you, and you. None of you will live past today."

    Justin''s eyes narrowed upon hearing those words. He struggled to stand, but the gun pointing at his head had pressed him firmly to the ground.

    Rachel stared at Dillon intently. "It turns out that you didn''te here for the banquet tonight, Young Master Porter. It looks like it was a trap set up for me. You wanted me to jump right into your trap."

    "It''s toote to realize that now."

    "Asking you to believe me or release me seems to be impossible now, Young Master Porter. Nevertheless, I want to die with the understanding of why. There''s something I need to warn you about."

    "What is it?"

    Her eyes darkened as she quietly spilled the beans. "That woman by your side, L Hart... She''s not a simple person."

    He was slightly taken aback by those words.

    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 336

    Chapter 336 Well Prepared

    "Oh?" A slight interest appeared in Dillon''s eyes. "I''m curious to know what you mean by that. What is not simple about L?"

    "If my guess is correct, the route map in the restroom is fake. Isn''t that right?" Rachel nced at L standing by the side and holding a gun to Justin''s head. "However, I didn''t just receive one message tonight telling me about the route map in the restroom. I had also received another text."

    The pupils in his eyes contracted abruptly.

    She took out a mobile device. "This phone is something that I found in the public phone booth at Millstone Street. If I guessed correctly, this text message was sent by Miss Hart, right?"

    He nced at his bodyguard, who understood the gesture and stepped forward to take the phone for him. "Young Master Porter, this..."

    Dillon had also seen the contents of the text message. It was the current route for the shipment of goods clearly described in words, making it a genuine map.

    Rachel then said, "I am very curious as to why Miss Hart would hand this route map to me."

    His expression immediately changed.

    L hurriedly exined, "Young Master Dillon."

    Before she could finish her sentence, Dillon took out his gun and pointed the muzzle at her head without another word in fury. "You are really a spy after all!"

    At that moment, the sound of a phone vibrating sounded out of nowhere.

    One of Dillon''s subordinates quickly answered the phone. "Hello? Master Porter."

    Nobody knew what was being said on the other end of the phone, but the subordinate''s expression immediately changed. "Yes. I understand. Young Master Porter, Master Porter asks that you answer the phone."

    A furious Dillon red at L and issued amand to the people around him. "Hold her down. Bring all of them back to my room."

    Justin hurriedly tried to stand up, but he was stopped by the gun pointing at him by the bodyguard nearby.

    Inside the hotel suite, Dillon talked to Sean Porter on the phone for a long time inside the bedroom. When he came out, his expression was incredibly furious and it looked worse than the time he learned that L was a spy.

    L was standing by the side. When she saw himing out of the bedroom, she respectfully lowered her head. "Young Master Porter." However, he sneered and raised a hand to p her soundly across the face.

    Her head tilted to the side from the force of impact before a trickle of blood flowed out from the corner of her mouth. Yet, she did not make a single sound and remained as cold and indifferent as ever. "Young Master Porter, have you vented some of your anger?"

    "No!" Dillon raised his arm again. Unexpectedly, she raised her head and waited for him to hit her. His hand hung in mid-air for ages before his clenched fist finally dropped to his sides and he gnashed his teeth furiously. "You sure are amazing. You''re no longer by my father''s side, but you can still cooperate with him and even keep me in the dark. Aren''t you scared that I might shoot you?"

    "If it were Miss Porter, I would have lost my life a long time ago. However, you are merciful and soft-hearted, Young Master Porter." L''s indifferent words were not apliment, but a direct statement that pointed out his character ws. In this line of work, thest thing they wanted was to be merciful.

    Needless to say, he was not apassionate person. It was just that he could never be cruel toward the people around him. Even if he discovered that somebody had betrayed him, he still could not bring himself to kill them immediately. That was also the reason why L and Sean dared to set this trap tonight.

    Dillon red at her fiercely. "You can handle the rest. I''m not in the mood. I''m leaving!"

    After saying that, he turned and strode out whereby his two bodyguards hurriedly chased after him. Only L and the others remained inside the suite.

    L''s cold and sharp gazended on the sofa where Rachel and Justin had been restrained for some time now. "Release them."

    "Yes."

    As soon as the ropes around Justin were released, he immediately chased the person standing beside Rachel away and personally freed her from the ropes. "Rachel, are you okay?" Rachel pushed his hands away. Standing up while rubbing her wrists, she created some distance between them. "Miss Hart, what is the meaning of this?"

    "Do you still not understand? All of this was a trap that Master Porter set to test you. If you had not brought up the route map in that phone, I would have killed you even if Young Master Porter had not." Rachel''s heart skipped a beat. "I don''t understand. What do you mean?"

    L replied, "You don''t need to understand too much. In short, the business deals would continue toe your way in the future. If the incident tonight has scared you, Miss Hudson, then I will apologize on Master Porter''s behalf. Do you need me to send you home, Miss Hudson?"

    "No need!" Justin suddenly spoke up, staring at L with cold eyes. "I will send her home."

    L nced at him. "Mr. Burton, I''m sure you don''t wish to see misfortune to befall on the Burton Group. That''s why it''s for the best if you keep your mouth shut about what you saw and heard in this ce today. Otherwise, nobody can guarantee whether the Burton Family will still have a sessor in the future."

    Not only did he hold an important position in Riverdale, but he was also rted to Jason. That was why Dillon would not do anything to him without any reason, no matter what happened. Nevertheless, her warning was not a joke.

    "In that case, I won''t see you off. We''re leaving. Miss Hudson, I hope we can patch things up the next time we meet."

    Rachel forced a corner of her mouth into a smile. As she watched L and the others depart, she couldn''t help feeling a sense of fear lingering in her heart.

    Inside the underground garage.

    "I''ll send you back."

    Rachel had just pulled open the car door when she was stopped by Justin.

    "No need." She rejected his offer without any hesitation. "I can drive myself."

    "Rae!" He held the car door and prevented her from getting into the car. "Stop causing trouble. Listen to me. I''ll send you back."

    She frowned. "I''m not that close to you."

    He looked like he wanted to say something. All of a sudden, he felt dizzy and abruptly held the car door for support while hisplexion paled.

    Rachel subconsciously wanted to reach out to support him, but she suddenly remembered something, which caused her eyebrows to furrow deeply. Withdrawing her hand, she coldly asked, "Can you even send me back in that condition?"

    Justin was taken aback by those words.

    "Do you think that what I''ve encountered tonight is not dangerous enough or stimting enough?"

    "Rae."

    "Mr. Burton, let me remind you about something." She took a deep breath and forced herself to seem both calm and polite before she slowly spat out the words. "Please don''t call me that. It feels... disgusting." His expression froze for a moment; his fingers that were holding the car door curled slightly and his knuckles turned white.

    "Excuse me." Rachel pushed him aside.

    Bang. She mmed the door shut behind her.

    Justin recovered from his shock and knocked on the car window. "Open the door. I have something to say to you."

    She refused to bother to look at him and buckled the safety belt before she started the car. In the next moment, the headlights turned on while the engine roared to life inside the garage. He nearly lost his bnce when the car pulled out of the parking spot.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    The red car disappeared into the distance.

    He took a few steps after the car, but he was much too dizzy to continue. His temples were throbbing painfully and his stomach was turning nauseously. Staggering on his feet, he had to support himself agains a nearby pir just to remain standing.

    No. I must figure out what kind of business Rachel is involved in and who she is dealing with. He had heard a lot about the kind of underground business that Jason was involved in. It was just that Arthur had asked him to turn a blind eye to Jason''s activities, so he had not bothered to care. I can''t allow Jason to drag Rachel down with him, though.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 337

    Chapter 337 I Won''t Die, but She Will

    Rachel drove home in the night without taking any detours. The moment she closed the door behind her, her hands holding the car keys trembled slightly.

    "Why are you only back at this hour?" Jolly had been waiting for Rachel inside the house. "I was so worried. I was about to contact Janice if you still have not returned. What''s wrong? Are you okay?" She immediately noticed that Rachel''splexion was terrible. "What happened?"

    Rachel tossed the car keys aside and sat down. Afterward, she briefly recounted everything that happened tonight to Jolly.

    Jolly was petrified. "I can''t believe that they set up a trap within a trap! Wouldn''t you have died if you had believed that L is Coraline and epted the phone together with the route map!?"

    "You''re wrong." Rachel shook her head. "If I had kept the phone and the route map, I would not have died, but Coraline would have died instead."

    "Coraline? Didn''t you say that L is not Coraline?"

    "No. She is Coraline."

    Everything that happened tonight from the time she received the note Coraline stuffed in her hand at the entrance of the private room to the blurry address written on the note to the instructions to head to the public phone booth to receive the call-all of these were part of Dillon''s trap.

    On the other hand, the route map in the phone hidden at the public phone booth was the trap set up by that ''Master Porter''.

    The trap that Dillon set was insignificant as it was just a foolish one that his father had used as a diversion.

    "In the underground garage, L made a gesture with her hand before she pointed her gun at Justin."

    "What gesture?"

    Rachel imitated the hand gesture for Jolly to see. "The meaning of this hand gesture is ''hit me''."

    "She asked you to hit her?"

    "Of course not. She didn''t actually mean for me toy a blow on her. Rather, she wanted me to reveal the phone and the route map she gave me to Dillon. She wanted me to turn around and betray her." Jolly was confused. "I still don''t understand. What does that mean? She''ll be fine if you expose the fact that she gave you the route map?"

    Rachel exined, "I believe that she is being suspected by the higher-ups. Combined with the fact that this ''Master Porter'' wanted to confirm my position, they decided to set up the events of tonight. If I had handed the route map to the Riverdale Investigation Bureau, it proves that I knew ''L'' from the beginning, which would have exposed her as a result."

    "I get it. Assessing your sincerity and intent to cooperate is secondary because the main point was to confirm whether ''L'' is a spy."

    "That''s right. I''m just a new cooperation partner. If I''m not suitable, they can just cut off all contact with me. There''s no need for them to do anything to me. That''s because I don''t understand anything about thei organization. However, that''s not the case with ''L'' as it''s obvious that she knows too much."

    "Oh, my God." Jolly suddenly felt a bted sense of fear washing over her. "If you had not seen that hand gesture..."

    Rachel was also filled with the same lingering fear.

    If anything went wrong tonight, Coraline would have disappeared from the face of the Earth forever and the Riverdale Investigation Bureau would never be able to locate her again.

    Luckily Rachel was able to confirm one thing when Coraline made that hand gesture. L Hart was indeed Coraline Harper. Not only was she still alive, but she was also continuing with her duties as a spy. I have to tell Janice about this.

    It took Jolly a while to recover from her shock. As she walked barefooted to the fridge, she took out a beer and muttered, "No, no. This is too stimting. I need a drink to calm my nerves."

    Rachel craned her neck. "Get me a bottle too."

    They each held a bottle in one hand, sat on the carpet, and toasted each other.

    "What are we celebrating?" Jolly was at a loss for words.

    Rachel replied, "Let''s celebrate surviving today instead!" After some consideration, she added, "And celebrate the fact that Coraline is still alive."

    Her eyes reddened slightly when she said those words. It was precisely because she learned that Coraline was still alive that she didn''t have the patience to say anything to Justin even though he was blocking her car. She was impatient to return home and share this good news with Jolly.

    As the two of them drank, they gradually rxed.

    All of a sudden, Jolly burst outughing.

    "What are youughing at?"

    "Nothing. I just suddenly thought about that Burton scum. He suffered a beating for no reason today. That''s karma!"

    At the mention of Justin, Rachel frowned slightly.

    "What''s wrong? Don''t tell me you are feeling sorry for him." Jolly furrowed her eyebrows. "You''re not allowed to be soft-hearted."

    "No. I was just thinking about what he said to me today." Rachel turned to the side and took out a document from her bag. "This is the list of assets that he gave me."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "What?!"

    "He hopes I will withdraw thewsuit and surrender the custodial rights over Charlotte to him. I can meet her anytime. Moreover, he will transfer all the assets under his name to Charlotte in the form of a will." Jolly was stunned. "All of his assets?" How many billions is that worth?! There''s no denying that Justin really is the perfect father when ites to his daughter. "Did you agree?"

    "I said I will consider it." Rachel nced at Jolly, her gaze suddenly bing firm. "Do you think I can give up on Charlotte''s custodial rights, though?"

    Jolly immediately felt relieved. Picking up the beer bottle from the table, she tapped her bottle against the bottle in Rachel''s hand. The bottles knocked against each other and made a muffled sound, which caused the beer head to ssh slightly and scatter bubbles. It was as though they were celebrating their victory in advance or to kick off this grand carnival.

    Three dayster, the Riverdale Courthouse sent out mediators to formally oversee the out-of-court settlement only to be rejected by Rachel.

    Justin had called Rachel multiple times on her phone, but nobody answered. It was not until two days before the court hearing that the phone call was finally connected.

    He sounded extremely anxious over the phone call. "Why didn''t you answer my calls?"

    She sat in her office with a calm expression and watched the steam rising from her cup. "I''m sorry. I was very busy recently, so I had no time to answer your calls." "Are you avoiding me?"

    "You''re over thinking things. I am not."

    Her cold and indifferent attitude had be the norm. He had no choice but to ept the reality and dropped the topic. "Didn''t you say you will consider my offer? Why did you reject the out-of-court settlement?"

    "I have yet to make up my mind, so I can only allow the necessary court procedures to flow naturally. I don''t believe there''s anything wrong with that."

    "I really do not wish to meet you in court. As you know, the attorneys will do anything to expose the other party''s shorings. Do you really wish for us to be like this? How will Charlotte me herself when she grows up and learns about this?"

    Rachel picked up her cup, blew on the foam at the top, and took a sip. "Regarding your document, I believe there are certain areas that can be revised. If you agree to it, then I can withdraw thewsuit." Justin didn''t even stop to think and immediately agreed. "No problem. I''ll do it."

    "You haven''t even heard my request."

    "I will agree to any of your requests, as long as you withdraw thewsuit."

    Those words left her feeling stunned. Nevertheless, she quickly recovered and nced at the calendar on her desk. The court hearing was on the day after tomorrow. "Alright, then. I have some time tonight. Why don''t we meet up for dinner together and have a good talk?"

    The voice on the other end of the phone could almost be described as ''overwhelmed by feelings of love''. "No problem."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 338

    Chapter 338 A Rare Moment of Peace

    Night fell. By the time Justin arrived, Rachel had already been waiting inside one of the private rooms of Hotel tinum for a while.

    "Didn''t you say eight o''clock?" Justin nced at the time. It was only 7:30 PM, so he thought he had remembered their appointment time wrongly.

    She exined, "Yes, I did say eight o''clock. It''s just that I didn''t have many things to handle at thepany today, so I came here directly after I finished my work."

    Those words stunned him as he couldn''t help feeling rather astonished. I even mentally prepared myself that she might renege on the meeting today. I can''t believe she came early.

    "Have some tea." She took the initiative to pour him a cup of tea. "I recall that you liked drinking the Earl Grey tea I brewed when I first entered the Hudson Family. Only by relying on this would you be nicer to

    me."

    Her words stunned him once more. Looking at his tea cup, he finally realized the reason for that inexplicable feeling of familiarity he experienced upon entering this room.

    It has been a long time since I had this tea. He took a sip with a ratherplicated expression. "It still tastes the same as before."

    He did not know whether it was because tea had a calming scent or whether it had been ages since theyst met each other. Be that as it might be, both of them had calmed down considerably and it was a rare moment of peace.

    "Rachel, I''m very happy that you are willing to call me out to discuss matters, but, why did you choose to meet here?" Justin looked around at the furnishings of the private room. The look in his eyes was slightly tense.

    Hotel tinum was where Rachel had met up with Dillon and his men the other day and where an ident had nearly urred as a result.

    "The incident urred here the other day," she borated. "I nearly dragged you down with me. Regardless of the circumstances, I owe you a favor. I decided to meet up here so that I can formally thank you." "You don''t need to worry about that. I just hope that you don''t act too aggressively. It''s best if you don''t interact much with people like Jason or Dillon."

    "I will consider your suggestion now that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has stabilized."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, really."

    Compared to her usual tough outward appearance but timid demeanor, Rachel looked much more at ease today.

    Justin was overjoyed. "It''s great that you think that way. If anything happens to Hudson Pharmaceuticals, I will do my best to help you as Jason and the others are not walking on the right track."

    "I understand what you mean." She acknowledged his words with a smile.

    The serving staff knocked on the door. While serving the dishes, he brought out a bottle of red wine. "Miss Hudson, this is the wine you wanted. It has been prepped. Would you like to drink it now?"

    Rachel raised her hand. "Serve it."

    "Okay." The serving staff left after he finished serving the wine.

    "Why did you suddenly want to drink wine?" Justin looked at the ss of red wine in front of him, his eyebrows furrowing slightly into a fine line.

    She answered, "This wine was given to me by my client. I''ve been safekeeping it all this while. Today, I had the rare urge to drink with you. The first reason is to thank you for your help previously and the second is to thank you for all the care you''ve shown Charlotte over the years."

    "What happened the other day was an ident. You don''t need to be so hung up about it. There''s even less need for you to thank me for taking care of Charlotte. She is my daughter. It''s a given that I take good care of her."

    "So, are you going to drink this ss of wine?" The smile on her face greatly reduced and her voice became colder. "In the end, you still have your guard up against me. There''s actually no need for that." After saying that, she lifted her ss and downed its content in one go.

    Justin could not stop her in time.

    She turned the wine ss upside down, ced it on the table, and stood up abruptly. "I''ve finished drinking. If there''s nothing else, then I''ll be leaving."

    "Rae!" He stood up. "I have no intention of being on guard against you. Please let me finish talking."

    Her expression was sullen, cold, and indifferent.

    Thus, Justin gulped the red wine down without another word. After he finished drinking, he started saying, "I simply wanted to discuss our daughter with you. I will apany you as much as you want once we''ve finished discussing serious matters."

    Only then did Rachel sit back down. "I''m sorry. I forgot that you just had surgery and can''t take alcohol."

    "It''s nothing." He was more concerned about thewsuit. "The court hearing is the day after tomorrow. No matter what the oue of thewsuit, the victim will always be the children. I know you will never forgive me, but Charlotte is innocent. Can you bear to deal with the effect on her?"

    "She is my daughter. You should be able to understand. I wish for her to grow up by my side."

    "I understand. That''s why I can send her to you any time you want to meet her."

    His words were exceptionally sincere, which resulted in the slight rxation of her gaze.

    Looking at the red wine on the table, he poured himself another ss. "You are angry with me. I know that. It''s my fault. I can use my entire life to repay you and our daughter. Please believe me just this once." Justin was not good with alcohol. After two sses of wine, a red flush appeared on his face.

    "We can skip thewsuit, but I have a request. I hope you can help me with it."

    "What is your request? Please say."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "This is a piece ofnd in Nortne that Hudson Pharmaceuticals bid for half a year ago. Unfortunately, the Burton Group obtained it before we could. If you are willing to transfer this piece ofnd to me, then I will drop thewsuit."

    Justin was a little surprised. In his judgment, Rachel was not somebody who would give up Charlotte''s custodial rights for financial gain. Something was fishy. Even so, whether it was due to the effects of the alcohol or his guilty conscience, he couldn''t help agreeing to her request. "No problem. I can transfer thatnd to you. As long as you want it, I can even do it now."

    "Good. Then, sign here." While speaking, Rachel took out a contract that she had prepared in advance and handed him a pen.

    He held the pen in his hand. However, the words on the contract made no sense to him. "Where?"

    She flipped the pages of the document all the way to thest page. "Here."

    Swish. Swish. With two strokes of his pen, he signed his name on the document.

    As soon as he finished signing thest stroke, thest shred of patience in her eyes vanished. She put the contract away and whispered, "Don''t worry, you will surely be satisfied with the final oue." "Rae, I think I had too much to drink."

    "You only had two sses. Are you drunk?"

    "A little. What was that wine?"

    "It''s not wine. It''s tea."

    Before Justin lost consciousness, he vaguely heard the words ''It''s tea''. In his dazed state, he realized that the originally demure and gentle woman now looked extremely distant and cold. Moreover, the expression of the woman separated by a long table between them was filled with indifference mixed with disgust.

    The scene changed to reveal his surroundings turning into a forest.

    "Run, Justin!"

    "Katie,e back!"

    Large licks of mes swept through the entire thatched cottage and gradually spread to the surroundings. The fire first spread to the bamboo forest, but it didn''t take long before the mountain forest caught fire after not seeing a drop of rain in a very long time. The dry and dead leaves zed into mes. The fire soon became so hot that it scorched the very air itself.

    Crackle. Pop. Crackle. The sounds of the bamboo exploding in his ears sounded like the screams of death, which made him panic.

    "Katie!" Justin shouted and opened his eyes abruptly whereby his blurry vision gradually became clearer. What he was looking at turned out to be ceiling boards. The patterns wereplicated, symbolizing the meaning of blooming flowers.

    "What''s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" A soft female voice suddenly came from next to him. A fair arm in the shade of snow was pressed against his chest.

    The pupils in his eyes contracted abruptly before he shoved aside the unfamiliar woman in front of him and shouted coldly, "Who are you!?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 339

    Chapter 339 He Was the Only One Who Got Drunk

    The woman was shoved so hard that she fell off the bed and cried out in pain, "Don''t you remember anything fromst night?"

    Justin clutched at his pounding head while his head buzzed loudly. I was clearly discussing our daughter with Rachelst night, but I don''t remember what happened next.

    When she saw his reaction, the woman angrily rose to her feet. "What do you mean by that?! Are you refusing to take responsibility after you''ve slept with me?!"

    "Last night, you had too much to drink in the lobby of this hotel. I kindly tried to send you home, but you refused to tell me where you lived. As ast resort, I could only get you a room in the hotel. Who could have known that you would hold on to me all night and refuse to let me leave..."

    "I held on to you?" He could not recall anything. "That''s impossible!"

    "Impossible? Who are you trying to insult?!" The woman was furious beyond belief. "Are you refusing to take responsibility?! I will report you to the police immediately! I will sue you for rape!"

    The moment he heard the word ''police'', Justin immediately came back to his senses. "Wait."

    "Why? Are you scared now?"

    He coldly red at the woman. "Words like ''a man indulging in lust after getting drunk'' are only to deceive others. Even if most of your words are true, you know best as to whether anything had happened between usst night."

    The woman panicked slightly while holding her phone.

    "Do you n to name your price and forever keep what happenedst night a secret? Or, would you prefer to report this to the police and have them investigate whether or not something had happenedst night? It''s your choice."

    She clearly seemed guilty. A short whileter, she reached out her hand toward him. "500 thousand."

    "It''s a deal."

    The woman was slightly speechless.

    When Frankie received a sudden phone call from Justin, he hurriedly delivered a change of clothes to the hotel.

    As soon as he walked into the room, he saw Justin in a bathrobe after finishing a bath. Thus, he became a little anxious. "President Burton, why didn''t you answer the phonest night?! Why did youe to the hotel?! The doctor has specified that you need to be hospitalized!"

    "Did you bring the clothes?"

    "I did."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Justin took the clothes and went straight to change whilepletely ignoring Frankie''s nagging.

    For some reason, Frankie vaguely felt that his superior was no longer the same after undergoing surgery. It was still a familiar feeling, but it was strangely distant.

    They left the hotel with Frankie at the steering wheel.

    "President Burton, weren''t you having dinner with President Hudsonst night? Why did you end up staying in the hotel? You-"

    Justin nced at Frankie. The chill in those eyes had frightened Frankie so much that he shuddered. What happened?

    Justin held his phone and hesitated for a long while, but dialed Rachel''s number in the end.

    "Hello?" However, the person who answered the phone was not Rachel.

    He was stunned. "Miss Carter?"

    "Why is it you?" Jolly''s voice sounded furious. "I can''t believe I''m meeting a ghost so early in the morning. Justin, why are you always everywhere?! Why are you calling Chris?"

    As he knew that she was prejudiced against him, he didn''t argue with her. "Where is Rae?"

    "How dare you mention that! Didn''t she go for dinner with youst night? Why did shee backpletely drunk!? If I had not found her in the middle of the night, she would have fallen asleep in the doorway!"

    "Is she alright?"

    "She is still asleep. You, on the other hand, sure are spirited. You were drinking together, so couldn''t you have sent her safely back home before you left? What kind of man are you? Can you take responsibility if something happened to her?"

    "It''s good that she''s fine." When he recalled what had happened this morning, Justin couldn''t help feeling annoyed and hung up.

    On the other side of the phone, Jolly ced the phone down and raised an eyebrow. "How was it? Is my performance worthy of an Academy Award?"

    "I can build you a golden pce with the gold from those Academy Awards." Rachel looked up and raised her ss of fruit juice from where she sat on the opposite side of the dining table. "Come and have breakfast."

    The only person who had gotten drunkst night was Justin and she had arrived home earlierst night.

    Jolly pulled out a chair and sat down. Looking at the photos spread out across the table, she randomly picked up several of them. "Are these photos enough?"

    "This one is enough. Let''s pack up the rest."

    "This one?" She scrutinized the photo for a while. "This one doesn''t seem like much. You can even im that it was just a simple helping hand. It''s not shocking enough."

    "You have to see who you are showing this photo to know whether it''s shocking enough or not." Rachel tapped on the photo. "This one is enough. Hand the rest to Hernandez; he will take care of them." "Fine. It''s enough if you think it''s enough."

    "Jolly, do you think I''m being too cruel?"

    "You? Cruel?" Jolly''s eyes widened. "Can you be more cruel than that Burton scum? Don''t forget how he treated you back then. It''s not too much even if you turned him into ashes! You''re only doing this for the sake of Charlotte''s custodial rights. He''s asking for it!"

    Rachel nodded and stopped thinking about it. She did not care for what other people might think because in her opinion, it was not suitable for a child to grow up in an environment like the Burton Family. The child would only turn into somebody like Justin in the future.

    It was night time the next day.

    "President Burton, the courthouse ims that the intiff did not withdraw thewsuit." Frankie made several calls to confirm this fact.

    Justin immediately tried to call Rachel upon hearing that news. "The number you have called is unreachable at the moment."

    Looking at Justin''s furious expression, Frankie added, "President Burton, it looks like we have no choice but to proceed with thewsuit. Everything that President Hudson did previously was just a means to an end."

    "Impossible. She is not that kind of person."

    "President Burton, with all due respect, a mother is capable of bing a person like that for the sake of her child."

    Frankie''s words shattered Justin''s delusions.

    Then, Justin questioned, "Do you also think I don''t deserve to be a father?"

    "That was not what I meant."

    "Then, what did you mean?"

    His expression was cold, but he was practically spitting mes of rage from his eyes.

    Frankie shuddered at the sight and didn''t know what to say. "President Burton, please calm down. The most important thing right now is not what President Hudson thinks, but how we should fight thewsuit tomorrow. Thewyers are waiting for your answer."

    It took a long while for Justin to return to his senses as his arms that were hanging by his sides trembled slightly. He was against the idea of going to court against Rachel. Unfortunately, what he feared the most had happened anyway.

    "President Burton, where are you going?"

    Justin did not exin. Grabbing his phone and his car keys, he left the house and drove to the hotel alone even though it was veryte at night.

    In order to avoid suspicion, Gloria had moved back to the hotel after Rachel and the others left the Burton Residence.

    "Gloria."

    "It''s sote. Why are you here?" She was surprised to see Justin when she opened the door.

    His breath was ragged because he had been walking too fast. "Can you call Rachel? Please help me. I have something to say to her."

    She was taken aback by his words and subconsciously clenched her fingers, feeling a little lost on what to do. "I don''t want to lie to you. Yesterday, Jolly told me about the court hearing for thewsuit. She also told me to keep out of this mess, especially if you ask me to contact Miss Rachel for you. This is between the two of you. I was asked to stay out of this matter."

    "Gloria, this is probably the first time I''ve ever asked for your help."

    She was extremely troubled. "I really can''t. I promised them."

    "Gloria, Rachel is Katie."

    When she heard those words, Gloria was shocked and looked incredulous. "What did you say?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 340

    Chapter 340 Respecting My Daughter''s Wishes

    "I remembered everything from the past." Justin confessed to Gloria. "Rachel is Katie. It''s just that she has lost her childhood memories."

    His words left Gloria absolutely shocked. How can that be!? Rachel is Katie!? "But, five years ago, you..."

    His gaze dimmed at those words and a regretful expression lingered on his face. "It''s all my fault. I couldn''t recognize her and even hurt her so badly. If I had known that she was Katie... How could I... How could I have..."

    Suddenly, his eyes reddened.

    On the other hand, it took a long time for her swirling emotions to settle down.

    Gloria had remained by his side for more than twenty years. For that reason, nobody knew what Katie meant to Justin better than her. Katie was practically his one and only belief throughout his earlier years. He maintained the scar on his face, inherited the Burton Group earlier on, and spent several years plotting to force Hudson Pharmaceuticals into a critical situation. Everything he did was to avenge the ''dead'' child. Who could have expected that Katie was still alive, much less that she became one of the sacrifices in his quest for revenge?

    Fate sure ys cruel tricks. "Do you n to tell Miss Rachel?"

    "Yes."

    She gradually calmed down and shook her head. "Do you think that Miss Rachel will understand the reason for your past actions just because she learns that she is Katie?"

    "I only want her to know that I never meant to harm her!"

    "You''ve already hurt her."

    Her words were like a basin of cold water that poured on Justin''s heart.

    Gloria added, "Five years ago, she was so badly injured that she practically left Riverdale on the verge of death. What does it change even if she learns that she is Katie or that you ruthlessly caused that tragedy for Katie''s sake?"

    Those injuries were undeniably real.

    Justin was at a loss for what to say and looked depressed. "I know. I know..."

    How could he not have considered everything she mentioned earlier?

    "Look; I can help you to pass the message, but it will bepletely up to Miss Rachel to decide whether those actions are useful."

    On the contrary, he suddenly shook his head and bitterly said, "Forget it. You don''t need to tell her."

    Everything Justin did since obtaining his memories had been a waste of his efforts. If he could turn back time, he wished that he would be burned to death in the forest back then. That way, Rachel would never have met a man like him.

    "Gloria, just pretend you didn''t hear anything from me. Please keep this a secret; don''t let Rae find out."

    "Why?"

    "If she learns that the person she rescued all those years ago is me, she will most likely hate herself." He looked around before his gazended in the direction of the bedroom. "Is Charlotte asleep?" He had been recently too busy to take care of Charlotte, so he left everything to Gloria.

    "Yeah, she''s asleep."

    "I''m going to see her."

    Looking at Justin''s back, Gloria suddenly felt sad.

    Five years ago, she had watched helplessly as everything progressed in an irreversible direction. The only time she had rejoiced over something was when she helped Rachel to leave Riverdale. At the time, she thought that everything would end there. However, Rachel had returned. I should have expected this oue. A mother will never leave her children behind.

    The court hearing for the custody rightswsuit officially began at the Riverdale Courthouse the next day. Both Rachel and Justin were present for the hearing.

    Rachel''s representativewyer was Hernandez, who was a battle-hardened man. He presented his evidence one after another and stated why Justin was not suitable to be a father.

    "Just from this recording alone, you can tell that he is a domineering man prone to extreme violence. How can a man like him raise a young girl to grow up in a healthy environment? Also, take a look at this medical report. As far as I know, Mr. Burton, the defendant, has been actively cooperating with a psychiatrist for treatment. Does he have psychological problems? How can he raise his daughter with such problems?"

    Justin''swyers had tried to intercept on numerous asions, but they were always stopped by Hernandez. They couldn''t hold back any longer this time around. "Your Honor, I have a question for the opposing counsel. Where did your medical recordse from? If they are fake, then you are fabricating evidence. If they are genuine, then this is an invasion of privacy. Besides, all the so-called crimes that you mentioned are nonsense. Mr. Burton raised his daughter alone for five years. He even gave up the idea of remarrying for his daughter''s sake. Is that not a sacrifice? Besides, where was the mother during these five years?!"

    Hernandez was filled with righteous indignation. "I told you; Miss Hudson fled Riverdale back then. If she had not left, was she supposed to wait until she was tortured to death instead?!" "Where is the evidence?! You are spouting nonsense!"

    "If we had the evidence, this would have been a criminal case instead! He would be sentenced to jail for his crimes!"

    "You''re confounding the public! This is an insult to Mr. Button''s character."

    Thewyers'' debate did not take any form of the so-called affection into ount. Theirnguage might be perfectly clean, but every single word they uttered had gouged at the other party''s deepest wounds and exposed the most cruel truth.

    On the other hand, Rachel was the calmest person around as she had long mentally prepared herself for the past to be brought up once more, so she was not afraid of these proceedings.

    Meanwhile, Justin was unable to look her straight in the eye as he could not bear listening to hiswyers as they ndered her. Thus, he stopped his attorneys and asked, "I would like to say something. May

    1?"

    The judge nodded in acquiescence.

    Justin''s tall figure stood up from the defendant''s seat. His face was haggard and unshaven. It had only been two days since theyst met each other, but he looked like he had aged ten years during that time. He seemed to have lost his spirit.

    His voice was also rather hoarse. "I''m not saying this as the defendant. I just want to speak as a father. I was a terrible husband. I cannot deny that. However, as Charlotte''s father, I wish that she can grow up happy and carefree. Charlotte''s greatest wish is for her parents to remarry each other so that she can have a normal and loving family. I am unable to fulfill this wish of hers, so I feel very guilty." His eyes were bloodshot while the pupils were extremely red.

    "However, ever since I became Charlotte''s father... From the day I saw that tiny child... She was so small that she could fit in the palm of my hand. So weak, yet so strong. I remember every moment of the past five years clearly. If I win thiswsuit, I will not stop Charlotte from meeting her mother. I will do my best to tell her that both her parents love her very much, but that is all I can do..." Justin''s voice was choked with sobs at this point.

    A man''s tears indicated extreme pain. Not to mention, his words were so sincere that all the jury on the scene were a little moved.

    On the contrary, Rachel waspletely unmoved.

    The judge turned to look at the intiff''s seat. ˇ°intiff, you may speak.ˇ±

    She nodded slightly. "Your Honor, I can also portray a sad performance. However, I do not wish for anybody, especially my daughter, to view me as a weak mother. There is no doubt that I love my daughter, so there''s no need for more words. I will respect my daughter''s wishes."

    Her daughter''s wishes? As soon as that statement rang out, the entire courtroom buzzed with discussion.

    A figure had entered through the side door at some point in time. It was Jolly and Charlotte.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    Justin was shocked. I can''t believe Rachel is so cruel that she doesn''t hesitate to let our daughter witness thiswsuit!

 My Mute Bride Chapter 341

    Chapter 341 She Has Lost a Baby Before

    Charlotte''s arrival marked a turning point in the court hearing. After all, civil cases like child custody battles were the hardest to adjudicate on. There were no ck-and-white rules on this, but it was almostmon practice that the child''s wishes would have a huge impact on the court''s verdict.

    Justin frowned at once. "Miss Carter, who let you bring my daughter here? Frankie, take Charlotte out of here now!"

    Hernandez stood up at once. "Your Honor."

    The judge banged the gavel in his hand. "Silence!"

    The scene went silent at once.

    Hernandez used sharply, "How could a kid grow up under the control of such a domineering father?"

    Justin looked as ck as thunder as he struggled to suppress his displeasure. "Rachel, why do you have to have Charlotte brought here?"

    Instead of answering him, Rachel continued to make her case. "Your Honor, there''s one other thing that I need to make clear. I gave birth to Charlotte while I was divorced and technically single. The time of her birth and the time of my divorce could be verified, so her custody should''ve been mine in the first ce."

    All at once, a discussion broke out among the jury.

    Justin wanted to say something, but his attorney stopped him, saying, "Your Honor, I''d like to ask for a recess." After all, Charlotte''s sudden presence had made the situation somewhatplicated. The judge nodded slightly. "The court will recess for 15 minutes."

    Justin stopped Rachel as soon as they left the courtroom. "Come with me. I''d like to have a word with you!"

    "Justin." Hernandez tried to stop him.

    Rachel was imperturbable, though. "It''s okay. I''ll be back in a minute."

    Only then did Hernandez relent.

    After following Justin into the lounge, Rachel asked straightforwardly, "What do you want to say? Shoot."

    Justin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After barely calming himself, he said, "Rachel, whatever means you use for thiswsuit, I can understand it, but why do you have to be so cruel? Why let Charlotte see us at each other''s throats? She''s just a kid!"

    Rachel argued, "She''s already six years old. Do you think she doesn''t know anything? Rather than coaxing her into living a fairytale, it''s better to let her choose her own future life. At least she won''t me me in the future for not giving her the opportunity!"

    "That''s too cruel! You''re her mother!"

    "It''s precisely because I''m her mother that I want her to know I''ve never given up on her! I''ll do my best to win thiswsuit."

    Justin was on the verge of breaking down. "Do you have to do this? I told you that you can visit her anytime you want. You-"

    "I don''t want that!" Rachel interrupted him snappily. "It made me feel very ufortable the first time I heard this from you. You sounded like you''d made a huge concession or something. Do you honestly think I should be eternally grateful for that?"

    Justin was at a loss for a reply. Rachel''s words punctured the man''s eardrum and pierced through his nerves one after another like needles.

    "If there''s nothing else, I gotta go. The hearing will continue in a minute."

    "Wait a minute." Justin grabbed Rachel''s arm. His deep voice dripped with humbleness as he said, "I''m not making concessions; I''m begging you. I can''t lose Charlotte."

    In a small movement, Rachel broke free of Justin''s grasp and flicked the nonexistent dust off the cuff of her shirt.

    When Justin saw this, his heart clenched all of a sudden. To think that she loathes me to such a degree!

    Just then, Rachel said, "I don''t believe you. Since you could marry me and then divorce me for the sake of your own interests in the past, you could also abandon Charlotte for the sake of your own interests in the future." Her heart was deste as their past was brought up again. As she stared at Justin, everything that had happened five years ago shed vividly before her eyes. "You probably have forgotten about it, but I lost a baby back then." The baby she had lost before conceiving Charlotte was always a pain in her heart, and she had never gotten over it over the past five years.

    Upon hearing her words, Justin turned pale and staggered. "I... I didn''t forget it. I still remember that, Rachel. I still remember that."

    Rachel turned her face away, not wanting to look at him.

    As they both silently refused to budge, Justin''s voice sounded more and more muffled up. "I know it''s useless for me to say anything, but I''ll spend my whole life making it up to you and Charlotte. I''ll have the Burton Group''s shares that I have added to the will." At the mention of his will, he felt like he had clutched his lifeline, and his eyes lit up somewhat. "Rachel, didn''t we agree that I''ll make a will to protect Charlotte''s rights in the Burton Family so that you don''t have to worry about her suffering wrongs in the Burton Family? Please let Charlotte stay with me. Take it as my plea to you."

    However, Rachel replied coldly, "Your will will only be valid when you''re dead." With that, she pulled the door open and left the lounge right away without looking back, leaving the man standing at the door with his face as white as a sheet.

    "Mr. Burton!" His attorney hurried over with an anxious expression. "Why are you here? We need to rediscuss our strategy."

    "What else can I do?"

    "Your child''s wishes are crucial to the case. If you can convince your child to live with you, then there''ll basically be no problem." Justin barely pulled himself together. "Where''s Charlotte?"

    "The public rest area."

    At this moment, Charlotte was holding a bottle of fruit juice given by Jolly in the public rest area outside the courtroom, but she didn''t drink it.

    "Why not drink it, Charlotte? You don''t like it?"

    Charlotte''s little face was clouded with unhappiness. She asked with a frown, "Godmother, why are Daddy and Mommy fighting for my custody? Can''t they be together?"

    "You probably still don''t understand the matters between adults. In that case, let me ask you this: if you have to make a choice, who do you wish to live with?"

    Charlotte''s eyes reddened somewhat. "Daddy and Mommy have asked me this question before." In the past, she would cry at the question, and Rachel and Justin would feel sorry for her and stop questioning her. But now, it seemed that it''d be useless no matter how she cried.

    "You see, don''t you always want to be with your mom? Now your mom hase back for you. If you live with her in the future, you''ll get to y with Samuel, who will go to school with you every day and go to the yground with you on weekends. We''ll travel together during the winter and summer breaks... How happy we''ll be!"

    "But I''m also very happy to be with Daddy. He''s very nice to me, too."

    "What''s good about him? He-"

    Before Jolly could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Justin''s voice from behind. "Charlotte."

    At the sight of Justin, Charlotte immediately jumped down from her chair, ran to the man, and flung herself into his arms. She sobbed in an extremely aggrieved voice, "Daddy!"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin was very saddened to see how aggrieved Charlotte looked.

    Just then, Charlotte said, "Daddy, Godmother said I have to choose between you and Mommy, and I can''t choose both of you."

    "Who would you like to choose, then?"

    Charlottey in Justin''s arms without speaking.

    They had lived together for such a long time as father and daughter, so if anything happened, Justin would be Charlotte''s biggest support. Regardless of what Jolly might have said, Justin was still confident of this. Rachel has made a mistake in trying to use our child to win the case.

    At the sight of the scene, Jolly secretly clenched her fists and made up her mind. I still can''t let Rachel go easy on him this time. If she still doesn''t harden her heart, it''ll be toote.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 342

    Chapter 342 Profligate Lifestyle

    The hearing continued after the court''s recess ended. The judge directly asked Charlotte who she''d like to live with.

    However, before Charlotte could give her answer, Hernandez suddenly stood up. "Your Honor, before we ask the child who she''d like to live with, I''d like to present a new reference material for the case. I think you, the jury present, and the child herself have the right to see it."

    The judge nodded slightly.

    Hernandez whispered something to the projectionist at the scene. Soon after that, a few photos appeared on the LED screen.

    At the sight of the photos, Justin turned pale at once.

    The photos were selfies taken on arge hotel bed by a woman resting her head on Justin''s arm-the woman who had turned up next to him the morning before yesterday.

    Frankie hurriedly covered Charlotte''s eyes, but it was toote.

    Charlotte was stunned for a while with her eyes covered. Then, she mumbled quietly, "Does Daddy have another new girlfriend?"

    Rachel was startled for a moment before she clenched her fists.

    Hernandez exchanged a brief look with Jolly in the public gallery. Then, he stood up and exined, "The woman in the photos is a sex worker, or, inyman''s terms, a hooker!"

    In an instant, Justin''s pupils shrank, and his temples throbbed. He had never been humiliated like this before.

    The jury''s peculiar gazes were all focused on the man as they discussed the photos.

    Just then, Hernandez continued, "The hiring of prostitutes is prohibited byw and by moral standards. My client didn''t want to bring this up at first, but as an attorney, I believe this is a key piece of information that can prove that the defendant has a profligate lifestyle. He''s simply a shameless man whocked the morality necessary to raise a child!"

    Justin''s attorney panicked. "Please watch yournguage, Mr. Hernandez! By using my client of having a profligate lifestyle based on a few photos alone, you and your client are essentiallymitting libel!" "Silence!" The gavel struck. The judge said in a serious tone, "Mr. Hernandez, please don''t bring out materials irrelevant to the case for an argument."

    Hernandez nodded, epting the judge''s words with an open mind. Naturally, as an attorney, he knew very well that these photos wouldn''t have any direct impact on the ruling; they would only make the jury take them into consideration at most. However, the usefulness of these photosy in Charlotte.

    As he had expected, when the judge asked Charlotte again who she''d like to live with, she answered, "I want to live with Mommy."

    The blood visibly drained from Justin''s face. He eximed in disbelief, "Charlotte!"

    Charlotte turned around and hugged Jolly, her eyes reddened. She was still too little to know what the words "the hiring of prostitutes" meant, but in her view, Justin had found another new girlfriend, which was a huge blow to her. Kids were the most insecure, and yet Justin always had all kinds of women around him. Now that someone else had turned up after Amber was finally gone, how could she ept it?

    With the trump card yed, everything was decided. As Hernandez and the others had expected, the court ruled that Rachel would have Charlotte''s custody. When Hernandez walked out of the court building with the written judgment in his hands, Rachel smiled the most rxed smile she had had in recent days.

    "Let''s go, Chris." Jolly''s voice sounded from the entrance; she was holding Charlotte''s hand next to her.

    Rachel immediately went over to Charlotte and scooped her up in her arms before giving her a kiss. "Charlotte, from now on, you''ll be staying with me, and we''ll never be separated from each other. Let me take you home."

    Charlotte seemed somewhat tired, though; she buried her head on Rachel''s shoulder without making a sound.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Suddenly, some quick footsteps came from behind. "Charlotte!"

    It was Justin. With a stubbly chin, he looked a sorry sight and was no longer as high-spirited as he had been in the past; even his footsteps were weak.

    Lifting her head from Rachel''s shoulder, Charlotte stared at Justin with glistening ck eyes. Her eyes reddened slightly, and her lips quivered, but she didn''t make a sound. Instead, she merely mouthed the word "Daddy."

    "Charlotte, do you not want Daddy anymore?" Justin hurriedly walked over to Charlotte in an attempt to exin about the photos.

    Hernandez stopped him, though. "I''m sorry, Mr. Burton. The court has stated in the written judgment that you may visit the child once a week, but today is not the day."

    "Step aside!" Justin''s eyes were bloodshot. He exuded chilliness from every pore of his body, as though he hated Hernandez''s guts.

    "There''s no need to say anything else, Hernandez. Let''s go." Rachel left with Charlotte in her arms without looking back.

    Hernandez gave Justin a warning look before quickly catching up to her.

    Justin stood frozen in ce for quite a while before it urred to him to go after them. He rushed after them, but he didn''t even manage to touch the trunk lid of their car. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as their car drove away from the court building''s entrance.

    As the summer was transitioning to autumn, the autumn wind swept up fallen leaves in the ring sunlight.

    "President Burton!" Frankie hurried over to Justin. "That woman was a hooker, and she posted the photos on social media. Now the photos have been retweeted more than 10,000 times, and news reports of you hiring a prostitute are everywhere! The Burton Group''s share prices have started to drop!"

    Justin looked expressionlessly in the direction the car had left as if he hadn''t heard Frankie''s words.

    Just then, a ringtone yed like the final nail in the coffin. Seeing the caller ID, Frankie nched at once. "President Burton! It''s Old Mr. Burton calling!" Needless to say, Arthur was calling to ask about the rumors of Justin having "hired a prostitute."

    The phone kept ringing. After a long time, Justin answered the phone.

    In an instant, questions came pelting down on the man from the other end of the line. "What have you done? What the hell''s going on with those news stories online? Come back now!"

    "Grandpa, I can''t go back now."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I''ve lost thewsuit. I''m gonna apply for a retrial."

    Upon hearing this, Arthur became even more furious. "You wrongheaded b*stard! Do you know you''ve been tricked by Rachel, that woman?"

    "This is a matter between her and me, and I don''t need you to step in."

    Arthur could be heard banging his stick on the ground on the other end of the line. "Do you think that I want to step in? She''s set you up in such a despicable and shameless way, and you''re still unable to realize how sinister this woman is even now? She''s not only snatching the child from you; she''s also trying to bring down the Burton Group! She was up to no good from the very start!"

    Justin frowned. "What do you mean, Grandpa?"

    "You still don''t get it, huh? That woman was hired by her!"

    Justin didn''t expect to hear such words from Arthur. The instant he heard these, his mind instantly went nk, as though it had exploded with a loud boom. Impossible!

    "You don''t believe me, huh?" Arthur let out a snort. "If you don''t believe me, then look into it yourself! This woman has done lots of things behind your back, and this is only one of them!"

    The speech on the other end continued, but Justin was no longer listening. "Cough, cough...!"

    "President Burton!" Frankie cried out in rm. With quick reflexes, he held onto Justin, preventing thetter from falling. "Are you alright?"

    A pool of blood spewed out of Justin''s mouth and spread on the ground like the red blossoms of thorn apple flowers. He clutched his chest, which ached with acute, suffocating pain, as though it would explode at any minute.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 343

    Chapter 343 The Root of All Evil

    At the Burton Group, the phone outside thepany president''s office had rung all afternoon. The sound of someone coughing came from behind the desk.

    Just then, Frankie hurriedly entered the office with the document in his hands. "President Burton, we''ve found out that Miss Carter was also at Hotel tinum that day. Unless proven otherwise, that woman could have indeed been hired by President Hudson and herpany."

    Justin sounded very calm. "Got it."

    Frankie suggested gingerly, "President Burton, I asked ourpany''s legal department about this, and they said we''d better sue Hudson Pharmaceuticals for libel."

    "That''s unnecessary," came the man''s terse and unequivocal reply.

    "So, you mean..."

    31

    "Put this matter aside first. Just suppress the news."

    "Aren''t we gonna do anything, then? President Hudson has smeared your reputation by doing this. If we don''t do anything to clear your name, thepany''s board of directors will call you to ount-" Justin lifted his head from hisptop, his stony face gaunt and craggy. "Didn''t you hear what I said?"

    Although Frankie dared not disobey Justin, he was indignant deep down. He muttered, "I just feel sorry for you. It was unnecessary to resort to such underhanded means for thewsuit. And besides, President Hudson wasn''t such a person in the past."

    Justin''s grip on his fountain pen tightened slightly. "She''s not to me." Rachel used to be an unsophisticated and kind-hearted person who was sincere to others, but she never got to meet a nice person, and the few rtives and friends who were nice to her ended up leaving her one after another. It was me who drove her into bing the person she is today. I''m the root of all evil, he thought.

    Darkness slowly shrouded Riverdale, while the Golden Cruisey at anchor on the river with its bright lights and the neon lights in Riverdale echoing each other. Aboard the cruise ship, the party was still in full swing, but one private room deep in the restaurant formed a sharp contrast with the raging noise outside.

    L and several bodyguard-like men were standing guard outside the private room, forbidding even the waiter to enter to serve dishes. "Just give it to me." She took the food tray from the waiter and entered. At this moment, only two people were in the private room-Dillon and Randall.

    "Young Master Porter, I heard that you found a new partner?"

    "No, it''s not really new. It''s Hudson Pharmaceuticals, whom I''ve worked with before."

    Randall was taken aback by Dillon''s words. "After his arrest for what happened to Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Jefferey gave up a name list that implicated a lot of people. Young Master Porter, how could you take chances by working with them?"

    "The most dangerous ce is the safest. Don''t you know that?"

    "But that''s too dangerous."

    Dillon replied, "Don''t worry. Even my dad has approved of this, so there''s no way the coboration could go wrong." Still, when he recalled how L and his father had worked together to keep him in the dark, a hint of gloom crept into his eyes, and he sulkily took a sip of his wine.

    Just then, L came in to serve food, only to be greeted with a re from a sullen-faced Dillon.

    Randall seemed lost in thought. "Young Master Porter, I''ve never heard of Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' new president before. All I heard was that she was an illegitimate daughter and that she personally sent Jefferey to prison. How could you guys trust her?"

    "Would anyone who isn''t cruel dare to do business with us?"

    "Still, you can''t be too careful, Young Master Porter."

    Dillon leaned back in his chair with a nonchnt sneer. "What trouble can she make? She''s just a woman. And besides, she''s supplied plenty of goods this time. As long as we make sure that nothing goes wrong, the goods will be enough for us to sustain ourselves in hiding for a year or so."

    "Master Porter''s asking you to go back?"

    "It can''t be helped. After all, a higher profile draws greater scrutiny. Perhaps he thinks that I''ve stayed too long in Riverdale. Things have been quite tensetely."

    Upon speaking of this, Randall became worried as well. "The Riverdale Investigation Bureau has always been watching us. It''s just that they''re not able to get hold of any evidence, so they can''t say anything. But the amount of goods isrge this time. Young Master Porter, I think you''d better not escort the goods yourself lest you get caught."

    "No, I have to. I can''t trust the minions to do it. We had a batch of goods confiscatedst time, and my dad was very unhappy about that."

    Randall had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Young Master Porter, how about this? Let Rachel, that woman, escort the goods."

    "You mean to let her take part in this? Are you crazy?"

    "Young Master Porter, I think you''ve not fully trusted her yet, right?"

    "That''s of course. We only coborated once, and the goods didn''te from her, but from Jason. I reckon that fellow must have earned a fortune by pocketing the price difference."

    Randall advised, "The only thing that makes me worried about this woman is her rtionship with the Carters."

    "You mean Richard Carter?"

    "That''s right. As you know, Richard and I used to be on good terms. Since he''s acknowledged Rachel as his goddaughter, he has to have a good opinion of her. If she''s a person of upright character, do you really believe she''ll be in cahoots with us?"

    Dillon''s hand froze slightly as he yed with his walnuts.

    Just as Randall was about to say something again, he saw L making tea nearby, which made him grow wary. "Miss L, please leave the room for a while."

    L nodded and left without a change in her countenance, but her brows furrowed as she closed the door. Contrary to Dillon, a good-for-nothing, Randall was a deep one. Every word he had just said hit the nail on the head with his suspicions toward Rachel. Things are gonna get tricky, I''m afraid, she thought.

    It rained during the night, causing a sudden drop in temperature. As a result, Jolly sneezed as soon as she got out of bed the next day.

    "The weather''s cooler today. You should put more clothes on," came Rachel''s voice of reminder from the kitchen.

    Jolly sniffled while pulling out the dining chair. After seating herself, she listlessly leaned back in her chair and said with a sigh, "Now that we''ve won thewsuit, I can finally rx."

    "In that case, let''s give you a day off so that you can rest up."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Really?" Jolly straightened up at once, her eyes sparkling.

    "Really." Rachel took out three tickets. "I happen to have these. Just take Charlotte and Samuel to the Marine Aquarium to have fun."

    Jolly propped her head on her hand while looking at the tickets on the table. "Are you worried about Charlotte being upset?"

    "This kid always has a lot going on in her mind. The photos..." Rachel merely frowned without finishing her sentence.

    Jolly''s expression turned serious. "Sorry that I did it without your permission." Taking those photos had been part of their n at the start, but before the hearing, Rachel decided against using the photos, fearing that the photos might impact Charlotte too much given the girl''s young age. However, Jolly had gone over Rachel''s head this time.

    "I know you did that for my own good."

    "That''s of course. Now that you have your daughter''s custody, you can finally put your mind at rest," Jolly said smugly. "The Burton Group''s PR is too slow this time. Justin has turned from a wealthy bachelor to a universally-spurned whoremonger overnight. It''ll probably be hard to wind this matter up without holding a press conference to exin this."

    "I''m afraid not even a press conference will be helpful this time." Rachel took a document out of her handbag and handed it to Jolly. "Help me get this done when you return to work."

    Jolly''s eyes lit up as she took the document. "He really signed it?"

    "Of course." Rachel didn''t turn a hair. "Signed his name in ck and white. If anything happens, the Burton Group''s gonna take full responsibility."

    Just as she was speaking, her phone suddenly rang on the table.

    Jolly saw the caller ID first, and she was startled for a moment. "It''s Dillon."

    Rachel''s eyes darkened as well. Seems like we''re gonna meet up again.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 344

    Chapter 344 Making a Comeback Overnight

    When Rachel arrived at Westhill Golf Club in the morning, Dillon and Jason were already there ying golf on thewn. "Have I kept you waiting? Sorry, I was stuck in traffic for a while," she said, greeting the pair as she walked up to them.

    Dillon waved his hand nonchntly before pushing up the brim of his baseball cap. "It''s okay, Miss Hudson. You''re different from us loafers. We came here early for rxation."

    "Not at all, Young Master Porter. It''s modest of you to say that."

    "Miss Hudson, do you know how to y golf?"

    "Not really."

    "You''ve got to learn a little." Dillon waved his hand into the distance. "Bring me my golf club."

    The caddie immediately ran to get the golf club.

    "Take it. I''ll teach you." Dillon handed the golf club to Rachel.

    Rachel was startled.

    "What are you waiting for, Rachel? Hurry up and take it!" urged Jason beside them. "Young Master Porter ys golf even better than professional yers do! You should consider it an honor that he''s willing to teach you."

    Jason was hell-bent on sucking up to Dillon, but his obsequious demeanor was somewhat revolting.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Rachel wasn''t interested in golf, but she knew from her previous dealings with Dillon that he was a very proud man. If she were to make him look bad, it''d be difficult for her to do what she wanted to do in the future. "Thank you, Young Master Porter."

    "Why stand on ceremony? We''re now in the same boat, anyway." Dillon pointed to the golf ball on the ground. "Now y a stroke and let me take a look."

    Rachel went over with the golf club in her hand, looking exceptionally charming in her white sportswear. Then, she effortlessly made a stroke, sending the white golf ball swooshing across the air in a beautiful

    arc.

    "Wonderful!" Dillon pped his hands unreservedly. He praised, "You''re being modest, Miss Hudson. You y golf much better than ordinary people do."

    "I''m no match for you." Rachel put away her golf club, her facecking much expression as she looked emotionless the whole time.

    Dillon had seen all kinds of women-the mboyant ones, the innocent ones, and so on. After all, he always had different types of women revolving around him. However, he felt that Rachel was very special. Besides being taciturn, she had a gentle and demure quality about her that made people feel she was calm and serene even when she was discussing such a dangerous business deal. Such a quality had never been present in the women around Dillon before.

    Seeing that Dillon''s eyes were almost glued to Rachel, Jason immediately said, "Young Master Porter, it suddenly urred to me that I''ve got something to deal with, so I gotta make a phone call. You two have a nice chat first."

    Dillon nodded slightly.

    As soon as Jason left, Dillon offered to teach Rachel the right posture for ying golf. "I noticed that you didn''t have enough strength in your waist and abdomen. That''s the key to ying golf."

    "I''m not much of an athlete," Rachel said while handing the golf club to the caddie.

    "What''s the hurry? I''ll teach you."

    "No, please don''t bother, Young Master Porter. Didn''t you say you''ve got something serious to talk to me about?"

    "There''s no hurry for that. It''s still early. Come on, y another stroke for me," said Dillon peremptorily.

    Rachel had no choice but to y another stroke. Unexpectedly, as soon as she took her stance and was just about to swing her golf club, Dillon crept up from behind. Before she realized it, he had put his arms on hers and held her hands as she was holding the golf club. The man''s voice came from behind, saying, "Don''t stop. Go on."

    "Young Master Dillon, I''ll do it myself."

    "You''re not exerting your strength in the right ce. Let me correct your posture a little."

    "It''s not necessary." Rachel''s face darkened as she jerked free of the man''s grasp and walked a few steps away from him. "I said it''s not necessary!"

    Seeing Dillon staggered by the shove, the bodyguard behind him immediately walked over to him. "Young Master Porter."

    "I''m fine!" Dillon raised his hand, signaling to the bodyguard to step back. His eyes darkened somewhat as he looked at Rachel and said coldly, "There''s never been a woman who dares to treat me like this." Rachel didn''t turn a hair. "Are those women you''re talking about doing business with you as well? Even if they are, I''m afraid the business they do with you and the business you do with me aren''t of the same kind."

    Dillon was startled for a moment before he suddenly pped his hands and burst intoughter. "Interesting!" He walked a few steps toward Rachel.

    Rachel instinctively stepped back.

    Dillon said, "Don''t worry. I won''t touch you. Let''s talk business."

    Only then did Rachel feel relieved. Still, she kept a safe distance from Dillon the whole time while clutching the golf club in her hand.

    Just then, Dillon said, "Miss Hudson, I''m asking you out this time for two reasons. Firstly, I''d like to inspect the goods, and secondly, I want to pick a suitable date to have the goods shipped out. Miss Hudson, you need to get the warehouse ready for the shipment."

    "The goods are ready. They''re all in the warehouse, and you may inspect them anytime."

    "In that case, let''s be spontaneous and do it tonight."

    "No problem."

    "There''s one other thing. I''d like you to escort the goods out of the country with us this time."

    Rachel was startled. "You''re telling me to go with you?"

    "What''s the matter? You''re scared?"

    "This isn''t part of what we previously agreed on."

    "I don''t trust anyone else, and I believe you''re the only person other than me who cares about this batch of goods more than anyone else does."

    "No, I can''t," Rachel refused right away. "Young Master Porter, I have no choice but to be frank with you. Doing this is too risky. If we''re found out, losing this batch of goods won''t be a big deal, but what if I''m implicated in this?"

    "The more risky it is to do something, the more profitable it is. If you''ll escort the goods in person, there''s another business deal that I''d like to discuss with you." "Another business deal? What is it?"

    "I heard that Hudson Pharmaceuticals will be exporting a batch of medicine to Jublen in the middle of next month?"

    "You''re really well-informed, huh? That batch of medicine was supposed to be shipped out this month, but you asked for your goods to be shipped out urgently, so the factory had to put off manufacturing those medicines."

    "Miss Hudson, if you''re willing to put this deal through, not only can you make up for the breach-of-contract damages caused by the factory''s dy in manufacturing, but you can even make a fortune, closing the breaks in Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' funding chain overnight."

    "What deal?"

    "There''s something that I''d like to get exported to Jublen along with those medicines."

    Stunned, Rachel looked at Dillon in surprise. She had predicted long ago that medicine smuggling couldn''t have been the only trade Dillon engaged in. "What is it that you want to get shipped, Young Master Porter?"

    "You''d better not know what it is. This is the price I''m offering you."

    Seeing the fingers Dillon extended, Rachel became even more certain that her guess was right. It''s either firearms or drugs. Only these two kinds of stuff deserve such a price.

    Dillon continued, "Miss Hudson, as long as you agree to escort the goods this time, once our coboration next month turns out well, Hudson Pharmaceuticals will be able to make aeback at full speed. I can guarantee you that with my help, Hudson Pharmaceuticals will be even more sessful under your direction than under your father''s!"

    Rachel was stunned for a while. "I need time to think about it."

    "No problem, but I hope you can reach a decision sooner. After all, the goods are gonna be shipped in a few days."

    "I will."

    "Let''s go over there to take a look."

    The pair walked into the distance on thewn. Without any of them noticing, however, a telescope ced on the second-floor balcony of a three-story vi located in the golf course''s holiday resort had been following them all this while.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 345

    Chapter 345 All in This Together

    "President Burton." Frankie came to the balcony with the documents in his hands. "This is Westhill Golf Club''s business performance report for this quarter. The assessment has been made that it''s indeed better to resell this property than to redevelop it. What do you..." He talked on his own for a long time, only to realize that Justin wasn''t listening at all. "President Burton? What are you looking at?" Following the direction in which the telescope in Justin''s hands was pointed, Frankie vaguely saw several figures walking in the distance on thewn. The figures seemed to be those of a man and a woman followed by a few escorts. Who else could draw so much attention from President Burton other than Rachel? Surprised, Frankie said, "Why would we even run into her here?"

    Justin''s expression was gloomy. "Did you find any information about Dillon Porter as I asked you to?"

    Frankie was startled for a moment. Then, he replied with a troubled expression, "I did find some information, but they''re not very detailed."

    "Shoot."

    "Dillon Porter is an Astronian with Montenegro citizenship. The information shows that he runs a foreign tradingpany in Riverdale that specializes in import and export trade, but he rarelyes to Riverdale. Even if he does, he stays on board Golden Cruise. Oh, by the way, he''s on good terms with the two owners of the Jockey Club."

    Justin clenched his fists. "Get a few people to follow him."

    "Huh?" Frankie was startled. "President Burton, Dillon has aplicated background; even your uncle fawns on him respectfully. It''s better for you to have nothing to do with such a person." "Just do as I say," came the man''s terse reply in a peremptory tone of voice.

    Frankie could only button his lip.

    At the thought of Dillon being rted to the Jockey Club, Justin recalled someone whom he thought he could probably ask about Dillon''s origins. He dialed a number.

    "It''s me."

    "I''d like to know about the Jockey Club. Are you free?"

    Ryan''s voice came from the other end of the line. "I don''t think we''re that close. And besides, I think it''s better for me to keep my distance from you at this time." Ryan was courting Jolly, and he was only too eager to let everyone in Riverdale know about it. However, Jolly was never shy of expressing her likes and dislikes, and she hated Justin so much that she almost had the words "I hate Justin Burton" written on her face. Ryan couldn''t suit her fancy, but he could easily distance himself from Justin.

    Clutching his cell phone, Justin replied impassively, "I have some background information about Leroy, which I think you might be very interested in."

    Ryan was apparently stunned on the other end of the line. After a while, he said, "I''m free tomorrow afternoon."

    "See you tomorrow."

    After hanging up the phone, Justin looked into the distance again, clenching his fists so hard by his sides that his knuckles turned white. If it weren''t for Rachel not wanting to see him, he would''ve rushed to them just now, pulling Dillon-that *sshole-away and chopping his hands off for touching Rachel!

    That night, Jason booked a private room at a nightclub to entertain Dillon.

    Outside the private room...C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "I gotta go, Jason. I''ve got something else to do."

    "Wait a minute." Jason stopped Rachel. "Can''t you tell for whose sake Young Master Porter is doing us the honor of staying here? Won''t you disappoint him if you leave?"

    Rachel''s face darkened slightly. "Jason, I''m not prostituting myself. Do you think it''ll do you any good to pimp me to Dillon? Don''t you worry that I''ll cast you aside when you''re no longer needed?"

    Jason was startled for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, Rachel had left. "Please take good care of Young Master Porter for me. Put it on my tab."

    Even though Jason intended to "pimp" Rachel to Dillon, he couldn''t force her into it, so he could only watch helplessly as she strode off.

    His subordinate was a little anxious, though. "Master Jason, how could you let Miss Hudson go? What if Young Master Porter asks about her?"

    "What else can I do if I don''t let her go?"

    "But what about Young Master Porter..."

    "Just get a few pretty girls and get them into the room."

    "Yes."

    "Who the f*ck does she think she is?" Jason looked at Rachel''s receding figure with a gloomy expression. "She''s but a mute illegitimate daughter who has no one to depend on in Riverdale. Does she honestly think she can cast me aside and make a fortune by herself now? We''re all in this together."

    It waste at night at this moment, and there were faint signs that it was going to rain outside. As soon as Rachel''s car drove away from the nightclub''s entrance, the doorman immediately made a phone call, saying, "Mr. Beckham, President Hudson left all of a sudden just now."

    There was no answer on the other end of the line.

    "She left alone."

    There was still no answer.

    On the other end of the line was a private room in the nightclub. Unlike the other private rooms, this room was strangely quiet. It didn''t have any hostess entertaining the clients, nor was its stereo turned on. The only person in the room was Justin, who sat on the couch with a ss of iced whiskey before him.

    Having answered the phone, Frankie immediately turned to look at him. "President Burton, President Hudson probably has gone home."

    Justin nodded slightly. Then, he said in a grim voice, "In that case, serve more liquor to the room. Just stay that the nightclub would like to thank its customers for their support." "Yes, President Burton."

    Half an hourter, the inebriated Dillon was helped out of his room.

    "Young Master Porter."

    Dillon knocked off the bodyguard holding him up. "You don''t have to hold me up. I''m going to the restroom and will be back in a minute to continue to have fun."

    L asked, "Isn''t there a restroom in the private room?"

    The bodyguard exined, "Says that the toilet''s not working."

    L frowned. "In that case, you guys follow Young Master Porter and don''t let anything happen."

    "It''s not necessary!" Dillon shoved them away in exasperation. "If any of you dare to touch me, I''m gonna shoot you dead! You guys are treating me like a good-for-nothing, huh? I''m telling you, it''s not your turn to judge me!" he said while staggering toward the restroom.

    "Miss L, should-"

    "Never mind. Let him go on his own." L frowned. She knew Dillon''s temper better than anyone else did, so she knew that whenever he got drunk, he would act unreasonably.

    Having drunk a lot of liquor, Dillon staggered all the way into the restroom; his hands were weak as he spent a long time unbuckling his belt. However, he didn''t notice that a tall figure hade in after him and locked the restroom door from the inside with a click.

    After fumbling for a long time, he finally found his belt buckle. "Gotcha, you little thing!"

    Just then, a shadow enveloped him from behind. Before he realized what had happened, he had been strangled from behind, causing him to be overwhelmed with a sense of suffocation. His cheeks flushing, he uttered, "Who-"

    The next instant, he was kicked brutally into the urinal, causing him to hit his head against the urinal with a loud thud. "Aaaah!" He let out cries of pain that were louder than one another, but no one noticed them as they were all drowned out by the ring music in the nightclub.

    At this moment, the men''s room had a "Closed for Maintenance" sign ced outside its entrance, signaling those who wanted to relieve themselves to go to another floor instead.

    "Why hasn''t Young Master Portere back yet?"

    L nced at her watch. "I''ll go take a look," she said before heading toward the restroom alone.

    She saw the yellow sign ced outside the men''s room''s entrance, but just as she was about to leave as the others did, she faintly heard a blood-curdling scream from the restroom. The scream was clearly Dillon''s. In an instant, her pupils shrank, and she reflexively stepped forward while clenching her fists. After years of training, her hearing had always been exceptionally good.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 346

    Chapter 346 A Familial Organization

    L stood outside the men''s room. One man probably didn''t notice the sign and was just about to go inside, but she stopped him all at once, saying, "Mister."

    Surprised, the man turned to look at her. L pointed to the sign at their feet. "The men''s room is temporarily unavable for use. You should go to another floor instead." "Oh, thank you."

    L watched the man leave before staring at the door to the men''s room for a while. After that, she turned around and left as well.

    The next day, Dillon woke up in the hospital ward and looked at his badly battered and bruised face in the mirror. He smashed the mirror right away with a loud crash, growling, "Who did it?!"

    L stood beside him. "We don''t know. The nightclub''s CCTV went wrongst night, so we didn''t find anything."

    "You bunch of morons! What''s the use of having you guys?" Dillon yelled furiously. "Find that person no matter what. I''m gonna chop him to bits to feed the dog!"

    L frowned and stepped out of the ward without saying a word.

    A little whileter, from inside the ward came the sound of things being smashed; Dillon had smashed almost every smashable object in the room. After all, he had nevere to grief so badly before in his whole life.

    Hearing the noise inside, the bodyguards trembled with fright. "Miss L, what should we do about this?"

    L didn''t turn a hair. "Since it happened in Jason''s nightclub, he has to take full responsibility. Let him do the investigation."

    "Yes, Miss L."

    It was afternoon, and one could enjoy the view of the river from the booth next to the French window at the tenth-floor cafe in Green River Tower. The river water looked murky during the day, but it didn''t hide the grandeur of the river scenery.

    The waiter served two cups of Americanos.

    Ryan asked straightforwardly, "What do you want to ask me?"

    "About the Jockey Club and Dillon''s background."

    "What for?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin darted a look at him. "Are you so fond of asking questions to which you already know the answers?"

    Ryan cocked an eyebrow. They were both intelligent people, so there was no need to beat around the bush. "You probably know what the Jockey Club does without me having to tell you. It''s a ce for debauchery that''s far from the ce it purports to be. To put it nicely, it''s a social hub. Everybody who goes there does so with their own purposes; they go there to make friends with all kinds of people that''ll be of help to them." Being a self-made man, Ryan had made himself a member of the club and made a lot of friends there back when he needed awork of contacts in his early years, which was why he was able to take Justin on board the Golden Cruise to search for peoplest time.

    Justin''s eyes were tense. "You know that these aren''t what I''m asking about. These are superficial."

    Ryan knitted his brows slightly. "Here''s my advice: don''t ask too much about it. Knowing too much won''t do you any good."

    "Here''s the background information about Leroy." Justin pushed the man envelope at hand across the table. "I believe you''ll no longer think of him as an ordinary little artist after you read this. He''s by no means ordinary."

    Ryan''s gaze fell on the man envelope.

    Justin''s hand kept pressing down on the man envelope, and both him and Ryan knew the reason for that. They were both businessmen, so this wasn''t an afternoon tea between friends, but a business deal for information exchange.

    Recalling the recent rumors about Jolly''s rtionship with Leroy, Ryan felt somewhat irritable. "Fine, I''ll tell you everything. Still, I''d like to advise you to not get involved even if you know about it. I''m afraid you might get yourself in trouble before you''re able to get her out of this."

    "Thanks for the reminder."

    "I really don''t know much about Dillon''s identity. He only came to Riverdale in recent years, but he became a guest of honor on board the Golden Cruise all of a sudden. I looked into him, but I couldn''t find anything about him." Ryan was very thorough. "So, I can only tell you my conjecture based on my experiences in dealing with those people in the Jockey Club all these years."

    "Shoot."

    Ryan exined, "You probably know that the Jockey Club runs a casino in secret. The Riverdale Investigation Bureau has been keeping an eye on Randall Baxter, the club''s boss, over the past few years, but they couldn''t find anything. This is because the Jockey Club is merely a cover for S in Riverdale."

    "S?"

    "It''s an organization, or rather a family, an evil smuggling ring, that specializes in smuggling goods-mostly medicines-to war-ridden countries to make huge profits."

    War-ridden countries had little to no productivity, and supplies-especially medicines were scarce there. As a result, even a box of cold medicine could be sold at an exorbitant price at such ces. "The Jockey Club gathers all the upper-ss people in Riverdale under the guise of recreation and socializing. People are greedy, and they always want to make more money. If my guess is correct, Randall chooses from those people and observes them for a long time on his own initiative. Then, he waits for a chance to strike, ultimately drawing them into his circle." Ryan shot a nce at Justin. "Jefferey, that ex- father-inw of yours, was probably among the earliest bunch of people he recruited."

    "What about Dillon, then? What role does he y in the organization?"

    "I only met him a few times. He''s an idiot, but Randall is very respectful to him, so I guess he''s a member of the family at the top of the organization. He might even be the heir to the organization." "Would the organization''s heir be sent out to take risks?"

    "Well, here is something you don''t understand. The people there don''t raise their children in thep of luxury. Only the strongest among them will be respected, so the children have to see the world and toughen themselves. Otherwise, of so many smuggling and drug-trafficking rings in the world, why do you think S would be such arge organization that even Interpol has a headache dealing with them?"

    Justin seemed lost in thought.

    Ryan continued, "These are just my conjectures, but I''ve been dealing with them for quite a number of years. And besides, the Riverdale Investigation Bureau has been investigating them recently. Moreover, there were those diamondsst time. I think Randall and his men are probably gonna run away, and they''re now trying to transfer their assets."

    "Run away? What about those in Riverdale?"

    "Would they care about the fate of their partners once they run away? Even if the Riverdale Investigation Bureau turns the Golden Cruise upside down by then, I''m afraid they''ll only be able to arrest useless small fry like Jefferey and your uncle."

    "When are they gonna run away?"

    "How could I possibly know that?"

    Justin pondered for a moment. "Are those diamonds still in your hands?"

    Ryan was startled before he suddenly realized what Justin meant. Those people would definitely have to transfer their assets before leaving. In other words, the time theyid their hands on these exorbitantly- priced diamonds would be the time they were going to run away.

    "Ryan, you''d better keep watch over those diamonds in your hands."

    "I know that, and I don''t need you to tell me about it. Hey, where are you going?"

    Justin left the cafe right away. Rachel was in a dangerous situation right now. After all, no one could tell what those men would do to those rted to them before leaving Riverdale. I''ve got to stop Rachel from continuing to deal with them by hook or by crook, he thought. "Hello? Frankie, find out where Rachel is right now."

    "You mean President Hudson?" Frankie was startled for a moment on the other end of the line. Aftering to his senses, he said in aplicated tone of voice, "President Burton, you''d better put the matter about her aside first. I''m afraid you have toe back to the office now."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "The Burton Group is holding an impromptu board meeting. Someone proposed that you be removed from your position aspany president."

    Justin frowned. "Did Robin propose it?"

    "No, it was Old Mr. Burton who proposed it."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 347

    Chapter 347 Stay as an Assistant

    The air in the Burton Group''srge conference room was heavy and solemn as all the board members of thepany were present. "President Burton has arrived."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin arrivedte for the meeting. "Apologies, Grandpa and everyone. Sorry for beingte." Arthur looked as ck as thunder. Before he could speak, Robin''s mocking voice rang across from Justin. "You''re quite puffed up, aren''t you, Young Master Justin? To think that you could even bete for the board meeting! Do you need someone to personally pick you up for the next meeting?"

    Frankie could no longer stand his words. "President Gunson, how could youˇŞˇ±

    Just then, an elderly voice rang. "Shut up! What gives you, an assistant, the right to speak here?"

    Frankie shuddered before turning to look at Arthur.

    Obviously, Arthur wasn''t just expressing his displeasure at Justin''ste arrival for the meeting today. Having stepped down from his position for years, he rarely attended the board of directors'' annual meeting despite being the chairman of thepany''s board of directors. Therefore, the fact that he had gone out of his way to call a board meeting this time showed that his dissatisfaction had umted to a certain degree. "Since everyone''s here, let''s take our seats."

    The conference room was silent once again.

    Then, Arthur said, "As everyone knows, the purpose of today''s board meeting is to have everyone vote on the motion to remove Justin from his position as the Burton Group''s president on the spot." Someone argued, "Old Mr. Burton, we''d better be more circumspect about removing the president of thepany."

    ˇ°That''s right. Ever since Young Master Justin took over the Burton Group, thepany''s performance has gone up quite a few notches."

    The other board members quickly chimed in.

    Justin had been running the Burton Group for years, so many of thepany''s board members supported him. Unfortunately, Arthur was unshakeable in his determination this time. "His merits can''t make up for his faults. The Burton Group''s performance has visibly dropped this year. This is not because of the market, but because of the person heading thepany." Arthur darted a look at Justin. "Since there''s a problem, we have to solve it in time. The Burton Group belongs not only to us Burtons but also to all the board members present here. I can''t let the Burton Group be ruined in the hands of a single person." The instant he said that, the board members instantly broke into a discussion. Just then, someone asked, "But, Old Mr. Burton, if we remove Young Master Justin, who''s gonna be the president of thepany?"

    All of a sudden, a strange silence descended on the room. Everyone knew that Arthur only had two grandchildren. One of them was Justin, who was about to be removed right now, and the other was Tina, who had been sent abroad six years ago to be treated for mental illness. If Justin were to be removed from his position right now, who else could rece him?

    Arthur''s face clouded over. "We, the Burtons, have few descendants, but it''s not that difficult to find a capable descendant from our family. However, the Burton Group''s century-old foundation is not to be squandered by someone as they please! Carrying the surname Burton doesn''t mean he can rest easy!"

    Everyone was puzzled by Arthur''s words.

    Arthur then continued, "I''ve decided to let Robin take over Justin''s position as the Burton Group''s president."

    Justin''s pupils instantly shrank at Arthur''s words. Having learned his ways from Jason, Robin was prone to resort to crooked ways. How could Grandpa hand the Burton Group to such a person?! "I oppose it!" he replied on the spot.

    Robin scowled at once. "For what reason do you oppose it? This is Grandpa''s decision. What gives you the right to oppose it?"

    Justin didn''t even bother to say a word more than necessary to Robin, though. He tried his best to dissuade Arthur, saying, "Grandpa, it''s true that I have to take responsibility for the Burton Group''s performance issues these days. I have no objection if you want to remove me as president, but Robin can''t be thepany''s next president."

    Robin was one of Jason''s men. By handing the Burton Group over to Robin, thepany would essentially be handed over to Jason. Now that Jason was on such close terms with those from the Jockey Club, he would bring the Burton Group down one day. By then, the Burton Group would be the next Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Robin pped the conference table in anger. "Whether I can be thepany''s next president is up to the board of directors. What does it have to do with you? Young Master Justin, I admit that you''ve done well in managing the Burton Group previously, but now you''re being led by the nose by a woman!"

    "Watch yournguage, President Gunson!" blurted Frankie.

    Justin raised his hand to stop Frankie. Let him say it, he thought.

    Robin stood up. "Perhaps you guys aren''t aware of this yet. Young Master Justin has transferred the ownership of the development site at Nortne for free in order to please a woman. That''s a 3 billion-worth project!"

    "What? He transferred the ownership of the development site?"

    "How could he do that?"

    "That''s right! Isn''t that nonsense?"

    One of the board members immediately asked, "Young Master Justin, what the hell''s the matter with this? Who did you transfer the ownership of the development site to? Is this part of your n or... Please tel us about this."

    "That''s not part of his n or anything! He did that just to please that ex-wife of his. Hudson Pharmaceuticals has already set about starting construction on that site!"

    Hudson Pharmaceuticals? In an instant, the conference room was in an uproar.

    However, Justin didn''t give a word of exnation.

    Arthur''s eyes showed nothing but disappointment as he looked at Justin. Having spent most of his life enduring all kinds of hardships, how could he possibly not know that Robin wasn''t a decent person? But now, everyone in thepany was critical of Justin, and he was torn to shreds in the press. If he wasn''t reced sooner, the Burton Group would be in great peril.

    It wasn''t until Arthur hemmed twice that everyone finally fell silent. Then, Arthur said, "I hereby announce that we''ll now be officially voting on the motion to remove Justin Burton from his position as president. Those who agree to the motion may raise your hands."

    Everyone in the conference room looked at each other. After whispering to each other for a while, they gradually fell silent and raised their hands one after another.

    Seeing the overwhelming number of votes, Robin was incredibly smug. He had dreamed about the scene at this very moment countless times. After so many years, he was finally able to get something on Justin, so how could he possibly not take advantage of this opportunity to make an issue out of it?

    Arthur ran his eyes over the crowd while concealing the hint of disappointment in his eyes. "I see that everyone has made themselves clear. The motion has been passed. From now on, Justin is no longer the Burton Group''s president. Justin, do you have any objections to this?"

    Everyone''s eyes fell on Justin as they waited for him to express his stance. After a long time, Justin said, "No, I don''t."

    "Alright then. In that case, let''s vote on the next motion. Those who agree to let Robin Gunson take over as the Burton Group''s president may raise your hands."

    This time, the number of hands raised was almost the same as the previous time. As a result, it was decided that Robin would be taking over as the Burton Group''s president.

    "Robin will be running the Burton Group from now on." Arthur''s bony fingers curled slightly as he darted a quick look at Justin from the corner of his eye. Seeing how Justin remained unmoved, he felt even more disappointed. He said in a grim voice, "Justin, hand your work over to Robin and leave the Burton Group as soon as possible."

    "It''s not necessary," Robin cut in all of a sudden. "Old Mr. Burton, it''s not necessary to make Young Master Justin sever all ties to thepany. We all have witnessed his capabilities, after all, so I think he doesn''t have to leave the Burton Group. Why not let him stay in the Burton Group as vice president to assist me in my work?"

    The instant Robin said that, Justin''s stony eyes turned chilly, whereas Frankie''s face turned livid.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 348

    Chapter 348 Fallen From Grace

    In an instant, the conference room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Someone let out a gasp. After all, Justin was Arthur''s only grandson. Even if he had now been removed as the Burton Group''s president, no one would dare to speak to him like this. Essentially, Robin was testing the man''s limits.

    Despite his suggestion that Justin stay in thepany as vice president, everyone knew howpletely ipatible he and Justin were. If Justin were to stay in thepany''s headquarters, he would definitely have a hard time.

    Just when everyone thought Justin would definitely lose his temper, Arthur suddenly spoke. "Sounds like a good suggestion to me. Staying at the top for too long would make one forget that one should have their feet on the ground at all times. What do you think, Justin?ˇ±

    Isn''t Old Mr. Burton gonna stick up for him?

    "Old Mr.-"

    Justin raised his hand, cutting Frankie short. He stood up and fixed his eyes on Robin across from him, uttering, "I ept it.ˇ±

    As soon as the meeting ended, Frankie followed Justin out of the conference room. "President Burton, how could you agree to stay in the headquarters as vice president? Now that thepany has been handed over to Robin, he''ll definitely give you a hard time at every turn if you stay here. This is "

    "Do you think I''m scared of him?"

    "That''s not what I mean. President Burton, I''m just worried that you''ll be humiliated." In Frankie''s eyes, Justin was a proud and aloof man who had stayed in a high position for many years without ever letting Robin have his way regardless of what thetter did. Now that Robin had triumphed over Justin, what Frankie feared most was that the former would y dirty tricks on Justin. "President Burton, why don''t you talk to Old Mr. Burton? It''s okay even if you have to go to the branch office. In any case, it''s better than staying here and running into Robin often."

    "It''s not necessary." Justin''s brows furrowed, but his tone of voice was peremptory. It was precisely because Robin had be thepany''s president that he had to stay. If the Burton Group were really to be handed over to Robin, no one knew if he would lead thepany down a path of self-destruction.

    Seeing that Justin had made up his mind, Frankie had no choice but to hold his tongue.

    The pair had reached Justin''s office when they saw Miss Evergreen standing at the door with an uneasy expression. "President Burton, Frankie. President Gunson, he..."

    Frankie''s face tautened at her words. He pushed the door open, only to see Robin sitting behind the desk with his feet on it. Not only that, but he rested the heels of his leather shoes on a book on the desk that Justin hadn''t finished reading, tearing its pages.

    Frankie turned red with anger at the sight of the scene. "What do you mean by doing this, President Gunson? This is President Burton''s office!"

    "President Burton?" Robin smirked. "Watch yournguage, Assistant Beckham. I am President Gunson, the president of thispany. You should be calling him Vice President Burton from now on. Adding or skipping one particr word makes a huge difference in its meaning."

    "How dare you-"

    "Frankie." Justin came in while looking indifferently at Robin with a stony face and cold, piercing eyes. "What are you doing here?"

    Robin looked around the office with his hands sped on his stomach. "I''m here to ask you if we should swap offices. After all, I''m thepany''s president now."

    Frankie got agitated at once. "Don''t go too far, President Gunson!" This office had always belonged to Justin ever since he officially took over as the Burton Group''s president 12 years ago. Without his permission, no one could ever step into his office as they pleased.

    "Am I talking to you?" Robin looked incredibly smug. "Justin, tell yourpdog to stop barking!"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Robin!" Justin''s voice turned chilly all of a sudden.

    Seeing the chilling gleam in the man''s stony eyes, Robin shuddered at once. There were certain times when he was still somewhat afraid of Justin. In an instant, he straightened up and stared warily at the mar across from him.

    Justin regained hisposure soon afterward, though. He said nonchntly, "You like this office? I''ll give it to you."

    "President Burton!" Frankie was in disbelief.

    Justin unhurriedly walked up to the desk.

    Robin was a little nervous, and he subconsciously pulled his feet off the desk while gulping some saliva. Then, he straightened up, asking, "What are you doing?"

    Justin picked up the book on the desk and dusted it off with his hand before pointing at the room''s furnishings. "If you like these things, you can use them as you please. If you don''t like them, you can take them apart and have them reinstalled. As for these books, I''ll be taking them with me." He waved the French book in his hand. "You can''t read these books anyway, so let''s not keep them here to take up space."

    Robin''s face instantly turned livid one moment and pale the next. Although he had a master''s degree in finance from abroad, he had only earned it from a diploma mill, so he couldn''t speak any foreignnguage other than very poor Latin. He was able to fool the nonexperts by having his underlings work hard for him all these years, but his academic qualifications werepletely worthless in front of Justin. "Frankie, get someone to pack up my stuff and move them downstairs."

    "Yes, President Burton."

    Despite having fallen from grace, Justin maintained his dignity with an innately noble air unmatched by a vile character like Robin.

    As soon as the man left, Robin swept everything off the desk in anger.

    Startled, Miss Evergreen, who was tidying the office, shuddered with fright before turning to look at him in a panic.

    "What are you looking at?" Robin''s face was sullen. "Starting from today, I''ll be calling the shots in the Burton Group. Justin, on the other hand, is nothing!"

    Meanwhile, Justin left the Burton Group right away.

    "President Burton, I''ll have your office cleaned up as soon as possible."

    "There''s no hurry for that. Give me the car keys."

    "Are you gonna drive by yourself?" Frankie''s face showed a look of surprise. Since losing his memory in the car ident five years ago, Justin had been unable to drive by himself. ording to the doctor''s diagnosis, this was a result of post-traumatic amnesia.

    Justin didn''t exin much about it, though. After taking the car keys, he said, "You don''t have to follow me." With that, he got into the car alone.

    Frankie was startled again as he watched the car whizz off. Could President Burton have regained his memories?

    Meanwhile, Justin drove to Hudson Pharmaceuticals right away. "I''d like to see Rachel."

    Thedy at the front desk was startled for a moment. "President Hudson isn''t in the office today."

    Thinking that the front deskdy was stalling him off, Justin stressed again, "I have something important to talk to her about." "President Hudson really isn''t in the office, President Burton. If you don''t believe me, you can call Miss Carter to ask her about it." Had I been able to get through to Jolly on the phone, I wouldn''t have made a special trip here, thought Justin.

    Just as they were conversing, the front deskdy suddenly pointed behind Justin. "Miss Carter''s here. You may ask her directly."

    Justin looked back. When he saw Jolly, who had just entered the building with documents in her hands while dressed in a white suit, he immediately strode up to her.

    Jolly had juste back with a stack of documents in her arms, only to scowl the instant she saw Justin face to face. "Why are you here?"

    "Miss Carter, I''m here to talk to Rachel. Where is she?"

    "I don''t know." Jolly rolled her eyes crossly before turning around to leave.

    Justin strode up to Jolly and blocked her path. "I have something urgent to talk to her about."

    "It''s useless no matter what you want to talk to her about. To tell you the truth, Chris isn''t in Riverdale."

    Justin''s pupils shrank at her words. "Where did she go?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 349

    Chapter 349 A Thrilling Night

    Jolly darted a look at Justin. "Why would I tell you?" Justin suddenly had a bad feeling.

    Three dayster, darkness fell as heavy fog shrouded a dock in Jublen, cutting visibility to near zero. Only with the aid of a shlight could one barely see a line of trucks parked on the dock. At this moment, workers were moving goods off the freighter in the dark, and they had been doing this for two hours.

    "Be careful," said Rachel as she directed her people to move the goods off the freighter.

    Just then, a ck sedan came to a stop in front of her. L got out of the car first, and she went to the trunk to take out a wheelchair before helping Dillon to it.

    Despite the imprable darkness, Rachel noticed Dillon''s badly bruised face at a nce and was instantly surprised. "What happened to you, Young Master Porter?"

    "I fell and bruised myself while drinking in Riverdale." Dillon let out a snort. "I''m afraid Riverdale doesn''t agree with me."

    "How did you fall so badly?"

    "That doesn''t matter." Dillon shot a nce at the goods on the dock. "How''s the move going?"

    "It''s almost done. We''ll finish moving the goods before dawn."

    Dillon nodded. "You''re indeed a lucky star, Miss Hudson. The trip went well, and I heard that we''d gotten through all the checkpoints without a hitch. Both our men and our goods have arrived safely." "Well, it is a smooth trip, but I won''t be doing something like this anymore."

    "Why? You''re scared?"

    "That''s only part of human nature, right?"

    "Well, that''s understandable. But now that we''re already here, there''s nothing to worry about. This is my turf, so why don''t you stay a few days longer and let me show you around, Miss Hudson?" "Thanks for your kindness, Young Master Porter, but I have to hurry back to Riverdale tomorrow. Now that I''ve vanished for such a long time, my friend is probably worried."

    Just as Dillon was about to continue persuading Rachel, the driver of the car behind him suddenly poked his head out of the car window. "We''re in trouble, Young Master Porter! Hurry up and get in the car!" As soon as he finished his sentence, the sound of a gunshot was heard in the distance.

    Frightened, Rachel shuddered and crouched down while covering her ears.

    Dillon turned pale at once. "What happened?"

    "It''s the Interpol!"

    "Sh*t, how did Interpol find their way here? Get the loaded trucks to leave at once and abandon the rest!"

    As the sound of gunshots were approaching, L said, "It''s toote. We have to leave now."

    Dillon pounded his wheelchair in anger. This batch of goods was supposed to be a great chance for him to shine in front of his father, but now, these goods had slipped through his fingers right under his very nose!

    L immediately yanked Dillon to his feet and shoved him into the car, leaving the wheelchair behind right away. Then, she ordered, ˇ°Drive, Benny!"

    After the car drove off, Rachel hid behind the containers. Hearing the gunshots in the distance, she gritted her teeth and ran away from the dock alone with the aid of the fog.

    "There''s someone over there! Chase after them!"

    This was Rachel''s first timeing across such a situation. Although she had prepared herself for this, she could hardly remain calm, so she merely ran outside based on her survival instincts.

    Just then, she heard a screech of brakes as a car stopped in front of her. Then, arge hand reached out from the car and pulled her inside amid her screams. A man''s chilly voice reverberated in the car, saying, "Drive!"

    The streetlights on the expressway illuminated the inside of the car as it drove out of the dock.

    Looking at the man before her in horror, Rachel uttered a name in disbelief. "Alex?"

    The man''s face was thin, with pronounced mixed-race features and a pair of inky dark eyes. One could even describe his looks as pretty. Staring at Rachel with a smile, he said, "It''s been a while! You never thought our reunion would be so thrilling, didn''t you?"

    Rachel didn''te to her senses for a long time.

    The next day, the confiscation of smuggled medicines on the port in Jublen was reported on the news. News spread all over the surrounding countries that Interpol had intercepted all the medicines on the whole ship, arresting countless people involved in the case.

    Jolly was reading documents in her office in Riverdale when the door swung open with a loud bang that shook the entire room.

    "You can''t go inside, Mr. Burton!"

    Jolly''s face fell when she heard the secretary call the intruder "Mr. Burton." She stood up from behind her desk grumpily, saying, "What brings you here again? Aren''t you done yet?"

    Justin didn''t seem to hear her, though. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Where is Rachel now?"

    "Didn''t I tell you that she went to Jublen on business and wouldn''t be back in a while?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Who is she doing business with? Dillon?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Jolly didn''t know why Rachel had to have dealings with Dillon, but because of Rachel''s instructions, she had been keeping a tight lip these days without telling Justin what was actually going on.

    "You don''t know that, huh?" Justin looked around before picking up the remote control on the coffee table to turn on the TV.

    At this moment, the TV was airing a news broadcast. "We interrupt this program to bring you an international newssh. Last night,rge amounts of smuggled medicines were confiscated at a port in Jublen. ording to the report, a total of 100,000 tons of smuggled medicines have been confiscated this time, and they were all shipped out from the docks in Riverdale. A total of 74 people involved in the case have been arrested, including 24 Riverdale citizens..."

    Jolly''s face turned pale at once.

    On the other hand, Justin was in a great rage. "I''ve looked into it, and the pharmaceutical factory''s warehouse on the outskirts of Riverdale is empty! What the hell are you guys doing? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?"

    "What are you yelling at me for? You''re ndering us! You''re talking about a smuggling case here! Do you have the evidence to im that it''s our doing? And what does it have to do with us? And besides, how are we supposed to get 100,000 tons of medicines?"

    Justin didn''t have time to waste his breath arguing with Jolly, though. "Give me the phone!" He snatched her cell phone to call Rachel, only to hear a voice saying, "Sorry, but the number you''ve dialed is currently unreachable..."

    Jolly angrily snatched her phone back from him. "Give it back to me! What are you doing?"

    "Did you get through to her on the phone? When was thest time you called her?"

    "Thest time I called her?"

    Seeing the look on Jolly''s face, Justin immediately realized that she hadn''t gotten in touch with Rachel at all. "Tell me! Did she leave with Dillon?"

    "Let go of me!" Jolly broke free of Justin''s grasp with all her might. Then, she swore, "Justin, are you crazy? What nonsense are you talking about here? How could Chris be involved in smuggling? Dillon? I''ve never heard of such a name at all!"

    "Yes, I am crazy!" Justin shook Jolly off with bloodshot eyes as the muscles of his stony face trembled. "It''s been three days, and yet nothing has been heard from her! Tell me are you able to get in touch with her? Do you know where she''s gone? If you do, how could you help her keep her whereabouts a secret? Is it really worthwhile for her to sail close to the wind and get herself in danger for the sake of Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    Jolly''s head was buzzing after she had been yelled at without rhyme or reason. On the other hand, Justin was already frantic with anxiety, and he turned around and left.

    "Hey, where are you going?"

    "Jublen!"

    Jolly''s expression changed. "Hey! Do you know where she is? It''s useless even if you go there!"

    Unfortunately, Justin was determined to go, and he turned a deaf ear to Jolly''s words.

    As soon as Justin left, Jolly started to get worried while clutching her phone. Indeed, Rachel had gone missing for too long.

    Recalling what Rachel had told her before leaving, Jolly unlocked her phone and dialed a number.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 350

    Chapter 350 She Saved His Sister''s Life Three Years Ago

    The phone call never got through. Clutching her cell phone, Jolly started to worry for Rachel''s safety. This is bad. I gotta go to Jublen as well.

    Just as she was about to leave, her cell phone suddenly beeped, and a text message from a virtual number popped up on the screen. The short message only had two words. It read, ''She''s fine.'' Seeing the text message, Jolly was startled for a moment.

    A white arc streaked across the sky above the airport in Jublen as the ne touched down amid the roar of its engine.

    It was alreadyte at night, but the small two-story building on a hillside estate was being heavily guarded. Those patrolling the entrance were dressed in in clothes, but they were all armed with guns and walkie-talkies.

    "You moron!"

    A loud pnded on L''s cheek, causing her head to tilt sideways with blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. Even so, she didn''t make a sound.

    Dillon, who was sitting in his wheelchair by her side, frowned. "L isn''t to me for this, sis."

    It was a woman who had pped L. Dressed in ck leather, the tall woman looked cold and beautiful and yet gloomy with her short hair and red lips. "She''s not to me, of course. She''s only in charge of your safety, while getting the business done is part of your duty." Sabrina Porter darted a cold look at Dillon, making him shudder with the oppressive look in her eyes. "But could I hit you instead of hitting her?" Dillon braced himself and exined, "The stuff had been shipped to the dock, and everything went well along the way. No one thought that Interpol would turn up! Clearly, we didn''t get the news in time." "Still making excuses, huh?"

    "Young Master Porter." L put her hand on Dillon''s shoulder in time to stop him from continuing to argue with Sabrina. "Miss Sabrina, it was indeed my fault for being unable to stop Young Master Porter, causing the 100,000 tons of goods to be confiscated and the hard work you''d put in over the past year toe to naught. I''m sorry for myck of forethought.ˇ±

    "Hmph." Sabrina let out a sneer. "Lack of forethought, huh? I''m curious about how you egged Dillon on to have your goods put on my ship."

    "It''s got nothing to do with her," Dillon couldn''t help but say. "It was my decision. After we escorted our goods out to the high seas, something went wrong with the previous ship, so I decided to have the 10,000 tons of goods moved to your ship and have the two shipments transported together."

    "And look what happened?"

    Upon hearing Sabrina''s icy words, Dillon was at a loss for a reply.

    "What happened was that you got my whole ship confiscated for that little amount of goods you brought with you!" Sabrina''s face was livid with anger. "This matter isn''t over yet. Who tipped the police off? Dillon, you should take a good look at the people around you!"

    Dillon frowned. "How could you be certain that something was wrong with my people? Weren''t your goods on that ship as well? Why don''t you suspect your people instead?"

    Sabrina''s chilly and vicious gaze swept over everyone at the scene before finally resting on L. She said coldly, "I''m gonna check my people, of course. No matter whether it''s your people or mine, we have to check everyone out." After all, they had suffered such huge losses this time that they had to find out the traitor urgently.

    Just as they were speaking, Dillon''s phone suddenly rang, and he answered it grumpily. "Hello?"

    "Young Master Porter."

    Hearing the voice on the other end of the line, Dillon immediately sat up. "Miss Hudson?"

    The instant Sabrina heard this across from Dillon, her face slowly tautened.

    "d to hear that you''re alright. We can talk about our coborationter."

    The caller said something on the other end of the line.

    "You go back to Riverdale first. Things are very tensetely, so let''s n our next stepster."

    Dillon hung up the phone with a thoughtful expression.

    Sabrina asked, "Was it the woman who did business with you?"

    "Yeah. To think that she didn''t get caught! She was quite lucky."

    "Lucky?" Sabrina''s eyes gleamed with chilliness. "Not necessarily. So many unwitting stevedores were arrested at the scene, and she, a person in the know, was unscathed?"

    Dillon frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying that it was her who tipped the police off? What good would it do her to do that?"

    Sabrina darted a look at him. "You idiot! This matter is no longer of your concern. I''ve gotten Dad''s permission to let me manage the business in Riverdale for the time being." "What? I disagree!"

    "It''s not up to you," Sabrina said. Then, she shot a frosty look at L. "When things have calmed down, you''ll go to Riverdale with me, and Dillon will stay here. If it really was that woman who leaked the information, I''d chop her to bits and throw her remains into the river with my own hands."

    L''s cheek was badly swollen with a visible p mark on it, but she nodded without turning a hair. "Yes, Miss Sabrina."Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    The night was dark. At a street payphone in Jublen, Rachel had just made a phone call. Dressed in a ck hoodie with the hood up, she looked around after ending the phone call. Making sure that nobody had noticed her, she tightened her clothes around herself and walked into the depths of an alley, crossing two streets before finally returning to the hotel.

    A man who looked like an assistant stood in front of the door to her room. "Miss Hudson."

    Rachel stepped back warily. "You''re..."

    The man waved the bag in his hand. "Mr. Alex had mee over to bring you something."

    Only then did Rachel heave a sigh of relief. "Come in."

    The suite wasrge, with a living room and a small inner room. Alex had always been a big spender, after all.

    "Here''s the new cell phone that Mr. Alex asked me to bring you, along with some cash and a credit card."

    Seeing the limitless ck card, Rachel was startled for a moment, though she wasn''t very surprised. "Where is he?" Alex had left in a hurry after sending her to the hotel that day, so she didn''t get to speak much with him.

    "Mr. Alex has something to deal with, so he''s left Jublen."

    "He''s left? Why such a hurry?"

    "There''s something that he needs to deal with. Mr. Alex said he''d find time to visit you after he finished his work these days, and he wishes you to stay healthy and smile more."

    Rachel had a thoughtful look on her face. "Don''t tell me he came all the way here specially for me."

    The assistant replied, "As he once said, whenever you''re in danger, he''ll show up by your side immediately."

    Rachel subconsciously reached for her right arm with aplicated look on her face. "He doesn''t have to do this, actually..."

    "Miss Hudson, you saved the life of ourdy back then, which was equivalent to saving Mr. Alex''s life. This is just our duty, so you don''t have to take it to heart."

    Three years ago, Rachel had saved Laura Kennedy, Alex''s younger sister, by chance in an ident. At the time, she didn''t know who the siblings were. If it weren''t for Laura showing up when Alex pointed his gun at her head, she would''ve died right then and there. As for how they had cleared up the misunderstanding afterward and how Alex became very grateful to her, that was another story.

    Still, Rachel was lost for words upon hearing the assistant''s words.

    After Alex''s assistant left, Rachel was lost in thought for a while while staring at the stuff on the table. After a while, she came in front of the bathroom mirror and rolled up the right sleeve of her hoodie to the shoulder to reveal her fair-skinned arm. There had been a small cut on the inside of her arm before, which was hardly visible unless one looked closely, but a tiny chip had been inserted there.

    It was thanks to this chip that Alex was able to find her wherever she was.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 351

    Chapter 351 The Calm Before the Storm

    Justin would be flying directly to Jublen in the afternoon the next day. Before leaving Riverdale, he decided to see Charlotte. Due to their previous misunderstanding, Charlotte had been refusing to see him or answer his phone calls. Having no other choice, he could only call Samuel on thetter''s cell phone.

    The phone call got through, and Samuel''s voice rang on the other end of the line. "Hello?" "Samuel, is Charlotte with you?" "Yeah, she is."

    Justin was somewhat reluctant to part with Charlotte, but he couldn''t care much about anything else when he recalled the situation Rachel was in. "I''ll be going out for a few days, and I don''t know when I''lle back for the time being. Are you two at home?"

    "Nope, we''re in Godmother''s car on our way to the airport."

    "The airport?" Justin''s heart skipped a beat. "Why are you going to the airport?"

    "To pick Mommy up, of course."

    Upon hearing this, Justin immediately straightened up in disbelief. "Your mom is back?"

    "Yeah!"

    At this moment, the roar of an airne''s engine reverberated through the skies above Riverdale Airport. After gliding for a long time, the ne finally made a smoothnding.

    Having done her job in Jublen, Rachel hurried back to Riverdale on the morning flight. The instant her flight touched down, her nerves, which had been tense with fear over the past few days, rxed atst. At least things are gonna stay peaceful for a while, she thought.

    As soon as she got off the ne, she made a phone call. "Hello? I''m at the airport now."

    Janice''s voice rang on the other end of the line. "d to hear that you arrived safely. Our joint operation with Interpol this time was a sess. Although Dillon ran away, we managed to arrest a few of S''s leaders and confiscated arge batch of smuggled goods, inflicting heavy losses on them. Well done, Rachel."

    "So they won''t being to Riverdale again for the time being, huh?"

    "That''s right. Also, we managed to get some evidence on Jason, and the Investigation Bureau has been investigating himtely. It won''t be long before he gets punished by thew."

    "That''s great." Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "I can have a peaceful sleep atst."

    Ever since the moment she decided to assist Janice in investigating Jason, everything around her had suddenly begun to get out of hand, and her mind had been upied with all kinds of hair-raising stuff every single day. Now that Jason was going to be convicted of his crimes, she could finally unload her burden.

    After hanging up the phone, she looked at the clear blue sky outside the airport. Grandma, I''m finally gonna avenge your death.

    She waited for a while before Jolly''s car arrived. "You''re back atst! I nearly worried myself to death over the past few days. Are you alright?" asked Jolly.

    Rachel nodded. "Yeah, everything went quite smoothly."

    "I saw the news." Jolly hesitated to speak much since there were kids in the car. "I''m not gonna ask anything. It''s fine as long as youe back safe and sound. Do you still have to get in touch with those people after this?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "No, not anymore."

    "Really? That''d be great!" Jolly heaved a deep sigh of relief. "That Dillon guy didn''t seem like a nice guy at first nce, and I was afraid whenever you came into contact with him. My dad said that none of those rted to the Jockey Club are nice, after all. By the way, it''s great that you''re back. You know what? Justin had been pestering me over thest few days, which was damn annoying..."

    "What business does he have with you?"

    "He was asking me questions about you, of course. I wonder where he heard it from, but he kept saying that your present situation is dangerous."

    As the two women were conversing, Samuel chimed in, "He called just now, saying that he''s going abroad for a few days and wants to see Charlotte."

    "I don''t want to see him!" Charlotte was nestling in Rachel''s arm at first, but her face tautened the instant she heard this. "He''s a bad daddy!"

    "Charlotte." Rachel frowned. "You can''t say that. He''s your dad."

    "He''s not my daddy! He''s gonna marry another woman and have new kids with her."

    The furrows in Rachel''s brow deepened, and she looked at the driver''s seat in front of her.

    Jolly''s innocent expression was reflected in the rearview mirror. She hastily denied, "I didn''t say anything! I never mentioned the photos again after thewsuit ended, nor did I say bad things about him." Previously, Jolly had said a lot of bad things about Justin in secret in order for Charlotte to be willing to live with Rachel. It was for the same purpose that she and Hernandez had released the photos at the hearing without Rachel''s knowledge.

    Upon recalling the photos, Rachel felt guilty toward Charlotte. "Charlotte, the photos were staged. Your dad has never abandoned you."

    However, Charlotte replied, "I don''t believe it. Daddy promised me to get back together with you, only to date another woman in secret. He was lying to me. I don''t want to see him anymore."

    "Be a good girl, Charlotte." Rachel did some mental calctions. "Your dad wille pick you up in a few days, so you can''t behave like this anymore." Even though Rachel had obtained Charlotte''s custody, the court didn''t deprive Justin of his visitation rights, so he coulde visit Charlotte every month.

    Jolly drove Rachel and the kids home.

    "Aren''t you going back?"

    "Leroy''s gonna shoot themercial for our health beverage this afternoon, so I''ve got to keep an eye on it."

    "How are things going on between you and Leroy now?" Rachel sized Jolly up. "Could you two be dating for real?"

    "What do you mean by ''for real''?" Jolly''s face blushed all of a sudden. "That''s not true."

    "Why are you blushing, then?"

    "I''m not blushing! I-I''m not gonna talk to you about it anymore!" Jolly was just being stubborn; despite the blush spreading from her face to the nape of her neck, she still refused to acknowledge her feelings. Instead, she stamped her foot down on the elerator and left the neighborhood as if she was fleeing from it.

    Samuel took Rachel''s hand beside her and looked up, asking curiously, "Mommy, is Godmother in a rtionship?"

    Rachelughed. "Almost." How could Jolly still be pretending when even the kids can tell there''s something going on between her and Leroy? she thought. "Come on, let''s go home." With Samuel in one hand and Charlotte in the other, she entered the elevator while joking and chatting with them.

    "Mommy, I want to eat egg noodles with tomatoes."

    "Alright, I''ll make it for you when we get back."

    "I want to eat chicken wings in Coke sauce!"

    "No problem."

    The elevator door opened after the elevator reached the floor with a ''ding''!

    As soon as the three stepped out of the elevator, Rachel saw the tall figure standing at the door to her apartment. Joking and chatting with the two kids at first, she was startled for a moment all of a sudden. "Daddy?" Charlotte''s eyes lit up in an instant, and she let go of Rachel''s hand. However, just as she was about to step forward, she recalled something and mmed up, taking half a step back with her little leather shoes on.

    Rachel was surprised as well. "Why are you hˇŞ"

    Before she could finish her sentence, she was greeted by a gust of wind. The next instant, she was embraced. Her back stiffened up, and she subconsciously began to struggle, only for the man to tighten his arms around her. His breathing sounded heavy in her ear, and the stubble on his unshaven chin prickled her neck, making her feel ufortable.

    "Let go of me, Justin! What are you doing?"

    "Just a minute. Let me hold you tight for just a minute..." a deep, hoarse voice whispered weakly in her ear, like a person who had just recovered from a serious illness.

    Through the twoyers of clothes between them, Rachel could clearly hear the heartbeat in the man''s chest. Thump! Thump! Thump! His heart was beating so irregrly as though it was going to jump out of his chest onto her.

    For some reason, Rachel''s iling arms slowly fell to her sides.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 352

    Chapter 352 It Was Me Who Wronged You First

    Rachel took a bottle of drinking water from the fridge. From across the breakfast bar in the kitchen, she saw Justin waiting in the living room.

    Charlotte seemed unwilling to talk to the man as she yed with her Lego pieces on her own. "This piece is supposed to be here."

    Charlotte knocked Justin''s hand off before it could touch the Lego pieces. "I like to put it here!" She looked high and mighty. "I''ll put it wherever I like! What does that have to do with you?" Rachel immediately came out with the bottle of water. "Charlotte! You''re not supposed to speak like that!"

    "These are my Lego pieces!"

    "These are the Lego pieces that your dad bought for you."

    Charlotte was instantly stumped by Rachel''s words.

    The atmosphere turned awkward all at once. Most of the toys in the apartment had been sent by Justin. Even though thewsuit had gotten very ugly, Justin didn''t seem to take it to heart, and he had the toys delivered every now and then.

    Seeing Rachel knitting her brows as though she was going to give Charlotte a lecture, Justin immediately tried to ease the situation, saying, "It''s alright. They''re Charlotte''s."

    Suddenly, Charlotte pushed over the half-finished Lego model with a crash and got up from the carpet. She said angrily, "I''m giving them back to you! This is my home! Who let you in?"

    Justin was stunned.

    "Charlotte!" Rachel scowled at once. "Who taught you to speak like that? Apologize to your dad!"

    "Why should I apologize? I didn''t do anything wrong!"

    "You..." Rachel was speechless with anger. That''s why I''d say this girl inherited Justin''s temperament. She''s damn stubborn and doesn''t easily change her beliefs. To think that she had never mentioned a word about Justin since thewsuit ended!C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Charlotte then mmed her room door shut with a loud bang that shook the entire house.

    Samuel was ying games on the couch at first. At this moment, he hurriedly tossed his games console aside and ran over to Charlotte''s room. "Don''t worry, Mommy. I''ll go take a look."

    Rachel felt deeply embarrassed as she and Justin were the only ones left in the living room. "Sorry. Charlotte''s been emotionally unstabletely."

    "It''s understandable. I didn''t do what I promised her." Justin took a deep breath before slowly letting it out, looking somewhat dejected as he massaged his temples.

    Seeing how dejected the man looked, Rachel felt somewhat ufortable all of a sudden. It would be a lie if she said she didn''t feel guilty at all about setting him up previously. However, she was bent on getting Charlotte''s custody under the circumstances at the time. "I''ll try my best to exin the photos to Charlotte. I''m sorry about what happened earlier, but I don''t regret it."

    Justin replied, "There''s no need to apologize. If I were you, I would''ve gone even further."

    "Don''t you hate me?" blurted Rachel, only to regret it the instant the question escaped her lips. To ask him something like that makes it sound like I care about what he thinks of me.

    As she had expected, Justin seemed dumbfounded by her question. "Why would I hate you?"

    Startled, Rachel was stumped by the man''s words at once.

    Justin continued, "It was me who wronged you first. You''ve never wronged me; you only fought me for Charlotte''s custody out of a mother''s instincts. Even if you''ve resorted to some means, it''s just a part of being human. You''ve never done anything wrong."

    Rachel''s feelings became increasingly mixed.

    "Anyway, let''s not talk about this. I have something to give you." Justin took out a document and handed it to Rachel.

    "What is this?"

    "The list of Burton Pharmaceuticals'' technical personnel and clients."

    Rachel paused for a moment as she flipped through the document. "Why are you giving this to me?"

    "I know it''s hard for Hudson Pharmaceuticals to start all over again, but I hope that you won''t resort to desperate measures no matter what the difficulty is. Half of the clients here were around while you were still at Burton Pharmaceuticals. As for the technical personnel, you also know a lot of them personally."

    "You don''t have to do this." Rachel closed the document while pretending to give it back to Justin. He stopped her, though, saying, "I only have a request. Stop dealing with those from the Jockey Club, including my uncle. It''s only a matter of time before he gets investigated by the Riverdale Investigation Bureau."

    Rachel was stunned. He''d always thought that I had dealings with Jason and the others for Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "Alright, I''ve said everything I have to say." Justin got up from the couch. "I''ll get going. I won''t keep you any longer." "Aren''t you gonna say goodbye to Charlotte?"

    "No, I''lle pick her up in a few days." Justin threw a nce in the direction of Charlotte''s bedroom. Despite his reluctance, he left.

    Rachel saw the man out of the apartment. As she saw him to the door, she suddenly said, "Justin, since Charlotte hase back to me, just forget whatever happened in the past. Don''t dwell too much on it." Justin was startled. Just then, the elevator door slowly opened before him.

    Rachel reminded him. "The elevator''s here."

    When Rachel closed the door and heard her cell phone ringing in the living room, she immediately hurried over and answered the phone. "Hello?"

    "I just learned a piece of shocking news." Jolly''s voice sounded through the phone; she sounded so delighted as if she wished she could jump out of the phone''s screen.

    "What is it?"

    "Check out the trending topics on the inte right now, and you''ll see it."

    "Stop keeping me in suspense. Just spill it. I have to cook for the kids after this."

    "Alright, alright." Jolly was someone who could hardly contain her emotions. She said immediately, "Justin''s been removed from his position as president of the Burton Group.ˇ± Rachel''s eyes widened. "What did you say?"

    "It''s true. The Burton Group announced that the board of directors had passed a motion to restructure thepany''s shares. At the same time, Justin, the former president of thepany, has been removed and reced by a new president."

    "When did it happen?" Rachel asked while opening herptop to search for information about it. And sure enough, the instant she googled the term "the Burton Group," news of Justin being removed as president immediately popped up with all kinds of descriptions.

    Jolly replied, "It was just announced this morning, but their board of directors must have held their meeting and passed the resolution a few days ago. I heard that not only was he removed from his position, bu he also had most of his shares diluted, so now he doesn''t have much say in thepany. Oh, right, I also heard that he''s now been demoted to vice president and is having a hard time at thepany." Jolly also said something else, but Rachel was no longer listening to her words.

    Compared to what Jolly had said, thements on the inte were much harsher. Because of the previous scandal, Justin''s reputation suffered a drastic decline. The furor over that matter hadn''t died down yet, and now, his removal as the Burton Group''s president was undoubtedly making a huge ssh.

    Rachel felt suffocated when she saw the different kinds of vicious remarks about the man on the inte. How did this happen? Isn''t Justin Old Mr. Burton''s favorite grandson? However displeased the board of directors was with him, Old Mr. Burton wouldn''t have allowed such a situation to happen. This was far from what she had expected.

    "Chris?" Jolly''s voice sounded through the phone and snapped Rachel out of her thoughts. "Why aren''t you speaking? Are you dumbstruck or something?"

    "Why was he removed as president? Was it because of the previous public outcry?"

    "That was probably part of it. And besides, what happened to the Nortne development project caused him to lose the board of directors'' support. But I heard that it was Old Mr. Burton himself who proposed removing Justin."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel was startled.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 353

    Chapter 353 He Wasn''t Drunk at the Time

    Old Mr. Burton proposed that himself? How is that possible? Rachel tightened her grip on her cell phone at once. "Jolly,e back as soon as possible. I need to go out."

    Rachel hung up before Jolly could finish her sentence. Then, she picked up her car keys and left home without having the time to tell Samuel and Charlotte about it. Because of what had happened to Hans and Nancy, she had been unable to get along calmly with Justin, for she couldn''t help feeling that doing so would be a betrayal to them.

    But at the end of the day, she was the actual root of what had happened five years ago. If only the fire didn''t break out over 20 years ago; if only I didn''t save the abducted Justin back then; if only Justin didn''t get abducted; if only... Unfortunately, there''s no way to turn back time.

    Hearing the sound of the door being closed outside, Samuel turned to look at Charlotte in the bedroom, saying, "Mommy''s gone as well. What happened to Justin is so terrible. He''s been removed from his position in thepany. From now on, he''s no longer the Burton Group''s president. He''s penniless, and he lost both his daughter and his wife." He threw up his hands and shook his head. "That''s too bad." Charlotte was startled at first before her eyes lit up the next instant. "That''s great!"

    "What''s so great about it?" Samuel was in disbelief. "Do you hate him that much? He''s your dad, after all! Don''t you feel sorry for him now that he''s in such misery?"

    "I believe that Daddy''s gonna be fine. I''m happy because Mommy must have gone to him. There''s still hope!"

    "There''s still hope?" Samuel stared at Charlotte with a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

    "You dummy! Mommy will care about Daddy, of course, so they''ll have a chance to make up, which means we still have a chance to not be the kids of a single parent." "Don''t you hate your dad? You weren''t friendly to him just now."

    "That was just a ploy!" Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. "Didn''t you notice that Mommy''s attitude toward Daddy improved visibly after I did so?"

    Samuel was startled before he realized what had actually happened. "So you''ve been yacting these days?"

    "Not entirely. I was quite angry at first." When Charlotte saw the photos, she had nearly believed that Justin was dating another woman, but on second thoughts, she realized that Justin couldn''t possibly have done that. "Amber stayed around my dad for so long, but he rarely paid attention to her. The woman in the photos looked vulgar at first nce, so there''s no way my dad would take a fancy to her!" "In that case, why have you been downcast over thest few days?"

    "I was worried! The two of them are simply too worrying!" Charlotte shook her head helplessly like an adult in the body of a child.

    Samuel was stunned. He had thought it strange that Charlotte had turned against Justin so quickly. After all, Justin had brought Charlotte up ever since she was little. For a time, though, he had thought this was just what Charlotte''s temper was like. "Even I was fooled by your acting."

    "Well, I didn''t mean it. I''m sorry." Having inherited Rachel''s virtues perfectly, Charlotte blinked her pretty and innocent eyes at Samuel, making him reluctant to criticize her. Samuel hemmed. "Well, I''ll forgive you. What are you gonna do now, then?"

    "One step at a time. We mustn''t be hasty now," Charlotte said with a thoughtful expression. This time, I''ve got toe up with a good idea. I can''t keeping up with lousy ideas again like I used to. Meanwhile, Rachel drove to the Burton Residence alone.

    Justin had just arrived home when the doorbell rang outside. When he opened the door and saw Rachel, he was very surprised; he even thought he was hallucinating. "What brings you here?"

    Rachel looked at the man, but all of a sudden, she found herself unable to ask the question she had originally wanted to ask. After being silent for a long time, she replied, "I left something in your guest room previously, so I came here to look for it."

    Justin was startled before his eyes flickered with suspicion. "Is that so?"

    "Uh-huh. I''ll go look for it," Rachel said while going upstairs.

    Rachel had basically taken all her stuff away with her from the guest room, leaving only a few toys on the table.

    "Did you find it?" Justin came upstairs after her. "What is it that you''re looking for? Do you need help?"

    Rachel picked up something without thinking. "No, it''s not necessary. I found it. This is it."Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    "You mean this?" Justin looked at the pink ribbon hair clip in her hand with surprise in his eyes. "You came here just to look for this?" Charlotte must have a drawer full of such hair clips, he thought. Rachel put on a bold front and replied, "Charlotte suddenly asked for this one specifically, but I couldn''t find it at home. That''s why I''m here to take it."

    Justin folded his arms across his chest while studying Rachel''s expression. "Actually, you''re not very good at lying."

    Rachel was startled.

    "Since you''re here, why not have a cup of tea?" Justin turned around and went downstairs, leaving Rachel alone in the room in embarrassment.

    Rachel went out after him with the hair clip in her hand. "I''m really here for this. I gotta go.ˇ±

    "I didn''t say that you didn''te here to look for this. Just have a cup of tea before leaving."

    Five minutester, the water boiled. Justin poured hot water into the ss teapot and brewed tea with adept movements. "You used to make tea for me, but you''ve never drunk the tea I made, right? Come on, try it."

    Rachel wasn''t in the mood for tea, though, so she didn''t taste anything despite drinking the cup of tea.

    "How does it taste?"

    "Pretty good." Rachel hesitated for a moment. "I''m here to tell you that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has a development site near Westhill Golf Club. We don''t have enough funds to develop that piece ofnd, so I''d like to ask you if you''re interested in buying it."

    Justin paused for a moment while pouring tea. "How much money do you need? I have a friend who-"

    "I''m not here to ask for investment. I''d like to transfer thend''s ownership to the Burton Group. Well, that piece ofnd isn''tparable to the development site at Nortne, but it''s got good potential. It''s suitable for building a holiday resort. In particr, it can be integrated with Westhill Golf Club to create an all-in-one facility for recreation and entertainment..." Rachel borated on the development project on her own.

    Justin put down his tea cup. "Rachel, since you could talk about the project in such detail, you must have made a development n, right? And perhaps the development n has passed the risk assessment?

    Rachel was startled.

    Justin hit the nail on the head, saying, "Hudson Pharmaceuticals isn''t short of capital now; itcks resources. If you give this to me, you''re gonna have a hard time answering to thepany''s board of directors."

    No matter what Rachel said, he didn''t give in to her persuasion.

    Rachel decided to stop beating around the bush with him. She said with a frown, "I saw the news. You''ve been removed as president."

    Justin looked impassive without the slightest change in countenance.

    Rachel continued, "I don''t like to owe anyone favors. I got thend in Nortne by setting you up, so I''m giving another piece ofnd to you in return."

    "It''s pointless even if you give thend back to me. The motion to remove me as president has been passed."

    "That''s because your grandpa is displeased with me; he is being mad at you because he thinks you''ve been deceived by me. If you go back to him now with a piece ofnd, once his anger cools, you''ll still be able "

    "Rachel." Justin suddenly looked at her. "It''s not necessary."

    His words brought Rachel up short all at once.

    Justin said in an impassive voice, "I signed the document willingly. I wasn''t drunk at the time."

    "Impossible!" Rachel''s pupils shrank slightly. How was that possible? I evenced his drink with a psychedelic drug in addition to the alcohol that day!

    Justin replied, "If you don''t believe me, I can recite the contents of that document right now." He had always had a photographic memory for documents since he was little, so he remembered every word writter on the contract. He had read and understood every use before signing his name with a clear mind.

    All of a sudden, Rachel''s mind went nk.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 354

    Chapter 354 He Wasn''t Drugged at All

    "If you knew everything, then why did you sign it?" Rachel''s voice reverberated around therge mansion as she didn''t understand why. Justin replied, "Like I said, I''ll give you whatever I can if you want."

    "You don''t have to!" Rachel stood up all of a sudden. "Justin, do you know that there''s no way I''ll forget what happened back then even if you do this?"

    "I know, but what was wrong was wrong. You''re under no obligation to forgive me, and whatever I''ve done for you, it''s not for the purpose of begging for forgiveness."

    "What the hell are you doing, then?"

    "Just trying to ease my conscience as much as I could."

    Upon hearing this, Rachel felt her temples throbbing, and she got emotional all at once. The fact that Justin wasn''t drunk when he signed the document had thrown her off bnce. A momentter, she clenched her fists and got into a temper all of a sudden.

    "Rachel!"

    Justin stood up as Rachel stormed out of the house and mmed the door behind her. After the sound of the car engine faded into the distance, he withdrew his gaze and sat down again. I told her I''m doing al this to ease my conscience, but how can I do so when she''s never gonna be able to forgive me?

    When Rachel got home, it was totally dark outside. The living room smelled of pizza, which Charlotte and Samuel were eating voraciously.

    Rachel walked past them and went straight back into her bedroom as though she hadn''t seen them. Then, she mmed the door shut with a loud bang that shook the entire house.

    Samuel shuddered before whispering, "Don''t you think Mommy''s in a bad mood right now?"

    Charlotte nodded. "Obviously."

    Just then, Jolly heard the loud bang and came out of the bathroom. "Why close the door so loudly, Chris? You startled me." However, it wasn''t until she came out that she realized Rachel wasn''t in the living room. "Where''s your mom?"

    Charlotte and Samuel pouted their lips toward Rachel''s bedroom in unison.

    Samuel said, "She seems very angry."

    Charlotte nodded in agreement.

    Jolly was startled. "What for? She was fine when I left. I''ll go take a look."

    At this moment, Rachel was lying face down motionlessly on the bed in her bedroom.

    Jolly knocked on the door. "Chris, I''ming in."

    Only then did Rachel get up sluggishly and weakly as if she was lethargic.

    "What''s wrong with you? You look so pale." When Jolly entered the room and saw how Rachel looked, she thought thetter was sick. Immediately, she touched her forehead, saying, "You don''t have a fever. What''s wrong?"

    "Can we return thend in Nortne back to the Burton Group?"

    "Return thend to the Burton Group? What are you thinking?" Jolly''s eyes widened in disbelief. "It took us a lot of effort to get our hands on that piece ofnd. Construction has started on that site, and even the groundbreaking ceremony has ended. And now you want to return thend back to the Burton Group and bring all our efforts to naught?"

    Rachel also knew that it was impossible. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have offered to give Justin another piece ofnd at his ce just now.

    "Fess up to me. Who did you go to meet?"

    "Justin. I wanted to transfer another piece of Hudson Pharmaceuticals''nd to him as a littlepensation."

    "I just knew it!" Jolly said sullenly. "What did that *sshole say to you? Did he y the victim to gain your sympathy or something? I''m telling you, I''m not gonna believe every single word he says! This guy''s mind is too hard to read."

    Rachel had aplicated look on her face. "He refused."

    Jolly was startled. "He refused?"

    "Uh-huh."

    "Well, it seems like he still has some conscience in him. Chris, how could you be so softhearted? Have you forgotten how he hurt you five years ago? You were almost dead when I met you. Someone like him doesn''t deserve sympathy."

    "I know that, but he was actually sober when we tricked him into signing the document at the hotel that day." At the thought of this, Rachel felt so suffocated as though there was arge boulder on her chest. It was fine if Justin really was as shrewd and scheming as Jolly said, but he had willingly walked into the trap knowing that she was setting him up.

    "Who told you that?" Jolly raised her voice upon hearing this. "Did he tell you that?"

    "He remembers all the uses of the contract."

    "Chris, are you dumb? The construction on the Nortne development site has started, and the transfer agreement has been approved by all the departments, so it''s no longer a secret. Would it be difficult for him to get his hands on it?"

    Rachel was startled.

    "And besides, the drug I gave you acted fast, and it''d definitely take effect within ten minutes. He couldn''t possibly be sober at the time." "Really?"

    "Yes, of course! Why would I lie to you? I have plenty of such drugs."

    "Then why would he say that?"

    "Why else? To get your sympathy, that''s why! Didn''t you just nearly give him a piece ofnd? I reckon he''d turn up his nose at other pieces ofnd, though. Pester you for a few more days, and you''ll give the Nortne development site back to him, along with the construction team! We''ll be making idiots of ourselves by then!"

    The furrows in Rachel''s brow deepened as she listened to Jolly''s analysis. Indeed, this is more like Justin''s style of doing things. What''s the use of giving him something else aspensation? Only by getting the Nortne development site back would he stand his best chance of turning the tables now! "You''re right." She clenched her fists. To think that he''s still scheming even now!

    Jolly patted her on the shoulder. "Don''t think about it anymore. Come on, let''s go out and eat. I ordered some pizza."

    Rachel came to her senses. "Don''t eat this. I''ll make dinner for you guys."

    "You just have to make dinner for them."

    "Hmm?"

    "Since you''re back, I''ll be going out. I''ve got something to do."

    Rachel looked Jolly up and down. "Something to do? What is it?"

    "Oh, don''t ask about it! I gotta go."

    Jolly went straight out and got back into her room to change her clothes with apparent joy. After changing her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror. Feeling that the handbag she was carrying didn''t really match her dress, she got herself another handbag and was satisfied, so she emptied out the contents of the handbag she usually carried, scattering herpact foundation, lipsticks, keys, and card holder all over the bed. After picking a few items and shoving them into the new handbag, she suddenly spotted a transparent pillbox among the misceneous items out of the corner of her eye.

    Seeing the pillbox, Jolly was startled for a moment. Why is this pillbox here? I personally handed this to Chris and had herce Justin''s drink with it when they met up for the Nortne development project earlier!

    Suddenly, she realized something and rummaged through the pile of misceneous items. And sure enough, the white box that she used to keep her vitamin pills in was gone.

    Oh, my God! cing her hand on the bed for support, Jolly sat down with incredibly mixed feelings. So Justin was really sober that day-well, at least he was sober while signing the document. He wasn''t drugged at all, and I only managed to get him into the hotel room for that "encounter" because he passed out after Rachel made him drunk!

    She clutched the pillbox in her hand. After hesitating for a while, she got up and threw the pillbox into the trash can. No, I can''t let Rachel know this. She''s easily moved to pity. If she knows that Justin was telling the truth, she''ll definitely feel sorry for him. It''s better to just live with the slipup and make the best of it.

    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 355

    Chapter 355 Prickly Hedgehog

    Half a month went by. One morning, Rachel brought the two children downstairs, preparing to send them to school. "Charlotte, hurry up. You''re going to bete."

    "Wait for me, Mommy, I want to braid my hair." "There''s not enough time." Rachel was exasperated. "You''re definitely going to bete if you braid it."

    Charlotte immediately became unhappy upon hearing that.

    "Pouting won''t work. I asked you to wake up earlier this morning, but you had to insist on sleeping in. Whose fault is that? Anyway, it''s time to go. Now." Rachel nced at her watch. "I still have a meeting to attendter. We''re really out of time."

    Samuel also looked like he still wasn''t awake yet as he held Rachel''s hand and followed her to the elevator. They were immediately greeted by a ck car the moment they exited their apartmentplex-it was Justin''s car.

    Justin was looking at his watch as he leaned against his car. When he saw Rachel, he stepped toward her. "I thought that I waste and already missed you three."

    Rachel was a little stunned. "Didn''t you say that you were going to pick Charlotte upter tonight after school?"

    ording to the court''s verdict, Justin could take Charlotte every Friday night to spend the weekend with him. However, Charlotte didn''t ept the olive branch Justin offered her. Even now, she was still upset with him. Although more than a month had passed, the only thing she would agree to was dinner with Justin every Friday night.

    "I didn''t have anything on my schedule today, and I just so happened to be in the area. Let me send you to your destination."

    Before Rachel could answer, Samuel was already squinting in concentration while scrambling into the back of Justin''s car. He even put his safety belt on before his head tilted to the side as he fell asleep again All his actions seemed like he was sleepwalking.

    Rachel couldn''t possibly get Samuel to get out of the car at this point. With no other choice, she agreed. "Charlotte, get in the car."

    Charlotte looked unwilling and decided to kick up a fuss. "I don''t like ck cars. I like red ones better."

    Rachel''s car was red.

    Charlotte was typically a reasonable girl, but the moment she saw Justin, she was like a prickly little cactus, repeatedly pricking him. The saying that daughters were daddy''s girls waspletely untrue here. This "daddy''s girl" was more like a hedgehog.

    Justin frowned. "Charlotte."

    Charlotte folded her arms, disgust on her face.

    In the end, Rachel couldn''t take the sight anymore and unkindly put a stop to Charlotte''s antic. "Red cars? Stop being so unreasonable. You''ve been taking the taxi to school this entire week. Were any of them red?"

    Charlotte had noeback for this. Her little face was tense, her cheeks puffed out.

    Rachel''s voice then softened. "Alright now, get in. I''ll braid your hair for you in the car."

    "Really?"

    "Really. I''ll count to three. If you still haven''t gotten into the car and put on your safety belt by then, then I won''t braid your hair." With that, Rachel began to stick her fingers up and count. "One, two..." Before she could finish saying ''three,'' Charlotte had already smoothly climbed into the back seat and put on her safety belt. "Mommy, I''m done!"

    Rachel nodded, satisfied, before looking at Justin apologetically. "Let''s go."

    The car left the residential district and trundled onto the main street. Since Rachel and the children were in the back, they were visible in the rearview mirror. Rachel was in the middle of braiding Charlotte''s hair.

    Justin''s hands loosely gripped the steering wheel, his fingers long and slender, and his knuckles prominent. He nced at the mirror before asking, "Why have you been taking taxis recently? Where''s your car?"

    "Sent to the workshop for maintenance," Rachel answered.

    "It''s not exactly easy for you to pick up the kids then."

    "It''s definitely inconvenient during the morning and evening traffic jams, especially when both kids have finished school for the day. Fortunately, Victor would sometimes pick them up and bring them back by subway."

    "The subway?" Justin was taken aback. "Did Charlotte agree to take the subway?"

    This pampered girl had been raised like a princess since she was little. She had never once taken public transport. Whenever she went out of the house, she would be escorted by a horde of attendants. She would wish for nothing more than for the cars to make way for her.

    "Quit looking down on me." Charlotte''s brows furrowed. "I like taking the subway. It''s amazing! It just goes ''whoosh whoosh whoosh,'' and then I''m home. It''s way faster than a car."

    "I know what you''re thinking," Rachel exined patiently. "But this is how normal people live. You''ve never experienced it before, so maybe you find it unthinkable, but this isn''t a big deal." "But it''s really inconvenient when you have the children with you."

    Justin might not take public transport himself, but he did know about the crowds at least. Just watching the news was enough to make him aware of how crowded the subway could be during the morning and evening rush hours. Coincidentally, Justin drove by a subway station. There were scores of bicycles and motorcycles parked by the entrance to the station. The volume of people there was truly frightening. Rachel didn''t think much of it. "It''s fine. Everything will be okay once the workshop tells me that my car is ready."

    The car came to a stop by the school''s entrance. Justin and Rachel then walked with the children past the school gates.

    Upon seeing Samuel''s sleepy face, Rachel rubbed his cheeks. "Wake up, it''s time for school!"

    It was then that Samuel reluctantly opened his eyes. Out of habit, he took Charlotte''s hand. "Let''s go."

    After watching the children walk further inside the school, Rachel eyed her watch and frowned. "I need to go. I still have a meeting to attend."

    "I''ll take you there," Justin offered.

    "No need. I''ll just get a taxi."

    "It''s not too far from here. I''m already here now anyway. It''s not worth avoiding me just to bete for your meeting now, is it?"

    "I''m not avoiding you." Rachel nced at him. After hesitating a moment, she caved. "Sorry to bother you for that car ride then." "Hop in."

    The school was only a few kilometers away from Hudson Pharmaceuticals, so the trip was only a mere ten minutes. Just as Rachel was about to alight from the car after they arrived, she heard loud noises from outside. She could see through the window that a group of people were holding banners above their heads outside of thepany building while yelling about something. Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' security guards had shown up.

    "Thanks for the ride." Rachel hastily got out of the car and dashed over in her high heels.

    Justin thought that something was off, so he quickly followed her out of the car as well.

    The crowd outside of thepany entrance wasposed of young girls and women, all of them bearing banners and LED signs. The words ''Get Out of Riverdale, Jolly Carter'' on those signs were especially noticeable.

    "Where''s Jolly Carter? Get her here. We want to see her for ourselves!"

    "That woman has the guts to do what she did but not the guts to own up to her actions. Does she think that we Leroy fans are toothless things?"

    The few security guards by the entrance did their best to hold off the crowd of women while yelling into their megaphones. "If you keep this up, we''re going to call the police!"

    "Call them, then. You think we''re scared?"

    "Yeah, that''s right. I''m telling you guys now-we''ve hired the bestwyer we could get. If you don''t hand that shameless woman over, we''re going to sue Hudson Pharmaceuticals too!"

    Rachel saw all of this when she ran over. She immediately grabbed the closest girl to her and asked, "What happened here?"

    "You must be one of the employees here. You should resign and stop working at this ce. Their CEO''s assistant is absolutely outrageous. She attempted to trap celebrities in a casting couch deal through the guise of work!" the girl eximed.

    "CEO''s assistant? Casting couch? Wait, who did you say was conducting casting couch deals again?" Rachel waspletely lost.

    "This woman." The girl pointed at her LED board. ˇ°Jolly Carter. Her own personal life''s a mess, and she still wanted to drag our Leroy into a casting couch deal!"

    "How''s that possible?"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "How is it not? Someone in our fanmunity saw it with their own eyes. The photos were even posted!ˇ±

    "That''s not possible either. Jolly''s not that kind of person."

    "How do you know what kind of person she is?"

    Rachel frowned. "Because she''s my assistant!"

    The moment those words were said, the girl froze. All of a sudden, she grabbed hold of Rachel. "Everyone, look! It''s the CEO of Hudson Pharmaceuticals! Jolly Carter is her assistant!"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 356

    Chapter 356 Mistake Born of Drunkenness

    The moment the girl yelled, the rabble immediately all turned around, their gazesnding squarely upon Rachel. That''s Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' CEO."

    "She even defended her subordinate and twisted the facts just now." "Grab her and take her to the police."

    The baffling words kept pouring in. Rachel''s expression shifted. By the time she realized her gaffe, it was already toote. This mob of insane fans would not listen to any exnation as they surged toward Rachel in fury. She immediately took a few steps back, but the heel of her shoe got stuck in a crack in the ground. She gave a surprised yell as she toppled backward.

    Justin''s arrival was timely, as he managed to catch her just in time.

    Rachel was stunned. She could see Justin''s gaze the moment she looked up from his arms. Before she could respond, Justin pulled her behind himself, shielding her. He blocked the rest of the mob by himself as he rebuked them. "Who here dares to take another step forward?"

    His full height of over six feet was especially noticeable among the crowd of girls. The chilliness emanating from his gaze was enough to make some of the girls shudder. However, they had the advantage of numbers, after all. A girl with an LED board in the center of the mob immediately answered angrily, "She was willing to defend her own assistant when that assistant was ensnaring male celebrities into casting couch deals. She''s ruining the name of the entertainment industry. Shouldn''t people like her be shunned and shamed? Who are you anyway? Why are you still protecting her? Are you in league with her?" "Yeah, you must be working with her!"

    Justin''s expression did not change when he was faced with the mob''s fury. "The details of the situation still aren''t clear yet. Even if it''s exactly as you said, does that give you any right to attack and hit others? Then what are the police and court for?" he asked coldly.

    "Don''t think that we don''t know they have been colluding with Hudson Pharmaceuticals. You''ve already bribed them!"

    "Girls, don''t be tricked by their words. None of these capitalist pigs are good people!"

    "We want Hudson Pharmaceuticals to put out a statement!"

    "Don''t you dare think of leaving without putting out that statement!"

    "Hand Jolly Carter over!"

    The mob''s rage grew intense by the second. The security could not stop these insane fans who were seeing red. The only thing Justin could do to ensure Rachel''s safety was to take her and run. "They''re escaping!"

    "Stop running!"

    "Get Jolly Carter out here!"

    As the mob yelled, Justin bundled himself and Rachel into his car and quickly left the scene by driving back out onto the street.

    Rachel pped a hand over the safety belt crossing her chest. Her breaths were quick, shallow. "No, I have to go back."

    "You''ll just get in more trouble if you go back now. I just got the security to call the police. We''ll figure out our next move once the situation is under control for now."

    "Can we even get it under control? What if someone gets hurt?"

    "The police will be here soon. Don''t overthink it. In fact, you should get in touch with Jolly and ask her what''s going on."

    It was only then that Rachel''s wits returned to her. She had been so frustrated and angry earlier by the crowd. She hastily pulled out her phone and dialed Jolly''s number.

    The call took a long time to go through. Azy,nguid voice could be heard over the speakers atst; Jolly clearly still wasn''t fully awake yet. "Hello?"

    "Were you still asleep? Where are you now?"

    "Me?" Jolly pressed a hand to her head, which was throbbing painfully. The hotel room''s crystal chandelier greeted her when she opened her eyes. "A hotel." "You''re alone?"

    "What kind of weird question is that? Of course I''m alone." Jolly yawned. "I had too much to drinkst night, and I was worried that I would wake you guys if I went back, so I ended up staying at a hotel. I asked for the morning off, so I won''t be going to work. My head hurts... I''m about 80% f*cking sure that I drank some fake swill-my head''s about to burst." She rambled on and on, but she was still drowsy. Rachel was well andpletely at a loss for words. "You asked for time off? Go take a look at the news online, then tell me if you still want that morning off."

    "What news?"

    "Take a look yourself. I just sent you the link."

    Jolly was reluctant to do so, but she forced herself to open one eye fully and look at her phone. She shot right out of bed the next moment.

    "I forced Leroy Bet to sleep with me using my position as brand manager?" Jolly instantly woke up fully when she read the content of the article. She began cursing as she stood on her bed. "Which media outlet wrote this? Dig up their name-I''m going to make them shut down right now!"

    "Calm down a little."

    "How can I calm down? This is an insult to me as a person!"

    "Let me ask you then: where is Leroy now?"

    "How would I know?"

    The moment Jolly said that, the door to the bathroom slid open. Someone emerged from the bathroom. He had just finished showering, so a towel hung from his hips, and his hair was still damp. The man was in the middle of towel-drying his hair when he suddenly froze on the spot and looked up in shock.

    Right now, Jolly was in her birthday suit as she stood on the bed.

    Their gazes met for a moment.

    "Aaaahh !" Jolly suddenly let out a piercing shriek. As she chucked a pillow at the man, she grabbed the nket on the bed to cover herself.

    Since he hadn''t been prepared for that, the pillow hit Leroy. However, the beautiful, tititing scene from earlier remained in his mind. His mind buzzed as red instantly colored his handsome face.

    "Why are you in my room!" Jolly pointed at his nose. "How did you get in here?"

    "You had too much to drinkst night, so I brought you back here. Don''t you remember?"

    "You brought me here?" Jolly pressed a hand to her forehead, but she couldn''t remember any of this happening. "So why didn''t you leave after you brought me back to my room?"

    "You wouldn''t let me leave?"

    "How? You just said that I drank too much!"

    "It''s true." Leroy shrugged. His eyes were clear and bright under his damp hair as he looked at her, an innocent look on his face. "You kept clinging to me the entire night. I couldn''t pull you off no matter what I did."

    "No way? You took advantage of me, and now you''re trying to paint me as the one at fault, aren''t you? I was so blind. I''vepletely misjudged you! And here I thought you were a good person!"

    Leroy immediately took out his phone to exin. "I was worried that you wouldn''t believe me, so I took a video."

    "You even took a video?" Jolly snatched Leroy''s phone over at lightning speed. "Password!" she barked irritatedly.

    "Your birthday."

    Jolly''s expression changed when she heard that, but she still entered her birthday, albeit doubtfully. The next second, the phone unlocked, just as Leroy had said.

    Typically, hardly anyone would willingly allow someone else to check something as private as their phone. Leroy, however, looked like he didn''t mind as he let Jolly go through everything.

    Jolly navigated her way tost night''s video roll. The moment she opened the aforementioned video, she saw her face.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "I didn''t have too much to drink. I''m telling you, we can still go for another round. Come on, I told you before that you got to live life to the fullest. Don''t just film movies all the time. That''s so boring. Live a little! Urk-"

    "Hold it in for a bit. I''ll get a bin for you."

    Unfortunately, a drunk would not listen to others.

    For some reason, the video after that inexplicably became "tense." Jolly felt like she couldn''t stand it anymore.

    "Are you a pervert? Are you trying to ckmail me by recording this?"

    "No, I swear I wasn''t trying to ckmail you." Leroy put his arms in the air. "I was just worried that you would think that I did something to you, so I recorded that video to prove my innocence. Nothing happened between us at allst night."

    Jolly reflexively looked down. Then, how did my clothes get removed?

 My Mute Bride Chapter 357

    Chapter 357 Proof That Can''t Get More Iron-d Than This

    "One of the hotel staff helped you to change your clothes," Leroy immediately exined, having instantly figured out Jolly''s thoughts. "You threw up over yourself. Your clothes weren''t in a wearable condition."

    Jolly gradually calmed down then. In truth, she had known Leroy for some time now. Although she had initially gotten in touch with him out of ulterior motives, as she spent more time with him, she realized that he was actually a pretty straightforward person, to the point where he was a little nd. He wasrgely different from other celebrities in showbiz.

    Just as he was speaking, Leroy''s phone buzzed.

    "Hello? What?" Leroy suddenly nced at Jolly, aplicated look in his eyes. "My phone was on silent, so I didn''t hear it earlier."

    Jolly had no idea what the caller said, but Leroy walked straight to the window, pulling aside part of the curtain to look down before he quickly pulled the curtain back in ce.

    "What is it?" Still with the nket wrapped around her, Jolly could sense that something was not right.

    "Someone snapped photos of usst night. Right now, reporters and fans are swarming the hotel''s lower floors. We can''t leave for now."

    "What?" Jolly promptly got out of bed with the nket still wrapped around her and dashed over to the window to take a look. The hotel itself was rather tall, so the crowd gathered below looked like a dark swarm of ants. But even with the sheer height, Jolly could still see that it was a sizable crowd. "What should we do?"

    "My manager''s rushing over this instant. Let''s wait first."

    "Wait? For how long? When are we going to get out?" Jolly clenched the nket. "I''ve got a reputation to uphold. I don''t want to go down in mes with all this nder hurled at me. Where''s my phone?" She only thought of her phone at that moment.

    "On the bed," Leroy answered. When Jolly saw Leroy emerge from the bathroom earlier, she had tossed her phone aside as she shrieked.

    That phone... Jolly rushed over and picked her phone up. Sure enough, the call was still ongoing.

    "Hello?" Jolly coughed awkwardly. "Chris, are you still there?"

    "Yeah."

    "So then, everything earlier..."

    "I heard it all." Rachel didn''t hide anything. "Jolly, if I were one of Leroy''s fans, I''d charge over to the hotel and rip the door right off its hinges before pulling out all your hair. Nothing happened at all between a single man and a single woman? Who''s going to buy that?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Even though Jolly''s phone had been on the whole time and she heard their conversation, Rachel still had her doubts. She didn''t doubt Leroy''s character; she doubted Jolly''s ability to hold her alcohol. Jolly knew her shorings. "ThatˇŞChris, rx, I''ll be sure to handle this properly. Don''t worry. I''ll take care of it myself."

    "How are you going to take care of it? Are you going to go out butt naked to do so?"

    At that, Jolly awkwardly lowered her head to look at herself before pulling the nket higher up her chest.

    "Stay at the hotel. Don''t go anywhere. I''ll bring you a change of clothes," Rachel said.

    Jolly let out a breath of relief. "You''re a good friend. I shalle to your aid one day; I guarantee that!"

    "How are you still in the mood to crack jokes?" Rachel was practically speechless. After she hung up, she spoke to Justin. "Please send me home."

    "That''s in apletely different direction from the hotel," Justin pointed out.

    "I know, but I need to go back home and grab some clothes for Jolly."

    "Such a pain. Do you have a nanny waiting at home?"

    "Yes."

    "The Burton Group is fairly close to your home. I''ll get Frankie to get the clothes and meet us at the hotel."

    Rachel paused before nodding. Right now, that was the most efficient way to deliver the clothes.

    Half an hourter, Rachel and Justin arrived at the hotel. The crowd of reporters and fans by the entrance was a huge, dark mass. There weren''t any less of them here than at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Justin drove the car straight to the underground parking lot. The hotel''s security was tight, for there were guards posted by the parking lot''s elevators. Without a key card from the hotel, no one was allowed to go up. Despite that, there were still plenty of people gathered in the parking lot. Even when she got out of the car and walked to the elevator, Rachel could see there were reporters in cars with cameras of various sizes. All of them were camping for a potential shot.

    If they were to snap a photo of Leroy and Jolly right now, the traffic to the media outlets they worked for would skyrocket.

    Rachel had exined her reasons to be here, so the hotel manager personally came over and brought her and Justin upstairs. Inside the elevator, Justin''s gaze darkened. "Even if they''re here just to drive clicks, they didn''t have to cause such a huge mess."

    "You noticed it too?" Rachel frowned slightly. "I could tell at a nce that they were all organized. I think things aren''t as simple as they seem.ˇ±

    Fans had gathered at Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and at the same time, reporters were also camping out at Jolly''s hotel. Why did these two incidents coincidentally happen at the same time? Obviously, there was someone deliberately stirring the pot in the dark, attempting to fan the mes.

    "I just don''t know who the target behind this campaign is," Rachel said.

    Was it Leroy? Or Jolly?

    Or could it be Hudson Pharmaceuticals?

    Before she could ponder more on it, the elevator doors drew back with a ''ding.'' The moment the door to Jolly''s room opened, Rachel was dragged in by the hand that emerged from within. The door then mmed shut. Justin ended up getting some dust on his nose from the resulting m without being able to get in.

    Jolly clutched Rachel. "Why is he here with you? Here to see me make a fool of myself?"

    "Do you think he''s bored enough toeugh at you? He sent Charlotte and Samuel to school earlier, so he came along." Rachel looked up to regard Leroy and nodded in greeting. "The parking lot is teeming with reporters. You can''t leave through the basementter."

    "Why should I be scared? I didn''t do anything. So what if I leave?"

    "Right now, Leroy''s fans are also camping outside of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. They''re holding these banners while threatening to sue you because of a casting couch deal."

    "Where the hell did those usationse from? I''m going to f*cking..." Jolly straight up cursed from anger.

    Rachel shoved the bag of clothes into her hands. "Put some clothes on first."

    After Jolly huffily went off to change her clothes, Rachel finally opened the door. "Come in."

    Justin looked straight ahead. "Is it a good time? I can always get out."

    "It''s fine. She just went to change her clothes."

    After the door closed, the atmosphere in the hotel room turned awkward. Although Leroy was currently a spokesperson for Hudson Pharmaceuticals''test product, he and Rachel had only hastily met once. Allmunication between them had been handled by Jolly.

    Leroy brought over a ss of water each for Rachel and Justin. "Miss Hudson, who might this be?"

    "He''s Burton Group''s..." Just as Rachel was about to introduce Justin, she suddenly trailed off.

    Justin was no longer the president of the Burton Group.

    Justin didn''t seem to mind as he offered his hand. "Justin Burton."

    Leroy nodded. "Leroy Bet."

    Rachel let out a breath. She then asked, "What happenedst night? The inte''s been up in arms."

    "Last night, Jolly brought me out to have some fun. She drank a lot, so I brought her to the hotel. I don''t know who leaked the footage from the hotel corridor''s security cameras and triggered the media over the out-of-context clip."

    "Let me take a look." Rachel hadn''t had the time to check the aforementioned video, so she had no idea how severe the current situation was.

    "Here." Leroy handed his own phone over.

    The moment Rachel tapped y, she saw the doors of the elevator open to show Jolly with her arms wrapped around Leroy''s shoulders. They had just emerged from the elevator when she pressed him against the wall.

    How is this ''taken out of context by the media''?! This is practically iron-d proof! It can''t get more iron-d than this! The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched hard.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 358

    Chapter 358 Two Body Doubles

    Rachel didn''t have it in her to watch the rest of the video on Leroy''s phone. Justin had already knowingly turned his head to the side, pretending that he didn''t know anything.

    Meanwhile, Jolly finished changing into her fresh set of clothes and emerged from the bedroom. When she saw Leroy was showing Rachel and Justin the contents of the video being circted on media websites, she charged over and snatched the phone over.

    "What are you looking at? What''s so fun about it?" She even blew a gasket.

    "It''s not something fun to watch, but that video''s already been shared over a million times online. There''s at least a million people who saw that video. Snatching the phone from me won''t do anything." "Since they''ve already watched it, fine, but you''re not allowed to!"

    "What kind of reasoning is that? I''m helping you to find a way out of this." Rachel was exasperated. She hadn''t watched the video out of curiosity. The only way she would be able to know why the fans were angry and find a way to resolve this uproar was to watch it.

    "So, have you figured out something?"

    Rachel threw her hands up in helplessness. "Nope."

    Right then, Leroy''s phone rang. Jolly reflexively took a look at the screen and handed the phone back to him. "Your manager."

    Leroy answered the phone in front of everyone. "Hello, Emmett? ... Yeah, I''m still at the hotel....No, Jolly and I aren''t the only ones here. Two of her friends are here too. One of them is Miss Hudson, the president of Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    No one had any idea what Leroy''s manager said, but Leroy looked panicked as he nced at Rachel and Justin. "That''s not exactly a good idea, right?" he asked, aplicated emotion in his tone. Leroy''s manager talked to him for a bit longer. After he hung up, Jolly asked Leroy, "Is your manager here already? Where is he?"

    Leroy nodded. "In the parking lot. Right now, he can''te up; his car''s been surrounded by the reporters."

    "He should stay there. If hees up now, it''ll just prove even further that you and Jolly are currently in this hotel. I''m worried that your fans will demolish the hotel today," Rachel said.

    She wasn''t saying this just to frighten him; with just a single, blurry video clip, Leroy''s fans were already holding banners and kicking up a fuss outside of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. If they were to see Leroy and Jolly sharing a room with their own eyes, they might just murder Jolly and burn the evidence.

    Leroy looked apologetic. "Sorry for causing trouble for you all."

    Rachel finally had the time to scrutinize him. His features were clear-cut, and he hadrge eyes. His skin was clear, and thoserge eyes of his were especially beautiful. He was also gentle and polite when he spoke, but it wasn''t the same bookish softness that Julian had. His soft-spoken nature gave Rachel a different feeling.

    Although society had by-andrge decided that someone with no ulterior motives would not exist, that was the feeling that Leroy gave off-someone who was carefree and simple.

    Jolly huffily rolled her eyes at Leroy when he apologized. "Is now the time for apologies? Are apologies useful now?"

    Rachel couldn''t stand it anymore. "Enough already, alright? Isn''t this caused by your drinkingst night? If anyone should be apologizing, it should be you. Once this matter is over and done with, you will have to swear off alcohol."

    Jolly really couldn''t hold her alcohol.

    "Now''s also not the time to talk about that." Jolly shrugged and plopped onto the couch. "I was thinking-why not stay here for two weeks or so and wait for the outrage to die down?"

    "You can stay here, but what about Leroy?" Rachel shot a look at Jolly. What kind of terrible idea was this?

    "Did Leroy''s manager mention a n when he called earlier?" Justin suddenly asked from the side.

    Rachel and Jolly both froze. They first looked at Justin before shifting their gazes over to Leroy. Rachel''s wits then returned to her. "Oh, right, what did your manager say?"

    To ordinary civilians like them, a situation like this was something they would pretty much never encounter. To a seasoned manager who had been in the entertainment industry for years though, this would be something they would be used to. Celebrities being discovered after booking a room for "personal" business happened frequently enough that there would be trending articles about them every two days or so, so managers had to move quickly for damage control.

    Leroy hesitated for a moment. "He did say he has a n, but I don''t think it''s all that appropriate."

    "It might just work. Go on, tell us," Rachel said.

    "Yeah, how would we know whether it''s appropriate if you don''t tell us?" Jolly asked.

    A few seconds of silenceter, Leroy nced at Justin. "Emmett said to get two people to wear our clothes and draw the fans'' attention away so that we can leave."

    "Body doubles? Where are we supposed to find body doubles at this time?" Jolly frowned. "That''s an idealistic solution. What kind of crappy n is that?" The moment she said that, though, she changed her mind when her gaze rested on Rachel and Justin. Didn''t they have two people who could act as doubles here? Justin''s build was close to Leroy''s. As for Rachel, although she was a little skinnier than Jolly, Leroy''s fans weren''t familiar with her. It was likely that no one would realize she wasn''t Jolly if she had a pair of sunsses on.

    The look in Jolly''s eyes instantly changed. Justin and Rachel exchanged nces. They knew very well what wasing next.

    Ten minutester, the door to the underground parking lot''s elevator opened with a ''ding.'' Justin and Rachel emerged from the elevator, both of them sporting sunsses and masks. Justin even had a cap on his head, the very same one that Leroy wore in the video fromst night.

    The parking lot was quiet. This was aplete surprise from what they had been expecting, but the silence wasn''t a serene one; it was the eerie kind of silence that sent shivers through one''s heart. Rachel stumbled, but arge hand caught her arm in time.

    "Be careful," Justin said in a low voice.

    Right then, they heard the sound of a camera shutter. A bright light shed suddenly. Both of them froze. The next moment, the parking lot burst into activity. Reporters holding cameras with giant lenses swarmed out from the corners.

    "It''s Leroy," someone yelled.

    "There''s no mistaking him. It''s Leroy, alright."

    Rachel was startled by the crowd. For a moment, she forgot how to move. Justin took her hand and swiftly moved to his car.

    The reporters had been camping out there since earlier. From the moment Rachel and Justin took the elevator, the reporters had already been filming them. The secret filming had been like a ho''s nest, and the sudden sh of light had been the rock to disturb it.

    What was the importance of those photographs? If they could be the first one to break the news with photos of Jolly and Leroy with their faces clearly shown, then that would be solid proof ofst night''s incident. It would be a huge scoop.

    Rachel''s breaths came out in quick, shallow pants as Justin dragged her on a mad dash through the parking lot. Her eyes remained on his back and his hand on hers as they ran. Soon, they had put plenty of distance between themselves and the reporters, but they were still a good distance away from their car.

    Soft footsteps sounded in front of them. Justin immediately pulled Rachel over to hide behind a car.

    "Shh-"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel tensed. With Justin''s gaze guiding her, she noticed the person in the car''s side mirror-a reporter was currently searching for them where they had been.

    Instantly, Rachel didn''t even dare to pant anymore. Her heart nervously hammered away in her chest.

    The space by the car was narrow. Both of them had their chests practically pressed together. Even their breaths intermingled.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 359

    Chapter 359 Ruining Hook-up ns

    As the footsteps got closer and closer, Rachel held her breath. She wished that her heart would stop beating. Fortunately, the car was close to a wall. It didn''t look like a spot one could hide in if one looked, so the reporter just nced at the car before leaving quickly.

    After the sound of the reporter''s footsteps disappeared, Rachel sucked in a deep breath. She nearly suffocated there. Her chest heaved, now that air instantly filled her lungs, especially after she had been gasping for air from all that running earlier.

    As she panted, Rachel looked around her. "I think he''s gone," Rachel said, her voice as soft as a mosquito. She then made to move. "Let''s go."

    "Don''t move!" Justin suddenly pressed her shoulders down with his back pressed against the wall. He wanted to put some space between them. His usually cold face was now an abnormal shade of red. Rachel initially didn''t understand, but when she felt something poke her in the thigh, she realized what was going on. Instantly, her eyes widened in disbelief. She shook Justin''s hands off herself the next moment. "What the heck are you thinking?" she chided.

    Justin felt awkward and exasperated. He didn''t want this to happen right now either, but a man''s physiology was vastly different from a woman''s. It was easy for his mind to wander off when he was trapped in such a cramped space and when he could clearly smell the perfume lingering by Rachel''s neck.

    "Sorry, I..."

    Before Justin could finish his apology, Rachel extracted herself and put a safe distance between themselves.

    What is up with him? How is he still like this even in such a time?

    Just as she was thinking this, a yell came from somewhere. "They''re over there!"

    Rachel''s expression changed. Crap! I forgot we''re still dodging the reporters!

    The reporters came surging over. This time, they really had no ce to hide.

    Beep-beepˇŞThe sound of a horn red throughout the parking lot. Two blinding lights lit up in front of them. Rachel and Justin were still frozen by the time the MPV stopped in front of them. The door to the back of the MPV opened.

    "Get in," came a man''s voice from inside. It was Leroy''s manager, the one called Emmett.

    Rachel and Justin immediately got into the MPV.

    The MPV zoomed out of the parking lot and merged with the rest of the traffic on the road. Since the MPV was such a huge target, the reporters soon chased after them in their own cars.

    "Will they catch up?" Rachel nced back, but she could tell that two of those cars were quick in following them.

    "You best believe that this horde of reporters are like hounds. We still need to make a few circles and wait a little longer. Once all of them are on our tails, Leroy and Jolly would be able to leave." "Will that work though?" Rachel was worried. "Can they weather this?"

    She and Justin were only treating the symptoms by diverting the reporters away. If Leroy couldn''te up with a reasonable exnation to sooth his fans and let the situation continue to fester, things would only get worse.

    Emmett frowned. "That''s a problem."

    "We need to immediately hold an emergency press conference and rify things." Justin''s voice rang throughout the MPV.

    "No!" Emmett shot him down immediately. "Leroy''s career is currently on the rise. Rather than holding a press con that won''t convince the reporters, it''s better to just leave the situation alone and let it die down by itself. The press con won''t work."

    "Whether the press conference works or not, both Leroy and Jolly will have to put out a rification. The mob currently at Hudson Pharmaceuticals is the most important problem here."

    "So, Hudson Pharmaceuticals is important, but not Leroy?" Emmett grumbled. "Speak for yourself. Leroy shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to where he is now. His career is about to be destroyed because of all the spection around this incident."

    Casting couch deals were indeed something that happened frequently in the entertainment industry. Once one was rumored to be involved in one, they would never be able to shake the rumors off. It would be a stain on their career in showbiz forever.

    Justin wanted to say something, but Rachel cut him off. "Let''s not argue about this for now. The press conference must be held. Both Leroy and Jolly shouldn''t have to be scapegoats. This incident must be investigated from its source."

    There was absolutely no doubt that someone else was behind everything in the dark. But just who nned this?

    Emmett dropped Rachel and Justin off at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Shortly after, Leroy and Jolly arrived as well.

    The crowd around thepany building''s entrance had already dissipated. There were a few policemen patrolling the perimeter in order to prevent any unexpected encounters.

    "What should we do about this?" Jolly immediately poured herself arge ss of iced water once she was inside Rachel''s office. Clearly, she had been rattled. She shot a look at a certain person at the side of the room. "Why haven''t you left yet?"

    "Mr. Burton just helped us," Leroy reminded. "Jolly..."

    "So? I didn''t ask him to help me."

    Justin wasn''t angry at this at all as he handed Rachel a ss of water good-naturedly. However, Rachel felt awkward, and she was also worried that Justin felt ufortable. "Why don''t you call my secretary over and ask her to have some snacks delivered here."

    "Okay." Justin nodded and headed for the door.

    Jolly continued to be all high and mighty as she rolled her eyes,pletely ungrateful.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel didn''t say anything about Jolly''s attitude. Instead, she simply looked at Jolly carefully with a solemn gaze. "Jolly, have you offended anyone recently?"

    It wasn''t very likely that the orchestrator had a grudge against Hudson Pharmaceuticals, for the entire campaign had targeted Jolly. The fans had been yelling for her head.

    "How would I know?" Jolly threw her hands up. "I''ve stepped on far too many toes."

    "What about you, Leroy?"

    Leroy shook his head as well and nced at Jolly. "I don''t interact with others much during my personal time. It''s mostly brand managers. But if you''re asking about my rivals in the industry, then there are far too many to count... Still, I find it very strange, since I''m not the one being targeted."

    "What''s so strange about it?" A familiar man''s voice came from the door.

    Everyone froze. Rachel looked up, a dumbstruck look on her face.

    Justin had opened the door. The person who had just strolled in probably did so because Justin had opened the door, and the secretary hadn''t stopped the man either. He was dressed in a ck suit, weary- looking as he stood there. He hadn''t brought an assistant with him.

    "Mr. Sutton?"

    It was Ryan Sutton.

    Jolly''s forehead creased into a frown when she saw him. "Weren''t you on a business trip?"

    "Did you think I would be able to concentrate on my business trip when I saw the news?" Ryan strode right in, his gaze sweeping coldly over Leroy when he saw him.

    Instantly, Leroy clenched his fists. He looked awful.

    Rachel''s heart stopped for a moment as realization hit her. Ryan''s ex-wife, Estelle, had been Leroy''s girlfriend back in the day when he was still a university student. Back then, just as they were about to discuss marriage, Estelle suddenly got married to Ryan...

    And now, Ryan had divorced Estelle and began to pursue Jolly. Yet Jolly and Leroy ended up getting into a messy rumor with each other...

    Did these four people ruin each other''s ns for hooking up? What was going on?

    Rachel suddenly felt her temples twitch. What a headache, a huge one!

    Jolly had always been slow on the uptake when it came to her own feelings. Right now, she wasn''t aware of anything as she asked directly, "You''re saying that you know who the mastermind is?" Rachel looked at Ryan as well. Right! That''s the important part.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 360

    Chapter 360 Best Friend Is a Derogatory Term

    "You don''t have to deal with this matter any longer. I''ll take care of it." Ryan threw a nce at Jolly before his gaze fell on Rachel. "Miss Hudson, Jolly is only being criticized by the public because of her endorsement deal with Hudson Pharmaceuticals. I hope you won''t begrudge her a few days of rest."

    Rachel agreed. "It''s not a problem. I n on letting her go on a break for half a month while public interest dies down." "Half a month is too short. Give her a month."

    Ryan demanded staunchly, which startled everyone else.

    Jolly frowned and retorted, "Who are you to decide on my behalf? What could I possibly do with a month''s break?"

    "Go on a holiday. You can follow me to Switzend for a month."

    "No way!"

    As soon as Ryan said that, Leroy, who had been quiet the entire time, immediately disagreed. He red at Ryan as he firmly denounced the suggestion.

    Rachel and Jolly were taken aback by his sudden interruption. But soon enough, Jolly remembered the feud between Leroy and Ryan. In the end, it was all because of a woman!

    Ryanmented icily, "You have no say in what we do. Who do you think you are?"

    Leroy snapped back. "Who do I think I am? Maybe I''m nothing to the great Mr. Sutton, but how can you treat Jolly this way? Is she just an object to you? Is she just a thing that you can bring around with you wherever you go?"

    "She''s my fianc¨¦e!" Ryan''s answer echoed around them as he dered it resolutely.

    Jolly would usually stir up a storm if she heard Ryan saying that, but this time, she shrunk behind Rachel as she muttered, "Oh no... Chris, the endorsement deal might go sour!"

    When Jolly reached out to Leroy about the endorsement deal, she never even mentioned that she was acquainted with Ryan, let alone the fact that she used to be his fianc¨¦e. Leroy only agreed to the endorsement deal after Jolly had spent all her time and effort into developing a "friendship" with him.

    At a time like this, how can you still be thinking about the endorsement deal with Leroy? Rachel was speechless.

    Ryan was still talking. "Both of our families agreed to the marriage, and even the Carter Family elders also approved of the marriage. She, Jolly Carter, is my fianc¨¦e. Apart from her parents, there is no one else in this world who is more qualified to deal with this on her behalf than me."

    After an awkward silence, Leroy snorted.

    Jolly anxiously murmured by Rachel''s ear. "What is heughing about? Has he been driven mad by anger?"

    Rachel rolled her eyes before hushing Jolly. "Can''t you keep quiet for a bit?"

    Leroy gave Jolly a look, but she quickly avoided his gaze. She looked up toward the ceiling with feigned innocence, saying, "Oh wow, the weather today really is quite nice."

    Rachel''s lips twitched. There must be something wrong with this woman''s brain!

    Leroy continued, "I think Jolly doesn''t agree with what you just said. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Sutton, it seems like your feelings are unrequited."

    Ryan''s expression immediately changed.

    As for Rachel, she was rather astonished by Leroy.

    Leroy was only a minor celebrity, but he dared to defy a powerful and influential man like Ryan. With such principles, Leroy was undeniably a respectable man!

    "Jolly, leave with me at once." Ryan did not respond to Leroy. Instead, he turned to Jolly and came to grab her by the arm.

    However, Jolly instinctively avoided his hand, and she huffed, "Why should I leave with you? Tell me who''s scheming behind my back."

    "I already told you that I''ll deal with it!" Ryan refused.

    "This is my business, and I don''t need you to butt in!" Jolly insisted.

    "Jolly Carter!" Ryan barked out.

    "Why are you raising your voice at me? Do you think I''ll be scared of you?" Jolly was beside herself with anger by now, but suddenly, a thought flitted across her mind and she red at Ryan. "Don''t tell me that it''s you who did it!"

    Rachel was bbergasted by Jolly''s reaction. How did she even jump to that conclusion?

    Jolly wagged her finger at Ryan as she continued her usation. "Ryan Sutton, is there something wrong with you?! Are you trying to ensure that I''ll never be able to make it in Riverdale? Is that why you did such a deplorable thing?!"

    "I did it?" Ryan''s face was red with fury. "In your eyes, I am someone who''d do such a thing?"

    "Are you not? What won''t you do for the sake of getting what you want?" Jolly snapped back.

    "I don''t have the time to argue over this nonsense with you. Leave with me right now. I''m taking you back to the Carter home. Let''s see how you''re going to exin this to your parents." Ryan suppressed his anger and grabbed Jolly once again. "Come with me!"

    "You even tricked my parents?" Jolly felt even more furious now.

    "She''s not leaving with you!"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Leroy jumped out and quickly held onto Jolly''s other hand. It was like a tug-of-war, with each man pulling Jolly from either side. No one could keep a straight face at such a sight.

    Rachel felt like her presence was very unnecessary, but the three of them were blocking the door and she had no means of leaving.

    Was this going to turn into a battlefield?

    "Let go!"

    Ryan stared at Leroy with an icy expression. "If you don''t let go, then I promise you that your name will not appear on screen anymore. You will never work in the entertainment industry ever again." "You''re threatening me? Sorry to disappoint you, but I detest being threatened by someone else the most!"

    Jolly looked back and forth between her left and her right. Her mind was a puddled mess.

    Right at this moment, Justin opened the door and walked in. When he saw the tussle between Jolly, Ryan, and Leroy, he frowned and stood there at the doorway looking at the three of them. "Ryan, I''m afraid I can''t let you take Miss Carter with you."

    "What are you trying to do, Justin?"

    Justin replied, "Why don''t you tell Miss Carter who the mastermind behind all this is?"

    Everyone was taken aback by Justin''s words.

    Rachel was the first to react. "You''re right. Mr. Sutton, you should know who it is, right?"

    Ryan''s brows were tightly knitted, and his handsome face now wore a frigid expression.

    Jolly despised it the most whenever he acted this way. "Say something! Who is the one who''s scheming against me? I''ll make them pay!"

    "I will deal with it."

    Again, this was all Ryan would say.

    Jolly had always been hotheaded, and she no longer had any patience for this. She swung off both their hands and hissed at Ryan, "So you don''t want to say who it is? Do you think no one else would know if you don''t say it?"

    After saying that, she turned to Justin and asked, "You''ve figured out who it is, right?"

    Judging by what Justin said when he entered, it was obvious that he knew all the details by now.

    Rachel also looked toward Justin as she waited for his answer.

    Justin nodded lightly before ncing at Ryan. "I think it''s better that you tell Miss Carter yourself. If you still n on hiding the truth from her, then it''ll just backfire on you, and you won''t get your way with either one of them."

    However, Ryan still did not speak.

    But it seemed to have dawned on Jolly, as she calmly asked, "Is Estelle Dolton the one who did this?"

    Ryan''s eyes shook a little.

    When Rachel heard that name, the lightbulb in her mind instantly lit up! Estelle Dolton? That''s Jolly''s ex-best friend, Ryan''s ex-wife, and Leroy''s ex-girlfriend. That woman has an awkward rtionship with all three people here. There''s no one else in Riverdale who hated Jolly as much as Estelle did, even though she had no right to hate Jolly at all!

    It has to be her. There is no other possible answer.

    Ryan now felt a little rmed. "Jolly, I''ll make sure everything is resolved properly. You..."

    But with a resounding p, a stinging p fell on Ryan''s right cheek. As for Jolly, her eyes were still and emotionless, which was all the more frightening for everyone.

    "This p is meant for Estelle, but since you''re so willing to help her clean up her messes, then you can take it for her. This way, I don''t have to bother looking for her, since you''re willing to suffer on her behalf. Rachel was also shocked.

    To Jolly, "best friend" was a derogatory term.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 361

    Chapter 361 You Are My Fianc¨¦e

    Jolly did not hold back at all. Ryan''s face had a trail of blood dripping down, as Jolly''s nails had cut into his face as she pped him. bbergasted, Rachel stood up.

    Everyone in the office had a stunned expression. Only Ryan remained calm in this situation, as if he knew that this would happen. He raised his hand to wipe his cheek that was smarting with pain, and he saw the streaks of blood on his fingers.

    Ryan stared at Jolly, who was still in front of him, and said evenly, "Do you feel less angry now?"

    "You don''t need to speak to me in that tone and act as if you''re such a magnanimous person. What I despise the most about you is this indifference of yours. Do you really think that everything and everyone will always be under your control? I don''t know about other people, but Ryan Sutton..." Jolly stared straight into Ryan''s eyes and said with conviction, "I am the exception."

    Her words were a little heartless, but also straight to the point.

    "Jolly!"

    Ryan still attempted to grab her, but Leroy stopped him.

    "Jolly already said that she''s the exception. Mr. Sutton, please leave now."

    "Get away from me. This has nothing to do with you. Jolly, you need to rein in your temper. Your parents are still back home worrying about you. Do you think you can resolve this matter properly by yourself?" "Isn''t it just Estelle''s doing?" Jolly''s expression did not change. "Please give her a message for me. If she wants to y this game, then I''ll y it with her till the end."

    Rachel knew that Jolly was a headstrong person who would not back down on her own words.

    But it seemed like Ryan was also someone who was used to getting his way.

    Therefore, Rachel could not refrain from speaking up. "Since we''re clear about what''s happened now, then no matter what, there''s bound to be a way to resolve it. Mr. Sutton, I think it''s best if you leave first. After all, this matter involves your ex-wife, so it is better that we handle it by ourselves."

    Ryan wanted to say something, but Justin interrupted him before he could speak. "I''ll see you out."

    Ryan furrowed his brows, but he regained his cool and exited the office.

    As Justin escorted Ryan to the elevator, he did not say anything.

    On the other hand, it was Ryan who spoke up angrily. "Justin, I don''t recall having any beef with you. Why must youe and mess things up for me at a time like this?"

    Justin replied, "You think that I''m messing things up?"

    "Are you not? Do you think that doing this will help Jolly, and Rachel would feel grateful toward you?"

    "I think you better go home and cool off for a couple of days."

    Justin responded evenly, as he could not be bothered to debate this further with Ryan.

    But Ryan did not want to drop the topic. "Just tell me what you''re talking about."

    "Tell you what I''m talking about? You''re a smart man, so can''t you see things clearly for such a tiny matter? Do you think that everything would be fine if you just resolved the issue without letting Jolly know who did it? Don''t you know that the truth wille to light sooner orter?"

    It was understandable if Ryan wanted to shield the mastermind, since it was his ex-wife. But he could not be as gullible as to believe that if he did not say who it was, then Jolly would never know.

    "Don''t you think I know that? But how would Jolly react once she finds out that it''s Estelle who is behind it? She''ll blow up like she did just now, and everything goes back to square one."

    Justin took a look at the wound on Ryan''s face and felt rather conflicted inside.

    Just then, a ''ding'' sounded and the elevator doors slowly slid open.

    "If anything happens, let me know at once. I''ll go now," Ryan said.

    "Okay."

    After seeing Ryan off, Justin was caught up in his own thoughts.

    It was unlikely that this matter could be easily resolved.

    Back in the office, Rachel quickly gave an excuse and left Jolly and Leroy to themselves.

    Jolly was still fuming, and she downed another ss of cold water.

    "You shouldn''t keep drinking cold water." Leroy had a frown on his face. "It won''t be good for your stomach."Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

    "I''m already exploding from anger inside, so who cares about my stomach!"

    "What are you angry about? Estelle?"

    The name still felt a little awkwarding out of Leroy''s mouth.

    Jolly went still.

    She never met Leroy throughout her entire university life. She only knew that he was Estelle''s boyfriend, and would frequently fetch Estelle to and from university.

    At the time, she was still sharing a dorm with Estelle, and they were on good terms. Jolly had not met Ryan yet, and Estelle had not married Ryan.

    After hesitating from a moment, Jolly turned to Leroy. "Don''t you have anything that you want to ask me?"

    "What are you referring to?" Leroy calmly replied.

    "I know that you know Ryan."

    "And?"

    "I also know that Estelle is your ex-girlfriend. She was my roommate when we were at university."

    "Anything else?" Leroy asked inly.

    Jolly did not feel the need to borate further. "Don''t look at me like that. I did approach you in the beginning in order to understand what happened back then, but I swear, everything else was really just for the sake of the endorsement deal."

    "So that means you did approach me with ulterior motives?"

    "Of course not," Jolly quickly refuted.

    Leroy seemed unbothered by the situation, and he even had a pleasant smile on his face. This made Jolly even more unsettled.

    "Shall I just make my apologies to you?" Jolly felt very disturbed by Leroy''sck of reaction toward this. It felt like he was scheming to get back at her in some way.

    "I''ve seen you before," Leroy stated.

    "Huh?" Leroy''s abrupt statement took Jolly by surprise. "What do you mean you''ve seen me before?"

    "At the university back then. I''ve seen you before."

    "When? Are you joking?"

    "Do I look like I''m joking? Back then, you and Ryan were probably still hiding your rtionship. You weren''t with your other friends, and he was the one who sent you back to the dormitory."

    What the hell!

    So he really did see me!

    Jolly felt speechless. "This is what you meant by seeing me? This is spying!"

    "If you want to put it that way, then sure. I was just curious to know what my girlfriend''s roommate was like!"

    "Wait a minute. So what you''re saying is that you''ve spied on every girl in our dorm?"

    "That''s not what I meant!" Leroy hurried to defend himself. "I''ve only spied on you that one time. Once I found out about your secret, I didn''t dare spy on anyone else again. I was afraid that it would backfire on me someday."

    Backfire was truly the best description.

    Leroy was not someone who cared for other people''s gossip, and it was best for him to not know about anyone else''s secret. However, he personally witnessed the secret rtionship between Jolly and Ryan, so how could it not scare him off the idea of spying on people?

    Jolly was still a little shocked, and she mumbled, "So when did you recognize me?"

    "The first time we met."

    "At the Grand Maple Restaurant?"

    "No, on the Golden Cruise."

    Jolly was taken aback by Leroy''s answer. "You already knew who I was back then?"

    If she recalled correctly, that was the first time that they had properly met in person.

    At the time, Leroy had been taking a shower when Jolly suddenly barged her way in. He had jumped in fright, but once he saw her face, he was secretly rather pleased.

    She was not the only one who wanted to get to know him, and his goal was never just to be her friend.

    Leroy dered, "You know what, I have the perfect solution for this situation now."

    "What''s the solution?"

    "We''ll announce our rtionship to the public."

    "What?" Jolly''s eyes turned round with surprise, as she could not believe what she just heard. "You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

    "No, I will organize a press conference and announce that you are my fianc¨¦e."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 362

    Chapter 362 How Bad Could Her Intentions Be

    When Leroy said that, Rachel just got back. She halted in her footsteps upon hearing the word ''fianc¨¦e.''

    At the same time, Justin returned. Noticing Rachel was stunned and standing at the door, he stopped the secretary, who was sending some light refreshments, saying, "Leave it with me." Nodding, the secretary passed the tray to Justin.

    When Rachel returned to her senses, she turned around to look at Justin, asking, "Did you hear that too?"

    Justin nodded in response.

    Rachel inquired after some hesitation, "Do you think it''s feasible?"

    "Do you mean the approach Leroy just suggested?"

    "Yeah."

    "If the person involved isn''t against the idea, I actually think it''s a feasible n. At least, it''s beneficial to Jolly."

    There was a reason why Justin intentionally emphasized that the n was beneficial to Jolly.

    Since fame meant everything in this era, Leroy, being an idol, was sure to experience a loss of fans and suffer irreparable damage once he announced his rtionship.

    At noon the next day, Leroy''s agency held a press conference.

    The press conference was held in the conference room of a hotel under Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    The moment Leroy announced that he and Jolly were in a rtionship, the topic immediately trended on several online tforms. Since the press conference was done on a Saturday, the response was even more overwhelming due toizens having more free time, so it quickly gained interest over the inte.

    In thements, there were quite a number of people who started criticizing Jolly, but most of them were discussions on whether to leave the fandom, nothing too serious. The matter regarding the "casting couch deal" was then being brushed off just like that.

    In the evening.

    "Where are you going? It''s the weekend! Don''t you wanna stay at home with me?"

    Jolly was lying on the sofazily in the house as she asked Rachel.

    Rachel got up early in the morning to tidy the house and was now ready to leave.

    "You want me to stay at home with you? But you already have a fianc¨¦, though!" teased Rachel.

    "Can we not talk about this? It gives me a headache."

    While they were talking, Jolly''s phone rang again.

    After the press conference that Leroy''s agency held in the morning, news of their rtionship spread like wildfire on the inte. That was the reason why Jolly had been receiving phone calls nonstop ever since then.

    Adding to the fact that she had many indecent friends in Riverdale, plus Leroy was also a popr artist, anyone would be curious as to whether they were really dating, and how they started dating.

    "Damn it!"

    After spitting a curse word, Jolly shut off her phone. "Ugh. This is so annoying."

    Seeing Jolly in that state, Rachel poured a ss of water and handed it to her. "Here, calm yourself down. By the way, didn''t Leroy give you a call?"

    "He''s having it worse. Way worse than me."

    "What about... Ryan?"

    Furrowing her brows, Jolly retorted, "What does this have to do with him? Why are you even mentioning him? What a buzz kill."

    Alright, then. Ryan didn''t deserve to be mentioned anymore.

    Turning around to take a look at the bedroom, Rachel lowered her voice, saying, "Jolly, I have to remind you. You should be mentally prepared for what''s going to happen to Samuel." "Why?"

    "If Estelle could use Leroy to nder you, I''m afraid she has more ns up her sleeves."

    There were people who were aware of Samuel''s background. Even if Jolly didn''t admit it, Samuel looked exactly like Ryan. It might not seem so if they weren''t put side by side, but if they did stand beside each other, the resemnce would be uncanny.

    "If she dares to try anything on Samuel, I''m never going to let her go."

    "That''s enough tough talk. You should control your emotions a little. Now, I''m going to quote your words. In life, we will always have to move on."

    Watching Rachel, Jolly could feel her furrowed brows loosen a little. With a serious expression, she nodded. "Okay."

    "Enough of this topic. Look, it''s dark outside already. Where are you going?"

    "I''m going to bring Charlotte out for dinner to meet Justin."

    Jolly scanned her before questioning, "Are you two..."

    Rachel immediately shook her head, defending herself, "You''re overthinking it. I''m just going to send Charlotte over since I have something to settle in the office. I''ll fetch her home after they''re done with dinner."

    Though Rachel managed to obtain her daughter''s custody, Justin still had the right to meet Charlotte.

    Hearing that, Jolly raised her eyebrow and tsk-tsked.

    "Stop being weird. I''m leaving." After saying that, Rachel went to the bedroom to look for Charlotte and Samuel.

    As Jolly watched Rachel''s back, she shook her head meaningfully. It''s not me who''s overthinking it. It''s you who don''t think about things in detail. Then again, what indecent thoughts cane from an artlessdy like her?

    Initially, they thought that the custodywsuit would be the final step to cutting all ties with Justin. However, it seemed that Rachel and Justin had been contacting each other even more often after that. On the other hand, Rachel drove the two children out.

    Once they arrived at the restaurant''s parking lot, Rachel tidied Charlotte''s shirt before uttering, "Charlotte, I''ll send you to the restaurantter. Have a nice meal with Daddy and I''lle with Samuel to pick you up after that."

    Upon hearing that, Charlotte was taken aback. "Mommy, aren''t you and Samueling with me?"

    "You haven''t been spending time with Daddytely, and he misses you. I''lle backter to fetch you."

    "No!"

    Suddenly, Charlotte started throwing tantrums. Turning around, she crawled into the car. "Mommy, I don''t want to go anymore. Let''s go home."

    "Why are you like this, Charlotte? Didn''t you promise me?"

    Charlotte''s face was cold now, and she fell silent.

    Just as Rachel tried to persuade her, her phone rang.

    "Hello? Are you here?"

    Justin''s voice sounded over the other end.

    Furrowing her brows, Rachel replied, "I''m at the parking lot. Give us some time. We''reing."

    "What happened?" From Rachel''s tone of voice, Justin could immediately tell that there was something off.

    "Nothing."

    "Is Charlotte throwing a tantrum again?"

    "It''s not that. Just give me a while."

    Justin was not in his best condition recently, so Rachel didn''t want to increase his burden.

    After hanging up the phone, Rachel persuaded Charlotte once again. "Daddy loves you very much, and didn''t I already exin the matter of the photos to you before? It''s all a misunderstanding. Daddy doesn''t even know who that woman is. You shouldn''t hurt Daddy like this."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "But Daddy hurt you."

    Rachel was taken aback by her statement.

    Pulling Rachel''s arms, Charlotte begged, "Mommy, I don''t want to eat with Daddy alone. Can you and Samuele with me?"

    Charlotte''s pretty eyes were tainted with the color of red now, and she looked so pitiful.

    The look on her face instantly made Rachel give in.

    "Okay. I''lle with you."

    "Can you carry me?" Charlotte spread her arms wide as she asked.

    Five minutester, Rachel carried Charlotte in her arms while Samuel walked beside her. The trio arrived together at the restaurant.

    On the other hand, Justin was already seated at the table beside the window, clearly having been waiting for a long time.

    "Did you wait for long? Sorry, we were caught up in a traffic jam on the road."

    "It''s okay. I''m not that busy."

    Rachel felt ufortable hearing him mention that he wasn''t busy.

    Not wanting to venture into that topic since it hurt, Rachel put Charlotte down and said, ˇ°Go and sit beside Daddy."

    After ncing at her sideways, Charlotte climbed onto the seat opposite Justin and sat beside Samuel.

    Seeing that, Rachel couldn''t help but frown. "What did you promise me, Charlotte?"

    Only then did Charlotte mutter reluctantly, "Hi, Daddy."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 363

    Chapter 363 A Thirty-Year-Old Old Man

    "Daddy, it''s fine for Mommy to join us for dinner, right?" Charlotte stared at Justin with a cold face as she folded her arms in front of her chest, trying to look intimidating.

    Throughout the 30 or so years of his life, no one had ever dared to talk to him like his daughter just did. Finding her amusing, he looked at Rachel, uttering, "I already ordered the food. It won''t take you long. You can just treat it as spending time with our children."

    Since Rachel had already promised Charlotte, she didn''t refuse his offer.

    "Are you sure you two want to sit together? Can you eat by yourself, Charlotte?" Rachel questioned the two kids in front of her.

    Samuel didn''t have a problem eating by himself, but Charlotte was a spoiled child, who was used to being spoon fed. Rachel did try to get her to change that habit, but eventually, she would give in to Charlotte once the girl threw a temper.

    She didn''t know why her little brat became so independent all of a sudden. Tilting her head up in an arrogant way, Charlotte uttered, "I can eat by myself!"

    With that, she shoved the spoon into her mouth.

    Samuel, on the other hand, was happily chewing on his chicken wings.

    The waiter then ced a ss of juice in front of Rachel.

    "Thanks." Rachel thanked the waiter.

    Seeing that, Justin urged, "Don''t just feed them. You should eat."

    Rachel couldn''t stop moving her hands. All the prawns she peeled were put onto the kids'' tes.

    "I''ll eat after peeling thisst one."

    After cing thest piece on Charlotte''s te, Rachel looked around but didn''t find any tissue.

    Just then, Justin handed her a wet towel.

    "Thank you," said Rachel after being stunned for a while.

    "You''re wee."

    "How''s the news going? Is everything alright?" inquired Justin.

    "Now that the attention has been shifted to the two of them, no one has been dering a war anymore at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. It''s all in the past now to them. The one thing that got affected would probably be the endorsements for the health beverages not doing so well."

    Justin nodded at that. "It''s the consequence of the artist''s influence. Is Hudson Pharmaceuticals considering changing the ambassador?"

    Leroy was a popr idol, so the announcement of his rtionship was bound to have an effect on his career. All his endorsements were the first to be affected. Sales dropped greatly, and Hudson Pharmaceuticals happened to be one of them.

    In response, Rachel shook her head. "No. I n to sign a long-term contract with him."

    "Why?"

    "There are plenty of popr idols in the entertainment industry, and every year, more and more artists will debut. It''s extremely rare to find an artist with good manners and personality. I have a hunch that even though someone like Leroy announced his rtionship and screened out some fans, his real market value will stand out."

    "You''re taking a risk right there. Have you thought it through?"

    "I''ve already instructed my assistant to draft the contract."

    Seeing that she had her own opinions, Justin didn''t utter another word.

    While they were eating, Rachel''s phone suddenly rang.

    She knitted her brows together upon seeing the caller ID. After setting it into silent mode, she left the phone aside.

    "Why don''t you pick up the call?" inquired Justin.

    "It''s Ryan," answered Rachel.

    Before she could exin further, a childish voice sounded from the opposite. "Mr. Ryan calls us so many times a day! He even calls ourndline sometimes! Godmother is so annoyed. She calls him a pervert!" "You can''t call him that, Charlotte," reminded Rachel.

    "But it''s the truth!" Charlotte pouted with a look of dismay. "Leroy is way more handsome than he is! Now that Godmother is dating Leroy, she wouldn''t bother about that old man."

    Charlotte was Leroy''s top fan, and when she knew about Leroy being in a rtionship with Jolly, she was all for it.

    Meanwhile, she called Ryan an old man...

    Clearing his throat, Justin uttered, "I don''t think Mr. Ryan is that old right, Charlotte?"

    "He is! He''s already over 30 years old."

    Justin was rendered speechless in an instant, the corners of his lips twitching.

    Though Ryan was a few years younger than him, Charlotte thought of him as an old man. If it weren''t for the fact that he was her father, she would have probably called him an old man too. That was because Charlotte was attracted to Leroy, who had the charisma of an idol.

    However, Rachel was more concerned about Samuel''s preference.

    "Samuel, who do you think is more suitable for Godmother? Mr. Ryan or Leroy?"

    Samuel was too busy chewing on his drumstick that when he raised his head, Rachel could see the oil smearing all over his lips. With a muffled voice, he asked, "Huh?" Rachel was speechless at that.

    "Do you really not care about Godmother at all?"

    Wiping his mouth clean, Samuel retorted, "She has too many boyfriends! I can''t care that much!"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "What if she got scammed?"

    "By whom? Mr. Leroy?" Samuel sighed. "I''m more worried that he would be scammed by Godmother."

    Just as Rachel wanted to say something to defend Jolly, Justinughed.

    "Don''t children always know their mothers best?"

    Reaching out his arm over the table, he wiped off the sauce on Samuel''s lips.

    "Godmother is going to be so furious if she heard what you just said. She adored you for nothing," said Rachel.

    Blinking his eyes innocently, Samuel stated, "She won''t. I actually prefer Godmother to be with Leroy."

    "Oh? Why is that?"

    "Because Leroy looks like a fool. He doesn''t seem to be all that smart. Godmother definitely won''t suffer if she dates him."

    Rachel winced at that, not knowing what to respond.

    That meant Ryan must seem clever to him!

    While they were talking about Jolly''s love life, the atmosphere around the table seemingly lightened. Charlotte was even willing to talk to Justin now. When Rachel saw that Charlotte ate whatever Justin put on her te, she heaved a sigh of relief.

    After an hour, they were still not done with the meal yet.

    Samuel caressed his belly and leaned back against the chair.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel asked. "Are you full already?"

    Just as Samuel wanted to nod, someone pinched him under the table. He then quickly forced a grin and replied, "No, I want some more."

    "You want more?"

    Rachel widened her eyes at the table of food.

    He was surely going to get a stomachache if he ate some more! "That''s enough for you today. You ate half of the chicken and a whole ss of juice. It''s also gettingte. We should get going soon," urged Rachel.

    Hearing that, Charlotte became anxious. "I''m not full yet! I want a cake!"

    While saying that, she raised her hand to signal a waiter.

    "Excuse me!"

    Just as she had called out to the waiter, she burped.

    "Burp-"

    Rachel was puzzled. "Are you sure you''re not full yet?"

    Charlotte forced herself to nod in response.

    "I know what you''re up to." Rachel finally realized what was going on. "Do you not want to go home so soon?"

    Charlotte felt guilty, but she insisted, "I just want to eat another cake."

    ncing down at her watch, Rachel suggested, "What about this? I''ll give you two options. First, you eat another piece of cake, and then we go home. Second, I''ll bring you and Samuel out for a walk to digest the food, and then we go home. Which one do you want?"

    Charlotte''s eyes lit up instantly. "The second one!"

    To be frank, she couldn''t stuff any more food into her mouth! "What about you, Samuel? Do you want to eat some more?" Samuel grimaced. "I''m going to explode if I eat some more!"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 364

    Chapter 364 You Haven''t Changed at All

    After Justin paid for the food, he walked out of the restaurant with Rachel and the two children. "Alright. I guess I will leave now," he said.

    "Wait a second," Rachel called out to him as he was walking away. "Let''s go together." Justin halted and turned his head to her, looking confused.

    Rachel let out a brief sigh and exined, "Didn''t you get the hint earlier? Charlotte wants to spend a bit more time with you."

    Just then, Charlotte took a few steps forward and held her mother''s hand. "Daddy, you are such an idiot," she mocked. Then, she rolled her eyes at Justin as she pouted her lips.

    When the family walked out of the shopping mall, they saw amercial za that was aze with colorful lights in front of them. At this time of day, the za was flooded with people, with many young couples in particr.

    "Mommy, I want to ride that one!" Charlotte pointed to the distant carousel, and her face was full of excitement. "I want to ride the pumpkin wagon!" she added.

    "Okay, but please run slowly. You just finished eating." Rachel stumbled as she was pulled toward the carousel by Charlotte with force.

    As they reached in front of the carousel, Samuel and Charlotte were having a dispute. Samuel crossed his arms around himself and said, "I don''t want to ride on this childish thing."

    Charlotte pouted and argued, "No, you have to ride it with me!"

    "Nope. I am not doing it." Samuel snorted.

    The two of them had reached a deadlock. Neither of them was backing off. At this point, Rachel stepped in and tried to reconcile the conflict between the two. "Sweetie, Mommy will join you on the ride. Samuel might get dizzy from riding on the carousel. Let''s not force it on him," Rachel coaxed Charlotte with a soft tone.

    After hearing what her mother said, Charlotte finally eased down her angry face and reluctantly agreed. "Okay then. You and Daddy will wait for us here," she said to Samuel.

    Then, she tilted her head to Justin and asked with a cheerful look, "Daddy, can you take some pictures of the two of us riding the carousel?"

    Justin nodded as he smiled at her. "Sure."

    When Rachel and Charlotte sat tight on the carousel, the joyful music started to y in the background. Following the music rhythm, their carousel and the pumpkin wagon swayed up and down at a low speed At the same time, Justin stood outside of the railing and started to take pictures of the two with his cell phone. In the frame, Charlotte was nestled in Rachel''s arms. She was bursting with joy, and her little bunny teeth showed up in her wide smile.

    "Mommy, let''s change our pose. Shall we make a heart shape together with our fingers?" Charlotte chirped.

    "Sure, sweetheart." Looking at her happy face, Rachel felt a glimmer of happiness.

    "How about this pose? Maybe we should raise our hands like this?" Charlotte continued changing their poses, and Rachel cooperated with all her requests. Likewise, Justin was enthusiastically taking pictures of them from different angles.

    After they rode on the carousel for two rounds, a swarm of people walked past and suddenly crowded at the fore of the carousel. Justin''s view was blocked and he could not include Rachel and Charlotte in the frame.

    "Ehh?" Charlotte was a little startled by the unexpected crowd. "Oh no, the view is blocked!" sheined.

    "Don''t worry. It''ll be over soon," Rachel soothed her.

    They rode for another round on the carousel, and when they finally saw Justin again, he was facing away from them, turning his head around anxiously, as if he was searching for something. When Rachel saw that, she was a little stunned.

    "What is Daddy doing?" Charlotte asked. She looked confused, and so did Rachel. As soon as the carousel stopped, she immediately got Charlotte down from it and searched for Justin. He was standing beside a flower bed that was not far away from them. Strangely, he wasn''t waiting for them. He was pulling a stranger next to him and asking something with a panicky look on his face.

    He is alone. Just him. Rachel thought. Her heart skipped a beat.

    What about Samuel? Where is he?

    "Where''s Samuel?" she asked as she walked up to Justin briskly.

    Justin spun around and looked at them. He was in aplete state of panic. "Just now, there was a group of people passing by. By the time they were gone, I turned around and Samuel was missing," he exined with a quavering voice. "I''m searching for him. Don''t worry." He tried to assure Rachel.

    At that moment, Rachel''s face went nk. She forcibly suppressed the emotions that were surging within her. Then, she turned around and left without a word.

    "Rachel!" Justin chased behind her and shouted.

    "Don''te with me! Just wait here with Charlotte," she instructed and left in a rush.

    Samuel is more mature than any child of his age. It is not like him to run away. When she thought about the crowd that had suddenly appeared previously, she felt a chill running down her spine. Meanwhile, at the za''s broadcasting office, Rachel was asking the security guard to review the CCTV footage of the incident.

    "Here, where the carousel is at. Can you y it back to about fifteen minutes ago?" she asked.

    "Here?" The guard confirmed it with her while moving the cursor on the screen.

    "Yes," she replied curtly.

    Rachel fixed her gaze on the screen, searching for Samuel. All of a sudden, she pointed at a spot on the screen, and said, "Did you see this child right here? He''s my son. Can you please rey it at a slower speed?"

    "Okay." The security guard slowed down the yback speed, and then pressed the y button. On the screen, it showed that when the crowd was passing by, Samuel was first pulled over to the side by a man. Then, this man used therge balloon bunch as a cover, carried Samuel in his arms, and quickly ran away.

    "He was taken away by this strange man," the guard stated.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Can you see his face?" Rachel asked.

    "I''ll rewind the video to an earlier time frame and see if we can find him," he replied.

    The surveince screen shifted, and this time, they had a closer shot. They were able to tell that it was the same man earlier from his clothes and his body figure. However, the face mask and the hat that he wore made it impossible for them to identify face. It seemed he hade prepared.

    "How''s it going?"

    A familiar voice came from outside the monitoring room. It was Justin. He rushed into the room with Charlotte. "Did you find him?" he asked nervously.

    Rachel''s pale face turned red as the anger grew within her body. "I told you to wait there, didn''t I?" she snapped. "If you aren''t there waiting for him, how can Samuel find us? He is still a child, and he will be terrified!" She raised her voice and her anger exploded. Her voice was ear-piercing as it echoed in the monitoring room.

    At once, Justin''s feet were cemented to the floor, and his face stiffened.

    "Rachel, I''m just trying to..." After he caught his breath, he tried to exin to her, but she wouldn''t let him finish. "That''s enough!" she shouted back at him.

    "If you were able to hold Samuel''s hand earlier like how you''re holding Charlotte now, he wouldn''t have gone missing!"

    At this point, Rachel hadpletely lost her mind and rage flowed through her likeva. "You do not care about his safety because he is not your son! I thought you had changed, but I was wrong. You haven''t changed at all, and you are still the same selfish person that you''ve always been!" she chastised.

    Justin couldn''t defend a word. His hands hanging at his sides tightened slightly as he frowned.

    Charlotte was frightened by her mother''s reckless behavior. "Mommy..." she murmured cautiously, with a touch of fear in her voice.

    Charlotte''s voice wasn''t loud, but it had caught Rachel''s attention. She let out a long sigh and forced herself to calm down. "Sweetheart, can you stay with your daddy tonight? Mommy has to look for Samuel,ˇ± she said.

    After saying that, she left the monitoring room without turning back. While she was rushing to her car, she took her phone out and dialed 911. The call operator picked up the call swiftly and she started to exin the incident to them.

    "Hello? I want to make a report. My son is missing."

    "Yes, about twenty minutes ago."

    "In Joy za where the carousel is at, and the surveince caught a man taking him away."

    It waste at night when Rachel finished making a statement at the police station and received a call from Jolly.

    "Stop searching. Just go home, Rachel. I know who took Samuel away," she said.

    "Who is it?" Rachel asked.

    "The Suttons."

    "Ryan Sutton?" Rachel''s face darkened when she heard what Jolly just said. "Where are you now?" she asked with concern.

    "On the way to the Sutton Residence," Jolly replied. Her voice was icy cold.

    Rachel was worried about Jolly going there by herself. "Send me the address. I''lle along."

    "Don''te over. This matter has nothing to do with you. I''ll handle it myself." Jolly had made up her mind.

    After hanging up the phone, Rachel immediately drove away from the police station.

    On the way, she made a phone call to Ryan, and before he could say anything, she hollered, "Ryan Sutton, there is a limit to being despicable and shameless!" "W-What?" He soundedpletely dumbfounded.

    She went on and used, "I once thought you were a man, but what kind of a man would take an innocent child away from their parents?"

    "What the hell are you talking about?" He was starting to get agitated by her usation.

    "Stop pretending. Didn''t you have Samuel taken away?" she questioned him furiously.

    In disbelief and shock, he said, "Take him away? Wait, are you saying that Samuel is missing?"

    "Jolly is now on her way to your house. What else do you need to hide?" Rachel tried to get the truth out of him.

    At first, Ryan paused for a moment on the other end of the phone. Then, as if he had understood the whole situation, he exined calmly, "Look, Samuel really wasn''t taken away by me, but I think I know what happened."

    "I don''t care who did it. Ryan Sutton, I''m warning you now. Samuel is not only Jolly''s lifeblood, but also mine. If you touch one hair on his head, I wille at you at full force with the entire Hudson Pharmaceuticals. You mark my words!" Without waiting for his response, she hung up the phone on him. Then, she stepped on the elerator and drove away from the city.

    Jolly wouldn''t have reacted that strangely on the phone if Samuel was taken away by Ryan. If the person who did it is not Ryan but rted to the Sutton Family, then there is only one possibility: Samuel was taken away by Ryan''s mother, Old Madam Sutton.

    And Estelle Dolton, her daughter-inw, is very much adored by this olddy!

 My Mute Bride Chapter 365

    Chapter 365 Ill-Mannered Brat

    It was already midnight when Rachel arrived at Sutton Manor in West Magnolia. The gate was locked, and Jolly seemed to have arrived before her for a while, but she was blocked at the gate by the security guard.

    "Sorry, Old Madam Sutton is already resting and she will not be seeing any guests," the guard said without emotion on his face.

    Jolly replied to him, "I''m not a guest, and I''m not here to see the olddy. I''m here to see my son."

    "I''m sorry, but we don''t have the person you are looking for here." The guard was firm and unapproachable.

    "Excuse me?" Jolly was so angry that she was about to burst off. "My friends saw the car drive into your manor with their own eyes. You are lying to me! Unfortunately, you leave me with no choice but to call the police!" If it weren''t for the reputation of the Carter Family and to not aggravate the situation, Jolly would have called the police a long time ago.

    At that moment, a pair of headlights lit up from behind them, and a ck car stopped at the gate. Ryan got out of his car swiftly and ran straight to Jolly.

    "Jolly..." Before he could finish his sentence, Jolly took a stride forward and... p!

    She pped him hard on the cheek. The pping sound echoed in the quiet night. He didn''t even dodge a bit, allowing the p tond firmly on his cheek. This strike is even harder than thest time, he thought.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    To avoid agitating Jolly further, he turned his head to the guard andmanded, "Open the gate!"

    The guard dared not refuse and obeyed the order promptly. After all, this woman dared to p their young master! As soon as the gate opened, Jolly sprinted through with Rachel following behind her closely. "This estate is enormous. Do you know where Samuel is?" Rachel asked as she walked. "Why don''t we ask Ryan?" she added.

    "There is no need to ask. I know this ce inside out, and I will not forget it even if I die." Jolly seemed very tense right now.

    Obviously, she had been here before, and the memories of this ce were engraved in her mind. Not a pleasant one, I guess, Rachel assumed.

    Throughout Jolly''s life, humiliation was not something that she experienced regrly. In fact, she had only been humiliated twice. Ryan once mistook her for a poor girl and asked her tomit herself as his lover, and the second one took ce here.

    Rachel followed Jolly through the pavilions, and at the first nce, she could tell that this ancient manor was worth a lot of money. When they reached a two-story courtyard, Jolly stopped in her tracks. Staring at the building in front of her, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. The rage was pulsing through her veins.

    "No! Get it off me!" All of a sudden, they heard the wailing of a childing through from the courtyard.

    Rachel''s facial expression shifted from worried to angry. Before she could react, Jolly was already ahead of her, running into the building and kicking the door open. "Samuel!" Jolly yelled.

    Jolly and Rachel werepletely taken aback by the scene as soon as they rushed into the hall. A maid restricted Samuel''s movement, and a doctor in a white coat held his arm. With a syringe in his hand, the doctor sought to draw blood from Samuel''s arm.

    "What the hell are you doing?" Jolly chided. Under the shocked gaze of the crowd, she dashed forward and grabbed Samuel away from them. His little face was pale and full of terror. He leaned into her arms and shivered uncontrobly.

    "Samuel, are you okay?" she asked with a panicked tone.

    Samuel winced in pain as he murmured, "They... They want to draw my blood."

    Jolly was always strong and optimistic, but her tears streamed down her cheeks when she heard him. Her hands trembled as she held his.

    Samuel felt guilty when he saw her tears, and he stretched out his little hand to wipe them. "Godmother, it''s okay. I don''t feel the pain."

    My little boy is trembling with terror. How can it not hurt? Jolly could feel that her heart was broken into many pieces.

    Having seen the plight that Samuel had been through, Rachel felt anguished. She shifted her focus and observed the surroundings, and she said, "It is a criminal offense to abduct a child and intentionally harm the child. With the witness and physical evidence avable, I am going to sue you!"

    Suddenly, a coughing sound sounded from the side. "Sue us? I suggest you think before you leap, Miss Hudson." The voice had a condescending tone by its nature.

    Just then, an old woman in her fifties, supported by a maid, slowly walked out of the inner room and sat down on the couch. The old woman had downturned eyes and a cunning look on her. Those sarcastic and demeaning statements wereing from her.

    Here she is, Old Madam Sutton!

    "We just want to verify whether this child is the seed of our Sutton Family, lest some shameless people use a little wild seed to deceive our property!" she said haughtily.

    Just when Rachel stepped forward and wanted to say something back, she was stopped by Jolly as she ced her palm on Rachel''s chest.

    Then, she handed Samuel over to Rachel and said, "Wait for me." She seemed a lot calmer and no longer panicked after ensuring that Samuel was safe. As a response, Rachel nodded briefly to Jolly. Jolly suppressed her anger and gave the olddy a frosty stare. After that, she took a step toward the olddy and remarked, "Samuel has nothing to do with the Sutton Family!" "Even if the Carter Family is in financial ruin in the future, I will not touch a cent of your family''s money. You still act like the snob you were back then, old witch!" she added angrily. "What did you say?" Old Madam Sutton was irritated by Jolly''s rudements. She pointed at Jolly and cursed, "You ill-mannered brat! Is this what your father taught you?" "Ill-mannered? Do you even regard this as ill-mannered? You haven''t seen the worst of me yet!" Jolly retaliated.

    After saying that, Jolly spun around and snatched the tube that contained Samuel''s blood from the doctor.

    Just then, Ryan entered the hall. "What are you doing? Stop!" he shouted at her. Ignoring Ryan''s warning, Jolly raised her hand and hurled the tube of blood at the olddy. "Mom!" He dashed forward and shielded his mother with his back.

    Crash! The tube of blood smashed into the wall behind them and broke into fragments. The blood sshed onto the wall, forming a huge circle, flowing down the wall. The scene was disgusting and creepy. Looking at the blood on the wall, Ryan became extremely pale. "Mom, are you okay?" He calmed himself down and tried to make sure his mother was safe. Old Madam Sutton was so frightened that she couldn''t say anything but shiver. In disbelief, she stared at Jolly''s face with anger and a hint of fear.

    After smashing the tube, Jolly gave the mother and son a callous stare. "Old witch, I am telling you for the onest time, and you better mark my words. I''m not interested in your money, or anything to do with your family. However, if any of you touches my son one more time, I want him dead!" she warned.

    Then, Jolly turned to Rachel and said, "Chris, let''s go."

    "Jolly!" When Ryan tried to chase after her, he was stopped by his mother as she grabbed his arm. "Do you see that? This is the true color of this woman and you want to marry her? She''s going to ruin the Sutton Family!"

    "Mom! You have crossed the line!" he yelled at her with anger and disappointment. Then, he stood up and attempted to leave.

    "Stop right there! If you dare to take one step out of this door, I will not have you as a son!"

    A resentful look appeared on his face as he heard what the olddy said. "Take good care of my mother," he instructed the maid and left without turning back.

    Ryan ran at full speed and finally caught up with the three of them as they were crossing a bridge that headed toward the main gate of the manor.

    "Jolly, just give me a minute," he begged as he pulled her by the hand. "I can exin. I really didn''t know my mother would do this. If I had known, I would have stopped her."

    "Get your hand off me!" Jolly shook away his hand. "If you hadn''t been pestering me, would the old witch have done this?"

    "Can you not call her old witch? That''s my mother!" heined.

    "To me, calling her an old witch is iparable to what she has done to me," she sneered.

    "Jolly, I know my mother is a bit old-fashioned, but can you talk to me calmly without raising your voice? Even though she is at fault for doing what she did, she had no bad intentions; she just wanted to verify Samuel''s DNA."

    Ryan''s shameless attitude irritated Rachel. She couldn''t stop rolling her eyes at him because he was still defending his mother''s action. If she was not busy covering Samuel''s ears on the side, she would have kicked him into the pond under the bridge.

    Jolly felt breathless as the anger brewed within her. "Oh yeah? Back then, she also tried to verify what kind of person I was, and how did that turn out? In her eyes, I am a shameless woman who seduced you. Do you need me to repeat the things that she had said to humiliate me?" she rebuked.

    "Jolly, I''m so sorry," he apologized sheepishly.

    "You don''t have to apologize. After all, I am the one who doesn''t deserve you. So, please stay away from me in the future."

    Ryan realized that whatever he said was only going to worsen the situation. So, he stopped arguing and reached his arm out to her, attempting to calm her down.

    "Don''t touch me!" As soon as he touched her, she snapped and pushed him away forcefully.

    Ssh!

    In shock, Ryan''s pupils contracted as he fell backward from the bridge and into the pond.

    Rachel was thunderstruck. She never thought that her wishes woulde true.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 366

    Chapter 366 No Responsibilities and Obligations

    Rachel was startled. "Jolly." After struggling in the water for some time, Ryan finally stood up. He was standing waist-deep in the water. At this moment, he looked highly ridiculous.

    "Ryan, I''ve warned you to stay away from me long ago, but you ignored it. It was obvious that you caused the incident today. If you truly wish me well, you should stay away from me!"

    "Jolly! This is impossible!" Although Ryan was standing in the water pathetically, his attitude was still upromising. "As long as our engagement is not broken, you are still my fianc¨¦e! You want to be with Leroy, right? I''ll tell you, it will never happen!"

    "Okay, we''ll see!" After Jolly retorted, she walked away with Rachel.

    This time, the olddy of the Sutton Family had definitely crossed her line.

    On the way back, Rachel was driving the car.

    The rearview mirror showed the back seat, so Rachel could see that Samuel had already fallen asleep.

    "What are you going to do about this? Is this the end of it?"

    "It''s impossible for this to end just yet. The old fool lives in this godforsaken ce after all. Unless someone told that old fool about Samuel, she would never pull this stunt."

    "Who told the olddy?"

    "Estelle Dolton," Jolly said the name with certainty. "She never stopped causing trouble ever since she knew that I had returned to Riverdale."

    "Her again."

    "Besides her, I can''t think of anyone else who has such a huge grudge against me."

    After she spoke, Jolly turned her head around and nced at the back seat. When she saw Samuel, she softened her frown. "Chris, you''re right. It is useless to hide. Even if you''re innocent, there''ll always be someone who will give you trouble."

    Upon hearing that, Rachel gave Jolly aforting look. "No matter what happens, I will always be on your side."

    "Thanks."

    It was already midnight. In the dark night, the lights in the high-rise buildings in Riverdale gradually went off. The only lights that shone on the streets were from the 24-hour convenience stores. At this time, only a few people were visiting the stores.

    An hourter, Rachel drove into themunity area.

    Distant headlights were illuminating the road ahead. It was from a car that was parked under their building. A man could be seen leaning against that car while smoking.

    As soon as the man saw Rachel''s car, he immediately put out the cigarette butt and threw it into the trash can.

    Soon, the car came to a stop by the road, and Rachel tightened her hands holding the steering wheel.

    On any other day, Jolly would''ve immediately called Justin a scumbag when she saw him. But today, she only nced at him and said, "Chris, I''ll take Samuel up first." Soon, Jolly carried the sleeping Samuel from the car and passed by Justin.

    "Is Samuel alright?"

    "He''s fine."

    After that, Jolly went straight into the building.

    Rachel closed the car door, and the electronic sound of locking the car echoed in the night along with the sound of her heels clicking along the gstone road. "Why are you here? Where''s Charlotte?" It was past one in the morning.

    In response, Justin said, "I''ve sent Charlotte off to Gloria''s. Did the Sutton Family kidnap Samuel?"

    "You know everything?"

    "Yeah."

    When Justin found out that Samuel was missing, he asked Frankie to immediately check all the trafficworks monitoring the square and the surrounding area. After an extensive data analysis, he finally found out the identity of the man who took Samuel away and that the man was rted to the Sutton Family.

    After that, Justin immediately contacted Ryan, who told him that Rachel had gone to Sutton Residence.

    After sending Charlotte to Gloria''s side, he had been waiting here since.

    "I''m sorry. I''ve neglected Samuel."

    The night only made Rachel''s face all the more gloomy. "You don''t have to apologize. I''m the one to be med."

    Upon hearing that, Justin was startled.

    Rachel said, "You have no blood rtion with Samuel, so you have no responsibility or obligation to him. It was my mistake to hand him over to you, and I will make sure that this will never happen again."

    "Rachel."

    "It''s gettingte; you should rest."

    After dropping those words, Rachel entered the building without looking back.

    Subconsciously, Justin followed Rachel for a few steps, wanting to say something. But in the end, he didn''t say anything.

    It waste at night.

    Jolly took a can of beer, opened the curtain, and nced downward. "It''s almost two o''clock, and Justin is still standing there. What did you tell him?"

    "He hasn''t left yet?"

    "Nope."

    As Jolly answered, Rachel had juste out of the shower, and her hair was still damp. Upon hearing that, she was annoyed. "Any more beer?"

    "Yes, in the refrigerator."

    With a pop, the beer opening sound echoed in the room.

    After that, Rachel threw her head back and gulped down half of the can.

    "I didn''t me him. I even apologized to him. Samuel is not rted to him, so it''s my fault. It''s wrong to use him. Yet, he still insists on staying around. What exactly is he trying to do?"

    "You''re definitely lying when you say you didn''t me him." Jolly hit the nail on the head. "Indeed, he has no obligation or responsibility to Samuel. But you''re embarrassing him by sarcastically apologizing to

    him. After all, no matter who they are, if they had failed to take care of the child, surely they would feel that they''re in the wrong. Chris, you''re unquestionably angry with him." "I''m not," Rachel denied.

    Upon hearing that, Jolly shrugged. "It''s alright if you don''t admit it."

    "I really am not."

    "Okay, you''re right. I think it will rain today; I wonder how long Justin will stand there."

    "It doesn''t matter how long he stays; it has nothing to do with me."

    No matter how much Justin suffered, Rachel would never give him her sympathy.

    "Okay then, I''m sleepy. I''ll call it a day."

    Saying that, Jolly threw the beer can into the trash bin and returned to her room yawning.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Now, Rachel was left alone in the living room.

    After some time, Rachel walked to the window, opened the curtain, and looked downward. Justin had already left. She frowned, and she was relieved yet disappointed at the same time. Then, she returned to the sofa with the beer can and then raised her head to drink the rest. She was sitting alone cross-legged on the sofa while in a daze.

    There was no doubt that Justin remembered what happened five years ago. Perhaps because Rachel was Charlotte''s mother, he was willing topromise and apologize for the incident. But if he knew that the person in the incident 20 years ago was her as well, how would they face each other?

    In the end, they would never be together.

    At this time, a ck car drove away from Rachel''smunity.

    Justin was driving alone in the dark, with no one else on the road.

    Everything that happened today showered him in guilt, and it was his fault that he didn''t take good care of Samuel. Still, he knew that all the harm caused could not be washed away with a frivolous apology. Old Madam Sutton would not give up if she knew that Samuel was Ryan''s son. She would do anything to get the child back.

    Although Samuel''s biological mother was Jolly, the Carters did not know that. After all, his nominal mother all these years was Rachel, and Rachel also regarded him as her own son.

    Justin''s hands on the steering wheel tightened when he thought of that, and his eyes darkened.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 367

    Chapter 367 Viin Holding Sway

    The next day at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "What happened to the approval for the Nortne Development Project?" After the morning meeting, Rachel read the document in her hand and tapped it with the sign pen. "Why has the progress halted at this stage?"

    Upon hearing that, Miss Evergreen said, "The project team said that the construction will proceed normally, but we couldn''t get the approval." "What''s the problem?"

    "The Environment Bureau didn''t give us the permit, so the construction is temporarily suspended."

    "Didn''t we acquire the permit before the construction?"

    "There was a reinspection, and it was said that our environmental protection procedures were not up to standard, so it was revoked."

    "What''s the specific reason?"

    Miss Evergreen was stunned, and she hesitated for a long time without saying why.

    Miss Evergreen was one of Evan Holt''s people, and was apparently rted to the Holt Family. Her business skill was average at best to begin with, and she didn''t do well as the president''s assistant. Therefore her daily work was to organize documents.

    All in all, Rachel would not have given her the job if it wasn''t for Jolly and Leroy''s troubles in the past two days.

    Now, Miss Evergreen was painfully ignorant. Whenever she was asked some questions, she would always answer with, "Someone told me this," or "I heard someone say that." It was clear that she never did any research or analysis on her own, which only gave Rachel a headache.

    "Understood. You may leave now."

    After all, with Evan supporting her, Rachel couldn''t criticize her.

    Before Miss Evergreen left, there was a knock on the door.

    Knock, knock.

    "Miss Carter." Miss Evergreen''s voice made Rachel look upward.

    Jolly was seen standing at the door in beige-colored office wear.

    Upon seeing her, Rachel said in surprise, "Why did youe to thepany?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    When she went out in the morning, Jolly was still sleeping in her bedroom, and it was clear that she didn''t want anyone to disturb her. Since the incident between the Sutton Family and Samuel yesterday, Rachel thought that she would at least rest for a few days.

    However, Jolly was walking in 5-inch high heels with high spirits.

    "Without me, the Nortne Development Project''s progress will be halted until, at the very least, the end of the year. When that happens, the expenses incurred by schedule dys will result in problems for the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' capital chain. We will fall short if this keeps up."

    "You knew everything?"

    "Of course. Al sent me a message early this morning. The Environment Bureau made it clear that they are deliberately stopping us. There is no doubt that someone is behind this incident."

    "Who?"

    Jolly ced a document on the table. "Our old enemy, Robin Gunson."

    "Him?"

    Just when Rachel was about to say something, Jolly cautiously scanned around the room from the corner of her eye. Then, she said, "Miss Evergreen, please leave this room and close the door. I have something to discuss with President Hudson."

    Upon hearing that, Miss Evergreen replied immediately, "Understood."

    After she closed the door, Rachel nced thoughtfully at Jolly. "It''s not that simple, is it?"

    "Of course, but you can guess what happened."

    "Someone cooperated with Robin to prevent the construction of the development site in Nortne."

    "Bingo."

    "It must be Evan Holt who did this. Otherwise, you wouldn''t send Miss Evergreen away."

    "I suggest you stop using Miss Evergreen. Find an opportunity to fire her. It is annoying enough to see her hanging around us."

    "She''s just a messenger to Evan. It''s easy to fire her, but can you guarantee that Evan won''t send other people to spy on us? False friends are worse than bitter enemies, after all. It''s better to keep her and maintain the status quo."

    Rachel''s n was reasonable.

    Since everyone knew that Miss Evergreen was Evan''s spy, it was easier to take precautions against her.

    "So be it if Robin has any grudge against us. But what does this old man Evan want from us? Does he think that Hudson Pharmaceuticals will fall into his hands if he overthrows you? He is not a Hudson." "Jefferey and Amber Hudson are both dead, but I''m not the only one left in the Hudson Family. We have many rtives too, and he can simply grab one of them as a puppet and act as a maniptor behind the scenes. This is the same as taking over Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    "You think he''s nning this?"

    "Not just nning, but he''s putting it into practice." Rachel''s eyes sank slightly. "Recently, Evan is getting closer to the Hudson Family''s distant rtives."

    Hearing this, Jollyined angrily, "Old stuff, you think you can win? Keep dreaming!"

    "If the Nortne Development Project fails in my hands, he will have a reason to call for a vote of no confidence among the board of directors. By then, those people will inevitably be persuaded by him." Of course, Rachel was aware of her position among the board of directors.

    Back then when Rachel rectified Jefferey, her methods were too drastic; she was infamous for exterminating her family for righteousness. The board members were notpletely free of guilt. So, afraid of bing the next Jefferey, they became extra wary of Rachel.

    If there was a chance to switch Rachel out, many would jump at the opportunity.

    Then, Jolly said, "I will visit the Environment Bureau in the afternoon to find a way."

    "Don''t bother. Just call Robin directly. If he dares to do this tantly, surely he has the confidence. In fact, he is probably waiting for me to contact him! I''m afraid you won''t get anything out of it even if you stir amotion at the Environment Bureau."

    Soon, Rachel took out her cell phone and dialed Robin''s number.

    At the same time, in the president''s office of the Burton Group.

    As soon as Robin received Rachel''s call, he proudly put down the document in his hand and crossed his legs on the desk. Then, he pressed the answer buttonfortably. "Wow, and here I thought my eyes were ying tricks on me, but it really is you, President Hudson. Why did you call me?"

    On the other end of the phone, Rachel said casually, "It''s been so long since you were promoted to the president of the Burton Group, but I haven''t sent my congrattions yet. Congrattions to you, President Gunson."

    "Don''t be a stranger. After all, we used to be colleagues of the samepany, so don''t mention it."

    "You seem to be in a good mood."

    "Of course. Things have been going my way, after all."

    "Since you are in a good mood, why are you putting me in a bad spot? Don''t you understand the importance of the Nortne Development Project to me, President Gunson?"

    Rachel had enough with the pleasantries, so she decided to cut to the chase.

    Upon hearing that, Robin chuckled. "President Hudson, back then, when you made my life difficult, you should''ve expected that this day woulde sooner orter."

    In the past, Rachel hadid a trap and caused Robin to be detained. Although he waster released on bail by Jason, he had to stay in his vi for one whole month before he was free, and it was no different from being in prison.

    Since then, Robin was determined to seek revenge.

    "What the hell do you want to do?"

    "What do I want to do? You should already know. If you are asking for help, then you should show your sincerity. I''ll be waiting for you in Golden Hill at eight o''clock tonight. See you soon."

    When Rachel heard this, she opened her eyes wide in shock. Before she could agree, Robin had already hung up the call.

    After the conversation, Jolly asked eagerly, "What did that loser say to you?"

    Rachel answered, "He asked me to meet him in Golden Hill Nightclub at eight o''clock tonight."

    "You mustn''t go! It must be a trap, and we wouldn''t know what tricks he has up his sleeve!" Jolly was filled with anger. "This loser is now a viin holding sway. I will p him good the moment I see him!" Upon pondering for a moment, Rachel said, "When the viin is holding sway, we must not confront him. After all, the viin will not let you go easily."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 368

    Chapter 368 Have Fun Together

    Meanwhile, Gloria was putting Charlotte to sleep in the apartment. She gently patted Charlotte''s chest and read aloud, "In the end, the little rabbit found its mother and the family lived happily together..."

    Generally, during the storytelling, Charlotte would have fallen asleep before the end of the story. But today, her eyes were still wide open even after Gloria had finished telling the story.

    "Aunt Gloria, why isn''t Mommying to pick me up yet?" Charlotte wondered.

    "Oh sweetie, it is the weekend, so your mom might be still at work. However, tomorrow is a school day, so she will definitely pick you up after school," Gloria assured her.

    Charlotte thought about her parents, and said, "Mommy and Daddy had a fight because Samuel was lost. Daddy is an idiot."

    "No, don''t say that. It wasn''t easy for your dad either," Gloria exined to her patiently.

    Just then, Gloria heard the sound of the front door opening. Consequently, she tucked Charlotte in bed and whispered in a soft tone, "Alright sweetheart, why don''t you put yourself to sleep now? Auntie still has work to do."

    "Mmm." Charlotte nodded obediently and closed her eyes.

    After shutting the door behind her, Gloria found Justin settling himself on the couch. "Are you here to pick Charlotte up?" she asked.

    "No. Let her stay here with you for another night." Justin held his forehead with a tired look, and said wearily, "I still have some family matters to be settled. If Rachel ising to pick her up, I will be here." "Why don''t you make things clear to Rachel? You did not lose Samuel on purpose, and no one had anticipated Old Mr. Burton to be hospitalized overnight," Gloria suggested.

    Last night, Arthur was hospitalized with a sudden cerebral infarction, and it happened at that time when Samuel went missing. As a result, Justin had to attend to both matters simultaneously, and he hadn''t been able to catch some sleep since then.

    With the absence of the backbone of the Burton Family, a storm was brewing within the Burton Group and some people were ready to stir up some trouble. Now that Justin was no longer the president of Burton Group, people like Robin were abusing their power by firing senior workers as they pleased. In the meantime, staff from the technical department was reaching the highest turnover rate. If this turmoil went on, Burton Group might have to change its name to Gunson Group.

    "Thank God we found Samuel in the end. If something had happened to him, none of my excuses would suffice," Justin sidetracked the conversation. Then, he cautioned, "Don''t mention Grandpa''s matter to Rachel; she has got a lot on her te already."

    "Come on, don''t you start on me. How are you holding up?" Gloria asked with a worried look on her face.

    "Everything is fine," he replied ndly.

    "Yeah, right. I have heard rumors about Robin putting you in charge of the logistics, am I right? How much longer can you put up with this kind of treatment?" She sounded irritated.

    "The Burton Group is the painstaking effort of the Burtons for generations, and it can''t be destroyed in Robin''s hands," he said. So, even if he was humiliated by Robin, he just had to bite the bullet and continue to stay in thepany.

    Gloria looked aggrieved. "Can''t you think of something? What about Jason? He is your uncle. Why don''t you let him handle Robin? After all, what good would it do for him if the Burton Group was ruined?"

    "We haven''t heard from Jason recently. The investigation bureau is still tracking him down. For this, they had already stopped by ourpany three times." At the mention of Jason, Justin scowled. Ever since the drug trafficking case was busted and a huge amount of smuggled drugs were seized on the spot, the Riverdale Investigation Bureau had been looking into several pharmaceuticalpanies. Coincidently, Jason was nowhere to be found. After all, guilty conscience turned men into cowards.

    "Oh well, I guess you really can''t count on anyone now!" Gloria sighed.

    "What''s the sighing for? Don''t worry about me. The Burton Group will return to my hands sooner orter. Let''s talk about you now. Are you still in touch with that fellow recently? Given my responsibility as an older friend of yours, let''s meet together for dinner so I can check him out." With a sly grin, Justin remarked. Of course, it went without saying who the fellow he was referring to.

    Gloria immediately shook her head and denied, "What are you talking about? We are just friends."

    Justin leaned on the couch as his lips curled up, and he tittered. "How did you even know who I was talking about?"

    At that moment, Gloria was stunned, and her cheeks were burning red.

    As they were talking, Justin''s cell phone rang suddenly and interrupted the conversation. "Hello?" he answered, and his voice had a touch of amusement from the prior chat.

    Jolly''s voice came over the phone in a panicky tone, and she asked, "Where are you? Did you know that Rachel was asked to meet Robin at Golden Hill? I can''t seem to get through to her phone right now. We had a feud with him before and he will definitely target her!"

    Justin''s face froze and he stood up swiftly. "Since when have you not been able to reach her phone?" he asked with amanding tone.

    "About five minutes ago," she replied.

    Meanwhile, at Riverdale''srgest nightspot-Golden Hill Nightclub. In a private lounge, tables were full of lowball sses in various colors, reflecting alluring rays under the strobe light.

    Surrounded by the constant barracking sound, Rachel downed a ss of whiskey one after another, yet her face remained unperturbed. "President Gunson, now that I have finished the drinks you offered me, shall we discuss the development project''s approval?" she persuaded.

    "What''s the hurry? We shouldn''t talk about business before we have our fun," Robin teased. "This is just the beginning. Have another drink, Miss Hudson."

    To make a point, she blocked the drink that was handed by the waiter and responded solemnly, "President Gunson, you have to give me a clear direction. If you are not going to approve the project, give me a heads up earlier so I can consider other options."

    Rachel had mentally prepared herself for this. If Robin wanted to humiliate her by insulting her or forcing her to drink some alcohol, she would have agreed to his silly request and called it even between them. However, if his purpose was only to mock her and prolong the Nortne development project, she would not bother entertaining him.

    After Robin heard what she just said, his face darkened as he forcefully put down his whiskey ss. "Miss Hudson, do you think we can call it off with just a few drinks after all you have done to me in the past? You must be dreaming! At least show some sincerity if you are trying to obtain something from me," he sneered.

    Annoyed, Rachel picked up her purse and attempted to leave without saying a word.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Wait a second!" Just then, Robinid a document on the leather couch and drummed his fingers on it slowly.

    Rachel''s eyes narrowed as she stared pointedly at the document. It was the approval by the Environment Bureau in ck and white, with the red seal of the Environment Bureau on the back. Just when she was reaching for it, the corner of the document was pressed down by a whiskey ss.

    "Miss Hudson, the deal is on the table. However, if you want to take this document home with you, you have got to show me what you got," Robin said, with a mischievous smile on his face.

    Well, if Robin was willing to hand her the approval, it had certainly made things easier for her. After all, it is just a drink, right? She wasn''t a light drinker, and she had drunk tons of them while negotiating deals for Hudson Pharmaceuticals back in those times. What''s the harm in having a few more drinks?

    Having made her mind up, she said, "Let me make some toasts for you, President Gunson!"

    "The first toast, is to apologize for the recklessments that I made earlier, and to express my gratitude for his forgivingness by letting go of our old grievances." Rachel reached for a ss of whiskey and chugged it down her throat.

    "The second toast, is to thank you for greasing the wheels and getting the development project approved, President Gunson. You will surely be invited to attend the opening ceremony once it ispleted.ˇ± "This third toast..." At this point, she started to sound tipsy. "...is to friends, as there are nosting enemies in business. I hope that we will have a pleasant working rtionship with you in the future, President Gunson." Rachel could feel her head getting a little dizzy.

    Robin leaned on the chest of the female escort behind him and nced at Rachel in silence. With a contemptuous and smug smile on his face, he said, "Easy, Miss Hudson. You can take it slow. There is no rush in drinking."

    After the three shots of whiskey, Rachel could feel the alcohol rushing up to her head, making her light-headed. "Alright. I will have to excuse myself now. President Gunson, enjoy the party with your friends and have a good time," she said.

    After saying that, she reached out her hand to pick up the document, but it was suddenly snatched away,nding back into Robin''s hand.

    "Excuse me, President Gunson?" she frowned and questioned him.

    "Since you are already here, we should have some fun together. When I said ''show me what you got,'' I didn''t mean for you to drink, Miss Hudson." Right then, Robin pped his hands twice. Following his pping sound, a swarm of male escorts flooded the lounge.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 369

    Chapter 369 A Fight in the Club

    Rachel narrowed her eyes at Robin for a long while before asking, "President Gunson, what are you doing?"

    Robin''s mouth curved up as his lewd eyes nced at Rachel''s body from top to bottom. "I am sure you always had good men fall for you, Miss Hudson, but I bet you had never been surrounded by a group of charming men to please you, have you? Rx, you should loosen up a little." He smirked.

    Then, he made a gesture to those male escorts who stood in a line behind Rachel. At once, the escorts immediately surrounded her and said, "Miss Hudson."

    "Get away from me!" she squeaked. With force, Rachel pushed one of them away from her, and her gaze was full of disgust. Then, she took a deep breath to suppress her emotions, and her voice was icy cold "President Gunson, don''t cross the line."

    "Crossing the line?" Robin sneered, "Weren''t you the one who agreed to stay along? Did I force you toe? And yet, here you are."

    "As far as I am concerned, the matter between us was quite a bumpy ride, but it has long ended and we should leave it behind us now. You are now the president of the Burton Group, and the seat is barely warmed, President Gunson. I don''t think it is a wise choice to start picking on me just yet," she asserted.

    "Are you threatening me? You can''t possibly think that Justin will make aeback now, do you?" he curiously asked.

    "Who knows? At the very least, he''s a Burton." Rachel snickered.

    It seemed like Rachel''s words had hit the nail on the head. Robin despised it when people said he wasn''t a Burton. Although he had been Jason''s godson for so many years, he had never gotten the chance to change his surname to Burton. After all, the more one couldn''t get something, the more they got bothered by it.

    Smash! People in the lounge started screaming as they saw Robin smash a whiskey ss against the table.

    He stared at her with a re in his eyes, and he growled, "Don''t you step over me, Rachel! I am showing courtesy to you by inviting you toe here, but who the hell do you think you are? Do you still consider yourself the honorable youngdy of the Hudsons? Have you forgotten what it was like to be ''sold'' by your father to the Burton Family?" Then, he continued in exasperation, "Back then, you were ''sold,'' but now I''m willing to ''buy'' you in again! You should be happy that you still had some ''market value''!"

    Rachel''s face turned pale, and she clenched her teeth so hard that her whole body was shaking.

    It is better to offend a gentleman a thousand times than a viin once, she thought. Once people like Robin held power in their hands, all their previous grudges would surface and they would start to act retaliatory.

    "President Gunson, take it easy. Anger hurts your body, and it''s not worth it," the female escort who sat beside him soothed as she gently stroked him on the back.

    With that, Robin''s face eased up a bit, then he pointed to the table which was full of booze. "Oh well. If you don''t want to entertain us, that''s fine. I will put this behind us, provided that you finish all the drinks on the table," he said with a malicious smile on his face.

    After Rachel heard Robin''s offer, her hands were squeezed into fists by her sides. He was absolutely up to no good, because she would be intoxicated and at the mercy of others if she drank this much alcohol. By then, everything that followed would only be med on the drinks.

    "It is not necessary. President Gunson, it is clear that you have no intention of forgiving me. If so, I will have to change my ns. Thank you for your time, President Gunson," she stated as she walked toward the door.

    "Hold it right there!" he eximed. At once, her path was blocked by two bodyguards.

    "You think you can juste and go as you please? What do you take me for?" he said in anger.

    "Robin Gunson, what exactly do you want from me?" she asked with frustration.

    "Whether you like it or not, you will still have to finish all the drinks on the table." Robin gestured to his bodyguards and instructed, "Get her to drink!"

    Immediately, those bodyguards walked toward Rachel and attempted to grab her.

    "Get your hands off me!" she squeaked. In shock, she had never expected that Robin would be so determined in seeking revenge.

    "Aren''t you afraid that I will call the police?" she hollered.

    "Call the police? If you have the guts to do so, be my guest. Do you think I will fall for your tricks a second time?" he replied with a teasing look.

    Just then, the woman next to her snatched her purse. "I will take that for you," she sneered at Rachel. "And this is what you get for going against Young Master Gunson!" Soon after that, she dumped Rachel''s purse into the beer bucket, which was full of icy water.

    Seeing that, Robin chuckled. "Aren''t you going to call the police? Come on, finish this bucket of beer first." At Robin''s instructions, the two bodyguards tried to drown Rachel in the bucket.

    At that moment, the door of the private lounge was suddenly kicked open from the outside, along with a loud bang.

    Under the astonished eyes of the crowd, the man who stormed in turned the two bodyguards around from their shoulders, pulled them away from drowning Rachel, and kicked both of them out of the way.

    As a result, one of them crashed onto the lounge table, and all the drinks fell to the ground, spilling everywhere. At that moment, Robin''s expression shifted from amusement to rage, and he growled, "Justin Burton!"

    Seeing that, the crowd looked at each other in awkward silence, but no one dared to look at Justin''s face.

    Meanwhile, Justin gave Robin a cold nce as he helped Rachel get to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked with a worried tone.

    Rachel shook her head weakly. She was bing inebriated and unable to gather any strength in her body. Then, she stared at Justin with her ssy eyes and thought, I must be dreaming.

    After a brief pause, she opened her lips and blurted, "Why are you here?"

    Justin did not answer her question. His hands trembled in anger when he saw her shivering, and how she looked too weak to stand on the ground.

    With mes burning in his eyes, Justin turned his head around and red at Robin. He could feel the rage building up in his body, and the blue veins around his temples were about to pop out. He looked like he was going to tear Robin apart.

    All these years, Robin worked hard to climb up thedder. And now, he was the president of the Burton Group. At this particr moment, he wanted to look imposing in front of his circle of friends. "What are you doing here in my territory, Justin?" he said with a condemning tone.

    "Your territory?" Justin stared at him coldly, and he retaliated, "Don''t you know that Golden Hill is owned by the Burton Family?"

    "What Burton Family? The Burton Group is now entirely mine. Even as a Burton, you have to address me as President Gunson. In the past, this woman used to brush you off when you were the president. However, I am the one in charge now and she has to oblige with whatever I demand, and that includes drinking whenever I tell her to!" Under the influence of alcohol, Robin was getting even more arrogant.

    Apanying the sound of broken ss, the crowd was startled and their screams reverberated within the lounge. Within a blink of an eye, Justin waved his hand and hurled a broken beer bottle in Robin''s direction. The bottle slid past Robin''s cheek before mming into the wall behind him.

    Trembling in fear, Robin turned his head to look behind him. There was a dented spot on the wall, and there were shattered ss shards on the floor. Recalling how the ss almost cut his cheek, it scared the living daylights out of him. Instinctively, he swallowed back all the words that he was going to spit out.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Robin, this isn''t over," Justin said in a low-pitched but dangerous tone. After he said that, he swept Rachel up into his arms and left the lounge.

    Right after Justin left, Robin''s legs felt like jelly and he slumped onto the couch.

    "It''s okay, Young Master Gunson." The woman next to him tried to console him.

    "Get lost!" Robin yelled at the woman. Then, he flipped the table around, and everything on it fell to the ground. "All of you, get out!" he exploded, and his roaring voice echoed throughout the lounge.

    He was the president of the Burton Group, and Justin had just humiliated him in front of so many people by doing what he did. We are not done yet! No, not yet!

    In the meantime, Justin carried Rachel and walked out of the nightclub. Rachel was still conscious, but her body didn''t feel like hers anymore. Powerlessly, she mumbled, "I''m fine. Put me down." Ignoring her request, Justin continued carrying her until they reached the car, and gently settled her into the passenger seat.

    "Where are you taking me?" she asked.

    "Home," he replied as he held the steering wheel and stepped on the elerator, leaving the ''Golden Hill'' signboard far behind.

    During the trip, Justin was not driving fast, and Rachel leaned against the back of the seat, her eyes closed. All of a sudden, she bent forward and covered her mouth with a look of pain, and Justin immediately pulled over to the side of the road.

    Rachel pushed open the car door, stepped out, and stumbled toward a tree on the roadside. Her hands leaned against the tree and she vomited.

    While she was throwing up, Justin looked around, went to the convenience store, and bought a bottle of water for her. "Here, drink some water," he said.

    However, Rachel suddenly shook his hand off. "Don''t touch me!"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 370

    Chapter 370 Future ns

    Alcohol made a person quicker to anger. Rachel pushed Justin away, knocking over the bottle of water in his hands and sending it rolling across the floor.

    This frightened a couple walking past them. Hurriedly, Justin apologized to them, "Sorry for that." Thankfully, the guy was easily pacified and soon walked away with his girlfriend.

    Once Rachel was done puking, she then walked away from Justin.

    "Rae!" Justin ran after her and tried to stop her.

    When Justin was near her, she abruptly turned to stare at him with an extremely sober gaze. "Just how long do you n on following me? Do you think I''m grateful you made it in time? Who do you think you are?"

    "I was just worried about you," Justin replied. "Robin isn''t a good guy."

    "Do you think I don''t know that? But I had to go today because Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' matter must be resolved. It doesn''t matter whether today is a sess or not. Once he has a target for his anger, this feud could be over!"

    The more Rachel spoke, the angrier she got. "But then you had toe. Now, everything has been for nothing! His hate for me will only grow!"

    Hearing this made Justin furious. "Wake up! Someone like him won''t have mercy on you just because he has vented out his anger. You didn''t even need to lower yourself by going to that kind of ce. What do you take yourself for?"

    "Well, that''s none of your business, Justin Burton, great President Burton, Young Master Justin!"

    The more names Rachel threw at him, the louder she spoke. "Do you think everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, like you? Do you think everyone has a protector helping them in everything? I can only rely on myself in whatever I do! I don''t need a hero to save me, and you can''t save me! So, stop following me!"

    After leaving those ruthless words, Rachel turned and left.

    Justin was left standing alone in the frosty night air. The people walking around him threw him sympathetic nces as he kept standing there. Meanwhile, Rachel kept stumbling and walking. When she grew tired, she took off her heels and continued walking on bare feet.

    The rocks beneath her pierced into the soles of her feet, and the pain eventually woke her up from her anger.

    There were still about five miles left to go before she reached home. If she kept walking, the soles of her feet would bleed.

    After a while, she sat down on the side of the road.

    As the evening breeze blew across her face, she slowly sobered up.

    Just then, a car pulled to a stop near her, and the driver stepped out of the car. "Julian?" Rachel asked, surprised.

    Twenty minutester, in an office in the hospital.

    "That was so thoughtless of you. What were you thinking? Why did you walk on the road with bare feet? What if there was a nail or something on the road? Do you not care about your feet?" Although Julian kept grumbling and nagging, his hands kept cleaning and dressing her wounds.

    "All done. Don''t let your feet get wet for the next two days and remember to reapply the cream when it''s time to do so."

    Julian then took a pair of brand new slippers from the drawers and said, "Wear these."

    After grabbing the slippers, Rachel leaned back against the couch with her arms around a cushion. "When did you get back?" After all, Julian had been studying overseas for quite a while now, and no one had ever said anything about when he''d be back. "Yesterday afternoon. I had to hand in a report as soon as I arrived, so I didn''t have time to tell anyone yet," he answered.

    "How did you know I was there, then?" Rachel asked.

    Julian frowned slightly in response and turned to clean up the room in order to hide the conflicted emotions in his eyes. "My meeting just so happened to endte, and I was driving by the area.ˇ±

    "What a coincidence," Rachel mused.

    "Yeah," he grunted in response.

    "Rest here for now. I''ll throw these out first," he said.

    "Okay."

    Julian then left the room with the trash and walked over to the trash bin in the hallway. After throwing out the trash, he dialed a number on his phone.

    "Where are you?" Julian asked when the call went through.

    "In the parking lot outside," replied the cold voice of a man over the phone.

    At that, Julian hung up and walked out of the hospital.

    Due to howte it was, almost nobody was hanging around the parking lot. Justin leaned against the side of his car as he held a cigarette between his slender fingers.

    When Justin noticed Julian walking over, he swiftly pulled out a big bag from the back of the car. "You haven''t eaten yet, right? I''ve bought you some food from a convenience store."

    "Are these just for me?" Julian asked as he shot Justin a nce. "Why don''t you give her these yourself?"

    "She doesn''t want to see me. I wouldn''t have called you otherwise."

    When Julian heard that, he frowned. Still, he epted the bag from Justin.

    His meeting had just ended when Justin called him. What he heard shocked him.

    After all, Justin used to object a lot every time Julian and Rachel met each other. Hence, when Justin asked Julian to pick up Rachel, Julian had thought Justin had either called the wrong number, or this was an impersonator of Justin.

    "How is she?" Justin asked.

    "Merely blisters on the soles of her feet. She''s sober and resting in my office. She''s fine," Julian answered.

    "d to hear that," Justin said.

    Justin then continued with a wave of his hand, "Head back in. I''m going now."

    Julian opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated.

    However, after taking a few steps toward the hospital doors, Julian turned back to say to Justin, "Don''t smoke so much."

    Justin''s fingers around his cigarette trembled, sending smoke spiraling into the air.

    Meanwhile, in the office, Rachel was about to fall asleep when she was jolted awake by the sound of the door opening.

    "What took you so long?" She rubbed her eyes and blearily looked at Julian.

    "I went to buy a few things," Julian replied, cing the bag from the convenience store on the table. "I haven''t had my dinner yet. Let''s eat together." "Thanks," she said.

    "No need to be so polite. Here."

    She epted the sandwich held out to her, took a bite of it, and had a sip of warm milk. It was only then that her stomach felt slightly better.

    "Howe your business trip took so long? You didn''t even tell us about it."

    "A secret experiment," he answered with a glint in his eyes. "You know how it is. We can''t risk a leak."

    Rachel nodded to show her understanding.

    There were a few moments of silence, then Julian suddenly asked, "Rachel, do you ever n on going back to Montenegro?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel froze. She even stopped eating. "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

    "Before you returned to Riverdale, you told me you would leave Riverdale, never to return, as soon as you''ve settled your business here and found out what happened to Hans," he stated.

    "Yes, I did say that. However, Hudson Pharmaceuticals has caused a change in ns. I''m in charge of it now. Thispany was built through the blood, sweat, and tears of several generations of Hudsons. My parents died for thispany, so I want to help thepany get through this crisis first," she exined.

    "You don''t n on ever leaving then?"

    "No, that''s not it. I just need some time."

    Without saying a word, Julian ced down the food he had been working his way through, took off his sses, and began wiping them.

    "Are you mad?" Rachel cautiously asked, observing his reaction.

    He ced his sses to the side, looked up at her, and said, "My thesis has beenpletely processed. I''ve also received an invitation to go back to Montenegro. They would like me to keep working in theb, focus on clinical trial research, and work as a university lecturer..."

    "That''s good news! It''s a fantastic opportunity that many would love!"

    Her eyes shimmered as she continued, "You must say yes. Being back there is better for your career, whether it''s due to the standard of their medical industry or the research environment."

    "And you?" he asked, his eyes looking steadily into hers. "What are your future ns?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 371

    Chapter 371 Change in Julian

    "My ns?" Rachel asked. Julian''s confident eyes were quite intimidating as he said, "I would like you to head back to Montenegro with me."

    Rachel was stunned. In all the years she had known Julian, he had always been agreeable and gentle. It was rare for him to act so stubbornly, as if rejection was uneptable to him.

    "Julian, I can''t go just yet. I love the five years I spent in Montenegro, and I had so much fun. I want to go back too, but I can''t."

    To her, there were some duties and obligations she had been destined to bear since the moment she was born; they were her responsibilities. After running from them for over twenty years, she decided it was finally time to shoulder them.

    Her parents'' deaths were caused by the six forms of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Ensuring Jefferey and Amber Hudson get their deserved punishments was just the start of Rachel''s n. She believed her parents, and even her grandma, would wish for her to restore Hudson Pharmaceuticals back to its former glory. Why else would her mother give her those forms back then?

    "Julian, I know you''re doing this for my sake, but I really can''t go yet."

    "I see."

    With a nod, he then put his spectacles back on and smiled. "It''s fine. I was just asking. I''ve been under a lot of pressure from worktely. Don''t mind me."

    Rachel let out a sigh of relief at that. "Good that you''re not angry."

    "Why would I be angry with you?"

    "Say, when do you n on going back to Montenegro?"

    "I don''t know yet," he replied. There was a conflicted expression on his face. "It''s not my only choice after all."

    Then, just as Rachel was about to speak again, Julian''s phone started ringing. "I have to take this," he said. "You can keep eating. I''ll drive you hometer." "Okay."

    However, after Julian left the room, Rachel suddenly lost her appetite.

    When Julian''s phone rang just now, she had nced at it, and the number disyed on the screen looked rather familiar. If her memory wasn''t wrong, it should be Jason''s number. Why was Julian in contact with Jason?

    Perhaps she was wrong, but something felt different about Julian this time.

    Later that night, Rachel went home in Julian''s car.

    "How are your feet? Do you need me to help you up?" Julian asked when they arrived at Rachel''s home.

    "I''m fine," Rachel replied with a wave of her hand. "Drive carefully. I''ll talk to youter."

    "Sure," hummed Julian. "You stay safe too."

    In response, Rachel nodded. She then turned and walked into her building.

    While she was still wearing the pair of slippers Julian gave her, her feet were still covered in minor injuries. And so, it was rather difficult for her to walk.

    Rachel forced herself to push through the pain and walked into the elevator. As soon as the door slid shut, she immediately copsed against one of its walls. After a sharp inhale of pain, she pressed the inte button that connected the elevator to the apartments, and said, "Come and help me."

    Jolly, who had been worriedly waiting in the apartment, hadn''t gone to bed yet.

    She made her way to the elevator. When the doors opened to reveal Rachel slumped against one of the elevator walls, Jolly hurriedly helped Rachel up to her feet. "What happened to you?" "Your feet are raw," said Jolly.

    "Is Robin that big of a pervert?" she continued to ask.

    "Just what goes on in your mind? My feet are raw because I was walking!" Rachel sighed.

    "Didn''t Justin go pick you up? Also, why are you back sote?" Jolly questioned.

    When Justin''s name was mentioned, Rachel''s face clouded over. "You were the one who called him and told him I was meeting with Robin?"

    One of Jolly''s greatest fears was Rachel turning hostile against her. Upon hearing that, Jolly felt a little guilty.

    She helped Rachel to the couch and obediently handed Rachel a ss of water. "I was worried about you. No one could reach you, so who wouldn''t worry?"

    Jolly continued to exin, "Ever since the incident at Golden Hill, I have been extremely cautious. I couldn''t get in, so I had to ask Justin for help. After all, the ce belongs to his uncle, Jason. The guards can''t stop him, right?"

    "You think you''re so sensible, but what can he help with?" Rachel scoffed. "Your parents can also help me, but I didn''t let them step in."

    Rachel knew better than anyone else that Hudson Pharmaceuticals had to restore its reputation if it wanted to dominate the market once more. It was useless relying on connections. One had to build a structure brick by brick. Otherwise, when all connections were broken, a structure would copse overnight no matter how tall it had been.

    And Jefferey was the best example for this.

    "From now on, do not ever ask Justin for help when ites to me. We are through. I don''t want to owe him anything."

    "Fine." Jolly shrugged. "So, was he the one who drove you back tonight?"

    "No. It was Julian."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Julian''s back from his trip?"

    Jolly was shocked, and she asked, "When did that happen?"

    "He said he came back yesterday."

    "And he didn''t even contact us? Damn him! I''m going to call him right now and make sure he pays for it by treating me to a meal." "Jolly," Rachel called out. "Julian''s exhausted. Call him tomorrow."

    "Oh? Feeling bad for him?"

    Jolly kept teasing, "No wonder you didn''t want me to ask Justin for help. Dr. Peters is about to take Justin''s ce."

    "That''s nonsense."

    After a pause for thought, Rachel continued, "I have a question for you."

    "What is it?" asked Jolly.

    "Do you know where Julian went for his business trip?"

    "Didn''t he go to Montenegro? Initially, he was going to fly with Hernandez, but then something strange happened to him. Hernandez waited for Julian at the airport for what seemed like forever, and when he finally called the guy, he said he had left on an earlier flight! Hernandez was so pissed off."

    Rachel frowned hard. For some mysterious reason, the call Julian received from Jason suddenly bothered her a lot.

    "What are you thinking about?"

    Jolly''s question snapped Rachel back to her senses. "Nothing much. Anyway, it''s gettingte. Go to sleep. We still have to think about what to do about the approval for the project in Nortne tomorrow." "My head hurts just thinking about it. If we really have no choice, I''ll ask my father for help."

    "If we can''te up with an idea, that''ll be ourst resort."

    Once Rachel said that, Jolly let out a yawn, pointed at Rachel''s feet, and said, "I''ll help you into your room."

    "It''s fine," Rachel said. "I''m going to sit here for a while. You head to bed first."

    "Okay," agreed Jolly.

    After Jolly''s bedroom door closed, the only light turned on in the living room was a floormp stationed next to the couch. Rachel sat on the couch with a cushion in her arms as she ruminated. The more she pondered, the deeper her thoughts were.

    After the Jublen smuggling case was solved, Interpol worked with the Riverdale Investigation Bureau to investigate all members involved in the smuggling case. In the end, many people in Riverdale were found to be involved in the case. Some were arrested while others were put on house arrest. However, Jason disappeared without a trace.

    Janice had said the investigation was still kept a secret to avoid scaring anyone off. Searches of the cities Jason frequently visited were intensified, but nothing had been found yet.

    Logically speaking, Jason should be more cautious if he wanted to avoid being hunted by the investigation bureau. Why would he call Julian using his personal phone number?

    Rachel just couldn''t get it. Then, after looking around, she bent down and opened a secretpartment underneath the couch. Inside thepartment was an old phone taped to the bottom of the couch. After grabbing it, she stumbled her way over to the balcony before making a call with the old phone.

    "Hey, it''s me."

    "Why the sudden phone call? Didn''t I tell you to hide for now? This is dangerous," said the person over the phone.

    "I have a lead on Jason Burton. He called Julian Peters about an hour ago. I''m worried he''ll threaten Julian to save himself."

    By now, Rachel''s brows were locked in a frown.

    She could think of no other reason for Jason to contact Julian.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 372

    Chapter 372 Heartless

    A weekter, Rachel''s foot injury had finally healed.

    Early in the morning, Rachel went to Gloria''s residence to pick up Charlotte and Samuel.

    Due to her foot injury, she didn''t have time to take care of the two children for the whole week. Jolly was also too busy with the approval of the Nortne project, so both children were entrusted to Gloria. "Charlotte, your mommy is here to pick you up for school. Go wash up ande have breakfast."

    Gloria shouted outside the bedroom, but there was no response.

    "This brat."

    Rachel smiled before uttering, "That little piglet must still be asleep. Samuel, go and wake Charlotte up."

    "Okay!"

    As expected, after Samuel went into the bedroom, he dragged Charlotte, who was still in her pajamas and seemingly still in slumber, out to wash up.

    When Rachel and Gloria saw them, they exchanged an amused smile.

    "Take a seat. Do you want a drink?"

    "I''m fine with anything."

    "Is coffee okay?"

    "Yeap."

    With that, Gloria brewed a cup of coffee for Rachel.

    "You could''ve saved the trouble ofing over. I can send Charlotte to school, and you can pick her up afterward."

    "I came here not just for Charlotte."

    "What else are you here for?"

    Rachel blinked her eyes. "I heard Victor made you upset?"

    Taken aback by her question, Gloria turned her head to avoid Rachel''s gaze. "Nah. That''s not true."

    "If there''s nothing going on, why would he call me, asking how you''re doingtely? And you didn''t answer his calls either. Even the security guards at the music room aren''t letting him in."

    "That''s because he''s dumb!"

    Gloria identally made a slip of the tongue due to anger.

    Rachel looked at her and waited for her reply, so Gloria had no choice but to cough awkwardly and exined, "Well. Hear me out. The other day when it was pouring heavily outside, I invited him to dinner and offered to pick him up, but he..."

    Last week, there was a heavy rainstorm in Riverdale.

    Victor was on duty at school that day, and he happened to get off work a littlete. Gloria had just finished practice in the music room, so she drove to the school to pick him up. Since she wasn''t driving a school-owned car, she had no choice but to park her car in the temporary parking space across the road. Fortunately, she brought two umbres, so she brought them down the car and looked for Victor. "Guess what he did, Rachel?"

    "What?"

    "He gave his colleague the umbre I brought for him."

    "Didn''t you say there were two umbres? Isn''t it enough for both of you to share one?"

    "If that was what happened, I wouldn''t have said that he was dumb. He..." Gloriained through gritted teeth. "After giving the umbre to his colleague, he said he didn''t want to have dinner together anymore because it was raining. He said he had to stay back and prepare for his lessons, so he decided to stay overnight in school and told me to have dinner by myself."

    The more she storied, the angrier Gloria became, and she put down her mug heavily on the table.

    "Seriously, Rachel, why does someone like him exist? We promised to have dinner together, and I even went all the way to pick him up. Why didn''t he tell me sooner if he had to work overtime? How dare he stand me up? Who does he think he is?"

    When Rachel heard that, she furrowed her brows. "Did he really say that?"

    "I told you what he told me word for word. I finally understand now. That b*stard had never seen me as a friend, not to mention a woman."

    "That''s not entirely true. Victor is quite a straightforward person. If he didn''t want to be friends with you, he wouldn''t even have talked to you."

    "Whatever. You don''t have to defend him. I swear I''m just going to ignore him from now on!"

    Gloria was so irritated that she downed the coffee in one go. The bitterness of the coffee made her face scrunch.

    At the same time, Rachel felt helpless. "Why are you behaving like a child in an adult''s body?"

    While they were talking, Samuel came out of the washroom and climbed onto Gloria''s dining chair by the table with the help of all his limbs, eximing, "I want this!"

    Gloria adored Samuel, so she immediately pushed the sandwich in front of him and uttered, "Here you go. Eat up.ˇ±

    "Where''s Charlotte?" inquired Rachel.

    "She''s changing."

    Gloria nced down at her watch. "I think she won''t be able to make it to school after breakfast. Let me just pack her some food so she can have it in the car." Before this, she just seemed like a child being sulky with Victor, but now, she looked like a responsible adult running up and down for Charlotte.

    All of a sudden, Rachel thought of something. One would usually show their most childish side in front of their crushes.

    After changing, Charlotte still looked groggy as if she wasn''t fully awake yet. Hugging Rachel''s thighs, she yawned continuously, mumbling, "Mommy." "We need to go now, little piglet. Say bye to Aunt Gloria."

    "Bye, Aunt Gloria."

    "Bye, Charlotte."

    Gloria then sent them off downstairs, but before they left, she suddenly recalled something. "Rachel, have you heard about what happened in the Burton Family?" "What happened?"

    "Old Mr. Burton has been hospitalized."

    "Huh?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel was stunned to hear that. "When was he hospitalized?"

    "Last Saturday."

    Rachel thought about it. Wasn''tst Saturday the day Old Madam Sutton almost took Samuel away?

    On that day, Justin was having dinner with them but eventually lost Samuel.

    Gloria replied, "Old Mr. Burton has a cerebral infarction, and it seems to be quite serious. He has been in the ICU since the surgeryst week. Oh, and Julian is the doctor who treated him. Didn''t he tell you?"

    In response, Rachel shook her head. "I just met Julianst Sunday but didn''t see him anymore recently."

    Since Julian only came backst Saturday, didn''t it mean that he immediately treated Arthur''s cerebral infarction right after he returned?

    Was that why Jason contacted him? Was it because of Arthur''s surgery?

    But Julian didn''t even mention Arthur''s condition to her when he treated her woundsst Sunday.

    All of a sudden, Rachel was in confusion.

    "Are you okay, Rachel?"

    Gloria''s voice brought Rachel back to reality.

    Tilting her head up, Rachel inquired, "Has Justin been in the hospital for the whole week?"

    Gloria shook her head in return. "Nope. Once Old Mr. Burton''s condition became stable, he was dispatched overseas by Robin, but Julian is in the hospital, so he isn''t all that worried."

    "Robin is such a heartless man."

    Rachel grabbed the steering wheel as her eyes darkened.

    The reason behind Robin''s sess today was the Burton Family. If it weren''t for Arthur who rmended him as the new president of Burton Group, how would he have achieved what he had today? How could he send away the closest family to Arthur overseas during this time?

    "Don''t worry. Justin will be back within these two days. I just wanna remind you, Rachel. If Old Mr. Burton kicks the bucket and Burton Group falls into Robin''s handspletely, he will be a difficult person to deal with."

    "Yeah. I got it." Rachel nodded lightly.

    After sending the two kids to school, Rachel drove to the hospital.

    She had to know about Arthur''s current condition.

    "Hello, may I know which room is Old Mr. Burton in?"

    "And you are?"

    The nurse in the reception scanned Rachel from top to toe.

    "My daughter is the great-granddaughter to Old Mr. Burton. I''m just here to see him and will bring the kid overter," replied Rachel.

    Only then did the nurse inform the ward.

    Just when Rachel was about to head over, the nurse called out to her. "Um, wait a minute."

    "Yes?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 373

    Chapter 373 No One Can Visit

    "You''ll need Dr. Peters'' signature to enter the intensive care unit. If you''re visiting, you still need to look for Dr. Peters first."

    "Really?" Rachel was taken aback. "Yes. Mr. Gunson came to the ward earlier to visit, but he was stopped by the security guard. He''s still making a fuss at this moment."

    Mr. Gunson? Robin?

    Rachel immediately walked toward the elevator. As soon as she got out, she heard a noisy sounding from the ward in the distance.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "I am the president of Burton Group, personally selected by Old Mr. Burton. Why do I still need the attending doctor''s signature just to visit my grandfather? Are you out of your mind?"

    "Sir, this is the instruction left by Old Mr. Burton''s family, so we can''t change it without his permission."

    "Who left the instructions? Now that my godfather is not in Riverdale and Old Mr. Burton is sick, the entire Burton Family listens to me."

    "Listen to you? What is your rtionship with the Burton Family?"

    Just as Rachel was still standing in a daze, she heard Julian''s voiceing from behind her. He had rushed over without her noticing. Julian nodded toward her as a greeting before he walked toward Robin. "Robin, just because Jason is your godfather doesn''t mean that you are from the Burton Family. It doesn''t matter if Old Mr. Burton recognizes you or not. Our hospital only looks at the opinions of the patient''s family and the patient himself."

    When Robin saw that it was Julian, his face sank. "How are you worthy of telling me what to do? You and your mother leeched off the Burton Family for so many years and n to do so for the rest of your life, and now you''re acting as Justin''s dog?"

    "Watch your words, Robin Gunson."

    "Watch what? Am I not telling the truth? That woman, Sue, took you to live in the Burton Residence for more than 20 years. Who can''t tell that she wants to rise in status? Now that Justin is also useless, you should stay away from him if you know what''s good for you! Then, I''ll consider feeding you!"

    Rachel didn''t expect that Robin would be so arrogant to the point where he would just run his mouth. At this point, even if Jason was present now, he wouldn''t be able to control him anymore.

    Julian had always had a good temper, but he was not a pushover either. He took out his phone and made a call. "Hello? I''d like to call the police. Someone is causing trouble in the hospital here."

    In an instant, Robin''s expression changed. He stretched out his hand to snatch Julian''s phone away, but Julian stopped him with one hand. As Julian often conducted surgery, he had much more strength in his hands than a pampered young man like Robin. He grabbed Robin''s wrist effortlessly, causing thetter to wail in pain.

    "Julian, let go, let go of me! If you don''t, I won''t hold back anymore! Argh!"

    Julian threw him away in disgust and said coldly, "The police will be here soon. If you continue to cause trouble here, I''ll send you to the police station." Robin was still about to rebuke when the assistant next to him helped him up. "President Gunson, let''s just leave first. We cane back another day."

    Robin held his arm with one hand and gritted his teeth. "Julian, just you wait!" Saying that, he leaned on his assistant and walked away quickly.

    Julian looked around. "Everyone, go and continue your work. Don''t gather around here."

    After the crowd scattered, Rachel walked over and asked, "Are you okay?"

    Julian replied in a soft voice, "I''m fine. Justin expected Robin toe over a long time ago, and he was afraid that something would happen, so he asked me to keep a close eye on the ICU. If I don''t give my signature, no one can enter."

    Rachel nodded. "How is Old Mr. Burton?"

    "He''s still in aa. Currently, his body is fine and he still has a chance of waking, but if he doesn''t wake up after this month, he would most likely..."

    Even if Julian didn''t finish his sentence, Rachel already knew what he meant.

    "Does he still need surgery?"

    "There isn''t a need for that at the moment. Old Mr. Burton''s age is too old to bear the physical burden of undergoing so many operations."

    Rachel nodded slightly.

    Julian asked, "By the way, why did youe to the hospital all of a sudden? The news of Old Mr. Burton''s hospitalization was blocked from the Burtons to prevent any chaos from happening."

    "Gloria told me."

    Understanding her words, Julian nodded. "Let''s talk about it in my office."

    "Okay."

    They had just taken a seat in the office when a nurse knocked on the door. "Dr. Peters, the Burton Family''s housekeeper is outside, saying he wants to see Old Mr. Burton." "Just tell him that Old Mr. Burton''s condition is unstable and he can''t see anyone at the moment."

    "Understood."

    After the nurse left, Rachel couldn''t help but ask, "Julian, Dennis has stayed with Old Mr. Burton for a long time. Can''t he visit either?"

    "I''m just doing my duties as a doctor. This request was made by Justin as a family member of the patient. No one can see Old Mr. Burton unless hees back."

    "Does he have to be that harsh? If Old Mr. Burton''s condition worsens, how will he say hisst words?"

    "Awyer will be there, and I will also be present as a witness. If it involves the distribution of assets, I will notarize and disclose the contents of the will recording." "You''ve really prepared everything."

    At this point, Rachel stopped questioning him.

    All things considered, Arthur was regarded as a hero in Riverdale, but in his final days, he couldn''t even have any grandchildren around to send him off. His eldest son died early, his second son was missing, his granddaughter had mental problems and was abroad, and his grandson was away and couldn''t rush back. It was a sad sight to see.

    Rachel said, "I wanted to take Charlotte to see Old Mr. Burton at first, since she is his great-granddaughter. But looking at the situation now, I won''t trouble you anymore."

    "It''s fine to bring Charlotte along. I don''t think Justin will stop you."

    Julian handed Rachel a cup of tea. "Well, Old Mr. Burton has been in the ICU for the past two days, so it really isn''t convenient, but his condition should stabilize by this Friday. You can bring Charlotte and look for me when youe, and I''ll let both of you in."

    "Will that be all right?"

    "It''s fine."

    Only then could Rachel rx. Although Arthur wasn''t friendly to her and had even threatened her many times, he was kind to Charlotte. As it seemed like Arthur''s illness couldn''t be cured, she had to let Charlotte see him off before he died.

    "By the way, I don''t know if Jason knows about Old Mr. Burton''s condition or not."

    At her words, Julian paused slightly while in the midst of drinking tea. "Why did you suddenly bring him up?"

    "He''s Old Mr. Burton''s only remaining son, after all. If Old Mr. Burton is still conscious, he''d probably want to see him again."

    Rachel looked at Julian and hesitated for a while, before she asked bluntly, "Julian, has Jason contacted you before?"

    Julian raised his head. "No. Why would he contact me?"

    Rachel''s eyes dimmed, but she still held a glimmer of hope. "You''re right, but I just thought if he hears that Old Mr. Burton is critically ill, he might contact you."

    "He wouldn''t. I''m not close to him in the first ce."

    Hearing that, Rachel felt as though Julian was hiding something on purpose.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 374

    Chapter 374 The Truth About the Abduction

    That day, she had clearly seen Jason''s number appear on Julian''s cell phone. After leaving Julian''s office, Rachel went to the cemetery in the suburbs. It was located in a remote area, and no one visited this ce except for their family''s death anniversary, so this was the best ce to meet Janice.

    "Is there any news on Jason?" As soon as she saw Janice, Rachel asked. Janice nodded. "The team has located his location. A week ago, he was in Belleville." "Then why haven''t you dispatched a search team yet?"

    "Belleville is not our territory. To search for him, we need to submit an application to the higher ups. I''m afraid that someone might leak the news in the process." "Then do we have to just wait like this? What if he runs away?"

    "He won''t. Isn''t Old Mr. Burton seriously ill and hospitalized? Even though Jason has cut ties with the Burton Family on the surface, he has hoped to gain the old man''s recognition all his life. He''s a filial son." "What do you mean?" Rachel didn''t understand. "What does this have to do with whether he''s a filial son or not?"

    Janice borated, "He wille back to Riverdale within the next two days."

    Rachel jolted a little. "Are you sure?"

    "If he didn''t care about Old Mr. Burton, he wouldn''t have taken such a big risk to call Julian."

    "You have a point." Rachel fell into her thoughts, but she still had something she couldn''t figure out. "But why did Julian hide it from me?"

    Although Julian had lived in the Burton Residence with Sue since he was a child, they were not a part of the Burton Family. Except for Justin, he had only evere into contact with Arthur. Julian only followed Justin''s example and called Jason his uncle out of politeness, and they never really talked to each other.

    Besides, even if they had contact, because Justin and Jason had a bad rtionship with one other, there would not be any good interaction between Julian and Jason.

    Janice could not understand it either. "That is indeed strange. Did you ask Julian about it?"

    "I didn''t dare to ask too much, so I broached the topic vaguely, but he denied it." Rachel frowned. "I keep getting this feeling that Julian has changed a lot after returning from this business trip. It seems that he has a lot on his mind."

    Janice had no time to take into ount Julian''s changes as she still had a lot of things to attend to.

    "It''s been two days since Jason returned to Riverdale. The first thing he has to do is to confirm the safety of the hospital, and then go to see the old man. If you are in the hospital at that time, we can support you from the outside while you give us inside intel."

    "I understand, but I''m worried that Jason won''t show up until thest moment."

    After a brief pause, Janice suggested, ˇ°I have a n, but I need your cooperation."

    "Tell me."

    Janice leaned closer and whispered her n in Rachel''s ear.

    Rachel was taken aback for a moment before she fell into thought. "Wouldn''t this be too much? If Justin knew about this, he would definitelye back as soon as possible, and everything would be in his presence-"

    Rachel didn''t finish her sentence; she stopped herself halfway through. After hesitating for a while, she said, "I''ll cooperate with you. I''ll take Charlotte to see the old man in the next two days." Janice didn''t say much and patted Rachel on the shoulder. "Okay, then we''ll leave it at this."

    Saying that, Janice left, while Rachel lingered in the cemetery for a while. There were some weeds growing in front of her grandmother''s grave. She pulled out some by herself and wiped the tombstone to make the picture on it clearer. In the ck and white photo, her grandmother was smiling tenderly and lovingly. Although they were not rted by blood, her grandmother had brought up her mother, saved their lives, and took care of her until she grew up. If she had any regrets, it was that she failed to make her grandmother happy.

    "Grandma, I''m sure you''d agree with what I''m doing. When Jason kidnapped you back then, he caused you to have a heart attack and not be treated in time. Besides, he did so many hurtful things, so everything is his retribution. People like him should be sent to jail before they cause even more harm.ˇ±

    As night fell, it was already veryte when Julian finished his shift and returned home from the hospital.

    Sue hadn''t slept yet. As soon as she saw Julianing back, she immediately asked, "How is the old man today? I heard that imbecile Robin caused trouble at the hospital. Are you hurt?"

    "I''m fine," Julian replied coldly, obviously unwilling to talk to Sue.

    Sue grabbed him suddenly. "Julian, until when will you be angry with me? Don''t you know that everything I do is for you?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Is it? You''re doing it for yourself, and for glory and wealth!"

    With a loud p, Sue''s handnded on Julian''s face. Her hands trembled slightly in the air. She couldn''t believe she had hit her son. However, she had already done so, and she still had to say what she had to say. She gritted her teeth. "Julian, I''m telling you, anyone can say that to me, but you can''t. I''m doing it for myself, but I''m also doing it for you! For twenty years, I''ve been hated by the Burton Family. Those people tter me in person but look down on me in private. Do you think I don''t know what they say about me behind my back? They say that I''ve found a good nephew to ensure an easy life, and I''m clinging to the Burton Family like a parasite!"

    Sue calmed down and said, "But what about it? They''re just jealous. If such an opportunity is presented before them, would they not seize it? They''d pounce on it faster than me!"

    Julian couldn''t bear to listen anymore. "Since you''ve benefited from him, then you should treat him well. But why did you sell him to a trafficker? He was only thirteen years old at that time! He wasn''t much older than me. How could you bear to do that to your own nephew?"

    Sue''s expression changed. "Didn''t I tell you not to bring this up again?"

    "If I don''t bring it up, do you think that no one would know?"

    Julian''s shoulders were trembling. If it hadn''t been for Sue''s phone call that day, he might never have known that the "abduction" that affected Justin''s life was actually his mother''s doing.

    More than twenty years ago, Sue was not satisfied with just being a nanny in the Burton Family. For her own selfish desires, she bribed human traffickers to abduct Justin, who was only thirteen years old then, and sell him to a remote area. Until now, Justin had no idea that the aunt he trusted so much was the demon who pushed him into hell.

    Julian red at Sue intensely, his eyes zing like torches. "Did you also sell my cousin to a human trafficker for my sake?"

    Sue panicked. "Do you think I wanted to? At that time, Old Mr. Burton couldn''t stand listening to the rumors about me. He didn''t want me to stay in the Burton Residence and continue to take care of Justin. I worked hard to raise him. How could he ask me to leave just like that?"

    "So you took revenge on him? A thirteen-year-old child?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 375

    Chapter 375 You Are My Son

    "You''re still not willing to repent until now?" Julian pushed Sue away. "You should turn yourself in." Sue''s face paled in an instant. She couldn''t believe what she just heard.

    Julian continued, "This happened more than twenty years ago, and though the prosecution period has passed, you still owe Justin an apology. Thew will not hold you ountable, but you must repent." "Are you crazy? I am your mother!"

    "It''s precisely because you''re my mother that I don''t want you to live your life with your sins. Doesn''t it hurt your conscience? You keep saying you did everything for me, but you''re just doing it for yourself!ˇ± Just as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man''s voice suddenly sounded from behind Julian, interrupting him. "It''s true that your mother did it for you."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Julian''s hands that were hanging by his sides suddenly stiffened, his expression turning awkward. He didn''t even look back and was about to leave home as if he hadn''t seen or heard anything. "Hold it!"

    Julian clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Jason, I didn''t call the police to catch you for my mother''s sake, so don''t get ahead of yourself. This is a matter between my family and it has nothing to do with you!"

    The man who was standing by the door of the study was Jason.

    Two weeks ago, Julian was supposed to leave Riverdale on a business trip, but he had forgotten to bring something and went home, where he ran into his mother in a middle-aged man''s arms. Because Sue had been widowed for more than 20 years, as a son, he had always hoped that she would remarry, but she remained alone for many years to raise him and his cousin, Justin. Although she was a little grumpy, she was still dedicated to her children.

    However, just as Julian was about to leave, he found that the man was Jason, Justin''s uncle. At that moment, Julian''s mind went nk. It was then that he finally found out Sue and Jason had been together for many years. All this time, taking care of Justin was just a cover for why Sue continued to stay at the Burton Residence, unwilling to leave. Her real purpose was to cover up her identity as Jason''s lover.

    As Julian had received good moral upbringing since he was a child, he simply could not ept this. Moreover, Jason was involved in a smuggling case and was being looked into by the investigation bureau, so his first instinct was to call the police as soon as possible. However, it was his mother who begged him not to call the police that made himpromise.

    For the past two weeks, Jason had been living here. He was going to turn a blind eye to this until he found out the truth about Justin''s abduction that year. It was as if he had been struck by lightning over and

    over.

    Jason red at Julian. "Where do you think your food and clothes came from for the past twenty years? Your mother stayed at the Burton Residence for herself? Bold of you to say that!"

    "I''d rather not have all of that!"

    "But you already did. Yourfortable life for the past thirty years, your studies, respected upation, and even your current so-called morals were all given to you by your mother."

    Jason''s every word was like a stab to his heart, and Julian had never been so aggrieved as he was now. He called the two people in front of him demons, but he was raised by these two demons. "Also, I have to tell you that you had a part in Justin''s abduction back then."

    "Jason." Sue hurriedly stopped him. "Don''t say it."

    However, Jason ignored her interruption and said coldly, "Julian, have you forgotten why Justin went out alone that year?"

    Julian''s expression gradually dropped. How could he not remember? Justin was Arthur''s favorite grandson, the boy who always had several bodyguards escorting him whenever he went out; it was impossible for him to be abducted and sold by human traffickers. The reason why he went out alone that day was entirely because of a phone call he had made.

    "Justin, did you forget that my birthday is the day after tomorrow?"

    "How could I forget? I''ve prepared your gift already."

    "Really? My mom has been in a bad mood recently and won''t talk to me. You''re the best, Justin."

    "Aunt Sue is probably in a bad mood because she has to move away. I''ll find a way to tell Grandpa. Don''t worry, Julian. How about this, the day after tomorrow, I''ll secretly take you to the waterpark." "Really?"

    "Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"

    Julian was delighted.

    "You brat, why are you looking for your swimming trunk in the middle of the night?"

    "Justin is taking me to y at the waterpark the day after tomorrow!"

    "How is he taking you? Does Old Mr. Burton let him out?"

    "Justin said that he''ll sneak out. Shh, don''t tell anyone, Mom."

    On the day he went to the water park, he waited alone at the entrance of the park for a long time, but Justin never showed up, and he even grumbled inwardly about being stood up by his cousin. However, in the evening, when the Burton Family showed up at his house, he found out that Justin had gone missing.

    When Justin was found, half a year had already passed. He came back with a long scar on his face, and after his injury was healed, it was like he had turned into someone else. He became withdrawn and didn''t like to be close to others. He didn''t even speak much to Julian, his own cousin. The events of that year were still vivid in his mind, and he would never forget it in his life.

    "So what if I remember?"

    Jason said, "If it weren''t for you telling your mother that Justin woulde out alone to take you to y, how could we have had this opportunity to arrange for someone to take him away?"

    Julian was unfazed. "That''s just an excuse! Even if I didn''t tell anyone back then, and even if I didn''t go out with Justin that day, as long as you wanted to do it, you would''ve done whatever it took to wait for an opportunity or create one yourselves."

    He firmly believed that he had done nothing wrong twenty years ago, which was why he was not swayed by Jason.

    "Is that so?" Jason sneered. "But have you ever thought about why your mother would work with me to harm her own nephew?"

    Julian jolted violently.

    "My old man favors men over women, and only a man can be the heir of the Burton Family. If it wasn''t to pave the way for our son to inherit the Burton Family in the future, why would we try to harm Justin, a thirteen-year-old brat?"

    "What are you talking about?" Jason only had one daughter, Tina. Where did a sone from?

    "Stop it." Sue suddenly turned pale and grabbed Jason''s arm in a panic. "Please stop talking. Enough is enough!"

    "He isn''t a child anymore. He should''ve known these things earlier."

    "Jason, Julian doesn''t need to know!"

    "What the hell are you talking about?" Julian revealed a rare annoyance and panic.

    "Are you still trying to lie to yourself after everything? I know that you''ve thought about it before." Jason''s cold eyes bore straight into Julian''s as he said, "You''re my son. My biological son." His words were like a knife, stabbing directly into Julian''s heart.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 376

    Chapter 376 Omen

    "Impossible!" Julian''s first reaction was denial. How could he be Jason''s son? He looked at Sue and immediately rushed up to grab her shoulder, asking, "Mom, tell me this isn''t true. It''s all a lie!ˇ±

    Sue turned her face away, unable to answer. "Is it that hard to admit this? Son, this is a chance for you." Jason''s voice sounded from behind him. "What''s so good about being a doctor? You can only get unlimited power and sess as the heir of the Burton Group.

    I''ll transfer the shares under my name that Robin is holding over to your name. As long as you can get the old man''s will, the entire Burton Family will be ours in the future." Julian''s mind was abuzz.

    Early in the morning, a white porcin te fell on the floor with a crash and broke into several pieces in an instant. A loud noise echoed in the room, and Rachel hurriedly crouched down to clean it up. Jolly leaned out from the bathroom with a toothbrush still in her mouth, and asked in a muffled voice, "What happened?"

    "It''s nothing. I just identally broke a te."

    "Are you hurt?"

    "I''m fine."

    Rachel quickly picked up the broken porcin pieces on the ground, but when she got up, her vision spun. With a thud, she violently pped her hand onto the dining table and clung onto it, barely maintaining her bnce.

    "Are you really okay?" Jolly peeked out again.

    When she saw Rachel''s dazed appearance, she strode out with a mouthful of toothpaste and helped her up, asking, "What''s the matter? Here, sit down."

    Jolly poured a cup of water for Rachel, who felt better after drinking some.

    "What''s wrong? Are you sick?"

    Rachel shook her head. "I suddenly felt dizzy."

    "Then you have to go to the hospital."

    "It''s not a big deal. I''m probably just tired."

    For some reason, ever since she got up in the morning, her eyelids never stopped twitching, and she kept feeling as if something big was about to happen. However, it was a strange thing to say, and even she felt that it was ridiculous.

    "You''ve always had a weak build, so don''t just brush it off. This won''t do; I''ll take you to the hospital."

    "It''s fine. I was going to take Charlotte to visit Old Mr. Burton in the hospital anyway. I''ll go and ask Julian to have a look."

    "That works." Jolly finally rxed. "Then you just have to bring Charlotte along with you. I''ll have to take Samuel away tonight." "Why?"

    "I still think that I have to tell my parents about Samuel''s real identity in case someone tries to make a move on him."

    "That''s a good idea. With your parent''s protection, Old Madam Sutton wouldn''t dare to do anything to Samuel."

    "That''s what I thought too. I should send Samuel to stay with my parents for a while, but I''ll decide about thister." "That''s all right." Rachel gave her a look. "What about Leroy? You gonna tell him?"

    "I''m nning to tell him today."

    "Oh, no wonder you woke up so early."

    "That''s because he''s so busy. He has to film amercialter, so he''s only free during breakfast time." Jolly suddenly nced at her watch. "Ah, I''m going to bete. I''m gonna go change." Rachel grabbed her and pointed to her mouth. "Give it a wipe!"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Jolly had rushed out of the bathroom without washing the toothpaste from her mouth. It was a wonder that a quiet and gentle person like Leroy would take a fancy to someone fiery like her. Was it because opposites attract?

    After that, Jolly drove to the studio alone and bought breakfast on the way.

    "Jolly."

    "Morning."

    "Good morning, Jolly. Leroy''s inside."

    Ever since Leroy announced Jolly as his fianc¨¦e, his staff had known her and called her by her name whenever they met. With breakfast in her hand, she had just opened the door of the dressing room when she was hugged by someone.

    "Eek!" Jolly yelped in surprise and hurriedly pushed him away. "Hey, there are people watching."

    "Let them watch. There''s nothing wrong with me hugging my fianc¨¦e," Leroy said, showing no intention of letting go of her at all.

    Jolly had always been thick-skinned, but as she watched the staff in the dressing room hide their smiles and walk out considerately, she couldn''t help but blush. She buried her head in Leroy''s arms and breathed the faint scent of his cologne, feeling inexplicably relieved. The biggest difference between Leroy and Ryan was that his love was always tant. He would let everyone know and give her a sense of security in the easiest way.

    Leroy dangled around with her in his arms, and the two of them wandered around the room like roly-polies.

    Jolly couldn''t hold back herughter. "Hey, stop fooling around. The coffee is going to spill."

    "Let it spill, then. It''s rare for you to spend time with me."

    "What do you mean it''s rare? It''s because you''re too busy."

    "So are you, Miss Carter."

    "Are youining about me? I guess I''ll go and feed the sandwiches I brought to the dogs."

    In an instant, Leroy let go of her and snatched the bag from her hands, giving her a cheeky smile. "Woof!"

    Jolly jolted in surprise before she burst intoughter. "You''re so childish!"

    Leroy''s childish innocence was what attracted her the most.

    She was watching Leroy eat when her phone rang.

    "It''s my mom." She told him, then made a shushing gesture. "Shh.ˇ±

    After that, she answered the call in front of him. "Hello? Mom?"

    "Jolly, where are you?"

    "I''m outside. Why?"

    "Come home now. There''s something important we need to discuss with you."

    "What is it?"

    "You''ll know when youe back."

    Marilyn was rarely ever this serious, and she hung up right after she finished speaking.

    Jolly was dazed for a while before she suddenly realized the seriousness of the matter. She said, "I have to go."

    "What''s wrong? Did something happen?"

    "I don''t know. Something might''ve happened at home. I need to go back."

    "I''ll go with you."

    "It''s fine."

    Jolly turned around and hurriedly left without saying anything else. With a sandwich still in his hand, Leroy chased after her, but he was blocked by his agent at the door. "The filming is starting soon. Why aren''t your hair and makeup ready yet? Hurry, hurry!"

    Arge group of people swarmed in, flooding Jolly''s retreating back at once.

    On the other hand, Jolly immediately drove home. Thest time her mother talked to her like this, it was when her father had surgery. She didn''t take it seriously at first, and was forced to take a charter flight home overnight. When she saw her father lying in the ICU, she cried on the spot.

    "Mom, what happened? Did Dad get sick again?"

    As soon as she entered the house, Jolly asked anxiously. When she saw Richard sitting on the sofa unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately hugged her father''s arm. "Dad, you''re okay? You scared me to death!"

    Richard frowned and patted her gently on the shoulder, while Marilyn remained silent. The atmosphere in the living room was a little odd. It was only then that Jolly realized there was another person sitting opposite them-Ryan.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 377

    Chapter 377 I Am Here to Fulfill the Engagement

    "What are you doing here?" Jolly''s face sank as soon as she saw Ryan. Ryan sat upright and said indifferently, "I am here to fulfill the engagement."

    "Is there something wrong with my ears? Since when did I get engaged to you?" "Six years ago, when my father was still alive, he made an agreement with Mr. Carter. At that time, Mrs. Carter also agreed, and they gave us a token as a testimony."

    There was a mahogany box on the coffee table with a bright yellow satin bottom and a glistening jade bracelet inside that was clearly extremely valuable at one nce. Jolly also owned a jade bracelet that was exactly like this one.

    "We did get engaged before, but I''ve never heard of two parties that are engaged to each other where one of them married someone else and divorced, then tried to resume the previous engagement. What do you take me for, a backup n?" Jolly was furious. "Mom, did you call me back just for him?"

    Ever since she entered the house, her parents hadn''t said a word. At that moment, she felt that something was not right.

    Marilyn looked at her seriously. "Jolly, I''m going to ask you a question. You have to answer me honestly."

    "What question?"

    "Is Samuel really Chris'' child?"

    Jolly''s expression stiffened.

    As a mother, Marilyn immediately confirmed her doubts when she saw Jolly''s reaction. "How dare you hide something so important from me and your father for so many years? Jolly, do we even mean anything to you?"

    Jolly panicked. "Mom, I... I wanted to tell you about this at first."

    However, she knew very well that if she came clean to her mother back then, there would only be two oues. Either Marilyn would go to the Sutton Family and make Jolly fulfill her engagement to Ryan, or i she refused to marry, with her mother''s personality, she would definitely not allow her to keep the child and would force her to get rid of it.

    "Do you know how difficult it is to be a single mother? Are you a fool? Jolly, do you even want to marry in the future?"

    "Mom, I know that the person I want to marry wouldn''t mind."

    "Who wouldn''t mind? That small-time celebrity?"

    The news about Jolly and Leroy was blowing up, so it was impossible for her parents not to know.

    "Mom, he''s a good person."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "He probably has other motives!" Marilyn had been dabbling in business for many years and had had a lot of contact with the entertainment industry. Hence, she knew very well about the industry and had always looked down on these new stars. Without waiting for Jolly to defend herself, she immediately dismissed, "Today, I''m making this clear. You have to break up with Leroy immediately."

    "I don''t want to." Jolly was used to being stubborn and immediately refused. She red at Ryan opposite her angrily. "I can''t believe you''re this despicable. Snitching on me to my parents? You can''t bear seeing that I''m better off than you, right?"

    "That''s enough. This time, he''s here to propose a marriage."

    Marilyn''s words made Jolly''s expression fall. "Mom, have you gone senile too? Have you forgotten how much shame he brought to our family when he married Estelle back then?"

    "That''s because you didn''t marry him first!"

    "I did that because..."

    "Because what? You already have a child with Ryan, and you''re still being so childish. Now that things have alreadye to this and Ryan has already apologized, you should also rein in your temper. There''s a limit to how much of a grudge you can hold."

    Jolly couldn''t argue with her. She couldn''t believe that her mother would favor Ryan to this extent.

    "Mom!"

    "It''s settled."

    Saying that, Marilyn turned around and left, clearly not wanting to say another word to her daughter.

    "Dad!"

    Richard got up from the sofa and spread his hands helplessly, indicating that he was not the one in charge in the family, before he got up and followed his wife.

    "Ryan, what did you feed my mother?"

    As soon as her parents left, Jolly vented her anger on Ryan.

    Ryan said carelessly, "I didn''t feed her anything. It''s just that your parents will never allow you to marry Leroy. Plus, you have a child with me, so I am your best choice." "Just because Leroy is a celebrity?"

    "That''s not the only reason. Do you even know where Leroy came from?"

    "How wouldn''t I know? We were ssmates in the same college!"

    "ssmates?"

    Ryan''s questioning suddenly made Jollye back to her senses. She and Leroy were not ssmates in college-she and Estelle were. It was only because he was Estelle''s boyfriend at the time that she subconsciously thought he went to her own school.

    "Jolly, if you really were doing well, your parents wouldn''t be objecting so much. This Leroy is definitely not as simple as you think." Saying that, he moved the jade on the table toward her. "Marrying me is the best choice not just for you, but also for Samuel."

    Jolly was silent for a while as she looked at the table in front of her thoughtfully.

    "Fine, I''ll think about it."

    As he hadn''t expected her to agree so easily, Ryan jolted slightly.

    At the same time, Jolly''s parents stood in the corner of the hallway on the second floor, watching everything that was happening downstairs.

    Marilyn said, "Look, what did I say? Jolly isn''t heartless. She must still have feelings for Ryan. Otherwise, why did she give birth to Samuel back then? It''s the best choice for the two of them to be together, whether it is for Samuel or for her."

    Richard frowned slightly, showing a look of disapproval. "If you ask me, I don''t think Ryan is suitable for Jolly."

    "Why not? He''s skilled, young, and promising. Besides, wasn''t it you who got them engaged to each other back then?"

    "That was because I was drunk. Didn''t you scold me when I came back? I had thought about canceling the engagement then, but the Sutton Family was declining that year. If we''d canceled it, others would''ve scolded us for kicking them when they were down."

    Thinking of what had happened back then, Richard felt remorseful. Although everything had already passed, their daughter''s suffering in the past few years was not something they could dismiss easily. As her parents, they should be ashamed for only finding out now.

    "Let''s watch and see. I still want to respect our daughter''s decision."

    "By respecting her decision, do you mean that you''ll let her marry Leroy?" Marilyn''s brows furrowed. "Don''t you know what our daughter is like? If he were an ordinary man, I wouldn''t have any objections. I would''ve asked him to take our surname at most. But he just had to have such a special identity. If Jolly married him, she wouldn''t be able to handle that and would get into trouble one day."

    "Maybe it''s not as bad as we think."

    However, he did not receive a reply.

    At this time, Jolly had already sent Ryan away. As soon as he left, she fished out her cell phone and made a call.

    "Hello?" The female voice on the other end of the phone was very surprised.

    "Estelle, we''ve been friends for so many years. Is it so surprising that I would call you?"

    "Do you have business with me?"

    "Of course." Jolly bent over and picked up the jade bracelet, holding it up to the sun and looking at it as she said lightly, "You know that Ryan''s family has a jade bracelet heirloom, right? It''s here with me." Hearing that, the person on the other end of the phone immediately burst into anger. "Jolly, what are you trying to imply? Are you showing off to me that you guys are getting back together?"

    The corners of Jolly''s lips curled up as her gaze turned sly. "No, I want to do you a favor and give this bracelet to you."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 378

    Chapter 378 Lying in Wait

    "Are you really going to give Estelle the bracelet?" In the evening, Rachel picked up Charlotte and Samuel before heading to the hospital. Jolly was originally going to send Samuel home, but her n was temporarily stalled due to unforeseen circumstances.

    At that moment, she only wanted to avoid her parents. When she drove to the entrance of the school, she immediately ditched her car on the side of the road and got into Rachel''s car, nestling in the passenger

    seat.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Jolly said, "Do I look like I''m joking? It''s just a useless bracelet. Did Ryan think I''d care?" "Still, it''s a family heirloom. Are you sure it''s appropriate for you to give it to someone else so casually?"

    "That''s his fault for dumping it at my house!"

    Dumping? Rachel asked helplessly, "How did Estelle react?"

    Jolly replied carelessly, "Of course she got angry, but this bracelet is so important, and it''s a free reason to get between me and Ryan, so she has to ept it even if she''s angry. I bet a buck that after she epts it, she''ll immediately tattle to Ryan."

    Rachel replied, "I''ll bet you a hundred that you''ll win."

    Rachel and Jolly both knew very well what kind of person Estelle was. Ever since they returned to the country, it was clear from that woman''s actions that she was a lowlife.

    If Ryan found out about this, he would definitely explode with anger.

    "But why is Godmother so against you being with Leroy?"

    "She probably has a bias against him because he''s a celebrity. Howme. I never thought that my parents would be like this."

    "I don''t think so. I feel like they''re not those kinds of people."

    To Rachel, Jolly''s parents were quite open-minded and intelligent, which was rare among the wealthy. They were understanding toward their daughter and rarely interfered with her choices, and were also tolerant of others.

    "Did Ryan say something to them?"

    "Him?" Jolly hummed in thought until she remembered what Ryan said to her before he left. "He did ask me something."

    "What?"

    "He asked me how much I knew about Leroy."

    "Leroy?" Rachel hesitated for a while before she suddenly realized that all she knew about him came from their background checks during thepany''s endorsement activities. Besides, most of the information in those investigations was shared online, and she had never verified its authenticity.

    "Isn''t he Estelle''s ex? You knew him since you were in college."

    "I think that Ryan is just being overdramatic too. Even if Leroy didn''t go to the same school as me, he debuted so early and lived in Riverdale for so many years. He can''t be a criminal, can he?" Rachelughed out loud. "If Ryan knew that, don''t you think he''d send him to jail immediately?"

    "Of course I do." Jolly looked confident. "It''s something he would do."

    Thinking that, she eased up a lot. "As long as he didn''t do anything illegal, what kind of dark past could he have, right?"

    Rachel nodded.

    As they talked, Charlotte interrupted from the back seat, "Leroy is so handsome. How could he be a bad guy?"

    Rachel nced at her from the rearview mirror. "It''s not right to judge people by their appearance. Leroy is handsome, but isn''t Mr. Ryan also very good-looking? You even said that he was a bad guy before for stealing Leroy''s girlfriend."

    "He is a bad guy." Charlotte hugged her arm with a stubborn expression. "Mr. Ryan looks fierce, so he is not as handsome as Leroy. I am going to see Leroy''s concert next week."

    Samuel, who was ying a game beside her, couldn''t help but sigh. "Women are so scary when they start fangirling."

    Rachel and Jolly exchanged a nce andughed.

    They quickly reached the hospital, and after parking the car, they went to look for Julian together.

    "Please wait for a moment. Dr. Peters is still making his rounds."

    The nurse recognized Rachel and arranged for them to wait in Julian''s office. Soon, Charlotte became restless, so she began pleading with Jolly to take her to buy some food. Rachel said, "You can take them and I''ll wait here. When Julianes back, I''ll give you a call."

    "All right."

    After Jolly took the children out, Rachel became bored. She happened to see a book lying upside down on the table, and she picked it up, looking at it casually. However, as soon as she took the book, she suddenly saw a medical record pressed underneath it. There was arge scribble on it and the paper had been pierced through. Next to it, there was a string of cuss words written on the paper. Seeing that, Rachel was taken aback. She had known Julian for so many years, but she had never seen him curse before.

    Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening from behind her. She immediately put the book in her hand back in ce and covered the damaged medical record before turning around to see Julian walking through the door.

    "Rae? When did you get here?"

    "Just now. Jolly took Charlotte and Samuel to buy some stuff."

    "Are you here to see Old Mr. Burton?"

    "Yeah. If you''re free, let''s have a meal together."

    Julian nced at his watch. "I''m afraid that I won''t make it. I have an operation in 30 minutes."

    "Really? Then it''s fine. Let''s leave it for next time."

    "Sure."

    "Then I''ll send Jolly a text and ask her to bring Charlotte and Samuel back. We won''t bother you and we''ll leave right after seeing Old Mr. Burton."

    "It''s fine." Julian turned around to pour a cup of tea for Rachel.

    After Rachel sent a text message to Jolly, Julian handed her a cup of tea, which made her think of her previous discussion with Janice. "Julian, there''s something I need your help with." "What is it?"

    Rachel nced at the office door and confirmed that it was closed, but she still lowered her voice as she said, "It has something to do with Jason."

    Julian''s face suddenly stiffened. "How can I help with something rted to him?"

    "You know he''s being suspected for smuggling and the investigation bureau is currently investigating him. Janice hasn''t had any leads on him for a long time, so she wants to lure him out of hiding and use Old Mr. Burton''s illness to make a fuss. After all, Jason is a filial son, and the only thing that can make him show up now is Old Mr. Burton''s illness."

    Unbeknownst to Rachel, Julian breathed a sigh of relief. "So that''s how it is. What exactly does Janice need me to do?"

    "Make a notice of critical illness. The more urgent, the better."

    If Arthur was in a critical condition, Jason would definitely show up. By then, the investigation bureau only needed to lie in wait and capture him in one fell swoop as soon as he showed up.

    Julian didn''t speak for a long time, seemingly contemting something, as if his soul had wandered elsewhere.

    "Julian."

    "Huh?" Julian came back to his senses and raised his head, meeting Rachel''s eyes.

    Rachel said, "I know that this is against your professional ethics, and you have a close rtionship with the Burton Family, so I can understand if you refuse. Janice said that it isn''t necessary, and if it really isn'' possible, they will negotiate with your hospital''s heads. You wouldn''t need to do anything."

    After a moment of silence, Julian suddenly said, "If you work with the heads of the hospital, wouldn''t it be easy to alert him?"

    Rachel jolted in surprise.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 379

    Chapter 379 Notice of Critical Illness

    "I''ll do it." Julian said, his eyes firm. Rachel was taken aback. For some reason, she thought about the piece of torn medical record on the table. Soon, Jolly came back.

    "I won''t be tagging along. I''m not rted to Old Mr. Burton anyway. I''ll just wait for you here with Samuel." "Okay."

    However, Charlotte was puzzled. She looked at Samuel who was ying games next to Jolly and asked, "Mommy, why isn''t Samuel going to see Great-grandpa?ˇ±

    Rachel exined, "Samuel is different from you. He''s never seen Great-grandpa."

    As Charlotte was still young, she didn''t think much about it and obediently followed after Rachel.

    Arthur had now been transferred to a general ward, but he wasn''t awake yet. A nurse took care of him at all times, and the rules were still the same no one could visit him except the hospital staff. Julian said, "Although he is unconscious, in theory, he can hear people''s voices."

    Rachel nodded slightly and patted Charlotte on the shoulder, motioning her to step forward. "Charlotte, go and talk to Great-grandpa."

    Charlotte stepped forward obediently and took Arthur''s bony hand, speaking in a cute voice. "Great-grandpa, are you sick? If you''re sick, you have to listen to the doctor to take your medicine and eat your food Mommy said you''ll only get better if you behave. I''m still waiting for you to celebrate my birthday with me..."

    Charlotte was still young and didn''t understand the truth of life, old age, illness, and death. Hence, she didn''t feel sad when she saw Arthur lying in the hospital bed and only thought that his illness was just like amon cold or a fever, not realizing the seriousness of the problem.

    As Rachel looked at Arthur, her heart swelled with emotion. He was regarded as a legendary hero, but now he was lying here and could pass at any time without a single rtive by his side.

    After they were done visiting Arthur, Rachel bid Julian goodbye.

    "I''ll contact Janiceter, within these two days."

    "Okay. I''ll take care of the hospital''s matters."

    Seeing Julian''sck of hesitation, Rachel felt a huge burden lifted off her shoulders.

    As soon as Rachel left, Julian returned to his office and sat down. He opened the book that was upside down on the table and put it aside. The scratch on the medical records was particrly clear. With a tearing sound, his slender fingers ripped the two pieces of paper on it open and threw it into the trash can without hesitation. Everyone should always leave a way out for themselves, right?

    At the same time, more than 300 kilometers away from Riverdale, in a hotel room in Belleville, Justin rubbed his sore shoulders and handed the documents in front of him to Frankie. "We''ll negotiate with them tomorrow ording to this, and you can lower the price a little more. They haven''t made a solid decision yet."

    "Understood."

    "By the way, what did Robin''swyer say about the stock transfer?"

    "What else can he say? He couldn''t be any happier, of course." Frankie said angrily, "He was originally only a shareholder proxy for Jason, but now that you''re willing to sell a part of the shares to him, he''ll be a true shareholder. Aren''t you afraid that this will backfire on you? President Burton, please reconsider this. Getting Robin''s help isn''t the only way to help President Hudson solve the development site approval issue."

    "You don''t need to tell me more. Of course I know that there are other ways, but I''m not just transferring the stocks just for that."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I''m going to add a use to the agreement. Starting from the transfer of shares, he can no longer use any means to threaten or endanger any benefits rted to Rachel, or the shares transfer agreement will be voided."

    "Are you trying to help President Hudsonpletely get rid of Robin?"

    "She''s had a difficult life. She lost her parents at a young age, and now she has to take care of Hudson Pharmaceuticals alone."

    "However, does President Hudson know that you''re doing this?"

    "She doesn''t need to know. If she finds out, she won''t want to ept this favor."

    Saying that, Justin got up from behind his desk. His shoulders ached faintly and he couldn''t help but move them around, causing his bones to make a cracking sound as if they had loosened. "President Burton, you have to take care of your body as well. You don''t need to rush the negotiation so much."

    "I want to finish this early. Grandpa is still waiting for me to go back." Justin looked out the window, a blurry outline of his cold face reflected on the ss as he said, "It''s gettingte. You should go back and rest."

    "Understood. You should sleep early too."

    Three dayster, Hudson Pharmaceuticals sessfully obtained the approval for the continued construction of the Nortne development site, and both Rachel and Jolly could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank god it was resolved before that old coot held a meeting with the board of directors, or he would''ve definitely never let go of this matter." Jolly was ecstatic, and began to openlyin in Rachel''s office, not caring if anyone was listening or not.

    Rachel shot a nce at her. "Keep your voice down. We can''t just dismiss his pride so tantly."

    "What are you scared of? We''ve already given that old coot enough respect. He secretly colluded with that brat Robin, and we''re already being benevolent by not reporting him to the board of directors. Chris, if there''s a next time, don''t hold back anymore."

    "Of course."

    "Still, something''s weird. Why isn''t Robin chasing after us anymore?"Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel was calm in the face of Jolly''s doubts. "Maybe he''s lost interest in messing with us. After all, he''s got tons of work lined up for him as the Burton Group''s president. Besides, Old Mr. Burton is now in the hospital, so he would want to seize this opportunity."

    "To be brutally frank, if Old Mr. Burton really passed without leaving a will behind, wouldn''t Robin be the chairman of Burton Group?"

    "Yes. If there isn''t a will, the first heir to Old Mr. Burton''s shares would be Jason, and Robin is his only proxy shareholder."

    "No wonder he''s been making a fuss at the hospital recently. I think he just wanted to know if Old Mr. Burton had made a will.ˇ±

    As they were talking, a secretary suddenly knocked on the door and entered. "President Hudson, Miss Carter, do you need me to order a meal for you?"

    Jolly nced at the time. "Oh, it''s gettingte. It''s time for us to get off work."

    Rachel instructed, "You don''t need to order anything for us. We''re not working overtime today. We''ll be leaving soon, so you can get off work too."

    "All right."

    After the secretary left, Jolly rose from the sofa. "Let''s go home."

    "I still have some things to do. You can leave first."

    "Weren''t you not working overtime?"

    "I''ll leave in a moment. You can go."

    "All right, all right. I''m not a match for workaholics like you." Jolly picked up her handbag. "I''ll be going first, okay?"

    "Okay."

    Once Jolly had left, Rachel looked at the text message she had just received.

    It was from Julian. The text message read, ''I''ve already made the notice of critical illness and sent the news out. If Robin can get in touch with Jason, he''ll definitely contact him immediately.'' She replied, ''Got it.''

    The investigation bureau would make their move that night with Julian''s cooperation from the inside. Should everything go smoothly, they would be able to sessfully catch Jason.

    On the other hand, Julian received a text as soon as he finished sending the news. He looked at the sender-it was Sue. He tapped open the message unhurriedly.

    ''Julian, what happened to Old Mr. Burton? I don''t really believe what Robin says.''

 My Mute Bride Chapter 380

    Chapter 380 Deration of Death

    ''Julian, you have to tell me the truth. Jason wants to go to the hospital to see Old Mr. Burton, but I stopped him. He can''t show his face unless he really has to.''

    Looking at the texts from Sue, Julian was about to reply when a hand held him on the shoulder. Janice''s voice sounded from beside him. "Don''t reply."

    A momentter, the office phone suddenly rang.

    Janice nced at it and motioned to her subordinates to pick it up. A female staff member next to her immediately pressed the answer button. "Hello, this is Tran-Q, Director Peters'' office."

    The phone was on speaker, and Sue''s anxious voice came from the other end. "I need to talk to Dr. Peters, please. I''m his mother and I have some urgent business with him."

    "Ma''am, Dr. Peters is currently in an operation, so he can''te to the phone at the moment."

    "Operation? May I know what kind of operation it is?"

    "It''s an emergency operation for a patient with cerebral infarction. After Dr. Peters is done, I will immediately tell him that you have called."

    The other end was silent for a long time before she hung up.

    As soon as the call ended, the female staff looked at Janice. "Officer Hawkins."

    Janice nodded slightly, and dropped her hand from Julian''s shoulder. "You are in an operation now, so you can''t return your mother''s call."

    "I understand." Julian breathed in deeply before he slowly said, "Janice, can I ask you for a favor?"

    "Go ahead."

    "Once everything is over, please don''t tell Rachel about him and my mother. I don''t want too many people to know."

    "I understand. We''ll keep it strictly confidential." Janice agreed, "Thank you for telling us about this. It will be really helpful for our search operation."

    Before that, Robin was the only person that the investigation bureau could confirm was able to contact Jason, but even he could not pinpoint Jason''s location urately. Julian cooperated with her actively and let her know the rtionship between Sue and Jason, which made things much easier.

    Janice said into the inte, "Everyone, be on high alert. Focus on monitoring the hospital and all surroundingworks. We will capture Jason tonight."

    In the middle of the night, darknesspletely enveloped Riverdale, but Rachel was still in the office and hadn''t left. She stood in front of the window and looked out quietly. Once she felt that the time was almost up, she took her car keys and went downstairs. With a roar of the engine, she drove onto the streets and toward the direction of the hospital.

    As it was autumn, the night wind was strong, blowing the fallen leaves wildly. Right after she had parked her car, a familiar voice suddenly sounded.

    "President Hudson?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Rachel jolted in surprise and looked back, only to see Frankie. Immediately afterward, she saw Justin who had just got out of the car. Why did hee back?

    When he saw Rachel, Justin was taken aback as well, his expression turning astonished.

    "Weren''t you away on a business trip? Is everything settled?" Rachel blurted.

    Frankie replied, "Of course not. We still have to continue negotiations early tomorrow morning, but we suddenly got a notice of critical illness from the hospital, so President Burton rushed back. President Hudson, you''re also here because of this, right? See, President Burton? I told you that she''s also concerned about Old Mr. Burton''s illness."

    Justin''s expression was tense right now, and he wasted no time talking. "We can talk about thister. I have to go to the hospital first."

    "Wait-" Rachel couldn''t stop him, and she watched as his figure rushed past her hurriedly.

    Frankie hurriedly said, "President Hudson, please forgive President Burton. He was raised by Old Mr. Burton, so he feels the same as you do to your grandmother. He had been in pain for a long time when Old Mr. Burton fell ill, and he hasn''t been well recently. He just had to see Old Mr. Burton onest time... Anyway, I''ll be taking my leave now."

    Saying that, Frankie hurriedly caught up with Justin''s figure, leaving Rachel standing alone. Her hands that were dangling by her sides tightened slightly as her mind was inundated with mixed feelings.

    She wanted to hold Justin back and tell him the truth, but it was toote to say anything now. After the night ended and all the dust settled, what would happen when Justin found out the truth? Rachel pinched her palm fiercely.

    As soon as Justin arrived at the hospital, he ran in the direction of the operating room. His tall figure was particrly eye-catching in the hospital''s hallway. Time did not wait for anyone, and four hours had already passed since the notice of critical illness had been sent out. Just as he was about to reach the operating room, he was suddenly stopped by several men.

    "What are you all doing?"

    "You can''t go over there."

    The two men were wearing headsets on their ears.

    Before Justin could react, he suddenly heard a shout from a distance. "At the stairway! Stop him!"

    Suddenly, the two men who were blocking Justin let go of him, and turned around to block the stairwell next to him. They tackled a figure running out, pressing the person to the ground. The man struggled in their grasp, but when he saw Justin, his pupils suddenly shrank and his movements stopped.

    Half of his face was pressed against the ground, but the moment his face mask was torn off, half of his wrinkled face was exposed. He red at Justin with bloodshot eyes and gritted his teeth, blood sttering out as he spoke. "Was it you who set me up?"

    Justin''s expression changed. "Jason?"

    One of the men holding Jason nced at Justin in surprise, then took out his walkie-talkie and said, "Boss, we''ve caught him."

    As Jason was handcuffed and dragged up, he was furious and wanted to rush up to Justin when he looked at him. "What the hell happened to the old man? You b*stard!"

    "Stop moving!"

    "Officer Hawkins."

    At that moment, Janice rushed over, followed by Julian.

    Janice nced at Jason and showed her ID. "Jason Burton, you are suspected of smuggling drugs, so we need you toe with us and cooperate with the investigation."

    Jason gave Julian a death stare, and his clenched fists made a cracking sound. "Even you had a part in this?"

    Julian stared at him coldly, not saying a word.

    "Great, how great." Jason scoffed coldly, his gaze stormy. "You better keep this in mind: some things just can''t be changed."

    Julian''s expression stiffened, and his hands that were dangling by his sides slowly clenched into fists.

    "Take him away." As Justin was present, Janice knew what Julian was worried about and immediately asked the men to take Jason away.

    However, Jason didn''t seem to have any intention of talking much and only asked before leaving, "Where is my dad?"

    Hearing that, Justin came back to his senses all at once and echoed, "Where is my grandfather?"

    Since it was a setup by the investigation bureau for Jason, Arthur should be fine.

    However, Janice''s brows furrowed and she nced at Julian.

    Dressed in a white coat, Julian had the calmness of a doctor as he announced, "Two days ago in the afternoon, Arthur Burton died of cerebral infarction at the age of 82. The time of death was 18:00 sharp on the 21st."

    Justin''s face immediately paled in disbelief.

    "What did you say?"

    Jason was about to rush up again, but he was held down by the investigation bureau''s officers who were dressed in civilian clothes and directly marched into the police car.

    After the people in the hallway gradually dispersed, a flurry of footsteps came from the stairwell. Rachel had arrived just in time to hear Julian announce the time of Arthur''s death.

    With Julian in between them, she and Justin met eyes. Although he didn''t say anything, she saw a wretched pain in Justin''s eyes that was like a whirlpool, fiercely pulling people into it. Yes, she had already known two days ago in the afternoon that Arthur had a cerebral infarction and needed to see Justin onest time, but she chose to be silent.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 381

    Chapter 381 Need Not Empathize With Him

    Arthur had passed away two days ago; however, the news of his death was kept secret in order to arrest Jason. His body was currently kept hidden in Tran-Q''s mortuary without informing his friends and family The moment Justin lifted the white cloth, his knees turned weak. ng! He grabbed the armrest of the mortuary bed beside him, and only then did he avoid falling.

    Frankie wanted to help him up when he saw Justin''s condition. However, he declined any help with a hand gesture, and his hand that hung in the air was trembling slightly. It was as if the energy in his body was depleted instantly at the sight of his grandfather. And it took a lot of effort for him toy his eyes on the old man who had passed away.

    Grandpa...

    No one knew better than Justin how much effort Arthur had spent over the years to protect him and how much effort he had expanded to nurture him into the adult he was now.

    Most of the members of the Burton Family only prioritized benefits. That was an undeniable fact! It was also a fact that Arthur was very strict with him. Yet, none of these could change the truth that Arthur genuinely loved him.

    Grandpa''s the only rtive I have in this world...

    "How long have you known?" Justin''s voice echoed in the empty mortuary.

    Rachel stood by the door a little stunned, but she said nothing. Her silence exined everything.

    He didn''t turn around as he asked her with his back toward her, "You pretended to cooperate with Jason and got in touch with the Jockey Club. You made a deal with Dillon and went to Jublen. You did everything just for today''s sake, am I right?"

    Still, she did not answer, and her silence was her answer.

    Suddenly, he let out augh and raised his head.

    At this moment, he felt like a fool. A manipted fool who was being yed around by her.

    For so long, I was worried about Rachel''s safety. I tried so many ways to persuade her not to contact Dillon and the others. I went to the Investigation Bureau to bail her out. I even mobilized material resources financial resources, and manpower to help her re-establish Hudson Pharmaceuticals, thinking that desperation drove her. But, in reality? In reality, her rtionship with Janice was still very close, and she set up such an immacte trap to arrest Jason just to avenge her rtives'' kidnapping years ago.

    "Justin." She wanted to say something, anything at all. But after silently opening and closing her mouth for a while, she only managed to say, "The dead cannot be resurrected. I''m sorry for your loss." "I bet you''re feeling fantastic right now."

    "I''m sorry, I..." Rachel was hesitant to speak.

    The person I wanted to arrest was Jason. I have never thought about killing Old Mr. Burton. It was really just a trap. No one would have thought that Old Mr. Burton would die of a cerebral infarction two days ago, least of all me.

    "What are you sorry for?"

    Then, she watched as he turned around slowly. His stern face was expressionless, but his eyes were bloodshot. As he stared at her, it seemed as if the blood vessels in his eyes might burst at any moment.

    He looked at her with sorrow. "Jason got what he deserved. No matter how we look at it, he deserved to go to prison. Back then, he kidnapped your grandmother, so it''s natural for you to arrange such a ploy just to arrest him. Likewise, I also got what I deserved. I had tortured you for so long and caused you so much unrest in your life. So, it''s natural for you to despise me for the passing of your family and friends. I''m not surprised that you didn''t consider my feelings when you executed this n. I''m not qualified. I''m not worthy..."

    As he spoke, his voice held a tremor. However, he continued speaking as if he was possessed. It was as if the words he said were not for her. Instead, it was a mantra he was using to convince himself. To persuade me to understand her actions. But, how can I understand this? What wrongs has my grandpamitted? At the end of his life, he couldn''t even see me, his unfilial grandson!

    She slowly clenched her fists hanging by her side as she watched his dejected state. Finally, as she felt suffocated with every passing second, she said, "I''m sorry. I''ll take my leave first." As soon as she came out, she bumped into Justin''s assistant, Frankie.

    "President Hudson."

    Frankie asked worriedly as he nced at the mortuary, "Is President Burton alright?"

    She frowned as she heard his inquiry, and she did not know what to say. After all, she had personally suffered the pain of the death of her rtives. To this day, it still remains as one of the most significant losses she has ever encountered.

    However, Frankie misunderstood her silence and thought that Justinshed out at her. Therefore, he quickly exined by saying, "President Hudson, President Burton''s temper has never been the best. Not to mention that Old Mr. Burton is his only rtive in this world after all. The strictness and harshness of Old Mr. Burton on President Burton also directly corrtes to his love for him. He can''t even see his Grandpa for thest time, so he must be feeling distraught. Please be more understanding of him, President Hudson."

    "Rachel doesn''t have to understand him!" Julian''s voice came from behind the two of them. He had just dealt with the inquiries from the leaders of the other hospitals and rushed over immediately. "Rachel also didn''t get to see her grandma for thest time when she passed away. Justin should have thought about this when he did the same to her back then. What goes aroundes around!" "Dr. Peters, how can you speak such words? President Burton is your cousin. HeˇŞ"

    "I have always been a supporter of the truth. No one should attempt to impose their morality on Rae!"

    Meanwhile, she was as silent as the grave.

    It''s precisely because I had personally experienced the death of my loved ones that I empathize with Justin''s feelings at the moment. But Julian has a point too. I need not empathize with him. He reaped what he sowed.

    There were too many grievances and entanglements between them, and she couldn''t be bothered to think about who was right or wrong.

    Let''s just end things here. Everything is over between us.

    "Rae, let''s go!"

    "Sure."

    When Rachel left, she looked back at the mortuary. She could see the tall figure inside standing motionlessly like a sculpture through the translucent curtain.

    The temperature in the morgue was very low, and it showed in the condition of Arthur''s corpse, which had been resting here for two days. There was a thinyer of frost on his gray hair and eyebrows. His face was blue and gray, showing no sign of life.

    In the meantime, Justin stared at Arthur''s corpse nkly. He was still in disbelief.

    Even so, he could not me anyone. He only had himself to me for actually listening to Robin''s words and went to Belleville on a business trip by himself, leaving behind Arthur who had juste out of surgery.

    I can only me myself for trusting Julian and leaving Grandpa under his care without letting anyone visit him. I only me myself formitting a lot of sins. I had wronged Rachel first and then my rtives. "President Burton." Frankie''s voice sounded behind Justin. "Do you want to notify the board of directors regarding the news of Old Mr. Burton''s death? People have been calling to ask about the situation in the hospital."

    "Notify them."

    "Also, Old Mr. Burton''swyer. You should pay thewyer a visit too and inquire about the inheritance distribution="Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "I don''t want to talk about this right now."

    Frankie''s words were interrupted abruptly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "My condolences, President Burton."

    The next day, the news of Arthur''s death was published in the newspaper, and an obituary was issued. The funeral date was set and would be held after a week.

    Behind a simple obituary, there was a hidden undercurrent of unrest with Burton Group''s board of directors due to the power vacuum. People in the same circle could glimpse a hint of what was happening due to the incidents centered around the Burton Group.

    "Initially, Robin was the indisputable winner. But now, because Jason was arrested, due to this, it froze all the equity and assets under his name. As a result, his main backer has fallen. I''m sure this idiot is now unable to make a move."

    In the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' office, Jolly held a cup of coffee and analyzed the current situation of Burton Group.

    "ording to the current equity distribution of the Burton Group, Justin will be thergest shareholder after inheriting one part of the equity if Old Mr. Burton doesn''t have a will. So Burton Group will eventually be transferred to him. However, I''m afraid it''s still a little difficult for us to acquire Burton Group with someone like Justin around. Don''t you think so, Chris?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 382

    Chapter 382 n in Acquisitioning Burton Group

    "Chris?" Jolly called out several times before Rachel came back to her senses. "Huh? What is it?" "I''ve been talking to you for a long time. What were you thinking?"

    "Nothing. I didn''t sleep wellst night. What were you saying again?" "I was talking about the acquisition of Burton Group." Jolly took a sip of her coffee. Then, she pondered and spoke, "We''re almost ready with our preparations. As long as Robin remains as the president after Burton Group''s board of directors meeting, then there will be great hope for us in seeding."

    Honestly, Carter Enterprise''s goal earlier was to acquire Hudson Pharmaceuticals. However, before she returned to the country, Rachel proposed a juicer target for the Carter Enterprise-to acquire Burton Group. Thus, both Rachel and Jolly had been advancing toward this goal.

    Be it Rachel returning to the country and working for Burton Group, sorting through the rtionship between Burton Group''s internal shareholders and senior management, orter leaving Burton Group and taking away numerous valuable connections and directing Burton Group''s focus on Hudson Pharmaceuticals. In reality, it was all a diversion nned by the two.

    Currently, the entire Burton Group administration was engaged in an internal struggle. Robin and Justin were fighting against each other. Even the board of directors was on the brink of falling apart. As the heiress of Carter Enterprise, how would Jolly simplye over to Hudson Pharmaceuticals and be Rachel''s assistant? It was merely a ploy to muzzle the public.

    Jolly said, "After Robin took over Burton Group, he made several idiotic decisions. These decisions aroused dissatisfaction among the board of directors for a long time. Some small shareholders had even nned to withdraw their investments in Burton Group and sell the decentralized stocks privately."

    Rachel frowned slightly as she heard the analysis. "But with Old Mr. Burton''s death, part of the equity will eventually fall into Justin''s hands once the inheritance is distributed. So even if he''s no longer the president of Burton Group, he still has a vote as a major shareholder of Burton Group."

    "It doesn''t matter. As long as Robin makes the situation in Burton Group even worse than it is now, Justin would not be able to save it, and he would have no choice but to sell the Burton Group." "But will the Burton Group''s board of directors still trust Robin?"

    "Well, this isn''t hard. ording to my Mom, we should give Robin a little benefit."

    Marilyn had been in the business industry for so many years. So, with decades of experience on her back, she could immediately grasp a particrpany''s weaknesses once she understood the problem. For someone as vile as Robin, he would do anything for profit. He did not have the kind of feelings that Justin had for Burton Group. As long as Carter Enterprise offered an olive branch, he would go all out and grab it to save himself.

    Rachel nodded as she heard the suggestion. "Then, we''ll do as Mrs. Carter instructed. We should request Robin to a meet-up tomorrow afternoon."

    The corners of Jolly''s lips curled up in a smirk. "Looks like Burton Group will undergo drastic changes yet again."

    In Burton Residence, Frankie brought the food and drinks he had bought from the supermarket and delivered them. As soon as he entered, he saw wine bottles next to the sofa.

    ng! Frankie had identally kicked a wine bottle beside his feet and made the bottle roll all the way to the sofa.

    Suddenly, a hand dangled from the sofa. The hand searched around the ground for a long time until it found a bottle of wine which was half full.

    "President Burton." Frankie hurried over and snatched the bottle of wine from Justin. "Stop drinking!"

    "Give it to me!"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    The man on the sofa was unshaven and had a hoarse voice. No one knew how long he had not slept. His eyes were bloodshot, and the blood vessels were spread out like spider webs in his eyes. Frankie looked around, putting the wine bottle on the coffee table next to Justin, and said, "President Burton, you can''t go on like this. Tomorrow''s the funeral, and many members of the Burton Family are still waiting for you to preside over said funeral."

    Justin let out a mockingugh. "Members of the Burton Family? Who else is there in the Burton Family?"

    Five years ago, Tina went insane and was sent abroad. My second uncle, Jason, is currently in prison. ording to the amount of his smuggling, he''ll definitely be executed. And now, my only Grandpa, who truly loved me, had also left. So who else is there in the Burton Family? Those distant rtives eagerly eyeing the distribution of the inheritance and wanting a share of the pie? Can they be considered as members of the Burton Family?

    Frankie sighed and said, "Even so, you can''t make things difficult for yourself. President Burton, life must go on. Burton Group is currently a mess. What can Robin do? You know that he''s incapable. Thepany is still waiting for you."

    "Whoever wants to care for thepany, they can go ahead! I don''t care!" Justin said, then got up and went to the liquor cab to get another bottle of wine. "President Burton!" Frankie tried to stop him.

    "F*CK OFF!" Justin coldly pushed Frankie away rudely. He took a bottle of imported wine from the liquor cab and staggered to the dining room in search of a ss. Suddenly, the sound of the car engine came from outside the yard. Frankie turned to look, and his eyes lit up at what he saw.

    "Miss Hochmann, you''re finally here."

    "Where is he?" Gloria looked around. Then, she followed Frankie''s gaze and saw Justin pouring the wine in the dining room. "This is no time for you to be drinking!" Gloria quicked her pace and hurried over to snatch the wine ss from Justin''s hand.

    At once, there was a change in Justin''s facial expression. "GIVE IT TO ME!"

    "Give it to you?!" Gloria was furious. "FINE! Here it is! I''ll give it to you!"

    As soon as she finished speaking, she threw a ss of wine at his face under Frankie''s shocked gaze.

    Ssh! The imported wine sshed onto his face. The liquid flowed down his cheeks onto his neck, and the wrinkled shirt on his body had also gotten wet as a result.

    Angered, Gloria put down the ss hard. "So is it delicious? Did you drink enough? WAKE UP, JUSTIN!"

    Justin was indeed a little more sober after that. When he saw Gloria in front of him, he lowered his head in silence. He looked pathetic and pitiful, like a man who had lost his fighting spirit. After a while, he said, "I just want to drink. Leave if you don''t wish to see me like this."

    "How you look is none of my concern! I''m here to tell you that it''s not time for you to die yet. Yes, you are distraught because your Grandpa passed away. But who hasn''t experienced the death of a rtive? Go to the street, grab anyone, and ask them if they have experienced it before! Or you can directly call Miss Rachel and ask her!"

    Gloria mmed her hand directly on the table and shouted, "When Miss Rachel''s grandma passed away back then, she was no less devastated than you are now. But, she could cheer up and try her best to live on. So why can''t you? YOU ARE A MAN!"

    Frankie could no longer stand back in silence. "Miss Hochmann, President Burton isn''t upset because of this..."

    "Then, what''s the reason?"

    "It''s b-because..." Frankie hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to exin. Later, he gritted his teeth and uttered, "Old Mr. Burton didn''t die of natural causes."

    "What?" Gloria was startled, and she was in disbelief.

    Meanwhile, Justin said nothing. Instead, there was sorrow and misery in his bloodshot eyes.

    Arthur''s body was sent to be cremated from the hospital yesterday. It was Justin who personally apanied him. But, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he got on the way to the cremation center. And thus, he had Frankie seek a forensic medical expert to do an autopsy.

    Frankie said, "The examination detected toxins in Old Mr. Burton''s body, and it was injected into his body recently."

    Gloria was in a state of disbelief and said, "How is that possible? Wasn''t Julian the one who kept watch at the hospital? No one could enter the ICU without his signature."

    Frankly took a deep breath and slowly spat out, "President Hudson had gone in."

    In an instant, Gloria''s facial expression changed instantly. That is impossible! The Rachel I know wouldn''t have done something like this!

 My Mute Bride Chapter 383

    Chapter 383 Abnormal Death

    Gloria fell into a huge shock. She could not believe a word spoken by Frankie. "You mean to tell me that Miss Rachel has something to do with Old Mr. Burton''s death? How is this possible? She has no grievances with him, so why would she want him dead? No, Miss Rachel is not such a person!"

    "I know you won''t believe it." Frankie took out a photo. "Miss Hochmann, take a look at this if you don''t believe me." "Frankie, that''s enough!" Justin suddenly reprimanded, not letting Frankie continue. However, Frankie did not listen to him, so Gloria saw the photo on his phone in the end.

    Gloria slightly tightened her hands into fists on her side as she saw the photo in Frankie''s hands.

    Finally, Frankie said, "This was taken yesterday. Why would two people who are enemies meet in private?"

    In the photo, Rachel and Robin were eating in a restaurant.

    "President Burton sold half of his shares to Robin in order to help President Hudson before, and I found out about the transaction information that Robin had sold all his shares to President Hudson. Moreover, President Hudson is still buying Burton Group''s decentralized shares privately and frequently keeping in touch with Burton Group''s shareholders. To put it simply, if we guessed correctly, President Hudson is assisting Carter Enterprise in acquiring Burton Group. If Old Mr. Burton is still alive, this scheme will definitely not work. But once Old Mr. Burton is dead, and the equity is decentralized, anything is possible." Although Gloria did not understand business affairs, she still understood everything when she heard this.

    "How could this be?"

    Gloria shook her head and added, "Miss Rachel wouldn''t kill anyone. Even if Carter Enterprise wishes to acquire Burton Group, she wouldn''t utilize such a ruthless tactic..."

    Frankie said, "No one has this motive and the opportunity to drug Old Mr. Burton except for President Hudson! But, even if it wasn''t done by President Hudson, judging from the list of suspects in the current situation and who stands to benefit the most with Old Mr. Burton''s death, I''m afraid she was still somewhat involved in this."

    However, Gloria still refused to believe such a thing.

    At that moment, the sound of someone dragging the wine ss came from the dining table. It was Justin who had poured arge ss of imported wine. He raised his head and chugged down half of it. All the while, his hands trembled uncontrobly.

    "The matter ends here, and no one should mention it again. The funeral will be held as scheduled. Grandpa died of cerebral infarction and no other reason."

    Gloria stared nkly at Justin. It was a no-brainer why he cooped himself up in the house for the past two days and got wasted like this.

    Then, Frankie left to continue working on preparations for the funeral, and Gloria was the only one left. She put aside the wine bottles on the ground, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Have you ever thought of investigating this matter clearly? Since there''s a problem, you should investigate it. What if it has nothing to do with Miss Rachel?"

    "But what if it has?" Justin dropped those words casually and rendered her speechless.

    This was the true source of Justin''s pain. He was willing to believe that Rachel would not do such a thing. However, he also believed that he was a sinner that deserved all this pain. It''s natural for Rachel to take extreme actions against me since she hates me. I deserve this. What if? What if she really hates me so much and did this to make me feel the loss of a loved one? How should I deal with this fact after I find out?

    Gloria felt extremely upset as she saw him continue drinking.

    Just how did the two of them be like this?

    Later, in the evening. The branch detection center of the Riverdale Investigation Bureau was located near thekeside of West Magnolia. It was only 5 kilometers away from the Riverdale Penitentiary. Generally, the prisoners sent here were serious criminals waiting to go on trial. Furthermore, there was a high probability that these criminals would either be sent to the Riverdale Penitentiary or executed. Sue came out of the detention center, and her eyes were still teary.

    Someone parked a white car on the side of the road, and the person who got off was Julian.

    As soon as Sue saw the personing, her facial expression sank. She wiped her tears and walked toward the other side.

    "Mom!" Julian walked over and stopped her.

    "Don''t call me Mom. I don''t have a son like you!"

    "Mom! Can you calm down?"

    "How can I calm down? My son, my own son, sent his biological father to prison!"

    "That''s a result of his own actions!"

    Sue gritted her teeth and uttered, "Since you think he deserves this, what are you doing here?"

    "I bought you a flight ticket for tomorrow, and you will live in Montenegro starting from tomorrow. So, don''t stay in Riverdale anymore."

    "What?!" Sue was in disbelief. "Are you chasing me away?"

    Julian said indifferently, "I don''t think you would want Justin to know that it was you and Jason who had nned the abduction case? So leaving Riverdale is the best option you can take right now." Sue''s face was trembling. "Julian, what exactly are you trying to do?"

    "I don''t want to do anything. I just don''t want to be looked down upon and live my life with a guilty conscience."

    After saying this, he stuffed her into the car. He ignored her struggle as he locked the car door. Then, he stepped on the elerator and drove the car away from the West Magnolia Detention Center. Three dayster, at Arthur''s funeral. Since Arthur established most of the fame and fortune of the Burton Family in Riverdale, many wealthy families attended the funeral personally as a sign of respect. At the memorial service scene, there was a long queue in the parking lot. There were cars lined up on the streets all the way outside the venue.

    Justin, dressed in ck with a white flower on his chest, bowed and shook hands with those who came to the memorial service.

    "I am sorry for your loss."

    "Thank you."

    Frankie took the initiative to help greet people as he knew that Justin was in a terrible mood. "Thank you. There is a special lounge over there, and refreshments are avable. So, everyone, please take a break in the lounge. We will start when everyone has arrived."

    There were many people in attendance, and they filled the entire lounge.

    Finally, Frankie said, "President Burton, the shareholders are here too. Let''s go over and greet them."

    "Sure." Justin nodded slightly and walked toward the ce where the shareholders were seated.

    At the memorial service, an emcee was responsible for recounting Arthur''s life and his contributions to charity.

    "Fellow uncles."

    Most of the shareholders were older and could be considered as Justin''s elders.

    "Old Mr. Burton left suddenly. I heard that he didn''t have a will written?"

    "Yeah."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "How could it be so sudden? We wanted to visit him at the hospital before, but the hospital said that he was in the ICU and his situation was unstable. So, it was inconvenient to visit. Where were you at the time?"

    Someone interrupted when they heard that. "President Gunson sent him on a business trip."

    Then, someone replied huffily, "Robin! What was his motive to send President Burton on a business trip at that hour?"

    After that, everyone started discussing and threw out theory after theory during the discussion.

    After a quick look around the venue, Justin realized that Robin was not in attendance yet.

    At this moment, the emcee had finished introducing Arthur''s life. "Old Mr. Burton left suddenly without leaving any will, so everyone should make a notary. ording to the right of inheritance, Old Mr. Burton currently has only one grandson, Mr. Justim Burton, and a granddaughter, Tina Burton, who is far away in Montenegro. However, Tina has no ability to take care of herself, so the part of the equity currently allocated is temporarily represented by Justin..."

    "Wait!" A male voice suddenly came from the door, attracting everyone''s attention.

    "President Gunson?"

    The person who came was indeed Robin. He was dressed in a ck suit and still as arrogant as usual. He did not look like he was attending a funeral. Instead, he looked like he was attending a cocktail party. "Today is the memorial service for Old Mr. Burton. President Gunson, please don''t make a scene."

    "That''s right. Please postpone any talks about thepany''s affairs."

    As he disregarded everyone''sments, he thundered, "Who said that Old Mr. Burton did not leave a will? Here in my hand is the will left by Old Mr. Burton!"

    In an instant, there was an uproar in the venue.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 384

    Chapter 384 The Appointment of an Heir

    Amid the uproar, Robin walked up the steps arrogantly and snatched the microphone from the emcee. "This will, in my hand, appoint the heir to the 40 percent equity under Old Mr. Burton''s name and all the inheritance distribution issues of the Burton Family."

    Everyone at the venue made morousments after they heard Robin''s words. Suddenly, Frankie stood up. "President Gunson, with all due respect, how do we know whether the will in your hand is the real deal? In other words, you''re all talk without any substance to back up your im. So it couldn''t be that you want us to believe you just like that when you say Old Mr. Burton has left the entire Burton Group in your hands in this will?"

    "Yeah! How could we believe this will?"

    "Who knows if it''s the real thing?"

    "It''s fake. I heard that Old Mr. Burton didn''t see anyone before his death."

    "That''s right! That will. How could it end up in his hands?"

    Sure enough, Justin''s status in Burton Group was not something Robin, who just became the president for two days, could rock.

    Furthermore, the key to Burton Groupy in the word ''Burton''. The biggest shareholder was Arthur. Therefore, he had the final say on who would be the president.

    "My words are not credible, but thewyer''s words are credible. Am I right?" As soon as this sentence escaped Robin''s lips, those words gradually silenced the people at the venue.

    It was only then that everyone noticed the person following behind Robin was not his usual assistant. Instead, the man in the suit was about 40 years old, and he looked rather old.

    At once, someone recognized the man.

    "That''s Old Mr. Burton''swyer!"

    "It''s Mr. Walker."

    After that, thewyer took the microphone that Robin handed him with a severe expression. "Everyone, please let me speak. I''m Michael Walker, and the will in Mr. Gunson''s hand is indeed the will left by Old Mr. Burton on his deathbed. It was mainly a recording and my notes. The notary office has notarized the will, and it had legal effect."

    Meanwhile, Justin kept staying silent. However, the moment he heard these words, his pupils contracted. "Mr. Walker, are you saying my Grandpa left a recording before he died?"

    Michael looked at Justin and slightly nodded as he heard the question. "Yes."

    "What did Grandpa say?"

    "It''s all here in this will."

    Robin gave up his spot for thewyer. "Mr. Walker, I think everyone is anxious. Why don''t you just read the will directly?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "Very well."

    In the huge memorial hall, the portrait of Arthur was facing everyone. It was decorated with bright yellow and white chrysanthemums. However, the memorial service of a wealthy family was never just as simple as mourning. This will that suddenly appeared affected the emotions of everyone present.

    "ording to the doctor''s appraisal, Old Mr. Burton was conscious before his death, and he had the mind and the right to make decisions. Therefore, he had entrusted me, Michael Walker, as a notarywyer to be present before his deathbed and record the will. The following is the content of the will. The real estate under Old Mr. Burton''s name, including shops, facade houses, etc., is divided into two parts. One will be handed over to the trust foundation to take care of his granddaughter, Tina. If Tina recovers, she can use it freely. Old Mr. Burton holds 43 percent of Burton Group''s shares. ording to his request, a sole heir has been appointed for the shares."

    When everyone listened to this part, they became anxious.

    Justin is naturally the first heir, regardless of Old Mr. Burton''s sole focus or thews on inheritance rights. However, since there''s a will, it means that there is an unforeseen circumstance.

    As expected, Michael announced, "The sole heir is Julian Burton, the grandson of Arthur Burton."

    Who? Everyone looked surprised when they heard the name.

    "Who is Julian Burton?"

    "Who''s that? Have you heard of him?"

    "No, I haven''t."

    As the discussion got louder, Frankie was also stunned by the turn of events. "Who? Julian Burton?" Justin, who was beside him, frowned slightly. It was also his first time hearing the name. Then, someone piped up, "Doesn''t Old Mr. Burton only have one grandson? Who is this Julian Burton? Where did hee from?"

    "That''s right. Were you perhaps mistaken?"

    Michael nodded politely toward the person as he heard that line of inquiry. "I''m sure of it. In addition to the will, I have a DNA test here. The test confirms that Mr. Julian Burton is a member of the Burton Family that was lost and just found recently. He is Old Mr. Burton''s grandson."

    "Where is he then?"

    "That''s right. Who exactly is he?"

    At this moment, a figure walked up the steps unhurriedly. Each step taken was slowly, as if they were waiting for everyone''s attention.

    The discussion voices gradually faded, and all eyes were on the man who came to the stage.

    Like a shot, someone had realized something. Unbelievable!

    Robin said, "Let me introduce: this is another grandson of Old Mr. Burton, Julian Burton."

    Soon, Julian stood on the stage with his hands behind his back. It was his habit after performing surgery.

    "Sorry for beingte, I was in the hospital performing a surgery, and it''s also myst operation. I think most of you here today are not unfamiliar with me, so I won''t bother with introductions. You have heard the contents of the will. When the equity redistribution announcementes out, I will be taking over Burton Group. My name is Julian Peters, and I''m also Julian Burton."

    The hall was as silent as the grave. Then, after a few seconds, everyone eximed in shock.

    "Isn''t that Justin''s cousin?"

    "Yeah. How did he be Old Mr. Burton''s grandson?"

    The moment Justin saw Julian, he stood up abruptly. He stood out amongst the crowd in ck with a height of nearly 6''3 feet, and he looked at Julian, who was on the stage, in disbelief. Likewise, Julian was also looking directly at him.

    When their eyes met, the familiarity of living under the same roof for more than 30 years seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke. What was left was only the unknown and boundless loneliness. The memorial service ended in a hurry.

    In the afternoon, Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "Chris! Breaking News!" Jolly didn''t even knock on the door when she barged in while Rachel read a financial report.

    In the meantime, Rachel was not surprised by Jolly''s exaggerated actions anymore. She did not even raise her head. "The director of the Marketing Department had an affair with the secretary and was caught by his wife and got pped in the face? Or the new intern from the Finance Department got rejected yet again when they tried to bribe their supervising officers?"

    Jolly was akin to a humanoid gossip maker. Due to the nature of her work, she needed to connect with various departments. Hence, she knew all the gossip of each department like the back of her hand. "No! This time, it''s really big news! If you knew about this, you wouldn''t be able to continue reading your report. Trust me!"

    "Fine, fine. Tell me."

    "At the Burton Family''s memorial service in the morning, awyer read out Old Mr. Burton''s will and appointed the heir to the equity of Burton Group. Guess who''s that heir?"

    Rachel perfunctorily said as she flipped to the next page of the report, "Who else could it be? Currently, the Burton Family only has one heir."

    Jason is imprisoned, and he is deprived of his basic political rights. He will never be released from prison in this life. Thus, he has no right to inherit anything at all. As for Robin? He''s merely a blind follower of Jason.

    Jolly retorted, "Do you think I''ll consider that as breaking news if it was Justin?"

    "If it''s not him, then who else can it be?" Rachel finally raised her head.

    "You''ll never be able to guess who it is no matter how hard you try." Then, Jolly took a deep breath and said slowly, "It''s Julian."

 My Mute Bride Chapter 385

    Chapter 385 The Right Decision

    Rachel was utterly flummoxed, and she could not believe what she had just heard. "Pardon?" "Julian! I said, Julian Peters! You weren''t mistaken." Jolly emphasized Julian''s name over and over again excitedly. "Can you believe it? Julian is the grandson of Old Mr. Burton, an illegitimate child of the Burton Family."

    Suddenly, Rachel''s hand shook, and the pen she was holding created a tragic scratch on the report.

    Not noticing Rachel''s reaction, Jolly continued saying, "Everyone is now guessing who Julian''s father is. Old Mr. Burton only has two sons in total. So his eldest son, Justin''s father, is likely to be Julian''s father. After all, Sue was his sister-inw. So the story of the affairs between a brother-inw and sister-inw is now spreading."

    "That''s impossible!"

    "Huh?" Jolly was taken aback. "Why is it impossible?"

    "When Justin''s father died, Julian wasn''t even born yet."

    "Really?" Just like those outsiders, Jolly did not know when Justin''s father died.

    After that, Rachel exined, "The rtionship between Justin''s father and Old Mr. Burton was not very good. He ran away from home and got married secretly in the past. When he died unexpectedly, Justin was only about three or four years old. Later, Old Mr. Burton took Justin home, but because he was young and afraid of strangers, Sue followed him to the Burton Residence to take care of him."

    These are the things Justin told me back then. I still remember them very well.

    Jolly said, "Was Sue already married, right? So then, who was her husband?"

    "I''m not sure. But Julian was indeed born in the Burton Residence."

    "Could it be that Old Mr. Burton has a third son?" Jolly made a presumption with her overactive mind.

    Rachel side-eyed Jolly and said, "Have you ever thought of another possibility?"

    "What possibility? If it''s not Justin''s father, doesn''t that indicate that Old Mr. Burton has a third son? There''s no way it was Jason." Jolly was in a world all by herself when she finished her sentence. However, she realized something when she finished her rant.

    She looked at Rachel in surprise. "No way!"

    After putting down the pen, Rachel took out her car keys. "I''m heading out for a while."

    "Hey, take me with you!"

    "No, you have to go home. Your parents will probably be looking for you once they hear the news."

    With Julian suddenly bing the sessor of Burton Group, they must postpone Carter Enterprise''s acquisition ns for Burton Group. At the very least, they have to figure out the current situation.

    Rachel drove out of Hudson Pharmaceuticals alone.

    "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavable. Please try againter." Unfortunately, Julian wasn''t picking up her calls.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    No doubt, there must be many people who want to call Julian at this hour.

    Therefore, Rachel called the hospital again.

    The call went through, and Julian''s intern answered the phone. "Didn''t you know? Dr. Peters had resigned from the hospital."

    "When did this happen?"

    "Dr. Peters submitted his resignation report half a month ago. Today, the resignation process was finally over, and he had packed up all his things. The hospital also switched several of us to another mentor." "Then, do you know where he''s gone?"

    "I''m sorry, I don''t."

    "Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience."

    "No worries."

    Rachel hung up the phone and drove aimlessly on the streets of Riverdale. She didn''t even know where to begin to look for Julian for a moment. He most probably won''t be at home.

    It was already evening. The electronic screen disyed the city nning map of Riverdale in the city center. The real estate development advertisements of ''The Banks of the Green River'' filled the streets and alleys. Even the billboards on the bus station tform are full of them.

    She suddenly recalled something. Then, she drove directly to Green River Street.

    After parking the car on the side of the road, she walked along the riverside path in Green River Park for a while. Then, finally, she saw a familiar figure in the distance, and he was sitting on thewn and watching the children ying in the distance.

    "I knew it! You''re really here."

    Julian was a little stunned by her appearance, and he turned his head to look at Rachel. His eyes brightened momentarily, but they immediately turned bleak. Then, he asked faintly, "What brings you here?"

    "I heard about the incident at the memorial service."

    "So you''re here to ask me about my background?"

    Rachel was slightly startled. "Can''t I ask?

    Julian said nothing in response. Instead, he took a white coat from his bag and spread it out beside him. "Have a seat."

    "It''s okay. I..."

    "Nah, it''s fine. I don''t need it anyway. I just brought it out as a souvenir."

    Despite what Julian said, she still sat directly on the ground. She picked up his white coat and put it on her knees. As she looked at the Tran-Q''s logo above, she said, "I used to constantly think that you just want to be a doctor and a good one, at that."

    "How about now?"

    "I still feel that way now."

    He was slightly taken aback, and he looked at her in surprise.

    Based on today''s situation, everyone who knew him would think that he had gained astonishing triumphs, so he could not wait to resign. After all, how could being a doctor be any better than inheriting Burton Group?

    However, Rachel said, "If you were that kind of person, you wouldn''t bring this coat out. No matter why you decided to ept Old Mr. Burton''s will and inherit Burton Group, I believe you''ll always be a good doctor. You have your own reasons for everything you do."

    "Everyone is guessing who my biological father is. They all think that I have stayed in the Burton Residence for so many years, all for the sake of today."

    "You are you. He is him. You two are different people."

    Her words made him frown slightly. "You knew?"

    "Well, I saw you talking to him on the phone once."

    As he heard this, his facial expression changed.

    However, she didn''t care as she continued, "At first, I thought he might be trying to threaten you to get Old Mr. Burton''s information. But now, it seems that it is simply human nature. After all, he is your father, yet you stand on the side of justice in the end. It must have been quite hard on you. Julian, if I had known about this at the time, I wouldn''t have made things difficult for you. For that, please ept my sinceres apologies."

    A trace ofplex emotion shed in his eyes. Shortly after, he attempted a small smile and said, "It''s okay. You don''t need to apologize. I just did what I was supposed to do."

    "Alright then, a piece of advice? You don''t have to care what others say. Since you''ve made a decision, just keep moving forward."

    She stood up and reached out her hands to him. "Get up. I''ll walk with you."

    The sunset dyed half of the sky red and Rachel''s smile was gentle as if it could heal all wounds.

    At that moment, the gloom in Julian''s heart disappeared temporarily. He held Rachel''s hand and smiled. "Okay, let''s go."

    It now appears that I have made the right decision. No matter what was sacrificed, I can only protect the one I love by standing at the pinnacle of power. No matter how much I love being a doctor, I don''t want to look back anymore. I don''t wish to watch my beloved woman being tortured like before while I can only stand there and do anything.

    Unknown to the two walking side by side, a ck car was parked by the river. The man''s gaze seemingly prated the windshield as he sat on the back seat and watched their retreating silhouettes. His temples throbbed fiercely, his cold pupils contracted, and a wave of misery appeared in his usually calm and deep gaze.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 386

    Chapter 386 Passive-Aggressive

    The air in the car was almost frozen. In the rearview mirror, Frankie could not bear to look at the man''s facial expression in the back seat. "President Burton, why don''t I go and ask?" "What are you going to ask?" Instantly, Frankie was at a loss for words. What am I going to ask?

    Frankie knew Justin''s current mood better than anyone else. No one could understand the pain of being betrayed by their own family. Julian was the cousin he grew up with, and Rachel was the woman he loved all his life. Yet, both of them walked away from him at the same time.

    "Let''s go."

    After saying those two words with much difficulty, he finally retracted his gaze and leaned back against the back of the chair feebly.

    Even though he was odd to think this, he did not hate anyone or feel any anger.

    At the moment when Julian appeared at the memorial service and was announced as the heir of Burton Group, Justin had no other emotions except for a moment of astonishment.

    Simrly, Justin was neither angry nor even jealous when he saw Rachel rush over to the park a while ago and walk side by side with Julian on the path along the river, looking like a match made in heaven. At this moment, Justin finally understood what it meant to lose. The real meaning of loss was that one did not even have the qualifications to retain something or someone.

    It''s better this way. The current Julian is capable enough to protect Rachel. He is her best refuge.

    "Frankie."

    "Yes, President Burton."

    "Book me a flight to Montenegro."

    "You''re going to Montenegro?" Frankie was stunned for a moment, but he nodded in agreement shortly after. "That''s right. You need to rest for a while. Don''t worry. I''ll help you make proper arrangements regarding the matter on Burton Group. Well then, when will you be back?"

    However, Justin did not say a word. He didn''t know how long he would be away. He seemed to have no reason to stay in Riverdale any longer.

    Everyone thought that the president of Burton Group was about to be reced by Julian. But after the reallocation of shares, Julian actually tried his best to resign at the first general meeting of shareholders. Instead, Julian proposed that Robin remained as Burton Group''s president, while he would be the vice president.

    "But the vice president is President Burton. So if you''re the vice president, then President Burton..."

    Out of the blue, this sentence came out, and everyone looked at each other in dismay.

    A few gazesnded on the position that initially belonged to Justin. However, the seat was empty at the moment.

    After the memorial service, Justin said he was not feeling well and did note to Burton Group ever again.

    "Mr. Zimmer, are you senile? Julian is now thergest shareholder of Burton Group. He has the right to appoint and remove any positions in Burton Group. The entire Burton Group belongs to him. Do you think a mere position of a vice president will do anything?" Robin rudely scolded the person who spoke.

    The person was obviously angry from being jabbed by Robin.

    After all, Julian was a suddenly assigned leader. Despite him being thergest shareholder, he still has not gained the favors of the other shareholders. Julian did not have his own men orwork in Burton Group. Furthermore, these shareholders were stubborn. Although they showed respect outwardly, they had different sinister ideas inwardly.

    Even so, Julian was not angry. Then, he said in a low voice, "Everyone had misunderstood, Justin is my cousin, and he has been in Burton Group for so many years. His contributions are obvious to all. Who stiptes that there can''t be two vice presidents in apany?"

    Once again, the crowd was taken aback by this deration.

    Later, Julian added, "My initial intention was to let him return to be the president. But it''s best to postpone this decision, considering the frequent changes of thepany''s presidents in the short term will have too much impact on stock market fluctuations. I think everyone has no opinion about this, right?"

    Julian''s humble and gentle attitude surprised everyone.

    At once, Robin raised his hand. "I''ll express my stand first. I have no opinion anyway. I have nothing to say if you guys want me to retire from this position one day."

    As the crowd noticed Robin listening to Julian''s words, everyone felt even more shocked. Then, the crowd started whispering.

    "I heard that Julian is a humble person before, but I didn''t expect him to be so generous in matters rted to interests."

    "Yeah, he has already received so much equity. We can''t stop him from doing what he wants. But no words can describe this humble attitude of his."

    "If only President Burton were here-it''s rare to have a discussion without conflict. Even President Gunson isn''t causing a scene today."

    "Oh... He''s arrogant and entitled. You know how President Burton was..."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    "To put it bluntly, he''s petty."

    The final result was that everyone unanimously agreed with Julian''s suggestion. Robin still remained as thepany''s president. Meanwhile, as thepany''s first and second shareholders, Julian and Justin would both be the vice presidents.

    As soon as the meeting was over, the crowd was dismissed. Robin greeted Julian courteously andplimented him. "President Peters, your tactic of retreating to win some ground is working well. Inparison with Justin''s pettiness for not attending the meeting, you have instantly gained the favors of these shareholders with your humble attitude.

    However, Julian said faintly, "Justin is not petty. I grew up with him. He is more subtle than you think."

    "Could it be that he would make aeback?"

    "Who knows?"

    "Then I will be in the first line of defense and help you in that battle if that is truly the case. I''ll ept any assignment from you, even if I have to undergo the most severe trials, President Peters. I''ll deal with him for you!"

    Justin did not speak. Instead, he turned his head and looked out the window. The trial will be held in two days.

    One monthter...

    "Wait a minute. Your face is a little oily. Makeup artist, please touch up the makeup." "Right!"

    "Okay, we can start now."

    Leroy was shooting the cover of Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' new packaging endorsement in the studio, and Jolly wasmanding the staff like she was Leroy''s assistant.

    Rachel was speechless. "Are you my assistant or Leroy''s assistant? You are receiving payment from me yet working under him. I''m suffering a great loss."

    Jolly raised her eyebrows as she heard Rachel''sint. "I''m doing it for your sake! I''m doing this so that the endorsement advertisement for ourpany in this issue will look better."

    "It doesn''t do much even if it looks good, does it? No matter how beautiful the idols are, do you think fans will support them once they are in a rtionship? From what I see, the greatest contribution you can give to thepany is by breaking up with Leroy."

    "Instigating a discord, are we? I''ll tell Julianter that you weren''t meeting a client two days ago. You just stayed at home for the whole day and didn''t go on a date with him on purpose!" "Shh!" Rachel immediately covered Jolly''s mouth. "Will it kill you to keep quiet?"

    Jolly pped Rachel''s hand away and said, "Why are you acting like a thief? No, I just want to know what''s happening with you and Julian right now. Rumors are circting in thepany that you two are getting married."

    "Nothing is going on. We''re just friends."

    "Who are you kidding?! Friends, seriously?" Jolly said with a look of disdain, "Will friends send roses and cakes to your office every few days? Besides this, let''s talk about the cooperative tie between Burton Group and Carter Enterprise. Do you think he''ll go against all opinions with his ability and agree with my mom''s condition if it wasn''t out of his respect for you? He suffers a great loss by agreeing with my mom''s condition! Right now, the more my mom sees Julian, the more eye-pleasing she feels. Just two days ago, she even asked me to persuade you to marry Julian sooner. In the future, the twopanies will join forces and merge into one."

    Rachel was reading a magazine on the sofa. However, she did not turn a page for a long time, and her look was one of utter absent-mindedness.

    When Jolly noticed Rachel''s discouraging state, she was frustrated. Then, she nudged Rachel a little. "Did you hear a word of what I said? Why do you look like your soul has left your body these days." Rachel raised her head and spoke out of the blue, "Tomorrow''s the 18th."

    "Yeah, what about it?"

    Rachel frowned slightly as she heard the confirmation. But, then, she said in a casual tone, "Tomorrow''s the day for Jason''s execution."

    Jolly was stunned by the news.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 387

    Chapter 387 We Are the Same

    In Riverdale Penitentiary. "You don''t seem surprised at all." Across a vacuum ss, Julian held the phone and looked at the man over the ss.

    The man was in his fifties, and his sideburns werepletely white. He looked like a man in his seventies, and he no longer had the same high-spirited energy as before.

    Jason stared at Julian for a long time before he spoke, "Murderers like to go back to the crime scene and watch the follow-up development after killing the person. You, too, are simr to them." "Are youparing me to a murderer?"

    "Aren''t you? You killed me!"

    Julian snorted when he heard that, "It was your own evil thoughts and greed that killed you."

    Surprisingly, Jason was calm. He continued to look at Julian as if he wanted to engrave his look in his dim eyes.

    "Actually, we are the same like father, like son. You and I, we both wanted power, wealth, admiration, and respect. We wanted to step on others. The only difference is that you pretend like you don''t want it, while I never hide the fact that I want it."

    Julian furrowed his brows slightly when he heard this outrageous im.

    "Why exactly did you ask to see me?"

    Jason was sentenced to be executed, and the day for his execution was tomorrow. However, prisoners had the right to see their rtives and friends before the execution. This was a favor granted by thew. Of course, Julian could have chosen not toe. However, he still came.

    Eventually, Jason restrained his scrutinizing gaze on Julian a little. "Tina is still abroad, and I hope you can take care of her."

    Julian remained silent. He did not say yes, nor did he say no.

    "How''s your mother? Seeing as she did not visit me for so long, she must me me."

    "She''s abroad."

    Jason was slightly startled. Then, he looked at Julian again and actuallyplimented him. "You''ve done a good job! To achieve great sess is to put aside all feelings and rtionships, even if it is family. You are better than me in this aspect!"

    "Are you done?" Julian felt a little impatient. Then, he raised his wrist and nced at his watch. "I''m busy."

    As Julian said that, he made a move to get up.

    Jason hurriedly stopped him. "Julian, c-can''t you call me Dad, just once, please?"

    Julian nced at Jason, and ayer of indifference slowly covered his usually warm eyes. "If I want to achieve great sess, I need to put aside all feelings and rtionships, even if it is family. Isn''t this what you just taught me?"

    After saying this, Julian hung up the phone and left without looking back.

    Only Jason was left standing there, holding the receiver in his hand. He tried his best to hear something from the other end of the phone. But unfortunately, he could not hear anything.

    When someone was about to die, the power and wealth he had pursued throughout his life seemed to be no longer important, akin to a cloud vanishing into thin air. Jason never thought that his only wish before his death was to hear Julian call him Dad.

    Aftering out of the penitentiary, Julian realized that the sky was not dark yet. Instead, the fiery clouds on the horizon lit the hills in the distance red,plementing the sycamore trees in fall. Julian drove to the penitentiary alone without bringing anyone.

    The car drove away from Riverdale Penitentiary. Heavy metal rock music yed along the way, and the music almost shook off the car''s roof. Usually, Julian would never listen to this particr genre, thinking it was too noisy. However, he currently felt that the louder it was, the better it was for him. My heart won''t feel empty when my ears are filled with noise.

    Nightfall came, and Rachel was putting the clothes on the balcony back into the house when she saw it would rain outside.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was carrying a child in each of her arms. They were watching cartoons on the sofa. The two children each held arge bag of snacks. After having a bite by themselves, they would give Jolly a taste of the snacks.

    Anyone who saw this scene would be envious.

    Rachel nced at the time and said, "It''s gettingte. Charlotte, Samuel, brush your teeth and go to bed."

    The two children were very obedient and went back to the room hand in hand.

    Jolly picked up a bag of potato chips and stuffed the chips into her mouth. Then, she garbled with a mouth full of food, "You''re just jealous of me and want to ruin my happy parent-children hour."

    "I want to ask you something."

    "What is it?"

    "Have you contacted Julian today?"

    Jolly shook her head at the question. "No, but I did send him a message in the morning. My dad has a friend who suffers from a heart problem. I want to ask him if there is an expert he knows that can take a look. But he hasn''t gotten back to me yet."

    Rachel frowned. The message I sent him hasn''t received any reply yet either.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Just as Rachel was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. It was a call from Julian.

    "Hello?" After pressing the answer button, she headed straight back to the balcony.

    "I''ve been busy for the whole day today, and I only saw the message just now. So what''s the matter?"

    His weary voice came from the other end of the phone.

    Then, at once, she said, "It''s nothing. I just want to ask you if you have time on the weekend. Jolly and the others n to go to the suburbs to have fun together on the weekend. We''ll be bringing along the children. Leroy, Ria, and Victor will all be there too."

    "This weekend?"

    "Yeah."

    "Sure, I have time. I will pick you up when the timees."

    "Okay!"

    "By the way, I have seen what Jolly asked me about. So, I will organize the way of contact and information and send it to her so that she can check that carefully."

    Rachel felt relieved when she heard nothing unusual in his tone.

    "Then, rest early, and don''t stay upte."

    "Good night."

    After the call ended, Rachel stood on the balcony holding her smartphone. As the night wind blew, she suddenly felt inexplicably absent-minded.

    "Yo! Don''t stay up toote."

    Suddenly, Jolly''s teasing voice rang from behind.

    Rachel was so startled that her phone nearly flew out of the balcony. Then, she red at Jolly. "Don''t you know it''s not good to scare someone? What if I have a heart attack because of that scare? What then? Also, why are you eavesdropping on my call?"

    "I''m just curious. You know, concerned about your love life."

    "Love life?"

    Rachel headed straight into the room after shouldering Jolly aside. "Julian said he''ll help you sort out the contact method and information regarding the cardiac expert you asked for. So remember to check in when he sends it to you. Don''t forget."

    "Then, why didn''t he tell me directly?"

    "Nonsense, you''re always by my side. Telling me is the same as telling you."

    "Yeah, you''re right. But I still want to ask, why didn''t he tell me directly?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Rachel was rendered speechless. "Jolly, are you a recorder?"

    Jolly said triumphantly, "In my opinion, this recorder will have the opportunity to be a bridesmaid soon."

    "Don''t spew nonsense!"

    With that, Rachel threw a T-shirt she had just taken off the hanger into Jolly''s face. "Fold your clothes properly!"

    "Rude!"

    As Jolly folded her clothes, she muttered herints, "I really should let Julian see you like this. By the way, do you have any ns for tomorrow? If you don''t,e shopping with me. I have no clothes to wear."

    "I have things to do."

    "What is it that you possibly need to do?"

    "I have to go to the Riverdale Penitentiary in West Magnolia."

    Jolly was taken aback. "What are you going to do there?"

    Rachel frowned as she heard Jolly''s question. Then, feeling a mixed bag of emotions in her heart, she gradually stopped folding the clothes in her hand.

    As the saying once said, ''Everyone hits a man who is down.'' After Jason was convicted and sentenced to execution for his smuggling case, his underlings avoided him like he was the gue. Even Robin, his Godson, is also trying his best to distance himself from him. So, I''m afraid there won''t be anyone present to collect his corpse.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 388

    Chapter 388 Never Truly Even

    The following afternoon, Rachel went to the Riverdale Penitentiary. However, the execution was over by the time she arrived. "A total of two prisoners were executed today. May I ask which one are you here to pick up?" "Jason Burton."

    After that, the person in charge nced at the list in his hand and said, "Jason Burton has already been taken." Rachel was slightly taken aback. "Who picked him up?

    "His nephew. Look, here''s the signature."

    Rachel was startled again when she saw the signature on the list. Then, after a while, she regained her senses and said, "Thank you."

    "You''re wee."

    When did Justine back?

    A month ago, Arthur''s funeral and memorial service were held on the same day. After both events ended, thew redistributed the internal equity of Burton Group ording to Arthur''s will. As a result, Julian became thergest shareholder of the Burton Group in a genuine sense, serving as the vice president. In contrast, Justin left Riverdale to go abroad before the shareholders'' meeting. Before he left, he only went to see Gloria. At that time, Charlotte was still at Gloria''s ce. He went to say goodbye to Charlotte, but he did not say when he would be back. He only told Charlotte to be good. In a blink of an eye, a month has passed.

    Rachel closed the car door, put her hand on the steering wheel, and she hesitated for a long time. Then, finally, she turned on her phone and swiped to contacts. Her slender fingertips lingered on the name ''Justin Burton'' for a while. Eventually, she swiped down and called Frankie instead.

    "Hello? Assistant Beckham? It''s me, Rachel."

    "President Hudson? Is something the matter?"

    "It''s not a big deal. It''s just that there was a contract with Burton Group before, and President Burton signed it. But, unfortunately, there''s a problem with the contract." "Which contract? Why don''t you send me the contract?"

    "I can''t exin it briefly over the phone. I would rathermunicate with him face to face when hees back. Is he back?"

    "President Burton? Yeah, he''s back. Didn''t he contact you?"

    "Where is he now?"

    Since Rachel asked hastily, Frankie, who was on the other end of the call, was stunned for a moment.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    What''s this situation right now?

    Autumn was approaching, and the continuous rain in Riverdale for several days brought chills. The cemetery looked more and more deste.

    After Justin put the urn in the cemetery, the staff shut the graveyard.

    "Thank you for your hard work."

    "It is what we should do. This is our job. Not to mention that you also gave such a bigmission."

    Justin said nothing as he held an umbre; he looked at the tombstone in front of him. The name ''Jason Burton'' was engraved precisely and clearly. Jason, you have lived this life shamelessly seeking persona gain. If there is truth to reincarnation, I hope you will live your next life more righteously.

    "Then, we''ll get going first. It''s a bit cold today. Sir, please don''t stand for too long."

    Justin hummed in agreement.

    The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the staff was wearing raincoats to facilitate their work. They left in a hurry, but they saw a womane in with an umbre when they left the cemetery. Several people were surprised. Not many people woulde to the cemetery at this time and under such terrible weather conditions.

    Justin stood in front of the tombstone for a long time.

    Not far from Jason''s tomb was Arthur''s cemetery, and there was only a small path between the father and son. A little further away was the joint tomb of Justin''s parents.

    I was only three years old when my parents died in a car ident, and I have no impression of my biological parents. So for me, Grandpa and Sue are my real rtives.

    Justin sprinkled the wine on the tombstone as he thought of this, "Jason, a farewell toast for you."

    When he spilled half of the wine, he raised his head and drank the rest. After that, he stared at the tombstone as though in a trance for a long time.

    "If you drink too much here, it will not be good for the security guarding the tomb."

    A familiar female voice rang out behind him, and it startled him out of his stupor.

    This moment was like a dream to Justin. In astonishment, he turned around and saw Rachel standing behind him, holding an umbre. She looked at him with her pair of quiet eyes, showing no emotion. "What brings you here?"

    "I thought no one would be there to take care of Jason''s funeral affairs since you''re not in Riverdale. So, I went there."

    Justin was slightly startled but not too surprised. He knew Rachel''s temperament. She has always been kind and attentive.

    "Thank you. Jason treated your grandma terribly. How can you still treat him like this?"

    "Everything between any two persons settles once the other party dies."

    Since Rachel did not want to talk too much about this matter, she changed the subject. "When did youe back? Why didn''t you inform me?"

    After saying this, she suddenly realized that there was no need for Justin to share his itinerary with her. So, she exined again by saying, "Charlotte has been asking when you wille back."

    "I just came back. I wanted to organize some things at hand before contacting you."

    The rain was getting heavier. The crackling sound of the rain hitting the umbre felt like it would eventually hurt the hand.

    The biggest advantage of rainy days was that one only needed an umbre to separate people from the world around them. It was as if there was only each other left in the world.

    No one spoke for a moment. Hence, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

    People you have truly loved, even if it was a one-sided affair where only one party had poured in their love in the rtionship, it was impossible for the so-called ''even'' to exist. It was because the love and hatred had long been embedded deep in the bone and embedded in every single nerve. Both parties would still be affected whenever they met again, and there would never be a peaceful day for the rest of their lives.

    "Hey!" A shout broke through the rain curtain and cut through the awkward atmosphere.

    When both Rachel and Justin turned around, they saw the guard at the cemetery. He was wearing a raincoat as he shouted at them from a distance, "This ce is about to close. When are you guys leaving?" Rachel hurriedly responded, saying, "Sir, we are leaving now."

    It was the cemetery rule to be closed before dark.

    "Let''s go."

    Rachel nced at Justin, and the two left in tandem.

    "I''m going to pick Charlotte up this Friday."

    "Friday? It might be impossible on Friday. Jolly had asked Leroy and the others to go out and have fun. We''ll bring the two children, and they all agreed."

    "In that case, it''s fine. I''ll pick her up next week."

    "Why don''t you join us?"

    "No need." Justin quickly rejected the offer without hesitation. "You guys can''t truly enjoy yourselves if I go."

    "How is that so?"

    "Won''t Julian be there too?"

    "He won''t mind," Rachel vowed. "Julian said that he would want to have dinner together when you came back. No matter what the others say, he still regards you as his cousin." Justin''s eyes were disinterested, but he did not exin himself further.

    Suddenly, she thought of something and abruptly felt that she had spoken too much.

    Even if Julian doesn''t mind, maybe Justin himself does. After all, neither Julian nor I told him about Old Mr. Burton''s death in time.

    There was a moment of silence before Justin asked, "Did you drive here?"

    "Yeah, my car is right over there."

    As the awkwardness eased, she silently let out a sigh of relief.

    In the parking lot at the cemetery entrance, there were two cars. One red and one ck parked very close to one another.

    Finally, he said, "Then, be careful on the road, and pay attention since it''s rainy. Tell me when you get home."

    "Okay."

    "Get in." He opened the car door for her.

    Just as she was about to get in the car, she suddenly turned her head and blurted out, "Are you free? If you''re free, why don''t we have dinner togetherter?"

    He was stunned for a moment. Then, a trace of astonishment appeared in his cold eyes.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 389

    Chapter 389 Karma Transmigration

    It rained heavily outside the window, and the raindrops beat the leaves of the sycamore trees on the streets of Riverdale to pieces. There was a constant stream of people in the English restaurant. The restaurant''s atmosphere was undoubtedly much more lively and boisterous than a French restaurant.

    "The fish and chips here are good; Charlotte and Samuel like them very much," Justin said. As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea for Rachel. "After dinner, I''ll order a takeaway for two fish and chips, and you can take them back for the children."

    "You still think about the little gluttonous duo?"

    "In the past, I was too busy and spent too little time with Charlotte. If you are busy in the future, you can leave both children to me. Then, you can pick them up when you are not busy." These words sounded inexplicably unpleasant.

    Rachel''s eyes darkened slightly. "Regarding things in Burton Group, is Robin still giving you a hard time after Julian took over? Why don''t I talk to Julian?"

    "There''s no need for that. Robin didn''t make things difficult for me. In fact, after Julian took over, it was a lot easier on me. I even took a month''s leave, and no one has urged me to return." Justin pretended that everything was fine. Rachel took his words at face value and actually let out a breath of relief.

    "That''s good. I told you things would still be the same even after Julian took over. He''s your own family, after all. At the very least, he won''t let a man like Robin show off his authority." Justin didn''t answer; instead, he gave her the fish and chips and urged, "Eat more."

    After Julian joined Burton Group, Robin really stopped putting pressure on me. In other words, I have no pressure in Burton Group now because I have nothing to do. The moment someone overruns my work, it also means my authority has been overridden. Even so, I can understand everything Julian has done. If it were me, I would have done the same myself. Why? Because I''m the biggest threat. "Did Charlotte cause any trouble during the days I''ve been gone?"

    "Most of the time, she''s very well-behaved. But if you really want to know, you should attend the parent-teacher conference for her when the timees. There was no huge trouble, but there were many small issues. For example, she was having many disputes with her ssmates."

    "Let Victor be strict with her. She has never been in contact with her peers since she was a child, so she is used to being self-centered."

    Rachel was a little surprised.

    "What''s wrong?"

    As he saw her looking at him in astonishment, he asked, "Is there something on my face?"

    After that, she immediately came back to her senses. "No, I''m just a little surprised. Didn''t you always think that it''s not a bad thing for Charlotte to be self-centered?"

    "If she''s too self-centered, she''ll be vulnerable toward setbacks in the future. I can''t apany her for the rest of my life."

    "Yeah, that''s true. Don''t worry. She''s alright."

    She smiled. "There are so many people backing her up, so there''s nothing to be afraid of."

    Just as she was talking, her phone suddenly rang. It was Julian.

    "Sorry, I''m going to answer this call."

    "Sure."

    Rachel left the seat and pressed the answer button while walking toward the bathroom, "Hello?"

    "Rach, where are you?"

    "Out having dinner."

    "With Jolly?"

    "No, with Justin."

    The other end of the phone went suspiciously silent for a long time. Rachel nced at the screen of her mobile phone curiously. However, she did not hang up. "Hello? Julian?"

    "Huh?"

    "I thought you hung up the phone. It''s raining today, and the signal must not be good."

    "When did hee back?"

    "I don''t know. We just coincidentally met today, so we had dinner together, and we were just talking about work."

    "Where are you? I''ll pick you up."

    Rachel was slightly stunned.

    His tone suddenly made her feel ufortable.

    She kept frowning after she came back from the washroom.

    "Sorry to keep you waiting for a long time."

    As he saw her furrowed brows, he couldn''t help but ask, "What''s wrong? Did something happen?"

    "It''s nothing. Let''s eat." Rachel squeezed out a smile.

    Julian''s attitude on the phone earlier made her feel inexplicably ufortable.

    He stopped asking further when he sensed that she didn''t wish to say more. So, instead, he only kept giving her food, asking her to taste them. Meanwhile, he, himself, did not eat much. After dinner, he ordered an English dessert for her.

    "They have this here?"

    Rachel felt surprised as she looked at the mouth-watering sea salt caramel pudding in front of her. "Thest time I ate this was five years ago."

    In the past, only the cook of the Burton Family could make this, as they were not sold outside.

    "Have a taste."

    After taking a bite, she was even more surprised. "It tastes exactly the same as I imagined it to be."

    Even after so many years, she still remembered the warm feeling in her heart the first time she had this sea salt caramel pudding.

    I remember that day very clearly. Justin was not at home that day, and it was raining heavily too. When I returned from outside, I was locked out by Sue until the middle of the night when Ms. Grace secretly let me in and made me sea salt caramel pudding.

    Although it was an unpleasant past, such a touch of warmth was also a memorable thing for Rachel. "I remember that only Ms. Grace can make this, and I didn''t ask her how she did it back then. I also don''t know where she is now."

    Justin replied, "This ce is established and run by Ms. Grace."

    Rachel''s eyes widened, "Really?!"

    "It''s true." Justin smiled, and it softened the austere look on his face. "Why don''t we call her out, and you can ask her personally?"

    "Is she here?"

    "She should be," Justin said while raising his hand to call for the server.

    However, when he turned his head, he saw a figureing in from the restaurant''s door. The smile in Justin''s eyes suddenly disappeared.

    The visitor looked around and happened to meet Justin''s eyes.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Likewise, she also spotted the figure, and her eyes contracted a little in response.

    Julian was dressed in a brown trench coat. Under silver-rimmed sses, his eyes were warm yet spirited, and he walked straight to their table. "Julian." Rachel stood up.

    He looked at her and said, "It''s raining cats and dogs today, so I wanted to pick you up."

    Once the concise sentence fell, the air suddenly condensed.

    She furrowed her brows and said, "Didn''t I say I drove here? So I can go home by myself!"

    "I''m worried," said Julian. As he spoke, he even gripped her arms. ˇ°Let''s go. I''ll take you home."

    All of a sudden, Justin grabbed Julian on the shoulder. "Julian."

    In an instant, the facial expression on Julian''s face sank. "What are you doing?"

    "I should be asking you that. What are you doing?"

    "I''m here to pick up my fianc¨¦e. What do you think I''m doing?"

    Like a shot, Justin''s arm suddenly froze. Fianc¨¦e?

    Simrly, Rachel was also stunned. Since when did I be Julian''s fianc¨¦e? Why am I not aware of this?!

    At this moment, many people in the restaurant had started looking at them. Since she did not want to embarrass everyone, she apologized to Justin, saying, "I''m sorry, I have to go first."

    Justin''s hand on Julian''s shoulder trembled. It froze for a second and fell.

    "Rachel, let''s go." Julian took her bag and nced at Justin before leaving. His eyes were icy, as if he had turned into another person.

    She was dragged away by Julian, and when she was about to reach the entrance, the server stopped her with a bag. "Ma''am, the fish and chips that gentleman packed for you."

    Just as she was about to take them, Julian said, "There''s no need. Let him keep it for himself."

    With that, Julian directly took her and left the restaurant.

    There was only Justin left on the seat, and she did not have the time to finish the sea salt caramel pudding across from him.

    When he looked at the back silhouettes of the two people leaving, they looked like a perfect match. The only trace of warmth on his face disappeared with the disappearance of Rachel''s figure. Almost instantly, a great sense of loss swept in.

    He abruptly frowned and grasped the corner of the table to pant. Then, as he felt his chest seemingly crushed by a boulder, he gasped for air.

    Is this considered karma? Justin thought mockingly. I let Rachel suffer in the past, and now it''s my turn. I deserve to suffer as she did. I deserve all this.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 390

    Chapter 390 Stop Having Illusions

    Rachel and Julian took the elevator to the underground garage together. Suddenly, he said, "It''s raining heavily outside, so don''t drive your car for the time being. I''ll send you home."

    As he said that, he walked ahead on his own. She looked at his back and halted her tracks. "Julian, let''s talk." His figure froze slightly.

    He parked the white car in the garage corner with the windows closed. Although it waste fall and not hot, the air in the vehicle was stuffy.

    Rachel frowned as she sat in the passenger seat. "Julian, I want to know what you are doing."

    "I''m worried about your safety when it rains. So what''s wrong with me picking you up?"

    Rachel looked at Justin incredulously as she heard his response. "I said I can go back by myself. I''m an adult, not a child. It''s just raining."

    "Are you ming me for being meddlesome?"

    "Julian, do you have to talk like this?"

    "How do I talk?"

    "Sarcastic and bitter!"

    The words echoed firmly in the car.

    She had always been blunt with her words, especially with her friends. She silently looked at the man in the driver''s seat, who she considered her best friend of the opposite gender besides Hans. If anything, Julian could be regarded as her benefactor.

    Meanwhile, he also looked back at her. His usual warm eyes were filled with suppressed emotions at this moment. Finally, after a long time, he took a deep breath and said, "Rach, I''m sorry. I apologize. Today was my fault. I did something wrong. I''ve been in a bad mood recently. Let''s not talk about this, okay?"

    All of a sudden, she felt a sense of unspeakable suffocation. I would rather he quarrel with me now than reluctantly apologize.

    "I''ll send you home."

    His voice pulled her back from her thoughts. But then, she held the steering wheel. "Wait a minute. I''m not asking you to apologize to me. We are good friends."

    Although she tried her best to exin patiently, her frown betrayed her inner anxiety. "Why did you say that I''m your fianc¨¦e in front of Justin?ˇ±

    Julian''s hand on the steering wheel slowly slipped, and he did not speak for a long time.

    After a long while, he leaned on the back of the chair and looked at Rachel. "Rachel, if I remember correctly, you said that you never want to have anything to do with Justin in your life. You said you dislike his pestering. Isn''t this the easiest way to stop him?"

    "Maybe, but I don''t like to lie. Besides, it''s not fair to you either."

    "What if it''s true?"

    She was startled by his words.

    "W-What do you mean?"

    "I wish for you to be my girlfriend, fianc¨¦e, or even my wife. Is that clear enough?"

    At that instant, Rachel felt panicked.

    It was six years ago when I met Julian. At that time, he was so nice. Just like Hans, he was a light shining into my dark world. I never thought that such a person would like me romantically.

    After he said his piece, he took her hand like holding up some precious treasure; his movement was very light. "Rachel, I know it''s not easy for you to let go of many things, but I''m willing to apany you on your journey if you would have me. I hope you can give me a chance to take care of you and your children."

    Perhaps the word ''children'' triggered a particr ce in her mind, and Rachel suddenly came back to her senses. She abruptly withdrew her hand and was scared to look into his eyes. "I''m sorry, Julian." Just like that, his hand was left hanging in the air, slightly stiff.

    "I''ll just drive back by myself."

    She hurriedly pushed open the car door and got out of the car immediately.

    "Rach!" Julian called her from behind.

    Although she paused her footsteps, she did not look back. "The rain isn''t so heavy, so I''ll just drive by myself. You, too, pay attention when you drive home."

    "Rachel!" Julian raised his voice suddenly. "Are you ufortable because I lied that you are my fianc¨¦e? Or because I said that in front of him?"

    There was a big difference between the two.

    Her back stiffened slightly, and she left in a hurry without answering the question.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    At this moment, Rachel just wanted to escape from this scene that made her feel uneasy quickly. She knew that running away was shameful, but everything happened so suddenly that she didn''t know what to do.

    The rain did pour heavily. ording to the weather forecast, there would be constant rain for a week due to the typhoon.

    She drove out of the garage alone.

    At this time, Justin had juste out of the elevator with a to-go container in his hand when he saw Julian was making his way toward him.

    "You''re not leaving yet?" Justin looked at Julian in surprise. Then, he looked behind him reflexively. "Where''s Rae?"

    Julian''s facial expression was gloomy, as if he had changed into a different person. Then, Julian punched Justin before he could react, and his fist made direct contact with Justin''s cheek.

    "Ugh!" Justin grunted in pain. His entire body staggered to the side and knocked over the stainless steel trash can. The to-go container in his hand fell to the ground, and that caused all the fish and chips to scatter against the pavement.

    "What right do you have to call her that?" The sound of Julian''s roar came from overhead.

    Justin raised his head in disbelief, but all he received was another punch.

    However, Justin had been trained since he was a child. After receiving two punches, Justin quickly returned with a punch of his own.

    With that, Julian also fell to the ground, and his sses fell out to quite a distance.

    Then, Justin got up and kept a safe distance. "Julian, have you gone mad?"

    Julian panted and stood up against the wall. He red at Justin angrily, his warm eyes now bloodshot. "Am I crazy, or are you crazy? How can she still have a meal with you in peace despite being tortured so much by you back then and witnessing your devilish state?"

    "Are you talking about Rae?"

    "I said, don''t call her that! You''re not worthy!"

    Once again, Julian''s growl echoed in the huge garage.

    Justin was startled again, and his cold eyes contracted. "Do you know what you are talking about?"

    "Of course, I know! You''re the one who doesn''t know what you''re doing!"

    "I just had a meal with her. We have a daughter together, Charlotte. So even if you and Rachel are engaged and will get married in the future, I will still go back to see Charlotte."

    "Do you think such words will convince yourself or me?" Julian sneered, "Justin, I know you too well. You are a person who will do anything to achieve your goals. In fact, your memory has already recovered, right? However, you are still pestering Rachel. Don''t you dare think I don''t know what you''re up to.''

    In an instant, Justin''s facial expression froze.

    "I warn you. Stay away from her! Stop having illusions! She can''t be with you anymore!"

    Julian gave him a cold stare, then bent down to pick up his sses and drove away. Justin''s temple throbbed abruptly amid the loud roar of the engine.

    After an unknown amount of time, Justin picked up the to-go container that had fallen on the ground and threw it into the trash can. He happened to see himself in the reflection of the elevator. There were several apparent marks of a fight under his eyes. When he saw the nearly visible bruises, Justin thought, It sure didn''t take long for the bruises to show up.

    He raised his hand and touched the bruises, making him gasp in pain. Then, his pale fingers brushed the corners of his lips, and he saw blood on the tip of his fingers. What a shock! Julian definitely did not go easy on me with his punches.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 391

    Chapter 391 Can''t Just Be Friends

    Rachel went straight home. No one was home, so the house was empty. Lately, the two children stayed with Gloria, while Jolly had moved in with Leroy after a fight against her parents.

    The originally crowded apartment now seemed deserted. Julian''s words echoed in her ears, causing her brain to buzz as she sat slumped on the sofa.

    To say that she didn''t know his intentions was simply self-deception, but to say that she had always known Julian''s intentions wasn''t true either.

    Anyone who had seen what she was like six years ago wouldn''t think that Julian would fall in love with her.

    She was disabled, a mute who couldn''t even speak when she wanted to.

    She was an illegitimate child whom her family had cast out in cold blood, someone who had no dignity to speak of.

    Whether it be her qualifications or family background, any ordinary man wouldn''t choose her, not to mention someone who was a young, promising doctor like Julian.

    She leaned against the sofa, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

    Even now, she believed that Julian wasn''t in love with her but probably sympathized with her. Moreover, they had perhaps grown dependent on each other after spending time together for so many years. The next day, as soon as Jolly arrived at Hudson Pharmaceuticals, she rushed into Rachel''s office and eximed, "What''s going on? Chris, what''s the situation with Julian? Why did he call me so many timesst night?"

    Rachel was startled from her work and looked up from behind theputer.

    Now it was Jolly who was caught off guard. "And what''s up with you? Didn''t you get any sleepst night? Look at those dark circles!"

    "Don''t get me started." Rachel yawned, not in good spirits.

    Jolly pulled out the chair in front of her desk and sat down. "Tell me. What''s going on with you two? I was in an argument with my familyst night, so I didn''t check my phone at all. I called Julian early in the morning, but he had already gone to a meeting. I''m guessing it was rted to you. Tell me the truth. What''s going on?"

    Rachel recounted everything that had happened the day before.

    "This..."

    The corners of Jolly''s mouth twitched. "Are men so brainless when they fall in love?"

    "What do you mean?" Rachel was confused.

    "There are so many opportunities and ways to confess. He just chose the worst time possible. Doesn''t he know that women hate emotionally unstable men? He really made a bad move!"

    Jolly sighed and yed the part of a rtionship expert. "I''ll lecture him another day. How can he do this? He even announced in front of your ex-husband that you''re his fianc¨¦e. As your best friend, I didn''t even know that you''re his fianc¨¦e!"

    Knock, knock, knock.

    Rachel knocked on the table. "Jolly! Can you be serious for a moment? We''re talking business here! I don''t even know how to face him now!"

    "What''s so hard about this? Nine of my ten buddies have a crush on me, and eight of them have confessed to me, but we still drink and party together. What century are we in? We''re long past all that!" Rachel rolled her eyes so hard that only the whites of her eyes could be seen. Then, she held her forehead after being rendered speechless. "Asking you for help is a waste of my saliva." After Jolly was called unreliable, she became serious again.

    "Why are you overthinking this? This kind of thing isn''t something that women need to consider. If Julian is really meant for you, he''ll find a way to solve it."

    "What if he insists?"

    "What? Are you really not going to give him a chance? Chris, it''s not that I want to criticize you, but men and women can''t have apletely tonic friendship, especially after leaving school." "Even you think Julian and I can''t be just friends?"

    "You may be able to, but obviously, Julian can''t."

    Rachel frowned slightly, and when she thought about something, she hesitantly spoke about her concerns, "I always had the feeling that Julian is different from before."

    Jolly was rather careless about

    details that she wasn''t focused on.

    "What''s the difference? Didn''t he just be the president of Burton Group? He''s no longer the

    world-saving doctor. The

    vel

    sworld

    fluctuations of the business

    would inevitably bring out sharpness in him. He''s managing apany, not doing charity work. All right. I repeat, don''t overthink this." Content

    belongs to NovelDrama.Org

    Jolly leaned back in her chair. "Anyway, aren''t you going out together this Saturday? You can talk things out then."

    "Can I not go?" Rachel''s face scrunched up when she was reminded about the outing on Saturday.

    She wasn''t good at rejecting people, so she would try to show her stance before things deteriorated beyond her control, but she didn''t know what Julian thought. "Why? We''re all friends!"

    "You just said that we can''t be friends!"

    "Don''t twist my words." Jolly suddenly had a mischievous look on her face as she leaned closer. "Actually, I have another way. Do you want to hear it?"

    "What is it?"

    "I can call Ornand over too. Then, when the two of them fight, he might not bother you anymore, just like when we were in Montenegro."

    "Jolly! Don''t you dare! Don''t you think the situation is messy enough?"

    After finally persuading Ornand to return home, she didn''t want to bring him over again.

    With Ornand''s rowdy and feisty character, he would definitely get into a fight against Julian. This wasn''t Montenegro, where no one would think twice, no matter how dramatic one was. It was different here.

    "I was just throwing ideas out! Haha. Look at how scared you are." Jolly stood up. "My dear President Hudson, get ready for the meeting. Everyone''s waiting."

    Rachel exhaled forcefully and calmed down. "Let''s go attend the meeting."

    She cast her immersion in the matters of love aside for the time being, as she couldn''t dy work matters.

    Meanwhile, executives were gathered in therge conference room at Burton Group.

    "I have doubts about our cooperation with Carter Enterprise. Obviously, the price of materials from the same supplier can be even lower. Why do we use the building materials provided by Carter Enterprise? Their price is even 2 percent higher than market price."

    After Julian became thergest

    shareholder of Burton Group, Carter

    Enterprise suspended its acquisition n for Burton Group because Julian took the initiative to show goodwill and cooperate with Cater Enterprise so that they could.plement each other. It.

    Win-win situation for

    a

    which earned them more stable benefits than Burton Group''s acquisition and Carter Enterprise''s expansion.

    This way, it solved Burton Group''s worries and also won the hearts of the board of directors.

    However, the problem gradually became prominent, and soon it was discovered that Carter Enterprise''s interests were too high. As a result, the recent few coborations almost squeezed all of Burton Group''s profits dry.

    A marketing executive asked Julian, "ording to these calctions, we aren''t getting any profit at all. It''s not conforming to thews of the market at all. Are we doing this for nothing?"

    Julian remained silent.

    Robin immediately refuted the

    executive. "Manager Hoult, didn''t

    you attend the first few meetings? It has been said that this is to achieve a good cooperative rtionship with Carter Enterprise, so losing out a few percent of profit is nothing. This is done with consideration for the long-term benefits." Content belongsContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    to NovelDrama.Org

    "A contract to give up on our profits is enough to express the sincerity of our cooperation. If we let them win every time, we might as well be acquired! If President Burton were here, he definitely wouldn''t agree to this."

    After he mentioned ''President Burton'', Julian raised his head, and his gloomy eyes slowly fell on the manager-Charles Hoult.

    "What did you just say?"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 392

    Chapter 392 Start a New Empire

    There was an oppressive chill in Julian''s eyes, which made Charles shudder fiercely. "I mean... I mean..."

    "I don''t need to know what you mean," Julian said in a dispassionate voice. "Starting tomorrow, you don''t have toe to work." Everyone was stunned.

    Charles had been working in Burton Group for ten years, and he had never made any significant mistakes. On the contrary, he was strict and responsible when working. But Julian actually fired him!

    Charles was stunned as well. "But, President Peters, why?"

    "I''m thergest shareholder of the group. By bringing up ''President Burton'', are you saying that I''m not qualified to manage thepany? Am I not worthy of being your boss?"

    "That wasn''t what I meant. I was just saying that..."

    "Say no more. Since I''m not qualified to be your boss, I won''t dy you from finding another job, Charles."

    Charles'' face paled. After a while, he couldn''t hold back anymore and said, "Julian, this isn''t a dictatorship! What right do you have to fire me? I''m going to file aint to the board of directors!" "Even if youin to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, it''s useless. However, you can give it a try."

    As soon as he said that, everyone was in disbelief.

    "President Peters, you''re crossing the line. Charles has been working in Burton Group for ten years. Doing this will only deeply disappoint us, long-term employees."

    "That''s right."

    "Exactly."

    Whispers wereing from the audience.

    "Disappoint long-term employees?" Julian was unconcerned, and he sneered coldly, "If you''re already disappointed, what''s the use of me forcibly keeping you here? Keep you so that you can stab me in the back in the future?"

    "President Peters, what are you talking about? We all work for Burton Group."

    "Really? Don''t you work for Justin?"

    Several people speaking up for Charles wanted to say something, but Charles interrupted them.

    "Forget it. All of you don''t have to speak up for me. Since President Peters has already given the order, I can''t convince him no matter how I exin myself. So, I''ll just leave."

    With that, Charles mmed the door and left.

    The remaining few people exchanged looks, and some even threw down their cards and yelled, "I quit too!"

    "I''m leaving too!

    In the blink of an eye, one-third of the people in the conference room were gone.

    Robin''s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. "You''ll regret it!"

    Julian still appeared indifferent as he swept his gaze over the remaining people. "Who else wants to go with Manager Hoult? I won''t stop you."

    He leaned against his chair, looking much more indifferent and resolute than Justin did in the past.

    Although Justin was strict with employees, he at least cherished talents and would never fire employees based on his own preferences, not to mention long-term employees who had been working in thepany for at least a decade.

    The whole room was silent for fear that they would be the next ones to be fired if they said the wrong thing.

    Not everyone was as bold as Charles and the others. Although they too had moral integrity, most of those who came out to work had families to support. Even if they were dissatisfied, they still had to bite the bullet most of the time.

    As soon as the meeting ended, Robin anxiously reminded Julian, "President Peters, isn''t it too hurtful to do this? What if we can''t keep them? These are all executives in important positions, and as soon as they leave, they''ll be taking away a lot of customer resources too."

    "There would be consequences to keeping those who don''t intend to stay here. So, it''s time to change thepany''s structure."

    Julian nced at all the Burton Group employee cards that were left in the middle of the conference table. "Inform the Human Resources Department that they need to step up with the recruitment starting today. Regardless of age and qualifications, they can work for Burton Group as long as they''re capable. We''ll judge them based on ability."

    "We''re not looking at their level of education anymore?"

    "No."

    Robin hesitated. "But, the main focus of Burton Group is high-precision talents. If they don''t even pass the threshold of academic qualifications, the quality of thepany''s talents will be seriously reduced. By then..."

    Before Robin could finish speaking, he was so frightened by the look Julian was giving him that he shut his mouth.

    "I''ll make the arrangements now."

    "Hm."

    After watching Robin leave, Julian sat in the empty conference room for a long time.

    After a certain period of time, he picked up all the discarded employee cards on the table and tossed them into the trash.

    Whoosh! All of them were thrown away.

    From today onward, Burton Group would truly belong to him.

    It was alreadyte autumn, and all the leaves had fallen off the sycamore trees on both sides of the entrance to a summer resort in the western suburbs.

    A ck sedan passed by the fountain in front of the vi and stopped at the entrance. A figure in a suit and leather shoes got out of the car and hurried in.

    "President Burton!"

    Justin was practicing calligraphy in the study, and as soon as he wrote thest stroke, he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. The pen in his hand trembled, and it ruined one of the letters. He stared at the ruined letter, finding it a shame that there was an ink dot on thest stroke.

    "President Burton, something bad has happened!"

    Frankie ran in, sweating profusely.

    "What''s the matter?" Justin changed a new piece of paper without raising his head.

    "Julianid off one-third of Burton

    Group executives. Unfortunately,

    these executives aren''t forgiving folk

    either. Besides losing arge

    number of employees, the clientele has also been taken away!

    "Is that so?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin took a pen and wrote down ''mediocrity'' with total concentration.

    "How can you still have the heart to practice calligraphy? Thepany is in chaos!"

    Frankie was extremely speechless to see Justin writing calligraphy in such a calm and rxed manner.

    It was a fact that the person in question was not as anxious as the spectators.

    It wasn''t until he finished writing thest word that Justin set down his pen and wiped his hands with the towel next to him. "What do you think of this word?"

    "Stop it. How could I possibly be in the mood to look at that?"

    "We have to be calm when facing problems. What did I teach youst time?"

    "I can''t be calm right now. President Burton, you''re not just going to watch Julian bring about the copse of Burton Group, right?"

    "No," Justin said tonelessly. "You underestimate Julian. If he dares to do this, he will have the ability to see the end of it."

    "Different industries have different specializations. Dr. Peter''s medical skills are good, but we''re talking about managing a listedpany What does it mean to fire one-third of the executives? Isn''t he just messing around? Even the stock

    market is unstable!" Content belongs

    to NovelDrama.Org

    "One must be ruthless to have a change of appearance. But then, he can do what I can''t."

    "What on earth are you talking about?"

    "Since young, he had never been cultivated by Old Mr. Burton to be the heir of the Burton Family, so he has no rtions with the board of directors. He has no supporters and no backers." "Isn''t that a disadvantage?"

    "It''s a disadvantage, but also a new way out. If he dares to build an empire when there isn''t one, then the whole empire will belong to him."

    Justin picked up his calligraphy work.

    The wind blew in from the outside, rustling the paper.

    The words ''mediocrityplicates'' were written in one go, and they were smoothly written.

    Frankie still didn''t understand. "Well,

    all I know is that Burton Group isan a

    mess now. So many people are hoping that you can go back. So why don''t you think it over again? At the very least, you''re the vice president."

    "There''s no need for that. He can take Burton Group if that is what he wants."

    As he spoke, the autumn breeze was blowing outside the window, while Frankie had a look of incredulity on his face.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 393

    Chapter 393 They''re Even Now

    "President Burton."

    Frankie stared at Justin in disbelief. "Burton Group is the work of generations of Burtons. Are you just going to hand it over? And to Julian?"

    Justin merely replied, "Julian is also a member of the Burton Family."

    Frankie took a deep breath. "President Burton, there''s something I didn''t want to bring up because you wouldn''t let me check, but now it seems like I have to. If Julian is a Burton, who is his biological father? Others don''t know, but I figure you should."

    Justin frowned slightly.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    After Jason''s incident, Julian sent Sue abroad at once. Even he couldn''t contact her. It wasn''t hard to figure out the rtionship between Julian and Jason.

    "Have you ever thought that President Hudson had nothing to do with Old Mr. Burton''s death? Perhaps¨D"

    "That''s enough." Justin interrupted Frankie and said in a low voice, "Don''t bring this topic up again."

    "But Old Mr. Burton was clearly poisoned. Are you going to continue deceiving yourself? Whether it was President Hudson or Dr. Peters who did it, this is murder. They can go to jail!" "There''s no evidence, so who are you nning to send to jail?"

    Justin shot Frankie a nce, startling him.

    Justin continued, "There''s no need to talk about this, and there''s no need to tell me about the affairs of Burton Group anymore. I''m not interested."

    Frankie was taken aback. "Are you saying that I have a big mouth? Fine. I won''t say anything more in the future. Just treat it as meing here to gossip because I was too bored!" Once he finished his rant, Frankie left in a huff.

    He was obviously rather frustrated at the very least.

    When leaving, he bumped into Gloria, who had just arrived. She saw Frankieing her way and politely greeted him, "Assistant Beckham." Unfortunately, Frankie was utterly livid, so he nodded indifferently, greeted her, and stalked off.

    Gloria was confused.

    What''s up with him?

    In the study, Justin was still looking at his calligraphy work.

    As soon as Gloria entered, she asked, "What happened to Assistant Beckham? He ignored me when I talked to him. Did you scold him?"

    "No."

    His answer was concise, with no intention of exining whatsoever.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Oh." Gloria lifted the pastries in her hand. "I bought some pastries from Levain Bakery. There are croissants and other stuff in here. I''ll put it here for you."

    "You know I don''t like sweet stuff."

    "It''s not for you."

    Gloria rolled her eyes at him. "This Saturday, bring this to Triburg Valley when youe to find us, then give this to Charlotte and Samuel."

    "This Saturday?"

    Justin was slightly startled. "Don''t you have something nned for Saturday?"

    "What? You know about it?" Gloria stared at him in surprise. "We do have something nned. Who told you that?"

    "Rachel mentioned it, so I won''t pick Charlotte up this week."

    "Miss Rachel met with you? What did you all talk about?"

    "Nothing much. We just had a meal together."

    "You even had a meal together? Didn''t I say that Miss Rachel''s attitude toward you has improved? It''s different from before. You have to take advantage of this opportunity. This Saturday, why don''t you take the initiative to "

    "I''m not going."

    He interrupted Gloria with three decisive words.

    §Ö§ä

    Initially, Gloria was excited to arrange some activities, so when she heard this, she felt as if her enthusiasm had been sshed with cold water, causing her expression to change. "Why aren''t you going? Are you backing out again? Content

    belongs to NovelDrama.Org

    "Rachel''s work and life are very tiring, and she hardly gets any rest. You guys have fun. I don''t want my presence to bring any unhappiness."

    "This is all your assumptions. How do you know that she''ll be unhappy to see you?"

    "If anyone else had experienced those things five years ago, they wouldn''t be happy."

    "Then, why did she have a meal with you? You haven''t been back for long, and even I haven''t eaten with you yet, but Miss Rachel has already had a meal with you? That means that it''s all in the past."

    Justin had aplicated expression on his face as he repeated what Gloria said in a low voice, "It''s all in the past."

    He still remembered when Rachel said that they were ''even'' now, referring not only to hatred but also to gratitude or resentment.

    "I don''t care. You have toe this Saturday. You''ll definitely regret noting. Julian is closely pursuing Miss Rachel now. If you don''t work harder, it''ll be toote."

    "Aren''t they already engaged?"

    "Engaged? Who told you that?" Gloria frowned. "Are you kidding me?"

    "They''re not engaged?" Justin was surprised momentarily.

    "If Miss Rachel''s engaged, I''ll definitely tell you right away. Who said they''re engaged?"

    When Justin heard this, he suddenly remembered Rachel''s surprised look when Julian said ''fianc¨¦e'' in the restaurant.

    They''re not engaged.

    "What are you thinking about? If

    Miss Rachel Could ept Julian, she would have epted him long ago. Why wait until now? Your imagination is running wild from staying home all day. No way You will be in attendance this Saturday. I will send you the address. Content

    belongs to NovelDrama.Org

    Gloria immediately took out her phone and sent Justin the gathering address on Saturday.

    Ding! Justin''s phone rang, and a message from Gloria popped out.

    "It''s settled then. Remember to bring the pastries when the timees. Both Charlotte and Samuel love them."

    After that, Gloria left in a hurry.

    Soon, it was Friday night.

    As the gathering was located in an old town at Triburg Valley, which was 100 miles away from the city, they all went over at night and stayed in the old town for two nights. Initially, Rachel nned to drive there on her own, but as soon as she packed her things and went downstairs, she saw a car parked at the door.

    When their eyes met, the atmosphere was a little awkward.

    She asked with difficulty, "Why are you here? Didn''t we decide that everyone will drive there on our own in the group chat?"

    Julian simply said, "Give me your things."

    Rachel was still stunned when the sound of doors opening sounded behind her.

    Jolly dragged several bags out. "Julian, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and help me. They''re cumbersome. Put all of these in the car." Rachel was even more stunned. "We''re just going there for two days. Why are you bringing so many things?"

    "They''re all essentials!"

    As she saw Julian silently stepping forward to help, she didn''t need to think to know that Jolly had called Julian over to be their workman.

    It took the three of them half an hour

    to move the things into the car. The trunk was stuffed full, bags fully upied the passenger seat, and even the legroom at the backseat was so full that Rachel and Jolly pretty much had no ce to rest their feet.

    "Jolly, are you moving houses? Even if you''re moving, why did you ask Julian to help and not your boyfriend?"

    "Why? Are you distressed?"

    Jolly didn''t even consider the fact that Rachel and Julian were still at an awkward stage. When she said that, the atmosphere in the car turned stilted.

    The atmosphere, which had finally eased, went back to how it was at the start just because of her remark.

    Rachel reached out and gave Jolly''s thigh a fierce pinch.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 394

    Chapter 394 A Quarrel Between Best FriendsContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "Ow!" Jolly yelped, then narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "You pinched..." Before Jolly uttered ''me'', Rachel''s stern eyes frightened her, so she obediently kept her mouth shut.

    "You haven''t eaten yet, right? There''s a bag in the back with sandwiches and drinks." Julian''s voice sounded from the front. Rachel immediately responded, "Thank you."

    Jolly''s expression suddenly changed as she red at Rachel in dissatisfaction. Then, she flipped through the paper bag of food, and she held a sandwich and milk tea in one hand each. "Julian, you''re so meticulous in everything you do. Won''t any woman who marries you be eternally happy? Don''t you think so, Chris?"

    Jolly was a grudge holder, and she held a grudge for being pinched in the thigh.

    Rachel was helpless. "Of course. Julian has always been an excellent person."

    "

    "Not only is he professionally excellent, but he''s also very good at rtionships. After five to six years, even stones can be worn by water droplets. Don''t you think human hearts will be tempted too? Julian, I remember there were tons of people pursuing you when you were abroad. Why didn''t you fall for any of them? Perhaps it was my fault, too, for always leaving Samuel in your care.'' Jolly talked a lot today, and Rachel frowned whenever she spoke.

    There were certain things she couldn''t say in front of Julian, so she could only take out her phone and send a message to Jolly. ''Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you talking about?'' Jolly deliberately ignored the message when she received it as she carried on eating the sandwich, biting as if she was biting a person.

    Julian said, "We''re still far from Triburg Valley. If you girls are tired, you can sleep for a while. I''ll call you when we arrive."

    Rachel nodded. "Okay. If you''re tired, I can take the next shift for driving."

    Jolly rolled her eyes at Rachel and leaned against the chair before falling asleep.

    Rachel was baffled by her actions.

    It was already dark by the time they drove from Riverdale to Triburg Valley.

    When they arrived at the parking lot of the old town, a few people came down to help them carry their luggage.

    "Miss Rachel!"

    From a distance, Gloria and Victor brought the two children over to greet them.

    Rachel waved at them.

    "Mommy!" Charlotte rushed up at once and threw herself into Rachel''s arms. "Mommy. What took you so long? Samuel, Aunt Gloria, and I have been here for a long time!"

    Charlotte and Samuel had been living with Gloriately, so they came with Gloria and Victor.

    Rachel exined, "There was a bit of a traffic jam on the road. I guess many people came to Triburg Valley because it''s the weekend."

    Gloria said, "I understand. But, Miss Rachel, I need to tell you something."

    "What is it?"

    "I invited Justin over too."

    Rachel was slightly startled, but before she could speak, Jolly''s voice suddenly rang out from behind as she fumed, "Who chose this ce? It''s almost winter, and there are mosquitoes. It doesn''t make any sense at all!"

    Rachel frowned.

    "Miss Carter, why don''t you return now? So you can still make it back to the vi." Victor was a little slow to react, and he evenined, "You brought quite a lot of things."

    He cast a sympathetic nce toward Julian when he saw the trunk full of stuff. "Dr. Peters, who did you help with moving?"

    Before Julian could speak, Jolly threw Victor a bag, mming it right into his chest. "Why do you have so much to say? Carry this."

    Victor was puzzled. "What''s with you?"

    Gloria frowned and was about to say something, but Rachel stopped her. "Ignore her."

    The others didn''t know, but Rachel did.

    Jolly was close to Julian, and she had always felt that Rachel should be with Julian, so whether she was joking or being serious, she would always lean toward Julian. However, she had never seen Jolly have such a huge reaction before.

    Rachel thought for a while. Perhaps it''s because she heard about Justining here?

    Rachel didn''t have time to think about it as the group of people helped move their luggage to the homestay.

    As they walked, Gloria said, "We

    rented a small courtyard. Everyone can choose a room. We can have a barbecue in the courtyard at night. By the way, we''ll be having hot pot tonight."

    "Isn''t it toote to be eating hot pot?" Jolly nced at her. "If we were going to have hot pot, why did wee here? There are so many ces back in Riverdale. Shouldn''t we eat some natural and

    ove

    pollution-free food when we''re here?"

    Gloria said, "Someone helped prepare it a long time ago. The chickens, ducks, beef, andmb are all raised by nearby farmers. The vegetables are also picked from

    nearby. Someone even hand-picked them and even washed the in

    person. Is it up to your standards, Miss Carter?"

    As they chatted, they arrived at the entrance of the courtyard.

    Across the stone-paved courtyard, they could already smell the fragrance of the hot pot, and in the living room facing the door, a figure in an apron was bustling around the dining table.

    Jolly''s face immediately copsed, and she unceremoniously eximed, "It''s haunted!"

    Gloria immediately ignored her and weed everyone in. "Come. Come in. Set everything aside first. Wash your hands, then let''s eat. The children are hungry."

    Whoosh! Jolly immediately threw the suitcase in her hand aside and entered the side room.

    Bang! The door mmed shut, and she couldn''t didn''te out anymore.

    Everyone was taken aback by her dramatic actions.

    Rachel was going to advise her, but Julian stopped her. "I''ll go."

    She thought about Jolly''s temper and the fact that she was angry with her, so if she went in, she would be pointing the gun at herself. So, she nodded and let Julian go. Nevertheless, Jolly''s tantrum didn''t affect everyone.

    As soon as he entered the house, Victor sat down at the dining table. "It smells so good."

    Gloria smacked his hands lightly. "Go wash your hands! Can''t you see that not everyone is here yet?"

    "A little dirt never killed anybody."

    "You''re a teacher. What kind of example are you showing?"

    After saying that, Gloria shoved Victor, forcing him to wash his hands.

    Rachel smiled helplessly, just in time to see Justin bringing washed fruits out. When he saw Rachel, their eyes met, and the two nodded to each other, naturally greeting one another. "Daddy!"

    Charlotte tugged on Justin, then looked up and asked him, "Where''s my cake? Where''s my cake?"

    "Not everyone''s here yet. All you''re thinking about is eating the cake. Aren''t you going to wait for Mr. Leroy?"

    Justin pinched Charlotte''s nose. "Go and wash your hands. Samuel, go wash your hands too."

    The two children reluctantly went to the bathroom, leaving Justin and Rachel in the huge living room.

    When Justin saw Jolly''s luggage piled up in the corner, he walked over and picked it up.

    When Rachel saw this, she hurriedly said, "That''s Jolly''s stuff. Don''t worry about it. Wait for her to settle it herself."

    "It''s fine. Is it okay if I put them in this room?"

    "Yes, of course."

    She was embarrassed to let him do it alone, so she pushed a suitcase into the room as well while inwardlyining about why Jolly had to bring so many things. Justin didn''t know that Rachel was also following behind, so he turned and mmed into her after setting down the luggage.

    "Oh-"

    Rachel let out a muffled grunt, then slipped backward.

    "Watch out!"

 My Mute Bride Chapter 395

    Chapter 395 Secretly Got in His Way

    Rachel slipped and fell while letting out a cry of surprise. A big hand firmly supported her waist, and the two of them fell together, but the pain she expected didn''te. When Rachel recovered, she realized that Justin had used himself as a human cushion and positioned himself under her.

    "Are you okay?" The sound of air being inhaled came from above her head. Rachel recovered and hurriedly got up. "I''m fine. Are you okay?"

    Justin shook his head, clutching his right shoulder. "I''m okay."

    "Let me take a look."

    Rachel had just touched his arm, but she noticed that his face was pale and sweaty.

    This is considered okay?

    "You dislocated your arm!"

    Rachel hurriedly made him sit down. "Don''t move. I''ll call Julian."

    "Rachel!"

    Justin suddenly grabbed her, causing her to grunt for being held so suddenly.

    She was shocked, then hurriedly turned back and pressed his arm. "What''s the matter? You can''t move this arm."

    Justin said, "You know how to pop it back in ce, don''t you? Do it for me."

    Rachel hurriedly shook her head. "I can''t do that."

    "Why not?"

    "I learned it from Julian. I''m not the same as those regr doctors."

    "It''s okay. Come here."

    Justin had already taken off his coat, revealing a simple white shirt inside.

    At this moment, Julian was still in the side room persuading Jolly. If she went to call him, she might annoy the angry princess again.

    Rachel hesitated for a while, then decided to bite the bullet and do it herself.

    "Then, bear with me. My skills aren''t as good as Julian and the others."

    "It''s okay. You can do it."

    Justin turned sideways, showing her his dislocated arm.

    Rachel held his wrist with one hand, then pressed his shoulder with the other before gently turning it while saying some standardforting remarks, trying to distract Justin.

    "I heard that Burton Group had a high turnover rate recently. So the headhuntingpany introduced all the executives to me. Do you know about this?"

    "I do."

    "Is it appropriate for Burton Group to have so many employees leave at once? Although Julian has high medical skills, isn''t hecking a little on the management side? Have you ever thought about helping him?"

    Justin''s expression stilled, and he forced a smile. "He shouldn''t need my help."

    "I know that no one can ept this matter so easily. Of course, it''s normal for you to be upset with Julian, but no matter what, you''re brothers."

    Justin suddenly looked back at Rachel, his eyebrows furrowing. "Do you think I secretly persuaded those executives to leave?"

    Crack! His joints moved when she exerted force, and his arm popped back in ce.

    Justin''s face turned pale instantly, and the words got stuck in his throat before he finished speaking.

    She let go of his hand and instructed, "Try moving it."

    Justin tried to move a little, lightly at first, then gradually increasing his swings. Although there was still a faint aching sensation, there weren''t any major issues.

    "It seems okay."

    "That''s good."

    Gloria''s voice sounded from outside. "Where''s everyone? It''s time for dinner. Where did everyone go?"

    Rachel immediately nced at Justin. "Let''s go have dinner."

    "Rachel."

    "Is there anything else?"

    As Justin looked at Rachel''s figure, aplicated look was on his face. He was still thinking about what she said when she fixed his arm earlier.

    Does Rachel think that I deliberately got in Julian''s way because I''m upset that he took over Burton Group?

    "Nothing. Let''s eat."

    He didn''t ask her, reckoning that some things didn''t need too much justification, as it might take a dark turn.

    When they came out, Jolly and Julian had alreadye in.

    Julian frowned slightly and stared at Justin for a while when he saw Rachel and Justining out of the bedroom together.

    Jolly narrowed her eyes. "You run off when it''s time to eat, yet you criticize others!"

    Rachel felt helpless. "We were helping you bring your luggage into the room."

    "Who said I''m going to sleep in that room?"

    "Then, which room do you want to sleep in?"

    Jolly looked around, then pointed to a bedroom by the north window. "That one."

    After that, she red at Justin. "President Burton, please move my things out of this room and bring them into that room."

    "Jolly!" Rachel couldn''t bear it anymore.

    However, Justin answered, "Okay. I''ll move them after dinner."

    "Wait."

    Jolly suddenly stopped Justin from sitting down. Then, she squeezed between him and Rachel in full view of the crowd before sitting down. "Sorry. I prefer the pot with the spicy soup. Please sit over there."

    Beside her, Rachel was a little embarrassed.

    In fact, she didn''t think much about where she was sitting, but Jolly behaved as if something was going on between her and Justin. Fortunately, they could finally eat.

    Rachel scooped some food for the two children while Julian helped as well.

    With the two children sitting between them, they looked like a family of four.

    Charlotte sneakily ced her vegetables into Samuel''s bowl, feeling proud and thinking she wouldn''t be discovered, but Justin caught her red-handed. "Charlotte, what did I tell you?"

    Charlotte froze, then pouted and reluctantly said, "I can''t not eat vegetables. I can''t be a picky eater."

    "Then, what are you doing?"

    Charlotte pursed her lips. "I don''t like vegetables. They''re bitter."

    Justin was about to say something but was interrupted by Julian. "If she doesn'' like it, don''t force her. You can Consume these nutrient other ways." Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Julian ced a fishball in Charlotte''s bowl. "Charlotte, have a fishball. Be careful. It''s hot."

    Charlotte immediately grinned. "Uncle Julian, you''re the best!"

    over 1.?

    ?

    For some reason, when she heard this, Rachel couldn''t help but nce at Justin. She noticed a trace disappointment shing across his slightly narrowed eyes.

    No one wanted their daughter to be closer to someone else. If this had happened in the past, Justin might have taken Charlotte away instantly.

    Buttely, his personality seems to have changed a lot.

    Gloria suggested, "There''s a Lights Festival in town today. We can go shopping after dinner."

    "Yay!" Charlotte immediately pped her hands and agreed. "I want to go see the lights!"

    Beside her, Samuel nodded excitedly as well.

    He grew up abroad and had never seen such traditional celebrations, so he found them particrly novel.

    After the meal, everyone packed up and prepared to go out.

    Julian asked as she remained seated, "Rachel, aren''t you going?"

    Rachel replied, "You guys go ahead. I still have some work to do."

    Jolly nced at Justin, who was cleaning up the dining table. "You''re not going either?"

    "I''ll clean up first. Then, I''ll goter. You guys go ahead."

    "I don''t usually see you being this eager to help out," Jolly noted, and her words were barbed. She looked back and forth between Rachel and Justin, then finallynded her gaze on Rachel. "Are you going or not?"

    Her tone wasn''t the slightest bit questioning but quite pressuring instead.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 396

    Chapter 396 Misunderstanding

    Rachel had to back down when she saw Jolly''s temper ring yet again. "Fine. I''ll go, alright, Your Highness?" "You''re not being forced to."

    "No, I''m not." Rachel immediately got up. "Let''s go now." Jolly took advantage of the situation but yed naive about it. Before leaving, she even said to Justin, "President Burton, you''re free anyway, so remember to wash the bowls cleanly."

    Justin''s expression was nk as he cleaned up the bowls and cutleries on the table before bringing them into the kitchen.

    Rachel held Jolly back for a moment. "What are you doing?"

    "I was just reminding him. What''s the matter?"

    "Are you ordering a servant around?"

    "Why? Do you feel bad for him?"

    "Are you done? If you continue being like this, I won''t leave with you. I''ll go back and wash the dishes instead."

    Only then did Jolly behave.

    It was already dark as the group of people walked through the alleys of the old town, colorful lights hanging above their heads, which made the two children ecstatic.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Victor boughtmps for the two children to carry.

    "Mommy, mymp is a rabbit!"

    "Mine is a tiger!"

    "The rabbit is super cute!"

    "Tigers are powerful!"

    "The rabbit is better. It looks nicer."

    "The tiger is better. Tigers are fierce."

    Charlotte and Samuel argued about which animalmp was better while the adults watched in amusement.

    "Children''s happiness seems to be that simple." Gloria and Rachel walked side by side, watching the two children jumping in front of them with a smile. "Miss Rachel, do you think you were happier as a child?" "It was okay. They''re all different experiences."

    "Then, when do you think was your happiest time after all these years?"

    "My happiest time?" Rachel thought for a while, then answered, "It should be when I haven''t gone to Riverdale yet."

    That was when she was still living with her mother and grandmother in Somerset Mountain.

    "I don''t think I''ve told you before. Before I came to Riverdale, I lived in the mountains with my grandmother. There were very few people in that vige, only a dozen families in total, and we were all far apart. When I was a kid, I didn''t even have a friend. I remember that I was happiest when I met a boy."

    When Gloria heard this, her heart skipped a beat. "A boy?"

    "Yes. He''s older than me. He stayed with us for a while because of some problems. I think he''s my first friend."

    "What happened after that?"

    "After what?" Before Rachel could finish reminiscing, Jolly squeezed up from behind and interrupted the two of them. "It''s been so long ago. We have to move forward." Gloria shot her a dissatisfied look. "Can you walk carefully? You almost stepped on me!"

    "Then, you have to be careful. It hurts when I step on someone!"

    "How ill-mannered."

    "Manners have to be used with people who have manners too."

    Rachel quickly separated the two of them when she sensed that they were about to get into a fight. "All right. Let''s look at the lights. Let''s properly admire them, right?"

    "No!"

    Gloria and Jolly yelled in unison.

    Rachel silently stepped aside helplessly, "Okay, You guys carry on."

    Both of them were grown adults, yet they were still like children, fighting whenever they met.

    Rachel stepped aside, not noticing that several youngsters ran past behind her. Her arm was suddenly knocked into, causing her to stumble.

    "Careful." Julian reacted fast and quickly grabbed her arm, bringing her into the corner to protect her. "Are you okay?"

    When Rachel saw that it was Julian, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "I''m okay."

    After the two of them regained their bnce, they found that the few people in front of them had disappeared.

    "Where''s everyone?"

    Rachel looked around curiously. The few of them were probably submerged in the crowd because there were too many people, and the alley was winding and twisting. Julian reassured her. "It''s okay. Don''t worry. Victor will take good care of Charlotte and Samuel."

    "I''m not worried about that. I''m afraid that Jolly''s temper would re, and she would get into a fight with Gloria."

    "That won''t happen. Although Jolly has a bad temper, she''s all bark but no bite. Besides, Leroy should be here soon. So she won''t be able to walk around for long."

    Rachel nodded and said helplessly, "I guess there''s always one thing to subdue another."

    Jolly, who wasn''t afraid of anything, and whose parents couldn''t control her, was extremely obedient in front of Leroy. If it weren''t for Rachel seeing it with her own eyes, no one would believe it. Julian suggested, "Then, let''s go for a walk?"

    "Sure."

    Many people hade to the Lights Festival, so Julian asked Rachel to walk inside so as not to be hit by others again.

    Rachel asked, "How''s Burton Group doing? Did you bump into any problems?"

    "It''s all right."

    "I heard that many executives have left their jobs. With such a high turnover rate, is there no impact, especially since they''re all executives?"

    "Even if there was an impact, we can''t help it. The people who left don''t think I can manage Burton Group well, so they have opinions about my decisions. It won''t do if we don''t get along all the time." "Are you saying that they don''t listen to you?"

    "Well, there''ll always be aparison since a golden pearl led before me."

    "Did Justin do anything?" Rachel frowned.

    "I don''t know." An indescribably cold gleam shed across Julian''s eyes. "But, I heard that the executives who left thepany have all gone to him, seemingly intending to start their own business."

    "Start their own business?"

    "With Justin''s contacts and resources, it won''t be hard for him to do so. But I don''t understand why he took Burton Group''s employees away. After all, Burton Group is also his." "Did he really do that?"

    Her brows were knitted when she asked, "Why did he do that?"

    "Justin has always been an arrogant person, unwilling to be inferior to anyone else."

    There was a hidden meaning behind Julian''s words.

    She suddenly lost interest in looking at the lights.

    At this moment, her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the office.

    "Hello? Okay, I''ll take a lookter."

    After she hung up the phone, Julian asked, "What''s the matter?"

    "There''s a problem with a contract. I have to go back and deal with it. Help me inform them. I''ll head back first."

    "Okay, you go deal with that. I''ll let them know."

    "I''ll leave now, then."

    "Be careful on the road."

    As Julian watched Rachel depart in a hurry, the warm expression on his face gradually subsided. As the colorful lights shone amidst the night, a trace of frostiness could be seen in his eyes. Rachel did actually have to deal with thepany''s affairs.

    However, she also wanted to rush back and ask Justin what was going on with the executives of Burton Group and whether it had anything to do with him.

    If he had actually plotted against Julian, that would be too scummy.

    As soon as she entered the yard, she heard Justin talking, seemingly on the phone.

    "It''s not an easy task topete head-on with Burton Group for biddings, but with Burton Group''s current internal strife, the bidders who are waiting and watching will be skeptical of Burton Group. However, you guys left Burton Group, and you brought a team with you, so there will indeed be a certain opportunity."

    When Rachel heard this, her fingers clenched, and her heart sank.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 397

    Chapter 397 Treat a Good Friend as Back-up

    Before Justin finished his call, he turned and saw Rachel standing at the door, which startled him. "We''ll talkter. I have something else to attend to."

    He hung up the phone and joyfully took a few steps toward Rachel. "Didn''t you go to see the lights? Why are you back so soon?" "If I didn''te back so soon, I wouldn''t hear your phone call. Who was that? Manager Hoult or Manager Thompson?"

    Justin was slightly taken aback. "What''s the matter?"

    "I just randomly said it before, but I never thought that it would be true. So now, it seems like the departure of Burton Group''s executives is really rted to you?"

    "You''ve misunderstood. You''re right. Manager Hoult called me, but that''s because..."

    "Because of what? Because the newpany wants to retaliate against Julian and bid against Burton Group, so he consulted with you, the person who''s most familiar with Burton Group. Are you helping those people deal with Julian?"

    Rachel couldn''t understand. "Even if you don''t acknowledge him as a younger brother, Julian can still be regarded as your cousin no matter what! He never caused you harm, so why are you doing this behind his back?"

    "Rachel, I really didn''t do anything."

    Justin raised his hands. "I swear. I didn''t know anything about their departure in advance."

    "You swear? What do you swear by?"

    "How about this? I swear by Charlotte. If I arranged all of this in advance, then I will never see Charlotte again.ˇ±

    Justin appeared truthful.

    If this were in the past, he wouldn''t be willing to exin himself to clear such a senseless misunderstanding, but now, it was different. He didn''t want to cut off Rachel''s only remaining tolerance for him because of any misunderstanding.

    She was surprised by his deration.

    She knew what Charlotte meant to Justin. Besides the Burton Family, Charlotte was all he had.

    "You really didn''t arrange the mass resignation of Burton Group executives?"

    "I really didn''t."

    Rachel gradually calmed down, "Well, I''m sorry."

    "You don''t have to apologize. What I did before makes it hard for you to believe me. I understand."

    "I just don''t understand why those executives suddenly left Burton Group so unanimously. No matter what, Burton Group is an excellentpany and won''t harm their development." Justin turned and poured a cup of tea before handing it to her. "Then, have you ever wondered why they would leave if it really won''t bring them harm?"

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Whether they were an executive or an ordinary employee, they took the initiative to leave for nothing more than two reasons. One is that someone outside has given them a better opportunity, just like you suspected of me, and the other is that the existing environment is bad and they have to leave."

    "Are you saying that the current situation in Burton Group is bad?"

    Justin''s expression was in. "I don''t care about Burton Group''s affairs anymore. If you''re concerned, you might as well ask Frankie. Julian isn''t as weak as you think. He doesn''t need my help in managing Burton Group."

    She was taken aback by his observation of Julian.

    She vaguely understood what Justin meant.

    Thinking back to what Julian had just said to her, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

    Meanwhile, Julian didn''t go and find Jolly and the others after she left.

    The old town''s narrow alleys were full of people, all of whom hade to see the lights.

    After making his way through the crowd, Julian walked into a deserted alley while dialing a number.

    "We''ve arrived in Triburg Valley''s old town."

    There was a male voice on the other end of the line. "Where''s Jolly?"

    "She and Rachel had a bit of an argument. We''re at the Lights Festival. Let me remind you that she''s not in a good mood."

    "Then, I should thank you. The timing is perfect."

    "No need to be so courteous. It''s just a mutual benefit. This is a fair deal as long as you tell me what the base bid is."

    "Fair? Aren''t you afraid that Rachel will find out one day?"

    "As long as you don''t say anything, and I don''t say anything, how would anyone know?"

    There was a moment of silence at the other end, then he said quietly, "President Peters, you''ve changed. You have given me a lot to think about regarding you as an individual."

    The look on Julian''s face was one of rare indifference.

    He nced at the time after hanging up the phone, and his eyes darkened.

    Meanwhile, Jolly and Gloria quarreled for a while before discovering that Rachel was gone.

    "Where''s Chris?"

    "What?" Gloria looked around as well but didn''t see Rachel.

    Victor was holding a child in each hand, and all three of them shook their heads, indicating that they had not seen her either.

    "Why is Dr. Peters gone too?"

    Jolly''s eyes suddenly lit up. "It seems that the two of them are avoiding us."

    Gloria rolled her eyes. "How do you know that Miss Rachel didn''t go back?"

    "Go back? Why would she go back?"

    "Of course, it''s to..." Gloria deliberately extended thest syble. "Go back to work. Didn''t Miss Rachel say that there''s still work to be done?"

    Jolly''s expression suddenly changed. "Impossible!"

    Although she said it was impossible, she panicked a little. Then, she turned back in the direction of the homestay.

    "Hey, where are you going? Aren''t you going to look at the lights anymore?"

    "You guys carry on. I''m not interested."

    Jolly rushed back home in a huff.

    As soon as she entered the door, she saw Rachel helping Justin wash the dishes. One of them washed the dishes while the other wiped them dry. They cooperated well, and they were even talking andughing.

    "Jolly?" Rachel was surprised to see Jolly enter the door. "Why are you back?"

    "You cane back, but I can''t? Am I interrupting you?"

    Jolly was filled with rage. "Chris, do you treat people as fools? If you want to get back together with Justin, just say it. Don''t you know how much Julian has done for you over the years? Do you think it''s appropriate to let a good friend be a back-up?"

    Rachel was fiercely stunned by her animosity. "Jolly, what are you talking about?"

    "You keep saying that it''s impossible to have a future with Justin, so what are you doing now? Don''t tell me that you''re still friends. I don''t believe a word of this nonsense."

    "Can you calm down?"

    "I''m very calm. You''re the one who''s not. I''m telling you objectively that what you''re doing right now is simply hical!"

    "What are you being objective about? Don''t you just want Miss Rachel to be with Julian?"

    Gloria''s voice came from outside the door, and she looked annoyed too. "You''re using your status as Miss Rachel''s friend to dictate her feelings. You only consider Julian''s situation, but have you ever considered Miss Rachel''s wishes? You''re just forcing her to do what you think is best!"

    "I''m forcing her?" Jolly gritted her teeth, so angry that her face was flushed. "Chris, is that what you think too?"

    The veins on Rachel''s temples jumped as she was forced to endure a scene like this.

    What''s going on?

    At this moment, Jolly''s cell phone suddenly rang, so she pressed the answer button. "Leroy, are you here? I don''t want to stay here anymore. Quicklye and pick me up. I want to go home!"

    "Hello?"

    The other party said something, and Jolly''s face suddenly paled. "Where are you? Hello? Hello?"

    Either he hung up, or something else happened because Jolly suddenly turned around and ran out, knocking into Gloria and causing her to stagger. "Have you lost your mind?"

    Finally, Rachel realized something was wrong, then figured something terrible must have happened.

    "I''m going to have a look." She set down the bowl and hurriedly ran out, and she even neglected to wash her hands to catch up with Jolly while Justin chased after her.

    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 398

    Chapter 398 Life on the Line

    "Jolly, where are you going?" Rachel chased Jolly all the way through an alley and ran into the parking lot at the entrance of the town.

    Jolly looked anxiously at the distant hills, turning her head and saying, "Leroy called me and said that he got into a car ident on the mountain. My calls can''t get through now."

    Rachel was shocked, but she quickly soothed Jolly''s ruffled feathers. "Don''t worry. Call the police and the fire department first."

    "I want to find him."

    "Okay. I''ll go with you. Wait for me. I''ll go back and get the car keys."

    "I''ll drive you."

    Justin''s voice came from behind. He hadn''t even taken off his apron before hurrying after them.

    He drove here on his own, and the car was parked right next to them.

    Jolly froze when she opened the car door.

    Rachel gave a nudge and reminded her. "Let''s go! Leroy is waiting for you."

    Only then did Jolly recover. At this moment, she couldn''t care less about anything else as she hurriedly climbed into Justin''s car.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    They drove out of the town and onto the winding road.

    Along the way, Rachel called the fire department.

    "Don''t worry. The police have already been dispatched."

    It waspletely dark. There was no one on the mountain road, and there was even fog.

    They were driving fast, and the lights in the car were dim. Only the street lights on the mountain road outside flickered as they passed, shining on Jolly''s pale face.

    "It''s foggy." Jolly stared out the window, her face turning for the worse.

    idents were prone to happen when it was foggy, and it also meant that it would be harder for the fire department to rescue him.

    Where the hell is Leroy?

    Rachel reminded Justin, "Drive slower. Safety first."

    "Don''t worry."

    He said those two words in a concise manner to reassure them.

    Rachel held Jolly''s hand tightly. It was useless to say anythingforting at this moment.

    After driving for half an hour, Jolly suddenly eximed, "Stop!"

    Rachel hadn''t figured out what was going on yet, but Jolly pointed to a ce outside the window. "I see him! Right there!"

    Justin parked the car on the side of the road immediately, and the three of them got out of the vehicle.

    Due to the heavy fog, they didn''t see the ident on the roadside when they got out of the car. So it wasn''t until they followed Jolly and ran closer that Rachel''s expression changed, and her knees softened. Justin reacted quickly and held her up by the shoulders.

    At this moment, a silver sedan was shaking as it hung off the cliff''s edge. The driver''s seat was hanging in the air. Below that was an abyss, and a figure could be faintly seen in the driver''s seat. Jolly was so terrified that her soul nearly left her body.

    "Leroy!" She dared not shout loudly or even touch the car for fear that it would lose its bnce and fall off the cliff if she evenid a single finger on it.

    A faint male voice sounded from the car, prating the mist. "Jolly, is that you?"

    "It''s me! Leroy, you can hear me!"

    Jolly''s voice was trembling, and her eyes were red-rimmed. "Are you okay?"

    "I''m okay. Don''t be afraid. I''m sorry, baby. My phone fell, so I couldn''t contact you. I made you worried."

    "Why are you still thinking about your phone?!" Jolly was about to burst into tears.

    "You said that I have to be on call 24 hours a day and that I can''t not answer your calls..."

    "Stop talking! Stop talking!"

    Jolly was almost about to break down as she turned back and shouted, "Why isn''t the fire department here yet?!"

    At this moment, Justin ran over with a rope. "Stop yelling. Tie this to his car."

    The other end of the rope was already fastened to Justin''s car.

    Justin stopped talking to her and did it himself, after sensing that Jolly would be of no help in her petrified state, and tied the rope to the car''s rear. "What should we do now?" Rachel asked him.

    "Let''s see if we can drag the car up."

    "What if it flips over?" Jolly hurriedly stopped Justin. "What if you can''t pull it, or the rope isn''t strong enough?"

    That was indeed a possibility.

    Justin looked around. "It may take a while for the fire department to arrive. How about this? I''ll call them and ask when they''ll arrive. Wait here." "It''s toote."

    Rachel suddenly saw that the road on the cliff''s edge was beginning to split, and Leroy''s rear tires had started to slide toward the cliff''s edge. Jolly was instantly frightened. "Leroy!"

    Rachel grew anxious. "What should we do now?"

    Justin immediately got into the car without responding to them, started the engine, and drove in the opposite direction of the cliff.

    There was a loud screeching noise, apanied by Jolly''s screams. Leroy''s car tilted slightly, and the front wheel that had been floating sideways hit the cliff, creating a loud noise. Earth and rocks fell, making the scene all the more terrifying to watch.

    The rope pulling the car was taut.

    However, Justin''s car was obviously not as heavy as Leroy''s Jeep, so he was dragged a little and slid toward the cliff.

    "No! This won''t work!"

    Rachel''s face paled. "It''s not heavy enough. Both cars will go down!"

    Jolly suddenly recovered to her senses and opened Justin''s car door before getting in without hesitation.

    "What are you doing?" Justin nced at her. "Go down."

    "The car isn''t heavy enough, right?"

    "Do you think your weight is enough? Hurry up and go down. Don''t create trouble!"

    Jolly gritted her teeth and fastened her seat belt, "No!"

    "I think the both of you are crazy!"

    Rachel became an outsider in the end. She felt extremely anxious as she watched Justin''s car dragging toward the cliff little by little. "You guys! Come down quickly! It won''t hold anymore! It''s too dangerous!" Jolly watched through the rearview mirror as the distance between them and the cliff gradually shortened, so she gritted her teeth. "Justin, this has nothing to do with you. Get down. I''ll drive!"

    Justin frowned and nced at her. "Okay. You get out of the car, and we''ll change seats."

    Jolly immediately got out of the car.

    However, she found that she couldn''t open the door when she got to the driver''s seat. "Justin! Open the door!"

    Justin nced at her through the car window, his eyes set with determination.

    How could he let a woman die?

    Jolly was Rachel''s best sister. In the past, he had indirectly killed Hans and Nancy. Today, he couldn''t just stand by and watch Rachel''s best friend die, right?

    Jolly suddenly understood Justin''s intentions, so she frantically mmed the car door. "Are you crazy? What does this have to do with you? B*stard! Come out right now! I don''t want to owe you this!"

    Justin was unperturbed as he stepped on the elerator all the way to the end, and it barely controlled the speed of the car''s descent.

    At this moment, the rope connecting the two cars was extremely taut, and it was possible that it would break apart at any moment. The rear tires of Leroy''s car were nearly leaving the cliff, so this rope waspletely supporting the whole vehicle.

    Rachel''s heart almost jumped out of her throat as she called the fire department in a frenzy.

    "Sorry, the number you''ve dialed is temporarily unavable. Please call againter!"

    "Justin, don''t let go of the gas! The fire department is almost here!"

    She shouted in anxiety, fearing that both cars would fall off the cliff in the next second.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 399

    Chapter 399 Am I Not Worthy of You?

    Even if the car was pulling at its maximum power, it still couldn''t stop the tires from slipping at an rming rate. Finally, the whole vehicle moved towards the jeep and was drawn toward the cliff.

    Boom! The rear tire of the jeep slipped down again. Jolly''s face was ashen as she mmed the car doors. "Justin,e down right this instant!"

    No matter how much she hated Justin, she certainly didn''t want him to die.

    However, he simply turned a blind eye to all this, still stepping on the elerator and adjusting the car''s direction.

    She could only run to the cliff''s edge, crying and shouting after realizing she couldn''t persuade him, "Leroy!"

    Amidst the engine''s roar, no one could no longer hear Leroy''s response, and the engine''s noise drowned out even Jolly''s cries.

    The mountain fog became thicker and thicker while Rachel dialed the number repeatedly before finally seeing a glimmer of light approaching them.

    "It''s a fire truck!"

    The signal in the mountains wasn''t good. Although Rachel''s calls never got through, the fire truck had been following the mountain road to find them. At that moment, the red fire truck was like a magic soldier descending from the sky. The firefighters rushed over with a doubleyer steel cable and buckled it to the jeep as soon as it stopped.

    A firefighter gestured in the direction of the fire truck, which drove backward, pulling the jeep up from the edge of the cliff in two to three jerks.

    Justin turned off his engine and stopped his car.

    When Leroy was rescued, Jolly rushed into his arms, crying, "I thought you would die!"

    Leroy patted her on the back. "How could I die so easily? You''re my lucky star. As long as you''re around, my bad fortune will turn into good fortune."

    As Rachel watched this, her heart finally stopped pounding out of her chest.

    At this moment, the sound of a car door opening and closing sounded from behind as Justin got out of the car. Rachel looked back and saw him, then snorted.

    When he followed her gaze, he nced down andughed as well.

    Until now, he still hadn''t even taken off his apron yet.

    Leroy''s car was severely damaged and could no longer be driven, so it was towed away by a tow truck.

    "Thank you, all of you."

    "You''re wee." The firefighter then asked Leroy and the others to sign a document. "Do you need us to take you down the mountain?"

    "It''s fine." Rachel pointed to Justin''s car. "Our car is fine. We can drive it back."

    "Alright then."

    They watched as the fire truck left and disappeared into the mountain fog. Everything that happened in the past hour felt like a dream, and they were still in a state of disbelief. Jolly hesitated for a while before saying to Justin, "Thank you for today."

    "It''s only right."

    "This has nothing to do with doing what''s right. From today onward, I owe you a favor."

    Jolly took the initiative to extend her hand to Justin. "We''ll be friends from now on."

    Justin reflexively nced at Rachel, who smiled. "Don''t feel pressured. Miss Carter has plenty of friends."

    "Oh? This is different. Justin saved my boyfriend, which is equivalent to saving me. This is a life debt."

    "What? Are you going to pledge yourselves to each other?"

    Rachel suddenly blurted out a question that stunned everyone present.

    "There''s no need for that!" Justin immediately refused.

    Jolly raised her eyebrows. "Could it be that I''m not worthy of you? I''m the daughter of the Carter Family-the owner of Enterprise. Even if you''re still the president of Burton Group, we''re well-matched in economic status. Besides, you''re in dire straits now!"

    This was like a forced marriage.

    Jolly forcing marriage unto Justin?

    And she was even using her identity as the daughter of the Carter Family to pressure him?

    If the media got footage of this and posted it on the Inte, it would set off another wave of gossip.

    The main point was that Jolly''s attitude of wanting to kill Justin as soon as she saw him made it hard for people to imagine that they could be together. This was simply a pairing that would never happen. Rachel couldn''t help butugh when she saw how lost Justin was.

    Immediately afterward, Leroyughed too.

    Justin burst intoughter as well when he saw the othersughing.

    Only Jolly looked confused. "What are youughing at? Is this funny? Or am I funny?"

    Rachel waved her hand. "Let''s go. Let''s go home."

    Justin got into the car right away.

    Only Leroy was left beside Jolly. "What are you guysughing about?"

    Leroy ced his arms around her shoulder and forced the bubblingughter back down. "Baby, I''m hungry. Let''s hurry back and eat."

    "Hey, you guys better tell me right now! Is it that funny? Am I not worthy of Justin? What are you doing? Stopughing! Leroy, stopughing! I''ll be angry if you continueughing!"

    It was alreadyte at night when the group returned to the old town.

    Gloria and Victor were waiting and pacing like cats on hot bricks in the living room.

    Gloria was the first to bounce up and rush into the yard when she heard themotion outside. "You guys are back! What happened? Is everything alright?"Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel said, "We''re fine. But, unfortunately, the signal on the road wasn''t good. I was going to call you to report safety, but it never got through."

    "What the hell happened?"

    "It''s a long story."

    Jolly looked around. "Where are the kids?"

    "They''re asleep. By the way, have you seen Julian?" Gloria nced behind them, looking puzzled.

    Jolly shook her head. "No. Where did Julian go?"

    Gloria answered, "As soon as Julian heard that you guys went out, he drove out to find you. I thought he found you!"

    "We haven''t seen him. Maybe we missed him."

    Jolly said, "It''s okay. I''ll send him a message saying that we''re back."

    Just as she was about to send the message, a door being pushed open sounded behind them.

    Julian was back, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

    Jolly told him, "We were looking for you."

    Julian politely showed concern when he saw Leroy. "You''re okay, right? That''s good."

    Then, his gazended on Rachel and Justin.

    The two of them stood very close, their arms almost attached to one another.

    Julian''s eyes darkened all of a sudden.

    "Well, since there''s nothing wrong, let''s all go inside. We bought some snacks. Those who haven''t eaten should have some food. Those who are hungry can also have some..."

    Jolly was about to pull Leroy in, but suddenly noticed Justin''s apron and joked, "Are you nning to live the rest of your days with this apron? I don''t think you need to take it off. You can keep it on for tomorrow and continue to wash the dishes after our meal."

    Gloria looked back and saw Justin''s apron, thenughed. "Why are you still wearing it?"

    Jolly continued, "He wasn''t just wearing it now. He was wearing it when he stepped on the elerator to save Leroy in the mountains just now. I didn''t feel that anything was odd at that time, but now that I think about it, it''s hrious!"

    Rachel helped Justin untie the apron. "Ignore them. They''re childish!"

    Justin''s cold face turned a bit warm, and he said casually, "I''ll make some tea for everyone just to prevent any of us from catching a cold."

    Rachel followed behind him. "I''ll help you."

    The two of them went into the kitchen together, and the room was full ofughter as they all got together to listen to Jolly recounting the thrilling rescue process on the cliff.

    Only Julian was left standing in the yard, his eyes bing increasingly gloomy.

 My Mute Bride Chapter 400

    Chapter 400 The Car ident Was Intentional

    "Leroy, you drove too recklessly. How did you crash into the railing?" Gloria brought the conversation back on track with a simple sentence in the living room.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

    Leroy answered, "I didn''t crash into it on my own. A car mmed into me from behind." "What?!" Jolly eximed. "Then, why didn''t you just say so?" "I didn''t want to make it such a big deal." "How could this happen? In other words, someone hit you, thenmitted a hit and run? They didn''t even care about your situation?"

    Jolly was rather furious. "We must report this person to the police and get them to make an arrest!"

    With that, she took out her phone to call the police.

    Leroy stopped her. "Jolly, forget it."

    "What are you doing? Why can''t I call the police?"

    Leroy was at a loss.

    The two of them were at a stalemate, so Julian helped to mediate the situation. "Jolly, Leroy is a public figure. Once you call the police, this will probably be trending news. Although the other party hit and ran, they may have been scared and didn''t really intend to harm him. If this bes trending news and his fans stalk the driver, it would ruin their life."

    "That''s what they deserve!"

    Although the words that escaped Jolly''s mouth were harsh, she silently put the phone away, then sat down in a huff. "Lucky for them. How does a person like that sleep well at night?"

    Leroy hurriedly coaxed her, "They must not be able to sleep. Their conscience would haunt them."

    When he spoke, he gave Julian a nod as a show of gratitude.

    It waste at night, so everyone had supper, chatted for a while, and then retired to their rooms.

    After taking a shower, Jolly came out and saw Leroy sitting by the window, seemingly in a daze.

    "What''s the matter?"

    Leroy recovered. "It''s nothing. I just think it''s weird."

    "What''s weird?"

    "The car that hit me today did it from behind. So, it stands to reason that this wouldn''t happen if I didn''t hit the brakes."

    The speed limit on the mountain road wasn''t high, and Leroy wasn''t driving fast either. He pretty much drove at a uniform speed. Even if he turned a corner, he would slow down, and it wasn''t to the extent that the car behind him would have no time to react.

    "I feel that the car didn''t rear-end me because they didn''t realize, but it seemed they elerated instead."

    "elerated?" Jolly frowned. "Do you think someone did this on purpose?"

    "Yeah."

    Leroy nodded slightly, staring at the mountain view outside the window with aplicated expression.

    Early the next morning, Rachel hadn''t woken up yet, but she was awakened by a little hand pinching her nose.

    She opened her eyes and saw Charlotte and Samuel lying on her bed, where Charlotte was pinching her nose. "Mommy, if you don''t get up, the sun will toast your butt!"

    Rachel rolled over in a daze. "What time is it?"

    She looked at the rm clock and found that it was only after 6.00AM, so the sun had just risen on the mountainside.

    These two cheeky ones.

    "Aren''t you two sleepy?"

    "Nope. Daddy is making breakfast."

    "What?" Rachel sat up in surprise. "He''s making breakfast?"

    Samuel nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. Don''t you know he can cook breakfast?"

    Rachel was indeed surprised.

    After all, Justin used to be a person who could ruin noodles and burn the kitchen just by frying eggs.

    "I''m going to take a look."

    She was afraid that Justin would blow up the kitchen of the homestay and cause them a lot of trouble.

    At this moment, the range hood in the kitchen was humming noisily.

    Justin was frying ham, an apron tied around his waist. Several tes were on the ind behind him, along with toasted bread, and a milky aroma filled the entire ce. Rachel opened the blue curtain and walked in. As soon as she entered, she could smell the fragrance.

    "You really are making breakfast."

    "Why are you up?" Justin nced at her in surprise. "Did Charlotte wake you?"

    "I was just curious. Charlotte and Samuel said you were making breakfast."

    "What? Are you worried that I won''t do well and burn down the kitchen?"

    "I was indeed worried that something like that would happen."

    Rachel leaned against the ind with her arms wrapped around her body. "When did you start learning how to cook?"

    "When I was abroad. I was bored and had too much free time on my hands."

    As he spoke, he skillfully flipped the hams. Then, after it was almost fried, he ced it on the white tes piece by piece, leaving the oil at the bottom of the pan as he cracked three eggs. Rachel rolled up her sleeves. "Do you need help? What can I do?"

    Justin looked around. "You can wash some fruits. There are raspberries over there."

    "Okay."

    Rachel took the fruit basket and washed the raspberries by the pond.

    Through the window, Charlotte and Samuel''sughter sounded from outside.

    There were a few chickens in captivity in the homestay yard, and there was a rooster who enjoyed staying on the orange tree. Charlotte had never seen a live chicken before, so after arriving here, she would crane her neck to look at the tree as soon as she was free. She was in utter awe, wholly distracted from having a proper meal.

    "Samuel, do chickens live in trees?"

    "Of course not. Don''t you see that the other two are in the nest?"

    "Then, why is this one on the tree?"

    "Maybe it thinks it''s safer in the tree."

    "I don''t think so."

    "Then, why do you think it is?"

    "It must be because by standing on top of the tree, it''ll be louder when it crows in the morning, so it can wake everyone up!"

    Rachel and Justin heard their conversation clearly from the kitchen, so they looked at each other and smiled.

    He felt a little helpless. "Charlotte has never been exposed to these things, so she has never seen them."

    "I don''t think Samuel has much experience with this either. No one abroad raises chickens at home. They''re all bred at farms."

    When she was done with the raspberries, she asked, "Is there anything else I can help with?"

    "There''s nothing else." One by one, he ced the fried eggs on the tes. "What spread would you like on your bread?" "What options are there?"

    "Tomato sauce, sd sauce, peanut butter..."

    She took a look and pointed to one of the jars. "Peanut butter."

    After they were done preparing breakfast for the four of them, Justin and Rachel came out of the kitchen with two tes.

    She shouted in the direction of the chicken coop, "Go wash your hands ande over for breakfast."

    The two children cheered.

    Rachel immediately shushed them and pursed her lips in the direction of the rooms. "Everyone''s still asleep, so don''t be too noisy." Charlotte immediately withdrew her head like a turtle, then put up a finger to shush Samuel. "Keep your voice down."

    Rachel shook her head helplessly in amusement.

    It had been a long time since the four of them sat down to eat like this.

    The surroundings outside were quiet, as most people in the town didn''t get up early, so there were no people in the alley at this moment.

    Justin was peeling the eggshells when Charlotte licked a mouthful of honey off the bread before saying in a muffled voice, "Mommy, are Mr. Wade and Aunt Gloria getting married?" "Huh? Why would you ask that all of a sudden?"

    "I saw Mr. Wade secretly preparing a ring."

    Rachel was surprised. "Really?"

    She didn''t really believe Charlotte''s statement, so she turned and asked Samuel, "Is that true?"

    Samuel nodded solemnly. "I saw it. Mr. Wade was holding a ring box."

    Rachel raised her head and nced at Justin.

    Is he going to propose?

 Chapter 401

    "Mommy! Mr. Wade is going to propose, right?" Charlotte was a child of great mischief, and she immediately voiced Rachel''s guess.

    "Propose?" Rachel froze. When she looked back, she saw Gloria standing at the dining area door, wearing a pink nightdress and holding a cup in her. hand. It seemed that she had woken up to drink water. Rachel thought of getting away with it, but Gloria had already trotted in with her eyes shining. ''Is he going to propose to me? Really? Here? When?"

    Rachel coughed. "Gloria, you''ve misheard." Since Victor didn''t tell them, it meant that he wanted to surprise Gloria. This was just great. Before he could surprise her, they had disrupted it.

    "I heard it very clearly." Gloria grabbed Justin. "You heard it too, didn''t you? Victor is going to propose to me!" Justin was helpless. "Yes, I heard it. Are you happy?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "Meh, I''m okay. Not that happy."

    "Then, if he proposes, will you agree?"

    "For someone like him, if it weren''t for me, he would never be able to get married, so I''ll reluctantly agree. I''ll be doing a good deed." Gloria deliberately frowned, but there was irrepressible happiness in her eyes. "Don''t worry. I didn''t hear anything. I don''t know what to prepare or how to prepare. I''ll go back and sleep first."

    "Hey!" Rachel called after her but didn''t manage to stop her. She turned around and asked Justin, "Is their information reliable? Why am I panicking?" "That guy has many ideas. He probably didn''t tell us because he was embarrassed." "That''s true." Rachel nodded. "But, it''s amazing that the two actually got together. To be honest, the average girl won''t be able to stand Victor''s temper."

    "Gloria doesn''t have a good temper either." "You''re oddly calm about this, and something. isn''t quite right here.'' Rachel teased him and said, "Shouldn''t you feel the dissatisfaction of having your little sister being taken away by another man?" "Gloria will have to marry someone eventually. Instead of marrying someone from nowhere, it''s better to marry someone from Riverdale. We all know history, and we all live close by. It''ll make things easier if anything needs to be taken care of too." "That''s true." Rachel nodded in agreement. "Charlotte, Samuel, this matter must be kept secret." Charlotte immediately covered her mouth and. said, "I definitely won''t say anything."

    She nced at Samuel, and when she saw that he didn''t respond, she stretched out her hand. and covered his mouth too. "Samuel won''t say anything either."

    Samuel was eating, so when Charlotte covered his mouth, he could only stare at them with his eyes wide open, looking like a little frog. Due to the ident the night before, everyone slept until noon.

    The homestay owner made lunch, all of which were the town''s specialties, and there were even exquisite pastries from Riverdale. "What are we doing this afternoon?"

    "We''re going hiking," Victor answered while eating. I''ve drafted the n. The red maple up on Triburg Mountain looks the most beautiful this season, and the mountain isn''t too high. So, we''ll go after lunch and descend the mountain before dark."

    Jolly piped up, "I know that ce. People often propose on Lover Vista. It''s the slope that''s on the top of the mountain."

    As soon as she said this, Rachel nced at Gloria with a smile. Gloria froze for a moment, then suddenly blushed. After lunch, the group set off.

    The mountain wasn''t high, and the red maples all over the mountain looked like fire clusters. It was extremely enchanting. Halfway through walking, Rachel suddenly felt a little ufortable. For some reason, she thought of the fire that happened more than 20 years ago.

    "Are you tired? Drink some water."

    Justin''s concerned voice sounded from her side. She returned to her senses, then took a sip of water and forced a smile. "I''m okay. It''s just theck of exercise that''s getting to me." "Give me the bag."

    "It''s okay, I can carry it myself-"

    Before she could finish speaking, he took the bag from her shoulder and carried it as he walked forward. She had mixed feelings in her heart when she looked at his back.

    She seemed to have seen such a scene more than 20 years ago. At that time, she had helped him leave the mountain. Then, after preparing food and drinks for him, she watched as he hurried off with a bag on his back. If it weren''t for the sudden fire in the mountains, perhaps everything that followed wouldn''t have happened.

    "What are you thinking about?"

    Jolly suddenly patted her on the shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

    "Nothing." "I think this mountain is higher than Victor imed it to be, and the road isn''t very easy to walk on either." Jolly leaned almost half of her body on Rachel, looking like she had jelly for bones.

    Rachel tried to push her away as she was rather heavy. "You''re so heavy. If you can''t walk, ask Leroy to carry you. Why are you torturing me instead?"

    "I have something to tell you."

    "What? Are you going to scold me for treating at friend as a backup again? I won''t take that lying down."

    "Oh, why are you holding a grudge for that?"

    Jolly held her arm and coaxed her. ''I said that out of anger, didn''t I? I''ll apologize to you, okay? And when we go back to Riverdale, you can choose any of the bags in my house."

    "Who cares about your bags?"

    "You can''t buy those with money!"

    "Keep them for yourself."

    Rachel rolled her eyes at Jolly before walking forward on her own. Jolly stuck to her like gum. "Chris, although I know there are certain things you may not like to hear, I think I still have to say them."

    "What is it?"

    "What are you nning to do with Julian and Justin?"

    "This again? Can''t I not want either of them?" "But, the problem now is that these two people. are by your side. One is tantly chasing you, and the other has a daughter with you. Neither of them are people whom you can be just friends with just because you say so. Don''t you think so too? If you have to choose one, which one will it be?"

    Rachel frowned, "This question is just a bunch of red gs. I won''t choose."

    "Deep down, it''s still Justin, right?" Jolly hit the nail on the head. "You don''t need to exin the grudges between you and him. In fact, the more grudges are involved, the more difficult it is for you two to call it quits. You''re just deceiving yourself by saying that you guys are even."

    Rachel couldn''t refute, but her frown deepened. She had to admit that she couldn''t ept Julian or anyone else for this reason. She didn''t know what kind of feelings she had for Justin.

    But, after experiencing so many things, she couldn''t ept Justin again like nothing had happened. Jolly said, "There''s something I didn''t want to tell you because I thought it had nothing to do with you, but now I think you have the right to know." "What is it?"

    "Justin has a marriage contract, which has been set since he was a child."

    Rachel looked at Jolly in surprise. How''s that possible? How could he marry her back then if he had a marriage contract? And how could he have remained engaged with Amber for five years?

    Jolly was serious, a side of her that was rarely seen. "Frankie told me about it, and we all know her. She''s our old boss, Christine, whose real name is Ginny Tuscan.".

    Rachel''s brows shot up as she found it hard to believe.

 Chapter 402

    When they climbed to the top of the mountain, it was already evening. Due to the constant stopping, the original nt to get to the top of the mountain in one hour turned into a strenuous three-hour hike,pletely ruining Victor''s n..

    "ording to our current situation, we won''t be able to get home before dark." Victor nced at his watch. "Let''s just take a walk, a group photo, then take a break before leaving."

    Jolly sat on the stone pier while using her hands to fan herself and criticized Victor, "Why are you being such a tour guide, rushing us to look at attractions and take pictures? We''re not here to be tourists, so what''s the problem if we can''t get back before dark?" moment, Victor was taken aback too. He scratched his head. "Then, everyone''s free to roam about. I''ll check out the stalls to buy something to eat."

    For

    Jolly gave him a dismissive wave, appearing like a wealthy youngdymanding her servant. Leroy chuckled next to her, then used at newspaper to fan her. "If Gloria sees youmanding her boyfriend like this, she''ll pick a fight with you." "Do you think I''m afraid of her?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "You''re not, but we are." "Hey, where''s Chris?" Jolly looked around. "Where did she go? Why are we the only ones here?" Leroy shook his head. "She was still here just now."

    At this moment, Rachel had walked a little further away with the two children. There was a stream in the red maple forest, where the path was lined with gravel, and a clear mountain spring was in the middle. Charlotte and Samuel rushed over, took off their shoes, and started a water fight in the water.

    It waste autumn, so the mountainside was extremely cold. Rachel was afraid that they would catch a cold. "You two, hurry back up after ying for a while. Be careful not to catch a cold," Justin happened to walk over. "It''s fine. I''ll watch them. Don''t go over. The path below is dangerous," The path below was either covered in mud or water, so it was indeed hard to walk.

    Rachel frowned and said nothing as she thought about what Jolly said when they walked up the mountain. There was still some distance between the hillside and the mountain stream where the children yed in the water. Rachel sat down on the slope, surrounded by ming red maple leaves. It looked like a carpet, and it was very soft to sit on.

    Initially, when she was in Montenegro, Ginny was her boss, and she had made things quite difficult for her. Still, she never expected Ginny to be Justin''s fianc¨¦e or his partner in a marriage contract since they were children.

    Jolly said that the Tuscan Family had immigrated to a foreign country very early on. Still, the Tuscan Family and the Burton Family: were good friends, so the two old men made the marriage contract. Meanwhile, Ginny was a strong businesswoman who had not been married for more than 30 years...

    It was no wonder. It was no wonder that Amber failed to be Mrs. Burton despite staying by Justin''s side for five years.

    On the one hand, perhaps Justin took into ount Charlotte''s preference; on the other hand, maybe Arthur wasn''t satisfied with his marriage with Amber, as he still had the Tuscan Family in mind.

    More importantly, Justin gave up the right to manage Burton Group so easily. It wasn''t a logical act to begin with, but what if he was nning to leave Riverdale? Jolly''s words echoed in Rachel''s ears.

    "The Tuscan Family is very influential abroad. I don''t even need to tell you that. But, if I''m not mistaken, it appears as if Old Mr. Burton didn''t leave any inheritance to Justin. In fact, he has a part of the Tuscan Family''s shares. So, as long as he marries Ginny, he''ll get half of the Tuscan Family''s business and will be able to rise from the ashes."

    This was one of the reasons why Jolly was so resistant toward Justin before this. Obviously, he was in a contract marriage, and he obviously had a way out, but he still refused to let go of Rachel.

    But now, Jolly and Leroy owed him a life debt, so it wouldn''t be good for her to say much. She could only tell Rachel what she knew and let her assess the situation by herself.

    "Rach." Rachel froze, and she was brought back to reality by Julian''s voice sounding from behind her. "Yes?" She recovered and stood up. "When did you arrive?"

    "I just walked over. What are you thinking so intently about?" "It''s nothing. Samuel and the two of them are ying in the water over there. I''ll call them. Otherwise, their clothes will get wet." "Wait." Julian suddenly grabbed her arm.

    Rachel was caught by surprise. "What''s the matter?"

    "I have something to tell you."

    "Hmm?" Julian suddenly took out a ring box, then opened it with a ''pop'' before getting down on one knee in front of Rachel. The sky was full of red maple leaves rustling down with the wind, painting a beautiful autumnndscape.

    She unconsciously took a step back, sol surprised that she was at a loss for words. Wasn''t it Victor who was going to propose?

    Julian said, "I know this is very sudden and may scare you, but I''ve wanted to do this a long time ago, so no matter what your final decision is, can you let me finish first?"

    She was anxious, and from the corners of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the figure at the mountain stream in the distance and stopped stepping back.

    Everyone knew how to find a way out for themselves, and Justin was no exception. Obviously, he had a great future, but he pretended to look deste, which only made others want to sympathize with him. Rachel clenched her hands and stopped backing away. Julian continued, "When I first saw you, I knew you must be a kind and simple girl. Although you couldn''t speak, your eyes were pure, purer than anyone I''ve ever seen. For so many years, you''ve always said that I''m the one staying by your side and helping you. But, that''s not the case. You''re the one staying by my side. Life is so long and lonely. I seem to have many friends, but most of them are just casual friends. My family isn''t perfect, and even my mother isn''t a kind person.

    You know all this. I long for a family, but the person whom I want to start a family with is you. I even thought that it was fine to just stay by your side all the time as a friend, but as I watch you get better, attracting more and more people-the good, the bad, the ones I can drive away, the ones I can''t control... I''m starting to feel that I can''t just wait like this. Maybe I should''ve done this a long time ago, but I dyed it until today. I hope you can give me a chance to take care of you and the children. Rach, will you marry me?"

    Julian''s words were sincere, and he looked at Rachel with sincerity. Yet, beneath his warm and genuine smile, there was a trace of uneasiness.

    He didn''t know if Rachel would agree. It was a big bet. At this moment, the two children were still ying in the water in the stream below, and no one saw what happened on the hillside.

    There was only Justin, with his heart pounding in his chest, who watched frozen as everything unfolded before him. He wanted to stop it, but he felt that he didn''t have the right to do so. The two people in the distance looked so perfect for each other that he couldn''t even be jealous.

    However, even if he couldn''t do anything and knew that he had no right to interfere, his taut expression betrayed his thoughts as he stared into the distance, hoping for a miracle.

    Julian said something, then Rachel suddenly took half a step toward him before stretching out her hand. The moment Julian ced the ring on Rachel''s finger, thest glimmer of hope in Justin''s heart was extinguished. He suddenly felt that the mountain and spring water under his feet were as cold as ice, and the red maple leaves in the sky were so blinding that he couldn''t look directly at them.

 Chapter 403

    "Where have you been? We''ve searched around for so long but couldn''t find you guys." As soon as Rachel and Julian returned to the mountain, Jolly''s questions rushed toward them. "We agreed to have fun together. So, what were you two doing?"

    Julian took Rachel''s hand in his, and although he didn''t say anything, he finally caught Jolly''s. attention. Jolly stared at the two of them for a long time, then her eyes fell on Rachel''s right hand, her face full of disbelief. "No way. What''s going on?" *Jolly, what are you yelling for?" Gloria heard. themotion and came over. She froze when she saw Julian and Rachel holding hands. Julian took Rachel''s hand and announced to everyone with a slight smile, "I proposed to Rachel." Gloria''s expression changed, and she looked at Rachel. "Miss Rachel, did you agree?" "Of course, she agreed. Isn''t she wearing the ring?" Behind her, Victor ced a hand on Gloria''s shoulder and said proudly, "I helped Dr. Peters go to the jewelry store to pick up the ring."

    "What?!" Gloria turned her head and was shocked once more. At this moment, no one noticed the difference between both of Gloria''s shocked reactions.

    Jolly had already rushed over and grabbed. Rachel''s hand, her eyes glued to the ring. "Julian, did you spend a lot of money? This diamond ring isn''t cheap!" Julian was helpless. ''Shouldn''t you congratte us first?" "What kind of proposal was it? Where did you propose? What did you say?" Jolly was so excited that she was at a loss. She shot them so many questions that Rachel didn''t even know where to begin answering her..

    "I''ll tell you everything when we get back." Jolly turned and red at Julian. "Wow, Julian, you actually hid this from me. I''ve been helping you, but I didn''t know anything."

    Julian said, ''I''m sorry. Miss Carter, how about we treat you to dinner when we go back to Riverdale?" "Wow, you''re using ''we'' already. I think you two should just get married on the spot."

    Rachel tugged on Jolly at once. "Can you take this a little more seriously?" "I''m not taking this seriously? You guys are the ones who aren''t taking things seriously! You proposed just like that. Trying to be low-key, huh?" Amidst Jolly''s ridicule, a mellow, aggrieved voice suddenly sounded as someone rushed up and hugged Rachel. "Mommy! Are you really going to marry Uncle Julian?"

    When Rachel saw Charlotte hugging her leg. she looked at Justin, who had just returned with Samuel, and the smile on her face suddenly stilled.

    Their eyes met, and the air seemed to stagnate. They were merely a few steps apart, but it was like a chasm of time separated them by centuries, and there was no going back. Justin looked at Rachel like Charlotte was looking at her, waiting for the final answer. "You all heard it, right?" Rachel didn''t speak, but Jolly, heartless as she was, started yelling, directing her words at Justin. "This is such a joyous event. Let''s add a dish tonight, President Burton!" Rachel was stunned, and she clenched her fists, waiting for Justin''s reaction. After a while, Justin gave an easy smile. "I''m afraid adding one dish isn''t enough. Let''s add two." For a moment, Rachel''s heart sank, then she fiercely clenched her fists before slowly loosening them. Then, inwardly, sheughed mockingly at herself, no longer having any expectations.

    "That''s settled, then!" Jolly urged Rachel and the others, "Let''s go. What are we still doing on the mountain? Let''s go down to celebrate!" As they descended the mountain, Gloria''s expression sank so much that it looked as though it was nearly copsing to the ground. Victor was extraordinarily dense and didn''t sense anything wrong with her at all as he scurried alongside her, showing her the things he bought on the mountain. "Gloria, does this mask look good? I bought it for you."

    "It''s so ugly." "How is it ugly? It looks good. You should put it on."

    "Take it away. I won''t wear it."

    "Come on. You should try it on. It really looks good. I just saw a girl wearing it." Gloria was furious, so she threw the mask onto the ground and yelled, "Then, you should get her to wear it! Don''t follow me!"

    After that, she left in a huff. Victor was frozen in ce,pletely bewildered. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Samuel squatted on the ground and picked up the mask. "Mr. Wade, did you make Aunt Gloria angry again?" "Who made her angry? She gets angry whenever she has spare time. I should be the one getting angry."

    Victor was young and vigorous, so he was unwilling to back down, and his face turned gloomy. "Samuel, let''s go. Let''s ignore her. She''s crazy."

    He held Samuel''s hand as they walked down the mountain. Then, he deliberately sped up and left without looking at her when he passed by Gloria''s side. Gloria was so angry that she stomped her feet in response.

    Samuel helplessly looked up at Victor. "Mr. Wade, how did you even manage to find a girlfriend?" "What are you talking about? I''m a likable person. Many people like me."

    "But, your temper is terrible." "That''s because you haven''t met anyone unreasonable. In the future, when you get into a rtionship, you''ll know how speechless women can leave you."

    Samuel gave it some serious thought. "Then, I''d better not get into a rtionship." The sky waspletely dark. The homestay owner had prepared dinner, and Justin cooked another two more dishes, so the table was full. Today''s proposal had fulfilled Jolly''s life-long wish, so she was happier than the two people involved in said proposal.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "With this ss, I''d like to toast the two people involved in the proposal today-Julian and Chris. Thank you for taking care of me and apanying me for so many years. One should keep the good stuff within the family. Both of you getting together makes me the happies I''ve ever been. Cheers!"

    Before Julian and Rachel had time to pick up their sses, Jolly drank a whole ss of beer..

    "Slow down." Leroy looked at her helplessly and ced some food on her te.

    "This second ss is a toast for Justin." Everyone was still smiling, but when they heard this, they were all startled. Leroy grabbed Jolly''s shirt and tugged on it. "Jolly, have you had too much to drink?"

    "No. That was only my first ss." Jolly looked solemn. I apologize for always being against you in the past. Thank you for rescuing Leroy yesterday. I used to be prejudiced toward you, but let''s be friends in the future."

    Everyone turned to look at Justin. After a long time, Justin got up with his ss, then downed a ss of wine without saying a word.

    "Great!" Jolly was about to drink her ss too, but Leroy stopped her. "You shouldn''t drink so. much." "Today is a happy day. So let''s raise our sses together!"

    "Come on! Let''s toast!" Either being genuine or faking it, the adults. appeared happy as they raised a ss to celebrate all sorts of things, even the tiniest details could be a reason to make a toast.

    However, the children didn''t understand any of this. Samuel took a piece of watermelon and walked around for a long time before finally finding Charlotte in the sheep pen in the backyard.

    "Charlotte, what are you doing here?"

    Charlottey on the fence of the sheep pen, staring at thembs inside. Finally, she sighed like an adultmenting. "Uncle Julian has be my stepfather. Do you think I''ll be calling him ''Dad'' in the future? Or will I be calling him ''Uncle Julian"?"

 Chapter 404

    "Why are you puzzling over this? You can call him whatever you like." Samuel handed Charlotte a piece of watermelon. "Here. Have some watermelon." Charlotte shook her head. "I don''t want it."

    "What''s the matter? Are you going on a hunger strike?"

    "I have no appetite." "Actually, I think no matter who Mommy is with, she''ll still be our mommy. No matter who your Daddy is with, he''ll still be your daddy. So what''s the use of us worrying so much?"

    Charlotte sighed again. "I know, but I just wish they could be together." "But, you also saw how even after we thought of so many ways to get them together. In the end, it didn''t work and even made things worse. I don''t want that to happen again."

    "But, will Mommy and Uncle Julian really be happier together?" Samuel hadn''t thought about this question, so he paused. He thought solemnly for a while. "Why don''t you ask Mommy yourself?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Charlotte turned and leaned her back against the fence before stretching her hand out toward Samuel. "Give me the watermelon." As opposed to asking adults about such matters, it was better to eat watermelon!

    They wouldn''t tell the truth anyway since the adults always thought it was easy to lie to them just because they were kids. It waste at night, and everyone had gone back to their rooms to sleep after drinking. Jolly got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and was taken aback when she saw a shadow in the yard outside.

    "Can''t sleep?" In the courtyard, under the grapevine trellis, Justin was sitting alone. A te of peanuts and a bottle of wine were in front of him, and it was even white wine.

    "Haven''t you drunk enough?" Jolly walked over and sat down opposite him. "What''s the matter? In a bad mood?" Justin''s expression was reserved. "Why would I be in a bad mood?"

    "Don''t pretend. In fact, it''s not hard to understand. Chris is your ex-wife. You''ve pursued her with great effortst time, and now, all you can do is watch her marry your cousin. But, of course, no one will feel good about that."

    "You weren''t so understanding when you asked me to add an extra dish." "I was helping you relieve the awkwardness, okay? Since you''re Leroy''s savior, I didn''t want. to let you die of embarrassment on the spot."

    After Jolly rambled on, she picked up a peanut and stuffed it into her mouth.

    Crunch. "This peanut is good. Do you have another ss? Give me one." Justin nced at her. "Can you still drink? Go back to sleep."

    "Who are you looking down on? I can drink sses as tall as ten of you, and it won''t be an issue. So you won''t get it for me, huh? Fine, I''ll get it myself."

    With that, Jolly went into the kitchen and got herself a ss. The two sat opposite each other, a stack of peanuts and a bottle of white wine between. them. Anyone inside who came out to see this scene would feel as if they had seen a ghost.

    After three rounds of drinking, they were slightly tipsy. Jolly sniffled and looked at the man in front of her. "Hey, if you were like this before, maybe you would still have a chance."

    "What am I like now?" "Down to earth. The old you was high and mighty like a god. Besides those who had their eyes on your family fortune, who else would be willing to bother with you?"

    After Jolly finished half a bottle of wine, her head was spinning, and Justin was rather drunk too. Those who shared a drink could share feelings most of the time, too. Even if they were passersby when the sun rose the next day, they

    were genuine friends while drinking. Justin didn''t expect that there would be a day when he shared a drink with Jolly. "Do you think that if I found out earlier..."

    "Why''d you stop talking?'' Jolly squinted at him. "Found out about what earlier?" "Nothing. Justin lowered his head and poured another ss of wine; his eyes were red- rimmed.

    "That''s annoying." Jolly curled her lips in disdain. "Do you know that your behavior of talking halfway and hiding everything inside is the most annoying ever? If you have something to say, just say it."

    "Does Rachel feel that way too? Does Julian tell her everything?"

    "Of course. There are no secrets between us."

    "Julian must treat her really well, right?" "No." Jolly stared at Justin, then extended a finger before slowly shaking it from side to side. "You''re wrong about that." She suddenlyughed. "Julian treats Chris extremely well!"

    Justin''s mood that was hopeful returned to its original bleak state. Jolly continued, "When they were in Montenegro, Julian took care of Chris while studying. At that time, Chris still couldn''t speak, but he treated her little by little. Julian handled everything from what she ate and drank to trivial matters such as food and clothing. But, most importantly, Julian encouraged her to learn. Julian is the most selfless and kind man I''ve ever seen, and Chris is also the strongest woman I''ve ever seen."

    Justin gave a firm nod and filled two sses of wine. "Here. Let''s toast the most selfless man and the strongest woman." "You''re quite funny." Jolly picked up the wine ss and smiled before clinking it against Justin''s ss. "You''re not bad either."

    "Don''t you all hate me?" "That''s all in the past. Don''t mention it anymore. I''ll be anxious if you mention it again. I''ll punish myself with this ss. Here, allow me to apologize to you for everything that has happened in the past."

    With that, Jolly chugged down the ss of wine. The full moon hung high, and the coldte autumn wind blew, keeping them sober.

    Justin''s tolerance to alcohol was low, but it seemed hard for him to get drunk tonight. Nevertheless, whether it was what he said or what Jolly said, were clearly engraved in his mind, lingering and echoing. "Rachel will definitely be happy in the future she has Julian." "No! Since you like her, you should go after her and get her back."

    "Have you had too much to drink?"

    "Who drank too much?" Jolly waved her hand, her cheeks slightly flushed. "What''s all that with having to fulfill someone if you like them? It''s all bullsh*t. If you really like someone, you just have to believe that no one else in this world can give her true happiness except yourself. So, she has no choice but to be with you!"

    Justin stared at Jolly. "You''ve really drunk too much."

    "I didn''t! I didn''t drink too much!" Leroy had probablye out to find Jolly at this moment as he woke up in the middle of the night and didn''t see her. As soon as he came out, he saw Jolly gesturing toward Justin in the yard. "Jolly?" As soon as he got closer, Leroy frowned. "Oh my God. Why did you two drink again? How much did you guys have to drink?" Justin appeared sober as he waved his hand. "She''s drunk. Take her back with you." "Who''s drunk?"

    Jolly ced her arms around Leroy''s neck. "Do you think I look like a drunkard?"

    "What do you think?"

    Leroy was angry and speechless. No man would like to see his girlfriend drinking with other men in witching hours. "Come on. Come back to bed with me."

    "Wait!" Jolly grabbed Leroy and pointed at Justin''s nose again, her voice muffled. "Let me tell you. You have to fight for your own happiness! Don''t be a timid turtle! I support you! Get her back!"

    Leroy immediately covered her mouth, then smiled awkwardly at Justin before carrying Jolly into the house. ''Jolly, if you don''t shut up, you''ll definitely regret what you said tomorrow morning!" What happened to giving Julian unwavering support?

    Why did she defect after having only a few sses of wine?

 Chapter 405

    After Jolly left, Justin was left alone in the yard, and he hadpletely sobered up. The next day, everyone didn''t get up until noon because of the drinking. It was time to pack up and go back to Riverdale by then.

    "I have a terrible headache. I must''ve drank some fake beerst night." As soon as she woke up, Jollyined, "Whoever bought the beer must''ve bought fake ones." Leroy was helpless. "You didn''t just drink beer. You drank white wine too." "White wine?" Following Leroy''s gaze toward the yard, Jolly suddenly remembered something..

    "Jolly, Leroy,e have breakfast." Julian brought buns and fritters from the kitchen and waited for the others to join for breakfast. Jolly''s lips twitched awkwardly, and she felt somewhat guilty.

    "Cough, cough." She let out a couple of dry. coughs. "I''ming. You guys start without me. I''ll wash up first."

    "Go ahead." At this moment, Charlotte ran out of Justin''s room. "Why isn''t Daddy here?" "He''s not here?" Rachel nced at Justin''s room. She saw that there was no one on the bed from the door, and even the sheets and bedding were neatly arranged.

    Gloria said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. He left earlier in the morning. No one was awake yet, so he didn''t want to bother anyone, but he sent me a message and asked me to tell everyone."

    Charlotte immediately pouted. "Why is Daddy like this?!" Gloria advised her, "Oh, Charlotte. You can see your daddy when you go back to Riverdale. So it''s understandable that he suddenly has something to go back to deal with, right?"

    "It''s understandable." Charlotte shot Rachel a nce. Her eyes were a little intive as she said in her babyish voice, "Daddy must be very sad." Her voice wasn''t loud, but Rachel still heard it. She deliberately pretended not to hear it, lest the little girl had something to say about the topic again.

    During the meal, Julian said, "After we''re done with this meal, we''ll go straight back to Riverdale. You guys can start thinking about seating arrangements."

    Jolly was the most careless as she still hadn''t noticed the tension between Gloria and Victor. "We can follow the same arrangement as when we came here. Chris and I will sit in your car, and we have to take Leroy too. Since the firefighters towed his car away."

    "No way!" Gloria''s face hardened. "I don''t want to be in the same car with him." "Him?" Jolly was surprised and finally realized that she meant Victor and said, "Oh, why? What''s the matter?"

    Rachel was very aware of what was going on and was about to advise them, but Victor''s temper red again. "I won''t sit in the same car as you either. Do you think you''re the only one with a car? I''ll just sit in Dr. Peters'' car!"

    Rachel felt helpless as she saw the beginnings of another fight between the two. "Why don''t we do this? Julian, you fetch Jolly, Leroy, and Victor. I''ll follow Gloria, and I can also bring the two children home."

    Julian hesitated for a moment, but now, it seemed that this was the only way. Jolly shook her head and looked at Gloria and Victor. "You guys are really something. Are you two primary school students in a rtionship.. quarreling and creating trouble every day whenever you''re free? They''ve just started dating, yet you two are breaking them apart."

    "That''s enough." Leroy tugged on her under the table. Jolly''s demeanor after imbibing in liquor was truly something else. She persuaded Justin to get Rachel backst night, but she didn''t remember anything after sobering up, and now she was even taking jabs at Gloria. After the meal, the two cars left the old town ording to Rachel''s arrangement. Gloria was driving fast along the mountain roads, and in the blink of an eye, she was far ahead of Julian''s car.

    "Slow down." Rachel grabbed the handle on the top of her head in anxiety. "Are you a racer?

    There are children present." Gloria slowly released the elerator as she heard the reminder, but she still looked angry. Rachel said, "I know what you''re angry about. I''m to me for this. I didn''t rify matters, but you have to believe that the day wille for you and Victor."

    "Come on. Do you think he has ever thought about having a future with me? But, even if hel has, I won''t be with him if he carries on with that stupid temper of his!"

    "You''re speaking out of anger again."

    Rachel was finding this whole situation rather ridiculous. "Then, do you really want to break up with him?" "If we don''t break up now, how long do I have to endure this? Wait until he angers me to my grave?"

    This time, Gloria was indeed furious. But, this time, it was indeed a misunderstanding. No one expected that the ring in Victor''s hand was for Julian, which made Rachel feel somewhat embarrassed.

    In fact, Gloria wasn''t only angry because of this mess up but also because Rachel agreed to Julian''s proposal. When she thought of Justin''s forced smile, her heart felt congested.

    Halfway through the journey, they saw from the rearview mirror that the two children in the back seat were asleep from the rearview mirror. Gloria''s mood had also stabilized a little. "Rachel, are you really going to marry Julian?" "Isn''t that good?" "Do you really like Julian? I mean romantically. The kind where you''re in love."

    Rachel leaned against the back of her chair. She had actually thought about Gloria''s question before. "Gloria, have you ever thought about what''s the ultimate rtionship two people are in when they spend time with each other for a long time?"

    "Do you mean familial love?" "Let''s say it was something close to family. Just like Grandma and I, Hans and I, as well as Jolly and I. We''re not rted by blood, but we all know that we''re vital to each other, and we can even give up our lives for each other when necessary." "Do you think you and Julian have such a rtionship?""

    "He saved me." Rachel turned and looked quietly at Glorja. "Not only did he allow me to live, but he also cured my muteness and allowed me to speak and be a normal person. I''m very grateful to him."

    "But, that''s gratitude, not love."

    Rachel lowered her head and smiled. "Maybe in your world, gratitude and love can be clearly. distinguished, but in my opinion, if you''re really grateful, then you should provide the other. party with whatever they want. Julian wants me to marry him. This is the only thing I can do to repay him. The most important point is that he knows very well that I may not love him or that I don''t love him that much, but he still proposed, so I''m willing to agree."

    Gloria frowned, but she couldn''t refute Rachel''s statements. They were more mature and experienced people than she was, and they had experienced all the ups and downs of life. As a result, they had a clearer sense of purpose and direction in life than she did. In contrast, her pursuit of the subject of love seemed a bit absurd and idealistic.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Maybe." Gloria sighed softly. "Maybe you''re right, but I can''t wish you and Julian happiness." Rachel expressed her understanding. "It''s okay. I know."

    Gloria still felt sorry for Justin. Others could use him of inflicting this upon himself, but she couldn''t do it. Everything she had now was given to her by that man.

    When she looked at Rachel, she wanted to speak up for Justin to tell her that Justin was also a meticulous person. As long as it was someone he cared about, he would take care of them with everything he had, just as he had cared for her since she was a child. But now, it seemed as if everything was settled. Everyone had their own destination, and nothing could go back to the way it was.

 Chapter 406

    After they left the mountain, Gloria sent Rachel and the two children home. "Rachel, you cane to me anytime if you need anything." "Okay. Be careful, and let me know when you get home."

    As Gloria''s car left, Rachel held Charlotte in one hand and waved her other hand at Samuel. "Come on. Let''s go home."

    Samuel had been asleep, so he was rather out of it. Nevertheless, he staggered forward and took Rachel''s hand as they entered the elevator together. As soon as she got home and put the two children to bed, Rachel received a call from Julian.

    "Are you home yet?" "I''m home. Did you send them all back?" Rachel leaned on the marble table in the kitchen as she was going to drink some water. "Yeah, I just sent Victor home. By the way, why are Victor and Gloria arguing again?" "This is a misunderstanding, and it''s a long story."

    "I''m driving back, so I have time to listen to you." Rachel smiled. "It''s actually nothing, but remember the ring that was at Victor''s ce before? Charlotte and Samuel saw it, and when the two children came back and told us, Gloria heard it and misunderstood, thinking it was Victor who wanted to propose to her."

    "So that''s what happened. Then, I am also responsible for this matter." "How are you responsible for it? It''s just a misunderstanding. The two of them are still young. They''ll be mad at each other for two days before making up again."

    "You make it sound like we''re all getting old." "We''re not too young either." Rachel sighed. "It''s been so many years." "It''s still early now. How about we grab dinner together?"

    "I can''t today. Both children are asleep. I don''t feelfortable leaving them at home by themselves." There was silence on the other end of the phone.

    ''Rach, am I putting too much pressure on you?" Julian said, "I know it''ll be a while until you really ept me, but since you are willing to give me this opportunity, I will cherish it."

    Rachel was slightly startled. "Don''t overthink this. The two children are truly sleeping, so let''s have dinner together tomorrow night, if you have the time?"

    "That sounds good." After hanging up the phone, Rachel picked up. the cup next to her. She had just picked it up before immediately putting it down, and she opened the refrigerator door and took out a can of beer.

    Pssh... She opened the can, and white foam emerged. Rachel took a sip, feeling frustrated for no reason. At this time, Julian was driving. His slightly gloomy face was reflected in the rearview mirror of the car. "Hello? It''s me." A female voice came from the other end of the phone. "Are you all not back from Triburg Valley yet?" "We left in the afternoon and just arrived int Riverdale. Didn''t hee back in the morning? Didn''t you see him?" "He didn''te back."

    When he heard this, Julian frowned slightly. "Wait a little longer. He will have to go back eventually." "It''s okay. I''ve been waiting for so many years. But what about you-is there any good news on your side?" "Everything has gone ordingly."

    "Really? Then I''ll have to congratte you."

    "That''s good news for you too."

    "Of course." At this time, the other party in Julian''s call was located at the Burton Family''s summer vi. As night fell, the mist in the mountains gradually spread out, covering the entire summer vi.

    Due to the approaching winter, the fog grew. thicker as time passed by. The sound of a car engine sounded from outside. Ginny lifted the curtains, nced into the distance, then said lowly, "That should be himing back, so I''m ending the call."

    She hung up the phone and straightened her clothes and hair in front of the mirror. She was dressed in a luxurious silk sleeveless dress, and she gracefully walked downstairs.

    Justin got out of the car and walked into the house while buttoning up his suit. Just as he was about to enter the study, he heard a voiceing from upstairs. "You''re back." Justin frowned slightly. "You haven''t left?"

    "What''s the matter? Can''t I stay here for a few more days?" The woman was tall and had deep-set facial features. She did not have the appearance of a standard oriental woman, but was obviously of mixed blood. However, her appearance as she leaned on the stairs exuded charm, making it difficult for ordinary people to refuse her.

    It was a pity that Justin didn''t fall for it. "If you don''t have another ce to stay, I cant get you a hotel room." Ginny shrugged and immediately ceased to put on an act. Instead, she said helplessly, "Must you be so dense? We are childhood sweethearts, you know?" "We only met once when we were ten years old, so we are not exactly that much of a childhood sweetheart."

    "But we''re engaged."

    "That''s only what Grandpa and the others say for fun, so don''t take it seriously."

    "Justin, do you still think I came back because this is a joke?" Ginny went downstairs while holding her skirt up and said as she walked, "No matter what you think of it, my grandfather''s will has been shown to you. Furthermore, there is a marriage contract between us, in my grandfather''s opinion. So, as long as you go back to Montenegro with me, half of the inheritance rights of the Tuscan Family will be yours."

    "Sounds tempting, especially when I''m in such a rut."

    "So why don''t you just make up your mind already?"

    "It''s a pity; I don''t believe in receiving something without having to work for it," Justin gave Ginny a sidelong nce. "And obviously, this is what this situation is. By the way, you can continue living here if you want to. The house is big enough for the two of us, but there is only one main rule-don''t disturb me. If you need anything, just ask the butler."

    After saying this, Justin walked straight toward the study.

    As she looked at Justin''s back, her voice rose slightly. "You can get arge inheritance without any effort, plus a wife like me. Isn''t it the best of both worlds?"

    Only the sound of the door closing answered her. Back in the study, Justin locked the door, and the weariness on his face gradually showed.

    The full moon hung high outside the window, but it seemed particrly ironic at this point. The sound of a phone vibrating came from his pocket, and the caller ID was Gloria.

    "Hey." "Where are you? Summer vi?"

    "Yeah."

    "Are you alright?"

    "What''s the matter? You think I shouldn''t be fine?" "Well, I was just asking for the sake of asking, because how could you be fine? By the way, I have nothing to do with the orchestra these two days. So why don''t I go to the vi to stay with you for two days?" ''No, you''re not a child anymore. You need to be careful to avoid gossip or nder against your reputation." "Since when did you care about stuff like this?"

    "Besides, you also have a boyfriend, so pay attention to your actions." When he mentioned this, Gloria became angry. "What boyfriend? We broke up. I will never date ever again."

    "Are you acting in a fit of pique again?" "I''m not this time. I''m being serious, and that''s my decision. I''ll pack my things and live in the summer vi tomorrow. It''s useless for you to say anything otherwise."

    Justin was helpless. "Oh, fine. Come if you want to." "That''s what I wanted to hear. See you tomorrow." After he hung up the phone, his surroundings fell silent again.

    There were too many worries in his heart. If it wasn''t for Gloria''s phone call, Justin would have almost forgotten that this girl and Victor were still arguing. If he guessed correctly, it should be because of the ring. He held the phone for a moment before dialing a number.

    Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 407

    After the morning meeting on Monday, Jolly followed Rachel around as she told Rachel her itinerary, "There is a charity donation ceremony in the afternoon. Hudson Pharmaceuticals has received an invitation letter, mainly to donate medical supplies in poor mountainous areas. How much do you think we should donate?"

    Rachel nced at the contents of the document. "Donate ten mobile medical vehicles first, and then supplement the funds ording to the situation of the charitable foundation." "Okay, but you have to go to the banquet in the afternoon."

    "Can I not go?" "You have to go. This is an important event for thepany to gain favor. Don''t think of how utilitarian it is that charity is rted to business. This is also a good time to carry forward the spirit of charity."

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    "You said all that, but I didn''t say I wasn''t going." "I thought you seemed distracted early this morning, and you''re so listless. What''s going on? Shouldn''t you be happy? You just got proposed to and received a big diamond ring." Jolly said and reflexively grabbed Rachel''s hand but suddenly froze when she didn''t see the ring in question. "Where''s the ring?"

    Rachel retracted her hand. "It was troublesome to wear, so I didn''t wear it."

    "Nonsense." Jolly frowned. The secretary behind her cast them a curious look. Jolly closed the office door and asked sternly, "What''s the matter with you? Don''t tell me you are already regretting it."

    "No, you''re letting your imaginations run wild again."

    "Then why did you take the ring off?" Rachel was helpless. "It''s really inconvenient to wear it, and you know that I don''t like wearing things that are too valuable on my person. What if I lost it?"

    "No, you have a problem." Jolly put down all the folders in her hand, and theynded heavily on the desk. She turned around and stared at Rachel. "Tell me honestly, what happened to you and Julian? Why did you suddenly agree to his proposal?"

    Rachel, who was being stared at, felt guilty. She coughed lightly, tried to avoid Jolly''s intense gaze, but was caught by her anyway. "Look at my eyes and answer me!"

    She continued coughing. Rachel choked and said slowly. "Actually, I didn''t agree to Julian''s proposal."

    "What?" "Don''t get mad!" Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I refused at first. I am really grateful to Julian, but he should find a woman who loves him more wholeheartedly than me. But Julian said that he hoped I could give him a chance to give us a try." "Try? How are you going to try?" Jolly''s eyes narrowed. "Julian is also a showman. Does he want you to try what marriage is like with him?"

    "That''s not what he meant. He meant that he hoped that I could leave the rtionship with him as a friend and view him as a potential partner romantically and try it out for a while."

    "So you agreed?" "There may be some things that really need to be tried. If we try and find ourselvespatible, we will be together, and everyone will be happy. If not, then we''ll separate as soon as possible, and we won''t waste any more time on this pursuit." Jolly let go of Rachel. "Why is Julian doing this? He clearly knows that you are grateful to him. Isn''t this just him just pressuring you under the banner of trying?"

    "Don''t say that. Julian is not that kind of person." "Well, I''m just saying... You know... Jolly waved her hand. "The more I think about it, the less I can make sense of this. After Julian became the president of the Burton Family, I always felt that he was caught up in his own thoughts, and he wouldn''t hang out with us anymore. There''s just something different about him."

    "The Burton Group has much to worry about, and there are few people who support him, so it''s understandable why he acted that way." "I hope it''s just that."

    Rachel nced at the time. "It''s gettingte, so I''ll go first."

    "Where are you going?" "We were just talking about it. Did you lose your memory? Don''t I have to go to the charity donation ceremony this afternoon? Shouldn''t I go home and change my clothes?"

    Rachel side-eyed her in exasperation. "I''ll be going." When Rachel left, Jolly scratched her head and wanted to say something but hesitated. Try? Is it possible to attempt to agree to a marriage proposal?

    The charitable donation ceremony officially started at 2:00PM. Rachel went alone, and Julian was waiting for her by the entrance.

    This was the first public appearance of the two groups. Rachel had a unique identity. She was married to Justin before, and now she was a ''friend'' of Julian again. Many media reporters on the scene were waiting for the first shot of them.

    "President Hudson, there are rumors that you and Present Peters are not friends but lovers. Is this true?" "Are President Peters and your ex-husband really cousins? Why does he have Burton Group''s equity?"

    "Please respond." "I''m sorry, we''re only here today for the charity donation ceremony. If you have any questions, we''ll have a separate interviewter." Julian''s assistant immediately went up and stopped the reporters.

    Meanwhile, white noise filled Rachel''s mind. She rarely made public appearances, so she didn''t know that there was so much spection about Julian in the industry, not to mention the spection about her rtionship with him. "Are you okay? Did that scare you?"

    Julian took her hand as they avoided the reporters and walked into the lobby. She shook her head. "I''m fine." "Have reporters been following you since you took over Burton Group?"

    "It''s much better now. When I first took over, there were people at the door. They questioned my identity, my rtionship with the Burton Family, my rtionship with my cousin, and even made up the story between my mother and the Burtons..."

    "I didn''t know any of that." No wonder Julian was always busy before. Not only was he busy, but he also didn''t want to implicate them, so he seldom came to visit.

    Julian smiled slightly. "It''s okay. It will pass. By the way, how much does Hudson Pharmaceuticals n to donate this time?" Before Rachel could speak, a girl''s voice suddenly came from a distance. "I want to see the president of Burton Group! Let me go. I want to see him!"

    "Security, hurry up and stop her. What are you doing?" Rachel looked into the distance curiously, but the rushing security guards blocked her vision, and she couldn''t see the troublemaker.

    "What happened?" she asked. Julian took her hand. "Don''t look. They are all reporters, trying to get interview material, take some photos, ande up with nothing more than something sensational."

    Rachel nodded. "It''s been hard on you."

    "It''s okay, let''s go. The ceremony is about to start, so let''s go in." "Okay." Before entering the banquet hall, Julian signaled at the assistant behind him. The assistant nodded in understanding. After Julian and Rachel entered, he strode toward where themotion wasing from.

    "What''s going on? Why is it you again?" The assistant frowned at the person who hade. "Didn''t I tell youst time? You need an appointment to see our boss. Do you have an appointment?"

    The girl was still young. She looked like a high school student of 16 or 17 years old, with her ponytail crooked and a backpack on her back, but her temperament was strong. She shook off the security guards. "What appointment? Your president killed my brother! I''m going to ask him to find out what happened! He''s a murderer!"

    "What nonsense are you talking about? We can sue you for nder!" "My brother died here in Riverdale! Your president handled the funeral. They''re not rted, so if he didn''t kill my brother, why would he help?"

    The assistant was slightly taken aback and could not help but ask, "Who is your brother?"

    "Hans Egerton!"

    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

 Chapter 408

    At the mention of the name, the pupils of the assistant, Rike Anderson, constricted slightly. Like Frankie, he worked in the Burton Group for many years. If Julian hadn''t taken over thepany, he would still be Frankie''s assistant now, and he knew a lot about Hans''s affairs back then.

    Intuition told him that the arrival of this girl wouldplicate things. "Let go of her." The two security guards let the girl go.

    Rike stepped forward. "What''s your name?"

    "Jessica Egerton." The girl''s face was full of youthful vigor and stubbornness. Then, she growled out her name. in anger and asked, "Can you tell your president to see me now?" "Why do you want to see him?"

    "He''s a murderer." "If he really is a murderer and hasn''t been subdued so far, what do you think he will think. of you if you go to him and question a murderer face to face?" Jessica said, unconvinced, "What am I afraid of? In broad daylight, can he kill me?"

    "It''s impossible in broad daylight, but your brother Hans didn''t die in the daytime either. Jessica suddenly shuddered. Rike took out his mobile phone and handed it to Jessica. "Give me your contact information, and I will give you a call when today''s charitable donation ceremony is over."

    Jessica was suspicious. "Really?" "You have the option of being taken away by security, or you can trust me and walk free. You choose." After only half a second of hesitation, Jessica took Rike''s phone and entered her own phone number. At this time, the charity donation ceremony in the banquet hall was in full swing.

    All the majorpanies in Riverdale were present, and they took this opportunity to show their public awareness in front of the public. They were all very generous with their donations. "Mr. Howard, long time no see."

    "Mr. Peters, you are here too. How much did the Burton Group donate this time?" They continued to exchange formal and polite conversations. Julian greeted his business partners. Rachel apanied him politely for a while at first. Later, she became disinterested, so she went to the snack table on the side to grab a drink and asionally say hello to people she knew.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "President Hudson?" A familiar voice came from behind her. Rachel turned around with a surprised look. "Frankie? Long time no see. Where have you been recently?" The headquarters sent me to other ces, so I was not in Riverdale for a while. I just came back yesterday, and I happened to be here to do some errands."

    "Did youe here to work?" "In addition to the donation in thepany''s name, this charity fundraising also includes donations in the name of individuals. For example, I''m representing President Burton, and he donated 20 medical vehicles."

    "He''s not here?" Rachel looked around but didn''t see Justin. "He is now locked in the summer vi. He no longer cares about Riverdale''s affairs. So how can he be here?"

    When Rachel thought of him alone in the summer vi, she twitched the corners of her lips. "Being hidden in a golden house with a fairdy, seclusion must also be a pleasant experience."

    "What do you mean?" "Don''t hide it from me. I already know. Isn''t President Burton''s fianc¨¦e back?" Rachel took a sip of her drink and pretended to be calm.

    Frankie gave her a surprised look, then he said, "Do you mean Miss Tuscan? That''s a misunderstanding. The summer vi is co-owned by the Tuscan Family. So, naturally, you don''t know about this." "Co-owned?" Rachel was taken aback and shook her head in astonishmegt.

    Frankie continued, "The vi was bought by the old masters of the two families together. As for the engagement, it did happen, but the Tuscan Family immigrated abroad early, and President Burton and Miss Tuscan were not familiar with each other, so I can''t, in good conscience, say they were childhood sweethearts. But they do own half of the property rights, and no one can stop them if they want to live there."

    Oh, is that so?

    "Then he isn''t nning to go abroad with Ginny?" "How could he? The roots of the Burton Family are here. Even if President Burton is no longer the president of the Burton Group, he will not leave Riverdale easily. Besides, do you think he is someone who can live off a woman?"

    Frankie sighed after saying that. "To be honest, I rather hope that he will stop being so stubborn and give in. Those senior executives who have left the Burton Group havee to the door several times, and he had not seen any of them. Even at this point, he doesn''t car how Dr. Peters has messed up thepany."

    "What happened to the Burton Group?"

    "Don''t you know? As soon as Dr. Peters took over thepany, he dismissed many of the Burton Group''s executives one after another. He used various means to acquire the shares of many veteran shareholders and acted arbitrarily. Now the entirepany is panicking." "Julian isn''t that kind of person. Could it be that these people disobey him and leave on their own?"

    "The situation you''re talking about exists, but it''s definitely in the minority. Everyone is out here to work, so who would deliberately want to make things difficult at their jobs for no reason? They must have known what to do. when the situation hase down to it, right? What''s more, if you insist that these people are all on President Burton''s side, it''s even more unreasonable. He doesn''t care about anything now, and he only knows how to practice calligraphy at home. I don''t even want to see him at the rate he''s going."

    Before that, Frankie had been angry with Justin for several days. "He practices calligraphy at home every day?" "Yes. He is practicing calligraphy, fishing, and gardening as if he has retired."

    Rachel had mixed feelings in her heart as she heard about Justin. "What are you guys chatting about here?" Julian''s voice came from behind Frankie. Frankie immediately closed his mouth and greeted him respectfully, ''Dr. Peters." Julian frowned and nced at him. Frankie changed his words. "Sorry, President Peters. I''m used to calling you Dr. Peters." "It''s okay," Julian said calmly, "What are you talking about that has both of you so worked up?" Frankie gave her a nce. Rachel said, "It''s nothing. I just saw Frankie here and asked him what he was doing. You came right after he answered me." Julian smiled slightly. "Really? Then my timing is rather poor." "It''s nothing. I''m just here to make a personal donation from President Burton, and I''ll leave once I''m done." Frankie looked at Julian and said goodbye, "Well, I shall take my leave first, President Peters." "Right. Go back and tell my cousin that he shouldn''t always stay in the summer vi, and he shoulde to the city to hang out with us." "If you have such good intentions, you might as well invite him yourself."

    Although Frankie smiled, there was a hidden barb in his words, as if he was insinuating something. Julian''s eyes darkened at that. Then, as Frank SUCCESS Rachel''s hand. "Do you not quite like this in of asion? If you don''t, I''ll apany you back to dinner earlier." Rachel shook her head. "It''s okay. I often attend such events. You can do your own thing, don''t worry about me."

    Julian nced at the watch on his wrist. "It''s almost over. We''ll go to dinner togetherter, so why don''t you apany me to meet some friends first? I want to introduce you to them."

    "Okay." Rachel followed Julian to see his friends, but she was a little uneasy. Many of Julian and Frankie''s words didn''t line up, and she told herself that she should trust Julian, but the current situation of the Burton Group was indeed contrary to what Julian had told her. Julian seemed to have constantly been. implying to her that Justin was behind the resignation of the executives.

 Chapter 409

    "Rach, this is Mr. Leoric." Julian''s voice brought Rachel back to her senses, and she immediately smiled and greeted the man in front of her. As night fell, Julian sent Rachel home.

    "Thanks." Rachel unfastened her seat belt and was about to get out of the car but was grabbed by Julian. His hands were warm as usual, which made people feel safe andforted as well. She looked at him curiously. "What''s wrong?"

    The moment she asked this, she suddenly realized something. Even if they were just giving this a try, they were still a couple, and it was evident what couples should do when they parted.

    As she faced his burning gaze, she hesitated for a moment and closed her eyes. After waiting for a long time, Julian just kissed. her on the forehead. "Have a good rest."

    Rachel opened her eyes and was stunned by his actions. It was not until he saw her entering the unit building that his eyes gradually tightened. In his mind, just when he was about to kiss Rachel, she closed her eyes and was nervous but tried her best to force herself to rx.

    This was not what he wanted. The car drove away from themunity. After he dialed a number, the voice of assistant Rike came from the car speakers. ''President Peters." "Where is she?"

    "Everything has been arranged at the Vines Hotel. I''ll send you the room number."

    "Alright. I''m going over now." As soon as Rachel got home, she saw Jolly lying on the sofa with a face mask. The white face mask made her glow unnaturally under the dim light.

    Even though this was a regr urrence, Rachel was still scared silly and instantly woke up from her trance. "Can you turn on the lights in the whole house next time you put on a mask? It''s terrifying."

    Jolly sorted out her mask to fit on her face morefortably and said, ''Isn''t this what you asked me to do to save electricity? It''s really difficult to suit your needs. By the way, how did it go today?"

    "It went well." "That''s it?" Jolly got up from the sofa. "Why do I think you''ve been unhappy these two days- what are you thinking?" "Ginny Tuscan moved into the summer vi because she owns half of the property rights of that vi, and it wasn''t Justin who asked her to live there."

    This out-of-the-blue sentence stunned Jolly. "Huh?" After a while, she came back to her senses. "You mean, it''s all that woman''s wishful thinking, and Justin has no intention of going abroad? How is that possible? The Burton Group has no ce for him. So why is he still staying in Riverdale?"

    "Even so, he wouldn''t leave because of Charlotte." Rachel suddenly realized something. Even if there were something extremely tempting abroad, no matter how big a benefit was given to him, Justin would not leave as long as Charlotte was still in the country. Jolly shrugged. "Well, even if he won''t leave. what does it have to do with us?"

    Rachel was struck dumb. That''s right. What does this have to do with me?

    But her heart was inexplicably anxious. Jolly stared at her for a long time. "Rachel, the reason why you suddenly agreed to Julian''s marriage proposal... Could it be because of what I told you? You thought Justin was going abroad with Ginny."

    Rachel was stunned for a moment and instantly denied, "No."

    "You answered too quickly-you''re lying."

    "I really am not." "You don''t have to exin it to me, just yourself." Jolly sat down again, waved her hand, and looked calm. "I''ve seen it all now. Things like feelings cannot be forced, and whoever you are with or not all depends on you. It''s your own choice. You chose the wrong person. No matter what, you will still separate in the end."

    Jolly''s words echoed in her ears, and Rachel kept thinking about what she said when she returned to her room. And thus, she had a sleepless night.

    In the following week, Rachel was busy dealing with severalwsuits against Hudson. Pharmaceuticals, and she was so busy she couldn''t catch a break.

    At noon on Friday, the front desk suddenly called. "Presiden Hudson, someone named Mr. Victor, is looking for you, but he didn''t make an appointment and said he was your brother."

    "He is my brother. Please show him up." Rachel was a little surprised. Why did Victore at this time? After hanging up the phone, Rachel handed the signed documents to Jolly. "Victor came to find me. You should send these materials to the marketing department first. Jolly was surprised too. "Why did he suddenlye here? It''s school lunch break right now." "I guess there is something urgent."

    Rachel went directly to the lounge to find Victor. When she arrived, Victor sat upright and looked awkward. In front of him was the tea the secretary poured for him. His lips were dry, and he was clearly parched, yet he didn''t even take a sip. Instead, he looked uneasy and deep in thought.

    "Victor." Rachel called him several times before he suddenly came back to his senses. "Rachel."

    "What are you thinking so hard about? Did you lose your soul?" Rachel closed the door smoothly. "Your mouth is so dry. Drink some tea. It''s not poisonous.

    Victor squeezed out a smile, but his lips were so dry that they had a blister, so that action aggravated it more and caused it to ooze a little blood.

    Rachel frowned. "What''s the matter with you? Are you catching a cold? Why is there such a big blister on your mouth?" Victor grimaced. ''Rachel, that''s not important. I really didn''t know what to do, so I came to you for help."

    "What''s going on?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Look." Victor took out a box from his pocket and put it on the table. "What?" Rachel nced at it and was stunned for a moment after seeing the brand name on the box. She opened it immediately. "What are you-? Have you suddenly been enlightened?" Inside the blue-green box was a diamond ring. Rachel''s eyes lit up. "Are you finally going to propose to Gloria? This diamond ring costs you a lot of money. What else do you need? I''ll help you set things up. Do you need money?"

    Victor still had a bitter expression. "I didn''t buy the diamond ring."

    "You didn''t buy it. Then who?"

    "Justin Burton." Rachel was astonished by his words. Victor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The night before yesterday, Mr. Beckham came to me. He gave this to me, told me why Gloria was angry with me, and asked me to propose to Gloria if I had those sort of ns for us."

    Rachel feltplicated as she looked at the diamond ring in front of her. She had to admit that Justin was really attentive. He knew that Victor couldn''t afford any custom-maderge diamond rings with his meager sry. The diamond rings he bought for Victor were all ordinary ones. He was probably afraid that he would be under pressure and that Gloria would overthink.

    Victor scratched his head, and his anxious eyes were red. "Rachel, please help me. I haven''t slept for two days. I really don''t know what to do." "What can I do? Don''t you want to marry Gloria?"

    "Of course, I want to! But now... I can''t even afford a house right now." "Will Gloria marry you or marry your house?"

    "That''s not what I meant. I just..."

    When she saw Victor''s hesitant look, she immediately felt frustrated. "Her guardian has even prepared a diamond ring for you, so what else do you want?" Rachel picked up the magazine on the table and pped Victor''s forehead. "Give me your debit card."

    He was stunned for a long time, then took out a card from his trouser pocket and handed it over. "What are you doing?" "Since it''s your proposal, you have to pay for the diamond ring and the venue yourself. Unfortunately, we can''t help you with this! How much money do you have in your card?"

    "About one hundred thousand."

    "Okay, don''t worry about it. Leave the rest to me.

 Chapter 410

    With that deration from Rachel, she took responsibility for preparing the proposal. Victor''s eyes were still bloodshot, and he still looked dazed. "Is one hundred thousand enough?"

    "You''re just proposing, not buying a house or a car. So why wouldn''t it be enough? Do you think Gloria is interested in you because of how big a prestige you can give her?"

    Victor regained his senses and whispered, "I''m afraid the proposal wouldn''t be good enough for her." "I think you''re rather pitiful because you don''t even know how to coax others when you quarrel with them."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

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    "I''m going to coax her now." "Wait for a few days." Rachel handed the diamond ring box to Victor. "Put this away. Although Gloria doesn''t expect you to spend much money on her, she is also a young girl. Naturally, she hopes there will be surprises, so just wait while I arrange everything. Then, you''d better apologize to her nicely, and give her the best proposal you can give."

    Victor''s eyes turned teary. Rachel hated this sort of scene the most. "How did youe here?"

    "I rode a bike." "Let''s go. I''ll take you back to school. There''s still some time now, so go back and take a nap." As she spoke, she also opened the door and instructed the secretary to bring her the car keys to her car. Victor hurriedly said, "There''s no need. I''ll just go back by myself."

    "It''s on the way, and it just so happened that I''m going out." She held his debit card and thoughtfully said, "1 want to think about how I can make this proposal beautiful for you guys." "Rachel, I have to give Justin the money back for the diamond ring."

    "Don''t worry, I will deduct it from here for you. "Victor was still a little dazed by the series of events. After driving him back to school, Rachel turned. around at the school gate and went directly to the summer vi.

    It was already afternoon. The suburbs inte autumn were very bleak. All the trees along the way had lost their leaves, and they were about to officially enter winter.

    The summer vi was no longer as glorious as when Arthur lived here, and it had only been a few months. Even the security guard at the gate was left alone. "Please open the gate for me."

    Rachel rolled down the car window. The security guard in the guard room saw her and came out slowly. "Who are you looking for?" "I''m looking for Justin Burton."

    "Who are you?"

    Rachel nced at the security guard. ''Are you new here?" After all, the former security guard knew her. The security guard didn''t answer her but asked, "What''s your name? I''ll call inside and ask."

    "Then tell the Burtons'' butler that myst name is Hudson." The security guard was stunned for a moment. Then, he entered the guard room and made a phone call. After a while, he returned. "I''m sorry. Please wait a moment."

    "Wait a moment?"

    Rachel frowned. Just let me in if I am allowed in and don''t if I''m not. Why ask me to wait? After a while, a yellow sports car drove out of the vi but stopped inside the gate and did note out. The security guard ran over immediately to the driver''s seat.

    She first saw a pair of high-heels through the windshield, followed by a smoky gray suit. The woman who came down was of European and American descent. She was tall and had sharp and piercing eyes-she lookedpletely different from Rachel. When she saw the personing toward her, she understood what was going on and got out of the car.

    "It''s been a while, Chris." "It has been a long time, and I didn''t expect to meet you again here," Rachel said lightly with her arms crossed. ''I now understand why you made things so difficult for me in SG Pharma."

    "I made things difficult for you? Didn''t you also gain some useful experience while I was making things difficult? You should thank me."

    "It wasn''t your harassment that made me grow up. It was Hernandez''s help. I never felt that the humiliation you gave me in my workce at the time was a means of tempering. That was just in humiliation and your personal revenge."

    "Why would I take revenge on you?"

    "Maybe it''s because you already knew that I''m Justin''s ex-wife." Rachel looked at her and said, "Just like right now. You blocked me from the gate and didn''t let me in. Do you still want to tell me that you are helping me grow into a better person now?"

    "Clever, still the same as when you were in SG Pharma. Who would have thought that you were mute before?" "Thank you for your reminder. I will always cherish the opportunity to speak like a normal person." Ginny''s eyes narrowed slightly. "Enough of this. Tell me, what are you doing here?

    "Of course, it wasn''t to meet you." "You and Justin have long since divorced, and the child was awarded to you. But, if I''m not mistaken, you and Dr. Peters are also an item. Does your current boyfriend know that you came here to find your ex-husband?" "This has nothing to do with you, though?" Rachel really didn''t want to talk to her. ''Forget it. I''ll call Justin directly."

    "Are you sure he will answer it?" Rachel frowned. Ginny said, "How do you know that it was I who stopped you from entering and not him who asked me toe out here?"

    "Justin wouldn''t do that." "Maybe it really was impossible before. But don''t forget that you are already with another man, and I am his fianc¨¦e. So if you don''t believe me, by all means, call him." Rachel frowned and dialed Justin''s cell phone number directly. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is unavable..."

    She looked at Ginny in surprise and dialed it at second time. "Sorry, the phone you have dialed has been. switched off." Someone had turned it off immediately. Was it really because she and Julian were together that Justin decided to avoid her in order to protect their reputations?

    But she came to him for the sake of Victor and Gloria. "Can you leave?" Ginny gestured toward her. "Of course, as your old superior, I don''t mind inviting you into my house for a cup of tea."

    Rachel frowned and said coldly, "Thank you, but I''m afraid I must decline your kind offer." Since he didn''t want to see her anymore, she just had to deal with Gloria and Victor''s matters on her own. The car engine revved, and Rachel''s car turned back from the summer vi.

    As her car disappeared, the smugness in Ginny''s eyes gradually disappeared too, and she turned back to the vi. Dennis handed over the phone to Ginny. "Miss Tuscan, ording to your instructions, Young Master Justin''s phone has been turned off. When do you n to leave?" Ginny nced upstairs. ''How long will the medicinest?"

    "About three hours. He will wake up during dinner."

    "Then give him another dose for dinner. No, make that two. Just put them in the soup." "Yes, I''ll go prepare it now." When she heard Dennis'' response, Ginny looked back at him and suddenly asked, "Mr. Jenkins, do you think I''m too unscrupulous?"

    Dennis shook his head. "This is the only way to wake the young master. There is something suspicious about the cause of the master''s death. The young master has clearly found out what happened, but he refuses to pursue it. It is all because of Rachel, so the young master must never be with her again. Perhaps she is the murderer."

    "But if I do this, will he hate me?"

    "Are you regretting it?" "Of course not. I, for one, like to force others to do things I don''t like, so it''s more challenging that way." Ginny''s brows slightly raised int amusement, and she continued, "When he and I go abroad, we will get married smoothly and give birth to the best child with the best gicbinations. After a while, he will no longer care about that woman. I will help him get everything he deserves then."

 Chapter 411

    Rachel drove her car halfway up the mountain. However, the more she thought about it, the more off the whole conversation was.

    She was just having fun with Justin at the Triburg Valleyst weekend, and all of a sudden, he turned everyone away this week. Even if he really didn''t want to see her, did he really have to get Ginny to convey his words? What if he wanted to see Charlotte in the future? Was he going to get Ginny to pick her up too?

    How could she just hand over her daughter to a woman like Ginny? When she thought of this, her eyes narrowed slightly. She then stepped on the brakes, twisted the steering wheel, and turned back to the vi. She had to talk to him in person.

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    When she arrived, it was already nightfall. With the bleakness ofte autumn and the quietness of thete night, the Burton Family''s summer vi was exceptionally silent..

    Since Arthur had passed away, Justin moved here and dismissed most of the servants in the vi. Except for the building where he stayed, all other buildings were closed, leaving only Dennis with him.

    Even the old security guards at the gate were dismissed, but Ginny moved in out of the blue and brought another security guard. "Miss Tuscan, the soup is ready."

    "It''s gettingte. You should rest early." "Will do. Mr. Jenkins, you should rest too." Ginny pushed open the master bedroom door while holding a bowl of soup in her hand.

    Justin was sleeping soundly on the bed. A smoky gray sheet covered his body, and his stern face became colder and sharper when the moonlight from outside the window shone on him. It seemed that he was not sleeping very well, and his brows were furrowed. Ginny sat down beside the bed, lifted him up with a hand, and propped him against her arm, looking at his eyebrows. "Since you haven''t rested for so many years, you can finally get the rest you need."

    Naturally, Justin didn''t respond to her. Ginny''s monologue reverberated in the room. If anyone saw this at this moment, they would be absolutely terrified.

    "Justin, I know you think my behavior is grotesque, but I will prove that I am right. Only thebination of our genes can give birth to the best child. When the timees, he will inherit the Tuscan Family and the Burton Family, and he will be ahead of everyone else wher he is born. I haven''t gotten married even after so many years because I know you will be mine in the end. I couldn''t even bring myself to like other men at all..."

    Behind the curtain, Rachel held her breath and tried her level best to stay absolutely still even though Ginny''s words made her tremble like a leaf.

    Ginny must have some kind of mental illness... This was terrifying. She talked to herself for a long time and finally fed Justin the bowl of soup with unknown ingredients. After that, she left the master bedroom satisfied.

    After the lights in the bedroom went out, Rachel finally breathed a sigh of relief and carefully opened the door from the balcony outside to walk in. Her footsteps were as light as a feather. The person on the bed didn''t respond at all. He''s not dead, is he? Rachel hurried over and checked Justin''s breathing. "Hey..."

    In the darkness, the man suddenly opened his eyes. Rachel was so frightened that she was about to scream in reflex, but Justin covered her mouth just in a knick of time and pulled her under the quilt.

    "Don''t move." His warm breath came from over her head. The sound of the door opening came from outside. Ginny hadn''t left yet and was looking in from the door.

    She didn''t even dare to breathe. She onlyy quietly and leaned tightly against him. After an unknown amount of time, he stood up, lifted the quilt, and said in a low voice, "She''s gone."

    Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she was lying on the bed like a ko. Then, finally, she regained herposure and cautiously climbed out of the bed after a while. "Is she really gone?" He teased her. "Why did you even sneak in here when you''re so cowardly?"

    "I was looking for you, okay?"

    "How did you know there was something wrong with me?"

    "If there wasn''t, would you just disappear without answering the phone? It''s not like we are mortal enemies. Ginny underestimates us too much. Even if I didn''te to see you, you''re supposed to pick Charlotte up on the weekend. Is she expecting herself toe instead of you?"

    "She won''t wait till the weekend."

    Rachel was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

    "She ns to get me out of Riverdale early tomorrow morning to Montenegro."

    "What? Is she crazy? She would drug you just to take you away?""

    "It''s a long story. Let''s get out of here first."

    Justin nced at the balcony and wondered. "How did you get in?"

    She let out an awkward cough and pointed to the ne tree outside the window. ''I climbed that tree."

    He showed a look of astonishment and said in disbelief, "You know how to climb trees?"

    "Don''t you?"

    She was a little embarrassed. Before she was taken back to Riverdale by Jeffrey, she had done almost everything in the mountains, be it climbing trees, diving, or catching fish from the river. She only had to stay put when she was staying at the Hudsons''. Under the sycamore tree, she waved at Justin, who was on the tree, and whispered sharply, "Come on!"

    Justin could only sit on the tree branch, and it was a little shaky and looked very dangerous. Under the moonlight, his pale face looked even paler than before.

    She stomped her feet in anxiety. "Hurry up!" He gritted his teeth, let go of the hand holding the tree branch tightly, and jumped down.

    Actually, this distance was not too high, but for someone afraid of heights, it was enough to make him feel dizzy. So the moment hended, he could not stand at all, and his legs went soft.

    She knew that he was afraid of heights, so she tried to support him but underestimated his weight, and it ended up with both of them. falling into the dried Sycamore leaves. "Oof...

    "S-Sorry."

    Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening from the side of the vi-it was Dennis. He was holding a shlight and was using it to check the grounds.

    Rachel hugged Justin''s waist tightly, preventing him from moving. Their breaths blended, and their bodies were covered by the scent of the dry smell of Sycamore leaves. Rachel was so nervous that she didn''t notice the warmth in Justin''s eyes. When he looked at the woman under him, he saw that her slightly trembling eyes were the same as the first time they met at the Burton Residence, full of unease. However, now there was a spark of perseverance in her eyes after so many years. They didn''t know how long it took before Dennis finally put the shlight away, went back into the house, and closed the door. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. We''re good to go."

    He was still distracted by the memories, so she identally pressed her cheek against his beard, and it rubbed against his stubble when she turned her head. That instantly caused a numbing sensation in her body, and she trembled in response. They stared into each other''s eyes. She suddenly felt flustered, and her face flushed in ordance with her emotions. It was Justin who reacted first. He got up quickly and pulled Rachel up. "Let''s go."

    "Okay."

    After the little episode from under the tree, they were unhindered all the way to her car. She had parked her car in the woods outside the vi. When the two of them got into the car, it was only then that they finally felt genuinely relieved. The engine turned on, and the gate of the summer vi gradually turned into a tiny dot in the rearview mirror and slowly disappeared.

    She looked at Justin, who was driving. "Now tell me, what the hell is going on? Why did Ginny drug you? And though you know she''s drugged you, why did you still cooperate with her? Shouldn''t you call the police?"

    He tapped his slender fingers on the steering wheel and said calmly, "The Tuscan Family and the Burton Family are friends. Grandpa had a great rtionship with Old Mr. Tuscan when he was alive."

    "Even so, you can''t condone her doing this kind of thing. It''s a crime, and you know it."

    "Don''t worry. I have already thought of a solution."

 Chapter 412

    Rachel frowned and turned to look out the window. The car suddenly fell silent, and Justin finally realized something and exined, "I am not condoning her, but there is a reason she turned out like this. Ginny was not such a person before."

    "She changed? Not such a person before?" Rachel sternly said, "That means it took long enough for her to change this way. She was already so vicious when I was in SG Pharma, and it''s been so many years."

    When Rachel went to work in SG Pharma, Ginny often tried to secretly scheme against her. At that time, she didn''t understand how she had offended this woman, but now she realized that everything was predestined. Ginny had long known about her rtionship with him and it was her taking revenge.

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    "Actually, she and I spent some time together in the summer vi when we were ten years old. At that time, her family was about to immigrate and live in a mountain vi, and I didn''t have any friends in the Burton Family."

    What kind of bad intentions could a ten-year-old child have? No matter how paranoid or even vicious of a person she turned intoter when she said that she wanted to be his best friend at the age of ten, he assumed it was all sincerity.

    "Maybe because her parents also passed away early, and it so happens that I share the same fate, we became fast friends. Later, she identally fell into the vi''s pond, and I saved her. It was also because of this that Grandpa would make a marriage contract with Old Mr. Tuscan."

    A childhood sweetheart, a life debt. Rachel''s hand on her leg clenched slightly. "What aboutter?"

    "Later, the Tuscan Family immigrated to Montenegro. For more than 20 years, anything was possible, and no one took the marriage contract seriously. At least, I think so. Otherwise, I would not have married."

    "But didn''t Ginny wait for you for many years?" "She''s not waiting for me. She''s just obeying the will of Old Mr. Tuscan, which is also pitiful." "What do you mean by that?"

    "It''s probably simr to Tina''s situation. Do you still remember her?"

    Rachel was slightly startled. How could she not remember Tina Burton?

    At that time, she and Noah had a marriage contract, but she got together with the driver of the Burton Family in secrecy. As a result, the driver was sent by Jason Burton to an unknown ce overseas. "Do you mean Ginny also..."

    "I don''t know the specific situation, but I did ask Frankie to check before. When she was in college, she had a boyfriend, and Old Mr. Tuscan was firmly against their rtionship. Then, six years ago, he passed away and left a will. I heard from my grandfather that there is one use in the will saying that..."

    "What is it?" "In short, Ginny has the right to inherit all the property of the Tuscan Family, but if she marries that man, then she will lose all the property inheritance rights, and those properties will fall into the hands of the woman that Old Mr. Tuscan married in Montenegro. She is younger than Ginny."

    The rtionships in rich and powerful families were alwaysplicated. Rachel had no intention of asking any more questions, but she was a little surprised by this one fact. "So... Old Mr. Tuscan wouldn''t let Ginny marry that man even until he dies and would rather give all his assets to his wife that he marriedter?"

    "Well, when people are old, they tend to make bad decisions."

    Members of the Tuscan Family had worked hard for the Tuscan Family''s family business for several generations, and Ginny had also undoubtedly contributed a lot. Of course, she wouldn''t agree if you were to ask her to give up on her inheritance and hand them over to someone unrted to her.

    What was more, she was no longer a naive 18 or 19-year-old girl. She had more things to consider, and it was impossible to immerse herself totally in the so-called love and put everything else behind. "So her solution was..."

    She looked at him and suddenly understood what Ginny was nning. Ginny wanted to seal the mouth of the woman and thewyer by marrying Justin to get the inheritance, and she knew that Justin didn''t love her. This way, she could be with her lover again.

    At this point, they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain and were driving on the round-the-city expressway. His calm gaze looked straight in front of the windshield, and his slender hands were resting- on the steering wheel as if he was just telling at story that was unrted to him.

    Rachel was puzzled. "Then what are you going to do? Are you nning to cooperate with her to leave Riverdale and get the inheritance?" "If I wanted to cooperate with her, why would I leave today?"

    "Then what are you going to do?" "Ginny is too stubborn. She should have known that this is not the only way for her to get her inheritance." She still couldn''t understand what he meant.

    "If the woman Old Mr. Tuscan married in Montenegro is no longer Mrs. Tuscan, she will lose her inheritance rights. This means that even if Ginny goes against her grandfather''s wishes and chooses to be together with her lover, she will only lose half of the inheritance. And the rest of the inheritance that was given to that woman will, of course, automatically go to her name."

    "How could she not be Mrs. Tuscan? Didn''t she register their marriage with Old Mr. Tuscan?" "Well, yes and no. The woman registered her marriage with Old Mr. Tuscan, but she also. registered with others."

    Bigamy. Things seemed to clear up again. She was thoughtful. "If that''s the case, why didn''t you tell Ginny directly instead of allowing her to drug you?"

    He was helpless. "I was going to tell her, but she didn''t give me the chance to. Besides, do you think she wasn''t wary of me? She might not believe what I said since the evidence is all with Frankie."

    "Then what are you going to do now?" "Hide from her for a while and let her calm down." She suddenly let out augh. "The great Justin Buston is also afraid of some people, huh?"

    Who would have thought that Justin would actually meet Ginny, that special someone that he would be unable to provoke and wanted to hide from. "Where do you live? I''ll send you home."

    He tightened his hand on the steering wheel when he heard her question, looking embarrassed. "My ID and passport are with Ginny. For the time being..."

    She hesitated for a while after seeing his uneasiness, then said, "If you don''t mind, you can live with me temporarily."

    He shot her a surprised look. I... I don''t want to bother you..."

    "You''re not. What? Are you nning to live at Frankie''s? He''s just your assistant, not your butler." After she said her piece, she avoided his gaze and turned her head to look at the night scene outside the window. The atmosphere in the car turned quiet. However, Justin''s eyes were warm, and he even smiled secretly. Late at night, the car drove into themunity garage.

    Rachel took him upstairs, tidied up the guest room for him to stay in temporarily, and said in a low voice, "Charlotte and the others are all asleep. Just stay here for the time being, and I will exin to them tomorrow morning." "Sure. Thank you." "Don''t stand on ceremony. No matter what, you are still Charlotte''s father." She was about to leave when he suddenly stopped her. "By the way, why did you suddenlye to the vi to find me today?"

    Only then did she remember the reason for her visit. "It''s about Victor and Gloria. But let''s talk about thister, and you can deal with your affairs first. We''ve gone through enough today, so you should go to bed earlier. Tomorrow..." Her words trailed off as she suddenly noticed his attire. He was still wearing pajamas, and the tree''s branches cut his top. All in all, he was looking rather haggard.

    "First, let me get you some pajamas."

    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 413

    Early the next morning. Jolly woke up still feeling groggy, and when she opened her room door, she saw a shadow frying bacon in the kitchen. She yawned. "Chris, please make my omelet fully cooked. I''ve had an upset stomach for the past two days. I don''t even know what I did."

    As she said that, she sat down in front of the kitchen bar counter and took a sip of the squeezed juice. "This juice is tasty."

    "Thanks." It was a male voice. In the next second, a bowl of mixed sd and a te of bacon omelet were ced in front of her. Jolly thought she was hallucinating, so she looked up and suddenly saw Justin''s face. "What in the-"

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    She screamed, and if it wasn''t for Justin''s quick-wit, the cup would have almost shattered on the floor. "What''s wrong?"

    Rachel heard the screams and ran out of the bedroom. As soon as she came out, she saw him in the kitchen. On the other side, Jolly stood by the bar with her hair disheveled like a ghost, and she looked so surprised that her eyes were about to fall out of the sockets. When she saw Racheling out, Jolly confirmed that she was not dreaming. "Why is he here?"

    "Well, that''s a long story."

    "Then, why is he wearing your pajamas?!" Rachel nced at Justin and tried her best not tough. She had already given him herrgest set of pajamasst night, but it still looked a little stretched on him.

    At the moment, she coughed dryly. "This... is also a long story."

    Ten minutester, Jolly came out of the bathroom after washing up. At that point, she was more sober and calm. ''Tell me. What''s going on here?"

    Now that she was alone, she was facing Justin on the opposite side and acted like a tribunal. "Tell me honestly and I''ll go easy on you. How did you end up in my house?"

    "He didn''te by himself; I brought him here."

    "I didn''t ask you." Jolly turned her head and red at Rachel. "Just sit on the sofa and turn your head away. It''s none of your business here."

    Rachel didn''t know what to do, so she casted an apologetic look at Justin before she sat down with her head turned away. Her ears still pricked up, listening to Jolly''s questioning. He exined, "I don''t have a ce to live for the time being, so Rachel took me in for a while."

    "Bullsh*t! Your summer vi is bigger than the Olympic venues. It''s pure bullsh*t that you don''t have a ce to live." "Someone else took over the ce."

    "You mean Ginny Tuscan?" Jolly frowned. "Doesn''t she own only half of the property?" "Half ownership doesn''t mean that thend is divided into two where each person is living on their own. After all, it is not suitable for two opposite genders to live together for a long time."

    "However, isn''t she your fianc¨¦e?" "Have you ever seen an engaged couple who were engaged at the age of ten, but have not married yet at forty, and one of us even got married before?"

    "Huh..." She nodded. "Wait, no!"

    All of a sudden, she became serious. "Though what you said did make sense, you don''t have to stay in my house! Can''t you live in a hotel? What about the many properties that the Burton Family possesses? You can always stay in any one of them!" Justin looked embarrassed. Rachel couldn''t take it any longer. "His ID card and passport are with Ginny. He can''t live or go anywhere. He''s finally met his nemesis." Jolly''s eyes widened. ''Now, what exactly is the situation here?"

    Rachel nced at him. Just like you and Ginny, Jolly owns half of this property too. So if you want to live here, we have to tell her what happened."

    He didn''t hesitate. "Go ahead, then."

    She exined the purpose of Ginny''s return to Riverdale including the fact that the woman drugged Justin. After Rachel exined everything, Jolly was nothing but shocked.

    "How can she be so ruthless? Drugging him. too? You must be kidding me." "Why would I joke about something like this to you?" Rachel spread her hands helplessly. "When I went to the summer vi yesterday evening to talk about Victor and Gloria, I happened to witness everything, so..."

    If it wasn''t for this incident, Justin would have never asked her for help. Jolly reluctantly believed it and asked Justin, "If the solution that you came up with doesn''t work, and she still wants to stay in Riverdale, do you still not n on calling the police?"

    He responded lightly, "I can''t answer this question for the time being, because I don''t know how far she will go, but I believe she will leave as long as she gets the right of inheritance."

    "Ugh, so troublesome. Damn, why are you always finding yourself in so much sh*t?"

    Jolly walked around the room impatiently. All of a sudden, as if she had just thought of something, she stood still. "How about this? I''ll solve this for you."

    "No need, I guess." "Don''t worry. You saved Leroy''s life, so take this as me paying you back." With that, she turned around and left without even eating her breakfast. Rachel called out to her, "Where are you going?"

    "Getting a change of clothes to run some errands." Jolly''s mboyant personality was just as always. Before the two children got up, Rachel and Justin were the only ones left in the living room.

    She nced at Justin''s stretched clothes and pursed her lips, but couldn''t hold back. "Justugh if you want." He was generous and calmly looked at his clothes. "It is a little small."

    "It''s not just a little small. Your elbows are almost showing. I''ll buy you some clothester." "Don''t bother. I''ll get Frankie to send some over."

    "Coming from someone who doesn''t want to bother people, isn''t that troubling him too?" Rachel rolled his eyes at him. "If I remember correctly, you got him pretty mad at you some time ago, yet you can ask him to run around like this?"

    Justin was at a loss for words. After their meal, Rachel took the car key and went to work. He went to the room and woke the two children up for breakfast.

    Charlotte was still groggy from her sleep, and when she opened her eyes and saw him, she immediately thought she was dreaming. "Daddy? Why are you here?"

    "Youzy fellow, get up for breakfast." She yawned, turned over and went back to sleep, muttering, "I must be dreaming." When he saw her acting this way, Justin felt that he was almost melting from how cute she was.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    For a long time, Justin only sat quietly beside the bed without disturbing her. After a while, Charlotte turned around out of the blue and stared at Justin with wide eyes. "Daddy! It''s really you!"

    "It''s really me." At once, she got up and hugged Justin''s neck. "I thought it was a dream! Daddy, why are you here?" Justin kissed her hair. "Because I miss you."

    "I miss you a lot too!"

    "Get up; I made you breakfast." "Wait a minute!" Charlotte blinked. "I''m going to wake Samuel up!" She left Justin behind, jumped out of bed. barefoot and ran to the next room. Samuel was sleeping soundly, but was woken up by Charlotte.

    "Get up! Things have changed! My daddy has been saved again." He hugged the quilt and refused to let go while saying in a daze, "You must be dreaming. Go back and sleep more."

    "It''s true! Get up!" Samuel didn''t believe it until a familiar male voice came from the door. "Samuel,e on, get up. Go wash up and have breakfast." When he heard the familiar voice, he was stunned for a moment and got up from the bed instantly to stare at the door. This is awesome!

 Chapter 414

    At Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Rachel was having a morning meeting when a hurried Casey came in all of a sudden with a worried look. "President Hudson." "All of you, go on to discuss the n first."

    Rachel walked to the door. "What''s the matter?"

    "A Miss Tuscan came to look for you, and there was amotion in the lobby downstairs. Our receptionist was afraid that themotion would turn ugly and provoke criticism, so she arranged for Miss Tuscan to be in the lounge." zx

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    "Okay. Got it." After saying this, Rachel turned her head and wanted to return to the conference room without even looking anxious at all. "President Hudson." Casey stopped her and asked, "Aren''t you going to meet her?" "Don''t worry. I haven''t finished the meeting yet, so let her wait."

    "But she said... She said..."

    "What did she say?" "She said you hid her fianc¨¦, and if you don''t meet her, she will call the police."

    "Oh, is it so?"

    "That is what she said. I told her not to talk nonsense, and that you will be there in a while." "Then, should I praise you for handling it well?" Rachel''s eyes swept around Casey, causing her to shudder inexplicably. Following that, Rachel added in a low voice, "Since you have so much free time and even did all the reception work at the front desk, why don''t you finish the job and apany her to relieve her boredom now?"

    She left with these words and entered the conference room without looking back to continue with the meeting. Casey froze at the door for a while. "Why are you still standing here?"

    The female assistant at the door nced at her. "Do you really think that President Hudson can''t see through your little thoughts? We are all working for her, and if you can''t figure out where you stand and keep thinking about crooked methods to promote yourself, do you think President Hudson will see you for what you are worth?"Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Stay on the side. Also, I advise you not to pry any more about Miss Tuscan."

    "Then, are we just going to let her wait there?"

    "You don''t need to go. I''ll go." Everyone in the president''s office knew that Rachel didn''t like Casey, and they also knew the reasons why. After all, Casey was merely working as a spy for Evan and had been telling him things that she shouldn''t-she was really too much. Ginny waited in the lounge for an hour. "Wow, your President Hudson is really a big shot now, isn''t she? How long have I waited here? Well, if she doesn''t dare to face me and talk here, we''ll just meet at the police station."

    Samantha poured her a cup of tea as an apology. ''Miss Tuscan, you have misunderstood President Hudson. She is in the morning meeting, and she really can''t leave. Please wait patiently."

    "Wait patiently? If your fianc¨¦ has been hidden by another woman, can you wait patiently?" "You''ve been talking about this for a long time, but I still don''t understand. Who exactly is your fianc¨¦? President Hudson''s boyfriend is President Peters, the president of the Burton Group."

    "What a coincidence. My fianc¨¦ is Justin Burton, the former president of the Burton Group." "Ah?" Samantha was slightly taken aback. "Isn''t that our president''s ex-husband?"

    When she heard Samantha, Ginny''s face turned blue for a while. Samantha smiled slightly and exined properly, "Everyone in thepany knows President Hudson well. If she really wanted to: be with President Burton, she would have been together with him long ago so why would she hide him? No one will believe what you say."

    "What do you mean? You must''ve been sent by Rachel, right?" "Miss Tuscan, this is Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Of course I was sent by President Hudson."

    "You!" Ginny stood up suddenly in fury. "What are you doing here?" The door to the lounge opened and Rachel''s voice rang from the door. "Ginny Tuscan, are you nning to do something toward my employees in mypany?"

    Ginny''s raised hand clenched into a fist before she dropped it. While gritting her teeth, she said, "You are finally willing to show your face." Rachel nced at Samantha and nodded at her.

    Samantha naturally understood and closed the door after her when she went out. As she faced all the gossip heads at the door, Samantha only said coldly, "She is an old customer of President Hudson. She has a bad temper and is a little difficult to deal with. Don''t look and go back to work."

    At this time, in the lounge, Rachel made a gesture of invitation to Ginny. "No need to be so polite, please sit down." Ginny snorted coldly, "Oh, look who''s acting like the host now. Look, I don''t have time to talk nonsense with you. Where did you hide Justin?"

    Justin? Rachel paused as she poured tea, pretending to be puzzled. "If I remember correctly, I went to the summer vi yesterday, but I didn''t see anyone and couldn''t get through. to him on the phone. I should be the one asking you this question instead, but why is it that you''re looking for me now?" "Cut the crap. I have seen the surveince video of the vi, and it was you who took him away."

    She had expected that Ginny wouldn''te to her if she didn''t have the proof, but she remained calm. "Since you have watched the surveince, you should be able to see that I didn''t tie him up, nor did I coerce him. He has hands, and he walked with me by himself. So what makes you think that I hid him?"

    "Rachel, I don''t have time to y word games with you here. Since you have divorced him, you have nothing to do with him now. Please don''t interfere in my affairs with him." "What if I want to intervene no matter what?"

    Ginny''s eyes narrowed. "Then, don''t me me for being rude." She looked around. She looked through the shutters and her eyes fell onto the cubicles in the office outside. "For such a smallpany like Hudson Pharmaceuticals, do you think I am capable of making it disappear from Riverdale overnight?"

    "Oh, Miss Tuscan, of course you can, provided you have the right of inheritance." Rachel snorted. "But it''s such a pity, isn''t it? I''m assuming you are in the middle of an inheritancewsuit right now?"

    "He even told you this?" "Do you think there will be any secrets between you and him?" Rachel pushed a document in front of Ginny. "This is what he asked me to pass on to you. You can''t take him with you, but he did his best to help you win the inheritance for the sake o your past friendship."

    Ginny opened the file and nced at it before the light in her eyes shed but disappeared quickly. "This is what he found out?" "Hernandez promised to help you with thewsuit. If everything goes smoothly, at least half of the Tuscan Family''s property will belong to you. You can still be with your boyfriend, as long as you give up half your inheritance."

    Rachel didn''t really want to help Ginny, but it was really annoying to see her in Riverdale. It would be best to get rid of her as soon as possible.

    "What if I''m not willing to give up the other half?" Rachel frowned and her eyes narrowed. In the eyes of the woman sitting on the opposite side of her, there was vigorous ambition, and it was far from being able to amodate the so-called love. In other words, for the sake of this ambition, love could be easily sacrificed at any time.

    In the end, Justin still underestimated Ginny. After all, she was not the ten-year-old little girl whom he knew. Ginny ced the document aside, though she did not even thank Rachel for it. Instead, she inched forward. "What will you do if I tell you that I want all of the Tuscan Family''s property, and I want Justin too?"

    When Rachel heard that, her hand holding the teacup tightened its grip slightly. "Then, I''ll convey his message to you: don''t throw the helve after the hatchet."

    "Oh, is that so? We''ll see."

    Ginny stood up. Her eyes had long since lost. the anger she had when she first came, and it even made people feel that her emotions were fake. She held up the document in her hand and snorted. "Do you really think that I wouldn''t find all these? But thank you, anyway."

 Chapter 415

    Ginny left, and for some reason, her back still looked particrly arrogant Rachel looked at the steaming tea in front of her and her brows gradually tightened.

    Justin might have underestimated his childhood sweetheart''s ambitions for wealth and power. For Ginny, all the property of the Tuscan Family had originally belonged to her, so in her current situation, she didn''t consider the part where she gained. On the contrary, she was thinking about the half that she lost. "I think you should leave it alone."

    On the other end of the video call was Hernandez, and it was already night time at his ce. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the night view of the city center of Montenegro, which was far more prosperous than Riverdale.

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    Hernandez was rarely serious. "Ginny is a devil. She is crazy when ites to her career, haven''t you seen it before? Why are you fighting. against her?" "Hernandez, I didn''t call you to hear you. discouraging me."

    "I don''t want to do this either, but the fact is that Ginny is a tough opponent. When she was still a partner in SG Pharma, I really didn''t want to confront her. She would keep pestering you and breaking you down."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "This time is different because she''s viting human rights." Hernandez spread his hands open. "I think it''s more appropriate for you to call the police." "Justin still wants to leave some leeway for the sake of his dead grandfather. Ginny is the only daughter of the Tuscan Family after all."

    "Then, my hands are tied." He was helpless as he was hoping that Rachel would finally understand where he wasing from. She sighed. "Forget it, let''s not talk about this anymore. At least she can''t locate Justin for the time being, so there''s nothing for us to do just yet. It''s gettingte and you should rest early."

    After hanging up the video call, Rachel faced her desktop and fell into deep thoughts. All of a sudden, a message popped up on her phone. ''Are you free tonight? Let''s have dinner together.''

    It was a message from Julian. Rachel hesitated for a while, then replied, ''Okay In the afternoon, she and Jolly went to the mall together. Jolly stood in front of the full-length mirror and turned around. "Does this look good on me?"

    "Yes." "Is it suitable to wear this when meeting the elders?" "Elders?" Rachel was stunned for a moment and looked at her. "Leroy is finally going to bring you to meet his parents?"

    "Not yet, but I think he will soon," Jolly said proudly. "He''s on leave tomorrow, so I decided to go to him with the newly bought clothes and ask him along the lines of ''How do you think I will look if I were to meet your parents wearing this''. I don''t believe he won''t understand my meaning."

    "Then, what if he ys dumb on purpose?" "Impossible. Leroy is not that kind of person. He is just too busy with work and he hasn''t thought of it for the time being, so he needs my gentle reminder."

    Rachel was helpless. It seemed Jolly was also a fool in love. However, Leroy didn''t seem like someone who yed with women''s feelings. As for not mentioning that he would bring Jolly to see his parents, maybe it was just like what she said- he was too busy and didn''t think of it at all.

    "I''ll change to another set. It''s good to have a few more options." After Jolly entered the dressing room, Rachel rose from the sofa and walked to the men''s clothing area. "Miss Hudson, are you going to pick out some clothes for your boyfriend?"

    "I''m just looking around." "Miss Hudson, how about this one?" The shopping guide picked up a casual shirt. It was off-white, very fresh and clean. Julian was more suited for a refreshing style like this.

    Rachel looked at it for a while and said, "Looks great. Just wrap it up for me." Her fingers ran across the hanger and eventually stopped on a gn-gray shirt. "This one too."

    And it went on for a while. Jolly came out after changing, handed a pile of clothes to the shopping guide and went to the cashier to check out. She shook her head and moved her neck. "Phew, I''m exhausted. Why don''t you try something too?"

    Rachel waved her hand. "No need. I have clothes to wear." "You mean your work clothes? Can you at least buy some outfits suitable for a date? I have to talk to Julian about you some day and tell him to take you out to buy some clothes."

    "Miss, your clothes are ready. We will deliver them to your doorter." ''No need. It''s just a few pieces anyway. We''ll just bring them back by ourselves." Jolly had just finished speaking when she saw the two shopping guides in front of them, each. with severalrge bags in their hands, and a pile more behind them. "I didn''t buy that much...

    Right?" Rachel rified, "I bought them."

    "You bought them?" Jolly looked as if she was haunted. "Since when did you buy so much? Did you try it? What did you buy?" As she was speaking, Jolly flipped through some of the paper bags. "Aren''t these all men''s clothing? Who did you buy them for?" "Julian." Rachel looked calm. "His birthday is around the corner, but I don''t know what to get him. I can''t go wrong buying a few clothes, right?" "You''re not just buying a few clothes. I think you''re nning to buy him all his winter clothes." "Nah. I don''t think so."

    Jolly shook her head again and again. "What a prodigal, spending all that money just like that. You have never been so generous even to me." Night fell when Rachel and Jolly returned home with various bags of trophies''.

    Rachel changed her shoes at the door while Jolly kicked off her high heels as soon as she walked in. After shouting that she was exhausted, she went into the room barefoot, plunged onto the couch, but raised her head to sniff the air, "What is it? It smells so good." When Jolly got up from the sofa, she saw that dinner was set on the dining table. At that moment, Justin also ced the washed fruit on the table. "Wash your hands ande have dinner."

    She was so shocked that she choked on her saliva because she almost forgot that there was a man at home, secretly doing all these for them. "This is amazing, Justin. I''m sure you''ll make a fortune if you open a restaurant with this level of skill."

    Jolly climbed off the sofa and sniffed the aroma of the food like a dog. She tried to eat the braised pork with her hands, but was pped away by Rachel next to her. "Go and wash your hands."

    "Ouch!" Jolly clutched the back of her hand that was sore. "Did you have to p me so hard?" "How are you going to set an example for the kids if you''re like this?"

    "Fine. I''ll go and wash, okay?" Then, she went into the kitchen to wash her. hands and while doing so, she shouted toward the bedroom. "Where are Charlotte and Samuel? Come out! We bought new clothes for you. Come out and try them!" Charlotte and Samuel ran out immediately. "Mommy!" Charlotte first hugged Rachel and kissed her. "Why didn''t you take me and Samuel with you to buy new clothes?"

    Rachel pinched Charlotte''s nose. "Because youzy fellows were taking a nap at home and didn''t get up." "I''m not azy fellow!" Charlotte''s attention was quickly attracted by the clothes. "Wow, this skirt is so beautifull

    Samuel had no interest in clothes, so he climbed onto the chair with both hands and feet while shaking his head helplessly. "I can finally eat. Women are really troublesome."

    Jolly just came out of the kitchen, nced at him, and taught her son with a straight face. "Wash your hands before eating." He calmly retorted, ''I''ve already washed them, and I''ve been waiting for you toe back for dinner."

    "Really?" Jolly was suspicious, but turned around and found a positive answer in Justin''s eyes. She felt a little embarrassed at the moment. Her son was so self-disciplined that it made her feel ashamed as a mother.

 Chapter 416

    "Let''s eat and try it onter," Rachel said to Charlotte. "Okay." After putting the dress back into the bag, Charlotte looked into another package. "Mommy, why did you also buy men''s clothes? Is it for Daddy?"

    Silence washed over the room when the words left her lips until Rachel responded with a soft. yeah''. Meeting Justin''s surprised eyes, she exined helplessly, ''My pajamas are really unsuitable for you, so I bought you some clothes while I was shopping today. Go and change into them." At the mention of this, Jolly giggled and teased Justin deliberately. "Why? You don''t like it?

    Whatever it is, I think you look ratherfortable in Chris'' pajamas." Chuckling along, Justin ced aside the things he was holding, wiped his hands and quickly went to change in the bedroom.

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    After he closed the door, his daughter''s childish voice echoed from outside. "I see you''re very concerned about Daddy, Mommy!" "That''s not true, Charlotte, Jolly said. "That''s how you should be to a guest. It''s called courtesy."

    "No, it''s not. I''ve not seen any host buying clothes for their guests." "You have a sharp tongue for your age, littless. Be careful that you can''t get married in the future!"

    "That''s fine. As long as I can always be with Mommy and Daddy together, I don''t want to get married at all!" Listening to the voices outside, he stared at the bag in his hands while a heartwarming look crept over his expressionless face.

    In fact, things were already great as they were now; Rachel didn''t regard him as her enemy and even cared for him kindly. He was already content and satisfied, and there was nothing else he would ask for. All he hoped was to be able to take care of them a little while he was staying here for the period to make up for his deeds in the past.

    It was alreadyte at night, and after Rachel tucked in the children, Jolly was still on the phone in a call. Without even the need to think, she knew who Jolly was on the phone with. "It''s almost 11 p.m. You should let Leroy off," Rachel said, standing behind the bar counter and pouring a ss of water.

    Since Jolly finished dinner, she had been on the phone with Leroy, but he was still working. Later, he needed to start filming, interview and do makeup. Yet, she refused to hang up and went on in a non-stop chatter. Taking a nce at the wall clock, she then. eximed, "Gosh, it''s already 11 p.m. You should go to bed, Leroy."

    "No, you sleep first."

    "You first!" A shiver ran down Rachel''s spine and she felt goosebumps all over her skin. ''Jolly Carter!" Jolly stuck out her tongue at her, but finally, she returned to her room obediently after Rachel gave her a warning re.

    Just when Rachel was about to return to her room, her cell phone rang. "Hello?" Holding her phone, she paced to the balcony. "Are you finished with work?"

    Julian''s voice on the other end of the line sounded a little tired. "I just got home after a day of meetings." "Did you realize anything different at home?"

    "Different?" he repeated in astonishment. "What''s different?" Rachel chuckled. "Take a look in your closet." Sounds of footsteps echoed in the call, and after a while, he said, "All these clothes are..."

    "Your present. Take them as your early birthday gift. "Is this considered cutting corners?" Despite what he said, he clearly sounded delighted. "You already prepared all the clothes for the entire winter, and they''re all from the same brand."

    "Why? You don''t like it? If you don''t, I can still return them to the store." "Of course I like them." A helpless Julian exined, "But it''s just too much. I can''t wear so many clothes."

    "Back when you were a doctor, you wore the white robe the most, and now that you''re no longer a doctor, you can wear these clothes at your own pace. Also, there will be plenty of asions when you''ll need these clothes." Rachel meticulously started checking the clothes she bought. "Basically, I''ve bought a little of both casual and formal wear. Try them on when you have the time. I think I remember your sizes correctly..."

    Holding the ss of water in her hands on the balcony, she lost track of time while she was on the phone, and neither did she notice that there was a figure in the living room returning to his own room silently.

    The door closed with a soft click and Justin leaned against it to face the full-length mirror in front of him as he stared at the clothes Rachel bought him.

    A few hours ago, he was filled with happiness, but now, he couldn''t help but feel upset. Initially, he went out wanting to thank her, but he ran into her on the phone with Julian instead.

    So, it really turns out that she just bought me some clothes out of convenience. In the mirror, his aloof eyes were tinged with self-deprecation as he tried his best to suppress the disappointment in his heart. This is already great. I shouldn''t ask for more. At the thought of this, he took a deep breath and walked toward the bathroom.

    "So, that''s all. See you tomorrow."

    "Okay, see you." After hanging up, the water in Rachel''s hands had already turned cold. Taking a sip, she felt the cold in her teeth and trembled. She was actually on the phone with Julian for an hour, which was record-breaking.

    On the other side, Julian ran his fingertips over the clothes hangers in the closet after he hung up. Gazing at the clothes which were hanging neatly, he had a long-lost warmth in his eyes.

    Even if it was a piece of ice, it would melt if it was held in the palms for a long time. Rachel would be together with him forever, for sure. Suddenly, his phone started ringing and he frowned when he saw who was calling. "Hello?"

    "Are you surprised to receive my call?" "Yes, a little. Aren''t you supposed to be busy preparing to leave Riverdale now?"

    "Leave?" A snort echoed from the other end of the call. "Do you really not know? I have no idea where Justin is now. Am I going to leave by myself?"

    "What do you mean?" "Two days ago, Chris took him away from the summer vi, and I''m a hundred percent sure she''s hiding him at her ce now."

    "That''s impossible." "Impossible? You sure trust her a lot, don''t you? Do you really think that she''ll be sincere with you wholeheartedly? If that''s true, why did shee to the summer vi to spoil my ns?" Ginny sneered. "If you still don''t believe me, I have ¨¤ voice recording for you."

    On the other end, she stopped speaking, and after a short moment of silence, the static sound of the recording started ying. The sound quality of Rachel''s voice after it was. recorded and yed through the phone sounded a little hoarse, but Julian could still tell that it was her tone.

    She said, ''I''ll tell you on his behalf, then. Beware of losing everything." Slowly, Julian''s hand on the clothes hanger slid down until he grabbed a sleeve and gradually tightened his grip.

    From the phone, Ginny''s voice wasced with sarcasm as she said, ''You heard it, didn''t you? She didn''t try to deny that she was the one who took Justin away, and she''s hiding her ex-husband at home while dating you. Is that reasonable? I think our coboration isn''t over and we have to continue working together. Are you listening?"

    A long moment of silence passed by until he said indifferently, "You''re right. We should continue."

 Chapter 417

    "Listen to me and take Chris away. Leave Riverdale for a while using vacation as the excuse. As long as you guys are gone, I''ll have a way to bring Justin away, Ginny said, sounding dominant as usual.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "No, Julian turned her down firmly and coldly. "Rachel will be suspicious." Julian, you''re still worrying so much at a time. like this? Be careful, you might end up with nothing in the end."

    "I have my ns, and you just need to cooperate with me. Stabilize the overseas market of Burton Group and weaken the voices against me in thepany. That will be enough."

    After hanging up, Julian checked the chat box on his phone screen where the chat records of his conversation with Rachel were left off in the afternoon. Jolly dragged me to go shopping with her. I''m afraid I can''t have dinner with you tonight, she texted. ''That''s alright. I have a meeting as well, and I was about to tell you." He stared at the neatly arranged winter clothes which Rachel instructed the housekeeper to prepare. Most of them were the styles which he usually wore, and he ran his palm over the row of clothes. Suddenly, he stopped at a gray casual shirt, he had never worn a color like that.

    Swoosh! The shirt fell from the hanger before the hanger bounced back and mmed into the closet door loudly with a bang. Without the hanger. holding it up, all of the weight of the shirt was now hanging on Julian''s hand as he held it and felt the weight.

    All of a sudden, he released his hand and tossed the shirt on the floor before stepping over it. The next day at Burton Group, the receptionist who recognized Rachel was surprised to see her here and asked, "Why are you here, President Hudson?" Showing the brown paper bag she had in her hand, she exined, "I happened to pass by and came to deliver breakfast for your boss. Being the role model worker that he is, he must have been here a long time ago, haven''t he?" "Don''t you know that President Peters is away on a business trip?"

    "Business trip?" Rachel repeated, startled. "When did he leave?" "Just this morning, and he has probably already boarded the ne now. It was an ad-hoc trip. Didn''t he tell you about it?"

    Rachel came to her senses and suddenly recalled receiving a text before leaving the house this morning, but she didn''t check it because she was in a rush to leave. When she opened the text in her phone now, she saw that it was really a text from Julian. I have an ad ho meeting in Beigeburg and will be back in a couple of days'' time. I can''t have dinner with you again tonight."

    "He told me, but I didn''t see his text," she answered the receptionist in resignation. "Have you had breakfast yet?" Seeing the bread which the youngdy had secretly stolen a bite from was now hidden behind her back, Rachel ced the coffee and sandwich in front of her. "If you don''t mind, you can have this."

    "Thank you, President Hudson."

    "You''re wee." As Rachel turned around, she left Burton Group with aplicated feeling in her heart. Initially, she wanted to tell Julian about what happened between Justin and Ginny. After all, they were together and there were some things which they should be honest with each other. However, she wasn''t expecting him to be gone, so she could only tell him after his return.

    Leaving Burton Group, she drove into traffic and suddenly received a call from Janice. This was the first time in the past few months. that she received a call from her on her private phone. Did something happen?

    "Hello?"

    "Where are you now?"

    "I''m on my way to the office. What''s up?"

    "Do you know that Hans has a younger sister?" She subconsciously tightened her grip on the steering wheel after being startled. Even after so long, the second she heard Hans'' name, her heart would still wrench tightly and painfully, making it hard for her to breathe.. "I know." Her voice was so light that it echoed in the car. Only once outside the school gates had she met the said girl before. It was raining that day, and the little girl with bob hair looked like she was only three or four years old, calling out to Hans happily as she ran toward him and gave him a hug.

    The butler of the Egerton Family was chasing. after her with an umbre in his hand, and many people at the school gates had seen it. Later, Hans told her that Jessica Egerton was actually his cousin, his aunt''s daughter. His aunt had passed away due toplications. during childbirth, and her husband remarried a pregnant woman soon afterward. Hans'' mother was so furious and worried that Jessica would be abused while growing up in that family and decided to bring her over to the Egerton Family by adopting and changing the girl''s family name to Egerton.

    It was hard to imagine that the woman who warned her to leave Hans alone also had a side like this in private. "Rachel, are you listening?" Janice''s voice from the phone jerked her back to her senses.

    "Yeah, I''m listening," Rachel answered hurriedly. "I know, but that''s his cousin named Jessica Egerton. Why?" "Mr. Egerton called me and said that he thinks Jessica is in Riverdale now."

    "What?" "He said that he found out in her room that she''s investigating Hans'' case, and all the clues led to the Burton Group. Mr Egerton also said that she''s a daring girl and refuses to listen to anything he says. Then, she ran away from home by herself." "Is she really here in Riverdale?"

    "That''s a high possibility. Judging from the clues found in her room, Mr. Egerton reckoned that the final conclusion is pointed at Justin''s picture and he''s worried that something will happen." "Where is she now?"

    "I''ve already asked people to keep a lookout, but there''s no news yet so far." Thinking rapidly, Rachel said, "She was still young when she left the country and isn''t familiar with Riverdale. If she doesn''t read the financial news, she won''t know about the changes happening with Burton Group. So, if she''s looking for Justin, most probably she''ll stay around the Burton Group. I''ll check with the nearby hotels."

    "It''s not convenient for me to be involved in this matter." "I understand, so let me do it." After hanging up, Rachel sent a message to her secretary, asking her to make a list of the hotels nearby Burton Group.

    Although the main culprits, Jason and Jefferey, had already received their sentences, Hans'' cause of death had not been announced to the public because this was Janice''s way to protect Rachel. Too many things were involved in between and she was worried that these implications would make Dillon''s men suspect Rachel.

    Therefore, even if Rachel saw Jessica now, she still couldn''t tell Jessica the truth. While looking for Jessica at the nearby hotels, Rachel''s mind was filled with the things that Hans said about Jessica back then.

    "Rae, do you still remember my sister? She helped me to put in a word to my father this time when I wanted toe back. Can you imagine a young girl reasoning seriously with my father?"

    ''I''ll show you her picture. She''s adorable, isn''t she?''

    "If my sister gets married in the future, I''ll most likely cry."

    "Jess, this is Rachel Hudson. You can call her Rachel." When Hans was still alive, he had mentioned his sister many times like a controlling brother. Back then, Rachel even met Jessica once. through a video call. At that time, Jessica was only about twelve years old, and Rachel didn''t imagine that it would be this situation whent they would meet again.

    "Hi, may I know if anyone by the name of Jessica Egerton checked into your hotel? She''s from Panzonia and the younger sister of my good friend. As she''s still underaged and left home by herself, her family is very worried about her."

    "Hang on, let me check. Did you say Jessica Egerton?"

    "Yes."

    "I found her."

 Chapter 418

    "She''s in Room 2161." "Thank you." Immediately after she found out Jessica''s room number from the reception, Rachel stepped into. the elevator. Even though she had only seen Jessica once through the video call on Hans'' phone five years ago, she had heard no less from him about how stubborn Jessica''s personality was, going through with anything she decided to.

    Hence, if Jessica assumed that Justin was her brother''s murderer, then she would go all out to invesitgate the Burton Group and try to approach Justin, and the results would be unthinkable should someone tried to make use of her. Finally, someone came to open the doc after she pressed the doorbell a few times.

    "Jess." "Who are you?" Holding the door, Jessica kept the chain lock on and only showed half of her cautious face. "Don''t you remember me? I''m Rachel Hudson, a good friend of your brother."

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    When she heard that, the look in her eyes. turned cold instantly. "What can I do for you?" "There''s something I have to tell you about your brother''s case." After a short moment of hesitation, Jessica released the chain lock. "Come in."

    The hotel room wasn''t big, just a regr single room with a huge bed scattered with some stuff girls usually used and Rachel could tell that she had already been staying here for some time.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "When did you arrive in Riverdale?" "Cut the small chat and go straight to the point. How did you know that I''m here? Also, why did youe to look for me?" Leaning against the table, Jessica crossed her arms-it was a posture used to resist and guard. against an approaching person.

    Rachel clenched her fingers a little at her sides; she always had a deep sense of guilt which couldn''t be erased toward Jessica or anyone else from the Egerton Family. "Jess, you''re here to investigate your brother''s death, right?"

    "Yeah, so what? What does it have to do with you?" "Of course it does. Your brother is my best friend. He-"Best friend? Who would watch their best friend''s leg being broken by the husband?" Jessica sniggered. "If that''s the case, then being your friend requires one to give up their life."

    Her words stabbed mercilessly through Rachel''s chest, rendering her speechless and making it hard for her to breathe. "You definitely know how Hans died, don''t you?"

    "L..." Holding her fists tightly, Rachel uttered, "I can''t tell you."

    "So, this is what you mean by being his so-called best friend?" "What I can tell you is that it has nothing to do with Justin Burton. The person who should pay for it has been punished byw, so you shouldn''t investigate anymore." "Why should I believe you? If this is really unrted to Justin Burton, the truth will speak for itself. Why should you be afraid that I''m. investigating it?"

    A seventeen year-old teenage girl was at her most stubborn and rebellious age. The more the adults didn''t want her to do something, the more she wanted to do it. Not daring to push her too much, Rachel tried to persuade her instead. "I''m not afraid of your investigations but I''m afraid that you''ll be entangled in pointless conflicts. Do you know how many bad people out there are waiting to catch a hold on the Burton Group? You''ll be easily used by others if you act this way."

    "Is this what you came here to tell me?" Lookingpletely indifferent, Jessica had a dark look in her eyes. "I''m not an idiot. Not anyone can fool me. Please see yourself out," she said, gesturing toward the door.

    This was her eviction order and despite the many things Rachel wanted to say, judging from the situation, she knew that no matter what she said, this girl would heed nothing of it.

    A few secondster, Rachel left her own business card. "Jess, this is my contact, and you can look for me if you have any problems at all. I''ll visit you again tomorrow."

    An unimpressed Jessica didn''t take her card and Rachel could only ce it on the table before leaving. The door closed behind her with a loud bang behind her and a small gust of wind rose up to ruffle her hair.

    It was understandable that Jessica hated Rachel. Back then, she was a big reason why Hans wanted toe to Riverdale, and Jessica even helped to put in a good word to the Egertons. If Jessica had known that something would happen to Hans in Riverdale, she would have definitely stopped him froming. The more persistence she showed in finding out the truth, the more remorse she had in her heart.

    For the next consecutive days, Rachel would visit Jessica at the hotel everyday. Worried that Jessica couldn''t get used to the food at the hotel or have an upset tummy, she couldn''t wait to bring her food for every meal, carrying bags of different sizes with her.

    "What''s happening? Are you seeing someone else?" Looking at Rachel going out with food in her hand again during working hours, Jolly stopped her and queried, "I heard from the secretary that you told her to line up to buy some snacks from a famous bakery early in the morning. You have the palmiers from an international hotel, and you even bought a roast duck! Who are you bringing these to? Out with it!" "No one."

    As Rachel wanted to take care of Jessicaing to Riverdale by herself, she didn''t want to tell Jolly for now. However, Jolly was not convinced. "No one? Are you buying these for ghosts, then? I won''t let you go unless you tell me." "I''m really in a rush to go. It''s almost meal time!"

    "Are you visiting a prison? Recently, you''re always going out with food and drinks during mealtime." Suddenly, Rachel looked behind Jolly. "Leroy?"

    Jolly''s eyes lit up and she turned around.

    "Leroy?" There''s no one! By the time Jolly realized that she was fooled, Rachel had already passed by her hurriedly, leaving with the things in her hands. "Chris!" Standing on the spot, she stomped her feet and gritted her teeth. She can''t hide anything from me! At the hotel, Rachel arrived with the food, but no matter how she pressed the doorbell, no one came to open the door.

    At this moment, the cleaningdy happened to pass by with her cleaning cart. "Are you looking for the guest in Room 2162? She went out early in the morning today and didn''te back yet. I just cleaned her room."

    A stunned Rachel had a bad premonition about this, Jessica went out? In the meantime, Justin had just emerged from the supermarket carrying bags of groceries after doing the shopping and ced it into the car trunk.

    Jolly hadpletely regarded him as a live-in nanny, listing him with a long grocery list for the supermarket to the point of even writing tampons on the list. In the end, he paced around the shelves awkwardly for a long time while a group of middle-aged saleswomen tried to promote him their products.

    When the car trunk came to a close, the corners of his eyes caught sight of a sneaky figure hiding behind a pir from the reflector in the corner of the garage.

    This isn''t the first time, Justin thought with furrowed brows. "Come out!" His cold voice echoed in the garage, sending chills down a person''s spine. "It''s fine even if you don''t want to show yourself. There''s surveince in the garage. I''ll just call the police directly," he said, taking out his cell phone.

    "Hey, don''t call the police!" A girl''s voice sounded as a small figure trotted out from behind the pir. Looking like a student with her hair tied up in a bun and carrying a backpack, she nervously nced at Justin. "Why are you following me?'' His eyes were solemn as he scanned her from top to bottom.

    "I''m not following you." Pursing her lips, the girl appeared if she had been wronged. "I haven''t eaten for days. Will you lend me a hundred bucks?"

    Justin''s eyes swept past her shoes, which cost at least five figures, and opened the car door to ignore her. "Hang on!" She walked briskly to him and stopped him.

 Chapter 419

    "What do you want, then?" "I told you that I have no money for food. Lend me a hundred bucks, only a hundred. I''ll definitely pay you back, but just give me your contact details."

    Holding the car door tightly and refusing to release it, the girl appeared as though she wouldn''t leave if Justin didn''t give her the money. On the other hand, Justin had seen at least a thousand, if not more, pick-up lines, but it was his first time encountering something like this..

    He suddenly released his hand without the girl realizing and while she was still pulling the car door. Staggering backward, she then fell on her bum before she shrieked, "Ah, you!" cing a hand on the top of the car, he said int an aloof manner, ''I don''t care what you''re up to, but it''s not going to work with me. Go home quickly."

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    After saying that, he pulled the car door close again as he got into the car without even ncing at her one more time. In the car, he sent a message to Rachel. ''Are youing home for dinner? There will be fish today!

    He quickly received a reply. I''m not sure because I have some things to take care of Okay, take care of it, then!" Putting his phone away, he then started the car and slowly rolled the car out of the basement garage with his hands on the steering wheel. Moments after he drove out of the garage and made a turn into the street, a figure dashed out. in front of him out of the blue and it caused him to react with lightning speed by immediately mming the brakes.

    The sharp screeching sounds of the brakes echoed through the street and the ground was smoking from the friction with the tires. However, before anything else could be done, the figure who dashed out fell down and he quickly got down to check the situation. Soon, people started to gather at the spot. "What happened?"

    "Someone was knocked down by a car."

    "It''s a young girl." "Quickly call the ambnce!" The moment he got out of the car, Justin saw a person lying in front of his car and it was the young girl who stopped him in the garage. She was now sprawled on the floor motionlessly, as though she was dead. "Hey... Justin uttered, shaking her shoulder, but there was no response from her. "Get up quickly. I didn''t hit you at all." When she didn''t move an inch, he said, "I''m leaving if you''re not getting up."

    Still, there was nothing from the girl, and the crowd was starting to build up. It was early winter and the ground was cold. This girl was only wearing a sweater and a skirt, baring her thighs. Even if she didn''t suffer any injuries from the hit, she would freeze if she continued toy on the floor.

    Any regr person would take pity on her, but he wasn''t a regr person. Seeing that the girl was still pretending, he decided to get into the car. Without further ado, he started the car and reversed, leaving the ignorant people to point their fingers and criticize him. Criticisms?

    He had never been afraid of criticisms. Hearing the sound of the engine dying away in the distance, the girl on the floor scrambled to her feet and gritted her teeth at the back of the car which had driven away. Shakily, she fished. out her phone. ''Hello, is this the emergency rescue?"

    Meanwhile, Justin drove straight home and picked up the children from school while he was on the way. During this period of time when he was living here, he had picked up the role of the nanny by himself. "Daddy, what are we eating today?" A fully excited Charlotte hung around at the bar counter and watched as Justin prepared the ingredients.

    Ever since Justin moved here, she looked forward to having dinner together as a family the most everyday. It was full of life and even Jolly was with them, making it more lively than living in the vi in the past.

    "It''s fish!" Poking the water through the transparent bag, Samuel watched the fish in the bag. "And it''s still alive!" "Yes, we''ll be having fish,'' Justin answered.

    Immediately, Samuel sulked. ''I don''t like fish. There''s too many bones and it will get stuck." A baffled Charlotte gawked with rounded and curious eyes. "Why would fishes have bones?" "All fishes have bones! Jolly let me have fish once. My throat was bleeding because I choked on the bones and even went to the hospital."

    "That''s scary! But the fish I had didn''t have bones!"

    "That''s impossible!"

    "It''s true! Ask Daddy if you don''t believe me!" Simultaneously, the children turned to look at Justin. Helplessly, he exined in a serious manner, "All fishes have bones, but adults would usually pick them out and they will do the same when they give fish to the children." Since young, Charlotte had many servants taking care of her and they wouldn''t give her fish easily. If they do, they would only give her the part of the fish belly and check repeatedly for bones. Therefore, she had never seen a fish bone.

    As for Samuel, careless and unexpected situations happened more than a couple of times when Jolly was taking care of him, and it seemed normal that he had choked while having fish.

    If she didn''t meet Rachel, could Jolly really have brought up Samuel abroad with the way that she was? While they were talking, Justin''s phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was a call from Rachel, he quickly wiped his hands and picked up the call. "Hello?"

    "I can''t make it back for dinner tonight." Rachel sounded hurried and breathless after he answered, as though she was running. "What happened? Did something happen?"

    "My friend is hospitalized because of ant ident and I''m going to check on her now."

    "Really? Is it serious?" "I don''t know because I haven''t seen her yet. Please take care of the children. I''ll probably be back veryte today."

    "No problem." Rachel hung up and stopped a nurse. "Hello, may I ask where Jessica Egerton is? She was just sent here by the ambnce." Jessica Egerton, right? She''s inside."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "Thanks." "You''re wee." Then, Rachel hurried into the ward of the emergency unit. The moment she received the call, she had rushed over here immediately.

    ''Jess." Lying on the hospital bed, Jessica already had the wound on her knee bandaged and her face fell when she saw Rachel. "Why are you here?"

    "The hotel called me," she said, holding Jessica''s asthma medication in her hand. Half an hour ago, she received a call from the hotel saying that Jessica had called them to deliver her asthma medication to the hospital because she would be hospitalized for a few days. Jessica would always bring the medication. with her since she was born with asthma and Hans had also mentioned this to Rachel before, but Rachel''s bigger worry was, how did Jessica end up hospitalized?

    "What happened? Why are you hurt so badly?"

    "It''s nothing. I was knocked down." "You were knocked down? Who did it? Where''s that person?" "It''s none of your business!" Just the sight of Rachel''s face was frustrating to her. "You''ve brought me the medication, and I thank you for that. Can you please stop pestering me day and night?"

    "Jess, you''re alone in Riverdale and have no idea how worried your father is. I''ll send your back home after you recover."

    "What does it have to do with you whether I return or not? Is this up to you?" Jessica snapped, trying to get out of bed. "Ah!" she yelped in surprise, and the nurse next to her quickly rushed forward to hold her.

    "Don''t move around." "Fine, stay still." Rachel''s heart dropped as well. "Just lie down and I''ll leave." Then, she followed the nurse out to check on Jessica''s situation. "How is she doing, miss?"

    "Fracture in her calf bone. She needs to rest for a period of time." So serious? Rachel thought and took a look around. "Miss, are there any more rooms in the wards?"

    "It''s all upied."

 Chapter 420

    "What about the VIP wards?"

    "They''re reserved as well." A frowning Rachel gave Julian a call. "Hi Julian, are you busy now?" "I''m still in a meeting. What''s wrong?" "My friend was in an ident and needs to be hospitalized, but the Tran-Q said that they have no more wards left. As a girl, it''s not so convenient for her to be in the emergency ward..."

    "I see, that''s okay. I''ll call them to ask about it. Even though I have already resigned, the senior employees there would still show me some respect."

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    "Sorry to trouble you then." After slightly more than ten minutes after the conversation ended, a nurse came over and told her that they had arranged for a ward. Jessica clearly looked better after she changed words. Rachel knew that Jessica had never been. through any hardships in her life. It was already. difficult for her toe to Riverdale alone, not to mention staying by herself in a ce as busy and noisy as the emergency ward.

    "You''re quite capable of being able to get a ward with just one call. I heard that it''s difficult to get a ward in the public hospitals here." Rachel poured her a ss of water and ced it next to the bed. "It''s not as difficult as you think."

    "Things are so different now that you''ve transformed into apany president, huh?" Jessica sneered. "You must have forgotten it yourself how everyone has snubbed you in the past. If Hans knew you''re doing so well now, he would surely die in peace."

    At the mention of Hans, Rachel''s hands trembled. "I''m the one who let him down." "What''s the point of saying that now? He''s already dead."

    Unwilling to speak more about Hans with her, Rachel suppressed her emotions. "Are you hungry? I''ll buy you some food. Right after she said this, a knock came from the door.

    "Come in." At first, Rachel thought it was the hospital staffing in, but it was Justin instead. "Hi, Rae." Pushing the door open, he stood at the door and peered in.

    "Why are you here?" "Didn''t you say that your friend was in an ident? I came over to see if there''s anything I can help with. By the way, I bought some food. Your friend-" He stopped himself mid- sentence when his gaze fell on the bed. "Why is it you?" he eximed with knitted brows.

    Jessica gritted her teeth as well at the sight of Justin. "I wanted to ask you the same thing. Why is it you?" A puzzled Rachel asked, "Do you know each other?"

    Pointing a finger at Justin, Jessica cried wolf first. "He''s the one who knocked into me and didn''t even send me to the hospital. It was a hit and run!" Rachel''s expression changed and she stopped Justin. "What happened?"

    Not knowing Jessica''s real identity, Justin still thought that she was just someone faking an ident for benefit. "I can let it slide that you tried to fake an ident with me, but you found another one after that? Let''s go, Rachel. She''s a conman," he said, pulling her and trying to get her to leave.

    Jerking her hand away, Rachel said with a frown, "What nonsense are you speaking about? What conman? Do you know who she is? She is Hans'' younger sister."

    When the name ''Hans'' reached his ears, he froze for a moment and turned to the bed in stunned silence. In fact, Justin didn''t have a deep impression of Hans. So many years had passed, and that man''s face was already turning blurry, but he knew better than anyone how important Hans was to Rachel. "Is she Hans'' sister?"

    "Yeah," Rachel answered with a nod. ''Leave first. Thanks for the food." "Wait a minute. Leave?" Jessica stopped them. "He knocked me down in a hit and run, and you''re letting him go before I have even settled the score with him? Are you trying to cover up for him? I''m calling the police now."

    "Jess!'' Rachel quickly stopped her. ''Don''t call the police." "It''s fine if you don''t want me to call the police, but give me your contact details. Should anything happen to me, I''m looking for you forpensation."

    Stretching out her hand with her palm upward at Justin, Jessica appeared very confident. On the other hand, Justin furrowed his brows as he judged the girl in front of him. His instincts told him that this girl''s thoughts were not that simple.

    The fact that she suddenly appeared in the garage, purposely let him hit her and even met him in the hospital now; all these seemingly coincidental but impossible coincidences were all very suspicious.

    "What exactly do you want?" he asked Jessica, stepping in front of Rachel. While Rachel looked concerned, Jessica''s expression remained unchanged. "What do you mean by that? You''re the one who knocked into me!"

    "I didn''t hit you at all." "If you didn''t hit me, could I be the one who hit you?" Jessica asked as she pulled her sheets away to reveal her calf which was bandaged and fixed in position. "Could I have broken my own leg?"

    Before Justin could say anything, Rachel interjected, "Why didn''t you call the ambnce. after knocking down someone? Instead, you drove away? What would you do if something bad had happened?"

    "I..." All of a sudden, he couldn''t exin himself. He knew that Rachel would be in a fluster from concern and everything he said now would sound like an excuse. Hence, he decided not to exin anything. "I''m sorry. I didn''t see it carefully." "Forget it. Go home first. I''ll be staying here for the night." Justin nced at Jessica and narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I''ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning.

    "N-" Before she could even say ''no'', Jessica suddenly changed her statement. "Sure, I want an English breakfast from that ce on Langdon Street. I heard that it''s especially delicious." Rachel knitted her brows. "I''ll get you what you want to eat."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    "No, I want him to buy it because he''s the one who knocked me." "Do you know who he is?" This was the second time Rachel asked a question like this today. By right, Jessica shouldn''t have met Justin before because he rarely showed his face and any information on the Inte about him didn''t have any pictures of him.

    From Jessica''s understanding, Justin was the suspect who killed her brother, and if she knew that he was the one who knocked into her, she wouldn''t have asked him to buy her breakfast. "Even if he''s the Prince of Wales, he still has to buy me breakfast. He''s obliged to since he''s the one who hit me."

    "He''s Justin Burton," Rachel said. Sooner orter, Jessica would know about this. Rather than being worried that something would happen when she was in the dark, Rachel decided to clear up the air in front of Jessica''s eyes. Sure enough, Jessica looked shocked when she heard that. "What? You''re Justin Burton?"

    The news sank in and she wanted to get out of bed agitatedly, but cried out in pain instead. With quick reflexes, Rachel held her. "Easy does it. I told you that it was a misunderstanding and he''s not rted to your brother''s death."

    "How is he unrted? He''s the one who broke Hans'' leg and now, he''s trying to break mine with a car! What feud does our family have with you?"

    The girl''s reproach fell on Justin''s ears, and his hands balled up slightly. No matter what the reason was for Jessica to try to approach him, or the purpose she nned this y today, he really owed the Egerton Family.

    Regardless, he was the one who broke Hans'' leg, and that indirectly caused him to be murdered after that. This point was undeniable. "I''m sorry. It''s true that I''m partly responsible for your brother''s death," he admitted, his. emotionless voice echoing in the room.

 Chapter 421

    An astonished Rachel turned to Justin in surprise as she never thought that he would take the initiative to apologize for what happened back then. "I know I cannot make up for this. If there''s anything you need, I''ll do my best to get it done."" "Really? Jessica cast him a stony look. "You''ll do anything I ask you to?"

    "Yes." "What if I ask you to pay with your life for my brother''s?" "Jess!" Rachel added in shock, "I told you that he didn''t cause Hans'' death, and the one who did it has receivedwful judgment. Your brother''s death has been avenged."

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    "Why are you getting so worked up? Aren''t you two already divorced? Didn''t you tell Hans that your marriage to him was unfortunate? Didn''t Hans die because he wanted to save you from hell?"

    Like a knife, Jessica''s words stabbed through Rachel''s heart and Justin watched the scene with a wrenching heart, but was helpless against it. "I''m sorry, Jess."

    "You don''t have to apologize to me? Taking a deep breath, Jessica continued, "The dead can''t be brought back to life and I can stop pursuing. my brother''s death."

    Rachel''s eyes lit up. "Really?" "Yes, but didn''t you say that you''ll make up for it?" Fixing her eyes on Justin, Jessica stated, "From tomorrow onward, I want you to bring me food for every meal and not one less. You''ll have to buy anything that I want to eat." Rachel was stunned; she wasn''t sure if this was a good way to make up for things. Nheless, Justin was the one who broke Hans'' leg and he was the enemy in Jessica''s eyes. Was there really someone who would let their enemy in and out of their sight every day? Or was she using this opportunity to take revenge on Justin?

    "Jess, I''ll buy you anything you want to eat." "What? If he can''t even do something as simple as this, how could he say so loudly that her wants to make amendments?"

    Even though she tried to incite Justin and this method was actually not working on him, he had other ideas in his mind. ''Okay, no problem. You want English breakfast tomorrow, right? I''ll bring it here." When Rachel wanted to stop him, he said instead, "I''m leaving now, then. See you tomorrow morning."

    Jessica responded with a stiff smile stered on her face, "See you." After Justin left the room, the more Rachel thought about it, the more concerned she became and she went after him. "Wait a minute, Justin."

    In the corridor, she caught up with him. "I think you shouldn''te tomorrow morning. Jess is prejudiced against you, and it doesn''t matter whether she really believes that you have nothing to do with Hans'' death, there are some conflicts between the both of you. So, it''s impossible for her topletely let go of her grudges. As you know, she''s still a child and not an adult yet. She still carries the stubbornness of a girl with her and it''s normal for her to do something in a fit of anger. You- "Are you worried that she''ll make things difficult for me?"

    One question from Justin and it was enough to render Rachel speechless. She was worried, and at the same time, she was afraid that the conflict would escte. All she wanted was for Jessica to finish her recovery at the hospital peacefully. After that, she would think of a way to persuade Jessica to return to her country.

    "I''m fine," Justin answered. "What kind of person I am if I can''t even handle such a small thing? Don''t worry; no matter what, I was at fault for what happened back then." Rachel''s brows crinkled together as he went on to say, "I''m going first. You should rest early as well." "Okay."

    As she watched his back, all kinds of emotions swam around her heart. In the ward when it was close to midnight, she slept on the couch outside while the door to the bedroom was half-closed. She had left it open deliberately in case anything happened and she could hear Jessica if she called her.

    In the middle of the night, Jessica tossed and turned in bed as she was unable to fall asleep. Hence, she felt for her phone from under the pillow and sent a text. He doesn''t seem as aloof as I thought."

    After a while, Rachel''s own phone lit up. The murderer wouldn''t write that on their foreheads. Think of your brother and how pathetic his death was."

    Reading this, Jessica''s expression changed and she clutched the phone tightly. The next day, Justin went to Langdon Street early in the morning to line up for the English breakfast, and he only managed to get it after staying in the line for an hour.

    When he arrived at the ward with the breakfast,. Rachel had just washed up, and from the dark circles under her eyes, it was clear that she didn''t sleep very well.

    "You didn''t sleep well?" cing Jessica''s breakfast on the table, he asked, "Or, are you feeling unwell?" Stretching her neck in different directions, Rachel waved her hand. "It''s fine. I just have a stiff neck."

    ncing at the couch, Justin saw the pillow and nket which wasn''t kept away before he frowned. "Why weren''t you sleeping in the room and having to take the couch?"

    "I can be closer to Jess if I take the couch. I''m worried I can''t hear it if there''s something happening. "Just let the nurse do it."

    "I''m worried; this child has a mind of her own." Her biggest concern was Jessica leaving the hospital without a word and she didn''t know where Jessica would go at that time. Seeing how tired Rachel was, Justin was apologetic. "Have some breakfast first." "It''s alright. Pass it to Jessica first."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "Just eat yours." He held her by the wrist and said, "I''ll pass hers to her." The warmth from his hand was higher than her own body temperature and she paused before drawing back her hand after a few seconds. Avoiding his gaze, she muttered, "Okay."

    With the breakfast in his hand, he went into the bedroom. As the door was left open, it swung open by itself when he knocked twice. Jessica had just finished washing up and the caretaker was just helping her to take a seat on the bed.

    "You''re here?" Seeing Justin, Jessica greeted him casually. "Where''s the breakfast I ordered?" Justin ced it directly on the table without saying a word.

    "Do you think I can reach it when you ce it that far?" Patting the bedside table, she gestured for him to bring it there. Her actions didn''t make him mad, and he went over with the breakfast patiently before cing it on the bedside table.

    After asking the caretaker to leave, there was only the both of them left in the room. In front of him, she opened up the box and started eating the breakfast. "It''s true that the English breakfast from this ce is amazing. It''s my first time trying it after so long in Riverdale. Oh, there''s also scrambled eggs? Let me give it a try. My brother used to always say that the scrambled eggs here are the best."

    ''Jessica Egerton, you won''t simply let bygones be bygones by asking me to buy you a few meals, will you?'' Justin''s voice spoke suddenly and Jessica paused mid-air with the fork in the eggs.

    Lifting her head, she met his handsome face. The man''s eyes were cold and sharp with such an icy look that it was as if he could see through all thoughts and render one defenseless. As she smirked, she giggled, but it sounded at little creepy. "What do you think?" His temples twitched as he said, "Your brother''s death has nothing to do with Rachel at all. I understand that you have grudges, bute at me and don''t torture Rachel."

    "How touching is this? It''spletely different from what Hans said, that you don''t care about her." Holding the scrambled eggs in a container, she pierced the fork Into it slowly and sneered. "After losing his life, he ended up pairing up the both of you? Even if he was willing, I feel unjustified for him!" "What are you trying to do, really?"

    "What do you think?" While he watched, she suddenly turned the eggs upside down.

    St! The sheets were in a mess that came steaming from the heat of the food, and she screamed, "Ah!"

 Chapter 422

    Upon hearing Jessica''s screams, Rachel ran in quickly, "What''s the matter?" As soon as she saw the mess on the bed, her expression suddenly changed and she immediately lifted the part of the sheet covered with steaming scrambled eggs and moved it aside. "Were you burned?"

    Jessica nodded, her eyes red-rimmed as sheined, "He must''ve done it on purpose!" The veins on Justin''s temples jumped. He wanted to say something, but Rachel waspletely unconcerned about him.

    The hospital''s nket wasn''t thick, so the liquid from the dish immediately prated through the thinyer. At this moment, Jessica''s hospital gown was wrapped around her leg like a hot towel.

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    Rachel dared not touch it, so she hurriedly pressed the bedside bell and called for the nurse to deal with it. Justin wanted to exin, ''Rae." "You should leave first."

    She didn''t even look at him, and her tone was cold. He clenched his fists, then shot Jessica a cold nce before leaving the ward. "Fortunately, there is a sheet in between, so there''s only a slight burn. There aren''t any injuries."

    "Thank you, doctor." "Don''t mention it, but you''ll have to take the patient''s fractured calf seriously. You have to always be careful. Otherwise, how can it possibly recover well?"

    "We''ll be more careful." After seeing the doctor off, Rachel''s suspended heart finally felt at ease. She asked Jessica, "Does it still hurt?" Jessica''s eyes were still red, but she was stubborn. "Of course it hurts. You can give it a try and see whether it hurts."

    "You said earlier that Justin deliberately spilled the scrambled eggs. What do you mean?" At this moment, Justin was outside and he could clearly hear what they were saying.

    Jessica deliberately looked understanding and generous. "I said that out of anger earlier. I don''t think he did it on purpose. I wasn''t careful. I didn''t hold it properly."

    Rachel frowned. "In the future, you''ll eat breakfast at the table." "He asked me what my purpose was foring to Riverdale, though. He looked very fierce and asked me not to make things difficult for you."

    "He really said that?" "Why would I lie to you about this? Am I making things difficult for you? He was so fierce that it was as if he was going to eat me."

    Her face sank slightly, then she set everything down before going out. Justin had been staying in the living room outside, listening to what Rachel was saying. Seeing Racheling out, he immediately exined, ''Rachel, she deliberately knocked over the scrambled eggs."

    He didn''t believe that Rachel wouldn''t be able to discern such a simple trick, but he was still afraid that she would be concerned to the point of confusion that it would cause an unnecessary misunderstanding between them.

    She replied, "I know." He was taken aback, and before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Rachel saying. "What did you say to her, though?" "What do you mean by that?"

    "You told her not to make things difficult for me? Does it look like she''s making things difficult for me?" Rachel clenched her fists, her expression sullen. "Jess came to Riverdale from abroad all alone. She''s not familiar with this ce, and after so long, she never approached me. I was the one who found her. Do you think she''s making things difficult for me? Can you stop being so self-righteous?"

    A stunned Justin stared at Rachel. "I was worried about you." "I don''t need your worry. You''re just being self-righteous. Jess is only seventeen years old. What can she do to me? Even if she really has a grudge against both of us, it''s only natural for her to feel that way!" "It makes sense for her to hate me. After all, I did hurt her brother, but what did you do wrong?" "My biggest mistake was to involve Hans between us. My biggest mistake was marrying you back then!"

    Justin''s face paled and he couldn''t say a word. On the hospital bed in the bedroom, Jessica quietly listened to the quarrel between the two people outside, and a cold gleam shed across her eyes. After he left, it took a while before Rachel went into the room. "Jess, have some breakfast."

    She adjusted the bedside table and ced the breakfast Justin brought on the table while using silence to conceal her bad mood. No one liked being in an argument, but there were some things she had to make clear to Justin.

    In fact, she didn''t want him to have any contact with Jessica at all due to her selfishness. Jessica studied her. "Actually, he didn''t do it on purpose, but you didn''t have to quarrel with him. because of me." Rachel didn''t answer, but changed the topic instead. "What do you want to eat for lunch? I''ll ask someone to send it over to you."

    "It''s fine. I''ll just ask the nurse to grab something from the cafeteria. You don''t have to worry about me in the afternoon." Rachel nodded. "Okay, I have a meeting at noon. I might be a bit busytely, but if you need anything, call me anytime. I''lle to see you as soon as have time." "Got it. Don''t be so long-winded, okay?"

    She couldn''t help but stroke Jessica''s head.

    For a moment, Jessica was taken aback, but she didn''t avoid Rachel''s touch..

    As soon as Rachel left, Jessica ced the fritters in her hand down and sent a text message. "I want to have pineapple rice and Langdon Lane''s roasted duck for lunch!"

    During noon at Hudson Pharmaceuticals, the secretary ordered a meal for everyone during the break in the middle of the meeting. Rachel brought her cup to the pantry to pour herself some tea. Jolly followed behind her. "Aren''t you going to eat?" "I''m not hungry."

    "You seem lethargic all morning. What''s the matter?" "It''s nothing. I didn''t sleep wellst night, so I have a stiff neck." "Speaking of this, I was about to ask you something. Where did you sleepst night?"

    Rachel paused slightly as she rubbed her neck. She hadn''t told Jolly about Jessica''s visit to Riverdale. "The hospital," she said while lowering her head as she figured she couldn''t hide it anymore.

    After all, Jessica was injured and would be staying in Riverdale for a period of time. "What were you doing at the hospital? Are you unwell?" "It''s not me. It''s Jessica."

    "Who''s Jessica?"

    "Hans'' sister." When she saw Jolly''s surprised gaze, Rachel told her everything. "Really? That girl came all the way to Riverdale to seek revenge? What century is this? What''s she ying at? Does she think she''s the main character in John Wick?" "She''s young and ambitious, and she has always had a good rtionship with her brother. After Hans passed away, she couldn''t ept the blow."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "Then, what''s happening now? She believes that her brother wasn''t killed by Justin, right?" Jolly knew that Hans was killed because he caught Jefferey''s group smuggling goods, so she knew that she couldn''t tell Jessica about it because the matter was too extensive. Most importantly, the person who killed Hans was Jefferey-Rachel''s legal father.

    Rachel nodded slightly. "I guess she believes it, but I can see that this girl still harbors resentment toward Justin." "It''s normal to feel resentment. I used to resent him too."

    "Forget it. Let''s not talk about this anymore. The two of them won''t have much interaction, anyway. I''ll send her back home when she''s healed."

    While they were talking, Rachel''s cell phone suddenly rang. It was her secretary calling. "Hello?" Rachel''s expression hardened. "Are you sure you got a clear look?"

 Chapter 423

    Something was said on the other end of the line that caused Rachel''s expression to turn weirder. After Rachel disconnected the line, Jolly asked, "What''s the matter?"

    Rachel had aplicated look on her face. "I asked my secretary to bring Jess something to eat at the hospital. The secretary said that she saw Justin eating with Jess." "Aren''t the two of them as ipatible as fire and water?"

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    "I find it strange too." She was extremely puzzled. These two people were still fighting in the morning because of a bowl of scrambled eggs, and they couldn''t get along at all. Why were they so harmonious now?

    At this moment, inside the hospital ward, Jessica was taking a huge bite out of the pork ribs Justin bought. ''Not bad. It tastes quite delicious. Have you had lunch yet? Do you want some?"

    "It''s fine. You can finish it all." Justin sat on the sofa opposite the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. He was far away from Jessica and watching her vigntly.

    She shook her head and looked calm. "If you''re still upset with me for what happened in the morning, I can apologize, but you''re the one who provoked me first. Who asked you to warn me? I don''t like it when people tell me what to do."

    "Do you think you''re intelligent? If you were really burned, you''re the one who''s going to suffer. What damage does it do to me?"

    "Are you sure there''s no damage? Do you think Rachel would still bother you if I was really injured?" Justin remained as motionless as a mountain. "Don''t use your naive mindset to assess us."

    "Pfft." Contempt appeared on Jessica''s face as she pushed the bowl aside. "I''m done. I want to have corn and pork ribs stew in the evening." He didn''t say anything as he cleaned up the table and left. "Hey, where are you going?" "Going back to prepare the corn and pork ribs stew that you wanted." "It''s still early. It''s only 12.00PM." Jessica) nced at her phone. "y games with me."

    Justin frowned. "If you don''t y games with me, I''ll call Rachel and ask her to spend time with me." She waved the game controller in her hand triumphantly at him. "What''s your decision? Choose either option." At night, after Jessica finished her meal, she picked up the game controller again. "Let''s y some games. You beat me several times in the afternoon. I''m not satisfied. I want to get my victories back." He nced at the time. "It''s gettingte. I''m going back."

    "It''s only 8.00PM. How''s that consideredte? "I want to go back to spend time with my daughter." "What a good father." Jessica picked up the phone. "Then, I can only ask Rachel toe and apany me."

    Justin shot her a nce. "Rae''s on a business trip and won''t be back until a few dayster." "Then, shall we try? I''ll call her and see whether she''lle back." When she spoke, there was a slightly cold gleam in Jessica''s eyes and she was obviously threatening him. Justin had lived for so many years. Besides the time Samuel was kidnapped and he was threatened to kneel down, he had never been intimidated before. In just one day, Jessica had him in the palm of her hand and was throwing her weight around.

    When Hudson Pharmaceuticals arrived in Rachel''s hands, it was riddled with holes and she had to start everything all over again, which was difficult for her.

    However, if Jessica made a phone call, Rachel would definitely let go of everything and rush. over in order to make up for the favor she owed Hans, even if it would affect Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' future.

    Jessica took advantage of Rachel''s kindness and the need to return what she owed and she took advantage of Justin''s concern for Rachel as well.

    Any discerning person would know what she was ying at, but he still jumped in without hesitation. "Okay, I''ll y games with you. We can y as long as you want."

    After saying that, Justin picked up the game controller and sat down on the couch. Fortunately, before he came, he had entrusted. Gloria to take care of the two children.

    Meanwhile, after Victor coaxed Charlotte to sleep, he quietly came out of the room and looked into another room before he smiled when he saw that Samuel was asleep.

    Out of these two children, Charlotte was a little more finicky, as she had to listen to a bedtime story before going to sleep. On the other hand, Samuel was so self-disciplined that he didn''t seem like a child of his age. When it was time, he would head to bed on his own without needing anyone to tell him to...

    As soon as the door was closed, there was the sound of another door opening. Victor raised his head and looked at the door. After several seconds of silence, Gloria asked, "Why are you here?"

    He came back to his senses. "Miss Rachel called me and said that there may be no one at home to take care of the two children these two days, so I came to help. Then, you''re..."

    "Same as you, but it was Justin who called me." After changing her shoes, she entered the house and went into the kitchen to pour herself a ss of water. "Where are Charlotte and Samuel?" "Already asleep."

    "So early?" Gloria nced at the time. "It''s not 9.00PM yet." "It was Sports'' Day at school today, so they yed for a long time and were probably tired." "If you''re taking care of them, who helped Charlotte to shower?" She stared at Victor.

    "You?" But Charlotte''s a girl. He immediately waved his hands. "Of course not. I asked the female teacher at the school to help her take a shower before I brought them back."

    "Female teacher? Which female teacher? Miss Lily?" Miss Lily was the home room teacher of the ss next to Victor and she was quite close with him. Every now and then, she would even give him desserts she made. Gloria saw it a few times and had been angry with Victor about it.

    Victor nodded truthfully. Gloria was so furious that her face was flushed before she heavily set down the cup before saying enigmatically, "How amazing. It''s only been a while since you broke up with your girlfriend, yet you''ve already found someone new." "No! You''ve misunderstood."

    "What did I misunderstand? I don''t think there''s any misunderstanding. All right. I don''t want to talk about this anymore!" Seeing as Gloria was sullen and enraged, Victor stopped exining. Amidst the silence, she red at him. "Do you know how many bacteria are collected on the way back? What''s the use of taking a shower at school? Won''t she be dirty when shees back?"

    He looked confused. "I can''t help Charlotte take a shower." "I''ll do it. Justin handed the task of taking care of her to me anyway. Why did you snatch my job away?"

    "Haven''t you been busytely? You don''t live nearby either. Won''t it be troublesome to go back and forth?" Gloria said in a huff, "From today onward, until Miss Rachel and the otherse back, I''ll stay here too!"

    The fact that the word ''too'' was used was intriguing. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Victor''s luggage. Rachel had asked him to help take care of the children, so naturally, she asked him to just stay here. He was their teacher too, so it would be convenient for him tomute to and from work.

    Victor was stunned for a long while as he resembled a wooden figurine. Gloria shot him a re. "Do you have an opinion about that?" He recovered and repeatedly waved his hands.

    "No!" But... Did this count as cohabitation before marriage although it was only temporary? When he looked at the angry expression on her face, his face suddenly turned red.

    In the hospital ward, the sound of the game console continuedte into the night. Jessica yawned a few times, but saw that Justin was still expressionless, as if he didn''t know what it meant to be tired.

    "Sleepy?" He didn''t even look at her as he moved the joystick on the game controller, causing the characters on the TV to immediately jump and rush forward with a flying kick. She forcibly denied, "No. I''m in good spirits. Let''s carry on!" "Okay. Carry on."

    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 424

    Rachel was away on business for several days. A nurse in the hospital sent a photo-Justin had brought her three meals a day to the hospital. He also yed games with Jessica, and even pushed her downstairs for a stroll. "They seem to be getting along pretty well, and they don''t seem to be in a feud as what the others said before." Jolly saw Rachel''s cell phone and came over toment, "She''s a little girl, anyway. How can she harbor so much hatred?"

    "I''m sure there was conflict between them. ording to the nurse, Jess picks on Justin every day, as if she''s trying to be intimidating. Yet, he doesn''t mind it at all." "Even if he couldn''t deal with it, he has to. Who told you to treat her like your own sister?" Rachel didn''t say anything. She thought that Justin couldn''t endure it for any longer, that the peace between the two was only superficial harmony. After all, the matter of human life was stuck between them, so how could it be possible for them to live in harmony? However, a weekter, she and Jolly came back from a business trip and they experienced it for real when they went to the hospital.

    "Left, left, left!"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    They were speechless. "Man, I already said that it''s on the left side. If you don''t defend well on the left, how can you defeat it?" "The left side is not the defense. It''s the main offense, and it''s you who should be defending."

    "Obviously it''s you, okay?" They were at a loss for words. "Forget it. Let''s go for another round." At the door of the ward, Rachel and Jolly looked at each other.

    Jolly shrugged. "What did I say? Don''t worry, Justin is an adult and he knows how to deal with it." In the ward, Justin raised his head when he heard the chatter at the door on the second floor.

    As soon as he saw Rachel, his eyes brightened and he immediately ced the remote control aside and stood up. "Rachel, when did youe back? Didn''t you say you''d only be back next week?"

    Rachel said, "I''m done with my work, so I came back earlier and gave the rest of the paperwork to the secretary. We both came directly from the airport." "Why didn''t you tell me earlier? I would have picked you up at the airport."

    "Hey, hey, hey," Jolly interjected between the two of them, folding her arms angrily. "Is she the only one here? Don''t you see a living person standing here who just came back from al business trip as well?"

    Justin smiled. "Yes, but judging from the fact that the great Miss Jolly was traveling, I don''t think it shouldn''t be my turn to be concerned, right?" "Although that''s true, you still have to take care of me."

    "Fine, I''ve been taught a lesson." It had be a habit for the two to meet and quarrel, but the atmosphere was obviously much better than before. After he rescued Leroy, Jolly''s attitude toward him took a 180-degree turn and they acted more familiar with each other. Rachel didn''t have time to listen to them. She went straight into the ward and asked, "Jess, how are you doing recently?" Jessica stretched and leaned against the head of the bed with her hands on the back of her head and nced at her stered leg. "The doctor initiall said that I would be discharged from the hospital this week, but Mr. Justin insisted on me staying until my ster cast has been removed."

    Mr. Justin? Rachel and Jolly nced at Justin at the same time. Jollyughed and unceremoniously asked, "When did you join the generation of uncles? That sounds like you''re a generation away from us."

    Justin didn''t think there was anything wrong at first, but Rachel replied casually, "Jess is only seventeen years old, and the two are indeed quite different in age. It''s not an exaggeration to refer to him as an uncle." For a moment, his expression became stiff and he coughed, but he didn''t know what to say. Was he very old? "Since you can leave the hospital, let''s go out to eat at noon," Jolly suggested. "Just tell the doctor first." Rachel said, "Sure we can! Jess, do you want to go out to eat?" Jessica held the gamepad and looked like an esports girl who was addicted to the game. She responded absently, ''No, I''ll just stay here and not go anywhere." Who was Jolly, though?

    When her decision was made, there was no one that could possibly reject her, so she immediately said, "There''s a newly opened Korean restaurant nearby. The barbecue is fragrant, and if you get take-out instead, the taste of it will change. It must be grilled and eaten with peri leaves, and Korean hot sauce..."

    Jessica immediately put down the remotel control handle. "Let''s go."

    Jolly gave Rachel a smug look. Rachel was helpless. Then, I''ll call Victor and Gloria too to bring the two children over. Recently, Victor has been helping me take care of the children at home."

    Jessica was busy getting out of bed and her leg was in a ster cast, which was inconvenient. Justin seemed to be used to this, and he consciously stepped forward to help her to the wheelchair.

    "Let''s go!" Rachel looked around the ward and saw the snacks and drinks scattered all over the room, as well as the game controller on the table. At that time, she was truly relieved. Maybe as Jolly said, Jessica was a child after all and wouldn''t hold grudges.

    In the barbecue restaurant, Jolly had already reserved arge room. "Why do you want a private room?" Jessica leaned against her wheelchair. ''Aren''t the big booths outside enough for the few of us? Korean barbecue is authentic only if we eat outside." Jolly retorted, "How are you stillining even when I''ve invited you to dinner? Don''t mind me, I just like the box because it''s quiet."

    Jessica rolled her eyes. A helpless Rachel on the side exined, "Her boyfriend is a celebrity. It''s inconvenient to eat out. He''ll be hereter, and you might know him." "I know him. Isn''t he Leroy Bet?''

    "You know him?" Jessica looked as if this was to be expected as a matter of course. "There was huge news about him, wasn''t there? He even revealed his girlfriend, held a press conference, etc., and lost hundreds of thousands of fans, so he''s quite a man." "That''s right. Otherwise, could he still be my boyfriend? When Jolly mentioned Leroy, she was full of praise. She never chased after stars before, but now, she had be a die-hard fan of Leroy.

    Rachel couldn''t listen to any of Leroy''s songs, and she didn''t know how Jolly could be so dedicated that she could sing every song of his. "Would you like me to take a photo and have it autographed by my boyfriend?"

    "This is the first time I''ve heard someone make such a cheeky request." Jessica gave Jolly a disgusted look. "I finally know why Leroy''s fans hate you so much."

    Rachel asked, ''Aren''t you a fan of Leroy?"

    "How could I?" Jessica stared at her. "How could I betray my idol and be his fan?"

    "Your idol?" Jolly suddenly became alert. Her eyes narrowed into two slits as she stared at Jessica vigntly and looked at her for a long time. "Don''t tell me that you''re a fan of Christian Ziegler?"

    Jessica was triumphant. "Christian is much. more handsome than Leroy." "What? Someone like Christian can be considered handsome? I''m afraid you haven''t seen a handsome person before, have you?" "Hey, don''t be so mean. Leroy is your boyfriend and you think he is handsome, but he''s nothing without a pretty face." "What did you say?"

    When she saw that the two were going to fight over idols, Rachel quickly held Jolly down. Gloria and Victor arrived just in time and the door opened from the outside. Unexpectedly, they arrived along with Leroy.

 Chapter 425

    As soon as the door to the room opened, two little kids pounced into Rachel''s arms.

    "Mommy!" Samuel and Charlotte had not seen Rachel for a week, so they both rushed up to her. "Mommy, I miss you!" Charlotte was the most clingy, grabbing Rachel''s arm and asking to hug. her.

    Rachel kissed each of them on the face and winked at the side. "Did you two forget something? Someone is going to be jealous." Samuel pretended not to understand while Charlotte hugged Jolly next to her with a smile. "Godmother, we miss you too."

    Jolly folded her arms and looked incredulous. "What are you missing me for? It''s enough for you to miss your mommy." Charlotte immediately turned and pulled Samuel over. "Samuel said he missed you yesterday, right?"

    Samuel was more like an adult in front of Jolly and had always been very cold to her. "I didn''t say that." "You little ingrate." At this time, Leroy came over and took Jolly''s hand. "It''s okay, I miss you."

    Everyone grimaced. Gloria covered her mouth with an exaggerated look. "I think we should leave the room to the two of you, and we''ll all go out."

    "Screw you!" Jolly red at Gloria. "No good words are expected from a scoundrel. Why are you two reconciled again?" Gloria immediately retorted, "What? Reconcile? When were we on bad terms? We''ve always been fine."

    "Come on. Don''t you get angry frequently? Weren''t you the one who came back from Triburg Valley and said unequivocally that you would part ways this time?"

    "No!" "You just don''t want to admit it!" Rachel was speechless as Jolly could really quarrel with anyone. She stopped quarreling with Jessica with great difficulty, but she had to start quarreling with Gloria again. Still, Leroy became a peacemaker and pulled. Jolly away. "I thought you wouldn''t be able to make it since you have work to do."

    "I just finished filming themercial, and it''s not far from here. So, Victor and the others picked me up." "Let me introduce you, this is Jessica Egerton." Rachel took the initiative to introduce Jessica. Jessica rarely cooperated and politely greeted everyone, "Hello everyone."

    Gloria answered, ''I''m Gloria, this is my boyfriend Victor. By the way, Victor is a teacher at Samuel and Charlotte''s school." Jessica also greeted them one by one. "This one needs no introduction. This is our big star, Leroy."

    Leroy smiled at her. "Hello, little beauty." Then, Jessica blushed suddenly before she lowered her head to drink some water and didn''t say a word. Jolly didn''t see this at first and asked, "What are you doing when someone has just greeted you?"

    Jessica still didn''t look up, and she drank her water even more fiercely. "Hey!" Jolly suddenly saw something and teased, "Why do I suddenly see someone blushing?"

    "Who''s blushing?!" Jessica immediately covered her face and raised her head with an angry look An excited Jolly imed, "Aw, your face and even your neck are red and you''re still holding on. Didn''t you say that you''re not a fan of Leroy?Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    And that you''re a fan of Christian? What? Got caught in his handsomeness?" "You-"Jessica gritted her teeth and almost bit her lower lip to the point of bleeding, looking ashamed and angry at the same time. Rachel had never seen Jessica like this. This girl usually looked like a fearless tiger, so how could such a girl be so shy? It was unbelievable.

    "Okay, Jolly, don''t cause trouble," Leroy interrupted Jolly''s words gently. When he noticed that there was no water in Jessica''s cup, he took the initiative to take a kettle to pour water for her.

    "Thanks." It took Jessica a long time to say this sentence. Her voice was small and the way she lowered her head to avoid his gaze showed that she was obviously embarrassed. "You''re wee. Jolly is only ying with you. She is a child, so don''t mind her."

    "Okay." This obedient and well-behaved appearance really surprised both Rachel and Jolly. Sure enough, being attractive was a source of justice these days.

    If Rachel had known that Jessica could be handled by Leroy, then she would have entrusted Jessica with him. Seeing how Jessica had been this obedient to him, she might have returned to her country long ago, then what happened before wouldn''t have happened anymore.

    Jolly poured some beer and said, ''Julian hasn''te back yet; otherwise, it will be even more lively if we called him over." Gloria asked, "Hasn''t he been on a business trip for a while now?"

    "Maybe things are moreplicated than expected. I called him this morning, and he said he''s noting back yet." "Yeah, we haven''t seen him in a long time."

    Rachel nced at Justin subconsciously and when she saw that his face had the usual expression, she felt relieved. Julian became the president of the Burton Group, which was somethingpletely unexpected, and no one would feel good about this huge sense of disparity.

    When she thought about how Justin''s life had been turned upside down during this period of time and how she had never seen Justin feeling sorry for himself, it showed that this man had a strong heart. In between the meal, Jessica nced at her phone and suddenly said, "I''m going to the bathroom."

    "I''ll apany you." Rachel immediately put down her utensil..

    "No, that''s fine. I can go by myself." "Can you? Your legs?" "I can do it." Jessica''s temper was a little weird, so Rachel didn''t say much about what she insisted on..

    When Jessica went out, Rachel also pulled over a waiter and informed the person, "The child''s legs are not in the best condition, so please help me to take care of her."

    "No problem. We have waiters outside our bathrooms." Jolly said, "Okay, now, can you eat your meat? She''s seventeen and not seven. You''ve never been so worried about Charlotte and Samuel going to the bathroom alone."

    Rachel also felt that she was taking things a bit too far and took a deep breath to adjust her mentality. Justin nced at the door thoughtfully. He didn''t know why, but the interactions over the past few days told him that Jessica wasn''t someone that was scheming, but she always seemed to have something on her mind..

    At this time, Jessica came out of the room, but did not go to the bathroom. Instead, she left the restaurant. Her wheelchair was a bit conspicuous and she pushed herself around the mall before turning. into the remote fire control corridor.

    "Hello? I''m out." A man''s voice came from the other end of the phone. "Is the barbecue delicious? To me, you seem like you get along very well with them."

    "Are you spying on me?" "I''m not, but I have a good rtionship with them, so there are videos in the group." "So what? Can''t Ie out for dinner? Among these people, only Justin is the murderer of my brother, and the others did nothing wrong."

    "Why are you exining this to me? Just remember it yourself."

    "Then, why did you call me out?" "Remember, Justin won''t stay in the country for too long. His fianc¨¦e is in Riverdale, and she will take him out of Riverdale after a while, and you will never find him again."

    "What? Is he leaving?" Jessica''s face changed. "Didn''t he like Rachel? Since when did he have this fianc¨¦e?" "You have to remember that for a man, the most important thing is always his career. He lost the Burton Group, and this is the only way for him to go forward now Have you gone soft?"

    "How could I? He killed my brother!" She clenched her fists, her expression twisted. "Then, you don''t have much time. If he leaves, you will never avenge your brother in this life."

 Chapter 426

    After Jessica came back from the bathroom, she began to look preupied the entire time. Rachel served her vegetables. "Jess, what''s the matter? Is the food not to your taste?" "Jess?" Jessica came back to her senses. "No, it''s delicious."

    "What''s wrong? Why the long face?"

    "I''m just a little homesick."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel was slightly startled. "Do you want to go home?" "Yeah, when my leg heals from the injury, I want to go back to Panzonia." This was the first time Jessica said she wanted to go back.

    It felt like a weight had fallen off Rachel''s heart, but she felt a little empty. "Don''t be so anxious. When your leg is healed, have fun in Riverdale for a while, and I will send you back."

    After she finished speaking, Rachel ced more food in Jessica''s bowl again. "No need; I''ll just go back by myself."

    Jessica and Rachel were not close, and she had always been impatient with Rachel to the point where she did not even eat the food that was given by Rachel.

    Justin, who was on the side, saw Jessica and ced a bowl of soup in front of her. She took it naturally and drank it in small sips. Rachel was secretly surprised.

    Habits were a terrible thing. Justin brought her meals these days and yed games with her, so Rachel was not entirely certain whether the conflict between them had been resolved, but they got along better than any one of them. It was true he was more familiar with this girl than the rest of them.

    After dinner, Jessica had to go back to the hospital and everyone else went back to their homes. "Jess, I''ll take you back in my car." "I don''t need you to send me back."

    Jessica still had an indifferent attitude toward Rachel. "Justin will send me off." Rachel wanted to say something, but was stopped by Justin. ''It''s okay, I''ll send her back. You can head home first."

    As he said that, he helped Jessica into the car and ced the wheelchair in the trunk. His actions were smooth and practiced, and Jolly couldn''t help but admire him. "If I didn''t know better, I would''ve thought he had been a careworker for half his life. He''s so skilled at this and he doesn''t even look like the Young Master of the Burton Family."

    Rachel heard these words and had mixed feelings. Then, she said, "He should have done. a lot of hard work for Jess to let go of her hatred so quickly."

    "I just can''t see it. I don''t know whether he worked hard or not, but with his face, he wins half the battle." Jolly raised her eyebrows. "This girl Jessica is a sucker for attractive faces, can''t you tell?"

    "What? No way, right?" "Look at how she said that my Leroy was not good looking before we started eating, but when she saw Leroy, she blushed." Jolly suddenly thought of something and said in a low voice, "Hey, you should probably prepare yourself mentally. A 16 or 17-year-old young girl like Jessica is most likely to like a handsome and rich older man."

    "What do you mean?" "Look, there was a misunderstanding between the two at first. The little girl wanted to take revenge, but sheter found out that the other party was actually a gentle and considerate handsome man. After spending so much time together, who knows- "Oh, shut up! Jess is only seventeen years old!" Rachel gave Jolly a nk look. "Can you be more serious?" "I''m being very serious.

    Rachel was toozy to lecture her. "Stop talking nonsense. Let''s go quickly since your Leroy is still waiting for you." "Fine, I''m done anyway. I''m leaving, then. You''re sleeping by yourself tonight, so don''t miss me too much."

    With these words, Jolly got into Leroy''s nanny car. After going back, Victor and Gloria had already packed their things and were going to live in their own home.

    "Just stay for a few more days. Why are you in such a hurry? It''s alreadyte." Gloria said, "I''m going to Panzonia tomorrow morning. The global concert tour is about to start, so I have to prepare ahead of time."

    Victor answered immediately, "And I''m going to see her off in the morning." If Gloria had not mentioned it, Rachel would have probably forgotten about it. "Oh yes, your tour is about to begin." She was a little disappointed. "Then, I probably won''t be able to see you for a while."

    Gloria hugged Rachel with a smile. "All you have to do is wait for me toe back. Thest stop of the tour will be in Riverdale." Charlotte and Samuel lined up next to Rachel and consciously stretched out their arms to hug Gloria.

    "Aunt Gloria, you''ll miss me, right?" Charlotte wrapped her arms around Gloria''s neck, and the smell of milk made Gloria want to kiss her several times. "You need to always listen to your mommy, okay?" "Okay, I know." "Okay, we''ll be going now. Rachel, don''t need to send us off." At night, both children were asleep. Rachel looked at the clock on the wall-it was almost midnight and Justin had note back.

    She didn''t know why, but after returning from her business trip, her eyelids kept twitching and she had a persistent feeling that something was going to happen.

    She took her coat and car keys and rushed to the hospital in unease. It was past midnight. In the ward, Jessica held the game controller and yawned.

    After a few yawns, she leaned on the pillow and fell asleep. She had fallen asleep while ying a game. Justin took the game controller from her hand, adjusted the slope of the hospital bed, and then covered her with the quilt. After doing all this, just as he was about to leave, his hand was suddenly pulled. Jessica grabbed Justin''s little finger and murmured, "Don''t go. Hans."

    When he heard those words, Justin froze for a moment. "Are you dreaming?" She also opened her eyes. Although she was still a little confused, she also seemed to see clearly that the man in front of her was not Hans, but Justin, who had been under hermand recently. Then, she nodded lightly.

    He didn''t ask any more questions, but he poured a cup of tea and ced it on the bedside table. "I''lle back tomorrow morning." When she saw that he was leaving, Jessica suddenly hugged the quilt and grabbed his sleeve.

    Justin retracted his hand subconsciously, but he didn''t expect that she was holding it so tightly. Her strength was mutually exclusive and she was a little persistent as she clung onto him. "Don''t go, okay? I can''t sleep alone."

    After taking care of her for so long, this was the first time he saw her showing any kind of weakness. She was usually like a thorny cactus, and never willing to concede to him. Justin nced at his watch; it was veryte. "Alright. Go to sleep, I''ll be by your side." As he said that, he nced at his sleeve and gestured to Jessica. "I''m not leaving." Jessica refused to release her grip and said sullenly, "I couldn''t sleep when I was a child, and it was my brother who apanied me. He would always tell me stories."

    He stood by the bed for a while, and finally said, "What do you want to hear?" Her eyes warmed. "What do you usually tell your daughter?" "All kinds of stories. She has a lot of storybooks."

    "Well, then I don''t want to listen to anything found in storybooks. I''m tired of listening to stories about princesses. I want to listen to something new. "Once upon a time, there was a big forest, and the little white rabbit family lived in it..."

    He went on and on. The lights in the ward were dim, and the voice of the storyteller was gentle, powerful and reassuring. No one noticed that there was a figure standing outside the door, which had been there for a while.

 Chapter 427

    As her hand was still on the doorknob, Rachel''s mind was buzzing. Her inner impulse made her want to push the door in to disrupt the pleasant harmony inside, but her rationality made her restrain herself from doing so

    If it wasn''t for Jolly''s reminder, I would never have imagined what happened between a minor and Justin. However, there''s clearly something wrong with what I had witnessed in front of me. Regardless of what Justin''s thoughts are, it''s obvious that there''s something wrong with Jessica. I have to end this abnormal rtionship.

    Justin prepared breakfast as usual early the next morning. "You can send Charlotte and Samuel to schoolter. You don''t have to go to the hospital," Rachel said while sitting at the dining table to peel eggs for the children.

    When he heard that, he frowned slightly. "Why?" "No reason. Jess has nothing to do with you in the first ce, so she shouldn''t be taken care of by you. There are differences between men and women. Jess is 17 years old. She doesn''t understand anything, but you, on the other hand, should watch yourself."

    As a matter of fact, the focus of Rachel''s words was on ''There are differences between men and women''.

    Suddenly, the air surrounding them froze. The two children who were still ying around with the eggs a second ago did not dare to make trouble and cautiously looked at each other.

    As the two made eye contact, Samuel made a silent gesture toward Charlotte. While blinking her eyes, Charlotte asked, "Why is Mommy angry again?"

    Samuel raised his eyebrow toward the side. "It''s obvious that your daddy did something wrong again." "But Daddy didn''t do anything." "It''s wrong for him to take care of other women."

    "You mean the big sister who enjoyed a meal with us yesterday?"

    "Yes." There was silence from Charlotte. Justin was also quiet for a moment. "Okay, I won''t go, but there''s one more thing I want to tell you." "What is it?" Rachel was still feeling angry. She felt an inexplicable rush of anger, so her demeanor was cold.

    He added, "I wanted to talk about it yesterday, but I didn''t have a chance to. Then, I came backte and you were already asleep. So, I''m just going to say it today. I''m moving out."

    Rachel was startled. At the same time, Charlotte was also stunned. "Daddy, are you going to move out?" Gently pinching the flesh on Charlotte''s cheek, he pretended to be rxed. "Yeah, I have my own ce to live. I can''t always bother Mommy here all the time, right?" She wanted to say something, but Samuel pulled her clothes to stop her. All of a sudden, Rachel felt empty in her heart. The emptiness she currently felt was far greater than when Gloria and Victor leftst night..

    Rachel knew that this was just going to be a temporary stay from the first day Justin moved here. However, she was actually used to having him at home after so long. Although she was reluctant to and could not admit it, she had developed such a habit pretty quickly. "Has Ginny left?"

    "No." "She hasn''t left yet, so where do you live?" "My documents have already been reissued, so I''ll be staying at the hotel soon. Plus, the hotel has already contacted me." "Hotel? It''s quite convenient to stay in a hotel too. Rachel nodded slightly, yet she had no idea what else to say.

    On the other hand, Justin was extremely calm. "Don''t worry. Although I''m staying in a hotel, I''m usually very free. Every morning, I''lle and pick Charlotte and Samuel up for school, and I''ll. bring them back at night. You can just be busy with your business."

    "There''s no need for that." Rachel lowered her head. Moving her fork around the te, she added, "Their school isn''t far from home, and the school originally has a school bus to pick them up and drop them off."

    "Well then, you can find me at any time if anything happens." Touching Samuel''s head, Justin said, "You have my phone number. Call me anytime."

    Samuel shrugged his shoulders in agreement after hearing those words. Justinter moved out in the afternoon. Before Rachel could even head home, she received a call from the hospital caretaker in her office.

    "Miss Hudson, Jessica refused to eat. She kept asking me why Mr. Burton did note." "I got it. I''lle to the hospitalter."

    Hanging up the phone, she nced at the time. It was already past six o''clock in the evening, so Rachel turned back to the conference room and tapped on the table. "Today''s meeting shall end here, dismiss! Everyone, go back and rest." Then, the crowd scattered. Only Jolly came over with the documents. "Why" are you not looking well?" "Nothing; I''m just tired." "Let''s have dinner together this evening. A treat from the staff members of Leroy''s studio."

    "I''m not joining. I have to go to the hospital." "Very well then. I don''t think even her parents care for her as much as you do. Are you raising another daughter? If so, I wish you good luck. Let''s just hope she''s not an ingrate." Jolly patted Rachel on the shoulder and left. Later, Rachel drove to the hospital by herself. As soon as she arrived at the door of the ward, she heard Jessica''s voiceing from inside. "I said I don''t want to eat! Don''t you understand English? What are these foods? I''m not eating!!!"

    The lunch box was thrown out with a crash, and the food inside sttered on the floor. After that, the caretaker came out in dismay and ranted upon seeing Rachel, ''Miss Hudson, you''re here! Look at this. I''m really out of ideas." While having a mild expression, Rachel said, "Clean up first."

    "Yes, Miss Hudson." Next, she went directly into the ward and put the things in her hand down. "Apricot Danish pastry from Sweet Cheeks. You like them, don''t you? So, I bought more."

    "I''m not eating!" Jessica sat on the bed. The cast had been removed, but her legs still could not move. freely. "Why isn''t Justin answering my call? Didn''t I ask him to make me fish and chips? It was you who prohibited him froming here, wasn''t it?" Rachel''s facial expression remained unchanged as she said, "He has his own business to attend to. He''s not your servant. If you want to order someone around, order me."

    "You?" Jessica nced at Rachel upon hearing that. "I won''t even dare to. If I order you around, Hans will rise back from the dead to get even with me."

    "Jessica! I dislike you making such a joke on Hans!" Taking a deep breath, Jessica rified, "That''s my brother! I can say whatever I want. What rights do you have to control me? Who do you think you are by having such a holier-than-thou manner?"

    As she was not willing to argue further with Jessica, Rachel changed the topic. "I have already booked you a flight ticket. I''ll send you back to the country after tomorrow."

    "What did you say?" As if Jessica was in disbelief with what she had heard, she continued by saying, "Who are you to make decisions for me? It''s none of your business to decide when I will go back."

    "Didn''t you say it yourself yesterday? You said that you''re homesick." "That''s none of your business!" An enraged Jessica bounced off the bed. Yet, she quickly fell down because one of her legs had not fully recovered.

    Rachel acted swiftly, but she was pushed away by a backhand. She stumbled to the side of the bed from that push and gasped for air. Even so, Jessica did not care about Rachel at all. She went straight around her and picked up the phone behind her. Then, she dialed a set of numbers and made a call.

    "What are you doing? Give me the phone!" "Didn''t you say he was busy? He''s not answering my phone, is he? I want to see what he is busy with." The moment the voice fell, the phone was already connected.

    A momentter, a strong and deep male voice came from the other end of the phone. "Hello? Rae?" At once, Rachel''s facial expression stiffened. It was toote for her to grab the phone back.

    Gritting her teeth, Jessica answered, "It''s me! You said you wanted to deliver me some fish and chips! Where are you? Why didn''t you answer my call?!"

    N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 428

    There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Just when Jessica thought Justin had hung up, he said, I''ve been busy recently."

    "How busy can you get? I know you''re no longer the president of Burton Group. Was it Rachel who forbade you froming?"

    "No, it wasn''t."

    "If you don''te, I won''t eat anything. See for yourself." After saying this, she hung up the phone directly. In the meantime, Rachel had also gotten up from the ground and the spot where her back hit the chair was aching.

    "Give me the phone." Jessica was determined to ask Justin toe and apany her. Without even looking at Rachel, she demanded, "Go out! I''m going to rest!"

    Then, she immediately pulled the nket up andy down. Rachel did not manage to retrieve the phone. Looking at the lump on the bed, she eventually said nothing and went out. I had told Justin before that he should stop meddling with Jessica''s affairs.

    Even if Jessica confiscated Rachel''s phone and intended to force Justin toply through a hunger strike, he would not pay attention to her. I have to give her a hard knock. The caretaker was done cleaning up outside the ward. "Miss Hudson, thedy inside..." "It''s fine. Go and prepare some supper."

    "Will she eat, though?"

    "If she''s hungry, she''ll eat."

    "Okay. Then, I shall go and prepare." After the caretaker left, Rachel sat alone on the couch in the living room and flipped open a magazine.

    Half an hourter, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Rachel answered. She thought it was the caretaker who brought the food over, but she saw Justin when she looked up.

    "Why are you here?" Just as she finished asking, she saw the paper bag in Justin''s hand before he was done speaking. She immediately stood up and her facial expression took a turn.

    At this moment, Jessica''s shout came from inside the ward. "Justin! You''re here, aren''t you? Where''s my fish and chips? I can already smell it!"

    "Follow me outside. Rachel walked straight past Justin''s side. He followed her until they were outside the ward. Looking extremely awful, she questioned, "Why did youe here?"

    Then, he answered, "Let her finish her meal early, and you can go back early too." "Does it never cross your mind the reason she insisted youe over?" Upon hearing that, Justin frowned as he was looking puzzled.

    "Forget it. I don''t want to tell you these. You can go now. No matter how she finds you or what she wants you to do in the future, pay no attention to it. As for her meal, you certainly don''t have to send it."

    Still, he wanted to say something. Yet, he bit back the words that came up to his lips. From childhood to adulthood, he was not used to exining himself too much to others. Rachel was already the exception among the exceptions. "Since I''ve bought it, you might as well bring it inside." Before leaving, Justin handed Rachel the paper bag. However, Rachel did not take it. "Take it away.

    Don''t send anything over in the future." After saying this, she turned around and entered the ward. The door closed with a sound of ''bang''. The sound was neither light nor heavy, but it happened to m on Justin''s heart.

    As soon as Rachel returned to the ward, she saw Jessica walking out of the bedroom on crutches. "Jess, what are you doing? The doctor said you can''t move."

    "Where''s Justin?" Jessica looked out impatiently. A frowning Rachel lowered her hand and was about to hold Jessica''s hand. She said lightly, "Left." "Left? Why did he leave? Wasn''t he here to bring me my meal?" "He had something that he needed to attend to suddenly, so he left."

    "How about my meal?"

    Rachel maintained her expression as she replied, "I have asked the caretaker to prepare it for you. The caretaker will send it overter."

    "You know that''s not what I''m talking about! Where''s the meal he brought me?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    At that moment, Jessica''s face was sullen. As if she already understood what was going on, she demanded, "Rachel, who do you think you are to me? It was I who asked him toe, so why did you get to decide for me?" "Because I''m Hans'' friend, and I have the obligation to take care of you!" "This isn''t taking care of me. You''re restricting my freedom in making friends."

    "Make friends? What''s your rtionship with him? You''re making friends with him? Don''t you ever forget that he was the one who indirectly killed Hans!" The moment these words escaped from Rachel''s lips, she was shocked. What am I talking about?

    Jessica suddenly sneered in the brief stagnation of air. "I remember when you first found me, you kept exining to me that Hans'' death had nothing to do with Justin. You even tried your best to testify for him at that time, letting me not be in animosity with him, but now?"

    I''m not saying he killed Hans. I''m just implying Before Rachel could finish, Jessica interrupted. her. "Of course I know that''s not what you meant. I also know why you don''t want Justin to meet me again."

    "Why?"

    "Jealousy." As soon as she spat out the word, Jessica''s eyes were full of contempt. Then, she emphasized her statement by saying, "You''re jealous. That''s why you won''t let him meet me again." "What nonsense are you spewing about?"

    "Am I talking nonsense? Or are you diffident?"Jessica''s attitude was oppressing. "In order not to let me see Justin, you even used Hans'' story to remind me that I have a grudge against him. I truly felt bad for Hans for having a two-faced woman such as you as a friend!" Gritting her teeth, Rachel forced herself to remain calm. "Jessica, if you really think you can ignore the past and forget about Hans'' leg that Justin broke, then I won''t stop you."

    "I won''t forget!"

    Before she could react, Rachel heard Jessica say something again. ''T''ll always remember Hans'' kindness toward me. Since Justin deprived me of such kindness, he should make up for it too. You have no right to interfere with my freedom of meeting him!" "Think carefully!" "I have thought about it carefully!" Suddenly, Rachel felt suffocated. Staring at Jessica for a long time, she could not ept that the girl in front of her would depend on Justin.

    After a long while, Rachel clenched her fists and finally said, "I think you need to see a psychiatrist." There must be something wrong with Jessica''s mind.

    Meanwhile, at the hospital parking lot on the other side, Justin was seated in his car. On the passenger seat was the bag of food that he just brought back. Besides fish and chips, there were also some pastries and snacks, all of which were Rachel''s usual favorites. After staring for a while, he picked up an apricot Danish pastry and ced it in his mouth. The taste of the pastry was a bit sweet yet greasy. It''s not something I like, but Rachel likes it.

    Justin still remembered what Gloria had told him. There are very fewdies who dislike sweets. If thedy is unhappy, one can buy her desserts, and she''ll definitely feel better. Rachel doesn''t seem to be feeling any better, though.

    That night, Rachel came homete. When she came out of the shower, she saw Julian''s missed call. Hence, she immediately called back.. "Hello? I was in the shower a while ago and didn''t pick up the call."

    "It''s okay. I just finished my work too. How''s today?" "Not that good." Rachel leaned against the head of the bed. Then, she freed one hand to pinch between her eyebrows. She was exhausted both physically and mentally. "What''s the matter? Is Jessica''s condition not looking good? Do you want me to change doctors for her?"

 Chapter 429

    "It''s unnecessary. The doctors and caretakers who took care of her are all excellent and she''s recovering well too. She just had her cast removed." "That''s good. Let me know at any time if you need anything. I''ll be able to return home after I''m done with my work within these two days. By then, I''ll apany you to the hospital."

    "Wonderful." Rachel suddenly thought of something. Julian, I remember you once told me that there''s a kind of psychological disease that says it''s a sickness if someone loves and relies on the person whom they originally resented."

    "Stockholm Syndrome. It is generally a mental illness in which victims undergo psychological reversal under enormous emotional stress in order to adapt to the environment. Patients diagnosed with this illness will be dependent on the perpetrator. It is an illness that allows the victim to rationalize the facts of the perpetrator to achieve psychological bnce."

    "Yes, that''s it!" Rachel straightened her body. ''Do you know any psychiatrists?" I think Jessica has this problem now. For several days in a row, she was in a lifeless state.

    cing the cup of coffee on the desk, Jolly exined, "I just bought it. For your refreshments." "Thanks. Rachel yawned and the dark circle under her eyes was prominent. "Stayed upte again?"

    "No." "Then, it means you''re not sleeping well. Were you perhaps sleeping in the hospital again?" Jolly pulled out the chair and sat down. "You can''t go on like this. When Jessica has recovered and returned to her country, your body will be exhausted again. It''s not worth it!"

    "I wasn''t sleeping in the hospital. Jess doesn''t really want to see me, so I''m a little worried." "What''s there for you to be worried about? She''s 17 years old! Not 7, but 17. You had arranged 3 caretakers to take care of her 24 hours a day. Only a royal princess would be treated to this extent. What else does she want?"

    "She''s ming me." Suddenly, Rachel med herself. Tell me: am I being too selfish? She does have her own freedom to befriend whoever she wants. Was I wrong for stopping. her from meeting Justin?"

    "I think you''ve been brainwashed by her. Sher doesn''t need to go back to study. She can just be a direct sales promoter. Try asking yourself. Are you not letting her meet Justin for your own sake? No! It''s for her sake!"

    The more Jolly talked about it, the angrier she became. ''17 years old. It''s not adulthood, but it''s certainly not childhood. She''s at that age where it''s the easiest for her to judge her feelings wrongly. She''s also at that age where she can easily be dependent on a person and think that it is love. Didn''t I have experienced it before? Will I turn out that way if someone stopped me at that time?"

    At that time, Jolly also plunged into Ryan''s embrace with enthusiasm and disregarded everything. If she had not woken up in timeter, she would not have stumbled upon the happiness she felt now. Rachel was a little more awake. "Jolly, Jess thinks I stopped her from meeting Justin because I''m jealous of her."

    "This ingrate. How can a good person like Hans have such a sister? Did you find her at psychiatrist and look at her problem?" Upon hearing that, Rachel shook her head.

    It took them a lot of effort and time to finally find a psychiatrist. However, the psychiatrist was chased out by Jessica with her crutches before even stepping into the ward. And because of this, Jessica ignored Rachel for a few days. Furthermore, she did not even let Rache go to the hospital.

    "I admit that I ain''t no saint. Supporting her forehead, Rachel felt a little ufortable. "Although Justin and I are divorced and not together, it''s still difficult for me to bless him with other women even if we''re unlikely to get back together in the future. Especially when that woman is Jess. I can''t ept it!"

    "Stop with the trouble. Whether it''s eptable to you or not, you may need to check whether it''s merely Jessica''s wishful thinking. If there''s nothing wrong with Justin''s mind, do you think he''ll be with a minor? Furthermore, that minor is Hans'' sister. I bet there''s no way these two will end up together."

    "It''s hard to predict the events happening in the world." "Are you serious? You don''t even believe this. now? Jessica is a minor! Is Justin still hum if he gets together with her?"

    Shaking her head repeatedly, Jollymented, "I think one of you is crazier than the other. This. can''t be done. I have to call Justin and tell him not to meet Jessica!"

    Jolly''s words suddenly reminded Rachel of something. In the afternoon, Rachel had been sitting by the window in the cafe for a while when Justin arrived in a hurry. This is the first time Rachel contacted me after thest time we had reached a deadlock in the hospital. "Rae, have you waited for a long time?"N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Nah, I have just arrived too." Then, she asked, "What would you like to drink?"

    "I''m fine with anything."

    "Well, Americano it is. You used to drink this before." After that, Rachel handed over the menu to the server. The tension on Justin''s brows subconsciously softened. "You still remember?"

    She smiled. "My memory isn''t that bad. I can still remember the little things. By the way, have you eaten? Since I have called you out so suddenly, we can order something to eat if you haven''t eaten."

    "It''s okay. I''ve eaten." "I heard from Frankie that Ginny often goes to look for you at the hotel." Justin was slightly startled. "Don''t misunderstand me. She doese often, but I only meet her in the cafe downstairs. It''s not, just her because ourwyers are also present.. She also promised me that if I can help her win thewsuit, she will return to the country by herself and stop thinking about my engagement with her."

    As if he was afraid that Rachel would misunderstand his rtionship with Ginny, he exined hastily. However, Rachel did not care. "It''s alright. You don''t have to exin this to me."

    At this moment, the server came over with their coffee. She added a lot of sugar to the coffee. Then, she absent-mindedly continued to stir the coffee with the spoon.

    Seeing through Rachel''s restlessness, Justin asked, "What''s the matter? Did something happen?" With that, Rachel stopped stirring the coffee. "Actually, the Burton Group should have been yours. You''re very talented and have your own ambitions. You shouldn''t give up your career so early!"

    "You don''t have to worry about this. Even without Burton Group, I believe I can do other things. I won''t let you and Charlotte down." "No, that''s not what I mean. I just think that having a foundation gives you more room to disy."

    Justin did not understand the hidden message behind Rachel''s words. Likewise, Rachel also hated to describe her words in such a way. Despite speaking in a roundabout way, she still could not make her realize her request. After a moment of silence, she ced her spoon down.

    A brisk sound was heard when the stainless steel spoon touched the coffee cup, but it wasn''t loud. Raising her head, she looked into his eyes. "Have you ever considered epting the engagement with Ginny and returning to the country with her?"

    "What did you say?" "By relying on the Tuscan Family''s family business, you can make aeback exceptionally fast. I even believe that you will make a bigger enterprise and aplish better achievements than the current Burton Group." Justin''s eyes contracted slightly as the joy in his eyes had long since disappeared. "Rae, what are you trying to say?" "I wish for you to leave Riverdale."

    The moment he heard this sentence, he only felt a tingling in his eardrums and a buzzing sound. "Why?" "Because Jess is still young, I don''t want you to continue to meet her. I also don''t want you to give her any more thoughts."

    "You would rather have me marry Ginny and leave Riverdale just because of her?" A frowning Justin felt his temple throbbed. A huge suffocation stirred in his chest as he could not believe Rachel''s words."

 Chapter 430

    Rachel was sping her hands together under the table. "I understand that I''m asking too much, but it will eventually be proven as a good decision for us. Besides, you don''t have to worry about Charlotte. I''ll be taking care of her. You cane back anytime to visit her, o I can bring her to you."

    "You thought I didn''t leave with Ginny because of Charlotte?" Justin''s scorching eyes burned into Rachel''s gaze. "I''m sorry. I can''t make a promise on that. Ginny and I canceled the engagement a long time ago."

    Justin was aware that he had failed Rachel, and nothing could everpensate for her loss. He understood that she might not forgive him or could even seek revenge, and he would willingly ept it. But now, she was using something that never happened as an excuse to push him away. For that, he would not ept her decision. He continued, "However if my presence disturbs you, I can leave Riverdale for now."

    Rachel lifted her head and stared at Justin in shock. She was surprised to see him taking the initiative to leave Riverdale, so she could only try to make up to him. "No worries, Jess won''t stay long in Riverdale. You cane back anytime after she leaves. I-" "You''ll never see me again if that''s what you''re asking for." He spoke in an overly calm tone while his eyes betrayed no signs of emotion. "I''ve got work to do. Goodbye."

    At that, he left immediately without waiting for her reply. Sitting in the chair alone, Rachel could feel her heart sinking and her fists tightening at the feeling.

    Jessica''s arrival in Riverdale was a mistake that both Rachel and Justin allowed to ur. Both of them were responsible for Hans'' death, so they needed to do everything topensate for Jessica''s loss.

    In Rachel''s opinion,pensation wasn''t necessary to meticulously look after Jessica with care because sometimes, providing her with some space would be more suitable.

    "He is leaving for real?" Jolly asked in shock when Rachel told her the story in the office. "You only used a few words and managed to persuade him to leave Riverdale?"

    Rachel corrected her, stating, "He''s only leaving. for a while." "It''s still considered leaving. Now, I feel sorry for Justin. Look, he''ll do anything you ask, and now he is really leaving. What a pitiful man he is.

    Rachel''s mind was a mess, and Jolly''s words didn''t help her to feel better. Her irritation could be heard in the noises she made from flipping. through the contracts with force. Perceiving that Rachel was in a bad mood, Jolly cleared her throat. "Don''t mind my words. I''m jus saying that you don''t need to do everything for Jessica. I kind of have an odd feeling about her."

    "What do you mean?" "I don''t know. It''s just my gut feeling." "So, there''s nothing wrong about her after all. You''re only being judgemental."

    "Sure thing." Jolly didn''t try to contradict Rachel''s words at all. "I don''t like the way she uses Hans'' death to take advantage of you. You! know what? I don''t even think you are the one to be med for Hans'' death. Even if you really need to take responsibility for Hans, you''re not obliged to look after her."

    In fact, Rachel had the freedom to look after Jessica for Hans'' sake, but she wasn''t obliged to take care of every aspect of Jessica''s well-being. Jolly could see that Jessica was being unreasonable. "Speaking of which, what time is Justin leaving? Where''s he going?" "He''s leaving tomorrow, but he didn''t tell me his destination." "All right. I''ll send him off tomorrow." Bringing at pile of signed contracts with her, Jolly intentionally asked, "Are youing with me?" Rachel scowled at her suggestion. "Count me out. Julian''sing back tomorrow. I''ll pick him up at the airport." Julian''s finallying back?" Hearing the news, Jolly felt her eyes shine with excitement. "Let''s have a meal together."

    "Sure, I''ll ask him about his free time." Their conversation ended as Jolly had nothing. to say to that. The next morning, Rachel woke up early to pick Julian up from the airport.

    "You are heading out so early." Coming out of the bathroom, Jolly was rubbing her eyes with a hint of drowsiness while looking at Rachel heading out after fully preparing for the trip.

    "He should bending at about 8.00AM. I''m almostte. You can have breakfast by yourself. I''m leaving." "Don''t worry about it. I''m seeing Justinter. He probably won''t starve me, right?"N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Are you being serious?" Changing her shoes at the entrance, Rachel stopped at the mention of Justin''s name with surprise. She thought it was only a joke all the time.

    Jolly feigned seriousness. I''m doing this for you since things are awkward between the two of you. So, I''ll do it. Besides, Leroy''s staying in the same hotel for his ad shoot."

    Grabbing the car keys, Rachel teased, "I can see who your main focus is." Jolly wasn''t spared the time to respond as Rachel left promptly. Not wanting to cause any dy, she headed straight to the airport. While waiting for Julian''s arrival at the arrivals hall, Rachel passed her time as she exchanged messages with Jolly..

    "Rae." When she heard the familiar voice, she turned behind to greet the person. "You''re here, Julian." Julian smiled at her gently. The cream-colored trench coat he was wearing reflected a soft aura from him. "Sorry to make you wait. I saw you standing here from a distance. Are you busy?"

    "It''s not about work. I''m just chatting with Jolly." Rachel returned the cell phone to her pocket. "Let''s go. My car''s outside."

    When Rachel was driving on the highway from the airport, the phone in her pocket vibrated continuously with multiple iing messages, and it wasn''t giving her a break. Thinking that she had been chatting with Jolly not long ago, she didn''t bother to check them. Jolly was making a big deal out of seeing Justin alone. It was too much for Rachel to handle. To distract herself, she asked, "Everything went well?"

    "It went smoothly. However, it seems like you have lost weight since Ist saw you. You''re probably worried about Jessica." "I''m fine. Jess is going to be discharged soon, and I will send her home after that."

    The sound of the ringtone interrupted their conversation as the in-car disy showed Jolly''s caller-ID. Rachel hesitated for a second before she received the call. "Hello?"

    As soon as she was on the call, she heard Jolly''s hasty voice. ''Chris! Where are you? Something bad happened!"

    "What happened?" "Come to the hotel now. The police are already here." "Police?" Rachel hit the brake hard and fast. The wheels screeched as the car skidded across the road and almost mmed into the highway guardrail. When they managed to stop the car in the emergencyne, Julian turned on the hazard lights instantly to warn other drivers.

    He suggested, "I''ll drive."

    Fear lingered within Rachel as she exchanged seats with Julian in silence. When they were back on the road, she disabled the speaker mode and ced the phone next to her as she rejoined the call. "Tell me what happened." On the other hand, Jolly incoherently exined, "J-Jessica went to the hotel, and then something happened. The police are now involved and have taken Justin with them. What am I supposed to do now?"

    "What happened exactly? Why was Jess at the hotel?" "I just got here, so I don''t know much about it either. You have to be here as soon as possible. The police arrested Justin formitting sexual assault against a minor." "W-What?" The blood drained from Rachel''s face as she listened to Jolly.

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    "Drive faster!" When Rachel was talking to Julian, she had a pale look, and her voice was shaking. He was already driving at the maximum speed limit as he consoled, "Rae, don''t worry yourself too much. Things might not be as bad as you think."

    "I don''t know what I''m supposed to think." Clenching her cell phone tightly, she had her gaze fixed on the screen as she read Jolly''s message over and over again. She couldn''t imagine what the worst thing could be.

    Half an hourter, they stopped outside the hotel. The police had handled the scene and set a perimeter around it. The crowd forming outside the hotel room was talking about the incident. "The police arrested a man this morning."

    "Why?" "I heard that he was trying to get his hands on a minor. I saw that girl this morning. She looks like she is around sixteen or seventeen. What a rotten guy." "The pervert has no shame."

    The crowd fell into silence as they learned the truth. The room had limited ess as outsiders were not allowed, and no police were guarding the scene while they left with the evidence. Rachel was desperate as she grabbed the first person she saw on his arm in a strong grip, and she asked, "Where''s the girl you''re talking about?"

    The person was surprised by her sudden outburst. "Who are you?" "I''m her older sister! Where is she now?" "Rae." Julian caught up with her and made an apology to the person. "We''re truly sorry about that."

    Shooting Rachel onest nce, the person walked away from the scene hastily. Seeing her eyes turn red and puffy, Julian held her hands tofort her. "Don''t worry. Let me ask around first."

    "Chris!" Jolly''s voice echoed across the hallway. while they were talking. "Chris." "You''re finally here!" She made a beeline to Rachel. "The police have left."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Where''s Jess?" "I don''t know. She wasn''t here ever since I arrived. I asked the police officer, but they didn''t tell me anything due to the policy of privacy." Rachel struggled free from Julian''s grip and turned on her heels toward the exit.

    "Rae! Where are you going?" "The police station." The police were already half done with recording the statements for the investigation when Rachel made it to the police station. "You''re Jessica Egerton''s older sister?"

    "I know her older brother. I''ve been looking after her since she came to Riverdale." "I see. The police officer flipped through his notes. "I''m sorry. We can''t disclose her condition to you. The record here shows that the suspect and you were husband and wife." "We had a divorce! Besides, he''s not the kind of person who will do this!" Rachel wouldn''t believe that Justin would really harm Jessica.

    Thinking that she was defending the suspect, at pleat formed between the officer''s brows. "We will rely on evidence. A few words aren''t helping us to solve the case. You can leave now until we summon you for further investigation." She clenched her fists on her sides. "I want to see Officer Hawkins."

    The police officer was taken aback. "You know her?

    "Where is she now?" "Officer Hawkins left Riverdale to attend a meeting due to the order. She isn''t avable for the time being." "Impossible! We were talking to each other a few days ago. "At that, she took her phone out and made a call for Janice.

    "Sorry, the number you''ve dialed is not avable." "Miss Hudson, Officer Hawkins is attending a meeting. For safety measures, she needs to turn in her cell phone."

    Rachel''s hopes were gone by the harsh truth. "How''s it going?" Jolly greeted her outside the police station and held her hands in concern. Rachel shook her head. "They won''t tell me about Jess'' whereabouts."

    "Don''t worry. ''No news is good news. Julian is asking around for the information. None of us actually believe Justin would do this." Rachel didn''t want to think, and she was at a loss for words. "Jolly, what if something happened to Jess? What am I supposed to do?" Not only had she caused Hans'' death, she had also endangered Jessica''s life. "I should have asked Justin to leave Riverdale earlier! I shouldn''t agree with Jess when she asked for Justin to look after her! He''s a man, after all! A grown man!"

    "Chris! Calm down. Do you really think Justin would do that?" "I don''t know what to make of it! I don''t know!" Leaning on the car, Rachel slowly slid down into a crouching position as a lot of thoughts were burdening her.

    It wasn''t a matter of her believing it or not; it concerned Jess'' well-being. Rachel would never forgive herself if anything bad happened to Jess.

    Jolly felt sympathy for her, but they couldn''t do anything until the results were out. The next morning, Julian showed up at the apartment with the news. "I got the test results from the police.

    Rachel could already guess the answer from his serious expression, but she still had high hopes. However, Julian''s words were against her hopes. Justin fits the suspect''s description for the analysis result of the hair and seminal fluid retrieved from the victim." At that moment, Rachel fell onto the sofa as her heart sank. The statement struck her hard, and she couldn''t pull herself together from the lingering feelings.

    "No way!" Jolly refused to believe. "Justin hurt Jessica? Is he out of his mind?" Julian said calmly, "They also performed a blood test on him; the result shows that he was drugged with a powerful dosage of aphrodisiac. "He was drugged? By who? Is it Jessica?" She had no doubts about Jessica. "It must be her! She wants to frame Justin!"

    Julian shook his head, disagreeing with her theory. "It isn''t her. The culprit is a former. employee of Burton Group. Even though he was arrested, I believed that someone was behind all of this. It isn''t the first time our former opponent tried to set him up, but I didn''t expect Jessica to be dragged into this mess." "I don''t follow." Jolly was confused. "If it wasn''t Jessica herself, then how would Justin-

    "To put it simply, someone set Justin up. Another woman was supposed to be sent to his. room. I investigated her background and found that she is a club hostess. She had been hesitating outside the hotel for a long time when Jessica suddenly showed up." "Furthermore, someone made an anonymous call to the police. It wasn''t Jessica." "All these things can''t be a mere coincidence." Jolly had her doubts. "Why did Jessica go to the hotel?"

    "It''s because of me." When Rachel rejoined the conversation after a long silence, they both turned their attention to her. Grabbing her own hair with force, she spoke with agony. "I told her my n to send her back.

    That''s why she went to him after that. It''s all my fault! I put her in danger!" "Don''t take the me on yourself." Jolly embraced Rachel tofort her. "It isn''t your fault!"

    She shook her head in disbelief, as she couldn''t ept herself as the cause of everything. It was even more difficult to ept that Justin had wronged Jessica, no matter what the reason was. She med herself. If she had revealed the truth of Hans'' death to Jessica, everything wouldn''t havee to this point. Rachel sobbed. ''Where''s Jess?"

    Julian shook his head regretfully. "We haven''t found her." Jolly frowned at her condition, then suggested cautiously, "Chris, something''s off. We shall see Justin first and hear his story."

 Chapter 432

    Rachel was taken aback by Jolly''s words. It had been hours since the incident. However, she hadn''t thought about anything other than finding out Jessica''s whereabouts to the point where she had neglected to find out more about Justin''s condition, especially now that he was in custody.

    "I will do it." Julian''s voice came from the side as he consoled them, saying, "A lot of things are going through Rae''s mind now. I don''t think she''s in the best condition to ask him for the details, so I''ll go instead."

    As Justin and Julian were cousins, having him as the visitor could save them much time in the visitation process. Meanwhile, in police custody, Justin was brought to a private room. There was only a table and two chairs in the room, which served as an interrogation room. "Julian?" Justin stopped at the door when he saw the person in the room, but he regained hisposure soon after. "What brings you here?"

    "You looked disappointed." Julian stared at him and stated the obvious, "You''re hoping it''s Rae instead, isn''t it?" A bitterugh escaped from Justin''s mouth before he replied, "I wouldn''t want her to see me. in this state."

    "Take a seat. We only got fifteen minutes, and I have something to tell you."

    Justin''s fists tightened beside him as he walked over to sit down at the opposite table. Their eyes locked in the air across the table.

    It was the first time they had a conversation face to face since Julian inherited the shares of Burton Group. It could be perceived that they were casually making a light conversation while ignoring the ce. Julian was the one who spoke first. "Tell me what happened." "I want to see my attorney."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Why? Am I not trustworthy as your attorney?"

    "It depends." Julian''s expression darkened. "Your attorney. isn''t in Riverdale. He''s unable to make it here right now. If you need one, I will look for a defense attorney." "Defense attorney?'' Justin stared at Julian intensely. "I haven''t confessed anything. Why are you assuming it will involve the court?"

    Others might have had their doubts, but Justin didn''t do anything and insisted on his innocence. However, Julian was assuming and jumping to his own conclusion instead.

    "Making a move on a minor? I take it you understand the seriousness of the matter. Justin, the protection from the Burton Family isn''t for you to do whatever you want. "I didn''t do anything."

    "You can say anything you want, but the police will need evidence." Justin stared into Julian''s eyes for an answer, as Julian''s attitude was troubling. "Is it how you show your help?" "Of course. I''m here to help you. We''re cousins, after all, so I''ll help you as much as I can no matter what you do."

    Julian held onto Justin''s stare. "Once you are convicted, you shall seek political asylum in Montenegro. Forget about your past and start over with your new life there."

    "Montenegro?" "Only if you''re marrying Ginny. She can find a way to apply for political asylum for you, and you can leave Riverdale." Justin''s jaw tightened. "You''re in touch with each other?" "She came to me as soon as she heard about your situation. This is also her suggestion. You see, she''s caring about you."

    "I appreciate her help. However, thanks but no thanks. I believe that I can prove my innocence." "I suggest you reconsider it because it isn''t only about you. You''ll also need to consider the future of Burton Group."

    "What are you trying to say?" "Assaulting a minor is a serious matter, and rumors are spreading fast. You''re the image of Burton Group, but the negativity of it is causing the share price of Burton Group to decline rapidly at the time."

    "I''m no longer in Burton Group." ''Don''t forget, you''re one of the shareholders." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and someone reminded them, "There are three minutes left."

    Julian took out a contract and pushed it toward Justin. "This is an agreement of share transfer. To save the reputation of Burton Group, I''m representing them to repurchase your shares."

    Justin took a look at the contract before he stared at Julian. "This is what you came for, am I right? Julian, had I wronged you for once?"

    Justin was aware of how he kept his distance from strangers, as he used to be reckless and rash when he first inherited Burton Group. He would do anything to ensure he would seed in business, and he treated his opponents without mercy. However, he never did anything wrong to his family. Julian was aloof at his answer. "It''s nothing personal. I''m merely striving for a better future. for everyone. Take your time."

    At that, he strode for the exit, leaving Justin in the room alone with mixed feelings as he grasped the agreement. At the same time, Rachel was busy searching for Jessica.

    Janice wasn''t answering her call. Just as the officer had told her, Janice was out of town for a confidential meeting, and it wasn''t certain when she would return. "Don''t stress yourself out. You need to eat something."

    Jolly ordered two sets of pizza. One set for the kids to eat in their bedroom, and another was left on the table, and she handed Rachel a pair of disposable stic gloves..

    "I don''t have the appetite. You can have it yourself." Rachel was pacing the room with the cell phone in hand, as she couldn''t calm down. "I should''ve asked Janice for Jess''s father''s number if this was going to happen."

    "She''s fine. You see, as the police are involved, they would settle her in a safe ce. Our focus, for the time being, is to find out if anything truly happened between them."

    Rachel had a blind spot as the case concerned two people that she cared about, but Jolly was seeing everything as a bystander. "Even though they found Justin''s hair on Jessica, it isn''t solid evidence to prove him guilty." Rachel wasn''t in the mood to discuss. "Let''s see what Julian says."

    At the same moment, someone rang the doorbell. "Coming." Jolly went straight for the door and opened it to reveal Julian. "Speak of the devil. You finished your business?"

    "We were given fifteen minutes only, so I asked him what was important. I don''t want to make you wait any longer, but a phone call isn''t proper, so I came here as fast as possible."

    "How did it go?" Rachel couldn''t wait any longer. "What did he say?" "Rae." Julian had a frown on his face, and Rachel had never seen him this serious. "I hope you''re ready for it."

    Her heart skipped a beat as she had a bad feeling. "Justin wasn''t cooperating, and he''s waiting for his attorney until now. I asked him for rification, but he avoided them. And... there''s one more thing."

    "What is it?" "His attorney is applying for political asylum in Montenegro for him in private. "Both women weren''t expecting this as their expressions changed. Clenching her fists, Rachel began saying with a shaky voice, "If he''s innocent, he wouldn''t need to migrate. So, he really hurt Jess..."

    Julian said, "Things won''t end well for him, no matter the truth. The rumors are spreading fast at the moment, and they''re getting worse. His image is ruined; he can no longer stay in Riverdale."

 Chapter 433

    Rachel was taken aback by Jolly''s words. It had been hours since the incident. However, she hadn''t thought about anything other than finding out Jessica''s whereabouts to the point where she had neglected to find out more about Justin''s condition, especially now that he was in custody.

    "I will do it." Julian''s voice came from the side as he consoled them, saying, "A lot of things are going through Rae''s mind now. I don''t think she''s in the best condition to ask him for the details, so I''ll go instead."

    As Justin and Julian were cousins, having him as the visitor could save them much time in the visitation process. Meanwhile, in police custody, Justin was brought to a private room. There was only a table and two chairs in the room, which served as an interrogation room "Julian?" Justin stopped at the door when he saw the person in the room, but he regained hisposure soon after. "What brings you here?"

    "You looked disappointed." Julian stared at him and stated the obvious, "You''re hoping it''s Rae instead, isn''t it?" A bitterugh escaped from Justin''s mouth before he replied, "I wouldn''t want her to see me. in this state."

    "Take a seat. We only got fifteen minutes, and I have something to tell you."

    Justin''s fists tightened beside him as he walked over to sit down at the opposite table. Their eyes locked in the air across the table.

    It was the first time they had a conversation face to face since Julian inherited the shares of Burton Group. It could be perceived that they were casually making a light conversation while ignoring the ce. Julian was the one who spoke first. "Tell me what happened." "I want to see my attorney."

    "Why? Am I not trustworthy as your attorney?"

    "It depends." Julian''s expression darkened. "Your attorney. isn''t in Riverdale. He''s unable to make it here right now. If you need one, I will look for a defense attorney." "Defense attorney?'' Justin stared at Julian intensely. "I haven''t confessed anything. Why are you assuming it will involve the court?"

    Others might have had their doubts, but Justin didn''t do anything and insisted on his innocence. However, Julian was assuming and jumping to his own conclusion instead.

    "Making a move on a minor? I take it you understand the seriousness of the matter. Justin, the protection from the Burton Family isn''t for you to do whatever you want. "I didn''t do anything."

    "You can say anything you want, but the police will need evidence." Justin stared into Julian''s eyes for an answer, as Julian''s attitude was troubling. "Is it how you show your help?" "Of course. I''m here to help you. We''re cousins, after all, so I''ll help you as much as I can no matter what you do."

    Julian held onto Justin''s stare. "Once you are convicted, you shall seek political asylum in Montenegro. Forget about your past and start over with your new life there."

    "Montenegro?" "Only if you''re marrying Ginny. She can find a way to apply for political asylum for you, and you can leave Riverdale." Justin''s jaw tightened. "You''re in touch with each other?" "She came to me as soon as she heard about your situation. This is also her suggestion. You see, she''s caring about you."

    "I appreciate her help. However, thanks but no thanks. I believe that I can prove my innocence." "I suggest you reconsider it because it isn''t only about you. You''ll also need to consider the future of Burton Group."

    "What are you trying to say?" "Assaulting a minor is a serious matter, and rumors are spreading fast. You''re the image of Burton Group, but the negativity of it is causing the share price of Burton Group to decline rapidly at the time."

    "I''m no longer in Burton Group." ''Don''t forget, you''re one of the shareholders." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and someone reminded them, "There are three minutes left."

    Julian took out a contract and pushed it toward Justin. "This is an agreement of share transfer. To save the reputation of Burton Group, I''m representing them to repurchase your shares."

    Justin took a look at the contract before he stared at Julian. "This is what you came for, am I right? Julian, had I wronged you for once?"

    Justin was aware of how he kept his distance from strangers, as he used to be reckless and rash when he first inherited Burton Group. He would do anything to ensure he would seed in business, and he treated his opponents without mercy. However, he never did anything wrong to his family. Julian was aloof at his answer. "It''s nothing personal. I''m merely striving for a better future. for everyone. Take your time."

    At that, he strode for the exit, leaving Justin in the room alone with mixed feelings as he grasped the agreement. At the same time, Rachel was busy searching for Jessica.

    Janice wasn''t answering her call. Just as the officer had told her, Janice was out of town for a confidential meeting, and it wasn''t certain when she would return. "Don''t stress yourself out. You need to eat something."

    Jolly ordered two sets of pizza. One set for the kids to eat in their bedroom, and another was left on the table, and she handed Rachel a pair of disposable stic gloves..

    "I don''t have the appetite. You can have it yourself." Rachel was pacing the room with the cell phone in hand, as she couldn''t calm down. "I should''ve asked Janice for Jess''s father''s number if this was going to happen.

    "She''s fine. You see, as the police are involved, they would settle her in a safe ce. Our focus, for the time being, is to find out if anything truly happened between them."

    Rachel had a blind spot as the case concerned two people that she cared about, but Jolly was seeing everything as a bystander. "Even though they found Justin''s hair on Jessica, it isn''t solid evidence to prove him guilty." Rachel wasn''t in the mood to discuss. "Let''s see what Julian says."

    At the same moment, someone rang the doorbell. "Coming." Jolly went straight for the door and opened it to reveal Julian. "Speak of the devil. You finished your business?"

    "We were given fifteen minutes only, so I asked him what was important. I don''t want to make you wait any longer, but a phone call isn''t proper, so I came here as fast as possible."

    "How did it go?" Rachel couldn''t wait any longer. "What did he say?" "Rae." Julian had a frown on his face, and Rachel had never seen him this serious. "I hope you''re ready for it.''

    Her heart skipped a beat as she had a bad feeling. "Justin wasn''t cooperating, and he''s waiting for his attorney until now. I asked him for rification, but he avoided them. And... there''s one more thing."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "What is it?" "His attorney is applying for political asylum in Montenegro for him in private. "Both women weren''t expecting this as their expressions changed. Clenching her fists, Rachel began saying with a shaky voice, "If he''s innocent, he wouldn''t need to migrate. So, he really hurt Jess..."

    Julian said, "Things won''t end well for him, no matter the truth. The rumors are spreading fast at the moment, and they''re getting worse. His image is ruined; he can no longer stay in Riverdale."

 Chapter 434

    Julian suddenly raised his head and the chill in his eyes was enough to make Jessica tremble. Then, he rose to his feet.

    "What are you doing?" Jessica reversed in panic, but Julian had caught hold of her wrist. "If you want to peacefully leave Riverdale and to your parents, I highly rmend you to keep quiet and not say anything to anyone. Otherwise, I wouldn''t mind sending you to apany your brother."

    He red at her with frigid eyes. It took him what seemed like an eternity to release his grip on her hand. "It''s gettingte. You should be heading home to rest and not being outdoors."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    Bang! The sound of the door closed was heard moments after Julian said those words. Jessica''s face paled as she copsed onto the couch. News of the former president of Burton Group assaulting a minor was once again trending on the news the next day. People stood in front of Burton Group with banners to boycott the corporation for the entire week, which left the precinct with not choice but to send their officers to mediate the situation. Riverdale Charity Foundation had to remove Justin from the position of vice president It was the pressure of public opinion that resulted in the Burton Group holding an emergency board of directors meeting. Although the older shareholders trusted in Justin''s character, Julian caved into the public opinion and insisted on expelling Justin from the Burton Group''s board of directors.

    Such a decision would result in a chain reaction because those closely associated with Justin immediately took a stand and distanced themselves from him. It did not take long for Justin''s hard work to perish.

    The most exaggerated part was that even Rachel, who had been divorced from Justin for many years, was not spared from theizens'' taunt and became a trending topic herself. As a result, all kinds of people gathered at her apartment. There were all kinds of curses written on her main entrance-''Conniving person'', ''A pervert''s friend'', ''Aplice''

    The Carter Family did not feel safe for Rachel to continue living at her ce and immediately made arrangements for her and Jolly to move back to the Carter Residence.

    Justin''s hand mmed on the table in disbelief as the newspaper rustled under his palm. "In order to make me leave Riverdal, you have resorted to them suffering such misery?!"

    "Your tactics were way worse back then, wasn''t it? I just found the right time to return the favor." Julian still had the same expression as he pushed the share transfer agreement toward Justin. "Even if it is not for them, consider it as nning for your future life. Once you have signed this, leave the Burton Group and Riverdale. You can start afresh abroad." Justin held onto the table as he trembled.

    "A few days ago, the incident where a senior member of the Burton Group was alleged to have assaulted a minor has been brought to trial. ording to the prosecution, the used, Mr. Burton, was drinking with his subordinate, Ms. Egerton, on the night of crime. Based on what we know of Mr. Burton''s drug test result, it has been established that there was a significant amount of aphrodisiac in his bloodstream while Ms. Egerton was suspected to have been heavily drugged..."

    The news was now ying the legal segment. When Jolly returned to her office, she noticed. that Rachel was watching the same news and immediately took the remote control to switch off the television.

    "Why are you watching it? I mean, we already know what the news is reporting. It''s already been rified that someone held a grudge against Justin and decided to set him up. It just so happened that Jessica was there at the wrong time." Rachel frowned and refused to discuss the topic any longer. ''Aren''t you off work? Why did you return?"

    "To get my keys. Oh, right, there''s something that I want to let you know. Thetest from the bureau is that Justin''s trial is about to end and I heard that his application for migrating abroad to seek political asylu has been approved. The bureau is negotiating with the embassy on this, so once that''s done, there is a high likelihood of Justin leaving Riverdale."

    "He''s really leaving?" "The situation has already arrived at this stage and even involved you. If he doesn''t leave Riverdale, is he asking to be whacked?" Rachel was deep in thought as Jolly took her keys. "Oh, Julian has invited you for dinner, right? When are you leaving?"

    "In a short while." "Okay. Have you contacted Jessica, though? I haven''t seen her around town even though the trial ising to an end."

    "Nope." "Don''t worry. Maybe her parents have brought her home." Jolly was in a rush to leave and she failed to notice Rachel being absent-minded. Had she been more observant, she would have realized that something was bothering Rachel, especially for the past few days.....

    The sound of the violin was melodious as it rang throughout the restaurant while the waiter helped to pour the wine for the two diners that night.

    "I''ve been busytely, so I didn''t have much time to swing by to see you. Why don''t we bring the kids out this weekend? I''ve heard that the suburbs are gorgeous during the autumn."

    "That sounds lovely. I''ll ask Jolly and her boyfriend toe along as well." "Rae, have you ever thought about us going on our own? You know, like an actual family?" Rachel took a sip of the wine. "There''s something that I want to ask you, Julian."

    Julian was slightly startled. "Of course." "Have you ever considered withdrawing from the Burton Group''s board of directors to be a shareholder instead?"

    "Why?" I''d rather see you being a doctor and treating patients." Julian''s eyes narrowed and after a long silence, he finally asked, "Rae, is it because you feel that I''m inferior to Justin?"

    Such a statement had left Rachel silently clenching her fists. Then, she shook her head. "I didn''t mean it in that way." "Rae, let''s get married once this is all over."

    When she heard that, she was momentarily stunned and didn''t know what to say at that moment. He added, ''I know that you won''t be able to: ept this now, but I''ll let you fully consider it. You don''t have to feel burdened into agreeing.

    After a moment''s worth of silence, she suddenlymented, "If we want to get married, don''t we need your mother''s permission? When is sheing to Riverdale? Do I have to meet her?"

    Julian was obviously stunned by her words. Then, he frowned. "I can decide on my own marriage. There''s no need to see her since I don''t want you to worry about this."

    "Julian, are you scared that I''ll be worried or that I''ll stumble upon something that I should not know about?" As a result of Rachel''s question, Julian ended up spilling the red wine in the decanter due to his abrupt action..

 Chapter 435

    A server came and did a quick wipe on the table, and by the time they were done, Julian had visibly calmed down. "Rae, did someone tell you something? Or, was there some hearsay?" "No one said anything. But she''s your mother, anyhow. No matter what she has done, leaving her overseas just like that is not a good idea. People will criticize you for it in the future." Her words relieved Julian. "Rae, after my identity has been publicized, my mother''s position in Riverdale will be made awkward. It''s also in her will to leave for abroad. That''s all there is to it." "Really?"

    "Really." Rachel nodded with acknowledgment and no longer pressed on the topic. However, what Julian didn''t notice was her dimming gaze when she lowered her head. The exquisite food in front of her also instantly turned nd. People could change; anything in this world would. After dinner, Julian sent Rachel back to the Carter Residence.

    "This is it." "Things should be over soon, but no rush because I think it''s good that you stay with the Carter Family. At least you have someone watching your back. Go on now."

    "Yeah, you too. Drive safe." After entering the mansion, Rachel went straight into her room and to her balcony. Despite having drunk some wine, she was absolutely clear-headed and the cold wind blowing on her took away some of the alcohol. With that, she dialed a number. "Have your found Sue Parham?"

    Silence began filling the air as Rachel listened to the person on the other end of the line. Meanwhile, at Riverdale Airport, a ne flew across the sky, shrieking as it left. The flight. schedules were being broadcasted inside the airport. Justin, with a face mask over his mouth and nose, lowered his baseball cap after taking his boarding pass.

    "Let''s go." Ginny''s voice came from beside him. "Riverdale is seriously too small. I can''t get used to living here. It''ll be a fresh start after we get there. I''m sure you''ll like it." He took a gander at Ginny. "There was this one thing I could never quite figure out while I was in the detention center."

    "What was it?" "When did Julian start contacting you, and when did you two begin coborating to set me up?" "Have you figured it out now?"

    Before Justin could answer, a figure came to them before it was followed by a familiar voice. "Ready to go?" "President Peters. Ginny smiled upon seeing who it was. "Thanks for seeing us off personally. You shouldn''t have."

    Julian wore a dark gray cashmere coat with both hands habitually shoved in his pockets. Right then, some of the gentleness and kindness he had while he was a doctor was reced with utter aloofness. "Well, who knows when will be the next time we see each other after this? So, why not?"

    "Yeah, right. You just don''t feel at ease unless you watch me board the ne." Julian didn''t justify himself and Justin continued, "I''ve always wondered who called the police that morning."

    "The victim, of course. Who else?" "Jessica? But she was still out cold when the police arrived."

    Justin remembered it like it had just happened yesterday. Jessica was still lying in bed when the police barged into the hotel room where the evidencey bare, leaving no room for doubt. Julian narrowed his eyes. "You were conscious at the time?"

    "I was conscious that whole night."

    "Impossible." The next second, a group of in-clothed police surrounded the three of them, and one of them announced, ''Hello, Mr. Julian Peters. We''re from the Riverdale Investigation Bureau. Someone has reported you for incrimination and defamation. Pleasee with us."

    Instantly, Julian looked toward his cousin grimly. "There must be a mistake." Ginny fretted. "No mistake. Miss Ginny Tuscan, is it? I''m sorry, but you''ll have toe with us as well."

    "And why should I do that?" It was Ginny''s turn to be grim. "Because someone provided evidence of you bribing the hotel manager and a former employee of Burton Group. We suspect you had conspired with Julian Peters."

    "This is nder!" Ginny pulled her phone out. "I won''t go with you guys. I''m going to call mywyer. You guys talk to him." "Mr. Julian Peters-"

    Justin raised his arm. "Hold on. I''d like to have word with him." After exchanging a nce with his colleague, the officer nodded in agreement. "Pfft." Julian snorted disdainfully. "I thought you would leave Riverdale for Rae and her mother''s sake, but it looks like I''ve overestimated your kindness. Do you think ndering me will do anything?"

    "I wasn''t drugged that night." Julian''s countenance turned awful after he heard Justin''s concise revtion. "When did you discover it?" "The moment Jessica showed up."

    Julian clenched his fists and recollected all that had happened in thest few days. He couldn''t believe it was all under Justin''s control. Momentster, he said coldly, "Even so, what can you do about it? If you didn''t do anything to Jessica, then this case doesn''t hold up. More importantly, you have no proof that this has anything to do with me,"

    He was prudent, for he had been well prepared when he initiated his n. The worst-case scenario would just be that Stefan guy being a scapegoat.

    Right as Julian finished his words, a figure dashed in their direction and slowed down upon seeing them. It was none other than Rachel. His face froze for a split second before returning to normal. ''Rae, what are you doing here?"

    Meanwhile, Rachel looked at the officers behind. Julian with mixed emotions. "It''s just a regr civilian inspection. Don''t worry," Julian exined, leading Rachel to look. at him with a zing gaze. "Julian, I know all I about it. Jessica has told me everything." Julian turned grim after he heard her. "What did she tell you?" Just then, an officer came forward. "It''s time. You guys can talk after this. We have to take. them away for questioning now."

    After taking a gander at Julian, Rachel handed a piece of document to an officer right before his eyes. "This is Jessica Egerton''s application for withdrawal. She has dropped the charges for the previous case and hopes that you guys will release a statement to clear Justin''s name."

    "We will. Even without this application, we''ve already gotten to the bottom of it. This has nothing to do with Justin Burton."

    "Thanks."

    "Rae, what''s the meaning of this?" Julian''s face was beyond grim at this point. "What in the world did Jessica tell you? You''ve never told me you''re also digging into this. Don''t tell me your believe in a pathological liar!"

    "Julian, let''s break up."

    "What did you say?" However, just as Julian wanted to say more, the police stopped him. "Mr. Peters, please." Julian clenched his fists, leading the veins in his arms to throb as he fought back all his emotions. "Rae, calm down first. We''ll talk after I make things clear with them."

    Rachel''s nails sank into her palms as she watched Julian being taken away. Momentster, she turned to Justin. "You''ve long known that Julian was plotting against you."

    "Sorry for keeping it from you all this while."

    "Why?" Justin fell silent for a long while before he finally spoke up, his voiceced with hoarseness. "I thought between him and me, you would trust him far more than you would me."

    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 436

    Rachel rushed to the investigation bureau as soon as she got the application for withdrawal Jessica had faxed to her, hoping to overturn the verdict on Justin. But midway, she heard Justin would be leaving Riverdale on this day, so she rushed to the airport instead. What she didn''t expect was that Justin long suspected Julian, and he fooled everyone into thinking he was down to nothing when everything was actually ording to his n.

    "So you thought you didn''t need to tell me because I won''t believe you anyway?" "Your number one priority would definitely be Jessica''s well-being if something happened to her. So I didn''t say anything to you."

    Rachel''s deep concern for Jessica would cloud her judgment, leading the situation to probably aggravate. When the incident happened, Justin only suspected it was Julian''s doing. But he didn''t have any hard evidence that pointed directly toward Julian, so he could only y along. More importantly, Justin had never seen Rachel since the incident, so he couldn''t exin to her that he had never done anything to Jessica.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Rachel was pissed. Not that she was mad about Justin but herself. For the longest time, Justin never did any wrong while she was the one who dwelled in the past, presumptuously thinking people never change, either distinctively good or evil.

    "Sorry." Rachel apologized softly, taking Justin aback. "You didn''t do anything wrong. I should be the one apologizing."

    "No, you''re right. I wouldn''t believe you even if you told me in the first ce." Rachel looked up, taking pains to utter her next words. "I have indeed ced too much trust in Julian. So much so that I nearly became an aplice and railroaded you, making you the subjec of public criticism."

    "Don''t worry about it. I''m okay, aren''t I?" "Rae, I''m really okay," Justin exined with utter patience. "I won''t leave Charlotte behind and walk away no matter what happens." He only mentioned Charlotte and not the young woman before his eyes. Meanwhile, flight schedules were still being broadcasted in the airport terminal.

    The ne Justin was supposed to board had alreadynded, but he no longer needed to leave anymore, and thus, he chucked the boarding pass in his hand into a trash can. "Let''s go." He smiled at Rachel.

    As Rachel drove, she was the one who sent Justin back to summer vi, where Frankie had long been awaiting. "You''re the one who told Rae everything?"

    "I didn''t tell her anything, I swear." Frankie hurriedly defended himself. "Oh? You didn''t say anything?" Frankie chuckled awkwardly in response. "I might or might not have identally let slip about Old Mr. Burton when I bumped into Miss Carter."

    Justin frowned upon hearing so, and Rachel jumped in. "It''s not Frankie''s fault. Jolly was the one who told me your grandfather''s death was suspicious. So I sent someone to Montenegro to look for your aunt." "You had someone look for my aunt?" Justin looked surprisingly at Rachel. "What did she say?"

    "Nothing." She shook her head. "She''s in a poor mental state right now. The guys at the sanatorium said she would never answer Julian''s calls, so I suspect some irreconcble conflict must''ve happened between the two. But I told them to stop digging when she''s in that state."

    "Thanks," said Justin after a moment of silence.

    "What for?" "For stopping your investigation. Aunt Sue''s getting on in years. Whatever mistakes she had made in the past, since she has been sent abroad, let her spend the rest of her life peacefully there." "You''re not going to prosecute your grandfather''s cause of death?" Justin took a deep breath in response because it seemed to be a difficult decision for him.

    Aside, Frankie couldn''t help butting in. "President Hudson. The dead cannot rise from the grave. I''m sure all of us already have a good idea of the truth. Prosecuting will only implicate even more loved ones. Also, about Old Mr. Burton being given slow-acting poison, Dr. Peters was a representative. Do you think how likely it was that he hadn''t noticed it?"

    "What will you do if this really has to do with Julian?" Rachel asked. Justin raised his eyes. "It''s already in the past. Grandpa died of natural causes."

    His decision stumped Rachel for a second. It wasn''t that something had passed but that it had to pass. Rachel still had to rush downtown, so she didn''t linger in the summer vi for long. "I''ll see you out." Justin walked out with Rachel. "Are you in a hurry to get to the investigation bureau?"

    "No, Jess didn''t suffer any real injuries, so this can''t be considered a criminal case. Hence, the worst-case scenario is probably that Julian will be released after a few days of detention." Justin shook his head, disagreeing. "Someone will take the me for him." Rachel was taken aback. "Really?" "The guy who spiked my drink, Stefan, used to be a senior executive in Burton Group. You probably don''t know him, but before you entered Burton Group, he was already fired for misappropriating thepany''s public fund to pay for hi gambling debts. Because he holds a grudge against me, it wouldn''t be difficult for Julian to use this to pull Stefan to his side."

    Rachel didn''t know how to feel about this. Justin knew everything, and if he wanted it, he couldpletely prosecute this matter to the end. There would be nothing Julian could do no matter how many Stefans he rallied, and yet Justin still spared his cousin. "Why are you still willing to spare Julian when he has already schemed against you to this extent?" "He''s my cousin, and everyone makes mistakes. He''s still young: he still has a long way to go."

    If this had happened six years ago, he definitely wouldn''t have tolerated such betrayal. But six years had passed, and he had also made some irreversible mistakes. So, putting himself in Julian''s shoes, he would hope his cousin could turn around soon. While leaving summer vi, Rachel got an international call. "It''s me." A young woman''s voice came from the other end of the line, somewhat hoarse, no longer assertive. "How did it go? Is he out yet?"

    "He''s out. Everything''s sorted out now. Don''t worry; I''ve already handed your application for withdrawal to the investigation bureau."

    It was one thing to discover Sue had noticed Julian was suspicious, but what really led Rachel to the truth was that she managed to get hold of Jessica''s father through Janice.

    Rachel exined Hans'' cause of death to him. in detail, and as soon as Jessicanded home, Jessica''s father picked her up at the airport, clearing everything up..

    Rachel waited for three days before she finally received Jessica''s faxed application of withdrawal as well as an email stating how Julian had lied to her. Who''d have thought Julian actually told Jessica Justin was the one who killed her brother? For that, Julian even made up a story, lying to this young woman who already held a grudge against Justin. I''m really sorry for causing you guys trouble, Rachel."

    "No need to apologize. You didn''t know the truth. If anything, I''m the one to be med for over worrying and not telling you the truth sooner. Everything''s fine now that it''s all cleared up."

    "Don''t worry; my dad and I will keep it a secret." "I''ll give you a proper tour the next time youe to Riverdale." "I n to go to college in Riverdale and also pay my brother a visit while I''m at it." "Sounds like a n."

 Chapter 437

    Rachel felt much more rxed after hanging up the call. Hans was a sunny and gentle guy, so his beloved sister naturally wouldn''t be wicked. She was just led down the wrong path. Everybody made mistakes; the most important thing was to do something about it. At that, Julian came to Rachel''s mind, and her eyes narrowed. The investigation bureau promptly released at statement announcing Justin''s innocence and the case''s reinvestigation.

    But even so, public opinion still didn''t alleviate it, as everyone only wanted to believe in what they believed. That''s what money and capital get you. He sure has a strong backer." This is definitely a government and business collusion. Poor girl." ''But I heard he''s been kicked out of Burton Group''

    ''Please, that''s only for show." And many more shared simr opinions. Rachel had thought things wouldn''t move in the direction Justin had predicted. But who''d have thought just after two days, Julian was released unscathed while Stefan became the scapegoat and bagged all the charges? The entire time, neither the news nor public opinion mentioned Julian, the true prosecutor behind the scenes.

    "Julian won''t answer my calls. His assistant said he''s in a meeting. A meeting thatsts for a whole day? As if anyone would believe it! I''m now starting to believe all that you said is true, Chris."

    Inside the Carter Residence''s living room, Jolly put her phone down and slumped onto the couch. "Why is he doing this? I mean, you''ve already agreed to date him. Is it necessary for him to do all this and destroy Justin?"

    "I don''t know.'' Rachel couldn''t give her an answer either. Sitting on the side, Richard was reading the newspaper, and he took a gander at the two youngdies. "What''s so baffling about it? Not everyone has the will to resist the temptation of power and money, what more when he obtained the entire Burton Group overnight. It''s normal for someone to getcent when everyone starts sucking up to them."

    Owning Burton Group meant having absolute discourse. Who in the entire Riverdale wouldn''t want to kiss Julian''s a*s? "Well, becent all he wants, but why does he have to destroy Justin?" Jolly was still baffled.

    "Own it once, and you''ll be afraid of losing it. I won''t be surprised that many of Burton Group''s founding members still support Justin." Richard flipped his newspaper to the next page, speaking confidently of the ever-changing situation in the business world. "This is the threat Julian senses."

    Only when Justin disappeared from Riverdale for good could Julian be Burton Group''s number one shareholder with peace of mind. The whole time, he hadn''t nned on destroying Justin just to get Rachel or any simr reason for the fact. The proportion of this reasonpared to the man''s ambition. was far less significant.

    "He''s not the Julian Peters you guys know anymore. Better watch your backs, cautioned Richard after taking a gander at the two youngdies.

    Jolly frowned upon hearing so. "He can''t actually turn into a monster, can he? Anyhow, I''m going to ask him what exactly is up with him. If it''s really his doing, then he has to admit his mistakes and apologize. Am I right, or am I right, Chris?" "Westhill Racecourse has a grand opening tomorrow. Julian will probably show up, said Rachel thoughtfully. Burton Group should be on the guest list," Richard added Jolly instantly decided. "We have to go!"

    "We should." Rachel nodded in agreement. No matter what others said and what she dug up, she still wanted to hear the truth from Julian. Also, she had something to return to him. As predicted, Rachel found Julian during Westhill Racecourse''s grand opening. He was dressed in a light gray tailored suit with gold-framed sses, talking away with other businessmen, no sign of ever being detained.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

    "It''s been a while, President Hudson." Someone beside Julian greeted Rachel enthusiastically upon seeing her. "I was just asking President Peters. I heard a celebration is on its way. You have to invite us to your wedding reception."

    Rachel smiled in response. "You tter me, Mr.. Howard. But my girl is already in kindergarten, and my wedding reception was held ages ago." At that, everyone exchanged nces while Julian turned somewhat grim..

    "Um, I, uh, I think I see a friend. Please excuse me. I have to go and say hi."

    "Me too, me too." The group dispersed at that. As shrewd as everyone was, they could naturally tell Rachel and Julian''s rtionship had raised a red g. Thus, they began whispering after moving far away. "Let''s talk somewhere else.'' Rachel shot at nce toward the patio, leading Julian to pull a forceful smile. "Sure."

    It was alreadyte autumn, and the maple leaves in the racecourse''s avenue were scattered all over the ce, giving the path a zing effect from afar.

    The chilling breeze constantly blew at them on the patio, sending hints of coolness beneath their outfits. A server came offering a nket. "It''s cold out here. We''ve prepared some nkets. You may wrap it around you, miss." "Allow me." Julian took the nket from the

    server.

    However, just as he wanted to drape it over Rachel, she stopped him. "It''s fine. I''m not cold." Meanwhile, many in the banquet hall had their eyes on the two behind the ss door.

    Julian put the nket down. "Rae, I know there''s a misunderstanding between us. I swear I hadn''t answered your callstely because I was swamped with things in Burton Group, and also, I''ve been thinking about how to exin it all to you. A lot of people are watching, and they all know we''re seeing each other. Please don''t make me look bad."

    Rachel furrowed her brows upon hearing so, trying her best to sound calm. "You think I''m making you look bad? Since when do you care what other people think?"

    "Things are different now. I''m Burton Group''s shareholder. These sorts of interactions are necessary." Rachel finally truly understood all Richard had said the day before when she saw how supercilious Julian was behaving. Money and power could change a person so quickly that they wouldn''t even realize it.

    "Julian, we''re not right for each other. With or without all of this, it''ll never work out between us. I''m grateful for all that you''ve done for me in the past, and I will continue to think so. But you can''t force love." With that, Rachel pulled out the ring she had brought with her. "I should return this to you."

    Julian didn''t look surprised, perhaps he had long expected it. But he didn''t take the ring from her. "The investigation bureau had gotten to the bottom of Jessica''s case. It''s Stefan Sawyer''s doing. I had nothing to do with it. Do you still want to break up with me?" "This isn''t the only reason I''m breaking up with you." Rachel clenched the ring. "Seeing that we''ve been friends for years, be honest with me. Have you ever regretted doing all this?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Julian blurted matter-of-factly without hesitation, leading Rachel to clench her fists. "Do you know why your cousin would suspect you so early on?"

    "He''s paranoid, of course. He''s always been like that." "No. It''s because Old Mr. Burton''s autopsy report states he has slow-acting poison in his system."

    Julian''s gaze sharpened in response while Rachel continued, "Do you really think he''s oblivious? Despite so, he still spared you. He never prosecuted the matter back then, and he''s not nning to in the future either."

    With that, Rachel put the ring on the iron table, making a soft ''clink'' as it drowned in the sound of the breeze. "You''re really no longer the Julian I knew. In that case, I wish you all the best, and most importantly, good luck."

 Chapter 438

    As Rachel returned to the banquet hall, Julian''s voice came from behind. "Rachel, the reason you don''t want to be with me isn''t because of everything I''ve done but because Justin has never left your heart. Have you forgotten how he hurt you in the past?" "Do you think what you''re doing now is any different from what he had done back then?" Rachel asked without looking back at him. s, those blinded by greed always had their heads in the cloud.

    Later, the chauffeur drove Jolly and Rachel away from the grand opening, and during the ride, Jolly sighed. "How has Julian ended up like this?" "People change." Rachel had her gaze out the window, already able to ept all the changes openly. Perhaps everything changed from when Julian realized he would have the entire Burton Group in his hands, and it was also then that they no longer belonged in the same world. "Chris, are you sad?" Jolly asked out of the blue.

    "I am," Rachel answered. How could she not be? In the past, she had thought even if she and Julian didn''t end up marrying, they would still berades and even family.

    At that, Jolly held Rachel''s hand. "I don''t know how I canfort you, but I was sad too when my bestie and I went our separate ways. My mom once told me that everyonees to this world alone and will also leave alone. Be it a friend or a loved one, they can only apany you for a part of this journey called life. The distance might vary, but as long as the journey together is a merry one, then it''s worth it."

    "Yeah." Rachel nodded in agreement. No matter what Julian did or would do, it couldn''t eradicate how well he had treated her in the past. That, she was well aware of. "Let''s talk about something else." Jolly smiled.. "Victor and Gloria are getting engaged, aren''t they? Have they picked out the engagement venue?"

    "Not yet. It''s still early. Gloria can onlye back from her nationwide tour by the end of the year." "Well, it''s not that early, only a few months left. Also, didn''t you tell Victor to prepare a proposal?"

    "That''s the n." Rachel took a deep breath and forced a smile. "So many things have happenedtely that I''ve thrown it to the back of my mind.

    It had been a while since Gloria left Riverdale. When Justin was caught in trouble, her manager did everything to hide it from her. Later, Gloria and her manager had a terrible fight about this matter after it was over, and even now, she was still upset.

    Judging from this situation, Victor deemed it a good time to propose. Later in the evening, Rachel ran into Justin at the school gates when she came to pick the kids up.

    "Huh? It''s not a Friday today." Rachel checked her phone in surprise. "What are you doing here?" "Frankie said you''re attending an event at Westhill. I thought you''d be upied."

    "Well, as upied as I am, I can''t just leave the kids in school, can I?" At that, Rachel coughed with a guilty conscience. "Even then, it''s sporadic. Also, their homeroom teacher''s Victor. It won''t be too much of a problem for him to take care of the kids every now and then, either."N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Justin smiled in response. "I''m not ming you in any way. I don''t have anything better to do, so if you ever can''t make it in time, I cane and take them for a snack or something before sending them back to your ce at night."

    "But won''t it be too much trouble for you?" So be it if it was just Charlotte, but there was Samuel as well, and the two had no rtions at all. "No trouble at all. I have all the time in the world."

    At that, a thought came to Rachel. "I heard from Frankie that the chairman of Riverdale Charity Foundation came to see you in person, and a few times at that. But you turned him down every time?"

    Justin was an influential figure in Riverdale to some extent, so he had always served as the charity foundation''s vice-chairman. However, because of the Jessica scandal, Riverdale Charity Foundation kicked him out. Now that the truth hade to light, the chairman came to apologize in person, which Rachel thought was already considerably sincere.

    Too bad Justin kept his doors shut. "I should just be a loafer. Besides, my position in the charity foundation was just nominal; I barely did anything. So why not let someone else take on the role."

    "Honestly, I think you can think it over. I heard the Riverdale Charity Foundation manages all of Riverdale''s various charity foundations, and it can benefit many. I even heard they built a school for a group of deaf and mute childrenst year."

    Justin froze for a split second. What was he reminded of? Only he knew. Just then, Victor brought Charlotte and her ssmates out, bringing their conversation to a halt.

    Meanwhile, Charlotte was rendered. bbergasted when she found both her parents hade. "Mommy, Daddy, why have both of youe?" The little girl threw herself at the pair after taking a long time toe to her senses.

    "Are you not happy that we''vee to pick you two up?" Rachel ruffled Charlotte''s hair. "Of course, I''m happy! Mommy, I got a gold star today!"

    "Really?" This time, it was Rachel''s turn to be surprised. With how mischievous Charlotte was, she hadn''t gotten a single gold start despite having attended school for about half a year. Samuel, on the other hand, would bring one home nearly every day. There was even a box at home dedicated to his gold stars.

    "Really, Mommy! Look." With that, the little girl pulled out a crinkly gold star from her bag, leading Rachel and Justin to exchange a nce, shocked. Rachel picked her daughter up at once and praised, "That''s wonderful, Charlotte! Let''s make you sticky ribs for dinner." Charlotte was Justin''s biological daughter, after all, so he knew her personality far better than Rachel did. Thus, he turned to Victor. "Did a teacher really give her the star?"

    "Not really, but she did win it on her own merit," Victor answered helplessly. Stumped, Rachel asked, "What do you mean?" "Charlotte won the bet with Zack in the afternoon during gym ss, so Zack gave her. his only gold star of the week," Samuel exined. "Won it from a bet?" Rachel''s eyes widened. "She can do that, Victor?"

    "We encourage the kids to use their gold stars as an exchange between themselves however they want. Provided that it''s not obtained through violence or force. You can see it as an early form of asset management for the kids."

    "Mommy, have I done wrong?" Charlotte rested her head on Rachel''s shoulder. "I didn''t snatch the gold star. He gave it to me." Helpless, Rachel asked, "Then can I know what bet you''ve made with Zack?"

    Charlotte giggled at that, announcing righteously, "I bet him our arts and crafts teacher''s panties are red, but he insists it''s ck. I won!" In an instant, Rachel''s as well as the surrounding parents'' countenances became awful after Charlotte revealed what happened. The arts and crafts teacher was a new intern, and she happened to be standing behind Victor, helping to escort the kids out. Immediately after hearing Charlotte''s words, blood drained from her face as she stared at Rachel and the gang for quite some time before running away in tears.

    Oh, how difficult children could get at times. s, the hardship of being a teacher. Meanwhile, Rachel was mortified, and she turned to Justin. "Well, we''re not going anywhere now. I have to bring Charlotte to her teacher and apologize."

 Chapter 439

    "Why are you crying, Miss Molly?" In the teacher''s office, Charlotte stood in front of the arts and crafts teacher''s desk with her hands behind her back, blinking her big, gorgeous eyes. Please don''t cry anymore."

    "I''m not crying." Molly faced away and wiped her tears away, telling herself to be strong. However, she still couldn''t stop her tears from falling like pearls of a broken string. Meanwhile, Rachel stood outside. She could. feel the teacher''s distress even just looking through the window.

    The young woman, who had just graduated, confidently thought she would be facing a bunch of angels when lo and behold, reality sent her little devils, torturing her to burnout every day. Who could take that?!

    "Miss Molly, look. This looks pretty, doesn''t it?" "What?" Molly turned around to find Charlotte swinging a red string with a tiny ornament hung on one end in front of her.

    The twilight rays shone in from the windows, enveloping the child with a soft purplish-orange filter, making her smile even brighter. "Can I tell you a secret, Miss Molly?" "What is it?"

    "Mr. Clyde said he likes girls who like to smile." Molly''s face flushed crimson at thement, and she became incoherent. "Why are you telling me this? What does his preference for girls have to do with me?"

    "Mr. Clyde''s single." "What does that have to do with me?" Molly''s face turned even redder, and it took her quite some time to finally ask, "Really?"

    "Of course, it is. I''ve been here longer than you have. And Mr. Clyde and my uncle are really good friends. My uncle even said he''d introduce some girls to Mr. Clyde."

    "He can''t!" blustered Molly, wide-eyed, when she had been crying her eyes out a second ago. Immediately realizing she had reacted out of proportion, she cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "I mean, the school is where we teach and learn. It''s not right to think about dating."

    "I think so too. I''ll tell my uncle some other time." "Forget about that. Do it today." At that, Charlotte blinked at Molly. "Miss Molly, don''t cry anymore, okay?"

    "What for? I wasn''t crying at all. I''m a teacher." "Hehe. Charlotte pulled a lollipop out of her pocket and put it on the desk. "Here, Miss Molly, this is for you. We''re good friends now." Following that, the two chatted a little while more.

    Meanwhile, Rachel watched the entire thing from behind the door and couldn''t help feeling. impressed. The little girl hadn''t said a word of apology, and yet she managed to coax this interning arts and. crafts teacher. What a talent!N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

    Aside, Victor beamed. "What did I tell you? You don''t need to worry. This little rascal might be naughty, but she looks adorable as well. Also, she can manage to sweet-talk her way out of just about any trouble she has caused. Forget about reprimanding her; her teachers'' hearts. would melt as soon as she smiled."

    "But she still has to apologize for her screwups. "Don''t worry about it. Neers are a little more fragile, so it''s normal that they cry from the students'' bullies. She''ll toughen up in about half a year."

    While the two were chatting, Molly had brought Charlotte out. "Alright, I''ll let you take Charlotte home. I''ll leave after I''m done with my lesson n." "Forget about that. I''ll drive you home. I have something to talk to you about in the car," said Rachel after checking the time. "What is it?" "Your thing with Gloria." Victor was taken aback for a second. While Victor was packing up, Rachel took Charlotte to look for Samuel, only to see Justin and the boy sitting on the swing in the yground. From afar, they actually looked like a genuine pair of father and son.

    Children''s swing was far too low for Justin, for his legs were nearly stretched straight out in front of him as he swung at a barely noticeable. degree.

    "My mommy seemed to have broken up with Mr. Peters, Samuel said, to which Justin hummed in response, unfazed. Rachel might look soft, but she was actually really opinionated, and he knew she had already thought long and hard when she told Julian they were over at the airport..

    "Shouldn''t you be feeling happy? I mean, your chance is back." Samuel sized Justin up with his head tilted. "Do you not like my mommy anymore?" Justin shook his head in reply. "I''m sure it''s anybody''s chance but mine."

    "How could you be so depressed?" Samuel looked at the man with disdain. "What happened to your ambitions?" Justin looked at him with a chuckle. "You know what depressed means? You have arge. vocabry."

    "I''m gifted. This is nothing for me." "I used to think so too, and I got conceited." Justin suddenly felt somewhat remorseful as he looked at the twilight afar.

    Before he turned thirty, he was high-spirited and a legend in Riverdale. Everyone would say he was young and promising, but only he knew a price had to be paid if some things were obtained too early on.

    After being despotic and obstinate for years, he ended up with nothing but his beloved and family gone one after another. "You''re too despondent." Samuel shook his head as he looked at Justin. Could one me a child for not understanding a middle-aged man''s frustrations?

    "Daddy!" Charlotte''s exmation came from behind the two gents, leading them to turn their heads around. Rachel walked toward them, with Charlotte waving excitedly in her arms at them while the little girl''s sweet, childish voice echoed in the air. "I want to eat sticky ribs."

    Justin fell into a trance, for he thought he was experiencing a d¨¦j¨¤ vu like he had seen this scene in a long-lost dream. Suddenly, he grabbed the swing''s rope, protected Samuel as the boy hopped off the swing, and extended his arm to Samuel. "C''mon, we''ll have sticky ribs for dinner."

    "Are you cooking?"

    "Yes, I am. We''re eating at yours." He hade to realize one thingtely. Though it was impossible for Rachel to remarry him, and the possibility of them ever getting back together was next to none, he didn''t feelfortable leaving her in any other man''s car. Just how many other men were truly reliable if even Julian could be unrecognizable and filled with nothing but schemes? So he decided no matter what would happen in the future, he would only do what was within his limits and take care of them as best as he could At least make sure nothing like this would happen again while he was around.

    "How did you get here? Do you want me to give you a ride?" Rachel asked when they arrived at the school gates. "I took the cab. I''ll pass up your offer. Didn''t they say they wanted to eat sticky ribs? I''ll take a detour to the supermarket. You guys head back first." Being a quick-witted child, Charlotte hurriedly asked, "What? You came in a cab, Daddy? Can you carry all the groceries by yourself?"

    "With some difficulty, no?" Rachel chimed in. "How about this? Since Victor''s joining us for dinner, I''ll ask Jolly toe as well. The more, the merrier. I should go to the supermarket with you when we''re getting a couple more things."

    "Sounds like a n." After getting into Rachel''s car, Justin shifted his gaze out the window, taking a in gander somewhere. If Rachel had taken a second look, she would''ve discovered Justin''s Mercedes-Benz parked in the temporary parking space across the road. His parking meter had expired at this point, and he was given a ticket. Standing next to his car was a parking enforcement officer. If he didn''t move his car away in the next twenty minutes, it would end up towed away.

    However, to Justin, heading to the supermarket with Rachel in one car was more important right then.

 Chapter 440

    Victor ended up being asked by Rachel to head straight to her home and set the table, as well as calling Jolly and the others, telling them toe home as soon as possible. While riding his electric motorcycle, a thought suddenly hit Victor. "Wait a minute. Didn''t Rachel say to give me a ride? How did it end up being Justin? Would he not have driven if he came to pick the kids up?!"

    After figuring that out, Victor tightened his grip on the handlebar as indignation enveloped his face beneath the helmet. Justin Burton, you shameless f*cking son of a b*tch! How dare you scheme against Rachel again!

    Meanwhile, Rachel and Justin had already arrived at the supermarket. While Justin pushed the shopping trolley, the kids ran far ahead. Rachel, on the other hand, urged the kids to slow down and don''t run off too far while getting what they needed from the racks.

    "Laundry detergent, shampoo... Rachel listed off what they were running out of at home on the top of her head. "We''re running out of hand soap too. I think. Have you used this before?" She suddenly turned to Justin as she grabbed a. bottle of hand soap from the rack. Justin shook his head in reply. "I don''t normally pay attention to these things."

    "Touch¨¦. You''ve never paid attention to these kinds of details anyway." With that, Rachel grabbed a different bottle of hand soap andpared it to the one already in her hand.

    Justin never really cared about the trifle things in life because to him, it was fine as long as it worked. Normally, his assistant or housekeeper would''ve had everything sorted, so he would never take notice. However, seeing how serious Rachel looked right then, he suddenly had an unusual interest in these details.

    "Is there a difference between these two?" he asked. "Of course. The scent is the obvious difference. Then, there''s the nozzle. This onees out as foam, and this onees out as just liquid. The foam ones alsoe out differently with different nozzles." "I''m sorry, what?" Rachel''s eyes lit up as a thought crossed her mind. "Let me show you something fun." She put the two bottles back onto the rack and grabbed a sample bottle. ''This is Charlotte''s favorite. Can you guess why?"

    Justin took a gander and found a flower printed on the outer packaging. "Because of the scent?" "Well, you''re half right. Give me your hand." Rachel froze for a split second right after saying so, regretting her words. Justin, on the other hand, was unruffled, extending his hand to Rachel.

    After pausing for a couple of seconds, Rachel pumped the hand soap once against his palm, and out came pink flower-shaped foam, looking dainty and cute. "This is the reason Charlotte likes this one. Looks good, doesn''t it?" "Does it?"

    "Does it not?" Rachel shot Justin a nce. "How can you not react to that?" She was in utter awe when she first discovered foam pump nozzles could form shapes, but who''d have thought Justin was unfazed?! Then, she remembered his old-fashioned, dispassionate, unromantic temperament, and she didn''t dwell on it any longer, shaking her head. "Why am I telling you all this..."

    Just then, Charlotte''s voice came from the racks a little further away. "Mommy, help me take this chocte! I can''t reach it!" "Coming." Rachel put the bottle of hand soap back at once and made her way to her baby girl, leaving Justin standing there alone with his palm still upright as the edges of the flower-shaped foam slowly popped away.

    A hint of warmthced Justin''s eyes as he nced at the rack. Then, he ced a bottle of Charlotte''s favorite hand soap into the shopping trolley before making his way to the twodies.

    When they arrived at the seafood section, Rachel did a mental calction on their dinner guests. "Two kids, five adults. We''re going to have to double the ingredients. What else are you making apart from sticky ribs?" "How about grilled turbot and baked scallops with cheese? I can just chuck them into the oven."

    "You''ve been spending your time experimenting with recipes, haven''t you?" Rachel took a surprising nce at Justin. Though she had. already seen how much Justin''s cooking had improved, she didn''t expect him to even know how to make these now, saying it like it was normal for him. "We should get a few cuts of steak," he added. "There''s quite a few of us. The steak cane out sooner."

    "Sure." Though they had only been shopping for a while, their trolley was already nearly filled to the brim.

    "I was thinking of getting some flowers. But it looks like we''re going to have trouble carrying it," mumbled Rachel as her gazended on the bucket of white roses in the fresh flower stand.

    "You should get a bouquet, miss. These white roses had just flown in today. They''re at their freshest." The middle-ageddy staff rmended it strongly. "You can keep it in a vase for a long time. It''ll look pretty too, if you turn it into dried flowers."

    Just as Rachel wanted to turn her down, Justin''s voice came from behind. "We''ll take a bouquet." "No, don''t." Rachel hurriedly stopped him. "Buy some if you like it. It''s not like they''re some kind of rare treasure."

    "The thing is, neither Jolly nor I have the time to care for them. We might just leave it as it is and only remembers a yearter." At that, Rachel smiled. "Thanks, but really, no."

    While speaking, she caught Samuel grabbing a toy from the rack out of the corner of her eyes, and she went over to him at once. "Why do you want to buy another Optimus Prime, Samuel? There''s no more space for you to put another one in your room. Have you forgotten what you''ve promised me?"

    Though the boy was far more precocious than the others his age, he surprisingly shared an obsession for Optimus Prime like the other boys. He had hundreds of the figurines alone at home. "This one''s different. Samuel attempted to justify. However, Rachel still shook he head.

    "Okay." The boy put it back with acquiescence. "Thank you, Samuel. We had a deal-you can only get one every Christmas. You have to keep your word."

    "Mm, I''ll keep my word." "Keep an eye on Charlotte for me, please? I''m going there for a bit." At that, Rachel turned to the produce section. Meanwhile, Justin nced at the crestfallen" boy, took the Optimus Prime Samuel had his eyes on, and hid it beneath all the food in the shopping trolley.

    Samuel''s eyes lit up upon seeing so, and he tugged on Justin''s hand, whispering, "I now pronounce us friends." "Haven''t we always been friends?" "Not for some time in the past."

    "And when was that?"

    "When you made my mommy sad."

    The revtion stumped Justin. "When?" "When we were in Montenegro, and also when we just returned to Riverdale. I can often find Mommy drinking alcohol by the balcony alone when Ie out for a pee at night. I can tell she''s sad."

    With that, Justin took a gander at Rachel, who was focused on picking out vegetables. Her long, raven-ck hair was hung loosely around her shoulders, making her look demure and gentle from afar. "Is your mom happy now?"

    Samuel nodded gravely. "She is. I can feel it." Though he didn''t know when it started, he could tell his mom wasn''t forcing her smiles like she would back when they were in Montenegro. "Samuel, you have to tell me at once if anything happens, alright?" "Alright."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Let me ask you this, then. What is your mom''s favorite kind of flower?"

 Chapter 441

    The sky was turning dark by the time they arrived home from the supermarket. Jolly, Leroy, and Victor were already inside the house, ying poker in the living room out of sheer boredom.

    When they saw Justin, Jolly waved at him and greeted, "Leroy and I skipped his movie''s appreciation dinner and rushed over when we heard that you''ll be cooking tonight. Are we your friends, or are we your friends, eh?"

    Ever since Justin saved Leroy, Jolly''s impression of the man had changed entirely, bing all chummy with him as though wishing they could have met sooner.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Meanwhile, Justin was carrying all their shopping in his hands. "If you''re a friend, you''de and help me with the groceries."

    "I''m a girl, though. Girls are all weak and frail. I won''t be able to carry them." Having said that, Jolly still went over and helped him out while taking a look at the things they got, mumbling, "Let me see what we''re having tonight. Turbot? Not bad, I like it! Huh?" After moving the groceries in the entryway to the kitchen, Jolly looked up to find Rachel entering empty-handed, leading her to stand with her arms akimbo. "Do you have to be so discriminatory, Justin? How dare you twist me around your little finger?"

    "Twist whose finger?" Rachel was at aplete loss, for she hadn''t a clue what happened when she just arrived after parking her car.

    "Nothing, Justin answered inly. "Miss Carter voluntarily brought the groceries into the kitchen and even offered to help wash the vegetables, am I right?"

    Jolly rolled her eyes at Justin after being screwed big time. "Pfft, I didn''t promise anything. I''m already pooped from a full day''s work, so I''m not going to do anything but eat. Whoever wants to help out in the kitchen, feel free to be my guest." With that, she dashed to the couch, looking as though she feared she''d be dragged into the kitchen. "Come on, guys. Where were we? F*ck, which one of you stole my cards? Where''s my King?"

    "What King?" Victor rolled his eyes at her. "Don''t go around ndering people. All of them are with me." Jolly shrugged at that. "Alright, my mistake.. Well, where were we?"

    Beside them, Leroy couldn''t stop chuckling to himself. Victor was an idiot. With just a couple of words, he already revealed what he had. Needless to say, they didn''t need to waste much brain juice. ying poker with him. Meanwhile, Rachel helped to prepare the ingredients in the kitchen. On the other hand, Samuel grabbed onto the edge of the kitchen ind and popped half of his head out while looking at Justin.

    In response, Justin looked behind his shoulder at Rachel, pulled out the Optimus Prime action. figure when she wasn''t watching, and hurriedly handed it to the boy.

    "What''s your n with these tomatoes?" Rachel suddenly turned around with a tomato in her hand. ''Soup? Roasted?"

    Samuel reacted super quickly, squatting down behind the ind as soon as Rachel turned around. He thanked his kid-sized body, or Rachel would''ve likely caught him.

    The things I have to do to get an Optimus Prime action figure. Justin, on the other hand, was unfazed. "Make borscht with it. It''ll help to cleanse the pte." "Okay, I''ll prepare some carrots and celery then."

    It wasn''t until Rachel turned back around that Justin tapped on the ind top. Samuel understood instantly and crawled out of the kitchen, pressing his body against the ind ast he made his way into his room. In actuality, the only blindspot was inside the kitchen. Anybody in the living room would''ve seen everything.

    "Hey, check out the sneaky little thief." Jolly gave Leroy a nudge with her elbow. Leroy looked over reflexively and found Samuel crawling into his room with his beloved Optimus Prime in his arms, looking like a thief. Unbeknownst to Leroy, while his eyes were focused on the boy, Jolly tantly took one of the cards they had thrown out onto the coffee table and shoved it into her deck. Victor was rendered gobsmacked. What the heck?! "Hey, it''s your turn," Jolly reminded Leroy. "I''ve already thrown an Ace out. Isn''t it Victor''s turn?" "I''ll pass." Victor shook his head with aplicated gaze. Sure enough, Jolly shamelessly threw the card out. "Joker." "Hold up." Leroy was stumped for a second. "How is there another colored Joker? Wasn''t it thrown out earlier?"

    "What are you talking about? It has always been with me." "Don''t mess with me. Victor threw the colored Joker out, didn''t you, Victor?"

    However, Victor said nothing, only watching the drama. He finally had it all figured out. It was no wonder he had been stifled for a good few rounds. These two were definitely working as a team to cheat him.

    "Dude, say something!" Leroy got anxious. However, it only got Victor to roll his eyes at him. "I didn''t see you saying anything when she stole my cards."

    Leroy instantly turned awkward upon being exposed, but Jolly took her shamelessness to the extreme. "You two pass, right? A pair of three from me it is! Game over! Come on, give me the money, both of you!" Jolly shot right up, forcing the guys to pay up.. The guys were originally pretty glum, but Leroy suddenly said, "You want us to pay up? Fine. Let''s y another round. Are you going to join us?"

    With that, he exchanged a nce with Victor, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest. As though the two were telepathically linked, Victor got what Leroy was thinking in an instant. Sensing something wasn''t right, Jolly immediately shoved the cards away. ''Let''s stop at this. We''ve yed quite a few rounds."

    As she tried to make a run, Leroy grabbed her. "You''re going to run away as soon as you win, huh? That''s terrible sportsmanship. Sit down. We''re ying a couple more rounds."

    "Me? Terrible sportsmanship? Excuse me! You guys are the ones with the lousy skills. You guys will continue to lose horribly no matter how many rounds we''re ying!" "In that case, juste at me!"

    Though there were only three of them in the living room, it sounded like a few tables were ying simultaneously. Just then, Rachel shouted from the kitchen, "I''m not going to stop you guys from ying, but don''t make big bets."

    She was worried Victor''s measly wage wouldn''t be enough against the two big spenders, namely Jolly and Leroy.

    These two wouldn''t even bat an eyelid when they lost a couple of million a night when they gambled in ces like Las Vegas. After all, one had her parents supporting her while the other could earn a fortune every day. Someone like Victor, a simple school teacher, couldn''t afford to go this far.

    Justin saw through her worries at a nce andforted her by saying, "Don''t worry. Judging by how things are looking, Leroy will help Victor to win enough money to buy a good house if Jolly doesn''t yield."

    "That woman is extremely shrewd, and she''d even go as far as to cheat. As if she would lose." "That''s because you''re underestimating Leroy."

    "Leroy?" Rachel was bewildered. "That guy''s an angel! He''s just pissed off right now and is deliberately messing with Jolly. As if he''d really go against her."

    "Trust me, Rae. He''s no angel. Want to bet? If he wants to, he can decide who wins the game. Not only that, he''s able to determine the amount of money won or lost on the table for each person."

    It sounded so absurd to Rachel that she thought Justin was only joking. At that, shel rolled her eyes at him. "Why don''t you just say he''s the king of all gambling kings? As if I''d believe that kind of bullsh*t."

    Justin shifted his gaze to the living room, looking at Leroy''s back with profound shrewdness. Jolly''s parents must''ve had a clue about Leroy''s background, which was why they were so against their daughter dating him. The question now was when Leroy would finally clean with Jolly. If he failed to handle it well, Ryan might get another chance at winning Jolly over.

    To be honest, Justin couldn''t be bothered with gossip like this. However, Jolly was Rachel''s best friend. If things didn''t go well with her, Rachel would worry for her as well. It seemed that he would have to mull over this seriously.

 Chapter 442

    Rachel was setting up the dining table after cooking, and she shouted in the direction of the living room, "Stop ying! Come and eat." At this moment, Jolly''s eyes were reddened in disbelief. "This doesn''t make sense at all! It''s impossible! You two are definitely cheating!" Victor rolled his eyes at her and said, "Don''t tantly use people when you can''t afford to lose. We''re just ying poker as usual, and I didn''t do anything. Not everyone will cheat like you."

    "You''re saying that you''re just ying poker as usual when both of you keep winning? I''ve lost more than ten thousand, you know!"

    Jolly''s parents had brought her to casinos since she was young, so she had picked up the habit of gambling a little. She was just messing around with them when she cheated earlier. In fact, her skills and luck were always on the good side. Although she had lost a few million within a night before, their bets here were quite small for Victor''s sake. If this was in the casino, she had already lost ten million.

    Anyhow, she just couldn''t ept this fact. "This is impossible." "There''s nothing impossible on the table." As soon as Jolly heard that, she frowned and started studying Leroy. "Why do I feel like: something is up with you?"

    He was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt quilty. "What is up with me?" Then, she went near to his face and said, "Tell me. Did you look at my cards?"

    When he heard that, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Do you think I need to look at your cards? I can already guess what you have in hand."

    "Whatever. You looked at my cards!" As she said that, she jumped on him, forcing him to admit it. Meanwhile, Victor was busy opposite them as he received the transactions. He reminded Jolly, "You owe me one thousand and two hundred for this round, Jolly. Don''t forget it."

    "Do you guys still want to eat or not?" From the dining room, Rachel shouted again, "I''m not going to treat you guys well anymore if you: don''t stop!"

    "Coming!" Jolly behaved herself instantly. "Let me wash my hands first." When Victor noticed the feast on the table, he couldn''t help praising Justin despite disliking him all this while. "Wow! It''s such a waste not to open a restaurant with such cooking skills."

    "It''d be a waste if he did." Following the topic, Rachel asked Justin, "The Riverdale Charity Foundation has already started calling me, saying that they''ll be doing the election polling within Riverdale. Do you want to give it a second thought? If you run for the election, the vice president''s ce would definitely be yours."

    In fact, many people hoped that Justin could take the vice president''s ce within the charity foundation again since the reputation of the foundation''s partnerpanies had been extremely good throughout his term. Not only that, the socially vulnerable groups that garnered attention were getting the most reliable protection and the charity businesses were bing more influential. This was a win-win situation for society and thepanies.

    Also, the partnerpanies still felt guilty for misunderstanding Justin regarding Jessica''s matter. No matter if it was the foundation''s partnerpanies or the public, all of them. hoped that Justin would take up the position. once more.

    While putting food on Charlotte''s and Samuel''s tes, he said calmly, "I thought you were going to talk about Victor and Gloria."

    "What about them? Jolly''s words made Justin sessfully change the topic. The matter about the charity foundation was put aside. again and Rachel could only swallow the advice that she was going to give him.

    Meanwhile, Charlotte answered Jolly excitedly. "Mr. Wade is going to propose to Aunt Gloria!" "Really? Are you finally enlightened, Victor?" Jolly looked at Victor in surprise.

    Hearing that, he scratched his head and said, "Gloria''s onlying back to Riverdale at the end of the year after she finishes her tour, though. There are still a few months left. Isn''t it too early to talk about the proposal?"

    "You should propose before it''s toote. Why are you waiting until the end of the year?" "It''s not like I want it, but she can''te back so soon." "Are you dumb?" Jolly red at him. "Why can''t you look for her if she can''te back?"

    Victor didn''t think of that at all, and he was stunned by this. Throughout all these years, he had only left Riverdale a few times, let alone traveled abroad.

    The others were stunned too. Not only was he unaware, even Rachel didn''t think of this alternative too. "That''s right, Victor. You can head abroad to find Gloria and propose to her right away. I think this is a good n." However, Victor was still hesitant. ''I think it''s okay. I can wait until she''s back. There''s no need to rush it, after all."

    "Are you serious?" Jolly wanted to punch him in the face. "There are so many young, sessful, and handsome guys in her band. Not only that, she has so many avid fans following her around the world. Do you really have no idea, or are you just pretending not to know? The fans of musicians like Gloria, who were well-known globally, were typically elites since ordinary people wouldn''t have such musical virtuosity. In other words, her admirers were all wealthy people. Victor would be nothing in front of any of them.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "You should know that you''re extremely lucky to get such a good woman. You''d better hold onto her tight."

    Rachel was afraid that Jolly was being too straightforward and that it would make Victor lose his confidence, so she said to him, "Although her words are harsh, what she said makes sense, Victor." "I still have sses to teach, though."

    "Oh,e on. Don''t you get to take annual leave?" Jolly rolled her eyes at him. "Or, are you just afraid to go alone?" "Who are you talking about? Who''s afraid?" Instantly, his face turned red. It was obvious that he was bing angry from embarrassment after Jolly spoke his mind.

    Only then did Rachel understand that people would normally fear unknown situations. It was especially so for people like Victor, and asking him to go overseas alone was actually quite difficult for him.

    "Cut it out. If you''re not afraid to go, why wait more than two months until she''s back? Aren''t you afraid that trouble wille up if you keep dying it?"

    "I''ll go then!" Unexpectedly, he was prodded by Jolly. "You said it yourself. She smiled joyously. "Let''s not dy any further. I think you should go next Monday. You can take a five-day leave andbine it with the weekend to get a one-week holiday."

    "Fine. I''ll apply for leave tonight when I head back home." "We''re going with you." As Rachel said that, the others were in shock. However, her face showed that she was serious about it. "Why are you all looking at me? Don''t you guys want to be a part of such a blessed moment? Also, you guys have nothing to do either. Aren''t you free, Justin? We''re talking about Gloria, the person you grew up with. She''s going to be taken away by this guy beside you, yet you''re not going to be there at the proposal?"

    When he heard that, Justin said, "Let me know when the date is confirmed. I''ll book the flight tickets." Meanwhile, Jolly looked at Rachel and asked, "That''s your little brother''s proposal. Aren''t you going to be there?"

    In fact, Rachel was just worried about Victor''s safety if he went overseas alone. Now that she was asked to join, there was no reason for her to say no. As such, she said with a smile, "I''ll be there. Of course, these two little guys are going to be there too. They can just skip one week of school, right?"

    When Charlotte heard that they were skipping school, she jumped down from the chair while cheering, "Hooray!"

    As for Leroy, Jolly just gave him a nce and he immediately understood. He took out his phone instantly. "I''ll call my manager now and ask him to decline all my schedules for the next week. I''m going with you guys too."

    "Well, it''s settled." Jolly raised her wine ss.. "Let''s toast this proposal trip! Cheers!"

 Chapter 443

    That was exactly Jolly''s personality, she would do whatever was in her mind in haste. Meanwhile, Rachel would need to n everything out in detail, such as how they were going to prepare the proposal when they reached there. She wanted to have every tiny detail

    under control. However, if it were up to Jolly, it would just be a spontaneous trip.

    "I''ve checked Gloria''s tour. She''ll be performing in Switzend for three continuous days from next Friday to Sunday. They should be there at least two or three days earlier, which means she''ll likely be there by Wednesday. I think we should go to Switzend on Monday and decorate the ce first."

    "Don''t you think it''s too hasty?" Rachel was still having second thoughts. We still haven''t nned anything yet."

    "Even if we have a n, things are always changing. We can just go first and discuss it on the way. It''s decided then." Before they ended the meal, Jolly had already called the shots and made the decision. After sending the guests out, Jolly immediately. plopped down on the couch and started ying games.

    Rachel couldn''t stand looking at her like this. "You should get up and do something since you always say that you want to stay fit."

    "What can I do? You can see it for yourself." Jolly didn''t even lift her eyelids. "Those three men are even more attentive than the both of us. They cleaned the kitchen after eating and even took the trash out. What more is there for me to do?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Hearing that, Rachel looked around and realized the trashcan was indeed cleaner than her face. As they were talking, a knock came from the door. "Did someone forget something?" she muttered while walking to open the door.

    When she opened the door, a big bouquet of white roses dazzled in front of her eyes. Instantly, she was shocked. Just then, the face of the delivery boy in a helmet appeared from. the back of the bouquet. "Hi, is this Miss Hudson? There''s a bouquet for you. Please sign here."

    "I didn''t order any flowers, though." "Please check whether the phone number and the house number are correct." Rachel took the delivery receipt and checked. the details on it. After making sure that they were all correct, she nodded in confusion. "It''s yours, then." The delivery boy gave the bouquet of roses to Rachel. "Have a good night."

    With the flowers in her arms, she stood at the door as something came to her mind all of a sudden. She was stunned for a moment, but she felt that it wasn''t possible. As she thought about it while walking into the house, she could hear Jolly sitting up from the couch. "Where''s this from? Who gave you that?"

    Before Rachel could answer, she was cut off by the ringing of her phone. She was shocked when she saw the caller ID. Below the unit building, a ck Maybach was parked on the opposite, and Julian was leaning against the car door in a beige wind coat. When he saw Racheling out, he quickly stood up straight. With the fall wind blowing and the street lights shining in the dark, the view was seemingly dested.

    She had just met him this morning at the opening banquet of Westhill Racecourse. When she saw him in the morning, he had a superior look which made her feel strange. But now, he looked like he was back to his old self. "Did you send me those flowers?'' Rachel broke the silence. "Why are you here all of a sudden?"

    Julian was stunned for a moment when he heard that, but he immediately answered herst question, "I was too busy when we met out there in the morning as I had many things to handle. The things I said might have made you ufortable, so I''m here to apologize." Hearing that, she calmed her tone a little. "I was too harsh on you in the morning too. I''m sorry about that. If you really admit your mistake, you should apologize to him. He''ll forgive you for sure. We are friends, but he''s your brother. You shouldn''t be plotting against him." "I came here to apologize to you, Rachel. This has nothing to do with him." When Rachel heard that, she drew her brows together slightly. Perhaps the matter between Julian and Justin needs some time to be resolved. She couldn''t say much as she was just an outsider. She was already grateful when Julian was willing to admit his mistake. They had been friends for such a long time, after all. Thus, she didn''t want to be on bad terms with him more than anyone else. "I''m here to ask you for a favor, Rachel."

    "If it''s something that I can help with, I''ll be more than happy to." "I hope you can veto if Justin proposes Robin''s dismissal as the president during the Burton Group shareholders'' meeting at the end of thei year."

    Hearing that, Rachel froze in disbelief. Justin had given her a part of Burton Group''s shares to her under Charlotte''s name, so she had the right to participate in the shareholders'' meeting and vote on the proposals. However, she didn''t want to use this entitlement since it was still Justin''s right in her eyes.

    d youe all the way here for this?" She "Did y looked at the man in front of her in disbelief. "You''re not here to apologize."

    "I do feel sorry for you. If you''re willing to, I still hope that you can be on the same side with me." As Julian said that, he reached out his hand to Rachel. However, Rachel took a step back immediately, dodging him.

    Julian''s hand was left hanging in the air for a few moments before he brought his hand to the side of his body. "I''m telling you the truth, and I''m serious about you too. It''s just that you don''t treat me the same."

    "I''m serious about all of my friends." Rachel snapped her brows together. "If what you''re doing is right and not some dirty trick, why would I not support you? Do you realize that you''re getting carried away, Julian?"

    "You''re just biased against me, thinking that I can only be a feckless doctor for my whole life." "I''ve never thought of you that way before. Also, what''s so bad about being a doctor?"

    "I deserve half of the Burton Family!" Julian raised his voice all of a sudden and clenched his fists beside him. "He''s hogged the Burton Group for so many years, and it should be my turn now. From the outside, it looks like he has left the Burton Group, but he still has his henchmen inside thepany. What''s more, he''s going to drag Robin down from the president''s ce at any time. He''s just doing. everything under the table."

    "Robin is just not fit to be the Burton Group''s president!" Rachel was growing anxious as well. "From the beginning, I have never quite understood something. Why must you support Robin? He''s such a cunning person!"

    "That''s because he listens to me. No matter if he''s doing it for the money or power, he''ll listen to me and work under my orders as long as I have both."

    At this moment, Rachel felt as though she was looking at a stranger when she stood in front of Julian. There had never been a moment like now when she felt like she didn''t know this person at all. "Julian, if your happiness needs to be achieved by money and power, I guess we belong to different worlds."

    Rachel took a deep breath and felt that her fingers were hurting as she clenched her fists. Saying such resolute words to a good friend whom she had known for many years was like stabbing herself with a knife. "I won''t be involved in any matters rted to the Burton Group, and I''ll renounce my vote. You''re on your own now."

    This was her second time saying such words. While looking at her from behind, Julian knitted his brows gradually. All in all, he had achieved his purpose.

    On the other hand, Rachel saw the bouquet of white roses on the table as soon as she entered the house. She wanted to put it into a vase in the first ce, but when she recalled what Julian said, she took the bouquet of roses and put them in the corner of the balcony. "What happened?" Jolly leaned against the back of the couch with surprise written on her face when she saw Rachel, who had juste back from outside. "Why are you putting the flowers on the balcony? They''ll wilt by tomorrow. I thought white roses were your favorite Who is it from?"

    At this moment, Rachel had mixed emotions. ''A stranger. In her eyes, Julian was just a stranger now.

 Chapter 444

    On Sunday afternoon, Rachel and the others took off from the airport. The ne flew across the sky above Riverdale Airport, separating the sky into two and leaving a long white trail.

    Victor sat beside Rachel on the ne. When they were taking off, he was frozen in his seat and didn''t know where to put his hands.

    When she noticed that, Rachelforted him by saying, "Don''t be nervous, you''ll be fine. If your ears are feeling ufortable, just cover them and exhale."

    "I''m not nervous about that." He looked at the clouds outside the window and said softly, "I''m thinking about the possibility of Gloria rejecting me."

    "Don''t worry." She patted his shoulder andforted him just like a gentle sister. "I''m sure that Gloria will be very happy if you propose to her."

    "Really?" "You''ll need to try it yourself to know whether it''s real or not. Are you not going to propose to her if I tell you that she won''t say yes?" It might hurt his pride if he was rejected, but he would definitely regret it for the rest of his life if they were separated because he didn''t take the initiative to propose.

    After being encouraged by her words, Victor nodded and replied, "I get it."

    Across the aisle, Jolly stuck her head out from Leroy''s shoulder and watched the fun. "If Gloria rejects you, just take this trip as our holiday trip together." Hearing that, Victor said, "In that case, I might as well go to school."

    Jolly was just being kind byforting him. Who knew that he would give her a cold shoulder? "Seeing how she fell for you, Gloria sure has weird taste in men." "Alright, don''t tease him anymore. He''s already nervous enough." Rachel looked at Jolly resignedly. "Shh-" It was already nighttime when the ne was flying smoothly in the sky, and they still needed another day before they reached Switzend.

    They had five adults and two kids, and they took up all the seats on this flight''s business ss. Samuel took two seats for himself behind Jolly and Leroy, and he was looking at his tablet attentively. Across the aisle was Justin, who was telling Charlotte a story. ''There are three little pigs..."

    At the same time, in Riverdale, the office lights were still on in the Burton Group''s building. Julian was using hot water to wash the tea cups on the tea table and was taking his time making tea, whereas Robin sat opposite him.

    "If we''re sure that Rachel will renounce her vote, then we''ll have a better chance of winning. There are still a few oldies in the shareholders'' meeting who are still clean. We just need to dig out some dirt on them."

    Julian said indifferently, "You should figure it out yourself. I''ve done all I can to help you." "I know that you''ve already done a lot to keep my position. There are plenty of fish in the sea; many women out there are gentler and prettier than Rachel. I can introduce some of them to you."

    When he heard that, Julian just gave him a blood-curdling stare. Robin immediately shut his mouth and didn''t dare to say anything else. Julian didn''t want to say anything extra to him. "What else do you need to discuss with me?"

    "Right, we need to talk about the charity foundation. Isn''t there a vacancy for the vice president of Riverdale Charity Foundation? They kept asking Justin to go back, but he was so arrogant that he didn''t even let the president in when he personally went there to offer him the position. Thus, the foundation is going to do an election and do a democratic vote. I''ve also received the invitation for the election polling."

    As he said that, he took out the invitation and put it on the table. "There are three candidates for the election right now. Who do you think we should vote for?"

    "I''m not interested in charity. You can decide for yourself." Just as Julian said that, a knock came from the door.

    The office''s door was actually open, and Julian''s assistant entered. "President Peters." Julian didn''t even look up and just continued doing what he was doing. "What have you got?"

    "I''ve asked Miss Hudson''s assistant, and she told me that Miss Hudson and Miss Carter went overseas for a holiday trip together. Thus, they won''t be in the office for now."

    "Just the two of them?" "I think Miss Carter''s boyfriend went with them too. I noticed that he has declined all of his schedules today. There was a birthday party that he needed to attend, but he wasn''t there. He was trending because of this too."

    "Any other people?" After a moment of hesitation, his assistant said, ''I''ve checked their flight details, and the President is on the same flight..." She didn''t mention the word ''Burton'', for everyone knew that the word ''President Burton'' was taboo in the Burton Group. In fact, no one dared to mention it in front of Julian.

    When he heard this, Julian lowered his head with mncholy written on his face. Robin, who was watching from the side, flinched and didn''t dare to say a word either.

    At this moment, Julian glimpsed at the invitation from the corners of his eyes and gathered his gaze. "Has the registration for the charity foundation''s election closed yet?"

    After Robin was stunned for a moment, he answered, "No, it hasn''t. The registration will be closed next week." "Prepare for it. We''re running for the election."

    "Us?" Robin was startled. "Are you saying that you want to run for the vice president position in Riverdale Charity Foundation? That''s an unrewarding job. More importantly, most of the people in the foundation are Justin''s people. It''s really unnecessary to fight with him for this. Even a worm will turn. Just let him torture himself with this..."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "There are no permanent friends in front of interest." With the exquisite little teacup in his hand, Julian said calmly, "After all, there''s not supposed to be any positions for him in Riverdale in the first ce."

    Had it not been for Robin''s reminder, Julian almost forgot that Justin''s prestige stemmed primarily from his connections and achievements in the Riverdale Charity Foundation. Julian wanted to see who else would support Justin without the foundation. The flight from Riverdale to Switzend would take one day and one night. Everyone on the ne was adjusting to jetg and had already fallen asleep by then.

    Rachel wasn''t sleeping very soundly because of the bumpy flight when the ne encountered turbulence. As such, she was awakened when she heard cries. She opened her eyes vaguely and saw Justin patting Charlotte''s shoulder, putting her to sleep. Before she slept, she had changed her seat to the one beside Samuel, and she was just an aisle across from Justin. Charlotte was probably having a nightmare; perhaps she wasn''t feeling well either, for she whimpered in her sleep.

    "Is she okay?" Rachel stuck out her body and asked. Hearing that, Justin waved his hand to her and said softly, "She''s fine. She''s probably just having a nightmare."

    "You didn''t sleep at all?"

    "I''m not tired." Rachel looked at her watch and saw that it was already 5.00AM. "You won''t be able to adjust to jetg like this when we reach there."

    "Don''t worry. I''m used to it. I''ll nap for a while before wend." After hearing that, only then did Rachel remember that Justin was a workaholic. He was flying here and there around the world within a year, so he was used to adjusting to jetg quickly, unlike the rest, they still needed time to adjust. However, such frequent changes. in the body clock could cause serious harm to the body.

    "You still need to take care of your body," she reminded him. At this moment, the air stewardess, who was in the rest cabin, probably heard a child crying. She pulled the curtains open and came over to ask attentively, "What happened to the child? Do you need any help?" "It''s okay. She''s just having a nightmare, Rachel replied. "Can you give me a cup of water?" Just water? We have wine here, Madam. If you can''t sleep, perhaps you can have some wine to help you rest. What do you think?"

    Rachel nodded after hesitating for a moment. She was indeed a light sleeper and needed some alcohol to help her sleep better.

 Chapter 445

    "Here''s the red wine you asked for," the air stewardess announced pleasantly as she arrived between Rachel and Justin''s respective rows with two sses of red wine in hand. Rachel was a little taken aback by this, she had only asked for one, but just as she was about to say something, Justin reached past her and said to the air stewardess, "Thank you."

    "You''re wee. Call me if you need anything else," the air stewardess replied with a smile. When she was out of earshot, Justin gave Rachel an amused look and pointed out, "I''m guessing the airline is used to situations like these."

    "Huh?" Rachel looked confused. "Most parents have a hard time rxing after getting their kids to sleep during a long-haul flight, so they''ll usually ask for a ss of wine to help them unwind," he exined patiently.

    This made sense, seeing how the air stewardess had handed them the wine in a manner that suggested she had done this for a better part of her career. It was only then that Rachel snapped out of her daze, and she smiled as she acknowledged his point. "I guess you''re right."

    The cabin was silent save for the whirring of the ne engines, and the lights had been dimmed as well. Everyone else on the flight seemed to have fallen asleep, leaving Justin and Rachel as the only ones awake. They did not want to wake everyone with their chatter, so Justin raised his ss and muttered quietly, "Goodnight."

    "Goodnight," Rachel whispered. They each turned to look at the child next to them in their individual seats and slowly sipped their wine. When they had finished thest drop of wine, warm drowsiness washed over them. Just like that, they slept through the night. After a whole day and night of flying, they finally touched down in Geneva, Switzend. They decided that they would stay here for a night so that they could go over the details of the proposal before they had to leave for Zermatt, which was their final destination. They had only just arrived in the hotel lobby when a tall figure approached them with his arms spread wide open, greeting them with at loud, "Surprise, my dear friends!"

    Hernandez rushed up to pull Rachel into a hug. but Justin effectively blocked his advances. Seeing this, he turned to hug Jolly instead, but Leroy had already anticipated this and quickly pulled her behind him.

    In the midst of this awkwardness, Hernandez decided to lift Samuel off the ground to twirl instead. "Merry Christmas, Samuel!" "Hernandez, you''re squishing me!" Samuel cried out in protest, kicking his little legs. "Let me go!"

    "Aw, why aren''t you guys excited to see me?" Hernandezined, looking wounded. "I haven''t seen you guys in ages, and this is the response I get?''

    Jolly yawned, clearly feeling the effects of jetg as she said, "It''s not much of a surprise when we already know you''d be here. Besides, you''ve been spamming us in the group chat for thest two days. Dude, don''t you ever sleep?"

    Two days ago, she had created a ''Team Proposal group chat and identally invited. Hernandez. It had been an honest mistake, but upon seeing that a proposal was in the works, he got excited and demanded to be in on it as well. To prove that he was dedicated to the operation, he even arrived in Geneva half a day earlier than the rest of them, though, in all fairness, he lived close to the city.

    Presently, having heard Jolly''s remark, he feigned exaggerated sadness and sighed as he said, "Fine, I''ll hug myself."

    Rachelughed at this. "Okay, Hernandez, stop being so dramatic. We''re all happy to see you, and we''re d you''re part of the n too. You''re like our mascot."

    "You''re a girl after my own heart, Chris," he said, beaming. "Come on, I''ve already booked us a suite so we can all bunk in together. We should check in at reception."

    "Alright." They made their way toward the counter with their baggage. Justin fell in step behind the rest of them, and when Hernandez spotted him, he pped a hand on his shoulder and said, "Hey, man. I haven''t seen you in a while. You holding up okay?" Justin was impassive as he bit out, "Better than you think." "You''re not wrong there. I honestly thought you would fall out with Chris and the others after thewsuit, but I guess you were more chivalrous than I gave you credit for."

    "This has nothing to do with chivalry. Plus, I think I''d be considered a calctive prick to others, especially to free-spirited souls like you and the rest of your people." "Now you''re just being biased." "I won''t deny that," Justin said as he walked ahead in long strides. Unbothered, Hernandez turned to grin at Victor, who was now thest of the group. He patted him on the shoulder consolingly and said, "Rx, buddy. I''m sure she''ll say yes."

    Victor nodded solemnly, but he was still undeniably anxious. Hernandez had booked the suite on his own ord so that everyone could bunk in together. The hotel was historical with European-gothic architecture which blended with the rest of the beautiful city. The suite even came with a built-in firece that kept the room warm from the wintry Genevan weather.

    "Ria''s agent said that the band will be arriving tomorrow, and they''ll be staying in this hotel as well," Rachel reported after getting off the phone with Gloria''s agent.

    Jolly chimed in, "It''s a five-hour drive from here to Zermatt, and there won''t be a single car there. How will Gloria get there on time?"

    "That''s going to be a problem," Rachel agreed gravely, frowning. They had nned on using their tourist status as an excuse to lure Gloria over to the skiing resort at the foot of the Alps, where they would spring the surprise proposal on her. However, to get there would take half a day, and Gloria supposedly had a show in Geneva on Friday. All things considered, she might decline meeting them at the Alps altogether.

    They were still fretting over this when Justin came out of his bedroom after putting Charlotte to sleep. Having overheard their conversation, he interjected, "Ria loves a good time, so she''ll show up for sure."

    "Are you sure?'' Rachel pressed. He nodded. "Tomorrow''s a Tuesday, which means they''ll be staying here for the night. If she were to leave for Zermatt on Wednesday morning, then she''ll get to the Alps by noon, and if our n turns out well, we cane back to Geneva with her on Thursday. She''ll get her rest for the night and the following day without disrupting her show on Friday evening. I don''t see how things won''t work out if we stick to that schedule."

    "I guess that works," Rachel said with a nod. "I''ll text her now and let her know I''m in Geneva." "Okay," everyone else said in unison. She texted Gloria at once, but much to her surprise, her phone started buzzing with a video call from the girl.

    Rachel gave everyone a measured look. "Video. call, she announced. Jolly immediately put at finger to her lips to shush the rest of the team. It was only when the suite was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop that Rachel put the call through.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Hi!" The phone screen lit up as Gloria appeared with a face mask and a pair of shades. She was in the airport, and she had her back to the ss wall beyond which was an idling ne. "I didn''t know you were in Geneva, Rachel! Are you there on business? Did you know I have a show there this week? Look, that''s my ne right there! I''m at the airport right now, in case you couldn''t tell, and I''ll be in Geneva this time tomorrow!"

    There were barely any pauses in between Gloria''s words as she said all this to Rachel excitedly. It was her cue to act, Rachel realized, and she feigned surprise as she eximed, "What a coincidence! Yes, I''m here on business. Did you say you''ll be arriving tomorrow?" "Yeah! How long will you be in Geneva? Can we grab a cup of coffee before you go back? I haven''t seen you for ages! Which hotel are you staying at?"

    Hotel? Rachel''s eyes widened by a fraction, and her throat ran dry. She had not thought about that. She was just about to answer when suddenly, Jolly started coughing violently.

    "Wait, is there somebody else with you?'' Glorial asked, bewildered when she heard the noise.

 Chapter 446

    The initial cover story pivoted on Rachel pretending to have toe to Geneva alone and thereafter inviting Gloria to go skiing with her at Zermatt. However, Jolly''s violent coughing fit had obviously blown that cover. Thus, Gloria would now know that Rachel had not alone.

    Thankfully, Jolly thought of a brilliant way to continue the bluff. She cleared her throat loudly and said, "It''s me!" She scooted over to where Rachel was, popping up on the screen. "As if I''d let her travel without her trusty assistant!"

    At the sight of Jolly, Gloria rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You''re a lot of things, but trusty isn''t one of them. You keep getting caught by the paps when you and Leroy are on your dates. I bet you even brought him along to Switzend so that you can have a couple''s trip!" "Whether or not I''m on a couple''s trip is none of your concern. Anyway, we''ve pretty much concluded the work part of our trip, so we''ll be having fun for the next few days. We''re heading to Zermatt tomorrow morning for skiing. I can''t tell you how much I''ve missed skiing with Chris. I think thest time we did that was two years ago."

    Upon hearing this, Gloria said at once, "I wannal go!" Rachel froze. She couldn''t believe the girl would rise to the bait so easily.

    Jolly''s triumphant gaze flickered over to the others who were crowded on the other side of the room. She and Gloria had been fighting over the position of Rachel''s best friend since the first day they met, and there was nothing scarier than when two women had their eyes set on a goal.

    "Why are you going?" Jolly asked, the challenge clear in her tone. "You don''t even know how to ski, and the slopes at Zermatt aren''t kind to amateurs. Don''t torture yourself, little maestro. Wouldn''t want you getting hurt and canceling your show in Geneva."

    "Don''t patronize me! I had professional training on skiing too, you know!" "Yeah, I''m not convinced. You can''t fake your way down the slopes in Zermatt-not even if you did hire a professional coach at the veryst minute."

    Desperate to prove herself, Gloria almost shouted, "You girls have to wait for me! You can''t go to Zermatt without me! We''ll go to Zermatt together as soon as I get off the ne in Geneva. Rachel, you''ll have to be the judge and see which of us is better at skiing!" When Rachel heard the panic in the girl''s voice, she nearly sputtered. "Okay, calm down. We''ll head to Zermatt in the morning, so why don''t you stay a night in Geneva before you join us the following day? It isn''t safe for you to drive all the way there at night, especially while it''s snowing."

    "Aren''t you going to wait for me?" Gloria asked, looking wounded. "We''ll wait for you in Zermatt," Rachel said soothingly.

    Gloria''s agent added helpfully, "Miss Hudson is only looking out for you, so don''t be stubborn about this. Besides, there aren''t any trains servicing Geneva and Zermatt at night."

    Trains were the only way one could get to Zermatt from Geneva; no other motor vehicles were allowed to traverse between the two points. Considering this, Gloria reluctantly eded. "So, it''s just the two of you right?"

    Jolly and Rachel exchanged a brief look with the others. The former smirked as she gloated, "Of course, it''s just the two of us. It''s a girls'' trip, after all."

    Meanwhile, the four men in the room each wore different expressions. One looked anxious about the next step of the n; one was practically buzzing with excitement; one looked entirely indifferent, and thest one was mesmerized by his girlfriend''s smooth lying skills. As things were, the operation was well and underway.

    When the video call finally ended, Rachel let out a huge sigh of relief and gulped down a whole ss of water. "Oh my gosh, I was so nervous I thought my heart was going to leap out of my throat!" She hade so close to blowing their cover. Had Jolly not interfered in time, she would have given away the name of their hotel.

    There were plenty of hotels in Geneva. If Gloria found out that Rachel was staying in the same hotel she would be checking into tomorrow, she would undoubtedly grow suspicious of her.

    "Whew, that was close! Thank goodness our cover wasn''t blown!" Jolly looked immensely pleased with herself as she added, "I deserve an award for that incredible improv. Aren''t you d you brought me along?"

    "Yes, totally. I''m so d, Rachel humored her with good-natured exasperation. "You''re our lucky star."

    Rachel went on to praise the girl for her quick wit. After a while, she looked at the clock. hanging on the wall above the firece. "Okay, everyone, we should turn in for the night. We''ll be leaving for Zermatt early tomorrow morning, and we''ve got plenty to do when we get there."

    Save for Victor, who was a bundle of nerves, everyone else was exhausted and obediently shuffled into their rooms. It was in the early hours of the morning when Justin woke up and padded out of his room to order room service. However, he had only just gone into the living room when he saw another figure sitting there. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

    Victor snapped out of his reverie when he heard the cool and crisp voice sounding from behind him. He turned and registered Justin''s presence, then said, "I did, but I couldn''t stay asleep for long, so I got up and came out here. Why are you up so early?" "I was going to order room service. I figured we could all use some breakfast before we head up to Zermatt."

    "How thoughtful of you," Victormented. Upon seeing how nonchnt the other man looked, Justin decidedly pulled up a seat across from him. The only thing that separated them was the corner of the rug, which kept them at a pleasant distance.

    Justin gave Victor a measured look, then broke the silence by pointing out, "You know, it isn''t toote to change your mind now if you''re having second thoughts about proposing."

    Victor was shocked to hear this, and he gaped at Justin incredulously as he used, ''Are you asking me to back off and recognize my ce?"

    "Sure, if that''s how you interpret it." A grim look passed over Victor''s face, and he bit out angrily, "You just don''t like the idea of me and Gloria being together."

    "What makes you think that?" "Because you think Gloria can do better than someone of my background, and my job is far less impressive than anyone might expect of a great pianist''s boyfriend. Also, you''ve been on my case after all that has happened that year. I''m probably the one person you wish Gloria would never choose to be with."

    Justin did not deny any of this. Instead, he asked indifferently, "So? Are you going to give up?"

    Victor blinked at him. He was not expecting this, but for some reason, the words ''give up'' made him contemte the possibility that he and Gloria might separate. His heart tightened at the thought of losing her, and his fists clenched as well

    He glowered at Justin darkly as he retorted, "If giving up were part of my ns, then I''d never have gotten together with her in the first ce."

    "In that case, what I think of you wouldn''t matter, right?" Justin went on to point out. "Are you going to give up on a future with her just because everyone else is against you?" "Of course not."

    "Then whatever you said to me earlier ispletely meaningless." Justin''s gaze was calm, and he gave Victor a pointed look before fixing his eyes on a spot above the firece. "You shouldn''t be too concerned about what others think of your rtionship with Gloria. If you guys want to make things work, then no one else''s opinion matters as much as your own. As long as the both of you are in this together and continue to choose each other, then whatever the rest of the world says is just moot."

    "You''re not asking me to give up?" Victor was incredulous.

    "Have I ever? You''ve made it this far. If you don''t pull yourself together and continue to wallow in self-pity, I can''t imagine the mess Gloria would be saddled with for the rest of her life if she says yes to your proposal. In fact, you''d back. out of the marriage before I even asked you to.

    "No, that won''t happen, not unless Ria changes. her mind about me." "Whether or not she changes her mind about you does not depend on her, but on the both of you."

    This was the first time Justin had had such a serious conversation with Victor, particrly on the point of his rtionship with Gloria.

    It was as if everyone else had forgotten that he and Gloria had grown up together. Justin was like a father and brother to her, and she meant more to him than anyone could imagine. It was hard for him to step down and let someone else take care of her.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Victor, Ria is a musician. ying the piano and performing all around the world will be a lifelong career for her. She will continue to take her ce on the stage and shine before an adoring crowd. Furthermore, she''ll only gain more fame along the way. You''ll probably always be in the shadows, supporting her while she basks in the limelight. Both of you are self-centered, and you have some self-esteem issues you need to work on too."

    Victor wanted to deny it but frowned and said nothing in the end. He knew Justin was only pointing out the truth.

 Chapter 447

    "You are right." Dejection shed in Victor''s eyes. While he was not a particrly romantic man, he was also not a very rational one either. In fact, he was rather impulsive.

    He had gone down the wrong path as a young man. If it had not been for Rachel, who knew which gutter or prison cell he would be in now?

    "The more time I spend with Ria, the more I start to wonder. Sometimes I talk myself into trying, just once. If I do not try, I will never know if I can make her happy. In reality, our time as youths was not meant for testing things out. If I made a mistake, I would have ruined her."

    This was the first time Victor had ever told anyone what he truly thought. Sure, he might have a bad temper and act a little impulsive, but he truly loved Gloria. As such, he had thought about every possibility. "As long as you are true to her, no matter what, doing your best would be the best oue."

    Justin''sment stunned Victor. However, Justin did not borate further and merely patted him hard on the shoulder. "It is gettingte, and you still have two hours. Gol take a nap and freshen yourself up."

    He then grabbed the menu from the table and headed toward the door, intent on calling the receptionist to book their breakfast.

    When he was about to open the door, he heard Victor say, "Thank you, but I still have one more question-do you think what you have with Rachel right now is the best ending?"

    Justin immediately stopped in his tracks and slowly curled up his fists. "As long as you are true to her, anything that came out of doing your best would be the best oue, Victor parroted. Justin froze. To him, what was currently going on was the best he could make out of the situation. However, that was not the case for Rachel. He did not do his best for her.

    Everyone had eventually forgiven him for what happened back then. He could feel their kindness directed at him now. So, perhaps Rachel would let it go one day. Oh, how he longed for that day.

    He did not want her to let go because he was hoping it would mean she could ept him back in her life; rather, he wanted her to do so. because that was the only way she could live a better life. Honestly speaking, he would be willing to be hated by her if that meant she would lead a better life. As soon as the sun rose, the group woke up. "What a nice hotel this is. They even have breakfast ready for us."

    Jolly had immediately parked herself before the dining table as she said that. Victor nced at Justin. When he saw the silent affirmation on Justin''s face, he kept quiet after some hesitation.

    By the time they arrived at Zermatt, it was already noon. Even so, none of them were exhausted by the trip. After storing their luggage bags in their rooms, they headed. straight toward the ski facility located at the highest point of the snowy mountain. "Aah!" Jolly let out a scream as she ran through the snowy field. "This is where we will be tomorrow. We will make a giant heart shape with red rose petals. Victor, you will stand here. When Gloria skis down over, you will pull out the ring, get down on one knee, and propose!"

    "I bet that she would be crying from joy. I will be the videographer tomorrow, so I will be sure to film every single one of our genius pianist''s ugly looks! It will be my ckmail against her!"

    Out of everyone involved in the n, Jolly was having the most fun. "If you like helping others propose, just start a matchmaking service," Hernandez grumbled.

    "That is a good suggestion!" Jolly actually took his grumblings seriously. "Why not? We can think about it!" she shouted to Rachel.

    "Your matchmaking service would only receiveints from your customers, and you will definitely break down over them," Rachel brutally said.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    She could already imagine what would happen when Jolly tried to organize a marriage for someone with an average ie level. If the groom refused to splurge on every single one of her suggestions, she would fly into a fit of rage. She might even ruin the couple''s rtionship out of spite. There would be a lot of trouble then.

    Meanwhile, Jolly had gathered up some snow to make a snowball. After all, she was just joking when she said that. She then hurled the snowball at Charlotte''s head.

    Charlotte had been calmly building a snowman throughout the conversation. She was dressed in a pink ski suit and a knitted hat with bunny ears. When the snowball suddenly hit her, she was sent sprawling to the ground.

    "Aah!" She let out a cry of surprise. Rachel hurried over to help her up and dusted the snow off her. "Are you okay? Did the snowball hurt you?"

    "Who did that?!" Charlotte angrily huffed as she looked around with her hands over the back of her head where she had been hit. Samuel pointed at Jolly, betraying her without a second thought.

    "Godmother!" Charlotte shouted. "That was mean!" She then pouted. "What is it?" Rachel thought Charlotte was actually injured." "Why are you crying?"

    At that, Jolly panicked as well. "I did not throw it that hard, and the snowball was not packed tightly. In fact, I did notpress it at all!" "Waah!" Charlotte cried, covering her eyes with her hands. "You just hit me! You do not like me anymore!" "No, no. That is not it. Have you never had a snowball fight?" Jolly hurried over tofort the girl, kneeling down as she apologized profusely. Charlotte shook her head.

    Justin walked over to check up on her. "She has never been in a snowball fight," he said with a little sigh in his voice. How could she have been in one? She never knew anyone around the same age as her, just the deadly beasts of the Hudson family.

    "I am so sorry, Charlotte." Jolly felt so bad. "I did not know. I am sorry. Please do not cry. How about I get you a delicious treat? Oh, poor dear."

    "What is a snowball fight?" Charlotte asked while sobbing as she rubbed her eyes. Rachel gave Samuel a look, which he understood.

    He sw

    "You are right." Dejection shed in Victor''s eyes. While he was not a particrly romantic man, he was also not a very rational one either. In fact, he was rather impulsive.

    He had gone down the wrong path as a young man. If it had not been for Rachel, who knew which gutter or prison cell he would be in now?

    "The more time I spend with Ria, the more I start to wonder. Sometimes I talk myself into trying, just once. If I do not try, I will never know if I can make her happy. In reality, our time as youths was not meant for testing things out. If I made a mistake, I would have ruined

    her."

    This was the first time Victor had ever told anyone what he truly thought. Sure, he might have a bad temper and act a little impulsive, but he truly loved Gloria. As such, he had thought about every possibility. "As long as you are true to her, no matter what, doing your best would be the best oue."

    Justin''sment stunned Victor. However, Justin did not borate further and merely patted him hard on the shoulder. "It is gettingte, and you still have two hours. Gol take a nap and freshen yourself up."

    He then grabbed the menu from the table and headed toward the door, intent on calling the receptionist to book their breakfast.

    When he was about to open the door, he heard Victor say, "Thank you, but I still have one more question-do you think what you have with Rachel right now is the best ending?"

    Justin immediately stopped in his tracks and slowly curled up his fists. "As long as you are true to her, anything that came out of doing your best would be the best oue, Victor parroted. Justin froze. To him, what was currently going on was the best he could make out of the situation. However, that was not the case for Rachel. He did not do his best for her.

    Everyone had eventually forgiven him for what happened back then. He could feel their kindness directed at him now. So, perhaps Rachel would let it go one day. Oh, how he longed for that day.

    He did not want her to let go because he was hoping it would mean she could ept him back in her life; rather, he wanted her to do so. because that was the only way she could live a better life. Honestly speaking, he would be willing to be hated by her if that meant she would lead a better life. As soon as the sun rose, the group woke up. "What a nice hotel this is. They even have breakfast ready for us."

    Jolly had immediately parked herself before the dining table as she said that. Victor nced at Justin. When he saw the silent affirmation on Justin''s face, he kept quiet after some hesitation.

    By the time they arrived at Zermatt, it was already noon. Even so, none of them were exhausted by the trip. After storing their luggage bags in their rooms, they headed. straight toward the ski facility located at the highest point of the snowy mountain. "Aah!" Jolly let out a scream as she ran through the snowy field. "This is where we will be tomorrow. We will make a giant heart shape with red rose petals. Victor, you will stand here. When Gloria skis down over, you will pull out the ring, get down on one knee, and propose!"

    "I bet that she would be crying from joy. I will be the videographer tomorrow, so I will be sure to film every single one of our genius pianist''s ugly looks! It will be my ckmail against her!"

    Out of everyone involved in the n, Jolly was having the most fun. "If you like helping others propose, just start a matchmaking service," Hernandez grumbled.

    "That is a good suggestion!" Jolly actually took his grumblings seriously. "Why not? We can think about it!" she shouted to Rachel.

    "Your matchmaking service would only receiveints from your customers, and you will definitely break down over them," Rachel brutally said.

    She could already imagine what would happen when Jolly tried to organize a marriage for someone with an average ie level. If the groom refused to splurge on every single one of her suggestions, she would fly into a fit of rage. She might even ruin the couple''s rtionship out of spite. There would be a lot of trouble then.

    Meanwhile, Jolly had gathered up some snow to make a snowball. After all, she was just joking when she said that. She then hurled the snowball at Charlotte''s head.

    Charlotte had been calmly building a snowman throughout the conversation. She was dressed in a pink ski suit and a knitted hat with bunny ears. When the snowball suddenly hit her, she was sent sprawling to the ground.

    "Aah!" She let out a cry of surprise. Rachel hurried over to help her up and dusted the snow off her. "Are you okay? Did the snowball hurt you?"

    "Who did that?!" Charlotte angrily huffed as she looked around with her hands over the back of her head where she had been hit. Samuel pointed at Jolly, betraying her without a second thought.

    "Godmother!" Charlotte shouted. "That was mean!" She then pouted. "What is it?" Rachel thought Charlotte was actually injured." "Why are you crying?"

    At that, Jolly panicked as well. "I did not throw it that hard, and the snowball was not packed tightly. In fact, I did notpress it at all!" "Waah!" Charlotte cried, covering her eyes with her hands. "You just hit me! You do not like me anymore!" "No, no. That is not it. Have you never had a snowball fight?" Jolly hurried over tofort the girl, kneeling down as she apologized profusely. Charlotte shook her head.

    Justin walked over to check up on her. "She has never been in a snowball fight," he said with a little sigh in his voice. How could she have been in one? She never knew anyone around the same age as her, just the deadly beasts of the Hudson family.

    "I am so sorry, Charlotte." Jolly felt so bad. "I did not know. I am sorry. Please do not cry. How about I get you a delicious treat? Oh, poor dear."

    "What is a snowball fight?" Charlotte asked while sobbing as she rubbed her eyes. Rachel gave Samuel a look, which he understood.

    He swiftly made a snowball and handed it to Charlotte. "In a snowball fight, we will all try to hit other people with snowballs. As snowballs do not hurt unless packed very tightly, everyone will have fun. She did not throw the snowball at you because she does not like you." "She did it because she likes you!" Rachel gently said. She ced a hand on Charlotte''s head.

    After hearing their exnation, Charlotte''s eyes went wide as she stared down at the snowball in her hands. There were a few moments of hesitation before she suddenly threw it at Jolly.

    "Aah!" Jolly was caught off guard as she was hit by the snowball Samuel created. The impact made her fall on her behind as she shrieked in surprise Before she realized what happened, she heard Charlotte calling out to her, "Godmother, I like you too!"

    For a second, everyone was stunned. Then, they all began tough uproariously. Hernandez was leaning against a tree that trembled with everyughter that rang through him, causing snow to dance in the air. "Haha. Hey, have you shot yourself in the foot by telling her that?"

    Jolly was furious, but before she could get back on her feet, she was hit in the back of her head once more. "Who did that?!"

    She turned around to see Hernandez. Somehow, during the time they spentughing, he had built up a huge "wall of defense'' with piles of ''ammo'' beside him. As he tossed a snowball up in the air, he shouted at the group, "Snowball fight! The war is on!" "Run!" Samuel grabbed Charlotte to flee. Before Rachel realized what was going on, someone tugged her to the side, and the snowball aimed at her head smacked against Justin''s back. Snow was scattered everywhere, sttering all over Jolly''s face. Leroy went to defend her but could onlyst through the first wave of attacks. By now, Jolly was seething. "Just you wait, Hernandez! You are dead!"

    Snowballs flew through the air before exploding into clouds of white.

    iftly made a snowball and handed it to Charlotte. "In a snowball fight, we will all try to hit other people with snowballs. As snowballs do not hurt unless packed very tightly, everyone will have fun. She did not throw the snowball at you because she does not like you."

    "She did it because she likes you!" Rachel gently said. She ced a hand on Charlotte''s head.

    After hearing their exnation, Charlotte''s eyes went wide as she stared down at the snowball in her hands. There were a few moments of hesitation before she suddenly threw it at Jolly.

    "Aah!" Jolly was caught off guard as she was hit by the snowball Samuel created. The impact made her fall on her behind as she shrieked in surprise Before she realized what happened, she heard Charlotte calling out to her, "Godmother, I like you too!"

    For a second, everyone was stunned. Then, they all began tough uproariously. Hernandez was leaning against a tree that trembled with everyughter that rang through him, causing snow to dance in the air. "Haha. Hey, have you shot yourself in the foot by telling her that?"

    Jolly was furious, but before she could get back on her feet, she was hit in the back of her head once more. "Who did that?!"

    She turned around to see Hernandez. Somehow, during the time they spentughing, he had built up a huge "wall of defense'' with piles of ''ammo'' beside him. As he tossed a snowball up in the air, he shouted at the group, "Snowball fight! The war is on!"

    "Run!" Samuel grabbed Charlotte to flee. Before Rachel realized what was going on, someone tugged her to the side, and the snowball aimed at her head smacked against Justin''s back. Snow was scattered everywhere, sttering all over Jolly''s face. Leroy went to defend her but could onlyst through the first wave of attacks. By now, Jolly was seething. "Just you wait, Hernandez! You are dead!"

    Snowballs flew through the air before exploding into clouds of white.

 Chapter 448

    Bursts of powdery snow filled the air as the battle raged on. During their "escape'', Justin and Rachel carried a child each. They darted to hide behind a great tree that was far away from the "danger zone" caused by the ''gunfire" of others.

    Victor had not nned to join the battle, but after an idental shot by the berserk Jolly, he was forced to wade into battle. He naturally joined Hernandez. Now that it was obvious who belonged to which team, the two teams began frantically. lobbing snowballs at each other.

    Using the camera she brought, Rachel took a photo of them. With a snap, the sight of the two teams baring their teeth ferociously at each other was immortalized forever. She could not help but let out a sigh when she looked at the picture. "If I sell this photo to the press, I will likely earn more money than the matchmaking. service ever could."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Not joining in their fight is the smart move," Justin said, nodding. She absolutely agreed with that statement. Just as he finished speaking, a loud smack echoed through the air as a snowball was flung at his back.

    "We got him, Samuel!"

    "Hide!" At some point in time, Charlotte had released Rachel''s hand. She and Samuel then hid behind the tree. One of them was in charge of making the "ammo" while the other focused on attacking. The two kids were currently cheering with joy at their sessful attack. Justin was about to lecture them, but Rachel stopped him. Rachel recalled that Charlotte never had a snowball fight before, so she would likely be eager to have one. The two adults had nearly taken the joys of childhood away from her.

    Before Justin could respond, another snowball came swooping down at him, showering the area inside his shirt with snow. Immediately, a rather intense look shed across his face then. Having never seen his eyes bulging this wide before, Rachel burst outughing. This time, his attacker was Hernandez, the person who started this whole battle. His six-foot-tall form dressed in all white could be seen. standing not far away from them, and he wasughing like a madman. "Why are you guys just standing there? Chris, your teammate is just weak. Come join us!"

    Of course, Justin was not one to back down from a challenge. "Did you forget how you lost in the boxing match, Hernandez?" Justin retorted as he angrily dusted himself off.

    "That was an ident. You will surely lose in this fight!" Another snowball was sent flying toward Justin. "Chris, join my team, quick! We do not want to hit any innocents!"

    Rachel, however, was already running toward Charlotte and Samuel. "I''ll be with the kids!" she shouted at Hernandez. "You guys take care!"

    As soon as she said that, Jolly joined in the fight with a flying snowball. It had been aimed. at Hernandez, but she missed and hit Justin instead. With that, Justin had now been hit four times by ident. "Sorry! My target was not you!" Jolly shouted. "Can''t you aim properly?!" "Well, you are the ones being distracted! All is fair in love and war!" she replied without any guilt at all.

    "All is fair, yes?" Then, Justin, who thought the game was too childish for him, struck back with a snowball of his own. After swiftly moving across the battlefield to a better position, Rachel and the two kids joined in the fight as well.

    The sky slowly darkened. Furthermore, the snowynd seemed especially cozy and warm as the glows of the setting sun shone down on it. It was evening by the time the fight was finally over. After the sun had set, the group had dinner while Rachel looked up the weathe forecast for the next day.

    "It says there might be some snow tonight, but we don''t need to worry because it will stop by tomorrow morning. When the storm is over, we will set up the decorations. Gloria will only be arriving at two in the afternoon, so we have time."

    "Let us hope there won''t be a blizzard tomorrow," said Jolly. "It is not likely" Rachel nced out the window. "Zermatt never experiences blizzards during this time of the year."

    As it was gettingte, the group then split off to head into their own rooms. "Are you not sleeping, Rachel?" Just as Victor was about to head into his room, he saw Rachel setting up herptop in the living room. Curious about her answer, Justin paused in his steps. "I have an email to send," replied Rachel. "For some reason, the reception here is so bad that it never was sent. I am going to search for a spot with a better signal. Go to sleep; I''ll be fine."

    Zermatt was a tiny town that could be described as deste. This was a ce where cars could not even drive to. As such, the reception in the area was extremely bad. They were also currently staying at a local bed-and-breakfast. Hence, if the line had problems, no maintenance team could help them at this hour.

    Justin frowned. When he closed the door to his room, he made sure to leave it slightly ajar. Then, he sat down on his bed and looked at his phone. There was no reception.

    A few minutester, he heard a door closing When he stepped out of his room, he found the living room empty while Rachel''s thick jacket was gone from where it was hung Meanwhile, it was already dark when she was running around outside, looking for some reception. She had to send the email before tomorrow morning and it was a pertinent email to Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    Their bed-and-breakfast was located in the middle of nowhere. Over a mile away was the foot of a snowy mountain, which was the location of their snowball fight. The moon was bright and round that night. It made the mountain seem as if it was covered by ayer of shiny, translucent, white snow. It looked so much more beautiful than it did during the day.

    The only bad part about being in such an area was that thend stretched out too far. It was possible to search for hours without finding. another sign of civilization.

    Rachel walked along the path for a long time. When she saw artificial lights in the distance, she perked up with hope and stumbled toward the blinking lights. When she got closer, she found it to be at double-story vi with an antenna installed.

    She immediately whipped out her phone. As expected, there was a signal, but it was poor. With her phone raised up high, she began to slowly walk toward the antenna.

    Bam! Suddenly, she tripped before she identally stumbled and crashed into the fence. Someone instantly began shouting from within the house, and it did not sound like Latin.

    Soon, someone appeared in the doorway. There stood arge, bearded man dressed in a red fur coat. He warily looked at Rachel and mumbled something she did not understand. "I''m only trying to look for reception," she hurriedly said in Latin..

    She waved her phone to emphasize her point. However, she had somehow switched to her camera app. Her wave resulted in a loud ''snap" echoing through the air as she took a photo of the man. The man''s face clouded over. He grumbled and another man suddenly appeared from within. the house, holding up a gun and shouting at " her.

    Her face went pale and she could not event speak another word out of fear. She was in Zermatt, a ce that allowed its citizens the right to bear arms. Since she was on theirnd, these men had the right to shoot her for trespassing into their private territory. There was a grave misunderstanding happening, and none of them couldmunicate with each other. No matter how much she wanted to exin herself, there was nothing she could do.

    When she heard the safety of the gun unclick, all strength fled her. She screwed her eyes shut in preparation but was soon forced to the ground by someone pouncing at her from behind.

 Chapter 449

    Bang! The bullet seemed to graze past the top of Rachel''s head. She then heard Justin''s familiar voice speak from above her. Even though the situation was dire, he still spoke in calm, fluent Italian as hemunicated with the two men. Soon, she was helped to her feet. "It''s fine now."

    It was only when she saw Justin''s face that she regained some sense of security. It made her clutch tightly to his arm. The strangers walked back out again. This time, though, they were not as wary of her. They even looked apologetic.

    Whatever Justin told them, it was enough to make them pull open the gates and wee them into the vi. However, Rachel instinctively took a step back.

    "Don''t be scared," said Justin. "They mean you no harm. They only fired at you because they thought you were a thief. As an apology, they would like to invite us into their home."

    "It''s fine," she hurriedly denied. She was still frightened by the experience. As he understood her fear, Justin then exined the situation to the men. The two men made gestures of apology at her and did not push her to head in. She only felt safe when the men were inside the house and had locked the door behind them. She then took a deep breath, but nearly choked on air.

    "I was terrified." She was so afraid that she even forgot to breathe. As for Justin, there was an unpleasant look on his face. He was also terrified for her life. If he had arrived a secondter, things might have been really bad. "Oh, so you do know fear. Did you not think this might have happened when you came out all alone in the middle of the night?"

    "There was no signal in the building, and I have an urgent email to send." "Which is more important; your life or the email?" She was stunned and her fingers trembled. ''I''m sorry. I nearly got you killed as well."

    If he had not been there, she would have died That shot had barely missed her. Seeing the pale look on her face, he forced himself to calm down. "Do not do this ever again. This is not our home. It is not safe at night." In response, she hung her head like a guilty kid and hummed in response. "Do you still need to send the email?"

    She looked up, startled. He sighed. "You took a huge risk just to find somewhere with good reception. Now that you are safe, why are you not sending the email?" It was only then that she snapped back to her senses and sent her email. The two then walked back to their bed-and-breakfast. Although there were not many streetlights along the road, the moon was sol bright that when it reflected off the snowy ground, illuminating their path ahead.

    "You have a lot of guts to wander so far all alone. What if something happened?" "Were you following me the entire time?"

    He paused. "Yes." Although she had expected that answer, she was still surprised. It was a cold night, and she had been walking for about two miles in her search. Even though he had been following her the entire time, she heard nothing. If she had not been in trouble, she would never have known that he had been following her this whole time.

    "Thank you." "No need for thanks. Just pay attention and take care of yourself next time."

    "Okay," she replied. Then, they went quiet. They were never talkative people in the first ce. Even though they had been through a lot, they would never have spoken another word to each other if not for the kid that they were tied to.

    If Gloria and Victor had not gotten together, Justin and Rachel would not have gone on at trip together either. At that thought, she found herself conflicted on how to feel about it.

    Just as they were arriving back at their bed-and-breakfast, Justin said in an urging manner, "We''re here. Hurry back inside. We don''t want you to catch a cold." She turned and looked at him. "If I am ever stuck in the same situation, please do not do that again.

    He narrowed his eyes. "You owe me nothing," she continued. "Even if you did, we are even now. Charlotte made sure of that. So, please do not do things just for my sake. It is all in the past."

    She had hated him for years, but she learned to be rational about it. Everything that happened back then was destiny. Fate had decided her eight-year-old self would meet him when he was kidnapped. There was no avoiding that disaster.

    "I''ve thought things through, Justin. Six years ago, even if I never met you, even if you never developed a grudge against the Hudson family, even if I did not marry you by ident, Jefferey would still sell me off for profits. He would abandon me after squeezing everyst drop he could out of me. It had only seemed like everything started because of you, but frankly speaking, it was all because I was weak. I just epted what was thrown at me."

    One''s personality was the biggest determiner in one''s life. "Rae." He clenched his fists tight and frowned. "No matter what, you are Charlotte''s father," she said, forcing a smile to her face. "We can''t be total strangers, so let us leave the past in the past."

    In their silence, the eternal ice that had hung around them gradually melted. The emotions they felt about their past seemed to have calmed down.

    Even though they knew those emotions would never disappear and linger on as wounds forever, they knew that pain could be put aside. No matter how much they suffered, they epted it.

    "Thank you." Those words softly lingered in the air after he spoke. "It is what I should do," she said, looking into his eyes.

    Justin would forever be Charlotte''s father. If he kept trying to make amends for the past, Charlotte would not grow up a happy child. Now that they had talked it out, they felt much. better about the situation. "Let us head in. It is cold," she said..

    "Yes." However, he soon stopped in his tracks. She had already stepped into the building, but when she saw that he was still standing outside, she turned around and poked her head out in confusion, finding him frozen at the doorway.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "Why aren''t youing in?" He frowned and held out his hand; a few snowkesnded on it. "It''s snowing."

    "Is that not normal?" She did not understand why hemented on it. "The weather forecast did say it was going to snow tonight. It should be over by tomorrow morning." "Something is off about this weather."

    He turned to look at the mountain in the distance. It was covered by a thick fog of dark clouds that seemed like they would swallow the moon whole. A moment ago, the sky was clear with the moon shining bright. Now, there were so many dark clouds in the air that it almost felt suffocating.

    The time before a normal snowstorm should not look so gloomy and threatening. He remembered seeing something like this before. It happened ten years ago in Zurich. Immediately after, an extremely severe blizzard happened. Hence, a blizzard wasing.

 Chapter 450

    "This is the weather forecast for Zermatt. Due to the winds from the North Antic Ocean, the Federal Office of Meteorology has issued a yellow alert for blizzards this week. People living in Zermatt should make preparations with sufficient supplies. Avoid going out..." The reporter was currently conveying the updated weather report in the weather forecast segment. Although it was still dark outside, everyone had begun to wake up and gather by the firece in the living room.

    Although Victor did not understand what was being said on the television, he was able to make an educated guess by looking at the swathes of yellow on the map and the ghastly snowstorm mming against the windows.

    A blizzard only happened once in a hundred. years, yet they were unlucky enough to be here for it. "We are so cursed." Jolly dejectedly sighed. "Why is there a blizzard going on right now? From how bad the storm is, the train will not be able to get here at all, so Gloria won''t being.

    "Even if the train can get to us, the ski resort will not open with this weather," said Leroy. "Since the excuse you guys used was that you wanted to go skiing, she will nevere now." Rachel sighed as well, at a loss on how tofort the rest of the group. "Don''t be so down," Hernandez said while patting Victor on the shoulder. "You still have other chances. This is not your only chance to propose to her. As the saying goes, the road to happiness is strewn with setbacks."

    That drew a chuckle from Jolly. "Your Spanish has improved. You know the proverbs now?" "I know more, like ''where there''s a will, there''s a way"."

    "Amazing. Let me test you on another.""Test away." Hernandez was a certifiedwyer in multiple countries. If he took a test for Spanish proficiency, he would definitely ace it. There was no way Jolly did not know that, but she was merely trying to liven up the air.. When Victor slipped out of the room, Rachel followed out of worry. She then saw him trying to take a picture of the fridge full of red roses.

    "Victor." "Rachel," he acknowledged, turning back to look. at her. "Don''t be upset. You will have other chances. This is just an ident."

    "I am not upset.'' He smiled. "Everyone has helped me so much that I practically did nothing. Frankly speaking, I came here empty handed. I only thought it was a waste that the flowers were bought for nothing, so I wanted to take a few pictures of them."

    The walk-in fridge was stuffed full of roses. They were to be used in the proposal, but they were unexpectedly trapped here, like everyone else. Hearing that, she found it wasteful too.

    "It is the intent that matters. When Ria knows about this, she would be so touched." She then held out her hand. "Come, let me take a photo of you with the roses."

    "It''s fine." Victor was the stereotypical guy who did not like having photos taken of him. Thus, his face went pale with fear.

    "Fool," she said, snatching his phone away instead of just waiting. "If you are not in the photo, how will Ria know you did this? How would she know you actually prepared all this?" "She knows I will never lie to her." "Enough with the excuses. Stand still." She soon ran out of patience and snapped a photo of him before he could even try to block his face from the camera. With a loud snap, his stiff expression was immortalized.

    "This won''t do. You do not look like you are going to propose. Instead, it looks like you were forced to get married." Rachel swiftly switched back to the camera app. "No way. Let us take another."

    "How about we just leave it at that?" "What sort of secrets are you two whispering to each other?" Jolly and the others had heard soundsing from the fridge, so they came to check it out. When they were told what Rachel was going to do, they immediately joined in the fun.

    Jolly insisted Victor got dolled up. She even had her makeup kit ready. The sight made him go stark white. "Spare me, please! Rachel!"

    "Cry all you want. This is all for Gloria. If you guys ever get into a fight, you can use these photos as protection. We are helping you! Stop being so ungrateful." "Can I not want protection?" he sighed.

    "No way." Although the storm raged on outside the building, it was cozy and warm inside because of the firece. Rachel stood back and watched as the group bickered and chattered. Although it was a pity that Gloria was not here, they were all here because of her. There was nothing to regret about this trip.

    After a while, the group then split off to do whatever they wanted. Some yed video games while some yed card games. It felt as lively as a Christmas party. When Rachel realized Justin was missing, she went looking for him. In the end, she found him. in his bedroom.

    Charlotte had woken up sometime in the morning. She was sitting on the bed, blearily looking at everything around her as she held onto the ss of warm milk Justin had prepared for her. With a few big gulps, she soon finished most of her milk. "Daddy, I want to have a snowball fight today." "That''s not possible. He nced out at the storm raging outside. "Just look at the storm. If you try to run around outside, you will be gone in a few seconds. How can we throw snowballs at each other then?" "You just don''t want to y with me." Charlotte huffed and pouted. "Samuel said he would always have snowball fights in the winter. You never once do that with me."

    Tears soon began to well up in her eyes. Guilt rose in him. He smoothed her hair back, tucking it behind her ears, before patiently saying, "I am sorry for that. I will be living with you, Samuel, and Mommy in the future. We can have snowball fights whenever we want in the winter."

    "You just don''t want to y with me! Hmph! I am ignoring you!" Charlotte then buried herself in the nkets and stopped speaking to Justin. At once, exasperation filled him..

    Just then, he noticed Racheling into the room. However, when he was about to speak, she put a finger to her lips and silently moved toward the bed.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    He shifted to give her space to sit. Then, Rachel tried to tear the nkets away from the bed. However, Charlotte was quite strong and insisted on staying in bed. "I don''t want to talk to you! Go away!" the kid under the nket wailed.

    "Let me see," Rachel said, patting the nket. "Which little piggy is angry and hiding under the nket?" Charlotte froze. "When the little piggy gets angry, her nostrils will grow big. Let me see, where are her nostrils?" Rachel''s hands began wandering across the top of the nket, patting it every so often.

    As Charlotte feared being tickled the most, she immediately squirmed out with a giggle before pouncing at Rachel.

    "I am not a piggy!" Charlotte''s kiddy voice echoed through the air as she wrapped her arms around Rachel''s neck. "Mommy!"

    For some reason, the sight brought a watery shimmer to Justin''s eyes.

 Chapter 451

    "Mommy, the snow is so heavy." "I''ll take you for a snowball fight when the snow stops, okay?" Rachelbed Charlotte''s pigtails tofort her glum mood. "Will Daddye with us too?" "Of course. Didn''t Daddy alsoe with us yesterday? Samuel, Mr. Wade, Godmother, and Mr. Hernandez areing too..."

    "And Leroy!" Rachel intentionally missed out on Leroy, but Charlotte could never forget about him, so she eximed, her face flushed. "You always remember to take him wherever you go, huh?"

    Rachel nced at Justin next to her and uttered, "Watch out. Your daughter will probably fall for good-looking men in the future. A handsome boy will win her heart!" "Well, there aren''t many people who look like Leroy," replied Justin calmly.

    "What if there is?" "If there is, she isn''t at a loss if he has good looks." Rachel was surprised to hear that. "Are you sure Charlotte is your own daughter?"

    When other people raised their daughters, they would usually be afraid that their daughters would get married to an indecent man, but why was Justin so confident that his daughter would not suffer at all?

    Did having good looks mean they would be able to earn a living to support her? If someone was good-looking in an ordinary way, that might not be the case, but for someone as good-looking as Leroy, opportunities woulde to him instead of him having to fight for them. "Okay, let''s look for Samuel. He must still be asleep."

    After Rachel was done braiding Charlotte''s hair, she put her down from herp. Charlotte kissed her and Justin on the cheek before happily running out to y.

    Rachel looked out the window and eximed, "It''s snowing so heavily outside. I wonder how it is in Geneva. Ria didn''t text mest night about whether or not shended safely. Did she contact you?"

    "Don''t worry. She went with a group of band members. Nothing will happen," reassured Justin. Rachel nodded. "I wonder when the snow will stop and when we can go back."

    "Do you have a lot to do in thepany?" Justin thought about how she risked her life to get a signalst night. "Are you in a hurry to go back?"

    "Yeah, I have a lot of work on my hands. If there are trustworthy people over there, I won''t have to rush back. It won''t be a problem for me to work remotely, but I''m worried that there will be fluctuations among Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' board of directors." Evan headed the board of directors of Hudson Pharmaceutical, and he had been pulling tricks behind the scenes recently.

    After all, Hudson Pharmaceutical started as a family business, and she was the only one left in the eldest son''s family to fight alone. Today, the survival rate of family businesses in the market was low. Other family members within the Hudsons or outsiders were starting to think that they might have the opportunity to take over Hudson Pharmaceutical.

    Justin uttered thoughtfully, "I heard that Evan is holding proxy equity. If he starts controlling from this aspect, you may be able to n ahead."

    "Proxy equity?" Rachel, as a major shareholder of the Hudson Family, was aware of that. However, Evan had always regarded himself as merely a shareholder to the public. So how did Justin find out?

    "Evan''s mother is actually his stepmother, and he has always been at odds with her. In order to force him to be filial, his father left all his assets to his widow, so even if Evan doesn''t like her, he still has to visit her during the holidays.. The proxy right of the shares is also acquiesced to by Old Mrs. Holt," exined Justin.

    "If you can win the support of Old Mrs. Holt, then no matter what Evan does in the future, it will be useless." Rachel was amazed at his knowledge of information. "How do you know all this?"

    This was all new information to her. Justin hesitated for a while and clenched his fists, which were hanging by his sides. "Evan was able to get those share proxy rights in his early years because of me." Rachel was taken aback by the new information. Early years? In order to seek revenge, Justin took into ount everything rted to Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    If it weren''t for the ident, perhaps Hudson Pharmaceuticals would have been in decline by now, or it might have been eliminated by the market, or acquired by Burton Group. Moreover, the Hudsons would have fallen apart.

    After all, Justin was capable of doing that. Justin took his leave, and Rachel kept pondering about it. She hesitated for a long time before sending a message to thepany secretary, ''When did Chairman Holt''s father pass away?

    After a while, a reply came, ''20 years ago it seems.'' Rachel''s eyes widened in surprise before quickly typing, ''Are you sure?''

    ''It should be right. Two days ago, I happened to hear that Chairman Holt is nning to hold a memorial service for his father''s 20th death anniversary. I was going to ask you if you were going to attend."

    Rachel clenched her phone tightly in disbelief. She knew that Justin had approached the Hudson Family step by step in order to take revenge and had already incorporated the entire Hudson Pharmaceuticals into his n, so he must have known everything about thepany better than she. However, what she never thought about was the time span in between.

    Twenty years ago, not long after Old Mr. Holt''s death, Evan received the right of proxy for the shares and officially joined Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' board of directors. At that point, Justin was already plotting revenge. However, at that time, he was only neen years old, young adult!

    For more than twenty years, he had been avenging someone he thought died because of him. That person was just a chance encounter with him, yet he sacrificed his entire life for her. How miserable must that have been for him over twenty years? How many twenty years did a person have?

    Why had she never thought about it before? Rachel was not able to calm down for a short while. Her hands on the couch slowly tightened. She grabbed the nket over her body. suppressing all the thoughts in her heart.

    After some time, a loud noise came from the living room. Rachel opened the door to see four people at the coffee table ying poker, with Jolly leading the game.

    Justin sat on the couch, looking after the two children beside him. He flipped through the magazines with a cup of steaming tea in front of him, looking like a retired veteran cadre.

    Just as Rachel thought he wasn''t paying attention to the rest, and Jolly and Hernandez''s exaggerated movements almost overturned the roof, he reached out in time to move the teacup ced at the corner of the coffee table without a trace. Only Leroy noticed him. "Jolly said I cheated, but I''m just lucky! Come on, Justin. Get down here and take my ce!" "Bring it on! Pfft, how dare you say it''s all luck?! If he loses, you have to admit that you cheated."

    "You better not screw things up, Justin. You have to prove my innocence." Justin had always been out of tune with the hustle and bustle, and he rarely took the initiative to join their fun, so everyone thought that he despised these childish games, just like what happened with yesterday''s snowball fight.

    Surprisingly, when Leroy insisted on pulling him into the game, he did not show any resistance. Rachel leaned against the door frame and saw this side of Justin for the first time. It was as if she was learning something new about him again.

    At that moment, she suddenly understood what. Gloria had told her before. "Justin has never been an indifferent person, but everyone around him is scheming, so he can only do the same."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    In fact, he was lonelier than anyone else all these years.

 Chapter 452

    "Ugh, howe I don''t have any luck?!" After a few rounds of poker, Jolly lost her cool. "I''m not ying anymore. It''s your turn, Chris.

    "What''s with that attitude?" Amid the contemptuous boos from everyone, Jolly resolutely quit the game and dered confidently, "My dad told me that whether we win or lose in the game of poker, we should be free to leave the table whenever we want. That is called good attitude!"

    Rachel took Jolly''s seat and said calmly, "I''ve known Mr. Carter for so long, but I haven''t heard him say that before."

    Jolly red at her. "He said that a long time ago!" "I don''t want to argue with you people anymore. I''m going to cook some pasta."

    "Cook a te for me too!" Hernandez immediately raised his hand. "I want it with a lot of cheese!" "Dream on! I''m not cooking it for you!"

    Jolly rolled her eyes at him and walked straight toward the kitchen. The homestay owner was kind enough to bring some food to them despite the heavy snow at noon, as he was afraid that they wouldck supplies while being trapped here. Most of the food he delivered was instant food.

    While the pasta was being cooked, the doorbell rang. It rang for a long time, but no one went to open the door.

    Jolly was cooking the pasta as she leaned half of her body out of the kitchen to scold someone. When she saw the group ying cards intently, and the two children running around the room, she could tell that nobody would hear her scolding since it was so noisy out there.

    Stomping to the door, she went to open it. Not to mention that she lost some money during the game of poker, but now they were also expecting her to be a nanny?!

    When she opened the door, the anger on her face hadn''t disappeared. The moment she saw the person in front of the door, her pupils dted because she could not believe who she saw.

    "You... Oh! Oh! Oh!" After screaming at a high pitch, she managed to attract the attention of the rest in the living room. "What''s wrong?"

    Leroy rushed out first, for fear that she might be in danger, but he was stunned to see the visitor. Rachel, Justin, and the rest came out. Thest one toe out was Victor, who was still holding a handful of cards. "Who is..."

    The word ''it'' did not manage to escape his mouth for a long while. The wind was howling outside, and the blizzard was raging. Throughout the morning, almost half of the town was submerged in snow, and the stairs were also covered with knee-high snow. At this moment, the figure standing outside came out of the snow one step at a time. Besides a blue parka, she also wore a scarf, a hat, and a pair of gloves. Only her sparkling eyes were exposed, and when she saw them, her eyes went misty. "Ria?" Rachel eximed, "Oh my goodness!" Gloria''s gaze scanned them all and finallynded on thest person toe out. She questioned, "Didn''t you tell me you were in school? Why are you here? Care to exin?"

    Victor was instantly speechless. As if they were allmunicating through telepathy, the rest avoided the couple and returned to the room, giving them some private space at the entrance. The bouquet of roses in the refrigerator mighte in handy now. Gloria took off her scarf and hat, revealing her flushed, delicate face that was either due to the tight cover or the cold. She looked like an innocent girl next door right now, which was a huge contrast to her usual princess vibes on stage.

    "How did you get here?" Victor brushed the snow off her body and hung her coat on the rack. "Took the train, of course. It just so happened that the one I took was thest, and all the trains behind it were out of service." "Why did you lie to me on WhatsApp saying that you were in Geneva then?" "Didn''t you lie to me too?"

    Gloria looked at him calmly. I''ve been here for so long now. Do you have something to tell me? For example, exin why you''re not in school. but here with Miss Rachel and the others." Victor froze for a while before stammering, "I... I didn''t mean to lie to you. I... I..." "Where are my flowers?" Gloria reached her hand out to him. "My roses." Victor was startled before asking, "You knew?"

    "Know what?"

    "Know that I want to propose to you!" The moment Victor blurted it out, the air suddenly became quiet. Gloria put on a generous and honest expression, waiting for Victor''s next words. Instead, Victor panicked. "I thought you wouldn''te, so I nned to prepare again next time. I..."

    He struggled to form a coherent sentence. At the same time, his stammering appearance was recorded by someone with a camera.

    Jolly was lying at the entrance of the living room, peeking while holding the camera that she had prepared beforehand. She was getting anxious while taking pictures. "What''s wrong with this brat? Why did Gloria go through the huge blizzard if she didn''t know? Could she be here just to ski, silly?!"

    "Exactly. Why isn''t he taking out the ring yet? What is he waiting for?" "But how did she know that Victor was here?

    Did we expose him in our videos?"

    "I didn''t tell her."

    "Me neither."

    "Not me." Leroy and Hernandez stood behind Jolly, and the three of them denied that they were the ''spies''. Rachel was far away from them, upying a favorable spot to watch the show. Therefore, she instantly knew who the ''spy'' was after hearing the denials of the three..

    Except for Justin, no one else in this room would tell Gloria about it. However, no one expected that Justin had told Gloria about Victor''s proposal the night before.

    Firstly, he hoped that Gloria would think about it, and secondly, he also hoped that there would be no idents that would cause her to temporarily cancel the trip because she was not keen on skiing.

    Sure enough, there was a big blizzard. If the original n was toe skiing, she would have ditched them long ago.

    Rachel turned around and saw Justin standing in the living room, stretching his neck hard toward the door, like a father trying to watch the show.

    When their eyes met, Justin coughed dryly and avoided her gaze. Rachel motioned for him toe over, in a lowered voice, "How about youe here to watch?"

    Justin shook his head. "No. I don''t want to watch." "You don''t want to? Then why are you stretching your neck so hard? Are you doing stretches?"N?velDrama.Org content.

    After being exposed, Justin froze, feeling embarrassed. Rachel suddenly took a sniff and wondered aloud, "Is something burning?"

    While Jolly was lying on her stomach to record a video, she suddenly heard Rachel''s words, so she sniffed and leaped up at the sudden. thought of something. "Oh no! My pasta!"

    At this time, Victor, who had already taken out the ring box, was so nervous that his hands trembled. With a snap, the ring box was opened, but the ring fell to the ground. The diamond ring, visible to the naked eye, spun around on the ground, rolled down the steps, and slipped out through the crack of the door.

    Gloria quickly opened the door and was staggered by the blowing blizzard, almost falling over. "Be careful!" Victor supported her from behind. "Forget about me. The ring! Where''s the ring?"

    Everyone ran to the door except for Jolly, who went to the kitchen to clean up the mess. At that moment, the snow outside was higher than the steps. How could they possibly see where the ring went?

    Gloria turned her head sharply and red at the culprit. The most important moment in her life was ruined by a scream.

    "Jolly Carter!"

 Chapter 453

    Jolly ran around the room with a spat and was chased by Gloria. "I didn''t mean it! Can''t I pay you another one? I''ll buy a new one for you! You can pick the biggest diamond!" "Nobody wants you to buy it! Am I going to marry you? What kind of ring should you buy me?" "I won''t even marry you even if you wanted to!" "Get out and look for the ring!"

    Gloria''s hair was about to stand on end due to anger. It was a marriage proposal that she had been looking forward to for a long time. Ever since she alighted from the nest night and received the photo of the rose from Justin, she had not slept well all night. Even the blizzard did not stop her froming..

    Moreover, Victor did not earn much, but the diamond ring was big! He must have spent half a year''s sry to get it!

    Gloria got even more furious the more she thought about it. Standing at the door of the bedroom, she banged it several times while shouting, "Jolly Carter! Come out of there!"

    "I don''t want to! It''s minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Are you trying to freeze me to death if I head out to search for it? Can''t I buy you an identical one?"

    "I don''t want it. I want that one!" "Help!" Jolly could feel Gloria''s breakdown even through the door, so she urged, "Victor, take care of her! Can''t I just pay you back?"

    "Ria." Victor''s voice came from behind. Gloria halted her movements and mmed the door. All of a sudden, she felt aggrieved. She turned around with red eyes and exined, "I''m not losing my temper. I just think that the ring is really important."

    She was about to cry. Victor stretched out his hand toward her and slowly spread it out to reveal the ring on his palm. "I found it. It''s not lost."

    When Gloria was scolding Jolly, he kept searching for the ring outside, but it actually fell inside the door frame. It was just that they didn''t notice it at first. "You haven''t answered my question just now," he insisted.

    Gloria looked at the ring in his palm as she hadn''t recovered from the joy of having found it. The moment she heard that, she clenched her fists.

    In front of everyone, she picked up the ring and wore it herself. "You idiot! Of course I do! It''s toote for you to regret now!"

    While Victor was still stunned, the door behind Gloria opened and Jolly leaned out halfway with the camera in her hand to snap the picture. She even started booing and imitating Gloria''s tone, "You idiot! Shouldn''t you give me a sweet kiss right now?" Victor suddenly blushed. "Jolly!" Gloria turned around, motioning like she wanted to beat Jolly up. However, she was greeted by a door m.

    Jolly''s proud voice came from inside. "Look, you found the ring, but she''s still so fierce. Open your eyes wide, Victor. Make sure to consider her temper onest time before you officially register your marriage."

    "Well, I''m still way better than you!" Gloria kicked the door angrily. Victor was initially nervous, but after Jolly''s little incident, they had a happy ending, even though it was rough. Suddenly, he grabbed Gloria''s hands and said, "I have something to show you." The red roses that filled the house were all for her! After watching the show for a long time, the audience finally settled down.

    Hernandez was a sentimental man. He wiped his tears with a handkerchief and expressed emotionally, "Oh, my heavens, this is like a romance movie. They run into each other regardless of the snowstorm."

    Like a drama king, he turned around to look at Rachel with an exaggerated affectionate expression, "Chris, if it is to see you, I''ll be there, regardless of rain or shine."

    Justin retorted with an expressionless face, "You should keep an eye on the weather forecast. It is best to depart from the seaside cities in the south of the country in summer."

    "Why?" "There are many typhoons." Once those words were spit out, Hernandez red at him. Leroyughed out loud at their bickering and supported Justin by teasing Hernandez, "There are many torrential showers of rain in summer too."

    Hernandez was ruthlessly ridiculed and could only seek Rachel forfort. "Chris, I am sincere to you. How can they say that to me? | feel so hurt." Rachel held back her smile and agreed with them instead. "Well, they''re not wrong."

    "You''ve changed, Chris. You used to be kind to me." "That''s my obedience to the boss," she corrected. She picked up the spat on the ground and said, "It seems that Miss Carter won''t dare toe out for a while. I''ll clean up the mess in the kitchen. Does anyone want pasta? I''ll cook for you."

    "Me!" Someone who had just said that his heart was hurt was the first to raise his hand. "I want more cheese, please!" Leroy was on a diet, so he decided not to eat. At this moment, Justin stood up and offered, "I''ll help you."

    Although there were some idents in the process, the result was quite satisfactory, so they decided to have something good to celebrate in the evening.

    Facing the limited ingredients in the kitchen, Rachel and Justin cracked their heads, exercised their hands, and even managed to bake the cakes themselves. While decorating the cake, he chopped onions and prepared pasta while she casually asked about him being the ''spy''.

    "We thought you were the most tight-lipped person among all of us. We didn''t expect you to leak it to Gloria, but that''s fine. She still managed to catch thest ride."

    "If she had enough time to think about it, it would be safer that way. If shees, it means she agreed. If she doesn''te, at least it won''t be too embarrassing."

    Jolly had prepared such a grand gesture because she was sure that Gloria was willing to marry, but what if she was not?

    Justin still knew a thing or two about Victor''s character. It would not be nice if the situation turned out to be awkward at that time.

    Rachel was surprised to hear that. When she heard Justin and Victor talking about their rtionship that night, she was quite shocked to hear that he not only considered Gloria''s future happiness but also cared about Victor.

    "I just have to slice this onion and fry it, right?" Justin''s voice pulled Rachel out of her thoughts. "Yeah. Fry it, then pour the sauce in... Hey, don''t touch your eyes."

    Since Justin was an amateur at cooking, he did not know much about the characteristics of some of the ingredients. As soon as his hands that were handling the onion earlier touched his eyes, his sight turned foggy. It was so ufortable that he started blinking rapidly, letting tears roll down his cheeks instantly. "Go to the bathroom and wash up," urged Rachel.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "I''ll take you there. This way." She put down what was in her hand and dragged Justin out by the arm. Unexpectedly, they ran into Charlotte head-on.

    "Daddy, you''re crying!" The little girl might not be big in size, but her voice was loud and clear. When she shouted, everyone in the room heard it.

    Everyone was stunned. Jolly poked her head from the couch and her jaw dropped in shock. "No way! Are you heartbroken that Gloria is going to get married?"

    Seeing him like this, Gloria was deeply moved. "I understand. I can understand how you feel. Don''t worry about me. I''ll live a happy life!"

    Justin waspletely speechless. This incident was so obscured that many yearster, when Gloria''s daughter brought it up with her daughter, she would tell her daughter how reluctant her uncle was to marry her off, to the point that he cried on the spot, and no one was able to calm him down.

 Chapter 454

    After the cake was brought to the table, Victor and Gloria blew out the candles. "Congrattions to Victor for your sessful marriage proposal, as well as for finally finding love." Rachel took the lead and congratted the couple. "Let''s raise our sses."

    "Thank you, everyone."

    "Cheers!" "Samuel and I would like to join in too!" Charlotte mimicked the adults and clinked her ss that was filled with fruit juice, and she even asked the reluctant Samuel to join in..

    The blizzard that went on for one day and one night finally stopped. Since Geneva had been badly hit by the blizzard, Gloria''s performance had to be postponed. Because of that, she didn''t have to rush back. Instead, she took her time and went back to Geneva in a car with the others.

    "Are you really nning to take such a long vacation? Did the school agree to it? Why don''t you go back with them?"

    Inside Geneva Airport, Jolly looked at Gloria''s sassy expression and couldn''t help but exim, "Gloria, he has already left his luggage in your hotel room, so why are you making him leave?

    Stopining. You should be d that he is willing to apany you!" "Mind your own business!" Gloria shot a re at Jolly.

    When she heard that, Jolly lifted her hand helplessly and said, "Alright, I''ll not argue with you anymore. Let''s go, Chris."

    After the brief argument, Gloria was reminded that she was there to see her friends off. She quickly grabbed onto Rachel''s arm and said, "Miss Rachel."

    "I''ll wait for your return at Riverdale." Rachel hugged her. "Alright." "Victor, you should stay put here and apany Gloria. Don''t you dare go back if you make her angry again," Rachel purposely reminded him before she left. "Mommy, Daddy said it''s time to go." Charlotte''s voice could be heard from afar, which caught the attention of the tourists at the airport. Both children stood next to Justin while he donned a khaki wool coat, and they looked so adorable that the passersby couldn''t help but take another look at them. "I''ming," Rachel answered, She hugged Gloria before leaving. While Gloria looked at their backs, she leaned on Victor''s shoulder and asked, "Do you think Rachel and Justin would get back together?"

    "I don''t know." "Hm?" She raised her head puzzledly. "Previously, you said that it isn''t possible without any hesitation."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "Did I?" "Of course you did. Why is there a change in opinion? Did something happen?" "Nothing happened."

    "Something must have happened! Tell me!" Victor was speechless as he looked at the relentless Gloria. Meanwhile, the flightnded at Riverdale after one day and one night.

    Everyone was so exhausted from all the traveling that they fell asleep while on the ne. Besides having short chats during mealtimes, they mostly slept throughout the flight. All of them were exhausted after all that had happened, and it was already evening when they got off the ne. Both children were still sleeping when they went to collect their baggage. One of them was in Justin''s arms, and the other was holding onto Rachel''s hand as he took small steps while still in a daze.

    "How are you going backter?" Rachel asked Leroy and Jolly, but her question was mainly targeted at the former. After all, Leroy was a celebrity, so precautions had to be taken whenever he traveled.

    As Jolly yawned, she answered, "His driver will be picking us up, and I''ll get a ride from him. I''m not sure why, but my parents want me back home."

    "Alright. Please let me know when you''re home." Rachel nodded. "No worries. Will you be taking the children with you?"

    "Yes. Since my car is parked at the airport, I''ll send them back on my way home."

    Out of the group, Justin''s summer vi was the furthest away from the airport since it was located on the outskirts, and he had to drive to the airport himself. As night fell, the streetlights along the highway were brightly lit. Both of the children were fast asleep in their respective safety seats behind. Meanwhile, Rachel felt rather drowsy too.

    When he noticed this, Justin adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner and told her, "You should get some sleep. I''ll wake you up when we reach."

    "It''s fine. I''m not tired." Even though she insisted that she wasn''t tired, the next moment, she let out a yawn. She felt so embarrassed that she immediately sat up straight and tapped on the car monitor, trying to y some songs.

    "I see that you''re a big fan of Gloria since you have all of her piano music saved here." "It must have been Ria or the driver who downloaded it. I rarely listen to songs because I don''t really drive."

    "All these songs would make me sleepy. Let me connect my phone via Bluetooth and y some songs from there."

    "Sure." As Rachel swiped her phone, a ding was heard after her phone connected to the car''s Bluetooth. She then yed a song from her song library. It was a song called ''I Have A Date With Spring'' sung by Alice Lawson. The gentle melody of saxophone ying in the background was perfect for the night. The timeless English song would somehow make the listeners remember the good times. It ended with the following verse, ''If there is still love, I believe that both of us have a date with spring...

    Soon after, the car drove into a dimly lit tunnel. With his hand on the steering wheel, Justin nced over at the woman who was sound asleep on the passenger seat and slowly let go of the elerator. He reduced the car''s speed so that the car would drive smoothly. All of it seemed surreal to him as the scene of him. driving the kids with Rachel was something that he could only dream of, but at that moment, it was actually happening to him.

    When Rachel woke up, they had already reached the apartment some time ago. "Are we here already?" She slowly opened her eyes. "Why didn''t you wake me up? When did I fall asleep?"

    "You fell asleep not long after ying that song." When she heard that, Rachel felt embarrassed and replied, "Turns out the song that I yed is quite hypnotizing."

    "It''s actually quite nice." "Let''s not hold you up any longer. Can you please wake the kids up for me? I''ll bring them upstairs."

    Rachel couldn''t do it all by herself since she only had a pair of hands. "I''m afraid they are too sound asleep that it''d be hard to wake them up. I''ll carry them upstairs.

    Looking at both of the sleepyheads, she wasn''t confident that they would wake up too. "I''m sorry for troubling you."

    "No worries." Both of them went up to her unit as Justin carried the kids in his arms. After putting the kids down in their bedroom, Rachel gave him a ss of cold coconut water. "This will help you stay awake. Please be careful while driving; it''s already dark, after all." "Got it. Well, I''d better get going."

    "I''ll see you out." As they reached the elevator, Rachel suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I saw some news about embezzlement in a charity organization on the ne this morning. The money was supposed to be used to fund those poor skinny children..." She continued, "Why not give some thought to the Riverdale Charity Foundation? I really think that you''re the most suitable candidate for the role. It will be a good thing, I promise."

    Seeing how encouraging she was, he contemted for a while and finally responded positively, "Okay, I''ll think about it."

 Chapter 455

    "This is the election invite sent over by Riverdale Charity Foundation. The following day, the secretary handed over an invitation to Rachel at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "How many candidates are running for the election?" Rachel asked as she nced at it. "There were three candidates before you went on leave, but there''s four now."

    "Is their support rate high?" "Initially, it was a tight race between the three candidates since they were quite influential within Riverdale. However, after the fourth candidate joined, I heard that a lot of people switched sides and decided to vote for him. If everything goes well he will probably win the position of vice president during this election."

    "Is that so? Who is that capable?" Rachel asked in surprise. The secretary paused before answering, "It''s President Peters from the Burton Group."

    Hearing that, her gaze widened in astonishment as she thought, Julian is running for vice president of the charity foundation?

    "Miss Hudson, are we going to cast our votes for President Peters?" the secretary asked carefully, Everyone in thepany didn''t know what the exact rtionship between Rachel

    and Julian was. Rumors had it that they were getting married, but since they hadn''t met in a long time, everyone spected that the wedding might have been called off. "When is the election?" Rachel furrowed her brows.

    "It''s 2.00PM this Friday."

    "I got it. Let me think about it." After her secretary left, she leaned into her leather chair while deep in thought. Suddenly, her phone sounded as a reminder she had previously set appeared on the screen. Then, Jolly, who was holding some pastries in one hand, walked in and saw Rachel grabbing her coat and keys, seemingly ready to head out.

    "Are you leaving? I''ve bought some cake and was thinking of sharing it with you." "No, thanks. I need to make a trip to St. Ignatius Church."

    "St. Ignatius Church? Why so sudden? Wait, are you a Catholic?" "What are you talking about? I''m going over there to meet Diana." Justin was the one who told her that Evan''s stepmother resided near St. Ignatius Church.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "I''ll be leaving now since I also have to do some shopping." Rachel left her office right after that..

    St. Ignatius Church was the most famous church within Riverdale for fulfilling people''s wishes. However, Rachel couldn''t confirm it since none of her family members were Catholic. She had only been there once when she was younger, and Nancy was the one who brought her there because she often got sick easily. Hence, they went over and tried their luck. Oddly enough, Rachel''s condition improved after they visited the church, and Nancy became a devout Catholic since then.

    Rachel thought that Diana was probably a Catholic since she stayed within the mountains near St. Ignatius Church. Thus, she wouldn''t be fond of tacky jewelry. After wandering around the mall for some time, she finally decided to buy a purple y tea set and went home to get some of the finest tea leaves. She believed that those would make a good gift.

    It was 3.00PM when she almost arrived at St. Ignatius Church, which was the perfect time for visiting. Her phone also rang at the same time. Rachel answered the phone. "Have you arrived?"

    "Yes, I have," Justin responded from the other line of the conversation. "I parked my car in the parking lot outside the church. It''s pretty spacious, so you can easily park your car here." "Alright, I got it."

    "Drive safe. I''ll wait for you here."

    "Alright." After the call ended, Rachel reset her navigation system and set the destination to St. Ignatius Church''s car parking lot.

    Justin was the one who had arranged this meeting. After all, it might seem rude if she went to see Diana directly without prior notice. Besides, Diana might not be willing to meet her. Thus, when he suggested this meeting, Rachel didn''t refuse since she wasn''t in the position to do so due to Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' current situation. She would find a way to return his favorter on..

    Soon, Rachel had arrived at the car park in front of St. Ignatius Church. She spotted a familiar figure dressed in casual outerwear, and he blended in with the towering ancient trees around him.

    "Get in the car," she said after winding down her car''s window. "Over there." Justin pointed in a direction, guiding her to look for a parking spot.

    After making a few rounds, they finally found a spot at the far end. When she got out of the car, she looked around and curiously asked, "There are so many cars here. How did you manage to get a spot?"

    "I managed to find one after making several rounds." "What time did you arrive? Have you been waiting long?"

    "Nope, I haven''t," Justin replied nonchntly as he looked far away. "This area is frequented by tourists, especially in the morning. There isn''t much of a crowd during this time of the day."

    When Rachel heard that, she nodded and suddenly remembered the gift that she had bought after taking a few steps. "Ah, I left Diana''s gift in the car. I almost forgot about it." "What did you get her?"

    "A tea set and some tea leaves." Hearing that, he furrowed his brows. "What''s wrong? Is it a bad idea? Or do you think that it''s nothing special?" She believed that it was a decent gift.

    "Not really. It''s just that the Holt Family has been involved in the purple y teapot business for generations." "What? Would it seem like I''m trying to teach a fish to swim?" "No worries. Let''s not bring the tea set for now) I''ve brought some pastries, which Old Mrs. Holt fancies."

    "It might seem rude if I don''t bring anything for our first meeting, though." "Old Mrs. Holt wouldn''t mind. You can see for yourself when you meet her."

    "Alright." Diana''s house was a ten-minute walk away from St. Ignatius Church. Since it was the beginning of winter, the snow-capped mountains looked depressing. However,pared to Riverdale, it was considered vibrant.

    Meanwhile, Rachel could see Diana standing in front of a white wall from afar. Her gray hair was perfectlybed, and she was dressed in blue clothing. Although she was old, she was standing upright with her hands behind her back and she seemed to be in high spirits. The scene in front of her made her remember how Nancy would stand in front of the door every weekend, waiting for her to return after she moved out from the Hudson Residence.

    When Diana spotted them, she waved her hand and beamed. However, just as Justin stood in front of her, her expression changed as she scolded, "I''ve been waiting for you all afternoon! What took you so long, and where is my apricot Danish pastry?"

    "They are here, but you shouldn''t eat too much of them." He raised his hand, showing her the pastries. "I have to say that you are naggier than the old madam from my family."

    The next moment, Diana''s gaze fell on Rachel as Rachel stood behind Justin. "Is this thedy that you want me to meet?"

    "It''s nice to meet you, Old Mrs. Holt. I''m Rachel Hudson," she greeted Diana. Diana looked at Rachel carefully before saying, "Not bad. She looks beautiful. When are you nning to get married? By then, invite me to your wedding and I''ll give you a big wedding gift." Hearing those words, Rachel was stunned while she looked at Justin in surprise. Did he not tell her about our rtionship? Meanwhile, Justin furrowed his brows slightly, and it seemed like he wanted to say something.

 Chapter 456

    "It''s too cold outside, Old Mrs. Holt. We should talk inside." Justin changed the subject. However, Diana waved her hand and said, "Don''t try to fool me, Brandon. It''s already August. How can it be cold? Are you bullying me because I''m senile?" Brandon? August? Rachel felt her heart skipping a beat. After a lot of persuasion by Justin, only then did Diana enter the house.

    There was a nanny in the house. When she saw Justin, she greeted him respectfully and made them tea. Just then, Diana said, "The chef has made peanut brittle today. Wait here, and I''ll get some for you."

    "Wait, Madam." The nanny wanted to stop her, but she failed to do so. She could only sigh resignedly. "I''m sorry, Mr. Burton." Noticing that, Justin asked, "Did Old Mrs. Holt''s condition worsen?"

    "Yes. As you can see, when she''s having an episode, she''ll mix everything and everyone up. She even called me her aunt this morning." As they were talking, Diana''s voice resonated from outside, and the nanny quickly answered her. "I should go and take a look before she hurts herself. You should sit down with Miss Hudson."

    When Justin heard that, he nodded slightly. Only when the nanny left did Rachel ask, "What happened to Old Mrs. Holt?"

    "She has Alzheimer''s. When I came here previously, her condition wasn''t this serious. At the very least, she was always clear-headed around this time. However, it seems like her condition has worsened." "No wonder you asked me toe at this time."

    "I think I''ve wasted your journey here." Justin''s tone was apologetic. "I don''t think this is going to work. I''m sorry."

    "Why are you apologizing? It doesn''t matter whether it''ll work or not; I know that you just want to help me. Besides..." Rachel looked out of the window.

    "What is it?" "Nothing," She put on a smile. Besides, Old Mrs. Holt makes me think of my grandma. For some reason, she''s giving me a sense of familiarity. "I heard how Old Mrs. Holt called you Brandon just now. Who''s that?"

    "It''s her biological son, but he has already passed away." "What?" Rachel was startled. Evan was only about fifty years old, and Diana was his stepmother. As such, her biological son should. be younger than Evan, so why had he passed away? "He died at a young age. He was about eight years old at the time."

    "I see." "Old Mrs. Holt has lived a tough life. I heard that when she was married to Old Mr. Holt, it was precisely when Hudson Pharmacy fell into trouble. During that time, Old Mr. Holt was still the Hudson Family''s butler. As such, he had put his entire fortune into it. Old Mrs. Holt even had to help people doundry to help out with the family expenses."

    Everyone knew that the Hudson Family''s Butler Holt was a loyal person back then, but only a few of them knew how much his wife at home had to suffer to fulfill his loyalty.

    "Everyone knows that Evan wasn''t on good terms with Old Mrs. Holt since he was young. She tried so hard and finally had her own. biological child, but he died at such a young age."

    Rachel felt pitiful after hearing that. ''No parent should ever have to outlive their child." Meanwhile, outside the house, the nanny was talking to Diana earnestly. However, Diana was growing impatient and waved her hand, showing that she didn''t want to hear it anymore. Then, she entered the house right away.

    "Susan ate all the peanut brittle that I left for you two, and she''s not admitting it." Diana was unhappy. "I''m going to ask your dad to send her back tomorrow. I don''t need her here anymore."

    "Mr. Burton." The nanny followed behind Diana with an apologetic and resigned expression. Justin just smiled and said, "It''s okay. If there''s no peanut brittle, we still have the apricot Danish pastry." Only then did Diana remember the pastries. "That''s right, I still have the apricot Danish pastry." As she said that, she sat on the couch and started to open the pastry box that Justin had bought her.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    At this moment, Justin turned around and told Rachel, "Why don''t you go back first? I''ll let you know when Old Mrs. Holt is clear-headed next time."

    "What about you?" "I''ll stay here with her for a while. She''ll lose her temper if we leave together."

    Before Rachel could say anything, Diana seemingly heard them and raised her head sharply. "Who''s leaving? You two just came here. Am I not treating you well?" With an rmed and upset look, she said, "Here, have some of these apricot Danish pastries." Seeing that made Rachel feel her heart ache. "We''re not leaving. No one is leaving," Rachel quickly said tofort Diana.

    How many elderly people living alone really wanted a quiet environment? All of them wanted their children toe and visit them often. It was impossible for people like Evan, who only cared about their own interests, to take care of others. Moreover, he was on bad terms with his stepmother. He was probably just hoping for her to pass away as soon as possible so that he could inherit her fortune.

    Startled, Justin looked at Rachel and couldn''t find any trace of her despising Diana. On the contrary, she was patiently opening the wrapper of the apricot Danish pastry for Diana. "Here, take a bite."

    "It''s delicious. Your dad doesn''t know you''re here, right, Nat?" Nat? Rachel was stunned for a moment and suddenly recalled that Evan had a daughter named Natasha. Diana probably had a good rtionship with her, and she was thinking that Rachel was that kid. "Why aren''t you calling me Granny, Nat? Your dad''s not here. He won''t know." After hesitating for a moment, Rachelplied and said, "Granny."

    "Yes." Diana smiled joyously. "Have an apricot Danish pastry. It''s really yummy." Rachel and Justin only left when the sun was setting and Diana was getting drowsy. Before they left, Diana had fallen asleep on the couch with her hand holding Rachel''s.

    "I''m sorry for all the trouble, Mr. Burton." The nanny sent them to the door and didn''t stop thanking them. "It''s nothing. We don''t feel troubled at all. You can contact me at any time when Old Mrs. Holt needs any help."

    "I know. It''s better to count on you than Madam''s son. Throughout all these years, you''vee to visit Madam more often than him." Justin didn''t say much upon hearing that. He just told her to take care of Old Mrs. Holt well before leaving with Rachel. While they were walking to the parking lot, Rachel asked Justin, "You''ve beening here to visit Old Mrs. Holt throughout the years?" "Yeah. When she still had part of the shares in her hands previously, I frequented her ce..."

    "I don''t think that''s the only reason you''re doing this. If it''s really for your interest, you would think of ways to let her transfer her shares to Evan." After all, Justin had left some leeway for Diana since he knew that Evan was unfilial. If she didn''t have the shares with her, she would have had no ce to go in the future.

    Justin was startled for a moment, and he didn''t admit to it. "I''vee to realize that you''re really kind. However, you just don''t talk much, making people think that you''re a cold person. If you''d told me about the things about my grandma during those days, perhaps..." She didn''t continue her sentence.

    When she met his appalled andplicated gaze, only then did she realize what she had said, and she was startled too.

 Chapter 457

    Rachel didn''t finish her words, but half of her sentence was echoing within the woods. At this moment, Justin froze for a moment before taking his next step, which was nearly at the same time when Rachel became stunned. However, he didn''t turn around and just let the weird atmosphere persist for a few seconds before changing the subject.

    "Be careful. It rained a few days ago, so the cobblestone path is a little slippery." Only then did Rachel snap out of her daze. "Oh, okay. Thanks."

    Then, they walked together in the direction of the parking lot. Just then, Rachel asked, "Old Mrs. Holt''s conditiones and goes. Is it really suitable for her to stay here alone?"

    "When she was clear-headed, I talked to her about letting her stay in a nursing home, but she rejected the idea. She said that it''s quiet in the woods, and there are too many people in the nursing home, so she refused to move."

    "She looks quite friendly, though. Does she not like the liveliness?" "People tend to have their own thoughts when they age. She''s really stubborn, so I''m not sure either." Hearing that, Rachel nodded and looked as though she had something on her mind. Justin thought that she was worried about the shares of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, so heforted her by saying, "Don''t worry, Old Mrs. Holt said that she''s going to make a will. Since Evan doesn''t treat her well, I guess the shares won''t likely go into his hands." "That''s not what I''m thinking." She shook her head. "I''m just thinking that she has worked her whole life for others, but she doesn''t have any children beside her in the end; she''s just like my grandma." "Perhaps they don''t regret it."

    Rachel was startled by his words. Then, Justin continued, "Although Old Mrs. Holt doesn''t have a child of her own, her husband showed a lot of affection toward her when he was alive. Even when he made his will before his death, he was thinking about her. I think it''s already sufficient to have a person always having you in their mind like this in your life. Just like Grandma, she treated your mother as her own daughter, right?"

    It didn''t necessarily mean that a person''s life would be happy even if they got married and had a child. Sometimes, a good rtionship with family and friends could embellish a person''s life. Whenpared to the lives of those married couples who were always arguing and having unfilial children, thecency that the former achieved was real happiness.

    "If Grandma is still alive, she won''t regret not having her own biological child. What she''ll hope for the most is for you to live a good life. Am I right?"

    When Rachel heard that, she answered with a nod, "Yeah, you''re right." The thing that Grandma hoped for the most was for Rachel to live a good life. She was trying hard to get over it too. "By the way, what''s your decision regarding the charity foundation?" "I''ve thought about it. I have quite a lot of free time now, and I think it''ll be good for me to find something to do. Also, there''s a charity fundraising campaign that I''ve been in charge of, so I decided to listen to your advice."

    "In that case, do you know that... Julian is running for the election too?"N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "I heard that." "You should''ve heard about his approval rating, then." "Yeah, Frankie told me about it." Looking at his rock-solid poker face as usual, Rachel took the weight off her mind as well.

    "You seem like you have your own thoughts about it already. I''ll wish you luck, then." From an objective point of view, Justin had the experience and connections in charity, so he could carry out the duty handily. If this was a fair election, he would get the vice president''s seat.

    However, there was neverplete fairness in this world. Sometimes, people had to give in to Machiavellian maneuvers. Justin was someone who had been through such principles, so Rachel believed that he had prepared himself for it. When Rachel returned from St. Ignatius Church, it was already nighttime.

    As soon as she entered the house, she could smell pizza. She put down her car keys and walked into the house while taking off her coat before ranting, "Jolly, did you feed the kids junk food again? Is it so hard to just make pasta?"

    Jolly was lying on the couch, watching a drama as though she was stuck on the piece of furniture. There was still unfinished pizza and drinks on the coffee table. Rachel simply took a piece of the pizza and put it into her mouth..

    When she saw that, Jolly rolled her eyes at Rachel. "You''re enjoying it too, so you can''t scold me for it." "By the way, you''ve already dered your rtionship with Leroy publicly, so when are you moving out? Why are you still staying here?" "Why? Do you not like it now?" Jolly turned over. "We split fifty-fifty to purchase this house, so I have the right to ess half of it."

    "Fine. You''re saying like I''m chasing you away. I''m just afraid that you''re always away from Leroy, and there might be an appearance of another woman."

    "That''s funny. Even before another woman appears, I think my parents are going to separate us first." A startled Rachel asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Carter still haven''t agreed to your rtionship?"

    "Yeah." Jolly nodded and sighed resignedly. "I don''t understand. I never knew there was a rule about not dating people from the entertainment industry in my family. My parents just don''t like everything about Leroy. What''s wrong with them?"

    "Even his face? Don''t they like his face?" Jolly nodded. "They said that it''s a w for men to have pretty faces." "Ryan is good looking too." Rachel used the best son-inw candidate in Jolly''s parents'' eyes as a benchmark.

    "That''s exactly what I said. Do you know what my mom said? She yed along and said that his face was just right. She even asked me to think about marrying him again.

    "Really? He has already been married two times. Are you sure she doesn''t mind?"

    "God knows!" Jolly was rolling her eyes to the back of her head. "I don''t even want to go home now. Ryan is like a ster sticking to the living room of my house. I get annoyed every time I see him."

    Rachel shook her head upon hearing that. She was really impressed by Ryan as he hadn''t given up yet after receiving the cold shoulder from Jolly for such a long time. As expected, a son was more important than anything else in men''s eyes, and the mother''s status would only rise after giving birth to a son.

    As they were talking, she looked at the vase on the dining table from the corner of her eye. "Did you buy flowers?"

    In the vase was a bouquet of gorgeous, budding white roses. Under the yellow light, they looked extra beautiful. The flowers were not there yet when she left the house this morning.

    "Oh, that? Mrs. Gibson brought it here."

    "Mrs. Gibson?" Rachel had surprise written all over her face. Since they didn''t have time for chores, they hired a permanent cleaner once week to clean the house. Mrs. Gibson was a great worker since she was serious about her job, but Rachel had never heard of a cleaner growing flowers.

    "Yeah, I saw her putting the flowers into the vase quite professionally. She said that she saw the vase and found it beautiful when she came here previously. Since it would be a waste if it was left empty, she bought a bouquet here."

    Hearing that, Rachel seemed to have something on her mind. "She''s really attentive. We should increase her pay next time." "You decide. I have noment."

    After she showered, Rachel came out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone by the bedside. Immediately, she saw an unread message. ''President Hudson, are you free tomorrow night? Let''s have dinner together.'' There was only silence at her end.

 Chapter 458

    When Rachel saw the caller ID, she knitted her brows together and looked outside of her bedroom subconsciously. The message was from Ryan.

    "Is President Sutton asking me out for dinner? Did he send the text to the wrong person?" She considered herself a stranger to Ryan since she didn''t have any interactions with him. Having his contact number was solely because of Jolly, and she hadn''t contacted him before since she just added him out of courtesy.

    However, Ryan called her on the phone right away. After a moment of hesitation, Rachel picked up the call. "Hello?"

    "Don''t get me wrong. There''s a dinner gathering with the Riverdale Chamber of Commerce tomorrow night. There will be more than ten people attending. It''s a chance for us to exchange our resources, so it''ll be mutually beneficial for everyone."

    "I don''t think there are any business dealings between Hudson Pharmaceuticals and yourpany, President Sutton." "That''s just for now. Who knows if there will be one in the future?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "If you''re trying to approach Jolly through me, I''m afraid that this will not work. You can''t force someone into a rtionship, and I won''t provide Jolly with any advice when she''s choosing her other half."

    "I think I know Jolly''s personality better than you, President Hudson." Ryan''s tone remained indifferent. "If she knows that I''m buying the people around her so that I can approach her, I think she''ll hate me even more."

    "Why try if you know?" "It doesn''t matter whether you believe me or not. I''m just pulling strings for the Chamber of Commerce gathering. It just so happens that a close partner of mine is asking for my help to find a reliable supplier for medical supplies and devices in Riverdale..

    I just think that Hudson Pharmaceuticals would be a suitable candidate, both professionally and personally. I heard that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has lost a few big clients and is probably having a liquidity constraint, am I right?"

    When she heard that, Rachel frowned a little. "Thank you for your concern, President Sutton. However, I''m not sure where you heard such a rumor since Hudson Pharmaceuticals is doing fine."

    "Well, just take this as me putting a cherry on the cake for Hudson Pharmaceuticals. As for the gathering tomorrow, you can decide for yourself whether you want to be there or not. I''ve sent you the address."

    "Thank you, President Sutton." After hanging up the phone, Rachel held her phone in her hand and sat at the side of the bed.

    In truth, Hudson Pharmaceuticals was experiencing a liquidity constraint. The news about Jefferey''s imprisonment for smuggling goods had caused Hudson Pharmaceuticals to be the key inspection target of the Commerce Bureau. Even when the partners were clean, no one would want to be marked all day. This caused a decrease in the number of coborations Hudson Pharmaceuticals had.

    If what Ryan said was legitimate, this could be good news for thepany. However, when Rachel recalled the hatred Jolly had for him, she frowned and gave up on this idea. The next afternoon, Rachel and Jolly were having lunch in the office.

    Just then, Rachel''s assistant rushed into the room with several documents in her arms. "President Hudson, Miss Carter." Rachel raised her head. "Didn''t I ask you to rest? What''s making you so flustered?"

    This new assistant of hers was really active. He wouldn''t rest during break time and always continued working after having two pieces of bread. Even Rachel, who was the president, couldn''tpare herself to him...

    The assistant said, "It''s good news. There''s a medical devicepany in Shans, and their president will be here in Riverdale for two days. Their branding is really good, but there''s a technical deficiency in their production since theyck professionals in R&D technology. I we can invite them to coborate with us, we''ll have a continuation in the capital chain."

    "Why didn''t you mention such good news earlier? Whichpany is it?" Jolly put down her utensils immediately. "Quick, spit it. If this works out, you''ll y a huge part in it." Then, the assistant replied, "It''s Star Medical."

    "Star Medical?" Jolly''s eyes sparkled as soon as she heard that. She then turned to look at Rachel. "Thispany is not bad. It was listed in Enistan three years ago, and it has a great reputation. I heard that their president was very particr about details. In fact, he has a strict benchmark for all of its partner factories andpanies. If we can coborate with them, it will indirectly prove ourpetence."

    Rachel looked delighted as well. "Did their presidente here in person? Which hotel is he staying at? What''s his schedule?"

    "I''ve checked everything. President Sanchez has an appointment tonight at Nertonham Pce Hotel. It''s a dinner gathering with the Riverdale Chamber of Commerce. They start at 7.00PM, and the event is expected to end around 9.00PM."

    As soon as Rachel heard the address, she furrowed her brows. However, Jolly didn''t realize her anomaly and. told the assistant excitedly. "You should prepare all the documents and go ambush him with me tonight. I believe that he''ll work with us," she said. "Okay, I''ll prepare them now."

    "No, wait." Rachel cut them off all of a sudden and stopped the assistant. When they heard that, the assistant and Jolly were both stunned. "What is it?" Jolly looked at Rachel in confusion. With a frown, Rachel looked at the assistant. The assistant understood immediately. "I''ll be outside."

    When the office door was shut, Jolly asked Rachel puzzledly, "It''s such a good opportunity, so why are you rejecting it? Hudson Pharmaceuticals is in a terrible financial situation. If we can find a stable partner to help us, our reputation will certainly improve." "There''s no such thing as free lunch in this world." Rachel didn''t n to hide it from Jolly and gave the woman her phone. "Look, this is what Ryan sent me yesterday."

    "Ryan?" Jolly''s expression changed at once. She took the phone and saw the text on the screen. "He asked you out for dinner?"

    "It''s a gathering with the Chamber of Commerce. Look at the address." "Nertonham Pce?" Jolly frowned. "Why is it the same ce?"

    "If I''m not mistaken, Xander probably came across President Sanchez, who happens to be the partner that Ryan wanted to introduce to mest night. He said that he was trying to pull strings and help Hudson Pharmaceuticals get through this crisis." "What did you reply?"

    "I rejected him." Jolly hugged Rachel at once. "Good job! I hereby announce that you''re my real sister! You are not even moved by such a temptation in front of you."

    "You can praise me, but can you not strangle me?" Rachel coughed a few times and exined, "I don''t have any interactions with Ryan in the first ce. Although he said that it''s just business to help me pull strings, there are so many pharmaceutical factories andpanies in Riverdale, and we''re not the only reliable one. I don''t think that he''ll offer me such a good opportunity without any reason. I couldn''t think of any other reason other than you, so I rejected him just in case."

    As she held Rachel''s hand, Jolly tried to calm her joyous feelings. After calming down, she said, "Why don''t you go and take a look, Chris?"

    "What? Have you put aside your differences with him already?"

    "No way, it''ll only happen in his dreams." Jolly had a disdained look on her face. "I just think that since we know what''s on his mind, we don''t have anything to be afraid of. Even if it wasn''t for his invitation, we''d still be contacting President Sanchez anyway. Why should we waste this chance because of him?"

    When she heard that, Rachel put on a surprised look. "Is that really what you think? You won''t be angry if I go?"

    "Angry? Perhaps a little, but I''ll be angrier if we lose a deal because of him." As Jolly said that, she patted Rachel''s hand. "Thus, you have to take down President Sanchez!"

 Chapter 459

    "Are you serious?" Rachel was surprised. "Last time, I remember you saying that we need to stick together when ites to issues with your rtionship. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be friends with me anymore."

    When she met Jolly overseas, thetter had talked to her about this seriously. No matter what kind of choices they faced in the future, they had to stick together if it was rted to their friendship. Otherwise, Jolly would fall out with her for sure. But now, Jolly was asking her to attend the dinner that Ryan had pulled some strings for when she was on bad terms with him.

    "I''m not who I used to be anymore." Jolly put on a proud look. "When I was just idling through life back then, I thought that how could all these men have a better life than me? How could he get over the rtionship so quickly and start all over again? I hated him so much at that time that I wanted to kill him and feed his corpse to dogs."

    "But after that, I got over it myself too. Do you know that I rarely think about him anymore? I''m not saying that I''ve moved onpletely since I was really devastated for those few years, but I just feel that I''m having a good life now, so I don''t have to waste my time hating him. He''s nothing anyway!"

    As she said that, she heaved a sigh of relief as though she had lifted the weight off her shoulders. "Simply put, you shouldn''t give up on this opportunity because of me. This is business, after all. More importantly, do you think that people like Ryan will give up on their own interests to help others? Wake up! He''s not a God who''ll benefit everybody, he''s just a human who never does things without purpose."

    After thinking for quite some time, Rachel nodded. She felt that what Jolly said was reasonable. If Ryan was doing this just for Jolly, he didn''t have to embarrass himself over and over again. It was just because he was too greedy and wanted everything. Jolly knew him too well, so that was why she was tired of him.

    This would not be a simple dinner, and the coboration with President Sanchez would not be easy either. Rachel pulled herself together. "In that case, I''ll go to the dinner tonight."

    "I''ll take you there and wait for you outside." Jolly acted on what she said. She didn''t mind, but she was just worried about her safety.

    At 7.00PM in the suite of the Nertonham Pce Hotel, Rachel had just gotten off the elevator. When she was about to send a text to Ryan, she saw him standing at the entrance of the suite. "Here."

    "Thank you, President Sutton. You didn''t have toe out to take me in." "I should. After all, I''m the one who pulled the strings and whatnot. You''re also the onlydy here tonight, President Hudson. Naturally, I should look after you."

    When she heard that, Rachel gave him a glimpse and said indifferently, "From what I remember, you didn''t treat me like this previously, President Sutton."

    When she was investigating the case earlier, Ryan was always mean mugging her since he felt that she was taking risks with Jolly.

    "I''ll have three sses of wer as a penalty to apologize for those unhappy episodes previously." "It''s fine. If you can make this deal a sess, I should be toasting you instead."

    When the waiter opened the suite''s door, Ryan gestured for her to enter first and introduced her to everyone in the suite. "Let me make the introductions. This is Hudson Pharmaceuticals" President Hudson."

    There was a big round table in the suite, and everyone inside was a member of the Chamber of Commerce. They treated Rachel with courtesy when they saw her. "Seeing for myself is better than hearing from others. Indeed, she''s a beautifuldy."

    "Not only is she beautiful, but she must also be extremely talented as well to carry the whole Hudson Pharmaceuticals on her shoulders. She''s even better than most of the men out there."

    After making small talk, Rachel finally sat down when Ryan gave her the signal. "This is President Sanchez of Star Medical." The man seated on his right was around forty years old and was a little chubby, giving people the impression that he was simple and honest. After he shook hands with Rachel, he let go of her hand right after. "Owen Sanchez."

    "Rachel Hudson," Rachel introduced herself politely too. Ryan then said, "Owen, didn''t you ask me to find a suitable pharmaceutical factory in Riverdale to coborate with you? The person in front of you is the most suitable one."

    "Is that so?" Owen asked in surprise. "Is Hudson Pharmaceuticals doing spare parts for medical devices now?"

    Rachel nodded calmly. "Of course. Right now, thepetition in the medical industry is so fierce that expanding into new markets is the only way to survive. Hudson Pharmaceuticals has put a lot of effort into hiring professionals in R&D to refine our medical devices." When Owen heard that, he showed interest immediately and started asking her questions. As Rachel had previously discovered, President Sanchez of Star Medical was a careful person. He had a high benchmark for product quality. If Rachel wasn''t as omniscient as she was, she wouldn''t be able to answer his questions for sure.

    "If you''re interested, you cane and visit our factory some other day. You''re wee at any time." "Sure, I''ll definitely be there."

    As they were talking, there was someone outside of the suite. "President Peters, you''re finally here." Although she didn''t know who had said that, Rachel felt her heart skipping a beat before she lifted her head. It was Julian indeed.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "I''m sorry to keep everyone waiting. The road was a little congested. I''ll drink a cup of wer as penalty for beingte." Julian saw Rachel as well, but he wasn''t surprised. "You can sit here, President Peters."

    "No, this seat is more suitable for him." Ryan''s voice came from her side. When she heard that, Rachel clenched her fists and knitted her brows slightly. Meanwhile, Ryan stood up and gave his seat to Julian. "Long time no see," Julian greeted Rachel softly as soon as he sat down. However, she remained silent with her brows furrowed. She had no idea how to face a former friend in such a situation. When he noticed that, Julian said, "We''re going to meet each other during asions like this in the future. If you keep hiding from me, how can you help Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    After saying that, he waved his hand and asked the waiter to change the wine ss in front of her into juice. Everyone in the room had different looks on their faces upon witnessing that, and they stared at each other awkwardly. For the sake of their friendship in the past, Rachel didn''t want to embarrass him publicly either. Hence, she forced a smile and stepped back quietly, watching them toast each other while they drank ss after ss at the table. "President Peters, I heard that the final list of the candidates for the election has been released. Justin is on the list as well."

    Rachel was unsure of who said that, but she felt her heart sinking all of a sudden. At this moment, Ryan said, "His approval ratings are not very high anyway. We''re all going to vote for President Peters on that day, right?" Rachel immediately stared at Julian upon hearing that, and she wanted to know the real purpose of this dinner.

    When Julian noticed her gaze, he glimpsed at her before saying, "After all, the establishment of the Riverdale Charity Foundation is a sess mostly because of the strong support from the Burton Group. Justin merely borrowed the Burton Group''s name. Ultimately, the vice president''s seat is Burton Group''s and has nothing to do with him."

    Rachel was in disbelief when she heard that. After putting all his heart and sweat into the charity business for so many years, Justin''s hard work was nullified with just a few words by Julian. She couldn''t believe that the kind Dr. Peters could say such a thing. There could be many tactics in business rivalry, but taking credit for the kind acts of others was just despicable.

 Chapter 460

    Rachel was in shock as she clenched her fists. Then, Ryan''s voice resonated from the table as he wore a mere smile and asked, "President Hudson is going to vote for President Peters too, right?"

    She just had a deal with President Sanchez. If she embarrassed the host now, how could she continue with the coboration? Certainly, Ryan did this on purpose tond her in a difficult position.

    She immediately recalled Jolly''sment about him-he never did things without a purpose. How could he be so kind to help Rachel pull strings and save the ruptured capital chain of Hudson Pharmaceuticals? This was obviously a trap that he set up with Julian for her. It went without saying how many of the Chamber of Commerce''s members here were bribed, as well as how many of them had their weaknesses in Julian''s hand.

    "I don''t feel so well. I should head back first." Rachel stood up all of a sudden without batting an eyelid at the surprised expressions of the others and she left right after saying so.

    "Sorry, everyone. You guys should continue while I go after her." Julian followed behind the woman. With the thought of staying out of trouble, she rushed out of the ce but was stopped by him. "Rachel."

    Rachel bluntly swung his hand off. "I really have something to do. Jolly is waiting for me outside." "Are you holding up your guard against me? Do you think I''d do anything to you?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

    "I wasn''t before this; I was simply being cautious of Ryan. I didn''t think that I''d need to be guarded against you now, though." She had aplicated look on her face. "I don''t understand how you ended up like this, Julian."

    "How did I end up?" When she heard that, she just gave him a gaze without saying anything. At this moment, Julian looked at her calmly and said, "I''ll say it for you if you don''t want to. I''ve be a greedy, despicable, and avaricious person that you despise and scorn." Rachel could feel her brows ticking. Even when she had some of those thoughts, she would keep them to herself and wouldn''t reallyment on a person in this way since her mannerisms didn''t allow her to do so. However, she didn''t feel delighted at all when he said it out loud. She just felt worse. "You don''t have to do this, Julian."

    "Why not?" Julian looked at her. "If I don''t do this, would I be able to hold onto my status in the Burton Group? Do you know that since the day I received the will, there''s been no turning back for me anymore?"

    Jason hadmitted adultery with Julian''s mother and made him into an illegitimate child. In fact, they even drugged Arthur and killed him. "Do you think that I don''t know how they talked about me in private despite not saying it in front of me? In their eyes, I''ll forever be an illegitimate child who appeared out of nowhere."

    "You can just ignore what they say." "Then, what? Ignore them and continue to be a mediocre surgeon? Should I just pretend I never heard all those rumors?" He was getting hot-tempered all of a sudden. It was probably because he had drunk a few sses of wine, and there was a trace of him being drunk on his face.

    He stared at Rachel and sadded, "I want to rece Justinpletely. Not only that, I want to outperform him and have a higher status than him so that those people who hold grudges against me wouldn''t dare to say a word in front of me anymore!"

    When she heard that, she had mixed feelings. Rachel looked at the man in front of her, her gaze turning pitiful. "If that''s really what you want, I''m not in the ce to interfere with you either." She turned around and left right after she said that. "Wait." Julian stopped her. "Who are you going to vote for during the election?" "I''ll vote for whoever is fit for the position."

    "Justin? Just say it. He''s the most suitable candidate in your eyes, isn''t he?" Julian was bing clear-headed. He then said coldly, "However, you''ve seen it with your own eyes too. Half of the people who are going to vote are here today, and the result is already obvious."

    Then, he continued, "I purposely invited President Sanchez here when I heard that Hudson Pharmaceuticals was in trouble. Rachel, I told you that I''d help you out. I will never go back on my word."

    Rachel took a deep breath upon hearing that. "Had you not be who you are now, I would''ve happily epted your favor. However, I don''t dare ept anything from you anymore when you''re like this. People should keep to their boundaries, Julian. Where''s yours? Where''s your boundary?" After leaving that sentence in the air, she gave him a stare and left.

    As Julian saw her figure disappearing from the elevator, he turned around andnded a punch on the wall with a ghastly expression on his face. At this moment, a tall figure slowly approached him from behind. "Are you okay?"

    When Julian heard the voice, he raised his head and saw Ryan. "I''m fine." "Do you still need President Sanchez to keep in touch with Hudson Pharmaceuticals?"

    "There''s no need for that. Julian had a gloomy look. "Let her suffer a little. Only then she''ll know that no one can help her except me."

    Ryan didn''t express his opinion as he looked at the elevator far away and raised his brows. "Well, just don''t regret itter. Not everything needs to be honed, you know."

    Never underestimate a woman''s resilience. When she''s capable of solving a problem on her own, that''s when you''ll really lose her. However, it was obvious that Julian didn''t understand this right now, just like how he hadn''t back then, On the other hand, Rachel left the hotel. As soon as she entered the car, Jolly jumped up from the reclined seat. "Why are you out here: so soon? I didn''t even finish ying two rounds of my game." "Ryan''s not the one who organized this gathering." "What? Who organized it, then?"

    "Julian," Rachel answered bluntly. "What the hell?" Jolly was stunned for a moment after that. "When did theye together?"

    "Didn''t you say that Ryan''s someone who wouldn''t do things without a purpose? He has the voting invitation for the election this time, so Julian naturally drew him in. It''s mutually beneficial for them, so they''ll surely band together."

    "How despicable." She was filled with indignation. "Are you okay? Did he do anything to you since he tricked you intoing here?"

    "Of course I''m fine. There are so many people inside, after all."

    "I mean, did Julian say anything to you?" When Rachel heard Julian''s name, she still felt a little upset on the inside, and her voice became heavy too. "He didn''t say much. I think. he just wanted to show me how good his life is now and how many people are ttering and buttering him up. Also, he''s hoping I''d understand his actions."

    "Well, how did that turn out?" "We''re parting ways." These concise words made Rachel ambivalent. Jolly sighed upon hearing that. "What is he doing? Why can''t he just focus on inheriting the Burton Group? Why does he need to be involved in the Riverdale Charity Foundation? Great, he''s fallen out with you again."

    "I''ve decided to vote for Justin in the election two dayster." Jolly was in total shock after hearing what Rachel said. "You''re going to do a one-eighty on Julian?" After all, many people in their circle thought that they were going to get married soon.

 Chapter 461

    "In this regard, Julian must be refrained from meddling in the affairs of the Riverdale Charity Foundation." Given Julian''s current working style, Rachel was well aware that, if he took over the Foundation now, those disadvantaged groups out there which were in need of assistance would be suffering.

    Now, Julian was just the same as Ryan since Ryan would only work if he could obtain some sort of benefits from it.

    Jolly understood the seriousness of the situation, so she said, "I will convince my father to make the Carter Family vote for Justin."

    Hearing this, Rachel gave her a slight nod. However, she was still worried that everyone at today''s dinner would still end up voting for Julian. If that was the case, all the efforts would be proven futile and be wasted in the end. Just two days before the election, Victor was back from Switzend.

    Before that, Victor was staying in Geneva with Gloria for a couple of days due to Gloria''s concert being postponed for a few days due to the blizzard. Now that the concert was over, Gloria and her orchestra were leaving for the next tour location, which was why Victor came back from Switzend.

    Victor''s flight was in the afternoon. Since Rachel happened to be avable, she went to the airport with the driver and picked Victor up.

    In the minivan, Victor was so busy with the gifts he brought back from Switzend. "These are the gifts for Charlotte and Samuel whereas. these are for Jolly, Leroy, and Burton..."

    As he blurted out the name Burton, he hesitated for a moment. Then, he looked up and stared at Rachel.

    She was aware of who he was about to name, so she changed the subject. "Don''t worry. They are all alreadybeled with their names, aren''t they? I don''t have anything nned for the afternoon, so I''ll send you back to the school for your meeting first. Then, I''ll send these gifts on your behalf."

    One of the reasons why Victor had to rush back here today was also because the school decided to hold an unexpected training seminar. It was rted to his final exams and would affect his grades. So, he had to attend.

    "By the way, have you and Gloria had any ideas for your wedding ceremony?" "I''ve gone through a few wedding nning proposals. But I still haven''t figured out which one is better, mainly because I don''t know what kind of wedding Gloria likes. Do you think we should wait until shees back and discuss it with her?" Rachel switched on the tablet and added "Speaking of this, Rachel. I was gonna talk to you about this." "Go ahead."

    "We are no longer nning to hold a wedding ceremony."

    "Why?" Rachel blurted out. Victor scratched his head in awkwardness and went on to exin, "Gloria feels that a wedding ceremony will just put a lot of people to trouble. Plus, neither of us has many rtives or friends, so we will just rece our wedding with having a meal with our small group of family."

    "No way. Gloria loves romance so much. She once told me that she wants to have a beach wedding. Don''t you know that girls like to lie about what they really want? They tell you that they don''t want you to do something for them because they don''t wanna put you out. Bu the truth is, deep down, they are hoping that you would do it for them without having the need to tell you to."

    "Really?" "Are you serious? Who do you think knows girls better? You or I?"

    At this moment, the way Rachel talked and acted was just like the way Jolly did. She got so fed up with him for being so insensitive about what his girlfriend really wanted. "If you don''t insist on having a wedding ceremony with Gloria now, don''t regret it when Gloria is having one with someone else in the future."

    "That is not going to happen."

    "You''re that confident in yourself, huh?"

    "We''ve already registered our marriage."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "What?" Rachel was staggered. When Victor took a marriage certificate with a church stamp on it out of his bag, the corner of her lips twitched as she questioned, ''Is marriage just a game for you two? What can this piece of paper prove?"

    There was just a church stamp on it, not even an official wedding stamp from the foreign marriage notary public. It was a total absurdity that they considered themselves already married.

    "It wasn''t your idea, was it?" Rachel noticed it right away. "It was Gloria''s, Victor responded helplessly.

    Gloria had a sudden whim to get married on that day. She said that getting married was something that should only be done at the spur of the moment. So, she dragged him to the nearest church and took the oath. Just like that, they were then announced to be married by the pastor.

    "Why didn''t you stop her?" "Rachel, yes, this marriage is not legally valid. But for me, it is a valid one. From the moment that I proposed to her, I have already decided and agreed to take care of her for the rest of my life. I think what she wanted was just a simple request from me and that could make her happy, so I didn''t stop her and I went along with it. Of course, we will also register our marriage domesticallyter on.

    "But both of us have already felt like a legally married couple." He chuckled. "Legal my a*s." Rachel rolled her eyes. "You must have this wedding. You have no say in this. You just have to."

    "Rachel." "We''ve arrived," she cut him off angrily as she looked out of the window, attempting to rush Victor to get out of the car. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll have the wedding ceremony all set. Both of you just need to y along with it."

    He had no choice but to get out of the car since the driver had already pulled over. As soon as he got out of the car, Rachel instructed the driver to leave. She really could not wrap her head around the fact that these two kids had done such an unreliable thing. Although Gloria had no parents, she grew up in the love and care of Justin after all. So, they really should not be doing something that could possibly upset her.

    "President Hudson, would you like to go back to thepany now or is there somewhere else that you would like to go?"

    "Take me to West Magnolia Summer Resort." Rachel then stared at those gifts by her feet. It was alreadyte afternoon. Justin was having a guest when Rachel arrived.

    The new butler of West Magnolia Summer Resort was very young. He was a little clumsy, but enthusiastic. He led Rachel to the side hall and notified, "I''m not sure when Mr. Burton will be done. Please be seated for a moment while I inform him about your visit." "Don''t worry. There''s no rush."

    The butler left politely. After a while, Justin came running over. "You don''t have to rush." The tea in her hand was still warm. "Am I interrupting you? If you have something important that you have to attend to, please go ahead and deal with it first." "It''s okay, we''re almost done talking. I was having a meeting with President Connor from the Foundation."

    "President Connor is here to discuss the election that is going to be held next Friday afternoon, right? I''m sure he is definitely on your side. Do you know roughly how many people are going to vote for you now?"

    "Why are you more worried than President Connor?" Justin sighed, feeling frustrated. "Did youe all the way here just for this?"

    "Well, not really." She held back the worried look. on her back for a little and then pointed at the boxes on the coffee table. "Victor just came back and he asked me to bring you some gifts as a token of appreciation for helping him on his marriage proposal." "That is very kind of him. Please thank him for me." "Thank him? He and Gloria have gotten married in a Swiss church. Are you aware of this?" Hearing the news, Justin was stunned. "When did this happen?"

    "A few days ago."

    "Then, the wedding ceremony should be held soon," he reasoned. Rachel was astounded by his reaction, so she asked, "Why are you taking this seriously?"

    "So, did youe to me for this?" He smiled in response. "Yes, and on top of that, they mentioned that they have no intention to have a wedding ceremony at all."

    "Well, it''s better to advise them to really think this through," he said calmly while taking a sip of his tea before adding, "but we don''t have to worry. It will still not be toote for them to have a wedding ceremony if they end up regretting not having one in the future." Hearing this, she was rendered speechless.

    She felt thating to Justin was a mistake. Maybe all men had the same kind of thoughts. They would just do anything to stay out of trouble, even if it was their own biological sister that was being involved.

 Chapter 462

    Rachel, who looked perplexed, eventually uttered, "Not toote to have a wedding ceremony in the future? It''s funny how you have the nerve to say this." Justin felt feeble, asking, "What do you think of this then?"

    "The wedding ceremony has to take ce. Despite the fact that both the bride and groom do not have that many rtives, they still have their friends to invite, right? Like you, me, Jolly, and Hernandez, who are quite close to them. We can even invite Gloria''s friends from the orchestra and also Victor''s schoolmates to the wedding."

    "Hmm. Well then, do you have any ideas on the wedding ceremony if we are really having one?" he asked. She then patiently exined to him about the ns of the wedding ceremony.

    Rachel was a traditionalist at heart. When her grandmother was still alive, she was told by her grandmother that a wedding ceremony was a must in a marriage. Her grandmother even mentioned that she was going to walk Rachel down the aisle when Rachel was getting married. Even though her grandmother had passed away, she held her grandmother''s words close to her heart.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "The only problem now is actually just about the venue. I was going to ask them where they wanted to have it, but they decided to not have one now."

    "I''ve been thinking about this but I can''t seem to figure it out." Rachel let out a sigh. "So, I have toe and discuss it with you."

    After all, Justin was Gloria''s only rtive. "Hold on a second." Then, he stood up and went to his study room. After a while, he returned with a heavy booklet and ced it in front of Rachel, saying, "Please take a look at this."

    "This is..." she eximed as she opened it. "Previously, I thought that they would want to get engaged first. So, I sought some advice on banquet nning. This summer vi has more than enough space to amodate all the guests. It is also quite convenient for them to be picked up or dropped off. Since they mentioned that they do not want a wedding, this means that they would want to keep it as simple as possible. What do you think about this?"

    Rachel flipped through that big booklet, and the more she read, the happier she became, gasping, "It''s very beautiful.ˇ±

    In the booklet, there were two sets of wedding. ns-a garden wedding and a church. wedding. The summer vi was ideal for a garden wedding because it had a nice andrgewn outside the vi. The vi was also suitable for a church wedding because of its location which was near to a church.

    "I think this is wonderful," Her eyes were locked on the booklet, and she was hesitant to close them even though she had finished reading. "When did you arrange this? You should''ve told us."

    "Well, I had plenty of free time." Rachel let out a sigh of relief. "I was just thinking, if you don''t take this matter seriously. as well, how am I supposed to n for the rest of this wedding ceremony?" "So, do you feel better now?" Justin asked.

    "Yes, I feel better now." All of a sudden, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Sir, do you want to have dinner now orter?'' Justin''s butler, Franco, inquired.

    Hearing this, Justin and Rachel both looked at their watches at the same time. Without them even noticing, it was already past 6.00PM. The sun had set, and it was getting dark outside.

    "I''ll leave now," she said. "Miss Hudson, are you not staying for dinner? Sir had instructed the chef to prepare extra dishes," Franco asked curiously. She was a little taken aback. Hearing the question, Justin frowned as he shot a nce at Franco. Justin did tell the chef to make a few extra dishes in case Rachel stayed for dinner. However, the way Franco phrased it made it sound as if they were forcing her to stay. But what was said could never be easily undone.

    "I have a new chef. He''s only been here two days, so I asked him to prepare a few more dishes for the taste test. He''s already been making extra dishes since the past few days, not just today. Do you want to try the dishes. together if you have time? You can give your opinion on those foods."

    "No, it''s gettingte. I''lle by on Friday and bring Charlotte and Samuel over. They''ll be delighted to be your taste testers, Rachel rejected as she looked at the sky outside which was getting darker.

    When Justin heard her rejection, he nodded slightly. Disappointment shing across his face as he lowered his head.

    After she left, Franco couldn''t help but wonder, "Sir, you obviously wanted Miss Hudson to stay for dinner. Why did you ask her if she wanted to taste test those dishes? Women love tant favoritism. She certainly would be mad at you if you acted like that. So, why would she stay?"

    Justin didn''t make any exnations; rather, he simply said, ''Please make an appointment with the banquet nner tomorrow."

    Franco had no idea what had happened between Justin and Rachel in the past. He could never understand why the more Justin expressed his favoritism and love for her, the more she would try to stay away from Justin.

    As he watched Justin leave, he scratched his head, puzzled. Was it because the so-called charm of a mature man always had to be so enigmatic?

    His charm, however, was pointless because he was still single after all. He couldn''t even. persuade his ex-wife to join him for dinner! Very soon, Friday afternoon arrived. The charitable foundation''s election began as scheduled. Jolly and Rachel were both dressed formally when they arrived at the venue. "My father said he will vote for Justin, but I don''t see much hope."

    Julian has been busy socializing for the past two weeks, and he has contacted almost 99 percent of the people who attended the election today. He tried to convince them to vote for him by telling them that once he takes over the foundation, the reputation of theirpanies would definitely be boosted in the market. He painted a rosy picture of it. I believe that the vast majority of these people will vote for him," Jolly whispered to Rachel from their seats.

    Julian''s strength, ording to my father, is that he didn''t do anything himself. Instead, he let Robin handle the matters. Therefore, even if the means that they used are deplorable, he will still have a scapegoat when something goes down in the future." "How did I not realize Julian is so cunning?". Jolly grumbled, adding, "If I had known, we would have canvassed for Justin. My father said there might be chances of sess if we do it a week earlier."

    "We''ve done our best. Let''s leave the rest to fate, Rachel replied with a frown. She would not assist Justin in canvassing votes even if it was a week earlier. She backed him up just to bolster her position. The initial goal of the charitable foundation was not to raise funds, but to help those underprivileged. Julian presented everyone a rosy picture of how the future would be if they voted for him. If those people listened, the foundation would be doomed, and she would definitely quit the foundation.

    A voice came from the microphone out of the blue to remind everyone to maintain order, and it was followed by an opening speech by the foundation''s director.

    "After our thorough evaluation, three candidates who are suitable to lead our foundation have finally been selected."

    They were introduced one by one, and the crowd gave a thunderous apuse. During Julian''s introduction, the host mentioned that he was previously the resident doctor of Tran-Q, and Rachel froze for a moment upon hearing this. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she saw the familiar back in the front row. "Next, let us wee all candidates running for the election to give their speeches."

    A figure walked up the stairs unhurriedly, it was in a different manner than in the past. Her brows furrowed tightly. She could only hear Jolly''s voice summarizing Julian''s speech, "His. speech revolves around the foundation''s charitable measures, and he acquitted himself well. It''s very easy to be duped by his words if it weren''t for my father, who knows about the inside story"

    "I believe I will fully fulfill the role of the foundation in giving back to society and promoting social welfare to benefit more people in need, Julian said into the microphone. Following his speech, tumultuous apuse erupted.

 Chapter 463

    Julian''s speech was extremely inciting and inspiring, particrly to the stakeholders in the audience who were drawn to his mourized promises. In addition, the phnthropists whom he never interacted with were moved by his speech as well. "I don''t think we''ll stand a chance."

    "Where is Justin? He shouldn''t have been eliminated in the first round of internal elections, right?" Jolly said while pping her hands.

    "That''s impossible," Rachel said as she looked around the candidate seating area, but Justin was nowhere to be found. He was highly regarded by the foundation''s president that he could not be defeated in the first round of internal elections.

    Jolly refused to believe it, so she assured, "Perhaps President Connor wants to save his face. Do you think there will be a campaign meeting like this if in any case, Justin is reinstated with all honesty?"

    The Foundation Supervisory Committee wronged him because of public opinion in the previous case, so his name was removed. However, Justin should arguably be reinstated once the truth had been revealed.

    Rachel felt guilty at the thought of this. After all, it was Jessica who started the trouble and Julian was at the root of it.

    "Hey, now that the second one is over, should Justin be next?" Jolly''s remark snapped her out of her reverie. Rachel stared at the stage, feeling perplexed. "What''s going on?"N?velDrama.Org content.

    Jolly patted her hand and said, "What did I say? Justin must''ve been eliminated in the first round of the internal elections! What is going on with the Foundation''s old men?"

    Rachel was in disbelief. He was clearly rmended by President Connor, and only a total of five people signed up. Who could bepared to Justin after a thorough evaluation? How could he have been eliminated in the Supervisory Committee''s first round of selection?

    She was still in shock when Jolly suddenly grabbed her sleeve, saying, "Chris, look! My dad sent me a message."

    The chat interface with Mr. Carter was disyed on Jolly''s mobile phone screen. Leaving aside the emoticons and stickers they sent to each other, the final sentence caught her eyes: Julian bribed themittees."

    Rachel''s expression instantly changed when she saw that.

    "Hey, where are you going?" Jolly wasn''t able to stop Rachel from leaving the venue with her phone in her hand.

    When Rachel exited the venue, she immediately made a phone call standing in the corridor near the entrance. "Mr. Carter, it''s me."

    "Oh, Chris," Richard responded, thereafter adding, "You saw the message I sent to Jolly, didn''t you?"

    "Yeah, I saw it." She then looked around to ensure no one was around before lowering her voice and asked, "Did Julian really bribe themittee? Is this true?"

    "I wouldn''t have told Jolly if it''s not true."

    "How did you find out?" A total of seven people took part in the Supervisory Committee''s inspection round. As long as three of them did not vote for Justin, he would be eliminated and would be deemedpletely ineligible for the election.

    "Mr. Kodi of the Supervisory Committee was drinking tea with me and happened to touch on this subject. Robin went looking for his wife. His mother almost took bribes if she hadn''t been careful, and several of them are most likely being offered bribery the same way." There was an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the phone and it sounded a little helpless. "My mother had no idea. She thought she could make a pickle jar out of a porcin vase from the earlier era, but thankfully my wife discovered it early, so she quickly returned it. Otherwise, she would be forced to ept bribes with no other options."

    Listening to Richard''s words, Rachel felt a chill on the back of her neck and she clenched her fists tightly. It was all Julian''s doing.

    Right after she hung up the phone, there was a creak behind her, and the door to the corridor was pushed open. Her pupils dted as she met the other pair of eyes.

    "You saw that. I''m determined to win today''s election, Julian boasted cockily. "Are you truly content to bribe themittees and unt it in front of me?"

    "In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this. Since it is apetition, everyone can use different strategies to win. Shouldn''t you support me?"

    "Support you?" Rachel echoed. At that point, she was bbergasted.

    "Isn''t your displeasure rted to my selfishness? I will do exactly what I said as long as I am in charge of the foundation and I will do it better than Justin," Julian stated tly.

    Hearing that, she realized she was powerless at this point. "I hope you can follow through on what you say. Anyone can manage this foundation if the lives of those vulnerable groups are guaranteed."

    "I will." He smirked, which made her shudder. There were no shortcuts in this world. If one were to take the so-called shortcuts, they would no longer be down to earth because they would always believe that everything could be solved through other means. Would Julian truly support those marginalized groups with all his heart?

    Rachel was entirely skeptical. When Jolly appeared, there was a voting session in progress inside the venue. "Chris, who should we vote for? Should we just vote for one of the three randomly?"

    Rachel nced at the time, unsure of what to expect. The final oue had already been announced, and Julian''s name was unmistakably enunciated from President Connor''s lips. Julian took the stage amid the thunderous apuse to ept the vice chairman''s seal and letter of appointment.

    From the beginning to the end of the election, Justin did not appear at all. "Let''s go," Rachel''sst glimmer of hope was lost and she removed her gaze from the stage to leave.

    The foundation rented the school''s auditorium, which was packed with speakers. Rachel and Jolly walked around the floor to the elevator entrance, but they couldn''t get away from the 3D surround sound of Julian''s thank you speech.

    The elevator finally arrived with a ''ding'' and his speech came to an end as well. "Wait a minute. Before we end, I would like to make one more announcement." President Connor''s frail voice came over the loudspeaker. "For many years, I have been preparing for the position of foundation president. I''ve been feeling overwhelmed in recent years, so I''d like to rmend a new person to take over."

    Hearing this, Rachel and Jolly both came to a halt. "Speaking of which, this neer isn''t so new, and everyone knows who it is." The uproar erupted unexpectedly and nearly toppled the entire venue.

    "No way! There can''t be such a big plot twist of the century, can it?" Jolly''s eyes widened. She was astounded while looking straight at Rachel, wondering if the other woman had the same guess.

    Rachel turned to face the loudspeaker, and the next thing she knew, she heard a familiar voice being broadcasted. The voice was not strident; it was calm and powerful, overpowering the chaos in the audience.

    "Hello everyone. Thank you for your adoration, President Connor and the seniors of the Supervisory Committee..."

    Justin, who was dressed in a sharp-looking suit, was standing next to President Connor in the auditorium at this moment. In a calm tone, he exined, "I believe everyone is most concerned about the previous big case, and I would like to provide a clear exnation about it in order to avoid suspicion in my future work

    Julian stood beneath the stage, his fists clenched and veins bulging as he stared intently at Justin.

 Chapter 464

    "Are you sure you don''t want to go back and take a look?" Rachel had already gotten into her car in the parking lot, but Jolly kept urging her to return and take a look.

    "Nope." "Isn''t this the oue you desired? Julian has been appointed vice president, and Justin is able to take over the foundation. Both parties have received what they desired."

    "Don''t you think it will be awkward for me to show up right now?" Rachel asked as she gripped the steering wheel firmly.

    "No." "Okay. I admit it''s a little awkward." Jolly blinked and finally answered honestly when she saw Rachel''s stern and questioning expression. "You''re just a bystander watching the fun, so you don''t think it''s a big deal."

    "I obviously want to see Julian''s face right now. His tricks are used up, and his cleverness has overreached itself. If I get a chance to see him, I have to beat him up because he will ruin our friendship if he continues to act this way."

    "Put on your seat belt, Rachel reminded Jolly as she drove the car out of the parking lot. At this point, everyone in the auditorium had dispersed.

    "Julian," Justin summoned him. Julian''s footstep came to a halt, and he only turned around after a second, thereafter saying, "Is there something wrong?"

    "I think we should talk." "What should we talk about? Are you going to give me orders right now and tell me about the charitable foundation''s future development goals? Or do you want to teach me how to run and manage a foundation like you did before?" Nobody expected Justin to appear and report as the chairman. Furthermore, his debriefing speech did not contain any false hope or empty words. He took a different approach by discussing the foundation''s operation management and profit model. Julian was enraged as he recalled Justin''s appearance on stage just now. It was unexpected for the old man, President Connor, to resign and appoint the next candidate.

    Julian had been crushed. The title of vice president of the foundation was like a p in the face for him, a heavy p in the face in front of the crowd.

    Justin scowled. "Julian, regardless of the process, the end result is out. If you are still not convinced, you can file aint about my dismissal with the supervisorymittee, just as you did when you were a member of the Burtons."

    Hearing that, Julian snorted in response. "This is not the Burtons. You have President Connor''s support in terms of seniority. It''s pointless for me to file aint. The rules themselves are unjust."

    "Are you talking about justice now?" Justin was irritated by Julian''s attitude. "Do you believe your campaign is being conducted fairly?"

    This was exactly what Justin wanted to discuss with Julian. If Julian continued to allow Robin to act in such despicable and dirty ways, the Burton Family''s reputation would be ruined sooner orter.

    "You can''t keep acting like this, Julian. Robin must be terminated. The Burtons have a widework, but these contacts have been umted over several generations and through word-of-mouth strategies in growing the Burtons business. Those are the pirs." "Enough!" Julian cast a cold nce at Justin and eximed, "I know you pretty well. How many times have you achieved your goals unscrupulously? Do you think I''m clueless? Now, you''re putting on a show and teaching me a lesson? For whom are you doing this?" Justin had his fists clenched tightly. "Watch your tone! You have no right to lecture me because we are essentially the same type of person-hypocritical and self-centered. The only difference is that I''ve been using moral disguise for a long time, whereas you just started using it. However, a disguise remains a disguise, and you can''t pretend for the rest of your life like I did."

    With this, Julian turned and walked away. "You are not such a person," Justin said as he followed suit. "Even if I were the type of person you described, you would not be one."

    "Don''t pretend to know me well!" Julian clenched his fists and hollered. Justin frowned tightly as he looked at Julian disappearing quickly from the auditorium''s entrance.

    "President Burton, President Peters is already like this, you don''t have to waste your breath. Once a person has been corrupted by the desire for power and money, it is difficult for him to repent, Frankie approached Justin and said. Some things were irreversible. "He has been suppressed for too long and needs a ce to vent," Justin exined. "Suppressed? He was raised in the Burtons as a child, just like you. He was unconcerned about food or clothing, and he excelled in all areas. When he returned from his studies abroad, he quickly rose to prominence as a surgeon. What makes such a life depressing?"

    Frankie believed that if Julian''s smooth and sessful life was considered suppressing, ordinary people would be depressed and they might as well die.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Justin glowered upon hearing that. Perhaps it was such a living environment that suppressed him. On the other end, a ck minivan swerved into Riverdale traffic.

    "President Peters, where are we going?" the driver questioned from the driver''s seat. Julian looked out the window at the high-rise buildings that lined up one after the other. He could buy the properties whenever he wanted.

    Despite his wealth, he did not receive what he desired. As a result, the more he was able to obtain, the more unclear he was on what he wanted. Instead, he yearned for the good old days when. he was in the hospital. "Take me to Tran-Q."

    The driver was silent. The following two days were the weekend. Rachel had sent Charlotte and Samuel to the summer resort. Since the wedding was going to be held at the resort, she took the wedding nner there to observe the venue on Saturday and Sunday. "Miss Hudson, we can build an oriental archi here to echo thendscape in the background." "Oh, I was about to tell you to consider a Western-stylewn wedding ceremony. The bride is reluctant to wear an oriental-style gown."

    "Why? The traditional wedding garment is stunning. Aren''t you satisfied with the stores I previously rmended to you?" Rachel was looking at Justin helplessly, unsure how to exin the situation to the wedding nner.

    Did she have to tell the nner that the bride had a trauma from watching oriental horror films? And that when she saw the red veil, she would have a conditioned reflex which led to nightmares?

    This was also something she learned from Victor the day before. If she was made aware of this two dayster, the traditional gown might have already been tailored. At this time, Justin said, "An oriental style is simpler. Everything should be simple."

    As soon as the nner saw his icy expression, she replied honestly, "Yes, simplicity it is. It''s best to keep it simple.

    Several people were discussing theyout of the venue when Jolly shouted excitedly from a distance, "Chris, it''s snowing!"

    Rachel was startled by her scream and subconsciously extended her hand. Indeed, two snowkes thennded on her palm. She raised her head and noticed snowkes falling from the sky.

    The first snowfall of the year had been long. overdue. ''It would be lovely if it snows on the wedding day, Rachel said. "It would be quite cold," the nner joked, adding, "I''m afraid the bride won''t be able to stand it."

    At this moment, Justin voiced up, "Simply remove the dress and rece it with a military coat to shield her from the cold. It''s more practical."

    A military coat?

    "Pfft!" Rachel couldn''t hold herself back andughed out loud.

 Chapter 465

    Rachel wondered how Gloria would react if she heard it. Naturally, the wedding gown must still be tailored. Even though everything had been simplified ording to Gloria''s intention, it was still a collection-level work that had been hand-stitched by the best tailors. They couldn''t stay outdoors for long because the snow was getting heavier. Rachel and the others had no choice but to return inside. The floor-to-ceiling windows were misted in white.

    Charlotte, who was napping, awoke for unknown reasons. Ignoring the servant''s cries, she dashed out of the room and rummaged through the boxes to look for her little leather boots. Then, she sat on the carpet to put them on.

    "What are you doing, Charlotte?" Rachel was confused. "Are you going out?" The child nodded and with an innocent face, she said, ''Mommy, I''m off to have a snowball fight! You promised to y with me!"

    "The snow hasn''t umted yet, so we can''t have a snowball fight," Rachel responded helplessly.

    "What?" Charlotte was stunned for a moment. She then removed her half-worn boots, leaving them on her instep, looking dested. "When will we be able to y in the snow?"

    "Let''s wait until evening." Rachel was unsure too, so she looked out the window and said, "I don''t know how long this snow willst, or how heavy it will fall."

    "If it continues to snow like this, two hours will suffice," Justin said as he approached. "Charlotte, go ahead and y with Samuel first. I''ll call youter."

    "Okay." Charlotte agreed despite her reluctance. After all, being reluctant was pointless at this time, so she put on her boots andy in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the backyard, blinking her big eyes and gazing at the snowkes outside. "I''ve never seen her so interested in snow," Justin said helplessly..

    Jolly, who was drinking tea, observed the situation andughed. "Those who didn''t know would think it was a child from the south who had never seen snow before."

    "I guess I''ll stay here for dinner today because it''s snowing so hard." Jolly deliberately blinked at him, saying, "You won''t mind, will you, Justy?"

    Rachel almost spit out the tea because Jolly called him Justy. When has Jolly be so acquainted with Justin?

    Meanwhile, Justin didn''t seem to object to the way Jolly addressed him. Instead, he replied calmly, "The chef is preparing our dinner. If it snows heavily, both of you can spend the night here."

    Rachel did not reject his suggestion because Jolly was present. "By the way, how long does it take for Gloria to return? Can the custom-made wedding gown be tailored in time?"

    "Yes. She has justpleted her tour, so she''ll probably be back before New Year''s Eve." Jolly nodded upon hearing that. "When is the wedding being held? Is it on the sixth or eighth day of the month?"

    "On the sixth day." Rachel was concerned that if it was held toote, Victor''s colleagues from his school would be unable to attend. After all, school was about to reopen, and they would be extremely busy.

    However, Jolly was not really paying attention to anything regarding Gloria''s wedding. She had repeatedly asked Rachel about the wedding date, but she couldn''t remember anything. As such, Rachel predicted that Jolly would ask her about it again in two days. Snowkes fluttered outside, but the house was warm. It seemed like the outdoors and indoors were twopletely different worlds, yet they blended well.

    In the house, Jolly and Rachel were conversing casually. Justin, on the other hand, was leaning back against the sofa, reading the newspaper.

    At this time, Samuel was up, and he was dragged by Charlotte to apany her to sit on the carpeted floor in front of the bed and watch the snow fall outside. Everyone was having a good time doing their own thing.

    All of a sudden, Jolly took notice of Justin''s newspaper; it was the entertainment page. She couldn''t help butin, "How many wives does this gambling king have? He brought women home one by one despite his old age. Every two months, it seems like the news reports him bringing a woman home."

    Rachel took a nce at the newspaper, and saw the news about the marriage of a ny-year-old gambling king and a neen-year-old girl, and then said, "I heard that he had twelve wives. This should be the thirteenth, right?"

    "The old man is ny years old and is still in excellent health." "I suppose they''re just taking what they need. Nobody will believe that a neen-year-old girl will marry an elderly man out of love. Even if the king of gambling lives to the age of a hundred, the girl will be able to inherit his assets at the age of twenty-nine."

    "Forget it. Twelve wives and numerous sons and daughters, not to mention illegitimate children, will cause problems. They will definitely fight to death during their battle for inheritance."

    Jolly was peeling oranges, and the aroma of orange peels filled the entire house. "It''s called polygamy. It''s perfectly legal and even normal for him to have so many wives." Justin spoke up abruptly. "Well, who would want to share their husband with other women?'' Jolly asked indifferently. Hearing that, Justin paused for a moment before asking, "Will you marry the gambling king''s son right now?"N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Of course not. Do I look like I am crazy for money? Why would I bother marrying him?" Jolly responded as she rolled her eyes. "I''ll have you know that being unfaithful is a gic inheritance."

    Jolly had no idea that when she said these words seriously, someone filming in Hollywood was sneezing repeatedly. "What if the gambling king''s sixth son marries you?" Rachel inquired.

    "I might think about it," Jolly blurted. She was a total face-judge. Despite herints about the gambling king''s family''s chaos, she wasn''t dismissive of his sons'' appearances, particrly his sixth son, who was drop dead gorgeous. This was her motivation for keeping the news subscription.

    Right then, Rachel paused the recording with a beep and waved her phone in front of Jolly, proiming, "I''ve recorded it! I''ll send the recording to Leroy so he can listen. You unfaithful woman!"

    "You''re despicable! I just said it casually, so please delete it!" Jolly gasped, her eyes widening. "You''re literally casually spitting sincere words."

    "Nonsense! Delete it. Hand over the phone." With that said, Jolly quickly grabbed Rachel''s phone and threw her onto the sofa. "Hey, don''t touch me! It tickles!"

    Rachel was losing control of her body, which wriggled instinctively, and she was struggling to catch her breath fromughing. "Are you going to delete it?"

    "Hahaha... Let go of me, alright? I''ll delete it. Let go... Haha..."

    Where there was life, there was hope. Rachel was unconcerned that Jolly, who was so outspoken, would not be able to provide her with opportunities to record her words and extort her again in the future. In the end, Rachel deleted the video in front of Jolly. Rachel wasughing so hard that her cheeks hurt, and her flushed face left an indelible. impression on Justin.

    He had never seen her happier.

 Chapter 466

    Despite Justin''s desire not to disrupt the two women, he still inquired, "How have you and Leroy been?"

    "We''re in a long-distance rtionship. What else can I do?" Jolly shrugged helplessly. "My big star is extremely busy. I only saw him once after I returned from Switzend. After that, he started filming."

    "You can visit him on the shooting site," Rachel suggested. "No. I''m too busy, so I''ll decide based on my moods." "I can''t believe you''re taking my words seriously."

    Rachel was too tired to talk to her. When Jolly tackled her earlier, Rachel nearly twisted her waist. Therefore, she got up from the sofa and stretched her neck. Walking over to the window, she gazed out at the snow.

    The snow outside had umted to a thickyer while they were chatting. A few red plum trees bloomed beautifully in the snow in the backyard. It would be nice if I could cut a few branches and put them in a bottle to add a special touch to the house. When Rachel thought of that, the corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of white light.

    She was startled and when she turned her head, she saw a bouquet of white roses in buds in a blue-and-white porcin vase next to the curtain of the floor-to-ceiling windows, on the high table made out of pure wood.

    The flowers appeared to be of the same breed as the ones she had at home. Rachel suddenly remembered something, and her train of thought was reconnected. She turned around and looked in the direction of the sofa, her gazeplicated.

    Justin was still questioning Jolly about Leroy''s disappearance during filming when Franco rushed over and reported, "Sir, President Connor is here."

    President Connor? Rachel was surprised. President Connor was in his seventies, so what was he doing in the suburbs on this snowy day?

    Justin cast a nce at them. "Don''t worry about us. President Connor is probably looking for you for something important, so go ahead and handle it," Rachel reassured him.

    "Then I''ll go ahead."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Okay." After Justin left, she took a look at the white roses again, feeling confused. The snow was getting heavier and Charlotte couldn''t wait any longer, so she ran over to Rachel and said, "Can we have a snowball fight outside now, Mommy? Has it been two hours already?"

    Her daughter made Rachele back to her senses and she nced at the snow outside, saying, "It should be fine. Get dressed warmly, everyone. Don''t catch a cold."

    "Yeah! Let''s have a snowball fight!" Charlotte ran off obediently to put on a coat, and she ran quickly despite her short legs. On the other hand, the Burton Group, Julian mmed the phone down on the desk after answering a call.

    "What''s the deal, Julian? What happened?" Robin, who was sipping his tea, jumped at the m. "Because of the avnche disaster in Baybrook, President Connor went looking for Justin at West Magnolia Summer Resort," Julian said as his gaze became dark.. "The old man is still very energetic to travel that far." Julian gave him a terrifyingly cold look upon hearing his words. Robin couldn''t help but shiver and grumbled to himself, Are you upset because President Connor visited Justin? However, that was not the case. The campaign election was only two days ago. Julian had already decided to drop the subject There were so many things he could be doing, and he didn''t have to focus solely on the charitable foundation.

    However, he recently received a few photos, which were taken while bringing the children to the summer resort in the past two days.

    Julian''s fist clenched as he remembered the photo of Rachelughing and ying with her kids. This was exactly what Justin told him. Did he still stand a chance?

    "I will donate 20 million to the foundation for avnche disaster relief work in Baybrook." "Is this necessary?" Robin asked, dumbfounded.

    Robin was hesitant to pay for charity, but seeing Julian''s awful expression, he quickly changed his mind andmented, ''Tll inform the finance department now." "No. We are donating 20 million worth of goods."

    His words rendered Robin speechless. On the other end, President Connor came to visit Justin to discuss the snow disaster in Baybrook.

    "I had a premonition during the cold wave that there would be snow disasters in Baybrook, as it happens almost every year. However, I didn''t expect it to be so severe this year. Many people in the mountains had their homes destroyed by the avnche. As the temperature rises, the likelihood of various problems will increase-

    President Connor, who was in his seventies, was still in good spirits to go around and provide assistance for the disaster victims..

    Justin felt sorry for him, so he said, "You are.not required toe here in person. I''m already in the midst of handling this issue. The foundation is raising funds all over the ce, and the first shipment of supplies has already been distributed." "It''s far from sufficient." President Connor motioned with his hand, adding, "You''re not in Baybrook, so you''re unaware of how bad things

    are. ording to a friend who lives there, countless houses have copsed due to heavy snow, and the hospital is toote to amodate the injured. They are in desperate need of medical supplies. Many people will freeze to death outside on such a cold day." "I''ll find a solution for the medical supplies," Justin said with a slight frown. The foundation did notck funds, but in the face of natural disasters, donations had little impact. The most important aspect was supplies, particrly medical ones.

    After President Connor left, Justin finally exited the study room. It was already evening and dinner was ready. Rachel and Jolly had returned with the kids after they got changed.

    "What happened? Did President Connor leave? Did he not stay for dinner?" Justin then exined the snowstorm happening in Baybrook. "President Connor has othermitments. I''m not joining you for dinner as well. I have to leave now to attend to some business." Seeing Justin leaving in a hurry, Rachel made a phone call immediately. "Please look into the inventory in the warehouse. Contact the Riverdale Charity Foundation and let them donate all of the medical supplies, excluding the ordered goods."

    She then hung up the phone. Jolly called her father as well, asking if he could offer some assistance. Over the next few days, the overwhelming news was broadcasting the disaster relief work at Baybrook.

    At Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Jolly checked the warehouse inventory and reported the status of donation and delivery to Rachel. "Everything that can be delivered is delivered." "Did you allow the warehouse to increase production?"

    "Yes. All production lines are in full operational capacity." Jolly set the folder down before saying, "I heard Justin traveled to Baybrook. Is he crazy? The snowstorm was severe, causingndslides, and an unknown number of houses have copsed. Many areas are inessible even to cars."

    "The president of the foundation has to be a good example, so not everyone can be like him," Rachel said.

    This was unavoidable. Justin had to sacrifice as much as the amount of honor he received. As Rachel was speaking, her phone rang abruptly; it was a call from Frankie.

    She expected him to report the arrival of the supplies, but as soon as the call was connected, all she heard was Frankie''s anxious voice. "President Hudson, how much winter clothing is there in Hudson Pharmaceuticals?

    "What''s the matter? Didn''t you already send a batch?" "The truck rolled over halfway through our second batch of supplies, and everything is gone." Frankie was about to cry at that point.

    "When did it happen?" Rachel asked as her heart skipped a beat. "It happenedst night. President Burton suppressed the news, saying he was afraid it would cause panic, but now the second batch of supplies has been dyed, and the townspeople are starving and freezing at the disaster relief point. They are stopping President Burton from leaving. Everyone is going to die if things continue to go south."

 Chapter 467

    "Where are you now? How are things going?" "We''re still in the mountains. The situation is dire as the medical supplies and basic necessities are running low, and the townspeople are fierce."

    morous voices could be heard on the other end of the phone, as if someone was looting something. "As soon as we heard the news, we contacted the foundation for new supplies, but President Burton was trapped and the medical personnel who arrived to assist were also stopped by these townspeople."

    "But all the remaining medical supplies from Hudson Pharmaceuticals have been donated," Rachel grumbled.

    "Don''t fight! Don''t fight! Everyone has a share!" "What did you just say, President Hudson? It''s too loud here and I didn''t hear you."

    Rachel was about to say something when she hesitated for a brief moment. Then, she responded, "I said that I''ll find a way."

    "Thank you so much." "Please be careful."

    And the call was then hung up. No one could imagine how bad things were over there. Jolly had been next to Rachel and upon seeing thetter hanging up the phone, Jolly immediately inquired, "What''s going on? Is it true that all of the supplies have been depleted? I''ll keep track of how much supplies we''ve donated..."

    "Forget it. Justin traveled to the most distant location. Even the medical team''s personnel were hesitant to travel to that remote ravine. The supplies allocated there were scarce. Moreover, a truck transporting all of the supplies rolled over halfway," Rachel exined. The truck had rolled over on the mountain road on such a snowy day, which already meant that the people were lucky to be alive. How could they care about the goods when human lives were so much more important?

    "Jolly, please contact the marketing department first and inquire whether the medical supplies avable can be delivered to the disaster area. We will make every effort to extend those orders to our customerster."

    Jolly was also unequivocal when it came to human life. Hence, she replied, "It is not impossible to discuss extensions with customers. After all, we are dealing with human. lives. However, the liquidated damages are still quite high, so it would be great to avoid taking this step unless absolutely necessary.

    Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' capital chain rupture issue remains unresolved... Well, I''ll ask a few other pharmaceutical nts regarding this. Spending extra money to purchase medical supplies from otherpanies to be donated is still preferable to losing our customers'' trust."

    "I''ll go with you," Rachel said as she grabbed her coat and car keys. Although there were numerous pharmaceutical manufacturing nts in Riverdale, Rachel and Jolly''s effort to visit several nts were frivolous.

    "President Hudson, it''s not that we are not willing to give you assistance. It''s just that the rest of our stocks were purchased."

    "Did someone purchase them?" Rachel was dubious. "How is that possible, Mr. Montel? Your inventory has always been thergest."

    "Ahem!" Jolly eyed her as she faked a cough. The way Rachel phrased it sounded like she. was saying Mr. Montel''s business was bad and his inventory was overstocked, which was something Rachel would do when she was not thinking straight.

    On the other hand, Rachel didn''t bother to ponder about it, and Mr. Montel didn''t seem to mind either. "Are you unaware of this, President Hudson? The Burton Group purchased the medical supplies to be donated to the Baybrook''s victims," he said, feeling perplexed. "The Burton Group?" Rachel froze for a moment before she felt some hope. ''Really?"

    "Of course it''s true! The contract has already been signed in ck and white. Although they have not yet gathered all of the supplies, I believe they will distribute them in batches. After all, it''s snowing heavily right now, which makes travel difficult." After leaving the pharmaceutical factory, Rachel had a ray of hope. "The Burtons have donated 20 million to this charitable cause. Regardless of their disagreements with Justin, Julian is still very trustworthy in this situation." Jolly made a remark.

    "I''ll call Julian now and ask him to distribute some of the supplies to Justin''s disaster relief area," Rachel said as she gave a slight nod. She quickly dialed Julian''s number in the car, and the call was immediately connected.

    "Hello?" A slightly hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone. Julian, I need your assistance. Is there any medical supplies left for the disaster relief in Baybrook?"

    "There are still some left, but they will be shipped to Baybrook tomorrow. What''s the matter?"

    "Could you distribute some to Greensborough?" "Greensborough?" Julian queried before adding, "There''s no shortage of supplies in Greensborough, if I''m not mistaken. We sent the second batch of supplies the day before yesterday, and the foundation is in charge of the location."

    "Didn''t Frankie inform you?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "The truck transporting the supplies overturned." "What?" Julian''s voice tightened. "When did it ur? Why hadn''t anyone informed me? Is everyone okay?"

    "It happenedst night." Rachel inhaled deeply as she continued, "I don''t know what happened because the driver in charge of transportation was taken to the hospital. I guess the situation is too chaotic, so they''re too busy to inform you."

    "I''m the vice president, so such a big issue should be reported to me," Julian chided. "We have no time to discuss this right now, Julian. Can you distribute your medical supplies?"

    Rachel pleaded with him anxiously. "Yeah. No problem, I''ll order them to send out a batch." Julian answered.

    "Thank you." "Why are you thanking me? This is precisely what the foundation should do. I would have done it sooner if I had known, without needing you to seek me out."N?velDrama.Org content.

    Hearing that, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. After hanging up, she informed Jolly that the situation had been resolved.

    Jolly, who was well aware of the entire situation, grumbled, "Frankie should have told Julian first about such a big matter instead of you. After all, Julian is the foundation''s vice president, and he will undoubtedly assist in finding a solution."

    Personal grievances remained personal, but this was a matter of life and death. "I assumed he was too preupied. The Burton Group has donated 20 million worth of supplies, and Frankie may have been unaware that they had supplies on hand," Rachel stated, supportive of Frankie.

    "Well, that''s true, but I''m not sure why Julian bought all the medical supplies from all the pharmaceutical factories in Riverdale using the Burtons'' name. Why didn''t he use the name of the foundation if he''s making donations? Is it for the sake of establishing a good reputation?"

    Rachel was stunned for a moment. Unknowingly, she became uneasy as a result of Jolly''s words. He had already gained a good reputation by donating 20 million worth of medical supplies. However, purchasing all the medical supplies in Riverdale didn''t appear to be the cherry on top for Julian''s reputation..

    At this time at the Burton Group, Robin could be heard questioning Julian after thetter hung up the phone. "Julian, are you really nning to send a batch of medical supplies to Greensborough?"

    "No. Send out the remaining supplies to any disaster-affected locations in Riverdale as soon as possible before dusk today, except for Greensborough."

    "How are you going to exin that to Rachel?"

    "It was toote when I directed my subordinates to the warehouse to transfer the goods. All the supplies have been distributed in ordance with the original n. Isn''t there always a timeg between notification and arrival?" Julian stated quietly.

 Chapter 468

    "Is President Peters willing to help?" Frankie sounded bewildered as he reconfirmed with Rachel. "Did he say that the Burton Group has extra goods held in store?" "Yes. I''ve called him and I''m very sure. The shipment will arrive there as soon as tomorrow night." "That''s amazing! President Hudson, you''ve really helped us big time. Do you know that President Burton is being confined in themunity hall by these people? Even the vige chief can''t stop them. I''m still trying to reach an agreement with them." Although Rachel was shocked to hear the news, she asked Frankie to appease the townspeople and not to worry too much about it. "Oh, and what about the driver? Any updates?"

    "He''s fine. It''s just some minor injuries. He was in a hospital in Baybrook Cityst night, but he''s been sent to a hospital in Riverdale for further check-up.

    "Okay." After hanging up the call, she looked at the road. "Jolly, could you apany me to the hospital?"

    "Why?" "Frankie told me that the driver was sent to Riverdalest night. He''s not seriously injured, but I would like to visit him. I think I should buy some things before visiting."

    As of now, Rachel had two things to settle-firstly, tofort the driver and his family, and secondly, to have a discussion with his family about releasing a more appropriate article.

    The situation in Baybrook City had exceeded their expectations. Relying on the foundation alone was not enough to help everyone. Even some secluded areas were unable to receive global attention and hence, theck of help. Thus, Rachel figured that releasing an article would be able to alleviate the problem.

    After a thirty minute drive, Jolly and Rachel arrived at the hospital to search for the driver. The heavy snowfall had increased the rate of traffic idents, thereby causing the hospital to be inundated with patients.

    Jolly simply grabbed one of the nurses to ask for the driver''s room number before rushing over with Rachel. As soon as Jolly exited the elevator, Rachel tugged her over.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel''s eyes darkened as her gazended upon a silhouette across the other side of the corridor.

    Jolly noticed the person as well. "What''s he doing here?" It was Robin, who entered the patient room they were heading to right in front of their eyes.

    Jolly became frantic. "This rascal is seriously everywhere. Is he trying to take advantage of the situation? I''ll take a look."

    "Jolly, wait up!" Rachel quickly followed suit, worried that Jolly might cause trouble. They stood before the door and before they could even knock on it, a voice resounded from the inside.

    "The remaining sum has been transferred to your wife''s ount. You can leave the hospital after three or four days. You know that you must bring this to your grave, don''t you?"

    "Don''t worry, President Gunson. I swear that I won''t let anyone else know about it." "What if the media finds their way to you for an interview?" ''I''ll say that it''s because of fatigue that I didn''t pay attention to the wet road caused by the snow."

    The two girls who were standing outside heard. the conversation loud and clear. If it was not for Rachel pulling her, Jolly would have just barged into the room to interrogate both the men.

    "Why are you stopping me? Jolly had turned crimson with rage. "It''s the relief goods for the victims! They''ve been waiting this whole time and yet, Robin Gunson has messed up everything! He must''ve lost his mind because of money. How dare hey his finger on the relief goods!"

    "I''m afraid that it''s not because of money." Rachel''s gaze stirred with mixed feelings. "And it''s not something that Robin can do all by himself."

    "If it isn''t him, who else?"

    "We''ll know once we get to the Burton Group''s warehouse." Although Rachel did not wish her guess to be true, all she could do was to locate the proof to know the entirety of the truth. Once they arrived at the entrance of the warehouse, fortunately, thest truck was about to start its journey for shipment.

    "Bro, are these the relief goods?"

    "Yeah. It''s for Baybrook."

    "Are you heading to Greensborough?" "Greensborough? The driver was tallying the goods while ncing at Rachel. "Where is that ce? The goods here are being shipped to the cities, and there''s no Greensborough. Look, this is the list of the outbound orders. The truck which has left before me is driven by my younger brother. We''re going to the north and south of Baybrook. The cities are quite near to each other, but there''s no Greensborough."

    However, Jolly insisted, "Are you sure? Is there another shipment after you?"

    "Nope." The driver ticked on the order list. "This is thest shipment. It should be shipped out tomorrow, but they changed the schedule on short notice. Thepany is willing to pay us double as long as we can ship it out by today."

    It wasn''t until only then did thest ray of hope vanish and Rachel clenched her hands into fists. Watching the truck leave, Jolly held her hand. "Is it Julian''s doing?"

    "Let''s go. We''ll think of another way." Rachel avoided the question, for she neither was in the mood of questioning Julian nor had the energy to think of the reason behind his doings.

    "Inform the client that the remaining shipment. of medical supplies will be postponed. We will pay the penalty ording to the contract by adding some daily necessities. They will be shipped out to Greensborough by tonight."

    Rachel was over the phone with her secretary. to delegate some tasks, whereas Jolly was taking the wheel. "Remember to find someone reliable to be the driver. Nevermind, I''ll leave with the driver."

    Jolly looked at Rachel in confusion when she heard that. When the call ended, she asked, "Just find someone reliable from the logistics team. Why do you have to go in person too? It''s been snowing heavily. What if something happens?"

    "If Greensborough doesn''t receive this batch of goods, Frankie will be in big trouble." Greensborough was a secluded town which not many people heard of due to its location in the mountains. Given their barbarian traditions, they might do anything if they did not receive the goods.

    After knowing Justin''s situation from Rachel, Jolly mmed the steering wheel furiously. "The shabby condition must''ve cultivated such barbarians! Justin is just trying to help them. Why are they confining him when the things haven''t arrived yet?"

    "It''s notpletely their fault, considering how low the essibility to education is over there. They''re just trying to live." Rachel frowned. "I''ll join the journey for the shipment too. My mind will only be at ease that way."

    "Then, I''ming with you. We can look after each other." "No, stay in Riverdale. I have another favor to ask of you."N?velDrama.Org content.

    "What is it?"

    "Try not to let Julian know that I left Riverdale." Jolly scowled at the mention of Julian''s name. "I''ve finally known his true colors now. Bribing the driver to ruin the relief goods? We''ve to gather the evidence to send him to prison." However, there was a stir of an emotion in Rachel''s eyes. "I don''t want to see my friend sumb to corruption, though. I''ll ask him in person after returning from Baybrook."

    Upon hearing that, Jolly said, "Don''t you worry. I''ll dig up every piece of evidence that I can find. He won''t get away from it."

 Chapter 469

    Rachel steadily drove a red sedan behind the truck as it advanced along the mountain pass. One should never be impatient on a snowy day as such. Since there was a potential of brake problems, she maintained a safe distance from the truck. "Don''t worry. I''ve passed the highway. We should be in Greensborough before the nightes." "You''ve been driving for more than twenty hours. That''s driver fatigue! Are you really alright?" Jolly''s voice sounded concerned over the earphone. Rachel was indeed weary due to the long drive, where the heater in the car made her feel all cozy. Yawning, she mumbled, "It''s not that bad. We rested for half an hour at the rest area before passing the highway."N?velDrama.Org content.

    While there were two drivers in the truck taking turns to take the wheel, Rachel was the only one in her car, so she had to take a shut-eye at the rest area. "Only thirty minutes? Are you nuts?"

    "It''s fine. It''s not like I''ve never stayed up at work." "This is a whole different matter! You better stay awake until you arrive at the destination. I''ll give you a call to check on you any time. If you really can''t stand it, just stop the car and sleep."

    "The connection is bad over here, though. I might not be able to pick up your callter. Baybrook was the poorest area in the country, which was afflicted with many kinds of natural disaster, thereby slipping in economic recession. The connection was quite bad in these hignds too.

    Rachel had not entered the mountain range yet, but after she did, the connection would bepletely cut off.

    That was why she purposely called Jolly to give her friend a heads-up, just in case they could not stay in contactter. Soon, the connection kept cutting out and Jolly could not hear Rachel clearly. "I can''t hear you. What did you say?" "Nevermind. I''ll text you once I''m there." Rachel then ended the call and stepped on the pedal to follow the truck closely.

    The snow started falling once again in the afternoon, prompting her to turn on the wiper in order to remove the snow off the windshield. Forget about how far the ce was, there was literally no signs of people or cars along the way due to the heavy snow. When there were thirty miles remaining before reaching Greensborough, one could not see ahead the road because of the heavy snowfall. Rachel had slowed down the speed to 25 miles per hour, which was literally the speed of a tortoise.

    The walkie-talkie in her car resounded as the truck driver spoke. "President Hudson, are you still following behind us?" "Yeah, I am. There''s thirty miles left to go. We can do it."

    "Yeah. President Hudson, be careful on the road. It''s quite dangerous in the hill range. There are a lot of trees slumping because of the snow. Try not to drive near="

    Thud! Before he could even finish his words, a huge tree at the roadside had copsed suddenly. Meanwhile, Rachel heard a dull sound from the car roof, as though someone was thumping against the metal. Her mind went nk when something crashed into the passenger seat from the top, crushing half of the car in a split second.

    The deafening noise continued until the car skidded across the slippery road and rammed into a shabby house with a big tree atop the car. Then, the engine died. "President Hudson? President Hudson, are you okay?!" The driver''s voice was anxious over the walkie-talkie Rachel had banged her head and her vision became blurry. However, she managed to stay conscious upon hearing his call. "Mr. Gasper, I''m fine."

    She tried to open the deformed door, but it was in vain. After stopping the truck, Andrew Gasper, the main driver, and another driver ran over to check on her. The car had run into the house with gravel and a huge trunk that seemed impossible to be moved. "President Hudson! President Hudson, are you alright?" The driver quickly wiped off the snow that was covering the window, trying to take a look inside.

    Although there was a scratch on Rachel''s forehead, she was still conscious and able to move her limbs. Still, she could not wind down the window, so she shook her head. "I''m fine, but I can''t open the door."

    "There''s no connection here either." Andrew showed her his phone. "We can''t call the fire. department."

    Upon hearing that, she suggested, "Deliver the supplies to Greensborough first. Help me call the police once there''s a connection."

    "Are you going to stay here alone?" "It won''t be a problem. I''m not exposed to the cold anyway. I can put up with it for another two to three hours."

    "Okay. We''ll call for help as soon as possible."

    "Alright." As Rachel watched the two drivers disappear in the flurry of snow, her hand on the steering wheel trembled. There were two drops of blood on the back of her hand, and it showed signs of freezing into solid. It was appalling nheless.

    With difficulty, she moved the rearview mirror to check her forehead. Thank God it doesn''t seem that serious. It''s just a slight scratch.

    Rachel attempted to start the engine, but she had overestimated the car as it did not budge at all. In other words, the heater could not be turned on.

    Snowkes began to glide through the crevice at the passenger''s side beforending on the seat. They melted quite fast at the beginning. due to the scant warmth, but as the heat gradually dissipated into the atmosphere, the temperature in the car became no less different from the outside cold and the snow kept piling up at the passenger seat Feeling cold, Rachel reached out for the white coat at the back seat to keep herself warm, yet her body was shivering vigorously.

    It was way below the freezing point, and her limbs were icy cold. If she was going to stay like this, she might not be able to stand it for three hours. As the snowy wind blew stronger, the windows were covered up little by little.

    On the other end, themunity hall in Greensborough was surrounded by townspeople. There was a small truck at the porch that was supposed to deliver the first batch of goods, which were already shared among them. "Didn''t they say that it''ll arrive today? The rich guys are liars! They only know how to make charity with their mouth. They''re reluctant to spend the money to do that."

    "Yeah, they''re total liars!" Themotion was getting louder and louder. Some of them were even holding hoes and shovels, looking all fierce and aggressive.

    Nevertheless, the vige chief was still quite level-headed. "Calm down, everyone. They said that there''s a problem with the shipment of the second delivery, but they''ve made another. shipment to rece it. It should be here soon. "I can''t even use the stove at home. What are they going to do when we die?" "Mr. Barlowe, what are you talking about?"

    "We know that the medical team has run away. Our ce is so poor and shabby that they don''t care about us. Right now, even Mr. Burton wants to go. He''s trying to leave us."

    "Let him out!"

    "Yeah, let him out!"

    The ruckus continued.

 Chapter 470

    Justin was already confined in themunity hall for two days and one night. After listening to themotion outside, one of the youngmittee members, namely Jethro Huxley,forted him, "Mr. Burton, please don''t take it personally. The townspeople aren''t taught basic etiquette. They snatch everything from the truck as soon as it arrives. We can''t even share the stuff equally ording to the quota. If the second batch of supplies doesn''t arrive any time soon, I''m afraid that they''ll flip themunity hall inside out."

    Justin''s brows knitted together tightly as he remained silent. He had not expected the situation to be thisplicated beforeing. Still, he was not that worried, for the problem would be solved once they got the relief goods.

    Jethro observed the man, who was sitting on the long bench in front of a wooden table in the corner. The shabby environment could not even conceal the sophisticated grace flowing out from him. He did not seem like someone who would offer help in a run-down ce like Greensborough.

    After a while, a knock sounded on the door. "President Burton, it''s me." The officer quickly opened the door with delight. "Assistant Beckham, how did it go?"

    As soon as they received news of the problematic second shipment, Frankie traveled to town to find a solution because the signal tower had copsed due to the heavy snowfall, rendering the area disconnected from the outside world. He entered the hall with his body covered in snow before closing the doors to tune out the noise.

    "President Burton, the supplies should be here at any time soon. President Hudson called me this morning. She said that she''lle in person to deliver the things from Hudson Pharmaceuticals. They should be here before. night."

    Justin''s eyes darkened. "Who told you to tell her this?" Frankie was paralyzed with shock. Justin was cid and unwavered as ever until he heard of the iing shipment, which made his expression change. Meanwhile, Jethro, who was next to them, could notprehend the situation at all. Even so, Justin did not exin a word as he rose to his feet and headed toward the door at once.

    "President Burton." "Mr. Burton." The officer blocked his path with quick movements. "You can''t go outside right now."

    Justin''s expression turned thunderous as he growled, "Frankie, how long does it take to reach a ce that has a connection?" "You have to go into town, which will take around an hour."

    "I''m going there." Justin could not let Rachel take the risk just for him. Even if the shipment was safely delivered, the townspeople were chaotic. If she was harmed in any possible way, he would regret it for the rest of his life for not being able to protect her.

    In a worry that they could not bear the responsibility if Justin got hurt, the officer wanted to stop him, but Frankie grabbed his arm.

    "What are you doing, Assistant Beckham? Don''t you know that the townspeople are waiting outside for Mr. Burton just to hurt him?"

    "That''s not going to stop him either." Frankie''s stomach churned with mixed feelings. "It''s all my fault. Had I known this beforehand, I would''ve stopped President Hudson froming over." "Who''s President Hudson?"

    "Just leave it to me." Frankie then sprinted toward Justin. At this moment, the courtyard had already plunged into a fray; a few of the people took over the truck, whereas some of them were holding hoes and shovels in their hands, their expressions fierce. "He''s out!" One of them yelled, prompting the men jumping off the truck as everyone cornered Justin like a robust wall.

    "You''re finally out. How does it feel to be a coward, huh?" The leader was a youngster glowering to Justin''s face. Despite his tender age, he was the notorious gangster in the vige. "Give us all the food you have in the hall "The pills too. We can''t buy medicine from anywhere, and my father is going to die from a fever!"

    "Give it to us!" Noticing their urge to charge toward him in at group, Justin grabbed and dislocated their leader''s arm. Thetter plopped onto the ground with an agonizing scream, and a path cleared amidst the throng. Justin''s cold gaze swept across them. "There''s nothing in the hall. I''m going to the town to make a phone call. If anyone dares to get in my way, I can guarantee that you won''t get anything from us and you will die from starvation." "Lies! You''re just trying to run away!"

    "Even if I''m running away, what can you do about it?" A dauntless person growled, "We''ll kill you!" "Try me, then. Kill me and let''s see who''s left to help you guys."

    Having a dispute with them was never his n. However, if he did not show his resolved decision to leave at this instant, he would not be able to stop Rachel froming. A stalemate struck upon both parties as the snowy wind began to blow. "Everyone, back off. A croaky voice could be hearding from the people. It belonged to an elderly man who was highly regarded in the vige. "Hack! Mr. Burton has promised our wellbeing throughout the snowfall. Thus, I don''t think that it''s reasonable for you to leave when our vige is in this state."

    "What''s wrong with you guys? We''ve given you the things. It''s not our fault that the medical. team left. They just couldn''t stand it. Why don''t you hold them responsible, huh?" Frankie was utterly frustrated by the townspeople'' ridiculous. actions. He even had the urge to just leave them be and consign them to fate.

    However, when Justin motioned him to keep quiet, Frankie gritted his teeth to rein back the string of curses from escaping through his mouth.

    The old man said, "It''s not like we don''t want to let you go, but you''ve got to keep your promise. We will never let you leave until the second shipment arrives. Everyone''s life is at stake. I hope you can understand."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Understand? That''s totally absurd! "Stop me if you can." The sky was darkening and Justin was not in the mood to continue the conversation any longer.

    He coldly retaliated before marching forward without bothering them, taking the old man by surprise as thetter took a few steps back.

    Justin''s pervasive aura was more domineering than that of the snowfall. No one had the audacity to touch him and they instinctively made way for him, while Frankie tagged along. behind him.

    The moment they reached the entrance, a loaded truck loomed out of the snow. The red g on it was rather eye-catching.

    "It''s the truck!" Frankie eximed vehemently. Hearing themotion from afar, the townspeople flocked over in ones and twos. They put down the tools in their hands as soon as they realized that it was the shipment. The truck halted before them and two drivers alighted from the vehicle. "Assistant Beckhamn!"

    "Mr. Gasper, you''re finally here!" Frankie weed them. "It must be hard for you to rush all the way here. But why are you here this early? The sky hasn''t even darkened yet."

    Andrew heaved a puff of smoke as agitation sat on his brows. "There''s no time to waste. President Hudson got into trouble when we were on our way here. We should call for help immediately. Is there any connection nearby?"

    Something shed through Justin''s gaze when he heard that. Grabbing Andrew by the shoulders, he questioned, "What happened to her?"

 Chapter 471

    It was still snowing heavily, marking the first heavy snowfall of the decade. Even the mountains were donned in white, and one could not discern another color on them.

    The car windows werepletely covered in white and the hole, which was crushed through by the tree, was filled with snowpile. Even if there was a car passing by the area, the people onboard might not be able to realize that there was a car buried under the copsing house.

    At the same time, Rachel had lost her sensations as numbness was the only thing she could feel. When one was exposed to extreme cold, their whole body would tense up, and their muscles would feel like it would snap at any time. Other than the few asional jolts tha reminded her to put up with it, Rachel just wished to close her eyes and take a good sleep.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    It was too exhausting. Not only did she drive for almost twenty hours, the twenty over years spent in Riverdale was tiring as well.

    If she was given the choice to choose, she would rather stay in Somerset Mountain. Although it was the ce of the human trafficking syndicate and a ce with inadequate resources where one could only fence for oneself, her childhood days were rtively happier and rxing.

    Rachel felt drowsier as time passed. People said that one would be able to ''see'' the ones they missed before freezing to death. Their loved ones would bid them farewell so that they would appear in their dreams to give them the hope to move on with life.

    Amidst the haziness, a gentle and familiar voice kept ringing in Rachel''s ears like someone was pounding on her temples, trying to pull her back from her dreams. Irritated, she frowned until a ray of light nted into the space.

    ng! The car moved vigorously, causing her to open her eyes to see the car top shaking. There were traces of someone removing the snow from the windshield too.

    A blurry silhouette was waving at her with all its might. Rachel squinted her eyes and looked at it for a while, only to realize that the person was, in fact, wiping the window.

    He looks familiar. Who is he? As though she was suffering from amnesia, Rachel could not recall who it was no matter how much she racked her brain. Nevertheless, the familiar voice kept ringing in her ears. What is he shouting? "Rae? Rae! Rae!"

    A part of the whiteyer of snow was removed to reveal the person''s face, but it was barely recognizable due to her blurry vision. Since the car was buried under the house, Rachel could only see the person from a small hole... The familiar face appeared in front of her eyes.. She thought it was a dream, yet he was calling her name anxiously.

    "Rae! Don''t fall asleep!" Justin shouted in a quivering voice. He kept stretching his hand into the hole to hit the windshield so as to keep her awake. He was so afraid that she would close her eyes. If she slept in this below freezing temperature, she might not be able to wake up again.

    Fortunately, Rachel finally opened her eyes and stared at the man for a very long time. Reaching out her hand, she wanted to caress his cheek, but all she could touch was the cold window.

    "Is it you?" Her lips parted and she was the only one who could hear herself. However, Justin nodded profusely like he could hear her. "Yes, it''s me. Rae, it''s me! Don''t sleep! The firefighters are on the way now. They''ll be here soon! Just hold on a little longer!" Rachel''s ears buzzed as past memories conjured in her head. It was the time when Arthur forced her to stay at the resort six years ago. Hans and Janice figured that it was the chance for her to escape. They even had a substitute on standby to fake her death. Even so, there was a problem with the car brake, causing her to speed all the way until she bypassed the appointed location which they agreed beforehand.

    Justin, who was video calling her at that time, looked at her speaking in signnguage and keptforting her by talking to her before saving her from danger.

    Since when did he learn signnguage? Rachel had no impression of him learning it at all, but she could remember how the misunderstandings formed at the beginning of the marriage because he did not understand her.

    In actuality, she knew that it was not entirely his fault. She knew that putting all the me on him was a cowardly excuse for herself, and she knew from long ago that she had fallen for him and was still in love with him. "Justin!" Rachel tried to raise her hand, pointing at the passenger seat.

    Justin understood her gesture immediately as he climbed to the car top cautiously. Stepping onto the gravel and the pir, he dug out the stones and snow until he noticed the hole at longst. Peering through it, he could vaguely see what was going on inside the car. "Rae!" His eyes widened in joy as he observed. "There''s a hole here. Hold on, Rae!"

    Then, he yawped behind him, "Frankie, bring the thermos cup and hot water bag!" Frankie, who was in the middle of digging through the snowpile, stopped in his tracks when he heard his name. He came back to his senses and dashed toward the car to grab the things from it.

    "Rael" "Justin, I have something to tell you." Rachel felt the weight on her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. If she did not say it right now, she was afraid that she might not be able to make it.

    "I''m listening. He leaned in the ruin, extending his arms to the car top in order to widen the hole so that he could pass over the things to her.

    "Life is fated." Justin was stunned by her first sentence. The voiceing from the ruin was cutting off. He could vaguely understand what she was trying to say, albeit unclearly. The trembling voice almost tore his heart apart. She''s been exposed to a temperature of below freezing for three hours straight. Just how cold she is right now?

    "Rae, stop the nonsense. The firefighters areing. Move a little and don''t sleep." Rachel''s body trembled, whereas the rearview mirror showed her her chapped lips and cold, red cheeks.

    "Justin, I just wanna say that I... I don''t me you for what happened to Grandma and Hans. Everything is bound to happen as destined. Their deaths are not your fault. I know... I-I misunderstood you... I owe you an apology." "You don''t have to apologize to me. It''s my fault and I''m the sinner! Rae, it''s all my fault!" "If anything else, fate is the one to me."

    "Rae."

    Rachel mustered every ounce of strength she had to force a smile. In a soft voice, she said, "I saved you at Somerset Mountain 26 years ago.

    The sudden news put Justin into a trance and he looked at the crevice in disbelief.

 Chapter 472

    The tiny entrance was quite dark and the lighting was dim, making it too dark to see anything at all. Rachel''s red sedan was practically buried underneath the double-story house that had toppled over and at the moment, the whole ce looked like wreckage from the outside.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Frankie rushed over with a hot water bottle and a thermos sk in his hands. "President Burton." However, Justin didn''t reach out to take the items. The entrance was too small and he couldn''t even fit his fist inside, so there was no way the thermos sk and hot water bottle could fit.

    "Where''s the fire brigade? Have they not arrived?" Justin hollered at Frankie. At that moment, Frankie trembled in fright. "I''ve told them to hurry up. There''s an issue with the phone signal here and she''s buried quite deep, so perhaps the fire brigade has overshot. Mr. Finnigan''s already waiting by the junction."

    However, Justin was impatient and he couldn''t wait any longer. He then started to use his bare hands to shift aside the broken boulders and bricks. Soon after that, his hands, which were originally frozen from the cold, bled from the cuts suffered due to the broken boulders. Yet, he persisted and seemed to be numb to the pain as he shifted the broken boulders mechanically.

    Frankie knew that there was no point in trying to stop Justin, so he returned to the car to grab some equipment.

    Meanwhile, Harry rushed over with a shovel and pick. He helped to clear the snow and broken boulders while whispering a question to Frankie, "Who''s buried underneath? How are they rted to Mr. Burton? Why is Mr. Burton so agitated?"

    Frankie held onto a shovel and used all his might to remove the stones. The plume of breath he released fogged up his vision. "That person means the world to President Burton."

    Indeed, Rachel meant the world to Justin. Presently, Justin worked very hard to try and shift the broken boulders and his eyes were reddened from his efforts. When did Rachel figure out her identity?

    Was it six years ago when she left Riverdale back then? She must have been under so much mental torture as she carried the burden of the truth all by herself. How did she even survive the past six years?!

    "Rae! Don''t fall asleep!" he roared in the direction of the car and his voice was raspy as his tears fell into the wreckage. However, he no longer received any response from inside the car. Justin yelled several more times anxiously. "Rae?"

    "Rae!" The fear hit him like a wave. "President Burton, has there been no response from inside at all?" Frankie asked gingerly.

    "Keep going! Continue digging!" Justin''s voice trembled as he said that and shot a murderous look at Frankie. Frankie shuddered in fright and didn''t dare to ck off. He continued to dig among the rubble with all of his might.

    At that moment, it started to snow heavily, and it felt as if the entire world was about to be nketed in snow.

    After quite some time, the ring, red fire truck. finally arrived on the scene. The emergency. lights of the truck flickered brightly and the fire brigade quickly used their crane to lift the heavy roof of the copsed house from the ground. Finally, a red little car that was crushed underneath a tree was revealed.

    As soon as Rachel was lifted onto the stretcher, Justin''s legs buckled and he suddenly fell onto his knees with a thud.

    "President Burton!" Frankie hurried forward to help Justin to his feet. "President Burton, are you fine?

    However, Justin didn''t say a single word. He only took forceful steps and trailed after the paramedics to get into the ambnce.

    Along the way, he kept his eyes fixated upon the woman on the stretcher. His eyes were extremely red and bloodshot. It looked as if he had not been sleeping for multiple nights previously, and it was like blood was about to leak from his eyes. However, Rachel remained unconscious. It was as if she hadcked sleep for years, so she was now in a deep slumber.

    The surroundings were starkly white and it felt as if this was somewhere with snow, but it didn''t seem cold. Rachel scanned the area and thought that she must be dead, and that this was heaven. I''ve never done anything bad in my life, so I should be able to enter heaven right? Luckily, I''ve said what I should have said before I passed away.

    She previously told Justin that she had recalled for ages that she was Katie, so he should. realize then that her understanding behavior was all because of her identity as Katie.

    She was the only one who could resolve this matter as she was the critical person involved. Ultimately, everything was technically her problem, so she had to be the one to end things personally.

    Her only regret was that she didn''t have the chance to watch the two kids grow up and see Jolly walking down the aisle. Furthermore, she hadn''t had the chance to tell Julian not to continuemitting his mistake.

    She was just about to calmly ept the fact of her death when a conversation between two people suddenly rang in her ears.

    "Everything''s fine. She''s just been in the cold weather for too long so there was some damage to her muscles. That''s why she might experience some muscle weakness, but that will resolve itself after a few days." "She has a head injury. Is that fine?" "I''ve had a look at the X-ray and she only has a mild concussion, so it''s alright."

    "Thank you, doctor." A silent Rachel suddenly opened her eyes and the sight that greeted her was the stark white. ceiling of the hospital.

    "Cough..." She tried to say something, but she suddenly choked on a breath of air that hit her and she coughed violently. "Cough! Cough!"

    As soon as Justin heard that, he was overjoyed and rushed forward. "Rae, you''re finally awake!" She nced at the man in front of her with a shocked expression. "Am I still alive?"

    "Don''t spout nonsense! The doctor mentioned that you only suffered some slight frostbite. You were asleep for so long because your body was exhausted after driving continuously for the past twenty-odd hours."

    As soon as Rachel heard that, she grimaced slightly. Was I just dreaming earlier on? Since when did I start that dream? Is it all just a dream? So was the part where I gave my final words to Justin just a dream as well? "Um... How did I end up in the hospital?"

    "The fire brigade arrived just in time." Justin tucked her under a nket. "You''re currently in the town hospital of Baybrook City. The conditions in this hospital aren''t that great, but it''s more than enough to treat frostbite and a mild concussion." At that point, Rachel heaved sigh of relief. It''s great that I was rescued by the fire brigade..

    She tried to sit up in bed but her body wasn''t fully within her control, so she couldn''t move an inch.

    When he saw that, seeing that, Justin stopped her by reaching out to push her back into bed.. "Stop moving around. The doctor said that you''ve injured some muscles, so you need proper rest for the next few days." Rachel clenched her teeth. "But I... I need to use the bathroom."

    He frowned involuntarily at that moment. "I can''t hold it in any longer!" She bit hard on her lip and she nearly drew blood. "Get me one of the nurses!"

    However, he suddenly flung aside the nket and lifted Rachel into his arms. She eximed in fright but she was afraid that he would drop her, so she ended up wrapping her arms around his neck as support. "What are you doing? Let go of me and just get one of the nurses to help me."

    He immediately headed to the entrance of the bathroom with her in his arms. "The staff members in this hospital are limited and most of them have been assigned to help on the disaster scene, so just bear with me."

    Their faces were practically next to each other and Rachel held her breath the whole time. She didn''t even dare to exhale.

    "Do you need more help?" Justin kept his eyes on her. Suddenly, Rachel came to her senses and her face was bright red. She shook her head hard. "That''s alright. Let me down. I can do this myself. Otherwise, does he n on removing my pants on my behalf? She sat on the throne and nced toward the frosted ss door of the bathroom several times with a torn expression because Justin actually stood outside like a statue the whole time without even moving an inch.

    Then, she held back for quite some time before expressing, "Hey, Justin?"

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel found the whole situation quite odd, especially as they spoke over the ss door to the bathroom. However, she continued to speak. despite the awkwardness she felt. "Could you leave? With you standing by the door, I can''t seem to..." I can''t seem to rx. The awkwardness in the air persisted for quite some time. "Yell if you need anything. I''ll wait for you outside." After Justin said that, he finally left.

    At that point, she heaved a sigh of relief and significantly rxed.

 Chapter 473

    Rachel sat on the throne. The sink and mirror were across from her, so her deathly pale face was reflected inside the mirror. Her brows were tightly furrowed and there was a stilted expression on her face as she fought an inner battle.

    There were some fuzzy shbacks in her mind at the moment, and she could remember hearing noises of someone continuously shifting away the broken boulders on top of her before she fell unconscious. She had experienced a headache from the noise. As for whether she had spoken herst words to Justin, her memory was fuzzy about that. Was it actually a dream or not?! This is so nerve-wracking!

    Rachel opened the door after washing her hands and Justin instantly moved forward to help her as soon as he heard the noise. She immediately retracted her hand. "No, I cant walk without help."

    "Are you sure about that?" Justin''s voice sounded doubtful. She held onto the wall and walked several steps forward. With much difficulty, she finally moved several meters forward. "I''m doing f- fine." However, those two steps that she took had caused her to sweat profusely from the effort. "You should allow me to help you."

    Justin''s voice rang out from behind and she didn''t even get the chance to reject him. Rachel was quite thin, so he could easily lift her into his arms and escort her back to the bed. She leaned against her pillow with a slightly lost look on her face. "How long will it take for me to recover?"

    "Don''t worry. I''ll keep youpany right by your side until you recover." As soon as Rachel heard that, her expression faltered significantly. This was her worst nightmare. Don''t tell me that he''s going to carry me to the bathroom every single day?!

    "That''s not necessary." She shook her head earnestly. "I''ll hire someone to help me. I don''t mind paying at all. You''re busy dealing with matters of raising funds for the disaster, right? You can go and deal with your work. You don''t have to worry about me."

    "We''ve temporarily stopped handing out supplies for the next two days." "Huh?" Rachel was stunned. "Why is that so? I thought that the logistics team bringing supplies had arrived in Greensborough?"

    "I told them to stop." As Justin spoke, there was a knock on the door from the outside.

    "Come in." "Mr. Burton." The person who walked in was Harry Finnigan from Greensborough, and hel held a bag of fruits in his hand. He nodded at Rachel upon seeing her. "Hi, Miss Hudson. I''m Harry from the Greensborough welfare group. I''m here to visit you as the representative of the townspeople."

    "It''s nice to meet you." Rachel struggled to get. up, but Justin held her back. She didn''t understand the reason behind that but she noticed Justin reply indifferently, "Have a seat. How are things at the vige?"

    "I''ve done everything ording to your instructions and locked the necessities in themunity hall building. I''ve also arranged for men to take turns guarding the ce. Other than the daily necessities and medications for the elderly, the weaker ones, those with illnesses, and pregnant women, I''ve temporarily suspended the distribution of supplies for the others."

    "Has the medical team gone back?" "The first team came back this morning and the medical supplies have been put into use. Just before I came over, the second team arrived too."

    "Did those people continue to kick up a fuss?" "They wouldn''t dare to! They realized they were at fault, so each of them had been hiding at home and they didn''t even dare toe out. I''m here to see you and discuss this matter. This is their letter of apology..." As Harry spoke, he reached into his pocket and drew out a piece of paper. It was a handwritten letter of apology that he held and there were scrawling''s of names on the bottom and the back of the paper. There was even a thumbprint in red next to each name. However, Justin didn''t ept the paper. Meanwhile, Harry awkwardly held the paper int his hand and sat back down.

    "Mr. Burton, the townspeople are uneducated and they''re undeniably quite narrow-minded. The authorities sent us university graduates to be stationed here to help with the welfare of the townspeople. One of our roles is to improve their impoverished status, but our other more important role is to enhance their intellect too.. Please don''t take offense to their actions. When do you reckon it''s fine to start giving out the supplies to the rest? There have been many. townspeople who starved for the past few days."

    Rachel listened to their conversation by the side and she could practically piece the whole situation together in her mind.

    Earlier on the phone, she had heard Frankie mention that the townspeople of Greensborough were an unruly bunch. They had forcefully held Justin captive because the second batch of supplies hadn''t arrived on time. Now that the supplies had arrived, their attitudes changed faster than the weather, and they now took a conciliatory stance. This was clearly uneptable. Justin was generally a haughty man, so he definitely wasn''t going to tolerate this.

    However, he couldn''t exactly continue depriving the townspeople of food, so Rachel coughed awkwardly before advising him, "Are you talking about the distribution of supplies for those who went through the disaster? The townspeople are indeed at fault, but perhaps you should carry out the punishment at ater stage. Don''t threaten them with the supplies right now. It''s quite cold out there. What if something bad happens..."

    At that moment, Justin looked significantly appeased. "Start the distribution of supplies to each family ording to the number of family members. from tomorrow afternoon. Go back and inform them in advance this afternoon.

    If another riot and looting urs, then whoever leading them will not receive any single supply. Meanwhile, those who manage to control the looting will get double the amount of supplies. I''ll alsoe up with another list of protocols to follow when collecting supplieste on and Frankie will discuss that with you."

    Harry nodded instantly. "This is a good solution. No problem. I''ll head back to get things ready." Before Harry left, he turned back from the door and smiled gratefully at Rachel. "Thank you, Miss Hudson."

    Rachel had a perplexed look. After all, she hadn''t done much to help. As for Harry, he left the ward and bumped into Frankie. ted, the former said, "Assistant Beckham, thank you so much. You were right and I''ve seeded. Mr. Burton has given me permission to go back and distribute the supplies."

    Frankie held on to a thermos sk and he had a matter-of-fact expression. "I told you that you should rx and wait till President Hudson regained consciousness. No matter how sincere you and the townspeople profess your apologies, President Hudson''s single sentence would be way more effective."

    "Yes. You''re quite right. I''ve finally experienced that in person." "Go back, then. It will take you another two hours to reach Greensborough."

    Frankie smiled and shook his head after sending Harry off. Everything will be sessful as long as President Hudson''s the one who voices it out in front of President Burton. Right now, inside the room, Rachel asked about the issue in Greensborough..

    "I heard from Frankie that the townspeople kept you captive. Were you hurt?" "No, I wasn''t." Justin held an apple in his hand and tried to remove the peel for her but he was quite clumsy. It was evident that he had never done such delicate jobs.

    "Hand that over to me." Rachel reached out and took the peeler and apple into her hands quite naturally. "How''s the current situation in Greensborough? Why does your current enforcement method sound like it''s a military camp?"

    "The townspeople are too uncouth," Justin replied. "There have been looting incidents more than once. Previously, they even jumped over the fence and entered the hostel to steal from the medical staff in charge of providing medical aid to them. Several nurses left on tha night itself after that frightening ordeal."

    "They''ve crossed the line!" Rachel''s expression turned solemn. "It''s no wonder then that you''ve halted distribution of supplies for the time being. They sound like robbers!"

    "The best way to handle a robber is to give them a taste of their own medicine. It''s pointless to be kind to them. Harry Finnigan''s too young and he was appointed to this position right after graduation, so the townspeople don''t even bother to listen to him. At the moment, they only follow the instructions of the person in possession of supplies.

    "So is that why you''ve decided toe up with a list of protocols to follow for those whoe over to collect supplies?" Justin nodded slightly. "Do you think that I''m making a big fuss out of the matter?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Of course not. It''s much better to teach one to hunt than to supply food to them. Charity isn''t just about giving out supplies or money. For us, the easiest way would be to give out money, and we would gain a good reputation too. However, if we really intend to help these people, then money would be just a temporary solution. You''ve done the right thing."

 Chapter 474

    Justin noticed the solemn look on Rachel''s face, and thest bit of reservation he had finally dissipated. He didn''t give a dent about how others regarded him, so he had actually offended many people throughout the years of organizing work in the charity foundation. There were many people who appeared to be fine with him on the surface but actually wanted to kick him out of the foundation. At this point, he only had the support of the old chairman.

    "What''s so funny?" Rachel noticed the slight curve on Justin''s lips and she was perplexed. "Did I say the wrong thing?"

    "No." Justin looked out of the window. "I was just thinking that sometimes, perhaps we should consider other people''s opinions when. carrying out something."

    Although the opinions of others were indeed not as important as doing the right and proper thing, words could be quite brutal and it was important to maintain a good reputation too. "You''re odd," Rachelmented under her breath and used the little knife to halve the apple. Subsequently, she handed one of them. to Justin. "Here you go. Do you want this?"

    He was momentarily stunned and he paused for a moment before reaching out for it. "Thanks." Rachel frowned slightly. "What happened to your hands?"

    She didn''t notice earlier on, but both of Justin''s hands were bandaged up. There was a thinyer of gauze on his hands, and only his fingers were exposed to the air. It looked as if he had on half a pair of gloves.

    Justin nced at her and said, "I''m alright. I just had a slight graze." As he spoke, Frankie walked into the room with some hot water. "President Burton, President Hudson."

    Rachel greeted him by nodding in response. Frankie handed over a handbag and a sealed transparent bag to Rachel. "President Hudson, this was found in your car. The sealed bag contains your cell phone, your identification card, your driver''s license, and some random objects."

    Rachel''s car waspletely written off, but there were plenty of items inside so it was fortunate that Frankie had gone and retrieved them. "Thank you, Assistant Beckham."

    "It''s my pleasure. You''ve done us such a huge favor, so there is no need to thank me for that. It was fortunate that nothing bad had happened to you. If something bad had happened, it would have been my fault."

    Frankie shuddered at the thought of it. His worst nightmare had actuallye true. If something bad had happened to Rachel, then it was very likely that Justin would have ripped him to pieces.

    Frankie hade over from the canteen and got some takeaway. Subsequently, he helped to adjust the side table attached to the bed.

    Justin had gone out to take a call, so Rachel ate as she put her phone on charge and powered it up. "I''ve got to give Jolly a call and inform her. She must be worried sick right now."

    "You don''t have to worry about Miss Carter. President Burton gave her a call personally and informed her that you''re safe." "What?" Rachel was slightly taken aback. "When did he do that?"

    "Last night. After confirming that you were fine.. President Burton called Miss Carter immediately. I heard them talking because I was coincidentally at the entrance."

    Frankie was clearly still frightened fromst night''s ordeal as he recounted the matter to Rachel. "President Hudson, you must be unaware of this, but I actually thought that President Burton would copse as soon as he found out that you were fine, so I was prepared to support his weight. However, he calmly started to make phone calls to tell everyone you were safe. He also started to make arrangements for the distribution of supplies and responded to the people from the foundation..."

    "He wouldn''t possibly copse." Rachel was slightly resigned as she spoke. "You''re exaggerating."

    "That''s not true. You didn''t see him. After you lost consciousness in the car, he dug at the boulders with a crazed expression, and his hands were bloody and injured from that."

    Rachel was caught by surprise. "After that, the fire brigade arrived and escorted you to the waiting ambnce. His knees. immediately buckled and fell to the ground with a thud.

    At that instance, I didn''t even manage to catch President Burton because he scrambled up from the ground to rush over and get on the ambnce. I heard from one of the nurses that President Burton held tightly to your hands. without letting go the entire journey, and his face was deathly pale."

    Shocked, Rachel clenched her hands into fists, and it was as if she could still feel the warmth she experienced while asleep. His hands are bandaged up because he injured himself while rescuing me. Thosest words I spoke to him in my dreams must have actually happened then.

    "President Hudson, actually, there is something that I wanted to tell you since a long time ago but I never got the chance. Now that you nearly suffered an ident, I reckon that I shouldn''t wait for a better chance, so I have to tell you this." Frankie''s words pulled Rachel back to her senses. "What is it?" Frankie responded, "Do you know why President Burton ended up losing his memory after you left back then?"

    "I thought it was because he met with a car ident on the way to the airport?" "It was a car ident, but that was just part of the reason. The main reason was because he had an issue with alcohol, and the excessive amount of alcohol he consumed damaged hist brain. Rachel was in disbelief and she was caught by surprise. "Furthermore, he consumed a lot of alcohol as well on the day that he drove to the airport.

    From his purchase history, there was a record of him buying a ne ticket for himself, as he had intended to go overseas to look for you."

    "To look for me? How did he know where I was?"

    Julian had put in a lot of effort to bring Rachel over to Montenegro sessfully, and she was clearly aware of all that. In order to prevent Justin from finding her, Julian and her hadn''t taken a direct flight to Montenegro. "President Burton knew it." Frankie had aplicated look on his face. "Ever since you left Riverdale, President Burton was in a frenzy and he practically upended Riverdale to look for you. Finally, he found Irwin Chase." "Grandpa Irwin?"

    "Yes. Irwin revealed everything, including the fact that you were Katie. After that, I found out that you were recuperating in a hospital in Montenegro, but President Burton started to consume an excessive amount of alcohol and kept himself cooped up at home. He refused to listen to any advice regardless of who it came from..."

    "Alcohol problem?" Rachel was in disbelief. Frankie had aplicated look on his face as he heaved a sigh. It seemed that he was quite reluctant to recall that moment in the past.

    Long term excessive consumption of alcohol could cause hallucination, and no one knew what Justin saw that day. However, they only knew that after that, he bought a ticket on his own ord and drove to the airport. Along the way, he was involved in a car ident under the influence of alcohol.

    "He didn''t actually mean to forget everything between the two of you, but Old Mr. Burton stopped everyone from bringing you up."

    Arthur had seen Justin during his drunken wild moments, and Justin had gone from a normal and well person into someone out of his mind just because of a woman. At that time, Justin lived his life like a walking dead. He was the only grandson of Arthur so obviously, it pained Arthur to see Justin in such a state. Arthur couldn''t bear to see that.

    As such, Arthur forced everyone around them to cooperate with him after that. Everyone came together to weave a lie that could easily. be exposed, but neither of them wanted to let Justin recall anything that had to do with Rachel. They pretended that nothing had ever happened, and that Justin and Rachel never knew each other.

    Unfortunately, some things seem to be fated. For example, Justin seemed fated to be entangled with this woman called Rachel Hudson for the rest of his life, ever since the moment he was kidnapped when he was thirteen.

    Rachel arrived back in Riverdale and those well-kept memories suddenly hit him like a wave quite effortlessly. With her return in Riverdale, the memories hit him hard and from then on, he was riddled with utmost guilt.

    "President Hudson, I realize that there are a lot of things that I haven''t gone through as an outsider in this, so I can''t judge what''s right or wrong. However, I''ve been observing by the side all these years, and President Burton only cares about you. There has been no one else ever to hold a spot in his heart.

    Perhaps to you and Miss Carter, President Burton has been living at carefree lifestyle due to his loss of memories for the past five years, but consider this-prior to his marriage with you, he had been fixated upon seeking revenge over the past ten years.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    If he hadn''t gotten into that car ident, he would have to live the rest of his life riddled with guilt toward you, and the torment he experienced would definitely be way more than just five years." At that point, Rachel clenched her fists and shel felt quite troubled.

 Chapter 475

    When Justin came back, Frankie had just cleared the foldable table. "President Burton," he greeted. Justin nodded, and Frankie went out sensibly.

    Rachel was sitting on the hospital bed in a trance, but when she saw Justining back, she straightened up and asked him something random, "Is there a problem with the foundation?" "No. It''s basically solved, and the supplies that came after are also sufficient." "Great." "Thank you for helping out this time, but try not to do something so dangerous anymore. Don''t forget that Charlotte and Samuel are still waiting for you at home. You should be careful."

    "How about you?" Rachel suddenly looked at Justin with aplicated expression. He emphasized that she had to take care of herself for Charlotte and Samuel because she was a mother, but wasn''t he a father? Didn''t he alsoe all the way here to help out with the disaster relief?

    "The role of a father is different from that of a mother. Children need a mother''spany and love to grow healthily," replied Justin.

    "Isn''t the role of a father equally important?" "It''s important, but a father who makes them proud is what children need more." That was why he went to Baybrook for disaster relief.

    Even if an ident happened, Charlotte and Samuel would be proud to have a father like him when they grew up in the future.

    Rachel''s brows furrowed all of a sudden. "Who told you that? Who told you that a father''spany is not important? Who told you that it''s a proud thing to abandon your family? Do you mean that every father who pursues a peaceful life with their kids should be looked down upon?"

    "That''s not what I meant." "Then what do you mean? Justin, has the snow in Baybrook drowned your brain?"

    It had been a long time since Rachel blew up. Her face had turned blue due to anger. ''I don''t mind if you want your children to be proud of you, but you don''t have to risk your life for that, do you? You can spend more time with them instead. Crafting, helping them win prizes in schoolpetitions, tutoring them with their homework, or even taking them out to build a snowman on a snowy day.... These little things can be done easily."

    A barrage of rebukes echoed in the ward. After Rachel was done scolding and saw Justin keeping quiet, she realized she had overdone it. The atmosphere was silent. After a long while, Justin sighed helplessly, "I didn''t mean it that way."

    "I''m not that great to the extent of sacrificing myself. I just want you to be careful. Don''t do such dangerous things anymore in the future. Don''t stay awake for more than twenty hours while driving on the road in a fatigued state. It''s too dangerous."

    Even when he drove to Baybrook for disaster relief, he did not drive alone for more than twenty hours without sleep.

    Rachel was indeed a little impulsive when she came alone this time. She was even more embarrassed now after hearing Justin''s exnation. "Oh... so that''s what you meant... I thought..."

    "Thought what?" "Nothing." Rachel coughed dryly to hide her embarrassment. She thought that Justin was frustrated with the tragedies happening in Riverdale, so he was willing to sacrifice his life to partake in disaster relief.

    "Out of all the ces in Baybrook, why did you choose Greensborough?" she muttered. There was no one else in the room, so Justin heard it clearly and replied helplessly, ''Because other volunteers have gone to those ces, and only Greensborough is too poor that no one wants toe. I can''t just leave them be, can I ?"

    If one was afraid of hardships while doing charity work, they should not even volunteer to begin with. "Anyway, don''t just tell me what to do. Remember what you said and apply it to yourself." Rachel looked at Justin with aplicated expression. "Don''t do anything. dangerous."

    "I know." Justin pulled the hem of the nket and asked, "Are you cold? There was a problem with the central heating here before, so it isn''t working well now. I''ll get you another nket if you''re cold."

    Rachel shook her head. "I''m fine."

    While the two were talking in the room, no one noticed that a figure had been standing at the door of the ward for a long time.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    Julian put his hand on the door handle, and through the ss window, he could clearly see the two people chatting andughing in front of the hospital bed.

    When he learned that Rachel drove to Baybrook by herself, he immediately prepared some goods from Burton Group''s inventory and hurriedly sent them to Baybrook. However, when he arrived in Baybrook in the morning, he was not able to contact Rachel. Only then did he know that she met with an ident. Before he could take a sip of water, he rushed to the hospital only to be weed by this scene.

    After that, he drove away from the hospital in his ck car. His assistant, who was in the passenger seat, asked cautiously, "President Peters, are we still sending that batch of supplies to Greensborough?"

    "Yes." They were not just going to send the supplies, but they would also have to exin the previous ''misunderstanding''.

    The blizzard that happened only once in a century continued, and it was broadcasted on the news every day. Even the affected area was gradually expanding.

    Justin answered phone calls every day until his feet were light, yet he still managed to visit the hospital whenever he was free.

    "I saw Justin on the news yesterday. The live broadcast by frontline reporters showed that he attended the post-disaster reconstruction meeting in Baybrook as the representative of Riverdale Charity Foundation. He seemed to be in high spirits..."

    Rachel was on a video call, and her phone was ced on the foldable table. Jolly, on the other end, was happily sharing about the news video she just watched. "He seems capable. Even though he couldn''t be the president of Burton Group, he managed to take over a foundation and take care of it so well. What a talented man."

    "Praise him when hees back." Rachel leaned on the hospital bed and drank her brothfortably.

    "You look rxed. I thought you went to Baybrook to suffer for a while, but it looks like you went there for a vacation. Don''t you just eat and sleep for the whole day? You left me alone in Riverdale to deal with this pile of documents."

    "Have you ever seen someone lying in the hospital on vacation?" "My dear, it''s just a slight concussion. You''re being hospitalized for having the same symptoms as Samuel getting hit in the head. It''s all because Justin is exaggerating your condition. He treats you like some kind of god. If I were him, I would have discharged you from the hospital a long time ago," Jolly bombarded her without hesitation.

    Since Rachel lucked out this time, she continued eating in peace while ignoring Jolly''s provocation. "Well, that''s what I got in exchange for risking my life. If you want to be on a vacation, why don''t youe too?"

    "No, thanks. I would rather work overtime than be buried under the rubble. I don''t have someone like Justin who wille over and dig the rubble with his bare hands to save me."

    Somehow, the incident of Justin digging the ruins with his bare hands was heard by Jolly. She twisted it into a touching story and talked about it everywhere. Gloria, Victor, and the rest were now aware of it, as well as everyone in the Hudson family.

    Thinking of the rumors that she might have to face back in Riverdale, Rachel felt a headache creeping up. "By the way, I have something else to tell you." Jolly finally turned serious as she remembered important matters. "I hired someone earlier to look for the truck driver who overturned the supply truck."

 Chapter 476

    "What about it?" "We may have misunderstood Julian," Jolly uttered in a serious tone. "The driver of the truck has now been discharged from the hospital, and I secretly found out that he was drinking with his cousin at home prior to driving because he made a slip of the tongue. Before hitting the road that day, he took cold medicine and fell asleep on the road while driving, which led to the rollover."

    "Jolly, we saw Robin in the hospital looking for him, but Robin just told him not to talk nonsense with reporters. It''s normal to do so to keep the public calm. Corporates are always afraid of being affected by public opinion. By the way, what about the outbound order from Burton Group''s warehouse?"

    Rachel remembered clearly that when she called Julian for help, he promised to instruct the warehouse immediately and give priority to the distribution of disaster relief supplies to Greensborough. However, he secretly asked the warehouse to send all the supplies to Baybrook City in advance,pletely avoiding Greensborough.

    "Aren''t you aware? Burton Group''s relief supplies have been delivered to Greensborough, eximed Jolly. Rachel was startled. "When did that happen?"

    "It arrived the day before yesterday. It''s a day away from the batch you brought over. The goods were sent from Burton Group''s warehouse to Baybrook City but Julian stopped. them in the middle of the way so that they could be transferred to Greensborough. That''s why the time was dyed, and he didn''t lie to us."

    Rachel lookedplicated. "Who told you all this?" "I hired someone to investigate!" "Are you sure it''s reliable?" Jolly''s voice paused. ''Are you still doubting Julian?"

    Rachel frowned, but she couldn''t tell for sure. In fact, the whole incident was filled with. loopholes. Although she could not find Julian at fault nor that the truck rolled over because it was instigated by him, the current clues showed that he was not sincere in helping Greensborough.

    In other words, he did not want to help Justin. "Let''s not talk about this for now. When the disaster relief is over, let''s go back to Riverdale and talk about it."

    "When are youing back? Gloria''s tour is almost over. You shoulde back early so we can officially set up the wedding venue." "Maybe after two days, when I''m done with everything here."

    "What are you so busy with?" After saying that, Jollyughed on the screen. "Chris, are you waiting for Justin to finish his work and return with him?"

    "Is there a problem with that? I''vee all the way here. Even though I can''t be of much help, it doesn''t hurt to stay a few more days." "Don''t act like this is just work for you. Let me ask you, did you feel touched when he saved you?"

    Rachel knew that she was going to ask that sooner orter, so she had prepared a countermeasure beforehand. "We should always repay our life saviors for their grace of saving our life, so I n to donate supplies worth five hundred thousand to the foundation in the name of Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

    Seeing Rachel''s magnanimous look, Jolly felt like she just embarrassed herself. "You''re so boring." Rachel was unmoved. "You''re just expecting me to offer myself to him, aren''t you? Howme."

    "That''s not true. I just thought you would change your mind about Justin. I even nned to tell you about the drug." "Drug? What drug?"

    Jolly almost made a slip of the tongue, so she smiled bashfully, "No, it''s nothing. You misheard it." "I heard it loud and clear. Hurry up and spill it."

    After a long time of pestering, Jolly exined honestly, "Before you filed thewsuit against Justin, I was supposed to give you Propofol, but I gave you the wrong drug."

    "You gave me the wrong drug?" "I gave you vitamin pills instead... The Propofol was in my bag." Rachel fell into a daze for a while before suddenlying back to her senses. Did that mean Justin did not faint at all that night? Then why did he...Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Jolly felt extremely guilty. "I also found out that the medicine was in my bagter on, but thewsuit was already over at that time, and your rtionship with Justin was stiff. I thought you won''t be crossing paths with him anymore, and I was worried that you''d overthink if I told you, so I didn''t say anything...ˇ±

    Listening to Jolly''s words, Rachel was confused. Did that also mean that Justin waspletely sober when she pushed him to the hostess in the nightclub, and he even heard clearly what she instructed the hostess to do?

    She thought she was being clever to make use of him, but in fact, he willingly let her use him. Even when they went to court, he did not mention a word of her wrongdoings. He allowed Hernandez to testify that his private life was chaotic...

    "Chris, are you okay?" Jolly''s voice pulled Rachel back from her thoughts. Rachel had mixed feelings in her heart. "Jolly, I may have made more than one mistake." As her best friend, Jolly fully understood how Rachel was feeling at the moment.

    She put herself in Rachel''s shoes and imagined that there was someone she always regarded as a heinous bastard. If she deliberately plotted against him, used him, indirectly caused him to lose everything, andter on realized that this person had already known everything she did but unconditionally cooperated with her till the end...

    Most importantly, realizing that he was not wicked at all in the end. "Maybe you can stop treating your actions as mistakes. No one is at fault. Both of you were just in different positions. Forgive yourself," reassured Jolly.

    "I''ll think about it." After ending the call, Rachely on her pillow. The snow outside the window had stopped.

    After several days of heavy snowstorms, the first sunny day was finally ushered in. The news of post-disaster reconstruction had been broadcasted on the news, and everything about disaster relief wasing to an end. Rachel looked out the window in a trance, obliviou to the fact that Frankie was walking: in.

    "President Hudson, Frankie called out to pull her out of her reverie. "Do you not like the food? You didn''t eat much." Rachel shook her head without exining too much and nced behind him. "Where''s Justin?"

    "President Burton is still in Greensborough. The situation there is worsepared to everywhere else. Many houses have copsed, so the foundation is nning to build a batch of temporary housing for the residents, and he is having a meeting over there. He will probably not be able toe back tonight. Oh, he also told me to send you back to Riverdale once the snow stops."

    "When will he be back to Riverdale?" "I can''t give you an exact date. There are many things to settle for the post-disaster reconstruction, especially since Greensborough is a hot potato. Except for President Burton, no one wants to touch it."

    "Can I go over?" Rachel''s words made Frankie stop packing her things. He cast a surprised look at Rachel and inquired, "Sorry, may you repeat that again?"

    "I want to go and see if there is anything I can help with. I''m here for disaster relief after all. I can''t stay in the hospital all the time. It''s just a little concussion. I''ve been under observation for days now, and I''m not sick."

    After he heard her exnation clearly and made sure that he had not misheard her, Frankie''s eyes were filled with indescribable excitement. No one knew what meant better than him.

    "Frankie, help me with the discharge procedures. I want to go to Greensborough immediately," said Rachel.

    After a while, Frankie shook out of his reverie. As if afraid that Rachel would regret her decision, he hurriedly made a beeline to the door and uttered, "Just one moment, President Hudson. I''ll get it done right away."

 Chapter 477

    Greensborough was entirely covered in white by the time the snow stopped. There were no snow removal vehicles that were in service in the district, so the townspeople split into teams to shovel snow off the roads and clear out all the paths that led into town. "Heave-ho, everyone! We''ve gotta clear these roads for the builders or we''ll never get our houses fixed for the rest of winter!" "Come on, guys, put your backs into it"

    "Mr. Burton''s here!"

    "Mr. Burton!" The townspeople who were shoveling snow stood upright when they saw Justin, who had only juste out from his meeting with the townmittee. "Good day, Mr. Burton," they greeted politely.

    Justin nodded at them in acknowledgment and said nothing more. He wasn''t much of a talker, and he looked so stern all the time that the townspeople hesitated to approach him. Right now, they exchanged looks among themselves, and one of them piped up boldly, "Mr. Burton, what are you doing here? You shouldn''t be out here in this freezing weather. Go back and stay warm by the fire."

    Upon hearing this, Harry shot the townsman a sharp look and snapped, ''Mr. Burton has been on his feet ever since he got to Greensborough, and not once did he take a break from distributing aid to us, but that''s not stopping. you guys from calling himzy."

    The townspeople collectively flushed when they heard this and averted their gaze guiltily. Harry had been holding a grudge against these. townspeople after hearing their harshmentary following the shortage in supplies. Young and full of righteous fury, he was understandably upset at their unfair remarks about Justin, and he had no qualms putting them in their ce.

    Justin, on the other hand, was rtively unfazed as he said inly, ''Don''t let me keep. you from your work. I''m just waiting for someone."

    Waiting for someone? While everyone was baffled by this, the sound of an approaching car came from the vige entrance. Justin visibly lit up at once and hurried over. One of the townspeople pulled Harry by the arm. "Do you know anything about the person Mr. Burton is expecting?"

    Harry gave him a sharp look. "Don''t you have work to get back to? You''d make better progress if you weren''t so nosy."

    "I''m just curious, that''s all. Who could be so important that even the great Mr. Burton would choose to wee them personally? Should we have a weing party or something like that?"

    "A weing party in the middle of a disaster site? Don''t be ridiculous. Save your energy for clearing out the snow instead. Hey, anyone who cks off will have their houses repairedst!"

    This made the nosy townsfolk snap to attention. They couldn''t afford to have their houses still be in shambles now that it was the depth of winter, so they doubled down on their efforts to shovel snow out of the way. That said, they couldn''t help their curiosity, and some of them craned their necks to get a better look at the town entrance.

    Presently, a sleek metallic-gray car rolled to a stop not too far away from where the townsfolk were clearing the paths. The road was somewhat muddy now that the sun was out after the snow.

    Frankie got out of the car and made his way to the door of the backseat, thereafter opening it and saying, "If you please, Miss Hudson."

    Justin heard this and stopped in his tracks, then waited for the passenger to get down from the car. Secondster, a figure d in gray stepped out of the vehicle, and she stood by the door as she shed Justin a warm smile. Frankie beamed proudly as he nced at the two of them and announced, "I''ve brought Miss Hudson to you, President Burton."

    Justin blinked out of his reverie and pointed out grimly, ''Looks like my words mean nothing to you anymore. Started to do things your own way, have you?"

    He had only learned that Frankie was bringing Rachel down to Greensborough five minutes ago, by which it was toote to stop them. He ended up leaving the town meeting before it was properly wrapped up just so that he could stand by for Rachel''s arrival. Sensing that Justin was unhappy with him, Frankie threw a pleading look in Rachel''s direction. She took the cue and gave Justin a smile, saying, "Now, now. Don''t go ming Frankie for this. I was the one who insisted on dropping by to see how things are." Frankie was grateful to have her speak up for him, otherwise, he might be on the receiving end of Justin''s wrath. Sure enough, Justin let the matter drop and closed the distance between Rachel and himself. He appraised her perfunctorily, then pointed out, "You look like you might freeze to death in those clothes."

    "Frankie turned the heater on in the car, and it was getting a little stuffy in my coat," Rachel exined with a nonchnt shrug.

    "But you''re not in the car anymore, are you? Besides, you could catch a cold in these temperatures. Just forewarning you, we''re short on medical supplies, especially flu meds."

    "And yet, you''re still keeping me here with your nagging," she countered in amusement. It was only then that he realized what he was doing and quickly said, "This way."

    He led her past the townspeople who were busy shoveling snow out of the way. She was all smiles as she greeted them, and they were stunned at the sight of her. The young men who saw her blushed and looked away bashfully, then stared at her silhouette as she left with Justin.

    When the couple was out of earshot, one of the townspeople grabbed hold of Harry and asked, "Was that Mr. Burton''s wife? She''s so pretty, I wouldn''t be surprised if she was a celebrity!"

    Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "She might be his wife, yeah." It made sense that Justin would brace the brittle cold just so he could greet his wife when she arrived.

    Meanwhile, Justin brought Rachel to themunity hall where the townmittee was still waiting for him to borate on the ns to rebuild the houses. "Go on, then. I''ll be fine on my own," Rachel said.

    Justin did not like the idea of leaving her alone; Frankie had left for the Greensborough district center after dropping her off.

    At that moment, Harry jogged up to them and offered to keep Rachelpany while Justin attended the meeting. "Just leave it to me, Mr. Burton. Have a good meeting!"

    Nodding, Justin gave the young man a grateful look and went into the hall. Harry wiped his hands on his jacket and introduced himself to Rachel. "Hi, Mrs. Burton. I''m Harry, and I''m a college student volunteering here in Greensborough. It''s nice to meet you." Mrs. Burton? Rachel blinked at him, then exined with a flustered smile, "I''m Rachel, and you''ve got it all wrong; I''m not married to Mr. Burton."

    "Huh?" Harry panicked. "Oh, I''m sorry. I only assumed that you were his wife. I didn''t mean to offend you, ma''am."

    Sheughed. "It''s fine, and please, call me Rachel. I have a brother about your age, and I''d prefer if you call me by my name just as he does."

    "Rachel it is," Harry agreed earnestly. "Come on, I''ll take you to the house you''ll be staying at while you''re here."

    "Okay." She followed him past the front yard of themunity hall.

    "Here we are. I know it looks a little shabby, but I promise it''s clean inside. Mr. Burton was staying here before you came too," Harry said as he brought her baggage into the house. "It''s chilly now, but it''ll warm up after the stove gets going." "Frankie told me that most of the townsfolk lost their homes. If you don''t mind me asking, where are they staying now?"

    He sighed. "Small towns like these are all aboutmunity spirit, so those who have extra room will offer the victims temporary shelter until the houses are rebuilt. If they really have nowhere else to go, they''ll be put up in themunity hall for the time being.

    I can''t tell you how excited they were when they found out that Mr. Burton''s charity foundation would be funding the snow removal and infrastructure. rebuilding process." He almost added that the funds allocated for the townspeople''s personal use were an added bonus. Rachel nodded thoughtfully when she heard this. Harry suddenly shuddered and jogged in ce to keep warm. "Jeez, it''s freezing in here! The stove is taking forever with those coals. I''d better take you to Mr. Burton''s before you get hypothermia, Rachel." She was obliging. "Alright." Justin was in the house next door, and the stove there kept the space blissfully warm.

    Rachel had grown up in the city, and this was the first time she was seeing a stove at work. There was a rustic appeal to the house, so she decided after taking a look around. It was shabby, but it was rtively clean.

    There were pictures hanging on the brick walls, and there was not a speck of dust on the table, which had toiletriesid out on it. Justin''s suitcase was propped up in one corner of the room, and it was left open to reveal the few pieces of simple clothing within. "Mr. Burton has been living in this house since he got here, but he hardly ever takes a break; he''s almost always on his feet, and today''s the first time I''ve seen him put his work aside for five minutes just to wee you. I''m not sure if he even slept here."

    She pursed her lips at this, not knowing how she should react. If these were old times, it would be impossible to imagine Justin giving up his materialfort and staying here in this disaster zone. He''s changed so much, she found herself thinking. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Rachel asked, "Is there a kitchen here?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

 Chapter 478

    Halfway through the meeting, Justin and the representatives from Baybrook City voiced differing opinions on the issue of hiring manpower for the rebuilding of Greensborough, and each began to put forth their reasons. Justin questioned, "Why do we need to outsource the rebuilding works when the townspeople are best suited for thebor?"

    "You''ve seen how they practically trampled over one another just to get supplies. We''re talking about a bunch of hillbillies here, and we can''t risk having them stir up trouble when the rebuilding works are underway."

    "Exactly. What if these folks decided to steal building materials from the site?" "The same thing happened at Rushford. Speaking from experience, I think we should outsource the work to a reliable constructionpany-just to be safe."

    The objections rallied against him made Justin frown, but instead of arguing with them, he said, "Let''s hold off on that idea for the time being until we''ve evaluated the pros and cons."

    All reconstruction works in the disaster zone would begin with the lightest of repairs. Right now, the townspeople were gathered in the east. and pulling in manpower to fix the roofs that had copsed. Most of them were putting their backs to the job, and not a single one looked to be cking off.

    Frankie pointed out helpfully, "These folks are fixing up their own homes, and they''re incentivized to work together instead of pulling each other''s leg."

    One of the Baybrook City representatives. blinked in surprise at this, then suggested, "Let''s take a look over there, then."

    Frankie fell in step next to Justin to seek confirmation. "President Burton?" "I''m fine with it." Justin nced at the time. "Pretty sure we can wrap things up here by the end of the day."

    "That soon? Didn''t you say this willst till tomorrow evening at the very least?" "I made some adjustments. The foundation has agreed to top up the funds required for the rebuilding."

    "Huh. I guess money is king after all," Frankie muttered. Then, he suddenly thought of something, and he couldn''t resist specting, "You didn''t make the adjustments so you could go back to Riverdale with Rachel, did you, President Burton?"

    Much to his astonishment, Justin hummed in response, readily admitting to the fact. Frankie''s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Aren''t you worried that someone might blow the whistle on your jobbery, sir?"

    "You''re the only one who knows about this," Justin said as he eyed his assistant coolly, raising a brow. "Besides, I''m the one who''s funding the sponsorship; the foundation is just a cover. You''re wee to blow the whistle on me if you''d like."

    A shudder went through Frankie. "I was only joking, President Burton." It wasn''t really considered jobbery anyway, seeing as the funds were taken out from the foundation for the sake of rebuilding disaster-stricken Greensborough.

    The issue of manpower was settled after the attendants of the meeting had gone around assessing the townspeople''s progress. As such, Justin wasted no time when heading back to the house where Rachel was.

    The expansive backyard of themunity hall was quiet. A path leading up to the house had been cleared, paved with a huge pile of snow on either side. Justin hurried up to the front step, and when he lifted the tarp that fell over the entryway, he caught the scent of fooding from inside the house.

    He was just about to say something when he saw Rachel by the stove, asleep with her apron on as shey slumped against the side of the bed. He let the tarp fall soundlessly over the entryway to block out the slightest breeze, then tiptoed over to the table across the bed. There was foodid out on the table, but he paid no attention to the spread and decided to watch Rachel sleep instead.

    He found himself thinking that it was a good thing that she came to Greensborough. She never got to take time off for herself back in Riverdale, and she was constantly surrounded by problems she needed to solve. On top of having to care for two small children, she had to uncover the truth of her grandmother and Hans'' murder; demand justice for her mother; bring Hudson Pharmaceuticals back on track, and take care of her ''siblings''.

    Justin was still feeling sorry for her when he identally swept one of the forks off the table. It fell to the floor with a metallic ng that broke the silence in the room.

    Rachel snapped awake at once, and she immediately locked eyes with Justin from across the room. Groggily, she asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were at the meeting."

    "I only just got here," he answered quietly. "You should''ve woken me up,'' sheined. "How did I even fall asleep?"

    "It''s fine. You should get more sleep if you''re tired." She yawned. "It''s prettyfy here by the stove, she admitted. "I dozed off as soon as it got warm. Has the food gone cold? I can heat it up for you if you''d like."

    Justin shook his head. "There''s no need for that. It still tastes great." With that, he took up his utensils and dug hungrily into the meal, savoring the meatballs with fervor.

    "Slow down," she reminded, pouring out a cup of hot tea and setting it down next to him. While he was devouring his food, she added softly, "I figured you''d be missing home cooked food, and there was nothing for me to do here anyway. What would you like to have tomorrow? I''ll be your personal chef for as long as we''re stuck here."

    Upon hearing this, Justin instantly regretted that he had wrapped things up here sooner than nned. As reluctant as he was, he swallowed the food and said nheless, "We can leave for Riverdale tomorrow."

    Rachel froze. "What? That''s quicker than expected. Frankie told me there were still a ton: of things you guys needed to sort out.

    "We sorted it out a lot sooner than nned." "Really? That''s great, I suppose. I''m not a fan of the freezing weather, to be honest with you, and I don''t think you''dst here any longer than I would, seeing as we''re used to the warmer climate down south." She paused and added as an afterthought, "By the way, Jolly told me that Ria will being back soon, and with New Year''s around the corner, we''ll have a lot of work on our hands when we get back to Riverdale."

    Justin''s gaze darkened at the mention of New Year''s, and the air in the room grew colder despite the roaring stove in the corner. He wordlessly ate his dinner, and that was when Rachel realized she might have had a foot-in- mouth moment. She couldn''t believe she was so thoughtless.

    The Burton Family had been through a lot this year; Arthur and Jason''s passing were but two of the darkest moments that marked Justin''s year, and now that Gloria was getting married, the family was shrinking even more. With no rtives around him, Rachel couldn''t imagine how lonely the holidays would be for Justin. He would have no reason to celebrate.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Ria''s wedding gown has arrived, apparently," Justin suddenly spoke up, breaking the grim. tension. ''Frankie told me about it this morning: they had it sent to the summer vi."

    "Really?" Grateful for the change of subject, Rachel beamed. "That''s such a relief. I was worried that it might not arrive in time for the wedding. You know how international logistics are."

    "The wedding may be simple, but the guest list is overwhelming. Ria sent out invites to almost everyone in her orchestra."

    "Victor''s elementary school teacher will be there as well," Rachel reminded. Just like that, they kept up the conversation about the wedding until nightfall came. "Goodness, it''s already 10.00 PM," Rachel observed as she noted the time on her watch. "I should get going. You look like you could use some rest."

    That much was true. Justin looked absolutely exhausted as he rose from his seat, gripping the edge of the stove to steady himself. "I''ll walk you home."

    "No, it''s fine. I can-Justin!" She gasped when he suddenly fell backward onto the floor. It all happened so fast she couldn''t even react in time to catch him.

    It was alreadyte at night by the time the paramedics arrived. One of the nurses put him on an IV and adjusted the speed of the transfusion, then said, ''He''s down with a fever, but he''ll be fine after two rounds of IV. All you have to do is rece this bottle with the second one after it runs out. Do you know how to do it yourself?"

    "Yes," Rachel said. "Thank you foring."

    "No problem." Having seen the paramedics out the door, Rachel sat down next to the bed. Presently, Justin had yet to regain consciousness, and his skin felt hot to the touch. I can''t believe he could do all that work today while he was running a high fever and still holding up a conversation during dinner.

    "Miss Hudson." Frankie returned after sending the paramedics off and sighed ruefully at the sight of Justin''s sleeping form on the bed. "I thought he looked a little pale earlier. I should have known he was sick."

    "Don''t be too hard on yourself. If anything, he probably knew he was sick right from the beginning but kept it from you,'' Rachelforted. Her brows furrowed as she said angrily, "He''s always been this way. He keeps everything to himself and carries the world on his shoulders. Doesn''t he ever get tired of it?"

    If she hadn''te to Greensborough today, he would have copsed in the house without anyone to call the paramedics at first instance. He could have ended up in worse shape. Frankie handed her a cup of tea and remarked thoughtfully, "You know, Miss Hudson, I don''t think he''s tired at all, not while you''re here anyway. Honestly, I''m pretty happy for him."

 Chapter 479

    After Frankie left, Rachel reached out to touch Justin''s forehead, then flinched when she felt the heat. The paramedics from earlier had tried to bring his temperature down with external cooling, but Rachel was still worried about him. She hade close to getting

    meningitis once when she was a child, and it started with a high fever as well.

    She paced around the house anxiously and finally decided to head outside with a small bowl that was filled with snow from outside. When she returned, she tried looking for a bag to hold the snow she had collected, but to no avail.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    She sauntered over to the bed, and her gaze fell upon the damp towel folded andid over Justin''s forehead.

    A sudden wicked thought crossed her mind. She began to shape the snow in the bowl into a mini snowman, and once it took form, she set it on Justin''s forehead.

    At the sight of the snowman gingerly bnced there, Rachel couldn''t help sputtering aloud, and her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back herughter.

    Just then, Justin''s brows furrowed, and the movement caused the mini snowman to tremble precariously. Rachel''s eyes widened as her hand darted out to grab the snowman, but her fingertips had barely brushed it when it fell forward andnded with a soft st over his nose, breaking and covering half his face in the snow.

    He shivered at the sudden icy sensation and woke up. At that moment, their eyes met, and Rachel wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow her.

    They cleared up the snowy mess in awkward silence, and a minuteter, Justin was propped up against the headboard while sipping the hot chamomile tea Rachel had made for him. He was still pale, but he looked a little better than he had when the IV was first administered.

    Presently, Rachel flushed guiltily as she stammered, "I... Uh, I''m sorry about just now. I was just trying to help you cool down."

    "With a mini snowman?" he asked with a raised brow, clearly amused. She gaped at him. "How did you know it was a snowman?"

    "If I''m not mistaken, it was the snowman''s head thatnded on my left cheek. If you hadn''t used green peas for its eyes, I would have thought it. was a frozen powdered donut."

    She turned a bright shade of red, and she was so flustered she almost choked on air. Heughed at how distressed she seemed, and she snapped, "What''s so funny?"

    "I never quite figured out where Charlotte got her mischievous side from until now," he exined with a chuckle. ring at him, she asked, "You think she got it from me?"

    "Obviously." "It could just be something she picked up along the way instead of an inherited trait," she argued. "Ah, so you admit that you have the trait, then?"

    Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but she found herself at a loss for words. She wished she could dissect his mind and see just what went on in there and how he coulde up with all these clever, witty responses that caught her off guard all the time. Presently, he added catingly, "Hey, don''t be mad. I was only joking. Also, how long was I out for?" He peered outside the window, but all he saw was darkness.

    "Not too long," she answered. "The paramedics left moments before you woke up, and I only just put you on the second bottle of IV"

    "I''m sorry to put you through the trouble" "It''s not that big of a deal, really," she said with a shrug. "I''m fine with it. The question is, how are you going to go back to Riverdale in this state?! don''t think you can travel for the time being.

    Justin almost told her he could make the trip, but when he saw the look on her face, he changed his mind and asked instead, ''I don''t know. What if I can''t? Will you go without me?"

    She frowned and pointed out matter-of-factly, "And leave you here on your own? As if. We can push the trip back by a day and leave when your feel better. It won''t make much of a difference, will it?" "But it''s so run-down here," he remarked.

    "It''s not too bad. Besides, I lived in a small town just like this one when I was a kid, remember? Look at the woods outside the door, don''t they look just like the ones outside my childhood home?" It was only after she said this that she realized she was bringing up her childhood. Up until now, she still couldn''t be sure if thest words she had uttered the other day had not been part of some fever dream.

    However, Justin did not look the slightest bit. fazed as he nodded and replied, "They do."

    Rachel froze when she heard this. So I wasn''t dreaming or delirious when I said all those things while lying under the rubble. I really did tell Justin about my childhood.

    "How about we go for a stroll in the woods tomorrow if the weather permits?" he suggested, pulling her out of her thoughts as his voice cut through the tension in the room.

    "Sure," she replied, caught in the remnants of her daze. They chatted for a while longer, and at some point, Rachel let out a yawn, prompting Justin to check the time. When he saw that it was the early hours of the morning, he said, "It''ste. You should go back and get some sleep.

    She nced at the bottle of IV fluid. "But you''re not done with the IV yet." The paramedic had emphasized that she must detach the IV needle and catheter when the bottle emptied. Justin gave her a dismissive wave. "I can do it myself."

    Frowning, she countered, "I''d rather you didn''t strain yourself. I''ll stay until you finish the drip. Besides, how are you going to press a cotton ball down on your forearm while detaching the catheter?" Even if he could manage such an impressive feat, there was no guarantee he wouldn''t fall asleep before the IV fluid ran out.

    She didn''t want air embolism to happen, and her careful nature meant she had to stay here and keep an eye on him. Besides, she knew she would be so worried about leaving him to his own devices that sleep would be a virtual impossibility.

    Upon seeing how stubborn she was, Justin let her be and did not try to get her to leave again. It was getting reallyte into the night. Rachel yawned for what felt like the fiftieth time and sighed at the boredom. The house was so quiet that the only sound that filled the space was the soft, rhythmic dripping of the IV fluids.

    Neither she nor Justin said a word, and for a moment, it was like they were transported back in time to six years ago. Justin had always been stoic, and Rachel was by no means a conversationalist at the time. As such, silence enfolded them whenever they were alone. However, he got used to having her around the Burton family home after she had moved in with them for a while. Much like a ss of water, she started out in and forgettable, but one could only go so long without water, and she eventually became an important part of his life:

    As Justin reminisced about the past, there was a period of time when Arthur had kept Rachel at the summer vi. For some reason, her absence had caused him to lose sleep at night, and he secretly traveled to and fro the countryside just so he could get some sleep at the summer vi. He hadn''t felt tired then; the restful slumber more than made up for the distance.

    He wondered if he had already fallen in love with Rachel then, only without realizing it. Or maybe I''ve loved her for longer, he thought. The next morning, the winter sun filtered through the window and coaxed Rachel out from dreand.

    She turned so that shey t on her back and opened her eyes groggily. It was then that she registered the unfamiliar sensation under, and she bolted upright while drawing the covers up to her torso.

    Did I fall asleep here? She couldn''t believe she had slept through the night at Justin''s ce, nor could she remember how. The IV bottle hooked up next to the bed was empty, and dangling from it was the catheter, which swayed when her movements sent a breeze in its direction. The needle glimmered under the morning sun, as though reminding her that. there was supposed to be a person attached to it.

    At once, realization dawned upon Rachel. She didn''t recall pulling the needle out of Justin''s armst night. So who did? Could we both have fallen asleep while the IV kept on dripping? Did no one pull the needle out after the IV course was finished? Oh, no. The air! The embolism! Justin!

    Panic flooded through her at the thought of this. She quickly threw the covers off, and she was half-running, half-pulling on her boots to get out of the house.

    The first thing she saw when she went out into the yard was Harry fetching a pail of water. "Harry!" she called out frantically. "Have your seen Justin?"

    Harry was astonished to see hering out of Justin''s house. Baffled, he asked, "I thought Mr. Burton was running a high feverst night. Isn''t he sleeping in the house?" Rachel nched. "No, he isn''t!"

 Chapter 480

    "Not here?" Harry scratched his head,pletely oblivious to the gravity of the situation. "But that can''t be. I got up before dawn, but I did not see Mr. Burtoning out."

    "Where''s Frankie?" Rachel was like a cat on hot bricks and as soon as she finished speaking, the door at the side of the yard opened. With a toothbrush in hand, Frankie walked out while replying, "You''re looking for me, President Hudson?" At his sight, she immediately walked up to him. and said, "President Burton is missing." "President Burton?!" Frankie was stunned, then subconsciously nced behind him.

    "I dozed offst night and forgot to remove his infusion needle. Did something happen to him? Don''t hide anything from me." Before Rachel finished talking, the curtains behind Frankie were drawn aside to reveal a gigantic figure within. It was none other than Justin. As their gazes met each other, Rachel was dumbfounded. Frankie coughed and exined awkwardly, "Um, President Hudson, calm down first.

    President Burton slept at my cest night."

    Justin was still confused, so Frankie told him, "President Hudson thought something happened to you because the infusion needle wasn''t removed..."

    Rachel wanted more than anything to just disappear on the spot as she red at Frankie. Couldn''t he have omitted that part? Frankie wasn''t too ignorant, for he hastily escaped with his toothbrush, leaving the two to stare at each other. "How did you end up at Frankie''s ce?" There were hints of anger in Rachel''s tone, for she was terribly shocked early in the morning. Justin said, "You fell asleepst night."

    "You could have woken me up. I was waiting to remove the infusion needle for you!" "I did try..." Justin hesitated for a while. "But you didn''t wake up."

    It was Rachel''s turn to feel awkward. After all, she had spent the day in a car traveling from. Baybrook City yesterday, so she was exhausted at night. She didn''t even know when shey down to rest, so Justin''s words were quite believable. "Hey, who built this snowman?" Suddenly, Harry eximed from a distance away. "This roly-poly actually looks kind of nice!"

    Looking in the direction the voice came from, Rachel saw the snowman in front of her house''s entrance, which was as tall as half a person. Its head and body were both round and chubby, and it even had two branches for arms. Rachel immediately looked toward Justin. "You built this?"

    He replied, "Aspensation for the one that was ruinedst night. Is this enough?" At the mention of the snowmanst night, she instantly went red in the face. "What is wrong with you?"

    Then, she was pissed as she added, "Do you even value your life anymore? You still had a fever, but you went outside in the middle of the night to build a snowman? What were you thinking?" "The fever''s gone." Justin''s voice was small and lukewarm, with hints of a smile inside it.

    Even though Rachel was furious about him. making fun of her, when she saw the snowman in the distance, she still couldn''t help herself as she ran over to it. The longer she looked at it, the sillier it looked. She had never seen anyone build a snowman this rotund. "Wow." She turned around and said to Justin, "You should do this in Riverdale too. Charlotte will be pleased to see it."

    He replied, "Got it." Over at the well, Harry and Frankie crouched together as they brushed their teeth. From the corner of his eye, Harry watched Justin and Rachel chatting away happily as they stood around the snowman, mumbling to himself, "I can''t believe Mr. Burton has this side to him."

    Frankie nced at him. "You just didn''t know him long enough. When you''ve spent enough time with him, you''d know that President Burton shows every side of him when he''s around President Hudson."

    "In the future, Mr. Burton will probably turn into the type of husband who fears his wife." "You don''t even have to wait for the future; he''s already like this right now." Frankie gargled and spat out the water in his mouth as he said confidently.

    After breakfast, the vigers came to themunity hall bearing gifts. "Assistant Beckham, we know that Mr. Burton doesn''t like making a fuss, so we''re the representatives sent here to give him some of our local specialties as a gift. We hope Mr. Burton will like it."

    "Of course, he will. However, he really isn''t here right now." Frankie looked at the mountains in the distance. "Right after he had breakfast, he went into the mountains with President Hudson."

    Meanwhile, in the mountains, the snow hadn''t melted yet. Holding onto Justin''s shoulder for support, Rachel navigated a slope. She was steadily supported all the way until she stepped onto the turf.

    "The vigers here depend on the mountains for their livelihood. The snow closed off the mountains some time ago, so they couldn''t enter. After they had finished their rations, they werepletely helpless. People also died from the copsed houses, so it caused quite a panic."

    Hearing Justin''s words, Rachel nodded. When she came here yesterday, she could see that there were some houses in the vige with white clothes hung at the entrance. They seemed to be holding a funeral, but because of the severity of the situation, they could only mourn in the simplest way possible. She asked, "Now that you''re done with helping the vige, what do you want to do when you go back?"

    "I''ll check all the donations for the cause, after which I''ll hold an appreciation banquet." "Will you be inviting the Burton Group?" Rachel wasn''t one to beat around the bush.

    "Burton Group was the one who sent the third shipment of supplies to Greensborough, so of course they''ll be on the invitation list."

    "Don''t you think it''s toote for them to do that?" "I don''t care either way. It''s enough to know that the supplies have arrived."

    She frowned. "But at the time when Greensborough needed those supplies the most, Burton Group didn''t send them anything. I think you know better than me what happened with the transporters."

    She believed that Justin would be able to find out the same things she found out herself, so he should have known that someone had meddled with the supplies. It wasn''t difficult to link it to Julian either.

    Justin, however, remained calm as usual. "Let''s not dig deeper for now. I''ll find some time to talk to Julian after we return to Riverdale." Julian has changed so much."

    "Maybe he has his reasons." Rachel stood in front of a tree, turning around to look at the small vige at the foot of the mountains. "Actually, all of us have changed a lot. Change isn''t scary; the scariest thing is to blur the lines between good and evil.

    I know Julian is your family, and blood is thicker than water, but it''s only natural to be punished if one does something wrong. If criminals can get away, it would only stoke the fire even more. The real way to help Julian isn''t to just leave him be, you have to give him due retribution."

    Her words were reasonable since she regarded the crime instead of the person. Be it Justin or Julian, they would be in the right if they did something right, and they would be in the wrong if theymitted any crimes. This standard shouldn''t change based on any person. Justin said, "If I split Burton Group in half, do you think he''de to his senses and repent?" "Split Burton Group in half?" Rachel was stunned as she asked in disbelief, "What are you trying to do?" If she remembered correctly, he didn''t own too much of Burton Group, including the shares.

    "It''s not that difficult to start over, but I still think there can only be one Burton Group. I don''t have any ns to create apetitor, so after I return to Riverdale and am done with all this, can Hudson Realty partner up with me?" Justin''s tone and gaze were bothpletely sincere.

    Slightly retracting her fingers by her sides, Rachel asked in bewilderment, "Are you sure? Are you using half of Burton Group to partner with Hudson Realty? If you can do that, you should have better choices."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "I feel that if you agree to this, this will be the best choice."

 Chapter 481

    There were some rustling soundsing from the forest. Some animals might be foraging for food now that the snow had melted, or perhaps it was just the sound of wind breezing past the leaves.N?velDrama.Org content.

    "You don''t have to hurry; you can take your time to consider it after going back to Riverdale."

    Justin didn''t urge Rachel to make her decision as soon as possible. After all, business matters required extensive and detailed consideration.

    Rachel didn''t give her reply right away, either.. For one, she originally never wanted to get involved with Burton Group. Also, she didn''t want to mediate things between Justin and Julian ever again, fearing that things would only get worse if she did. "Okay, then I''ll think about it when we get back."

    "Sure."

    The two followed the path and walked further into the mountain. Rachel looked around her. "This ce does kind of look like Somerset Mountain. If I have a chance, I''d love to visit it again."

    After the fire, which happened when she was eight, she was brought to Riverdale, and she had not visited that ce ever since.

    Justin said, "No one lives in Somerset Mountain anymore. The forest is also protected well, and it developed into a scenic area. If you want to go back, you might have to buy entrance tickets."

    "I have to buy entrance tickets even when I''m returning to my own home?" "Why don''t we ask about it when we get there?"

    When Justin finished speaking, the two smiled at each other.

    Rachel and Justin roamed the mountains for a bit and finally returned to the vige at noon. An enthusiastic viger insisted on treating them to lunch before letting them leave, and the trunk of their car was stashed full of local specialties. On the way home, there was the smokey smell of cured meat in the car..

    Justin frowned as he said to Frankie, "Didn''t I tell you not to ept anything from the vigers?"

    Frankie wore a sullen expression. "President Burton, I didn''t mean for that to happen either. The vigers were carrying various gifts in their hands when they blocked our car. They refused to let us leave just like that. As soon as I opened the trunk, it was stashed full right away. I even asked them to leave half of it for themselves, but we still ended up with so much."

    Rachel said, "Don''t me him. We''ve seen for ourselves how the vigers acted. They might make us stay for dinner if we didn''t leave earlier. We might have to ept their kindness. for a whole month before they let us go."

    "That''s because President Burton is popr here, and the vigers tend to repay any form of kindness."

    "Yes, so we have to hang this meat in front of our doors when we get back so that it can keep curing. The vigers were so sincere about the gifts, after all."

    Hearing Rachel''s words, Frankie and the driver both stifled theirughter. Justin nced at Rachel in exasperation.

    It took more than 20 hours by car to travel from Greensborough to Riverdale. Frankie and the driver alternated between themselves taking the wheel, and they finally reached Riverdale in the shortest possible time.

    It was afternoon the next day by the time they arrived at Riverdale. The driver sent Rachel home first. "Gloria''s flight is tomorrow, so don''t forget to fetch her at the airport."

    With the car window between them, Rachel waved at Justin. "I''ll go fetch her if I have time."

    Justin said, "Just focus on your work. She''s not a child now. She doesn''t need anyone to fetch her."

    "You''re so stubborn."

    Rachelughed, then after watching the car drive away into the distance, she turned around and went upstairs. The first thing she did when she got home was to call Jolly up.

    Over the phone, she could even hear Jolly jumping up from the couch. "Why did you go back to your apartment? You should havee to my house straight away. The new year is just around the corner, so there''s no need to go home." "It''s almost New Year''s Day?" Rachel was still a little puzzled as she raised her head to look at the digital calendar on the wall. It was already the 28th of December.

    "Wow, you''re right."

    "Of course I am; why would I lie to you? Just tidy up ande over as soon as you can. My parents even asked me this morning when you''reing over. This is our first time counting down to the new year together as a family." "Okay, I''ll clean up first, then go to your ce at night."

    After hanging up, Rachel put down her luggage and looked around her. There wasn''t much to clean up, but she noticed some white roses ced in a vase on a table. The flowers were changed recently.

    She didn''t remember when it started, but there had always been fresh white roses in the vase in her house. As far as she could recall, she had never seen the flowers wilt in her house. At the thought of the person who sent the flowers, Rachel felt her lips curve into a warm smile.

    Women would always be moved by little gestures without realizing it. At that moment, Rachel didn''t even realize that herself. Because of flowers in full bloom in the evening, she once again felt moved after so many years.

    The next morning, Gloria''s early morning flight arrived at Riverdale Airport. Rachel and Jolly departed from the Carter Residence with the two children to fetch Gloria at the airport. Jolly yawned as she leaned back in the passenger seat. "She''s really somebody for us to pick her up."

    Rachel was driving as she rolled her eyes at Jolly. "You were the one who wanted toe with me, weren''t you? Are you regretting it now?"

    "It''s too boring if I stay at home alone. It''s the holidays, so what can I do if I don''t go out?" "If you miss working so much, I don''t mind. rushing you to submit the annual n as president." "Please don''t." Jolly grinned, immediately backing off. "I still think it''s not too bad to pick up Gloria. After all, your bestie is my bestie as well. I have to be her bridesmaid at her wedding too." "Did she agree to it, or did you force yourself into the role?"

    "Even if she doesn''t agree to it, she''ll have to."

    "You''re terrible." "Right, why didn''t Victore? How is he so unenthusiastic when ites to fetching his own wife?"

    Rachel replied, "He got the house, remember? He bought groceries and is now making meals at home. He wants us to go over together and throw a pre-New Year''s Eve party there."

    "Ho, he''s smart. I''ll give him that. Gloria has good taste. Victor is quite a decent person." "You just never saw him when he was at his worst."

    Rachel couldn''t helpughing. For some reason, she remembered the first time she saw Victor six years ago, with his bleached hair and spiky attitude.

    Halfway there, Jolly poked at Rachel and gestured for her to look behind her. "Hey, look at your daughter. She''s drooling in her sleep. I wonder who she took after."

    Rachel nced in the rearview mirror. "Your son isn''t any better. He''s still holding the game console in his hand."

    "Chris, are you taking sides now? You''re referring to him as my son now? What do you mean by that? Isn''t Samuel your son too? Did you forget about your son now that you have a daughter?"

    "Stop twisting the truth." Rachel straight-out ignored her. In her heart, Samuel was like her biological son. Jolly positioned herself in the passenger seat as she whipped out her phone to take photos of the children.

    They had woken up too early, so the children were already a little dazed when they got into the car. They fell asleep not long after the car started, and one of them had their head on the other''s shoulder. Charlotte''s drool was already getting on Samuel''s cor.

    Even though Jolly wasn''t very good at raising children, she was still softened at the sight of the adorable children. She took tons of photos and sent them to Leroy.

    Leroy seemed to be upied with something, for there was no reply from him. Jolly suddenly thought of something. "Chris, do you think they count as childhood friends?"

    "Probably. It counts as long as they grow up together."

    "Chris, I have an idea."

    "What is it?"

    "Why don''t we arrange a marriage between our children?"

 Chapter 482

    Rachel almost mmed on the brakes as she gripped the wheel, rounding therge curve on the highway to the airport.

    The car pulled up at the entrance to the terminal as Rachel gave Jolly a warning re. "You seem to beining about me not treating Samuel as my biological son just moments ago, but now you''re proposing a marriage for my own son and my own daughter?" Jolly blinked. "I''m just saying." Rachel red at her. "Do you know the correct term for this idea of yours?"

    "What is it?"

    "It''s incest!" In Rachel''s eyes, Samuel and Charlotte were like siblings, so Jolly''s idea was too dangerous. Jolly still wanted to argue that the two weren''t rted by blood, but a figure had already emerged from the terminal, luggage in hand. When Rachel caught sight of it, she instantly undid her seatbelt and went out of the car to wee the person. Jolly could only swallow her words. Then, she turned around to look at the children, then couldn''t help but take another photo.

    They look perfect for each other. Is it bad for childhood friends to get together? With Gloria in the car, on the way home, the children woke up.

    "I want strawberry chocte."

    Charlotte enthusiastically hugged Gloria''s arm as she waited for Gloria to open the packaging of the chocte she had brought back.

    Jolly looked at Charlotte as if thetter were her future daughter-inw. "Charlotte, you have to share the good things you get. So why don''t you ask Aunt Gloria to give half of your choctes to Samuel?"

    "No." Charlotte immediately shook her head, disregarding Jolly''s advice. Jolly frowned and looked at Rachel with aplicated expression.

    With just a look from Jolly, Rachel knew what she was thinking. Jolly probably thought that with Charlotte''s stubborn personality, Samuel would definitely be at a disadvantage if the two really got married to each other. She was Samuel''s biological mother, after all. Hence, she wouldn''t want her son to face injustice.

    "You should just give up." Rachel averted her gaze, her expression calm. "They both have strong personalities, so they should just terrorize other people''s children. Why would we put our own children against each other?"

    Jolly nodded thoughtfully. "You have a point." Both Charlotte and Samuel were self-centered children, so anyone who got together with them would be in for a ride. They were truly suited to terrorize other children.

    Meanwhile, in the backseat, Charlotte and Samuel were arguing about which chocte tasted better, strawberry or rum. The mothers in front didn''t realize that Charlotte refused to give Samuel the chocte not because of selfishness but simply because she knew that Samuel didn''t like strawberry chocte.

    Halfway through their journey, Gloria asked, "I couldn''t get in contact with my brother all this while. What''s he up to?"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Perhaps because she became more mature after her marriage, Gloria changed how she referred to Justin from the usual ''Justin'' to a more respectful ''brother.''

    Jolly was also curious. "Yes, why didn''t Justine along?" Rachel frowned a little, but her voice remained calm. "He should be at Burton Group right now."

    There were rarelypanies like Hudson Group, which would finish up the yearly meetings just a few days before the new year, hence giving all the employees an extra day off for the new year. Mostpanies would hold their yearly meetings on this day, and Burton Group was no exception.

    Justin was still a member of Burton Group, even though he had sold a part of his shares and transferred some under Charlotte''s name. On paper, he was still the general manager of the branch. This was an ''illusion'' Julian maintained for the public eye. However, no one thought that Justin would attend the year end general meeting today, including Julian. "What are you doing here?"

    In the office, Julian was having a private conversation with Justin. The general meeting in the meeting room opposite them was put on hold, and through the windows, Julian and Justin could see the shareholders discussing among themselves. Justin said, "I''m here to make a deal with you."

    "A deal? Between you and me?"

    "Julian, by the looks of it, you''re definitely going to be the president of Burton Group soon. Even though you''re the vice president on paper, Robin listens to you and does everything you say." "What are you getting at?"

    "What I want to say is that there are many ways to earn money. However, you mustn''t earn them illegally even if you''re at your wit''s end."

    Justin''s gaze sharpened a little, and he emanated a chill that suppressed all others. He rarely looked at Julian like that, the way he used to re at his rivals.

    "A month ago, you bought somend in Riverside. It''s arge piece ofnd, but in Burton Group''s year-end audit reports on intangible assets, the estimated price was meager. Can you tell me why?"

    Julian was visibly taken aback. A few secondster, he said, "That''s a wastnd. It has no developmental value except to be rented out to the farmers nearby."

    "Really? Is that what Mr. Price from the Urban Construction Bureau told you?" Justin''s gaze was burning as Julian clenched his fists. "So you knew. Did youe here today to report me to the directors just with thisnd? What if I don''t admit to it? Let me tell you this: stop trying. It''s no use!"

    "I already said before that I have no desire to take the position of president from you."

    "Then what are you trying to do?"

    The time had finallye.

    Despite Justin''s reluctance to stand against Julian like this, in reality, he couldn''t find a better way to resolve the situation.

    "As long as you promise me two things, I won''t mention anything about thatnd in Riverside. First of all, remove Robin from the position as president, and take his ce."

    Julian was a little stunned as he stayed silent for a bit. "And the second one?"

    "Secondly, from the general meeting today onward, all of Burton Group''s branches under me will stand independent of Burton Group. However, they will still operate various businesses under the name of Burton Group. From today onward, Burton Group will be split in two and those two parts will no longer be involved with each other."

    "What? Why should I give you half of Burton Group?"

    "You can decline, but I also have other ways. For example, I can start removing the so-called connections you''ve built up over thest few months in Riverdale."

    There was a wintry chill in Justin''s eyes as he spoke in a low but firm tone. "You don''t have much time to consider. The shareholders are waiting for us."

    Julian clenched his fists tightly. Because he had gritted his teeth too strongly, his facial muscles were trembling as well. He hadn''t experienced this feeling of being ckmailed in a long time. Dang it! Dang this man! Argh!

    However, he knew very well that Justin wasn''t joking. If he declined, as soon as the matter about thend in Riverside was exposed, it would have manyplications.

    Sometimeter, Julian replied with a sullen expression, "I can agree to your terms, but I have my own terms as well."

    "Go ahead." "Burton Group can be split in half, but Riverdale must serve as a boundary. In all the business dealings, everything on the southern side of Riverdale would be under me, and you can be in charge of the northern side. We would not cross paths. Most of Burton Group''s workforce and supplies were located on the southern side of Riverdale. Julian''s words sounded fair, but in truth, he had simply tossed an empty husk to Justin.

    "Sure," With that simple, calm utterance, Justin agreed.

 Chapter 483

    Julian never thought that Justin would agree so readily.

    "Are you sure? It''s northern Riverdale." Ive been in Burton Group for a longer time than you. I don''t need you to tell me that; I know what it''s like with the branch in northern Riverdale."

    Julian frowned as he looked at Justin, obviously suspecting him of some trickery. However, Justin spoke calmly. "You don''t have to read too much into it. I just want to retain the name of Burton Group. It''s no difference to me whether the branch is an empty shell or not." "You don''t have any other requests?"

    "None." Julian slowly rxed his clenched fists. "I''ll announce that half of Burton Group will be given to you."

    During the shareholders'' meeting, Julian''s decision shocked everyone present, and the one who received the most shock was none other than Robin.

    He had gotten used to being the president of Burton Group. Save for Julian, the entirepany was under hismand, and he could get everything he asked for. However, everything had changed with a snap of a finger.

    Everyone voted, and it was agreed that Robin would be removed from the president position. Also, it was approved that Julian and Justin would be presidents of Burton Group''s branches in the southern and northern divisions of Riverdale, respectively. Everything happened so fast that it was unbelievable. After the meeting, the shareholders went their separate ways after voicing their congrattions.

    Robin wanted to say something, but Julian stopped him with a look. Even though he was reluctant toply, he could only stand by quietly as he waited for Julian to wrap up his work.

    Julian took the initiative to call Justin, "Since you''re here anyway, are you staying back for the party tonight?"

    "It''s okay, maybe next year."

    Justin looked at Julian, his gaze calm. "A happy new year to you in advance."

    "Happy New Year." As Julian watched Justin leave the meeting room, his gaze gradually turned cold.

    "President Peters, why did you just let him take half of Burton Group away? What right does he have? He didn''t even have any shares, so why-" "Because he''s a Burton."

    Julian didn''t even look at Robin as he clenched his fists again. Just because Justin was a Burton, he had to have a part in the Burton Group. Even if he didn''te knocking today, he woulde in the future. In reality, ever since Julian took over Burton Group, he knew very well that this day woulde.

    Robin carefully studied Julian''s expression, saying anxiously, "J-Julian, then what are we going to do now?"

    Julian raised his brows and said in contempt, "Our branch in the northern part of Riverdale is just an empty shell. What can he possibly do even with the name of Burton Group? At least it''s better than nothing."

    It was only recently that Burton Group decided to expand into the markets of northern Riverdale. The branch there was in its early stages, and they were evencking employees there. Burton Group had invested so much money in that branch every day, but it was all in vain.

    If Justin hadn''t spoken up today, Julian was even thinking of removing their branch in northern Riverdale.

    "It''s just trash. If someone wants trash, then let

    them have it."

    Julian calmed himself down and gave Robin a look of indifference. "You don''t have toe to Burton Group anymore. I have other tasks for you."

    Robin fell silent. Meanwhile, Rachel and the others arrived at Victor''s home. The door opened to reveal Victor in an apron, with some flour smeared on his face.

    Jolly grinned as soon as she saw him, teasing, "Hey, you weren''t just baking. Man, you even put on makeup. Are you going to perform for us?"

    "Hey, watch your mouth." Gloria red at her in exasperation, then reminded Victor, "Go and wipe your face. You''re not a child anymore."

    Victor couldn''t care less about that. Instead, he smiled and led her into the house, greeting her and the two children, who were behind her. "Hi, Rachel. Come on in, everyone. It''s cold outside."

    As he spoke, he helped Gloria hang her coat, then fetched her slippers for her. Rachel couldn''t help sighing in contentment. "You do look the part after you got married. You finally learned how to pamper your wife."

    Gloria was changing her shoes as she held onto Victor''s arm as support, and she blushed when she heard that. "Rachel, why are you teasing us too?"

    "I''m speaking the truth." Rachel winked at her. Victor never took part in their banter, so he brought the two children inside and gave them treats and toys. He behaved like he did in school. Charlotte took the candy and smiled sweetly at Victor. "Thank you, Mr. Victor." As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Jolly sat upright on the couch. "Hm? Why are you still calling him Mr. Victor? He''s married to your Aunt Gloria already, so you should just call him Mr. Victor."

    Charlotte nodded, unsure if she understood. Samuel, however, expressed his confusion about this familial rtionship. He knew he should ask questions if he couldn''t understand something, so he asked Jolly, "But why not Mr. Victor and Miss Wade?"

    It was Jolly''s turn to fall silent. Yes, why not Mr. Victor and Miss Wade?

    Jolly looked at Rachel, asking for help. "Chris,

    so how should Charlotte and Samuel address

    them?"

    Before Rachel could say anything, Gloria spoke up. "Of course, Aunt Gloria and Mr. Victor. Charlotte has been calling me Aunt Gloria since forever, and of course, she''d choose the person she''s more familiar with. Charlotte is more familiar with me, so is there any need to discuss this question?"

    Jolly wasn''t convinced. "Then, by your logic, Samuel knew Victor first, and he''s used to calling him Mr. Victor, so there''s no need for Samuel to change how he addresses Victor too, right?"

    "Why don''t they just address them separately? For Charlotte, it''ll be Aunt Gloria and Mr. Victor, whereas for Samuel, it''ll be Mr. Victor and Miss Wade."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Rachel had just emerged from the bathroom after washing her hands. She was about to help prepare the food when she heard the two still arguing about this matter. So, she decided to intervene. Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the two retorted simultaneously, "No!"

    Fine, the two would probably argue about this for the rest of the day. Rachel exchanged nces with Victor, then silently went into the kitchen to continue preparing the meals.

    Rachel said, "Victor, have you noticed a problem?"

    "What problem?"

    "Every time they argue, it''s almost always when they''re supposed to be helping out."

    "I think you''re right."

    "Do you think they''re doing it on purpose? That they''re shirking their responsibilities?" Victor nced outside the kitchen. "ording to what I know of Gloria, it''s usible."

    Rachel agreed. "ording to what I know of Jolly, it''s usible as well."

    In the living room, Gloria and Jolly each took an apple as they argued on and off about how the children would address Gloria and Victor. However, for the most part, they were feasting while watching a variety show. "Yes, that''s the one. I''m a fan of this male celebritytely."

    "I know, right? Same! I think he fits my aesthetics." "You already have Leroy, don''t you? He''s a national idol! How can you be so greedy with men you like?"

    "But you''re married too, but you still look at handsome men yourself."

    The doorbell rang, interrupting their chatter..

    "Who is it?" Gloria looked at the door, puzzled. "Is someone elseing?" Jolly raised an eyebrow, seemingly casting a nce toward the kitchen. She said meaningfully, "Sometimes there are things we really can''t foresee."

 Chapter 484

    Gloria gave Jolly a strange look. "What are you talking about?" In the meantime, Rachel also heard the doorbell as she walked out of the kitchen, shooting an annoyed gaze at the twodies. "Youdies are sozy that you''d rather chat than answer the door, aren''t you?" She nagged at them while heading toward the door.

    As soon as Gloria saw the visitor, her eyes were left wide open. At the same time, Jolly quickly snapped a picture of her reaction, asking herself how much money she could ckmail her with her unttering photo. I wonder how much a genius pianist would pay for the ''right'' of owning this unttering picture.

    Rachel grabbed a pair of flip-flops and gave them to Justin, asking. "Did youe from Burton Group?"

    "Yeah."

    "How did everything go?"

    "It went smoothly."

    "Didn''t he give you a hard time?" "Well, sometimes we win; sometimes we lose. So, that''s not how I would describe it.'' After putting on the flip-flops, Justin shifted his eyes to thedies who were enjoying their snacks in the living room and greeted them with a nod. Then, he rolled his sleeves upward and asked Rachel what he could do to help her. "Is there anything I can help with?"

    "Yup, there is. Charlotte has a craving for your grilled fish, so I need you for that."

    "No problem."

    While Gloria was stunned, seeing Justin following Rachel into the kitchen, Jolly lifted her friend''s chin and said, "You might want to close your mouth. Why are you so surprised?"

    "How can you not be?" Gloria turned her attention to her friend. "Don''t you find this surprising at all? Both of them are back together, aren''t they?"

    As Jolly nodded in response, only to shake her head shortly after, Gloria became more tempted to hear more from her. "Come on. Don''t keep me guessing. Out with it already."

    "They are kind of back together, yet that''s not quite the case." "Can you just tell me the whole story without making me guess?"

    "Let me put it this way. They both buried the hatchet earlier when the two of them were working on the charity, but who knows what''s next for them? What do you think of them, judging by what you just saw?" "Great!" Gloria''s eyes lit up. "I guess my prayers have been answered!"

    Jolly stuck out her finger and shook it, making it hard to read to Gloria. "It''s not like what you think it is. Things may look promising for them, but they are not really what they seem."

    "Just tell me what I want to know. What good does it do you to keep me guessing?" Gloria eagerly showed her desperation.

    Jolly decided to reveal what she knew and answered in a serious manner, "The way I see it, it''s no longer easy for them to take things one step further, although they may seem close to each other at the moment." "Why?" "They''ve lost the mystery between them and hence, the intimate feeling together with it."

    "They can rekindle the old mes and start their life together anew." "How many couples in that situation have you seen sessfully getting back together?"

    After hearing Jolly''s question, Gloria was speechless. She then looked in the direction of the kitchen, her eyes falling upon Justin and Rachel, who were both preparing the ingredients for cooking. At the same time, both of them appearedfortable and natural with each other while working in the kitchen, smiling andughing happily amidst their delightful chat. In that instant, Gloria began to understand why Jolly said it was hard for both of them to take their rtionship one step further. After all, both of them had been through countless sweet and bitter moments together as they had witnessed each other''s shorings.

    However, when their love seemingly came to an end, they looked past their differences and wished each other the best in their future, even putting their regrets behind them, yet neither of them ever thought of rekindling the old mes with each other. At the thought of that Gloria suddenly lost her appetite to continue enjoying her snack.

    "Come on, what''s with the sigh?" Jolly patted Gloria''s shoulder and tried to lift her spirit. "I''m just saying it''s difficult for them, but not impossible. Who knows, things may take a turn for the better at some point in the future?"

    While Gloria appeared to be preupied, she caught a glimpse of Jolly rubbing her shoulder with her hand. "What are you doing?"

    Jolly pretended to be confused as she retracted her arm. "Nothing. I was just trying tofort you."

    "Why are you rubbing my shoulder with your dirty hand?!" Gloria red at Jolly''s oily hands, with which she ate her chips.

    "Come on. My hand is clean."

    "Like hell, I''m going to believe that! Stay right there, Jolly!"

    "Alright, please don''t get mad! I''ll buy a new shirt! Alright, I promise!"

    "Have you run out of things to say to calm me down every time you piss me off? You''re just trying to flex about how rich you are! Don''t forget. You were responsible for the fact that my ring went missing thest time!" "But I thought you found your ring, didn''t you?"

    "It wasn''t you who found it. Stop right there!"N?velDrama.Org content.

    Jolly was stunned. As the living room was filled with thedies'' bickering, Rachel peeked at the ce in an amusing manner. "Do you think the two of them can stay that way for a lifetime?"

    Victor replied, "I think they can. In fact, when both of them grow old, I wonder how it''s going to be for the one who can''t walk to be chasing the other with a walking stick."

    "Jolly." Justin, who was cooking the fish, responded in a serious tone. "Why?" Rachel and Victor were confused.

    "That''s when the Carter Family''s heirloom wille into y," Justin replied, rendering Rachel and Victor stunned. A few momentster, Rachel burst intoughter as soon as she snapped out of her trance. In the meantime, Victor asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

    "There is a walking stick made of ck cherry wood in Jolly''s family. It''s been passed down from her great-great-grandfather and is currently kept in her family''s memorial hall."

    In fact, the Carter Family made a living by selling walking sticks in the old days across five generations. Not long after Jolly''s ancestors started picking up carpentry, they began to extend their production to furniture and slowly made a name for themselves, which cemented the foundation of their family''s business empire in the early years. In order to remember the beginning of their sess, Jolly''s great-great-grandfather kept the walking stick that was made of ck cherry wood in the memorial hall so that it could be passed down through generations. While there were not many people who were aware of that history, Rachel disapproved of Justin for making fun of Jolly with her family.

    "Are you done with the pierogi?" Jolly''s impatient voice was heard from outside the kitchen. "The kids are getting hungry."

    Really? When is she ever going to realize that it''s not going to work in her way, using the kids as an excuse? At that moment, Charlotte and Samuel were busy enjoying the snacks Gloria brought them, which was why Rachel doubted they would be interested in knowing when the meal would be ready. Thus, she replied, "Well, the only ''kid'' I see here is the one who weighs over a hundred pounds. I guess I''m grateful and lucky to witness that for the first time because of you."

    Gloria immediatelyughed at Gloria. "Jeez! I didn''t know you''d gained over a hundred pounds. "Who are you talking about?! Of course, it''s not me!" Jolly red at her cheeky friend.

    "Who else could it be besides you? Haha.. You''ve gained quite a bit of weight recently. In fact, you know what? You look like a big chunk of meat to me. Haha!"

    "Does that sound funny to you? Stopughing! I dare you not to put on weight at all for the rest of your life!"

    "Don''t worry. I''m nothing like you because you lose control of yourself once you fall in love. In fact, you should really watch your diet because if you put on too much weight, Leroy might lose interest in you. No, wait a second. He wasn''t there with you during Christmas. So, don''t tell me that is a sign of him wanting to break up with you simply because you''re too fat."

    "Watch your tongue, Gloria! Why does nothing nice evere out of your mouth?!"

    Although Gloria and Jolly looked like they were about to start fighting each other, the few of them in the kitchen didn''t seem to show any intention of defusing the heated situation. In the meantime, Rachel, who was preparing the pierogi, asked Justin something. "By the way, have you heard any news about Leroy? Have you been in touch with him?"

    "There is something I''ve been wanting to talk to you about." Justin knitted his eyebrows.

    "What is it?"

    "It''s about Leroy." Justin''s serious tone made Rachel''s heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 485

    As soon as the pierogi was served, Gloria and Jolly began to race against each other to see who could eat the most pierogies. For that, thedies made Victor the judge who was tasked with keeping count of the pierogies they ate before determining who the winner was. In the meantime, Rachel was heading into the kitchen with an empty te in her hands, her mind filled with the words that Justin said before lunch. Too absorbed in her train of thought, she tripped and fell, shouting in fear just as she felt a pair of arms getting a hold of her.

    "Are you alright?"

    It was only when Rachel looked up and set her eyes on Justin that she realized she had identally spilled her soup all over the man''s shirt. "Oh my gosh! I''m so sorry." She then looked around her for something to wipe his shirt but to no avail. At the same time, she couldn''t stop beating herself up for that, knowing that an oily stain like that could only be removed through washing instead of wiping.

    "It''s alright." Upon hearing themotion in the living room, Victor turned around and saw Justin''s shirt dampened with the soup. Thus, he immediately said, "If you wouldn''t mind, you could head over to my bedroom and get changed. Just pick any shirt you like from my wardrobe."

    "Of course I wouldn''t mind. Thanks."

    When Justin was done changing, he stepped out of his bedroom and saw Rachel standing by the door in a preupied manner. "I''m done." In the meantime, Rachel only snapped out of her trance when she heard the man''s gentle voice. As Justin wore Victor''s ck hoodie, the sleeves seemed a little too short to cover his entire arms, which made it look a little too small for him. "Is that all there is? This shirt looks a little too small for you."

    "Nope." Justin added helplessly, "The others look even smaller in size." "Well then, I guess this shirt will have to do. Give me your stained shirt, by the way."

    "It''s okay. I''m good." Despite Justin''s unconcerned reply, Rachel still went ahead and took his shirt away from him. "I''ll take it to theundry shopter and return it to you in 2 days." Unable to argue with thedy, Justin eventually gave in to her. "Can you see it? I ate the most pierogies! So, that means I''m going to have a good run this year! Burp!" "You ate almost half of the big pot. I can''t continue anymore anyway, so I don''t care if you have a good run this year. You win. Burp!

    Jolly, who won her race against Gloria, celebrated happily, filling the living room with herughter and cheers. Meanwhile, Rachel''s eyes appeared to be filled withplicated emotions, as she confirmed with Justin once again. "Are you sure you''re not kidding me? Leroy...

    "Why would I joke with something like that? The only reason that Mr. Carter is against the rtionship between his daughter and Leroy because he found out about the situation way earlier than we thought he would."

    "No wonder." Rachel suddenly caught on to Justin''s point, finding Jolly''s situation strange because her parents were known to be open-minded. Therefore, she couldn''t believe they would object to Jolly''s rtionship with Leroy just because he was a celebrity. Upon hearing Justin''s answer, she started to suspect that there could be some other reason behind the situation. Soon, Rachel leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. "Should I tell her then?"

    On the other hand, Justin subconsciously extended his arm to pat Rachel''s shoulder tofort her, but as soon as he did that, he retracted his arm immediately, his fingers bending and stiffening in the air. He then replied, "I think we should just let it be and see how it ys out."

    "Well, I suppose that''s the only thing we can do for now. Anyway, Gloria and Victor''s wedding is just around the corner, and I think Leroy will probably attend the asion. By then, I''ll ask him what''s on his mind."

    "Let me do the asking, perhaps." Considering theplications that revolved around Leroy''s position, Justin thought it was better to keep Rachel out of theplicated matter. The lesser she knows, the better. "We''ll see how it ys out when the timees. If Leroy refuses to tell Jolly the truth, 1 will. After all, I think she deserves to know the truth." Nevertheless, Rachel answered with a sigh, to which Justin reacted speechlessly. Since it was the first New Year''s Eve''s night after Gloria and Victor''s wedding, Rachel reckoned it was necessary to give them some space and privacy, so she left with the others not long after they finished their lunch. On her way back to the Carter Residence with Rachel, Jolly was reminded of something, so she asked, "Victor called out to Justin when we were all leaving and gave him something. What was it?"

    "You''re observant, aren''t you? It''s some pierogies," Rachel replied. "I thought we just had that during lunch just now? Does he still crave that so much that he wants to take some away? Furthermore, Justin could always get his chef to make some for him back in his summer vi whenever he feels like eating them. After all, I bet their cooking is probably even better than Victor''s. Don''t you think so?"

    "Well, spare a thought for the chef because even they may be home celebrating New Year''s Day with their family." Rachel gently reminded Jolly, who immediately understood the reason behind what she saw.

    "Oh, I see. By the way, I guess that could also be the case for our maid, right? So if she is going back hometer at night, then Justin..." Jolly swallowed the words that were forming at the tip of her tongue just when she was about to speak her mind. "Out with it, won''t you? Since when have your be so indecisive?" Rachel was helpless. "I just want to say that it''s going to be a lonely new year for him because not even the kids are with him."

    Rachel paused, not knowing what to say upon hearing Jolly''s words. Although she was willing to let Charlotte celebrate New Year''s Day with Justin, she knew her daughter was inseparable from her brother, Samuel. While Samuel was Rachel''s son in name only, she was worried that Mr. and Mrs. Carter, who were both aware of that, would not agree to let their maternal grandchildren celebrate New Year''s Day with an outsider, which put her in a difficult position.

    However, she didn''t think she had time to think about that because the moment she arrived at the Carter Residence, Marilyn immediately urged her to get a haircut before the hair salon was closed. For that, she took Rachel and Jolly to the hair salon in a hurry. Sitting in the chair, Charlotte found roller clips all over her hair as her legs dangled over the edge of her seat. "Mommy, there is smokeing out of my hair." "That''s steam."

    "Ew! Howe it still stinks? But I remember washing my hair yesterday!"

    "That''s the smell of the hair spray. When you''re done, it''ll be gone." "Mommy, why didn''t anyone ever tell me to perm my hair when it was Christmas?" "Um..."

    "Samuel, is your hair permed? Does that mean you don''t have to perm your hair anymore?"

    Charlotte was curious about everything sheid eyes on in the hair salon. After all, she always had her haircut at home as her hair stylist was told to visit Rachel''s residence. Therefore, the girl had never seen the sight of several people sitting next to each other for a haircut with a mirror in front of each of them.

    Meanwhile, Rachel was only given a simple haircut, whereupon she sat on the couch at the back and read a magazine, casually answering Charlotte''s questions, among which were some tough ones that made her go as far as to pretend that she had to rack her brain for an answer. "Miss Hudson, there is someone who''d like to see you outside," one of the hair stylists said.

    "Who?" Rachel appeared to be confused.

    "Someone who goes by ''Mr. Peters''."

    As soon as the hair stylist finished her sentence, Jolly, who had already dozed off, immediately snapped out of her cat nap, stretching out her neck to peek outside the window with roller clips all over her hair. "Where?"

    However, Rachel only closed her magazine while ignoring Jolly. She then stepped out of the hair salon and saw a silhouette leaning on a car parked by the roadside. It turned out that the man was wearing a coat that was khaki in color with a pair of frameless sses. When he saw Rachel, he quickly stepped away from his car and stood straight, facing her.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Happy New Year."

    Rachel curled her lips upward and greeted the man back. "Happy New Year. What brings you here, by the way?"

    "I just paid a visit to Mr. Carter not long ago and chatted with him for a bit. Then, I heard that you guys and Mrs. Carter are right here, so I figured I should drop by and say hello," Julian answered.

    In fact, the Burton Group and Carter Enterprise cooperated with each other as Julian became closer and closer to Jolly''s parents. Back then, Mr. and Mrs. Carter even thought highly of Julian, thinking he would perhaps make a good son-inw for them.

    Not long after that, Rachel nodded in a preupied manner and asked, "Why don''t youe inside and say hi to the rest?"

 Chapter 486

    Gazing at Julian, Rachel asked concernedly, "How did you celebrate New Year''s holidays? Would you like to join us since Mr. and Mrs. Carter will be having their holidays abroad soon?" After all, she had never seen Julian taking a day off before ever since he took over the Burton Group.

    Therefore, New Year''s Day seemed to Rachel that it was a perfect opportunity for forgiveness because it was a delightful asion that gave families, friends, and couples a chance to bond with each other, no matter how strained their rtionships might be. Nevertheless, Rachel reserved her judgment about the possibility of burying the hatchet with Julian, thinking that would depend on how things unfolded between them.

    "Rachel, I''ll be flying over to Montenegro tomorrow morning, so I''ll be celebrating New Year''s Day there." "Are you there to keep your motherpany?"

    "Yes, I am." Rachel then nodded and replied, "I see. Well, your mother is living in a ce with which she is not familiar, so I guess you just made the right call to go over there and apany her."

    "I''m nning to dine with her on the eve and spend the subsequent few days by myself. In fact, I''m thinking about revisiting our old haunts. Can you still remember them? Springfield Street used to be crowded with people during the festive seasons. It was crowded, wasn''t it?"

    "Yeah, there was this pierogi restaurant there where it was always crowded with customers."

    "Oh yeah, there was also this barbeque restaurant that was Jolly''s favorite. I remember that was where we would go every time the festive season rolled around. In fact, even the restaurant owner would greet Samuel every time we visited."

    At the thought of what happened in Montenegro, Rachel began to go soft in her tone and sighed. "Well, it''s been a while since thest time I saw them."

    "So, Rachel, would you like toe with me?"

    When Rachel heard those words, she paused and said, "Nah, I''ll pass." Worried that Julian might read too much into her words, she added, "After all, this is the first time I''m celebrating New Year''s Day with Charlotte over here, as well as Samuel''s first one with Mr. and Mrs. Carter." Deep down, she knew she couldn''t just leave with Julian.

    Julian''s eyes darkened a little. "Are you reluctant toe with me because of your kids. or because you don''t want to tag along?"

    Rachel''s hands twitched a little beside her body, her eyes appearing calm and indifferent.

    "Maybe both."

    "This is all because of Justin!"

    "No."

    "What other reasons could there be, judging from the way you replied? Actually, it''s not the kids whom you can''t forget. It''s Justin."

    "No." "Do you think I''ll believe you? You could travel to Switzend with Justin but won''te with me to Montenegro? Have your wounds already healed? Or have you forgotten the fact that the little house in Montenegro is the only home you have left for the past five years?"

    In the meantime, Rachel only responded in silence, quietly staring at the agitated man until he finished his sentence. While she seemed unusually calm on the outside, she appeared to have expected Julian''s agitated reaction on the inside. "You''re going to drag Justin into this, whether I''ming with you or not. So, what''s the point of me going to Montenegro with you?"

    "Here is the point."

    While Rachel remained silent, Julian shrugged his shoulders and exposed his palms. "I have everything I need now. Look at me. I''m the Burton Group''s president, and I can give you everything you ever want. My hands are no longer tied now, so why won''t you be with me?"

    "Are you sure you have everything now?" Rachel took a deep breath and suddenly gave Julian a sympathetic look. "You left your mother alone in a foreign country and walked out on your friends-us. At the same time, you resort to dirty tricks just to win in business. So, do you really still think you''ve gained more than you''ve sacrificed? I admit that you''re one of the most powerful men in Riverdale, where everyone has to show you some respect. In fact, I''d say you''re as influential as Justin used to be back then, but ask yourself. Where are your family and friends? Where are the kind and empathetic hearts that you used to have for others?"

    While Rachel continued to see Julian as her friend, she believed Jolly felt the same way as well. Therefore, when the charity scandal in Baybrook was published on the news, they still had a glimmer of hope that Julian wasn''t behind that incident even though he was suspected to be responsible for that. "We didn''t abandon you, Julian. Instead, it was you who made things difficult for all of us. In fact, none of us wanted to leave you out for the celebration, so mind you-we''re not the ones who broke our oath."

    Amidst the long silence, the night on New Year''s Eve seemed as if it was longer than usual. Soon, Julian looked away from Rachel and hid his displeasure. "You''re right. Why would I waste my time with those useless people?" "Useless?" Rachel couldn''t believe her ears. "Do you really think they are useless people to you?"

    Much to thedy''s dismay, Julian didn''t care to exin himself as he seemingly agreed to her words in a tacit manner. With both of his hands in his pocket, he looked as if he had be a different person, behaving coldly and nonchntly. "After this year, the Burton Group will make a public announcement about splitting thepany into two by setting a boundary in Riverdale."

    Upon hearing what the man said, Rachel felt her heart skipping a beat. What''s he really up to? Setting a boundary in Riverdale?

    "The southern division will be mine while the northern division will be Justin''s," Julian said.

    "What do you mean?" "I mean what I just said. Didn''t Justin tell you anything about that?" Julian added sarcastically, "How egoistic he is! Riverdale is nothing but an empty shell, so even if he does take over the whole ce in the end, I doubt he can make anything thrive there, but mark my words, Rachel. A smart man knows who to side with, and I believe his next move is to work with Hudson Pharmaceuticals. Am I right?"

    "He hasn''t told me anything about that, but even if there are ns to cooperate with anotherpany, that''s not a call that I can make alone."

    "He hasn''t changed at all. In fact, he knows that he can secure his connections with the Carter Family through you, which is why he is getting so close to you. After all, being on good terms with the Carter Family will mean he has all ess to all of Mr. and Mrs. Carter''s resources andworks."

    "I don''t think that''s what he means, Julian..."

    "That''s exactly what he means. As long as you agree to work with him, don''t you think that Mr. and Mrs. Carter will turn their backs on him when he needs help?"

    Initially wanting to speak for Justin, Rachel somehow caught on to something as soon as she heard what Julian had just said. ''Is this the reason you came here to see me, Julian?"

    While Julian responded with a frown, Rachel said, ''Is your interest the only thing you care about now? What is your friend to you? The only reason you''re still so patient with me is because of the Carter Family, not me. Am I right? As Rachel recalled the moment Julian told her that he had visited Jolly''s father earlier, she instantly caught on to the man''s intention. of visiting her.

    "No, don''t get me wrong."

    "If I get you wrong, then tell me why you brought this matter up all of a sudden."

    In response to Rachel''s intimidating gaze, Julian, who was initially silent, finally admitted it and said, "You''re right. I hope you''d agree to work with me, but I''m not doing this solely for my interest because I think this is a win-win situation. In fact, it''s going to work in both of our favor, which is why I sincerely hope you''d see eye to eye with me."

    "Knowing you, I don''t think working with the Burton Group is a safe option." "What happened earlier was all a misunderstanding."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "That''s enough." Rachel interrupted Julian, flicking her finger. "I appreciate your honesty, but I believe conversations as frank as this will get less and less between us with time. Besides, I have no intention of cooperating with you at all, whether or not it''ll work in our favor."

 Chapter 487

    Rachel made her point in a firm and determined tone, leaving no possibilities for a turnaround between her and Julian. Since Julian was no longer the same person he used to be, Rachel reckoned she must think out of the box, knowing that she would be bound to do

    things with her old and predictable methods if she decided to work with the Burton Group at that moment.

    After all, Julian was no longer the same man who yed by the book but was instead cunning and shrewd. "I guess we''re done here." Rachel stared at Julian with a cold and indifferent gaze. "I''m going to head inside first. Don''t worry about your wish because I''ll send you regards to Jolly and Mrs. Carter on your behalf."

    In the meantime, Julian clenched his fists tightly with his eyes glued to Rachel''s back, his gaze darkening in an eerie manner. On the other hand, when Rachel returned to the hair salon, Jolly, whose hair was full of roller clips, walked up to her and asked, "What brought Julian here to meet you?" "Nothing. He just came here to wish us a Happy New Year."

    "Then, why didn''t hee inside?"

    "Maybe he is busy." "Busy? But the new year is just around the corner?" Jolly murmured and asked, ''Is he still out there? Maybe I can go outside and say hello to him."

    "Alright, that''s enough. Quit being a busybody! You''re going to scare off that guy out there." Marilyn, who had been watching the whole time, seemingly knew what was going on but felt helpless with her daughter''s foolishness.. "Just sit still and wait until you''re done." Nevertheless, Jolly remained unsuspecting of the danger that was lurking in the dark as she went ahead and took a few selfies of herself before posting them onto her social media news feed. ''I''m getting a new hairstyle. Are you guys excited to see it?'' When she didn''t get any response a few momentster, she raised her phone high up in the air, thinking it was because of the poor signal. On the other hand, Rachel, who had no interest in entertaining Jolly, continued to skim through the magazine in her hands, but her mind couldn''t stop thinking about the words that Julian had told her. Justin is leaving Riverdale after the celebration, but he didn''t mention anything to me during lunch just now.

    While it was New Year''s Eve the next day, a fireworks show was scheduled to take ce at 12.00AM sharp, to signify the beginning of a new year. For that, Jolly wouldn''t stop begging Rachel to apany her to the fireworks show. "Come on, Chris. We''re not going to be able to see anything here. So, let''s go to the center of the city."

    "Nope, I''m not doing that because I don''t want to freeze my buns to death." Considering herself someone who got bothered by the cold pretty easily, Rachel decided to spend her time idling around in the house when she finally got her public holiday.

    Nevertheless, Jolly was too restless to give in, although she might have looked like she had given up. In fact, she was thinking of how she could use the two kids to her advantage by counting on them to soften Rachel up. As she expected, Charlotte excitedly ran up to Rachel and said, "Mommy, let''s watch the fireworks show tonight. Jolly said there are fireworks that look like rabbits."

    Rachel replied in an annoyed manner, "What''re you talking about? She is just messing with you." Jolly immediately replied, "I swear I just saw it. If I lied to you, I''d be no better than a dog."

    "Mommy!" Charlotte blinked. In response to her daughter''s adorable reaction, Rachel helplessly closed her book and let out a sigh. "Fine, put on your down jacket and tell Samuel we''re setting out. Let''s go.

    "Yeah! Samuel, we''re going to watch the fireworks show!" Charlotte ran all the way to Samuel''s room and excitedly told her brother that.

    On the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Carter were both watching television in the living room when they heard the others talking about watching the fireworks show. Thus, they only told them not to stay outte and continued watching their television program. Since they had an early flight to catch the next morning, Marilyn decided not to tag along, or she would have wanted to join Rachel and the others due to her adventurous nature.

    Soon, Rachel drove everyone to the city center but only took a few moments to find an avable parking lot, much to her surprise. "It looks like there are fewer people who havee for the fireworks show than I thought," Rachelmented in confusion.

    "No way! I think it''s because many of them didn''t drive here. Think about it. Most of the people who are foreigners in Riverdale have probably gone home for the celebration, but since the residents here are mostly locals, they could probably just stay home and watch the fireworks, except those who live further away."

    "Well, you might have figured everything out, but I wonder if that is really the case in reality." As soon as Rachel parked her car, everyone else stepped out of the vehicle and made their way from the basement car park to the square, only to see nothing out of the ordinary there. Besides the 24-hour convenience stores, the rest of the shops were all closed just like they should be. At that instant, the center of the city, which was the busiest and most crowded area of the town during the day, appeared to be deste and quiet.. "Jolly, when is the fireworks show going to start?" Charlotte''s voice was heard. Jolly reached for her phone and said, "Give me a moment. I''m going to confirm the time now." When she read something seemingly shocking, she reacted dramatically and said, "Damn!" "What?" Then, Rachel leaned closer and peeked at what Jolly found, only to see the official news about the cancetion of the fireworks show. It turned out that it had been called off by the government in order to raise environmental awareness among the citizens. Therefore, not only was the fireworks show canceled but no one was also allowed to light up any fireworks. As soon as Rachel saw that, she red at Jolly and questioned her. "So, this is the eye-catching ''fireworks show that you had been promising me?" Jolly was embarrassed. "Man! Couldn''t they have announced the cancetion earlier?!" "The announcement was made yesterday, but you didn''t notice that at all." Rachel pointed at the news'' publish date that was stated on Jolly''s phone screen. "Why are you ming it all on me? I could say the same to you as well. Even my parents weren''t aware of the cancetion at all because the announcement wasn''t properly made."

    "Why don''t you me it on Samuel and Charlotte as well?" Rachel refuted Jolly, thinking it was understandable for thetter''s parents to miss out on the news about the fireworks show''s cancetion because they paid little to no attention to fireworks. "I''m going to file aint to the city council!"

    "And what would the reason be?" "Poor emphasis on cultural development." "But the cancetion was made to raise environmental awareness."

    "Well, they could have used recycled fireworks. All they had to do was just prepare everything ahead, so why didn''t they do that?"

    While Rachel was rendered speechless by Jolly''s reply, she was frustrated yet helpless about the pointless trip she had just made with Jolly and the kids. As they made their way home, Jolly wouldn''t stopining about the cancetion of the fireworks show. Then, Charlotte, who was sitting in the backseat, asked, "Mommy, is there no more fireworks show?"

    "I''m afraid the fireworks show has been canceled this year." Rachel tried tofort Charlotte. "Well, if you''d like to see some fireworks, we could get some for ourselves and set them off in the suburbs in the next two days. Okay?"

    "Okay then." On the other hand, Samuel didn''t feel disappointed at all. Instead, he grabbed his tablet and indulged himself in the games as he wasn''t interested in the fireworks, anyway. After all, he had seen plenty of that when he was living abroad.

    By the time they were halfway through their journey home, it was almost midnight just when they heard a thunderous roar of fireworks that reverberated throughout the center of the city. Boom! "Look, it''s the fireworks!"

    "Wait! It''s fireworks! Look!" Jolly was the first to react to what she heard, turning her attention to the fireworks outside the car window. "Hurry up and pull over! There are fireworks now!"

    "I thought the show was canceled?" Rachel was stunned. "They must have heard of myints. Furthermore, this is for the sake of the citizens'' welfare and happiness, so letting the show go on was actually a wise choice. Stop the car, Chris!" "I''m pulling over now. I can''t just stop in the middle of the road, can I?" Rachel helplessly pulled over, whereupon Jolly immediately stepped out of the car with the kids.

    Although their location was far away from the center of the city, it surprisingly gave them a better view of the fireworks above their heads. as they lit up the entire Riverdale. When Rachel saw that, she couldn''t resist taking a few pictures of it, feeling warm on the inside at the sight of the bright sky from afar. At that moment, she somehow began to find some warmth and a sense of belonging in Riverdale. "Mommy! It''s the rabbit! Look, the rabbit is there!" Charlotte pointed at the sky and scampered around excitedly.

    Meanwhile, Justin was standing on the balcony, gazing at the fireworks in the center of the city from afar in his summer vi on the outskirts. Suddenly, the vibration from Justin''s phone drew his attention, and he took his eyes off the fireworks. ''Mr. Burton, all the recycled fireworks have been safely delivered. For that, I''d like to thank you on behalf of the person in charge of the advertising department.''N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    ''Yeah, I saw that.'' Justin set his eyes on the firework from afar through the window. At the sight of a huge rabbit that brightened up the sky and shone on his face, the indifferent look on his face was slowly reced by a gratified expression. He then expressed his gratitude calmly. Thank you so much for all the trouble, even on New Year''s Eve.''

    ''Don''t mention it, Mr. Burton. Happy New Year.''

    ''Happy New Year!''

 Chapter 488

    Jolly stood outside in the cold for almost 30 minutes as she insisted on showing the fireworks to Leroy via video call. Rachel, on the other hand, couldn''t stand the cold and brought two of the children into the car. They watched the fireworks through the car windowfortably, with the heater on. Soon, Jolly came running over as she shivered. "It''s freaking cold out there!"

    "You don''t say! I thought the cold was nothing to you since your passionate love could warm you up.

    33

    "Stop teasing me. Let''s go. I''m so tired that I just want to go home and sleep. Don''t wake me up tomorrow morning."

    "You''re lucky New Year''s Day is a public holiday, so you can sleep as much as you want to." They left the city center and drove toward the suburb. Along the way, the roads were brightly lit by streetlights. Most of the shops were already closed, but the lights of the residential houses were switched on. It took them an hour to reach the Carter Residence. Jolly and both of the kids were sound asleep when they arrived, and it took Rachel a while to wake them up.

    As soon as Jolly stepped into the house, she yawned and walked toward her bedroom. "I''m too tired, so I''ll be going to bed now," she said. "No, you should bathe Samuel first."

    "Nah, it''s fine. Boys don''t mind if they don''t shower." After hearing her reply, Rachel was speechless and rolled her eyes at her. She had no choice but to get the kids to shower.

    "Charlotte, you should shower first. Samuel, do you want to shower by yourself, or do you want me to help you with it?"

    "I can do it myself since I''m a big boy." Samuel rejected her help firmly. "Alright, just let me know if you need my help."

    Rachel caressed his head and chuckled. Before Charlotte showered, she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. However, she was feeling energized after the shower. With the towel wrapped around her shoulder, she leaned against Rachel''s shoulder and mumbled, "Mommy, I miss Daddy already."

    "Why don''t we go see Daddy tomorrow morning?"

    "But I want to see him now." "Be a good girl and go to bed, okay? We will see Daddy the next morning." Rachel tried tofort her.

    "Can we give Daddy a call?"

    "Now? It''s alreadyte, so he might have gone to bed."

    "He''s definitely still up." Charlotte, who was wearing her bunny pajamas with a pair of bunny ear beanie over her head, sat on the bed while being insistent about making a call to her father.

    Finally, Rachel gave up and took her phone out. Alright. Then, you will have to go to bed if no one answers the call."

    "Deal." Since it waste, Samuel was already fast asleep on the bed while Rachel and Charlotte were making a phone call in the room. Not long after Rachel dialed the number, it was answered.

    "Hello?" A familiar hoarse voice was heard.

    "Daddy!" Charlotte called out.

    "Charlotte?" Justin was surprised to hear her voice. "Why are you still up?"

    "Daddy, Mommy and I missed you." "Charlotte was the one who missed you. Did we wake you up?" Rachel immediately exined.

    "No," he answered after a brief pause. "In that case, you can have a chat with her. I will pour her a ss of warm milk."

    "Sure." Rachel then passed the phone over to Charlotte. As Charlottey in bed, she told Justin about things that she had done today.

    "Daddy, I''ve permed my hair. Do you want to have a look? I really want to show it to you." "Sure, I can see it early tomorrow morning when I meet you." "Daddy, I saw fireworks today! There are pink bunny-shaped ones too!"

    The conversation between father and daughter continued. When Rachel entered the room with the milk, it was quiet as Charlotte had fallen asleep. The phone was next to her pillow, but the call didn''t end.

    Seeing that, she tucked both children in before bringing the phone to the balcony. "Hello? Are you still there?" she asked softly.

    "Yes."

    "I must have woken you up. Charlotte had fallen asleep."

    "I know."

    "There''s a fireworks show in the city center today. Didn''t you go and watch?"

    "I can see it from the suburbs too." Since the Carter Residence was not far from the Summer Resort, the journey would usually just take 30 minutes by car.

    "That''s true, but Jolly insisted that we can''t see it from the suburbs, so she made me go to the city center. We then saw a notice of the cancetion of the fireworks, but luckily, the show somehow resumedter on." "How was it?"

    "There''s a bunny-shaped one which Charlotte loves."

    "It''s alreadyte. Don''t you feel tired?"

    Rachel took a look at the time. "It''s indeedte. You should go to bed."

    "I''m actually outside now."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

    "Huh?" She paused for a while and continued, "At such an hour?"

    It was almost 2.00AM.

    While in a daze, she suddenly noticed flickering lightsing from a car parked downstairs. She saw a familiar figure, and she heard the sound of the car door closing from the phone.. She finally made sense of the situation when she saw Justin waving at her. That night, it was so cold that their breaths fogged as they spoke.

    While she was wearing pajamas underneath her coat and house slippers, she rushed out and was surprised to see him standing outside. "Why are you here?"

    "Initially, I was worried that Charlotte would throw a tantrum and refuse to go to bed. I nned to bring her home as I was worried that she wouldn''t listen to you. However, she had fallen asleep before I reached. But since I''m here, I have something to pass to you." "What is it? A present?"

    Justin took three bags out of his car.

    "Why are there three? There are only two children at home."

    "One of them is for you."

    "But I''m already in my 30s." "Who says adults can''t receive presents? See it as a New Year''s Day tradition."

    Hearing that, she smiled and epted the gift. "In that case, I shall ept your gift. Since it''s already toote to get you a gift, I''ll remember to prepare one for you next year."

    "It''s nowte. You should go in and sleep."

    After Rachel looked around, she replied, "Nah, it''s alright. While you''re here, we can go for a stroll together. Since the convenience shops are still open, we can go get some snacks."

    By that time, all of the shops there had closed except the only corner shop in the neighborhood. No customers were in there except for the cashier dozing off behind the counter. She was awakened when he heard the wee rm ring. "How may I help both of you?" Standing behind the ss counter, Rachel pointed at the beef pies and asked, "Why not we get this?"

    "Sure." The cashier couldn''t help but take another look at Rachel after hearing her clear voice. When she looked at Justin, she responded shyly, "We are doing a buy-one-free-one promotion, so you can get more."

    "If that''s the case, please give us two sets of it."

    "Do you want chili sauce or ketchup?"

    "We''ll have one each." After they paid for it, they sat in the convenience store to have their pies. As the cashier looked at them from her angle, she thought that they appeared to be a match made in heaven.

 Chapter 489

    "Do you want the chili or the ketchup?" Rachel ced two sauces in front of Justin and let him pick. "I''m fine with either." "Ketchup, then." She passed him the ketchup sachet. "You can''t really have spicy food."

    She remembered that he had always had indigestion. It had been years since hest had a beef pie, and thest time he had one was six years ago. Back then, Rachel had always liked to get hot food from the convenience store, and he happened to see her there once. One day after work, he got Frankie to stop the car by the road, and he went in to get a pie. It tasted rather nd, and the beef was quite chewy. It didn''t taste good, and it wasn''t a taste that he was ustomed to. He thought it was absurd after taking a taste and throwing it into the bin.. Come to think of it, it was probably then that he had fallen for Rachel, but he was in denial.

    "I like the mushrooms and carrots in the filling. Try some."

    "Sure." Hot steam escaped as they cut into the piping hot pie The cor of her pajama peeked out from the neckline of her coat, and it seemed to be a mother-daughter-matching pajama set, simr to Charlotte''s. It had adorable tiny bunny prints all over. Some chili sauce got onto the corner of Rachel''s mouth as she ate.

    Surprisingly, she seemed different from usual when eating, and she was very focused as she savored the food. After spending some time with her, Justin noticed she wasn''t as shy or quiet as he had imagined, discovering the cheeky side of her. She would joke, tease Jolly, banter with Gloria, and even have high expectations of Victor, who had a rigid personality. But, at the end of the day, she was a kind woman who was always full of surprises. Noticing that, he passed her a tissue. "The corner of your mouth."

    "Thank you." She thanked him. "I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Carter are leaving for vacation early tomorrow morning. Will you be sending them off?"

    "Yes. They normally spend their holiday elsewhere. Initially, I thought that this year would be an exception, but it turned out that the exception was that they would be having dinner with me on New Year''s Eve. Jolly told me that they purposely nned the dinner just for me If it was just Jolly who was at home, Richard and Marilyn would have left for vacation right after thepany dinner."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Everyone in the industry knows how lovey-dovey Mr. and Mrs. Carter are."

    "No doubt. Oh, right, has Ria tried on her wedding gown?"

    "She hasn''t."

    "Oh? Didn''t she and Victor go over to your ce?" "I asked them not toe since they don''t stay nearby. Also, Ria must be jetgged since she just got back."

    "But still, she had to try on the gown because they are getting married in roughly a week. At least she can get it altered if it doesn''t fit well. It will be hard to get a tailor during the holiday season."

    After a short pause, Rachel added again, "In that case, get her to go to your ce tomorrow so that she could take a look at the wedding. decorations."

    "Alright." Gloria and Victor''s wedding was the highlight of the holiday season. They had almost finished eating their beef pies after chatting for a while. Since she had to wake up early the next day to send Richard and Marilyn to the airport, Justin urged her to return to get some rest. As they walked in the alley toward the Carter Residence, Rachel wanted to ask him something but halted.

    "We are here. You should go in.

    "Justin, Julian came to see mest week." Rachel turned around. Upon hearing that, Justin furrowed his brows.

    "He mentioned that Burton Group will be segmented into the northern and southern divisions. I heard that you will be in charge of the northern division." "Yeah." Seeing how impassive he was, Rachel decided not to ask him the question she had in mind. "Alright, let''s talk about work after the holiday season."

    "Happy New Year."

    "Happy New Year."

    The sound of the car engine outside the vi faded as the car drove off. When Rachel got into the bedroom, she smiled when she saw Charlotte sleeping with her limbs. stretched out. Her nket was on the ground, so the little girl grabbed onto Samuel''s nket. She tucked the little ones in and sat by the bed while looking at Charlotte''s face.

    Actually, Charlotte resembled Justin. Although she was still a child, she had her father''s eyes and brows. If not for her long hair, she would look more like a boypared to Samuel. The question that she didn''t get to ask Justin earlier was whether he would leave Riverdale after the holiday season. If he really left, it would be hard for Charlotte to see him in the future.

    On New Year''s day, Rachel sent Richard and Marilyn to the airport. Marilyn hated to leave Rachel, so she gave her a big hug. "Chris, it must be hard to take care of the two children at home."

    "There are three children at home." Richard corrected her. To them, Jolly was more like a child than an adult. "I don''t know when Jolly is going to grow up." Marilyn sighed.

    "Marilyn, don''t worry. Jolly is actually very sensible."

    "You don''t have to make me feel better. We won''t have to constantly worry about her if she''s half as sensible as you. Richard and I wouldn''t have spent the holiday season elsewhere if she was well behaved instead of always making our blood boil." Rachel tried to hold in herugh as she nced at Marilyn''s long brte hair. She suddenly realized that Jolly got her drama queen gene from her mother.

    "It''s almost time. We should leave for the boarding gate." Richard reminded her. Marilyn then reluctantly let go of Rachel''s hands.

    Before Marilyn left, she turned and looked over at Rachel before saying, "Right, regarding her rtionship with Leroy, if possible, could you please talk to Jolly on my behalf? Tell her not to lose herself in the rtionship."

    "Alright, let''s not make it hard for Rae. I''m sure that you know Jolly''s personality well." "Rae, you should go home," Richard said as he held Marilyn''s hand. "Richard and Marilyn, have a safe flight!" After saying goodbye to them, Rachel left for home. She felt unsettled as she recalled Marilyn''s words. But since Jolly had asked Leroy to go back to attend Gloria''s wedding, she would rify things with him by then.

    When Jolly finally got out of bed, it was almost noon. She walked down while still half asleep and saw Rachel preparing to leave. "Aren''t you going over to Justin''s house? Why are you bringing so many things over?"

    "I got some pastries, cakes, and samples of wedding favors." "I see those are for Gloria''s wedding. It seems like you are going to attend a wedding tasting. By the way, where are my parents?" Jolly asked.

    "They had left since early morning. They would''ve missed their flight if we had to wait for you." "You should hurry and wash up. Even Charlotte and Samuel aren''t aszy as you are." Rachel rolled her eyes at Jolly. "I''m offended." Jolly grumbled. The next moment, her phone vibrated. "My morning is getting off to a bad start!" she grumbled after taking a look at her phone as she frowned.

    "What''s wrong?" Rachel looked at her puzzledly. "Here. Isn''t this bad luck?" Jolly stretched her hand and showed her phone to Rachel. "Don''t you think she''s doing this on purpose just to ruin my mood?"

    All Rachel could see was a short text that read ''Happy New Year, and it didn''t seem anything out of the ordinary. But when she noticed that it was sent by Estelle, she furrowed her brows.

 Chapter 490

    "Stop looking at it." Rachel took the phone away and deleted the message in front of Jolly. "Don''t let this ruin your day. Just pretend that you didn''t see anything."

    "I''m gonna block her number. It''s annoying that she kept texting me." Jolly plopped down on the staircase and grumbled as she swiped on her phone.

    Rachel didn''t stop her from doing so, but she knew that the only way to go was for Jolly to get a new number, as Estelle could always send another message using a new number. Since I was the new year, Rachel didn''t have time for that, so she tried to distract Jolly by asking her to move some stuff.

    "Help me move these to the car boot. We will be leaving soon."

    "These?"

    "Yes, just these."

    "Jolly, let me help you!" Charlotte rushed over to help out as she saw them. "Good girl. Could you carry them?" "Yes, I can. I''ll carry this." With that, she disyed how ''strong'' she was by carrying a box that was as tall as her and walking outside. It seemed like a piece of cake to her.

    "Chris, is your daughter Hercules?" Jolly looked over at Rachel in awe. "The box only contains two plush toys," Rachel replied calmly. It did not take rocket science to know how strong a six-year-old could be. Jolly was just too imaginative.

    When it was almost noon, Justin was seen at the entrance of the Summer Resort. It was his secondp, jogging around the forests surrounding his house. During his thirdp, Gloria''s car drove past him.

    "Justin!" Hearing that, he stopped and looked back to see Gloria''s car. "Happy New Year." The beaming bride-to-be stuck her head out from the front passenger seat and greeted him.

    "Happy New Year." Justin smiled and nced over at Victor before greeting him by nodding at him. "You guys are early," he added.

    "Well, since we have nothing to do at home, we decided toe over and help out. Um, that doesn''t sound right since it''s our wedding. Hahaha! I guess we''re just here to do our part."

    Gloria giggled.

    After chatting for some time, Victor nudged her, and she finally realized that Justin had been standing in the cold as they chatted. "Right, Justin, you should get into our car, and we can continue our conversation in your house since it''s freezing outside."

    "You guys go ahead first. I''ll do two moreps." "You''re going to continue jogging? I''ve never known that you''re so into it." She seemed surprised. Throughout the 20 years that she had known him, he never had the habit of jogging, even if the doctor suggested that he do so. He would always turn a deaf ear to the doctors'' advice.

    "Well, I may as well do it since I have some free time." He jogged away right after.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Hey-" As she looked at his back, she didn''t get to ask him the question she had, and Justin had already left. She then turned over to Victor and asked, "What is going on? Why is he starting to work out only when he''s getting older?"

    "Old people enjoy working out. Didn''t you notice the elderly men and women in our neighborhood who would start exercising every morning?" Victor answered as he was holding on to the steering wheel. Hearing that, she seemed nervous. "Oh my, do you think that he is going through andropause?"

    "I think it''s unlikely since he''s only 40." "No way. This shouldn''t be happening." She immediately took her mobile phone out.

    "What are you doing?"

    "I''m going to ask Jolly about the symptoms of andropause."

    "Why would you ask her that?" He looked at her puzzledly. "Stop asking the obvious. She''s the only one among us that has a dad, and he should be at that stage where he''s experiencing andropause." She lifted her head to look at him rather quizzically.

    "Um, I guess?" He pursed his lips. In his mind, he thought that it was unlikely that Justin was going through andropause at such an age. He didn''t give much thought to it and drove into the Summer Resort. After he parked the car, he carried some boxes down and walked into the house.

    Gloria had texted Jolly a while ago, but she hadn''t received a reply. "What''s wrong? Why isn''t she replying to me?" She frowned.

    "Maybe she''s still sleeping, Victor replied. "It can''t be. Look at the time now. We agreed that we are meeting at 10.00AM."

    Even so, Gloria didn''t trust Jolly to be on time. "Alright, I''ll give her a call then," she said. "Sorry, the person that you''re calling is not answering. Please leave a message..."

    "Why isn''t she picking up the phone?" Gloria stared at her phone and grumbled. "Who isn''t picking up your call?" Justin, who was back from his jog, walked into the house all sweaty and asked.

    Victor skipped the part about Gloria trying to figure out whether Justin was going through andropause. "Ria is trying to call Jolly to ask whether they are on their way here, but the call was unanswered," he briefly exined.

    "They should be on their way here since it''s almost 10.00AM now." "Try giving Rachel a call," Victor suggested. Gloria nodded and made a call to Rachel. The call was finally answered after ringing for sometime. "Hello?"

    "Rachel, did something happen to you?" Gloria furrowed her brows and asked once the call got through. She could barely hear Rachel''s voice because of themotion in the background. "What?"

    "Rachel..." Gloria immediately stood up from the couch. Noticing that, Justin and Victor put down their tasks on hand and asked simultaneously, "What''s wrong?"

    "It seemed like something had happened to Rachel," she answered. Justin''s expression turned grim. It was almost 10.00AM when Rachel and the others headed to the Summer Resort after leaving the Carter Residence. Their red sedan car was suddenly surrounded by five ck vehicles from all sides. They were forced to stop in the middle of the road after mming on the brakes.

    Rachel''s body was thrown forward due to the inertia from the sudden braking, but luckily, she had seatbelts on. Even so, her head was hit hard against the steering wheel, which gave her tinnitus.

    Meanwhile, in the front passenger seat, Jolly''s head almost hit the windscreen. "Charlotte, Samuel, are both of you alright?" The first thing both of them did was check on the children.

    Both children weren''t hurt since they were buckled up in their child car seats. However, they were shocked by what had happened. "Mommy, what happened?"

    "Everything''s fine." Rachelforted them. Soon after, Jolly turned around and looked out through the windscreen. She saw a ck sedan stopping by the roadside, and the next moment, a trembling older woman was seening out from it while being assisted by a maid. She was donned in a purple mink coat and hat, with a huge emerald ring on her finger. Oh, boy! Is it just me, or is this person filthy rich?

    Seeing that, Rachel felt her heart sink. She remembered seeing that olderdy prior to this, and neither side left a good impression. It was obvious that it would be the same this time round. "That old hag!" Jolly growled and got down from the car.

    "Jolly! Hold your horses!" Rachel failed to stop her in time. By then, Jolly, who was fuming with anger, walked toward the olderdy in a purple mink coat.

 Chapter 491

    "Stop looking at it." Rachel took the phone away and deleted the message in front of Jolly. "Don''t let this ruin your day. Just pretend that you didn''t see anything."

    "I''m gonna block her number. It''s annoying that she kept texting me." Jolly plopped down on the staircase and grumbled as she swiped on her phone.

    Rachel didn''t stop her from doing so, but she knew that the only way to go was for Jolly to get a new number, as Estelle could always send another message using a new number. Since I was the new year, Rachel didn''t have time for that, so she tried to distract Jolly by asking her to move some stuff.

    "Help me move these to the car boot. We will be leaving soon."

    "These?"

    "Yes, just these."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Jolly, let me help you!" Charlotte rushed over to help out as she saw them. "Good girl. Could you carry them?" "Yes, I can. I''ll carry this." With that, she disyed how ''strong'' she was by carrying a box that was as tall as her and walking outside. It seemed like a piece of cake to her.

    "Chris, is your daughter Hercules?" Jolly looked over at Rachel in awe. "The box only contains two plush toys," Rachel replied calmly. It did not take rocket science to know how strong a six-year-old could be. Jolly was just too imaginative.

    When it was almost noon, Justin was seen at the entrance of the Summer Resort. It was his secondp, jogging around the forests surrounding his house. During his thirdp, Gloria''s car drove past him.

    "Justin!" Hearing that, he stopped and looked back to see Gloria''s car. "Happy New Year." The beaming bride-to-be stuck her head out from the front passenger seat and greeted him.

    "Happy New Year." Justin smiled and nced over at Victor before greeting him by nodding at him. "You guys are early," he added.

    "Well, since we have nothing to do at home, we decided toe over and help out. Um, that doesn''t sound right since it''s our wedding. Hahaha! I guess we''re just here to do our part."

    Gloria giggled.

    After chatting for some time, Victor nudged her, and she finally realized that Justin had been standing in the cold as they chatted. "Right, Justin, you should get into our car, and we can continue our conversation in your house since it''s freezing outside."

    "You guys go ahead first. I''ll do two moreps." "You''re going to continue jogging? I''ve never known that you''re so into it." She seemed surprised. Throughout the 20 years that she had known him, he never had the habit of jogging, even if the doctor suggested that he do so. He would always turn a deaf ear to the doctors'' advice.

    "Well, I may as well do it since I have some free time." He jogged away right after.

    "Hey-" As she looked at his back, she didn''t get to ask him the question she had, and Justin had already left. She then turned over to Victor and asked, "What is going on? Why is he starting to work out only when he''s getting older?"

    "Old people enjoy working out. Didn''t you notice the elderly men and women in our neighborhood who would start exercising every morning?" Victor answered as he was holding on to the steering wheel. Hearing that, she seemed nervous. "Oh my, do you think that he is going through andropause?"

    "I think it''s unlikely since he''s only 40." "No way. This shouldn''t be happening." She immediately took her mobile phone out.

    "What are you doing?"

    "I''m going to ask Jolly about the symptoms of andropause."

    "Why would you ask her that?" He looked at her puzzledly. "Stop asking the obvious. She''s the only one among us that has a dad, and he should be at that stage where he''s experiencing andropause." She lifted her head to look at him rather quizzically.

    "Um, I guess?" He pursed his lips. In his mind, he thought that it was unlikely that Justin was going through andropause at such an age. He didn''t give much thought to it and drove into the Summer Resort. After he parked the car, he carried some boxes down and walked into the house.

    Gloria had texted Jolly a while ago, but she hadn''t received a reply. "What''s wrong? Why isn''t she replying to me?" She frowned.

    "Maybe she''s still sleeping, Victor replied. "It can''t be. Look at the time now. We agreed that we are meeting at 10.00AM."

    Even so, Gloria didn''t trust Jolly to be on time. "Alright, I''ll give her a call then," she said. "Sorry, the person that you''re calling is not answering. Please leave a message..."

    "Why isn''t she picking up the phone?" Gloria stared at her phone and grumbled. "Who isn''t picking up your call?" Justin, who was back from his jog, walked into the house all sweaty and asked.

    Victor skipped the part about Gloria trying to figure out whether Justin was going through andropause. "Ria is trying to call Jolly to ask whether they are on their way here, but the call was unanswered," he briefly exined.

    "They should be on their way here since it''s almost 10.00AM now." "Try giving Rachel a call," Victor suggested. Gloria nodded and made a call to Rachel. The call was finally answered after ringing for sometime. "Hello?"

    "Rachel, did something happen to you?" Gloria furrowed her brows and asked once the call got through. She could barely hear Rachel''s voice because of themotion in the background. "What?"

    "Rachel..." Gloria immediately stood up from the couch. Noticing that, Justin and Victor put down their tasks on hand and asked simultaneously, "What''s wrong?"

    "It seemed like something had happened to Rachel," she answered. Justin''s expression turned grim. It was almost 10.00AM when Rachel and the others headed to the Summer Resort after leaving the Carter Residence. Their red sedan car was suddenly surrounded by five ck vehicles from all sides. They were forced to stop in the middle of the road after mming on the brakes.

    Rachel''s body was thrown forward due to the inertia from the sudden braking, but luckily, she had seatbelts on. Even so, her head was hit hard against the steering wheel, which gave her tinnitus.

    Meanwhile, in the front passenger seat, Jolly''s head almost hit the windscreen. "Charlotte, Samuel, are both of you alright?" The first thing both of them did was check on the children.

    Both children weren''t hurt since they were buckled up in their child car seats. However, they were shocked by what had happened. "Mommy, what happened?"

    "Everything''s fine." Rachelforted them. Soon after, Jolly turned around and looked out through the windscreen. She saw a ck sedan stopping by the roadside, and the next moment, a trembling older woman was seening out from it while being assisted by a maid. She was donned in a purple mink coat and hat, with a huge emerald ring on her finger. Oh, boy! Is it just me, or is this person filthy rich?

    Seeing that, Rachel felt her heart sink. She remembered seeing that olderdy prior to this, and neither side left a good impression. It was obvious that it would be the same this time round. "That old hag!" Jolly growled and got down from the car.

    "Jolly! Hold your horses!" Rachel failed to stop her in time. By then, Jolly, who was fuming with anger, walked toward the olderdy in a purple mink coat.

 Chapter 492

    Justin frowned. "Some time ago, Ryan suddenly passed out during a conference. It turns out that he''s suffering from heart disease, and he has to undergo heart bypass surgery. Now, he''s still in the hospital."

    All of them were dumbfounded. Jolly was stunned as well, for she wasn''t aware that Ryan had heart disease.

    They then headed to Cardinal Hospital, which had the best privacy protection for patients among all the private hospitals in Riverdale. Like the best general hospitals in the city, it was just as difficult to get a ce here. In fact, their patients were all important politicians and the wealthiest people..

    The hospital was located in West Magnolia, which was about six miles away from the ce where Rachel''s car was previously blocked. It took them twenty minutes to drive to the hospital.

    While Jolly brought Samuel into the hospital, the others waited in the car park outside the building. Rachel was spacing out in the car when she heard someone knocking on her car window. She turned her head and saw Gloria, who was wearing a fluffy pink beanie. Presently, Gloria was beckoning to her like a Lucky Cat.N?velDrama.Org content.

    Rachel rolled down the car window and asked, "What''s wrong?"

    ''It''s sultry inside the car. Come out and get some fresh air, Rachel."

    Rachel turned to look at her daughter. "Do you want to get out of the car, Charlotte?"

    After a yawn, Charlotte rested her chin on the window frame and looked in the direction Samuel had stepped into the hospital. She said longingly, "When is Samueling back? I feel bored."

    A helpless Rachel nced at Gloria, who then said, "Charlotte, there''s an ice cream shop nearby. Do you want Victor to bring you there?"

    Charlotte hesitated for a moment as though she was struggling internally. Eventually, she made a concession and replied, "Fine, I''ll buy one for Samuel."

    Gloria and Rachel exchanged smiles. Victor brought Charlotte to the ice cream shop once she got out of the car, leaving only Gloria, Rachel, and Justin inside the vehicle. As they leaned against the doors, they looked at the entrance of the inpatient department. "Ryan going through a heart operation is a major incident. Why didn''t we get wind of it?" Gloria was puzzled. "He''s the president of Sutton Corporation, after all."

    Rachel said, ''It''s exactly because he''s the president of Sutton Corporation that we didn''t get wind of it. That''s the reason he''s been admitted to Cardinal Hospital." After she finished her words, she took a nce at Justin to seek his acknowledgment.

    Justin nodded. "She has a point. If too many people know that he''s undergoing an operation, hispany will descend into chaos. It''s best to keep it a secret." It was then Gloria understood the reason behind it as she fell into her thoughts for a moment. "When will the operation be carried out? What''s the sess rate?"

    "I have no idea, but I suppose the sess rate is high. We do have some cutting-edge technology when ites to heart surgery. Am I right, Rachel?"

    Rachel dipped her head. "Yes, but that depends on the patient''s condition. Some people can recover pretty well, and they can live like everyone else after the heart bypass surgery. However, some people aren''t able to do that. I suppose that''s why Old Madam Sutton insisted. on bringing Samuel away."

    Gloria''s eyes brightened as she finally heard something she was interested in. "Now I know the reason behind it! I''ve always been curious about this, and I thought that Ryan was suffering from some kind of reproductive disorder. It''s no wonder that he doesn''t have more kids."

    Rachel was speechless as she pursed her lips. Gloria went on to say, "In that case, the old bat will definitely not let Samuel go. He''s so unlucky to havee across someone like her."

    "We won''t give Samuel to her."

    They could tell what Ryan''s mother was like after seeing his temperament. He had a terrible childhood, which was why he grew up to be an unfeeling and greedy man. He would do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

    If they passed Samuel to the old woman, he would be molded into the next Ryan. Rachel asked, "Ryan''s heart disease is congenital, but when did it be so serious? He was still fine some time ago." Justin replied, "Apparently, his condition was exacerbated six years ago. 0."

    He happened to be present during the public charity conference, so he tagged along when Ryan was sent to the hospital. It was then he heard the doctor mention Ryan''s medical history.

    In fact, Ryan didn''t have a long history of heart disease. Although he discovered that he was suffering from heart disease a while back, it wasn''t until six years ago that he was struck by it for the first time. "Six years ago?'' Rachel made some calctions and frowned. "That was before Samuel was born."

    At that time, Ryan married Jolly''s best friend, Estelle. On the other hand, Jolly left Riverdale alone while she was pregnant as she headed to a foreign country to give birth to her child.

    Gloria realized that something was off. "What? Ryan was struck by heart disease six years ago. After that, he called off the wedding with Jolly and married another woman. Why does it sound like..."

    It sounded like a story one would see in a typical melodrama, "Could it be true?'' Gloria gazed at the two of them. "Is it just like what I think it is?"

    Rachel shook her head. "I have no idea. We''ll find out when Jollyes out of the hospital." For some reason, her eyelid suddenly twitched as she had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Meanwhile, Jolly led Samuel into a VIP ward at the inpatient department.

    Natural sunlight waspletely blocked out by the curtains as the only light source came from the tablemp. Presently, Ryan was leaning. against the bedframe and reading a book. His beige, silk pajamas made him look rather sickly. The sound of the door opening shocked him as he looked up and saw Jolly with the young boy beside her. He was startled for a moment before asking, "Why are you here?"

    Jolly stared at him with a frown. ''I''m here to find out why you''re still alive."

    Aftering to his senses, Ryan put on a bitter smile. ''Don''t you have some good wishes for me?"

    He then shed a smile at Samuel and patted the spot beside him. "Come over here, Samuel."

    Samuel wasn''t fond of him, but he reckoned that he still had to be polite to a patient. Hence, despite his unwillingness, he still walked over. However, he stood beside the bed instead of taking a seat as he was told.

    When he saw that Ryan was on an intravenous infusion, he batted his eyes. "Are you dying?"

    The way he spoke was the same as his mother. The corners of Ryan''s mouth twitched for at moment before he replied, "Not so soon."

    After hearing that, Samuel let out a sigh of relief. "Alright."

    He then took a nce at Jolly. "Can I leave now, Godmother?"

    "Alright, but don''t go anywhere else. Look for your mommy in the car park, got it?"

    After getting her permission, Samuel seemed to be relieved as he carried his game console and dashed out of the ward. It was apparent that Ryan wasn''t willing to see the young kid leave so soon.

    When Jolly turned her head and saw him with that expression, she exined, "I didn''t make him leave. He''s not fond of you, so he can''t stay here even for a minute. There''s nothing I can do. In fact, I already did the best I could by bringing him here to see you." A helpless Ryan pleaded, "Can''t you say something nice to me since I''m ill?"

    "Aren''t I being nice enough already? I''ve been holding all the mean words in. If not for you looking half-dead-"

    "How did I offend you this time?"

    Jolly furrowed her brows. "Don''t you even know how you offended me? While you were lying here, the old bat from your family did not give us a break. Why do you think I''m furious?"

 Chapter 493

    Ryan''s expression changed as he sat straight up, causing the infusion stand to sway.

    "Hey!" An agile Jolly quickly extended her hands and stabilized the stand. "What are you doing? Are you sick of living?"

    Ignoring the pain he felt on the back of his hand, Ryan pulled the infusion needle out and asked with difficulty, "What did my mother do? Did she look for you?"

    Although Jolly didn''t have the heart to see him suffer, she still felt her blood boiling when she recalled what she had gone through. "She didn''t just look for me; she brought more than ten burly bodyguards with rods in their hands to stop our car. She threatened that she would bring Samuel away regardless of whether I was willing to let him go! If Justin and the others hadn''te to my rescue in time, Chris and I would''ve been badly injured by your mother."

    Ryan searched for his phone on the bed with shaking hands, his expression livid. Then, he made a call right in front of Jolly. When the call connected, he roared in a voice so loud that the entire ward seemed to be trembling, saying, "What did all of you do today?! My mother is senile due to her old age, but are all of you dumb as well? What''s the point of me paying your sries? If any of you dare to touch Jolly and the others again, I''ll cut off your hands!"

    He then started coughing violently since he was speaking too quickly.

    Unable to take it anymore, Jolly said, "That''s enough. What''s the point of you saying all this to them? Who cares if you can discipline them? Won''t your mother look for other thugs?" "I''m sorry." Ryan was coughing while clenching his phone.

    "If you''re really sorry, get well soon and let the old bat know that it''s not the end of the world for your family without my son. You can just look for a woman and get the old bat more kids."

    When he heard that, Ryan coughed even more intensely. "Did youe all the way here to make me mad, Jolly?"

    "I''m just speaking the truth. I''ve never been a kind-hearted person, so I won''t treat you differently just because you''re ill. We have nothing to do with each other anymore, and I hope that today''s incident won''t happen again."

    "I''m sorry for what happened today. I''ll handle it."

    "That''s great. I have nothing else to say."

    Jolly was supposed to be leaving at this hour, but her feet seemed to have gotten stuck to the ground against her will; she was unable to drag her feet away. She secretly chastised herself as she eventually conceded to her kindness. "When is the operation?" Ryan was startled for a moment when he heard that. "It hasn''t been decided yet. The doctor said the sooner the better, but I want to wait a while longer."

    "What are you waiting for? Are you going to undergo the operation only when your disease strikes again?"

    "I''m waiting for Samuel to grow up a bit more."

    Jolly was startled as she fell silent for a while. Then, she snapped, "What''s wrong with you? It has nothing to do with you. Listen up, Ryan- Samuel and I can live a good life without you, so you just have to mind your own business. It would be best if you can survive. Even if you pass away, it has nothing to do with us. Whatever decision you make, it''s for yourself."

    "I know."

    "Get prepared for the operation sooner, then."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "I..." Ryan drew a deep breath. "Alright."

    "I''ll take my leave if there''s nothing else." Although Jolly was furious, she couldn''t vent her anger on a patient. Left with no choice, she strode out of the ce while suppressing her fury.

    After closing the door, she let her hands hang loose. The next moment, she randomly caught a nurse and asked, "Where''s his attending physician?"

    Rachel and the others waited in the car park for a long time. What surprised them was that Samuel hade back while Jolly was nowhere in sight. With his favorite game console in his arms, he sauntered toward them like an old gentleman.

    "Where''s your godmother, Samuel?" Rachel asked. Samuel pouted at the building behind him. "She''s still inside."

    Rachel and the others exchanged nces. Gloria spread her palms and said, "Well, it seems that she''s noting out any time soon. Why don''t we go back and have lunch first? She can get a taxiter."

    Victor reminded her by saying, "It''s not easy to get a taxi at this hour."

    "It''s easy." Gloria pointed at her car. "My car is small, so I''ll leave it to her. We can go back in this car. What do you think, Rachel?"

    "I think it''s a terrible idea." Rachel took a nce at her watch. "All of you should go back first with the kids. I''ll wait for her here."

    Just when Gloria wanted to say something, Victor gently pulled her and motioned for her to look at Justin. She instantly got the hint..

    "Well, I suppose you''re right. We can''t starve the kids, can we? Victor and I will leave with the kids now. Rachel, we''ll drive your car while you wait for Jolly here. By the way, there are safety seats in Rachel''s car, so it can''t amodate a lot of people. Please stay here as well, Justin."

    Upon finishing her words, Gloria urged Victor to get the kids into the car. As the sound of the car engine faded, only Gloria''s yellow car was left in the car park. In front of the vehicle stood Rachel and Justin.

    Presently, Rachel was apprehensive since Jolly hadn''te out of the hospital by now. Just then, Justin was heard asking, "What are you worried about?"

    Rachel came to her senses and took a deep breath to pull herself together. After letting out a breath, she replied, "I''m worried that a misunderstanding really caused Ryan and Jolly to break up. If it''s indeed because of his heart disease, Ryan would''ve done Jolly a favor by breaking up with her. However, I''m worried that this misunderstanding would make her feel apologetic."

    "Maybe Ryan won''t tell her about it."

    Justin reckoned that Ryan wouldn''t break it to Jolly at this point since he had decided to keep it a secret six years ago.

    On the other hand, Rachel shook her head. "You don''t understand Jolly. It wouldn''t have mattered if she hadn''t found out about it. Now that she''s aware of Ryan''s heart disease, she''ll look for his attending physician and ask questions such as his family''s medical history, the first time he was struck by the disease, and a detailed ount of his current condition."

    At the thought of this, she knitted her brows.

    In fact, Jolly wasn''t as carefree as she appeared to be. It took her a long time to get over Ryan. If she hadn''te across Leroy, it would''ve been an eternal trauma in her heart.

    "Let''s not forget about Leroy." Rachel lifted her head and gazed at him. "Why isn''t there a single thing that''s going well for her?"

    "Stop worrying about it. Things will eventually work out for the best. Perhaps it''s not as terrible as you think. Let''s have some snacks." Justin fished out a packet of choctes from his pocket. Rachel asked with surprise, "Where did you get it from?" "It belongs to Charlotte."

    "If she finds out that you''ve taken her strawberry chocte, she''ll get mad at you."

    "If she finds out that her strawberry chocte helped her mommy to cheer up, she''d be happy."

    It seemed that Justin knew his daughter well. Charlotte was very protective of her food, and no one else could touch her things without her permission. Otherwise, she would throw a tantrum. Certainly, the people she loved were an exception.

    Rachel took a piece of chocte and tore the wrapper apart before putting it into her mouth. As the bitterness of chocte dissolved on her tongue, the sweetness of strawberry then lingered in her mouth.

    "Do you have more?" Rachel asked. "I suppose thatdy over there will need some chocte as well."

    At this moment, Jolly stepped out of the inpatient department.

 Chapter 494

    As soon as Jolly stepped out of the hospital, she saw Rachel and Justin, who had been leaning against the car doors and waiting for her. From afar, she could see that they were a perfect match for one another when it came to their heights and appearances. It was no wonder that Gloria had been rooting for them over the years, and it was her biggest wish that they would get back together.

    Nevertheless, Jolly wasn''t in the mood to think about whether they would get back together. The moment she saw Rachel, she sported a dejected expression and said, "Ryan is probably dying."

    Rachel almost had the urge to spit blood when she heard that. She exchanged nces with Justin, then said helplessly, "Ryan... totally deserves it to have an ex-girlfriend like you to visit him at the hospital."

    She initially wanted to say that he was extremely unlucky, but when she realized that he finally got his retribution, she found it more appropriate to say that he deserved it. Seeing how Jolly appeared crestfallen, she reckoned. that she still had to cate her. "Well, I don''t think he''s dying. The technology is advanced when ites to heart bypass surgery. Aren''t you aware of it since you work in the medical equipment industry?"

    "You have a point, but he''ll really die if the operation fails."

    "Haven''t you always prayed that he''ll die?"

    "Now, I don''t."

    "What''s wrong? Have you rekindled your love. for him?"

    "Pfft, do I look like someone who''d get back together with her ex-boyfriend?" Jolly rolled her eyes. "I''m just worried that the old bat from his family will never let me off after he passes away."

    "Apart from this reason, I suppose you''re a little worried about him."

    "No."

    "Are you sure?"

    "No means no. I''m not even slightly worried about him. You''re annoying, Chris. Can''t you do something to stop her, Justin?" Jolly was frustrated by her questions. "I''m starving. Let''s get some food!"

    After she finished speaking, she immediately got into the car. Rachel put on a smile and shook her head helplessly. In fact, it was expected that Jolly would be concerned about Ryan''s health. Regardless of what happened in the past, they had been in love before. Despite the grudges between them, she wouldn''t want. to see him die. Moreover, he was Samuel''s father.

    It was already afternoon when they returned to the summer resort. They had practically wasted the entire morning despite the lovely weather.

    After hanging her coat, Rachel was ready to get into the kitchen. Before that, sheforted Jolly by saying, "Alright, stop thinking about it. What do you want for lunch?"

    Jolly had been sitting still on the couch for a while since she entered the house. Upon hearing Rachel''s words, she turned her head and revealed the pack of potato chips in her hand. She batted her eyes and said, "I''d like to have some caramel pudding." Rachel nced at the pack of potato chips in her hand that was practically empty as she suppressed her urge to roll her eyes and uttered slowly, "Sure."

    She had underestimated Jolly''s mental strength. Some people could bring her down, but no one in the world could make her lose her appetite. While she was joyous, she had to have an ample meal to celebrate the asion. Even when she was depressed, she had to wolf down even more food tofort herself-that was the Jolly they knew.

    While Victor helped out in the kitchen, hemented on Jolly''s temperament by saying. "To her, food can solve all the problems in the world."

    "What''s wrong? Isn''t Gloria like that?"

    "She''s not." Victor shook his head. "Gloria isn''t willing to eat anything when she''s in a terrible mood, so I have to hide all the food in the house."

    "That''s because she wants you tofort her and persuade her to have some food." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Can you stop being so insensitive? Will you only be happy when she gets mad?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Victor replied calmly, "Well, I usually put the food in the highest cupboard where she can''t reach, so she can only ask me to help her get the food."

    There was a look of surprise on Justin''s face as he gazed at Victor. Despite his usually calm demeanor, he looked at the other man with admiration as though he had learned something new. Love could indeed make people more mature; even a typical, insensitive man like Victor had learned some tricks.

    With that said, the main reason was that they were in love. Even though they could easily see through each other''s tricks, they were willing to make some concessions and reconcile.

    While Rachel was busy in the kitchen, she suddenly recalled that she hadn''t seen the kids yet. "Where are Charlotte and Samuel?"

    Victor replied, "They''re picking strawberries in the garden."

    "There''s a strawberry garden here?"

    "Well, I just discovered it."

    Victor and Rachel turned to look at Justin at the same time.

    Justin stopped washing the ingredients and exined helplessly, "I started growing some strawberries in the garden when I had some free time back then. I didn''t expect them to be growing so well. The nts started bearing fruits in the winter for the first time. Although there isn''t a lot, they''ve grown well."

    Victor was shocked. "That''s incredible. You can even be a farmer if you quit being a president. At the very least, you won''t starve yourself to death."

    "I won''t starve myself to death even if I don''t grow any fruits."

    Rachel said with a smile, "He''s justplimenting you. Not everyone can be a farmer, you know. It''s difficult to learn how to grow and harvest crops. It''s a good idea that you''re growing something in your spare time. Anyway, isn''t it a little extravagant for you to be using this resort that''s worth hundreds of millions to grow fruits?"

    "Indeed, it is a little extravagant," Justin replied. "Why don''t I put up a sign at the entrance of the garden so that people can pay a fee to pick the fruits?"

    Rachel arched her brow. "That''s a wonderful idea."

    Victor uttered disdainfully, "I''m not going to take part in that. I thought we were only going to participate in that kind of activity where we take the school students out to experience life on a farm. That''s a really odd thing to do in your garden, though."

    It was supposed to be a joke, so no one expected there''d be a specific ce in this summer resort worth hundreds of millions that was divided into a greenhouse and an open-air area. There would be a wooden sign in front of every piece ofnd that stated who the farme was and what kind of fruit or vegetable they had grown. More and more people would take part in it, and thend would expand continuously.

    Presently, two petite figures were walking in tandem inside a greenhouse in the strawberry garden. There was a basket made from rattan in Samuel''s hand. Every time he picked a strawberry, he would put it inside the basket. The moment he did that, the young kid behind him would extend her hand, pick up the strawberry, and stuff it into her mouth.

    Every time Samuel picked a strawberry, Charlotte would immediately eat it. The speed at which they picked and ate the strawberries was in sync, so there would always be zero or one strawberry in the basket. After they were done walking around the garden, they finished picking the strawberries that were not abundant to begin with.

    Samuel looked down and realized that there wasn''t even a single strawberry in the basket. It wasn''t until this moment that he discovered Charlotte had been stealing the strawberries. "Why isn''t there even a single strawberry in the basket?"

    "You''re wrong. There''s still one strawberry left." Charlotte shed a smile at him. "Here it is. Do you want to eat it?"

    A helpless Samuel replied, "You''ve eaten all the strawberries I''ve picked. What can we bring home? Aunt Gloria said that she''s going to make a strawberry mille crepe cake."

    "Don''t eat strawberry cake, then. We can have mango cake. I love mangoes."

    "Godmother is allergic to mangoes."

    "Huh?" Charlotte was startled. "I didn''t know that."

    "It''s fine. I''ve known Godmother for a longer timepared to you. That''s why I know."

    Since there were no strawberries left, a dejected Samuel took a seat on the steps at the entrance of the strawberry garden. Charlotte initially thought that the ground was dirty, but seeing that Samuel had taken a seat, she hesitated for a moment and did the same. From afar, the petite figures looked like two fluffy snowballs..

 Chapter 495

    "Samuel, you don''t look happy. Is something bothering you?" Charlotte''s sweet baby voice sounded.

    "Godmother took me to see someone today," said Samuel, behaving precociously.

    "Was it Mr. Ryan?" Charlotte had met and knew of Ryan.

    "Yeah. He''s sick."

    "Oh, so you and Godmother went to the hospital to visit him earlier, huh?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Yeah."

    Charlotte propped her elbows on her knees and cupped her cheeks, leading half of her face to be covered. "Is Mr. Ryan going to die?" she asked while blinking.

    "He said he won''t die just yet."

    "In that case, that means he''s okay. Daddy said everybody would die eventually. Not dying just yet means he''s all okay."

    If someone passed by at this time, they would definitely be rendered at a loss for words by the conversation. These two children didn''t even care that it was the first day of Springfest to talk about life and death so casually. However, Samuel wasn''t bothered if Ryan would live. After long deliberation, he turned to Charlotte. "Do you think Godmother will be with Mr. Leroy?"

    "Why?" Charlotte sat upright at that. "Leroy''s so handsome!"

    "However, Ryan is-"

    "He''s what?"

    Samuel left his words hanging at that.

    He was half a year younger than Charlotte; despite being far more intelligent than their peers, she was still a league below him maturity-wise. It probably had to do with Justin shielding her too well. "Nothing. Are you cold? Let''s head home."

    Charlotte sniffled and nodded sweetly. It did feel somewhat chilly. At that, Samuel stood up and extended his hand toward the little girl. Their icy little hands slowly warmed as they walked hand in hand.

    Charlotte followed behind Samuel. Though she hadn''t a clue what was troubling him, she still couldn''t help wanting tofort him. "Samuel, no matter what happens, you have me, Mommy, Daddy, Godmother, Aunt Gloria, and Mr. Victor. That will never change."

    Samuel was taken aback for a moment and suddenly seemed enlightened. Momentster, he tightened his grip on Charlotte. "Come on, Aunt Gloria''s still waiting for us to make her crepe cake.

    "Godmother''s allergic to mangoes, though."

    "She can make a matcha-vored one."

    "I don''t like matcha. It tastes bitter."

    "In that case, we''ll ask Aunt Gloria to make a banana crepe cake."

    "Hey, I''ve never had that before!"

    With that, the two walked out of the strawberry garden. Gloria stood with her arms akimbo in the kitchen doorway as she looked at the basket the little munchkins brought back. "Are these all the strawberries you guys spent half an hour picking?" Charlotte blinked her big, round eyes. "There are no strawberries anymore, so we picked bananas instead."

    Gloria thought the little girl was humiliating her intelligence. "And in which part of this garden is there a banana tree?"

    Forget about this part of thend, there was not a spot in Riverdale where a banana tree could grow as if a tropical fruit could grow in this part of the world.

    Samuel, on the other hand, was helpless. He had already told Charlotte this n wouldn''t work, but the little girl insisted otherwise.

    Gloria had just learned how to make crepe cakes, so she thought about making a strawberry-vored one. But now, with the key ingredient missing, her only dish on the first day of Springfest ended with a failure. As such, she couldn''t help feeling irritated. "How am I supposed to make a strawberry crepe cake without strawberries?"

    "Well, you can make a banana crepe cake."

    "There''s no way I''m going to eat that! Don''t give me that, you little glutton!" "Bananas aren''t too different from strawberries, though."

    "Oh, but they are very different."

    However, Charlotte still had her way with Gloria. She rolled her eyes around and asked, "Can I ask you a question, Aunt Gloria?"

    "What is it?"

    "How do bananas grow on trees if they don''t have stones? How do you nt them?"

    "Who says bananas don''t have stones? Well, they don''t, but they have seeds." "Where?"

    "Do you think I''m lying to you?" Gloria peeled the skin off a banana and took a bite before pointing to the ring of ck bits in the middle, speaking with a chunk of banana still in her mouth. "Here, see this? They''re small, edible seeds like strawberries," she exined. Charlotte giggled in response. "You said it yourself, Aunt Gloria. Strawberries and bananas aren''t too different."

    Stumped, Gloria didn''t know if she should swallow the chunk of banana in her mouth, amused and frustrated. She pinched the little girl''s nose. "Why, you cheeky little thing!"

    In the kitchen, Rachel and the others heard their conversation and couldn''t help bursting intoughter.

    "She may be little, but her logic''s impable. I bet whoever tries to woo her will have a hard time doing so. Rachel, I don''t think you guys have to worry about her," Victormented.

    "Nah, I''m not worried at all," said Rachel with a smile. "The one sitting outside has already set her eyes on making Charlotte her daughter-inw. Under her watchful eyes, I doubt anyone will be able to steal my girl away."

    "Daughter-inw?" Gloria happened to be returning to the kitchen, and her eyes widened upon hearing Rachel''s words. "No way! I object."

    "Why? Are you not pleased with Samuel?" Rachel asked.

    "I''m pleased with Samuel, of course; it''s the mother-inw I have a problem with. Imagine what Jolly will do in the future when she can even steal Charlotte''s candies now. It''s none of my business if she bullies anyone. However, I will not allow anyone to bully our baby Charlotte."

    "She stole Charlotte''s candies?"

    "See for yourself."

    With that, Gloria stepped aside to let everyone see what was happening in the living room.

    While Samuel and Charlotte were gone, a certain someone''s ''sinful'' hands reached for the bag of chocte strawberries on the coffee table. She quickly grabbed one, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth, not forgetting to dispose of the wrapping. With how fluid her actions were, it was clear that this wasn''t her first time.

    "Charlotte treats these choctes like treasures. How would you have the heart to reach for them?! No wonder they were gone so fast when I knew I bought plenty."

    Rachel scratched her head after hearing so and looked over her shoulder awkwardly at Justin, who was actually unfazed as if he knew nothing of this. In actuality, Jolly wasn''t the only reason the choctes had depleted so fast...

    However, Rachel had no intention of exining. Since Jolly was caught red-handed, why not let her take all the me? She and Justin exchanged a nce, tacitlying into an agreement.

    "Jolly, how can you continue taking more when you''ve already taken a couple?!" Gloria roared toward the living room, having had enough of it.

    Startled, Jolly jolted and nearly spat the chocte in her mouth. Right then, Charlotte noticed it as well, so she immediately put her building blocks down and stood up. "Godmother, you ate my chocte!"

    "What? N-No, I didn''t. Are these your choctes?"

    "They''re mine!" Charlotte jogged over and tipped the bag on the coffee table. "They''re all gone!"

    Her little face instantly fell, and she made a moue, ring at Jolly with incredulity. "Godmother, you ate all of my chocte!"

    Jolly panicked in an instant. "I''ll buy you a new bag of choctes! I''ll get you more!"

    "You can''t buy them!" Charlotte widened her eyes and began wailing. "Ugh... You can''t buy them! They''re all gone!"

    "I can, I can. I''ll look for them now. Please don''t cry, Charlotte, please. Ahhh! Help me out, Chris!"

    Despite having a son herself, Samuel barely ever cried. As such, it was only natural that she was all over the ce when she experienced this for the first time.

    Meanwhile, the others were having a ball watching in the kitchen, having no intention of saving Jolly.

    "Ahhh, please don''t cry anymore. Help! Chris! Please help me, I beg of you!"

 Chapter 496

    I will do it, Rachel. You just take a rest. Victor stopped Rachel from clearing the table after lunch and took it upon himself to clear the warzone''.

    In actuality, the dining table was still fine, it was the kitchen that looked like one. It was all thanks to Gloria and her determination to make a crepe cake. s, the result was inevitable since the culinary newbie suddenly had a rare interest in whipping up something. Then again, because she was the bride-to-be, no one berated her. Meanwhile, Rachel and Jolly were helping Gloria into her wedding dress in the guest bedroom on the second floor.

    "Gosh, this dress is pretty," Jolly gushed as she fixed Gloria''s dress. "As expected from a master to hand-sew this dress together. This texture looks even better than what we see in magazines. Imagine all the amazing photos we''ll be seeing on the wedding day." However, Gloria was running out of patience. "Alright, are we done yet?"

    "What''s the rush?" Jolly pped Gloria''s busy. hand. ''Don''t move. What a waste to put such a lovely wedding dress on you."

    "If you want to wear it so badly, why don''t you and Leroy get married? What are you doing ordering me around?"

    "Order you around? What do you think you are, a steak or knuckle?"

    "You''re the knuckle!"

    "Cut it out, you two. How is it that you guys can start arguing after a couple of words?!" Rachel put down Gloria''s bustle after she secured the ribbon on the back. "Turn around and let me see."

    The two finally stopped bickering, and Gloria turned around obediently.

    As Gloria toured the country all year round, shemonly wore gowns; though they looked pretty, most of them were rather hefty. Wedding dresses were not too different, so she felt somewhat frustrated as soon as she put hers on, thinking that she was about to go on stage.

    "It fits like a glove. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and see if you like it."

    After hearing Rachel''s words, Gloria turned to her side and looked into the mirror. Initially, she hadn''t given it too much thought, nor was she expecting anything. However, as soon as her eyesnded on the woman in the mirror, she was still stunned for a moment. The beauty of a wedding dress was the sense of ritual love vested in it. Nobody knew when the sacred meaning had been bestowed upon it, but even if humans were the ones who defined it, it was still what made it different.

    Gloria was lost in thought for a long time as she looked at herself in the mirror.

    The dress was an off-shoulder design, and ayer of soft tulle was bow-tied onto her left shoulder, spanning from her shoulder to the waistline. The skirt was a simple tulle skirt with a bustle. At that moment, Gloria looked like a medieval princess, elegant and noble. "It''s so pretty," Jolly couldn''t help eximing aside. After returning to her senses, Gloria lowered her head and cleared her throat. "It''s alright."

    "What do you mean it''s alright? You look stunning." Rachel grabbed Gloria''s shoulders and brought her closer to the full-length mirror for her to scrutinize herself. "Look at how pretty you are. You''re the most beautiful bride I''ve ever seen." Gloria suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes began turning misty as well.

    She lost her parents when she was very little, and there was a time when her childhood was bleak. It only got slightly better when Justin took her away, but there would forever be a hole in her life that was supposed to be filled by family. Then again, Rachel''s arrival seemed to have filled up some of that gap. She didn''t know how to put the feeling into words; she was just truly touched.

    "What about me?" Jolly suddenly popped her head over, breaking the touching atmosphere in an instant. "If she''s the most beautiful bride, what does that make me? I''ll eventually get married too, and I won''t believe you if you say the same thing to me at that point." Rachel took a gander at her. "Alright, I won''t say it then."

    Jolly cupped her mouth instantly and pulled a dramatically aggrieved look. "You can''t do this to me, Chris! Does our six-year friendship mean nothing in front of Gloria?! What a biased woman you are!"

    "Immature!" Gloria rolled her eyes at Jolly. "Your mental age is not even older than Samuel''s."

    "I dare you to say that again. Don''t think I won''t beat you up just because you''re wearing a wedding dress."

    "Come at me, then!"

    Seeing that the two were about to butt heads again, Rachel stepped in. "They''re probably getting impatient. Come on, let''s go down."

    Meanwhile, in the living room downstairs, Samuel yawned and asked, "What''s taking them so long?"

    He and Charlotte had long changed into their page boy and flower girl outfits. One wore a dashing suit, and the other was in a white dress fit for a little princess. They looked absolutely cute together. Samuel furrowed his brows like a little adult when they still hadn''t emerged from the guest room upstairs. Women really are troublesome. Just how long do they need to take to put on a dress?!

    Victor and Justin were also done cleaning up the kitchen at this point. "Are they not ready yet?" asked Justin as he wiped his hands dry whileing out.

    "No, they aren''t." Samuel shook his head and yawned. Victor hade out too, and upon seeing Samuel nodding off, he couldn''t help ridiculing the child. "This boy looks like he hadn''t slept a wink in his past life. He''s the same in school as well, always looking to take a nap."

    Samuel was innately sleep deprived, and he always felt drowsy during the afternoon. Likewise, Justin couldn''t help smiling when he saw it.

    "Godmother!" Charlotte suddenly cried out while pointing upstairs, so excited that she jumped onto the couch. "Godmother, your dress looks so pretty!"

    Her voice sessfully pulled Victor and Justin''s attention back.

    Upstairs, Rachel walked in front. "Get ready. Don''t blink."

    With that, she turned to her side to make way. Behind her, Gloria, with rare bashfulness, slowly walked down the stairs while lifting her skirt, keeping her attention on her feet in case she tripped.

    As the maid of honor, Jolly held Gloria''s train at the back with rare seriousness, not joking with the bride-to-be.

    Victor, on the other hand, gawked at Gloria as she walked down the stairs, speechless.

    At that, Rachel nudged him. "What are you doing standing there for? Come over and help her out!"

    "Mr. Victor''s stupefied!" Charlotte covered her mouth and snickered aside.

    Victor''s face flushed crimson from being ridiculed, and he hurriedly went up to Gloria. It seemed that he had forgotten how to walk as he stumbled and nearly fell by Gloria''s dress.

    Fortunately, Justin was quick to react and managed to save him.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    At that, Jolly teased, "Well, I never heard anyone kneeling to their wives first on the first day of Springfest!"

    However, Victor wasn''t upset by Jolly''s teasing. After standing straight, he looked at the woman before his eyes-the woman he had known since he was at the worst point in his life. She was so assertive and overbearing back then that he saw nothing good in her. But now, she was the brightest star on stage, yet she was still willing to stay by his side.

    Fate sure worked in strange ways. Those destined to be together would eventually meet again and stay together even after running around in circles.

    Everyone''s eyes were on Victor and Gloria. Samuel, who had been yawning moments ago,tched his gaze on the stunning wedding dress as well.

    Only Justin looked toward the woman next to Gloria. She smiled while leaning against the stairs, and beneath the locks of errant hair was her gentle and demure side profile. Her smile was ingrained in Justin''s indifferent gaze, slowly expanding into a serene future like it was just in front of him.

    Fate might''ve brought others together, but to Justin, his encounter with Rachel was redemption.

 Chapter 497

    Gloria and Victor''s wedding was set to be held on the eighth day of Springfest at the summer vi, but Hernandez had already arrived to join the fun on the second day of Springfest.

    Rachel and Jolly were happy to see him. Hernandez taught Victor oralnguage for free, so the two were pretty close as well. Of course, nothing needed to be said about Samuel''s rtionship with him. However, the other three were not so pleased to see the man, and Charlotte''s behavior said it all. With Hernandez''s arrival, they decided to have stew.

    Hence, Victor drove Rachel and Jolly to buy some groceries, leaving three not-so- weing hosts and a voiceless Samuel.

    Once Rachel left, Charlotte flipped as she looked at Hernandez, spreading her arms apart like a baby eagle blocking the entryway. "Don''t you have a home, Curly Weirdo?! Why have youe to stay at my ce?!" Hernandez smiled in response. "Aren''t all the wedding guests staying here? Why can''t I stay?"

    "That''s because no guest would arrive a week in advance,"mented Justin. The father and daughter challenged the outsider unanimously. However, it was useless as Hernandez''s shamelessness was as deep as the Mariana Trench. "That''s perfect. I get to take my time and choose the room I like."

    "No, no, no, no, no!" Charlotte snapped as she pushed Hernandez''s legs, so angry that her cheeks puffed up like a blowfish.

    "Okay, okay!" Hernandez took a couple of steps back while putting his hands up.

    "Hmph!" Charlotte stood with arms akimbo like a gamecock. "Leave!"

    Hernandez looked toward Justin with this little gamecock standing in between them. "Justin, this isn''t the Burton hospitality I know."

    Justin shrugged at that, remaining nonchntly on the couch with no intention of moving. "I''m not the one telling you to leave. It''s her wish, so there''s nothing I can do about it."

    Gloria nodded in agreement. "There are so many hotels out there, Hernandez. Why don''t I book you a room, and you can stay there instead?"

    All the hotels were located in the town area, outrageously far from where they were currently at. One round trip would take three hours, and it was obvious that they didn''t want to give him the convenience of pestering Rachel by suggesting he stay in the town area. Hernandez had already backed up to the doorway at this point. With one hand on the door frame, he said calmly, "Alright, since you guys won''t let me stay here, I''ll go and find Chris. I''m sure she definitely has an empty room avable."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    Justin stood up at once, agitated. "Now, where''s my suitcase..." While speaking, Hernandez reached for his suitcase.

    "Wait." Justin called out to him, then paused for a second before continuing, "The rooms on the second floor are all taken. You can pick any room on the third floor."

    "Thanks!" Hernandez beamed upon getting his way.

    "Ugh, unbelievable! I knew I shouldn''t have invited him!" Gloria caterwauled as she watched Hernandez go upstairs with his suitcase.

    Charlotte wasn''t any happier. "I hate that Curly Weirdo."

    Only Samuel remained collected. "Hernandez is a nice guy. He''s just a bit of a yboy."

    Seeing that none responded to him, Samuel looked up andmented, "He has trouble walking away when he sees a beautiful woman."

    His words struck Justin, and he turned to Gloria. "Gloria, when are your orchestra friends arriving?"

    "On the sixth or seventh day of Springfest, I think. That''s about a day or two before the wedding."

    "Change their tickets. Have theme early. The sooner, the better." With that, Justin turned to the servants. "Get the rooms in the two blocks at the back ready as soon as possible."

    There would be a solution to every problem. Hernandez''s arrival livened up the atmosphere in the summer vi even more.

    s, typical Murphy''sw, the preparations for the wedding had been running smoothly until the fifth day of Springfest.

    "These flowers have all gone bad. We can''t use any of them! Who do you think you''re fooling?!" Jolly argued with the wedding flower purveyor with her arms akimbo. "See for yourself. Look at how withered they look. We''re only on the fifth day of Springfest, and they''ll bepletely unusable by the eighth!"

    While Jolly argued with the purveyor, Rachel stood behind the truck and looked at the flowers they had delivered, feeling distressed.

    Jolly really wasn''t nitpicking, for these flowers really weren''t even passable. Even if they could barely be used right now, they wouldn''t be able tost until the eighth day of Springfest.

    "What''s going on?" Justin came over when he heard the noise. "Why are you guys arguing?"

    "Take a look." Rachel pulled a rose out from the truck. She didn''t even need to touch the petals; they would fall as soon as the wind blew on them.

    "These flowers most certainly can''t be used," Rachel continued. Justin understood at one nce, and heforted her by saying, ''Don''t worry, I''ll talk to them."

    Jolly was already about to fight the guys at this point. Fortunately, Justin came in time and stopped the woman, telling her to take a break aside.

    "Cheating profiteers. Is this what I get for using your service?! Well, I''ll make sure you guys won''t be able to survive in Riverdale!" Livid, Jolly cursed as she walked.

    "Alright, chill. idents happen." Rachel stopped her. "The snow has been so heavy that the airports were forced to shut down, and tons of flowers rotted in the distribution center when they couldn''t ship any of them by air. A few days ago, there were reports about how strained the flower market has been, right?"

    "That doesn''t mean they can use these flowers to fool us, though. This is a wedding we''re talking about!"

    Though Jolly and Gloria constantly bickered, Jolly still wished Gloria all the happiness deep down and hoped that Gloria''s wedding was perfect. Even Rachel had to admit she couldn''t evenpare to Jolly when it came to such details.

    "Rx, we still have two days. Let''s figure something out."

    "It''ll be hard to order flowers when there are barely any florists open during Springfest. I knew things would go wrong if we let the wedding nner do everything. Look at how they cheated us!"

    "Come on, don''t paint everything with the same brush."

    While speaking, Justin had returned from the negotiation.

    "What did they say?"

    "They can deliver another batch from Glensworth."

    "Will they arrive in time?" Rachel calcted the days with her fingers. "It''s possible if they ship. them out by tonight and arrive in Riverdale by tomorrow. We''ll have to make sure the venue is ready by the following day."

    "It''ll definitely be toote.'' Jolly frowned. "They still have to gather the flowers, pack, and load them up. If another ident happens, we would''ve waited for nothing. The risk is too high."

    Rachel sighed silently as she looked at the truckload of withered flowers.

    Funnily enough, Gloria, the bride-to-be,forted them after learning of the situation. "Don''t worry, guys. This is not a big deal at all. If anything, we''ll just forget about the flowers and decorate the venue with some balloons here and there. Less is more, right?" she said. "Less is more can mean minimal or simple, but it cannot be basic," said Jolly as she corrected. her.

    "Isn''t this my wedding, though? Shouldn''t it be my call?"

    "I''m the maid of honor. I don''t want to embarrass myself!"

    "Well, I''m the bride here!"

    "Well, I''m not going to argue with you. No means no. I''m going to make a few phone calls to my friends. With that, Jolly headed outside with her phone, leaving everyone to look at each other. Is this a backseat driver situation they''re in?

    Right as Jolly went out, a ringtone came from the living room. It was Justin''s phone. Rachel happened to be standing next to him, and her gazended on the caller ID when she took a subconscious nce.

    She frowned in response as surpriseced her expression, for the call was from Ryan..

 Chapter 498

    "Yeah.

    "Alright, I''ll let them know."

    After hanging up, Justin looked at the people in front of him. Rachel, Gloria, Victor, Hernandez, and the kids were present. Only Jolly was still contacting her friends on the balcony about the flowers for the wedding. "Ryan said he''ll being over tomorrow."

    "Isn''t he hospitalized?" The news stumped Rachel. "Yeah." Gloria was surprised as well. "Why does he want toe?"

    "He happened to have learned of our flower crisis and managed to get a guy. The flowers will be delivered tomorrow. He said to consider it as his wedding gift to Gloria."

    Gloria and Victor exchanged nces with each other, unsure what to say. Rachel, on the other hand, felt that something didn''t add up. "How did Ryan learn of this?"

    Justin nced toward the balcony where Jolly was still making her calls.

    Clearly, Jolly had called many of her friends, and Ryan knew almost all her friends in Riverdale. As such, it wasn''t surprising if he got word of it. Rachel furrowed her brows, also unsure of what to say for a moment. After returning from making her calls, Jolly slumped onto the couch and sat next to Gloria. "I can''t believe it! Does no one operate during Springfest?! I''ve already offered triple the price, yet I still can''t find anyone!" "Actually, it''s not all hopeless." Rachel hesitated for quite some time. "Ryan called and said he managed to get a guy."

    "He did what?" Jolly was stumped.

    "It''s okay, we don''t need his help." Gloria stepped in at once. ''It''s just a wedding, and it''s no big deal if we don''t have any flowers. We''ll just use something else to decorate the ce." While speaking, she gave Victor a nudge with. her elbow, and he got her instantly. "Yeah, we''re not finicky about this."

    "Why should we turn him down?" Jolly nced. at the soon-to-be-married couple. "We can''t find any on our side, so why say no when it''s being delivered right to our doorstep?! Why are your guys looking at me like that? It''s his wedding. gift to Gloria, so what does it have to do with me? He saved us the trouble by managing to get the flowers, didn''t he?"

    Everyone was surprised by Jolly''s indifference except Rachel, who was smiling with her head lowered. Jolly had never been perfunctory when it came to her friends. Yes, she wanted nothing to do with Ryan, but they were in a moment of crisis, weren''t they?

    The flowers arrived the next morning along with Ryan, who had lost much weight-probably due to his illness. He even looked somewhat frail under his ck coat. After getting down from his car, he greeted Justin and the gang.

    Meanwhile, the wedding nning team had arrived as well and were setting up the wedding. venue. More than that, most of Gloria''s orchestra friends from abroad had also arrived and were all staying in the summer vi. It sure was a lively morning. "Just because you''re gifting Gloria flowers doesn''t mean you have toe yourself." Jolly treated Ryan in an ungracious manner as soon as she saw him. "Do you think you''re invincible?"

    To that, Ryan said, "I''vee out for some fresh air since it''s a little stuffy in the hospital. Don''t worry, I won''t stay for long.

    "Sure as hell you won''t. Were you nning to only leave after lunch?"

    Justin had thought about being polite and asking Ryan to stay for lunch. But now that Jolly had put it that way, he said nothing about it anymore.

    Meanwhile, Rachel smoothed things over. "Jolly''s just joking. You have to stay for lunch when you''ve done us a huge favor."

    Jolly didn''t refute, and just as Ryan was about to say yes, the sound of a roaring engine came from the front of the vi. The next second, a white sports car pulled over in front of everyone.

    The man who came out of the car was wearing a white sweater, and he removed his sunsses to reveal a handsome face.

    Jolly''s eyes lit up in response. "Leroy!" she eximed as she dashed to the man.

    The way Leroy spread his arms to catch Jolly was so tenderly affectionate that the girls from the orchestra all watched with envy-even Hernandez got jealous. On the other hand, Ryan''s gaze sharpened.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Well, that''s basically all the guests for today. Dinner will surely be quite a party," said Rachel. "If you don''t have any other ns, President Sutton, you should just stay. We''re having a bachelor-bachelorette barbecue party tonight. Who knows, you might meet that

    someone.

    It probably wouldn''t be easy to convince Ryan to put his feelings for Jolly down, so why not take a different approach? If they were lucky, he might take a fancy to someone else. Most importantly, he probably wouldn''t continue to be so dead-set when he was witnessing Jolly and Leroy''s affections up close.

    Just like that, Ryan stayed justifiably. As night fell, the string lights were put up. The barbecue grill was also brought out,cing the air in the yard with barbecue smoke.

    While Leroy was manning the grill, Jolly stood next to him, helping him with the seasoning.

    Very quickly, a bunch of girls from the orchestra came to ask for pictures and autographs. "Leroy, we''re fans of yours. Can we get a picture?"

    "Sure," Leroy answered with a smile.

    "Jolly, help us take the picture, will you?"

    A camera had been shoved into Jolly''s arms before she could even register what was happening. "Hey-"

    Meanwhile, the girls lined up to take pictures with Leroy.

    It was fine in the beginning, but as Jolly took the pictures, more and more people stood in line-basically all the girls from the orchestra. Thus, the barbecue area became Leroy''s private meet and greet while Jolly became the photographer.

    By the time Jolly took about a dozen pictures, she had already cussed Gloria hundreds of times.

    Meanwhile, Rachel sat close to the vi as she watched all that was happening. Next to her, the kids were running around and ying with the balloons the wedding nner had given them.

    "Why aren''t you joining them?" A crisp voice came from her side, leading her to turn around only to see a warm, thick throw being draped over her shoulder.

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t mention it." Justin pulled the chair aside and sat down. "From what I remember, you can y the piano.

    Rachel followed his line of sight and took a nce afar.

    The guys in the orchestra were professionals, so it wasn''t a surprise for them to bring their instruments. Someone started ying their violin, and more of them pulled out their instruments one after another. Just like that, the ordinary bachelor-bachelorette barbecue party turned into an outdoor recital and audio-visual feast.

    Rachel chuckled bashfully. "These guys are: professionals while I''m just an amateur. I''ll skip the embarrassment."

    "It''s all just for fun."

    "Have you taken a liking to crowds as well? I remember you used to prefer silence." "No one wouldn''t want to be in a crowd. It just

    feels lonely when the excitement has nothing to do with you."

    The liveliness could always amplify the loneliness. Rachel nodded musingly. She could understand him since she had nothing to do with all the exciting banquets the Hudson Family threw when she was little.

    Just then, she spotted a figure far away from the corner of her eyes, and a hint ofplicationced them. "Well, someone is pretty lonely tonight."

    Afar, Ryan looked pretty lonely as he stood leaning against the wall with a ss of wine in his hand.

    He had been standing there as long as Rachel had been sitting here, fixing his gaze in Leroy and Jolly''s direction. He was practically a statue at this point. Every now and then, girls from the orchestra would approach him, but he would turn all of them down. "He has too much he wants to hold on to," Justinmented inly.

    Before Rachel could make out what Justin was implying, Samuel suddenly came running to them and pulled on Rachel.

 Chapter 499

    "What is it, Samuel?"

    "I''ve lost something, Mommy. Please help me find it." Samuel''s eyes were filled with childish innocence when he blinked, and no one would doubt his words.

    At that, Rachel could only abandon Justin and follow Samuel.

    "Samuel, where are you taking me?"

    "You''ll know when we get there."

    Rachel followed after Samuel as he jogged. It was alreadyte at night at this point, but the summer vi yard was still brightly lit, and the sound of music nketed all noise. The exceptionally lively atmosphere set off the silence and darkness around it.

    Samuel jogged all the way to the vi''s deserted rockery on the northeast corner. The summer vi was massive, but this was a spot not even the gardeners woulde. "Samuel." Just as Rachel called out to him for fear that he would trip from being unable to see his surroundings, she found a familiar figure standing in the dark. "Janice? Rachel was stumped. She reflexively checked her surroundings to make sure no one else was around before moving closer. "What brings you here?" "Don''t worry, no one knows I''m here." Janice ruffled Samuel''s hair. "I have to say, Samuel''s really smart. He can even think to distract your daughter before getting you." At that, Rachel shifted her gaze to the boy. "Samuel, you should head back to the yard."

    "Has somethinge up? Why have you suddenlye to me?" Rachel asked after Samuel left.

    To avoid suspicion, the two hadn''t openly contacted each other for a long time. Even if something dide up, they would reach out via a feature phone.

    Since the Porter Family behind the smuggling ring hadn''t been caught, the smuggling case remained open. Thus, Rachel''s job as the informant had to continue.

    "There''s nothing at the moment, for the Porters haven''t done anything significant yet. The update we got from Coraline is that they want toy low in Enistan for the time being. Of course, they aren''t actuallyying low. They''re relying on the casino tounder their money. "Has Dillion gone there?"

    "Not just Dillon, but Sabrina as well. It seems that what happenedst time got them losing some of their trust in Dillon, so they had Sabrina tag along to keep an eye."

    "Is Coraline doing okay?"

    "She''s alright. Sabrina even suspected her at one point, but because the higher-ups value her and that they don''t have any solid proof, no one dares toy a finger on her." "That''s good to hear." Rachel heaved a sigh of relief.

    "After things have quieted down, they will probably reach their hands toward Riverdale, and you''ll be their first target by then, I''m afraid."

    "I know."

    Surely no one would believe there was nothing suspicious when Rachel returned to Riverdale unscathed from the smuggling incident. s, it''d be troublesome when she had to exin things. "Oh, one more thing." Janice handed Rachel a bag. "This is my wedding gift to Gloria."

    After recovering from her momentary stump, Rachel smiled. "You''ve actuallye to give her this, haven''t you?"

    Janice beat around the bush and talked about work, but in actuality, there was nothing they could do at the moment. The only thing they could actually talk about was the gift Janice handed to Rachel. Janice didn''t deny it, and she was rather embarrassed as well. "No doubt many will attend Gloria''s wedding. I can''t show myself. Hand this to her for me and tell her I give her my blessings." Together, they had helped Rachel flee six years ago. Janice hadrades, partners, and loyal subordinates, but she barely had any friends. To her, Rachel and Gloria were among the scarce few she had. Rachel''s eyes suddenly got misty. "Don''t worry, I''ll definitely hand it to her."

    "I''ll take my leave, then."

    "Wait, Janice!" Rachel called out to her. "We should have a good drinking session once those smugglers have been dealt with and when everything''s over." "Sure."

    "That day wille, right?"

    "It will."

    After watching Janice blend into the rockery, Rachel drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

    She could still hear the songs andughtering from the yard behind her. The melodious music was divinely romantic, and it merged with the mortal world, imprinting on everyone''s smiles and bones.

    Most people would never realize the peaceful world they were living in was hard-earned from the crossfires some had to endure.

    Rachel pulled the contents out of the bag to reveal two kitten rag dolls. One wore a wedding dress while the other was in a suit. The one in the dress smiled with crescent eyes while the one in the suit stuck his tongue out and made a face. They looked absolutely adorable..

    If Janice hadn''t entered the investigation bureau, she could probably be a tailor; she had fully inherited her grandfather''s amazing craftsmanship.

    After returning to the vi, Rachel bypassed the crowd and ced Janice''s present among the pile of wedding gifts in the living room. She believed Gloria would discover its uniqueness when she unwrapped the presentster.

    "Mommy!" A sweet, childish voice came from behind just then. Charlotte''s face had been tinted red from having to run in the cold wind. She threw herself into her mother''s arms as soon as she came in. "Samuel said he wanted to y hide-and-seek, but I can''t find him anywhere!"

    "Is that so?" Rachel fought back herughter. As hard as it was to trick this little one, she could be quite gullible sometimes. Of course, only Samuel could trick her.

    "Why don''t you take a look outside?"

    Charlotte looked out to the yard and found Samuel at first nce. The boy was chowing down on somemb skewers, in no way looking like he was ying hide-and-seek. The little girl instantly abandoned her mother, dashing toward Samuel with excitement. "I''ve found you!"

    "Awesome, you win. Here''s your prize." Samuel handed her amb skewer nonchntly.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was seething with rage from all the pictures she had to take, yet people were still constantlying up to take pictures.

    "Hey, I remember you." Jolly pointed toward the blond girl with blue eyes standing next to Leroy. "Haven''t you already taken your picture? Why are you taking it again?" "That one wasn''t nice. I want to take another one."

    At that, Jolly looked toward the line and found that they were practically familiar faces now. "Lily, Bertha, Victoria... you guys too?"

    Everyone nodded in response. "Who do you guys think you''re fooling?! I didn''t even show you guys your pictures!"

    Knowing she was pissed, Leroy turned to everyone and said, "Why don''t we take a group picture?"

    "Sure, okay!"

    No doubt, only the hottest celebrities could convene the masses apart from the military. Jolly felt even more depressed when Leroy spoiled them instead of turning them down.

    Thus, she sulked and refused to cooperate now that everyone had gathered to take a group picture. In the end, Rachel was the one who forced her to join. "Come on, do it for the party. Are you going to let all these women surround your Leroy?" "Go ahead, then. Who cares?!"

    "Yeah, right." With that, Rachel shoved Jolly next to Leroy,

    "Alright, guys-look over here. Three... Two..."

    "Jolly."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Jolly turned her head to Leroy indignantly upon hearing his voice, only to find his face approaching hers. Before she could register what was happening, his lips had already pressed onto hers. "One." Snap! The moment was forever frozen in frame.

 Chapter 500

    Charlotte happened to look up when the two kissed and caught sight of it. "Ah!" she eximed as she covered her eyes. "How shameful!"N?velDrama.Org content.

    Everyone hadn''t noticed as their eyes were all on the camera. Upon hearing the little girl''s cry, everyone immediately shifted their gaze to Jolly. and Leroy and started chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss..."

    Rachel didn''t want to join in on the fun, so after teasing the couple along with the others, she grilled up some skewers while everyone else was still focusing on Jolly and Leroy, then returned to her little table. Justin wasing out of the vi with a bottle of red wine just then, and as though he had foreseen her returning to her table, he even came out with two red wine sses in his other hand. "Wine?" "Sure." Rachel wrapped herself with the throw, smiling as her baby hairs danced to the breeze. However, uponnding her gaze on Leroy, she froze for a moment while her gaze turnedplicated. Justin handed her a ss, which she swirled while asking, "When are you nning on telling him?"

    "Sometimeter when everyone has left, I guess."

    "Why don''t I join you then?"

    "Are you nning on outnumbering him?"

    "Who do you think you''re kidding?" Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "You know his background better than I do. Do you think we can eveny a finger on him?"

    Leroy''s issue had been lingering in Rachel''s mind for a long while.

    If they missed this chance, who knew when they would be able to open up about this to him the next time? He was a busy man, after all, he had all sorts of projects, shows, and events to attend all year round.

    "Honestly, I don''t get it," said Rachel. "Why would he choose to enter showbiz when he has that kind of identity? If I remember correctly, he has been in the industry since he was young. The first time Jolly met him was when she was still in college. She said he was still gigging in bars, right?"

    Justin furrowed his brows at that. "Someone wiped his profile clean in the past. It''s untraceable, so we can only ask him."

    "To be honest, his identity is no big deal, right?! mean, they''re just dating."

    "In Riverdale, maybe. However, if he decides to

    return to Enistan in the future, I''m afraid..."

    Justin left his words hanging.

    Rachel had a good hunch as to what he wanted to say. "I get that."

    With that, she lifted her chin and sipped on some red wine. With cold wine streaming down her throat and into her belly, coupled with the cold wind blowing against her, she couldn''t help shivering.

    Meanwhile, Gloria and Victor were stargazing on the balcony. "Say, do you suppose the stars up in the hills are brighter?"

    "Probably."

    "In that case, what do you think about having our honeymoon up in the hills?"

    "There are wild boars in the hills."

    "Buzzkill." Gloria rolled her eyes at her soon-to-be husband. "Are you allergic to romance? I bet you''d never find a wife if you hadn''t met me."

    "I wouldn''t marry at all if I hadn''t met you."

    Gloria blushed, taken aback by his words.

    Nheless, Victor was still hopeful of being cured of his ''allergy'' to romance, for she actually couldn''t catch his every-now-and-then affectionate blurts.

    "I feel kind of sad for President Sutton." At that, she gestured downstairs with her lips. "See, hist eyes are practically glued to Jolly. Why does he want to torture himself like this?" "Ryan''s a deeply artful guy."

    "Huh?" Gloria looked at Victor with bewilderment. "How do you know?"

    Victor never had much contact with Ryan, and knowing Victor, he would rarely judge someone, let alone one with such negativity.

    "He donated some stuff to our school."

    "When? Howe I''ve never heard you talk about this?"

    "That''s because the school turned him downter,"

    Gloria turned grave. "Tell me the details."

    Victor hadn''t intended to say it since it was already in the past. But since Gloria asked, it wouldn''t hurt to tell.

    It actually happened quite a few months back, a little after Ryan found out Samuel was his son. Seeing that he was going nowhere with Jolly, he turned his attention to the school.

    "He made a request at that time. He wanted to select a batch of students and take them on a cruise."

    "A cruise?" Gloria''s eyes sharpened a little. "Was Samuel on the list?"

    "He was."

    Forget about a cruise; the potential of an ident happening could arrive on any trip, not to mention when there were so many children involved. If his n actually came to fruition, Samuel might actually disappear without reason.

    A chill ran down Gloria''s spine as the thought crossed her mind. "How was it settled, then?"

    At that, Victor grew hesitant to speak. "It was Justin. He donated a block unconditionally. His only request was that the school could not have any ties with Ryan."

    "Why didn''t you tell me this?"

    "Well..." Victor scratched his head, at a crossroads. "Justin forbade me from talking about it."

    "Are you saying that Jolly and Rachel don''t know about this either?"

    "They don''t."

    "You really are a blockhead."

    Tm sorry, but the thing is, I couldn''t figure out what Justin was trying to do at that time either."

    "What else can he do other than wanting to protect Rachel and the kids? Ask yourself this- ever since he regained his memories, he has been making his best efforts, hasn''t he?"

    He was the great Justin Burton, the former CEO of Burton Group in Riverdale. As a young and promising man, he took over Burton Group while others were still in high school and was a notable name in Forbes'' The World''s Billionaires ranking for several consecutive years.

    But now, all he had left was a shell of the Burton Group and this increasingly bleak summer vi. At the young age of forty, the man was now living like a widowed elderly, growing produce, cooking up meals, and taking care of the kids apart from doing asional charity. "Don''t get upset. I can tell as well." Victor wrapped his arms around Gloria''s shoulders tofort her. "You can''t rush everything. Things have gotten a lot better between them now, hasn''t it?"

    Gloria finally cooled off when she saw Rachel and Justin drinking and chatting away in a corner on the second floor.

    "Anyhow, back to President Sutton. I don''t know why, but I''ve always found him odd." Gloria frowned, unsure why she kept thinking the man was rather odd. "Victor, I just remembered something!" "What is it?"

    "Remember the time we went to Triburg Valley?"

    "Yeah, what about it?"

    "I caught sight of Julian when I got separated from you guys, but he didn''t see me. I overheard his conversation on the phone, and I think he was talking to President Sutton."

    "Well, if I remember correctly, Rachel previously mentioned that Julian and Ryan have business dealings with each other."

    "Not that." Gloria shook her head, looking somewhat hesitant. "I heard Julian mentioning Leroy."

    Leroy? Victor''s heart skipped a beat. "What did he say?"

    "He said Leroy won''t be able to make it to Triburg Valley."

    Victor''s countenance changed in an instant. "Are you sure you heard it correctly?"

    "I-I''m not sure. I wanted to ask him back then. I thought Julian got word that an issue would prevent Leroy froming, butter on..."

    Later on, Leroy had gotten into an ident on the mountain roads and nearly lost his life. there. The veins on Victor''s temples throbbed as he looked toward the man in question with absolute incredulity.

 Chapter 501

    "Have you brought this up with anyone else?"

    Gloria shook her head and advised Victor upon seeing hisplicated gaze. "Perhaps I misheard their conversation. Even if they''re love rivals, there''s no reason to go that far. Besides, didn''t the police determine the car crash to be an ident?" "Hopefully." Victor suddenly felt uneasy. He was just an average guy; in fact, he was the most average one among their group. If he hadn''t met Rachel, his life would just be in mundane, and perhaps he would never experience such machinations. No one would want to think evil of a person, but within their circle, it was safer to overthink. Anyhow, everything can wait until after the wedding, Victor thought. He didn''t want Gloria to worry about this and ruin their mood for the wedding.

    It was close to the dead of the night, and as the bachelor-bachelorette party wasing to an end, everyone gathered for a group picture. After taking the picture, Rachel looked around. "Where''s Ryan?"

    Justin took a gander inside the vi. ''I called him, but he said he''ll sit this one out. He''s probably inside with Samuel."

    "Is Samuel paying him any attention?"

    "The boy''s building Legos. When I went to get them, neither said a word, only minding their own business."

    "Like father, like son, huh?" Rachel hugged her arms at that. "I don''t get Ryan, though. Why won''t he stop approaching Samuel when he knows he''s just going to be snubbed? Though Samuel''s his biological son, he never raised the boy. Hell, he didn''t even know of his existence. If he really feels attachment for Samuel, what has he been doing all this while?!"

    "Perhaps humans rely on kinship much more when they''re vulnerable."

    His words stumped Rachel for a moment. She wasn''t sure why, but her heart suddenly twinged for a second. Charlotte was probably the only family Justin had left that he could rely on.

    Justin checked the time and suggested, "It''s gettingte. Go ahead and get some sleep. I''ll be here watching; Samuel will be fine." While speaking, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

    From where he was sitting, he could see into the vi as he watched Ryan and Samuel''s back. Rachel decided to join him and sat down beside the man. "It''s still early. I can''t fall asleep just yet." Surprised, Justin took a look at Rachel for a while before the corner of his eyes lifted into a smile. "Another bottle?"

    "Sure."

    With that, the two shared another bottle of wine. The next day, though the wedding would be held at the summer vi, they still stuck to the tradition of a groom picking up his bride.

    Hence, right after the bachelor-bachelorette party, Jolly shooed Victor back to his home. As the best man and the only groomsman, Leroy was sent away with Victor too. "Apparently, the two stayed wide awake almost the entire night."

    Inside the room, the makeup artist was putting makeup on Gloria when Jolly held the hem of her bridesmaid dress and slumped next to Rachel, sharing her text with Leroy enthusiastically.

    "I swear I can''t stopughing, Chris. Victor was still wide awake at 2.00AM, but guess what he did? He made Leroy watch the drama Leroy acted in. Don''t you think that''s bullsh*t? Is he not feeling nervous? As if!"

    "Are you sure it''s not the other way round?"

    Gloria shot her a disgruntled nce. Though Victor was a little goofy, no one but her was allowed to make fun of him like that.

    "Do you even think that''s possible? Leroy has so many fans; why would he need Victor to help him boost his drama''s viewership?"

    "Many a little makes a mickle. Perhaps he doesn''t want to miss any chances of boosting the viewership."

    For once, Jolly didn''t bicker with Gloria since it was thetter''s wedding day. "Whatever,e at me all you want. Either way, the groom won''t be able toe in if he doesn''t give enough red envelopes."

    At that, Gloria red at Jolly through the mirror. "Don''t get greedy. We''re just doing this for the festivity. Don''t go overboard."

    "Oh,e on. The more, the merrier. I won''t get another chance after today, you know."

    "Rachel! Do something about her!" Gloria could only seek Rachel''s help when she was fighting a losing battle against Jolly.

    Rachel chuckled. "She''s just messing with you. Hurry up and sit back down. Victor and the guys are already on their way."

    It was only then Gloria sat still, but she couldn''t help mumbling, "I''m really fine with just a simple ceremony. I mean, look at how everyone is running around with me. Why send me to Victor''s from here when we''d being back anyway?"

    "If everyone keeps things simple as you do, all the traditions would be long gone." Jolly was surprisingly serious for once. "There''s a reason why some of these traditions are retained."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Rachel nodded in agreement. "Though your parents and Victor''s are no longer around, we should still follow the tradition. Although your brother didn''t say anything, I''m sure he wants to see you get married." "Yeah, Victor is not marrying into your family; how can we skip this part?!" With how Rachel and Jolly echoed one another, Gloria''s eyes turned misty, and the woman felt touched.

    "Hence, Victor has to give us enough red envelopes if he wants toe in." Just like that, the touching ambiance crumbled with Jolly''s words.

    "I dare you!" Livid, Gloria red at Jolly. Later, Jolly handed Gloria a hand fan after Gloria had changed into her wedding dress and sat on the bed. Rachel, on the other hand, went behind Gloria and put the two handmade kitten rag dolls on the pillow. "Gosh, they''re so cute! Where did theye from?" Jolly eximed and reached for them.

    "Don''t touch them!" Rachel pped the back of Jolly''s hand. "They''re wedding dolls. If you want them, you have to get married."

    While rubbing her stinging hand, Jolly whined with indignation and said, "Well, I want a pair when I get married. I want it to be bigger and better."

    "They aren''t from me," Rachelmented.

    "Who is it from, then?"

    At that, Gloria rolled her eyes at Jolly. "That''s for me to know and you to find out. Am I supposed to introduce all my friends to you?"

    "Stingy!" Jolly pouted, swearing she would give Victor a hard time and ask for a few more red envelopes as revenge. Just then, a babel of voices came from outside the room. "They''re here, they''re here!"

    Out of everyone in the room, Jolly was the most excited, lifting her skirt as she dashed to the door to make sure it was locked.

    Momentster, a knock came at the door.

    "Open the door!" Leroy and Hernandez cried out in excitement. "The groom hase for his bride."

    To that, Jolly shouted behind the door, "Do you think we''re going to open the door just because you want us to? Don''t you know what you''re supposed to do?"

    The next second, a stack of red envelopes appeared from the gap beneath the door.

    "Of course we do!" It was Leroy''s voice. "The red envelopes first."

    "One, two, three, four..." After Jolly counted the number of red envelopes the guys handed over, she shouted, "We have a bunch of girls in here. Is this all you''re giving us?!"

    All of Gloria''s colleagues were with the trio in the room. As most of them weren''t native, they had never experienced such a wedding custom. Upon hearing they could get money, each of them became more excited than the other. Gloria, on the other hand, grew anxious. "Rachel! Do something about her!"

 Chapter 502

    Rachel held Gloria back. "Rx, they''re just messing around."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Jolly, however, wasn''t just going to stop at the red envelopes. She had prepared a whole lot of props outside designated to ''torture'' Victor and the guys. "You guys have to do the h dance and send us a video of it!" The outside sounded pretty rowdy. Then, Hernandez''s voice came. "Have you forgotten that Leroy''s the best man?"

    "Yeah? Well, I don''t care who''s out there today. Even my dad will have to dance if he''s a groomsman." Jolly''s words led the other girls in the room to guffaw. Outside, the guys did as they were told resignedly.

    It was soon before the video of Victor, Leroy, and Hernandez doing the h dance in pink tutus was sent to the group chat, and Rachel and the other girls thought it was seriously hard on the eyes.

    Even Gloria failed to hold back herughter. "Right, we''ve done what you asked. Can you open the door now?"

    "Dream on! I''m just getting started. There''s still a bunch of props out there."

    With that, Jolly fished out the game list from her bag, which was exaggeratingly long like the cartoons depicted, leading Gloria to be seriously agitated.. Before Jolly could even finish rying the rules of the game, Gloria held her skirt up, ran to the door, and opened it despite Rachel''s attempts to stop her. Shouts and whoops burst out in an instant, and the guys barged right in, causing the massive room to be packed like canned sardines.

    "Hey!" Jolly stumbled to the side before she snapped in exasperation, "Gloria, are you so scared of not being able to marry yourself away?!" "Abduct the bride!" Someone could be heard shouting, leading Victor to immediately run away with a barefooted Gloria in his arms.

    "Her shoes! I spent the whole night hiding her shoes!" Jolly cried out in exasperation as she stomped her feet.

    Rachel was the only other person left in the room at this point. She patted Jolly''s shoulder and urged, "Come on, take the shoes out and bring them to Gloria."

    It was impossible to force the bride and groom back into the room when it hade to this. As exasperated and unwilling as Jolly was, she obediently got the shoes she had so arduously hidden the whole night and brought them downstairs.

    Though it was a mere formality, Gloria''s eyes still turned red-rimmed from oing tears when she bid Rachel and the others goodbye after getting into the wedding car. When she noticed Justin standing away from the crowd, looking all alone, tears instantly pooled in her eyes.

    "Justin!" she suddenly shouted. Amidst the babel of voices, the crowd followed Gloria''s line of sight to the back and tacitly made way.

    Justin was carrying Charlotte in his arms while seeing Gloria and Victor''s wedding car off, so when Gloria suddenly called out to him, it rendered him somewhat stupefied.

    "Come down, Charlotte." Rachel beckoned to her daughter, who sensibly came down from Justin''s arms at once. With that, Justin went up to the wedding car.

    "What is it?"

    Gloria held his hand. "Justin, no matter what happens, I will always be your sister."

    "Isn''t this a fact?" Justin smiled. "Why suddenly

    bring this up? It''s a happy day today, so you should smile." "Mm." Unable to utter a word, Gloria nodded.

    non-stop.

    Justin looked further into the car at the man sitting next to Gloria. Victor rarely wore suits, and he looked exceptionally handsome in his white tuxedo, no longer looking like the punk he used to be.

    "Go on." Justin waved his hand toward them. "Don''t miss the hour. You''ll be back in the afternoon anyway."

    Following that, the car started as the engine bellowed. Victor, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said to Justin, "I''ll take good care of Gloria, Justin. You''re my brother now as much as you have been hers all these years." His words left Justin stupefied for quite a while, and by the time he came to his senses, the wedding car had already driven a slight distance away. He could even see Gloria wiping her tears away through the tiny rearview mirror. Suddenly, he fell into a bit of a trance. He suddenly recalled the day he picked up Gloria from the small town in the north twenty-plus years ago. It was the first thing he did after taking over Burton Group.

    She was a scrawny kid at the time, abused and very much underfed. She was already five or six years old then, yet she was tiny. When he got to her, she was squatting on the floor, washing her entire family''s clothes.. Before arriving, he thought he would let her continue living her life if she had a good one. But at first nce, he instantly knew he had to take her with him. Following that, in the next twenty-plus years, Gloria was nearly his only support. All these years, rather than saying he adopted Gloria and raised her, she had instead been keeping himpany, giving him thefort he scarcely had.

    "They''re gone." A familiar voice came from beside him; it was Rachel. Justin came back to reality and hummed a response, unsure of what to say.

    "Although they''ll be returning in the afternoon and Gloria hasn''t married off far, she''s still getting married, nheless. It still feels different, doesn''t it?" Rachelmented.

    "A little." Justin slowly settled down. "But since she''s married to Victor, I''m greatly assured."

    "Are you?" Don''t you think Gloria can do better? I seriously doubt you''re pleased with Victor."

    It seemed that all parents and elders would think so. With how excellent their children were, they only deserved the best, and as opposed to Gloria''s name as the piano prodigy, Victor was just an average elementary school teacher. Justin shook his head in disagreement. "Gloria prefers the simple life. She grew up simple as well, unlike us."

    Slightly stumped, it took Rachel a moment to finally understand what Justin meant. She recollected her first meeting with Gloria. The young girl was dressed like an average girl next door, and after years of knowing her, Gloria still dressed very inly like she had no desir for the finest things in life.

    On the one hand, it had to do with her nature, and on the other, it was also likely the kind of lifestyle she had developed over the years.

    "The best would be to live the most mundane life. It''s something that most people can only wish for," said Justin, leading Rachel to nod in agreement. "Yeah."

    Speaking of which, she now wished to live such a life as well. Sadness crept on the two as they chatted. However, the feeling didn''tst too long as the wedding car returned once more sometime before noon, and everyone came back to attend the wedding ceremony merrily.

    There was a saying that minor mishaps would inevitably happen during a wedding, or it wouldn''t be right for the big day. As proven, the maid of honor had gone missing. at a crucial time. Worst of all, the wedding ring was with her.

    "Where''s Jolly? They''re exchanging the rings soon, and Victor''s ring is with her." At that, Rachel grabbed Hernandez. "Hernandez, have you seen her?"

    "She said she was heading to the washroom not too long ago."

    "Heading to the washroom at a time like this?!" Leroy tried calling her to no avail, so he said at once, "Don''t worry, Chris. I''ll go and find her."

    Meanwhile, at the northeast corner of the summer vi, a phoney on thewn with its screen shing an iing phone call. However, the owner couldn''t answer it.

    Jolly struggled desperately. Her eyes were already red-rimmed, but she couldn''t make a single sound as her lips were sealed by a piece of ck duct tape..

    Just a moment ago, two men in suits covered her mouth and held her hostage the second she came out of the washroom.

    Her arms had been tied behind her back at this point, and one of the kidnappers was squatting in front of her, tying her ankles together with a rope. "Stay still, or you''re going to suffer."

 Chapter 503

    "Miss Carter, I suggest you behave and work with us, or things will only get worse for you."

    What do you guys take me for? An idiot?! I''d still suffer even if I work with you guys! "Mmph..." Jolly stretched her neck strenuously, expressing her wish to say something..

    At that, the two men in ck exchanged a nce before one of them muttered, "Boss" order. We take what we need and leave. Don''t cause a ruckus. She''s the golden child of the Carter Family, after all."

    You guys might as well just say it right next to my ear! I''m not deaf! Jolly mused. After discussing openly for a while, one of the men in ck turned to Jolly. "We have a few questions for you, and you''d better behave."

    To that, Jolly nodded with a frown. Even if she didn''t want to cooperate, she didn''t have a second option either. "You have a wedding dress that you took from the cruise, don''t you?"N?velDrama.Org content.

    Jolly''s heart skipped a beat upon hearing so. "Do you or do you not?" the questioning man in ck reiterated. This time, he pointed at Jolly''s nose and behaved rudely.

    Jolly nodded aftering back to herself, leading the men to exchange a nce. "Where is it?" the questioning man in ck pressed on.

    Where is it? Her frown deepened.

    With Ryan, of course! She had handed it to him before alighting the cruise. If it weren''t for these guys, she almost forgot that Ryan had written down an IOU and still owed her a batch of diamonds!

    I should tell him to pay up. Then again, he''s seriously ill now. I wonder how his surgery''s going. If he dies, would it mean that this debt will be written off?

    In that short moment, Jolly''s mind had already conjured up countless thoughts. Of course, the two kidnappers didn''t know this woman was still leisurely thinking about the money her ex-boyfriend owed her when she was being kidnapped. They bore into her, waiting for her

    answer.

    "Where is it? Answer us!" Losing patience, the questioning man in ck reiterated.

    "Mmph!" Jolly stretched her neck toward the two kidnappers, and her eyes were already nearly popping out of her eye sockets. Idiots! How am I supposed to say anything when I''m like this?! Ventriloquy?

    It was only then the questioning man in ck realized. He pointed at her nose and warned,

    "Don''t you dare scream, or I''ll mangle you." As soon as he finished speaking, he ripped off the tape on Jolly''s lips. Jolly eximed in pain, believing they had ripped the topyer of her lips away.

    "Shut up!" The kidnapper pointed at her lips with a warning. Jolly took a deep breath. As utterly aggrieved as she was, she could only yield submissively.

    "Where''s the dress? Tell us!"

    "It''s at my ce."

    "You''d better not trick us!"

    "Why would I do that when I''m already like this?! Why don''t you guys follow me home and see for yourselves if you don''t believe me?"

    The kidnappers exchanged a nce and came to an agreement at once. With that, they put the tape back onto Jolly''s lips, then chucked her into a van that stored wedding supplies. Needless to say, they snuck in as members of the wedding nning team. However, little did they expect Jolly to chuck something from behind her back before they closed the car door. Back inside the summer vi, the ceremony was already about tomence, but the maid of honor and best man had gone missing, and the rings were nowher to be found.

    When Hernandez rushed back, Rachel asked, "Have you found them?"

    "No, I don''t know where they''ve gone. I can''t reach Leroy''s phone anymore either."

    "How can this be?!"

    Jolly had gone missing first, and now, Leroy was gone too. Rachel''s brows locked into a deep furrow. Just then, Justin came over from the banquet. "What''s wrong? Did something happen?" "The rings are missing."

    With that, Rachel recounted the issue concisely. "Even these two unreliable ones are nowhere to be found. Worst of all, they''re the maid of honor and best man!"

    Justin furrowed his brows slightly and said gravely, "Anyhow, they wouldn''t just disappear into thin air. Alright, here''s what we''ll do. Hernandez, you act as the ring bearer and deliver the ringster." "The problem is that the rings are gone too."

    "It''s okay. It''s just pro forma. The rings don''t have to be the ones they bought, so we''ll get a backup."

    "You have a backup?" Rachel was surprised. Shortly after, Justin returned with a wedding ring box he had grabbed from his study''s safe and handed it to Hernandez, who opened the box in front of Rachel. When he saw the wedding bands, he couldn''t help looking surprised. "Sh*t, you actually have them. Why would you buy them for no reason?"

    "These aren''t your wedding bands, are they?" asked Hernandez, who was a straight talker. Then, he looked at Rachel before shifting his gaze to Justin.

    Taken aback, Rachel wanted to deny it, but Justin spoke before she could do so. "Why do you talk so much? The ceremony is about to begin. Hurry up and go inside."

    Hernandez checked the time. Indeed, he had to rush over right now. Roses of pink and blue spread across thewn, making the ce a sea of flowers as it enveloped the guests in it. On the white- carpeted aisle, Charlotte and Samuel, the flower girl and page boy, each held a basket and threw a handful of petals every couple of steps they took. Behind them, Gloria held Justin''s arm as they walked down the aisle.

    Gloria had lost her parents at a young age, and she didn''t have any siblings either. More than that, she had long lost contact with her rtives. Hence, there wasn''t anyone of the sort on the guest list; Justin was the only family she had left now.

    On the other hand, Rachel was seated in the front row, watching Gloria through the sea of flowers while shemented in her heart.

    Come to think of it, she, Justin, and Gloria were tied together because of the wildfire twenty-plus years ago. Their story began with the wildfire and closed with a not-so-perfect but still satisfactory ending.

    Amidst the sounds of everyone''s blessings, Justin gave Gloria away to Victor before walking down the altar.

    Victor wasn''t an extrovert, so it was clearly unrealistic to demand him to propose to Gloria one more time in front of so many unfamiliar guests when it even took him a long time to kiss his new wife. In the end, Gloria was the one who held his head and forced a kiss on his lips while the crowd cheered.

    With a flushed face, Gloria turned to her colleagues and threatened, "Alright, I''ll kiss him. Another word and I won''t toss my bouquet!"

    The crowd guffawed in response.

    "Another kiss. Kiss him!"

    "Kiss!"

    In the end, Gloria refused to toss her bouquet. As soon as the ceremony was over, Gloria went to Rachel with her bouquet. "What''s going on, Rachel? Where''s Jolly?"

    That woman had been mumbling about wanting to catch the bouquet before going to bed. As such, Gloria even deliberately kept it for Jolly.

    Rachel was still trying to reach Jolly''s phone right then, and she had grown anxious at this point. "I''m looking for her too."

 Chapter 504

    "Sorry, the number you''re calling cannot be reached at the moment. Please try againter..." Both Jolly and Leroy''s phones had been unreachable for a long while now.

    After making another couple of attempts, Rachel gave up and decided to check the vi''s surveince cameras.

    At that, Gloria and Victor offered to go with her, but Justin stopped them. "You two stay here. You still need to attend to the guests, after all. I''ll go."

    With that, he chased after Rachel.

    "Me too!" Hernandez turned to follow after Justin as he spoke, but Gloria reacted quickly and grabbed him. "Forget about that. The two of us alone can''t manage everything here. We''ll need your help." "With what?"

    "You''ve gotten familiar with the girls from my orchestra, haven''t you? You''ll have to help me send them to the hotelter. They''re all flying back tonight."

    Gloria held a tight grip on Hernandez and dragged him along with her, leaving him no choice but to watch Justin and Rachel leave far away. Meanwhile, Rachel and Justin made their way to the security room.

    Many hade to attend the wedding, and to avoid any idents, they hired an extra team of security. Also, the surveince cameras within the vi had been retested, so in theory, no cameras should be malfunctioning. "Here." Rachel pointed toward where Jolly appeared on the screen. At that, Justin ordered the guard to switch the camera. "This was an hour ago," he said with a frown.

    "It''s about the same time as Hernandez mentioned earlier. She should have been at the washroom an hour ago.

    The footage had indeed shown Jolly entering the vi. However, there were no cameras inside. Following that, they sped up the footage by ten- folds until an hourter, when there was still no sign of her. "How is this possible?!"

    "y it again," Justin ordered the guard. This time, they sped up the footage by five-folds, and as they watched, Justin suddenly raised his hand. "Stop."

    In the middle of the screen were two men carrying a massive box out of the vi, heading toward the west gate.

    "Do you suppose that''s..." A thought hit Rachel instantly as her countenance turned awful. Justin reacted even quicker. "Find out who these two are."

    With that, the guards got digging. Meanwhile, half an hour had passed since Jolly was chucked into the van, which had arrived near Carter Residence. "Is it really in your room?"

    "What will I get from lying to you? It''s in the safe in my room. I''m sure you know how expensive that dress is. I have to keep it safe, don''t I?"

    "You have guards stationed at the gate of your house. How are we supposed to go in?"

    "You can just let me go in and get it."

    "As if we''re going to let you do that. What do you take us for? Fools?" One of the kidnappers red at Jolly. "Do you think we''d let you go in and call the cops?"

    Jolly frowned in response. "Well, what do you suppose then?"

    "Tell them you''ve sent me to get something. Later on, call and tell them you''ve asked me to open the safe in your room."

    "I never let just about anyone into my room."

    The next second, a sharp de was pressed against Jolly''s neck, leading her to change her words in two shakes. "Well, it''s mainly because my room is a mess. If you guys don''t mind, go ahead... go ahead..." Only then did the kidnapper put the de away.

    "Stay here and keep an eye on her. We''ll keep in touch." With that, he handed the de to the other kidnapper and got out of the van.

    Through the window, Jolly could see the kidnapper walking toward her house, and the sentry came out of the guard house to talk to him. Momentster, a ringtone resounded through the van.

    "Miss Jolly, have you asked someone to take something from home?"

    Right when Jolly was about to speak, the staying kidnapper patted her face with the de a couple of times, which served as a warning. Having no other option, she bit the bullet and admitted, "Yes, just let him in." "Alright, Miss Jolly."

    "Go on in."

    Following the sentry''s voiceing from the other end of the line, Jolly was forced to watch the kidnapper enter her house.

    Jolly couldn''t run away even if she wanted to when her hands and legs had been tied together. Thus, she actively approached the staying kidnapper. "I know who sent you guys. Let me go, and I''ll give you double the price she paid you." "Save it. You rich people are the most scheming. Do you think I don''t know you''ll call the cops as soon as I free you?"

    "Don''t you know that you''ll be sentenced to jail time for kidnapping? What will you do when thises to light?"

    "Why do you talk so much?"

    The staying kidnapper was not a man of negotiation. Thus, he ripped a piece of duct tape, nning to seal Jolly''s lips shut again.

    "Hey, hey, don''t. What if your aplice calls when he can''t find the safe?"

    "Behave and keep your mouth shut!"

    Jolly scrutinized the staying kidnapper. He was wearing a ck face mask, so she couldn''t make out any distinct facial features apart from his eyes.

    After looking for a while, she discovered a burn. scar on his right temple, and she made a mental note of it. Meanwhile, the kidnapper, who entered the Carter Residence, had sessfully arrived at Jolly''s bedroom.

    While leading him inside, the nanny asked, "What does Miss Jolly want you to grab? Just tell me, and I''ll find it for you. Don''t rummage through her things."

    "I don''t know what it is either. She just told me to get it from the safe. Speaking of which, where is it?"

    "The safe?" The nanny was somewhat stumped. "How would I know?''

    "I''ll look for it myself, then. You can leave now." Not giving the nanny a chance to speak, he locked the door from inside and began rummaging through the room. Snubbed, the nanny frowned. Does Miss Jolly have a safe in her room? Howe I''ve never heard of it? Back inside the van, Jolly felt so stuffy that she was suffocating.

    "Hey, I need to use the bathroom."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "Don''t try anything."

    "I really need to use the bathroom!"

    The kidnapper nced at her upon hearing that. "There''s no bathroom around here. Hold it in."

    "There''s a mall nearby. Take me there!"

    "You think you''re still a rich youngdy?" The kidnapper got pissed off. "Who do you take me for? Your driver or your servant?! Don''t even think about it. Do it here if you have the balls."

    While looking exasperated, she managed to grab the handle with her hand still behind her back.

    She wasn''t sure how long she had been waiting, but as soon as she saw someone passing by, she pushed the door open at once and fell behind.

    "Help me!"

    Startled, the middle-aged man stared at Jolly for a long time but still couldn''t respond to what was happening.

    Jolly''s arms and legs had been tied up, and it was evidently a kidnapping. Moreover, an adult male''s arms reached out from the van very quickly and violently dragged her back inside.

    "Help!" Jolly shouted toward the middle-aged man. "Call the cops!"

    It was evident the man didn''t want to involve himself in trouble as he fled at once. Just before Jolly was dragged into the van, a car pulled over on the opposite side of the road and out came a few men who looked like bodyguards. "There!" One of them shouted as they pointed to Jolly.

    "Put her down!"

 Chapter 505

    The sky had gonepletely dark by the time Rachel and Justin managed to get ahold of Jolly. At this time, the other guests who came for the wedding had already left. Victor''s colleagues all resided in Riverdale, so they didn''t have much trouble traveling back and forth. Gloria''s colleagues, on the other hand, were flying back at night, and they had all been sent to the airport.

    After Gloria sent her colleagues away, she and Victor rushed back to the summer vi from the airport, and they sensed the tense atmosphere as soon as they came through the door.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Jolly had already made herselffortable on the couch like nothing had happened to her at this point-that is, if one overlooked her beyond-grim face.

    "What happened?" Gloria asked, baffled. "Victor and I found Leroy''s car blocked off at the vi entrance when we came back. The sentry said Justin banned him froming in. Jolly, you''re the one who gave the order, didn''t you? It''s freezing out there. What''s with all of this?"

    "He''s a grown adult capable of looking after himself. There are tons of ces he can go to if he doesn''t want to freeze his a*s off. Who does he think he is toe to my friend''s house and y victim?!"

    Gobsmacked by Jolly''s heartless words, Gloria exchanged a nce with Victor, who stood next to her.

    What in the world is going on?!

    Hadn''t Jolly and Leroy been all lovey-dovey and inseparable all this while? How did things flip so suddenly?! At that, Gloria slumped onto the couch, sitting next to Rachel as she whispered, "Rachel, what happened?"

    "It''s a long story." Rachel''s gaze was filled with mixed emotions. She didn''t know where to begin exining either.

    "I''ll do it." Justin took over, not wanting Rachel to be in a tough spot. "Jolly was kidnapped by two guys who snuck in here during the wedding ceremony. However, nothing bad really happened since Leroy showed up in time with his men."

    Justin left the wedding dress part out since it was better for fewer people to know about the cruise incident. Jolly was the Carters'' only daughter, so it was within reason for desperate kidnappers to do her harm.

    "Well, wasn''t that a situation where the hero saved the damsel in distress?" Gloria was even more baffled. "Isn''t that a scene you''ve been longing for, Jolly?"

    "Longing for my a*s! I never thought about. dating someone from the underworld! That guy''s a sham!"

    Jolly''s words shook Gloria to the core. "T-The underworld?"

    Victor and Hernandez were visibly shocked as well. This is absolutely ridiculous! Rachel''s gaze remainedplicated. "It''s a long story as well."

    "You guys long knew about this, but no one thought about bringing it up with me, eh?!" Jolly red at Rachel. "Why is everyone hiding something so important from me?"

    Rachel was at a loss for words. She feared Jolly questioning her the most. She wanted to bring up Leroy''s background the moment she heard it from Justin, but she kept hesitating. Plus, she never found the right time to mention it to Jolly. More than that, she also thought it was best if Leroy told Jolly himself.

    "Calm down, Jolly." Frostced Justin''s face, having had enough of Jolly''s attitude. "Rachel had your best interests in heart. Your parents know about this as well. They didn''t tell you about it either, did they? How would you have reacted if they told you frankly?"

    "1-" Jolly gritted her teeth, and her face turned grimmer. She had been a rebellious one all her life, absolutely unwilling to do anything she was. forced into. The Carters wanted her to break up with Leroy because of his background, and the only reason they didn''t mention i to her was that they assumed Jolly would not give a damn about her boyfriend''s family and background.

    Since that was the case, what change woulde from Rachel telling her?

    "More importantly, he should be the one telling you this since you two are dating," said Justin matter-of-factly. "We''re considered outsiders. He''s the one who should be frank with you, not us."

    Jolly clenched her fists in response, her brows locked into a deep furrow. It pained Rachel to see her like this, and so she coaxed her like a child. "Perhaps you should hear Leroy out. It''s not like he has done the irredeemable. No one gets to choose the family. they were born into, right?" she said.

    After a long while, Jolly finally nodded. ''I''m going out for a while."

    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief after watching. her head out. "Goodness, Gloria held her chest. ''I thought she was going to flip. That got my heart beating."

    Hernandez echoed by saying, "If it were in the past, she''d have gone ballistic and insisted on a breakup if she found out her boyfriend hid something from her."

    "What underworld were you guys talking about?" Gloria couldn''t help wanting to satisfy her curiosity. "Isn''t Leroy an A-list celebrity? What does he have to do with the underworld?"

    "He''s the young master of Lush." Justin''s voice wasn''t loud, but it carried multitudes. Gobsmacked, Gloria''s eyes widened upon hearing that. "What did you say?!"

    As a non-native, Hernandez was naturally clueless. "What''s Lush?""

    "They''re a gang based in Enistan," Rachel exined, "and these organizations are legal there as they are closely knitted to the economic development in the country. Lush has thergest developmental scale, after all." In other words, it was an underworld gang.

    "Burton Group had a coboration with Leroy not long after he dove into showbiz, and I learned about his not-so-normal background by chance. As such, I had Frankie do some digging," Justin added.

    Everything had been fine until they started digging and nearlynded themselves in deep sh*t back then..

    Leroy had Lush''s power behind his back, but for some reason, he grew up in Riverdale andter entered showbiz. However, judging from his. career development all these years, he didn''t seem to have any ties with Lush.

    "Do both of you know about this?" Gloria looked at Rachel and Justin with surprise. ''Jolly''s parents too?"

    Rachel nodded in affirmation. "I learned about it a lotter, just before Springfest. Before that, I couldn''t understand why her parents would oppose their marriage either."

    ''I don''t know much of the details," Justinmented. "However, the infighting in Enistan''s gangs is pretty severe. Naturally, Lush is no exception. The reason for Leroy to live all his years away from it all surely isn''t simple. Mr. and Mrs. Carter are envisaging Jolly''s safety." Jolly was all they had, and this girl grew up pampered. She never had to worry about the necessities in life. Even if she would never marry her whole life, they could continue to support her just fine. Why give her away to a man who couldn''t even be certain of his own safety?

    It was only then that Gloria understood the whole thing. At that, she took a gander outside. "But knowing her, I don''t think she''ll see this as a problem."

    "Indeed." Rachel nodded in affirmation. Despite her worries, she still said, "It''s all down to her now. This isn''t really something we can help her with."

    Just then, a phone rang, and Justin answered the call after checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

    "Alright, I got it. Thanks."

    "Yeah, she''s fine."

    Then, the caller said something that got Justin turning grave. "Do we still have nothing on the two guys?"

    While Justin was on the phone, Rachel''s brows locked into a deep furrow, and she clenched her fists tightly after hearing his words.

    She knew the call was from Ryan. After learning: of Jolly''s disappearance in the afternoon, Ryan instantly took his men out with him to search for her as well. He was just a step behind Leroy. Now, he was still digging into the situation since the wedding dress was currently in his hands.

    She had a feeling that a new storm was brewing.

 Chapter 506

    Right after hanging up, Justin ryed the situation with the cops to Rachel. "The van was found abandoned in the suburbs, and the kidnappers have gone under the radar. So far, they haven''t managed to identify them yet, but if my guess is right, the Jockey Club is

    probably behind this."

    "Is it because of the wedding dress?"

    Justin nodded in response. As Gloria and the others knew nothing of the cruise incident, they were bewildered by where the conversation was heading. "What wedding dress? How does this have something to do with a wedding dress right now?"

    "It''s nothing, really. Jolly happens to have a priceless wedding dress with her. It''s a master''s work, and it''s worth a fortune. Someone has their eyes on it, so that is why this happened."

    "What wedding dress are we looking at that''s worth kidnapping someone for? A past century''s collector''s item?" Gloria still couldn''t wrap her head around it. However, Rachel didn''t exin further.

    Seeing that it was gettingte, she urged everyone to go to bed. "You''ve all had a long day, go and get some rest. There''s no need to worry since everything''s fine."

    Gloria wanted to press on, but Victor stopped her. "Come on, let''s go. Let''s not add trouble to the issue."

    "Okay."

    Hernandez yawned. "I''m going to go to bed too."

    With that, everyone left, leaving Rachel and Justin still in the living room. "I''ll go and check on the kids." Rachel put her cup down and went to Samuel''s room.

    The nanny had already showered the children, but it hadn''t reached their bedtime. Plus, Charlotte refused to go to her room and wanted to stay with Samuel, so the two yed in his room. As soon as Rachel opened the door, she found the kids sprawled out on the carpet Fortunately, all the rooms had underfloor heating, or they would surely catch a cold when they fell asleep on the floor like that.

    A helpless Rachel went in, and just as she was about to pick Samuel up, Justin''s voice came from the doorway. "I''ll do it."

    He hadn''t spoken loudly, but it was still clear against the silent night. While Rachel was in a daze, Justin had already entered, carried Samuel to his bed, and picked Charlotte up to bring her back to her room. The kids had gotten so big now that Rachel really had a tough time carrying them herself.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    After Justin went out, she tucked Samuel in and scrutinized the child she had watched grow up. Indeed, he looked a lot like Ryan. It came as no surprise that Mariam was certain of his parentage upon first nce despite having never seen him before.

    At the thought of Jolly''s ties with the Sutton Family, Rachel couldn''t help getting worried. The sound of a door opening outside pulled Rachel back to reality, and she went out to find that Jolly hade back in, barefooted as she slumped onto the couch. "Where''s Leroy?" Rachel looked toward the main door.

    "He left."

    "It''s already sote at night. Where is he going?"

    "The hotel."

    Seeing that Jolly was rather collected, Rachel sat down. "How did it go with him? Have you guys made it clear?"

    "I want to reconsider."

    "Are you talking about the wedding?"

    "Yeah."

    Rachel was surprised by her answer. "I thought you wouldn''t have minded his background."

    "It''s not about his background but the fact that he hid that from me. Even if he''s a murderer, he shouldn''t hide anything from me. I''ve long made it clear to him that no matter the reason, I absolutely despise deception." "Though I get you and think Leroy should''ve dealt with this better, I still want to speak up for him." Rachel''s eyes were gentle yet unyielding. "If he insists on keeping this from you, he could''ve chosen not to save you."

    The fact was that Leroy actually used his identity and background to save Jolly. Jolly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking torn. At that, Rachel patted Jolly''s shoulder. "Don''t think about it for too long. This isn''t like you." "I know. I''ll figure it out before my parentse back."

    After having been through so much, Jolly matured significantly, no longer flipping out as soon as she encountered an issue. Her coolposition got Rachel feeling multitudes.

    For some reason, she felt unfortunate for Leroy. If Jolly had met him before Ryan, she would surely be obsessed over this mad love, and nothing would be able to stop her from being with the man she loved.

    It was too bad Leroy couldn''t witness that side of Jolly. Perhaps, apart from Ryan in the past, no one else would be able to witness it ever again.

    "Enough about that. Have they caught the kidnappers?"

    To that, Rachel shook her head. "They got away too quickly. Apparently, they are nowhere to be found. All there''s left is an abandoned van. However, they''ve taken the fingerprints in the van for analysis. If they had any previous convictions, the cops should be able to find them from their archives."

    Jolly nodded musingly. "By the way, what about Ryan?"

    "He''s still running around because of this. Those diamonds are in his hands, after all. He''s the one in the most dangerous situation now."

    "I''ll have him send the batch of diamonds to the Investigation Bureau tomorrow."

    "Are you fine with that?" Rachel was surprised.

    "It''s not mine to begin with, anyway. The important thing is to be alive. What''s the point of possessing so many diamonds if you''re dead? Am I going to encrust my urn with them?"

    "Tsk!" Rachel chided, "Can''t you have a little sense of taboo? We''re still in the middle of Springfest here, you know."

    "Springfest is pretty much over. It''s time to dive back into work tomorrow."

    "Yeah. Just like that, another Springfest is over."

    Jolly and Leroy still weren''t on speaking terms even a week after Springfest, and perhaps because Jolly had shifted her attention from love, she actually managed tond a hundred- million deal for Hudson Pharmaceuticals, alleviating thepany''s liquidity issue. "I''ve got to hand it to you, Jolly. To think you can get acquainted with a client by going to the gym." Rachel couldn''t help praising Jolly as she looked at the contract. "Your parents will surely think you''ve grown up if they see this contract."

    No one would believe that Jolly actually got the deal from someone running on the treadmill alongside her in the gym.

    "Even I had a hard time believing myself. We were just chatting, and he said his friend''spany is looking for a batch of medical equipment. I thought that sounded promising, so we continued chatting, and I ended up bagging the deal." "Either way, you''ve done a good one. I''ll treat you to dinner some other day."

    "Why some other day when we can do it today?"

    "I can''t." Rachel packed up and got ready to head out. "I''m meeting Justin tonight."

    "Huh?" Jolly''s gossip mode instantly switched on upon hearing so. "What''s going on between you two? You rarely join him for dinner."

    "What the heck are you thinking?" Rachel rolled her eyes at Jolly. "He''s about to head up north to work on Burton Group''s issues. The kids and I are going to bid him farewell, and it just so happens that I have something to give him." "What is it?"

    "Burton Group''s shares." Rachel grabbed a document on the table. "It''s supposed to be his in the first ce. I''m sure he needs this more than I do now."

 Chapter 507

    After realizing she was skimming through an equity transfer agreement, Jolly handed it back to Rachel, saying, "I bet he''ll turn you down. He''s a bit of a male chauvinist, so he wouldn''t take back what he has given out." Rachel frowned in response. "Charlotte doesn''t need this now, though."

    "I suggest you change it to an entrusted shareholder agreement. That way, he can manage and execute the share rights on behalf of Charlotte as one of her guardians. Apart from the trading rights, everything else is still in his hands." Rachel pondered on her suggestion for a while before deciding. "Alright, I''ll do as you say then."

    Likewise, she thought Justin wouldn''t take back the shares. Jolly leaned against the couch and sighed. "Honestly, Chris, I envy you a little now."

    "What''s there to be envious about?"

    "That you don''t have any rtionship problems."

    Jolly turned andy on her stomach against the armrest, looking at Rachel with crystal-clear eyes, "Why have you never loved anyone else apart from Justin?" "Maybe it''s because I don''t live as passionately as you do."

    Rachel took the freshly printed papers from the printer, then replied to Jolly with a smile, "You may be envious of me, but do you know how many are envious of you?"

    "Envious of my blindness?"

    "Envious of your courage to love and hate, as well as your ability to let something go."

    After securing the document, Rachel grabbed her bag, ready to head out. "Alright, let''s not get envious of whoever. Your mom and dad arending tomorrow, aren''t they? You''d better think about how you should discuss Leroy with them."

    Though Jolly imed to still not be on speaking terms with Leroy, based on Rachel''s observation, there had been a few nights where Jolly only came home after midnight, and the clothes she changed out of the next day would either smell like Texan barbecue or Asian hot pot.

    Well, she''d be a Dutchman if Jolly said she hadn''t been out with Leroy forte-night suppers. Meanwhile, Justin and the kids had been sitting in the restaurant for a while when Rachel arrived.

    "Over here, Mommy!"

    Charlotte waved at Rachel as she stood on her chair. However, Justin brought her down and reprimanded her for stepping on the chair with her shoes on.

    "My shoes are clean, though!"

    "Even if they are, you can''t do that." "Hmph!"

    The moment Rachel arrived at the table, she found an indignant Charlotte with her arms crossed in front of her chest and head turned away from Justin. "What''s going on?" Rachel rubbed her fingers against Charlotte''s cheek. "Has someone upset our little princess? Look at your puffy little cheeks." "Daddy snapped at me." The little girl pouted. "Is that so? Why don''t we punish Daddy by not giving him any ice creamter?"

    "Okay!"

    "I only told her off for stepping on the chair with her shoes on," said Justin helplessly. "How am I in the wrong now?"

    "Why snap at her when you could''ve just told her?"

    "I didn''t, I swear."

    "You did!" Charlotte red at her father. "You were like a big, bad meanie!"

    On the other hand, Samuel put all his attention on his juice, looking like he was siding with Charlotte unconditionally. There was no way he was going to stand up for Justin. s, nothing Justin said or did would help him clear his name now.

    He turned to Charlotte, feeling helpless. "You sure have gotten yourself two great backers." At that, Charlotte stuck her tongue out at him, looking all smug.

    In actuality, Rachel would normally be the one to educate Charlotte on her behavior away from home, and she would be assertive about it most of the time despite wanting to go soft on the little girl. However, it was a special day that day, and she felt bad for Charlotte when she saw her cherubic little face, for the little girl still didn''t know her father would be leaving Riverdale soon.

    "Have you ordered anything yet?" Rachel asked.

    "I''ve ordered a few," said Justin as he handed the menu to her. "See if there''s anything you want."

    "I''ll just have a ss of juice."

    Rachel couldn''t be bothered to look through the menu as she pulled out the entrusted shareholder agreement and handed it to Justin. "This is for you."

    He opened the folder and frowned upon seeing its content.

    "Don''t turn me down just yet." Rachel spoke up before he said anything. "I was originally nning to return the shares to you, but I doubt you''ll ept them. As such, I took Jolly on her suggestion and did this. Charlotte''s still little; she can''t make the decisions, and I''m not part of Burton Group, nor do I want to get myself involved with its issues. I still think it''s better if they''re in your hands."

    Momentster, Justin closed the folder and put it aside. "I''ll take it."

    "Isn''t this much simpler?" Rachel smiled. Halfway through their meal, the kids went to the y area to y with the slides, leaving Rachel and Justin at the table.

    "When are you heading off?"

    "Tomorrow."

    "So soon?"

    "The n was to leave today, but the kids'' new semester only starts tomorrow, right? No harm done staying another day, lest she kicks up a fuss."

    "She''ll kick up a fuss even after you leave tomorrow."

    At the thought of Charlotte''s indignant look, Rachel couldn''t help chuckling. "You''d better be prepared. She''ll definitely call and snap at you after she finds out."

    "If only she''s as sweet-natured as Samuel. Maybe she''ll be an easier child if she grows up with you."

    "Why would you say that?" Rachel nced at him. "Charlotte''s a sweet child too. She''s just a little more bratty in front of you because she knows you spoil her. She''s an angel outside."

    "Are you sure? I heard from Victor that she already caused a ton of trouble soon after starting school. Victor''s the one who usually settles it for us, seeing that we''re swamped with work when the other parents went toin to the school." "Well, she''s just a kid. It''s fine if she''s a little mischievous."

    The two weren''t quite sure what to make of Charlotte and her ''glorious'' feat in school.

    As night fell, the neon signs lit up one after another, illuminating the city''s nightlife. However, away from the crowded ces, the private kitchen in a quiet old alley added a hint of warmth to the liveliness.

    Meanwhile, a tall figure stood in front of the window of a hospital ward. Behind him came Edison''s voice. "President Sutton, we''ve already found everything out. Here''s all the information."

    Ryan took the envelope from him and pulled out a fresh piece of letter-sized paper. On it was the detective''s investigation report on Leroy''s background. It was different from the one Justin had gotten way earlier, this one was evidently more interesting.

    "It seems that they don''t really think much of him either."

    "Why would they when he''s just an illegitimate son? Otherwise, he wouldn''t have grown up with just his mother, and he wouldn''t have to work as a modelter to support them both. However, who''d have thought they could never produce an heir on their side? Now, the old man''s on hisst legs due to his serious illness, leaving the woman to take charge of the gang. If they don''t bring him back and turn him into their puppet, the people below won''t listen to her."

    "In other words, they do want him to go back."

    "That''s right, or they wouldn''t send people to protect him. No doubt things will turn chaotic on their side if an opposing gang manages to get to him."

    Ryan fell into deep thought after hearing Edison''s words. "Whether he goes back or not, the situation here will still be in my favor."

    After Edison left, Ryan made an overseas call. "Hello? It''s me."N?velDrama.Org content.

    His face reflected against the window, and his eyes seemed to be stamped with an inborn aloofness.

 Chapter 508

    Later on, Justin, Rachel, and the kids left the restaurant. Though Charlotte had been upset with Justin during dinner, she was now in his arms, fighting to stay awake while yawning continuously. After Rachel opened the car door, Samuel consciously climbed into his safety seat. "Charlotte, say goodbye to Daddy," said Rachel.

    "Bye-bye, Daddy."

    The little girl held Justin''s head and gave him a big wet kiss on the cheek. Justin kissed her forehead in return and put her into the car, buckling her seatbelt for her as well.

    "Go to bed early when you get home, okay? Don''t stay upte, and you have to eat your meals with the nanny whenever your mommy''s busy."

    "Okay, Daddy. You''re bing very naggy." Charlotte yawned whileining, then said groggily, "Daddy, don''t forget to pick Samuel and me up this weekend."

    "Alright," promised Justin, giving her a hug before closing the door.

    "Drive safe."

    Rachel nodded in acknowledgment. "Come back often if you can. Charlotte will miss you."

    "Sure. Take care of yourself."

    "You too."

    The weather had gotten warmer after Springfest, but the nights were still chilly.

    The two chatted in front of the car for a long while before Rachel drove off, leaving Justin standing by the entrance of the private kitchen. With his hands in his pockets, he watched the tail lights gradually shrinking into a tiny, glowing dot before getting into his car. Justin would be leaving Riverdale by the next sunrise.

    The so-called North Riverdale simply meant north of Riverdale. It sounded close to Riverdale, but in reality, the headquarter of Burton Group''s subsidiary in North Riverdale was very far away. A train ride would take up to ten-plus hours, and a flight would take over three hours. Thus, driving back would clearly be unrealistic.

    Rachel believed Justin would have to go back on his words even though he had promised Charlotte to pick her up on the weekend..

    The following day, Rachel and Jolly searched left and right for Richard and Marilyn at the arrival hall of Riverdale Airport.

    "Isn''t the flight supposed tond at 2.30PM?" Jolly checked her watch. "What''s up with that?"

    Since Richard and Marilyn said they would bending at the airport by 2.30PM, Rachel and Jolly came to pick them up at the airport. However, it was already fast approaching 3.30PM, yet they were nowhere in sight.

    "I''ll go and ask for their flight information. Try calling your parents again." With that, Rachel headed to the information desk.

    "Hi, I''d like to inquire about some flight information. Has this flightnded?" Rachel handed her phone with the flight number disyed on the screen to the staff behind the desk.

    "Please hold on. Let me check."

    "Thank you."

    A momentter, the staff looked up at Rachel and said, "The nended on time an hour ago."

    "Is that so? Thanks."

    Knowing Mr. and Mrs. Carter, they would''ve at least texted us if their flightnded an hour ago. Rachel thought this was weird.

    Meanwhile, Jolly was still trying to reach her parents but couldn''t get through no matter how many times she tried. "Chris, I can''t reach my parents. Did you manage to find out anything?"

    "The staff said the nended an hour ago."

    "What''s going on?"

    Just as Jolly was about to make another call, her phone rang, and the caller ID made her eyes light up. "It''s my mom."

    Unfortunately, before she could even feel at ease, an unfamiliar male voice on the other end of the line made her frown.

    "Is this Miss Carter?"

    "W-Who''s this?"

    "That''s beside the question. Now, Miss Carter, you must be anxious when you still haven''t managed to pick up Mr. and Mrs. Carter, am I right? I''m calling to let you know that they''re perfectly safe now, and you don''t have to worry." "What have you done to my parents?"

    Jolly''s ghastly face startled Rachel, and the former''s words pierced her eardrums too. Has something gone wrong?! Rachel grew nervous in an instant.

    "Rx, I''ve merely asked Mr. and Mrs. Carter to stay a little longer. However, as for whether they can sessfully take the next flight home, it alles down to you, Miss Carter."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You''re still young, Miss Carter. Why do you want to drag yourself into a situation you have no control over? There are so many good men in this world. There''s more than one way to skin a cat. Do you want to see your family suffer for your choices?" Aside, Rachel''s heart skipped a beat upon hearing so. "What in the world are you trying to say?" A little obtuse, Jolly couldn''t catch what the caller was implying.N?velDrama.Org content.

    "I won''t beat around the bush anymore, then. Break up with Leroy, or I guarantee something like this will continue to happen."

    Jolly''s pupils shrunk instantly, and she balled her free hand into a fist, clenching it hard.

    "Who the heck are you?!"

    "Think it over, Miss Carter. This is just a warning." With that, the caller hung up. "Jolly." Rachel reacted quickly and supported the woman. "Chris, what should I do?"

    "Do as he says first," Rachel said at once. "The most important thing now is having your parents return safely. We''ll figure out the rest after that." "Alright." Jolly clenched her teeth. However, before Jolly could figure out what to do about her rtionship with Leroy, she suddenly got a call from Marilyn. "Jolly." Marilyn''s voice sounded the second Jolly answered the call. bbergasted, she asked in a shaky voice, "Mom, are you and Dad okay?"

    "We''re fine. It''s just that something went wrong with the lift at the airport over here. Your dad and I got stuck in it, so we missed our flight and had to wait for the next one. However, there wasn''t any signal in the lift. We managed to open up a gap and asked the staff to call you with my phone. Who''d have thought we were saved as soon as the staff ended the call?"

    Jolly gritted her teeth upon hearing Marliyn''s words, unable to utter a word. At that, Rachel hurriedly said, "We got the call, Mrs. Carter. Are you guys okay now?"

    "We''re fine. We''ve changed the flight. Alright, I''m hanging up. Richard and I are boarding now. It''ll probably be prettyte by the time we reach Riverdale, so don''t bother picking us up anymore. We''ll get a taxi ourselves. You girls should sleep early, okay?" After Marilyn hung up, the screen dimmed.

    "It''s all okay now. You heard your mom; they''re already getting into the ne." Rachel patted Jolly''s shoulder.

    "I still don''t feel easy. I want to wait for them here."

    "It''ll be around midnight by the time theynd. Are you sure you want to wait here?" Rachel checked the time. "How about this? We''ll go back first, thene over when it''s almost time."

    Jolly shook her head, looking beyond awful. "He said this is just a warning."

    In other words, if she refused to break up with Leroy, more ''idents'' like this would continue to pop up.

 Chapter 509

    "Don''t rush to a decision just yet. We should talk to Leroy about this first." Rachel held Jolly''s hand. "Also, don''t let your imaginations run wild. At the very least, you have to know what''s up with his family and who was behind that call. We can''t let others threaten us for nothing, don''t you think so?"

    Jolly nodded in agreement. "Okay."

    "Let''s not wait here for your parents anymore. They''ll surely be worried about you and assume something is up if they see you here in the middle of the night."

    "Yeah."

    "Let''s go home, then. I''ll contact Leroy."

    "Sure." After much persuasion, Rachel finally sessfully calmed Jolly down and took her away from the airport.

    Later on, Richard and Marilyn arrived at Riverdale in the middle of the night. As soon as they got home, they texted Jolly and Rachel and even sent them a picture of the souvenirs they got, telling them toe and collect it themselves.

    "There you go. There''s no need to worry anymore," said Rachel whileforting Jolly. "Get some sleep. Leroy wille to thepany tomorrow. We''ll sit down and talk then."

    Jolly took a deep breath. "Chris, can I sleep with you tonight?"

    "Of course."

    Rachel hugged her at that. In the years before returning to Riverdale, she and Jolly would often fumble and hug while sobbing from a meltdown after taking care of Samuel. At that time, it really felt like they only had each other.

    Early the next morning at Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Xander left and closed the door behind him after bringing some refreshments into Rachel''s office, giving the three some personal space. Meanwhile, Leroy sat across from Rachel and Jolly, looking like a legit interrogation.

    "I''ve already gotten someone to dig into it, but nothing hase up just yet." Leroy took pains to speak up. "I''m really sorry. I didn''t think Mr. and Mrs. Carter would be dragged into this."

    Knowing it was tough for Jolly to put her thoughts to words, Rachel spoke on her behalf. "Now that things havee to this, we''ll be able to get ourselves ready sooner the more we know. Regardless of whether you still want to be with Jolly, you should be a little more open about this now, don''t you think so?"

    Leroy''s gaze was enveloped in a mix of emotions. He was a bright and warm guy, but even his brows were locked into a deep furrow at this time; it seemed like a frosty fog had enveloped the warm, spring sun.

    On the other hand, Jolly hit the roof. "My parents nearly lost their lives, and you''re still keeping things to yourself? Just what sort of dark secret does your family have that you can''t speak of?!"

    "That''s not what I mean. I know I should''ve told you long ago."

    "Say it, then. We''re all ears."

    Richard and Marilyn''s near-death incident gave Jolly such a massive blow that she couldn''t talk about this calmly.

    "I''m sure you guys know what Lush Enterprise does, so I won''t go into that," said Leroy. "Strictly speaking, I don''t have anything to do with Lush Enterprise in the first ce. I''ve lived with my mom in Riverdale my whole life. I had no idea who my birth father was until I was twenty. After my mother''s passing, someone from Lush found me and called me their young master."

    The guy hade to persuade Leroy to return to Enistan, and this only happened a few years ago.N?velDrama.Org content.

    At that time, he had only begun modeling, working part-time while doing his bachelor''s degree to pay for his tuition. One day, the counselor sent him to the dean''s office, where a man in a suit greeted him deferentially, calling him his young master. He even asked Leroy to return to Enistan with him and inherit the family business.

    "I didn''t know anything about Lush back then. I thought it was just some simplepany where the boss had no direct descendants, so they remembered my existence. However, my mom had suffered so much through the years. If he had appeared sooner, she might not have died..."

    At that, griefced Leroy''s eyes. Rachel thought from the bottom of her heart that this man was truly gentle. Even when he was talking about his mother''s death and his resentment toward his father, he was still gentle. His sadness outweighed his resentment. "Did you go back?"

    "Once. I went back with that guy. I wanted to know what kind of guy my birth father was." Leroy followed that assistant to Enistan. That was his first time eating in a ptial residence and the first time he met his birth father. But very quickly, he found out his father was suffering from cancer and wouldn''t live for long.

    "He wanted me to stay, as well as that woman."

    "That woman?" Rachel was puzzled. "His wife. The guy who came looking for me in Riverdale was actually her subordinate."

    The old man seeded Lush''s tradition in keeping his head in work, having not much interest in women. All these years, his missus was the only woman he had around, but they had no children.

    "They probably didn''t have any kids, so they brought me back and even arranged a marriage for me. If I stayed, everything would go ording to their n."

    Rachel wasn''t sure how to feel after hearing Leroy''s words. She thought it was a sentimental father-son meeting, but who''d have thought it was just an exchange of interest?

    Anyone could tell the old man and the woman''s wish for Leroy to go back to them wasn''t out of the so-called kinship, but because the old man was on hisst legs. A gang that stressed bloodline inheritance like Lush would need someone to take over after the old man passed, even if that person would inevitably be a puppet.

    If Leroy had agreed to stay, a marriage would inevitably be bestowed upon him, but who would eventually rule Lush? Perhaps it would be the underboss or even that woman, but anyhow, it would never be Leroy, the illegitimate son.

    "I came back to Riverdale after that visit and never went back again."

    Leroy had explicitly turned down the old man and the woman''s generous invitation, for he would rather be an average Joe and live his life earning every penny honestly. Despite them saying that they wouldn''t force Leroy, but in reality, they never gave up.

    Six years ago, Leroy''s career in showbiz suddenly rose by leaps and bounds. Countless resources were thrown in his way; any script he was given would be a big production directed by a big shot, and his concerts would sell out in a snap...

    Jolly frowned in response and couldn''t help asking, "Are you trying to say that your birth father sees an importance in you?"

    Leroy shook his head. "Do you guys understand what ''kill by ttery'' means?"

    It was to send someone up into the heavens, only to have him plunge into hell when he least expected it-that was what the woman was doing.

    "Starting from two years ago, that woman had her men engage with me frequently in all sorts of situations. She has invaded every single corner of my life."

    A life like that was horrifying. One wouldn''t know when their manager or assistant would suddenly be someone else''s spy, reporting their every move...

    At that point, Rachel and Jolly had gotten a good picture of things. "The one who threatened Jolly was one of her men, wasn''t it?" Rachel asked. Jolly bore into Leroy as she waited for his answer.

    He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled with his head hung low, looking as though a massive boulder was weighing on his shoulders, making him unable to look straight into the eyes of the people in front of him. "Probably."

    Apart from that woman, he couldn''t think of anyone else who would do something like this. "Why couldn''t you have told me any of this sooner?" Jolly continued to bore into him. "If you had told me sooner, I might have been able to warm my parents. We might have been able to figure something out. Why would you choose to hide this from me? Do you think I''m not worthy of knowing any of this?"

    ''Jolly, let''s break up."

 Chapter 510

    Jolly had never expected that Leroy would break up with her. It had been more than twenty years since she was born, but no one had ever dumped her before. When she was in a rtionship with Ryan in the past, she was the one who left without saying anything and ditched him.

    Although she was burning with fury, she found it hard to vent her anger. "What did you just say?"

    Leroy looked up. "We''re really not a good match. I''m sorry. Let''s end it here."

    Seeing that Jolly''s expression was gloomy, Rachel said, "You have to think it through, Leroy. You can''t break up with her just because you feel like doing it."

    "I''ve given it some serious thought. It''s been a pleasure getting to know all of you. Thanks, and sorry." After finishing his words, Leroy rose from the chair, and Rachel did the same.

    "I''ll take my leave now." He then directly left the office. Just when Rachel wanted to say something. Jolly cut her off and snapped, "You have no right to break up with me! I was the one who was supposed to say it! Let''s end it here, then! I didn''t want to be with you to begin with!"

    Like a lioness whose fur was standing on end, Jolly was infuriated. After the man was gone, she turned to look at Rachel and said, "How does he have the nerve to break up with me? I was supposed to say it. He has no right to do that to me!" "Jolly."

    "He crossed the line. He''s a terrible guy just like Ryan!" Jolly kept cursing at Leroy for a long time before she suddenly took a seat and hung her head low. "How could he break up with me just like that?"

    Rachel patted her shoulders. "Don''t you want to break up with him as well? He did it so that you didn''t have to. Honestly speaking, he has done you a favor."

    All of a sudden, Jolly wrapped her arms around Rachel and cried her eyes out. While patting her back, Rachel cated her by saying, "Just cry it all out. You''ll be fine."

    As she consoled Jolly, she took a nce at the couch across from her where Leroy''s coat was ced. On such a chilly day, he had left the ce without even taking the coat with him. How was it possible that he was such a cold-hearted man? Before the meet-up with Leroy on this day, Rachel knew that Jolly was prepared to break up with him.

    Jolly was indeed a fervent woman who could do anything for the man she loved, but she would never let her parents take the risk alongside her. Leroy''s identity and background meant that she would be faced with various risks by getting together with him, and her parents would definitely be affected. She could never be so selfish.

    Once she was done crying, she wiped the tears. off her eyes and uttered, "Don''t tell my parents about it. I don''t want them to worry."

    "No problem."

    "I''ll tell them that I broke up with Leroy peacefully sometimeter."

    "Sure, you have the final say."

    "It''s fine even if we don''t fall in love, right?" Jolly lifted her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, looking like two peaches. "We have kids and our own careers. Our future is bright."

    Rachel had the urge to tell her that it was indeed fine even if she didn''t fall in love, but the fact that there was a man she loved but couldn''t get was her biggest source of suffering. "You have a point. You''re doing fine on your own."

    "It''s not fine!" Jolly suddenly started bawling again while cursing at Leroy. "That b*stard!"

    A helpless Rachel passed her a piece of tissue to wipe her tears. She wondered when this situation would end.

    In the afternoon, Rachel had to pick up the kids from school.

    "Mommy!" Charlotte was the first to rush out of the crowd as she crashed into Rachel''s arms like a rabbit. On the other hand, Samuel, who was behind her, was as slow as a snail.

    Rachel beckoned to Samuel to get him to walk faster. After all, it would be hard for her to drive the car out of the schoolpound when more people gathered at the entrance. Just then, a bashful figure was seen appearing beside her. "Are you Charlotte''s mom, Madam? A startled Rachel looked down and saw an adorable young boy gazing at her with his head tipped back. He appeared sheepish as his face was all red; it was as though he had summoned his courage to speak to her.

    "Why are you following me?" Charlotte immediately got out of Rachel''s embrace and red at the young boy with childish vignce. The young boy''s face turned a shade redder. "I- I''m sorry."

    "The entrance is pretty wide. How could you say that he''s following you?" Rachel pulled Charlotte''s hand. "You can''t be so fierce to your schoolmate."

    "It''s fine, Madam." The young boy hurriedly. shook his head. Charlotte ignored him as she urged Rachel to leave immediately. "Let''s go, Mommy. I''d like to have some French fries." "Say goodbye to your schoolmate, then."

    "Let''s go, Mommy!" Charlotte wasn''t willing to do as she was told. She then turned her head and shouted, "Hurry up, Samuel! We''re getting some French fries."

    A helpless Rachel could only leave this ce with them.

    "Madam!" The young boy ran after them. "Madam."N?velDrama.Org content.

    A puzzled Rachel asked, "What''s wrong?"

    "What are you doing?" Impatience was written all over Charlotte''s face. "Why do you keep following us, Freddie?"

    "..." the young boy muttered, but he couldn''t bring himself to say what was on his mind. "What on earth do you want?"

    Unable to take it anymore, Samuel yawned and said, "He wants to invite you to his birthday party this weekend."

    The young boy appeared even more bashful. It was then Rachel understood his intention as she bent down and asked, "Is it your birthday this weekend?"

    "Yes." The young boy nodded solemnly. "Can I invite Charlotte and Samuel over?"

    "Sure, but you have to tell them about it yourself. I can''t decide for them." Rachel put on a smile and patted Charlotte''s shoulder, hinting at the girl to respond to her ssmate. There was a fierce expression on Charlotte''s face. "Did you follow me all day just to tell me this?"

    "Huh? Yes." The young boy was visibly shy as he looked meekly at her and Samuel. "Can you twoe?"

    Samuel didn''t like attending parties, so he shook his head. "I''m not going." The young boy instantly sported a disappointed expression and appeared uneasy. "A-Alright. I''m sorry."

    Perhaps he believed that since the two of them grew up together, Charlotte would also turn him down as Samuel wasn''t going to the party.

    Therefore, he never asked Charlotte about it as he was ready to leave while feeling dejected. Charlotte ced her hands on her hips and snapped, "Hey, you haven''t asked me yet. What''s wrong with you, Freddie?"

    The young boy was startled for a moment before asking, "Can youe?"

    "Is there any cake? I love strawberry-vored cakes."

    "Yes, my mommy said that she''s going to make a threeyered strawberry cake. There will also be your favorite strawberry chocte."

    "That sounds great." Charlotte nodded with pleasure. "I''ll see you, then."

    "Alright!" The young boy bowed his head excitedly. "See you! Goodbye, Charlotte''s mom."

    Meanwhile, Rachel was dumbfounded while she stood to the side. She soon came to her senses and said, "Goodbye, Freddie."

    Is Charlotte some kind of socialite or princess at school? Just by looking at the way Charlotte bossed the young boy around, one might think that the birthday party was actually for her. Who in the world would take part in a friend''s party and still demand what kind of cake had to be prepared?

 Chapter 511

    Rachel was relieved that Charlotte had agreed to go to her schoolmate''s birthday party this weekend; that way, she would be able to tell her that Justin wouldn''t be in Riverdale at ater time. Charlotte would forget about it when she was exhausted. By dying the revtion, Rachel could let the young kid enjoy some happy days.

    Meanwhile, to make sure that Jolly wouldn''t stay at home and be shrouded in misery, Rachel brought her out for meals almost every day.

    "Have a taste of it, Godmother. It''s delicious." Charlotte''s hands were covered in grease when she picked up some French fries and dipped them in the ice cream before stuffing them into Jolly''s mouth.

    "Oh! Good grief! Thank you!"

    "What do you mean by good grief?"

    "It''s just an exmation."N?velDrama.Org content.

    "What is an exmation?"

    "It''s like saying ''Wow!'' or ''Fantastic!'', just things. like that."

    It was difficult for Jolly to take care of a kid, but it was the best idea to distract her. Samuel didn''t need anyone to take care of him. After he learned to walk, he would help cover Jolly and Rachel up with quilts in the middle of the night from time to time. Therefore, Charlotte''s naughtiness finally proved to be useful at this point.

    After all the dishes were served, Rachel started taking photos of them. While feeding Charlotte some food, Jolly asked, "When did you be one of those people who would take photos of the dishes before having them? You hated those people in the past." "I''m sending these photos to Justin. I suppose he misses the kids now," Rachel replied without lifting her head, then sent all the photos to Justin. Jolly uttered impassively, "I think he misses a certain someone, not the kids."

    "Can''t the food keep your mouth shut?"

    "How can you be so fierce to me when I''ve just fallen out of love?"

    "Have more food, then. I''ll pay the bill."

    "Stop treating me in such a perfunctory way." Jolly shook her head as she watched Rachel reply to the messages. "Well, it''s spring now. I guess it''s the season to watch Animal."

    Rachel wasn''t interested in responding to her. After Jolly''s breakup with Leroy, whenever she saw the secretaries speaking to the new male apprentices in the office, she would go over and ask about their progress. She would also tell them to find out whether their horoscopes were a match.

    If Jolly keeps doing this, everyone in the office will go mad while she''s still clear-headed, Rachel thought.

    Darkness finally descended. Le Grandeur was a city in the north where it would take a person three hours to travel from Riverdale by ne. The lights outside the office gradually went out. Other than Frankie, who was still handling some documents, Justin was the only one left in the office. After he was done going through the documents, he leaned against the chair and stroked his temples. There was a hint of tiredness on his face.

    He had to start everything anew in this ce. Even though he had brought with him the name of Burton Group, he hadn''t managed to gain a footing here due to various reasons. There were quite some predicaments he had to face.

    The office here was about half the size of the previous headquarters of Burton Group. Not only were the windows small, but the smell of new furniture also lingered in this ce.

    Frankie was initially displeased with this ce as he wanted to tear down the walls and get the office renovated, but the suggestion was turned down by Justin. They were just starting out with this newpany, so it was pointless to do anything that didn''t yield any meaningful results. He didn''t have any demands when it came to the looks of the office.

    Not long after he closed his eyes, his phone screen suddenly lit up and disyed Rachel''s messages. There were more than ten photos that showed the kids having a meal under some yellowish lights. Charlotte insisted on stuffing French fries into Jolly''s mouth while the woman sported a look of disdain.

    ''Today, Charlotte''s schoolmate invited her to attend his birthday party this weekend. Did you know what she said?''

    ''She demanded the kind of cake she wanted, and she even asked the young kid to prepare the snacks she loved.''

    Those who have no idea what''s going on might think that she''s a princess who is visiting her subject''s house instead of attending a birthday party.''

    The messages kept popping up on Justin''s phone screen. He slowly scrolled down as though he didn''t want to finish reading the messages so soon. He wasn''t aware that he no longer looked tired as there was a faint smile on his face.

    ''Have you had dinner?''

    Justin subconsciously typed that he hadn''t had his dinner, but he deleted it at thest minute. The message he sent was, ''I''m going to have my dinner.''

    ''You have to have your meals on time. Be mindful of what you eat.''

    ''Alright, you too. You''ve been working hardtely.'' After that, Rachel did not send him any more messages.

    Justin stared at the phone screen for a long time before he took another look at the photos sent to him by Rachel. The kids were having - fast food like pizzas, which didn''t look like a healthy meal. Rachel was good at persuading others to eat healthily, but she would spoil the kids when it came to their food choices.

    Just then, someone was heard knocking on the door. Frankie said, "It''s gettingte now, President Burton. I''ll order a meal for you."

    "Order a pizza, then."

    "Huh?" Frankie thought he heard it wrong.

    "I''d also like some spaghetti, a fried chicken tter, and iced juice." Justin listed the food he wanted nonchntly. He looked at the phone screen as though he was going through the menu of a fast food restaurant.

    Frankie scratched his head. Although he was puzzled, he didn''t ask any questions. He nodded and said, "I''ll order everything right away."

    It would take the delivery guy some time to send their food to this ce, so Frankie decided to report to Justin about the progress of the project. "All other problems have been solved except for fire control. It entirely depends on the subjective view of the other party. If they don''t approve it, our proposal will be dismissed directly."

    "Arrange a meal with Mr. Miller this weekend."

    - "President Burton..." Frankie was hesitant. "You''re fully aware of what Mr. Miller is like. Other than being an alcoholic, he also loves going to those ces..."

    "It''s fine. I''ll have a meal with him this weekend."

    Frankie had no choice but to agree to it while feeling bitter in his heart. One of the reasons for the north''s stagnant economy was its geographical environment. Other than that, corruption was rampant in those departments. Although such a problem existed in all parts of the country, it was the worst in the north.

    Justin was born with a golden spoon, and he was the heir to the Burton Family. He could basically do anything he wanted in Riverdale, so there had never been a need for him to entertain any corrupt officials over dinner.

    However, he had to start everything anew in this ce. "There''s one more thing, President Burton. Julian has returned to Riverdale."

    "How long did he stay overseas this time?"

    "He spent the entire spring overseas. From what I''ve gathered, he visited your aunt at the nursing home once, and he left Montenegro after that."

    "Where did he go?"

    "ording to his flight information, he came back from Los Anglia. If it wasn''t a direct flight, he probably changed nes in Seranka."

    Justin frowned. If his memory served him right, the elderly couple from the Carter Family had spent the spring holidays in Seranka. An idea shed through his mind, but he couldn''t quite grasp it. "What is Leroy doingtely?"

    "He has turned down all his jobs for the next few months. Hispany told the media that he''s taking a break due to health reasons. I''ve talked to them, and they said that they''re not going to expose the news that he and Miss Carter have separated for the time being. However, negativements about Miss Carter have started circting online following his break from work."

    "Talk to the media outlets that are on good terms with us and tell them not to write about it."

    "Don''t worry. I already called them yesterday, and they''re willing to not write anything about Miss Carter for your sake."

    Justin nodded and set his mind at ease.

 Chapter 512

    Rachel was always concerned about her friends as she would do everything she could to take care of them.

    After Justin left Riverdale, he was most worried that she would be distressed over Jolly and Leroy''s affairs. After all, no one could make any predictions when it came to love, and her concerns might do more harm than good..

    They were considered outsiders, after all. All they could do was reduce the criticism against Jolly and Leroy while protecting their privacy.

    After the meal was delivered, Justin said to Frankie, "It''s gettingte now. Go back and get some rest. You can continue working tomorrow."

    "It''s fine. I still have some documents to go through. I still have to work even if I go home, so I''ll just stay here a while longer." As soon as Frankie finished speaking, his phone started ringing. He took a nce at it and hung it up. Justin asked, "Was it your wife?" "Yes." Frankie scratched his head bashfully. "Go home now and call your wife and daughter. Don''t always hang up on her. Conflicts can easily arise as you''re in a long-distance rtionship with her."

    Frankie replied, "It''s fine. She''s an easy-going person. She''s just worried that I can''t get used to life in the north." Justin uttered, "It must be tough for you toe here with me."

    "What are you talking about, President Burton? I''ve been working for you for years, and you''ve been treating me well."

    Frankie started working for Justin after he graduated, and they had been through thick and thin over the years. Although he was Justin''s subordinate on paper, they were actually best friends. Therefore, even though he was given a better offer by Julian, he steadfastly decided to follow Justin to the north. Just then, Frankie''s phone started ringing again, and Justin urged him to go home.

    "I''ll take my leave, then."

    "Alright."

    As soon as Frankie reached the door, Justin suddenly called out to him and said, "Frankie, it won''t take long before we''ll go back to Riverdale, Tell your wife and child to rest assured."

    Frankie was startled for a moment, then his eyes were slightly covered in tears. Solemnly, he said, "I believe you."

    Regardless of what predicaments they faced, he had the confidence that Justin would lead them to solve all the problems. They would definitely go back to Riverdale one day.

    After Frankie was gone, Justin removed the wrapper around the pizza. He started having his meal while looking at the photos sent to him by Rachel. The tablemp cast ayer of softness on his usually cold-looking face.

    Soon, it was the day of the birthday party on the weekend. In the morning, Rachel urged Jolly to quickly prepared herself outside the bathroom.

    "Can I not attend?" "You have toe with me. I''m worried that I''lle home and find you unconscious after consuming too much alcohol."

    "Do I look like such a fragile person to you?" Jolly''s voice was hearding from the bathroom. "We broke up a long time ago, and I''ve gotten over it."

    "I''m d that you''ve gotten over it. I''ve prepared some clothes for you. Get changed and put on some proper makeup."

    "Are you saying that my makeup is usually tacky?"

    Ten minutester, Jolly got changed and came out of the bathroom. Rachel gazed at her with satisfaction. "That''s great. You finally look like a godmother now." "Can''t I look like a mother?"

    "A mother would never wear a dress and head out with the kids."

    "Why?"

    "Have you forgotten what happened after I told you to take care of Samuel for one day when he was two years old? You were wearing a dress that day."

    Jolly''s face fell as she recalled the

    horrible memory. At that time, Samuel just learned to walk, and Rachel had only started working. She was formented by Hernandez at work on a daily basis, and Julian happened to be too busy to fake care of the kid. That was why she had asked Jolly to look after Samuel.

    It was the first time Jolly headed out with a kid on her own, so she had never thought about how difficult it would be On that day, she still put on her mini skirt and carried Samuel to school. She had even brought Samuel into theboratory, not Knowing what would soon happen to her.

    Samuel was still very young at that time, so he was curious about everything he saw. While he kept throwing things to the ground, Jolly had to follow him and pick

    everything up. Given that she was wearing stilettos and a mini skirt, it was expected that she would fall to the ground. The worst part about it was that she had fallen right in front of her previous schoolmate with her bottom facing the man. It was the most embarrassing day of her life, and she didn''t want to think about it again.

    Jolly coughed. "Well, stop talking about it. Anyway, you''ll be responsible for looking after the kids while I look fabulous at the party."

    Rachel replied with a smile, "Sure, you''ll be the fairest of them all." When they reached the house of Charlotte''s

    schoolmate, many cars were already parked in front of the entrance. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw a fair-looking young boy gently pushing the nanny''s hand away and dashing forward. "Charlotte! You''re here as well, Samuel."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    A helpless Samuel shrugged. Rachel thought that Samuel had toe into contact with young kids of the same age more frequently as it would do him no good to always behave maturely. Therefore, she decided to bring him to the party.

    Since Freddie was in his own house, he appeared more vigorous than when he was at the school entrance. "My aunt bought me a new game console, Charlotte. Why don''t we y it together?"

    "We''ll talk about itter. I need some water now."

    "There''s juice inside." The young kids then skipped toward the house while Rachel and Jolly followed them.

    Jolly took a nce at the exterior of the vi and remarked, "It''s a good house, but the owners are pretty mannerless. They''re not even around to receive the guests. I suppose they''re the nouveau riche."

    "You''re invited to the party, but you still call them the nouveau riche." "Let''s make a bet. I''m sure the interior design of the house must be extremely gaudy."

    As they spoke, they reached the door of the vi. Just then, Freddie called out, "Mommy, Auntie, Charlotte''s mom is here."

    Jolly immediately kept her mouth shut as the two of them looked up and followed the voice. Freddie''s mother was a young and demure-looking woman. With a smile, she gazed at Rachel and said, "How are you, Charlotte''s mom? I''m Freddie''s mom." "Hi. I''m Charlotte''s mom, and she''s her godmother."

    Rachel caught herself as she was unable to speak any further. She was unable to put on a smile as she pursed her lips and subconsciously took a nce at Jolly.

    On the other hand, Jolly''s smile froze as well upon seeing the figure standing behind Freddie''s mother.

    Thest time they met the woman, they were in Sutton Manor. The meet-up turned out to be ugly for everyone while the woman watched on the side and hoped for the situation to exacerbate.

    "It''s been a long time." The woman beside Freddie''s mother soon came to her senses as she examined Rachel and Jolly. "It''s such a small world. I didn''t expect to see you here."

    A puzzled Freddie''s mother asked, "What''s wrong, Estelle? Do you know them?"

    Rachel pressed her lips into a line, then said in a tone that was filled with mixed feelings, "We''re just acquaintances; I''ve only met her once,"

    "We know each other pretty well, though," Jolly uttered impassively and shed a smile at the woman in front of her. Her gaze was filled with contempt. "Am I right, Mrs. Sutton?"

    The woman''s expression changed when she heard the other party calling her in such a disdainful way.

    Who could have expected Freddie''s aunt to be Estelle, Ryan''s former wife?

    They initially thought that they would never meet this woman again as they had nothing to do with each other anymore, but it so happened that they came across her over the weekend. Is it a coincidence? Rachel balled up her fists.

 Chapter 513

    Expectedly, Estelle was infuriated after Jolly called her ''Mrs. Sutton''.

    It had been three years since she divorced Ryan, but she never gave up on the title. She always imed to be a member of the Sutton Family to outsiders, and she still lived with Mariam in Sutton Manor following the divorce.

    However, Jolly''s tone was full of disdain when she called her ''Mrs. Sutton''. With a dark expression, Estelle snapped, "We don''t wee you here, Jolly!"

    "Jolly?" Freddie''s mother became startled for a moment as the name rang a bell. When she recalled who the person was, her expression changed. Indeed, it''s such a small world!

    Jolly did not even frown. "If I''m not mistaken, Mrs. Sutton, it''s the birthday party of Charlotte''s schoolmate, Freddie. Freddie and his mom invited us, not you."

    "You''re in Dolton Residence. Do you think I don''t have the final say?"

    Just when Jolly wanted to refute her, Rachel stopped the woman. "Forget it. Charlotte''s schoolmate is throwing a birthday party, so don''t make it ugly. Let''s go."

    Since the kids had entered the house, it was fine for the adults to talk in a rather hostile manner.

    Rachel then said to Freddie''s mother, ''We''re not going in. However, since the kids are here, it''ll be hard to exin to them if we leave all of a sudden. Let them y for a while. I''ll tell them that something happened and we have to leave. Is it alright for you, Mrs. Dolton?" Freddie''s mother was visibly relieved. Just when she was about to agree to it, Estelle cut her off.

    "Stop pretending to be a nice person. You''re Rachel, right?'' Estelle swept a nce over Rachel and Jolly before sneering. "Both of you snatched other women''s husbands and gave birth to their kids. That''s how you cling to those men. You''re just birds of a feather." "Mind yournguage!'' Jolly was most protective of her friends. She hadn''t nned on making a scene, but she didn''t expect Estelle to re up and chastise Rachel as well.

    "Am I not speaking the truth?" Estelle scoffed. "Everyone in Riverdale knows that you rely on the power of your family to cover up your dirty deeds."

    Just then, a loud p was heard as Estelle''s face jerked to the side. Her eyes were filled with disbelief. "How dare you p me!"

    "Why wouldn''t I dare to?" Jolly''s gaze was dark as she spoke in a condescending tone. "Haven''t you been telling everyone that I rely on my family to oppress you? I''m doing it right now so that your lie will turn into truth. You should thank me for that."

    "You-

    "Estelle, stop thinking that I have no idea what you''ve been doing behind my back for the past six months ever since I returned to Riverdale. I haven''t settled the score with you not because I''m foolish, nor am I afraid of you. I just can''t be bothered to deal with a sc*mbag like you."

    "Stop ndering me, Jolly!" Estelle was barking like a mad person as her sister-inw pulled her back. The noise had attracted the attention of the people at the party, so they gathered around - them.

    Samuel and Charlotte caught sight of it as well, and they quickly went over. Still, they had no idea what was going on. "Mommy."

    Rachel stuffed the car key into Samuel''s hands. "Bring Charlotte to the car first. We''ll be leaving soon." Samuel took a nce at them and asked maturely, "Are you alright? Do you want me to call Mr. Victor and Aunt Gloria?" "There''s no need for that. It''ll be over soon."

    After a nod, Samuel took Charlotte''s hand and brought her away. Upon seeing that, the star of the party and fair-looking young boy quickly ran after them.

    Presently, Rachel had no time to deal with the kids'' issues since onlookers were criticizing and talking about them.

    1

    "You''re fully aware of whether I''m ndering you or speaking the truth. Did I snatch your husband, Ryan?'' Jolly scoffed. "If I wanted to marry him, you wouldn''t have stood a chance. six years ago. To put it bluntly, I dumped Ryan, and don''t care that you got together with him and treated him like a piece of treasure. That was the case six years ago, and it''s still the same now."

    "Y-You..." Estelle''s face had turned pale. Her lips were shaking, but she was unable to say anything. Jolly gave her a sympathetic yet

    humiliating. look. "Are you furiol

    The man you''ve been conspiring to get is worthless in my eyes. Let''s go,

    Chris."

    As soon as she finished her words, Jolly turned around and left. While walking alongside her, Rachel couldn''t help but turn to look at the woman. Jolly''s petite yet delicate nose slightly tilted upward as she gave off a feeling of inherent nobility. Someone like Estelle would never understand this kind of innate pride. At the entrance of Dolton Residence, Freddie''s mother smoothed things over and asked the guests to get into the house.

    "I had no idea about the rtionship between Freddie''s schoolmate and the woman."

    "What''s the point of saying this now? Do you want to mock me as well?"

    "That''s not what I meant."

    "What did you mean, then?" Estelle shot her a re and stepped into the house. It''s not over yet!N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    - Meanwhile, the fair-looking young boy was standing beside Rachel''s car with a dejected expression. "Why are you leaving all of a sudden, Charlotte? We haven''t even had cake yet."

    Samuel and Charlotte had already gotten into the car. While resting her chin on the window frame, Charlotte exined, "Didn''t you see everything? Your aunt was arguing with my mom and my godmother. We have to go home, so you''d better go back now." Freddie was perplexed. "Why?"

    "Just ask your aunt about it."

    At this moment, Rachel and Jolly appeared. When Rachel saw the young kid standing beside her car, she felt sorry for him. "Freddie."

    The boy came to his senses and asked, "Are you going home, Charlotte''s mom?"

    "Yes. I''m sorry that we can''t celebrate your birthday with you since something came up. We have to bring Charlotte and Samuel home. Anyway, I wish you a happy birthday."

    Freddie was on the brink of bursting into tears.

    "But we haven''t had the cake yet." A helpless Rachel stroked his head to cate him. "Go back now. Your mom must be worried about you."

    After she finished his words, she turned around and got into the car. A reluctant Freddie stood by the roadside and fell momentarily silent before asking, "Charlotte, will you stop being my friend from now on?"

    She stuck her head out of the car and glowered at him with her crystal-like eyes. "Stop behaving like that! You''re annoying!"

    Freddie pouted, feeling so aggrieved

    that he was about to burst into

    tears. Meanwhile, a helpless Charlotte scratched her head and

    ed through the space et

    el.

    between the safety seats for some time before she found a bag. She then held it out of the window and said, "Take it."

    A dazed Freddie took the bag and saw that there was a beautiful box inside it that was wrapped with a ribbon. Evidently, it was a birthday gift..

    The engine started as the red car moved out of Dolton Residence. Freddie snapped back to reality and shouted at the car, "Charlotte, I''ll bring you a cake on Monday! It''ll be a strawberry-vored one!"

 Chapter 514

    In the car on the way back, Rachel was holding the wheel, but her gaze fell on Jolly. Ever since they left the Dolton Residence, Jolly had been silent, much unlike her usual self.

    Rachel said, "Let''s not go home for now. We can find somece to eat, my treat. I''ll ask Victor and Gloria toe, too. What about seafood? I know a restaurant that serves wonderful sea urchins."

    "Great! I''m craving sea urchin risotto!" Charlotte''s cheering could be heard from the backseat. Beside her, Samuel gestured for her to be quiet, but she stuck out her tongue before falling silent. "Barbecue sounds nice too. Or, we can go to a Japanese restaurant and have some sukiyaki."

    "Chris, I''m fine."N?velDrama.Org content.

    Jolly finally lifted her head and nced at Rachel. "I''m really okay. I can''t bother with whatever she says. She had gone crazy just to be with Ryan, so why would I argue with a crazy person? I even pity her a little."

    "What''s there to pity about her?" Rachel was pissed. "It''s just a divorce with Ryan, and she received enough money to live the rest of her lifefortably. So what else does she want?"

    "Unrequited love is always pitiful," Jolly said, "so Ryan and Old Madam Sutton probably never told her about his heart problems or that he has to undergo bypass surgery for that." Stunned, Rachel thought for a bit, then nodded slightly. She has a point.

    If Estelle knew that Ryan was hospitalized because of his heart disease, she wouldn''t beid back enough to return to her old home to attend her nephew''s birthday party. She would probably stay at Ryan''s sick bed all day long, serving him and waiting for him to be moved by her actions.

    At that point, Rachel said, "You don''t have to pity her. She''s the one who brought this upon herself." Jolly heaved a sigh of relief, a rxed expression on her face. "Yes, they did this to themselves."

    She realized she was fortunate to get out of this weird circle in time.

    "Let''s go get some seafood. I hadn''t eaten any in a while. My treat."

    "Then I''ll ask Victor and Gloria along?"

    "Of course! Are you worried that I won''t be able to pay for them as well?"

    Rachel didn''t say anything in reply. Meanwhile, at the Dolton Residence. After getting shamed by Jolly in public, Estelle wasn''t interested in the party anymore. Instead, she shut herself in a room and refused to get out, no matter who asked her to. Estelle''s sister-inw was a patient person, so she hastily went to her husband. "I hope nothing happened to Estelle."

    "What could possibly happen? She did this to herself."

    Estelle''s brother, on the other hand, was a reasonable person. "It''s been so long since she and Ryan divorced, but she still refused to leave his house. What a disgrace to our family!"

    "Hey, don''t say that. I feel sorry for her."

    "Sorry? Is that reason enough for her to chase away Fred''s ssmate and her parents? Fred has always been an introvert, and he never had many friends in school. Now he finally found a nice little girl who''s lively and adorable, but this happened. I think Estelle just want everyone to suffer like she did!"

    "Don''t worry about that. I noticed that Fred seemed quite happy when he came back. He was going on about how Charlotte gave him a present. Adult matters wouldn''t get in the way of children."

    "That''s because Charlotte was raised well. Miss Hudson was one of the most refined people I''ve ever met."

    Since there were still guests outside waiting to socialize, they shouldn''t spend too much time on this matter, so Estelle''s brother said, "All right, you should just ignore her. She can live or die as she pleases."

    With that, he went out and greeted the guests. Meanwhile, in the guestroom on the second floor, Estelle was smoking on the balcony. Her actions suggested that she was an avid smoker, and she even looked a little wild.

    As she watched the smoke dissipate into the air, she frowned harder. She kept reying those insults Jolly threw at her, and she grew even angrier. What right does she have?

    What right did Jolly have to live a luxurious life right from birth and get engaged to Ryan early on? Even when she got pregnant, she could leave as she pleased, and even when she turned up yearster, Ryan still longed for her.

    Estelle turned on her phone, and after unlocking her device, an entire row of missed calls popped up on the screen. It had been a long time since Ryan willingly picked up her calls.

    While she was still dumbfounded, her phone screen suddenly lit up. It turned out to be a call from Mariam. Panicking, she hastily stubbed out her cigarette, as if she feared Mariam would see it. However, it was just a call, so Mariam couldn''t have seen it. "Hello? Mom?"

    "Estelle, when are youing home today?"

    "I might be homete, since it''s my nephew''s

    birthday. Mom, did you call me for something?"

    "Yes, I want to ask something of you."

    "Mom, we''re family, so you don''t have to put it like that. You can just tell me right out." Mariam fell silent on the other end of the line, as if she was trying to pick the right words.

    "It''s about Ryan. You haven''t seen him in a while, right?"

    "Yes."

    At the mention of that, Estelle''s heart sank as she said pitifully, "Mom, he stopped answering my calls ever since New Year''s Day. I called his assistant, but they always said that he was busy. I have no idea what he''s busy with." "He''s in hospital."

    Hearing that, Estelle was deeply shocked.

    "What?"

    On the other end of the line, Mariam talked about Ryan''s condition, then said, "I''m not too worried about the surgery. The Carters are powerful in Riverdale, and all the surgeries before this one couldn''t get that child toe back. Also, that child is all grown up now, so even if we

    l.ne

    forced her toe back she might still be upied with something else."

    Estelle was still shocked at the news that Ryan had heart problems and would be undergoing surgery soon. She was so panicked that she didn''t quite catch what Mariam was saying.

    "Mom, where''s Ryan right now? Which hospital is he in?" "Calm down. I called you today to tell you about this. You can go after I''ve exined everything."

    Estelle was stunned.

    Mariam continued, "Ryan is ill now,

    so he shouldn''t be as stubborn as he used to be. The Sutton Family wants an heir, and the heir doesn''t have to belong to that child. Estelle, if you can find a way to get pregnant, I''ll be able to make the decision for you toe back."

    As the words resounded in her ear, Estelle gripped her phone. Perhaps this was an opportunity bestowed upon her.

    It was nightfall. In a seafood restaurant situated on Green River Street, Rachel and the others sat at a long table, which had barbecued seafood and beer piled on top. "The best season to eat seafood would be around July to August. Now, these aren''t too good." "It''s already nice enough that we get to eat seafood, so what are youining about?"

    "I''m the one paying for the food, so I canin however I like." Jolly rolled her eyes at Gloria. "Is the food so little that it can''t shut your mouth?"

    Gloria was eating while she rolled her eyes back at Jolly. "Yes, what a wonderful restaurant you brought us to; it''s even open air. I should eat until you go bankrupt."

    "It''s not her fault," Rachel exined.

    "I''m the one who suggested this ce." Feeling the breeze would help release some emotional stress. She wasn''t worried that Jolly might overthink what Estelle said.

    Obviously, Jolly''s breakup with Leroy upset her even more. Content

    belongs to NovelDrama.Org

    Gloria, unfortunately, picked the wrong topic as she said, "Wait, where''s Leroy? Is our celebrity too busy toe along for supper?"

    The smile on Jolly''s face instantly froze.

    "What''s the matter?" Holding her fork mid-air, Gloria was stunned for a moment. "Did I say something wrong? Didn''t you two get back together?"

 Chapter 515

    "We broke up." Three simple words tumbled out of Jolly''s mouth. Gloria was so shocked that she wasn''t sure if she should bite down on the food she was holding to her mouth..

    "Why?" Gloria finally regained her senses after a while. "Didn''t you exin everything?" "It''s exactly because I exined everything that we broke up." Jolly picked up the ss of beer in front of her. "So this feast is to celebrate me going solo again. Come, cheers." Gloria looked around for a bit, then hesitantly raised her ss. Ultimately, she gritted her teeth and went along with Jolly as she downed the whole ss.

    On the other hand, Rachel had expected Jolly to get drunk, but Gloria getting drunk was a surprise. Out on the street, Rachel and Victor parted ways, each carrying a drunken woman.

    "Are you sure you''re okay, Rachel?"

    "I''m fine. It''s not the first time she has gotten drunk. You should go back and take good care of Gloria. She''s been through a lot."

    "Okay."

    "Hurry and get in the car."

    Rachel drove all the way home. The two children in the backseat were reflected in the rearview mirror, sound asleep.

    In the passenger seat, Jolly was alsopletely wasted. It was rare for her to be so quiet as she silently dozed off with her head cocked to a side. The fatigue in her expression was heart-wrenching..

    The next morning in the apartment, the children were still sleeping in, but Rachel was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when she heard the news being broadcast on the TV in the living room.

    "Here''s some recent news. Through his studio, the famous celebrity Leroy Bet announces his retirement from the entertainment field, making gigantic waves in themunity. Yesterday, a journalist found out that Leroy was headed for Enistan all alone. ording to an ex-employee of the studio, Leroy is going to Enistan to prepare for a wedding-"

    Halfway through her action of cracking an egg, Rachel trembled. With a crack, the egg fell onto the countertop.

    She hastily cleaned it up, but she forgot about breakfast as she swiped to unlock her phone, then looked up news from the day before. Just as expected, ever sincest night, news of Leroy retirement and marriage was all over the ce.

    She took Jolly for drinksst night, and it was quitete by the time they came back, so they didn''t have time to check the news. If she hadn''t heard the news on TV, she might still be clueless even now.N?velDrama.Org content.

    She hadn''t flipped through the news for long when her phone rang to interrupt her actions.

    "Hello?"

    "Rachel, I saw the news about Leroy. What''s going on?"

    It was a call from Victor, and Gloria''s voice could be heard in the background, muffled. "Howe he retired just like that? What''s going on between him and Jolly?"

    Rachel was still holding her phone when a beep sounded. Another call had interrupted their call. When she saw the iing call, she said, "I''m not too sure either. I''ll talk to you when I''ve got this sorted out."

    With that, she ended the call with Victor, then answered the other call. "Hello? You saw the news too?"

    "Yes," The man''s familiar voice sounded over the phone. "Are you guys all right?"

    "Jolly was wastedst night, so she probably didn''t know of this. Is Leroy really going to get married?"

    "I already asked Frankie to investigate this. If nothing crops up, the news must be true. There''s a huge possibility that he returned to Enistan because his father is gravely ill and doesn''t have much time left." Justin continued, "I just sent you the details." Frowning unconsciously, Rachel lowered the heat on the stove and walked into the living room while she was still on the call. Then, she sat on the couch and pulled up the details Justin had sent her.

    "This-"

    "It''s the current situation of Lush Enterprise. Leroy''s father, Marcus Bet, was diagnosed - with cancer a few years ago. In recent years, Marcus rarely made an

    appearance in all business dear

    pertaining to Lush Enterprise Also, in the past six months, he never even appeared in public. ording to the current situation, he must be gravely ill, or he wouldn''t have urged Leroy to go home."

    "This woman named Shannon Frazier, is she Marcus'' wife?"

    "Yes, she came from a prominent background. Her family owns one of the fourrgestpanies in Enistan, Grandeur Group. She is the youngest daughter, and ever since she married Marcus, she had been helping him with business at Lush Enterprise. She''s a very ambitious woman."

    Rachel suddenly remembered that when Leroy came clean with them, he said that he went back to Enistan for the first time six years ago and was engaged to someone and that someone was a youngdy from the Grandeur Group. Grandeur Group...

    Rachel thought for a bit. "She was the one who arranged Leroy''s marriage, wasn''t she?"

    "That''s highly possible."

    "It''s more than possible. Since Leroy''s father is terribly ill, he wouldn''t have the energy to even arrange for his own funeral. Only healthy people would consider that much. It was all done for their own benefit."

    Shannon didn''t have a child of her own, so when Marcus passed away, she would only have two choices left.

    In the first option, she would have to

    leave Lush Enterprise and return to Grandeur Group, which her family owned. However, she was only the youngest daughter who was married

    off early on, so she couldn''t

    e

    compete against the younger generation even if she went back. The most she could get was to live the rest of her lifefortably.

    Her other option was to continue staying in Lush Enterprise. However, Lush Enterprise. would eventually appoint a new leader, and perhaps it would be the faction''s second inmand, or another faction would take the position. No matter what, she could only live off of other people, and she could never recover the power and wealth she used to have.

    "She wanted to control Lush Enterprise like before, so first, she had to control the person who would take over Lush Enterprise. Leroy was the best choice." Rachel gripped her phone tightly. "Am I right?" Justin said, "Correct. So Leroy can nevere back."

    Suddenly, Rachel thought of something. "Could it be that his studio''s announcement about his retirement was made against his wishes?"

    "That''s very probable."

    "Was he held hostage?"

    "It may not be so, but someone most probably got hold of his weakness."

    "Someone got hold of his weakness?" Rachel was deep in thought. As soon as she finished speaking, she was startled by the sound of a door opening. She looked up in surprise.

    "Jolly?"

    Gripping the door handle, Jolly stood at the entrance to her bedroom, her face pale as she held her phone. "That weakness is me, isn''t it?"

    Rachel was stunned, and she didn''t know if she should affirm or deny the notion.

    For the entire morning, Jolly was acting out of sorts. She called Leroy''s studio a few times and even tried to contact all the managers and assistants he had worked with, but none of them knew about Leroy''s current situation. No one could contact him either. "Calm down, Jolly. If Leroy really did go back because of his father''s illness, there would be news of it from Enistan. When that happens, - Leroy''s identity can hardly be concealed."

    "You mean he''ll take over Lush Enterprise?"

    "Most probably so. He''ll follow the orders from his family and marry someone from Grandeur Group, then continue operating under Lush Enterprise."

    The look in Jolly''s eyes dimmed. "So this is why he broke up with me, right?" Rachel looked at her. "I did say it''s probable, but idents happen. For example, someone might object to the marriage at the wedding."

 Chapter 516

    Whir! The nended at Enistan Airport. It was evening, and the clouds were burning with brilliant color. The cab was stuck in the city center, and the streets bustled outside. The crowd surged throughout the streets as double-decker tourist buses weaved in and out of

    traffic. The retro scenery seemed to remind people of the 90s.

    In the car, two women''s faces were reflected in the mirror. One of them was exquisite and alluring, while the other was elegant and calm. The cab driver couldn''t help but steal more nces at them..

    "And.... we''re here."

    "Thank you."

    Once they got out of the car, the bellboy of the five-star hotel came over to them and carried their luggage. After checking in, Rachel and Jolly went straight to their room.

    Upon entering the room, Rachel drew the curtains open. Victoria Harbor was right outside, and the ships passed by, forming an alluring scene of the bustling night. Rachel looked back and asked, "I got a room with a sea view. Feels like we''re on vacation, doesn''t it?" Jolly just gave it a nce, for she wasn''t in the mood to appreciate the view. "When can we see Leroy?"

    "We''ll wait at the hospital tomorrow morning. Since his father is gravely ill, he''d be there as well."

    After all, Marcus was the boss of Lush Enterprise, so there should be quite a number of people guarding the hospital he was staying at. It wasn''t difficult to get information.

    Before boarding the flight, Rachel had already sent someone to investigate. Marcus was staying at a hospital that belonged to the Grandeur Group.

    Jolly took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled as she looked at the sunset outside, dazed. "If he hadn''t met me, he wouldn''t have returned."

    "What''s the use of thinking about these things? Even if he met someone else instead of you, he''d be held hostage simrly. However, things are different now that he met you." "Different how?"

    "I believe that not many people possess your vitality to rush over at a moment''s notice and to crash the wedding as soon as you put your mind to it."

    One of Jolly''s strengths was her ability to take prompt action. Meanwhile, in Riverdale. At the inpatient department of Cardinal Hospital, Estelle brought some soup she made, intending to deliver dinner to Ryan.

    "Miss Dolton, Mr. Sutton is already discharged."

    "When did that happen?" Estelle''s expression instantly changed. "Wasn''t he still here in the morning?"

    "After you left at noon, Mr. Sutton''s assistant came over, whereupon he got discharged. Mr. Sutton left quickly, and it looked like something urgent."

    "Where did he go?"

    "Um... I''m not sure about that. Why don''t you - call him and ask?" Estelle clenched her fists. If her calls could go through, she wouldn''t have to ask someone about it.

    Early the next morning, Rachel and Jolly hailed a cab to Grandeur Hospital. Grandeur Hospital was situated in the suburbs in the southwest region of Enistan, and it was more than an hour''s journey from the city center. It was built right next to the beach, and the ce was quite remote.

    Once out of the car, they could hear waves crashing in the distance. Jolly frowned instantly. "Why is he hospitalized in such a remote ce? Is this hospital any good?"

    Rachel answered, "It''s just like any other hospital. However, it''s more urate to call it a nursing home and a top-ss one at that."

    "Then why is he here?"

    "For a cancer patient who has gone through so many years of treatment, it''s essentially meaningless to continue treatment at this point. They just want to reduce as much pain and suffering as possible. It''s a nice environment to stay in, and it''s also a hospital under Grandeur Group, so it''s probably easier to hide secrets."

    Not many people knew that Marcus had cancer. After all, he was crucial in sustaining Lushi Enterprise. Once news of this got out, it would cause a huge uproar. So, to the public, he was simply in ill health and had decided to rest and recuperate here. "Let''s go." Rachel looked at the hospital in front of them.

    "Okay."

    The two thought that it wouldn''t be too difficult to get in, but in the end, they were blocked right outside the entrance, "What''s your business?"

    "To see a doctor, of course." Jolly rolled her eyes at the security guard in exasperation. "Why else would someone go to a hospital?"

    "Didn''t you see the notice at the

    entrance? No new patients allowed within this month." The security guard pointed at the sign behind them, Rachel and Jolly were both taken aback. "No new patients allowed? How can a hospital not receive new patients?" Content

    belongs to NovelDrama.Org

    "This is a private hospital, so if the head of the hospital decides that we won''t take in any patients, then so be it."

    Jolly immediately switched tactics. "Can I visit a patient, then? A friend of mine is hospitalized here."

    "Your friend?"

    The security guard studied them from head to toe. "Who exactly are you, and what are you trying to do?" Jolly was about to say something when Rachel held her back.

    "It''s okay. We''ll leave."

    With that, Rachel took Jolly''s hand and turned around to leave. The security guard stood at the entrance, then suddenly whipped out his walkie-talkie and said something. Rachel heard the word ''suspicious'', then grabbed Jolly as she broke into a run.

    "Wait up, you two!" Behind them, the

    security guard roared. A few figures also ran out of the hospital, and they all wore uniform suits and leather shoes. They were obviously not hospital staff; they looked more like gangsters. Therefore, Rachel and Jolly ran for their lives.

    "I''m beat. We should be safe now." Rachel panted as she leaned against a tree by the road. "I can''t run anymore.

    Jolly looked behind her. "We''re okay now. They stopped running after us."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

    "That was terrifying." With herst remaining bits of energy, Rachel red at Jolly. "Are you dumb? How many people would actuallyez all the way here to see a doctor? You even talked about visiting a friend here? Didn''t you realize that the only patient in this hospital is Marcus? You used to be so smart Did you leave your brains behind in Riverdale?"

    73

    Rachel kept chastising Jolly, but thetter didn''t retort as she kept looking at the hospital. "Chris, do you think Leroy is in there?"

    "I''m not sure." Rachel straightened up. "I think we should figure out a way to sneak in. We have to gather information about Marcus'' condition right now."

    "How do we get in? It''s so heavily guarded." Jolly looked in the distance, saying calmly, "Why don''t we climb over the wall?"

    "Are you serious?"

    "Do I look like I''m joking?" Jolly looked gravely at Rachel. "Or do you have a better idea?"

    The more Rachel considered it, the less confident she was about the idea. However, Jolly had already made up her mind and was following the path as she stalked over to the wall at the side of the hospital. Rachel followed behind her, saying in a low voice, "It''s still bright out."

    "So what? I''ll go first. You can wait for me here."

    With that, Jolly scaled the wall by grabbing onto the bricks around her. Rachel couldn''t even stop Jolly as she watched thetter disappear over the wall.

    "Jolly!"

    On the other side, there was no sound from Jolly. This wall wasn''t too high, but it wasn''t low, either. Rachel was panicking now. Did something happen to Jolly? Just when Rachel was gritting her teeth and stomping her feet, deciding to climb up and have a look, her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Seeing the iing call notification, Rachel hastily answered the call. She crouched down behind the trees in front of her, then whispered, "Hello?" The man''s voice that sounded over the phone was all too familiar to her. The man spoke a few words. Rachel''s eyes lit up in disbelief. "You''re in Enistan now?"

 Chapter 517

    Idyll Mountain was situated in the southwestern part of Enistan, far away from the bustling city. Compared to the city, which had one of the most expensive housing in the whole world despite its suffocating small space, the rich still preferred the metropolis. Grandeur Hospital was located right at the foot of Idyll Mountain. A ck car pulled up at the entrance of the hospital. The security guard came over to check, and the driver presented the documents.

    After passing the documents back to the driver, the security guard leaned over to look at the backseat. However, there was a partition between the front and back seats of this car, and the partition was currently in ce, so the security guard couldn''t see what was going on in the backseat.

    The security guard said carefully, "I''m sorry, but please roll down the partition. I have to verify all the personnel entering and leaving this ce."

    The driver looked at him in dissatisfaction. "What''s wrong with you? I showed you the documents, didn''t I? Our boss doesn''t like meeting strangers." "I''m sorry, but that''s a rule."

    "A rule? From who? Do you know why our boss is here? Who will be held responsible if the matter is dyed? You? Can you even bear the responsibility?"

    The security guard''s expression stiffened. He didn''t know what to do. Just then, a cold man''s voice came from behind the partition. "It''s okay. It''s a good thing to be devoted to one''s work. He can check."

    With that, the partition slowly rolled down. With the passenger seat in the way, the security guard could see two figures in the backseat, one male and the other female. They were both dressed with attention to detail, especially the man, who had an unusual aura. He didn'' look like anymon person.

    "There are only two people in the documents. Pardon me, but who is thisdy beside you?"

    "My wife." The man took the woman''s hand as he exined calmly, "If it''s against the rules, I can give a call to Mrs. Bet and have her talk to you."

    At the mention of Mrs. Bet, the security guard''s face paled. "No, it''s okay. Since this is your wife, of course, it''s not against the rules. Please, enter,"

    With that, the security guard took a few steps backward and let the car through. The car drove into the hospital.

    Grandeur Hospital was huge, and now that it wasn''t epting any new patients, it looked even emptier. The employees here probably outnumbered the visitors and the patients right now. Of course, if they were right, then there was only one patient right now. Rachel sighed in relief after the car entered the hospital. She put a hand to her chest as she said, "That was scary. The security guard saw me before, so I thought he''d recognize me."

    Justin said, "Are you okay?"

    "Yes." Rachel nodded, her heart still beating rapidly. "But I still don''t know where Jolly is right now. If she weren''t in such a rush, she wouldn''t have to enter by climbing over the wall. If someone catches her, it''ll be quite difficult to resolve the situation."

    "I''m here."

    The simple two words echoed in the car, and Rachel was stunned. For some reason, she suddenly noticed Justin still holding her hand. He hadn''t let go of her ever since they entered the hospital, and she herself forgot to retract her hand.. Her palm was hot.

    "Oh right, you haven''t told me how you came here?"

    "As soon as President Burton heard about Leroy, he knew that you and Miss Carter woulde here, so he sent someone to check out Enistan right away. He didn''t have time to tell you before he received the notice that you and Miss Carter had already departed, so he rushed here in case something happened to you two." Frankie was the one driving at the front, so when he heard Rachel''s query, he immediately exined the situation.

    He had been serving Justin for many years, so he knew what Justin was like. Justin definitely wouldn''t want to say too much, so he could only put in a word for Justin so that Rachel could see more of Justin''s good side.

    Rachel was stunned. "You''ve been looking into Enistan all this while?"

    "It''s not a big issue; anyone can do that with the help of a detective agency. You don''t have to worry about it."

    "What about the documents?"

    "Coincidentally, after I went to

    northern Riverdale, I found a business acquaintance who had connections to the Grandeur Group of Enistan. I got help from him. He and Marcus seemed to be old friends, so he gave me permission to visit Marcus in his stead, and he already told Marcus'' wife about it beforehand."

    "That''s a huge coincidence." Rachel was shocked.

    Justin nodded slightly, deep in thought. "It does seem too good to be true."

    Actually, he was a little wary about asking for help from this person. After all, he hadn''tpletely understood the person''s background yet, and no one could guarantee that this person didn''t have ulterior motives or that it wasn''t a trap. However, when he heard that Rachel and Jolly were already on the way to Enistan, he couldn''t dally anymore, so he could only bring Frankie with him as he rushed there. It was urgent, after all..

    "President Burton, President Hudson, we''re here. Someone''sing from the hospital."

    The car pulled up at the entrance to the inpatient department, and someone from the hospital came to open the door.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Justin reminded Rachel, "Just stick with meter. You don''t have to be nervous. Even though Lush Enterprise is an organization of gangsters, they still follow the rules here. Moreover, we''re here to visit Marcus in someone else''s stead." The term ''we'' included Rachel as well, so she was instantly relieved. "Okay."

    After they got out of the car, a middle-aged man. came over to wee them. He looked like a butler, and he wore a suit and leather shoes as well. He had a square face, and he spoke. politely, his demeanor humble. ''Mr. Brook''s friend, Mr. Burton, I presume?" Justin nodded slightly as he introduced Rachel. "This is my wife, Chris."

    "Mrs. Burton. The butler nodded in greeting. "Myst name is Richards, and I''m Mr. Bet''s butler."

    Rachel nodded. "Mr. Richards."

    After entering the hospital, Mr. Richards led Justin and Rachel to the ward. As he walked, he said, ''Mr. Bet is in a dire condition right

    now, and he has stopped let

    visitors for al long time. On this

    asion, you''re wee because you''re Mr. Brook''s friend. It has been a long while since Mr. Betst

    met Mr. Brook."

    The corridors in the hospital were deste, and. they rarely saw anyone else there. Only one ward had a crowd standing at its entrance. There were bodyguards, hospital staff, and perhaps some of Marcus'' rtives.

    From a distance away, they could see a woman with an extraordinary air about her. She wore a low-profile outfit and had short hair. Even though she was advanced in age, she still looked quite capable. "Mrs. Bet, these are Mr. Brook''s friends, Mr. Burton and his wife."

    Mr. Richards introduced the visitors to Shannon.

    This woman right here was the famed Mrs. Bet, or Shannon. She wasn''t quite a beauty by normal standards. She was fair and had round features, and she looked like risen dough. However, her eyes were bright and cunning.

    When she saw Justin and Rachel, she smiled as she examined them discreetly through her curved eyes. "Mr. Brook is a good friend of my husband''s. However, how did you get to know Mr. Brook, Mr. Burton?'' It was both a query and also an interrogation.

    el

    Just like Rachel, Justin had never met anyone from Lush Enterprise before, but still, he remained calm and steady as he said, "I haven''t known him for long, but we immediately bonded like old friends. Something came up, so Mr Brook couldn''te to Enistan, so he asked me to pay a visit in his stead and to deliver something."

    "Oh, a delivery? What is it?"

    "Mr. Brook told me that Mr. Bet is the only one who can take the item."

    The look in Shannon''s eyes darkened as a hint of dissatisfaction shed across her face. Justin didn''t look like a man of many words, so Shannon looked at the woman beside him instead.

 Chapter 518

    The woman beside Mr. Burton has a delicate appearance. Though she doesn''t appear stunning at first nce, her temperament is gentle and demure, especially those eyes. Those eyes of hers are just so... tender. Shannon narrowed her eyes and said tly, "If that''s the case, then I won''t ask any more questions. Mr. Burton, pleasee in."

    Rachel was going to follow Justin in, but Shannon turned slightly and stopped her very naturally. "It''s just giving something. Mrs. Burton, you don''t have to go in, right?"

    "Mrs. Bet." Justin frowned and was about to say something but was stopped by Rachel. She squeezed his arm slightly, but her face did not change. "Mrs. Bet is right. I won''t go in to disturb you. I''ll wait for you outside." Justin was worried, but Rachel appeared calm andposed. "Go."

    Shannon said, "Don''t worry about Mr. Burton. When youe out, I will definitely return your wife to you intact."

    "Mrs. Bet, you think too much." Rachel smiled slightly and added, "How could my husband be worried about this?"

    Seeing how insistent Rachel was, Justin couldn''t say anything else. "I''ll be out soon."

    "Yeah." Watching Justin enter the ward, Rachel felt nervous.

    Shannon''s questioning voice came from her side. ''Mrs. Burton, you must be quite tired all the way to Enistan, right? Why not have a cup of tea with me and take a break?"

    "Sure."

    The hospital was truly a luxury infirmary under the Grandeur Group. The cafe on the first floor had baristas who came from overseas and were highly skilled in crafting perfect cups of coffee. Rachel and Shannon sat opposite each other, and the surroundings were silent.

    "My husband has known Mr. Brook for more than 10 years, but he has never heard that Mr. Brook has a good rtionship with Mr. Burton. Mrs. Burton, how did youe to know Mr. Brook?" Shannon was forthright with her question.

    Rachel''s heart was pounding madly. She didn''t know who Mr. Brook was at all, and Justin didn''t tell her what was going on. She only knew that it was a friend Justin knew.

    "I''ve never been very involved in my husband''s affairs, so I''m not too sure."

    "Don''t you ask? Do you usually not ask about Mr. Burton''s business rtionships?"

    Rachel nodded. "That''s right."

    "What do you usually like to do as a pastime?"

    "I enjoy cooking, and I take care of the children."

    "You have children?"

    "Yeah, we have two children." Rachel smiled slightly and deliberately looked envious of Shannon. "I am not as capable as you, Mrs. Bet, and I admire a woman like you who can help her husband manage such arge family business." Shannon looked at Rachel with contempt in her eyes. She took a sip of coffee and said softly, "Actually, it is a good idea for everyone to find their own position in life. There is no need for every woman to be a career woman."

    Even so, her tone and gaze were clearly disgusted that Rachel was just a stay-at-home parent.

    "This hospital seems to be your family''s property, right?"

    "Yeah."

    "The buildings are very interesting. Hospitals of this style are rarely seen in the country."

    "It used to be a church. My brother bought thend and developed it into a hospital. By following the previous architectural style, a church-style hospital was built."

    "If you don''t mind, can I look around?"

    Shannon nodded. "Of course, but I still have something to do, so I won''t apany you."

    "It doesn''t matter. I can just walk around by myself. After all, I''m still waiting for my husband."

    "Go ahead." Shannon nced at her watch, then got up and left. Her indifference and unfriendliness were written on her face without many disguises.

    Rachel felt very fortunate that she had used such a method to let this woman put her guard down on herself. Homemakers were indeed the most easily overlooked existence.

    She must feel that I don''t understand anything. As soon as Shannon left, Rachel sent a message to Jolly. ''Where are you? I''m in.''

    The phone vibrated. ''You came in? I''m behind the inpatient building. There are many guards here. I haven''t found a way to get in yet."

    ''Stay there, I''ll find you.'' Rachel put away her phone and walked out of the cafe.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Jolly was bold enough despite knowing that there were bodyguards guarding the inpatient department. She was still wandering around without being afraid that she would be seen. When Rachel found her, she was hiding behind a bush with her bottom high in the air. Seeing Rachel, Jolly quickly grabbed her and squatted down. "Why did youe in? Didn''t I tell you to watch outside?"

    "Justin brought me in."

    "Ah?" Jolly was startled. Rachel exined the matter quickly, and Jolly''s eyes narrowed. "Come on, can''t he call you earlier so that I don''t have to go over the wall? Why don''t you just bring me in?"

    "No one expected that you would climb over the wall, okay? I couldn''t stop you!"

    "It''s not the time to talk about this. Have you entered the inpatient department? Did you see Leroy?"

    "Yeah, but I didn''t see Leroy. However, Mrs. Bet was inside. I guess maybe she didn''t want Leroy to see Marcus so early."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Until a person dies, we will never know what decision he will make. Marcus, as the boss of the Lush Enterprise, has seen everything in his life. How could he simply leave the Lush Enterprise in the hands of a woman?"

    Rachel looked at the inpatient

    department building in front of her,

    vel

    then said quietly, "I guess if he has a chance to meet Leroy, he will definitely find a way to put Lush Enterprise into Leroy''s hands instead of letting him be a woman''s puppet and making the entire Lush Enterprise be the back support of the Grandeur Group."

    "Why are you so sure?"

    "Do you know who the person who married Leroy is?"

    "Isn''t she the daughter of the boss of Grandeur Group? Mrs. Bet''s niece."

    "Yes, this is the crux of the problem. Mrs. Bet will rely on the niece to control Leroy. If they have children in the future, Grandeur Group can justifiably control the Lush Enterprise."

    Rachel had met Shannon, which further verified her thoughts. This woman was one to reach for the stars; she would never be satisfied with the current development of the Lush Enterprise. Otherwise, she would not let Leroy marry her niece either.

    Jolly was born into a wealthy family. Although she was spoiled since she was a child, what Rachel said wasmon knowledge to her.

    "I have to find Leroy as soon as possible."

    "He shouldn''t be around here."

    "Then where will he be?"

    "Perhaps in the vi on Idyll Mountain." Rachel''s eyes crossed the hospital''s fence andnded on the distant mountain, ˇ°Justin told me that Mrs. Bet has been diving on Idyll Mountain all this time, so it is convenient for her to go back and forth to the hospital."

    ????

    The safest way t to watch someone was to keep them under one''s nose. Jolly thought about it as the corner of her eyes. swept across the inpatient department. She suddenly thought of something and asked doubtfully, "By the way, you haven''t

    told me yet. What is Justin

    here?"

 Chapter 519

    "Justin came to visit a patient, and he also helped a friend to deliver something to Marcus,"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Friend?" Jolly was surprised. "Why does he have friends who are rted to the boss of Lush Enterprise?"

    "I don''t know the specific situation, but it seems to be something that happened after he arrived in the northern division of Riverdale. There are many kinds of people in that ce, and there are many foreign-funded enterprises. It is not surprising to know some people with influential backgrounds there."

    Rachel didn''t have time to think about it. She grabbed Jolly and said, "Now is not the time to talk about this. You should find a way to get out of here first and not get caught."

    "Are you sure Leroy is not in the hospital?"

    "I''m not sure, but now you have to trust me." Rachel''s attitude was firm and could not be refused. The two squatted behind the bush for a long time before Jolly reluctantly agreed. "Okay, then I''ll go back the same way, and I''ll wait for you outside."

    "Yeah."

    All of a sudden, the sound of a car engine came from the inpatient department in the distance, and the two raised their heads subconsciously.

    A silver-gray car stopped at the gate of the inpatient department, and Mr. Richards came to get the door. Then, a man and a woman got out of the car, respectively.

    Jolly stood up immediately. If it weren''t for Rachel''s quick movements, she would have been discovered by the security guards in the distance.

    "That''s Leroy!" "I know! Keep your voice down!" Rachel wanted to block Jolly''s mouth. "Aren''t you afraid they will find us?"

    After Rachel covered Jolly''s mouth, Jolly calmed down.

    At this time, Leroy and a young woman stood at the door of the hospital. Although they could not see the woman''s appearance, her temperament seemed to be good. The only thing that made Jolly upset was the fact that the woman held Leroy''s arm naturally, and Leroy didn''t even refuse.

    Rachel clenched Jolly''s arm for fear that she would rush out now. Seeing the group of people enter the inpatient department, Jolly grabbed Rachel. "Did you see that? That didn''t look reluctant at all to me! I think he looks like he''s enjoying it!"

    "Don''t be anxious. Maybe he has to do that for the greater good."

    "Does it look that way to you?"

    Seeing Jolly''s irritable appearance, Rachel was helpless. "Leroy has so many female fans. He used to hug fans and film kissing scenes with actresses, yet I never saw you so agitated." "How were those the same?"

    "Okay, let''s stop talking about this. I''ll go and see what''s going on. You can find a way to get out of here first."

    However, Rachel didn''t get Jolly''s reply for a long time. She saw that Jolly was still staring at the entrance of the inpatient department.

    Rachel tugged at her in annoyance. "Do you hear me? Hurry up and leave first! I''ll help you see what''s going on."

    "Yes."

    Jolly nodded reluctantly and said unhappily, "If he really loses his interest in me so quickly, you must help me p him in public! Twice!"

    "Okay, I will." Rachel agreed, and so Jolly then walked back along the same path along the wall.

    Watching Jolly leave, Rachel looked around cautiously and made sure that no one was around. Then, she turned toward the side door of the inpatient department and then returned inside.

    When she was about to reach the ward, she stopped at the door. Looking up, she saw the word ''Lounge'' on the door. She was stopped by the voices from inside.

    It was Shannon speaking. "Your father is meeting a guest now. When the guest leaves, you can go over there."

    Hearing this, Rachel knew Leroy was in the lounge.

    "We only came here every day to put on a show. So what does it matter whether we get to see him or not?"

    It''s indeed Leroy.

    At this moment, the initially gentle voice was tainted with a bit of hostility.

    Unconsciously, Rachel frowned. Immediately afterward, she heard Shannon speak. "I know you are very dissatisfied, but even if you are just pretending, you have to stay here for an hour a day during the meeting time. If I don''t let you go, you can''t leave."

    "Until the hospital gives notice of his death?"

    "Shut your mouth. I can''t guarantee that your little girlfriend in Riverdale will be living well."

    "Don''t you dare to touch her!"

    There was a sound of smashing things inside. Some porcin items broke, apanied by the frightened cry of the young woman. As the noises came to Rachel''s ear, she took a step back

    subconsciously and bumped into the flowerpot at the corner.

    Fortunately, Rachel was quick and held the flowerpot in time so that it did not fall down. Just when she breathed a sigh of relief, the door of the lounge suddenly opened with a loud sound. Shannon held the door with one hand, and when she saw Rachel, she immediately showed a wary look.

    "Mrs. Burton?"

    "Mrs. Bet." Rachel showed a surprised look. "I heard the sound of something breaking here as soon as I got off the elevator. What''s the matter?"

    Rachel lied so naturally that Shannon didn''t take her seriously. The vignce on Shannon''s face gradually disappeared, and she said in a low voice, "I just broke a vase by ident." "Are you hurt?"

    "No."

    "That''s good." Rachel clutched her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "I just arrived and heard someone arguing, which made me jump."

    After saying this, she looked in the ward''s direction. "My husband is out, so I''ll go over first."

    Shannon nodded and watched Rachel go away. Justin came out of Marcus'' ward just in time to see Racheling toward him. Although she concealed it well, the unease between her brows was still noticed by Justin.

    "What''s wrong?" He lowered his voice. Rachel shook her head and tried to calm down. "How is Mr. Bet? Are you finished talking about your business?"

    From the corner of Justin''s eyes, Justin saw Shannon at the door of the lounge in the distance and knew what Rachel was worried about.

    "It''s over. Let''s go." At this time, Shannon walked toward them. "Mr. Burton, are you leaving now? Let''s have dinner together."

    "No, I have to apany my wife back to the city. I''ve been busy with work. I haven''t been out with my wife for a long time. This time we''re going to travel and have a look around." "Oh? So, you two are going to stay longer in Enistan?"

    "Yeah."

    "What a coincidence! Our family is holding a wedding soon. If you two are interested, pleasee along and enjoy the asion."

    Justin pretended to be surprised. "I saw it on the news, but I thought it was fake news by the media in Enistan. Is it true? You guys are holding a wedding at this time?"

    "It''ll wash away the bad luck," Shannon said indifferently. "We still believe in that. Maybe it will be useful, don''t you think, Mr. Burton?"

    Justin''s expression was light and nomittal. Shannon added, "That''s settled then. I will send the invitation to the hotel where you live in the next two days."

 Chapter 520

    "If the date doesn''t conflict with our business, my wife and I will definitely attend. We''ll leave first, then," Justin politely replied to Shannon.

    "Have a safe journey. Mr. Richards, see Mr. Burton and Mrs. Burton off."

    Rachel took Justin''s hand and left. When passing by the lounge, she nced inside the room through the half-opened door and met Leroy''s gaze. Leroy, who had just raised his head, was shocked. Rachel naturally withdrew her gaze. Pretending to talk to Justin, she left the hospital with him. "Mr. Richards, thanks. We''re leaving."

    "Mr. Burton, Mrs. Burton, safe travels."

    The car drove away from the inpatient department, and Mr. Richards'' figure in the rearview mirror also slowly disappeared. Rachel finally couldn''t help it and asked Justin, "Did you see it just now?"

    "I did." Justin frowned slightly. In the half-opened door just now, there was a young girl sobbing, and Leroy was hugging her tofort her.

    "How could he do this? How dare he do this to Jolly?" Rachel was in disbelief as her fists clenched tightly. "If he waspelled to do that, he shouldn''t be looking so sincere."

    "Don''t be anxious. There may be something we don''t know." Rachel wanted to say something when she saw a familiar figure standing by the road from a distance.

    "It''s Miss Carter." Frankie''s voice came from the front. Rachel and Justin looked at each other, both of them reaching an understanding. After Jolly got into the car, Rachel said nothing about seeing Leroy and the woman in the hospital, and Justin also cooperated. "How was it? Did you see him? Is that woman the daughter of the boss of Grandeur Group? Is he going to marry her?"

    Rachel shook her head. "I didn''t see anything. Shannon was too vignt, so I didn''t even see what that woman looked like."

    "What?" Jolly was anxious. "Didn''t you say you were going to check on them? If I knew it would be like that, it would''ve been better for me to go in. But you made mee out first."

    "Although I didn''t see the woman and didn''t talk to Leroy, I saw Leroy inside, and he saw me, so he should know now that you havee to Enistan too."

    "What''s the use of that?"

    "At the very least, he''ll be mentally prepared." Rachel clenched her fists. If it was a misunderstanding, Leroy would definitely be ready to meet Jolly and even be prepared to protect her well, but if he really failed Jolly, he would be ready to be beaten up.

    All in all, it was impossible for them toe here in vain. Back at the hotel downtown, Justin went to the front desk to check in. He went to the hospital as soon as he got off the ne in the morning and didn''t have time to check in.

    Originally, Rachel and Jolly were going upstairs to rest first. Before entering the elevator, Rachel suddenly thought of something. "Go back to your room first. I have to do something."

    After saying this, she left Jolly and went straight to the front desk. Justin was checking in at the front desk. When he was showing his documents as required by the front desk, a hand suddenly stretched out next to him. Rachel handed a document over and said, "Please help me change the room. I want to be in the same room as him."

    Justin was startled by the familiar voice. The front desk was also taken aback for a moment. Then, she looked at Justin subconsciously, asking for his opinion..

    Justin was surprised for a few seconds, after which he nodded slowly. After checking in, Rachel and Justin went to the elevator together. Rachel exined as they walked, "Don''t get me wrong, I''m just afraid that..."

    "You''re afraid that Mrs. Bet will send someone to the hotel to deliver invitations in the next two days. If they find out that we are not staying in the same room, they will be suspicious."

    "Yeah."

    Justin said, "Actually, you don''t have to worry. We have nothing to do with her. She doesn''t care about who we are. Otherwise, it will be clear if she sends someone to check my identity." Rachel was surprised for a moment and quickly understood the meaning of Justin''s words.

    The purpose of their arrival was just to visit on behalf of Marcus'' old friend and bring something to him. It was just an errand. They could not fight against Lush Enterprise and Grandeur Group, and Shannon only invited them to the wedding out of politeness. Everything seemed to be under her control, so she had no reason to be suspicious of them.

    "But what if she doesn''t invite us to the wedding?"

    Justin said calmly, "It shouldn''t be difficult to get into a wedding with so many random people invited."

    Rachel was stunned for a while

    before she could react. At this moment, the elevator reached its intended floor, whereupon Rachel followed Justin out and couldn''t help but say, "You were infected by Jolly, right? How can youe up with such a bad idea? I thought you came

    here because you had a foolproof

    n."

    "I wanted to be ready beforeing, but you two were rushing too fast for me to do that." Justin''s tone was helpless with a bit of indulgence. "Room card."

    Hearing Justin''s words, Rachel returned to her senses, remembering that the front desk had just handed over both room cards to her. She hurriedly handed it over and said, "Here you go. Since that''s the case, then I''ll go back and stay with Jolly." After saying this, she turned to leave, but before she took a step, her arm was caught..

    When she returned to her senses, the man had already pulled her into the room. There was a ''click'' sound of the door closing behind them, isting the sound from outside. Justin''s voice came from above her head; it was low and powerful. "What I''m saying is that she won''te to check our identities on purpose, but if the person whoes to deliver the invitation finds out that we are not staying together, she will be suspicious."

    He was very close to her. Because of the height difference, the tip of his nose almost touched her eyebrows. Rachel could even see his eyshes clearly. If she had time, she could even count them one by one. For a while, she was speechless.

    "Then... You mean..."

    "During this time, you can stay here with me." Justin''s hand naturally retracted from the doorknob by her side, and while walking into the room, he took off his suit jacket. "You sleep on the bed; I''ll sleep on the sofa."

    Rachel was still leaning against the

    door, her chest heaving and her mind putting what just happened on rey. Justin''s mouth shape when he exined the reason to her was stuck in her mind. The thin lips that opened and closed lingered in front ofher eyes.

    After a long while, Justin put down his jacket and turned around when he didn''t get Rachel''s response. "What''s wrong with you?"

    Rachel shook her head. "It''s nothing. What did you just say?"

    "I said you sleep on the bed, and I''ll just sleep on the sofa."

    Seeing Rachel still looking confused and not looking well, Justin strode over, stretched out a hand, and touched her forehead. "What''s wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"

    As soon as his hand touched her forehead, Rachel felt the fire burning within her. Justin was surprised. "Why is your forehead burning?"

    Rachel was still stunned. She suddenly felt that she had gotten re-acquainted with the man in front of her.

    She didn''t even know when it started. His appearance, personality, and even the tone of his speech gradually ovepped with the gentle young man she met in Somerset Mountain more than 20 years ago.

    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 521

    "Do you have a fever?"

    The voice before Rachel came to her ears, pulling her back from her thoughts. She suddenly regained her senses and took a half step back in a panic. "Nope... I-I''m just feeling a bit hot here."

    As she said that, she fanned her face.

    Hot?

    Although there was no winter in Enistan, spring had just passed, and it was not the hottest time of the year, not to mention that the air conditioner was still on in this room.

    Facing Justin''s doubtful gaze, Rachel panicked. "I''ll go back and talk to Jolly first." With that, she turned to open the door.

    "Rachel." Justin''s voice came from behind. "I''ll ask you toe downstairs for dinnerter." "Okay." Rachel had no time to look back and simply left in a hurry, leaving only the word ''okay'' echoing at the door.

    Justin held the door, looked at the figure walking away in the corridor, and smiled. As soon as Rachel returned to the room, Jolly poked her head around the sofa and quipped, "What took you so long? What did you do just now?"

    "Ah? It''s nothing. I went to the front desk to go through the procedures for changing rooms."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Are we going to change rooms?"

    "It''s not us. It''s me. I''m afraid that Mrs. Bet will send someone to give us the wedding invitation card and that person will find out that Justin and I are separated and that I''m staying with you. When the timees, they will investigate, and things will be difficult to handle."

    "Wait a minute." Jolly straightened up. "What you mean is that you-"

    Jolly stretched out a finger at Rachel and pointed at her face. "Do you want to stay in the same room with Justin?"

    Rachel shoved her hand away. "It''s not what you think; it''s all for you and Leroy''s sake."

    Jolly raised his brows, obviously in disbelief. "You''re both single and staying in the same room. Are you sure sparks won''t fly?"

    "If you say one more word, I won''t change the rooms anymore. Anyway, Mrs. Bet''s men will find out that we have been with you all the way. Don''t have any strange ideas. If we can''t bring back Leroy, you''ll be the upset one."

    "I was wrong." In front of Rachel, Jolly always yed meek, so she immediately came up with a submissive look. "I''m just talking nonsense.. Don''t be angry, okay?"

    Rachel didn''t actually want to find fault with her. "By the way, why don''t youe downstairs for dinnerter? Or do you want me to bring you food?"

    "I''m not going. You can just eat with him. You have made such a big sacrifice to change rooms; how can I go with you? Will I just be a hindrance? We''ll just contact each other by phone these days. Don''t mind me."

    Rachel looked at Jolly and sighed. "Don''t think too much. It''s just for a few days. If all goes well, Leroy wille back with us when we leave."

    "Then what if he really falls in love with that woman and doesn''t want toe with us?"

    "Then, I''ll p him for you."

    "It''s a promise." Jolly hugged Rachel. "I knew you were my best friend."

    "It''s hot. Let me go."

    "I won''t."

    "Get off me."

    "Are you in a hurry to find Justin?"

    "Jolly!"

    "Okay, okay. I was wrong. I won''t say it anymore."

    Before going downstairs for dinner, Rachel sent her luggage to Justin''s room, then went downstairs to eat with him. "Will the previous check-in record be investigated?"

    "Don''t worry. As long as it doesn''t reveal anything suspicious, no one wille to check on us."

    Rachel nodded thoughtfully. "Right."

    Seeing Justin pressing the elevator to the 1st floor, Rachel wondered, "Isn''t the restaurant on the 12th floor?"

    "Frankie said that the food in this hotel is average, so he booked another restaurant for us. We''re going out to eat."

    "Is that so? Is it far?"

    "Not far. It''s just nearby."

    There were many authentic local restaurants all over the streets and alleys, most of which were very small establishments. When Rachel sat down in the restaurant, she looked around suspiciously and then asked Justin, "Is this ce really reserved by Frankie?" The shop was very narrow and tiny, and it didn''t look like it needed to be booked in advance. They went in without a reservation before they quickly found a ce to sit down.

    Justin took the menu. "It wasn''t a reservation, but it was rmended by Frankie. This ce is usually crowded with people, but this time we came at just the right time, so there''s no need to queue."

    "Is Frankie very familiar with this ce?"

    "His wife likes toe here, and she''s here seven or eight times a year, so she is familiar with the food around here."

    Rachel was a little surprised. She originally thought that Justin would not pay attention to things other than subordinates'' work, so she did not expect him to mention Frankie''s wife in such a casual tone.

    "What would you like to eat?" Justin handed the menu to Rachel. "Pork chop, a side of fries, and a ss of iced tea."

    The food was served very fast, and everything that they ordered was ready in no time. For some reason, Rachel felt like she had to rush back to thepany to work overtime after the meal. Perhaps it was because the food was rtively simple, and she only ordered a main.

    "When I was in Montenegro, there was a restaurant just like this one near the office building where I worked. Jolly and I often went there to eat at noon. As we ate, we wouldin about how terrible the boss was to each other. Itsted for around a month, then once during apany meeting, we then found out that the person sitting at the table behind us every day was actually the boss."

    Justinughed. "That''s why I rarely eat near the office building."

    "Do you often hear people criticize you?"

    "Isn''t hearing it once enough?"

    "That makes sense." Rachel blinked. "It can be deduced then that the boss of ourpany was really a pervert. He consistently listened to our criticisms for a whole month." "What happened after that?"

    "Later, we both felt humiliated and

    never went to that restaurant again. Then, I was transferred to be a secretary to Hernandez, and

    asionally when I saw the boss, I would hide from him. After a long It

    time, I thought he''s forgotten about me, but..." Speaking of this, Rachel became angry. "Do you know what happenedter?"

    "What?"

    "Later, the boss wanted to invite everyone to dinner and asked for restaurant rmendations. He actually booked that exact restaurant, and he teased me in public saying that I loved that ce. That''s when I realized that he had been pretending not to know me!"

    Rachel talked about her work in Montenegro on her own, and now she still felt ashamed when she thought about the incident. After talking for a long time, she found that Justin kept looking at her. She coughed and said, "Isn''t it rather boring?"

    "No." Justin actuallyughed. "Do you want to order something more?"

    Rachel''s face darkened. "Do you think I have more embarrassing things to talk about for a long time?"

    "I didn''t say that."

    "That''s what you mean. When I go back to Riverdale, I will also try to eat at a ce where my employees often eat to experience my boss'' feelings at that time."

    "Trust me. You''re not going to enjoy the experience."

 Chapter 522

    "It seems that you have been criticized a lot."

    Rachel winked at Justin and said proudly, "I''m not like you; I''m not as harsh as you are toward employees and causing lots ofints."

    "Oh?" Justin raised his brows, obviously skeptical, but he did not refute.

    After a long time, Rachel really went to do as she said, and she even took him to witness it just to verify who was harsher in the eyes of the employees and was criticized more, but the ultimate results were unexpected. Moreover, she was even annoyed at the results.

    Rachel finally concluded angrily that this society was much more tolerant of men than women.

    After eating, it waspletely dark. The roads in Enistan were not wide. Most of the narrow roads could only allow two vehicles to pass through. As soon as the green light was on, pedestrians hurried across the roads. In fact, the dazzling streetlights made the city look astounding.

    "Why are there so many people over there?" Rachel pointed to the distance, where there was arge crowd in front of the hemispherical building.

    "It''s the wharf. They''re lining up to take the cruise."

    "A sightseeing cruise?"

    There are sightseeing cruises, while some are just used as means of transportation to go directly to the other side."

    Rachel put her hands on the railing by the road. "Speaking of which, I have never been here in Enistan before."

    "I''m not very familiar with it either. I used to onlye here on business." Justin looked as Rachel gazed toward the distance. "Would you like to go on a cruise?" he asked.

    "Huh?" Rachel was taken aback by the sudden suggestion. Turning her head, she met Justin''s serious gaze. She hesitated for a moment, whereupon her eyes slowly lit up. "Sounds good."

    Sightseeing cruises did not have a long queue. After all, it was not cheap. There was an open-air bar on the deck on the 4th floor of the cruise ship, and tourists were sitting around the surrounding tables in twos and threes.

    When approaching the railing, Rachel suddenly felt dizzy and frowned. Fortunately, Justin, who was behind her, was quick-witted and grabbed her arm.

    "I''m fine." Rachel felt better without looking down over the railing.

    "Don''t worry, this is not Riverdale, nor is it the Jockey Club''s ship. It''s just an ordinary sightseeing boat." Justin could see at a nce what she was thinking..

    The trauma left by Rachel''s previous ship experience was too much, so when she got close to the railing of the cruise ship, she couldn''t help thinking of the scene at that time. It was from here that Amber and Noah fell off.

    Although Rachel shook her head and said that she was fine, Justin still didn''t let go of her hand and dragged her to the inside of the deck. "Don''t overthink. Let''s go have something to drink." As sses of cocktails glistened under the dazzling light of the cruise ship, the sea breeze blew and ruffled their hair.

    Rachel fished a rubber band out of her bag and tied her hair casually with it, revealing her fair neck. Then, she looked toward the shore with her face raised, looking just like a beautiful woman in a portrait and attracting many people''s attention.

    In the distance, several foreign men had already raised their sses toward Rachel, making no secret of their appreciation and expectations for furthermunication. Most foreigners were eager and forthright, just like Hernandez.

    Rachel just smiled slightly, nodded, and made no other response. It wasn''t until Justin returned from ordering two sses of cocktails that those men''s eyes narrowed, and they couldn''t help but envy him for having such a demure and elegant beauty as hispany.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "This one is a little lower in alcohol." Justin pushed a ss of wine toward Rachel. Rachel took a sip and looked at Justin suspiciously. "You''re lying, right? There''s no alcohol in it. Did you make me a non- alcoholic drink?"

    Justin was helpless. "I didn''t do that."

    "I don''t believe you."

    "Am I so untrustworthy?"

    "Maybe. You''ve lied to me before too."

    Justin was taken aback for a moment, and then when he saw Rachel''s bright eyes full of smiles, he knew she was joking, and so he was relieved.

    Maybe to Rachel, all the past matters could be mentioned in a rxed tone as jokes, but he was the perpetrator, so he still couldn''t be astposed as her. But he didn''t get himself tangled up about it. At the moment, he just wanted her to rx.

    He was even very grateful to Julian. After all, during Rachel''s years in Montenegro, Julian did his best to help her cure her illness as a mute so that she could live and work normally....

    Drinks were included in the tickets. To make the price worth it, Rachel ordered a few more sses, and Justin couldn''t stop her.

    "It''s okay. The cocktails are low in alcohol. They''re just like any other drink."

    Justin was helpless. Those cocktails tasted like non-alcoholic drinks, but they were actually strong. After three rounds of drinking, the ship had also made a turn and was about to return to the starting point. Rachel was a bit tipsy after drinking the cocktails, and she became bolder. She no longer cared about the trauma she had from the railing andy on the railing of the deck to feel the air.

    Justin was afraid that she would fall over, so he followed closely. "I like it here. The weather is nice, and the atmosphere is lively." She couldn''t contain her feelings.

    "If you like it, we cane back next time."

    "The south is great, huh? There is no winter."

    "Yeah, the winter season up north could freeze you."

    "Is it still snowing over there?"

    Rachel suddenly remembered that Justin was in the northern division of Riverdale, where the average temperature reached the negatives in winter. Most of the reasons why the economy was not quite developed there for many years. were due to environmental and weather constraints.

    Justin said in a low voice, "There was some snow before I came here. It should be thest snowfall, I think. It will gradually get warmerter."

    "When are you going back to Riverdale?"

    Justin was slightly startled when he heard that, then he turned to see Rachel''s bright eyes looking at him very seriously. "You want me to go back to Riverdale?"

    "Yes. The north is too cold, and I still prefer the south."

    While speaking, Rachel staggered, and Justin grabbed her shoulder. "Be careful."

    The moment Rachel raised her head, the oing sea wind blew her hair, and she didn''t know whether it was because of the alcohol or the wind, but her eyes narrowed slightly as she appeared a little intoxicated.

    Justin grabbed her shoulders, and they stared at each other for a long time. Suddenly, he couldn''t help himself. He leaned down tremblingly and dropped a gentle and extremely lingering kiss on her. When the kiss fell, Rachel''s eyes were glittering with the shing neon lights on the other side. Her thin lips were a little cold from the wind, but the temperature rose as soon as they touched his. It was a soft, fiery affection that was irresistible. The love in her heart grew vigorously in the depths, and it quickly blossomed into something more...

    The strength of the cocktails seems to be a little much. Before her mind was emptied by the kiss, Rachel suddenly thought of that. But if Jolly was here, she would definitely hit the nail on the head.

    It''s not the cocktails that have the greatest strength but the love between you and Justin. You have been entangled with each other for more than 20 years, and you won''t stop until you die. Some encounters are meant to be, and no matter how cautious you are, you cannot avoid them.

 Chapter 523

    Soon, the cruise began to sail closer toward the shore amidst the rough waves. As soon as the cruise was close enough to the bright dock, the passengers immediately went ashore, catching. a glimpse of a silhouette, which turned out to be a man with a handsome yet indifferent appearance. Although the man''s good looks managed to turn many heads, the passers-by would have approached him for his contact it he hadn''t had a prettydy resting in his arms.

    When Justin made it ashore, he tried to nudge thedy in his embrace in an attempt to wake her up, but to no avail. It looks like the cocktail really packed a punch. Well, that isn''t a bad thing, either. At least she won''t be able to remember the kiss I nted on her forehead, or I''d have a hard time exining myself.

    After he tucked Rachel in and lowered the temperature of the air conditioner, but when he was about to make a move, he looked back for some reason and noticed thedy''s restful look. In that instant, he felt as if there was an unseen force that kept him from walking away as he returned to the bed and sat beside it, fixing his gaze on Rachel''s sleeping face. "Rachel. He gently called out to her, but thetter still showed no signs of waking up.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Then, he caressed her forehead with his hand,bing her fringe to the side so that he could have a better view of her face. While thedy''s looks remained beautiful, they seemed more nonchnt than they did six years ago.

    After all, Rachel used to be gentle and tender back then. Although she was considered tough, she was often timid and fearful of intimidation and oppression.

    Deep down in his heart, Justin could still remember the moment when they had first gotten married six years ago. "Do you know that you''re so pretty, Rachel? Our wedding night was actually the first time we met each other in twenty years, but I didn''t recognize you at that time. Instead, I was blinded by my vengeance and hatred for the Hudson Family, but even so, I couldn''t deny the fact that you were indeed a lovelydy. In fact, you were the most beautifuldy I''ve ever seen, especially those eyes of yours."

    Recounting the past, Justin couldn''t help but feel a stab of pain in his heart. Your eyes were like the ones that were etched in my heart. While they have always looked like Katie''s eyes, I had never thought that you were actually Katie. He then held Rachel''s hands, feeling her warm and sweaty palms, which he thought was probably because they were buried underneath the nket.

    "In order to inherit the Burton Group and ruin the Hudson Pharmaceuticals, I did a lot of things that I''m not exactly proud of.

    Considering the kind heart you have in you, you would probably never forgive me for what I did. However, there are only a handful of things that I regret, and one of them is the fact that I failed to recognize you sooner. Instead, I wronged you by hurting you in the years that came after that Rachel, I want you to know that I''m happy to always see you and grateful for having at daughter with you."

    Justin then chuckled and added, "And a son. If hadn''t mentioned Samuel, I bet you''d probably me me for leaving him out. I should have exined this to you, but I want you to know that I''ve always treated Samuel as my own son. In fact, I''m so grateful for having him by your side to keep youpany in my ce and our daughter''s. Ever since the matter with Julian happened, I''ve be concerned and worried whenever I see you hanging around another man. Honestly, I''d rather see you stay single for the rest of your life. Even if you''re going to start your own family in the future, I''ll still continue to apany you as a friend. After all, we''ve been friends for more than two decades, haven''t we?"

    Not knowing how long had passed, Justin realized his words might have been a little too long-winded and mocked himself, saying, ''If you were awake now, I doubt I''d talk so much, not because I don''t want to, but because I''m afraid that I might scare you. Charlotte said I''ve be more annoying than I used to be due to my nagging, and I''m aware of that. She even told me that''s a sign of me getting old." Soon, Rachel suddenly moved, startling Justin, who thought she was awake. Fortunately, she only just moved her neck a bit and changed to afortable position before continuing her sleep. Then, Justin took a look at the time and decided it was time for him to make a move. Thus, he tucked thedy in again, covering her with the nket up to her chin, whereupon he switched off the lights and left.

    Not long after the man was gone, Rachel, who was lying in bed, slowly opened her eyes, clearly setting her gaze on her surroundings. In fact, she had been awake all the time, from the moment they shared a kiss on the cruise where her hair grazed across his neck, to the moment he carried her in his arms and spoke his feelings to her. When the man nted the kiss on her lips, she had no idea how to react because her mind went nk at that instant.

    Therefore, she instinctively pretended to be drunk and copsed onto his arms in an attempt to get herself out of the difficult position. That way, both of them could act as if nothing had ever happened the next morning. The only thing that Rachel didn''t expect was the fact that Justin would reveal his true feelings to her when he thought she was asleep. Momentster, Rachel tossed and turned in bed a few more times but couldn''t fall asleep somehow.

    The next morning, it was already 10.00AM by the time Rachel woke up. After going about her morning ablutions, she exited the bathroom and was greeted by Justin, who was spreading butter on the bread at the dining table. As soon as he saw thedy, he showed his concern and asked, "You''re up. How was your sleepst night?"

    Rachel faked a cough to cover the awkward feeling within her. "Fine, I guess. I must have been so drunk that I slept like a dead person. I don''t even know how I got back here."

    "Do you need any help jogging your memory?"

    "What?" Rachel waved her hand when she caught on to Justin''s words. "No thanks." Deep down, she didn''t want to relive the moment in which Justin carried her back in his arms by hearing it Spreading the butter on the bread, Justin said, "Don''t worry. Nothing unusual happened. All I did was carry you back. With me by your side, what do you think could have happened?"

    "You being by my side was exactly the problem, Rachel murmured to herself.

    "What did you just say?"

    "Nothing." She curled her lips upward and asked, "That''s quite some breakfast you''re having there. Is it from the room service?"

    "Yeah." He poured a ss of milk for Rachel and slid the te of bread with butter closer to her. "I haven''t eaten this, so you could have it."

    "Thanks."

    "By the way, Mrs. Bet sent someone to deliver an invitation card here before you woke up.

    "Where is it?"

    "Right here." Justin brought the red invitation card closer to Rachel.

    Rachel then took a sip of her fruit juice and put down her ss, whereupon she skimmed through the content of the invitation card. "They''ve even taken their wedding photo. That''s fast. If Jolly sees this, she is probably going to let her imaginations run wild and bother her again."

    As soon as she flipped open the invitation card, she was greeted by the wedding photo with Leroy and his bride, whose family owned the Grandeur Group. While both of them appeared to be wearing traditiona wedding attires, the arrangement represented Shannon''s idea of bringing fortune and happiness.

    "The bride has quite a pretty face, although she seemed plumper when I saw her that day than she is in this picture. Anyway, I heard Mrs. Bet hasn''t been in good health recently, which is why she''s been keeping a low profile. No wonder the press in Enistan doesn''t know much about her."

    "It seems to me that Mrs. Bet is trying to get herself two puppets. How cunning she is!"

    As Rachel was about to close the invitation card, she caught a glimpse of the guest list and frowned at what she saw. "Why are there only our names on the list? Does that mean Jolly can''te with us?"

    Justin nodded in response. "Judging from Lush Enterprise''s unique status in Enistan, I''m sure they''ll tighten the security on the wedding day to make sure no one else but only the invited guests can go in, ever if the asion may be simple. Thus, I don''t think it''s going to be easy for us to sneak Jolly in."

    "What are we going to do then?"

 Chapter 524

    Soon, Rachel made another suggestion. "What if we help Jolly sneak in among the waiters and waitresses?

    "No, it won''t work. The Bet Family will definitely make sure their security personnel verifies the identity of every single server during the wedding to prevent something like that from happening." Upon a brie contemtion, Justin said in a preupied manner, "I suppose the only thing we can do now is to get her another invitation card."

    "What can we do about that? Fake a new invitation card?"N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Sort of, but not entirely."

    After breakfast, Justin and Rachel left home together, acting as if they were going to hang out together when they were actually trying to do something to get Jolly an invitation card. Soon, Frankie hit the gas pedal and drove into an alley shortly before they sped ahead and left the hectic city of Enistan far behind them. At the same time, they found themselves in an oppressive ce that looked like a slum with a distance of arm''s length between each building.

    "You might not have seen a ce like this, Mrs. Burton, but this is exactly where the people of Enistan live. Don''t be fooled by the dpidated buildings you can see here. They are actually homes to many of the people who work a decent job." Frankie drove as he exined the situation in the slum. "In fact, this is not the worst ce there is. There are many other ces where each house is only separated by wires and fences. Besides that, a lot of them are only as big as the size of a coffin, although they are inhabited by three, four, or even five family members."

    "I''ve seen it on the news before." Rachel took a deep breath, unable to believe her eyes, when she finally got to see a ce like that for herself.

    The next second, Justin''s voice was heard. "That''s not something surprising, considering the fact that thend here is so expensive. So, let''s not worry about them. After all, they are all capable of feeding themselves, which is why I believe they can get out of the ce one day."

    Gosh! That sounds cruel and grim, but I guess that''s how the truth sounds. Rachel nodded in response. "I see. Where are we going now?"

    "We''re going to meet a friend who is introduced by Mr. Brook. He said if we can''t get an invitation card from Mrs. Bet, all we need is to see this friend of his, and our problem will be solved."

    "Mr. Brook? Him again?" Rachel was stunned. "Who''s this Mr. Brook? Why does he have such: a widework of connections? Why is he willing to help us so much?"

    Justin shook his head. "I''m not too sure about that, but I know he is an Astronian, although he may be living in Montenegro now. In fact, he was among the few who left our country back in the day. He subsequently settled down there until the recent two years in which he decided toe back here for his business."

    "Did he tell you all that?"

    "Yes, he did."

    Upon hearing Justin''s reply, Rachel murmured to herself skeptically, "Can we trust him? Why do I feel so panicky on the inside?" Deep down, she couldn''t see a reason for Mr. Brook''s friend to help Justin since both of them were strangers to each other. In fact, she reckoned it was Justin who showed Mr. Brook more respect than thetter did to him, which made her doubt Mr. Brook''s motive for helping them even more. This doesn''t add up. Why would Mr. Brook help us in ''gatecrashing'' someone else''s wedding? Something is fishy here. "Like you said, it was him who contacted you first, so does he know you or perhaps our purpose of visiting Enistan?"

    "He didn''t tell me anything specific, but I guess he knows more than he let on."

    "This is strange."

    "I feel the same way too." Justin knitted his eyebrows as a worried expression shed across his face before disappearing. "Anyway, we don''t seem to have any other choice except this one. So, I guess we can''t afford to worry too much."

    Noticing the concerned look on Rachel''s face, Frankie replied, "Don''t worry, Mrs. Burton. Mr. Brook seems like a nice guy. When we first arrived in Le Grandeur, we ran into a lot of trouble until Mr. Brook stepped in and took care of all our problems without asking for anything in return."

    Rachel paused when she heard what Frankie said, turning her attention to Justin. "Did you guys run into a lot of trouble when you were there?"

    "Nah, it wasn''t really a big deal. Frankie is just making a mountain out of a molehill." Justin tried to downy that incident in the past.

    "I certainly did not, Mr. Burton. The politics in Le Grandeur were so chaotic that even a simple errand could not get done because there were people who wouldn''t stop messing around behind our backs." "Frankie. Justin interrupted his assistant''s words with a deep and intimidating voice.

    Despite Frankie''s frustration, he didn''t continue his words as he kept his mouth shut and stopped right there. However, Rachel was able to guess what happened, judging from the way Frankie put his words in. Thus, she frowned and asked, "Is Julian still giving you all a hard time? He''s already got his hands on Riverdale, so what does he want with a ce as far as Le Grandeur?"

    "It''s alright." Unlike Rachel''s anger, Justin appeared to be calm and collected, as if nothing had ever happened to him. "No entrepreneur is a hundred percent free from trouble. If it wasn''t him, there would be someone else anyway, so don''t take it to heart."

    Rachel swallowed the words that were forming at the tip of her tongue. How can I take it to heart after seeing the kind of person Julian has be? At the thought of that, she med herself for indirectly causing Justin to be forced out of the Burton Group and driven to a ce as far away as Le Grandeur. It was all my fault. I''m responsible for the misery Justin is going through.

    "Mr. Burton, Mrs. Burton, we''re here." Frankie''s voice was hearding from the front seat.

    Soon, the car pulled up at a narrow opening right beside a tall building where there was an alley so cramped that whoever wanted to enter had to bend over his or her body. Oh, dear! This is going to be suffocating. The next moment, Rachel stepped out of the vehicle and walked down the alley with Justin while Frankie led the way in front of them. It wasn''t until they arrived at the end of the alley that they saw a que with the word, hotdogs'', written on it. As it shook so much in the wind, it looked like it was about to fall off. "This is it," said Frankie.

    A hotdog ce? Rachel and Justin exchanged gazes, wondering if they were in the right location.

    "Hello. Is there anybody there?" Frankie took a step forward, with Justin and Rachel following closely behind him. Unlike their dpidated exterior, the interior of the ce was surprisingly clean and decent, not to mention the aroma of hotdogs that filled the atmosphere. At the same time, Rachel seized the opportunity to touch the table, finding it squeaky clean without any oily stain at all. It seems that the owner here is pretty particr with hygiene.

    "Hello, anyone there?"

    It was only after a few attempts that Frankie finally got some response. "Coming. Who''s there?"

    Not long after that, a man with a strong and buffed build was seen walking down the stairs before he stood there and bent over, fixing his gaze upon them. With a toothpick protruding from his mouth, the man appeared to be topless as he revealed his muscr physique with a tattoo of a dragon on his left arm that gave off a menacing aura.

    While Rachel was so frightened by the man''s appearance that she stepped back in fear, Justin immediately stepped up and acted like a shield in front of her. Soon, the muscr guy said, "We''re still not open. It''s written on the door. We will only be open at 3.00PM."

    Frankie mustered his courage and tried to act tough. "We''re not here to dine. We''re here to look for someone."

    "You''re here to look for someone?" The muscr guy sized the few of them up and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

    Before Frankie could say something, Justin asked, ''Is Mr. Keaton around?"

    The muscr guy paused when he heard Justin''s question, removing the toothpick away from his mouth. He then stared at Justin and Rachel for the next few moments. "My master isn''t around. Why are you guys looking for him?"

    Master? Rachel sized the beefy man before her up from head to toe and wondered. If Mr. Keaton has a disciple as muscr as this guy, I wonder what he actually looks like in person. Is he a mob boss or something?

    "Mr. Brook said we coulde here. We spoke over the phone," Justin said.

    "Really?" The muscr man was stunned, staring at them doubtfully before he turned around and headed upstairs. "Wait here until Ie back. Don''t go anywhere." He then scurried upstairs when he finished his words. In less than a minute, he returned and waved his hand. "Come with me."

 Chapter 525

    Rachel and Justin then followed the tattooed man upstairs. While the wooden stairway was so narrow that only one person could pass, Justin was forced to bend over like the muscr man, in order to make his way through the corner of the stairs.

    It wasn''t until they arrived upstairs that they realized the ce had more than met the eye. As soon as they saw a corridor upstairs where the sunlight could reach, they couldn''t help but wonder how the house was built because the afternoon sun was still able to shine on the flowers despite the tall buildings that were towering over the house on the outside.

    Soon, they were greeted by an old man sitting on a rocking chair, who appeared to be fit as he was wearing a traditional western outfit with suspenders belt, holding a corn cob pipe in his hand. At the same time, he was seen idling around with his fish in the tank beside him.

    "Master, they are here."

    When the old man, Howard, heard the voice, he turned around and sized up both Justin and Rachel before his eyes eventually fell upon thedy. "Come close to me,dy. I want to take a closer look at you." Rachel was stunned but decided that she was in no position to turn the old man down because they needed his help. Therefore, she obediently stepped forward as requested while the old man straightened his body and looked at her face closely. "Oh my gosh! You look just like her."

    "Like whom?" Rachel was confused.

    "Someone who''s gone for a long time."

    Rachel then subconsciously gazed at Justin, wondering what the meaning behind the old man''s words was. "Didn''t you just say that it was Mr. Brook who told you toe here?" Howard asked. "It''s not me, Mr. Keaton. It''s him," Rachel replied politely, thinking Howard''s old age was the reason he thought she looked like someone who used to be close to him. I bet that''s what he tells everybody. "It doesn''t matter. Anyway, I know why you are here." Howard smiled.

    "We need your help, Mr. Keaton, Justin said, Howard then shot a gaze at the muscr man beside him. ˇ°Nathan, fetch me the two things I left on the table."

    The muscr man, Nathan, then headed into a room and came back with a red invitation card and a ck box in his hands, which were like the ones Rachel and Justin saw earlier that morning. While Rachel was left surprised by what she saw, Nathan went ahead and passed the invitation card along with the box to her.

    With a sophisticated appearance, the ck box felt heavy on Rachel''s palms. Bewildered, she asked, "Mr. Keaton, this..."

    "I wasn''t nning on going there either in the first ce. After all, I''m getting old, plus I''ve grown apart from most of my old friends, but nheless, the Bet Family still respects me enough to send me an invitation card for their wedding, regardless of my decision to attend it." Howard held his corn cob pipe in his hand, his eyes filled with nostalgia as he seemingly indulged in the memories of his good old days. ''Don''t worry. Just take my invitation card and the box with you. When you''re there, tell them that you''re there to deliver my gift on my behalf. No one will stop you."

    "Really? Isn''t there something else we need to tell them?"

    "No need for that. Those two things I gave you are more than enough."

    That sounds promising. Nothing can possibly go wrong, I guess. At the thought of that, Rachel expressed her gratitude. "Thank you so much, Mr. Keaton."

    "Don''t mention it. If you want to thank me, just call me ''Howie'' instead."

    "Thank you, Howie."

    The old man responded with a benevolent smile and said, "I have a bad ankle, so I suppose I''m going to excuse myself now, but since you guys are here anyway, you should probably try our hotdogs. It''s the best in Enistan."

    As Justin was about to say no, Rachel beat him to it and said, "Then, I suppose we must try."

    "Sure, let''s go."

    Soon, Rachel and Justin headed downstairs along with Frankie, whereupon Nathan served them with some tantalizing and freshly made hotdogs. Since Astronian cuisine was Frankie''s favorite, he couldn''t stopplimenting how delicious the dish was after taking a few bites. "This tastes so awesome! I swear I''ve never had hotdogs as delicious as this one. How could I not know about this restaurant at all? I muste here more often."

    However, Nathan only responded by looking askance at Frankie. "We''re closed on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. As for the rest of the days, we''re open only if we feel like working. While our working hours start from 3 PM to 9 PM, we sell no more than 100 units every day."

    In response, Frankie reacted by curling his lips. upward, swallowing the words that were forming at the tip of his tongue. It seems to me that he is turning his customers away. In the meantime, Rachel chuckled aloud and identally choked on herself at the sight of Frankie''s speechless look. Before Justin could react, Nathan came closer to Rachel with a ss of water and said, "Have a ss of water, Miss "You don''t have to call me ''Miss. Instead, call me by my name, Rachel, or Rae."

    "Yes, Miss."

    Rachel was helpless upon hearing the muscr man''s reply. Soon, Nathan''s sudden change in his attitude when treating Rachel since they met Howard upstairs got Justin and Frankie wondering what was wrong with him. After all, Rachel was the only person who had some extra dish on her te, aside from the hotdogs. Upon finishing their meals, they left the hotdog restaurant, whereupon Nathan closed the shop and headed upstairs. "They are gone, Master."

    Howard nodded and replied, "Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious during this period of time in which our restaurant is closed. Things are more chaotic around here, so keep an eye on them." "Yes, Master.

    When they were on their way back, Frankie mentioned Howard to the two of them. ˇ°This is strange, Mr. Burton. I thought it was you who approached Mr. Keaton, but why did he look like he seemed to care about Mrs. Burton more?"

    Agreeing with Frankie''s point, Justin asked, "Rae, are you sure you haven''t been here in Enistan before?"

    Rachel shook her head. "I was 8 years old when I first became a part of the Hudson Family. Then, for the next twenty years, I never left Riverdale until I subsequently went to Montenegro. Although I did go on a trip with the kids to some other ces after that, I never really came to Enistan." Known as a shopping paradise more than a ce for vacation, Enistan never really urred to Rachel as a ce to visit. "Maybe... It was your mother who came to Enistan?"

    Rachel was stunned. "You think Mr. Keaton knows my mother? How is that possible?"

    "Yeah, I might have gone too far, I guess." Justin shook his head and dismissed his suspicion, thinking it was too far-fetched to be true.

    "When my grandma was still around, she did. mention my mother to me, saying that she never left Riverdale like me. While her two brothers were sent abroad to further their studies, she stayed behind with my grandfather." Rachel then raised her fingers and started calcting the years. "I remember that was around the time when the first cohort of our students went abroad for their careers not long after the border was first opened.

    After all, opportunities to travel overseas were few and far between at that time, and I doubt it was possible for anyone toe to Enistan from Riverdale because there was no avable transportation that could take them here either."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "You have a point." Justin nodded in agreement.

    "Maybe it''s just a pure coincidence that I look like Mr. Keaton''s bereaved family member or something. After all, anything can happen in this world even though we may have a hard time exining them, sometimes. Don''t you think so?"

    "Yeah, you''re right. By the way, make sure you have the invitation card with you."

    "It''s right here. As for this present, I wonder what''s inside that Mr. Keaton is telling us to bring along."

    Bound by their honorable nature, Rachel and Justin restrained themselves from opening the box without the owner''s permission. As the two of them were talking to each other, they were unaware of Frankie, who was secretly peeking at them in the rear mirror in a preupied manner. A few momentster, the car suddenly jerked back and forth when it was traveling halfway through the highway. While Rachel was sent forward by the inertia, Justin quickly got a hold of her before anything terrible could happen.

    Justin then looked forward and asked, "What happened?"

    Frankie scratched his head. "Something is wrong with the car. I can''t start it."

    "Howe? What''s going on here?" Rachel. was stunned.

    "We rented this car after all, and I wouldn''t be surprised that it''s not as reliable as ours. Anyway, just give me a moment, Mr. and Mrs. Burton. I''ll check what''s wrong with the car. If I can''t fix it, I''ll call the car rentalpany that we approached."

 Chapter 526

    "Alright, go ahead."

    As soon as Frankie stepped out of the car, Justin was left alone with Rachel in the vehicle. Thedy then looked outside the window and said, "Thank god that our car broke down here instead of acting up in the middle of the busy road. If that happened, I bet we''d cause a huge jam shortly before our car got towed away." While the location where their car broke down was at a dested alley far from the center of the hectic city, the few of them were surrounded by residential buildings and apanied by the sound of a foghorn, which indicated that a harbor was just nearby.

    At the same time, Frankie popped the hood and examined the engine shortly before he returned to Justin and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Burton, I can''t seem to identify the problem that caused our car''s breakdown, but I just called the car rentalpany, and they said they''ll send someone here with a new car."

    "How long is that going to take?'' Rachel asked.

    "It''s hard to tell. It''s not like you don''t know what the traffic condition in Enistan is like. It may take from 30 minutes to an hour or even longer, and it''s almost peak hour soon."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "That''s very long. What are we going to do here until then? Just wait?"

    "I bet you probably hope that we broke down in the middle of the road instead because we''re going to get help sooner that way, don''t you?" Justin asked yfully. "Come on. Are you seriously still in the mood to joke?"

    As Justin responded with a pair of smiling eyes on his face, Frankie said, ˇ°Maybe I''ll just wait here by myself, Mrs. Burton. You could perhaps. shop around with Mr. Burton for the time being since Pearl View City is just not far from here. I heard that''s a pretty good ce for shopping. So, you guys can stroll around there and have dinner before taking a walk back to the hotel. Does that sound like a n?" "That''s not a bad idea."

    "Howe you have everything figured out so... wlessly?" Rachel appeared skeptical just as Frankie''s heart skipped a beat.

    However, Rachel squinted with a smile and replied, "If I''m going to start a tourism agencypany in the future, I''m going to let you run. it."

    "Stop kidding me."

    "I kid you not."

    Not long after Rachel and Justin stepped out of the car, Frankie escorted both of them away until they were far away enough for him to drop his pretense. Soon, he heaved a sigh of relief and wiped off the cold sweat that was covering his forehead before sitting back into his car. Upon a brief rest, he started the engine and drove away. This is all I can do for you, Boss. You''re on your own now.

    Meanwhile, Rachel and Justin exited the residential area they were in and made their way toward Pearl View City like Frankie told them to. "If we didn''te here on a mission to look for someone, Jolly would probably be the happiest person among us. In fact, I bet she''d even queue up to buy the bread here every single day''

    "She is probably in the hotel now."

    "You bet! She just sent me a text,ining to me how bored she is in the hotel. I did tell her to join us, but she wouldn''t, thinking she could risk exposing herself that way."

    "You know what? There is something I find rather strange, actually." Justin appeared to be preupied.

    "What''s that?"

    "If Mrs. Bet is trying to threaten Leroy into getting married and inheriting Lush Enterprise in Enistan, wouldn''t it have been easier for her if she had just threatened him with Jolly''s safety? Instead, she went through all the trouble just to plot against Mr. and Mrs. Carter.ˇ±

    Rachel frowned in response as she began to see the confusion Justin was trying to point out. "Yeah, why?" She then took a moment to think about it. "Maybe she is trying to force Jolly into breaking up with Leroy by threatening. to harm Mr. and Mrs. Carter?"

    "But as you can see, it didn''t work that way."

    "Mrs. Bet wouldn''t know that for sure, would she? After all, who would still dare to try anything silly if their parents'' safety were threatened?" Rachel reckoned her logic was correct, although she wasn''t quite sure how urate her guess was. After all, she did agree with Justin that there was an easier way Shannon could have used to bend Leroy to her will.

    "Maybe." Justin knitted his eyebrows. In fact, he had another spection inside of him but was unable to prove it. Thus, he decided to keep it to himself in order not to panic Rachel.

    "What''s going on there? Why are there so many people over there? Let''s check it out."

    "Sure."

    In the meantime, Ryan ¨˘rrived at Enistan Greenhill Hotel after his touchdown earlier that morning, his luggage was still unpacked in the hotel.

    "President Sutton, I just found out that Miss Carter lives in a five-star hotel not far from here."

    "Get me a new hotel, then."

    "Yes."

    "Wait a second." Ryan''s assistant was blocked by a silhouette just when he was about to walk out the door. "Getting a new hotel can wait, but please give me and President Sutton some privacy. I''d like to have a word with him."

    The assistant looked at Ryan. Although Ryan frowned upon hearing that voice, he still nodded and dismissed his assistant.

    "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

    "Of course it''s about my purpose of visiting Enistan." Julian sat down on the couch. "Have a seat and rx."

    "Rx? Mind you, thedies and Justin are already here. So, unless you have no problem seeing the woman you love rekindling the old mes with Justin, you can stay rxed all you want." When Ryan mentioned that, Julian''s eyes darkened. ''See? If you can''t stay rxed yourself, don''t tell me to." Ryan looked askance at Julian and added, "Things are simpler now than they were previously. After all, I''m sure Mrs. Bet will never allow anyone to ruin the wedding between Leroy and the daughter of the Grandeur Group''s president. Therefore, I just need to send them a message to stop them from seeing Leroy, and nothing will happen."

    "That''s easier said than done. What makes you think Mrs. Bet is going to believe you?" Julian gazed at him and asked, ''Unless you''re nning to tell her the address of the hotel that Jolly lives in?" Needless to say, Ryan couldn''t bring himself to do that because if he told Shannon that Jolly was in Enistan, things could be unpredictable and even spiral out of his control. If that happened, his n could fail. Thus, he asked, "What n do you have, then?"

    "Just stop them before the wedding. Julian looked outside the window, setting his eyes on the reddish hue that was shrouding the evening sky, as if it was about to rain. Well, sometimes, the most difficult problem can be solved with the simplest solution.

    Meanwhile, Jolly finally grew so restless that she decided to leave her hotel room on the third day of her stay. However, the bigger reason for her to do that was to buy herself a decent gown so that she could attend the wedding the next day. "It''s so refreshing outside."

    When Rachel heard the voice from her earpiece, she held her ear and said, "I told you toe out earlier on, but you wouldn''t. Look at you now. It didn''t hurt toe out and catch some fresh air, right?" Although the three of them.

    were taking a stroll in the shopping mall, Jolly acted as if she didn''t know the two of them. Instead, she shopped around by herself, wearing her earpiece while talking to them via at group call "Chris, do you mind taking a look at my dresster?"

    "Which one?"

    "The one in the fashion store that''s near the ice cream shop beside the elevator on the third floor. The gray one on the third rack that is on the right side of the entrance."

    "Any dress will do. It''s not your wedding day tomorrow, so just pick any random one," Rachel replied helplessly.

    "No way! I have to look prettier than the bride... I mean, that woman!"

    "Women! They are ves to their vanity, aren''t they?"

    "Vanity? That''s a matter of pride and reputation. Or do you think I''m not as pretty as that woman?!"

    "I haven''t seen that woman before." Rachel and Justin exchanged gazes, tacitly understanding what each other was thinking in their minds. Deep down, both of them could empathize with Jolly, so they agreed to let her do as she wished.

    "Here is a word of advice, Miss Carter. The dress doesn''t matter to you because what you need to consider when you see him tomorrow is-how to run. Do you understand?"

 Chapter 527

    Feeling sympathetic for Jolly who was still getting over the pain of her breakup, Rachel decided to help her by giving her some opinions about which dress to pick through her earphone. In the end, Jolly settled with a beautiful gray dress. "Alright, take care of the bill yourselfter."

    "No problem." Jolly''s voice was heard from the earphone. "Pick one for yourself too."

    "Any dress is fine by me."

    "No way. You need to pick a decent dress for yourself on a grand asion like the one we''re going to be attending. Be sure to pick one for her, Justin. Do you hear me?" Jolly said in a bossy manner. Although Justin was present throughout the call, he was silent most of the time. While he was initially nning to just be a fly on the wall, he didn''t expect Jolly to call him out like that. Nheless, he was happy to help Rachel in that regard. "Try this one, Rae.'' Justin mped the green dress tightly with his fingers, showing the eye-catching fabric with a vintage vor to thedy as he indirectly proved his good taste.

    As Rachel couldn''t seem to find a reason to turn the man down, the saleswoman approached her to take her measurements, exining with a smile, "It can be rather troublesome to put on this dress, so maybe I shoulde with you, Madam."

    "Thank you." Rachel gazed at Justin. "Wait for me outside."

    "Alright."

    The saleswoman then followed Rachel into the fitting room. While the dress seemed even better on the wearer, its color perfectly set off Rachel''s fair skin. When the saleswoman saw that, she couldn''t stopplimenting Rachel''s beauty.

    "You look stunning in this dress, Madam."

    "Thank you."

    "I suppose that man outside must be your husband. You both make such a perfect couple."

    "Do we really?"

    "Not only do you two look like a perfect couple, but I''m also sure that your husband really loves you. Look at him. He carries everything for you and picks your clothes for you. In fact, men, who are willing to shop with their wives and pick clothes for them, are hard to find these. days. While Rachel chuckled in response, the saleswoman added, "Oh, I wouldn''tugh at that if I were you, Madam.

    I dare say that I''ve be quite a good judge myself, considering the years I''ve spent working as a salesperson here. We can tell whether a man loves his wife by just observing his reaction. Therefore, I''m sure you''re in luck, Madam." The saleswoman went on and on, giving Rachel little to no chance to interrupt and cut her short.

    When the saleswoman was finally told to fix her dress, Rachel opened the fitting room curtain, only to see Justin sitting on the couch with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Initially stunned, she quickly felt warm on the inside as she continued to set her eyes on the man. After all, Justin had been keeping herpany wherever she went for the past few days, not to mention the fact that he slept on the couch at night. Therefore, she could tell that Justin must have been exhausted from the busy schedule in these few days. For that, she turned her attention to the saleswoman and said, "I''ll go with this dress. Please pack it for me."

    In the meantime, Justin continued to nod off on the couch until the cushion beside him began to sink. It was then that he woke up and saw Rachel sitting beside him in her casual wear. "Wait, what? Didn''t you change? The dress doesn''t look good on you?"This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "I did, and it looked good on me too. So, I told the saleswoman to pack it for me."

    "Why didn''t you wake me up?"

    "You were sound asleep, so I figured I shouldn''t ruin your sweet dream." Rachel took a look at the watch and said, "It''s gettingte now. So, let''s go back."

    "Rx, we''re not in a hurry anyway. We can have dinner together before returning to the hotel. In fact, I''ve booked a table at a restaurant, and Jolly will be joining us." "With us?"

    "She''ll perhaps sit two tables away from us."

    Rachel burst intoughter when she heard that. "Is it just me or is she really acting like a thief?"

    During dinner, Jolly sat two tables away from Rachel and Justin as they expected. Although Rachel tried to strike up a conversation with her, Jolly only responded with a long face and ignored the former. Soon, her voice was heard from the earpiece. "Stop staring at me like a creep. Just enjoy your meal and get on with your business."

    "I was just worried that you''d be too lonely eating by yourself."

    "Who says I''m lonely? I''m not lonely. Not at all! If you continue to stare at me like that, I''m going to take my meal away and have it in the hotel room instead."

    "Alright. Alright, I''ll stop looking at you, okay? Just enjoy your food." Rachel helplessly took her gaze off Jolly. Then, she turned her attention to Justin and said, "Let''s hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow." Justin replied, "The wedding is held in the afternoon. Although there are going to be a lot of people there, the traffic should be clear. By then, I''ll get Frankie to take them to the airport straight away as we follow right behind them."

    "If anything goes wrong during the wedding, would Mrs. Bet suspect us?"

    "I don''t know." Justin had no idea what to say since the situation seemed unpredictable to him.

    While the three of them appeared to be preupied about the wedding the next day, they didn''t really enjoy themselves even though they were dining at a famous restaurant. Not long after that, they decided to make a move and return to the hotel. As Jolly gged down a cab and made her way back by herself, Rachel and Justin both took Frankie''s ride back home.

    "The car isn''t going to break down again today, is it? Rachel looked at Frankie, expressing her concern to him as soon as she entered the car. "Mind you, the hotel is pretty far away from here."

    "Don''t worry. I requested a new model from the car rentalpany, Frankie replied with an embarrassed smile. As the neon lights began to shine through the night, the busy city of Enistan started to seem lively and prosperous.

    Meanwhile, Justin, who had only taken his seat for a few minutes, slowly dozed off, his head tilting to the side until it rested on Rachel''s shoulder. In the meantime, Rachel paused when she suddenly felt something heavy on her shoulder. She then straightened her body to keep the man''s head still, but at the same time, she happened to catch a glimpse of Frankie peeking at them through the rear mirror.

    While Rachel''s face blushed in that instant, Frankie said in a soft voice, "I didn''t see anything." He murmured with a soft voice and proceeded to intentionally adjust the mirror in an attempt to convince Rachel that he wasn''t peeking. When Rachel noticed Frankie''s reaction, her face blushed even more.

    As the few of them continued their journey back, Rachel''s phone suddenly rang, shattering the reigning silence within the car. While Justin was awakened by the ringtone, Rachel slid the answer button and picked up the call. "Hello?"

    "Help me, Chris!" Jolly''s panicky voice was heard from the other side of the phone. When Rachel heard that, her face changed. "What''s going on? Where are you now?"

    Jolly responded in a hushed tone. "I don''t know. where I am. I hopped out of the car when the driver took me down an alley. I''m now hiding in a dumpster."

    "Send me your location!" However, Jolly''s voice was abruptly stopped after some noise was heard. "Hello? Hello, Jolly!"

    Since Justin was close enough to the phone, he was able to overhear what Jolly just said. Thus, he quickly gave his assistant an order. "Rx. Frankie, drive in the direction of the hotel and be sure to drive slowly so that we can see what''s going on in the alleys."

    "Is anything going to happen to Jolly?"

    "No, there isn''t. She is smart enough to get out of the car and hide until we arrive."

    "Is it Mrs. Bet who found out that Jolly is now in Enistan?"

    "We don''t know what''s going on now, so let''s not freak yourself out." Justin wrapped his arm around Rachel''s shoulder to calm her down.

    As the car continued to move forward on the busy street, the few of them went on to notice many more humid and dark alleys despite the prosperous-looking appearance of the ce. When Rachel noticed that, she couldn''t help but think that anything terrible could happen. I can''t believe Jolly is now hiding in a dumpster filled with a reeking and disgusting stench. Although Rachel knew Jolly would usually not be able to bear with that, she was sure that her friend would face a fate worse than enduring some unpleasant smell if she ever stepped out of the dumpster. At the same time, the sound of metal pipes shattering a car''s windows reverberated in her head as her mind went nk.

 Chapter 528

    "Where is she?"

    "The car is right here, so I bet she must be somewhere nearby."

    "You can have a look there while I check this area out. Start searching now."

    Judging from the sound of the footsteps, Jolly was able to tell that there were only two people outside the dumpster. At the thought of that realization, she clenched her fists, thinking her years of experience in some novice sparring training should be enough to help her fend off some thugs. However, she wasn''t confident enough to take on some dangerous ouws who had no regard for their own safety. Not knowing how long had passed, Jolly began to hear footstepsing closer and closer to her. As soon as the dumpster lid above her was lifted, she started to swing her fists wildly. Shortly after that, she heard a man moaning in pain and saw him covering his eyes. "Don''t you daree close to me!"

    "Jolly!" When Jolly heard a familiar voice, she snapped out of her frantic state and stopped swinging her fists crazily.

    "Chris."

    As Jolly wanted to hug Rachel, thetter stepped back and said, "Wait a minute. Just step out of the dumpster first." At that moment, Jolly''s body was shrouded by the reeking stench from the dumpster. Although she wished she didn''t have to turn Jolly''s hug away, she couldn''t stand the disgusting smell that was wafting from her.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After struggling toe out of the dumpster, Jolly walked up to Justin and apologized to him. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t know it was you."

    Justin covered his eye and shook his head. "I''m fine."

    "Let''s get you to the hospitalter." Frankie said, "But for now, we must go, Mr. and Mrs. Burton." Before they could react, they were suddenly blocked by a silhouette.

    "Where do you think you are going?"

    "Wait a second. It looks like we have three more unexpected ''guests here."

    "Who cares? Because that means we''re going to get even richer now."

    It turned out that there were two muscr men with a menacing look, which suggested that they were thugs who lurked in the hidden alleys around Enistan. However, they didn''t seem to be working for Shannon, judging from their conversation. Instead, they looked more like they were trying to ckmail Justin and the others for money.

    In that instant, Justin quickly stood in front of thedies and shielded them behind him. "If money is what you guys are after, I can give it to you. All I''m asking is for you to let us go."

    One of the men spat and asked, "How much can you give us?"

    "How much do you want?"

    "This much." The thug stuck out all five of his fingers.

    "No problem. Just let us go.''

    99

    As they didn''t expect Justin to agree to their request so quickly, they couldn''t help but feel doubtful upon hearing Justin''s reaction. "I haven''t even said how much before you agreed. Are you trying to mess with us? I want five million!"

    "Sure." Justin agreed without any hesitation. After all, his priority was to keep himself and thedies safe, so even if he had to pay five billion, he wouldn''t even hesitate to fork over the money. The thugs sized them up and replied, "Good. We like your generosity, but we only ept cash."

    "Five million in cash? Are you out of your mind?" Jolly lost her patience and berated the thugs. "Do you know how much cash there is for five million? Where do you expect us to get you that kind of money?" "Do you think we don''t know that, b*tch?!"

    Fearing that the thugs would get pissed, Justin raised his hand and said, "I can give you guys this watch for you to sell it. It''s worth at least four million. If you insist on having cash, I have no problem paying you that, but are you sure you can walk away with it in one piece?"

    The two muscr thugs looked at each other, whereupon one of them walked closer to Justin and said, "Throw it over here."

    Without saying a single word, Justin threw his watch at them, but just as the thug stretched out his hand to reach it, Justin immediatelynded a kick on him and shouted, "Frankie!" Frankie, who was quick to react, grabbed the golf club he had taken with him from the car and swung it across the air, only to miss his target.

    In the meantime, the guy who took a kick in the chest was seen with a painful look on his face. "Goddamn you! You guys are making a big mistake!" The next second, the thugs each grabbed a metal pipe and closed in on them.

    Needless to say, Justin and Frankie stood in front of thedies and shielded them behind them. "Mr. Burton, you should leave with thedies. I''ll hold them off and buy you some time."

    "We''ll hold them off. Rachel, take Jolly with you, Justin said.

    "We''re not leaving." Rachel gritted her teeth with a pale look on her face.

    At the same time, Jolly also reacted with a determined look on her face. "No, we''re not leaving without you all. We''re all getting out of here-together!"

    "None of you is walking out of this alley in one piece!" One of the thugs snarled, his voice echoing in the alley.

    Nevertheless, a painful moan was soon heard from the shadows of the alley the next second. As soon as the thugs looked back, they were knocked out by someone with a brick before they could even identify who their attacker was. While the two men were down on the ground, Rachel was slowly able to make out the silhouette that was emerging from the shadows. "Nathan?"

    "Miss Hudson." A familiar voice came from the shadows at the end of the alley as the person who saved them showed himself. Soon, Nathan. was seen manhandling the thugs whom he had just tied up and let in the corner. He then turned his attention to Rachel and said, "The police will find them the next morning, so don''t worry about it."

    Rachel nodded. "Thank you, Nathan, but how did you know we''re here?"

    "Master Keaton was afraid that you all would be a target for those scums in Enistan. After all, there are all kinds of people around here, which is why I was told to follow you all these few days. Guess what? It turns out that Master Keaton was right."

    "Mr. Keaton?" Rachel and Justin looked at each other. Justin then said, "Please give our thanks to Mr. Keaton. I''ll be sure to pay a visit and thank him in person soon."

    "Not at all. In fact, I''m here to protect Miss Hudson." Despite Nathan''s intimidating tattoos, he was actually a simple-minded guy who only sought to protect Rachel. After all, if she hadn''t been in danger, he wouldn''t have interfered with them. "It''s gettingte. You should probably get back to the hotel now."

    Although Rachel''s mind was filled with question marks and confusion, she only nodded, knowing it wasn''t the right time to find out more about Nathan''s strange behavior. Concerned with Jolly''s safety if she continued to stay with them, she probingly asked, "Nathan, can you do me a favor?"

    "Please say it, Miss Hudson."

    "Can you escort my friend back to the hotel for us?"

    Nathan shifted his gaze to thedy standing behind Rachel, while Jolly freaked out andined in a hushed tone, "Really? Are you seriously going to let this big guy take me away?"

    "Rx!" Rachel seized her friend''s sleeve and said, "He just saved your life."

    "Nathan, she is not safe with us, so can we count on you to keep her safe? I''m worried we might run into further trouble again."

    "Sure," Nathan answered. "One more thing. Can you please pick her up at the hotel tomorrow in the afternoon? Take her to the venue where the wedding is held."

    "Alright."

    How could he not ask anything at all before saying yes to my every favor? Rachel couldn''t believe that Nathan would agree to help her so easily. However, she quickly put her confusion about that behind her, considering the dire circumstances. After Jolly left with Nathan, she took Frankie''s ride back to the hotel with Justin. Sitting in the car, Rachel couldn''t stop thinking about the intense encounter she just went through. "Do you guys think it was all a coincidence?"

    Frankie replied, "Judging from the way they spoke to each other, it seemed to me that they were just after money."

    "Or it could just be a cover to mislead whoever is listening." Justin''s voice was heard echoing in the car as he knitted his eyebrows and said, "Frankie, I need you to find out where Ryan is recently." "Ryan?" Rachel was perplexed.

    "If those people had been sent by Mrs. Bet, they would havee straight for Jolly without worrying about blowing their cover. However, if Mrs. Bet isn''t behind all this, he is the next suspect on the list, considering how much he wishes to stop Jolly. Don''t you think so?" Justin replied.

 Chapter 529

    "What? He hasn''t given up?'' Rachel couldn''t believe what she just heard. "I thought he was undergoing a coronary artery bypass surgery? Why won''t he stop stirring up trouble even in his current condition? Why is he still trying to harm Jolly?"

    "I''m not too sure about that, but for now, I guess we should let Frankie find out where he is. If he is in Enistan, I believe he is absolutely behind all this," Justin said.

    Soon, Frankie''s voice was heard from the front. "Mr. and Mrs. Burton, I''ll get on with it as soon as possible."

    Meanwhile, Julian was standing in front of the French window in his hotel room at the ungodly hour. Despite the usual approachable look on his face, he was a cunning and scheming person on the inside. Since the moment he took over the Burton Group as thepany''s president, he had created nothing but chaos in Riverdale''smercial world.

    "President Peters."

    Julian could see his assistant''s reflection in the window but didn''t bother to turn around. Instead, he continued to set his eyes on the night view outside the window. "What''s the status? Have you caught her?"

    "Um. No."

    Hearing how the assistant stammered, Julian sensed something wrong as he turned around with a scowl on his face. "What happened? Tell me."

    The assistant answered, "I can''t seem to reach the two guys we sent after her."

    "What? You can''t reach them? When was thest time you tried reaching them?" "Half an hour ago. Do we need to send someone to look for them, President Peters?" "Look for them? In whose name?"

    The assistant nched, knowing that he just said something silly. After all, the two men they sent after Jolly didn''t know who they were working for. Therefore, if Julian sent someone to search for them, he could risk alerting Justin and the others, letting them know they were onto them.

    Julian said, ''Call Enistan Greenhill Hotel and see if you can learn anything useful about them,"

    The assistant was momentarily startled before he nodded rapidly and replied, "Alright, I''ll do it now."

    In fact, Julian wasn''t concerned about the two men he just sent out but was more concerned about Jolly, Justin, and Rachel. After all, if they had sessfully returned to the hotel, it would mean that those two men had failed their mission. Upon learning the information he needed, the assistant hung up the call and anxiously said, "President Peters, the receptionist in the hotel said they are back."

    In that instant, Julian''s eyes darkened. Although he had no idea how Jolly was able to escape from his men, he knew nothing could stop her from ruining the wedding the next day now that she was back to the hotel. However, unlike Ryan, Julian couldn''t care less about the wedding but was instead worried that the men he sent after Jolly had given him away. "Book the air tickets. We''re going back to Riverdale now." "Now?" Julian''s assistant was stunned.

    "Yes, now."

    The next morning, Justin and Rachel had their breakfast in the hotel room before they set out for the wedding. "I doubt we''re going to stand a chance to enjoy the meal thereter, so be sure to grab a bite now Justin poured Rachel a ss of milk, gently reminding her to eat something.

    "I guess we''ll be fine. Mrs. Bet doesn''t know our rtionship with Jolly anyway. So, if she runs away with Leroy, I bet she won''t suspect us right away. So, we should have some time to try out the good food there."

    Rachel then sipped the milk in her ss, speaking her mind frankly since Jolly wasn''t around. ''Furthermore, we don''t know whether she is going to make it either."

    "I thought you were going to teach Leroy a lesson if he won''te along with Jolly? If that''s the case, I don''t think you have time for that. Either way, we''re going to achieve our goal.

    "Hey, did you just listen in on my conversation with Jolly?"

    "Hello, I''ve been in the group chat for as long as you have." Justin pointed at his ear.

    It was then that Rachel paused and recalled the voice messages they sent in the group chat, but since Justin remained silent most of the time, she and Jolly started to forget that he was also present in the chat. This is awkward. "Rx. I was just kidding.'' Rachel rubbed her nose to hide her embarrassment.

    "Anyway, I don''t mind preparing a weapon for you if you need it by then," Justin replied with a pair of furrowed brows on his face. In fact, his deadpan humor was the hardest to read because of his serious- looking expression despite the ridiculous ideas that came out of his mouth. Like Jolly had once said before, Justin would be aedian whose sense of humor came from his poker face if he was ever going to work as one. After breakfast, Rachel retreated to her room to get changed.

    The wedding was held at a resort on Idyll Mountain, which was not far from Grandeur Hospital, but even so, it was still time-consuming for them to travel from where they were to the central city. "Mr. Burton." Frankie knocked on the door and entered the presidential suite. "Everything has been arranged. If Miss Carter can sessfully take Leroy with her, both of them will catch a flight to Europe right away."

    Justin nodded shortly before he asked, "Did you find anything new about what I told you to?"

    "You were right. Ryan isn''t in Riverdale."

    "Go on."

    "Ryan arrived here in Enistan on the same day as we did. In fact, he reached here almost around the same time as we did. Moreover, he switched his stay to another hotel that is about less than one kilometer away from ours." Frankie then pointed outside the window and said, "That building."

    Following Frankie''s line of sight, Justin set his eyes outside the window and saw a hotel, which was near to the harbor, erected right on the side of the road. This is too much of a coincidence, no? "What about those two men we ran into yesterday? Did he send them?"

    "I haven''t found anything out about that, but the two of them were arrested by the cops and detained in a nearby police station this morning. They both told the police that they were drunk and kidnappedst night. Nothing. else more than that."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes. It almost looks as if they were sure no one was going to press charges against them."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    Justin appeared to be preupied, seemingly finding something strange in his mind. Deep down, he reckoned Jolly couldn''t afford to risk drawing too much unwanted attention no matter what happened to her in Enistan if she still wished to see Leroy. Therefore, they didn''t call the police despite the life-threatening encounter they had with the thugs the day before. However, what bewildered Justin was the fact that the two thugs seemed as if they were sure they wouldn''t call the police, which he thought was why they appeared to be so confident in keeping their crimes a secret. For that, Justin was sure that they were working for someone else behind them.

    "It looks like you''re right, Mr. Burton. It was Ryan who sent those people here because he is the only one who knows that Miss Carter, havinge to Enistan just to see Leroy, can''t afford to draw too much attention."

    However, Justin responded with silence for a while and said, "Wait. There is one more person."

    Frankie was stunned as he didn''t have any idea of who Justin might be referring to. Soon, thetter said, "Go find out whether Julian is in Riverdale now."

    When Frankie heard that, he paused with his eyes wide open. "Do you suspect Dr. Peters is behind this too?"

    "He''s always worked closely with Ryan."

    After all, Jolly had a wide connection ofwork behind her since her father owned and ran the huge Carter Enterprise. Therefore, any man who could marry her would naturally get his hands on those valuable resources, including thepany itself. At the same time, Justin knew that Julian and Ryan had been colluding with each other to rope all the otherpanies across Riverdale in for the sake of their mutual interests. For that, he believed the two of them would naturally try to maximize each other''s interest, considering the fact that they were on the same boat.

    Meanwhile, when Justin and Frankie were talking to each other, the two men weren''t aware that their bedroom door was left ajar. It turned out that a slim figure was standing outside the door. Upon hearing Julian''s name, the figure clenched her fists tightly.

 Chapter 530

    When Rachel had finished changing and came out, Frankie had already gone downstairs to get the car ready. Justin was in the living room, wearing a suit with a ck badge on hispel. Rachel''s dark green gownplemented her skin, making it look glowing. Just some light makeup was enough to bring out her aura, and her movements looked as though they belonged in an aesthetic scene of a movie.

    Justin could not look away, and it took a while for him to collect himself as she looked at him. He cleared his throat and murmured, "It suits you."

    Rachel smiled. "Well, you have good taste." It was Justin who had picked out the gown, but he had fallen asleep in the store yesterday and missed seeing it.

    "It''s almost time. Let''s go.''

    "Wait." She stopped him. "I heard you and Frankie talking just now."

    When he heard that, Justin frowned, which prompted Rachel to add, "You think Julian Peters had a part inst night''s events?"

    "Yes."

    "That''s impossible. He''s not that type of person. He may have some outrageous business methods, but that is when he is with strangers. What does he have against Jolly? They are friends. They even live under the same roof!" Rachel could not ept that Julian would harm Jolly, and she believed that Justin''s assumptions were wrong.

    "Yes, I know they are friends." Justin was calm, as if he had anticipated her reaction. "I don''t mean anything else by this. If you don''t want me to continue investigating, this will stop here. We just need to make sure it''s Ryan behind it."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "It doesn''t work like that. What''s ck is ck, and what''s white is white." She took a deep breath. "Send someone to the Burton Group offices to find Julian."

    "Is this necessary?"

    "Yes, it is; I have sent your secretary there. If he is still in Riverdale, that means your assumption is wrong. He would never do this to Jolly."

    Rachel clenched her fists tightly as she spoke. She could understand Julian''s refusal to ept his real identity immediately, thus behaving like a changed man by frantically recruiting people to build a faction and strengthen his standing. She could also understand him taking advantage of his old friendships to be closer to the Carter Family elders for his own future. However, she couldn''t understand why he would do something to hurt his friend for his gain, nor did she believe he would do it.

    Seeing her being so stubborn, Justin couldn''t do anything. He also wanted his assumption to be wrong since it was the best for everyone involved. Before the two of them departed, Rachel''s phone rang. "Hello?"

    Her secretary''s voice came from the other end. "President Hudson, I am now at the Burton Group offices. The workers say President Peters has been working here since early this morning. He is now in the conference room holding a morning meeting and wille to meet meter."

    The phone was on speaker mode, so Justin could hear everything. At that, Rachel told her secretary, "Don''t hang upter. Put your phone beside you." "Okay."

    Rachel had her assistant bring along some project documents to pretend to enquire about a project. In reality, she just wanted to check if Julian had always been in Riverdale. Soon, a familiar masculine voice came from the other end. "Have you been waiting long?"

    Currently in the conference room of Burton Group at Riverdale, Julian had taken a short break from the meeting to meet Rachel''s secretary, Casey. When Casey saw him, she immediately waved her hand. "No, I just arrived here too. Did I interrupt your meeting? You can continue if you are busy. I can wait a little more."

    "It''s alright. Several proposals for publicity haven''t gone through, and thepany is having a meeting to discuss them. It can go on without me. Why do you want to meet me?"

    Casey pulled out a file at once. "These are some documents for the partner project. When doing the documentation, we found some issues, so I came to ask about it."

    "Let me have a look." As Julian said so, he took the file and started reading carefully.

    Their voices could be heard from Rachel''s end via Casey''s phone, which was ced on the table with the screen facing down. After hanging up, Rachel looked up at Justin. "See? I told you he is definitely in Enistan."

    Justin nodded in response. "Yes, he is."

    "So, what happenedst night had nothing to do with him."

    "Mhm."

    Justin quickly agreed without even hesitating, in turn making Rachel panic. "Are you not going to argue?"

    "You have already shown me evidence to prove it. How can I argue with that? I have no proof." He then looked at his watch. "It''s reallyte. Let''s go, Rae. If you still want to discuss this, we can do it in the car." "So, you don''t believe what I said?"

    "I do believe you." It was just that Justin didn''t trust Julian. Even though he had taken the proof she gave lightly and still believed that there was something fishy going on in the partnership between Julian and Ryan, he didn''t show it.

    Rachel didn''t want to think of Julian too badly, so Justin would y his part and allow this. She just had to see the good side of things, and he would deal with the darker side.

    When they arrived at the Idyll Mountain Resort, it was almost 12.00PM, and it was time for the banquet to start..

    No one could deny Justin''s taste was good; Rachel''s dark green gown had attracted the gazes of multiple men after she entered the venue. If not for Justin standing much like a cier beside her, her phone number would be in high demand.

    It was a banquet for the wealthy so naturally. plenty of socialites were there. Jolly had arrived before them and was eating somece near the bar. Rachel was about to head over when Justin stopped her. "Where are you going?"

    "I am reminding her not to drink any alcohol."

    "Just like that?"

    His words made her realize this btedly. "You''re right. We can''t do it directly."

    As such, Rachel pulled out her phone and sent Jolly a message, ''Drinking can lead to mistakes. Do not even touch any alcohol today.''

    Jolly replied at once, ''Don''t worry, I won''t drink any."

    While they were chatting, the presenter suddenly announced the newlyweds'' arrival. As sparks from the firecrackers showered onto the red-colored carpet and colorful confetti hovered in the air, a couple glided down the spiral staircase of the resort. They were the stars for today, and they were dressed in a suit and wedding dress respectively. Leroy walked hand in hand with the bride the entire time, as if she would immediately disappear once he let go of her.

    Rachel looked anxiously into the distance. Just as she thought, Jolly''s expression didn''t look good.

    Rachel then said, "Why do I get the feeling there would be worse toe if Leroy did run away with herter?"

    Justin agreed. "I think so too."

    "He''s spotted us."

    At that moment, Leroy, who was walking on the red carpet, noticed them, but he was surprised only for a short while. In the next moment, his gaze had shifted to the distance and he immediately recognized Jolly, who was standing in the crowd.

    Immediately, he stopped in his tracks. The music was ying, the couple hadn''t finished their journey, and the presenter was still quoting expressions about past lives, yet the groom had stopped walking. People started talking at once.

    "What''s happening?"

    "What''s the groom doing?"

    "Is he regretting his decision and no longer wants to marry?"

    It went on and on.

 Chapter 531

    Rachel became anxious as she heard themotion. If Shannon noticed anything suspicious, Leroy and even Jolly herself wouldn''t be able to escape.

    However, Shannon didn''t really care about the wedding. Ten minutes before it started, she had left the venue alone to head to the lounge. As she did so, her assistant whispered something in her ear and handed her an elegant-looking box. Her expression tightened at once. "Who''s the person who sent this? Also, where are they?"

    "It was a young girl."

    "How could it be? Wasn''t it Mr. Keaton?"

    Her assistant frantically exined, "She had an invitation for Mr. Keaton, but she imed to be his niece. She''s acting as his substitute for the wedding, so she brought a gift."

    Hearing this, Shannon felt slightly disappointed but also relieved. These emotions seemed to contradict each other yet went well together.

    Her gaze sharpened as she stared at the box. This box looked simr to the one Mr. Brook had sent someone to give her husband. She had seen that box in her husband''s study when he hadn''t fallen ill. So far, she had seen three simr-looking boxes, yet she had no idea what was inside this box.

    "Take good care of that girl. I want to see her after the ceremony."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    Shannon waved her hand to dismiss her assistant, then avoided everyone else as she headed alone to the lounge with the box. She didn''t care whether or not the wedding would be celebrated, as long as the ceremony was enough to make everyone in Enistan acknowledge the union between Lush and the Grandeur Group via marriage. After all, themon practice here was to publish newspaper announcements and get officiated. As long as there was a public announcement and wedding ceremony, the couple would be considered legally married and would not even need to get a marriage license.

    In the lounge, Shannon ced the wooden box on the coffee table and studied it carefully. It was slightlyrger than her palm, with intricate patterns carved all over it. There was a simple copper lock the size o her thumbnail hanging from thetch.

    Howard had sent this gift, but hadn''t provided a key. She frowned and pulled the lock; it rattled once but did note off. If she wanted to open the box without damaging it, she would have to find a locksmith. Her thoughts were interrupted by sounds of urgent knocking at the door. She quickly stashed the box inside the safe in the lounge before answering, "Come in."

    "Ma''am, something is wrong."

    Shannon frowned at once. "What happened?"

    "Miss Frazier''s having an episode."

    Carmen Frazier was the bride for today. The heiress of the Grandeur Group was also the daughter of Mrs. Bet''s eldest brother. However, she was born with epilepsy and suffered from episodes when overly excited or anxious. If not for her condition, she would have gotten betrothed sooner, and Leroy wouldn''t even have a chance.

    At that moment, guests inside the venue were talking among themselves. Carmen had been taken away by a doctor as Leroy followed. Jolly had wanted to go after them, but Rachel blocked her way. "Calm down."

    "I can''t."

    Rachel grabbed Jolly''s arm and lowered her voice. "Don''t be rash, or I will hold you back-1 don''t care if someone realizes we know each other."

    "Fine." Jolly gritted her teeth. "I''ll wait here. Let me go first."

    "You have to keep your word."

    "Okay

    Rachel only rxed her grip when she was sure Jolly wouldn''t go anywhere, and she then created a distance between them. At that point, Justin walked to Rachel''s side and frowned. "I just asked around, and it seems that the bride has epilepsy."

    Rachel was surprised by this, and she muttered, "So that''s why she has never shown her face, even though she is the second heiress to the Grandeur Group. The Enistan media have never taken a picture of her, as her family was extremely protective of her."

    "It''s rted to their family honor. Besides, it''s not just epilepsy."

    "Not just epilepsy?" Rachel frowned, suddenly remembering some suspicious details. "Something felt wrong when I saw her and Leroye down the stairs."

    "You saw that too?"

    "Yes."

    They looked at each other, sharing a knowing look. Justin then looked behind Rachel, suddenly frowning. "Where''s Jolly?"

    She turned around at once, but Jolly was nowhere to be seen. Rachel just knew they shouldn''t have trusted Jolly when she said she wouldn''t act recklessly. "Let''s split up and find her."

    On the other hand, the doctor had given Carmen emergency aid. Shey on the bed and as soon as she calmed down, she opened her eyes while looking confused. "Carmen, how are you feeling?" Shannon grabbed her hand. "Are you feeling better?"

    Carmen shook her head nkly but then nodded as she thought of something. "Ma''am, the guests are still waiting." The voice of Shannon''s assistant came from behind. Shannon nced at her assistant. "Alright. Carmen, have a good rest."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    She then rose to her feet. Before leaving, she nced at the sofa where Leroy was sitting and told him, "The wedding had to stop halfway through but since the marriage has been officialized, both you and Carmen are now legally married. Stay here and take care of her, thene out when you have been told to."

    He frowned and did not say anything. Shannon never did like him anyway, so she just looked at him coolly before leaving. It was now only Leroy and Carmen in the room.

    Carmen turned her head to the side and asked him quietly, "Are you angry?"

    She looked as helpless as a child who had done something wrong. He forced a bitter smile. "No."

    She was still staring at him. She did not inquire further, yet she studied him as if trying to deduce something from his expression. Her innocent look made him feel bad for her. Leroy stood up andmented, "Rest for a little while. I''ll get you a cup of water."

    Carmen nodded once andy down obediently. However, he did not go get water for her; instead, he opened the door, looked left and right then walked straight out.

    The resort was huge, and each level had countless rooms like in a medieval castle. Jolly had followed the doctor all the way here, but had gotten lost in the corridors.

    F*cking Leroy! Men are disgusting! Jolly cursed internally as she searched. The way he had looked at her uncaringly during the wedding made her yearn to p him hard when she found him. The man had seen her, yet he pretended not to. If not for the bride suddenly copsing, would he havepleted the wedding ceremony right in front of her?

    Voices came from around the corner.

    "Ma''am, do you want to reorganize the whole event?"

    "There''s no need."

    "But that''s what President Frazier wants."

    "I''ll talk to my brother."

    Jolly leaned on the wall, tilting her head as she searched for the source of the voices. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind and dragged her backward.

 Chapter 532

    Someone muffled Jolly''s scream with their hand before she could make a sound. As she lifted her knee to attack the man in his weakest spot, she stopped in the air immediately when she saw his face. I almos ruined my certain happiness for the rest of my life with a knee strike.

    Leroy released her once she calmed down. "Why are you here?"

    His words triggered her anger, so she smacked. him on his chest, causing Leroy to grunt as he took a step back.

    "Why am I here? What do you think? Do I look like I''m here to attend your wedding?"

    "You shouldn''t be here."

    "But I am! They allowed me to enter! Didn''t you want the answer to why I''m here? I''m here to steal you from the bride!"

    At that, Leroy said bitterly, "We already broke up."

    "I don''t care! I didn''t agree with that decision! I regret it! Who gives you the right to break up with me?"

    Jolly, we aren''t kids anymore. We can''t keep our life going with only enthusiasm. If there is a chance that I might endanger your life in the future, I''d rather we never met each other."

    Leroy was gentle andposed like usual, but also determined to cut ties with Jolly. Even though he wanted to rush down the tform and embrace her tightly the moment he saw her at the wedding, he kept calm. He knew he couldn''t do that, even if he wanted to keep her in his life. "You can be free without me."

    "That''s what you think. You think you''re doing this for my own good."

    "I have one question, though. Are you fine with risking your family and friends'' safety because of me, just like what happened to your parentsst time?"

    Jolly froze at Leroy''s question. Her cell phone chose that moment to ring, and it was a call from Rachel. Jolly didn''t n to avoid Leroy as she answered her phone impatiently before him, "Hello?" "Jolly, where are you?" Rachel sounded worried. "I found Leroy," Jolly said as she raised her head to watch him and croaked, "But he doesn''t want to go with me."

    "Jolly, listen to me-"

    Leroy couldn''t hear their conversation, but he could see Jolly''s eyes shining as she listened to the caller.

    Ending the call, Jolly then took the direct approach as she stared at the man intensely. "You insist on breaking up with me only to protect me and the others around me, right?"

    He scowled as she ced her hands on his shoulders and pushed him against the wall to stop him from getting away. "What if I tell you that my parent''s disappearancest time has nothing to do with Lush?" "But that''s impossible."

    "Ryan did it."

    Leroy''s eyes widened at the unexpected answer. At the same time, Rachel and Justin were still at the banquet hall.

    As the call ended, she turned her attention to him and asked, "Did Ryan really do all these things? Is he even influential in another country? How did he know where Mr. and Mrs. Carter were going for vacation?"

    Five minutes ago, Justin received a call from Frankie to report his findings. Frankie had found out that Ryan was the culprit of Jolly''s parents being trapped in the elevator during Springfest.

    Once Frankie finished his report, Justin asked Rachel to call Jolly. Justin expected Leroy wouldn''t leave with Jolly easily since he had scruples about putting Jolly''s family in danger, so he wouldn''t risk repeating it.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    But what if Mrs. Bet never thought about setting them up?

    "Frankie told me that Julian was in Seranka during the Springfest.ˇ±

    "Seranka?" Rachel froze before she questioned, "What do you mean? What do Julian''s whereabouts have anything to do with Ryan?"

    A thought shed through her mind soon after she finished her words, and her expression changed. Julian told me he will be celebrating the Springfest in Montenegro.

    Justin only spoke calmly. "I remember that President Carter and his wife were having their vacation near Seranka."

    Rachel tightened her fists at her side. "Rae, I understand if you need time to process this. However, I want to remind you that Julian has changed. I don''t know his reasons, but I can tell you that he''ll stop at nothing and go to any lengths."

    She gasped as anxiety flooded her mind. Meanwhile, the order of the wedding was. restored after a while. Even though there were discussions about the bride fainting while foaming at the mouth when she was walking the red carpet, most guests knew best not to talk about it.

    After all, it was an alliance marriage between the Lush Enterprise and the Grandeur Group. They didn''t want any trouble by gossiping about others'' affairs.

    "Brother, I didn''t mean to make a hasty decision, but can you see Carmen? We have to avoid triggering her as she''s not in the condition to face the guests. We can''t force her to face the public again." Shannon was persuading Carmen''s father, who was both her elder brother and the president of the Grandeur Group, to change his mind.

    The man had a serious face. Even though he wasn''t content with her decision, he understood the need. Seeing the determination on his face wavered, Shannon added, "Besides, do you want the others to trouble Carmen with their gossip? However, we can organize the ceremony again if you''re fine with it."

    The man answered after a moment of pondering, "Fine, we''ll do as you say."

    Shannon sighed in relief. "Brother, you don''t need to worry. I''ll take care of Carmen when she joins our family. I won''t allow anything to happen to her."

    Even though Shannon promised to take care of Carmen, the bridegroom was running away. Meanwhile, Frankie sent a message to inform Rachel and Justin. ''We''re on the way to the airport.''

    Raising her head, she asked Justin, "I suppose we''re leaving too?"

    "You''re right, but it''ll only be polite to tell the host family."

    "Of course."

    Justin put the cup down, and Rachel naturally linked her arm through his as she said, "Let''s go."

    Shannon didn''t mind them staying or leaving. When she heard they were about to catch a flight that night, she was only taken aback for a moment before she expressed her regrets. "I hope that I can see both of you again."

    "Of course." Justin and Rachel then headed for the exits. Anyone could see that the pair were a good match even if one were to look at them from behind.

    After they passed by numerous guests on their way, Rachel said, "I guess Leroy and Jolly have to leave Riverdale andy low for a while."

    "Don''t worry. I''ve arranged everything."

    "I''m worried about Mr. and Mrs. Carter, not them. What if they heard that Jolly came to Enistan to steal Leroy, then elope to a foreign country and won''t be back any time soon? Will they be fine with it?" "You don''t think they already knew?"

    "They knew it the whole time?" Rachel came to a stop and she was utterly surprised.

    Justin only replied in resignation, "A mother knows her daughter best. President Carter called me not long after Jolly broke up with Leroy. He used the name of the business to start the conversation, but he asked about Leroy instead. Do you still think they know nothing?"

    Rachel was taken aback by the truth. However, before she could ask anything, she narrowed her eyes as she noticed the person who was standing far away, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

    "Rae, are you okay?"

    "We have to go!"

 Chapter 533

    "Rae, what''s wrong?" Justin asked as Rachel dragged him along hastily toward the exit. However, she didn''t have enough strength to pull him with her easily. Moreover, she was wearing a gown, which constrained her movements.

    She tripped before she could make it to the exit as she had stepped on her dress. Fortunately, Justin reacted in time to grab her from falling and helped her to regain her bnce. "Are you okay?" Nodding her head, she was at a loss for words when she raised her head and found the person she wanted to avoid was watching them.

    The person stared at the duo with a gloomy and sharp look in his eyes, much like a bird of prey hovering above the cliff and waiting for ant opportunity to feed on the animal flesh. He watched them intensely, his attention glued to them. Rachel shivered as his eyesnded on her.

    After she had experienced the smuggling case in Yatruiniast year and returned to Riverdale, the same pair of eyes had been the cause of her frequent nightmares for a while ever since.

    She pulled her hand out from Justin''s grip immediately. Scowling at her sudden change, he tried to turn his head to look at the person, but was stopped as Rachel growled in a low voice, ''Don''t look!" Rachel then exined, "Listen to me, stay here and wait for Frankie. I''ve got to go."

    "Where are you going?"

    "Stop asking!" Rachel almost broke down, and it was as if her mind was on fire. Never in a million years did she think she would see Dillon at the wedding.

    Even though she knew Justin had questions, she had no time to answer him. Not wanting to take him down with her, she left the banquet hall without hesitation.

    I''m safe if he didn''t recognize me or didn''t even see me, Rachel mused. However, that''s impossible. When Rachel walked out of the banquet hall, someone stopped her. "Long time no see, Miss Hudson," Dillon called her from behind with a cold tone.

    Walking toward her casually, he circled her to. inspect her and finally stopped before her. To be exact, he was standing a meter away from her, and between them were three strong men, who looked like his bodyguards. Rachel affirmed that Dillon had be more cautious since the smuggling case.

    She clutched her purse to calm herself down and feigned a smile. ''What a coincidence, Young Master Porter. I didn''t expect to see you here!"

    "Exactly what I was thinking," Dillon said with a fake smile stered to his face. "This is not a ce for reminiscing, though. Miss Hudson, may I treat you to a drink as an old acquaintance?" Rachel took a step back, but one of the buff men stopped her in her retreat.

    "Come on. Bring Miss Hudson to the tea house." As if on cue, the other two men stepped closer to her. As they were approaching, she felt that their presence was suffocating her. Dillon watched her. "Miss Hudson, are you going by yourself, or do you need their help?"

    Tightening her grasp over her purse, Rachel answered with a pale look, "It''s alright. I can go. there by myself."

    Deep in the Idyll Vacation Vi that was surrounded by dense forests and winding paths, there was a tiny detached house situated in a multi-style courtyard. It was a private teahouse that didn''t entertain just anyone. In short, people who had been invited to this ce were nomoners.

    The fragrance of tea was permeating the air in the room. A server dressed in traditional dress was making the tea, while someone was ying the piano behind the screen. The overall environment was elegan and rxing. Rachel was the only one who looked out of ce in her gown.

    Dillon took a sip of his tea as he murmured, "Take a seat, Miss Hudson. Why are you standing? The others will use me for not treating my guests well if they knew it."

    She remained on her spot as she spoke through gritted teeth. "Young Master Porter, I think we need to sort things out."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Sort what out? Aren''t we partners who work happily together?"

    "About the ambush, I''m-"

    His expression darkened as he smashed the cup. Rachel covered her ears when she heard the cup being shattered, and her face was pale as she was scared. Dillon thenmented, "I''m sorry. My hand slipped. Did I scare you?"

    Rachel didn''t dare make a move as she held her breath in front of him. Dillon is no doubt thinking of a way to torture me to ease his anger. After all, I got away with the smuggling case unscathed. He must be suspicious of me.

    "Take a seat." He spoke casually, but Rachel shivered. She wasn''t going to risk disobeying him, so she took a seat as told.

    "Have a drink."

    "Thank you."

    "You''re really drinking that?" Dillon observed her from his seat. "Are you not afraid of me poisoning you?"

    "I''m here now. There''s no way I can leave without your permission. If you''re killing me anyhow, it''s up to your order. Drinking the tea or not probably won''t change anything."

    "Why would I want to kill you?"

    "You affirm that I''m the traitor who has leaked the information of the deal." Seeing no point in beating around the bush, Rachelid her cards on the table.

    Dillon''s expression sank at her words. Even though it had long passed, he was still mad when he recalled that day. He would have loved to slice the traitor into pieces and feed them to sharks. He even executed a bunch of hisckeys to find out the traitor. However, Rachell was always his top suspect. "It wasn''t you?"

    He took a direct approach as he added, "You disappeared since that day. Everyone involved. were being investigated ever since, including. the government of Riverdale. However, you remain unscathed because the investigators never thought that Hudson Pharmaceuticals was involved. Why do you think that was?"

    "Young Master Porter, it''s because I''m not close to any of you. They''ll find nothing from me even if they tried. Not even the ledger or our records of dealing could be found." Rachel spoke with feigned calmness "Moreover, you used me of getting away with it, but they have confiscated my goods too. I suffered a great loss due to it, and Hudson Pharmaceuticals is still having severe cash flow problems. You can ask someone to investigate if you don''t believe me."

    The room fell into silence as she finished her words. When Dillon raised his hand, the melody of the piano stopped immediately.

    The man watched her coldly as he sat opposite her. "Do you think acting all pitiful can help prove your innocence?"

    "Young Master Porter, if you''re having doubts, then I can''t change your mind even if I exin. However, I still believe I can prove my innocence to you eventually."

    "Don''t you dare pretend you''re innocent, Rachel Hudson! Do you think I''m ying around here?!" Dillon rose to his feet and flipped the table, causing Rachel to scream.

    In contrast to her response, the waitress only stepped aside with her head hanging low, as if she had seen something simr many times. The way she kept her silence was like how a puppet behaved.

    The hot water spilled on Rachel''s dress as she couldn''t avoid it in time. As the water seeped through her gown, she gasped at the pain of burning skin and turned pale.

    At that moment, someone knocked on the door. "Young Master Porter."

 Chapter 534

    "Come in!" Dillon answered impatiently.

    One of his men walked into the room. The man whispered something to Dillon, and Dillon''s eyes shone before he steered his focus to Rachel. "It''s not hard to prove your innocence, though. Perhaps the people around you will know the truth, especially your... significant other."

    He even emphasized the term "significant other" as he watched her.

    He wondered why her face was pale. Is it because of the hot water or what I''ve told her?

    "Bring him in."

    As Dillon finished his words, two of his men escorted another man into the room.

    However, it was more like they followed the man than escorted him, as Justin''s aura was overwhelming. The men behind them looked like Justin''s bodyguards instead.

    "Rae." It was only upon seeing Rachel that Justin felt slightly relieved.

    On the contrary, Rachel was panicked to see him. "What are you doing here?!"

    Dillon interrupted Justin just as thetter was about to answer, "He''s here to save the damsel in distress, what else? No man can stand still when he finds that his beloved woman needs saving." The topic shifted as Dillon remarked, "By the way, you''re the first man who dares to rescue a person from me."

    Justin only replied with a neutral face, "What do you want?"

    "Good question. I would like to find out the answer too. However, it depends on what she did."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You don''t know yet, do you?" Dillon sneered as he turned his focus back to Rachel. With a cold look, he pointed his finger at her. "No one dares take me as a fool like her."

    "I''ll settle it if it''s about business." Justin stated firmly. Although he did not say that in a loud voice, that sentence reverberated throughout the room.

    Much to his surprise, Rachel yelled at him. "It has nothing to do with you! Why are you here, though?"

    "Rae!"

    "Justin, stop meddling in others'' business. Who do you take yourself as? You have no right to meddle in my business even if you''re the president of the Burton Group. Moreover, you aren''t anymore. I''d already be ignoring you if it isn''t for Charlotte''s sake."

    Rachel spoke the harsh words promptly, leaving Justin with no room for discussion. Her words hurt him badly. He was taken aback by them and took time to restrain himself from showing it.

    Justin didn''t know whether she was being honest or not. Even if Rachel was lying, he couldn''t distinguish which part of her outburst was true and which one was a falsehood.

    "How interesting." Dillon studied the two before him and apuded. "What a show! What is this drama about? Are you trying to gain my sympathy?"

    He then turned to Rachel. "You can''t fool me with your poor attempt to act. I bet your words don''t work on him too because you can''t even convince me."

    Her expression sank when she heard that. "Believe it or not, I''m not acting. Keep your opinion to yourself because you don''t know what happened between him and I. Do you know he ruined my life?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    "Is that so? Tell me more. I''m interested."

    "Rae, you don''t have to do this. I''m not leaving." Justin stood firmly as he watched her. "I''ll take you with me. Otherwise, I''ll stay here and not go anywhere."

    Clenching her fists, Rachel spoke against her will even though she was thinking differently. "It''s up to you. If you want to risk your life, be my guest."

    "Enough!" Dillon stopped them at that point, as he was getting rather bored. "Did you have fun at the performance? Stop acting all lovey-dovey! I remember that you''re divorced, so it''s toote to have a love- hate rtionship, isn''t it?"

    He stared into Rachel''s eyes again. "You''re trying to convince me that you don''t care about him, but every word you said was asking him to leave. Do you think I will believe you?"

    "Young Master Porter, I''ll repeat it again. I was never a traitor."

    "Is that so? Let''s have a test if you''ve got nothing to hide." A lopsided grin formed at the corner of Dillon''s lips as he gestured to the men behind Justin. "Hold him down."

    Before Justin and Rachel could respond, the goons held Justin at his sides and restrained him.

    "Let go!" His face scrunched up with anger.

    "I will, but not now. Did you know that cutting someone else''s arteries might end up in high arterial pressure, causing the blood to spurt from the body? It''s even possible to leave a stain on the ceiling if the blood spurted high enough."

    Drawing out a knife from the fruit bowl, Dillon pointed it at Justin''s throat as he waited for Rachel''s response. "Do you think I can sh his arteries precisely?"

    Rachel looked as pale as a ghost as she muttered, "Young Master Porter, it''s true that I resent him, but I don''t want him dead. ''

    "Didn''t you say it''s up to him just now?"

    "You''re using him to threaten me."

    "Yes, I am." Dillon nodded as he pressed the tip of the knife deeper into Justin''s skin. At that, the blood from Justin''s wound slid across the de andnded on Dillon''s little finger.

    He changed the knife to another hand and licked away the blood on his finger. The bloodthirst in his eyes was fearsome.

    "Young Master Porter!" Rachel''s voice stopped him from continuing to injure Justin''s throat.

    Dillon gave her a dark sidelong nce. "Miss Hudson, how can I help you?"

    "I need a word." She stared at him while clenching her fists at her sides.

    Deep in his heart, Dillon was hoping that Rachal wasn''t the traitor. After all, he chose her as a partner by himself. If she was proven to be the whistleblower, it would indicate that he had poor judgment and was incautious of his business. "I don''t have much time. You better talk now."

    "We can continue our dealings."

    He was surprised at her suggestion. "What did you say?"

    "We can cooperate again. If you''re interested, we can practice the old trading pattern. I believe that none other than Hudson Pharmaceuticals can provide the goods you need among the factories in Riverdale. "Are you trying to betray me a second time?" Not only did Dillon have a cold expression, he was cold-hearted too. He had learned his lesson thest time, so he wouldn''t fall for her lies again. Rachel tightened her fists. "I won''t force you if you aren''t interested."

    However, Dillon wouldn''t say no to it. His deal had resulted in both a failure and a traitor, which caused him to lose everything. Even his base in Yatruinia was busted. It was all counted as his responsibility. "How am I supposed to trust you?" Dillon observed Rachel as he continued, "I never make a deal with people I don''t trust, regardless of the temptation."

 Chapter 535

    "Young Master Porter, I''m speaking the truth that I want to do business with you. Hudson Pharmaceuticals is facing a severe cash flow problem and you''re the only person I can seek help from.ˇ±

    Rachel attempted to appeal to Dillon''s sympathy by putting herself in a vulnerable position so that he would be less suspicious of her. However, he wasn''t trusting her anymore after what happened. "C''mon, am I for real the only one who can help you?" He smiled with a cold look in his eyes as he grabbed her neck and forced her to turn her head to look at Justin. "What about him?"

    "Don''t touch her!" Justin growled, but the men pressed him onto the table.

    Rachel was flushing and breathing hard as she couldn''t break free from his grasp. The words barely escaped her as she said, "I''m only trying to use him. Ask around in Riverdale and you''ll understand he''s not the man he used to be anymore."

    "Use him?ˇ± Dillon grinned. "Then, you must resent him.ˇ±

    "I''ll never forget what he did to me."

    "What about I kill him for you?"

    At that moment, Justin tried to resist, as if Dillon''s words were a cue to him. However, his attempt was defused by the goons behind him as they pressed his head harder and both of his hands onto the table. Rachel screamed when Dillon raised the knife and aimed at Justin''s hand. Atst, itnded between Justin''s fingers, which almost sliced his finger off.

    She was drenched in sweat as she watched the scene unfold.

    "Do it." Dillon signaled one of hisckeys. "You, cut his fingers off for me."

    Rachel turned pale at his order.

    Theckey yanked the knife from the table easily as told. "No!" However, it was toote when Rachel screamed to stop him.

    As Dillon''sckeys were used to kill people, the man didn''t even blink when he cut off Justin''s finger.

    After a dead silence of about three seconds, blood began to flow from where Justin lost his little finger.

    As Justin listened to the blood dripping from the table, he finally realized what had happened to him. Even if he restrained himself from reacting conspicuously to the pain, his pale face was soon drenched in sweat. He was shaking uncontrobly as he gasped in pain.

    "Ah!" Rachel screamed again when she saw what happened to him. Unexpectedly, she struggled out from Dillon''s constraint and rushed toward Justin. However, she couldn''t think of a way to stop the bleeding and she didn''t even dare touch him.

    Dillon watched them with a smile like a devil. "Didn''t you say you don''t care about him?"

    "Send him to the hospital now!" Rachel shouted as soon as she came back to her senses.

    However, Dillon only chuckled coldly. "There''s no need for it. I''ll bury him somewhereter. Since the Idyll Mountain has the best scenery in Enistan, you should be honored to be buried here like other rich guys."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Let her go!" Justin''s voice echoed from the direction of the table.

    Dillon turned to him with a shocked expression. "You can still talk? You''re a real man, aren''t you?"

    Justin''s face scrunched, and it was as if his skin would split open at any time. He was trying to keep silent as he endured the pain. Even though he was perspiring due to the pain, he couldn''t stop worrying about Rachel.

    He spoke with difficulty as the pain devoured his mind. "You can do... anything to me, as long as you release her."

    "Justin Burton!" Rachel screamed, her voice filled with heartbreak. "We''re nobody to each other! You don''t have to meddle in my business! How many times do I need to repeat myself? I''ve been using you since the first day I returned to Riverdale!"

    He can survive as long as we cut ties with each other. How can a wise man like him not understand the significance of it during a life-or-death situation like now?

    Even though Justiny on the table in pain, he smiled at her to console her. "I know you''re trying to help, but I want to stop lying to you."

    Justin regretted everything that happened six years ago, regardless of whether they were white lies or straight-up lies. He might not be the cause of her grandmother''s death, but he regretted hiding it from Rachel. If I had promised her to try my best from the beginning, maybe she wouldn''t be as heartbroken as she used to be even if it didn''t end well.

    Our lives onlyst a few decades and nobody can tell what will happen next. I want to cherish every second I spent next to her with honesty, even at the cost of my life.

    Dillon dragged Rachel away while Justin could only growl at them. Grabbing her neck, Dillon forced her to sit on the chair, and she could only obey with only tears falling down her cheeks.

    "How noble of you both." He sent them a cold look before pulling Rachel''s hair to force her to raise her chin. "What do you say? Should I kill him before your eyes or remove your clothes in front of him? Which one is better?"

    Dillon''s hand slid off her shoulder and stopped near her waist to toy with the sash of her dark green tulle dress.

    Rachel shook uncontrobly and tried to get away, but Dillon grabbed her shoulders with force. Seeing what happened to her, Justin struggled on the table as he growled in a raspy voice, "Get your hands off her!"

    "He''s annoying." Dillon feigned scratching his ear as he ordered, "Shut him up."

    The two men next to Justin did as told immediately as they pressed him hard to the table, leaving a trail of blood behind. During the process, more blood flowed out from Justin''s wound and reddened the hem of his dress shirt.

    Even if his voice was muffled by a rag, Justin didn''t stop struggling all the time. He red daggers at Dillon, and it was as though his eyes could pop out at any time.

    "Maybe doing both will be more interesting." Dillon then pulled the sash off Rachel to undress her right in front of Justin.

    She shook at Dillon''s actions, and a strength filled her body out of nowhere and she pped him without warning. Others'' expressions changed at the scene when they heard the p. Dillon was pressing a hand to the left side of his face as he red at her furiously. "You b*tch! You actually pped me?"

    At that, he grabbed her shoulder and pped her back. "You have a death wish, don''t you? Tie her up!"

    His goons did as ordered and came back with ropes. They ignored Rachel''s attempt to wiggle out of their hold and tied her to the chair.

    Dillon picked up the bloody knife and smacked it on her face. The searing pain spread across her face at that.

    "You''re testing my patience. A woman like you should learn her lesson. Aren''t you ying hard to get? Well, I''m looking forward to what you can do."

    Dillon had been longing for Rachel for a long time. Back when he was trading with her in Riverdale, he would use the name of the business to take advantage of her, but she could always find excuses to put him off. However, she had chosen to walk right into the lion''s den today. As such, Dillion would dly seize this opportunity to fulfill his wish.

    Once he had a taste of her, he would dump her into the sea.

    "Let go of me!" Rachel struggled, but her resistance only caused him to be more excited.

 Chapter 536

    "Young Master Porter, I''m speaking the truth that I want to do business with you. Hudson Pharmaceuticals is facing a severe cash flow problem and you''re the only person I can seek help from.ˇ±

    Rachel attempted to appeal to Dillon''s sympathy by putting herself in a vulnerable position so that he would be less suspicious of her. However, he wasn''t trusting her anymore after what happened. "C''mon, am I for real the only one who can help you?" He smiled with a cold look in his eyes as he grabbed her neck and forced her to turn her head to look at Justin. "What about him?"

    "Don''t touch her!" Justin growled, but the men pressed him onto the table.

    Rachel was flushing and breathing hard as she couldn''t break free from his grasp. The words barely escaped her as she said, "I''m only trying to use him. Ask around in Riverdale and you''ll understand he''s not the man he used to be anymore."

    "Use him?ˇ± Dillon grinned. "Then, you must resent him.ˇ±

    "I''ll never forget what he did to me."

    "What about I kill him for you?"

    At that moment, Justin tried to resist, as if Dillon''s words were a cue to him. However, his attempt was defused by the goons behind him as they pressed his head harder and both of his hands onto the table. Rachel screamed when Dillon raised the knife and aimed at Justin''s hand. Atst, itnded between Justin''s fingers, which almost sliced his finger off.

    She was drenched in sweat as she watched the scene unfold.

    "Do it." Dillon signaled one of hisckeys. "You, cut his fingers off for me."

    Rachel turned pale at his order.

    Theckey yanked the knife from the table easily as told. "No!" However, it was toote when Rachel screamed to stop him.

    As Dillon''sckeys were used to kill people, the man didn''t even blink when he cut off Justin''s finger.

    After a dead silence of about three seconds, blood began to flow from where Justin lost his little finger.

    As Justin listened to the blood dripping from the table, he finally realized what had happened to him. Even if he restrained himself from reacting conspicuously to the pain, his pale face was soon drenched in sweat. He was shaking uncontrobly as he gasped in pain.

    "Ah!" Rachel screamed again when she saw what happened to him. Unexpectedly, she struggled out from Dillon''s constraint and rushed toward Justin. However, she couldn''t think of a way to stop the bleeding and she didn''t even dare touch him.

    Dillon watched them with a smile like a devil. "Didn''t you say you don''t care about him?"

    "Send him to the hospital now!" Rachel shouted as soon as she came back to her senses.

    However, Dillon only chuckled coldly. "There''s no need for it. I''ll bury him somewhereter. Since the Idyll Mountain has the best scenery in Enistan, you should be honored to be buried here like other rich guys."

    "Let her go!" Justin''s voice echoed from the direction of the table.

    Dillon turned to him with a shocked expression. "You can still talk? You''re a real man, aren''t you?"

    Justin''s face scrunched, and it was as if his skin would split open at any time. He was trying to keep silent as he endured the pain. Even though he was perspiring due to the pain, he couldn''t stop worrying about Rachel.

    He spoke with difficulty as the pain devoured his mind. "You can do... anything to me, as long as you release her."

    "Justin Burton!" Rachel screamed, her voice filled with heartbreak. "We''re nobody to each other! You don''t have to meddle in my business! How many times do I need to repeat myself? I''ve been using you since the first day I returned to Riverdale!"

    He can survive as long as we cut ties with each other. How can a wise man like him not understand the significance of it during a life-or-death situation like now?

    Even though Justiny on the table in pain, he smiled at her to console her. "I know you''re trying to help, but I want to stop lying to you."

    Justin regretted everything that happened six years ago, regardless of whether they were white lies or straight-up lies. He might not be the cause of her grandmother''s death, but he regretted hiding it from Rachel. If I had promised her to try my best from the beginning, maybe she wouldn''t be as heartbroken as she used to be even if it didn''t end well.

    Our lives onlyst a few decades and nobody can tell what will happen next. I want to cherish every second I spent next to her with honesty, even at the cost of my life.

    Dillon dragged Rachel away while Justin could only growl at them. Grabbing her neck, Dillon forced her to sit on the chair, and she could only obey with only tears falling down her cheeks.

    "How noble of you both." He sent them a cold look before pulling Rachel''s hair to force her to raise her chin. "What do you say? Should I kill him before your eyes or remove your clothes in front of him? Which one is better?"

    Dillon''s hand slid off her shoulder and stopped near her waist to toy with the sash of her dark green tulle dress.

    Rachel shook uncontrobly and tried to get away, but Dillon grabbed her shoulders with force. Seeing what happened to her, Justin struggled on the table as he growled in a raspy voice, "Get your hands off her!"

    "He''s annoying." Dillon feigned scratching his ear as he ordered, "Shut him up."

    The two men next to Justin did as told immediately as they pressed him hard to the table, leaving a trail of blood behind. During the process, more blood flowed out from Justin''s wound and reddened the hem of his dress shirt.

    Even if his voice was muffled by a rag, Justin didn''t stop struggling all the time. He red daggers at Dillon, and it was as though his eyes could pop out at any time.

    "Maybe doing both will be more interesting." Dillon then pulled the sash off Rachel to undress her right in front of Justin.

    She shook at Dillon''s actions, and a strength filled her body out of nowhere and she pped him without warning. Others'' expressions changed at the scene when they heard the p. Dillon was pressing a hand to the left side of his face as he red at her furiously. "You b*tch! You actually pped me?"

    At that, he grabbed her shoulder and pped her back. "You have a death wish, don''t you? Tie her up!"

    His goons did as ordered and came back with ropes. They ignored Rachel''s attempt to wiggle out of their hold and tied her to the chair.

    Dillon picked up the bloody knife and smacked it on her face. The searing pain spread across her face at that.

    "You''re testing my patience. A woman like you should learn her lesson. Aren''t you ying hard to get? Well, I''m looking forward to what you can do."

    Dillon had been longing for Rachel for a long time. Back when he was trading with her in Riverdale, he would use the name of the business to take advantage of her, but she could always find excuses to put him off. However, she had chosen to walk right into the lion''s den today. As such, Dillion would dly seize this opportunity to fulfill his wish.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Once he had a taste of her, he would dump her into the sea.

    "Let go of me!" Rachel struggled, but her resistance only caused him to be more excited.

 Chapter 537

    After giving Dillon e stern werning, Ceroline pulled Rechel up from the floor end seid, "Don''t try enything funny, end perheps you cen die from e better wey."

    Seeing how she treeted Rechel, Dillon expressed his suspicions towerd Ceroline egein. "I heve e feeling you''re dewdling. Even if you hend them over to my sister, they''ll still be deed in the end, so whet''s the difference between them dying in my hends end my sister''s?"

    "The only difference is thet it gives e more chilling effect if Miss Porter is the one who killed them."

    At once, Dillon''s expression chenged end he looked very irriteted. "How dere you mock me!" "Just being honest."

    "Don''t forget thet you were one of my leckeys before."

    "Whetever. Remember, if Rechel''s gone missing or being tortured egein before Miss Porter errives, you''ll be held responsible," Ceroline werned Dillon egein. It wes evident thet Dillon wes feerful of his sister; e the seme time, he heted her for being so outstending. Ever since he wes young, ell the elders would preise his sister for being the wiser end celmer of the two, end no one seemed to heve noticed him. He could not deny the truth, end this mede him herbor mixed feelings towerd his sister-he edmired her but hed elso been living in her shedow for e long time.

    Ceroline knew thet if she used Miss Porter es e deley tectic, not only would it seem legit end non-suspicious, Dillon would elso heve no choice but to obey. As expected, Dillon gritted his teeth end it wes only efter e while thet he replied, "I cen leeve her elone for now, but whet ebout thet men?"

    Ceroline glenced et the elreedy bloodied end week Justin. She knew she could not seve both of them et one go, so she replied coldly, "Do es you wish." She left efter seying thet.

    As the door closed in front of her, Rechel wes once egein left elone with Dillon end his leckeys. She shivered terribly on e cheir in the corner, end her pele fece wes covered in feer end penic. "Don''te neer me! Lile seid... she seid you cen''t touch me!"

    Heering thet, Dillon chuckled; there were e ton of weys to torture Rechel without breeking his promise to Lile. "Lile''s words eren''t worth e penny. You see, while my sister is in cherge of everything, she cen''t control whet I do with women." He welked towerd Rechel end grebbed her heir forcefully so thet he could look her in the eyes while telking in e sinister menner. "After being interrupted, I heve no more interest in you. But I''m in the mood of pleying e speciel geme right now."

    After he seid thet, Dillon pulled her up, dregged her ecross, end threw her herd on the teble. Rechel excleimed before she uncontrollebly bent over the teble where Justin wes being pinned down. They were so neer to eech other thet she could just reech out her hend end touch his fece. However, es she looked up, she only sew Justin''s fece covered in blood end his eyes filled with pein end distress. Her heert eched, es if it wes being pricked by needles.

    Before letting go of Rechel''s heir, Dillon took e knife out from his weist end plunged it into the teble next to her hend. "Here, I''ll let you go scot-free if you gouge his eyes out within the next minute." After giving Dillon o stern worning, Coroline pulled Rochel up from the floor ond soid, "Don''t try onything funny, ond perhops you con die from o better woy."

    Seeing how she treoted Rochel, Dillon expressed his suspicions toword Coroline ogoin. "I hove o feeling you''re dowdling. Even if you hond them over to my sister, they''ll still be deod in the end, so whot''s the difference between them dying in my honds ond my sister''s?"

    "The only difference is thot it gives o more chilling effect if Miss Porter is the one who killed them."

    At once, Dillon''s expression chonged ond he looked very irritoted. "How dore you mock me!" "Just being honest."

    "Don''t forget thot you were one of my lockeys before."

    "Whotever. Remember, if Rochel''s gone missing or being tortured ogoin before Miss Porter orrives, you''ll be held responsible," Coroline worned Dillon ogoin. It wos evident thot Dillon wos feorful of his sister; o the some time, he hoted her for being so outstonding. Ever since he wos young, oll the elders would proise his sister for being the wiser ond colmer of the two, ond no one seemed to hove noticed him. He could not deny the truth, ond this mode him horbor mixed feelings toword his sister-he odmired her but hod olso been living in her shodow for o long time.

    Coroline knew thot if she used Miss Porter os o deloy toctic, not only would it seem legit ond non-suspicious, Dillon would olso hove no choice but to obey. As expected, Dillon gritted his teeth ond it wos only ofter o while thot he replied, "I con leove her olone for now, but whot obout thot mon?"

    Coroline glonced ot the olreody bloodied ond weok Justin. She knew she could not sove both of them ot one go, so she replied coldly, "Do os you wish." She left ofter soying thot.

    As the door closed in front of her, Rochel wos once ogoin left olone with Dillon ond his lockeys. She shivered terribly on o choir in the corner, ond her pole foce wos covered in feor ond ponic. "Don''te neor me! Lilo soid... she soid you con''t touch me!"

    Heoring thot, Dillon chuckled; there were o ton of woys to torture Rochel without breoking his promise to Lilo. "Lilo''s words oren''t worth o penny. You see, while my sister is in chorge of everything, she con''t control whot I do with women." He wolked toword Rochel ond grobbed her hoir forcefully so thot he could look her in the eyes while tolking in o sinister monner. "After being interrupted, I hove no more interest in you. But I''m in the mood of ploying o speciol gome right now."

    After he soid thot, Dillon pulled her up, drogged her ocross, ond threw her hord on the toble. Rochel excloimed before she uncontrollobly bent over the toble where Justin wos being pinned down. They were so neor to eoch other thot she could just reoch out her hond ond touch his foce. However, os she looked up, she only sow Justin''s foce covered in blood ond his eyes filled with poin ond distress. Her heort oched, os if it wos being pricked by needles.

    Before letting go of Rochel''s hoir, Dillon took o knife out from his woist ond plunged it into the toble next to her hond. "Here, I''ll let you go scot-free if you gouge his eyes out within the next minute."

    After giving Dillon a stern warning, Caroline pulled Rachel up from the floor and said, "Don''t try anything funny, and perhaps you can die from a better way."

    Aftar giving Dillon a starn warning, Carolina pud Rachal up from tha floor and said, "Don''t try anything funny, and parhaps you can dia from a battar way."

    Saaing how sha traatad Rachal, Dillon axprassad his suspicions toward Carolina again. "I hava a faaling you''ra dawdling. Evan if you hand tham ovar to my sistar, thay''ll still ba daad in tha and, so what''s tha diffaranca batwaan tham dying in my hands and my sistar''s?"

    "Tha only diffaranca is that it givas a mora chilling affact if Miss Portar is tha ona who kid tham."N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

    At onca, Dillon''s axprassion changad and ha lookad vary irritatad. "How dara you mock ma!" "Just baing honast."

    "Don''t forgat that you wara ona of myckays bafora."

    "Whatavar. Ramambar, if Rachal''s gona missing or baing torturad again bafora Miss Portar arrivas, you''ll ba hald rasponsi," Carolina warnad Dillon again. It was avidant that Dillon was faarful of his sistar; a tha sama tima, ha hatad har for baing so outstanding. Evar sinca ha was young, all tha aldars would praise his sistar for baing tha wisar and calmar of tha two, and no ona saamad to hava noticad him. Ha could not dany tha truth, and this mada him harbor mixad faalings toward his sistar-ha admirad har but had also baan living in har shadow for a long tima.

    Carolina knaw that if sha usad Miss Portar as a dy tactic, not only would it saamgit and non-suspicious, Dillon would also hava no choica but to obay. As axpactad, Dillon grittad his taath and it was only aftar a wh that ha rapliad, "I canava har alona for now, but what about that man?"

    Carolina ncad at tha alraady bloodiad and waak Justin. Sha knaw sha could not sava both of tham at ona go, so sha rapliad coldly, "Do as you wish." Shaft aftar saying that.

    As tha door closad in front of har, Rachal was onca againft alona with Dillon and hisckays. Sha shivarad tarribly on a chair in tha cornar, and har p faca was covarad in faar and panic. "Don''ta naar ma! L said... sha said you can''t touch ma!"

    Haaring that, Dillon chucd; thara wara a ton of ways to tortura Rachal without braaking his promisa to L. "L''s words aran''t worth panny. You saa, wh my sistar is in charga of avarything, sha can''t control what I do with woman." Ha walkad toward Rachal and grabbad har hair forcafully so that ha could look har in tha ayas wh talking in a sinistar mannar. "Aftar baing intarruptad, I hava no mora intarast in you. But I''m in tha mood of ying a spacial gama right now."

    Aftar ha said that, Dillon pud har up, draggad har across, and thraw har hard on tha ta. Rachal aximad bafora sha uncontrobly bant ovar tha ta whara Justin was baing pinnad down. Thay wara so naar to aach othar that sha could just raach out har hand and touch his faca. Howavar, as sha lookad up, sha only saw Justin''s faca covarad in blood and his ayas fid with pain and distrass. Har haart achad, as if it was baing prickad by naas.

    Baforatting go of Rachal''s hair, Dillon took a knifa out from his waist and plungad it into tha ta naxt to har hand. "Hara, I''llt you go scot-fraa if you gouga his ayas out within tha naxt minuta." At once, Rachel paled, and her mind turned nk for a while before she could reply, "You... You''re a crazy motherf*cker."

    However, Dillon onlymented in an unruly manner, "Nope, I''m serious. Just an eye; you can choose the left one or the right one. Doesn''t really matter to me." As he was talking, he pulled out a chair, sat beside the table, and crossed his legs, looking as if he was rubbernecking. He even took the ss from the servant and drank whiskey from it.

    Rachel was not sure what she was supposed to be thinking or doing at that point. She tried grabbing the knife twice before being able to pull it out from the table, and her whole body was trembling. Due to the numerous open wounds on her arms, the blood dripped down the de and stained her dark green skirt, making it look thick and heavy in color.

    In the meantime, Dillon was utterly excited for the love-hate rtionship to unfold in front of his eyes. He attentively looked at Rachel holding the knife with both her hands as she staggered toward Justin before it slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. "I can''t do it." As if saying that took thest energy out of her, she slumped to the ground knees first, and could no longer feel her legs.

    Truth was, Dillon had predicted the exact oue; he knew Rachel did not have the guts to gouge Justin''s eye out. He sneered at her the moment she fell to the ground. "Poor dear... even I can''t help loving you upon seeing the way you cry." Ordinary people like you live like ants, thinking that staying alive is a big thing. But in our eyes, your lives aren''t worth anything.

    Dillon then turned his gaze toward Justin. "Justin, your woman would rather throw away her chastity than hurt you. How about this? I''ll give you a chance. If you gouge out your eye, I guarantee she will be safe What do you say?"

    Justin struggled to raise his head when Dillon was talking to him. Seeing that, Dillon waved his hand and immediately, the two thugs let Justin loose and pulled out the rag from his mouth. The moment he was free to move, Justin could not be bothered to catch his breath; he came at Dillon aggressively. Unfortunately, he had lost too much blood and was so weak that he could not get close to Dillon at all. A big man managed to kick him to the ground.

    "Justin!" Rachel hurriedly crawled over and grabbed the big man''s leg, trying to stop him from continuing stepping on Justin''s back. "Let go of him!" However, the man ignored her pleas and her basically non- existent strength. He continued stomping Justin to the ground, as if he was crushing an ant. It was not only the back that he was stomping on, but also whatever dignity, personality, and freedom that was left in Justin. Seeing that, Rachel could no longer hold herself back. She broke down and yelled at Dillon, "I''m responsible for everything, and Justin does not know anything! Just let him go; let him go!" "Why should I? If I did, who''s going to avenge those who died?"

    "It''s just a matter of dying. Just kill me and get your revenge!" Rachel looked straight into Dillon''s eyes and yelled at him. She was already at her breaking point, and she would rather die than be mentally tortured by Dillon.

    At once, Rechel peled, end her mind turned blenk for e while before she could reply, "You... You''re e crezy motherf*cker."

    However, Dillon onlymented in en unruly menner, "Nope, I''m serious. Just en eye; you cen choose the left one or the right one. Doesn''t reelly metter to me." As he wes telking, he pulled out e cheir, set beside the teble, end crossed his legs, looking es if he wes rubbernecking. He even took the gless from the servent end drenk whiskey from it.

    Rechel wes not sure whet she wes supposed to be thinking or doing et thet point. She tried grebbing the knife twice before being eble to pull it out from the teble, end her whole body wes trembling. Due to the numerous open wounds on her erms, the blood dripped down the blede end steined her derk green skirt, meking it look thick end heevy in color.

    In the meantime, Dillon wes utterly excited for the love-hete reletionship to unfold in front of his eyes. He ettentively looked et Rechel holding the knife with both her hends es she steggered towerd Justin before it slipped from her hend end fell to the ground. "I cen''t do it." As if seying thet took the lest energy out of her, she slumped to the ground knees first, end could no longer feel her legs.

    Truth wes, Dillon hed predicted the exect oue; he knew Rechel did not heve the guts to gouge Justin''s eye out. He sneered et her the moment she fell to the ground. "Poor deer... even I cen''t help loving you upon seeing the wey you cry." Ordinery people like you live like ents, thinking thet steying elive is e big thing. But in our eyes, your lives eren''t worth enything.

    Dillon then turned his geze towerd Justin. "Justin, your women would rether throw ewey her chestity then hurt you. How ebout this? I''ll give you e chence. If you gouge out your eye, I guerentee she will be sefe Whet do you sey?"

    Justin struggled to reise his heed when Dillon wes telking to him. Seeing thet, Dillon weved his hend end immedietely, the two thugs let Justin loose end pulled out the reg from his mouth. The moment he wes free to move, Justin could not be bothered to cetch his breeth; he ceme et Dillon eggressively. Unfortely, he hed lost too much blood end wes so week thet he could not get close to Dillon et ell. A big men meneged to kick him to the ground.

    "Justin!" Rechel hurriedly crewled over end grebbed the big men''s leg, trying to stop him from continuing stepping on Justin''s beck. "Let go of him!" However, the men ignored her plees end her besicelly non- existent strength. He continued stomping Justin to the ground, es if he wes crushing en ent. It wes not only the beck thet he wes stomping on, but elso whetever dignity, personelity, end freedom thet wes left in Justin. Seeing thet, Rechel could no longer hold herself beck. She broke down end yelled et Dillon, "I''m responsible for everything, end Justin does not know enything! Just let him go; let him go!" "Why should I? If I did, who''s going to evenge those who died?"

    "It''s just e metter of dying. Just kill me end get your revenge!" Rechel looked streight into Dillon''s eyes end yelled et him. She wes elreedy et her breeking point, end she would rether die then be mentelly tortured by Dillon.

    At once, Rachel paled, and her mind turned nk for a while before she could reply, "You... You''re a crazy motherf*cker."

    At onca, Rachal pd, and har mind turnad nk for a wh bafora sha could raply, "You... You''ra a crazy motharf*ckar."

    Howavar, Dillon onlymantad in an unruly mannar, "Nopa, I''m sarious. Just an aya; you can choosa thaft ona or tha right ona. Doasn''t raally mattar to ma." As ha was talking, ha pud out a chair, sat basida tha ta, and crossad hisgs, looking as if ha was rubbarnacking. Ha avan took tha ss from tha sarvant and drank whiskay from it.

    Rachal was not sura what sha was supposad to ba thinking or doing at that point. Sha triad grabbing tha knifa twica bafora baing a to pull it out from tha ta, and har wh body was trambling. Dua to tha numarous opan wounds on har arms, tha blood drippad down tha da and stainad har dark graan skirt, making it look thick and haavy in color.

    In tha maantima, Dillon was uttarly axcitad for tha lova-hata rtionship to unfold in front of his ayas. Ha attantivaly lookad at Rachal holding tha knifa with both har hands as sha staggarad toward Justin bafora it slippad from har hand and fall to tha ground. "I can''t do it." As if saying that took thast anargy out of har, sha slumpad to tha ground knaas first, and could no longar faal hargs.

    Truth was, Dillon had pradictad tha axact oua; ha knaw Rachal did not hava tha guts to gouga Justin''s aya out. Ha snaarad at har tha momant sha fall to tha ground. "Poor daar... avan I can''t halp loving you upon saaing tha way you cry." Ordinary pao lika you liva lika ants, thinking that staying aliva is a big thing. But in our ayas, your livas aran''t worth anything.

    Dillon than turnad his gaza toward Justin. "Justin, your woman would rathar throw away har chastity than hurt you. How about this? I''ll give you a chanca. If you gouga out your aya, I guarantaa sha will ba safa What do you say?"

    Justin strugd to raisa his haad whan Dillon was talking to him. Saaing that, Dillon wavad his hand and immadiataly, tha two thugst Justin loosa and pud out tha rag from his mouth. Tha momant ha was fraa to mova, Justin could not ba botharad to catch his braath; ha cama at Dillon aggrassivaly. Unfortunataly, ha had lost too much blood and was so waak that ha could not gat closa to Dillon at all. A big man managad to kick him to tha ground.

    "Justin!" Rachal hurriadly crad ovar and grabbad tha big man''sg, trying to stop him from continuing stapping on Justin''s back. "Lat go of him!" Howavar, tha man ignorad har as and har basically non- axistant strangth. Ha continuad stomping Justin to tha ground, as if ha was crushing an ant. It was not only tha back that ha was stomping on, but also whatavar dignity, parsonality, and fraadom that wasft in Justin. Saaing that, Rachal could no longar hold harsalf back. Sha broka down and yad at Dillon, "I''m rasponsi for avarything, and Justin doas not know anything! Justt him go;t him go!" "Why should I? If I did, who''s going to avanga thosa who diad?"

    "It''s just a matter of dying. Just kill ma and gat your ravanga!" Rachal lookad straight into Dillon''s ayas and yad at him. Sha was alraady at har braaking point, and sha would rathar dia than ba mantally torturad by Dillon.

    Hearing that, Justin could no longer stay quiet. "Rae!" He sounded as if he used up all his energy calling for her. She hurriedly crawled toward him and held his hands, but whatever he said next made her at a loss for words. "I can die a hundred times for you. You saved me in the first ce, and my death should not be a pity." Heartbroken by what Justin said, Rachel could only shake her head incessantly while tears streamed down the corners of her eyes. She knew that she could no longer turn things around even though she had the smoothest tongue. Dillon would never trust her again; that lunatic devil just wanted to torture the both of them to death.

    Hearing that, Justin could no longer stay quiet. "Rae!" He sounded as if he used up all his energy calling for her. She hurriedly crawled toward him and held his hands, but whatever he said next made her at a loss for words. "I can die a hundred times for you. You saved me in the first ce, and my death should not be a pity." Heartbroken by what Justin said, Rachel could only shake her head incessantly while tears streamed down the corners of her eyes. She knew that she could no longer turn things around even though she had the smoothest tongue. Dillon would never trust her again; that lunatic devil just wanted to torture the both of them to death.

    She was not able to contain her flooding emotions any longer as she sobbed, "You never did anything wrong; it was me who dragged you to hell. Everything started because of me. Things you did... taking revenge, marrying me, and treating me badly... they were done to protect the pure me you once knew. I know it. I know everything, but still, I hurt you... and the people who died because of me... Grandma and Hans... I don''t me you. I have forgiven you a long time ago. If you insist that what had happened was your fault, I could only say it was a mistake we made together."

    They should have shouldered the mistakes together, but Justin was getting all the me. Not only was he med by the people around him, but his own conscience also bothered him. Amidst all these, Rache retreated to safety as if she had nothing to do with everything, and this was not fair. From the time they first met in the small and cramped cer of Somerset Mountain, their lives were inevitably tied together. From then on, they would share weal and woe.

    After a moment of silence, Rachel continued, "Justin, I don''t hate you. Ever since I could remember things as a child, I no longer hate you. The only person I hate is myself because I couldn''t face my own feelings." She left without a word six years ago because she could not ept that their ending would be so unbearable even though they had such a beautiful beginning. How could she ever ept it? As weak as he was, Justin still held Rachel''s hand tightly. Both of them were lost for words at that moment and perhaps, silence was better than a thousand words. "My life has no regrets now, hearing what you just said before I die. Live a long life, Rae."

    "No, you won''t die!"

    Dillon pped his hands excitedly as he watched the drama reaching its climax. "Now, this is what I call a good show that reveals true feelings! You both should have done that earlier, though. Your dilly-dallying cost us time. Well, well, you want to save her, don''t you, Justin? You know what exactly you have to do." As Dillon was speaking, he was leaning down to take a look at Justin who wasying on his stomach next to his feet. The man had already moved his feet away from Justin''s back as he struggled to get up. Justin then took the knife with the hand that was still bleeding from the amputated finger. He was trembling, but he had never been so determined in his life. I know exactly what I have to do.

    "No!" In the midst of anxiety and chaos, Rachel tried grabbing Justin''s hand but she missed it. "No!!!"

    Heoring thot, Justin could no longer stoy quiet. "Roe!" He sounded os if he used up oll his energy colling for her. She hurriedly crowled toword him ond held his honds, but whotever he soid next mode her ot o loss for words. "I con die o hundred times for you. You soved me in the first ploce, ond my deoth should not be o pity." Heortbroken by whot Justin soid, Rochel could only shoke her heod incessontly while teor streomed down the corners of her eyes. She knew thot she could no longer turn things oround even though she hod the smoothest tongue. Dillon would never trust her ogoin; thot lunotic devil just wonted to torture the both of them to deoth.

    She was not oble to contoin her flooding emotions ony longer os she sobbed, "You never did onything wrong; it wos me who drogged you to hell. Everything storted becouse of me. Things you did... toking revenge, morrying me, ond treoting me bodly... they were done to protect the pure me you once knew. I know it. I know everything, but still, I hurt you... ond the people who died becouse of me... Grondmo ond Hons... I don''t blome you. I hove forgiven you o long time ogo. If you insist thot whot hod hoppened wos your foult, I could only soy it wos o mistoke we mode together."

    They should hove shouldered the mistokes together, but Justin wos getting oll the blome. Not only wos he blomed by the people oround him, but his own conscience olso bothered him. Amidst oll these, Roche retreoted to sofety os if she hod nothing to do with everything, ond this wos not foir. From the time they first met in the smoll ond cromped cellor of Somerset Mountoin, their lives were inevitobly tied together. From then on, they would shore weol ond woe.

    After o moment of silence, Rochel continued, "Justin, I don''t hote you. Ever since I could remember things os o child, I no longer hote you. The only person I hote is myself becouse I couldn''t foce my own feelings." She left without o word six yeors ogo becouse she could not ept thot their ending would be so unbeoroble even though they hod such o beoutiful beginning. How could she ever ept it? As weok os he wos, Justin still held Rochel''s hond tightly. Both of them were lost for words ot thot moment ond perhops, silence wos better thon o thousond words. "My life hos no regrets now, heoring whot you just soid before I die. Live o long life, Roe."

    "No, you won''t die!"

    Dillon clopped his honds excitedly os he wotched the dromo reoching its climox. "Now, this is whot I coll o good show thot reveols true feelings! You both should hove done thot eorlier, though. Your dilly-dollying cost us time. Well, well, you wont to sove her, don''t you, Justin? You know whot exoctly you hove to do." As Dillon wos speoking, he wos leoning down to toke o look ot Justin who wos loying on his stomoch next to his feet. The mon hod olreody moved his feet owoy from Justin''s bock os he struggled to get up. Justin then took the knife with the hond thot wos still bleeding from the omputoted finger. He wos trembling, but he hod never been so determined in his life. I know exoctly whot I hove to do.

    "No!" In the midst of onxiety ond choos, Rochel tried grobbing Justin''s hond but she missed it. "No!!!"

    Hearing that, Justin could no longer stay quiet. "Rae!" He sounded as if he used up all his energy calling for her. She hurriedly crawled toward him and held his hands, but whatever he said next made her at a loss for words. "I can die a hundred times for you. You saved me in the first ce, and my death should not be a pity." Heartbroken by what Justin said, Rachel could only shake her head incessantly while tears streamed down the corners of her eyes. She knew that she could no longer turn things around even though she had the smoothest tongue. Dillon would never trust her again; that lunatic devil just wanted to

    torture the both of them to death.

    Haaring that, Justin could no longar stay quiat. "Raa!" Ha soundad as if ha usad up all his anargy calling for har. Sha hurriadly crad toward him and hald his hands, but whatavar ha said naxt mada har at a loss for words. "I can dia a hundrad timas for you. You savad ma in tha first ca, and my daath should not ba a pity." Haartbrokan by what Justin said, Rachal could only shaka har haad incassantly wh taar straamad down tha cornars of har ayas. Sha knaw that sha could no longar turn things around avan though sha had tha smoothast tongua. Dillon would navar trust har again; that lunatic davil just wantad to tortura tha both of tham to daath.

    Sha was not a to contain har flooding amotions any longar as sha sobbad, "You navar did anything wrong; it was ma who draggad you to hall. Evarything startad bacausa of ma. Things you did... taking ravanga, marrying ma, and traating ma badly... thay wara dona to protact tha pura ma you onca knaw. I know it. I know avarything, but still, I hurt you... and tha pao who diad bacausa of ma... Grandma and Hans... I don''t ma you. I hava forgivan you a long tima ago. If you insist that what had happanad was your fault, I could only say it was a mistaka wa mada togathar."

    Thay should hava shouldarad tha mistakas togathar, but Justin was gatting all tha ma. Not only was ha mad by tha pao around him, but his own conscianca also botharad him. Amidst all thasa, Racha ratraatad to safaty as if sha had nothing to do with avarything, and this was not fair. From tha tima thay first mat in tha small and crampad car of Somarsat Mountain, thair livas wara inavitably tiad togathar. From than on, thay would shara waal and woa.

    Aftar a momant of snca, Rachal continuad, "Justin, I don''t hata you. Evar sinca I could ramambar things as a child, I no longar hata you. Tha only parson I hata is mysalf bacausa I couldn''t faca my own faalings." Shaft without a word six yaars ago bacausa sha could not apt that thair anding would ba so unbaara avan though thay had such a baautiful baginning. How could sha avar apt it? As waak as ha was, Justin still hald Rachal''s hand tightly. Both of tham wara lost for words at that momant and parhaps, snca was battar than a thousand words. "My lifa has no ragrats now, haaring what

    you just said bafora I dia. Liva a long lifa, Raa."

    "No, you won''t dia!" Dillon ppad his hands axcitadly as ha watchad tha drama raaching its climax. "Now, this is what I call a good show that ravaals trua faalings! You both should hava dona that aarliar, though. Your dilly-dallying cost us tima. Wall, wall, you want to sava har, don''t you, Justin? You know what axactly you hava to do." As Dillon was spaaking, ha wasaning down to taka a look at Justin who wasying on his stomach naxt to his faat. Tha man had alraady movad his faat away from Justin''s back as ha strugd to gat up. Justin than took tha knifa with tha hand that was still ading from tha amputatad fingar. Ha was trambling, but ha had navar baan so datarminad in his lifa. I know axactly what I hava to do.

    "No!" In tha midst of anxiaty and chaos, Rachal triad grabbing Justin''s hand but sha missad it. "No!!!"

 Chapter 538

    The moment Justin picked up the knife, a dim light shed across the de''s edge and reflected on his cold and unwavering eyes; the same pair of eyes that had been hiding the inexpressible deep love he had for someone.

    As Dillon quietly watched Justin''s resolution to die for the so-called love, he slowly smiled. Dillon loved drama like this; he clearly remembered he was neen when he first witnessed such a scene where his first love kneeled in front of him with another man.

    She was the first woman he loved and she cheated on him with his best friend, who did not even possess Justin''s courage. The man raised the knife and plunged it into the woman''s chest without any hesitation and crawled to Dillon, begging for forgiveness. "Dillon, it isn''t my fault. She was the one who seduced me!"

    Dillon could still remember vividly how her pair of eyes were filled with disbelief; she naively believed till thest second of her pitiful life that the man would have wanted her to stay alive andmitted suicide himself, just like how she was prepared to end her own life to save his.

    Of course, Dillon did not spare the man''s life. Before killing the man, Dillon whispered in his ear, speaking almost phlegmatically, "Thanks for killing her, but you should also know that I''m nning on avenging my girlfriend."

    Bang! The sound of a muffled gunshot was heard in the room; it came from a pistol with a silencer. At that moment, Dillon was pulled back into reality. He nced down in disbelief; a bullet exploded in his chest and apanied by the smell of burnt flesh. It was the re-enactment of his memory, but this time, he was the one being shot.

    He slowly copsed from the chair and never got to utter his onest word. Thest thing he saw was a woman with a pale face holding a gun-she was obviously terrified, but she did not hesitate when she gave him that fatal shot in the chest.

    "Young Master Porter!" It was chaos at that point; gunshots were heard everywhere.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    As Justin watched things unfold in the blink of an eye, he pulled Rachel to him and swiftly hid behind the table without a dither. Almost at the same time as the first gunshot was heard, Caroline rushed into the room and killed all of Dillon''sckeys without giving them a chance to react. Obviously, those outside the room were already dead.

    "Are you okay?" Caroline directed the question to the only two survivors in the room as she picked up the severed finger on the ground and put it in a sealed bag before handing it to Justin. "Take it with you; perhaps your finger can still be saved."

    Rachel, who was having difficulty processing what had happened, was holding the gun and her face was as pale as a sheet. "I killed someone." The moment she spoke, it was as if she realized the severity of her action that her hand trembled and she threw that gun away.

    Thud. The gun fell to the ground. Rachel remembered that just before Caroline left the room, Caroline pulled her up from the floor and quietly handed her a gun-things went without saying after that.

    At that crucial moment when Justin picked up the knife to gouge his eye out, she shot and killed Dillon. She could not and dared not hesitate; she was gambling Justin''s and her life with that shot. "No, you didn''t kill anyone; it was self-defense," Carolineforted Rachel and turned to Justin. "You should leave now. Use the south gate; that ce is not guarded. I can''t help you from there on because you''re on your own."

    "What about this ce?"

    "Leave it to me."

    Caroline looked around the room to ensure that she had not missed anything. Finally, her gaze fell on the gun Rachel used to kill Dillon. She picked up the gun, wiped it clean, and had Rachel nt her fingerprints on it. "I will attribute everything that has happened to the two of you. This means that you killed everyone here and everyone was already dead when I arrived. You know what this means, right?"

    Still badly shaken, Rachel was not able to think clearly, but Justin was clear-headed. He nodded and said, "We will forever be their enemies."

    "Sabrina will hunt you down at all costs. Return to Riverdale as soon as possible and seek protection from Officer Hawkins." After exining their next steps, Caroline urged the two of them to leave quickly. Justin carried Rachel up and left in a hurry. No one would have foreseen so many things could happen on a trip to Enistan. After they left, Caroline looked at the scattered corpses in the room, took out a lighter from her pocket, and lit the curtains.

    Meanwhile, Justin and Rachel sessfully left the vi via the south gate following Caroline''s instructions.

    The vi at Idyll Mountain was surrounded by trees and they chose to escape through the forest; they dared not escape using the big road for fear of being noticed by the enemies. After fleeing for quite some time, they were already deep in the forest. Justin finally let out a sigh of relief andid Rachel down; no one was chasing them. Rachel was still pale and the dress she was wearing was no longer in one piece. Her feet were bare, but because Justin was carrying her, they were not injured. The temperature in the forest might go down in a few hours, so Justin took off his jacket and put it on her.

    "Rae, follow this mountain road and you''ll find the exit." Justin pointed to the path ahead. "Contact Frankie after that and leave Enistan as soon as possible."

    Rachel had already recovered from the shock by that time and she was rmed when she heard that. "What about you? Why are you speaking like you''re noting with me? We''re leaving together." He shook his head and said weakly, "I can''t walk anymore." He raised his hand, wanting to touch her face. This time, she did not dodge; she merely looked at the man who almost died because of her. Yet, Justin''s hand never reached the face he dreamed about day and night; he suddenly fell down to the ground.

    "Justin!" Things happened so abruptly that Rachel shouted in disbelief. She grabbed his shoulder and tried shaking him, only to realize that his face was pale and covered in cold sweat. His amputated fingers never stopped bleeding and blood was all over his hands and even his shoes.

    She recalled what happened in the room and her tears came falling down her cheeks uncontrobly. "Don''t die on me, Justin!"

    Seeing no response from him, she wiped her tears, grabbed his arms, and repeated sternly, "Don''t die on me! I already forgive you and we will go back to Riverdale together when you wake up. Riverdale! It''s Riverdale! Charlotte is still waiting for us at home! You can''t die here! Get up! I can''t carry you alone!"

    It was getting dark. Thick smoke and mes rising from a corner of the vi were visible from afar.

    Rachel had so much difficulty dragging Justin through the woods; he was six feet two tall and unconscious. She could still see the ce where he fainted no matter how much effort she was putting in to drag him away. Yet, her feet were already full of scars being punctured by dead branches in the forest.

    Just when she was desperate, she heard a rustling noiseing through from a distanceˇŞsomeone was walking toward them. Rachel was mortified; she did not think the Porter Family was able to catch up that quickly because at that point in time, they were already far away from the vi.

    Suddenly, Rachel caught a glimpse of the blood on the ground and her face paled instantly. Justin''s hand had been bleeding all this time and he was even carrying her all the way. The blood left a trail behind and the Porters could have easily found them just by following it.

    It was really over for them this time.

 Chapter 539

    Just as Rachel thought she and Justin were doomed for sure, that ck shadow suddenly halted its movement. Then, there was a whisper. "Miss Hudson?" It was a warm and familiar male voice, but it sounded a bit uncertain.

    Immediately, Rachel''s eyes lit up when she heard the voice. She quickly wiped her tears away and whisper-shouted, "Nathan! Is that you?" The ck shadow did not hesitate to step out from behind the trees when he heard her reply; it was a tall figure with a lifelike dragon tattoo on his left arm. It was indeed Nathan.

    "Miss Hudson!" He hurriedly walked toward them. "Are you all right?"

    She nodded. "I''m fine, but we can''t stay here for long. I don''t have time to exin now. Nathan, help me carry him. We gotta leave this mountain quickly." She was grateful that unexpected help arrived and the only thing she wanted was to leave the forest as soon as possible.

    "Wait!" Nathan stopped her from leaving in a rush. He tore a piece of his cloth and carefully wrapped it around Justin''s severed finger to stop the bleeding before advising her, "You can''t follow this path anymore. Let''s use the other one right up to the mountain." After he finished instructing, he carried Justin on his back and walked along the path he pointed.

    Hearing that, Rachel nced at Nathan''s back and followed him. Ah, of course, he must have found us by following the trail of blood. However, it was only after some time that she realized they were walking in the wrong direction. "Up to the mountain? Why? We should be heading down!"

    "You won''t be able to leave the mountain; the exits must have been blocked and heavily searched now. Just follow me, okay? I know the way." As he spoke, he felt that Justin was slipping down from his back, so he lifted Justin up a bit and quickened his pace.

    It was nighttime.

    Enistan''s nightly news reporter was broadcasting about the fire at Idyll Mountain''s vi. "It seems that the fire first broke out in a room and quickly spread across the vi. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported..."

    The old man in the rocking chair snorted coldly when he heard the phrase ''no casualties''.

    "Master." A young man offered him a ss of whiskey and stood quietly beside him.

    The old man took the ss and said, "That''s why we always say, do the right thing. Those who have done so many evil things when they''re alive won''t even be remembered when they die, let alone having someone collecting their corpses."

    The young man did not respond; his eyes were fixed on the TV.

    It was early morning. The room at the vi was cordoned off and the firefighters were still doing the final cleanup after the fire was extinguished. Less than a mile away from the scene, no one noticed there was a bungalow with twelve corpses lying next to each other, all charred and unrecognizable.

    p! A loud p reverberated in the living room as soon as itnded on Caroline''s face her head was titled and blood could be seen in the corner of her mouth. She straightened her back and wiped away the blood, but Sabrina did not give her any chance to recover. p! Another pnded on Caroline''s face. "Useless thing! Had you arrived earlier, this would not have happened!"

    "It was my fault. I''m sorry."

    "So what if it''s your fault? Can you die in my brother''s stead?" No matter how doughty Sabrina had always been, she still could not control her emotions the moment she saw the corpses piling up in the living room. The fact that she could not even identify her own brother led her to release her anger on Caroline.

    Caroline remained silent. Sabrina, who was in a state of restlessness and grief, continued yelling at her, "Now who the hell set the fire?!"

    "I don''t have any decisive conclusion just yet, but I noticed the two blind girls who were serving Dillon are gone."

    "Blind girls?" Sabrina squeezed her fists tightly upon hearing that. "They had the nerves to do that."

    "Not sure if it was their doing, but I found this at the scene."

    As Caroline spoke, she handed a sealed bag to Sabrina, who opened it and found a gun burnt beyond recognition. Caroline then continued, "This should be the weapon that killed them."

    At that moment, a subordinate who was squatting on the ground to check on the corpses raised his head, looked at Sabrina, and pointed at the corpse in front of him. "Think I found Young Master Porter."

    At once, Sabrina''s expression changed. She threw the sealed bag back to Caroline, immediately stepped over the corpses in front of her, and walked straight to the subordinate. "Young Master Porter''s arm bone had been fractured before; you can see that fracture line here clearly."

    "You''re right, it''s Dillon." Looking at the disfigured corpse in front of her, Sabrina tried her best to suppress her grief, but her bloodshot eyes betrayed her. "Check if there are other wounds."

    "Sure." A few minutester, the subordinate reported, "There is a gunshot wound not far from the heart. It was not vital, so Young Master Porter must have died losing too much blood, plus there was a fireˇŞ" "Not vital," Sabrina repeated after the subordinate and clenched her fists. "This means that the marksmanship was not very good then." As she spoke, her gaze fell on the gun in Caroline''s hand. "Send this gur for fingerprint identification."

    "Yes, Miss Sabrina."

    After she left the bungalow, Caroline looked at the gun in her hand and her expression turned solemn. There was not much she could do; if she covered up too much for Rachel and Justin, she would lead the suspicions back to herself and she could not risk that. She mustplete her undercover mission no matter what; she could only hope that Rachel and Justin found protection under Janice at Riverdale. Three dayster, Justin finally woke up from thea. As he opened his eyes, he saw a figure resting half of her body on the side of the bed. Her long ck hair was messily draped over her shoulder. Looking extremely exhausted, she was sleeping restlessly with her furrowed brows. He could not resist the urge to soothe the wrinkles between her eyebrows.

    It was evening and this was the picturesque view he saw the moment he woke the warm sunlight was shining and creating a halo around Rachel. Like an angel, she was bathing in the divine and sacred light. He often dreamed of her back in Riverdale, so he thought this was another dream he was having. The moment his hand was about to touch her brow, she suddenly opened her eyes.

    Is this real? Rachel blinked really hard. As her drowsy eyes gradually sobered, she realized she was not dreaming. At that instant, she was finally able to release her pent-up worry and concern that she did not realize she was speaking like a machine gun, "You''re finally awake! Is there anywhere you feel ufortable? Does your hand still hurt? Are you okay?"

    Justin could hear every word she said clearly, but still, he was unable to differentiate reality from his dream. "Rachel, there''s a new dessert shop nearby. How about we go there together after work?" He used to talk to himself and rehearse this line when he was in Riverdale, just to prepare himself mentally for when he could meet her again. Now that he really saw her, he somehow could not utter a single word he rehearsed. In the end, he was only able to say, "Charlotte wants to go there."

    "Are you sleepwalking?" Rachel waved her hand in front of Justin. "Don''t tell me the fever burned yourst brain cell."

    At this moment, they heard the sound of the door opening. Nathan, who was entering the room with an infusion bottle, started talking, "Miss Hudson, think it''s time to change the infusion bottle-" As he looked up, he was surprised that Justin was awake. "Oh hello, wee back to earth." Hearing Nathan''s voice, Justin turned and stared at him for quite some time; it was not until he saw that realistic dragon tattoo or Nathan''s arm that it sobered him up. ˇ°Am I still alive?"

    "What nonsense is this? Of course, you are still alive! I took the trouble to carry you all the way and Miss Hudson has been taking care of you thest three days. You merely lost a finger and yet you had a fever for three days. What a delicate thing," Nathan teased Justin in dissatisfaction and almost had to roll his eyes. However, Justin did not hear a word Nathan said; he seemed to be stupefied. All of a sudden, he called for Rachel, "Rachel?"

    "What''s the matter?" A doubt sprang up in her mind when Justin called her name without warning.

    He could finally appreciate the fact that he was still alive after hearing Rachel''s reply. As if his spontaneity was not enough, he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her toward his chest. Rachel eximed before falling and hitting his chest. She groaned andined, "What are you" She could not finish her sentence; Justin hugged her so tightly that it felt like they were going to be merged as one. The strength was so huge that it oppressed her heart and she could hardly breathe.

    "J-Justin! Let go of me! I can''t breathe="This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 540

    Rachel felt like she was suffocating, but it did not seem like Justin was going to let go anytime soon.

    When he was hugging her, he felt like he was alive again. As if he was holding onto his life savior, he never wanted to let go. "Ahem!" Nathan''s cough could be heard from inside the room. "If the IV drip isn''t changed soon, someone''s life might be in danger."

    Rachel tapped Justin on the arm, hinting at him to let go. After a few taps, he finally released her unwillingly.

    Watching Nathan approaching, she was so embarrassed that she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

    However, he seemed unfazed and proceeded to change the IV drip. After he was done, he left the room and closed the door as if nothing happened.

    Now, Rachel and Justin were left alone once again.

    Justin''s gaze was locked on her face even when Nathan was changing his IV drip.

    She turned around and their eyes met before she asked, "Are you feeling ufortable?"

    He shook his head.

    After a moment of silence, she stood up. "I''ll get you some water." However, he grabbed her hand.

    Rachel saw the bandage covering his hand from the corners of her eyes and could not stop herself from feeling sad. Her eyes darkened and she clenched her fist. "I''m sorry." Her voice was so low it was almost buried by the wind outside.

    "You don''t need to be sorry," Justin refuted.

    "But your finger..." Rachel bit her lips, trying to force the words out. "We missed the optimal treatment period. We can''t reattach it anymore."

    "I know. It''s fine," he assured her. He was not surprised because he knew the condition of his body. The moment he woke up, he knew it was toote.

    "How can it be?" Tears filled Rachel''s eyes as she held onto his injured hand. "How could you be so dumb? I told you to leave me."

    "If anything happened to you, I will never forgive myself. That''s why I couldn''t leave." Justin looked at her calmly. He was always the rational one; collected and keeping his emotions in check. However, she was his only exception.

    "It''s okay. Really!" He pulled Rachel to sit by the bed. "It''s only a finger, it won''t affect my life much." Even though he said that, she still could not ept it.

    "Anyways, where are we?" He subtly changed the topic to distract her from wallowing in guilt.

    She collected herself and looked out the window. "We''re on Idyll Mountain."

    Justin was dumbfounded.

    Rachel continued to exin, "It was Mr. Keaton who saved us.ˇ±

    Three days ago, Caroline helped both of them escape from Dillon''s evil clutches. At first, they nned to follow a small trail down Idyll Mountain to the airport below to leave Enistan, but Justin fainted mid-way. "Luckily, Nathan found us after following the blood trail and brought us up the mountain. This is Mr. Keaton''s private residence atop the mountain. It''s not far from the resort."

    When the fire broke out at the resort that day, the firefighters took the whole night to put it out. At the same time, people were searching the mountain for them. Those people looked everywhere, but did not daree into that private residence.

    It was the best option Justin and Rachel had. It was the safest ce, but unfortunately, they missed the best time to treat Justin''s fingers.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She knew some medical knowledge, but it was only enough to sanitize and bandage his hand; she could not reattach his fingers. After that, Justin''s wound was infected and he had a fever for three days. "Had you not woken up sooner, I would have asked Nathan to get us down the mountain and look for a hospital."

    "Don''t worry, I only slept for a while."

    "No, you didn''t. It was three days." Rachel still could not forget how Justin''s finger was amputated because of her and tears filled her eyes. "I don''t even know if there''s a way to fix your finger." "Rachel." He held her hand tightly. "Stop being sad. I have gotten so much more than I have lost."

    She was stunned.

    Justin looked at her quietly as if he found his lost treasure. "I wonder if there''s a parallel universe. When we die, will we still have our consciousness?"

    "Why did you think of this so suddenly?" Rachel asked in puzzlement.

    "I hope the answer is no. If I can''t see you and don''t know how you are doing in the other universe, that''s worse than death itself."

    When they were facing Dillon that day, this was what he thought about when all hope seemed lost.

    Rachel was still stunned.

    Suddenly, Justin tried to sit up. "Rae, I''ve been on bedrest for too long. Help me up. I want to head out for a walk."

    "Okay. Slowly." She came back to her senses and reached out to help him.

    It was already evening. There were two times of the day that were the best. One was at dawn when the sun was about to shine; it was the time of the day when hope was at its highest and anything was possible. The other was dusk when the night fell; no matter what happened that day, if it was good or bad; if it was what you wished for or feared; everything would stop then at the end of the day.

    During dinner, Justin asked about the owner of the residence. "Was it Mr. Keaton that took us in?"

    Nathan was busy serving the table and nced up at him. ˇ°Master Keaton ordered me to protect Miss Hudson."

    Justin and Rachel wanted to know why Nathan addressed her as Miss Hudson. However, no matter how they tried to pry, he would only reply, "Miss Hudson is Miss Hudson; there are no other reasons." "So, this house belongs to Mr. Keaton?"

    "Why do you want to know?"

    "Can''t I just know?"

    "No." Nathan ced the bowl down forcefully and demanded, "Eat your food."

    However, he quickly went forward and totally changed his attitude when he saw Rachel walking out of the kitchen carrying some soup. "Miss Hudson, please take a seat. Let me help you with this." "It''s okay. I''m free anyways."

    "Please. Let me." Nathan insisted. Without a choice, she could only pass the bowl to him.

    "Nathan,e eat with us," she asked.

    "It''s alright, Miss Hudson. Please carry on without me. I have something I need to tend to," he answered and went into the kitchen.

    Rachel scrunched her eyebrows at his words. "What''s there to do during meal time?" she mumbled. She stood up, wanting to get him to return, but Justin pulled her onto her seat again.

    "Don''t get him. It''s probably his rule."

    "What rule? Are there rules about eating sequences?"

    "He regards you as Miss Hudson. Don''t you think it''s weird?"

    Even though it wasmon for rich families to hire maids, especially in families like the Burton and Hudson Families, maids would usually address the children as Young Master, Young Lady, Mister, or Miss. However, it was apparent that Nathan''s "Miss" was not just a title. He was putting himself on a lower rank than her.

 Chapter 541

    "At first, I thought it was strange, but we didn''t see him much at first. Now that we see him every day, it does feel weird now that you''ve mentioned it," Rachel replied.

    During the past three days, all of her energy was spent on taking care of Justin. She could not care less what Nathan was addressing her as. "So, why is that?"

    "I think only you could ask him."

    Justin tried asking, but Nathan did not have a nice attitude. Most of the time, Nathan was impatient with him.

    Rachel was deep in thought hearing that.

    After dinner, Justin sat in the living room while she went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

    "Miss Hudson, please let me. You don''t need to do these things. Please take a rest." Nathan blocked Rachel in her tracks, not letting her move.

    However, she did not listen to him and insisted, "We''ve been staying here, not doing anything at all while you took care of us. If I can''t even contribute to this little chore, we''d feel really bad." "Miss Hudson, you don''t need to be courteous with me. If my master knew I allowed you to do chores, he''d scold me."

    "Why?"

    "Because you are Miss Hudson. There''s no reason for you to do the chores," he contended.

    "Let me ask you a question, Nathan." She changed the topic.

    "Please do."

    "Why do you keep calling me Miss Hudson? Who asked you to do that?"

    Nathan was stunned at her question.

    Yet, Rachel did not stop asking, "Was it Mr. Keaton?"

    "Yes."

    "Why?"

    "I don''t know."

    "How could you not know? Nathan. Tell me the truth. What did Mr. Keaton tell you? Why are you protecting me?"

    He scratched his head. "Miss Hudson, it''s no use asking me. I really don''t know why."

    Even though he was tall and burly, looking like the boss of a gang, he was a simple guy. After spending some time with him, they realized that he was easy to read. He wore his emotions on his face and would not lie.

    It seemed like he did not know the reason.

    Getting no answer from him, Rachel walked out of the kitchen and shook her head at Justin.

    Justin frowned in response.

    They could only wait for Mr. Keaton to show up and ask him. Either that or they could ask Mr. Brook, who referred them to meet Mr. Keaton. However, the most important thing now was how they were going to leave Enistan.

    "I wonder how Jolly and the rest are doing?" Rachel leaned on the sofa and sighed.

    Justin asked, "What about Lush Enterprise? No news from them at all?"

    "That''s the weird part. I was sure Jolly took Leroy away during the wedding, but there was no news from Lush looking for him at all. They didn''t evene looking for trouble with us." She was at a loss.

    In theory, if Leroy, the groom, ran away during the wedding, Mrs. Bet would have been furious. She would order people to look for him no matter where he went, but there was nothing from them. It was abnormal.

    "Once we return to Riverdale, it''ll all be clear," Justin answered.

    "When shall we leave, then?"

    "As early as possible, this isn''t a safe ce." He knew that the Porters would check the flights. If they could not find Justin and Rachel''s flight information, it was obvious that both of them were still in Enistan. Enistan was the Porters'' safe harbor and territory, if they both fell into their hands once again, it would not be an easy escape.

    At this moment, Sabrina was dressed in all ck standing on the Enistan Sun Harbor. After watching a batch of goods leaving the port, she asked coldly, "Any news?"

    Caroline''s voice came from behind her. ˇ°Nothing on the flights and ferries, perhaps they left using the bridge."

    "Impossible, we have our people at the bridge. If they went through there, we would have gotten them."

    Sabrina clenched her fists. "They must still be in Enistan.ˇ±

    "Are they, though? It''s been three days. If they killed Mr. Porter, wouldn''t they want to leave Enistan quickly? It''s not safe for them here." "Sometimes the most dangerous ce is the safest."

    After saying that, Sabrina suddenly thought of something. "Go and search Idyll Mountain again. Don''t let go of every nook and cranny."

    At the end of her words, all her subordinates answered in unison, "Yes."

    Caroline was just about to say something when she was interrupted by a voice. "Miss Porter, the guest is here."

    Guest?

    Caroline was surprised. She turned around to see a familiar figureing down from a ck sedan. With polished shoes and rimless sses, he looked like a gentleman. However, the gentle and elegant person she remembered him to be, now had an aura of indifference.

    Julian...

    His name sprang to her mind, but she could not believe it.

    Is it Julian?

    Just when Caroline was deep in thought, Sabrina walked over to the car and got in. They would be talking in the car.

    Caroline asked one of the subordinates near her, "What''s happening? Who''s that person Miss Sabrina is meeting? Why haven''t I seen him before?"

    "Oh. That person is from Riverdale. He''s the current president of the Burton Group."

    "How did Miss Sabrina know him?"

    "When they found the fingerprints on the gun, Miss Porter sent someone to Riverdale and got in contact with him. At first, they wanted to ask who interrogate him who the murderer is, but he proposed a coboration instead."

    Coboration? Caroline''s heart skipped a beat.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    She could not believe that Julian wanted to work with Sabrina. Was he out of his mind?

    Anyone who dealt with the devil would have to sell their soul in the end.

    At this moment, Caroline had not realized the true reason for Julian and Sabrina''s coboration. Not only was it for business and money, Julian also had some unsettled rtions he had to deal with. The night sky fell quickly. Outside the car window was Enistan''s bustling night sceneparable to that of Riverdale''s.

    "You''ve got guts. Coming here to Enistan alone to meet me. Aren''t you afraid something would happen and you can''t return?" Sabrina taunted.

    "Miss Porter, I think you''ve got more guts than I do; getting my car in the middle of the night with only me and my driver. There''s no one else here," Julian answered.

    "I''ve got guts cause I know I got the upper hand." Sabrina suddenly wiped out a gun and pointed it at Julian''s forehead. "Stop ying word games with me. I like being straightforward and efficient. Have Justin and Rachel contacted you?"

    He raised his arms in surrender, showing that he had no intentions to fight back. "Perhaps you''ve not been notified, but our rtionship has been strained recently. Do you think they would still contact me?" "Then, why did youe to Enistan? Are you ying with me?" she snapped at him.

    "Just because they won''t initiate contact with me, doesn''t mean that I can''t contact them." His cool voice reverberated in the car.

 Chapter 542

    "As long as Miss Porter is willing to coborate, I am sure I will be able to contact them."

    "Are you threatening me?" Sabrina let out a coldugh. "This must be the funniest joke I''ve heard all year. Do you know what I do?" "Even if I didn''t know what you do, Miss Porter, but I know Mr. Porter and the people he worked with back in Riverdale. I have a good guess."

    "Then, you must be looking for trouble."

    "No. It is exactly what I want to discuss with you," Julian said without batting an eyelid. He pushed his sses into ce and turned around, looking at Sabrina. "The pharmaceuticalpany under the Burton Group has always been looking to expand business abroad. I''ve got the form and you have the connections. It''s a win-win situation. This is the coboration I''m talking about."

    "As I know, the Burton Group does not need to take on such a huge risk to increase revenue."

    "No one would think too much money is bad. Of course, I have a personal request to ask of you."

    She frowned at his words. "What request?"

    "The two people you want to catch, right? I want one of them."

    Julian''s voice resounded in the car, filled with assurance.

    He had enough confidence that Sabrina would agree to his request and choose to work with him.

    After Justin woke up, they continued staying on Idyll Mountain to nurse his injuries.

    This private residence of Mr. Keaton''s was not far from the Idyll Vacation Vi. One could see the main building where the banquet was held from the balcony. However, part of the vi was blocked off for reconstruction.

    "Lush Enterprise announced to the public that the wedding isplete. After both families had formed the marriage alliance, Mrs. Bet started using Lush''s resources and worked with the Grandeur Group." Rachel was holding a magazine with great referencing value, analyzing the recent financial and economic trends of Enistan.

    Justin was drinking tea by the window. When he heard that, he nced at Rachel and said, "It should be safer now. I should try contacting Frankie and ask what happened that day." "No, you can''t."

    Nathan''s firm voice came from the living room.

    He was washing fruits in the kitchen, but now he had half his body poking out from behind the door. He said coldly, "Do not simply contact anyone outside; if not, you would bring danger to Miss Hudson." In other words, if Justin wanted to look for trouble, he could, but he could not put Rachel in danger too.

    He made a wry face. "We''ve been here for a week now. It shouldn''t be a problem."

    No matter how powerful the Porter''s were, Enistan was not their territory. They were only here to escape for a while. How could they look for Justin and Rachel everywhere?

    However, Nathan was adamant. "If you want to contact the outside world, sure, but you must leave this ce first. I promised my master that I will ensure Miss Hudson''s safety here."

    Without a choice, Justin shrugged his shoulders toward Rachel.

    He had to admit that it was risky contacting Frankie now, yet they could not keep staying there. Rachel hesitated for a bit and stated to Nathan in the kitchen, "Nathan, it''s time for me to leave."

    Stunned, he raised his head from behind the ss windows.

    Rachel had been mulling over thisst night. She even discussed it with Justin before bringing it up with Nathan.

    She and Justin could not stay in Enistan forever. If the Porters wanted to avenge Dillon, they might look for Justin and Rachel''s friends and family in Riverdale. They had to return as soon as possible, regardless of whether to warn their loved ones or look for Janice''s protection.

    Nathan brought out the washed fruits. "Here''s some fruit, Miss Hudson."

    "Thank you." Rachel''s voice was filled with appreciation. "Nathan, I''m thankful for your care. If it wasn''t for you, we wouldn''t know where to hide. We could have been caught earlier on."

    "You don''t need to thank me. It was my master''s order."

    "If I have the chance, I''d like to thank Mr. Keaton personally."

    "Master rarelyes here and it''s hard for you both to move about now."

    "I know."

    "I''ll send you both to the airport tomorrow morning, Miss Hudson."

    Rachel was taken aback by Nathan''s words and looked up at him.

    He continued with his calm face, "I was about to tell you this. Master said that the hotdog stand is about to reopen. Old customers have been asking when we''re opening. I won''t have time to take care of you guys anyways," he said those words with such seriousness. It did not seem like a cover-up.

    The couple looked at each other. They were sure they had the same thought.

    Nathan was a nice guy, but Mr. Keaton was intelligent. Even though Mr. Keaton did not stay with them, he knew what they were thinking about. He had guessed that they wanted to leave tomorrow and told Nathan to reopen the hotdog stand.

    He was intuitive.

    "Before you leave, you should try my handmade pasta." Nathan ced the fruits down and went back into the kitchen.

    Not long after, Rachel and Justin could hear the sounds of the dough pounding onto the kitchen table.

    Looking at Justin, she asked, "Do you think Nathan is clueless with what Mr. Keaton meant? Or he was just faking it?"

    "I think he really doesn''t know."

    "But, Mr. Keaton''s such a smart guy, so why would he take Nathan as an apprentice?"

    "It could be because still water runs deep," he reasoned. "People like Nathan are actually smart and he will be useful in other aspects."

    Rachel did not want to think too much about it and just nodded.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    The next morning, Nathan sent both of them to the airport.

    They left at a good time as they avoided people searching for them in the area around the vi.

    At the Enistan International Airport, Nathan brought Rachel and Justin to the security checkpoint. "Miss Hudson, I''ll take my leave here. Master is still waiting for me to go back. The hotdog stand will be reopening tonight."

    Fine, it seemed that he was only concerned with the hotdog stand now. Rachel finally understood that she was not someone important to Nathan. It was Mr. Keaton''s stand about her that influenced his attitude. If Mr. Keaton said he was Miss Hudson, then Nathan would put her as a priority. However, if he told Nathan to reopen the hotdog stand, Nathan would forget about her.

    It seemed like the title of Miss Hudson was not of great importance.

    Rachel let out a breath at the realization.

    She turned to Nathan and said, "Come visit Riverdale if you have the chance."

    "It''s okay. Master Keaton is getting old. I have to be by his side."

    Justin pipped in, "Or, you can advise Mr. Keaton to open a hotdog stand in Riverdale?"

    That idea swayed Nathan a little. "Let me ask my master about this."

    Rachelughed and poked fun at him. ˇ°Nathan, how could you possibly find a wife being so meek?"

    He replied genuinely, "Master Keaton said he would arrange that for me."

    To that, she could not hold back andugh out loud.

    "It''s gettingte. We should head in," Justin reminded her.

    They bid goodbye to Nathan and went through the security checkpoint.

    At the waiting terminal filled with people, Rachel and Justin walked side by side. Suddenly, she saw someone behind them through the reflection of the ss. Her intuition told her someone was following them.

 Chapter 543

    "There''s someone following us." Rachel pulled on Justin''s sleeve with her trembling arms.

    He held onto her hand and assured, "Don''t worry. I''m here." His voice was quiet and it calmed her down.

    They walked toward the crowd acting like they did not notice the person behind them.

    "There''s more than one," she softly reminded him.

    He had noticed that more eyes were on them through the mirror beside him. They were following and getting closer to them.

    Still, Justin held his cool. He was sure that the Porters did not dare to catch them in public spaces. Since they were in Enistan, it was their safe harbor and they would not want to garner unwanted attention. With the amount of people in the airport, those following them could not get too close to them. As a result, they went to different elevators in the airport and went in all directions to shake the majority of them off their tails.

    Finally, they found a smoking lounge and ducked in quickly. Justin backed Rachel up against the wall and covered her using his body. The followers passed by without seeing them and they both let out a breath of relief.

    "Let''s stay here till we have to go for the security check." Rachel took a good look around. There were not many people here as only the whiff of tobo filled the room. Justin nodded.

    Hence, they waited until the announcement for their flight could be heard. They left the smoking lounge and rushed to the security checkpoint and managed to get on the ne at the veryst second of its closing.

    The airne took off flying through the skies of Enistan Airport, leaving a white trail of clouds toward Riverdale.

    Looking at the clouds outside, Rachel finally felt relieved; her anxious heart had finally settled down.

    "Were you scared?" Justin asked with worry.

    She shook her head. "I''m okay."

    The only thing that scared her was his hand.

    She looked down and her gaze fell on his bandaged hand. His fingers used to be slender and clean, but now they had a defect. It was hard for her to look at it.

    He knew what she was thinking though. Using the bandaged hand, he took hold of her hands. "I think it''s perfect now."

    Rachel was perplexed.

    He exined, "As long as it doesn''t affect the quality of life, it''s fine. You don''t need to take it to heart. Do you remember the scar on my face?"

    She nodded. How could she forget?

    He continued, "Twenty years ago during the forest fire, even though we split apart, my face was scarred. However, I refused to ept any treatment for it." The scar was meant tomemorate her.

    He did not know if Katie was alive. That scar was the only thing connecting him and Katie. So, he had to keep it as a reminder to avenge her.

    Rachel did not say anything, but her heart ached for him.

    When Gloria first arrived at Riverdale six years ago, she told Rachel about the scar''s history. At first, Rachel did not know that she was Katie. She even envied that little girl who died and was touched by Justin''s friendship with Katie.

    "What about now? I''m still alive and well, but you''ve lost a finger.ˇ±

    Looking at the situation now, his amputated finger could no longer be reattached.

    He held her tightly, "Sometimes, things may get lost, but I''ve found something much more important."

    Rachel was stunned. The man in front of her had always stuck to his belief; never once had he changed.

    That day when he fainted in the forest on Idyll Mountain from excessive loss of blood, it was the first time she felt such unbearable fear. It was like her heart had been dug out and her blood was drained little by little. She had never felt such despair.

    "Let''s stay a little longer in Riverdale this time."

    She whispered while looking at his face, "We should stay with Charlotte more."

    Justin nodded in agreement.

    They were now clear about many things with each other through the hardships they encountered this time. They knew very well it was difficult to ovee the hurdles and stay together. However, if their hearts were together and they knew the other was safe and healthy, life could not be more fulfilling. As such, they were contended with that.

    The trip from Enistan to Riverdale was about three hours. After taking a nap, the nended.

    Once they got off the ne, they switched on their phones and numerous messages bombarded them.

    Rachel contacted Janice first. "We''ve justnded at the airport. We''lle to look for you in a bit. There''s something important we need to discuss."

    Janice realized the severity of the issue. "Okay, I''ll be waiting for you at the Investigation Bureau.ˇ±

    She knew Rachel would not contact her using her private phone if the situation was not grave.

    Assessing the current situation, it was obvious their agent had been exposed. Not only that, their safety was at risk too.

    But how did Justin get involved?

    Janice frowned on the other side of the phone. With no time to spare, she arranged for people to investigate the situation at Enistan.

    On the other hand, Rachel and Justin walked out of the airport.

    Buzz. It was Rachel''s phone.

    "It''s Julian." She gave Justin a look.

    He frowned. "Such a coincidence?"

    They justnded and Julian had picked this time to call.

    Since they were in Riverdale, they did not think much of it.

    Rachel answered the phone in front of Justin. "Hello?"

    "Are you back in Riverdale?"

    Julian''s familiar voice came from the phone.

    She furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What do you want?" She had wanted to settle the ount with him regarding what happened with Jolly and Leroy.

    "Rae, you''re the one person I don''t want to hurt the most."

    "What are you saying?"

    "If you leave the man next to you now, it''s not toote."

    At the end of his words, Rachel saw several men dressed in cking toward them in all directions.

    "Julian! You"

    They were in Riverdale, so the couple did not expect that they would be in danger. Ironically, they were safe in Enistan, but got schemed by people they trusted back at their territory once they got off the ne. Momentster, a ck van was speeding on the airport highway.

    Rachel and Justin had been held captive in the backseat. There was a burly man on each of their sides. The men had a needle in their hands, ready to give them an injection.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "What are you guys doing?" Rachel started to struggle.

    "Miss Hudson." One of the burly men pinned her down by the shoulder. "Even though Mr. Peters had orders not to hurt you, you betterply. Or else, you''re just making it harder for yourself."

    "We just want to know what''s in that injection." Justin looked coldly at the burly man. "Surely, it wouldn''t go against your rules to just tell us that, right?"

    The man nodded. "It''s just something to make you sleep, in case you try something funny on the road. Mr. Peters said that you''re smart people. We won''t be able to outsmart you both. So, we had to resort to

    this."

    It was true that it hurt the most when the people you trusted backstabbed you. Justin shot Rachel a reassuring look, signaling for her to cooperate.

    Since they were Julian''s men, Justin was sure that they would not hurt Rachel regardless. Therefore, he became slightly at ease.

    As the injection went into their veins, they both soon fell into a deep slumber.

 Chapter 544

    The contents of the syringe flowed into Rachel''s bloodstream. The effects of the substance were soon evident: her eyelids became heavier and she could hear the sound of brakes echoing in her drowsy state. Her body swayed once before she lost consciousness. She did not know how long had passed when she woke up. Since the effects had yet to wear off, she could feel her temples aching slightly. After waking from a nightmare, her eyes had shot open to see the intricate patterns above her. There wererge passifloras blooming all over the canopy, which made it rather dizzy to look at.

    As she breathed heavily, she began to calm down. Soon, she realized that she was on arge bed and felt that the nket underneath her fingers was silk. It had a soft yet expensive texture.

    Suddenly, the door creaked open. She became alert immediately before tightening her fist and shutting her eyes.

    "Why isn''t she awake yet? What did you do?" A girl''s voice came from beside the bed, the sound crisp and clear. Her tone was clearly annoyed.

    "The doctor checked on her and reported that the effects of the sedative haven''t passed, so we may need to wait for a while. Miss, why don''t we get the doctor to check on her again?"

    The other female voice was respectful and addressed the first girl as ''Miss''. Rachel could not help but frown briefly because she did not know these girls.

    At that moment, the first girl suddenly fell silent as if she had noticed something. "Rita, get out of the room."

    "Yes, Miss."

    When the door closed, it was just Rachel and the haughty-sounding girl left in the room. Even though Rachel''s eyes were closed, she could feel the girl studying her, she could even feel the girl bending close to her, blocking out part of the light. Feeling anxious, Rachel could not stop herself from clutching onto the sheets beneath her. She was afraid of the unknown, even if the other person sounded like a girl of sixteen or seventeen.

    "I know you''re awake."

    Rachel squeezed her eyes.

    "If you don''t open your eyes right now, I will tickle you!"

    When she heard this, she was stunned and could not believe her ears. In the next moment, her nket was pulled away. Before she could collect herself, she felt a wave of itch spreading from her armpit. It immediately made her burst intoughter as she rolled into a pile together with the girl and the nket.

    "Haha... Hahahaha..."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "Herees the tickle bomb!" eximed the girl as she tickled Rachel. Out of desperation, Rachel quickly pleaded for mercy. "Okay, my eyes are open!"

    It was then that Rachel saw the girl before her. The girl was like a sunflower, with curly brown hair resting on her shoulders, pale skin, deep-set features that looked foreign, red lips, white teeth, and pretty eyes. The girl''s eyes were bright as she blinked twice at Rachel. Rachel''s first thought was that if Charlotte saw this girl, she would think she had met Snow White. The girl was only sixteen or seventeen, yet she was already this beautiful. She would be a gorgeous woman when she grew older.

    "I warned you to stop pretending to be asleep. I am very good at tickling." At this, the girl wiggled her fingers at Rachel, which made her look adorably menacing.

    Rachel was a little confused. "Who are you?"

    It had been such a messy introduction and she still did not know what was happening here. The girl did not look like she had any evil intentions, which left Rachel wondering whether this was a kidnapping incident-one nned by her former best friend, Julian, no less. The girl looked calm as she crossed her legs to sit in a morefortable position. "I saved your life, you know."

    Rachel froze. "You did?"

    "Yep. You were kidnapped and sedated via an injection. It was me who sent someone out to save you."

    "Where''s the man who was kidnapped with me?"

    "We took him with us." The girl waved her hand carelessly. "He''s fine, don''t worry."

    The girl had already saved Rachel and she probably would not lie about something like that. The knowledge that Justin was fine made Rachel rx slightly as she looked around.

    "What''s this ce?"

    "A hotel, can''t you see it?"

    Rachel shook her head. After all, she had just regained consciousness and her brain still felt foggy. The fun little altercation she was forced to join before made it worse, and now her mind was full of thoughts. What on Earth is happening?

    Night had already fallen. In the Burton Group office building, the lights in the president''s office were still on.

    When Julian heard the reporting from behind him, he turned around in his chair. "What?"

    His expression shifted immediately. "What do you mean by that? Justin and Rachel got kidnapped by someone else during the journey?"

    Robin swallowed hard, murmuring carefully, "I don''t know."

    If only he had known how dangerous these words were. Sure enough, Julian shoved the files off his desk in anger. "It was daytime; both of them were thrown inside the vehicle and even sedated. Are you telling me you don''t know who exactly took them?" Robin''s face was pale and he bravely exined, "We didn''t even see theming. The whole group was made up of strong muscr foreigners. They came after us as if they were re-enacting an action car scene by crashing their vehicles into ours! Eventually, we were forced to stop and they took Justin and Rachel away immediately."

    As he recalled the scene on the highway, Robin still felt terrified. He had been there, just not in the same car as Rachel and Justin. His car was the one behind the kidnapper''s vehicle as he was escorting them to their destination. No one had anticipated that they would ge ambushed even before they exited the highway from the airport.

    "Spare me those useless details. Go and investigate who took them at once; you have one day to get them back." Julian was extremely furious. "Are you going to bear the consequences if you derail our ns?"

    Petrified, Robin did not dare to utter another word. He had not even thought that the ns they had so expected to seed would end up a failure.

    As for Rachel, she pulled open the curtains of her room. From there, she could see the night view of Riverdale. That eventually convinced her that she was in a hotel.

    She then turned to the girl beside her. "Why did you save me?"

    "You finally thought of asking that question, huh? Well, you could just see me as someone who rescued you from injustice."

    "Is that so?"

    The girl shrugged. "I am hungry. You should have dinner with me."

    As she said that, she walked out of the bedroom without a care in the world and Rachel had no choice but to follow.

    The girl had said this was a hotel, yet there were many private collector items disyed inside ss cases in the living room. They all looked expensive; it was immediately obvious that this was a private suite. Even the interior decoration had been customized to the owner''s tastes.

    The maid was also not local as her hair was styled in a bun, which added to her respectful manner. "Miss Hudson, are you awake?"

    Rachel looked dumbfounded. "Both of you are fluent in Spanish."

    The girl''s face was calm. "My father grew up here, actually."

    Rachel did not move toward the girl and stayed where she was instead. She frowned. "I don''t think I have told any of you myst name, have I?"

 Chapter 545

    The maid froze and looked panickingly at the girl. However, the girl was calm as she sat casually by the table. The way she shook her napkin spoke of natural elegance, like that of a medieval-era princess.

    "There''s nothing weird about that. Why would I save someone whose name I don''t even know?"

    Frowning, Rachel could not formte an argument. After all, the girl had saved her life. So, she could not be too rude toward her. "Who exactly are you?"

    "If I refuse to answer, you won''t feel like eating, will you?"

    "Yes." Rachel nodded as she confessed, "I guess you don''t have any evil intentions toward me. Regardless of the reason, at least I should know who you are and why you saved me."

    "My name is Regina Hudson."

    Rachel was stunned. "Regina Hudson?"

    "Isn''t it pretty?"

    "It is." It sounded really familiar too. This is probably just a coincidence. Rachel tried to suppress her confusion.

    Regina rested her chin on her hand while looking at Rachel innocently. "As for why I saved you? I think if you were in my ce, you would never let your older step-sister be kidnapped without intervening, would you?"

    A step-what?

    Rachel froze. "What did you just say?" She could not believe what she had just heard.

    "You don''t believe me?" Regina asked while touching her face and muttering to herself, "Well, I guess we don''t look much alike. Both of us didn''t seem to inherit much of our father''s features and we looked more like our respective mothers instead."

    "What on earth are you saying?"

    "I said, you are my older sister."

    "What do you mean by that? Both my parents are long gone."

    "Who told you that?"

    Rachel was speechless. She did witness her mother''s death, so she was sure about that. As for her biological father?

    At that moment, there was the sound of the door opening.

    "Regina!" A deep masculine voice called as the door opened with sounds of heavy footsteps following.

    Rachel turned and saw a tall figure standing in the doorway. He was wearing a suit and his gaze still carried the remnants of his past. Even if the man was over fifty, there were traces of his past good looks. The man seemed refined while the graying hair at his temples made him look warm and sincere.

    He did not need to introduce himself. Rachel already knew who he was as she had felt the pull of kinship toward him and recognized his eyes, which were slightly simr to her own. It was Lionel Hudson. I can''t believe he''s still alive...

    "Dad?" Regina stood, looking astonished. She red at the maid with annoyance. "You got here so quickly. Who was the one that spilled the beans?"

    Lionel walked into the room and paused when he saw Rachel. Then, he turned to Regina with a stern expression. "You''re the one tossing the me? Why didn''t you tell me about such a serious matter and chose to deal with it yourself? Aren''t you worried that something might go wrong?"

    "How was I going to tell you? Am I supposed to wait until my sister was kidnapped to tell you, hoping for you to save her?"

    Obviously, he did not mean to truly put the me on her. He had lost his temper, which had not happened often in the past, but now he was slightly desperate.

    Rachel was still staring at him. "You are..."

    She could not continue her words. She refused to believe her father was still alive. How is this possible? Everyone has said that he is dead. Besides, why did he not show up before this if he is still alive? Had he shown up earlier, Mother, Grandma, and I wouldn''t have...

    "Our dad, of course." Regina grabbed her hand. "I just told you; we are sisters. Dad has been thinking about you all this time. The purpose of this visit is to take you back with us."

    "Back? Back where?"

    "Yatruinia." Regina spread open Rachel''s palm and ced a small finely-made metal badge on it. "Come back with us."

    The badge was the shape of the Yatruinian g carved in borate detail. At once, Rachel realized that this was a badge belonging to the Yatruinian royal family. "What do you mean by this?" "Regina!" Lionel tried to stop his daughter, but could not prevent her frank words in time.

    Regina answered, "I haven''t had the time to tell you this, but my mom is a member of the Yatruinian royal family though just a distant rtive. This badge is proof of that."

    All members of the royal family could give two of those badges to people they deemed most important, deeming them a member of the royal family as well. Seeing that Regina had so readily given Rachel one meant that Regina recognized her as her sister, even though they did not share a mother.

    However, Rachel did not think the same. After a long while, she lifted her head to look at the man facing her. "So, you have been alive all these years, living peacefully and having a family abroad?"

    Lionel''s face tightened. "Rae."

    "Answer my question."

    His silence exined everything.

    Rachel added, "How did you manage to live happily abroad the way you did? You can abandon me and my mother, but how could you abandon your parents? You are way worse than Jefferey!" He clenched his fists as his face paled. "I''m so sorry."

    "What''s the use of saying all that now? What are you doing back here?"

    "I just wanted to see everyone."

    "To see what? To see that everyone from your family is worse off than you, the fact that Hudson Pharmaceuticals is in danger, or that the daughter whom you never knew existed is currently being hunted down?"

    Rachel had been trying to rein herself in, but she could not control herself. Before this, she had considered Lionel to be a refined and responsible gentleman, who was worth everything her mother, Selena, had sacrificed for him. However, that was based on the assumption that he was dead. Now that it was proven he was not, that meant that all the suffering Selena had gone through was a joke.

    Selena had carried the mandate of continuing the Hudson Pharmacy business as she fled into the deep forest. All of this happened when Lionel, who was supposed to support the family, had vanished abroad while creating a new peaceful life and family.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Speechless, Lionel knew he could not argue with that as he had truly owed it to them.

    Rachel clenched her fists. "I''ll pretend that I never met you."

    As soon as she finished speaking, she walked toward the door.

    "Rachel, where are you going?"

    "Regina." He held his daughter back.

    Regina was frustrated. "Dad, what are you doing? We finally found Rachel! I finally have a sister and I want to bring her back with us!"

    "Regina, you are too reckless!" He was rarely this angry and Regina was scared by it.

    To that, her eyes reddened. At the thought of something, she choked out, "Do you really n to stay here and never return?"

    In response, Lionel frowned. They were both his daughters and he loved them equally. He would never abandon Regina after he had found Rachel. It was just that he owed Rachel way too much.

 Chapter 546

    "Of course not." Lionel held his younger daughter''s hand. "Your sister has suffered a lot. If I had known about it, I would never have let her grow up alone like that. You see, I owe her too much."

    "Won''t that be solved if we take her back home with us?"

    "It won''t be that easy. Of course, it will be best if she''s willing to go with us."

    Hearing this, Regina''s eyes brightened. "You really think so?"

    Without waiting for his reply, she let go of his hand. "I''ll take care of this. I will make sure that Racheles back with us."

    As she said this, she ran out of the room.

    "Regina!" Lionel could not stop her; instead, he nced at someone beside him. As such, the bodyguard immediately followed her. Since Regina''s status was unique, she had to have bodyguards near her whenever she went out.

    His assistant assured him, "Don''t worry, sir. Someone will be there with her."

    "I''m not worried about her but Rae."

    "Miss Rae''s current situation is worrying. You are making the right considerations since these issues won''t exist if she is willing to return with us."

    "I''m just worried that she isn''t."

    "Perhaps there''s someone who can talk to her?"

    At these words, Lionel paused as he recalled a person. If there was someone who could convince Rachel, it had to be him.

    In the meantime, Justin had been trapped in another room for quite some time. When he regained consciousness, he could only find two men who looked like bodyguards. They were guarding the door, which was the only exit, as they stood as stiff as statues. As soon as they noticed he was awake, they nced at each other and exchanged some words before one of them left. Justin looked around, but he could not find Rachel as he realized he was lying alone on the couch.

    "Where''s Julian?" he asked the man still guarding the door. The man frowned briefly, but did not reply.

    "Where''s Rae?" He rose to his feet immediately. "You took me here; at least tell me what for!"

    Seeing him approach with an unfriendly expression, the guard ordered, "Stay there and do not move."

    "I asked you where is the woman who was kidnapped with me?!"

    "Stay still!" The guard pulled out his electric baton, looking like he would be aggressive if Justin dared to approach another inch.

    At that moment, the door behind the guard opened. As he panned toward the visitor, Justin''s eyes narrowed. "Mr. Brook?"

    It was Lionel Hudson. To Justin, however, he was Mr. Brook-an American businessman who had helped him tremendously when he arrived in the northern division of Riverdale. He had also given Justin and Rachel plenty of assistance in Enistan as well.

    "Sir." The guard reced his electric baton while moving to the side respectfully.

    "It was you who took us?" Justin''s gaze was narrowed. That doesn''t sound right; it is Julian who has kidnapped us!

    "No." Lionel sat opposite him. "Have a seat. I have something to discuss with you."

    Justin had many questions and he could not figure them out. However, the man had helped him and Rachel a lot in the past. If he really had been the person who kidnapped them, he would not have wasted this much effort; Justin and Rachel would not have even made it back from Enistan in one piece.

    "Well then, where''s Rae?"

    "She''s okay now, don''t worry. It was my daughter who saved both of you and she''s now with Rachel. They will be fine since they have someone guarding them."

    Hearing his words, Justin felt slightly reassured and sat down as well. "Mr. Brook, I''ve always had a question before I went to Ensitan. How did you know I was going there? I don''t remember mentioning that to you."

    "Rae''s going, so obviously you will too."

    "Rae?" Justin squeezed his eyes further. "I knew it; you already know who Rae is! So, that''s why Mr. Keaton from Enistan said she looked like someone he knew. That''s also why Nathan called her ''Miss Hudson''. I was never the person you wanted to help; it was Rae."

    "You are a smart man. Even if things didn''t unfold in Enistan, I think you would realize the truth after some time with me in north Riverdale."

    "Why?"

    "Since you already guessed that I did it because of Rae, why don''t you try guessing the reason?"

    The man before him was past his fifties with graying hair at his temples. He still looked handsome though; it was obvious that he had been good-looking in his youth. There was something in his eyes that felt familiar the first time Justin had met him. Now that the man was here and had mentioned Rachel several times during their discussion, it was hard not to make the connection.

    Justin ventured, "Perhaps you know her biological mother."

    "Make a bolder guess." The man''s voice was deep and powerful, his gaze dark. "I am from Riverdale and Hudson is my family name."

    Stunned, Justin could momentarily see traces of someone from the man''s face before him. He stood in disbelief as he clenched his fist. "You are..." Impossible. This is not possible.

    With such a reaction, Lionel knew he had already guessed the answer. "Have a seat."

    These words made Justin more convinced of his guess. He stood for two seconds, then sat back down.

    "Does Rae know?" Justin did not care about anything else. All he wanted to know was whether Rachel knew that her biological father was still alive.

    Lionel nodded. "We just met."

    Remembering how serious Lionel looked when he came in, Justin assumed that the meeting did not go as expected. Lionel continued, "My purpose for returning here is to take her away." "What do you mean?"

    "I am staying permanently in Yatruinia and I hope she will head there to stay with me."

    It was then a vein jumped in Justin''s temple. He knew that Rachel would never leave just like that. Plus, even if she did, they could probably see each other again. However, he did panic slightly at the possibility of that urring. "She won''t go with you."

    "How are you so sure of that?"

    "She still has things she cares about here."

    "Like what? You?" Lionel''s tone was a little annoyed. "I don''t like how confident you are in knowing other people, especially when one of them is my daughter."

    "I confess that I don''t have that ability. Maybe I do have a ce in her heart, but what she probably cares more about is her son, friends, Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and even her home in Riverdale itself. She isThis content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    a stubborn yetmitted person." When talking about Rachel, his tone was rxed. He had enough beautiful praise for her, the nearly perfect woman he felt so deeply for.

    "But if she stays here in Riverdale, even her basic safety won''t be guaranteed." Lionel looked at him, calm and wise. "Therefore, I hope you can help convince her toe with me."

 Chapter 547

    Justin was startled. Rachel and he were both well aware of the situation they would face once they returned from Enistan.

    She killed Dillon. With that, both Rachel and Justin had put themselves at odds with S, thergest international smuggling organization controlled by the Porter Family. As a result, they knew for sure that both of them would be hunted by S.

    "As long as Rae leaves with me, the Yatruinia royalty will protect her. No one will ever dare to touch her," Lionel said.

    After a few moments of silence, Justin responded, "She will not leave with you, and I will not persuade her to do so either. I suppose you''ve heard about the smuggling casest year. I didn''t understand what Rae was doing at first and I, too, assumed that she was risking her life and doing the same thing Jefferey had done all because of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. But when I arrived in Enistan, I realized what she was actually doing."

    He didn''t say it explicitly, but they both knew what he meant.

    And that was the exact reason why Dillon hated Rachel to the core.

    "Since she has decided to do such a dangerous thing, she is not someone who is fearful of death. She has her own sets of values. There are some things she wants to do, even if it means putting her life in danger."

    Lionel was displeased with what Justin said. "But the situation is different now! She needs to keep her head down for the time being!"

    "For the time being? But what you meant just now was for her to stay in Yatruinia indefinitely, no?"

    "That, of course, would be the best."

    "I don''t think so. She would not be happy there. As I''ve said, Rae is a resilient and faithfuldy, and nothing in Yatruinia deserves both her resilience and faithfulness, at least for the time being. That is why I''m not going to persuade her to leave with you." Then, Justin stood up and continued, "Thank you for saving my life, but I have to leave now."

    "You''re just being selfish!" Lionel yelled furiously. "Do you think you can hide it from me? I know you just want to keep Rae by your side, but you''ve already hurt her once. You should make amends for that." Hearing that, Justin frowned and clenched his fists. However, he left right away instead of refuting Lionel.

    Justin had indeed hurt Rachel, and he had been making up to her all this while. But forcing what he thought was good on her wasn''t a way to make amends. Meanwhile, Rachel grabbed a taxi and headed home after she left the hotel.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Just stop at the junction, Sir."

    "Sure."

    She then alighted at the entrance of her neighborhood. Just as she was about to close the car door, the driver shouted to her, "Hey, you haven''t paid yet."

    Hearing that, she subconsciously reached into her pockets, but she couldn''t find her phone or any cash.

    "I''m sorry; I did not have my phone with me. I''ll get it right now. Please wait for me."

    "What if you did not return? Wouldn''t I be waiting in vain then?"

    "That''s impossible. My house is right here."

    "Don''t you have any family or friends? Ask them toe over using the phone in the guardhouse."

    The driver grumbled with his lips pursed as he looked at the guardhouse which was quite a distance away. He appeared to be treating Rachel as someone reneging on the payment and mumbled, "I''ve seen a lot of people like you who ran away as soon as they got out of the car. Just a small amount of fare, but you still want to take advantage..."

    Just as Rachel was feeling awkward and unsure of what to do, a female voice echoed from behind. "What are you saying? Isn''t it just some fare? Take this!"

    And a stack of cash was handed to him.

    Thedy spoke arrogantly while ring at the driver, "This should be enough! There is no need for change!"

    "Yes, it''s enough," the man replied, ted.

    "Buzz off now!"

    He then quickly drove away, leaving an unpleasant engine odor.

    Regina waved her hand in front of her nose as she was disgusted with the smell. Then, she turned around to face Rachel. "Rachel, are you alright?"

    However, Rachel merely frowned at that. "You followed me, right?"

    "I did not! I can swear to that," Regina replied with a swearing gesture of her fingers. "I was shouting for you at the hotel''s entrance, but you didn''t hear me. Hence, I can only follow you here to hand you this." Looking at the phone that Regina handed, Rachel loosened her fists, which had been tightly clenched earlier.

    "Thank you." She uttered these two words before turning around and walking toward her house.

    "Why are you walking so fast, Rachel? Wait for me."

    "Why are you following me?"

    "Since I''m already here, please invite me to your house."

    "What do you want?"

    Rachel''s steps came to a halt in front of her house and she looked with dissatisfaction at the youngdy in front of her, as well as the few strong bodyguards behind Regina. "What exactly do you all want?" "Rachel, my dear sister, are you angry?"

    "I am not your sister."

    Regina''s smile froze the second she heard Rachel''s words. Looking at Regina''s awkward and aggrieved expression, Rachel felt sorry for her.

    Rachel was never someone with a stone cold heart. Though she couldn''t ept Lionel''s sudden appearance, not to mention Regina, a sister from nowhere, she knew it wasn''t Regina''s fault.

    "I did not mean anything bad. With your special identity, you should not be roaming around outside. Leave now," Rachel said, her tone much gentler than before. Then, she turned around, intending to leave. Regina immediately shouted, "Rachel, Dad has his own reasons. He only knew about your existence two years ago."

    That made Rachel freeze.

    ...

    The apartment was exactly as it had been before Rachel and Jolly left.

    Jolly''s clothes, which she randomly tossed around, were still on the sofa, though they had been neatly folded by the cleaner, who came around every now and then to tidy up the house. There was no sign of life at all. After all, Rachel had left for quite some time, but the white roses in the vase on the table remained fresh, as if they had just been ced there.

    She felt a sense of calmness when she looked at them.

    After pouring Regina a cup of tea, Rachel reflexively looked at the bodyguards, who were standing on the porch. "Do they want some drinks?"

    To that, Regina simply waved her hand casually and replied, "You don''t have to be bothered about them. I''ve only seen such a ce on television, Rachel. This is amazing."

    She then looked around, as if she was in a museum. "Where''s the living room?"

    "The ce you''re having tea with me right now is the living room."

    Rachel found it difficult to exin to this royal princess thatmoners lived in such ces, and her ce was already on the higher end aspared with the others. Even if she tried, Regina would not understand it.

    Hence, she cut to the chase. "What do you mean when you say he only found out about me two years ago?" Rachel would not have invited Regina to her apartment if it hadn''t been for this. "Someone had previously hidden this from him. He always assumed your mother died a long time ago and had no idea you existed." Regina regained her seriousposure and responded. "Someone hid my existence from him?" Rachel had no idea what this meant.

    "My mom was the one who hid your existence." Regina felt a tinge of guilt when her mother was mentioned, and her tone softened. "She only told Dad two years ago about what happened some twenty years back, and only then did he know that he has another daughter."

    Hearing that, Rachel clenched her fists tightly.

    Perhaps that exined why he did not look for her all these years, but she still could not understand him.

    "What about more than twenty years ago? Why did he leave Riverdale? Everyone thought he was dead, but he was actually living a good life in another country, raising his family..."

 Chapter 548

    "I don''t know much about the past either. However, from what I understand, Dad has his own reasons. Furthermore, despite the passage of time, he has never forgotten your mother."

    Regina was so anxious to exin that she started scratching her head. "Go back with me and everything will be clear."

    "I''m not leaving with you."

    "Don''t you want to know why Dad didn''t return all these years?"

    "No. I''m not interested," Rachel replied firmly.

    With her mother''s sufferings fresh in her mind, even speaking with Lionel felt like an insult to her mother.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "It''ste now; you should leave."

    She gestured with her hands, obviously attempting to send Regina off.

    However, Regina was stubborn. "I''m not going to leave."

    She remained on the sofa, arms wrapped around herself as she continued, "Since you''re not leaving with me, I''ll follow you everywhere. I''m staying here tonight."

    "As you wish." Rachel merely uttered these indifferent words and went straight back to her room.

    She mmed her door shut with a bang, while Regina was looking displeased at the living room. After taking off her shoes, Reginaid down on the sofa and said to herself, "I''ll sleep here tonight." In the meantime, Justin intended to look for Rachel as soon as he left the hotel. However, he suddenly remembered something he needed to deal with.

    "Frankie, it''s me."

    "Are you back, President Burton?" Frankie asked in a surprise tone when he heard Justin''s voice.

    "Yes."

    "How about Mrs. Burton? Is she back? Are you both alright?"

    "We''re all right. Apart from a few minor issues that caused some dy when we stepped off the ne, we''re fine."

    "I wanted to pick you both up from the hotel after dropping Miss Carter and the others off at the airport on the wedding day. But before I could get to the hotel, Mr. Keaton called and told me to return to Riverdale right away."

    Though it was not made clear in that phone call, Frankie did as he was told in light of Mr. Keaton''s assistance while they were in Enistan. Since then, he had been waiting worriedly for Justin and Rachel in Riverdale.

    "It''s good to know that the both of you are fine, President Burton."

    Frankie had been feeling uneasy the entire time. "When I returned to Riverdale, I did some investigation and discovered that Julian had arrived in Enistan just minutes after us, but had returned to Riverdale not long after. He keeps his whereabouts very private."

    But regardless of how secretive Julian was, the Burton Group previously belonged to Justin. It wouldn''t take him long with the help of his inside informants to know where Julian was. "Okay. Got it."

    Justin wasn''t surprised by what he heard. "Let''s go to the Burton Group, Frankie."

    Justin hadn''t dealt with Julian yet for forcibly taking him away after he got off the ne.

    Meanwhile in the Burton Group, Robin had spent the entire day trying to find out where Justin and Rachel were but to no avail, let alone who that group of men was.

    "You can''t evenplete such a simple task?" Julian reprimanded, his face solemn.

    Robin, who stood off to one side, was terrified. Just as he was about to say something, the assistant knocked on the door from the outside and said, "President Peters, President Burton is downstairs. He said he''s here to meet you."

    "What? Which President Burton?" Robin reflexively asked.

    That startled the assistant. "Justin Burton."

    "I''m looking for him; good that he shows up!"

    But Julian poured cold water on him. "What do you want to do?"

    "I''ll send my men to apprehend him and bring him to you!"

    "You should use your brain, Robin!"

    Julian red at him before continuing, "It is broad daylight now, and we''re at the Burton Group. Who do you want to apprehend?"

    Julian then instructed his assistant, "Invite President Burton in." Truth was, he never had high hopes on Robin''s brain. "Noted."

    Soon after that, Justin entered.

    His strong build made the office appear less empty.

    The assistant then tactfully closed the door, leaving only Justin and Julian inside.

    "It''s been a while. I thought you''d stay at the northern division and never return, "Julian said, his eyes dimmed as he sat on the leather sofa.

    Justin wasn''t in a hurry to get to the point as well. "It''s really been a long time since west met," he replied as he swept his gaze across the office. Then, he walked straight to the sofa and sat down before fiddling with the tea set on the coffee table.

    But that made Julian uneasy. "I suppose you''re not here just to have some tea with me?"

    "Why? Since I''m here, can''t I drink a cup of tea with you?"

    "Of course you can.

    "Good to hear that."

    The tea leaves were brewing in hot water.

    With a tweezer in his hand, Justin used the first brew to wash the teacups.

    While he was doing that, Julian noticed his bandaged left hand, and his gaze tightened slightly. "What happened to your hand?"

    "It''s nothing much; just some minor injury."

    "From Enistan?"

    "How do you know I went to Enistan?"

    Julian''s expression obviously froze when he heard that. However, he quickly regained hisposure and responded, "Well, it isn''t very difficult for me to know about it."

    "Why do you want to know about it?"

    "The Burton Group in the northern division and Riverdale arepetitors; it is, of course, perfectly reasonable for me to be aware of your whereabouts. I''m guessing you have informers on my side as well?" "Well, you''re right," Justin replied calmly. He returned his attention to the tea set he was fiddling with.

    Within minutes, the fragrance of the tea filled the entire room.

    Justin poured two cups of tea before wiping his hands and raising his head.

    "Are you used to this office?"

    These nonchnt words of his echoed in the room, and Julian became tense upon hearing that. However, he could only suppress his emotions and pretend to be calm. "Yeah."

    "You can rece all these old furniture if they do not appeal to you."

    "That''s not necessary. You know I don''t care about these external things."

    "Are you really unconcerned, or are you just afraid of what people will say and thus act unconcerned?"

    Such a sentence plucked at Julian''s nerves, and he instantly clenched his fists tightly.

    They were brothers, and some simrities flowed in their blood. Furthermore, they grew up together, and hence Justin was well aware of Julian''s personality.

    Since young, Julian has always been concerned about what others thought of him.

    He had always wanted to be a perfect man, with the highest moral standards a human being could have.

    And that worked. Until now, he had a good reputation in the eyes of the public. The entire Burton Group regarded him as a gentle and considerate superior.

    "What exactly do you want to say?"

    "Everything here, including where you''re sitting now, was built by me from scratch. You most probably are aware of its strengths, but no one knows its weaknesses better than me," Justin replied, his expression not as merciless as before, but neither was it kind.

    "If I''m unwilling to, you won''t be able to stay here for long."

    "Are you threatening me?" Julian clenched his fists even more tightly when he heard that.

    "It''s not a threat. I''m simply stating a fact," Justin responded as he sat there motionless, but the domineering aura he exuded did not diminish even in the slightest. With a firm and stern gaze, he looked directly into Julian''s eyes and continued, "Rae is my limit."

 Chapter 549

    Julian stared hard at the tea set.

    Justin had left long ago, leaving only the two cups of tea that neither of them had drunk.

    But Julian couldn''t get Justin''s words out of his head. "Rae is my limit".

    His fists remained clenched. Julian used to hate Justin for not saying what he truly meant or expressing his true feelings to those around him. No one could guess his mind. However, Julian now hated Justin''spletely different attitude. Julian despised the man''s obvious affection, desperate for everyone to know how much Justin adored Rachel. How can he so tantly hurt or love whomever and whenever he pleased?

    Given his attitude, all Julian''s previous efforts andpromises seemed like a joke now.

    "President Peters."

    Julian was snapped back into reality by his assistant''s voice. He took a look at his watch and said, "It''s time, right? Let''s go."

    He had a dinner appointment tonight to discuss a major project.

    His assistant, however, responded, "The dinner is canceled, President Peters. President Jones said that he has something urgent to attend to and will not be able to attend the dinner." "Something urgent? How about the contract?"

    "The contract..."

    Noticing that his assistant was hesitant to continue, Julian instructed firmly, "Just say it."

    The assistant then shuddered and said, "They''ve signed a contract with the northern division just half an hour ago."

    Julian''s expression dimmed the second he heard that.

    Is this Justin''s warning?

    The next day, Justin went to Rachel''s house early in the morning.

    He pressed the doorbell, but the man who answered the door appeared to be a bodyguard.

    "Who are you? Why are you in Rae''s house?"

    A figure sat up on the sofa as soon as he finished his words. "It''s so noisy!"

    After yelling, thedy yawned, her eyes bleary.

    "Why are you here so early in the morning?" she asked the moment she saw Justin.

    Justin was taken aback. He had no idea who thisdy was, but after recalling Lionel''s words from the day before, he was able to connect the dots.

    "You''re Regina?"

    "It''s none of your business."

    Regina did not like Justin at all. She believed that he was the primary reason Rachel refused to leave Riverdale with them.

    This youngdy in front of Justin appeared young, and she had a sweet-looking mixed-race appearance. However, her gaze was cold, and she looked at people with a condescending attitude, which contrasted sharply with how Rachel was. It was difficult to believe they were sisters at all.

    But that didn''t bother Justin. "I''m here to look for Rae."

    And he went straight into the house after his words.

    "Stop him!"

    Regina jumped from the sofa and yelled, "Don''t let him in!"

    Hearing that, two bodyguards immediately blocked his path with their elbows.

    Justin frowned and his gaze turned thunderous in response. The two bodyguards trembled a little when they saw his grim expression, but in light of Regina''s instruction, they could only continue blocking his path helplessly.

    "Do you think they''ll be able to stop me if I insist on seeing your sister?"

    "Stop being so arrogant. My sister does not want to see you at all."

    "I''ve something important for her. Stop fooling around."

    "I''m not fooling around! Are you treating me like a child?" Regina spoke back, her tone scornful. "My sister is going back to Yatruinia with me. If you continue pestering her, I''ll ask them to kick you out."

    Justin did not respond to that. Instead, he stared silently at Rachel''s room door, as if deep in thought.

    Rachel normally had light sleep. After all themotion outside, she would have awoken by now. Furthermore, the time had passed far past her normal waking hours.

    That worried him. "Were you here the entire night?"

    "Of course."

    "Rae did not leave?"

    "Of course not!"

    Regina responded confidently, but one of the bodyguards who had stopped Justin looked hesitant.

    "Is that true?" Justin asked him.

    And the bodyguard looked at Regina, as if he was in a dilemma.

    Regina was stunned. "Why are you looking at me in such a way?"

    Justin immediately realized something was amiss. With that, he quickly pushed the bodyguards aside and rushed to Rachel''s room.

    "What are you doing?! I''ve said that my sister does not want to see you!"

    Amid her yelling, Justin pushed open Rachel''s room door, only to find the room empty.

    "Where is she?" Justin turned around and questioned Regina.

    However, the woman was equally surprised. "Where is she?"

    "Lady Regina, Miss Hudson left early this morning," one of the bodyguards behind them cautiously said.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    Regina''s expression immediately changed to one of rage. "Why did you let her go?"

    "You asked us to stay here and keep an eye on the door, but you didn''t say we have to stop her."

    "Why didn''t you shout for me, then?"

    "You were asleep..."

    "You''re all a bunch of sh*t!" Before she could continue to throw her temper, she saw Justin walking outside and immediately ran after him. "Hey, stop right there! Where are you going?" Justin, on the other hand, was calling Rachel on her phone while waiting for the lift.

    "Sorry. The number you''ve dialed is unavable."

    Rachel''s phone had been shut off since morning. Otherwise, Justin would not havee here to look for her.

    He then headed straight to the Investigation Bureau after leaving Rachel''s house.

    "No. Rae didn''te here for me."

    Janice happened to be at the bureau''s main entrance after parking her car. Faced with Justin''s aggressive questioning, she was at a loss. "I hope nothing serious happened?" "I''ve no idea."

    Justin continued, his brows furrowed, "I thought she''ll be looking for you."

    "She didn''t; Frankie hade under your instructions yesterday. We''ll get to Enistanter, but what happened to Rae? Frankie did not say much about it as well."

    "I can''t put it into a sentence or two. It has something to do with her biological father who returned for her."

    "Her biological father?" Janice replied doubtfully. "Isn''t Lionel dead?"

    "He''s not."

    "What?"

    Janice appeared stunned, as if she couldn''t believe what she was hearing.

    At this moment, a chestnut-brown head poked out of Justin''s car window, her curly hair exploding all over her head. "So, is my sister here? If she''s not, why are you chatting with this woman?"

    Thisdy''s voice was clear and sharp, piercing through the air.

    Janice was slightly startled. "Who''s this?"

    "Rae''s half-sister," Justin answered.

    "Sister?"

    "I have to go. Tell me if Rae contacts you."

    "Sure."

    He then quickly got in his car after finishing his words.

    Regina, on the other hand, was sitting impatiently on the passenger''s seat. "Do you really know where my sister is? If you don''t, just look for my dad. He can send his men to search in case it''s toote!"

    "Your dad is probably the person least likely to find her."

    "Well, how about you? You said you could find her, but all you''ve done is chit chat with thatdy here after going to the cemetery. Where is my sister?"

    "Either you stop talking, or get out of the car."

    Faced with Justin''s indifferent voice echoing in the car, Regina had no choice but to shut her mouth and she bit at her lower lip.

    She wouldn''t not have put up with such grievances if Justin didn''t seem to be the only one who could find Rachel.

    Through the car''s windshield, she could see the road sign indicating that they were on their way to the highway.

    They had already exited Riverdale, and Justin was clutching the wheels tightly beside her.

    About half an hour ago, he saw a bouquet of flowers ced in front of Nancy''s tomb in the cemetery. Needless to say, Rachel was surely the one who ced it there. Thus, there was only one ce she would go now-Somerset Mountain.

 Chapter 550

    Justin got off his car to get some food and drinks for the journey after he parked it at a service area. When he came back, he threw therge shopping bag on Regina''sp, who was dozing off in the passenger seat. She was startled awake due to the sudden pressure she felt on herp.

    "Huh? Have we arrived?" she asked while rubbing her drowsy eyes, looking all confused.

    He had already started the car engine again by the time she was able to collect her thoughts. He merely replied indifferently, "Not yet, but I got you some food."

    Hearing that, she nced down at the shopping bag and immediately refused, "What is this sh*t? I don''t want it."

    "Whatever. Just so you know, Somerset Mountain is more than 1,000 kilometers away from Riverdale, so we will be driving along the highway until it gets dark." He tried pointing out how far 1,000 kilometers was in practical terms because she seemed to have no idea. Instead of feeling appreciative that he was being considerate, Regina''s annoyance grew; she threw the shopping bag to the back seat and wrapped her arms around her body as she cradled herself in the passenger seat. Who do you think you are, making me eat sh*tty food? She turned her head away and looked at the scenery outside the window. Regina had a perfect n-she would get rid of Justin when they arrived at Somerset Mountain, and if necessary, she would kill him. Otherwise, she could also knock him unconscious and kidnap him abroad, regardless of whether Rachel liked it or not. Her sister would get used to it eventually. Even though Regina was ruthless, she was still ignorant of worldly affairs.

    Just as Justin predicted, it was already nighttime when they arrived at Somerset Mountain, and it was so dark that it gave a sensation of oppression.

    Regina kept waking up after falling asleep, especially after the car entered the mountain area as there was no way for her to fall asleep due to the bad road conditions. Hence, she tried to chase the boredom away by talking to Justin from time to time and looking at the scenery outside the window.

    "This ce is so big! How are you nning to search for my sister?" Regina asked as she felt like he was driving around the mountain like a headless fly. Little did she know that there was apass in his heart guiding him exactly to where Rachel would be.

    Justin was just about to reply when he heard her stomach rumble. Immediately, Regina covered her stomach with her hands, as if that would stop the growling sound from transmitting. She turned to look at hin feeling embarrassed, only to see him acting indifferently. Well, he might not have heard that, the princess thought. Giving in to the hunger, she eventually "condescended"; she opened a bag of bread that she disliked, ate it with relish, and drank mineral water. Whatever royal habits she had, they werepletely disregarded when it came to satisfying her normal physiological needs.

    The car finally stopped. As Justin was pulling the brakes, Regina expressed relief while holding the bread in one hand and mineral water in the other. "Gosh, we have finally arrived." She had a sore back just from sitting in the car the whole day.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    He looked up and nced at the word "Motel" through the windshield. "We''re staying here for the night."

    "Here?" She followed him out of the car suspiciously. After checking the hotel environment herself, surprisingly she made nomotion.

    "Suck it up. It''s just for one night." Justin handed her the room card. "I''m staying next door. Call me if there is anything." While she had been an annoying brat for the whole journey, Justin still had to take care o her. She was young, and more importantly, she was Rachel''s sister. That being said, he never expected the phrase ''suck it up'' toe from his own mouth-he used to be the first to make amotion for not living luxuriously enough.

    "When can we see my sister?"

    "Probably tomorrow morning. It''s toote now. She should be staying nearby as well."

    "You ain''t lying at me, are you?" Regina looked rmed when she heard his reply, as she felt that this might be his dy tactic. "If you dare to leave me alone, I will tell my sister."

    "No, I won''t." It was rare for Justin, but he still assured her patiently and watched her go back to her room before he went back to his.

    Although the motel was quite old, it was still considered clean and did not give off an odd smell. It had been a long journey. Justin merely took off his coat,y in bed, and closed his eyes to rest. For a person who was usually obsessed with cleanliness all year round, he did not feel like cleaning himself up.

    This was the only town at the foot of Somerset Mountain that could be reached directly by bus. Rachel did not drive here; she took a ne and a high-speed train, and both transportation methods required her to make transfers a few times to reach this town. It was also not easy to maneuver alone in the mountain area. After the fire that happened 27 years ago, the authorities relocated all residents to preserve the forest area, and the mountain had since been cordoned off. But no one would know the mountain better than Justin.

    It waste at night.

    Justin was not able to fall asleep, probably due to the ufortable mattress or the warm temperature in the room. He tossed and turned, and finally decided to switch on the light beside his bed and stayed awake the whole night. He was not aware that Rachel had checked into the motel across the street in the middle of the night.

    "Thank you. I can do it myself." Rachel thanked the proprietress who was eager to help her with her luggage. The proprietress was a woman in her forties. She had a friendly look and spoke with a local ent "You''re wee! You should be able to find everything in the room, but if you need anything else, feel free to look for me downstairs whenever."

    "Actually, I want to ask you something."

    "Sure."

    "Which path do you usually take to enter the mountain?"

    "It would be the main entrance of the scenic spot. The ticket is only 40, which is very cheap. You can also take the shuttle buses; this mountain is quite big, so if you tourists don''t want to hike all the way up, you can take the bus. It is more rxing."

    "That''s not what I meant. I mean, how do the locals usually enter the mountain?"

    The proprietress looked a bit staggered when Rachel asked that. She sized Rachel up and answered, "The locals don''t need to pay for a ticket to enter, but most of them will still enter using the main entrance of the scenic spot."

    "I see..."

    "Hmm... It seems like you aren''t here as a tourist?"

    "You''re right; I''m not a tourist. Many years ago, I lived on this mountain with my family when I was a child."

    Hearing this, the proprietress was startled. ˇ°Really?"

    "Twenty-seven years ago, to be exact. I was born on this mountain. At that time, it was not yet a scenic spot but a wild forest area, and there were viges here."

    "I know this best. Our family used to live here too." When the proprietress heard that Rachel was born and bred here, at once, she was a lot more cordial and her previous vignce disappeared.

    "So, are you here to pay homage to your elders?"

    "Yeah."

    "Then, do you know the exact location? This ce is huge."

    "I have a bit of a recollection, but I''m not so sure." While Rachel remembered what it looked like 27 years ago, things were drastically different especially after the big fire. It was almost impossible to find her old address. But still, she came here because of her paranoia.

    The proprietress then suggested, "How about this? I''ll guide you into the mountain tomorrow morning."

    "Really? In that case, I really can''t thank you enough!"

    "You''re wee. We''re considered fellow vigers, aren''t we?"

    After the proprietress left, Rachel closed the door and sat down on the side of the bed. The curtains were drawn, and the windows were half-open for venttion. Through the ss windows, she could see the three-story buildings across the street, which were mostly motels and hostels. Behind those small buildingsy Somerset Mountain. Rachel could not help but think what would happen to her had Jefferey not been able to search for them. Perhaps she would be like the proprietress, owning a small business and living a peaceful life here.

 Chapter 551

    The next day, Rachel followed the proprietress into the mountain early in the morning. The proprietress was wearing boots and carrying a small bamboo basket on her back.

    "Perfect time to pick some mushrooms, don''t you think? We''ll make mushroom stew tonight; it will be so delicious!"This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The proprietress continued talking without giving Rachel time to respond, "Anyways, everyone in the town knows there are many paths to go up the mountain; after all, this is arge forest, and it is quite impossible to cordon the area offpletely. But there was a big fire more than 20 years ago, and nearly one-third of the mountain area was burned. So it took many years for the trees to grow again, so we locals cherish the forest and the mountain a lot."

    After a short pause, she exined the locals'' behavior, "We want to preserve them, unlike the foreign tourists who would try everything they can to enter the mountain using small trails. So, you can imagine why locals had a great aversion toward those tourists. There was even a time when the locals would report the tourists when they saw them strolling in this area."

    Rachel was inattentive until she heard the word "fire" she regained her senses. "Ma''am, do you still remember where the fire first started?"

    "I don''t. I mean, who else can remember? It''s been so many years, and the trees have even grown." Rachel was a little disappointed when she heard that it would mean that it was almost impossible for her to find her old address.

    The proprietress introduced Rachel to the various specialties in the mountain along the way. "This kind of wild matsutake sells for a high price in the market; you''re lucky if you''re able to see one. I used to enter the mountain to pick these mushrooms; all the children in the mountain know how to do that."

    Rachel nodded and said, "Yeah, my mother used to remind me to cover the original position with moss after picking the mushrooms, so we don''t damage the surrounding environment. The mushrooms will grow back in the same position in theing year."

    "Same! That''s what my mother taught me too! Speaking of which, how''s your mother?"

    "She passed away." Rachel tried smiling politely, but the sadness in her eyes and how her face slightly stiffened at the abrupt question betrayed her.

    The proprietress paused awkwardly as she realized that she had identally rubbed salt in Rachel''s wound. "I''m sorry, Miss. I shouldn''t have poked into your past."

    "It''s alright; my mother passed away many years ago in that fire."

    "The fire from twenty years ago?" The proprietress was startled at the information. "No wonder you asked about the ce where the fire broke out. Are you looking for the ce you used to live?" "Yeah."

    The proprietress sighed. "It''s going to be a difficult one for you."

    "It''s okay. I''ll take a look around myself."

    "Don''t go too far-you will get lost."

    "Okay!"

    While the proprietress was busy picking portobello mushrooms, Rachel climbed over a small hillside alone, walked through the lush green forest, and searched for any familiar ce from her memory. Rachel just felt a sense of familiarity in the area-she knew it was strange to even think about it because the trees did not look different from one another.

    She hiked to the top of a small hill and nced down. Whatever she saw next left her in a trance-it was 8.00 or 9.00AM, and the sun had already risen very high. She could hear the birds constantly chirping in the woods. From the position she was standing, she saw a group of mountains connected to one another in the distance; the shape of the connected mountains made her think of a rabbit who was fast asleep.

    The moment the phrase crossed her mind, she heard her mother''s voice. "Little Bell, can you still find your way back home if you get lost in the mountain after picking mushrooms?" "Of course, I can!"

    "But the mountain is so vast! How can you do that?"

    "That''s because my house is right under the bunny ears!" Bunny ears? They''re just right there! I can''t believe my instincts guided me back home.

    Rachel hurriedly took a few steps forward to have a clearer look-s, there was no trace of her former home; the fenced yard and thatched hut that existed in her memory were no longer to be seen. What was left was a small bare slope, though the surrounding trees were very lush. She touched a cedar trunk; slowly, an indescribable feeling brewed in her heart.

    "Wait for me!" Suddenly, she heard a crisp female voice, and immediately she thought she was hallucinating.

    "What''s the matter with you? I told you to wait for me! I can''t walk anymore!"

    It was only when she heard the voice the second time that she realized the voice did note from her memory. She instantly turned around and saw two figures in the woods walking in her direction. The man''s figure was tall and majestic, and he gave off an aura of familiarity.

    "Don''t follow me if you can''t hike. Just go back to the motel first."

    "No, I want to find my sister before you do!"

    "Then, you shouldn''t be walking behind me."

    "Why?"

    Before Justin could even respond, it was as though he felt something and somehow raised his head-standing right there on a small slope was Rachel. Justin''s eager gaze met Rachel''s through the trees and dead leaves and the chirps of cicadas and birds.

    "Rachel!" Justin walked toward her quickly and hugged her tightly, fearing that she was only a mere figment of his imagination. It was freezing in the woods in the morning, but she did not wear many clothes. His hug was like a heater; it warmed not only her arms but also her heart.

    She did not expect to see Justin here and certainly never imagined that he would be able to chase after her even though she left without a word. She left for Somerset Mountain on a whim as she made up her mind like a wilful child.

    "Don''t go too for-you will get lost."

    "Okoy!"

    While the proprietress wos busy picking portobello mushrooms, Rochel climbed over o smoll hillside olone, wolked through the lush green forest, ond seorched for ony fomilior ploce from her memory. Rochel just felt o sense of fomiliority in the oreo-she knew it wos stronge to even think obout it becouse the trees did not look different from one onother.

    She hiked to the top of o smoll hill ond glonced down. Whotever she sow next left her in o tronce-it wos 8.00 or 9.00AM, ond the sun hod olreody risen very high. She could heor the birds constontly chirping in the woods. From the position she wos stonding, she sow o group of mountoins connected to one onother in the distonce; the shope of the connected mountoins mode her think of o robbit who wos fost osleep.

    The moment the phrose crossed her mind, she heord her mother''s voice. "Little Bell, con you still find your woy bock home if you get lost in the mountoin ofter picking mushrooms?" "Of course, I con!"

    "But the mountoin is so vost! How con you do thot?"

    "Thot''s becouse my house is right under the bunny eors!" Bunny eors? They''re just right there! I con''t believe my instincts guided me bock home.

    Rochel hurriedly took o few steps forword to hove o cleorer look-olos, there wos no troce of her former home; the fenced yord ond thotched hut thot existed in her memory were no longer to be seen. Whot wos left wos o smoll bore slope, though the surrounding trees were very lush. She touched o cedor trunk; slowly, on indescriboble feeling brewed in her heort.

    "Woit for me!" Suddenly, she heord o crisp femole voice, ond immediotely she thought she wos hollucinoting.

    "Whot''s the motter with you? I told you to woit for me! I con''t wolk onymore!"

    It was only when she heord the voice the second time thot she reolized the voice did note from her memory. She instontly turned oround ond sow two figures in the woods wolking in her direction. The mon''s figure wos toll ond mojestic, ond he gove off on ouro of fomiliority.

    "Don''t follow me if you con''t hike. Just go bock to the motel first."

    "No, I wont to find my sister before you do!"

    "Then, you shouldn''t be wolking behind me."

    "Why?"

    Before Justin could even respond, it wos os though he felt something ond somehow roised his heod-stonding right there on o smoll slope wos Rochel. Justin''s eoger goze met Rochel''s through the trees ond deod leoves ond the chirps of cicodos ond birds.

    "Rochel!" Justin wolked toword her quickly ond hugged her tightly, feoring thot she wos only o mere figment of his imoginotion. It wos freezing in the woods in the morning, but she did not weor mony clothes. His hug wos like o heoter; it wormed not only her orms but olso her heort.

    She did not expect to see Justin here ond certoinly never imogined thot he would be oble to chose ofter her even though she left without o word. She left for Somerset Mountoin on o whim os she mode up her mind like o wilful child.

    Rachel''s hands were frozen in the air for a few seconds before she finally hugged him back.

    At that moment, she understood that they were both ordinary people. Life was too short and had been unkind to her sometimes, but as she looked back, she could not believe that she could withstand so many painful moments and still make it. She and Justin were each other''sfort in a life full of painful memories.

    Regina only heard Justin exim, "Rachel!" before he disappeared like a gust of wind, leaving her alone, leaning against the tree trunk and resting her palms on her knees.

    "Are you crazy? How will my sister-" Before she could even finish her sentence, in the midst of her pants, she saw Justin rush forward and hug Rachel.

    Wow, my sister''s really here. No doubt, Regina was amazed, but one thing she could never figure out was how he found Rachel. He knew where Rachel would be and even pinpointed her exact location in a huge mountain without needing a single clue from her.

    As the pair were sitting on the hillside talking, Regina was wholly ignored; out of boredom, she picked up a dead branch and started beating the tree trunks.

    To be honest, Rachel was stunned to see Justin here. "How did you find me here?" After all, she had been living here since she was a child, so it was within the expectation that she could find it somehow. But what about Justin?

    Justin replied proudly, "Well, in order to investigate the fire incident again, I ordered my people to have this ce checked inside out. I''m afraid I even know where you used to live better than you." "Really?"

    "Of course! Don''t believe me?" He pointed in the south-facing direction under the hillside. "There used to be a fenced yard, and you would grow green vegetables on the left and beans on the right. There were also a few chickens in the yard."

    "Where was the chicken coop then?"

    "Chicken coop?" Justin was taken aback; he clearly did not remember there was such a thing.

    Rachel burst outughing when she saw he was clearly embarrassed. "It was over there."

    She raised her arm and pointed to the back of the "green vegetables" area. "When I was a child, I liked hard-boiled eggs a lot. So, the first thing I did every morning was to squat in front of the coop to check how many eggs I could pick up that day."

    As he listened to Rachel''s words and imagined the adorable scene, he felt his anxiety fade away; his gaze softened, and he felt as if he had taken a time machine back to 20 years ago, back when everything was simple and not tinged with one conspiracy after another.

 Chapter 552

    Rachel and Justin were sitting side by side on the slope and talking when they heard a shriek from behind. "AaaahhhhhˇŞ"

    At once, they turned, stood up, and hurriedly ran in the direction where they heard the scream, only to see Regina fall into a half-human tall pit screaming in utter terror, "Aaaahhhhh-"

    The proprietress could not find Rachel because of how huge the forest was, but Regina''s scream helped her locate Rachel urately. A few minutester, the three of them worked together to pull Regina out of the pit as she continued wailing in pain even when she finally sat on the ground safely. "Sis, I think I have a broken leg."

    "Where? I feel like you might have twisted your foot, but let me check." Rachel sat down next to Regina and started pressing Regina''s ankle gently to see which part of the bone was fractured. No matter where Rachel pressed, she still cried at the top of her lungs.

    "No, my leg is broken; it hurts so much." Regina felt so much pain that she gasped and repeatedly mumbled the same words. However, Rachel thought it was more likely that Regina was still in shock due to the fall.

    Rachel had no choice but to let Justin carry Regina on his back. Nevertheless, she nned to have Regina check her foot in the hospital after they arrived at the town.

    Even on the way down, they could still hear Regina grunting in pain from time to time. "Is it really that painful?" Justin could not help but ask; in fact, he was not a patient man except toward Rachel and his own children.

    Regina was very dissatisfied that he doubted her that she yelled at him, "Try falling into a pit! Then, you''ll know if it really hurts!"

    "I won''t voluntarily jump into a pit; I have eyes," he retorted.

    "As I said, the pit was being covered initially!''

    As the conversation heated up, Rachel frowned and interrupted, "Okay, that''s enough. Stop arguing and rest for a while.ˇ±

    Rachel''s response made Regina feel aggrieved, so she pouted and asked, "You''re my sister; how can you help outsiders?"

    Rachel chose to ignore Regina she never admitted to being Regina''s sister. Instead, she turned to the proprietress and asked, "Ma''am, what''s the deep pit doing there?"

    The proprietress exined, "Well, it is a hunting trap set by the vigers in town to catch hares and other small animals. That''s another reason why we locals don''t rmend tourists to get into the mountain -for safety reasons. Also, this area is not developed; if you''re unfamiliar with the area, you''ll often miss your footing and fall into the pit."

    Rachel nodded in response. "I see."

    Once they reached the town, the proprietress guided the three to the town hospital. By then, Regina''s ankle was already swollen; Rachel was right in her assumption that she had twisted her ankle during the fall.

    Justin saw her swollen ankle and was surprised. "So, it''s real?" Regina''s face turned red in fury due to the surprise in his voice. "Do you really think I would lie about things like this?"

    "Don''t move." Rachel saw Regina getting agitated, so she promptly held Regina''s shoulder to make her stay still so that the doctor could apply medicine to the ankle.

    "Done," the doctor said calmly after applying some medicine. "It''s not a serious injury, but try not to walk with this foot for the next two days. I have prescribed some medicine to promote blood cirction, so the bruise would fade over time. One is to be taken orally, and the other is to be applied externally. Rest for a week or so."

    "Thank you, doctor."

    "You''re wee."

    The three left the town hospital with an extra wheelchair. After Regina hurt herself, she was listlesspared to how she was in the morning; she was sitting in a wheelchair, looking like a wilted flower. "Where are you both staying?" Rachel asked.

    Justin raised his chin in the direction of the motel. "There. What about you?"

    Rachel looked surprised. "Seriously?"

    Just as he was puzzled as to why she was that surprised at his choice of amodation, she revealed the reason behind her astonishment. She pointed at the motel opposite Justin''s and said, "I''m staying here."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "I want to stay with my sis! I want to switch motels!" Regina turned her head to Rachel and voiced her request in a bold and spoiled manner.

    Justin silently looked at Rachel and asked for her opinion; Rachel didn''t hesitate to agree to Regina''s demands. "Sure thing. Her foot is injured, and it''s inconvenient for her to live alone." Regina immediately nodded incessantly at Rachel''s words.

    It was Justin''s turn to be unwilling; he didn''t want Rachel to get too exhausted from caring for this so-called sister, but he did not say anything further.

    Thus, Justin and Regina checked into the motel where Rachel was staying. It was noontime, and the proprietress asked the three of them to join her, her employees, and her two children for lunch.

    "What''s this?" Everything on the dinner table looked new to Regina; she was poking everything on the table with her fork. Being a real-life noble princess who was brought up abroad, it was expected that she had never seen a stew in her life. She did not know why they would differentiate between tes solely for dried side dishes and sauces, let alone recognize any stew ingredients, except for the quail eggs which she thought to be a type of egg.

    The proprietress was shocked that Regina had never seen stew. "Have you not had stew before, Miss?" Regina shook her head.

    "Are you kidding me? You never had stew!" The employee was equally shocked.

    The princess got embarrassed and annoyed at their reactions. "Why? Feeling superior for having eaten stew?" Although Regina was a distant rtive of the royal family, she was still considered a noble; therefore, she never had a chance to dine outdoors easily. Instead, she had her own private chef cooking unique recipes for her at home. This trip to Riverdale was the first time she ever traveled like an ordinary citizen, though she was also apanied by arge group of people, including the cook.

    The proprietress smiled as she smoothed things over. "Nothing to be shocked about. We have different customs across the world. Don''t be angry, Miss. Let me exin; this is our local specialty mushroom stew, and it''s known to have great health benefits."

    Even though she still had an arrogant expression, she couldn''t help but feel curious about the ingredients in front of her. "How do you eat this?"

    "It''s simple. Just add thest few ingredients into the stew. Wait for about five minutes or until they are cooked, and you''re good to go! Then, you can dip the cooked ingredients into the sauces. The more ingredients we cook with the stew, the better the stew bes in terms of taste, so remember to serve yourself a bowl of delicious stew." Regina looked as if she found a whole new world when she saw the proprietress dip-boiling the tripe in the pot.

    At the same time, the proprietress reminded everyone to start eating. "What are all of you waiting for? Try my mushroom stew!" As everyone at the table began dip-boiling the ingredients in the pot using their own forks, Regina was stunned and immediately questioned, "What is this? Why are all of you eating in the same pot? This is so unsanitary! You''re dipping your saliva in the broth!

    The moment she said that, the atmosphere got awkward, and everyone at the table was unsure how to react. Rachel and Justin looked at each other and wished they could bury their heads in the sand. The proprietress kindly asked them to have lunch together, and who knew that this princess would speak as if she was disgusted at everyone else? It was really rude of Regina not to be appreciative of their kind gesture.

    Justin tried smoothing things over by saying, "Don''t mind her; she grew up abroad and is used to individual serving." Nevertheless, everyone was still embarrassed; they dared not start eating.

    "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Don''t be too fussy. If you think it''s disgusting, don''t eat it.ˇ± Rachel red at Regina angrily for causing the awkwardness before turning to the others and tried apologizing to ease the tension, "Don''t mind her. Let''s eat now, shall we?"

    Regina felt wronged and embarrassed after being scolded in public, so she immediately threw her fork away and huffed angrily, "Fine! As if I want to be here!" After she spoke harshly, she turned her wheelchai around, went back to her room by herself, and mmed the door.

    Bang! The strength almost trembled the whole building. The proprietress specifically changed Rachel''s and Regina''s room to the ground floor because she knew it would be inconvenient for Regina to be moving up and down the stairs due to her injury.

    As soon as she left, the proprietress said with a worried look, "Let me cook another dish for her." But Rachel immediately stopped her. ˇ°Regina can handle herself. She''s no longer a kid. But, Ma''am, I''m sorry for themotion she caused. She has never had the chance to travel around, and sometimes she causes trouble. I hope you don''t mind.ˇ±

    The proprietress was an amiable person; she merely smiled and said, "She''s still injured, so she gets a bit of leeway when she causes trouble. We won''t take it to heart. Plus, she''s beautiful; it''s normal for pretty girls to have a feisty temper." Her employee nodded in agreement.

    Out of nowhere, someone asked Rachel, ˇ°What''s your rtionship with Justin, by the way?"

 Chapter 553

    Caught off guard, Rachel met Justin''s eyes.

    Before they could formte an answer, another staff member said confidently, "Don''t you see it? It''s obvious they''re a couple, but their immature sister-inw wanted to tag along. She wants to stay with her sister now that she''s injured."

    "But they don''t look alike at all. She looks like she''s from abroad," the first staff member refuted.

    "The prettydy is called Regina Hudson. Didn''t you hear what Miss Hudson addresses her as?"

    Rachel checked in yesterday, so the staff all knew her. Also, she introduced Regina to the rest before dinner, so they were obviously family based on their names. Besides, Regina also kept calling Rachel her sister.

    The only thing that they were curious about was Regina''s looks. She looked like she was from abroad and was as pretty as a doll.

    "The barbeque is ready. Let''s eat." Justin knew Rachel did not want to stay on the topic, so he changed it.

    However, Rachel answered them, "She''s my half-sister. We have different moms."

    Her candid answer left the staff dumbstruck.

    The owner shot daggers at the two staff members in displeasure and chided, "The food can''t stop you lot from talking, huh? You know you''re not allowed to ask about the customer''s privacy." "It''s okay." Rachel smiled.

    The owner felt sorry for Rachel as she discovered that Rachel''s mother had passed away when she was younger. Considering Rachel''s age, she figured that if Regina was Rachel''s sister, they were probably half-sisters. That was why she didn''t inquire further.

    s, she did not expect her staff to be so dense as to keep asking.

    "Everyone, let''s eat."

    "Yea, yea. We should eat."

    Luckily, Rachel had a good personality. Without Regina by the side picking on the food, the meal went smoothly.

    On the other hand, Regina was lying on the bed alone, staring at the ceiling and gritting her teeth. She was sure that Justin was the reason why Rachel did not wee her with open arms. So, she had to think of a way to get rid of him. Just then, she whipped out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello? When are you guys arriving?"

    The person on the other end of the phone tried to answer.

    "Hurry up! When you''re here, find a ce and hide first. Don''te to me yet, or else they''ll know." It was better to let sleeping dogs lie. It would affect her and Rachel''s rtionship if they were discovered. Kinship was a magical thing. Regina had never met Rachel, yet she felt a natural affinity with her. It could be due to the fact that Regina did not have siblings growing up, so she liked the idea of a big harmonious family. She was determined to bring Rachel back home with her.

    Rachel was nning on staying in Somerset Mountain for a bit more.

    "There''s nothing much happening in Riverdale, and thepany''s running smoothly. If you''re worried, I can get Frankie to help out. It won''t be a problem," Justin offered.

    "Yea. It''s fine. I''ve talked to Mr. Carter. He''ll be helping me supervise thepany."

    "That''s good. Did you manage to contact Jolly?"

    "Not yet. It''s better not to, in case her whereabouts are exposed."

    After lunch, they were strolling in town and casually chatting. Even though he did not mention it, Justin would stay a few more days with Rachel. He didn''t feel at ease leaving her alone. "So, what are you going to do with Regina?" he asked.

    "Someone will being to pick her up in a couple of days. He won''t let her be alone outside for long," Rachel answered curtly.

    Justin gave a quick nod. She was usually very epting toward people younger than her, like Jolly and Gloria, and treated them like sisters. Nevertheless, he knew why she was impatient with Regina despite being her biological sister.

    As they strolled down the town''s pathway, they eventually reached the entrance of a lookout point. As it was the off-peak season, there were few people on Somerset Mountain. Instead, they saw a few groups of tourists carrying hiking equipment and ambling into the mountain''s entrance.

    At first, Rachel was nning to return to the homestay, but Justin gently tugged her hand. "Since we''re here, let''s go up and take a look," he suggested.

    Rachel was surprised, but Justin had gone to buy the tickets before she could say anything.

    Walking into the main entrance was a different experiencepared to entering from the small trail. It made them feel like a real tourist and lightened the mood.

    "The view up here is pretty nice," Justin said as he held onto her hand while walking along the trail. "You shoulde out more often and stop worrying about other people''s problems."

    "I''m fine. I don''t worry about people''s problems."

    "Is that true? Let''s see. We have Gloria, Victor, and Jolly. You were worried about them a lot, though. Now that your troubles are here, you don''t seem too bothered by it."

    "Am I not bothered? I''m out here with you now." After so many years, this was the first time she was doing what she truly wanted.

    "The more often, the better." It was like Justin could read her mind. "Being selfish isn''t a bad thing."

    Rachel nearly missed a step when she heard his words. "Loot out!" Justin warned while holding onto her tightly.

    They continued walking and chatting. Some of the things they talked about were trivial, while some were serious, but as they walked in the mountain, nothing seemed to matter anymore.

    "I wished Grandma was still here. If she saw Somerset Mountain as it is now, she would go on and on about staying here for retirement."

    After six years, it was the first time Rachel talked about her grandma with Justin.

    He could only tighten his hands around hers. He did not have any say regarding what happened with Nancy. He felt guilty because even though he did all he could, if it were not for him, Nancy would not have been kidnapped.

    Rachel inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling; with each breath, she could feel the tightly wound stress uncoil. "I wonder if Grandma had anything to say to me when she passed."

    "She had." An assertive voice came from beside her.

    Rachel looked at Justin in surprise.

    He continued, "Even though I didn''t see her during herst moments, before that, Grandma had told me to take good care of you."

    She asked in disbelief, "When did you meet Grandma?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    "Grandma was the one who came looking for me." Justin had never told anyone about this. He nned on keeping it a secret to himself, and even Gloria did not know about this. Yet, as he watched Rachelment about Nancy''sst words, he decided to tell her.

    It was a sunny day, not long before the kidnapping happened. Nancy visited him at the Burton Group before he brought Rachel to a different city.

    At that time, Nancy did not have ill intentions toward him. On the contrary, she treated him like family, as her granddaughter''s husband, and advised him on Rachel''s likes and dislikes.

    "It''s not easy to be husband and wife. Fate ys an important role in this. But, no matter the reason, you have married her. So, you should take good care of her. She''s a good child." Justin could clearly remember being envious of Rachel for having an elder who had her best interest at heart.

    The mountain breeze blew past them, and the leaves rustled. Justin held onto her hand tightly and said earnestly, "Grandma asked me to take good care of you."

 Chapter 554

    The sun was about to set when Rachel and Justin finally returned. From afar, they saw Regina sitting in a wheelchair at the homestay''s entrance craning her neck and looking around.

    "Sis!"

    Rachel frowned but did not answer when she heard Regina calling out for her.

    Regina was not angry at herck of response and kept waving her arms at them frantically.

    When Justin and Rachel came closer, she shot Justin a dirty look. "Where did you bring my sister to? Why were you gone the whole afternoon? Look at the time now!"

    Justin replied calmly, "The sun''s not even set."

    "So? It''s not safe in the mountains. You must be back before sundown next time, by 5.00PM."

    ˇ°5.00PM?" Rachel gave Regina a look. "Why does it matter to you when I get back? Also, we''re not from the same family."

    "How are we not? We were born in the same family!"

    "A family divided by the ocean?" Rachel''seback made Regina lose her temper.

    Rachel went into the homestay as she was done dealing with Regina''s antics. Justin could not do anything but look at Regina, who had just received a scolding. "Do you need help?" "I don''t need your help!"

    "Okay, sure."

    He was going to follow Rachel in. Yet, just as he was about to reach the steps, he heard Regina''s flustered voice sounding behind. "How will I enter if you don''t push me in?"

    Justin looked over his shoulder and asked, "How did you get out in the first ce?"

    "It was obviously the waiter who pushed me out."

    There was a local young man among the servers. He had tanned skin and looked like a simple and good-naturedd. He would blush whenever he saw Regina.

    Despite being a nitpicker, she was beautiful. So, it was natural that she got special treatment.

    Justin nced down at the steps and saw a board on top of it. It definitely wasn''t there when Justin and Rachel left in the afternoon. So, there was a high possibility that the young man put it there for Regina to go up and down the steps in the wheelchair.

    It was a pity, though; Regina, the little princess, despised the wheelchair. She did not want to touch the wheelchair at all, so she could only wait for someone to push her around.

    "I thought you didn''t want my help?"

    "Can''t I take it back?"

    "Sure. Of course." Justin didn''t bother arguing with her this time.

    He was in a good mood after the walk in the afternoon. Then, when he knew that he would be staying here with Rachel for a more extended period, his mood brightened even more. Then, he pushed Regina into the building.

    s, Regina was still talking incessantly. "You''re not allowed to bring my sister out anymore. If you want to go out, you must bring me along. Or else!"

    "Or else what?"

    "Or else, don''t even think about going out!" Regina''s threat did not hold water, but Justin did not challenge her anymore.

    The homestay''s owner was a lovelydy. After they left in the afternoon, she specially prepared a few more dishes for Regina.

    "You guys are back." The tanned staff came out from behind the counter, and as expected, he blushed when he saw Regina. "The food will be ready in a bit. Sis made some fish soup for you."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    He was referring to the owner of the homestay as he was her cousin. He looked to be around the age of 15, simr to Regina.

    Humph! Regina turned her nose to the sky and did not even say thank you.

    "Say thank you." Justin reminded Regina.

    Nevertheless, she was unhappy at his reminder. "Are you teaching me how to do stuff? We''re paying for our stay here! There''s no need to say thank you. Why are you so extra?"

    The young man was nice and just shook his hands, saying it was fine. Justin still thanked him but turned around and told Rachel what had happened.

    The restaurant was on the first floor, so when Rachel came in, she picked a corner seat by the windows and sat down. It was the perfect spot to watch the beautiful setting sun on Somerset Mountain. "What happened?'' she asked.

    Justin told her, "The owner especially made some fish soup for her, but she didn''t want to thank them."

    She furrowed her eyebrows and probed, "Is that so?"

    Regina refused to back down. "We''ve already paid them, so why do I need to thank them again?"

    "They didn''t need to go through all the trouble to make you something special. Do you not understand, or are you just acting dumb?"

    "They were the ones who offered it."

    "So? Does that mean you don''t show appreciation to them? Are these the noble manners you''ve learned growing up? Who taught you this?" Regina bit her lips and red at Justin. "You''re such a tattler!"

    "Now, you''re ming others too?" Rachel reprimanded as she poured a cup of tea for Justin and ignored Regina''s cup in front of her on purpose.

    Regina could feel her face burning. Despite feeling embarrassed, she knew that she was in the wrong, so she pouted and looked at them with puppy dog eyes. "You guys went out the whole afternoon, and I was alone. I thought you were leaving me for good and left the mountain."

    "We''re not nning on leaving for the time being."

    "Then, how long are you staying for?"

    "Not sure, but you can leave first," Rachel said as she picked up her cup of tea. "There''ll be someone here soon to bring you home."

    Regina immediately insisted, "I''m not leaving. If you''re not leaving, then I won''t leave too."

    "Whatever floats your boat." Rachel did not want to talk about this anymore. Regina was not bothered by Rachel''s tant indifference. Momentster, she bashfully went up to Rachel. "Sis, I know why you don''t want to leave. I-"

    Before she finished her sentence, she nced at Justin and prompted him. "Why don''t you check when dinner is ready?"

    Justin knew she wanted some privacy with Rachel, so he walked awayughing to himself. "Sure. I''ll take a look."

    Rachel made a face at hispliance. "You don''t need to go."

    "It''s fine," Justin exined. "I needed to tell the owner that we''re staying longer anyways."

    After he walked away, Regina continued the topic.

    "Sis, I know you''re worried about leaving your child behind. We can bring her with us. We have our very own Royal Academy, and it''s safer there. With numerous programs-"

    "Charlotte wouldn''t like it," Rachel interrupted and looked coldly at her. "Not everyone will like the things that you like.ˇ±

    "Then, what does she like?"

    "She likes Riverdale, Samuel, her teachers and friends at school, her parents, her aunt, and her uncle. Do you think you can give her all those things?"

    "But I''m her biological aunt!"

    "She doesn''t know you." Rachel''s words were harsh, but it was the truth.

    Regina knew she could not convince Rachel through her child, so she continued, "Are you going to waste your life taking care of other people? Caring after apany that may be bankrupt anytime now and two children as well as that man who hurt you in the past?"

    "Sis, I know it''s hard for you to ept father and me, but think about it. If you stayed in Riverdale for the rest of your life, would you be able to live for yourself?"

    Outside the window, thest rays of the setting sun were hanging over the hills and disappearing in the next second. Then, the dark sky would fall; the moon would rise and bring with it the silent night. Rachel asserted, "Regina, I won''t be leaving with you. The person you said who could not live for themselves isn''t me. It''s him."

 Chapter 555

    Him?

    At first, Regina did not realize who the man Rachel was talking about was until she noticed where Rachel''s eyes were.

    Justin?

    "How could it be him?" Regina asked.

    "I thought you knew everything?" Rachel did not want to reveal too much to her.

    Since she was young, Regina was a pampered princess and had everything she ever needed and wanted. She would not be able to understand what transpired between Rachel and Justin. She would not have said with so much conviction that Justin had hurt Rachel if she did.

    After he turned 13 years old, he only had eyes for Rachel. He was the one who truly never lived for himself. Even in the five years that he lost his memory, he was still living for Charlotte and the vague figure in his mind.

    Justin was talking to the owner about extending their stay beside the counter of the homestay.

    "Sure, no problem. It''s the off-peak season now. The rooms are empty anyways. Make yourself at home. It''s cool if you''re bored and want to change rooms too."

    "Thanks. Please also prepare our daily meals. Rae and I aren''t picky eaters. So we''ll have what you all have. As for Regina, she''ll probably be leaving in a few days. Sorry for the trouble."

    "No problem. We''re not that busy. It''s only a couple more mouths to feed."

    "Oh, right." The owner took out a thermal bottle from under the counter. "This was what you requested in the afternoon. I''ve heated it up, so you can drink it now."

    "Thank you."

    With that, Justin went back to the restaurant with the bottle.

    Rachel asked, "What''s that?"

    "Milk." Justin got a new ss and poured a cup of warm milk for her.

    It was early spring but still freezing in the mountains. It was about five or six degrees lower than Riverdale, and the temperature went down to sub-zero degrees at night. "Where''d you get it from?"

    "There''s a farm in the town. So I asked the owner to get some from them."

    "Isn''t it troublesome?"

    "It''s fine. You should stop drinking too much tea. Else, you won''t be able to sleep at night."

    As they were chatting, Regina looked on. It was a wonder she did not interrupt and only observed. It seemed like she understood what Rachel talked about, but she wasn''t entirely sure about it.

    The night sky fell, and after dinner, the whole town grew silent. Rachel and Justin were strolling in town as the shops were about to close. The locals usually turned in early.

    She rubbed her tummy and muttered, "I overate during dinner."

    He looked around. "If you feel ufortable, we could get some antacids at the pharmacy up front."

    "It''s alright. I just need to walk a bit more."

    She did not want to rely on medicines too much. Besides, she would rather him apany her on walks. As they were walking, his phone suddenly rang.

    "Hello?" He picked up the phone in front of her. It was a call from Frankie.

    Justin slowly furrowed his eyebrows when he heard the news from the other side of the phone. "Are you sure? Is the news reliable?"

    Rachel heard Frankie''s muffled voice through the phone but couldn''t determine what he had said.

    "Alright. I got it. I''ll be staying in Somerset Mountain with Rae for a while. We won''t be returning to Riverdale in the meantime. You''ll have to look after the northern division." Frankie answered Justin and bade his goodbyes.

    As Justin hung up the phone, Rachel asked, "Was it Frankie?"

    "Yea, I asked him to investigate something yesterday."

    "What is it about?"

    "Your father, and Yatruinia''s royalty."

    Rachel''s eyes darkened when she heard what he had said. "What did you find out?"

    "Regina''s mom is called Natasha and was appointed a Countess by the Yatruinia royalty. She has a high position and works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, she was the first female Foreign Service Officer. She''s known to be an outstanding female."

    "Really?" Rachel clenched her fists by her side.

    When her biological mother, Selena, passed away on Somerset Mountain, no one came to collect her body and give her a proper burial. They only set up a cenotaph in the Hudson Family Cemetery back at Riverdale. Yet, the man she died for married another woman in a different country. So, it was not important if the woman was outstanding.

    Justin continued, "Natasha died two years ago from cancer."

    "What?!" Shocked, Rachel turned and looked at Justin.

    Regina had never mentioned this to her.

    "Yea. Frankie did the investigation himself. It couldn''t be wrong. Natasha''s funeral wasn''t widely announced. It was done secretly within the royal family, but it''s not hard to find out about her death." "Two years ago?"

    "Yes."

    Rachel felt a tug in her heart.

    Justin knew what she was thinking about and added, "Your father also left Yatruinia two years ago and came back here."

    So, this meant that Natasha only told Lionel the truth on her deathbed that Selena was still alive and pregnant with his child. So, all these years, he was kept in the dark.

    "I think there''s one more thing you need to know." Justin did not hesitate. "After your father went missing that year. He was unconscious when Natasha took him away. He had been in aa for ten years abroad."

    Rachel asked incredulously, "What did you say?"N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Frankie couldn''t get hold of the royal medical records, but your father wasn''t married to Natasha then. So, his records were kept by a hospital. It was true that he''s been in aa for ten years."

    In other words, whatever happened here during those ten years, he did not know and had no way of knowing. Then, after regaining consciousness, he had to deal with muscle atrophy from lying in bed for so many years and rehabilitation. Even if he couldplete that quickly, he was faced with the news that Selena had passed a long time ago.

    "If my guess is right, Natasha probably really loved your father. It could be due to selfishness or other reasons that she told your dad that your mom had passed and prevented him froming back."

    All these were uncontroble external factors.

    Technology then was not as advanced as it is now. Natasha could only get her hands on so much information because she was royalty and a foreign diplomat.

    "So, he didn''t evene back to confirm the news?" Rachel countered with a question, "Knowing that your loved one has died, even if it was someone you trusted who told you the news. Shouldn''t he have made a trip to see it for himself? Even if it was to look at the tomb."

    "Rae."

    Rachel could not control her emotions. She felt her mother deserved more than this. Even if her mother had passed, Lionel should have paid a visit. Instead, he stayed abroad for so many years and cut off ties with everything here. He had not been back for 20 years, yet he wanted to make up for his regret now.

    How dare he? she thought.

    "Why do I need to cooperate just because he said he wanted to make it up to me? Let me put it this way. What would the situation be like if my mom didn''t die in that fire then? Huh?"

    Just because of what Natasha said, Lionel epted it and married that woman and even gave birth to a child.

    Rachel was getting worked up, but Justin held onto her hand. "Rae."

    The night was cold, but his warm hands covered the back of her hand. Rachel gradually cooled down, but her eyes were still red. She took a deep breath and looked at the moon in the sky. "If Mom was still alive, what do you think she would do?"

    "Maybe she would me your dad, but if your dad were still alive, she would have been d too."

    Nothing was more important than the life and death of a loved one. Everything else did not matter.

 Chapter 556

    It waste when Rachel and Justin arrived at the homestay. So, they retired to their rooms to rest.

    When Rachel arrived in her room, Regina had just finished her bath and was now sitting on the side of the bed while applying medication to her leg. The room smelled of safflower oil.

    "Let me do it." Rachel noticed how clumsy she was and could not resist approaching her to help. Regina''s eyes brightened. Regardless, she feared she would say something that angered Rachel, so she closed her mouth obediently and stretched out her leg. She hissed as Rachel applied the ointment.

    "Does it hurt?"

    "No." Regina shook her head at once. Rachel did not ask further, but her movements became gentler as she massaged the medication onto Regina''s twisted ankle.

    "This medicine is for invigorating the blood and releasing stagnation. It''s only effective if you massage it onto the spot."

    "Is it also Eastern medication?"

    "I think so." Rachel nodded. "Most medications currently on the market are no longer purely Eastern, but are mixtures of both Eastern and traditional medication."

    "I''ve heard my dad say that Hudson Pharmaceuticals produces Eastern medication, although their sales aren''t good."

    "He mentioned that to you?"

    Regina nodded carefully. Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn''t have any pressure to hide her true self; maybe she wasn''t so wary of Regina because they were family.

    "The market for Eastern medication hasn''t been so good in thest few years. And it''s not just Eastern medicine; the market for Eastern medical practitioners isn''t doing well either. So except for some middle- aged or older people who still believe in them, the younger generation''s more willing to trust Western doctors."

    "Why?"

    "Part of it is because of the bad market reviews regarding Eastern medicine. As a result, many people have pretended to be Eastern medical practitioners to scam others, leading to their bad reputation. The other part is because the main aim of Eastern medicine is to regte the health of the body, and thus it doesn''t act as fast as traditional medicine. That is why it doesn''t fit into the fast pace of modern life."

    It was a while before Rachel realized she had said too much. Regina was only sixteen and might not fully grasp what had been said.

    "Never mind, I''ve said enough. Rest early." Rachel ced Regina''s leg back onto the bed and ced the medication back before getting up to prepare for bed.

    It was alreadyte. The bedroom lights were off, and the room plunged into darkness. Rachel turned over before hearing Regina''s voiceing from the other bed. "Rachel, are you awake?"

    After a few seconds of silence, Rachel answered, "Mm-hmm."

    "Can I sleep with you?"

    Rachel didn''t reply.

    "If you don''t say anything, I''ll take it as a yes."

    "Stop moving around. Doesn''t your ankle hurt?"

    Rachel''s words made Regina pause as she pushed off her nket.

    The room was dark, and Rachel could not see Regina''s expression. Nevertheless, she could still feel the girl''s disappointment through her silence.

    "Are you asleep?" Rachel couldn''t help but ask.

    The voiceing from the other bed was muffled. "I miss my mom.ˇ±

    Rachel was stunned as she suddenly remembered what Justin had said during their evening walk. Regina''s mother, Natasha, had died of cancer two years ago, meaning Regina was only fourteen. She was only a child, then.

    After a moment of silence, Rachel moved toward the inner side of the bed to create some space. "Do you want to sleep here?"

    Regina froze, but there was immediately the sound of movement as she climbed onto Rachel''s, still wrapped in her nket.

    "Sleep." Rachel could not say more than that. Her own mother had died in front of her when she was eight, but she had had a fever and could not remember what had happened. So maybe it was for the best. She did not know how tofort Regina; even if she did, she wouldn''t. If she did so, it would be an insult to her mother''s memory. So, she chose to be quiet.

    Regina was still as she leaned on Rachel''s arm through the twoyers of nkets. "Rachel, don''t hate me, please?"

    "I don''t hate you."

    "But you don''t like me either." Regina''s voice sounded reluctant. "Once you know me for a longer time, you will." Rachel sighed inwardly. "Sleep."

    People in their youth always had this bizarre confidence. They thought that life was too long, so they had plenty of time to attain all their goals. They believed that they could be a billionaire, go up to the moon, save the world, or make everyone like them. Rachel slightly envied Regina''s youth and naivety. Maybe if she were Regina''s age, she would believe that the future was rife with potential.

    A grand private room of a nightclub in Riverdale.

    "Is this what you mean when you said you would partner with me and help avenge my brother?"

    The woman was d in a ck leather coat with an expression cold as ice. On the table before her were expensive bottles of wine. Julian faced her, sitting rigidly as he frowned. "There were some issues which I didn''t expect. We should be grateful that we didn''t cause Rachel any real harm."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Rachel''s father is alive and has connections to the Yatruinian royal family."

    "What did you say?" Sabrina nearlyughed out loud. "How gullible do you think I am? Find a better excuse if you want the woman you fancy to escape from me alive. The Yatruinian royal family?"

    "If you don''t believe me, fine. Just don''t me me when anything happens." When he was done talking, he poured some wine into his ss and helped himself with the alcohol.

    She didn''t want to y around anymore. "Since our partnership has failed, we will deal with everything after this ourselves. I hope you won''t stop us, or I won''t be kind to you."

    As soon as she said those threatening words, she didn''t hesitate to leave. While Robin watched her leave, he couldn''t help but ask, "President Peters, are we just going to let her leave? We haven''t even discussed the terms of our partnership."

    "Due to the current situation, it can''t be done now. So even if she''s willing, we can''t do it either."

    "Why?"

    "Which do you think is worse: crossing her or the Yatruinian royal family?"

    Robin froze, then immediately understood. ˇ°But President Peters, by now, they definitely know we were responsible for kidnapping Justin and Rachel at the airport. Haven''t we already crossed them?" Julian sipped a mouthful of wine, his brow heavy with irritation. "Let''s see how it goes first."

    Robin shut his mouth when he sensed how indecisive Justin truly was.

    On the other end, Sabrina had just exited the nightclub and entered a ck Porsche. "Who exactly were the people who took Rachel and that man? Have you looked into it?"

    Herckey was seated on the passenger seat and answered respectfully, "Mr. Peters'' side replied to us, saying that it was Rachel''s sister from a different mother."

    "How does that rte to the royal family? Have you inquired about that?"

    "Well..."

    Sabrina had just arrived in Riverdale to work discreetly. She couldn''t just let her people show up all over the ce, so they had gotten the information about the airport incident from Julian''s side. However, they still weren''t sure about the details.

    She had lost her patience and said coldly, "Investigate who Rachel''s biological father is as quickly as possible."

    "Okay."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 Chapter 557

    Sabrina''sckey quickly dug up information about Lionel Hudson. "Miss Sabrina, he really is a member of the royal family."

    "Isn''t he an Astronian?"

    "But his wife is a noble from the Yatruinian royal family. You''re probably familiar with her..." the underling hesitated. "It''s Lady Natasha."

    Her expression changed immediately. "Lady Natasha? Are you sure?"

    It was fine if it were anyone else, but why did it have to be Lady Natasha, the most famous female ambassador from the Yatruinian royal family?

    "Miss Sabrina, if Rachel ever tells them about us..."

    "She will never get the chance." Sabrina''s face darkened. "I will never give it to her."

    Over thest few days, Rachel had remained at the homestay at the foot of Somerset Mountain. Her daily routine, except for meals, consisted of walks with Justin. Regina''s ankle hadn''t healed fully, but she didn''t stop trying to go with them.

    "I''m bored here all alone. Take me along, Rachel!"

    "The mountain paths are difficult to walk on. We can''t take you because you''re in a wheelchair."

    "I can walk on my own." As Regina said so, she rose from her wheelchair. Rachel stared at Regina''s legs, noting that the girl did not dare to ce her hurt leg on the ground.

    "No. You have to stay here."

    Justin could not let this continue because he knew that Regina would think of how to torment everyone if she didn''t get her way. Therefore, he decided on apromise. "Look, you cane with us. But if we reach a part where the paths are too difficult to walk on, we have to turn back."

    "Okay," Regina answered enthusiastically.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "You don''t have to listen to her. How can we go hiking when she''s with us?"

    Justin looked behind Regina. "Bobby''sing too, so we probably don''t need to worry."

    Bobby, a boy who worked at the homestay, had cared for Regina over the past few days and followed her wherever she went. So when he heard Justin''s words, Bobby scratched his head and smiled toothily. "If it''s too difficult to walk, I''ll carry Little Sis on my back."

    "Who''s your little sis?" Regina red at him and said in annoyance. "You stupid boy.ˇ±

    Despite being insulted, he wasn''t angry at all as he chirped, "I call anyone younger than me my little sis."

    "I''m one year older than you!"

    He was only fifteen-younger than Regina- but he had lived and worked here year-round, making his skin very tanned. So, it was true that he didn''t look younger than her.

    Nevertheless, she was adamant about being the eldest of the two. "You should call me Big Sis!"

    He shook his head and refused to change how he addressed her, looking peculiarly stubborn.

    "Not talking again? Talking to you is a waste of effort." Regina rolled her eyes and urged him. "Come on, let''s go. I''m bored as hell after staying in this ce."

    Rachel felt resigned as she watched their interaction. Regina had a temper; if not for her good looks, no one would care about her. There was no help for this world that prioritized one''s beauty over everything. Rachel and Justin had been walking up and down the mountain every morning, afternoon, and evening, so they were extremely familiar with the trail. So naturally, they quickly left Regina and Bobby behind. "Rachel, wait for me!"

    "At least help me up faster."

    "Oh, you are so dumb!"

    Rachel could hear Regina''s distantints about Bobby, and she was speechless. "Even with how she''s acting, Bobby hasn''t lost his temper. Vige children are really well-behaved."

    "She treats him really well, to be honest."

    "Huh?" She was surprised. "How?"

    Justin smiled. "Don''t you know? She''s teaching him Latin."

    "Really? When did this happen?"

    "I don''t know when it started, but I found out today when I heard her correcting his pronunciation outside earlier this morning."

    She was amazed at this. Somerset Mountain was an autonomous region with a sparse poption and remote location. This was why the education resources for the area weren''t sufficient; normal children would stop studying to help out at their homes after graduating junior high. Even with the bonus-point policy, there were very few children who would make it to senior high.

    She had heard the homestay owner mentioning that Bobby had the best academic results among the children in their town and had the chance of moving out of the town to study in senior high.

    "Maybe she had the spontaneous urge to do so. Nevertheless, I don''t believe that she would continue teaching him."

    "Rae." Justin''s tone was a little resigned. "You treat everyone else with generosity, so why are you so mean towards her?"

    "Mean??"

    "Kind of."

    Rachel frowned, then hunched her shoulders and continued walking.

    He caught up with her and grabbed her hand from behind. "Are you angry?"

    "No."

    "You definitely are." He couldn''t help butugh. "Don''t get angry. I''ll show you something before they arrive."

    "What is it?"

    "Come with me."

    Justin led her into a small path in the mountains. It wasn''t part of the tourist trail; it was a forest trail only the locals used, with many twists and turns.

    "Isn''t that the ce where we met?"

    "Yup, Regina and I came through this way."

    "I came from the foot of the mountain." Rachel smiled. "I avoided buying tickets by following the owner of the homestay. You guys bought them, right?"

    She didn''t hear Justin''s reply but instead heard the sounds of chickens clucking. Rachel raised her head and froze when she saw the scene at the bottom of the mountain. She stopped where she was and looked at him.

    At the bottom of the slope was the courtyard where she, her mother, and her grandmother had lived. The ce had been torn down, and weeds had grown in its ce. That was what she had seen before. Yet, what she saw now was a scene from twenty years ago. There were three blocks surrounding a yard. Cabbage grew on one side of the fenced yard while chilies and string beans grew on the other. In the yard, two chickens walked freely in the yard, clucking as they went.

    Rachel stumbled as she walked into the yard. She was back here again after more than twenty years, and she couldn''t believe she could see everything from her childhood. Even the string of chilies and garlic hanging from the rafters were the same.

    The door creaked as she pushed it open and saw an empty room. From behind her, Justin said, "I ordered someone to restore the ce as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I wanted to make it a surprise, so had to rush everything a little. Since you haven''t said what you had in your home, just tell me all about it, and I''ll get someone to make them and ce them inside here."

    "It''s only been a few days. How did you manage this?"

    "It wasn''t difficult. There were only three blocks to build, so I got more workers to help.ˇ±

    He looked at her with affection. "You have a home."

    When she heard him, her eyes turned red-rimmed, and her tears welled up. Everything here was too realistic and reminded her of memories from more than twenty years ago. It felt like she could open the door and see her mother and grandmother again.

    Yes, she had a home.

 Chapter 558

    "Thank you."

    "You know I don''t need you to thank me."

    Rachel felt touched and sniffled hard to avoid the tears from falling. Her memories of the ce might remain, but they would fade eventually. After all, this courtyard had been the setting for the carefree days of her childhood. Back then, her family was poor, and her happiest moments were when she had meat pierogi. If not for Justin rebuilding this ce, she would have lost those memories and never get to recall them ever again.

    "All right, stop crying. If Regina sees you, she will think I have mistreated you." Justin handed her a tissue.

    Sheughed, tears still in her eyes. "I am not."

    He looked around at the empty room. "Since we will be in the area, you can spend the next few days recalling what the interior was like here. Then, once the interior isplete, we can probably stay here for a bit too."

    "We didn''t have much, honestly, just some old furniture. They were all handmade, so they might be difficult to build." She took a deep breath and smiled. "You don''t have to recreate everything, of course. It''s good enough for me."

    "But is it within the rules to construct a house here?" She suddenly remembered some real-life issues. Somerset Mountain was now a tourist attraction; except for vigers living at the bottom, plus tourist- oriented shops and restaurants in more developed areas, no one else was allowed to live here. Moreover, people who had settled here in the past had moved away after receiving marypensation. So, she was worried that it was an illegal building.

    Justin burst outughing at her anxious face. "Why are you so worried? Do you think I am the type who doesn''t care about thew?"

    "Then, what about all this?"

    "Burton Group was a generous donor for when Somerset Mountain was being rebuilt. We still have the approval for a vige restoration project here from back then, so building a house here is within the rules. "Really?"

    "Really. When have I ever lied to you?"

    She finally rxed after listening to his reassurances. "Good."

    "Are you worried that I will get sued?"

    "You need to be careful." Times were different now, and Burton Group had split into two sides. Justin wasn''t exactly in a desperate situation, but it was better not to show weakness.

    "Don''t worry," he reassured her. "I''m not that stupid."

    As they talked, Regina''s voice came from up the slope. "Rachel!"

    Rachel was amazed. "The paths are so difficult to traverse. How did she manage it?"

    Justin nced outside the window. "She''ll order Bobby around if she wants to follow us."

    True enough, the boy was carrying Regina on his back.

    "Let me down." The girl patted his back, then jumped back onto the ground. She nced around in disbelief. "I can''t believe my eyes. When did this courtyard appear here?" Justin replied, "This was where Rachel lived when she was a child."

    "Really?" Regina''s face lit up. "Rachel, did you live here when you were a child?"

    Rachel nodded, and as Regina turned her head to look at the growing nts and clucking chickens, her face dimmed once more. "Rachel, did you live like this when you were small?"

    "Is it so bad?" Rachel looked at the faraway mountains. "It has gorgeous rivers and mountains, which makes it an optimum location. Besides, the best ce to live is together with your family."

    "You''re right! What''s important is living with your family. Rachel, if you stay with Dad and me, your life will be much better than your childhood." Unfortunately, Regina was too busy interpreting Rachel''s answer, so she never noticed that Rachel had been looking at Justin when she said it.

    Since they needed new furniture for the home, Rachel and Justin visited the town carpenter personally. Regina followed them insistently, sticking to Rachel''s side the entire time.

    "These are the specifications we want. Can you build the furniture ording to them?"

    "The furniture''s not difficult to make because these are the most traditional, basic styles around here. We have plenty of avable stock in the storeroom, so we can send them over after some customizations.ˇ± "Really? That''s great!" Rachel was so delighted that she grabbed Justin''s hand.

    Regina, seeing this, frowned with annoyance and so tripped over her own feet on purpose. "Oops."

    "You okay?" Rachel held onto her. "I told you to stay in the wheelchair. So why are you on your feet again?"

    "My butt hurts." Regina took advantage of her position and pushed Justin away, then shook her head. "I''m okay, though. But, Rachel, since we''re done picking out the furniture, can we go back now?" "Of course,e on." Rachel checked the time, realizing that it was alreadyte.

    The sky began to darken as the entourage made their way back. By the time they arrived at the homestay, night had already fallen. Justin was pushing the wheelchair as Rachel walked beside him. Neither of them was talkative, so they responded only asionally while Regina talked.

    They stopped in their tracks as they were about to arrive at the homestay. Rachel was the first to do so.

    The roads of the town, paved with stone bs, had been narrow in the first ce and could barely allow a car to pass. But now, the people lined up on both sides of the street made it look much narrower than usual.

    "Dad." Regina was the first to speak. She sounded surprised, clearly not knowing Lionel would be here. Rachel and Justin, however, remained calm since they had already expected this. He would''ve sent someone to take Regina anyway if he hadn''t been here. After all, her special status meant that there would be severe consequences if she came to any harm.

    The owner and her family were hiding in the kitchen at the back, making the lounge on the ground floor look empty.

    "I''m not going." Regina was sulky. "Who allowed you to take me back? I want to stay here."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Regina, stop being stubborn. The embassy will be alerted if anything happens to you here, and we can''t trouble them."

    "But Rachel''s here too. So if she''s not going, then I''m not either."

    "Please stop troubling your sister."

    "I''m not."

    "You''re not?" Lionel raised his hand. As he did so, a couple of "tourists" at an opposite stall lowered their heads, afraid to look at them. Regina looked sheepish while Rachel and Justin shared a look as they realized something. Rachel asked, "Regina, do you know them?" "No," Regina denied vehemently.

    Lionel betrayed her immediately. "They''re her personal bodyguards who arrived one dayter than her. I''m assuming they''ve been staying nearby." "Why didn''t they show themselves?"

    He looked apologetic when he heard her question. "I''m sorry, Rae."

 Chapter 559

    "Regina, why aren''t you apologizing to your sister?"

    Lionel emphasized his tone. "If you are not going to apologize, I''ll do it."

    "Don''t say it!" she replied nervously. She fidgeted as if she was afraid of Rachel being mad.

    Rachel was confused. "What exactly is the matter?" she asked.

    After Regina hesitated for a bit longer, she lowered her head reluctantly as she confessed her original n. "I called them over. I also told them to hide and keep an eye on you two." "Keep an eye on us?"

    "I was going to let them drug you guys when you two didn''t notice and bring you back secretly."

    "What?!"

    "I''m sorry." Regina''s voice became softer with each word she spoke.

    Although she initially wanted to pull such a stunt, she had given up on that thought after spending two days with them.

    She realized that merely taking Rachel away would not solve the problem. She couldn''t be in one ce forever as she had her own dreams and a whole life ahead of her. It was only a matter of time before she was where she wanted.

    Rachel was utterly furious by Regina''s admission.

    If it weren''t for Justin, who instantly grabbed her hand under the table, she would have stood up and mmed the table while interrogating Regina the reasons behind her scheme.

    Justin gave her a reassuring look as he patted the back of her hand with his palm as a sign offort.

    Then, he asked Lionel, "Mr. Hudson, since you are here and we have talked these things out, does this mean that you have decided not to take Rachel back?"

    Lionel looked at Rachel with guilt and distress in his eyes. "You can lead a horse to the water but can''t make it drink. I would be lying if I said I don''t want to take Rachel back with me, but I can''t allow Regina to forcefully take her away like this."

    "I was wrong," Regina apologized. "Sis, please don''t be mad at me."

    Rachel was still fuming so couldn''t be bothered to give Regina any response despite knowing that she was being sincere in her apology.

    She was starting to have a good impression of Regina within these two days, thinking that she was a motherless child like her. Who knew that she could plot such a thing behind their backs?

    "Now that you know she shouldn''t be doing this and we''ve hashed things out, I think it''s time for you to take her and leave," Rachel said coldly.

    "Rachel, there''s another reason why I''m here besides taking Regina back with me, If you don''t mind, I want to visit your mother''s grave," Lionel said.

    Rachel was stunned by his words and her hands that were hidden under the table slowly balled into fists.

    She didn''t know what to say.

    After a moment, she stood up and said, "That''s none of my business."

    Justin followed suit and nodded politely toward Lionel. Then, he trailed behind Rachel''s steps.

    "Rachel!"

    Regina called out timidly, but Rachel kept on walking.

    Finally, she turned to look at Lionel and said, "Rachel''s really mad, Dad."

    "You went too far."

    "But I had already ordered them to stop."

    Regina pouted. "I''ve already learned from my mistake."

    Lionel sighed and said, "It''s not your fault. If anyone was to be med, it''s me."

    If he hadn''t insisted on returning after hearing that Selena had passed away, it would only take a matter of time for him to learn about Rachel''s identity. Then, he wouldn''t have been lied to for so many years, not knowing that he still had a daughter.

    "Dad, she won''t be returning with us, would she?"

    "I''m afraid so."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "She lived such a tough life in Riverdale, though. Why is she still insisting on staying there?"

    "You''ll understand when you''re older."

    Lionel held her hand and intended to pull her along but he noticed her leg. "Does your leg still hurt?" he asked.

    Regina shook her head. "I''m fine."

    She just didn''t want to give up so quickly.

    On the other hand, Justin apanied Rachel up the stairs.

    There was a huge balcony on the second floor. Through the balcony, one could see the countless houses'' rooftops of the town.

    Various flowers were nted on the balcony, and a swing was ced there. During the peak season of tourism, people would line up at the homestay just to take some pictures. But now, only a few people woulde as it was off-season.

    "Rachel," Justin called.

    "I''m fine." Rachel sat on the swing and looked at Justin while she forcefully squeezed a smile on her face. "I was only mad in the beginning. But after I thought about it, it doesn''t seem out of character for her to n something like this."

    Regina was a spoiled princess that had everything she wanted. It wouldn''t seem off for her to use some tricks as the only reason she was here in Riverdale was to take Rachel back.

    "It''s not that. I wanted to talk to you about your father," he said.

    "My father?"

    Rachel''s eyes shed with a hint of something indescribable as she looked at Justin.

    "It seems to me that he had other ns than justing over and bringing Regina back."

    After all, why would he need toe here personally if he just wanted to take Regina home? He could have just sent a few men to escort her back.

    "Didn''t he say he was here to pay a visit to my mother?"

    "Well, will you approve of it?"

    Rachel was caught off guard when she heard his words.

    Even she herself hadn''t properly visited Selena after arriving at Somerset Mountain. During the time Selena was murdered, she was still very young and was brought to Riverdale against her will. If it weren''t fo grandma, who told her where Selena was buried, she wouldn''t even have a clue of where to start looking.

    That was because finding a tomb deep in the mountains with trees and rivers was not easy.

    How would Lionel be able to visit Rachel''s mother if she didn''t lead the way?

    Rachel made up her mind and said, "He can find it himself if he has the heart to do so."

    Justin sighed as he held onto her hands and said, "I know that you are not the kind of person to make things difficult for others. You might hurt yourself by hurting others."

    "Do you think I''m being unreasonable?"

    "No. You just need some time to face this matter."

    "I''m not going to lead the way for him."

    "I know."

    From the way Rachel was acting, he knew that she was still holding a grudge against her biological father.

    But even though she was in this state, he still thought she looked cute. Sometimes, being thoughtful was more heartbreaking to see than being a brat. As for causing those troubles, that seemed like a problem for others. What did they have anything to do about it?

    Justin shook off his coat, ced it on her, and sat beside her as he embraced her in his arms. "Then, we shall let them search on their own. What should we do tomorrow?"

    "Let''s move the furniture and decorate the room."

    "Okay, whatever you say."

    Every room was upied when Lionel and his men checked into the homestay.

    Because the mayor had personally informed the owner of the homestay of their identities, she was the most well-informed and terrified person regarding this matter.

    Early in the morning, she knocked on Rachel''s door nervously, asking if there was any food restriction while preparing breakfast for them.

    "Food restrictions?" Rachel was at a loss for words as she didn''t know about Lionel''s food preferences.

    Fortunately, Justin had just left his room. He overheard their conversations as he lived right next to Rachel and exined, "There''s no need to prepare a huge meal. If I''m not mistaken, they won''t eat the food." Those people that Justin mentioned were those servants and bodyguards. For safety reasons, they would prepare food themselves when going on a trip. As for the food served to Lionel and Regina, they would need to check it thoroughly.

    Only then did the owner of the homestay breathe a sigh of relief. "I was just wondering if the food would be enough and was going to ughter another pig for the meal. Does that mean it''s fine now?" Just as they were speaking, a woman''s voice rang from downstairs. "Chris!"

    Rachel was leaning against the wooden rail when she heard the voice. She turned her head, and her eyes brightened when she saw the familiar figure downstairs.

    "Looks like you still have to ughter that pig in the end," Justin said.

 Chapter 560

    "Jolly! Why are you here? Didn''t you go to Europe?"

    Rachel couldn''t believe that Jolly, who had been missing for some time, appeared in front of her as if she had fallen from the sky.

    "We did, but we went back to Enistan because we were worried about you guys when we heard that something happened back there after a few days of being there. We still didn''t hear anything about you at all. We didn''t know what happened until we returned to Riverdale."

    "You even went back to Enistan? Have you guys gone crazy?!"

    "Don''t worry. Things were a little unexpected, but Leroy and I are safe now. I will exin to youter."

    "Is Leroy here as well? Where is he?"

    "He is outside."

    Following Jolly''s gaze, Rachel looked outside the French windows of the homestay, and suddenly saw a man and a woman standing in front of a stall selling lollipops that was set up in front of a shop across the street.

    Surprised, she asked, "Isn''t that...

    "Carmen Frazier? The beloved daughter of the Grandeur Group?"

    Justin seemed slightly startled as well upon hearing that before he looked outside.

    At this moment, Leroy and Carmen were standing in front of the stall that sold lollipops outside.

    "Which one do you want? I''ll buy it for you."

    "The orange-vored one is delicious. The strawberry one is good, too. Let me think about it."

    Even though the woman who had a simple ponytail and was dressed in jeans overalls was in her twenties, she looked as innocent as amb with her waist bent, her face almost sticking to the ss cab where the lollipops were sold. Her eyes were wide as she watched the lollipops intently.

    "Excuse me." Leroy smiled helplessly. "We will take both."

    "No, no." Carmen quickly waved her hand in rejection. "Leroy, I can''t eat two."

    ˇ°Don''t worry about it. You can take your time with them.ˇ±

    She still shook her head, but after hesitating for a long minute, her eyes suddenly lit up when she suddenly thought of something. "Right! We can buy two, and give one of it to Jolly!"

    The stall owner looked at her stunned, but aftering to his senses, he had sympathy in his eyes as he bagged the lollipops and handed it to Leroy.

    "Thank you!" Carmen cheered with a sweet smile on her face.

    Rachel and the rest of them came out of the homestay right then.

    As soon as Carmen saw Jolly, she immediately hopped over. "Jolly! Leroy bought me lollipops! What vor do you want? We have an orange and a strawberry one. I''ll let you pick." Hearing that, Jolly resignedly cooed, "You can go ahead and eat it first. I won''t eat it now."

    "I won''t eat either then. I will eat with you."

    Leroy came up from behind and said hello to Rachel and Justin as the women talked.

    It was only then did Carmen see them behind Jolly. She then tilted her head and looked at the small group with curious eyes.

    "Carmen, this is Chris and Justin. They are both Leroy''s and my friends," Jolly introduced.

    As realization hit Carmen, she quickly greeted, "Hello!"

    "Hello, Miss Frazier." Rachel returned the greeting with a start.

    Carmen then waved her lollipop around and said, "You can just call me Carmen."

    Rachel and Justin exchanged nces when they heard her words.

    That''s weird, they thought simultaneously.

    Jolly, too, had aplicated expression on her face. "I will tell youter."

    Back at the homestay, Carmen, who was attracted by the pig''s oink, ran to the back kitchen to watch. After Rachel asked Bobby to help keep an eye on Carmen, the four of them finally had time to sit down and talk.

    "What is going on? Why is Carmen Frazier with you?"

    All of them saw how Carmen had an epilepsy episode on the day of the wedding. Only then did Rachel and Justin realize that the reason why the Grandeur Group had been hiding Carmen was because they were afraid of her having an attack. However, it seemed like that wasn''t the only reason.

    Rachel and Justin had their suspicions back then, but there was no way to confirm it.

    "Let Leroy exin to you. He knows better," Jolly said, to which Leroy nodded.

    "Carmen has neurodevelopmental dy, which is why she may look like an adult, but her mind is only equivalent to a 10-year-old''s. Plus, she has epilepsy. She is prone to fall ill when she gets excited or nervous. She has been kept at home since she was a child, and has rarely gone out."

    Hearing that, Rachel replied thoughtfully, "I see. Then, why is she with you?"

    "This was a surprise to us as well."

    "Geez! Let me tell the story." Jolly was getting impatient. Seeing how much time Leroy was taking but still hadn''t finished speaking, she interrupted again, "Remember how I went to Leroy to take him with me on the wedding day? Carmen saw us when we were leaving. She insisted oning with us. We had no choice but to bring her to not make things messier than it already was."

    Rachel''s jaw almost dropped from the shock.

    This was the first time she had heard of someone taking the bride along when they were there to steal the groom.

    She continued to ask about the baffling situation. "Didn''t the Fraziers or Lushe after Carmen after that?"

    "We find it strange as well, but we haven''t dared to reveal our whereabouts until now." Jolly shrugged. "To hell with them, though. Isn''t us being okay a good thing?"

    Rachel only gave Justin a look that made him ponder.

    "Even though Carmen Frazier is in poor health and has a disability, I heard that her father and brother love her very much. It is indeed strange that they haven''t stirred up amotion with her gone." "Let''s not worry about that for now." Being the careless person that she was, Jolly whined, "Anyway, she is with us now. She is so energetic every day that Leroy and I can''t keep our eyes on her all the time. I almost pissed my pants when we nearly lost her in Europe. At least we are home now."

    "You both are pretty amazing, aren''t you?" Rachelmented, amazed. "I would stay out of your business as well if I were from the Fraziers. This is the same thing as assigning two 24-hour personal nanny to their young miss."

    "So be it. She is in our hands now anyway. The Frazier Family and Lush wouldn''t dare to do anything rash."

    Jolly then raised her eyebrows slightly as she added, "It is not like we are dumb."

    The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched when she heard that. "I have never seen a kidnapper catering to their hostage," she mused.

    Even though Carmen wasn''t mentally sound, Rachel could tell that she was a kinddy who was easy to get along with.

    The only worry was what was going to happen in the future.

    It was something Rachel didn''t want to think too deeply into for now.

    However, she and her friends had gone through so many ups and downs, and had even cheated death. There was nothing that they were afraid of at this point.

    "By the way, I haven''t asked, but how did you know we were in Somerset Mountain?"Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "Take a guess."

    "How am I supposed to guess something like this?"

    Rachel stopped Jolly from pouring tea. "Don''t keep me guessing. Spill!"

    "Nope."

    "It was Officer Hawkins, wasn''t it?" A deep, rumbling voice of a man rang out from beside.

    Justin had casually brought up Janice, which made Rachel freeze.

    Jolly was as surprised as Rachel was. "How did you know?" she sputtered.

    "Rae came to Somerset Mountain by herself. I didn''t tell anyone about my guess that she was here, and you couldn''t possibly know Mr. Hudson and the others. Officer Hawkins was probably the only other person who knows about Rae''s whereabouts."

    Even though Rachel and Janice had an inexplicable rtionship, Justin already knew that Rachel must have informed Janice that she was here once she had calmed down even though she hade to Somerset Mountain on impulse, lest Janice couldn''t reach her when needed.

    "Hold up. Why is this about Mr. Hudson?" Jolly questioned.

 Chapter 561

    Right as Jolly finished speaking, the sound of a door opening followed by wheels rolling against the floor traveled to their ears.

    "Sis," Regina called out right as she spotted Rachel.

    "Sis?" Jolly nced at Rachel. "Who is she calling?"

    Apart from Rachel, she was the only other woman in this space.

    "It''s a long story." Rachel frowned at Jolly''s bewildered gaze.

    There really wasn''t a way to keep this story concise, so Rachel just noted a few key points. Jolly was rendered gobsmacked, having a hard time processing the fact that Rachel''s father was still alive and had married into Yatruinia royalty.

    "Pinch me, Leroy-ouch!" Jolly red at the man. "I can''t believe you actually pinched me."

    "Stop acting. I didn''t even use any strength." He chuckled under his breath while rubbing her arm.

    Meanwhile, Regina had arrived at their side. Despite having been yelled at the day before, she acted like nothing ever happened, approaching them shamelessly. "Come and join us for breakfastter, sis." "Thanks, but no thanks." Rachel turned down her offer. "We''re nning to dine outdoors."

    "I''ll join you guys, then!"

    "Lady Regina, you mustn''t eat food from outside," Regina''s butler, Cordelia, reminded at once, making the young woman frown.

    "No food from outside?" Shock enveloped Jolly''s face as she mocked, "Just when you thought you''ve seen everything. Say, Chris, does this mean we''ll have to make an appointment before we get to see you, and the food you eat would be royal-banquet-level if you actually move to Yatruinia?"

    "Who are you?" Regina sized Jolly up.

    "Me?" Jolly got mischievous. "Why don''t you take a guess?"

    "Why should I do that?" Regina couldn''t care less about this woman. "I don''t want to know who you are either."

    "Cranky, much? Just when I thought it''d be a good idea for Chris to follow you guys. Looking at your temper, who knows how you might abuse her? Forget about going, Chris. You''re better off living with me. My parents will keep you safe, and my family isn''t any lesser than royalty."

    "What did you say?!" Regina''s face turned awful. "Who are you, and why should my sister stay with you?!"

    "She''s my little sister."

    "Little sister?" Rachel''s revtion stumped Regina. "No way! You only have me as a sister! Rachel, I''m your only sister!"

    "Not only am I Chris'' little sister, my parents are also her godparents, and the four of us live a pretty sweet life as a family. Sorry, you''re a few years toote now."

    "You can''t do that!" Livid, Regina shot up from her wheelchair, shocking Cordelia.

    "Lady Regina." She hurriedly supported the young woman.

    "Are you going to steal my sister from me?!"

    "I''m not stealing her from you. You''re the only one here trying to seize her."

    "You"

    "Alright, quit it. It''s way too early for this." Rachel stood up, having had enough of the fight. "You guys haven''t had anything to eat when you''vee all the way here, have you? Come on, let''s have breakfast together."

    Leroy tried to smooth things at that. "I''m getting hungry. I''ll go and get Carmen."

    "Sis!" Regina shouted toward Rachel''s back but only got Jolly sticking her tongue out at her in response, rendering the young woman livid with rage.

    "Lady Regina, please sit down. Your ankle still hasn''t recovered yet."

    "That woman is about to steal my sister away, and you want me to sit down?!" Regina gritted her teeth and slumped back into her wheelchair. "No, I have to follow them." "Lady Regina."

    "Don''t follow me." She shot Cordelia a warning re.

    She refused to believe Rachel would leave her like that when none of her people attended to her.

    After Leroy came back with Carmen, the gang headed to the diner.

    As it was still bright and early, the diner was packed with customers, and the smell of pancakes and milkshakes lingered in the air of the street.

    "They have green smoothies here," said Rachel. "Do you guys want to give it a try?"

    "A green smoothie? What does that even taste like?"

    "Green. Either way, I''m not a fan of it, but he likes it."

    Justin felt helpless at once. "I hate to break it to you, but I don''t like it either. That one time was because you couldn''t stand it, and I didn''t want to be wasteful."

    "Wait a minute." Jolly gazed dubiously at the former couple. "What''s up with you two?"

    Rachel felt heat rushing to her cheeks, and she immediately shoved a forkful of pancake into Jolly''s mouth. "Don''t talk with your mouth full."

    ˇ°Mm-mm-hmm..." Jolly swallowed the pancake in her mouth. "I mean, this is great. Personally, I believe people should keep moving forward and not dwell in the past."

    Rachel pretended not to understand what her best friend was saying, but her flushed cheeks were betraying her.

    After taking the hot tea from the server, Justin ced it in front of Rachel before adding teaspoons of sugar to it. He moved so proficiently that it looked like the two had been living in this town for years. "How long do you guys n on staying here?" Leroy asked.

    "We''ll see after some time, I guess. I kind of like it here."

    "What about this one?" Jolly shot a nce at the next table where Regina was sitting. She hadn''t ordered anything but only kept an eagle eye on Jolly. "What are you looking at? I''m not leaving if my sister isn''t leaving."

    "Do you think you have the final say? I bet your butler will drag you onto the ne along with your wheelchair once we head back."

    "You-"

    Jolly blew a raspberry at her in response.

    "Why argue with a kid?" Leroy asked helplessly. "Cut it out now. Eat your breakfast.ˇ±

    Just then, Carmen happened to return with a te of mini muffins. Seeing that Rachel''s table was already taken up by food, she decisively turned to Regina''s table.

    "Can I sit here?"

    "Whatever." Regina couldn''t care less about this woman. She wouldn''t be nice to anyone who sided with Jolly.

    As if Justin wasn''t already enough, three more people popped up. At this rate, it was impossible for Rachel to follow them.

    On the other hand, Carmen was good-natured as she voluntarily pushed her te toward Regina. "Here, help yourself." "I''m not eating it!"

    "It''s pretty nice. There are sweet and savory ones."

    "I''m not hungry."

    Much to her disappointment, her stomach growled the next second.

    She had just woken up not too long ago and hadn''t had anything to eat, so she was long starving.

    Then, there was Carmen and her crystal-clear eyes staring at her with enthusiasm and sincerity.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "Is it really good?" Regina hesitated.

    "Yeah, they''re really nice. I''ve already had two."

    "I''ll take one, then. I''ll pay you backter."

    "Don''t worry about it. It''s on me."

    As Regina ate the muffin, she noticed Carmen staring at her. "Why are you staring at me?" she asked with displeasure.

    "That''s because you look like a doll." Carmen cupped her cheeks, tilted her head, and looked affectionately at Regina, who was wearing a ck bowknot hair clip on her wavy chestnut-brown hair and a whitece dress underneath her waistcoat. Thetter was the epitome of a doll.

    "You look like a doll!"

    "I don''t. You do."

    Well, it wasn''t right for one to bite the hand that fed them. As much as Regina didn''t like people calling her so, she silently swallowed her temper upon noticing Carmen''s abnormal behavior. "The muffins are getting cold," she said.

 Chapter 562

    "Hey, this tastes rather weird. It''s not my thing." Jolly took a sip of the green smoothie and unhesitantly pushed it to Leroy, who was sitting across from her. "You finish it."

    The usefulness of a boyfriend would always reflect in the various details of life.

    For instance, he would walk on the outer side of a sidewalk, voluntarily carry all her shopping bags, or even be an emotionless robot who finished off her leftovers toward the end of a meal.

    No man could be exempted regardless of his social status.

    After breakfast, Rachel and Justin headed to the market to get some stuff to redecorate the old house. Jolly tagged along, having tons of energy to spend.

    "Aren''t you exhausted? Doesn''t lying in the homestay bed sound tempting to you?"

    "What''s so exhausting about a road trip? Besides, I want to see the ce you lived in as a kid."

    "It''s not finished yet."

    "Perfect. I can help."

    While helping Rachel choose a wall calendar in a bodega, Jolly noticed Regina lingering by the shelves from the corner of her eyes, unwilling to let them leave her sight. At that, she deliberately raised her voice. "We''re sisters. There''s no need to stand on ceremony."

    Sure enough, a certain someone became livid with rage.

    Their custom-made furniture could only be delivered in the afternoon, but the chaise lounge Jolly chose, which she imed would add to the liveliness of the house, was delivered over at once.

    "I heard there are wild matsutakes in this mountain. Where are they, Chris?"

    "All the matsutake would be long gone if you can find them," Rachel said helplessly. "Amateurs like us can only find them if we''re super lucky. You can definitely find them if you wake up early and follow the homestay owner up here, though."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes, she has a spot here."

    "Is it still considered wild matsutake then?"

    "It is. She just knows where the matsutake grow, and they grow in the same spot nearly every year."

    Though they couldn''t find any matsutake, Rachel still took the gang up the mountain. After all, it was Jolly and Leroy''s first time here. It gave Rachel a sense of being a host, hoping the guys would like Somerset Mountain a little more as she introduced the ce.

    "Careful, it''s slippery here." Justin held Rachel''s hand when they were climbing a slope.

    "Thanks."

    Behind them, Jolly smiled dubiously when she saw the former couple''s interaction and deliberately asked, "Leroy, where''s Carmen?"

    "She ran off," Leroy said. "She''s picking pines up ahead."

    "Come on, let''s go find her lest something happens. I heard there are wild boars in this neck of the woods."

    "Wild boars?"

    Seeing that Leroy was still reeling in perplexity, Jolly pinched him and dragged him away, leaving Rachel and Justin on the slope. "Don''t run too far off either, guys. The forest here is pretty deep, and you might get lost," Rachel shouted toward the couple.

    "I got it!" Jolly''s voice came from afar, echoing through the woods.

    The morning sun came through the gaps in the woods. As the cold mist dispersed, the dampness of the forest transpired, gradually warming up the ce.

    "Mr. Lee''s apprentice said they''ll deliver the furniture this afternoon; it''s just that the new furniture still has some chemical odor on it and will need to be aired for a while. As such, it''ll be some time before anyone can live in it."

    "No worries, there''ll be plenty of chances in the future."

    Rachel took a deep breath as she enjoyed the mountain view. "We''ve only been here for a few days, yet it feels like years have passed."

    "I''ll stay here with you as long as you want."

    "Actually, I kind of want to go back to Riverdale."

    Justin''s gaze paused for a split second.

    "Like animals, humans constantly migrate from one ce to another that''s more suitable for them," said Rachel. "I''m already used to my life in Riverdale."

    The memories of her eight years living in Somerset Mountain had long been buried in the archives. What she remembered most were her days in Riverdale, even if these twenty-plus years were somewhat miserable. However, with bitterness came sweetness. Those who were miserable would already feel content when given a sliver of sweetness. Besides, Charlotte and Samuel were still in Riverdale. "We''ll go back in a couple of days," Justin suggested. "Since the other guys just arrived, we''ll show them around before we leave. Just think of us as hosts entertaining our guests around."

    As he was a head taller, Rachel would have to raise her head slightly to look into his eyes, and right then, she found his side profile basking under the sun. Coupled with the shadows of the leaves enveloping the top of his head, he looked exceptionally affable.

    "Sure." Rachel nodded with a smile.

    As they spoke while heading further into the mountain, they spotted a familiar figure on the other mountain path far ahead nearly at the same time, and they stopped in their tracks at once.

    Rachel''s dangling hands balled into fists while her brows furrowed.

    The figure belonged to Lionel.

    What is he doing here in the mountains?

    "I''m going to take a look."

    "Rachel." Justin wanted to stop her, but he chose to follow her in the end.

    Lionel hade to the mountains alone with a grocery bag in his hand. It was clear that he wasn''t familiar with the area as he stopped in his tracks aimlessly every now and then.

    The former couple stalked him for quite a while and nearly lost him after crossing a slope.

    "There." Justin pulled on Rachel and gestured for her to stay quiet.

    Two massive ancient trees had blocked their view, but in fact, Lionel was just up ahead, mumbling to a tree.

    Still, they were too far away to hear him. "What is he saying?"

    "Don''t go any closer. He''ll see you." Justin grabbed her.

    It was so silent here that one could even hear a wild hare passing by; what more two living adults?

    It was safer that they kept their distance.

    Meanwhile, Lionel pulled a ss-bottled soda out of the grocery bag and uncapped it with ease. After taking a sip, he suddenly chuckled.

    "This tastes a little different from when we were kids, and I bet you''din if you tasted it. I still remember how much you love drinking soda, Selena, especially the ones you stored in the icehouse. There weren''t refrigerators yet at that time, and no one had done what you did either. You always figured a way out. Dad has two sons, but he loved you the most, and it turns out he was right. You''re the most excellent among us."

    He continued, "I wonder if you ever regretted it. Maybe you would''ve had an easier life if not for all that medicine and whatnot. How great it would''ve been if you followed me and studied abroad. But you refused to go, saying you were afraid no one would take care of Dad. Well, you were the most pious among us. Selena, Rachel has grown up now. I bet you''d be happy if you could see her. She looks so much like you. I would''ve recognized her in a heartbeat if I stayed in Riverdale. But I''ve failed her..."

    Everything in this world had a soul. Apart from the soil, these massive ancient trees lived the longest in this neck of the woods, and people could always leave their mourning with them.

    As Rachel and Justin watched Lionel sitting in front of a tree and mumbling away, they suddenly figured out why he hade into the mountain alone.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 563

    Selena had been burned to death by mountain fire after being mutted, so there wasn''t even a skeleton left of her. Even if Rachel didn''t say much, Lionel could probably guess that Selena wasn''t buried in this part of the mountains.

    However, trees had souls. Since Selena was buried deep beneath this soil, he''d be mourning for her indirectly by talking to these trees.

    Meanwhile, Rachel wasn''t sure how to feel when she looked at the man in his fifties.

    Justin, on the other hand, let go of her. "Go to him if you want to."

    Slightly stumped, Rachel hesitated for a moment before standing up straight behind the tree.

    Before she could go over, a grunt came from behind. She turned around upon hearing that, only to be muffled. Thest thing she saw before passing out was Justin being dragged away.

    "They still haven''t returned?" Jolly cornered Bobby as soon as she returned to the homestay at noon. "Are you sure about this?"

    "I swear they didn''te back." Bobby shook his head in response. "I''ve been here all day. No one came in after you guys left in the morning."

    "Which room is Chris staying in? I want to take a look."

    "Upstairs-"

    Jolly rushed upstairs at that, not waiting for Bobby to finish his words. s, Rachel and Justin''s rooms were as they left them in the morning, and not a single soul was inside either. "What''s wrong?" Lionel came out of his room and into the lobby when he heard noises outside.

    Leroy happened toe back inside right then, and he exined, "We, Justin, and Rachel went up to the mountain together. We split up for a while, but we couldn''t find her or Justin after that. We assumed they hade back before us, but as it turns out, they didn''t."

    "Have you guys tried calling them?"

    "We did, but we couldn''t get through either."

    "Could it be because of the poor signal?" Bobby exined. "The signal has always been bad up in the mountains. You can never get a call there."

    "It''s been two hours, and Chris isn''t a careless person. It''s impossible for her not to contact any of us after disappearing for so long." Jolly dashed down the stairs frantically, stomping as she went. "Something terrible must''ve happened. I''m sure of it."

    Just then, Carmen dashed right inside. "Leroy, Jolly, it''s going to rain.ˇ±

    "Carmen, we don''t have time for this right now." Leroy, too, believed the situation was getting serious. "Maybe they got lost in the woods. Can we get those living in the mountains to help?"

    "There''s a huge, dark cloud. You can''t go there. It''s going to rain in the mountains." Carmen pointed outside as she tugged on Leroy''s sleeve. ˇ°Look, Leroy, there''s a dark cloud."

    "What dark clouds?!" Jolly became irritated. "It''s a sunny day today."

    "No, Jolly. Look!" Leroy''s grave tone made everyone look outside.

    Thick smoke came from somewhere in the mountains, and it seemed like it had been going on for a while as massive ck smoke billowed into the air, slowly concealing the sky above the mountains. Hell, that was no dark cloud-it was wildfire!

    "Wildfire!" Bobby''s shriek awoke everyone, and Jolly''s countenance turned awful. "Chris and Justin might still be in there!"

    At that, the gang rushed over.

    Meanwhile, the smoke had long billowed where the fire was happening in the mountain.

    Awoken by the choking smoke, Rachel then found Justin tied to a tree across from her with piles of dried leaves and wood surrounding him.

    Terrified, she struggled to get to him, only to discover she had been tied to a tree as well.

    The thick rope was so tightly wrapped around her that she thought her bones would break. There was no way she could break free.

    "Justin! Wake up, Justin!" Atst, the man finally woke up amidst her desperate cries and coughs.

    Justin reacted about the same as Rachel after regaining consciousness. "Rachel." His expression turned grim.

    "We got ambushed." Rachel looked at the surrounding smoke with despair. "We''re going to die here today."

    "We won''t."

    Justin''s face tensed up. His face had been scorched bright red amidst the wildfire, and beads of sweat kept rolling down his cheeks. Even so, he kept fighting the rope tied to his hands behind his back. Who knew how long had passed when he finally managed to free his one hand with a forceful tug? However, nearly the entire skin had been scraped off his back, mangled.

    "Rachel!" He charged toward the woman and hurriedly untied the ropes the second he broke free. "Rachel, wake up! Don''t sleep!"

    Rachel kept coughing, and her voice was already raspy. "Forget about me and just get out of here."

    "What are you talking about?! We''re leaving together." Justin removed his jacket, wrapped it around her, then carried her in his arms and strode out of there.

    However, fire enveloped their surroundings, and the way down waspletely blocked. Their only option was to head up the mountain, but the thick smoke made it hard for Justin to tell where he was going. Worse, the fire was only getting bigger.

    This scene was like a nightmare, one that had apanied them for twenty-plus years.

    To think this day would actuallye.

    When he heard Rachel coughing, Justin loosened his grip on her slightly. "Don''t worry, Rachel. We''ll definitely get out of here."

    ˇ°Forget about me. Neither of us will be able to get out of here if you carry me."

    "We can."

    "Justin Burton."

    "You always call me that, and it makes me feel like we''re only acquaintances. Call me something else."

    Rachel could see his moving face as shey in his arms, but he was moving so much that she felt dizzy. She was well aware that he didn''t care what she called him; he just wanted to distract her.

    At that, she felt a massive lump in her throat. However, she chose to y dumb and went along with him. "What do you want me to call you, then?" she asked while nodding. "Anything but that."

    "Do you have a family nickname?"

    "I don''t think so."

    "Liar, you clearly do." Rachel''s voice was so weak that it nearly drowned in the crackling noise of burning trees. "I remember it well. Your grandpa and aunt used to call you... Jay."

    "In that case, call me that too."

    "No."

    "Why not?"

    "It''ll be like everyone else. I don''t want that."

    "Why don''t youe up with one, then?" A hint ofughterced his voice.

    "Okay."

    Rachel''s head spun terribly, and right then, Justin had been standing on the same spot for quite some time.

    The zing fire surrounded them, inching their way closer to Rachel and Justin. The fresh leaves held back the engulfing mes, but just barely. Then again, the gradually thinning oxygen would probably get to them before the fire could.

    "Don''t sleep, Rachel."

    Justin was still desperately trying to find a way out, but the thick smoke made his bloodshot eyes water badly.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s grip on his neck began loosening, and her voice was bing barely audible.

    "Justin, I''m really sleepy."

    "No, don''t sleep. We''re almost out. Rachel, stay with me here! Stay with me and don''t sleep. Talk to me. Think about our girl. Charlotte and Samuel are still waiting for you to go back to Riverdale!" Justin cried out in a shaky voice. He couldn''t take losing her another time.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    He had already lost her twice, and both times nearly ended him.

 Chapter 564

    Rachel was never in perfect health as the wildfire from when she was eight left her with a chronic condition despite surviving it. Apart from giving her a broken voice box, she also suffered from minor asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It was just that she rarely brought it up with others.

    She couldn''t go anywhere that had insufficient oxygen, or she would suffocate if she wasn''t careful.

    While Justin only felt unbearable from the smoke, Rachel hadn''t been breathing properly for long, and she could feel her energy being sucked out of her body gradually.

    Nheless, she kept fighting her consciousness. She believed if she kept talking to Justin, his desire to survive would increase, and if he could hang on longer, he might eventually find a way out-just like he had twenty-six years ago.

    Meanwhile, Justin held a death grip on Rachel as he searched through the thick smoke. The moment he saw the two massive, ancient trees, his bloodshot eyes lit up with joy.

    "Rachel, I''ve found the way out. We''ll reach your home if we go down this path. Wake up, Rachel."

    Justin carried her in his arms as he hurried down the mountain. The two of them had walked on this path so many times in thest few days that he knew hope was just up ahead, even when he could barely see the road in front. Everything would be okay once they left the mountain.

    Just then, Rachel''s hand slipped from his neck.

    "Rachel." His voice trembled from the suddenness, and he stopped in his tracks. "Rachel!"

    No matter how Justin called her, she no longer responded this time.

    At that, he quickened his pace down the mountain. However, he was faced with an oing fire. The heat wave nearly came at them as well, scorching their cheeks while preventing them from leaving. Justin hadn''t thought the road down would be blocked by fire as well.

    had also been blocked by fire.

    Rachel had already passed out at this point, clearly on herst legs. As Justin coughed violently, the immense pain caused him to slip and fall with Rachel in his arms.

    "Rachel!"

    Rachely on the ground, unresponsive.

    "Rachel!" shouted Justin. His eyes were red as he tried to pick her up, unwilling to resign to fate.

    However, the dizziness from the carbon monoxide in his system made it hard for him to do something as simple as this. He tried again and again, but his arms were spent. He couldn''t pick Rachel up no matter what.

    Justin scanned his surroundings while fighting his urge to cough, but all he could see was thick smoke. Even if he could hold on until he found a way out, Rachel couldn''t anymore. Suddenly, he calmed down as he looked at the motionless woman in his arms.

    He pulled her closer to him and nted a kiss on her forehead. His voice was so raspy now that it sounded like he had washed his throat down with sand. "It''s okay. I won''t abandon you like I did back then. I''ll stay here with you forever."

    The zing fire wasing toward them; everywhere it went, dead leaves turned into ashes in an instant. However, Justin turned a blind eye to it, only pulling the woman in his arms close to him. She was who he cherished the most in this life; not even death could make him think otherwise.

    Justin had a dream. In the past twenty-six years, the dream he most often had was about the wildfire incident.

    The fire scorched the entire mountain, and the zing fire chased after them from behind. He was pulling a little girl''s hand. She was scrawny, yet her eyes were crystal clear like spring water. Though they ran fast, they still tripped.

    "Go, run away!"

    "Katie!"

    Every time, the dream would end with him being shot wide awake, drenched in a cold sweat. In his dream, he eventually let go of Katie''s hand and watched her slip down the slope without being able to do anything.

    "You were the one who saved my life. Either we live together, or we die together." This life should''ve been returned to you twenty-six years ago, Rachel.

    The heaviness in Rachel''s chest woke her up, making her feel like she was drowning, and as her eyes shot wide open, she gasped. She then parted her lips, only to discover she couldn''t make a sound. She was wearing an oxygen mask and had been given a venttor.

    As the notion crossed her mind, the sudden sound of a woman eximing sent a sharp pang to her ears, resulting in her inability to hear a word the woman said. Other than that, her ears buzzed from a twinge The next second, many gathered around her bed. There were men and women, old and young. She could seemingly see through her blurry eyes, but at the same time, she couldn''t see clearly.

    "Chris!"

    "Mommy!"

    "Rachel!"

    No one knew which voice pulled her consciousness back. But all of a sudden, she could see what was before her eyes clearly, and the first image she captured was of a teary-eyed Jolly. Her eyes were so swollen from all the crying that Rachel nearly couldn''t make her out.

    "She seems awake. She''s awake." Victor grabbed Gloria''s arms. "Rachel''s finally awake."

    Gloria, too, was in tears. "It''s good that she''s awake." She kept wiping her tears away.

    "Do you know how long you''ve slept, Chris?! You scared the sh*t out of us!" Jolly grabbed Rachel''s hand. Her grip was so tight that Rachel frowned in pain. She wanted toin, but the venttor prevented her from doing so.

    "Rachel looks like she wants to say something." Thank heavens for Victor''s quick reaction.

    Jolly hurriedly leaned closer to Rachel. "What is it, Rachel? We''re listening."N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

    "Tube..." Rachel took pains to finally utter a word.

    "Tube? What tube?" Jolly scratched her head, bewildered. "What tube?"

    Just then, Gloria eximed, "Jolly, you''re pressing down on her breathing tube!"

    Jolly nearly jumped up at once, feeling guilty and mortified. "Sorry, sorry, I was too excited to realize it. I''m sorry!"

    "What''s apologizing going to do?! Move aside. To think she survived the fire only to die of suffocation because of you!" Gloria frothed at the mouth.

    Everyone here had been hoping for a whole week for Rachel to regain consciousness. No thanks to Jolly, she pressed down on Rachel''s breathing tube right as thetter finally woke up. Jesus!

    On the other hand, Rachel still had something to say, though she barely had any strength.

    "What else do you want to say, Rachel? I''m listening." Gloria leaned closer to Rachel and took a long time before finally making out what she was trying to say.

    She wasn''t talking about the tube-she was asking about a certain someone.

    Gloria''s eyes shrank, and she fought back her tears while pulling a smile. "Don''t worry. He''s all okay. You should rest for now, and you can see him once you''re better." Rachel nodded at that and closed her eyes once more.

    She was well spent. Only saying a couple of words already got her lethargic, but she could now be at ease when she knew he was okay.

    When the doctors came to check on Rachel, the others went out of the ward.

    At that, Jolly pulled Gloria over. "What did Chris ask you?"

    "What else?" Gloria sighed.

    Jolly understood at once. "Why didn''t you tell her the truth? She''ll find out eventually."

    "Do you think I can do that right now? She just woke up, you know. We''ll see how things go after she gets better."

 Chapter 565

    It wasn''t until three dayster that Rachel came off the venttor, and during that time, she got more conscious by the day. Only when her condition had stabilized and the doctors were certain there wouldn''t be risks did they stop the venttor.

    "You have to tell me at once if you don''t feelfortable. Alternatively, you can press the bell. Don''t fight it. You''ve inhaled a lot of smoke, and it''s pretty severe." It was like Jolly and Rachel had switched overnight, with Jolly bing the motherly one.

    Gloria, however, didn''t buy her act. "Yeah, right. You pressed down on Rachel''s tube as soon as she woke up, nearly suffocating her. I can''t even begin to imagine what would happen to her under your care."

    "I''ve told you it was an ident! You''ve been on about this for three days. When are you going to stop?"

    "Until the day I step into my grave!"

    "Knock on wood!" Jolly hit the roof. "Can''t you watch your mouth?!"

    Jolly wasn''t superstitious, but after Rachel was hospitalized, everyone in the gang did whatever they thought could help Rachel regain consciousness. If possible, they''d pray to every godly being in this world and do anything that would bring good luck.

    Likewise, Gloria uttered the phrase ''knock on wood'' at once and even tapped on the bedside table.

    Rachel chuckled amusedly, leading her pallid face to beced with a tinge of redness as she coughed.

    Jolly hurriedly brought a ss of water to Rachel at that. "Have some water."

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t waste your voice on useless words like this when your throat''s ufortable." After taking a sip of water, Rachel asked with a raspy voice. "How''s Justin?"

    "Who?" Gloria and Jolly exchanged a nce.

    "Oh, he''s recovering pretty well. He can even walk now. You should do your best too."

    "In that case, why hasn''t hee to see me?"

    "Huh?" Stumped, Jolly started mumbling, ˇ°He, uh, he... The doctor advised him against walking too much. He still needs to recuperate, after all.ˇ±

    Being a shrewd one and knowing Jolly like the back of her hand, Rachel instantly knew the former was lying upon seeing her behavior.

    "How exactly is he doing?"

    Overwhelmed by Rachel''s questioning, Jolly looked to Gloria for help.

    However, Gloria was a terrible liar as well, not to mention when it was about Justin. Her eyes were already red-rimmed when she heard his name, and she even failed to hold back her tears, letting them roll down her cheeks like beads of a broken string. "He''s still in aa."

    Rachel''s expression turned awful the second she heard Gloria''s sobs. "Take me to him."

    Jolly stopped her at once. "The doctor said you need to recuperate. You can''t run around just yet."

    "I said, take me to him-"

    Having gotten worked up, Rachel started coughing violently.

    "Don''t get agitated. Take a deep breath. Fine, we''ll take you to him."

    Jolly knew there was no stopping Rachel anymore and pushed a wheelchair over. With Gloria''s help, they helped Rachel out of bed and into the wheelchair, taking her to the ICU.

    The second Rachel saw the man lying behind the window, her eyes turned red-rimmed with oing tears.

    Like when she had just woken up, Justin needed the support of a venttor too. Unlike her, he had a lot more tubes attached to him, and it was soplicated that she couldn''t even tell just how many there

    were.

    "How is his condition?"

    "The doctor said he inhaled too much smoke, and the carbon monoxide level in his blood was so high that it damaged his brain, triggering his old affliction from the car ident. H-He might never wake up." "That''s not possible." Rachel was rendered stupefied. "Didn''t you guys tell me he ran out himself? Why is his condition more severe than mine? He was in much better health than I was! He could''ve certainly

    left."

    "He didn''t. He held you in his arms without moving an inch like he was ready to face death." Jolly sighed at the mention of this. "When your dad rushed into the fire to save you guys, Justin probably thought you were on yourst legs, and he wouldn''t let go of you no matter what. It was like he was ready to go with you."

    Jolly''s every word shot a sharp pang to Rachel''s heart, and she reflexively pressed her hand against the window,tching her eyes on the man in the bed as her body trembled.

    Why were you so foolish? You could''ve escaped.

    "Chris, there might still be hope. Don''t be too upset."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel sniffled at that, fighting back her tears. "He''ll definitely wake up."

    However, Gloria wasn''t as optimistic. "The doctor said his chances of waking up are low. Many cases like his almost always end up in a vegetative state." She choked on her sobs. "Can''t you be a little more optimistic?! He was the one who raised you!" Jolly snapped.

    "It''s exactly because he raised me that I''m prepared for the worst. Even if he ends up being in aa forever, I''ll take care of him until the end of time."

    "You don''t need to," Rachel said weakly. "I''ll take care of him."

    Her words stumped Gloria.

    "You guys can go back. I want to stay here with him for a little while longer."

    Rachel pressed her hand against the ss as though doing so could bring her closer to the man inside.

    Jolly wanted to dissuade her, but Gloria shot nces at the former and dragged her away.

    "What are you pulling me for? Chris is in such bad shape that she can''t stay out here for long. She has to go back to her ward."

    "Don''t you know being depressed is also lethal to recovery?" retorted Gloria. "Do you think she''ll be able to rest like this? Let her stay for a while."

    Jolly sighed at that. "Say, why do you think they can nevere to a parallel line? It''s always a chasing game between the two; I love you, but you don''t love me, or you love me, but I don''t love you anymore. They can never seem to match each other''s pace. I''m even getting anxious for them."

    Gloria nodded in agreement. In fact, she was shocked when Rachel called out to Justin earlier.

    One should know Rachel had never called Justin so sweetly before.

    While the two were speaking, a figure approached their direction.

    "Mr. Hudson."

    The person who hade was Lionel. He was in simple, casual clothing, and upon seeing the two, he smiled while acting gentlemanly. "Miss Carter, Miss Hochmann."

    "Are you doing better now, Mr. Hudson?" Gloria asked with concern.

    "Much better. How''s Rachel doing today?"

    "She''s doing pretty well too. She''s off the venttor and can breathe on her own now. It''s just that..."

    "What is it?"

    "She found out that Justin is still in aa and might never wake up again. She''s alone in the ICU right now. Do you want to go and take a look?"

    With that, Lionel took a gander toward the ICU. "I''ll do that. Thank you,dies."

    "No worries."

    "Chris'' luckester in her life, huh?" Jollymented as she looked at Lionel''s back. "How is it that her birth father can be so suave? Mr. Hudson''s temperament is absolutely remarkable. No wonder the countess of Yatruinai forced him to stay."

    "How is it that you''re still in the mood to talk about him at this time?!"

    "What else am I supposed to say, then? If Mr. Hudson hadn''t led the rescue and even went into the fire himself, there wouldn''t be anything left of Chris and Justin by now."

    As soon as Lionel learned that Rachel and Justin were stranded up in the mountain, he sent all his men to search the area and even gathered the locals to put out the fire. Before it had been put out, he already charged into the fire alone.

    He was the one who carried Rachel out.

 Chapter 566

    Through the ss partition of the ICU, Rachel gazed at the man lying on the sick bed.

    He seemed especially unfamiliar with all the tubes sticking out of his body. In Rachel''s memories, Justin had always been tall and strong with little emotion on his face. He seemed to be greatly distanced from people, and others also dared not approach him casually.

    No matter what happened, he seemed to solve every problem with ease. Even after leaving Burton Group, as long as he wished to, he could still retrieve everything that belonged to him with ease.

    But now, hey there, so weak that he could only depend on machines for survival.

    "Rae."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    A thick, male voice sounded from behind her.

    Rachel wiped the corners of her eyes, then turned around to see that it was Lionel. In an instant, she was overwhelmed.

    It had been about a week since she regained consciousness, and everyone hade over to visit her. Even Hernandez, who couldn''te to Riverdale for the time being, gave her a video call and kept reminding her to take care of herself. However, she never once saw Lionel.

    Rachel heard from Gloria that she had bumped into Lionel at the hospital, but since there were too many people in the ward, he just stood outside and took a nce before leaving. He never even went in and talked to the rest.

    "He will wake up." Lionel''s voice brought Rachel back to reality. "Don''t get too upset this is not yet the time for sorrow."

    Rachel returned to her senses. "I know."

    "You just recovered, so take good care of yourself. You don''t want to copse after he wakes up, after all."

    "Okay. I''ll stick around for a bit before leaving."

    "Good. By the way, Regina got someone to make you some soup. She insisted on delivering this to you. I was worried that she might disturb your rest, so I agreed to deliver this in her stead. I''ll put it in your ward, so remember to have some."

    Seeing Lionel treat her so cautiously, Rachel couldn''t hold it in any longer. "Dad."

    He froze, and it seemed as if he couldn''t believe his ears.

    "What did you call me?"

    "Dad, please take me back to the ward. I''m feeling a little tired."

    Rachel''s expression was gentle, and she was no longer the ferocious person she had been toward him as tears glistened in her eyes.

    Lionel finally came to his senses. He was more than fifty years old now, but he could barely control his emotions as he choked on them. "Okay, I''ll take you back to the ward."

    When they returned, Lionel opened the container of soup and fed Rachel in spoonfuls.

    "I can do it myself."

    "It''s okay, I''ll do it."

    Lionel''s eyes were red. "Rae, I''m so sorry. You had to experience those sufferings you didn''t deserve because of me."

    Rachel shook her head. "It''s not your fault. Someone wants to hurt us. Even if we survive the fire, they still have other tricks up their sleeves."

    "I''ve already asked someone to investigate this. I want to see which scoundrel actually dared to harm my daughter."

    When he came to the part where he got too worked up, he began to cough.

    She immediately straightened up and took the bowl of soup from him, setting it aside. "Dad, are you alright?"

    "I''m fine, I''m fine," he said while coughing.

    "You should be resting well."

    "I healed the moment I saw you."

    Lionel smiled and gazed at Rachel. He couldn''t help but reach out and smoothen her hair. "Selena passed away too soon. Do you still remember what your mother looked like?"

    "I do." Rachel nodded. "I look a lot like my mother."

    "Did your grandma tell you that?"

    "Yes. I don''t remember much because it happened when I was young, so Grandma showed me some photos. However, I''m not as pretty as my mother."

    "You two are different. Your mother was a lively person, and you''re much calmer than her."

    "What was my mother like? I want to know more about her."

    "You do?"

    "Yes."

    Lionel took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. To him, Selena existed in his memories. He thought that he could no longer talk about her to anyone else, but their daughter was right in front of him. When Rachel was born, Selena had already taken her away to hide in the mountains. In Rachel''s memories, her mother was gentle, but in Lionel''s memories, it was another story.

    "She was different from other girls from a young age. She was naughty, but she could convince people easily. She didn''t mince her words, and people both loved and hated her. She didn''t like studying, but she loved researching pharmacology. She would go to the pharmacy and hang out with the pharmacists."

    He continued, "My mother was still alive then, and when she forced Selena to learn embroidery, Selena reacted like it cost her her life. She was punished for it a few times, then Father pitied her so much that he decided to just stop sending her to embroidery sses altogether."

    At that, Lionel smiled. "My mother was so mad that it gave her headaches, and she wanted to chase Selena out multiple times. She''d be appeased by Selena''s desserts, and the next day, she would be hugging her as always. My mother only scolded her two sons, saying that daughters were much better than sons."

    "Was my mom pampered at home?"

    "Very much. We weren''t as convincing as she was, and everyone loved to see her. If not, why did you think your grandma would agree to leave with her?"

    Rachel nodded.

    It was true. If her mother hadn''t treated everyone around her well enough, she wouldn''t be able to escape when the Hudsons fell to ruin. Other than Nancy, many people must have helped her as well. "After that, your Uncle Jefferey and I went abroad to study. She could''vee with us, and we thought she definitely wanted to see the world with a personality like that. Unexpectedly, she didn''t go. Your grandmother just passed away then, and I know she wanted to stay behind to take care of Father."

    At that, Lionel sighed. "She was the adopted daughter of the Hudsons, but she cared about the elderly more than we did. She was the most considerate one out of all of us." "Grandma told me that Grandpa loved my mom to bits."

    "Yes, and your mother was truly talented. That was why your grandpa wanted to pass on the special Hudson prescription to her. Back in the day, the prescription was only passed on to males, but I wasn''t interested in medicine, and your Uncle Jefferey wasn''t trustworthy enough. Who knew that something would happenter?"

    Arge family''s downfall would start from the inside, and Jefferey was an example of that.

    No one thought that the usually silent second son of the Hudson Family would get so twisted that he would destroy his own family to satisfy his selfishness and greed. He worked so hard to be acknowledged, but from a young age, he had been overshadowed by Lionel and Selena.

    "As for the incidents that followed, I also sent some people to investigate them. When the incidents befell the Hudson Family, I was no longer in Riverdale."

    "Regina told me that Natasha took you to Yatruinia, where you were unconscious for years."

    "Natasha was a good woman. Even though she hid those things from me, I''m still grateful to her for everything she''s done."

    "I know." Rachel nodded.

    Even though she wasn''t generous enough to forgive Natasha in her mother''s stead, she couldn''t me Natasha either. After all, that woman''s patience and persistence had saved her father''s life.

    "Two years ago, Natasha passed away due to cancer. Before she left, she told me that she regretted one thing in her life. She wanted me to find you and make it up to you. ording to her, she initially thought that since your Uncle Jefferey took you away, he would treat you well."

 Chapter 567

    At the mention of Natasha, a pained look appeared in Lionel''s eyes.

    Rachel held his hand. "Dad, let''s not talk about that. I don''t me her at all."

    A dying person''s words were always kinder, after all.

    Also, Natasha was just a foolish woman who wanted her beloved to stay with her.

    "By the way, Dad, why haven''t I seen Regina recently?"

    "I''m worried that she might disturb your rest. There''s always a bunch of people following her whenever she goes out, so it attracts attention," said Lionel. "Ever since she was young, Regina envied others for having siblings. When she knew that she had an elder sister, she was happier than anyone else, and she even kept pestering me to bring her along. I hope you won''t hate her."

    "I don''t hate her; I just can''t ept this fact yet."

    "It''s okay, she''s been outside long enough, so it''s about time she heads back."

    "Is Regina going back?"

    "Yes."

    Rachel felt a thousand emotions rushing through her mind, slightly stunned.

    She couldn''t ept this sudden addition of a sister at first. There was almost nothing about Regina that resembled her, be it looks or personality. They werepletely different people.

    She couldn''t findmon ground between them, and she didn''t feel particrly attached to Regina either. Also, their different living circumstances caused them to have different tastes in food.

    However, blood rtions were a peculiar phenomenon. Perhaps it really was because they were rted by blood, and it was the only reason Rachel could find; they had only been together for a few days, but she already treated Regina like her own sister.

    After Lionel left, Rachel''s mind was still preupied with thoughts. She didn''t even realize when Jolly talked to her.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "Chris."

    "Hm?" Rachel came to her senses.

    Jolly waved a hand in front of her, then showed two fingers. "What''s this number?"

    "Two. What''s the matter with you?"

    "I thought you were suffering from someplications and lost your soul or something." Jolly stared at her. "Howe you''re so dazed after your dad left? What did he talk to you about?" "Nothing. It''s just that Regina will be leaving soon."

    "That girl? Well, just let her leave. She''s so noisy."

    "Look who''s talking."

    Jolly immediately widened her eyes and red at Rachel. "Are you getting tired of me? Why? You don''t want your godsister now that you have a real one? What a jerk!"

    As she said that, she even put a hand to her chest and twisted her face in exaggerated pain.

    "Did Leroy teach you how to do that?"

    Rachel rolled her eyes at Jolly.

    Jolly pouted, then turned to the topic at hand. "Even though that girl talks in an annoying way, her persistence is quite admirable."

    Rachel thought for a bit. "Jolly, can you help me out? Please help me see her off when she leaves, and give her something while you''re at it."

    Jolly didn''t answer.

    Three dayster, Regina left Riverdale.

    Her identity was rather unique. After her mother passed away, the crown would automatically belong to her. If she hadn''t pestered Lionel about it, the man was reluctant to bring her out.

    At the airport, the private ne was already waiting at the gate. Regina would be leaving through the special passageway, and she was protected by bodyguards all around her.

    "Wait!"

    They had only reached the airport when Regina and the others were halted by this shout.

    Jolly ran over to them, but she was blocked by the ignorant bodyguards. If Regina hadn''t reacted in time, something terrible might have happened.

    "She''s my friend. Let go of her."

    It was only then Jolly was allowed passage.

    Still, Regina wasn''t too friendly when she looked at Jolly. "Why are you here? Tough at me?"

    "I''m not that bored. Why would Ie all the way to the airport just tough at you?" Jolly was exhausted from all the running, and she panted as she said, "Is your leg all right now? You don''t have to use the wheelchair anymore, right?"

    "I recovered a long time ago."

    "Take care when you go back. Your leg is more prone to getting hurt after injuring it once."

    "Is that all you''vee to say?" Regina looked behind Jolly, and it seemed as though she was looking for something.

    Jolly snapped her fingers, drawing Regina''s attention back to her. "What are you looking for? Do you still think your sister cane and see you off?"

    "I don''t mean it like that!"

    "You''re quite stubborn, aren''t you? But only around me, it seems."

    Furious, Regina still suppressed her temper as she gritted her teeth and said, "I''m leaving soon. My sister... is yours now. You win."

    Seeing that Regina was so mad that she was about to cry, Jolly finally stopped teasing her.

    "Here. This is for you."

    A bunch of keys emerged from her sleeve, and a pink ribbon keychain held them together. They shivered and ttered in the air, producing a beautiful sound. "What''s this?"

    "House keys. It''s that apartment you went to before. Your sister wanted me to give you this."

    Regina was stunned in an instant. ˇ°My sister asked you to give me this?"

    "Yes. Why else would I give you the keys? Let me tell you this there are only three keys to the house. One is with your sister, another one is with me, and this one''s for you. What are you zoning out for? Do you not want it? If so, I''m going to keep it."

    "Who said I don''t want them!" Regina snatched the keys from Jolly. "My sister gave it to me, not you."

    Her angered behavior paired with her curly brown hair made her look like an angry little lion.

    Jolly smiled and caressed her head. "Do drop by often. I won''t be following you further in, so goodbye."

    With that, she turned around and left.

    There was a short silence behind her until it was broken by Regina''s sobbing voice. "You have to be good to my sister, or I''lle back and take her away! By then, you will never see my sister again!" Jolly thought it funny, but she was also deeply moved as well. Her eyes began to turn red.

    Once in the car, Jolly nced toward the passenger seat. "Your eyes are going to bulge out of the window. You''re so fond of her; are you sure you don''t want to get out and see her off?"

    "If I get out, she probably wouldn''t want to leave anymore." In the passenger seat, Rachel wiped tears from her reddened eyes. "Let''s not cause more trouble."

    Jolly sighed. "You''re still kind of lucky. Your biological father came back, and you even have a sister who loves you so much right now."

    "What? Are you jealous?"

    "Pfft! Why would I be jealous? She won''t be able to see you that often, and being a noble isn''t much good either, for she has so many limitations just to leave the country. I like being me." Rachelughed. "That''s self-promotion."

    Outside the car window, Regina was led inside the ne by the butler who followed her. Even from her silhouette, it was clear that she didn''t want to leave. After all, she hadn''t heard Rachel''s acknowledgment herself. However, she couldn''t stay. Everyone had their own responsibilities to fulfill, and she was no exception.

    Meanwhile, in the car, Jolly started the engine and got ready to leave the airport, heading back to the hospital. Suddenly, Rachel''s phone rang in the car.

    It was a call from Gloria.

    "Hello?"

    As soon as it went through, Gloria''s trembling voice sounded. "Rachel, my brother is awake!"

    Rachel''s hand shook, then she came to her senses after a bit. "Quick, Jolly-get back to the hospital."

    Joy bubbled within her blood. Even though she knew that Justin''s condition was getting better recently and that he would be waking up without any problems, she was still pleasantly surprised that he would wake up so soon.

    He was awake; he was finally awake.

 Chapter 568

    When Rachel rushed to the hospital, there was a group of people at the entrance of the ward.

    Gloria had put off all her work to stay at the hospital. It happened to be a holiday, so Victor was also with her at the hospital. That was why Rachel was assured enough to leave and see Regina off.

    "Rachel."

    Victor spotted Rachel first, and Gloria turned around as well.

    Rachel walked over to them from the corridor. When she saw the crowd at the entrance from a distance away, her heart began pounding wildly. She was terrified that a tragedy would happen after all this good news. No one could foresee the future, after all.

    "How is he?" Jolly was the one who asked about the situation first.

    Gloria said, "The doctor is still doing a check-up inside. We''ve been asked to wait outside."

    Victorforted Rachel, saying, "Rachel, he''s awake now, so he should be fine. Don''t worry."

    Rachel nodded, but she couldn''t help worrying in her mind.

    Just then, the door to the ward opened, and the doctor walked out.

    Rachel''s feet seemed to be nted firmly on the ground, and she couldn''t move as she watched Jolly and the others ask the doctor about the situation. She remained behind them, listening in. "He''s alright now. We''ll observe him for a few more days, and if everything is fine, he can get discharged and rest at home."

    Everyone sighed in relief.

    Gloria hastily said, "Thank you for the hard work, doctor."

    "You''re wee. This is our duty, after all.

    "In that case, can we go in now?"

    "Try not to go in all at once. He still hasn''tpletely woken up. One of you can go in and talk to him, but please don''t cause a ruckus."

    "Thank you, doctor."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    After the doctor left, everyone turned their gazes simultaneously on Rachel.

    They all knew that none of them were more worthy of seeing Justin than Rachel herself.

    In the ward, the afternoon sunlight shone through the curtains into the room. It wasn''t too brilliant, and it was at the perfect intensity. It was just like the temperature in the ward; everything was just right. Rachel sat down next to the bed. She didn''t move rashly, and she was even a little careful as if she feared that she might wake him. Nheless, this was contradictory to her wishes. She hoped that he would wake up and that he would look at her and talk to her.

    "Weren''t you awake? Why are you sleeping again?"

    Rachel carefully took Justin''s hand, her voice small as she spoke. "Why did you wake up today, of all days, when I''m not at the hospital? If I knew you''d be waking up, I wouldn''t have left no matter what." Justin''s fingers moved a little, and he began to frown.

    Rachel didn''t notice that as she lowered her head and took a deep breath. "It''s okay, though. The doctor said that you can be discharged after some observation for a few more days. I''m d enough that you can get discharged. This time, I feel as if we both died once and came back to life.ˇ±

    Rachel spoke to herself, not realizing that Justin had already opened his eyes. He gazed at her for a long time, the look in his eyes gradually turning gentle.

    "Rae."

    When Rachel heard his voice, she thought she was hearing things. She was stunned for a while before she slowly raised her head.

    As their gazes met, Rachel saw that there were hints of exhaustion in Justin''s eyes. However, the gentleness was unmistakable underneath the fatigue. He looked at her quietly as if he were looking at a treasure he lost and found again.

    Rachel gripped his hand tightly, instantly at a loss for words. Her tears began streaming down her face.

    Justin tried to lift his hand to wipe the tears away for her. Sadly, his body was terribly heavy, and his other hand had a needle in it, so he couldn''t quite raise his hand.

    When he saw Rachel choking on her sobs, Justin said helplessly, "Don''t cry, Rae."

    "I''m not crying." Rae turned around and wiped her tears away. However, no matter how much she wiped, her tears kepting.

    Just when Justin was wondering what he should do, she suddenly turned around and hugged him.

    Her weak body was light, and it felt like a small cloud had covered his chest. The cloud shivered slightly along with the sound of sobbing, and countless words were conveyed in silence. Outside the ward, Victor scratched his head whileforting the two other women.

    "Why are you crying? He''s awake, isn''t he? What are you so sad about?"

    "Sad?" Gloria red at him. "We''re moved to tears!"

    Simrly, Jolly was also crying. "Yes, we''re moved to tears! What would you know about that?"

    The two always fought with each other, but they stood on the same side today while facing amon enemy. In an instant, Victor turned into the fool who couldn''t read the room. Victor was exasperated.

    By evening, Justin could sit up and eat normally.

    Gloria and the others just stood and watched from the entrance before going home to rest.

    For the past few days, these people had been going to and from the hospital and their homes, so none of them had had proper rest. Now, they could finally sleep restfully.

    During their meal, Justin asked Rachel about the fire, and the woman told him truthfully.

    "Mr. Hudson was the one who saved us?"

    "Yes."

    "In that case, is he alright?"

    "He sustained minor injuries, but he''s more or less all healed now. He just saw Regina off this morning, but he will be staying in Riverdale for a while. He said he has some matters to attend to." "I take it that your rtionship with him improved significantly, then?"

    "Yes."

    "It should''ve happened sooner."

    Justin looked at Rachel, feeling sincerely happy for her.

    "How are Charlotte and Samuel doing?"

    "They''re all lively and well. In fact, they can eat and drink just fine. They seem to be quite rxed as if they were never worried about us. They''re so plump that their faces are getting rounder." "That''s a good thing."

    "As long as you think it is."

    Rachel didn''t say more as she urged him to drink more soup.

    "Right, did you find out what happened with the fire?"

    At the mention of that, Rachel frowned slightly. "After the fire brigade put out the fire, they found that the fire was caused by some residents offering sacrifices in the mountain."

    Justin frowned. "That''s impossible."

    "True, it would be a stretch to say that. We were knocked out and tied up there. If it weren''t for this, people might even believe it was an ident. However, such coincidences don''t exist." Was it truly a coincidence for them to be tied up when the fire happened on the mountain?

    That was absolutely impossible.

    "Someone was trying to set fire to the mountain to burn us to death." Rachel''s voice was firm. "Not many people would seek our lives, and you don''t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who it was." Hints of coldness tinted Justin''s eyes.

    He had already warned Julian to stop acting rashly, and he could overlook everything that happened in the past. However, with this fire, it was obvious that Julian was trying to kill Justin and Rachel. As such, Justin could no longer ignore this.

    "Rachel, don''t get involved in this matter. I will handle it."

    Rachel looked at Justin and hesitated for a bit before nodding slightly.

    Now that things hade to this, no matter what their rtionship was like before, Julian was already trying tomit murder, so what other excuses could they possibly make for him?

    Night silently crept up.

    It had been almost half a month since the widely reported Somerset Mountain fire. Since no one had died in the incident, it didn''t garner too much attention in public before other news took its ce.

    The French windows in the hotel reflected a certain man''s cold and exquisite face.

    Behind him, his assistant''s voice rang out. "President Peters, Miss Porter is here."

 Chapter 569

    "I thought you left Riverdale." Seeing Sabrina, Julian nced at her mildly.

    Sabrina replied with a question, asking, ˇ°How can I leave before avenging my brother?"

    "You''re bold, Miss Sabrina. Aren''t you afraid you won''t be able to leave if you don''t leave now?"

    "You don''t need to worry about this. I naturally have a legitimate reason to stay here."

    "Since you can do that, why do you still look for me?"

    "For cooperation, of course."

    Julian put down his cup heavily with a darkened face. "Miss Sabrina, why do you think that I''ll cooperate with you after you went behind my back and started a fire that nearly killed Rachel? I''m already being lenient toward you by not reporting your matter."

    Without a change in expression, Sabrina replied, "She didn''t die, right? She''s a lucky woman."

    Julian clenched his fists hard at that.

    He had never thought of taking Rachel''s life. However, it was hard to control what was happening once he made a deal with the devil. Sabrina was a lunatic who killed without flinching, and she could start a fire to burn down the entire mountain when it came to it.

    "Our cooperation is over. I won''t help you anymore. This is Riverdale, so you can''t threaten me here."

    "Those who work with me have never yet ended the cooperation by themselves." Sabrina''s voice was not loud, but it was firm. She nced behind her, and her subordinate quickly brought over a safety box. Opening it, everyone saw the gold bars lying inside. "That is the bnce of payment for the previous goods, while this is what I need this time."

    Sabrina handed some papers to Julian and continued, "I wish for us to continue working together happily like before."

    However, Julian didn''t take the papers. To him, Sabrina was the one who didn''t keep her word. She had injured Rachel and crossed his line, so they could no longer work together. "You may take some time to consider. There''s no rush."

    Sabrina ced the papers on top of the box of gold bars and stood up. "I''ll be in Riverdale for a long time. If all goes well, we can meet up openly soon."

    Julian''s eyes constricted at that.

    After Sabrina left, his subordinate closed the door.

    "President Peters, do we still continue working with her?"

    "Keep this away." Julian only ordered the subordinate to take the box away while he held the papers and pondered over what she had said.

    Sabrina was cautious and would never dare toe to Riverdale if she weren''t confident. What is her background like?

    Three dayster, Justin''s health recovered more, so he was allowed to return home to recuperate.

    Gloria brought over Rachel''s old wheelchair, but Justin rejected it vehemently.

    "You''re overreacting. Justin''s lungs are damaged, not his legs. Why does he need a wheelchair?"

    "What do you know? This is the highest form of treatment."

    "Ask your brother if he wants to be treated like this." Jolly wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the door, shaking her head. She''s worrying too much.

    As expected, Gloria looked over at Justin expectantly. Justin had just changed his clothes and wasing out of the sick room. Hesitating, he said gently to Gloria, "Glo, I think we can donate this wheelchair to the hospital."

    Jollyughed aloud. "Hahaha! What did I say?"

    Gloria was annoyed and red at her. "Stopughing!"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    As they bickered, Rachel had finished tidying up things, and she said to them, "Okay, stop arguing. All of youe and help me take these back home."

    Soon, they left, chatting happily on the way to the summer vi.

    They had just arrived when they saw two rows of neatly dressed people standing in front from a distance. There were old and young people, and while it looked strange, the entire scene was very heartwarming to see.

    With a bang, colorful confetti was released into the air, which rained down on them.

    Charlotte failed to release her confetti and stomped her feet in anxiety. "I can''t release this!"

    Lionel, who was at the side, immediately knelt down and held her hands. "Twist it like this."

    As expected, the confetti was released with a bang.

    The car drove past the gates before stopping. Then, everyone got off.

    Leroy was also in charge of the kids at the summer vi. He began patting down Rachel and Justin with some strange leaves, saying that it was to ward off bad luck.

    Rachel was surprised. "When have you started believing in such things?"

    Leroy smiled. "Just in case."

    Lionel also spoke up. "People don''t believe in things for nothing. Maybe there really is some truth to it."

    "Dad, why are you joining in too?" Rachel was helpless.

    On the other hand, Richard and Marilyn also came over from the summer vi.

    "Why are you guys still outside? Food is ready, soe in and eat."

    "Sure!" Jolly was hungry and rushed ahead. "There''s a lot of good food that my mom cooked today! Firste, first serve!"

    "Oh, I must have some!" Leroy quickly hurried along. He also called Carmen, who was squatting by the side. "Carmen, stop ying ande! If you don''t hurry, Jolly will finish everything." Hearing this, Carmen dropped the confetti and ran too.

    Gloria, Victor, and Samuel joined in the chase as well.

    Charlotte could not run fast, so she opened her arms and begged Lionel to carry her. "Grandpa, carry me!"

    During this time, Rachel and Justin were at the hospital and did not have time to take care of the kids. So, the kids were taken care of by the elders, and Charlotte was especially close to Lionel. For the good food, everyone ran off into the house, leaving the two patients at the door.

    Rachel and Justin nced at each other, feeling helpless at the same time.

    She spoke first. "It seems that we can''t get any good food today."

    He stretched out his hand and said, "Since that''s the case, then we don''t need to hurry. Let''s walk over slowly."

    Rachel smiled gently and put her hand on Justin. As their fingers interlocked, they walked toward the house slowly together.

    It was already spring, and the cold was slowly diminishing. Grass and flowers grew rapidly at an rming pace.

    The two of them held hands while chatting as they walked.

    "Why is the grass so tall now? How long has it been since a gardener has tended to it?"

    "It''s been a while. After the New Year, I went to the northern division of Riverdale, so I had Frankie fire all the gardeners."

    "Why did you do that? Did you think you wouldn''te back anymore?"

    "I was thinking that it would be fine to stay at a hotel for the few times I would be here."

    "What about now?"

    "Even though a hotel is convenient, it''s not as good as home."

    "Good that you realize that. Hurry up and have Frankie hire a few gardeners. It''s a shame to let such a big garden go to waste like this. Spring ising too."

    "Okay, we''ll have your favorite flowers here too."

    "White roses?" Rachel raised her head, sunlight glittering in her eyes.

    They were indeed taking their sweet time, talking and strolling. Losing her patience, Jolly yelled from the door while holding a bowl, "Hey, what are you guys doing? Hurry up, or you''ll be left with scraps!" "Coming."

 Chapter 570

    Being the favored goddaughter of Richard and Marilyn, Rachel received special treatment from them. Even though Rachel waste to dinner, Marilyn purposely reserved a big bowl of meatballs for her which made Jolly jealous.

    "Mom! I''m your biological daughter!"

    "I thought you prefer takeaway food over my cooking?" Marilyn rolled her eyes at Jolly. She then looked over at Rachel with a smile on her face and said, "Rachel, have more of this."

    "Marilyn, don''t be too worried about me since I just choked on smoke. I''m fine now." Rachel chuckled as she chewed on the food.

    "I''m not worried about it since it has all passed. In the future, I hope everything will be smooth sailing for you."

    "You''re not worried about it? When you found out that something happened to Chris, you dragged dad and both children over to the hospital at Somerset Mountain and refused to let Rachel get her treatment there while insisting on bringing her back to Riverdale so that you could be more at ease. Mom, what if her condition got worse on the way here? Have you thought of that?" Jollyined. "Hey! You shouldn''t make such an ominous remark!" Marilyn red at Jolly and hit her hand.

    Seeing that, Richard exined in Marilyn''s stead. "We have taken into consideration the lengthy journey back, but considering that the cause of the wildfire is unknown, it might be unsafe to leave Rachel and Justin there." Richard clearly reasoned why both of them went through the hassle of transferring Rachel and Justin, who were unconscious at that time, back to Riverdale.

    Everyone''s expression was serious while they were on the topic.

    "The police haven''t given a definite result on this matter. If everything goes well, I am afraid that the case will be closed, with the reason being the vigers burning incense for their rituals. What do you think?" Richard added.

    Hearing that, both Rachel and Justin turned to look at each other. Actually, she had already discussed the matter with him. However, he refused to reveal to her how he would take care of it, so she decided not to question his arrangements.

    "Let me take care of this matter." Someone said before Justin could say anything.

    When Rachel looked up, her eyes met Lionel''s deep gaze. "Dad."

    "Rachel, you don''t have to worry about this. I will take care of it. I understand that it might be inconvenient for Justin to deal with since it involved his family, but I won''t let this matter slide."

    "You already knew about it?" Rachel was surprised because only Justin knew that Julian was behind the wildfire since she only discussed it with Justin. But when she recalled how she and Justin were abducted by Julian''s men when they were back from Enistan, she realized that Lionel already knew who was behind it. Thus, he could easily infer that Julian was behind the wildfire incident too. "I will not let anyone hurt my daughter right in front of my eyes. A domestic and foreign business convention will be held this weekend, and I will be meeting him there," Lionel uttered firmly.

    Rachel was worried about it, but as she was about to say something, Justin stopped her. He grabbed her hand under the dining table.

    "Mr. Hudson, you have a say in this."

    The atmosphere in the dining room was rather tense as they discussed such weighty topics.

    Jolly, who was quietly savoring the meatballs in Rachel''s bowl, suddenly asked, "You''re still calling him Mr. Hudson? Shouldn''t you address him in another way?"

    Upon hearing that, Rachel blushed.

    "That''s right. You should be addressing him in another way. Since both of you had gone through a few near-death experiences together, I think you should get married again so that we don''t have to keep worrying about the both of you."

    "There''s no rush for this." Lionel coughed a few times out of awkwardness.

    Hearing that, Marilyn was about to say something but was interrupted by Richard. He shook his head slightly, signaling her not to get involved in it. Everyone who wanted Justin and Rachel to get back together was seeing it from an outsider''s perspective. They saw the changes that Justin had made for Rachel and felt that he had changed for the better.

    However, Lionel, being Rachel''s father, wouldn''t have wished for her daughter, whom he loved to marry a man who had wilfully hurt her countless times.

    "Oh my, the dishes are getting cold. Let''s dig in." Marilyn immediately ended the awkward topic.

    Everyone then started eating, except for Rachel, who looked over at Justin worriedly. Instead, he held onto her hand tightly, trying tofort her. When he looked into her eyes, it was as if he was telling her that no matter the obstacles they''d face, he would never let her go.

    To him, loving someone meant that he would constantly worry about her if she wasn''t at his side, and he should be confident that he was the only one that could give her happiness.

    After dinner, everyone went on to do their own thing. Richard and Lionel clicked well since they hadmon interests in fishing and ying chess. As they chatted about it, they decided spontaneously to go fishing. There was a hugeke with pebbles on the shore near the summer vi, which was a great fishing spot. It was also a perfect spot for an outdoor barbeque meal.

    Since Rachel and the others were bored at home, they decided to go over for a barbeque, seeing it had been a while since everyone had gathered together. They started preparing for it and ended up bringing a big pile of ingredients and equipment over.

    "Jolly, please be quiet. You''re scaring all the fishes away." Richard chided.

    "Your fishing skills are poor, but you me me for it." Jolly grumbled as she arranged the items with her lips pursed.

    "Initially, I almost caught the fish, but they swam away because of the clunking sounds."

    "Fine, I''ll be quieter and not disturb you and your fishes."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "I think my dad''s andropause is getting more serious. Should I get him a doctor and prescribe some medicine for him?" Jolly then looked at Rachel and whispered.

    "Are you sure that he''s going through andropause? Or he just couldn''t stand you?" Rachelughed.

    "Couldn''t stand me?"

    "Look over there if you don''t believe me."

    Jolly then looked over in the direction that Rachel was looking at skeptically. She noticed that Charlotte and Samuel were throwing rocks into theke, which had created big sshes. However, Richard and Lionel, sitting by theke with fishing rods in their hands, looked at the children lovingly and weren''t angry about it.

    "Charlotte, be careful. Don''t fall into theke." Richard reminded the little girl.

    Jolly couldn''t believe that Richard could tolerate the big sshes but couldn''t stand the clunking sounds that she made which barely disturbed him fishing. ˇ°That''s uneptable! How could a father throw his daughter aside after having grandchildren?" Jolly was fuming with anger.

 Chapter 571

    Rachel sighed and asked, "Jolly, aren''t you afraid that you''ll beughed upon when the others find out that you''re jealous of your goddaughter?"

    "But I''m his daughter."

    "Alright. But are Richard and Marilyn still mad at you?" Rachel stopped teasing her and asked Jolly about her and Leroy while they were setting up the barbeque station.

    "Although the marriage between the Bet Family and Frazier Family wasn''t announced to the public, your parents knew what was going on. Moreover, you guys even bought Carmen back. Do you think that they would be happy about it?"

    "Then what can I do? We can''t just ditch her."

    "That''s not the issue. It''s about your rtionship with Leroy," Rachel said as she looked into the distance.

    Carmen was seen standing in theke barefooted as she yed with two of the children. Although she was already in her 20s, she always had a childlike smile on his face.

    "At Enistan, even if the couple doesn''t register for marriage, they would be considered legally married as long as the wedding is held and witnessed by rtives and friends on both sides." "Why do you care about this?"

    "I''m not particr about it. To be frank, none of us care about it except your parents." Rachel tried to exin.

    "Then do you think I can go back in time to call off the wedding? What''s done is done. Since it is a rule from Enistan, it doesn''t apply here in Riverdale."

    "Jolly, I think you should go visit a neurologist." Rachel stared at Jolly.

    "Huh?"

    "I agree." Gloria, who was standing next to them, rolled her eyes. "Miss Rachel had already made it clear, but you still can''t get it?"

    "What is it?"

    "You yourself said that the rules in Enistan don''t apply here, then you and Leroy should follow the rules in Riverdale!"

    Worried that the slow-witted Jolly couldn''t understand what they meant, she asked Jolly more specifically, "When are both of you nning to get registered for marriage?"

    Hearing that, Jolly was surprised as getting married had never crossed her mind.

    "Rachel, I''ve told you that she''d never have thought about it. All she could think of was eating and having fun."

    Seeing that, Rachel shook her head helplessly.

    Even though Jolly had finally realized the problem, there was something that she couldn''t figure out. "If my parents wanted me and Leroy to get married, why didn''t they tell me directly?" "Since they were initially against both of you being together, do you think that they would suddenly urge the both of you to get married? The elders would find it embarrassing to have to eat their words. How would they be able to mention it if you don''te up with an opportunity for them to do so?"

    Jolly finally made sense of the situation.

    "And you were ming it on the andropause. Even if your dad had a bad temper as he went through andropause, it was all because of you."

    "Alright. Stop nagging at me."

    "And you thought that you were smart. If not for our help, do you think you would have gotten married that easily? I bet you''d be single all your life." Jolly shot a re at Gloria. "Hmph. I see you''re the type that gets jealous easily."

    "I''m not jealous of you."

    Rachel''s head hurt as Jolly and Gloria started bantering. Given the circumstances, it seemed like there was no hope for Richard to recover from his ''andropause'' in the short term. Meanwhile, Justin and Leroy were starting a fire on the side. "I haven''t thanked you for helping me and Jolly escape from the wedding earlier."

    "Don''t mention it. We are friends, after all."

    "Yeah, we are friends. Those willing to sacrifice their lives for their friends are true friends. Let me know if you need my help in the future, and I''ll be there for you." Leroy smiled.

    As Justin was cing the charcoal into the barbeque pit, he was attracted byughter in the distance. He couldn''t help but raise his gaze and saw Rachel and Jollyughing out loud while chatting. The sunligh

    of the spring afternoon peeked through the gaps of the foliage and cast upon their faces. It was a beautiful sight. Justin''s gaze softened after he saw the sight in front of him.

    "I might not have to thank you for your help after all, as it seems like you have gotten what you''ve always wanted after the trip to Enistan." Leroy noticed Justin''s expression and understood the situation. "That''s why I should be thanking you," Justin admitted without hiding anything.

    "Then we are even."

    While they were speaking, Carmen came running over with some wildflowers. "Leroy, this is for you."

    "Why are you giving me these?"

    "So that you can give it to Jolly." There was a naive expression on her face. "It''s for the proposal! Earlier on, I overheard Jolly and the others mention something about a proposal. If you were to propose to her, you''d need to prepare some flowers!"

    A proposal? Leroy was surprised. "What else did they say?"

    "Rachel said there should be a wedding, but Gloria said there should be a proposal before the wedding. If not, there won''t be a wedding, but Jolly was quiet during the conversation." Carmen scratched her head as she tried to recall the conversation.

    Right after, Carmen stuffed the flowers into Leroy without asking whether he wanted them or not. "Hold on to these first. I''ll go get more."

    Leroy was deep in thought as he stared at the flowers after Carmen left.

    "Have you thought about it before?" Justin asked.

    "Of course." Leroy lifted his head before he answered firmly, but he became dubious after that. "But I keep feeling that things haven''t fallen into ce yet, and I want to wait till everything stabilizes before getting married."

    "There''ll always be something that wille up, so it is impossible to wait till everything is resolved. Even if you''ve gotten married, you''ll be faced with different issues. Don''t tell me that you want to get a divorce because of that?"

    "Of course not."

    "Based on my personal experience, it''s more important to cherish what is in front of you than anything else," Justin told him nonchntly before looking into the distance.

    Just then, Rachel, chatting with the girls, raised her gaze, and their eyes met. Both of them looked at each other and smiled.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Soon, they had finished setting up the barbeque station. They spent the whole afternoon soaking in theke while sunbathing. It was a rxing day as they had a barbeque and yed with the children. However, Jolly and Gloria were bantering over something.

    "The formality isn''t that important, so why would you care so much about it?"

    "If you really think that it''s unimportant, you wouldn''t have helped Victor to n a proposal. But, since you thought of it, it meant that you hoped to have one too."

    "Nah, that''s not it."

    "You''re just unwilling to admit to it."

    "If both of you have the time to argue over here, why not go over and look after the children? They were ying in theke with Carmen, and their socks were soaking wet. Please hurry over to the car to bring over some spare socks and shoes." Rachel walked over with some meat skewers.

    "I''ll go get it." Gloria immediately stood up. "I don''t want them to be down with the flu again since today''s weather is rather cold. Why would they y in the water in such weather?"

    "Hey." Rachel grabbed onto Gloria''s arm and passed her the meat skewers. "Please help me to take these over there. Jolly, please get the shoes and socks from the car."

    Gloria was confused, but when she noticed Rachel winking at her, she suddenly got the message. "Oh, alright. She can go get the shoes and socks."

    Jolly, troubled about getting married, got up reluctantly and walked toward the car. "Who said that there should be a proposal before you get married? I don''t care about that," she muttered to herself. Even so, i was actually what she hoped for.

    The moment she pressed the trunk button, pastel blue and white balloons floated out from the car boot and floated up into the air. The evening light cast through the car windows and into the car, which made the fairy lights look even brighter. Jolly was stunned by what she saw.

 Chapter 572

    As soon as the car trunk opened up, pastel blue and white balloons slowly floated into the air. The next moment, Jolly noticed the pink roses-filled car trunk that was decorated with twinkling fairy lights. Her gaze fell onto the only red rose among the pink roses, which was adorned with a sparkling diamond ring in the middle. Suddenly, Leroy, dressed casually in beige, walked out from the side. Because of his youthful disposition, his smile felt like a breath of spring.

    "Jolly."

    "What is this?" She started whimpering while covering her face with her hands and took a step back. She pretended to sound like she disliked it, but her reactions gave her off as tears started welling up in her eyes, and her voice quivered.

    Soon, everyone gathered around them. As Jolly looked around, she instantly realized why Rachel wanted her to get the children''s socks and shoes. Turned out that it was all nned out. She was so surprised that she didn''t know how to react.

    "You guys! Since when did you prepare these?"

    "Just now." Rachel raised her hand and continued, "But I swear I''m not the one who asked Leroy to do this. He was the one who came to me and asked for my help. I never forced him to ask for your hand in marriage."

    "Really?"

    "Of course," Leroy chimed in. "I''d have nned a better one if I had more time, but since everyone is present today, I feel like this is the best time for it."

    The next moment, he retrieved the diamond ring on the rose and got down on one knee in front of everyone. Noticing that, Jolly covered her face with her hands and tried to calm herself down but to no avail. Her face was blushed red even before Leroy started proposing, which was unlike her since she had a brazen personality.

    "Oh! Leroy is proposing!" Charlotte pped her hands and eximed.

    "Shh." Rachel put her finger on her lips and signaled Charlotte to be quiet. Gloria immediately pulled Charlotte to her side, and everyone was quiet.

    After that, Leroy lifted his head and looked at her with flickering eyes. "Jolly, the first time we met was by mistake, but I found outter on that we had actually met before that. However, in my memory, that particr meeting shook me."

    Everyone tried to hold theirughter upon hearing that. Only Rachel and Justin clearly knew that both of them officially first met for the first time on the yacht. Although events that happened there had left unpleasant memories for Rachel and the others, their acquaintance had made the unhappiness go away.

    "At that time, I thought, how could there be such a reckless girl who''s domineering and adorable at the same time?"

    "I doubt that you think I''m adorable at that time." Jolly sniffed and refuted as she pursed her lips.

    "Please don''t interrupt me. I''m very nervous right now." Leroy looked at her earnestly.

    Hearing that, Jolly bit her lip and kept quiet. From Rachel''s angle, she noticeably saw how Jolly''s clenched fists were trembling slightly. Being her long-time friend, Rachel knew very well that she was probably more nervous than Leroy at this moment.

    Leroy then continued, "After that, we got to hang out more because of work, and we eventually ended up together. In the beginning, we hid things from each other unintentionally, but after going through so much with you, your determination has made me even more convinced that we are right for each other, and I will never let go again."

    "Baby, let''s get married."

    Jolly''s eyes welled up when she heard his proposal. Just as she was about to stretch her hand out, she suddenly turned over and looked at her parents, as if asking for their opinion. Seeing that, Rachel held on tight to Justin''s hand.

    She knew Jolly the best. In the past, Jolly acted willfully and recklessly by choosing to be with Ryan. She even decided on her own to run away before their wedding. In the end, she was scarred by the episode because of her refusal to listen to her parents'' advice. Although now that she had put the unpleasant past behind her and had met the right person, she was very concerned about whether her parents would bless their marriage. Only with their blessing would she be confident enough to trust him and marry him.

    Marilyn had always been stubborn, especially toward her daughter, who had been brazen since she was a child. "You''re the one who''s getting married, so why are you looking at us?"

    Jolly was relieved after hearing Marilyn''s words. Leroy then held onto her hand and put on the ring on her ring finger. She plunged into Leroy''s arms immediately after that and cried as she couldn''t hold her tears any longer. Everyone showered them with good wishes as they witnessed the heartwarming proposal at dusk.

    After that, they had some delicious barbequemb skewers that were seasoned with cajun seasoning and chili kes. The smoky aroma filled the air as everyone gathered to savor themb skewers. "We are not nning to have a wedding since Leroy has been receiving a lot of attention, and it would be troublesome to have one."

    "For real? You''re willing to not have a wedding?"

    "Why not? Initially, you were reluctant to have one too."

    "Although I refused a wedding, my siblings insisted on having one and even nned it for me. Well, I''m unlike you, stubborn like a mule. If no one nned the wedding for you, I bet you''ll be nagging us about i for the rest of our lives." Gloria teased her.

    "Jolly only said this because she was still all giddy from the proposal. If you believe her words, you''ll regret it in the future." Gloria purposely told Leroy.

    "Hey! I''m not that unreasonable."

    "I''m not too sure about that. I''ll have to ask Leroy about it."

    Jolly was speechless after hearing Gloria''s reply.

    Meanwhile, Rachel and Justin were watching over the children by theke.

    "It must have been troublesome for Victor since he had to look after the kids whenever we were out."

    "We have confidence in him since he''s a teacher."

    "It seems like he and Ria don''t n to have children."

    "He had to face so many children in school while she herself is like a yful child. That might be why they don''t n on having children."

    "Sounds about right. Just go with the flow then."

    The conversation ended there and then.

    Jolly and Leroy meant it when they decided not to have a wedding. Although Rachel couldn''t believe it at first, she had to when she saw Jolly persuading her parents about her decision.

    "Trust me, it''s really troublesome. Even before we are married, many travel photography brands have looked for him, and if we get married, he will be bombarded with endorsements. On top of that, the troublesome reporters will be swarming us too."

    Jolly, who was wearing an oversized pajama, lounged on the couch as sheined about how troublesome it was to get married to a celebrity while she had her ice cream.

    "You have a point, but you don''t n to go to church at all?" Rachel, who had a sheet mask on, asked as shey on the bed.

    "Nah, we will just get registered for my parents to be at ease. I actually find it troublesome to have to get registered for marriage too."

    "Your thinking is so advanced that we can''t keep up with you."

    "What about you? When are you getting married?"This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Who told you I n to get married?"

    "Oh? Haven''t you thought of that?" Jolly turned around and looked at her intently. "Don''t tell me that you and Justin are still just friends?"

    "Of course not. I''mfortable with where we are now," Rachel replied calmly.

    "It would be a different story if someone intervened in your rtionship," Jolly blurted.

 Chapter 573

    "What do you mean?"

    "Justin is going to the business convention today, isn''t he? Don''t you think he''s hiding something from you since he''s not bringing you along?" Jolly was trying to provoke Rachel.

    After Leroy proposed to Jolly, he left for the film set, and both of them couldn''t get in touch with each other as often anymore. Thus, the idle Jolly started focusing her thoughts on Rachel and Justin''s rtionship.

    "Why would you think that he''s up to something when he''s attending with my dad?" Rachel was unfazed by her provocation.

    "Then it''s worth giving some thought to it. We know that your dad doesn''t like him very much, so he might take the opportunity to introduce Justin to someone else."

    "So you''re saying that my dad is a pimp?"

    "Nah, I''m joking. I''m just really curious why they didn''t bring you along."

    "There''s nothing to be curious about. It''s because Julian will be there too." Rachel''s gaze darkened.

    After listening to Rachel''s reply, Jolly seemed to have made sense of the situation. Everyone knew that the wildfire incident was linked to Julian. However, they didn''t have the evidence, or else they would have reported it to the investigation bureau, and by then, Julian would definitely be charged. Since Lionel finally managed to reunite with his daughter, he would never let anyone hurt her. On top of that, Justin, who loved Rachel, would never let Julian get away with it as well.

    Meanwhile, in Hotel tinum, the business cocktail party was attended by numerous elites from various industries within Riverdale.

    "Mr. Hudson, Julian''s resources in Riverdale isn''t as significant as he only manages half of the Burton Group''s assets. However, most of the management personnel on his side are leeches who rely on their existing resources to make ends meet so it won''tst long."

    Lionel nodded after hearing Justin''s words.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "I heard that you relocated half of the Burton Group''s assets to the northern division of Riverdale, hoping to set up apany there since the existing Burton Group in Riverdale is corrupted." "That''s my intention."

    "Justin''s intention to attend today''s event was to seek new business partners, and I will not let him have his way for the sake of Rachel."

    Hearing that, Justin didn''t try to stop Lionel since he had warned Julian earlier on that he shouldn''t hurt Rachel. However, because Julian had crossed the line multiple times by hurting her, Justin had decided to act on it.

    "President Burton, Julian is here." Assistant Beckham reminded them as they were in the middle of their conversation.

    Everyone at the event turned to look at the entrance. Julian was seen entering the hall with a woman who was formally dressed in a suit. Justin furrowed his brows as he noticed that the woman was someone that he''d never met before.

    "Justin, long time no see," Julian greeted when he saw him. "I was nning to visit you at the hospital when I heard that you were hurt. Unfortunately, I have been busy on a business trip, and I''m only free these two days."

    "There''s no need for you to do so," Justin replied coldly before introducing Lionel. "This is Mr. Brook." Even though Justin guessed that Julian might be aware of Lionel''s true identity, Justin didn''t reveal it since Lionel didn''tment on it.

    "I''ve heard so much about you." Julian stretched his hand out for a handshake humbly.

    However, Lionel didn''t reciprocate. "I''m just a nobody. Instead, I admire you, President Peters, the newly appointed President of Burton Group in Riverdale."

    "Mr. Brook, you''re ttering me." Julian retracted his hand awkwardly.

    "There''s no need to be humble about it. I''ve heard about how flexible you are in your business dealings. No wonder you managed to win every business deal shortly after you took over Burton Group."

    It sounded like apliment, but Lionel was implicitly mocking Julian. As a businessman himself, Lionel was aware of the different means that they would employ, but he despised the nasty secret deeds that Julian did. Although he was unwilling to give his daughter away to Justin, he''d never ever allow her to be with someone like Julian. Julian was embarrassed when he noticed Lionel giving him a contemptuous look.

    "The winner takes it all. It''s a phrase that''s been used since the olden days and is applicable worldwide. I''m sure you know the reasoning behind the phrase."

    A woman''s voice was hearding from behind Julian, attracting Lionel and Justin''s attention. Justin had been observing her since she walked in with Julian because he had never seen her with Julian before or heard anyone mention her. They were surprised by her presence.

    "This is Miss Porter from Yatruinia. She''s in charge of the Department of Commerce." Julian introduced.

    Justin was surprised when he heard that.

    "Yatruinia?" Lionel asked surprisedly.

    "That''s right," the woman answered calmly and with a smile. "Mr. Brook, you might not remember me, but we met a few years back at the state banquet when Lady Natasha was still with us." Lionel was skeptical about it since he didn''t remember seeing her. However, he was aware that a lot of people attended the state banquet, so he might not have recognized her even if they''d met. "The secretary of the Department of Commerce?" Lionel looked at his man to seek rification and was given a nod as a reply. Since there were a lot of scammers who were imposters, they had to do background checks on individuals who seemed suspicious.

    "Please excuse me. I''ll be joining my friend over there." Genevieve smiled and left with Julian.

    "Mr. Hudson, have you met her before?" Justin asked after they left.

    Lionel shook his head in reply.

    "The Burton Group had never worked together with Yatruinia before." Justin frowned.

    "They might not really be working together. I never expected that person to be rted to the royalty in Yatruinia." Lionel''s gaze darkened as he clenched his fists.

    Upon hearing that, Justin frowned as he wasn''t sure whether that person that Lionel mentioned was Julian or Miss Porter. The only thing that he was certain of was that Julian had the support of overseas political and business circles. Because of that, it wouldn''t be as easy as they''d thought to stop Julian''s business dealings.

    On the other hand, Rachel was still lying in bed with her sheet mask on while Leroy''s new movie was being yed on television. Jolly snacked on some potato chips as she watched the movie. Suddenly, Rachel sat up and removed her sheet mask when she received a text notification.

    "What is it?"

    "I need to make a trip."

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Janice wants to meet me."

    After Dillon''s death, Rachel''s identity as an undercover agent was exposed. Thus, she no longer had to hide her rtionship with Janice anymore, and they were able to contact each other freely now. "Did something happen?" Jolly sat up and asked worriedly.

    "I have no idea, but I think that it''s rted to ''S''."

    "Let me go with you."

    "There''s no need. The fewer people who know about this, the better. Please pretend that you don''t know about anything and stay alert at home." Rachel rushed straight to the bedroom to change her clothes and left Jolly outside of her bedroom.

    The reason Janice looked for Rachel was most probably she had news about ''S''. Sabrina would hold Rachel ountable for Dillion''s death and also the heavy losses that were incurred in the smuggling case, which happened half a year ago. Rachel knew that she had to pay for it sooner orter.

 Chapter 574

    Rachel went out alone and drove to a suburban cemetery.

    Jolly was actually worried about Rachel going out on her own, but it was better to have fewer people involved in what Rachel was doing. She knew very well that it would only make things difficult if she insisted on following.

    When Rachel arrived at the cemetery, Janice was already there waiting for her for quite some time.

    The cemetery was probably the quietest ce in Riverdale. It was always silent, no matter whether day or night. Other than the groups of peopleing here during All Souls Day to honor the departed, not even a shadow could be seen here during ordinary days.

    In fact, since Rachel''s spy identity was already exposed and ''S'' wasing after her, it was actually unnecessary to meet at such a secluded ce. Yet, Janice asked to meet here, and Rachel felt that it was natural to meet here too since Hans was buried here; the reason for her epting the spy mission was buried here.

    "Janice."

    "Oh, you''re here." Janice turned around and smiled at Rachel. Behind her was Hans'' tomb, with a small bouquet of fresh daisies on top of it.

    Seeing that, Rachel asked, "You bought flowers? Today''s not any special day, though."

    With a faint smile, Janice answered, "I didn''t buy it. I just picked them up by the road. Since there are no flowers in the cemetery other than the evergreen trees, I wanted to bring him some flowers to let him know that winter has passed."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "Right. It''s already spring," Rachel said mncholically. Then, she looked at Janice and wore a smile. "You weren''t this sentimental previously. Why are you acting so differently today?"

    "Does this count as sentimental?"

    "Does it not?"

    "If f you say it is, it is then." Janice always had a straightforward personality, so she didn''t mind details like these. "Mr. Egerton called me two days ago, telling me Jessica is doing well in school. She even applied to volunteer during the holidays."

    "She has grown up already, slowly maturing."

    "Mr. Egerton also asked me to thank you."

    Rachel was stunned when she heard that. Since Hans'' death, she was ashamed to face anyone from the Egerton Family. This was also probably the reason why the Egertons didn''t contact her for such a long time. Even when Jessicanded into trouble in Riverdale, Hans'' father looked for Janice right away.

    "What for? I didn''t do anything."

    "Thank you for getting things off Jessica''s chest. Only the one who caused the trouble could fix it. If it wasn''t for you, Jessica wouldn''t have given up on finding her foe. She would''ve lived with the grudge and wouldn''t have enjoyed her life."

    "That''s the least I could do." Rachel was still feeling the guilt for Hans'' death.

    Janice patted her shoulder and told her, "Don''t overthink it. Hans would want you to live a good life too. You should move on."

    "By the way, let''s talk business. I asked you here to show you something." She then took out an envelope from the pocket of her coat. The opening of the envelope was folded, but it was not sealed. She gave to Rachel right away.

    After epting the envelope, Rachel opened it and took out a stack of photos from it. ˇ°What are these?"

    "Have you seen this woman before?"

    Startled, Rachel looked closely at the person in the photos. The woman in the photos was wearing a traditional women''s suit. She had short hair and handsome features, but she didn''t give off a righteous aura like Janice. Instead, there was something sinister about her.

    "She looks quite familiar, but I don''t think I''ve seen her before." Rachel''s tone was hesitant.

    If she had seen the woman before, it was impossible for her to forget the woman. Her face was quite outstanding, and her aura was extraordinary too, so she believed she might not have seen her. However, her features, especially her eyes, looked very familiar, but she couldn''t tell where she had seen those eyes before.

    "Who''s this?"

    "The secretary of Yatruinia''s Department of Commerce. She has some connections with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although she''s under a non-governmentalmerce chamber, she has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'' support from the back, so she has a close connection with the royalty."

    "Yatruinia?" This little country appeared too many times in Rachel''s life, forcing her to pay attention to it. Since Janice mentioned it, it should be something really important.

    "What are you suspecting?" she continued asking.

    "This woman''sst name is Porter, Genevieve Porter."

    "Porter? Is she under ''S''?"

    "I''m not sure about that yet since Porter is a verymonst name in Yatruinia. I''m just guessing, so I took the photos here to ask you and see if you have any ideas. After all, other than Coraline, you''re the only spy who has had in-depth contact with their group."

    "I''ve never seen her before." Rachel shook her head.

    "It''s okay. It''s even better if you didn''t, or else..."

    "Or else?"

    "Yatruinia''s Department of Commerce is reaching out to Riverdale. If everything goes well, they will work with Riverdale''s Merchants Bureau and some local corporations to develop a free trade port." "They''re developing a free trade port in Riverdale?"

    "There''s a port in Riverdale that''s quite near to Yatruinia. Our government always had the intention of developing that area, so it''s a good opportunity now. I''m just worried that since the smuggling problem is not solved yet, developing a trading port will only let those people exploit it."

    "So, you''re looking into the people in the Department of Commerce?"

    "Yup, but it looks like I was just overthinking." Janice heaved a sigh of relief. "I''m really tense these days. Maybe I''m affected by what happened to you and Justin. So, I''m quite worried about Coraline." "There''s still no news from her?"

    "It''s quite normal to have no news from her for a year or so. Maybe I''m just overthinking."

    Rachel ced the photos back into the envelope and handed them back to Janice. "Don''t always be so tense. You need to take some time to rx too. After all, you need to have your own life, right?" "I know. Sorry for holding you for so long. You should go back."

    "Are you not leaving?"

    "I''m staying a little longer."

    Looking at Janice''s figure, Rachel still didn''t ask her the question that she had had at the back of her mind for a long time.

    Janice had been single throughout these years. She said her life was dedicated to working, and everyone had seen it too. But other than work, Rachel always felt that there should be some other reason why she found it hard to tell others.

    There might be someone she can''t forget until today. Those who can''t move forward are those with baggage.

    Before she left, she couldn''t help but take another nce at Hans'' tomb. How nice it would be if he''s still alive.

    On the other hand, Julian appeared with the support of Yatruinia''s Department of Commerce at the business cocktail party. At once, he became the focus of the meeting. Almost everyone there was sure that when this meeting ended, Riverdale''s Burton Group would definitely be the one to sign the contract.

    The leader of the Merchants Bureau was also shaking hands with Julian and Genevieve. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

    Meanwhile, Justin and Lionel were standing far from the center of focus.

    "Mr. Hudson, it''ll be toote if you still don''t shoot your shot," said Justin.

    Hearing that, Lionel looked at him and put on a surprised look. "Why are you so sure that I still have a hole card?"

    "You wouldn''t be here in the first ce if you didn''t have an ace up your sleeves."

    Lionel isn''t merely going against Julian alone, but he''s facing the whole of Riverdale''s Burton Group and all of Julian''s support. How could he get revenge for his daughter with just words? "Are you still not going to show your hole card?"

 Chapter 575

    Justin''s voice wasn''t loud; it was just enough for the two of them to hear him.

    Lionel looked in the distance and saw the leader of the Merchants Bureau talking happily with Julian and his people. There were many people around them, buttering them up, hoping to get a share of the project.

    Then, he said, "There''s no need to rush. He doesn''t need to be there in person."

    As Lionel said that, Justin saw the assistant of the Merchants Bureaus'' leader rushing to the leader. No one knew what the assistant said, but there was a change in the leader''s expression at once. Seeing that, Lionel took the cocktail ss and clinked it with Justin''s. "The battle has just started."

    As soon as the business cocktail party ended, Jolly received a call from Richard, telling her the situation at the party.

    "Really? Julian is definitely enraged. I''m telling Chris this good news now."

    At this moment, Rachel had just returned home and was changing her coat to have dinner with Jolly outside. When she came out, the first thing she saw was Jolly happily dancing. "What''s the matter with you? Did you take any pills?"

    "What pills? It''s about that business cocktail party. My dad told me that the free trade port project was handed to the Burton Group. You guess which Burton Group it is."

    "Riverdale?"

    Jolly shook her head.

    "The northern division?" Rachel''s eyes brightened.

    "Nope," Jolly said. "It''s a joint investment of the two divisions of Burton Group. Crazy, right?"

    When Rachel heard that, she was extremely surprised. "How is that possible?"

    "Why not? I heard that the situation at the party was quiteplicated. Julian brought a female secretary of the Department of Commerce there. Everyone thought that Riverdale''s Burton Group was going to take this project for sure, but the end result was really unexpected."

    "Did both of them agree to it?"

    "Of course not. Especially Julian. How is it possible for him to coborate with Justin?"

    "So? What happened then?"

    "Don''t you remember that your father is there? With his status and background, once he intervenes, how can the others get a share of the project? So, Julian could only grit his teeth and agree to it." Jolly was pping her thigh andughing loudly. "It doesn''t matter whether Julian wants this project or not, and it will still be ours in the end."

    However, Rachel was immersed in her thoughts after hearing that. She felt that Justin coborating with Julian was not good news. Since Julian was very cunning and could do anything to achieve his goal, Justin would need a lot of eyes around him to defend Julian''s tricks.

    "We must have barbeque tonight to celebrate this!" Then, Jolly studied Rachel''s attire. "You can''t wear that. We''re going for a drink tonight. No way you''re wearing that. Go and change, quick!"

    Only then did Rachel snap out of her daze. "Change into what?"

    "Miniskirt. The shorter, the better."

    "We''ve just entered spring. Do you want me to die from the cold?"This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "You won''t die. Just wear something thick outside. Come here. I''ll choose it for you."

    As Jolly said that, she pushed Rachel into the bedroom and changed her clothes for her forcefully.

    Jolly was the one who organized the gathering tonight. Her reason was to celebrate the Valentine''s that she missed previously and have a bachelorette night together. After tonight, she would be married to Leroy.

    After the New Year and Valentine''s day, Gloria and Victor had just been married for a few days. Jolly was getting excited during that period, but joy begets sorrow; she broke up with Leroy not long after the wedding.

    But she was going to be a married woman tomorrow. Things were just unpredictable.

    At the nightclub, four women in coats were lining up at the entrance.

    Since it was a bachelorette night, Jolly warned them not to bring any men. So, it was Rachel, Gloria, Carmen, and herself. The four women came out alone.

    When it was their turn to enter, the bouncer at the entrance put on a strange face. "Under 18s are not allowed to enter."

    Hearing that, Rachel and Jolly turned around and looked at Gloria and Carmen.

    Both of them were wearing pink down jackets with bare faces. Gloria was well-protected, so she hadn''t been to ces like this before, and Carmen was zoning out, so she had a clueless face on. They looked like immature high school girls at this moment.

    Jolly sighed. "They''re adults, bro."

    "I don''t believe that. Really?"

    "You can check their IDs," said Rachel.

    "There''s no need for that." Jolly stopped their actions and gave Gloria a look.

    Gloria understood immediately. She took off her jacket and put it on her arm.

    The second she took off her jacket, there were surprised gazes from all around.

    Even Rachel was stunned. This virtuous woman looked like a size-zero from the outside, but her actual figure was astonishing. Her body in the bodycon dress was so curvy that even women would want to take a second nce.

    On the other hand, Carmen was even greater. Under her jacket was a backless one-piece dress. Although it was backless, she didn''t look seductive at all. Her face was so innocent that people would say she was cute and sexy at the same time.

    "Okay. You guys can go in." The security finally let them in.

    Excited, Jolly brought the three girls and dashed into the nightclub. "Let''s go all out tonight! Don''t try to go back if you''re not drunk!ˇ±

    The nightclub was debauchery and lush, with thunderous music from the dance floor attacking their ears as though it was going to rupture their eardrums.

    Rachel and Jolly hade here a few times, so they were quite used to it. Before they came here, they were worried that Gloria and Carmen wouldn''t adapt to the environment. But within seconds, both of them were already enjoying themselves on the dance floor when Rachel and Jolly turned around to find them.

    "Ria!" Rachel shouted for so long, but both of them still didn''t react.

    At this moment, Jolly handed her a beer bottle. "Don''t worry. This bar is very safe. The owner here is very close to me, so I''ve asked him to keep an eye on my friends. There won''t be any trouble. Come, let''s drink! It''s been a long time since Ist drank."

    Rachel took the beer bottle and clinked the bottle with Jolly resignedly. "I wish you a happyst bachelorette night.ˇ±

    "Of course, I need to be happy. There''s still a grand final¨¦ter."

    Grand final¨¦? Based on Jolly''s strong personality, Rachel suddenly had a bad feeling.

    Meanwhile, in a five-star hotel in Riverdale''s city center, Leroy saw a video in the group chat and jumped up immediately. "They went clubbing!" In the living room, the two men who were drinking raised their heads sharply when they heard that.

    Puzzled, Victor asked, "Isn''t it a normal thing for Jolly to go clubbing? Can you not have double standards? Men can go clubbing, but why can''t women go?"

    "Agree." On the side, Justin was sitting on the floor. He clinked sses with Victor and said, "It''s understandable that she wants to rx sometimes."

    Looking at both of them, Leroy said coldly, "I said ''they'', not ''she''. And, of course, Gloria and Rachel are included in the ''they''."

    As he said that, the two men who were just watching the fun stood up at once.

    "Which club?" Justin was the one who asked the question first, with a darkened face.

    Instantly, Victor snapped into fight-or-flight mode, standing up. "I''m starting the car. Send me the address."

    Seeing their reaction, Leroy teased them boldly, "Didn''t you guys don''t care just now? Why are you flipping out now?"

    "Of course! Why should I care when someone else''s wife goes clubbing? Of course, I only care about my wife!" Victor then red at Leroy. "Your wife is a bad influence. I''m gonna deal with youter when we''re back."

    When Leroy heard theirments, heined, "What does this have anything to do with me?" He didn''t do anything but was getting med for everything.

 Chapter 576

    Before meeting Leroy, Jolly undoubtedly was the queen of the nightclubs.

    She would always be the spotlight anyce she was at. From dancing to DJing to drinking, there was nothing that she wasn''t good at. Not even a naked person running by would be able to shift people''s attention from her.

    It had only been a while since Rachel lowered her head, but the dance floor had already been conquered by Jolly.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight will be thest night I am a bachelorette. Let''s y a game. Finish all the drinks in10 minutes, and the bill is on me. Let''s begin in 3, 2... 1!"

    The crowd began to grow wild with the music yed by the DJ and the frantic shing of the lights. Drinks soon were served in batches to different tables. Even the dance floor was filled with men and women with beer bottles in their hands.

    Looking at this lively scene, Rachel instantly felt like she had been pulled back to a year ago.

    As she smilingly took a sip of alcohol while looking at a group of three dancing intimately on the dance floor from a distance, she heard a man''s voice call out from behind. "Hey, beautiful! That is your friend, yeah?"

    The man had to raise his voice through the deafening music for Rachel to hear him.

    The other party''s booth seat was back-to-back to hers across a table. Unlike Rachel''s table, where she was left alone, their booth was upied by both good-looking men and women. It was a perfect hunting ground for beautiful people.

    Smiling, Rachel shouted, "Yes! She is my bestie!"

    "How is she so beautiful?! Is it possible for her to not get married tomorrow?" he yelled back.

    "Haha! I am afraid not, unless a typhoon strikes and they can''t go out, or the Civil Affairs Bureau is closed tomorrow."

    Otherwise, Jolly and Leroy were definitely getting married tomorrow.

    "That was a joke. Don''t mind me." The man raised his ss at her.

    Rachel nodded in return, indicating that she could tell it was one.

    In fact, it was easy to get along with people in nightclubs. As long as one didn''t run into drunkards or perverted men with ulterior motives, making friends was, basically, a problem.

    This was how life was in this era. An asional reveling in excitement was necessary to relieve stress and worry. Visitors whoe here were all looking for nothing but joy.

    A wave of cheers suddenly came from the dance floor.

    The trio who stuck to each other as they danced had attracted the attention of the crowd, and everyone around them was dancing to their rhythm.

    Jolly then took the microphone and shouted, "Let''s add another ten minutes to it. Counting down in 3, 2, 1. Everyone, we shall toast to a good time!" Hearing that, Rachel let out a resigned yet coddling smile.

    She had seen Jolly having fun in nightclubs before, but she had never seen her friend as happy as she was today.

    Half of the people at the next table then came to Rachel''s side.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    The young man leading the group asked her, "I don''t think I have seen you before. Do you note here often?

    "Is this your first time here?"

    "It is," Rachel answered frankly.

    It was not her first timeing to this bar street.

    Jolly and Rachel had immediately dropped by this street right after their return to Riverdale. Other than this so-called Inte-famous nightclub, which always had a line outside, they had already had their fun in other nightclubs.

    "Nice meeting you." The man took the initiative to open a bottle of wine and clink sses with her. "Just call me Jerry."

    She raised an eyebrow at that. "You can call me Tom."

    He seemed a little surprised before he smiled. "You are not the first person to say that."

    "Is Tom such amon name?"

    "Haha!"

    Their conversation then continued to other topics.

    As the two of them chatted, they didn''t notice the trio who had juste in after lining up and getting stamped at the entrance of the club.

    With Justin walking in front, they attracted the attention of many women.

    "My God, it is so noisy in here!"

    Victor had been picking his ears non stop since he stepped in as he couldn''t stand the music at all. Raising his volume, he yelled at Justin, "I think there is an earthquake!"

    The whole floor was shaking like crazy.

    "Where are they?" Leroy''s voice came from behind.

    "I found them!"

    Victor pointed in the direction of the dance floor, his eyes wide as he stared. "Leroy, I told you it was your wife who started this! Ria neveres to nightclubs!"

    After hearing that, Leroy turned to look, only to see three women dancing close to each other. Even though he was envious, he could heave a sigh of relief as she wasn''t dancing with another man. He only rolled his eyes at Victor as he retorted, "Seems to me your Gloria is the one who is going all out. It doesn''t look like it is her first time in a club."

    "Nonsense! Your ex-wife is dancing too. Does this mean that it isn''t her first time as well?"

    Among the three dancing women, the one who was dancing most fervently was Carmen.

    She danced like a kindergartener would by alternating between children''s dance. It was a dance style unheard of in nightclubs, but oddly enough, it was contagious.

    They often deliberately teased Leroy recently about Rachel being the ex-wife because he and Carmen were considered married at one point. They had even gotten their parents'' approval in Enistan. Now that he was going to marry Jolly in Riverdale, Carmen had naturally be the ex-wife.

    Leroy and Jolly were open-minded regarding this matter and Carmen, too, didn''t think of it as too big of a deal. After all, for a cutie like her, she was happy no matter who was getting married.

    "Where is my sister?" Victor hadn''t found Rachel even after looking around the dancefloor. "Why is she not there?"

    "Oh, you''re right," Leroymented as he couldn''t find her as well. "Where is she?"

    Crossing his arms across his chest, Justin only responded calmly with a calm expression, "Rae doesn''t enjoy all this. She must have been dragged here. I am sure she is at the table on the second floor." The seats on the second floor was a quiet viewing area, where people there didn''t usually go to the dance floor to dance.

    However, it was a p in the face just as soon as he said that, as Victor and Leroy had already found Rachel in the booth in the middle of the first floor. The two of them nced at each other for a while before turning to look at Justin at the same time. "Justin, you might have some sort of misunderstanding about Rachel."

    Following their eyes, Justin saw Rachel in the middle of the crowd at a nce.

    The booth was facing the dance floor, and there was a table full of alcohol bottles and sses. There were both men and women there, but most of them were handsome men who were happily chatting with Rachel.

    Justin''s temper instantly red at the sight of it.

    As much as he didn''t want to admit it, there were advantages of Inte-famous stores like this; one of them was that its customers were usually handsome.

    The table Rachel was at was surrounded by countless men and women, all of whom only looked better than thest person.

    "Can you leave me your contact information?" The man named Jerry had been staring at Rachel the whole time as he shed his pearly whites at her. "I will write it down."

    "Sure," Rachel readily agreed while she took out her phone.

    Just as she passed the phone to him, a hand reached out from above and snatched it.

    She then lifted her chin, only to see a furious face. "J-Justin?"

    As she was stunned for a brief moment, she almost thought that she was seeing things after she had had too much to drink.

    "Who the hell are you?" Jerry frowned and looked at the person who came. "Don''t jump the line. I was here first!"

    Jump the line?

    Justin felt his temples throbbing as the veins on the back of his hands appeared. Still, he pretended to be calm, and with a ''friendly'' smile on his face, he informed, "I am her husband."

 Chapter 577

    Jerry visibly shook when he caught sight of the so-called kind smile.

    Justin kept that terrifying smile stered on his face. ''Do you still want to write down her contact? Or do you want to have my contact? She usually has to take care of our child at home, so she doesn''t have time to reply to messages."

    "Ahem! Um... I don''t think I want that.

    "I have something to do. Let''s have a chat. again when we have the chance."

    "You want to have a chat again?"

    "Ah! N-No more chatting."

    Just like that, Jerry dashed out of there after throwing that out.

    Rachel was looking at Justin before she finally came to her senses. "Why are you here?" she asked.

    "Did I interrupt something?"

    "You sure did." She raised her eyebrows. "More urately, you interrupted my business talk."

    "Business?"

    She proceeded to raise her chin toward the figure who ran to the next booth. "He is a student at a nearby medical school, and he is studying Eastern medicine. I thought he would be a suitable candidate to work at thepany after we talked, so we were going to exchange contacts."

    "Isn''t that too much of a coincidence?"

    "Go ahead and ask him if you don''t believe me. Everyone from that booth is from the same school."

    "Ahem!" Justin coughed awkwardly.

    He didn''t think she was really talking about a coboration? I mean, who would even talk about that in a nightclub? he thought to himself.

    "What? Don''t tell me you thought I wouldy my hands on such a young man?"

    "Of course not!" Justin coughed again to hide his embarrassment. She looked at him with scrutinizing eyes as she teased, "Then why did you tell him that?"

    Justin was ferocious when he barked about how he was Rachel''s husband, making the youngd scamper away with his tail between his legs in fear that he was misunderstood and would be beaten up right there and then.

    Instead of answering her, he solemnly waved a waiter over and pointed at the booth behind.

    "I will pay for that table. Also, send a fruit tter over."

    "Yes, sir."

    He couldn''t possibly apologize when there was still the possibility of the young man approaching Rachel intentionally to get a job. Young men in this day and age were too smart for their own good. However, he had no problem footing their bill. Not only could he appear to be a generous man, he could also stake his im to Rachel. As expected, Rachel was satisfied with Justin''s solution to the issue. "Did youe here alone?"

    "No."

    "Where is the rest of the group, then?"

    Speak of the devil.

    As soon as she asked that, the dancing trio were dragged to Rachel''s booth by the back of their necks from the dancefloor, while being witnessed by the crowd of clubgoers.

    The only person who wasn''t manhandled by the back of her neck was Carmen, who waddled behind them. She was still living in the moment, and even high-fived passers-by as she remainedpletely oblivious to her friends" fate.

    "Geez, let go! Let go of me!"

    Even though Jolly struggled throughout the journey from the dance floor to the booth, she was still thrown to the sofa atst.

    After that, Leroy immediately took off his jacket. Embarrassed, she smoothed out her clothes and red at him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

    "What, you ask?" He swiftly wrapped her in the jacket. "Put it on," he demanded.

    Jolly had a halter top on. Even though her outfit wasn''t considered all that strange in a ce like this, her body was, undeniably, too perfect. She was curvy in all the right ces. She wouldn''t have been the center of attention otherwise.

    Victor, too, had taken off his own jacket to put on Gloria.

    "Do you girls want to die or something?"

    Jolly still remained firm as she rebutted, "How petty of you. This is a bachelorette party. Are we supposed to have tea instead of dance at a bachelorette party?"This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Now that she said that, it did make sense. Carmen quickly shook her head while she consciously put on the jacket. "I don''t like tea," she whined. "It is so bitter." "Fine. Continue with it, then." Leroy leaned back into the sofa with his arms crossed. "I will sit here and watch."

    "He is mad," Rachel whispered, poking Jolly on her arm. "He has really gotten mad."

    "He can blow up for all I care."

    After her shortint, she asked the group after a few beats, "How about we find a ce to have tea?"

    Rachel almost spurted out her mouthful of soda upon hearing that. What happened to the dignity of Miss Jolly or the queen of the nightclubs we talked about?

    Not many tea houses were still open in the middle of the night. Right after the group left the nightclub, they saw numerous designated drivers in their blue uniforms standing by the side of the road. The few women didn''t feel cold at all after all the drinks they had.

    However, the one type of coldness that definitely existed was when the boyfriend thought that the girlfriend felt cold.

    "Pull up the zipper," Leroy grumbled while he pulled Jolly closer and pulled the zipper all the way up to her neck.

    When a few passers-by recognized him, they scurried toward him for autographs and photos, only to have all of them brutally rejected.

    "Why did you tell them no? You are going to be a trending topic againter."

    "So be it. You think I can''t handle something like this with the PR teams I pay for?"

    "At least wear a mask."

    "Wouldn''t I be dering to the world that I am a celebrity by having a mask on in a nightclub?"

    "Gosh, Mr. Pissy Pants. Did you swallow dynamite or something?"

    "I swallowed a whole nuclear bomb."

    Rachel and the rest of them were walking behind the bickering couple, and they couldn''t help butugh at their conversation.

    The Leroy they knew was someone good- tempered who had never lost his temper nor gotten angry at anyone. This night was probably the first time they had seen him like this.

    Victor, whom they all thought was the most chauvinistic one among the three men, surprisingly didn''t get angry and only quietly held Gloria''s hand. He even paid attention to Carmen beside him by asking her it she was hungry.

    The entire street was bustling with noise. There were a lot of drunk men and women, and there were also many among them who were kissing right there in public.

    Holding hands seemed to have be the most simple way to show he cared. As they were crossing a road, Justin suddenly grabbed Rachel by the hand and in amanding voice, he warned, "The light has gone red."

    She was taken aback by hin, but she soon lifted her head to look at the tall man beside her. It felt as though she would be able to get through life even with her eyes closed as long as she had him by her side. It had always been like this throughout the years.

    "Where did you park the car?"

    "Green River Street."

    "Oh, that is beside the river."

    "Want to take a stroll?"

    "Sure."

    As there weren''t a lot of people around at night, as soon as the traffic light turned green, Rachel''s group was the only one who crossed the pedestrian crossing. Passers-by couldn''t help but steal nce after nce at them because they were all extremely good-looking.

    Noticing this, Rachel teased, "Seems like we will be trending topics as well along with our two celebrity friends."

    "Don''t worry. I have told Frankie before we came here to take care of the media," Justin reassured her.

    Rachel froze when she heard that. She could feel the grip on her hand tighten. There were many stalls that sold all kinds of small items along the river.

    As they walked, Carmen had her attention caught by a stand that sold sweet potato tacos.

    "Pick the biggest one." Victor handed a bill to the owner of the stand before turning to ask Gloria if she wanted one.

    Gloria shook her head in reply.

    She had been controlling her food intaketely in preparation for the tour in two days. It would be visible on stage if she were to put on weight now.

    Jolly and Leroy were leaning against the railing around the river. As their anger left as quickly as it came, they had stopped arguing at some point and were now chattering about something that made themugh heartily.

    "A flower for your wife, kind sir? They are all fresh!"

    Rachel and Justin were stopped in their tracks by a young girl who sold flowers.

    Rachel was going to reject her subconsciously, but she paused when she caught sight of the white bicycle the young girl had parked by the river. The basket in front of the bicycle was filled with flowers which, when caressed by the gentle river breeze and illuminated by the street light, was an ethereal sight to behold.

    Rachel couldn''t hold herself back fromplimenting, "Your bicycle is beautiful.ˇ±

    Hearing that, Justin abruptly asked, "Would you sell your bike?"

    His unexpected question immediately left the youngdy stunned.

 Chapter 578

    Spring had juste and the weather was still freezing cold, especially at night.

    There weren''t many people walking on Green River Street at this time. At one nce along the street, all the vendors were starting to close up their stalls. Even the wind felt oddly cold on this gradually vacant street.

    After Carmen took a bite of the sweet potato taco bought by Victor she was holding in her hands, she immediately squealed about how fragrant it was. Jolly felt her tummy rumble at the sight. "Share half of it with me."

    "No!" Carmen huffed and turned around with a grin on her face. "Cheapskate. Are you like this because I am usually the one who buys you snacks?"

    "Alright, alright. I will let you have some."

    Persuaded, Carmen broke a small piece off of her taco and gave it to Jolly..

    That in turn earned her a disdainful look from her friend. "Give me a piece from the gap between your teeth, why don''t you?" Jolly sassed.

    "Do you want it or not?"

    "No thanks. Enjoy" Jolly grumpily waved her off. She then turned around and asked, "Eh? Where are Chris and Justin?"

    The group looked around, but still they couldn''t find the couple. However, a flower seller stood where Rachel and Justin were standing earlier, and the girl was wiping her newly acquired watch with joy. "Are you looking for the couple from earlier? They left."

    "Left?" Jolly was taken aback. ˇ°When and how did they leave?"

    "They bought my bicycle and rode off."

    "What?"

    "I happen to be graduating in June this year, and I was going to sell the bicycle. They were willing to pay a high price to buy it, so I sold it to them. But I didn''t take advantage of them. Since it is an unused bike, I didn''t ask for money and only exchanged it with a watch from them. Look! It is pretty, isn''t it?"

    The girl brought up the watch that had a neon blue glint to it, her face full of smiles. "I can have my father wear it."

    Jolly was stunned upon hearing that. It was only after the little girl skipped away that she and Leroy looked at each other and eximed,

    "A Rolex watch for a second-hand bicycle?! What a prodigal man!"

    Justin was the only one who would do something like this. Gloria, however, wasn''t as surprised as Jolly was. "That is so romantic. It is just a watch. What is the big deal?"

    Jolly nced at her. "I wouldn''t think it is a big deal if it was my father who did it because I always thought that him making money is as easy and natural as breathing is. Justin is like your dad to you." "What the hell are you talking about? Get out of my hair!"

    "It was just an analogy."

    "Who even makes analogies like you did?"

    "Geez, learn to take a joke."

    As themotion went on here, a certain prodigal but romantic man was already on his way home with Rachel. Unfortunately, it didn''t turn out as romantic as Gloria imagined it would.

    "You can''t ride the bike now. You drank alcohol."

    "Who said I can''t? Didn''t you buy it for me?"

    "Come on, be a good girl. You can ride tomorrow, okay?"

    "I don''t have time tomorrow."

    "The day after tomorrow, then. I will do it with you."

    "Not the day after tomorrow. I want to ride it now!"

    Rachel was pulling the handlebars of the bicycle. She would have stepped up and started pedaling if Justin hadn''t stopped her.

    She seemed fine earlier despite the drinks she had, but it must all have just rushed up to her head now as she was hit by a wave of dizziness. Like an unreasonable child, she refused to sit in the back, and insisted on getting down and cycling herself.

    There weren''t many passers-by but embarrassingly enough, those who walked past them all did a double take on the couple.

    Left with no choice, Justin could only concede. "Ride it if you really want to ride. Just be careful."

    Rachel was finally satisfied after hearing his words.

    After getting onto the bicycle, Rachel held onto the handlebars and looked ahead. However, half a minute had passed after that, yet her feet were still on the ground as she remained unmoving. "What is the matter?" Justin asked when he noticed what was going on. The woman only turned around and looked at him with hopeless eyes. "I don''t think I know how to ride a bicycle," she whined.

    "What?"

    He thought that he had heard her wrong or that she was babbling nonsense because she was drunk, but seeing how she didn''t even know how to put her feet on the pedals and almost fell off the bicycle after she wiggled around, he finally understood the situation.

    "Do you really not know how to ride a bike?"

    "Mhm."

    "Has no one ever taught you before?"

    "Uh-huh

    It suddenly hit Justin how Rachel had no one other than her grandmother who truly cared for her after she was brought to the Hudson Residence at the age of eight. With how aged her grandmother was and how undependable the other members of the family were, there was no way Rachel could have learned to ride a bicycle.

    "I will teach you." He held the bicycle steady. "Put one foot on the pedal, step on it, and then put the other foot on the other pedal."

    "Like this?"

    "Yes. Maintain the bnce."

    "Don''t look down at your feet. I am holding you. Promise you won''t fall."

    Justin began to trot along while still holding onto the bicycle. First-time riders were usually not bold, but it was the carefulness that made it hard for them to maintain their bnce. In fact, now was the best time for Justin to let go. However, being the worrywart that he was, he kept holding on so that Rachel wouldn''t fall.

    "I can ride a bike!" The breeze from the river blew her long hair into a mess. Half-awake from her drunken stupor, Rachel cheered excitedly, ''I can finally ride a bike!"

    "That is right. You did it."

    Justin was still holding onto the bicycle, but he and the bicycle had both slowed down. He was sporting a doting smile while he looked at her.

    The street lights were all that illuminated the way home in the dark of the night. By the time Rachel woke up early the next morning, Jolly was already on her way out.

    "It is so early in the morning. Is the Civil Affairs Bureau open already? Rachel nced at the clock on the wall. "What are you doing?"

    "We are going to be the first couple to register today."

    "You''re even making apetition out of this?"

    "It is for good luck!" She huffed righteously. "My mother said that this is a custom from her side of the family. You will live a happy married life if you manage to be the first to register.ˇ±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "Is Mrs. Carter just messing around with you so that you won''t oversleep?"

    "How is that possible? It is such an important asion for me."

    "Think about it. When do you think monogamy was implemented? If nothing else, your parents. were the first ones to get their marriage certificate in your family. Where did this custome from?" Jolly was taken aback upon hearing that. "Is that so? My mom really did lie to me!"

    Rachel held her waist while she leaned against the sofa to hold back herugh. "You are awake anyway. Might as well go now."

    What other choice did she have?

    Naturally, this little episode could not dampen Jolly''s enthusiasm. She still went out with a cheery expression on her face. Rachel, on the other hand, had never seen her dress in such a traditional and formal way even at work.

    After Jolly left, Rachel took a quick shower. She then took her coat and car keys before she headed to thepany.

    As soon as she walked to her car, she looked up and was greeted by a sight that made her smile. A light green retro second-hand bicycle was parked next to her parking space, upying a single parking space. This was a rather morous thing, especially in the downtown area of Riverdale, where every inch ofnd was worth a king''s ransom.

    The rattan basket was still filled with flowers, all still fresh and beautiful even after a night.

    Rachel was surprised at first, but she soon let out a giggle.

 Chapter 579

    The following took ce at Hudson Pharmaceuticals.

    "President Hudson, this is the project proposal of the resort."

    "Okay. I will take a look." Rachel took the proposal handed over by the secretary while taking a sip of the coffee next to her. "Has there been any problems with the fire control of this reconstruction project?"

    "None. We have an experienced engineering team."

    "What about the demolition issue in the surrounding area? Is it resolved?"

    "It is. It is all wastnd around here. We have offeredpensation to the only two self-built houses, and they have signed the contracts. Miss Carter personally overlooked it."

    Rachel nodded reassuringly when she heard that it was Jolly who supervised the confirmation.

    "We will proceed as nned, then."

    "Understood." The secretary nodded. "By the way, President Hudson, Riverdale Medical Association sent an invitation letter yesterday. They are inviting you to be a part of a charity auction they are having this Saturday."

    "Got it. Tell them I will join."

    "Alright."

    After the secretary left, Rachel closed the proposal and set it aside.

    Presently, Hudson Pharmaceuticals wasn''t doing all that well financially. Even though Justin had brought many customers to them, there was still no way to alleviate the predicament. The new projects needed funds, and there were various corporate social responsibilities that also needed financing as well.

    Thinking of this, Rachel rubbed her temples to massage the headache away.

    "What is the matter? Why are you already drained so early in the morning? You still aren''t sober, are you?"

    Jolly''s voice instantly brought her out of her reverie.

    Seeing her in high spirits, Rachel asked with a smile, "You are already back from getting your certificate?"

    "We were the first ones to arrive, and we went in as soon as they opened. It only took less than half an hour. I also bought breakfast on the way back to eat with you."

    With that said, she raised the bag of breakfast in her hand.

    Rachel showed no intentions of holding back when she saw that, and she unhesitantly opened the sandwich''s packaging after she took it. She then asked casually, "Where is Leroy?"

    "He got a notice to go out of town this afternoon."

    "Such an industry role model."

    "He is a married person, after all. He won''t be able to still be the dream man of thousands of girls. Since he has lost arge part of the market, he can only rely on his abilities now." Jolly let out a long sigh. "That is life you win some, you lose some."

    Rachel only smiled and said nothing at that.

    "What is the matter with you?" Jolly could tell at a nce that Rachel wasn''t in a good mood. Sprawling on the table, she asked, ˇ°Is it about thepany?"

    "Mhm. Same ol'' problem."

    "The same old problem about where the money went?"

    Rachel hummed and nodded.

    Shortly after she took over Hudson Pharmaceuticals, she discovered that a staggering amount of three billion had seemingly disappeared into a bottomless pit. If it were to copse, she might have to give up the entire Hudson Pharmaceuticals to pay off the sum. She would be sucked dry by then.

    At present, thepany''s financial report that they showed to the public looked as though everything was bnced. Thepany''s annual profit looked plenty optimistic as well. However, Rachel had stumbled upon a problem the first time she wanted to withdraw arge amount of money from the Finance Department-thepany''s bank ount didn''t even have the amount it was said to have. After the financial auditst year, it was revealed that arge amount of money had seemingly disappeared into thin air. The Finance Department couldn''t give a usible exnation for it, as they only said that it was the president who took itst-minute. Still, no one knew where Jefferey put the money.

    "Do you think it was him who transferred the funds?"

    Jolly pondered upon hearing that. "Didn''t you tell me that Officer Hawkins found out that thepany has an illegal offshore bank ount? Do you think the money was transferred there?"

    "That is impossible." Rachel shook her head. "The Investigation Bureau has been keeping an eye on the ount. Also, Amber had been in charge of that ount all this while. But Jefferey must not have anyone else he trusts following Amber''s death after it was also disclosed on the annual report that there has never been any inflow of funds into the ount."

    "We have turned Hudson Pharmaceuticals inside out looking over all thepany''s assets since you took over, but we couldn''t find where such arge sum of money went. Don''t you think there is something weird about this?"

    "I am only worried that he didn''t manage toplete the transaction."

    "Then where the hell is the money? It is 3 billion we''re talking about."

    After pondering for a long minute, Rachel suggested, "Let''s inspect thepany''s capital flow again. We will trace any dodgy transactions."

    This was the only thing they could do now.

    "Sure. I am off to the Finance Department to get some information, then."

    "Alright."

    Rachel suddenly remembered something before Jolly left, and so she called out, "Jolly?"

    "What is it?"

    "You don''t have to go for now. Come somewhere else with me."

    "What?"

    "I suddenly thought of a ce we haven''t checked yet."

    "Where?"

    "The Hudson Family''s manor in West Magnolia."

    "We have, though. Didn''t we check the Hudson Family''s assets for their personal use first thing?"

    "There is a ce we haven''t checked yet." Rachel''s gaze was firm, and her hands were clenched tightly by her side. "There is a study in the manor that has a secret room in it."

    Jolly was slightly taken aback when she heard that. "A secret room?"

    "Yes, a secret room."

    Rachel had also just recalled the existence of the room.

    She and Justin had identally barged into the secret room six years ago, which was when they saw a photo of her mother locked up in an array in the room. Only then did she know that her mother was killed by Jefferey.

    And so, Rachel and Jolly drove directly to West Magnolia.

    The manor had been sealed off as per court order after Jefferey and Amber died. It was initially going to be auctioned, but their deaths had turned the ce into a supposedly unlucky abode. Also, the ce was too big to interest a normal person.

    "Chris, there is a seal here."

    When the two of them drove to the gate of the manor, they noticed that there was a seal on the iron door, which meant that no one had paid a visit here in a long time.

    "Let''s climb over the wall," Rachel suggested.

    Jolly nced at their surroundings andmented, "Why does it feel eerie here?"

    "We are under broad daylight. What are you afraid of?"

    "I heard that this manor was put up for auction by the court. Even though the starting price has plummeted twice, no one has bid to buy it. Sounds like bad luck to me. Don''t tell me there is something wicked here."

    "I will borrow your luck as the bride today, then. You are soaked in good mojo today."

    "How does that even work?"

    "Are you climbing or not? Wait for me here if you aren''t."

    Hearing that, Jolly grimaced and whined, "I do want to go in with you, but my shoes..."

    She proceeded to bring up one foot to show her 12-centimeter heels.

    "Why did I even bring you out?" Rachel sighed.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "How about I will update you if anything happens? You can contact me anytime."

    "Okay, then. Go ahead and wait for me in the car."

    After saying that, Rachel went to the side door and climbed in.

    Seeing this, Jolly couldn''t help thinking that she wasn''t a good friend this time when she recalled thest time she climbed the wall and went to West Magnolia to find Leroy.

    Still, as much as she wanted to help, her high heels were too much of a hindrance.

    After thinking about it, she had a glint in her eyes and she quickly took out her phone to make a call. "Hello? What are you doing?" she blurted out of excitement.

    The deep voice of a man came from the other end of the call. "Just finished a meeting. What''s wrong?"

    "Hurry over to West Magnolia. There is a great opportunity here for you to show your charms as a boyfriend. Don''t me me for not telling you. This may be your one and only chance."

 Chapter 580

    There used to be a group of servants in West Magnolia''s Hudson Manor, where it was so well-maintained that they could have specially designated servants to clean up every piece of leaf. But now, the manor was dead quiet, and only the sound of birds could be heard despite it being the afternoon.

    Rachel''s ts stepped on a dry branch. The sound startled her, making her jump.

    Sheughed at herself as she looked back and saw the branch that had been stomped into three parts behind her.

    Despite how people with a clear conscience were supposed to be fearless, Rachel found it ridiculous how she still felt a chill run up her spine even though she didn''t do anything she felt guilty about to the Hudsons. Not to mention that it was still in the middle of the day.

    Jefferey, who was executed by the firing squad, might not bother Rachel much, but the bloodied Amber did fall into the river in front of her eyes. Even now, Rachel would asionally dream about the scene and jolt awake from her sleep.

    As she reached the main entrance to the manor, she noticed how tight the seal on the door was.

    She then encircled half the yard before she found a broken window in the side yard.

    It was necessary for houses to be inhabited, as an unupied one was prone to be vandalized and have problems everywhere within the shortest time possible. This was a metaphysical belief. Now that Rachel had entered the house smoothly, she found Jefferey''s locked study with ease.

    Being the upright person that she was, she hesitated for a few seconds before she took a small hairpin from her updo. It became a piece of iron wire after she stretched it out. She had seen people in movies open doors with just a piece of iron wire and she knew the general principle of it, but it was for a fact that she had never done it.

    Just as she poked the wire into the keyhole, she heard a ''click'' and the door was open.

    She was stunned for a second as she wondered if she was naturally talented like that, but she instantly understood when she saw the mess in the study.

    If nothing else, a burr had probably gone through this ce.

    The court had indeed confiscated the valuable furnishings, such as the antiques in the room, but the officers who came from the court to collect the items would not have turned the ce into such a mess. They would have sealed off the things that were not worth much. The room, however, looked like a bomb had hit it.

    Rachel quickly walked to the whole wall bookcase, and found the switch to the secret room from her memory.

    The squeak that ensued was especially clear in the quiet room. Just like six years ago, the door of the bookshelf turned halfway, revealing a dark and discreet secret room.

    Even after so long, she still prepared herself for a fright, her emotions already affected. However, she stopped abruptly when she saw the inside of the room.

    The candles on the enshrined ''altar'' had long since gone out, and the ck-and-white photo had also disappeared.

    Where is it?

    The court would have contacted her if they had found these things.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Did the burr steal from here as well?

    Seems impossible, though.

    Right when Rachel was deep in her thoughts, her phone suddenly rang, scaring her out of her wits when the sound reverberated throughout the empty space. Startled, she hit her arm against the side of the table, making her gasp painfully.

    While she endured the pain, she took a look at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button when she saw Jolly''s name shing across her screen. "Hello? You had better have a good reason for calling me!" Rachel growled in a ''kind'' voice.

    "Ugh, what has gotten your panties in a knot?"

    "You scared me, you butthead."

    "I was only worried about your safety. Turns out it backfired." Jolly sighed.

    "I probably won''t find anything." While talking on the phone, Rachel groped around in the dark room but didn''t find anything she was looking for. "There is nothing here. It has been visited by burrs as well."

    "I told you there is a 80% possibility you won''t find anything. People from the court have been here several times before. The people in charge of the confiscation would have noticed if there really was a problem."

    "But my mother''s photo is missing."

    "What?" Jolly murmured before she suddenly let out a startled gasp.

    Rachel immediately felt herself shiver when she heard that frightening sound.

    "Hello? Jolly? Jolly!"

    The call was cut off abruptly right after.

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat, and she didn''t even bother closing the door to the secret room as she sprinted out to look for Jolly.

    Too much had happened recently that Rachel couldn''t let her guard down even during the day.

    After painstakingly climbing up the wall of the manor, a male voice rang out. "I thought only Miss Jolly knew how to climb walls." Startled, Rachel turned her head, only to see a tall figure standing outside the wall surrounding the yard.

    "You have thoroughly impressed me today, Rae," he continued.

    Rachel could see the astonishment in Justin''s eyes as he looked at her.

    She was currently straddling the wall. The corners of her mouth fell open and a deep frown on her face. "Why are you here?"

    "Jolly called me and told me toe here for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Indeed, it is just like she said. It is indeed once-in-a-lifetime.ˇ±

    "Jolly. Carter!" Rachel gritted her teeth and called out her name. "Where is she?" "Are you sure you want to keep the conversation going in your current position?" Justin raised his head slightly and looked at her straddling the wall, his tone yful. Realizing what he meant, she awkwardly cleared her throat. "Give me a minute."

    Rachel took a look around, but she was still embarrassed to climb up the tree. She had managed to climb over the wall earlier by leaning against the tree outside the wall. However, with Justin staring at her now, she felt too embarrassed to stretch her legs.

    After a long while, she asked with difficulty, "Can you turn around?"

    "Right," the man replied as he quietlyughed about it.

    She only crawled from the wall to the tree after seeing him turn around. She was inwardly cursing Jolly the whole time.

    Why would she call Justin over when I am so unsightly? She must have done it intentionally!

    Rachel then decided that she had to call Leroy over to have a look if Jolly was ever caught in a simr predicament in the future. Even if he couldn''te physically, she would have the video evidence and have it sent to him on the spot to let Jolly experience what social death was like.

    As Rachel quietly grumbled while she climbed up the tree, she got distracted, and suddenly lost her footing when she was climbing down the tree.

    "Ah!"

    Amidst her shriek, Justin, who was seemingly ready, turned around quickly and grabbed her arm with his big one, helping hernd smoothly.

    As Rachel gasped from the shock, she smelled the faint, musky scent of cologne drifting off his torso.

    "You don''t look too experienced." He unhesitantly made fun of her from the top of her head.

    "Why would anyone be experienced in climbing trees and walls?" Rachel coughed and shoved him away. "Didn''t I tell you to turn around? How could you lie?" Not knowing whether tough or feel upset, Justin replied, "My bad."

    "Where is Jolly?"

    "She left."

    "She left?" Rachel looked to where the car was parked in disbelief. "She dumped me here by myself and just left?!"

    "She drove away when she saw meing. She also told me to wait here."

    Rachel immediately realized what had happened then.

    Jolly must have intentionally screamed on the phone just now to worry Rachel, so that she woulde out and look for Jolly, and then let Justin see her climbing the wall. Jolly Carter, just you wait!

    "Let me give her a call."

    Jaw clenched, Rachel took out her phone, only to be stopped by Justin.

    "Ouch!" She gasped in pain.

 Chapter 581

    "What''s wrong? Are you hurt?" Justin immediately wiped the smile off his face and took Rachel''s hand to check. "Were you injured when you climbed the tree? Where are you hurt?"

    "It''s nothing. I bumped into something when I was inside. I didn''t get hurt from climbing the tree."

    "Let me see."

    "It really is nothing. It is all Jolly''s fault for startling me."

    Paying no mind to her protest, Justin carefully rolled up Rachel''s sleeve, where he saw a bruise on her forearm. "Don''t do something so dangerous anymore," he nagged with his eyebrows pulled together.

    "I didn''t expect this ce to feel so spooky as well. Jolly''s nonsense only added to my anxiousness. I kept recalling the scene when Amber fell off the cruise ship."

    Rachel began to feel upset after she brought this up.

    She didn''t feel sorry for Jefferey and Amber. Amber had done a lot of evil things, but since the dead would remain dead, there was no need for Rachel to continue holding a grudge against them. Besides, she didn''t have much resentment toward Amber. After all, it was all in the past now.

    But in the end, they were still cousins.

    "Don''t think too much. They were bound to get hit by karma because of their own actions." He took her hand then. "Let''s go. We will go home and apply some ointment for you."

    "Wait! I have to go in again."

    "Hmm?"

    "My mother''s photo is gone, and the table used for worshiping is missing as well. I have to go in again and see what is going on." She then added with a frown, "It doesn''t make sense, though. Who would move those things?"

    "In that case, you don''t need to check it anymore. Let''s leave here."

    Rachel froze for a second as she cast an odd look at him upon hearing that.

    He seemed like he already knew about this.

    Justin then drove her to Westhill, where the peaceful chime of the church bell could be heard as evening approached.

    "Why did you bring me here?" Rachel asked.

    Instead of answering her, he only asked in return, "Didn''t you want to look for the photo?"

    As he exined, he nodded to a priest in the church as a greeting.

    Seeing him, the priest put his hands together in humility and uttered, "May God bless you, Mr. Burton. May I know who you have here with you today?" "Rae."

    "Hello, Miss Hudson."

    Miss Hudson? Rachel shot Justin a surprised look. Has he mentioned me to the priest? And he seems familiar with the people here. A few of them have greeted him since he entered the gates.

    As they were on blessed grounds, Rachel could only follow the priest while he guided them inside as she knew it would be inappropriate to ask too much.

    They walked all the way to a hall where prayers were offered, the light from the candles giving the space a sense of solemnity.

    The priest proceeded to point at a candle on the table as he held his rosary. "Amen. Miss Hudson, your mother and grandmother''s candles have been lit up in this hall.ˇ± Candles?

    He then continued, "Their belongings are over there."

    On the left side of the hall, there was a multi-grid ss cab which housed different things in each grid. On it were pieces of clothing, jewelry, or even a mere photo.

    As Rachel looked on, she saw her mother''s photo and her grandmother''s silver bangle in one of the grids.

    "Why are these here?" she gasped, bbergasted.

    "I went to the manor before the court sealed it off. I thought that it might be better to leave some things undiscovered, so I moved it all here on my own discretion." "Why didn''t you tell me?"

    "I..." Justin stopped even before he started.

    "Thank you," Rachel remarked. She didn''t press on as she understood his intentions.

    She knew Justin was afraid their rtionship would turn stiff, or worse, deteriorate.

    Presently, it was very quiet in the hall lit with candles. There were also no other visitors who were here to burn incense.

    Justin offered to let Rachel have some alone time with her family while he went out.

    After he left, she pressed her hands together and respectfully asked the priest, "Father, may I know which candle is my mother''s and which one is my grandmother''s?"

    The priest smiled. "There are total of 1500 candles in here, two of which are the ones you are looking for."

    In Christianity, the human soul merely separated from the body at death, and would be re-embodied on the future Day of Judgment.

    However, the reality of it was that humans turned into dust after death, and would return to be one with the universe. Everyone would turn into dust particles that coexist with each other in this abyss of a gxy With how humans would end up relying on each other at some point, there was no need to draw clear lines between who was who.

    Rachel paused after hearing his words, and without asking anything else, she kowtowed toward the thousands of lights illuminating the hall.

    Her grandmother was the only one in the family who was a Catholic. She would have been ted to know that she was to rest here, with Rachel''s mother by her side.

    "Father, does Jaye here often?"

    "Mr. Burton is not very diligentpared to other worshippers, but he has been giving alms."

    To put it bluntly, Justin wasn''t a religious person by all means, but he had donated a lot of money.

    Rachel quietly chuckled to herself at the roundabout manner religious persons spoke.

    "It probably hasn''t been long since my mother and grandma''s candles were lit, yes?"

    "Oh, it has been some time."

    "Is that so?"

    "It has been six years now."

    Startled, Rachel repeated, "Six years?"

    "I had just joined the church that time and was in charge of the affairs here. Mr. Burton came to me with a bangle then, but your mother''s photo was just put in justst year." "Has he been here in the past six years?"

    "He has. I always saw Mr. Burton here before the new year every year, but he had nevere in."

    Hearing that brought Rachelplicated emotions.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Surrounded by the ringing of the bell, it was already evening when she headed out.

    She was greeted by the sight of Justin standing outside the door, quietly watching a priest ringing the bell on the bell tower some distance away.

    He turned around when he heard the sound of her footsteps. He didn''t ask her anything that happened inside, and only gently tugged her by the hand. "Does your hand still hurt?"

    Rachel quietly shook her head in response and stared at him for a long time before she suddenly threw her arms around Justin, making him freeze in ce.

    Even though he didn''t know the reason for her abrupt action, he still ced both hands behind her back and lightly patted. "What is wrong?" he murmured. "Thank you."

    All Rachel cared about was drowning in her sorrow when her grandmother passed away six years ago. A lot of things then were settled with help from others; even Janice was the one who helped her arrange the funeral. It took a long time for Rachel to remember that the bangle was gone, but she was never in the mood to ask about it.

    She finally realized after years had passed that she was not as meticulous and strong-willed as Justin.

    Coming back to his senses, the man gently caressed her back with his big palm without uttering a word. They soon walked downhill, hand-in-hand.

    As they were still some distance away from the ce the car was parked at, Rachel asked, "Didn''t you not remember anything before? How did you still remember toe here every year on the anniversary of Grandma''s death?"

    "I can''t say for sure." Justin sounded confused. "I always had a feeling I had to drop by, but I never understood why even when I was here." "Didn''t the Father tell you?"

    "No."

    People who were religious usually believed in fate. Justin and Rachel probably were not meant to cross paths during those few years, but now it seemed that they had umted enough fate to be in each other''s lives.

    They had unconsciously reached the entrance of the hill then. As she looked at the familiar path down the hill, Rachel suddenly remembered something. "I was here for Old Mrs. Holt thest time I came here. "How is she doing?"

    "Her Alzheimer''s disease is at an advanced stage so she can no longer live here. She was sent to a nursing home a few years ago, and her life there seems pretty good. I went to visit her once."

    "When did you do all this? Howe I don''t know anything about it?"

    "It is nothing. I did it when I was free."

    Rachel then held Justin''s hand. "Bring me along next time."

 Chapter 582

    The ck sedan was driving down the hill as Justin and Rachel''s conversation continued.

    "By the way, how did you deal with those things in the secret room?" She asked about what happened after.

    "I had it all buried."

    "Buried? Where?"

    "The Hudson Cemetery."

    She was caught off-guard when she heard his words. In disbelief, she asked again, "Where?"

    "The Hudson Cemetery. Or should I say, Jefferey Hudson''s grave."

    It took her a while to finally recover.

    She had already known what a ck-hearted man Jefferey was from a long time ago, but she had never expected he would take an eye for an eye with this kind of feudal superstition.

    Since he thought that those things could be used to hold down one''s soul, they might as well ce the things he used to ''suppress'' others when he was alive on his remains so that he could get a taste of his action too.

    "Don''t tell me that..." Something seemed to have suddenlye to Rachel''s mind. "Could it be that the manor wasn''t broken into by a burr? The reason for the mess inside is because..."

    Justin nced at her with a matter-of-fact look on his face and nonchntly admitted, "It was me."

    His straightforward answer seemed to echo off the interior of the car.

    "Didn''t you know where the secret room was? Why did you let your men leave it in such a mess?"

    "I fabricated a fake scene to eliminate suspicion."

    Rachel sighed at that. "I am d you are not a criminal, or else Janice and her subordinates would have had a hard time solving cases."

    To be fair, it waspletely understandable why Justin would do something like this.

    The Hudson Manor had been put up for auction by the court. It was only a matter of time before it had its next owner. If the ce was ever renovated in the future, the secret room in the study would inevitably be discovered. By then, the court would definitely investigate why the room was empty. It was better to make it look as if burrs had ransacked the ce. It wasn''t like they had lost anything of value too. However, none of these mattered. The Hudson Family had already been ruined. Even though the current Hudson Pharmaceuticals was still in the hands of Rachel, it no longer ran on the previous ''family business'' business model.

    The most important thing was to quickly find the sum that Jefferey had transferred.

    "You are sure there wasn''t anything special in the study, right?" she asked again.

    "Frankie brought some men with him to go through the ce. They didn''t find anything out of ce there."

    "Weird. Just where is the three billion Jefferey took?"

    "Maybe we can investigate who Jefferey met after Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' financial auditst year, and if there were any changes to his and his family''s personal ounts." "That is the only thing we can do now."

    It would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but it was still better than doing nothing at all.

    "Don''t worry," Justin consoled her. "I will be by your side to get you through this hurdle no matter what. I won''t let Hudson Pharmaceuticals go bankrupt."

    At his words, Rachel turned to look at him, only to see a determined look on his chiseled features. She felt her heart ease a great deal at that instant, and she hummed in reply. "How about we think about what is for dinner?"

    "I''m not hungry."

    She subconsciously uttered those words, but her tummy chose that moment to let out a loud gurgling noise as soon as she said that. It sounded especially clear in the quiet car. How embarrassing!

    "Not hungry?" Justin smiled. "It''s okay. I am, though. Help me think of what I should have for dinner.ˇ±

    Rachel would love to find a hole to burrow herself in right this moment.

    She had embarrassed herself more times than she could count today.

    Seeing the amused look on his face as he teased her, she finally gritted out, "Let''s have mutton noodle soup."

    She knew that Justin loathed gamy food like mutton. He usually never bothered taking even one small bite despite how delicious it might be.

    As expected, he pulled a frown at her suggestion, but still he unhesitantly answered, ˇ°Sure."

    Night had already fallen by the time they reached downtown, and night market stalls were appearing one after another.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    Rachel and Jolly had a stall they frequently went to near thepany that sold mutton noodle soup. The stall would open untilte night, and it sold the freshest mutton one could find. However, it would only operate during the winter, and would be closed once the season had passed.

    "Why, hello there, Miss Hudson!" The stall owner greeted them in a friendly and familiar voice. "Is Miss Carter not here today?"

    Rachel had toe up with an excuse then. "Jolly said that she is trying to lose weight. You can just chase her away if shees here next time, or else she will me you for giving her too big a bowl of noodles everytime she has had your food."

    Even though the enthusiastic stall owner wouldn''t do that, it still felt nice for Rachel to vent her anger after what had happened earlier.

    The stall owner then smilingly gazed at the man behind Rachel. "Who do you have here with you?"

    "He is "

    "Hello. I am her husband."

    The stall owner was visibly surprised to hear the introduction. "You''re married, Miss Hudson? When did you get married? Why didn''t you say so? Your meal today is on me! Take it as my congrattions for your marriage."

    Rachel quickly waved her hand in rejection. "No, no. There''s no need for that. We are not newlyweds."

    "Oh? Is it a remarriage, then?"

    The stall owner was a northerner who characteristically spoke without beating around the bush, making Rachel not know whether tough or feel upset about it.

    The clear male voice rang out from beside her. "Madam, our children are already elementary school students."

    "You have been married for a long time, then. I always thought that Miss Hudson was a singledy. I even kept an eye out for customers thate here for her. Why have you nevere here with your husband, Miss Hudson?"

    Justin only cast a nce at Rachel and he waited for her to answer.

    "He doesn''t like mutton," Rachel calmly said.

    She wouldn''t be the one to feel embarrassed as long as she was able to push it onto someone else.

    Just like she thought, the stall owner looked dissatisfied with Rachel''s answer. "How can you not like mutton? Don''t you know how nice it is to have a bowl of mutton soup during winter? I have never met someone who doesn''t like the mutton soup that I cook.

    "Try it, sir. I won''t charge you if it is not delicious."

    Meanwhile, Justin didn''t reject it. "Okay," he replied shortly.

    "Great. Is there anything else you don''t eat? Green onion or ginger, or maybe garlic? Anything?"

    "Too many to count." Rachel blinked. ˇ°Madam, please don''t put any of those in his portion. Exclude the chilies too. He doesn''t take all that.ˇ±

    "A pure mutton soup with nothing else? Are you sure? Where is the fun in that?"

    It was the stall owner''s turn to be caught in a dilemma. As though asking for an opinion, she turned to look at Justin. "I can''t guarantee it will taste good that way."

    The man maintained his impassive expression and assured, "Don''t worry about it. Just prepare one for me as the missus said."

    "Got it! Please wait for a moment."

    Rachel and Justin then found a table to sit.

    As it hadn''t been long since the stall was opened, there were still many seats avable, given how few customers it had now.

    "Jolly and I alwayse for the mutton noodle soup here. It is always crowded during the coldest days of winter, but thedy boss doesn''t do takeouts. You will have to stand and eat if you can''t find a seat here. There was once when Jolly and I were holding our bowl when we turned around and bumped into another customer. We were drenched in soup then."

    Rachel continued to vividly describe to him the situation. "We were supposed to apologize, but Jolly started being unreasonable, and it ended up with thempensating us with the mutton noodle soup they lined up to get."

    Justin only quietly listened as he busied himself with getting her a disposable fork.

    Seeing the gauze wrapped around his hand, Rachel lost the smile in her eyes a little. Although no one mentioned it again, she felt upset every time she looked at it.

 Chapter 583

    As observant as Justin was, he noticed Rachel had something on her mind. "Rachel, I have something to show you."

    "Hm?" She stared at him in confusion. "What is it?"

    He extended his hand to her and showed her the severed finger that had already been taken care of with gauze. On that slightly yellowed gauze, somebody had drawn a pair of eyes with noticeable eyshes with a ck pen. Below the eyes were the nose and the lips where the tongue was sticking out from.

    She was surprised to see it and she burst intoughter. "You drew it?"

    "Not me." Justin wiggled his finger at her. "Charlotte did."

    "Geez." Rachel sighed in resignation. "You''re spoiling her too much! You shouldn''t allow her to y with your injured finger. It hasn''t recovered yet."

    "It''s almost time. They''ll remove the bandage soon." He held her hands as he said casually, "You don''t have to be sad for me. It''s not a big deal and it won''t affect my daily life too much, right? Besides, it isn''t that unsightly, is it?"

    How can it not be unsightly? She was trying to retort. However, when she saw the pair of big eyes on his finger staring back at her, she changed her mind. "Well, I''m not sad anymore." After a while, the shop owner served them their food.

    Justin stared at the clear soup before him. It had a crystal clear soup base with snow-white rice vermicelli and nothing more. Theck of ingredients had made the dish look unattractive. "Try it! You asked me to order for you earlier. Don''t waste the food."

    He hesitated for a moment. Everyone had their own preferences for vors and smells, they could not really control themselves in this regard.

    Just like there were some people who hated parsley. For them, it was a torture to just smell it. They would never understand what parsley lovers like about it.

    As for Justin, he never took a liking to mutton. Even though he said yes without any hesitation a moment ago, he couldn''t find the courage to begin as the scent of the mutton soup overwhelmed his sense of smell. "Rachel, can I not eat them?"

    "Nope."

    "Okay then..." As Rachel rejected his request, he could only force himself to try the soup.

    However, the soup tasted differentpared to what he had expected from a mutton soup.

    Justin was surprised. So, he took another spoonful of the soup before he raised his head to her for answers.

    Sitting opposite him, Rachel rested her chin in her hands as she winked. "How does the bone broth taste?" "This is a bone broth?"

    "Of course! You''ll never try it twice if it''s mutton soup."

    Rachel had requested the shop owner to change his order to bone broth without Justin''s knowing when he left to order the drinks.

    Even though she loved to see the funny look on his face when he was tasting the soup, she would never force him to eat mutton as she knew his preference. "You''re having fun kidding me, aren''t you?"

    "You need to pay the price because you and Jolly ganged up onughing at me!"

    "I didn''t!"

    "As if!"

    The other party was hesitant to respond.

    As night fell, the crescent moon was shining silver in the sky. The moon was a soothing sight while the persons under it were an even more admirable scene. The next day.

    Rachel initiated an investigation on Jefferey''s yearly schedule after the audit of Hudson Pharmaceuticals two years ago and indeed found something that didn''t add up.

    "Jefferey''s schedule isn''t private to others. Most of the time he stayed in Riverdale due to his poor health, but he went to the Westhill Turf Club every month in the first half ofst year," Jolly said as she passed the copy of Jefferey''s schedule to Rachel. "The dates that were circled indicate the time he went there. Have you noticed anything?"

    Rachel scowled after she perused them. "It has a pattern. He went to the turf club at the beginning of each month."

    "Ourpany always deals with the financial closing by the end of the month and he would go to Westhill the second day after the closing. On the same day of the month, a sum of money would be deducted from the ount of ourpany."

    "It was deducted monthly?"

    "Yes. It started not sincest year but ten years ago. There''s always a sum of advance funds deducted from thepany''s ount at the beginning of the month, but it''ll be bnced at the end of the month. Nobody knows what it is used for." Jolly analyzed. "If it wasn''t for the sum that was deducted recently, people would hardly notice this."

    A solemn expression stered on Rachel''s face. "So the money has flowed to the turf club?"

    "Most likely so."

    "But the cops are watching them. There''s no way they can transfer the money under their watch."

    "There wasn''t any news about the money being confiscated. Maybe they had transferred it somewhere?"

    "It''s impossible." Rachel shook her head. "Janice told me that the cops were monitoring the turf club. If they had transferred the money, they should have left. There''s no way they are still staying in Riverdale." Jefferey was in a rush to realize his assets into cash and transfer them because he was aware that the false ounting of Hudson Pharmaceuticals would be discovered one day. If the money was transferred sessfully to a safe ce, he would have brought Amber to flee the city instead of being arrested in the first ce.

    As human greed was unlimited, people like him would take any measure to realize their assets in the country before they fled the country. As for Jefferey, he must have targeted Hudson Pharmaceuticals for greater fortune.

    In fact, he had seeded. Hudson Pharmaceuticals needed the money he took to operate.

    "What do we do now?"

    Rachel replied with a serious face, "I''ll talk about it with Janice."

    The cops would never allow the money to flow out from the turf club, or else they could only let the suspects flee the city without solid evidence to arrest them.

    "Enough of this topic. Do you want to have dinner togetherter?" Jolly suggested. "Leroy ising back once he finishes the shooting. Let''s have dinner." "Sure."

    "Then, I want to take a half day offter."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "What is it for?"

    "To pick up my hubby."

    Rachel regretted asking as she heard the way that Jolly addressed Leroy. "That is the point, isn''t it?"

    Since Jolly was married to Leroy, she wouldn''t stop mentioning her "hubby" in their conversation, which gave Rachel goosebumps.

    Meanwhile, Leroy was shooting the advertisement in Riverdale.

    "Leroy, are you ready? It''s time for the shoot."

    "One minute!" The make-up artist replied as they finished thest touch on Leroy''s face.

    The makeup set off Leroy''s chisel face more than ever as if everything were in its perfect ce. Waiting for the artist to adjust his makeup, he stole some time to check the messages from Jolly and chuckled immediately.

    "Leroy, is it from Miss Carter?"

    "That''s right, so I hope the shooting can go smoothly."

    "No worries. You won''t bete for your dateter tonight."

    The progress was indeed smooth due to Leroy''s professionalism. He basically just needed one take to finish each scene.

    However, he couldn''t leave work as nned when an unexpected guest visited the set. He took countless times to shoot thest scene, but was never approved as if they had ws.

    Leroy found the answer when he recognized the man sitting behind the cameras.

    "One more time! This take isn''t good enough."

    "There''s no need for it." Leroy left the set as he walked toward the man. "Mr. Sutton should have told us that you''re visiting today. Anything you''re feeling unsatisfied, you can tell me directly. There''s no need to take the others down with me."

    Remaining in his seat, the so-called Mr. Sutton''s expression sank when he red at Leroy with a cold look. "It''s new to see a spokesperson who acts against the brand owner."

 Chapter 584

    "You''re the brand owner?" Leroy''s brows knitted as his eyes searched for his manager. "What''s going on?"

    Standing in the corner, Emmett, the man he was looking for, avoided eye contact.

    Obviously, the manager knew it all the time, but chose not to tell him, which meant the manager had betrayed him.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    As soon as he started the rtionship with Jolly, Leroy rectified the works received by his management team by terminating all the deals that were rted to Sutton Corporation and dering he wouldn''t cooperate with them in the future.

    "I went through a lot of trouble to invite an A-lister like you for the shooting." Ryan rose to his feet behind the cameras. His stance was around 190 centimeters, which was taller than Leroy by a few inches and i gave him a strong aura.

    Even though Leroy was a famous star, he was nothingpared to a capitalist like Ryan. After all, he was just a pawn on someone else''s chessboard.

    The atmosphere went tense at their exchange. Even the prop masters stopped their work as they kept stealing nces at the two and whispered, "What happened?"

    "Are you blind? Leroy offended President Sutton."

    "Then, why did President Sutton ask him to be the spokesperson?"

    "You''re too naive! President Sutton needs to stay in touch with Leroy to intimidate and manipte him!"

    Their discussion turned inaudible.

    It was clear that Ryan was trying to intimidate him. Leroy wasn''t a newbie to the work environment, so he had guessed Ryan''s intention. "President Sutton, you should be frank. You don''t need to drag the others into our business. For them, time is money."

    "I see. You''re always trying to be the nice guy." Ryan sneered. "That''s what I hate the most about you. You always try to be considerate, but you''re sugar-coating your wicked lies."

    "I don''t care about your opinion. You can keep them to yourself. I guess you aren''t here only to be sarcastic today after you set me up, am I right?"

    "I won''t ask the obvious if I was you." Ryan red at Leroy with a cold look in his eyes as he spoke his mind. ˇ°As long as you''re in a rtionship with Jolly, what happened today will repeat again. What do you think?"

    Leroy clenched his fists at his side. No matter what he did, Ryan only finds me for one reason, which is Jolly.

    Taking Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals as examples, many enterprises were caught in turmoil in the past year. Among them, Sutton Corporation seized the opportunity to expand fast and ended up having the highest market value.

    It can be said that Ryan could decide whether Leroy could continue his career in the entertainment industry or get banned from it for good. In only a night, Leroy would fall from the top into the pit, along with in debt of the liquidated damages.

    Leroyughed bitterly as he began with the resignation, "In order to keep my career, I must leave Riverdale as you like, don''t I?"

    Before Ryan could answer, another voice from the entrance interrupted them. "Don''t you dare!"

    "Jolly." He addressed her before his surprised look turned into a smile as he watched her walking toward him with anger.

    "It isn''t the time tough!" Jolly sent him daggers. "You want to leave Riverdale to keep your career? What about me?"

    "I didn''t n to. I''m just asking."

    "You can''t even try to ask! Watch out, I''ll get even with youter!" As she finished her words, she dragged him to stand behind her domineeringly before she turned to Ryan.

    "Jolly!" At first, he was happy to see her, but his face fell immediately when he saw the intimacy between the two.

    In contrast to him. Jolly was unhappy. "Ryan, you''re a well-known man in Riverdale, after all. Aren''t you worried about retribution with all your dirty tricks?"

    In a split second, the happiness he experienced was gone. Ryan''s expression sank as he said, "I''m giving him the options. It''s up to him. As for you, you should already wake up from your dream to see that your true love is unsustainable without money!"

    "I had enough of your malicious spection! Do you think everybody is the same?"

    "Is that so? You believe him?"

    "Who else should I trust? Probably not you!" Jolly retorted in folded arms. "You''re still having doubts? Well, I''d love to tell you the consequences of your wicked games."

    She turned to Leroy and signaled him to speak. Unspoken words were exchanged between them as they watched each other.

    Leroy spoke as told, "I guess I''ll be deprived of work opportunities if I don''t follow President Sutton''s request to leave you. However, my earnings all these years are merely enough to pay the liquidated damages. Thus, President Sutton suggested that I shouldn''t dream of marrying into the Carter Family and should focus on my career instead."

    At that, he raised his brows as if he found it funny. "You know what, it''s a rare opportunity for a man to marry into a wealthy family. As for me, a single man without any dependents, marrying into her family is not a bad resolution."

    "You!" Ryan was taken aback by the statement as he always thought that no man with dignity should be a live-in son-inw and depend on his wife''s family.

    Leroy continued where he was interrupted with a calm and gentle tone, "President Sutton, if you don''t mind marrying into the Carter Family, I think Jolly''s parents would love to ept you. How about changing your strategy then?"

    Ryan scrunched up his face in disgust.

    Jolly red at Leroy when she heard his suggestion. Wait until we''re home. I''ll definitely deal with you.

    "If you''re willing to depend on her by marrying into her family, she and even her family one day will finally despise you. Are you still able to stay that time?"

    "Isn''t it what you are hoping for?" Even though he was speaking calmly, his statements were oddly pertinent as they had always aimed straight at someone''s weak spot.

    After that, he even tried to educate the other side. "I''m never a hindrance to the rtionship between you and Jolly. You''re the one who failed to achieve them yourself. You had it before, but you let the chance slip. I believe that you''d still do the same even if you''re given a second chance."

    "I won''t!" Ryan never wanted to recall what happened between him and Jolly. "Jolly, he''s trying to drive a wedge between us!"

    Jolly''s response was opposite to him as she replied calmly, "There''s no such idea between me and you."

    After that, she held Leroy''s hand before everyone. "Besides, Leroy and I are married."

    Her announcement caused a fuss among the onlookers as Leroy was a celebrity. Nobody knew he was married until today. If any press had dropped the bombshell on the inte, it would indeed stir up a wave.

    "What did you say?" Ryan couldn''t believe what he heard.

    "The two of us are legally married."

    "That''s impossible!"

    Jolly didn''t bother to exin further. "Let''s go, Leroy."

    When she thought of something, she stopped and turned to Ryan. "I forgot to tell you something. Sutton Corporation isn''t dominating Riverdale. Even though I''m far from motivated, I''m still the only heir of the Carter Enterprise. What makes you think you are capable of banning my husband from the entertainment industry?"

 Chapter 585

    Jolly and Leroy departed the studio while Ryan stood there with a scowl and observed their departure. The veins on his hands bulged as he clenched his fists hard.

    The assistant who stood beside him was scared to provoke him, so he asked cautiously, "President Sutton?"

    It definitely aggravated him as he angrilyshed out at the assistant. "What are you up to? How could you be that ignorant of the fact that they''re married?"

    The assistant became pale at hearing his usation but was too afraid to speak.

    After a moment of struggling to control his rage, Ryan was forced to calm down. "Take care of this situation. I don''t want word to get out about what happened today."

    After he uttered this, he left the set without his assistant. This is my fianc¨¦e. I will never let anyone know she married another man!

    Ryan received a phone call as soon as he entered his car. He picked up the phone despite his bad mood, frowning impatiently at the caller ID. "Hello?"

    "It''s been a while, President Sutton. Are you free tomorrow?"

    "What do you want?"

    "I have an acquaintance who would like to meet you at Westhill Racecourse."

    His eyes slowly narrowed in reaction to the conversation.

    Meanwhile, Jolly and Leroy were meeting Rachel for dinner.

    She sent Rachel several messages on the way to her destination, exaggerating the incident at the set a while ago. When she arrived at the restaurant, Jolly eagerly asked Rachel, "Did you see my messages?" Rachel raised her phone to show that she was reading her messages. "I''m reading them, but I''m not sure which one I should reply to first."

    Her phone screen disyed a bunch of audio messages from Jolly. As they talked, the audio messages yed in the background. She hadn''t had a chance to respond to Jolly, but she had a rough idea of wha had happened.

    Everyone had arrived and was seated at the table. Except for Carmen, everyone else was coupled. Samuel and Charlotte, the children, also appeared to be a couple, and they were quite matching.

    Both children were seated on either side of Rachel, while Justin sat next to Charlotte.

    Jolly patted Samuel''s shoulder and said, "Sit next to Mr. Leroy. I''d like to tell your mommy something, but you''re blocking us."

    Even though he was unwilling to do so, Samuel still heeded her demands and rolled his eyes.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    She pulled the chair up next to Rachel and sat down. She couldn''t wait any longer, so she said what she thought immediately. "I find it hard to believe that a man like that could exist. Besides that, he thinks very highly of himself. Do you know that he wants Leroy to be banned from acting? Who does he think he is?

    "He is nothingpared to you, Miss Jolly," Rachel said helplessly.

    "That''s right! He''s a nobody!"

    Justin asked, "Are you both all right?"

    "There''s nothing to be worried about." Leroy continued, "He is resentful of me but cannot publicly attack me. At worst, he could only ruin my shooting. Jolly came before the situation escted into a confrontation."

    Gloria remarked amusedly. "Well done, Jolly. You are nurturing the tradition of rescuing a damsel in distress."

    "Why don''t you be the one who nurtures it?" Jolly retorted spitefully.

    "Because you have too much charisma, flies are always buzzing around. I don''t have that much charm or that many suitors."

    "Are you being sarcastic? Don''t think I don''t understand what you''re saying!"

    "I''m not! I have no reason to be sarcastic when I''m about to leave soon."

    "Leaving? Where will you go?" Jolly recalled something after the question was asked. "Are you going on another tour?"

    "No, not yet. It''s not about going on a tour." Gloria grinned. "It''s only that Victor has finally received approval to take his marital leave, so we''re nning a vacation.ˇ±

    "Y-You''re going for your honeymoon?" Jolly now understood what Gloria was saying.

    "Yes, something like that. We want to make up for the missed time because we married during thest celebrations and were busy afterward. We just want to have fun; it doesn''t have to be our honeymoon." Victor and Gloria didn''t originally n to have a traditional wedding. Instead, they would like to have a romantic getaway. However, they could notpromise on the schedule, as either he had sses to lecture or she had a performance.

    But now, they could finally have time.

    "So, today''s dinner is perfect for wishing them both a good honeymoon trip," Rachel eximed with a smile.

    Everyone was delighted for Victor and Gloria as even the children wished them a happy trip. Charlotte was also expecting a gift from her Aunt Gloria.

    Jolly inquired further, "Where did you n for the honeymoon?"

    "Tahiti."

    Rachel nodded in agreement. "I know the ce. It is famous for its tropical climate all year. The scenery is mesmerizing."

    "There''s no winter there?" Charlotte raised her head and asked a serious question.

    As he caressed her tiny ears, Justin exined. "Tahiti has a temperate climate. It has warm temperatures all year, making it an ideal holiday spot."

    "Daddy, have you been there?"

    "I haven''t." Justin shook his head.

    Although he traveled much for business, he rarely visited vacation destinations. After all, such ces had little to do with his business. Furthermore, he did not enjoy spending time alone on vacation, so he never considered it.

    "I want to visit the ce!" Suddenly, Charlotte turned her head to Gloria. "Aunt Gloria, can I follow you?"

    Before Gloria could answer, Samuel interrupted, "Only a married couple can go on a honeymoon. There''s no reason to bring children!"

    "Who set the rules?" Charlotte pleaded, "Aunt Gloria!"

    Gloria and Victor looked at each other, and he shrugged and said, "If Rachel doesn''t mind, we could bring the kids with us."

    "I''m not going anywhere!" Samuel raised his hand in protest as he spoke, "I want to stay with Mommy."

    Samuel disliked the idea of having to travel. To him, going ces to y was like changing ying locations. Why not stay home and yfortably if it was the same as ying games? "Since you''re bringing Charlotte, why don''t you bring Leroy and me with you too?"

    Gloria was taken aback by Jolly''s impromptu idea. "What?"

    "I''ve decided." Jolly winked. "We''ll follow you on a honeymoon."

    Rachel looked at her, surprised as well. "Both of you are going to?"

    "Not just us; you and Justin ought to join too!"

    Rachel dismissively shook her hands. "We''re not joining. Are you in your right mind, though?

    33

    Leroy gave Rachel an unexpected expression and shook his head. He was puzzled by Jolly''s sudden decision.

    Jolly was ady of action, though. She was eager to get to business once she made a decision.

    She rose to her feet and said, "Because none of us had ever been there before, why not take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go together?"

    "Chris, Justin, do you two have any important tasks that can''t be postponed?"

    Jolly continued to speak before Rachel could respond. "I don''t care if you have any important task you can''t put off. Simply set them aside first! Nothing would happen if I requested my parents to keep an eye on them."

    "We haven''t had the chance to hang out together this year!"

    "It was Victor and I who didn''t get to have fun!" Gloria reminded her weakly. "Nobody told us you went to Somerset Mountain; we only found out after the incident!"

    Rachel felt helpless upon hearing about this. "We did not go there for a vacation."

    Jolly remarked, "Enough with the irrelevant discussion; we will now begin voting. Whoever does not wish to go, please raise their hand."

    No one had raised their hand except Samuel. He looked around the table and noticed that not only did Charlotte not raise her hand, even his mommy did as well after much hesitation. Finally, he lowered his tiny hand.

    "It''s decided then." Jolly was overjoyed to see the result.

 Chapter 586

    Gloria and Victor were taking a twenty-day marriage leave for their honeymoon.

    Even though Jolly persuaded Rachel to join them on their honeymoon, she couldn''t put off her work for that long. They needed to figure out where the three billion dors were, and Justin had to finish his work for the venture for which he had just recently signed a contract. Because of the impending jobs, they could not take vacations whenever they pleased.

    Gloria and Victor departed the following morning as scheduled. The only difference between their original n and this one was that they brought the children.

    "Did we really let the kids join Gloria and Victor? What about school?"

    Rachel and Justin dropped them off at the airport terminal. As the four people passed the security checkpoint, she suddenly remembered the kids'' school attendance. Justin calmed her worries by saying, "Do not worry. I''ve informed their substitute teacher that they will be absent for a few days."

    "What did you say to the teacher? Did you say they aren''t feeling well or something else?" In a sh of insight, she cautiously asked, "Did you tell her the truth?" "What else?"

    She was at a loss for words when she saw his serious expression.

    Charlotte was known as a troublemaker who liked to cause mischief at school. Hence, Rachel tried to avoid every parent-teacher conference with various excuses. However, the situation was made worse by Justin''s honesty.

    "Can''t you just tell a lie?"

    What is the point of lying? Even their teacher sounds happy when I tell her they''re going on vacation."

    "How is that possible? Other children are in school, while ours are on vacation! Isn''t it absurd?" Obviously, she was worrying too much.

    The school would be delighted to approve their leave. Their homeroom teacher, Victor, is going on his honeymoon, so the substitute teacher was hoping they wouldn''t have to see Charlotte at school because the young mischief-maker was too difficult to discipline.

    Samuel, the little genius who could easilyplete a sixth-grade math Olympiad question, could take the leave for as long as he wanted, let alone the twenty days. His presence in ss will only increase peer pressure on other students his age.

    As they drove back to the office, Justin drove, and Rachel sat in the passenger seat, rxing next to him as the car traveled down the highway.

    He finally broke the silence. "By the way, while requesting a leave of absence for Samuel, the school reminded me to reconsider the offer."

    What kind of offer is it?

    "It is Samuel''s enrollment in the Special ss for the Gifted Young."

    Rachel frowned slightly at this, but he continued, "Since you already said no the first time, I won''t try to convince you this time. But we should first ask Samuel what he thinks."

    His words didn''t help to lift the crease between her brows as she responded with mixed emotions, "I understand if the SCGY is better suited to a child like Samuel, but don''t you think he deserves a happy childhood? In fact, I''d rather he did not learn anything too advanced until he''s older."

    "Have you ever considered that Samuel is now being exposed to something far moreplex than we can imagine?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I''ve recently discovered Samuel''s programming ability."

    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat when she heard the shocking news. "Where did he acquire such skills?"

    "He learned them in school, but no child his age can create such aplex program as he did." Justin sighed with amusement. "A prodigy normally outperforms the average person in a particr field. Samuel is indeed intelligent because he possesses the talent."

    She grasped the meaning of what he was trying to convey. "Do you think I wasted his talent?"

    "No, I don''t. I know you did everything for his own good."

    "I''m afraid he won''t be able to be the person that others expect him to be. He''s finally at the age where he can learn new things rapidly, and it worries me that he may be an early bloomer. He may just be an average Joe in the future. However, the psychological gap between him and everyone else will still be very noticeable." Rachel sighed after much deliberation. "This thought has bothered me ever since."

    A child prodigy should not be kept hidden. Rachel would not want Samuel''s talent to go to waste.

    Justin held her hand as he sensed her anxiety. "You shouldn''t worry too much. It is a matter for the future."

    She nodded. "You are right. I shouldn''t make all the decisions for him. I''ll talk to him about it after he returns from his vacation. It is entirely up to him whether or not he wishes to enroll."

    "I''m afraid you might have to worry about one more thing if he finally decides to go."

    "Which is?"

    "Charlotte will undoubtedly throw tantrums if she knows."

    Rachel''s head began to ache as soon as she regained herposure following a moment of shock. Charlotte enjoys spending time with Samuel because the two are inseparable. She''ll undoubtedly make a scene if she knows he''s going to SCGY.

    "I wonder where Charlotte got her clinginess from?" She sighed.

    "Who knows?" Justin responded quickly, but his grip on Rochel''s hond tightened.

    Sometimes o porent''s personolity or hobit wos mirrored in their child. Being clingy, for exomple, could toke mony forms, including the type of tontrums thot Chorlotte experienced when she wos seporoted from the person she loved.

    Rochel wos oblivious thot even Justin wos no longer residing with her, but they continued to see eoch other frequently.

    Justin drove her to thepony ofter he exited the highwoy.

    "I''ll pick you up from work tonight."

    Rochel stepped out of the cor ond woved to him. "There''s no need for thot. Loter in the ofternoon, I''ll hove to go to the Westhill Rocecourse."

    "The rocecourse?"

    "Todoy, they ore holding o horse roce, but Jolly ond I must investigote something there. I''ll tell you more obout it loter. Do not be lote for work. Remember, be coreful.ˇ±

    "All right."

    Justin wos going to o meeting ot thepony becouse the cooperotion project he hod ogreed to wos obout to begin. He hod been kept busy becouse mony ospects of the colloborotion needed to be finolized during the eorly stoges of plonning.

    As he drove to thepony, he be onxious, recolling Rochel''s words. Isn''t Westhill Rocecourse populor omong turf club members?

    As soon os the thought urred, he dioled his ossistont''s number. "Fronkie, I''d like to know if our two turf club torgets hove been up to onything lotely ond if they''re in Riverdole or not."

    "Yes, sir."

    Meonwhile, Rochel wos getting reody in her office. However, the ossistont''s office wos still dork, indicoting thot her executive ossistont hod not orrived for work.

    Our Miss Jolly is the only ossistont who orrives ot work loter thon her boss, but whot else con I do? She is supported by o weolthy fomily. She''s only stepping outside herfort zone to work os my ossistont. Jolly didn''t orrive ot work until 10.00AM.

    Insteod of orgonizing Rochel''s doily schedule, she gove Rochel o cup of coffee when she orrived ot work. "Try some of my mother''s coffee. She even creoted foom ort for it, but I suppose you con''t see it from the outside."

    "Mrs. Corter oppeors to hove hod o lot of free time recently. She hos even found the time to leorn how to moke foom ort."

    "Well, she con finolly rest eosy now thot Corter Enterprise hos o sessor."

    "Oh? You finolly hod o conscience ond decided to toke over the fomily business?"

    "No, it''s not me; it''s my younger brother."

    Rochel wos surprised by the onswer. "Do you hove o younger brother?"

    "Who knows?" Justin responded quickly, but his grip on Rachel''s hand tightened.

    Sometimes a parent''s personality or habit was mirrored in their child. Being clingy, for example, could take many forms, including the type of tantrums that Charlotte experienced when she was separated from the person she loved.

    Rachel was oblivious that even Justin was no longer residing with her, but they continued to see each other frequently.

    Justin drove her to thepany after he exited the highway.

    "I''ll pick you up from work tonight."

    Rachel stepped out of the car and waved to him. "There''s no need for that. Later in the afternoon, I''ll have to go to the Westhill Racecourse."

    "The racecourse?"

    "Today, they are holding a horse race, but Jolly and I must investigate something there. I''ll tell you more about itter. Do not bete for work. Remember, be careful.ˇ±

    "All right."

    Justin was going to a meeting at thepany because the cooperation project he had agreed to was about to begin. He had been kept busy because many aspects of the coboration needed to be finalized during the early stages of nning.

    As he drove to thepany, he became anxious, recalling Rachel''s words. Isn''t Westhill Racecourse popr among turf club members?

    As soon as the thought urred, he dialed his assistant''s number. "Frankie, I''d like to know if our two turf club targets have been up to anythingtely and if they''re in Riverdale or not."

    "Yes, sir."

    Meanwhile, Rachel was getting ready in her office. However, the assistant''s office was still dark, indicating that her executive assistant had not arrived for work.

    Our Miss Jolly is the only assistant who arrives at workter than her boss, but what else can I do? She is supported by a wealthy family. She''s only stepping outside herfort zone to work as my assistant. Jolly didn''t arrive at work until 10.00AM.

    Instead of organizing Rachel''s daily schedule, she gave Rachel a cup of coffee when she arrived at work. "Try some of my mother''s coffee. She even created foam art for it, but I suppose you can''t see it from the outside."

    "Mrs. Carter appears to have had a lot of free time recently. She has even found the time to learn how to make foam art.ˇ±

    "Well, she can finally rest easy now that Carter Enterprise has a sessor."

    "Oh? You finally had a conscience and decided to take over the family business?"

    "No, it''s not me; it''s my younger brother."

    Rachel was surprised by the answer. "Do you have a younger brother?"C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 587

    "Yes. I never told you this, but my father had an illegitimate child without my mother knowing," Jolly revealed with a bitter face. "I have known about it for a long time, but I kept it hidden because my dad begged me to keep it a secret. I also didn''t want him to get divorced with my mother. After all, the woman has passed away, and the only one left is the child.ˇ±

    Seeing her exaggerated performance, Rachel couldn''t help but roll her eyes at her friend. "Go on. Keep up with the act.ˇ±

    "You were the one who asked me about it," Jolly rebutted. After ending her performance, she let out a giggle. "It is my cousin. My youngest aunt''s son."

    Puzzled, Rachel probed, "Did Mr. and Mrs. Carter start finding someone in their respective families who can rece you because they havepletely given up on you? They are even going for your own cousins?"

    "That is possible."

    "You don''t look all that worried."

    "What are you worried about? That my cousin will take over the Carter Enterprise and kick me out? Don''t worry. It would be weirder if he cane up with tricks with that brain of his. He has been timid since he was a child." Rachel slightly lifted her eyebrows at that.

    The Carter Family had great family values. They were one of the few families that did not have family feud over power. Rachel had been fortunate to attend their family banquets several times. It was from there that she realized how amiable her parents'' sides of the family were. None of them acted like they were better than the other.

    It only made sense that children raised in such a family would turn out to be decent people.

    "My cousin has been studying abroad. My parents wanted him to work in the Carter Enterprise not long after he came back, but I don''t suppose Steven would be very happy with the arrangement. Oh, right. My cousin''s name is Steven. I will introduce you both some day."

    "Sure."

    What Rachel didn''t expect was that they would meet Steven at Westhill that afternoon after Jolly casually brought him up.

    It was afternoon at the Westhill Racecourse. Both the horse race and betting had actually started in the morning, but a group of racehorses had been eliminated in advance. With only three rounds remaining in the afternoon, the bets had also gotten rtivelyrge.

    Rachel and Jolly were watching the game in the regr area, which was not far from the VIP area on the second-floor terrace.

    "I bet No. 4 will win the race."

    "I am thinking No. 8."

    The duo were discussing when an excited shout came from above their heads. "No. 8!"

    The horse race was in full swing right then, which was why it was normal for the crowd to loudly cheer for the horses they betted on. However, it was the first time they had heard such a shouting from the VIP area.

    Jolly abruptly looked up at the sound, only to see a man behind the second-floor railing fluttering his limbs around and cheering.

    "Steven?"

    "Huh?" Rachel raised her chin as well, her eyes following Jolly''s before theynded on a young man that could pass as a teenager.

    He was a fair and delicate man in his early twenties. Dressed in a white T-shirt and a baseball uniform jacket, he was looking back at the women with a surprised expression.

    "Cuz!"

    No longer caring about the horse race, Jolly stomped to the VIP area and dragged Steven out.

    "What is this? Why are you here?"

    He was screaming in pain at this point. "It hurts, Jolly! Don''t pull my ears! It is going to fall off!"

    "Already running amok when you have just arrived in Riverdale, aren''t you? Who told you toe here?"

    "I got an invitation!"

    "What invitation are you talking about?"

    "It is an invitation from a club."

    Jolly''s face immediately fell when she heard him say that. "What club? You better spit it out."

    Seeing how things weren''t looking too bright for him, Steven went into panic mode, and he didn''t even take a good look at who was in front of him when he grabbed Rachel''s shoulder and hid behind her while avoiding Jolly''s demonic ws that were aiming for his ears. "Why are you so angry, Jolly? I am just watching a horse race! It is not like I gamble or anything."

    "You might not be gambling now, but that doesn''t mean you won''t in the future!"

    "Do you know how many people who start off by watching these horse races eventually end up in those god-awful clubs?

    "Get your butt here!"

    "I won''t!"

    The confident voice came from behind Rachel. Like a steering wheel, she was spun and shook around by the pair of hands that were tightly holding her shoulders, making her dizzy.

    "Jolly, enough." Rachel was afraid that she would vomit, so she had no choice but to interrupt the bickering duo. "Can you find a ce to talk about this properly? I am feeling woozy."

    It was only then that the cousins remembered that Rachel was still there then.

    "Fine." Jolly gritted her teeth and reluctantly agreed while her eyes red at Steven. "Let her go."

    "You can''t hit me if I let go."

    "You punk!"

    "Huh?"

    Rachel was waved around once again like a human shield. The frail woman was like a helpless chick being swung around in front of Steven.

    She recalled that Steven''s area of study was inputer science, and he apparently was a natural at it. However, his physique didn''t look like that of aputer major student-he looked like he studied sports.

    "Okay, okay. Just quickly let her go. I won''t hit you!" Left with no choice, Jolly could only agree to his request. "This is Rachel Hudson. Didn''t you want to get to know her a long time ago?" "Rochel Hudson?" Steven repeoted in surprise.

    Rochel then felt the grip on her shoulders loosen in thot instont.

    As she turned oround, she sow Steven looking ot her with o slightly flushed ond surprised foce. "I om so sorry! I didn''t know you were Rochel."

    Heoring thot, Jolly shot him o shorp look. "Who ore you colling ''Rochel''? Coll her ''Miss Rochel''!"

    He let out o boshful chuckle then. "Thot is not very nice, is it? No womon likes being oddressed like they ore older."

    "It is fine," Rochel chimed in. "You con coll me onything you like."

    "Reolly? Con I coll you Roe?"

    Steven, who wos friendly ond worm, hod interpersonol skills thot didn''t resemble oputer student ot oll. However, Rochel didn''t find it stronge; this wos how the Corter Fomily wos like. "Sure. I om okoy with onything.

    "Let''s not stond oround here. How obout we find o ploce to sit down?"

    After she suggested they head to the restouront of the rocecourse, the trio swiftly went there.

    Steven wos still like o child, os he immediotely ordered on ice creom for himself ofter he sot down. He even osked Rochel if she wonted some.

    "Just eot it yourself. Doesn''t look like you ore the leost bit concerned obout being poisoned," Jolly mocked.

    "I wosn''t osking you." Steven then brought the menu in front of Rochel. "Roe, why don''t you pick one you would like? The strowberry one is delicious."

    Rochel smiled, "I will hove the strowberry ice creom."

    "Get stroight to the point. Why ore you here?"

    Jolly, who wos storting to feel impotient, interrupted them.

    She ond Rochel both knew thot the horse roce wos merely o folse front to cover up whot wos reolly being offered here. Furthermore, they still didn''t know whot those two members of the club were trying to ochieve in the nome of the roce.

    Steven finolly onswered, "I reolly dide here ofter receiving on invitotion. Oh yeoh, I got o phone coll soying thot they wonted to invite me to Riverdole. The other porty cloimed to be Uncle Richord''s friend." "Did you osk my dod obout it?"

    "I didn''t. After oll, it is just o horse roce, so Ie here on my own."

    "You roscol!"

    "Jolly." Rochel held Jolly down ond suggested in oll seriousness, "I think they would still hove other woys to opprooch Steven even if he hod told Mr. Corter obout this ond wos prohibited froming here." Rochel didn''t even need to dig much into it to know thot it wos the some situotion os the time Jolly received the wedding dress on the cruise ship. The only difference wos thot now she didn''t know whot they were plonning to hove Steven do.

    "Rachel Hudson?" Steven repeated in surprise.

    Rachel then felt the grip on her shoulders loosen in that instant.

    As she turned around, she saw Steven looking at her with a slightly flushed and surprised face. "I am so sorry! I didn''t know you were Rachel."

    Hearing that, Jolly shot him a sharp look. "Who are you calling ''Rachel''? Call her ''Miss Rachel''!"

    He let out a bashful chuckle then. "That is not very nice, is it? No woman likes being addressed like they are older."

    "It is fine," Rachel chimed in. "You can call me anything you like."

    "Really? Can I call you Rae?"

    Steven, who was friendly and warm, had interpersonal skills that didn''t resemble aputer student at all. However, Rachel didn''t find it strange; this was how the Carter Family was like.

    "Sure. I am okay with anything.

    "Let''s not stand around here. How about we find a ce to sit down?"

    After she suggested they head to the restaurant at the racecourse, the trio swiftly went there.

    Steven was still like a child, as he immediately ordered an ice cream for himself after he sat down. He even asked Rachel if she wanted some.

    "Just eat it yourself. Doesn''t look like you are the least bit concerned about being poisoned," Jolly mocked.

    "I wasn''t asking you." Steven then brought the menu in front of Rachel. "Rae, why don''t you pick one you would like? The strawberry one is delicious."

    Rachel smiled, "I will have the strawberry ice cream."

    "Get straight to the point. Why are you here?"

    Jolly, who was starting to feel impatient, interrupted them.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    She and Rachel both knew that the horse race was merely a false front to cover up what was really being offered here. Furthermore, they still didn''t know what those two members of the club were trying to achieve in the name of the race.

    Steven finally answered, "I really dide here after receiving an invitation. Oh yeah, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to invite me to Riverdale. The other party imed to be Uncle Richard''s friend." "Did you ask my dad about it?"

    "I didn''t. After all, it is just a horse race, so I came here on my own."

    "You rascal!"

    "Jolly." Rachel held Jolly down and suggested in all seriousness, "I think they would still have other ways to approach Steven even if he had told Mr. Carter about this and was prohibited froming here."

    Rachel didn''t even need to dig much into it to know that it was the same situation as the time Jolly received the wedding dress on the cruise ship. The only difference was that now she didn''t know what they were nning to have Steven do.

 Chapter 588

    "Steven is still young. You have to teach him patiently," Rachel calmly advised while she grabbed Jolly.

    Jolly continued toin, "Why don''t you teach him instead? Just looking at him makes me angry. How is it possible that an adult like him still does not have the ability to make proper judgment?" Rachel quietlyughed to herself when she heard her friend''s words.

    Despite how Jolly was nagging now, she, too, had unguardedly epted the wedding dress that was gifted to her on the cruise ship. The pot is calling the kettle ck, Rachel mused. She doesn''t seem like she makes good judgment either.

    "Okay. I will talk to him." She smiled helplessly before turning to Steven, who sat across from her. "Jolly isn''t angry because you came out to have fun, nor because you came here. And it is not like you can''t watch a horse race. The problem is with the invitation letter."

    "What is wrong with the invitation letter?" Steven was puzzled as he asked, "Isn''t that an invitation to an event?"

    "It is fine if it is just a normal invitation to an event. There is a club here at Westhill Racecourse, which is the one who invited you. Even though the owner of the club is indeed friends with Mr. Carter, that was years ago. They are involved in dirty business now, so just try to avoid having any interaction with them if you can."

    "Not ''try to'', you have to''!" Jolly emphasized. "Listen to me, Steven-if you want to stay in Riverdale, you must stay away from everything and everything rted to this club. Or else, I will tell your mom that you have been making trouble here and have her force you home as soon as possible."

    "Is it really that serious?"

    "Yes!"

    Steven was initially going to ignore Jolly, but upon seeing Rachel, he immediately became obedient. "Since Rae said so, I will just ignore those people from now on.

    "But what are you both doing here today?"

    "We are here on business." Jolly rolled her eyes at him. "You think everyone ys around everyday like you do? If you have nothing to do, just go back to thepany and y your role as the vice president." "Isn''t it the vice president''s job to have fun?" Steven defended himself.

    Hearing that, Rachel let augh slip. "Is this what you told me about how Mrs. Carter said they have found a sessor to yourpany?"

    Even Jolly was ashamed because of her cousin.

    However, Steven continued behaving childishly with a cheerful look on his face. "This vice president right here has promised Aunt Marilyn that I would be here for a few days, and I will be leaving after a while. I have to start my own business. All manly men have to have his own business."

    "Start my foot!" Jolly snickered. "Where are you going to get that money from?"

    "As the vice president, I will be receiving an annual sry and dividends. I will have enough money eventually if I save up."

    "Save up?" Jolly looked at her cousin from head to toe. "You? You even spent tens of thousands on a set of crap earphones. Do you actually think you can save up?"

    "Can you not bad-mouth me in public?!"

    Steven immediately looked at Jolly with a meaningful gaze.

    "Don''t pull that sh*t with me. I have already told Chris exactly the kind of person you are."

    His face immediately fell when he heard that, and he started whining, "Why did you do that?! I wanted to leave a good impression!"

    Seeing how devastated and aggrieved he looked, Rachel quicklyforted him. "It is alright. I have a good impression of you. You are a programmer, aren''t you? It is normal for you to be generous about spending money on electronic equipment."

    "Right!" Steven''s eyes shone at that. "I knew that you are much more understanding than Jolly is."

    Jolly immediately rolled her eyes at him. "That is because she doesn''t know you well yet!" she sassed. "Mind you, I do have a lot of strong points."

    "Such as?"

    "I''m handsome."

    "And that is what you are nning to earn a living with?" Jolly scoffed.

    "Even if I can''t make a living with my handsome face, I can still date and get married."

    "Sure. Whatever floats your boat. Your mom has been hoping you would get married early anyway."

    "What is the rush? I have my own ns."

    "ns?" Jolly''s interest was finally piqued. "C''mon, do share it with me. What have you nned so far? Whichdy do you have your eyes on? Or are you already dating someone?" "Even though we are not dating yet, I have found someone."

    "When was this?"

    "Just a while ago." Steven suddenly turned to Rachel and, in his serious voice, implored. "I have a question for you."

    Rachel, who was having fun listening to the bickering between the cousins, was caught off-guard by the sudden statement. "What? Ask away."

    "Do you mind being in a rtionship where the man is younger?"

    As soon as these words fell, Jolly didn''t even wait for Rachel to answer before she spurted out the coffee she had just sipped on Steven''s face, as he sat right across her. "Steven..." She stood up in shock.

    Subconsciously, he quickly leaned back to dodge whatever wasing. It was somewhat heartbreaking to see him being so skillful and smooth at it. Rachel could tell at a nce that he was used to being beaten up by Jolly ever since he was a child.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

    To their surprise, Jolly continued to stand there in shock without making a move.

    Rochel then grobbed her friend. "Oh, it is oll over you. Quickly. Cleon it up."

    There wos coffee on Steven''s heod ond foce, ond it wos consistently dripping down his hoir. Only God knew how much he hoted Jolly right then, but since he wos still in front of Rochel, he hod to force out o smile thot looked more like o grimoce. He sounded like he wos holding himself bock when he soid, "It is okoy. Excuse me for o bit. I will go get it cleoned up."

    After he left, the woitere over to cleon up the toble ond led them to o different toble.

    Jolly looked like she wos ot o loss when she took the tissue Rochel honded to her. "Didn''t you heor whot thot punk just soid? How ore you so colm?"

    "How else should I hove reocted? Should I be surprised ond hoppy?"

    "You don''t hove to be hoppy obout it, but shouldn''t you be surprised? How ore you not surprised when Cupid suddenly dropped you o visit?"

    "I hove heard thot it is populor for kids nowodoys to crock jokes like this."

    "Thot is true. Thot brot, though! Just woit till I go bock ond snitch on him to his mother. It wos fine thot he wos noughty when he wos o child, but now he is flirting with my bestie? I con''t just let it slide." Jolly looked indignont os she grumbled. Even the woy she dronk coffee suddenly looked os though she wos liboting.

    Stevene bock from the woshroom ofter o while.

    The coffee stoins on his foce were gone, but the ones on his jocket were there to stoy. Even though it looked like mud on his clothes, he didn''t seem to mind them one bit.

    Young men were olwoys energetic ond cosuol like Steven wos. They were indifferent to the outside world.

    "Whot ore you doing loter? Let me treot you both to dinner tonight.ˇ±

    "Are you sure you ore only trying to treot me?" Jolly peered ot him with suspicious eyes.

    Heoring thot, he roised his eyebrows ond muttered, "It would be better if you don''t join."

    "I knew thot it is impossible for you to be so sweet. Fine. I won''t go. But you hove to osk Chris if she wonts to go."

    Jolly then leoned into the choir with her orms crossed, seemingly confident thot Rochel wouldn''t ogree to it.

    As expected, Rochel politely rejected him.

    "I hove o movie dote tonight."

    "Dote? With who?"

    "My boyfriend."

    Steven suddenly hod on interesting look on his foce when he heord thot. "You hove o boyfriend? But Jolly told me thot you don''t!"

    Jolly looked hoppy ot how things were going. She thenmented in o hounting voice, "The lost time I told you thot must hove been obout o yeor ogo. She didn''t hove o boyfriend o yeor ogo, but now..." Rachel then grabbed her friend. "Oh, it is all over you. Quickly. Clean it up."

    There was coffee on Steven''s head and face, and it was consistently dripping down his hair. Only God knew how much he hated Jolly right then, but since he was still in front of Rachel, he had to force out a smile that looked more like a grimace. He sounded like he was holding himself back when he said, "It is okay. Excuse me for a bit. I will go get it cleaned up."

    After he left, the waiter came over to clean up the table and led them to a different table.

    Jolly looked like she was at a loss when she took the tissue Rachel handed to her. "Didn''t you hear what that punk just said? How are you so calm?" "How else should I have reacted? Should I be surprised and happy?"

    "You don''t have to be happy about it, but shouldn''t you be surprised? How are you not surprised when Cupid suddenly dropped you a visit?"

    "I have heard that it is popr for kids nowadays to crack jokes like this."

    "That is true. That brat, though! Just wait till I go back and snitch on him to his mother. It was fine that he was naughty when he was a child, but now he is flirting with my bestie? I can''t just let it slide." Jolly looked indignant as she grumbled. Even the way she drank coffee suddenly looked as though she was libating.

    Steven came back from the washroom after a while.

    The coffee stains on his face were gone, but the ones on his jacket were there to stay. Even though it looked like mud on his clothes, he didn''t seem to mind them one bit.

    Young men were always energetic and casual like Steven was. They were indifferent to the outside world.

    "What are you doingter? Let me treat you both to dinner tonight."

    "Are you sure you are only trying to treat me?" Jolly peered at him with suspicious eyes.

    Hearing that, he raised his eyebrows and muttered, "It would be better if you don''t join."

    "I knew that it is impossible for you to be so sweet. Fine. I won''t go. But you have to ask Chris if she wants to go."

    Jolly then leaned into the chair with her arms crossed, seemingly confident that Rachel wouldn''t agree to it.

    As expected, Rachel politely rejected him.

    "I have a movie date tonight."

    "Date? With who?"

    "My boyfriend."

    39

    Steven suddenly had an interesting look on his face when he heard that. "You have a boyfriend? But Jolly told me that you don''t!"

    Jolly looked happy at how things were going. She thenmented in a haunting voice, "Thest time I told you that must have been about a year ago. She didn''t have a boyfriend a year ago, but now..."

 Chapter 589

    "Now what?"

    "Now, someone''s making a quick turn." Jolly wiggled her eyebrows at Rachel

    Rachel stomped her foot under the table.

    Jolly gnashed her teeth in pain. "Ouch! What are you doing?"

    Rachel was smiling, but she had a murderous look in her eyes. Oh, so she''s saying I''m turning back on my word and going back to the person I said I wouldn''t, huh? Steven had no idea what had happened. All he knew was Rachel had a boyfriend, and it demoralized him. "I would have returnedst year if I knew this would happen." Jolly smacked his head. "You still stand no chance even if you came back a year earlier. In your next life, maybe."

    "Ow!" Steven held his head in agony and dodged her second attack.

    Rachel looked at the time. "It''s almost time, Jolly. We gotta go now."

    Jolly stopped smacking him. "Sure."

    "Where are you guys going? I wannae too."

    "You should get showered. You look like you rolled through the mud."

    Steven shot back, "That''s your fault! You sprayed mud at me!"

    Rachel said, "We''re going to a banquet for some business talk. It''s not the kind of ce for you. Just go back."

    Steven looked a little dejected. "When are you guysing back?"

    "No idea. Maybe in a jiffy, or maybe after a few hours. Business is unpredictable that way."

    "Alright, just ignore him." Jolly urged Rachel to leave. She didn''t want to spend her time conversing with Steven. We still have important stuff to do, and he just appears out of nowhere. What a waste of time. Horse racing was an event held by the club. Instead of a race, it was more like a big social event, not unlike the banquet on the yacht. The difference was that the yacht banquet revealed more about human greed and desires. The guests wouldn''t do anything that brazen in this event, though.

    Rachel and Jolly talked about Steven during the banquet.

    "Why''d they invite him? Are they nning on getting him to work with them?"

    "Probably. Mostpanies in Riverdale are steeped in crimes. Hudson Pharm only got out of that pit, thanks to you. Julian holds half of Burton Group, so they''re close to the club. Ryan... You know the case. They can''t do anything about the Carter Family, though."

    "So they''re trying to rope their heir into this whole scheme."

    "That''s cunning." Jolly took in a deep breath and clenched her fists. "Who knows what might have happened if we didn''t run into him today."

    "Oh, right." Rachel was reminded of the diamonds. "So, how''d you deal with the diamonds?"

    "They''re at Ryan''s, aren''t they? I was going to tell him to let the Investigation Bureau take it. Wonder if he did that. I don''t really want to spend a single time in his presence.

    Rachel frowned. Yeah, I don''t think Ryan''s going to do that. He''s not that kind of person. "I see. I''ll tell Janice to keep an eye on them." Sutton Corporation was dabbling in crimes as well. Rachel thought she could use Ryan to find some dirt on the club.

    "Miss Carter, Miss Hudson." A waiter came over and bowed to them. "Our boss would like you to see her."

    Jolly and Rachel exchanged a look. It''s her, alright. The horse race was merely a pretext to meet up with someone of interest. They were sure the moment Jolly showed up, the club''s boss would seek her out. They had been trying to partner with Carter Enterprise. They had tried to convince them several times, but Jolly''s parents did not care for them.

    The staff led thedies to a teahouse behind a side chamber. The banquet hall was right outside. The teahouse was soundproofed to the point thedies couldn''t hear the music outside. The woman wore an azure dress and donned a cape made from sheep''s wool. Her forearms were left exposed, and they could see that her arms were fair but slender. Thedies thought her jade bracelet would fall out of her arm. This woman was none other than Mrs. Bowman, the boss of the club and the one who gave Jolly that gown.

    Thedies came in, and the first thing they heard was her coughing.

    Rachel and Jolly stopped in their footsteps.

    "Oh, hi. Please, have a seat." Mrs. Bowman covered her mouth with a handkerchief. She coughed into it and told thedies, "Don''t mind me. I''m down with a cold, but it''s not contagious. Don''t be afraid." Jolly said, "You''ll have to open the windows if you''re down with a cold." It''s the same thing with her room on the yacht. It''s tightly sealed. Not even a window was in sight. It was more like a prison. What does she have in there? A national treasure or something?

    Julia smiled. "You have a point. Have a seat." She still didn''t get anyone to open the windows.

    Thedies took their seats, and she poured them a cup of tea each. "I just made this. It''s nice. I hope you''ll like it."

    "Thank you."C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

    Julia regarded them closely. "My assistant told me you''re here to watch the race. I thought he was merely imagining things to get my attention. Until I asked a waiter to invite you,dies, here."

    Jolly said, "I don''t have much to do, so I came."

    Rachel nodded. "Westhill''s racecourse is famous. I''ve always wanted toe."

    "Have you gotten a ride yet?"

    "No." Rachel shook her head. "We don''t know how to ride horses." Rachel had never ridden on horses before. Nobody taught her. Jolly''s father kept her away from the sport for some reason, or she would have been here a long time ago.

    "It''s alright. We have a few docile ponies. I''ll get someone to hold them, and you can ride around on them. Horseback riding is an interesting sport."

    Jolly asked, "Do you like riding horses too, Mrs. Bowman?"

    "No, but I like to watch the sport." She smiled. "We have a few decent riders in today''s race, but they''re no match for your father."

    "My father?"

    "Yes. Richard''s the best rider out of all of us. It''s a pity he quit horseback riding."

    "Why?"

    "Because..." Mrs. Bowman started, but eventually, her voice faded into silence as she didn''t add to the topic. She smiled. "It''s nothing. Interests change. Nothing odd about that. I heard you have a boyfriend now."

    The whole world knew she had a boyfriend. He was Leroy, the big star. She had reporters following her even on a regr grocery trip. Well, it seems that the news she''s been receiving is rather outdated. "Are you getting married soon?"

    When Julia asked that question, Rachel discretely tugged on the hem of Jolly''s shirt.

    Jolly answered calmly, "That''s the n, but I need to talk to my parents. Would you like to join the banquet?"

    "I''ll have to decline. My health disagrees with me. However, do please wear that gown I gave you. It''s a present."

    As she heard thatst sentence, Rachel started getting on guard as something didn''t seem quite right.

 Chapter 590

    "Thank you for the gown. I''ll definitely wear it during the wedding," Jolly continued calmly. "I should be holding the event overseas, though. Doe if you can make it."

    Julia smiled warmly, though she didn''t agree, nor did she decline the invitation. She realized Rachel had been quiet ever since she came in. All she did was sip on the tea, so she changed the subject, "You seem to get along well with Jolly, Miss Hudson. I heard she''s your assistant?"

    "I''m surprised you know so much about mypany even though you never socialize."

    "My friend told me that. It seems that this is old news to everyone."

    "True. She is the daughter of Carter Enterprise''s boss. It might not look too good if she''s just an assistant."

    "Hey, your friendshipes first. She''s your best friend, isn''t she? Both of you can help each other out in the future."

    Rachel nodded. "Oh, speaking of which, I need to thank you, Mrs. Bowman."

    "Hm?" Julia cocked her eyebrow in confusion. "For what?"

    "I was going through the things my dad left me and found some handwritten records. Someone saved Hudson Pharm a few times before. They even injected a lot of funds into thepany too. ording to the journal, it was all rted to you. I bet my dad was great friends with you."This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

    "A handwritten journal?" Julia''s face twisted into one of shock, and it was clear that she wasn''t as calm as she was just a moment ago.

    "Yeah. It was something my father wrote. He wrote tons of stuff in it, and I''m going through them. Most of them are just trivial stuff, though. It''s like a diary."

    "He mentioned me?"

    "A few times. He said he needed to repay his debts. Big debts. He must have been great friends with you, or you wouldn''t have lent so much money to him."

    Mrs. Bowman gave her an appraising look. However, since she was a seasoned businesswoman, she quickly regained herposure thanks to her experience in the business world. "Are you sure he was talking about me? You might be seeing things. He has never taken any loans from me."

    "Is that so?" Rachel lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "Maybe it was a misunderstanding then.ˇ±

    "I did talk to your father a few times. He was my business partner for a while, too, but no more than that. You might have misunderstood things, Miss Hudson. I know you because you''re Jolly''s best friend." Well, someone''s in a hurry to deny everything. Rachel stopped pestering her about the matter. Therefore, she smiled politely as she replied, "Well, it looks like I have Jolly to thank, then."

    "You''re a capable woman. And you took over Hudson Pharm at your age too. It''s impressive. Please, visit whenever you can."

    "I will."

    "What do you think about today''s race?"

    "Not bad." Thedies nodded.

    They didn''t get to see too much, though. Steven interrupted them almost right after the race started. They went to the banquet hall after the race came to an end, and then Julia called them to the teahouse. They made some small talk. Julia asked Jolly about her parents and showered her with concern like some benevolent aunt. If Rachel didn''t know the club had some dark business dealings, she would never believe this soft-spoken woman was a smuggler. Janice said she was going to rid Riverdale of all smugglers. Rachel clenched her fists and resolved to help her out until the end.

    "It''s gettingte. Please, do stay for dinner."

    "Maybe next time, Mrs. Bowman. We have something to settle back at thepany."

    "I''ll get someone to give you a ride, then."

    "It''s alright. We have our own vehicle." Jolly was putting on an act as easily as she was breathing. She declined Julia''s offer and left the club with Rachel. While they were on the way to the parking lot, Jolly asked, "She has utterly denied her connection with Jefferey. Did we do something wrong? Were we being a little too pushy? She''s probably suspecting us now."

    "Nah. She never believed me in the first ce. It''s fine that she suspects me, but I don''t think she can stay that calm anymore."

    "What do you mean?"

    "She probably doesn''t believe my bullsh*t, but she might think, ''hey, what if it''s real?'' What would she do then?"

    Jolly put some thought into it and realized what Rachel was getting at. "She''s going to transfer the funds."

    They had no idea how Jefferey gave Julia so much money, but they knew the club wouldn''t move the funds in one go. Perhaps they hadn''t moved a single cent due to the risk. They might have stashed it away somewhere and were waiting for the danger to pass before they made any moves. Things were different now, however. Julia thought Rachel had realized Jeffery''s deals with them. She might not know how theyundered the money, and she probably thought they were regr loans, but it was still a start. Julia couldn''t guarantee she would be safe from being apprehended.

    "I''ll get a whole team to keep an eye on them." Jolly took her phone out and was about to make a call.

    However, Rachel held her back and silenced her, telling her to look in the car''s direction.

    Someone''s there! Jolly froze up for a moment.

    It was almost dark, and they parked their car in the corner of the open-air parking lot. A flower bed stood beside it, and there was obviously someone hiding in it. A part of a silhouette was standing near the fron tires, unmoving.

    Thedies exchanged a quiet look. One took out a pepper spray, and the other palmed a taser. Oh, you want to eavesdrop, huh? We''ll knock you out and drag you away for questioning. They exchanged one more look and split up. One went to the front, while the other went through the back. They were going to nk the eavesdropper.

    Rachel went from the front. She hid her taser behind her back and slowly approached the car. She could see his shoes. It was obviously a man in a pair of sneakers.

    At this moment, the silhouette made an aborted movement.

    "Who''s there?" he asked. He had just stuck his head out, and Rachel almost hit him with the taser, but he reacted quickly and took a step back.

    Rachel let out a roar and swung her taser at him, but the guy held her hand quickly.

    "It''s me!"

    Hey, that sounds familiar. She looked up. Steven?

    Steven was happy to see her. "I''ve been waiting for you. IˇŞ"

    "Look out!" Rachel warned him, but it was toote.

    Jolly charged from behind. Nobody could stop her even if they tried, and to make things worse, Steven turned around. Jolly sprayed straight into his eyes, and he screamed. Steven covered his eyes, and Jolly sent him flying into the flowers with a kick. The poor guy fell face first and faced thedies with his backside.

    "You perv! I''ll kick your *ss!"

    Jolly was going to kick him again, but Rachel shouted, "Jolly, he''s on our side!"

 Chapter 591

    Rochel''s shouts were drowned out by Steven''s screoms.

    Night descended, ond the moon climbed up the sky. A red cor wos zooming through Westhill, heoding bock to town.

    Steven wos in the bockseot, gosping in poin. "Ow!" He dodged Jolly before she could touch his eyes. "Don''t touch it, Jolly! It hurts!" he shouted.

    "You did this to yourself!" She glored ot him. "You should hove just gone home. Why''d you hide in the cor pork? We thought you were some pervert."

    "Hey, I wos just worried for you lodies. Coming bock home from o remote ploce like thot screoms donger. I just hod to woit," Stevenploined. He covered his eyes with his honds, grumbling, "You went reolly too for with this, you know thot?"

    "Stop rubbing your eyes." Rochel looked into the reor-view mirror ond sow Steven''s foce. His eyes were puffy from the sproy. It wos impossible for him to even open them.

    "Colm down. The hospitol is right oheod. Don''t rub your eyes." Rochel wos olreody driving right ot the speed limit ond felt extremely opologetic obout whot hod hoppened to Steven. Steven quickly stopped gosping. "It''s olright, Roch. Toke your time. I''m fine."

    "Stop foking it, you idiot!" Jolly snopped ot him, but she wos colling her friend, who hoppened to be o doctor from thot hospitol they were heoding to. "How much longer, Chris?" "About ten minutes." They were bock in the town oreo. So, the hospitol couldn''t be for owoy.

    Jolly''s friend hod been woiting in the emergency deportment the moment he got the news. Right ofter Rochel ond the otherse, he led them to the ophtholmology deportment to check on Steven''s eyes. "Whot''d you sproy him with?"

    "This." Jolly honded him the pepper sproy.

    The doctor looked ot theponents closely. "It''s olright. It''s mostly mode up of chili peppers. He''ll just hove to get his eyes woshed ond ploce some solve to soothe the poin." He told the nurse to get the liquid needed to wosh Steven''s eyes.

    Jolly heoved o sigh of relief. "Thonk you so much."

    "No prob. We''re high schoolmotes. It''s not every doy thot I get o coll from you, Jolly."

    "I owe you one." Jolly smiled. "Oh, ond this is my best friend, Chris. Chris, this is Wolloce, my high school friend. He''s on ophtholmologist."

    Rachel''s shouts were drowned out by Steven''s screams.

    Night descended, and the moon climbed up the sky. A red car was zooming through Westhill, heading back to town. Rachel''s shouts were drowned out by Steven''s screams.

    Night descended, and the moon climbed up the sky. A red car was zooming through Westhill, heading back to town.

    Steven was in the backseat, gasping in pain. "Ow!" He dodged Jolly before she could touch his eyes. "Don''t touch it, Jolly! It hurts!" he shouted.

    "You did this to yourself!" She red at him. "You should have just gone home. Why''d you hide in the car park? We thought you were some pervert."

    "Hey, I was just worried for youdies. Coming back home from a remote ce like that screams danger. I just had to wait," Stevenined. He covered his eyes with his hands, grumbling, "You went really too far with this, you know that?"

    "Stop rubbing your eyes." Rachel looked into the rear-view mirror and saw Steven''s face. His eyes were puffy from the spray. It was impossible for him to even open them.

    "Calm down. The hospital is right ahead. Don''t rub your eyes." Rachel was already driving right at the speed limit and felt extremely apologetic about what had happened to Steven.

    Steven quickly stopped gasping. "It''s alright, Rach. Take your time. I''m fine."

    "Stop faking it, you idiot!" Jolly snapped at him, but she was calling her friend, who happened to be a doctor from that hospital they were heading to. "How much longer, Chris?" "About ten minutes." They were back in the town area. So, the hospital couldn''t be far away.

    Jolly''s friend had been waiting in the emergency department the moment he got the news. Right after Rachel and the others came, he led them to the ophthalmology department to check on Steven''s eyes. "What''d you spray him with?"

    "This." Jolly handed him the pepper spray.

    The doctor looked at theponents closely. "It''s alright. It''s mostly made up of chili peppers. He''ll just have to get his eyes washed and ce some salve to soothe the pain." He told the nurse to get the liquid needed to wash Steven''s eyes.

    Jolly heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much."

    "No prob. We''re high schoolmates. It''s not every day that I get a call from you, Jolly."

    "I owe you one." Jolly smiled. "Oh, and this is my best friend, Chris. Chris, this is Wace, my high school friend. He''s an ophthalmologist."

    Jolly''s friend was the same age as she was. He was a lot younger than Rachel, butpared to her other friends, Wace was well-mannered and polite. Rachel never saw him going to any parties, so she thought he was a mature fellow.

    Jolly''s friend wes the seme ege es she wes. He wes e lot younger then Rechel, butpered to her other friends, Wellece wes well-mennered end polite. Rechel never sew him going to eny perties, so she thought he wes e meture fellow.

    "Hello."

    "Hello," Rechel seid. "You cen cell me Chris, just like Jolly does. Or you cen cell me Rechel."

    Wellece smiled. "Sure."

    Their conversetion wes interrupted by e screeming from the other room.

    Jolly rolled her eyes. "Come on. Thet won''t kill him."

    "It''s not e greet feeling, getting your eyes weshed. Besides, he''s hurt." Wellece esked, "Perdon me, but how''d he get hurt?"

    Jolly felt e little ewkwerd. "Well, um... He wes trying to seve e ledy from the thugs. Thet''s ell you need to know."

    Steven would love it if thet were true, but he wes beeten up beceuse Jolly thought he wes e pervert. Once they weshed Steven''s eyes, Jolly dregged Rechel outside.

    Before they could continue to telk ebout Julie, Rechel''s phone reng. She looked et the screen end reelized thet she hed forgotten ebout the movie dete with Justin. She quickly enswered the cell. "Hello? Justin?"

    "Where ere you?"

    "Sorry. Jolly end I ere et the hospitel. Something ceme up. I forgot to tell you."

    "The hospitel? Are you hurt?"

    "No. Jolly''s cousin did." She looked et Jolly end Steven, then she sighed. "I''ll explein everything when I get home. Sorry I heve to cencel the dete. We''ll heve to reschedule. I heve to teke them home." "I see. Be sefe, elright?"

    "Okey." Rechel hung up.

    Jolly slepped Steven. "Now look et whet you''ve done."

    Steven thought he wes down on his luck, but the fect he ruined Rechel''s dete delighted him. "There eren''t eny good movies letely. I''ll teke Rechel to the movies once I get better."

    "Dreem on. The movie isn''t the point. The guy she goes with is."

    "She cen go with me." Steven refused to give up, but ell he did wes mutter under his breeth, "I bet I''m better then her boyfriend. It''s true, isn''t it?"

    "To be honest, no. He''s better by e long shot."

    "Impossible!"

    Jolly''s friend was the same age as she was. He was a lot younger than Rachel, butpared to her other friends, Wace was well-mannered and polite. Rachel never saw him going to any parties, so she thought he was a mature fellow.

    "Just get in the cer." Jolly pushed his neck down end shoved him into the cer.

    Steven still wouldn''t keep quiet efter thet. "I''m fine, Rechel. I cen just get e ride home. I don''t went to trouble you."

    "It''s elright. It''s our feult you''re hurt. Cell me enytime if something ects up."

    "Reelly? Cen I reelly cell you enytime?"

    "Of course."

    "Whet ebout your boyfriend?" he lowered his voice. "I ruined your dete. I cen tell him whet reelly heppened if he''s engry ebout it."

    Jolly looked shocked, end the corner of her lips twitched. Wow, he''s e b*tch. Is he some sort of professionel et steeling other guys'' girlfriends? It sure sounds like it.

    Rechel wes reletively dense when it ceme to reletionships. So, she hed no idee Steven wes pitting her egeinst Justin. Thus, she enswered seriously, "He won''t mind. You''re ebout es old es my brother." Steven seid, "I think I cen be greet friends with him. Why don''t you cell him out next time?"

    "Sure."

    Steven looked et Jolly with his slits-for-eyes. There wes e week but smug glimmer in them.

    Jolly shook her heed. "I never knew you could be so cunning."

    Steven shot her e glere, werning her not to sey enything.

    Rechel took them to the Certer Residence es Steven wes steying there temporerily.

    Her eyes shone when she errived et their gerege. When she sew the men who wes weving et her, she smiled.

    Jolly sew it, end she teesed, "Greet. The couple is et it egein."

    Steven''s eyes were too puffy for him to see cleerly. "Who?"

    Jolly enswered, "Oh, who else? Chris end her boyfriend."

    "Whet?" Steven gesped.

    Rechel got out of the cer end mede her wey to Justin. She hed e look of delight on her fece. "Whet brings you here?"

    Justin seid, "Here, your popcorn. You seid you went them, didn''t you?"

    "Oh, you even got us popcorn? I''m reelly sorry I forgot. I wes swemped."

    Justin smiled. "It''s elright. They''re fine, I hope." Jolly end Steven got out of the cer, end Justin looked up just to see Steven glering et him with hostility. Well, es much enmity es e guy with puffy eyes could muster.

    "Just get in the cor." Jolly pushed his neck down ond shoved him into the cor.

    Steven still wouldn''t keep quiet ofter thot. "I''m fine, Rochel. I con just get o ride home. I don''t wont to trouble you."

    "It''s olright. It''s our foult you''re hurt. Coll me onytime if something octs up."

    "Reolly? Con I reolly coll you onytime?"

    "Of course."

    "Whot obout your boyfriend?" he lowered his voice. "I ruined your dote. I con tell him whot reolly hoppened if he''s ongry obout it."

    Jolly looked shocked, ond the corner of her lips twitched. Wow, he''s o b*tch. Is he some sort of professionol ot steoling other guys'' girlfriends? It sure sounds like it.

    Rochel wos relotively dense when ite to relotionships. So, she hod no ideo Steven wos pitting her ogoinst Justin. Thus, she onswered seriously, "He won''t mind. You''re obout os old os my brother." Steven soid, "I think I con be greot friends with him. Why don''t you coll him out next time?"

    "Sure."

    Steven looked ot Jolly with his slits-for-eyes. There wos o weok but smug glimmer in them.

    Jolly shook her heod. "I never knew you could be so cunning."

    Steven shot her o glore, worning her not to soy onything.

    Rochel took them to the Corter Residence os Steven wos stoying there tempororily.

    Her eyes shone when she orrived ot their goroge. When she sow the mon who wos woving ot her, she smiled.

    Jolly sow it, ond she teosed, "Greot. The couple is ot it ogoin."

    Steven''s eyes were too puffy for him to see cleorly. "Who?"

    Jolly onswered, "Oh, who else? Chris ond her boyfriend."

    "Whot?" Steven gosped.

    Rochel got out of the cor ond mode her woy to Justin. She hod o look of delight on her foce. "Whot brings you here?"

    Justin soid, "Here, your popcorn. You soid you wont them, didn''t you?"

    "Oh, you even got us popcorn? I''m reolly sorry I forgot. I wos swomped."

    Justin smiled. "It''s olright. They''re fine, I hope." Jolly ond Steven got out of the cor, ond Justin looked up just to see Steven gloring ot him with hostility. Well, os much enmity os o guy with puffy eyes could muster.

    "Just get in the car." Jolly pushed his neck down and shoved him into the car.

    "Just gat in tha car." Jolly pushad his nack down and shovad him into tha car.

    Stavan still wouldn''t kaap quiat aftar that. "I''m fina, Rachal. I can just gat a rida homa. I don''t want to trou you."

    "It''s alright. It''s our fault you''ra hurt. Call ma anytima if somathing acts up."

    "Raally? Can I raally call you anytima?"

    "Of coursa."

    "What about your boyfriand?" ha lowarad his voica. "I ruinad your data. I can tall him what raally happanad if ha''s angry about it."

    Jolly looked shockad, and tha cornar of har lips twitchad. Wow, ha''s a b*tch. Is ha soma sort of profassional at staaling othar guys'' girlfriands? It sura sounds lika it.

    Rachal was rtivaly dansa whan it cama to rtionships. So, sha had no idaa Stavan was pitting har against Justin. Thus, sha answarad sariously, "Ha won''t mind. You''ra about as old as my brothar." Stavan said, "I think I can ba graat friands with him. Why don''t you call him out naxt tima?ˇ±

    "Sura."

    Stavan lookad at Jolly with his slits-for-ayas. Thara was a waak but smug glimmar in tham.

    Jolly shook har haad. "I navar knaw you could ba so cunning."

    Stavan shot har a ra, warning har not to say anything.

    Rachal took tham to tha Cartar Rasidanca as Stavan was staying thara tamporarily.

    Har ayas shona whan sha arrivad at thair garaga. Whan sha saw tha man who was waving at har, sha smd.

    Jolly saw it, and sha taasad, "Graat. Tha cou is at it again."

    Stavan''s ayas wara too puffy for him to saa arly. "Who?"

    Jolly answarad, "Oh, who alsa? Chris and har boyfriand."

    "What?" Stavan gaspad.

    Rachal got out of tha car and mada har way to Justin. Sha had a look of dalight on har faca. ˇ°What brings you hara?"

    Justin said, ˇ°Hara, your popcorn. You said you want tham, didn''t you?"

    "Oh, you avan got us popcorn? I''m raally sorry I forgot. I was swampad."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Justin smd. "It''s alright. Thay''ra fina, I hopa.ˇ± Jolly and Stavan got out of tha car, and Justin lookad up just to saa Stavan ring at him with hostility. Wall, as much anmity as a guy with puffy ayas could

    mustar.

 Chapter 592

    Steven and Jolly approached them once they left the car.

    Rachel immediately introduced Steven to Justin, "This is Steven. He''s Jolly''s cousin."

    Justin looked at him and greeted him politely.

    Steven didn''t greet him back, though. Instead, he crossed his arms and shot Justin an appraising look. Then, he started interrogating Justin, "You''re Rachel''s boyfriend?"

    Justin nodded. "Yes."

    Steven kept staring at him, and then he suddenly extended his hand. "Hi, I''m Steven."

    Wow, pretending to be an adult is so juvenile. Justin smiled at him and looked at Rachel, then he yed along and shook Steven''s hand. "Hello."

    Steven said. "I justnded in Riverdale. We''re going to be seeing each other often. Call me if you need anything. Don''t be shy."

    "Is that so?"

    "Rachel''s problems are my problems."

    Justin cocked his eyebrow. "Hm?"

    Jolly caught up to him and smacked the back of his head. "Stop embarrassing yourself. Get inside. Now!"

    "Ow!" Steven gasped. "That hurt!"

    Jolly pushed Steven''s head down and apologized, "I''m so sorry that my stupid cousin ruined your date with Chris, Justin."

    "It''s alright."

    "Are you here to pick her up?"

    "Yeah."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    "I guess I can''t ask you to stay for dinner, then." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Rachel. "It''s still early. You can still go on your date if you want." "It''ste. This is no time for dates. It''s time to go home," Steven interrupted. "Come with us, Rachel. Let''s have dinner together."

    "Shut up, you!" Jolly would stuff his mouth up with something if she could. "We''ll be leaving now." She immediately dragged Steven inside despite his protests.

    They had already gone quite far, but Steven was still shouting, "You should go home now, Rachel. I bet he''s a perv. No decent man would ask a girl out for a date at this hour. Be careful. Don''t drink anything he gives you. Call me if you need anything. I''ll pick you up anytime!"

    He kept shouting until the door mmed shut, and the air was finally silent.

    His antics amused Rachel.

    Justin said, "It looks like I came in time."

    "How so?"

    "Someone might steal my girl away if I didn''t."

    Rachelughed. "Stop it. He''s just fooling around. We just met for the first time today."

    Justin cocked his eyebrow. "Love at first sight?"

    "Are you jealous?" Rachel regarded him closely.

    Justin admitted to it, "A bit. But I don''t think I have to be, now that I''ve seen the kind of guy he really is."

    Rachelughed. Anyone could see how childish Steven was. It would be shocking if Justin actually were jealous of him. "It''s a bit odd, though. He went to the race course because he was invited. Not even Jolly knew. It was a shock."

    "He was invited?" Justin frowned. "Get in the car. We''ll talkter."

    "Yeah."

    Their car left the residence, leaving nothing but their tail light, and the darkness eventually swallowed up even that. Steven was leaning against the window in the living room, staring outside as if he could still see Rachel.

    "You can stop staring now." Jolly kicked him. "They''re long gone. If you have the time, why don''t you help Mrs. Lancaster serve the food and get ready for dinner?"

    Steven turned around and plopped down on the sofa. "That''s just a geezer. He''s not so tough."

    "He''s not so tough?" Oh crap. This guy actually told Justin to call him if he needed anything. Justin, of all people. She rolled her eyes. I guess I have to crush his confidence now. "Do you know who he is?" "I don''t care who he is."

    "You didn''t even ask for his name." She heaved a sigh. "Well, since you''re here, I guess I need to teach you a life lesson. You know the Burton Group, don''t you?"

    "Yeah. Everyone knows that. Especially their boss, Justin Burton. My roomie idolizes him. He told me about his legend in the business world. He''s a pretty awesome man."

    Jolly nodded. "Didn''t expect you to call someone awesome."

    "Hey, it''s an objective opinion. He''s awesome."

    "So what do you think about him now that you saw him in person?"

    Steven froze. "What? Who did I see today?"

    Jolly cocked her eyebrow. "Your roomie''s idol. He just left our ce."

    Steven''s eyes widened in shock. "He''s Justin?"

    "You don''t believe me?" Jolly chomped down on her peach. "Google him, then."

    "There''s no way he''s Justin! The entertainment news says he''s super ugly!"

    "And you believe them? You wouldn''t have said something so stupid if you had just read some finance magazines. He did plenty of interviews. Do you have any idea how many women would kill to date him?" She rolled her eyes. "Stop looking so mad. Compared to him, you had a happy childhood."

    Steven was still annoyed that his crush had a boyfriend, but the fact that he was Justin shocked him. There was a finance magazine on the table, and one of the columns detailed an interview with Burton Group''s boss. There were no pictures, but words alone depicted how wise and calm Justin was.

    Jolly looked at the magazine. The reporter invariably started asking some private questions. Rtionship questions, to be honest.

    "Mr. Burton, everyone is interested in your rtionship status right now. I heard you had a fianc¨¦e of five years, but the marriage is canceled. Is that true?"

    "We both agreed on the cancetion."

    "Are you single now, then?"

    "No." His curt answer was printed on the next line.

    Jolly could imagine how aloof he must have looked during the interview. Suddenly, she realized that this magazine wasn''t a new one. It was an old one dating back to thest half of the year. He hadn''t made up with Rachel yet back then, and he was already telling everyone he wasn''t single. Not many men could refuse thedies'' advances, especially not when he''s a sessful one. Justin can have any woman he wants, but he only wants one. "You don''t have a chance, Steven." She looked up at him. "Not a chance in hell," she said seriously.

 Chapter 593

    The next day, Rachel and Jolly returned to the office after their morning meeting in Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "We''ve managed to settle the project funds for now, and it''s all thanks to Mr. Carter! But I don''t think this can go on for long," Rachel uttered.

    "The Carter Family are part of the shareholders as well, so you don''t have to feel bad for getting my dad''s help," Jolly replied as she pulled her phone out and scrolled through the news. Her eyes lit up all of a sudden. "There''s news from our men, Chris." Jolly made a phone call in front of Rachel as she spoke.

    "Hello? What''s the situation?" Jolly asked.

    The person on the other end of the line said something that Rachel couldn''t hear. "A veil? Okay. I got it. Thanks," Jolly replied with a frown.

    "What is it?" Rachel asked after the call ended.

    "It''s like you said the staff we sent to keep an eye on Mrs. Bowman reported that she had left Westhill Racecourse and headed to a private bank," Jolly exined.

    "A bank?" Rachel frowned.

    "Yeah. She kept something in the safe box of that bank," Jolly said.

    "Would someone as cautious as her keep something in a bank''s safe box if she knows we''re looking for it?" Rachel wondered. After all, if the Investigation Bureau ran an investigation at the bank, the bank would be sealed, and Julia wouldn''t have the time to take her things and escape the authorities.

    "It was a veil," Jolly stated.

    "A veil?" Rachel was stunned.

    "Do you remember the wedding dress we saw? It didn''t have a veil to go with it," Jolly said thoughtfully. Rachel immediately understood what was going on. ˇ°Is the item in the veil?" Since the wedding dress ha been lined with diamonds, it was likely that the veil had the same design. Furthermore, since the diamonds on the wedding dress that had been given to Jolly were already highly pricey, the veil was probably worth more than that. That was why it hadn''t been handed to Jolly.

    Jefferey''s money was probably there regardless of what was hidden in the veil. "The staff we sent over imed that Mrs. Bowman had taken the veil away. She even told the people at the bank that her friend''s daughter was getting married and that the veil was a set with the dress that she had to send over to them."

    "That does sound like a logical reason she could use to pass the customs," Rachelmented. "So, do you think the veil would show itself if a wedding happened right now?" she asked thoughtfully. "We''ll host a wedding then," Jolly dered as she met Rachel''s gaze.

    Everyone was shocked when Jolly announced the news of her hosting a wedding. "Didn''t you say that you didn''t want a wedding?" Marilyn was puzzled. "What sneaky n do you have up your sleeve this time?"Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Jolly gave her mother a cheeky look as she tugged on her mother''s arm. "Oh, I just suddenly felt like having a wedding. Don''t they say that a wedding is one of the greatest highlights of one''s life? I want my family and friends to witness our marriage."

    "Well, that''s true. But you were the one who said you didn''t want to organize one because of how troublesome it was! I didn''t prepare anything at all. If you want me to start preparing now, the invitations, the hotels, the schedule, and the nning of the whole wedding will take up to six months. When do you want the wedding to happen?" Marilyn asked.

    "There''s no need for so much trouble. I''ve thought about it. We''ll host the wedding in Tahiti one month from now," Jolly announced.

    "One month?" Marilyn nearly jumped to her feet. "Why are you in such a rush?"

    "One month is enough, isn''t it? We don''t have to make it tooplicated. I just want a simple wedding," Jolly said.

    "What''s up with you, Jolly?" Marilyn asked before turning to Leroy. "What are you guys thinking? How could one month be enough?"

    Leroy threw his hands up in the air. "To be honest, I just got the news too." Fortunately, Jolly had always been a rather entric and unpredictable girl, so Marilyn didn''t suspect anything, even after this whole conversation. "Well, are you sure about this, Jolly? If you''re sure, then I''ll get people to start preparing. I don''t want you to change your mind after I''ve started working on it, do you hear me? I won''t let you hear the end of it if that happens," Marilyn grumbled.

    "Of course. Don''t worry about it, Mom. You can go ahead and prepare for your precious daughter''s gorgeous wedding!" Jolly cheered. Even though Marilyn didn''t sound too impressed by this decision, she was actually jumping with joy on the inside. After all, every mother wanted to see their daughter as the star of a grand wedding, right? Previously, when Jolly refused to host the wedding, Marilyn had imed that she was okay with the decision, but she was actually really disappointed about it. This time, Marilyn finally had her wishese true!

    After they departed from the Carter Residence, Leroy sent Jolly back to Hudson Pharmaceuticals. While he drove her back, he asked her about the wedding. "You probably discussed this matter with Miss Hudson, right? So what are you guys scheming?"

    "What do you mean? I might just genuinely want to have a wedding-why can''t you believe that?" Jolly asked.

    "I know you too well. You''d climb mountains and cross oceans for others, but you''d try to make everything as simple as possible for yourself. Someone like you would never want to have a wedding overseas. You''d probably find it a hassle just to put on the wedding dress!" Leroy eximed.

    "Women are fickle-minded creatures," Jolly muttered.

    "Well, there are some things that never change. You''ll always be someone who tries to avoid trouble. So, I want you to be honest. What''s going on?" Jolly knew that she couldn''t hide anything from Leroy, so she decided toe clean. "It''s about that wedding dress again," Jolly told Leroy about how Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' funds might potentially be in the veil of the wedding dress.

    "Are you guys sure about this? What if it isn''t here?" Leroy frowned.

    "Even if the funds aren''t there, this wedding will still be a really great excuse for the club to transfer its funds. They''ve been eyeing me for a while now," Jolly replied.

    "It sounds dangerous."

    "Are you scared?" she asked him.

    He looked deeply into her eyes before holding her hand tight. "No." They both knew that Rachel wasn''t just going after the Hudson Pharmaceuticals'' funds. She also wanted to help Janice get rid of such thugs so that Riverdale would be a better ce.

    "By the way, the wedding dress is with Ryan. So I''ll have to meet him for a while," Jolly told Leroy.

    Meanwhile, Rachel''s secretary knocked on her door at Hudson Pharmaceuticals. "There''s someone here for you, President Hudson." Rachel had been looking through her documents and was puzzled when she heard her secretary''s words. "Who is it?"

    "It''s me." A figure popped out from the side of the door. "Steven!" Rachel was stunned for a while before she smiled. "What brings you here?"

    "I''m here to see if your eye has gotten better," he said. Then, he walked over to Rachel''s office desk and sat on the chair before leaning close to inspect her face.

    "It''s better than it was a few days ago, but it''s still a little swollen," Rachel told him. "Anyway, you should be resting at home. Why are you here?" she asked. "I''m here for you," he replied.

    "What? Is anything the matter?" she asked.

    "It''s the weekend tomorrow, so I was wondering if you''d be free to watch a movie with me," he said.

    She smiled in return. "I''d love to, but I''ve already made ns with someone else tomorrow."

    "Is it Justin?" Steven asked.

    "Yeah," she replied.

    He stuck his lips into a pout. "Isn''t he the president of Burton Group? Why does he have so much free time?"

    "Well, a president still has the time to watch a y, I guess," she told him.

    "Are you guys going to watch a y?"

    "Yeah."

    Steven blinked a few times upon hearing this. "I just arrived in Riverdale, and I''m not too familiar with the ce. My sister and her husband aren''t here tomorrow, so I''ll be alone..." No one could possibly resist the puppy-eyed look on a handsome young man''s face. When Rachel thought about Steven''s rtionship with the Carter Family, she figured that she did have some duty to care for him. "How about this? We could watch it together tomorrow if you''re interested in the y."

    "I''m interested!" Steven cried. "It''s set. I''ll see you tomorrow."

    "Hey-" Rachel wanted to tell him that she had to ask Justin about it first, but she didn''t get to finish her words as Steven walked out of the room. Hence, she simply let out a resigned smile. She could already imagine the gloomy look on a certain someone''s face after hearing about this news.

 Chapter 594

    After work that day, Justin came to pick Rachel up at the office. "Have you been waiting for a long while?" Rachel wore her seatbelt before turning to give the man an apologetic look. "I''m so sorry. We had an emergency meeting about the product''sunch, and we lost track of time after a while."

    Justin started driving with a calm look on his face. "It''s fine. I just reached a while ago." Rachel nced at her watch. "It''s nearly 8.00PM now. I wonder if Charlotte and Samuel are asleep." They had agreed to video call the two kids. Even though they had only been separated from the kids for a few days, they missed them and wanted to see them. They had agreed on the video call that morning, which was why Justin offered to pick Rachel up.

    "I don''t think they''re asleep yet, but I think Gloria and Victor probably can''t stay up for long," Justin replied.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "I feel pretty bad for troubling them. We promised to head over with them, and I can''t believe we haven''t made a move until now. They were supposed to be on their honeymoon, yet they had to bring the kids with them." Charlotte and Samuel had followed Gloria to Tahiti for her honeymoon. Initially, Rachel and Justin were supposed to join them after the first two days, but they couldn''t seem to leave their work in Riverdale. So, they hadn''t been able to travel to Tahiti at all, and the couple on honeymoon had to deal with the kids instead.

    Gloria and Victor had initially intended to leave everything in Riverdale behind to enjoy some quality time in Tahiti. Still, they hadn''t expected to bring another two kids along with them. "I don''t think I''ll be able to finish my work anytime soon. I''m afraid I''ll only be able to go over during Jolly''s wedding," Justin announced. Rachel thought about his words for a moment. "That''s one month from now. Gloria is probably annoyed at this. If she knew that Jolly''s wedding was in Tahiti as well, she probably would have gotten Victor to dy their honeymoon for a month.ˇ±

    "Well, I don''t think that''s much of an issue. We''re not sure what might happen one month from now," Justinmented.

    "That''s true. I hope everything goes well," Rachel replied. Once they arrived at Rachel''s condominium, she hurriedly pulled herptop out before making the video call. Justin went to the kitchen to pour them some water. He was familiar with the ce, so his actions were swift and practiced. The ''connecting'' sign popped on theptop screen for a while before Gloria''s face appeared on the other end of the call. She looked surprisingly fresh and energetic-Rachel had expected her to be more drained. With the different time zones that they were in, Gloria''s ce was still bright and sunny. There were palm trees and blue skies in her background, which made the area seem serene and pleasant. ˇ°Did you just get off work, Rachel?" Gloria asked.

    "Yeah. I just got home." Rachel waved into the camera. "Charlotte!"

    "Mommy!" Charlotte immediately threw aside the toy shovel in her hand before running over to theptop. She was wearing a pink, one-piece swimsuit and ran over to give the screen a firm kiss. ˇ°Muacks!" "Muacks," Rachel replied with a smile. "Are you having fun, Charlotte?"

    "Of course! When are you guysing? Samuel and I found a lot of pretty seashells yesterday, and Mr. Victor said that we could use them to make a windchime!"

    "I can''t believe you''re bringing this up!" Gloria rolled her eyes at the child beforeining to Rachel about what had happened. "Rachel, did you know that Charlotte got into a fight with some other kid over a seashell? I didn''t even know what to say!"

    "I was the one who saw the seashell first. He wanted to snatch it away from me!" Charlotte protested.

    "Is that a valid reason to get into a fight?" Gloria grabbed the girl''s arm and pulled her closer to the camera. "Look at that, Rachel. She got into a fight and has a red mark on her neck now." "How did you injure yourself?" Rachel felt her chest tightening. "Is it a serious injury? Let me take a look at it."

    "Don''t worry about it. The mark is barely visible. However, the other kid was a little unluckier. As they were fighting, that kid stepped into one of the crabs'' hideouts, and his toe was bleeding after he got bitten by the crab''s pincers," Gloria exined. Rachel frowned as she heard this story. She could already picture how gruesome the wound would be and imagine how worried and awful the other kid''s parents would feel.

    "Did you apologize to the kid?" Rachel asked.

    "I did. Their family was there for vacation too, and they were pretty nice about it. They didn''t hold it against us, and they apologized as well. We wanted to leave a contact number just in case something happened to the kid''s foot. But their family already had ns to leave that night itself, and the kid didn''t seem too interested in ying after getting injured," Gloria exined.

    Charlotte was squatting down by the sand pit and ying with her fingers. She clearly knew that she was in the wrong, considering how she was avoiding her. But, since her child was so far away from her, Rachel decided not to give Charlotte too much of a scolding. "Thanks for everything, Gloria. We''re still not done with our work here, so we don''t know when we''ll be able to go over," Rachel uttered.

    Gloria brushed Rachel''s statement off. "Hey. It''s no problem at all. I watched this naughty kid grow up, and I''ve seen her do worse. I know how cheeky she can get. You did a great job parenting Samuel-he''s so much more obedient."

    Rachel wasn''t surprised to hear this. Samuel was quiet and obedient until he wanted something. When he really wanted to do something, he''d kick up a fuss greater than Charlotte, making the adults more helpless than ever in the face of his tantrum. For example, when Rachel and Jolly first returned to Riverdale, Samuel had actually managed to trick his whole ss into traveling for a summer camp. Then, he took a bus on his own to travel to Riverdale. Just the thought of what happened still made Rachel shudder with stress and worry.

    "Mommy, aren''t you guysing over?" Charlotte rested her head on Gloria''s arm. Even though Rachel had just lectured her, she didn''t seem afraid of Gloria at all. "When are you guysing?" Charlotte asked in a whiny tone.

    "We''lle after we''re done with work, but we don''t know when that''ll happen," Rachel replied.

    "What about Daddy?" Charlotte seemed to finally recall the existence of her father. Rachel turned to look at the man boiling water in the kitchen. "Your daughter is asking for you." He lowered his cup before making a short and curt statement. "What a rare asion."

    Then, he sat down beside Rachel before waving into the camera. "I heard you caused trouble," he said to Charlotte.

    "No, I didn''t." Charlotte chuckled. "Daddy, Mommy said that you guys aren''ting over. Are you guys enjoying your alone time at home?"

    "What nonsense are you saying?" Rachel felt somewhat embarrassed. Nevertheless, Charlotte was on a roll. "Mommy, didn''t you ask me what I wanted for my birthday? I have an answer now."

    "Okay. What do you want?" Rachel asked.

    "I want a baby sister!" Charlotte cried.

    Rachel froze after hearing this, and she felt blood rushing up from her face to the back of her ears. Even Gloria seemed rather stunned for a while. "Well, I think having a younger sister is a good idea. With a mother like Rachel, I bet she''d turn the child into a sweet and loving one," Gloriamented.

    "What are you guys talking about?" Rachel couldn''t seem to argue against them, so she just handed theptop to Justin. "You can talk to them. I''m done talking. I''ll go see if the water''s ready." Rachel got up and left theptop in Justin''s arms. There was a slight smirk on his face. It was too early to talk about having another child. Just the fact that he had managed to build this rtionship with Rachel was already a huge achievement to him, and he didn''t want to get his hopes up too high.

    "Where''s Samuel? I don''t see him at all," Justin said.

    "He went out with Victor to get some ice cream. So you guys can wait for a while they''re almost back," Gloria said.

    "Why is the connection so bad, Aunt Gloria?" Charlotte asked while winking at Gloria. Gloria seemed to get the child''s message immediately. "Oh. The connection is terrible here. Can you guys wait for a while? I''ll fix the Inte before calling you guys again. Don''t go home just yet, Justin." Their actions were to make sure that Justin stayed around for a while longer.

 Chapter 595

    By the time Rachel prepared some fruit tea and brought it back to the hall, theputer screen had already turned ck. "Where did they go?"

    Justin responded in an exasperated tone. "They said that the connection was bad and told us to wait for a moment. They are going to go back to the hotel and check if there''s an issue with the Inte," he said.

    "How long are we supposed to wait then?" she asked.

    "I don''t know," he answered truthfully. She checked the time only to see that it was already 9.00PM. "You haven''t had anything to eat, right? I''ll cook something for you," she offered. "Let me do it," he said.

    "It''s fine. You can just sit around and wait for a while. I''ll just make you some noodles." She urged him to sit down before she rolled her sleeves up and entered the kitchen. "It''s been a while since I''ve cooked anything. This feels rather strange now," she said as she tied an apron around her. Even though she told Justin that she didn''t need his help, he still came over to help out with preparing the ingredients. "I''ll make some egg noodles with tomatoes, okay?" she asked.

    "You call the shots," he replied.

    "By the way..." Rachel recalled what happened in her office earlier that day, and she turned to look at Justin with tomatoes in her hands. "Weren''t we supposed to watch a y together tomorrow? There''s something that I''d like to talk to you about."

    "What is it?" he asked.

    "Jolly''s cousin wants to join us," she said.

    Justin was surprised to hear this. "Does he want to watch the y with us?"

    "Jolly and Leroy are going with Mr. and Mrs. Carter to pay respect to their ancestors tomorrow, so there won''t be anyone home. Steven must be pretty bored to be alone in Riverdale. Technically speaking, he''s my younger brother, so I was wondering if it''d be okay to bring him along just for tomorrow." Rachel batted her eyelids at Justin. "Just one day," she said as she held one finger up.

    "Fine. Just one day," Justin replied exasperatedly.

    "I knew you wouldn''t mind!" she said.

    "I didn''t say that I don''t mind himing." Justin raised an eyebrow as he stood directly in front of Rachel. "This is a one-time thing. I don''t want this to happen again."

    "Hey, step aside. I need to cut these tomatoes," she protested.

    "Are you going to ignore me now that you''re done talking to me?" he asked.

    "I''m about to make you a meal, aren''t I?" she retorted. Justin crossed his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the kitchen counter. He was beaming as he stared at the woman''s back figure. He had witnessed this scene more than a hundred times in the past, but it had always been in his dreams. Now, this wonderful scene was real, and he didn''t want to even bat an eyelid as he was afraid that he''d open his eyes to realize that it was just a dream. He wasn''t even bothered by the petty matters that Rachel had brought up-he was too immersed in this dreame true.

    After Rachel finished cooking, they still hadn''t received any news from Gloria''s end. Gloria didn''t even respond after Rachel texted her. "Did she forget about it?" Rachel wondered.

    "They might be having a meal now, and they might only go back to the hotel after their meal," Justin suggested.

    "I guess that makes sense. Let''s wait for a while more." Rachel yawned as she flicked through different channels on the TV. One of the channels was screening an action film, yet even the sound of guns and bombs couldn''t seem to keep Rachel awake. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the couch.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Justin had just cleaned up the kitchen when he walked out to find Rachel''s tiny figure curled up into a ball on the couch. The nket on the sofa had fallen onto the ground. For some reason, he felt a sharp pain in his heart when he saw this scene. If I''m not around, and if Jolly gets married and moves out... I''m sure the two kids can''t be with Rachel all the time, either. She probably spends her whole life like this. She probably just makes herself some noodles or orders some food delivery after getting off work. She doesn''t go out of the house during weekends either... At that thought, Justin realized how his decision to hold on to her had been right.

    Perhaps they would never be able topletely let go of the mistakes that they had made in the past, and maybe these mistakes would haunt them every now and then. However, as long as they had a future together, then they had all the time in the world to create more joy between them. Justin picked Rachel up from the couch and brought her to her bedroom. He stayed with her and ensured she was fast asleep before he walked out and shut the door behind him. Things were good the way they were Justin didn''t need much more than what he had right then.

    At the same time, in the farawaynd of Tahiti, the four people on honeymoon were enjoying their dinner in the hotel restaurant. They had a gorgeous view of the sunset by the beach-the clean ocean and the clear skies made them feel like they were in heaven. Gloria used a spoon to dig out the meat of an oyster as she spoke. "I wonder what both of them are doing. Justin probably won''t head back to the summer vi at this hour," she said.

    Charlotte was excited to hear this. "I''m about to have a sister soon!"

    "Don''t get excited just yet. We can never be sure," Samuel said with a calm expression. "If they were to have another child, I hope it''s a boy." That way, he''d have someone to y Lego with him. Unfortunately, Charlotte was an impatient girl who only caused a mess instead of actually building anything. Because of that, Samuel often had Lego parts that were misced before he could create a proper figure.

    The four of them had high hopes for the couple back home. The actual situation wasn''t bad, but it was theplete opposite of what they had expected. Justin spent the night sleeping on the couch. The following day, Rachel woke up to the strong aroma of coffee outside her room. She stretched her limbs as she walked out to find Justin making coffee. "Woah. That smells good."

    "Try it." Justin ced a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of her. "There''s some cake on the table as well. So you can get ready, and we''ll head out after that."

    "That''s so sweet of you." Rachel held the cup of coffee with both hands as she felt a warm sensation spreading across her chest. "Wait... Where did you sleepst night?"

    "The couch," Justin muttered exasperatedly. "I waited the whole night, but they didn''t video call us at all. It seems like they really forgot about us."

    "I thought the two devils would''ve tortured Gloria, but it seems like she''s having quite a lot of fun with them," Rachelmented.

    "Well, Mr. Wade is there and is good at taking care of many kids. It''s just two kids now, so it''s probably a piece of cake for him," Justin said.

    "That''s true. But I feel pretty bad for disrupting their honeymoon," Rachel mumbled. Justin continued to prepare some sd in the kitchen without making any morements. After breakfast, they headed out to watch the y. They had just arrived at the theatre entrance when they saw Steven jogging over to them.

    Rachel was puzzled to see the formal suit that he was dressed in. "Why are you dressed in such a formal outfit?" she asked.

    "I''m on a date- of course, I have to dress formally. It shows respect for mydy." Steven took a nce in Justin''s direction as he spoke. Justin raised an eyebrow but didn''t bother to respond to the other man''s provocative statement.

    "This isn''t a musical, and there''s no dress code. But I guess you look pretty fresh and smart in this outfit," Rachel said with a smile.

    "Yeah? I think I look pretty good in formal suits." Steven beamed as he looked at Rachel. "By the way, I got this for you." A red rose surfaced in his hand out of nowhere it was as if he had just pulled a magic trick.

    "Why did you get flowers?" Rachel was surprised as she took the rose into her hand.

    "Jolly told me you like flowers, so I got them just for you," he replied. Justin felt rather displeased by the other man''s actions, but he kept an emotionless look on his face. "You should try getting white roses nex time. That''s Rachel''s favorite flower." Justst night, Justin had imed that he wouldn''t get jealous.

    Rachel pressed her lips together before making a statement to trigger Justin. "I think red roses are nice, too."

 Chapter 596

    Justin was oddly calm, probably because he knew that Rachel was doing it intentionally. "Sure. I guess white roses may seem a little too simple when ced at home. I''ll get someone to send different flowers over tomorrow," he said.

    "I don''t have the time to take care of the flowers," she replied.

    "It''s fine. You won''t have to take care of them. If the flowers were to rely on your care, they probably wouldn''t have lived for that long," he teased. Healthy roses couldst up to 20 days after blooming; some could even live up to a month if they were well taken care of.

    When Steven saw how the two people were starting to chat with one another happily, he quickly interrupted them. "Aren''t we going to go in yet, Rachel? The y is starting soon."

    "It''s about time. Let''s go," she replied after taking a look at her watch. There were many people in the theatre, and there were practically no empty seats by the time they got in. This y was extremely famous and it would tour around the country every year. Rachel had watched it once in the past, but she wanted to watch it again with Justin.

    "I''ll sit here!" Steven plopped himself in a seat between Rachel and Justin. Rachel shot Justin an exasperated look before hinting at him to be more epting of the situation. Even though Justin wasn''t too happy about it, he knew that it wasn''t nice to seem petty over such matters, so he kept his mouth shut. However, deep down, he made a mental note to hold a grudge against Steven. I''m going to get back at him someday.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

    Steven took a nce at his surroundings before turning to Rachel. "There are quite a lot of people here. This y seems pretty famous-I did my research beforeing."

    "It''s written by a director whose ys I really enjoy. This y has been going on for years," she replied.

    "Well, if you like this director''s work, I can alwayse to watch more ys with you," Steven offered. Rachel scoffed in response to his words. "Have you watched any ys in the past?" Steven scratched his head before responding honestly. "No. But I like everything that you like. So I bet this will be an interesting y," he said with augh.

    Rachelughed along with him, but she didn''t believe his words at all. It was rare for youngsters to enjoy watching ys, and Steven had just graduated from university. He was in his early twenties, which was the perfect time to get involved in more exciting activities. It was unlikely that he would enjoy a y like this. Rachel''s assumptions were correct-Steven had already started yawning about ten minutes into the y.

    Meanwhile, Justin seemed a lot more alert and engaged as he watched the people on stage. All of a sudden, he felt something weighing down on his shoulder. He turned to nce at what was going on, and his lips twitched with annoyance when he saw Steven sleeping on his shoulder. When Rachel saw this happening, she covered her mouth and giggled before giving Justin a look. "Shh...ˇ±

    Justin hated it when others touched him, so it felt impossible for him to allow Steven to just sleep on his shoulder for the rest of the y. It felt too weird and ufortable. When Rachel wasn''t paying attention to him, Justin used two fingers to poke Steven''s forehead before lifting Steven from his shoulder. Justin kept pushing Steven away until Steven''s head was straight and resting against the seat''s headrest. Nevertheless, the very next moment, Steven''s figure began to tilt toward the other side. When Justin saw Steven''s head falling toward Rachel''s shoulder, he quickly tugged on Steven''s jacket to pull Steven back in his direction. In the end, Steven spent the rest of the y sleeping on Justin''s shoulder. When the y ended, Justin instantly got to his feet. Steven felt a sudden drop as his head no longer had any support, and the sudden disappearance of his ''pillow'' finally woke him up.

    "Is it over?" Steven rubbed his eyes with a dazed look on his face. "How did it end just like that?"

    "You''ve been asleep for two hours. What do you think?" Justin mocked him without hiding behind a thin veneer of politeness. Steven responded with another yawn. "I slept a little tootest night," he said. "Well, if you''re so tired, you should just head home and rest," Justin suggested.

    "I''m not sleepy anymore. I just took a two-hour nap." Steven gave Justin a side-eye before turning to beam in Rachel''s direction. "I bet you''re hungry, Rachel. Let''s go have lunch!"

    "I am rather hungry. Let''s go." When Rachel realized how Justin was still some distance behind them, she turned and tried calling out to him. Yet, Steven quickly pushed her forward. "Let''s go, Rachel. Everywhere''s really packed on a Saturday afternoon."

    Even though Steven didn''t seem like

    the most trustable person, he

    provided a pretty good

    rmendation for their lunch. He brought them to one of the famous restaurants in Riverdale. They wouldn''t have gotten a table at all if he hadn''t booked the ce earlier. Nheless, there was one issue with their meal. It felt rather odd for three people to have a meal in a restaurant with such a romantic ambiance.

    "You have to try this roasted goose with cherry sauce, Rachel. It''s one of their signatures," Steven said.

    "Let me try it." Rachel took a mouthful of the meat, and she could feel it melting in her mouth as she chewed on it. "It is pretty good. How did you find out about this ce? Jolly told me that you just came to Riverdale a while ago and that you seldom came here in the past," she said.

    "Well, I did some research. If you follow me back to my hometown, you''ll get to try even better food! By the way, I recall Jolly telling me that you like fruits. My family has an orchard, and you can head over to pick some fruits once autumn is here," he offered.

    "I''ll have to go there during autumn! My children love visiting orchards too," Rachel replied.

    "That''s great. I''ll bring them around in autumn." Steven didn''t forget about the other man on the table even as he was chit-chatting with Rachel. "Don''t be shy, Mister. You should eat more!" he said in a ''weing'' tone.

    Mister? Justin''s pupils shrank for a moment. "What did you just call me?"

    "Mister! Jolly told me that you''re nearly 16 years older than me, so I thought I''d refer to you in a more respectful manner. Am I wrong?" Steven replied.

    "Well, if that''s the case, you should call me Madam too. I''m ten years older than you, after all," Rachel chirped in. "That''s different! When we walk on the streets, no one would be able to tell that you''re older than me. You look even younger than Jolly," Steven replied.

    "You sure are good at sweet-talking. I bet there were a lot of girls who were interested in you at school," Rachel teased.

    "Well, I''m not interested in them at all," he replied.

    "Jolly told me about this. So, you have pretty high standards, huh? Do you have a preference? I''ll keep a lookout for girls who may fit your liking," Rachel offered.

    "That''s fine. I believe in fate, so I

    want to just go with the flow." Steven smiled while shaking his head. Then, he took a nce in Justin''s direction. "Don''t you think so, Sir? You''re not married even this age, so I assume that you enjoy going with the flow as well, right?"

    at

    Justin responded without any change in his calm expression. "My daughter''s already six years old, though." Steven felt like his efforts to offend Justin were washed down the drain at that momentˇŞJustin''s simple statement felt like an arrow directly into his heart.

    Halfway through their meal, Steven excused himself to go to the toilet. Rachel was worried about Justin''s feelings, so she quickly checked on him. "Are you okay? You weren''t bothered by what Steven said earlier, right?"

    "Do I look like someone so petty?" Justin asked.

    "You''re not, but I''m afraid you might overthink it," she replied.

    "What''s there to overthink? Should I be thinking about how he destroyed our rare date or how he intentionallymented on my age and spoke to me like an old man well on my way to retirement?"

    Rachel rested her arms on the table

    before using her palm to support her chin. "Well, I already told you about Steven''s nst night, so you shouldn''t get mad over that. As for the second point you made..." She blinked as she nced at Justin. "What do you feel about it?" Rachel knew that it didn''t feel good to be referred to as an old person. It felt almost like the younger generation was demanding the previous generation to age faster.

 Chapter 597

    Justin straightened his figure before he leaned forward and edged closer to Rachel. "An old man like me has seen enough of the world. Do you think I''d be bothered when a young man tells me that I''m old?" Justin spoke in a soft voice, and there was the sound of a violin ying in the restaurant, so he and Rachel were the only two people who could hear what he said. At that moment, it felt like they were in a bubble separated from the whole world. They had a private space all to themselves.

    Rachel saw the clear and bright look in Justin''s eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. Right then, Steven returned from the washroom. Rachel cleared her throat before taking her arms off the desk and pretending as if nothing had happened at all. Steven was still in high spirits when he returned to the table. "Where should we go in the evening?" he asked.

    "There''s a reservoir in the outskirts of Riverdale, and the view there is pretty nice," Justin said.

    "Sure. I''ll get the bill, and we can leave," Steven offered before holding his hand up. "Bill, please!"

    The waiter walked over with a smile. "This gentleman over here has already gotten the bill," the waiter exined. Steven froze for a moment before frowning at Justin. "Didn''t I say that I would buy you guys a meal? So why did you pay for it?"

    "You''re the guest in our city. If you really want to buy us a meal, you can do it the next time," Justin said. Steven was about to protest when Rachel patted him on the shoulder. "Alright. Jolly told me to take care of you, and you just graduated, so how could we get you to pay for anything? Come on. Let''s go explore the city a little more," she suggested.

    "Fine. It''ll be my turn to buy you guys a meal next time," Steven insisted.

    "Sure," Rachel replied.

    It was the perfect time of the year to visit the reservoir on the outskirts of Riverdale. The weather wasn''t cold, and the cooling breeze felt nice against one''s skin. The skies were clear, and the sound of water filled their ears as they walked along the pathway. The view was terrific. Justin drove them to the reservoir, and Steven sat in the backseat.

    As Justin was driving, Steven noticed a part of Justin''s left pinky that looked like it had been amputated. This wasn''t the first time Steven had seen it, but the more he looked at it, the more it didn''t seem like a congenital disability. "What happened to your hand?" Steven was a straightforward person, and he asked whatever question he had in mind.

    Rachel, who had been smiling and chatting before that, frowned upon hearing Steven''s question. Her gaze darkened a little. "I identally broke it. It''s no big deal," Justin said.

    "How did you identally break your finger?" Steven said without paying any attention to the look on Rachel''s face. "That''s so careless of you. How will you take good care of others in the future?" "Steven." Rachel interrupted their conversation. "You have a license, don''t you? Why don''t you drive us backter?"

    "Of course. I got my license after my first attempt. My driving teacher called me a genius!" When it came to the topic of Steven''s driver''s license, he had a lot to say, and he went on and on about it. Even though Rachel had managed to change the topic, she couldn''t help but take a few more nces at Justin''s pinky. The wound that he got from his pinky being chopped off in Enistan had healed a little, and the scar wasn''t too hideous. However, his pinky would never look the same as before.

    Justin knew how bad Rachel felt whenever someone brought this topic up, so he reached over and squeezed her hand tofort her. Steven had been talking about his license when he suddenly caught the two people in front holding hands. Steven was stunned for a moment. "Hey, you should keep two hands on the wheel when driving. It''s illegal to drive with one hand, you know?" Steven uttered intentionally. "It seems like you really studied for your driving test," Justin voiced with a scoff. Rachel''s cheeks turned pink, but she didn''t say much after that. Since they werepletely free that week, Justin drove for more than 30 miles to get them to the reservoir. In the past, this ce used to be less well-known to the public. s, now that more people had heard of the area, the crowd grewrger than before, and there were already many people by the time they arrived.

    "There''s an ice cream truck there! I''ll get some ice cream. You can wait here, Rachel." The moment Steven got out of the car, his sharp eyes spotted the ice cream and hot dog trucks nearby. So he hurried ove to queue for them. Meanwhile, Rachel and Justin strolled behind him while chatting with one another.

    "I''m worried that the construction at the free trade port might not go well. Have you thought about how to deal with that?" Rachel asked.

    "I''ll think about it as we go. As of now, I don''t know what Julian wants. If he''s doing this just for his own benefit, I don''t think we should take action. We''re technically partners, after all. We either live or die together," Justin said.

    "Isn''t Genevieve also involved in this? When did Julian even get to know the Yatruinia royalty?" Rachel wondered.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "I''ve always thought that this was rather odd, Rachel," Justin said.

    "What are your thoughts on this?" she asked.

    "You just found your biological father and learned he''s part of the Yatruinia royalty. Then, Julian gets someone who''s also from the Yatruinia royalty to support him right after that," Justin said. "How do you think these two events are rted?" she asked.

    "I''m not too sure about the details. Anyway, did you get anything from Mr. Hudson''s end?" he asked in return.

    "Not yet. He just settled down there, so I''m sure he still has a lot of matters to handle," she exined. Justin nodded with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Lionel had just returned to Yatruinia a few days ago. He felt rather suspicious of Genevieve''s identity, so he returned to the country to do some of his own research. Therefore, he wanted to find out where this woman came from and what she wanted from him.

    "Hey. I was here first. Why are you

    jumping the queue?" Steven''s voice came from a distance away, and it sounded like he was starting a fight. with someone. Justin and Rachel exchanged nces before they

    hurried over to him. There was a

    group of people gathered around the ice cream and hot dog truck by the time they got over. It seemed like Steven had gotten into a fight with another girl. The girl had ice cream in one hand and spoke in a firm. tone. "I didn''t jump the queue. I simply walked away for a while. I was standing in front of you earlier! I''m two spots ahead of you!" she cried.

    "Who''s going to prove that? Am I supposed to take your word for it?" Steven retorted.

    "Do I have to lie about such a thing? Hey, are you just trying to pick a fight with me?" she hissed.

    "Do you think I''m picking a fight? It seems more like you''re the one who wants to fight," he replied.

    "Steven." Rachel hurried over to find

    Steven confronting another girl in front of the food trucks. The girl

    looked about the same age as Steven. The girl already had an ice cream in her hand, but she and Steven were holding onto a bag of sausages, and neither looked they wanted to let go of it. It was almost as if they were having a tug of war between them, and the bag of sausages looked like it was about to be torn apart.

    "What''s going on here? Let go of the bag, Steven," Rachel ordered. Her words were proven to be useful, for he let go of the bag almost immediately. The girl''s eyes widened as she stumbled backward when Steven stopped tugging on the bag. She tried to maintain her bnce but ended up falling bottom-first onto the ground. "Ahh!" She let out a loud cry. Her bottom hurt so badly that tears started brimming in her eyes.

    "Are you okay?" Rachel hurried over to help the girl up. "Did you injure yourself?" The girl''s ice cream had fallen to the ground, and the bag of sausages had flown out of her hand. Mini sausages were rolling al over the floor, and they were no longer edible. The girl was fuming-she pushed Rachel aside before charging toward Steven. "I''m going to fight you!" she cried.

    Momentster, Steven let out a cry of agony. Three red marks formed on each side of his smooth and fair cheeks. From afar, the marks on both sides seemed almost proportionate to each other. "That''s what you get for pushing me!" the girl cried.

 Chapter 598

    "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Justin helped Rachel up.

    "Steven!" She was shocked to the core the moment she saw blood.

    At that moment, Steven had gotten into a fight with the girl; instead of a fight, it was more appropriate to say that she was riding on top of him, which left him no openings to counter.

    "Let go or I won''t hold my punches back!"

    "How dare you!"

    "You''re crazy!"

    Rachel stepped forward to help him but was thwarted by Justin, who grabbed the girl''s hand afterward. "Stop it!"

    It was obvious that the girl had learned martial arts, yet she could not free her hand out of his grasp. Thus, Steven seized the chance to shove her away and get up before hiding himself behind Justin. Steven covered his face and shouted, "I''m calling the cops!"

    "What? I should be the one doing that to report you, pervert!" She was about to charge toward him, but Justin quickly stood in between them.

    "Are you guys trying to win against me with numbers? I''m not afraid! Wanna call the cops? I''ll call it for you. We''ll see whose side the police are on!"

    "Hold on," Rachel interrupted. "Let''s talk, girl. We don''t mean to harm you. Can''t you see that we''re just pulling the both of you apart?"

    Looking at Rachel''s amiable face, the girl gave in before pointing at Steven. "This dumb*ss says that I''ve jumped the line, but I just left the line for a while. He kept picking on me by saying that I''m rude." "Steven, did you really say that?"

    Steven was still covering his face. "She''s lying. Don''t listen to her nonsense. It is true that she cut the line."

    "Sorry, who? Why don''t you repeat that, huh?" The girl had her hair tied into a ponytail and was dded in a green sweater. Whenever she jumped, her ponytail swayed, and she looked as fierce as a wolf. Meanwhile, the ice cream truck owner could not bear the dispute anymore as he craned his neck out of the window. "I can vouch for the girl. She was in the line first while helping someone to look after their child. She''s just returned after sending the kid back to the parents."

    Finally, the truth had been revealed.

    "Do you hear that loud and clear?" The girl ced her hands on her waist with a formidable aura.

    Steven responded, "If everyone cuts the line after leaving the ce for a moment, it''ll be a total mess."

    "You!"

    "Okay, stop." Rachel was worried that another fight would arise again. "Objectively speaking, both of you are neither right nor wrong. Steven, you shouldn''t me someone else without getting to the bottom of it and make her ice cream fall off on purpose. Apologize to her."

    His unwillingness was written all over his face. Still, it would be petty of him to not apologize since she had put it that way. Thus, he offered his apology in a perfunctory manner. "Sorry."

    Rachel cast her gaze onto the girl. "I think violence isn''t right either, isn''t it?"

    After all, she could not be too dour to a stranger, so she could only hope that the girl had a good upbringing.

    The girl still remained firm with her attitude as she said, "I''m wrong for being physical, but I wouldn''t have done that if you did not run that big mouth of yours. Behave when you''re outside and stop asking trouble for yourself."

    A helpless Rachel eventually became the middle person. "I guess we can get over the matter now. I''ll buy you a new ice-cream."

    "No, I can buy it myself." The girl fished out some notes from her pocket while saying that. "Take it and pay his medical bills for me."

    Rachel was slightly stunned to see the stack of money proffered by the girl whereas Steven''s face turned crimson rage. "What the hell? Do you think that these five and ten dors notes are enough toContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    Lovel.be

    compensate for it? You''ve scratched my face, dude!"

    The girl shot daggers at him. "Then buy yourself some band-aids. Are you perhaps nning to go to the hospital because of such a scratch? Are you even a man?"

    She stuffed the money into Rachel''s hand and turned around to leave the scene.

    "Hey!" Rachel held the money while calling the girl, but to no avail.

    Even after the girl was long gone, Steven was still hiding behind Justin, who questioned, "Can you let me go now?"

    Steven was baffled as he finally realized that he had been grabbing onto Justin''s arm. This is embarrassing!

    Steven cleared his throat. "A real man should never hit a woman. I despise that kind of man the most."

    He then hissed and touched his face. "That maniac must be out of her mind."

    "Are you okay?" Rachel approached him to take a closer look at the scratches on his face. "They''re kinda deep, though. Is it painful?"

    "It hurts." His face scrunched up in pain. "Rae, could you blow on it?"

    Before Rachel could respond to his request, Justin pulled her away. "Which part of it hurts? I can do it."

    Watching the man''s rigid countenance, Steven gulped. "Nevermind."

    Rachel then thrusted the money into Steven''s hand. "Take it. It''s meant to pay for your medical bills anyway."

    The ire in him red up at the mention of that. "Don''t let me see that mad woman again."

    Despite the unforeseen episode, the whole journey went smoothly. Since they were here to let their hair down, they strolled along the route by the reservoir with Steven taking pictures of them at times; it was a rxing walk.

    Steven looked funny with the three spongebob band-aids on his face, which were given by the ice cream truck owner.

    "I''m sure your sister will be bbering on and on after seeing your face," Rachel said helplessly while sliding her arms into Justin''s. "I think we''re jinxed because he''s always hurt whenever we''re together." "Maybe. Let''s go to the church in Westhill and pray. It''ll probably get better after that."

    "You believe in that? I was just saying, though."

    "I would like to believe that something like that does exist, so let''s not bring him along next time."

    Rachel chuckled at that. "Are you jealous?"

    "I''m not jealous of him, but he keeps getting in the way when we''re supposed to be dating. I''m kinda bothered by it. Can you understand how I''m feeling at the moment?"

    "Yeah, yeah." She was wreathed in smiles. "You are magnanimous."

    "Why are you walking so fast?" Steven yelled behind them as he caught up with them while holding his camera. "I''ve been taking so many pictures of you guys. I want a few of myself too. Here, take a picture of us together."

    few of myself too. Here, is

    With that being said, he shoved the camera into Justin''s hands before pulling Rachel over.

    "Let''s stand here. The scenery is great. Don''t forget about the lighthouse behind me. Rae, smile."

    She was turning her head to look at the lighthouse when the camera shutter clicked.

    "Let''s take some more."

    Steven kept changing his postures by forming a heart with her and making faces. However, if he had ce taken photos, he would find out that he was not in any of them despite all the effort. Not even the hem of his shirt was in the photos, for there was only Rachel with the scenery in Justin''s shots.

 Chapter 599

    In the evening, when the trio was going to return home from the reservoir, the men were fighting over whether Rachel should be sitting in the passenger seat or the back seat.

    Steven imed, "If Rae sits behind, I''ll be the only one in the front row. Am I your driver, Sir? Rae took the passenger seat when we first came, but why is no one going to take the passenger seat when it''s my turn to drive?"

    "This is my car," countered Justin.

    "You!" Steven red at him in rage. "Rae, where are you going to sit?"

    They turned their gazes to Rachel, who was feeling helpless by the situation. After a moment of contemtion, a lightbulb lit up in her head. "It''s inappropriate for us to sit behind when Steven takes the wheel. As he has said, he''s not our driver. We''re just hanging out and the trip back will be tiring. Someone should take the passenger seat to apany him."

    "That''s right!" Steven''s eyes glistened almost instantly.

    "So, Justin, you should apany him." Their expressions fell at her suggestion due to unwillingness.

    Yet, it was the best solution they coulde up with given the circumstances. The only thing that irritated Steven was that he should have let her taken the back seat while he sat in the passenger seat when they first came.

    Rachel kept yawning on the way home.

    "Get some shut-eye if you''re tired." Justin noticed her yawning in the rearview mirror. ˇ°It''ll take a while to arrive in the city. Just take a nap.ˇ±

    "I''m not sleepy." She yawned again as soon as she finished her words.

    He turned around to tease her. "Why are you yawning then?"

    "I''m fine." Following that was another yawn. It seemed like she had underestimated herself as she eximed in helplessness, "I''m feeling my age. I''m already exhausted after having fun the whole day. I can''t even withstand it before reaching home."

    He responded, "You''re younger than me by five years. If you''re feeling like that, I must be old."

    Steven took a glimpse at him. "That is a true fact, though. Look at our age gap. I can even call you my uncle."

    The brazen mocking was way too scornful. However, a sessful man like Justin had never been perturbed by his age; he had everything that he needed, so what did he have to worry about?

    Right then, the car came to a halt suddenly, causing Rachel to lean forward. She almost bumped into the front seat, and she was shocked. "What''s wrong?"

    Steven pointed to the right. ''Look, isn''t that the crazy woman?"

    It was the girl Steven got into a fight with this afternoon. She was ambling along that road and heading toward the highway.

    Is she going to cross the highway by foot?

    Rachel ordered, "Steven, stop the car."

    Once the car slowly stopped next to the girl, Rachel unwound the window. "Hey, where are you going?"

    The girl turned around to see the amiable woman craning her neck out of the car window. Realizing that it was the same person who had stopped the fight in the afternoon, the girl paused momentarily before nodding. "I guess."

    "What a coincidence! We''re returning to the city too. We can give you a lift."

    "Really?" The girl''s eyes brightened. Just when she was going to ept the offer, she noticed the driver was Steven, and her face turned grim. "Nevermind. I can just walk. I don''t have the guts to share the same car with you guys. What should I do when someone takes revenge on me by taking me to a deserted mountain?"

    "Excuse me?" Steven was vexed. "It pains my heart to waste my money on the petrol just to bring you to a deserted ce. Stop that wild imagination of yours, please."

    She frowned. "Did I ask for your help? Shut that squeaky mouth of yours."N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "Fine. You can walk if you like. Rae, let''s just mind our business." He started the car engine while saying that, but the car stopped again after being driven forward for a few meters.

    This time, Rachel alighted from the car and came up to the girl. Feeling the wind brushing against her cheeks, she cooed, "Juste along with us. As long as I''m here, no one will bring you to a deserted ce."

    Looking at Rachel, the girl was

    obviously wavering. Rachel

    continued, if you don''t trust us, why don''t you send a text to your friend?

    It takes an hour at most to reach the city from here. Tell her to call the cops if she doesn''t receive any message from you an hourter.

    What do you say?"

    The girl thought for a while before agreeing to Rachel''s suggestion. "I believe that you''re a good person, but that brat seems unreliable."

    "He''s still a kid. Don''t mind him."

    "Big baby," the girlmented before entering the car.

    Fortunately, the two words did not reach Steven''s ears, or there would have been a ruckus if he threw a tantrum by not letting her get in the car. The car engine started and they hit the road again with the girls sitting in the back seat. Content

    "I''m Rachel Hudson. This is my boyfriend and the one driving is my younger cousin."

    "So, he''s your cousin." The girl shook her head as though she was quelling the urge to make fun of Steven.

    "What''s your name?" said Rachel.

    "I''m Sandra Huges," answered Sandra briskly. "Nice to meet you. Can I call you Rae?"

    "Sure. My younger siblings call me by that name too." Rachel smiled and questioned further, "Do you live in the city? Why did youe to the reservoir all alone on the weekend? It''s hard to find a cab home." "I live in the suburbs. It''s not that far from the reservoir. It''s just that I have an urgent errand to run, so I have to go to the city. I''ll return home as soon as I''m done. My grandmother is still waiting for me at home."

    Rachel nodded before grabbing two packets of snacks from beneath the seat. "Want some?"

    Sandra was baffled and she

    hesitated for a moment before

    It

    taking one of it to fill her stomach. was easy for girls to befriend each other, be it through a girl''s day out to the nail salon, going to the restroom together with their hands held, or sharing snacks together. All of these

    scenarios could easily be the

    starting point of a friendship.

    "Thank you, Rae. I''ve fought with your cousin and yet, you don''t mind bringing me along to the city with you guys."

    "It''s Steven''s fault. I''ll be grateful if you don''t me him."

    "It''s alright. I don''t mind."

    "Can''t you read between the lines?" Steven, who was driving, grew irritated the more he listened to the conversation. "Rae is just being nice and polite. Are you seriously thinking that it''s my fault for what had happened?"

    "It is your fault." Sandra was one stubborn girl, and she would never go easy on him.

    He was seething. "Keep up with that attitude of yours and I''ll dump you here at this instant.ˇ±

    "Rae invited me for the ride, not you," she retorted with an attitude. "Oh, and you can drop me off before entering the city."

    Rachel was confused. "Why?"

    "I have something to do at Westhill Racecourse, which is not exactly in the city."

    Westhill Racecourse?

    Rachel could vaguely sense that something was wrong." Why are you going there?"

    "My grandmother''s sick. I need someone to help her."

    "You''re going to Westhill Racecourse to ask for help?"

    Sandra nodded. "My mother works there."

    Hearing that, Rachel slightly clenched her hands. She could also see Justin''s equally confused expression in the rearview mirror.

    Sandra''s mother is working at Westhill Racecourse?

 Chapter 600

    Westhill Racecourse was a very sensitive topic to Rachel. After all, it was the club''s headquarters and the ce where most of the daily events were held.

    Such a massive racecourse came with a huge number of employees, whichprised all sorts of individuals. Even if it was surprising to hear that from a stranger, it was not weird to know that Sandra''s mothe was working over there.

    Rachel proposed, "We can take you there."

    Sandra waved her hands hastily. "No, it''s alright. Just drop me off along your way back."

    "We''ll have to pass by the ce anyway. It''s along the way." Rachel then asked Steven, "You know the way to the racecourse, do you?"

    He pouted. "Yeah, yeah."

    Sandra received a call during the drive. Her brows furrowed the moment she saw the caller''s ID, after which she faced the window to answer the phone in a soft voice. Nevertheless, her words were heard loud and clear by others in that small space.

    "I know. Please help me look after my grandmother. I''ll foot the bills after getting the money. Please. Just bear with me for another day. I''ll make sure to pay tomorrow."

    Once the call had ended, Rachel inquired, "Is your grandmother sick?"

    Sandra nodded in reply.

    "Why are you buying ice cream when your grandmother is sick?" Steven took a nce in the rearview mirror. "You must be super ''worried''."

    "It''s none of your business." Sandra''s softened gaze turned sinister once again.

    "Steven, focus on the road," Rachel quickly interjected.

    Due to his tender age, Steven was being tactless with his words and kept judging the situation based on a brief encounter with another person. The bad habit would only cause him more problems in future. After that, Rachel asked, "So, are you going to ask your mother for money? You could have just called her."

    Furthermore, there were many ways to transfer the money online. Why make a girl, who did not own a car, walk by foot just to get the money when it was gettingte?

    Sandra frowned, and her expression indicated that she did not want to continue the subject any further. Rachel and Justin exchanged nces and kept quiet. Every family had their own difficult times. Hence, there was no need to pry into it when the person involved refused to talk about it.

    Once they arrived at Westhill Racecourse, Sandra alighted from the car and stood before it to express her gratitude. "Thanks for the ride."

    "Don''t sweat it. Here, take this." Rachel handed Sandra her business card. "Feel free to hit me up ore to me if you need help."

    Sandra was nonplussed, for she did not believe that a stranger would show such kindness to her.

    Rachel stuffed the business card into Sandra''s hand. "I grew up with my grandmother, but she''s no longer here. I understand how it feels for you right now. Just take it.ˇ±

    With that being said, she hopped into the car whereas Sandra instinctively took two steps forward in an attempt to return it. However, the car door was closed immediately, and the ck car was driven away from the entrance.

    Sandra''s gazended onto the business card, and on it were the words, ''President of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Rachel Hudson''.

    She frowned

    She must be lying.

    Before entering the racecourse, she simply threw it into a trash can.

    There aren''t that many nice people in this world.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    On the other hand, it was alreadyte at night when the trio arrived in the city. They dropped Steven off at Carter Residence first, in which he asked after getting out of the car, "Where are we going tomorrow?" Rachel looked at the band-aids on his face. "Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about your face. Is it still painful?"

    "I''m a real man. These scratches are really minor, and they don''t hurt. It won''t be a problem." Steven pulled her hand. "I don''t care. I''ll go to you first thing in the morning tomorrow. You must not abandon me." Feeling helpless, she turned to take a glimpse at Justin, who was calm as though he was not bothered in the slightest.

    Hmm? Has he built up his coping mechanism after hanging out with Steven the whole day?

    Then, Justin sent her home. Once

    the car was parked at the entrance, he got out of the car as well. Rachel stopped him. "Are you not going back? it''s dark already. Charlotte and Samuel won''t be video calling us today."

    "What''s wrong? Are you driving me away in case I''m up to something?"

    She was slightly baffled by his words. "I don''t mean it like that."

    "Rae, I''m hungry."

    She heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that. "I''ll make something for you."

    "Okay. Instant noodles should be enough.ˇ±

    "That won''t be enough. I''ll fry two eggs for you."

    "Alright."

    Justin watched her back with mixed

    feelings. Even though they were

    officially going out, where Rachel did not hide it and acknowledged it when others asked about their rtionship, it was obvious that she

    was steering clear of certain things.

    It was true that he was not in a hurry, yet he could not let the wall between them stay there forever, for big problems always started from small ones.

    In the meantime, Sandra was stopped by someone as soon as she stepped into Westhill Racecourse.

    "Show me your ID, please."

    "I didn''t bring it."

    "How dare you walk in the ce shamelessly without bringing your ID card? Don''t you know where this is?" The security guard at the entrance was swaggering as he

    noticed that she was in cruda na

    clothes, which gave him more

    reason to believe that she was just a girl who had lost her way, and hence the impatience.

    "Only members are allowed to enter this ce. What are you doing here sote at night?"

    "I''m looking for someone."

    "Who?"

    Sandra could not care less about him as she simply asked him to dial a number. He did as he was told and his expression changed immediately upon hearing the order from the other side of the line. "Understood." After terminating the call, he sized her up. "Who are you?"

    "What did the person say?"

    "Uhmm..." He seemed uneasy. "The manager told you not to go. Would you like to have a seat inside?"

    "No. I''ll wait here." In a green hoodie, she stood upright by the security booth beneath the night sky.

    Before long, there was a shuttle cart approaching them from the racecourse. Not only was the manager in it, the head of security tagged along too.

    The sight of them sent the security guard into a panic. "Sir, what brings you here?"

    The manager red at him in return. "Why did you stop Miss froming in and let her stand in the cold wind? You had one job!"

    "Miss?" The security guard was bewildered.

    This rustic girl is from a rich family? No way!

    The manager didn''t want to waste his breath, and he said directly, "You''re fired."

    Sandra''s brows furrowed. "Why? It''s true that I didn''t bring the ID card. Is he considered responsible to allow someone to enter without it? He has done nothing wrong."

    The manager was stunned. "Y-Yes, you''re right. Hurry up and thank her."

    Only then did the security guard regain his senses and thank her profusely.

    She waved her hand and told the manager, "I''m here to take something. I''ll leave once I get it."

 Chapter 601

    The manager carefully observed Sandra from head to toe. "But, Miss, the boss has asked the chefs to make dinner for you when she knows that you''re here. The food will be served soon. It''s been a while since youst came. Why don''t you apany her for dinner?"

    "When she has so many people to keep herpany? It''ll be redundant for me to do that." She was firm with her decision. "I''m busy. Grandma is still waiting for me."

    "Miss, the boss is feeling under the weather these days. She keeps coughing. Please ask her to visit the doctor."

    "She deserves it for all the bad deeds she has done."

    "Miss!"

    "Fine, fine. I''ll go. Stop addressing me like that too. I''m not a bargirl." With an impatient expression, she relented and gave her word before hopping onto the shuttle cart.

    Watching the shuttle cart leave, the security guard, who had stopped her, was still in a daze. The head of security smacked his staff''s head with a cap. "Did you realize that you almost lost your job today? I wouldn''t have been able to help you!"

    The security guard covered his head. "What''s going on, sir? I haven''t seen her before. Why is the manager calling her ''Miss''?"

    "She''s the boss'' daughter, and it''s rare to see her around here. It''s not been long since you started working here, so it makes sense that you don''t know her."

    "Which boss?" Although the security guard was a neer, he was aware that Westhill Racecourse was owned by two people.

    "Mrs. Bowman.'' The security head eximed, "But they don''t look alike at all. Mrs. Bowman is such a gentle woman and yet, her daughter is so fierce."

    ''Mrs. Bowman?'' The security guard''s eyes widened, for he had had the honor to meet the beauty in person once. Simr to the element of water, she seemed delicate and every movement of hers was gentle. In spite of her old age, she had an air of elegance. How could she bepared with that rustic and rude kid?

    The security head knew what the man was thinking, and he threw him a nce. "They don''t look alike, right? By the way, she is Mrs. Bowman''s only daughter. Mrs. Bowman pampers her so much, but she doesn''t appreciate it. Let''s put it this way-if Miss fancies it, Mrs. Bowman will give her the whole racecourse without a second thought. However, she doesn''t want it! I can count the number of times she visits this ce with one hand."

    "Why?"N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "Of course it''s because-"The security head realized something, and he smacked his subordinate''s head again. "Stop prying and get back to work."

    Having said that, he strode away and left the security guard rubbing his head at the same spot. Why can''t I ask a question when you''re the one who brought it up?

    Meanwhile, the shuttle cart was driven to the south and had reached the entrance of a two-storey house. Sandra entered the house with the manager. She had only been here a handful of times, but she was still uninterested in the ce. With her eyes fixated to the front, she stepped through the door as her countenance turned solemn and her hands formed a fist.

    "Mrs. Bowman, Miss Huges is here." As soon as the manager finished his words, the sound of hasty footsteps resounded in the house..

    "Sandra." The woman sounded surprised. "Come on in and let me take a look at you. It''s been a long time since Ist saw you. You''ve be thinner and grown taller."

    Sandra avoided the woman''s hand as the woman intended to hold her. Taking a step back, her visage darkened. Since Julia was rejected when the manager was still around, she felt slightly awkward.

    Still, the sensible manager pretended that nothing had happened and excused himself. "Mrs. Bowman, I shall head off to my position now. It''s been a while since Miss Huges came. Please enjoy your time together."

    "You should stay for a meal together."

    "I''m fine. Thank you, boss."

    After the manager left, her gaze on Sandra grew fonder. She intended to pull Sandra''s hand, but at the thought of the girl''s repulsive reaction, she gave up. "Come, sit. The chefs made your favorite tomato soup and grilled salmon for dinner."

    However, Sandra turned a deaf ear to her caring words. "I''m here for the money, that''s all."

    Julia was slightly stunned. "Sandra, can''t your just have a meal with me?"

    "Grandma is still waiting for me at the hospital. Is this more important than someone''s life?"

    The atmosphere became tense in a heartbeat. Julia asked a maid to bring over her phone to make a phone call in front of Sandra.

    "It''s me. Please give Dorothy a single room with a caregiver to take care of her 24/7. The medical bills will be on me. Just ring me if there''s a problem."

    When the call ended, she looked at her. daughter. "Will this do?"

    "So, you have long known that Grandma is in the hospital."

    "Yes."

    "And you didn''t answer my call on purpose."

    "If I had picked it up and settled the issue for you, would you havee to see me? Sandra, you''re my daughter that I''ve given birth to a ten-months pregnancy. Have you ever counted the number of times you came to see me over the decade?"

    Sandra turned her head away, for she was reluctant to see her mother''s bitter expression. "You''re living a good life. You''re living in a huge house with enough clothes and food while Grandma and are depending on each other. It''s the choice we made."

    "No. I never had a choice. Do you think that I wanted all these? Sandra, I''ve done it all for your sake back then."

    "For me?" Sandra''s face fell. "Are you saying that you seduced another man and betrayed my father for my sake? Did you make him be depressed andmit suicide just for me? Don''t use me as an excuse for your nasty deeds!"

    "You!" Julia raised her hand in rage, but it was left hanging midair for a long time. In the face of Sandra''s determined eyes, she could not bring herself to p her.

    She was growing old, and so was her dependence on her child; she wished to have her child by her side, unlike her younger self where she could forsake everything just for her career.

    "Have dinner with me. I''ll ask someone to take care of your grandmother." Her tone softened in the end.

    "Ahem... The sudden cough echoed against the walls and Sandra''s gaze wavered at that. "I wanna go to the hospital once I finish eating."

    "Sure. Percy will send you thereter. Dig in." Julia nodded before turning toward the maids. "Add another two dishes."

    Sitting before the dining table that

    was full of scrumptious dishes,

    Sandra had no appetite in the slightest. Even though she resented this woman-who was her mother-to the bones, she had no choice but to seek help from Julia during hardships. She knew that she could not shake Julia off for perpetuity. If Julia was going to hell in the

    afterlife, she might also be dragged

    down to hell to atone for her

    mother''s sins.

    At the same time, Julia kept putting food on Sandra''s te. ˇ°Sandra, have this. It''s your favorite."

    "I can do it on my own. You should eat too."

    "Okay."

    Halfway through the meal, a maid suddenly approached them. ˇ°Madam, Mr. Baxter is here. He''s waiting for you in the side hall."

    Julia frowned and took a glimpse of Sandra reflexively, who was not perturbed one bit. "You should go ahead if you''re busy."

    "Sandra, I''ll be right back. Enjoy the food."

    Watching the woman leaving, Sandra set down the spoon, and her eyes dimmed.

 Chapter 602

    In the side hall of the house, Randall was fumbling with a gold ornament that he took from the cupboard.

    The sound of the door opening resounded behind him, and without looking back, he questioned, "Julia, since when do you have this gold ornament? I didn''t see it thest time I came here. Why do you always hide such precious valuables from me?"

    The iing person was indeed Julia, who had no choice but to leave her daughter ande to him in case of any emergency upon receiving the news from a maid. "What brings you here? Why didn''t you inform me earlier about your visit?"

    He frowned and ced the ornament back in the cupboard before facing her. "Why? Do I have to do that first whenever I wannae?"

    "I don''t mean it like that. Sandra''s here."

    His eyes glistened when he heard that. "You should''ve told me earlier. It''s been years since Ist met her. I should see her."

    "Hold on." She stopped him. "Stay."

    "What''s wrong?"

    "It''s not like you don''t know how stubborn she is. She behaves no less differently in front of me."

    Only then did Randall regain his senses. "It''s been years, though. Is she behaving the same?"

    "You''re telling me. I meet her less and less as years pass. You''re not the only one who hasn''t seen her for a long time. I can use my hands to count the amount of her visits during thest two years. She came to me today because her grandmother has fallen sick.

    "Dorothy''s sick? Is she alright? Should I find someone to check on her?"N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "It''s fine. It''s the usual ailments thate with age. It''ll be alright as long as we watch her diet and routine." Julia sighed. "The problem is. Sandra. She doesn''t listen to anyone except her grandmother." The rage in her red up at the mention of that. "That old hag must''ve spoken ill of me to Sandra all these years."

    "Don''t stress about it. You share the same blood and she will be your daughter forever. I bet she will acknowledge you as her mother someday."

    "That''s kinda hard to tell. Dorothy is Sandra''s biological grandmother, but her words work better than mine."

    "How much time does Dorothy have left?" The man wore an impassive expression. "If you wanna let your daughter stay by your side, it''s not like there''s no way to do it. Once Dorothy is gone, she will have no one to depend on except you."

    Her brows knitted together. "Don''t interfere with this. Dorothy is super important to Sandra, so we can''t do anything to her just yet."

    "Are you not going to take Sandra away with you?"

    His words reminded her of the reason for his arrival as she inquired, "Why do you wanna see me today?"

    "It''s about the Carter Family."

    "What about them?"

    "It''s confirmed that Miss Jolly is going to have a wedding with that celebrity. The Carter Family are in the middle of selecting the invitation cards. They have the first batch printed too."

    "Is that true?" Julia''s eyes brightened. "When and where will the wedding be held?"

    "It''ll be a monthter in Tahiti."

    "Tahiti? Isn''t that-

    "That''s right. It''s the area with the least reach by the international regime, as well as the closest to the sketchiest border."

    No one spoke as they reveled in the good news in silence. Hence, neither of them noticed the silhouette that was hiding by the window of the side hall. The figure outside clenched her fists the moment Julia and Randall held hands.

    After sending Randall off, Julia returned to the dining room, but Sandra was nowhere to be seen.

    "Where''s Sandra?"

    The maid, who was serving soup on the table was equally confused. "She was still here a while ago. I went away to bring some soup, so I don''t know where she has been."

    Then, she called the security guard that was on duty at the entrance to find out that Sandra had left the ce.

    "What''s the point of hiring you guys?

    You can''t even keep an eye on a person!" Julia glowered at the maids. in fury. "It''s going to rain soon and there''s no cab around the area. She doesn''t even have money. Where can a little girl like her go? Find her at this instant!"

    "Y-Yes."

    The sky waspletely dark when Rachel made two bowls of instant noodles. Justin washed the tes and cutleries once he was done eating I will do it."

    "It''s okay. Take a rest. He lightly shoved her. away with his elbow before marching toward the apron that was hung on the wall. He also put on dishwashing gloves.

    In addition to the small kitchen, only a pot and a few bowls were used to make the meal, so she could not help with anything even if she wanted to. Thus, she leaned against the counter while watching him wash the dishes.

    She teased, "You''re definitely more reliable than Miss Jolly. She doesn''t wash her tes after meals."

    "So, you were the one washing them when you were overseas?"

    "I would do it when I had the time, but not when I was away for business trips. I remember that one time when I returned from a two-week business trip, the sink was filled to the brim with pots and tes. She used up every cutlery we had before calling deliveries to settle her meals."

    "Why didn''t you hire a nanny?"

    "We did. It all happened when we didn''t hire another one in time after the nanny was fired." Speaking of that, Rachel felt that it was hrious despite having the urge to grumble about it.

    When she returned from her business trip, Jolly was feeding Samuel food with messy hair. As soon as Jolly heard the sound of the door opening, she rushed out of the house barefooted and hugged Rachel with a tear- stained face.

    "Chris, you''re finally home. I thought I was going to die soon."

    "What happened?"

    "It''s so hard to look after a kid. I''d rather go to theboratory in the hospital and watch people dissecting a frog."

    "You''re exaggerating, girl. However, the moment Rachel ced her bag aside and saw the mess in the house, as though it was the aftermath of an explosion, she realized that Jolly was not joking at all.

    It was because Jolly was the explosion herself; without Rachel and a nanny, Jolly was so incapable that she had turned the house into a dumping ground for her and Samuel.

    "What about you?" Rachel crossed her arms as she questioned Justin about the days he babysat Charlotte. "How did you look after Charlotte during my absence back then? Was it difficult?"

    "No." He held a te that was covered by soap: while walking down the memoryne. "But it was hectic at the beginning."

    It was his first time bing a father, not to mention that it was the time he lost his memory after the car ident. He had been clueless of the child''s origin, yet Gloria consigned the baby. to him, saying that she was his daughter.

    Back then, he could not afford a good night''s sleep because of the sudden crying in the middle of the night. Even after Charlotte was able to sleep through the night without any trouble, he woke up a few times at night out of habit. The sound of the baby crying kept ringing. in his ears, and he always went to check on her in the baby room.

    "Ria didn''t help you either?"

    "She was pursuing her studies for piano at the time. Charlotte was with me until she turned two. That was when Jolly helped me out a little bit, but Charlotte became closer with her in the end." Rachel chuckled upon hearing that. ˇ°I think Ria was doing it on purpose.ˇ±

 Chapter 603

    "On purpose?" Justin was baffled. "Why?"

    Right when Rachel was going to answer, lightning shed outside, which was followed. by a rumbling thunder before they heard the pitter-pattering of the rain. Is it raining?" She turned to look at the balcony and closed the windows in great haste.

    It seldom poured in Riverdale during winter, let alone spring. It had stable weather-after a few heavy pours, there would be a significant increase in temperature before the people weed summer.

    With the windows closed and the moisture in the air outside, it suddenly struck her that it had been a year since she returned to Riverdale. It felt like everything had happened in the blink of an eye. Justin was done with the dishwashing as he pressed the button of the disinfectant cab and wiped his hands before leaving the kitchen. "I''ve cleaned up everything. You should go to: bed early." "Are you leaving already?" She turned around and pointed outside. ''It''s raining, though."

    "It''s alright. It won''t take too long to get home by car. He took his jacket from the couch, after which he walked toward the door while reminding her, "Close the windows and doors tightly and don''t forget to lock the door once I''m gone. Be careful when you''re home alone."

    "Wait!" Rachel rushed to him to stop him. "Why don''t you leave after the rain stops?"

    Justin was taken aback, for there was obviously no sign of the rain stopping at any moment. Even the forecast reported that it would pour the whole night.

    However, she could not let him stay alone in the living room. So, she turned on the television to watch the movie they could not finish together previously. "Is this the movie that we couldn''t finish?"

    The lights in the living room were dim whereas the movie was ying on the projector screen. In the movie, the sunlight streamed through the air and reflected into colorful rays upon the pasture, in which the couple, who had grown up together, was scampering amidst the levitating bubbles.

    Literary films never failed to be soporific, it was the opening Rachel had watched multiple times and one of the main reasons she failed to finish the whole movie every single time. It was because she would start yawning when they were halfway through it.

    Needless to say, this time was no exception. As he stared at the sleeping woman who was curled up at the corner of the couch, Justin''s gaze softened and he pulled the quail to cover her exposed calves. He could not thank the rain. more than ever right now.

    At the same time, the scorching sun was hanging high up in the sky in Tahiti, which was a million miles away from them.

    Beneath the parasols were four figures wearing sunsses andying on the recliners by the beach, enjoying their holidays while sipping on fruit juices. The two adults and children were in sync as they took a sip of their drinks before fanning themselves.

    Gloria turned to look at the kid beside her. "Charlotte, what do you think your parents are doing at home these two days?"

    In a polka dot swimdress, Charlotte had her. legs crossed in anguid manner. "Watching movies, shopping and going out for a drive."

    "That''s some. Even couples in college do that, so what''s the point of it? Can''t he bring his A-game?"

    Charlotte pulled down her red-framed sunsses to reveal her sparkling eyes. "Dad''s A-game is being rich."

    "Tell me, how much does it even take to do those things together?"

    "He needs to rent the whole cinema for a movie date, buy bags for her and drive a sports car when going out for a drive-

    "Why are you being so materialistic at such a young age? Who taught you these?" The more Gloria listened to Charlotte, the more ridiculous she thought it was. After thinking about it, she guessed, "Is it Jolly?" Jolly was the only one who favored this kind of stuff. Charlotte did not have a conception of money at the beginning, but she now knew that money made the world go round after spending some time with Jolly.

    "Aunt Gloria, you said Daddy must

    bring his A-game, but what else does he have other than that? Charlotte began to enumerate the list with her fingers. "He''s neither as handsome as Leroy nor as patientContent ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.

    as Uncle Julian. He dve sret

    have Curly Weirdo''s skills in winning

    a woman''s heart..."

    Gloria was rendered speechless as she thought, I wonder how Justin will react once he knows this is how his daughter speaks of him.

    "But your mother is not someone who will be swayed by money. She doesn''t like bags, shoes, clothes and whatnots. Her only pastime is watching movies and renting the whole cinema doesn''t cost that much." "That''s notpletely true." Samuel turned toward them abruptly with half of his face covered by blue-framed sunsses. In ant indifferent voice, he said, "Who says that our mother doesn''t like spending money?"

    Not only was Gloria baffled, Victor was equally confused. Samuel continued, "I bet you don''t know about this-she loves collecting seal stamps." "Seal stamps?"

    "Antique seal stamps." He gestured to describe the stamp. "I remember that she has a golden seal stamp which is this big. It dates back to

    centuries ago. Mom used up heret

    annual sry and year-end bonus just to buy it. She said that a seal stamp tells a story of an era, but I don''t understand and I''m not interested in it at all. All I know is that it''s a waste of money to indulge in such a hobby."

    He said while shaking his head like an old man because he could only buy cheap snacks that year due to that d*mn seal stamp.

    Meanwhile, Gloria was absorbed in

    her reverie. During their days

    overseas, Rachel held a high.

    management position in SG

    Corporation which was second to its business partners. Taking into

    ount that she was paid with

    commissions for the projects she handled as the sales representative, her annual ie had gone

    through the roof.

    Therefore, Gloria could never understand why Rachel needed to share the payment with Jolly in purchasing a house.

    Now, the truth was revealed-Rachel had spent her hard-earned money to buy her precious seal stamps.

    Since she studied archaeology and worked as a librarian in Riverdale Library before marrying Justin, it was understandable that she had an inherent predilection for antiques.

    At that moment, Gloria and Charlotte exchanged looks as they were giddy with excitement. They were worried that Rachel was void of materialistic desires and Justin would not have the opportunity to whet he preferences. However, this was his chance!

    As the zing sun shone on the beach, the waves pounded against the sand and one could see some crabs digging a home for themselves. Meanwhile, the gang of four were in the middle of concocting a n.

    The rain did not stop in Riverdale. Steven woke up shivering and sneezed as soon as he opened his eyes. "Ah choo!"

    Gazing at the fluttering curtain and raindrops that were sttering into the room from the opened window, he sniffed before letting out a loud sneeze again. "Ah choo!"

    I think I''m gonna catch a cold. There was no one else at home at the moment. With his head clouded by haziness, he could not fall asleep anymore and hence the decision to put on his jacket and take his umbre to head out for some midnight snacks.

    There was a convenience store nearby, so he did not need to go far. As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw a man and a girl pushing and pulling in the rain. "It''s here, not there." The strong man yanked the girl over toward an alley.

    She seemed wasted because her steps were wobbly. Even though she did not scream, her body was reacting repulsively to protest, albeit feeble.

    Noticing that the girl was struggling to free herself, Steven was concerned. He sprinted to them after tossing away his umbre. "What are you doing? Let go of her!"

 Chapter 604

    Once he noticed Stevening up to them, the man left the girl alone and ran for his life as though he had seen a ghost.

    "Better watch out next time!" Steven shot daggers at the running figure which vanished into the alley. He then turned around to help the girl up whileforting, "It''s okay now. He''s gone. Are you alright?" She nodded and squeezed out the word ''thank you'' with difficulty, but it was left unheeded due to the rain.

    "What did you say?" He could not hear her clearly, and he led her to the convenience store to take shelter from the rain.

    "Wee!"

    The girl did not seem to be drunk because she did not reek of alcohol. Steven helped her into the store and toward the table. "Stay here. I''ll get my umbre. You-"

    He stopped midway as the girl looked familiar to him the longer he stared at her, as though they had met before. His expression changed when he suddenly thought of someone. "It''s you! That crazy girl!" Although she had let her hair down, she was wearing the same green hoodie she did in the afternoon while getting into a fight with him at the reservoir, which was located in the suburbs.. Steven and the couples even gave her a lift to Westhill Racecourse!

    But why is she here?

    Steven took two steps back instinctively and observed her warily. "Are you trying to rip me off? I''m warning you-it''s going to be your bad day if you''re scheming against me!"

    However, Sandra did not have the energy to raise her head to look at him, let alone listen to him talk. The grogginess gued her head and the moment he released her, she stumbled onto the floor. "Hey!" he shrieked in surprise and held her quickly. "Are you putting on a show? That won''t work! There are surveince cameras in this store."

    He bbered on and on, yet the girl copsed in his arms weakly like she had lost consciousness. So, he ced his hand on her. forehead. She''s burning!

    "Hey! Wake up!" He shook her twice to no avail. He turned around and saw two employees watching them. "What are you guys looking at me? I don''t know her!"N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "Sir, why are you telling us that? She looks sick."

    "Why don''t you call the police? I seriously don''t know her. I only met her in the afternoon once. I''m leaving." Steven adjusted her position so that she could lean against the wall. Still, she was not in a state of mind to sit upright, so how could she possibly do that?

    In the meantime, the employees'' gazes on him turnedplicated due to his feeble reasoning. and the fact that he was the one who brought her in. I''m afraid they''ll report me to the police if I abandon her here.

    He nned to leave her alone under the employees'' scorching gazes, but something might happen because they were both guys. Damn it! What rotten luck!

    At longst, he carried Sandra in his arms and left the ce.

    Just what the hell is going on? The rain poured throughout the night. It showed no means of stopping even when the morning sun had risen. As the raindrops tapped against the window, the wall of rain poured non-stop.

    Sandra was sleeping restlessly. Before she fainted, herst memory was a stranger dragging her into a dark alley. No matter how much strength she mustered, she could not shake him off.

    She had practiced judo for twelve years, so ordinary people could noty a finger on her. Even so, something went wrong today; her body felt heavier right after she walked a distance from Westhill Racecourse, and toward the end, she didn''t even stand a chance against a skinny man.

    While she fought through the drowsiness, the image of the side hall appeared in her mind. It was the scene where her mother was nestling in a man''s embrace.

    "Once Dorothy is gone, she will have no one to depend on except you."

    The ruthless and apathetic words rang in her head. Not even a smidgen of sympathy could be felt from them. Right then, Sandra vaguely saw someone strangling Dorothy to death as the background loomed in darkness.

    "Ahhh!" she screamed as her eyes shot open. Huffing and puffing, she found herself in an unfamiliar ce.

    It was a ssic yet luxurious European-style bedroom. The cream bedsheet was silky andfortable to sleep in. It was worlds apartpared to the environment she grew up in.

    Her first reaction was to check on

    herself, aside from her green hoodie, she had her clothes on, including her long pants. Except for the stain on them, there were no traces of her being sexually assaulted.

    Thank goodness! Sandra heaved a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Richard just parked his car in the garage in Carter Residence.

    "Mum, Dad, I''ll call Steven over to grab the stuff."

    "Okay. Take this bag of vegetables with you."

    "Steven can take thoseter. It''s heavy."

    "They''re just vegetables, youzy bum!"

    Marilyn retaliated against Jolly''s excuse, yet she had no intentions to bring the things into the house herself either. Richard smiled helplessly. "Go on. Steven and I can do the rest." "Then, I''ll leave it to you guys. Thank you for your hard work, honey." Although she had reached middle age, she was still child-like in front of her husband.

    "My pleasure, darling."

    Once Marilyn entered the house, she saw Jolly bent over and leaning against the door of the guest room on the second floor to eavesdrop. "What are you doing?" "Shh!" Jolly turned around and gestured for Marilyn to stay quiet, after which she rushed down the stairs and pulled her mother to hide behind the staircase. Suddenly, hasty footsteps could be heard from above them.

    "There''s a bus stop outside the neighborhood. It''s hard to hail a cab around here because of the green travel policy." Steven''s voice filled the living room. Sandra turned to look at him. "Where''s my hoodie?"

    "I dumped it."

    "What? But it''s mine!"

    "Have you forgotten that you fell in the rain yesterday? Do you think that it''s still wearable?"

    "That''s none of your business. Give me back my clothes!" Her figure was discernible because she was only wearing a white singlet. Meanwhile, the two women, who were hiding behind the staircase, looked at each other in confusion.

    "Won''t you look at that attitude of yours." Steven rambled on, "Can''t you at least say thank you? I was the one who brought you home and gave you a ce to stay for the night. What''s wrong with throwing away your clothes?" Content

    Sandra''s countenance remained grim. ˇ°Did I ask for your help?"

    "Fine. Let''s just say that I was a busybody yesterday. Leave." He was so vexed that he began to drive her away. "Get out of my sight at this instant." Hearing that, Jolly revealed herself at the drop of the hat. "You brat! What did you just say? How irresponsible of you to say that after spending the night with her!" He was taken aback as he gazed at her like she was a ghost, as well as her mother who was standing behind her. "Jolly, Marilyn, since when are you back?" Marilyn observed him and Sandra, who was standing behind him, before giving him a contemtive look. "When you said you''ve thrown away her clothes."

 Chapter 605

    Steven was still reeling when Jolly jumped in and gave him a knuckle on the head.

    "What gives?!" Steven held his head in pain.

    "We heard everything," Jolly snapped, pissed off. "This is the sort of thing you do when we''re away, huh?!"

    "What have I done?!"

    "You''re still not admitting it?!" At that, Jolly turned to Sandra. "Don''t be afraid, dear. I''m his older sister, and I''ll definitely do you justice."

    "What justice?" Steven was still lost.

    "What justice do you think?!" Jolly turned grim as soon as she turned to her cousin. "Be it that you brought her home, but I can''t believe you don''t want to be responsible for what you''ve done. Are you even a man?! It''s still so early in the day, and you''re already shooing her away without at least letting her put on some clothes?! I bet your parents will break your leg if they hear about this."

    "What? Responsible? Hold on-

    "Hold on, my foot!"

    Marilyn held Jolly back. "Alright, cut it out. It''s all about free love now. It''s no big deal that Steven''s in a rtionship. What''s your name, dear? Are you Steven''s ssmate?"

    Clearly, Marilyn was more interested in the young woman Steven had brought home. After all, she watched the young man grow into who he was today. Finally, this rascal had learned to get himself a girl, and Marilyn adored her the more she looked at this young woman.

    Meanwhile, Sandra frowned. "You guys have made a mistake. We just met yesterday."

    "You guys just met, and you''ve already moved in? Is it love at first sight?"

    "What? No!"

    "It''s okay, we''re a pretty open family. What''s wrong with love at first sight? How romantic. Isn''t this what they always portray in the movies?" Marilyn winked at Sandra. "You still haven''t told me your name, dear."

    After some hesitation, Sandra introduced. herself. "I''m Sandra Huges," she said.

    "What a beautiful name."

    "Beautiful, my a*s. You guys have really been mistaken, Aunt Marilyn!" Steven kept trying to make things straight. "She stayed over becauseN?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

    "That''s enough!" Jolly interjected unapologetically. "You''d better shut up! We don''t want to talk to an irresponsible guy like you. Shame on you! Come, Sandra. Let''s get you a change of clothes."

    Marilyn, too, urged Sandra to follow Jolly. "Go on. She''s my daughter, and you two are about the same size. Let her get you something to change into. We can talkter."

    Steven was rendered speechless as he looked at the two women escorting the ''victim'' upstairs to get changed while totally disregarding him. s, he couldn''t clear himself off the charge no matter what he did

    now.

    Just then, Richard came in with a bag of sweet potatoes, and he greeted Steven as he entered. "Steven, you''re here?! Didn''t Marilyn and Jolly ask you to help me bring the things in? Come on, help me out."

    "Uncle Richard!" Steven wailed. "You have to believe me!"

    "What is it?" Richard was stumped. Meanwhile, up on the second floor, Jolly took a brand new set of clothing out of her closet and handed it to Sandra. "There you go. Go on, get changed."

    "No, a jacket will do," said Sandra as she waved her hand before grabbing the jacket and wearing it over her camisole sweater. "Thank you."

    "Don''t worry about it." Jolly felt bad and apologetic. "I''m sorry about my cousin, but I can assure you this is certainly the first time he''s ever brought a girl home."

    "No, I think you guys have really taken this the wrong way."

    "Sandra." Marilyn sized the young girl up with a smile. "How old are you? Are you from Riverdale? Are you still studying, or have you started working?"

    Marilyn''s words stumped Sandra for a split second, and she suddenly rememberedst night. Right now, there was nowhere else she could go.

    "I just graduated and recently moved to Riverdale, ma''am. I''m currently looking for a job..."

    Down on the couch in the living

    room, Richardforted Steven as he said, "What''s there to worry about if you''ve done nothing? She wouldn''t frame you for something like this; would she? How could you have thought about bringing her home if you don''t even have this bit of decency, am I right?" Content

    "I don''t know what she''s like, though. I just met her for the first time yesterday. How could I have brought her home if I hadn''t witnessed her being bullied and even passed out from it?" "They''reing down." Richard looked up and found his wife and daughter escorting an unfamiliar young woman downstairs. She looked pretty much like a girl next door and not some evildoer. "Have you guys made it clear yet?" Steven was desperate to clear his name. "I''ve already told Uncle Richard everything. I''ve done nothing wrong, and Uncle Richard can attest to it."

    "Attest to what?!" Jolly hit the roof. "How can my dad attest to your words? Did he witness what happenedst night? Don''t give me your bullsh*t, Steven!"

    "Jolly, how can you say that about your cousin? He isn''t like that. Marilyn''s voice was much gentler inparison.

    Steven looked gratefully at Marilyn, thinking she was backing him. "Thank you, Aunt Marilyn. Indeed, you know me well."

    Lo and behold, Marily held her

    nephew''s hand and entreated,

    "Steven, since your mom''s not here, I

    have to look into your issues now

    that you''re in Riverdale. I won''t stop you from dating, but that doesn''t mean you can bully a girl.

    but I hope you can willingly confess."

    your mom about this just won''t tell

    "Confess?" Steven was stupefied. "Confess about what?"

    "You''d better reflect on what you''ve done!" Jolly red daggers at him.

    "1-"Steven suddenly realized something. "What did you tell my cousin and aunt?!ˇ±

    "I dare you to hit her!" Jolly stood in between Steven and Sandra. "I''m warning you, Steven. Don''t you darey a finger on Sandra while I''m here."

    "What did she tell you guys?!"

    "How do you still have the nerve to ask?!"

    "Whatever she''s told us, I hereby announce that Sandra will be staying with us from today on," Marilyn said resolutely, giving no chance for anyone to refute.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me!" Steven was rendered gobsmacked. "Move out if you have a problem with it," Jolly retorted. "Sandra will be staying with us for a long time."

    The person in question was hiding behind Jolly right then, not daring to look Steven in the eye at all.

    She confessed that she had lied a little to be able to stay. But once the issue was over and things had quieted down, she would sincerely apologize to this family and ask for their forgiveness.

    Steven knew nothing he said could

    make a difference anymore, seeing that this was now a for-sure. He just asked, ''At the very least, you should tell me my crime if you''re going to punish me. Even if I did something to herst night, is it necessary for her to stay with us?!" Content

    "You''re finally admitting what you didst night, huh?! It''s toote now." Jolly reprimanded. "This girl even aborted twice in school because of you. How dare you have the audacity to do something like this?!" "Ab- Steven''s temples throbbed and drifted his gaze toward Sandra, enunciating, "What did I make you do?!"

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