《Trapped In Lace》


 Chapter 1 Did He Misunderstand Her

    It was an hour past midnight when Rachel Shen came out of the operating room.


    At this time, the hospital was very quiet. Summer had brought upon an intense heat, and the entire city was hot as a stove. Despite that, there was a particular chill at the hospital.


    Rachel Shen looked over to the brightly lit emergency department. There, a familiar face caught her attention.


    A tall man carrying a woman in his arms was briskly walking towards her. Closely behind them, another man followed.


    There were already a couple of nurses behind them. Rachel Shen calmly but hurriedly walked towards the group.


    The man had obviously seen Rachel Shen. Although his face was calm, there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes. "Rachel, please come and see her," he said, his voice low and cold. "She got drunk, and now she had a high fever."


    Jack Fu rarely spoke in a quick and slightly panicked way. But Rachel Shen was used to the situations like this, and she still kept cool. "Take them to Room 108," Rachel Shen told the nurse beside her.


    Immediately, the nurse led Jack Fu to a room on the left.


    Jack Fu looked up at the sign and strode over.


    At this time, the man who was walking behind Jack Fu came up to Rachel Shen. "Well, there''s something you don''t see every day," he said in a joking tone.


    Rachel Shen didn''t say anything as she followed Jack Fu into the room.


    When Michael Du saw how Rachel Shen ignored him, he followed her with a sigh. ''Jeez. They''re all pretentious and boring. How can Jack be around women like this?'' Michael Du thought to himself. He stared at Rachel Shen. Even when she was facing backwards, it was easy to tell that she was beautiful. Despite the fact that she was wearing a loose doctor''s gown, her figure swayed with immense appeal.


    There was no doubt that she was full of allure. Her features were perfect, and her eyes were as clear as spring water. However, her lack of spiritual energy made people feel that she was dull all over. ''That woman is truly a pity!'' Michael Du thought regretfully.


    Upon arriving at the ward, Rachel Shen saw Jack Fu putting the woman onto the bed.


    Two nurses silently stood by. Both of them seemed to be waiting for Rachel to arrive.


    Rachel knew that Jack always had an intimidating air around him. This day was no exception, even though he was a bit disheveled at the moment.


    Looking closely at Jack, Rachel saw that the three buttons on his shirt were torn off. On top of that, there were fresh, red scratches on his neck.


    She glanced over to the woman who was lying on the bed. The woman was unconscious, but was softly groaning. It was obvious that


    she was very woozy.


    "Take her temperature," Rachel said to one of the nurses as she approached the woman. Seeing the woman''s body up close, she noticed that there were bruises all over her body -- on her arms, chest, and neck. Upon further inspection, Rachel observed that they were actually swollen kiss marks. Some areas were even slightly bleeding.


    "39 degrees, doctor," the nurse said, holding up a thermometer.


    "How long has it been since she''s had this fever?" Rachel asked.


    By this time, Jack had completely calmed down. He looked at Rachel with his black eyes, pursing his lips as he tried to recall the details. "She began to feel dizzy since yesterday," he finally replied, in his slow and low voice. "And then, this morning, she started to burn with fever."


    Rachel nodded, and looked at the woman again. "Did you have sex before you took her to the hospital? Or have you been excessive engaging in sexual intercourse?"


    It was normal for a doctor like Rachel to ask these kinds of questions. Jack, on the other hand, shifted his weight, looking like he was a bit uncomfortable at Rachel''s question.


    The two nurses also knew that stuff like this was normal. But, it was definitely surprising to them considering the person at hand...


    Jack was wearing fairly casual clothes, a black shirt and black suit pants. There was a cold and stern look in his eyes, which were framed by a perfectly refined face. At one glance, he looked like an enigmatic nobleman. It was hard to imagine how he could be so rough in bed.


    Rachel was being completely professional, and didn''t think that there was a problem with her question. She looked up at him, and saw Jack standing in silence. "Have you been engaging in excessive intercourse?" Rachel asked again.


    Although Jack had a calm and blank look on his face, his eyes revealed a flash of emotion.


    After five years of marriage, Rachel never tried to read or guess what Jack was thinking. To her, he was such an enigmatic person that it was unnecessary to try and go through his mind.


    But at that moment, Rachel noticed a glimmer of emotion in his eyes, and she began to realize whether he had misunderstood her.


    It was a bit peculiar that Jack would bring a woman to the hospital in that state despite the fact that he had married her. But, in truth, Rachel didn''t care at all. They didn''t have any feelings towards each other. If Jack thought that she was taking this opportunity to interrogate him, he was wrong.


    The silence dragged on in the ward, creating an awkward air.


    All of a sudden, Michael burst into laughter. "So that''s what happened? She had too much sex?"

 Chapter 2 We Are In The Hospital

    "Please clear the room," Rachel said as she walked over to the bed. "I need to do a more thorough physical examination."


    ''Never thought that woman could be so straightforward. Doesn''t she have an ounce of humor?'' Michael thought. With his hands in his pockets, he sullenly left the ward. Jack followed him out of the door.


    There were no other injuries on this woman''s body aside from the bruises Rachel had initially seen. "Hook her up to an IV," Rachel told one of the nurses.


    Jack had a foot out the door when he heard this, and came back inside, looking up and down at that woman, Celine Duan, carefully. "Is it serious?" he asked Rachel.


    Rachel was busy writing a prescription on her clipboard. "It''s just a cold. She needs to stay hydrated." Rachel handed a piece of paper to the nurse. "She just needs some medicine and then she''ll be fine."


    The ward fell silent again afterwards.


    Michael, who came back after Jack, couldn''t stand the silence anymore and went out.


    The nurse came in to give infusion. But before the needle could enter her body, Celine Duan suddenly woke up.


    "What are you doing? Who are you?" Celine Duan pushed the nurse away in horror.


    Rachel was stunned. She didn''t expect that a patient who was just unconscious could exert that much strength.


    Jack rushed over and held her down. "Celine, you''re in the hospital," he said, his voice with the uttermost tenderness. "You just need to take a drip."


    But when Celine Duan saw Jack, it seemed as if she got even more agitated. "Who asked you to bring me here? Don''t act so noble in front of me!" she screamed as she tried to shake him off.


    Her shrill, sharp voice echoed in the ward, making Rachel''s head ache.


    Jack''s hands were firmly planted on Celine Duan''s shoulders. "Don''t worry. We''ll be back soon." He also signaled the nurse to come over.


    Celine Duan was feeling furious. Her face was blushing, but her lips looked pale and weird, probably from her excessive drinking. When Celine Duan saw the nurse coming, she stretched her hand out and wanted to scratch the nurse badly.


    The nurse felt frightened and immediately took a step back.


    Because of the nurse''s reflexes, Celine Duan missed. She then turned around to scratch Jack''s neck. Just like that, Jack''s neck had more scratch marks on it.


    Jack had no choice but to grab Celine''s hand to restrain her. But no matter what he did, he couldn''t stop her.


    "I don''t want to see you, Jack! Get out of my way!" she shouted. Celine''s wails blared across the quiet hospital.


    While all of this was happening, Michael came in and watched the raucous scene in shock.


    Rachel couldn''t bear it anymore and came over. "Have you had enough? Thi


    s is a hospital, not a scene of some TV drama!" she said.


    Hearing Rachel, Celine calmed down a little.


    Rachel grabbed a needle and injected it into Celine''s hand.


    "What?" Celine asked. She wanted to push the needle away, but Jack quickly stopped her.


    Michael couldn''t believe what was happening in front of him. ''Wow. I''ve never seen Rachel get angry like this.'' He started at Rachel for a while as she expertly put the needle in a vein on Celine''s hand.


    After Celine''s injection, Rachel sighed and returned to her office to take a quick break.


    About an hour later, Rachel heard someone call her name.


    "Doctor Rachel, the patient in Room 108 is looking for you."


    She had no choice but to cut her rest short. Looking at her watch, she figured that the infusion was over.


    When Rachel entered the ward, she found that Jack and Michael were waiting there.


    "Your fever is gone," Rachel said after quickly taking Celine''s temperature. "Just take your medicine and you''ll be fine."


    "Okay," Celine mumbled. "It''s time for you to get off work, isn''t it?" Jack asked Rachel.


    Rachel gave a prompt nod.


    Jack helped Celine put her coat on, and then said to Rachel, "Let''s go. You can get a ride from Michael."


    "We can finally leave?" Michael said with relief, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.


    After quickly changing out of her doctor''s clothes, Rachel made her way to the parking lot.


    Upon getting there, she saw Jack was already driving away.


    After Rachel sat down and belt up, Michael started the car. He seemed to be in a better mood now, even talking about what had just happened.


    "It was such an unbelievable coincidence! When we were drinking with some of our men in JH Bar, we suddenly saw Celine being forced to drink by a group of people. It was really a crazy night! If it weren''t for us, she would have been in danger," Michael said.


    Rachel sat quietly on the passenger seat, looking straight ahead. "Watch out for that car in front," she warned.


    "It''s nothing," Michael said. He slowed down the car as he spoke. He was used to driving fast, so he didn''t really think talking while driving was a problem. But since Rachel was with him, he slowed down a little.


    After overtaking the vehicles in front, Michael continued to talk. "Celine was not sober that time," he said. He looked at Rachel, who was still staring ahead. "Are you even listening to me?" Rachel''s face was as blank as before.


    "Yes. And then you took her to the hospital, and the rest was history," Rachel said indifferently.


    Michael was about to tell Rachel more about what happened last night, but he didn''t expect that Rachel could end the conversation like that.

 Chapter 3 So What

    Rachel was in no mood to talk to him. She was exhausted, and didn''t want to engage in any small talk. ''Today was my first night shift. I''d better get some rest when I can so I can adjust properly, '' she thought to herself.


    For ten days straight, Rachel worked on the night shift. Because of this, all she wanted to do most of the time was to sleep. On one particular day, it wasn''t that busy at the hospital, and so she could afford to take a nap at her office. However, as she was about to fall asleep, her phone suddenly rang. At an instant, she sat up and grabbed her phone.


    Looking at the screen, she saw that it was her brother calling.


    "Hello?" Rachel''s voice was a little hoarse.


    "Sis, please come here and help me! Hurry please... They''ll kill me..." Eric Shen sobbed.


    Rachel frowned, fully awake by now. "Where are you?"


    "I''m in JH Bar. Come here quickly."


    Rachel hung up the phone, heaved a deep sigh and walked to the office next door.


    "I got a thing to do and need to get off work earlier. Can you cover for me?"


    "Okay, no problem."


    It was late at night, and the lights dimly lit the roads.


    Rachel drove to the JH Bar.


    Entering the bar, Rachel was greeted with colorful, flashing lights and loud music. It was hard to see people''s faces. The dancing hall was full of coquettish women. The noise of the music, laughter, and whatnot was highly irritable for Rachel.


    She had only been to a place like this for a couple of times, and she came only because she was looking for someone.


    Rachel went up the stairs to the second floor of the bar. Along a long hall, there were several private rooms. The area was padded with soft, red wool, muting the noise from downstairs.


    It was one of the most famous hot spots in the city. Even though it looked like an ordinary bar, it was said that it had the best DJ and the most beautiful girls went here to have a good time. The second floor was more like a completely different world. As soon as Rachel stepped foot there, the loud music from downstairs was muffled. The rooms here offered its occupants a decent amount of privacy. Once the doors were shut, only the waiters were allowed to come in and out of the rooms as they pleased.


    Seeing that no one was around, Rachel thought that she would be able to get in without any problems. Rachel walked to the private room at the end of the corridor, pushed the door open and calmly walked in.


    To her surprise, the lights inside were as bright as day. Rachel squinted, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.


    After a while, she looked around the room, and saw that she knew most of the people who were there.


    The room smelled like pine wood. There were pieces of antique furniture, including a sofa which looked like it was made out of solid mahogany. At the other end of the room, there was a foldi


    ng screen decorated with an array of sculpted flowers and birds. However, the brilliant, bright light ruined the supposedly classic and elegant atmosphere.


    Rachel stepped in further, and saw a couple of strangers sitting on beanbag chairs in the corner. On the other side of the folding screen, she saw Jack was leaning on the couch with Celine. It looked like Celine was back to her usual self. She looked much better than when Rachel had seen her in the hospital the other day.


    On the floor beside them, was her brother, Eric Shen, his face pressed against the carpet. "What happened here?" Rachel said with a frown.


    "Sis..."


    "Rachel?"


    Eric Shen and Michael spoke almost at the same time.


    Michael was sitting on the sofa and looked at Rachel with his eyes wide open. "Is this man your brother?" Then he turned his head and looked at Jack sitting on the couch. ''So, wouldn''t that mean that this is his brother-in-law?''


    Meanwhile, Jack just stared blankly at Rachel.


    The room fell silent. Michael looked back at Eric from Rachel and back to Eric again.


    The more he looked at the two, the more he could see their resemblance.


    "He was holding Celine''s hand and trying to take her somewhere," Michael explained, breaking the silence.


    Rachel couldn''t believe that Eric would do something like that. But soon, she had processed the situation and began collecting her thoughts.


    "Sister, I didn''t mean it. I really like Celine. I just wanted to pull her away," Eric retorted weakly.


    Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no denying now that he had admitted it. It was obvious that he liked Celine. ''Didn''t he know that Celine was the apple of Jack''s eye?''


    "Jack, he is young and thoughtless. Please let him go. I promise it won''t happen again."


    With a cigarette in one hand and a goblet in the other, Jack cautiously swirled the wine in his glass. The wine in the glass was as red as blood. Although he was looking at her direction, he seemed not to pay attention to Rachel. After a long time, he said slowly in a flat voice, "Sure, I''ll let go of him! But he has to pay for what he had done to Celine."


    Rachel''s heart sank along with his words. She could feel the suppressed anger in Jack''s words, but she wanted to give it another shot.


    "Jack, this is my brother, Eric. He has always been a reckless and naughty boy ever since his childhood. You two used to play and get along so well. Have you forgotten about that?" Rachel said through her teeth, her words slow and sure.


    Hearing this, Eric froze, his eyes wide.


    Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise. ''This coward playboy kneeling on the ground was one of Jack''s playmates? What an amazing world!''


    However, it seemed that Jack paid no attention to her at all. He stared at Eric for a while and then looked away. "And what of it?"

 Chapter 4 Please Forgive Him

    Interceding with Jack seemed impossible. Rachel looked at Celine instead.


    Celine was the woman that Jack had been wooing so many years.


    Rachel wasn''t an expert in reading people. But she now realized that Celine was just one of those white-collared workers with a pretty face. Whatever was going on between Jack and Celine, Rachel did not have any interest to know. However, she didn''t expect Eric to get involved.


    But Rachel couldn''t understand why Celine acted as if it had nothing to do with her. Everything that was happening today was because of her, wasn''t it?


    "What happened today, Miss Duan, is definitely Eric''s fault. He knows he was wrong. I hope you can forgive him."


    This time, Rachel was placing her hope on Celine to persuade Jack to let Eric go.


    Unfortunately, Celine simply ignored her. She stood up, looked down at Jack, and impatiently said, "Leave me alone with my business, Jack. Isn''t he your wife''s cousin? I don''t think you are going to punish him. You are just acting."


    Then, Celine turned and walked towards the door.


    The cigarette between Jack''s fingers dropped to the floor. As he stared at Celine''s back, he barked, "Cut his hands off!"


    With eyes wide open, Rachel quickly made her way to Eric.


    Hearing the order, two of Jack''s men restrained Eric by holding him on his shoulders. The other one was moving towards the knife. His hands pressed on a chair, Eric was on his knees and trembling with fear.


    Eric couldn''t move, and he called Rachel for help.


    Before the bodyguard could pick the knife up, Rachel grabbed a wine bottle on the table and smashed it against one of Eric''s hands.


    Crash! The bottom of the bottle hit the corner of the table and broke.


    Eric couldn''t believe what Rachel did and just stared at her. His hand now turned swollen.


    All the people around were shocked by this unexpected situation. Celine also stopped and turned around.


    In dilemma, the bodyguard stopped from picking up the knife. He, then, looked at Jack for further instructions.


    However, Jack wasn''t looking anywhere. With eyes as dark as ink, he stared at the glass of wine in his hand, swirling it slowly, and showing everyone that he was enjoying the drama unfolding in front of him.


    "Miss Duan, please forgive him for offending you," Rach


    el said with the broken bottle in her hand.


    Celine just lifted her eyebrows and sneered at Rachel. Then, she continued to walk towards the door.


    Rachel moved fast. She threw the remnants of the bottle she was holding, grabbed a new one on the table, and smashed it at Eric''s other hand.


    For the second time, the sound of breaking bottle resonated inside the room, followed by the cold gasp of the people and the piercing scream of Eric. Several wounds now appeared on Eric''s hands, and blood oozed from them.


    "Rachel...please don''t..." Softly whimpering, Eric''s begging broke the silence in the room.


    With a sullen face, Celine stopped but said nothing. She then turned to look at Eric''s wounded hands.


    Knowing that Celine would not say anything, Rachel grabbed another bottle and smashed it on Eric''s hand again.


    Crash!


    "Enough!"


    Two voices shouted at the same time.


    And Eric''s hands were bleeding.


    Michael couldn''t bear the sight before him and turned his head to the side.


    "Miss Shen, you don''t need to do that. I won''t blame him anymore," Celine said in a dry voice. Turning to Jack, she sneered and said, "Good for you, Jack."


    Then, she walked away without looking back.


    Angry and sad at the same time, Rachel clenched her left fist tightly and loosened her hold of the bottle in her right hand.


    Michael leaned back in his chair lazily. Glancing at Jack, Michael reminded him, "Don''t you want to see her off? It''s late already. It''s dangerous."


    After giving Michael a cold glance, Jack stood up and walked out.


    Feigning concern, Michael let out a long sigh of relief. Rachel was indeed a woman of courage. After all, she had been living with Jack for five years now.


    Unclenching her left hand, Rachel helped Eric to stand.


    The two men holding Eric also released their hold and stepped back. What happened today also surprised them. They looked at Rachel differently now. They thought highly of her now. She was more courageous than Celine.


    Holding Eric''s arm, Rachel helped him walk out of the room.


    No one dared to stop her anymore. Holding Eric''s arm with both hands, Rachel could still feel her left hand trembling uncontrollably.


    Suddenly, she saw a slender figure standing in front of her.


    Rachel looked up and was surprised.

 Chapter 5 I Really Love Her

    Standing in front of Rachel with a gentle smile on his handsome face, Marcus said, "Let me drive you to the hospital."


    Rachel shook her head. "No, I''m good."


    But Marcus seemed completely undisturbed by her refusal. With a gentle smile on his face, he continued, "You won''t be able to take care of Eric if you''re the one driving. Let me do it."


    Upon hearing this, Rachel paused for a second and mulled it over. Realizing that his words made sense, she nodded.


    Right now, nothing mattered more than Eric''s well-being. Since his hands were seriously injured, she needed to tend to them as soon as possible. There was a first aid kit in her car.


    When they reached the parking lot, Rachel saw that Jack wanted to drag Celine into his car but the latter refused to.


    Without faltering for even a moment, she grabbed Eric by the arm and walked to her car. Then, she threw her car keys to Marcus.


    Marcus casually caught them with a smile, and then climbed into the car and sat in the driver''s seat.


    After glancing at the back seat and making sure that Rachel and Eric were settled in, he started the car.


    Seeing Rachel''s car pulling out of the parking lot, Jack pulled Celine into his own car with a blank expression on his face.


    Meanwhile, inside Rachel''s car, Eric cried and asked worriedly, "Rachel, are my hands okay?"


    At the moment, Rachel was cleaning his wounds. When she heard his question, she replied grimly, "They will be."


    With his eyes still on the road, Marcus smiled.


    Although Rachel was calmly dressing his wounds at the moment, Eric knew Rachel well and could sense that she was a little angry, so he quickly whispered, "Rachel, I was wrong."


    But Rachel didn''t answer him. Instead, she asked Marcus to drive them to the hospital she worked at.


    When they arrived, Rachel wanted to ask Marcus to head back first, but since they had come here in her car and he didn''t have a vehicle to travel back in, she kept her mouth shut.


    But at that moment, Marcus unexpectedly said in a light voice, "Well, we''re here. This is your territory. I guess I can leave now. Bye!"


    Rachel smiled faintly, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her. "Thank you for driving us here. But how are you going to go back?"


    "Did you forget that my office is nearby? Anyway, call me if anything happens." After saying goodbye to them, Marcus left the hospital.


    Then, Rachel brought Eric to a medical room. When she saw that her colleague on duty wasn''t there, she took some liquid medicine to sterilize Eric''s wounds and brought him to a nearby ward.


    "Ouch!" Eric cried out when the liquid medicine touched his wound.


    "What did you do wrong?" Rachel asked calmly, finally deciding to talk about the incident.


    Looking at Rachel''s face, Eric said carefully, "I... I shouldn''t have gotten involved with those people."


    "Tell me, did you go to the party because of Celine?"


    Rachel asked after carefully bandaging his wounds.


    Hearing this, Eric rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, yes, I went in because I saw Celine in danger."


    Suddenly, Rachel raised her head and looked sharply at Eric, but her voice was still low and deep as she said, "I don''t think that Jack would have wrongly accused an innocent person. You just wanted to take this opportunity to lay your hands on Celine since they were trying t


    o take advantage of her."


    Eric was startled by Rachel''s sharp eyes. He immediately explained, "No, no, it''s nothing like that. I really like Celine."


    "You don''t have to deny it. As for what really happened, I think Jack has evidence.


    Anyway, from now on, you are not allowed to have any contact with Celine."


    "What?! But why? I really love her," Eric argued right away.


    Rachel finished dressing his wounds and snapped, "Because of what happened today! Don''t you know that Jack almost cut your hands off today? Can''t you see his attitude toward you? Or are you not afraid of death? Next time, I won''t come to your rescue!"


    Hearing these words, Eric didn''t know how to reply. But he also didn''t want to give up Celine, so he defiantly raised his chin and said, "You might be afraid of Jack, but I''m not. He likes Celine, but so do I. We compete fairly."


    Rachel sneered, "You''re not afraid of him? Then why did you cry today? And compete? You can''t even get into a university. And you don''t even have a proper job. How can you compete with him? And forget about competing fairly. There is no such thing between you and Jack. You almost had your hands cut off!"


    "Whatever it is, I won''t give up. I believe that Celine will see my sincerity," Eric insisted. His face had turned red, but he refused to admit that Rachel was right.


    "I''ll take care of the admission procedure for you. Just stay here for the next few days!"


    "Rachel, you can''t do this to me. I...I have to go back to work!" Eric had a feeling that Rachel was only making him stay in the hospital to prevent him from going out to find Celine.


    Rachel walked to the door, but just before leaving the ward, she said, "If you never want to use your hands again, you can leave now."


    Hearing this, Eric became a little skeptical. He tried opening his palms, but a burst of pain shot through his hands. Finally, he lay down feebly.


    By that time, the first glimmer of dawn had passed.


    As Rachel walked to the lobby of the hospital, she saw a familiar nurse. "Hey, my cousin got hurt. He is in Ward 103. Tell the nurse on duty to buy lunch for him from the canteen at noon," she said.


    "Hurt? Is it serious?"


    "No, he just needs to rest in the hospital for a few days. I will change his dressing when I come here in the afternoon. You don''t need to worry about him," Rachel said, emphasizing the last part as she specifically didn''t want her colleague to check on Eric''s injury.


    "Oh, I see. Don''t worry. I''ll arrange it."


    Rachel nodded in thanks and walked to the gate of the hospital, where there was a small store already selling breakfast.


    She bought some breakfast for Eric and made him lie back in bed before she drove home. She was on night duty today, so she would go back to the hospital in the afternoon.


    When she returned home, she didn''t see Jack.


    Having been married to Jack for so many years, she had noticed that he didn''t stay at home on most nights.


    After taking a shower, she had something to eat. Then, she went to bed.


    At four o''clock in the afternoon, Rachel got up, and quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth before rushing to the hospital. She was a little worried about Eric.


    When Rachel walked into his ward, she frowned slightly.


    Why was Celine here? And why was she feeding Eric with a spoon?

 Chapter 6 The Heartless Man

    Upon seeing Rachel, Eric hastily smiled and said, "Rachel, you''re here. Have you eaten?" Pointing at the thermos on the bedside table with his right hand, he continued, "Celine made this soup. It''s very delicious. Do you want some?"


    Knowing that Eric''s injury was not that serious, Rachel just stared at him. Really, there was no need for Celine to feed him.


    Seeing Rachel glared at him, Eric withdrew his hand awkwardly and giggled.


    Sitting on the stool beside the bed, Celine greeted Rachel with a smile, "Miss Shen."


    "Why are you here?" Rachel asked, fixing her eyes on Celine.


    Guessing that Celine had just gotten off work now, Rachel wondered how she could cook some soup and brought it here in such a short time. ''What was her intention?''


    "Eric was injured because of me yesterday. I believe I should take care of him,"


    Celine replied, standing up to start packing up the lunch box. Once again, Rachel looked at Celine wearing a business suit. She concluded that Celine came from work.


    "Thank you, Miss Duan. He is fine now."


    Rachel did not have any intention of getting close with Celine.


    She was Jack''s wife, while Celine was Jack''s dream girl. Rachel''s impression of Celine was bad, and she thought it was better to stay away from her. All she could do was pretend to be polite to Celine.


    However, she was puzzled by Celine''s actions today. Celine should avoid her because of her relationship with Jack. Moreover, if Celine thought it was not Eric''s fault, why didn''t she do anything to save him last night? Why did she act like that?


    Calmly, Rachel walked past Celine towards Eric.


    That was when she saw the two men in black suits standing in the room. Her attention was only focused on Celine that she failed to see her surroundings.


    It was impossible not to notice them. Though they looked ordinary, no one would wear a suit in a hot day. They just followed Celine without saying anything.


    Thinking that they might be sent by Jack, Rachel thought he was afraid that something bad would happen to Celine again.


    Not caring whether Eric had finished his meal or not, Rachel moved the lunch box and the thermos aside, picked up Eric''s hand and started removing the bandage to check his injury.


    Knowing clearly that Rachel didn''t want him to have any contact with Celine, Eric kept his mouth shut and obediently extended his hand.


    Feeling the intense atmosphere, Celine decided not to stay long and left.


    When Celine left, Eric became quite upset. His intention was to spend more time with her, but Rachel ruined his plan.


    On the other hand, Rachel didn''t care at all what Eric thought of her. She knew that Eric would definitely get hurt again if the two bodyguards would tell Jack what Celine had done.


    Nobody could predict what Jack would do.


    The next day, Rachel decided to come to work early. Although she had chased Celine away yesterday, she thought Celine might come again.


    As expected, Celine visited Eric again.


    Obviou


    sly, Celine didn''t expect that Rachel was here. Her face changed when she saw Rachel, but finally she just smiled stiffly. Celine came in with a thermos. "I made too much soup. So, I brought some for Eric."


    Face turning cold, Rachel put down the medicine, stood up and said to Celine, "Please, follow me."


    Placing the thermos on the table, Celine gave Eric a hard look.


    "Rachel..." Eric wanted to say something, but stopped when he saw Rachel''s cold look.


    Celine went out after Rachel.


    Outside, Rachel saw the two bodyguards. But neither acknowledged her and remained expressionless.


    Without looking at her surroundings, Rachel continued to walk into her office.


    To assure the bodyguards, she didn''t close her office door.


    The bodyguards guarded the door and said nothing.


    Looking at Celine today, Rachel noticed that she was wearing a dress, and her face was a little bit pale. Because of her makeup and dress, Celine looked better than before. She had a bright face and decent smile, which was indeed special compared to ordinary people.


    From the way she dressed, Rachel knew that the woman in front of her absolutely knew herself of her wants and needs. Rachel was certain that Celine was playing hard-to-get with Jack.


    Truth be told, Celine was scared of Rachel. But since she dared to come again today, she mentally prepared herself.


    After a while, Rachel spoke. "Miss Duan, look at you."


    "Is there anything wrong with my outfit?" After all, Rachel looked longer at her which made Celine think of her dress. She dressed up on purpose today.


    "You are pretty, with a good educational background and a nice job. Why are you bugging Eric?"


    Celine replied, "Miss Shen, you misunderstood. I am..."


    Interrupting her, Rachel continued, "As for me, I am just an ordinary doctor. I am not as good as you. I''m dull and not good in socializing. You don''t need to do anything. Jack is already under your control."


    "Again, Miss Shen, you misunderstood me. I have nothing to do with Jack," Celine snapped at Rachel.


    "Then, why don''t you call me Mrs. Fu?" Her aura changing, Rachel''s tone was cold as ice and her eyes as sharp as sword.


    "You''ve been visiting Eric these days. I bet you are doing this just to test Jack, aren''t you? You want to know who between us is more important in Jack''s heart."


    Rachel''s voice turned lower until it became like a ghost whispering into Celine''s heart.


    "Let me be clear. If something happens to Eric, I will hold you responsible and you won''t be able to escape."


    Whether it was because of Rachel''s tone becoming too aggressive or Rachel reading her mind, Celine''s face turned pale, and her body became stiff.


    The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. The temperature suddenly dropped.


    Looking at Celine, Rachel was about to ask her out for it was time for her to go back to work.


    To her surprise, when Rachel turned around, she saw that behind her stood Jack and next to him were Michael and Marcus.

 Chapter 7 Please Wait

    Michael stared at Rachel, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Marcus smiled his usual smile, and Jack wore a long face, his lips pressed tightly together. His eyes were dark.


    Rachel slightly shifted her eyes. She had to see her other patients during her shift. What were they doing here?


    Michael, the most talkative of the group, spoke first. It was the first time he had heard Rachel speak this much. And he didn''t understand why she belittled herself in front of her husband''s mistress.


    However, before Michael could open his mouth, Rachel interrupted him. "This is the hospital. Please refrain from making noise."


    Michael was about to say something, but was stopped by Rachel. He felt upset.


    Even the two bodyguards who had been standing by the door were clearly affected.


    Rachel had just openly reprimanded Celine. However, she wouldn''t allow the others to say something.


    Michael could not help mumbling, "You can''t deprive me of my right to speak."


    Rachel glanced at him but said nothing. She walked back toward her desk, sat down, and started sorting the documents in front of her. She wanted to go on with work as usual.


    "Why are you here?" Celine asked. Although she was initially taken aback by the situation, she was now calmer. Her voice trembled slightly, however.


    Jack glanced at Celine and then looked at Rachel. "We''ve come to see Eric."


    Rachel put down her pen and looked up at him.


    "Yes, yes, we''re here to visit Eric. Which ward is he in?" Michael inquired, the same cynical smile plastered on his face.


    Rachel was dubious. Even so, she took them to the patient''s room.


    Michael greeted Eric with a smile after having rearranged his bouquet.


    Jack simply looked at Eric. He didn''t say a word the whole time.


    ''Do people usually act this way when visiting a patient?'' Rachel thought to herself as she watched. She didn''t want to badmouth Jack, albeit in her own head, but his behavior had angered her. How he acted had nothing to do with her, but when it came to Eric, she couldn''t keep silent.


    Jack looked around the room, as visitors tended to do. Something on the bedside table caught his attention. It was a thermos bottle. His face grew darker.


    "I made some soup. When I learned that Eric is here, I knew I just had to bring him some," Celine explained, unafraid of Jack.


    Rachel was so enraged that she felt like slapping Celine right then and there. What was this woman doing stirr


    ing up trouble on purpose?


    The room fell silent when they heard what Celine had said.


    Jack looked at Eric. He made a conscious effort to look less stern, but his words sounded frightening nonetheless. "What a blessing in disguise then."


    Eric remained motionless in his hospital bed. He smiled but seemed to have shrunk in bed, probably because of Jack''s harsh tone.


    He felt like a fool as everyone looked at him.


    Michael noticed Eric''s hands. He moved closer and studied them. After a while, he asked, "Rachel, how are his wounds?"


    "No big deal," Rachel replied coldly.


    "Then why did he need to stay in the hospital for so long?"


    "For in-hospital observation."


    The last thing that Rachel wanted was to talk to these people. She just wanted them to leave as soon as possible, and her voice clearly conveyed her thinning patience.


    Then something occurred to her. She had tried her best to keep Eric in the hospital these past days, but then Celine began visiting him every day. Was it possible that Jack now thought that she was giving Celine and Eric a chance to spend time together?


    Every day, Rachel made Celine feel unwelcome. However, Celine insisted on visiting Eric, something which was out of Rachel''s control. Besides, she took comfort in the fact that the bodyguards that Jack had sent to protect Celine knew exactly how Rachel had tried to get her to leave.


    Upon hearing her response, Michael kept quiet. It was clear that Rachel was in a foul mood today.


    For a moment, an uncomfortable silence filled the room.


    "Since he''s alright, let''s go," Jack proclaimed. He grabbed Celine by the hand and made for the door.


    This time, Celine did not struggle. She let Jack hold her hand and lead her toward the door.


    Michael and Marcus exchanged a look and followed the two.


    Suddenly, something crossed Rachel''s mind. Did Jack come over today because he wanted to take Celine away?


    "Jack, please wait!" Rachel found herself stopping Jack at the door.


    He stopped, still holding Celine''s hand.


    Everyone else in the room turned toward Rachel, greatly intrigued.


    "I have something to tell you," she said, speaking a little softer this time. Rachel walked up to him, glanced at the people around them, and continued, "Let''s talk."


    Michael had turned and walked toward Rachel''s office before Jack could even say yes.


    Rachel looked at Celine and said to Jack seriously, "Come to my office, alone."

 Chapter 8 Hes Coveting My Woman

    Michael stopped abruptly. ''She wants to talk to Jack alone?''


    Then he turned to Rachel. She looked so serious that it seemed like she was seeing a patient. ''What does she want to talk to Jack about?'' Michael wondered.


    This was not a good omen at all. Until now, Michael had thought that the marriage between Jack and Rachel was in name only. But Rachel''s behavior made him think otherwise. Of course, perhaps it was because of Jack''s unrestrained actions recently that Rachel was about to lose her temper, just like she had at Celine just now.


    Michael was curious about what Rachel would say to Jack.


    There were several exceptional men standing in the corridor, and the beautiful young lady, Celine, undoubtedly attracted many people''s attention.


    That night, when Jack had come to the emergency room with Celine in his arms, he had made quite a scene, so several nurses recognized them now. The nurses looked curiously at the scene as they walked past, some of them whispering among themselves.


    The rest of the people there stood still in shock and turned to look at Jack.


    Celine snorted. "I''ll leave first then,"


    she said before turning around and walking away.


    Jack stared at Celine''s back until she was out of sight, and then turned to his friends and said calmly, "You should go now too."


    Michael wanted to follow them to hear what they were going to talk about, so he was a little upset when Jack asked him and Marcus to leave.


    Rachel went back to her office, took off her white gown, and changed into her coat. Then, she went to the cafe near the hospital.


    When she walked in, all she had to do was follow the line of sight of several waitresses in the cafe to easily find Jack.


    Wherever he went, he would attract a lot of people''s attention. However, most of them didn''t dare to approach him, preferring to steal glances at him from a distance every now and then.


    Rachel had noticed this a long time ago. Ever since then, she had been able to quickly find Jack in a crowd no matter where he was.


    After spotting him, Rachel walked over to his table and took a seat opposite him.


    Soon, a waitress came over. Rachel asked for a glass of water, offhandedly noting that Jack had ordered a cup of black coffee.


    As a doctor, Rachel was very picky about anything that she consumed. She did not like to have things that would be harmful to her body. For example, she didn''t like smoking, so whenever Jack smoked, she would try to avoid him.


    The music in the cafe was light and soothing. Jack unconcernedly took a sip of coffee with indescribable elegance. Even a few of the customers kept shooting glances at this aristocratic man.


    "Go ahead," Jack said in his deep and mellow voice.


    Rachel looked at him in surprise. Usually, Jack would quietly wait for her to speak, but today, it seemed that he was impatient.


    After the waitress brought a glass of water to the table, Rachel said, "It''s very simple. Please don''t aim your anger at Eric anymore."


    Jack smiled as if he had heard a big joke.


    "He''s coveting my woman. Why can''t I be angry at him?"


    "You should know that there is no possibility of anything happening between Celine and him."


    Jack didn''t argue, so Rachel continued, "Eric never took the initiative to see her these days."


    "I know. You don''t have to be so worried about it," Jack replied nonchalantly.


    "Celine comes every day to stir up trouble. How can I not be worried?" Rachel snapped. All of a sudden, she couldn''t stand Jack''s indifferent attitude toward her, as if she and Eric were just insignificant people that Jack could do whatever he wanted to.


    It suddenly dawned on her that people from wealthy families didn''t care about others'' lives at all. Ordinary people were just like pawns to them in the games that they played with each other.


    In the past, Rachel had had no interest in their affairs and just ignored them. But now, the person involved in their games was her young cousin, so she had no choice but to interfere.


    "It''s obvious that Celine doesn''t like Eric, so why does she come here every day to bring him soup? I''m sure you know her purpose," Rachel continued angrily.


    "I admit, what you said to Celine in your office is quite correct," Jack relented in a low voice.


    "So, you knew clearly what Celine''s hidden motive was, but you still played along and even tried to cut Eric''s hands off?" Rachel looked calm, but her voice was trembling.


    "If she wants to test me, I''ll allow her to do it."


    These simple words from Jack''s mouth made a shiver run down Rachel''s spine.


    As she stared at Jack''s dark eyes, her vision blurred with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. She had known this man since childhood, but she suddenly felt like he was a stranger to her.


    How many people was Jack ready to hurt for the sake of a woman and her so-called love game?


    Jack had agreed to marry Rachel for his own reasons, and since then, they had been legally married for five years.


    In the past five years, Rachel hadn''t asked for too much. She didn''t want to have any conflict with Celine, and when the time came, she would divorce Jack.


    But now, Jack didn''t want to let Eric go because of Celine despite the fact that he was Rachel''s cousin. ''Jack and Celine really are a great match for each other, '' Rachel thought with a scoff.


    Then, with her lips slightly curving up, she said, "Don''t think that you can control everything, Jack."

 Chapter 9 An Unpleasant Ending

    In the end, Rachel and Jack parted in discord.


    After returning to her office, Rachel planned to find another apartment for Eric, one that was much closer to the hospital so that she could help him in case something bad happened.


    ''Anyway, Eric is my cousin! I don''t think Celine would dare to set him up with me keeping an eye on him!'' she thought.


    She called one of her friends and asked him to find a new apartment for Eric.


    After she hung up the phone, she went to complete the discharging formalities for Eric.


    Then, she went to his ward.


    Eric was sitting on the bed and feeling bored. As soon as he saw Rachel walk in, he asked, "Rachel, where have you been? Where is Celine?"


    Seeing Eric''s careful expression, Rachel suddenly felt helpless. Eric knew very well that she didn''t want to hear him mention Celine, but he really couldn''t help inquiring about her whereabouts.


    Who could she blame? Eric was acting like a child now. Both Jack and Eric were selfish when it came to Celine and didn''t care about others'' feelings.


    "You can leave the hospital soon," Rachel said coldly.


    "Really?" Eric couldn''t believe his ears. He felt bored out of his mind after staying in the ward all these days.


    "Eric, I warned you last time. Stop seeing Celine. Otherwise, I won''t be able to save you the next time Jack comes for you," Rachel said seriously.


    "That''s between me and Celine. I like her, and she''s willing to come here to see me. It''s none of Jack''s business," Eric retorted. He believed that Jack was just bullying everyone because of his power. Anyway, last time, he had just made a mistake because of his carelessness. Now that he was seeing Celine seriously, there was no reason for Jack to step in.


    Moreover, Jack was a scumbag. He was married to Rachel, and yet he was brazenly pursuing Celine in front of so many people. Eric just couldn''t understand why Rachel would marry such a man. "Jack is not a good person. He doesn''t respect you at all! You should divorce him."


    Rachel had been trying to get Eric to forget about Celine, but she had never expected that he would start talking about her marriage to Jack instead. "What do you know? You''re just a kid. Don''t talk nonsense." She had her own reasons to get married to Jack. It was not easy to explain their relationship to someone els


    e.


    "I don''t understand. You two don''t look like a couple at all. Besides, I''m already over twenty! I''m not a kid.


    Did he force you to marry him? Is he unwilling to give you a divorce now?"


    Rachel had been brought up by the members of the Fu family, who had always seemed to be kind to her. However, Jack, who had no feelings for her, had insisted on getting married to her, and it had completely ruined her life. It turned out that the Fu family were not kind after all.


    Anyway, she was surprised that Eric had been able to almost guess the truth. If he went to see Jack to fight over this issue, it would only complicate matters.


    "You just need to take care of yourself. You can''t even protect yourself now. Why are you getting involved in my affairs? When are you going to focus on your work? One day, you''ll see Celine''s true colors. That''s the day you''ll actually grow up," Rachel said with a scoff.


    She checked the wounds on Eric''s hands again and found that they had almost healed. He just needed to continue applying medicine on time every day.


    "I''ll get you discharged from the hospital soon. I''ve found an apartment for you. From now on, you can live there."


    "What?" Eric frowned. In his eyes, Rachel must have found him a new place so that she could keep an eye on him there. "I like living in the dormitory of the company now. I..."


    "Don''t worry. I will pay half the rent."


    Eric had wanted to tell her that he wouldn''t be able to pay the rent as an excuse, but Rachel had cut in before he could finish his words. He had no choice but to shut his mouth and pretend to be obedient.


    "Have a good rest. I''ll get you discharged soon," Rachel said again. Then, she walked out of the room as she didn''t want to continue this conversation anymore.


    The truth of her marriage with Jack was so absurd that no one would believe it. If Eric found out, he would make a scene. Rachel had been able to tell from his words that he didn''t like the Fu family.


    As Eric watched Rachel walk out of the room, he felt that there must be something wrong between her and Jack. Jack was such a ruthless man that perhaps he had threatened Rachel into staying with him.


    Eric vowed to himself that one day, he would figure out everything about the Fu family. When that time came, he would not let go of Jack.

 Chapter 10 Provoke Rachel

    "Take the key to the apartment. I''m going back to work."


    Rachel handed Eric the key to the newly rented apartment.


    "Okay." Eric was secretly glad that he was finally discharged from the hospital. After being stuck in the hospital ward for so long, he wanted to go out for some fresh air.


    After Rachel left, he couldn''t wait to close the door. Then, he changed his clothes and went out.


    By then, it was completely dark outside, and he didn''t really have anywhere to go.


    Meanwhile, in JH Bar, Celine was drinking alone.


    The pub was just starting to get crowded, and people were twisting their bodies crazily on the dance floor. Celine stared at these people in a daze as she thought about the first time she had met Jack here.


    In the end, she had been deceived by him. He had said that he loved her and that he would marry her one day. Nonsense! It had all just been lies.


    If he really loved her, why would he have let Rachel humiliate her?


    From what Rachel had said this afternoon, it was obvious that Rachel looked down on her. In Rachel''s eyes, Celine was nothing but a shameless mistress.


    ''So what? I don''t care if you look down on me or not. Even though you''re Jack''s wife, he doesn''t take you seriously, '' Celine thought vindictively. Then, with a wicked smile on her face, she made a phone call.


    ''Since you care so much about Eric, I''m going to play with him, '' she thought. She took a sip of wine as she waited for Eric to answer the phone.


    At that moment, Eric was having dinner alone at a restaurant in his neighborhood. He had called several friends but they had all told him that they had no time to come out for dinner.


    All of a sudden, his phone rang. As soon as he took a look at the screen, the frustration on his face vanished.


    "Why are you calling me, Celine?"


    At the other end of the line, Celine laughed. "What''s wrong? Can''t I even call you?"


    "No, no, I mean, you''ve never called me before. I''m just so happy now."


    Celine sighed helplessly. "Since I can''t go to the hospital to see you, I''m calling to comfort you."


    As long as she could capture Eric''s heart, no matter how arrogant Rachel was, she wouldn''t be able to do anything. Besides, she wanted to see what on earth Jack would do.


    Eric''s eyes brightened up. He said cheerfully, "I''ve been discharged from the hospital, so you don''t need to go there anymore. We can meet outside from now on."


    Celine''s smile deepened; she hadn''t expected that she would be able to put her plan into action so soon. "Well, I''m in JH Bar now. Would you like to join me?"


    "Okay, I''ll be right there," Eric answered without skipping a beat.


    Celine hung up the phone and drank a glass of beer. She knew that Jack would have arranged someone to watch her movements, especially in a place like JH Bar, so she was curious to see what would happen when Eric got here.


    Besides, she still remembered the unexpected action that Rachel had done to appease Jack''s anger last time. She didn''t know what other tricks Rachel had up her sleeve and if Jack would buy it this time, so she suddenly looked forward to seeing what was going to happen.


    Eric arrived at JH Bar in a hurry. As soon as he walked in, he saw Celine sitting in a quiet corner and his face lit up. "Celine, why are you here today? And why are you drinking so much?"


    he asked worriedly when he saw all the bottles on the table.


    "I was bored, so I came here for a drink. Have a seat." Then, Celine picked up another glass of beer and gulped it down.


    Eric sat down and randomly picked up a bottle of beer as well. When he was about to drink, however, Celine stopped him.


    "You still have wounds on your hands. I don''t think you can drink, right?"


    Eric suddenly remembered that Rachel had reminded him not to drink. He hadn''t planned to go to a pub, but now that he was here, how could he not drink, especially when Celine was drinking? "It''s all right. It''s not a big deal," he assured Celine before taking a swig.


    Celine looked at the shocking reddish scars on the back of Eric''s hands.


    "Let me have a look. It''s all my fault that you got hurt so badly," she said in a guilty tone as she took Eric''s hand in hers and looked at it.


    "It''s not your fault. Jack is to blame for bullying others with his power," Eric said in a gruff voice. He was pleased to see that Celine cared about him so much. As long as he could draw her attention, he wouldn''t mind getting a little injury once in a while.


    "Anyway, the wounds have almost healed. Rachel is a good doctor," he continued.


    When Celine heard Rachel''s name, she froze. Then, after a moment, she said as casually as she could, "Your cousin hurt you too much! I was just trying to save you. We didn''t need her to do that."


    "Rachel is awesome! She did that just to save me!" Eric said with a laugh.


    The expression on Celine''s face soured a little. Didn''t Eric understand what she was trying to say? Instead, he was praising Rachel. ''What a fool!'' Celine thought.


    She felt sorry for Rachel to have such a stupid cousin. However, this was a good thing for Celine; only such a stupid person could be controlled easily.


    "Miss Duan."


    Suddenly, a voice interrupted Celine''s thoughts. She raised her head and saw two men in b


    lack standing next to their table. These two people worked for Jack, didn''t they? Celine hadn''t expected to see the fruit of her labor so soon.


    "What do you want?" she asked coldly.


    "We are here to ask Mr. Shen to go with us," one of the men said expressionlessly.


    "What are you going to do? We don''t know you at all. Get out of here!" Celine said in a panic.


    Eric had seen these two men before too. He knew without a doubt that they were Jack''s men. However, he hadn''t done anything wrong today, so he was not afraid of them.


    When he saw the fear on Celine''s face, he comforted her at once by saying, "Don''t worry. I''m fine. I''ll go with them. You don''t have to worry about me." Then, he stood up.


    Celine was still in a fluster, but she didn''t stop them. Instead, she said, "If you dare to do anything to him, I''ll call the police right away."


    Once Eric was out of sight, Celine reverted to her usual self. She drank calmly while watching the performance on the stage.


    After a while, she picked up her phone and made a call.


    When Rachel got the call, she was walking out of the emergency room.


    Upon seeing the screen, she immediately had a hunch that something bad had happened. Why was Celine calling her?


    "What is it?" she asked coldly. After the conversation this afternoon, she had no reason to pretend to be polite to Celine anymore. There was no way they could talk like they were friends.


    "I just want to inform you that I just saw Eric being taken away by Jack''s men," Celine said in a complacent voice.


    Rachel frowned slightly. What was Jack planning to do? Eric had just been discharged from the hospital!


    "Where are you?"


    "Oh, I am in JH Bar. I think Jack''s men have taken Eric upstairs."


    JH Bar? Rachel had warned Eric not to drink during this period of time. How could he forget her words so soon?


    "Did you ask him to drink with you?"


    "Rachel, you care about your cousin, don''t you? I think you''d better come as soon as possible," said Celine unhurriedly.


    When Rachel hung up the phone, she was still confused about everything, but she was sure that Celine must have deliberately invited Eric to meet her in JH Bar. ''Celine, you''ve taken things too far this time! Do you really think that there''s nothing I can do to you?'' Rachel cursed in her heart, clutching her phone tightly.


    With a sneer, she went back to her office and changed her clothes. Then, after asking a colleague to cover her shift, she drove to JH Bar.


    When Jack had gotten a phone call from one of his men, he had actually just been about to call Celine. He hadn''t expected to receive the news that she was at JH Bar, and with Eric, no less. Since Eric hadn''t learned his lesson yet, there was no need for Jack to go easy on him this time.


    After asking his men to take care of Eric, Jack got into his car and started driving to JH Bar.


    As for Celine, she was still sitting in the corner of JH Bar, waiting for Jack even though she didn''t know whether he would come or not.


    As soon as Jack walked into JH Bar, he saw Celine. No matter how crowded a place was, she was always the first person he would see. There was something about Celine that made her stand out in any crowd.


    "Ah, here you are! Ask your men to let Eric go," Celine said coldly.


    "Well, if you stay here with me, I will release Eric," Jack said in a compelling tone, the corners of his lips curving up slightly.


    Celine took a deep breath. "Jack, you''re going too far. It''s my freedom to meet anyone I please."


    As if he hadn''t heard her, Jack walked up to her and took her hand. "Let''s go. You should have a look at your date."


    Then, he led her up to the second floor.


    On the second floor was a dimly lit room. Although it looked old, the traditional furniture inside gave it an elegant look.


    However, the person in the middle of the room was the opposite of elegant. When Celine entered the room behind Jack, she gasped in shock.


    Eric was kneeling on the floor with one hand on his stomach and the other one on the floor. Jack''s men had surrounded him, and one of them was stepping on Eric''s back. Hearing Celine''s gasp, Eric raised his head with difficulty. His face was beaten black and blue, and Celine could hardly recognize who he was.


    She hadn''t expected that Jack would beat up Eric to this extent! On one hand, she was a little worried about Eric, but on the other hand, she felt very excited. She couldn''t wait to see how Rachel would react when she saw this.


    Holding Celine''s hand, Jack walked up to Eric. He looked down at him and said indifferently, "You want to drink with Celine? Hmm?"


    He took a quick glance at Eric''s wounded hand on the floor and stepped on it with his foot. "Once on shore, one prays no more. Huh?"


    Eric raised his head and stared at Jack. "If you dare, just kill me."


    Upon hearing this, Jack rolled his eyes and thought to himself, ''This little guy is really reckless.'' He shifted his weight to his foot and slowly rubbed Eric''s injured hand.


    Although he was trembling with pain, Eric gritted his teeth and glared at Jack in silence.


    Celine turned her head away somewhat reluctantly. When she was about to walk away, her hand was grasped tightly by Jack.


    "What do you want, Jack?"

 Chapter 11 Get It Settled

    A clear voice came from the direction of the door. Rachel walked in leisurely. At first, she glanced at Eric. Then she focused her attention on Jack.


    He looked right back, not showing any change in emotion.


    Rachel had rushed here all the way from the parking lot. She hadn''t expected that Jack would hit Eric that hard.


    Seeing Eric''s swollen face and Jack''s foot on his hand, Rachel felt nervous. However, she acted rather calm on the surface.


    "I have to get things settled today," said Jack, looking deeply into Rachel''s eyes. His black eyes did not display any particular emotion.


    Hearing this, Rachel shifted her attention from Jack to Celine, the latter still as indifferent as before. She burst into a fit of laughter. "Yes, it''s time to put an end to this."


    She slowly approached Jack, drew her body close to him, and said, "This is all for her, isn''t it?"


    Celine''s expression changed in a matter of seconds, her eyes focused on Rachel.


    Rachel raised her head to match Jack''s height. Gently, she kissed him.


    She looked him in the eye. His expression remained unchanged. Without warning, Rachel then bit him on the lips.


    Jack stared at her, doing nothing. Yet, his eyes gleamed.


    It felt as though time had stopped altogether.


    ''What is happening? Boss is being kissed by this woman!'' Jack''s men thought.


    For the first time, they didn''t know what to do. Even Eric was stunned.


    "What are you doing?" Celine stammered in disbelief and irritation. The gall to pull off such a stunt! Why wouldn''t Jack say anything? Shouldn''t he stop this woman and push her away?


    Rachel gently pulled away and turned toward Celine. "Miss Duan, isn''t that a strange question to ask? Jack and I are a married couple. Isn''t it normal for married couples to exchange a kiss?"


    Celine''s blood boiled with rage. The smile plastered on Rachel''s face was in stark contrast to what Celine was feeling now.


    She looked angrily at Jack. He hadn''t pushed Rachel away, and he even let her kiss him like that. Seeing no expression of guilt or fear on his face, Celine felt wronged. Her eyes welled up with tears.


    "Didn''t you say that your marriage was in name only? How could you..."


    Before she could even finish, Rachel interrupted, "Miss Duan, I would appreciate it if you minded your own business. After all, our marriage is a private matter. By the way, why did you ask Eric out today?"


    At this moment, Celine was still fixated on the word marriage. Unable to focus and think clearly about Rachel''s question, she blurted out, "Of course I asked him out. I needed someone to accompany me."


    "So, Miss Duan, are you satisfied with how everything turned out today?" Rachel asked coldly.


    Her words brought Celine back to reality.


    What was happening? No matter what Celine did, she could not change the fact that Jack was a married man.


    She stared at him now, amazed.


    Jack, on the other hand, stood still and quietly, as if all this had nothing to do with him. The truth was that he did care a lot about Celine.


    However, he wanted to know what Rachel''s next move was. He was curious to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.


    Celine looked at the couple in front of her, the pain evident in her eyes. If Jack hadn''t given in, Rachel wouldn''t have been so bold.


    "It seems that you''ve figured it out, Miss Duan. Because Jack and I are married, everything you''ve done and everything you''re thinking of doing are useless. Unless... we apply for a divorce."


    ''Divorce? Will they divorce?'' Celine wondered. What did Rachel mean by that?


    Rachel spoke again, this time in a negotiable tone. "If the grounds are reasonable, I can agree to a divorce."


    Then, seeing that Celine was studying her, her tone changed. She said, feigning sorrow, "But it seems that Jack is not ready for a divorce just yet."


    Celine was hurt and confused. Jack had said that he only married Rachel because his family forced him to. He had told her that he would divorce Rachel once he had the chance.


    However, after five years, Jack still hadn''t done anything.


    He might have developed feelings for Rachel, after all. Rachel had lived with the Fu family since she was a child. She and Jack had grown together. Compared to that, Celine realized that her relationship with Jack was nothing.


    Tears streamed down her face. She was only kidding herself. She knew deep in her heart that Jack did not love her at all.


    She had tried so hard to test his love for her, but perhaps, others saw her as nothing but a joke. "Am I only fooling myself?" Celine whispered.


    How ridiculous! This had all gotten out of hand! She had invited Eric to come over because she wanted to see how Jack would react.


    But now, since Rachel


    arrived, he had been silent all this time.


    He did not even deny one word of Rachel''s claims.


    Celine did not have any other choice. She stepped back, pushed Jack away, and ran out of the room.


    Surprisingly, he did not chase after her. Instead, he merely took a step back.


    Now that Celine had left, the room fell silent.


    Seeing Jack standing still, Eric turned over and sat up.


    "Are you happy now?" Jack asked Rachel. Hearing Jack''s deep voice, Eric paused for a while. Slowly, he adjusted himself and found a comfortable way to sit down.


    Rachel glanced at Eric and turned to Jack. Slowly, she said, "If you''re happy, then I''m happy."


    Eric, now sitting on the carpet, rolled his eyes. He didn''t understand what they were talking about.


    "I didn''t even say much, but she got so mad. It''s apparent my plan works. How about making a deal with me?"


    Hearing those words made the corners of Jack''s mouth curl up in a smile. Rachel''s overconfidence amused him. He said in a mocking tone, "What if I don''t agree?"


    Rachel, however, did not want to be hasty. She was willing to give him the time to consider her proposal. "Well, if you''re satisfied with your current situation, then I won''t say anything. You should know, though, that only I can change this."


    Rachel knew what Celine wanted. She wanted Jack''s love, though she pretended to not care about him. It was easy for Rachel to expose Celine''s feelings.


    All Jack wanted was to make Celine realize how she truly felt about him. He wanted her to realize that she couldn''t live without him.


    Both of them were testing each other and playing these little games. Rachel found the whole thing ridiculous.


    This had nothing to do with her, and she didn''t care what they wanted to do. However, Eric had become a pawn in their deadly games, and she had to save him.


    "Obviously, your relationship needs intervention at present," Rachel proclaimed.


    She studied him and thought to herself, ''It is widely known in his business circles that Jack is a ruthless and cruel man, but after so many years, he still can''t win a woman''s heart. Maybe it''s because he just cares too much about Celine.''


    "You''d better accept my help instead of using Eric to test her. I believe that my help will get you what you want. Celine''s reaction today is enough proof."


    Rachel was confident that her words would convince Jack after what had just happened. "Celine wants to be Mrs. Fu. What stands between her and her dream is me. Right now, I''m Mrs. Fu and she hates me. I also believe that from this day onward, she will find a new target and it is me. You''d better prepare, Mr. Fu. Your decision will decide what will become of your relationship."


    Since this afternoon, Rachel had been thinking about ways on how to get Celine to stop seeing Eric. Everything she had done¡ªthe kiss, the speech about her marriage¡ªwas all for the sake of landing a deal with Jack.


    The first step of her plan was to make Celine realize that it was useless to keep using Eric and that it was she, Rachel, who was standing between her and Jack. As long as Celine stopped taking advantage of Eric''s feelings for her, Eric would no longer be of use to their little games.


    As for Jack, as long as Celine had his attention, he would no longer notice Eric either. Jack should realize that Rachel was the key to winning Celine.


    Jack raised an eyebrow as he thought about how much of a calculating woman Rachel really was. He began to admire her. Was this the same Rachel who, in the past, would only curl up silently in a corner?


    Years ago, his grandfather had brought this quiet young girl to their house. Jack had always seen her that same way since then. During those years, they had seldom talked to each other despite greetings.


    For a time, he had gone abroad. When he returned, Rachel had moved out of the Fu family''s house. So, she had been nothing but a familiar stranger to him.


    Today though, this woman had been bold enough to put on an unbelievable show and even offer him a deal.


    "You just don''t want Celine''s eyes on Eric. Now that you''ve accomplished that, you don''t need a deal with me," Jack said. It was not easy for him to just say yes, as this deal was unnecessary. He could achieve his goal with or without Rachel''s help.


    He was right. This deal was not necessary. However, Rachel did not want to have anything to do with Jack''s affairs. It was time to end this.


    She would rather get involved now than to stay in the dark and end up somehow being framed by Jack in the future. It would be best for her interests if she made the first move.


    "Celine may come to me tomorrow. As the real Mrs. Fu, I think you should know how I am going to deal with her."

 Chapter 12 Was She Threatening Him

    Jack raised an eyebrow as he looked at Rachel. Was she threatening him?


    Seeing his expression, Rachel realized that Jack had misunderstood her. She didn''t intend to threaten him. She just wanted to remind him. Besides, he wasn''t the kind of person that one could easily threaten.


    However, she was confident that Jack would take her up on her offer. She had a bargaining chip ready. "I can help you. You and Celine can be together. If you ever need me in the future, I can put in a good word for her with your family.


    I believe that if I put in a good word for Celine, it will be easier for her to eventually marry into the Fu family."


    A slight frown formed on Jack''s face. He knew how his family liked Rachel. He had stayed married for the past five years because he hadn''t come up with the perfect reason to end the marriage¡ªa reason that would drive Rachel to file for divorce herself and avoid hurting his parents at the same time.


    Seeing the subtle change in Jack''s expression, Rachel knew that they were about to reach an agreement.


    Jack seldom showed emotion. It was not easy to elicit a visual response from him.


    In the silence, Rachel looked at Eric and saw his badly-beaten face. He had suffered a loss today, and she wondered if this had finally enlightened him. The thought that Celine could manipulate Eric angered Rachel deeply.


    "Why are you still here?" she asked coldly.


    Eric hadn''t expected Rachel to address him so suddenly. He was stunned for a moment, but then he understood what she meant. He stood up, looked at Jack and asked, "Are you done talking?"


    "I think Mr. Fu might need some time to think things through. We''re leaving now," Rachel announced.


    Without saying goodbye, she grabbed Eric and away they went.


    Rachel did not let go of Eric''s hand until they had left the room. The whole time, she had a blank expression on her face. He was confused, but upon seeing her face, he decided that it was wiser to keep quiet.


    When the two reached Rachel''s car, she wordlessly opened the driver''s side door, got in, adjusted her seatbelt, and started the car all within seconds.


    It was not until she had held on to the steering wheel with both hands that Eric snapped out of his daze. He quickly raised his hand and rapped on the passenger''s side window. Rachel glanced at him coldly. With a pitiful look, he said, "Aren''t you going to give me a ride?"


    "Did I tell you not to get in?"


    Her answer felt like amnesty for him. Relieved, he opened the door and got into the car. Rachel did not start the car until he had secured his seatbelt.


    Finally, she started driving. It grew uncomfortably quiet, and for some reason, it felt as though it had gotten colder and colder in that cramped space.


    Rachel remained quiet, but Eric glanced at her from time to time.


    He dreaded her expressionless face. He was afraid that she would suddenly erupt. Although she didn''t say a thing, there was something in there that made him feel as though he was about to die.


    Nevertheless, it seemed that Rachel wasn''t paying attention to him at all. She had her eyes fixed on the road, and she drove the car smoothly. Beside her, Eric sat still like a turtle with its head inside in its shell. He did not dare make a single comment or ask her where they were headed.


    After some time, the car slowed. Eric looked out and noticed that they had stopped in the hospital''s parking lot. Seeing that Rachel was gathering her things and was probably about to get out of the vehicle, he swallowed and quickly reached out and grabbed her.


    Rachel turned to look at him, still with a blank expression on her face. Eric was terrified now. It would have been better if she beat him than to keep silent all the time.


    Eric believed that a man should do his best to protect his pride. This time, however, he shed his armor and surrendered. "Rachel, I''m sorry. I know it''s my fault. Can you forgive me?"


    "Forgive you?" Rachel burst out laughing and reached out to touch Eric''s face. He recoiled out of reflex, but when he recognized what was happening, he let her hold him.


    Rachel touched one spot on Eric''s face that had been hit. Her fingers were cool and slightly sticky to the touch. Tracing the edges of a red and swollen area, she was able to make out the shape of a palm.


    She pressed her fingers gently on the spot. Eric felt a tingle. "Does this hurt?" asked Rachel.


    Thinking that his sister must be worried about him, he quickly shook his head. "It doesn''t. It doesn''t hurt at all!"


    Rachel''s smile suddenly widened. Immediately, she pressed down on the spot harder and asked, "How about this?"


    A high pitched scream echoed in the empty parking lot. "Ahhhhh!


    That hurts!"


    Rachel did not stop. Instead, she continued applying the soothing ointment on Eric''s face. With a cold smile, she said, "Don''t worry. Just continue messing with Celine, and soon, it would no longer hurt."


    The pain and the cold sensation made Eric gasp. Then, intrigued by her comment, he asked curiously, "Why is that?"


    "Because..." Rachel flashed him a scary smile and, pressing on his bruise again. "Jack will cut you up into pieces. Will that still hurt?"


    "Ouch! Rachel! Be gentle, please!"


    "Sooner or lat


    er, you''re going to die. I might as well take advantage of your remaining days to train my medical skills."


    After Rachel had applied enough ointment on Eric''s face, the latter dashed into the nearest restroom. He had to check how much damage was done to his handsome face.


    Rachel collected the things that she had used to fix Eric up and climbed out of the car. After closing the door, she turned around to see Eric coming out of the restroom, looking defeated.


    Initially, there had only been one handprint on his face. Now, his face had yellow and red marks on it as if someone had beaten him up a second time.


    Rachel approached and patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t be depressed. It''s not that I''ve applied too much ointment. It must be because you were already ugly in the first place."


    "Are you really my sister?" he asked as he looked at her grudgingly.


    "If I weren''t, would I have gotten you out of trouble today?" Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. She studied Eric with a slight smile that quickly disappeared. "There won''t be a third time, Eric. I can assure you that the next time this happens, I will be seeing your lifeless body."


    There was no trace of joking in her dark eyes. In an instant, Eric thought of the ferocity of the people who had harmed him today. In his mind, he saw Jack''s cold face.


    Eric could not help but shudder. He swallowed and tried to make sense of things. "He won''t be that cruel, right? After all, he is your husband."


    Rachel sneered and said, "Are you being stupid right now, or were you just born stupid? You are messing with his woman. How much do you think Jack would tolerate?


    Haven''t these two events taught you a lesson? Don''t you have any idea as to what kind of man Jack is yet?"


    "It wasn''t me. Celine invited me," Eric weakly protested, his expression changed.


    "So you''ll do whatever she asks you? Okay, if I tell you right now to jump off a building, will you do it?"


    Eric was taken aback by Rachel''s response. He said, clearly hurt, "Rachel, I know I was wrong."


    Rachel took a deep breath to help ease her anxiety. She knew that her anger was affecting the way she talked.


    It was clear that Celine was taking advantage of Eric. He was a jerk sometimes, but he was simple-minded.


    If he tried hooking up with Celine again, Jack would end him.


    Rachel rubbed her temples. Coldly, she warned, "You''d better remember that Celine is Jack''s woman. It''s up to you if you want to listen to me or not, but I can''t save you every time. If you become his target, he won''t care that you''re my cousin. And if you don''t believe me, then give it a try!"


    She turned around to leave.


    She had been brutally honest with him, but there was one thing that she wouldn''t say.


    That was if Jack dared to lay a hand on Eric, no matter which woman he was fighting for, Rachel would not just sit around and do nothing.


    She didn''t need to let Eric know this, of course.


    She needed to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, Celine would make use of him again.


    Eric returned to the ward by himself and mulled things over. He hadn''t really liked Celine that much at first.


    However, because she was Jack''s woman, he got to know her. Whether intentionally or not, the two grew close. He hadn''t known at first that Celine and Jack were in a relationship. He had only found out when it was already too late.


    Jack was his sister''s husband, and yet he was having an affair with Celine.


    Rachel hadn''t wanted him to worry about it. Still, in his own naive way, he had tried to figure out ways to help his sister.


    He figured that if Jack''s woman grew interested in him, Jack would be humiliated.


    However, before Eric''s plans could even come to fruition, things had gone out of control.


    His sister was right. As he thought more deeply about things, he broke out into a cold sweat. This whole thing with Jack was serious. Jack was not kidding when he had told Eric that he was going to kill him.


    After some hesitation, he called Celine.


    There was no answer. He sent her a message instead, telling her not to come over.


    Rachel decided to find a new apartment for Eric and asked Mindy Wang, their head nurse, to help out.


    Upon hearing that Rachel was looking for a place for Eric, Mindy Wang agreed without hesitation.


    Rachel didn''t expect that Mindy Wang would be that quickly. When Rachel finally finished her shift in the afternoon, Mindy Wang called to tell her that there were several apartments that they could look at in Times Square.


    As expected, apartments in and around Times Square were rather expensive, but Rachel could afford to rent one of them. These apartments all had two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and a balcony.


    Rachel took pictures and sent them to Eric as she and Mindy Wang went from place to place. All the places had distinct characteristics, and they all varied greatly in design.


    In the end, they picked one of the apartments, after which Rachel reviewed the contract with the agency. Right then and there, she signed the document.


    Mindy Wang watched as Rachel signed a one-year contract without blinking. She even settled all the fees cheerfully. Needless to say, Mindy Wang was thoroughly impressed.

 Chapter 13 Will You Sleep With Rachel Tonight

    Mindy had already known that Rachel came from a rich family, but when she found out just how much rent Rachel paid for this apartment, she couldn''t help but feel a little jealous.


    Rachel was young, beautiful, and rich. As if all that was not enough, she had a good job, too. Anyone would be jealous of her.


    Rachel offered to treat Mindy to a meal, which the latter readily agreed to. After the meal, Rachel said that she wanted to buy something and asked Mindy to accompany her to a shopping mall.


    Mindy hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Of course, Rachel noticed Mindy''s reluctance, but she pretended not to. At the shopping mall, the two of them strolled around, and Rachel bought something. When they finally decided to leave, Rachel handed the shopping bag to Mindy.


    Seeing the astonished look on Mindy''s face, Rachel said calmly, "Mindy, this is a small gift for your daughter. Thank you for helping me today."


    As a shrewd woman, Mindy accepted the gift with a smile on her face after refusing it a few times. Her envy completely dissipated. She thought that even though Rachel seemed really cool, she was also a really nice person.


    Moreover, Rachel didn''t stop there. She took out a few store vouchers from her bag and gave them to Mindy too. Just like before, Mandy refused Rachel a few times but finally accepted them with a smile.


    Before getting into the taxi, Mindy kept turning her head back and waving to Rachel. Once she was inside the car and out of Rachel''s sight, she lowered her head and looked at the things in her hands. She couldn''t help but sigh, thinking, ''This is the difference between being rich and being poor."


    It was hard to believe that Rachel had just casually bought something worth thousands of dollars and given it to her as a gift. No wonder she had signed the housing agreement without blinking her eyes.


    After the head nurse left, Rachel looked down at her watch. It was already nine o''clock at night. Since she hadn''t driven her car here, she decided to walk to the roadside and hail a taxi.


    Just then, she heard a mocking voice from behind. "Wow, it turns out that Dr. Shen knows how to foster her relationship with others."


    Rachel turned around in surprise and saw Michael strolling toward her with his hands in his pockets.


    "You''re flattering me," she said, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth.


    "I''m going to see Jack. Are we going in the same direction?" asked Michael, waving the car keys in his hand.


    "We are," Rachel answered tersely.


    This was the kind of women Michael liked, direct and straightforward unlike a certain someone he knew.


    Rachel followed him to his car without asking where exactly they were going to meet Jack.


    As Michael started the car, he asked curiously, "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll kidnap you?"


    Rachel paused in the middle of buckling her seatbelt. She looked at him in astonishment and asked, "How old are you?"


    The corners of Michael''s mouth twitched. "How old am I?"


    Rachel finished buckling her seatbelt and said with a smile, "There''s this patient of mine who is in her twenties or thirties but has the intelligence of a four-year-old."


    Michael was in a daze for quite a while before he realized that Rachel was calling him an idiot.


    "Rachel, have I ever offended you?"


    "No, never."


    "Then why do you always talk to me in this sarcastic way?"


    Rachel tilted her head and thought about it seriously. Finally, she couldn''t help but ask, "Excuse me, did I offend you?"


    The corners of Michael''s mouth twitched again. "No."


    However, the expression in his face clearly said, "You did!"


    Rachel had a habit of dumbfounding others with her words. Most people found her too irritating to talk to. However, she didn''t care about what they thought at all. As far as she was concerned, they all had two choices: they could either close their ears or just not speak to her at all.


    But today, since Michael was giving her a ride, she decided to take the initiative to apologize to him. "I''m sorry I was so sarcastic. Don''t mind me."


    Michael was taken aback when he heard Rachel apologizing. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish.


    Finally, he waved her away and said, "I was just joking. Don''t take it to heart."


    Rachel smiled quietly, trying to dissolve the awkward atmosphere.


    In the beginning, Michael had thought that Rachel was a cold woman and that it was no wonder that Jack didn''t like her. After a while, his impression of her had improved, but only by a little.


    Rachel was too serious. No matter how beautiful such a woman was, men would not be interested in her for too long.


    Anyway, Michael was rather shocked and amazed after overhearing Rachel''s conversation with her colleague. He had never expected that a cold woman like Rachel would know how to do favors.


    But on the contrary, she appeared to be skilled at such things. So why didn''t she speak to Jack in such a way?


    Michael couldn''t help thinking that there was a lot more to Jack''s wife than he let on.


    When they reached her house, Rachel walked in first and saw Jack sitting on the sofa in the living room. He seldom came to this


    apartment after their marriage. In fact, he lived in a place of his own.


    Rachel didn''t know why he was here today, but she wasn''t curious. Instead, she went straight into the kitchen to wash her hands and drink water.


    When she came out again, there was no one in the living room. She hadn''t heard the sound of the main door opening, so Jack was probably still at home.


    She walked past the living room and headed to her room to take a shower. When she passed by the study, she saw a glimmer of light on the corridor carpet coming from the gap between the wall and the half-closed door.


    About half an hour later, Michael decided to take his leave.


    Jack accompanied him to the main door, so Michael turned to him and asked casually, "Where are you going to stay tonight?"


    Jack stopped at the door with indifference in his clear eyes. "I will sleep here tonight."


    Michael paused in the middle of putting on his shoes and raised his head in surprise. "Did I hear you wrong?"


    "What''s wrong? Is there anything wrong with sleeping in my own house?"


    "Well, will you sleep with Rachel tonight??" Michael looked like someone had slapped him.


    "There is only one bed. What else can I do?" Jack said curtly.


    ''They share one bed...'' Michael thought. "Aren''t you scared that Celine will fight with you if she finds out about this?" he asked out loud.


    A glimmer of emotion flashed through Jack''s eyes, but he curled his lips and didn''t answer Michael''s question.


    After Michael left, Jack closed the door. Then, he turned around to look for Rachel. He had something to tell her.


    He had barely taken two steps forward when his phone rang. It was Celine. Frowning, he wondered whether he should answer it or not. At the same time, Rachel came downstairs with a watering pot in her hand.


    Seeing Jack, a look of surprise appeared on Rachel''s face. "You are still here?"


    ''What does she mean? Why is she surprised that I''m here?'' With a frown, Jack ended the call with a flick of his hand and walked up to her. "Are you free now? Let''s talk."


    Rachel shook the watering pot in her hand slightly and said, "Well, I have something to tell you too. Let me just take care of a few things first."


    Jack nodded and sat down on the sofa in the living room. As he waited patiently for Rachel to return, his phone rang again. This time, he put his phone on silent mode and kept it aside.


    When Rachel came over, she sat opposite Jack.


    Although Jack had a solemn expression on his face, he was actually feeling quite relaxed, which could be seen from the way his hands were lazily hanging from the sofa.


    On the contrary, Rachel looked quite relaxed, but she was actually feeling a little nervous. She didn''t know why Jack had stayed behind.


    Finally, she couldn''t help but speak first. "What do you want to say?"


    After thinking for a while, Jack lowered his eyes and said, "Dad invited us for dinner tomorrow evening."


    Rachel raised an eyebrow, guessing that there was more to it than that. "I haven''t received any phone calls from him." Then, shifting to a more comfortable sitting posture, she added, "Come on, let''s get to the point."


    Jack''s long eyelashes fluttered as his eyes turned cold. He slightly frowned, as if he hadn''t expected Rachel to be so straightforward. Fortunately, that meant that he didn''t have to be euphemistic with her. "I''m going out with Celine tomorrow, so I won''t be able to make it for the dinner."


    Rachel frowned. Was Jack asking her to go there alone? Jack''s dad Jonathan lived abroad, so whenever he came back, he wanted to see his son and daughter-in-law.


    To be more exact, he wanted to see how things were going between them.


    However, this time, it seemed that Jack didn''t even want to put on a show in front of him.


    Rachel thought about it quickly. Then, lowering her eyes to hide her feelings, she said, "Okay. I''ll find an excuse for you so that you don''t have to go."


    "Thank¡ª"


    "But I have a request," Rachel interrupted Jack abruptly.


    "What is it?" "Have you thought about the deal I mentioned this afternoon?"


    After his initial surprise, Jack looked at her and asked playfully, "What? Have you come up with any new ideas?"


    Rachel was stunned. She wondered whether Jack was just blindly guessing or whether he could find out what she was thinking with just a glance.


    Anyway, the point was, she was worried about Eric. Maybe he could remember her words for now, but for how long would he remain obedient?


    If Eric hooked up with Celine again, Rachel wouldn''t be able to do anything. She knew for sure that he was not smart enough to handle all these things.


    There was a saying that went, "If we can''t guard the door, we have to go and lay our hands on our enemy."


    "I hope you can spread the news that if anyone dares to lay a finger on Celine, you, Jack, will not only cut his hand. Moreover, this news should reach Eric''s ears."


    As a rare case of him being stunned, Jack asked, "What did you say?"


    With a serious expression, Rachel said, "Eric is just an idiot. You know that. As for your woman, I don''t know how to describe her. I can''t stop her from using my cousin."

 Chapter 14 Ill Fight You To Death

    "I don''t know how much you can tolerate her. But, you know, it''s not good for a woman to be too willful."


    Jack''s eyes turned cold. "What exactly is your point, Rachel? Of all people, I don''t need you to teach me how to deal with my woman."


    ''Oh, good! That''s exactly what I want to hear, '' Rachel mused.


    Smiling, she said, "I need your help, Jack.


    I really don''t care what you do with your woman. I am concerned with Eric. I just want you to help me intimidate that silly boy."


    "I really don''t understand what is on your mind. Aren''t you afraid that I will do something bad to Eric?" Jack asked jokingly.


    Smiling again, Rachel replied, "It doesn''t matter. If something happens to him, I will fight you to death." The way she spoke the last line was so slow, and her tone was so low. Anyone who would hear her would feel the chills.


    With that, Jack understood that she wasn''t kidding.


    The cynical smile plastered on his face slowly faded away, and he looked at Rachel thoughtfully.


    What kind of person was Rachel? She could grab a bottle and smash it onto Eric''s hand. And more importantly, she could bargain with him.


    Now, just when he thought that Rachel was going to protect Eric, she asked him to intimidate the poor kid instead.


    She knew that Jack was a rational man and would not find fault with Eric for no reason. But when Jack and Celine used Eric in their game of deceit, she couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Instead of always worrying about Eric getting involved in their affairs, it would be better to take actions now. Jack could set a boundary that would serve as a warning to prevent Eric from crossing the line.


    Everyone was afraid of death. And, Eric wasn''t an exception. Aside from her previous warnings, Jack''s intimidation could help put some pressure on him.


    Those could help Eric realize not to engage in a love relationship with Celine.


    Meanwhile, Jack could not really figure out why Rachel''s line of thinking was like that. Then, the mobile phone on the table vibrated.


    After talking to Jack, Rachel stood up and was on her way to her room to sleep. Jack grabbed his phone and casually said, "Will you get me a quilt? I''ll sleep here tonight."


    Shocked, Rachel looked back, only to see him stood up from the sofa and strode towards the balcony, phone in his hand. He opened the door to the balcony, and a low gentle voice reached her ears.


    She clearly saw the impatience on Jack''s face when he grabbed his phone from the table.


    Perhaps, men had two faces. And, one was specially made for their lovers.


    Not wanting to talk with Jack anymore, Rachel proceeded to her room. The place where she lived was their wedding house, and Jack had seldom come here.


    Since she was the only occupant, Rachel didn''t think it was practical to have two beds in her bedroom.


    Though there were other rooms, they weren''t cleaned.


    The bed, being a king-sized, was big enough for them to sleep on.


    Standing in the middle of the room, Rachel was thinking while holding the quilt in her arms.


    Finally, she decided to go out.


    After the phone call, Jack walked towards the stairs.


    At the top of the stairs, Rachel asked, "Jack, would you like to sleep in the living room tonight?"


    Stunned, Jack raised his head and stared at a serious Rachel who was holding quilt.


    Forcing a smile, Jack loosened his tie while still looking up at Rachel with languid yet sarcastic eyes. "Rachel, I just want to share a bed with you tonight. Why are you so lofty?"


    Really, Jack thought Rachel was thinking too much.


    Holding the quilt in her hands tightly to prevent it from falling, Rachel replied, "Fine. I''ll sleep on the sofa."


    With a twist of his mouth, Jack suddenly took the stairs up in just a few seconds and stood in front of her.


    Dwarfed by his height, Rachel took a couple of steps back. Seeing her act, Jack opened his mouth slightly and said, "Rachel, we are legally married."


    "So what?" Frowning slightly, Rachel didn''t like the aggressive way Jack approached her. So, she held the quilt tightly and moved two steps back.


    "We are a legally married couple." Raising her head, Rachel looked straight into Jack''s eyes. There was no emotion reflected in her eyes. "But, it doesn''t include sharing a bed. Don''t change the topic so fast. I can''t follow you."


    Curling his lips, Jack thought he hadn''t seen such an honest person for a long time.


    Putting his hands in his pockets, Jack leaned over and whispered in Rachel''s ear, "Then, is there any problem in sleeping together?"


    Rachel slightly lifted her long eyelashes and glanced at him, expressionless. Stepping backward again, she answered, "I like sleeping alone. Please, don''t mind me. I''ll sleep on the sofa and you can have the bed."


    With his eyebrows slightly twitching, Jack had this sudden impulse of putting his hands on her shoulders to shake her.


    ''She was so dull and unbelievable!''


    Turning a blind eye to Jack''s unkind expression, Rachel patted him on the shoulder as if she was encouraging him. "I''ll let you


    sleep in my bed tonight, but I have only one pillow."


    Turning back, she went to fetch her pillow. Jack stood stiffly at the edge of the stairs.


    Closing his eyes, Jack thought to himself, ''This woman must be playing hard-to-get.''


    Taking a deep breath, Jack went to the bedroom. If not for the open door, he wouldn''t know which room it was.


    As he was about to enter, he saw Rachel on her way out with her pillow and quilt. Jack couldn''t even see her head.


    Giving way to Rachel, Jack moved his body sideways. She just continued walking past him and went down without a glance at him.


    Standing still for a while and making sure that it was not a trick, Jack took a deep breath. Then, he entered the bedroom.


    Just like all the other parts of the house, the bedroom had never been visited by Jack before.


    Inside was a bed, a wardrobe, and an air-conditioner installed on the wall. It was still very cold.


    After looking around, Jack began to doubt if he was in the right place.


    Was this a hotel or a woman''s bedroom?


    Jack pursed his lips. The room was an exact reflection of Rachel''s personality, cold and tasteless.


    Grabbing the quilt placed on the edge of the bed, Jack spread it out. He saw that Rachel didn''t even leave him a pillow.


    After taking off his watch and putting it on the bedside table, he went out and leaned against the railing on the second floor. He saw Rachel bending over and making her bed.


    Everywhere he looked, everything was clean and tidy. Even the bed was in order, as if no one slept on it.


    Rubbing his forehead, Jack wondered what kind of eccentricity this woman possessed.


    "Rachel, what time will you get up tomorrow?"


    Pausing a little before looking up, Rachel replied, "About half past six."


    "Okay, that''s just in time." After pausing for a while, Jack continued, "The driver will drop by at around nine o''clock. Remember to organize the living room. Don''t let him see you sleeping on the sofa or find any trace."


    "Wait!" Rachel straightened her back and asked, "Why will the driver come?"


    "At Dad''s request..." Rachel had no more questions after hearing his reply.


    No wonder Jack suddenly decided to stay tonight. It turned out that someone would come to check on them tomorrow.


    After turning off the lights, Rachel lay down. However, before closing her eyes, she was afraid that she would disappoint Jonathan as she and Jack were acting.


    She didn''t know if there were many couples like them...ridiculous couples in this kind of relationship.


    Not knowing until when she would wait to ask for a divorce, Rachel thought it might be the day she would meet the person she loved.


    Maybe, she might have to wait for a long time until Jonathan died, or until she was completely disappointed in this marriage.


    Both of them didn''t want Jonathan to be sad. Thus, this was the common agreement they reached to protect their marriage.


    Although they didn''t see each other often in the past five years, they always appeared harmoniously in front of Jonathan.


    Maybe Jonathan knew that they were like strangers to each other behind his back, but he pretended not to know it.


    Thinking of another possibility of getting rid of the marriage shackles, Rachel pondered it might be the day Jack and Celine''s relationship could be recognized.


    But it was only her thought. After all, she had nothing to do with what happened between them.


    Rachel didn''t wake up until dawn. She turned off her phone alarm, got up, brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then, she made herself a cup of warm water and drank it slowly.


    Jack''s observation was right. She was a boring woman.


    Every day was a routine for her. She set them according to her timetable. She was quite squeamish about staying in bed late and arriving at work late.


    According to her best friend Lea, Rachel looked like a monk despite of her 25 years of age.


    Disagreeing totally with her best friend, Rachel thought she had a good lifestyle. Her life didn''t resemble that of the monk''s.


    It was around 7:30 in the morning when Rachel finished her yoga. She prepared her breakfast afterwards.


    What she didn''t notice was Jack''s presence on the second floor. He watched her doing yoga until the time she went to the kitchen.


    Observing her, Jack raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was only 7:30 am. The woman had the same lifestyle as his father.


    ''Should I bring her a newspaper?'' Taking a deep breath, Jack turned around and went downstairs.


    When Rachel was carefully frying the eggs, she heard Jack. He raised his hand, knocked on the kitchen door and asked politely, "Will you help me make breakfast?"


    "A sandwich and soybean milk. Would those be okay?"


    "Sure."


    Well, Rachel hated those guys who were picky in food, such as Eric.


    Coming out quickly, Rachel put the breakfast on the table. They ate side by side without disturbing each other.


    The atmosphere around them always seemed strange. They were either indifferent to each other or a tit for tat existed between them.

 Chapter 15 The Fourth Time

    Jack hadn''t expected that he and Rachel could get along so peacefully.


    He had assumed that Rachel would at least get mad after he had treated Eric the way that he had, but she didn''t!


    This woman didn''t take him seriously at all!


    Jack didn''t think it was a big deal. He was somehow grateful for her attitude. In fact, he now felt that he had been right to have married her.


    As long as Rachel did not deliberately stir up trouble, he would definitely make it up to her after their divorce was finalized.


    At nine o''clock, the doorbell rang, its sound filling the apartment. Right on time. Jack stood up from the sofa and went to open the door.


    Stuart Liu, the Fu family''s driver, stood at the door. He respectfully greeted Jack, "Good morning, Mr. Fu."


    Stuart Liu was a loyal servant under the employ of the Fu family. He had been driving for them for the longest time and had an excellent relationship with Jonathan. For this reason, Jack regarded him with great respect.


    Stuart Liu didn''t come in. He looked at his watch and said, "Your father awaits you at home. There is some traffic on the way today, and so the drive home will take more than an hour."


    There was one characteristic that all members of the Fu family shared: punctuality.


    After a pause, Jack said, "Wait a moment. I''ll go get her."


    Jack returned to the second floor. Rachel had changed into her own clothes and was about to go downstairs with her bag.


    Her dress caught Jack''s attention. She straightened her collar, stopped mid-walk, and looked him up and down. "What excuse do you have?"


    "Don''t worry about it. Just come with me downstairs."


    They went downstairs, one after the other. Jack crossed the living room and stopped a few feet away from the door. Rachel followed close behind him. He then walked closer to the door with her right by his side.


    Stuart Liu was waiting patiently at the door. Jack and Rachel got closer and closer. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand.


    Reflexively, she tried to pull away from him, but she failed. Jack was holding her hand securely in his.


    A trace of surprise flashed across Stuart''s face when he saw the two come out of the house hand-in-hand. Then, the corners of his mouth curled up into a satisfied smile.


    What had been an expressionless face quickly softened. Stuart Liu said, "Let''s go. Let''s not keep your father waiting."


    Realizing what was happening, Rachel stopped struggling. Finally, she let Jack hold her hand. At first, she had no interest in pretending. Everyone knew how cold and strange their relationship was.


    After the three of them had gone down the next series of steps, Jack''s phone rang. He made a gesture of apology, let go of Rachel''s hand, and excused himself to answer the phone.


    With a faint smile on his face, Stuart Liu asked, "Mrs. Fu, has Mr. Fu been sleeping here the past few days?"


    Rachel felt as though her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Stuart Liu wouldn''t be asking her this question for no reason. She guessed that he must have heard something.


    She answered with a puzzled look, "Sometimes, he comes over, but he doesn''t stay here every day."


    Her answer seemed ambiguous. Jack and Rachel had been married for five years, and this was the fourth time that Jack had stayed overnight in this place.


    Of course, they had never slept together.


    Stuart''s eyes shone with relief. He nodded and said meaningfully, "Seeing you and Mr. Fu getting along would make your father the happiest person on earth."


    Rachel did not let her smile expose her guilt. It was true that they now got along well, but it had been difficult to get along in the way that was expected of a married couple.


    After ending the call, Jack returned. Frowning, he told Stuart Liu, "Stuart, there''s something I have to deal with. You and Rachel can go ahead."


    ''Such a stupid excuse to escape!'' Rachel thought.


    Having been informed that Jack couldn''t go with them, Stuart Liu nodded. He was here to pick them up, and he couldn''t force Jack to go back with him.


    Without saying a word to Rachel, Jack turned around and went to the garage. Rachel took out the remote control and aimed it at the door, opening it for Jack. A moment later, he pulled out of the garage in his Land Rover.


    Rachel turned to Stuart Liu. "Let''s go."


    Jack impatiently smacked the steering wheel as he drove. All the while, his phone kept ringing. He glanced at it but didn''t pick up.


    He drove at full speed. In less than twenty minutes, he was at Celine''s place.


    This apartment where Celine lived now had once been Jack''s. After marrying Rachel, he had moved out. After that, he had let Celine live here.


    According to Celine''s conditions, he was not allowed to touch her until he had finalized his divorce. Therefore, he had never slept here after Celine moved in.


    It was Celine''s best friend, Rona Zhou, who opened the door. When she saw Jack, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She pointed to the bedroom door and said, "You should have a look. She locked herself in there last night. I spent hours trying to get her to come out or even just talk, but she wouldn''t. Until now, she still hasn''t come out of there."


    Jack''s lips were pressed into a thin line, and his eyes darkened. He hurried toward the door and turned the knob only to find that the door was locked from


    the inside.


    Rona Zhou, who stood behind him, whispered, "I can''t find the key."


    Jack didn''t respond. He raised his hand and knocked at the door. "Celine, open this door."


    Getting no response, he kept pounding on the door. His patience was wearing dangerously thin when he and Rona heard a muffled cry from inside the room. "Go away! This is none of your business!"


    Jack, enraged, addressed Rona Zhou without turning his head, "Step aside."


    The woman, seeing the cold expression on Jack''s face, obeyed without a word. Jack stepped back, took a deep breath, and then charged toward the door, kicking it forcefully once he was close enough.


    The door fell onto the floor, accompanied by a loud crash and a frantic screaming.


    It broke into pieces, and dust filled the air. Celine was still screaming hysterically.


    Meanwhile, in the Fu family''s house, things were not much better.


    "Call him back!" Jonathan growled, frowning. "What could be more important than having dinner at home with family?"


    Rachel replied earnestly, "Maybe something urgent has come up at work. He looked terrible when he left."


    Jonathan wasn''t convinced. He snorted and said, "I think that was just a lame excuse. He''s getting bolder and bolder. He won''t even show up for dinner now!"


    Jonathan grew red with rage.


    Rachel wracked her brains to try and find ways to comfort him. Meanwhile, Tracy Li, Jonathan''s wife, was deeply disturbed by what he had just said.


    In addition, she couldn''t wrap her head about how useless her daughter-in-law was as a wife. Why, she couldn''t even defend Jack!


    Tracy Li tried to defend her son amidst Jonathan''s anger. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I can''t imagine how sad Jack would feel if he had heard what you just said! He is a hard-worker. He''s already constantly thinking about work. He can''t possibly be bothered by other, unimportant things, such as going all the way home for dinner."


    Jonathan still didn''t buy it. He sneered and said expressionlessly, "It''s a woman."


    Rachel held her breath. Jonathan was indeed Jack''s father. He seemed to know very clearly how Jack''s mind worked. She thought as if she was talking to Jack, ''I''m trying my best to help you out this time. You better not have gone to Celine.''


    Upon hearing Jonathan''s remark, Tracy Li grew pale. She looked awkwardly at Rachel, but to her surprise, Rachel was showing no emotion.


    Tracey Li felt embarrassed. She clenched her teeth and couldn''t even speak. She just sat there, not saying anything.


    If Jonathan knew nothing about his son''s whereabouts, how could he have made that comment? How could he have said that Jack had gone to a woman instead of the company?


    Rachel slightly tugged at Jonathan. Her expression didn''t change, but what she said next startled the couple.


    "Dad, you think too much. Jack and I slept together last night."


    There was a moment of silence. Tracy Li stared at Rachel in shock. Even Jonathan turned his head stiffly. "What?"


    Suddenly, a voice from behind them said, "I can testify to that. I have seen proof just this morning."


    Jonathan, thoroughly shocked, almost fell from his seat. He hadn''t seen or heard Stuart Liu come in. The loyal driver then approached and placed a leather bag on the table.


    With a straight face, he told Jonathan, "Mr. Fu, you left something in the car last night."


    "Oh. Hmm..." Jonathan was scared, but he subconsciously bent forward and raised a hand to open the bag. When his fingers and the bag made contact, however, he felt there was something wrong with what Stuart Liu said. He straightened up in his seat and asked, "What exactly did you see?"


    Hearing her husband''s words, Tracy Li, who had just recovered from the shock, froze again. Rachel, however, acted calmly. It was as if all of this had nothing to do with her. She picked up her cup and took a sip of her tea.


    Stuart Liu shot Jonathan a confused look. "I saw them coming out of the house together."


    Jonathan glanced at Rachel but remained silent.


    The latter put down the cup and patted his hand in an effort to comfort him. "Don''t think too much."


    It was true that she and Jack had been in the same house. No one needed to know that they didn''t sleep in the same bed.


    As long it was working out for the best, she didn''t mind lying.


    Jonathan tried to understand what was happening. Rachel had always been a proper, well-behaved woman, and she would never lie to him. He felt so embarrassed that he had doubted her and his son.


    After having delivered Jonathan''s things, Stuart Liu turned around and went out as if he had not witnessed anything strange.


    Once Tracy Li had regained her composure yet again, she opened her mouth slightly. She wanted to ask about Rachel and Jack''s relationship but felt too embarrassed to speak.


    Jonathan didn''t know what to say at all. He had heard about Jack getting into trouble with a woman called Celine. There had even been a mix-up at a bar because of her!


    However, hearing what Rachel had said, he felt so embarrassed that he couldn''t say anything.


    At this moment, whether Jack was out there looking for a woman or at the company taking care of work was no longer very important.


    Finally, one of the servants approached, breaking the silence and the awkward atmosphere. "Mr. and Mrs. Fu, the food is ready."

 Chapter 16 Stay At Home Tonight

    Letting out a sigh of relief, Jonathan stood up and said, "Let''s have dinner first." He acted as if nothing had happened, Rachel smiled to herself, and thought, ''See, he''s no longer concerned about where on earth Jack has gone.''


    And so it was time for him to find out what had happened between her and Jack. As she ate, Rachel pondered over how she might deal with Jonathan''s questions.


    After they finished eating dinner, Jonathan challenged Rachel to a game of Go. Rachel agreed, and went with him to the study upstairs.


    Jonathan took out his chessboard, set it up carefully on the table, and arranged the black and white stones. They sat down opposite each other.


    Jonathan stretched his arms and rolled up his sleeves. "It''s been quite a while since the last time I played Go. I hope you''ll take it easy on me."


    Rachel said modestly, "You''d still be a better player than me if you took a ten-year break."


    Jonathan giggled, flattered by her compliment. He waved his hand to brush her words aside and said, "Come on, it''s been ages since we played Go. Let''s have a warm-up game first."


    Rachel nodded in agreement, and said, "Please!"


    Rachel and Jonathan then began a silent battle with the black and white stones. At first he was taken off guard by her moves, and when he realized that she was really playing to win, he was totally unable to gain the upper hand.


    Within twenty minutes, Jonathan suffered a crushing defeat.


    Glancing at her father-in-law''s gloomy face, Rachel felt a little embarrassed. Trying to offer an excuse, she suggested, "Maybe the color was bad luck for you."


    Jonathan silently nodded and they exchanged the stones.


    Not daring to be careless again, Jonathan spent an attentive hour with Rachel, absorbed in the game. At last, the game closed in a tie.


    Jonathan shook his head in dissatisfaction and said, "Let''s play again."


    And so the third round began.


    After her nap, Tracy awoke to find that the two were still playing Go in the study. She asked the servant to prepare some fruit. Then she took it upstairs by herself.


    The two were completely focused on the board, and paid no attention when she came in.


    Noticing the intensity of their concentration, Tracy put down the plate lightly and didn''t say a word.


    Of course, she knew what her husband''s temper was like, so Tracy went to a corner and sat down, watching them play Go in silence.


    Ten minutes later, at the brink of defeat, Jonathan had lost his spirit for the game. He put down his last stone in frustration, closed his eyes and sighed, "I lose. I''m getting old!"


    Rachel began to wonder if she had gone too far. While her brain raced for a way out of the awkward situation, she dropped the black stone she was holding in her hand.


    As Jonathan said, he had lost the game. He had no chance of turning the tables on Rachel after she placed that stone.


    After a while, Rachel said with a warm smile, "You''re my teacher in the game of Go. This only means you are a good teacher."


    Jonathan laughed in consternation. He shook his head and tapped on the board. "I''m getting old..." He looked at her with a meaningful look, and said, "At my age, I can only play Go to kill time. Others can play with their grandchildren."


    Rachel was struck silent by his comment. What could she possibly say to him?


    Tracy carried over the plate of fruit, just in time to comfort Rachel.


    Rachel had been prepared for Jonathan to probe into their relationship, but she hadn''t expected him to be so frank. She hadn''t even slept with Jack yet, so how could she give him a grandchild?


    It wasn''t easy to satisfy him. Rachel wished she could tell him that he would not wait so long if he waited for Jack and Celine to have a baby.


    Tracy was also a bit excited by the topic, but she felt that Jonathan''s question was too abrupt, so she rushed forward to distract them. While passing a piece of fruit to Jonathan, she winked slyly at him, to hint that he shouldn''t be so anxious.


    Then Tracy stood up and smoothed her hair. Pretending that she still had other things to do, she walked away and said, "After you''ve done, go out for a walk. The weather is lovely today."


    Rachel nodded and said, "We will, Mom."


    After living with the Fu family for many years, Rachel was still not very close to Tracy, nor too distant from her.


    To Tracy, having Rachel live with them simply meant nothing. They had enough money to raise her.


    After Jack and Rachel''s marriage was arranged, Tracy became a little more enthusiastic toward Rachel. But then she discovered that the relationship between Rachel and Jack was as cold as ice, and Jack even got involved with Celine now.


    Tracy''s dissatisfaction was clear enough. Even though it wasn''t written on her face, her lack of warmth toward Rachel was pretty obvious.


    She didn''t like Celine, but she didn''t like Rachel either. She felt that her son had been wronged, and that he deserved a better woman.


    Even if Rachel had nothing wrong with her, she didn''t impress Tracy, who thought that Rachel had no idea how to satisfy her husband.


    Rachel had always known that Tracy was dissatisfied with her, but she always pretended to be completely unaware of her mother-in-law''s negative opinion.


    Before, Rachel thought that Tracy disapproved of her


    marriage to Jack and wanted to end it. But now, she discovered that Jonathan and Tracy hadn''t given up on their marriage yet.


    After Tracy left the room, Rachel knew what Jonathan was going to say.


    They knew each other well, but it was difficult for them to speak freely.


    After long deliberation, Jonathan asked gently, "Is Jack paying attention to you recently?"


    "I have been in touch with him these days," Rachel answered.


    The words "been in touch" sounded weird to describe a couple.


    ''What did she mean by them sleeping together last night?'' Jonathan wondered.


    He sighed slightly and then cursed, "Damn it!"


    Rachel bit her lips and almost burst into laughter.


    Jonathan wiped his face, and was about to offer a word of encouragement. If they were willing to get along, that would be a good thing.


    Just as he was about to open his mouth, Tracy returned to the study. She couldn''t hide her excitement. "Jonathan! Jack is back! You two must come down right away! Don''t hide yourselves up here."


    Rachel and Jonathan were totally unprepared for that. They couldn''t believe their ears. She frowned, feeling confused. Hadn''t he said that he was with Celine? Why did he come back there, out of the blue?


    Jonathan stood up and snorted. "I''ll teach that brat a lesson soon enough!"


    Rachel put away the stones on the table, and said with a smile, "Dad, please don''t embarrass him. He has only just come back."


    Jonathan frowned, but there was a slight twinkle in his eyes.


    Rachel descended the stairway after Jonathan. When they reached the lower floor, Jack was waiting for his father in the living room.


    Before going downstairs, Jonathan had vowed to be stern with his son. When Jonathan saw him, Jack turned around and greeted him, "Dad."


    Those words of reproach were at the tip of Jonathan''s tongue, but disappeared in a flash. He went straight to Jack and began to complain. "Where have you been? What took you so long?"


    "Dad, don''t make a big deal about it. One of our VIPs had some problems and I had to deal with it," said Jack calmly.


    Next to them, Tracy breathed a sigh of relief. She winked at Rachel, who was standing behind Jonathan, but Rachel pretended not to notice.


    Tracy was so angry that she wanted to stamp her feet. Before her husband could say anything, she quickly interrupted, "I said it had nothing to do with... He is so busy at work that he even skips dinner."


    Rachel lowered her eyelids and smiled, pretending to be unaware of everything.


    Jonathan looked at his son with doubtful eyes. After hearing what his wife said, he waved his hand impatiently and said, "It''s all right."


    He turned to Jack and said, "Jack, come up with me. I have something to tell you." Jonathan turned his heels and went upstairs first.


    As he passed Rachel, Jack let his glance fall briefly on her. They didn''t say anything to each other.


    When her son''s receding figure disappeared completely upstairs, Tracy appeared to be a little anxious and pulled Rachel over to her.


    "Rachel, what exactly happened between you and Jack?"


    "Don''t worry about it. It''s nothing. We were never very close before. Now, we''re slowly starting to get along with each other."


    Tracy''s eyes lit up. She grabbed Rachel by the hand, and said, "Rachel, I know Jack better than anyone. He has always had a cold personality. If you want to get close to him, you need to make a lot of effort. Show him that you care about him, and talk to him as much as possible. Don''t pull a long face."


    Rachel looked like it was hard for her to receive Tracy''s advice, but she listened to her and never offered a word of contradiction.


    With both her husband and her son out of the room, Tracy took the opportunity to give Tracy a lecture on the art of being a wife.


    Tracy just wanted Rachel to improve her character and care more about her son. In her ignorance, she never imagined that Jack was just unwilling to receive Rachel''s love and care.


    As she sat in front of the desk and listened to her mother-in-law''s lecture, the words went in one ear and out the other. Tracy, meanwhile, was just glad to release her opinions onto her daughter-in-law.


    Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally over and she realized that she hadn''t died from boredom.


    "What are your plans for this evening?" Tracy asked abruptly.


    Rachel had taken a day off just to visit the Fu family. She replied, "I have no plans."


    When she heard that answer, Tracy smiled, which puzzled Rachel.


    Rachel didn''t know what Jack and his father had spoken about. When he came down again, it didn''t seem that anything had happened between them.


    Rachel stood beside Jack and saw two obvious scratches on his neck near his collarbone.


    With her experience, she could tell at a glance that these scratches were the marks of fingernails. She withdraw her head backward, but when no one was looking at her, she whispered to Jack, "What are you doing here?"


    Jack gave her a casual look, but said nothing.


    Rachel didn''t care at all when she didn''t get an answer. However, what happened next took her off guard.


    Since they had already finished dinner and chatted, Rachel thought it was time for her to go back.


    So she was really surprised to hear Jack say, "Let''s stay at home tonight."

 Chapter 17 I Sleep In A Good Manner

    "At home?" Rachel was momentarily stunned. "Which home?"


    Jack strode over to the nearby sofa and leisurely sat down as he crossed his arms. He slowly glanced over at Rachel with his deep eyes and asked, "How many homes do you have?"


    The Fu family house, of course.


    Rachel was a little taken aback and confused by what he said. She walked towards Jack and sat down next to him slowly. "What? I don''t understand what you mean. What are you talking about?"


    Jack pursed his lips slightly and stood up impatiently, clearly annoyed. "It''s my father''s idea, you can talk to him if you don''t want to stay."


    It could be seen as clear as day that Jack was also reluctant to accept his father''s idea.


    The content of Jonathan''s talk with his son just now was nothing more than his marriage with Rachel, to help Jack realize his mistakes.


    Jack''s face was sullen. He was extremely annoyed not just from his father''s idea, but also because of Celine''s horrible temper.


    He didn''t have the heart to do anything to Celine, but he also didn''t have the patience to keep on coaxing her. Celine was the bane of his existence, she was born to torture him.


    He left Celine''s place in rage and decided to head straight home.


    Right after Jack left her place, Celine had called his phone but he refused to answer. She called him again for the second time. He answered and said coldly over the phone, "I''ll be going home with Rachel tonight."


    As he expected, Celine had hung up the phone immediately.


    Patience was never Jack''s strong suit. Celine had been causing trouble to him these past few days and he was starting to get worn out. He didn''t even try to coax her this time.


    Tracy hurriedly asked the servants to clean up the room for her son.


    This bedroom used to be Jack''s room and after he got married, he and Rachel stayed in this room when they lived here.


    However, for the past five years, they had never once stepped into this room together.


    As for staying overnight, Rachel was incredibly uncomfortable with the idea as she sighed to herself with reluctance just as Jack went to the bathroom to take a shower.


    She started pacing back and forth in the room several times with great anxiety. The situation here was quite different from her actual house.


    She could decide to sleep on the sofa at her house, and there was no spare quilt here for one of them to sleep on the floor.


    There was only one choice, they had to sleep in the bed together for tonight.


    This was the most annoying thing for Rachel at the moment. She wasn''t comfortable with being so close to someone or sleeping in the same bed with someone she hardly knew.


    There was a time when she went out for training in another province and had to stay in the same dorm room with her colleague. Rachel didn''t think it was that serious at first, but after a month she was at the end of her ropes. She felt like her privacy was violated.


    Rachel had very shallow sleep the first few nights and would always be awakened by nightmares. Her colleague was also horrible to be in the same room with. There were nights when her colleague''s hand was on Rachel''s chest or a foot on Rachel''s stomach.


    Rachel couldn''t sleep well for that entire month. Every night she slept was like a living nightmare.


    Later on, Rachel''s problem got even worse and she was never able to get over it.


    Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open. Rachel closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she turned around to face Jack.


    Rachel''s eyes slightly widened at what she saw. Jack had come out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with droplets of water still sliding down his bare upper body.


    It wasn''t hard to see that Jack''s body was quite good. He had a well-proportioned upper body with wide shoulders and a thin waist, his muscles seemed strong and smooth. His arms were holding a towel as he dried his wet disheveled hair. His abdominal muscles were firm with no trace of fat. Although he didn''t have distinct abdominal muscles like a bodybuilder, he had elegant lightly toned muscles that were pleasing to the eyes.


    ''He obviously hits the gym, '' thought Rachel to herself as she couldn''t help praising him in her heart. But she soon looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks.


    Although it was true that Jack had a great body, that didn''t change the fact that she couldn''t stand sharing the same bed with him.


    As if he hadn''t noticed Rachel''s gaze, Jack poured himself a glass of water and took out his pajamas and entered the walk-in closet.


    However, Rachel was clearly not as comfortable as he was. She waited a while and then strode towards the walk-in closet. She knocked on the door.


    Jack paused for a bit and looked towards the door. "Come in," he said in a deep voice.


    Rachel opened the door and saw that Jack had already changed into his pajamas and was buttoning up in front of the mirror.


    Jack seemed tall and strong, his clothes fit him perfectly as if he was a mannequin. His body seemed incredibly sturdy.


    However, Rachel didn''t have time to appreciate these, she had to talk to Jack about the problem at hand.


    "What is it?" asked Jack as he stared at her inquisitively.


    "Do you know if there''s an extra quilt that I could use tonight?"


    Stunned for a while, Jack realized what Rachel meant. He pursed his thin lips and simply answered, "No."


    After a moment of silence, Rachel suddenly looked up at Jack with pleading eyes as she said, "Jack, let me help you find an excuse to leave the house tonight."


    Jack scrunched his forehead as he glared at her in utter disbelief and sneered, "Are you insane? Why should I leave my home?"


    "Don''t you need to go and talk to Celine?" replied Rachel.


    "That''s none of your business," he said seething.


    Rachel was so angry that she stomped, turned around and walked away. Seeing her like that, Jack frowned. He was about to turn around when she suddenly came back.


    "I''m sorr


    y to trouble you with this," she said.


    Subconsciously, Jack thought about what she said and thought that it definitely wasn''t anything good as he thought to himself.


    "Okay, that''s it!" Catching his attention, Rachel suddenly scratched a straight line on the bed sheet with her hand until she reached the end of the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I hope we can make do with this."


    Jack stood still at the bedside clearly stunned as he looked at Rachel as if she was a monster.


    This was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. This was the first time that when he slept with a woman, she actually drew a deep cross in the middle of the bed.


    Rachel blinked innocently as she looked at him. "Is that okay?" she asked.


    But Jack just cast her a cold glance and didn''t reply. On the thought of this, Rachel felt a little embarrassed as she clenched her fist against her lips and coughed lightly.


    "I sleep in a good manner. Don''t worry, I won''t cross the line. As for you..."


    Before she could finish her words, she saw that Jack lifted the quilt and lay down in the bed. He didn''t say anything to her as if not giving a care in the world.


    Rachel almost clapped her hands when she saw this. If he had acted like this earlier, then she wouldn''t have needed to say such embarrassing nonsense.


    As Rachel went to turn off the lights, she realized that it might be a bit difficult for her to fall asleep tonight.


    Noticing that the other side of the bed beside him had sunk slightly, Jack slowly opened his eyes which were as silent and dark as midnight.


    Rachel slowly pulled the quilt closer to her as she got under the sheets.


    Ten minutes later, Jack still couldn''t fall asleep and wondered whether Rachel had already fallen asleep beside him.


    Half an hour later, Jack opened his eyes again, but this time he turned his body from lying on his back to facing Rachel.


    As he turned his body to face Rachel''s, he could smell a faint and pleasant fragrance coming from her.


    He felt very comfortable and slowly closed his eyes. He hadn''t been in a relationship with any other woman since he got together with Celine.


    But in the end, when Celine found out that he was a married man, she refused to let him touch her no matter what he said to try and coax her.


    "If you really respect me, then you should be fine with not sleeping together until after the divorce." That was what Celine had said to him.


    At that time, Jack had treated Celine as a priceless treasure and agreed with whatever she said.


    As if he had owed her in his previous life, she had owned him during this lifetime. He had never been this obedient to any woman before, but Celine was different.


    Because of her, he had been living a life without sex for five years.


    Who would believe it?


    Under the blanket of the night, Jack flashed a mocking smile silently.


    In fact, Rachel didn''t sleep. She kept her eyes open in the darkness. It wasn''t because she didn''t want to sleep. But every time she closed her eyes in the silence of the night, she could hear the slight breathing not far from her.


    She couldn''t fall asleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt his breathing become heavy as she''d grow scared.


    To distract herself, Rachel turned to her side with her back facing Jack.


    When she thought about it, they had never slept in the same bed before. Rachel couldn''t sleep till it was already dawn.


    Rachel didn''t know that Jack didn''t fall asleep until that time either.


    A couple of hours later, Rachel woke up from her dream still clearly groggy. The first thing she did when she woke up was to reach for her phone on the bedside table.


    Before she reached it she realized that she was not at home, but in the Fu family house. Looking over to the window and seeing the bright sky outside, Rachel turned over and got up. It was already late.


    She took her phone from the bedside table and checked the time, it was almost noon. She suddenly threw back the quilt, got out of bed and quickly took a set of clothes to change into.


    Jack, who was still lying in the bed, was awakened by her sudden movements. He opened his eyes still slightly dreaming.


    All of a sudden, Jack saw the familiar ceiling and heard a familiar voice. It was then that he remembered everything that happened last night.


    Jack kept staring at the ceiling, blinking as he lay unmoving in the bed.


    He listened to the slight movements around him as he lay still. He could hear the sound of running water in the bathroom, then it suddenly stopped and the low voice of a woman was heard as she answered the phone.


    Her voice was as smooth and as melodious as a song on a warm summer morning. "Okay, okay, got it," Rachel said calmly.


    Jack could almost imagine her answer with some sort of serious expression.


    She hung up the phone, and then he could hear the sound of running water again.


    He guessed that Rachel must have been washing her face at that moment.


    After a while, Jack felt bored again. He just stared at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, and then he heard footsteps coming out of the bathroom.


    As he saw Rachel walking out of the bathroom door, Jack couldn''t lie down anymore and sat up from the bed. At this moment, she opened the door and saw him sitting up with his hair and clothes disheveled. There was a slight allure to this sight.


    She suddenly stopped, thinking that she might have woken him up. Rachel looked at him gently and apologetically while putting her index finger against her lips as a gesture. "It''s all right. Go back to sleep."


    He saw the door slowly closing in front of him and Rachel''s face slowly disappearing from his sight.


    He stayed there sitting quietly for a while, and then he decisively lay back down on the bed while pulling the quilt over his body. However, the quilt was filled with a strange but pleasant smell. The same pleasant smell from last night.

 Chapter 18 He Threatened Me

    Jack became fully awake at once. With a frown, he lifted the quilt off himself and got up.


    Rachel didn''t know why nobody in the house had woken them up. When she finally went downstairs, she found the servants cleaning.


    But other than that, the whole house was quiet. "Where are Dad and Mom?" she asked.


    "They went out early in the morning," one of the servants answered.


    It immediately became obvious to Rachel that Jonathan and Tracy were intentionally giving them space. Rachel seldom stayed up late. But since she hadn''t slept until early in the morning, it was not strange that she had overslept.


    But why had Jack gotten up so late? Rachel''s heart was overcome with doubt, but she had no time to ponder over anything. She glanced at the clock and hurriedly called the hospital.


    It was well known among the hospital staff that Rachel never came to work late, nor did she leave early. So, her abnormal behavior over the past few days had attracted the attention of the senior staff.


    Now that Rachel had overslept this morning, she asked for leave, but this only worried Director Yu, who was on the other end of the line. "It doesn''t matter. Do you have any problems at home?"


    Rachel seemed to be in a tough spot these days. Recently, Eric had been admitted to the hospital.


    Then, just a few days after being discharged, he had been admitted again! On top of that, Rachel had already asked for leave yesterday. Naturally, Director Yu was worried that Rachel was facing some kind of trouble.


    However, Rachel quickly assured Director Yu that nothing was wrong and explained that she was asking for leave because she had overslept. Upon hearing this, Director Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them chatted for a few more seconds before hanging up the phone.


    Knowing that Rachel had a strong background, Director Yu gave special treatment to her. Moreover, Rachel was outstanding in her work.


    Bosses liked hard-working employees, and they liked outstanding employees who maintained a low profile even more.


    Rachel had always done a good job, but she had never been greedy or arrogant. This was the reason why everyone got along well with her even though they were envious of her.


    Although Rachel was a little bit aloof, she kept a good relationship with other people.


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel wanted to call Jonathan so that she could leave for the hospital.


    When she was about to dial Jonathan''s number, however, a servant walked up to her and asked, "Mrs. Fu, would you like to have lunch here?"


    Before Rachel could answer, she heard a low voice from behind. "Yes, you can go and prepare."


    Jack walked up to Rachel. "I''ll take you to the hospital after you finish eating."


    His words came as such a surprise to Rachel that she didn''t even try to hide it. Anyway, she had no interest in going with Jack, so she replied, "There''s no need for that. Aren''t you busy? I''ll ask Stuart to take me there."


    "I''m going in the same direction as you are," Jack replied casually.


    The same direction? Where was he going? His company was in the north of the city while her hospital was in the south.


    But seeing that Jack had made up his mind, Rachel didn''t say anything more. If he wanted to be his free chauffeur, she would let him.


    After lunch, Jack started the car and waited for Rachel, who was making a quick phone call.


    Much to his happiness, Jonathan heard from Rachel that his son was taking her to work.


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel got into Jack''s car, internally sighing at the fact that she couldn''t live up to her father-in-law''s goodwill.


    Rachel knew that it would take them nearly an hour to reach the hospital, and she was very full, so she quickly dozed off.


    She had tried to stay awake for a while, but finally, she hadn''t been able to resist. Exhaustion had overcome her and soon, she was sleeping with her head against the window.


    For someone who had a regular lifestyle, her rhythm had been suddenly interrupted. As a consequence, she had fallen into a deep sleep.


    While waiting for the red light, Jack turned his head and saw Rachel quietly leaning her head against the window.


    Her face was as small as his palm, and she had delicate and beautiful features. Her eyelashes were so long that they hid her cold eyes.


    As Jack continued to stare at her, he realized that her skin was as white as milk and flawless, without the slightest trace of a blemish.


    He was so lost in admiring her face that the driver in the car behind him pressed their horn several times before he jerked back to reality.


    Only then did Jack realize that he had unconsciously stretched his hand out to touch Rachel''s face. He frowned and quickly withdrew his hand. Then, with his lips slightly pursed, he drove through the last green light.


    When Rachel finally woke up from her deep sleep and looked around, she realized that she was alone in the car.


    She rubbed her sore neck for a while, and then looked out and realized that she had reached the hospital. Why hadn''t Jack woken her up?


    She unfastened her seatbelt and took a look at her watch. Judging by the time, they must have arrived almost an hour ago!


    When she got out of the car, she saw Jack standing a few steps away with a cigarette between his slender fingers. The thin smoke twisted in the air as it slowly rose up. Upon hearing the sound of the car door, Jack cast a glance at the car, extinguished the cigarette in


    his hand, and threw it into the trash can nearby.


    Rachel calmed down and figured that she should bid him goodbye. When she was about to open her mouth, however, she was interrupted by Jack. "Where is Eric''s ward?" he asked.


    "On the 15th floor. Room 8023."


    "Lead the way."


    ''How does he know that Eric is in the hospital?'' Rachel wondered.


    At that moment, Eric was lying in the bed, feeling bored.


    He didn''t feel like watching a movie to pass the time.


    Just then, his friends called him and asked him to come and hang out with them.


    When Eric told them that he was in the hospital, they cautiously asked if it was because of Celine.


    That day, everyone present had been taught a lesson, especially those who had forced Celine to drink.


    Eric told them the truth without any hesitation. To his surprise, as soon as these friends heard that he was hospitalized because of Celine, they quickly gave an excuse and hung up, afraid that they might get into trouble as well.


    Eric sat there stunned with his phone still pressed to his ear, unable to believe what had just happened. ''Are these people my friends?


    Fuck!'' Before Eric could vent his anger, however, the door of the ward was suddenly opened.


    When he glanced at the door, he was so shocked that he almost fell down from his bed. It was Jack.


    Just before Jack opened the door, he said to Rachel, "You don''t have to come in. I need to talk to him alone."


    Rachel just nodded and said, "He is stupid. Be gentle with him."


    Jack''s mouth twitched, but he didn''t answer and pushed open the door.


    Although Rachel''s words had been vague and simple, Jack had understood her immediately.


    Rachel had hoped that Jack could spread the word to instill fear in Eric, but she had never imagined that he would come here to personally threaten Eric.


    Not long after, Jack steadily walked out of the room.


    The moment he opened the door, Rachel felt as if there was a holy light shining behind him.


    Then, she walked past Jack to enter the ward and saw Eric sitting on the bed in a daze. The bruises on his face had turned black and blue. His hand was wrapped in gauze that he had still not taken off.


    Eric turned around in a panic when he heard footsteps coming in again, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rachel.


    Then, he looked out of the door nervously and whispered to Rachel, "Rachel! Close the door! Close it!"


    Rachel turned around and closed the door as he asked. With a smile on her lips, she thought to herself, ''Poor boy...''


    By the time she turned around, however, the smile on her face had disappeared, and she looked calm and expressionless as usual.


    Eric jumped out of the bed and ran to Rachel. Sounding terrified, he pointed to the door and whispered, "Rachel, why did he come here? Why did he come to my ward?" "Yes, I just saw him.


    What did he say to threaten you?"


    "He threatened me! I..." Eric suddenly stopped and looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know that he threatened me?"


    Rachel put her hands in her pockets and subtly averted her eyes. "I don''t think he came here to have a cup of tea with you," she said sarcastically.


    Scratching his head, Eric murmured, "So you''d believe if I told you that he came here to beat me up?"


    Rachel smiled. "Yes, I trust you."


    Eric''s intention had been to gain some sympathy from Rachel, but when he actually heard her affirmative reply, he was almost enraged to death. He flushed and said, "He threatened me! He said he would kill me!"


    He looked aggrieved, like a bullied child who was complaining to an adult.


    Eric was only 23 years old. He hadn''t completed his university education because he wanted to make money. He was the apple of his parents'' eye, allowed to do whatever he wanted. In the end, his family had forced him to work in this city so that Rachel would be there to take care of him.


    But Rachel had her own set of rules. Unlike her parents, she didn''t allow Eric to do whatever he liked.


    She had found out many of Eric''s shortcomings only after he had come to live with her, but she had patiently talked to him several times about them.


    However, it was like her words went into one of his ears and came out of the other.


    Anyway, Rachel had recently become a little busy with her work and hadn''t had time to take care of Eric. The other day, he had been drinking with his friends, but he had almost had his hands cut off by Jack.


    Rachel wanted to take this opportunity to teach Eric a good lesson so that he wouldn''t mess with Jack again.


    She breathed out slowly, and her face suddenly became deep and serious. She raised her hand and patted Eric on the shoulder as she said, "Eric, I''m not going to lie to you. In this city, the one person you should not offend is Jack. He is ruthless, and everyone knows that. If you really love someone to the extent that you don''t mind losing your life, then you don''t have to listen to me."


    Eric took a moment to register what Rachel was saying. Then, raising his eyebrows in a panic, he said hesitantly, "Is he a gangster?"


    Rachel smiled and patted Eric on the head. "Don''t be silly. He is the heir of the Fu family. How can you think that he is from the underworld? As long as he wants to, he can do much more horrible things than any gangster. Don''t provoke him, especially not by going after his lover. Got it? This is the last time I''ll talk to you about this matter. It''s not as if I like meddling in your affairs."

 Chapter 19 Will You Leave Me

    Recalling that Celine brought him soup a few days ago, Eric was on the verge of breaking down. He had said that he had the courage to compete fairly with Jack. However, after Jack dropped by his ward just now, he was thoroughly crushed. Jack coldly warned him against pursuing Celine.


    Eric stuttered, "He...must be joking, huh? He''s...your husband."


    Curling her lips, Rachel said, "You have seen his cruelty several times. Do you think he will let you go just because you''re my cousin? Just stop it, Eric! Don''t make trouble for me anymore. If you something bad happens to you, I have to commit suicide to apologize to our parents!"


    Eric''s face turned pale. He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Rachel... I''m sorry."


    Again, Rachel patted him on the shoulder and said, "Have a good rest. I''m going back to work now."


    "Okay," replied Eric weakly.


    Since the hospital''s door panel was thin, the room wasn''t soundproof. Jack, who was standing outside, heard clearly their conversation.


    In fact, Jack didn''t take Eric seriously. And, Rachel was right. For them, Eric was just a tool Celine used to irritate him. Eric was never really a threat.


    However, Jack didn''t know what was wrong with him today. In a spur of the moment, he just decided to come here and warned Eric to stop pestering Celine.


    In the end, he attributed it to lack of sleep and dizziness. Subconsciously, Jack touched the cigarette pack and felt the urge to smoke to cheer himself up.


    At that moment, Rachel came out from the ward. Seeing that he was going to smoke, she kindly reminded him, "Hey! Remember, you can''t smoke here."


    Pausing a bit, he returned the cigarette pack back in his pocket. Looking at Rachel for a moment, he suddenly bent forward and whispered with a small smile, "Am I famous for being cruel? Why didn''t I know about it?"


    A little embarrassed, Rachel lowered her head. She knew Jack heard everything.


    Because Eric was still young and inexperienced, it was easy for her to deceive him.


    Admitting that she spoke ill of Jack inside the ward, Rachel cleared her throat and said, "Let''s talk over there."


    Having no objection, Jack followed. Though he didn''t have anything to say anymore, he wanted to hear what she would say.


    Not long after, Jack''s phone rang loudly in the empty corridor.


    It kept ringing since Jack didn''t answer it.


    Rachel just didn''t want Eric to hear whatever she would say. But in reality, she didn''t have anything to tell Jack.


    As she was about to find an excuse to say goodbye, Jack suddenly grabbed her hand. He immediately put something cold into her hand.


    Looking at her hand, she was stunned and didn''t know how to react. Then, Jack said, "I already granted your request. Shouldn''t you do something in return?"


    His phone screen was displaying Celine''s name. Confused, Rachel looked at him.


    A hint of embarrassment flashed across Jack''s face. As briefly as he could, he explained, "As you said that day, she needs a little stimulation."


    Enlightened, Rachel smiled. Putting her free hand inside her pocket, she answered the phone. "Hello."


    At the other end of the line, Celine was stunned for a moment. She thought she dialed a wrong number and checked her phone screen carefully. When she saw that the number was right, she replied angrily, "Who are you? Why do you have Jack''s phone?"


    Looking at the plain tiles at her feet, Rachel smiled again. She slowly replied, "It''s Rachel, Miss Duan. What can I do for you?"


    Suddenly, Rachel heard a glass breaking in the background, followed by Celine''s sharp but slightly quivering voice, "Where is Jack? Why did you answer his phone? What are you two doing?"


    Instinctively, Rachel turned to glance at Jack, who walked with her leisurely and seemed not to listen to their conversation.


    They passed by the window; the sun''s rays shone brightly on his handsome face. It was dazzling, but there was no appreciation of its beauty in his eyes.


    The man Celine loved was so cunning. There was no way she could be a match for him. But it seemed that Jack still couldn''t make her completely fall for him. It was a bit unbelievable.


    Personally, Rachel thought that it wasn''t right for Jack to do this. No matter what, she was his nominal wife, and Celine was his woman. He shouldn''t have let Rachel answer the call.


    Though they both knew his real purpose of asking


    his nominal wife to talk to his mistress, Rachel found it ridiculous to make two women fight for a man. He should solve his problem on his own.


    ''He is asking his wife to help him woo his mistress. How absurd!'' Rachel thought.


    While Rachel was complaining to herself, she answered the phone in disdainful and arrogant tone. "Does it have anything to do with you? It''s none of your business, Miss Duan."


    When Jack turned to look at her, he saw Rachel''s expressionless face, which looked really weird. It looked like she was holding a script and was reading the lines accordingly.


    "Sorry, he''s not here now.


    You want to know his whereabouts? Do I need to tell you?"


    Rachel answered the phone with words full of sarcasm.


    But her face remained deadpan. All of a sudden, Jack was confused. He gave Rachel his phone because he wanted to know if she was willing to help him.


    He wasn''t stupid enough to ask a woman to help him deal with another woman. However, Celine was a pain in the butt lately, so he thought he should give her a lesson.


    And he believed Rachel was the best choice since she proposed this in the first place.


    Not noticing anything, Rachel didn''t see the meaningful eyes boring into her. Celine, on the other hand, was so anxious that she wanted to find Rachel as soon as the girl kept quiet.


    ''What an immature girl!'' Rachel sighed in her mind. However, she was surprised when the phone was snatched away from her hand.


    Before she could react, she saw Jack holding the phone and already moving in the opposite direction.


    Now that he had achieved his goal, he took his phone away. All Rachel could do was just shook her head. Then, she took out her phone and checked the time. Since there was still one hour before her duty, she turned to the direction of her office.


    Just as Rachel expected, Jack took the phone back to coax Celine, who was about to lose her temper.


    At the other end of the line, Celine was about to cry because of Rachel. Then, all of a sudden, she heard Jack''s voice. Her first thought was to vent her anger. However, when she heard his indifferent voice, she started to panic.


    Instead of coaxing her as usual, Jack asked a few questions instead. Hearing him, Celine was completely flustered.


    Relaxing herself, Celine coquettishly poured out her grievances to Jack. After a while, his voice softened.


    "I''m really sorry, Jack. I shouldn''t have treated you like that yesterday. Would you like to spend some time with me today? I will cook for you."


    Jack loved her cooking. However, Celine didn''t like to do it as much because she didn''t like cooking. Moreover, she never went there anymore after learning Jack''s marriage.


    What Celine believed was after Jack ate the food she prepared, he would eat Rachel''s food when he got home.


    To be honest, Celine didn''t believe Jack at all. If there was nothing between him and Rachel, why didn''t they divorce after so many years? What men said were all lies.


    Because she was really mad at Jack, she started acting like a spoiled child, changing her attitude from time to time. When Jack became really angry at her, she would bow down and apologize. This was her tactic.


    Had it been someone else, Jack wouldn''t have been bothered. But he seemed to be obsessed with her.


    However, Celine was getting more and more unreasonable recently. Every time she used this trick, Jack usually gave in.


    They would go to her apartment and eat together. Once the dinner was over, they would settle their issues. And, everything would be back to normal where Jack would hold and kiss her.


    The ever confident Celine believed that Jack would forgive her as easily as before.


    Unexpectedly, Jack said flatly, "I''ll see you next time."


    When Celine heard this, she was so scared. "Jack! I was wrong. Will you leave me?"


    Hearing her cry, Jack could not bear it anymore. He explained, "Don''t think too much. I''m going south for a few days."


    After hanging up the phone, Jack returned to the place where he and Rachel were before. But she was no longer there. ''Where did she go?'' he wondered.


    Checking his phone for Rachel''s number, he discovered he didn''t have it.


    Furthermore, Jack didn''t know where Rachel''s office was.


    Standing still for a while, he suddenly didn''t understand why he was looking for her. Especially now that he had already achieved what he wanted.

 Chapter 20 You Are Well-informed

    After a short moment, Jack turned around and walked toward the elevator.


    As soon as Rachel got back to her office, she started working. It was not until she finished a small surgery that she realized she hadn''t had her dinner yet.


    So, she went upstairs to Eric''s ward and took him out for dinner.


    When Eric suggested visiting his new apartment, Rachel agreed. She had rent an apartment for him a few days ago, but had to terminate the lease contract now. So she paid the fine.


    She rent an apartment in the Times Square for Eric


    because it was near enough to her apartment. She could go and check in on Eric now and then. It would also be easy for her to take care of him if something happened to him.


    When the two of them arrived at the new apartment, Eric smiled broadly. He was very satisfied with the location and the environment of his new apartment. Besides, just thinking about how he would furnish and decorate his apartment made him feel excited.


    Back at home, he had never needed to care about such things. And ever since moving to the city, he had been living in the dormitory of the company, which he hadn''t really had the opportunity to decorate.


    Seeing the apartment, he burst out into happy laughter. Rachel turned away and rolled her eyes, unable to look at him.


    For her part, she had hired a housemaid to clean the apartment, since Eric wouldn''t be here for the time being. Once he had looked around the apartment to his satisfaction, Rachel took him back to the hospital. Then, when they were back at his ward, she removed the bandage and took a look at his wounds. It seemed that it would still take a few more days for him to heal completely. She hired a nurse''s aide to take care of him.


    By the time Rachel finally left the hospital, she was exhausted.


    When she reached her place, however, she received a bad shock: the lights in the house were on.


    For a moment, she was gripped by fear as all the worst-case scenarios rushed through her head. But then she calmed down, realizing that an intruder would not be so conspicuous.


    Besides, this neighborhood was famous for its strict public security. Over the past few years, there had been almost no reports of robberies.


    Nevertheless, Rachel still felt a little uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a wooden club from the garage and walked to the stairs as quietly as she could.


    It seemed that the security door of the staircase was open. Frowning, Rachel took a closer look and found that the door was unlocked, not pried open.


    By now, she had a vague guess as to why the lights were on, but she was not sure. She pushed the door open and went upstairs. When she arrived at the main door, she reached out and twisted the doorknob.


    Just like the security door of the staircase, this door was unlocked. Rachel pushed the door open with the wooden club in her hand and stepped into the house.


    Without changing her shoes like she usually would, she continued walking quietly to the living room, which was brightly lit. As soon as she entered the living room, she saw a man coming down from upstairs.


    Rachel lowered the club in her hand and looked at the figure on the stairs in astonishment. "Why are you here?"


    "I forgot my watch." Jack''s eyes dropped to the club she was holding.


    With a little cough, Rachel awkwardly hid the club behind her. "I thought there was a thief."


    Staring at her with an unfathomable gaze, Jack pursed his lips and nodded slightly, "Well, I have found my watch. I''m leaving now."


    "Okay, then. I won''t walk you out."


    Rachel couldn''t let herself relax until Jack completely disappeared from her sight. Then, she glanced down at the club in her hand, which looked funny all of a sudden.


    Smiling, she went downstairs and put the club back in the garage. Then, she locked the security door of the stairs before heading back into the house.


    The house Rachel lived in was a small, lonely villa with a small garden, a garage, and two floors.


    If a thief had really broken into her house, trying to face him with a wooden club would have been a joke. What would she have been able to do with it? He would have easily been able to kill her with a knife.


    It was fortunate that the person in the house had turned out to be Jack, but Rachel reminded herself to go to the security department the next morning and ask them to check the security system of the house.


    Although this neighborhood rarely reported crimes, it was not a hundred percent safe.


    Meanwhile, Jack left the villa in his car and headed to the Bay Club.


    By the time he arrived, Michael, Marcus, and Henry were already there, along with a lot of people who had shown up for the party. Jack was immediately escorted to a table by a crowd of people.


    He politely refused a cigarette from a stranger and sat down next to Henry. Then, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his strong arms.


    Michael, who was sitting next to them, stood up and took two clean glasses from the goblet shelf. He poured wine into them and handed one of the gl


    asses to Jack.


    As they clinked their glasses, the scarlet liquid rippled gently.


    One of the sharp-eyed women at the party immediately recognized Jack and came up to him, hoping to get close to him.


    Just when she opened her mouth to say something sweet to him, however, she found herself being shoved away. She angrily looked up at the person who had pushed her away and found that it was the CEO of some financial tycoon group. She smiled stiffly at him and left.


    This scene hadn''t gone unnoticed by the other women in the room. When the woman returned to her seat, she was met with a burst of ridicule from the other women.


    She flushed with anger and slammed her glass on the table. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Humph! You don''t dare to compete with me, but you have the guts to laugh at me."


    One of the other women curled her lips and sneered, "Unlike you, we know how to behave ourselves. Everyone knows that Jack only cares about one woman."


    The first woman turned away with extreme disdain on her face, but her heart was filled with jealousy. Those words were absolutely right. Most of the people in the upper circle knew who Jack''s lover was, and that he refused all other women just because of her!


    But so what? He doted on Celine so much, but in the end, it turned out that he already had a wife!


    On the other side of the room, Jack apologized to his friends for arriving late. "Well, I heard your father called you home?" Michael asked after they had both had some wine.


    Jack shot him a cold stare. "You are really well-informed."


    Michael raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Jack. "Your father told me this."


    Jack and Michael were actually family friends. Their fathers had grown up together and gotten married at around the same time.


    In the end, Vernon, Michael''s father, had even bought a house in the same neighborhood as Jack''s family. The two old men would run every morning, have tea, and play Go with each other from time to time. Needless to say, Jack and Michael had grown up together as well.


    Anyway, Jack didn''t find it odd at all that his father had told Michael about his visit. Perhaps his father couldn''t resist showing off his son''s marriage right away. "Hey, is there any chance of something happening between you and Rachel?" Michael asked in a low voice.


    Hearing this question, Jack frowned and changed the topic. "Don''t ask such boring questions. I will be away for a while on a business trip. Help me take care of Celine."


    At this, Michael wrinkled his brows. He knew Celine very well and didn''t like her at all!


    She was too wilful.


    After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Is she mad at you again?"


    With an almost invisible smile playing at the corners of his mouth, Jack stayed silent. At this moment, Marcus cut in and held out his glass of wine to Jack. "Cheers!"


    Jack lifted his own glass and gently clinked it against Marcus''.


    "Dr. Shen, an ultrasound has to be performed."


    "Okay." Rachel flipped through the patient''s medical record and took notes. Without raising her head, she said, "Get me a glass of water and the prescription for relieving inflammation of the patient who came in yesterday. Reduce the quantity."


    "Okay. Dr. Shen, will you join us for dinner after work?"


    Rachel was about to say yes when her phone rang. She put down her pen and answered the call. "Hello, this is Rachel."


    The city seemed to favor rain in the early spring season. These days, the weather was always wet and cold. By the time night fell and the lights flickered on, the pavements were completely wet with rain, with dark moss on one side.


    Soon, it was time for Rachel to get off work, so she packed up her things. At that moment, Eric kept calling her on the phone to tell her that he was hungry.


    Sighing, she went to the lounge and took off her gown. Then, she washed her hands, sanitized herself, and put her coat back on.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Rachel hadn''t closed the door behind her.


    Before she could leave the lounge, she heard a soft female voice coming from outside asking, "Excuse me, is Dr. Shen in?"


    At a cafe


    "Please enjoy your coffee," the waiter said.


    Rachel thanked him gently. Meanwhile, Celine''s eyes fell on Rachel''s long fingers. Rachel leisurely took a sip of coffee with a calm expression on her face.


    Looking at herself in the glass reflection of the window, Celine saw a woman who was uneasy. She was biting her lips with a humble and pitiful expression on her face.


    The very next moment, she pinched her thigh under the table, trying to look as generous and elegant as Rachel instead of weak and pathetic.


    However, a person''s temperament was cultivated from childhood, so Celine could not pretend to be as tough as she wanted to. In the end, she straightened her back in an attempt to look more confident.


    The whole time, Rachel pretended that she didn''t see all the strange expressions on Celine''s face. She thought that she had guessed it right. Her stimulation worked.

 Chapter 21 Ill Get Even With You For This

    Rachel was in no hurry, draining the coffee leisurely like a lioness stalking her prey, waiting to pounce. Although it was Celine who''d taken upon herself to ask Rachel for a talk, it seemed that it would be Rachel who''d take matters into her own hands and initiate a conversation.


    Celine pinched her thigh under the table again.


    She dared to be willful in front of Jack because of how he''d spoiled her. But her antics fell short in front of Rachel, for Rachel was Jack''s lawfully wedded wife.


    Even though Jack had proclaimed that his marriage was in name only, Celine still felt ashamed of herself in front of his wife.


    ''That is going to change today, '' Celine thought to herself.


    ''Rachel is Jack''s legal spouse. But he doesn''t love her at all. He loves me!''


    At the thought of this, Celine felt more confident. Looking at Rachel, she tried to adjust her mood and looked as leisurely as Rachel.


    Celine failed to notice how ridiculous she looked in Rachel''s eyes.


    "Rachel, I need to tell you something."


    Rachel sat back and observed Celine steadily. Raising her chin ever so slightly, she simply said, "Go on."


    Celine felt her composure slipping, and she felt dismayed as her confidence left her under Rachel''s piercing gaze.


    Celine threw away all the plates and asked, "Rachel, tell me, what on earth is your relationship with Jack?"


    Rachel smiled, "Miss Duan, don''t you know that we are a couple?"


    Hearing the word "couple" jolted Celine. She exclaimed in annoyance, "Jack said it! He doesn''t love you, nor do you love him!"


    Rachel smiled, "Every man who is unfaithful to his wife gives the same reason to his mistress. Miss Duan, don''t you know that?"


    Celine felt at a loss of words, caught off guard she couldn''t seem to refute Rachel. She inhaled sharply and hurled her question at Rachel like an accusation. "What kind of a couple are you? How many times do the two of you meet? Does he love you? Are you aware that he has been sleeping with me all these year, Mrs Fu?" Celine mockingly pronounced the last two words, as if daring Rachel to respond.


    Rachel''s smile faded slowly from her lips in disdain as she looked at Celine. She wondered how Jack could have such bad taste.


    Celine was so childlike that it was ridiculous. Celine never seemed to be sure of herself.


    Rachel pitied Celine. She wondered why Jack had thrown such a naive kitten her way and let her torture it at will.


    Rachel waited for Celine''s tirade to end and her smile vanished, making Celine feel smug about herself. She felt as if her words had somehow made Rachel suffer.


    Suddenly, Rachel gave her an uncharacteristic sneer.


    Celine''s face paled and she felt like she was humiliated. Clenching her fists and drowning her anger, she inquired in an even tone, "What are you laughing at?"


    Rachel shook her head. "Go on. What''s your point? Even if it''s true that he has been sleeping with you, so what?"


    Rachel pronounced the words haughtily and stood up, picking her bag from the table, and she collected her things to leave. She looked down at Celine in a scornful stare, using the height to her advantage.


    Her next words were going to shock Celine to her very core. She said, " As long as my name and his appear beside each other on the wedding certificate, you will always stay a mere mistress."


    Celine''s face distorted as Rachel''s words washed over her. She wished to cover her ears and block out Rachel''s voice but felt immobilized, her arms hung loosely by her sides.


    Rachel didn''t stop and continued, "Don''t kick yourself. Jack has had a lot of mistresses till now, but I think you might''ve been his favorite so far.


    I''m going to leave you with a bit of advice, Miss Duan. He can have as many mistresses as he wants." Rachel sneered at Celine with malice. Leaning down, she went on saying, "As long as I don''t want a divorce, I''ll remain his only wife. Oh, right, I don''t have to love him. I can have a child with him, and we can have an open marriage. So, you''d better be careful about what you say. Please don''t contact me again."


    After that, Rachel picked up her bag and departed, not even sparing Celine a second glance.


    Celine remained sitting stiffly in her seat. Her face was pale as if a sudden blow had struck her.


    What Rachel wasn''t aware of was the fact that she''d struck at Celine''s weak


    ness right before she left.


    Celine had been with Jack for nearly five years.


    In the past five years, Rachel''s existence had been like a thorn in her flesh.


    Ever since she found out that Jack was married, Celine''s world crumbled around her.


    Celine was born in a poor family. Before she met Jack, she was just an ordinary waitress in a hotel.


    Even their courtship felt surreal like the prince meets Cinderella. When he began to shower her with interest, Celine was unaware that he was the CEO of the MK Group.


    After they got together, she thought that he wasn''t serious, but then he''d gone extra lengths for her time and time again.


    The courtship felt tumultuous to Celine, marred by self-deprecation and diffidence on her part. And when things became better, she discovered from a friend that Jack was committed.


    Celine wasn''t aware of the special situation between Jack and Rachel and initially felt heartbroken. Her fairy tale had been violently ripped from her arms.


    Jack and Celine quarreled over it. After explaining his relationship with Rachel, he promised to get a divorce. Celine begrudgingly gave in and they got back together again.


    But days turned into months, and then years, but Jack never got a divorce.


    He never met or slept with his wife, though.


    Rachel never caught onto Celine. With Jack''s extra attention and love, Celine felt less aware and uncomfortable with being a mistress. He had professed his love to her and sworn that he had never been intimate with Rachel.


    This made Celine feel better. She felt confident that Rachel didn''t amount to a wife because they weren''t in love. Sooner or later, Jack would leave Rachel for her. However, occasionally, Celine would overhear gossips at her expense accusing her as a homewrecker, the accusations saddened her.


    But recently it seemed that Jack had been cold to her. She drank herself silly in the bar the other day and caused a raucous, desperately seeking his attention. She wanted to hear Jack that he loved her and indulge her in every way possible.


    However, had Celine known that her plan would create complications in her life by frequent appearances from Rachel, she would''ve thought twice about it.


    Jack left her and went to visit his family with his wife. She had called him again and again but to no avail. Then suddenly, Rachel had picked up her call, and Celine found herself talking to Jack''s wife.


    Celine panicked, She wasn''t intimidated by other women, but Rachel was his wife. Blessed with a stable mind, clear skin and good stature. Everyone in his family liked Rachel.


    Jack could love Celine all he wanted; she would still remain a mistress.


    Celine sat in her seat quietly, unaware of her surroundings. Rachel had hurt her deeply. She always felt that Jack''s bond with her was fragile, and the possibility of losing him now terrified her.


    She stood up from her seat with a weary sigh, feeling tired. With a drooping face and moist eyes, she departed from the cafe silently.


    Both women were unaware that their meeting had been photographed by someone from a distance.


    Rachel hoped that Celine was smart enough to understand what she had said; otherwise this meeting would''ve just been a sorry waste of words.


    A smart woman knows not to confront another woman because of a man, but to go after her man instead.


    Rachel didn''t expect Jack to call her that night.


    When the phone rang, and she picked it up, she found herself on the line with her husband. "Rachel! What did you say to her today?"


    Hearing the fury in his tone surprised her. It took her a few seconds to realize that the voice indeed was Jack''s. It seemed that she was to blame for what had transpired during the meeting.


    "Why don''t you ask Celine?" Rachel responded in disgust.


    At the other end of the phone, Jack paced in anger, clutching the phone tightly till his knuckles screamed in protest. He had Celine''s whereabouts traced through a private investigator who sent him the pictures of Rachel and Celine in a cafe.


    Then, Celine had called to break up with him over the phone. Jack had tried to reach her over the phone, but she hadn''t been picking up his calls.


    Jack could not tolerate it anymore; he felt he''d had enough. He snapped and called Rachel.


    "Rachel, I''ll get even with you for this after I come back."

 Chapter 22 Got Slapped

    What Jack said made Rachel red with rage, as if somebody had slapped her. Both of them hung up at the same time.


    She took a deep breath trying to calm down, but instead let out a forced laughter. ''What is wrong with me? Why should I get involved in this sort of thing in the first place?


    This is insane!'' she thought.


    After all she had done for him, his mistress felt wronged and he immediately called her to lash at her. Rachel regretted offering to help him.


    Her sullen mood made her want to just doze off. She was about to lift the quilt when her phone lit up, breaking the darkness in her lonely room.


    The sound of the unending vibration and the sight of a familiar phone number made Rachel''s heart beat faster. She slid the screen and answered the call.


    From the other end of the line, a gentle voice she hadn''t heard for so long filled in the silence of the night. "Rachel, were you asleep?"


    As if the sound of his voice put her in a daze, Rachel blinked her eyes twice to make sure she wasn''t dreaming. "Not yet," she quickly replied.


    "That''s great. I was afraid I''d woken you up." His gentle voice hinted of listlessness. "It''s three o''clock in the afternoon here. I just got off work."


    "You sound really busy," Rachel remarked, noticing the tiredness in his tone. "Please take care and get some rest."


    He chuckled, "I''m fine. I had a surgery today, that''s why I''m a little tired.


    By the way, I will be back in a week."


    Rachel''s eyes widened. "Really?"


    "Hmm." The joy and surprise in Rachel''s voice lighted him up, as if all fatigue in his body had suddenly escaped. "Give me one more week."


    Devoid of any emotion, Jack instructed his secretary to buy an air ticket for him as soon as possible so he could go and check on Celine. He had been calling her repeatedly, but her phone was off.


    He closed his eyes as his fist clenched around his phone.


    Cooling down, he once again rang his secretary to take his order back. "Forget it. Don''t book the ticket. The schedule is still arranged as usual."


    The calmness in his tone surprised even Austin Lin, his secretary. "Have you already...?" Austin Lin started but soon trailed off. After all, this was Jack''s private matter.


    "I''ll call off the air ticket now."


    "Austin." Jack raised his hand and rubbed the crease between his eyebrows. "Is it true that I often behave like this lately?"


    "What?" Flustered, Austin didn''t know how to respond to his boss''s sudden question.


    "Have I been like this lately? Is it because of her?"


    Austin kept silent for a while, trying to weigh in his words and how dangerous the topic could get. "Mr. Fu, can I ask you something?"


    "Go ahead."


    "Have you been having quarrels with Miss Duan?"


    Jack fell into silence. Celine had been stirring up his anger lately, and he would inevitably bring his anger to work.


    They had been having such fights for the past six months and it was always him who would compromise.


    As if losing his balance while on the height of these thoughts, he pounded the handrail of the stairs with his fist, careful not to make any sound that Austin might hear from the other side of the line. After seconds of silence, Jack managed to answer in a low voice, "I have brought my personal emotions to work recently. I''m sorry."


    "It''s okay, Mr. Fu. There''s no need to apologize," said Austin, sensing the heaviness of the atmosphere.


    After a long chat with her friend, Rachel was about to lie down and sleep when her mobile phone buzzed again. A message came up.


    "I''m sorry for tonight''s phone call. I was emotionally unstable. Please forgive me."


    Rachel gripped her phone tightly, squinted, and stared at it closer. She checked the message''s log once more to make sure that she was not having illusions. Indeed, the message was from Jack.


    As much as the message surprised her, she had no idea what he was thinking.


    After what happened, an apology was totally useless. Rachel always thought that people should always think thrice before acting.


    Jack apologizing after hurting Rachel''s feelings made her feel ridiculous. She decided to ignore the message.


    She made up her mind. She would no more interfere with the relationship between Jack and his woman. If he decided to make trouble for Eric, she would find another way to deal with it.


    After returning from his four-day business trip, Jack asked the driver to send him back to his apartment.


    Celine sprang up from the sofa and rushed toward the door as soon as she heard someone coming. She had been drunk and home alone ever since she decided to break up with Jack on impulse.


    Her


    phone had since been off because she knew that he would call. That night, she didn''t want to see him. She didn''t want to hear his voice either.


    That night, she felt nothing but resentment. She hated Rachel. She couldn''t forgive Jack. It was hard for her to believe he loved her after putting her in such position.


    When she saw a dozen missed calls the next morning, resentment turned into regret, but nobody called again. Not even a single message from Jack.


    Regret turned into panic. She called Jack to apologize, but his indifferent attitude made her worry.


    Nobody would tell her when Jack would come home, so she decided to wait for him in his apartment.


    As he saw her standing right before him, Jack''s eyes glittered. With pursed lips, he asked, "What brings you here?"


    Celine had been holding back a lot of words she wanted to say, but Jack''s cold glare and nonchalant words made her tears rush down instead. "I can''t come?" Her voice cracked as she tried to hide her pain. "Okay, I''ll leave now."


    Jack reached out and held her by her shoulder. "Stop it." He let out a deep breath and continued, "I didn''t mean that. When did you come?"


    Seeing Celine''s tears, Jack couldn''t help but feel his heart ache. He could never endure seeing her grief.


    Celine knew this very well. She carefully lowered her attitude and tried pleasing him. She graciously ran into the kitchen to make him a bowl of noodles.


    The wound on Eric''s hand finally healed a few days after. It was time for him to check out from the hospital. Coincidentally, today was the day Lea was coming back.


    As soon as Lea set foot on her motherland, she couldn''t wait to call Rachel.


    The sight of a beautiful airline stewardess dragging her suitcase and laughing while on a phone call made passersby turn their heads.


    Lea''s tall figure and gorgeous face were enough to catch everyone''s attention. She did not care, though, as she was too deep into the call. She only hung up until she left the airport.


    Lea hailed a taxi and put her luggage into the trunk. After telling the driver her home address, she called Rachel.


    Rachel and Eric were picking up his daily necessities in the supermarket when Lea called. Rachel asked Eric to check what he needed and excused herself.


    As soon as the phone was connected, a series of loud kisses came to Rachel''s ears, nonstop and cheerfully. Lea flooded her eardrums with cheesy words that made Rachel smile and giggle.


    "Honey! Sweetheart! My love! I''m back! Did you miss me?" Lea''s voice was loud, full of vitality like sunshine.


    Even her cab driver was surprised, secretly glancing at her through the rearview mirror.


    After the first round of exclusive love confession from Lea, Rachel couldn''t stop laughing. "You''re back? Where are you?"


    For two months, Lea had been abroad limiting the times they could meet. They missed each other very much.


    Like a bird out of a cage, Lea kept talking nonstop along the way. Rachel did, too, considering how she seldom like talking.


    As soon as Lea arrived at her house, she got out of the car and took out her luggage. She shuffled over her things trying to find her keys, her phone tucked in the middle of her left ear and left shoulder. "Anyway, we should go out for dinner tonight."


    On the other line, Rachel glanced at Eric and said, "I''m helping Eric to move out so I''m going to have dinner in his house tonight. Would you like to come over?"


    "Where are you?" asked Lea.


    "Around the Times Square."


    "It''s not far. There are many restaurants over there. I just got back from holiday, can''t you let me have a good meal?"


    Rachel chuckled, "Fine, come here."


    Lea opened the door and came in dragging her suitcase. "Tell Eric to come with us. I haven''t seen that handsome boy for a long time."


    After the girls hung up, Eric, who was clueless, couldn''t help but ask, "Who was that?"


    "My friend, Lea."


    His eyebrows raised as he heard the name from Rachel. "That beautiful airline stewardess?"


    Rachel nodded. "You''re lucky. She asked us out for a meal," she said.


    "That''s exactly what I wanted!"


    The three agreed to meet an hour later in an elegant restaurant around Eric''s residence estate. Sitting there waiting for Lea made him nervous. He raised his head and looked around from time to time. "Would she be here soon?"


    Rachel leaned against the wall, picked up a glass, and took a sip. "Why are you in such a hurry?"


    But as soon as Rachel finished her words, Eric suddenly stood up from his seat, stretched out his neck, and pointed into the direction in front of her. "Lea! That is her, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 23 Have You Got A Fever

    Rachel looked at the direction he pointed to. They were just in a position to see the people that would come in and out of the restaurant. She noticed a beautiful woman in a white coat just behind the door, who stood tall and elegant as she asked the waiter.


    A smile played at the corners of her mouth. She tilted her head a little and said, "Here she comes."


    Following the waiter, Lea walked until familiar faces became recognizable. Her eyes almost glittered from excitement, she beckoned with joy.


    Rachel''s face brightened up with a warm smile, but Eric surprised her when he reacted more intensely than she did. He stood up when Lea came close and gave her a warm hug.


    Lea stood still for a second, almost frozen. Her eyes widened from the shock. But she recovered quickly and hugged him back. Eric said to her flatteringly, "Beautiful Lea, how come you become more and more beautiful?"


    Lea''s mood brightened up entirely after she heard Eric''s compliments. She patted him on the head and said, "You are so sweet, young man."


    "That''s what he says when he sees beautiful women," Rachel butted in to give Eric a hard time.


    Eric, who was caught off guard, protested, "Rachel! How can you say that?"


    "Alright, alright!" Lea tried to mediate the two. "Oh please! I enjoy hearing our handsome young man praise me. Rachel, give me a hug."


    Rachel smirked a little and stood up to hug the woman with open arms.


    "Welcome back!"


    It had been months since Lea left.


    Although it was the first day of her holiday, her heart was not something that could be satisfied with just a meal.


    After dinner, Lea didn''t wait long to take them to a bar.


    Rachel didn''t like these kinds of places very much, but Lea and Eric preferred a lively place. She didn''t have any option left but to go with them.


    In Rachel''s eyes, it seemed like all the bars were the same. Even the atmosphere was similar in all of them, except for the decorations.


    After they entered the door, waves of rock and roll music that had flooded the room welcomed them. The deeper they got inside the bar, the crazier the vibrations became. Even the air shivered with music from inside out.


    Lea was so thrilled that she almost cried out. The bar was so lively that it seemed like some festival.


    Rachel tucked her hands inside her pockets and followed them silently. Her eyes wandered and a cold expression isolated her from the crowd.


    If she was ice, then Lea was fire. Strangely, the two were best friends.


    Lea belonged in such a place. She let her hair down, which was tied up in a ponytail. Eric was dazzled while he watched her take her coat off that revealed a stunning black vest.


    His eyes carefully watched her from the bare shoulders to her breasts, and down to her fair and flat stomach.


    And then she walked gracefully in front of him. Her slim and well-defined waist resembled a fairy''s. Eric fought the urge to throw himself at her.


    When she looked at him with her eyes, every cell in his body trembled and begged to make out with her, but he didn''t dare to.


    Lea turned her head back, her hair angled in a flawless arc. She smiled as if to say that she was ready to party, then handed Rachel her coat.


    She put a hand on her lips and blew Rachel a kiss. She winked at her and said, "Babe, I''ll leave my coat in your care."


    Rachel pursed her lips, holding Lea''s coat. On the other side, Lea was on the bar counter. She waited for the waiter to attend to her, and when he did, she pulled herself closer to his ear and asked for a seat.


    The waiter nodded and walked forward to help them find a seat. He beckoned them to follow him.


    Rachel followed them as she looked at the distant lights. The more they went inside, the more the vibration overwhelmed them.


    The music was loud, the crowd was wild, the lights were crazy, and the dim spaces that the lights passed occasionally were the best protection for all of the people.


    They went through the crowd of beautiful ladies that did not seem to tire from all of their dances. When the waiter stopped to walk and beckoned them to their seat, they thanked him before they sat down.


    But as they rolled through the crowd, Lea and Rachel caught the attention of other people in the bar that whistled to them. People were very thrilled and enthusiastic. The night was warm and wild, but Rachel wasn''t.


    Rachel''s job probably had something to do with her attitude. She didn''t like to be on such occasions where alcohol put them together like a pack of wild animals.


    The scent of perfume filled the room. It looked smaller than it really was because everythi


    ng was compressed. The awful sight looked like a virus in Rachel''s eyes.


    Knowing the fact that Rachel would not enjoy as she would, Lea specially asked for a quieter corner. It didn''t matter to her that Rachel wouldn''t dance and party, but the fact the Rachel was there to be with her made her happy already.


    Rachel wouldn''t do anything she didn''t like for anyone else''s sake, but Lea was an exception.


    They went into the bar right after dinner, so when the waiter gave them the menu and asked for their order, they didn''t consider to add any more dishes but drinks.


    Rachel asked Lea to order for them. In high spirits, Lea happily joined the waiter to look at the menu and the alcohol list.


    Rachel put Lea''s coat on the sofa, but when she turned her back, her attentive eyes passed Eric. His eyes were very bright under the dim light. Rachel was surprised, so she reached her hand reflectively and asked, "What''s wrong with your eyes?"


    She was surprised even more when she touched Eric. "Have you got a fever?"


    Eric took her hand embarrassedly and said, "No..."


    "No? Come on, let me check." Rachel refused to pull her hand back. So before Eric could say anything else, she touched his forehead and frowned in confusion, "It''s not hot."


    Lea, who had finished ordering drinks, came back to their company and saw their reactions. She asked, "What''s the matter?"


    Eric was startled and shocked. He immediately pulled Rachel''s hand off his face. His eyes inadvertently glanced over Lea, and suddenly, his face burned even more. He answered, "Nothing."


    Lea didn''t catch his eyes on her, but Rachel did. Rachel tried to grasp the situation. She looked at Lea and admired her for a bit before she realized what was going on with Eric.


    Rachel decided to pull back and rubbed her nose in amusement. She wanted to laugh at Eric for being shy.


    Eric was utterly embarrassed. He didn''t expect Lea to be this fit and sexy.


    The ladies were never quiet since the wine and snacks came. They just wouldn''t let a silent second pass by. Lea even leaned closer to Rachel to have a more tolerable conversation in the midst of the chaotic room.


    They talked about the things Lea encountered while she flew around the world and the exotic bars she liked. She thought that the quiet country pubs in Germany were not for her.


    Lea loved the hustle and bustle. As soon as this remark came out, Eric agreed with her.


    Lea and Eric couldn''t sit still any longer, so they stood up together to dance. Rachel was left alone.


    Lea jumped in the crowd like a fish in the sea, and Eric, who totally forgot his scar, couldn''t even remember how he was pressed on a bar floor by Jack''s people just ten days ago. He almost lost his hand.


    He was having a good time.


    Rachel, on the other hand, stayed in her seat silently. But no matter how cold she was, she couldn''t prevent others when they took the initiative to come up and talk to her.


    The girl was as pure as a lotus flower. This impression flashed in his mind when a man came over. He was stunned when he saw Rachel''s pretty face.


    At first, he thought that she was specially dressed in this style to attract men like him. The women in the bar were dressed innocently, but they would flirt with almost man in there.


    The man watched her for a while, and it turned out that Rachel had sat there for a long time without moving. She was just there, concentrated on her phone.


    ''What''s wrong with her? Who comes to a bar to play on her phone?'' he thought before he picked up his glass and approached Rachel.


    Rachel, who was focused on her mobile phone with a lowered head, felt someone sit beside her, right when she was just about to pass the level of the game. She lifted her head and saw a stranger next to her.


    She instinctively said, "Sir, you are in the wrong seat."


    The man smiled charmingly, raised his hand for a toast, and confidently answered, "Miss, I just want to get to know you."


    "Sorry. I want to be alone." Rachel''s eyebrows deepened. Her tone was almost irritated, but she forced a smile.


    The man blinked as if he didn''t get what Rachel just said. He looked dangerous to her, and she hated the way he looked at her.


    He didn''t go anywhere. He sat there with a smile and he just looked at Rachel, amused. He asked, "Aren''t you bored sitting here alone?"


    Rachel''s displeasure was obvious. "I''m sorry. You can just go and look for other people that would want to talk. I want to be alone."


    The man scoffed at her judgingly. He lifted his glass in annoyance and said, "You''re in a bar full of people, and yet you want to be alone?"

 Chapter 24 Danger

    There were no other words to describe it. It was disgusting.


    It was impossible for Rachel to stay polite. With a disgusted expression, she took up Lea''s coat, stood up and walked out without saying a word.


    "Hey!" the man called out, getting up to pull her back. He hadn''t expected Rachel to act like this.


    Rachel nimbly dodged out of his grasp. She turned around and sneered at him, and looking him up and down. "I''ve had enough of this," she said, with icy-cold hostility. "I don''t want anything more to do with you. Don''t you dare take a step closer."


    "Damn it!" Several different emotions passed through his face as he stared fiercely at Rachel. "You bitch! You''re going to regret this!"


    Rachel clutched Lea''s coat more tightly in her hand as she leveled her gaze with his. When he was out of sight, she took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself.


    One of the reasons why she hated this place so much was that with so many people gathered together in one place like a can of sardines, it was easy to get on each other''s nerves. What was more, when alcohol was brought into the equation it worked everyone up, making matters even worse.


    Men who had lost their sober self-control had two things in common: They would behave more arrogantly, and they were raging with testosterone.


    After Rachel finally calmed down, she sat back with a sigh. She then raised her hand impatiently to glance at her watch.


    The last time she came here with Lea, she had been approached by strangers countless times. She was only able to drive them away by rejecting them unambiguously.


    They had not intended to go to a bar with that sort of bad crowd. Even though it was a fairly high-end bar, it was full of dodgy men.


    It wasn''t a good place to go if you just wanted to be left alone. No matter how classy the bar might appear to be, there was never any guarantee of classy customers.


    There are always plenty of boors and morons in this world, the sort of losers who like to play toy with women whenever they find an opportunity to do so, as if they think that the world is theirs.


    Shortly after that unpleasant scene, Rachel ran into some more trouble.


    It happened when Rachel went to the bathroom. Turning around, she sensed that something was wrong.


    She lowered her eyes and hurried up. Unsurprisingly, someone behind her kept pace.


    Rachel had no time to escape. She was blocked in the middle. She looked warily at the stranger in front of her and stepped backward.


    He smiled stiffly and said, "Ms. Shen, don''t walk backward. There''s someone behind you."


    Rachel turned around and found there was another man in black, at the end of the corridor. She was trapped.


    Hearing that he addressed her by name, Rachel''s face darkened. How did he know her?


    She made a strong effort to calm down. "I''m sorry. What can I do for you?"


    The man still looked coldly at her with his poker face. He forced a smile and said, "Our boss wants to see you."


    "Excuse me, who is your boss?" Rachel put her hands in her pockets and fumbled for her phone. But unlike the old Nokia, she couldn''t press the unlock code on this damn smartphone without looking at it.


    Why did these creeps want? Rachel was extremely nervous, and her emotion showed clearly on her face. The stranger saw it, and he said in a low voice, "Don''t worry, my boss only wants to see you. He will do you no harm."


    Rachel took a deep breath and looked at the man in front of her. "May I know your boss''s name?" she asked. "It makes no sense for me to visit someone without knowing who he is."


    Surprise flashed through the man''s eyes. He didn''t expect her to have such a sharp mind in such a situation.


    He kept silent for a while and said, "Our boss is Mr. Fu''s friend and he doesn''t mean to harm you. He just wants to ask you to have a chat with him."


    Hearing that, Rachel''s face became a little more serious. What the hell? Were they using her to get to Jack?


    She collected herself and said, "really? But I''m afraid I don''t know Mr. Fu very well, let alone his friend.


    Thank you for the invitation. I''m afraid this is rather awkward. I will inform Mr. Fu when I see him."


    As soon as Rachel said that, there was a look of uncertainty on the face of the man before her. She knew that it was not a good day, and that it wouldn''t be easy to get out of this.


    As she expected, the man facing her slowly revealed his anger, staring at her rudely, and said, "Ms. Shen, don''t make it difficult for us. We''re just here to have a chat. If you cooperate, we promise not to do anything. I hope you won''t make things difficult for me. I''m so sorry."


    Rachel''s eyes suddenly flashed with alarm when she saw the cold light of the man''s knife. She pursed her lips as a shadow of fear crossing her heart.


    At that moment, she made a surge of effort to be tough-minded. She knew she wouldn''t get out of this by being weak.


    She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and it occurred to Rachel that it was a waste of time talking with them or trying to be polite.


    Rachel suddenly regretted that she had never learned any self-defense or martial arts. Her brain raced for a way to save herself.


    She opened her eyes and said calmly, "Let''s go."


    She didn''t believe a single word said by the man in front of her. She planned to shake him off and rush away from him into the crowd.


    Unfortunately, her little plan was anticipated by the men around her.


    When Rachel agreed to leave, the man behind her quickly came up. The two of them sandwiched her, one on the left and the other on the right. A chill crept up her spine.


    She tried to calm down and communicate with them. "What are you doing? I have been cooperating."


    However, the men next to Rachel responded to her with a little expression of mockery, and they kept two sharp knives against her waist.


    Obviously, they didn''t believe her. "Please just cooperate with us," said one of them.


    Rachel knew that if she showed any resistance,


    both of them would kill her. Her intuition made her sure of this.


    She really cursed herself for going to this bar. It was the worst mistake she ever made!


    Holding her in their arms, they walked her towards the door. Rachel was still unwilling to give up. She had an idea of crying for help when they reached outside.


    However, they turned right and walked into a quiet corridor with few people.


    It was a little far away from the noisy dance hall. Few people came there. There were just two couples talking in a low voices on the corner.


    The strange sight of the men walking closely together with one woman between them seemed strange to the couples there. But when they saw the nonchalant faces of both men, they turned their glances away.


    Rachel had no choice but to follow them stiffly and go up the stairs.


    She didn''t know where the two were taking her, nor did she know who their so-called boss was.


    Rachel was still trying to pull herself together and calm down, so that she could find a way to get out of this situation.


    They led her to a private room on the second floor. Before they entered the room, Rachel looked around to see if there was a sign hanging outside.


    But there was no time to look carefully. The man behind her extended his long arm and opened the door. Then he led her into the room. When she went in, the lights from the ceiling lamps shot straight at her face. She involuntarily closed her eyes.


    Just as they went in, the music stopped. When Rachel opened her eyes again, she saw several pairs of eyes staring at her.


    They were like monsters dancing wildly in a cave. When they saw their prey enter the cave, they all stopped in unison and stared greedily at their prey.


    The man behind Rachel gave her a gentle push, and her heart was pounding wildly. She walked forward, feeling more nervous with every step. Within just two or three steps, her back was already drenched in cold sweat.


    Several people were on the sofa, with the position of their bodies contorted and askew. The air was hard to breathe. With its mixture of perfume, alcohol, and smoke, it was like a suffocating poison.


    The lights in the room were already so dim, and more so when they even turned off the revolving lamp. From where Rachel stood, it was impossible to see their faces clearly.


    However, she could intuitively sense their hostile intentions. Rachel was like a little animal that had accidentally fallen into a trap, so it was useless for her to struggle. She had fallen into their net.


    Rachel fidgeted slightly, but stopped moving forward. She stood stiffly and breathed heavily, looking warily at several people in front of her whom she couldn''t recognize.


    After a short while, the dangerous tension in the air was broken. In the dark, someone lowered his head and lit a cigarette. Then he played with a lighter and burst into laughter. "Is this the way how you treat our guest? It seems that this lady is scared. Come on, turn on the light."


    The soft light was turned back on, and the room was lit up. There were about five or six people sitting on the sofa, who all looked at Rachel with inscrutable eyes.


    Some smiled, some had poker faces, and some just observed the drama. Rachel fixed her eyes on the man on the far right, who had a cigarette between his fingers.


    The man who had spoken first in the darkness finally showed his face. What Rachel saw was a narrow face topped by a buzz cut, with a foxlike twinkle in his long and narrow eyes. He slowly stood up from the sofa.


    He was tall and slim, similar to a model. Wearing a smoky gray sweater, his collar was unfastened casually, and the necklace around his neck slid down into the depths of the collar.


    He gazed at Rachel with a mysterious smile on his face. He picked up the cigarette in his mouth and bent over to put out the cigarette in the ashtray.


    The room was in dead silence, and the man''s sudden voice was so abrupt.


    He exhaled a light smoke from his mouth, glanced at Rachel, and walked over to her. He looked down at her with a contemptuous smile on his lips. "Ms. Shen?"

 Chapter 25 Got Angry

    Rachel tightened her fist inside her pocket. After a moment, she nodded and replied, "Yes."


    Suddenly, Hiram turned a cold glare at the two people who pressed her from behind and ordered, "Take your knives away from her! Don''t you know how to treat a woman gently? See how you''re scaring Miss Shen!"


    Rachel frowned, her eyes flashing with anger.


    "Yes, Mr. Yi."


    His two subordinates obeyed him. They immediately withdrew their sharp knives away from Rachel''s waist.


    Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Hiram clapped his hands, and the two men behind Rachel left the room quietly.


    "I''m so terribly sorry if they scared you. Please have a seat."


    Rachel was disgusted by his courtesy, but she was still quite worried. She wondered whether the man in front of her was up to something fishy, or just "wanted to talk."


    Still unsure of her safety, but unable to ask for help, Rachel wisely and quickly decided to obey him. She said "Thanks" to him calmly, without allowing her face to reveal her feelings.


    The other people on the sofa were all staring at her. Rachel''s face still looked calm, but her heart was full of anxiety. She chose a seat at the side and sat down.


    At that moment, those people suddenly exchanged mysterious glances and smiles with each other.


    Although Hiram seemed to be intrigued by something about her, Rachel turned a blind eye to him.


    Her hands, still in the pockets, were sweating.


    The man sank down into a seat next to her. Rachel gave him a slight frown.


    He crossed his legs casually and snapped his fingers to the quiet crowd, saying, "What are you doing? Come on! Continue with your own business!"


    With that order, the almost motionless crowd stirred. When the light in the room went down, the colored lamps hanging from the ceiling began to revolve again.


    Someone picked up the microphone, clicked the music on the screen and continued singing. The wave of heart-rending music that filled the room almost made Rachel''s ears burst.


    Some of them began drinking, laughing and clanking their bottles together; smoke soon reached the tip of her nose.


    No one paid any attention to her, even Hiram. A sexy woman soon came over, and he joined her.


    Rachel was like an invisible ghost in the room. She didn''t dare to make a move. After all, that two men wouldn''t have forced her to come with knives just to keep her sitting here.


    And so, Rachel kept still and did nothing, waiting for a chance to call for help when Hiram wasn''t paying attention.


    However, the man didn''t give Rachel the option of waiting patiently. In his eyes, she seemed to be too cool and calm for such a long time, with no outward sign of fear or anxiety.


    Rachel didn''t even intend to ask Hiram why he asked his people to take her here. Leaning against the large sofa, Hiram looked at her with his long and narrow eyes, with a cigarette dangling between his lips.


    The sexy woman was lying on Hiram''s chest. She called his name three times, but he made no response. Following his eyes, she saw the woman who had been sitting there since she came in.


    She pouted and said in a spoiled voice, "Hiram! You''re making me jealous! Who are you looking at? I am talking to you. Don''t you hear me?"


    With a wicked smile at the corners of his mouth, Hiram took the cigarette out of his mouth with his long fingers. Then he lowered his head and puffed smoke in the woman''s face, which made her writhe in his arms. As she coughed softly, she pushed his chest reproachfully. "Hiram! What are you doing?"


    Hiram patted her on the face and said impatiently, "Go away and play with other people."


    The woman refuse to obey and twisted against him like a snake. "No..."


    "Be good..." He prolonged his tone and slightly narrowed his eyes with a cold glint. The woman perceived that he was in a bad mood that day, and that he had no interest in flirting with her. So she stood up and left with a gloomy expression.


    This scene was observed by all the people present, but they just pretended not to see while they kept drinking and singing.


    Rachel closed her eyes. She felt as if the thick and stuffy air in the room would make her explode. She was afraid that if the situation became desperate, she would have to fight this man fiercely.


    She thought to herself repeatedly, ''Life is precious. Life is precious. Life is precious.''


    Suddenly, someone put a strange hand on her shoulder. Rachel turned her head suspiciously. She saw that it was Hiram. He laughed and said, "Miss Shen, aren''t you bored of sitting here?"


    Rachel''s mouth was twitching with strain and anxiety. All of a sudden, she heard a very disdainful, sneering voice from a corner of the private room. "Hiram, she is putting on an act! But the truth is that she will be hornier than anyone if you can subdue her!"


    Hearing the voice, Rachel felt that the hairs on her back were literally standing on end. She turned her eyes in the direction of the voice, and saw a man sitting on the sofa opposite her. She had seen him before.


    It was the man who had tried to hit on her downstairs just a moment ago. Rachel''s mouth twitched under this provocation. She thought, ''Did Hiram come to me because of my relationship with Jack, or is it because that man wanted some revenge against me?''


    When the man saw Rachel looking at him, he returned her glance with an arrogant grin. He looked as vicious as a snake with his wicked eyes.


    "Harry, it''s none of your business," said Hiram suddenly.


    There were whispers of laughter from the crowd. Apparently Harry Lin, being scolded by Hiram, felt embarrassed. But he didn''t dare to look back at Hiram, so he just sat there with a long face.


    After that, Hiram turned his attention back to Rachel and said suddenly, "Miss Shen, please have a drink with me."


    Rachel smiled and refused frankly, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I''m allergic to alcohol."


    "You have an allergy to alcohol, but you came to the bar?" said Hiram, rolling his eyes and laughing. He rubbed Rachel''s shoulder with his hand, whether deliberately or unintentionally.


    Blue veins stood out on Rachel''s forehead. She endured the discomfort and pulled his hand off her shoulder. Then she said to him coldly, "I came here with my friends."


    "Really?" Hiram was not annoyed by what she did. He simply leaned over and poured wine into the glass. "Miss Shen, you have friends here? How about inviting them to have a talk?" he said as if they were old friends,


    Rachel suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Sure, why don''t we go downstairs to meet my friends?"


    Hiram picked up several blocks of ice on the crystal plate and dropped them into his glass, while a beautiful bar-girl promptly picked up a bottle of wine to serve him.


    Hearing Rachel''s suggestion, he seemed to be surprised. He turned around and looked at her. Then, suddenly, he laughed and said, "That''s a great idea."


    The bar-girl on the side poured the wine until his glass was four-fifths full, and Hiram waved his hand for her to stop.


    With his glass in his hand, Hiram approached Rachel with a frightening smile on his face. He said, "Excellent idea. But at the moment, I have to wait for someone. We can go downstairs later."


    Rachel took a deep breath and turned her head away from him. She could no longer keep her poker face as before. "Please just leave me alone."


    "Hey, are you angry?"


    Hiram appeared to be fascinated by her, as if he had discovered a new world. Then he came over again. Rachel felt so provoked that she almost couldn''t resist smashing his head with the bottle on the table.


    Fortunately for him, the door was suddenly opened.


    The person who walked in had a straight and elegant figure. The people who were dancing suddenly stood still and kept quiet.


    The man''s sharp black eyes flashed through the gloom. Suddenly, he fixed his eyes on a man and a woman sitting on a sofa at the outer side of the room.


    It was Jack!


    Rachel had never been more relieved to see Jack than she felt at that moment. Compared to how she felt, Hiram, who was as dangerous and nasty as a cheetah, felt terrible and sprang to his feet.


    His smile faded away, and his eyes lost their boldness, as if his face was covered by a thin layer of frost. In a casual voice, he said, "Well, well. Mr. Fu, you''re finally here."


    Finally, Rachel wouldn''t need to suffer through this torture anymore. She stood up and Jack came over to her at the same time.


    Hiram was unhappy to see this, but Rachel didn''t look at him at all. She just went straight to Jack. After they looked at each other, he put his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against his body. Then Jack whispered in her ear, "Michael is outside. Go out and look for him first."


    Rachel nodded without saying a word. Jack released her, and she walked out of the room without looking back.


    Only when she stepped out of the door did the gnawing fear in her heart finally disperse.


    Michael was indeed waiting outside. When he saw Rachel coming out, he strode forward and cursed, "Fuck! That shameless son of a bitch. How dare he trap you like that?"


    As there was no light on, Michael couldn''t see Rachel''s pale face clearly. She just shook her head and replied, "It was nothing."


    Michael wanted to ask her why she was here, but he thought it was unnecessary now. He said, "Don''t worry. Jack will definitely make them pay for this. He won''t let you suffer that humiliation without revenge."


    Rachel suddenly sneered. Her beautiful glazed eyes were full of sarcasm. "If I didn''t know that Jack is the president of MK Group, I might think of him as a gangster boss. Is Jack accustomed to taking violent action when women are concerned?"


    After saying that, she walked away without waiting for Michael to respond. He was stunned by her unexpected scorn.


    He couldn''t understand what Rachel meant by those words. Her unaccountable anger made him dumbfounded.


    ''What did she mean by that?''


    Michael strode forward to catch up to her, and grabbed her by the arm. "Hey! Rachel, explain yourself! You were not bullied by us. Why should you be angry at us after we saved you from them?"


    Michael had a quick temper. He couldn''t tolerate being treated unjustly, or being misunderstood by others!


    Rachel pulled her arm out from his hand and said coldly, "I don''t know what I should thank you for. It was because of Jack that these people took me here. Don''t you realize that? What would have happened to me if he hadn''t come? I just don''t understand why I should be involved in Jack''s business."

 Chapter 26 What Kind Of Husband Is He

    Michael clenched his teeth in anger and asked, "Rachel, how could you be so ungrateful? Did Jack know you would be taken away by them? Did he want someone to threaten him with you?


    It seems that we were wrong to come here. Or maybe I should blame you for coming to the bar and causing trouble for Jack. Oh, by the way, I think this matter has something to do with Eric. Last time, Jack taught a lesson to the guys who bullied Celine, and one of them is Hiram''s brother. Isn''t Eric his friend? Why didn''t you get mad at him?"


    Rachel gasped as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her head. A few moments ago when she was with Hiram, a mixture of panic, disgust, and irritation had swirled inside her, but she had suppressed those emotions. She hadn''t dared to vent them on Hiram in case he retaliated violently. But after coming out, she had vented them on Michael in a disrespectful way.


    Moreover, Rachel had felt a confusing mix of joy and hatred the moment she had seen Jack. And when Michael had said that Jack would revenge her, those emotions had turned into extreme embarrassment instead. She didn''t want to be treated like Jack''s woman because she knew that she wasn''t.


    Suddenly, the fact that Jack had bruised and beaten up Eric for Celine came rushing back to her. Remembering this, Rachel couldn''t help but sneer at Jack in her mind. She couldn''t believe that Jack would take revenge on Hiram just like he had done to Eric.


    Ever since being publicly humiliated by Jack, she had stayed away from his affairs. However, today, he had more or less come to her rescue, assaulting her pride.


    Rachel was filled with contempt at the thought of being on par with Celine. Unable to take these feelings out on Hiram, or Jack for that matter, she had said such harsh words to Michael instead.


    ''What is the relationship between me and Jack?'' she wondered.


    Anyway, Michael was right. She had no reason or right to be angry at Jack. All he did was show his care for her, but she repaid him with words equivalent to a slap in the face.


    Now that she had somewhat calmed down, Rachel felt ashamed and annoyed at herself. She closed her eyes and apologized to Michael, "I''m sorry. What I said was too much. Thank you for coming."


    Michael snorted. He wasn''t going to turn around and be nice to Rachel again just because she had realized her mistake. "I don''t need your apology. And it''s none of my business. After all, you''re Jack''s wife," he said coldly.


    Feeling embarrassed, Rachel pursed her lips stiffly and apologized again, "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry. I didn''t control myself just now. Please forgive me."


    Michael turned his head to look downstairs without saying anything, but he thought to himself, ''This woman has some conscience after all.''


    Standing opposite Michael, Rachel wanted to leave, but she felt like it would be a bad move if she did. He hadn''t responded to her, which meant he still hadn''t forgiven her. If she turned around and left now, he would think that her apology hadn''t been sincere.


    At that moment, she was luckily saved by the bell as her phone rang. She took it out from her pocket and found that she was getting a call from Lea. Internally heaving a sigh of relief, she turned around and took a few steps away to answer the phone.


    Michael shifted his gaze to her back and heard Rachel coolly answering the phone in a clear voice.


    "I''m upstairs, on the second floor.


    Well...I''m with a friend.


    Don''t bother. I''ll be right down." Upon hearing this, Michael frowned.


    It seemed that Rachel had come to this bar with some friends.


    So why had she ended up being taken to Hiram''s room alone?


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel turned around and saw Michael leaning against the handrail with his eyebrows raised. "You came here with friends?" he asked.


    Rachel nodded. "They''re downstairs."


    "Then why were you upstairs alone?"


    "I went to the bathroom and was kidnapped when I came out." Rachel didn''t want to stay here any longer, so she added, "I really want to thank you for helping me out. Otherwise...I would have had a really hard time. Anyway, I''m leaving now."


    When she turned around to go downstairs, she suddenly heard Michael shout, "Hey, Rachel, Jack is actually a good man. Don''t think so ill of him."


    Rachel stopped in her tracks and shot Michael a strange look.


    Jack was a good man? Anyway, it was none of her business. She had never thought very ill of Jack, nor had she had a good impression of him.


    After having fun on the dance floor, Lea and Eric found that Rachel wasn''t in her seat. They didn''t know that Rachel had gone upstairs and been put through hell for about twenty minutes.


    If Jack hadn''t considered Rachel important to him, Hiram wouldn''t have spared her today.


    When Lea couldn''t find Rachel, she called her number and talked to her. After a while, Rachel returned. Lea and Eric both didn''t notice that there was something wrong with her expression.


    "Why did you go upstairs?" L


    ea asked.


    Rachel didn''t answer this question. Instead, she said, "Lea, I''m not feeling well. Let''s go home."


    Finally, a hint of worry appeared on Eric''s face. He walked over to Rachel and touched her forehead to check the temperature. "What''s wrong, Rachel?"


    Rachel tilted her head to avoid him. "I''m not sick."


    ''Rachel doesn''t like it here. Well, even though I haven''t had much fun yet, I can come here whenever I want. I''m on vacation anyway. There''s no hurry, '' Lea thought to herself considerately.


    Seeing that Rachel was about to leave, she leaned over and grabbed her jacket from the couch. Then, she put it on and zipped it close. "Okay, let''s go."


    The three of them had just stepped out of the bar when Rachel''s phone rang again. This time, she was getting a call from Jack.


    Rachel hadn''t saved his phone number in her contact list, but she had received several calls from him in the past few days, so she was familiar with it.


    After hesitating for a while, she finally answered the phone. "Hello."


    Jack said something, but there was so much noise on his end of the line that Rachel couldn''t hear him clearly. "Huh?"


    "Where are you? I have something to tell you," Jack repeated.


    "I''m outside the bar."


    "Okay, wait a minute."


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel raised her hand to touch her forehead in disbelief. She couldn''t understand why she had become a lot more involved in her relationship with Jack recently.


    "Who is it? A friend?" asked Lea.


    Rachel glanced at Eric and said, "It was Jack. He asked me to wait for him here."


    Eric''s face turned pale in fright. "H-he''s here too?" he stuttered.


    "Yes." Rachel patted his back and added, "Don''t worry. He''s not here to cause you any trouble."


    Eric looked as if there was something stuck in his throat, nearly choking him to death. Jack was the last person he wanted to see right now.


    He was both afraid of and hated his brother-in-law.


    As for Lea, she thought the name Jack sounded very familiar. Who was this man?


    Suddenly, she raised her head in shock and blurted out, "Jack Fu! Your husband!" Her voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of a few passersby. Rachel reached out and covered Lea''s mouth with her hand.


    "Yes, but keep it down!


    Don''t yell!"


    "What kind of husband is he?" Eric mumbled scornfully.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you guys suddenly in touch?" Lea asked curiously.


    Too many things had happened in recent days, so Rachel said, "I''ll tell you about it later. It''s not convenient to talk about it now."


    ''Things seem to be tricky, '' Lea thought, but on the outside, she just nodded to Rachel.


    In fact, she didn''t have a good impression of Rachel''s legal husband at all. She had known Rachel for almost ten years, but it was only when she had seen Rachel on TV attending a charity event with the president of MK Group that she found out that Rachel had been married!


    Naturally, she was furious that Rachel had been hiding such a big thing from her.


    In the end, Rachel had no choice but to tell Lea the whole story. Rachel had lost her parents when she was a kid. Then she lived with the Fu family and didn''t move out until she was 18 years old.


    She had married Jack to pay off some favors and because it was one of the last wishes of Jack''s grandfather.


    But ever since then, the relationship between Rachel and Jack had been purely legal. They hadn''t even fulfilled their marital responsibilities to each other. After having a private discussion, they had decided that if either of them found a lover in the future, they could ask for a divorce.


    However, Jonathan seemed to have guessed their thoughts and told them that he would not allow them to get a divorce.


    When Lea had found out about this, she wanted to rush to the Fu family''s house right away to argue with Jonathan, but Rachel stopped her.


    After that, she had just passively listened to Rachel''s stories without trying to interfere in her marriage. The best she could do was to give Rachel some advice on it.


    Recently, though, after joining another airline company, she had become very busy and hadn''t had the chance to catch up with Rachel much. In her eyes, although Rachel was married, she was no different from a single woman.


    In fact, if Rachel hadn''t mentioned Jack, Lea wouldn''t even have remembered his existence. But today, to her surprise, things seemed to have changed.


    Rachel, Eric, and Lea waited at the entrance of the bar for a while. A few minutes later, Jack walked out, followed by Michael. As soon as Jack stepped out, he looked around and found Rachel at a glance.


    Meanwhile, Eric''s face darkened at the sight of Jack and the other man, who had also been there on the day when Jack had tried to cut his hand off.


    Gripped by fear, Eric unconsciously took a step back.


    There was nothing more embarrassing and awkward for him than this moment. ''My enemy is my brother-in-law, and I don''t dare to do anything to him," he thought bitterly.

 Chapter 27 Implicated Without Reason

    ''You piece of shit!'' Eric cursed himself in his heart and trod slowly, hoping to disappear completely behind Rachel.


    Jack was greeted by a queer countenance on Eric''s face as he drifted past Rachel. Ignoring the strange expression, he pointed towards his watch and asked Rachel, "Rachel, do you wish to go back?"


    Rachel took a deep breath, and then she blurted, "Well, yes. And, thank you."


    Jack frowned slightly and said, "You don''t have to thank me, ever. And by the way, Hiram didn''t do anything to you, did he?"


    Lea''s ears perked up as she heard Jack''s words. "What happened?" she inquired. She wore a perplexed expression on her face as she threw a cautious look towards Jack and Rachel simultaneously.


    Michael, who was standing right behind Jack, was amazed by Lea''s delicate features. He waggishly started whistling.


    Lea was bewildered by his actions. As soon as Michael felt her burning eyes on him, he started whistling even louder. ''Just wow! I wonder how a girl like Rachel friends with such an alluring person, '' Michael thought and chuckled to himself.


    When Eric, who previously wished to disappear off the face of the earth, witnessed the ongoing events, his face turned a darker shade of red. He bellowed at Michael, "Shut up or else you''ll face my wrath."


    Michael smiled slyly as he saw the look on Eric''s face. "Oh, it''s you."


    He then threw a casual glance at Eric''s hand as he raised his eyebrows in astonishment and uttered, "Is your hand still attached to your body?"


    "I swear!"


    "Michael!" Eric and Jack yelled at the same instant, but Jack''s hoarse voice clearly trumped Eric''s. Michael looked over his shoulder in astonishment.


    "Don''t mess around with him," Jack said aloofly.


    With a dubious expression, Michael made an unimpressive effort of saluting Eric and said sarcastically, "My apologies, boy."


    "You bastard!" exclaimed Eric, as he clenched his fists in utter rage. "Who do you think you are? I am not a kid, you moron!"


    "I shall have none of this anymore!" Rachel stated affirmatively as she pulled Eric back. Lea joined the duo, and she tried to comfort Eric. "Don''t worry, we won''t be talking to this man anymore," she said in absolute disgust.


    Soon Jack had Rachel''s undivided attention to him as she questioned, "Is there anything you wish to tell me, Jack?"


    Jack threw her a serene look and said, "Do you want to go back with me or not? I''ll gladly give you a ride."


    "No, thanks for the offer, but we¡­" Rachel stuttered.


    "Let''s go, my car is nearby. I''ll give you a ride," Jack insisted. He locked eyes with Rachel expecting her to agree with his demands.


    Rachel was quite fazed by his constant bidding. She wondered whether it was appropriate to discuss the matter at hand with Lea and Eric here.


    "Thanks, Jack, but I won''t be able to go with you as I am heading towards my parents'' house," Lea stated, her voice filled with exasperation.


    "Lea¡­" Rachel muttered absentmindedly. Lea briskly rotated her cell phone in between her fingers and said, "Give me a call when you get home."


    "Alright." Rachel then contemplated what Lea said, and the true meaning of her subtle words came to her like an epiphany. She made a mental note of calling Lea later to apprise her of the happenings.


    Eric had already made up his mind of leaving with Lea. But before he could join her, Jack threw a dirty look towards him and stated affirmatively, "You are going with us."


    Eric was dumbfounded by what Jack said. He locked eyes with him refusing to back down. But then, he gave in to his fear and reluctantly agreed to follow Jack into the car.


    Jack''s every action from there onward raised red flags. Out of the blue, he said, "Rachel, come and sit in the front seat."


    Eric was as helpless as a baby as he watched Rachel riding shotgun with Jack. He stood motionless as Rachel opened the front door of the car and got in.


    He pondered over his next move but couldn''t come up with any solutions. He had no choice but to sit in the back seat of the car. The idea of sharing the car seat with a person other than Rachel did not amuse Eric at all.


    He was about to jump inside of the car when he heard a man yelling barbarically, "You better get in soon, boy. Or else some misfortune might befall you."


    Eric froze, and a chill ran down his spine as he heard these unsettling words. He promptly got in the car. Fortunately for him, the seat of the Land Rover was sizeable enough for two people to be sitting on either side and would still have enough space in between them as to avoid any unnecessary contact.


    Michael, who was also accompanying them for the journey, was amused by Eric''s reaction. He wondered how the personalities of the siblings could be so contrasting to each other.


    As Jack steered the car out of the parking lot and onto the road, Rachel reminded him, "Can we drive Eric home first? He lives near the Times Square."


    Jack threw her a long look and then muttered, "Okay."


    Eric was quite relieved when he heard Rachel''s voice. He wanted to shed a tear of joy but maintained his composure, nonetheless.


    The remainder of the journey was met by an awkward silence as no one uttered a word.


    Suddenly, Rachel recollected what Michael earlier said. He informed her that Eric might have had something to do with Hiram abducting her.


    She considered herself quite fortunate as she had safely gotten away from Hiram.


    She knew all the ins and outs of how the society operated after she had closely witnessed the extent human beings could go to quench their thirst of worldly desires, and heard some rumors that were quite hard to swallow.


    She kn


    ew that she had to be cautious. After all, the occurrence of recent events almost cost Eric his hand.


    Rachel was convinced that Jack allowed Eric to leave solely based on the fact that he was her cousin.


    Hiram''s people who forced her to go to him liked to play with fire, and thus, weren''t the ones who did things by the book. Rachel was clear that these men wouldn''t let her off.


    She was sure that hadn''t Jack come here today, she would have been at Hiram''s mercy and would have been forced to do his unjust bidding.


    Fortunately for her, it all turned out just fine.


    Rachel made a promise to herself that she''d never step foot inside any bar ever again.


    Jack, in his head, recalled the happenings of the tiring day. He pondered the motive behind Hiram''s preposterous actions and thus, deduced that his vexation towards him might have been based on his conduct towards his so-called cousin. He was also assured that whatever Michael had said was correct.


    Jack also contemplated over the fact that Hiram''s cousin was one of the people who had forced Celine to drink. He chuckled to himself when he thought about how he had punished Eric that night. Not only Eric, but he also made an example of Hiram''s cousin.


    Before long, Hiram''s cousin and MK Group went neck to neck and bid for the same site.


    But Jack had a trick or two up his sleeves. He, with his shenanigans, made sure that Hiram''s cousin would lose the bidding war.


    This enraged Hiram. Although it seemed as if Hiram''s cousin was the brain behind the bidding, it was actually Hiram who was pulling strings, even though he had other businesses to attend to.


    Hiram had everything under control and devised an effective plan to win the bidding war. It wasn''t even in his wildest dreams that Jack would sabotage his perfect plan.


    He had yearned to acquire that piece of land for a long time. When he found out that Jack had stolen the property from right under his nose, he swore vengeance. Although he was enraged with Jack, he arbitrated that the latter didn''t beat his cousin for nothing.


    After learning the whole story, Hiram found it quite difficult to swallow his anger towards Jack. Though his cousin bullied Jack''s woman, Jack beating his cousin was something that he couldn''t bear.


    Jack was told that Hiram was a vengeful man who was quite ruthless. His barbarity lay no bounds when he was aroused. He was also informed to avoid dealing with a man like Hiram.


    At first, Jack paid no heed to the people who warned him about Hiram. But he was flabbergasted when Hiram sent him a message.


    The message was a picture of an elegant woman, who was sitting in a secluded corner of a bar.


    Before he could figure out the motive behind this abrupt message, he received a call from Hiram who said, "What a strange coincidence! I saw Ms. Shen in the bar. Does she happen to be your wife? Anyway, I''m inviting her over for some drinks. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"


    Jack was unaware as to how to react to what Hiram had said. Without uttering a word, he ended the call.


    It was by chance that Hiram decided to pick on Rachel. One of his friends accosted her, but she turned down the man. Then the man took her pictures with the sole intent of malice towards her before he went upstairs in a fit of rage.


    Those pictures were seen by Hiram, who somehow recognized Rachel. Identifying an excellent opportunity of dealing with Jack, he called upon the men who were going to teach her a lesson, and asked them not to hurt her.


    Rachel had no idea what had happened. Otherwise, she would have broken out in a cold sweat. Jack''s presence enabled her to barely escape Hiram''s evil clutches.


    They were about to reach the Times Square when Jack broke the ice and asked, "So, are you working these days?"


    Rachel, who was absentmindedly gazing at the scenery, said, "Yes, I am."


    Before Jack could ask another question, Eric pointed at a spot and muttered, "There! You can drop me off on the side of the road."


    But as he felt Jack''s eyes gleaming at him menacingly through the rear-view mirror, he succumbed back to his seat and zipped his lips.


    As soon as Jack stopped the car, Eric instantly went for the handle of the door and pushed the door open. He then jumped out of the vehicle and bade Rachel farewell before he trod as fast as his legs would carry him and disappeared into the dark night.


    Witnessing Eric''s abrupt departure, Michael burst into laughter and remarked, "Rachel, you and your cousin are total opposites."


    Rachel ignored what Michael had said and continued to gaze outside the car window. Jack was aware that it was unwise to stop the car here. He immediately drove away down the road.


    Suddenly, Rachel felt worn out. The events of the day left her debilitated. She couldn''t wait to jump into her cozy, warm bed.


    "Jack, what is it that you wish to ask me?" she inquired.


    Jack didn''t respond at first, but then he said in a low voice, "Take good care of yourself, especially in these days. If you find someone stalking you or if you find yourself in hot water, just give me a call."


    Rachel was left speechless. She asked, "Why, what is happening? Why will someone stalk me?"


    "The person who took you upstairs is Hiram Yi. I have had a problem with him. He is an absolute savage and would waste no chance of harming you. Just be careful."


    Jack''s words turned Rachel''s blood cold. She let out a sigh of exasperation and said, "Why can''t you work things out once and for all?"


    Jack didn''t reply at first and continued to drive. Then he looked at her and said, "Do you really think that I am from the underworld?"

 Chapter 28 A Very Proud Celine

    Pursing her lips, Rachel didn''t want to have anything to do with Jack, especially when it would compromise her safety.


    However, things were out of her control and this made her depressed. "We have to think of a solution, right? Can you guarantee my safety if he sends someone to follow me again? I don''t think paying attention is enough."


    Jack and Michael fell silent. What Rachel said was right. They didn''t know Hiram that well. But there was one thing they were sure of¡ªHiram was so narrow-minded that he would do anything to retaliate.


    For now, Jack was able to temporarily solve the problem, for Hiram couldn''t stop him from leaving. However, before he left, Hiram had said, "Mrs. Fu looks very interesting. If you have time, let''s have tea together. Don''t forget to bring her with you."


    What Hiram said alerted Jack. He knew that there was an underlying meaning beneath those words. He just couldn''t point out what exactly they meant. Were they a threat or a mock?


    Since Jack felt that there was a meaning behind Hiram''s words, he thought it would be better to warn Rachel. But her question made him think.


    After a while, he offered, "I''ll arrange two bodyguards to go with you."


    Controlling herself not to rub her forehead, she refused at once. "There''s no need for bodyguards. Just find out the root of the trouble and solve it. If that happens, I will be grateful."


    "Okay," Jack flatly replied.


    Then, Jack drove Rachel home. After she got out of the car, Michael transferred to the passenger seat. He thoughtfully said, "Hiram should not dare lay his hands on Rachel in public."


    "We really need to be alert. What if that guy hires someone to do his dirty deed?"


    Teasing Jack, Michael replied smilingly, "Since you''re worried, why don''t you protect her yourself?"


    Jack glanced at him coldly. But Michael wasn''t afraid of him. Urging Jack, Michael continued, "She is your wife. If anything happens to her, what will you tell your father?"


    "I''ll arrange for more bodyguards to protect her."


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk! How can you be so ruthless! Would you sit still if it was Celine being threatened like this?"


    With eyes flashing, Jack impatiently said, "They''re different."


    With that answer, Michael kept silent for a while. Then, curling his lips, he suddenly uttered, "I really don''t know what''s so good about Celine. Rachel is far better than her."


    Jack knew that Michael disliked Celine. Before, he occasionally expressed his opinion of her. But lately, Michael complained a lot.


    With his relationship to the two, one being his buddy and the other being his woman, Jack was now in a dilemma on how to deal with them.


    "Celine is just a little willful She''s not that bad."


    As the saying went, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." Even if there were more shortcomings on the part of that woman, Jack couldn''t see them. When Michael heard that, he pulled a long face and said, "How many years do you plan to be a monk?"


    All of a sudden, different emotions flashed in Jack''s eyes. He felt his heart being stabbed several times. The speed of his driving turned slower and slower.


    Then, his handsome face gradually became cold. "How did you know this?"


    For Celine''s sake, he didn''t touch any woman. Anyone who learned about it would think it was unbelievable since it was Jack. Others might even think that he was a man loyal to his woman.


    However, he didn''t want this to be known by the outsiders.


    Otherwise, he would lose face.


    Although Jack was willing to do it because of his love for Celine, he couldn''t bear anyone else knowing this matter.


    This was like an announcement telling everyone that he was unable to deal with his woman. As a man, he couldn''t endure this kind of speculation.


    In his understanding, no one else knew anything about the intimate affairs between him and Celine. So, when Michael mentioned this, Jack felt betrayed and humiliated.


    "How did you know?" Jack questioned him. He knew in his heart that it was just between him and Celine. And, he never told anyone else. How could Michael know about it?


    The answer was so obvious. It was right in his face.


    Seeing Jack''s face darkening, Michael realized that he had said something wrong. He didn''t answer anymore.


    When Jack saw a parking lot, he slowed down and finally stopped. He was determined to ask Michael about it.


    Rubbing his chin with his index finger, Michael regretted mentioning it


    . Jack, on the other hand, was so angry. Michael could see it in his cold narrowed eyes and tightened jaw.


    "Just tell me, where did you hear that?"


    Actually, Jack was angry because Celine told others about their private matters. But Michael was confused with Jack''s sudden change that he thought Jack was angry with him.


    Immediately, Michael blurted, "Alright, alright! Stop acting like this. Rest assured, I won''t talk about your relationship with Celine anymore. Okay? There''s no need to stop here. Drive me home now."


    Sighing, Jack said, "Look, I don''t blame you at all. I just want to know where you heard that."


    Understanding what he meant, Michael thought for a while. Then, hesitatingly, he asked, "Are you saying that this was confidential?"


    "Of course!" Jack''s face became very gloomy. Who would spread anything about their sex life? He gave so much importance to their privacy, but he never thought that the woman he loved would cross the line.


    ''Who spread it? Where did I hear it?'' Judging from Jack''s expression, Michael learned that he didn''t know people already knew it a long time ago.


    For the love of his life, Jack lived a monk''s life, which became Celine''s asset to show off.


    That was what Michael thought. Women always competed with each other and tended to show off.


    Stretching his legs, Michael sighed and explained, "My last girlfriend told me that. Many women know this. And, Celine is very proud of it."


    Face darkening even more, Jack curled his lips in mockery and echoed, "Proud?!"


    Looking at the falling rain splashing on the windshield, Michael pursed his lips. "I really don''t think Celine is a good woman. She''s so troublesome. I think you better end your relationship as soon as possible."


    With a gloomy face, Jack leaned on the back of his seat and said, "I know what I''m doing."


    However, as soon as Michael started talking, he wouldn''t stop. "Think, how long do you think she can wait for you?"


    Celine was the woman Jack loved the most. He felt guilty for keeping his marriage a secret from her at the beginning. He was willing to marry Celine after divorcing Rachel and was so sincere about it.


    But his father didn''t allow him to break up with Rachel. Since then, Jack treated Celine much better by tolerating her tantrums, especially after the girl learned of his marriage. He knew she was upset, so he was more patient and understanding.


    Moreover, he was thinking of a way to make Rachel be willing to divorce him without his parents'' meddling.


    However, people''s patience had a limit. Both of them were waiting for the right time. The more restless Celine became, the more troubles she made. Considering those as tortures, Jack was slowly losing his patience.


    Right at the moment, Jack felt as if fire and ice were crushing his heart. He became more agitated after hearing Michael''s question. With wrinkled forehead, Jack seriously said, "I will solve the problem. Don''t worry anymore with what happened between us."


    ''Did Jack just ask me to shut up?'' Michael became irritated. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, you better handle that."


    Completely immersed in the darkness, Jack kept silent and pursed his lips.


    When Rachel arrived home, the first thing she did was take a shower to wash off the smell of smoke and alcohol on her body. That was the only way for her to feel totally refreshed.


    Nobody thought that somebody would follow her and that such a bad thing would happen to her in the bar.


    When Rachel thought about it, she felt her head ache. After washing up, she helped herself with a warm water and sat on the sofa in the living room.


    Remembering Lea, Rachel called her. Lea immediately answered the phone when she saw Rachel''s name flashing on her phone.


    "Are you home now?"


    "Yes, I am." Drinking the glass of warm water in her hand, the water ran down her throat and made her feel more comfortable.


    "Are you alright? Why is Jack looking for you?"


    Putting the glass on the table, Rachel explained everything that happened in the bar. She never hid anything from Lea.


    Rachel told Lea that she met a guy who had a grudge against Jack. Then, he led her upstairs to talk. Not long after, Jack appeared and rescued her.


    A few seconds of silence had passed at the other end of the line. Then, Lea yelled, "What did you say?! You were abducted! You didn''t tell me that?!" Lea''s screams became louder and louder.


    Rachel was almost deaf.

 Chapter 29 This Is A Special Case

    Hearing the tone of Lea''s voice, Rachel sighed. Deep inside, she understood her feeling of surprise of anger. "Really, it was nothing serious. I was about to tell you, but then Jack suddenly showed up," Rachel said, trying to assure her, Lea clutched her phone tightly as she recalled the moment Rachel mentioned feeling sick and wanting to leave the bar. She heaved a heavy sigh and felt her anger gear towards herself. ''How could I be so careless and did not notice that anything was wrong with her?''


    She had thought Rachel wanted to go home because she was not comfortable with the environment there in the bar. As a matter of fact, when she was gone to the dance floor, Rachel was even abducted.


    Thinking about all these just fueled Lea''s rage and fear. If Eric hadn''t gone back to grab something to eat, then they would not have realized that Rachel was already gone from their spot.


    In the meantime, she felt even more remorseful. She knew that if something bad did happen to Rachel that night, she would regret it for the rest of her life, and she would be always in debt of what should not have happened. Then again, she was grateful that the worse did not come.


    "I am really, really sorry, Rachel. I''m sorry that even though I knew you wouldn''t like it, I still took you to a bar. Fortunately, nothing happened to you. Otherwise, I honestly don''t know what to do," Lea said softly, pulling her hair ruefully with worry.


    Rachel sighed, "Please, stop blaming yourself. It was not your fault. You absolutely have nothing to do with it." As she said those words, Rachel grabbed a pillow with her free hand and hugged it tight in her arms. "Besides, it was nothing serious. I immediately came out when Jack got there, but, you know, the air was not entirely fresh."


    Rachel found telling Lea about the fear and panic she had felt completely unnecessary and would only make Lea worry even more. Worse, blame herself even more because of it.


    Lea inhaled a hard breath and said in a voice full of remorse, "Rachel, I promise. We won''t go to that kind of place ever again."


    Rachel could not help but smile, and before she could reply, Lea spoke again. "Did you hear me? That''s a promise, and it applies not to just the both of us going there together but I alone as well."


    Rachel felt bad and at the same time warmth in her heart. She knew that Lea fancied the lively atmosphere of bars very much, so giving up those trips there would be quite a big deal. On the other hand, Rachel still felt touched with the gesture, because her friend was willing to sacrifice that for her. Moreover, she believed in Lea''s words. After all, Lea was that kind of person who would never go back on her words.


    As Rachel reflected on her life, after all these years, the biggest blessing that she received so far was having a friend like Lea. With this thought in mind, she could not hold back the smile on her face.


    Feeling tired and a little bit better, Rachel decided to lie on her back, and with a smile, she replied, "Lea, I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but swearing on that is completely unnecessary, especially the part when you too will give up going to bars. Again, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with you."


    At the other end of the line, Rachel could hear Lea''s deep sigh and waited for her to reply. When silence enveloped them for a short while, Rachel continued, "When you go to bars in the future, please don''t forget to be careful amidst all the fun. Do you hear me?"


    Lea let out a smile and said, "Yes, Mom." Her sarcastic remark made both of them giggle. As their giggles faded down, Lea turned serious for a moment and asked, "Kidding aside, how did this matter have anything to do with Jack? I mean, as far as I know, you two haven''t contacted each other, have you?"


    Hearing Jack''s name made the humor on Rachel''s face fade away. She did not know how all these strange things started. She guessed that they had started from the day that Jack brought Celine to her hospital.


    "Well, we haven''t, but I promise I will tell you all about it later."


    Lea took this as a sign that Rachel did not want to talk more about this matter. Without inquiring more about what happened between her and Jack, she opened her mouth to change the topic, but Rachel suddenly spoke, taking Lea aback for a moment. "I heard Lucas will be back the day after tomorrow."


    Rachel was quiet, always there on the sidelines with her poker face on as if she did not want to be approached by anyone. However, her vibrant and lively side was only released when she was with Lea.


    Ever since they were young, they had been by each other''s side in almost every important matter or even just casual hangouts. Although they were quite different in many aspects¡ªappearance, characteristics, and hobbies¡ªthey were best friends, sharing everything from their thoughts to their feelings.


    Since Lea knew almost everything about Rachel, she knew all about Rachel''s unrequited crush on a boy in high school, and before Rachel could even learn to experience the feeling of love, she had been forced into an arranged marriage.


    The man Rachel had a crush on was Lucas.


    Like Lea, Lucas and Rachel had known each other for a long time, and at first, Lea did not think about Rachel''s feelings towards him. She always saw them as just good friends.


    It was only until the night when Rachel got drunk that Lea confirmed Rachel''s feelings. Rachel rested on Lea''s shoulder and called out only one name. She kept calling for Lucas, and Lea immediately guessed what was going on Rachel''s mind.


    After all, earlier that day, Rachel had been registered for marriage with Jack, and because Rachel did not say or complain anything about it, Lea had nothing to say about it as well.


    As the sun came up the day after she got legally married, Rachel woke up without another word about what had happened that night, and so, Lea, not wanting to pry on her friend''s feelings, pretended that nothing worth talking about happened as well. In fact, Rachel acted as if nothing changed in her life and went to work in the same hospital as Lucas back then.


    Recalling that night made Lea think about the thoughts she had buried in the back on her mind. If Rachel and Lucas did have some sort of relationship even more than that of friends, then their relationship should have already been broken off because of Rachel''s sudden marriage with another man.


    However, right now, as she heard Rachel''s voice speak about Lucas, Lea felt that Rachel still thought about him every now and then if not often. Still, she could not guess what Rachel was thinking about at that very moment, so she decided to take the seriousness out and said playfully, "You know, Lucas has been single for so many years now. As his good friend, I could not bear see him age alone. Oh, Rachel, could you do me and your other friend a favor and make him your man?"


    With a bright smile on Rachel''s face, she replied, "Don''t worry, I got you." They let out another fit of giggles before they realized that it was late, and that they should go get some rest.


    As soon as she hung up the phone, Rachel placed the phone on the coffee table and lied down on her side on the sofa. Her mind wandered off, and Lucas'' face flashed on her mind. She wondered if she still had feelings for him.


    Moreover, of all the guys Rachel knew


    , Lucas was the one she was the most fond of, and it was true that he was also close to being suitable if not ideal lover to her. However, she was not certain for sure whether he had feelings for her or not.


    It was also true that Lucas had always treated her nicely, but Rachel knew that the kindness he portrayed her was not because he had a thing for her. She didn''t dare to ask or say something about it for confirmation.


    Rachel had only a few friends, so she was not going to do anything to lose her friendship with Lucas. She was afraid that their friendship would be destroyed if she told him her feelings for him. With that, she decided to speak none of it, stay conservative, and keep getting along with him as they always used to.


    As the sun came up the next morning, Rachel woke up and realized that she had fallen asleep on the sofa. Then, she sneezed and felt her nose a little stuffy. Not wanting to get even sicker, she stood and freshened up before preparing herself a bowl of hot ginger soup. Then, she walked around her home to stretch and work out her body for ten minutes, feeling the heat all over her body. As soon as her fingertips begin to warm up, she checked the time and realized she barely have time to take a bath, so she decided to just change into her work clothes and got ready for work.


    As she was changing her shoes, her cellphone started to ring inside her bag. She stopped what she was doing and took her phone out. As she looked at the familiar number, she stared at it for a moment and hesitated.


    She just stared at the screen without answering it, clutching her phone tighter than normal. As soon as the phone stopped ringing, Rachel realized she was holding her breath and could now sigh in relief. She placed the phone back inside her bag and continued to change her shoes, trying to forget that the person tried to call her.


    As soon as she finished with her shoes, she grabbed her bag to zip it close, but before she could, her phone started to ring again. She paused for a moment and thought that it was someone else, so she took it out. However, it was the same number again, so after hesitating once more, without even waiting for the phone to stop ringing, she placed the phone back to her bag and pretended to not hear anything.


    When she reached the last step of the flight of stairs, the ringing stopped. Rachel stopped as well and stood there, confused and wondering why he was calling her early in the morning.


    After all, what happened last night was nothing serious and should not really be treated as a big deal. Moreover, Rachel wanted to have a clean break with him. That was why she did not answer the calls.


    She started to walk and as soon as she opened the door to the building, her phone started to ring again. She took her phone out and pressed decline. Then, she decided to turn her phone to silent mode, but before she could, she felt a presence in front of her. Rachel raised her head from her phone and immediately made eye contact with dark eyes, staring at her. The man stood tall with strong, lean, and broad shoulders that was very familiar to her. She noticed the man''s hand, holding a phone near his ear.


    Jack frowned at her and moved his gaze towards her hand. Then, he slowly put down the hand that was holding the phone. Realizing what just happened, Rachel felt embarrassment flow all over her body.


    After all, Jack caught her not answering his calls on purpose. Seeing the look on Rachel''s face, he heaved a deep sigh and looked at her intently without saying anything.


    Rachel blinked twice and placed her phone back in her bag unnaturally. "What are you doing here?"


    Ignoring her question, he replied back with another question, "Why didn''t you pick up the phone?"


    Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but she was caught tongue tied and could not find the words to answer Jack''s question.


    Then, she realized that she was not obliged to answer that. She crossed her arms on her chest and replied, "I asked you first. What are you doing here?"


    Jack looked at her and did not buy any of it. "You do realize that I called you three times, but you did not answer any of them, so I thought someone had barged into your house or something."


    Rachel''s eyebrows furrowed deep. She finally found the reason why she did not answer the phone. "I did not answer the phone, because it was an unregistered number. Who knows who might that be? There are so many sales calls these days, don''t you know that?" Whether or not Rachel accepted that as the truth, it was still an obvious bad attempt for an excuse.


    With just one glance at her, Jack immediately knew that what she said was a lame lie. Not wanting to pry even more, in a casual tone, he said, "Then, just save it."


    Without another word, Jack kept his position and his stare at Rachel, waiting for her to do it in front of him. She realized this, so under his gaze, she reached for her phone and saved the number under the name Jack Fu.


    She breathed a sigh of relief under her breath. ''Are you happy now?'' she thought, not having the guts to say it out loud.


    Still, she relaxed as well as she placed the phone back into her bag. She looked at her wrist watch and said, "So, why are you here? If you don''t have anything important or urgent to say, then I will take my leave now."


    "Then, let''s go. Since this is a special case, I will call you these days, so you better pick up the phone."


    Rachel''s eyebrows furrowed, confused. ''Let''s go? What does he mean?''


    She then nodded at him as farewell and said, "Well then, I will leave now."


    She was about to walk further, but Jack was blocking her way. "I''ll drive you there," he offered.


    Stunned by his words, she blinked twice and could not maintain the polite and distant composure she was trying to maintain in front of Jack. The corners of her mouth gradually moved downwards, forming a frown. With discontentment, she asked, "What do you think you are trying to do?"


    "I will just drive you to work, so don''t think too much about it." Noticing the guard she had now placed between them, Jack frowned and immediately despised the way she acted in front of him, as if he was a complete stranger to her. "Like I said, this is a special situation. If anything happens to you because of that, then I honestly don''t know how to explain that to my father, so don''t overthink about this."


    ''What the hell did he just say? I really don''t want to have anything to do with him!''


    Rachel thought with a frown on her face. Her frown deepened as she realized the possibility that all these happenings recently were staged and well-arranged, since they were being pushed together on the same page desperately.


    "No need to drive me to work. You said you can arrange two bodyguards for me."


    "What if something bad happens?"


    Rachel was left speechless at all this guy was telling her. She bit her lower lip in anger and said, "What? Is Hiram that bold?"


    Jack sneered, and in a very low voice, he said, "Well, I don''t know either."


    He raised his hand to look at the time at his watch and continued, "We better go. or you''ll be late for work."


    As someone who take professional ethics highly, late was never a word that appeared on her dictionary. Seeing that Jack wasn''t going to give in, she knew she would be late for work if she continued to argue with him.

 Chapter 30 Dont You Want To See Me

    Putting on a polite face, Rachel said, "Then thank you for driving me."


    Something flashed in Jack''s narrowed eyes as he looked at Rachel''s face. Then, he turned around and walked ahead.


    Jack drove a white BMW instead of his favorite Land Rover. Whatever his reason of changing the car, he himself couldn''t say.


    The same was happening to Rachel. She also couldn''t figure out why Jack suddenly showed concern for her. Deep down, she felt that there was a purpose behind his actions, and it was not really out of good will.


    While Rachel was silently contemplating, Jack started driving and didn''t notice anything wrong with her. There was only silence between them until they reached the hospital.


    As Rachel was getting out of the car, Jack said, "Be careful."


    Surprised, Rachel stopped and looked at him weirdly.


    Thinking that there might be something wrong with his brain, Rachel gave him a peculiar look. Jack suddenly felt confused and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    After a moment''s silence, Rachel shook her head and said, "I''m fine. Thank you for driving me here."


    It was obvious that she wanted to say something but decided not to. Jack just leaned against the back of his seat.


    ''Really?'' Instead of asking further, he calmly said, "Well, I have to go."


    Watching the car disappear along the busy street, Rachel stood still, lost in thoughts. She further analyzed that Jack might just be stressed.


    When she entered the hospital, she proceeded to her office and changed her clothes. Then, she started her rounds.


    Meanwhile, Celine was scared. Though she behaved lately and tried her best to be a good girlfriend, she felt Jack''s coldness towards her.


    She believed that she could show Jack how sorry she was through those gestures.


    Before, she used to give concessions to gain his approval again and again. But, this seemed not to work this time. So, she could not be obedient and didn''t dare to stir up trouble.


    However, Celine couldn''t understand why Jack was still indifferent to her these days.


    But, she did not have the heart to ask. There were times when she acted recklessly, with an intention of doing everything she wanted without caring what others thought. However, fear would take root in her heart again just because Jack might start disliking her.


    Celine took the initiative again to clean Jack''s house just like before. He had told her that this made him feel like they were family.


    Cooking was the other thing she did. The last time she cooked, she accidentally knocked the hot soup and scalded her foot. Since that incident, Jack didn''t allow her to do those chores anymore.


    At first, she felt moved by his decision and decided that she would become a better woman for him. Later, Jack hired a servant to deal with his house.


    As time passed, her promise of becoming a better partner for Jack was forgotten.


    Her good treatment of Jack was just her occasional "gift" to him, or her peace offering to make up for the recent mistakes she did.


    After the talk with Michael, Jack couldn''t sleep. Michael''s words kept on repeating in his mind. He wondered what he would do with Celine.


    Despite of their numerous quarrels lately, Jack never intended to break up with Celine.


    What he wanted to happen was for both of them to have some space to calm down. Thus, he didn''t talk to her these past few days.


    The last straw for him was Celine''s revelation of their private matters to others. He was annoyed and disappointed.


    And, the thing he could not really accept was the way she told it to her so-called friends¡ªproudly and flauntingly. She took his integrity as something to show off to others.


    That was totally wrong. What did she think of him?


    Tossing all night, Jack wasn''t able to sleep. When dawn broke, he got up and decided to put aside his personal affairs for the day. While dressing up, he couldn''t help but think of Rachel.


    After thinking for a while, he decided to drive to her house. Once there, he called her. He got confused when his call didn''t get through. On his second try, it failed again. He began to worry and wondered if there was something wrong with her.


    He got out of the car and walked to the door whiling calling her for the third time. This time


    , he heard the faint ringing of the phone from the direction of the stairs. When he looked there, he saw Rachel descending.


    "Mr. Fu, there will be a meeting at ten o''clock regarding the holiday resort. Here are the meeting materials. Do you want to check them in advance?" Hearing Austin''s voice brought Jack back at present time.


    Taking the iPad, he scrolled a few pages to look at them. "Print them in A4 and A3 sizes in two copies."


    "Okay." As soon as Austin stepped out of the CEO''s office, he saw someone waiting.


    Though he was surprised, he automatically smiled at her. After greeting her, he asked, "Miss Duan, what brings you here?"


    "Is Jack here?"


    "Yes, Mr. Fu is in the office," Austin replied.


    "Then, I''ll go see him." Walking past him, Celine headed to the office.


    All Austin could do was follow her with his gaze. Then, he went out to talk to the secretary outside. At the front desk, he said, "Remember this. When someone comes looking for Mr. Fu, always inform him first."


    Hesitatingly, the girl explained, "But Miss Duan didn''t stop by here. She just went in straight..."


    "No matter who the visitor is, you are responsible for everyone who goes in. It''s your duty to inform him." It was rare for Austin to speak in such a serious tone.


    The secretary nodded immediately, indicating that she understood. "I''ll be more careful next time."


    "What if Mr. Fu had a guest and that lady walked in, he wouldn''t blame her. You would be blamed, you know..."


    Again, the secretary pondered on what Austin said.


    If Jack had a meeting and the lady interrupted him, she would really be blamed. The secretary gratefully smiled at Austin, and said, "Thank you for reminding me."


    Smiling, Austin replied, "You''re welcome."


    It was never his intention to criticize Celine''s actions. But she kept on bypassing the secretary every time she came.


    Jack never granted her special treatments. In fact, he was very adamant in separating his private and business affairs.


    But lately, the employees became the recipients of Jack''s bad moods. It took Austin a lot of courage to tell Jack. It was such a good thing that Jack realized his mistake.


    There was really no problem if Celine came. Everyone knew that she was Jack''s love, and she could come and go anytime.


    But, Celine had to follow the rules. If she didn''t want to wait for an approval, it was her business. As for the secretary, it was her duty to report.


    Afterwards, Austin left to do Jack''s bidding. Then, he remembered the first time Jack brought Celine in the company three years ago. She hid behind him like a child. After greeting Jack, he saw Celine peep sideways and take a look at her surroundings.


    It was then he saw in Celine''s eyes what kind of woman she was: an ordinary girl from an ordinary family with an ordinary educational background and an ordinary career.


    Whenever Jack''s driver brought her here, she just waited outside silently. When she saw him, she would smile and greet him by his name.


    But now, everything was different. Money and status really had a big influence on people. Celine changed.


    Now, she looked beautiful and fashionable, proud and arrogant. She was no longer the innocent girl that she used to be.


    Standing by the door, Celine twisted the doorknob. When she found it unlocked, she pushed the door open and walked in.


    When he heard the noise, Jack raised his head and saw that it was Celine who had just entered. He was slightly surprised but not happy. A trace of displeasure appeared on his face. "Why are you here?"


    When she saw his reactions, she suddenly choked. Her eyes turned red, and tears welled in her eyes. Sobbing, Celine asked, "Why, can''t I come anymore? You don''t want to see me, do you?"


    Standing up, Jack closed the document and walked towards Celine. She was happy because he was going to comfort her.


    However, it was not the comfort she expected to receive. She could hardly hold her tears back anymore.


    Getting a piece of tissue, Jack wiped her tears and whispered, "Why are you crying? Did I say anything wrong to you?" His tone was flat and not soothing at all.


    Grasping the hand which was wiping her tears, Celine cried, "Jack! How can you be so unreasonable?"

 Chapter 31 Encounter

    Now that she was crying, Celine sounded less like she was questioning Jack and more like behaving in a spoiled manner. As a result, the coldness in Jack''s eyes finally died down.


    Jack reached out and held Celine in his arms, coaxing her as he always did when she was sad and in tears. He patted her on the back gently and whispered in her ear, "I didn''t sleep well last night, that''s why I''m in a bad mood today. Don''t be angry."


    Meanwhile, at the hospital, a chubby boy called out, "Pretty Rachel..."


    Feeling the boy move in her arms, Rachel patted him on his butt and warned, "Mendes, don''t move, or else the needle will prick you in the wrong place."


    The young boy turned around and saw a nurse holding a glittering needle and smiling at him like a witch. With a shiver, he turned back to Rachel''s arms, grabbed her clothes, and begged pathetically, "Rachel, you give me the injection, please! I don''t want to get it from this witch."


    The nurse, Celia Xu, closed her eyes and took a deep breath to control her impatience and said,


    "Fatty, come here!"


    "Oh, no! The witch is coming!" As the chubby boy in her arms pretended to cry, Rachel had to hold his chest with one hand to prevent him from squishing his broken arm.


    Celia gnashed her teeth in anger.


    Rachel patted the boy''s butt again and smiled. "No more kidding, or we''ll have to give you two injections."


    However, the


    hurt! Does he really think that I won''t teach him a lesson?'' Celia grumbled to herself inwardly.


    Rachel tightened her grip on Mendes, afraid that he would slip out of her arms when he became too excited.


    She hastily nodded to Jack and said, "Carry on then. I''m going to take this patient back first."


    Then, she turned to Celia. "Celia, I''ll take care of Mendes. Please continue with your work."


    "Okay." Celia shot one last curious glance at Jack before leaving. Then, Rachel began walking away with the boy in her arms.


    But it seemed that she had underestimated his weight once again! She had barely taken a few steps when he began slipping out of her arms.


    She was unable to hold him as she walked even if she leaned back a little.


    She stopped and tried to bounce him up higher into her arms, but to no avail. She was already starting to feel out of breath. "Mendes, shall we take a walk downstairs?"


    Mendes shook his head immediately. Feeling her body shaking, Rachel said helplessly, "Okay, okay. Please don''t move, okay?"


    It was definitely time for this boy to lose weight!


    She was trying her best to carry him back to his ward when she heard the familiar voice behind her say, "Let me do it."


    The man walked up and took the boy into his arms.


    Unexpectedly, the boy who had refused to be carried by Celia allowed himself to be held by Jack without a word of protest.

 Chapter 32 What Do You Want

    Rachel was speechless. She hesitated for a second before letting him hold the boy.


    "Which ward?"


    "Please come with me. Mendes, you should thank him!"


    The boy cradled in Jack''s arms looked at him timidly. "Thank you," he murmured, licking his sticky hand.


    Weighing the baby in his arms, Jack stole a glance at Rachel. They walked together in silence to the ward. Putting the baby down, Jack inwardly sighed, ''I think it''s time for him to lose weight.''


    The three were now the focal point of others present in the ward.


    Their eyes brimmed with curiosity, especially focused on Jack


    Sitting on the bed, Mendes was quiet. Rachel went to the bathroom and got a towel dampening it with some water. Then she began to clean his hand.


    Jack quietly observed from the side of the bed.


    Mendes glanced furtively at the man standing beside his bed. Rolling his eyes, he got closer to Rachel and pouted his lips complaining, "Rachel, my arm hurts!"


    He gestured towards his broken left arm. After wiping his hand, Rachel checked his temperature. She talked to him in a low voice, trying to console him. By the time she turned around, Jack was


    assed since she had asked Jack to wait for her.


    He might have left by now, she thought. She didn''t believe he had the patience to wait for her for this long.


    She packed up her things and exited her office.


    Walking towards the parking lot, she heard her phone ring. Surprise was visible on Rachel''s face when she realized it was Jack.


    Her head ached as she saw his name flicker on the screen. The empty parking lot echoed with her ringtone.


    Her slender finger stopped at the screen. Two seconds later, Rachel hung up the phone without hesitation.


    She started to walk but then jumped at the sound of low laughter from behind her. Turning around, she saw Jack standing there with a smile on his face.


    Rachel had been caught refusing to answer his phone twice in one day.


    A little disappointed, she asked, "What on earth do you want?"


    The air around them felt heavy. ''He is willing to serve as my driver because he wants to protect me?


    Nah! I don''t believe it!'' she thought.


    Pocketing his phone, he walked towards Rachel. In a calm voice, Jack asked, "Haven''t I told you not to think too much?" He pointed at the car. "Get in!"

 Chapter 33 A Calculating Man

    Jack emphasized the last two words. It was as if he was scolding her.


    Rachel studied his arrogant eyes and felt uneasy.


    The uneasiness she felt was not because of Jack''s threat. For some reason, she felt as though someone was laying a trap for her.


    She wanted to get past Jack, but he got closer and kept pushing her forward.


    Finally, she gave in. Fuming, she got into his car. She would just have to see what he was planning to do.


    For the next few days, Jack''s car arrived on her doorstep on time every morning. And this lasted for three days.


    Also, Lucas called her from out of the blue, telling her that something urgent had come up. He said that he might be unable to come back in time.


    Lea called Rachel and asked her whether Lucas had come back. Rachel had to tell her that his schedule was delayed. Lea breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That''s good. I just returned to our hometown with my old man yesterday. My stepmother had an accident. I will not be back until a week or so."


    Rachel was about to tell Lea what had happened between her and Jack these days, but she stopped when she heard this.


    ''Never mind. We can talk about it once she has returned. I don''t believe that Jack will be my driver for another week,'' she thought.


    And she was right.


    On the fourth day, Jack informed her that he would no longer come to pick her up.


    She breathed a sigh of relief. She had survived th


    , she also discovered that her knees and elbows hurt.


    The people who had attempted to take her had carelessly dragged her around, giving her bruises.


    After examining the rest of her body and making sure that she had no bone injuries, Rachel focused on the spots that hurt.


    Upon checking, she found at least four or five bruises all over her body.


    She already imagined cutting these people with a scalpel. As she did so, she picked up her mobile phone and dialed Jack''s number. She had to know what was going on.


    She gnashed her teeth in anger. Instinct told her that Jack used her as a bait to lure Hiram out.


    At dusk, Jack slowly opened the door to Rachel''s ward. At that time, Mendes was on the bedside with his mouth open, ready to receive food.


    Rachel fed him an orange slice and pulled a tissue out of the dispenser to wipe the juice around his mouth. When Jack came in, she glanced at him, and the corners of her mouth curled up in a mocking smile.


    He came closer, pulled up a chair, and sat down, stroking the boy''s head.


    Mendes escaped his touch and ran to the other side of the bed, the orange slice still in his mouth.


    Jack looked at Rachel with his hands clasped. He leaned back and looked at her indifferently. "How are you? Are you okay?"


    Rachel raised her head and glared at him. Then she said, smiling, "You are a calculating man, aren''t you? Why don''t you tell me what happened?"

 Chapter 34 Revenge

    Rachel gently patted Mendes on his head and said, "Mendes, you may go back to your ward now. Come back a little later okay?"


    Taking a glance at Rachel and then at Jack, Mendes nodded his head. Without a word, he left the room.


    "What do you want to know?" Jack asked as he raised his eyebrow in a cocky manner.


    "Jack!" Rachel no longer wanted to be continuously played around by the man in front of her. Her cold face was filled with anger, and was tinged with hatred for him. "How can you be so shameless?" she hissed.


    "Shameless?" he repeated and flashed a smile. "Sorry, I''m not shameless at all. I just wanted you to do me a little favor."


    Rachel thought this man couldn''t get any more shameless, but he had. How could he be so thick skinned to say this?


    In the past few days, Jack had been stressing that if there was something wrong with her, he wouldn''t explain it to his father. Was he being sarcastic or serious?


    Rachel let out an angry sigh. "How did you predict what would happen to me?"


    Jack didn''t answer immediately. His long eyelashes drooped and a shadow appeared in his eyes as he shifted from playful to serious. He tapped his knees with his fingers.


    Seeing that he didn''t answer her, Rachel''s heart dropped to her stomach. She became angrier at once and her voice was almost squeezed out of her teeth. "Jack! Fu" she bellowed. "You''ve gone too far!"


    He used her to lure Hiram out without even caring about her safety at all. If something went wrong, her life would be ended!


    Rache


    ad were washed away by the rain, and the sight was fresh and eye-catching.


    Jack smoked a last puff before he put out his cigarette and walked towards Rachel. Standing on the second step, Rachel could only look into his eyes.


    "Why are you here?" Jack asked her in confusion. He stared into her eyes and got greeted with a cold gaze.


    "Of course I have to come here. I can''t accept that I was used as a bait and then thrown away."


    Facing her harsh tone, Jack was speechless for a moment. He thought of the question that Michael had asked him. If it were Celine, would he be willing to use her as a bait to provoke the other party?


    After thinking about this for a while, Jack felt that there was something wrong. He thought he didn''t explain it to Rachel clearly. "Even if they took you away yesterday, they wouldn''t dare do anything to you."


    Hearing this, Rachel chuckled mockingly. "I mean it. Just stay away from me, okay?"


    She walked straight past him, not sparing a glance. Two days ago when she asked Jack what his purpose was, he replied that she was thinking too much.


    Knowing that she was like an idiot being used by him, Rachel was full of anger. The more she walked, the more her pent up anger consumed her. Her fury started to overflow, but there was no way to vent it.


    ''Revenge on Jack?'' she thought. Rachel stopped and turned around. She took a deep breath and called the man from afar. "Jack!"


    He turned around and saw Rachel staring at him. He put one hand in his pocket and asked, "What?"

 Chapter 35 Lucas Is Back

    Rachel came back and said, "Tell me the truth. Did you know that something would happen to me?"


    Jack stood quietly for a long moment, saying nothing. Rachel stared at him in the eye, waiting for an answer. Eventually she ran out of patience. She waved her hand and said, "Forget about it."


    Rachel turned around primly and walked away. It was not until her figure disappeared across the road that Jack withdrew his gaze and went inside.


    The situation became clearer two days later. Rachel was told that these people were hired to deal with Jack. Their purpose was to kidnap her and threaten Jack.


    The man behind this had run away, and the police were trying to catch him. Rachel thanked Jonny and hung up.


    After that, Jack did not come to her again, nor did he explain clearly.


    Rachel stayed quiet for a few days to think it through. She was not angry about being kidnapped. She was angry that Jack had approached her for some evil purpose. It made her feel so distressed and foolish.


    A few days later, Jonny called and said that the main culprit had been captured, and mentioned that Jack knew about it. Jack was ready to visit the police station. Jonny asked if she would come and learn about the situation.


    Hearing that, Rachel refused. She wanting nothing to do with this matter now. She would let Jack deal with it himself, and she wouldn''t get involved.


    After resting for two or three days, Rachel went back to the hospital. When she was making the rounds, she found Mendes'' pl


    ing. He was a little scared to see a man suddenly squatting in front of him.


    Lucas'' heart softened. He extended his hand to him and said, "You can come out now, big guy, okay?"


    Celia was not a very mature person. She was little more than a child herself, so how could she take care of such a naughty little troublemaker?


    She had hardly ever felt the warmth of love from her family. With her sad childhood, being in charge of Mendes was not easy for her.


    The marriage of her parents was not a love match. They were courteous to each other. They didn''t quarrel with each other, but they didn''t love each other either. Her father was busy with his work, and her mother didn''t pay much attention to her.


    However, after her mother died, her father brought back his illegitimate child, Mendes. Celia had sometimes envied Mendes, thinking that he would receive more love from their father.


    What Celia minded most was not that her father had an affair, and that his affair resulted in an illegitimate child.


    Celia envied the boy immensely. But she was an adult, and had passed the age when she needed the warmth of a father''s love.


    She never imagined that her father would abandon his child and went abroad to work. To make matters worse, Mendes was injured in the kindergarten. His nanny had no contact, so she had to call Celia.


    Then Celia found out that the boy''s mother couldn''t be reached. She didn''t know who broke off the relationship first. Was it was Mendes'' mother, or his father?

 Chapter 36 Discharged From Hospital

    Celia and Mendes'' father was indifferent to his children. After the boy had broken his arm, their father had just stayed by the boy''s side for two days before flying abroad.


    Celia had asked the old man where Mendes'' mother was, but he just said he didn''t know.


    Celia could not hold back her tears any longer. Thinking about Mendes made her feel driven to a corner. It was not until Rachel comforted her that Celia gradually stopped crying.


    While Celia calmed down, she began to tell Rachel about the phone call.


    The phone call was from Celia''s father, asking about Mendes.


    Celia had asked him to come back to bring Mendes home or give him to his mother.


    To her surprise, her father had bluntly denied her request. It had angered Celia to the point that she had threatened to hand over the boy to an orphanage.


    But her father had said she could do whatever she wanted. He could care less about the boy.


    At the state that she was in, Celia thought she wasn''t qualified to take care of Mendes, but there was no way that she could just leave him alone or let the nanny take care of him.


    To add insult to injury, Mendes was not obedient to her. Celia felt helpless.


    After learning the truth, Rachel brushed aside the strands of Celia''s hair that strayed on her face and said, "Don''t worry. You know who Mendes'' mother is, right?"


    Celia shook her head. "I know who she is. I just don''t know where she''s from." Her voice was still a little shaky.


    Rachel continued comforting her and said, "I''m having dinner with Dr. Zhou later. If Me


    ured.


    Fortunately, Mendes just fell down and his palms were a little grazed, but he was relatively fine. Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, her hands and feet cold.


    Everything happened so fast. If the black car had driven a little faster or the driver had stepped on the brakes a second later, she would not have forgiven herself for what could have happened to Mendes.


    Mendes was sobbing uncontrollably. It was not surprising. He had just experienced something traumatizing.


    The car behind him turned off. The driver got out of his car and hurried towards them. "Is the child safe? Rachel?" It was Henry. His voice was still jittery. He was obviously out of his wits.


    Following Henry out of the car, Marcus recognized that the child they had almost hit was the one he saw with Rachel in the restaurant.


    ''What a coincidence!'' he thought to himself.


    Rachel turned around and saw the two of them in a daze. She didn''t recognize them right away.


    At the sight of her slightly puzzled eyes, Henry knew that she didn''t recognize them. He stepped forward, squatted down and checked if the kid was injured. Then he introduced himself. "I''m Henry Qin, and the one behind me is Marcus Ji. Don''t you remember us?"


    Rachel was surprised to see them, she remembered that they were good friends of Jack.


    Marcus squatted down as well to check on Mendes. The boy was buried into Lucas'' arms, shivering in fear.


    Lucas rolled up the boy''s left trouser to check for wounds. As expected, there was a bruise on Mendes'' knee, a red mark and exposed skin.

 Chapter 37 Rachels Child

    "I''m sorry, I was driving too fast. How about I take him to the hospital for treatment right away?" Henry said.


    "It''s not your fault. We weren''t paying enough attention," Lucas said as he carefully examined Mendes'' other leg as well.


    Rachel wiped Mendes'' tears away with a tissue.


    Seeing this, Marcus couldn''t help but think that they looked like a couple. He glanced back and forth between them with suspicion in his eyes.


    Mendes'' other leg seemed to be all right. Normally, with a fall like this, one wouldn''t have bruises anywhere other than their head and four limbs.


    However, Rachel was worried about Mendes'' broken left arm, which might not have completely healed yet. She looked up at Lucas and said, "Let''s go back to the hospital first. He recently had a fracture in his left arm."


    "Which hospital are you going to? I''ll drive you there," Henry immediately offered.


    "It''s all right, we have a car," Rachel said, politely turning him down.


    Lucas stood up with the boy in his arms and nodded at them. "We''re sorry for the scare. We''ll take him to the hospital ourselves, you don''t have to take responsibility for it."


    "It''s okay. Rachel is our buddy''s wife. Even if it wasn''t our fault, we can''t just stand by and do nothing," Henry insisted, glancing at Rachel with a smile.


    Upon hearing this, Rachel''s face darkened, but Lucas just smiled at Henry and said, "Ah, you''re Rachel''s friends."


    Then, Rach


    oment, hesitating about what to reply. In the meantime, Jack did not urge her. He just stood in front of her, waiting leisurely for her answer.


    Finally, she said, "I''ll come."


    "It''s settled then. I''ll ask the driver to pick you up."


    As Jack and Rachel spoke, Marcus watched them from a distance. "The atmosphere between them is quite awkward. They look like they''re talking with daggers drawn," he commented.


    Henry, who was staring at his mobile phone, laughed and said, "Why don''t we wait for Jack to come and ask him what it''s about?"


    Marcus squinted at him suspiciously. Then, he leaned back with his long legs outstretched. "Why do I feel like you called him here just so you could watch a show?"


    "You''re thinking too much." Henry smirked.


    At this moment, two new voices were heard. "Celia, I want chocolate!"


    "No! No way! Don''t even think about it!"


    The door of the X-ray room was opened. The nurse who had run into the room in a hurry walked out with the boy in her arms.


    As soon as she turned around, her eyes met Marcus'' and Henry''s. Marcus withdrew his long legs and stood up. At the same time, Henry put away his phone.


    Celia blinked her eyes. She knew that these two men were the ones who had insisted on bringing her brother to the hospital. Just now, one of them had explained the incident to her.


    Anyway, as far as she was concerned, it wasn''t their fault. Mendes had fallen down on his own.

 Chapter 38 The Banquet

    Celia was very grateful to them for caring for her brother. Touching Mendes'' soft cheek, Marcus asked, "Are you alright? Do you still feel pain in your knee?"


    "Still a little painful," Mendes answered. Then, he took his sister''s hand and added, "Just a little bit." He showed others what a little bit was through hand gestures. His childish behavior caused laughter from the people around him.


    "He''s alright now. Thank you for bringing him here. I am his sister," Celia said.


    "You are welcome." As an acknowledgement, Marcus waved his hand at Celia. "I am also going this way. We know Dr. Shen, and we thought Mendes was her son. We are very sorry for what happened."


    After hearing his explanation, Celia felt a little embarrassed. She hurriedly explained, "This is my brother, not Dr. Shen''s child. Dr. Shen doesn''t even have a boyfriend."


    When they heard Celia''s explanation, Henry squatted down to play with Mendes and Marcus had a strange expression. "So, Dr. Shen hasn''t gotten married yet, has she?" Marcus commented.


    "No, not yet. Dr. Shen is still young. Why would she get married so early?" Celia answered.


    While they were talking, Rachel and Jack approached them.


    The two happened to hear what Celia said. Embarrassed, Rachel lowered her eyes while Jack maintained his cold expression. Walking


    assed face. The bump must have caused her to lean towards him.


    She distanced herself from him.


    Squinting his eyes, Jack thought about the smell and finally remembered it. It was the same scent he smelled on her when they slept together.


    That time, she got up. Lifting the quilt, he unintentionally turned to his side facing Rachel''s side of the bed. That was when he smelled the scent.


    The fragrance, which he never smelled from any woman before, was light and pleasing to the nose. All of a sudden, he asked, "Do hospitals permit doctors to use perfume?"


    Surprised, Rachel turned to face him. She felt the question weird, but she still answered, "There is no rule regarding the use of perfume. It is a personal preference."


    Hospitals had rules on the use of jewelry, makeups and nail polish, but they didn''t include perfume.


    Those who worked in the hospitals did not usually use perfume.


    The smell of disinfectant was considered as their perfume already.


    "And you?" Jack asked suddenly.


    "What?"


    "Do you use perfume or not?"


    Shaking her head in surprise, Rachel said lightly, "I don''t."


    Aside from dressing elegantly, was the use of perfume a requirement in attending a party?


    Confused, she asked hesitantly, "Is there any problem?"


    Calmly, Jack answered, "No, there''s no problem."

 Chapter 39 The Banquet Is Going On

    Although Jack''s words seemed harmless, Rachel was on alert after the previous incident. She kept wondering if something was wrong and secretly checked herself again.


    Pretending not to notice her suspicious eyes, Jack leaned back and looked out the window. Even his profile looked cold and handsome, hard to get close to.


    Francis'' engagement banquet was held on the second floor of Seaside International Hotel. When Jack and Rachel reached the venue, they found that it looked grand and magnificent. On the first floor, there was a thick red carpet leading from the entrance to a heart-shaped door to welcome the guests.


    The two of them followed a waiter upstairs. Just before the last step, Jack suddenly stopped, took Rachel''s wrist, and linked arms with her.


    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat, but she had no time to think about it as Jack immediately resumed walking forward, pulling her along with him.


    When they entered the banquet hall arm in arm, they drew the attention of many people.


    It was a western-style party, so all of the guests were drinking and happily chatting with each other.


    Jack and Rachel walked in quietly without making an entrance, but as soon as they arrived, the host of the party was informed.


    Francis raised his eyebrows and waved the messenger away. Then, with his fiancee, he walked over to the guests who had just arrived.


    "Mr. Fu, here you are! Mrs. Fu, long time no see..." Francis snapped his fingers as he greeted them, summoning one of the waiters. Then, he too


    she shook her head as if nothing had happened. "Nothing. I saw an acquaintance. Let me show you around, Rachel."


    Rachel paused for a moment and then answered, "Okay."


    She was really not used to such parties, and it was embarrassing for her to walk around with the hostess, but she had no choice.


    At that moment, there was a waiter frantically looking around the hall. Upon seeing Wendy, his eyes lit up and he strode toward her.


    "Miss Wen, Mr. Cheng is looking for you."


    Wendy seemed surprised to hear this, but she nodded and then turned to Rachel. "Rachel, do you want to come with me? Mr. Fu might be there as well."


    Seeing the hint of a request on Wendy''s face, Rachel couldn''t say no, so she nodded her head in agreement.


    They followed the waiter to the back of the hall, where there was a door to a private room.


    As soon as the waiter pushed open the door, the clattering sounds of people playing mahjong came through.


    Wendy''s body seemed to stiffen in nervousness as she walked forward.


    Rachel hesitantly followed her inside.


    When they entered the room, someone laughed and said, "Wow, our Francis'' babe is here."


    Francis, who was sitting at the table, looked up. His eyes were full of affection as they fell on Wendy.


    The voice of that man drew everyone''s attention to the door. However, most of their gazes passed the gentle Wendy and landed on the woman behind her.


    Her refined facial features and graceful temperament immediately attracted most of their attentions.

 Chapter 40 Vincent And Celine

    Rachel looked around but didn''t find Jack. She saw only the other men.


    Francis walked up to Wendy and put his hand around his fiancee''s waist. Then he started introducing Rachel to the others. "This is Jack''s wife."


    A subtle change appeared on all of their faces, but they greeted Rachel in a friendly manner.


    Rachel nodded to them with a smile and asked Francis softly, "Where is Jack?"


    "Jack has just stepped outside. I will ask a waiter to search for him. Have a seat inside."


    Rachel was about to decline the offer, but then Wendy pushed Francis away and walked up to Rachel. She held Rachel by the hand and said with a smile, "We don''t want to just sit here and watch you play mahjong. I will go outside now with Mrs. Fu."


    Francis'' eyes lingered on his hand that Wendy had pushed aside. Then, he tried to appear unconcerned, turning his face away casually with a smile on his lips. "All right. Mrs. Fu, I hope my fiancee doesn''t bother you too much."


    "It''s not a bother at all. I''m glad to have a companion," answered Rachel.


    "Well, I understand you women can''t bear just sitting around here." Despite his attempt to seem cheerful, Francis seemed to be talking to himself, looking slightly wounded and downcast.


    "Then let''s go outside now." Wendy couldn''t resist urging Rachel on. Her behavior was unusual, but she couldn''t control herself.


    When Wendy leaned closer to her, Rachel could feel that her body was a little tense. Francis suddenly said in a low voice, "Vincent is here. Why don''t you


    air. She just continued calmly eating the food in front of her.


    However, she was curious about Jack, who sat next to her. It was so obvious that Celine even didn''t acknowledge his presence. She was talking and laughing with another man so blatantly. It was impossible for Rachel to believe that Jack didn''t care!


    In the meantime, Jack really did seem to be unconcerned about Celine. Without uttering a single word, he put more food into Rachel''s bowl.


    Rachel calmly accepted all of it. Francis changed the topic of conversation, chatted with Vincent, and the other four men started to join them.


    It was not so embarrassing in the end. Then, all of a sudden, Rachel''s dress was accidentally stained by some oil. She said in a low voice, "I want to go to the bathroom."


    Jack nodded. Rachel gathered her dress and got up to go out.


    The restroom was located at the end of the corridor, and a light incense was burning in the washroom. Rachel walked in, and came out a moment later. In front of the washbasin stood a woman dressed in red. It was Celine.


    Rachel paused for a moment and went to her side and began to deal with the stain on the hem of her dress.


    Celine was fixing her make-up in front of the mirror, but she was obviously not as patient as Rachel. After a while, she put her powders away. She couldn''t hold her temper any longer, and turned her head to stare at Rachel up and down with her sharp eyes.


    Suddenly, a sneering accusation came out of her brightly painted lips. "Have you no shame?"

 Chapter 41 A Fight

    ''Huh?'' Rachel was stunned to hear that. "Miss Duan, your accusation is really too much. What did I do wrong?"


    Furious, Celine stepped forward and said to Rachel in a low voice, "Jack doesn''t love you at all. Why do you have to pester him?"


    Hearing this, Rachel couldn''t help but laugh. She stepped back, staying away from the unpleasant perfume on Celine. Then she retorted, "Miss Duan, what position are you in, to say this to me?"


    Celine was unable to make a comeback. Her face turned red, and she was dumbstruck by Rachel''s retort. No matter how hard she tried, Rachel''s status as Jack''s wife was a trump card that Celine couldn''t beat.


    She could only emphasize to Rachel that she was the one who Jack loved, but so what? Rachel didn''t care who Jack loved. Celine could do nothing to hurt her.


    Celine''s words meant nothing to Rachel.


    Celine became so angry that her face changed dramatically. She stood in Rachel''s way, blocking her from leaving. She stared fiercely at Rachel, trying to frighten her with her meticulously painted eyes. But when she opened her mouth, she became less aggressive. "Ms. Shen, I beg you. I love Jack. Please divorce him. Anyways..."


    Rachel brushed her hand aside before Celine could say anything more. Celine''s arm was frozen in the air with her fingers outstretched.


    "Miss Duan, please don''t bug me again. Solve your problems with Jack by yours


    I assumed she would look ugly. I didn''t expect her to be such a beautiful woman."


    "They look like a perfect match. The wife is still the wife, after all. Of course Jack wouldn''t bring a nobody with him on this occasion."


    While speaking, they glanced at Celine, who was obviously humiliated and angry. Celine pretended that she couldn''t hear them, but her fists tightened at they hung at her side.


    The girl next to Celine burst into laughter and said, "Miss Duan, why are you here alone?"


    She took a step forward and taunted her, "Mr. Fu is over there. Is he going to come back to see you later?"


    Celine turned around and left. Those who remained in the room continued eating and laughing, making no secret of their scorn.


    Their cruelty was not merely for its own sake. Some of them had been jealous of her in the past, and others looked down upon Celine.


    They gossiped that Celine once worked as a hotel waitress before getting involved with Jack. In private, they often mocked Celine for this.


    Then, Jack''s unscrupulous attachment to her made many of them jealous, and they sneered at her in private.


    Seeing that Celine''s position had been turned upside down, people were quite delighted and wanted to deal her a bit of mockery. They didn''t care who Jack was with, but they just couldn''t bear to see Celine putting on airs in front of them, flaunting her superior position.

 Chapter 42 Wendys Plea

    Seeing that Celine was brutally ignored, they couldn''t help but let a triumph course through them.


    The party didn''t end until 10 o''clock in the evening. Francis came to the main hall with Wendy. And Jack and Rachel came to bid them farewell.


    Francis sent them to the first floor. After saying goodbye, Rachel figured there was something amiss about Wendy''s behavior. On top of that, her eyes were slightly red and her lips were a little swollen.


    Her hair was disheveled, and the diamond necklace around her neck was nowhere to be found. Instantly, Rachel realized that Francis must have done something to her.


    But she thought it was best to let it go. She didn''t want to interfere in other people''s matters. However, before she turned out, Wendy opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something. Yet in an instant, she closed it. Doubt and hesitancy were written all over her face.


    Now curiosity had gotten the best of Rachel. She looked at Wendy, curled her lips and said, "Miss Wen, by the way, about what I asked you before..."


    Wendy was a little surprised. "What?"


    Rachel stepped forward and asked Francis, "Francis, can I borrow your fiancee?"


    Francis had no reason to refuse. He replied jokingly, "Just don''t sell her."


    Wendy followed Rachel.


    After walking a few steps, Rachel suddenly remembered that Jack was near them. She looked back and said to the man, "You go first. I need to have a talk with Miss Wen."


    He nodded and said, "Okay, I''ll wait for you there."


    Francis took out a cigarette from the pack and lay it b


    uld take in hundreds of people.


    With all these advantages, there was one disadvantage. And that was the fact that very few cars seemed to pass by this place. The road was calm and empty. Rachel was certain she would never find a taxi here.


    Rachel stood there, frozen in her spot. The hotel had been quite hot because of the heater, and now here it was extremely cold. The sudden shift in temperature wasn''t easy to take.


    When she was hesitating whether to return to the hotel for help, two lights suddenly lit up behind her.


    Rachel heard the whistling of a car horn and stepped aside. She turned around and saw a BMW slowly driving over. It stopped beside her. The window at the driver''s seat was rolled down and a man''s handsome face appeared in front of her.


    "Ms. Shen, do you need me to give you a ride? It''s difficult to call a taxi here."


    It was Vincent. After long hours of trouble, Rachel felt like saved.


    Rachel thanked him profusely and went to open the door of the passenger seat.


    The central heating was working in the car. Rachel hugged herself and then began to rub her hands against each other. Vincent was driving smoothly and didn''t ask her why she was there.


    Maybe he had seen what happened today and figured it would embarrass her.


    "Ms. Shen, where do you live?"


    he asked, bringing Rachel back from her reverie. She told him the name of the community. It was obvious that Vincent was not familiar with the location of this community which had been constructed just a few years ago. He turned on the navigation system.

 Chapter 43 Got A Cold

    The man next to Rachel was the one she was meant to give Wendy''s message to. She had accepted the task and naturally, she would deliver the message.


    As she was working up the nerve to talk, carefully crafting her words just in case, Vincent surprised her by saying,


    "You look familiar, Ms. Shen."


    Rachel watched him with slight astonishment. His hands were on the steering wheel, his eyes focus intently on the road. "Are you working in a hospital?" he asked, looking towards her before focusing back on the road. "I have seen you several times."


    Rachel nodded, "In the New District Hospital."


    "Well, that must be it," he muttered quietly. Rachel couldn''t help but steal another look at him. This time there was a meaningful look on Vincent''s face.


    After that the car was silent for a moment. Rachel watched as the road got darker and darker. Vincent didn''t seem to mind as he drove on the national highway, preparing to take a detour.


    Rachel swallowed and said, "Miss Wen asked me to send a message to you for her."


    It would seem like hearing the name of his sister didn''t faze Vincent, but Rachel noticed that he tightened his fingers on the steering wheel.


    "Okay." He looked calm, almost aloof, as if she had spoken about the weather. "What message?"


    It looked as if he didn''t care about it at all, Rachel thought. She paused, studying his face before repeating what Wendy had asked her to say. "Stay out of it and go back."


    Rachel couldn''t make out his expression clearly, but she didn''t need to. She felt the atmosphere in the car suddenly changed as the man beside her register her words.


    Vincent was trying hard to control his emotions and managed a cold, clipped thank you to Rachel.


    It was clear as day that the brother and sister of the Wen family had some issues. After that, the car once again was filled with silence, and it was kept that way. When they


    n the bed. "What''s wrong with you?" he asked, confused.


    Rachel opened her eyes but didn''t want to talk.


    "She has a fever," Lucas answered instead. Eric seemed to notice him just then; he looked at him for a second before recognizing him. "You''re Lucas Zhou, right?" he asked.


    "Yes." He gave him a polite smile before turning to pour a new glass of water for Rachel. "Well since your cousin is already here, should we let him finish his examination or not?"


    Eric had just come over to take an X-ray of his hand to see the recovery of the bone. The damage was done by Rachel hitting it with the beer bottle, and then Jack heavily stepped on it. The bone was damaged, and it hurt terribly, but it was not a serious injury.


    "I just need to see how my wounds are recovering."


    Eric wasn''t stupid. When he saw Rachel like this, he would not bother her for anything. "Rachel, why did you come to the hospital to work when you got a fever? Do you think you can fight like a superman?"


    Eric carefully put a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature, but he wasn''t able to tell if she was running a fever or not.


    "I''ll take you to the doctor." Eric decided with a frown.


    It took a second for Eric''s words to sink in and when they did, the others laughed. Rachel shook her head and couldn''t bear to look at his silly expression, so she raised her hand to cover her eyes.


    Rachel wasn''t sure if he was trying to lift her spirits or if he had truly forgotten Lucas was also a doctor.


    Lucas couldn''t help laughing. Eric''s simple humor was a refreshing change from all the stress of the hospital. "You go to see the doctor first," he told him. "And I will take Rachel home."


    Eric''s eyes dripped on Lucas for a short while, weighing in his options. Finally he nodded, "Okay, I''ll go to the doctor''s office now. It won''t take long, so wait a moment, and I''ll take her home with you."

 Chapter 44 Do You Have Feelings For Rachel

    "Go ahead. We will wait for you," Rachel said and Eric vanished quickly.


    Before long, he came back as there were not many patients at noon.


    Eric¡¯s hand had properly healed.


    After writing a short note requesting for leave, Rachel left the hospital with them. Her temperature had lowered a little.


    Eric demonstrated great concern by feeling Rachel¡¯s forehead, when he noticed her gloomy attitude. "Why don¡¯t you get an intravenous drip before we go back?" he asked.


    "That¡¯s not necessary at all," answered Rachel. "I will be fine as long as I take some medicine."


    Eric looked at Rachel with amusement and abruptly burst into laughter. "Turns out a doctor will get a fever too," he joked.


    Rachel pursed her lips and leaned her head against the window without a word.


    Lucas, who was driving, narrowed his eyes.


    "Cover her with that blanket," he told Eric.


    ''What a considerate man!'' thought Eric. It was at this point that he noticed that Lucas had brought a blanket specifically for Rachel to cover herself from the cold breeze.


    He leaned over and whispered to Rachel, "Why is Lucas so nice to you?"


    Rachel''s heart missed a beat. She lifted her foot and stepped hard on his.


    "Ouch!" shouted Eric in pain.


    Lucas felt amused


    and shook his head slightly.


    They arrived at Rachel¡¯s residence very quickly because the traffic was not very heavy.


    As they all got


    ke up for the mistake he had done. He knew he had to do something about it.


    "Have you been to the doctor?" Jack asked.


    "I am the doctor; which other doctor would you like me to see?"


    "Have you taken your medicine?" Jack said, trying to change the subject.


    "Why wouldn¡¯t I take medicine if I am sick?"


    Rachel was always on the defense and was acting like the proverbial hedgehog. Ever ready to prick whenever Jack told her anything.


    Realizing how edgy she was towards him, Jack frowned and asked, "Have you eaten anything today?" "Not yet."


    After a while Rachel asked with a ridiculous smile on her face, "Mr. Fu, would you like to buy me some dinner?"


    "What would you like to eat?" Jack asked unexpectedly.


    "Will you buy it?" she teased. "Yes I will," he answered seriously.


    Jack wanted to make use of this opportunity to make up for what he had done yesterday.


    Eric was still in queue impatiently waiting to buy porridge when Rachel¡¯s call came through.


    "You don¡¯t have to buy the porridge, I am going to eat outside," Rachel said on the phone. Eric was completely sandwiched in the middle of the long queue and feeling claustrophobic because he hated crowds. The crowd was so big that one couldn¡¯t see the end of it.


    "Damn! Are you kidding me?"


    Eric asked over the phone. After Rachel answered something, he retorted, "Who are you going to have dinner with?"

 Chapter 45 Have Dinner Together

    "Damn it! Why can¡¯t I ask you? If I can¡¯t, then who can?" Eric snapped.


    The cluster of people gathered behind Eric couldn¡¯t help but poking him on the shoulder. "Hey!"


    Eric turned around and asked in an aggravated voice, "What¡¯s with you?"


    "Can you lower your voice? They all are looking at you." reminded the girl wearing a light grey baseball coat.


    Eric was flabbergasted as he realized that his high-pitched voice had attracted the attention of innumerable people. A shade of red appeared on his pretty face. He felt embarrassed as he said in a hushed tone, "Sorry. Thank you for reminding me."


    "You¡¯re welcome." The girl grinned from ear to ear. Her sparkling teeth caught Eric¡¯s attention, and he blushed.


    "Rachel! Who on earth do you want to go out with?"


    Eric continued to ask.


    At that moment, Rachel, who was followed by Jack, came downstairs. "Jack Fu," she answered.


    The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment. Before hanging up, he cursed, "Fuck."


    Eric didn¡¯t have the guts to compete against Jack.


    He had vowed to find out as to who was bold enough to ask Rachel out. But when he knew it was Jack, he could do nothing. When did he resurface again in her life?


    Eric had no intentions of going back and having an encounter with Jack as he was no match for him.


    He was beaten up so severely that Jack''s name haunted him. He felt as if he was less of a being whenever he


    . As her belly warmed up, so did her hands and feet.


    And Rachel was able to take a nap during the afternoon, thanks to the sleeping pills; therefore, her spirits were considerable high.


    After finishing his food, Jack asked Rachel, "Will you go back?"


    She had chalked out a plan to torture him, but he liked the food here. Rachel stood up slowly, a look of dismay on her face, her hands in her pockets.


    Jack perceived Rachel¡¯s sudden actions as her leaving the place.


    "Wait, don¡¯t go back. Let¡¯s go for a walk," Jack said hastily.


    "Go for a walk?" She raised her eyebrows in astonishment. Did she mishear Jack?


    Jack''s liking to this place enraged Rachel. She felt as if she made a complete fool of herself and the plan of bringing him here wholly backfired on her.


    She questioned her motives of torturing Jack and coldly refused his request. "No, you can go by yourself."


    Her negative attitude towards Jack made him give a chuckle as he shook his head in vain.


    Rachel was startled by his laughter. She confronted him, suspiciously, "What are you laughing at?"


    He said thoughtfully, "Rachel, I apologize to you for what I''ve done."


    The streetlamps along the road attracted a lot of visitors, and the slightly stuffy air was overflowing with the fragrance of all kinds of food.


    When Jack walked by each shop, he stopped for a moment and glanced at it. He even fancied going inside and buying some food.

 Chapter 46 The Aggravated Condition

    After Jack apologized, Rachel became quiet because of astonishment. All she did was follow Jack. When he walked towards another restaurant, she was surprised and immediately asked him, "Are you still hungry?"


    "No, I''m not. I''ll just buy one to try their food."


    Saying nothing more, she watched Jack go in.


    Rachel did not wait for long. Just a few minutes after, Jack came out. Then, he walked to the next one. She was now confused when she saw him ready to enter the restaurant. "Jack, isn''t that meal in your hand not enough yet? Are you going to buy something from all the food shops?"


    This time, Rachel hit the nailed right. Jack explained that he only planned to buy something from the restaurants which were packed tonight. He wanted his men to have a taste of their specialties.


    After Jack explained, Rachel was speechless. Mouth twitching, she asked again, "Is it really necessary?"


    Not wanting to explain further, Jack didn''t answer anymore. Instead, he continued to walk. He didn''t choose noodles as noodles would lose their flavor after a while.


    He only chose pasties, braised meat and something that wouldn''t lose its flavor in a period of time.


    As Rachel accompanied Jack silently, she already understood his reason for his actions.


    Though Jack wasn''t aware that such a food street existed, he was familiar with all the food sold here. After all, they were all traditional food, and Jack knew them.


    What he was doing was not strange at all. There were people like him. But


    hel curled up in the chair. With closed eyes, she answered, "Okay..."


    After the water boiled, Rachel prepared her glass of warm water. Then, she drank her medicine. She stayed for a while in the living room before going to bed.


    She seldom got sick. Since she was used to take care of others, she thought she could take care of herself as well. She was sure her fever would be gone in the morning.


    However, at midnight, Rachel woke up to feel her throat very dry. And, when she swallowed, it was a bit painful.


    Stretching her hand to get the water on the bedside table, she felt somebody grasp her hand.


    Shocked, she opened her eyes in a daze. Then, she saw a familiar face in front of her.


    With a stern look on his handsome face, he didn''t look nice. Holding her hand, he asked, "What do you want to do?"


    Rachel said, "Water..."


    Letting go of her hand, the man stood up to pour a glass of water for her.


    A minute after, he returned and gently lifted her up. Then, he raised the glass to her lips.


    Carefully assisting Rachel, he saw her took a sip.


    After quenching her thirst, she slightly pushed the glass away. Rachel didn''t drink much.


    After putting the glass aside, the man whispered, "I''ll take you to the hospital."


    However, Rachel shook her head and refused. She just said something, which for sure she wouldn''t remember in the morning.


    At last, she fell asleep.


    The next day, Eric got up early because he was worried about Rachel. He cleaned up right after sunrise.

 Chapter 47 Stay Overnight

    Eric was in a good mood and left for the porridge shop. On his arrival, he was happy to see that only a few people were gathered there. He didn''t have to stand in long queues to get what he wanted. With a big smile, he requested for two boxes, one for him and another for Rachel.


    As soon as he stepped outside, the morning sun began to shine on his face.


    It was indeed a beautiful sight! It had been a while since Eric had seen such a breath taking view. Plunging into his pocket, he took out his cell phone. He managed to click a dozen shots of the view.


    After going through them, he selected the best one and posted it on his social media account. "Long time no see, the rising sun!" he captioned with some satisfaction. He trotted about in a lifted spirited. At the moment, his happiness was so strong, that nothing could disturb his mood.


    Humming a song, Eric strolled towards Rachel''s community. When he entered, he noticed a strange car downstairs in the garage.


    When he reached the second floor, he couldn''t open the door of Rachel''s house. Beginning to panic, he started to rummage through his pockets. He desperately searched for the keys but to no avail. All he could find was his wallet and cell phone. Eric patted his thigh remorsefully. He had left the keys at home.


    Eric couldn''t open the door so he decided to ring her.


    In the bedroom, the curtain was closed tightly and the sunlight couldn''t penetrate in at all. The big and soft bed made Rachel sleep soundly. Her phone rang and vibrated beside the bed. However, she was in deep slumber and didn''t hear the ring.


    Her face was glued to the soft pillow. She was tired and her breathing was somewhat heavy. It was obvious that her condit


    sick Rachel must have been. Suddenly, a thought struck him. Instantly, he put those greasy food aside.


    After a while, Jack got dressed and came out of the bathroom. He looked down and continued to fix his cuff.


    Eric sat straight with a scornful look on his face. In his eyes, Jack was just a playboy.


    But the truth was, Jack wasn''t as bad as Eric thought. After straightening his clothes, he picked up the coat on the table and said indifferently, "I''ll ask someone to bring some light breakfast for her. Once it arrives, wake her up to eat. Those things..."


    His fingers went to the package that was lying beside Eric. It consisted of stuffed and deep-fried items. A flash of disgust appeared in his eyes. "Just throw them away. If you let her eat them, her condition will only get worse," he warned.


    When Eric saw the disdain in Jack''s eyes, he almost jumped up from his chair! ''What''s wrong with the food I bought! How dare he ask me to throw them away!''


    At last, before he left, Jack added, "If she''s still sick, take her to the hospital. I''ll call back later so that you can update me."


    Everything that came out of Jack''s mouth made Eric want to roar like a lion. There was a part of him that wanted to tell Jack it was none of his business. He wanted to cast a cold glance at him and snort with disdain.


    His heart was brimming with vicious emotions, but he didn''t dare to say anything. All he did was sit like a statue.


    In his face, there was no expression. He didn''t make any move that made Jack believe he would defy his orders.


    However, Jack was not going to leave before he got a reply. With his scrutinizing eyes, he glared at Eric. Using a patient tone, he asked, "Do you hear me?"

 Chapter 48 As Strong As A Horse

    The way Jack looked at him sent chills down Eric''s spine. Bowing his head, he answered in a low voice, "Yes."


    "Okay," Jack nodded and left.


    For a while, Eric remained seated. Then, he went outside, bent over the railing, and peeped at the entrance below.


    When he was sure that Jack already left, Eric stood up straight and faced the hallway. Imagining Jack in front of him, he punched and kicked fiercely in the air.


    After venting, Eric couldn''t help but despise himself. ''What a coward!''


    Eric swore to himself that he would never run away from Jack anymore. Moreover, teaching that guy a lesson was also on his list! But of course, this was all his wishful thinking.


    There was one thing which kept nagging in his mind. What happened last night? ''Is it really true that Jack took care of Rachel the whole night?'' Eric wondered. Confusion was reflected in his eyes.


    ''How could it be possible?'' In his eyes, Jack was not a good man.


    Meanwhile, Jack called his secretary. "Austin, go meet Mr. Xu at eight o''clock." Looking at his watch, he continued, "I will be late for about forty minutes. Tell him I''m sorry."


    "Okay, Mr. Fu. I will tell him."


    After hanging up the phone, Jack rubbed his forehead. He was a little tired because of staying up all night. Remembering Rachel''s improved condition this morning, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Then, he heard his stomach growl. With his stomach


    he couldn''t change anything now, she just told herself that everything would be fine. But deep inside her,


    she felt ill again.


    Since Rachel had been taking her medicines on time, she felt much better in the afternoon.


    As the saying went, "Diseases come on wings and depart on foot." But Rachel was different.


    "You are as strong as a horse," Eric commented.


    Slapping him at the back of his head, Rachel said angrily, "How could you say that to me?!"


    Snorting, Eric continued, "I was completely cheated by your delicate appearance! Humph! You must have been pretending sick this morning, right? You''re just torturing me on purpose, aren''t you? How could you be so healthy now when you were just sick this morning?"


    Blushing, Rachel felt guilty. Pretending to be sick again, she acted weak, laid herself on the sofa, covered her head with one hand, and groaned, "Ouch... My head hurts..."


    Hearing her, Eric became confused.


    Then, devoid of any expressions, he said, "Oh, stop acting!"


    In the Fu family''s study, there was a faint scent of sandalwood coming from the incense box.


    Father and son sat opposite with each other, a chessboard in the middle.


    It was rare for them to play chess. Unwilling to be defeated like last time by Rachel, Jonathan was very focused on the game.


    Not wanting to admit that his chess skills needed improvement, he must win this game against his son to redeem his honor.

 Chapter 49 Divorce Proposal

    Jack was sly as a fox. He did not visit home just to chat idly and play chess with his father.


    Knowing that his son came for a reason, Jonathan took advantage of him without qualms. However, as the game progressed, he saw himself regretting his attempts.


    He was determined to win, but his efforts fell in vain. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening. His brain might have deteriorated immensely, or his son was just too smart!


    Jonathan found it hard to keep up. His pieces collapsed one by one. At one point, he almost locked his pieces on a checkmate.


    Quickly realizing his error, he retrieved the piece he just laid and moved it to another place on the board.


    ''If I didn''t move the piece to another place, Jack would win the game with a few steps,'' Jonathan thought. When he raised his head, he saw Jack holding a black piece and staring at him with a frown.


    Caught red-handed, Jonathan explained in a calm voice, "I¡¯m already old. My hand was trembling and dropped it in the wrong place."


    He recently learned that his old age came with perks and used it as an excuse to gain an advantage.


    Jack placed the piece he was holding on the board casually. He figured his father was desperate to win the game.


    The game status suddenly reversed. Jonathan, who was about to lose within two or three minutes, now had the upper hand in winning. It was obvious that Jack gave the game away.


    If he competed earn


    e out first, Son."


    Obeying his father, Jack leaned back on his chair and waited for him to continue.


    "Your grandfather promised you to each other," Jonathan began slowly. "Our family owes a lot to Rachel. In time I will explain everything to you, including the main reason why your grandfather arranged the marriage. He wanted to protect her and didn''t want her to suffer."


    Jonathan hesitated. His voice was tinged with regret as he went on, "It was my fault. I did not think your grandfather¡¯s idea was a problem and did not consider it carefully. These past years, you appeared to get along well with each other. I always hoped that you could be together someday in the future, that¡¯s why I did not want you to divorce.


    Rachel is a good girl. I have seen her grow up into a fine lady. She is dedicated and persistent. She will cherish those people who treated her well. When she loves a person, she can be so selfless and will give him her whole heart.


    I have met too many people in my life, and I have learned how to read personalities. I am not looking down upon Celine, but she seems very ambitious.


    I understand that you might not take my words seriously, but I believe that you are not a fool. Think about it carefully. In the end, if you still decide to divorce Rachel, then you can look for another. If you find someone who loves you, for the sake of your happiness, I will accept her in our family."

 Chapter 50 Discussion About The Divorce Agreement

    "I wouldn''t even care if the woman was a street cleaner. I just want you to find someone who really loves you," Jonathan said.


    After a thoughtful moment of silence, Jack said, "Father, most street cleaners are over forty years old nowadays..."


    When his father heard that, he almost spat the tea out of his mouth. After clearing his throat, he said sullenly, "That''s not the point!"


    "Then... since you already agreed on our divorce, why should I spend a year with Rachel?"


    Instead of answering him directly, Jonathan stood up and walked over to the desk. He fished through the drawer until he found a certain piece of paper, which he took out and put it in front of Jack.


    The title at the top of the page, which was in bold, caught Jack''s attention. He looked at the divorce agreement and his fingers tightened.


    Jonathan sat down again, and said, "You should sign this agreement first. I''ll prepare another one for Rachel and let her sign it later."


    He placed a pen in front of Jack, but the latter was in no hurry to sign. He was carefully reading through the contents of the agreement.


    There was nothing unusual in it. Jack didn''t care about the money or the property that they would compensate Rachel with. He read through the provisions of the agreement, one after another.


    He finally found something in the document that made him raise his eyebrows. There was no date on which the agreement would take effect.


    But that was exactly what his father wanted.


    Jac


    started working there. The nurses of the hospital found him really dashing and handsome in his white uniform.


    Lucas was tall and slim like a model, and with his white gown, he looked like the leading actor in a popular TV series.


    The face mask he wore only revealed his deep eyes and his straight nose. Compared to everyone else at the hospital, Lucas was the one who was most likely to be considered a heartthrob.


    Personal attractiveness aside, Lucas and Rachel were the two most outstanding doctors among all the recent hires at the hospital.


    Rachel''s major was neurology, but for some reason, she applied for transfer to the surgical department.


    Everyone in the hospital knew that she and Lucas were on good terms. Although they were fellow apprentices, there was a rumor that they were romantically involved.


    At the very beginning, it was unclear whether they were really a couple. But as time went by, everyone began to realize that they were just friends, not lovers.


    People had no idea about Rachel''s family background, and she had never mentioned it in conversation, because she kept a low profile. However, there were rumors that she came from a notable family.


    Rachel was a graceful lady. Although the handbag she carried looked ordinary, a few sharp observers noticed that it was from a famous international brand, and would have cost as much as a whole month''s salary of some nurses in the hospital.


    Besides, Rachel drove her own car, which was not cheap.

 Chapter 51 Looking For A Kindergarten

    Rachel''s wealth had always sparked jealousy from people around her. It was no surprise that many of them had spread rumors that accused her of being a mistress for a wealthy man. But the truth was, she was just rich and no rumor would ever be able to alter that.


    Mendes'' voice pierced the silence as he shouted, "Lucas!" He dashed off of Rachel''s lap and ran towards the direction of the figure entering the room, colliding with his leg. Joyfully, Mendes hugged his leg and gleefully looked at the man with a big smile saying, "Hug!"


    Lucas bowed down and hoisted the boy up. Mendes was so happy that he held his neck and kissed him on the face several times.


    Rachel felt a tang of envy as she saw how sweet and considerate he was with Lucas. She looked at the happy boy and coyly said, "Wow, I only missed work for a few days. When did you guys start getting along so well?"


    Grinning, Mendes rested his head on Lucas'' shoulder and replied loudly, "I like Lucas!"


    Rachel stood up and walked towards the pair. She pinched Mendes'' chubby cheek teasingly and pouted as she asked, "But, don''t you like me?"


    "Of course, I like you too," he groaned, rolling his eyes like crescent moons.


    His funny reaction amused the both of them.


    Lucas chuckled and patted him on the back. "You are a clever boy. You always know what to say." He turned to face Rachel and gently whispered, "Don''t worry. I''ve been taking care of him these days which explains why he is very intimate with me now."


    Rachel gaped, a little surprised. "Why are you taking care of him?"


    Lucas explained that it really was a coincidence. He stroked the boy''s soft brown hair and explained briefly, "Our fathers are close friends. Hi


    you talking about?"


    "Ha-ha, I''m just telling you the truth! Lucas, don''t you think so? You two would be a great match!"


    Rachel suddenly became a little more conscious and nervous. She turned her head slightly to see his reaction. But she saw that Lucas looked calm and natural as always. He just smiled and courteously muttered, "Cara, you think too much."


    Rachel''s heart sank and her face turned back to its usual color. She slightly moved her long eyelashes to mask any unusual expression on her face that might hint her disappointment. "You think too much. How could Lucas and I be together?" She uttered those words lightly.


    Only Rachel knew what it meant and she tried to mask her disappointment as best as she could.


    Cara saw how embarrassed they both were, so she waved her hand. "I''ll be having my meal now. I hope you enjoy!"


    A force tugged at Lucas'' hand, pulling him towards Rachel''s direction.


    The same thing happened to Rachel. Mendes pulled their hands at the same time and placed them together.


    Rachel felt Lucas'' big palm covering her small and slender hand. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath shortened. Mendes gleefully raised his head and said with a smile, "Be together!"


    As if she had gotten an electric shock, Rachel quickly withdrew her hand. With a quizzical smile on her face, she looked into Lucas'' eyes and tenderly fiddled with Mendes'' soft hair. She faintly smiled with the corners of her mouth turning upwards. "What are you talking about?"


    "Let''s go." Lucas'' face relaxed. He tried to comfort Rachel by saying, "Don''t take Cara''s words too seriously. She was only joking."


    Rachel smiled and nodded. Inside, her heart was filled with bitterness.

 Chapter 52 Shopping For Clothes

    Rachel could not keep Lucas out of her mind. She had feelings for him. She had not realized this until he went abroad to receive training.


    However, there were too many obstacles that hindered her from telling him how she truly felt. Rachel buried her head in the sand like an ostrich as if trying to rebel against her own emotions.


    Rachel had not forgotten the chain of her marriage. But if she and Lucas were in love, she could ask for a divorce.


    Thinking back on all the years she had known Lucas, she realized that he had never been with any woman.


    But even then, she had no clue whether he liked her or not.


    What Cara just said made Rachel''s heart beat faster. She couldn''t help but steal a glance at Lucas to see his reaction.


    However, Rachel was left disappointed. Lucas did not have any reaction at all. He still wore his usual expression. When he looked at Rachel, the latter confirmed that he had no feelings for her at all.


    It seemed like that he had always treated her like his own sister.


    Rachel had gradually calmed down. If she had anything to say, it would be to say that she was disappointed in Lucas.


    She wanted to know whether Lucas liked her back or not. But somewhere at the back of her mind, she was afraid to hear the answer.


    Mendes didn''t understand adults'' complicated feelings. His interest was focused on the goods being sold in the shopping mall. He walked between Lucas and Rachel, holding each of their hands.


    Lucas was a man who liked to work efficiently and accurately.


    Since he was here to sho


    child''s head and hugged him. "If you behave well, I''ll buy it for you. I promise."


    "Oh yeah!" Mendes was over the moon. He was giggling in excitement.


    Rachel couldn''t help but laugh. She glanced at Lucas and thought that it was easy for him to coax children.


    She had thought that Lucas asked her for help because he was afraid that he couldn''t handle Mendes, but Rachel had changed her mind. Lucas didn''t even ask her to do anything.


    Before they came, Lucas had already searched online for tips, and even asked the child''s nanny for advice. He made a list of the things he was going to buy.


    Now, all he needed to do was go shopping, following his list, and a little help from the shopping guide.


    Rachel was all the more confused why he had asked her to go with them. There was no real purpose for her to be here.


    She had thought that he would need her help in some aspects, but it didn''t seem like he needed her help at all. While she was lost in thought, Lucas turned to her and asked, "What do you think of this one?"


    Rachel rubbed the material between her fingers and frowned. "You should buy all cotton. Wool is not comfortable at all."


    Lucas touched his nose and said, "I asked about the pattern and the style..."


    Rachel stared at the Superman on the pants. She was uncertain whether to give her opinion or not. ''Is there any difference?'' she thought.


    The saleswoman didn''t say anything this time. She just thought that this couple was odd.


    It seemed like they didn''t know much about what the boy needed and wanted.

 Chapter 53 The Boy Got Into Trouble

    Lucas and Rachel were discussing what clothes they should buy for Mendes.


    When the saleswoman was wondering when it would be an appropriate time to give them her opinion, the boy suddenly saw the toy behind the two shelves.


    Mendes was so delighted by what he saw that he ran to it without hesitation.


    Rachel was squatting down to help Lucas choose the articles carefully. She didn''t notice that Mendes had run away.


    Lucas didn''t notice it either. He had already told Mendes to behave well, and he thought Mendes would obey him.


    Rachel and Lucas were feeling rather indecisive. They couldn''t decide which one to pick, so they thought they''d better let Mendes choose. However, they didn''t find him when they turned around.


    Rachel was so shocked that she stood up immediately, looked around the shelves, and shouted, "Mendes? Mendes?"


    Lucas stood up too. He frowned and said helplessly, "Where did he go?"


    The saleswoman was startled by Rachel''s sudden outcry, but she had plenty of experience with naughty kids.


    She was about to say something when she heard two screams from the shelf not far away.


    Two saleswomen on the second floor exchanged glances with each other and ran towards the beddings shelf. The one who was escorting Rachel also ran there.


    Rachel turned her head back to Lucas, who was also confused. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes. He stepped forwa


    me forward.


    When Rachel said that, Celine held back her anger, and didn''t make such a sharp retort as when she was talking to Lucas or the child''s mother.


    The girl next to Celine looked at Rachel with an ambiguous look in her eyes. Lucas thought they might know each other.


    Rachel''s eyes fell on the hem of Celine''s dress. Indeed, there was a mark, but it was fairly minor.


    Rachel curled her lips and sneered, "Has Jack gone bankrupt? Or has he dumped you? Why do you have to pick on others for such a dress?"


    Celine blushed; she was embarrassed that Rachel had witnessed the scene that had just happened.


    She was not in a good mood. In fact, the dress was not very dirty, but she was in a very rotten mood.


    She had only been venting her anger.


    Even if that woman really wanted to compensate her, she didn''t want it!


    Rachel''s intrusion was completely unexpected. If Celine had to name the person in the whole world whom she hated the most, it would be Rachel.


    Lucas frowned. He deduced that there was some bad history between them, and that it might have something to do with Jack.


    Celine was like a hedgehog with sharp spines all over her body to guard against an attack by her enemy. She straightened up her chest to appear confident, raised her slender eyebrows, and taunted, "Don''t worry about us. We are fine. Let me ask you, when was the last time you saw him?"

 Chapter 54 Compensation

    Rachel was amused by Celine''s words. She was eager to stay away from Jack. He would always bring trouble to her.


    Unwilling to answer her question, Rachel turned to the saleswoman holding the boy. "It doesn''t matter. Don''t worry about her. I can pay for the compensation on your behalf."


    The saleswoman stared at Rachel in confusion.


    Celine narrowed her eyes in anger. "It''s none of your business! Do you hear me? It was her son''s fault! I will demand compensation from her."


    Lucas couldn''t stand the scene in front of him. Frowning, he warned Celine, "Hey. Please be polite. It''s just a dress and it isn''t worth all this yelling."


    At the sound of the commotion, the shop''s manager finally came into view. She hurried over to where the fight ensued.


    A thin layer of sweat glistened on the manager''s forehead as a saleswoman began to vaguely explain what had happened.


    The manager took a deep breath before facing a seething Celine.


    Seeing that they were in a stalemate, she walked over with a big smile plastered on her face. "Miss, I am the manager of the store. May I know what happened?"


    However, Celine didn''t respond and continued her haughty attitude. With her beautiful and dainty fingernails, she pointed at the man in front of her and in a sharp voice, she screeched, "It is none of your business! You should learn to mind your own business!"


    With a straight face, Lucas shook his head. Calmly, he turned to the


    Rachel came with another man just now."


    "It is none of our business!" The mere mention of Rachel''s name made Celine sick. She didn''t want to know anything about her.


    But Rona continually repeated her point patiently. "She came with a man to a store selling maternal and infant products."


    Celine suddenly turned her head, and curiosity flashed in her eyes. "Why did she come with a man to the store?"


    "Why else would a woman and a man come to a store offering maternal and infant products together?" Rona smirked as Celine finally understood what she was trying to imply.


    At the thought of this, Celine''s heart began to beat so fast. She stammered, "You mean..."


    Rona curled her lips and smugly said, "I was just guessing. It''s not necessarily true."


    "Ha-ha!" Celine''s smile grew wide. "I was so angry that I didn''t even notice such a thing! Huh! How dare you! Rachel!"


    Celine abruptly heaved a sigh of relief. She breathed out slowly to calm her temper.


    Rachel had always been so difficult to deal with. Celine was thrilled at the thought of her having a relationship with another man.


    No wonder Rachel didn''t care for Jack at all. She was in love with another man!


    The corners of Celine''s lips lifted in a cold smirk.


    She knew how to make use of it and snitch Rachel to Jack.


    Rachel didn''t know how the event eventually ended. When she left the store, all the parties involved in the incident had disappeared.

 Chapter 55 Check Out

    Lucas had purchased the Transformer for Mendes as a reward for his good behavior, which made him surprised and very happy.


    The saleswoman smiled brightly after they finished paying the bill. Rachel hesitated for a moment and asked, "How is the woman stirring up trouble?"


    The saleswoman''s smile disappeared and she shook her head. "I don''t know either." She glanced back at the cashier and began to count the bills.


    Rachel nodded while Lucas said sympathetically, "It''s normal for children to be naughty sometimes. Children must be taught to be obedient. It was unfair that she made things difficult for your colleague."


    The saleswoman was a little surprised at what he said. Most customers would were always under the impression that they were right. She still nodded and replied, "Thank you very much for your consideration. I will pass this on to our shop manager."


    Lucas nodded.


    Mendes just stared at them, oblivious to what had happened.


    The saleswoman smiled once again and handed them their purchased items. "Take care! Thank you for shopping here! We hope you come back again!"


    Since Lucas was in charge of carrying the bags, Rachel decided to hold Mendes'' hand. After exiting the story, Mendes was once again easily distracted by the mall''s surroundings.


    Rachel still had doubts when they were going upstairs to the restaurant for dinner. "What made you so enthusiastic


    to hide the instant flurry in her eyes. Her soft body stiffened for a moment. She looked at him and began to caress his arm, whispering, "I''m sorry, I broke my promise. I drank because I was in a bad mood."


    She sighed and loosened her grip on his arm, reaching out for a pillow instead. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she stated, "I don''t want to drink it either. But this afternoon I ran into someone. And she said some mean things to me."


    She leaned against the pillow. Her eyes were slightly red and she looked so weak and helpless, which made Jack feel sorry for her.


    He reached for the pillow and pulled her into his arms. He sighed deeply, "Who did you meet and what did she say to you?"


    Leaning against his chest, Celine played his clothes and lowered her eyes to conceal her true emotions. "I met Rachel in a shop this afternoon. She and I had a confrontation with one another. Something unpleasant happened between us."


    "Rachel?" Jack''s eye widened, surprise laced in his voice. "What happened?"


    "There was a naughty child in the shop. He was holding a toy gun that was filled with paint. When he walked past me, he threw the gun in my direction, making my dress dirty. I was so angry at him because the dress got stained. When I started scolding him, I surprisingly ran into Rachel. She didn''t know what was happening and probably misunderstood me. She said mean words to me."

 Chapter 56 Snitch On Rachel

    While narrating what happened, Celine couldn''t help but cry. Then, biting her lower lip, she continued in a soft voice, "She mocked me and said I was just a bitch. She asked me whether I was dumped by you, as I was so poor that I gave so much importance to a mere dress. But, I rarely care about that dress because it was a gift from you. But, I didn''t expect that boy to stain my dress just like that!"


    Glancing at him, Celine saw Jack''s brows slightly frowning. Her heart was bursting with joy.


    However, what she didn''t know was that Jack had something else in his mind.


    Jack couldn''t remember when he had sent her a dress. He asked Celine, "What dress did I give you?"


    Hearing his question, Celine was stunned. She didn''t expect that he would ask her such question.


    "The one you brought back from France."


    Failing to remember anything, Jack kept silent. After a while, he asked again, "What else did Rachel say to you?"


    Celine''s heart skipped a beat. She kept her mouth shut for a while. Thinking fast, she had to be careful with her next words. However, what came out was much different from the truth.


    From Celine''s mouth, Rachel was a spiteful woman. According to her, Rachel humiliated her in front of many people.


    What really happened was distorted by Celine''s statements.


    Her version of the story showed how Rachel scolded Celine like a bitch. She told Jack how miserabl


    a file in her hand, Rachel was grabbed by a nurse from behind. Catching her breath, the nurse said anxiously, "Dr. Shen, hurry up. The ambulance is on its way. The patient, who jumped from a building, is in grave danger."


    Turning around to face the nurse, Rachel''s face darkened, and she looked at her watch frowning. She asked, "Did they tell you their estimated time of arrival?"


    "Yes! They will be arriving in five minutes!"


    "Let''s go!"


    Unexpectedly, Rachel was stunned to see Wendy being brought down from the ambulance. Since Wendy was already unconscious, everyone quickly rushed to the operating room.


    Changing into her surgical uniform, Rachel frowned with worry and her heart thumped wildly.


    During the meeting of the Cheng Group, Francis'' phone suddenly lit up. Seeing that the caller was unknown, he frowned and rejected the call without hesitation.


    A few seconds later, the phone rang again. As expected, Francis hung up again. It happened three more times. The sixth time his phone rung, he thought it must really be important.


    Gesturing his subordinates to stop, he stood up and walked to the window to answer the phone.


    Not long, a sudden loud noise attracted everyone''s attention. All looked back to see Francis'' phone on the floor near his feet. He slowly bent down to pick it up and put it back on his ear.


    In a hoarse voice, he asked, "What did you just say?"

 Chapter 57 Sent To The Hospital

    Whatever it was the person on the line had said, it seemed to alarm Francis. He had make sure that he heard it correctly. "Can you repeat it again?"


    Everyone glanced at one another. Francis had his back facing them, so they couldn''t see his expression.


    Finally, he spoke once again. "Which hospital? Okay... I''ll be right there in a few minutes."


    Hospital? Those in the meeting room wondered what could have happened.


    Francis hung up the phone and turned around; he didn''t look well. He silently closed his eyes, bowed his head and rubbed temples in frustration and anguish.


    When he opened his eyes, they were bloodshot red. The others wondered what had transpired in the conversation and waited for him to speak.


    But Francis staggered to the entrance of the conference room. He paused, remembering that there were other people in the room as well.


    With caution, he stopped and turned around. "The meeting has been adjourned," he said in a hoarse voice.


    They noticed his hesitation and secretly wondered what had caused his change in mood.


    They got their answer a few days later, after finding out that his fiancee had committed suicide by jumping off a building.


    Francis sped to the hospital. He arrived at the entrance, floating and pale-faced. The nurses mistook him for a patient who wanted to make an appointment for a doctor.


    He began to pick up speed as he tried to search for what he was looking for. But like a headless chicken, Francis realized that he didn''t even know where he was going, let a


    precise, their adopted daughter.


    They probably still had a glimmer of hope, expecting that Francis would genuinely take care of Wendy and cease his plot of revenge.


    The Wen family were unable to attend the engagement party because they were prohibited from attending.


    The Cheng family treated the engagement as a trick and didn''t bother to make any effort in coming.


    The guests that were invited to the party were aware of this fact and treated Wendy with contempt.


    The engagement party was held to publicly humiliate Wendy and the Wen family. Francis orchestrated it to fool them deliberately.


    If this was true, Rachel couldn''t imagine how Wendy was able to even smile at the party.


    These rumors were potential speculations that could support Wendy''s reasons for suicide.


    ¡¯Maybe she ended her life because she couldn''t stand such humiliation,''


    Rachel guessed.


    She glanced at her hands that were still stained with Wendy''s blood. She had never been close to her other patients before. This was the first time where she actually knew one of their stories.


    She couldn''t deny that she was affected by Wendy''s death.


    This was the first time she had ever felt pity for her patient.


    But it was a different kind of feeling. It hurt Rachel to accept the fact that Wendy was gone. She stepped back to lean on the wall, feeling her throat tighten.


    How could she just die like that? That girl didn''t seem so weak. So what pushed her to commit such an act to end her life? What was she running away from?

 Chapter 58 The Suicide

    Rachel tried to keep herself together. She placed a hand on her head and then closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. She poured a glass of water and drank, willing the water to wash away the heavy emotions filling inside her.


    ''You knew something was wrong, but you did not ask,'' a faint voice said in Rachel''s mind. She had always maintained an aloof and professional demeanor, distancing herself from other people''s businesses. For the first time, Rachel chastised herself for not reaching out.


    An emotional turmoil of grief and regret weighed heavily on her chest. Remembering the last time they spoke, Rachel wondered if there was something else Wendy hoped to talk about that evening. She recalled their last conversation gloomily. Sadly, there was no going back and no rewinding time.


    Rachel almost took the initiative to call Jack. It was a first, but she was too bothered to notice. She wanted to know what happened behind the party.


    The news traveled fast and surprised everyone. But why? People were bewildered. It was unthinkable how the girl ended in such a tragic way.


    At the time of the incident, Cole Wen, Vincent''s father, was still under investigation while Vincent was busy running errands. Vincent''s mother was rooted to the spot when she heard the news. Her face distorted, and her strength gradually drained from her body. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, her anguish flooding in tears.


    She and Wendy were not biologically related. Wendy was adopted, which explained why the old woman didn¡¯t like her very much. Still, the tragic event affected her deeply.


    The people


    bout Wendy.


    Francis looked older with an ashen face and dark circles under his eyes. When Jack saw him, he remembered what his father said.


    The other day in the study, his father said meaningfully, "Francis went too far. He came here with the sole purpose of exacting revenge against Wen family. Unfortunately, he also has a strong feeling of love. If he did not care about Wendy, he would not take the trouble of having the engagement. Everyone knew that the Cheng family did not agree with it.


    But that''s what people do! People had to atone for their sins. If Francis did not involve the whole Wen family and only implicated Cole, things might have turned differently. Sadly, he was too aggressive since the beginning and didn¡¯t allow his self a chance to reconsider. It¡¯s no wonder it had gone to this.


    No one is to blame. Only that girl is so pitiful..." Jonathan shook his head and then gazed deeply at Jack. "May this become a lesson for you. In the future, think carefully before doing something that you might regret. Do not wait until it''s too late."


    Upon seeing Jack, Francis squeezed a small bitter smile. "You¡¯re here."


    Jack raised his hand and placed it on Francis'' shoulder, offering support. Emotions welled up inside him.


    He was certain before that Francis did not have any feelings for Wendy. Now, all his prior suspicions were thrown out the window.


    He recalled everything over and over. In the end, he could not offer any words and only replied, "I''m sorry."


    Francis tried to say something, but his emotions choked him. He looked at Jack, all the despair reflecting in his eyes.

 Chapter 59 The Truth

    The Wen family did not let Francis in. He stood outside the door, wearing a crumpled suit which he had not changed in days.


    He stood there completely alone. Inside the building was the mourning hall in which Wendy''s body was.


    This no longer came as a surprise. After having exacted revenge on Cole and indirectly causing Wendy''s death, how could he expect the Wen family to treat him kindly?


    It was already too kind of them not to have driven him away.


    Francis and Wendy had already registered to be married. The Wen family didn''t know that until two days prior.


    When Vincent found out, he was furious. He had never thought that they would been officially married.


    However, dealing with Francis was the least of his issues right now. The only thing that mattered at the moment was Wendy''s funeral.


    The Wen family was facing a lot of difficulties right now, so not many people came to the funeral. The few who came had seen Francis waiting outside.


    The Wen family''s relationship with Francis was complicated, so none of the guests could help him. Some of them paused but ultimately did not talk to him.


    Even fewer approached, concerned, and tried to comfort him, but they found him to be out of sorts.


    They understood, though, and left him alone. Everyone knew that his dead fiancee was inside.


    Jack came out not long after entering. Wendy''s body did not look that bad, though she had jumped off the fifteenth floor and had died from a head injury.


    Only Vincent and his mother were left of


    ick him up tomorrow night."


    She had thought that he needed help with something different. Nevertheless, she nodded her agreement. "It doesn''t matter. I''ll take care of him."


    Lucas flashed her a smile of relief. Then he raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "I''ll send some of his things over later."


    "No problem," Rachel replied.


    Curious, Mendes then approached him, blinked several times, and asked, "Where are you going?"


    He smiled and patted him on the head. "To treat patients."


    "Can I go with you?"


    Rachel laughed. "What are you going to do there? Cause trouble?" Mendes blushed.


    He declared for everyone to hear, "I want to be a doctor when I grow up! A doctor like you!" His eyes sparkled.


    Rachel beamed as she looked into his eyes. "Go for it! I''m sure you''ll make a great doctor," she told him.


    Rachel had already made Lucas a promise when she remembered that she had to have dinner with the Fu family tonight. This only meant one thing. ''Oh, no. Should I take Mendes back?'' she thought.


    Once her shift ended, Jack called. "Come out after you''re done. I''ll be waiting for you right outside the hospital''s gate."


    "Okay."


    After hanging up, Rachel worked on sorting Mendes'' stuff. When she was done, she promptly zipped up the bag.


    "Mendes, I''m going to have dinner with my dad. Do you want to go?"


    The boy tilted his head and asked, "Can I go, too?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay, then. I''ll go!"


    Jack hadn''t been waiting long before Rachel came out, a boy tagging along.

 Chapter 60 An Illegitimate Child

    Jack recognized the little boy. He realized that he looked familiar because they had already met each other twice.


    "Who is this little fella?" asked Jack. Even though he was confused, he still tried to sound kind and genuine.


    "Why don''t you introduce yourself to this uncle?" said Rachel.


    Mendes was not usually this shy. He sat closer to Rachel in the back seat for comfort. Perhaps he was intimidated by Jack. "My name is Mendes Xu," he said.


    Mendes'' voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. Rachel couldn''t even believe that the voice was from him. He was usually loud and outspoken. She never expected the child was hiding an effeminate side.


    Seeing Mendes'' reaction reminded Rachel how shy he was when he met Jack in the past. She couldn''t help but wonder if Jack was the problem. ''Is he really that intimidating?'' she thought.


    "Nice to meet you again, Mendes. You can call me Uncle Jack," replied Jack as he tried to keep his eyes on the road.


    "Uncle Jack!" Mendes said in a clear and loud voice.


    Rachel noticed that Mendes might be trying to please Jack on purpose. Maybe Mendes was trying to get on his good side.


    Jack never asked why she was bringing the child with her, nor did he ask where the child came from. He just focused solely on driving and the occasional small talk.


    Rachel had planned to ask Jack about Wendy, but she realized that it was not the appropriate time to ask him. Mendes might not be able to completely understand that conversation, Rachel still decided to hold off on the question. It was not healthy for the boy to hear that kind of conversation.


    Mendes was usually curious and full of energy, but right now he was behaving himself and wouldn''t say a word.


    Rachel had no idea why he was behaving this way. What could have made


    But Rachel and Jack had been married for five years now, why would they want a divorce?


    Unlike Tracy whose mind was preoccupied by their son''s marriage, Jonathan focused on Mendes. "It''s so much fun raising a child, don''t you think?" he said as he watched Mendes eat the grapes one after another.


    While her husband played with Mendes, Tracy was fuming. "Yes, how fun!" There was sarcasm in her tone. "You''re about to lose your daughter-in-law. How do you think you''ll get a grandson?"


    Mendes took another grape and licked it. "Grandpa Jonathan, where is your grandson?" said the boy.


    Tracy and Jonathan looked at each other and fell silent. "He hasn''t arrived yet," said Jonathan, breaking the silence.


    "What does that mean?" said Mendes after swallowing the grape.


    Mendes couldn''t figure out what Jonathan meant. Before the boy''s head could explode from thinking, Jonathan handed him another peeled grape. "You are so cute, Mendes. Why don''t you have another one?"


    "Don''t you think you''re feeding him too much?" said Tracy.


    "That''s not true," Jack replied.


    "You have been feeding him since he came in!"


    Jonathan turned his attention to the boy. "Are you full?"


    "Not yet," said Mendes. He swallowed the grape in his mouth and grabbed some more.


    Meanwhile, Jack and Rachel went upstairs to their room. He closed the door behind him and wondered how to tell her what was on his mind.


    Although the divorce had been brought up for a long time, it was still hard to say whether she would accept it or not.


    Jack pondered about the first words he would say. He kept thinking about how Rachel would respond.


    When Rachel saw how hard it was for Jack to tell her what was on his mind, she took the initiative to speak first. "Jack, I have something to ask of you."

 Chapter 61 The Past

    After a short pause, he asked in a low voice, "What is it?" He wondered what Rachel had to say to him. Maybe his father had already told her about the agreement.


    But when she began to talk, he found he was wrong.


    "Do you remember the engagement party that we attended a few days ago? The bride-to-be is dead."


    Surprise flashed in Jack''s eyes. "I know. But how did you know?"


    "Her body was rushed into my operating room." She sadly smiled as she saw surprise written all over his face.


    It seemed that he had forgotten that she was a doctor.


    Rachel hesitated at for a brief moment before asking, "I don''t know if it is appropriate to ask you but I''ve been thinking a lot for the past few days. Do you perhaps know why she jumped off the building?" Both of them fell silent for a brief moment.


    After a pregnant pause, he finally answered, "Why are you interested to know?" The question was direct and sharp. Rachel''s face slightly contorted, her eyebrows furrowing at the question. She pursed her lips and replied, "Forget it. I''m sorry I even asked."


    "Wait, hold on. I didn''t mean any malice against it. I just..." Jack stuttered, trying to find the right words to explain himself. "Why do you want to know all of a sudden?"


    Perhaps, she just wanted to gossip, he thought. Celine had done a lot of similar things out of curiosity. But Jack wasn''t the type to spread rumors and intervene in other people''s affairs.


    "You see, before I left the engagement party, she asked me to send a message over to her brother, V


    and history running in between those families.


    Wendy had never resisted him, and she probably knew about his attitude. She was probably so in love with him that she was willing to be held under his mercy. What a shame that she was only used as a tool in humiliating the Wen family.


    Jack explained that Francis had regretted his actions. She shouldn''t have died to punish him.


    Rachel scoffed and sarcastically smiled. With venom laced in her mouth, she said, "Maybe he thinks too much. Was it really punishment? Perhaps Wendy just felt that she had nothing left to live for."


    Jack didn''t know how to respond because it had nothing to do with him. Yes, it was undeniable that he was shocked upon hearing the news about her suicide. But it simply wasn''t enough to make him want to go into detail about why she had died.


    But Rachel wanted answers. She wanted to know why Wendy had reached out a hand for help. She truly didn''t expect that Jack would provide a lot of information to her curiosity.


    She was in a complicated mood now. According to Jack, Wendy chose to die not to punish someone. She just really didn''t want to live, and felt that suicide would''ve been the best choice to run away from her problems.


    She recalled the time when Wendy was rushed to the emergency room. It was a tragic scene to watch.


    "Such Jerks!"


    She sighed, her tone filled with contempt. "Some people only regret what they have done when their loved ones leave. This could have been prevented if they didn''t hurt them in the beginning."

 Chapter 62 Where Will He Sleep

    Jack''s expression changed. Rachel realized she had probably said too much. "Thank you for your detailed answers."


    He smiled awkwardly. "You''re welcome." After a pause, he looked at her again and tentatively opened his mouth to speak. "You know, Wendy was weak. If you were in her place, I doubt you would''ve done the same thing."


    Rachel scoffed. Was he serious? "What are you talking about? Me?" Rachel didn''t know how to reply to what he had just said. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and gave a small smile. "I''m glad that you think so highly of me. But I''m not exactly like Wendy."


    He nodded at her remark, still a little worried. Francis'' cast was like a warning to him, and he wanted to prevent any further conflict with Rachel.


    What he didn''t understand was why Rachel didn''t want to file for a divorce. He knew that she was not the type to covet wealth or fame.


    On the contrary, Rachel disdained fame. However, she had no intention of divorcing.


    It was unreasonable for a woman to be sensible when she was out of her mind. But Rachel wouldn''t bother doing anything stupid.


    However, he couldn''t be one hundred percent sure she wouldn''t do that, so he tried to sound her out. If she reflected a lot more about the divorce, then he''d come out with a safer option for the both of them.


    Realizing that he wasn''t going to get the answer he wanted, Jack lowered his voice and said, "I want to ask you something."


    then they would have to live together for a year.


    The only thing that bothered her was whether her son would marry Celine after divorcing Rachel.


    Thinking about this put her in a bad mood.


    She was so overwhelmed that she didn''t touch her food at all.


    Noticing her mother-in-law''s silence, Rachel asked with concern, "Mom, what''s wrong? You haven''t eaten anything yet."


    Tracy looked at her. She opened her mouth and closed, her eyes wide open. With a helpless smile, she shook her head.


    The air stood still. Jack stopped and watched at his mother.


    Tracy waved her hand hurriedly. "Don''t worry. It''s nothing serious, I just have a bad appetite tonight."


    "Just eat your food. I have something to tell you two later," Jonathan told Jack and Rachel.


    ''What could it be?'' Rachel wondered.


    Jack glared at his father and saw the mischievous gleam in his eyes.


    "You three can stay here tonight. I insist that you go back tomorrow morning," Jonathan said.


    Tomorrow was Saturday, and Rachel didn''t have to work.


    ''Now that Mendes is here, where is Jack going to sleep?'' she wondered.


    Before she had time to think more about it, Jack interrupted, "I have something urgent to do tomorrow morning. So, I have to leave as early as I can."


    Jonathan scowled upon hearing this. He put his utensils down and crossed his arms, gazing at his son. "Why are you in such a hurry? I insist that you stay here tonight."

 Chapter 63 Will You Divorce Rachel

    Jack''s face darkened.


    Mendes lifted his head, his face giving away his bewildered expression.


    Jonathan caught his dazzled look and smiled, touching Mendes'' head. "It''s okay. Just eat your food," he coaxed him.


    "Okay," Mendes answered.


    After dinner, Jonathan asked Rachel to go to his study alone.


    Taking advantage of the moment, Tracy hurriedly rushed to her son. Full of nerves, she whispered, "Will You Divorce Rachel?"


    Her words quickly pierced through Jack''s ears giving him a headache in the process. He rubbed his forehead trying to soothe the slight pain and indifferently answered, "It all depends on her."


    Tracy was now getting a little angry and nervously said, "You two get along well with each other for so many years. Why do you want a divorce? Is it because... she forced you?"


    Tracy was actually referring to Celine. In fact, she was afraid that her son would claim that he had gotten Celine pregnant.


    She knew deep down her heart she didn''t have a liking for Celine. ''What if she got pregnant?'' Tracy thought to herself.


    Her husband like children so much. She thought maybe Jonathan would accept Celine if she was pregnant.


    "Jack... Don''t tell me that woman..." she stammered.


    "Mom, you are thinking too much." Jack knew exactly what his mother wanted to say just by glancing at her as he had gotten really great at reading her face ov


    d urged him to do so.


    Then he found the soft bed and rushed onto the bed. He rolled on the bed in excitement.


    Rachel was trying to grab him. Though he was fat, his movement was very flexible. Before she was able to touch him, he rolled away to a farther place.


    She rolled up her sleeves and climbed onto the bed, trying to catch him.


    Standing by the door, Jack was getting aroused.


    Rachel knelt on the bed in front of him, stretching out and bending over herself trying to catch the boy.


    Her waist and buttock showed a graceful shape...


    He was clearly impressed with what was before him.


    He hadn''t had sex for years. Looking at what was happening in front of him, he felt his throat dry.


    He swallowed some saliva trying to wet his throat and stood there for a while. The stupid woman still couldn''t grab the boy.


    He snorted and turned around to leave.


    Rachel broke out in a sweat. But Mendes thought she was playing games with him. He was so excited and couldn''t stop rolling on the bed.


    Rachel was afraid to hurt Mendes so she didn''t dare to grab him too hard.


    Rachel was afraid that Mendes might catch a cold. When she was about to trick him into coming to her, a figure appeared beside the bed.


    Jack stretched out his long arm and easily caught the boy.


    Mendes was obedient to Jack.


    Jack raised his chin and said, "Put on your clothes."

 Chapter 64 The Bad Boy

    When Mendes heard what Jack had sad, he immediately complied. He happily ran towards Rachel.


    He opened his arms and stood naked on the bed, and allowed Rachel to help him to get dressed. Jack glanced the boy''s buttocks and saw that it was plump as two buns.


    Jack lightly slapped the boy''s buttocks. "Get dressed by yourself, you little scamp!" he goaded.


    Mendes turned his head in surprise. He covered his backside to hide his shame.


    Jack raised his chin and urged, "Put on your clothes."


    Meanwhile, Rachel held Mendes''s clothes in her hands, trying to hold herself back from laughing. To her surprise, Mendes listened to Jack and put the clothes on by himself.


    Rachel would glance at Jack from time to time as they waited for Mendes to finish getting dressed. She never expected that he could make Mendes listen to him so easily.


    Maybe Mendes understood that it would not do him well to trouble Jack because of his tough attitude.


    Mendes was able to put on his shirt without asking for Rachel''s help.


    But when he began to put on his pants, he stumbled on the bed and couldn''t get up. Rachel reached out her arm and held him. Jack supported the boy too.


    Mendes struggled to put on his pants.


    Watching Mendes get dressed was amusing, and Jack thought it was a lovely sight.


    Mendes noticed that Jack was staring at him. "Are we going to sleep together? All three of us?" he asked.


    Jack froze. He didn''t know how


    "I''m a little worried that I''ll accidentally sleep on top of Mendes," said Jack. He had been fidgeting on the other side of the bed.


    Rachel''s drowsiness that she had been building up suddenly went away.


    Jack''s comment had her worried. Rachel was used to sleeping alone. What if she fell asleep and pressed on Mendes by accident?


    She remembered that she once had a patient that was brought in because his parents accidentally fell asleep on top of him.


    The thought of accidentally falling asleep on top of Mendes frightened her.


    "What if we move him to the side?" Jack suggested. The two of them looked at each other from across the bed. After a moment of silence, Jack spoke again. "The bed is big enough to prevent him from falling off, you don''t have to worry."


    Rachel nodded at Jack. She probably thought it was a good idea, but there was still one problem.


    "Mendes is already asleep. If we move him now, he''s going to wake up," she whispered.


    "You''re right," Jack answered as he rubbed his eyes.


    He waited for the little boy to fall deeper in his sleep.


    He felt Mendes'' soft body lying on his arm and his warm breath running along his arm.


    After what felt like an eternity for the both of them, Jack broke the silence. "Is he sound asleep?"


    "Wait a few more minutes," said Rachel as she looked at Mendes.


    Jack suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do his parents mind that you brought Mendes here?"

 Chapter 65 Will She Misunderstand Us

    Since Jack asked about the parents, Rachel suddenly felt sorry for Mendes. In a soft voice, she explained, "His parents left him alone."


    ''So she decided to volunteer as a babysitter? When did doctors start to do charity work?''


    Thinking carefully, Jack remembered meeting her with the boy twice already.


    He didn''t see Rachel as a woman whose kindness would extend up to the point of taking care of somebody''s child. In his eyes, it was true that he saw women as gentle and fragile.


    They were the ones who would like to have a puppy or kitten as a pet and exclaim in their cutesy voices, "It is so cute. I love it so much!"


    Or, they could just simply act as soft and weak if opportunities permitted them to.


    Obviously, Rachel did not belong to that group of women. He vividly remembered the day she smashed Eric''s hand without blinking.


    He didn''t like Rachel for she was so cruel to her cousin. But now, she was so soft and kind, as if she was a totally different person.


    ''Could women change their dispositions in a snap of their fingers?'' Jack pondered confused.


    Unknowingly, he started to become interested in Rachel.


    When he started to think about her, he deliberately stopped himself and made sure that his mind exerted effort to avoid thinking anything connected with her. This was his way not to develop deeper feelings for her.


    Another ten minutes had passed, Jack was a hundred percent sure that Mendes was definitely in a dreamland now.


    Lifting the quilt, Rachel stood up and said, "Get up and transfer him on my side."


    Slowly, Jack stood up too. Rach


    nk if it was true.


    Making a point, Rachel said, "I really don''t understand what is going on in that brain of yours. Haven''t you always wanted a divorce? Now that it''s within your reach, why are you having second thoughts? I really think that there is something wrong with you."


    Frowning, he was about to say something when she interrupted him.


    Raising her hand, Rachel motioned for him to stop. Clearing up her throat, she asked suddenly, "Are you worried that the agreement will affect your relationship with Celine?"


    Seeing doubts formed in her eyes, Jack narrowed his eyes and got angry at her.


    ''What did she take me for? Am I a person who always allows Celine to dictate and manipulate my life?''


    Controlling himself not to blurt out what he thought, he didn''t want to face the truth that Rachel agreed with his line of thinking.


    Admittedly, there were times that he went against Rachel because of Celine. Maybe, because of those decisions, he hurt her indirectly.


    Thinking about those times, he realized that everything happened when he mentioned Celine.


    Therefore, he chose to keep silent and not to answer her question. But, Rachel continued, "Is she afraid that something might happen between us?"


    Hearing Rachel''s question, Jack''s face changed abruptly. When Rachel noticed his expression, she knew her suspicions were correct. And, she understood his situation.


    However, what Rachel didn''t know was the real reason behind Jack''s angry expression. What she thought never crossed his mind. Instead, her question reminded him of his sex dream last night.

 Chapter 66 Discuss The Divorce

    For a moment, Jack suspected that he had said or had done something inappropriate in his dream last night that Rachel had heard him.


    But then she said something to dispel Jack''s suspicion. "Dad just asked us to live together. We don''t even need to sleep in the same room. There are obviously more than two rooms in that house. Besides, Dad won''t know whether you stay overnight or not. When did you become so stupid?"


    He pursed his lips and replied sarcastically, "Do you really think I''m that stupid? I''ve already thought about that. I just want to fix this as soon as possible. I don''t want to cause any more trouble."


    "Okay then. Have you fixed this?"


    Jack''s face turned cold and he stared at her blankly. He gritted his teeth and replied, "Not yet."


    Rachel raised a brow and rolled her eyes. "There is currently one option out of the divorce. But if you can find another one, I''d be more than happy to oblige to it."


    Jack paused for a while and said, "Give me three days to think about it."


    Jonathan was so happy that Mendes was still asleep. He wanted them to have lunch at home.


    Rachel agreed to it since she had nothing else to do.


    Mendes didn''t get up until ten o''clock in the morning. He even changed his clothes without asking for help from Rachel. After that, she took h


    u take me there too?"


    "Yes." She took a tissue and carefully wiped the food crumbs from his mouth.


    Jack mocked himself silently that he had been reduced to being a driver.


    Rachel took care of the kid really well, which made Jack look at her with new eyes.


    ''Is it her gentle personality or does she already love child?'' he wondered.


    In less than two minutes, she received a text message from Lea.


    Rachel read the address to him.


    Fortunately, the restaurant was in one of the more popular areas. He knew it by heart and didn''t need a GPS to help him navigate around.


    He responded faintly with a nod. There was trace of deep longing present in his eyes.


    Perhaps Jack looked frightening in Mendes'' eyes. The boy was obviously afraid of him and was always behaved around him.


    He sat quietly at the back, unusually silent.


    He leaned over the window and enjoyed the scenery during the ride.


    Jack drove them to their destination. When they got out of the car, he said, "I will consider that condition."


    "What?" Rachel turned to face him.


    With one of his arms still placed on the steering wheel, Jack said leisurely, "I said I will consider moving into your house to follow the agreement."


    Rachel rolled her eyes.


    She had thought that he had something important to say.

 Chapter 67 Car Accident

    "It''s up to you. If you could perhaps think of a better idea, then I am more than happy to oblige," said Rachel, pursing her lips.


    If he would just make Celine pregnant, that would put a full stop to their wedding. Anything that would make their separation quicker was fine by her.


    As far as she was concerned, he could do as he pleased. He was free to cross all the limits.


    "Okay," Jack nodded.


    Rachel held Mendes in her arms and got out of the car. While carrying him, she realized he was quite a fat boy.


    As soon as she stepped out of the car, she was overcome by fatigue. Pleadingly, she looked at the boy and asked, "Mendes, can you walk please?"


    "Okay," he replied obediently.


    Jack drove the car slowly backward, turned around and drove away. Mendes blinked and withdrew his sight from Jack''s car. His gaze was now on Rachel. With utter confusion, he asked, "Rachel, are you getting divorced with that uncle?"


    Rachel was surprised. She smiled and poked his little face. "Yes."


    But Mendes seemed a little perturbed by her answer. "What about your baby? Don''t you want it?"


    "My baby?" Rachel was embarrassed. "We don''t have a baby."


    "You don''t have a baby? Where is the baby then?"


    She didn''t expect this kid to be so curious. Even though he was a child, there was something adult-like about his queries. Rachel couldn''t tell him the truth. Hence she wracked her mind for a lie to cover it up. "It hasn''t come yet," she said, not meeting Mendes'' eyes.


    Right when Rachel was consumed in this awkward situation, Lea came and began to wave her hands in order to catch Ra


    e, she looked at Lea who was startled by this information. Hurriedly, she went on to explain, "Don''t take it wrong. I just went back to Fu family''s residence."


    Lea squinted her eyes. "The man who slept with you... is Jack?"


    After stuttering for a while, Rachel managed to speak. "Mendes slept in the middle, between the two of us. That''s all, don''t misinterpret the situation." However, her words weren''t convincing.


    In truth, they had carried Mendes to the side of the bed when he was sound asleep. And then she and Jack had slept together.


    Just the thought of it left Rachel scared. She was not used to sleeping with others. And she loved having the whole bed to herself.


    But last night, it didn''t bother her. In fact, she had a sound sleep.


    As soon as Mendes moved to the other side, she fell into a deep sleep. All along, Jack was in the bed with her. This memory disturbed her.


    Thinking of that, Rachel felt a little embarrassed and ashamed. At that moment, Mendes added, "Yes, that''s how I sleep with my mom and dad. They keep me in the middle. But when I wake up the next morning, I find myself outside. Is that called magic?"


    Mendes was only a child. He didn''t know anything about hiding or keeping a secret. He spoke nothing but the truth.


    However, these words made Lea even more suspicious. Rachel looked like a dear caught in the headlights.


    "Last night, you two..." Lea couldn¡¯t believe her ears!


    In spite of this, Rachel tried to defend herself. In a very unconvincing voice, she said, "Don''t listen to him. After all, he is just a child. Children talk nonsense..."

 Chapter 68 Are You Impotent

    When Mendes heard what Rachel said, he immediately jumped to defend himself. "I swear, I didn''t talk nonsense!"


    Rachel didn''t know how he found he was moved to the bedside. She and Jack had already gotten up before the boy woke up.


    There was nothing she could do to clear her name. Children never lie and Lea was positive that there was something wrong with Rachel and Jack.


    She sighed heavily. "You can''t escape Jack''s seduction, he''s quite good at it."


    Rachel open her mouth, dumbfounded. "Jack''s seduction? What are you talking about?"


    "There''s no doubt you could not resist his charms. After all, he''s so handsome!"


    Rachel stroked her forehead in frustration and closed her eyes. "Do you think me to be that shallow?"


    "You know what, forget it..." Lea waved my hand dismissively. "If you want to keep your relationship, you have to deal with that woman first. In all honesty, there are other men much better than Jack."


    Rachel knew that Lea wanted to say that she was better off with Lucas. But it seemed that she carefully chose her words to avoid any further complication and unnecessary embarrassment.


    Rachel pursed her lips, not knowing whether Lea was joking or serious. It was a little strange to explain the situation to her right now. Before she had arrived, Ja


    or them to get hurt."


    Jack''s face darkened. "When did I have so many women?"


    He squinted and said, "Is Rachel not a woman?"


    "She is, but she isn''t my woman." Jack tried to defend himself.


    Michael gave him a funny look. "Isn''t she technically your woman?" He thought about what Jack said last time, the fact that Jack hadn''t had sex for so many years.


    He thought it was a joke.


    But when he brought it up later, Jack''s face turned sour.


    Michael realized a terrible fact. Jack and Rachel had already been married for five years, and he had been with Celine for almost four years.


    But Celine had declared that she and Jack hadn''t had sex yet. What if he never touched Rachel either? Michael was shocked.


    Michael glared at Jack, freaked out. He immediately turned his head sideways to avoid eye contact. He stammered, "What do you want to say?"


    Michael placed an arm over his shoulder. "Jack."


    Annoyed, Jack slapped his handsome face and said in disgust, "Don''t talk to me in such a disgusting tone. Out with it. Don''t be bashful!"


    Michael hesitated for a moment and finally asked, "Are you impotent?"


    Jack hadn''t had sex with Celine or Rachel. Being a neat freak, he wasn''t the type to touch a woman so casually. That only meant, that he had had sex for many years.

 Chapter 69 Taste In Women

    Michael laughed sarcastically at Jack. It was impossible for him to believe Jack hadn''t had sex for many years. The two of them grew up together. It would be more convincing for Michael if Jack had been castrated than the thought that he hadn''t had sex for years.


    Of course, he wouldn''t say that. It would be mighty offensive to Jack. Michael shrank when Jack glared at him. He immediately removed his hand from Jack''s shoulder.


    "Hey, man, if you''re having problems, you can tell me," said Michael. "Trust me, it will be just between us."


    Jack probably had a reason. Michael knew him well enough to know that there was something bothering him. Perhaps Jack was too embarrassed to admit it. Maybe he was having problems sealing the deal. By the tone of Michael''s question, Jack understood what he meant. He was gradually becoming annoyed at Michael''s persistence.


    Michael ignored the fact that he was annoying his friend and continued talking. Jack slowly raised his bruised left hand and clenched it into a fist in front of him. He raised his eyebrows at Michael. "What sort of problem do you even think I have, huh?"


    When he saw Jack''s clenched fist, Michael stopped talking. No matter how sincere he was, Jack might''ve thought it was an insult. Michael gave Jack a dry smile. "Look, bro, I just wanted to know if there was something holding you back." Michael patted Jack''s back. "You can tell me My doors are always open."


    Jack sneered at Michael. "Can you really do something to help me with that sort of problem, Michael?" Jack''s voice was gradually becoming angrier and loud


    o listen to the rest of his sentence. All he wanted at that moment was to shut him up.


    There was nothing more offensive to him at that moment. If he hadn''t stopped Michael from talking, he might''ve said or done something to him that he would regret.


    After they had gotten inside the car, Jack sat in the shotgun seat. He rested his head on the window and looked at Michael. "You have to pay attention to what you''re saying, Michael. Don''t go talking so nonchalantly about Rachel before others."


    Michael was confused. He glanced at Jack and returned his gaze to the road. There was silence for a few seconds. "Why would I tell anyone about Rachel?


    You''ve known me all your life, Jack. I''m not into gossiping."


    He just wanted to talk about his personal taste in women.


    Michael drew a deep sigh before saying, "Listen, man, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean any harm."


    Jack looked away from Michael and turned his head the other way. "I don''t want to talk about this. Especially not with you," Jack scoffed. On the other hand, Rachel never expected Jack to agree to the divorce agreement so easily.


    She thought that Jack wouldn''t back down without a fight. The Jack she knew would have found a better solution. He would march in there and talk to Jonathan for a compromise.


    She didn''t expect that Jack would move here as soon as he said he would.


    The night he told himself the news, he sent another message that he would move here the next day.


    Rachel had to tidy up a guestroom for Jack immediately. Maybe after a few days, she would prepare a temporary working space for him.

 Chapter 70 Plotting Something

    Rachel was easily persuaded by Jonathan because she never imagined that even Jack agreed to the proposal, he wouldn''t be so obedient as to stay at her place.


    However, it was not until she gave her promise that everything turned a little different from her expectations.


    Jack showed no intention of agreeing to his father¡¯s request at all.


    Rachel found that she fell into Jonathan¡¯s meticulously woven plot.


    She could not renege on her word, so to keep her promise, she tried convincing Jack into the agreement.


    Not that she didn¡¯t mind living with Jack, but Rachel also had her reasons.


    She never proposed divorce before simply because Jonathan didn¡¯t want them to. From when she was eight until she turned eighteen, the Fu family raised her like their daughter. When she was orphaned, her relatives from her mother¡¯s side refused to take care of her while they failed to contact her father¡¯s only sister, who was living out of the country.


    She remembered how helpless she had been. When no one was willing to accept her, the Fu family embraced her.


    Rachel was grateful for the generosity of the Fu family during those ten years. More so, Jack''s grandfather had worried about her future and arranged the marriage before he died.


    He asked Jack to marry her to ensure that she would always be taken care of. She knew that Jack only agreed to please his grandfather.


    She did not know why the elderly worried so much, but she felt his


    m. Why should we clean it?" Eric asked as he noticed the room was empty.


    Mendes tiptoed and reached for the rag, wanting to join, but Eric declined and raised his hand.


    "Be a good boy." He patted the boy¡¯s head.


    Rachel smiled and then asked the question back, "Why do we need to clean it if no one lives in?"


    "Is it for me?" Eric piped in, his whole face lightened in excitement.


    "You wish."


    "Then, for whom?" Eric knitted his eyebrows. ''Was it for Mendes?''


    Rachel said, "Have you forgotten what this house is for?"


    "What?" Eric became confused.


    "This was bought as a wedding house for Jack and me."


    Eric froze for a moment as he understood what Rachel was saying. Whenever it came to Jack, Eric got irritated. After his initial surprise, he said gloomily, "So what? He never lived here."


    "Well, he will."


    Eric blinked as her words struck him. "Now?" His face screwed up, he could not believe what he heard. "You mean Jack will live here with you?"


    "Yes," Rachel replied calmly.


    Eric would never forget that Jack almost had his hand cut.


    They loathed each other. "After he moves in, you need to call me before you come here," she instructed.


    Rachel meant it as a precaution to avoid both of them from bumping into each other, but Eric misunderstood.


    He began to worry. "But why? Why would Jack suddenly move here? He might be plotting something, Rachel, you need to be careful! Don¡¯t you think it is strange?"

 Chapter 71 Live Together

    Eric was suspicious when he heard that Jack and Rachel were going to be living together.


    He put the rag down and grabbed Rachel''s hand, leading her to the balcony.


    Mendes, being a child, didn''t know what was happening. This seemingly secret conference confused and intrigued him.


    His interest grew when he saw Eric suddenly pulling Rachel into the balcony.


    As much as he was curious, he was nervous, too. He promptly followed them and asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"


    Rachel patted Eric on the arm, a signal for him to wait. She stopped walking and turned around. "We just need to talk. Can you stay here while we do that? We won''t be long."


    Mendes frowned and asked, "Can''t I come with you?"


    It was difficult to refuse the request of a child who was as cute as a bun, but Rachel immediately responded, "No."


    Eric felt sorry for the little boy. He had thought that she would let Mendes come. He was only a child, after all.


    "Stay here and wait for me, okay? We just have to talk for a bit in the balcony, and I''ll be back before you know it." Although Rachel had not given in to the boy''s request, she continued to talk to him patiently.


    He was too young to understand what she meant. Even so, he didn''t like that she was acting so secretive.


    He only wanted to be part of things.


    Mendes looked at Eric and then at Rachel as the two were about to leave. Pouting, he said reluctantly, "Okay, you go ahead."


    Rachel was amused by the fact that the child was clearly hurt. "Be a good boy and wait for me


    at him. While driving, he tried to come up with the best way to talk to her.


    He had not expected that Celine would be happy in his absence.


    Four years prior, Celine''s indifference was the very thing that had attracted him. Now, here he was. She had left him feeling tired and alone.


    Patiently, Jack redialed her number. It rang for a long time until finally, Celine picked up.


    "Hello..." Her voice was hoarse, and she spoke slowly and sleepily.


    Jack glanced at his watch. It was past ten in the morning. Where was she sleeping?


    "Hello? Jack?" She seemed to have realized who was calling.


    "Where are you?" he asked in a low voice.


    Without thinking, she replied, "I''m at home."


    "I''m in your apartment right now. Where are you?" Jack repeated the question. His voice was menacing.


    His words brought Celine back to her senses. She sat up in her bed, panic coursing through her veins. She lifted the quilt and jumped out of bed. Then she walked toward the window, swept the curtain to the side, and looked at the view. The boundless sea touched the blue sky, and the water glistened with the sunlight.


    She had come out to the sea with a group of people the previous day. In the group was a young man from a rich family. It was a man who had once pursued Celine, a man whom Jack had warned.


    She had come here upon the invitation of a friend. Before the trip, she had no idea that this young man owned the boat that they were sailing in. Celine was overcome by guilt now. She did not dare to tell Jack where she was

 Chapter 72 Sign The Agreement

    Fearing that Jack would figure out, Celine calmed herself down. "How did you get there? I''m currently in my parents'' house."


    Disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Why did you leave in such a hurry?"


    Celine opened her mouth, shocked and nervous. "My mother called me, she wanted me to come home."


    She just got out of bed, and her brain wasn''t working.


    In all honesty, she didn''t really know what she was saying. "Well, you know, I haven''t gone home in such a long time. I do miss them a lot."


    Jack remained silent for a long time.


    Celine made her way to the bathroom, her sweaty hand gripping the phone. When she entered, she stared at the pale woman in the mirror.


    She had been drinking with them until midnight. She smelled her breath, it stank from the alcohol. Her hair was in a messy bun and her face was swollen.


    Celine sighed and closed the bathroom door.


    She felt her heart clench in guilt because she was afraid that Jack would find out.


    Celine swallowed nervously and asked, "Do you want me to go back now?"


    "No, you have fun." He hung up the phone without another word.


    His reaction knocked her back to reality. All of a sudden, she wanted to explain everything that had happened. Flustered, she dialed again, but he didn''t pick up.


    Celine stared at her phone in a daze, not knowing what to do. She had a feeling that if s


    own beside her and handed her the tableware. He said with a lovely look, "Make yourself feel at home."


    "Okay, thanks!" Mendes smiled, really happy that she was here. Squinting at him with a smile, Lea lowered his head, kissed him on the cheek. She praised him. "Good boy!"


    Mendes lowered his blushing face.


    Rachel was speechless.


    Realizing that she had to leave, she packed up her things. Before she headed off to work, she said, "Don''t go out. Wait for me here, okay?"


    "Okay!"


    "No problem!" Mendes and Lea answered simultaneously.


    Rachel was still worried that Mendes might be too naughty for Lea. She prayed that they were going to be okay.


    She knew that Lea had a temper and hoped that she''d be patient with Mendes.


    Rachel felt agitated as she went to work. She kept looking at her phone in case something happened. But there were no text messages from Lea.


    Mendes couldn''t control himself when facing the beautiful Lea.


    He carefully listened to her and watched cartoons together the whole day.


    Mendes didn''t understand what the cartoons were saying, but still agreed to watch. He liked looking at the bright colors and the moving pictures.


    Rachel had an operation that morning. The patient seemed to have suffered internal injuries after falling from a building. Fortunately, it was treatable and after a few days, he''d recover.

 Chapter 73 Buy A New Car

    When the surgery was done, the nurse went out of the operating room to inform the family members of the patient.


    Rachel was still inside the operating room since she had just finished suturing, so she was a little frightened when the family members suddenly rushed inside.


    A middle-aged woman hugged her tightly and burst into tears. Rachel was in a cold sweat during the surgery so she felt a bit embarrassed.


    Actually, the woman just wanted to thank Rachel. She heaved a sigh of relief as her stiff body started to relax.


    Rachel comforted the woman in a low and soft voice. She also smiled to the girl who had been standing beside her.


    A few moments later, Rachel found out that the man that she had operated was suffering from depression. He jumped off the building which caused him to be severely injured. Fortunately, he was out of danger now.


    While having their lunch, the doctors couldn''t help discussing the topic. "Why are there so many people jumping off buildings this month?" asked a doctor.


    Upon hearing the question, Rachel paused for a short while. But then, she didn''t say anything and just continued eating.


    The conversation didn''t just end there. "By the way, do you remember that girl named Wendy who was sent here a few days ago? Does anyone of you know her story?" a nurse said.


    "I know who she is," said a nurse who was sitting in the corner. She lowered down her voice on purpose.


    Rachel was just listening to them quietly. Ninwell City was


    tor curiously. Cara suddenly interrupted,


    "Rachel is from a well-off family. Don''t take wild guesses."


    Rachel had already gotten in the car and driven away.


    Mindy recognized the car and asked, "That car costs more than one million dollars, right?"


    What she said caught everyone''s attention. All of a sudden, they all got curious about Rachel.


    Some doctors in the hospital actually liked Rachel because she was pretty and good-tempered and had always kept a low profile.


    Cara glanced at Mindy. Seeing that they had gotten more curious about Rachel, she thought it was time to reveal something. "Guys, do you know the Fu family in this city?" she asked deliberately.


    "Fu family? The Fu family who owns the MK Group?"


    "The superrich family?"


    They were all shocked that Cara suddenly mentioned that family.


    "Do you know that Rachel was abducted at the hospital a few days ago?" Cara asked again.


    Some of them knew about that incident but some didn''t. However, since Cara seemed to say something interesting, they were all listening carefully.


    "The one who came to the hospital and solved the problem was Jack Fu, the president of MK Group. Didn''t you know?" Everyone looked at each other in shock.


    They were all speculating that Rachel came from a notable family.


    Moreover, she seemed to be related to the Fu family as well.


    The Fu family was more famous and one of the wealthiest. Jack Fu was even a famous business tycoon. "Is she Mr. Fu''s wife?"

 Chapter 74 Properties Division

    "Really? Rachel is only in her twenties. She can''t get married so early, can she?"


    They chatted casually as they walked. Cara found it strange and felt that it was not a normal case. "Rachel had been hospitalized after the abduction, but Mr. Fu only visited her once.


    I don''t think they are a couple." None of the other members of the Fu family or anyone from Rachel''s family had ever visited her.


    Besides, the hospital director informed the chairman of Rachel''s situation, and the chairman gave Rachel a few days of leave. Normally, the chairman should''ve informed her family.


    Cara thought that the director should know something about Rachel''s family. The chairman asked his men to stop the news from spreading in the hospital and give Rachel a holiday.


    Cara believed that the chairman did this to protect Rachel from gossiping.


    After Cara said Rachel had something to do with the Fu family,


    they began to talk about her. Some of them suspected that Rachel was an illegitimate child of the Fu family, and some thought that she might be a relative of the Fu family.


    Cara immediately interrupted them before they could say any offensive words. She loudly cleared her throat to give them the signal. "Whatever you''re talking about, talk about it in private. Don''t talk about nonsense and rumors in the hospital."


    Everyone nodded and stayed silent. "Rachel is a good girl and a respected doctor. Whatever her family background is, it is none of our business. Talk about it privately and discreetly, but never talk nonsense with her. If she finds out what you''re talking about her behind her back, she''d likely have less respect for all of you."


    "Yes, we understand. We were just goo


    ught.


    "Okay. Good. Please wait here for a while." Noah Zhuo stood up and went out of the room with the agreement. Rachel and Jack sat quietly and waited for him. Different thoughts ran in their minds.


    Noah Zhuo came back after a short while and sat down with them once more. "I have spoken with Mr. Jonathan Fu just now," he began. "He said that you could sign the agreement now if you want. But the agreement will only take effect in a year."


    "That wouldn''t be a problem," Rachel replied immediately without hesitation.


    On the other hand, Jack stared at the document, and rubbed them with his long fingers. "I''ll sign it now, if it''s all the same to you," he said soon after.


    After they both signed the document, they both had a feeling of relief. It gave them a strange sensation that a heavy burden that they carried for a long time was taken off from their shoulders. It was a sensation that felt vivid to Jack.


    The realization that it was all over made Rachel feel relieved as well.


    Jack had to maintain an act in front of his family. He couldn''t shake the feeling that his father came up with a sophisticated scheme to get what he wanted from him.


    "Let''s go," Jack said as he picked up the keys on the table.


    "Okay," Rachel replied simply.


    There might be calmness in her voice but in her mind, she wondered if Lucas was in her place. She knew that it was not a good idea to call Lea in front of Jack so she quickly texted her as they walked back to the car.


    She waited impatiently when there was no response to her text message even after they''d been outside the law firm for a while.


    Rachel felt anxious


    as she wondered what was possibly wrong with Lea and Mendes.

 Chapter 75 Jack Met Lucas

    Lea, Eric and Mendes were happily gathered inside Rachel''s house, playing like they were one big happy family.


    The TV displayed an intense drag racing competition. Eric was so excited that he couldn''t keep himself off the edge of the seat.


    Mendes sat on the floor next to them and he would cheer from time to time.


    When Lucas arrived, he never imagined that he''d see all of them having fun like this. It was unusual for these people to get along so well without arguing and making a scene.


    While Lea and Eric were fiercely preoccupied with their match, someone started watching behind them. "Is it really that fun? You guys look intense," said the voice.


    Lea was too focused on the screen to turn around. "Shut up, Mendes! I''m trying to focus here." She crouched closer to the screen to focus. "You''re going down Eric!"


    Mendes'' voice was drowned by the two players'' shouting. "But that wasn''t me," he said.


    Although she was too distracted by the game, Lea managed to slightly turn her head to the side. The moment she turned her head, the other player succeeded in overtaking her.


    After a few seconds, Eric managed to finish in first place. He jumped from seat and kept yelling "I win!" over and over.


    Lea gnashed her teeth and threw her controller on the floor. "If I didn''t get distracted, I would''ve won!" She made a mess of her hair in her annoyance.


    Eric laughed at her dismay. "So who''s to blame for your loss if not you?"


    Who could have distracted her? If it wasn''t Mendes, then who was it?


    When Lea looked behind her, she was stunned when she realized who it was. She almost ha


    ey were discussing where to have dinner. After a moment of silence, Lucas spoke. "Why don''t we all go out and have dinner together?"


    Although everyone felt reluctant, they still went out for dinner together. They were an odd mix. Three men, two women, and a little boy.


    The waiter ushered them into the restaurant and seated them. The situation was not any better than it was in the villa''s living room.


    Lea sat in the inner seat with Mendes, and Rachel sat next to them. Eric stared at the remaining three seats. There was no way he would sit next to Jack.


    Not if they paid him a million dollars. He would rather die than get any closer to this jerk.


    Eric decided that it was best to sit next to Rachel and Lea.


    There were still three seats left. Lucas sat at the furthest end, opposite of Rachel.


    Jack seated himself beside Lucas. Rachel noticed that something was off, but she didn''t understand what was going on.


    The waiter brought them the menu and let them order. Naturally, they let the child order first.


    Lea distracted herself by playing with her phone.


    They were in a Western restaurant, so it was okay for them to order what they wanted. There were children''s meals on the menu, and Mendes was capable of ordering on his own.


    While Rachel was checking the menu with Mendes, her phone suddenly rang. The message was from Lea.


    She added eight exclamations at the end of her sentence. Lea must have been really shocked.


    "What is he even doing here?!!!!!!!!" Rachel wrote, "Lea, you need to calm down. I didn''t have any choice.


    Let''s try to act like adults for now, okay?"

 Chapter 76 Was She In Love With Someone

    The Western restaurant was well decorated. Its romantic style gave off a very warm and homey feeling, suitable for couples going on a date or for friends to meet for a cup of coffee.


    It was strange that so many people gathered here. What was even stranger was the atmosphere. They weren''t communicating with each other.


    Jack didn''t speak because he felt the others didn''t like him.


    He understood why Eric didn''t like him. But he couldn''t figure out why this beautiful woman, Lea, disliked him too.


    They didn''t know each other, and so there was only one reason why she disliked him.


    It was because of Rachel.


    She was one of Rachel''s friends, and Rachel must have said something about him to her.


    It was easy to guess why she had treated him so coldly.


    Jack wore a poker face. He wouldn''t let their hatred get to him.


    Eric was sitting opposite Jack. He sometimes mocked Jack, and sometimes talked with Lucas, as if they were good friends.


    He asked about Lucas and Rachel''s campus life.


    Lea joined their conversation, leaving Jack out of the loop. He had no idea what they were talking about.


    Jack had no chance to join their conversation.


    So he continued to enjoy his meal in isolation and peace.


    Eric was determined to keep Jack out of the conversation.


    Jack felt something was wrong, but he couldn''t figure it out.


    If Rachel promised to divorce because of following his father''s opinion, Jack would treat her as his own sister and would try his best to compensate her.


    If she fell love with someone else, Jack would feel better, at least feel less guilty.


    Whenever he met Rachel, he felt guilty.


    It was all his fault. He, as a member of Fu family, was the one who should be blamed for all this.


    He knew so little about this woman, and his experience told him that she was not willing to tell him about her past.


    He never had a reason to find out before. However, he was getting curious about her now.


    After pondering over what kind of person she was, Jack once again glanced at Lucas.


    The table fell silent once again, with only the faint sound the knife and fork colliding decorating the ambiance around them.


    Rachel glanced at Jack, worried and wondering about what he was thinking of.


    By the end of the dinner, Jack and Lucas politely exchanged business cards with one another.


    Lucas left with Mendes.


    Eric took a look at Jack, who was still standing beside them. He approached Rachel and whispered in her ear, "Why is he still here?"


    She glumly answered, "I guess he will be staying at my place tonight."

 Chapter 77 A Gay Couple

    "What? He is going to stay at your place tonight?" Eric''s face distorted in anger. He slowly turned to look at Rachel in anger. "You must be crazy!"


    He didn''t want Rachel to get too close to Jack, but it seemed that recently, everything was going against his will.


    Rachel sighed, she understood why Eric was acting this way. She patted his back to comfort him. "Don''t worry, okay?"


    She decided not to explain that they made a deal regarding the divorce.


    "Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing."


    Jack stepped aside to answer the phone.


    Lea leaned over and dragged her to a corner. "What''s going on? Why is he still here?"


    Rachel rubbed her forehead in response. Just as she was about to say something, she caught Eric glaring at them.


    She groaned internally, knowing that if he found out the truth, he would definitely fight with Jack.


    She knew that he wouldn''t physically fight him, but he would definitely shout.


    She didn''t want something like that to happen.


    It would be better if she would settle things peacefully with Jack.


    After a short pause,


    she lowered her voice and said, "I''ll tell you when I get back."


    She took out her phone and typed, "We signed the divorce agreement today."


    She glanced to see what Lea''s reaction would be.


    Le


    re living together. It finally sank in that it was happening.


    He pondered for a moment to organize his words. "I''ll probably stay only for a month."


    Rachel thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay."


    "I hope we can negotiate with one another if a conflict arises."


    He didn''t want to live uncomfortably during his stay. He knew that if they quarreled, it would turn out to be one of the worst.


    If she could hear what he was thinking about, she would surely mock him. She was the last person in the world who would want to instigate a fight.


    Rachel nodded. She had no objection to his suggestion. The only person who might have a conflict with Jack would be Eric, and she had warned Eric before.


    Other than that, she couldn''t think of anything else to worry about.


    "By the way, I hope we can each have our own space. I wouldn''t want our lives to interfere too much with one another,"


    Rachel said. "I don''t want any outsider coming into my house either."


    Jack understood what she meant.


    He paused in his tracks and looked at her, completely genuine. "I promise you that I will never let that happen."


    "Are you sure?" He pursed his lips and smiled, "I''ve made sure that she won''t stir up trouble here."


    And Rachel definitely knew who he was referring to.

 Chapter 78 Another Dream

    Rachel wanted to tell Jack that Celine had come to give her problem a few times, but she decide otherwise.


    It was better to stay silent because she knew that even if she said something right now, Jack would never believe her.


    "All right," she simply said.


    Celine, on the other hand, finally gave up on calling Jack and decided to leave his house.


    She drove aimlessly and without a destination in mind. She wanted to look for Jack, but she had no clue where to start looking. If he had just picked up her call, she wouldn''t be crying right now.


    ''Is he planning to break up with me?'' Celine shook her head at the thought. Jack was not the type of person who would treat her like this without good reason. If he wanted to break up, he would''ve said it to her face to face.


    Unbeknownst to Celine, the real reason that Jack became so cold to her was because he didn''t have the time to talk to her in person yet.


    She guessed that he was avoiding to meet her because she had lied to him the other day.


    She wanted to apologize to him sincerely.


    She was willing to do anything to have him back.


    But there was a faint voice at the back of her head telling her that this time was different and that he had never treated her like this before.


    She tried to keep her focus, but her mind was too clouded.


    She didn''t know where else she could go, so she drove to a bar.


    Neon lights were flashing in front of the bar. She held her phone in her trembling hands. "One last call," she sighed.


    Still no one answered her call. She began pounding the steering wheel while screaming, "Why won''t you pick up the call? Damn you, Jack!"


    Celine took deep breaths to calm herself down. If she lost her cool, it would be all over for her. She looked at the bar in


    your desires all this time?"


    But no matter how hard he suppressed his desires, he had never had this kind of dream with Celine. The last time that he had this kind of dream was when he was still a teenager. It was degrading!


    Jack was so ashamed of himself that he was driven to laughter. Why would he dream of Rachel of all people? Why not Celine? On top of that, how could he keep dreaming of Rachel over and over?


    There must be a reason. There had to be. Otherwise, he would think himself insane.


    Rachel had left for work when he finished cleaning.


    She had the habit of making breakfast, but not for other people.


    As Jack made his way to the kitchen, he was attracted by the smell coming from there. He went in and found Rachel''s leftover porridge.


    He licked his lips. The porridge looked delicious, and he hadn''t eaten since yesterday. His stomach started growling.


    It suddenly occurred to Jack why he started liking Celine. It was because of her kindness.


    When they had just gotten together, she got up early every morning to lovingly prepare breakfast for him, though it didn''t taste that good.


    His stomach growled again.


    Celine said she had learned to cook because she always cook when she lived with her parents.


    But that was not the case for Rachel. He wondered where she learned how to cook. She seemed like a great cook as well, making something so simple like porridge smell so good. Rachel couldn''t have learned cooking from the Fu family. They always had servants to do everything for them.


    Did she learn how to cook after she left the Fu family? Nonetheless, she turned out to be a good cook and that was all that mattered. Jack walked out from the kitchen. He was thinking maybe he could taste the food Rachel made some day.

 Chapter 79 Deal With The Wound

    However, as soon as this thought popped into his mind, he did his best to dismiss it.


    He wouldn¡¯t let himself entertain such a ridiculous thought. How could he think like that?


    Rachel was oblivious to everything that had happened at home. At the moment, she was still preoccupied with work.


    There was never a lack of patients in the emergency department. Different kind of injuries and accidents would bring in people from all walks of life. In a single day, she would have to spend hours and hours at the operating room, healing and bringing life back to them. As soon as Rachel sat down for a cup of tea, she would be called in again for the next operation.


    Right now, two patients had come after being met with an accident. One was male and the other female. But thankfully, neither of them was seriously injured.


    When the nurse was cleaning their wounds, Rachel smelled a strong odor of alcohol. It was wafting in the air and was undoubtedly coming from the patients. As a doctor, she had to tolerate a lot of such behavior! This was the worst part of her job. The female patient had her head bowed down. But once she looked up, Rachel was stunned. It was none other than Celine! ''This is indeed a small world,'' she thought to herself and let out a sigh.


    She wished she could ask a different doctor to take care of Celine.


    After the affair she was having with Jack, it felt odd treating her.


    A little nervously, Rachel had an internal debate as to what to do.


    Fortunately, Rachel wore a mask and had forgotten to wear her employee card. There was no fear of Celine recognizing her.


    But truth be told, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if Celine managed to recognize her. ¡¯What can she do?¡¯ Rachel thought and


    a while and then said, "I''ll call Jack and ask him to pick you up."


    Despite sounding concern, his suggestion wasn¡¯t just based on concern. There was an ulterior motive behind his words. He wanted to show off before Jack. As a male competitor, the knowledge that his woman was under the care of another man was bound to trigger him.


    Of course, he wouldn''t dare to call Jack on his own. His intention was to make Celine call him by herself. Once he arrived, he would see Celine with another man.


    Then that would be a very unpleasant surprise!


    Aaron had already planned what he would say when the time came.


    However, Celine didn¡¯t give him a chance to execute it. "No, he must be busy now," she said, dismissing the idea of calling him.


    "Busy?" Aaron was surprised to hear her response. "No matter how busy he is, he is bound to come, leaving everything behind."


    From what he knew, Celine was very important to Jack. It was impossible for him not to come to see her if he heard that she got injured in a car accident.


    But Celine''s reaction was strange. And now there were signs of awkwardness and hesitancy. In Aaron''s eyes, it seemed perhaps she didn''t want Jack to worry about her. Yet there was a part of him that believed something else was the matter.


    He felt that there was something strange, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it. He continued to encourage her, "You just call him. Don''t be afraid. I''m here with you."


    Celine gave him a strange look, but in her mind, something else was brewing.


    An important question had begun to bud.


    ¡®Maybe I could give it a try and see if Jack reacts,¡¯


    she decided in her head.


    Celine sighed and said, "I will go to talk to him in person later."

 Chapter 80 Post The Photo

    Aaron was speechless for a while. Still skeptical, he agreed dryly.


    He had liked Celine since before. Besides her beautiful face, he liked her more because she was Jack''s woman.


    Any girl that Jack loved was a challenge for any other man.


    Although he didn''t want to offend Jack, he still wanted to chase his woman.


    The main reason why these people were always flocking around Celine was because of Jack. He was that powerful and a lot of people wanted to butt him up.


    It was very normal. But in Celine''s eyes, she had always assumed that they were simply attracted to her.


    Failing to get the answer he wanted, Aaron didn''t say anything more. He sent her back after they left the hospital.


    What they didn''t know was that Jack was involved in a car accident. In Rachel''s words, they were a real couple who got in trouble together.


    Jack didn''t go out today and just stayed in the Rachel''s house. He had asked Austin to bring his work so he didn''t have to go to the office.


    He planned to go to the company after removing the stitches on his forehead. But that had yet to happen in two days. He didn''t want to attract too much attention, especially about the car accident.


    Jack didn''t want to think about that anymore. Fortunately, Rachel was not at home this morning. Otherwise, he didn''t know how to face her. For the past two ni


    I just don''t think you''d wash them properly."


    ''Not properly?'' It seemed that she underestimated him. While cleaning up the table, Jack said indifferently, "During my years studying abroad, I always cooked and washed the dishes by myself."


    Rachel didn''t say anything more. It was true that many people took care themselves when they studied abroad. But it was also surprising that a man from such a rich family could do everything on his own. It was rare for people like him.


    Rachel made a pot of tea and waited for Jack in the living room.


    She could hear the sound of running water and the clanking of the dishes from the kitchen.


    The division of labor between them was good, and it was nice that they both shared household responsibilities.


    Jack washed the dishes in a routinely manner. He washed it with water, followed by detergent, before rinsing it again. He then placed it in the disinfection cabinet.


    Michael saw Jack wash dishes once.


    He yelled as soon as he saw the scene, "Jack, are you a clean freak?"


    Jack thought that he should wash the dishes carefully. It seemed that he and Rachel did share some things in common.


    Hearing the continuous sound of running water in the kitchen, Rachel couldn''t sit still any longer. She didn''t know why it was taking so long for him to finish washing a few plates and bowls.

 Chapter 81 A Conversation

    Washing dishes was such a simple task that there was no reason for Jack to be wasting so much time on it. Curious to see what he was doing, Rachel stood up and walked toward the kitchen, taking light steps.


    She stopped at the door and quietly looked inside. Jack was standing next to the sink, still scrubbing the dishes with detergent.


    There were only a few dishes to be washed, but he was treating them as if they were antique treasures, scrubbing them carefully with his slender and beautiful fingers.


    This tall man dressed in a shirt and a pair of suit pants was a striking contrast to the warm light of the kitchen.


    However, there was something strangely peaceful and soothing about the look of concentration on his face as he washed the dishes. All of a sudden, an image of him wearing an apron popped into Rachel''s mind.


    She continued to linger at the door and watch Jack as he washed off the detergent, and then rinsed the dishes once more with water.


    At this, she frowned. She had always known that he was meticulous, but at this moment, she couldn''t help but find him fussy. Were her dishes that dirty? It was not as if they were in a fast food restaurant.


    What was more, Jack didn''t stop there. After he washed thedishes, he turned and fumbled around the kitchen until he found the automatic disinfection cabinet in the middle of the cupboard.


    He squatted in front of it and thought for a while. Then, he reached


    ear that it was not because of Celine.


    After thinking for a while, Rachel asked tentatively, "So you have a new girlfriend?"


    Jack''s face darkened again and a single word came out of his thin lips. "No."


    Rachel nodded thoughtfully. "Whatever. As long as you don''t cause any more trouble, it''s fine with me."


    They had always pretended to be friendly in front of Jonathan, but she wanted to see how far Jack would go to make him buy their act.


    Now that they had spent their first day of living together peacefully, Rachel told Lea all about it on the phone.


    On the other side of the line, Lea sneered, "Is that so? Are you two still putting on a show?"


    Rachel rubbed her forehead and yawned. "I feel like I''m falling deeper and deeper into this huge hole."


    "Yes, you are," Lea agreed.


    Time flew. The next two days, Jack stayed at home, getting documents brought to him by his secretary.


    Rachel was a little curious about the reason why Jack wanted to work in her house these days, but it was only when she happened to see him in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror and raising his hand to touch his forehead with a frown, that she realized why.


    It seemed that Jack cared about his appearance a lot.


    On the third day, Rachel received a call from Jonathan asking how she and Jack were doing.


    After exchanging some pleasantries, Jonathan asked, "Did Jack tell you? I would like to visit you today."

 Chapter 82 A Blind Date

    Rachel curled up her lips into a smile. "You are welcome to come here at any time."


    "Where is the little boy? Can I meet him in your place?" Jonathan asked.


    ''Mendes?'' Rachel said, "I will call to ask him."


    On the other side of the phone, Jonathan smiled and said, "I bought him many things. I''m sure he''ll like them. Please tell him to come."


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel placed the phone on her vest''s pocket. She turned and walked towards Lucas'' office.


    Lucas was still responsible for taking care of Mendes, but he didn''t bring the child to the hospital. Luckily, he had lots of spare time so he only came to the hospital for special cases. A majority of his time had been dedicated to taking care of Mendes.


    Lucas only came to the hospital for VIP consultations, since he was only here to take up his further studies.


    Sometimes, Lucas didn''t even have cases. So he had enough time to take care of Mendes.


    Rachel walked inside his office, but he wasn''t there. Just as she was about to leave, she saw him walking beside a nurse.


    He had probably been checking the patients. He smiled when he saw her.


    Lucas whispered some words to the nurse before she left. He then looked at her. "I was just looking for you."


    Rachel also smiled, "What a coincidence! Lis


    ood them. She wanted to explain, but she didn''t know what to say.


    "I''m going to do my work. Excuse me," Cara said. She turned around and thought to herself, ''This girl has a special background.''


    She hadn''t been so sure whether the man she saw that day was Jack. But after his introduction, she was convinced.


    ''Rachel is so lucky to be married into the Fu family,'' she thought.


    When they went back to her office, Rachel made a cup of tea for him. "We have to wait for a while. It will take the driver at least half an hour to get here."


    It was rush hour time, so it was normal to be stuck in a traffic jam on the road. Jack nodded and leisurely took a medical magazine to read. "I can wait."


    Rachel returned to her desk and began to read the document Cara gave her. She looked through it for a while and then took out a pen. When she tried to scribble on the paper, it didn''t produce any ink.


    She shook the pen lightly, scribbling on the paper to force the ink out. However, there was little ink left. Persistent, she shook the pen. All of a sudden, blue ink spewed from the tip, coloring her hand a shade of dark blue.


    Rachel held back a curse. She looked up, hoping that Jack didn''t notice. Fortunately, he was engrossed in the magazine, not paying any attention to her.

 Chapter 83 Get Yourself Changed

    Rachel gently moved the chair to stand up. She headed towards the bathroom in the lounge.


    Jack suddenly heard a cry from the bathroom. In surprise, he looked up from the magazine and placed it aside. "Rachel?"


    There was no reply. Worried, he stood up walking to the bathroom. "Rachel? Are you okay?"


    She answered in a muffled voice, "I¡¯m fine."


    Half of her body had gotten wet in the bathroom. Panicking, Rachel rushed to look for the water valve.


    The faucet had suddenly broken down, spilling water on her clothes. She was unable to find the valve, and the water continued to spew from the broken faucet.


    Rachel had no choice, but to turn to Jack for help.


    "Jack, please come in."


    Waltzing in, he saw the mess that she had made. Jack was surprised. "What''s going on?" he asked.


    "The faucet wouldn''t turn off. I think it''s broken. Can you do me a favor and fix it?" she asked.


    Jack tried to observe the surroundings. "Alright. Let me see."


    Water continued to pour out on the floor. With a frown, he lifted his feet and stepped on the wet floor.


    Rachel followed. "I can''t find the valve."


    Jack squatted down and found the pipe behind the sink. It penetrated into the wall, which meant only one thing.


    ring a man''s jacket. Astounded, he looked at her carefully. He saw that her shirt and her hair were wet. He frowned and asked in concern, "What happened?"


    "The faucet broke and it began to splash water uncontrollably."


    She stood beside Jack, wearing his jacket. They looked like a loving couple.


    "Are you okay?"


    "I''m good."


    Jack politely interrupted them. "She''s all wet. We need to go back home as soon as possible, so that she won''t catch a cold."


    Lucas nodded. "Alright. Please take care of yourself, don''t catch a cold."


    He then looked at Mendes and rubbed his head. "Be nice in Uncle Jack''s house, okay?"


    "Not Uncle Jack, but Jack,"


    Mendes corrected him. His words amused Rachel. Jack remained expressionless.


    Jonathan had asked his son to pick up his daughter-in-law.


    He had been waiting for a long time until they finally arrived with Mendes.


    As soon as the child saw Jonathan, he let go of Rachel''s hand and ran towards him. He hugged his legs, shouting, "Hello, Grandpa Jonathan!"


    Jonathan was thrilled. He touched Mendes'' head and nodded with a smile. "Hello, little guy!"


    Rachel and Jack stood still there and watched them. Then Jack said in a low voice, "Go upstairs and get changed."

 Chapter 84 Love Each Other

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


    Jack tapped on Rachel''s shoulder and shook his head. It was his way of telling her that she didn''t have to say anything. "She got her clothes wet by accident," he said to his father.


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


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


    Rachel nodded and started walking upstairs.


    Jonathan asked Mendes to come closer. He was holding something behind his back. Mendes noticed this and immediately went to Jonathan. The old man had been hiding the toys he had bought for Mendes. The boy was so happy to see all the toys that he started playing with them as soon as he got them.


    While Rachel was upstairs, Jonathan took this chance to talk to his son. "So, how''s it going?" he whispered. "Are you and Rachel getting along well?"


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


    Jonathan squinted at him. He knew his son wasn''t telling him everything. "I''m not thinking too much. I just wanted to know if you''re having trouble with Rachel these days."


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


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


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


    Jonathan rubbed his fingers on his chin, lost in h


    is buttocks, "Go upstairs and bathe by yourself!" Mendes giggled impishly.


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


    Jonathan decided to stay here too. Rachel finished the call and happened to overhear what Mendes and Jack were talking about. She had only cleaned one guest room.


    Originally the three of them were planning to sleep together. But if Mendes was going to sleep next to Jonathan, she would sleep be sleeping alone with Jack.


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


    Mendes looked at Rachel as if he was a puppy begging for food. "He promised to tell me stories before sleeping." Mendes sounded sincere. It was hard to say no to him at this point.


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


    Rachel wondered if she could tell Mendes any interesting stories to keep him with her. But she couldn''t think of anything at the top of her head.


    Mendes'' eyes looked like tiny jewels that could hypnotize anyone that stared at them. "Please?" he pleaded. Jonathan heard them talking. Before Rachel had the chance to refuse, he already gave his answer. "I don''t see any problem with that setup."


    They raised their heads and saw Jonathan waving at the child. Mendes strode forward and latched onto Jonathan''s leg.


    Rachel and Jack looked at each other in frustration.

 Chapter 85 Sleep In The Same Bed

    Jack and Rachel were in the same bed. Although it was not their first time to sleep together, he felt more uncomfortable.


    He was scared that he would dream of Rachel again and wake up in the middle of the night. Since her smell was all over the room, he might not be able to resist the desire of his body later on.


    Just like what Rachel had said to Lea before, she felt she fell into a trap. She and Jack had to live together, have meals at the same table, and sleep in the same bed.


    Both of them lay in the bed stiffly. They felt surreal. Jack''s mind was in a total mess. Every time he turned his head, all he could smell was Rachel''s scent.


    Eventually, he couldn''t take it anymore so he turned to face her.


    "What''s that smell of yours?" he asked. Rachel was surprised to hear his question. She unconsciously lifted her hand and smelled her wrist. "What smell? I don''t smell anything," she answered.


    ''Of course you can''t smell your own self,'' Jack thought inwardly.


    "What body wash are you using?" he asked again.


    Rachel told him the brand, which was nothing special. Jack closed his eyes but he still couldn''t sleep. Some obscene images occupied his mind and made him feel restless. He kept on tossing and turning in the bed.


    He thought Rachel might kill him with her scalpel if he wanted to have sex with her.


    ''No! My father will definitely kill me before I can do that,'' he thought to himself.


    Rachel felt


    d her best to fall asleep.


    When Jack woke up the next morning, Rachel was still sleeping soundly like a baby.


    This moment gave him an opportunity to stare at her innocent face. She looked so beautiful in the morning.


    He then got out of the bed quietly so not to disturb her sleep.


    He walked softly down the stairs. The entire house looked quiet and empty.


    Their house was a three-story villa with a small garden so it wasn''t small.


    It was actually perfect for a family of three. Living alone in this kind of house would be so lonesome.


    As he reached downstairs, he stopped at the living room and looked around with a smile.


    He was reminded the last time when he was here watching Rachel doing her yoga.


    He flashed a smile at the thought of her.


    When Rachel woke and readied herself, she was about to go to work.


    Jonathan and Mendes were still sleeping when Jack went to check on them.


    Rachel had planned to bring Mendes to the hospital, but since he was still sleeping, she decided not to wake him up.


    She looked at her watch and said to Jack, "Can you take care of Mendes first? I''ll inform Lucas'' driver to pick him up later when he wakes up."


    "Of course. You don''t have to worry about him. Dad won''t leave after he wakes up," Jack answered with a nod.


    Rachel felt glad that many people loved and cared for Mendes. She couldn''t understand why his parents abandoned such a sweet and loving child.

 Chapter 86 To Stir Up Trouble

    Without the experience of taking care of children, Jack didn''t intend to look after Mendes, so he just said, "I''ll tell you when he wakes up."


    "Sorry to trouble you. I''m leaving now," Rachel said.


    With a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, he said, "You''re welcome."


    It was the busiest morning since she had first moved into the house. The house was full of vitality, not as cold as usual.


    When she reached the door, Rachel looked back at the house.


    More than ten years ago, she had a lively and warm family. It was the sort of house in which her mom would wake her up every morning, cozy and loving.


    She had a father who had always spoiled her. At that time, she had not been as cold and aloof as she was now.


    Rachel couldn''t clearly recall the details of her past.


    Time went by quickly. In the blink of an eye, the anniversary of her parents'' death would be very soon.


    No one knew that the grief of losing both her parents had lingered in her heart for so many years and had never faded.


    Now, the warmth and happiness she had experienced in her family were a distant memory.


    Since Jonathan left Rachel''s place, Jack also moved out and didn''t stay there anymore.


    Rachel breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. With Jack elsewhere, she didn''t have to stay under the same roof with him. This helped her avoid some discomfort and embarrassment.


    She described her situation to Lea as being like a pit she couldn''t climb up from.


    Now sh


    iful women next to him. His smile was not lessened, but a trace of doubt appeared in his expression.


    With astonishment in his eyes, Rick Ying asked, "May I know names of these two beauties?"


    "Rachel Shen."


    "Lea Ye."


    With a gleam in his eyes, Rick Ying led the three inside the house. To make friendly banter, he said, "Dr. Zhou, you are so lucky to have two beautiful women at your side."


    His tone of ridicule was not irritating. Lucas curled his lips and replied half-jokingly, "It''s normal to bring just one beauty. Having two of them is better for impressing the crowd."


    His words made the other three laugh all together. Rachel thought to herself, ''Rick is a very sociable man.''


    Then Rick Ying led them around the banquet hall and made brief introductions to the other guests.


    The banquet was hosted in the villa of the Ying family. There was a sad story attached to this villa.


    Rick Ying''s father had a serious illness when he was in his middle age. Because of that illness, Rick Ying and Claris Ying travelled overseas with him in their childhood, leaving the company in charge of their uncle.


    A few years after his father died, the company slowly crumbled as a result of the uncle''s mismanagement.


    The company suffered a severe loss. So Rick Ying came back and brought the company back under control. He bought sixty percent of the company''s shares, and the board of directors made him the new president of the Hawk Pharmaceutical Company.

 Chapter 87 Attracted To Someone

    Rick''s uncle had made great effort to take the company away from Rick''s father.


    However, Rick came back when his uncle was at his worst. He bought the company shares from others at a very low price.


    After approaching several major shareholders and the board of directors secretly, Rick successful forced his uncle to abdicate.


    Moreover, Rick had also taken back the villa from his uncle.


    That was why Rick was going to hold the party in this villa¡ªto declare that he was the new owner of the villa and the company.


    After walking with Rachel, Lea and Lucas for quite a while, Rick led them to the buffet hall. Then, someone came and whispered something to Rick. It seemed that someone important had arrived.


    Rick nodded and snapped his fingers to get the attention of the waiter nearby. After talking with the waiter, he turned to the three of them and excused himself.


    "I''ll excuse myself for now. Enjoy the party," he said with a graceful smile.


    "Don''t worry about us, we can manage here," Lea answered.


    She planted a sweet smile on her face.


    When Rick turned around and left, Lea was about to say something, but a waiter came to serve them drinks. So, she waited for the waiter to leave first before she spoke. "Lucas is here to have a blind date with his sister, and yet he brought us with him. Why is Rick still so polite to us?"


    Lea felt embarrassed because of Rick''s politeness.


    "Would you like him to kick you out?" asked Lucas.


    "Well, if he came back and drov


    be in this banquet. Such a small world indeed!


    Was it another coincidence? Someone very close to Rachel and one of Jack''s friends happened to know each other.


    Obviously, it was fate that led Lea and Henry to meet again. Even though they had only met once, they were both able to recognize each other immediately.


    All of a sudden, Lea and Henry held their glasses and walked towards the balcony. They needed a place where they could talk in private.


    Michael was a little dumbfounded as he watched his friend leaving them for a beautiful lady. He pointed at their direction and asked Rachel, "Do you have other beautiful friends like her? Maybe you can introduce one to me too." Rachel found Michael hilarious so she couldn''t help laughing.


    "Ha-ha! Unfortunately, there''s no one else." Michael leaned on Marcus and massaged his chest in an exaggerated way.


    "Ouch! My heart hurts," he said helplessly.


    Marcus pushed him away and said expressionlessly, "That''s none of my business, dude!"


    Among the three men, Rachel was more familiar with Michael, but she didn''t know that he had this funny side.


    Looking at Michael and Marcus making fun of each other, she couldn''t help but chuckle.


    They were not aware that two pairs of eyes were watching them for quite a while now. They were Rick and Jack.


    "That woman came here with Lucas earlier," Rick said to Jack. He didn''t know that Rachel was Jack''s wife.


    "With Lucas?" Jack asked casually as he shook the wine glass in his hand.

 Chapter 88 I Will Try My Best

    "Yes," Rick answered. When he failed to Lea, he joked about it. "Lucas came with two beauties. The other one is like fire while this one is like ice. He is really fortunate to be able to bring two beautiful women here."


    The last sentence was meant as a hidden taunt that men could easily comprehend the meaning.


    It was the kind of joke that Jack would normal laugh upon hearing it.


    However, this one sounded a little harsh to him. It seemed that Rick wanted to imply that there was there was something between Rachel and Lucas.


    He pursed his lips, not saying anything more.


    Rick never expected that he had invited Jack''s wife and mistress to the party.


    Jack''s disinterest was eventually noticed by Rick, and it made him wonder whether his jests lacked its usual kick.


    He lightly cleared his throat and immediately shifted the topic. He started to talk about corporate plans and Jack''s interest was finally piqued by the new topic.


    Rick paused to think about the plans and eventually decided to get it all done with Jack. Although he had already signed contracts with several hospitals, the health care hospitals of the MK Group and the Zhou family''s hospital were his two major targets because of their longstanding reputation.


    Rick was an ambitious man, and he wanted to capture fifty percent of the medical market of Ninwell City.


    The lights on the host platform finally lit up.


    The host walked up to the stage,


    l was just a bystander to the two. She found them to be different from the people that they were when she first met them. They were interesting people nonetheless.


    A voice suddenly came from behind them that took them by surprise. "Why are you hiding back here?" Jack asked.


    He kept walking until he was at Rachel''s side. "And you are here too."


    "Yes," Rachel replied in a soft voice that was almost drowned by the sound of the gathering. But she had nothing else to say beyond that.


    Michael rolled his eyes at them in a mischievous way as he slightly shook his head. They might freely throw jokes at Henry but they knew well enough to keep their jokes away from Jack.


    ''Several days ago, he said that he was going to divorce Rachel. And yet, the atmosphere between them is no longer as tense as before. What''s really going on?'' he wondered.


    Marcus had no idea that Jack was divorcing Rachel. They were hiding in this place, away from the crowd. But as soon as Jack walked over to their location, he attracted the attention of many people.


    They suddenly felt exposed. If they continued to stay here, people would come to talk to them.


    "Can we stop standing here? How about we have a seat?" Marcus suggested as he looked around for a place where they could sit.


    "I think that would be nice." Jack took a quick look at his watch. It was still early. He then turned to Rachel. "Are you here alone?" Later, maybe we could..."

 Chapter 89 Celines Plan

    His voice trailed off as he realized he hadn''t told Michael and the others that he and Rachel had been living together.


    Jack thought Rachel might feel embarrassed. He tried to change the subject and alleviate their suspicions. "We''ll drop you off on the way home. Would that be fine with you?" he asked.


    "You don''t have to. I came with Lucas, and he''ll drive me back," Rachel politely refused.


    Jack had heard from Rick that she did come here with Lucas.


    In truth, he was trying to tell Rachel that they could go back home together later.


    But to his dismay, she refused without a hint of hesitation.


    His face twitched, but he tried to hide his disappointment from Rachel. "So where is he right now?" he asked.


    Rachel didn''t know how to answer that because she herself didn''t know where Lucas was right now. "If you can''t find him, I can drive you home," Jack offered again.


    Marcus noticed that some people were approaching them. He tapped Jack''s shoulder to catch his attention. "We should find somewhere more private. There are a lot of prying eyes and ears here," he whispered to Jack.


    More and more people would come and mingle.


    Soon they would be surrounded by people that would flock around them like flies. Marcus didn''t want to endure that kind of trouble.


    Rachel didn''t exactly say yes or no to Jack''s offer.


    Now she had no choice but to leave this place with them first.


    Celine was only here because of Rona. If not for Rona, she would not be able to come here as she was not invited.


    Claris and her brother had different friends. She had just come back from abroad, s


    den, a fireworks display was being set up. Many workers went in and out, passing through where Lea and Henry had been staying.


    Because of this, they didn''t feel comfortable talking anymore. "Why don''t we go inside?" Henry suggested.


    Lea nodded and stood up. There was something different in the way that she walked. She held such elegance and delicacy that only princesses could have.


    It was dark outside, so Lea didn''t notice that Henry blushed a little.


    "Let''s go back to the banquet hall.


    They are looking for us," said Henry.


    Lea felt a little shy. She once thought that she would express her feelings straightforwardly if she fell in love with someone. But it seemed that she was wrong.


    The path was too narrow for them to go through at the same time.


    Lea noticed two workers coming towards them. They both held fireworks in their hands.


    She stopped and tried to move aside to avoid it. Henry reached out his hand and protected her from getting hit. This thoughtful action impressed her. She thought that he was quite the gentleman for protecting her.


    The two workers walked through the narrow path, with large boxes of fireworks in their hands. There were some branches on both sides of the path that stretched out into the pathway.


    She didn''t want her clothes to tear or get dirty, so she had no choice but to avoid the branches.


    The worker in a blue uniform couldn''t help but look at Lea, and their eyes met momentarily.


    He looked away in a hurry. The two workers left quickly.


    ''Why did the workers leave in such a hurry? Am I ugly or something?'' Lea thought to herself.

 Chapter 90 A Weird Look

    Michael gave his watch a quick glance as the waiter served them drinks. "There will be fireworks later," he said with a childish smile.


    "Really?" Jack asked as he crossed his hands and sat back comfortably, "Where?"


    "Well, it''ll be at Ying family''s garden," Michael explained with a slight laugh because Jack seemed so ignorant about it. "Haven''t you heard that they organized a fireworks party?"


    "Is that so?" Michael then turned to Rachel. "Why aren''t you talking? Are you embarrassed that you''re here with Jack?" he asked in a concerned tone of voice.


    Jack raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms on his chest. A grim look overcame his eyes.


    On the other hand, Rachel smiled in amusement. "Go ahead. I''ll be listening to you," she said with a smile.


    Michael looked around at everyone as a confused look overtook his countenance. "What''s wrong with you guys?" he asked when he saw that everyone sat very quietly. "Why are you just sitting there without saying anything?"


    Marcus lightly coughed. "Say what?"


    Unlike Michael, they were not talkative people. Michael could keep on talking and talking tirelessly. Jack raised a hand to rub his forehead and accidentally touched his unhealed would by accident.


    He felt a stinging pain and had to put down his hand immediately.


    He shifted his gaze to Rachel''s direction. She remained as silent as the background. Her make-up made her face look more elegant and beautiful. Sh


    the CEO. "I''ll go check what''s up with her."


    "Go on ahead!" the CEO nodded. "Mrs. Fu still looks young. You just coax her a little."


    Jack was stunned by his words. ''What did he mean? Do I look old?'' he wondered.


    Rachel walked fast. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers as she walked.


    She could feel that her heart was beating fast and it felt different.


    ''Was Jack out of his mind? He kept his hand on mine for such a long time in front of so many people!'' she complained to herself.


    She walked aimlessly, trying to calm herself down as she tried to get rid of the strange feeling that she had in her heart. Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed her hand that she was forced to stop walking.


    Rachel tried to pull her hand from his hand the moment she realized what was happening. "Don''t touch my hand!" she said in a soft voice.


    He quickly realized that she was not angry, but shy.


    Jack had to exert a tremendous amount of will in order to prevent himself from bursting into laughter. He then pretended not to understand what she wanted. "Why are you angry all of a sudden?" he asked pretending not to know what was going on.


    "I''m not angry," she said. Maybe she wasn''t angry a while ago, but it was really hard to say at that moment.


    Her face looked as if she was about to get angry. If he didn''t run after her, she could''ve calmed herself down. She could continue to pretend like nothing happened.

 Chapter 91 An Earthquake

    Jack caught up with Rachel, asking why she was angry.


    She could feel the warmth of his palm again.


    She endured the embarrassment silently and said, "Don''t worry about me. You should go back! I''ll walk around by myself for a while and look for my friends."


    Jack pretended not to understand her. "Your friends? Who else came with you other than Lucas?" he asked.


    "Lea."


    Jack remembered that Rick had told him that Lucas had brought two women with him. So the other one was Lea.


    There was no doubt that Lucas maintained a good relationship with them.


    Jack said, "You have an unusual relationship with Lucas,"


    He abruptly stopped. ''Am I getting jealous?'' he asked himself inwardly.


    Rachel thought otherwise, thinking that he just wanted to know why she and Lucas were really close.


    She explained subconsciously, "We have been friends for nearly ten years."


    She had been friends with Lucas for nearly ten years, meaning that they had known each other since they were around fifteen or sixteen years old. It was strange not easy for them to maintain such a long-term friendship.


    Jack''s heart skipped a beat.


    A soft breeze came as they stood near the window.


    Outside, the fireworks exploded,


    adorning the nig


    tain the upper class circle of Ninwell City.


    The platform where Rick had delivered a speech at was removed. The workers were fast and quiet, clearing the area without a trace of sound.


    After standing at the corner for a while, Rachel emerged. She didn''t see Jack and Celine.


    It would be better for her if she avoided them. She hoped that they wouldn''t come to her later. She went straight to the banquet hall and encountered the workers who had just finished clearing the platform.


    One of them dropped something when he passed Rachel.


    Subconsciously, she stepped back as the man bent forward to pick up what he had dropped.


    When the man squatted down to get close to her, she smelled something foul.


    It smelled like...


    gunpowder.


    The man quickly picked up what he had dropped and left.


    All of a sudden, the lights in the banquet hall turned off, just as the staff finished clearing the area.


    It was 8:43 p.m. When the hall was finally empty, Rachel hesitated, not knowing where she would go. The ground suddenly shook.


    The crowd screamed in panic.


    "Is it an earthquake?"


    someone asked.


    That was what Rachel thought too.


    However, she was caught off guard when she heard a violent explosion erupting.

 Chapter 92 Escaping

    Rachel couldn''t figure out where the explosion came from. After it had exploded, she fell violently on the floor.


    Everyone in the hall was stunned, questioning what had just happened. After a few moments, chaos ensued and screams tore the silence.


    Rachel''s heart pounded in her chest. Regardless of the pain she felt in her hands and feet, she quickly got up from the floor.


    People began to rush out of the building. The floor was still trembling slightly, and then another explosive sound followed. The windows looked like they were about to break. Rachel could barely stand up properly.


    She also wanted to leave with the crowd, but her feet were weak, and her knees were so painful that it hurt just standing up. She was afraid of going with the crowd, in fear that she would be trampled on if she fell down.


    The sudden explosion broke the lively scene in the villa, causing bewilderment.


    Everyone began to exit as multiple explosions were heard consecutively.


    A fire began in a sudden. When they rushed to the gate, they found that that it was locked from the outside.


    Someone wanted them all to die here!


    They were panicking. There were bombs in the villa, and t


    rowd, bumping into him while she screamed like a banshee.


    He reached out to pull her back in case she bumped into the wall.


    The frightened woman opened her arms and was about to hug him. However, Jack pointed the direction the crowd rushed to and said in a low voice, "There''s an exit."


    The woman followed the crowd and left the villa.


    Jack called Rachel''s name, looking for her. He heard a weak voice from somewhere. He stopped and turned around to look for her.


    But he only found Celine, who rushed towards him.


    The lights in the hall began to twinkle. A spray sprung in the corner of the wall fell down beside them.


    Jack tried to calm down and was afraid that another explosion would erupt. He pulled Celine''s hand and began to run out of the building.


    When they arrived outside, it was dark. Almost everyone had escaped, including those who came out from the gate.


    Unfortunately, Jack couldn''t find Rachel. Michael said in surprise, "Wasn''t she with you just now?"


    After she heard these words, Celine glanced up at him. With fear, she looked towards the direction of the villa, which burst into flames.


    And several more screams could be heard in the crowd.

 Chapter 93 Back To Save Rachel (Part One)

    Before they could react, they heard another explosive sound from inside.


    Michael, Jack, and Marcus looked at each other. "Where''s Lea? And Henry?"


    A deep voice came from behind. "I''m here."


    They turned around and saw Henry walking towards them. He had his arm wrapped around a woman. She looked up and saw them, her eyes lighting up. She broke free from Henry''s grip and rushed to them. "Where''s Rachel?" she asked anxiously. "Have you seen her?"


    Jack looked back at the villa subconsciously. His face completely darkened.


    "Fuck!" Michael cursed. "Is she still there?"


    Jack suddenly pushed Michael away and headed towards the villa. As soon as he stepped out, someone gripped him from behind.


    He looked back, it was Celine. "Jack, are you stupid? Where are you going?"


    "I''m going back to find her." He whipped his arm away from her hand.


    Celine almost cried out. She rushed up and wrapped her arms around the back of his waist, preventing him from going away. She cried, "Are you insane? What if you get hurt?"


    Lea heard her words, wanting to tear her into pieces.


    She pulled a long face and began to rush ahead without saying a word. Jack stopped her from going further.


    She glared back and said, "I know Rachel is not important to you. You can choose not to save


    gun burning at the door. The door was carved from wood, which burned easily.


    After she rolled the carpet to the side, she began to hurry upstairs.


    There had been many people in the villa, but now, she was the only one left inside.


    She wondered if anyone was still on the second floor and where the explosion came from.


    If the explosion came from within the villa, then the villa would have collapsed or the windows would have been broken.


    But the only thing that could be heard was the explosion.


    Rick was agitated, thinking about who had the audacity to ruin his villa. He didn''t know what to say when he saw the villa on fire and the guests he invited stand outside in a mess. Everyone was in panic and they bombarded him with so many questions he didn''t have the answers to.


    So what happened?


    He didn''t even know it himself.


    The well-planned party turned into a disaster planned by someone else.


    Rick''s drooping hands slightly trembled. He clenched his teeth and held a blank face.


    More than a hundred guests were able to escape. But after they left the villa, nobody hurried to leave.


    It had happened so quickly. The explosion, the screams, and the fire.


    There had been people spread throughout the villa. But they didn''t know where the explosion came from.

 Chapter 94 Back To Save Rachel (Part Two)

    Even the cook stood stunned with stark fear written all over his face. "Don''t talk nonsense. If the explosion happened in the kitchen, do you think I could still stand here?


    Where did the explosion come from?"


    Feeling confused, people started whispering among each other and were immersed in a heated discussion.


    But not everyone seemed so chatty. There were some who were so consumed by fear that words wouldn''t come out of them. Rick and Marcus were two such people.


    After calling the police, Rick had to count the number of people present.


    He checked all the way from left to right to ensure no one was missing. Only after he was somewhat convinced that everyone was present, he let out a sigh of relief.


    Moreover, he was glad he had received the guests in person when they arrived. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have known who left the villa and who didn''t.


    If someone got hurt here today, the Hawk Pharmaceutical Company and the cooperation case would surely be in vain.


    Somebody was sinister enough to have done this.


    The enemy had planned this with an intention of making him a laughingstock. Or perhaps he had a different goal. A goal to have him killed! Such thoughts spiraled inside Rick''s head.


    His mind wouldn''t be put to rest. Relying on his height, he stood on one side of the flower bed and looked around to check if there was anyone missing.


    ''Hope everything will be fine,'' he thought with a tinge of panic.


    He then went to Marc


    was not very high, she would be injured if she didn''t land in a proper position.


    Michael glanced at the tensed look on Jack''s face. He raised his hand and wanted to pat him on the shoulder. But he put it down after thinking for a while.


    They went upstairs. Before they started to look for her, Michael heard someone talk and hurriedly pulled Jack back. "Hey, someone is talking."


    The sound came from the front. ''Is there anyone still here?''


    When they walked closer, they heard their conversation and stopped in their tracks.


    "How about this woman?"


    "Leave her here."


    Both of them were shocked. They strode forward and took a turn in the corridor. Jack was almost driven crazy by what he saw.


    The three workers didn¡¯t notice the two. But Rachel¡¯s helpless eyes saw them approaching. Just when she thought life was over, hope returned. Their presence brought such happiness that she wanted to scream.


    Her changed expression didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the three workers.


    Unfortunately, they were too slow to react. When they turned their heads, Jack and Michael had already rushed over and each grabbed a man. They hit them so brutally that the two fell on the floor, completely knocked out.


    The remaining man didn''t even realize what had happened.


    He looked at his two companions who were knocked out in the blink of an eye.


    Seeing they were coming for him next, the man squatted down and begged for mercy.


    "Don''t hit me! Don''t hit me!"

 Chapter 95 Back To Save Rachel (Part Three)

    Jack kicked the man hard. He dropped onto the floor, writhing in pain.


    Seeing this, Rachel was overcome with emotion. Jack approached, bent down, and removed the tape which covered her mouth.


    Both of her hands were tied behind her back. With a straight face, Jack carefully but swiftly removed the shoelaces that bound her.


    When the laces were removed, an overwhelming feeling of relief came over her. Her eyes welled up with tears.


    She felt so lucky. Jack had come just in time.


    She remembered how terrified she had been when the three men had said that they would leave her here to die.


    She thought about the horrible reality of being thrown away like garbage and with no one knowing where she was.


    After successfully freeing her, Jack helped her to her feet. Rachel croaked, "Thank you."


    In a low voice, he said, "Seriously? Why so formal with me?"


    Rachel opened her mouth and looked up only to find his sour face. He put his arm around her waist, and together, they walked toward Michael. That was when he noticed that something was wrong with her feet.


    Frowning, he asked, "What''s the matter with your feet?"


    Rachel tried to rotate one foot, and a sharp pain shot up her body. It turned out that she had sprained her ankle.


    Determined not to be a burden, she clenched her teeth and tried to move her foot again. It hurt even more than it had moments ago.


    Awkwardly, she explained, "I think I sprained my ankle. It hurts too much. I can''t walk."


    Michael kicked the man who was on the f


    she said, "Okay. I''m waiting here for you. They have informed the firemen of your position. But it''s too dark where you are. They''re trying to locate you. Can you see me waving?"


    It hard for Rachel to see the people below too. Flashing lights and people walking around made it more difficult for her to spot Lea.


    The second floor was not that high, but there was some distance between the balcony and the crowd.


    "Yes, I see you. Alright. Don''t worry. We''ll be downstairs in no time."


    Puzzled, Michael looked in the direction of Rachel''s gaze. It was pitch black, with a few flashes of bright light now and then. He couldn''t see anything.


    What did she see?


    Michael and Jack didn''t expect that such comforting words would come from such a cold woman. It made Jack jealous of Lea.


    ''Wait. Jealousy?''


    Jack''s facial expression changed subtly. He turned his head and pretended to look out the balcony. However, smoke coming up from downstairs and from the front of the house choked him.


    Rachel stood straight and leaned on the handrail. From the other end of the line came the clear voice of a man. "Rachel, how are you feeling now? Are you hurt?"


    "Lucas?"


    "Yes, it''s me. I..."


    She interrupted him. "I''m fine. There''s no need to apologize to me."


    "Okay. We can talk about it once you''re safe and sound downstairs."


    "Okay." Rachel returned the phone to Michael.


    He continued to talk on the phone. More and more smoke rose from the lower floor, and the rescue operation was yet to be completed.

 Chapter 96 Stay With Me

    When the second fire engine arrived, the firemen immediately set up the ladder while asking some people about the situation inside of the building.


    The windows were burning up and thick smoke billowed so they had to put the ladder at the side.


    As soon as the firemen finish setting up the ladder, Jack and Michael helped Rachel stepped on it. One fireman then supported her while going down.


    Michael went down after Rachel. When it was Jack''s turn to step on the ladder, he halted and turned around as if he remembered something.


    "There are still three people inside," he told the fireman. Right after he finished informing the fireman, someone ran from behind while anxiously waving his hand. "Help! Help! Help!" Then another one came out. "Help us! Don''t go yet!"


    After Rachel, Jack, and Michael were rescued, the firemen rescued the bad guys too. They were then arrested by the police after Rachel gave her statement.


    Since the situation was already stabilized, everyone decided to leave.


    The firemen urged them to vacate the place quickly because there were some rumors that there might be some explosives inside the building.


    Rachel found it difficult to walk because her ankle was swollen.


    Lucas knelt down to check her ankle.


    After careful examination, he stood up and said in a serious tone, "We need to bring her to the hospital to treat her ankle."


    Lea came over to help Rachel stand up.


    "Let''s go. Hurry up," she said.


    Looking at Lea''s nervous


    ? Can you also share it to us?"


    When Lea heard Michael''s voice, she turned her head to look at him. It was only then that she noticed his burnt coat. His elbow and the back of his hand were also dirty. His burnt hair and whole body smelled smoke.


    Perhaps Michael and Jack had never experienced such terrible moment before.


    She looked at the back seat and saw Jack staring at Rachel silently. There was a frown on his face.


    Before, Lea had always thought that Jack was a scum and an irresponsible man. She even thought that he had no interest on Rachel.


    But looking at him now, she realized that she was wrong. Jack cared about Rachel so much. He even risked his life in the fire to save her.


    His decisiveness and resoluteness made Lea change her impression on him.


    Jack didn''t even care about his situation right now. He seemed not to notice his burnt clothes and the scratches on his face and forehead.


    Just like Michael, he was also in a mess. His face was a little pale.


    But all he cared about was Rachel. His only concern was for her sprain to be treated.


    When Marcus'' and Michael''s cars reached the nearest hospital, they immediately brought Rachel to the emergency room.


    Luckily, there were not so many patients that time so there was an available doctor to take care of her.


    The old doctor kneaded her ankle and checked it. He then said slowly, "The muscle of her ankle is twisted but it''s not very serious. We just need to apply some medicine on it."

 Chapter 97 Hes So Manly

    ''That''s all?'' Jack wondered.


    But he was still very worried about Rachel. "Her ankle is so swollen. I think she needs an X-ray."


    The old doctor squinted at him. "You don''t trust me?" he asked with a slight sigh.


    But he didn''t wait for Jack''s answer and waved his hand. "I''ve checked it already. You can have it double-checked if you don''t trust me, and I''ll be responsible if I missed anything."


    His words made most of the people present laugh. But Jack was not amused. His face was grim and his eyes remained serious. ''Why is this doctor not treating this case professionally?'' he wondered to himself.


    As a doctor herself, Rachel had a good idea of her situation. Although the pain kept most of her senses busy, she could tell if her bones were hurt or not.


    The old doctor wrote down on the patient chart and then prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine. "Find the nurse to help you reduce the swelling. Then come back to correct the tendon," he said finally.


    When Jack took the list, the doctor studied him from head to toe. He then pushed his glasses up his nose to better position it. "You young people are really good at messing around. Did you two just had a fight?"


    He looked back and forth between Jack and Rachel with an expression that told them that he was sure that they had a fight.


    "Do we look like we just had a fight?" Jack asked seriously in response. His face looked incredulous from the doctor''s question.


    The doctor took another look at Jack, carefully this time, and then at Rachel. He nod


    nd say nothing.


    "Call me when you get home. Don''t forget to go back to the hospital to get your feet checked tomorrow," he said after a moment''s hesitation.


    Rachel nodded at him but said nothing. When Jack thought that they had finished talking, he opened the door without saying a word. He then lifted Rachel from the wheelchair and carefully placed her in the passenger seat of his car.


    Rachel was taken completely by surprise that she shrieked softly at what Jack did. When she turned her head, she saw that Lucas was about to leave, but a flash of surprise was in his eyes.


    Jack''s action almost made Lea exclaim as well in surprise.


    ''He''s so manly!'' she thought to herself as she admired Jack secretly in her mind.


    "Don''t worry, I will take care of her. Just go about your business," Jack said immediately before anyone could react and say anything. His voice had an authoritative tone that only the husband of Rachel could have.


    After a moment of surprise, Lucas nodded, "Thanks!"


    The words of Lucas sounded like a joke to Jack. "I will take care of my wife. Why do you need to thank me?" Jack said under his breath with a sneer.


    His manner was completely different when he had a pleasant chat with Lucas at the table mere days ago.


    When they were finally inside the car, Lea couldn''t help but turn to Lucas with an amused look. "Well, Mr. Fu, why did you sound hostile to Lucas?" she asked.


    His expressionless face became stiff for a moment after he heard her words. "You think too much," he answered.

 Chapter 98 Getting Closer

    ''I think too much?''


    Lea didn''t think so. She could tell Jack was really angry when he spoke to Lucas.


    Actually, she was angry as well. Lucas just left Rachel there and didn''t say anything to comfort her. All he wanted was to rush to the Ying family''s villa. There seemed to be some hidden meaning in Rachel''s words.


    ''Lucas is worried about someone? Could it be Claris?''


    Just as Lea was about to ask, Rachel leaned back, looking tired, with her beautiful eyebrows knitted together slightly. Lea looked at her and noticed that her forehead was oozing sweat.


    Feeling concerned about her, Lea leaned over and nervously asked in a low voice, "What''s wrong? Are you feeling pain?"


    Rachel didn''t want Lea to worry about her, so she forced herself to cheer up and tried to reassure her, "I''m fine. Don''t worry. I''m just a little tired."


    "How could I possibly not be worried?" Lea felt very worried. "Look at you. Your face is as pale as a ghost. If you feel uncomfortable, please just tell me. I''m here with you."


    Having said that, she turned to look at Jack and said bluntly, without trying to be polite, "Mr. Fu, can you manage it?"


    Her words were bewildering to the other two people in the car.


    Lea paused for a moment, and realized they might not have understood what she meant. "Can you take good care of her tonight? Perhaps I should stay there."


    With his face looking relaxed and the corners of his good-lookin


    ring a word, Jack went downstairs and fetched the stool.


    He remembered the stool very well. It was the one that Mendes used to sit on when he came there.


    When he came back with the stool, he felt confused. "Why do you need a stool?"


    Rachel''s ear went red, but she tried to stay calm. She took the stool from Jack and said, "It''s necessary."


    Before Jack could respond, Rachel hurried away with the low stool.


    Ignoring Jack''s lingering gaze, Rachel entered the bathroom and closed the door.


    Jack just saw her limping away in a rush before he understood what was going on.


    She disappeared as swiftly as a burglar.


    Standing still for a moment, he was confused about what that could possibly mean. After a moment of thought, he suddenly understood.


    The stool... Her foot...


    Only then did he realize what the stool was for. How dull he was!


    His handsome face blushed with embarrassment. He walked to Rachel''s room and hesitated at the door, then finally raised his hand to knock.


    It took Rachel a long time to finish everything she need to do in the bathroom. She walked around the bathroom and hesitated for a long moment. She looked at her swollen foot and remembered that the medicine from the hospital was still on the living room table.


    She was still hesitating whether to open the door and get the medicine right away, or wait here until Jack was asleep.


    But at that moment, Jack knocked on her door.

 Chapter 99 A Car Accident

    The knock on the door seemed to have an impact in her heart. Rachel hesitated for a moment, but eventually limped to the door and open it.


    Jack had already cleaned himself and changed his clothes. However, the scratches on his handsome face were still visible. He was holding a glass of water in one hand and some medicines in the other.


    His eyes rested on her beautiful face first before they moved down to her sprained ankle. He then frowned.


    "Just sit there. Why do you keep on moving around?" he scolded, his brow furrowed. Rachel was a little confused why Jack had suddenly scolded her.


    "If I won''t move, then how can I open the door?" she retorted innocently.


    She then stepped aside so he could come in.


    "Then why do you have to lock your door?" asked Jack again.


    ''Because I''m wary of you,'' Rachel wanted to say. However, she chose to keep it to herself. She moved towards the table slowly to avoid his gaze but Jack suddenly stopped her.


    "I said, don''t move!" Jack''s voice raised a little so Rachel was stunned. But before she could say anything, he suddenly lifted her up.


    Afraid that she might fall, she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. She was too embarrassed so she shouted at him angrily, "What are you doing? Put me down!"


    Jack squinted at her and said, "You are so stubborn so you only deserve this."


    Rachel was so angry that she kept on struggling from his arm. She tried to hide her flushed cheeks from him.


    Looking at her blushing face, Jack''s lips curved into a playful smile. He then threat


    ly. That''s it. You have nothing to worry about. Don''t take this matter seriously," he added.


    "I am not taking this matter seriously," Rachel denied, a little embarrassed. She blushed so she turned her head and looked away. "I''m sorry. I will never mention her name in front of you again."


    "Then why are you angry? I don''t mean to blame you," Jack said. "I just want to make it clear to you, in case you are thinking that I was forced to break up with her. I''ll go out now. Have a good rest."


    When Jack was gone, Rachel lay in the bed. She felt better that her ankle was wrapped with bandage. The pain had dissipated.


    The expressions in Jack''s eyes and the way he spoke earlier lingered in her mind. She could see his face every time she closed her eyes and her heart beat faster.


    Rachel tried to calm down and covered herself with the quilt so she could fall asleep. However, she didn''t expect that she would have some strange dreams.


    In her dream, she was running nonstop around the burning villa. The thick smoke was suffocating her and she was almost out of breath. She wanted to ask for help but she was left alone in the whole building and the door was locked.


    When she was already on the verge of death, her dream changed. It went to the day that her parents had a car accident.


    It was drizzling and she was trapped in a very narrow space. She was watching the drizzle fearfully. It was so dark and since the space was too small, she couldn''t even move. A pungent smell of blood hit her nose. Her parents were not moving anymore.

 Chapter 100 The Truth

    When Rachel felt desperate and frightened, someone reached out to rescue her.


    A well-known face came to her view. As the image grew more lucid, she recognized the face belonged to Jack. He lifted the heavyweight pressing on her and carried her out of the suffocating space.


    She leaned her head on his broad shoulder like a ship finding its anchor. She was set adrift for so long but had finally reached ashore.


    The nascent rays of the sun awaited entrance on Rachel¡¯s eyes. Her mind had whirled from her nightmares into the real world. Meanwhile, her eyelids lazily fluttered open. Her eyes were glazed over with the remnants of her dream.


    She tried to remember her reverie before it faded and replayed it over. In her sleep, she felt safe when she rested her head on Jack¡¯s shoulder. It had the same feeling when she was in his arms last night.


    Had she felt a sense of security with Jack? Her conclusion surprised her.


    She couldn¡¯t believe her thoughts. While she was still reeling from her shock, she heard her name bellowed by Jack, waking her up.


    Every day, her routine moved like clockwork. She always slept and got up on time until today when someone had to wake her up. A lot about her had changed, she noticed.


    She rubbed the remainders of sleep in her eyes and dragged her feet off the bed. She entered the bathroom to wash her face and change her clothes. When she came out, she examined her ankle and found the swelling had reduced a lot


    ed him as Rachel¡¯s boyfriend and nodded in return.


    When their turn came, he entered the room together with Rachel. The doctor was one of the best in the hospital. After assessing her ankle for a while, he went to retrieve the medicine.


    Rachel lifted her foot on a stool and waited for the doctor''s treatment. "Turn around."


    Jack was looking keenly at Rachel when he heard her voice.


    "For what?"


    She looked a little weird and said softly, "Just turn around."


    Jack was puzzled but did as she told. After a few seconds, he heard her scream.


    The doctor adeptly maneuvered Rachel¡¯s anklebone. Her face contorted as a throb shot on her foot.


    The pain was excruciating. Looking at her expression, the doctor smiled and took the tube of ointment. He opened the lid and said, "You have twisted it severely."


    Jack whirled around when he heard her cry. She was in agony, her tears welling in her eyes.


    Rachel wanted to reach out and hold her foot, but she stopped and hung her hands in the air helplessly. She lowered her foot from the stool with a sorrowful look. Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It was rare for him to see her with such rich expressions.


    The doctor squeezed the ointment tube, and the scent of medication filled the room.


    He covered her injury with the medicine and then wrapped it with a bandage. "She cannot run or jump in the next few days. Rachel is very clear about her condition. Just take good care of her," he said to Jack.

 Chapter 101 Made A Mistake

    Jack nodded. "Okay, I''ll take care of her."


    The old doctor tied the bandage after wrapping it around Rachel''s ankle. He stood up and smiled at them. "I''m happy that you brought your boyfriend here, Rachel."


    ''Boyfriend?''


    Rachel''s face began heating up. Shyly, she smiled and nodded her head awkwardly. She wondered what Jack was feeling. Casting a glance at him, she found that he acted as calm as ever.


    After the doctor had finished giving them instructions, Rachel and Jack thanked him. As the pair walked out, Jack bent down to carry her in his arms.


    Rachel blushed and hid her face in his arms. "Jack, could you please stop hugging me like that? I feel embarrassed."


    He raised his eyebrows expressionlessly. "But the doctor told me to take care of you. This is my way of making sure that you''re okay."


    "He meant that I shouldn''t exhaust my feet. He didn''t mean that you should coddle me like a child!"


    Jack retorted defensively, "Hey, I just want to help you! Don''t get mad at me!"


    She opened her mouth to refute, but failed to come up with a good come-back. Jack smirked as her face slowly reddened.


    Without further protesting, she allowed Jack to continue carrying her out of the doctor''s office. While they were bickering, they encountered a familiar person.


    Upon seeing Lucas, she struggled to get down. However, Jack didn''t let her go. "Stop, you''re


    A look of impatience flashed across Jack''s face. He bent down to lift her horizontally and strode inside his office.


    The scene stunned the others for a while. Once the two were out of sight, they began to talk amongst themselves.


    They were all shocked. "Who is she?"


    "I don''t know..."


    "But I heard that he has a girlfriend."


    "I''ve seen his girlfriend before. But his girlfriend isn''t that woman!"


    Inside the office, Jack put Rachel down and said, "Just sit here today and stop making trouble."


    Rachel blushed with anger. "I''m not making any trouble. I want to leave."


    He glanced at her coldly, full of disdain. "What is so important that you have to leave? Tell me!"


    She was speechless for a moment. "Something urgent..."


    "What''s so urgent?" Jack was determined to pursue the matter until he had an answer. His dark eyes observed the expression on her face and slightly narrowed his eyes. He wanted to find clues about where she was going to go.


    Rachel didn''t know how to explain why she had to leave in a hurry, because she actually had nothing important to do at the moment. She just wanted to leave the office.


    But there was only one thing. It was something that had happened just now.


    He grabbed her by the waist and encircled his arms around her. He looked down at her and rudely spat, "Perhaps, it was because of what had happened just now..."

 Chapter 102 First Kiss

    Before Jack could finish his sentence, Rachel spat, "Don''t mention it again!"


    Her face turned red and she heaved in frustration.


    A while ago, he suddenly leaned over to her. Shocked by his sudden movement, she stood up instinctively.


    Before she could do anything, Jack lifted his hand and pushed her down to the sofa.


    Rachel was stunned. Unmoving, she lay on the sofa and looked up at him. "What do you want? Mmmph..."


    Not finishing her sentence, Jack lowered his head and placed his lips on hers. He had imagined this happening so many times in his dreams.


    The moment their lips pressed against each other, Rachel pushed him away.


    Like a frightened rabbit, she almost jumped up.


    Subconsciously, she covered her mouth with her hands, tried to remain calm. "What are you doing?"


    Jack didn''t know what had gotten over him. He wasn''t even planning to do that.


    He forced himself to sit up straight, placing his hands in his pockets, pretending to be calm.


    The back of his ears were flaming red, betraying his calm expression. Rachel looked at his face, not knowing the embarrassment he felt inside.


    Her mind was in a mess, like a time bomb.


    She could still feel the warmth of his lips.


    She put dow


    ." The girl got their attention after greeting them.


    Jack turned his head, his face darkening for a moment. With a realization, he asked, "Are you on duty today?"


    She nodded and took the rag away. "Yes, it''s done. I''m going out now."


    "Okay, thank you."


    She then nodded towards Rachel and said, "This customer seems to have been waiting here for a long time."


    Both of Jack and Austin turned around. Austin''s face contorted and he stole a glance at Jack. He wore an awkward look.


    Austin couldn''t help but giggle inwardly. He was curious to know how Jack was going to introduce Rachel.


    Jack looked a little embarrassed. "This is my..."


    His voice trailed off. ''Should I say she''s my wife or friend?''


    However, since he didn''t answer her question, the girl just assumed that she was his friend.


    She took a look at Rachel and smiled awkwardly. She scratched her head with her hand and apologized, "I''m sorry. I thought you were one of the customers."


    Rachel giggled to brush off the misunderstanding. How had Jack recruited such a muddled girl to work in the company?


    Seeing that there was an awkward silence, the girl cleaned up her supplies and scurried out of the door. "Excuse me, I''ll be leaving now."

 Chapter 103 Lets Go For A Snack

    Jack nodded. Just as she was about to exit, the girl abruptly turned around. "By the way, I haven''t seen Celine for a long time. We should have dinner after work when you have time."


    There was an awkward silence. Rachel glanced at both Jack and the girl. Based on what she had just said, it seemed that she was close to Celine. That had probably been why she was recruited in the first place.


    Jack replied calmly, "I''ve been busy lately. Let''s talk about it later."


    "Okay..." The girl furrowed her brows in confusion, but didn''t ask any more questions. She waved her to say goodbye.


    When the door closed, Jack''s eyes met Rachel''s. They stared at each other for a while.


    Her eyes looked bright for a moment before breaking eye contact. Deep inside, he felt guilty.


    Still feeling awkward, Austin cleared his throat to break the silence. "Mr. Fu, please sign the papers. I''ll have them processed right away."


    "Okay."


    He signed the documents without reading over them. Austin quickly grabbed the papers and headed straight for the door, shaking his head in disappointment.


    The girl had been one of Celine''s junior schoolmates. No wonder she had been surprised when she found Rachel in the room.


    A few years back, Celine had managed to convince Jack into hiri


    e.


    By the time they had arrived at the street, it was already dark and crowded with people.


    It looked so out of place, its busy streets in the middle of the city.


    This time, Jack decided on the restaurant that they would be eating.


    To her surprise, he chose a restaurant randomly. He pointed to the restaurant in the corner. "The menu there seems good. Let''s go there instead."


    She curled her lips and followed him inside.


    It was much cleaner and less crowded than the previous one they had gone to. The tables and chairs inside were tidy. They sat near the windows. Since it was a bit hot today, the owner had turned the air conditioner on.


    Jack ordered the food at the counter and set the tableware for her. Rachel saw that his appearance began to attract many curious eyes.


    They weren''t used to seeing a man in a suite eat at this bustling place. On the way back to the table, Jack could feel their stares, but decided to ignore them.


    He came back with two meals and two bowls of soup for their dinner.


    This restaurant was an old brand that had originated from Taiwan. Their food attracted a lot of attention because of their homely ambiance and good food.


    "Here you are." Jack carefully placed the food in front of her and handed her the utensils.

 Chapter 104 So Unromantic

    Rachel raised her chopsticks at eye level to take a closer look on her braised beef lathered in sauce. She must''ve wanted to appreciate the food better. There was also a bowl of pork ribs and carrot soup on the side, both dishes smelled appetizing. She could almost taste its flavors just by looking at it.


    Rachel stopped eating for a moment and stared at Jack. He could tell there was something on her mind. Jack put his chopsticks down and smiled at Rachel. "What is it?" he said.


    "Doesn''t the food excite you?" she said, tilting her head to the side. There was a grain of rice at the side of her lip that she hadn''t noticed.


    "I''m not that picky when it comes to food. As long as the food is good and sanitary, I''ll eat it without complaints," said Jack. He tried to stifle a grin as he saw the grain of rice on Rachel''s face.


    Now that Rachel thought about it, Jack had never once complained about food. He wasn''t really particular about the ambiance too.


    "This place is good for me. I like it here," he added. Jack took his chopsticks and started eating. He took a few bites of the braised beef and pork ribs, and almost fell in love with the food. Even though the ingredients and meat were not as fresh as the ones used in high-class restaurants, the food here tasted even better.


    This restaurant was famous for its traditional cooking, and the divine taste of its food. They didn''t need to use top-tier ingredients to make their food taste great.


    MK Group had been preparing to open a new hotel. Jack and his associates had been searching for a place that served traditional delicacies. Choosing this place was a lucky coincidence for Jack. It was like hitting two birds with one stone.


    The restaurant was starting to g


    p and go home.


    She knew that she had said something wrong, but should he really be this angry over this?


    After a while, she heard the sound of the engine from behind. She turned back and saw that Jack''s car turned around and rushed away. The roar of the engine seemed to carry his anger.


    Rachel wondered what she had said to have triggered this anger. Surely she didn''t say anything that offensive to have angered him to the point of indifference.


    "Damn it!" Jack was about to scream his head off.


    He felt his blood rising to his head. He could feel the heat coming out of his ears. "How could she be so insensitive? She must be the most unromantic person I''ve ever met!"


    It was so rare for him to be that considerate,


    but she totally got him wrong. If he was truly ashamed of being seen together with Rachel, why would he invite her to dinner in the first place?


    Midway into Jack''s tantrums, his phone rang. It was Michael. "What do you want, Michael?" he answered.


    Michael was stunned when he heard Jack''s angry tone. He wondered if he had done something to make Jack angry.


    "What''s up, man? Did something happen?" Michael tried to sound as friendly as he could. All he could hear was the sound of Jack''s breathing, and he could tell that Jack was fuming. "Did you have a rough night, buddy?"


    "No," Jack replied in a flat tone.


    Michael didn''t believe what he said at all.


    After a few seconds of silence between the two, Michael continued talking. "So, let''s hear it. Who or what could have made the president of the MK Group so mad?"


    Jack insisted that it was nothing, but Michael knew otherwise. He was so persistent that Jack eventually gave up and told him everything that happened earlier this night.

 Chapter 105 Got Drunk

    When he heard that it was about Rachel, Michael rolled his eyes. ''Didn''t they sign the divorce agreement already? What''s going on?!'' he thought.


    "Why don''t you come and have a drink? It doesn''t make any sense to be angry all by yourself, you know," he said after he briefly cleared his throat.


    There was a brief silence as Jack considered his offer. "Okay," he replied.


    Jack was a powerful man when it came to work and business, but when it came to relationships, it seemed that he was as helpless as everyone else.


    It was obvious that he was not aware when he started to develop feelings for Rachel. He was obviously clueless with his own self.


    Anger and frustration made him drink as fast as Michael could refill his glass. After a few shots, Michael decided that he couldn''t stand it anymore and stopped him by holding his glass down. "I did not tell you to drink alone. Tell me what happened, and I might be able to give you some advice."


    He squinted and took a deep breath as he stared at Michael. "What do you want to know?" Jack asked dryly. Michael decided that it was either his natural bad mood or the alcohol.


    "First, I want to know why you are upset. Tell me what''s bothering you," Michael said calmly.


    Michael stretch out a hand to Jack''s shoulder and gripped it. He smiled as he raised his eyebrows. "I might be able to give you some advice if you tell me what happened, alright?"


    But Jack''s manner remained cold. He didn''t say a word as he seemed to be in deep thought. He slowly placed his glass on the table and started to lean back in his seat to relax himself.


    In the meantime, elsewhere, Rachel felt that something was oddly wrong. It was time for her to rest, but she was stil


    In the meantime, it was almost three in the morning when Rachel woke up from a dream. She lifted the quilt from her body and sat up. She reached for a glass of water by the bedside.


    When she picked up the glass, she found that it was empty. Rachel yawned and walked towards the door of her room in a daze.


    She opened the door but before she could step out, a tall figure blocked her way in the dark that she was instantly startled.


    "Ahhh!" she screamed out of fright. "Shhhh..." the man said in a soft voice as he covered her mouth with his hand.


    "Be quiet. It''s me."


    She immediately recovered from her initial shock when she heard his voice. "Jack?!"


    He reeked with the strong smell of alcohol as he answered her in a soft, raspy voice, "Yes..."


    Rachel was almost scared to death. She threw out her hands and pushed him. "Are you crazy? You were lurking in front of someone''s room in the middle of the night!"


    Pushing his tall body was surprisingly easy for Rachel because he was drunk. He leaned against the wall behind him, and shook his head slightly. "I''m here for you," he said in the same soft voice that sounded so pitiful.


    "What are you doing here so late at night, anyway?" Rachel asked as she walked out of her room. She struggled to look for the switch that would turn on the light on the corridor.


    But as soon as she took a step forward, she was pulled back by Jack. "Don''t go," he ordered.


    "I want turn on the light. Don''t talk to me if you''re drunk."


    "No. Don''t turn on the light." Jack''s voice was so soft. Rachel couldn''t see his facial expression in the darkness, but she clearly heard the pitiful expression in his voice. "It''s all good now. I have something to tell you."

 Chapter 106 Took Care Of The Drunk Man

    Rachel was stunned, and a strange feeling came over her. She stopped in front of her door and turned around. "Are you sure? Do you know what you are talking about right now?"


    "I''m sure," Jack replied in a low voice. "I''m not completely drunk. I can still get home on my own."


    For a moment, Rachel squinted at Jack, whose tall figure and handsome face were illuminated by the dim light in the room.


    But in the end, she didn''t know what a drunk man looked like, so she just accepted his words without thinking too much.


    Jack had thought a lot about what to say to Rachel, but now that he was here in front of her, he was tongue-tied. Finally, after a long pause, he said, "About what happened today..."


    As soon as Rachel heard these words, her face changed. She coughed in embarrassment and cut in before he could continue. "What happened today was my fault..."


    "Hush," Jack said, silencing her with his finger on her lips. "Stop talking and listen to me first." His voice sounded so steady that Rachel was not sure whether he was really drunk or not.


    Nevertheless, she was curious about what he wanted to say, so she just kept silent and waited for him to speak.


    Instead of withdrawing his hand, Jack cupped her cheek and gently rubbed her lips with his thumb. Rachel shifted slightly under his touch, feeling goose bumps run up her arms.


    Just before she lost her patience, Jack pulled his hand back and whispered, "Sorry. Your lips..."


    Rachel swallowed hard as her racing heartbeat finally settled down. ''Isn''t he drunk?'' she wondered in conf


    ht to stay pissed off at him. Well done!"


    Rachel had curled her lips and murmured, "I''m not that narrow-minded."


    "Okay. You doctors are so honest and loving," Michael had replied, but his voice had been dripping with sarcasm.


    "That''s why I have to ask you to take care of Jack tonight. Don''t worry, he won''t do anything crazy when he gets drunk.


    But you have to keep your eye on him in case he sleepwalks in the middle of the night."


    After that, Michael had hung up, leaving Rachel feeling more confused than ever. She had heard about drunk people getting up to all kinds of antics, but she had never heard of them sleepwalking before.


    She didn''t know how to deal with it, but she knew that it could be dangerous. If he suddenly got up in the middle of the night and went out,


    who would take responsibility for him?


    Rachel sighed as she looked at the drunk man in her bed. Then, she took a wet towel and wiped his face and his hands with it.


    The whole time, Jack stayed completely still, letting her take care of him. Even if she was rough with him, he would still pretend to be fast asleep, but luckily, Rachel''s movements were soft and gentle.


    After cleaning his face, Rachel went back into the bathroom to wash the towel. It was only then that Jack opened his eyes with a faint smile on his lips. Then, he closed them again and waited for her to come out.


    There was still a slight buzz in his head from the alcohol, and he couldn''t get Rachel out of his mind. The seductive scent from her body was something that he could barely resist.

 Chapter 107 Embarrassment In The Next Day

    Rachel squatted down to help him take off his coat, and Jack almost lost control of himself.


    But she found it hard for her to take off his coat. "Your coat won''t come off!" she complained as she shifted her weight off her injured foot.


    Even though Jack was in a state of half-asleep because of the effects of the wine that he had, her voice still reached his ears. It sounded to him like the soft voice of an angel.


    The scent of Rachel almost overpowered what was left of Jack''s self-control that hadn''t been numbed by the alcohol yet. It took his entire strength of will in order to control himself, and this was made even more difficult because he had never had a sex life for many years.


    When she was finally able to take off his coat, the scent of her body faded, and Jack felt relieved as if he had finally reached the end of a great battle.


    He took a deep breath and immediately felt drowsy. A short while later, he fell asleep where he was.


    Rachel took his coat and brought it to the basket out on the balcony.


    His coat reeked with the smell of alcohol. Fortunately, there was no trace of any vomit; otherwise she''d have to definitely throw him out of bed.


    But she remembered the story that Michael told her before. Jack had a bad case of sleepwalking whenever he got drunk so she decided to let him stay with her.


    But she was not so stupid to sleep in the same bed with him. The last time she did, he pressed his body against hers.


    She took out some extra quilts from the closet to make a comfortable makeshift bed on the bedroom floor.


    If Michael found out that there was a woman who preferred to sleep on the floor than sleep with Jack in the same bed, he would laugh his head off.


    Jack woke up early in the morning because of severe thirst. When he was about to get out of bed, he saw that Rachel slept on the floor. It stunned him rig


    t able to understand immediately what was going on. She heard Lea shout out a curse at someone. Three more slapping sounds cracked out loudly from somewhere near her.


    Everything happened so fast. First, someone poured a glass of iced water over Rachel''s head and gave her a slap. Then Lea reacted quickly and gave that person three slaps instead.


    The other customers in the coffee shop was stunned. They all stared at the three figures with incredulous eyes, not knowing what was happening.


    Even Rachel was badly startled at the turn of events. Everything happened in the span of a few seconds. When she recovered from her initial shock, she saw a woman that Lea had slapped three times burst into tears in front of them.


    And Rachel recognized the woman despite her disheveled look. It was none other than Celine.


    The pain in her face felt clearer as she raised a hand to nurse her cheeks. She stared at Celine with a look of mixed emotions.


    Everyone in the coffee shop stopped whatever it was that they were doing and watched the spectacle before them. The waiters looked at each other in wonder. They had no idea what was going on and none of them dared to step forward to mediate.


    The scene of the three women fighting made it look like it was a lesbian love triangle to some of the bystanders who watched them.


    And the two of them were very beautiful and this helped attract more people''s attention to the drama that unfolded in the coffee shop.


    Rachel was slapped by Celine out of the blue, and yet the one crying was Celine.


    ''What a bitch!'' Rachel thought to herself. She took a piece of tissue and wiped her soaked face and hair. Lea stood in front of Rachel and kept her out of reach of Celine. She crossed her arms across her chest as her lips curled into a sneer and an eyebrow went up in ridicule. "Why are you crying? You started all this."

 Chapter 108 In A Fit Of Rage

    Celine looked pitiful as her cheek reddened because of Lea''s three slaps. Her hair was even tousled because of the impact.


    Lea was known to be a good-tempered person to her friends. However, when any of them got bullied, she couldn''t afford to just watch. So, when she saw Celine slap Rachel, she immediately gave her three consecutive slaps in return. This was how she defended someone close to her.


    She had even wanted to punch Celine but fortunately, she was able to realize that it was quite inappropriate in a place like this. To avoid making a scene, she controlled her anger and just stared at Celine coldly.


    But Celine was really good at acting. Although she was the first to hurt Rachel, she was the one playing as a victim now.


    Rachel didn''t want to mess with her anymore so she just quietly wiped her hair and face. Somehow, she was thankful that what Celine threw on her was only iced water, not something harmful.


    Celine kept on wailing but to her dismay, no one minded her. Eventually, she got bored of crying and just stared at Rachel sharply. She was gnashing her teeth in rage. The calmer Rachel looked, the more irritated she became.


    "Bitch!" she shouted through clenched teeth as she pointed at Rachel.


    Seeing what Celine did, Lea trembled in anger. She was about to raise her hand for another slap but Rachel pressed it down at once. To her surprise, Rachel''s other hand landed on Celine''s cheek.


    Another slap for Celine. But this time, it was from Rachel. The crisp sound of Rachel''s slap echoed all over the coffee shop. Everyone, including Celine, was stunned. She almost couldn''


    k, she will continue to think that I am someone very easy to bully."


    Lea burst into laughter. She was glad that Rachel had finally learned to fight back. She gave her a thumbs up and said, "Rachel, you are so cool! So murderous! Anyway, she''s just a third wheel. You should not go easy on her. She needs to learn a lesson as soon as possible."


    Hearing those words from Lea, Rachel suddenly detested both Jack and Celine. All the good impressions she had for him vanished. Apparently, Celine''s drama had ruined everything.


    "Jack told me that he already broke up with her. I don''t know what really happened between them, but she only deserved it," she said after contemplating for a while.


    "What do you want to do with her?" Lea knew that Rachel had already formed a plan in her head so she was a little excited and curious.


    Rachel curled her lips into a faint smile. She knew that it was useless to find Jack. If he could really control Celine from the start, she wouldn''t have caused trouble to Rachel again and again.


    Anyway, Rachel had already tolerated her for so many times. But she had gone overboard this time. Since she had thrown iced water at her today, it wasn''t impossible that next time could be something harmful.


    Maybe Jack had tolerated Celine for many times, which was why she became more confident in bullying Rachel. He had to be blamed too.


    Rachel opened her phone and slowly browsed on her contact list. When she found the number, she immediately pressed the call button. Lea was curious who she was calling.


    After a few rings, the call got connected. Rachel said sweetly, "Dad!"

 Chapter 109 Jonathans Influence

    When Jack arrived in the hospital, Celine''s injured hand had just been bandaged up by the nurse. Celine had been wailing like a banshee for the past half hour, and Rona stayed by her side the entire time. Rona was the first one to notice Jack. She poked Celine''s shoulder and pointed at him. Celine kept her head down when she realized that it was him.


    Celine didn''t want Jack to see her like this, much less interact with him. She tried to hide her face by leaning her head on Rona''s shoulder, but it was ultimately useless.


    Upon seeing Celine, Jack pursed his lips and sat next to her.


    Rona nudged on Celine''s shoulder to push her closer to Jack but Celine avoided her. Celine did not want to pay him any attention, nor did she even want to turn her head towards him. She didn''t want him to see her like this. Her cheeks had become swollen.


    "Turn around and let me see your face," said Jack.


    But Celine bit her lips and didn''t move.


    "Look at her face! Look at what they did to her," Rona shouted. She carefully raised Celine''s injured hand and showed it to Jack. "Look at her hand. Because you weren''t there to protect her, this happened!


    The doctor said that her hand had been dislocated. It will take weeks or even months for her hand to completely heal. Look at what Rachel did to her!"


    Hearing Rona''s complaints, Jack remained calm and said patiently, "Please let me see your face."


    Jack had not been so kind to her for a lo


    he need arose.


    Jack sighed and stepped forward. Before Rachel could do anything, he touched her cheek his hand.


    Rachel''s eyes widened. Her back was against the wall, and she had nowhere to retreat.


    She closed her eyes, preparing for the pain that was about to befall her.


    However, instead of the burning sensation of a palm to her face, she felt a gentle touch on her cheek.


    Rachel was taken by surprise. She didn''t even open her eyes. Jack''s hand was cold but soft. He slowly caressed the redness on her face.


    Jack brushed her hair to try and calm her down.


    Rachel still couldn''t say a word. Her eyes remained closed.


    He withdrew his hand with a sigh. "Why do you hide from me?" he asked. "What makes you think that I would hurt you?"


    When she heard him speak, Rachel opened her eyes. She expected to see an angry demon, but instead she saw him looking at her with eyes that were clouded by so much emotion. She saw the kindness behind the beautiful smile drawn on his lips.


    Rachel''s heart skipped a bit. She tried to control her breathing.


    "You traumatized me," she said frankly.


    She knew what Jack was capable of. Last time, he almost cut off Eric''s hand because he touched Celine. She thought that Jack would take his anger out on her after she hurt Celine''s hand.


    The corner of Jack''s lips twitched. He couldn''t remember what he had done that traumatized Rachel.


    "I don''t hit women," he said, pursing his lips.

 Chapter 110 About Celine

    ''Is that what he meant?'' Rachel thought and


    raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan to avenge Celine?"


    "Avenge?" Jack chuckled, as if he heard a joke. With a sly grin, he asked, "How should I avenge her?"


    Rachel pursed her lips, not having an answer. But he wasn''t even expecting an answer. Hearing nothing, he walked past her and took his jacket off.


    Rachel gaped as she stared at his strong back, his defined muscles were accented by the tight-fitted shirt.


    Without his back facing her, Jack calmly asked, "Could you please prepare warm water for me? I got caught in the rain earlier and I would like to take a warm bath."


    Before ascending upstairs, he hung his clothes on the armrest. This was strange, it wasn''t what she had expected.


    Rachel frowned. She wasn''t his maid, why was he ordering her to do things for him?


    "Hey!" Rachel quickly follow him up the stairs and found a half-naked Jack. For a while, she got entranced by his broad shoulders and well-defined chest that could make any teenage girl scream in delight.


    "I''ll take care of the issue with Celine. Don''t worry about it. Could you please prepare some water for me now?"


    She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms. "You don''t have a bathtub in your room. I can''t help y


    Rachel.


    But she always lacked the sense of reason. Rachel could''ve answered back, but she didn''t want to fight in public.


    Every time they had encountered each other, Celine always called her a bitch, and frankly, she was getting tired of it.


    "I suppose you already know that I''ve told Dad about it. He will handle the situation," Rachel said.


    Jonathan didn''t want to be too cruel to Rachel. The worst that he could do was drive her away from the city.


    "I don''t blame you for this matter," Jack finally said after a long pause. "I''m not apologizing for Celine, nor am I going to defend myself."


    At this moment his attitude had changed. He wanted to look at things from a different angle.


    In the past, Rachel had been more like a stranger to him and he had always thought of Celine.


    But now, the closer he got to Rachel, the more he realized that he was wrong about her.


    He wanted Celine gone, especially after the countless times that she had lied to him. Jack didn''t have any reason or excuse to keep her. He also couldn''t blame Rachel for what she had done to Celine.


    Looking into her eyes, he sincerely said, "I''m so sorry for the trouble that she had caused you. But trust me when I say that from now on, you won''t have to see her again."

 Chapter 111 Changed His Mind Suddenly

    It was the best choice send Celine away.


    "You don''t have to apologize for this, you know," Rachel said. "I do hope that you can keep your word. We both know that if she comes to me and stirs up trouble again, Dad won''t just drive her away from the city."


    She was seldom mighty, but when she was, it deeply impressed Jack. It seemed that Celine had pissed her off too many times that she had run out of tolerance.


    "It won''t happen again. That, I can assure you." He paused and felt the embarrassment rising up in his head. "Before she came to you, I had already broken up with her. But I didn''t expect her to cause you trouble."


    Rachel nodded to indicate that she understood what he meant. She curved her lips into a small smile and said, "If you loved her so much before, why didn''t you fight to stay in the relationship?"


    Jack wasn''t expecting for her to ask such a question. His face slightly darkened and silence lingered in between them. After a pause, he replied, "I thought that I could''ve maintained the relationship on my own for the both of us."


    Rachel pursed her lips. He didn''t seem to know how to be in a proper relationship. But then again, what did she know? She had never been in a relationship b


    after getting into a fight with Lea and Rachel.


    Her face had been injured and her hand was hurt. In her eyes, Jack would avenge her and wouldn''t let Rachel go.


    But it had been more than a day and she still hadn''t heard from him. The longer she waited, the more anxious she became. When Rona called and said she would like to visit her, Celine just refused.


    Celine had sent him countless messages, but there still wasn''t a single reply.


    She cried in frustration.


    After losing all hope, she calmed down and tried to ponder over her relationship with Jack again.


    She didn''t understand why and when Jack suddenly became so cold to her.


    She thought about it and came to a realization that it all began when she had lied to him about attending a party in one of her friend''s yacht. She didn''t even know how he had been able to detect the lie.


    She wanted to reclaim Jack''s love for her. Why did he even give up in the first place? Was it just because she lied?


    The bell suddenly rang, disrupting her thoughts. She twisted her brows in response. She wasn''t expecting any guests today.


    Rolling her eyes, she deduced that It was probably just Rona. That girl never listened to her and it was getting annoying.

 Chapter 112 Rumors Behind Her

    She opened the door without checking the screen. She was confused to see all those men wearing suits in front of her door. "Who are you?" asked Celine from the edge of her half-open door.


    The man that stood out, looked like he was in his early thirties. He walked closer to the door and cleared his throat. "Good day, Miss Duan. We are Mr. Jonathan Fu''s lawyers. We would like to talk to you regarding this apartment."


    Celine was not sure if she had heard him correctly. She fully opened the door and crossed her arms. "What do you mean?" she asked. The moment she heard Jonathan''s name, she became vigilant. "Why would he tell you to come here?"


    "Perhaps we can go inside to discuss?" said the lawyer. He was a polite man, and Celine couldn''t refuse him so she let them in.


    Rachel''s foot was almost completely healed, so she went back to work. She felt bored and helpless to be at home all the time. She had been asking too many days of leave and she thought she might run out of sick leaves. The executive didn''t say anything about the matter, but she still felt embarrassed.


    Rachel''s unusual behavior attracted people''s attention in the hospital. During lunch break, Rachel was preparing to make some hot tea in the pantry.


    When she approached the door, she heard people talking about her. The voices sounded familiar.


    She remained outside to hear the rest of the conversation.


    "Who do you think is behind Rachel? Our emergency department is short on staff. However, she asked for a few days of leave, and there was no response from the superiors. That''s just absurd," said one of the voices.


    "I''ve


    en as he did before. He just sat on a chair with an iPad in his hand and watched cartoons. Rachel thought it was alright to leave him in there until she finished her work.


    Once all of her work was done, she returned to her office. She saw how well-behaved Mendes was and decided that he deserved a reward so she sliced up some fruits and gave them to the child.


    Mendes gladly accepted the fruits and thanked her. Rachel was surprised. It was not really the first time she heard him say thanks, but it was surprising to see how polite he had become.


    "You''ve become such a good boy, Mendes. You''re so polite!" said Rachel. Her eyes were smiling along with her lips. She was so proud to see the boy that he had become.


    Mendes had lost a lot of weight, all thanks to Lucas.


    He was looking healthier by the day, and had even grown a little taller.


    Mendes blushed when he heard Rachel''s compliment. "Lucas told me that if I was ever impolite, no girls would like me," he whispered to Rachel.


    Rachel didn''t hear him properly, so she leaned in closer to Mendes. She curled her hand behind her ear and sat next to Mendes. "Come on, I didn''t hear you the first time. Tell me."


    Mendes'' face turned red, but he obliged and whispered what he had said before. Rachel laughed and ruffled his hair. "You''re still a little boy, and you''re already thinking about girls?"


    Mendes covered his face and giggled. "If I become as polite as Lucas, someone will surely like me!"


    "You''re right Mendes. If you are as polite as Lucas, I''ll take a fancy on you too," she replied. Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled.

 Chapter 113 The Patient With Heart Disease

    Mendes'' eyes suddenly lit up. He put the iPad aside, leaned forward towards Rachel''s ear and whispered, "Rachel, I want to tell you something. I saw Lucas kiss a girl."


    The smile on Rachel''s face suddenly faded away. She was stunned with what she heard and then turned to Mendes. "Did you see who it was that he kissed?"


    "A beautiful girl."


    Mendes rolled his fingers as he tried to describe the girl with his hands. "She has such big lovely eyes! She is fair-skinned, and they kissed each other on the corridor! And then she hugged him tightly!"


    Rachel''s face became a little blushed, and she quickly reached out and covered his lips. "Okay, I understand now. But, you can''t tell anyone else about this, okay?"


    "Why?" Mendes asked in an almost muffled voice since she had her hand on his lips.


    Rachel didn''t know how to explain it to a kid, but she felt annoyed by Lucas'' thoughtlessness. ''How could he do it in front of a kid?'' she thought.


    "If someone else finds out, they will laugh at Lucas. It needs to be kept a secret. So, don''t tell anyone else, understand?"


    Mendes nodded. "It''s our secret?"


    "Yes, you''re right."


    "Okay!" He suddenly clenched his fist and looked excited all of a sudden. "Our secret! And no one else can be told."


    The excitement in Mendes'' face made Rachel feel a little awkward.


    The boy was so excited as if he had found something extremely valuable.


    ''So, Lucas has a girlfriend?'' Rachel wondered to herself.


    Mendes suddenly leaned to her as she thought about it some more. "Will you kiss someone too?"


    Rachel felt a rush of blood to her ears and chee


    ime before he spoke again.


    "Where is she, anyway?


    And is it okay with her if you play and make a mess there?"


    he asked in a playful tone of voice. Mendes scratched his head.


    "She is out working now," he replied back to Jack.


    Meanwhile, back at the operating room. Everybody was relieved after the suturing. The patient''s situation was temporarily stable.


    A nurse raised a clean cloth immediately and wiped off the sweat on Kevin''s forehead. She then turned to look at Rachel and checked if her forehead was sweaty as well.


    But to her surprise, Rachel''s forehead was completely clear. There was no sweat there at all. Everyone was so tense and nervous in the operating room that nobody dared to even breathe. But not Rachel, she looked like she had everything under control.


    Not only Kevin''s forehead but also his back was already sweaty. Everyone was so busy with what they were doing that no one noticed the look in Rachel''s eyes. The nurse glanced at Rachel''s eyes and noticed that it was calm an uncomplicated unlike Kevin''s.


    Rachel bent slightly forward and focused on cleaning the wound of the patient. Her young eyes were expressive and reflected her confidence.


    "The patient needs to be brought to the ICU to be observed for the next twelve hours. We can''t take any chances, we almost lost her there," Rachel said in a serious tone.


    Kevin felt completely exhausted. He panted as if he had just fought a fierce battle.


    He had never encountered such a dangerous situation. He had less experience than Rachel when it came to dangerous situations and it easily made him feel anxious.

 Chapter 114 In Critical Condition

    When Kevin finally caught his senses, he saw Rachel''s mouth moving. Dazed, he couldn''t understand what she was trying to say. The patient had been stabilized and the nurse headed out to inform the family about her condition.


    As Kevin washed and sanitized himself, Rachel followed the patient into the ICU.


    The patient''s mother and sister followed close behind.


    After the patient was sent into the ICU, the elderly woman gently grabbed Rachel''s hand. With tears streaming down her face, she choked a brief thank you to her.


    With glossy red eyes, the young lady thanked her as well.


    Rachel nodded.


    She comforted them and began to ask them questions about the patient''s medical history.


    Too overwhelmed with tears, the elderly woman could only sob.


    The young lady on the side answered, "My sister has no medical history. She only caught a cold two weeks ago." She bit her lips and emphasized, "My sister has always been healthy. We never knew that she had a heart condition."


    Rachel lowered her head and recorded this information. She lifted her eyes and said calmly, "Heart diseases are very common. There could have been many external factors that contributed to the hear


    anwhile, I am a little upset."


    Rachel listened to him carefully. "Why are you upset?"


    Jonathan smiled bitterly and said, "As a member of Fu family, it''s not necessary for you to work so hard all the time."


    "Ha-ha... Don''t take it too seriously. I like my work pretty much."


    "The doctor-patient relationship is so tense recently. You..." He stopped midway and changed the topic. "Anyways, don''t work too hard. Go home for dinner when you''re free."


    The assurance made Rachel feel content.


    Mendes discussed with Johnathan what time he''d be arriving at their house.


    It seemed to be something he really looked forward to.


    Rachel shook her head helplessly and smiled.


    While the mother and daughter waited outside the ICU, Kevin checked on the patient''s vital signs.


    The mother''s eyes reddened with sobs. She still hadn''t recovered from the shock.


    When he finished the examination, Kevin found that they were talking about something in a low voice. The mother saw him and asked, "Where is the other doctor?"


    "The other doctor?" Kevin looked up and frowned, "Are you the patient''s family?"


    "Yes, we are." The patient''s mother trembled. "Doctor, is my daughter okay?"

 Chapter 115 A Quarrel

    The patient''s mother had been asking the same question over and over for the past few minutes. But it was understandable given what had happened. The young lady held her shivering mother in her arms. She felt helpless and pathetic seeing her mother like this.


    The doctor that approached them this time looked more experienced than the one before. Why were there two doctors taking care of the patient? Did the situation get worse?


    Rachel didn''t have time to pay attention to the patient until she was finished with her other patients.


    She swung by the ICU to check on the patient before she got off duty. They told her that the patient was in a stable condition now.


    Rachel took a look at the medical record and prescription prepared by Kevin. When she spotted something, she furrowed her eyebrows.


    As soon as Rachel left the ward, the young lady from earlier had bought some food from outside.


    When she saw Rachel, she was a little surprised. "Hello, doctor," said the sweet young lady. She tried to put on a brave smile for Rachel.


    Rachel put her hands in her pockets and nodded at her. She looked at the bags that girl was carrying. "Did you go to buy dinner?"


    The young lady nodded at Rachel and smiled sheepishly. "Have you eaten yet, doctor?"


    "Not yet, I''m about to get off work," said Rachel. "I just checked on your sister, she''s going to be fine."


    Rachel saw how the young lady''s mood changed. She even wept tears of joy. "Thank you so much, doctor!" she said as she wiped away her tears.


    "You''re welcome. Actually, I''m not her attending doctor."


    The woman was confused and asked,


    "Then who''s my sister''s attending doctor?"


    "Your sister''s


    king when the woman sitting across the room jumped up. If the man next to her had not stopped her almost immediately, she would''ve tried to scratch Sheila''s face.


    Rachel was in disbelief of what she had just witnessed. She had never seen such a hysterical scene in reality before. This kind of thing only happens in soap operas.


    The wild woman groaned like a beast and pointed at Sheila.


    Sheila was so scared that she was inching closer to the wall while embracing her mother. On the other hand, guilt and shame were written all over the man''s face as he tried to comfort the woman.


    Rachel didn''t know how to handle this kind of situation. Should she try to help them make amends or separate them? If she chose poorly, things are bound to get worse. She couldn''t figure out what kind of misunderstanding or conflict they could have had to drive a woman so mad that she had almost turned into a wild animal.


    The crazy woman suddenly spoke and gave Rachel a vague idea of the situation.


    The woman struggled and broke free from the man''s grip. She pointed at his nose and cursed, "Jason Shi, you son of a bitch!" She swung her arm at Jason but he was able to grab ahold of her wrist. "How dare you! Your son is fighting for his life right now, and you have the fucking audacity to send money to your first love?" The woman threw her hand to release it from Jason''s grip. "How could you?" she screamed. She started crying hysterically. She was wailing like a banshee. Her cries resounded across the room, and Rachel felt the tension rise. "It''s like you want him to die, you callous bastard!" Jason tried to embrace her, but the woman pushed him away and cried in the corner.

 Chapter 116 The Three Went For Noodles

    The woman''s hoarse, trembling voice echoed in Rachel''s ears. She sounded like she was on the verge of breaking down.


    The man stepped back in frustration, lowered his head, and remained silent, while Sheila stepped closer to her mother, looking deathly pale.


    Rachel was at a loss for what to do next.


    Fortunately, her leader had entered the room just in time to hear those hysterical questions from the woman, which had clearly revealed that the reason for the dispute was personal affairs and money.


    Since it was not a medical dispute, it could be solved easily.


    Rachel''s leader winked at her, hinting that she was free to go.


    Understanding his gesture at once, Rachel prepared to leave the room.


    However, she had barely taken a step forward when Sheila nervously pulled at her sleeve.


    Rachel glanced sideways at Sheila, who was staring at the woman with fear.


    Swallowing hard, Sheila leaned over to Rachel and whispered in her ear, "Doctor, I think this woman has mental problems..."


    Her voice was shaky with panic. As she spoke, she stole a glimpse at the woman, who made eye contact with her, causing her to tremble in fear.


    Rachel pursed her lips in confusion. Who was wrong in this situation?


    Anyway, it was clear that there were a lot of unstable emotions and unresolved problems in the room.


    Rachel patted Sheila''s hand and whispered in a comforting voice, "She''s just a little emotional. I''ll call security. Meanwhile


    n they reached the car, Jack opened the door and then looked back at Rachel with a frown. "I forgot to buy the child seat."


    "Oh. Well, we can buy one now."


    "Is there any shop here?"


    Rachel was about to say that there were many stores around the hospital that they could buy a child seat from, but before she could,


    Jack looked at his watch and continued, "Well, I won''t take him back tonight then.


    It''s already late now. By the time we reach home, it''ll be time for Dad to go to bed."


    If they started now, they would only reach the Fu family''s house at 9 p.m., which was bedtime for elderly people.


    Thinking about this, Rachel hesitated for a moment and glanced at Mendes. "So..."


    "Are my things still in your house?" Jack asked suddenly.


    Rachel nodded. "Yes, I haven''t packed them up yet." It was only a few days since Jack had moved out, so she hadn''t touched any of his things.


    "Good, we can stay at your house tonight then. I''ll go back tomorrow. Is that okay?" Jack said abruptly.


    Stunned, Rachel stared at Jack for a moment and then asked,


    "You''re going to my house tonight?"


    "Yes." Pretending not to see the embarrassment on Rachel''s face, Jack opened the car door for her. "Get in."


    Rachel complied and got into the car, not noticing the faint smile on Jack''s lips.


    He had planned to stay away from her so that he could sort out his feelings first, but he couldn''t resist finding excuses to spend time with her.

 Chapter 117 Played With Toys

    Before Jack could sort out his feelings for Rachel, life brought him and her together once more.


    It seemed that there was no need to avoid her anymore.


    While he was away, he couldn''t figure out his feelings. So when he was being given an opportunity to stay with her, he would go with the flow.


    It was better to let things happen than to interfere.


    After rush hour, the heavy traffic in the city grew lighter, and they were able to return without much trouble.


    They got home in less than fifteen minutes. When Jack got out of the car, he felt slightly embarrassed.


    Not long ago, he had promised himself that he wouldn''t come here unless he sorted out his feelings. At this moment, he was shooting himself in the foot.


    Mendes had grown grumpy when he learned that he couldn''t play with Jonathan. He frowned until Rachel explained things to him.


    The biggest change that they had seen in this kid was that he had become more sensible.


    Rachel wondered if this change was brought upon by growing up without his parents'' company.


    If that had been the case, she felt sorry for the boy. In a place where a child did not feel a sense of security, he had to have carefully observed others and played smart at his young age to have turned out the way that he had.


    She felt a mixture of anger and pity. His parents should have been more responsible.


    She liked the kid and was willing to take care of him, not only out of adoration but also out


    who could repair an actual racing car. Yet, here he was now, fixing a toy.


    After fiddling with it, he put the toy car back on the floor and flicked the switch. The little car slowly but steadily moved forward.


    Mendes cheered and ran to catch his car.


    The warm light in the living room softened the atmosphere. Rachel sat cross-legged on the floor, her soft hair falling loosely on her shoulders and a faint smile on her lips. She bent down slightly and whispered something to Mendes, and her black hair parted to expose her white neck.


    The jade-like skin of her neck, which had beckoned Jack a thousand times in his dreams, now appeared right in front of him. He blinked rapidly and then looked away, embarrassed.


    What a sweet scene it was! He studied her graceful profile out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he found himself thinking about how she would look like as a mother.


    She let her guard down, tore down her walls, and smiled gently.


    She had never shown this kind of tenderness to him before. With this thought in mind, he couldn''t help but feel a little jealous of the boy.


    She took the child home, played with him, and even bathed him.


    After Rachel took the boy to the bathroom, Jack went back to work. He thought the boy wouldn''t bug him anymore. But again, someone knocked on the door.


    Jack had no choice but to suppress his anger yet again. He had been interrupted so many times, and he was beginning to lose his temper.

 Chapter 118 Bathing Mendes

    Rachel was still the one knocking on the door.


    She was looking overwhelmed. Her hands were covered in bubbles, there were some on her hair as well. Her shirt was a mess, and finally she couldn''t stand it anymore. "Can you please come over and help me?" she pleaded.


    Mendes was being a handful, it was one crazy thing after the other. One moment he would be draining the shampoo, the next moment he would spray Rachel with water. She could no longer contain him by herself, she had to ask for help.


    Mendes was acting all hyper. Instead of taking a nice and calm bath, he was playing with the water and swimming around in the bathtub.


    Mendes used to feel too embarrassed to let others bathe him, but it seemed as though he got over it. Rachel worried about what he would do if he was alone in the bathroom. She was afraid that he would run around and slip or hurt himself without their knowledge.


    She asked the boy if he needed her help, and this time he agreed without a hint of hesitation. The last time she asked Mendes, he was determined to refuse her.


    Rachel realized that it was a trap. The moment she tried to shampoo his hair, the boy threw water on her. Some of the water even got into her mouth.


    Rachel was searching for the shampoo but couldn''t find it. It took her a few seconds to realize that Mendes had it, but it was still too late for her. When she turned around, he almost emptied the shampoo bottle on her.


    The bathroom had become a complete mess. Rachel''s hair was riddled with unwashed shampoo and bubbles, and her clothes were soaking wet from Mendes'' horseplay.


    Jack went inside the bathroom with Rac


    ey stared at each other and remained silent. After a few seconds, Jack suddenly calmed down and pulled her out of the room.


    As soon as they got out of the room, Jack pushed her against the wall and leaned towards her. "Jack, what are you doing?" Rachel''s legs were shaking, and you could feel the panic from the sound of her voice.


    Jack was leaning closer to her face, and soon he was towering over her and covering the light coming from the hallway.


    Sweat ran down on Rachel''s cheeks. She pursed her lips and held onto the wall. "Jack! What are you planning to do?"


    Jack''s mind had almost reached its wit''s end. One misstep and he would fall into a bottomless chasm that he could never return from.


    But he couldn''t calm his desires. Everything about Rachel turned him on. The smell of her hair, the innocence in her eyes, and the way she bit her lips¡ªJack couldn''t help himself.


    Jack called her name with his bedroom voice. Rachel saw the way he looked at her. His eyes were filled with complex emotions that she did not completely understand.


    Jack dueled with the thought of kissing her again. What could he say to convince her to accept him?


    He saw that Rachel was trembling, and her eyes pleaded "No." "What''s the matter with you?" she stammered as she pushed him away.


    Jack didn''t know what to say at this point. He kept staring at her, breathing deeply.


    Rachel involuntarily licked her lips because they felt dry from all the tension.


    It triggered an uproar in Jack''s heart. He had gone through a lot to control his desire, and seeing her do that cut off the last of his sanity. There was no stopping him now.

 Chapter 119 How About Me

    Jack tried to control himself, but his resistance crumbled with the little flick of her tongue.


    Unable to contain himself anymore, he held Rachel¡¯s head and pulled her into a kiss. He kissed her like a man desperate for a drink and finally got water to quench his thirst. It was fiery, passionate, and demanding.


    Rachel¡¯s body went rigid, her eyes opening wide. When she came to her senses, she began to struggle as hard as she could.


    Feeling her resistance, he grabbed her hands and imprisoned her in his arms. His eyes were dark and deep, like a bottomless well of emotions.


    Rachel was held motionless and had no choice but to accept his kiss. Her brain faltered, and every part of her went on pause as her thoughts caught up. Unconsciously, her anger was placed on the back burner.


    Jumping at the chance, Jack slanted his head, deepening the kiss. It was a full-on, open-mouthed, sexual kiss.


    He relentlessly attacked her, delving into her mouth. She urged herself to push him away, but couldn¡¯t. Her small defiance quickly pinned down by his body.


    He savored her scent and her taste. He kissed her like the most exquisite thing he ever had. He had longed for her and ravaged her as much as he could.


    However determined Jack was, he slowed his pace, soon. He remembered her frightened look and continued to kiss her, but this time slowly and tenderly.


    Bit by bit, Jack pulled apart after what seemed like ages. Rachel was beyond embarrassed. For a moment, her world was a blur, and it took her a


    d when he looked at her just now.


    It seemed that the kiss and the words he said last night were influenced by alcohol. However, he didn¡¯t appear to be drunk last night.


    She pulled out a chair and sat down as she replayed the memory from the evening. When Jack handed her a spoon, she took it without looking at him. She lowered her eyes to the porridge in her bowl and only whispered, "Thank you."


    "You are welcome." Jack also pretended not to see her awkward expression, although no one could have missed it. His mouth twitched, and a wicked glint flickered through his dark eyes.


    He could tell at a glimpse that she was nervous, and he tried to conceal his own emotions lest he scared her again.


    "Okay, breakfast is ready!" Mendes didn''t notice anything wrong with Rachel.


    The breakfast was lovely. There were fried eggs and porridge made by Jack, as well as pickles sent from the hotel.


    She couldn¡¯t imagine Jack waking up early surrounded by cooking oil and fumes. He even fried eggs for them!


    Rachel stared at the food. Her face became stiff as she tried to guess what Jack was thinking.


    She was scooping an egg when Mendes suddenly said, "Rachel, was your mouth bitten by mosquitoes?"


    Rachel choked after hearing Mendes'' question. Her face turned scarlet.


    Jack sat with a blank expression on his face, his fingers almost imperceptibly tightened on his spoon. He cleared his throat and faced Mendes. "Eat your breakfast."


    "Okay," said the boy. ''Did I say something wrong?'' he thought.

 Chapter 120 Transferred To The Cardiology Department

    Breakfast was served later than usual. Rachel looked at her watch. She would have to take the afternoon shift today.


    At noon, she left home and arrived at the hospital, while Jack drove Mendes to the Fu family''s house.


    Mendes was well loved by the Fu family. Even though Tracy didn''t give the child as much attention as her husband did, she didn''t neglect him either.


    She wanted a grandson more than anything, and the child was the closest one that she could have at the moment.


    Rachel arrived at around lunch time. Only a few nurses were on duty as the rest had gone to the cafeteria for lunch.


    She entered her office and began to file documents. Lucas suddenly called, wanting to check up on her and Mendes.


    Rachel replied that they were both okay and informed him that Mendes had gone to the Fu family''s house to play with Johnathan.


    Rachel heard him chuckle. "It seems to me that Mendes has become quite popular."


    Although he wasn''t the most handsome child, but he did have a charming personality.


    Lucas sighed deeply. "His father will be back soon. Will Jack be sending him back to the hospital today? I''d like to pick him up this evening."


    "I suppose that can be arranged." Johnathan and Mendes were scheduled to play the entire afternoon. Jack could easil


    oted.


    Since Lucas had an emergency and couldn''t come to pick up Mendes, Rachel didn''t ask Jack to send Mendes back to the hospital.


    Jonathan called her later, saying that he wanted the child to stay for two more days.


    Rachel agreed, thinking that Lucas wouldn''t mind.


    It seemed to be the right decision. Johnathan and Mendes got along quite well.


    The transfer had been hectic. She not only had to let go of her cases, but also had to move her stuff to a new office.


    She had been very busy throughout the past two days. And it didn''t help that the female patient wasn''t getting any better.


    Kevin had never encountered such a critical and volatile situation.


    It had been a simple and successful surgery. But it alarmed him that the patient was still in a dangerous condition.


    Worried about the patient, he didn''t assign Rachel to the case.


    In principle, he was still be responsible for patient. Rachel''s task was simply to make reports and check up on the patient.


    She looked at the female patient''s condition, and furrowed her brows.


    She asked for the prescription that Kevin had assigned. She recommended that he should change a type of medicine.


    Despite her recommendations, Kevin refused to do that and continued prescribing the original medicine.

 Chapter 121 An Argument

    Rachel got the prescription from the nurse. As she read the instructions, her face contorted into a frown. She stormed out of the office to confront Kevin about this matter, but was stopped by someone.


    As she lifted her head to see who it was, her eyes widened. It was the patient''s mother. Her eyes were dark and it looked like she hadn''t gotten any sleep at all since her daughter''s operation.


    The mother frowned. Neither of the nurses or doctors were updating her about her daughter''s condition.


    They had told her she that after twenty-four hours of observation, she would be fine. But it had already been more than several days and her daughter had yet to wake up.


    When she saw Rachel speeding down the hallway, she stopped her to ask about her daughter''s condition.


    As the mother asked questions, Rachel held the prescription tightly in her hand. Yesterday, she thought Kevin would listen to her advice, but he didn''t.


    Rachel''s heart sank as she tried to soothe the weeping woman.


    Once she had helped the woman calm down, Rachel sped to Kevin''s office. To her disappointment, it was empty. Instead of turning back, she sat down in silence and waited for him to arrive.


    As soon as he came


    ng beautiful and solemn. The two nurses lowered their heads, pretending to do their jobs.


    Rachel stared at them with a cold face and left with documents in her hands.


    She always looked like that.


    But people had different opinions.


    Rumors that were spreading were about her. It was said that she had a fight with Kevin in his office and stormed out with a gloomy face.


    She didn''t know who started it.


    But she was somehow affected by it.


    She had expected that Kevin would listen to her.


    However, he insisted that his prescription was right.


    Rachel laughed cynically in her head. Was he being serious?


    He was being unprofessional.


    She tried to calm down and thought for a while. Maybe Kevin was right. She didn''t know the situation of the patient, and it might not be so good to change the prescription.


    But Rachel was sure that the current medicine wasn''t working. Something could go wrong if they kept using it.


    Kevin was a proud man, and Rachel was cold and seldom had conflict with others. The news had attracted a lot of attention.


    They were all curious about the reason why Rachel and Kevin argued.


    What caused their conflict? Soon enough, their curiosity was answered.

 Chapter 122 The failed attempt to rescue

    Rachel''s fear turned out to be right. The patient''s condition worsened quickly and she was sent into the operating room.


    She knew something bad was bound to happen if Kevin didn''t change the medicine in his prescription. However, she didn''t expect it would happen so quickly.


    Even Kevin hadn''t guessed the gravity of the situation. Once it sank in, he changed his clothes and entered the operating room hurriedly.


    After ten minutes into the operation, beats of sweat formed on Kevin ''s forehead. In spite of their effort, the patient hadn''t had any improvement. She was still in a critical condition.


    Her vital organs were slowly failing and the cold sweat on his forehead began to slide down profusely.


    After further inspection, it was discovered that the patient''s wound hadn''t healed well and was slightly infected.


    Everyone in the operating room had the same panicky look on their face. No matter how scared everyone was, Kevin seemed determined to finish the operation.


    There was a part of him that wanted to flaunt his success in front of Rachel.


    After what happened in the morning, Kevin was really mad at her.


    If he failed this operation, he would be sneered by Rachel!


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt ashamed.


    But his firm determination compelled him to go on with the operation. ''I can do it!'' he kept telling himself. But half an hour passed and there was no improvement in the patient''s condition.


    Suddenly, Rachel, who was in her own office, was asked to go to the operation room.


    It was said that the situation was very critical. Rachel was extremely surprised. She never thought that the patient''s condition would get worse so so


    eyes, again and again. It felt like the corpse was looking at him and pointing her accusatory fingers at him.


    The mother was not in the mood to listen to this conversation. If it wasn''t for Sheila, she wouldn''t have come here. Sheila was the one who forced her and said that something related to her sister''s death would be discovered soon.


    When Rachel''s turn came, Sheila''s eyes once again looked at her. A couple of times she had seen her and something told her Rachel was more reliable than the male doctor.


    The male doctor kept on lying that her sister was doing fine. However, the truth was her condition had gotten worse as the days passed. All this made her very suspicious of him.


    On the contrary, from the first day onwards, this female doctor had told them not to keep their hopes high.


    She was very honest about things and did nothing to sugarcoat the sad truth.


    Sheila hoped that Rachel could tell her something different.


    A few seconds had passed since they asked Rachel to speak, but she remained silent. Some were terrified whereas the others were excited to hear her report.


    The executive sat in front of her with a serious face, waiting for her to speak up.


    Even though the executive seemed like he wanted to hear the truth, Rachel was very clear what kind of answer he expected.


    Rachel curled up her finger on her knees and her long eyelashes covered the dark emotions in her eyes. She spoke in a plain voice, explaining clearly about how the patient''s condition had been in the past few days.


    The information Rachel reported was in sync with what the nurses had reported.


    Her report also proved that there was no fault from the doctor''s side.

 Chapter 123 Asking for An Explanation

    Kevin sat in a daze. He couldn''t believe his ears. He had thought Rachel would blurt out about the prescription. But nothing of that sort happened.


    She had reminded him of the prescription''s problem, but he didn''t listen and even scolded her.


    All this made Kevin believe that Rachel would use this opportunity to get him fired. After all, he deserved it.


    But the scene which was unraveling before him was one he didn''t expect.


    When Rachel finished, the executive slightly sighed, looked up at Sheila and said, "Miss, did you hear that? If you still don''t believe us, we can provide you with all of the record of her condition during her stay in this hospital."


    Sheila couldn''t stand this any longer. She shouted angrily, "Nothing these people say or show will put my mind at ease. I am not here for the evidence! The doctor told me she would be fine after 24 hours'' observation in the ICU. But what happened next? My sister died!"


    Nobody made a reply, so she continued, "She had been admitted there for several days. During this time, you told me she was okay! I spoke to your doctor and nurses! None of you told me we were going to lose her."


    Sheila almost lost control and cried out. The thought of her sister broke her heart into pieces.


    Rachel took a look at Kevin who was sitting in the corner, poker faced.


    What a chaotic afternoon! Everyone tried to comfort the mother and daughter, but nothing would soothe them.


    In spite of their efforts, they seemed hell-bent on accusing the hospital for what happened.


    Except for their conviction, there was no evidence which would prove there was any relation between the death and hospi


    small matter. Two important doctors were involved in it.


    If they still wanted to continue working there, it wouldn''t be wise to spread the information. They had to think of the hospital''s reputation if they wanted to keep this job.


    Everything returned back to peaceful state, but there was a faint sense of restlessness in Rachel''s heart.


    After a busy day, when she stopped to take a rest, she found that her throat was very dry. She went back to the office and got a cup of warm water. Slowly, she gulped it down.


    Warm liquid slid down her throat and relieved her pain.


    From the next day on, she would leave emergency department and work upstairs.


    Before she left work, she sorted out the cases in her hand and handed them over to the department director.


    After leaving her office, Rachel went downstairs, her mind immersed in thoughts.


    Lucas said that he would come back the next day. Mendes had lived in the Fu family''s house for a long time. Rachel was about to call and pick up the kid.


    As soon as she took out her phone, she received a call from a stranger.


    Rachel got her car keys, unlocked the car door and sat inside. With utter confusion, she picked the call.


    "Hello, who''s this?"


    There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and a familiar female voice said, "Hello, Dr. Rachel."


    The voice was a little hoarse and seemed to indicate the caller had been crying. In the background, there was clamor. Perhaps the call was being made on road side since the sound of cars passing by was very clearly heard.


    Rachel realized who was speaking on the other side of the phone. She paused and said, "Hello."

 Chapter 124 The Police Take Kevin Away

    Rachel had not expected Sheila to contact her again.


    Sheila was not as emotional as she had been before. Perhaps, going through this difficult time had changed her.


    "Dr. Rachel, I want to ask you about my sister one more time."


    Leaning back on the car hood, Rachel closed her eyes, wondering why she was so determined.


    "I already told you everything I know." Her throat was so dry that she could barely speak.


    Sheila was prepared this time. But, she did not immediately respond. There was silence at the other end of the phone.


    A car honked somewhere in the background for ten seconds before fading. "May I ask about my sister''s prescription?" Sheila asked. "Did you know about Dr. Kevin prescribing the wrong medicine? You never even told me that! Why would you say you already told me everything?"


    Rachel was taken aback. She did not know how Sheila had found out.


    There were too many people in the hospital. Anyone could have told her.


    Rachel answered very cautiously, "Kevin didn''t prescribe the wrong medicine. We just had an argument over one of the medicines."


    Rachel was not telling a lie nor covering up for Kevin.


    Kevin had turned a deaf ear when she had asked him to use the imported medicine. But, it was the direct cause to the death of the patient.


    The delay in taking action had eventually cost the patient her life.


    It was simply a medical accident. The


    xecutive''s face. He had been unsuccessful in stopping the police from taking away Kevin. Had he interfered, he could have been charged with obstruction.


    He turned around, his eyes landing on the woman who had caused trouble the other day.


    The reality of the situation dawned on him. Biting his lip, he walked towards her. "Miss, what do you want?" he asked.


    She smiled. "Justice!" she retorted coldly.


    Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned around and walked out after the policemen.


    The executive knew that this woman probably had a powerful background.


    Otherwise, the policemen would not have arrested the doctor without evidence.


    But, he had also not expected that she would go to such lengths.


    Kevin was his nephew.


    Seeing how things had gotten out of hand, the executive hurried back to his office. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number for the chairman residing abroad. As soon as the call connected, he anxiously greeted, "Hello, Mr. Zhou..."


    The hospital buzzed with the event that had taken place that day. Kevin being taken away was a scandal. Patients, doctors, and nurses alike discussed the matter among themselves.


    Of course the nurses could not tell the patients anything. They avoided telling them that Kevin had been taken away because a patient had died under his nose.


    If such a thing was revealed, it could wreak havoc in the hospital.

 Chapter 125 Go To The Police Station Together

    The hospital was in uproar again.


    Rachel also knew that Kevin had been taken away. She couldn''t stop thinking about the strange look on his face, and the way he said that it was just an accident.


    She had her suspicions, but she wasn''t sure whether Kevin had anything to do with it until she heard that he had been taken away to the police station.


    Rachel didn''t know that Sheila was involved. She was shocked when she heard that Kevin had been arrested.


    ''Murder? What the hell is going on?''


    Everyone in the hospital was talking about the news that Kevin had been arrested.


    It was rumored that Kevin was under suspicion of attempted murder.


    Could the elegant Kevin possibly be a murderer? Nobody could believe it, but none of them knew the truth.


    Maybe there would be more news the next day.


    They all just sighed. It looked like Kevin was really out of luck.


    ''Out of luck?'' Rachel shrugged, not feeling inclined to say what she was thinking. She knew that there was a reason for what had happened to him.


    She didn''t really care what happened to Kevin, but she couldn''t really keep herself out of the whole affair.


    Not long afterward, Rachel received another call from Sheila. She asked her again coldly, "Dr. Rachel, do you still refuse to tell me the truth?"


    Rachel was astonished by the question. ''Truth? What truth?''


    "I have told you everything I know." She had nothing else to say.


    To her surprise, Sheila''s next words were,


    f the MK Group president. He had thought she was just a relative of his.


    When they were gone, the head nurse asked him nervously, "Executive Fang, what should we do? What happened?"


    The executive came to his senses and ran straight after Jack to catch up with him.


    As they walked out of the hospital, Jack pointed to his car in the parking lot and said, "May we drive by ourselves?"


    One of the three men, who had a pudgy appearance, seemed annoyed by his request. But before he could say anything, Jack handed him his business card.


    All of the three policemen were stunned by what they saw, and immediately felt uncertain of what to do.


    Jack had one hand in his pocket and looked perfectly calm. "You can go to the MK Group to find us if you think we''ll run away.


    Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I''m Jack Fu."


    On the business card he had handed them, his name was on it. Jack Fu.


    The CEO of MK Group.


    These policemen couldn''t afford


    to offend a powerful man like that.


    Sheila, in order to revenge her sister, hooked up with the son of a powerful man.


    She had intended to take advantage of the man''s family background to punish Kevin and Rachel, but she had never expected to cross Jack.


    The Fu family was one of the wealthiest families in Ninwell City, but obviously their wealth alone was not what made them the most dominant clan.


    The Fu family was the most powerful because of many complicated social relationships.

 Chapter 126 It Was A Mistake

    Few people in Ninwell City would choose to offend the Fu family.


    Otherwise, they would be courting death.


    The moment they found out Jack''s identity, the policemen''s attitude towards him changed drastically.


    When they arrived at the police station, the policeman who looked rather impatient earlier led Jack and Rachel to a meeting room politely.


    Executive Fang who looked a little uneasy followed them inside.


    The five-year old Mendes, on the other hand, looked very calm. He just looked around while seated between Rachel and Jack.


    When a beautiful policewoman served them tea, Rachel and the adorable boy thanked her politely.


    The female officer smiled back.


    Seeing that everyone seemed not panicky at all, Executive Fang somehow calmed down.


    He raised his head and gave the two people in front of him an inquisitive look.


    However, Rachel and Jack didn''t look so friendly at all. Her indifferent look complemented his cold demeanor.


    Executive Fang paid more attention to the woman sitting next to Jack.


    Although she looked delicate, she didn''t seem inferior to him at all. Until now, he didn''t have any idea that Rachel was Jack''s wife.


    All he knew was Rachel had a good relationship with the chairman, and she was a classmate of Lucas.


    At the back of his mind, Executive Fang thought that she might be the future Mrs. Zhou.


    However,


    k inside. I will check on your nephew."


    Not long after Jack and Rachel went out of the station, she received a call from Lucas. If he hadn''t call her, she would have totally forgotten that he was coming back tonight.


    Jack and Rachel arrived at a place that she and Lucas had agreed upon. Jack stayed in the car, while she got out with Mendes.


    She was handing over Mendes back to Lucas, who had no idea what happened in the hospital.


    Looking exhausted, Lucas took Mendes'' stuff from Rachel. He then gently rubbed the boy''s head and said with a smile, "Your father is coming tomorrow."


    Mendes looked puzzled for a moment. But when he finally understood what Lucas meant, he blinked his eyes and looked at him in a daze.


    All of a sudden, he jumped up and down with joy. Rachel, who was watching him, also felt very happy.


    Luckily, his father had finally come back so he wouldn''t have to stay in others'' places anymore.


    When Rachel got back to Jack''s car, she was still wearing the smile on her face. Her eyes were also bright.


    Jack had already lowered down the car window to let the cigarette smoke went out. He also sprayed a car freshener for the smell to disappear.


    Rachel''s nose was sensitive to smell, so she smelled something as soon as she got in.


    "Why did you spray something in the car?" she asked.


    "Does it smell bad?" he asked casually.

 Chapter 127 A Fever

    "No, I like it," Rachel said.


    A smile was at the corner of his mouth as Jack drove away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was smiling, too.


    He couldn''t help but ask, "What''s making you so happy right now?"


    Rachel typed a message and sent it to Lea quickly. When the screen showed that the message was successfully sent, she turned to Jack and said to him joyfully, "Mendes'' father is coming back."


    ''Hmm, why would she be so happy about someone else''s father coming back?'' he wondered.


    "Well, he has been away for so long. His return is long overdue," he said.


    "Yes," Rachel said. "I hope the kid''s parents can take responsibility for him this time. Don''t leave him alone here."


    Noticing that her mood had suddenly darkened, Jack tried to comfort her.


    He said, "Maybe his parents have to do something and can''t go back home."


    Jack didn''t know much about the complicated matter of Mendes'' family, so she bit her tongue and replied simply, "Anyway, it''s wrong to abandon a child."


    Her parents died when she was a child. Her lonely childhood was one of the reasons why she was so eager to have a family of her own. She couldn''t even understand how someone could just ignore his own child and stay away for such a long time.


    After all, who could be more important to anyone than one''s own family and child?


    Before a man gets married and becomes a father, he doesn''t behave as affectionately and gently as a woman does.


    In Jack''s view, ei


    atch on his forehead. He looked a little bit funny as he sat there like that.


    The smell of noodles made him hungry.


    Rachel came over with the two bowls of noodles. The meal looked good and smelled delicious.


    Rachel rummaged in the kitchen again and found chopsticks and spoons.


    When she sat down, she handed chopsticks to Jack and asked, "You and Celine never cooked before?"


    Jack paused and looked up at her with a meaningful look. "She and I... have never lived together."


    Rachel raised her head and looked into his eyes. She was surprised.


    She lowered her head and said no more, trying to seem interested only in eating her meal.


    Jack hadn''t received the response that he was hoping to get. A flicker of disappointment flashed through his eyes, and he lost his appetite.


    Meanwhile, Rachel was adding vinegar into her bowl.


    Jack couldn''t help swallowing. After Rachel, he also took the vinegar bottle and added some into his bowl.


    The noodles were fresh and excellent, but he felt that the main flavor came from the soup.


    The beef was very tender and smooth. Both of them lowered their heads to eat without saying anything. They soon finished all the noodles.


    For the past few days, Jack had been eating dinner outside. This bowl of lightly-flavored noodles was more to his taste.


    Jack sincerely praised Rachel''s cooking after he was full, when she was preparing some medicine for him. Hearing that, she turned her head slightly toward him.

 Chapter 128 Delicious Breakfast

    Rachel pursed her lips and smiled faintly.


    Jack really had work to do, so after finishing the noodles and taking the medicine, he took his laptop and went back to the study.


    Since she was left alone, Rachel felt bored because she had nothing to do.


    She decided to take a walk around.


    Then she finally believed what Jack had said¡ª"I usually stay in the company most of the time.


    All of a sudden, Rachel felt that she was able to know a different Jack.


    In her memory, Jack had always been leisurely. But now, she saw so many documents piled up in the study that he wanted to finish as soon as possible. Moreover, he was also very careful in asking her questions about what really happened today.


    For Jack, he couldn''t accept that his wife had been bullied. It was very obvious that someone was plotting against Rachel.


    No one reported the case to the police. Then they just showed up in the hospital to accuse her of murder despite having no evidence in their hands.


    He was so eager to find out who was that person capable of playing such trick to his wife.


    When Jack finished his work, he came out of the study to check on Rachel. But he was surprised to see her sleeping soundly, with head askew on the sofa.


    Her slim body curled up on the big dark grey sofa. Half of her face was covered by her long hair. From where Jack was standing, only the tip of her nose and her red lips were visible indistinctly.


    He walked closer to her. He wanted to wake her up, but upon seeing that she was really asleep, he couldn''t have the heart to do so.


    He went to the bedroom and get a blanket. He then crouched and covered her with it.


    Rachel was awakened by his movements.


    She opened h


    , she had proven herself. She had shown how clever and good she was at handling things. So after careful consideration, James decided that it wasn''t necessary to give her any special treatment.


    He just let her do whatever she wanted to do in the hospital.


    The reason why he came back in a hurry this time was because he didn''t know what exactly had happened.


    Executive Fang couldn''t explain it clearly either.


    James called his son to check what really happened, but Lucas was also on a business trip that time. He had no idea what happened in the hospital that day as well.


    Left with no choice, he decided to buy the earliest ticket to visit the hospital. It was only four o''clock in the morning when he arrived.


    According to Executive Fang, James knew that Jack had already took Rachel out of the police station and everything was settled.


    Somehow, he was relieved that Rachel didn''t need to spend a night in jail. He slept for a few hours in the hotel first before he rushed to the hospital.


    The director of the cardiology department also heard that Rachel came to work and came to comfort her.


    For Rachel, things weren''t that serious so she felt overwhelmed when everyone seemed to take good care of her this time. Maybe they were all thinking that she was scared.


    She could also feel that they wanted to say something but they were hesitant.


    Since she considered things like this as trivial, she decided to just shrug it off.


    Rachel had just simply told them that she knew nothing about what happened yesterday and that the police''s investigation had nothing to do with her.


    Seeing that she looked so calm, the others decided to leave after giving her some comforting words.

 Chapter 129 The Talk

    Rachel didn''t realize just how popular she was now. She spent the whole morning just dealing wave after wave of people.


    Although she had already been officially transferred here, not all the necessary procedures had been finalized because of the events of the past few days.


    After everyone had left, she filled a glass with water. She was about to take a sip when she heard a knock on the door.


    She sighed and put the glass down. She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw the man standing by the door.


    "Uncle James," she greeted him happily.


    "Why are you here?"


    "Something has happened at the hospital. So I came back to deal with it."


    Rachel understood what he meant. James looked at his watch and said, "By the way, it''s almost time for dinner. How about we go downstairs and have dinner together?"


    Although he had known the whole story, James still did not believe what Executive Fang had told him.


    He had not expected Rachel to be involved in this kind of issue. But he never doubted her.


    Right now, he simply wanted to know what Rachel thought about the incident. Besides, he already had someone check the story out. When it came to matters involving the hospital, James gave it his all.


    In addition to Rachel being taken away the previous day, another thing shocked people.


    They hadn''t known that Rachel was a married woman.


    The day before, many had been watching. After the man who had claimed to be Rachel


    ling of humiliation began to consume her.


    Amused, Lucas said, "Don''t get too excited. My father doesn''t bite." He stood up, grabbed his phone, and said, "Wait here. I''m going to call him back. I''ll only be a moment."


    Claris nodded. As soon as Lucas had walked away, she slumped over the table.


    She was far from excited. In fact, she was worried that James had heard the waiter refer to Lucas as her boyfriend.


    Her face turned crimson with embarrassment. She had asked Lucas out today as an excuse to spend some time together. He had seemed to have been avoiding her.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that he had something that he needed her to do, he would not have accepted her invitation.


    Without Lucas'' knowledge, she had told the waiter that he was her boyfriend.


    Although she liked Lucas, she was not brazen enough to introduce him to people as her boyfriend while he was right there.


    Claris was afraid that Lucas''s father would tell him what he had heard.


    Seeing Lucas talking on the phone made her anxious. After some thought, she made a decision. When he returned, she would confess to him.


    She didn''t think it was a big deal. She believed that Lucas would understand.


    Claris shuffled restlessly in her seat. After a while, he returned. He didn''t look so good.


    She was about to ask him about it when he said, "Sorry, I can''t accompany you today. I have to go."


    She stood up without realizing it and asked, "What happened?"

 Chapter 130 Apologize To Rachel

    "Something happened to Rachel. I have to go back and see her," Lucas said frowning.


    Claris'' expressions immediately changed when she heard her name. "Rachel Shen?" she asked. "The one who went to the same college as you?"


    "Yes. I''m sorry. Let''s just reschedule and go out some other time." He quickly turned around without waiting for her response and got himself ready to leave.


    If Lucas had to leave for some other urgent reason, then Claris would not make it seem like a big deal. But knowing that he was leaving for another woman made it felt like a stake was driven through her heart.


    Claris always did her best to date him. But the current situation made it more difficult for her. She approached him and wrapped her arms around his muscular arm. It took almost all of her willpower not to show anger or jealousy on her face.


    "What happened to her?" she asked in a worried tone that had no hint of what she truly felt. "Is it serious? I can go with you. I''m free now."


    There was hesitation on Lucas'' face as he stared at her for a moment, but at length, he finally agreed.


    Claris held his hand in hers and pretended not to notice the sudden tension in him.


    She smiled at him reassuringly and said, "Let''s go!"


    She wanted to go with Lucas to see what was so special about this Rachel that she''d heard so much about.


    It was hard for Claris to believe that the relationship between Lucas and Rachel was nothing more than the relationship between long time college friends. But since he seemed to be attached to her cousin, Claris concluded that she must be pestering him.


    Claris went on to imagine different scenes between Lucas and Rachel in her mind. It made her want to show off to Rachel the intimacy between her and Lucas once she saw her


    door in the past few days, and she was really tired. She rubbed her forehead, hoping that the troubles would resolve themselves.


    She had no idea what really happened, when her life and work suddenly became a mess.


    While she was in deep thought, her phone suddenly rang. She pulled out her phone and immediately found out that the call came from the man that made her life complicated.


    "Are you available now?" Jack asked her over the phone.


    Rachel checked the time and then gave out a sigh. She felt a little tired. "Yes," she replied in a disinterested voice.


    On the other end of the call, Jack was driving when he called Rachel, but he heard the unmistakable sigh from the other end of the call. "Why did you sigh just now?" he asked.


    "Resentment," she replied simply.


    It was rare that she dared play a joke on him. There was the initial surprise that caught Jack unaware, but after a moment, he smiled to himself. He tapped twice on the steering where with his slender fingers. "I''ll be at your hospital soon," he declared.


    It was Rachel''s belief that they were highly efficient in dealing with issues. But from Jack''s point of view, Chief Ren was too slow in dealing with the case.


    He was planning to bypass Chief Ren and have his immediate superior handle the situation.


    It was fortunate that the man was an intelligent person. He called early to apologize, and said that he investigated the matter. He then invited them to go to the station at noon.


    But Jack never received his call that noon. He decided to call back when he finally lost his patience waiting.


    Lucas also received a call from his father who asked him to go to the police station.


    ''Police station?''


    Claris felt confused. "Why do we need to go there? What happened?"

 Chapter 131 Investigation Continued

    "I don''t know." Lucas clenched his slender fingers, a worried expression emerging on his face. "We need to get there first."


    Claris raised her eyebrows in curiosity, wondering why they had to go in such a hurry. It most likely had something to do with Rachel.


    Rachel and Jack arrived ahead of them, with Kevin and Executive Fang following behind.


    Kevin was not his usual self. His skin was dry and his lips were cracking. There were dark circles underneath his eyes. It looked like he hadn''t slept at all.


    Rachel was shocked by his appearance, "Kevin, are you okay?"


    He tried to feign a small smile. "I''m okay. It''s nothing."


    He insisted that he was okay, but kept zoning out. He was obviously not in the proper mindset today.


    Executive Fang was not in a good mood either. He sat across his nephew, glancing at him with a worried expression. As he greeted Rachel and Jack, he seemed too quiet and not himself.


    Sensing that something important had happened, she exchanged a worried look with Jack.


    Chief Ren entered the room alone. After a brief greeting and formal introductions, he immediately got down to business.


    As he spoke to them, he was calm and confident, unlike last night when he had been timid in front of Jack.


    He first apologized to Jack and Rachel.


    "I''m sorry for what happened yester


    felt differently. In her opinion, Lucas was probably worried that Rachel would misunderstand their relationship.


    Seeing them look at each other in silence, Claris felt a slight pain in her chest.


    ''We are just friends?'' She had asked him out so many times. They''d already hugged and kissed each other. Why he did he still tell others that they were just friends?


    Quickly, Claris stepped forward and held Lucas'' hand. "Didn''t you come here in a hurry? Why don''t you ask what happened?"


    Although she looked at Lucas, she noticed Rachel''s expression change in her peripheral vision.


    She saw how her face contorted when she placed her hand on Lucas'' hand.


    She wanted to show Rachel that she wasn''t just Lucas'' friend.


    Then, Lucas asked Rachel about the situation.


    She briefly explained what had happened, only mentioning the important details.


    After listening to it, he sighed in frustration. His eyebrows were knitted tightly and anger flashed in his eyes.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about it?"


    The way he said that seemed like he was not only worried about her, but that he was blaming her for the situation.


    Lucas hastily explained, "If anything happens, I will be worried. You know that right?"


    Rachel sighed. "It''s all right. Don''t worry too much. Jack is already inside trying to solve the issue."

 Chapter 132 Being Questioned

    "Is he here too?" asked Lucas. He seemed surprised from the look on his face.


    Neither he nor Rachel noticed that Claris was gnashing her teeth.


    ''How dare they flirt with each other in front of me! Do they have no respect for me at all? What are they thinking acting so lovey-dovey in front of me?


    This bitch!'' Claris was so angry that she let go of Lucas'' hand.


    She stay behind them and listened to every word they said with contempt.


    The two of them were so indulged in their conversation that they didn''t notice Claris'' expression.


    Ever since they got here, Lucas barely paid attention to her. He was so focused on Rachel that he might''ve forgotten that Claris was there too.


    What irritated Claris all the more was the way Lucas talked to Rachel. His voice sounded so gentle. It was completely different from the way he used to treat her, cold and distant.


    The mixed feelings of envy and grief welled up in Claris'' heart. She couldn''t believe how angry and helpless she felt right now.


    Lucas'' eyes were covered with a layer of shadow. He pressed his perfectly-shaped lips together and said in a soft voice, "You wait here, and I''ll go over there and take a look."


    When she heard what Lucas said, Claris said, "I''ll go with you!"


    Lucas frowned and looked at her. "There''s nothing for you to do there. You can wait here."


    Claris bit her lower lip and her eyes turned red. She felt so betrayed and wronged that she was driven to tears.


    Lucas saw that she was crying, and couldn''t stand seeing her like this. He sighed and said in a soft voice, "You should wait here. I just need to do something, alright?"


    Claris pursed


    t Claris, trying to recall what happened earlier. She remembered how Claris tried to be close to Lucas; and now that she thought about it, she remembered she heard her voice before. It was the same voice she heard on the phone when she called Lucas.


    Then she realized that this girl might be Lucas'' girlfriend.


    Rachel didn''t know what made Claris misunderstand her relationship with Lucas. "Lucas and I have grown up together. We..."


    However, Claris interrupted her again. "I said don''t get close to him! You''re already married! I know Lucas is a good person, but stop taking advantage of his kindness and mind your manners!"


    Rachel wanted to interrupt her, but Claris kept bombarding her with so many things.


    "Your husband is the president of MK Group, isn''t he? "I know about the Fu family''s prestige in Ninwell city. Maybe you should think about how this would affect your family''s reputation. Perhaps you want find another man just because your relationship with your husband is not good. Please think this through! You''re going to get yourself in so much trouble." Rachel was ready to give her a piece of her mind,


    when they heard someone''s voice come from the door. "Miss Ying, perhaps you should think twice about poking your nose into my business? Does my family have anything to do with you?" It was Jack. He was slowly approaching them, and Claris felt the heavy pressure that he carried with him.


    She could no longer say a word. Why was he here?


    Jack sat beside Rachel and put his arm around her shoulder. "We don''t have a good relationship? Where did you hear that? Perhaps you''ve forgotten that slander is against the law."

 Chapter 133 You Know How To Cook

    Claris turned pale with fright, her lips quivering. Her legs became shaky as she stood up.


    Jack lowered his eyes to Rachel and fondly tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Miss Ying, I hope you would pay attention to your words next time. Just because you are free to say whatever you want doesn''t always mean you should.


    Do not be stupid and assume that other people will also value the man you adore," he said coldly.


    His words struck Claris hard. She tried to explain, but her voice barely functioned. Before she could speak, Jack turned to Rachel and held her hand. "Let''s go back."


    "Don¡¯t we need to stay here after the problem is solved?" They talked as if Claris was not in the room.


    "The case has nothing to do with you. Why should we waste more time here?" He pulled her, and together they walked out of the room.


    Claris was left staring after their retreating backs, waves of regret and fear surging through her veins.


    ''What should I do?


    I shouldn''t have been so impulsive!''


    Jack was her brother''s most prominent client, and she had managed to offend him. She could not imagine what might happen to Rick.


    The longer she worried about it, the more it chipped away at her. She put her hands over her face and whined.


    She must have had a momentary flare of insanity to say those words to Rachel. And she even let Jack hear her!


    How reckless she was!


    Frantic


    olled up his sleeves and opened the glass door.


    Rachel¡¯s eyes traced every wine bottle from left to right. She wanted to drink but she didn¡¯t know which one to pick.


    It wasn¡¯t like she had to buy a bottle. She only had to choose.


    While she stood undecided, Jack chose for her and took out two bottles of red wine. "Have you had lunch?"


    "Yes. What about you?"


    "I haven''t eaten yet. Come and sit with me, then we can drink some red wine. "


    She nodded. She was feeling depressed earlier, and her mood ricocheted between low and lower. She needed to vent and thought of alcohol as a good option.


    Jack had attended to a lot of work in the office. Plus, they also had to deal with the matters in the police station. He had no time for lunch.


    When Rachel proposed to drink, he figured she might be in a bad mood.


    Looking at her closely, he saw a faint shadow between her brows. He wondered why she looked unhappy.


    "I''ll cook two dishes. You can wait in the living room."


    Rachel was pouring a glass of wine. When she heard him, she faced his direction and saw him standing in front of the fridge.


    She was stunned. "You want to cook?"


    He nodded. Without turning his head, he replied, "What do you want to eat?"


    She placed the bottle at the table and then walked over curiously.


    She was surprised but at the same time couldn''t help but doubt. "Do you know how to cook?"

 Chapter 134 Chinese Food

    After a pause, Jack turned around and raised his eyebrows. "Didn''t I make breakfast in your place once?"


    Rachel stared blankly back at him, finally remembering that Jack had indeed made breakfast for her once. But still, she was surprised that he could cook something more elaborate than fried eggs.


    After she went back to watching TV in the living room, Jack took out the fish and the steak, intending to make steamed fish and filet mignon?, both of which would taste great paired with red wine.


    He placed a steamer pot on one burner and a skillet on another, leaving them to heat up while he prepared the ingredients and lined them up on the kitchen counter.


    Meanwhile, sitting in the living room, Rachel tried to focus on watching TV, but she found herself being drawn again and again to what was happening in the kitchen.


    When she turned her head around, she saw Jack bend over the kitchen counter, completely focused on chopping up some ingredients.


    Sensing a pair of eyes on him, Jack shifted slightly and turned around, but by then, Rachel had turned back to the TV, pretending to be engrossed in the program that was on.


    The noisy laughter from the TV program echoed throughout the villa.


    Even after Jack turned his focus back to cooking, Rachel continued to stare blankly at the TV screen, but her mind as elsewhere.


    She did not come back to reality until ten minutes later, when the mouthwatering aroma of steamed fish and ginger wafted over to her.


    Sniffing like a puppy, she turn


    her. "What''s this?"


    "Your hand... How many fingers do you have?"


    She shook her head. Her eyes were misty and unfocused.


    Jack frowned, wondering whether he had accidentally drugged her. Her behavior didn''t make sense to him at all.


    Rachel slowly counted out loud with her head tilted, and then shouted in a proud voice, "Five fingers! You have five fingers..."


    She sounded like a child who had gotten the answer right.


    Shaking his head, Jack picked her up and walked toward the bedroom.


    Rachel lay obediently in his arms, but the movement of his arms kept pulling her in and out of her trance.


    At times, she found it hard to remember whose face she was looking at. When Jack had finally carried her into her bedroom and was about to put her down on his bed, she gripped his arm to stop him and said,


    "What''s wrong with you? Did someone bully you?"


    Jack''s lips twitched, but he maintained a poker face as he gently pulled her hand away and said, "Yes."


    Rachel didn''t struggle. She obediently withdrew her hand and allowed him to put her down on the bed.


    "Who bullied you?" she asked curiously.


    Jack had never seen anyone who could get this drunk after finishing just half a bottle of wine.


    "Have a good rest," he said with a helpless sigh.


    Rachel curled up her body to sleep, but after a moment, she suddenly sat up and said unhappily, "I haven''t washed my face and changed my clothes yet."


    Then, she moved to get out of bed, but Jack stopped her. "What are you trying to do?"

 Chapter 135 Getting Drunk Loosens The Tongue

    Rachel felt dirty. She threw up her hands and said, "I need to wash my face and hands."


    Jack rubbed between his eyebrows in reluctance. "Stop! I''ll do it. Wait here and don''t move."


    Even though she was drunk and confused, Rachel obediently waited for Jack.


    After a while, he came into the room with a warm wet towel. Rachel raised her face and closed her eyes.


    Holding the towel in his hand, Jack paused as he turned to look at Rachel''s face. Her eye lashes were thick, coming down from the bridge of her nose. Her red lips puckered out, as if she was teasing him.


    Filled with temptation, he wanted to get a taste of her.


    As if he was bewitched by this beauty, he slowly lowered his head and hovered over her lips.


    Just when their lips were about to meet, she suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at him, confused. "What are you doing?"


    Jack blinked, coming back to his senses. As if he was struck by lightning, he quickly and awkwardly stepped back. A pale pink blush coloring his cheeks.


    He was tempted to tell her. But he decided not to. Not when she was looking at him like that with her pure black eyes.


    He felt like a criminal looking at an angel.


    He he


    about to say something, he heard the girl crying in his arms, "Dad..."


    His hand froze as he was about to put it on her back. His face darkened and he stared at the woman in his arms.


    Not noticing his expression, she continued to rub her head against his chest, sobbing. "Dad... Dad..."


    She softly cried. Jack placed his hand on her back and gently patted her.


    His eyes gradually filled with gentleness, though he still had a gloomy face.


    He looked at the woman in his arms, she never failed to surprise him.


    She kept sobbing until her voice gradually faded away. Confused, Jack turned her over and saw that she had fallen asleep.


    Her face was pink, and her black hair was scattered on the crook of his arm. Her long eyelashes casted a shadow over her eyes, and her delicate lips closed slightly.


    Even when she was sleeping, she seemed to have something on her mind. She grumbled like a spoiled child in his arms, but didn''t say anything further.


    He heaved a long sigh and cradled her in his arms. He slowly laid her down on the bed in a comfortable position, not wanting to wake her up.


    That night, she slept comfortably and deeply, dreaming of wonderful things.

 Chapter 136 A Violent Kiss

    Rachel''s dreams were sometimes about the hospital. Other times, it was about her college days or the year she went abroad alone.


    It was always a dynamic story, but she could never remember what had happened. The only traces of her dreams were the feelings she felt.


    When she woke up, she felt lonely and sad. She felt like she had scratched someone.


    But that person did not get mad at her. Whoever she was with had been very patient and gentle.


    It reminded her of her father.


    She slowly opened her eyes and yawned quietly. She looked around the dark and unfamiliar room.


    Beneath her, she felt her "pillow" stiffen.


    Curiously, she reached out and poked it. Strangely, it was firm, but also a little soft on the sides.


    It seemed to be...


    A deep voice penetrated into the silence. "Are you awake?"


    Her eyes widened and she raised her head up to meet Jack''s eyes. She finally realized that she wasn''t lying down on a pillow, but on top of his waist!


    Scared, she tried to stand up quickly, but landed on Jack''s chest instead. She felt their bodies clash with a thump and heard a muffled hum coming from him.


    "I''m sorry." She got up and quietly sat beside him. When she saw his pale face


    wer.


    Lea narrowed her eyes at her silence. Something must have happened. She held her head up high and crossed her arms.


    "Okay. Tell me what happened. Don''t bother lying!"


    "Ahem!" Rachel tried to change the subject. "Nothing serious, it''s just a mosquito bite..."


    "Do you think I''m an idiot?" Lea narrowed her eyes at Rachel.


    She knocked on the table with her index finger. "I''m your best friend! Just tell me."


    Rachel touched her lips again. She recalled Jack''s bossy expression and involuntarily blushed.


    Lea looked her up and down. Persistently, she stood up and placed her hands on the table, looking at Rachel. Since she still didn''t answer, Lea sat back down.


    Impatiently, she lowered her voice and said, "Tell me the truth! Who is he?"


    "Uh..." Rachel quickly put her hand down. She tried to hide any hint of emotion. "No one. It was just an accident."


    "Really?" Lea doubted. "What accident? Why is your mouth swollen?"


    Rachel blushed out of control and almost jumped up from the seat.


    Suddenly, Lea shifted her attention to someone behind Rachel. Before she could look back, Rachel felt a big hand on her shoulder. A deep voice chuckled. "Miss Ye, why are you so aggressive?"

 Chapter 137 Youve Already Signed The Divorce Agreement

    This time, Lea was also stunned into silence. Jack pretended to not have noticed their expressions and sat down beside Rachel.


    After a few moments of hesitation, Lea almost leapt from her seat. She stared at Jack and Rachel and then pointed a finger. Stuttering, she said, "You two..." Jack calmly smiled.


    He reached out and enveloped Rachel''s hand in his.


    Turning to look at Lea, he asked, "What''s wrong with us?"


    She couldn''t believe what was happening right in front of her eyes. Lea glanced at Rachel. "What''s wrong with you?"


    "There is nothing wrong, Miss Ye. Why are you getting so emotional?" Jack asked instead. He did not wait for Rachel to respond. Instead, he replied for her.


    Lea rubbed her forehead. She was overwhelmed with shock. Her yelling had caught the attention of some onlookers.


    She lowered her voice and twisted her hand on the table. Her beautiful face looked ferocious. "I''m not asking you! Rachel! Tell me!"


    Rachel''s cheeks started to turn pink. She wished the earth would swallow her whole.


    She tried to pull her hand out of Jack''s grasp, but failed.


    She did not want to make a scene in front of everyone so she didn''t try again. "Nothing... You..." She trailed off, unable to think of the right thing to say.


    ''What could I say? Don''t be so s


    Rachel simply nodded, not daring to make eye contact. Her ears were turning red.


    Noticing this, Lea glared at Jack. Firmly taking Rachel''s hand, she started to drag her away.


    Caught off guard, Rachel almost tripped. Reacting quickly, Jack held out his arms and saved her.


    Lea turned around to see Jack clutching Rachel''s wrist. Rage flared inside her. "Let go of her," she said through gritted teeth.


    Jack quietly released Rachel. He watched the two walk out without turning back. He squinted slightly as darkness clouded his eyes.


    The other customers in the cafe had probably already conjured up a drama of their own.


    Still hanging on to Rachel''s wrist, Lea pulled her angrily towards the car. "Get in," she said coldly.


    Rachel dared not provoke her anymore so she quietly got in.


    Lea slammed the door and walked to the other side of the car. Fastening her seat belt, she turned to Rachel. "I think we need to talk."


    They both sat in silence as Lea sped towards her house.


    Maybe Lea was still in shock. Rachel could not understand why her best friend was so angry with Jack. There was nothing going on between them.


    ''I guess her reaction is justified,'' Rachel thought.


    Lea still looked angry. Rachel thought she would explode by the time they arrived at her place.

 Chapter 138 Unable To Explain

    Lea went to the refrigerator and got two bottles of mineral water. She put one bottle in front of Rachel before opening the remaining bottle in her hand. She then tossed her beautiful curly hair and drank the water immediately.


    She was so furious that she needed iced water to calm down.


    After draining the bottle in half, she felt a little better.


    She put the bottle on the table and sat down on the sofa. Then she asked Rachel, "What''s going on between you and Jack?"


    Rachel was about to say something in the car earlier but Lea interrupted her. Now, Lea was giving her a chance to speak.


    "Calm down first, then I''ll explain everything to you," answered Rachel.


    Lea raised her chin and asked, "Don''t I look calm?" She paused for a while, waiting for Rachel''s reaction. When Rachel looked at her, she cleared her throat and continued, "Go ahead."


    Rachel fell silent for a while. Apparently, she didn''t know where to start. Lea urged her in a low voice, "Why don''t you speak up? What the hell is going on?"


    "Jack and I... There''s nothing...


    There''s nothing between us," Rachel stammered. "Nothing? Do you think I''m blind? He kissed you. And now you''re telling me that there''s nothing going on between you?"


    "It was just a kiss." Rachel blushed so she turned her head to the other side to hide it. "Nothing else."


    "Do you like him?" asked Lea seriously, her face looked sullen.


    Rachel was shocked with the question.


    on and then called again.


    After hanging up, Jack cleaned up his desk and adjusted his clothes. He stood up and took a few steps towards the door.


    All of a sudden, his phone vibrated. He subconsciously stopped and took it out. When he checked it, it was just a trash message.


    With a frown, he blacklisted the number immediately.


    He looked at his phone again and stood in front of the door for a moment. Who had ever seen him like this?


    He hesitated for a long time. He couldn''t decide whether to make a call or not. He had never acted this way before even with the big projects he had handled.


    Making a call put him in a dilemma. It was just a call. Why was he so afraid?


    Facing the door, he took a deep breath. Decisively, he looked for Rachel''s phone number and pressed the call button. The moment it rang, he became very nervous.


    The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.


    Jack put his phone away, thinking about calling again later, and opened the door. His secretary immediately stood up upon seeing him.


    He wondered why Rachel''s friend changed her attitude towards him all of a sudden.


    Something seemed to be wrong. It was already difficult to make some progress on Rachel and now, things were getting worse.


    Jack had tried so hard to win Rachel''s heart and he couldn''t allow her to repel on him again just because of Lea''s attitude. He knew how influential Lea was to Rachel so he must do something.

 Chapter 139 A Blind Date

    "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Lea poked Rachel gently to get her attention. "Why didn''t you reply to him?"


    Rachel snapped out of her stupor, turned to Lea and then frowned. "Why? Did he talk to me?" she asked and wondered what Lea meant.


    "Yes. He spoke to you a few times, but you never responded to him. He probably felt embarrassed and went to the bathroom."


    Rachel raised a hand to her forehead and massaged it slightly as she shook her head. There was silence as she tried to get her bearing back. She hesitated to give Lea a reply. She went there just to have a meal. She never expected that it would turn out like this.


    The stranger opposite her stared at her with glittering eyes. Rachel had seen that kind of look many times before but she never knew what they actually meant.


    Earlier during dinner, the man tried to start a conversation with Rachel, but whatever topic he brought up, she politely declined them all. And Lea could not understand what was wrong with her friend.


    "Why don''t you answer me?" Lea asked urgently. "So, do you like him or not?"


    Rachel hesitated and thought about Lea''s question. "What do you mean by liking him? Isn''t he your friend?" she asked with a puzzled look.


    "Yes, he is," Lea replied. "So, what do you think of him? He''s single."


    "Didn''t you say that you like Henry?" Rachel asked her friend in confusion. She didn''t get it.


    Lea was confused. "What does it have to do with me and Henry?" she asked frowning. "I am asking for your opinion on him. Whether he''s okay to you or not."


    Rachel never understood what Lea meant until she saw the expression on face. As it turned out, Lea introduced her a blind date.


    The realization of the situation brought mixed


    d her that he would provide her with the result of the investigation once it was complete. Rachel suddenly remembered how Kevin''s behavior was strangely odd. She wondered if Kevin indeed had done something wrong.


    But she knew that she had no evidence so she shouldn''t make assumptions about it.


    "Dr. Kevin is being investigated. The hospital is being reorganized. I am personally taking care of most of the things here now. And I think that things are getting worse in the hospital right now."


    Rachel listened to him attentively. Wherever there was light, there would always be darkness. But every gray area must be limited within the rule of order.


    If one of the involved parties became too paranoid, things would easily go out of control.


    "I am aware that you have been wronged recently. I have taken actions to correct this and took actions on some people in the hospital. I admire that you have a very good temper, but that doesn''t mean that people can just bully you whenever they wanted," James explained in a serious tone of voice.


    Rachel remembered that Cara came to apologize to her so she immediately understood what James meant with what he said.


    They exchanged a few more words, and James finally ended the call.


    She lost both her parents at a young age. But there were exceptionally nice people in her life that made sure she would be taken care of. Because of this, she never truly lost the life of a wealthy family even after she lost her parents because of these people.


    She might have lost her family, but Jonathan, James and other people gave her the love and support that she needed. They taught her what she needed in place of her parents.


    Because of this, Rachel was very grateful to them.

 Chapter 140 Eric Got Injured

    Rachel had never wanted to marry Jack in the first place. But since it was Jonathan''s wish, she didn''t have the heart to refuse his request.


    In the hospital of the Zhou family, she also had the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Therefore, she didn''t care about the rumors. There was no way they could hurt her.


    As a matter of fact, Rachel wasn''t taking it seriously at all. She hadn''t even thought of snitching to Lucas or James.


    But deep in James'' heart, he felt very sorry for her. He thought that he didn''t take good care of her enough to let her suffer from those rumors.


    Rachel knew what he was thinking. He didn''t want her to be wronged. However, she really thought it wasn''t necessary to pay attention to those trifles.


    Since James still felt bad about it, Rachel decided to just follow his orders. She wouldn''t go to the hospital for the time being and she would just let him arrange everything for her.


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel had nothing to do all of a sudden. She looked around and decided to just clean the house. She picked up some trash and put them in a garbage bag.


    When she was done, she walked to the door to throw the garbage bag. She was about to open the door when she heard some noise outside. Rachel stepped back reflexively. All of a sudden, someone opened the door from the outside.


    A tall and strong figure of a man stood in front of her. His face looked slightly shocked upon seeing that she was at home.


    Rachel didn''t expect that he would come either. So she stood still absentmindedly, clutching the garbage bag in her hand tightly.


    Jack looked at the stuff in


    he victims were sent to the hospital but two of them eventually died.


    The nurse didn''t tell her about Eric''s condition specifically. Since it was still unclear, the nurse was afraid that she would worry too much.


    All Rachel knew was that Eric was courageous enough to take the stabs to protect the driver.


    She tried to ask for more details but the nurse replied embarrassingly, "Sorry, that''s all I know."


    "Then what about the blood in the lobby?" Rachel asked. She was a little nervous.


    "That was someone else''s blood," the nurse whispered.


    Rachel closed her eyes for a while. Somehow, she felt relieved that the blood in the lobby wasn''t Eric''s.


    When they arrived at the operating room, she saw that the red light was still on. It meant that the operation was ongoing. She heaved a sigh and took a seat near the operating room entrance.


    She stared at the door of the operating room blankly. She couldn''t help getting flustered. She wondered why Eric had saved other people and didn''t care about his own life.


    Now, she didn''t know what was going on with him inside the operating room.


    But since he was still able to call her earlier, maybe he was okay. Maybe his condition wasn''t really that bad.


    She still heard his voice earlier so she knew he was alive.


    Rachel tried to convince herself continuously.


    After a short while, she felt that someone was staring at her. She looked up and met Jack''s eyes.


    "Just calm down." He sat down beside her and held her hand. "It''s okay. I''ve already asked about his condition. They say he''s doing alright. He will come out of the operating room soon."

 Chapter 141 Type A Blood

    Rachel''s fingertips were very cold, while Jack''s palm was dry and warm.


    He tightened his hands. She raised her head a little bit, and exhaled heavily. Then she held his hand.


    He clenched her hand more tightly to console her.


    Soon afterward, the door of the operating room opened. A nurse walked out in a hurry. Rachel leaned forward and instinctively looked toward the door.


    She knew that she couldn''t see anything, but she still couldn''t resist looking toward the ward. Jack accompanied her quietly, and grasped her hand gently when she leaned over.


    The nurse returned in a hurry with a packet of plasma in her hand.


    The door of the operating room was closed again. Rachel leaned against the chair and looked down at the floor. The two of them waited quietly.


    About five or six minutes later, the operating room''s door was opened again. The nurse who had gone into the operating room just a moment ago came out in a hurry and glanced at them.


    A muffled voice came through the mask, "Are you Eric Shen''s family?"


    Rachel was not in her usual calm mood. Hearing the nurse''s words, she stood up from the chair at once. Following her lead, Jack also stood up.


    The nurse comforted, "Please don''t be alarmed. The patient has lost too much blood. Our blood bank is out of Type A blood at this time. The operation will be delayed."


    Jack said in a low voice, "I''m with type A blood. How much blood you need? I will donate my blood."


    The nurse looked him up and down and said, "The young man inside has lost a


    achel again, Jack walked over and slammed the door.


    They had spent some money to give Eric a private room in this hospital.


    After the door was closed, there were only two people in the room, Jack and Eric.


    Eric stared at him for a while, and they looked at each other for a moment awkwardly. Finally, Eric couldn''t stand Jack''s cold glare. Feeling defeated, Eric turned his head awkwardly and asked weakly, "Where is Rachel?"


    Jack walked to the bedside, crossed his arms on his chest and looked down at Eric. He said coldly, "She went to downstairs to get your medicine."


    "Okay."


    They kept quiet for a while.


    "Why are you here?" Eric asked.


    "How are you feeling now?" Jack asked in reply.


    Eric''s expression was very uncomfortable and awkward. He felt something was wrong all over, so he looked away from him.


    He noticed that the way Jack looked at him was not the same as before. Jack seemed genuinely concerned about him.


    Dumbfounded by that change, Eric replied softly, "I''m fine. I just feel numb and painful."


    "Brace yourself. The anesthetic still has some effect. It will be more painful later."


    When he heard those words, Eric''s face darkened with irritation. ''What kind of a man is he?


    Even if what he said is right,


    how could he be so frank? Doesn''t he have any idea how to comfort a patient?''


    But Jack didn''t know what Eric was thinking. Seeing that Eric had turned his head to the side, Jack continued, "It''s okay. You don''t have many wounds. I''m sure you''ll feel better later."

 Chapter 142 Took Care Of Eric

    ''That''s better,'' Eric thought to himself.


    He stared in Jack''s direction and asked, "Why are you even here?"


    Jack replied, "I answered the phone, remember?"


    Eric frowned, he was right.


    At that time, he had been in so much pain that he didn''t even realize who he was talking to.


    "I see," he haughtily replied.


    Jack fetched a chair and sat at his bedside. He read a business magazine to kill time.


    Eric felt extremely awkward around him. Having him here was already bad enough for his manhood.


    If Rachel was here, then he wouldn''t feel so embarrassed.


    After a long moment of silence, Jack placed the magazine on the side table. He turned to see Eric staring at him.


    Jack quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"


    Eric didn''t reply and turned his head to the other side. Jack shrugged, dismissing what had just happened. After a brief while, Eric glanced at Jack again. "Why are you always around Rachel?"


    "Am I always with her?"


    "Yes." Every time Eric went to Rachel, Jack was always there.


    Jack faintly smiled and did not reply.


    Eric opened his mouth to say more, but Rachel came in bringi


    as the man aware of his schedule? And since when did he make appointments for him?


    Ignoring his son''s glare, he asked how Eric''s condition was.


    Eric''s mischievous eyes saw the strange glances between Johnathan and Jack. Something wasn''t right here.


    Jack had clearly inherited the same emotionless expression and intimidating aura from his father.


    Apart from that, one couldn''t really tell that they were related.


    Jonathan was very kind and a very good conversationalist. He held Eric''s attention far longer than Rachel and Jack did.


    Jack didn''t understand why his father was so kind to young people.


    He had always been so strict and stern while he had been growing up.


    Even though Eric was in his early twenties, Johnathan still gave him the same patience he gave to Mendes.


    He was surprised at how well they got along with one another.


    Like how he had done earlier, Johnathan told Eric that if he needed anything, Jack was free to help him.


    Because of his injury, Eric could barely do anything by himself.


    Since Eric had Johnathan backing him up, he looked at Jack. With a stern and pitiful look, he mumbled, "What if he doesn''t want to help me?"

 Chapter 143 To Start Over

    Jonathan glared at Jack. "He wouldn''t dare!"


    Jack gritted his teeth in an effort to control himself. He couldn''t stand it anymore. He felt like if he stayed here any longer, his father would just make all his decisions for him.


    Without saying anything, he abruptly got up and walked out of the room. After a moment of hesitation, Rachel followed him out as well.


    As they left, Jonathan and Eric, who were having a pleasant conversation in the ward, turned and looked at the door at the same time.


    Then, they turned back to each other with tacit smiles in their eyes.


    It was only when Jack reached the balcony that he realized that Rachel was following him.


    He put away the pack of cigarettes in his hand and asked indifferently, "Why are you leaving the ward too?"


    Rachel smiled thinly. "To let them talk."


    Then, after a pause, she added, "Actually, I came out to say thank you."


    There was a flicker of emotion in Jack''s deep eyes before they became unreadable once again. He put his hand on the balcony railing and lightly tapped on its edge with his slender fingers.


    "For what?"


    Rachel nodded her head and said earnestly, "Thank you so much for your help in the past few days."


    Upon hearing this, Jack smiled bitterly and stepped closer to Rachel, towering threateningly over her.


    Rachel couldn''t help but nervously take a step back, cornering herself against the balcony railing.


    J


    asking, "What do you think of Jack now?


    How is he these days?" For a moment, Eric was dumbfounded. Then, he looked at her in disbelief and asked, "Are you serious?"


    Rachel shrugged. "I''m just asking. Do you think he has changed?"


    "Yes, he has. It''s quite obvious."


    Then, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he continued, "Rachel, has he been bewitched? How can someone''s personality change like that? I''m curious."


    If Jack were here, he would shoot daggers at Eric with just his eyes upon hearing this.


    Rachel didn''t know how to reply, but she was vaguely glad that she had someone to discuss this with.


    She knew she couldn''t talk about it with Lea, who would probably fly into a rage. And it would not be appropriate to discuss this with Lucas.


    Of course, it was also strange that Eric was the one she was finally talking about it with.


    ''But maybe he doesn''t understand what I am talking about...'' she realized.


    "Jack said... he wants to start over," she explained.


    Eric repeated those words several times as if in a trance. Then, finally realizing what she had been trying to ask him, he said stupidly, "Rachel, are you saying he has fallen for you?"


    Rachel nodded her head shyly. "That''s exactly what I mean."


    "Fuck! Is he out of his mind?"


    "Can we have a civil conversation about this?" Rachel snapped. What did Eric mean by saying Jack was out of his mind? Was he insult Jack or her?

 Chapter 144 Got Distracted (Part One)

    "Are you kidding me?" Eric widened his eyes in surprise. "He has a girlfriend. What does he want? That''s sickening!"


    ''Girlfriend? Celine?''


    It had been a long time since Rachel had thought about her. She could barely remember her appearance. Pausing, she realized that she hadn''t told Eric about what had happened.


    "They''ve already broken up."


    Eric opened his mouth in disbelief. "What?


    Was it voluntary?"


    Rachel hesitated for a moment. She was unsure whether it had been mutual or whether Celine had been willing.


    However, it was obvious that Jack wasn''t the type to be forced to do anything. Even his own father couldn''t force him.


    Despite her uncertainty, she nodded her head. "Yes, it may have been voluntary."


    "You''re pretty sure huh?" Eric was anxious, as if a firecracker had exploded in front of him.


    He didn''t have a good impression on Jack.


    After contemplating for a while, he looked at Rachel. She was no longer the alo


    ked as well.


    Lea''s face paled when she saw Eric. She glanced at the wound on his head, feeling his pain.


    She wanted to touch it, but didn''t dare to. She bit her lips and asked pitifully, "Do you feel better?"


    Rachel sat on the edge of the bed, casting a cold glance at Eric, who was pretending to be weak.


    It was definitely painful in the beginning, but now that he was in the recovery period, the wound was healing.


    Eric was just excited because he was getting attention from the beautiful Lea.


    He acted pitiful so that she would coddle him even more.


    Rachel rolled her eyes. She could see through his tricks.


    Eric raised his hand to touch the wound on his head. "It doesn''t hurt."


    As he stretched hand halfway, he retracted it, and winced. "Ouch. Okay it did feel a little painful."


    Lea cooed to calm him down.


    She treated him like her little brother.


    "Eric, lower your head. I''ll blow on your wound to make it feel better."

 Chapter 144 Got Distracted (Part Two)

    With her lips curled, Rachel placed two glasses of juice in front of them "Eric, you''d better stop acting like a child."


    Lea rolled her eyes. She didn''t know that Eric had been in such a delicate state because of the injury. She thought Rachel was abusing him.


    Frowning, she lightly scolded Rachel, "Be gentle. He is injured right now and needs extra care."


    Rachel groaned. This wasn''t what she needed right now.


    Eric felt elated that someone was on his side.


    He told Lea how pitiful he was.


    Lea felt sorry for him. Rachel held her arms tightly and shook her head. Eric was really a spoiled child. Perhaps Mendes should learn from him.


    She looked at his head, he now had hair. They had shaved his head before the operation.


    Shrugging, Rachel went to the kitchen to pack t


    "


    "Aren''t you afraid of becoming fat?" Since Eric couldn''t bend, Rachel gave him the plate, so he wouldn''t have to bend over.


    Before she could hand it to him, someone grabbed her arm. "Let me do it."


    Eric groaned. He just wanted the cake.


    He looked as Jack took the plate from Rachel.


    Just as Eric was about to mutter a nice thank you, Jack gave the plate to Henry. Eric opened his mouth in disbelief. That was his cake! ''What the fuck! That was for me.''


    Henry was in a bad mood and he didn''t like desserts. He said in a little frown, "Give it to the kid."


    ''Kid?''


    Eric furrowed his eyebrows. He suddenly had the urge to flip the table. He wasn''t a child. In response, Jack laughed and handed the plate over to Eric. Muttering a short thank you, Eric quietly began to eat.

 Chapter 145 Crisis Awareness

    Eric felt a bit sullen. He had no clue as to what Jack meant. In addition to that, the man besides him had been staring in a specific direction ever since he came in.


    Eric couldn¡¯t help himself but have a quick look in the direction where the man had his eyes fixated. Much to his surprise, he found Lea, who appeared quite uncomfortable with the constant gaze of the man on her.


    "Excuse me?" With a tap on the table, Eric continued, "Why do you keep staring at her?"


    Rachel was unaware of what was happening. She sat down next to Eric and didn¡¯t see Henry standing right behind Lea, who was standing right beside the window, talking on the phone with her back against the group.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is Henry here?¡¯ Rachel wondered.


    After Lea hung up the phone, Henry stood up and walked toward her.


    Henry¡¯s actions left the onlookers speechless as he grabbed Lea''s wrist.


    "What¡¯s wrong with you?" Eric protested. He was about to spring into action when Rachel grabbed his arm and said, "It would be better if you eat your cake rather than interfering in their business."


    "Who is that guy?" Eric asked. Rachel and Jack watched in silence as Henry heaved Lea out of the living room.


    Eric was worried and confused. He threw a glance at Rachel and asked, "Rachel, why are you still sitting here? What¡¯s the matter with that guy?"


    Jack said, "Rachel shouldn''t indulge herself in someone else''s affairs."


    ¡®What could have p


    des, Jack¡¯s words made sense; Lea and Rachel were indeed different.


    After they left, Eric could no longer control his emotions. The unprecedented awareness of a crisis enveloped him. Jack was coveting his cousin, while Henry was trying to win over the girl of his dreams.


    ''Oh my God! You''ve got to be kidding me. Neither of them are kind-hearted,'' Eric thought.


    He sighed and slowly approached his cousin. "Rachel,


    What do you think of Jack these days?" he stammered.


    Rachel stopped in her tracks. She thought for a while and said conservatively, "Just okay." She thought that he was neither good nor bad for her.


    Jack let things as they were in this relationship; similarly, Rachel didn''t pay much heed to what he was up to.


    Eric complained, "I don¡¯t think he¡¯s good."


    "Why?" Rachel asked.


    He looked at her, suspiciously. "Are you rooting for him?"


    "Just tell me the truth, why do you think he isn¡¯t good enough?" she quizzed.


    Eric pondered for a long time and came up with the fact that Jack had no positive traits. Besides, he loathed Jack.


    To be fair, he never adored Jack, but Jack¡¯s father gave him a good impression.


    That day, after Rachel went out with Jack, Jonathan had a friendly chat with him, which made him wonder how a father and a son could have conflicting personalities.


    Well, all that mattered was Rachel¡¯s happiness. But Eric just couldn''t bear the thought of Rachel and Jack being together.

 Chapter 146 This Is My Wife

    After contemplating for a long time, Eric decided that if Rachel had really fallen in love with Jack, what he might say would be a burden to her.


    He heaved a sigh and said sulkily, "He''s okay."


    Rachel looked at him strangely. It took her a moment before she spoke again. "Whatever it is that you want to say, just tell me."


    "No, there''s nothing else," denied Eric.


    In the evening, Jack came back on time to pick them up. Before going out, Rachel took a cap and put it on Eric''s head to cover his wound.


    Eric looked at himself in the mirror. The hat looked perfect. It covered his wound and highlighted his handsome face at the same time. He was quite satisfied with it.


    He flicked the brim of his hat, a bright smile appeared on his handsome face.


    Jack was waiting for them downstairs when they came down. Eric went straight to the car. Rachel reminded him, "Don''t move too fast. Be careful of your wound."


    "Yes," replied Eric.


    They went to Royal Private Kitchen for dinner. It was the most famous restaurant in Ninwell City.


    This restaurant had recipes which were passed on from generation to generation for over a hundred years. They even served the imperial palace. Every day, they couldn''t avoid refusing a number of customers because of too many reservations.


    Even customers from well-off families sometimes needed to wait on queue just to make a reservation here. That was why almost everyone dreamed of dining in Royal Private Kitchen.


    Eric was so excited to have dinner here.


    This had been his long time wish.


    Although Rachel


    t she might be drunk already because of her red face.


    Rachel wasn''t really drunk. Actually, she only pretended to be drinking the wine in her glass. But the truth was, the wine only touched her lips. Her face reddened because the temperature was a little high tonight. Even though the room was air-conditioned, she still felt hot.


    She excused herself and went to the washroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Fortunately, she wasn''t wearing any makeup. She washed her face and the redness gradually dissipated.


    After fixing herself up, she went out of the washroom. But when she was standing outside the door, she was stunned for a moment. The corridor suddenly looked like a maze. She didn''t know where to turn.


    Should she turn left or right? She hesitated for a second but then walked to the direction that she thought she took earlier.


    But it wasn''t right. All of a sudden, the way back to their room became complicated. She was lost.


    Then she took another wrong direction. She walked to her right again but it led her to a different way. She was just hanging around.


    Looking at the strange surroundings, she was in a daze. ''Where should I go?'' she asked herself.


    All the rooms looked same. There were also no waiters around. Rachel walked like a headless fly.


    Her phone was in her handbag and she left it in the room so she couldn''t call Jack. The only choice she had was to look for a waiter and ask for help.


    She kept on walking until she reach an open-air balcony. It seemed that there were some people standing in the terrace.

 Chapter 147 Get Angry

    Rachel was already near the balcony when she hesitated. She was about to excuse herself and ask for help, but she heard a man talking in clipped sentences. His faint voice was carried across the foyer by the night wind.


    He struck her as familiar. Her head tipped to the side, trying to put a face to the voice.


    As luck would have it, the corridor was overlaid with plush carpet cushioning her steps.


    The people did not notice her. Confusion turned into delight when she realized to whom the masculine voice belonged to. It was from Jack! She was elated and took a step forward.


    "How come you suddenly fell in love with her?"


    Rachel froze. She recognized that the second voice belonged to Brad. From her location, it was impossible not to listen. "I think she is the right one," Jack said after a few seconds.


    "The right one? You mean as a wife?"


    She eavesdropped like a thief, despite the instincts that warned her against spying. Rachel stood still and barely breathed. She was looking forward to his response.


    ''Jack thinks I am a suitable wife? Does he have a crush on me?'' Everything around her moved in slow motion, as though the passing of time was suspended.


    ''Just like I have a crush on him?''


    All she could hear was her heart pounding.


    Her palms were already sweating when Jack finally spoke. "Let''s go back. She''s taking too long, I will see what she''s up to."


    In a daze, Rachel


    ing.''


    But Rachel didn''t say more. He sighed, "I''ll go back first."


    "Okay." She went into the house, leaving him alone.


    He watched her retreating as he stood there abandoned. He put a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed his fingers along, sighing helplessly. Obviously, she was angry with him.


    In the past, she would at least send him well wishes every time they parted. But now she only gave him the cold treatment.


    Women were really difficult to understand. He got in his car and was back to wondering why she suddenly grew upset.


    While driving, he reran the events during the evening but could not find any possible cues.


    Whatever the reason was, she was really displeased by it.


    Rachel supposed she would forget everything after a good night''s sleep.


    But when she saw Jack at home the following day, her mood turned for the worse again.


    She realized that her attitude yesterday was too obvious. She did not want Jack seeing right through her brain and guessing what started her foul mood.


    So when she saw him today, she tried hard to deliberately restrain her temper.


    Rachel was applying the medicine on Eric¡¯s wound when he entered. Eric took his shirt off and was leaning on a chair.


    His wounds healed well, but there was some evident scarring left. Although he said it would not matter, Eric still felt conscious about it.


    He asked, "Will they look awful in the future?"

 Chapter 148 Verbose Eric

    Rachel tried her best to comfort Eric. "If you don''t mind, you can have a cosmetic surgery."


    "It doesn''t matter. It''s easy for a man to get scars," Eric chuckled.


    "Go and find someone to give you more scars then!" Rachel slapped his shoulder and laughed.


    "Ouch! You don''t have to be so cruel, I''m not that stupid," said Eric as he lowered his head.


    Rachel crossed her arms and frowned. "Then why were you so impulsive? You''re a grown man, Eric. You''re not a kid anymore, make better decisions!" He shook his head and snickered. "Alright already, I will. I''ll stop being impulsive."


    "Good. If this ever happens again, I''ll be the one to add more scars on you," she said as she applied the ointment on Eric''s scar.


    Eric winced and the corner of his mouth twitched. Who knew Rachel could be this scary?


    Rachel noticed that her ointment had run out and she rummaged through the medicine kit for another one. Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder and held out the ointment before her.


    It was Jack. She didn''t even notice when he got here.


    Rachel took the medicine from his hand and said, "When did you get here? Why didn''t you say something?"


    "I just came in. Didn''t you hear me come in?"


    "No, I didn''t notice. Anyway, thanks for this."


    Eric wanted to turn his head to see Jack, but Rachel told him not to move.


    Eric made no effort to contest and stayed still.


    Jack leaned his back on the wall while crossing his arms and smiling. He noticed that Rachel was in a better mood than yesterday.


    "Are you free today?" asked Rachel.


    Jack was surprised. Was she trying to drive him away?


    After a few seconds of ponderi


    doubt about what''s happening?"


    Rachel closed her book and stood up. "I''m going to sit somewhere else."


    With a confused look on his face, Eric didn''t say anything more. He tucked some fruit into his mouth and contemplated. "Does Jack always have to do everything at the spur of the moment?" Before Rachel went somewhere else, she heard Eric muttering something to himself.


    She didn''t respond. She just took it as a senseless murmur, but she couldn''t help but clench her book.


    What he said was not really wrong.


    Even if she tried to shrug it off, Eric''s words kept lingering in her ears like flies.


    With no more patience, she closed the book in her hand hard. Eric was startled while talking.


    When he turned around, Rachel stood from the sofa with no expression on her face. She walked over to pour a glass of water for herself.


    ''Why is she getting angry?'' Eric thought to himself.


    He stared at her with vigilance as she poured a glass of water and drank it. Then she sat back on the sofa to continue reading.


    Knowing that Rachel wasn''t in the mood, Eric thought it was prudent to not bother her anymore. But he couldn''t help but wonder if she had a fight with Jack or not.


    That day, Jack led her upstairs and came downstairs after a few minutes. Then he never came after he left.


    Eric figured that must''ve felt so bored that it was the only thing worthwhile to think about right now.


    Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was best that they had a big fight and he never came back at all!


    Eric stared at Rachel, and thought that Jack didn''t deserve her. He should just let her find a better man and be happy for once.

 Chapter 149 Went To The Shopping Mall

    In Eric''s eyes, Jack was the worst choice for Rachel. Although he seemed to have changed a lot these days, in Eric''s mind, it was just not enough to become Rachel''s husband.


    Rachel had been with the wrong man so many years. Eric decided to keep an eye on her so that she wouldn''t be deceived by Jack.


    A sound suddenly interrupted his personal reflection. He was sure that it was Rachel and he suddenly felt anxious for no reason.


    He thought that if he would stop speaking, nothing could make her angry again.


    "Eric!" Rachel called out to him. Her voice sounded cold and it came from behind him. He turned his head towards her and looked embarrassed. "What''s the matter?"


    "Do you want to hang out?"


    "What? Really?"


    "Why do you look so surprised? Go get changed and we''ll go shopping," she said in an almost commanding tone of voice mixed with a slight jest.


    Eric stood up filled with excitement like a little boy and hurried up the stairs. After a few steps up, he suddenly paused and turned to her once more. His face looked gloomy and sad. "I...uh..." He scratched his chin briefly as he stammered. He then raised a hand to touch the edge of wound on his forehead.


    There was a look of worry on Eric''s face. His eyes were suddenly filled with anxiety and sadness. Rachel fully understood what he meant and what he was thinking. She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "You look handsome! Are you afraid to be seen by other people? They won''t bite you, you know."


    She walked slowly towards Eric and gently poked his face. "You don''t even need to wear a hat. Just change your clothes. I''ll wait for you outside."


    "Rachel..." He was filled with anxiety. He hesitated and could not bring himself to agree with her.


    "Don''t be ashamed of it. Instead, you should be proud of it. It''s considered a badge of


    el. "Well, she is... my colleague."


    Rachel sensed that he was not telling her the whole story and she snorted at him.


    Eric looked a little embarrassed as he elaborated to Rachel, "Well, it''s nothing. It''s just that... she likes me. But I don''t like her."


    He almost raised his hand to swear the truth of what he said. He then started to talk about the inadequacies of the woman.


    "She is too self-centered! And she''s so ruthless and do not care about other peoples'' feelings. I don''t like girls like that. I have ignored and refused her so many times, but she still kept chasing me!" Eric explained with an exasperated look.


    Rachel wasn''t sure if she should laugh or cry. "Okay, okay. You don''t have to list all of her negative qualities. If you don''t like her, just leave her alone. You don''t have to slander her like that," she explained.


    "I didn''t slander her!" Eric exclaimed in a frustrated tone. "I''m telling the truth. You saw what kind of person she was just now."


    "Yeah, I saw it. Let''s go somewhere else and buy clothes first." They quickly put the matter behind them for the time being and walked to another shop.


    No matter how rough a woman she was before, Rachel always had an eye for choosing the right clothes for a person. Eric bought only three sets, but it took her more than an hour picking the right combinations. Eventually, he felt that he would soon be unable to stand and keep up with her.


    All the walking and shifting from one shop to another and back again in order to find the perfectly matching clothes quickly became too much for Eric. "Can I just wait for you in the car?" he asked all of a sudden.


    Rachel''s lips twirled as a look of surprise masked her lovely face. "Are you kidding? It''s over thirty degrees outside, right now. Are you sure you want to wait for me in the car?"

 Chapter 150 Dont Let Them Go

    Eric changed his mind again and said, "Then I''ll just wait for you here."


    "I''m going to the supermarket underground."


    "Then I''ll wait for you at the entrance of the supermarket." Obviously, Eric wasn''t in the mood to move around. Rachel was left with no choice so she just said, "Okay, okay. Anyway, I won''t take long."


    They then went downstairs together. When Eric saw an empty chair, he immediately swept himself to it and waved to Rachel happily. "See you later."


    When Rachel looked around, she saw a play area behind Eric. She just hoped that when she came back later, she wouldn''t see him playing with the children there.


    She only needed a few items so it only took her less than twenty minutes to buy everything. But when she came out, Eric wasn''t there anymore.


    Even if she looked around, she still couldn''t see Eric. She was about to call him when she heard his voice from behind, "Rachel."


    Rachel turned around. He quickly came over and took the shopping bags from her hand.


    "Where have you been?" she asked.


    Eric hesitated for a moment before he replied, "I went to the bathroom."


    "Okay. Let''s go home. I already have everything I need."


    "Rachel..." Apparently, Eric had something to say. But eventually, he decided to just keep quiet. Rachel turned to him with confusion and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing," he answered sulkily.


    Rachel didn''t ask some more and they took the elevator to the ground floor. But when she was about to ask him if he wanted to have dinner outside, she saw a strange expression on his face


    m were also full of contempt.


    It was hard to tell what she really wanted. She wouldn''t let them go nor accept his apology.


    Eric was beginning to lose his patience. He felt embarrassed but also pissed off.


    On the other hand, Rachel remained calm. She heard that the woman was only waiting for someone so she whispered to him, "Let''s just wait for a moment."


    "Lady, will it be okay if we talk over there? I don''t think it''s convenient for you to stand here while waiting for that someone. Besides, a lot of people are passing by," she said to the woman with a smile.


    The woman was about to reply but her phone rang again. Before turning around to answer her phone, she said to her bodyguard, "Don''t let them go."


    Fury ignited in Eric''s heart and his eyes turned dark.


    This woman was deliberately embarrassing them. They had already caught a lot of attention from the people passing by.


    However, when Eric turned to look at Rachel, she didn''t look disturbed at all. He had no choice but to close his eyes and calm himself down.


    Rachel looked at the tall and strong bodyguard in front of her. She thought for a moment and then asked, "Mister, will it be okay if we move to the other side?"


    The bodyguard frowned. He couldn''t disobey his boss. They were told not to leave this place.


    Eventually, the bodyguard decided to ignore Rachel''s request. He just stared at her without saying anything.


    This time, Eric couldn''t contain his anger anymore. "What the hell! Can''t you just have a normal conversation with us? Stop being so arrogant!"

 Chapter 151 What A Bad Luck

    Rachel stopped Eric and told the bodyguard. "Don''t worry. We''re not leaving. But there are so many passers-by. Since we''re in the way, maybe we should go to a quieter place."


    The bodyguard shifted his sight away from her eyes and looked around them. They were indeed standing at the elevator and there were so many people around.


    People had been staring at them curiously for the past few minutes.


    After thinking for a while, the bodyguard thought what Rachel said made sense.


    He pursed his lips and reluctantly told Rachel, "Move to the side."


    Eric was pissed off by his attitude.


    "Do whatever the hell you want. I''m not moving an inch. I''m going to stay down here."


    He had always been impatient. It was true that he bumped into the woman, but he already apologized. He couldn''t understand why he was still being treated like a criminal.


    Upon hearing that,


    the bodyguard had a sullen look on his face.


    "You hurt her, and yet you are being so arrogant, huh?"


    Eric retorted, "I''ve already apologized again and again. You''re the one who''s been acting so arrogant all this time. I don''t understand what you want from me! Are you asking for compensation? Do you want us to call the police? What''s with that poker face of yours, huh?"


    "Eric!" Rachel tried to stop him. Unfortunately, he wasn''t ready to listen to her. "Rachel, I know it was my fault that I hit her, but I didn''t mean to do it! I''ve already apologized to her. If she go


    ancy didn''t show it, but she looked down on Rachel from the bottom of her heart.


    "It''s too noisy here. Let''s go somewhere we can all settle this in private," Rachel said to Jack.


    "Okay."


    The woman next to Jack did not look pleased. She was about to say something, but Jack removed her hand from his arm.


    The woman was taken aback, but found that Jack would not even cast her a glance. His attention was now solely focused on Rachel. "Let''s get out of here. Where do you want to go?"


    Nancy was especially surprised. She wondered if she was really looking at the rumored coldhearted and callous CEO of MK Group. How could he be so gentle to Rachel?


    The woman tried to put her arm around Jack again, but he avoided her. She was even more maddeningly disappointed by what she saw next.


    Jack walked beside Rachel and put his arm on her shoulder. "Miss Yu, this is my wife. I don''t know what happened between you, but if it''s any consolation, I apologize for the inconvenience that they caused you," he said to the woman in black.


    The expression on their faces changed. The askance and arrogance they all held changed into embarrassment, and it was clearly painted on their faces.


    Nancy was devastated when she heard what Jack said. No wonder Eric dared to challenge Jack in such a brave manner.


    She saw the annoyed look on Eric''s face, while Rachel remained expressionless.


    She couldn''t tell whether Rachel was happy to see Jack or angry.

 Chapter 152 A Misunderstanding

    Rina Yu, Nancy''s cousin,


    forced a smile at them with a stiff expression on her face.


    "Hi..." she said embarrassedly.


    She had never expected that the people she had run into at such a small mall would turn out to be Jack''s wife and her cousin.


    They went to a nearby tea house. The waiter served them their tea and left.


    There seemed to be a clear line dividing them. Jack and Rachel were seated opposite to Rina and Nancy, while Eric was seated on a separate chair at the side of the table.


    ''It really is a small world. It''s too bad I didn''t check the lunar calendar today,'' Eric thought to himself.


    Perhaps the calmest one among this group of people was Jack, who passed Rachel''s drink to her and began introducing everyone.


    "This is Miss Rina Yu and this is Miss Nancy Guo. They''re my guests." He didn''t give a detailed introduction of the two ladies, but carefully mentioned their names to Rachel.


    Then, he continued, "This is my wife, Rachel Shen, and that''s her cousin, Eric Shen. I''m so sorry about what happened today. I just heard everything from Eric, and it was all just a misunderstanding. I''m so sorry."


    "Jack, there''s no need to be so serious. It doesn''t matter," Rina said stiffly, though she seemed to have some difficulty getting out those words, especially when her eyes met Rachel''s.


    She had called Jack here to get his sympathy and affection, thinking that the two people she had run into were just in


    afternoon sun.


    "Get in the car first," Jack urged.


    Rachel raised her eyes and saw his car in the parking lot.


    Once they both got in, Jack explained, "There was an emergency that day, and I had to go abroad. I just came back this morning."


    Rachel was still in the middle of putting on her seat belt. Not knowing how to reply to this, she just managed a light, "Oh."


    Jack turned around and looked at her. After a pause, he continued, "Rina Yu is a business partner. Today, we are taking the cooperation case upstairs."


    "You don''t have to explain so much," Rachel mumbled awkwardly even though she was glad to hear this explanation.


    Jack tapped the steering wheel rhythmically with his long fingers, wearing a smile on his face.


    "I wanted to say goodbye to her," he continued as if he hadn''t heard her words. "But she told me that something bad happened to her, so I just came out to have a look."


    He wanted to explain everything clearly to Rachel so that she didn''t misunderstand him, especially when it came to his friendships with other women.


    In his eyes, the relationship between him and Rachel was already strained and wouldn''t be able to bear the crisis of trust.


    Besides, Rachel was extremely reticent about her thoughts and feelings,


    so he had to take the initiative to explain such things.


    She was like a snail that would retreat back into her shell without saying a word as soon as the wind blew a little.

 Chapter 153 A Stomachache

    Jack''s explanation still turned out to be useful, even though Rachel said he didn''t have to explain.


    She felt as if a burden was lifted from her shoulders when he came clean and told her everything.


    She wasn''t sure if he had noticed that she was angry.


    "So you just got back?" she asked, pretending to be calm despite feeling a little awkward.


    When he saw that she was willing to talk to him, Jack felt so happy that he couldn''t stop himself from smiling.


    "That''s right. I''ve just been so busy recently. Some days, I don''t even get to sleep." Jack tried to sound as pitiful as he could.


    He pointed under his eyes and added, "Look at my eyes. Even my eyes have bags under them."


    Rachel was in no mood to look at the dark circles around his eyes. "Focus on driving!"


    As time went by, the temperature got higher and higher, and Eric''s wound healed quickly.


    His head had been shaved before the operation, and it started to grow hair.


    He would touch his short hair every now and then. Thankfully, the scar on his head was not as deep as he had imagined.


    People said that if a man was still good-looking with buzz cut, then he was a real handsome guy. Whenever Eric stared at himself in the mirror, he thought he had gotten even more handsome than before. And this made Rachel sick.


    It had been more than a month since he got injured. He couldn''t wait to hang out with his friends.


    Many of his friends and colleagues had come to visit him at Rachel''s house.


    She had seen all of his friends. They were quite different from the ones Eric had fun with in the bar.


    So whenever they dropped by to come pick him up, she didn''t have to worry.


    After two more days of hanging round with his friends, Eric got bored and asked Rachel if he could go ba


    se on the planet.


    Almost everyone agreed with the results, save for one comment. In that comment was a photo of Jack. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, and you could only see the side of his face.


    And yet it was more than enough to garner everyone''s attention as soon as they saw the comment.


    Even the blogger himself wanted to know his name.


    Everyone else just assumed that he was a prince or something. What attracted them the most was his eyes, the intensity of the way his eyes looked would make anyone swoon and fall to their knees.


    A lot of different kinds of people saw the photo. Some said he was the rising star in the entertainment industry, and some said he was a South Korean celebrity.


    One comment said that it was the profile picture of a best actor. Rachel happened to see that comment.


    She clicked the photo and she was sure that it was none other than Jack. It was definitely him.


    He rarely exposed himself in the media, especially not in the entertainment industry. Only people in the business circle of Ninwell City were familiar with him.


    Not many netizens could recognize him.


    Rachel browsed the comments section for a long time at that time and found that each comment was more ridiculous than the next.


    Nobody had any idea that he was the president of the MK Group. Nobody had seen him before on the internet before then.


    But it was the Internet, it would circulate the web sooner or later.


    However, the photo disappeared from the comments section after a few hours.


    Rachel figured that MK Group''s publicists must have taken measures to take the photo down as soon as they saw it.


    When she came to her senses, the mysterious handsome man on the Internet was quietly rubbing his face on her neck again.

 Chapter 154 Overcome By Her Feelings

    If Jack didn''t have a past with Celine, Rachel would probably fall for his handsomeness.


    She subconsciously caressed his dark eyebrows and his eyes. Then her finger slowly ran down to his pointed nose and to his thin lips.


    As soon as her fingertip landed on his lips, Jack opened his mouth and bit it. He was already staring at her with a smile.


    Rachel blushed but she didn''t dare to pull her finger. She just said angrily in a low voice, "Let go."


    But he closed his eyes again. It was as if he didn''t hear anything.


    Rachel''s index finger was still stuck in his mouth and he even bit it a little tighter.


    "Jack!" He still pretended not to hear her.


    The rain outside served as a background music to this romantic moment.


    "If you don''t let go of my finger now, I will never forgive you," Rachel warned.


    He pretended to be sleeping.


    "You are so childish!"


    Jack''s lips moved slightly and licked her finger.


    Rachel


    "Jack."


    Thin mist slowly covered the lid of the pot as the water boiled.


    The noodles were dancing in the boiling water happily as Rachel stirred them gently. She then sprinkled some minced meat when they were almost cooked.


    After making sure that the noodles were ready and the taste was good, she prepared some vegetables in another pot and simmered them a little.


    When everything was ready, she poured enough amount of noodles into a bowl and placed the meat and vegetables on top. She also sprinkled some green onions to garnish it.


    People with keen taste for noodles would definitely not like what she prepared.


    She even despised herself for preparing such a bland noodle soup. Perhaps Jack would also lose his appetite after he tasted it.


    But thinking about Jack''s stomachache again, she decided that the tasteless noodles would be better for him.


    Being concern to him seemed to be a good excuse for her lame cooking.

 Chapter 155 Look Pitifully

    Rachel took a deep breath and then brought the noodles to the dining room with a dash of courage.


    Jack already got changed and was in the living room watching the television.


    It was a drama program, and the scene was intense. Jack''s eyes were glued. On the screen, a woman was cursing her husband¡¯s mistress.


    The woman¡¯s screams filled the room.


    Rachel laid the bowl on the table and saw Jack totally serious.


    She did not know he had a penchant for watching soap operas.


    She trod lightly and stopped behind the sofa, not making any sound.


    He sat there, engrossed, barely noticing her. His thick eyebrows were snapped together as he looked on the TV.


    "You bitch!" came the tearing voice of the woman. "I''ll kill you!" All hell broke loose. "Don''t stop me! Let me go!" The show played out in psycho-drama mode. "Who the hell is her?"


    Rachel felt a chill go down her spine. She stared at the actress whose long hair was disheveled.


    "What are you watching?"


    Jack was soaked on the plot and was caught off guard. His hand trembled and lost grip of the remote, which fell on the thick carpet.


    He quickly regained his composure and bent down to pick it up. As his fingers touched the remote control, he heard another hysterical screech. He raised his head and saw the two characters pulling each other¡¯s hair fiercely.


    Rachel crossed her arms and scoffed. "I didn''t know you like this kind of genre!"


    Jack cleared his throat


    le.


    Nonetheless, she stuck to her bottom line. "There is no room for you to stay. Do you want to sleep in Eric''s bed?"


    The thought made Jack frown in disgust. He didn¡¯t fancy Eric¡¯s smell at all, it was neither fragrant nor soft.


    "Half of your bed is available," he reasoned.


    "No way!"


    "I promise I won''t touch you." He raised his right hand as if swearing an oath.


    Rachel stood up abruptly, agitated.


    "Don''t push your luck!" she said through gritted teeth.


    "I didn''t..." That pitiful look again, he pouted as if he actually cared about inconveniencing her.


    Rachel placed a hand on her forehead in exasperation and turned away. "You weren''t like this before."


    "Like what?"


    "You weren''t that..." Her voice trailed off. ''...shameless! Is he still the same Jack?'' Rachel thought, unaware that the man was deep in his own thought.


    ''You are so thin-skinned. If I don''t take the initiative, who knows how long it will take to get you?'' Jack thought with a sly look on his face.


    In the end, he convinced Rachel to let him stay for the evening. The rain was heavy, it had poured the whole night until morning.


    Ninwell City had officially entered the rainy season. The rain was predicted to be much higher than last year.


    Eric couldn¡¯t bear staying home any longer and kept on telling his intention of moving out.


    When Rachel asked why, Eric confessed that he wanted to go back to work, but he didn''t dare speak frankly.

 Chapter 156 A New Job

    Something felt wrong. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and pestered Eric to tell her what happened. He finally told her that he had resigned from his job and was going to work in a new company.


    Rachel gaped in surprise, she hadn''t expected that. "Which company?"


    After a moment of silence, he scratched his head and forced a smile. "I''m going to work at Michael''s company."


    "Michael''s? When did you get in touch with him?"


    "It seems you had forgotten," Eric chuckled. "We had dinner with him a few nights ago, remember?"


    They had such a pleasant conversation that they decided to exchange their WeChat contact. Rachel raised her eyebrows. It seemed that she didn''t notice that at all.


    "Didn''t you look down on him before?"


    When did they become such good friends? Why didn''t she know anything about it?


    Rachel thought hard. Okay, they weren''t really friends, more like acquaintances. But it was very strange how they seemed to have gotten along.


    To add to that, Eric was intimidated by Jack and his circle of friends.


    What gave him the courage to work in Michael''s company? It seemed very strange.


    Rachel then realized Jack had changed a lot. No wonder Eric dared to give him the long face.


    She couldn''t quite remember since when Jack became so tolerate.


    When Jack dined Royal


    he got this job on his own.


    Or by his relations. When he met Michael in the company, he only called him Mr. Du. They weren''t on first-name basis.


    He liked this company. But he didn''t expect that the company was owned by one of Jack''s closest friends.


    Jack and Rachel weren''t so close before. And Jack almost cut his hand off.


    Eric disliked him. He thought Michael hired him because of Jack, and felt uneasy.


    Fortunately, Jack seldom came here.


    But this time, Jack came here. He even let Director Cheng to buy them lunch.


    Eric guessed that people would treat him different in the future after they knew his relations to Jack.


    Boys in their early twenties tend to be more sensitive and fragile when it came to their self-esteem.


    In fact, even if he was hired by his familial relations, he would still be kicked out if he couldn''t do anything.


    An incapable man was never allowed to stay in the company.


    Noticing that he stood still, Director Cheng urged him, "Hurry up! Mr. Fu is waiting for you!"


    The young man looked at him with a puzzled expression, but Director Cheng didn''t understand what he meant.


    Eric ran to knock at the door.


    "Come in." He pushed the door open.


    Eric didn''t know why Jack wanted to see him again even though they had seen each other earlier.

 Chapter 157 She Brought Lunch

    Jack was sitting on the sofa with a laptop in front of him. When Eric came in, he didn''t even look up.


    "Why did you call me here?" Eric asked.


    Jack took the glass of water on his left and sip it first before he faced Eric.


    "Would you like to have lunch with your colleagues?" he asked directly.


    "Rachel will bring me lunch," replied Eric.


    "Well, it''s a good opportunity for you to get to know your colleagues."


    Jack put down the glass and looked at him with a smile.


    "I''m staying so I will eat the lunch that Rachel will bring. Are you sure you don''t want to go with them?" He returned to his laptop and pressed the "Enter" key.


    It suddenly dawned on Eric that Jack wanted to covet Rachel''s lunch. No wonder he was so hospitable to offer him a lunch outside with his colleagues.


    Jack pretended not to see the disdain on Eric''s face as he continued, "If you want to have lunch with them, you better go now. They are leaving soon."


    "I''m not going with them. We work in the same department so I will have a lot of chances to get along with them in the future," Eric said purposely.


    Jack squinted at him, his eyes turned dark. The corner of his lips raised slowly as his slender fingers tapped on the table.


    "Don''t you know that your department is the core of this company? Many people are dying to be in this department but unfortunately, the opportunity is very limited. If someone comes in, someone must leave to vacate a position."


    Obviously, Jack was threatening him and Eric despised it a lot.


    He didn''t dare


    he asked, "How is it?


    A wide grin appeared on his face as he answered, "This is so tempting!"


    The words Jack said complimented the good-looking lunch. But he was also curious about its taste.


    While Rachel was washing the bowl and chopsticks with hot water, Jack took off his suit. He was now wearing a shirt with light blue stripes.


    He pulled an office chair nearby and took the bowl and chopsticks from Rachel. He seemed excited to dig in.


    The bacon that Rachel cooked looked attractive. Its aroma also filled his nostrils. There were also some shrimps and meat dishes that he didn''t know the names.


    Perhaps Eric liked meat so much.


    With an air of complacency, Jack thought that all of them belonged to him now.


    He raised his chopsticks and looked at Rachel who was standing in front of him.


    "Are you not going to join me for lunch?" Rachel shook her head and answered, "Just go ahead. I already had lunch before I came here."


    Actually, the food she brought was more than enough for two people.


    Rachel looked around the office. She notice the big sign on the wall¡ªGA Technology.


    She knew that this company belonged to Michael. But she had no idea that Jack also had a share here.


    "Why are you here?"


    "The dishes taste good. Are you sure you don''t want to eat?"


    They spoke simultaneously. But upon hearing Jack''s compliment, Rachel completely forgotten the question she asked. Although she pretended to be calm, her heart was jumping for joy inside. "Of course they do. I spent three hours cooking them all."

 Chapter 158 The Little Trick

    He curled his lips and asked, "Is it specially made for Eric?" He hoped in his heart that she would answer "No."


    Rachel seemed to have heard the voice from the bottom of his heart, then she replied, "No, I cooked more than was needed, so I thought of sending some to Eric.


    In fact, her answer was honest.


    There was a faint smile in Jack''s eyes.


    He picked up a piece of bacon and said, "It''s a little bit too salty. Try it."


    Rachel said in surprise, "Really? I thought it was okay."


    "Try it." Holding the chopsticks, Jack wanted to persuade her to eat. Rachel didn''t realize his intentions, so she leaned over and bit the piece of bacon between the chopsticks Jack was holding.


    The door of the office was suddenly pushed open. The man who came through the door saw what was going on.


    He arched his brow and smiled mischievously. "Whoa! Are you here to show off your love?"


    Rachel raised her hand and covered her mouth slightly, then turned away and chewed the bacon in her mouth.


    She felt embarrassed and no longer cared about the taste of what she ate at the moment. She heard Jack''s cold voice from behind her saying, "You came in without knocking at the door. Don''t you care about disturbing others?"


    Michael curled his lips and laughed wickedly. "You aren''t doing anything shady. Why should you be afraid that I''ll disturb you?"


    His laugh was strange.


    Jack understood what he meant. He glared at Michael and warned him,


    vities.


    Eric had no idea about the relationship between Jack and Rachel since he moved out.


    He didn''t have the time to pay attention to it. Now he had to deal with lots of work in GA Technology. As a result, he didn''t know Rachel had fallen into a trap set up by Jack.


    In the first few days, Rachel stayed at home and made phone calls from time to time to keep track of Jack''s eating habits.


    But this was just the beginning of Jack''s plan.


    He was a cunning businessman after all.


    His plan was to let Rachel''s guard down first.


    Rachel got through the first three days and thought there was no need for Jack to hire a private doctor.


    On the other hand, he was cooperating with her so well that it seemed like he was pleasing her in his own way.


    Rachel vaguely understood what was going on. And she was moved a little.


    Based on Jack''s words, it seemed that everything was going well. His stomach would be nearly healed within a week.


    Then one evening, Rachel called Jack, but he didn''t answer. She called him several times.


    She was confused. When the fourth call went through, someone finally answered it.


    The person who answered the phone was none other than Jack''s secretary, Austin.


    Rachel said a few words but he didn''t hear her clearly, so she had to wait for him to move to a quieter place.


    After the background noises around him disappeared, he said, "Mr. Fu... Mr. Fu is busy now and couldn''t answer the phone."

 Chapter 159 Gastritis

    "What''s he doing now?" Rachel asked curiously.


    She could hear a muffled sigh on the other end of the line. Not knowing what to say, Austin stammered, before falling into silence.


    It stayed like for a while and judging from the awkward silence, Rachel assumed that something was wrong.


    Still waiting for an answer, she checked her watch. Was he in a social engagement?


    "Ask Jack to answer the phone," she said coldly.


    Austin could tell from her tone that she was angry. "Wait! Mrs. Fu, please. It''s not what you think," he said hurriedly.


    Rachel silently curved her lips in sympathy, curious about what he had to say.


    "So will you tell me what''s bothering you, Austin?"


    It seemed that Austin had been struggling for a long time. Giving in to her persistence, he sighed helplessly. "I can''t make a decision for Mr. Fu. I''d prefer if you come to see for yourself."


    So Jack wasn''t able to pick up the call. It wasn''t because he didn''t want to, but because he couldn''t.


    Rachel went to the hospital and stared at the man in the bed. She walked towards him, Jack was still asleep.


    Austin explained that before Jack passed out, he had asked him to do a favor. It was to tell Rachel that he was too busy to pick up the phone. The stubborn man didn''t want her to know that he was confined in the hospital.


    After learning about


    er uncomfortable. Blankly, Rachel ignored him.


    After feeding him half a bowl of porridge, Rachel stopped. "Okay. I''ll go get some water. You can take medicine in five minutes."


    After a moment of hesitation, Jack reached out his hand and pulled her. Quietly, he asked, "Are you angry?"


    She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why should I?" She tried to pry his hand off her.


    Persistently, Jack continued to hold on. "Please don''t be angry, I didn''t mean it."


    She sighed heavily, "I''m really not angry.


    It''s no use for me to worry about you since you don''t care about your health."


    His heart jolted.


    Jack leaned his body forward. Just as he was about to reach out to her, she pulled away to the other side of the room.


    Looking at the woman''s slender back as she got his medicine, Jack groaned. "Rachel."


    "What?" she bitterly replied.


    It was not so easy to handle her when she was angry.


    He was afraid that she would be disappointed in him.


    If she was, then all his efforts would have been in vain.


    Jack was a little anxious. He didn''t know what to do. He wanted to say that he did listen to Rachel.


    He did pay attention to the diet, but he also had to attend the dinner parties. It was rude to decline a glass of wine in front of everyone.


    Like a child, Jack moped. He wanted to win Rachel''s favor once again.

 Chapter 160 Sleep In The Same Bed

    After getting the medicine and a glass of water from the table, Rachel turned around. But she wasn''t expecting that Jack was staring at her. She was so startled that she almost dropped the glass in her hand.


    "You scared me."


    Jack had no idea what he had done. "What''s wrong?" he asked with a blank face.


    "Nothing," Rachel replied in a low voice. She held the glass in her hand steadily and put it on the bedside table.


    Jack took the medicine from her hand and swallowed it.


    It was nearly eleven o''clock.


    Actually, Jack wasn''t really seriously ill. He didn''t need someone to take care of him overnight. But Rachel was still upset so he didn''t want to let her go.


    After making sure that he had taken his medicine, Rachel looked at her watch. She thought it was time to say goodbye.


    However, before she could say anything, Jack suddenly said, "It''s late. Why don''t you just stay here?"


    Rachel froze for a moment.


    "I''m alone here. No one will help me especially if I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night." Jack tried to persuade her to stay.


    "Why can''t you go to the toilet by yourself? You didn''t have a surgery or something," Rachel retorted emotionlessly.


    Jack was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I mean, I need a companion."


    Rachel''s mouth twisted in a contemptuous smile. This man in front of her was really thick-skinned. She looked at him and asked, "Would you like me to accompany you to the toilet?"


    The corner of his mouth lifted into a pl


    ack noticed that they were looking at her in a differently way, he immediately introduced her to them, "This is my wife, Rachel Shen."


    Rachel felt like a monkey being surrounded by the crowd. So when they left, she couldn''t help joshing, "I feel like a rare animal. Everyone looks at me strangely."


    "Of course, you are rare because you are a precious treasure that I have been wanting to have," Jack replied with a smile.


    Rachel was totally taken aback by his sudden sweet words. She couldn''t help blushing as she pushed him away.


    Had Jack forgotten that his assistant was still inside the room? She felt really embarrassed.


    "Sweetie, just wait for me to finish this report." Jack winked at her.


    The assistant had probably felt awkward to remain in the room so he cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Fu, I''ll go out for now. Please excuse me."


    Jack and Rachel''s wedding was a very quiet, low-key affair so no one knew that Jack had gotten married.


    That was why they were surprised to know that his wife was taking care of him in the hospital.


    What was more, they found out that Rachel was not his former girlfriend.


    All of a sudden, they all got curious about who Rachel was. Although they might have met her before, they still knew nothing about her.


    Although Jack was discharged from the hospital, the doctor told him that he must take good care of himself from now on.


    When Rachel found out about it, she got flustered.


    This stomach illness was definitely troublesome.

 Chapter 161 Supervising

    Eventually, Rachel agreed to look after him for the coming days.


    Soon after she made her decision, she received a call from Jonathan.


    Apparently, he heard some stories through the grapevine.


    He asked how she and Jack were doing lately.


    Realizing that Rachel was not keeping Jack at bay, the old man got excited and requested her to take care of Jack until the latter made a full recovery.


    Rachel was speechless. She was not sure who among them came up with the idea. They were father and son, indeed.


    But even without Jonathan¡¯s interference, Rachel had already decided to supervise Jack for several days.


    She did not have work anyway. Besides, it would be tiresome not to find something to do.


    Jonathan readied himself to persuade her patiently in case she refused, but much to his disbelief, she accepted pronto.


    "Oh! Great!" Her willingness caused him to respond slowly. "I know it is inconvenient for you to take care of Jack. Just punish him if he does not listen to you," he continued brightly on the other side of the phone.


    Rachel could not help but giggle.


    She found this father and son very amusing.


    Jack, on the other hand, did not know his father sold him without hesitation. Since he and Rachel were already on the same page, she had to move


    tentively when a pair of arms came over behind her, startling her.


    He dragged her from the window and said, "Don''t stand here in the rain. It''s easy to catch a cold."


    Rachel took a step back and saw him lean, closing the window. He gazed down and saw a small puddle of water below the wet curtain. He frowned.


    ''He is not a very careful person, after all,'' she thought for a second. "How can you do something so stupid?" Rachel teased, smiling widely.


    "Would I be so stupid?" Jack ignored her banter. "Once, Michael fostered a cat here, and that stupid cat liked to squat down by the window.


    He always sat there to watch the weather, no matter if it was rainy."


    Rachel was curious. "And then? Did the cat find the scene beautiful?"


    Jack glanced at her with indifference. "The cat was blown away and was sent to the hospital."


    Rachel broke into laughter. She was amused by the unexpected result.


    "That was not the end of it. Not long after it recovered and was sent home, it was brought back to the hospital again. I have never seen a more stupid cat than that."


    After several rounds of torment, Jack lost his patience and finally flung the cat back to Michael.


    Back then, the housekeeper kept calling him in a frenzy. "Mr. Fu, the cat seems to be sick again!"

 Chapter 162 Distracted From Work

    Jack had asked Michael to take his cat back.


    Michael had mentioned how the cat would keep scratching the door while screaming at midnight.


    He had been on the verge of breaking down. Jack had asked him why he had decided to raise a cat. Michael had told him that the cat was a woman''s and he was courting her.


    She had been out of town on a business trip, so Michael had offered to take care of the cat for her.


    Jack had chuckled at his idiotic friend''s plight.


    Rachel burst out in laughter after hearing Jack''s comment. She was laughing so heartily that he could not help but stare at how beautiful she looked when she was laughing.


    "Is it so funny?" Jack asked.


    Rachel imagined how furious Michael got every time the cat would scratch at his door while he was peacefully drifting into sleep.


    "No, it''s not. I think the cat is really cute," she said while she was ironically trying to hide her laughter.


    "Wait a minute. Rachel, do you like cats?" Jack interrupted.


    Of course, Rachel didn''t particularly like cats.


    She just said that because of how Jack had been describing the cat. But she never said that she had no interest in raising pets.


    She only said that cats were cute because she wanted to see how Jack would react. It was the perfect setup to trick him and see how far he would go.


    Rachel tilted her head and acted like she was thinking about it. She even made the "Hmm" sound, to make it more believable.


    "Rachel, please don''t tell me you like cats too," said Jack.


    "Maybe, what about you?"


    Jack''s smile immediately turned into a frown. When it dawned on him that Rachel might r


    y and restless.


    After following Jack to his office, Austin thought about raising his concern but ultimately decided against it.


    Jack noticed the look on Austin''s face and said, "If you have something to say, say it."


    Jack and Austin had worked together for several years now. He knew Austin well enough to know when he had something on his mind, and he respected his opinion.


    "Mr. Fu,"


    Austin stuttered and changed his words. "Jack, recently you''ve been so..." He clammed up again.


    No matter how close their relationship were, Jack was still his superior and he was his secretary. So it was improper to question or criticize Jack.


    Knowing that Austin probably couldn''t say it directly, Jack figured out what Austin wanted to discuss. It was about what happened during the meeting.


    If he were an employee, his boss would criticize him for how he acted during such an important meeting.


    "Today was just...an accident. It won''t happen again," he sighed.


    "Boss, it wasn''t just today." Austin was hesitant to continue the rest of his sentence at first, but since he had already said it, perhaps it was best to say it straight. "You haven''t been performing well recently. There''re tons of work that are getting delayed. Haven''t you noticed it?"


    Jack was left speechless. Even if he wanted to defend himself, Austin was right. He had been neglected his duties and responsibilities.


    It had been a long time since a blunder like this happened.


    Back then, his work ethics wasn''t the problem. It was the way he behaved in front of his employees.


    "I''m gonna be more careful next time," Jack said sincerely.

 Chapter 163 Go Shopping Together

    Austin exited Jack''s office after the conversation.


    Jack looked blankly at his computer screen. A pen spun atop his slender fingers.


    Austin had aired his observation. For the past two days, he appeared to be slacking off at work. Jack was chagrined to realize he committed mistakes.


    The man had never allowed his business to suffer before. Definitely not for any private matters.


    He prided himself of his discipline in drawing a line between his public and private interests. He didn''t expect that he would bend his self-imposed rules by falling in love with Rachel.


    In the meeting earlier, Rachel had sent him a message asking what he wanted for dinner.


    Ignoring his subordinates, he had chatted with her with a dash of excitement, the meeting totally forgotten.


    The pen finally stopped, and Jack, who was thinking for a long time, finally made a decision.


    What Austin stated was totally justifiable. He had allowed his emotions to override his reasons. He needed to strengthen his resolve and separate public affairs from personal ones.


    After working hours, Jack drove back without waiting for news from Rachel.


    The rain fell steadily without let up since morning. Alongside the road, leaves drooped under the weight of the droplets, adding a striking color to the foggy weather.


    His piled up work and health condition put him in a consistently bad mood lately. He was only in a good mood if Rachel was beside him,


    at was going on.


    Perplexed eyes kept looking at each other, but none of the parents rushed forward.


    His cries reverberated loudly in the room, which forced Rachel and Jack to stop from leaving.


    Seeing the child in a miserable state, other children and parents came up to comfort him.


    When Jack was about to leave with Rachel, the kid''s sister turned up.


    The woman wore a long dress. She walked through the crowd and squatted in front of the child anxiously. "Daniel! What''s wrong with you?"


    The boy cried pitifully. "Rona!" He stretched out his chubby arms and jumped to her.


    "He was hit by that cart!" one of the children in the crowd said, which made Jack and Rachel confused.


    They turned their heads and met the eyes of the worried sister.


    To their surprise, it was Rona, a good friend of Celine.


    Rachel had met her on various occasions, and Jack was quite familiar with her.


    When they randomly met each other, all of them were stunned.


    Before they could explain themselves, the mother of the kid scooted to drag his son back. "I''m sorry! My child did not see it clearly. He fell down by accident. These two people did not knock him down. Is he alright?" she clarified.


    Learning what had happened, Rona turned to look at her brother. She was relieved after making sure there was no wound on his body.


    Jack and Rachel, who didn''t speak one word from the beginning, were almost caught in a misunderstanding.

 Chapter 164 Shopping In The Supermarket

    After making sure that the child was fine, Jack nodded to Rona and then pushed the cart away with Rachel.


    Rona stood there in surprise, and stared at their receding backs. She had a confused expression on her face.


    She was completely unprepared to run into Jack and Rachel together there.


    Did Jack really accompany Rachel when she went shopping?


    As she thought of her close friend, Rona felt too upset to say anything.


    For Jack and Rachel, coming across Rona unexpectedly was not a big deal. But to Rona, it was like being struck by lightning.


    Rona didn''t come back to her senses until Jack nodded at her and left.


    She heard someone else asking her, "Is your brother all right?"


    "The boy is crying. Pick him up."


    The noise bothered her and made her anxious, so she pulled the little boy up from the floor.


    "Stopping crying. Where''s the nanny?" she said impatiently.


    They walked out of the children''s toy area. As for Rachel, meeting Rona was no different from meeting any other acquaintance.


    However, Jack''s conscience was uneasy, so he observed her cautiously. When he saw that she seemed to be normal and natural, he felt a little relieved.


    Rona was Celine''s best friend. He couldn''t help thinking of his ex-girlfriend when he saw her.


    However, what he really cared about was whether Rachel would mind.


    He was afraid that she would feel upset to be reminded of his former relationship.


    He was also worried that they would lose their good mood. They talked about the chaotic condition


    arch for them on their phones. They couldn''t find anything for the search of Rachel Shen.


    But when they searched for Jack Fu, they were astonished.


    Jack didn''t care if anyone thought he was a star. As for being a handsome man, it was understandable for others to think so.


    In the end, they picked up a cute watermelon.


    They pushed the cart to the cashier.


    They didn''t know that someone had been watching the whole scene, with jealousy and indignation in her eyes.


    ''The woman beside him is not Celine anymore, but Rachel.


    Has Jack got back together with Rachel? I thought he was head over heels in love with Celine. What''s wrong?''


    However, Rona had no idea that Jonathan had forced Celine to leave the city.


    It was also impossible for Celine to mention that shameful thing to Rona on the phone.


    Whether she came back secretly or not, she would be forced to leave the city in no more than two days.


    She made all kinds of excuses, saying there was something wrong with her family, her company, or her rent deposit.


    In the end, she had no choice but to leave. Celine was very angry, but she couldn''t do anything about it.


    At the moment, she realized how much power and influence the Fu family had in Ninwell City.


    She also regretted breaking up with Jack. Now she couldn''t get in touch with him, no matter how hard she tried.


    However, what Celine said to the outside world, even to Rona, was that she didn''t love Jack anymore and that she wanted to breathe the fresh air of a new environment.

 Chapter 165 A Call From Rona

    In Celine''s version of story, she had grown quite weary of Jack¡¯s domineering nature and wanted to break up with him. But he had refused to let her go. She had no choice but to leave the city.


    Celine wasn¡¯t sure as to how much Rona would believe in her words, but she said it, nonetheless.


    Rona believed Celine¡¯s story at first. Celine often whined to her about Jack, and how she had to avoid him wherever she went.


    After all, such things occurred before as well.


    But as Celine said it over and over again, Rona started to doubt her.


    Whenever Rona inquired about their relationship, Celine always groaned about Jack pestering her.


    Rona had been her friend for a long time, and she knew Celine well.


    She didn''t believe Celine''s story anymore.


    She guessed that Jack might have dumped Celine.


    Nevertheless, Jack had never said anything about their breakup in public.


    Although Rona was suspicious that the couple might have split, she didn¡¯t see or hear anything personally.


    She remained dubious about the couple¡¯s relationship. However, when she saw Jack shopping with Rachel, it all became crystal clear to her.


    Rona decided to snoop around a little and silently follow them until they paid for their stuff. She contemplated calling Jack and finally took out her phone to call him.


    Jack led Rachel out of the underground supermarket at the shopping mall.


    couldn¡¯t understand what Lea was saying. She heard bits and pieces of Lea¡¯s voice going. "I must work... ...next Monday... ...dinner..."


    Rachel shook her head, helplessly. "Can you talk in a quieter place? I can¡¯t make out what you are saying."


    Lea said, "Hold on, I¡¯ll text you later."


    Time flew quickly, and her two-month holiday was over. Now, Lea had to go back to her ordinary life.


    Suddenly, Henry flashed into Rachel''s mind, and she became curious as to how their relationship was going.


    If Lea planned on going back to her work, she would have to break up with him or be in a long-distance relationship. Or else, Lea had no choice but to be a member of the ground crew.


    Lea had previously broken up with her ex-boyfriends because of her job. But as far as Henry was concerned, she wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    But this solely was Lea''s business. She would deal with it. After all, in terms of relationship, Lea was much more mature and calmer than Rachel.


    Rachel was losing her grip. She had no time to make Lea¡¯s relationship issues her own.


    She thought that Lea would be angry with her if she knew the situation she and Jack were in.


    Rachel was confident that Jack wouldn''t cheat on her. But the others didn''t have the same level of trust in Jack as her.


    In other words, they didn''t think that Jack was her Mr. Right.


    Rachel''s face suddenly felt hot.

 Chapter 166 Did You Break Up With Celine

    Rona and Jack sat face to face in a relatively quiet corner of a cafe.


    She was a little nervous as she told him random stories about Celine.


    The truth was, she wanted to confirm if Jack and Celine had really broke up.


    But she was too scared to ask him directly, so all she did was beat around the bush.


    Jack knew that since they''d broke up, Celine had been looking for ways to return to him. However, he had always avoided her.


    His patience had worn out and he would not get back together with her.


    He didn''t even touch the coffee in front of him as he tried to listen to her. Eventually, he said impatiently, "Thank you for the information, but there''s really no need for you to tell me about her." He pushed the cup of coffee slightly and stood up. "I''ve already paid for the coffee. I have something else to do, so I''m leaving now."


    Rona was a little stunned. Jack''s attitude seemed to have confirmed one thing.


    She also stood up and looked at him with widened eyes. "Did you break up with Celine?" she asked nervously.


    Her voice was a little loud and it attracted the attention of other customers.


    Jack frowned with displeasure. Rona apologized immediately in a low voice, "I''m sorry. My voice was too loud."


    Jack didn''t answer her question directly but simply said, "She has her own life and I have mine too. M


    s face, Jack suddenly turned around and pressed her on the bed.


    Rachel blurted out angrily, "Hey, stop it Jack! You scared me."


    "I meant to scare you," Jack snickered.


    But he let go of her hand and pulled her up. Rachel immediately hid herself under the quilt.


    "Rachel." Jack suddenly called out his name softly.


    "What?" She peeped through the quilt to see what Jack was doing.


    With his Adam''s apple bobbing, he said again, "Come here, Rachel." She just stared at him.


    Her intuition was telling her that something dangerous was about to happen.


    But it looked like she was bewitched by his eyes. The air around the room seemed to freeze as she slowly came to him.


    The dim orange light reflected Jack''s handsome face. He reached out his hand and whispered softly, "Rachel." His magnetic low voice was like a feather that brushed through her heart.


    She sat still. When he leaned over to her, she could hear him panting. She subconsciously closed her eyes when his lips pressed on hers.


    To her, the orange light became dimmer and dimmer.


    Her mind was in a mess.


    Jack noticed her distracted behavior so he stopped moving for a moment.


    Before Rachel came back to her senses, all the lights in the room were turned off all of a sudden.


    She held her breath as she had already anticipated what would happen next.

 Chapter 167 Dreamed Of Her Childhood

    Jack had shown his intentions bluntly.


    He pressed on Rachel again, with one hand slowly creeping towards her back. She grasped the sheet tightly.


    Although his action was overbearing, she still had enough space to turn away. And she also knew that he wouldn''t insist if she wasn''t willing to do it.


    However, she didn''t have the strength to stop him. The next moment, his kiss deepened as he pulled her into his arms.


    A part of her mind was reminding her to get away and not surrender to him so soon.


    A little voice at the back of her mind said, "It''s dangerous!" A "DANGER!" sign flashed through her mind.


    Was she now ready to have sex with him?


    However, her heart said that she was willing to be with him.


    She was ready to be captured by the love net that he weaved.


    Actually, Jack also gave her the opportunity to dodge and escape. But when his hand gradually fondled some delicate area and his lips started to taste the different parts of her body, she stayed in his arms without any resistance.


    Her obedience and acquiescence ignited the fire in Jack and encouraged him to continue.


    He had been waiting for this for a long time. The willingness that Rachel showed made him the happiest man tonight. Finally, he didn''t need to rely on his schemes and tricks to pursue her.


    All his efforts had paid off. Those little things and changes he did to show her the real him made Rachel come out of her thick sh


    ance, Jack opened the door and went out with a satisfied smile on his face.


    Needless to say, that wonderful night set Jack''s good mood. He was so delighted that even the passersby could feel it.


    Austin was also surprised when Jack arrived at the office. He didn''t know what happened but it was very obvious that his boss was in a good mood today.


    He couldn''t help wondering which big business deal had made his boss so happy.


    Actually, he couldn''t remember that they had a big business transaction recently.


    Looking at Jack''s bright face, he suddenly felt that his boss had returned to his teenage years.


    Rachel crossed his mind. He couldn''t help thinking that she had something to do with it.


    After thinking for a while, Austin said tentatively, "Mr. Fu, isn''t Mrs. Fu coming with you to take care of you today? I haven''t seen her these days."


    Jack raised his head and looked at Austin''s face. His gaze suddenly sent a chill down Austin''s spine.


    Austin forced an embarrassed smile and pretended he had never said those words. He tried to change the topic immediately.


    ''Is my guess wrong? Has Rachel really nothing to do with his good mood?''


    After Austin briefly explained his schedule for today, he turned around and was about to leave. But before he could open the door, Jack spoke up. "Watch your words when she is here. Don''t ever mention that she only comes here to take care of me. She is not my nanny."

 Chapter 168 Work In MK Group

    Austin nodded and asked, "So Mrs. Fu will come to take care of you every day?"


    Jack did not even bother to roll his eyes at Austin. ''He''s too obtuse to take the hint.''


    "Alright, I''ll come clean. She will come here to take care of me. I just don''t want others to think that she comes here to be my nanny. I don''t want to hear that kind of chatter around. Do you understand me, Austin?"


    Austin was trying his best not to burst out in laughter. "I understand, sir," he nodded.


    ''Is he afraid that people might think he has Rachel beside him just because she''s a doctor?'' he wondered.


    Jack wasn''t the kind of person that would flaunt anything to others, but when he decided to be with Rachel, he wanted the people around him to know.


    When he was together with Celine, he had tried to hide the fact that he was married, so a lot of people believed that he was never married.


    But now, he didn''t want anyone to misunderstand Rachel.


    He was the one who did something wrong. When word got out that he had been married five years ago, it also meant that he had an affair with Celine for the past few years.


    Only people in the business circle knew this.


    He never wanted Rachel to be the subject of rumors and issues.


    Rachel shouldn''t have to suffer the consequences of his actions and be involved in pointless chatters. Jack had never involved her in his social circle before, but now it seemed like it was inevitable. He knew well that he had to prepare for anything that might arise.


    Jack had been worrying about his wife the whole day. Earlier this morning, he sent her two messages, and all he got were words that barely held any affection.


    One was "The house


    ing. "Mr. Fu, have you registered your marriage?"


    They guessed that they had registered their marriage but they had not conducted a ceremony yet.


    And they were right on the money. It was true that Jack and Rachel had gotten married without a celebration. At the time, they only invited some of their relatives and held the marriage abroad.


    Not even their closest friends could attend the wedding.


    "It was registered five years ago," Jack responded flatly, holding her hand under the table.


    They were even more shocked than before.


    Rachel acted like nothing unusual had been said, as if she wasn''t staring at a bunch of astound people.


    Out of everyone, Austin was the calmest. He had known about this all along after all.


    Seeing that his colleagues were all too dumbfounded to say another word. Jack pressed his fist against his lips and cleared his throat. "Let''s go have lunch."


    It was an uneasy lunch. The managers present were all the right-hand assistants of Jack. They knew that Jack would give them what for if they kept acting like idiots.


    They have to stay calm no matter what they were thinking right now.


    They introduced themselves to Rachel one after the other. They were glad that she responded so kindly to them.


    While they were seated together, everyone thought that they looked like a lovely couple.


    It was just a private gathering. Jack wanted the people around him to get familiar with her first.


    It was his own way of showing Rachel a glimpse of his work life and social circle little by little. He didn''t really want her to blend into his social circle, but he at least wanted her to be familiar with the people he sat down with.

 Chapter 169 Lunch Break

    At lunch time, Rachel thought that she finally played her role. She whispered in Jack''s ear, reminding him of what he should eat and what he shouldn''t.


    Jack followed her instructions, avoiding spicy and oily food.


    The others observed them quietly, lost in their own thoughts.


    They left after lunch, and Jack went back to the 23rd floor with Rachel.


    Jack closed the door of his office, and told the receptionist not to disturb him before 3 p.m.


    He entered his private lounge.


    After taking a shower, Jack changed his clothes. He put his arm around her waist, kissed her on the face, and said, "Take a shower and then relax."


    Flushed, Rachel pushed him away and murmured, "I''m not tired."


    He was about to lean against her again, but Rachel turned away and said, "I''m going to take a shower, too."


    Although she wasn''t sweating, she decided to follow Jack''s advice and take a shower.


    When she came out again, Jack was nowhere to be seen, but she heard a faint sound.


    Rachel was a little confused. She turned to the right and opened a door. She had been there in the morning, but she didn''t realize that there was another room.


    She heard a loud clacking and saw a pool table in the room.


    Rachel walked in and found it was a room full of fitness equipment.


    The room was covered with a deep green carpet, and it was narrow and long.


    Ther


    o nervous.


    At that moment, she couldn''t say it aloud.


    She felt her heart beating so fast that she couldn''t look straight into his dark eyes.


    The more she wanted to hide, the more exposed she felt.


    It was hard for Jack to keep his patience.


    ''Enough of this. How long do I need to wait for her to speak up and give me an answer?


    I''ll just ask her directly.''


    "Rachel, are you in love with me?"


    She squeezed her clothes and summoned up the courage to look at him. ''Yes, I''m in love with you. But what about you?


    Am I just a suitable wife in your eyes?'' she wondered.


    However, one couldn''t see as clearly from the inside as those standing outside. Rachel was blind to the significance of what Jack had said to her.


    He wanted more than just to have her by his side. He also wanted to have her heart.


    Without understanding it, Rachel was nervous and confused. She asked, "Jack, what about you? Have you fallen in love with me?"


    Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. Rachel thought he was surprised merely because he didn''t expect her to ask him the same question.


    Abruptly, he took a step backward, looking surprised and doubtful. Then he raised his hand and pressed his forefinger against his forehead.


    At that moment, he didn''t know whether to cry or laugh.


    His sudden movements and expressions really stunned and perplexed Rachel.

 Chapter 170 A Drastic Turn

    Jack didn''t know whether to cry or to laugh. "Rachel...." He was speechless with fury and amusement.


    He had changed so much and let his guard down. He had let her peak into his heart.


    She should have known that he was in love with her.


    Hearing what she had said, annoyed and amused Jack at the same time. He had never felt so helpless before.


    After all this time, she still hadn''t realized how differently he treated her.


    Confused, Rachel asked, "What''s wrong with you?"


    Placing one hand at the back of her head, Jack pulled her close and pressed his lips against her forehead.


    He did not attempt to conceal his feelings for her. "You stupid girl," he said, affection evident in his voice.


    Rachel was trying to make sense of what was happening. She did not understand what his answer meant.


    ''Why did he call me stupid?


    Ugh! What exactly did he mean?''


    Rachel''s mood was quickly deteriorating.


    Jack was still evading giving her a proper response. "You can feel my heart beating against yours. Can you not tell whether I have a crush on you or not?"


    Rachel could feel her emotions swim to the surface. She realized what a coward she was being.


    She was in a daze, unable to figure out what he meant. Jack could also sense her confusion.


    But, he was enjoying watching her struggle. So, he kept


    dn''t like her either.


    If Rachel''s parents hadn''t died, she would have been the ideal choice for Jack, given the Shen family''s background.


    She had grown up right in front of their eyes. Jonathan even considered her to be his daughter. She was qualified and educated. But Tracy could not help thinking that Jack could do better.


    As a mother, she thought that her son was an ideal man. Therefore, she had always been picky about the women he had taken an interest in.


    Even though Rachel was not a bad person, she and Jack did not really connect.


    Tracy had finally accepted her son''s marriage as a catastrophe. But, now she was witnessing a dramatic change.


    She was both taken aback and curious about it.


    Tracy asked Rachel to help her wash the fruits in the kitchen. This was the first time she had done something like this.


    She wanted to ask about their relationship. Both Jonathan and Jack were aware of her motives.


    Flattered, Rachel got up and followed her mother-in-law to the kitchen. But she was confused by her changed attitude.


    Maybe this was the result of her and Jack making progress.


    Tracy took some peaches, grapes, and other fruits to the table.


    She started rubbing a peach slowly hoping Rachel would catch on.


    Her well-maintained, soft, and plump hands rubbed against the peach skin.

 Chapter 171 A Series Of Questions

    Tracy started to make small talk, and as minutes passed, she shifted her attention towards the couple themselves rather than the conversation at hand.


    Unlike her husband, she wasn''t one to keep a close eye on the changes between the couple.


    This was why it was harder for her to accept that Rachel and Jack were together. She wanted to ask Rachel about this, but she had no idea how to start the conversation.


    She thought for a while and suddenly remembered the topic that her husband had just mentioned at the dining table.


    "Hey, what''s wrong with Jack? Why do you need to take care of him?"


    When Rachel saw that Tracy was taking a longer time to wash the peaches, she slowed down her speed.


    "Something happened at the hospital, and I decided to take a long leave.


    Jack has an upset stomach recently, so I''m taking care of him,"


    Rachel explained briefly.


    She made sure to leave out the part that Jack had been in the hospital because of his gastritis, so that Tracy wouldn''t worry.


    As expected, the moment she had mentioned Jack''s stomachache, Tracy''s forehead crinkled in worry.


    "Don''t worry, he''ll be fine," Rachel quickly confirmed.


    Tracy''s shoulder


    em.


    Jack tightened his fingers. "Don''t look at me like that."


    The woman burst into laughter. "Scared?"


    Seeing that Jack was rendered speechless, she said slowly,


    "I''m serious too. When you mentioned it, I had the same feeling."


    Was this the Jack she knew from before?


    He was so different that she couldn''t help but be amused from his antics.


    He looked like a young man who would rush into any relationship and be filled with loving and naive ideas of lasting forever.


    It was as if he had thrown his own maturity into the garbage can.


    She decided to change the topic. "What did Dad tell you?"


    The night breeze blew upon them as they stared into each other''s eyes.


    With the night sky falling before them, it was as if they had been immersed in their own shadows.


    Tracy furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to look for the couple. A part of her thought that the couple must''ve returned to their room, but when she tried knocking on the door, nobody answered.


    It seemed that they hadn''t returned to their room.


    Then where were they?


    Noticing that his wife was pacing across the floor, Jonathan set the remote on the table. "What are you looking for?"

 Chapter 172 A Long Chat

    Tracy turned around, feeling a little hesitant. "I was looking for them. Why aren''t they here?"


    Jonathan shrugged. "Why not just give them a phone call?"


    She didn''t say anything. What she really wanted to do was look for them in secret.


    "You shouldn''t worry too much about them. They''ll be fine," Jonathan said.


    "I''m not worried," she said automatically, turning to face him. "Don''t you think it''s a little strange? When did they decide to be together? It''s just so sudden."


    Jonathan laughed silently at the sight of his wife''s confused face as he led her into their own bedroom. "I told you not worry about it, okay? They''ll deal with it themselves," he said softly.


    "My hips have been aching these past two days. Do you mind giving me a massage?"


    Rachel had proven further that she couldn''t drink. Although it was just a bottle of pineapple beer, whose alcohol content was low enough that it could be associated with water, it still made her flush after walking down from the top floor.


    However, she was still very sober. When they were going downstairs, Jack w


    heng Family?"


    Francis? At the thought, Rachel frowned.


    "I came across him the other day. He was drunk, and he hugged a girl who looked a bit like Wendy," Jack said.


    "How''s he doing?" she asked.


    With a faint smile, Jack released her hand and got out of the car with her.


    As they were walking into the house, Jack took her hand and continued,


    "I know that he regretted his actions."


    Francis had shown that from losing so much wait.


    It was said that something had happened in his company, but he didn''t even have the energy to deal with it.


    In fact, he heard that Francis was planning to sell the company and leave the country.


    He had spent years planning for revenge, and it turned out that the plan backfired right in his face.


    Francis shouldn''t have included Wendy into this.


    He had used her to enact his plan, and he even hurt her in the name of love. At last, they were finally separated.


    Francis could only hold a woman who looked like Wendy under his drunken gaze. And when he woke up, he would look like he had become part of the walking dead.

 Chapter 173 Fired Up

    Jack thought that if he wasn''t as deeply in love as Francis, he wouldn''t go through all the hurdles that he had gone through. Besides, his relationship with Rachel wasn''t that complicated.


    However, he wouldn''t know that for sure. The only thing he could be thankful for was that he still had his woman.


    "I''m glad that you''re still here with me,"


    he said sincerely.


    The feeling he had now was different from his feelings for Celine. The woman by his side made him feel a sense of belonging that he hadn''t felt for a long time.


    Rachel blushed at his words. It was rare for Jack to become so sentimental towards her.


    All she knew was that if Jack would love her and treat her well from now on, she would repay it with her love and care.


    However, she had forgotten the mere fact that love could never be explained or even demonstrated by means of repaying.


    Jack brought Rachel to the company every day.


    Many employees tried to find out who the woman he had brought with him.


    Questions soared throughout the office place. With Jack''s permission, the managers later revealed that the woman he was with was Mrs. Fu.


    It was as if a bomb had been blown off in MK Group''s headquarters. It had caused a catastrophi


    plan in his mind, Jack smiled innocently. "Enjoy. Call me if you need anything."


    His gentleness sent a chill down her spine as she narrowed her eyes. ''This can''t be real,'' she thought.


    Rachel was already in MK Group, and she was going to see Lea now. Jack asked the driver to send her there.


    She was about to walk into the private elevator when Jack pulled her over. "It''s being repaired," he explained. "Go down the staff elevator from this point on."


    Being Repaired? But it was fine this morning!


    With no doubt in her mind, Rachel followed the other employees into the staff elevator.


    From the 23rd floor to the first floor, they met a lot of people.


    And a lot of them recognized Jack.


    They greeted him with a nod. "Mr. Fu."


    He nodded at them in return with one hand intentionally protecting her to avoid her from being squeezed by the other people coming in.


    Rachel stood beside him.


    There were a few people who glanced at her with curiosity. The rumors of their boss having a wife spread like wildfire across the company.


    It was rare that they get to see her up this close, so they couldn''t help but look at her.


    The way she was being protected by Jack proved that they were no doubt together.

 Chapter 174 Sneak Shots

    Jack''s personal life wasn''t known to his employees.


    Although he was often ranked as one of the top golden bachelors in Ninwell City, he kept his private life pretty low-key.


    They heard about his wife, but they had no idea if the woman they were referring to was the lady in front of them.


    Some of them thought Jack was also a playboy who kept his love life low-key.


    Actually, some of them even wondered whether their boss was actually gay given that most of his employees were male. In fact, even his secretary was a guy!


    When it came to Jack, different gossips concerning him circulated the entertainment circle.


    Besides, he was a rich and handsome man who had attracted many women. It wasn''t any wonder why they were so interested with his orientation and the lady with him.


    They finally arrived at the first floor. Jack didn''t leave the elevator with Rachel until the others had left.


    There were so many people staring at them in public.


    Rachel shuffled awkwardly. She felt that the intimacy wasn''t good for his image in the company, so she tried to break away from his hold.


    However, as soon as she moved, he grabbed her hand even more tightly. His slender fingertips wrapped around her warm


    It wasn''t as if he didn''t want to release the news. It was just that he wanted to reveal her identity bit by bit.


    After all, Rachel wasn''t a star. They had no need of getting any detail from her.


    What Jack wanted to do was remove any sort of rumor about Rachel. He thought it was better to announce it himself as to remove any unnecessary information off the press.


    Rachel wouldn''t be able to deal with the pressure if gossip were to come out.


    He had to exclude any gossip from her as to let her live happily with him.


    As of the moment, Rachel had no idea what was happening. She was too busy shopping with Lea.


    The two women were very different. While Rachel would only buy things she needed, Lea would try everything she liked.


    It would usually lead to a domino effect wherein she''d buy a pair of shoes, then a dress, then a cardigan, then a pair of sunglasses and so on.


    Every time she went shopping with Lea, they would return holding loads of shopping bags.


    However, this time, Lea didn''t seem to be in a good mood.


    It seemed as if she had gotten rich over night from the way she was swiping her card left and right.


    After a while, Lea called her driver to send her stuff home first.

 Chapter 175 Two Birds Of The Same Feather

    When Rachel thought that they were finally finished with shopping, Lea just handed the things to her driver and waved her hands enthusiastically. "Let''s go on to the next shop!"


    Rachel''s legs were so sore that she almost fell to the ground. She quickly reached out and pulled Lea back. "Can''t we rest first?" she whined.


    Lea thought about it for a while before nodding. Besides, it was still early, and they still had two hours left before dinner.


    They quickly entered a busy cafe and ordered themselves two cups of coffee and plates of pastries.


    Rachel had been exhausted after the long hours of shopping she had. They had probably entered fifty shops in an hour.


    She rubbed her ankles once they''d finally sat down,


    wincing in pain.


    Although Lea was never short of money, she probably spent around a hundred thousand dollars in one hour alone.


    She had never done this before, so there must be something that was setting her off.


    Rachel took a sip of coffee to alleviate her thirst before asking, "What''s with you? Why are you buying so many things? Have you won the lottery or something?"


    Lea shrugged. "These are actually for free,"


    e being.


    She planned to tell her once she got better.


    Although she didn''t need Lea''s consent,


    she still hoped that her best friend could support her through this.


    Rachel wanted to be met with happiness instead of disappointment.


    Or at least, she hoped that Lea would forgive her for choosing him again.


    She didn''t want to be met with a cruel "I told you so" if things between them didn''t really work out.


    "What are you thinking?" Lea waved her hand in front of her face.


    Rachel shook her head and said, "Nothing."


    "What do you mean nothing?" Lea cocked up her eyebrow.


    "I was thinking about you and Henry."


    That shut Lea up almost immediately.


    Seeing her expression, Rachel couldn''t help but laugh. "I''ll stop. You can tell me whenever you''re ready."


    Lea finally loosened up as she shook her head.


    They had always told each other everything.


    In fact, they were best of friends.


    That was how they had grown up together. They knew each other''s secrets like the back of their hands.


    Since they grew up together, they knew each other better than anyone. Plus Lea had always played a role of an elder sister to Rachel.

 Chapter 176 Sudden Appearance

    Rachel maintained a calm and composed demeanor, even though deep down in her heart, she was all ears when it came to Lea''s opinions in many aspects.


    As such, before making a decision, it was almost imperative for Rachel to consider Lea''s advice.


    Although Jack had no idea about this whatsoever, he was quick enough to notice that Lea was obviously someone very important to Rachel.


    Immediately, he knew that he would have to do something to weaken Lea''s place in Rachel''s heart. He would have to come up with something to keep Lea away to diminish her presence in Rachel''s personal life.


    While they were having some drinks, Lea suddenly sneezed so violently she almost fell off the chair. She sniffled and blew her nose on a handkerchief she produced from her pocket. "I wonder which bastard is cursing me."


    Rachel said, "It''s actually quite chilly in here and perhaps you''re just having trouble adjusting to the weather."


    "I think someone is cursing me."


    "Oh my God! No one is cursing you!" Lea sneezed again, almost immediately after Rachel uttered the last word of her sentence.


    Despite knowing what happened between Lea and Henry, Rachel still couldn''t calm her restless heart.


    Moreover, she felt horrible because the burden of keeping such a big secret from Lea was starting to weigh down on her.


    Lost in her own thoughts, Rachel didn''t hear Lea when she said, "A friend of mine will be joining us for dinner."


    "Okay," Rachel responded perfunctorily, in a half-hearted manner.


    They had been sitting silen


    owever, Henry leaned closer to her with a smile on his face as he tried to comfort her. Lea pushed his hand away without hesitation and waived at the waiter to order some food for him.


    Henry forced a smile on his face and gave his order to the waiter.


    William and Rachel remained silent the whole time, as they sat there dreading what the immediate future would bring. William was smart enough to guess what the man''s relationship with Lea was just by looking at the couple once.


    To William''s surprise, however, the man looked very familiar.


    The Qin family ran one of the biggest family-run businesses in the city. However, instead of joining the family trade, Henry established his own path and soon became of the biggest shot-callers in the city.


    William racked his brains trying to figure out who the man was.


    Rachel didn''t utter a single word as she knew Lea very well. Judging by the way Lea was reacting, Rachel assumed that she didn''t really want to break up with him. If Lea was indeed angry, she would have left by now instead of sitting there bickering.


    In truth, Henry understood Lea better than anyone else. As such, he felt a little relieved when she didn''t ask him to leave.


    Then he fixed his eyes on the man sitting opposite to him.


    He was clearly Lea''s type: tall and good-looking.


    The photographs Jack had sent him earlier popped into his mind and he felt infuriated at the idea that Lea was having a good time with another man.


    Henry stared at the man in front of him and lifted his eyeglasses.

 Chapter 177 Being Cheeky

    William was smiling, but he could feel a cold chill rushing through his body.


    He took out a business card from his pocket, handed it to Henry, and introduced himself. "My name is William Su. You can just call me William."


    Henry accepted the small piece of card and took a look at it. He found out that William was the general manager of a magazine publishing company.


    "William was my schoolmate," Lea said to Henry.


    She was afraid that Henry would say something impolite to William, so she butted in quickly.


    ''A schoolmate?'' Henry flipped the business card between his fingers. His lips then curved into a meaningful smile.


    As a sign of respect, Henry also took out his business card and handed it to Henry. "My name is Henry Qin. I''m Lea''s boyfriend."


    William read Henry''s business card. A trace of bafflement was apparent on his face. ''Henry is Lea''s boyfriend?'' he thought.


    Rachel turned her head away because she couldn''t bear to see the awkward expression on Lea''s face anymore.


    Lea knew what Henry was trying to imply when he emphasized the word "boyfriend" upon introducing himself to William.


    Obviously, he regarded William as a potential threat.


    As a matter of fact, Henry felt a sense of relief when Lea didn''t refute his introduction.


    Henry''s name wasn''t as famous as the Qin family, who ran a big shipping company.


    Even though William was not a businessman, he was also familiar with the shipping company owned by the Qin family.


    In short, the name "Henry" and the Qin family


    g into her ear.


    Lea''s eyes widened in bewilderment as she looked at him.


    "Are you telling the truth?" Lea asked doubtfully.


    "Why would I lie to you?" Henry responded. ''Does she really think I''m lying?'' he asked himself.


    When Rachel hung up, she went back to them. Lea immediately approached her. She stammered, "Rachel, I have something to do tonight. Can we


    just meet some other day?"


    Lea''s flight was tomorrow. If they couldn''t hang out tonight, they would need to make plans some other time.


    A hint of disappointment swept over Rachel''s face.


    Henry just stood there in silence, but he was sure Lea would go with him.


    Rachel couldn''t hide her disappointment. After all, they were supposed to spend the night together. Why did Lea suddenly change her mind?


    She looked at Henry suspiciously. However, he just looked calm and collected.


    Rachel also noticed Lea''s restlessness, so she guessed that there was something she wasn''t telling her. As she mulled it over, she concluded that it had something to do with Henry.


    Besides, Lea''s mood had completely changed the moment he came here.


    Henry walked up to them and wrapped his arm around Lea''s shoulders. While glancing at his watch, he said, "It''s about time. We should go now."


    Sure enough, Henry had something to do with it. However, judging from how they looked at each other, it seemed that he was very concerned about Lea.


    So instead of stopping them, Rachel just nodded and said, "Go ahead. Just give me a call when you''re free."

 Chapter 178 The Scheme Worked

    Lea understood what Rachel was trying to imply. She nodded her head, bit her lower lip, and turned around. All of a sudden, she stepped on Henry''s foot angrily.


    Henry''s face twisted in pain, but he somehow managed to keep his countenance. He put his arm around Lea''s shoulders and turned to Rachel. "We are leaving now," he said with a smile.


    When Lea saw the car parked by the roadside, she elbowed Henry''s flank and said angrily, "Can''t you see that Rachel is alone? Do you want her to take a taxi home?"


    Henry secretly rolled his eyes. It was Jack who had told him that Lea and Rachel were here. Jack would send his man to pick Rachel up.


    However, he couldn''t tell Lea about it. Jack had sent him a message earlier, reminding him not to tell these two women who was the person behind all this.


    Fortunately, Rachel heard what Lea had said. Henry felt relieved when she refused politely, "No, thanks. Anyway, we''re heading to different directions." Then after hesitating for a while, she looked at Henry and added, "Henry, can I talk with you alone for a minute?"


    Henry looked at Lea as if asking for her permission. She pushed him and said, "Go ahead."


    Lea knew what Rachel was going to say to him.


    So she let go of his hand, turned around quickly, and walked towards his car.


    Henry was a little unhappy because Lea let go of him without any hesitation just because of Rachel''s request.


    When Lea left, Rachel remained silent for a while. She seemed to be deep in thought.


    that it was so obvious.


    Rachel replied smilingly, "You actually look like a sly fox."


    Upon hearing her reply, Jack was stunned for a while. He didn''t know how to defend himself.


    When the elevator doors opened, he held Rachel''s hand and they stepped out together.


    He would never admit to her that he was overjoyed by such a trifle¡ªthat she came back to him tonight.


    Jack was actually very pleased that Rachel was now with him. He always hated to see her in other''s company.


    He controlled himself and cleared his throat before he said, "Really?"


    Rachel just rolled her eyes at him.


    After inputting the security code, they both entered and changed into their house slippers. The small lampshade in the living room was on.


    Rachel actually had the habit of keeping a lampshade on in the bedroom while sleeping. She seemed to have brought that habit here in the apartment. But this time, the lampshade was not in the bedroom, but in the living room.


    The soft light in the dark living room made her feel good the moment she got in.


    The apartment was still the same as usual. But Rachel''s presence made it a place called "home."


    Thus, everything inside this apartment that used to be almost useless had now found their meanings. Even those kitchen utensils and appliances didn''t need to stay in the dark forever anymore.


    Rachel was about to say something to Jack so she turned around and looked at him. She was surprised to see him standing, one hand pressing on his stomach.

 Chapter 179 About Lea

    Jack frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable. When he saw that Rachel looked back, he tried to put his hand down and forced an emotionless face.


    However, it was already too late.


    "Are you having a stomachache?" She frowned. "Have you had dinner?"


    Jack hesitated, unsure on what to tell her.


    At his hesitation, her face darkened. "Don''t lie to me."


    "No, I haven''t," he said sulkily.


    Besides, he knew for a fact that the truth would garner her attention,


    and it did. Throughout the entire day, she had given him her undivided attention.


    Rachel was the one who supervised and cared for him as if he was her patient. When she heard that he hadn''t had dinner yet, she decided to take up other measures.


    She pulled Jack onto the sofa and asked him to sit down as if she was instructing a disobedient child. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Don''t run around. I''ll cook you a bowl of noodles in a bit."


    Without another word, she turned towards the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.


    Judging from all the fresh ingredients, it was obvious that they were just bought recently. Her lips turned after surveying all of them.


    "Tell them not to buy so many things next time," sh


    Rachel nodded.


    "I heard that he has a girlfriend," he said. "But I haven''t met her. Is it Lea then?"


    She nodded in reply.


    Astonishment painted across his face as his eyes widened momentarily. "Really?"


    Rachel leaned over. "Did you know?"


    He observed Rachel''s expression carefully before replying, "I didn''t know about that."


    Rachel''s shoulders sagged in disappointment. "I thought you would know more about it."


    "You''re her friend. Why don''t you know?"


    Given their schedule conflicts, Rachel didn''t know much of what was happening in Lea''s life anymore.


    She didn''t even know her boyfriend was Henry. The mere fact made her feel embarrassed. Why didn''t she know about it?


    They had the same circle of friends, yet it seemed that she and Jack had been clueless this entire time.


    ''Wait! Something''s not right.'' A thought came to her as she stared suspiciously at the man beside her.


    "What''s the matter?" he asked.


    "How could you not know?"


    Jack was startled at the accusation.


    Rachel folded her arms across her chest and raised her eyebrows. "I remember that you and Henry visited my home. You guys even met Lea. At that time, the two were at odds with each other."

 Chapter 181 Keep Vomiting

    Hearing her deduction, Jack was speechless. Of course. How could he have forgotten about it?


    It was the time he had stopped Eric from meddling with Henry''s personal affairs.


    It seemed that he had dug himself a deeper hole at this rate, but he held his composure.


    "Well," he started in an effort to smooth things over. "I forgot about it."


    Fortunately, Rachel didn''t get to the bottom of his little slip-up.


    Instead, she loosened her grip around her arms and subconsciously licked her lips. "So, do you know what''s going on between them?"


    It turned out that she didn''t know he had told Henry where she and Lea were. At the thought, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Oh, um..." Actually, he didn''t know what was going on between them either.


    He only knew that Henry had been in a pretty bad mood recently. He did hear from Marcus that the man had been fighting with his girlfriend, thought.


    That meant...he was fighting with Lea.


    It was thanks to Marcus'' latest gossip that he was finally able to answer her question.


    "All I''ve heard was that they got into a fight. Did something happen?" In order to keep the spotlight off him, he changed the topi


    ead.


    He knew for a fact that Henry''s secrets weren''t his to tell.


    "Nothing," he said. "Henry''s my friend, so of course he''s a good man in my eyes. We have plenty of time either way. I''m sure we can see whether or not he''ll love her. If you don''t like him, you can ask Lea to break up with him, right?"


    He inched closer to her, letting his arms wander around her skin.


    Rachel frowned and crossed her arms.


    "You know that it''s not up to me."


    "You''re right, so why don''t we just let them deal with their own problems? I want to discuss something with you."


    She raised her head. "What are you trying to say?"


    "I''ll be going to Mosa City in two days on a tour of investigation.


    We want to build a holiday resort there. Would you like to go with me?"


    Rachel pursed her lips, finding the city quite familiar.


    "It''s a famous tourist spot," he reminded as if he could read her mind.


    "Oh, I remember it now.


    Mosa City is an ancient city.


    A resort? In an ancient city?"


    Was that even allowed? The buildings in the ancient city were well-protected. Plus, it served as a tourist destination. Would the government allow them to build a resort there?

 Chapter 181 Go To The Resort

    Jack went to the study and took out his laptop. He then opened the report of the newly-finished project and showed it to Rachel.


    As one of the shareholders, Jack was invited to the opening of the new resort.


    Of course, it was impossible for MK Group to the sole shareholder. Otherwise, it would arouse anger from other companies.


    Jack knew that MK Group was already strong enough now. And as the CEO of the company, he was not into expanding its scope anymore. All he wanted to do was develop the company well and make it more well-known.


    Therefore, he thought that doing something under the name of MK Group wouldn''t be appropriate.


    That was the reason why this new resort project was his personal investment.


    All the processes and procedures were done under his name.


    It couldn''t be avoided that people would think that MK Group was taking control of everything, so he played such a smart trick.


    He knew that if MK Group would compete with other companies and the local government in this project, they would need to take much effort to win.


    So this time, he let someone else to take down the project and he got 30% shares under his name.


    He would go to the resort to check its operation.


    But he didn''t need to explain the details to Rachel.


    He only had one purpose of telling her about it. "I will take you there. There''s a hot spring there that we can try."


    Rachel


    It wasn''t proper for them to have sex while their problems weren''t fully settled yet.


    She also noticed that she had been so irritable recently. Maybe it was because her monthly period was about to come. She subconsciously rubbed her belly. She felt that it was a little swollen.


    With that realization, she decided to go back to bed. However, the feeling of nausea surged up again the moment her back hit the soft mattress.


    Lea got up and ran to the toilet quickly. She tried to vomit but nothing came out. Her throat was already hurting.


    ''Did I eat something dirty?'' she wondered internally.


    Suddenly, she got tired of vomiting. She just sat down on the bathroom floor, unable to move.


    Rachel crossed her mind and she thought of calling her for help.


    But she didn''t expect that Henry would come back so soon.


    Lea stared at the several drinks in his hands, mouth agape.


    ''But... how did he get in?'' She had locked the door from the inside so she didn''t know how he was able to get in.


    Henry put the drinks on the table casually.


    As if he read her mind, he pursed his lips and said with disdain, "Do you really think you can send me away like that? Have you forgotten that I know the security code of your door?"


    Feeling embarrassed, Lea ran to the bed again and covered herself with a quilt.


    Henry took six bottles of plum tea from the table and followed her to the bed.

 Chapter 182 Indulgence

    "I don''t know which flavor of plum tea you like, so I asked them to pack up all six flavors," Henry said, trying to coax her.


    Hearing that, Lea lifted her quilt and sat up. She saw six bottles of tea displayed in front of her.


    Plum oolong tea, plum black tea... ''What the hell?''


    When she raised her head, he shuffled nervously in front of her. "Um...do you like to drink any of them? That''s all they have in the store."


    She had been irritated with him at first, but after seeing the way he acted around her, she couldn''t help but burst into laughter.


    Lea gazed at the drinks that were displayed right in front of her. In her eyes, all of them looked the same.


    All she wanted was the distinct sweet and sour taste that the plum tea had.


    She took a bottle from the table and began to drink as if she had just been through a marathon.


    Henry moved towards her. "You can''t drink them all in one gulp. Just take them one at a time."


    She almost choked in her tea as she raised her eyebrow. "Do you really think I''m that much of a pig? How the hell could I finish all of these in one go?"


    In fact, when she finished drinking, there was still half a bottle of tea left in her hand. She handed it to Henry who drank it all up.


    Shaking the empty


    previous life that she could have Jack as her husband in this life.


    However, Rachel didn''t hear them, and even if she did, she didn''t care about it.


    They all envied her happiness, not knowing what had happened between them in their past.


    All they could see was the scene presented in plain sight¡ªthat Jack had spoiled her too much that he allowed her to eat and watch movies during the meeting. As the boss, his wife should know a thing or two about the business.


    Rachel felt it impolite to have snacks while the other were having a meeting. Jack walked over, got a remote control and pressed a button. Slowly, a curtain fell from the ceiling.


    It had separated her from the conference table. In fact, from the outside, it was difficult to see what was behind it.


    Her eyes widened.


    "What''s this?" she asked.


    "Partition curtain."


    She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I know that."


    ''Does he take me for a three-year-old?''


    The curtain closed around her like a small compartment.


    As long as Rachel kept quiet, no one would be able to know that there was someone inside.


    Indeed, when his workers came one after the other, they didn''t even notice her. His office had incredibly high ceilings, so their voices reverberated across the room.

 Chapter 183 Leas Pregnant

    Before the meeting was begun, Jack closed all the curtains in the room. The room darkened immediately.


    The projector was turned on. The host made a few adjustments and an image appeared on the screen.


    In a few seconds, he briefly stated the theme of the meeting before starting off by showing the statistics.


    Jack wasn''t the host of the meeting. instead, he sat and listened to the statistics being shown on the screen, holding different types of documents.


    He had prepared some fruits and desserts for Rachel, because he didn''t want her to be bored. This was the meeting about Mosa City the they would be visiting.


    However, the meeting was actually very interesting. Rachel found herself paying attention from time to time, not bothering to eat the fruits and desserts in front of her.


    In the hospital, Lea and Henry were at the edge of their seats. When her name was called, he immediately stood up and reached out his hand to assist her.


    He was met with a push. "My stomach hurts. That doesn''t mean I''m not able to walk," she said bluntly.


    Without another word, he let her go.


    Originally, he wanted to arrange an expert to meet her, but she rejected him with full sarcasm. At last, she relented and decided to queue up to meet the doctor.


    The doctor they were ab


    uncomfortable with him doing this all the time.


    She remembered all the couples she had seen in the hospital. The girls would usually sit on their boyfriends'' lap as they waited to be fed. The mere act made her sick in the stomach.


    Seeing her hesitation, he furrowed his eyebrows. "You don''t like it?"


    "No."


    "I won''t do it again then," he said firmly.


    Thinking of this, she couldn''t help but feel sorry for Jack. After all, the man was trying to be nice. "I have hands. It''s really fine," she added, implying that she could take care of herself.


    Jack was not a stubborn man. He quickly backed down from the tactic and smiled. "Are you bored?"


    It was incredibly boring here. Although he had documents to file, she couldn''t possibly do anything in his office.


    She hesitated for a while and nodded. He grinned. "Why don''t we go somewhere?"


    "Where?"


    "Wherever."


    He quickly packed his things and walked out with her. It was still early anyway, so they wandered around the city. After buying a few things, they headed towards the outskirts of the city.


    "Where are we going?" she asked curiously.


    "Let''s take a walk." While controlling the steering wheel, he stretched his hands and twisted his neck. "I''ve been busy recently, so let''s go and get some fresh air."

 Chapter 184 Go Fishing

    "You''re skipping work, Mr. Fu. Your salary should be deducted twice as much if you skip work for no reason," Rachel joked as she smiled at the man in front of her.


    Jack decided to play along. "All I want is to take her out to open her field of vision."


    Amused by Jack''s theatric expressions, she punched him gently on the chest. "Ass. Where do you want to take me? Tell me or the police would be on their way."


    He completely changed character as he solemnly placed a hand on his chest, shaking his head. "Don''t be scared. I''ll take you to a fairyland."


    The car echoed with laughter as the two joked along the way. Unconsciously, the atmosphere between them finally relaxed and brightened as mirth danced across their eyes. In more than an hour''s drive, the sunlight''s orange gaze delighted their view.


    The road they were going on was flanked by two mountains, as if the road had split them into two. Rachel admired the scenery with curiosity and excitement.


    He drove very fast until he arrived at their destination. Although it wasn''t a paradise, it was still a place that could hold a thousand pictures.


    She got out of the car. The sun was still shining brightly outside. Since she didn''t take her umbrella with her, she raised her hand to cover her forehead.


    Jack led her along the path till they finally fou


    hild. If she was willing, he''d even rush to the courts and have their marriage certificate ready.


    When the idea came to his head, he had even surprised himself. He had never thought that he''d be so willing to marry the woman in front of him.


    But then, another thought loomed before him. What would he do if she didn''t want the baby?


    At the thought, he couldn''t help but feel panicked. If she didn''t want the baby, then he had no other choice but to follow her.


    Knowing her, he was powerless to what she was planning to do.


    Henry had never felt so sober in his entire life.


    All she wanted was him.


    But he was asking too much.


    Henry walked to the sofa and sat down. Numerous ideas flashed through his mind in such a short time.


    After careful thinking, he was incredibly worried.


    He had no choice but to wait for her to open the door.


    ''What is she thinking?'' he thought.


    Lea hasn''t calmed down yet. She sat on the bed and stared up at the wall.


    She was pregnant. She had never thought of pregnancy.


    At least, she never thought of pregnancy before marriage.


    But she also didn''t want to have an abortion either. All she tried to do was sit there and try to get used to the fact that she was actually having a baby.


    The mere thought ran through her mind as she contemplated with it some more.

 Chapter 185 Fishing Tips

    There was a baby in Lea''s belly now.


    And she would soon become a mother.


    Her life had really changed dramatically. Thinking about it made her wanted to cry.


    She sat on the edge of the bed, still trying to digest the fact in front of her. After a long moment, she fell asleep because of exhaustion.


    The room fell silent. Henry, who had been waiting outside for long time, became more restless. He suddenly walked towards the door and knocked. Unfortunately, he didn''t get any response from the inside.


    He paused and thought for a moment, then opened the door decisively.


    It was already dusk so it was getting dark outside. The curtains in the room were closed.


    Only the pale light from the lampshade was giving brightness to the entire room. He looked around but he couldn''t see her. His heart suddenly tightened.


    He calmed himself down and walked a few steps forward. When his eyes landed on the bed, he saw a bulging figure curled up there.


    Seeing her sleeping, Henry heaved a sigh of relief. He slowly walked towards her, very careful not to create even just a slight noise.


    He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. She was sleeping soundly, maybe she got really tired earlier.


    His eyes caught sight of the ultrasound result beside her. He couldn''t help picking it up and looking at it again. The baby was still as small as a pea but it had already affected


    was like a child, waiting for a commendation for doing a very good job.


    Rachel couldn''t help laughing and asked, "Why are you so happy?"


    Jack walked up to her with creased brows. "Didn''t you hear what they were talking about?"


    "Yes, I did." She tried to hold back her laughter. "I heard that they were all praising you."


    "So would you like to say something to me?"


    Rachel blinked and looked around subconsciously. The crowd had already dispersed and they were all a little far from them now. However, they could still see what they were doing.


    She suddenly felt nervous, her heart beating abnormally.


    Jack had only wanted a compliment from her. But to his surprise, Rachel suddenly put her hands on his shoulders and planted a kiss on his lips.


    He was totally stunned. Still holding the net in his hand, he froze there for a long time.


    When he finally came back to his senses and realized what Rachel had done, he smiled happily.


    He then lowered his head and gave Rachel a deeper kiss. More intimate than the kiss she had given him just now.


    His eyes flashed with great joy as he whispered, "Next time, I want to get the same reward from you. You hear me?"


    Rachel bit her lower lip and pressed her head on his chest. She then burst into laughter.


    After that romantic moment, they went to weigh the fish. It weighed five kilos, and definitely the biggest caught for today.

 Chapter 186 A Fish Feast

    The water in the river was excellent. In recent years, the government had been devoted to its surrounding environment. That was why it had worked hard to stricken its regulations to prevent overfishing. Due to this, there were more and more fishes in the river, creating a sustainable environment.


    Given that it was private added to the glamour of the entire scenery. The river was so clean that the waters were almost close to transparent.


    The government and the private sector worked hard to create such a beautiful paradise. Although they baited a few, they made sure that none of their techniques would be used to pollute its waters. If they were, they would have to take full responsibility.


    Those who joined the fishing association were either rich or incredibly influential.


    They all came here for one reason¡ªthey all enjoyed fishing.


    The people who organized this association had cooperated with Jack in the past when it came to business-related activities.


    This was why Jack had been invited to the association along with other commercial partners.


    Although the men came here for fishing, they also came here to talk about businesses. It was said that man


    e neighboring provinces. Although I''ve never met them before, I''ve seen them on the television," he explained.


    Rachel didn''t recognize them because she seldom watched TV.


    She was surprised to see that they were so distinguished. "How about the man who talked to me?"


    He shook his head. "I actually don''t know him."


    They shrugged along the way. They didn''t know that a few people they''d met today would help them avoid some danger in the future.


    Lea finally accepted that she was pregnant.


    However, she couldn''t help but feel guilty. The baby had been inside her womb for a month, yet she continued to spend her life as if it didn''t even exist.


    She had stressed herself out too much. She was thankful that the baby was fine.


    Sure enough, it was Henry''s baby. She pressed her left hand against her belly with a smile.


    Although she had finally accept the truth, she still couldn''t digest the big news.


    Henry didn''t know what was going on with her. All he knew was that he should be extremely careful in handling her. The doctor had already warned him that pregnant women were more prone to hormonal imbalance, which might cause mood swings from time to time.

 Chapter 187 Suffer From Sunstroke

    In the past two days, Henry had been very careful in taking care of Lea. He was afraid to put her in a bad mood.


    He was also very happy to announce to the world that he was going to be a father. Moreover, he might get married soon.


    Although he hadn''t proposed to Lea yet, he was already determined to get the mother of his child.


    Since Lea knew she was pregnant, her bad temper and irritations had gradually alleviated.


    The number of things that she hated had also lessened. Maybe she wasn''t in the mood to care about them anymore. Her attention was now focused on the baby in her belly.


    When she woke up that morning, she found that Henry was holding her tightly in his arms. She was like a piece of rare treasure he was afraid to let go.


    Lea struggled for a while before she was able to break free from his embrace. But not long after she got up, Henry also got up quickly and prepared her breakfast.


    Yesterday, she had also fallen asleep without cleaning herself up. It was Henry who wiped her body with a wet towel and changed her clothes into pajamas.


    After breakfast, Lea suddenly remembered that she hadn''t taken a shower last night so she rushed to bathroom.


    While taking a shower, she couldn''t help looking at her flat belly. Since it wasn''t protruding yet, she couldn''t help wondering, ''Is there really a baby inside?'' She had a feeling of nausea which


    e whispered in a coquettish tone, "It''s me, Celine."


    "I know," Jack replied calmly.


    Celine was so surprised.


    ''He recognized me,'' she thought, feeling embarrassed.


    Since she fell silent for a while, Jack became impatient so he asked, "What do you want?"


    Celine didn''t expect that Jack would be so cold to her.


    "Jack, are you still angry with me?" she asked in a sob.


    Jack didn''t answer. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows helplessly.


    He had already ended everything clearly with her. But Celine''s attitude right now seemed to have not changed at all. Did she really think that she could bring things back to the way they were before?


    Jack took a deep breath first before he answered, "No, I''m not."


    Apparently, Celine was pleased with his answer. But to her dismay, Jack added, "Celine, I don''t want to be too cruel to you. After all, we used to be together."


    Understanding the hint from his words, Celine felt that a basin of cold water was suddenly poured over her head. Her mind was in a daze.


    ''He should not treat me this way.''


    As a matter of fact, Celine came back to Ninwell City for a few times just to find Jack. She thought that he was still angry with her so she tried to contact him on his phone many times to apologize. And now that she had finally gotten a chance to spoke with him, she didn''t expect to get such kind of treatment.

 Chapter 188 Never Give Up

    Celine thought there was someone else who was trying to prevent her from seeing Jack.


    Although Celine had been silent this entire time, that didn''t mean that she was going to give up very easily. All she wanted to do was make sure that those who have been watching her thought that she had given up.


    She had all her hopes into the phone call. She thought that the man would forgive her and welcome her back whole-heartedly.


    She didn''t expect him to reject her.


    Her face darkened as she gripped her phone tightly. "Have you fallen in love with another woman?" she demanded.


    Rona had informed her that he was hanging around with another woman.


    She clenched her phone and tried her best to restrain her rage. "Why aren''t you replying to me?" she snapped. "Have you? Have you fallen in love with someone else?"


    The way she phrased her words annoyed Jack entirely. He narrowed his eyes. "It''s none of your business. We''ve broken up, Celine. Don''t you understand?"


    They had broken up. She didn''t have any right to mind who he was with any further. Celine flushed brigh


    e tea table and ignored the caller.


    If it was urgent,


    then it would ring again.


    Henry''s proposal came so suddenly that Lea didn''t even know when he got the ring.


    "Will you marry me?" he asked as he knelt down and smiled.


    Although she was touched by his antics, her mind got a hold of her herself.


    Their relationship had never been sweet.


    In fact, their relationship had been filled with fights and disagreements that there were times when she thought that they only meet to insult the hell out of each other.


    They had only been with each other for a few months. Were they really meant to be together or were they meant to fight each other till the end of time?


    Although they were passionate, she didn''t know if she had confidence in their relationship as a whole.


    Besides, Henry had only proposed to her because she was pregnant.


    Now that her life had been completely overturned, she didn''t even know what to do.


    She had never thought about marriage or children.


    And now, it seemed that she needed to face it all in one go.


    She was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 189 Let Me Think It Over

    Kneeling on the floor for a long time without getting any response from Lea, Henry was patient. He was not at all anxious or angry, given that she must have been processing the sudden proposal. "I won''t force you to accept, but I do want that you''ll give me a chance to take care of the both of you."


    The corners of her lips twitched. She turned away, agitated from the entire situation.


    As if he was able to read her mind, Henry softened his face. "Lea, let''s get married and start our own family."


    His promise was so perfect that she could already see it painted at the back of her mind.


    In the near future, they would have their wedding and get a home of their own. Their home would be warmly lit as a familiar cartoon would echo around the household. Toys would be scattered all over the sofa and the carpet.


    The doorbell would ring and she would run to get the door.


    A man with a dapper suit and gold-rimmed glasses would stand in front of her with a smile. He would carry the baby


    before placing it back into her arms. "Change his diaper," he would mention, frowning.


    The baby would burst into tears as the disgusting smell would waft around her...


    Lea finally snapped out of it as she stared grimly at the ring. "Let me think it over, okay?"


    Although


    was pregnant that he finally plucked up the courage to ask her to marry him.


    ''We have a baby now. Isn''t that enough reason to want to get married?''


    It was the perfect excuse for him to propose,


    yet it seemed that it had created even more tension between them.


    Henry began to tell Jack the entire story as he drank more and more.


    He didn''t even know why he was telling Jack all of this.


    He had more experience in women than his friend.


    Except for his one-night stands, Jack only had two women in his life.


    Celine and Rachel.


    Not to mention the fact that he didn''t even know how to handle them.


    In fact, it was probably Jack who needed help more than he did.


    Henry knew for a fact that out of all the women he had with him,


    Lea was the one who had affected him the most. Lea was the only one in his mind


    from the moment he had met her.


    It seemed that the only way to get her trust was to also get Rachel by his side.


    Henry thought that his plan was brilliant, but it seemed reality had other things in mind.


    Although Jack was a great listener, he wasn''t great at giving advice. "Just wait for her to make a decision." He shrugged. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"


    Henry sighed. "Because she might not accept it at the end of the day."

 Chapter 190 The Smell Of Perfume

    Jack cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn''t know."


    He wasn''t aware of what went on with proposals, given that he hadn''t actually proposed himself.


    Seeing his awkwardness, Henry clapped his hands together.


    "I forgot. You were in an arranged marriage," he slurred bluntly.


    Jack curled his lips and resisted the urge to smash his own bottle against the table, but his friend didn''t even notice it.


    Henry tilted his head and took another chug from his own glass. "What am I going to do?" he groaned, clutching his head.


    Jack shrugged helplessly. It was at these times when he didn''t know how to advise him. It was also these types of situations wherein the man should help himself.


    Henry was now in an awkward position, and he just didn''t know what to do.


    He''d been racking his head the entire time on how to get the woman to accept his proposal. At his desperate expression, Jack had to hold back to laugh.


    Henry didn''t drink a lot since his father called him back.


    It was just half an hour after midnight when he finally left.


    The bar was incredibly busy during that time. Jack had parked his car far away from the bar, so he had to make a detour. As he passed through the lively streets, he could see his sights being blinded by neon signs.


    Although it was late, the streets were bustling.


    ng something else,


    she chose to believe Jack''s words that he met up with Henry that night.


    He didn''t have to lie to her. It was just that the fragrance was very overpowering.


    Finally, she pushed him in disgust. "How much perfume did that lady put?"


    She turned her head and sneezed.


    Afraid that Rachel would misunderstand him, Jack quickly explained, "It''s just an accident. I caught her when she was about to fall."


    She couldn''t help but laugh at the sight of his fidgety state. She looked at him deliberately. "Really?"


    What Rachel didn''t expect was for him to start unbuttoning his shirt.


    She stared at him, bewildered by his actions.


    As he was about to take off his shirt, she stopped him.


    "What are you doing?"


    His strong chest was already exposed, and she couldn''t help but marvel at his detailed collarbone. "Stop it."


    "I''m proving myself," he replied.


    Jack threw off his shirt to reveal his very tight muscles and his very defined eight-pack. Her jaw dropped.


    ''Is he trying to prove himself or to show off?'' she thought incredulously.


    "Look, it''s clean and untouched," he said as he motioned to his chest.


    Rachel bit back a laugh. "Untouched?"


    "You can check it if you don''t believe me." He smirked. "You can touch it if you want to. I''ll fully cooperate with you."

 Chapter 191 Surprised Each Other

    ''This bloody asshole!


    He plays tricks on her again,'' Rachel cursed inwardly.


    Before she could totally lost her temper, Jack suddenly returned to his serious look and walked to the bathroom. "I''m going to take a shower."


    She was annoyed but amused by his words at the same time.


    He threw his shirt into the trash bin, walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on.


    Soon enough, the bathroom gradually filled with mist.


    When he came out of the bathroom, Rachel was already lying in the bed. She covered her mouth and yawned. Jack immediately lay down beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist.


    With eyes wet from yawning, Rachel asked in an exhausted tone, "What are you doing?"


    "Sleep."


    Jack felt so warm with her presence. Suddenly, he realized something.


    If he and Rachel got divorced, it would be impossible for him to win her back after all the things he had done to her over the years.


    Before falling asleep, he had decided to cancel the divorce agreement in a few days.


    Finally, Rachel was able to get a chance to meet Lea. Instead of going somewhere, she decided to just invite Lea to her house since she also hadn''t gone home for several days. Anyways, she only needed to do a little house cleaning before Lea arrived.


    Nearly half an hour later after she finished cleaning, Lea knocked on her door.


    When Rachel opened the door, she was so surprised, mouth agape with incredulity. The Lea in front of her looked so different. She looked pale,


    e so much trust in Henry.


    "But do you want to keep the baby?" Rachel asked again.


    Lea touched her belly and fell silent for a while. The baby came so suddenly. She was still very young and was not prepared to become a mother.


    But she had never thought of giving up her baby as well. Now, her mind was in a mess. She really didn''t know what to do with her current situation.


    Rachel took a deep breath and rubbed her face. "Is there anything else that you are not telling me?"


    Lea hesitated for a moment and shook her head. She had never hidden anything from Rachel except her pregnancy.


    Then she suddenly remembered something.


    "Oh one more thing, Henry proposed to me," she said after a moment of silence.


    Rachel was rendered speechless. Lea''s revelations were overwhelming. She didn''t know how to react.


    All of a sudden, she realized that maybe this was also a good chance to tell Lea about her. So after being silent for a while, she said, "Lea... I have something to tell you too."


    "What is it?" Lea felt that Rachel had something very important to say.


    "I''m in love with Jack."


    Rachel felt relieved when she had finally confessed to Lea. On the other hand, Lea was very shocked.


    She was stunned for a few seconds before she was able to ask in astonishment, "What did you say?"


    "We are together now."


    Rachel felt very uneasy.


    It could have been easier if she was referring to someone else. But she was talking about Jack who was a jerk in Lea''s eyes.

 Chapter 192 Confession

    Lea raised her hand and put it on her forehead. She sat up straight and twitched her mouth.


    What Rachel had told her made her restless. It felt like a flower that she grew carefully was suddenly smashed by a pig while she was distracted.


    She had been trying hard to find Rachel a new boyfriend. But it seemed to be useless now.


    Although she knew that she shouldn''t intervene with Rachel''s private life, she just couldn''t help it.


    Jack had finally won Rachel back. Lea didn''t know what else to do, so she just said, "I don''t feel good about this."


    Rachel was quietly holding a cup in her hand. She was like an elementary school student being scolded by a teacher.


    "What''s so good about him?" Lea snapped.


    Rachel thought for a while and answered, "Nothing really special."


    "Yes, you''re right! He''s nothing but just a jerk." Lea continued to despise Jack. "How dare him go back to you and seduce you! He''s a son of a bitch!"


    Rachel felt a little embarrassed.


    As a matter of fact, it wasn''t only Jack. She was to be blamed too.


    But what else could she do? They had both fallen in love with each other.


    Rachel suddenly remembered that Lea was pregnant so she said worriedly, "Don''t be too angry."


    Lea got more furious. "How can I not be angry?" ''Fuck! Someone else''s has taken my flower. How can I not be angry? What the hell!'' she thought at the back of her mind.


    "You have a baby in your bell


    except the arranged marriage.


    Our real relationship only started after he broke up with Celine. In that case, I couldn''t say that he really cheated on me,"


    Rachel said. "But this time, if Jack will have another affair with Celine, I won''t forgive him."


    She really cared about Jack right now.


    If he betrayed her, she didn''t know how to forgive him.


    She lowered her head and her eyes darkened.


    "That''s right. You should not forgive him if he cheats on you," Lea commented.


    She then clenched her teeth and added, "If he dares to have an affair, chop him off!"


    Lea made a gesture of cutting.


    It was now clear to Rachel why Lea was very angry. She only didn''t want Jack to hurt her. Lea kept babbling excitedly. "Well, it actually doesn''t matter if he gets back to Celine. You can just break up with him and tell his father about it.


    Jonathan loves you so much so I know he won''t tolerate Jack. For sure, he will immediately kick him out of the family."


    The more she talked, the more excited she got. She clenched her fists and added, "Then we''ll find a way to fuck them up..."


    Lea didn''t finish her last sentence. She suddenly realized, she was talking too much because of excitement.


    She cleared her throat and stopped talking bad about Jack immediately. "Well, I''m just talking nonsense. Don''t take it seriously."


    After all, Rachel loved Jack.


    Bad-mouthing him would definitely upset her.

 Chapter 193 Whether To Keep The Baby

    If Rachel was a hot-tempered person, she would have already smashed Lea with a hammer.


    But they had been the best of friends for so many years. Understanding, support, and respect were the most things they did for each other.


    Now that Rachel decided to be with Jack, all Lea could do was complain a little.


    There was no need to keep on repeating how much she disliked Jack.


    After all, Rachel didn''t care about it that much. She was already used to Lea''s attitude.


    She was just amused that Lea was already wishing for her relationship with Jack to end soon even before it could go deeper.


    When Jack crossed her mind, she couldn''t help chuckling.


    Lea wouldn''t hide his displeasure towards Jack. She might even give him a hard time every time they met.


    Talking too much seemed to have made Lea''s mood better.


    She took a sip of water and said, "I think I just overreacted when you told me about your relationship with Jack. Actually, it''s not really bad. After all, you were raised by Fu family.


    Jonathan treats you as his own child. He must be very glad that you are finally willing to be with Jack.


    I honestly think that Jack is a decent man except for his having a mistress, of course."


    Rachel held back her laughter. A few moments ago, Lea was cursing Jack to death. But now, she was praising him. Lea continued, "


    red to himself, "Who the hell is cursing me behind my back?"


    Lea had actually no intention of letting Rachel solve her problem.


    She only wanted to vent her frustrations. There was no one else in this world that she would talk about it.


    Besides, there was no one in Ninwell City that she trusted except Rachel. She knew that Rachel was dependable.


    If Lea''s family knew her situation, they would be shocked. Her father would definitely decide for her without asking for her opinion. There could only be two choices that her father could give: get an abortion or marry Henry.


    This was reason why she didn''t want to tell her family, especially her father.


    But what about Henry?


    What if she told Henry about her worries?


    No matter how anxious she was, he would definitely do his best to comfort and coax her.


    Henry would never give her a chance to have apprehensions.


    Lea knew clearly that she might give in if Henry tried to persuade him.


    However, she still couldn''t help thinking that everything would just be temporary. One day, Henry would get tired of comforting her and caring for her.


    It was the truth that Lea wouldn''t want to happen, so she was trying to avoid it in advance.


    Rachel''s head was also in a mess. After hearing so many things from Lea, she didn''t know what kind of advice she would give to her.

 Chapter 194 Jacks Opinion

    Lea preferred being free than being shackled.


    But Rachel was different. If it was her, she would never let go of the baby.


    Even if she and the father of the child wouldn''t end up together, she would never give up her baby.


    Rachel grew up as an orphan. She would keep her baby because it was her family.


    However, Lea had different personality and family background. Moreover, she didn''t have the same childhood as Rachel''s.


    Because of these reasons, Rachel couldn''t provide a suitable solution for her.


    At the moment, Lea was all blank so she might just accept any advice from Rachel causally.


    Rachel must be very careful of her words.


    She clasped her hands and thought for a while. Then she said, "Lea, I think you have to talk about this with Henry."


    "I understand. I know that I should not decide in this alone," Lea agreed sadly. Henry had the right to know. He must be involved in decision making.


    Actually, Lea was escaping the situation not to deprive Henry of his right to raise his child. She only wanted to find a better solution on her own.


    Lea sighed. She was in a dilemma.


    Rachel sat beside her and patted her shoulder. "Lea."


    "Yes?" Lea met her eyes.


    "Don''t act on impulse, okay? Don''t do anything that you will regret later."


    Lea''s mo


    el decided to help him prepare the ingredients. They chatted and laughed while cooking dinner.


    Actually, Rachel didn''t eat much today because of Lea.


    Since Lea had a poor appetite, she must sympathize with her by not eating a lot too.


    Thus, she was very hungry the entire day. So the moment she smelled the dishes cooked by Jack, her stomach started to grumble.


    The aroma of the food enveloped the whole kitchen. Rachel was so hungry that her stomach growled.


    How embarrassing! Jack pretended not to hear the sound and tried to hold back his laughter. He turned around to hide his face, then said in a low voice, "Just wait a second. I''m almost done."


    "It''s alright. I''m not that hungry," Rachel instantly replied.


    "Really?"


    Rachel didn''t reply anymore.


    Overall, Jack prepared three dishes and a soup for their dinner. Rachel found his cooking skills amazing.


    She suddenly felt insecure. She had been cooking for Jack these past few days, and she suddenly felt uncertain if he had really liked the dishes made by her.


    As if Jack had read her mind, he said while serving her a soup, "You are a good cook too."


    Was Jack really serious?


    Or was he only praising her superficially?


    Nevertheless, she still accepted it gladly. She must have been enthralled.

 Chapter 195 Talking About Having A Baby

    After dinner, Rachel called Lea to check on her. To her relief, Lea sounded calm on the other end of the line when she said, "Don''t worry. I''ll talk to Henry and settle this problem with him."


    Rachel felt warm in her heart. She then reminded Lea, "Just don''t be impulsive. Think about everything carefully before you both make a decision."


    Lea couldn''t help laughing. She deliberately teased, "I know, Mom!"


    Jack, who was listening to Rachel, felt a little jealous. She was so worried about Lea.


    But since Lea was Rachel''s best friend, he must understand.


    For Jack, this kind of issue was just trivial. If Henry and Lea really loved each other, why didn''t they just get married?


    On the other hand, if they had no feelings for each other, it would be meaningless to keep the baby.


    If they thought that the baby was just an obstacle, they should have just given it up.


    This was Jack''s viewpoint but he couldn''t say it in front of Rachel.


    He wouldn''t want to anger her.


    When Rachel hung up the phone, Jack immediately asked hypocritically, "How is it? What did she say?"


    Rachel took a deep breath and replied slowly, "Well, there is no big problem for the time being. She said they will think about it carefully."


    After a while, she added "We...better be careful." Jack was stunned by her words.


    He couldn''t understand what she meant. "What? Careful about what?"


    Rachel looked up at him. She bit her lips slightly. Feeling extreme


    beside her to cheer her up. Henry grasped her hand and said in a gentle voice, "Don''t frown so hard. You have me."


    Lea held his hand tightly and said deliberately, "Well, this is your turn. If my father beats me, you must protect me."


    He nodded and said, "Of course. I will always protect my wife."


    It was the first time that Henry had called her wife. She didn''t know that it would feel so good. She smiled as her eyes suddenly filled with tenderness.


    ''Fine! I''ll stop worrying about it. Whatever happens, just let it be,'' she thought.


    She had to accept the consequences of her actions.


    Then Henry shamelessly added, "I''m a good-looking guy. Your father will surely not hit me."


    Lea was rendered speechless. What a narcissist!


    Rachel was in a good mood after knowing that her best friend''s problem was finally solved.


    Jack was in a good mood too.


    No wonder Austin also felt relieved. The pressure these past few days had finally vanished.


    In the past two days, he noticed that his boss always had a smile on his face. However, he couldn''t understand why it was inexplicably making him feel bad.


    Jack''s face was always expressionless. It was difficult to tell if he was happy or angry.


    For people who didn''t know Jack, it must be hard to understand. But for Austin, who was always with him in the office, it was very easy to tell. He couldn''t help thinking that Rachel was more capable of affecting Jack''s mood compared to Celine.

 Chapter 196 Visiting Leas Father

    When Jack and Celine were still together, he had never been this affectionate to her.


    Besides, he had emphasized many times that he would never allow his personal affairs to affect his work.


    But since he had gotten together with Rachel, his moods were always affected. Although he didn''t mention Rachel, Austin knew that she was the main reason for his boss''s sudden change of mood.


    For Austin, Rachel was also like Jack. They both looked indifferent all the time.


    Every time Rachel visited Jack''s office, she always wore a calm and expressionless face. Austin was so surprised why Jack was so obsessed with her. He seemed to even love her much more than he did to Celine.


    Sometimes, he couldn''t help wondering secretly. All the while, he thought that Celine would finally succeed in becoming Mrs. Fu. But all of a sudden, she just disappeared.


    Then Rachel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Jack announced that she was his wife.


    Since then, Jack had been trying to do everything to win her heart. Austin thought that nothing seemed to be impossible for Jack when it came to Rachel.


    Jack had arranged everything properly for Rachel. He definitely valued her and cared for her so much.


    Austin had been working for Jack for many years, so he witnessed Jack''s love for both women. He was able to see clearly how different Jack had treated Rachel compared to Celine.


    But as a good employee, he had no right to pry wi


    n the beginning.


    Moreover, she was pregnant now. Her father would never allow his grandchild to be born without a father. Could he even afford to see his daughter as a single mother?


    In actual fact, Henry was able to past the first test because Lea''s father wasn''t too hard on him.


    But when Rachel heard that Henry was beaten by Lea''s father, she couldn''t help worrying about him. She asked, "Is your dad... really very angry?"


    ''He looked at Henry as an enemy,'' Lea thought.


    But she didn''t say it loud to Rachel. Instead, she said, "He is lucky that he is still alive. But he''s now lying in bed like a dead dog after being forced to drink too much."


    Rachel burst into laughter as she imagined how Henry looked like.


    With his arms around her waist, Jack rested his chin on her shoulder and asked in a low voice, "What are you laughing at?"


    Lea heard Jack''s voice, so she raised an eyebrow and asked Rachel, "Is Jack beside you?"


    Fortunately, Rachel was talking to Lea with earphones. If they happened to be on a video call, Lea would have seen their position right now. Rachel didn''t know how she would react.


    "Yes. He just arrived," she answered.


    Lea had a lot of stories to tell Rachel but when she imagined that someone was crouching beside Rachel and listening to their conversation, she changed her mind. So she said lightly, "Well, let''s just talk about this next time. I have a lot of things to tell you."

 Chapter 197 A Three-day Trip

    After saying goodbye, Lea already hung up.


    She didn''t want Jack to hear what she was about to say.


    Given that he wasn''t about to leave, she decided to talk to Rachel some other time.


    However, in Rachel''s mind, she thought that the reason her best friend hung up on her was because she didn''t like Jack. She sighed.


    Her eyes clouded over as she thought of ways to try and bridge the gap between them.


    Jack leaned against her. "What''s wrong? Why do you look so upset?"


    Rachel shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. "Aren''t you supposed to be in the company? Why did you come back so soon?" she asked.


    He released her and waved the ticket at her face with a grin. "Mrs. Fu," he said so seriously that she had to giggle. "Mr. Fu sincerely invites you to join him in his visit to Mosa City for three days. Will you kindly accept his invitation?"


    Rachel took the ticket from his hand. Their flight was already scheduled for tomorrow morning. Although he had already told her about this before, she didn''t expect that they would go there so soon.


    Now that Lea''s matter had been settled, she thought that it was time for some relaxation.


    "Yes, I do."


    Hearing her words, Jack was more than pleased. He took hold of her soft hand and smiled bitterly. "Come with me."


    ''I do.''


    He never expected that she would give him th


    storical references proving the fact that the monuments dated back to the dynasties, but the historians continued to deny it.


    Given that the royal family were dead for such a long time,


    it would be impossible for them to leave any evidence.


    However, it was this type of debacle that had garnered more and more recognition for the ancient city.


    Therefore, more and more tourists came to Mosa City.


    Visitors could look around the newly built houses and live in them as well as if they themselves were part of the royal family.


    This was why the resort had garnered so much attention when it opened its gates to the public.


    For the investors, whoever built it wasn''t important. As long as it had economic value, then they would do their best to reenact it.


    They were extremely happy with the outcome.


    Right now, they had only toured a small part of the resort. If they had to finish everything, it would probably take them a day.


    While they were halfway to their destination, that was when she received Eric''s call.


    She was quite surprised.


    She had called Eric numerous times before this, but he was always either busy or sleeping. "We were handling a large project for the company, so I didn''t have the time to call you back," he explained.


    "Aren''t you a busy bee?" she teased, complimenting him. Eric laughed politely.

 Chapter 198 Went Public

    As soon as the phone was connected, Eric greeted Rachel politely. However, he knew that it wasn''t time to beat around the bush, so he immediately go straight to the point. "I heard that your relationship went public," he stated. "What''s going on? Why did you suddenly announce it?"


    Although his voice was indifferent, there was a sinking feeling in his chest that made him think that he would have a little nephew along the way.


    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what Eric was talking about. "What got out in public?"


    Listening to her confused voice, Eric was stunned. It was only then he found out that she didn''t know about the news that had spread like wildfire.


    He briefly told her about what he had just heard. Rachel listened, subconsciously glancing at Jack who was right beside her.


    Sensing that the call might have something to do with him, the man stared back and raised his eyebrows.


    Rachel wasn''t really one to check about gossip. Plus, during this period, she had been with Jack the whole time. If he wanted to block any news from her, it would be a piece of cake.


    What was more, she had been focusing on Lea''s news the entire time. How could she know what gossip was crawling around?


    "I didn''t know about it," she said honestly.


    Eric frowned and hesitated for a while. "What about Jack?"


    He had no ide


    told him what Eric had told her.


    Jack''s eyes twinkled at her words. He pretended to know nothing about it as he pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Really? What did they say about us?"


    Rachel shook her head and threw her hands up in the air. How could she know?


    Seeing that he also didn''t know what had happened, Rachel thought that they were both kept in the dark.


    "I will look into it," he stated.


    In fact, he was the one who had started the news.


    If Michael had seen this scene, he would have burst out into laughter. ''What a hypocrite!'' he would have yelled out. The reason why Jack did such a thing was very obvious.


    He wanted to ease Rachel''s presence into the public eye by giving them some half-truths that they could chew on.


    What he didn''t expect was for her to find out so soon. In that case, it was time for his next move.


    Jack turned and pretended to look into it.


    In the dining room, Eric returned to his seat. Because of Michael''s arrival, no one paid any attention to his absence.


    As soon as he sat down, Michael poured a glass of wine and handed it to Eric with a smile.


    Stunned, Eric said, "Thank you." He took it from him.


    Seeing as there were doubts sown into his heart, he couldn''t help himself as he leaned in closer to ask Michael secretly, "How much do you know about Jack and Rachel?"

 Chapter 199 Interesting Customs

    Michael happened to come over that day and overheard the conversation among his employees.


    Seeing the surprised expression written all over Eric''s face, Michael guessed that he didn''t know about the news.


    Since Jack asked him to take care of Eric, Michael felt that it was his duty to reassure the man.


    Plus, he liked watching dramas unfold. Although he might sympathize with Jack''s hardships in trying to pursue his wife, he couldn''t help but be entertained by the man''s antics.


    Michael had always disliked Celine, so when he heard that they broke up, he was ecstatic.


    He was also very pleased that Jack finally got together with Rachel.


    What he didn''t expect was for their relationship to develop so fast. In fact, he didn''t know what Jack was thinking when he decided to out their relationship under the public''s scrutiny.


    So far, the internet was still releasing bits and pieces about Rachel, and not the entire thing.


    It was not that others couldn''t take photos or find evidence of Rachel''s existence, but as long as they didn''t get any approval, it was as if those photos don''t even exist. No one dared to reveal her information.


    Michael reassured him, "Don''t worry. He won''t bully Rachel."


    He would only make her his woman.


    Eric pursed his lips. He knew that Michael was Jack''s friend, so he would put in a


    on.


    The night sky brightened before them, causing them to stop and turn around.


    A kid with a fluorescent fish in his hand ran pass them.


    "I feel like it''s the Spring Festival already," Rachel said with a smile.


    Jack grinned. "It''s more lively than the Spring Festival."


    They walked along a small country road. Fortunately, everything was brightly lit because of the ceremony.


    "It''s a good thing everything''s so lit up," Rachel said. "Or else we wouldn''t be able to read the signs."


    A tall, traditional building stood at the center of it all, like a guard guiding its people throughout the night.


    There were bells hanging under the eaves. Whenever winds blew pass them, they chimed through the night.


    Around the building were the houses of local residents. The government made sure to preserve them by preventing any construction plans around the area.


    Therefore, the houses remained unchanged.


    It was to help keep the spirit of the village that it once was.


    There was a rumor that said that the villagers here were all descendants of the royal guards. Rachel didn''t know if it was true or not.


    Over the past hundred years, the people here had gone through generation after generation trying to protect this place. It wasn''t until times had changed and tourism had escalated that this place was lively again.

 Chapter 200 Rachel Got Angry

    There were different kinds of snacks and drinks in this place.


    Rachel and Jack bought two bottles of fresh juice. They then walked along the path until they reached the center of the ancient city.


    Most old cultural buildings and night markets could be found in this place.


    Although those buildings were not so magnificent, they looked huge in the dark. But it was hard to see their real shape clearly, so Rachel had to stop and peer from a distance.


    Since it was already dark, they couldn''t enter any of the buildings anymore. They could only see them from the outside.


    The street lamps stood quietly at the intersection. Behind them, there were big ancient houses that looked so solemn. Looking at their closed doors gave someone a feeling that so many histories were sealed inside each house.


    Actually, walking all the way down there wasn''t much exciting. There was nothing except quietness in the surroundings.


    But if you looked up, you could see the fireworks illuminating the sky in different charming colors.


    Rachel seemed to be enjoying this kind of atmosphere. Without saying anything, she and Jack just walked hand in hand quietly.


    They walked around the place in silence. Although it was dark and Rachel couldn''t see anything beautiful, she couldn''t help imagining how attractive the landscape around them was.


    one might see them this way. She was shy and angry at the same time. To stop Jack from kissing her, she opened her mouth and bit his lower lip.


    Jack growled in a low voice. Since Rachel didn''t bite him hard, it wasn''t painful at all. Instead, he found it amusing.


    He held her tighter and laughed, "Ha-ha! Now, you''re acting like a puppy."


    Since she couldn''t get rid of him, Rachel stamped on his feet and said, "And you are trying to tame this puppy, aren''t you?"


    Jack looked at her eyes and answered seriously, "Yes, I am working on taming this puppy."


    After struggling for a while, Rachel became sweaty. Although the temperature was not so high, she felt uncomfortable as she got wet with sweat.


    So she pointed a finger to him and said, "Stop teasing me anymore, or else I will really be angry."


    With a sullen face, Jack raised his hand to touch his nose. "I was just kidding."


    Rachel glanced at him angrily and said, "Your joke almost killed me."


    For Jack, girls were usually timid. So, he had thought that Rachel would jump into his arms when he scared her. He didn''t expect that she would turn around and leave angrily.


    Because of that, he promised not to defend himself anymore since it was all his fault.


    Rachel''s heart was still fluttering. She was really startled when Jack stared at him with unblinking eyes.

 Chapter 201 A Test For Henry

    Then Rachel complained, "We are not kids anymore, Jack."


    Jack smiled and replied, "But why do I feel like I am only ten years old right now?"


    Rachel couldn''t help laughing. "Hey, that''s enough!" She started to doubt if the Jack in front of her was still the same person. "Stop making fun of me," she added.


    Jack came to her and held her hand. He then pulled her closer and started to walk slowly again.


    All they could hear around them were crickets and other insects making a sound. It felt good to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a different environment.


    Jack finally felt relaxed, so he started flirting with Rachel again. This made her feel that he was now back to his old self.


    When Rachel thought of how he looked like earlier, she couldn''t help shivering. His dark eyes were so frightening that it really scared her to death.


    Rachel pretended to annoy him. She put her hand on his forehead and murmured, "You don''t seem to have a fever right now."


    Jack pulled Rachel''s hand off and continued to tease her. The fireworks were starting to light the sky again, one after another.


    Meanwhile, Henry and Lea had been staying at her parental home for a few days now. Apparently, he was being tested by her family. Her father and her two brothers were giving him a hard time.


    They were all difficult to deal with. Henry knew that Lea''s family was wealthy, but he didn''t expect that


    nows my relationship with Lea, but I haven''t gone back home to talk to them about her pregnancy yet."


    Sensing Henry''s uncertainty, Lea''s father scowled at him and said, "You have to give me a clear answer. Don''t be hesitant!"


    As a man, Henry wanted to stand for Lea and their baby, so he proposed to her.


    And since Lea was now pregnant, they had no choice but to accept Henry to be a part of their family. After all, she had already accepted his marriage proposal.


    Lea''s father could see that Henry had been well-prepared for this. But he couldn''t help wondering why Henry didn''t tell his family yet.


    It mattered a lot to him that Henry didn''t tell his family. How could he allow his daughter to marry Henry in a situation like this?


    Henry felt so miserable. The last thing he would want to do right now was face his family''s chaos. But he didn''t know how to say it in front of Lea''s father without being misunderstood.


    It wasn''t because he didn''t want to let them know about Lea''s pregnancy.


    It was just that it was not the right time.


    Thinking that it was not a good idea to reveal his family''s scandal in front of Lea''s father, he thought for a while and implored, "Dad, I''m begging you. Please give me enough time. I''ll talk to them in the right time. I love Lea and I really want to marry her. I am confident that my family will like her. It''s just that it''s a bit inconvenient to tell them right now."

 Chapter 202 Thoughtlessness

    Lea''s father stared at Henry, knowing very well that there was some story behind the Qin family.


    Saying nothing about it, he waved his hand. "Don''t call me ''Dad'' yet. What do you mean it''s inconvenient to tell them right now? Is there something you have yet to tell me?"


    It wasn''t easy to dig out family secrets.


    Plus, with Henry having such a prestigious family, he expected that he had yet to hear some of the skeletons in their closets.


    The old man had watched too many TV dramas, that different scenarios ran through his mind. In fact, he even suspected that the Qin family had committed murder for their properties.


    After all, they couldn''t be that rich without doing anything.


    If Henry knew what the old man was thinking, he would be greatly shocked.


    Although his family held many secrets, they weren''t as shameless as the old man thought they were.


    However, there was a saying that skeletons should stay in the closet.


    Henry didn''t know what else to say. He was afraid that if let something slip out, the man in front of him would not agree to Lea marrying him.


    Although a rich family could have a messy life, the Qin family definitely didn''t have t


    es the hotel offers?" she asked curiously.


    "Not really. Since all the tourists flock around during the day, they don''t really prepare anything for the night life," he explained.


    All that was left for them was to walk around the town and admire the view.


    Since the living conditions weren''t as good, many people who came from the city didn''t usually stay around for too long.


    They seldom take a walk at night, since it offered nothing interesting.


    Besides, there were also other restaurants that required appointments.


    Otherwise, they''d already be closed by 9 P.M.


    "Tonight, we can eat something from the hotel, okay?" Jack smiled. "We can go to the center of the resort tomorrow."


    "Wait, so you''re saying we''re not there yet?"


    "We haven''t reached the center yet."


    Since the resort was large, it was divided into several sectors. The area they were in was not the center.


    Hearing what he had said, she couldn''t help but be interested.


    While Jack explained the scale of the resort, she nodded as she tried to suck in that much information.


    She found it very clever, and Jack continued. It was rare for him to see her charming eyes glinted like this.

 Chapter 203 You Bastard

    Rachel was just 25 years old.


    Jack wondered as to how a young girl like her could look like this.


    As far as he could contemplate, most girls of her age would have just graduated and would be indulged in playful activities.


    She appeared to be totally unlike any of them. She had a mature face and lived an extensively conservative life.


    Considering her living circumstances, Jack was well aware that she couldn''t have claimed these extraordinary achievements by virtue of her birth. It had to be the result of her blood, toil, tears and sweat.


    A few people who usually tend to flatter him for his wit and wisdom only made him feel ridiculous.


    His achievements were envied by others as miraculous but hardly anyone bothered to notice the strenuous struggles he had to endure for the same.


    ''No pain, no gain. We have to pay a lot to achieve our goals,'' he thought.


    Rachel had now made some envious achievements, which he believed was nothing but the result of her determined and steadfast efforts.


    On the young and beautiful face of hers, he had rarely gotten to witness a shred of haughtiness.


    The curious and fervent nature of a few things were hidden beneath it.


    Although calmness was a valuable attribute, this wasn''t how a young woman was supposed to be.


    It was best for them to get into certain status at certain age.


    Perhaps Rachel herself hadn''t taken notice of the fact that when she was with him, she behaved like an altogether different person.


    Rachel''s calm and quite personality withered away into a dashing character.


    It wasn''t so bad of her to


    eemed to have a much more intimate relationship with Jack in the course of just a few days.


    It wasn''t so difficult for him to deduce that both of them had gotten intimate with each other.


    ''Oh my god! Bloody hell...''


    Eric quickly figured out the implications of his reasonable assumption. It hadn''t been long since he met them last.


    Rachel had even moved to live in with Jack.


    It was something that was totally unexpected of her to do! "Water."


    After Jack quietly placed a glass of water in front of him, Eric turned to him and said stiffly, "Thank you."


    Rachel walked out of the kitchen to the balcony as a bag of rubbish trailed behind her.


    He just sat there silently. He could tell that Rachel was very familiar with the place.


    On the other side of the living room, Jack was sitting on the sofa and looking down at something that lay in his hands. He looked so attentive and focused in what he was doing.


    They behaved like a real couple, as though they had been together for many decades.


    He didn''t know if other couples behaved in a similar fashion, but he had gotten to witness such a harmonious scene.


    Eric was brought up by a single mother who had to travel all over the world throughout the year. In every practical sense, it was his nanny who raised him.


    He had never cared about family affection.


    It was Rachel who took care of him after he came to this city.


    They hadn''t grown up together and they weren''t as closely knit as they were during their childhood. Rachel''s personality didn''t make Eric feel the enthusiastic warmth of family affection.

 Chapter 204 The Ugly-looking Desserts

    Eric''s life in Ninwell City was all thanks to Rachel''s constant care. In the bottom of his heart, he valued her very much.


    Now, he just didn''t know what to do.


    It was as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    However, seeing the happy couple in front of him, it was as if he was seeing the protagonist and the villain getting along.


    There was a sinking feeling in his chest that couldn''t be stopped.


    He felt like he was the third wheel.


    Eric sat their quietly, without saying a word. He had his head lowered to avoid looking at any of them in the eye.


    Jack didn''t realize that there was a man sitting beside him until he had finished scanning the document he was holding.


    He didn''t mean to ignore him. It was just Eric was so quiet, and he didn''t behave like his usual self.


    Eric was always very loud whenever they crossed paths. It was strange to see him so quiet.


    Taking a closer look at Eric, Jack saw that the man was in a trance-like state. His head was dipped as if he was looking at every detail in the sofa.


    His mind flashed back to when Michael had told him that their company had been busy with a very integral project. In fact, he even asked three departments to let their employees work overtime for more than a week.


    He had asked about Eric, but Mi


    lent cousin she could ever ask for.


    However, her silence had proven his expectations wrong.


    Rachel hesitated for a while before shaking her head. "No."


    Before he could enjoy the overwhelming approval, she continued, "But that doesn''t mean you''re good too."


    Eric smiled sheepishly.


    "But you are making some progress. A few months ago, I still remembered ordering you to keep your hands to yourself."


    She was referring to the time when he had been sent to the hospital after Jack had taught him a lesson. Rachel had warned him to stay away from Celine,


    but he hadn''t taken it seriously.


    He thought that Rachel was simply being cruel. She, not only, didn''t stand up for him, but also rubbed salt into his wounds.


    It was not long ago. He couldn''t help but shake his head at the thought. How could he have been so short-sighted?


    Rachel wasn''t afraid of Jack at that time. She was afraid for Eric''s well-being.


    He regretted what he had done. Rachel had asked him to stay far away from Jack, but she herself had already fallen for his talons.


    A part of him wanted to laugh at the irony.


    When she saw that Eric had fallen into silence, she thought that what she said had been too much, so she added, "But it doesn''t matter. Soon, you''ll grow and be more mature in the future."

 Chapter 205 Refused To Go Abroad For Further Education

    Eric scratched his head and sighed. "Rachel, can''t you even say something nice to make me feel better?''


    Rachel smiled and answered, "No."


    Eric''s mouth twitched as he thought inwardly, ''How cruel!''


    After seeing Eric off, Rachel stood in front of the elevator for a while.


    She thought for a moment before she turned around and went back.


    While walking back to the apartment, she suddenly stopped and slapped her forehead. She had totally forgotten Lucas! It had been a good long while since the last time she saw him.


    When Rachel got home, she immediately looked for the letter that James sent her.


    She had told James before that she would think about his offer to go abroad for further education. But that was already a month ago.


    Since James had not reminded her about it, it also slipped her mind.


    Rachel was still looking for the letter when Jack entered the room. He couldn''t help asking, "What are you looking for?"


    She was stunned for a moment, but as soon as she came back to her senses, she turned around and asked him, "Have you seen a folder with the hospital''s name on it?"


    Jack thought for a while then answered, "I think it''s in the study."


    Rachel stood up immediately. "Where is it? I need it."


    "I''ll get it for you," Jack offered. He then turned around and walked out of the room. Rachel followed him quickly.


    It didn''t take long for Jack to find the folder. As soon as he handed it to Rachel, she checked eve


    ild who didn''t want to go to school alone and begging for his mother to go with him.


    Rachel shook her head immediately. She didn''t know why she had such an imagination.


    She softened her voice and said to Jack, "You go now. Anyway, it''s a business meeting right?"


    Jack felt a little disappointed because his attempt to lure his wife failed. He slowly drew his hand and head back and said, "Then I''ll go now."


    "Okay," Rachel replied.


    "Don''t wait for me. I''ll be home very late." It was already almost eleven o''clock, so obviously he couldn''t come home early.


    "I know." Rachel grew a little impatient.


    After pondering for a while, Jack said between clenched teeth, "How can you trust me to go out alone so late?"


    Rachel looked at him strangely and asked, "Why not?" She thought that Jack wasn''t a kid anymore. He was old enough to take care of himself. Why did she have to worry about him?


    But Jack looked disappointed. "Rachel, you..."


    He stopped talking midway.


    They had been talking at the door for more than ten minutes, so Rachel didn''t know what else he wanted to say.


    "What?" she asked confusedly.


    "Nothing. Just have a good sleep. I will try to come home immediately." Jack then waved his hand and turned around.


    Rachel was about to tell him not to drink too much, but he was gone too quickly.


    She was about to call him, but she changed her mind.


    Jack was in a hurry to leave, so she wouldn''t bother him anymore.

 Chapter 206 Rachel Went To The Hospital

    When the elevator doors closed, Jack''s face looked a little sullen.


    Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he pursed his lips. His face was cold as ice.


    When he stepped out of the apartment building, his anger burst out like a balloon.


    He looked back resentfully, trying to convince himself not to get mad at Rachel''s attitude.


    After all, that was how she really was. She never talked to him sweetly.


    He sighed quietly. He couldn''t help asking himself inwardly,


    ''Does Rachel really love me?''


    But unfortunately, he couldn''t find the answer in his heart.


    Although she had never been jealous, it didn''t necessarily mean that she didn''t love him.


    After closing the door, Rachel immediately felt sleepy as she began to yawn.


    Her body clock was telling her to go to bed now.


    That was also the reason why she refused to go with Jack. She had no energy to go out at this time of the night.


    Besides, he went out for business purposes. She thought that it would be meaningless if she got herself involved in it.


    But when she thought of his pitiful eyes earlier, she smiled in amusement. As she lay down on the bed, she couldn''t help asking herself,


    ''Am I not afraid that Jack would hire a bar girl?''


    After careful thought, she decided not to mind it. It would be better if she wouldn''t know that Jack was cheating on her.


    Then she remembered what James had told her.


    He said that she was not the same person that he knew.


    Was


    ''Maybe he''s a guest of Executive Fang,'' she thought. While thinking about it, she saw that the man walked towards her. He was in his fifties, and he was wearing a kind smile on his face. He greeted her, "Hello! Rachel, right?"


    It seemed that he already knew her. Rachel nodded and hesitated to ask, "You are?"


    "I''m Executive Zeng. James said you have something to give me, right?"


    Rachel was a little surprised, but she still handed him the document in her hand.


    The man took it, and they had a few more words before saying goodbye to each other.


    Before Rachel left, she caught a glimpse of the name badge on his chest.


    Rachel had no idea that the hospital had a new executive. She couldn''t help thinking if it had something to do with the incident.


    She knew that Kevin''s medical license was revoked and he was sentenced by the criminal law, but she didn''t pay much attention to him.


    But Rachel thought that Executive Fang had to nothing with it. Why wasn''t he here anymore?


    She walked along the corridor, hoping to find Lucas. However, she found out that he was on a business trip.


    What a coincidence! All the people she wanted to see in the hospital weren''t there. There was nothing else she could do there.


    When Rachel was about to leave, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.


    She looked back, and she saw a joyful face that she hadn''t seen for a long time. Celia rushed to her and greeted with excitement, "Hello, Rachel!"

 Chapter 207 Bumped Into Celia

    Rachel stopped and grinned at Celia. "What a coincidence! What brings you here?"


    Seeing that Celia wasn''t wearing her nurse uniform, Rachel thought that she wasn''t working here. After all, she hadn''t even finished school.


    Celia pouted. "I came here with my cousin for her prenatal checkup."


    When Rachel finally looked around, she found that they were in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics.


    She blinked wearily, shocked that she had walked all the way here.


    "Your cousin?" Rachel slowly asked.


    "Yeah."


    "I see. How long has she been pregnant?"


    There was a short pause before Celine answered, "35 weeks." ''Another troublemaker''s about to come out to the world,''


    she thought with a sigh.


    "Congratulations! You''re going to have a niece or nephew," Rachel teased.


    Celia pouted. She might be a few years younger than Rachel, but she still looked like a child.


    "Ugh! I''m not happy at all. It''s going to be another troublemaker," she groaned.


    Hearing her words, Rachel suddenly thought of Mendes whom she hadn''t seen for a long time. She raised her head. "What about Mendes? Where is he?"


    "Don''t even bother mentioning him." Celia snorted, pursing her lips.


    When their father was abroad, she and Mendes only h


    discussing about the baby and how nice it would be to become a mother.


    Before she knew it, the topic shifted to Rachel.


    "Are you married, Rachel?" Celia''s cousin asked.


    Celia hadn''t been in the hospital for such a long time, so Rachel wasn''t able to tell her about her marital status.


    As soon as Celia heard the question, she was about to say "no" when she heard Rachel''s clear voice saying, "Yes. I''m married."


    Celia''s jaw dropped.


    "What? Are you kidding me?


    You''re married?"


    Rachel laughed lightly. "Yes. I''m not lying."


    The piece of news dropped between them like a bomb. Celia was so surprised that she looked like a fish that had just been taken out of the water.


    "No way!"


    Celia''s eyes glistened as if she had discovered a hidden treasure chest. "Who''s the guy? Is it Lucas? When did this happen? Why didn''t I know?"


    She asked so many questions in one go that Rachel didn''t even know what to answer first. "Well, it isn''t Lucas."


    Celia groaned in disbelief. "I can''t believe you didn''t marry the guy!"


    "Why are you so sure that I''ll marry him?" Rachel asked, amused.


    "You are..."


    "We get it, Celia," her cousin said, holding her back. "You don''t have to ask her all these questions. It''s not polite."

 Chapter 208 Make Small Talk

    Hearing her cousin''s words, Celia bowed her head sheepishly. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to ask so many questions."


    Rachel laughed and waved her hand. "It''s fine."


    "You actually got married. I want to know who the lucky guy is," Celia sighed.


    "Celia," her cousin reminded her once again in disbelief.


    As a person who had experience, she knew the feeling of being interrogated as to her own partner. She didn''t want to pass on that feeling to anyone else.


    However, it seemed that Celia just couldn''t take a hint.


    Fortunately, Rachel was patient with her. If it was her cousin, she would''ve ignored Celia''s chatter.


    Rachel blinked, finding it hard to believe that marrying her would be deemed as lucky.


    In fact, she never thought that she was anything special. She didn''t think that her marriage would be such a big deal.


    Hearing her cousin calling her name multiple times, Celia finally found reason. She stuck out her tongue and told Rachel, "I''m sorry. Forgive my rudeness."


    Her cousin laughed. "If it were me, consider yourself not forgiven."


    Celia rolled her eyes and leaned against her cousin''s bulging belly. Suddenly, she r


    made the family a mess.


    She has fallen in love with a man."


    Henry was not very young. He thought that it would be good news. As long as the man was honest, then the Qin family wouldn''t be asking too much.


    However, it turned out the man didn''t want to marry Henry''s aunt.


    His aunt was the only one who wanted the marriage to take place.


    His grandma wouldn''t allow this. She would not marry her daughter to a man who didn''t even love her.


    But his aunt wouldn''t listen. Then, he heard that his aunt was taken to the hospital. She actually had a miscarriage.


    When the man knew about this, he went to find Henry''s grandma and tell her of his plans to marry his aunt.


    The old lady was so angry that she almost fainted.


    She just wouldn''t agree to marry her daughter to the man.


    Then, Henry''s aunt was pregnant again. When the old lady was about to give in, the baby was miscarried again.


    They then knew that Henry''s aunt had three miscarriages.


    The doctor had given them every test in the book,


    but they still couldn''t find out why she kept on having miscarriages.


    The old lady asked the couple to have a complete going-over.

 Chapter 209 Youre So Annoying

    However, during their investigation, they found something.


    Back then, Henry had thought that these only happened in soap operas, but unfortunately, he was wrong.


    "My aunt had three miscarriages, that my grandmother just couldn''t watch her suffer, you know? So she asked the doctor if the couple had any physical condition that could prevent them from having a baby,"


    he explained.


    "The result was shocking. The doctor discovered that the fetus couldn''t grow naturally because of the abnormalities of the couple''s DNA. There weren''t any infections or abnormalities per se,


    but it''s just that they''re too similar!


    Turns out, my great grandfather and the man''s grandfather were brothers."


    Lea''s jaw dropped as she gazed at him in disbelief. "Is that true?"


    He nodded. "The man''s father is actually related to us. In fact, he''s one of our relatives. His parents divorced when he was a child, so he lives with his mother.


    Although they weren''t part of the immediate family, they''re still related by blood."


    Henry remembered the shock on his grandmother''s face. She was so surprised t


    him down. After all, Lea knew the best way to deal with her father.


    As soon as Henry''s plane landed, he called his father.


    He wanted to talk to him first before he called his mother.


    "There''s something important I need to discuss with you," he said cautiously.


    His father frowned. "You can come to the company."


    Lea called Rachel to inform her of what was going on with her family. Hearing her best friend in such a happy mood, Rachel felt happy for her.


    However, there was another thing worrying her¡ªher speculated pregnancy. She glanced at the test kit in her bag.


    Although she still wasn''t sure yet, she couldn''t help but feel scared and excited for what was to come.


    Back then, she swore to herself that if she ever found herself to be pregnant, she would give birth to the child no matter what.


    Now, she still shared the same sentiments.


    Rachel calculated the time since her period had been delayed.


    When Jack wanted to have sex with her that night, she was unwilling. She pushed him and sat up. "I''m going to sleep in the guest room," she snapped. "You''re so annoying!"

 Chapter 210 Watched A Comedy Movie

    Jack felt confused by Rachel''s rejection. He lifted the quilt, got up and held her firmly. He looked at her with a wide flattering smile. "Honey, stop it!"


    He dragged her back to the bed and rolled over on top of her again. She felt that he wouldn''t give up, so she pushed him angrily.


    "Jack!" she exclaimed in an angry voice. "I said I don''t want to. Can you stop forcing me?"


    When he noticed that she was a little angry, Jack''s eyes immediately sank. He gently caressed her frowning eyebrows with his fingers and said to her gently, "What''s wrong? Are you mad at me?"


    Rachel didn''t know what was wrong with herself. She suddenly felt wronged, so she pushed him away. She turned over and sat up at the edge of the bed, her eyes red.


    Jack felt startled. He wanted to calm her down, but he didn''t dared to touch her. He carefully reflected on what he could''ve possible done that made her feel this way.


    After thinking for some time, he could only think that he displeased her because he insisted on having sex with her.


    All he could do was coax her. "Honey, please don''t be angry. I did not mean to force you." He wetted his lips with his tongue and then reached out his arms to embrace her. "You know I would never do that.


    Don''t be angry anymore, okay? And don''t cry."


    Rachel did not know how to explain it to him. Her mood changed so fast. She took a deep breath, pursed her lips and stared briefly at the ceiling. After the inexplicable sadness passed,


    ly. He then looked at her with a childlike smile. "You should keep an eye on me."


    "This is your own health. You should be able to keep an eye on yourself," Rachel said as she rubbed her forehead.


    "I know." Jack cleared his throat and pretended to look down at the curtain. "But I want you to keep an eye on me in person."


    Rachel turned around and stared at him in disbelief. She almost doubted what she heard him say just now.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked with a smile.


    "Nothing." Rachel could not understand him.


    "I want to go back to work, Jack," Rachel said finally after thinking for a while.


    "Then go back to work. You don''t have to tell me," Jack replied.


    She didn''t know how to reply back at him.


    She remembered that she was just on vacation, not resigned from her position at the hospital. However, since she had not gone to work for a long time, it made her mind think that she had already resigned.


    This line of conversation reminded Jack of something else.


    Before they went to bed, Rachel heard him say to her, "A friend''s birthday is coming up. I want us to be there together."


    Rachel agreed. Then she yawned widely afterwards.


    Jack laughed loudly when he saw her. "You''ve been sleeping a lot lately," he commented.


    His words got to Rachel like a basin of cold water on her face. It sobered her up right away. Her mind suddenly wandered to that possibility and she immediately felt perplexed about the thought.

 Chapter 211 Go Back To Work

    Rachel didn''t know whether she was pregnant.


    Quietly covering her belly with her hand under the quilt, she thought about how happy Jack would be if she was.


    The next morning, the rising sun shone brightly through the window, casting a dazzling light on the floor.


    A small plant on the balcony was stretching its branches and leaves in the morning sun.


    As soon as Rachel woke up, she shot up from the bed and went to the bathroom with the pregnancy test kit in her hand.


    After nervously waiting for ten minutes to pass, she checked the test only to find a single red line on it. She froze, not knowing whether to feel relieved or disappointed.


    In retrospect, this was good news for her.


    She walked to the trash can, threw the kit away, and stood there for a while staring blankly at the wall. Finally, she shook herself out of her trance and began getting ready to go to the hospital.


    Now that the pregnancy test result had been negative, she could still return to her job.


    Before she went to the hospital, she informed James of her decision.


    After all, he was the one who had approved her long leave, so he should be the first to know.


    Of course, James was nothing short of happy to learn that Rachel was coming back to work. It was difficult to hire a doctor with a high qualification and a good attitude like her.


    As the owner of the hospital, he had felt sorry after hearing that she wanted such a long leave.


    So n


    n in front of her, she quickly opened the door and got in.


    As she fastened her seat belt, Jack asked with a sly smile on his lips, "What do you think? Was I fast enough?"


    "I didn''t expect you to come here," Rachel mumbled.


    As he drove, Jack said, "I had to rush over here because someone asked me to treat her to a meal."


    Rachel tilted her head. "So, which fancy restaurant are you taking me to?"


    Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know what, this is my first date with a doctor. I don''t know where to take you." Then, raising his eyebrows as if something had just dawned on him, he said, "How about going to a hospital-themed restaurant? I heard that one just opened recently, but it''s a little scary."


    "Oh, I''m used to eating right after seeing blood and dead bodies. But I don''t know if you''ll have a good appetite," Rachel teased.


    Not one to back down, Jack said, "Okay, let''s give it a try then. I''ve never eaten in a place like that before!"


    Rachel didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Recently, he had been getting weirder and weirder.


    Before they could discuss it further, they were interrupted by a phone call from Henry.


    After talking to Henry, Jack turned the car and headed toward a restaurant that he had suggested.


    When they got there, they ran into Michael and Marcus, whom they hadn''t seen in a long time. Marcus had just happened to walk out of the washroom, rolling up his sleeves with his wet hands.

 Chapter 212 Getting Married

    Michael handed Marcus a piece of tissue.


    Marcus wiped his hands and complained, "It''s so hot that I can''t even move comfortably. Why did you have to make an appointment at noon?"


    Michael suddenly turned his head to the sound of the opening door. "So, you''ve finally arrived at last!"


    Marcus wiped off the water on his face. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Jack and Rachel enter hand in hand.


    "Aren''t you feeling hot, holding hands in such a hot day?" he asked Jack. "Are you jealous?" Jack retorted. He released Rachel''s hand as soon as they entered the room. The dishes were served and prepared on the table.


    Michael lazily sat on a chair with a cigarette on his lips. He watched them with visible surprise. "Wow, why are you here together?"


    Jack curled his lips and said, "Should I have come with you instead?"


    Michael smiled, "Shut the fuck up, Jack!"


    Marcus also laughed loudly, but Jack was used to the jokes of his friends and he did not laugh with them. Instead, he turned around and whispered to Rachel, "Just ignore them."


    Their whispering annoyed Michael. Rachel smiled. She never really took their teasing seriously.


    While they were busy teasing Jack, Henry was preoccupied with filling glasses with wine. He was obviously in a very good mood. He hummed a song that no one could identify as he did his task.


    He looked up from what he was doing and said to them, "That''s enough. You two single men need to find a girlfriend soon. Don''t waste your time laughing at others."


    Marcus quickly concluded that Henry was indeed in high spirits that day.


    A


    that Lea was finally getting married.


    Michael was initially surprised, but he then congratulated Henry when he recovered from his initial shock.


    Henry proudly accepted Michael''s congratulatory compliments.


    But Marcus was still in a state of shock. He was unable to react at all for a very long time. After being quiet for some time, he suddenly burst out. "Wait! Where is your girlfriend? Who are you going to marry, anyway? That beautiful airline stewardess?"


    "Yes. Her name is Lea." Henry didn''t even want to roll his eyes at Marcus. How could he not know her name?


    It suddenly became obvious to everyone present that Marcus knew the least about Henry''s love story.


    And they were already getting married in such a short time.


    "Where is she?" Henry became even more gentle and affectionate at the mention of Lea''s name.


    Michael sighed in relief that his playboy friend has finally found someone to marry.


    "She''s at home. I''ll pick her up in two days."


    "Why don''t you hold a wedding ceremony?" Rachel asked. She felt that she had to ask the question from Henry since Lea was not around.


    It was something that Henry never told anyone even his friends. One reason was that they never had any direct relations with his family. The second reason was that it wouldn''t be good for the reputation of his family if word got around.


    And he was not a gossipy person who would gossip behind people''s back.


    So Henry thought it best to just come up with an excuse. "It''s just that it isn''t convenient for us right now. So, we decided to postpone the wedding," he explained.

 Chapter 213 A Day Of Great Joy

    Marcus widened his eyes in surprise. "She is pregnant?"


    Henry nodded with a hint of pride on his face.


    For a moment after seeing Henry''s confirmation, Marcus was speechless with excitement.


    Finally, he dramatically put both his hands over his chest as if he was gasping for breath and exclaimed, "Oh, my God, this is crazy. We didn''t even have the time to digest the fact that you''re getting married and now, you''re springing this on us!"


    Henry shrugged. "All I wanted to tell you was that I''m getting married," he said casually.


    "Yeah, well, you were being so obvious that I would have to be an idiot to not guess it," Marcus muttered playfully.


    All of them laughed and congratulated Henry from the bottom of their hearts. The whole room was lit up by the jovial mood of this group of friends.


    But Rachel, who had never imagined that she would hear such news, was itching to talk to her friend.


    It was 1 p.m. when they finished lunch, but she had a lunch break until half past two in the afternoon and it would take barely ten minutes to get back to the hospital, so she was in no hurry to leave.


    But first things first; she excused herself from the table, went to a quiet corner, and called Lea.


    It was impossible for Lea to not tell her that she was going to get married.


    As she had expected, Lea was surprised to hear what had happened at lunch. "What did you say? He took out the household certificate?" she asked.


    Rachel chuckled. "Yes, to show us that you''re getting married."


    "He''s crazy." Lea shook her head an


    Day by day, she started to feel more and more like she and Jack were really a couple. Recently, their life had been nothing but peaceful, without any problems to face.


    And yet, she had an unshakeable feeling that something was wrong, as if she had missed something.


    She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts. Maybe she was just feeling weird because her period had been delayed and her hormones were acting up.


    In the bathroom, Jack unbuttoned his shirt and threw it over the hook. Then, as he turned around, something in the trash can suddenly caught his eye. His heart beating fast, he bent over and picked it up.


    It was the pregnancy test kit that Rachel had thrown away that morning. Jack turned it over and saw a single red line on it.


    Then, he expressionlessly threw it back into the trash can. He wasn''t surprised by the presence of the pregnancy test, nor was he disappointed at the result.


    But since Rachel hadn''t said anything about it, he wanted to pretend that he hadn''t seen it.


    Then, he walked to the shower and turned it on.


    As water sprayed out from the shower head and fell on his broad back, Jack looked down and stared thoughtfully at the floor.


    After a while, he raised his head to feel the water run down his face, so that he could distract himself from the thoughts that he was struggling with.


    He just didn''t know what to do.


    There was something that he was still hiding from Rachel, but he didn''t know how to tell her about it, or if he should even tell her in the first place.

 Chapter 214 Ligation

    As Jack stepped out of the shower, he noticed that Rachel was drying her hair.


    He approached her slowly. She looked up at him and continued nonchalantly.


    He grabbed the towel and said, "Let me do this for you."


    She stared at the mirror attentively to check how he was carefully helping her wipe her hair. They looked like any other couple with a bond extending to many decades.


    After having done half the task, he sought refuge in the hair dryer to complete his task. His method was a little clumsy but gentle.


    He could feel her aroma filling the room as he put the hair dryer back to its place.


    There was a sudden change in his mood. After seeing the pregnancy test kit, he suddenly remembered something.


    Jack wasn''t entirely sure of telling her about this, so he turned to look at her and said,


    "Rachel, you..." He paused abruptly as he ran out of words.


    He wanted to know if Rachel wished for a baby.


    Jack concealed something from her.


    He had already done a ligation operation years ago.


    He did it for Celine''s sake. During that time, he couldn''t marry Celine and she was frustrated about it. He also had perpetual disputes with her due to Rachel.


    He couldn''t bear Celine''s tears. He was grief-stricken because of it. On the third day when he returned, he showed her that ligation certificate.


    For a man, this was not a petty matter.


    He had concealed the truth from everyone. None but the surgeon and Celine were aware of it.


    If his father ever got a whiff of it, the consequences would have been


    soms.


    Men almost always looked at her chest intentionally or unintentionally. As for Baron Hu, he was so proud of his woman because she always attracted others'' attention.


    It was a significantly different attitude when compared to Jack. He''d never allow his woman to show up in this way and let others stare at her in public.


    Celine had frequently raised her complaints to Rona about his overbearing attitude in private.


    In contrast with Baron Hu, Celine realized that Jack was a good man.


    When Baron Hu saw an old acquaintance, he walked towards him and completely ignored her. Celine heaved a euphoric sigh of relief.


    She sneaked into a quiet corner and found that her shoes didn''t fit her feet. She was in excruciating pain, but Baron Hu didn''t notice it at all.


    Resentment filled her heart as Celine raised her eyebrows. The man she both hated and loved, just appeared in front of her, arm in arm with another woman.


    It was the third time that Rachel was attending a banquet with Jack. Considering the ominous history of the occurrence of an undesirable event every time she accompanied him,


    she remained alert throughout her time in the banquet hall because she was afraid that history would repeat itself. Luckily, everything had gone perfectly until now.


    This was a groundbreaking appearance for her because this was the first time she was formally being introduced as Jack''s wife.


    Before they entered the hall with all the glory and pomp, Jack had held her hands and asked softly, "Rachel, are you afraid?"

 Chapter 215 At The Banquet

    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows and gazed up at Jack in confusion. "Why should I be afraid?"


    After a moment''s silence, he changed the topic. "Will you hate it?"


    "What?"


    "Will you hate attending banquets like this, in the name of Mrs. Fu? All of them will come up to you and propose a toast."


    She pouted, "But I can''t drink."


    "If you don''t feel like¡ª"


    "I''ll be fine," she quickly interrupted, giving him the largest smile she could ever possibly give. "Am I a person with no guts?"


    Understanding what she meant, Jack smiled and held her hand. "Of course not, Mrs. Fu."


    As expected, there were tons of people coming to the banquet. In fact, they were so many that she didn''t know every single one of them.


    Although they were familiar with Jack, the man had treated them quite indifferently.


    Before they could ask who she was, he already taken the initiative to introduce her. "This is my wife, Rachel Shen."


    She smiled at them gently, pretending not to notice their different expressions.


    Many looked like they were startled. Rachel thought it was funny.


    Luckily, the banquet went smoothly. The host was incredibly influential, so even Jack had to show his respects. He couldn''t leave until the banquet was over.


    out the same bag or they picked the same outfit, but the worse scenario of them all,


    was when the fell in love with the same man.


    The bad blood between Emma and Celine was very simple.


    The man Emma liked had fallen for Celine.


    Even if Celine had been with Jack back then, she had still flirted with the man Emma liked.


    The man had been head over heels in love with Celine.


    In fact, he would''ve courted Celine if not for the fact that he couldn''t afford to offend Jack.


    Knowing this, Emma had been furious. She hadn''t expected that the man would respond to Celine''s flirtations.


    In her eyes, Celine was a disgusting bitch!


    Emma had had several fights with Celine, but she had lost each time. The man had cursed Emma for being too jealous!


    Then, the man''s family had sent him abroad.


    Later, she had realized that it was because Celine had snitched on the man to Jack


    and Jack had forced his family to send him abroad.


    Emma hated Celine, but because of her connections, she was forced to stand on the sidelines.


    When she heard that Celine broke up with Jack, Emma was ecstatic.


    Emma thought that she could finally teach that bitch a lesson. What she didn''t expect was for Celine to move out of Ninwell City.

 Chapter 216 The Walls Have Ears

    A rumor had spread that Jack sent Celine away because of the pressure from his family.


    However, some rumors also said that it was Celine who dumped Jack. When Emma heard about it, she sneered.


    She knew there was no way Celine would dump a rich and powerful man like Jack.


    ''That snobbish woman! Jack might have been blinded for so long to fall in love with her.''


    Emma was so surprised to see Celine here at the party tonight.


    Before, she was afraid of Jack''s anger if she caused trouble for Celine.


    But when she saw how coquettish Celine was when she was Baron, Emma realized that Celine and Jack had finally broken up.


    A smug smile appeared on her lips.


    Emma saw that Celine was alone, so she thought of coming to her and mock her. However, she didn''t expect that she would be the one who got humiliated.


    Celine flaunted her charms, saying that the man Emma liked was head over heels in love with her.


    Emma suddenly felt angry and resentful, couldn''t help cursing the man for being so blind.


    Until now, she still couldn''t understand why he loved a woman like Celine.


    Emma didn''t know that Jack brought Rachel tonight and introduced her to the public.


    That was why she didn''t dare to teach Celine a lesson for fear of offending Jack.


    Rachel was about to leave when she heard someone m


    dissipated.


    The screen moved as someone pushed it.


    Their voices might be heard by people passing by, but they didn''t think that someone would care to intervene in them.


    The person looked at them coldly. It was none other than Rachel.


    She flashed a smile and apologized, "Sorry, I entered the wrong booth."


    She then walked away.


    When the women heard her receding footsteps, they all sighed in relief.


    Emma didn''t know who she was, so she asked with a frown, "Who the hell was that?"


    The other women next to her all looked frightened. One of them called her name in almost a whisper. "Emma."


    "What?" she snapped. She looked at them, and she was surprised to see the weird expression on their faces.


    Emma got confused.


    She didn''t know what made them looked so scared.


    As she got impatient, she said to them, "If you have nothing else to say, I''ll go back to the party now." Her mood was now ruined. Everything seemed not going her way.


    Before she could open the door, one woman suddenly said, "That woman... is Mrs. Fu."


    Emma was startled and stopped in her tracks.


    Another woman said, "The woman that we were talking about was her."


    Emma froze. She didn''t know how to react.


    The woman continued, "Just now, we were speaking ill of her. She might have heard us.


    Oh my God!"

 Chapter 217 Save Someones Life

    Emma was in shock that she almost dropped her bag. ''What the hell?''


    Rachel pursed her lips.


    Although they weren''t speaking ill of her, she felt uncomfortable to be part of their conversation.


    She didn''t go away quietly. In fact, the moment her face was shown,


    the girls realized that she had heard them gossip about her.


    The girls huddled around each other in bewilderment. Some of them shared looks as they wanted to figure out what to do next.


    "What should we do?"


    "I don''t know either."


    "Will she teach us a lesson?"


    Finding no answer within themselves, they gazed up at Emma. The woman was so restless that she was about to break her bag strap. She gritted her teeth. "What are you looking at me for? I''m not her!" she demanded.


    Her voice was much weaker than before as guilt crept over her words.


    Jack was known to defend the people around him. What if he got back at her for the words that she had just said today?


    After all, she had insulted both his wife and his ex.


    Emma balled her fists and lowered her head. "I''ll apologize to her."


    All of the women gazed up at Emma in surprise, not really expecting that she would lower her pride for something like this. Without another word, she pursed her lips and walked out.


    She glanced around, muttering to herself, "Where is she?"


    She didn''t even know th


    in front of the elevator doors.


    They arrived into the hospital in a hurry as they panted for breath.


    Fortunately, the doctor was able to contact someone who had known Rachel. They were able to discuss the situation at hand.


    The man immediately ordered the doctor to treat the patient according to Rachel''s method.


    It was not until she stood for a while that she noticed that her feet were already sore. Glancing down, she realized that her ankle was already dark red.


    ''Maybe I twisted my ankle along the way,'' she thought, wincing in pain.


    The lining of her dress were also stained with mud and dust, but she was in no shape to clean in. What was important now was the patient''s condition.


    Fortunately, there weren''t any people that night.


    Next to her, a mother and her daughter stood beside her as they waited for the elevator. The girl with a fever cooling patch stared up at Rachel.


    Noticing that the girl was peeking, Rachel gazed at her and gave her a friendly smile.


    The little girl lowered her head and blushed as she hid behind her mother''s arm.


    Rachel and the girl''s mother shared a look.


    Without another word, she walked into the elevator.


    As the doors closed, she thought back to the handbag that she had left at the banquet hall. She thought of her phone while sighing inwardly. ''How can I get back now?''

 Chapter 218 Out Of Danger

    The little girl, who stood next to her mother, was actually secretly watching Rachel. The young mother lowered her head and gently stroked her daughter''s face. "Baby, say hello," she whispered.


    The little girl hesitated a bit before staring up at the woman. She shyly waved her hand. "Hi."


    Rachel smiled back. "Hi. it''s nice to meet you."


    The elevator finally arrived at the respective floor.


    As she was about to go out, she heard the little girl asking her curiously, "Are you shooting a TV series?"


    Rachel glanced at the gown she was wearing. She bit back a laugh and shook her head. "No. I wore this because I have to."


    She wasn''t part of a TV series. In fact, her reality was much more exciting than any series that she had watched.


    Every time she attended a banquet, something bad would happen.


    She decided to make some preparations before she went to the next banquet.


    The last time she attended a banquet, she was trapped in the fire. This time, though, was different. She was not the one who was in danger, but the man.


    She couldn''t help but feel lucky and scared at the same time. If she weren''t on the second floor, the man could''ve died.


    The little girl eyed Rachel''s beautiful gown with admiration glinting in her eyes.


    She tur


    go upstairs," Emma said dryly. She stared at Jack carefully, afraid that she might cross him.


    She heard that he was looking for his wife, so she came to have a look.


    It seemed that his wife was actually missing.


    Emma didn''t really know what was going on. All she knew was that Jack kept a low profile as he looked around for his wife.


    A part of her thought that Rachel must have heard them spoke ill of


    her¡ªthat it might be a reason that she walked out.


    So all she said was that she had seen her before.


    Jack''s eyes were like blades poking through her skin. Emma couldn''t help but take a step back.


    After some hesitation, she was finally able to control herself. "I saw her going upstairs, but I don''t know if she came back down or not."


    She had initially intended to apologize to Rachel.


    She had caught sight of Rachel talking to someone.


    Not daring to get close to her, Emma simply watched from the sidelines.


    At that time, Emma thought that maybe Rachel didn''t hear what they were talking about.


    If she took the initiative to apologize to her, then she might dig herself an even bigger hole.


    Just as she was hesitating, Rachel had already walked away.


    Even then, Emma still didn''t know whether the woman had heard them or not.

 Chapter 219 Check The CCTV

    After giving it a careful thought, Emma still couldn''t figure out whether Rachel had heard them or not. Then Rachel moved forward, so Emma followed her.


    She didn''t stop following Rachel until they reached the second floor. But since only a few people were going upstairs, she decided to stop following her.


    No one knew that she was following Rachel.


    But if she continued to follow her, it might become obvious and people might notice it.


    After hesitating for a while, Emma eventually decided to stop following Rachel. She also didn''t mean to stand there waiting like a guard.


    So when Rachel was out of her sight, she turned around and left.


    However, she didn''t expect that she would run into Jack, who was also looking for Rachel.


    Emma didn''t know what she was thinking, but she suddenly told Jack that Rachel went upstairs.


    It was only later that she realized she did something stupid.


    At this moment, she needed to be more cautious. She reminded herself to be more careful of her words. No one should know that she was secretly following Rachel, especially Jack.


    Otherwise, Jack would never let go of her until he found out the reason why she was following Rachel.


    So Emma didn''t say anything except that she saw Rachel going upstairs. But Jack continue


    his stepfather. With hands in his pockets, he asked arrogantly, "What''s the matter?"


    He looked rather unfriendly.


    Howard Wu frowned and waved at him. "Come here, please."


    Mark Chu grew impatient. He urged, "Can''t you just tell me what happened? I''m busy right now so stop wasting my time."


    Mark Chu didn''t mind the other people in the room. Apparently, he was provoking Howard Wu without scruple.


    Howard Wu was embarrassed by his behavior.


    Before he could say anything, Jack said quickly, "I just want to ask if you have seen a woman on the second floor around seven o''clock. She''s wearing a champagne dress, and she has long curly hair."


    Mark Chu looked at the ceiling as if trying to recall something. Then his face slightly changed.


    Jack''s heart throbbed upon seeing the sudden change in his expression. He continued, "I am referring to my wife. She has been missing for a few hours now, but her purse and cellphone were on the second floor. Do you know anything about it?"


    Jack talked in a very polite manner. Mark Chu slowly took his hands out of his pockets, put them on his chest, and bowed his head. His face looked very serious.


    Howard Wu thought that his stepson had probably seen Rachel because he was the only one who went upstairs at that time.

 Chapter 220 I Know Where She Is

    Howard was now sure that Mark had met Rachel.


    However, he was afraid that Mark would refuse to say anything to him just because of their sour relationship. "Mark, have you seen her?" he prodded.


    Mark raised his head and shot Howard a cold glance that chilled the whole room.


    However, Jack just stared at Mark silently, patiently waiting for his answer.


    At this point, saying something could make matters worse.


    Mark burrowed his hands back into his pockets and turned to Jack. "Yes, I saw her. She''s probably at the hospital now."


    Both Jack and Howard were stunned to hear this.


    The former anxiously walked forward and asked, "What happened? Why is she at the hospital?"


    Howard looked expectantly at Mark for an explanation; he was equally at a loss as to how Rachel could have suddenly gone to the hospital, let alone why.


    ''She didn''t even go downstairs. Did she teleport out of the house? It doesn''t make sense!'' he thought.


    "Bill was not feeling well, and that lady happened to see him," Mark explained. "When I called the ambulance, she went along with him to the hospital."


    Jack didn''t know who Bill was or what had happened, but now that he knew Rachel''s whereabouts, he finally calmed down.


    Before he could enquire about which hospital she had gone to, he heard H


    chel put down the remaining half of the apple and asked, "Has he ever had such a severe allergic reaction before?"


    Generally speaking, no one would be reduced to such a serious condition because of an allergy if it wasn''t severe.


    Andy shook his head. "Not that I know of. I didn''t even know he was sick until Mark called me."


    In fact, he didn''t know the details or why Bill had had an allergic reaction all of a sudden.


    Rachel frowned and mulled over his words for a while. Investigating the source of an allergic reaction was a complicated matter.


    However, she didn''t want to explain all these things to him, so she just comforted him in a low voice, "It doesn''t matter. He will feel better after a while once the medicine relieves his allergic symptoms."


    After a while, she added, "But we still have to check with the doctor. It''s best to find out the allergen so as to avoid such a situation in the future."


    The old man nodded in agreement. He was still perplexed by this whole situation because he had taken care of Bill for nearly ten years and had never seen him in such a serious condition before.


    Other than his slight weakness, Bill had never shown any symptoms. Andy just couldn''t make sense of it.


    Of course, a person would know their own body better than anyone else.

 Chapter 221 Thirty Minutes Passed

    Rachel comforted Andy for a while and didn''t ask further questions. A few minutes later, a nurse walked into the ward to check on Bill.


    While the nurse talked to Andy, Rachel quietly put down the half-eaten apple and wiped her hands with a tissue. Her stomach was so full that she couldn''t eat anything, but she had taken the apple from the old man anyway so as to not seem rude.


    When she left the ward, she would take the leftover apple with her.


    For now, she turned her eyes to the nurse, who was in the middle of explaining the situation.


    After listening for a while, Rachel realized that the nurse wasn''t telling them anything she didn''t already know. For now, they needed to wait for the patient to wake up.


    Since there was nothing of interest to her in what the nurse was saying, she lowered her head and played with the hemline of her beautiful long dress, which had gotten dirty while she was running.


    As she flicked the dust off it, she couldn''t help but smile in amusement.


    After all, there was no way to salvage this dress now; she would have to throw it away.


    Anyway, it was all for a good deed. She checked her watch and found that it had been twenty minutes since she had talked to Jack on the phone.


    The hospital was not far from the villa. The ambulance had arrived in ten minutes, so a normal civilian should be able to arrive in fifteen minutes or so. However, Jack was taking longer than usu


    for him to discuss his private affairs in front of others.


    Back when Bill had been in love with a girl surnamed Su,


    he had always said that he would get married soon.


    Andy raised his hand, put it against his lips and shushed, looking at Rachel with wide eyes like a child.


    Amused but understanding what was going on, Rachel raised her hand and shushed back in response.


    Andy walked over to her and whispered,


    "He will be upset if he hears me." Rachel could barely control her laughter


    upon hearing that.


    "Although he''s still asleep,


    he can probably hear me," he grumbled.


    Rachel smiled, finding it amusing that just until moments ago, Andy had been worried sick about Bill, but now, he had begun to complain about him.


    The relationship between these two people was an interesting one.


    Moreover, Andy was the cutest old man she had ever met!


    After Andy wiped Bill''s hands and feet, he went to the bathroom to wash the towel. Feeling bored and restless, Rachel picked up the half-eaten apple and took another bite. From time to time, she glanced down at her phone, but there was still no intimation from Jack. ''What''s going on?'' she wondered.


    More than thirty minutes had passed. There was no way it would take this long to get here from the villa.


    It was almost as if their relationship was cursed. Every time they attended such parties together, they would face some difficulty or the other.

 Chapter 222 Getting Entangled

    Rachel recalled how she had fallen sick after coming back from the Francis¡® engagement party.


    After that, she had almost died in a fire while visiting the Ying family villa.


    Even though she was trying to keep herself distracted by looking at her phone, her mind kept drifting to all the possible scenarios of things that could have gone wrong to delay Jack so much.


    As she took another bite of the apple, she could not help but sigh emotionally.


    While she sat there lost in her own thoughts, Andy tidied up the ward and then sat next to Bill in silence.


    When the time was almost nine o''clock, the door of the ward suddenly opened and a nurse walked in with a folder.


    She glanced at the patient and made a few notes on the document in her hands.


    Then, she looked back and forth between Rachel and the old man. Thinking that Rachel was related to the patient, she finally said, "Miss, come with me to register."


    Rachel nodded without protest and put down the apple in her hand. She thought that she shouldn''t let the old man walk around too much. Besides, it would be better if he was here to keep an eye on Bill. Understanding her intentions, Andy thanked her once again. He was being so polite that Rachel didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. "You''re welcome," she said before f


    lso knew some shady things about Celine that he could blackmail her with.


    So even if Celine and Jack ended up together, he, Baron, could still control her.


    However, he was positive that there was a very low chance of that happening. So when he heard that Celine had left the banquet with someone else, he didn''t take it seriously.


    "Really? Who did she leave with?" he asked lazily.


    The other party slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Jack."


    The idle look on Baron''s face changed instantly. "Who did you say she left with?"


    "Jack."


    "Fuck!" As if he had caught his wife cheating on him, Baron gritted his teeth and cursed, "That bitch..." He thought for a moment and then asked with a ferocious expression on his face, "Where did they go?"


    "Something bad happened. I saw them going to the police station."


    "What? Where?" Baron asked, freezing.


    "The police station," the other man repeated patiently.


    "Fuck! What happened?"


    "Celine hurt someone, but Jack showed up just in time to help her," the man replied casually.


    Baron raised his hand and patted the man in front of him on the shoulder. "Thank you for telling me this, buddy!" he said gratefully.


    However, a trace of disdain appeared on the man''s face. ''What an idiot,'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 223 Giving A Statement

    Baron didn''t notice the man''s disdain.


    Some of the guests didn''t know what had just happened in the garden. Howard returned to the banquet hall as if nothing had happened.


    But he still couldn''t help feeling worried. He didn''t want the banquet to turn into a mess, so he tried to comfort everyone inside.


    Fortunately, the man who got injured was not invited by him. He didn''t know who had brought the man here.


    Howard didn''t worry about the man. After all, he had already sent some people to follow him. He would know if something happened.


    What he was trying to do was not to make things worse here.


    His stepson was here. If he left, his stepson might cause trouble.


    Howard had just called Andy to ask him about the situation.


    Apparently, Andy didn''t want to talk to him. But still, Howard expressed his concern for Bill.


    Andy didn''t tell him much about what really happened to Bill. He just said indifferently, "He''s been treated, so he''s okay now."


    Howard replied to him in a low voice, "I still need to deal with some troubles here. I''ll come to see him later."


    Andy snorted sarcastically upon hearing what he said.


    Afraid that Andy would misunderstand him, Howard quickly explained, "Mrs. Fu is also there, right? It''s her husband who is in trouble. He is in the


    was actually scared. A lot of thoughts were running in her mind. Since there was no news from the hospital yet, her anxiety was evident on her pale face.


    What if she stabbed that man to death, and she would end up in jail? Would Jack save her? Would he use his family''s influence to make her innocent?


    She was not sure about these two things, so when the police asked her earlier, she didn''t dare to give detailed answers. She only said that she found the knife on the ground.


    As for how a knife suddenly appeared in the garden, nobody knew. Celine insisted that she found the knife there.


    She would never admit that she brought a knife with her intentionally. To prove her innocence, she even dared the police to check the CCTV footage.


    Celine didn''t know that the police already had some evidence.


    After getting her statement, they didn''t say anything to her and just told her to wait outside. Celine couldn''t do anything but sit on a chair restlessly.


    Her situation and her physical appearance were both in a mess. Her dress was stained and torn. There were some bruises on her shoulder.


    She had a sprained ankle too.


    The police had left her alone there.


    It was already bright outside, but Celine was still there sitting solely. Her hands and feet were sweaty and cold.

 Chapter 224 Rachel Went To The Police Station

    Celine didn''t know how long she had waited there, but she was glad when someone suddenly came in. But to her disappointment, it wasn''t the one she was expecting.


    A policewoman brought her a bottle of water.


    Celine took it and thanked her in a low voice. The policewoman replied softly, "You''re welcome."


    When the policewoman was about to leave, Celine stood up in a hurry and stopped her, "Wait!"


    The policewoman, who was already holding the doorknob, stopped and turned to look at her. "Any problem?" she asked doubtfully.


    Celine licked her dry lips first before she asked, "When can I go home?"


    The policewoman smiled and replied, "My senior will be here at any minute. He has something to ask you."


    "Something to ask me?" Celine repeated nervously. Her face turned pale in an instant. She grasped the bottle with both hands tightly and said, "I''ve already told you everything. I swear."


    The policewoman raised an eyebrow and replied, "It is a normal procedure. You have nothing to fear." What the policewoman had said was just natural, but for Celine, it sounded harsh. She even felt that she was mocking her.


    Her cheeks flushed. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out of her mouth.


    The policewoman thought that she had nothing more to say, so she turned to open the door. However, Celine called her again.


    She took a few steps forward


    chose to accompany Celine to the police station.


    When she found out that Jack was in trouble, she panicked and rushed to the police station. Only to find out that he was there with Celine.


    Did he forget to leave a message for her because he was with Celine?


    Thinking about it made Rachel''s knees weak. She felt like all her confidence disappeared in an instant.


    At first, she hesitated to get out of the taxi. But since she was already there, she decided to go inside.


    While waiting for the policeman to come back, she prepared herself mentally.


    She didn''t expect that she would lose her confidence at this moment.


    When the policeman returned, she immediately asked, "Are they still there?"


    The young policeman replied, "They''re almost finished with the interrogation. I will let you know when they''re done. May I know your name?"


    "My name is Rachel Shen," she answered. "May I ask who is being interrogated?"


    "It''s a lady whose surname is Duan. Are you a friend of hers?"


    Instead of answering the policeman''s question, she asked again, "No one else?"


    "Only Miss Duan is inside the interrogation room.


    But there''s another one waiting for your friend outside." The policeman had already thought that she was really Celine''s friend.


    Then the policeman added, "Don''t worry. Her boyfriend has been waiting outside."


    Rachel''s heart slightly twitched, "Boyfriend?"

 Chapter 225 A Fight At The Police Station

    The policeman nodded with hesitation. "Well, I think so. He seemed very concerned about her."


    She looked down to hide the expression in her eyes. A moment later, she thanked the policeman politely. "You''re welcome, ma''am. Just wait a moment," the policeman replied politely. The policeman looked at his watch and then turned to her. "She''s probably almost finished by now."


    Rachel replied with a faint smile. But she wasn''t really worried about it.


    She sat down again and then waited for them to come out.


    She sat with her back turned to the door, almost missing a figure talking on the phone who rushed past outside the door.


    He approached the window and knocked on it. "Good evening, I need to see Chief Ren."


    The policeman was surprised with the request. "Chief Ren? Do you have an appointment with him?"


    "Yes, I do," the figure replied and pointed to his phone. "I''m talking with him on the phone. He wants me to come in to his office. Would you like to ask him yourself?"


    The policeman nodded reluctantly and Baron handed the phone over to him.


    He stood there waiting with one hand on his waist as he looked around the station. His eyes accidentally saw Rachel''s back and his mind started to rate her by instinct.


    Thin shoulder, a slim waist, fair skin, and black hair. He suddenly wanted to know how she looked like.


    He felt an ir


    o, he was at a loss as to how to best handle it. "You cannot fight here."


    Celine took a deep breath and then helped Baron up.


    Baron wasn''t as arrogant as he was before after losing face in front of his woman and other people. Jack''s kick easily humbled him. He glared at Jack and then turned to Celine who helped him up from the floor.


    Celine felt so nervous that she did not dare to look into Jack''s eyes. She was afraid that he would be angry for what had happened or that he would look down upon her.


    Baron stared at his woman and then carefully observed Jack. The physical pain that he felt was made worse by Jack''s presence. His face darkened and made him look pitiful.


    He gritted his teeth and diverted his anger to the woman beside him. "Did you think that I''m dead already?"


    A policeman entered the scene and then asked, "Hey, what happened here?"


    But no one answered him.


    Jack never said a word all this time, but when he heard what Baron said, he frowned and then turned to Celine.


    Her face was deathly pale. She did not let go of Baron''s arm. When she heard him, she stared at the floor with tears in her eyes. She didn''t know what to say.


    It was clear to the people there what kind of relationship Celine and Baron had. Jack wondered when she started dating this man. He suddenly felt that the man looked oddly familiar to him.

 Chapter 226 Rachel Witnessed Everything

    Thankfully, Jack''s superior memory allowed him to eventually remember who the man in front of him was.


    He was the same man who sent flowers to Celine several times when he was still with her.


    ''Why did she ended up with this guy?'' Jack wondered to himself. A brief astonishment flashed across his eyes, but he quickly recovered and returned to normal.


    Even though it was but a momentary surprise, Baron caught it on Jack''s face and he instantly changed his countenance to a mocking look.


    He also wrapped his arm around Celine''s waist and pulled her tightly to him. He then rubbed his chin arrogantly as he stared at Jack.


    He was visibly pompous as he mockingly looked at Jack as if he achieved something spectacular.


    Unknown to Baron, Celine felt extremely embarrassed with what he was doing.


    And this was how the situation reversed itself without warning.


    Celine used to think that Baron was romantic and sweet, and it was this wrong first impression on him that made her feel embarrassed at that moment. She couldn''t even dare to look at Jack straight in the eye.


    Celine''s mind was in such a mess. The situation caught her off guard. She felt so resentful and hated Baron for arriving at the worst possible time.


    Her only hope was that Jack would not ask or say anything about the situation, and that she could leave from that place as soon as possible.


    She knew that she had to come up with another way to please Jack again. All of her best cards wer


    ove that he existed to these two. "Jack Fu, are you not going to give me an explanation for what happened today?"


    The man was like a bug, constantly searching for a meaning to his existence.


    Jack knitted his eyebrows when he was interrupted again. It was something that he never enjoyed.


    His heart was immediately filled with an intense feeling of anger.


    Especially after he turned to Baron and saw his disgusting face.


    "Baron!"


    "Sir, please mind your behavior! This is not an appropriate place for you to make a scene!"


    Celine and a policeman spoke at almost the same time.


    Baron turned around and stared at Celine with a dour look.


    Celine took a deep breath and stepped towards Baron with a gentle smile on her face. "Baron, let''s just talk about this when we get home, shall we?"


    They completely ignored the policeman.


    But Baron met Celine''s approach with a raised hand and almost pushed her down.


    And because Celine was wearing high-heeled shoes, she almost fell because of his push.


    The policeman who witnessed what Baron did screamed involuntarily.


    Baron reached out his hand to steady her, but she already steadied herself by grasping the wall.


    He felt a little guilty from what he did and licked his lower lip involuntarily as Celine stared at him with sadness in her eyes.


    When Jack saw what happened, he just couldn''t stand it anymore. He lost his cool, approached Baron, grabbed him by the collar, and punched him in the face.

 Chapter 227 Listening To His Explanation

    Successive shrieks reverberated through the police station.


    Rachel didn''t meddle. Her cold eyes watched as Jack hit Baron''s face with his fist.


    The two policemen were stunned for a moment. When they came back to their senses, they hastily walked forward and pulled the two men apart.


    "Stop! Stop it!" someone shouted.


    Rachel didn''t give a damn about what was happening. Her eyes were fixed on Jack.


    While the policemen pulled Jack and Baron away from each other,


    Rachel turned her gaze to Celine who had been standing on one side.


    Celine raised her chin and smiled complacently.


    It seemed that she had been waiting for Rachel to look at her, so she could show her victory. But to her dismay, Rachel didn''t show any interest at all. She just turned her eyes away indifferently.


    Apparently, no matter what she did, she was always nothing to Rachel.


    Rachel had never given Celine importance in her life, not even as an opponent. In her heart, Celine didn''t deserve any of her attention.


    But for Celine, it was the opposite. Every time she had a face to face encounter with Rachel, she felt like facing a bright mirror.


    No matter how well she disguised herself, she was always exposed in front of Rachel.


    This reality made her feel embarrassed.


    After a while, Jack and Baron were finally pulled away from each other by the policemen.


    Rachel stood still and stared at Ja


    matter is being investigated by the policemen thoroughly. Sooner or later, it will be solved."


    "Hmm." Rachel turned her eyes away. She looked uninterested.


    Jack studied her face carefully. His heart was beating irregularly fast because of guilt.


    He noticed that she didn''t want to talk to him. She turned her head to look out of the window and said nothing.


    ''Is she angry?'' he thought.


    After looking at her for a while, Jack confirmed that she was indeed angry.


    He raised his hand to touch her and asked, "Are you angry?"


    Rachel turned her head and looked at Jack with her clear and penetrating eyes as if waiting for his explanation.


    Jack quietly reached for her, took her hand, and said, "Everything happened so suddenly. I was there, so I had to do something."


    He wanted to explain why he had come to the police station with Celine.


    Rachel listened to him quietly without making any comment.


    After explaining everything briefly, Jack looked at Rachel, hoping that she would forgive him this time.


    He made it clear that he didn''t mean to be with Celine. She was just an ex-girlfriend to him, nothing else.


    Although they had a past, Celine didn''t have any place in his heart anymore.


    Jack''s explanation should have cleared up everything.


    But Rachel''s mind was still in a mess. She thought that she wouldn''t mind, but now she realized that she was really affected.

 Chapter 228 You Made Me Look Like An Idiot

    "Is that all?" Rachel asked with a tone of indifference after Jack finished speaking.


    "Yes," he answered.


    She smiled slightly at him and slowly pulled back her hand from him. This worried him. "You made me look like an idiot today, Jack," she said wearily.


    The partition in the middle of the car was activated. Thus, the driver never heard anything about what they were talking about.


    Jack was in a panic for a brief moment. He tried to hold Rachel''s hand a few times more, but she avoided his advances.


    Rachel slightly turned her head towards him with a look of indifference. She then looked down at the carpeted floor beneath her feet.


    Jack''s heart suddenly felt heavy and aching.


    "Rachel," he said, almost whispering to her under his breath.


    She never reacted to his words. She played with the embroidered patterns on her dress with her dainty fingers. "I thought you had an accident. That''s why I rushed to the police station right away to see if you were okay. Then I suddenly felt like a fool when I found out the real reason why you were there in the first place," she said in a soft tone of voice.


    Jack shifted slightly in his seat. He felt anxious after he heard what Rachel had to say.


    He didn''t know what to say to her.


    Earlier, he had a secret plan to reward his wife for being jealous. And yet, he suddenly felt like a fool after he heard Rachel''s words. Like a basin of cold water was splashed on his face early in the morning.


    Rachel turned her head slightly at Jack. "Do you think so?" she asked calmly in a soft voice that was almost a whisper.


    She then smiled at him mockingly.


    Even if he was a s


    .


    It was exactly how she expected it. The man in front of her was clueless why she was even in the police station in the first place. She wondered why he even bothered going there without knowing the true story.


    She covered half of her mouth and smiled coldly. She finally understood what was in Baron''s mind this whole time.


    And because she now had a clear idea of what went on in Baron''s mind, she knew how to play the crowd to her advantage. She knew how to make him like her and how to make him feel pity for her.


    She lowered her eyes with a deep breath. Her face looked as if she was greatly abused and was too embarrassed to even talk about it.


    "It was Ron. He asked me out."


    "What does this have to do with Ron?" Baron asked immediately while looking confused.


    It was Ron that Celine stabbed that caused her to be brought to the police station. But she told the story in a bit exaggerated way to give herself an advantage over Baron.


    Not only would the story make Baron angry, it would provide Celine with a certain advantage.


    Baron loved dignity so much. But how would he be able to endure such a humiliation once he found out that his own friend had assaulted his woman?


    He never spoke as Celine told him the whole story. His face turned redder and gloomier with every detail in the story that she revealed.


    And his reactions to the story told her that he had made a decision.


    But her story was not over yet. She kept going at him, spitting out her sad story of getting abused by his own friend. "He took me outside where we were alone. Luckily, I happened to picked up something sharp and stabbed him with it."

 Chapter 229 Bailed Out

    Celine''s tears flowed freely down her cheeks and they made her look miserable and pitiful.


    Baron was not able to say anything. The entire time, he had thought that Celine accompanied Jack to the police station.


    Or that maybe they were both arrested while they were together.


    And either one of these scenarios where unbearable for Baron. He never received any information about why Jack and Celine were at the police station while he drove all the way there in his car.


    But now that he knew the truth of what really happened. It was actually his buddy who had tried to violate his woman.


    Baron felt extremely ashamed of himself and how he acted earlier. He had even planned to have a huge fight with Celine to boost up his damaged ego.


    But after he heard the story of what really happened, he was too ashamed to admit his fault. The sight of Celine looking so helpless and pathetic made him feel so sorry for her. He slowly reached out his hands to her and pulled her close to him. "I''m so sorry, honey. I should not have been so mean to you earlier."


    Celine immediately lowered her head and closed her eyes to hide the disgust that she felt. She leaned her head forward into his arms, accidentally hitting the area where he was punched.


    Baron gasped in pain. She pretended not to hear him and immediately started to cry loudly.


    Her loud crying made Baron feel so guilty. He gritted his teeth hard and endured all the pain.


    He pretended to be a tender and good boyfriend to her as he gently comforted her. He apologized to her gently.


    His attitude changed so suddenly, and Celine took advantage of this by bending over to his shoulder and sobbed.


    Her eyes were filled with indifference. She knew his biggest weakness was his keen on face-saving.


    And the knowledge gave Celine the advantage and ability to manipulate him.


    In the meantime, Rachel took a shower and then changed into her pajamas afterwards. She sat on the bed as she wiped her long hair


    ally faded, and now, there was total silence. He stood up from the sofa in the living room and went up to the bedroom to knock at the door once more.


    There was still no response from the bedroom.


    For some reason, he suddenly felt nervous. He felt like a schoolboy who did something embarrassing in front of his crush. And he had no idea how to deal with that situation.


    Additionally, he knew that he couldn''t just force himself into the room, and then beg for her forgiveness.


    But he also didn''t want to wait outside the room for nothing.


    He thought that if Rachel still wouldn''t open the door,


    he would find another way to get into the room.


    He felt sure that she would forgive him sooner or later.


    He thought for a while and decided to wait at the living room once more.


    An hour had passed, but Rachel never came out of the bedroom nor was there any sound coming from inside the bedroom.


    His heart started to beat fast. He went to the bedroom door once more and tried to open the doorknob. He was surprised when he found that it wasn''t even locked.


    He paused for a while, and then decided to completely turn the doorknob and open the door. He wondered if she left the door unlocked and was waiting for him to enter the room all this time, and he didn''t even realized it.


    He opened the door wide and was greeted by complete darkness from inside the room.


    It was so dark that he couldn''t even see his own hand in front of him.


    He suddenly panicked and quickly walked forward even in complete darkness. He took a few steps forward and then stood very still.


    He calmed himself down and then turned on the light inside the bedroom.


    The soft bedroom light filled every corner of the room when he turned it on. He was shocked with what he saw. His eyes immediately scanned the entire room. It was empty.


    He took two steps forward and it was then that complete panic filled his entire being. "Rachel!" he shouted out in the middle of the bedroom.

 Chapter 230 Im Sorry

    The curled up quilt on the bed slightly moved. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Rachel sat up.


    Her long, black hair fell down her shoulders. It caressed her snow-white skin, making her look like a goddess. Her eyes were her best feature. At present, it was shining like the stars.


    A slight frown appeared on her face. She was displeased at being awakened.


    Shock was written all over his face. Blinking his eyes, he asked, "Were you sleeping?"


    Rachel''s glance went on him. She snapped, "What else should I be doing at this hour?"


    Why couldn''t she sleep? Did he want her to stay awake for him?


    After pondering over it for a while, Jack asked again, "You have been sleeping all this while?"


    How could she sleep! How could anyone sleep when they were mentally disturbed?


    Jack was confused and didn''t know how to react. Anyway, before he could say something, Rachel spoke. "Turn off the light please. You may not want to sleep but I am quite sleepy."


    His expression changed immediately. He took off his coat and said, "I want to sleep. What makes you think otherwise?"


    When Rachel was about to yawn, Jack raised his hand to take off his clothes. Her reaction changed and now she seemed alert.


    She looked at him straight in the eyes and warned, "Don''t tell me you plan on sleeping without taking a shower!"


    From his actions, it looked like he would jump into bed any second. And if he did it, she wouldn''t think twice before kicking him off.


    "Don''t be hasty with your judgment. I am taking off my clothes to take a shower."


    Rachel slightly lifted the co


    is medicine in the medical kit. You can rub it on your wound. I am leaving and won''t return any time soon."


    Jack bowed his head and took a bite of the sandwich, thought for a while, and said, "I...I didn''t mean to act like a hero last night."


    Rachel paid no heed to his words.


    Whether she believed it or not, Jack explained, "He punched me first for no reason." Instinctively, he ran his finger on his face.


    Rachel tried not to laugh.


    "I had no idea why he beat me up so brutally. I did my best to remain calm, in spite of his brutish behavior. But he just continued provoking me. So I lost control."


    His explanation wasn''t completely true. He deliberately avoided some key points.


    Last night, there was a glimmer of hope in her heart. But today, it had been extinguished.


    She kept her gaze on her place, just so he wouldn''t see the disappointment her eyes were bearing.


    It seemed that their marriage wouldn''t go the way she had planned.


    A chain of questions were exposed. Rachel couldn''t help but analyze them.


    It was beyond possible for her to have complete trust in him. And although Jack said he didn''t care about his ex-girlfriend, his actions contradicted his words.


    And to make things worse, Jack was still trying to find an excuse for his behavior. Perhaps he didn''t want to love Celine, but his heart was having a tough time getting rid of her. Celine was still in there, Rachel realized with some bitterness.


    If Celina was in danger, Jack would leave everything behind and go after her. And the more Rachel witnessed this, the more her heart ached.

 Chapter 231 Return The Cellphone

    Jack even denied that he was beaten by Baron in public because of Celine.


    He couldn''t accept the fact that because of Celine, he lost his temper.


    While listening to Jack, Rachel suddenly felt that their breakfast was tasteless. She wished he didn''t bother to explain anything.


    On the other hand, Jack was expecting a response from Rachel after his explanation. Even just a smile from her would be enough.


    But to his disappointment, her face remained expressionless.


    He couldn''t even tell if she was angry or she just didn''t care at all.


    This weird atmosphere between them had started since last night.


    Jack didn''t know what was going on. He was willing to explain, and Rachel was willing to listen.


    Moreover, they didn''t fight. However, it seemed that some problems were coming along their way.


    After breakfast, Rachel needed to go out, so she took out the medicine and gave Jack some instructions on how to apply it.


    But when she was about to leave, Jack held her hand to stop her. He stared at her with his deep-set black eyes and said in a low voice, "I''m aching all over. Can you help me apply the medicine first before you leave?"


    Instead of answering him, Rachel unlocked her phone and gestured for Jack to look at the screen. But he didn''t get what she meant.


    Seeing that Jack didn''t understand her, she explained sternly, "Look at the time. I have an appointment with someone at half past nine. If I don''t go now, I will be late."


    Jack was held dumb for a


    sked, gnashing his teeth in anger.


    "Why are you looking for him?"


    "This is all his fault. It''s him who did this to me. I almost died because of him."


    Andy''s face turned pale upon hearing what Bill said. He asked to confirm, "Do you mean you have an allergy because of Mark?"


    Bill replied uncertainly, "He asked me to meet him there that night. But when I arrived, he wasn''t there."


    Since Mark didn''t come, Bill drank alone. But a few minutes later, he felt something strange. Then he almost fainted.


    At first, he thought that the wine that Mark reserved for him was just too strong.


    But it turned out there was something in the wine that triggered his allergy.


    After listening to Bill''s speculation, Andy said with a serious look on his face, "If Mark did this on purpose, we should have him investigated."


    He then took out his phone and was about to dial Howard''s number.


    Rachel wasn''t sure if she should leave. After all, this was their privacy.


    Since Bill wasn''t sure if Mark had something to do with what happened to him, and he didn''t have enough evidence, he stopped Andy from calling Howard.


    "Don''t call him yet. We need to figure out things first."


    He was so anxious that he already forgot about his ugly face as he sat up straight from the bed.


    "You have nothing to worry about. After all, this incident happened in the Wu family. No matter what, it is Howard''s responsibility to find the culprit who wants to kill his son," Andy retorted with a frown.

 Chapter 232 Red Spots On His Face

    Bill raised his hand to massage his temples and said weakly, "Don''t do anything rash. I''m just saying that it''s a possibility, but I''m not sure."


    If Mark was wrongly accused, he would definitely get annoyed and make trouble.


    Andy pondered over it for a moment. "I won''t say that Mark did it on purpose or blame him for it. I''ll just call Howard and ask him to look into this matter."


    Whether it was an intentional plot or an accident, they could not just take it lying down like this.


    In Andy''s eyes, Howard was an unfit father.


    Andy wanted to make sure that they got to the bottom of this.


    After all, Bill''s allergic reaction had been very serious. If Rachel hadn''t saved him on time, Bill might have already been dead.


    Andy had to find the cause of the allergic reaction so that he could prevent such a thing from ever happening again.


    With a wave of his hand, Bill said, "Fine. Just don''t put the blame on Mark without having any evidence."


    Andy knew that Bill was a passive man who didn''t like confrontation.


    But even if Bill didn''t mind things like this happening to him, that didn''t mean that Andy would let them go.


    "Of course," he replied, already thinking about what steps he had to take next.


    It was only then that Bill raised his head. As soon as he saw Rachel, he gasped in shock and subconsciously shrank bac


    phere in the room, Bill wanted to diffuse the tension.


    Besides, he was uncomfortable with the way his father was looking at him, which seemed to say, "Why are you looking so ugly?"


    He couldn''t bear it anymore and wanted to divert his father''s attention.


    With a light smile, he turned his gaze away from his father and happened to meet Rachel''s eyes instead.


    Suddenly, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. "It''s okay, I''m all right now. Don''t worry about me. We just have to find the source of the allergy," he told his father.


    Then, he shot Andy a meaningful look.


    When Andy just stared back at him with a confused frown, he gestured to Rachel with his eyes and then shot a wink at Andy.


    After being puzzled for a moment, Andy finally realized what he meant.


    Since Bill seemed to want to talk privately with his father, Andy turned to Rachel and whispered, "Mrs. Fu, how about we make small talk in the lounge?"


    Glad to have an excuse to leave, Rachel nodded with a smile.


    Upon hearing this, Bill''s lips twitched. He had wanted Andy to shift his father''s attention back to Rachel so that they would stop discussing his appearance anymore.


    Unexpectedly, Andy had completely misunderstood his signal. Seeing Andy and Rachel entered the lounge, Bill sighed. Now that Andy wasn''t here, who would help him send his father away?

 Chapter 233 Concern From His Father

    Howard was a talkative person, especially when it came to his two sons. He didn''t have a good relationship with either of them, so he would talk at length to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.


    One of his sons was Bill, the child he had with his ex-wife. Bill had been taken abroad at a young age by her, so Howard hadn''t had much contact with him. However, she had brought him up well, so even though Howard rarely talked to him, Bill had grown up to be an obedient son.


    On the other hand, his current wife''s son, Mark, whom he treated like his own son, treated him like an enemy.


    No matter how well Howard treated Mark, the letter always kept a distance from him.


    In spite of this, he was still partial to his stepson.


    Although he did pity Bill sometimes, he had already grown up well past the age of needing someone to rely on.


    So, Howard wasn''t too worried about Bill and had decided to just let nature take its course.


    But he also felt that he should take this opportunity to show his affection to Bill, which he had seldom done.


    After all, they had barely even spent any time together.


    Howard felt like he could mend their relationship by doing that, but in fact, he was just doing it to comfort himself.


    There was no gratitude in Bill''s mind for his father''s sudden affection to him. On the con


    low voice, "You really don''t have to be so polite. I know what you''re thinking. I''m really moved. We''re friends, so you don''t have to be so formal."


    Hearing this, Andy smiled warmly at her.


    After saying goodbye to him, Rachel went downstairs with Howard.


    Howard didn''t know much about this woman whom Jack had only publicly introduced recently.


    However, he had seen Jack and Celine together several times in the past.


    He had always recognized the difference in their appearance and temperament, but apart from there, he had never concerned himself with the gossip surrounding Jack.


    In his circle, there were all kinds of gossip, which was normal for rich and powerful people.


    If not for the banquet the day before, Howard wouldn''t have given a second thought to Jack and all this gossip.


    But the problem was that two incidents had happened on his turf yesterday.


    One, a guest had stabbed someone at the banquet.


    Two, another guest had saved his son, who was also his benefactor.


    And the funny thing was that both these guests had something in common?¡ªJack.


    Howard felt that Jack had put him in a predicament.


    After all, he had to show his gratitude to Jack''s wife since she had helped his son, but at the same time, he needed to deal with the trouble that Jack''s ex-girlfriend had caused.

 Chapter 234 Answer The Phone

    Howard had no idea how Jack got along with these two women. He didn''t even know whether Rachel had known about Celine or not.


    He was supposed to invite Rachel to get into his car, but he had realized that he still needed to deal with Celine''s issue.


    Rachel and Howard just happened to run into each other. Now, he found himself stuck as to what to do next.


    He was informed that the man Celine had stabbed woke up. The police already on their way, and she was brought there to present her case.


    Jack would also be present during the investigation.


    Howard wasn''t surprised.


    The only thing he wasn''t sure of was whether or not Rachel was already aware of that fact. He was holding two purses in his hands, but he had no idea which one of them belonged to Rachel.


    He was originally planning to send both of the purses to Jack, but he didn''t expect to run into Rachel.


    He decided to take advantage of this opportunity by asking her to take her stuff.


    Howard knew that one of them belonged to Celine.


    Realizing this, Howard just prayed in his heart that Rachel wouldn''t find out who the other purse belonged to.


    Besides, he didn''t think that was possible in the first place. It


    identally answered the call, why didn''t that person hang up at once?


    Why did the person listen in the entire time?


    It was weird. Given that he didn''t have the time to analyze the situation, Jack pulled out his car keys and got into his car.


    In the hospital, the man who Celine had stabbed had already woken up. He was extremely drunk last night. That was why he was bold enough to coax the woman to go to the garden with him.


    He didn''t expect that she would be so fierce. While he wasn''t paying any attention, she got a knife and stabbed him.


    Today, when he still hadn''t recovered from his senses, a lot of people were already gathered at his bedside.


    There were his friends, nurses and policemen.


    He had no idea what was going on. Baron lowered his body suddenly and said fiercely, "You better be honest when the policemen ask you questions."


    The man gaped at him in horror.


    His mind was totally blank. It was not until the police came and interrogated him that he finally recalled what had happened.


    The policemen had just finished talking to the injured when Jack arrived.


    Celine had stabbed him so seriously that the doctors needed to remove some parts of his spleen.

 Chapter 235 Work It Out

    Ron could put Celine in prison if he decided to sue her.


    Honestly, Jack didn''t know what the man had to do with Celine and her new boyfriend.


    He had intended to hand over the entire matter to his lawyer. The only reason he came over today was because Howard had asked him to.


    Howard had implied on the phone that this matter had happened in his villa and it was related to Celine.


    Since Jack had already meddled in this matter, Howard had asked him to come and solve the problem despite the fact that Jack and Celine had broken up.


    Howard had already informed him of the situation at hand. He knew for a fact that Baron was not able to solve it properly because of his bad temper.


    Baron was incredibly impulsive. He could do a lot of things without thinking them through. When Howard knew that Celine was the woman he brought that night, he decided to ask Jack for help.


    Given the mess they had gotten themselves into, Howard had no other choice but to ask Jack to come over to stabilize the situation at hand.


    After all, Celine used to be Jack''s mistress.


    If the problem was not solved properly, Howard would also be affected.


    The ward was buzzing with people when Jack had arrived.


    When Celine saw Jack,


    her eyes lit up, but after considering t


    e would explode if they didn''t tell her now.


    After thinking for a while, the lawyer smiled. "Please wait for a moment. I''ll go find Mr. Fu."


    She smiled back. "I''ll join you."


    Upon seeing his eyes flash in anxiety, Rachel added, "I really didn''t come here to cause any trouble. You don''t have to be so nervous."


    "Please follow me..."


    ''Forget it. I''m his lawyer, not his housekeeper.''


    Indeed, Jack was talking with Celine in private. As for what they were talking about, the lawyer had absolutely no clue.


    All he knew was that when Baron had gone into the ward, Celine came over to whisper something in Jack''s ear.


    He left with her right after.


    The lawyer was stunned that Jack was still willing to help his ex, especially after what they''d been through.


    The lawyer glanced at Rachel. She was wearing a straight face this entire time.


    Mixed feelings surged in his heart.


    Jack and Celine were standing very close to each other. He placed a hand into his pocket and leaned his body forward. A second later, he placed his other hand on top of the woman''s shoulder.


    They were still so far away that Rachel couldn''t hear them. At the sight, she stopped walking and stared straight ahead.


    The lawyer kept silent. The two looked incredibly intimate.

 Chapter 236 Its Unacceptable

    Rachel stopped. She saw that Jack had already placed his hand on Celine''s shoulder. From the looks of it, it seemed that Celine was leaning even closer into his arms.


    But Jack didn''t even avoid her. In fact, he was just standing quietly as if he was mesmerized by her appearance.


    Her heart ached at the sight.


    Without hesitation, Rachel strode over towards the enclosed space. The lawyer stayed right where he was. He didn''t even know what to do.


    He didn''t know if he should leave the three to talk to each other or stay just in case something might happen.


    Rachel moved steadily.


    She was so closed to the balcony door, but the two still hadn''t noticed her.


    Perhaps it was because of the fact that they were too engrossed with each other''s presence. Or it could also be because of the lightness of her footsteps that they didn''t notice her.


    Rachel raised her hand and knocked on the door.


    They turned their heads at the same time, paling at the sight. They looked like a pair of deer caught in the headlight.


    It felt like this was scene ripped off from some telenovela. It was as if she was the villain who had caught sight of the hero and the heroine. She clenched her fists.


    Rachel had remembered what she had said to Celine, believing that the woman in front of her wouldn''t be an obstacle in her marriage. Now, it seemed


    t be solved in a single day. She didn''t want to listen to him coaxing her while he continued helping his ex.


    Rachel thought that she wouldn''t care about any of this.


    She didn''t think that she would care so much about Jack, but the moment she stepped into her place, she burst into tears.


    Wiping her tears in a hurry, she rushed back the stairs. In her room, she felt safe and secured.


    Rachel didn''t have to worry about anything. There wouldn''t be anyone to laugh or mock the state she was in.


    Now, she could scream out everything she wanted to say.


    Although she had plastered a smile on her face a while ago, she knew that her heart was nowhere near happy.


    It was then that she realized how hateful she felt that she was Jack''s second choice.


    She had hoped that he would cherish her. She had hoped that he would act as if she was the only woman in the world, but that wouldn''t happen. That would never happen.


    In the end, Jack didn''t run after her. That fact pierced through her very soul.


    Rachel closed her eyes.


    She had no idea that Jack was also feeling the same type of desperation.


    Something about what Rachel had said to him made him freeze as if he was struck by lightning.


    When Celine saw that Jack didn''t run after Rachel, she smirked.


    It seemed that their relationship wasn''t as strong as she had thought.

 Chapter 237 Went For A Meeting

    Celine was pleased, but she didn''t step forward. She shouldn''t show her arrogance in front of Jack. It might send out the wrong message.


    She had already overheard what Rachel said. She was right to say that Jack still cared for Celine.


    Although it was hard to get Jack back now, she knew him very well.


    She knew if she continued to push herself towards him, he would continue pushing her away.


    As long as the man continued to care for her, she would do everything to disturb their marriage.


    The angrier Rachel was, the more distant they would be from each other.


    Celine would do everything to cause trouble in their marriage.


    She wanted to let everyone see how much of a hypocrite Rachel was. She wanted everyone to see her take off her mask. Celine wanted to expose her for who she was.


    Apart from her family background, how could Rachel even compare to her?


    Celine stood still, and her eyes flashed.


    In the next three days, Rachel''s life suddenly morphed back to what it had been like before.


    Jack and Celine didn''t show up on her doorstep.


    She would go to work and return home once she was off work.


    Although everything seemed to have gone back to the way it was, Rachel knew that the events that had transpired before this were not part of her dreams. However, she wished they were.


    Honestly, she was simply surprised that Jack didn''t follow her out that night.


    In fact, when she returned to


    e room. "Rachel, wait..."


    "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s going to rain in the neighboring province for the next two days. Don''t forget to bring an umbrella."


    Rachel warmed at his reminder. "Okay."


    It was not until the fifth day that Jack came. The bruises on his face were already close to disappearing.


    Although he had the key, he didn''t dare open the door to her apartment.


    Instead, with an uneasy heart, he rang the doorbell and waited.


    Five days had passed, and he didn''t know if Rachel was still mad at him.


    He didn''t wait for several days on purpose.


    When she had stalked out of the hospital, Jack wanted to catch up to her, but he stopped himself.


    She had been so angry that he had absolutely no confidence as to what to say. He was afraid that he might just piss her off.


    He didn''t want her to think that he was just trying to coax her. In fact, at this point, he was afraid that Rachel wouldn''t trust him anymore.


    This was why, instead of running after her, he stayed.


    Jack decided to calm himself down.


    Although Celine''s matter should be taken care of by then, Howard was still stubborn enough to beg for Jack to be there, just to confirm with the police that everything would be fine.


    Jack had agreed for Howard''s sake.


    However, Baron wasn''t happy with the decision.


    His woman''s business had nothing to do with Jack at all, so he didn''t understand why the man had to be dragged into this.

 Chapter 238 A Sleepless Night

    Although Baron thought so too, he knew that he had to be polite to Howard.


    "Thank you for your help, Mr. Wu."


    "You''re welcome."


    Howard was about to say something else, but was interrupted before he could speak once more.


    "Everything is fine here, now. You don''t need to worry about it any further."


    Howard''s face froze, and he suddenly looked awkward when he laughed.


    But Baron simply could not conceal the mark of impatience on his face. He glanced at Jack who stood beside him. "I can handle my girlfriend''s problem. No need for other people to get involved with it," he said with a smug expression.


    Embarrassment was written all over Howard''s face. Jack, however, remained unaffected and said something to Howard.


    Howard then nodded. Jack didn''t say another word, turned around and left them.


    Baron never expected that Celine would be so bold to do what she did while he was in the ward.


    She dragged Jack to the balcony where they were alone and had a good chat with him. She went there with him on purpose to make herself look pitiful in front of him.


    She was not doing anything sneaky or tricky when Rachel saw them together.


    She told Jack the story of her experiences after she left Ninwell City.


    She intentionally left out the details of everything that happened to her during those days. Instead, she focused on the parts where she suffered while living in another city.


    She admitted to feeling embarrassed that she had no choice but to date Baron so that she could have protection, support and safety.


    But she understood that if she only told Jack how much she regretted to leave him,


    all she''d get from Jack after her story would be disdain and a cold look.


    Thus, Celine''s approach was to imply that the reason why she experienced so


    hing from his family especially since she never did anything to hurt his family.


    It was true that she annoyed him a lot before, but he only threatened her so that she''d stop bothering him, but he never intended to do anything about it.


    And now, Celine had revealed tearfully how she was hurt by someone from the Fu family.


    Unfortunately, before he could go to his father and ask him about Celine''s story, Celine called him. When she went back to the hotel from the hospital, she found that all her luggage had been taken out of the room.


    And the hotel staff told her that they could no longer allow her to continue to stay there.


    And at almost the same time, someone called her to warn her to leave Ninwell City as soon as possible.


    These things happened before to her and Celine was sure that Jonathan was behind it.


    But Jack did not think that it was his father''s idea anymore. It had been several months already. Besides, his relationship with Rachel was getting better. His father no longer had the time to concern himself with another woman from Jack''s past.


    Maybe his father assigned someone to keep an eye on Celine, but his father had not updated that person yet. And so this person was still harassing Celine and was getting her rejected in Ninwell City.


    Unfortunately, everything was just a guess for Jack. He had to make sure of anything first before he could really take any concrete action.


    But he never expected that after the many things that he had to do, it wasn''t until early morning that he had the time to look for Rachel.


    So he drove to Rachel''s apartment daily and slept for several hours in the guest room until Rachel got back in the evening.


    And because he still had contact with Celine, it made him feel helpless about the situation.

 Chapter 239 A Furious Jonathan

    Given the current situation, Jack was afraid that the relationship between him and Rachel would be destroyed for good.


    In fact, the person who tried to drive Celine away from the city wasn''t sent by Jonathan, but by one of Baron''s ex-girlfriends.


    After Jack found out about this, he decided to let it go, as it had nothing to do with his family.


    The next day, Jonathan found that Celine came back to the city and was in contact with Jack again.


    This was why Jonathan wasted no time in calling Jack over.


    What pissed him off was the fact that he didn''t hear it from his son but from a passerby.


    Given that Jack and Jack emerging in public as a couple wasn''t a small matter, word got around pretty fast.


    A friend of Jonathan''s called him up to congratulate him.


    "Where have you been hiding your daughter-in-law?" the man said jokingly. Jonathan laughed. "We didn''t hide her."


    Tracy could hear her husband''s laughter from the balcony. She smiled and shook her head.


    After watering the flowers and plants on the balcony, she placed the watering can on the side and went ahead to wash her hands. The night wind brought a sense of heat from afar. The leaves of her plants swayed from the breeze as if waving at her.


    She smiled, pleased to see the fruit of her harvest. Noticing the withering leaves on some of the pots, she squatted down and quickly clipped them off.


    She placed


    ight made him cover his sleepy eyes.


    He adjusted his clothes in front of the window, gazing at his reflection. However, no matter what he tried, the clothes he was wearing were still wrinkled.


    Giving up, he decided to walk up to her home. After so many days, he finally had the courage to come over. He stood on her doorstep and knocked on the door.


    He had already prepared for her initial rejection. Jack straightened his back and closed his eyes, praying that she wouldn''t be as harsh to him.


    However, no matter how much he knocked on the door or rang the doorbell, she still didn''t answer.


    Soon enough, fifteen minutes had passed.


    Still, no one responded. After standing for a while, Jack decided to input the password. The door clicked open.


    After hesitating for a while, he pushed the door.


    There was a shoe rack next to the entry way. Jack initially had no intention in observing what shoes were displayed on the rack,


    but something caught his eye.


    He froze. Why were their men''s shoes on the rack?


    Who would visit her this early in the morning?


    With his hands clenched, he stalked in and surveyed the empty living room.


    He didn''t realize that he looked like a wolf patrolling around his territory.


    However, as he searched the room, he found no traces of another man living here.


    He glanced at the kitchen to see it almost untouched. Didn''t she get up yet?

 Chapter 240 Be Woken Up

    Jack raised his head and looked upstairs. Then, he began walking up.


    At the same time, Rachel arrived at the hospital exactly ten minutes before they were scheduled to leave.


    When she arrived, the supervisor was taking attendance and arranging everyone who was taking part in the conference and training.


    After greeting each other, they all got into the private bus and headed straight to the airport. They were scheduled to arrive in the neighboring province at 9 am.


    On the way, Rachel idly looked down at her phone, wondering if Eric would wreck her house while she was gone.


    Just as she checked the time and was about to turn off the screen, she received a text message.


    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat in anticipation, but when she saw that it was just a promotional message, she frowned in disappointment.


    What had she been looking forward to, anyway?


    Seeing that one of her colleagues was coming to talk to her, she turned off the phone and raised her head to chat with that person.


    The truth was, Rachel had forgotten that she had blocked Jack''s number that day.


    Since his number was in her blacklist, she wouldn''t receive calls or messages from him even if he tried to contact her.


    Meanwhile, at Rachel''s house, Eric was very sleepy after taking a shower.


    He threw his bath towel down, slumped into the bed, and fell asleep in less than a minute.


    When Jack reached the landing of the second floor,


    he heard loud snoring coming from one of the rooms.


    For a few moments, he froze, feeling as if his


    achel had already arrived at the airport and was waiting to board the plane.


    She glanced at her watch and frowned in confusion. "Didn''t you go to bed?"


    "Yes, but a dog barking woke me up." He lied through his teeth and threw a challenging glance at Jack.


    But Jack just stared back indifferently. Then, he reached out, signaling for Eric to hand over the phone to him.


    However, Eric was unwilling to cooperate with him. He pretended not to see Jack and asked, "Anyway, where are you now?"


    "I will cross the security check in ten minutes. What''s wrong? Why did you call me?"


    "Nothing, nothing. I just wanted to talk to you."


    Jack''s eyes darkened a little, but Eric continued fearlessly, "By the way, is there anything wrong with your mobile phone?"


    Rachel didn''t understand why Eric was asking her such random questions and had half a mind to tell him to hang up and go to bed.


    Nevertheless, she answered, "No, there''s nothing wrong with my phone. What''s the matter?"


    Eric held the phone in front of Jack so that the latter could clearly hear Rachel''s answer.


    Unexpectedly, Jack snatched the phone away from him!


    Suddenly, Rachel heard Eric say, "Give it back to me!" "What did you say?" she asked suspiciously.


    ''What''s going on with him?'' she wondered.


    As soon as Jack got his hands on the phone, he stood up from the chair and rushed outside. Eric immediately rushed after him, but Jack slammed the door close and locked him inside the room.


    He angrily pounded at the door and asked Jack to let him out.

 Chapter 241 I Will Sort It Out

    Eric huffed in anger. If he had known that Jack would do this to him, he wouldn''t have been so arrogant.


    Rachel, of course, had heard the noise and suspected that Eric wasn''t alone.


    But since there had been no response from the other end of the line for a while, she didn''t know whether to wait or hang up.


    As Jack walked away from the guest room, he cast a scornful glance at the door.


    When he reached a quiet place, he finally put the phone to his ear and nervously whispered, "Hey. It''s me."


    Rachel froze for a moment. The man she had been waiting for had finally contacted her.


    She took a deep breath and asked indifferently, "Why are you there?"


    "I couldn''t find you anywhere." Jack sounded upset. "My calls weren''t going through to you, and you didn''t reply to any of my messages."


    Rachel had a retort on the tip of her tongue, but, suddenly remembering that she had blocked Jack''s number a while ago, she swallowed her words.


    "Well? Do you have anything to say to me?" she asked, changing the topic.


    "Where are you going?"


    Jack asked in a low voice. He sounded a little pathetic, as if he was being bullied.


    However, Rachel didn''t buy his act at all. "Have you settled the matter concerning Celine?" she asked directly.


    "Yes, I have," Jack replied in a hoarse voice. It seemed that he didn''t even dare to speak at a normal volume.


    Rachel laughed derisively. "You can''t even talk to me confidently?"


    By now, she knew him well. If he spoke to her in a pit


    and smiled.


    At that moment, it finally began raining. It seemed that the weather in this city could be highly capricious.


    The host of the conference was the president of the local health department. Seeing that everyone was surprised to see the change of weather, he paused for a moment and explained to them with a smile, "This is nothing. It will get even worse. But don''t worry too much. Rains come quickly, but they also leave just as quickly, especially in the summer."


    He was right. Just moments later, the rain intensified, splattering against the window panes.


    Rachel was absorbed in taking notes when suddenly, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw a familiar name pop up.


    After her previous phone conversation with Jack, she had unblocked his number again. This time, she had received a message from him saying, "It''s raining."


    For a second, she felt dazed. She looked out of the window subconsciously, as if looking for him outside.


    But realizing that Jack couldn''t be here, she shook her head and laughed at herself.


    Then, she turned her focus back to the conference. Seconds later, however, her phone buzzed again.


    Jack sent her another message saying. "Don''t forget to carry an umbrella."


    ''Did he also come?'' she wondered involuntarily.


    But he couldn''t have. Even if he had followed her to the province, he couldn''t have found out where she was exactly.


    ''He must be omnipotent. He knows it''s going to rain even from afar,'' she thought dryly.

 Chapter 242 Hitched A Ride

    The host was right. The rain stopped before noon.


    But when Rachel walked out of the conference room, the sky was still overcast.


    It seemed that it would rain again at any time. Rachel had nothing to do, so she was thinking about whether to take a walk around or go back to the hotel and rest.


    Since it might rain again, she decided to choose the latter. After all, she had no plan of strolling around under the rain.


    On the other hand, Holley didn''t hold back. She had already planned everything before coming here, so she wouldn''t want to miss the opportunity to explore the place despite the bad weather.


    Holley invited Rachel, but since they were not familiar with each other yet, Rachel didn''t feel comfortable being with her. She felt like they had different personalities, so she would rather walk around by herself than be with her.


    So while Rachel had decided to go back to the hotel, Holley and the others discussed where to go.


    Rachel and Holley were going to live in the same hotel room, so she planned to said goodbye to Holley before she went to the hotel. However, Holley was busy talking with the others and didn''t notice her.


    She thought it wasn''t necessary to bother them, so she turned to go to the elevator. But after taking a few steps, Holley asked, "Rachel, would you like to go with us?"


    Rachel stopped and turned around. She shook her head and refused politely with a smile. "No, thanks. It might rain again, so I''ll


    nveyed an unspeakable grievance.


    "I''m back home. I didn''t drink."


    Seeing his message, Rachel felt relieved.


    She couldn''t deny the fact that she was still worried about Jack.


    ''Why should I care? It doesn''t matter, anyway,'' she thought.


    Rachel was about to close her eyes when her phone rang. Feeling annoyed, she sat up and took it.


    She angrily looked at the screen and saw Jack''s name.


    Without a second thought, she removed her phone''s battery and put it in her bag.


    Finally, she was able to sleep well. She had even forgotten her plan to call Holley.


    It was already almost dawn, so she was really sleepy.


    However, tonight seemed to be a sleepless night for her.


    At four o''clock, Rachel was awakened again. She heard some giggling and laughing voices inside the room.


    She wasn''t sure if Holley had come back already, but she could hear two distinct voices.


    The sound was coming from the other bed, and it was loud enough to awaken anyone.


    Aside from the laughter, she could also smell alcohol in the air. Rachel was about to sit up when she heard some moans from the other bed. Her body stiffened.


    Didn''t they know that there was another person in the room?


    The moans and kisses sounded wild. Rachel felt embarrassed, so she called out, "Holley?"


    There was no reply. It was either her voice was too low, or Holley was too absorbed in what she was doing.


    Rachel suddenly got out of the bed and turned on the light.

 Chapter 243 Harassed

    When the light was switched on, it felt as if the entire world paused around Rachel.


    Rachel turned her head, surprised at what she had seen.


    She first thought that Holley took a man back with her, but the other person was a woman too.


    Rachel didn''t know the woman.


    The entire room reeked with strange perfume and cheap alcohol. The other woman glanced at Holley. She was flushed in embarrassment. "Why didn''t you say that there is someone else here?"


    It was obvious that Holley was extremely drunk. She raised her hand and covered her mouth.


    When she finally came to her senses, Holley smiled at Rachel casually as if nothing had happened. She motioned to the woman sitting right beside her. "Please don''t mind. This is my friend."


    The woman laughed strangely. From the way they were holding each other, Rachel understood their relationship.


    Without another word, she immediately started to pack up her things.


    Holley frowned, disoriented as to what was happening. She immediately slid off the bed and gazed at her. Although an exaggerated smile slid into her lips, her eyes were cold.


    a year since the event happened, but Vicky would never forget what she did.


    Although she warned Rachel yesterday, she didn''t make things clear as to what she had really done.


    A part of her was afraid that Rachel wouldn''t trust her.


    Then again, Vicky thought it was also a good thing that Rachel didn''t take this matter seriously. If Holley might do something to offend Rachel, then the former would be in big trouble considering Rachel''s family background.


    The next day, she accidentally overheard that Rachel changed her room that night.


    It seemed that Holley tried reaching out for Rachel! She raced over here to confirm it.


    Rachel thought that what Holley had done was just an accident, but it seemed that she already had a history of doing these things.


    Now, she was wondering whether she should tell the director about this.


    Harassing other colleagues was unacceptable.


    Just as she was thinking about it, Director Yu approached Rachel. She was told that Rachel had changed her rooms, and she wanted to ask her why.


    Rachel didn''t even hesitate as she told her what had happened.

 Chapter 244 Console Himself

    Director Yu had a talk with Holley. She shouldn''t build a habit of taking a stranger into her hotel room, especially when she wasn''t alone. Not only was it disrespectful for her roommate, but it could also give complications that neither of them would want.


    Rachel didn''t bother to listen in on their conversation. Instead, she made her room transfer permanent and made sure that she didn''t bump into Holley in the future.


    However, given that they would be working in the same place for the next few days, she wasn''t sure if she could promise herself that.


    Rachel called Eric to inform him of her abrupt change of schedule.


    As for Jack, she already made up her mind that she wasn''t going to text him.


    Knowing nothing of the change in schedule, Jack thought that he could finally apologize to her once she returned.


    In the past two days, he had already thought it over. Whether he cared for Celine or not, since he had already chosen Rachel, he shouldn''t be involved with his ex.


    Jonathan had already been furious when he found out about Jack and Celine. He wagged his finger at his face and snapped, "If you really can''t forget that woman, then the least you can do is not slap that fact in Rachel''s face! She doesn''t deserve any of this! You''re a bastard!"


    Jack wanted to defend himself,


    share this with you?"


    Holley smiled, looking like a spoiled child.


    Rachel sighed and nodded. It wasn''t as if she could push the woman under the rain. It would just be too cruel.


    "Thank you," Holley exclaimed.


    Rachel didn''t say anything in reply.


    They were led into their respective dormitories. They were quickly separated according to their gender.


    Rachel already knew what to expect. Given that Holley slipped under her umbrella despite there being many others who had their own umbrellas, she definitely had something to say.


    Once they were safely under the shade, Rachel lowered her umbrella and closed it, shaking off the remaining raindrops.


    As she placed the umbrella by the door, Holley walked in.


    Now, she was sure that Holley would like to have a word with her.


    Rachel was ready as she stiffened her posture and gazed at her.


    What she didn''t expect was to receive an apology.


    "Rachel, I''m really sorry for what happened the other night!"


    Holley bowed her head as she flushed in embarrassment.


    "I was drunk. And I was so hung over that I couldn''t apologize properly the next day."


    She scratched her head awkwardly. "I was supposed to apologize to you yesterday but then..."


    Rachel was stunned. She didn''t expect that Holley would actually apologize to her.

 Chapter 245 Play A Trick On Eric

    Rachel remembered the way Holley looked at her on the bus. It was like she was Holley''s prey.


    Holley stood for a while before saying embarrassingly, "Rachel, please forgive me."


    "Huh? What?" Rachel pretended to be in a daze for a short while. She then put on a cold look and said with a faint smile, "It''s alright."


    Holley deliberately ignored Rachel''s coldness and continued to cling on her intimately.


    But before she could speak again, Rachel pulled her arm away. The smile on Holley''s face froze for a few seconds, and then darkness flashed across her eyes quickly.


    However, she acted to feel hurt, so when she raised her head, her eyes filled with tears.


    "Rachel,


    I''m sorry." Rachel opened her mouth and apologized, "I''m sorry. I just don''t like being so close to anyone."


    Holley had been ready to act well, but she was interrupted by what Rachel said.


    She pulled her hand awkwardly and said, "Sorry, I''m just a little sensitive."


    "You don''t have to be so cautious," Rachel said. "I don''t think you should be ashamed of who you are."


    Holley''s eyes lit upon hearing Rachel''s words. She pursed her lips without saying anything.


    Over the past few days, Jack''s car had frequently parked in the same location outside the hous


    ned up the sofa.


    A few moments later, the living room went back to its original look. Jack impatiently looked at his watch, hoping that Rachel would come back sooner.


    After cleaning the whole living room, Eric took the quilt and brought it upstairs to his room.


    He then collected the dirty plates and glasses. The kitchen was also in a total mess.


    For Eric, being in disarray was just a normal thing.


    But this was Rachel''s house. He could only mess up with things here because she was not around.


    If Rachel came back and saw this, he would definitely be in trouble.


    At half past ten, Eric had finally finished cleaning up the last pile of garbage.


    Jack was just watching him impatiently.


    When everything around the house looked okay, Eric collected his dirty clothes and rushed to the laundry room. If Rachel saw his dirty clothes, she might throw them all away.


    He dumped all his dirty clothes into the washing machine and pressed the start button. Now he was completely relieved.


    He leaned against the door frame, looking exhausted.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Jack squinting at him.


    He turned to him and asked lazily, "What else do you want?"


    Jack walked up to him and asked, "When is Rachel coming back?"

 Chapter 246 Misunderstandings Between Us

    Eric gazed at Jack strangely. "Don''t you know?"


    "About what?"


    "Nothing." Immediately, Eric smoothed his hair, trying to cover the smirk on his face.


    Jack frowned. "What''s wrong? Tell me."


    It seemed that Rachel didn''t bother to tell him of her abrupt change of schedule.


    ''No wonder he came here early in the morning. He doesn''t know that Rachel isn''t coming back today. They must''ve had a fight,'' Eric thought.


    Now, he just felt sorry for him. ''Is Rachel going to dump him?''


    He crossed his arms over his chest. "You broke up with each other?"


    Jack sneered at Eric''s comments. "I won''t give up that easily."


    Eric scoffed. "Do you even know Rachel? You may not be ready to give up, but I don''t think she is the same."


    His words were like bullets through Jack''s heart. His face hardened, and he didn''t say a word.


    The noise from the washing machine was the only sound echoing across the household. Eric stared at the machine for a while before he turned to Jack.


    He gazed at the floor. Not being able to take it anymore, he looked up at him.


    "Hey!"


    Jack raised his head, indicating that he was listening.


    Eric turned to look at Jack. After a few minutes of contemplation, he continued, "Are you going to wait for


    spoiled child who was begging for his mother to come home.


    Rachel''s mouth twitched. "If everything goes well, I''ll be back the day after tomorrow."


    As they chatted, he could clearly feel the distance and coldness between them. He tried his best to put everything back together before, but it seemed that their relationship had been pushed further apart. It was all his fault.


    Upon facing Rachel''s coldness, he felt helpless.


    Just when he thought he could have his own happy ending, he had to go ahead and screw it all up.


    Honestly, at this point, he didn''t know whether Rachel would forgive him after what he had done. He could only hope for the best.


    Rachel sighed, breaking the silence. "Aren''t you tired of calling?"


    He smiled bitterly. "Well, it''s my mistake, isn''t it? I should make up for it."


    Rachel licked her lips. A part of her wanted to ask him if he had already made up his mind, but she felt that it wasn''t a good idea to talk about it on the phone. "Look, if there''s nothing else, I''ll hang up."


    "Wait!" He finally got through to her. He wasn''t going to let her hang up before he could say anything else.


    "What? Is there something you want to say? I have a packed schedule tomorrow, so I need to sleep early."

 Chapter 247 The Rescue

    Her voice was calm and indifferent, but as she stared at the mirror, she could see her eyes were filled with expectations and hope that they could go back to the way they were.


    Seeing herself so hopeful, Rachel shielded herself from the mirror and diverted her attention towards something else.


    "Be careful, okay? Don''t get wet and catch a cold."


    She pinched her bed sheets, trying to stay calm. "Okay."


    After she hung up the phone, Rachel turned and threw herself onto the bed. She gritted her teeth, annoyed by her own feelings.


    ''I already said that I''d teach him a lesson, and look at me!''


    It seemed that she had already fallen for him all over again.


    Rachel cared for him so much more than she had expected. In fact, when she heard his voice, a part of her wished he was here right in front of her. She had already fallen right into his trap.


    Now, she didn''t know what to do.


    The next morning, they learned that a nearby village was submerged in the flood.


    The rescue was going on full force, so all the activities they had planned out for the day were suspended.


    Due to the emergency, they might even need to buy tickets and head back to Ninwell City in advance.


    A few minutes later after they were informed of the case, there happened to be a landslide in the village nearby. An injured old


    There were dozens of men from the village who joined the team to excavate the wounded.


    The rescue mission was arranged orderly. Some of them were assigned to help the wounded, build temporary tents, and search for injured bodies.


    Soon enough, it was already noon. Rachel''s hands were soaked with rain water and mud. Her nails were covered with dirt. Her hair was stringy and flat against her back. Blood and mud stained her clothes.


    Everyone looked the same.


    Holley, who was also a mess, handed her a bottle of water. Rachel''s eyes widened.


    "Here. Take it," she urged.


    At that moment, Rachel couldn''t help but feel ashamed of herself. She took the water from Holley. "Thank you."


    "You''re welcome." Rachel wiped the sweat from her forehead as Holley smiled bitterly. "I can''t believe we''re crazy enough to suffer like this," she joked.


    Rachel smiled. "We''re just doing our best." She took a sip of water. "As long as I can save one life now, that''s more than enough."


    Hearing what Rachel said, Holley snorted.


    Deep inside, she didn''t want to join the rescue.


    Life was precious. Even doctors should care for their own safety.


    It was a lie to say that they chose this at their own free will. In fact, they were scared out of their wits. Only a fool would rush in unaware of the consequences at hand.

 Chapter 248 Jack Came

    Holley never wanted to came here,


    but she found it hard to escape the team''s influence. After a period of hesitation, she reluctantly gave in to their goading and agreed.


    If she decided to quit, she would be the only one who wouldn''t join the rescue.


    Even though most would not dare say anything about it, nothing was so certain when they left.


    Holley regretted that she allowed herself to agree to follow them there, but she made sure not to show a hint of regret to the others.


    Rachel slumped down on the stone bar behind her. She felt so tired that she didn''t care whether it was dirty or not. She stared at the bottled water in her hand, and felt moved by Holley''s thoughtfulness.


    She felt ashamed by her first reaction of feeling wary of Holley when she first came over.


    She realized that some small acts of kindness could easily move some people in the kind of environment that they were in.


    But the feeling did not last long for Rachel. They had to eat quickly and then continued to focus on tending to the wounded patients.


    Their priority was to set up some tents so that they''d have a place that could be better prepared for helping others who were in trouble.


    None of them had ever experienced anything like it before. The long line of wounded children melted their hearts and made each one of them feel sad.


    Most of the wounded victims were the elderly and children. There were also some injured middle-aged couples who stayed in their hometown.


    Some of the injured aged people who waited for medical aid were soaked in the rain before getting there.


    Rachel set up a tent with another member of the same team. They then moved the badly injured elderly victims in there with the others.


    She felt exhausted after she completed a lot of the tasks. Her clothes were wet and they had already stuck to her body making he


    right now?" Jack said in a tone that sounded more like a command than a request.


    "Can the two of you stop torturing me?" Eric complained to Jack helplessly. "Why don''t you just go to her and see her personally? Or are you actually interested in me?"


    "I''m worried about her. So, I wanted to know when was the last time that you tried to call her," Jack said.


    "Why? What''s wrong with her?" Eric asked. Panic started to build up inside him after he heard Jack''s words. "What''s going on, Jack? I will call her now!"


    He wasn''t talking nonsense anymore and called Rachel.


    As soon as Eric ended the call, Jack''s phone rang once more. It was a call from Austin.


    Jack closed his eyes to try and refocus himself. He then massaged the middle of his eyebrows with his fingers. A moment later, he picked up his phone and answered the call.


    "Mr. Fu, I have fixed your flights and have also obtained your plane tickets. The driver will be at your home very soon," Austin said right away as soon as Jack answered his call.


    "Okay," Jack replied flatly. "What about the other thing that I asked you to check?"


    "I don''t have any news yet."


    "Okay." Jack knew that all he could do at that point was wait.


    He went downstairs and then called Eric once more. "So? How did it go?"


    At that point, Jack hoped that Rachel simply deliberately blocked his calls once more, which would explain why he was unable to connect with Rachel.


    Eric sounded confused from the other end of the call. "I can''t get through her. Are you able to get any information? As to what happened to her?"


    Eric''s response made Jack feel even more worried. His heart sank right away. He knew that he couldn''t make any hasty decision before he figured everything out. He understood that he could only temporarily comfort Eric. "Don''t worry. I will go and see what''s going on there."

 Chapter 249 In Chaos

    Jack got into the car and began scrolling through his messages,


    all of which were about the incident in the neighboring province.


    Unlike the news on the Internet, most of these messages containing pictures and videos were sent to him directly from on-site,


    and they were far more shocking.


    Jack clenched his phone anxiously as he tried to assure himself that nothing would happen to Rachel and that she couldn''t have gone to such remote places.


    However, the fact that he had yet to receive any update from the hospital made him feel afraid that something unexpected would happen.


    Just when he was about to board the plane, he finally received a call from the hospital.


    "Mr. Fu, Rachel and her team members went to the site yesterday morning to administer first aid. However, we haven''t been able to get in touch with them since..."


    Jack was so shocked that the rest of the other party''s words were drowned by the ringing in his ears.


    After a few seconds, he finally came back to his senses and heard the person say, "We have just found her. She is being sent to the hospital for emergency treatment..."


    Jack''s face turned deathly pale, and he was so overwhelmed with panic that he had to hold onto the armrest on his seat to steady himself. When he glanced at the time and realized that there was still ten minutes left before he could bo


    n''t get along with each other. I''m leaving."


    Just when she put her hand on the doorknob, Celine suddenly shouted, "Wait!"


    Tracy paused.


    "Why don''t you ask them? Ask them if they''ll ever have a baby," Celine said maliciously.


    Upon hearing this, Tracy frowned in disgust. ''This woman is so vicious.''


    She opened the door and stepped out, not bothering to reply. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, however, she heard Celine continue, "I guess you don''t know about it. Jack has done a ligation operation for me."


    Tracy stiffened and looked back in disbelief. "What?"


    Celine''s heart was pounding. By now, she had nearly lost all her reason.


    Her eyes were as dark as a beast lurking in the dark as she smiled and pulled herself up. "I said, Jack has done a ligation operation."


    As she spoke, she raised her chin like a proud peacock.


    "He had the operation three years ago! He promised me that he would never have a child with any other woman except me."


    The last sentence was a lie, but Celine couldn''t help herself. Anyway, just the fact that Jack had done a ligation operation was enough to strike back at this woman.


    For her, it was a fatal blow!


    Tracy turned around and stared at her coldly. "It''s not funny to make up such stories."


    However, Celine just laughed. "You can ask your son if you don''t believe me."

 Chapter 250 Rachel Got Through Danger

    Tracy said nothing more and slammed the door behind her. Celine''s smile disappeared as she sat back.


    She wasn''t as calm as she appeared to be. She had only blurt those words due to her agitation.


    It was just supposed to be a secret, but now, she spread it to Tracy.


    At this point, Celine didn''t know what to do next.


    She held back her anger and took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to be humiliated like this.


    Jack, on the other hand, quickly signed all the papers provided to him. He returned the pen to the nurse standing next to him. "Thank you," he said hurriedly before walking off.


    The nurse stared at his retreating figure.


    She couldn''t stop herself from swooning. "He''s hot."


    Another nurse snorted behind her. "He''s married, you know." "What? How do you know?"


    Four hours had passed since Rachel had been sent to the hospital. The rescue team had found her under the collapsed house.


    She had been buried for nearly a night. Luckily, it wasn''t made of bricks and cements like the houses back in the city. She didn''t suffer from any fatal injuries. However, it didn''t mean that she left the scene unscathed.


    Her body was filled with bruises and scars from the wood that had fallen on top of her. In fact, the materials fell on her back, knocking her out. When she was sent to the hospital, she was in a coma.


    The doctors said that it was


    g as they finally might have the chance of returning, Rachel stopped crying. "I have no choice. Jonathan already said that he is only free today."


    "What the hell does he mean by that? If they really wanted to help, then they..."


    "Hey!" her father quickly interrupted. "Don''t say those words in front of Rachel. Don''t you know she can understand us? No matter how hard they try to make things difficult for me, I will be grateful to them as long as they are willing to help.


    After all, I''ve done something wrong too."


    Her mother sighed. "I don''t think you were wrong. Everyone has his own choice..."


    Rachel finally opened her eyes as her mother''s voice echoed through her mind.


    She had been dreaming about her past.


    In fact, it was so clear that she almost felt as if she was that young again.


    It was the last time they ever saw each other. The memory of the dreaded car accident lingered in her mind.


    It had been years since she even thought of the car accident. It was one thing she was okay not remembering.


    If her mother hadn''t protected her, then they would''ve all died.


    Rachel lied in the bed, finally able to pull herself back to reality. Sure enough, she could feel pain running through her system.


    Her own heartbeat and her pain were proofs enough that she was alive.


    Rachel squinted her eyes, feeling as if the whole room was spinning around her.

 Chapter 251 Jack Was Scolded

    Maybe Rachel was suffering from a concussion. She closed her eyes, trying to relax herself. Suddenly, she heard the door open. When she opened her eyes, she caught her breath. Was she dreaming?


    Jack froze for a second when he saw that she was awake. He came over to the bed, staring at her. It was as if he had just seen an angel. His mind was blank, and his Adam''s apple bobbed up and down, trying to get any word out.


    After the near-death experience she just had, all her conflicts with Jack dissipated completely. "You''re here," she said, her voice hoarse.


    When he heard her voice, he couldn''t help but stretch out his hand. His fingertips grazed her face. His thumb slid down from her eyebrows to her plump lips.


    Jack swallowed, blinking rapidly as if he had just been in a dream. A smile played on the corners of his lips. "You''re awake?"


    "Why are you here?" she asked. She couldn''t believe that he was the first person she could see after all her sufferings. Her heart wildly thumped against her chest.


    "I was worried about you, so I came."


    "They told you?"


    "I just felt that something was wrong. I didn''t know you were actually in danger until I inquired in the hospital."


    He bent over and kissed her on the forehead. His large hand went under quilt and held her hand firmly.


    of her past so vividly, that she had forgotten how much time had passed.


    Rachel remembered this particular scene in her head. However, Jack was nowhere to be seen, and Jonathan and Tracy looked much younger than they were now.


    She scrunched her eyebrows upon seeing the elderly man with greying hair.


    All of them surrounded her anxiously.


    In a flash, she could already feel the memories of the collapse resurfacing in her head. However, Rachel wasn''t in the best of mind still. Upon seeing Jonathan, she couldn''t help but blurt out, "Uncle Jonathan, why are you so old?"


    Jonathan''s eyes widened as he touched his face unconsciously. "What are you talking about?" There was silence.


    Soon, Rachel recovered, blushing at her latest blunder. "Oh...I was wrong."


    Jack''s mouth twitched as he tried his best to hold back his laughter. The old man bent over and examined her closely. "How are you feeling? Do you feel better?"


    "I feel great." Tracy squeezed her way in front of Rachel, staring at her lovingly. She reached out to ruffle her already tousled hair. "How could you not be hurt? The doctor said that..."


    Seeing the faces of the other two men, she quickly trailed off. "Forget it. As long as you''re good."


    Rachel squinted her eyes. Was the woman in front of her really Tracy?

 Chapter 252 A Strange Mother-in-law

    Rachel felt like she was in a strange place the moment she opened her eyes.


    She was like the main character who had been rebirth in a parallel space.


    Tracy had never been this protective and gentle to her in the past years that she had lived with the Fu family.


    At first, she thought that she was only dreaming. However, she had proven that everything was real when she heard Tracy scolding the father and son, "What''s wrong with you two? Why do you have to argue here? You are supposed to be taking care of Rachel."


    Jonathan lowered his head in embarrassment. He then apologized to Rachel immediately, "I''m sorry to disturb your rest. It''s my fault."


    Rachel''s mouth curved into a smile. Seeing these people right now in front of her really made her happy. She replied, "No, you didn''t disturb me. I still couldn''t believe that you are all here."


    The anesthesia was still taking effect in her body, so she seemed to have muddled thinking, but she looked cute. Bewilderment was written all over her face when she murmured, "Am I still dreaming?"


    Jack, who was standing behind his parents, couldn''t find a chance to squeeze in. Rachel rarely showed her innocent and soft side


    Looking at the floor blankly, she couldn''t help remembering her childhood.


    That time when she woke up and saw Jonathan and Tracy in front of her, she really thought that she went back to her childhood.


    The couple was the first people she saw the moment she regained her consciousness after the car accident.


    Rachel couldn''t remember what exactly happened during the car accident.


    When she opened her eyes, the Fu family were already standing in front of her.


    She closed her eyes, and what her parents had said to her echoed in her ears.


    Those old memories that she was trying to forget came back to her all of a sudden. Then some questions formed in her mind.


    Before that accident, they were on their way to the Fu family residence.


    She knew that they wouldn''t go there to attend a party or a social gathering. Her father was in a hurry to see the Fu family for an important reason.


    As far as she could remember, her father had had a favor to ask of the Fu family.


    Her mother was also acting strangely at that time. She seemed to see a hint of resentment in her eyes.


    However, Rachel wasn''t sure if it was really a part of her memory or just one of her dreams.

 Chapter 253 Everyone Has Secrets

    As Rachel was deep in her thoughts, she suddenly heard the door open.


    She craned her head, thinking that it was Tracy who came to visit her.


    However, she was met with a shadow of a tall figure.


    "Jack?" she called hesitantly.


    "Yes, it''s me." Hearing his voice, she sighed in relief.


    If Tracy was the one who would sleep here tonight, then Rachel would be up all night.


    Her mother-in-law might not be able to sleep comfortably in a small hospital bed.


    It wasn''t because Tracy was growing old. She was still very strong for her age. It was because it might be awkward for the both of them.


    If she woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to go to the bathroom, Rachel would be unsure as to whether she should wake Tracy up or not.


    Although Rachel didn''t know why Tracy suddenly changed her attitude toward her, she didn''t feel comfortable enough to say with her for a night.


    Fortunately, Jack was the one who would accompany her. Under the dark night, she could only make out the shadow of his face.


    "Why are you here?"


    "I''d be worried if I was not here to take care of you myself."


    Jack reached out to turn on the lamp on her bedside table. He quickly walked over and found a quilt in the cabinet.


    He str


    ncredibly bold. How could he have done such a bold thing?


    Tracy knew Rachel didn''t know about this. No woman would be so generous as to accept it.


    It was exactly this reason that made Tracy so flustered.


    She could already imagine how Jonathan would react if he knew about it.


    The reason why Tracy suddenly changed her mind toward Rachel was that she felt guilty.


    She just didn''t know if this was the right time to discuss this with her husband.


    However, if she didn''t tell him the truth, she didn''t even know how to deal with it.


    After thinking for a while, Tracy nudged the man beside her. "Jonathan?"


    "Eh?" he said sleepily.


    Tracy was already gathering up the courage to tell him until she heard his voice.


    Knowing that he was almost asleep, she silenced herself with a sigh. Maybe she could just tell him tomorrow.


    "Go to sleep," she just said.


    "Huh? What''s wrong with you?" Jonathan turned over with a frown. "Just say it. What''s wrong?"


    She wanted to go straight to the point, but she just didn''t know how her husband would deal with this information.


    ''Maybe after hearing the news, he''ll get so angry that he may fall ill,'' she thought.


    "Nothing. I''m going to sleep," Tracy snapped and turned over.

 Chapter 254 Made Their Own Decisions

    Jonathan shook his head with a smile.


    After a while, as Tracy was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard her husband calling out her name.


    She opened her eyes and frowned. "What''s wrong?"


    There was long silence before he finally spoke again. "Jack and Rachel are incredibly troublesome."


    It turned out that he was also concerned for them. Tracy''s heart rose uneasily as her sleepiness dissipated.


    The old man sighed. "Well, we can just agree to let them divorce if they truly wouldn''t get along with each other."


    Her eyes widened. "What? Are you sure?"


    "What else can I do?" Jonathan shrugged helplessly. "He isn''t young anymore. He might as well do what he likes."


    The woman gaped at him. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish blubbering for water.


    "Besides, Rachel is already a grown woman." He smiled. "We''re using him to make up for her loss, but look at the way he treats her.


    Don''t you think it''s just plain torture? Doesn''t she deserve better?"


    Tracy pursed her lips and tilted her head. "Do you know something?"


    "What? No." He shrugged. "I just thought about it now. Let them handle their own matters. They''re not children anymore."


    "That''s true." Tracy sighed. It was much easier to tell Jack what


    You can say anything you want."


    She thought for a while before asking, "How long have I been stuck there?"


    Rachel assumed that it must''ve been for a long time. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have passed out from the lack of oxygen.


    As she was being buried, she could still hear Holley''s voice. She had watched her as she was being buried.


    If she had left in time to look for help, Rachel wouldn''t have been buried for such a long time.


    Jack held her tighter.


    He didn''t reply immediately. Instead, he gazed at the rain outside with dark and brooding eyes.


    Seeing that he was silent, she poked him on the stomach. "What''s wrong? Don''t you know?"


    "Nearly twenty hours." At the thought of it, his heart filled up with sadness.


    It was a twenty-hour game of life and death. If the worst had prevailed, then Rachel wouldn''t have been here in his arms.


    Her jaw dropped. "What? Didn''t they search for me?"


    Jack pursed his lips. "They didn''t know you were missing."


    "What?" Rachel blurted out in astonishment. "How could they not know?"


    "Things were such a mess in the area. Everyone was busy doing their own thing. I heard that they thought you were just busy healing other patients, so they didn''t really mind your absence."

 Chapter 255 His Embrace

    No one knew why Rachel, who had been helping to set up the tent, had suddenly run to the collapsed building and got trapped under it.


    Her heart sank when she heard what Jack said. She asked, "There''s a girl named Holley in our team. How is she?"


    "Holley?" Jack asked. "I don''t know her."


    Rachel asked again, "Am I the only one who got injured?"


    "Yes," Jack replied.


    "How about the others? Is everyone okay?"


    "They are all fine."


    Rachel felt heavy in her heart. Something came into her mind but she couldn''t believe it.


    How could Holley do this to her?


    No matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn''t figure out the answer. There were no grudges between them, so she couldn''t think of any reason for Holley to do such a horrible thing.


    Did she want to take her life?


    Jack also didn''t know who took Rachel there, so he asked, "Why did you go there alone?"


    Rachel didn''t know what to say. She had no evidence, so she couldn''t just accuse someone. Perhaps there was only a misunderstanding.


    After all, Jack didn''t know how many people there were. Maybe he had gotten the wrong information.


    She tried to comfort herself by thinking that she would figure out everything when she got better.


    After pondering for a while, she replied casually,


    ut with the doctor because he wanted to give the couple a private moment.


    So when the nurse also went out, she silently followed.


    She closed the door so the couple would have privacy when they talked.


    But before she could totally close the door, she caught sight of Jack leaning over and giving Rachel''s forehead a soft kiss.


    His eyes were full of sorrow and tenderness at the same time. Tracy had never seen his son this way before. She couldn''t help feeling sad for him.


    She was worried about Rachel too. Somehow, she felt relieved that her blindness was just temporary.


    Rachel wasn''t used to the total darkness, so she was quiet for a moment. Her forehead suddenly felt warm, and her face turned a little hot.


    She slightly tilted her head to hide the shyness she was feeling, then she asked, "Has everyone gone out?"


    "They all left." Jack gently held her chin and looked at her. Then he said, "But I''m here."


    Rachel couldn''t say anything as his words brought warmth to her heart.


    He added firmly, "Don''t be afraid. I''ll always stay by your side.


    I will be your eyes until your vision is back." From her chin, his hand moved down to hold her hand gently. "Don''t worry about anything. No matter what happens, I''m here for you. Just tell everything you need."

 Chapter 256 Insomnia

    Rachel''s eyes looked sore. She turned her head to one side clumsily. "I got goose bumps all over," she complained.


    "Really?" Jack asked with a laugh.


    "Yeah!" Rachel replied in a tone of contempt. One corner of her lips rose up involuntarily.


    Jack smiled silently when he saw this. "Well, I was saying the truth."


    "Don''t say that to me again!"


    "I will say something like that in the future more often."


    Jack''s words made Rachel burst into a loud laughter. "Come on! Are you the same Jack I used to know? You are acting like a teenager now!"


    He raised a hand to touch the tip of his nose as he bent his upper body forward sulkily. "Don''t you know that it took me a very long time to finally have the courage to express such a confession?"


    "I know," Rachel said in a soft voice. She was surprised to hear the actual words even though she had expected it. She bit her lower lip and took a deep breath.


    Jack raised one of his eyebrows that gave him an inquisitive look. "What do you know?"


    She slightly lowered her head and looked serious. There was a slight blush of red on her cheeks and ears. "I know what you meant by what you said just now."


    Her sweet and awkward look made him feel crazy.


    He wasn''t able to stop himself from giving her a passionate kiss.


    Rachel flailed her hands randomly. She was so surprised by what Jack did that she wanted to stand up and stamp her feet in protest.


    But she felt amused and didn''t have it in her to stop him.


    Before they could spend more time on the kiss, someone suddenly knocked on the door and interrupted them.


    There was a lingering smile on Jack''s face when he opened the door. There was a strange yet beautiful woman at the door, and he had never seen her before.


    d ignored her when she screamed for help.


    Holley had spent hours pretending that she knew nothing of what happened, and then even joined the search and rescue team to look for Rachel.


    Rachel''s head started to ache as she thought about it. The blood vessels in her temples throbbed with the rise of her emotions.


    Vicky wanted to ask about the details of what happened, but when she saw that Rachel suddenly looked terrible, she instead asked, "Rachel, are you okay? Why do you suddenly look so bad?"


    She placed the cup on a nearby table, and reached out her hand to Rachel and was surprised to feel her cold hands.


    "What''s wrong, Rachel? Are you feeling okay?" Vicky asked in a worried tone.


    Rachel shook her head and took a deep breath. "It''s nothing. How could Holley...?" She abruptly stopped and smiled bitterly instead. "So, where is she now?"


    Vicky was silent for a moment before she answered, "She is back."


    Rachel decided not to think about Holley anymore.


    She didn''t want to abuse herself by torturing herself with the thoughts of Holley.


    Some of the volunteers were slightly injured from the rescue effort.


    And Holley was among those who were injured. According to the report, Holley was injured while looking for a child who snuck out.


    When the official rescue team had finally arrived on the scene, they had all withdrawn. Holley had gone with the group and traveled back to Ninwell City.


    If there was more to this matter and if Holley had any involvement in it,


    there was no way that she''d be able to escape.


    Vicky comforted Rachel and gently patted her back. "Save your anger. You should focus on your injuries and in getting better. Always remember that it is never too late to have your revenge."

 Chapter 257 The Truth

    Rachel didn''t know how to react. When she finally calmed down, she remembered that Holley had taken her to look for a lost child.


    That day, Holley said that she had learned the location of that kid''s house.


    While looking around, they lingered near the house that later collapsed on Rachel. It was made of bricks and had a roof held up by thick beams.


    There were two floors. The upper one was made of wooden frames that had broken down, soaked in the rain.


    The cracked walls looked as if they might collapse at any time under the continuously pouring rain.


    Rachel and Holley were just passing by that house when the former heard a child crying, but only for a second.


    She suspected that she had just imagined that sound,


    but she still told Holley about it just in case.


    To her surprise, Holley replied that she had also heard a child crying. The two of them walked around the house, but found no trace of the child.


    The rain intensified, making it harder for them to keep their eyes open, let alone find what they were looking for.


    Rachel was about to suggest that they leave when Holley suddenly said,


    "Do you hear that?"


    Rachel turned around and asked with puzzlement, "Hear what?"


    Holley pointed at the shabby room. "I heard some noise from inside."


    "Really?" Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Yes!" Holley exclaimed seriously. But as she hurried forward, she tripped and fell with a scream.


    Rachel quickly walked over and helped her up. As Holley got up,


    Seeing that Rachel''s left hand was bruised, Tracy gently touched it and said, "I can massage this hand for you. Is it okay for you?"


    The truth was, Tracy could end up doing more damage if she pressed too hard. However, Rachel didn''t want to disappoint her by turning down her offer, so she gently said, "You don''t need to massage it. The bruises will heal on their own. But you can just press them slightly."


    Seeing the polite and careful way Rachel was talking to her, Tracy smiled in approval. Then, she took Rachel''s hand in hers and gently pressed it. She suddenly remembered the first time Rachel had arrived at the Fu family''s house.


    "You''ve really grown up now. The first time I saw you, your hand was half as big as mine," she said with a sigh.


    Even though they had known each other for such a long time, they were not familiar with each other at all.


    The whole time Rachel had grown up in their house, Tracy had not reached out to her or tried to talk to her at all. What would Rachel think of her reminiscing about the past now?


    Just when she was starting to feel embarrassed, Rachel smiled and said, "Mom, there''s one thing I remember clearly."


    "What is it? What do you remember?" Tracy asked, thankful for the change of topic.


    Rachel''s eyes had been blurred and unfocused all this while, but when they turned to look at her, Tracy found that they were bright and clear, as if something had just occurred to Rachel. There was even a faint smile reflected in her eyes.

 Chapter 258 I Dream Of My Parents

    "I dreamed of my parents and my childhood."


    As Rachel mentioned her parents, Tracy couldn''t help feeling emotional.


    She wondered what Rachel dreamed. "About your childhood?" she asked.


    Rachel thought for a moment and replied honestly, "Yes. I dreamed something that I couldn''t remember in my memory."


    "What was your dream? Can you tell me about it?"


    Rachel fell silent for a while as if trying to recall her dream. Then she said in a low voice, "I dreamed of that day when we had a car accident."


    Tracy froze upon hearing what she said.


    Rachel couldn''t see her and thought she was just listening, so she continued, "I dreamed of that scene when my father was driving on the road going to your house. It was very noisy."


    A faint smile appeared on her face, but it also faded away quickly. "Then... when I woke up, you were already there beside me. I felt like I had come back to that time."


    Tracy also remembered the memory in the past.


    Perhaps Rachel didn''t know that the three of them were sent to the hospital immediately.


    Her father was the most seriously injured, so he died right away.


    Her mother''s condition was also bad, but she still got a chance to ask for help.


    She requested to call Jonathan''s father and entrusted Rachel to him before she passed away.


    Tracy remembered that when little Rachel woke up, she was in shock. She cried every night for half a month.


    As a mother, Tracy couldn''t stand seeing Rach


    she was not in her bed, and he heard some strange noises in the bathroom.


    Walking towards the bathroom, he couldn''t help thinking, ''Is Jack such a brute?


    He is not supposed to do it to Rachel.''


    However, when he opened the door, what he saw was way different from his imagination, so he laughed out loud.


    He raised his hand and touched his nose, then walked out. "Just continue what you are doing."


    With mouth slightly twitched, Jack took a towel and wiped the remaining bubbles on his eyebrows.


    Joy was written all over Rachel''s face upon knowing that Eric had come to see her.


    Even his voice sounded more adorable to her this time.


    So she urged Jack, "Let''s hurry up. Finish brushing my teeth now."


    A feeling of jealousy rose from the bottom of his heart. ''How can you be so excited just knowing that Eric is here?''


    But he just kept the thought to himself. He just continued to brush her teeth unhurriedly and said in a serious tone, "Stop acting like a child. I''ve already told you several times not to move.


    And stop talking." He knew that she would retort, so he already stopped her before she could speak.


    Eric turned back and leaned against the door. "Rachel, how are your eyes?"


    "She still can''t see now," Jack answered on behalf of Rachel while rinsing the toothbrush. After putting it back in the cabinet, he turned to her and guided her to wash her face. "Lower your head. The washbasin is right in front of you."

 Chapter 259 Temporary Blindness

    Rachel lowered her head and spat out the toothpaste foam from her mouth.


    At the door behind her, Eric stared at the back of her head, dumbfounded at the sight.


    Her glossy black hair had been shaved, and he could see the faint outline of scabs and bruises on her scalp. The back of her head had a gauze attached to it, just so it didn''t incur any infections.


    Eric''s nose twitched as he watched Jack take care of her as if he was treating a child. He took the towel from the rack and helped his wife wipe her mouth.


    Before Eric came here, Jonathan had already informed him of Rachel''s condition. The doctor had told them that she would temporarily lose her sight due to a clot pressing on one of her visual nerves.


    Her vision would be blurred for a while, but it wouldn''t be permanent. Today, she would have to go back to Ninwell City for further treatment.


    When he thought of how urgent Rachel''s condition was, Eric could feel his heart sink.


    Uneasy, he turned and walked away.


    After waiting outside for a while, Eric saw Jack taking Rachel''s hand and assisting her out of the bathroom as cautiously as possible.


    Eric couldn''t help but feel bad that he wasn''t there when she needed him the most.


    Rachel''s head turned anxiously as she tugged Jack''s arm. "Where is he?"


    "I''m here," Eric replied.


    Jack took Rachel in front of Eric before bringing out a chair for her to sit down. He glanced at his watch. "I''ll go downstairs to buy some


    .


    Although she wasn''t ugly, she definitely didn''t look her best. Rachel scowled, and he quickly quieted down.


    During the time they boarded and got off the plane, Rachel didn''t say a word to Eric. Every time she felt him close to her, she would huff and edge away.


    Jack had no idea what had happened between them during the time he bought some breakfast.


    However, when he saw how careful and silent Eric was around her, he couldn''t help but feel amused.


    To apologize, Eric quickly bought her a hat.


    Rachel took the hat and rubbed her hands around it, trying to get a feel of what it looked like. Eric had good fashion sense. He didn''t just buy any hat for Rachel.


    Instead, it was a neat baseball hat. It was subtle, and it also fitted her well. Due to this, she chose to forgive him.


    When they arrived to Ninwell City, they quickly headed to the hospital.


    Being in such a cold and distant environment, Eric wasn''t in the mood to laugh around anymore.


    There was always something about the smell of disinfectant around hospitals that made people worried and depressed.


    The Fu family''s bodyguards escorted her out of the car and into a special elevator that was reserved for important guests.


    Without another word, they were brought to a private ward.


    Everything was personally arranged by Jonathan.


    Given his status, the hospital made sure to pay attention to this distinguished guest and make sure she had the best care possible.

 Chapter 260 Ill Take Care Of You

    Not wanting to delay, the doctors already had a meeting regarding Rachel''s CT results before she was sent to the hospital.


    As a result, the doctors that were assigned to administer Rachel''s medications were aware of what to do. As long as she took her medicines on time, the blood clot in her brain would dissipate soon enough.


    Once she entered the ward, Rachel was arranged to have another thorough check-up.


    After the doctors quickly dressed her in a hospital gown, they quickly disinfected her.


    Rachel sat in the wheelchair as she was pushed to do the examination. Everything followed according to their schedule.


    She didn''t resist any of their process. At this moment, she could only hope that her results would bring nothing but good news.


    After her general check-up, it was time for her consultation. Soon enough, the results of her X-rays came out right away.


    The attending doctor was specifically requested by Jonathan. He was one of the best, if not the best, in his field.


    He sank into his seat and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he studied the results.


    Rachel sat quietly as her hands clasped together. She wasn''t nervous at all.


    She knew her own body very well. Ever since she woke up from that coma, she could feel that her body was already recovering day by day.


    However, Jack was far from calm.


    Every time


    ead and kissed her on her eyebrows. He was elated.


    The old couple of the Fu family hurried to the hospital once they got the news. When they arrived, Rachel was about to do a visual examination.


    Jack was waiting for them outside the door. They finally came over when she entered the private room.


    "Well? Have her eyes recovered?" Jonathan demanded.


    "She''s getting her eyes examined now, but she can see." Jack smiled.


    "That''s good."


    Tracy hit her husband on the shoulder. "I told you she''d be okay."


    Jonathan laughed sheepishly. "I''ve always been so worried about her. Well, can we see her now?"


    "What''s the rush!" Tracy snorted. "She will come out as soon as she is finished. You would just waste the doctor''s time."


    Holding back his anxiety, Jonathan turned and saw his son grinning from ear to ear. He patted his son on the shoulder.


    "Well, have you had enough?" Jack frowned, unsure how to respond. "Dad..."


    Jonathan wanted to say something else, but he found it extremely inappropriate.


    He sighed helplessly. "Never mind."


    Jack furrowed his eyebrows, unsure on what he wanted to say.


    Standing next to him, Tracy held her breath. After hearing what he told her that night, she felt as if she already knew what he wanted to say.


    Seeing that he finally stopped talking, she sighed in relief.


    Jack frowned. "Dad, what''s wrong?"

 Chapter 261 Did You Have A Ligation Operation

    Seeing that Jack intended to keep pursuing this topic, Tracy quickly put a stop to it. "Your father is worried about Rachel. Don''t ask any more questions."


    Jonathan hummed in agreement.


    Realizing that he might end up irritating his father if he continued to ask questions, Jack shut his mouth.


    Tracy glared at her husband and complained in her heart, ''Humph, you treat someone else''s child much better than you treat your own son.''


    But then, she remembered that Jonathan had once said that he wanted Jack and Tracy make decisions by themselves.


    A sense of anxiety rose in her heart as Celine''s words flashed in her mind. She looked at her son thoughtfully.


    She suspected it was true that he had had a ligation operation, but she had yet to ask Jack about it.


    For the past few days, Jack had been worried sick about Rachel since she was not in a good condition. Therefore, Tracy had suppressed her worries as best as she could so as to not make trouble for her son.


    But now that Rachel had recovered, Tracy thought it was time to ask him about it.


    When Rachel came out of the doctor''s office, Jonathan went up to her and started talking to her. Tracy decided to seize this opportunity and hurriedly took Jack out to the quiet balcony.


    "Mom, what are you doing? Why did you bring me here?" Jack asked in confusion. His mother rarely had such a serious expression on her face.


    As Tracy thought of the que


    in front of him and tease, "Back to earth, Jack."


    Jack suddenly jerked back to reality and grabbed her hand tight.


    Rachel''s smile faded a little. "What''s wrong with you?"


    Coming back to his senses, Jack forced a smile and said in a low voice, "Nothing."


    But the nervous look on his face and his strange behavior made it obvious that there was something wrong.


    "Did you do something bad?" she joked, crossing her arms over her chest.


    Jack frowned, and a hint of sadness quickly flashed in his eyes.


    "Would you believe me if I said no?" he asked seriously.


    He looked as if he was desperately looking for a lifeline.


    His question took root in the bottom of Rachel''s heart. Dropping all pretense of joking around, she asked seriously, "What''s wrong with you? Why are you acting so strange all of a sudden?"


    Jack forced a smile at her. "I don''t know either. I don''t know what''s wrong with me..."


    His promises and commitments seemed no longer trustworthy. Instead, he was always break his own promises.


    All his words turned out to be a joke.


    He wasn''t in the mood to find out who had told his mother about his ligation, but he already knew the answer in his mind.


    But anyway, it was not the right time to confront that person. He stayed up all night, staring longingly at Rachel''s face.


    The voice in his heart was getting stronger and stronger. He didn''t want to lose the woman in front of him.

 Chapter 262 Give Me A Chance

    Jack thought of his mother''s words.


    Tracy was right. If Rachel would decide to leave him, he had no way to make her stay, especially if she found out about the ligation.


    He was sure that it would ruin their relationship. To avoid such a thing from happening, he secretly contacted a private hospital as soon as he woke up the next day.


    He wanted the soonest appointment, so he could solve this hidden trouble as soon as possible.


    "What do you mean?" Rachel tilted her head and thought for a while.


    She really couldn''t figure out what Jack meant. "I don''t understand what you are talking about."


    "Nothing." Jack took a deep breath before he continued, "It''s just that... if we have conflict or misunderstanding again in the future, I hope we can calm down and solve the problem peacefully."


    The way he looked at her was so gentle and tender. He sounded a little embarrassed. "I know I used to be a bad husband. I''ve done a lot of bad things to you. But now, I''ll do my best to be a good husband. Rachel, please give me a chance."


    Rachel was taken aback as she didn''t expect his sudden confession. Her eyes widened in astonishment. Staring at Jack, she had a feeling that the man in front of her was a totally different person.


    "You..." She could only utter a single word. All of a sudden, Jack came to her and held her hands. His action made her more nervous and speechless.


    Her heart filled with sweetness and joy, but she was too shy to let it show. She turned h


    o men, but she couldn''t remember anything. She was really wondering why they seemed to be ready to fight every time they met.


    But she wanted to be fair to the two of them. They were both important to her, so she shouldn''t take sides.


    Rachel decided to leave them alone, even just for five minutes, so she went out of the room.


    Jack didn''t have any plan to argue with Eric. But when the latter saw that she jumped out of the bed and went out, he pointed at Jack and yelled, "You are a liar!"


    Confused by Eric''s sudden anger, Jack couldn''t say anything. Eric continued, "Don''t you feel ashamed of fooling my innocent and ignorant cousin?"


    Jack didn''t know what he was talking about. He was rendered speechless.


    When did he lie to Rachel?


    Then Eric added with a long face, "Stop playing dumb."


    Jack crossed his hands over his chest and finally said, "Don''t be so exaggerated. Sit down and talk to me."


    Eric sniffed, "Talk about what?"


    He reminded him patiently, "I am your cousin''s husband."


    Eric snorted.


    "Yes. As of the moment, Rachel has no plan of replacing me," Jack said casually. "So, what''s your problem? Just tell me, so we can solve it."


    Eric just stared at him, saying nothing.


    Jack''s tone was very gentle as if he was coaxing a child. "Look, every time there is a tension between us, Rachel will also be affected. We are both grown-ups, so why can''t we just talk things over? Do you want her to always feel nervous every time she is with us?"

 Chapter 263 Why Were We Fighting

    "Ugh!" Eric was about to scold Jack for his shamelessness. Hearing that Eric was cursing Jack,


    Rachel''s face immediately darkened. "What are you doing, Eric?"


    Eric immediately froze at the sound of her voice. He slowly turned around to see her standing by the door, looking displeased.


    When he turned back, Jack shrugged helplessly as if he had nothing to do with this.


    With pursed lips, Rachel pulled Eric out of the room.


    As Eric turned back, he could see Jack sitting by the bed with a small smile playing on his lips. It was as if he had been tricked. He gritted her teeth and let her drag him out of the room.


    She crossed her arms. "You''re already an adult, Eric," she lectured. "If you go out like this, what will others think of you?"


    "I...I didn''t really curse him!" he protested. However, Rachel wasn''t convinced. "Are you really lying to me? I just saw you yelling at him."


    Eric didn''t really know what to say.


    "Okay, so maybe I went a little too far." He finally relented.


    She gave up arguing with him. With a wave of her hand, she sighed. "You shouldn''t have done what you did. It''s not polite."


    "I just wanted to talk to him." At this point, he didn''t know if he could defend himself any long


    th her.


    Was her condition getting better?


    After all, right now, her symptoms had gotten more and more severe in the past few days.


    In fact, she had almost forgotten everything that had happened on the day of her accident. Although she could feel her memories flashing intermittently, they were simply flashes.


    "I remember picking up your call at the airport. You said something very childish."


    Jack scratched the back of his neck.


    "You did, but I didn''t say anything childish." He didn''t expect that the words he had expressed from the bottom of his heart would be considered childish to her.


    "Really?" She smiled. "I really don''t remember much. All I recall is that you sounded so childish."


    Jack asked tentatively,


    "So you remembered everything?"


    "The main parts."


    "The main parts?"


    Rachel crossed her arms.


    "Well, like that time when you didn''t follow me out of the hospital."


    "If I followed you, wouldn''t you get angrier?"


    "Huh?"


    At this point, Jack thought that she was acting more and more like Eric.


    However, he was glad that they could talk about this now. If Rachel could easily talk to him as to what had happened, then it meant that she could forgive him for what he had done.

 Chapter 264 Couldnt Remember It

    Fearing that she could recall unpleasant things, Jack quickly explained, "I mean, I didn''t really do nothing. In fact, in the days you didn''t respond to me, I waited outside your house and watched you when you go to work. I just didn''t know how to approach you."


    And then she had flown to the neighboring province without him knowing.


    At that moment, Jack regretted not approaching her sooner. If he had been able to apologize to her more openly, then he might have been able to stop her from heading to the neighboring province.


    If not, then he might have also been there with her when it happened. She could''ve been saved sooner.


    At this point, a myriad of thoughts flashed across his mind.


    He sighed.


    If he had apologized to her, would he have been able to stop her? Would he have been able to make it up to her?


    There were just some questions that were left unanswered. With her condition, it was best for them to rely on each other from now on.


    They were each other''s saving grace, more so than either of them knew.


    The Fu family made sure to not tell anyone about Rachel''s state. They didn''t want any reporters disturbing her as she inched towards her recovery.


    Given her situation, she needed to stay in the hospital for observation regarding her memories.


    Every day, whenever she woke up, she would alwa


    ttention to any of that.


    "It''s fate that we get to meet her."


    Bill raised his eyebrows, ask if asking for more clarification.


    Andy continued, "I don''t know if you know this, but there was one time I visited your cousin. He was in pretty bad shape. If it wasn''t for her, then your cousin would''ve died way before he was rescued."


    A playful smile edged into Bill''s lips. "Well, it seems that we''re destined to meet each other."


    She was good-looking. It was a shame that she had to marry so early.


    Andy didn''t know what the other was thinking, but he nodded. "I hope that she will recover soon."


    The news of her hospitalization had been concealed from everyone. Even Michael and Marcus had no idea what had happened until a few days after she had been discharged from the hospital.


    Jack didn''t plan to keep it a secret from them. He was just so busy that he had forgotten to tell them about it.


    During that time, he was too busy to engage with his friends.


    Michael and Marcus had no idea what had happened to Rachel.


    When they found out, they quickly planned to visit her as soon as possible.


    The only reason why Henry didn''t come to visit that time was because he had encountered some issues with his wedding.


    The unlucky man was busy with his own problems to pay attention to what was happening around him.

 Chapter 265 How Is She

    Henry was nowhere near Ninwell City, so he had no idea what had happened to Rachel.


    Ever since Rachel was discharged from the hospital, she stayed in her own house. Jack quickly moved in with her. After all, it was spacious enough for the two of them.


    Jonathan frowned at the idea. He actually wanted to take her back to the Fu family residence, but his wife quickly reminded him that they shouldn''t be disturbing such a happy couple.


    It was obvious that Jack needed some time with Rachel. With everything that was going on, he wanted to be by her side.


    After thinking for a while, Jonathan agreed. In fact, he even lived in Rachel''s house for two days.


    He finally left the house after his wife urged him two. However, before he left, he quickly hired two nannies and one nutritionist for Rachel.


    Several rooms in the ground floor had been cleaned. Two of them were for the nannies and the other one was for Eric.


    Knowing that Rachel might need more assistance and another familiar face to guide her, Eric quickly moved in. He didn''t care that Jack would also be staying there.


    Jonathan approved of it. He thought it was a brilliant idea if Rachel had her cousin to accompany her during these trying ti


    ive. He didn''t know that how good Jack was at creating a business deal. In these types of deals, Jack never lost. Now, he was beginning to understand why.


    Eric had become even more drunk after drinking more and more wine.


    How could he defeat these veterans on their very own battlefield? Without showing any emotion, Jack poured the wine for Eric.


    Michael and Marcus soon understand what he was going to do.


    Eric, however, didn''t noticed it.


    Jack knew how to make him drink more.


    Michael had no idea what the man''s real purpose was,


    but he simply sat back and enjoyed the show.


    Eric was just so silly that he didn''t know that Jack had set a trap for him.


    The wine would relax people''s nerves and make him drunk.


    Michael had already planned to spend the whole night there. They thought that Jack would keep them company.


    After all, they used to be like this.


    However, to their surprise, the bastard claimed that he was already drunk.


    Marcus was definitely not letting the man go that easily. After all, he knew just how much alcohol the man could take after being with him for so long.


    There was no way he was drunk now! Marcus snorted, rolling his eyes. "Hypocrite! Are you a coward?"

 Chapter 266 The Birthday Party

    Marcus'' words failed to goad Jack in surrendering. Rubbing the space in between his eyebrows, Jack sighed. "I''ve been exhausted lately."


    Michael snorted. "And why is that?"


    Eric was the only one who knew exactly why Jack was so tired.


    "He has been taking care of Rachel," he stated proudly.


    Eric patted Jack''s shoulder. He didn''t notice the smile that carved into his lips.


    Rachel was half asleep when the bed sank. The smell of alcohol wafted across her, and she couldn''t help but wrinkle her nose.


    "Did you drink?" she murmured.


    Jack''s eyes widened. "Is the smell that strong?"


    He made sure that he took a shower before coming to bed in fear that the smell might cause her to vomit.


    Rachel slowly opened her eyes, yawning. "I have a good nose."


    She tapped her nose to emphasize her point. "It''s not that strong though. Did they leave?"


    Jack pulled her into a kiss. "No, they''re still in the living room."


    "Why did you leave them?"


    "Eric is with them right now."


    "Eric?"


    "Yes. There''s no need to worry about them. Let''s sleep now."


    Michael and Marcus had initially planned to drink with Jack. However, Jack decided to run away and let Eric serve as his scapegoat.


    Eric''s head hurt so much in the morning from all the drinking he did. In fact, it took him a


    "You deserve this crap! What else do you want, man? This is the best we can give you."


    Someone else laughed. "Frank, he was angry that we''ve prepared fireworks for him.


    He wanted a hot woman."


    Frank snorted. "Sorry, dude. Next time I will."


    Johnny blushed in shame. He threw an empty bottle at the man.


    "Fuck you asshole!"


    he scolded.


    Rachel couldn''t help but shake her head as the other girls in the yacht hissed in disgust.


    Standing next to her, Jack pulled a long face. He couldn''t believe that these bastards were talking nonsense in front of his wife.


    After the fireworks, the waiter came over to set up the table.


    The planned to roast some seafood tonight. In addition to the materials they had taken out, they had also fished a few things during the afternoon.


    The barbecue was big enough for all the things that they''d caught.


    Rachel was thinking how it was possible to make barbecue on the ship. She didn''t expect that they would bring out an electric griller.


    The men rolled up their sleeves and went to work. The scraped the scales and removed the internal organs from the fish''s bodies.


    They also brought some meat with them.


    The girls looked at the knife and the meat, not knowing how to slice it.


    They stood aside, unsure on how to help the men.

 Chapter 267 Nice Work

    Now, the men were all busy. They didn''t hire a chef because they wanted to cook for the birthday celebrant by themselves.


    It was their way of showing their sincerity.


    The women also offered to help. They tried their best to slice the meat properly, in fear of being despised.


    However, they were really not good at cutting meat. All of a sudden, Frank came over and saw the meat in different shapes and sizes. He exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing?"


    The woman with the knife blushed and pouted, "We all can''t do it."


    As a mean man, Frank always said whatever he wanted to say. So when he examined the meat in the plate carefully and realized that it was such a failure, he said angrily, "Why can''t you slice it well? Haven''t you even thought of checking Google for a proper way?"


    For him, what he said was just normal. He didn''t care if it could hurt someone. But since women are sensitive in nature, tears welled up from the woman''s eyes after hearing what he said.


    Rachel heard the woman''s cry.


    Johnny, who was enjoying a slice of cake, stretched his neck to see why there seemed to be a commotion. He then came over and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    When the woman saw that he was approaching, she swiftly turned around and wiped the tears on h


    She was very careful in cutting the meat into even slices.


    Johnny looked at the plate and picked up one slice with a chopstick. He then exclaimed, "Nice work!"


    Rachel didn''t react to his praise. Instead, she asked, "Do you want more?"


    Johnny and Frank looked at each other first before the former answered, "If you don''t mind... can you slice all of it?"


    The beef in front of Rachel was more than 3 kilograms. It quality was even better than Kobe beef.


    She continued slicing the meat while Johnny was carefully watching her. He was so amazed by her cutting skill.


    He thought that she was really a wife material.


    Jack just stood there quietly, but Johnny knew that he always cared about his wife and was very protective of her.


    Finally, when Rachel finished slicing the meat, she got a chance to be alone.


    Johnny, who had drunk some wine, came up to dissipate the smell of alcohol from his body.


    As he was getting closer to the deck, he noticed that someone was standing alone in the dark. Instead of leaving, he came closer out of curiosity.


    Rachel heard the footsteps behind her, so she turned her head.


    Johnny''s handsome face was a little flushed because of alcohol. He leaned against the railing and looked at her with curiosity.

 Chapter 268 Truth Or Dare

    "Hey, how old are you?" Johnny asked. It was probably because of the alcohol that he became bolder. As he faced the woman in front of her, he couldn''t help but be overwhelmed with curiosity.


    "Why did you ask?" Rachel asked.


    He shrugged. "I''m just curious. You''re really young."


    In fact, she was far from being the hottest woman in the yacht. She didn''t have that much of an enchanting face. At the sight of Rachel, Johnny couldn''t help but wonder what Jack saw in her.


    "I''m twenty-four."


    "Twenty-four?" Johnny raised his eyebrows.


    "So you''re not that much older than me. How did the two of you meet?" He turned over to lean against the railing, glancing over at her with questioning eyes.


    Rachel gazed into his eyes and pursed her lips.


    "You ask so many questions, don''t you?"


    she commented, but she wasn''t the slightest bit annoyed. Seeing this, Johnny became even more interested in her.


    He looked down to see that Jack was standing there with his friends. A smile slid into his lips. "Come on, I''m just curious."


    "Well, we grew up together." Rachel made no secret about it as she shrugged. "We knew each other ever since we were children."


    His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Wow, so you''re practically childhood sweethearts."


    Given the way that they stared into each other eyes, he could tell that they truly did fell in love with each


    s a room they could rest in at the back. She was so exhausted that she walked back first.


    Other people were still obsessed in their games. Some of them were playing cards while the others were throwing their dice.


    They had four hours left till sunrise. When Rachel stood up and left, Jack''s gaze followed her. He pulled Michael over and gave his set of cards to him.


    "What are you doing?" Michael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Michael followed his friend''s gaze. When he saw what was happening, he teased, "Oh, she must be angry. You better comfort her."


    Jack pretended to be confused. "What are you talking about? We''re good."


    Michael burst into laughter and patted Jack''s shoulder. Without another word, the man turned back to his set of cards.


    The other three men on the table laughed. "Jack must be so whipped."


    Michael snorted with a grin.


    Rachel was walking back to the room when Jack quickly caught up to her.


    She yawned.


    "Are you cold?" he asked.


    She yawned again and shook her head. A smile tugged across her lips. "No, I''m just sleepy."


    As the ship moved with the waves, Jack reached out to hold her hand. His thumb grazed across her skin.


    Feeling her warmth against him, he smiled. "I''m a little sleepy too. Why don''t we go back and get some rest?"


    She raised an eyebrow. "You don''t want to play cards with them?"


    "No."

 Chapter 269 Went Back To Fu Family

    There was a small bedroom in the yacht. Although it wasn''t that big, at least the bed was comfortable to sleep.


    Rachel was already yawning, so she immediately went to bed. Jack set the alarm clock first before he lay down beside her.


    She was already half asleep when she heard the waves slowly hitting the yacht. Jack caressed her forehead and whispered in her ear,


    "I only had one girlfriend. And I only have one wife who is you."


    Holding back her laughter, she buried her head in his arms.


    It was already five o''clock in the morning. The sea was calm, overcast with the bronze sky.


    Almost all of the people in the yacht had gotten up.


    A few moments later, they were all gathered on the deck.


    At half past five, the sky became clearer as the sun was starting to rise from the east.


    Johnny stepped on the railing and leaned forward to take a photo of the beautiful sunrise.


    The sound of the waves was so soothing, and the chirps of birds reverberating in the whole island were music to the ears.


    Everyone silently watched the sun slowly coming out through the clouds. They all gasped in astonishment at the sight of the beauty of nature, as they continuously took photos of it.


    Jack was there too.


    After taking many shots, he took a step back and examined the photos in his camera. Feeling satisfied with his photography skill, he walked up to Rachel to show them to her.


    They stood behind everyone while s


    aged woman arrived at their doorstep. She introduced herself as Henry''s grandmother, and she was there to talk with Lea. Henry was currently at his parents'' home.


    She didn''t give Lea a cold shoulder, but she didn''t have a friendly attitude either. She said that her purpose in coming over was to see how they were doing. Fortunately, it was only a short visit.


    After sending her off, Lea immediately felt an unspeakable sorrow in her heart.


    Based on her words, she could tell that Henry''s grandmother had no idea about their relationship.


    She was even surprised to know that they had already gotten married and that she was pregnant.


    To feel a little better, she decided to call Henry to tell him about his grandmother''s visit.


    He said that the Qin family was still having some issues. His aunt''s problem hadn''t been solved yet.


    From the tone of her voice, he could tell that she was really anxious, so he comforted her and booked the earliest flight back home.


    But Lea''s father had already found out too.


    When Henry entered their house, the atmosphere inside felt weird.


    He was surprised to see Lea''s father and two brothers sitting on the sofa.


    Lea was seated in an armchair too. His gaze turned to her, and she gave him a desperate look.


    He hung his coat and greeted them, "Hi, Dad. Hi, guys."


    The way he called Lea''s father "Dad" sounded so casual, but the look on everyone''s face didn''t look good at all.

 Chapter 270 Talk About Lea

    The atmosphere in the living room was terribly awkward.


    It took Henry a few moments to finally realize why Lea''s family had suddenly come.


    Since the Qin family was quite big, they had a lot of relatives in different places.


    So although they kept it secret, the news about their marriage immediately reached his grandmother.


    Since the news shocked her, she didn''t waste any time. She contacted Henry''s parents and talked to his father to know the whole story.


    No one knew what was going on in her mind when she only said, "You can deal this situation by yourselves."


    Henry''s parents looked at each other. Perplexity was written all over their faces, thinking what the old lady meant.


    While they thought that it would be better to inform Henry about it, the old lady spoke again. "Where is that woman now? I need to see her."


    Henry''s father was afraid that she would do something unpleasant, so he suggested, "Mom, let me go with you. You might scare her."


    The old lady knew what he was worried about. She retorted in an annoyed tone, "What do you think I will do to her? Henry is my grandson. Do you think I''m too old and useless to deal with this?"


    Henry''s father couldn''t help frowning after being scolded by his mother. But still, he explained, "Mom, that''s not what I mean. That woman hasn''t met any of our fa


    nking that she must report to Jack, she took her phone and dialed his number.


    Throughout her stay in the Fu family, she had always thought that Jonathan was in charge of everything, and Tracy was just an obedient housewife.


    After all, he was the one who handled and resolved all family issues.


    She never expected that he was a submissive husband when he and Tracy were alone.


    The next morning, Rachel observed the couple while they were having breakfast, and she confirmed that they had both gone back to normal.


    After breakfast, she sent a message to Jack. "Everything is back to normal."


    After just a short while, he replied, "Thank you, my dearest wife."


    His sweetness brought warmth in her heart.


    She raised her hand to touch her face, knowing that she had blushed.


    When they finished exchanging a few messages, she accompanied Jonathan outside for a walk as part of their daily routine.


    And when they came back to the house, she was surprised to see two visitors.


    They were a middle-aged man who looked quiet and a cute little boy.


    The moment Rachel entered the house, the little boy rushed straight into her arms like a cannonball. His father stood up from the sofa and shouted anxiously, "Mendes!"


    But the boy just ignored him. He was so excited to see Rachel, who he hadn''t seen for a long time.

 Chapter 271 Mendes Came

    Rachel opened her arms immediately to welcome Mendes, but she was surprised that the boy slowed down as he got closer to her. He slowly threw himself into her arms and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly in return.


    "Rachel!" he exclaimed affectionately as he embraced her tightly and pressed his chubby cheek into her waist.


    Rachel was both surprised and happy to see Mendes. But she never noticed that Jonathan was not as happy as he used to whenever he saw Mendes.


    Instead, he glanced at the kid''s father briefly. When their gaze met, Dylan Xu immediately tried to avoid it.


    At least he seemed to be restraining himself. Despite the years, he was getting cheeky now.


    Rachel crouched to level her face with the boy and talked to him.


    At the same time, Dylan Xu walked to Jonathan and greeted him. "I''m sorry that we were unable to inform you in advance of our coming."


    Jonathan smiled faintly and ushered them towards a seat with his arm. "Please, have a seat." But he then thought to himself, ''But you did anyway.''


    If Dylan didn''t arrive with Mendes in tow, Jonathan would have driven him out of the house at the first chance he''d get.


    Jonathan felt sick of Dylan. Even though his feeling towards Dylan had nothing to do with the child, he didn''t feel the same fondness towards Mendes that he had before.


    "Why don''t we go upstairs?" Jonathan suddenly suggested.


    Dylan''s eyes lit up. "Okay," he replied while nodding.


    He turned around and took a few steps forward. His son suddenly called out to him from behind, "Dad, where are you going?" The bo


    mplicated than expected.


    No one expected such a dramatic thing to happen to her. That day, the two families had a meal together. They were talking about the date for the wedding.


    At this moment, Henry''s aunt arrived, and she had her boyfriend with her.


    Surprisingly, Lea suddenly recognized Henry''s aunt and her boyfriend as they approached.


    When Lea was at the age of seventeen or eighteen, there was a time when she decided to play truant. She was at a rebellious age and she drank a lot and went to bars.


    Lea''s father was away at that time and had to travel back a long distance after he learned what his daughter had done.


    He scolded her severely and cut her allowance.


    He spoiled his daughter, but had no choice to be strict with her after what happened.


    Lea had no choice but to admit her mistakes and ask for her father''s forgiveness.


    Her father decided to give her another chance. He moved her to another school and prepared some extra-curricular classes for her that she needed to complete during her spare time.


    One of the extra-curricular classes was oil painting.


    The oil painting teacher was young and handsome. His eyes become more beautiful when he smiled.


    He was only a few years older than Lea. She immediately fell in love with him.


    And since she was a girl of action, she did every method to seduce him.


    Unfortunately, because he was a young man with a reserved and gentle personality, he found it hard to push back her advances.


    It was not long when Lea''s charms became too much for him and he fell down helpless at her feet.

 Chapter 272 A Mess

    At that time, Lea didn''t have any relationship with anyone.


    The man she had been with was gentle and kind. Although they were in love, they weren''t as intimate with each other as they could''ve been. In fact, the most contact they had with each other was when they held each other''s hand.


    That was Lea''s first love. The inexperienced girl couldn''t help but think to herself on how to take their relationship to the next level.


    Before she could, his so-called girlfriend showed up.


    Until now, Lea couldn''t find it in herself to think of that torturous memory. It would forever sit in the back of her closet, and she would never find it in herself to look into it ever again.


    How was she supposed to know that she would see them again many years later?


    The young and handsome teacher didn''t change.


    The one next to him was also no stranger to Lea. She was the one who stomped into the painting class and smashed all her canvases. Not only that, but she also called her a slut.


    It really was a small world.


    Lea stood beside Henry, hearing him call them "Aunt" and "Uncle."


    It felt as if her entire world had frozen over.


    The couple also recognized Lea. The man''s eyes widened in surprise, but that was it.


    The woman was also shocked in seeing her.


    In all honestly, Lea wasn''t the third party in their relationship. In fact, Alice was just another one of Greg


    hoto to him. "I found this."


    He took it from her. "Where did you find this?"


    "Some envelope." She shrugged.


    "It''s an old pictures of your parents." He sighed. "It''s been so many years."


    Rachel wiped the stray tears that trailed down her cheeks and avoided his gaze.


    Jonathan winced, regretting that he brought it up.


    "I have some more photos of your parents if you want to see them," he offered.


    Her face brightened. "Really?"


    "Why would I lie to you?" He smiled.


    Jack had returned home at dusk. Evening glow settled around the skies as he walked down the pavement.


    Rachel was pulling the hose from the left side of the garden to the right. Just as she was half way through, the hose pulled back.


    When she tried pulling it again a few more times, it still wouldn''t budge. It seemed that something must be blocking it at the other end. When she turned around, she saw the man around the corner. He was smiling mischievously.


    She paused and turned around. Seeing that she didn''t seem to notice him, he frowned.


    Just as he took a few steps forward, Rachel turned around. She had already turned the hose on and directed the flow of water at him. His face was drenched as her laughter echoed across the garden.


    The two entered the room in a mess. Tracy stared at them in astonishment. "Where have you been? Why are you wet? Are you both out of your minds?"

 Chapter 273 Visit Lea

    After returning to their room, Jack and Rachel looked at each other and burst into laughter.


    Jack had used to be a person who would always remain cold and impassive, no matter the situation. But recently, he felt that he had become a little crazy when he was around Rachel.


    After laughing, he caressed her delicate face with his long fingers.


    He sighed. "I must be crazy." All of a sudden, he took her face in his hands and gave her a deep kiss.


    Their lips crashed and their tongues entangled with each other. As their kiss deepened, Jack felt a fire burning bright at the bottom of his heart.


    His hands slowly traveled down her body, circled around her slender waist, and embraced her tightly.


    After a while, Rachel pulled back slightly to catch her breath. She was not as shy as she had once been to avoid this kiss. Leaning against his chest, she raised her head and looked at him with her bright eyes. "Don''t you feel like you''re kissing a man?"


    Jack raised his hand and gently rubbed her new hair that was short and soft. It was much shorter than even a buzz cut.


    "Well, you do look like a tomboy," he said with a laugh. This time, he dared to tell her the truth.


    Rachel pouted her lips and flicked his arms to show her displeasure. "Let me go," she said sharply.


    But of course, Jack couldn''t let her go. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "I missed you so much."


    Rachel wrinkled her nose unaffectedly. "I didn''t miss y


    e as calm as she looked on the surface.


    "Slow down, Lea,"


    she said again, worried about the baby in Lea''s belly.


    Maybe Lea was only being this active because her belly wasn''t that big yet.


    Once they entered her room, Lea said, "Don''t be so worried. I''m not as fragile as a porcelain doll, you know."


    Everyone around her, including Henry, kept worrying about her and advising her. It had been driving her up the wall!


    Lea had actually bought a lot of books to read and already learned everything that pregnant women should keep in mind during their pregnancy.


    How could she not care about her own child? Of course she did! So, she couldn''t help but be annoyed when others tried to advise her on how to behave.


    However, she couldn''t complain either. After all, they were only advising her because they cared about her that much.


    "I know what I am doing. Ever since I became pregnant, everyone just keeps nagging at me. I just want to catch my breath," Lea added, rolling her eyes.


    Rachel shook her head helplessly. Suddenly, Lea noticed something out of the ordinary and squinted at her. "Why are you wearing a hat?"


    Then, before Rachel could react, she lifted the hat off Rachel''s head.


    When she saw Rachel''s short hair, she was so shocked that she almost let out a scream. "What happened to your hair?"


    Rachel had no choice but to tell her the truth. "I hurt the back of my head, so they had to shave my head for the treatment."

 Chapter 274 Go Shopping Together

    Lea was worried and a little mad at Rachel. "Why didn''t you tell me? Let me look at your wound."


    She obediently turned to let Lea take a look at her head. The wound had healed, and there was nothing wrong with it.


    Lea felt sorry for her. "Why weren''t you more careful? Was it serious?"


    "I''m fine. It''s not a big deal." Rachel was only half lying. She quickly changed the topic before Lea could ask for more details. "Come on, let me see your belly."


    Lea said, "There''s nothing to see."


    Rachel poked her belly, but there was nothing different.


    She sighed slightly, "Time flies. I can''t believe you''re going to be a mother."


    Lea was reading a book. Hearing Rachel''s words, she snorted. "You can have one if you want."


    Rachel didn''t respond to her comment, but asked, "Are you free right now?"


    Lea put down the book and rubbed her forehead. "How can I be not free? I''m so bored."


    She was being forced to stay at home for the past few days. Her father was not allowing her to leave.


    Her mind was in a whirl, so she obeyed her father''s orders.


    She read parenting books at home every day, preparing to be a good mother.


    It hadn''t been easy for her to get her phone back either. Lea was thinking about going out somewhere with Rachel when


    intended to find a quiet cafe to relax.


    As soon as they walked out of the restaurant, Lea took out her phone and her expression changed.


    She picked it up and started talking. After a while, she burst into laughter and said, "Okay. Send me your address. I''ll be right there."


    Once she hung up, Rachel asked, confused, "Where are we going?"


    Lea stroked the surface of her cellphone and stared at the ground. The corners of her mouth turned up and she waved the cellphone. "Alice wants to see me."


    Rachel frowned slightly. "She wants to see you?"


    "Interesting, isn''t it?" Lea asked with a smile and put her phone back inside. "Let''s go. I''d like to see what she has to say."


    Before, she did not know how to face Alice.


    But now, she was not afraid of her.


    She didn''t know what was wrong and why Alice wanted to see her. But Lea wasn''t afraid.


    Maybe she could even avenge herself for what Alice had done to her.


    Rachel was still worried. "Don''t go! What if she does something bad to you?"


    Lea replied, "I can''t hide from this woman forever. She asked to see me, so why not?"


    "Isn''t it better to inform Henry first?"


    Upset, Lea swung her arms like a spoiled child. "Don''t say a word to him. Come with me. I also want to talk to her."

 Chapter 275 Came Into Conflict

    Rachel failed to persuade Lea, so in the end, she agreed.


    Anyway, she had heard that Alice had been forced to stay at home, so how could she come out now?


    On the way to the cafe, Lea pondered about why Alice would want to meet her all of a sudden. Was Alice really afraid that she would get back together with Gregory?


    She just couldn''t understand why Alice was so paranoid about her relationship with Gregory, which had happened years ago, not to mention that they hadn''t even been in love with each other. How could they rekindle their relationship?


    Although Rachel agreed to go with her, she still secretly sent a message to Jack to inform him of their whereabouts.


    She was afraid that something bad would happen, especially considering that Lea was pregnant.


    When they walked up to Alice in the cafe, the latter''s face changed. She hadn''t expected two people to show up. However, she just glanced at Rachel before fixing her eyes on Lea, her heart filled with envy.


    The first time she had met this little girl, she herself had been as beautiful as a blossoming rose.


    After so many years, her face had gotten older.


    But now, Lea had grown up into a beautiful woman with charming facial features.


    Seeing Lea like this made Alice feel even more uneasy.


    Her fear that Lea had come to take revenge grew stronger. Otherwise, how could Lea be in a relationship with Henry? It was too much of a coincidence.


    Lea sat down and asked, "Why did you want to see me?"


    Alice hadn''t expected her to be so direc


    orward, but Rachel was blocking her way.


    All of a sudden, tears began streaming down from Alice''s eyes, and she said hoarsely, "Take it back!"


    Lea looked at her in a daze, but Alice shook the broken shard of porcelain in her hand and shouted again, "You take back what you said just now! Do you hear me?"


    "Okay, okay! Yes, I take it back. Please calm down," Lea said hurriedly.


    She was so tense that she didn''t even realize which words Alice was asking her to take back.


    Alice glared fiercely at Lea, and then threw the shard away and stormed out of the cafe.


    The onlookers all made way for her. Once she was out of sight, Lea turned around and cursed, "She''s fucking insane!


    Rachel, are you okay?"


    Rachel took a deep breath and nodded. "I''m okay."


    For a moment, she had been frightened to death that the broken shard of porcelain in Alice''s hand would scratch her face.


    Finally, one of the waiters stepped forward and looked at the mess of broken porcelain on the floor.


    He said nervously, "Hey, are you both okay?"


    "Yeah, we''re okay," Rachel replied. Then, after taking a glance at the mess on the floor , she shot the waiter an apologetic smile. "We''re sorry to cause so much trouble."


    The waiter smiled back awkwardly, not sure how to reply. Rachel added, "Please clean it up. I''ll pay for it."


    "We''re sorry for all this trouble," Lea said as well.


    The waiter finally nodded and relaxed. He waved his hands and said, "It''s no trouble. But please move a little so that we can clean it up."

 Chapter 276 A Car Accident

    When Alice left and the crowd gradually dispersed, Rachel and Lea went to the counter to pay for the damages.


    But they suddenly heard a loud noise outside.


    Shocked, everyone turned their head to look outside. One of the waiters ran outdoor to check what happened, then hurriedly went back to report what he saw. Nervousness was all over his face as he stammered, "There''s a car accident. It''s the woman who has just left." He then turned to Lea and added, "She is the woman that you have talked with just now. Would you like to go out and have a look?"


    The white Maserati Alice drove was rammed by a roaring BMW down the road.


    The driver might have lost control and swerved towards the road lamp. Then a truck crashed into its back.


    The scene looked terrifying. The Maserati was askew towards a telephone booth. Its bumper was badly damaged since it hit the road lamp, and the tail that was hit by the truck was sunken.


    The door of the passenger seat was open. The woman in the driver''s seat was still awake, but her face was covered with blood. It seemed that she was also in shock.


    She raised her hand and touched her forehead, and when she saw the blood, she looked terrified.


    Lea, who was standing outside, called her name anxiously, "Alice! Alice! Are you all right? Alice!"


    Dumbfounded, she turned her head and saw Lea''s worried face. Instead of answering, she just pressed her lips as blood continued to gush from her forehe


    he worried about Lea, so she said in a low voice, "Can''t we just stay? Lea is still here."


    Jack replied, "It''s inappropriate for us to stay. Lea is now a member of the Qin family, so she has to be here. Don''t worry. Henry will protect her."


    This time, Lea helped Jack to convince Rachel to leave. "Henry and I have something to deal with too. You should go now and have some rest. I''ll just see you tomorrow."


    Rachel frowned and said helplessly, "Don''t be too impulsive, okay? Don''t forget the baby in your belly."


    Lea laughed. "Don''t worry too much. I will be careful."


    Finally, they left the hospital. But instead of going back home, Jack decided to drive to a hotel.


    After checking in, they went out to walk around the city.


    It was already dark, so Jack thought of having dinner.


    However, he felt that Rachel was still preoccupied. Thinking that she was still worrying about Lea, he asked, "What''s the matter? Are you still worried about Lea? We can go back to the hospital if you want."


    Rachel turned to him with a bright smile on her face. "Haven''t you told me that they need to solve their family problem in private? I''m not worried about her anymore." But then, the smile on her face gradually dissipated.


    She took a few steps forward and stretched. Looking up to the darkening sky, she said, "My home was not far away from this city."


    Jack was a little stunned. It took him a few seconds to understand what she meant.

 Chapter 277 All Has Been Settled

    Jack could remember that Rachel once lived in a city in the north, but couldn''t remember which city it was.


    He took her hand. "Do you want to go back and take a look?"


    Rachel slowly shook her head. "No. There''s nothing to see."


    Besides, ever since her house had been confiscated, it had been constructed and renovated by the government.


    Now, it was a park.


    The home that she had lived in for a few years was no more. Even if she went there, all she could see were swings and slides that would only serve as a reminder of what she had lost.


    Jack wondered why she had suddenly remembered her home. Was it because this city was close to her home?


    Seeing the sadness encrusted in her gaze, he decided to divert her attention. "Didn''t you say that you wanted to renovate our kitchen last time? We can start the renovations once we come back.


    Do you have an idea on what theme we could follow? We could draw it up ourselves."


    Rachel''s mouth twitched at the sudden change of topic. "I don''t plan on renovating it now. It''s just too troublesome," she complained.


    To her surprise, Jack only grinned wider. "Have you finally remembered it?"


    She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean? The kitchen renovation? I didn''t forget


    snorted. "Fine, show them to me then."


    Seeing that he wasn''t buying it, the man couldn''t help but be a little bit anxious. He glanced at the other men cautiously.


    The man beside him was slightly chubby. Although he looked calm, there was undeterred fury flashing in his eyes.


    "You''re telling us you didn''t plot anything during the land bidding?" the man asked coldly.


    Jonathan''s face changed, but he didn''t say anything.


    The fat man grinned. "You''re telling me right now that the Fu family had no involvement in this manner? You are the one who caused their death! If not, why would my brother be in such a hurry to ask for your help?"


    He didn''t stop from there. "It''s the Fu family who killed them! Well, do you have anything else you want to say?"


    Jonathan closed his eyes as he tried to steady his breathing.


    He scowled and turned to his bodyguards. "Get them out."


    The two men''s jaws dropped at the order. They didn''t expect that he would throw them out just like that. As they were being taken away, one of them yelled, "Jonathan, is this how you hide from all your problems, you son of a bitch! Don''t pretend to be such a saint! We know what you''ve done. We know what you''re capable of. Drop the act, you murderer!"

 Chapter 278 Did You Have A Nightmare

    In the end, the two men were taken out of the place. Seeing this, their wives hurried after them in panic.


    It wasn''t until they were out of sight that Jonathan finally saw Rachel standing by the door. Her glassy eyes stared at him in a daze. She was still trying to process what the other men were saying.


    With a tinge of panic written all over his face, Jonathan walked up to her and squatted down. "You''re awake," he noted.


    She quickly avoided his outstretched hand as if it had been drenched in poison.


    Although she was still young, she understood what the men were trying to say.


    Jonathan blinked in astonishment at the sight of her flinching under his touch.


    He tried to smile. "What''s wrong?


    Did you hear their nonsense?" This time, his voice sounded much farther away. Rachel squinted her eyes as she tried to follow the sound of the voice.


    "Rachel!" Jack finally shook her out of her dream. When Rachel finally opened her eyes, she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. At that point, she looked like a child who had been bullied as her innocent and confused gaze turned to him.


    "What''s wrong?


    Did you have a nightmare?"


    "I don''t know," she stuttered out. Her voice was hoarse.


    Jack''s thumb slid down her face, wiping away the tears. "You were crying."


    "Was I?"


    days.


    Lea explained secretly, "Actually, his father only did that so Henry''s grandmother will feel sorry for him."


    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows.


    Lea added, "Yesterday back in the ward, he was so angry that he almost put a knife on Alice''s neck.


    I obviously didn''t get myself into that. I just watched it happen."


    In fact, she was only putting it mildly. The scene was actually more complex than any of them had imagined.


    Henry''s father was incredibly manipulative.


    He kicked Henry out of the house so that his mother would feel sorry for Henry.


    However, she still doted on Alice more.


    Due to this, his father must soothe her in an effort for her to side with them.


    Although the old lady favored her daughter, it would be inevitable for her to feel sorry for her own grandson.


    Seeing as he couldn''t go against his mother directly,


    he decided to go around this with his own cunningness.


    Besides,


    he also did this to win Lea''s father''s sympathy toward Henry.


    They still didn''t inform her father about what had happened between Lea and Alice. They just said Lea went out to meet Henry.


    Lea''s father was furious that he forbade his daughter from entering his house.


    This was why Henry''s father kicked him out too. This time, they would have an excuse to be together.

 Chapter 279 Have We Talked About Having A baby

    At that time, Lea''s father only heard the story where Henry was kicked out of his house because he had a fight with his family for Lea''s sake.


    He didn''t know the real reason.


    He became pitiful towards Henry.


    After all, the man was his son-in-law.


    Considering Lea was pregnant, the man would grow soft eventually.


    Back then, Lea complained that Henry''s father was so cruel to have driven him out of his own house like that.


    But after he explained everything to her, she couldn''t help but be impressed by her father-in-law.


    When Lea told this to Rachel, the woman burst into laughter. She didn''t expect that the old man would have that much tricks up his sleeves.


    As they were talking, Henry came downstairs holding a plate of fruits. He placed it on the table. "Fruits for the pregnant woman," he announced.


    Lea''s nose wrinkled. "Do you have to mention stress I''m a pregnant woman all the time?"


    "It''s the truth." He shrugged.


    She scoffed, turning away.


    Henry didn''t know what was wrong with his wife. His face soured as well.


    ''No wonder they kept on fighting,'' Rachel thought as she stared at the way they interact with each other.


    She had always wondered how a gentleman like Henry would get into fights with Lea.


    It seemed that Henry was still o


    er. It wasn''t as if she was persuading Rachel not to have a kid.


    "That''s also true." Lea smiled awkwardly.


    Jack placed his hand on the back of Rachel''s chair. Although his hand wasn''t on her, she felt a sense of pressure pushing down on her shoulders.


    "If you continue trying to convince my wife not to have a baby, I''ll tell Henry about it.


    Does he even know what you''re thinking?"


    Suddenly, those two sentences spurred through her mind like a tornado.


    At the mention of her husband, Lea raised her hands over her hand as if to block herself from the man''s scrutinized glare. "I was wrong," she wailed. "I''m talking nonsense here. Please don''t tell Henry."


    If Henry knew what she was talking about, that would be the end of her!


    Jack smirked, turning to look at Rachel.


    She innocently waved her hands up in the air.


    "I certainly don''t agree with her," she stated.


    Jack nodded in satisfaction. "Time for lunch. Let''s go downstairs, okay?"


    However, there was something about their conversation that stopped her in her tracks.


    When did they discuss about having a baby?


    She pursed her lips.


    When they had lunch and left Henry''s house, Rachel couldn''t help but ask him, "Have we talked about having a baby?"


    Jack''s eyes gleamed. "Why did you ask?"

 Chapter 280 About Work

    Rachel flushed. "Why should I tell you if I agree with Lea or not? It''s not as if we have a kid."


    "We''ll have one, right?" He chuckled.


    There was silence for a while before she finally spoke up. "Have we discussed this?"


    She felt as if the topic of having a child just popped out of the blue. In fact, she didn''t remember that they talked about this.


    He bowed his head to hide the slyness flashing in his eyes. "We already talked about it," he stated. "You must''ve forgotten."


    "When did I..." Rachel trailed off. She really couldn''t remember talking to him about having a child. Was it possible that it was part of her memory loss as well?


    Jack tilted his head slightly as if he had just received a premonition. "You told me that one time that you really like children."


    ''That''s it?'' She shot him a disapproving look. "I thought we actually had a serious discussion about this before."


    Back then, she had thought that Lea only agreed to marry Henry because they were going to have a baby.


    When in fact, Lea had told her that she actually agreed to marry him because she actually liked him, not because she was forced into a loveless marriage. Lea didn''t want to trap herself in a marriage all because of her child.


    In such a way, Rachel shared the same thoughts. She didn''t want her child to be the reason why she shouldn''t leave the man in front of her. She


    k averted his gaze.


    "If you feel bored, you can find another job, but you shouldn''t go back to the hospital," he said.


    He couldn''t agree to send her back to the hospital when he still didn''t know the root cause of what had happened back in the neighboring province.


    Rachel might have already forgotten about that, but he didn''t.


    He would not rest until he found out what really happened back there.


    "I''ve already been transferred to the cardiology department. I won''t be that busy,"


    she insisted.


    "Can''t you just be obedient, Rachel?"


    Eric stood up anxiously.


    Rachel twitched her mouth and said, "I know what I''m doing."


    She didn''t expect that her troublesome cousin would be the first one to tell her to be obedient.


    Eric sighed and patted Jack on his shoulder. "Try to persuade her. I''m going outside to eat something first."


    He had been so busy during lunch that he didn''t get to eat much.


    He had been hoping to eat with Rachel, but seeing this, that might not be possible anymore.


    Jack took her hand. "Let''s go upstairs."


    His forehead was creased as he held her up the stairs. Although he wasn''t looking at her, she could tell that he was serious.


    In the study, Jack opened the website and pointed at the headline. "This is from the medical school you were in before. They''re looking for a professor in cardiology department," he stated.

 Chapter 281 Go Back To Work

    "If you feel bored at home, you can apply for this job," Jack said.


    Compared to becoming a doctor, teaching was an easier job.


    "Besides, this is also related to your profession."


    In the living room of the Fu family, Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows and kept silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Rachel, have you thought it over?"


    She nodded.


    She didn''t expect that the news of her going back to work would reach her in-laws in such a short amount of time.


    That evening, when she was discussing with Jack about changing her job, they encountered another dispute.


    In Rachel''s point of view, being a professor and being a doctor were two different things. Although they might be in the same field, it just wouldn''t be the same.


    Doctors were the front-liners. Not only would she be able to practice all the theories taught inside the classroom, but she would also be able to experience the joy of helping her patients.


    Teaching was different from that.


    The atmosphere between them was stiff. She was about to say something else when her phone rang. It was Jonathan. "Rachel, I heard you were planning on heading back to the hospital."


    "How did you know?"


    She shot Jack a look, and he shook his head.


    Jonathan didn''t answer her question. "How about you and Jack come here? We can talk about it," he suggested.


    And here they were right now sitting on the sofa as she faced her in-laws.


    "Jack, what do you think?"


    Alt


    slowly shook her head. "Isn''t he supposed to be in the hospital?"


    "Unfortunately, he isn''t." The guy didn''t even bother to give his old man a call for such a long time.


    The older he got, the more worried his parents became.


    Without thinking too much into it, Rachel excused herself and returned to her office. She began her day by scanning through all the medical records that were assigned to her.


    Not long after, word spread about her promotion. Of course, gossip was inevitable.


    Rachel knew for a fact that they were probably discussing about this behind her back, but she couldn''t care less.


    "Mr. Fu, you''ll be having dinner with Mr. Wang tonight. I''ve already reserved it," Austin stated as he was looking through Jack''s schedule.


    In the past, once appointments were confirmed, no one could change it. However, with the circumstances circling them, this was a special exception.


    As expected, Jack waved his hand. "You can go to dinner on behalf of me. I''ll be heading back."


    "Where will you be going?" he asked, knowing fully well where he intended to go.


    "To pick up someone." Jack waved his car keys and patted Austin''s shoulder as if he was about to go on some glorious quest.


    Since there were usually traffic jams during this time, he had already calculated that he would arrive at the hospital just in time.


    However,


    there weren''t any traffic jams like he had expected. "Why are you here so early?" Rachel asked.

 Chapter 282 Had Seven Surgeries This Night

    Rachel was surprised that Jack arrived early.


    "I had nothing to do in the company. Are you done? I want to take you out to dinner tonight."


    Rachel had always liked French cuisine. Coincidentally, there was a new French restaurant that just opened in the west of the city.


    After cleaning up the items on her desk, they left.


    Jack quickly held her hand, interlocking their fingers.


    Rachel flushed as his hand grazed against hers. She struggled under his grip, but it was no use.


    Holley slowly came out from the shadows and stared blankly at the two retreating figures. Her face paled at the sight. "Why did she come back?" she whispered to herself.


    The newly opened restaurant was filled with customers.


    Fortunately, Jack had booked the table. When they arrived, they crossed through the long queue and walked into the restaurant.


    "What do you want to eat?" Jack handed the menu to Rachel.


    French cuisine was famous for its exquisite flavor, which was one of the aspects that Rachel liked.


    The delicate and intricate catering suited her taste.


    Rachel ordered a sirloin steak for herself and lobster for Jack. When the waiter took their orders and left, she smiled. "Don''t you feel bothered that I helped you decide it?"


    "Of course not." Jack knew that she would only do this to the people she was very close to. This was why he was more than happy to nod with her order.


    Given the b


    she typed, "I just woke up."


    Lea once told her


    what love meant to her¡ª"When you love someone, you''ll feel happy around him. And he''s not around, you can''t help but wonder what he''s doing."


    At that time, Rachel snorted and waved her hand dismissively. "You''ve read too much romantic novels," she said.


    Now, however, she felt just the way Lea had described.


    "Holley, is the dosage too much?" The head nurse of the children''s ward raised the prescription in her hand.


    Holley furrowed her eyebrows.


    Although she might not be that much of a dedicated doctor, she had worked in this position for many years. She wouldn''t make such a mundane error.


    The head nurse was approached by one of the nurses with the prescription.


    Of course, she didn''t think that the dosage was right. Even an adult wouldn''t be able to take that much without risking overdose.


    However, since the doctor was the only person who could adjust the dosage, the head nurse went to her immediately.


    During that time, Holley was standing by the window with her arms folded over her chest. She gazed blankly at the blue skies. She glanced over at the head nurse, shivering slightly.


    "Dosage of what?"


    "This one." Seeing her shivering, the head nurse took a step forward. "Are you okay, Holley?"


    Although they weren''t close, they worked in the same department. That alone required that they must be polite to one another.

 Chapter 283 Holleys Guilty Conscience

    Holley didn''t reply back. She tore up the dosage list, tossed it into the trash bin, printed another copy and handed it to the head nurse. She kept silent the entire time and had an expressionless face.


    "Don''t be so cocky! You arrogant woman!"


    the head nurse whispered to herself after leaving the office. She then handed the new prescription to another nurse.


    Holley turned away and involuntarily bit her lips once more.


    She could have pretended like nothing happened even with Rachel''s attitude towards her.


    She told herself that only the two of them knew about what really happened.


    But Holley found it impossible to calm herself down as she imagined the letter taped to her door.


    Meanwhile, Rachel got out of the car and watched as Jack got out too. "You don''t have to get out of the car. I can get inside by myself," she said.


    Jack smiled. "I want to accompany you to your office."


    Rachel looked at him in the eye and said, "But you know, you don''t need to do that."


    But she instinctively placed her hand on Jack''s open palm when he reached out for her.


    After Jack accompanied her inside, she paused and watched him leave. She then turned to take her gown on a hanger. She was slightly surprised to see that Holley stood in front of her.


    "Rachel, can I have a word with you?" Holley wanted to talk to Rachel and find out whether she was merely pretending that she knew nothing.


    Rachel put on her gown in a fluid motion. She then turned to Holley briefly. "Now is the time to be on duty," she said flatly.


    The way she said her words clearly implied that it was not a convenient time for her to talk.


    There was a sudden feeling of keen disgust towards Holley that overcame Rachel. It was so strong that she didn''t even want to look at her.


    "It''s


    uched her arm afterwards.


    Holley gripped her arm so tightly that her skin broke. Although she had already treated the wound, she still felt a little pain.


    Rachel thought that Holley acted like a lunatic earlier. She couldn''t understand what Holley was talking about. Unfortunately, Holley never gave her the chance to ask questions to clarify the matter.


    While they waited for the red light to change, Jack reached out his hand to Rachel and gently caressed her head. "Don''t think about it too much. If she really wants to clarify things to you at a later time, then she will definitely look for you again to speak to you."


    That evening, Jack held Rachel tightly as soon as she got out of the bathroom. He then escorted her to the bed while he held her in his arms. "We haven''t had sex for a long time, right?"


    His question did not come as a shock, but she didn''t know how to answer it.


    Rachel slightly pushed him away as her eyes flashed with schoolgirl shyness.


    Jack felt stunned as he looked at her. "I love you." He then bent his head down and gently pressed his lips to hers.


    Rachel moaned gently at Jack''s kiss.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Jack stopped what he was doing to check Rachel''s arm. He discovered that part of her skin was peeled off.


    "How did you injure your arm?" He immediately lifted the quilt to get out of bed and get the medicine box.


    But before he could leave the bed, Rachel tapped his shoulder to stop him. "Don''t worry. I''ve already taken care of it at the hospital.


    Holley was so agitated earlier when she spoke."


    ''It was Holley again!'' Jack thought to himself in fury.


    A sharp flash of cruelty streaked across his eyes, but it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. He stared tenderly at Rachel but felt so distressed and worried.

 Chapter 284 News About Holley

    Jack and Rachel''s romance was interrupted after he found she was injured. He gently helped her lie down and said, "Have a good sleep."


    In the darkness, her breathing gradually became regular.


    A while later, Jack rose from the bed and walked to the balcony with his phone in hand. "Go ahead," he ordered.


    At that time, in another part of the city, Holley''s hands were tied behind her back, and her mouth was stuffed with a rag. She looked at the two men in front of her in horror.


    When she had returned home from the gay bar she had gone to in the evening, she hadn''t expected to see two strange men at her door.


    In her drunken state, she had roughly yelled, "Get out of my way," while attempting to fish her house keys out of her handbag. However, the two men had stopped her and taken her away.


    As Holley stared at them with wide eyes, she wondered, ''Are they going to...?''


    Her face turned pale with fear as all kinds of possible scenarios flashed in her head.


    The taller man squatted down in front of her and took out the rag from her mouth.


    "Bah! Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?" Holley raised her voice as soon as she could speak.


    Talking in a loud voice gave her some confidence, no matter how scared she felt on the inside.


    The man sneered, "What do you think we want?"


    "Don''t touch me! If you dare to touch me, I will..."


    "What will you do?" the other man cut in before she could finish her sentence. He was expressionless,


    report, Rachel saved it and turned off the computer. Then, she stretched and glanced at the door.


    Why hadn''t Jack come to pick her up?


    She tried calling him again, but his phone was still powered off.


    What could have happened? This was out of character for him. If he wasn''t going to pick her up, he would have informed her in advance.


    ''Could it be that the missed call he gave me at noon was to talk about this matter?'' she wondered.


    "Rachel, a patient just came in with chest tightness, but Dr. Zhang just went to the canteen. Can you come take a look?" A nurse hurried in.


    Rachel nodded and put on the white gown again.


    Half an hour later, she finished the examination.


    Rachel glanced at the window and saw that it was getting dark outside. It looked like it was going to rain.


    Before leaving the hospital, she tried calling Jack one more time but to no avail.


    In the end, she decided to take a cab home.


    Although rush hour had passed, this was the time when cab drivers changed their shifts. Standing on the pavement outside the hospital gate, Rachel tried to hail a cab for more than ten minutes, but no cab stopped for her.


    Suddenly, rain started to pour down.


    But even in the heavy rain, someone was walking without an umbrella, holding a suitcase in hand.


    The heavy rain was like a curtain that covered Rachel''s sight. It was not until the person stood right in front of her that she realized that it was Holley.


    What a small world!

 Chapter 285 A Person Hated By Everyone

    Holley didn''t expect that Rachel would see her like this.


    Something surged through her chest and her hands shook. She had to restrain herself from slapping the hell out of the woman.


    Rachel was a powerful woman with an equally strong background, and Holley was nothing but a dot in their map.


    She should''ve seen the aftermath, given that her plan didn''t work.


    Holley forced herself to raise her chin and walked up the steps. Her gaze was filled with ferocity and fierceness. She placed a hand on her hip and stopped about five steps away from Rachel.


    "Well? Are you happy seeing me like this?" she sneered.


    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. She didn''t even do anything, and Holley was already putting it all on her. She whirled towards her. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," she snapped.


    "Oh, drop the act!"


    Holley yelled harshly.


    Seeing that there was no point in convincing her, Rachel didn''t want to say anything more. Fortunately, a taxi stopped beside her just in time.


    "Do you need a ride, miss?"


    She nodded and got in the car. At this point, she needed to figure out what the woman was actually talking about.


    When the car drove away, it ran down a puddle and splashed water all over Holley''s face.


    She looked like a shrew as she pointed at the back of the taxi and shouted profanities at Rachel who wouldn''t even hea


    , someone stopped me and asked if I wanted to buy a phone. It looks like it belongs to you, so I bought it. It seemed that the power was already turned off though, so I''m not sure if it''s actually yours," she said naturally.


    She had already practiced it over and over again before she actually called him.


    Jack picked up his car keys. "Where are you? I''ll be there soon."


    Taking this opportunity, Celine requested to have dinner with him, but it turned out even that plan backfired on her!


    Celine had even gone to his company multiple times. She was frustrated when she couldn''t even enter his office!


    She clenched her fists.


    Sitting in his car, Jack charged his phone and turned it on. There were several text messages popping out of his notifications bar. One of them was from Rachel.


    "Why is your phone powered off? I''ll take a taxi home. You don''t have to pick me up."


    He could already imagine Rachel''s face as she typed in the message.


    Jack headed for home.


    When he opened the door, he was met with an exquisite scent.


    He stood in front of the kitchen and spotted Rachel wearing an apron and reaching for some sugar.


    The yellow light shone on top of her head, and a fuzzy feeling in Jack''s chest grew even more.


    He knew that the feeling he felt was happiness.


    He walked up to her and encircled her arms around his waist.

 Chapter 286 Talk About The News

    Rachel had been used to Jack''s hugging her from behind, so she didn''t mind it anymore.


    "Why are you home so late?" she asked lightly.


    He hesitated for a while before he answered, "Something came up at work, so I had to stay at the company longer. I didn''t notice that my phone ran out of battery. Sorry if I worried you."


    He just met Celine to take back his phone, so he thought it wasn''t necessary to let Rachel know about it.


    Rachel turned off the stove and filled the bowl with the dish she prepared. Then said, "Just make sure that this won''t happen again."


    "I swear."


    Jack glanced at the table. There were different dishes like vegetables, sweet and sour spare ribs, and fish head with tofu. There was still another one that she had just finished cooking. They all looked good and smelled delicious.


    He couldn''t help asking, "You cooked all these for me?"


    Rachel turned her head to catch a glance at the table and said mischievously, "Of course not. These are all mine."


    All of a sudden, she felt a slight pain on her nape that made her shiver.


    Jack was already behind her, gently biting her slender neck. He said, "If that''s the case, I have no choice but to eat the cook."


    Her laughter reverberated in the whole kitchen.


    She felt ticklish, so she dodged and pretended to scold him, "Stop it!"


    Eric suddenly came in to be in time to witness such an affectionate scene. With a long face, he asked, "What are you doing?"


    He acted like a


    closed her eyes, turned away, and cried silently.


    The nurse walked up to him and patted his shoulder softly. "Sir, the doctor is here. Please stay outside first, so she can check your wife."


    Rachel did all the necessary examinations and laboratory tests carefully. With the results in her hand, she said unhappily, "Your heart is in a really bad condition now. If you choose to keep the baby, I''m afraid that..."


    Before she could finish her words, Gigi Yang grabbed her hand tightly and cried. She pleaded, "Doctor, please, I don''t want to lose my baby. It is a gift from God, so I can''t just abandon it."


    Her heart ached when she heard her words. But with the reality in front of her, she needed to be sensible.


    Rachel drew her hand back gently and walked out of the room. Before she left, she talked to the husband who was approaching her. "With her current condition, your wife is not suitable to get pregnant. If she insists on keeping the baby, we can''t guarantee that she''ll surpass the delivery.


    She is only three months pregnant now, so you have to decide soon. If the baby gets bigger, it will be more difficult for her heart to bear."


    "I know that, but..." He rubbed his forehead as he was in a dilemma. "Doctor, is there no other way?"


    Rachel shook her head and said, "I suggest that you try your best to persuade her. I''ve already asked a nurse to arrange a room for her. Based on her current condition, I need to observe her for a few more days."

 Chapter 287 The Weekend

    After Rachel dealt with Gigi, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated, indicating that there was a call.


    Taking a look, Rachel brought the phone to her ear. "Hi, Dad."


    "Rachel, are you going to get off work now? Tomorrow is the weekend. How about joining us for dinner?"


    Although Jonathan had said he wouldn''t interfere in Jack and Rachel''s relationship anymore,


    he still couldn''t help but keep an eye on them.


    Originally, he planned to go to Rachel''s place and stay there for the night, but Tracy rejected the idea. "Can''t you just let them come over?" she snapped impatiently.


    That was why he made the call.


    Rachel thought for a while before nodding. "I''ll come by with Jack once I get off work."


    When her husband arrived to pick her up, she quickly told him to go to the Fu family residence.


    Sitting in the passenger seat, Rachel gazed out of the window.


    When she came out of the hospital, she passed by the ward where Gigi was in. Naturally, she couldn''t help but overhear the couple arguing over their baby.


    They were on two opposing sides, and their voices were getting louder and louder that anyone in the vicinity could hear what they were arguing about.


    At that point, it was hard to tell who was right or wrong.


    Inside the car, the beeping sound continued.


    Jack cleared his throat and reminded her, "Fasten your seat belt."


    "Oh, I forgot." Rachel finally snapped back into her sens


    ed curiously.


    "Just a scam." Jack shrugged.


    The weekend ahead of them was extremely special since none of them had to go out. They simply stayed at home and enjoyed each other''s presence.


    Rachel was reading her medical book while Jack was scanning through the company''s documents.


    Although silence wrapped around them, they could still feel the chemistry that connected them together.


    Once it was approaching dinner time, Jack''s phone rang once again. It was from Celine. After hesitating for a while, Jack walked outside and answered the call.


    "You finally picked up," Celine exclaimed.


    She had called him yesterday, and he had refused to answer.


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Oh, don''t give me that.


    I just called you to ask when we''ll have that dinner you owe me. Don''t tell me you back out already."


    If she hadn''t mentioned it, then Jack would''ve already forgotten about it.


    After a moment of silence, he said, "What do you want to eat? You can go eat there on your own. Tell Austin how much the meal costs you, and I''ll ask him to transfer the money to you."


    She didn''t expect that he would resort to this.


    Did he think she couldn''t afford a meal?


    What she wanted to see was him!


    Celine tried to say something more, but Jack already hung up the phone. Gritting her teeth, she almost threw her phone against the wall out of anger.


    After thinking for a while, she decided to restrain herself.

 Chapter 288 Celine Finds Fault

    The phone in Celine''s hand was the latest model. Baron had given her that after she had begged him many times.


    There was no need to release her anger on her phone.


    At this point, she might as well plan her strategy.


    In the small living room, she stomped back and forth. Soon enough, the phone in her hand vibrated.


    "Hello? What''s wrong?" The caller was one of her close friends.


    "Celine, I just saw your boyfriend enter a restaurant with a woman. They looked really intimate with one another."


    Celine gritted her teeth as her other hand balled into a fist.


    When she calmed down, she burst into laughter. "Is she the one with blonde hair?"


    "Yes, you have seen her?"


    "I haven''t, but Baron told me about her. He tried to drive her away multiple times, but it didn''t seem to work. She keeps pestering him.


    He''s just playing with her."


    Actually, Celine was so angry that she had to restrain herself from smashing her phone.


    "That''s good." Obviously, the person on the other end of the line didn''t believe her words, but she knew that it would be meaningless to continue this. Without another word, she hung up the phone.


    "That scumbag!"


    Celine cursed out loud. She couldn''t even count how many people called her to snitch on her boyfriend.


    Although they sounded worried about her,


    reak their marriage!"


    At this point, Celine was only causing trouble out of nothing.


    With narrowed eyes, Rachel removed her hold and left.


    It would be a waste of time if she uttered a single word to defend herself. Besides, Celine wouldn''t even bother to listen to her.


    The world was truly small. She didn''t expect that the patient she was attending to was actually Celine''s friend.


    Rachel sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration.


    Knock! Knock!


    Lucas pushed the door open and peered inside. "Are you okay? I heard that one of your patients'' family was causing trouble."


    "Doesn''t news travel so fast?"


    She snorted. Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee before pouring him a glass of water.


    "Is this how you entertain your guest? I don''t even get a cup of coffee?" Lucas joked.


    She took a sip. The taste of coffee immediately energized every nerve in her body. The exhaustion that she felt disappeared in an instant.


    "You already have dark circles under your eyes. You should get some sleep more. Don''t work too hard."


    Lucas'' eyes darkened. He didn''t sleep well these days, but it wasn''t because of work.


    It was actually because of a woman, but he couldn''t tell her the details.


    "You are more considerate," he commented.


    "Do I?" Subconsciously, Rachel touched her face.

 Chapter 289 An Anonymous Sender

    Lucas just nodded. But sensing that Rachel didn''t want to talk about it anymore, he changed the topic. "Do you want to hand over the patient to me? I''ll take care of her."


    He knew that Rachel feared to deal with this kind of patient.


    For her, it was troublesome.


    She fell into silence for a few seconds, then shook her head. It was very obvious that Celine said those words deliberately to discourage her, and if she let Lucas take her patient, she would mock her. She said, "There''s no need. The patient''s condition is temporarily stable now, so I think I can handle it. Don''t worry."


    "Okay."


    He didn''t want to continue with the topic, so he asked instead, "When are you free?


    Dad has been urging me several times because he can''t wait to show off his cooking skills."


    She had already forgotten about that dinner invitation. Good thing, he reminded her now. "How about the day after tomorrow? Please tell James that I''m really busy recently."


    "Don''t worry about it. Just don''t forget the day after tomorrow, okay? I''ll go now."


    Lucas stood up and opened the door without noticing a figure that quickly disappeared.


    On the other hand, Jack''s eyes narrowed, and his face darkened as he watched the video on his phone.


    It showed Rachel and Lucas talking with each other. Although he didn''t know what they were talking about, she looked


    to deal with this afternoon, so please take over my place in the outpatient department."


    It must be very urgent because he immediately hung up before she could even answer.


    He was getting more and more strange recently.


    Fortunately, the outpatient department was not busy that afternoon. Rachel had only six patients.


    Time passed by quickly.


    There was no patient yet, so she went to the toilet. When she came back, there were already two women sitting inside the consultation room.


    With their heavy makeup and bright clothes, she thought that they were in their thirties. But she was surprised to see that they were only twenty-four years old based on their medical records.


    "What can I do for you?" she asked as she sat opposite them.


    Seeing her, one of them pointed at her name badge and whispered to the other woman, "Is she the doctor Rachel Shen?"


    "I think so. Let me check." She took out her phone and opened a group chat on WeChat. She checked it for quite a while before she nodded.


    Rachel felt strange upon hearing their conversation.


    She asked again, "Do you two feel something wrong in your bodies?"


    But she didn''t expect what happened next. The woman who checked her phone stood up, held the other woman''s hand, and snorted, "Let''s go and request a different doctor. How can this hospital hire such a doctor like her?"

 Chapter 290 Something Wrong With Her Personality

    Rachel was completely baffled. How could these strangers talk about her disdainfully? She didn''t even know them.


    ''Did I happen to mess with these women in the past?" she asked herself.


    When they were about to leave, she abruptly stopped them. "Wait! What do you mean by what you said?"


    "Why don''t you read it yourself, Dr. Seductress?" One of the women showed her phone to Rachel.


    As Rachel read the conversation on WeChat, she couldn''t help frowning.


    She had never expected that people would speak ill of her like this.


    And everything they said about her was wrong.


    They were all convinced that she was a bad person, so they should stay away from her. Some even promised that they would tell their friends not to go to the hospital where she worked.


    In their eyes, she was a home wrecker. If they wouldn''t want their families to be broken, they must not cross paths with her.


    How ridiculous! These people didn''t even know her, yet they were talking bad about her.


    Anger flared up in Rachel''s heart instantly. She stepped to the side and said, "Go ahead, request a different doctor so I can have a rest now." She already knew who wanted to ruin her reputation.


    Celine held up the cup and took a sip of tea elegantly. She straightened the hemline of her dress and sat like a proud queen.


    After causing trouble in the hospital that day, she attended a party in the evening. There, she intentionally brought up the topic about Gigi Yang


    and added fuel to the fire.


    As expected, almost everyone in the party believed in her. They all thought that Rachel was an incompetent doctor with a personality disorder.


    She even spread the gossip that Rachel was a woman who loved to destroy other people''s marriages.


    This was just the beginning of her pl


    your relationship with him, do you understand?"


    Lucas'' mother knew that she was an orphan, so she had treated her like her daughter.


    As a caring mother, she wanted to give her some advice.


    Rachel was touched by her concern. She nodded with a smile.


    "I know that you are an independent woman, and you don''t talk too much. You tend to keep all your burdens in your heart, which is not good. Sometimes, it''s better that you have someone to share..."


    Before the old lady could finish her words, Rachel interrupted, "Don''t worry. From now on, I will say what I need to say. I understand what you mean. I will not keep everything in my heart anymore."


    "I''m glad to hear that.


    Have you ever thought of having a baby?"


    Upon hearing her question, Rachel suddenly remembered what she heard from the nurses in the hospital.


    They said that when you were talking with relatives and elders, there were three questions that you couldn''t avoid.


    When you were single, they would ask when you would date a man.


    Once you have gotten a boyfriend, they would ask when you would get married.


    After you got married, they would ask when you would have a baby.


    Since she got married as soon as she graduated from college, she didn''t have to worry about the first two questions. But the last question was something she couldn''t avoid.


    She smiled shyly and replied, "We will let nature take its course."


    Lucas, who was coming over to them with a plate of fruits in his hand, overheard his mother''s question, so he said, "Mom, how can Rachel answer such a question?"


    She glared at him and tapped his shoulder forcefully. "I haven''t had time to scold you yet. What happened to the woman that I introduced to you?


    Look at you. Have you forgotten how old you are now?"

 Chapter 291 You Dont Trust Me

    Lucas'' mother was referring to Claris of Ying family.


    The last time Lucas came to the police station to find Rachel, Claris was with him. She even acted arrogantly as if she was already Lucas'' wife.


    But what had happened to them then?


    Rachel looked at Lucas, hoping for an answer, but he only shook his head. He then said, "Rachel, it''s getting late. I should drive you home now."


    Since it was obvious that he didn''t want to talk about that woman, she didn''t ask anything on their way to her house. But after a while, he was the one who broke the silence. "Rachel, aren''t you curious?"


    How could she say that she wasn''t curious if she had been hoping to hear something from him?


    However, she didn''t want to pry on his personal affairs.


    So, she just smiled and said, "Lucas, you should know the answer to your question." Shaking her head, she got out of the car and entered the apartment building.


    "Mr. Fu, I''m looking forward to our partnership."


    "My pleasure."


    Jack withdrew his hand and turned to his car. He was about to get in when he received a call from Tracy.


    "Son, have you already fixed the problem?"


    "What is it?"


    "Are you stupid?" Tracy got upset so her voice raised a bit. She had forgotten that she was secretly calling Jack inside the bathroom.


    As expected, Jonathan, who was already in bed, heard her voice. He asked, "What''s wrong with you? Why are you yelling?"


    "Nothing," she answered.


    She then covered the phone with her hand and whispered, "Your surgery!"


    Jack rubbed his f


    and the picture appeared on the screen.


    Although the picture was taken from behind, she was sure that it was the time when she met Lucas this morning.


    "Did you hire someone to take pictures of me? Are you suspecting that Lucas and I have an affair? No wonder you were so angry yesterday when he answered your call.


    Jack, what do you really want from me?"


    That was the reason why he called Michael to go out for a drink.


    They sat and drank in the bar for a while until Michael received a call from his father, urging him to come home immediately. Feeling disappointed, he pushed Jack lightly and said, "I need to go now."


    Jack didn''t want to stay in the bar alone, so he came out with Michael. The apartment was all dark when he got home.


    He shook his dizzy head and opened the door of every room, including the bathroom. However, Rachel was nowhere to be found.


    Eric was about to have a good sleep after working overtime for two days now when someone rang the doorbell. "Rachel? What are you doing here? You know that I only have one bedroom. Where will I sleep if you stay here?"


    He couldn''t help scratching his head upon seeing Rachel at the door.


    Actually, Rachel also didn''t know why she had ran away from home.


    All she knew was that she was so angry and she needed some time to calm down alone. But since it was already late at night, she had nowhere else to go, but Eric''s apartment.


    She pointed at the study and said, "You can sleep in the study or in the living room."


    "Huh? Am I hearing things?"

 Chapter 292 Rachel Found Out

    Eric ultimately decided to make himself a cup of coffee after he yawned a second time.


    "It''s quite late, Rachel. Did you have a fight with Jack?" He always felt that Jack was not a reliable guy when it came to relationships.


    ''A leopard cannot change its spots.


    It has only been a short time, and he has already started to show his true colors,'' he thought.


    "Rachel, I''m telling you, it''s not too late to leave him and look for a better man. You should divorce him as soon as possible! And you don''t have to worry. I have a stable job now. I can take care of you from now on!"


    Eric thumped on his chest as he gave her his solemn promise.


    When she heard his words, Rachel couldn''t help laugh out loudly. "It''s good that you now have a stable job because that means you don''t need to bother me in the future."


    "I am a responsible man now!" Eric felt that it was rare for him to have something to brag about to Rachel and he couldn''t stop himself from feeling proud about it.


    But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when his phone rang.


    As soon as he answered the call on his phone, the sound of Jack''s voice came out loudly. "Open the door!"


    Jack''s voice through Eric''s phone was loud enough to be heard by Rachel.


    ''He''s here already?'' Eric thought to himself.


    "I''m sleeping," he answered back to Jack on the phone. He then hung up the phone afterwards.


    Eric then grabbed Rachel''s arm and pushed her into the bedroom. "Go to bed now, Rachel. You still need to go to work tomorrow," he suggested. But she pushed him back gently.


    "Go to sleep. Let me open the door," she said calmly.


    Rachel originally planned to stay at Eric''s place so that she and Jack could calm down.


    When the two of them


    feel very bad right now.


    Later that day, Jack and Rachel sat side by side on the sofa. She was busy with her head bent down as she flipped through a women''s magazine. She had an indifferent expression on her face. He reached out to her hair and tucked it behind her ear. He then handed her an apple that he just peeled.


    "Tell me, is it delicious?"


    Jack placed the fruit knife down on the table and watched her bite into the apple.


    Rachel nodded at him as she chewed down the apple, but she put aside the rest of it. She then slightly turned towards him and looked at him straight in the eye. "You fell asleep when you were halfway to what you were saying. Do you want to clarify that?"


    She has her mind made up on something and she was determined about it at that moment.


    But before he could answer, she continued to speak. "Last Wednesday, when you attended a dinner, I went to Lucas'' house for dinner too because his father had invited me for dinner previously. I wanted you to go with me, but when I found out about your schedule for that evening, I decided not to mention it to you anymore."


    It was something that obviously tore at his heart so she wanted to explain it clearly to him.


    She didn''t think she had done anything wrong.


    Jack''s jaw became visibly tense as he tried to recall the details of that conversation between the two of them. The details of the conversation slowly became clearer to him as he thought about them.


    She stared at him for a moment and then continued to speak. "I know I should have told you about it from the very beginning, but I didn''t and it''s my fault. I was not considerate enough."


    Even though they had been married, she had lived as a single woman for five years.

 Chapter 293 A Bouquet Of Flowers

    Rachel didn''t need to tell her plan to others in advance when she lived alone. So she forgot to tell Jack about the dinner in the Zhou family residence.


    Jack''s face darkened. "I was overreacting."


    "You were."


    She didn''t even bother to deny the fact.


    As she thought about it, maybe this was the opportunity to make everything clear between them. If she left it like this, the problems they had would simply grow bigger and bigger.


    Thinking of this, Rachel pursed her lips and stared up at him once more. "Do you have anything to tell me?"


    When she recalled what Celine had said so arrogantly in the morning, her heart throbbed against her chest.


    Anger, sadness, disgust¡ªall these emotions overwhelmed her like a net surrounding a fish. It was as if she couldn''t find it in herself to move because she was afraid that she''d simply get even more tangled in her own prison of thoughts.


    Back then, Celine had been staring at her with a smug look.


    "Well, I was never fond of children in the first place. I''m not pregnant. I just have a stomachache. Sorry to rain on your parade."


    Rachel sneered and left.


    However, every step she took felt like she was hauling across bags of lead. It was painful, and it was something that she wouldn''t subject anyone to.


    She wanted to see if Jack would confess to her.


    "What can I do for you?" Austin came in quickly.


    Jack frowned. "Do you have the contact number of any florist''s shop? Give me one."


    "Florist''s shop? I have one."


    In the past, when Jack was still with Celine, Austin had helped him book bouquets several times. "Mr. Fu, do you need to call in to order some flowers."


    "Give me the phone number. I''ll do it myself."


    Jack called the florist''s shop and ordered a bouquet of flowers as an apology. Then he requested that they write a small note saying,


    "I''m sorry. Please forgive me!"


    Because of the traffic jam, Rachel was already half an hour late when she arrived at the hospital.


    Last night, she couldn''t even fall asleep. Recalling what had happened all these days, she found that she had fallen into Jack''s net of lies yet again.


    This time, she wanted out.


    She didn''t fall asleep until 4 a.m.


    As soon as she entered the hospital, Mindy walked towards her with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.


    Rachel nodded in greeting. When she was about to pass by, Mindy held her arm. She tilted her head and asked, "Is there something wrong?"


    "There you are!"


    Mindy immediately stuffed the bouquet into Rachel''s arms. "I was about to put it in your office when you showed up. This is for you.


    Rachel, you''re so lucky to have such a romantic husband."

 Chapter 294 Paralyze Herself With Work

    "All my husband knows is to give me trouble," Mindy joked. "Romance is dead to him."


    ''Is this from Jack?''


    Hearing what she had said, Rachel lowered her head in embarrassment.


    Fortunately, Mindy was a perceptive person. Seeing that Rachel wasn''t ready to talk, she patted her arm. "I''ll go to work now, Rachel."


    She glanced at the bouquet of flowers once she arrived in her office. After searching the flower''s meaning on the Internet and glancing at the card that was attached to the flowers, she snorted and dumped them into the trash can.


    Apology? Forgiveness?


    There was no need for that.


    Jack walked back and forth in the office. Sometimes, he would sit down and tap the table incessantly as he glanced at the clock from time to time. After waiting for two hours, a part of him wanted to see if his phone was broken.


    ''Didn''t she receive the flowers?''


    He took a deep breath and called her, only to reach a dead end.


    At this point, he knew for a fact that she must''ve blocked him.


    "Mr. Fu, what would you like for lunch? I''ll get some take-out."


    It turned out time had already passed.


    Grabbing his car keys, Jack walked out of his office. "There''s no need. I''ll be going out."


    He drove to a five-star hotel and entered its restauran


    expect to see her again on my blind date with another woman."


    ''The blind date?''


    Rachel remembered that Lucas had disappeared for a short time during a banquet.


    Lucas turned the steering wheel and parked the car in the underground garage. "She''s Claris'' cousin, Iris Ying."


    After returning from the hospital,


    Jack didn''t go back to the company. Instead, he spent the whole afternoon cooking for Rachel.


    There was music, French cuisine, flowers... All he was waiting for was the hostess.


    Jack sat on the sofa and watched TV as he waited for her. He didn''t expect that she wouldn''t return till late at night.


    He tried calling her, but her phone was turned off.


    Rachel yawned and took out the key to open the door. The light emanating from the TV caused her to squint.


    She glanced at Jack''s stiff figure. His gaze was dull as he stared at the television screen.


    ''What''s his problem?


    What happened?''


    Different questions entered her mind. A part of her wanted to look, but she quickly withdrew herself once she stepped forward.


    Rachel coughed and went upstairs.


    Jack glanced at his watch and found that he had been sitting there for a long time. He looked up at the second floor where the lights were turned on, and he slowly walked up.

 Chapter 295 Jack Had The Vasectomy Reversal

    Rachel took a rubber band from the dresser and tied her hair. When she went to the bathroom to wash her face, someone knocked on the door.


    She knew it was Jack.


    Standing still, she didn''t say anything. She wouldn''t open the door anyway.


    Jack, who was standing outside the door, waited for a while.


    But there was no answer inside the room. The door didn''t open either. He took a deep breath and asked, "Rachel, have you eaten yet? I cooked some Western food. Would you like to have some?"


    "No, thanks," she replied.


    But she also couldn''t help wondering, ''Western food?


    He cooked it himself?''


    For some reason, Celine crossed her mind. Perhaps he learned how to cook Western food when they were still together.


    This thought irritated her in an instant.


    She heard his voice again, asking, "Did you work overtime at the hospital?"


    Taking a few steps forward, she got closer to the door and answered, "No, I didn''t. I went out this evening."


    "Where did you go?" Jack wanted to know, but he waited in vain. Unfortunately, Rachel didn''t answer his question.


    The air around him seemed to have solidified.


    Thinking that Rachel had no plans answering his question, he plucked up his courage to ask, "Rachel, how can you forgive me?" Still, there was no answer from the inside.


    Rachel leaned against the wall, contemplating his question. If only he knew that she had also asked herself of it many times.


    In the past, she didn''t have feelings for Jack yet, s


    ing there? Go and prepare the car now."


    "Mr. Fu, where are we going?" Austin asked in a low voice.


    He knew that no matter how much they stopped Jack from leaving, it would be useless.


    Jack waved his hand and replied, "You''ll know later."


    When she felt that the two men had already agreed to leave, the nurse tried to persuade him again, "Mr. Fu, please stay even just for two or three hours. You need to rest after your operation.


    If you walk around now, you will suffer from the complications."


    "I will take responsibility for it,"


    Jack said coldly and walked towards the elevator.


    The porridge in the pot had finally begun to boil after a few minutes.


    Rachel lifted the lid, stirred it with a ladle, and poured some into a bowl.


    She wasn''t actually home.


    She was in a twenty-six square meters studio apartment.


    The kitchen where she was cooking was just behind the door.


    In the middle of the room was a bed, where a woman was lying. She was coughing from time to time, making her face turn abnormally red.


    With the bowl of porridge in her hand, Rachel walked to the bedside and said, "It''s a little hot. Be careful. How are you feeling today?"


    "I feel much better now, except for the cough."


    The woman had an oval face that looked delicate, a tall nose bridge, and an impenetrable complexion. She smiled and added, "Sorry for troubling you in the past two days, and thank you."


    "Don''t worry about it. I was free these past two days anyway."

 Chapter 296 Broke Up

    The woman was Iris.


    Yesterday afternoon, Lucas had received a call from one of Iris'' colleagues. He was told that she had fainted because of a high fever. When she woke up, she refused to go to the hospital and even insisted that they take her home.


    Lucas was so worried about her that he asked Rachel to come with him, given that if he showed up, Iris wouldn''t even bother looking at him.


    "I remember when Lucas..." Iris paused and smiled. "Forget it. I''ll just treat you to a meal to thank you."


    Rachel waved her hand. "It''s really no problem."


    She took out some medicine from her bag and placed it on the bedside table. "I''ve prescribed some medicine for you. Remember to take it half an hour after you finish your porridge."


    Iris struggled to sit up. "How much is it? I''ll give you the money."


    Placing a hand on her shoulder, Rachel shook her head. "It''s deducted from my medical card. I didn''t pay for it,"


    she said, glancing at her watch. "It''s late. I have to go now. Get some rest, okay?"


    "Be careful on your way back," Isis called out in gratitude.


    Lucas had been sitting in the car this entire time. When he saw Rachel come out, the first thing he said was, "Is she feeling better?"


    "Better th


    closed the folder. "I''ll go," he said automatically before turning to Rachel. "You should consider it."


    It wasn''t a secret that Rachel was married, so she might not be able to go. The director nodded. "Yes, this is a good opportunity.


    Do think it over. Give me your reply in two days."


    She nodded stiffly. One year of training meant that she needed to leave Jack for one year.


    If this was given to her a week ago, she would''ve refused without hesitation. However, she found herself hesitating now.


    Patting her on the shoulder, Lucas said, "You haven''t been in a good mood these past two days.


    Don''t pressure yourself.


    Sometimes, it''s best to just talk it out."


    Without another word, he left.


    ''Maybe he''s right. Do we need to just talk over this calmly?


    Should I give him another chance?''


    She called, "You''ll leave her then?"


    "She''ll have a better life without me!"


    he sighed. Maybe he should let her go and let himself go.


    Returning to her office, Rachel pulled out her already charged phone, clicked Jack''s name out of the blacklist, and called him.


    As soon as his phone rang, Jack waved his hand to shut the supervisor up as he stared at his phone in disbelief.


    ''Rachel is calling me!''

 Chapter 297 Jack Stood Her Up

    "Are you free tonight, Jack?" Rachel asked.


    "Yes, I''m free tonight," Jack said as he stood up from his seat.


    Everyone inside the meeting room followed him with their gaze until he went out of the door.


    Then they looked at each other in confusion. Their boss had just left. Who would continue presiding the meeting?


    The supervisor, who was reporting, asked Austin, "Are we going to wait for Mr. Fu?"


    Austin had a feeling that the person who called Jack was Rachel.


    He tidied up the documents on the table, cleared his throat, and announced, "Today''s meeting is over. For those who haven''t presented their report yet, just send the documents to me so I can forward them to Mr. Fu."


    At this time, Jack was in the lounge of his office, shaving the stubble on his chin carefully. He was subconsciously humming a tune because of excitement.


    He then picked a sapphire blue suit from the wardrobe and put it on. He examined himself in the mirror and smiled, satisfied with his looks.


    Austin entered the office to submit the documents of the different departments. As he opened the lounge door and saw Jack smiling in front of the mirror, he tried to hold back his laughter, and commented, "Mr. Fu, you''re already very handsome."


    Jack straightened up and pulled his collar.


    "You didn''t see anything just now," he warned.


    "Yes, Mr. Fu." But when he stepped out of the office, Austin burst into laughter.


    Rachel had just finished packing up her stuff and was about to leave when


    t he had the same blood type as Celine.


    So, he turned to them and said, "Nurse, we have the same blood type."


    The nurse looked at him suspiciously and said, "Are you the patient''s boyfriend? Follow me."


    Now, he was still lying in the bed.


    As much as he wanted to call Rachel, he didn''t know how to explain everything to her.


    Their previous fights were all related to Celine. He was afraid that this one would make Rachel hate him even more.


    Moreover, she might not understand him well if he only told her on the phone.


    Eventually, he put his phone away. He would just go back home immediately after donating blood so he could explain and apologize to her.


    He prayed that she would understand and forgive him.


    It was already late.


    Celine''s surgery finished at three o''clock in the morning.


    When she was brought to her room, her face looked much better than last night.


    Jack stood beside her bed and asked in a low voice, "Do you feel uncomfortable?"


    She shook her head. But since she hadn''t drunk water the whole time, her lips were dry.


    He took a cotton ball, dipped it into a glass of water, and wet her lips. "You''ve just come out of the operating room, so you can''t anything now. But later, the nurse will come here to bring your breakfast."


    Looking at her weak state, he frowned and asked, "What happened?"


    "Jack, I don''t want to talk about it now. Please don''t ask me anything."


    She then turned to look at the other side, hiding the pain on her face.

 Chapter 298 Her Heart Hurts

    Jack nodded back. No matter what happened, it had nothing to do with him anymore.


    He had already done so much for the sake of their previous relationship.


    But they should accept that it would be better if they ended their friendship.


    He took a piece of tissue to wipe his hands with. "Rest well. I need to go back now. Call me if anything happens."


    He turned around and was about to leave, but Celine reached out and grabbed his suit. She held on to it tightly as she stared straight into his eyes. "Don''t go," she said in a coarse voice.


    Beads of tears started to flow down from her eyes and down to her pillow.


    He hesitated for a while as he looked at her. At length, he finally took her hand and placed it back in the quilt. "The nurses are just outside. Call them if you need anything," he said in a calm tone of voice.


    "I feel scared when you''re not here.


    But if you really have to leave, can I go with you? I don''t want to be left here all alone."


    Celine gritted her teeth and forced herself to sit up. The intravenous needle connected to her arm was moved at an irregular angle and her blood started to flow into the tubing.


    Jack felt that he had no choice but to pull up a chair and sit down next to her bed. "Go to sleep. I will not leave," he said.


    ''Rachel must be asleep already,'' he thought to himself.


    The two never noticed that just outside the ward, a man proudly put away his mobile phone and left the hospital with a brief smile on his lips and a spring in his steps.


    He had had a stomach problem and gone to the hospital to have himself treated.


    He never expected to see Jack with Celine in his arms as he hurried to get in.


    At Rachel''s apartment


    It was already late but she remained sitting on the sofa. She barely moved from her initial posi


    more Eric thought about it, the angrier he became. He had a habit of browsing the web before going to work. But he never expected to see the latest news about Jack.


    Eric remembered how Jack promised that he would spend the rest of his life with Rachel.


    ''How long has it been now?'' Eric thought angrily.


    He took off the work card on his neck and tapped the shoulder of the colleague who came to him for help. "I have something that I need to take care of outside urgently!"


    Now that he was a grown man, he felt that it was his turn to help Rachel who had always cleaned up his mess in the past.


    He decided that he had to confront Jack face to face about this matter.


    Jack had blood transfusion the night before and had felt weak and tired the whole night. He didn''t know when he fell asleep on the edge of the bed. He woke up when Eric started pulling at his collar. Otherwise he would''ve slept a few hours more.


    "Eric, what are you doing? Let go of me!"


    "You should be grateful that I don''t beat you right now!" Eric felt bolder because he wanted to get even with Jack in Rachel''s behalf.


    "What are you doing here? What''s wrong with you so early in the morning?"


    Jack quickly brushed off Eric''s hand away and straightened his collar. He looked dazed and confused.


    Eric pointed at his nose and sneered at Jack. He looked extremely irritated. "So, what''s wrong with the woman in bed, Jack?"


    It was not until he heard Eric''s question that he realized that he was still in the ward. Celine quietly watched them with wide open eyes.


    "Why are you even still here?" Eric added, not giving Jack a chance to respond.


    Eric opened the latest news on his mobile phone and threw it to Jack. "Many people will sure to come here and look for you later. There, read it for yourself!"

 Chapter 299 Erics Concern

    "I swear if you make Rachel sad, I''ll make sure you''ll live hell on earth."


    At that point, after threatening him, Eric felt like a real man.


    Jack ignored him as he looked at his phone. His face darkened even further.


    Although the news had just been released two hours ago, the number of hits already exceeded a hundred million.


    Now that Eric had seen it, Rachel must''ve already known about this.


    A shot of anxiety coursed through his veins. "Where is she?"


    Eric shot him a glare and left.


    After what Jack had done to her, the least he could do was stay far away from Rachel as possible. There was no way Eric could tell him where she was. Then again, it wasn''t as if Eric had contacted her yet.


    Wiping his face of any signs of anxiety and exhaustion, Jack tried to run after him.


    Celine shouted to stop him. "Jack, where are you going? Are you going to leave me alone?"


    "I have something to attend to. Someone will get to you later."


    Knowing that she wouldn''t be able to convince him like this, Celine screamed in pain. She writhed under her bed covers as her eyes rolled up. "Jack, it hurts so much! Get a doctor here, please."


    Rachel felt like she had slept for the whole day.


    However, her condition wasn''t getting any better. Her head pounded even heavier. As the back of her hand touched her forehead, she could feel the burning heat. It seemed that she had gotten


    alf an hour. He thought that Jack wouldn''t come, so he was about to pick up his phone and call again when Jack entered.


    "Mr. Fu," he called out, waving his hand.


    Jack''s mouth twitched. "Keep a low profile. How about that?"


    "Don''t you need a cup of coffee?" Scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment, Austin withdrew his hand from the menu and handed the document to him.


    Jack shook his head. Right now, his priority was to get rid of Celine, so he could wholeheartedly ask for Rachel''s forgiveness.


    Austin glanced at him. "I have a photo in my phone that hasn''t been printed. Do you want to see it?"


    "Send me on WeChat." Without another word, he left.


    When Jack returned to the hospital, Baron had already left. The nurse was already peeling an apple for Celine, but Celine only pushed it away.


    "Sir, you''re here," the nurse said in surprise.


    "Give us some time."


    Celine didn''t see that he had come in. When she heard his voice, her face paled in fear. "Jack."


    He nodded coldly. "How did you get hurt?"


    She stammered, "Baron and I had a fight..."


    "You do know that you couldn''t hide any secrets from me, right? Don''t bother me with this anymore."


    He had helped her for the sake of their previous friendship,


    but that didn''t mean she should use it to her advantage.


    Celine''s hands trembled. When she saw the document''s contents, she turned deathly pale.

 Chapter 300 Asked For Forgiveness (Part One)

    It was true that Celine had taken advantage of Jack.


    After being driven out of Ninwell City, Celine met up with two friends in a bar. Seeing how troubled she was, they offered her a drug that could make her forget everything, and she became obsessed with it.


    Last week, after both of them had heard how much of a good life she had in Ninwell City, they called her up and came to find her.


    They had done their best to butter her up, and Celine agreed to go out with them.


    They spent the night bar hopping.


    They all injected some sort of drug into their systems, so even they didn''t know what they were talking about during those times.


    In fact, she didn''t even know that she had bedded a stranger that night.


    The next day, she found herself lying naked in an outdated motel.


    The day after that, she receive


    d up to the porch. She didn''t even look at him as she grabbed her car keys.


    Jack hurried towards her. "I''ll drive you there."


    She neither agreed nor refused.


    This was how Rachel treated Jack.


    Given that these were the last few days that they were together, she shouldn''t treat him so bad, but then again, she also didn''t treat him well either.


    However, in Jack''s eyes, he thought that this was a good sign.


    At least she wasn''t as cold to him as before.


    Now, they were just right back to where they once started.


    He believed that as long as he treated her better, it wouldn''t be long before she would forgive him. Soon enough, they would get back together.


    In the canteen, Lucas bought two sandwiches. He handed one to Rachel. "Didn''t you have breakfast?"


    She usually didn''t come here in the morning.

 Chapter 300 Asked For Forgiveness (Part Two)

    Rachel shrugged. "I find the sandwiches here are quite delicious."


    "I heard that you agreed to go abroad?"


    After the department meeting they had yesterday afternoon, the director asked for his opinion of the meeting as well as informed him of Rachel''s decision.


    She nodded. "I feel like it''s about time I expand my horizons,"


    she joked.


    However, he didn''t smile. "Is it because of the news?"


    "What news?"


    "Rachel," he reprimanded, implying that she shouldn''t beat around the bush.


    Sighing, she lowered her sandwich. "I realized how complicated it is to deal with relationships. Maybe I''m better off reading medical books. What do you think?


    At this point, it''s best to just concentrate on my career."


    He eyed her cautiously. "Are you sure?"


    "Yeah!"


    She shrugg


    o forgive him.


    Jack cleared his throat. "It''s all my fault, so I bought your favorite medical books to apologize,"


    he said. "I promise that I''ll be a good husband from now on."


    He even raised up his hand to swear to her.


    Not bothering to listen to him, Rachel glanced at the titles before flipping through one of them. In a minute, she put it down and said, "I''ve already read all of them.


    Besides, they''re already in the study cabinet. You can either return them or donate them to the library."


    Jack felt so frustrated.


    Staring at her retreating back, he found the sudden urge to knock himself out.


    Why the hell didn''t he look at her own books first before buying some?


    He gritted his teeth.


    He packed the books helplessly and threw them into the trunk of his car.

 Chapter 301 Dinner With The Fu Family

    Although Jack failed this time, he wasn''t discouraged. As a matter of fact, he now came up with another idea, so he asked Austin to print out a survey form and distribute it to every employee.


    The survey form was a one-whole A4 size paper, but there was only one question in it¡ª"How does your partner coax you when you are angry?"


    In this way, he could gather many different ideas and strategies.


    From the answers of his employees, he could choose one or more effective strategies that he could apply to Rachel. Of course, he would make some changes to make them look like his original ideas.


    Rachel also wondered why Jack seemed to have so many strange thoughts lately.


    She would soon go abroad, so every night, she would lock herself in the study and sort out the books on the shelves.


    The books were quite old, and the pages had been flipped several times, but they were well preserved.


    She was obsessed with these books, and she couldn''t bear to see any of them being scratched, torn, or dirtied.


    Jack came in with a plate of fruits in his hand. Seeing her busy sorting out her books, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. However, she just caught a glimpsed of the plate in his hand, then went back to what she was doing expressionlessly.


    "Rachel, you must be tired. Sit down first and have some fruits."


    He poked a slice of melon with a fork and handed it to her.


    Surprised, she leaned back and frowned slightly.


    "Honey, please try this. I''ve just brought this from the supermarket this afternoon."


    Her eyes nar


    will help you."


    She took it. After a moment of silence, she said, "Dad, I''m sorry for letting you down."


    Knowing how much Jonathan had hoped that they could be together, she felt a little regretful.


    He had done everything for them.


    If only Jack didn''t break her trust, she could have stayed married to him forever, like his parents.


    Jonathan waved his hand and said, "You have nothing to apologize. It''s our fault." Although he looked a little strange,


    she thought that he was only taking the blame on behalf of Jack, so she didn''t take it seriously.


    But when she thought of his words over and over again, she had a feeling that it meant more.


    Time passed by quickly. Wednesday came.


    In the past two days, they spent time as usual. Jack talked a lot while Rachel listened quietly and responded a few words occasionally.


    It looked like they were trying to start over again.


    Jack had become a little expectant. He thought that as time went by, they could go back to the way they were before.


    But today, when he was about to go to the hospital to pick her up, she sent him a message, saying, "I''m off work early today. You don''t have to pick me up."


    He didn''t know why, but her message made him smile.


    Subconsciously humming a tune, he walked towards the elevator. However, someone accidentally bumped into him, and he suddenly felt something hot on his chest.


    He looked down and found that his suit was stained.


    Austin was shocked too. He lowered his head and said nervously, "Mr. Fu, I''m sorry. I''ll get you a towel."

 Chapter 302 Rachel Left

    "No, it''s fine."


    Jack took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the spilled contents carefully. "I''ll change later."


    Glancing at the empty coffee cup, then at the closed elevator, Austin couldn''t help but sigh in relief. It seemed that he was lucky that his boss was in such a good mood.


    If he wasn''t, then he couldn''t bring himself to imagine the results.


    Jack opened the door and put down the key on the table. "Rachel?" he called out, only to hear silence.


    "Did she go out again?"


    Without thinking too much, he looked at the glaring stain on his shirt. He took off his suit and decided to take a shower first. Maybe she would come back soon.


    At that moment, Rachel was sitting in the back seat and staring out the window indifferently. Nobody could tell what she was willing at this moment.


    Lucas'' voice sounded abruptly in the car. "Have you already made up your mind?"


    She nodded.


    "You know how I''ve been looking forward to the training."


    Knowing how destroyed her relationship was with Jack, she knew that going abroad was her best option.


    She''d be much better off in busying herself there than suffering here with him.


    Her surroundings became more and more remote. Soon enough, she could already hear airplanes taking off as their engines echoed across the fields.


    The airport was already nearby.


    "Are you real


    Henry helped her back away before he kicked the door.


    He kicked it ten times before the door finally swung open.


    The smell of alcohol and cigarette greeted them.


    Jack was seen sitting on the floor and drinking the bottle of wine in a daze. Although he was muttering something, he couldn''t say it clearer enough for them to understand him.


    "What the hell is going on? Jack, where is Rachel?" Lea was about to walk in when Henry stopped her.


    "The smell is too strong. Wait outside," he advised. "I''ll go in and have a look."


    Jack must''ve heard the noise out the door. He stood up hurriedly and turned around. "Rachel, are you back?"


    His face darkened when he saw that it was Henry. "Why are you here?"


    "What happened? Lea was so worried that she insisted that we come over."


    "Rachel left."


    Jack''s shoulders trembled.


    Although Rachel felt homesick after a few months being in France, she quickly suppressed it by adding more work into her schedule.


    Every day, she would wake up at five in the morning to jog around the blog. After an hour, she would set off for school and begin her training.


    The training was actually pretty intense.


    Almost everyone was better than her when she first stepped in.


    Due to this, she didn''t really have much time to enjoy France as she stayed most of her time in the library or in her dorm to study.

 Chapter 303 Met Acquaintances At The Hospital

    Time went by quickly in Rachel''s new life.


    Sometimes, she dreamed of her past and Jack. She woke up crying in the middle of the night many times, but she never thought of going back home.


    Every time she couldn''t sleep, she would just read her medical book and soon forget all the distracting thoughts.


    One year had passed.


    Like the usual, Lucas took Rachel''s book from her and asked, "Would you like to take a seat first?"


    Rachel nodded and pointed to a lawn outside the school building. "Let''s sit there."


    When they were already seated, she asked first, "Lucas, are you going to ask me if I''m going to stay?"


    Today was their last day of school.


    However, before their class ended, their professor, Mack said something so tempting.


    He said that he would choose two students from their class that would be his apprentices in the hospital where he worked.


    She was very much interested in his proposal. If she could work for Mack, she would definitely learn a lot of medical skills from him.


    Seeing how her eyes lit up, Lucas already knew what to do, so he asked, "Do you want to stay?"


    She tilted her head and looked at him with a smile. "It''s not actually a question whether I want to stay or not. The real question is if I can make it. But I will try my best to get that chance. How about you?"


    Lucas shook his head and looked into the distance. He answered, "No, I can''t stay anymore. I need to go back and see someone."


    Out of curiosity, s


    He then offered the peeled apple to her.


    She refused politely, "I''m not hungry. Please slice some for Bill."


    "Don''t be so formal with me, Rachel." He took her hand and placed the apple on her palm.


    Then he turned to Bill and said, "You should also thank her."


    She waved her hand and said, "No need to thank me. I am just doing my job. But Bill, why did you suddenly faint?"


    With hands on his sides, Bill tried to sit up.


    This simple movement seemed to be difficult for him, as his breathing became heavier. But still, he tried to explain, "I got up too early in the morning, and I couldn''t go back to sleep anymore, so I decided to jog outside. I didn''t expect that I would suddenly faint."


    As he talked, his voice sounded weaker and weaker.


    This time, it was her time to explain. "It''s actually a symptom of hypoglycemia. I checked your blood test result earlier, and it showed that your glucose is a bit low."


    "Then what should we do?" Andy asked with a frown. A worried expression was written all over his face.


    There were many causes of hypoglycemia, so she couldn''t explain it to him now. To ease his worries, she replied n a low voice, "Don''t worry. He will get better after a few days."


    Andy heaved a sigh of relief. "I''m glad to hear that."


    He felt much relieved after hearing what she said. With a smile on his face, he added, "We''re lucky that every time something happens to Bill, you are always the one who helps him. What a fate!"

 Chapter 304 Rachel Came Back

    Upon hearing this, Bill blushed.


    As his family butler, Andy had been with him since his childhood, so he knew everything that Andy was thinking.


    Rachel just stared ahead without giving much thought to his words. She swallowed the apple in her mouth and joked, "Andy, it''s better not to be so lucky. It''s ominous to meet in the hospital every time."


    "That''s true," Andy agreed.


    Then, he patted Bill''s arm and said, "When you leave the hospital, you can take Rachel out for a meal and develop your relationship outside the hospital."


    When Rachel heard this, the bite of apple she had just taken became stuck in her throat.


    She abruptly excused herself and walked out of the ward. ''Andy is too straightforward,'' she grumbled to herself.


    In the ward, Bill looked at Andy helplessly. "See, you always say such useless things!"


    "Do you think I don''t know what''s on your mind? Rachel is single now. Spending time with her would be a good change for you.


    Besides, time waits for no man. Bill, do you need me to remind you of this?"


    A trace of loneliness flashed through Bill''s eyes. He looked down at the back of his hand, which had a needle in it. "How could I not know? It''s just that my health condition... Well, forget it."


    Rachel was sitting in the lounge with a book in her hands, but it was more like a prop; she hadn''t been able to read a single word. She would be stupid not to understand the meaning of Andy''s words.


    However, her heart was like a pool of stagnant water. She felt nothing for Bill.


    In the blink of an eye, the scorching summer came back again.


    Even though Rachel h


    ow about I treat you to a meal to thank you?" Only in front of Lucas and Lea could Rachel be lively.


    Lucas looked at his watch and waved his hand. "I don''t have time today, but you can treat me another day."


    Then, he took over Rachel''s suitcase and led the way forward. "Let''s go. I''ll take you there."


    "Do you have plans tonight?" Rachel asked casually.


    Lucas nodded. "I''m going out with Iris for dinner. Would you like to come along?"


    Shaking her head with a smile, Rachel said, "Never mind, I don''t want to be the third wheel."


    After entering the apartment, Rachel said goodbye to Lucas.


    Since the apartment had already been cleaned, all she needed to do was unpack her things. Then, she went to the supermarket to buy some groceries.


    With the shopping list in her hand, Rachel spent more than an hour in the supermarket. When she finally walked out with the shopping bags in her hands, she raised her head and stopped in her tracks.


    Before coming here, she had noticed that the sky looked a bit gloomy and checked the weather forecast on her phone. But the weather forecast had said that it wouldn''t rain, so she hadn''t brought an umbrella with her.


    But right now, rain was pouring down.


    She waited at the door for a while, but the rain didn''t seem to slow down at all.


    It seemed that she would need to go back into the supermarket to buy an umbrella.


    Sighing, she turned around to walk to the locker so that she could put her shopping bags in there. Just then, she heard someone calling her name from behind. She turned around and widened her eyes in surprise. "Why are you here?"

 Chapter 305 Why Did You Come Back

    Bill got out of the car, went to the trunk, took out his umbrella, and walked up the stairs. "I happened to pass by. I didn''t expect to see you on the way."


    "I thought you went back to France."


    Ever since Rachel had met Bill at the hospital in France, he had often asked her out for dinner or to watch a movie. At first, she had kept turning him down.


    Later, Bill had clarified that he didn''t mean anything by asking her out, and that he was just inviting her out because she was alone in France and they were friends.


    Upon hearing this, Rachel had felt a little embarrassed and finally agreed.


    As time went by, the two of them had become more and more familiar with each other, and their personalities and temperaments had become more and more compatible.


    Wiping the rain off his sleeves, Bill asked, "Did you just come back?"


    More and more people crowded the entrance of the supermarket, trapped in the rain and unable to leave.


    All of a sudden, someone bumped into Rachel, causing her to stagger forward. Fortunately, Bill grabbed her arm, so she didn''t fall down the stairs.


    With a sheepish smile, she said, "Yes. If it''s convenient for you, can you drive me home?"


    Bill readily agreed, not wanting to miss this opportunity. As he drove her home, he made small talk, feeling a little nervous. Since Rachel had just come back from abroad, he wanted to use this chance to ask her out for dinner.


    When they arrived at her apartment building, he turned off the engine and turned to her. "When will you get off work tomorrow?"


    "I have to be on duty tomorrow night." Much to Rachel''s surprise, her


    certainly.


    "No, no, I do." Lucas shook his head and forced a smile at her.


    In the past, he had thought that a relationship could work as long as two people loved each other.


    After a year of wooing Iris, she had finally accepted his love, but he hadn''t expected that he would have a bigger problem to face.


    It seemed that his parents didn''t accept their relationship at all.


    Strangely enough, they had never verbally objected to it. Whenever they heard something about Iris, they would just smile and stay silent.


    However, every time Lucas proposed to bring her home to meet them, they refused. "It''s still early. Don''t be in such hurry," they would say.


    This had gone on for a year already.


    The last time he had had dinner with Iris, she had brought it up again.


    "If your parents don''t want to accept me, I think we should give up this relationship," she had said.


    But there was no way Lucas would give up!


    He stared blankly ahead, lost in thought about all this.


    Rachel waved her hand in front of him and said, "Lucas, I have to go and work." Then, she left his office.


    She generally found it easy to be on duty at night, but this particular night was better than most. None of the patients complained about any discomfort. After making her rounds, she had a rest in the duty room for a while. It was not until she heard some noise and footsteps outside that she straightened up and walked out of the duty room.


    A nurse came over and said, "Rachel, you are still in the duty room! A handsome man is looking for you. I thought you were on your rounds, so I asked him to go to your office."

 Chapter 306 Like The Child So Much

    ''A handsome man?''


    Rachel wondered. As far as she could remember, Lucas was the only handsome guy close to her.


    She thanked the nurse and walked towards her office. When she saw a man sitting on the couch, she immediately recognized him. She asked in surprise, "Bill? What are you doing here?"


    "I''m here to see you," Bill answered with a smile. He was still wearing his morning sports suit.


    With a worried expression on her face, she asked, "Are you sick?" She immediately took out the stethoscope from her pocket and went closer to check him.


    But he only laughed. "I''m not sick. I happened to pass by here, and I remembered you were on the night shift. Can I invite you to breakfast? It''s sad to eat breakfast alone."


    Feeling relieved, Rachel said with a smile, "You scared me. I thought you have another heart attack."


    In the past two years, she had been seeing Bill constantly because of his heart problem. She kept on reminding him not to exercise too hard and not to stay up late, but he never listened. Sometimes, he would just reply, "I''m not afraid of heart attacks because I have you, a good doctor, as my friend."


    Every time he said that, she was rendered speechless.


    She looked at her watch and said, "I still have ten minutes to finish my shift. Are you willing to wait?"


    "Sure. Can I rest here while waiting for you?"


    She nodded and went out of her office. After handing over the patients'' records to the day shift doctor, she changed her clothes, went back to her office,


    st women liked going to cosmetics or clothing shops, but Rachel was more interested in hanging around bookstores.


    She liked reading, particularly medical books.


    While Bill was wandering around, he caught sight of Rachel, who was leaning against a bookshelf, engrossed in a book.


    She looked so beautiful


    that he didn''t even want to look away.


    At first, he felt inferior, thinking that Rachel was too good for him. After all, he was a sickly man who might die at any moment.


    But Andy kept on encouraging him to go after her.


    When he noticed that Rachel was coming over to him, he took a book and pretended to read it. She said, "It''s getting late now. Let''s go."


    He put the book back on the shelf and asked, "You have nothing to buy here?"


    She shook her head, feeling a little disappointed. "The book that I want to buy is out of stock."


    He just nodded and led her out of the bookstore. When they reached her hotel, he asked about her flight back. Unfortunately, they had different return dates. "Sadly, our flights are not on the same day."


    He offered to drive her to the airport tomorrow, but she refused politely.


    One day, Rachel just came out of the operating room when a nurse came to her and said, "Rachel, you have a parcel. I put in on your desk."


    "Thank you."


    While massaging her stiff neck, she wondered who would send her a parcel. She quickly went to her office and opened it. But to her surprise, there was no sender''s name. She sighed and thought, ''Who sent this?''

 Chapter 307 Jack Had A Stomachache

    There were two medical books placed inside the parcel. One of them was the book Rachel had wanted to buy when she was in Joy City.


    ''Who sent this parcel?''


    Her eyebrows furrowed.


    At the same time, her phone vibrated and a message popped up saying, "Have you received the books?"


    "You bought them?" she replied quickly.


    "Do you like them?"


    "Yes! I like them so much. Thank you!"


    The nurse who put the parcel in Rachel''s office pushed the door open to see Rachel grinning from ear to ear. "Rachel," she said, handing her a report. "A patient has just been transferred from the gastroenterology department. This is his medical report. The family of the patient will come in about ten minutes for his consultation."


    Rachel took it, nodding. "I''ll check it later." She took the books from the parcel and placed them on her table. Then she threw the parcel into the trash can.


    Instead of leaving, the nurse eyed the books curiously. "Is this a gift from your boyfriend? He''s so kind," she gushed.


    Hearing her words, Rachel knew that she had probably misunderstood. She quickly said, "It''s from a good friend."


    Although the nurse didn''t say anything more, she ignored Rachel''s objections about it being from her friend. She truly believed that it was her boyfriend who had given her these books.


    During that day, there was gossip spreading across the nursing station.


    It was said that the handsome man who visited Rachel last time was actually her boyfriend. Not only did they love ea


    her head. She had always liked noodles. After hearing his compliments, her stomach started to grumble incessantly. At this point, Rachel couldn''t wait to try the noodles.


    As if knowing exactly what she was thinking, he smiled. "It will take a while for the noodles to come out since they''re freshly made," he said.


    "It''s fine. I can wait."


    She smiled before changing the topic. "Where did you get those books? It''s not easy to find them around the book stores recently, since they''re always sold out."


    "I have my ways." He winked.


    That day, when he sent Rachel back to the hotel, he drove back to the book store they had visited and asked the staff on what book she had been asking them to find for her.


    Later, he called up his friends around the world to help him search for that book.


    Finally, a friend told him that he had seen it in Germany.


    Billy immediately asked his friend to buy it and send it back. Then he sent the book and another medical book to Rachel.


    "Thank you," she said sincerely. At first, Rachel wanted to pay him back, but then she thought that he wouldn''t accept the payment.


    "I''ll pay for our dinner tonight," she offered.


    However, Bill shook his head.


    "I didn''t exactly give you those books for free." He smiled sheepishly. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."


    ''A favor?


    What can I do?''


    She leaned back against her seat. "What can I do for you?"


    "Um..."


    Billy took out an envelope from his suit before handing it to her. "Open it."

 Chapter 308 A Charity Dinner

    Rachel opened it up. When she saw the contents of the envelope, she looked up at him in surprise.


    "You want me to go to the charity dinner with you?"


    In the envelope, there was an invitation to a charity dinner held by the Chamber of Commerce.


    She set the invitation on the table. "I can''t go with you. I could just give you the money for the books."


    Back then, although she preferred not to, she had no choice but to attend these types of dinners with Jack. Now, given that she had no sort of obligation, she would rather not attend one.


    Besides, she knew for a fact that Jack would definitely go, and if she went, she would definitely run into him one way or another.


    At the thought, she gave the invitation back.


    Bill didn''t expect that Rachel would reject the idea so strongly. He leaned over. "You know how boring the banquet is," he complained. "If I go there alone, I''d be bored to death."


    Rachel raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to be bored to death with you?"


    He grabbed her arm like a spoiled child trying to insist that his mother buy him a gift. "You wouldn''t be bored if you''d go with me. We can talk all night. Time would pass."


    Rachel withdrew her arm. "No. How much are the two books? I can always just pay you back."


    "If you don''t go, I''ll take the two books back," he pretended to threaten as he stared wide eyes at her.


    "What do you t


    the open-air balcony, the two of them stood face to face. At the sight of his disdainful expression, she became even more furious. She had thought that Eric had grown mature, but it seemed that she was wrong.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded.


    "Have you been with that sick man for the last three years?" he demanded back.


    She gritted her teeth. "What did you say? His name is Bill."


    "Well, he indeed looks sick."


    Seeing that she was already furious with him, he couldn''t bring it in himself to say it out loud. Instead, the last two words were lowered into a whisper.


    "What did you just say?"


    "Nothing," he said automatically. "Why did you leave all of a sudden three years ago? Hadn''t Jack mended his ways?"


    Before she could react, he continued,


    "Do you think that man is better than Jack? He looks so pale and weak. How could he even compare to him? They''re not on the same level!"


    Eric continued to compare the two.


    Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. ''Didn''t he hate Jack before? What the hell?''


    Hearing his words, Rachel could already feel her head start to pound. It wasn''t appropriate to talk about this in this occasion. "Let''s go eat and talk about this some other time, okay?"


    Taking a bite from the cake, Bill gazed at the balcony. Seeing that she was back, he walked up to her with a frown. "Are you okay? You don''t look so good."

 Chapter 309 I Couldnt Control Myself

    "I''m a little tired."


    Rachel massaged her temples while her eyes were closed. "Can we leave now? I still have to go to work tomorrow."


    "Okay, I''ll go and say goodbye to the host. Just sit here and wait for me."


    Jack never took his eyes off Rachel since he saw her.


    It turned out that Bill was the handsome man that the nurses were whispering about.


    Jack felt bad and clenched his fists tightly.


    He immediately noticed how he and Rachel were very close. He then wondered the truth behind the story that they had a special kind of relationship.


    The thought of this almost drove Jack mad. He had to take in a series of deep breaths in order to calm himself down and suppress his anger.


    At the same time, Celine watched Jack''s strange behavior and she felt a sharp stinging pain in her heart.


    She initially felt very happy to be able to attend the banquet that evening. After so many years, she felt like her efforts had finally been rewarded when Jack agreed to attend the banquet with her.


    But she never expected Rachel to be there as well.


    Before she went there, she kept imagining that Jack would introduce her to everyone present and then announce that she was his girlfriend.


    However, reality sometimes had a sick sense of humor.


    Celine sneered and suppressed her displeasure. She smiled as she turned to Jack and said in a sweet voice, "Jack, I saw Mr. Lin over there. Do you want to go over to him and say hello?"


    There was no answer and no indication that her words were even heard.


    But she refused to be ignored. So, she reached out her hand and touched the back of Jack''s hand.


    However, as soon as her fingertips touched the back of his hand, Jack quickly withdrew his hand as if he was touched by something extremely dirty and disgusting. A strong and undisguised look of disgust appe


    overed in dew. She picked it up and silently placed it back into her bag with no thought to using it.


    When Jack woke up, his eyes immediately scanned the empty room. He subconsciously dialed Rachel''s phone number but received a notification that her phone was powered off.


    He suddenly remembered that he threw her phone out of the window the evening before.


    When Rachel made it back to her place, she saw Bill standing by the entrance of the building. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he didn''t get much sleep. "Why are you here?" Rachel asked right away.


    Bill was startled to hear her voice. He didn''t notice her approach. His eyes suddenly grew wide with surprise. He walked towards her to meet her halfway. "You didn''t exactly speak when you answered my call last night. I was worried about you. Well, it''s good to see that you''re okay and back now."


    "Did you wait for me here all night?" Rachel was surprised and she was moved. She felt lucky that someone was that much concerned about her.


    Bill scratched his hair and smiled like a kid. "Well, I took a nap in the car. Then I saw an old lady coming downstairs to play Tai Chi in the park. I was planning to ask her if she knew you and which building you lived in."


    He grabbed Rachel''s arm as soon as he finished speaking.


    "So, what''s up?" Rachel asked. She was startled by his sudden movement.


    "Well, you just got back. Meaning you didn''t come home last night. So, where did you go?" Bill asked with a frown.


    ''How would I explain everything to him?'' Rachel wondered to herself.


    After a brief silence, she decided to just make up an excuse. "There was an emergency at the hospital last night. I was called back to assist. My phone slipped and fell to the floor accidentally. And so now it is broken. That''s why I wasn''t able to call you back."

 Chapter 310 Celines Ingratiation

    The excuse was pretty lame.


    Fortunately, Billy didn''t think too much into it. Instead, he raised his hand and ran his fingers down her locks. "Where do you live? Do you mind taking me upstairs with you? I don''t want to wait for you outside the building like a fool next time."


    "Okay."


    Rachel changed from her formal dress into more casual clothing. After sitting for a while, Bill left. She tidied herself up and walked to the hospital.


    When the shop assistant saw Jack entering the store, she immediately walked up to him.


    "Sir, what can I do for you?"


    Jack glanced around and pointed at a phone sitting on top of the counter, indicating that he wanted to take a closer look.


    The assistant quickly unlocked the glass and handed it to him. "You have good taste, sir. Is it for your girlfriend? This phone is far more suitable for women with its great camera and effects."


    Jack''s thumb grazed across the pink backdrop of the phone before taking out his card. "Pack it for me."


    He drove to the hospital and planned to give Rachel the phone.


    Once he saw her walking into the office, he handed her the phone with a smile. "I broke your phone last night, so I bought one for you."


    Not expecting him to do this, Rachel scratched the back of her neck and pulled out the very same phone from her pocket. "I''ve also bought a new one."


    It


    After saying that, he wasn''t in the mood to sit around anymore.


    Staring at his retreating figure, Tracy sighed in frustration. "You''ll be single all your life," she warned. "If you want that, then fine! I don''t want anything to do with you."


    At that time, in a hotpot restaurant, Rachel carefully placed a plate of pig brain into the pot.


    Eric wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I don''t even know why you''re eating this."


    "What''s wrong with it? Do you want to try?" Rachel handed the pig brain to him. He rolled his eyes at her. Seeing as he didn''t want to try, she smiled and placed it on her plate.


    Just as she was about to get off work that day, she received a call from Eric. He invited her to eat hot pot with him.


    She was actually planning to finish her medical article at home that night, but when she saw that the restaurant was serving pig brains, she readily agreed.


    Rachel glanced at him. "Why aren''t you eating?"


    "I have something to ask you." Eric didn''t smile back.


    "You better not talk to me about that during dinner, or I won''t be able to eat," she warned. Seeing his serious face, she knew what he was going to ask her something.


    However, Eric ignored her request. "You told me that it wasn''t convenient for us to talk about it last night, so we''re talking about it now," he stated. "Why did you leave three years ago?"

 Chapter 313 Got The Opportunity

    Rachel looked up at Eric and said, "You know the reason, right?"


    "But Jack didn''t care about Celine anymore. He has clearly chosen you. Why do you still have to leave? Moreover, Jack already has everything. What else can you ask for?"


    Eric was now furious, but Rachel was just enjoying her food. Feeling annoyed, he pushed the bowl in front of her away and said, "Rachel, can you give me a good reason?"


    "You have nothing to do with it."


    Rachel called a waiter and requested for a new bowl. As soon as she had it, she started digging into the hotpot again.


    Eric snorted, "I am your cousin. How can you say that it has nothing to do with me? Besides, I really don''t like Bill. He''s useless. I don''t understand why you like him."


    He kept on talking while Rachel just focused on her food.


    When she was full, she put down her chopsticks and asked, "Did Jack pay you?"


    "What... what are you talking about?" Eric stammered.


    "You used to hate him so much in the past, but now you''re always defending him. Don''t you think it''s strange?" She had a feeling that Eric was conniving with Jack.


    Feeling guilty, he couldn''t meet her eyes. But he still continued to side with Jack. "I just know that Jack is better than any other man."


    "It''s up for me to decide if you are right. Don''t tell me what to do."


    She took out her wallet, paid the bill, and stood up. Before she left, she said, "Don''t call me if you are plann


    unity for him.


    When he noticed some ingredients beside the sink, he asked, "You haven''t eaten yet?"


    "Not yet. I was about to cook when the faucet got broken. How about you?"


    Thinking that he had just helped her, she pretended to be polite. Jack immediately answered, "I worked overtime, so I haven''t had dinner yet. Do you mind if I stay for dinner?"


    She was forced to reply, "I don''t mind."


    Although she felt a little embarrassed, she still simply tidied up and began to prepare dinner.


    While waiting, Jack took the opportunity to look around the house.


    He looked around carefully and made sure that everything there belonged to Rachel. A few moments later, he heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that she and Bill hadn''t lived together.


    His mood became better. Since it had been many years since the last time he tasted the dishes cooked by Rachel, he swept all the dishes on the table.


    As a result, he had a really bad stomachache in the early morning.


    He went to the toilet more than five times. However, it didn''t ruin his mood.


    Two days later, Jack drove to Rachel''s apartment early in the morning. Since they had gotten along well two nights ago, he thought that he could now have the opportunity to get close to her.


    But at that time, Rachel was already in her office.


    She hadn''t slept well last night because she couldn''t take Jack away from her mind, so she decided to go to work early today.

 Chapter 314 Send Bill To The Airport

    It had been a long time since Rachel had felt like this. She had thought that she could remain calm and rational no matter what, but she had once again become like a teenager after spending just a little time with Jack.


    Hadn''t she learned anything from the past?


    The cleaning lady of the hospital walked into Rachel''s office with a watering can to water the plants, but when she saw Rachel there, she suddenly stopped in surprise.


    Rachel''s shift hadn''t started yet. "Dr. Shen, why have you come so early today?" she asked.


    "I have something to deal with," Rachel replied.


    "Is it because of Dr. Zhou?"


    Almost everyone in the hospital knew that Rachel and Lucas were close friends.


    Upon hearing this question, Rachel frowned. "What do you mean? Did something happen to him?"


    The cleaning lady stopped what she was doing and looked at Rachel with her eyes wide open. "Ah, you don''t know? There was a notice from the hospital that Dr. Zhou has been transferred to the emergency department. His father is the one who issued the order in person."


    Rachel shook her head in shock. She seldom checked the hospital''s notice board.


    She wondered why Lucas hadn''t mentioned it to her.


    She stood up in disbelief and quickly walked to the notice board. When she got there, sure enough, she saw the transfer order for Lucas.


    The emergency department could be said to be the busiest department in the hospital. On top of that, only a preliminary examination and basic treatment could be done there. No doctor would be able to


    u soon."


    He wanted to say something more, but on second thought, he swallowed the words down.


    "Don''t be so childish. Time''s up. You should go." Rachel smiled and patted him on the back. Bill nodded and finally left.


    She watched him walk away until he was out of sight, and then turned around to leave the airport. At that moment, she froze, feeling like she had seen someone familiar. Her eyes flitted around the airport but she couldn''t find anyone she knew, so she shrugged it off and decided that she must have been imagining things.


    Celine quickly got into the car and sneered at the picture she had just taken on her phone.


    She wouldn''t show it to Jack now. After spending so many years with him, she knew him well. Instead of making him resent Rachel, this photo would only arouse his desire to get her back even more.


    Celine thought that she had to wait until the right time to play this card, but she didn''t know that she would never have the chance to take advantage of this photo.


    Rachel was supposed to go to work in the afternoon, but she had to get up early again because she had switched shifts with a doctor to see Bill off at the airport the day before.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the hospital, she saw Lucas walking toward her. "Lucas, you''re finally here."


    Lucas nodded, "Yes. I''m a little busy in the emergency department now. I''ll tell you everything at noon."


    The emergency department was always so busy that the doctors working there didn''t even have time to drink a glass of water.

 Chapter 315 Rachel Was Scalded

    At noon, Rachel arrived at the hospital''s canteen and ordered a set meal for Lucas. She texted him of her location. Not long after, he hurried over, looking incredibly disheveled and exhausted.


    Seeing that he drank up all the iced coffee in his cup in one go, Rachel asked, "What''s going on?"


    Lucas slowly raised his head, displaying the bags under his eyes. "It''s a long story."


    She paused, waiting for him to continue.


    "My father didn''t agree with my relationship with Iris. In order to make sure that I don''t have time to be with her, he transferred me to the emergency department." A bitter smile threaded across his lips. It was as if his father was asking him to make a choice¡ªhis lover or his parents, and he didn''t want that.


    Rachel moved her lips, but she couldn''t say a word. Instead, she placed her own coffee in front of him, implying that he could drink from it.


    It was difficult to fight against one''s own family when it came to a relationship.


    Without any hesitation, he took a sip. Her coffee was black and bitter, but it wasn''t as bitter as the chuckle that slipped past his lips. "If you have the time, talk to my father," he said pleadingly. "He always seems to listen to you."


    At this point, he couldn''t think of any other option.


    "Okay."


    Although she agreed, Rachel had no idea how to bring it up. How was she going t


    hy Rachel felt a sense of familiarity with her.


    With a smile on her face, Rachel nodded. "Fine, but I''m not going out with you anymore. I fear that it might be acid the next time I get drenched instead of boiled water."


    "Never again!" Celia agreed. She leaned against Rachel''s shoulder. "Why are all men so evil?"


    As soon as she finished her words, a familiar voice sounded from behind. "Rachel?"


    She turned around to see Marcus standing among the crowd. "Why are you here?"


    "An employee accidentally broke her leg during working hours, so I came here to have a look." Marcus didn''t expect to see her here.


    His gaze immediately fell onto her arm. "What happened?"


    "I got scalded by accident." Rachel didn''t really care much about her injuries.


    Celia was so enamored by the man in front of her that she forgot what to say. ''The man''s so handsome!'' she thought as she stared into his dark warm eyes.


    She whispered, "Rachel, is this your friend?"


    "Have you forgotten?"


    "Forgotten what?" Celia furrowed her eyebrows.


    Marcus'' lips twitched as he held out his hand. "I''m Marcus Ji. My car hit your brother by accident that year."


    On the viaduct, Jack stepped on the gas and rushed into the hospital at the fastest speed.


    After taking care of her wounds, Rachel walked out of the consulting room to see Jack. "Why did you come here?"

 Chapter 316 Lies Were Detected

    Seeing the bandage wrapped around Rachel''s arm, Jack frowned. "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine," she answered.


    Jack raised his hand, wanting to place a comforting hold on her shoulder, but when he spotted the vigilance in her eyes, he held back. "I''ll drive you home," he stated, without leaving any room for argument.


    Rachel shook her head. "I''ll be having dinner with Celia later, and then send her home."


    Celia was chatting with Marcus when she heard her name being mentioned. She pointed to her nose. "Send me home?"


    Marcus secretly tugged the corner of her sleeve. He glanced at her and shook his head.


    ''What does he mean?''


    Celia furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what he meant. She was about to say goodbye to him when he grabbed her hand.


    "I''ll drive her home," Marcus replied.


    ''What a silly girl,'' he thought.


    Jack''s eyes glimmered with joy as he raised his eyebrows. "In that case, I can drive Rachel home."


    The corner of Rachel''s mouth twitched.


    Celia stared at the retreating figures of the ex-couple. In a few seconds, she realized that her hand was still being held by Marcus. She immediately shook off his hold. "Why did you stop Rachel from driving me home?"


    With a faint smile, Marcus didn''t bother answering her. Instead, he turned around and walked into one of the consulting rooms behind him. ''She''s still silly after so many ye


    puzzled look on his face, she sighed. "If you didn''t buy this, why would I accept it?"


    "I bought it," he lied and blinked. Back then, Rachel knew he was lying if he kept blinking his eyes after the lie. It seemed that he hadn''t changed his habit.


    With a faint smile on her lips, Rachel picked up her plate and walked towards the recycling bin.


    Eric sighed, following her. "I bought it from the pharmacy," he insisted.


    "Fine. Let me ask you this."


    She stopped and turned around. "How did you know that I would need this?"


    "I heard about it." He scratched the back of his head.


    "Who told you?"


    "I heard it by accident."


    "How much is the ointment then?"


    Eric frowned. How the hell was he supposed to know? Thinking that the ointment wasn''t too expensive, he quickly guessed, "Thirty-five dollars."


    "Really? What pharmacy did you buy it from? Remind me to buy a few boxes. It wouldn''t be long till I become a millionaire myself," she said snidely.


    His shoulders sagged at her sarcasm.


    It seemed that he was exposed.


    Having no other choice, he admitted begrudgingly, "You don''t have to argue with me like this. Jack was the one who asked me to give you this ointment. He knew that you wouldn''t accept it from him, so he asked me to give it to you."


    "You know I wouldn''t take it. You shouldn''t have come here in his stead," she said indifferently.

 Chapter 317 A Meal Together

    The relationship between Rachel and Jack should have ended three years ago. She didn''t want to get involved with him again.


    Rachel continued to walk ahead. Eric walked faster until he caught up with her. He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Rachel, it''s just an ointment for burns. Just take it."


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


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


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


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


    "You don''t understand, Eric. I just hope that you will not get yourself involved in this matter. You don''t have to do anything for us. It''s useless."


    It was one of the most difficult things to do to explain anything related to relationships to someone who was not involved in that relationship.


    It was her opinion that two people who had been separated for years had gone through a lot of things during that time that turned each of them into a different person than they were before. Because of this, getting back together was very difficult.


    However, there was no lack of real world examples where couples who got separated were able to rebuild their relationship once more. A contrast to what Rachel believed.


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


    It would be a lie to claim the she didn''t care at all. How many women wouldn''t be jealous of their husbands'' ex-girlfriends? Additionally, Jack had love Celine so deeply back then.


    When Jack answered his phone and heard Eric''s low voice, he knew that the mission was a complete failure.


    Each time he


    to the company where Iris worked. He found out from her colleagues at work that she suddenly resigned without any explanation.


    Fortunately, he knew one of her colleagues who had a good relationship with Iris. What he found out from that colleague was the reason why he went to see Rachel in a hurry. He wanted to know what his parents said to Iris during the dinner the evening before.


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


    Yesterday, after the four of them sat down for dinner, the atmosphere started off as a little awkward. But once they started to chat, the dinner quickly became very harmonious.


    The things that they talked about were mostly trivial and funny things in life. James then asked about Iris'' job, but nothing unusual ever happened throughout the dinner.


    At the end of the dinner, James asked Rachel to pay the bill. So, she had no idea what they talked about during the time that she was away.


    Rachel suddenly thought about this and recalled that the expression on Iris'' face suddenly changed when she got back to her seat after paying the bill.


    After she got back, Rachel also asked Iris if she was feeling okay, and she replied that it was just because she was a little tired. She explained that she was too busy with work during the day.


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


    But she immediately shook her head in disbelief. "No, it can''t be. Uncle James told me that he just wanted to know Iris'' true character," she explained.


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

 Chapter 318 Being Used

    That was the only reason he could think of. Otherwise, why would Iris leave all of a sudden?


    Before Rachel could answer, Lucas sneered. Heartache flashed in his gaze. "I trust you," he spat. "I trust you, and this is what you did to me? You just had to help my father separate us!"


    "I didn''t... It''s not what you think!"


    Even she was unsure with her own words. As she saw his retreating figure, she fell against the wall, as if all her strength had been drained away.


    When she arrived at the hospital, Rachel went straight to James'' office. "I have something to ask you," she said hesitantly.


    "Is it about what happened last night?"


    James poured himself a cup of tea as if he was unaffected by what had happened.


    "Last night, did you say anything to Iris while I was away?"


    Rachel could only hope that Lucas was wrong about all of this.


    She hated being used, especially by elders she actually trusted.


    Instead of answering her directly, James took out another tea cup from the cabinet and poured her some scented tea. He motioned for her to come closer. "Have a taste. My wife bought it last night."


    Pursing her lips, Rachel could already feel her heart sinking.


    Sighing, James said, "Okay, you''re right. The purpose of that dinner was to


    urrowed his eyebrows. "Then what is this for?"


    "Rachel''s in a bad mood these past two days. Go to the mall and by something for her."


    Eric slouched.


    "Why don''t you buy it yourself?


    "Have you forgotten what happened to the ointment?"


    Jack had hoped that he would be able to choose it himself and give it to her in person, but it wouldn''t be the right time for that.


    Besides, Eric couldn''t hide anything from her. Even if he bought something to Rachel and hid the fact that it was from Jack, she would immediately find out.


    It would be better for Eric to buy it himself as to not to arouse her suspicion.


    When he saw the helpless glint in the man''s eyes, Jack chuckled. "The rest of the money is yours."


    ''Is that my commission? It''s already too much!''


    Eric raised his eyebrows. "Thank you so much, Jack."


    Eric went back to his seat and sent a message to Zoe. "Are you free after work? Let''s go to the mall. I have to buy something for my cousin."


    In the past two days, Rachel still hadn''t recovered from the incident.


    Although she sent an apology message to Lucas, she still received no reply.


    She even went to the emergency department to see him, but they told her that he had asked for a long leave. No one knew when he''d come back.

 Chapter 319 Fought Back

    With a sigh, Rachel turned off the lights in the living room and entered the study.


    Knock! Knock!


    ''Is Lucas here?''


    Rachel immediately walked to the door only to see Eric standing outside. She felt a little disappointed. "Why are you here?"


    "I''m not welcomed?"


    Eric raised the gift bag in his hand and shook it in front of her face. "I''m here for a free meal, plus I got you a gift."


    Reminded by this, Rachel suddenly realized that she had forgotten about dinner. "I didn''t cook anything for tonight," she murmured.


    "Then what do you want to eat?"


    Eric stared at her carefully. If there was something he knew about Rachel, it was that she always had a great attention to detail. She always insisted on eating on time or else her stomach would have problems.


    He glanced at his watch. It was almost 8 p.m.


    Before he came here, he had been afraid that he couldn''t make it for dinner. He didn''t expect that she didn''t cook anything up.


    It seemed that Jack was right. Something was really wrong with her.


    If she was alone, Rachel would''ve missed dinner and gone to bed. Now that Eric was here, she made two simple dishes and a bowl of soup with the ingredients left in her fridge.


    It took her about half an hour.


    Once she called for him, Eric placed the remote onto the couch and went to the dining area. He took a bowl and a pair of chopsticks from Rac


    from the impact, and it fell to her feet.


    "You said you didn''t take it, and now you''re throwing it at me?"


    Celine snarled.


    "I''m not interested in other people''s stuff, but you wronged me and Eric." Rachel glared. "If I find out that someone set us up then..."


    She trailed off, leaving a lot to her imagination.


    Celine stiffened from the threat. "Then why didn''t you just give it to me?"


    "I did, didn''t I?"


    Taking a few steps forward, Rachel stood beside Celine and whispered, "I don''t take stuff from you even if other people paid me to do so. The mere thought disgusts me!"


    Celine wanted to say something, but she couldn''t find a word to describe what she was feeling right now. She could only glare at Rachel and stomp angrily out of the room.


    She had planned to use this opportunity to teach that woman a lesson, but she didn''t expect Rachel to humiliate her like this.


    She would definitely get back at her!


    Finally, it was quiet. Rachel rolled her eyes, irritated from the encounter.


    The more Celine thought about it, the more furious she became. She immediately drove to the MK Group. She was smart enough not to take the elevator. Instead, she sat in the waiting area with bloodshot eyes.


    Her appearance became the main gossip in the whole building.


    "Mr. Fu, are you busy?" Standing by the door of his office, Austin grinned from ear to ear.

 Chapter 320 Directed And Acted By Herself

    Jack glanced at Austin and continued to twirl with the pen in between his fingertips. "What''s up?"


    From the look on Austin''s face, what he was about to say had nothing to do with business. Every time he showed even a flicker of emotion, it meant that what he was going to say was meant for private ears.


    Now, it had something to do with Jack.


    "Miss Duan is in the lobby, and everyone says that you quarreled with her. She looks devastated."


    If Austin hadn''t gone to the executive department, he wouldn''t have heard about it.


    The executive department held the largest number of female employees in the company. It was also the place where gossip was known to circulate.


    When Austin came over to get some office supplies, he was surprised to see several employees crowding in one spot and talking about a certain someone.


    Since he wasn''t busy today, he stood aside and listened to what they were talking about. The man stiffened when he heard Celine''s name.


    "Wait, what''s wrong with Celine? What did you say?" Austin took a step forward.


    "Austin..."


    Suddenly, the crowd dispersed. As if nothing had happened, they all went back to their seats and pretended to look at case files.


    Austin decided to ask one of them, "What were you talking about?"


    "Not


    ng.


    The more Celine thought about it, the more furious she became. With resentment blooming in her gaze, she threw the necklace onto the pavement.


    "Are you off duty now?"


    As soon as Eric turned off the computer, he heard Zoe''s voice from behind him. He quickly tidied the things on his table. "It''s done. Let''s go."


    However, just as they were about to leave, he received a call from Jack. "Come to my office."


    "I''m already off duty. How about tomorrow?" Eric gazed at Zoe awkwardly. They were planning to see a movie together.


    "No. Come here."


    Glancing at his phone, the man curled his lips. "Zoe, do you mind waiting for a while. I have to see Mr. Fu."


    Zoe''s eyes quickly flashed as she broke out into a cold sweat. "Sure. I''ll wait for you in the office, okay? But we need to go to the cinema soon."


    He hurried to the office. "What''s the matter?"


    "Did you meet Celine when you went to buy the necklace for Rachel?" Jack asked the moment Eric had opened his office door.


    "Yes, I did." He recalled what had happened that day before shaking her head. "It was a coincidence."


    "When did you take this photo then?" Jack showed the photo that Eric had sent him.


    "That one?"


    Eric frowned. "It was probably taken when I went home. I don''t remember."

 Chapter 321 Visit Jonathan And Tracy

    Jack frowned. Now, he was sure that he didn''t wrong Celine. This was all just her trick!


    Seeing that the man in front of him had gone silent, Eric felt strange. "Why did you ask?"


    "Did you tell Celine that you bought this for Rachel?" Jack wanted to get all the details before he could confront any one of them.


    Eric wrinkled his nose in disgust. "And how is that possible? I never had a word with her."


    He glanced at his watch. Ten minutes had already gone by. "If it''s okay with you, I''ll be leaving now. I already got tickets to the movie, so I''m in a hurry."


    Jack nodded, but as Eric was about to walk out of the office, he suddenly asked, "Who did you go with to buy that necklace?"


    "A friend," Eric replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.


    "Girlfriend?"


    "Not exactly, but she might be." He grinned. "I''m already late. I''ll get going now."


    Zoe kept glancing at her watch every now and then. Her heart raced in her chest as the feeling of restlessness grew inside of her. At this point, she couldn''t even stay still.


    ''Jack''s smart. What if he already figured it out?''


    "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let''s go." Eric patted her on the shoulder. When he realized how her face had gone pale from his voice, he immediately apologized, "Crap, did I scare you?"


    She slowly relaxed. "No. Did Mr. Fu ask you about work?"


    "No. It''s actuall


    my health isn''t as good as it used to be. You''ve been gone for three years." Although he chuckled, one could hear the sadness laced in his voice.


    She lowered her gaze.


    "It''s no matter. I''m glad you''re back. Why don''t you come for dinner once you''re free? Tracy and I miss you a lot."


    "I will." Rachel glanced at the bill in Jonathan''s hand and took it. "Rest here. I''ll pay the bill and give you the medicine."


    "Okay."


    Jonathan didn''t refuse. As she stood behind the line, he took out his phone and dialed Jack''s number. "Why didn''t you tell me that Rachel''s back?" he demanded.


    Two days later, Rachel received a call from Jonathan. She didn''t think that he would really ask her to come and have dinner with them. She thought they were all just polite formalities.


    She got off work early that day. She rushed home, changed her clothes, and headed to the mall.


    She was conflicted.


    Although she wanted to visit Jonathan and Tracy, she felt it awkward since she and Jack had divorced.


    She quickly walked into a clothing store and bought two cashmere sweaters for each of them. Then she set out to the Fu family house.


    "You come back, Mrs. Fu."


    Julie, the maid in the house, took her hand and smiled. There were more wrinkles around her face, but the kindness in her eyes hadn''t changed.


    Rachel hugged her and said softly, "Just call me Rachel."

 Chapter 322 Ill Go Back First

    Tears welled up in Julie''s eyes as she pointed at the living room across them. "They''re waiting for you there."


    At that moment, Jack had just parked the car.


    It was rare for Jonathan to smile these days. "Everyone''s here. Why don''t we all sit down and have dinner?"


    The square table in the Fu family household had been replaced into a round table. Sitting between Jack and Jonathan, Rachel couldn''t help but feel a little bit uncomfortable. She took two bites and put her chopsticks down. "I''m full." She smiled awkwardly.


    "Have some soup." Tracy asked Julie to bring out the stewed spareribs. She quickly filled a bowl and placed it in front of the young woman.


    Tracy actually had no idea why they had gotten a divorce three years ago, so she was incredibly angry.


    But after seeing Rachel look so thin and frail, she couldn''t help but feel sorry for her.


    Rachel took a sip.


    "It tastes good," she praised.


    "Make yourself at home," Jonathan said, patting her hand. After a moment of silence, he decided to ask,


    "How have you been all these years? Have you found someone to take care of you?"


    As soon as she heard the question, Rachel choked on her soup. She sputtered out, and couldn''t stop coughing.


    Jack took a piece of tissue, handed it to her, and patted her back. "Are you feeling better?" he asked cautiously.


    "Yes. Thank you.


    actually their original plan.


    Initially, they had planned to pick some fruits in the farm before having lunch. In the afternoon, they could go fish and catch up. The peaceful atmosphere was enough for them to enjoy the entire day.


    However, they weren''t able to catch up on the fruit-picking.


    "Sure."


    "My friend already arranged it."


    They talked and looked around, unaware that they were being watched.


    Three middle-aged woman shared a look as they peered at the woman not far away. "Isn''t she Tracy''s daughter-in-law?" one of them whispered.


    The woman with short hair was the first one to come to her senses. She quickly took out her phone and took several photos of them. Immediately, she sent them to Tracy on WeChat, asking her, "Is this your former daughter-in-law? She already has a boyfriend! Is Jack still single? Do you want me to introduce him to another girl?"


    Middle-aged women were interested in many things, and one of them was setting people up.


    They couldn''t help but comment on how Rachel and the unknown man looked good together despite the unfortunate end of her and Jack''s relationship.


    Tracy was unhappy. She couldn''t help but recall Rachel''s silence when Jonathan had asked her if she was taken. She snorted in disbelief. ''You were the one who divorced my son, and now you have a boyfriend while my son''s still single.''

 Chapter 323 None Of You Doctors Is Good

    "Jack''s not in a hurry. He''s still enjoying the single life," Tracy quickly replied to her friend''s message.


    "Check this document, and send it back to me immediately."


    After receiving the task from her superior, Celine nodded helplessly.


    In the past two days, she had busied herself with trying to contact Jack, but every time her phone call was connected, he would simply hang up. Now, she was already thinking if she should wait by the entrance of his company once her shift was over.


    It seemed that it was the only way she could get his attention.


    Before she could think any more, her phone vibrated, snapping her out of her thoughts. Furrowing her eyebrows, she answered, "Hello, Aunt Tracy."


    "Celine, are you free? I need to get my dress changed at the mall."


    "I''ll go with you."


    Immediately forgetting the task that her superior had assigned to her, Celine got off work early and said her farewell to her colleagues.


    One of her colleagues pulled her hand. "What are you going to do with the document?"


    "It can be done tomorrow." Now, there was nothing more important than shopping with her future mother-in-law.


    "But our superior asked you to¡ª"


    "He always says that, but he forgets it by the end of the day," Celine quickly interrupted, growing impatient with her colleague''s inputs. Right now, her priority was Tracy.


    Besides, if she really did marry Jack,


    g your condition, the medication wouldn''t be effective on you," she tried to explain.


    "I know what I''m capable of! Why are you taking so long? Just do as I say!"


    The man stretched out his hand and began to throw a fit. "If you won''t give it to me, then I''ll report you and find another doctor."


    Just as Rachel was about to say something more, the nurse patted her on the shoulder. "Rachel, just let him do whatever he wants."


    The nurse began to act as a peacemaker. "Please sit down, sir. The doctor will prescribe you some medicine."


    "Make it quick!"


    After the man left, the nurse quickly explained to her the situation. "Rachel, the patient has been coming for a check-up every week. Dr. Wang has already advised him to stay in the hospital for observation, but he refused to accept."


    Rachel nodded. However, when she saw him again the following week, his condition had already grown worse. Forgetting what the nurse had said, she tried to persuade him to stay in the hospital.


    The man had grown aggressive. He grabbed Rachel''s collar and lifted her up, as his other fist waved at her threateningly. "If you don''t prescribe me some medicine, then I''ll beat you!" he spat.


    "None of you doctors care for the patient anyway! You just want me to be hospitalized so you could profit from me! Aren''t your salaries enough?"


    The man was so furious that his face turned beet red.

 Chapter 324 Rachel Was Beaten

    Having been on duty for such a long time, the nurse had never seen such a situation. She was so scared that her legs were shaking from the scene. She didn''t dare move forward, fearing that she would also be involved.


    In the dining room, Celine handed the menu back to the waiter with a bright smile. As silence fell on them, she started, "Last time, when I came here with my colleagues, they told me how good I am at cooking." She chuckled. "In fact, they even compared me to the chef. You can try his cooking later on and make the verdict yourself."


    Jack nodded. In reality, he felt even more restless than all the other times he had been roped into social engagements like this one. Sitting in front of Celine was a torment he''d rather not face.


    Last time, when he had seen her shopping with his mother, he sent Tracy a message to inform her that he had something urgent to get to.


    He thought that her mother''s persuasions would be the end of it. However, Tracy wasn''t going to surrender that easily.


    "You either have dinner with her, or you forget you have a mother!" she had snapped at him.


    Given this, he had no other choice but to agree.


    Glancing at his watch, he could only wish that time could go by even faster.


    "Sir, miss, your dinner is ready. Enjoy."


    The waiter carefully placed


    The doctor still didn''t have a clear speculation when it came to her condition. The report would still be given the following morning.


    However, Rachel pulled up the quilt and closed her eyes. If the Jack and Celine were present, then she would never be able to regain her peace of mind.


    "Get out!" she bellowed. Her voice had lost its indifference.


    Glancing at the puzzled look on Jack''s face, Celine could only lower her head.


    Although he didn''t know what exactly happened, he could understand the generalities of what transpired while he was gone. Knowing that he would never win this argument, he left the ward, and Celine followed.


    Just as Celine opened the door of his car, Jack glared at her. "Take a taxi."


    "Why? I rode with you to the hospital!"


    she demanded as her eyes widened.


    "You know what you''ve done," he said coldly. "You better watch yourself."


    Celine held the car door, refusing to let him go. "I did nothing," she snapped. "She was the one who scolded me. Why the hell are you blaming me for her mistake?"


    A wave of resentment rolled down her heart as she dug her nails into her palm. She hated Rachel and hated everything the woman stood for.


    Jack snorted in disgust. "Whatever she''s done to you, it''s something you deserve. Who the hell do you think you are?"

 Chapter 325 A Rare Harmonious Atmosphere

    Jack gazed at Celine coldly. "You better know where you stand. Remove your hand."


    His words had a double meaning.


    Looking at the way his eyes flashed with such intensity, she could feel her mind going blank. "I-I won''t be like this in the future," she stuttered out.


    She was afraid that Jack wouldn''t be as forgiving this time around.


    If he was pissed at her now, it would be harder for her to get back into his good graces next time.


    "Your apology is cheap! Just like you," he spat. Without giving her a chance to speak up, he drove away.


    The skies rumbled in anger, and soon enough, rain drizzled around her. Even nature was mocking her every being.


    Celine squatted on the ground and hugged her legs tightly. She shivered under the rain. At this point, it felt as if her whole life was falling apart right in front of her.


    In the ward, Rachel shifted in her bed uncomfortably. It was then that she realized how painful it must''ve been for Lea on her first night when she had gotten injured.


    They got hurt in the same month. ''That must mean we''re good friends,'' she thought, snickering at the irony.


    As soon as she woke up, sunlight poured through the corners of the blinds. She sat up and struggled to get out of bed.


    However, as soon as she stepped on the floor, Rachel could feel a sharp pain poking her on the hips. Her legs trembled from the feeling. S


    they were all doing very well.


    Of course, Rachel had no idea what happened in the makings of this decision. Hearing what he said, she nodded. "That''s true," she said thoughtfully. "At least I don''t have to drive that far to eat these anymore."


    She grinned.


    Glancing at the empty box, she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "I may have eaten too much," she murmured sheepishly.


    "It doesn''t matter." Jack cleaned up the table and looked at his watch. "Get some rest, okay? I have something to deal with in the company first."


    "Be careful on the way," she called out.


    Celia''s character was Rachel''s complete opposite. She was the type of girl who made friends with everyone no matter where she went.


    She actually was planning to visit Rachel, but she stopped by the nursing station first. Seeing that they were gossiping, she decided to join in for a while. In around half an hour, she decided that it was time to see her friend.


    Celia pushed the door open and poked her head inside the ward. "I''m here!" she called.


    "Come in."


    "Sure."


    Standing by the bed, Celia crossed her arms over her chest and gazed at her carefully.


    "What are you doing?" Rachel frowned nervously. She grabbed the glass of water and took a sip. "Don''t look at me like that."


    "Are you and Jack together again?"


    Upon hearing her words, Rachel choked on her own water.

 Chapter 326 An Unwitting Eric

    Celia shook her head exasperatedly. "You could''ve at least told me that you''re back with him again."


    "Why are you even asking me that?" Rachel frowned and withdrew herself from the young woman''s grasp.


    "I just saw him walk out there just now." The young woman motioned to the door.


    "Couldn''t he visit me as a friend?"


    "You and I both know how impossible that assumption is!"


    Celia wagged her finger up in the air like a mother lecturing a child. A silly smile slid into her lips as her eyes glinted with an emotion that Rachel couldn''t decipher.


    ''Has she always been this hyper?''


    Rachel quickly held the woman''s forehead as if she was trying to take her temperature. "Did you take your medicine?"


    "I''m being serious!"


    Celia adjusted her chair and leaned in closer, just to make sure that no one else could hear them. "Before I came in, I heard some gossip from the nurse station. Do you want to know what they said?"


    "What?" Rachel placed a pillow on the back of her neck, so she could lean back more easily.


    "They said that Jack stayed outside the ward the entire night. Do you know that?"


    ''The whole night?''


    Rachel froze upon hearing her words.


    ''What was he doing outside? Was he really that worried? But we have already divorced...''


    came from the other end of the line.


    "Hello? Are you a friend of the owner of this phone? She fainted in the coffee shop, and was sent to the hospital. Her phone was left here."


    "Which hospital is it?"


    Sure enough, she was right. Enduring the pain, Rachel got out of bed and changed her clothes. Without missing a beat, she rushed to the hospital.


    In the emergency room, Celia was receiving her general check-up. Rachel was so anxious that she kept pacing back and forth. All sorts of pain coming from her hips were left forgotten.


    Suddenly, a hand was placed on her shoulder causing her to jump up. When she turned around, she saw that it was Jack. Rachel frowned. "Why are you here?"


    "Marcus tried calling Celia, but the waiter was the one who answered."


    At the sight of her pale face, his lips twitched. "You haven''t recovered yet. Why are you here."


    "I''m really fine..." Seeing how his face had darkened at her words, she felt that it was wise to shut up and sit down on the bench.


    Marcus had been peering through the door of the emergency room. His face was gloomy and his forehead was creased worriedly. The moment the door opened, he rushed towards the doctor. "Doctor, how''s Celia?"


    "She''s fine. She just fainted because of hypoglycemia."

 Chapter 327 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

    ''Hypoglycemia?'' Rachel was confused.


    Celia always liked eating. She always said that she would rather die eating than die starving. It was hard to believe that she had hypoglycemia.


    Rachel was restless while she sat and was about to stand up, but Jack pressed her shoulder to prevent her from standing.


    She was surprised that Jack seemed to know exactly what to ask the attending doctor. "Does her hypoglycemia have anything to do with her diet?"


    "It is probably from very low blood sugar that resulted from going on a diet to lose weight," the doctor replied with a frown. "What puzzles me, though, is why a good-looking girl like her has a very bad hygiene.


    Don''t worry about the rashes on her face. That''s just skin allergy. You''re her friends. Talk to her about maintaining proper hygiene. It doesn''t matter how good your figure is. If you don''t have good personal hygiene, then you''d still be unattractive to guys."


    ''What? Celia doesn''t have a good personal hygiene?''


    Rachel wondered to herself.


    She doubted whether the patient that the doctor described was really Celia. ''Maybe it''s a completely different girl who has the same name.''


    They entered the ward and the sight that greeted them made Rachel gasp in surprise. They found it hard to believe that the girl who sat on the bed was really Celia.


    Celia looked like she hadn''t washed her hair, or anything else, in a very long time. Her hair was in large oily clumps and the rashes on her face made her look creepy. There was a strong pungent smell that wafted off her body. There was a faint smell of perfume, but it wasn''t enough to completely mask the unpleasant smell.


    "Celia! What happened to you?" Rachel exclaimed right away when she finally recognized Celia despite her wretched state.


    Celia''s face s


    x of pizza and the box of cake in Bill''s hands and asked, "Are those for me?"


    "Of course!" Bill replied immediately.


    "I went back to France two days ago, but when I heard that you injured your waist, I came back as soon as I could. Are you feeling better now?"


    "I''m much better now. I''ll be going back to work at the hospital in two days," Rachel replied optimistically.


    She immediately opened the box of pizza. It was her favorite cheese pizza and it made her smile with glee.


    She always had only takeout food during the past few days. Seeing her favorite pizza made her impatient to pick up a slice and put it into her mouth right away.


    The satisfaction and happiness in her eyes made Bill smile as he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never expected that she would be so eager to eat the pizza that he brought for her.


    His eyes suddenly turned to one side of the house and happened to see a man''s coat that was casually placed on an armchair. "Did Eric leave his coat?" he asked casually.


    "No, it''s Jack''s," Rachel replied as she took another large bite at the pizza. Her reply sounded too casual for Bill.


    His face darkened right away. He suddenly felt a little uneasy when he heard Rachel''s reply.


    There was a natural intimacy when Rachel spoke of Jack. He noticed that there was less resistance and rejection in her voice.


    He sighed slightly and muttered, "I... I don''t have a chance, do I?"


    Unfortunately, his voice sounded unclear, and because Rachel was focused on the pizza in her hand, she was not able to understand what Bill said. She turned her head towards him and slightly leaned forward. "What did you say just now?" she asked.


    "Nothing," Bill replied in an indifferent tone of voice as he withdrew.


    Rachel immediately believed what he said.

 Chapter 328 The Paper Was Leaked

    The two days of rest was effective in relieving the pain on her waist. Rachel stretched her waist and felt that she has recovered enough to return to her job at the hospital.


    She was worried that she would become lazy if she lay down for even just a day more.


    Unexpectedly, she received a call from the director before she could call him and notify him about her decision to return to work.


    "How are you today, Rachel?" The director greeted her by asking about her condition as soon as she answered the call.


    "It''s almost completely healed. I''m okay to go back to work tomorrow," Rachel replied optimistically.


    "Don''t worry about it. You can stay at home a few more days to fully recover," the director replied in a positive tone of voice.


    His words left Rachel speechless. She wondered if the she was being given special treatment or not. She paused and thought of the most appropriate reply, but the director continued before she could say anything. "How are you at home these past few days? I have a paper that I have to publish in two days, but I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. So, I really have no time to modify it anymore."


    There was a short pause before the director continued. "Do you think you can help me out with it?"


    It turned out that he didn''t call only because he cared about her health.


    "Yes, of course. Please sent it to me."


    "It would be quite simple, really. Just check for any incorrect words and then make any necessary changes to the references as needed."


    It might sound like a simple task, but the workload was not that small.


    However, since she had already promised that she would help, she would have to do it to the best of her ability.


    She went to the study, turned on her computer and carefull


    econd day.


    The hospital was a very busy place every day, and there were different things that happened daily. Very few people knew anything about the director''s paper, so when she got back, Rachel never heard of any talk about the paper.


    Only Celia came to her office to ask her about the director during break time at noon.


    She knew nothing about the paper, but noticed that the director, who usually smiled, had a very gloomy disposition lately.


    Rachel pretended not to know the reason behind the director''s gloomy countenance. Instead, she changed the topic and asked about Celia''s recovery.


    Her face suddenly flushed at Rachel''s question. She replied with a whisper that she had recovered and promised not to do such a stupid thing again.


    The two of them chatted a while longer before going back to work. They didn''t have any more free time in the afternoon.


    When her shift ended, all Rachel wanted was to go home and have a good rest, but she was stopped by a strange man as soon as she walked out of the hospital.


    "What can I do for you, sir?"


    Rachel felt impatient in dealing with the stranger''s unusual behavior. So, she decided to take a step back from the strange man.


    The man took out a card from his pocket and handed it to Rachel with both hands. "This is my card, miss."


    Rachel sighed when she thought that it was nothing more than a mere advertising.


    It was common in the streets of the city for people to conduct business in this way. But Rachel can''t think of a reason why she should take the card. She waved her hand at the man and said calmly, "I really don''t need it."


    The man stared at her with a smile. "Don''t you really want to take a look at it first before you decide whether you want it or not, Miss Shen?"

 Chapter 329 Persuading Rachel To Switch Jobs

    Rachel was stunned. How did the man know her name? "Do I know you?"


    "Miss Shen, I am an executive officer in the cardiology department at the Affiliated No.1 Hospital. We would like you to come work at our hospital. I can assure you that you will be treated better than you are right now," the man introduced himself.


    ''Is he trying to make me switch jobs?''


    Rachel thought, spitefully. Her eyes darted towards the gate of the hospital. Various colleagues and superiors breezed in and out.


    It seemed that the person who had set her up hated her with every fiber of their being. Why else would they send this person to her while she was at the hospital? The person wanted Rachel''s colleagues to believe that she was connected to the Affiliated No.1 Hospital.


    She gave the man in front of her an icy stare and asked, "Who asked you to come here?"


    "Miss Shen, I do not see the need to divulge that information. I just hope that you will at least think about it. Our conditions are better than this hospital. You are a smart person. You should know what would be the best for you." Without waiting for her to respond, he turned around and walked away. His steps were quick as he disappeared around the corner.


    Rachel wanted to chase after him but thought better of it. She stared at the business card in her hand, clutching it tightly. Unlocking her phone, she opened the browser.


    After some research, she dialed Jack''s number. "


    yet, have you? Take it with you," she urged, pushing the box in Jack''s hands. Celine looked especially innocent in the white summer dress she wore as a lovely smile twitched the corners of her mouth.


    But Jack didn''t buy it anymore.


    He twisted his cuff link, walked straight past her and stepped outside without a word. But his car did not start. There was something wrong with it.


    The car had suddenly gone on strike.


    He had no choice but to call the driver and have him pick him up. But before Jack could finish asking the driver, her car keys thrust in his hand.


    Celine looked at him and smiled, "Jack, I drove here today. You can take my car."


    Jack checked his watch. He had an appointment with an important customer today who had flown in from abroad. He absolutely had to meet this client to discuss cooperation for the next quarter.


    He took the car keys from her and sat in. That was when he saw the business card.


    It looked familiar. Realization dawned on him. The name on the card was of the man who had shown up at the hospital to find Rachel!


    Jack held the business card out the window. In an icy tone he asked Celine, "Whose business card is this?"


    "A friend of mine."


    Celine tried to snatch it out of his hand, but he was smart enough to dodge her.


    Jack sneered, his eyes sharp and cold. "A friend? Why didn''t I know that you have a friend who works in a hospital? Celine, you have so many friends!"

 Chapter 330 Celine Failed

    Celine flushed red.


    What he had just said really hurt her.


    At his words, she started to regret her own carelessness. She should''ve been more cautious in meeting up with that man. Maybe then, Jack wouldn''t have suspected her.


    Now that everything was falling apart, she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Couldn''t I make friends with people who work in the hospital?"


    Instead of getting furious at her frivolous reply, Jack smiled. "You can, but I happen to be interested in him. Call him, so we can talk."


    On that day, after Rachel had called him, he had sent someone to the Affiliated No.1 Hospital to investigate on the matter. But they said they had no plan of poaching her.


    Jack analyzed the business card he had gotten. The paper was rough, and the handwriting had already faded because of the rain. It was obvious that the business card was another prop to Celine''s lies.


    "Never knew that an executive at such a big hospital would have a cheap calling card." He sneered.


    Celine shrunk at the implication of his voice. She leaned against the door frame as her lips trembled under his cool gaze. Although she was scared out of her mind, she managed to keep her mouth shut.


    After all, it was just a business card. He wouldn''t be able to find anything.


    She thought that she had already hidden ever


    cks echoed across the cafe.


    For a moment, everyone stopped what they were doing to glare at her, confused as to what was happening.


    "What?" she roared. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed.


    Everything she had done...she would never allow herself to come out empty handed! She just wouldn''t accept it.


    Tracy didn''t expect that Celine would come and complain to her. She looked so pitiful with her flushed face and glassy eyes.


    The older woman handed her a piece of tissue. "Tell me what happened."


    "Jack... wants to kick me out of Ninwell City," she stuttered out. Only Tracy could speak to her son and appease him.


    Tracy frowned. "Why would he do that?"


    Celine covered her face with her hands. "I was so jealous of Rachel appearing by his side, so I wanted to trouble her. I deliberately asked someone to wait at the gate of her hospital and pretend to poach her."


    "You silly girl."


    Tracy shook her head helplessly. In her opinion, it was just a harmless joke¡ªone that shouldn''t be taken seriously. Upon looking at the younger woman''s pitiful sight, she said,


    "I''ll talk to Jack about this, but you shouldn''t do it ever again!"


    "I know, and I won''t," Celine promised. She secretly did a victory dance.


    As long as Tracy would protect her, everything would run smoothly. She was safe for now.

 Chapter 331 The Truth Was Revealed

    Celine didn''t expect that when she and her friends walked out of the bar two nights later, they would be cornered by two men with a suitcase.


    Upon taking a closer look, she realized that the suitcase was hers!


    After taking a shower, Rachel was about to dry her hair and go to bed when she heard a familiar screech echoing from the other side of the door. "Open the door! Open the door!"


    The muffled sounds grew louder and louder as each second passed.


    She frowned, wondering why Celine would come here of all places.


    Although she wanted to ignore it, it was already approaching midnight. If the woman continued to scream like a banshee, Rachel was afraid that the neighbors would begin to complain.


    However, as soon as Rachel opened the door, she was met with a slap in the face. "Are you crazy?" she demanded.


    "Am I crazy? This is all your fault! I''ll fucking kill you!" Celine glared at her ferociously. She was about to slap her again but Rachel had already grabbed her wrist.


    She wasn''t foolish enough to stand still and let her succeed once more.


    Rachel dug her nails into the woman''s skin. "Why don''t you head back to the mental hospital?" she said snidely. "Your doctors are probably looking for you."


    It was already late at night, and she wasn''t in the mood to converse with Celine anymore. But just as she was about to close the door, Celine blocked it with a foot. "You''re the one who inserted yourself in our lives. Jack is mine! How dare you


    d. "Not something as intense as this."


    "Why do you think I brought a doctor with me?" He winked at her.


    In the past few days, he had been forcing himself not to go back to her, but in the end, he just couldn''t help himself.


    The mountain they were headed to was located in the eastern suburbs at the west of the city. On the weekends, there would be tons of climbers surrounding the area, but on a working day, it was a different story.


    When they arrived, they found that it was just the two of them.


    After parking the car by the foot of the mountain, the two of them slowly walked up the steps.


    At the hillside, there was a pavilion for beginners to rest for a few seconds. Seeing as she had weak legs, she leaned against the pillar and waved at Bill. "How about we get some rest?" she suggested.


    "Okay." He smiled teasingly. "I think you''re the one who lacks some exercise, Rachel. You look even more exhausted than me."


    "I usually don''t have the time to work out these days," she admitted.


    Bill shrugged. "How about you go jogging with me every morning?"


    Since he couldn''t let her go, he might as well do his best in pursuing her.


    He just couldn''t bear being apart from her.


    "Aren''t you living in Platinum Bay? Isn''t that far from here?"


    "Half an hour''s drive," he admitted.


    "It''s too troublesome. Besides, you''ll drive here for half an hour for what? An hour''s jog?" Rachel shook her head. "Besides, I don''t think I can get up that early."

 Chapter 332 A Night At The Suburb

    The air was getting cold, and Rachel preferred to stay in bed during winter.


    "Let''s talk about it then," Bill said as he pointed to the top of the mountain. He then grabbed her arm and urged her on. "Let''s get there first!"


    It was already dusk when they finally got down the mountain.


    And it was only five in the afternoon, but it was quickly getting dark all around them. Rachel rubbed her rumbling stomach. "Can we go back now?"


    They walked to the car and got in. However, when Bill tried to start the car, it wouldn''t start. He tried several times, but failed each time.


    A bad feeling crept around her heart as she frowned. "Is it broken?"


    "I think it is. I''ll call them to send out a car for us," Bill answered with an awkward smile.


    He took out his phone and was surprised that there was no signal. It appeared that they were outside of the service area of his phone.


    They both wondered if they had no choice but to spend the night in the wilds. "We could check if there''s a guesthouse nearby," Rachel suggested.


    Jack went straight to look for Rachel as soon as he got off the plane. He rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one answered. To make matters worse, her phone was also powered off when he tried to call her.


    After he had expressed his feelings for Rachel, he had had some urgent work abroad. He had asked his employees work overtime and had been able to finish the work that would originally need month to finish in just a week. He had flown back right away after he had finished the work.


    He wanted to explain to Rachel in person, but he never expected that he wouldn''t be able to find her once he got back.


    It all felt so strange to him.


    He was about to go to the hospital where she worked. He walked towards the elevator and waited. When the elevat


    quickly.


    "What news? I want to see that too," Celia said. She was naturally curious because she was a gossipy girl.


    The corners of Rachel''s lips twitched at Celia''s request. "Nah. It''s really nothing special."


    The truth was that she was reading a message from Jack. He reminded her to eat her breakfast on time. It was not really a news from the Internet. Rachel decided to quickly change the topic, "So, what made you come here so early?"


    Celia suddenly looked sad at Rachel''s question. She sighed deeply as she approached Rachel. "Rachel, I am going to be homeless soon," she complained.


    "Why? What happened?" Rachel asked concerned. She suddenly became more serious when she heard Celia''s news. She was aware of the circumstances of Celia''s situation.


    "The owner of the apartment I rented said that his son is about to get married, and he planned to redecorate the apartment. He wanted me to move out by next week. But where would I find a cheap and good apartment in such a short time?" Celia complained.


    Rachel felt distressed for Celia as she sighed. She picked up the teacup and took a sip at her tea as she thought about Celia''s situation. "Why not move back home? Your home is quite close to the hospital, and that will make it convenient for you to travel back and forth to the hospital," she suggested.


    "I might eventually be left with that only option," Celia replied sadly. But she was obviously reluctant to accept this choice. Her shoulders immediately drooped and it made her look like she had lost all of her strength. "I have been searching online these past couple of days to look for an apartment. Can you help me keep an eye on the apartment ads?"


    Rachel nodded immediately at Celia.


    But it was never easy to find a new apartment with a fair price in the city.

 Chapter 333 Weeping Out Her Grief

    Unfortunately, finding an apartment that was both cheap and cozy was extremely difficult for fresh college graduates like Celia.


    It was therefore fortunate for Celia that Rachel agreed to check the Internet for any information regarding apartments for rent. However, even with Rachel''s help, the search for a new apartment was still difficult.


    A week quickly passed by. When she arrived at the hospital early in the morning, Rachel happened to see Celia who walked towards her with a suitcase in one hand and two bulging bags on the other.


    Rachel hurried towards Celia and helped her carry the two bags. "The apartment was due today?"


    "Yes. I have no choice but to go straight home after work. So, I brought my stuff here. Can I put them in your office, Rachel?" The thought of the family that she''d be going to after her shift made Celia feel depressed.


    She understood that having a stepmother was like having a stepfather as well.


    Her father didn''t really care too much about her before, but he seemed to have gotten worse. He never sent Celia a single message or called her since graduation.


    Celia had called her father the day before and told him that she would move back the next day. He took the matter lightly and didn''t even properly welcome her back. "We placed some things inside your room. You come back tonight and clean it up yourself," he had told her flatly.


    Rachel understood that it must be like walking towards execution for Celia. She wanted to say that her study room could become a guest room if she made some changes to it.


    However, the thought only reached the tip of her tongue, and returned to th


    stand how Celia felt at that moment.


    Celia''s tears kept falling down like rain, and all that Rachel could do was gently tap her shoulder. "Let''s have dinner first. There''s delicious food waiting for us tonight," she suggested to distract her from her situation.


    "Okay," Celia agreed. She did her best to smile and stop herself from sobbing.


    "Did Jack cook all of these dishes on his own, Rachel?" she asked and forced herself to sound happy.


    "Yes. Go ahead and try some," Rachel offered.


    She went to the study and called Jack to dinner. When she turned around and was about to leave, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the study. He jumped to his feet and held her tightly in his arms.


    Her cheeks blushed red right away.


    "Jack, what are you doing? Let go of me!" Rachel said but didn''t make a move to free herself from Jack''s warm embrace.


    "Why did she come to you?" Jack asked. He blew on her hair that fell on her forehead.


    "Can you stop being so childish?" Rachel said as she pretended to be irritated. "She''s going to live with me for a few days. Don''t visit me while she''s here."


    Jack''s face suddenly sunk when he heard Rachel''s words. "Are you afraid?" he asked.


    "You know very well the answer to that!" Rachel retorted.


    Celia suddenly called out from the dining room. Rachel immediately pushed Jack away, straightened her clothes and went back to the table.


    Jack thought of ignoring what she just said to him, but he was afraid that she would get angry. He admitted to himself that he was such a coward when it came to Rachel lately. Each time they met, nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

 Chapter 334 Celia Found A New Apartment

    Now that Celia stayed in Rachel''s apartment, Jack had less time to spend with Rachel.


    When Jack called Michael and Marcus over, Michael couldn''t help but tease him, "Now, why did the president of MK Group suddenly grace us with his presence? Shouldn''t you be somewhere else? Perhaps coaxing a certain beauty?"


    "Cut the crap, and just enjoy the wine. I''m paying the bill tonight." Jack poured them both a glass before sighing heavily. "Besides, even if I want to, I couldn''t see her."


    Marcus furrowed his eyebrows. "What''s wrong? Did something happen?"


    "No. It''s just a nurse is staying in Rachel''s house. It wouldn''t be convenient for me to go there." He looked up from the rim of his own glass. "She is the nurse you drove back home the other night."


    Michael snorted as he slung his arm around the Jack''s shoulder. "What is inconvenient about going there? Unless of course... you''re going to make out with her."


    He pushed Michael''s hand off his shoulder. "I meant that it isn''t inconvenient to chat! I''m not like you, you know."


    "We''re all men. You shouldn''t be embarrassed about these things either way." Michael snorted, downing the red wine in his glass before slamming it back onto the table. When he glanced at the other side, he suddenly found himself fixated on a beautiful dark-haired woman who had just entered the bar. His eyes glinted as he whistled and stood up. "Enjoy yourselves, men. I''m afraid that I won''t


    niture. He sat on different beds from time to time to test the cushions and knocked on the cabinets from time to time. He was detailed enough to ask the shop assistant for their sizes and whatnot.


    Michael frowned. "Do you really want that nurse to live in your house? You''re really going to let her invade your private space like that?"


    "Sooner or later."


    Marcus glanced at the shop assistant. "I want this bed. Send it to my house."


    "No problem." The shop assistant took the man''s bank card and raced happily to the counter to arrange it all for him.


    Michael sighed exasperatedly as he waved his hands up in the air. "Are you still the same man that I used to know? If you let the woman move in with you now, your freedom is over before you know it."


    "You''re overreacting." Jack snorted before gazing meaningfully at his friend. "Thank you, by the way."


    "You''re only thanking him because he''s making things convenient for you." Michael snickered.


    Jack threw his middle finger at his friend before shaking his head.


    He already had a plan in his mind.


    On the day when Celia moved out, Jack appeared at the doorstep right in time. When Rachel came out of the elevator, he grinned. "You should really consider giving me a key, so I don''t have to wait by your doorstep."


    "Why are you here?" She resisted the urge to yawn.


    Celia had just moved to Marcus'' house that day, so she was exhausted from helping her out.

 Chapter 335 The Exhibition

    "I have something for you," Jack said with a smile. He took out a business card and handed it to her. "I''m sure you''ll like it."


    When Rachel saw the name printed on the card, she exclaimed, "Oh my God! Why do you have her card?"


    "She has a model exhibition tomorrow afternoon. I''ll take you there," Jack announced. He smiled broadly at her, but Rachel''s attention was focused on the card in her hand. She failed to notice the unusual brightness in his eyes. It had an excitement that seemed to anticipate the fulfillment of a plot.


    "Okay," Rachel replied and nodded as if hypnotized.


    For years, she had developed a hobby of piecing together models. It was a good hobby for doctors to have because it provided a platform to practice their accuracy, patience and the agility of their fingers.


    Each doctor would have had an encounter with models more than once throughout their career. And some doctors had taken up model making as a hobby.


    And Rachel was a good example of this.


    There was a special bookcase in her study room that had a small area for thick medical books while the rest of the space was taken up by models that she had pieced together.


    However, as work became busier, her hobby had to take a back seat to her profession. But each time there was a model exhibition, she never failed to attend.


    And Jack knew about this very well. The card that he gave her was from a person that always had exhibitions for a limited number of people only. Rachel wanted to buy a ticket, but they were sold out befo


    voice called out from behind them. "Jack!"


    They both stopped at the same time and turned to the direction of the voice. A woman stared at them with a smile. Rachel suddenly felt that she looked somewhat familiar. A short moment later, her countenance suddenly changed and looked pleasantly surprised. "Cherry Xu?" she asked in disbelief.


    She was the owner of the models on display.


    Cherry Xu grinned sweetly at Rachel revealing her two canine teeth. "Hello, are you Jack''s girlfriend?" she asked.


    Rachel wanted to explain and was halfway to saying something when her hand was suddenly grabbed by Jack. He quickly turned his head towards her and whispered, "Please, do me a favor, okay?"


    The words "I''m not" reached the tip of Rachel''s tongue, but quickly retreated back into the unreachable areas of her throat without getting spoken.


    Jack gently placed his arm around Rachel''s waist and introduced her in an intimate manner. "This is Cherry Xu, my college classmate''s sister."


    "Nice to meet you," Cherry said to Rachel.


    Rachel felt embarrassed as she reached out her hand to shake Cherry''s outstretched hand. All of her attention shifted to the arm around her waist. All of her senses focused on that arm that felt unnatural to her, but so warm at the same time.


    In the past, Jack introduced her to his friends in the same manner at banquets and gatherings, but she had never been as restless as she was at that moment.


    She felt like she was a young girl who suddenly found herself in the arms of her idol.

 Chapter 336 Brazen-faced Jack

    Cherry saw the interaction between the couple and smiled. "You know, I used to have a secret crush on Jack, but that was all in the past."


    "You don''t have to tell her that."


    At her senseless words, Jack immediately frowned at the implication. He turned to Rachel and explained himself, "She was just an immature girl that time. The only thing she knew back then was to chase handsome boys around."


    "It seems you''ve grown an even bigger head since the last time I saw you." Cherry slapped the back of Jack''s shoulder heavily before turning to the other woman. "I hope you don''t misunderstand, Rachel. This is just how I joke around."


    "It''s fine."


    Rachel didn''t think too much into their relationship. She just found the two very interesting. In fact, she never heard that Jack had a female friend before.


    To be even more frank, she had never seen this side of him before¡ªthe one that was more playful without any inhibitions.


    Jack turned serious. "Isn''t the exhibition over by nine?" he asked. "Where are you going now?"


    Cherry rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, something had gone wrong with our hotel, so now my husband and I have to find another one. Otherwise, we will be sleeping on the streets."


    "How many days will you be staying in the city?"


    There was silence before she answered, "About a week."


    "If that''s the case, then you don''t have to find another hotel." He shrugged. "You can stay at my place. I can ask the maid to clean the guest


    never slept on the floor before.


    A few minutes ago, he had thought that as long as he could sleep in the same room as her, he would be satisfied. However, the cold floor was really uncomfortable to sleep on.


    Recalling the time the two of them spent in the Fu family house, he quickly traced a line in the middle of the bed. "I swear, I won''t cross this line."


    "No way!"


    Rachel kicked him, indicating that he should return to the floor.


    "Can''t I sleep here for one night?"


    "If you really want to sleep here, go ahead. I''ll sleep on the floor or in the study." Rachel pretended to step out of her bed.


    As a result, he had no choice but to compromise. "Fine, I''ll go back to sleep on the floor." No matter how uncomfortable it was, he refused to head back to the study. He was already in the same room as her, so there was no way he was going back to square one.


    However, when Jack woke up the next day, he could feel his body aching from the hard surface. With a grunt, he freshened up and headed to his office.


    Austin was there to greet him when he arrived. After reporting today''s schedule, he noticed that his boss was frowning. His right hand was stretched around his back, and his face was twisted into an uncomfortable expression.


    "Mr. Fu?"


    "Call Mr. Wang later and ask him to send the first draft in two days."


    Jack folded his paper. However, just as Austin was about to open the door, he stopped him. "Wait, do you mind massaging my back?"

 Chapter 337 An Acute Heart Attack

    "Mrs. Fu, what happened with you?" Austin asked in a concerned tone.


    "My back hurts," Jack complained as he pointed at an area of his back.


    Austin did not waste time and went to Jack''s aid. He positioned himself at Jack''s back and helped him stretch his back. "Feeling better?" he asked.


    "Yes, better," Jack replied, obviously relieved.


    Austin massaged his wrist gently as he turned it clockwise. "What did you do last night that hurt your back?" he asked.


    "I slept on the floor," Jack replied lightly.


    He initially planned to sleep inside Rachel''s bedroom for an entire week, but it had only been one night, and his experience made him doubt that he could complete the entire week.


    He didn''t want to injure his back before he could get Rachel back.


    "Is there something wrong with your bed, Mrs. Fu? Do you want me to call a furniture shop and order a new bed for you?" Austin offered.


    "No. But thanks, anyway," Jack replied. He waved his hand at Austin that indicated that he could leave his office. He stared blankly at the floor of his office for a brief moment after Austin had left. Austin''s words gave him an idea.


    It was almost morning when Rachel finally fell asleep because of what happened the evening before. She struggled to get up and go to work in time. However, since she lacked sleep, she felt tired during her entire shift.


    She hurried to leave the hospital as soon as she ended her shift. When she got back home, she casually threw her handbag on the sofa in the living room. She then dragged herself up to the bedroom to get some much needed rest. When she opened the door to her bedroom, she was so surprised with the sight that greeted her that she stood at the door for some time.


    Her bedroom was drastically rearranged while she was at work.


    Her bed was moved to one side that was closer to the window. The single bed in the study was then moved into her bedroom and occupied the space near the


    r office and think about how to explain what happened to the patient''s family later. Additionally, Executive Zeng wanted you to submit an explanation report. Go and prepare one before you get off work today."


    Rachel nodded. She then got up from her chair and went to her office. When she got to her office, she opened a blank document on her computer and stared blankly at it. She couldn''t type a single word even after ten minutes had passed.


    She was convinced that she did nothing wrong by saving the patient''s life. Thus, she couldn''t find it in her to write an explanation for what she did.


    When she was about to leave the hospital at the end of her shift, she went to the office of Executive Zeng. She had nothing with her as she knocked on the door of his office.


    "Rachel, I expected that you''d bring your explanation report about the incident. So, where is it?" he asked with a snort.


    "Executive Zeng, I strongly believe that in that situation, any doctor would immediately decide to do the surgery in order to save his life. The patient suffered from an acute heart disease, and this can''t afford to wait. I am sure you know about this." Rachel stood straight and spoke in full honesty and confidence.


    However, her words meant nothing to the executive. He pointed at the complaint on his table and roared, "Do you seriously believe that they will understand if you tell them what you''re telling me right now?"


    "I''m willing to explain everything to the patient''s family," Rachel offered.


    Executive Zeng waved his hand impatiently at her. "Don''t you think that the family of the patient have gone through enough stress already because of what you''ve done? Go home and rest for the next two days. When this matter is over, the leaders of the hospital will hold a meeting to discuss how to deal with you."


    Early in the morning of the next day, Jack felt that it was strange that Rachel was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

 Chapter 338 Withdraw The Report

    Jack buttoned up his shirt. Seeing that Rachel made no move to leave for the hospital, he raised his eyebrows. "Aren''t you going to work today?"


    "I took a few days off. I''m exhausted." She shrugged indifferently.


    Although that was reasonable, he still didn''t understand why she looked so gloomy. Without prodding further, he went to the bathroom to freshen up. When he came out and scanned through his phone, an article popped up onto his screen.


    "Is It Ethical For a Doctor to Perform Surgery on A Patient Without His Family''s Consent?" the title read.


    Whenever Jack saw news related to hospitals and doctors in the city, he would usually be the first one to read it. He even set up his phone to alert him every time there was news. Immediately, he clicked on the article and scanned its contents. The more he read, the deeper his frown became.


    The article had stated how the doctor operated on her patient without the consent of his family. Although the news didn''t mention any hospitals or doctors, there was one sentence that drew him in. It said, "Is this doctor the same doctor who had been beaten by her patient? Find out soon!" His eyebrows raised.


    Now, everything seemed to have fallen into place.


    That was why Rachel decided to take a break for a couple of days. It wasn''t because she was exhausted, but because she had been suspended from medical practice until the board had made a decision.


    "Breakfast is ready," she called out from the kitchen.


    Jack put down his phone and walked out


    "Let me drive you home," he offered.


    "No thanks. I actually drove here myself. The car''s parked there." She pointed at her car.


    "Well, are you free the day after tomorrow?" He opened the car door and gracefully pulled out a red invitation. "One of my friend''s daughter will celebrate her birthday. Would you like to come with me?"


    ''Is this the party that Jack had told me about?'' she thought.


    Usually, given that they were businessmen, their circle of friends sometimes intercepted with one another.


    She shook her head lightly. "I have plans that day. Sorry."


    "I see..."


    He pouted. "It seems that I have to find someone else to accompany me. But you know how I feel about other people. They¡ª"


    Her phone rang, interrupting his words.


    When she took it out, Bill could see Jack''s name on the screen.


    Clenching his fists, he looked away. Rachel took this opportunity to say her farewells as she headed back to her car.


    "She dismissed my call!" Jack glared at his phone.


    He glanced at the two bowls of noodles he had cooked himself. After half an hour of waiting, there was no soup left. Instead, lumps of swollen noodles greeted his line of sight.


    When Rachel returned, she glanced at Jack. He was sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed. His face was void of any emotion. She threw the keys on top of the cabinet and changed into her slippers. "Have you had dinner?" she asked.


    He snorted in reply.


    "What''s wrong?" When he didn''t answer, she shrugged.


    "I''m heading to my room."

 Chapter 339 Will You Accept Me Again

    The single bed that he had moved to the master bedroom was pushed back into the study at Rachel''s insistence. Because of this, Jack had to sleep in the study for the next few days.


    For several nights, he tried to sneak back into Rachel''s room, only to find that she had already locked the door.


    However, when he tried to open the door this time around, it was unlocked. When he pushed it open, he could see Rachel changing into her pajamas. Her loud shriek shocked him out of his reverie, and he immediately closed the door.


    Rachel''s face turned bright red. "Don''t you know how to knock?" she shouted as her glare darkened.


    He didn''t expect that he would catch her naked. "I''ll pay attention next time," he promised. "Are you decent now?"


    "You can come in."


    Glancing at the thick pajamas she was wearing, he resisted the urge to groan. ''Why not wear some thin nightgown?'' However, he didn''t dare to express his thought.


    Rachel crossed her arms over her chest, feeling uncomfortable at the way that he stared at her. "Why are you looking for me?" she snapped.


    Although the two of them had already seen each other naked, it was still embarrassing for her, especially since she wasn''t ready to accept him yet.


    His mouth twitched. "I cooked noodles."


    "Oh, I''ve already eaten." Her voice lowered guiltily.


    When she saw that Jack''s face had darkened immensely, she protested weakly, "I didn''t know that we''re supposed eat together."


    Before she could finish her words, he slammed the door to her bedr


    ore. "See you later," she said.


    She might as well go for a walk.


    The air in the suburbs was fresh. Rachel just spent the time listening to Bill about the movie he had just watched last night. She smiled and asked questions from time to time, but usually, she just let him do the talking.


    Soon enough, it was already getting dark.


    He glanced at his watch. "Finally, the party has just started. I don''t have to go."


    "Congratulations!" She grinned.


    "What do you want to eat? It''s my treat."


    After taking two steps forward, he slapped his forehead in exasperation. "I forgot to by some medicine for Andy. He says that he''s been suffering from a stomachache."


    "Go ahead."


    Bill grabbed her arm. "Let''s go together, so I can still treat you to dinner."


    Sitting in the car, she watched as he trotted inside the venue. She rolled the windows down and appreciated the gusts of wind blowing at her face. She closed her eyes and rested.


    At that time, Jack and Michael also got out of the car.


    Tonight''s host was Michael''s business partner. They had multiple projects together, so he had to come to this party. As one of the shareholders of the company, Jack was also invited.


    The two of them headed to the entrance when suddenly, Michael took two steps back and pointed at the car beside him. "Is that Rachel?"


    At the familiar voice, she froze. It was then that she understood what having bad luck entailed.


    When she opened her eyes, she was met with Jack''s frightening glare. "Why are you here?"

 Chapter 340 The Business Trip

    Before Rachel could answer, Bill''s voice sounded from behind them. "Rachel, Andy''s fine after taking the medicine. Let''s go."


    "Bill?"


    Jack finally withdrew himself as a bitter smile slipped into his lips.


    A shiver shot down her spine.


    Being the smart man that he was, Michael took two steps back. He glanced at the three of them cautiously as he crossed his arms. "I surely won''t be bored tonight," he murmured to himself.


    When Rachel got out of the car, she could almost feel the atmosphere thickening with tension. She glanced at Michael. "The party''s about to start. Shouldn''t you go in?"


    "It doesn''t matter. Besides, all we need to do is hand over the red packets. Jack would be finished here in a bit."


    He shrugged.


    She shuffled uncomfortably as the two men gazed at each other. They looked like a pair of bulls about to ram against each other.


    Jack was the first one to break the silence. He took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Bill''s shoulder. "I didn''t expect to see you again."


    "Well, the city''s not that big," Bill replied.


    Jack smiled faintly.


    "It seems that it wasn''t enough that we had met abroad; we run into each other here as well. Isn''t fate interesting?"


    Rachel noticed the iciness crawling into his features, and her heart twitched at the sight. She immediately walked forward and tried to dispel the tension between them. "It''s really not appropriate to stand and talk here," she insisted. "Do you wan


    ack to what had happened that night. Although they got to talk, it seemed that they still haven''t made anything clear.


    After doing her rounds, Rachel made them to check any incoming messages she had. She froze when Jack''s message popped up on her screen.


    "Let''s talk about it in detail after work."


    She knew exactly what he was talking about.


    But she still wasn''t ready.


    Rachel handed over the medical records to one of the nurses. "Put it away for me. Thank you." After saying that, she rushed over to the door to the director''s office. She knocked tentatively and pushed the door open. "Director," she greeted. "Have you found someone else to go on your business trip?"


    "What''s wrong?" It was obvious that the director was still upset by her refusal that morning.


    She shrugged. "I''ve already postponed the event I had for tomorrow night. If you still haven''t found a suitable person yet, I''m willing to go there."


    Excitement flashed in his eyes, but it was gone in a second. He coughed slightly and cleared his throat. "If it''s really not convenient for you, you don''t have to force yourself," he said flippantly.


    ''He really is a sly fox,'' she sneered to herself.


    Plastering a smile on her face, she said, "It would be a good chance for me to learn something. I would like to thank you for the opportunity that you''ve given me."


    She really wanted to throw up.


    If she had any other choice, she wouldn''t even bother sucking up to him.

 Chapter 341 Wait Patiently

    The director patted his protruding belly and smirked. "It''s great of you to think so!" he praised. "Go home and pack your stuff. You can leave for the airport later in the afternoon."


    After packing up her clothes and toiletries, Rachel boarded the flight to the capital city. What she didn''t know that at the same time, Jack had just returned to her apartment. When he got to the bathroom, he noticed that all of her things were gone.


    The memories of what had happened three years ago resurfaced in his mind.


    His shoulders shook faintly as he blinked rapidly. "No. It can''t be," he murmured to himself.


    ''She wouldn''t leave again, would she?''


    His hands trembled as he picked up his phone and dialed her number, only to find that her phone was powered off.


    At that moment, Jack was overwhelmed with misery. His hair was a messed as he paced back and forth across the living room. He dialed the number again and again. When the call was finally connected, his eyes were moist and his voice was weak. "Where have you been?" he rasped out.


    The airport was noisy, so she couldn''t hear it clearly. She simply guessed what he was trying to say and replied,


    "I''m on a business trip. I''ll be back the day after tomorrow."


    Jack leaned against the wa


    lips. "Mr. Wu," he greeted. "I''m sorry to keep you waiting."


    After seeing him, Howard swallowed his complaints. "It''s really not that big of a deal."


    While they were talking, Austin wiped the cold sweat that beaded down his forehead. He had to admire Howard''s fast reaction.


    Jack didn''t respond. Instead, he turned to his secretary. "Send two cups of tea to my office. I have something to discuss with Mr. Wu."


    A few days later, in the hospital, Rachel sneezed three times in a row. Glancing at the saliva that had been sprayed all over the medical records in her hand, she quickly wiped it off with a tissue.


    "Did you catch a cold?" Celia walked in, holding a medical record. "This is a new patient. The director assigned him to you."


    She threw the tissue and nodded. "I''ll give it a look later."


    "I''ll go first. By the way, do you want me to bring some anti-cold drug to you?"


    "I don''t have a cold." Rachel waved her hand dismissively.


    "Really?" Celia crossed her arms and gazed at her. Suddenly, a teasing smile threaded across her lips. "You know, I heard from Mindy that if someone misses you, you''ll sneeze three times," she joked.


    "Maybe Jack misses you."


    Rachel rolled her eyes and pretended to pick up her phone. "Mindy..."

 Chapter 342 The Spy

    Before she could finish her words, Celia grabbed the telephone receiver from Rachel''s hand and put it back. She placed both of her hands together and begged in a pitiful manner. "Rachel, I won''t laugh at you. Please don''t tell Mindy. I''m going back to work now. I don''t really know what''s wrong with her recently. She has a very bad temper and would resort to scolding when she gets a little unhappy about something," she explained.


    Rachel lowered her head down at the medical record on her desk after she watched Celia run out of her office in a hurry. She just pretended to call Mindy to prevent Celia from gossiping once more. Otherwise, Celia might began gossiping about her and Jack.


    However, she couldn''t see any of the indicators on the medical record. She leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes to rest and relax. Without warning, Celia''s head popped through the door to Rachel''s office again with a slight grin. "Rachel, how about we go shopping after work?" Celia asked.


    "Sure," Rachel agreed immediately. She had nothing to do after her shift anyway.


    Rachel packed her stuff after she ended her shift on time. She then went to the nurse station to look for Celia, but she couldn''t find her anywhere.


    "Rachel, are you looking for Celia? I saw her at the lounge just now," a nurse said.


    When Rachel arrived at the lounge, she saw Celia in front of the mirror, carefully applying lipstick. She proceeded to work on her hair after she was satisfied with how her lipstick looked.


    Rachel leaned against the door and chuckled as she watched Celia. "You''re already very beautiful, you don''t need to spend so much time and effort on make up," she pointed out.


    Celia smiled her statement and was immediately in deep thought. "What if I meet my Mr. Right later? I have to make sure


    Rachel''s mercy.


    Jack was in a very good mood as he watched the two. He leaned back comfortably on the sofa and rested his hands. "I told Marcus to reduce your rent. He doesn''t really need the extra money, anyway," Jack said to Celia with a smile.


    "Thank you very much, Jack!" Celia exclaimed joyfully. She wanted to show her gratitude and moved her coffee in front of Jack. "Jack, this is my coffee. I haven''t touched it at all. I''ll just order another one for myself," she said with a smile as she started to stand up from her seat.


    She cleverly chose to leave the two for a while. However, a soon as she was about to walk away, she heard Jack speak to her. "By the way, Marcus just messaged me that he just arrived at the gate of the shopping mall and wanted to talk about the rent with you face to face."


    Celia''s shoulders drooped at once when she heard Jack''s words.


    ''What a sly old fox!'' she thought to herself.


    "Well, it suddenly occurred to me that Rachel and I had something that we had to deal with at a shop on the third floor. I think it''s the perfect time. Shall we go there now, Rachel?"


    Celia winked at Rachel. A signal to Rachel for help.


    But Rachel pretended not to understand Celia''s signal at all. "What? Why can''t remember it?" she asked in reply.


    "Rachel..." Celia instantly felt remorseful, but Marcus suddenly appeared behind her. He grabbed her collar gently as her eyes widened in surprise. "Shouldn''t we have a talk elsewhere, Celia?"


    Rachel felt a little worried as she watched Marcus take Celia out of the cafe. "Are they going to be alright?" she asked in a worried tone.


    "Don''t worry. Marcus will treat her well," Jack promised to Rachel. Rachel was confused behind the true meaning behind Jack''s pun. And her eyes reflected her confusion very well.

 Chapter 343 Traded His Sons Love For Benefits

    With a charming smile on his face, Jack asked, "Why are you even focused on dealing with other people''s problems? Shouldn''t we talk about our relationship first?"


    Rachel straightened her posture and swirled her spoon in the coffee. "Hasn''t it always been this way between us? Do you really have anything else you want to say?"


    "What do you think?"


    Jack grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.


    He thought that he could wait for her until she said that she was willing to come back to him, but after seeing that Bill was also pursuing her, he couldn''t help but feel worried.


    "Haven''t you seen how I behave recently?" he protested, waving his arms up in the air. "Now that Celine has left, there''s nothing stopping us from being together."


    "It''s not that!" Rachel just didn''t know how to express herself.


    Although Celine was the reason why they had broken up in the first place, the woman still left a mark in their relationship. Every time she wanted to start over, the joy she felt would be replaced by anxiety and fear again.


    She was afraid that it would happen all over again.


    Rachel pursed her lips. "Can''t you just give me some time? Let''s talk about it later."


    Maybe, in the near future, the uneasiness would dissipate.


    Sitting on the sofa, Bill watched as Howard paced back and forth in the living room. The older man folded his hands behind his back as he stopped and glanced at them from time to time.


    It''d been twenty min


    cond, Andy? Whether it comes to family background, ability, even physical conditions, Jack is still much better than Bill. Do you want him to fail? Do you want him be depressed?"


    Andy was rendered speechless. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "But, we can''t ask him to give up if he doesn''t try!"


    Even then, he still wasn''t convinced.


    Listening to the conversation between them, Bill finally had enough of their agreement. He slammed his fists against the tea table. "Enough!" he roared. "This is my business. I get to say what''s going to happen. I''ll be heading back to my room."


    He stood by the window and smoked one cigarette after another. The more he coughed, the more he smoked.


    No matter how much he hated his father, what he said was right.


    He couldn''t compete with Jack, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t try.


    When the taxi arrived at the gate of the community, Rachel took out her wallet and was about to pay the driver when her phone rang.


    Once she paid the fare, she answered, "Hello?"


    "Are you home?" Jack said with a smile.


    Upon hearing his voice, she couldn''t help but grin. "I just arrived at the community. I''m heading to the elevator."


    In the cafe, Jack agreed to not ask her any more. Just as he was about to return to the apartment as well, he was pulled back to handle another company emergency.


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel happened to pass by Joan Liu, an old woman, who was also waiting for the elevator.

 Chapter 344 Lea Came Back

    Joan lived downstairs. Her husband died of a heart attack two years ago, and her two daughters were married and lived with their husbands. So, she was alone at home most of the time. On weekends, her two daughters would bring their children to her house to spend time with her.


    She knew that Rachel was a doctor. So, she went to Rachel whenever she had any health-related problem. And because of this, they quickly became familiar with each other.


    "Did you just get back, Joan?" Rachel asked her.


    "Yes, I bought a pack of tissues from the supermarket. I have used up all the tissues at home," Joan replied. She slightly raised the bag in her hand to show it to Rachel with a broad smile. "Were you just calling your boyfriend, Rachel? You have such a sweet smile! And you look even more beautiful when you are smiling."


    "No, it''s just a friend of mine," Rachel replied with a slight blush on her cheeks. But her words failed to mask her true feelings as she reflexively moved her hand to touch her face. ''Was my smile really that obvious?'' she wondered.


    Joan pointed at her eyes with a smile as she nodded at Rachel. "I may be old, but I can see them clearly. Isn''t


    ,"


    Jack replied back to her.


    He coughed a few more times and stepped back reflexively to keep his distance from Rachel and avoid infecting her.


    When he saw that Rachel turned her head and looked at him in confusion,


    he felt that he had to explain why he stepped away from her. "I think I have a cold.


    I''m afraid that I might infect you.


    I stepped away to keep my distance from you and not get you infected," he explained.


    "I''m not that easy to infect,


    you know.


    I''m not a newborn baby anymore,"


    Rachel point out.


    She reached out to pull the edge of his sleeve


    and got him by her side. Jack stared at her hand that held his sleeve. She had not yet retracted it back yet.


    It made him smile warmly.


    "Don''t overthink it.


    I just think it''s too strange for you to stand away from me like that,"


    Rachel explained.


    Jack lowered his head with the same smile on his lips.


    "Why is it so strange?"


    he asked.


    Nothing.


    I just find it a little strange,"


    Rachel replied casually.


    She turned her face away


    and gritted her teeth.


    ''Was I too impulsive just now?''


    she thought to herself as she wondered about what she did.

 Chapter 345 Anti-cold Drug

    Rachel had to admit that she felt sorry for him after Jack explained that he had a cold. Before she could consider how to properly react to it, she found her hand had already reached out to pull him closer. And now, she was stuck trying to figure out a way to properly explain what just happened. She looked up at the screen of the elevator and found that it was only at the twenty-eighth floor. She felt anxious and irritated with her eyes wide open in disbelief. When her eyes met his smiling eyes, she felt like she was quickly losing control. She turned to him with a reddish face and said in an agitated voice, "Go to the hospital to have your cold or cough checked. Do you really believe that you can avoid infecting me if you take a couple of steps back? There are only two of us here, and we breathe the same air. It was really unnecessary to step away from me." After a brief moment of silence, Jack smiled and turned to her. "Well, aren''t you a doctor? I don''t really need to go to the hospital anymore since you''re here." Rachel was rendered speechless. It was fortunate for her that the elevator finally stopped at their destination. Or her uncanny silence would''ve made the elevator scene even more awkward for her. "Come in quickly," she said to Jack as she opened the door. They put down the things that Lea had brought inside the house. Rachel then prepared to leave with Jack on


    e on, I want to see what web page you''re browsing." The nurse leaned over her shoulder and clicked the mouse casually. Suddenly, she slapped her hand against the woman''s shoulder. "Hey! I just saw this advertisement about a new ice-cream flavor. It looks very delicious. Do you want to try it?"


    "Why don''t you go and buy it?"


    "How can I?"


    The nurse motioned to her uniform. "I''m still on duty. How can I go out? Could you buy it for me? I''ll pay you afterwards!"


    "All right."


    Seeing as she had nothing else to do, Celia decided to head off to the supermarket located on the first floor. She took two pints from the freezer. Just as she was waiting in line to pay the bill, she felt someone tap her shoulder.


    ''Is everyone here trying to piss me off?'' she thought.


    Celia was about to turn around and glare at the person who did it, but when she saw who it was, she swallowed back her anger. "Dr. Zhang, are you here to buy something?"


    "Yes." The man furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced at the two ice cream pints she was holding. "You''re not a child anymore, Celia. You shouldn''t eat ice cream when you have a cough."


    "What? A cough?" She pursed her lips.


    Celia was healthy. She didn''t catch a cold, let alone a cough.


    "Why would you say such a thing, Dr. Zhang?"


    "In the afternoon, Dr. Shen came to me to prescribe you some medicine. She said that you have a cough."

 Chapter 346 A Good Wife

    It was four o''clock in the afternoon, and the sun was kissing the horizons one last time. When Rachel came out of the hospital, she could see Jack leaning against the side of his car.


    He was wearing a black suit, with his sleeves rolled up. He had one hand shoved into his pocket while the other was holding his phone.


    Several people couldn''t help but pass by and look his way, but he didn''t seem to mind. Besides, being one of the most influential man in the city, he was used to the attention.


    He would usually attract lustful and envious gazes wherever he went.


    Rachel walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Okay, you can stop modeling for now," she teased.


    In an instant, he shoved his phone into his pocket and opened the door to the passenger seat. Afraid that she might misunderstand him, he quickly explained, "Austin just sent me a document, so I had to look at it."


    "You look busy," she noted. When he yawned upon starting the car, she scrunched up her eyebrows in concern. "Do you want me to drive? You look exhausted."


    Jack stepped onto the gas and drove through the traffic. He shrugged. "I can do it. It''s just the company has received a lot of project proposals in the past few days. That''s why I''ve been busy."


    When they stopped at the red light, he turned to her. "W


    belief.


    Without saying another word, she turned to leave.


    Jack grabbed her wrist. "It really did hurt just now though."


    "I don''t care! You shouldn''t joke around like that!" she snapped. "Do you know how scared I was?"


    "I promise that I won''t let you pay for the dental work."


    He smiled cheekily.


    "Ass," she murmured.


    Her lips twitched. Seeing that she wasn''t as angry as before, he proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his arms. "Don''t be angry, okay? I won''t joke about it anymore."


    "Then you have to take the medicine every day!" She pointed to the back. "Otherwise, I won''t talk to you anymore."


    The next morning, Rachel walked into her office. Although she didn''t notice it, a smile had already crept into her lips.


    She couldn''t help but think back to the way his fingers brushed against his lips. She could still remember his breath fanning against her neck as he whispered about the "real reward" he''d be getting from her once he had recovered. She flushed at the thought.


    Without another word, she proceeded to scan through all the medical documents set on her desk. For doctors, they truly had no vacations. Even at home, they would find themselves reading a medical book to pass the time. Soon enough, before she knew it, it was time for lunch.

 Chapter 347 Go To The Opera

    Rachel had been used to being called to the canteen by Celia every day that it became a habit. Without needing her reminder, she found that she forgot to have lunch.


    Her stomach rumbled in response. She glanced at her watch only to see that it was already so late. "Did Celia forget to call me today?" she murmured to herself.


    When she went to the nurse station to ask around, she found that Celia had transferred to the night shift. That was why she wasn''t here today.


    If Rachel remembered correctly, every time before their work schedules were to be posted, Celia would always pray that she wouldn''t be transferred into the night shift. Now, it seemed that she even volunteered to trade her day shift.


    Hearing them talk about Celia''s generosity, she frowned. In fact, she had increasingly gotten more and more confused about the woman''s decision that she didn''t immediately leave after work. Instead, she sat in her office for a while and waited for the night shift to begin.


    Once she heard Celia''s voice echoing from the nurse station, she poked her head out. "Celia, come here."


    "What''s wrong?" The young woman motioned to the box of sushi. "I just bought this from the mall. Try it. It''s delicious."


    Rachel grabbed t


    But¡ª" "What would be the point of you going there?"


    he interrupted. "There are plenty of doctors and nurses in the hospital. Couldn''t you sit here and watch with me? Is it really that hard?"


    His voice had increased that the person sitting behind them patted him on the shoulder. He sent them both a glare. "If you have anything to say, you might as well head outside."


    "I''m sorry," Rachel quickly apologized.


    Although she couldn''t see Bill''s face clearly, his words were like blades to her heart. "Fine."


    Even then, she couldn''t stop thinking about Jack. It was as if thousands of needles grew on her chair, making it extremely difficult for her to sit still. Since she had promised him that she would watch the opera, she could only hold back her thoughts. Closing her eyes, she leaned back and inhaled deeply.


    It was as if time had slowed down. Every second felt like thousands of years have passed.


    From time to time, Rachel would take out her phone and glanced at the time. She thought that hours had passed when only two or three minutes had gone by.


    Seeing her so antsy, Bill said, "You can go now."


    "Thank you," she said softly. As she walked out of the opera house, he could only smile bitterly in response.

 Chapter 348 Everyone Is Born For Himself

    Jack had just finished drinking water when he saw Rachel rush into his ward. His eyes lit up instantly at the sight of her. "Why are you running?" he asked as soon as she was within hearing distance.


    Each time he saw Rachel, it brought a different kind of happiness to his heart like nothing in the world mattered at all anymore.


    Rachel briefly stared back at him as she took his medical record from the end of the bed. The longer she looked at it, the more she frowned. After she studied his medical record, she looked so mad that she almost gritted her teeth. "Jack, you have a very high fever. How can you not feel it at all? And you even went to the company for a meeting? Have you taken the medicine I gave you on time?" she asked in a worried tone.


    She looked angry. Her eyes became watery and her lips slightly trembled. The sight of her made Jack''s heart feel heavy. He forced himself into a sitting position and looked at her anxiously. "I took the medicine as you asked, but I really don''t know how I got a high fever."


    Austin stood on one side in silence. He covered his mouth while he snickered for a while. He quickly coughed and cleared his throat when Jack suddenly turned towards him. "I swear that Mr. Fu took his medicine on time," he said suddenly.


    He immediately cursed himself for lying. Just that noon, he poured a glass of water for Jack and reminded him to take the medicine. But Jack did not even took heed of what he said and instead pointed at the corner of the table indicating to him to put it aside. He thought that it was because the water was too hot and Jack would take the medicine later. But he never expected that the glass of water was not even touched at all when he went back in at half past three in the after


    anger, it made her feel like she was walking on coals.


    Celia closely watched the changes on Rachel''s face as Rachel stared blankly at nothingness. After some time of watching Rachel, Celia decided to wave her hand in front of Rachel''s eyes several times until she could get a reaction from her. "Rachel, what''s wrong with you? What were you thinking? Why are you acting like a silly girl?"


    "Nothing," Rachel replied, dazed and confused. She touched her warm cheeks, and immediately excused herself to go and buy some breakfast to fill her stomach. She left instantly without saying another word.


    However, her favorite sandwich that always tasted good for her, tasted like wax that morning. She forced herself to eat half of it, but eventually ended up losing her appetite. She eventually became dazed once more as she sat at the cafeteria.


    She straightened out her relationship with Jack, but what about Bill?


    At that very same moment, Andy brought a freshly brewed sober tea to Bill''s bedroom. Bill was already up when Andy got into the room, but he had a dull look on his face. His pajamas looked like they were carelessly hung on a lifeless statue.


    Although he felt angry, Andy still felt sorry for Bill. He sighed and shook his head as he stood at the door. He watched him and eventually handed him the sober up tea. "Bill, you will feel much better after drinking this. Always remember that no matter how frustrated you feel, you can''t vent your anger and frustration on your own body," he reminded him.


    "I understand," Bill replied weakly.


    He gently massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger. Last night, he felt very sad when he saw the empty seat next to him. He left in the middle of the performance and went to a bar.

 Chapter 349 I Love You

    Bill shook his head slightly and his blurry thoughts became clear. "Andy, how did I come back last night?" he asked.


    "You drove yourself here! I don''t know how you managed to drive in this condition."


    Just the mere thought of it brought goose bumps onto Andy''s body. He turned pale with fear.


    He always waited for Bill before he went to sleep. Last night was no exception. He sat in the hall, waiting for Bill''s arrival. On glancing at the clock, he realized it would be dawn in no time. Fearing something had happened to him, he stood up to make a call. Just then he heard the doorknob being twisted open. He caught sight of Bill staggering with car keys in his hand. Quickly, Andy went to support him. Bill was making some weird noises. Andy didn''t know whether he was laughing or crying.


    Seeing his condition, Andy asked him who had dropped him here.


    Bill said he drove himself back. It seemed like he wasn''t able to make sense of his surroundings.


    Andy was taken aback. He carried Bill to his room. Once he was asleep, he hurriedly went to the garage. The car Bill drove today was parked there!


    He couldn''t imagine how Bill had managed to drive in this state.


    After sleeping for a few hours, Bill felt much better. He drank the tea in one gulp and put the cup on the bedside table. His phone rang, and it was Rachel. "Bill, are you free this evening? I have something urgent to discuss with you."


    For a second, he didn''t know what to reply. After a while, he answered, "I''m kind of busy this ev


    l raised her eyebrows, looked straight into his dark eyes and said, "I asked Bill out today to tell him that I won''t be seeing him anymore. I told him I am getting back with you."


    Jack, who normally had the upper hand, was at loss of words today. At this moment, he could only hear his own heartbeat. He slowly fixed his eyes on her face and asked, "What did you say just now?"


    He thought his ears were playing some tricks on him. What he heard was too good to be true. He wanted her reassurance before he could be completely happy.


    Rachel made a face at him and said, "Forget it. I won''t repeat it." However, there was a smile on her face which didn''t go unnoticed by him.


    She seemed a bit shy as well. Jack was a man who never let his guard down, but today his face flushed with delight. Every sorrow he had felt in his life disappeared.


    Even though she always looked beautiful, today her beauty was at its peak. She represented the definition of life and hope to him.


    His deep eyes were glimmering with happiness. He slowly approached her and whispered, "Rachel, I love you."


    She felt hot on her face. Just when she was about to speak, she was stopped his warm lips. It pressed against hers. Speaking was the last thing she wanted to do now.


    "Mindy, where is Rachel?"


    asked the director. He had been searching for Rachel but she was nowhere to be found. Disappearing during work hour was very unlikely of her. She was quite a punctual girl.


    Mindy smiled and said, "She asked for leave today."

 Chapter 350 A Blessing Disguised As A Disadvantage

    "Oh? That''s so unlike her. Did Rachel ask for a leave of absence for something?" asked the director.


    Mindy shook her head. "I don''t know. She didn''t tell me."


    Meanwhile, Rachel was driving to the hospital where Jack was. She sneezed twice in a row while talking to Jack over the phone. "Where are you?" he asked


    "I''m almost there."


    Rachel finally realized Jack''s propensity for clinginess. He stayed in the hospital for two days on account of his fever. She couldn''t believe how she had to file for a leave of absence to fetch a fully grown man from the hospital and bring him home.


    She shook her head. ''He really is shameless.''


    When she arrived at the ward, Jack had already prepared everything and was waiting for her.


    Rachel took a deep breath and asked, "Where are we going?"


    "Go home first. I need to go to the company then."


    Hearing this answer, Rachel remembered passing by a man at the door. She frowned and asked, "Why didn''t you ask Austin drive you home, then?"


    Jack smiled and replied, "I don''t want him."


    "Why not?"


    "I only pay Austin only one salary, which is for functioning as my secretary. I don''t pay him to act as my personal assistant and to take care of me. It would be unfair to make him do something that''s outside of his job description."


    Rachel couldn''t help but roll her eyes.


    She stretched out her hand toward Jack, palm upturned. "What about my salary?"


    "Don''t worry, I will give it to you." Jack patted Rachel on the palm, and suddenly something was on it. When she saw car keys, she asked, "So this is all I get?"


    At this time,


    "Jack, I forgot my pajamas. Can you bring them to me?"


    "Are they on the bed?" Jack asked, then his eyes landed on the forgotten bedclothes.


    He picked them up and pushed the bathroom door open.


    All of a sudden, a gust of cold air blew around her. Rachel hunched her shoulders, quickly grabbed the pajamas from his hand, and covered her chest. "Why do you enter just like that?" she asked with a squeak.


    "Does it matter?" Jack curled his lips and gave her a gentle kiss before he turned around and left the bathroom with a satisfied look on his face.


    "Jerk!"


    Running a towel over her wet hair, Rachel sat in front of the dressing table and looked at her reflection in the mirror. A smile lurked in her eyes and brows, and the blush on her cheeks spread to the root of her ears. Even her earlobes were slightly tinged with pink.


    She looked different.


    She did not know that Jack silently crept up behind her. He stood quietly, took the towel from her unresisting hands, and continued to towel-dry her hair. "What do you think of telling by Dad and Mom the news when we go home for dinner tomorrow?"


    She nodded. "Okay."


    As soon as Rachel gave Jack her answer, her phone suddenly started ringing. She heard Lea on the other end of the line saying in an oddly weak voice, "Rachel, where are you right now?"


    "At home," Rachel blurted out.


    "Why won''t you open the door, then?"


    ''Open the door? Where is she?''


    Rachel was about to ask when the other woman continued, "I''m at the door of your apartment now. I''ve been ringing the doorbell for so long, but there''s no response."

 Chapter 351 Why Do You Care About My Girl

    "What? You are at my door right now?" Rachel asked in surprise.


    "Of course! Are you at home or not?" Lea spat.


    Rachel pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the time. It was 10 p.m.¡ªtoo late for Lea to be out of the house, at any rate. With a slight feeling of unease, she dropped the call, stood up, and turned toward Jack. "I''ll be right back. Wait for me."


    After hanging up the phone, Rachel opened the wardrobe door and took out a suit of clothes. She bit off the tag with her mouth and looked at Jack. "I need to change my clothes. Can you go out first?"


    Jack didn''t answer. All of a sudden, he dropped the towel on the table and said in a low voice, "Rachel, why don''t you tell Lea that you''re here now and that you''ll be living here in the future?"


    He heard and understood the phone conversation between the two just now.


    Rachel stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "I...I haven''t figured out how to tell her."


    "That''s just one sentence. How hard could it be?"


    Lips pursed, she ducked her head slightly and said in an uncertain tone, "I don''t know what to say. Besides, it''s really late, but Lea still came. She must have something to tell me, so I..."


    She suddenly stopped, biting her lower lip in uncertainty.


    After a while, Jack said, "You don''t need to change your clothes. I''ll pick Lea up and bring her here."


    The sound-controlled light in the corridor would go out every five minutes, so Lea kept


    , "What are you busy with?"


    "I''m currently working on a project that couldn''t be signed immediately. The client usually requires a jar of wine when we meet up. Every time, he says that he would talk about business at the table, but he always ends up not talking about it."


    "Did he like the wine that you sent him?"


    "Maybe. I had no choice."


    Jack wanted to ask Henry to see if he could somehow help out, but then, the voices from the master bedroom started escalating, and the content of their conversation had become more outrageous.


    His face darkened.


    So he didn''t have the chance to say anything further. He hurriedly hung up the phone, stood by the door of the master bedroom, and said slowly, "Lea, it''s getting late. I''ll drive you back."


    It would be wise to keep her at an arm''s length from Rachel from now on. How could a woman, who was already a mother of a child, instill such thoughts into someone else so carelessly?


    He didn''t want to interrupt the conversation between the two women, but he heard Lea''s voice clearly saying, "Men before marriage are totally different from how they are after they marry. Hey, we women can also make money, and being single is a lot more chic and liberating than being tied to someone. Why do we have to marry men? We have to take care of them and give birth to their children. Why do we have to suffer like this? If we really want a child, we might as well just go to an orphanage and adopt one!"

 Chapter 352 Got Into Trouble

    Jack listened to what Lea had to say.


    The more she spoke, the more ridiculous she sounded. He couldn''t help but sympathize with Henry.


    With firm resolution, Lea said, "You can leave. I''ll stay with Rachel tonight."


    "We''ll bring Rita here as well. The three of us can comfortably sleep here. I guess you won''t mind sleeping in the children''s room tonight, Jack," Rachel said.


    ''Children''s room?'' he thought furiously.


    "No," he said, unwilling to let this happen.


    The two ladies looked at Jack with a grave expression. In unison, they demanded, "Why not?"


    He didn''t give a reply. Instead, he pulled Rachel from the bed and brought her close to his body. Soon, she was cocooned in her strong arms. "She wants to sleep with me tonight," he answered looking straight into Lea''s eyes.


    His voice was brimming with possessiveness.


    For a second, Lea was confounded. And then she let out a laugh and said, "I want to hear this from Rachel. Does she want to sleep with you? It doesn''t look like it." Her tone was challenging.


    Rachel had told her they had an argument. This was what made her sound so confident.


    But it turned out the victory wasn''t hers after all.


    Instead of answering Lea''s question, Rachel looked at her and said, "Lea, how about you sleep in the children''s room with Rita tonight? I think that would be more convenient."


    "You!" Lea couldn''t believe her ears. What a traitor!


    Jack would have let Rita and her child to sleep with Rachel if it wasn''t for her words. He realized Lea would manipulate Rachel. That


    my girlfriend angry? Tell me, I will show that person the consequences of hurting my Rachel."


    Finally, Rachel looked up and passed him a death glare. "What are you going to do to that person?" she challenged.


    "Beat him up! Or do to him what he did to you." Jack''s answer was carefully measured. He was afraid if he wasn''t careful with his words, it would do more damage than good.


    Rachel said, "I think beating him up would be the right thing. You can get out of the car now."


    Jack knew better than to refuse. He got out, rolled up his sleeves and asked, "Where is he?"


    With a snort, Rachel turned her head and avoided looking at him. After a while, she felt the door open. Jack had entered the back seat and was now sitting beside her.


    The truth was, Jack had noticed that the marks on her neck were covered with foundation. He knew he was the person responsible for her sour mood.


    When they had had breakfast, he had deliberately kept the observation to himself. He hadn''t told her because he wanted people to know that Rachel was in a relationship.


    ''Am I in trouble now?'' he thought, regretting his mistake.


    Jack leaned towards her, looked straight at her and said with a smile, "Please don''t be angry."


    "Didn''t you say that you would help me beat that man up? Why are you still here?"


    She was not willing to let this matter slide so easily.


    Looking at her bright eyes, Jack raised his thin lips and lowered his voice, as if he was whispering, "Are you really going to beat me?"


    His voice was brimming with sorrow.

 Chapter 353 Starting Over

    There was constant movement outside the car with the crowds ebbing and flowing, but the atmosphere within was so quiet. Looking at the fiery light in Jack''s deep, unblinking eyes, Rachel could feel her face burning. She pushed him aside and said, "I don''t want to talk to you!"


    Jack lost his balance, and his head hit the window.


    "Are you okay?" Despite her anger, Rachel couldn''t help but be a little worried when she heard the muffled sound.


    He seized the opportunity to slide his arms around her waist and pressed her against his body. "Rachel, what do you think am I doing? Don''t you know that I''m declaring my ownership?"


    Looking at the smile on his face, Rachel pushed him away, primly sat up, and mumbled, "Not in this way. You don''t know how weird they looked at me today."


    "Why don''t you give me a love bite on my neck, too? I''ll go to the company tomorrow and walk around from the first floor to the twenty-eighth floor. What do you think?" Jack craned his neck and leaned forward.


    An unwilling chuckle escaped from her. "I don''t want to do that."


    No matter how angry she was, Jack never failed to make her negative feelings dissipate, leaving her in a happy mood.


    Tracy received a call from Jack, who said that he would be back for dinner.


    She checked the dishes one by one and clapped her hands. "Ah, how can I forget his favorite red wine?"


    She told the maid to go to the cellar to get a bottle of red wine. It was not t


    shoulder and said, "Some friend you are, Jack."


    He looked at the puzzled look in Rachel''s eyes and explained slowly, "He knew that I would pick up Lea and Rita this afternoon."


    Rachel was at a loss for words.


    Jack patted the wrinkles on his shoulder and said in a clear voice, "Of course. You have to pay me back for the damage your daughter has caused!" After saying that, he tapped Rachel and signaled for her to open the door first.


    Rachel glared at him. She didn''t expect that this whole time, he would still have this morning''s events on his mind.


    Henry was confused. "Rita? What did she do?"


    A trace of blush crept up on Rachel''s cheeks. She quickly opened the door and ushered Henry in. As Jack was about to pass, she blocked the door with her own hands and shook a fist at Jack. She fiercely whispered, "Don''t you dare mention what happened this morning again, understood?"


    As the two of them stood there whispering, Henry rushed in and pushed every room door open to have a look. However, Lea and Rita were nowhere to be found.


    "Do you know where they could have gone? Rachel, what did Lea tell you?" Henry''s voice sounded lost and confused.


    Rachel also felt strange. Before she left for work today, Lea told her that she had nowhere else to go and that she and Rita would stay there. Rachel shook her head and walked to the balcony clutching her phone, preparing to call Lea.


    "Her phone is turned off," Henry reminded her.

 Chapter 354 Alzheimers Disease

    Before Henry could take a step forward to stop Rachel from calling Lea, Jack grabbed his arm. "Perhaps it''s not that her phone is turned off, but that she blocked your number."


    From personal experience he knew how easily women would do that. In fact, Rachel had done it to him a couple of times.


    As soon as he finished speaking, they heard Rachel''s voice coming from the balcony. It turned out she had managed to connect to Lea. And now, they were talking.


    Jack glanced at him and passed him a smile which seemed to be saying "I told you." Patting on his shoulder, he said, "Henry, you still have a long way to go."


    Rachel had hung up the phone and was standing in front of the two. She had no idea what their conversation was about nor did she bother to ask. "She is in a hotel with Rita. Let''s go," she announced.


    Quickly, she grabbed her coat, getting ready to go. However, Jack pulled her back and said, "It''s better if Henry goes alone."


    The next day, when Rachel arrived at the hospital, she received a call from Lea.


    Last night, she had texted Lea saying she wouldn''t be able to make it. She received no reply to her text.


    "Rachel, come to my house with Jack tonight. I need your help," Lea said.


    Smiling, Rachel asked, "What''s the matter? Why are you in a hurry to have us for dinner?"


    "You''ll know when you come. I''ve asked Henry to inform Jack. I just called you to let you know you should come at any cost." Saying this, Lea hung up the call.


    Her words aroused Rachel''s curiosity. Obviously she wouldn''t cancel it.


    Just when she


    Lea shook her head and passed her some cookies. "Wait a minute. Someone hasn''t arrived yet. For now, you should manage with this."


    "Who else?" Rachel had assumed this party was just for her and Jack.


    Before she could explain, Michael''s voice came from behind. He was speaking on the phone in a loud voice. Every word he said could be heard clearly. "I will repeat for you¡ªI really don''t have time tonight! If she insists on a blind date, she''d better reschedule it. Or perhaps you can change the girl! I wouldn''t mind."


    Lea snorted. By now, she knew Henry''s friends quite well. There was a time when she liked Michael. He had a personality that seemed quite charming. But now she was done with his uncultured ways.


    "Hey, Michael!"


    As soon as she spoke, she realized that her voice was too loud. She took a deep breath and suppressed her anger. "Can you keep your voice down? My daughter has just fallen asleep. Your important conversation might wake her up."


    "Okay, okay, I''ll be careful."


    After saying hi to Rachel, Michael walked to the dining table and dipped his hand into one of the dishes. When he saw Lea''s glare, he chuckled and said, "Don''t worry. I''ve just washed my hands."


    Jack and Henry happened to come out of the study. Lea clapped her hands and said, "Well, everyone is here. Sit down and let''s have dinner!"


    During the dinner, Lea finally explained the reason why she invited the three of them to dinner.


    It turned out that she hoped the three of them could be a witness as Henry promised that he wouldn''t come home drunk again.

 Chapter 355 Going Insane

    Lea turned her head to look at Henry, who was sending his two friends a helpless look while shrugging his shoulders. She smiled calmly, took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, and spread it out on the table. "Yesterday, he gave me this letter of commitment and asked me to come back. I was afraid that he would go back on his word. So, I called all of you here as my witnesses."


    Henry stared at Lea for a while and sighed in resignation. However, his eyes were full of love for her. "Yes, you all can remind me from time to time. If I drank until two or three o''clock in the evening, I could never enter the house again."


    Before she could say anything, Rachel saw Michael exaggeratedly clutch at Henry''s arm and heard him exclaim, "How dare you two lovebirds flaunt your love in front of a single man like me!"


    "Don''t say that. When you get married in the future, you will know how it feels." Jack swirled the wine in his glass and smiled faintly.


    "Why do you sound so experienced?" Rachel asked, amused by his words. She placed her left hand on his shoulder and said, "I don''t think I have ever asked you to write any sort of guarantee like that."


    "You''re the best."


    Rachel was used to his sweet words and so rolled her eyes at his playful wink. She was about to continue eating when she found the other three people staring at them in surprise.


    The chopsticks slipped from Micha


    another word came. His eyes were like a leaking bucket, from which tears flowed out freely.


    Rachel squatted down, took out a tissue from her bag, and wiped away his tears gently. "It''s okay. Medical technology is very advanced at this point. While you can''t be cured completely, medical interventions can prevent it from getting worse. Don''t worry."


    Andy closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. He frowned and said worriedly, "I''m already old, and I knew this would happen one day. I''m already mentally prepared. I''m just worried about Bill. Who else will take care of him in the future?"


    The door to Jack''s office was pushed open a crack from the outside. Eric poked his head in and asked, "Jack?"


    "What''s the matter?" His eyebrows raised quizzically, Jack put down his pen and looked at Eric with a faint smile.


    Ever since he found that Zoe was a spy sent by Celine, Eric had been on a leave of absence for a long time. Jack couldn''t help but worry about him. He remembered that Eric was due to return to work today.


    Eric grinned and came in with two bags. "Jack, I misunderstood you and left with a lot of harsh words said between us. Please don''t be mad at me."


    He scratched the back of his head and smiled a bit foolishly. "I went abroad this time and met my mother. She insisted that I should buy you something as a gift, as you''ve taken care of me for such a long time."

 Chapter 356 Diagnosed With Alzheimers Disease

    Jack''s eyes darkened, and a strange look flashed across them before disappearing.


    He asked in a deliberately casual voice, "Where is your mother now?"


    "She''s in Germany. She said she is going to Czech Republic for a while and make a wish in the Old Town Square in Prague." Eric opened one of the bags he brought with him and showed it to Jack. "I told her that these things can be bought online now, but she wouldn''t believe me."


    There were two boxes of chocolate. Jack picked up a piece and put it into his mouth. "This is authentic," he commented.


    "That''s right. One piece is enough for you. Give the rest to Rachel, okay?" Eric added childishly.


    Jack chuckled and reluctantly shook his head. A second later, the corners of his mouth tightened into a straight line and his eyebrows drew together in a frown.


    When Rachel returned from Andy''s house, she found Jack acting a strangely absent. She had to ask him a question multiple times before she managed to get a response from him.


    Confused, she took out a bowl of bone soup she made in the afternoon from the kitchen, sat down beside him, and asked, "Jack, what happened? Why do you look a little distracted?"


    Jack looked up at her with an indescribable emotion in his eyes, but then he finally he shook his head and said, "It''s nothing."


    Rachel frowned slightly. Just now, the look in Jack''s eyes made her feel like his odd demeanor tonight had something to do with her. She was about to ask more questions when he stood up, hands rubbi


    eryone passing by, describing Andy''s appearance and holding out a hand in front of him to estimate his height. "Have you seen him? He just went to the bathroom. I don''t know where he is now."


    "No." All of them shook their heads in confusion.


    Rachel stood still for a few seconds before she came to her senses. She grabbed one of the hospital''s cleaners, an old woman with a broom and a duster in her hands, and asked, "Excuse me, did you see an old man in the men''s room just now? He is about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a grey Chinese tunic suit."


    "Are you a family member of that old man?" The woman propped the broom against her hip and took out a piece of paper from her pocket. "I was cleaning the men''s room when he happened to come in. He gave me this piece of paper and asked me to give it to the person who will come looking for him."


    Rachel''s expression became more serious. Clutching the note tightly, she asked in a trembling voice, "Did you see where he went after that?"


    The woman shook her head and picked up the broom again. "I was busy cleaning up the sink at the time. How could I have time to notice him?"


    Looking at the red-eyed Bill, Rachel felt the note burning in her hand. She slowly walked forward, bit her lower lip, and said uneasily, "Bill, Andy left a note with the cleaner..."


    Before she could finish her words, Bill grabbed the note from her hand. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly raised his head and roared, "Andy, didn''t I say that you are not my burden?"

 Chapter 357 Andy Left

    "You are never my burden..." Bill''s voice become very low. He picked up the note again and read it word by word. The blue veins on the back of his hand popped out in a shocking manner.


    "I''m sorry."


    A mixture of shame, guilt, and regret overwhelmed Rachel like a tide. "If it weren''t for me, maybe such a thing wouldn''t have happened."


    After a long silence, Bill seemed to have calmed himself down. Without looking at her, he said, "This has nothing to do with you."


    He threw the note on the floor and walked to the hospital entrance. Rachel bent down and picked it up. Andy''s handwriting was strong and powerful. "Bill, I have reached retirement age, but I have been worried about you so I haven''t mentioned it. Now, I can take this opportunity to retire. Take good care of yourself, and don''t worry about me. I''m going to take advantage of the next two years to move around and go to places I have always wanted to go to. Maybe I can live a more free and unrestrained life than now.


    You should pay more attention to your health. You can find a girlfriend. If you want me to come back early, you should get married as soon as possible. I will definitely come back for your wedding."


    Andy had prepared this note in advance. It was not written only at that moment, but was instead burning a hole in his pocket all this time. It looked like he had no intention of getting examined and only found the appointment to be the perfect opportunity to leave.


    How could he be so cruel, just leaving like that? What about Bill?


    After put


    able. He thought that she was busy, but Celia told him that Rachel had filed for a leave that morning.


    But even she didn''t know where Rachel was.


    Jack looked at Rachel, who forced a smile when she entered the house. With a slight frown, he walked up to her and took her bag. "You seem to be very tired. What did you do today?"


    Seeing his inquiring eyes, Rachel had to hold back the words at the tip of her tongue, then finally said with a shake of her head, "One of my classmates had an accident, so I went to see him."


    She bit her lower lip, not knowing how to bring up the subject of Bill and Andy.


    Jack had always been hostile toward Bill. She was afraid that they would get into a fight if she told him.


    That was why she chose to hide it.


    Rachel rolled her stiff neck and gave Jack a slight smile, saying, "I''m going to take a shower."


    Jack nodded and followed her retreating back with his eyes, which were brimming in confusion. There was something odd going on with Rachel today, but he couldn''t quite put a finger on it.


    He reasoned that Rachel was feeling too tired today, which was why she didn''t say much. However, in the next two days, she went out early and came back late. Her mood was getting bleaker by the day, but she always shook her head and said nothing whenever he asked her anything.


    This made Jack suspicious.


    That day, as soon as Jack had finished his meetings, his mobile phone rang. It was Henry calling, inviting him to dinner and to discuss the cooperation that Jack had helped him score.

 Chapter 358 Find Andy

    Jack wanted to beg off from Henry''s invitation but ended up saying yes. As a concession, he asked for dinner to be at Henry''s home instead of at a restaurant.


    At that moment, Lea was handing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle to Rita. When she heard, she raised her head to look at Henry, who was sitting on the sofa, and asked in confusion, "Weren''t you planning to have dinner at a restaurant or a club? Why are you having dinner here? You know that I can''t let you drink at home."


    Henry put down the remote control, raised an eyebrow teasingly, and answered with a smile, "I haven''t touched a drop of alcohol since the last time. Why can''t you recognize that I have changed?"


    "Changed?"


    Lea couldn''t stop laughter from escaping her lips. Rita raised her head, opened her eyes wide, and looked at her mother curiously, probably wondering what was wrong with her.


    She rubbed Rita''s head and said, "Looks like you now have a deep understanding of how undesirable your past behavior was."


    "Thanks to my wife''s guidance," Henry promptly replied with a serious nod.


    "So you do have a conscience, after all," she countered teasingly.


    The doorbell rang while they were exchanging humorous banter. When Henry opened the door and saw Jack standing outside, he looked behind him and asked with a frown, "Where is Rachel? Didn''t she come with you?"


    Since the dinner venue had changed, Henry also invited Rachel over the phone.


    It was strange of her not to make an appearance.


    Lea added, "Is she on night duty today?"


    Jac


    recently and we haven''t discussed it yet. Since he has sent us an invitation, we can''t let him lose face, right?" Jack glanced at Rachel from the corner of his eye and found her with her eyes closed, lips pouted like a little girl who was denied her lollipop.


    Before he know what he was doing, he gently pinched those pouting lips. "I promise you, we''ll just go there, sit down and chat for a while before going home. Sounds good?"


    Rachel lightly slapped away his hand and said drowsily, "Okay."


    All who went to engagement ceremonies were like wolves in sheep''s clothing. Everyone had an ulterior motive. In fact, the people attending the ceremony didn''t really wish the couple happiness?¡ªthey only grabbed the opportunity to talk about business.


    However, although Rachel didn''t really want to go, she could not refuse Jack''s request. In front of him, she was finding it harder to hide what she truly was feeling in her heart.


    On the next day, Rachel knocked on the door of the director''s office with a note and said in a low voice, "Director, I need to attend an engagement party in the afternoon, so I have to leave two hours earlier."


    With a frown on his face, the director put down his pen, crossed his hands in front of him, and coughed slightly. "Rachel, you can be very dedicated to your work, but what''s wrong with you these past few days? Why have you been asking for leave day after day? You are now a senior surgeon in the hospital, so you can''t do this. Your actions will set a negative example for others."

 Chapter 359 Attending The Engagement Ceremony

    Hearing his taunt-filled words, Rachel blushed and said, "I won''t do that again. This is the last time."


    "Okay. Put down the note. I''ll sign it later." The director raised his hand and knocked on the desk. This signified that he was done speaking. However, just when Rachel turned around to leave, he called her back. Pretending like something urgent had come up, he said, "By the way, there is an exchange meeting in Brookmount City next week. I planned to go there myself, but with my packed schedule, I can''t manage it."


    She clearly knew he was lying.


    He was just lazy to attend it. Even though she despised him with all her heart, she nodded her head and said, "I''m free next week. I am more than willing to fill the slot."


    He always got his way. He was aware Rachel wasn''t the type of girl who would refuse to anything. Hence he constantly took advantage of her, overworking her.


    "Okay, that''s good."


    Once she was out of his sight, Rachel rolled her eyes. Like a deflated balloon, she sat on her work chair and texted Jack. Then she tidied up the medical records scattered on the table. By the time she was done, Jack was there.


    As soon as she got into the car, she began to complain profusely. "Thanks to you, I went to ask for leave and now I am stuck with an exchange meeting in Brookmount City next week." Disappointment was evident in her tone.


    "How long?" Jack asked.


    She shook her head and said, "I don''t know yet. I haven''t seen the meeting agenda."


    Seeing the depressed look on her face, Jack raised his hand and gently rubbed her head. With a smile, he suggested, "I


    he felt a burning sensation. Even without looking at herself in the mirror, she knew that her face must have been flushed.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, she said, "I''m sorry. I feel a bit unwell so I will get going. Once again, congratulations on your engagement."


    After saying that, she left the spot. She didn''t even bother to glance at Jack. In her hurry, she forgot her jacket behind but she wouldn''t go back to take it. Once she was outside, she felt relieved at leaving behind all the hustle-bustle. The ominous wind was freezing her, but she continued to walk.


    The hotel was located a little far away from the central of Ninwell City. Almost everyone came here by their own car. She couldn''t expect to catch a taxi there. Standing there for a while, she wondered what to do. She had no courage to go back in and get her coat. Just when she was thinking about this dilemma, she saw Jack stepping out of the hotel, her coat in his hand.


    His lips were pursed and the displeasure he felt remained undisguised. He walked past her and went straight to the parking lot.


    She almost wanted to call his name, but his ice-cold face stopped her.


    A trace of bitterness appeared on her face. ''Is he planning to leave me stranded here?'' she couldn''t help but wonder. She rubbed her arms, hoping that would warm her up. Suddenly, Jack slammed the brake and stopped the car right in front of her. He rolled down the window and said, "Get in the car!"


    The sky was dark. It was bereft of any light. One couldn''t even spot the moon. The despair she felt in her heart was reflected in the weather.

 Chapter 360 Went To Brookmount City

    Blue veins bulged at the back of Jack''s hands as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His bloodthirsty red eyes complemented his furious facial expression. It was like he was about to explode at any moment.


    When the car stopped at the entrance of the community, he said coldly, "You can now explain that photo to me. What have you been doing in these two days?"


    "I went to see Bill." Rachel tried to grab his hand, but he shook her off.


    He then asked in a low voice, "Why did you have to see him?"


    She pursed her lips first before she answered, "Andy has Alzheimer''s disease, and I helped Bill take him to the hospital that day. When we were in the hospital, he wouldn''t want to be alone, so he held our hands and talked to us for a long time."


    Jack sneered. "Did he need to hold both your and Bill''s hands?"


    "He just held our hands, but he didn''t mean anything else. Jack, I decided not to tell you about it because I was worried that you would overthink things. But then I realized you deserve to know the truth. I am now willing to tell you everything in detail, but I hope that you won''t misunderstand me."


    She knew it wasn''t right to hide the truth from him.


    "You''re worried that I will think too much?" Jack asked.


    His deep-set black eyes looked straight into her eyes and he added, "Rachel, is it really because you don''t want me to think too much, or do you just see me as a narrow-minded person?"


    He made such a pointed remark that


    she couldn''t find a way to refute. She fell silent for a while. However, her silence made him more furious. He banged the steering wheel and said, "You told


    are their skills and knowledge.


    It was beneficial for everyone as it could promote mutual learning and increase the knowledge of each participant.


    Normally, Rachel enjoyed this kind of event. But today was different. She was just staring at her phone absentmindedly, waiting for Jack''s reply to the many messages that she sent to him since last night until now.


    ''Hasn''t he received my messages?


    Or is he still angry and doesn''t want to talk to me?'' she thought.


    At this moment, Jack was sitting in the conference room, listening to the reports of the department directors. But the truth was, he didn''t understand any of the words they said. He received all of Rachel''s messages and read them many times. However, every time he pressed the reply button, he would hesitate for a few seconds before cancelling it.


    He didn''t know what he should say.


    "Next one to share her experiences with us is Dr. Rachel Shen.


    Let''s welcome her with a round of applause."


    Rachel came back to her senses upon hearing the people clapping. She picked up the materials she had prepared and walked in front. She slowly talked about the strenuous diseases she had encountered in the hospital.


    She was in the middle of her talk when her phone suddenly vibrated.


    Hoping that it was Jack, she stopped and checked her phone. After knowing that it was just a trash message, she wasn''t able to hide the disappointment on her face.


    Her actions had caused the others in the meeting to start whispering to each other. Their voices were loud enough for her to hear.


    It was only then that she realized she had done something wrong.

 Chapter 361 Been Robbed

    Rachel cleared her throat and continued with her unfinished presentation as if nothing had happened. But because of this incident, the others couldn''t help doubting her professional ability.


    As a result, when all of them gathered to plan a dinner after the meeting, no one approached her. They had decided to go to a small restaurant nearby, but nobody asked her to join.


    Fortunately, she wasn''t also interested in joining them, so she didn''t care about their attitude towards her. She quietly packed up her things and was about to leave. She planned to go back to the hotel and order a take-out.


    All of a sudden, a petite woman came to her and said in a sweet voice, "Dr. Shen, we are going to have dinner later. Would you like to come with us?"


    "No, thanks. I have something else to do later. Have a good time," she refused with a smile. She noticed that they stopped talking to each other


    and looked at her in disdain.


    Rachel smiled at the woman again and walked out of the meeting room. But she was still able to hear them questioning the woman.


    "Why do you have to invite her?"


    "Yes. She looks so arrogant and not easy to get along with. Imagine, she stopped halfway of her presentation to look at her phone, but she didn''t even apologize. If she joins us later, she''ll only ruin the atmosphere."


    Before she entered the elevator, she heard the woman defended her, "You are all o


    ou know?"


    "It doesn''t matter. Just tell me, did you and Rachel fight?" Fury was written all over Eric''s face. He pointed at his nose and added, "Don''t forget what you''ve promised me before."


    Jack shook off his hand and twitched his mouth. "We are fine. How about you? Why did you rush here at this hour?"


    He raised his hand and looked at his watch. "It''s almost ten o''clock now. If I''m not mistaken, you should be in the bar with your friends right now."


    Being exposed, Eric blushed and his anger suddenly dissipated. He sat down on the chair beside him and said, "Rachel called me just now. She asked me to go to Brookmount City tomorrow, but she didn''t want me to tell you."


    "Why does she want you to go there?"


    "Something happened to her, and she is in the hospital right now." With a gloomy expression and slightly raised eyebrows, Eric added, "I don''t know what happened to her. But judging from her voice, she should be okay."


    The sun was already shining bright outside. Rachel was awakened by a cleaner, who suddenly pushed the door open and dragged the mop on the floor. She opened her eyes slowly and blocked the dazzling sunlight with the back of her hand.


    She didn''t sleep well last night because everything that the policewoman told her kept coming back in her mind. Until now, she still felt scared.


    "Are you awake? Hurry up and get ready for breakfast," said the woman.

 Chapter 362 Caught The Thief

    Seeing Rachel was all alone, the cleaner kindly reminded her that it was time for breakfast.


    With a nod and a smile toward the cleaner, Rachel tied her hair behind her head with a rubber band. She was about to get out of the bed when she heard Eric''s voice coming from the door of the ward. "Hospital fare must terrible. Rachel, I''ve prepared your favorite breakfast?¡ªporridge with minced pork and pancakes."


    "Eric! Why are you here so early?"


    Rachel looked up with a confused expression, ready to ask more, but then choked when she saw Jack follow the other man into the ward.


    ''Why is he here, too?


    After I specifically told Eric not to tell him...''


    Noticing her questioning look, Eric quickly put down the breakfast in his hand and wisely chose to run away. He covered his stomach and exaggeratedly said, "Ugh, I''m not feeling too well. I must have drunk too much water just now. I need go to the bathroom."


    He patted Jack''s arm and left the ward in a flash.


    The atmosphere suddenly became a little quiet.


    Rachel''s eyes shifted from side to side. She didn''t know where to look and what to say to break the silence between them.


    After a long while, she bit her lower lip and opened her mouth to say, "You?..."


    "You?..." To her surprise, Jack said it at the same time she did.


    The two of them froze again.


    After a while, Jack came forward, opened the takeaway bag, took out a spoon, and handed it to her. "H


    icemen, "Officer, I really just wanted to steal money, nothing else! This is an injustice!"


    "You feel wronged?"


    The policeman was not a fool. He glared at the culprit, pounded the table, and yelled angrily, "Then why were your hands reaching toward the victim to touch her? You feel wronged? There is no one else less deserving of that emotion than you!"


    The young man''s legs trembled with fear, but he still insisted that he had no intentions of raping Rachel.


    After that momentary stalemate, the police had no choice but to lock him up temporarily and take their time to investigate him


    As soon as the policemen took the man out of the interrogation room, Jack and Rachel arrived. Jack suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the young man''s collar tightly with one hand. His other hand clenched into a fist, and he landed a heavy punch in the other man''s face.


    The young man''s hands were tightly handcuffed, and he was unable to fight back.


    The two policemen flanking him glanced at each other at the same time. Considering Jack''s identity, they didn''t know whether they should dissuade his actions. After hesitating for a few seconds, one of them said in a soft voice, "Mr. Fu, stop beating him up."


    Seeing that Jack was about to raise his fist again to attack the culprit, Rachel quickly grabbed his wrist and shook her head. "They''ve already caught him. It''s pointless to beat him up again.


    Let the police handle it."

 Chapter 363 A Proposal

    The beaten-up young man was stunned and frightened. He knelt on the floor and kept kowtowing with tears and snot all over his face. "I only really wanted her bag at that time. I''ve seen it on the Internet before, and it''s worth a lot of money. I really didn''t want to rape her. Can you just sue me for theft?"


    "Is that possible?" Jack''s dark eyes gave out a cold light. He raised his hand and patted the shoulder of one of the policemen two times. "I''ll leave the rest to you. Thank you for your hard work."


    After that, he took Rachel''s hand and walked away. In the past few nights, he unconsciously woke up from the same nightmare at an ungodly hour, cold sweat beading on his forehead.


    Fortunately, the thing that he feared did not happen. If it had, then he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.


    When she came back from Brookmount City, Rachel found something. Every night when she slept, Jack would always hold her tightly. She protested multiple times, "Jack, too tight¡ªI can''t breathe."


    He always tried to bring her closer to him and ignore her complaints, saying, "This is for your own sake, so you can feel a sense of safety."


    After resting at home for two days, Rachel went back to the hospital to report again. She was called into the director''s office to update him on the status of the exchange meeting. Luckily, Jack had anticipated it so he asked another doctor to attend the meeting in her stead and broug


    owered her voice and again pulled at the left hand, which Rachel had concealed behind her. She didn''t want to lose sight of it for even a second and said, "Rachel, hurry up and answer my question!"


    Rachel nodded and said shyly, "He proposed to me last night."


    When she put on her work clothes this morning, she was thinking of taking off the ring and leaving it at home. However, Jack changed her mind when he said, "If you left the ring at home, then what''s the point of buying it?"


    "When you wear it, that ring would show people that you have been reserved for me."


    It sounded funny in retrospect, but words always sounded reasonable when he said them. She couldn''t win against him, so Rachel did what he said.


    Seeing the other woman''s nod, Celia grabbed her arm and asked, "Then tell me, how did he propose last night? Did you take any photos?"


    Her eyes were full of envy.


    "No." She knew that it was a bit selfish of her, but Rachel didn''t want to share such a sweet moment with others.


    She picked up the case report that Celia had dropped, signed her name at the back, and handed it back to her. She tried to steer the topic back to work and said, "Let''s work first."


    "Okay," Celia responded and took her leave.


    She was already out the door, but then she suddenly turned back. Seeing how Rachel was staring at her ring and caressing it, she hid her giggles behind her hands and said seriously, "Congratulations, Rachel!"

 Chapter 364 We Are Going To Remarry

    When the bell rang, Rachel left the office and went to the dressing room. Taking out the dress she brought from home this morning, she put it on.


    Last night, Jack promised her that they would visit the Fu family in the evening. Today, they were supposed to reveal their intention to remarry.


    Rachel was looking forward to it. After all, what Jonathan wanted the most was for them to live happily. This would indeed make the old man happy.


    At this time, Jonathan was flipping through an old photo album, sitting crouched in the study. Every time he looked at a photo, he would let out a sigh. Time had moved quickly. But figments of his past brought him both joy and sadness.


    While he was immersed in the old days, Julie''s voice came, interrupting him from his thoughts. Jonathan swiftly closed the album and kept it back in the safe. After he was sure it had been locked, he looked at the maid and asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "Jack and Rachel are here," Julie said. "I would have called Mrs. Fu, but she happens to be out with her friend."


    "I''ll go down the stairs soon."


    Wiping the corners of his eyes, Jonathan walked out of the study with his walking stick. Standing at the top of the stairs, he looked down. He caught sight of the two of them sitting on the sofa. They looked genuinely happy and it pleased him.


    However, a hint of worry entered into his heart. But Jonathan couldn''t let them see it. As he went down the stairs, he had a smile plastered on his face. "H


    ed Rachel''s face and said, "Great then! Take them shopping with you. Their dresses should be customized too."


    It was quite early, but Jack preferred to prepare everything in advance. What he wanted was an impeccable wedding. Rachel should feel like the most loved girl on that special day. He would leave no stone unturned at making this dream come true.


    Sometimes, Rachel would laugh at him. ''Is he a Virgo? Why is he being so damn picky?''


    However, she was overjoyed. To some extent, his attention to the wedding indirectly reflected her importance in his life.


    Therefore, although Rachel said that it was still early, she was thrilled. In fact, she put aside some work in the hospital to prepare for her wedding. Taking advantage of the weekend, she called Lea and Celia for shopping.


    "Oh my God, Rachel, are you really going to make dresses for us in this shop? I heard from a classmate that a dress here is worth 10,000 dollars." Celia looked at Rachel in disbelief, unable to hide her excitement.


    Lea coughed and patted Celia on her shoulder. "Don''t make such a fuss. She isn''t marrying any common man. Her husband is the president of MK Group. They have plenty of money. 10,000 dollars must be a piece of cake for them."


    Hearing the banter between them two, Rachel feigned annoyance and warned, "If you both insist on joking around, I think it is better if I pick a different shop. Perhaps something very cheap and average." Then she turned around, pretending to leave.

 Chapter 365 Choose A Wedding Dress

    Lea and Celia immediately pulled Rachel''s arms.


    "Come on! We are your bridesmaids. If we don''t wear high-end dresses, we will embarrass not only ourselves but also you and Jack," Lea said raising an eyebrow.


    With the saleswoman in the lead, the three of them walked into the shop, which was full of dazzling wedding dresses and other kinds of gowns. Before Rachel could say a word, Lea and Celia had already started to choose.


    Celia was still single, so Rachel thought that it was only reasonable for her to get excited and thrilled upon seeing the gowns and the wedding dresses. But Lea... When she saw her being excited too, Rachel couldn''t help teasing her, "Haven''t you worn a wedding dress before?"


    "That was different," Lea answered with a pout. "This time, I''m going to be your bridesmaid." She took a purple gown and put it in front of her. Facing the mirror, she asked Rachel, "How about this one? Does it look good on me?"


    It was the saleswoman who answered, "Miss, with your perfect figure, you must look good in this style. You can try it first. The fitting room is there. If you think there is something wrong with it, we can modify it for you."


    Lea''s face broke into a wide grin upon hearing the saleswoman''s flattery.


    After taking a sip of the lemonade that one of the staff served, Rachel also said with a smile, "Yeah, try it first."


    On the other side of the shop, Celia was just staring at them. She hadn''t chosen anything yet. In the end, she came to Rachel and sat down next to her.


    Rachel tilted her head and asked, "Hav


    , Jack didn''t say anything for a long time. But when she looked at him, she saw him frowning. No one knew what was on his mind.


    Celia also went out for dinner that evening. After having a bowl of noodles in a nearby restaurant, she went back home. While her father and stepmother were having dinner in the dining room, she quietly sneaked back to her room. However, her father caught her.


    He put his chopsticks down, coughed intentionally, and said in a calm but powerful voice, "Come and eat dinner with us."


    Since she had already been exposed, she simply stood straight and said, "I''ve already eaten outside."


    Her stepmother cast a glance at her. With an evil grin, she sneered, "You''re such a spendthrift. We have enough food at home, but you still eat out. Do you think making money is easy?"


    With eyes wide open, she Celia about to retort. But she suddenly remembered what Rachel told her this afternoon, so she tried hard to hold back her anger. She took a deep breath and smiled instead.


    She gave her stepmother an expressionless look as if she was saying, "Just say anything you want."


    Obviously, her stepmother was surprised by her sudden change of attitude.


    Sensing that she wasn''t planning to argue with her, she mumbled, "Well, it''s a good thing that you don''t eat here. We can save money and spend it on something else."


    Celia went back to her room and leaned against the door. She took out her phone and sent a message to Rachel. "She confronted me just now, but I didn''t fight back. As expected, she didn''t say anything more."

 Chapter 366 Being A Listener

    Rachel just came out of the restaurant with Jack when she received a message from Celia.


    It was such a beautiful night, with the moon flickering under the dark clouds, so she said to Jack on a whim, "How about we take a walk for a while?"


    Pleased with her suggestion, Jack smiled and answered, "Why not?"


    While they were walking, she sensed that he was in a good mood, so she didn''t hesitate to say her real intention. "Can you help me with Celia''s problem?"


    The reason why she told Jack about Celia''s problem was that she wanted him to help her get rid of the latter''s father.


    She wanted Celia''s father to leave Ninwell City, so she didn''t need to get along with him and her stepmother anymore.


    Thinking that he would surely help her, she was confident when she told him what she wanted to happen. But to her surprise, he shook his head and said lightly, "It''s not easy to interfere in other people''s family matter."


    "But her father has gone too far," she retorted.


    She thought of acting like a spoiled child to induce him, but after giving it a careful thought, she dismissed the idea in her mind.


    Instead, she pulled a long face and asked, "Are you going to help me or not?"


    Jack smiled, and Rachel took it as a good sign. Her eyes lit up in excitement upon thinking that he had already agreed.


    He looked at her affectionately and saw the expectations in her eyes.


    Patting her head gently, he said, "I have never seen you so warmhearted before. Why do you want to help her all of a sudden?"


    Instead of answering his que


    never known that Marcus'' family is so powerful. Now, his parents think that my family is too ordinary. Since my parents are divorced, and I am too young and incompetent, they believe I don''t deserve their son."


    She was criticized by Marcus'' parents for being useless.


    Frowning, Rachel sat opposite her and asked, "So what''s going on now?"


    "His parents have chosen someone to marry him. She is beautiful, with a good degree, and a successful career. Most of all, she comes from a well-off family. She has everything that any parents-in-law want." She bit her lips tightly and looked up at Rachel. With misty eyes, she asked, "Rachel, am I really that bad?


    I don''t know what to do now. I know I''m not good enough for Marcus, but he asked me to wait for him. He said he would settle everything well. But Rachel, I''m wavering. Should I really wait for him?"


    Rachel listened quietly with a serious expression on her face.


    Celia felt like dark clouds were gathering and covering her. She kept on sighing while taking a bite of the bread brought by Rachel from time to time. In the end, she asked, "Rachel, what should I do?"


    "How about Marcus?" Rachel asked in a low voice.


    Celia chewed and swallowed the bread in her mouth. She then took a sip of the tea in front of her to moisten her lips before she replied, "He asked me to wait for him. He said that he would deal with everything well, and his parents would accept me in the end. But why do I always feel nervous and uncertain?"


    Rachel didn''t know what to say, so she remained silent.

 Chapter 367 Dylans Job

    Celia sat there stunned for a few seconds, and then continued, "It''s okay to wait for one or two years, but what if I have to wait indefinitely? What if he fails to convince his parents? Then all that waiting would be for nothing in the end, right?"


    As soon as Celia finished speaking, Rachel heard her stomach growl, so she handed her another piece of bread. "You already know the answer in your heart, don''t you? You think that you can wait for one or two years, so just wait. As for the rest, talk it out after a year or two."


    Celia continued to whine, "But what if I wait for him, but then he won''t want me anymore after two years? Rachel, I''ve been cheated on once, and I can''t let that happen again. I''m really scared."


    Rachel was hunched over while turning on the computer, but upon hearing this, she paused the task and straightened up, looking at Celia. She remembered what happened to the other woman when she came to the hospital for registration, and her heart sank. After a while, she said encouragingly, "Then make yourself a stronger and better woman while waiting for him. As women, we have to rely on ourselves, right? When you are the best version of yourself, men will come to you automatically."


    Celia clenched her fists and raised her hands in reaction to Rachel''s words, shouting vigorously, "Okay, Rachel, I will try my best!" Once she had finished speaking, a large yawn escaped her, and her shoulders slightly drooped. She waved her hand and said, "I''m too sleepy. I''m going to home to get some sleep."


    There were always a lot of guests in the MK Group. Some visitors came


    y."


    He frowned and let go of her. Looking at the number, he suddenly stood up and went to the balcony.


    Rachel felt like falling back to sleep, but then she felt a warm breath falling on her ear. She frowned and mumbled, "Who called you?"


    Jack said in a low voice, "Rachel, something happened to a real estate project in America. I have to go there immediately. I need to head to the airport now."


    Rachel rubbed at her sleepy eyes and said, "Then I''ll help you pack up."


    She was about to get out of bed, but Jack pressed on her shoulders so that she was lying down again. With a warm smile down at her, he said, "Lie down. I just need to pack up a few things."


    She closed her eyes and accepted the kiss on his forehead with a bittersweet smile.


    She had grown used to having breakfast with him. She sighed while looking at the plate of steamed buns she had brought from the dining table, her appetite gone.


    She simply packed them into a food container and brought them to the hospital.


    If her memory served her right, Celia worked during the day. Maybe she could have breakfast with her.


    In the nurse station, people were hustling around early in the morning, splitting medicine and taking blood pressure. It was not easy for Rachel to find Celia, who was sitting quietly in the pharmacy. She patted her on the shoulder from behind and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"


    Celia turned around and glanced at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then finally lowered her head in silence and continued what she was doing.


    Suddenly, the indifference in her eyes morphed into hatred.

 Chapter 368 Misunderstanding

    Rachel frowned slightly.


    She was actually about to ask if she just misunderstood it, but she didn''t expect to hear Celia''s cold voice. With an expressionless face, she said, "Rachel, I''m very busy here. Please leave me alone."


    When Rachel looked at her, the look on her face was like saying, "You are not welcome here."


    Without saying anything more, Rachel nodded, turned around, and walked out of the pharmacy. She was on her way back to her office when Mindy, who was about to end her shift, grabbed her arm.


    She yawned, leaned her head over, and asked, "Rachel, I saw you just went in to see Celia. Did she still look unhappy?"


    "Yes."


    Rachel was not the type of person who liked gossip. But since she was really curious about Celia, she couldn''t help asking, "Do you know what''s wrong with her, Mindy?"


    Mindy turned to look at the pharmacy first before she pulled Rachel to her office. After closing the door, she said in a low voice, "Rachel, everyone in the hospital is talking about Celia now. I bet you don''t know about it because you seldom talk with your colleagues here. Besides, you got off work early yesterday."


    Turning her head slightly, Rachel looked at Mindy with an earnest expression on her face. She couldn''t figure out what was going on with Celia, so she asked in confusion, "What are they talking about her?"


    Mindy''s eyes widened in surprise as she said exaggeratedly, "How come that you don''t know? You are the closest to Celia in this hospital. Everyone is saying that she hooks up with a


    him first."


    Rachel knocked at the door of the study three times before she opened it. However, Jonathan was not there. She turned around and was about to go to his bedroom to check, but she saw him coming with his watching stick. "I just came out of the dining room when you came in. Didn''t you see me?"


    With a sweet smile on her lips, she replied, "No, I didn''t."


    Pointing at the study, Jonathan immediately asked, "Is there a woman named Celia in your department? Is she the sister of that little boy you took home a few years ago?"


    "Yes, Dad."


    Rachel then frowned slightly and looked at Jonathan in silence.


    He never asked anything about her work in the hospital. But today, he suddenly asked her to come over just to ask about Celia.


    Jonathan slowly walked to his desk and sat down. He then glanced at Rachel and said indifferently, "I don''t want you to get close to her from now on."


    He never asked her to choose her friends before. In the past, it was even he who encouraged her to make friends with others because he always said that she was a dull person.


    For the first time, he made it clear that he didn''t want her to be close to a specific person.


    Rachel almost couldn''t believe her ears, so she asked, "Why?"


    Jonathan opened the drawer on his right and took out the envelope. Handing it to her, he said with a sigh, "The two children of the Xu family are both excellent. However, they don''t know how to choose the people they should get involved with. They don''t have any idea about it at all."

 Chapter 369 Celias Dilemma

    Rachel was alert the entire time, but she didn''t answer. She opened the envelope in her hand and read it word by word, without missing a single dot.


    Finally, she couldn''t help swearing.


    Although Marcus ran a small foreign trade company, his family''s influence could never be underestimated.


    His father, Larry Ji, was the current mayor of Ninwell City, while his mother, Connie Chen, was the chairman of Ninwell City Association. His family had originally planned for Marcus to inherit his parents'' legacy and enter the political field in the future. However, that plan fell by the wayside when he established his own company during his university years.


    On his own, he managed to gather a few laurels in the last few years.


    Although his parents had no choice at the moment, they were still hoping for their original plan to materialize. Thus, they were strongly encouraging Marcus to marry a daughter of a political family.


    Now, a certain Celia Xu suddenly appeared in their son''s life, and she had single-handedly destroyed their plans.


    Marriage connections were not only popular in business circles, but were also outright welcomed by political families such as theirs.


    The letter in Rachel''s hand was written by Larry Ji, who demanded for the Fu family to stay out of the affair between Marcus and Celia and refrain from doing anything for the Xu family.


    After reading the letter, Rachel got the gist of the situation. She folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope as she waited for Jonathan to speak.


    After a moment of silence, Jonathan coughed and c


    aid, "It''s nothing. My stomach just feels a bit uncomfortable. I''m leaving now." She exited the shop quickly.


    Seeing this, Celia didn''t intend to stay. Just as she was about to leave too, Lea grabbed her arm. "Hey, what''s wrong with you two? You just got here, and now you want to leave so soon?"


    "I really have something else to do," said Celia with her head lowered.


    Lea rolled her eyes and remarked, "Do you think I''m stupid? Don''t try to hide it from me. Be honest¡ªwhat happened between you and Rachel?"


    Just then, the shop attendant walked toward them with another magazine and said excitedly, "Miss, please look at this magazine. The latest styles in our shop are all here."


    The corners of Lea''s mouth twitched. "I''m sorry, we have an urgent matter to discuss so we have to go now. We''ll come and look at them next time."


    After saying that, she pulled Celia out of the wedding dress shop. She looked around and pointed at a relatively quiet-looking coffee shop across the road. "We can''t talk out here. Let''s go to that shop and sit down. Then, you can tell me what happened!"


    Looking at the traffic jam in front of her, Rachel heavily slammed on the horn in frustration.


    She knew that her annoyance was not caused by the traffic¡ªit was because of Celia.


    Jonathan had told her not to get in touch with Celia and to cut her off completely from her life, but Rachel promised to do so only for the sake of placating him. In her heart, she promised no such thing.


    Emotions were like rebellious teenagers¡ªthe more you denied them, the more they would go against you.

 Chapter 370 Rear-end Collision

    In Rachel''s opinion, Marcus must have been tired of his family affairs. Being born and raised in a well-off family, he might have been bored with money and other material things, so the simple and unsophisticated Celia attracted his attention. Perhaps she was like a breath of fresh air to him.


    But the way Celia behaved in front of Rachel was unforgivable.


    Rachel couldn''t figure out why Celia had thought that she had a hand in the rumors that spread about her. After all, they were friends. ''She is supposed to trust me,'' she thought annoyingly.


    The flow of traffic gradually became slow. Rachel was carefully following the car in front of her, but her mind was wandering, keeping her focus away from the road. As a result, she failed to notice that the car in front of her had already stopped. She only realized that she made a mistake after hearing the loud bumping sound.


    "Oh, my God! What have I done?" she muttered under her breath. She peered through the window and noticed the big dent at the back of the other car.


    The owner of the car got out. His face turned red in an instant after seeing how much damage his car had gotten. Brimming with rage, he rolled up his sleeves, knocked on Rachel''s window, and roared, "Get out!"


    As soon as Rachel got out, the man pointed to his car and roared again, "Is this your first time to drive? Who the hell issued a driver''s license to someone like you?"


    It was indeed her fault, and she was more than willing to own up. But she was stunned watching the man cursing in front of her, not showing even an ounce of decency. She couldn''t take it any longer, so she said with a frown, "I''m sorry, sir. But don''t worry, I''ll make sure to pay for all the damages to your car. I''ll come with you to the repair shop, so we can check how much it will cost."


    Upon hearing that she was willing to pay, the man''s face so


    ut to leave.


    As expected, Celia gave in. She held Lea''s hand and started to explain anxiously, "It''s not that I don''t want to tell you. It''s just that I don''t know what to say."


    "What do you mean? Just tell me what happened." Lea had to force herself to act like a big sister even though she already felt tired of doing it.


    But after hearing Celia''s story, she couldn''t help feeling really angry this time. She poked her forehead with disappointment and said, "Are you that stupid? Don''t you know what kind of person Rachel is? How could you misunderstand her just like that? You are out of your mind!"


    Lea drank up the coffee that the waiter had just served in one gulp out of anger. She only came back to her senses when the bitter taste ran through her throat. She realized that she was so mad that she forgot to add sugar and milk to her coffee.


    She immediately tossed candy into her mouth and said, "It''s all your fault!"


    Celia gently pushed her cup of coffee towards Lea and offered, "Drink mine. It doesn''t taste bitter."


    Actually, she also regretted what she did to Rachel after giving it a careful thought. Her mind was in a mess because of Bertha, and in the end, she vented all her anger on Rachel, who did nothing but care about her every day. She wanted to apologize, but she was too shy to do it. That was the reason why she avoided to see Rachel now.


    Feeling uneasy, she asked with a frown, "Lea, I know that I''m stupid. But what should I do now? Do you think Rachel will forgive me if I apologize to her?"


    "What do you think?" Lea took a glimpse at her and said, "Don''t worry, Rachel is not a narrow-minded person."


    Rachel listened silently to Lea, telling her whole conversation with Celia while she was eating. It had been a while, but she still didn''t say anything.


    Lea patted her arm and asked, "Are you really angry with her?"

 Chapter 371 Ill Go With You

    "How is that possible?" Nearly finished with her dinner, Rachel put down her chopsticks and stared at the other woman. "Celia''s still young. Besides, she doesn''t know me very well. You''ve known me for many years, and you already know what kind of person I am."


    "I know that you are not angry," Lea replied. "Go to the hospital tomorrow and have a good talk with her. I guess she has been feeling down these past two days. After all, one cannot choose their family." Lea felt a little sad about the situation, but she took note of Rachel''s strange reaction. She had her head bent down, so her expression was hidden, and she didn''t say anything.


    Lea was about to ask her when Henry''s ringtone played on her mobile. As it turned out, Rita wanted to sleep but was looking for her mother. She refused to sleep regardless of Henry''s powers of persuasion. Now, she was crying so hard that her voice was almost hoarse.


    After all, her daughter was her priority, so Lea had to give up the topic. She hurriedly picked up her bag and said on her way out, "Remember to talk to Celia."


    Rachel thought that it was not that simple.


    To her, it seemed like the leak of information was not accidental, but was done on purpose. If the leak originated from someone who had overheard something and spread it through the grapevine, then there was nothing to worry about.


    The thing was, she was afraid that it was the Ji family who did this.


    Their intent was apparent¡ªthey wanted to warn Celia and let her know she could never enter the Ji family. At the same time, they wanted to completely sever the relationship between the Xu family and the Fu family.


    Rachel couldn''t keep the shiver that t


    The atmosphere suddenly became a little heavy. Jack pulled on his night robe and said, "Well, don''t worry about it. I will deal with it myself."


    However, before he could deal with it, the call from the Ji family came by chance.


    It was Marcus''s father, Larry, who called, asking to meet up with Jack to discuss something. Although he didn''t mention any details over the call, it was obvious that Larry wanted to discuss Marcus'' relationship with Celia.


    After Jack ended the call, Rachel watched as he began to take out the clothes and head to the bathroom to change. Hesitating, she stood behind him and finally said, "Jack, I''ll go with you."


    Jack, who was shaking out a dark suit, raised his eyebrows and asked, "What for?"


    "I want to hear what he is going to say to you. What do you think? Is it okay for me to come with you?" Rachel smiled and winked at him.


    He patted her head. He had no reason to refuse her request.


    The private meeting hall was located at the foot of the mountain. It was well decorated and divided into small rooms, which offered excellent privacy to the establishment''s patrons. Jack mentioned to the concierge that he was meeting up with Larry there.


    Behind Jack, Rachel walked into the innermost private room and pushed the door open. A middle-aged man in his fifties was seated inside. The man''s hair was neatly combed behind his head with hair gel. A pair of thin glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, but the glasses failed to block the man''s shrewd eyes.


    He was wearing a black suit, which indicated his meticulousness and seriousness at any given occasion.


    Jack reached out his hand and smiled. "Uncle Larry, it has been a while."

 Chapter 372 Never Made A Deal

    Larry shook hands with Jack before casting a defensive look at Rachel. He asked, "And she is?"


    "My name is Rachel Shen. Nice to meet you, Uncle Larry," Rachel introduced herself with a smile.


    Jack then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said proudly, "My fiancee."


    "Oh, I see." There was still a hint of query and alienation in Larry''s eyes, but his lips curved into a smile.


    He picked up the teapot, poured tea to the three teacups in front of him, and gave Jack and Rachel each. Without raising his eyes, he said, "Jack, you should already know what I want to say to you today."


    "I know," Jack replied.


    He then held Rachel''s hand and added, "Rachel is my fiancee, so I don''t hide anything from her. Even if I don''t bring her here, I''ll still tell her everything after I get home. That''s why I decided to take her with me."


    There was a moment of silence before Larry picked up his teacup to take a sip. Then he said seriously, "Since you say so, I don''t have any objection."


    He continued, "Marcus is still ignorant. Right now, he is young and impulsive. Jack, with your current status and experiences in life, I believe that you know what is best for him."


    Jack turned to look at Rachel, who was leisurely drinking her tea, and said, "I know. I also know how difficult it is to find true love."


    Larry chuckled and said with a frown, "It seems that you are also as naive as Marcus."


    He realized that it was no use persuading Jack. Tapping the table with his fingers


    one breath, but they were also out of breath. Rachel fanned herself with her hand while looking around the not-so-spacious apartment and asked, "Where is your room?"


    She could imagine how difficult it would be for them to carry the bag of clothes downstairs later.


    When they entered Celia''s room, she scratched the back of her head and smiled shyly. "I was too busy this morning to tidy it up." She immediately covered the pile of clothes on the bed. "There, you won''t see the mess anymore."


    Rachel could only smile helplessly.


    Celia pulled out a huge bag of clothes from the corner below the window and wrapped it with black plastic tape. When she tried to carry it, her face twisted so Rachel couldn''t help asking, "How many clothes do you have?"


    With a pout, she replied, "He used to be rich and gave me an allowance every month. I used most of the money to buy clothes."


    Rachel knew that she was referring to Dylan.


    Celia bent down and took out a sweater from the bag. She showed it to Rachel and said, "Look, this is still new. In fact, I have only worn this once. It''s just a waste to throw them all away, so I want to donate them instead."


    Rachel agreed with a nod. She was about to ask Celia to lift the bag together when they suddenly heard a loud crash outside, followed by a sharp voice. "This shabby house! The elevator is broken again. This is so tiring! I was so stupid to marry him. I thought I could enjoy my life. I didn''t expect that I would suffer like this."

 Chapter 373 How Unpleasant To Speak

    Rachel was able to guess it was none other than Celia''s stepmother who was spitting out curses. From what Celia had told her, she knew that woman had a filthy mouth.


    "Let''s go, Rachel. I am sorry you had to hear that. I will treat you to a good meal and make up for this." In fact, Celia had no desire to have dinner there. After all, Bertha would never allow her to have an enjoyable time. How could she expect a peaceful meal? No! She was determined to leave and take Rachel elsewhere.


    Understanding how bad the situation was, Rachel nodded her head. Just when she was about to ease the atmosphere by asking about the food they would eat, the door was pushed open.


    Grim-faced, Bertha came to their view. Without even glancing at Rachel, she turned to Celia and said, "I''ve arranged a blind date for you. Change your clothes and wear something proper."


    "A blind date?"


    Celia shouted in disbelief. "I am not going!"


    Bertha glared at her. "You have no right to say no. You didn''t have a boyfriend. Did you expect to live with us for the rest of your life? I am sorry, but we can''t take this nuisance any longer!"


    Celia couldn''t help retorting, "First of all, I have a boyfriend. And didn''t you taunt me for having found a rich boyfriend? How did you forget it all of a sudden? Do what you want, I am not interested in this blind date!"


    Bertha sneered and said, "A rich boyfriend? He is probably playing with you. It is nothing but a time pass for him. Don''t waste my time. Get ready for the date I have planned for you."


    All this while, Rachel chose to remain quiet. After all, this was a family ma


    it. I''m a businessman and will never do business if there isn''t any profit."


    Rachel couldn''t help but roll her eyes. "Marcus asked you for help. Did he give you any reward? You were more than willing to give Dylan a job. Why am I an exception?"


    "Marcus is different."


    Noticing the confusion in her eyes, Jack pinched Rachel''s chin and continued, "He is just a friend. I don''t want any favors from him. But you are my woman!"


    On seeing her surprise, he went on, "So tell me, what do you think of this deal?"


    His tone was seductive and Rachel flushed red.


    He hugged her and his lean body was pressed against hers. Rachel clearly felt the heat emanating from his body to hers.


    She wanted to push him away, but on a second thought, she raised her hands and caught his neck. Leaning forward, she whispered, "If the job is done well, then you won''t have to worry about the reward. I am more than willing to pay for it."


    Jack was about to say something, but before he could open his mouth, she changed the subject. "Until my job is done, I recommend you sleep in the study."


    "What?"


    It was Jack''s turn to be surprised.


    She took a few steps backward and said, "I don''t believe in paying in advance. I am sorry."


    Disappointment reeked through his face when he realized his plans had backfired. He instantly regretting asking for a favor.


    On the second day, when Rachel arrived at the hospital, she didn''t see Celia anywhere around. When she inquired, she learned Celia had asked for a leave. As soon as she got back to her office, she dialed Celia''s number. "What''s wrong? Why aren''t you here?"

 Chapter 374 The Dispute

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


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


    "Thanks, but I''m fine. Marcus is here with me." She coughed a few more times before she hung up the phone. Marcus then came to her with a bowl of millet porridge. He scooped a spoonful, gently blew it, and put it into her mouth. He said, "Good girl. Finish this porridge and take medicine so you can have a good sleep."


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


    It was Eden.


    Celia lowered her gaze to hide the disappointment in her eyes. When she raised her head again, she was already smiling as if it was nothing. She then said, "Marcus, give me the bowl. I''ll eat it myself while you answer your phone."


    Marcus went to the balcony with his phone. As soon as he answered it, he immediately got annoyed with Eden''s flattering voice. He asked sulkily, "What''s the matter?"


    "Your mom and I went shopping in the mall earlier, and we thought of buying you a cashmere shirt. But we don''t know your size, so we''re not sure if this fits you. Would you like to come over and try it on?"


    "No, thanks," he refused coldly.


    Without waiting for Eden to speak again, he hung up at once. He was about to go back to Celia''s room, but his phone rang again. This time, it was his mother. She asked him to go shop with them, and he could not refuse.


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


    he found it hard to finish her words, so Rachel comforted her, "Don''t think too much. Have a good rest first."


    The bloodstains on the wall were not much, so it should not be a big deal. However, the relationship between Celia and Bertha would probably get worse.


    When Celia fell asleep, Rachel came out of the bedroom quietly. Jack had already packed up and waved at her, motioning for her to sit on the sofa.


    Pursing her lips, she raised her eyebrows and pointed at the wall where they saw the bloodstains earlier. Jack had already cleaned them up, so they weren''t visible anymore. "Celia said that the blood was Bertha''s. Perhaps she hit her forehead on the wall when Celia pushed her. I don''t know how she is now. Shall we go and check on her?"


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


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


    His eyes lit upon hearing her words of gratitude. He turned to look at her gloomy face and said, "No need to thank me. After all, you are my woman."


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


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


    Rachel was stunned for a while before she finally realized what he meant. She laughed and pinched his thigh. "You wish!"


    After a while, Marcus arrived with a thermos in his hand. When it was Jack who opened the door for him, surprised was written all over his face. With creased brows, he asked, "Why are you here?"


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

 Chapter 375 Fall Out With Her Parents

    While Marcus and Jack were talking at the door, Rachel came to check why the latter hadn''t returned to the living room yet. She was a little surprised to see Marcus, but Jack held her arm and said, "Since Marcus is here, we''d better get going. It''s time to go back to work."


    She noticed the confusion in Marcus'' eyes, so she smiled and said, "We just dropped by to visit Celia. She''s asleep now."


    "Okay."


    Marcus nodded slightly and watched them leave. His handsome face suddenly frowned as a sense of uneasiness surged in his heart.


    Jack and Rachel arrived at the hospital. When he parked the car at the gate, he said in a low voice, "Austin just sent a message."


    While unfastening her seat belt, she asked, "What did he say?"


    "Bertha is in the hospital now because of some bruises on her forehead. I don''t think it''s a big problem."


    Rachel heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. But before she could start to feel happy, Jack continued, "But according to Austin, Dylan was very angry for what happened. He lost his temper in the hospital and swore to take Celia back and teach her a lesson."


    Dylan was an egotistical male chauvinist. Putting aside his relationship with Bertha, Celia had challenged his authority as the head of the family by refusing a blind date.


    And now that she hurt Bertha, who he believed had contributed a lot to their family, it was expected that he wouldn''t let go of her that easy.


    Feeling distraught, Rachel looked up at Jack and asked, "What should we do?"


    Jack patted her head and replied in a gentle ton


    code is 870925. If it is not enough, just give me a call."


    "Thank you, buddy." Marcus lowered his head to hide the redness in his eyes.


    Rachel, who was silently watching the two men, couldn''t help feeling sad. She took a deep breath and said to Celia, "I''m glad that you are finally together. But you must contact us as soon as you arrive in France, okay? Don''t push yourself too hard."


    She believed that the couple made the right choice. If they continued to stay in Ninwell City, they wouldn''t be able to live a good life because of the pressure from both of their families.


    Perhaps if they moved away, their families would gradually accept them as time passed.


    The same thing had happened to Lucas and Iris.


    For a moment, Jack''s office filled with sadness.


    After talking with each other for a while, Rachel and Jack drove the couple to the airport.


    At the airport, Jack saw Rachel''s eyes turn red. He couldn''t help holding her hands tightly and chuckled, "If you worry about them, I will take you to France to see them after I finish my work, okay?"


    "Okay," Rachel replied at once.


    She then glared at Marcus, pretending to be fierce and warned, "You must treat her well. If I find out that you are not good to her, I will take Jack to France right away to beat you up."


    "Yes, I agree with Rachel." Jack wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone.


    Since it was Austin calling, it probably had something to do with Dylan.


    He took the phone to the side and asked in a low voice, "Is everything done?"

 Chapter 376 Beaten Up

    There was a trace of panic in Austin''s voice. "I was about to warn Dylan. I didn''t expect that a group of people would beat him up. He''s currently in the emergency room, and he''s still not out of the woods."


    Jack looked back at the three people surrounding him and said in a low voice, "Okay, I know."


    Marcus glanced at his watch. "Okay, it''s almost time for us to board. Jack, thank you for taking care of these domestic affairs."


    Celia hugged Rachel and bit her lower lip. "Rachel, I have to go. I don''t know when I will come back. I know my father is an asshole, but he''s still my father, so... can you let him continue working in the company?"


    Rachel nodded, "We know."


    "What about Jack?"


    Meeting the expectant look in her eyes, Jack frowned slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he said slowly, "Celia, there''s something you need to know."


    The serious expression on his face made the other three feel strange.


    Jack said, "I received a call just now. Your father, Dylan, was beaten up and brought to the hospital. He still isn''t out of danger.


    I thought that you should know about it, but don''t worry. We will take good care of your father."


    Rachel subconsciously glanced at the other couple, Celia and Marcus.


    Tears streamed down Celia''s face. She covered her mouth and muttered in a trembling voice, "How could this happen?"


    "The details of the situation are still unclear at this point."


    The final boarding call for their flight was announced in the airport''s public address system. Celia was torn. She was supposed to elope with Marcus, but her fathe


    It''s okay."


    As soon as he finished speaking, his phone rang.


    He glanced at the screen and saw Marcus'' name flashing.


    Rachel watched him walk over to the side of the hallway and was able to hear only a few words faintly. When she saw him turn back after hanging up the phone, she opened her mouth to ask him about the call.


    The door of the ICU slid open, and Celia walked out. She looked around and asked, "Rachel, where is Marcus?"


    "He went somewhere to deal with a certain issue. He can''t be here for now, but he''ll be back later," Jack answered.


    Rachel frowned, trying to suppress the doubts in her heart. She took Celia''s cold hands into her own and said, "We''ll drive you home first. Austin will stay here to take care of your father. Don''t worry, everything''s going to be okay."


    Jack asked Austin to call them as soon as there were any new developments. Then, he and Rachel drove Celia home.


    They were silent during the entire drive.


    They had planned to take Celia back to the apartment that Rachel used to rent, but Celia insisted on going home to see what Bertha had been up to and ask why she didn''t show up at the hospital where her husband was fighting for his life.


    When they arrived at the gate of the community, Jack slowed down the car. He took a look at the cluster of buildings and said, "You head upstairs first; I''ll find a place to park the car."


    Rachel nodded and said, "Okay."


    When they arrived at the door, Rachel noticed that the door was ajar. She frowned and pushed the door open, only to find that the apartment was a total mess inside.

 Chapter 377 A Dinner Party

    Celia looked around and felt horrible. All the shoes in the shoe rack had scattered on the floor, and all the drawers were opened. The whole living room was turned upside down.


    ''Were there thieves?'' she thought to herself.


    With eyes wide open, she ran to her bedroom to check. When she finished, her shoulders sagged as she cried, "Rachel, what should I do? These thieves are so heartless. Why do they come to my house at this time?"


    Rachel frowned and replied, "They are not thieves."


    "Then who could do this to me?"


    Rachel raised a document in her hand and said awkwardly, "I think it''s Bertha. I''ve found this divorce paper she left here."


    When Celia went to check her bedroom, Rachel found the document under the coffee table in the living room. It was probably blown to the floor by the wind.


    Celia glanced at her and sneered, "My father surely made the biggest mistake when he married her. Back then, he even beat me because of her. Now that he is dying and needs money for his hospital bills, she immediately left a divorce paper and ran away. What a good wife!"


    Rachel sighed. She knew that no one would want this kind of situation. But for her, it wasn''t really a bad thing that Bertha left.


    However, she was only an outsider to this family. It was not easy for her to say these words in front of Celia.


    A few moments later, Jack''s car parked outside. As soon as he came in, he frowned and said slowly, "I asked someone to bring something to eat here. You need to have some food in your stomach first before you have a good rest."


    When she heard what Jack said, Rachel turned to Celia and said, "While


    htly and said, "Rachel, I can''t contact Marcus. His phone is always off. Does Jack know what is going on with him now? Can you ask him for me, please?"


    Rachel was stunned. She patted the back of her hand to hide her embarrassment and said, "Okay. I''ll ask him later."


    Celia lowered her head and murmured, "Marcus promised me that he would always be there every time I called him."


    Tears streamed down her face as she cried silently. Whoever saw her would really feel sorry for her.


    Rachel handed her a piece of tissue. "Don''t think too much. Maybe he has something important to deal with. Now that Dylan is already out of danger, you should have a good rest."


    Indeed, Celia was exhausted. She whispered a few more words before she bent over the edge of the bed, used her arm as her pillow, and slowly fell asleep. There were still tears in the corner of her eyes.


    Rachel took off her coat and wrapped it on her shoulders before she walked out of the ward. She found Jack leaning against the wall outside, smoking. As soon as he saw her, he stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can.


    "I''ve asked for a day''s leave for you. You can stay here and accompany Celia until tomorrow."


    Jack''s voice sounded a little hollow in the empty corridor.


    Looking at her watch, she said, "I still have two hours to rest. I don''t need to ask for leave."


    Jack didn''t counter anymore. He just held her hand and said lightly, "I now know what happened to Dylan. He got addicted to gambling recently and the people who beat him up were his opponents. They discovered that he cheated on them, so they ended up beating him."

 Chapter 378 An Encounter In The Mall

    Rachel asked, "Where are those people now?"


    "They are now in jail. Don''t worry. The police will deal with them properly."


    As soon as they came back home, Rachel immediately lay on the bed. She felt like she had just closed her eyes when the alarm clock rang.


    She fumbled the alarm clock when she heard footsteps approaching. Jack turned off the alarm clock faster than her. His voice sounded warm when he said, "Have some more sleep. The driver will pick you up and take you to the hospital later."


    "Okay," she answered sleepily.


    She was too sleepy that as soon as she finished her words, she fell asleep again. But when the doorbell rang nonstop, she woke up in a trance again. Thinking that the driver had already come, she quickly changed her clothes. But she didn''t expect that the person standing outside their door was Celia, whose eyes were red and swollen. Lea was also there standing behind her, pursing her lips.


    Her heart skipped a beat. She pulled her into the house and asked, "What''s wrong? Did something happen to Dylan?"


    "No..."


    Celia paused as tears welled up her eyes. She held Rachel tightly and sobbed. "I just received a message from Marcus. He is breaking up with me. I called him to ask why, but he turned his phone off."


    A deep frown surfaced on Rachel''s face. She was thinking about how to comfort Celia. The latter wiped her tears away and said fiercely, "I won''t break up with him muddled. I must find out the reason first."


    "That''s good."


    Lea patted her shoulder as a sign of encouragement. "That''s m


    s crying in pain.


    The smell of cigarettes and wine filled the air. The music that was turned on to the maximum volume was too ear-piercing.


    Among the noisy crowd were enchanting and sexy women and crazy young men, twisting their waist and buttocks crazily on the dance floor.


    Those sexy women were playing and flirting with those men, who were full of frivolous words.


    Marcus just sat in the corner, listening to the crashing of wine glasses and the uncontrollable howls and laughter.


    A woman who was exaggeratedly twisting her buttocks approached him slowly in cat steps.


    She was wearing a black one-piece dress, revealing half of her chest. Her enchanting face was painted with thick makeup. Her delicate hand slid slowly from his back to his shoulder. "Hi, handsome. Are you alone tonight?"


    Marcus glanced at her silently but didn''t answer. He pushed the empty glass in his hand to the bartender and said, "Give me one more glass."


    The woman smiled enchantingly. "Do you want to buy me a drink?"


    He snapped his fingers without saying anything. After a while, the bartender came back with two glasses of whiskey.


    The woman picked up the glass and offered a toast, but he just picked up his glass and drank it at once. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"


    Turning a deaf ear to the woman, he gulped one glass after another.


    However, the woman didn''t get annoyed. Instead, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Do you want to have a good time tonight?"


    For the first time, Marcus spoke. "Get lost!"

 Chapter 379 Fell Down The Stairs

    The woman''s smile immediately disappeared. She kicked hard at the stool he was sitting on and ran a hand through her hair in irritation. "You bastard!"


    Marcus did not show any reaction. He only lowered his glance and stared at the wine glass in front of him like it was some mystical marvel.


    In the dim light, no one noticed a drop of crystal liquid falling and dispersing into the wine.


    At the same time, in another bar, Rachel and Lea anxiously watched Celia guzzling wine like water. All their attempts to stop her were futile.


    Eyes blurry, she sat with her head on the table, muttering something about her relationship with Marcus.


    Lea signed and said, "I didn''t expect her to be crazier than I am. By the way, what''s going on with Marcus? Weren''t they supposed to elope before? Why did he suddenly hook up with that woman, then? Who was she, anyway?"


    Rachel shook her head. Even she was confused. "That woman must be his blind date. Celia mentioned that his parents arranged for him to be introduced to a girl from a family of equal social rank."


    Lea scoffed at the explanation with a frown on her face. She took a look at Celia, who had fallen asleep on the table, picked up the woman''s unfinished glass of wine, and took a sip. "If Marcus were forced to do that for some reason, then there would be some wiggle room. The thing is, I don''t think he did that unwillingly. He seemed to enjoy it very much!"


    Once she had her first sip of wine, she couldn''t stop herself from drinking more.


    Rachel reached out a hand to stop Lea, who was about to pour herself another glass of wine. "Please don''t leave me with two drunk women


    ber to hand in that document once the news is released."


    After he had finished speaking, he buzzed the intercom and asked his secretary to come in again. He handed the secretary a draft. "Find a news media outlet to announce this."


    It was late at night, and the lights were dim.


    Rachel sent her car for maintenance. Jack usually sent someone else to take the car to the shop, and the receptionist already recognized the car. "Miss, why did you bring it here in person today? Anyway, we''re about to close down. Why don''t you drive it over tomorrow if that''s more convenient for you?"


    Rachel frowned slightly.


    "In that case, can I leave the car here? Call me when you have it ready, and I''ll come back to pick it up."


    "That wouldn''t be a problem, miss," the receptionist answered with an apologetic smile on her face. "Please take care and be careful on the way."


    Rachel whirled around and walked out of the door. It was rush hour now, so it was difficult to call a taxi. She planned to call Jack to pick her up, but this location was quite out of the way from the company.


    She plunged her hands into her coat pockets, stomped her feet, and approached the intersection. She could wait by that book stand close by¡ªat least it would be less cold.


    A few people were standing there waiting for cabs. Rachel was absently looking at the colorful magazines and newspapers on the wooden board, and her eyes strayed toward the road again. She prayed fervently that she could hail a taxi as soon as possible, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard a surprised voice exclaim, "Hey, look! Mayor Ji''s son is getting married!"

 Chapter 380 You Are My Rival In Love

    "With whom? How did you know?"


    "It is here in newspaper! She is the daughter of the Chen family. They come from families of equal social rank!" In an envious tone, the other one said, "I see. This is on today''s news. How lucky she is!"


    "Why do you look sad? Such marriages look glamorous only on the outside. They are definitely not as happy as you and your husband."


    "Huh, you didn''t have to mention him. The other night I had asked him to clean up the room but he..."


    Rachel stopped paying attention to their words. Quickly, she flipped the newspaper, searching for something. Finally her eyes fell on the content she was looking for. What the two women had said was indeed true! Her face was frozen due to shock. Unable to believe it, she read it once again, word by word.


    ''What if Celia comes to know about this?''


    The consequences were unimaginable. She didn''t want to think of it.


    The next day, Rachel drove Jack''s car to the hospital. She rushed to Celia''s ward, but was told by the nurse that she had left last night. Just when she was about to call her, her phone beeped with a message. "Rachel, I''m fine now. I''m with my father. By the way, I wanted to let you know I''ve submitted my resignation letter. Once my father''s condition improves, I will go to Joy City."


    Rachel had a vague memory of Celia mentioning her aunt who had married and gone to Joy City. Although she rarely visited her, she called and texted Celia often. Truth be told, Rachel believed it would be good for Celia to live with someone who cared about her.


    ''But what about Marcus?'' Rachel wondered. She didn''t want their relationship to end like this.


    ard about your break-up with Celia. Truth be told, we admired and supported your relationship. We didn''t want it to end like this, which is why we did this today."


    After all, they had to show their support in some way.


    "Yes, Rachel. I am quite happy with what you all did today. You have helped me lift such a big burden off my shoulder. Will you take care of Celia on my behalf?" he asked hopefully.


    "Can you tell me the reason behind your break-up?"


    asked Rachel expectantly.


    "I need to know. Otherwise my mind won''t be at ease," she added.


    His dark eyes stared into a distance. It was like he was elsewhere. The loss he felt in his heart was reflected in his eyes.


    The more reluctant he was to speak up, the more she wanted to know. But as a friend, Rachel decided she had to stop probing.


    Earlier, the weather had indicated it would rain. But now it had cleared up.


    After a brief conversation, the two of them stood up and were about to leave. Marcus picked up the car keys from the table and said, "Are you going to the hospital? Let me drive you there."


    "No, thanks. It''s very convenient to take a taxi from here."


    With a smile, Rachel walked out of the cafe and instantly found a taxi. When she got in, her phone rang and Jack''s name appeared on the screen. "Hello? What''s up?" she asked cheerfully.


    "I''ll pick you up after work and we will have dinner together."


    "Okay."


    When Rachel returned to the hospital, she went to Celia''s ward. Rachel saw she was surrounded by several nurses who were chatting with her. Even though her face was still a little pale, she looked much better than she did two days ago.

 Chapter 381 Believe In Fate

    One sharp-eyed nurse saw Rachel, so she stood up and greeted her, "Rachel, you''re here."


    Rachel nodded at her in acknowledgment. She didn''t know what they were talking about, but seeing the smiles on their faces, they seemed to be having fun, so she didn''t want to disturb them. She put down the fruits she had just bought and said with a smile, "I brought some fruits. I''ve already washed them, and they''re ready to eat."


    "Thank you, Rachel."


    Receiving lots of gratitude made her feel a little embarrassed. She smiled faintly and turned around to leave. But a nurse asked, "Have you seen the news yesterday? The rich single men in the city are already getting married one by one. But until now, I haven''t found my prince charming yet."


    "Who?" someone immediately asked.


    Rachel''s heart skipped a beat upon hearing their conversation. In the past two days, only Marcus was featured on the news to be getting married.


    However, Celia still didn''t know about it.


    The nurse said, "He is..."


    Rachel interrupted at once. "Hey, I almost forgot. Someone was looking for you outside before I came in."


    The nurse tilted her head and asked, "Who?"


    Rachel touched her nose subconsciously, trying to hide her uneasiness for lying. "Sorry, I don''t know him. I just heard him looking for you. He seemed very anxious, so you''d better go and have a look."


    The nurse nodded, completely forgetting what she had just said. She stood up from the sofa and was about to go out, but one of the nurses pulled her


    Rachel closed the files she was reading and stared at her carefully. "I don''t think it''s necessary to ask Eric to annoy her again. After all, the more we play tricks on her, the more likely she finds it out."


    "I guess you are right." Lea bent over her desk and asked, "Then what should we do now?"


    Rachel stroked Lea''s head as if stroking a dog and replied, "Believe in fate. Fate will go through all the setbacks and let them eventually be together again in the end."


    It also happened to her and Jack.


    Even to Lea and Henry.


    After work, Rachel hailed a taxi. She was about to go home directly, but she suddenly remembered that she needed to pick up her car from the shop. It was scheduled for release yesterday, but it slipped her mind. She tapped the taxi driver''s seat and told him to drive her to the shop.


    "Why didn''t you tell me ahead of time?"


    the driver muttered.


    When Rachel arrived at the shop, there was only one staff left standing in the counter. She immediately recognized her as the receptionist who assisted her that day she brought her car there.


    The receptionist saw her coming towards her, so she said, "Miss, you finally came today. I waited for you until six o''clock yesterday, but you didn''t come."


    "I''m so sorry. Something urgent came up yesterday, so I wasn''t able to come here." Rachel felt a little embarrassed.


    The receptionist took out a business card, handed it to her, and said, "It''s okay. Next time, if you can''t come here, call my number, so I''ll know."

 Chapter 382 Winter Swimming Competition

    "Okay. Thank you."


    Rachel put the business card in her bag and took her car keys from the receptionist. She was walking to her car when she saw a red sports car enter the shop''s gate and approach her. She froze in shock. A screeching sound reverberated the shop, and the vehicle suddenly stopped just about ten centimeters away from her.


    Even the receptionist was startled. She hurriedly came to Rachel and asked, "Miss, are you okay?"


    Rachel shook her head. Although she looked calm on the outside, her heart was beating abnormally fast. The door to the driver seat opened, and Eden, Marcus'' nominal fiancee, got out of the car.


    The receptionist seemed to know Eden because she bent over to Rachel and whispered, "Miss, I''m so sorry. Miss Chen is actually a very kind person. I don''t know what''s wrong with her today. She seems to be in a bad mood."


    "It''s alright,"


    Rachel responded faintly and continued walking to her car. She heard the receptionist behind her ask, "Miss Chen, how may I help you today?"


    "I need my car to be checked. The engine is a little noisy when I start it."


    "Our shop is already closed today, and all the mechanics have already left. I''m afraid we need to wait until tomorrow for your car to be checked."


    "Call them back immediately!"


    Eden''s voice was unusually sharp. Although Rachel didn''t know her personally, she could feel that she was in a bad mood.


    For a woman like her, who had just announced her wedding to the p


    s about to follow her mother to the living room again and see who their unexpected visitor was, but her body suddenly twitched. This time, Jack''s worried voice kept ringing in her ears. "Rachel, please wake up now."


    She kept telling him that she was already awake, but he didn''t seem to hear her. He still kept on waking her up.


    Gradually, she felt tired and soon lost consciousness.


    After a long time, Rachel finally woke up. She opened her heavy eyes and saw a familiar place again. This time, she knew that she was in the hospital.


    Jack was sitting beside her. When he saw that she was awake, his eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed her hand and kissed it again and again. "Rachel, you''re finally awake!"


    "I''m fine." She wanted to raise her other hand to touch him, but she felt weak all over.


    Feeling powerless, she asked, "Jack, how long have I slept?"


    "One day and one night." His voice was husky, and there was a trace of starlight in his dark eyes. He touched the messy hair near her ear and asked, "Do you feel uncomfortable?"


    Rachel shook her head. Although she felt sore all over her body now, she didn''t complain. As much as possible, she didn''t want Jack to worry about her anymore. She tried to smile at him and said, "I''m fine."


    Jack held her hand tightly. She could feel that he was trembling slightly. "I''m sorry, Rachel. We shouldn''t have gone to the winter swimming competition. You''ve met an accident because of me. It was all my fault."

 Chapter 383 Rachels Drowned

    During the swimming competition, when Jack tried his best to swim to the other side, he heard chaos from behind him. After straining his ear, he heard they shout, "Someone is drowning!"


    He immediately came to a halt and turned around. He turned to look where people were looking and caught sight of a struggling figure. He realized it was none other than Rachel. His expression froze. Then he swam towards her using all his might.


    Slowly, she was beginning to stop struggling. This scared him even more. "Rachel, hold on! I am coming for you!" he screamed. He was so fast that he ended up reaching there before the lifeguard. However, she had already lost her consciousness.


    Her smiling face turned pale and her lips were bloodless. Soaked in ice-water, her body lacked warmth.


    It was like she was dead.


    Jack didn''t dare to think further. He kept pressing her chest with his hands and growled, "Rachel, wake up!" Even after she was okay, he thought about this dreadful scene. It was a nightmare from which he would never get over.


    Now at the hospital, looking at his tight muscles and trembling hands, Rachel couldn''t help chuckling. In a relaxed tone, she said, "Jack, why does it look like you are the one who almost drowned?"


    "I wish I was the one who drowned. It wouldn''t have hurt this much," said Jack through gritted teeth.


    Rachel was quite touched by his words. "I''m fine, don''t worry."


    While they were chatting, the doctor entered the ward and began to examine her carefully. "Rachel, you are all right. In fact, your f


    ed Lea''s question.


    However, Rachel was as curious as Lea.


    She waved her hand and said, "I''m fine, forget about me. Tell me what happened between you and Marcus? Didn''t you hand in your resignation and decide to leave Ninwell City?"


    Lea joined in. "Exactly! What happened after that?"


    With her crimson-red cheeks, Celia looked down at her toes.


    "Okay, I will tell you," Marcus said. "I need to thank you for the prank."


    "What prank?" Jack''s voice came from the door. Next to him, Henry stood dumbfounded. "Yes, what prank?" he asked.


    Raising his eyebrows, Marcus asked, "Didn''t they tell you?"


    The two of them shook their heads in unison.


    Seeing how curious they were, Rachel filled them in, explaining the encounter that happened between Eric and Eden. Henry and Jack were speechless.


    Marcus smiled and said, "Eden believed the prank to be truth. As soon as she went home, she asked her parents to break the engagement. But the Chen family didn''t want others to know they almost got their daughter to marry to a gay. They knew it wouldn''t be good for their reputation. Hence they called off things but remained silent. My father was confused, but there was nothing he could do. Before he finds another fiancee for me, I''m safe."


    Jack handed a cup of water to Rachel and said, "What if he finds you a new fiancee soon?"


    "Even though they haven''t told anyone yet, I am sure this gay rumor might reach a few people. As long as this rumor remains, I am pretty sure no girl will want to marry me," Marcus said confidently.

 Chapter 384 Erics Mother Came Back

    Henry chuckled and said, "It seems like you will have to spend more time with Eric now."


    "No need. People are gossiping about Michael and me, thinking we are a couple," Marcus said.


    Michael had actually fled abroad to avoid the blind date arranged by his father for him. Right now, he sneezed several times while in bed. He felt a sudden chill on his back, so he quickly pulled the quilt and wrapped his body.


    Lea leaned on Henry''s shoulder. With a smug smile on her face, she said, "Since we all played as matchmakers for the two of you, you should prepare generous red envelopes for all of us."


    "That won''t be a problem," replied Marcus.


    Celia raised her head and said in a low voice, "Lea, you are very wealthy. Why do you still care about the red envelopes?"


    "Wow! You haven''t married Marcus yet, but you are already helping him save his money," Lea teased Celia.


    The ward filled with joyful laughter and happiness for a while.


    When the two couples bade goodbye, there were only Jack and Rachel left in the ward. She took the apple that he peeled, took a bite, and sighed. "Celia finally got her happiness."


    Jack nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. He then bent over to take a bite of the apple in her hand.


    She pushed him on the shoulder and said, "If you want to eat, peel one for yourself."


    "I don''t want to." He winked and smiled.


    "Let me do it for you." She was about to take the fruit knife,


    but he held back her hand. He poked his forehead and said, "Why are you so ignorant when it comes to romance?"


    Seeing the smile in his eyes, she soon


    le stunned.


    She couldn''t understand why Linda Shen didn''t recognize her, but still, she introduced herself. "I''m Rachel Shen."


    Linda Shen just nodded and went back to her food. Rachel waited until she finished eating. Seeing her bowl empty after a few moments, Rachel stood up and was about to tell her they would go back home. However, Linda Shen suddenly said, "I haven''t paid the noodles yet. I don''t have money in my wallet."


    Rachel''s mouth subconsciously twitched. She paid the bill and drove Linda Shen to the hotel that she had just booked.


    When Eric got off work, he rushed to the hotel. Rachel and Linda Shen weren''t there yet, so he waited in the lobby for a while. The moment he saw Rachel''s car stop at the entrance, he rushed to help take out his mother''s luggage from the trunk. He then turned to Rachel and sincerely, "Rachel, thank you so much today."


    "Don''t mention it. We are family, after all." But Rachel was still wondering why her aunt seemed to have changed so much.


    She seemed to have forgotten everything in the past, and she was like a different person now.


    When they had finally settled Linda Shen in her room, Rachel couldn''t help telling Eric that Linda Shen didn''t recognize her in the airport earlier. He then told her the whole story. According to him, Linda Shen was accidentally hit by a beer bottle falling from the sky on the head when she was traveling. She was on the brink of death for a while but fortunately got her life back. But aside from the injuries on her body, her memory was also affected. She had forgotten many things in the past.

 Chapter 385 Memory Loss

    The reason why Linda decided to go back to Ninwell City was that she wanted to see the place where she had lived for a long time. She was hoping that it could help her regained her memories of the past.


    No one would ever want to live, unable to remember the past.


    After hearing Eric''s story, Rachel couldn''t help heaving a sigh. At first, she thought that her aunt would be able to help her remember her childhood memories. She planned to ask her about her complex thoughts and vague dreams about her childhood. But now, it seemed impossible anymore.


    Austin was holding an iPad in his hand when he gently pushed the door to Jack''s office open. Seeing him standing in front of the window, he called in a low voice, "Mr. Fu?"


    There was no response.


    He raised his voice and called again. After a long time, Jack finally turned around and glanced at him indifferently. "What''s the matter?"


    Austin noticed the trace of worry in his boss''s deep-set eyes as his brows furrowed. Before he could answer, Jack asked again, "Has Eric gone out?"


    He opened his mouth and was about to reply, but Jack pinched between his eyebrows and said, "Forget it. Why are you here, by the way?"


    Looking down at the iPad, Austin said slowly, "The Chamber of Commerce of Ninwell City is holding a charity dinner tonight. Mr. Fu, you promised to attend this event a month ago. Are you still going?"


    Jack was silent for a few seconds before he turned around and stared outside the window again. Austin could see the serious ex


    he was a little nervous since it was her first time to see Marcus'' mother in person. She had only seen her on TV and in newspapers before. She even rattled and didn''t know what to do.


    A shop assistant came to her and asked with a smile, "Miss, do you need anything?"


    "I... I''m just taking a look," she stammered in a trembling voice.


    As soon as she finished her words, she saw Marcus'' mother turn her head and glance at her indifferently. The contempt on her face was too obvious.


    Celia pursed her lips and hesitated whether she should greet her or not. Suddenly, she heard the other shop assistant said, "Mrs. Ji, do you know that lady? She is looking at you."


    Marcus'' mother sneered, "Do you think I know her?"


    The shop assistant realized that she seemed to have said something wrong, so she quickly smiled apologetically. "Of course, it''s impossible. Come and take a look at these dresses. Do you like them?"


    At that moment, Celia, who was about to step forward, froze. She felt angry and embarrassed at the same time. In an instant, mixed emotions surged in her heart. As she recalled the expression she saw in Marcus'' mother''s eyes just now, it was apparent that she detested her. She lowered her head, turned around, and left silently.


    Even if she wanted to fight back, what would she say?


    Rachel felt a little distressed after hearing Celia''s story.


    She thought that if she was in Celia''s place, she would never allow anyone to humiliate her just because of her relationship with a man.

 Chapter 386 A Test

    Celia was different.


    Rachel was a little envious of Celia, who was as unstoppable as a moth darting toward a flame and just as capable of sacrificing everything for love.


    After a few seconds of silence on her part and continuous sighs from Celia, Rachel slowly gathered her thoughts and asked, "Why did she ask you to go to the cafe tomorrow?"


    "When I came out, I wasn''t in the mood to continue shopping, so I wanted to go back. But then, she followed me out and called out to me."


    Celia looked up at her with eyes full of bewilderment. "She said that she would meet me in the cafe tomorrow and that she had something to tell me. Rachel, what should I do?"


    Rachel didn''t know how to deal with this kind of situation.


    After thinking for a while, she patted Celia''s hand and said, "Just take it easy. Don''t be nervous. I think the most important thing is to not make her think that you are afraid of her."


    In the afternoon, the cafe tended to be extraordinarily empty, with only a few white-collar workers rushing in to take away a few cups of coffee and leaving in as much of a rush as their entry.


    Standing at the door, Celia took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She kept telling herself not to be nervous and afraid, but she couldn''t keep her hands from trembling.


    "Why are you standing at the door? Come in!"


    Marcus'' mother suddenly said from behind her. Celia nodded, but didn''t dare to look over her shoulder.


    She wanted to take a seat in the hall, but Mrs. Ji


    ood with handling people, but she didn''t expect that he could tame her aunt.


    During dinner, her aunt regaled them with her adventures during her recent trips overseas. Jack expressed some of his opinions and his own experiences, earning him her aunt''s praise. When it was time for them to part ways, she kept saying, "Jack, come to see me often when you have time and talk with me."


    "I will, Aunt Linda. We will come and see you again as soon as we have time." Jack smiled warmly at the older woman.


    Rachel looked at Linda''s inscrutable glance, and she didn''t know whether to cry or to laugh. "Jack, do you think my aunt is like a child now?"


    "People who are sick may show behavioral changes."


    There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Tonight, he tried to steer the conversation to something that had happened many years ago. However, Linda didn''t seem to recall any of it.


    He had sent someone abroad to inquire about her injury, but she had been flying all over the world in the last few years, so it was impossible to completely investigate her condition. Perhaps no one knew about it except herself.


    In the Fu family''s mansion, the lights were usually turned off at about nine o''clock in the evening. That night, uncharacteristically, the lights were still burning past that time.


    In the study, Jonathan picked up his second cup of coffee, took a sip, and asked in a low voice, "Who did you say was back?"


    "Linda Shen, Rachel''s aunt," Jack answered in a sonorous voice.

 Chapter 387 She Lost Her Memory

    Jonathan sighed and stood up with the help of his walking stick. Letting out another sigh, this time louder, he said, "What is it you want to tell me? Let it out!"


    There was a pause after which Jack replied, "She has lost her memory."


    "What? Are you serious?" There was glimmer of hope in Jonathan''s eyes. He had planned to reveal everything. In fact, he was prepared to watch Rachel leave. But now, this incredible news given by Jack had changed everything.


    He couldn''t believe it.


    The smile at the corners of his mouth gradually subdued. He frowned and thought for a moment before asking slowly, "Are you sure? Is it confirmed?"


    Life had a tendency of taking people through unexpected twists.


    Jonathan wanted Jack to be cautious.


    Hearing the disbelief in his voice, Jack took out a document and placed it on the desk. "This is the investigation material. You can have a look."


    "Well, I will look at it. However, it''s quite late now. Rachel must be waiting for you," Jonathan replied.


    Tracy, who had fallen asleep, woke up. She stretched her hand to the side like she normally did but was stunned at finding it empty.


    She sat up in a hurry and glanced at the clock on the side. It was three o''clock in the morning, but Jonathan hadn''t come to sleep yet. Sometimes he behaved like a kid! She was furious. "What time is it? How old do you think you are? It is high time you stopped acting like a twenty-year-old young man!"


    she said angrily as she entered the study. Her fury was such that she hadn''t even bothered to check who was sitting in the study at this moment.


    It was not until she had uttered these spiteful words she noti


    am not here to work. I came here to resign."


    "Resign?" Rachel was taken aback by his words.


    Lucas rarely saw Rachel reveal her true feelings. However, her sadness was clearly evident at the moment. He couldn''t help but raise his hand and caress her forehead. "Iris is pregnant. We think the air and environment abroad will be much more suitable for the baby. We will be gone for a while."


    His explanation made her even sadder.


    But soon she realized they were doing it for a better life. She couldn''t be angry about it. Flashing a smile, she said sincerely, "Congratulations, Lucas. The little baby is lucky to have parents like you. You both are going to make the baby really happy."


    Returning the smile, Lucas leaned back and said, "You''re getting more and more eloquent. Even though I am away, you have to be in touch, okay? Don''t hesitate to call me if you need anything. Distance shouldn''t damage our beautiful friendship."


    Lucas was like her brother. Her eyes welled up with tears.


    She lowered her head to hide her emotions. "Lucas, why does it sound like you won''t come back?"


    Lucas chuckled and said, "We may not come back. Moreover, after Father retires, they too will join us here." He picked the teacup from the table, moistened his throat, and continued, "Sometime in the future, I am hoping you will come there with Jack and your child."


    "Stop it, Lucas. Don''t be so touchy." Seeing that the atmosphere was getting quite serious, Rachel tried to ease it off.


    Lucas didn''t reply immediately since he was sorting out the items in the drawer. Soon, his staff announced the paper works were done. His time here was almost over.

 Chapter 388 A Sudden Change Of Attitude

    Rachel put down the vacuum cup and was about to help, but Lucas shook his head and pointed to the chair, motioning her to sit again.


    He put the box down in front of his feet, wiped his hands on his pants, and asked in a low voice, "Are you free tomorrow night?"


    "Yes. Why?" she asked.


    He replied slowly, "I want to invite you and Jack for dinner. We haven''t had a meal together ever since."


    That afternoon, when Jack came to pick up Rachel from work, she suddenly remembered Lucas'' invitation, so she told him about it.


    Jack didn''t answer at once. His fingers were tapping the steering wheel while he seemed lost in thought.


    Rachel couldn''t figure out what he was thinking. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you not available?"


    "I am," he answered quickly.


    But then he added, "How can you let him invite us to dinner when it should be us treating him to a meal?"


    "It doesn''t matter," she replied casually without thinking too much.


    He didn''t say anything more. He looked straight ahead and focused on driving, but his heart complained silently, ''Of course it matters. We should invite Lucas and treat him to dinner as a couple.''


    The next day, Rachel finished her work earlier than usual. She looked at the time and called Jack. "Are you almost here?"


    "I''m still in the office. Give me a few minutes." He was actually packing up while talking with her on the phone.


    "Alright."


    Thinking that he must be busy


    urse."


    Lucas took Iris'' hand and bade goodbye to her and Jack. But before they could walk out of the door, Iris looked back at Rachel and pointed at the back of her head. Frowning, she shook her head helplessly but happily.


    Indeed, sometimes men acted like children.


    Rachel smiled at her as a response. Jack had already bent over and leaned his head on her shoulder. She patted his head and said, "You drank too much!"


    The early morning sunshine glazed the bodies of the two people in the bedroom with a soft golden color. Rachel opened her sleepy eyes slowly and saw Jack looking at her with interest.


    She rubbed her eyes and said in a little hoarse voice, "You drank a lot last night. Why did you wake up so early today?"


    With an unreadable smile, Jack raised his hand and smoothed the hair on her forehead. "Because something more important reminds me to wake up early."


    "Well..." Rachel answered perfunctorily as if trying to avoid a certain topic subconsciously.


    She moved and was about to sit up, but Jack pressed her shoulder and lay down again.


    His eyes were full of passion when he asked, "Why don''t you ask me what that more important thing is?"


    "I don''t want to know," she replied.


    Jack was rendered speechless, feeling a little embarrassed. But after a short while, he smiled sweetly and said to her, "Rachel, don''t you think we should work harder? We can''t be just left behind by Lucas and Iris, right?"

 Chapter 389 Met An Old Friend

    At the mention of Lucas, Rachel realized what had happened. Her hands flew up to her mouth, and she asked in a serious tone, "What the hell happened to you last night? You were acting like a toddler. You''re not like that."


    "It''s nothing." Jack grabbed her hand, showing every intention to continue.


    Rachel moved aside to evade him. "Let''s make everything clear first."


    At her insistence, Jack turned over and lay back on the side, one hand resting on the back of his head. He looked up at the ceiling and snorted, "Fine! I admit I was jealous."


    Hearing Rachel''s laughter, he smiled and continued, "But I''m relieved to know that he''s going to be a father."


    That explained the mercurial shift of his mood that time.


    Rachel was a little speechless, but sweetness bloomed in her heart.


    Just then, Jack suddenly turned them over and pressed her on her back. With a smirk on his face, he murmured, "Of course, I can only rest assured completely if you become a mother, yourself."


    After that, the bedroom was filled with sounds of sweet lovemaking, and it was like love redirected the sunlight outside the window.


    Rachel was late for work. When she arrived at the office, she saw several people surrounding her office door and several nurses standing anxiously at the side and looking completely overwhelmed.


    One of the nurses walked over, took her hand, and led her toward the exit. She whispered, "Rachel, I think it will be better if you go somewhere else and stay for a while."


    d smiled, "Then, why don''t you come with me to my office and stay there to rest? The mall will open in just a few minutes at ten, anyway."


    Suddenly, a voice rife with suspicion and uncertainty spoke out from behind them, clearly reaching everyone''s ears. "Linda?"


    The three of them turned their heads almost at the same time. Rachel recognized the voice as that of the man who previously talked with her.


    He took two steps forward, looking a little excited. His eyes seemed to be a little moist, and his hands were drooping on both his sides, continuously clenching and releasing.


    Eric frowned and asked, "Do you know my mother?"


    "Yes, we are old friends who haven''t seen each other for many years." The man was all but choking on his sobs.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the man''s wife suddenly pushed her way through the crowd. She grabbed the man''s arm and pulled him behind her, saying fiercely, "What old friend? We don''t know her."


    Didn''t he call her name just now?


    Rachel and Eric looked at each other. They didn''t believe what the woman said, but they didn''t ask further. Moreover, Linda stood aside and looked at her phone like the events were none of her business.


    She had already forgotten the past. Even if she used to be an old friend, she could no longer remember him.


    When they went into her office, Rachel prepared two cups of tea for them. Besides, it was time to make rounds in the wards, so she forgot what had happened just then and went back to her work.

 Chapter 390 Taken Away By The Police

    Normally, the patients in cardiology department were divided into two groups. One was in charge by the director, and the other was in charge by Rachel.


    But today''s situation was different. Her workload was double. After she was done checking the patients, Rachel walked to the other side where the interns stood. Passing them a smile, she said, "You will be learning more today."


    While she was immersed in her job, Eric and Linda stayed back in Rachel''s office, playing with their phones.


    All of a sudden, the door of the office was gently pushed open. A man stood before them as his eyes remained glued on Linda. In a trembling voice, he said, "Linda, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you."


    Linda didn''t even bother to look up. However, Eric did.


    He had no desire to talk to this stranger, but the main refused to leave. The atmosphere was getting a bit awkward. Without any choice, Eric looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"


    Until now, the man hadn''t even acknowledged Eric''s presence. His focus had been Lina. But now, he shifted his gaze to him and asked, "Who are you?"


    A little annoyed, Eric said, "I''m her son. And you didn''t answer my question."


    "Oh, I''m her old friend. I want to talk to her. It has been a long time."


    Before the man could finish his words, Eric waved his hand and interrupted, "I''m asking your name. Unfortunately, my mother has lost her memory. Trying to talk to her won''t be any good as she probably doesn''t remember you. But do tell me your name."


    "Oh, my name is Kale Ma."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Linda suddenly raised her head, frowned and shook her head. She looked at Kale Ma as if she was seeing him for the first time.


    In spite


    y to deal with.


    Jack seemed unafraid. He coughed to get their attention. The group of people around the bed turned around instantly. One of the men in black said impolitely, "This is an individual ward, sir. You are in the wrong place."


    "I''m the family of the gentleman whom you have sent to police station," he announced, revealing his identity.


    His words made them sneer. "Oh, it looks like he has found himself a helper. Just so you know, it doesn''t work this way. He knocked my brother out, and now he will suffer!" a woman said.


    Instead of worry, a mocking smile appeared on Jack''s face. His sharp eyes passed through the crowd and looked straight at the person who had just spoken


    His piercing eyes made her tremble a little. But hiding her anxiety, she continued, "Don''t expect us to forgive you now. It''s impossible."


    After saying that, she raised her hand and patted the shoulder of the man standing beside her, like she was seeking for his agreement.


    The man then said, "If you want him released, ask him to accept our punch. We want things to be fair and square."


    Jack still wouldn''t reply. He spoke with his eyes. It flitted from one person to the next. And the smile on his lips remained there.


    For a moment, everyone was confused. Wasn''t Jack going to beg them to release Eric? It was beyond them why he stood there so confidently. There was nothing in his demeanor that told them he was here for forgiveness.


    At first, Celia was a little confused. She too had mistaken the reason behind his visit. She thought he was here for forgiveness. ''This is Jack Fu! He doesn''t apologize,'' she told herself. Straightening her back, her timid expression was soon replaced by a smile.

 Chapter 391 A Group Of Psychos

    Rachel and Linda were taken to Chief Ren''s office, where the chief took pains to see to their comfort by serving them coffee and ensuring that the air conditioning was at the optimal temperature. Then, he said that he was going to see Eric and left the office.


    Linda stood up and walked around with the coffee cup in her hand. She raised an eyebrow and said to Rachel, "Your boyfriend is really awesome. He even managed to frighten them."


    Rachel smiled in response and said nothing.


    She sat back down on the sofa and continued, "Eric told me some time ago that you two are getting married again. Is that true? I think you''d better hurry up and get married as soon as possible so you could feel at ease."


    "At ease?" Rachel asked with a frown on her face, not understanding what her aunt meant.


    Linda choked in disbelief and anger and resentfully remarked, "How hard is it for you to understand? With Jack''s status, there must be hordes of women who want to take your place beside him and are willing to seduce him away from you. So you must marry him as soon as possible."


    She rolled her eyes and tapped her chin with a finger. "As your aunt, I think that I should pay Jack''s parents a visit as soon as possible."


    Rachel knew that her aunt was already imagining what she would say to Jack''s parents and what requests she would make when they met, so she quickly interrupted, "Aunt Linda, we don''t need to think about it until after Eric''s problem has been resolved, okay?"


    Linda''s hand on her shoulder gradually slid down, and her bright eyes dimmed slightly. She


    ood-naturedly replied while sifting through a sheaf of documents in his right hand. Rachel thought that they were done and was about to leave, but the director suddenly pulled out a document from the pile and handed it to her. "There will be another training program next month. What do you think? I heard that the hospital board will be selecting several vice directors from a list of participants for further study, as nominated by their respective departments. Rachel, I think that you are the most capable and dedicated person in our department."


    "Director, I greatly appreciate the sentiment."


    Rachel flashed him a smile and continued, "Both Dr. Zhang and Dr. Chen are young, promising doctors. I think that the two of them are more suitable than me."


    By saying so, she indirectly refused this opportunity for further study.


    The director opened his mouth to say something more, but Rachel smiled and nodded slightly. "Director, I have a patient waiting for me, so I have to get back to work."


    This advanced training program only involved presenting several case studies that showed how to solve problems that might be encountered in certain departments. There was no training specifically tailored for cardiothoracic and lung surgery.


    Rachel was not interested.


    As soon as she returned to her office, she picked up her phone from the table and glanced at it. She saw three missed calls from Eric, so she quickly rang him back. "I was busy just now. What''s up?"


    Eric chuckled. Every time he laughed like this, Rachel knew instantly that he was up to no good.

 Chapter 392 A Sudden Headache

    As expected, Eric said, "Rachel, I have something to deal with tonight, so I will be back home late. My mom needs some medicine for her stomach so..."


    He deliberately paused as if expecting Rachel to say something. She understood his purpose, so she asked, "What is her medicine? I''ll buy it from the pharmacy and bring it to her."


    Since Linda had to take her medicine at lunchtime, Rachel took a taxi to Eric''s house during her lunch break. As soon as she entered the community, she saw a man who looked familiar to her.


    She tried to recall in her memory who that man was. After taking a few more steps, she thought, ''Is that Kale?


    Why is he here? Does he also live here?''


    She was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Linda''s voice. "Rachel?"


    When she saw Linda walking towards her, Rachel composed herself. Seeing her holding a purse, she asked with a smile, "Aunt Linda, where are you going?"


    "I run out of medicine, so I''ll go to the pharmacy while the rain has stopped." Linda pointed to the pharmacy across the gate of the community.


    Rachel raised the paper bag in her hand and slightly shook it. "You don''t need to go to the pharmacy anymore. Eric called me and asked me to bring your medicine here."


    Linda nodded and ushered her back to Eric''s apartment. Rachel looked back to check if Kale was still there, and she saw him getting in a taxi. When they were in the living room, she asked curiously, "Aunt Linda, did Kale come to visit you just now?"


    "Yes." The smile on Linda''s face dissipated as she


    proud of himself for obtaining an original painting of a retired painter.


    On the other hand, Tracy seemed to be at a loss. She took an apple from the fruit tray and handed it to Linda, but the latter refused. "I don''t want that."


    "How about an orange?" She immediately put back the apple and picked up an orange.


    However, Linda still refused. She replied, "My skin turns yellow every time I eat oranges, that''s why I stopped eating them for a long time now."


    Tracy''s face darkened at once. She had never been treated like this before. But when she remembered the past, she suppressed her annoyance and asked with a smile, "What do you want to eat then?"


    Linda held her hand and smiled. "I''m not here for fruits. Let''s just talk about Jack and Rachel''s wedding."


    "Oh, yes. I almost forgot." Tracy felt embarrassed, but her grin widened.


    Although she was a little uneasy about the couple''s remarriage, she couldn''t say anything against it since Jonathan had already agreed.


    Jack and Rachel were sitting on a stone bench in the yard. He was busy with the documents in his hand while she was slightly flipping through the magazine.


    For her, magazines didn''t have any substantial content, so she was not into reading them. But now, she thought that this was much better than listening to the elders inside the house.


    He put down the documents and turned to face her. Seeing that she was reading the magazine uninterestingly, he smiled and asked, "Are you not curious about how they are going to arrange our wedding?"

 Chapter 393 Linda Regained Her Memory

    Instead of answering Jack''s question, Rachel asked back, "How about you?"


    She put down the magazine and gave him a bright smile.


    He poked her forehead with his finger gently and replied, "Well, you know that I''m always obedient to your orders."


    Jonathan had already settled almost everything about their wedding. And since Linda met them now, things were all finalized. It turned out, their wedding would be held two days later.


    The day before the wedding, Rachel sat in front of her dresser and looked at her beautiful bright eyes in the mirror. She recalled all the things that happened in the past and couldn''t help feeling as if she was still in a dream.


    She was so absorbed in her thought that she didn''t notice when Jack pushed the door open. She only felt his presence in the room when his hand gently touched her shoulder. Patting his hand, she said, "Didn''t Mom tell you not to come here tonight?"


    "I''m here to check if my bride is now ready for tomorrow''s wedding." The smile in Jack''s eyes became more and more apparent.


    Rachel turned back and smiled at him. "Of course, I''m ready. Besides, this is not the first time I''m marrying you. I don''t see any reason to be nervous."


    "This one is different."


    With a seductive smile on his thin lips, he pulled her aside and opened the drawer. There, he took out a necklace with two rings as pendants.


    She recognized the two rings at a glance, so she


    . "That day, your parents were forced to death by Jack''s parents."


    Her tone was so gentle, but every word she said was like a knife that stabbed Rachel''s heart.


    "Aunt Linda, whose parents did you say?" Her voice was weak and trembling. She wanted to make sure that she didn''t mishear what Linda had said.


    "Rachel, they are Jack''s parents." Linda stressed the word "Jack" intentionally.


    "Wait. Stop it!" She didn''t want to listen anymore. For so many years, she had suffered from so much pain and despair upon losing her parents. Knowing that the people responsible for her parents'' death were Jack''s parents was too much for her to bear.


    "Rachel, you have to accept the fact. You can''t ignore it. It''s impossible." Linda''s sobbing was like saltwater that poured into her wounded heart.


    Eventually, she decided to face the truth. She went outside to look for Jack. But as she looked into his gentle deep-set eyes, she was at a loss for words.


    "Is something wrong?" Jack asked intermediately. "How is your aunt now? Why do you look so awful? Do you feel tired or you just missed me?" Jack tried to tease her to lighten her mood, but she couldn''t even afford to smile.


    "Jack..." She gave him a pleading look. "I want to ask you something. Please answer me honestly."


    He held her in his arms, trying to soothe her sadness with his tenderness.


    "What do you want to know? I am willing to tell you anything."

 Chapter 394 Three Months Pregnant

    "Were your parents the cause of my parents'' death?" Finally, Rachel had asked it. How she wished that Jack would say they weren''t. She wanted to prove that her aunt was wrong. If he would say that his parents had nothing to do with her parents'' death and that he knew nothing about it, she''d still accept him. However, he froze and dodged this time. His eyes couldn''t deceive her. Although he didn''t say it, she could tell that he knew everything. But why didn''t he tell her? All of a sudden, his warm embrace felt disgusting, and his eyes that she trusted a lot looked so cold.


    Rachel didn''t want to stay with Jack any longer, so she broke free from his embrace. She loved him, and her heart ached when she heard him beg. But she couldn''t afford to see his face anymore. Before her heart could soften, she must stay away from him immediately.


    "We can''t continue the wedding anymore," she said before she walked away.


    "Please..." That was the last word she heard from him.


    Jack had begged her. He swallowed his pride and almost knelt down in front of her, but she still disappeared in his life in the end. She didn''t even say goodbye.


    He looked for her crazily. Even his friends were worried about him, so they supported him. He had asked all the people that Rachel knew, but he got nothing. Even Lea and Celia, who were her best friends, didn''t know her whereabouts. It seemed that she was really determined to vanish in his life forever.


    Rachel had actually gone to a city where no one knew her. She needed a place away from everyone for her to calm down and learn to forget all the memories related to Ja


    as already pregnant when she found out that the Fu family had something to do with her parents'' death.


    But this was her child.


    Even though Jack was the father, she couldn''t afford to take the baby''s life.


    Rachel wasn''t an emotional woman, but everything that she had gone through had really hit her big time.


    Fortunately, she gradually regained her spirit after so many days.


    Since she came to a strange city, it meant that she needed to start everything anew.


    With her ability, she knew that it wouldn''t be difficult for her to find a job. But because of her current condition, she thought that being a doctor would not be suitable for her. She needed a relatively leisurely job, so she could still take good care of herself and her baby.


    She landed a job as a substitute teacher in a medical school. The school gave her only four classes every week, and she had nothing else to do.


    When Rachel arrived at the school today, she didn''t expect to see a familiar face at the gate.


    She thought she was just seeing things, so she didn''t mind it. However, she heard someone called her name, "Rachel!"


    As she looked back, she saw Bill running towards her in an all-white suit. His complexion had turned ruddy, and his body looked much stronger now.


    Rachel was surprised to see him, so she asked, "Didn''t you take Andy back to France?"


    "Yes, I did. But I heard that there is a doctor here who is an expert on Alzheimer''s disease. It is said that he is very professional and experienced, so I want to take Andy to him." With a bright smile on his face, he added, "I didn''t expect to see you here."

 Chapter 395 Visiting Andy

    "Well... it''s been a long time that we haven''t seen each other," said Rachel with a smile.


    "Yes, you''re right. By the way, do you want to see Andy? I think he misses you so much," Bill said.


    "Oh, I''d love to." Rachel happily agreed because she also wanted to see Andy again after quite a long time.


    She looked at her watch and smiled awkwardly. "I''m afraid I have to go now. I still have a class."


    "It''s okay. I''ll wait for you."


    She didn''t want Bill to wait that long, so she suggested that he leave his address to her, and she would visit them next time. However, he insisted on waiting for her.


    Since her class was about to start, she didn''t have time to discuss with him anymore. She just wished that Bill would get bored of waiting and leave. But when she came out of the classroom after her class, she saw that he was still there, waiting for her.


    They chatted along their way. But most of the time, Bill was the one who did the talking. He told Rachel everything about his life in France. After quite a while, he noticed that she seemed to be hiding something from him.


    He tried his best to squeeze out some information from her, but she deliberately avoided all his questions, so he had to give up.


    Andy used to be an amiable old man. But because of Alzheimer''s disease, he couldn''t recognize people anymore, even those who were closest to him, including Bill.


    "Hello, Andy!" Rachel was so happy to see him again. "Can you still remember me?"


    Seeing her, a trace of happiness surfac


    head, he turned around and walked back to her.


    However, he didn''t expect what happened next. Rachel suddenly fainted. Fortunately, he was quick enough to catch her, so she did not fall to the ground.


    Jonathan was reading a newspaper in the living room.


    He suddenly slammed it on the table, stood up immediately, and shouted, "Jack, do you still have any sense of shame to make such news? What will others say about our family?"


    "Let them say whatever they want to say."


    Jack sank back on the sofa. The bruises under his eyes were still visible.


    He had still been thinking of Rachel in the past days. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see her staring at him. Her memories gave him those sleepless nights, and he would always end up drowning himself in alcohol.


    Jonathan''s thick eyebrows were drawn together tightly upon looking at him. He then said sternly, "You can continue doing this as long as you want, but I can''t stand it anymore."


    At first, he didn''t want to talk about this matter so much. After all, he felt guilty because it was their fault that Rachel had left Jack. But this time, Jack had already gone overboard.


    Tracy felt angry and anxious at the same time while watching Jonathan and Jack. Before Jonathan could say anything more, she interrupted, "Son, we admit that it was our fault from the beginning. If you really can''t let her go, your father and I can look for her and ask for her forgiveness. Would that be okay with you?


    Just stop torturing yourself like this."

 Chapter 396 Looking Into Jacks Current Situation

    Tears streamed down Tracy''s face silently.


    At those words, Jack''s original calm morphed into agitation. The blue veins on his forehead popped menacingly. He stood up and spat out through gritted teeth, "Don''t disturb her!"


    "But you can''t keep on being like this!" Tracy burst out in a heartbroken voice.


    "Leave me alone." Without saying another word, Jack turned around and left.


    Hearing the sound of the motor outside, Tracy collapsed, weeping on Jonathan''s shoulder.


    The wedding decorations remained stuck on the door and windows, still looking dazzling even though they should have already been removed long before.


    Jonathan snorted and yelled at the workers in the yard, "Why haven''t you cleared these up yet?"


    The two workers compiling dead branches trembled unconsciously. They rushed forward and tore off all of the wedding stickers on the windows.


    In the hospital, Bill was standing outside the emergency room. The door was firmly closed, but he still tried to see what was going on inside.


    Half an hour had passed, but the door still did not budge.


    Finally, the door opened, and a nurse walked out. Bill reached out his hand to stop her. "How is she?"


    "Which patient? Sir, there are so many people in the emergency room. How do I know which patient you are referring to?" the nurse said impatiently.


    "Rachel Shen," he quickly supplied. "How is she doing?"


    The nurse frowned as she tried to recall the patient''s information and then said, "Ah, there''s nothing wrong with her. She only fain


    down, and said softly, "I told you to rest. Let me do these things for you, okay?"


    At the sight of Bill so beside himself with worry, Rachel didn''t know whether she would laugh or cry. "Bill, I''m fine. You don''t need to worry about me."


    She had hypoglycemia because she hadn''t been sleeping well those days. Moreover, she had no appetite, so she didn''t force herself to eat anything.


    She thought that those oversights were minor. She didn''t think that she would be so week.


    While packing, Bill took out an orange and handed it to her. "Have one first."


    Rachel nibbled on a few segments and felt much better. Under her long drooping eyelashes, her deep eyes glimmered like black crystals. After some thought, she said, "Bill, you really don''t have to accompany me here. You also need to take care of Andy. You..."


    Before she could finish her words, Bill interrupted her, "Don''t worry. I''ve found another caregiver to take care of Andy 24/7. I''m relieved of caregiver duties for now."


    As he spoke, he packed up Rachel''s things in a small luggage bag.


    Bill lifted the luggage bag and placed his hand on Rachel''s shoulder. In a soft, warm voice, he said, "Wait for me by the lobby. I''ll get the car and pick you up there."


    "I can go with you to the parking area. You don''t have to drive back there."


    "It''s no trouble," Bill assured her.


    As the two of them exchanged words back and forth, an unexpected voice suddenly interrupted them. They looked up and saw Jonathan and Tracy standing across the corridor.

 Chapter 397 Rachel Was Found

    Rachel looked away without saying anything. She didn''t know how to face Tracy and Jonathan.


    She grew up with these two people, and she knew how much she meant to them. Although Tracy had been lukewarm towards her since she was a child, she knew she cared for her. Jonathan, on the other hand, had always treated her like a daughter.


    However, when she thought about her parents, she couldn''t help feeling bitter.


    Jonathan coughed to clear his throat and turned to look at Bill, who was next to Rachel. With a strange expression, he said, "Mr. Bill, I hope you don''t mind. We have something to talk to Rachel in private. Could you leave us for a moment?"


    "Sure."


    Bill was about to walk away when Rachel suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Bill is not an outsider. Whatever you want to say to me, just say it in his presence."


    She deliberately let Bill stay because she didn''t want to talk about anything related to Jack. And knowing Jonathan, she knew he wouldn''t say anything in front of an outsider.


    As expected, Jonathan was rendered speechless. He subconsciously touched his nose out of embarrassment. There was a trace of helplessness in his eyes.


    When Tracy saw Rachel''s hand on Bill''s arm, she suddenly remembered Jack''s miserable situation. Jack had been having a hard time while Rachel immediately hooked up with another man in just a few days. This thought made her more furious.


    She snorted and said in an unpleasant tone, "Ra


    ked him, they shouldn''t blame him for being ruthless.


    Marcus had just finished dealing with a shareholder and was driving back to the office when he received a call from Jack. They talked for a while. When they were about to hang up, Marcus said, "I''ve already found out Rachel''s whereabouts. Are you going to see her?"


    There was dead silence on the other end of the line.


    Marcus subconsciously looked at his phone, thinking that Jack might have already hung up.


    After a while, he heard Jack''s voice again. "No, thanks."


    Jack didn''t give him a reason, and he didn''t ask either.


    After hanging up, Jack threw his phone to the passenger seat and bent over the steering wheel. Tears started to well up in his eyes.


    He wanted to get Rachel back so badly.


    But he was afraid that she would leave and disappear from his life again.


    He didn''t even dare to go back to their apartment. Instead, he moved to an apartment that had been empty all the time. He asked someone to simply tidy it up and then moved in.


    The next day, Jack drove to the company early in the morning. Austin was so surprised to see him. He stood up and walked up to him. He swallowed and said excitedly, "Mr. Fu, you''re finally back to work."


    "Yes." Jack raised his hand and looked at his watch before he ordered, "Bring me all the documents that piled up while I was away."


    "Well..." Austin subconsciously glanced at his right hand. He looked so hesitant to speak.

 Chapter 398 I Want To Be Nice To You

    Looking at Austin''s expression, Jack frowned and asked, "What''s wrong? Tell me."


    "During your absence, Mr. Chen asked us to take all the documents to his office." Austin had actually wanted to stop them, but he had no way to do so.


    Jack glanced at the vice president''s office and smiled coldly. "That''s good then."


    ''Good?'' Austin thought inwardly.


    He had been Jack''s assistant for so many years and he thought he already knew him well. But this time, he couldn''t figure out what he meant.


    Jack was deep in thought for a while before he said coldly again, "I believe you have a copy of our organizational chart and the department job description on your computer. Mr. Chen must have forgotten the details of his job description. Print a copy and give it to him."


    Mr. Chen was one of MK Group''s shareholders. It was very likely that he took over Jack''s job intentionally to lay a foundation for their plans.


    Austin scratched his head when he finally realized what Jack meant. "Yes, Mr. Fu. I should have thought about that from the very start."


    Rachel rested at home for days, and she felt better now, so she decided to go back to work. After slowly preparing everything, she was about to go out when the doorbell rang.


    Bill was standing at the door with a shopping bag in his hand. Seeing Rachel dressed and holding a bag in her hand too, his brows creased as he asked, "Are you going to school?"


    "Yes. I have a class today." Rachel si


    he didn''t expect to see him again today after this morning, so she got overjoyed and became enthusiastic. "I think I know where she is. Let me take you there."


    "Thanks." Bill nodded and smiled.


    Rachel gently rubbed the back of her hip. She felt like her condition was getting worse. She just stood there for a while, and she already felt that her waist sore. Looking at the student''s still confused face, she couldn''t help asking, "Don''t you still get it?"


    The student didn''t answer at once. He seemed to be contemplating her explanations. To give him time to absorb everything, she quietly picked up her teacup and took a sip. As soon as she put it back down, she saw Mrs. Zhu and Bill stop at the door. With eyes wide open, she asked, "Why are you here?"


    "I''m here to pick you up." Rachel could tell that Bill was in a bad mood.


    Mrs. Zhu scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. "I have to finish something in the office. I''ll leave you two now."


    At this time, the student suddenly pounded the table in front of him. With a delighted expression on his face, he said, "Miss Shen, I finally get it. I''ll go to the dissecting room to study this. Thank you so much for your time."


    He ran out without even taking his book with him. Rachel and Bill were left in the classroom.


    Rachel picked up her bag and walked towards the door slowly. When she raised her head, Bill had already taken her stuff and supported her with his other hand.

 Chapter 399 Dont Drive Me Away

    "I can walk by myself." In her mind, Rachel wanted to extricate herself from their position, which looked a little intimate.


    However, Bill tightened his grip. He looked straight ahead and said expressionlessly, "Don''t get me wrong¡ªI just don''t want you or the baby to feel uncomfortable."


    Rachel didn''t say anything else, but she was not stupid. She could feel the anger radiating from Bill in waves. As she got into the car, she turned to look at him with a confused frown. "What happened?"


    "Nothing." Bill lowered his head and fastened his seat belt, looking more irritated than usual.


    It looked like he had no intention of telling her, so Rachel did not pry. She turned her head and stared out of the window. Her eyes were starting to feel weighed down, and she was about to drift off when Bill''s voice suddenly broke the silence. "Rachel, do you really want me to leave?"


    ''Leave?''


    Rachel didn''t know what to say. A certain reply entered her head, but she changed them before she could utter the words. "Did Mrs. Zhu say something to you?"


    In retrospect, the two people standing at the door looked a little strange.


    Bill couldn''t hide the sadness in his soft voice. "I just want to stay with you and take good care of you and the baby. I''m not asking you for anything else, so please don''t drive me away. And don''t leave."


    Rachel lowered her eyes from Bill''s speaking gaze. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.


    From the moment that she met him, Rachel felt like she ow


    and pursed her lips. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Bill, in the future, I will go to my check-up appointments by myself. You don''t have to pick me up or accompany me."


    She was fine just then, but now she suddenly said something like that.


    Even with how kind-hearted Bill was, his face darkened at Rachel''s words. His own voice rose. Pointing at the direction in which the nurse had just left, he said, "So the nurse mistook me for the baby''s father¡ªdo you really mind it that much?"


    "Yes, I do," Rachel responded firmly, looking up into his eyes.


    Those few words stabbed at Bill''s heart like sharp needles. Like a deflated balloon, his shoulders drooped. "Other people''s misunderstandings don''t change anything. Rachel, I don''t ask for anything. I just want to be by your side throughout all of this."


    "But I don''t need your help!"


    Rachel replied in an intense whisper. She turned around and closed her eyes, trying her best to calm down. She didn''t need other people to take care of her. Besides, she couldn''t repay him for everything he had done for her, even though he wasn''t asking for anything in return. It only made her feel even more sorry and regretful toward him.


    After a moment of silence, Bill walked up to her, grabbed her shoulders, and asked, "What do you need?"


    Before she could answer, he continued, "If you don''t want me to be with you, fine. Go back to Jack. Just let me know that someone will be taking care of you like I do, and then I will let you go."

 Chapter 400 They Looked Alike

    "You know I won''t go back to Jack." Tears were welling up in Rachel''s eyes. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from crying. But the next second, she pushed Bill away, rushed to the bathroom, squatted in front of the toilet. For the next few minutes, she was puking.


    Bill quickly followed and patted her on the back. "Are you okay?" he asked in a caring tone.


    "Much better," she replied although she looked very sick. Taking the tissue from his hand, Rachel wiped her mouth. Her face, which was originally bloodless, became even paler.


    After rinsing her mouth, she put her hands in front of the wash basin to keep herself from falling down. She was overwhelmed by dizziness. "Bill, I don''t want you wasting your time on me. I can''t give you any promise."


    Rachel chose to make it clear. She didn''t want to leave any room for misunderstandings.


    With a gloomy look in his eyes, Bill remained utterly silent. He helped Rachel out of the hospital.


    It was getting quite dark. In a very secluded private club, Mr. Chen sat, his face turning red. Glaring fiercely at the person opposite to him, he shouted, "Didn''t you agree to sell all the shares to me? Whom did you sell them to now?"


    "I haven''t found out yet." The man''s trembling voice clearly showed he was afraid of Mr. Chen. After all, the latter was a man who was capable of doing anything.


    At this moment, in a car outside the club, Jack was sitting in the back seat. He ordered in a low voice, "Drive back."


    "Okay." When Austin started the car, his phone vibrated. Glancing at it, he ca


    ctive." Miss Li fumbled in the cabinet enthusiastically, took out the medicine bottle and placed it on Rachel''s table. Suddenly, the strong smell of Chinese medicine penetrated into the tip of her nose.


    Before she could say anything, Rachel covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom.


    However, the scene that happened left Miss Li dumbfounded. She looked at the door from time to time, wondering what had gone wrong. Bringing the medicine close to her nose, Miss Li muttered, "Her reaction is quite strange. The medicine may not smell too good, but it isn''t strong enough to make someone vomit. What''s up with her?"


    She continued to smell the bottle, trying to understand the cause of Rachel''s strong reaction. Just then, there was a knock on the door. She quickly put the bottle down, looked at the man and asked doubtfully, "Who are you looking for?"


    "Excuse me, is Rachel here?" the man asked.


    "Yes." Miss Li nodded and thought to herself, ''Who is this Rachel actually? Why do such handsome men come for her?''


    She thought the man would wait. However, he left quickly. After a while, Rachel came back from the bathroom. Miss Li frowned and said doubtfully, "Miss Shen, someone came to see you just now, but he left without explaining why he had come."


    "What does he look like?" Rachel held her breath.


    Miss Li described the man in detail. After she finished speaking, she noticed that Rachel''s originally bloodless face turned even paler. She couldn''t help but ask, "Are you really okay, Miss Shen? Do you need me to call the ambulance?"

 Chapter 401 Looked At Her From Afar

    "No, thanks. I''ll just rest here for a while."


    Rachel pressed her hands on the table for support. She then slowly sat on the chair and leaned over the table.


    ''He just asked and left?'' she thought. Based on Miss Li''s words, she could only think of Jack.


    But she wasn''t sure why he came here all of a sudden.


    At this time, Jack was in his car. His deep-set black eyes were full of fatigue. He pinched his glabella, leaned back, and closed his eyes. He wanted to have a rest for a while.


    Yesterday, he called Mr. Chen and all the shareholders in his office. At that time, Austin threw some share purchase documents in front of them.


    At first, they firmly refused to sign the share purchase agreements. But when Austin showed them the evidence of their collusion and the missing funds of the branch, they were left with no choice. After signing the documents, they could only stare at Jack with resentment.


    Jack flicked the ash off his cigarette and sneered. "If we send the evidence to the business criminal investigation department, I''m afraid you will all be in prison."


    Mr. Chen gritted his teeth and glared at him. "What do you want, Jack? Don''t forget that we built this company with your father. In the rules of etiquette, you must all consider us as your uncles. Don''t you think you''re going too far?"


    He was now trying to use the rules of etiquette to restrain Jack from making a move. Jack sneered disdainfully, "If I have forgotten about that, do you think I''d still keep the evidence until now?"


    As his slender index finger lightl


    d you rush downstairs with an umbrella when you saw him getting wet in the rain?''


    Fortunately, Jack had already left when she reached downstairs.


    If not, she didn''t know if she could still continue to ignore him.


    The next day, Rachel didn''t see Jack again. Although she somehow felt relieved, she also couldn''t help feeling a little sad. Her heart was longing for him.


    She prepared and went to work.


    Her life seemed to be getting back to normal. Bill didn''t come to visit her anymore. He would only send her some messages occasionally. She felt more relaxed in this way.


    The morning sickness and vomiting were also gone. In the past two days, her appetite had improved a lot. Mrs. Zhu, who had lunch with her today, saw that she filled her bowl with rice again. Wide eyes wide open in shock, she asked, "Miss Shen, why do you have such a big appetite all of a sudden? You have already gained a lot of weight."


    "We have to eat more to nourish our body. After all, we need a lot of energy in teaching." Rachel smiled and continued eating.


    Mrs. Zhu put down her chopsticks and looked at her carefully. With a frown, she asked uncertainly, "Miss Shen, are you pregnant?"


    Finally, there was one person who noticed it. Rachel didn''t intend to hide it, so she nodded and admitted frankly, "Yes, I''m three months pregnant."


    "No wonder you didn''t have a good appetite before, and you always wanted to vomit." The frown on Mrs. Zhu''s face was suddenly replaced by delight. Her smug smile was like indicating that she had discovered Rachel''s secret.

 Chapter 402 Tracy Pitied Her Son

    But the smile on Mrs. Zhu''s face vanished in an instant. She stared at Rachel and asked seriously, "Miss Shen, where''s your husband? You have never introduced him to us."


    Hearing the word "husband" made Rachel lose her appetite. She answered in a low voice, "We broke up before I could even find out that I''m pregnant, so I have decided to raise my baby alone."


    When she noticed that Mrs. Zhu still wanted to say something, she put down her chopsticks, picked up her plate, and stood up. "Mrs. Zhu, I''m finished. I''m going back first. Enjoy the rest of your meal."


    As days passed, Rachel''s belly would grow bigger and bigger. She couldn''t hide it from everyone anymore. However, she always avoided the topic about Jack. She didn''t want to talk about him now or even in the future. Perhaps she also wouldn''t tell her child about him.


    Jack had been lying in bed for more than one hour now, but sleep seemed to be so elusive. He opened his eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. He couldn''t remember a single night that he had gotten a good sleep since Rachel left him.


    He could only sleep longer if he drowned himself in alcohol.


    In the past, he was always reluctant to get up because he didn''t want to leave Rachel. But now, he was all alone in the bed.


    After tossing and turning in bed for a long time, he felt a little sore all over his body. He sat up, took his mobile phone, and looked through the photos in the album.


    Since Mr. Chen had threatened Jack that he would take revenge by hurting Rachel, Jack arranged


    d up in her eyes. She covered her face with her hands, trying not to let out a sob.


    Jonathan had been waiting for her in the living room for a long time. Since she hadn''t come down yet, he went upstairs to look for her. When he saw her crying outside Jack''s door, he held her in his arms lovingly.


    With eyes already swollen, Tracy grabbed his shirt and pressed her face on his chest hard. She then said, "I feel so sorry for our son. He is still upset until now,"


    The most painful thing for them was that they were the reason for Jack''s misery, but they couldn''t do anything to help him.


    After a moment of silence, Tracy suddenly raised her head and looked up at Jonathan. Her red eyes lit up as if she had finally come up with a solution. "How about we help our son find another woman? If he falls in love with someone else, he will not be like this anymore."


    "It''s not that simple." Jonathan sounded unconvinced.


    "But this is the only way I can think of right now. Why don''t we give it a try?" Tracy had made up her mind. She couldn''t just sit at home and wait for her son to totally lose himself.


    Jack overheard his parents'' conversation outside, but he didn''t want to say anything to them at the moment, so he pretended that he didn''t hear them. He continued to sit in front of the window without moving.


    He only moved when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and checked his inbox. As soon as he opened it, he saw a picture of Rachel in the hospital. He was surprised that she was in the obstetrics department.

 Chapter 403 Two Options

    Without any hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. With a hint of nervousness in his voice, he asked the person on the other end, "Why did she go there?"


    "It seems like she went there for a prenatal checkup."


    Upon hearing the answer, Jack felt the breath whoosh out of his body as if he had been sucker-punched. It wasn''t until the other person said "Hello?" for a few times that he suddenly snapped out of his reverie, and his expression suddenly changed. "How many months is she pregnant?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Go and find out right away."


    After hanging up the phone, Jack changed his clothes, grabbed his car keys, and left.


    Tracy was about to call her friends and ask around if they knew a suitable woman to set Jack up with when he suddenly swept past her and got into his car.


    She raised her voice and asked, "Son, where are you going?"


    The only answer she got was the roar of the engine.


    Rachel received a call from the hospital saying that the non-invasive test results had come out. Unexpectedly, the results were released after seven days, whereas it usually took the hospital fifteen days to do so.


    She was putting on her shoes on her way out to go to the hospital when the doorbell rang.


    ''Who could it be at this hour?''


    Frowning, Rachel opened the door to the sight of Jack standing there gasping for breath. She froze in surprise, and then in the next moment, she made a mov


    lustered. ''Why hasn''t she came back? Where did she go?''


    He was about leave to look for her when the elevator doors opened. With several bags in her hands, Rachel walked out of the elevator. The smile on her face suddenly dropped when she saw Jack.


    She pretended not to see him and went straight to open the door.


    Jack walked forward to stand in front of her and asked in a low voice, "Rachel, what can I do to make you forgive me and return to me?"


    ''Forgive? Return to you?''


    There was no expression on Rachel''s face, but her head was churning, and her heart was questioning herself, ''Will that day ever come?''


    She felt that the odds of her ever forgiving him were very slim.


    She looked up at Jack calmly, her eyes devoid of emotion. "That would never happen again."


    Jack didn''t say anything, but the eyes that met hers were turbulent with emotion. After a moment of silence, a slight frost had crept into his voice. "Rachel, I can easily have you investigated and find out whether the child is my own flesh and blood.


    However..." He paused, a trace of pain flashing across his dark eyes and disappearing quickly. He continued, "I''ll give you two options now."


    Rachel asked suspiciously, "What two options?"


    Jack held up two fingers. "The first option is to go home with me. If you still haven''t forgiven me by the time the baby is born, then I will let you go. I won''t disturb you and the baby anymore."

 Chapter 404 I Have A Request

    "What about the second one?" Rachel pursed her lips and looked down at her toes, but her ears were anxiously listening to Jack.


    Jack said, "If you don''t go back with me now, I will find out whether that child is mine or not in my own way. And if I confirm that it is my child, I will do everything to take it back. Rachel, you know me. And you also know that you can''t win against me in this aspect."


    Jack was aware that if he didn''t force her, she might not give him any chance at all.


    And since he had given her two options, she must know which one was best for her and her baby.


    After being silent for a few minutes later, Rachel sneered, "Jack, I never thought that you could be this shameless."


    For Jack, it didn''t matter. As long as he could get her back, he wouldn''t hesitate to use even dirty methods.


    Rachel raised her head and glared at him. She then said through clenched teeth, "I have no other choice but to go back with you. But I have a request. I don''t want your parents to know."


    She wasn''t ready to face them yet.


    "Okay," Jack replied in a low voice.


    Rachel was already in Ninwell City, but she still felt that everything was just a dream.


    However, when she looked around the strange living room, she realized that everything was real.


    Jack brought her to a two-story villa. She had always known that Jack had a lot of properties, but she didn''t expect that he would bring her to a new house to live. Was he trying


    he door and said, "Miss, I cooked some bird''s nest soup for you. Would you like me to bring it to your room?"


    Without getting up from the bed, she answered, "I''m not hungry yet. I''ll just go down later."


    Julie had been cooking different kinds of healthy food for her since she came back to help her recuperate. If before she had three meals a day, now she had five meals.


    Her belly got bigger and bigger day by day.


    For Jack, peeping through Rachel''s bedroom door had been his daily habit. Before he went to work and after he arrived home, he would open her door slightly and peep.


    Although he couldn''t see her clearly, he was satisfied, especially that Rachel didn''t object.


    He did the same thing today.


    Rachel was still in bed when she heard the door cracked. Knowing that it was Jack, a strange emotion rose from her heart.


    In the past two days, Jack had been treating her like a queen. Although he didn''t personally come to her, she knew that he gave all the instructions to Julie. Rachel didn''t say anything, but she couldn''t deny the fact that she was getting affected. She was touched by all his gestures.


    But what about her parents?


    Every time she thought of them, there was a pain in her heart. Mixed emotions overwhelmed her. Hiding in the quilt, she couldn''t help but sob in a low voice. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.


    Jack silently stood in front of her door for a long time. Finally, he closed the door and left.

 Chapter 405 Leas Visit

    Rachel had no idea what time her tears had stopped flowing or when she drifted off into an exhausted sleep afterwards. Julie, who became worried when she didn''t come down, eventually went to the room, gently patted her exposed shoulder, and whispered, "Miss, you have been sleeping for too long. You can wake up now."


    Turning over, Rachel said in a drowsy voice while looking at her with bleary eyes, "I''ll take a nap and get up later."


    "I took a call for you. it was from Miss Lea Ye. She said that she will be here in about ten minutes."


    ''Lea?''


    Rachel instantly became alert upon hearing the name. She sat up on the bed, surprising Julie with her nimble movements. She kept saying, "Miss, please slow down. Now that you are pregnant, you shouldn''t move as quickly as before. Take it slowly, no matter what you''re doing!"


    Knowing that the other woman was concerned about her well-being, Rachel smiled gratefully. She didn''t say anything, but she consciously slowed down her movements and got out of bed carefully. She was changing out of her bedclothes when she heard Lea''s and Rita''s voices coming from downstairs.


    "Mom, it''s so late. Why is Aunt Rachel still sleeping? Didn''t you say that we shouldn''t stay in bed too late?"


    "It''s because your aunt Rachel is pregnant, sweetie. There''s two of them now, and they sleep together, so of course they should sleep longer."


    Listening to the conversation between them, Rachel unconsciously made haste in changing her clothes. This t


    raight to the point. Instead, she shouted, "Come here quickly. You''ll know when you get here!"


    Jack looked down with a frown at the phone after the call was abruptly disconnected. After some thought, he turned around and left.


    In the yard of the Fu family mansion, Tracy ordered the maids to take out all sorts of nuts and fruits and place them on the table. Afterwards, she enthusiastically kept encouraging the young woman in front of her to eat more.


    After the servants finished their work, they stood by a corner to await further orders. They kept glancing at the woman and whispered among themselves. "Why does that young lady look familiar?"


    "I think so, too, but I can''t remember where I''ve met her before."


    "Don''t you think she looks like a bit like Rachel?"


    The chatter suddenly stopped, and everyone suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.


    Jack parked his car by the gate. Upon entering the gate, he stopped in his tracks as he saw two people chatting and laughing together in the yard. After some thought, he whirled around to leave.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t fast enough.


    Tracy happened to see him and shouted behind him, "Jack, why don''t you join us? Where are you going?"


    "I suddenly remember an urgent matter that I have to deal with. I should go." Without looking back, Jack took out the car keys from his pocket. Just as he was unlocking the door, Tracy caught up with him and grabbed his arm. "What''s the rush? Do you really have to leave right now?"

 Chapter 406 Got Along With Each Other Quietly

    Tracy took Jack''s hand and walked into the yard. "I''m telling you, no matter what happens today, you must stay here and not go anywhere!"


    Tracy dragged him back toward the yard hard, so Jack had no choice but to sit down on a stone bench. The girl sitting opposite him was no other than the cousin mentioned by Mr. Chen.


    Scarlett stood up gracefully and held out her hand toward Jack with a smile. "Mr. Fu, I didn''t expect to meet you again on such an occasion."


    Hearing this, Tracy widened her eyes in surprise. "You have met each other before? Then, I don''t have to introduce you anymore."


    Scarlett smiled, "We met at a dinner last time, but Mr. Fu didn''t seem to like me that much."


    Scarlett''s hand was frozen midair. Jack glanced at it coldly, having no intention of shaking her hand.


    Scarlett didn''t get annoyed. She kept this posture and looked at him quietly with a slight smile.


    However, Tracy was anxiously watching this small exchange. She pinched Jack''s immobile arm twice. Feeling awkward at her son''s lack of reaction, she entreated the guest, "Scarlett, please sit down."


    "Okay, Auntie, please take a seat, too." In a marked departure from her look the last time they met, Scarlett was dressed in a black dress and a mint green overcoat, which made the woman look less sexy and more elegant.


    However, all of these had nothing to do with Jack. Just then, all he wanted to do was l


    Young man, are you looking for the girl living here?" She pointed at Rachel''s door.


    Bill asked, "Yes, ma''am. Do you happen to know where she is right now?"


    The old lady said, "She hasn''t come back since a man came to pick her up a few days ago. I heard the two of them talking at the door. That man seemed to be the father of her baby. Maybe she went back with him after they reconciled."


    Bill instantly knew that she was talking about Jack.


    Rachel went back with him. Bill knew it must be the truth, but he still didn''t want to believe it. He took out his phone and dialed Rachel''s number. He wanted to hear it from her.


    After a moment''s silence, Rachel lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "Bill, I''m back here in Ninwell City. I probably won''t go back there for a while, so..."


    She paused and heard the sound of something falling on the floor on the other end of the line. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Don''t come to me again."


    "Okay," Bill answered quickly and hung up the phone. He didn''t mind letting her go if it would make her happy.


    The screen of her phone automatically became dim. Looking at it, Rachel felt both sad and relieved. At least, she wouldn''t be a stumbling block in Bill''s future anymore.


    Staring at her frail-looking back, Jack wanted to reach out to hug her. But when she started to turn around, he retracted his hand and smiled as if nothing happened.

 Chapter 407 Fried Chicken Restaurant

    In the past two days, Rachel had noticed a sudden change in her appetite. Those foods that she usually disliked were now making her drool.


    Just like this afternoon, she had just finished eating the orange that Julie gave her, and she was resting on the couch while watching TV. Upon seeing the fried chicken advertisement, her mouth watered immediately.


    In the past, her colleagues were fond of fried chicken and often ate it during their break time. Whenever they ordered fried chicken delivery, their pantry always filled with its aroma. But Rachel had regarded fried chicken as junk food. As soon as the greasy smell entered her nostrils, she always thought of its high calories.


    But right now, she couldn''t take her eyes away from the screen. Staring at the well-presented images of deep-fried chicken, she badly wished to have a bucket of it to devour in an instant.


    Rachel rubbed her belly while still staring at the screen unblinkingly. All of a sudden, she felt hungry again. She sat there for a moment, contemplating the effect of the ad on her. After a while, she thought that it didn''t make sense, so she shook it off, stood up, and went to the closet.


    Jack was already finished with his work, so he cleaned up his desk and gathered his belongings. He was halfway down the stairs when he caught sight of Rachel in the walk-in closet. She had taken off her pajamas and was rummaging up her clothes in her underwear. He stopped in his tracks and asked confusedly, "Rachel, what are you up to?"


    With head still between the hangers, she replied, "I''m going to get some fried chicken."


    Rachel grabbed a pair of baggy jogging pants and an equally over-sized sweater. ''This is just perfect for pigging out,'' she thought.


    Jack was a bit taken aback by her response. Rubbing his brows, he barely moved from where he stood and tried to absorb what he heard from her just now. After staring at her blankly for a few seconds, he turned around and went back to the study. He grabbed his suit and rushed downstairs. He caught up with Rachel and said, "I''ll go with you."


    "No, thanks." Rachel shrugged as she made her way to the door. But Jack walked past her and opened the door, leading the way out.


    Rachel stopped for a moment and rested her gaze at his back. Upon realizing that she didn''t have a car, she thought that she might as well let him come along and drive her around.


    Satisf


    make her next move.


    When Scarlett saw that Rachel''s eyes were slightly red and puffy, she felt a pang of guilt, thinking of what she had to say. However, she also waved it off quickly upon thinking of Jack. She took a deep breath and smiled enchantingly. "I was actually as surprised as you when I first saw your photo on Jack''s phone for the first time. I didn''t expect that he would find someone who looks exactly like me to get back at me."


    "Get back at me." The words resounded in Rachel''s mind.


    She suddenly got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she made sure that the woman in front of her wouldn''t notice it. She said dryly, "It seems like you and Jack know each other well."


    Scarlett nodded. "You''re right. We were in the same high school." She kept her cold expression to cover her lie.


    Jack and Celine''s story was known to everyone in his circle. Scarlett thought that she could use it. She just needed to alter some details, and she could make her story work.


    She smiled to herself and turned to look at the queue. Jack was already next in line, so he would definitely be back soon.


    Satisfied with the effect of what she said, she got up and gave Rachel a provoking smile. Extending a hand, she said, "It was a pleasant surprise, and it was nice meeting you here."


    "Thank you," Rachel managed to mutter. She absentmindedly shook Scarlett''s hand. But when their fingertips brushed, she suddenly realized that she was still holding a teacup. She had totally forgotten that she was about to take a sip of her tea when Scarlett approached her, and she wasn''t able to put it down. Scarlett''s cold gaze seemed to pierce right through her in an instant and froze her. Rachel couldn''t help scolding herself quietly for being so awkward.


    Scarlett had already left moments ago, but Rachel was still in a daze. All of a sudden, she felt hot in her mouth. It was only then that she realized, she drank her tea so quickly that she scalded her tongue. When Scarlett''s provocative smile flashed across her mind again, anger surged up in her heart.


    Rachel recalled everything that Scarlett said to her. She knew all along that Scarlett was lying. But she couldn''t help thinking, ''Why would she come to me and irritate me for no reason? Surely, she didn''t just go out of her way to tell a lie.''


    While the heat in her scalded tongue dissipated, the anger in her heart welled up.

 Chapter 408 Drowned His Sorrows In Alcohol

    Although Rachel didn''t react when she saw the news that Jack had dated many young models at that time, deep inside her heart she was very angry that she wanted to tear him apart. And never did she expect that the woman would take the initiative to come to her now.


    Jack came back with some fried chicken and freshly squeezed juice in his hands. He put them on the table and said, "I didn''t expect that this kind of business would do well in this place. They have so many customers."


    He pushed the juice in front of her and handed her the disposable gloves. He carefully squeezed the sauce out of the bag and poured it into the small plate. Seeing that Rachel was looking at him motionlessly, he smiled and said, "Why you seemed stunned? Don''t you want to eat this? It''s more delicious when it''s hot."


    Rachel just gave him a chilly look and said, "I suddenly lost my appetite."


    She then picked up her bag and walked towards the door without waiting for Jack to respond.


    Pregnant women normally had mood swings. Perhaps she had waited for too long, that was why she got upset. Jack understood, so he immediately followed her. But when he was about to approach her, she pushed him back.


    Glancing at him expressionlessly, she snapped, "I don''t need your company. I can go home by myself."


    When a taxi stopped in front of her, she opened the door, got in, and told the driver, "Please drive."


    Jack just watched the taxi driving away helplessly with creased brows. Rac


    l on the street, he muttered, "Rachel, what should I do to make you accept me again?"


    Scarlett saw that Jack was standing beside a car that wasn''t his, struggling to open the door with his car keys.


    She came to him and held his arm. "Jack, you are drunk. Let me drive you home."


    "Leave me alone!" Jack snapped and shook her off.


    Even if he was too drunk, the disgust in his eyes was very apparent. Scarlett looked at him with clenched teeth, but she felt challenged. The more Jack pushed her away, the more she desired to get him.


    Since she almost looked like Rachel, she couldn''t help wondering why Jack couldn''t even look at her while he was madly in love with Rachel.


    She couldn''t just let this go on. She must do something to get his attention.


    When Jack still couldn''t open the door, he gave up and staggered to the side of the road, intending to hail a taxi. Scarlett caught up with him again and grabbed his arm. "You can''t go home by yourself now. I''ll drive you home."


    This time, she was well-prepared. So no matter how hard he pushed her away, her hand remained to hold his arm tightly.


    Every time a taxi passed by him, and the driver noticed that he was too drunk, none of them stopped. They were afraid that he would vomit in their car, which was very troublesome.


    Thus, Jack waited for a long time, but no taxi was willing to give him a ride.


    His mind had been gradually overwhelmed by alcohol. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.

 Chapter 409 The Prenatal Checkup

    The next morning, Rachel woke up the same time as usual, although she didn''t sleep well last night because of another dream. In her dream, she was in the amusement park with her parents, playing and enjoying the rides. She didn''t have to think about anything else but just laugh and have fun.


    Her father had always said that she was the most beautiful when she smiled.


    Also, her mother had always loved seeing her happy.


    As a child, she had lived a carefree life full of love.


    Rachel wished she could live in that dream forever and never wake up again. But that couldn''t be possible. She had to face the harsh reality of life. She slowly sat up on the bed, feeling dizzy maybe because she hadn''t eaten anything last night.


    She closed her eyes again and rested for a while. When she opened them again, she felt much better.


    She slowly put on her slippers and got out of the room. She intended to go to the kitchen to fill her empty stomach. When she passed by Jack''s bedroom, she saw that the door was still open, and the quilt was still neatly laid on the bed.


    It seemed that he didn''t come back last night.


    She couldn''t help frowning as she tried to recall Jack''s expression when she left him at the restaurant last night. But no matter how she racked her brain, she couldn''t remember how he''d looked.


    Julie came upstairs with a tray of nutritious breakfast in her hands. As soon as she saw Rachel outside the room, she asked in surprise, "Miss, why did you get up so early today


    hol on his body. But seeing Rachel walking out of the house briskly, she didn''t get the chance to speak. She had to follow Rachel immediately.


    Seeing Rachel leave without looking back, Jack''s face suddenly darkened. An indescribable desolation and coldness rose from his heart. Why did she treat him like rubbish no matter what he did?


    This feeling made him feel uncomfortable all over.


    At this time, Scarlett was in a cafe. She held her phone tightly and kept on looking down at the screen. When she saw that the signal was only two bars, she stood up, held her phone up, and moved to different directions to look for a signal. She couldn''t feel at ease until she got a full signal again.


    A friend who accompanied her was rendered speechless. She stayed at a bar until two o''clock in the morning last night, so she planned to sleep at home until the afternoon. However, Scarlett called her and asked her out for a coffee early this morning.


    Somehow, she thought that a cup of coffee was good for her to feel refreshed. But now that she was only sitting still while watching Scarlett looking for a signal restlessly, she couldn''t help complaining, "Scarlett, can you come back here and sit down?"


    "I am expecting a very important call." Scarlett didn''t care about other people''s gazes at her. Instead, she looked at all of them with disdain.


    Since she had witnessed how Rachel treated Jack indifferently at the restaurant yesterday, she thought that she already had a chance on him.

 Chapter 410 Baby Is Healthy

    When they arrived at the hospital, Julie and Rachel were stunned to see it was crammed with people. After finding an empty seat for Rachel, Julie went to the registry desk to get the number. Sitting all by herself, Rachel looked at the passers-by. Realizing Julie would be back soon, she put her bag on the seat next to her, reserving the seat for Julie.


    Julie was back within a few minutes. She looked up at the screen on the wall and then looked down at the paper in her hands. Doing a quick mental calculation, she announced, "Miss, there are seven people ahead of us. This will take a while."


    Rachel smiled and said, "It''s alright. I don''t mind waiting."


    Julie nodded and kept the number token inside the medical record. After a while, she looked at Rachel and asked, "Miss, why didn''t you just let Mr. Fu to take a shower and send us to the hospital? It would have been nice to have him with us. If he was here, you wouldn''t have had to wait. I am sure of that."


    "Like I said, I don''t mind waiting," Rachel replied. Even though she tried to look fine, her hands subconsciously went and pressed against the back of her waist. She was indeed in pain.


    Her belly had gotten quite big recently. After sitting there for a long time, she was beginning to feel discomfort. Her body was getting sore.


    Her pain didn''t go unnoticed by Julie. Keeping aside the medical record, she reached out and rubbed the back of Rachel''s waist. "Miss, Mr. Fu really cares about you. If you both are fighting, then I highly suggest you talk about it and sort it out


    ?"


    Celia bit her lips and asked with grievance, "Rachel, do you really want me to cancel some dishes. I am sure the waiter will laugh at us."


    "I''m not afraid of being laughed at. I''m just worried about my wallet."


    Rachel was determined to maintain a poker face. But seeing the anxiety on Celia''s face, she burst out laughing. Celia quickly realized Rachel was only joking. Pounding the table, she looked at Rachel and exclaimed, "Rachel, you are joking with me!"


    Giving up any pretense of being serious, Rachel continued to laugh. But something froze her smile. Cheerfulness left her body.


    Celia waved her hand in front of Rachel and asked in confusion, "What''s wrong?"


    When Celia was about to turn her head and look behind, Rachel came back to her senses and said, "I was just wondering if Marcus knows about your appetite. Is he aware he is going to raise a piggy instead of a girlfriend?"


    "Rachel!"


    Looking at the nervous look on Celia''s face, Rachel smiled. But her heart was thudding against her chest.


    Just now, she had caught sight of Jack with the girl who had come to her in the fried chicken store. They were getting out of one of the private rooms. Although he seemed indifferent, the girl clung to him. Holding his arm, she was whispering something into his ear. Her excitement was evident to Rachel.


    ''Why are the two of them here?'' she wondered.


    At this moment, the waiter brought them the dishes they ordered. Celia said excitedly, "Rachel, where are you lost? Look at the food! So yummy! I''m starving to death."

 Chapter 411 We Have Nothing To Talk About

    Rachel had really no appetite today. And now that she saw and smelled all the food on the table, she felt her stomach churning. She couldn''t eat anything at all.


    On the other hand, Celia was enjoying her food so much. She picked up a scallop, dipped it in mustard sauce, and put it into her mouth. Squinting her eyes while chewing leisurely, a satisfied expression surfaced on her face.


    But when she noticed that Rachel was only sitting motionlessly, she asked, "Rachel, why are you not eating? Why are you just staring at me like that? I feel quite embarrassed."


    "Oh, really?" Rachel teased her while picking up a scallop with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. However, before she could even chew it, her stomach felt sick. She quickly put down her chopsticks and rushed to the bathroom.


    "Rachel, are you okay?"


    Celia asked as she grabbed several tissues from the table and caught up with her.


    Rachel weakly pressed her hands on the sink for support. She had never vomited like this for a long time, so she felt uncomfortable all over her body. She tried her best to calm down.


    Celia stood behind her, gently patting her back. When she saw that Rachel had calmed down a little, she hurriedly handed her a tissue. But seeing Rachel''s pale face, she panicked and asked, "Rachel, shall we go to the hospital? You''re now on the second quarter of your pregnancy, aren''t you? Do you feel anything strange or uncomfortable?"


    Seeing the nervousness on Celia''s face, Rachel wanted to say that she was fine, but she really didn''t have the strength to speak.


    She held Celia''s hand to comfort her. After a while, she said with a weak smile, "I''m fine. Maybe I''m just a littl


    she left her work without even saying a word to him. This time, he called him to help her get a job in the hospital again. She felt really sorry for everything she had done to him.


    James replied in a deep voice, "You don''t have to apologize. Since your parents passed away, I have seen you grow up, and I''ve treated you like my own daughter. As a father, how can I not help you when you need me?"


    Rachel was greatly moved upon listening to James'' words quietly.


    She lowered her head and said sincerely, "Uncle James, I will always remember all the good things you have done to me as long as I live. But for now, I feel like I have entered a dead end, and I don''t know how to get out temporarily."


    The Fu family had been so kind to her since she was a child, so she didn''t want to ask for their explanation. She didn''t even want any compensation from them for what they had done to her parents. She just didn''t want to see them.


    If she saw them, it would only remind her of everything that Linda had told her. The pain in her heart was too much that she wouldn''t want to cross paths with either Tracy or Jonathan ever again.


    James heaved a deep sigh and asked Rachel to sit down. "As a witness, I should say something too. At that time, Jonathan was indeed too anxious. But he didn''t expect that such a tragedy would happen to your family, especially to your parents. I believe that he would never force your parents to pay their debt in such a hurry. Many years have already passed, Rachel. It may sound blunt, but I think he also did his best to make it up to you. I know, no matter how much hatred you have in your heart, you can still forgive him if you really want to."

 Chapter 412 Scarlett Is On The News

    "Uncle James, please give me some time to think things over."


    Rachel pursed her lips and lowered her head. She didn''t say anything more.


    Knowing her, James decided not to say too much anymore. He only wanted to help, but he also didn''t want to cause pressure on Rachel, especially now that she was pregnant. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Well, I have a meeting later, so I''ll go back to my office now. If you need anything, call me, okay?"


    After she sent James away, the office became quiet again, and it made Rachel feel more depressed. What he said was right. Although she lost her parents, her life had never been miserable. The Fu family had given her the affection of a real family. She was guided and protected well. Her needs were all provided, and they sent her to a reputable school to get a good education. Aside from Jonathan, James also stood as a father to her as she grew up.


    She was very grateful to them, especially to Jonathan.


    But things happened too suddenly and unexpectedly. So no matter how rational she was, she couldn''t help acting impulsive.


    Propping her chin in the palm of her hand, Rachel thought for a while. But the phone on her desk interrupted her train of thoughts.


    A female voice came at the other end of the line. "Executive department? I just want to know if we already have a surgery scheduled this month."


    "Give me a moment. Let me check." It was Rachel''s first time doing administrative work. She hurriedly turned on the computer and looked for the surgery schedule list. After checking, she found out t


    shock was written all over her face. Her terrified reaction was enough for the other nurses to prove everything.


    She grabbed the newspaper and ran out while shouting, "Don''t talk nonsense about it."


    Rachel was currently watching the video that Lea sent her. In the video, Rita was dancing with her arms and feet waving.


    All of a sudden, Celia rushed into her office, panting. Seeing the expression on her face, Rachel asked in surprise, "What''s up?"


    "Rachel, what''s going on?" Celia put the newspaper in front of her, pulled a chair, and sat down. "Why is Jack with this woman? Only two days ago, I heard from Marcus that you two were back together again..."


    Looking at the blurry photo, the expression on Rachel''s face turned a little strange, and darkness flashed through her eyes. But it quickly returned to normal. With a smile, she said, "They just attended a party together. He asked my permission about this."


    Celia looked at her suspiciously and asked in disbelief, "You knew about this?"


    "Yes." Rachel smiled. "As you can see, my belly is getting bigger and bigger now. It''s not convenient for me to attend this kind of party. But since they need to bring a female partner in this event, Jack asked her."


    "Really?" Somehow, the expression in Celia''s face softened a little. But after giving it a careful thought, she wasn''t convinced at all. "But look at this woman. She clung to Jack''s arm like a gecko. Rachel, you must confront him about this when you get home."


    Rachel nodded, but there was an unreadable expression in her dark eyes.

 Chapter 413 Let The News Be Published On Purpose

    From that day on, Jack and Rachel didn''t say a word to each other even though they were living under the same roof.


    Every morning, Jack was already out the door when Rachel went downstairs. In the evening, he was never home by the time she retired for the night.


    How could she know anything about the banquet last night?


    However, in the eyes of outsiders, she and Jack were still a couple.


    Rachel knew that they also talked about Jack being a playboy, usually in relation with herself.


    She looked down at her belly. ''It''s only for the next five months, '' she told herself. Afterwards, she would have nothing to do with him anymore. She didn''t have to bear the fingers pointed her way during that time.


    It would be better to come up with a plausible explanation to block the nasty gossip.


    After a long moment of silence, Rachel folded up the newspaper and returned it to Celia. "These reporters like to throw around groundless accusations, or else no one will actually read these newspapers. When you go back, if someone asks you again, you can explain this to them. Thank you."


    Celia was the most suitable person for this. She nodded and said solemnly, "Okay, Rachel, don''t worry."


    After seeing Celia off, Rachel picked up her teacup and took a sip. Her phone on the table rang, and she heard Jonathan''s deep voice from the other end. "Rachel, where were you last night?"


    It was obvious that the man


    But then, he wanted to know what was on her mind. She seemed hell-bent to prove to him that she had no lingering feelings for him.


    Well, at least she still felt uncomfortable and tried to question him when she saw him with another girl. That had to count as a small success, right?


    These contradictions made him feel annoyed and upset.


    On her end, Scarlett was lounging on a sofa during a gathering of her clique of young ladies when she heard the news. She thoroughly enjoyed the attention and the curiosity in their eyes.


    She cleared her throat and said, "Don''t hold back. Just ask me what you want to know,"


    she said in a condescending manner.


    The young women also heard the news, and they couldn''t contain their curiosity. One of them asked first, "Scarlett, what method did you use? How did you manage to hook up with Jack Fu?"


    Scarlett knocked on the glass table with a spoon. "What are you talking about? I''m not hooking up with him, I''m dating him. He''s my boyfriend."


    Their faces showed varying degrees of disbelief. The woman said, "If that were true, then could you call him and ask him to join us? Let us check him out for you."


    "He is too busy." Scarlett''s demeanor changed slightly, and her attitude suddenly became evasive.


    However, these minute changes were not lost on her companions, so one of them asked coquettishly, "You are his girlfriend. He will come once you call him."

 Chapter 414 Pretend To Be A Couple

    Scarlett was afraid that her lies would be exposed, so she decided to find an excuse to escape halfway. But to her surprise, Jack''s gentle voice rang in her ear. Stroking her hair gently, he asked, "Are you having a party with your friends?"


    "Why are you here?" Scarlett was stunned, her mouth agape.


    Jack looked at her with a faint smile. "I happened to pass by here. Is the party over? Come with me."


    With a gentle smile, she nodded and followed him out obediently. Her eyes were full of expectation when she looked at him. "Jack, where are we going?"


    He curled his lips as his eyes emitted a murderous aura. "Scarlett, what is Article 6 in our agreement?"


    "I..." Scarlett stammered.


    She was too scared to look at him as she could feel the killing intent in his eyes. She couldn''t help trembling.


    Indeed, she and Jack signed an agreement that they would pretend as a couple. However, it was stated in the agreement that they would only pretend in places that he chose. Other than those, they had nothing to do with each other. Article 6 in the agreement clearly stated that Scarlett was not allowed to say anything about their relationship in front of others.


    Jack wanted to use this fake relationship to make Rachel jealous. He hoped that when she got jealous, she would finally realize her feelings for him. He wouldn''t give Scarlett any chance to swagger around outside using this fake relationship.


    He said coldly, "You seem to forget so soon. What did I tell you when


    night.


    He leaned forward and said carefully, "Okay. If you don''t want to eat, then let''s not eat."


    "Why not? You already bought the food." Celia seemed to be making trouble out of nothing.


    Marcus frowned and asked tentatively, "Then shall we eat?"


    "Take them to your own home. I don''t want you to stay here any longer. I''m so annoyed to see your face." Celia crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back on him.


    Marcus was dumbfounded. As the saying went, "Birds of the same feather, flock together." He was afraid that it wouldn''t be long before he becomes the second Jack.


    Feeling confused and aggrieved, he went to the living room and waited until her anger dissipated.


    He had no idea that Celia was upset because of what Jack did. And since he was Jack''s best friend, Celia was annoyed with him as well.


    Rachel had been everyone''s topic in the hospital the whole day. However, she seemed not to mind it as she busied herself with her work. When it was time to go home, she turned off her computer and left.


    She was standing at the hospital gate, waiting for a taxi when a black car stopped in front of her. The window slowly rolled down, then Jack said in a deep voice, "Get in the car."


    Pretending not to hear him, she walked around the corner indifferently and stood at the back of the car. A taxi happened to be coming towards her, so she hailed it immediately. When Jack got out of his car, the taxi had already driven away. It was too late to stop it.

 Chapter 415 Jack Had A Car Accident

    Rachel''s cold face came before his eyes. Jack couldn''t help but feel a pang of pain. He took a deep breath, determined to catch up with her taxi. Just then, the phone in his pocket rang, diverting his attention.


    As soon as Rachel got home, she sat on the sofa, trying to calm herself. She had experienced a whirlwind of emotions. Instantly, she touched her belly, knowing such extreme reactions weren''t good for her baby. Julie noticed that something was off about her. Bringing her a glass of water, she asked, "Miss, are you feeling okay?"


    "Oh yes, I am fine,"


    Rachel said and began to drink the water. She realized she had been extremely thirsty. In a gulp, the glass was empty.


    Ever since she came back from outpatient department, she knew that her colleagues had begun talking about her. Such talks annoyed her a great deal so she remained in the office most of the time. The pantry was considered the gossip place hence she avoided going there.


    At present, Rachel was gazing at Julie. And Julie was tempted to ask about Jack. After all, their relationship seemed a bit strained lately. But before she could say anything, the landline rang, interrupting their talk.


    Julie went and picked it up. The conversation was brief. In a matter of seconds, she announced, "It was Mr. Fu''s call. He said he has some urgent business to deal with. You shouldn''t expect him for dinner."


    "Okay."


    Rachel nodded her head and gave a cold smile. She had so many questions for him. She was dying to know what was keeping him busy. However, the only thing she could do was suppress these urges.


    But nobody thought this emergency would keep him


    ively. But presently, his face was haggard and yellow. His eyes were like a dry well, and his eyebrows were tightly knitted.


    The mere sight of him made Rachel want to cry. Fortunately, Julie was behind her and held her, seeing she was losing it. She said worriedly, "Miss, you''d better sit down on the side."


    Tracy looked up, staring at her slightly swollen belly. She frowned and asked, "Are you pregnant?"


    "Yes, she is almost four months pregnant," Julie answered as she helped Rachel sit down on the chair


    Four months pregnant! Julie''s words reverberated in Tracy''s mind. Four months ago, Rachel and Jack were happily planning their wedding.


    In simpler words, the baby in her belly belonged to Jack!


    Tracy''s heart skipped a beat. Immediately, she shifted her gaze and looked at Jonathan, who was sitting next to her. He didn''t seem surprised. ''Could he have known?'' she wondered. "Did you know about it?" she asked.


    Jonathan replied, "Yes, I came to know about it a few days ago."


    Sitting on the chair, Rachel finally calmed herself down. Every now and then, her eyes fell Jonathan and Tracy. She knew Tracy was surprised and looking for answers. But she had no time to worry about anything. After all, Jack''s life was in danger. At the moment, that was all she cared about.


    She kept waiting for the door to open. It felt like hours had passed since she had sat here. Her body was slowly turning stiff.


    When she closed her eyes, even for a second, Jack''s smiling face would come in front of her eyes. His beautiful smile was teasing and hurting her. ''Please be alright, Jack, '' she prayed as tears slid down her chin.

 Chapter 416 Everyone Is Worried

    Before everything had happened, Rachel could barely remember Jack''s goodness while he was still by her side. She could only think of the negatives, like how he had kept his entanglement with other women from her, as well as that woman who could have been her twin in terms of looks.


    Now, something this unexpected had happened. She sat there outside of the operating room, and his many kindnesses flashed in her mind like a movie.


    There were those days when she was in a rotten mood for no apparent reason; he had no qualms being her emotional punching bag and often tried to coax her out of her bad mood. Even when she was angry and didn''t want to talk to him, he still sent her the weather forecast accompanied by his own reminder for her to be careful not to catch a cold.


    People said, "You don''t know what you''ve got until it''s gone." Wasn''t this particularly true in her case right now?


    Her nose started smarting, and she raised a hand to wipe the tears that had started to well up in her eyes. She fervently prayed in her heart for his well-being.


    Rachel was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice Tracy staring at her searchingly with a frown on her face. No one knew what she was thinking about.


    "Rachel!" Suddenly, Tracy called her name and sat down beside her. "Had Jack been with you these past few days?" she asked.


    Rachel gradually managed to calm down and nodded, "Yes."


    "Then why did he go to the neighboring city?"


    Rachel clearly saw the small flare of anger in Tracy''s eyes. She pursed her lips and whispered, "I have no idea."


    She suddenly heard the ot


    oat. He saw and felt nothing, and he had no idea about the tempest that happened outside of the operating room.


    With the recollection of Lea''s consoling words easing her pain, Rachel finally lay in the bed. The physical and emotional exhaustion of the day caught up with her, so she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to asleep. Lea asked Julie to take good care of Rachel and to call her as soon as she woke up.


    Henry had been waiting for Lea at the door of their room. When she emerged from Rachel''s suite with swollen eyes, he felt sad and helpless. "I only let you accompany Rachel. Why were you crying?"


    "I couldn''t control myself. I pity Rachel so much." At the thought, Lea clutched at his shirt and burst into tears again.


    Even from an early age, Rachel had always been different from other children. They had parents; she didn''t¡ªshe only had uncles who were not even related to her. Thus, she had to learn to be strong, rely on herself, and never bother others. Even if she cried alone in her bed most of the time, only she herself knew about it.


    After several deep breaths, Lea wiped her tears and straightened up. She continued, "When we were young, we were taught to sing this song called ''Mom Is The Best In The World.'' We were asked to take turns to sing on the stage. Rachel was a very good singer then, and everyone cheered for her. But a kid stood up, pointed at her, and yelled, ''Why is she singing this song? She doesn''t even have a mother.'' I haven''t heard her sing ever since."


    Henry said nothing and only patted her shoulder gently while listening to her story.

 Chapter 417 The Operation Is Successful

    Lea took two sheets of tissue paper and blew her nose. "I know how much Rachel wanted to be with her parents, so I know how heartbroken she would be when she found out Jack''s parents had something to do with her parents'' death. However, she was willing to come back with Jack. She may appear stubborn and hard, but she must have forgiven him in her heart and is probably no longer angry. She has always been a soft-hearted person. God, why did such a thing have to happen all of a sudden? Hasn''t she suffered enough?"


    Her voice was neither loud nor piercing, but Rachel heard it through the door regardless.


    She pulled the quilt over her head and wept silently until sleep claimed her. When she woke up, she looked out the window and found that it was already dark outside.


    Julie was also asleep on the sofa by the bed. When she heard sounds of Rachel stirring, she immediately sat up and asked, "Miss, are you awake? Are you feeling better?"


    "Much better," she replied in a faint voice. She picked up her phone from the bedside table and looked at it. She had been sleeping for more than five hours. She got out of bed in a hurry and walked outside.


    Julie called out to her worriedly. "Miss, where are you going?"


    "I''ll go to the hospital to see Jack. The surgery''s probably done by now."


    "Mr. Jonathan Fu called just now and said that Mr. Jack Fu''s operation was successful."


    As soon as she heard the news, Rachel suddenly felt her legs give out from under her. She grabbed at the door frame for support, closed her eyes, and smiled in


    tle and glanced at Julie, who fell asleep on the sofa. She left quietly and didn''t wake her up.


    After asking several nurses, she finally found out Jack''s ward number. When she walked through the door, Rachel didn''t know how to react to the scene that greeted her.


    Jack was lying in the bed with his eyes closed, while Scarlett was sleeping on the edge of the bed. Their hands were tightly intertwined.


    What a loving scene!


    With a bitter smile, Rachel looked down at the soup she brought with her. She stood there for a moment, stewing in the mixed feelings the sight awakened within her, and left after a final glance.


    After her footsteps had faded away, Scarlett slowly opened her eyes, and her lips curved up in a smug smile.


    By coincidence, she had stepped toward the window to make a phone call to a friend when she saw Rachel entering the hospital. She guessed that the other woman must have come to see Jack, so she quickly positioned herself on the edge of the bed and grabbed Jack''s hand tightly.


    She turned back and looked at Jack''s pale and bloodless face. An idea started forming in her mind.


    Lea couldn''t fall asleep until the latter half of the night, so it was almost noon when she woke up. She put on a coat and went to Rachel''s suite next door. Unexpectedly, she found Julie as the room''s sole occupant, sitting on the sofa in the living room and snoring.


    She urgently shook Julie awake and asked, "Julie, why are you sleeping here? Where is Rachel?"


    "She''s making soup in the kitchen," Julie groggily answered.

 Chapter 418 A Series Of Misunderstandings

    As soon as Lea heard Julie''s answer, she went to the kitchen again. However, no one was there except for the casserole of cold bone soup.


    Lea frowned. She thought of calling Rachel, but she caught sight of Rachel''s phone on the table.


    Julie said in a slightly trembling voice, "Miss Shen must have gone to the hospital alone. How about we follow her there now?"


    Lea nodded and walked out of the kitchen. But before they could go out, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Rachel entered with a thermos bottle in her hand. Lea quickly walked up to her and asked, "Where have you been?"


    "I just went to the hospital. Don''t worry. I''m fine," Rachel replied while handing the thermos bottle to Julie.


    When Julie took the thermos bottle, she noticed that it was still heavy. She opened it and found that it was full of bone soup. She confusedly asked, "Miss?"


    "Just pour it down the drain. No one will eat it."


    Seeing the look on Lea''s face, Rachel forced herself to smile and said, "I''m a little sleepy. I want to have a rest."


    She then walked to her bedroom and locked the door.


    Lea and Julie exchanged glances before they looked at the thermos bottle in confusion.


    Jack woke up and felt sore all over his body. As soon as he opened his eyes, he thought that he saw Rachel, so he asked, "Rachel, what''s wrong with me?"


    He had not completely regained his consciousness yet.


    Scarlett''s face darkened upon hearing that Jack called her Rachel again. But still, she tried


    fter all, Julie was with her.


    As soon as they entered the empty house, Rachel couldn''t help sighing. When she thought of the scenes that she had witnessed in Jack''s ward that morning and night, mixed emotions surged in her heart.


    But remembering the baby in her belly, she tried her best to control her feelings and discard those thoughts in her mind.


    It had been two days that Julie noticed Rachel''s strange behavior. Most of the time, Rachel would sit on the sofa with a book in her hand, but it was too obvious that her mind was wandering away. Seeing the distressed look on Rachel''s face, Julie asked hesitantly, "Miss, are you okay?''


    Rachel smiled and answered, "I''m fine, Julie. I want fish head and bean curd soup tonight, okay?"


    "Sure." Julie went back to the kitchen and continued with her work. Rachel looked through the book in her hand again, but her thoughts were no longer there.


    Jack was transferred to a private hospital in Ninwell City two days after Rachel went back. But the Fu family deliberately kept it a secret, so only a few people knew it.


    Since Rachel was still worried about him, she went to the hospital one day after work. But as soon as she reached the parking lot, she saw Tracy and Scarlett getting out of the car together.


    She suddenly felt that her visit would be in vain.


    Jack was in his ward, lying. After two days of rest, he had already recovered a lot.


    However, the wound on his ribs was still fresh, so he couldn''t get up nor walk yet.

 Chapter 419 Apply For A Grant

    Jack frowned as soon as he saw Scarlett in the ward. "Didn''t I tell you not to come here again?"


    "I''m here to take care of you." Scarlett didn''t take Jack''s indifference to heart anymore because Tracy was always there to support her.


    So instead of feeling hurt, she sat down and asked him with a smile, "How are you feeling today?"


    But Jack just ignored her. He closed his eyes and asked coldly, "Where is my phone?"


    "I don''t know." Scarlett tried her best not to laugh and said innocently, "I haven''t seen your phone since you were sent to the hospital."


    The truth was, she took his phone and gave it to Tracy.


    On Jack''s first night in the hospital, she was there to take care of him. When she was about to bend over to the bedside to have a rest, she heard a phone ringing, but it wasn''t her phone.


    She followed the sound to find the phone. Finally, she found it in the pocket of Jack''s bloodstained trousers.


    As soon as Scarlett saw Rachel''s name on the screen, she was so angry that she clenched her teeth. At first, she wanted to throw the phone away, but she controlled herself and managed to hide it.


    An idea flashed through her mind.


    The next day when Tracy came to the hospital, Scarlett waited for Jack to fall asleep before she took his phone out and handed it to Tracy. She whispered, "Auntie, someone called Jack yesterday. Since this is his private phone, I didn''t answer it."


    "Who called him?"


    "Rachel."


    When she mentioned Rachel''s name, she clearly noticed that Tracy''s expression changed. By this time, she knew all along that her plan was a success.


    Tracy took the phone and


    that she didn''t miss any details. Fortunately, her busy day made her forget anything related to Jack for a moment.


    This evening, she was able to sleep much better than before.


    Julie was also relieved to see that Rachel looked much better now.


    When Rachel arrived in her office today, Jimmy Yang was sitting in front of her desk. Seeing his bloodshot eyes, her heart skipped a beat.


    She immediately asked, "Mr. Yang, what can I do for you?"


    Jimmy Yang stood up and said in a gloomy voice, "I want to let you know that my wife had already passed away last night, so I want to withdraw the application."


    Rachel''s eyebrows were drawn together tightly. She couldn''t hide the sadness on her face.


    She suddenly remembered Jodie Zhang''s smile while praising her son''s painting yesterday. Although she was lying in bed, her eyes showed that she was happy that her son was there.


    Being a doctor for a long time, Rachel had met a lot of cancer patients who also didn''t survive. But still, she couldn''t help feeling sad upon receiving the bad news.


    She took a deep breath and said sympathetically, "I''m sorry to hear that. Thank you for letting me know personally. Don''t worry. The hospital will handle everything about your application withdrawal."


    Jimmy Yang said, "I''m sorry that you have wasted time on us these past few days."


    "It''s nothing." Rachel put down her bag on the desk. She noticed that Jimmy Yang was still standing there motionlessly. Seeing the hesitant look on his face, she felt like he had something more to say. She proactively asked, "Mr. Yang, is there anything else I can do for you?"

 Chapter 420 Invited To A Meal

    "Actually, I have another favor to ask of you."


    Jimmy said in a deep voice. "My mother and mother-in-law are both sick and bedridden. I have to deal with my wife''s funeral, so I can''t take care of my son. Dr. Shen, can you do me a favor?"


    Before Rachel could answer, he said anxiously, "Don''t worry. I will pay you, but I''m afraid I cannot pay a high rate. After all, I..."


    His face turned red, and he glanced at Rachel, who hadn''t spoken a word for a long time. He continued, "I know this request is a bit difficult to fulfill, so if it''s too much for you, Dr. Shen, then forget it. I''ll think of something else."


    After saying that, he bid her goodbye and left. Before he could go any farther, Rachel called him back.


    Jimmy turned around, and his eyes lit up. "Dr. Shen, are you agreeing to my request?"


    Without answering, Rachel lowered her head, opened her drawer, and took out a business card. "Jimmy, you can contact this woman. Tell her that I mentioned her to you. She may agree to a low rate."


    This was the most help she could give.


    In the past, during her rounds in the emergency room, some children were brought into the hospital all of a sudden without any parents or guardians. Under these circumstances, they usually contact nannies who specialized in child care to help them. The business card that Rachel gave the man belonged to a nanny whom Rachel was relatively familiar with.


    Jimmy took the card. "Thank you,


    ten about it.


    She didn''t expect that he would return with his son to thank her specifically. In the face of such fervent gratitude, she felt a little embarrassed and said, "I only introduced you to the nanny. You should thank her instead."


    "Well, we¡ª"


    Before Jimmy could finish, his son interrupted him.


    The boy stepped forward, held Rachel''s hand, and lifter his small head. "Dad invited the nanny to eat with us. We''re here to invite you, too."


    "That''s right," said Jimmy while looking dotingly down at his son. "I don''t have anything else to thank you with. I can only invite you to a meal. I hope you won''t mind."


    "You don''t have to be so polite."


    "Dr. Shen, please join us with the meal."


    Since he put it that way, it would be too arrogant of Rachel to refuse again. She nodded her head and replied with a smile, "Okay, I will be there at noon."


    Sitting inside a taxi, Jack looked at the congested traffic in front of him and frowned. In his irritation, he hammered the seat beside him with his fists. He craned his head to look at the cars behind them and could only sigh helpless and wait.


    It was already noon when his ride pulled up at the hospital. Seeing a group of doctors in white coming out of the building and walking towards the canteen, Jack stopped one of them and asked, "Excuse me, do you know how to get to the administrative department?"


    "Ah, it''s on the eleventh floor of the building up front."

 Chapter 421 Someone Unimportant

    After expressing his thanks, Jack quickened his pace. He frowned slightly as he felt his movements pulling at the wound in his abdomen.


    He pressed the elevator button with one hand as his other hand clutched at his stomach. When he finally arrived at the administrative department, there was no sign of Rachel. He only saw a young woman sporting a ponytail eating something out of a bento. She was giggling to herself while watching what seemed to be a TV series on her tablet.


    He raised a hand and knocked gently on the table, asking, "Hello, is Rachel Shen here?"


    The girl put down her bento and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Shen stepped out of the office not long ago."


    "Did she go to the canteen?"


    The girl shook her head and said, "No, I heard that someone''s treating her out to lunch. She went to a restaurant called Moo Shu on the street next to the hospital."


    "Okay, I see. Thank you."


    He turned around to head to the restaurant, but a nurse who entered the office behind him saw his pale face and the sweat beading his brow. Worriedly, she asked, "Sir, are you alright? Maybe you should sit down first and rest for a bit..."


    "No, thanks." Jack just wanted to find Rachel as soon as possible.


    He was thinking that there was something wrong with her so she couldn''t come to the hospital to see him. However, if she were well enough to be going out to a lunch with other people, then maybe he had been overthinking things.


    He wanted to ask her if he no longer held even the slightest place in her heart.


    In the restaurant, Rachel looked at the many dishes laid o


    completely healed yet. You can''t get out of bed anymore, okay?"


    "I understand,"


    Jack replied tonelessly. He had rested for a while in bed, but his face appeared even worse than before.


    The memory of standing by the restaurant door watching Rachel talking and laughing with that man was like a sharp knife stabbing into Jack''s heart. In comparison, his bodily pain at that moment was not even worth mentioning.


    He had hoped that Rachel could tell him that there was an unavoidable reason for her not to visit him, but she ended up calling him as someone of no importance in her life.


    To her, it didn''t matter if he were fatally injured or bled to death by the roadside¡ªit was none of her business.


    Jack''s pale face was beset by fatigue and a profound sadness.


    After leaving the restaurant, Rachel didn''t go back to the hospital. Instead, she made a call to the director, asked for half a day''s leave, and headed straight home. She lay in her bed, her mind a huge, confusing mess.


    She thought back to what Jimmy had said. Was it really possible that there really was a misunderstanding between her and Jack? ''Should I go find him and talk to him to make things clear?''


    After a long while of trying to make sense of her thoughts, Rachel got out of bed, put on the coat she took out from the cabinet, and headed downstairs. She was about to head out when the doorbell suddenly rang.


    Julie came out of the kitchen in a hurry. She wiped her hands on the apron and opened the door. She stared at the man standing outside with a briefcase in his hand and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

 Chapter 422 Divorce Agreement

    The man made a slight bow and handed a business card to Julie. He introduced himself, "I''m a lawyer entrusted by Mr. Jack Fu. I came here to talk to Miss Rachel Shen."


    Rachel heard him clearly from her perch at the top of the stairs.


    ''A lawyer?


    What is he doing here?''


    She walked downstairs and said, "I am Rachel Shen. What''s going on?"


    The lawyer gestured toward the room and asked, "May I come in and have a seat?"


    Rachel asked Julie to get a cup of tea and waited for the other woman to return from the kitchen. She took a look at the lawyer, who was leisurely sipping on his tea, and asked, "Sir, what are you doing here?"


    The lawyer put down the teacup, took out a document from his briefcase, and put it on the table. "Mr. Fu entrusted me to handle your divorce. This document is the divorce agreement. Please have a look. If there''s no problem, sign your name at the last page."


    On the white sheet, the words "Divorce Agreement" appearing multiple times in stark black ink looked particularly conspicuous. Rachel''s hands trembled slightly. She opened the agreement and read through it carefully until her vision blurred slightly. She quickly set the document down and rose to her feet. "Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."


    She leaned back against the bathroom door and bit her lip to keep herself from crying. As it turned out, he couldn''t wait to divorce her.


    After a moment of looking at herself in the mirror, Rachel closed her eyes and splashed water onto her face. When she had calmed down, she walked out of the bathroom a


    ething to tell you. Today, Rach¡ª"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Jack interrupted him in a cold voice and a suddenly thunderous scowl, "Regardless of what topic you want to discuss, let''s talk about it after I leave the hospital. I''m not in the mood to listen to anything messy right now."


    Jack''s response was confusing, and Henry couldn''t figure it out. Even if there were any misunderstandings between them, Henry thought that they could be solved after they cleared the misunderstandings.


    This cold shoulder was as unwelcome as it was unexpected.


    The frown on Henry''s brow deepened.


    On the other side of the bed, Tracy carefully watched the two of them, several emotions crossing her face. She secretly held her breath, fearing that Henry would tell Jack everything about Rachel''s situation.


    At Jack''s response, she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Henry and said, "Henry, my back is feeling a bit uncomfortable. I want to go home and rest for a bit, but the driver couldn''t get here on a short notice. Would you mind driving me home?"


    Jack didn''t say anything. After shooting her a quizzical look, Henry nodded at Tracy.


    Ninwell City had been overcast and rainy for the past few days, but the skies finally cleared up today. The sun was not strong, but its warmth was enough so that the car heater did not have to be turned on.


    Although Henry and Jack were good friends, neither of them had much contact with each other''s parents.


    During the drive, Henry remained quiet. After a while, Tracy suddenly heaved a long sigh.

 Chapter 423 Rachel Had A Nightmare

    "Auntie, what''s bothering you?" Henry asked Tracy.


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with Jack recently. He''s really not doing well." With a worried expression on her face, Tracy turned to look at Henry. "He is still finding it hard to recover. As a mother, I worry about him. I only want him to live a peaceful life in the future. As much as possible, I don''t want him to be in trouble again."


    Henry was a little taken aback because he didn''t expect Tracy to open up to him. But he still replied, "Yes. I hope he can already move on."


    There was a short silence between them before Tracy spoke again. "I suppose you also know what happened between our family and the Shen family. So even if Jack and Rachel go back together, the past will always be like a bomb between them that may explode at any time."


    Thinking about Jack''s current situation, Tracy couldn''t stop her tears from falling. Overcame by her emotions, she choked. "Now that they broke up, it would be better they won''t get back together again. After all, Jack has Scarlett now."


    She was implying that the relationship between Jack and Rachel was already over.


    Henry frowned but didn''t say anything. Until they arrived at the Fu family residence, none of them spoke again. Tracy just bade goodbye to him, then got out of the car.


    Rachel suddenly had an inexplicable fever. She could feel a dull pain in her throbbing temples, and her eyelids felt extremely heavy.


    She wiped her forehead with a


    d already noticed that she seemed to have lost a lot of weight.


    Tracy had been bringing him bone soup every day because she wanted him to recover quickly. But yesterday, he suddenly requested that she should change it.


    She thought that he must have gotten tired of drinking the same soup every day, so she asked with a smile, "How about I cook you corn soup tomorrow? It''s not that greasy, so it''s also good for your health."


    He shook his head and said, "No. I want some soup with lemongrass and fish gelatin."


    "Didn''t you like the smell of fish gelatin before?" Tracy asked confusedly.


    He just smiled. The soup was actually not for him, but for Rachel.


    And knowing that Rachel would refuse if he told her to come over for the soup, he thought of making an excuse.


    Although the thermos bottle looked small, it contained enough soup to fill Rachel''s empty stomach. She got so full that she couldn''t help burping out loud.


    She put down the spoon and looked up at Jack. "Did you ask me to come over just for this soup?"


    Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I don''t want to eat it, so I thought of asking you to have it."


    "So, you asked me to come here just to eat your trash?" Rachel laughed sarcastically.


    Jack didn''t answer and just looked down at his phone. Rachel wiped her mouth and stood up. Her voice was so calm that no one could tell any emotion from it. "Next time that you get bored, please spare me."


    "I''m not bored."

 Chapter 424 For Duty

    Rachel didn''t respond. Instead, she picked the thermos bottle and ate up the soup in one gulp. After glaring at him, she sprinted out of the room.


    She had assumed this would happen just once. But he continued to behave in this manner in the coming days. Not caring about her work or condition, he called her to the hospital for half an hour every day. It seemed like he wished to go on doing this forever.


    Rachel tried to refuse him on several occasions. She brought up her work and health condition. But he wouldn''t take no for an answer, bringing up his threat.


    Feeling defeated, she obeyed his whims. However, today, just when she was about to leave work, the director of the executive department called her. She put two folders on Rachel''s desk and asked, "Rachel, are you free now? I have to hand in these materials before I get off work. Since I have other materials to deal with, I was hoping you could give me a hand."


    After thinking for a while, Rachel sat down again and said, "Director, I''m pregnant now. I am not as fast as I used to be. These materials may not be ready anytime soon."


    "It doesn''t matter. I''ll ask two more people to deal with it. Just try to do as much as you can. No pressure!"


    "Okay."


    Rachel thought that perhaps she could use this as an excuse and skip visiting Jack.


    Moreover, she disliked the taste of the soup he gave her. It might be healthy, but she only had it because he was forcing her to. ''This would be a nice break from the soup, '' she thought to herself.


    After the director left, Rachel took out her phone and dialed Jack''s number. She said in a low voice, "I am overloaded with


    shop opposite to the hospital, she waited for Rachel''s arrival. Once she spotted Rachel getting out of the taxi, she followed her to his ward.


    And now, Rachel left the ward. Scarlett had successfully planted suspicion in Rachel''s heart. Presently, Rachel felt a lump in her throat.


    Every day, Rachel would tell herself that their relationship had come to an end. There was nothing left. Once the baby would come out, their separation would become official. Her brain told her that Jack''s love life was none of her concern. But her stupid heart wouldn''t listen.


    The mere sight of Scarlett in Jack''s ward wounded her heart. With a sigh, she tried to stop thinking about them.


    In this helpless state, she continued to walk.


    Passing through the sidewalk at the gate of the hospital, Rachel waited to hail a taxi. Something caught her attention. The child who was walking towards her with his head down seemed familiar. He seemed to be Jimmy''s son. When he got closer, she tentatively called out his name.


    The little boy stopped and looked up, tear streaking down his face.


    When he saw her, he felt very aggrieved. He ran up to her, opened his arms and held her tightly. Through his sobs, he uttered, "Auntie..."


    Rachel rubbed his head and asked with concern, "What''s wrong? Why are you crying?"


    Although he was just a primary school student, he behaved more mature than his age. Perhaps it had something to do with his family. Rachel always felt that he was more sensible and mature than other kids.


    Even though she had no idea why he was sad, she felt sorry for him. "Tell me, why are you crying?" she asked once again.

 Chapter 425 A Warm Moment

    As the boy, Gary, raised his head, Rachel saw that his face flushed, and his eyes were red and swollen. Perhaps he had cried too much just now because he still choked. He said to Rachel, "I fought with Grandma. I''m running away from home now."


    Rachel was stunned.


    She asked with a frown, "Why did you fight with your grandma? What happened?"


    "Grandma wants to find a new wife for Dad." After saying this, Gary sobbed again.


    Listening to his aggrieved cry, Rachel''s heart softened in an instant. She couldn''t help feeling sorry for the child. His mother had just passed away, and yet, his grandmother wanted to find a new wife for his father. It must be too difficult for him to accept.


    Children nowadays were more precocious than before. They could easily learn any information on TV and the Internet.


    Rachel could tell that Gary wanted to challenge his grandmother. Obviously, he wanted to show her that he was against her plan.


    Rachel took out a piece of tissue from her bag and wiped Gary''s little face gently. She then said in a soft voice, "Have you tried talking to your Dad? What did he say?"


    Gary rubbed his red eyes before he said grievously, "Dad is still at work. I don''t know what time he will come back."


    Rachel heaved a sigh and held his hand. She then said to him, "It''s so late now. Let me drive you home, okay? Your dad will definitely worry if he comes home and you''re not there."


    Gary lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I don''t want to go back home."


    Rachel felt helpless. She couldn''t let the boy


    think we can stop him." The head nurse shook her head helplessly and took out Jack''s medical record. She handed it to the nurse and said, "Go through the discharge process. I''ll just call his family later."


    Rachel yawned and slowly sat up from the bed. Today was Saturday, so she slept longer than usual because she didn''t need to go to work.


    When she was in the cardiology department before, she had seldom gotten a weekend off. If she was lucky enough, she could have a regular rest day, but it would still depend on their schedule that changed every month. And sometimes, when there were emergencies, she even needed to work on her day off.


    The longest sleep she had experienced during those times was only seven hours, which was also very rare.


    Now that she was transferred to the executive department, she could have all the freedom to enjoy the charm of weekends. No wonder many doctors in the hospital wanted to work in the executive department at all costs. It turned out they could enjoy a regular life there.


    Rachel walked to the window and opened the curtains. She stretched lazily under the sunlight.


    She was about to turn around to go downstairs for breakfast when her eyes caught sight of a black car that stopped at the door. A frown surfaced on her face at once.


    Jack got out of the car.


    ''Why is he here?'' Rachel thought inwardly.


    Thinking of his physical condition, she knew that he wasn''t supposed to be discharged from the hospital yet. She suddenly heard Julie''s voice from behind. "Miss Shen, Mr. Fu is back."

 Chapter 426 Discharged From The Hospital

    Rachel took out a shawl from the cabinet and put it on her shoulders. The moment she opened the door, she saw a pair of feet in front of her. When she looked up, Jack was standing with his hands in his pockets. He sneered, "Why aren''t you out today?"


    Her brows creased as she asked confusedly, "Why would I?"


    "Are you not going to see your little friend and his father?" Jack paused for a second and continued, "For a date?"


    Rachel was stunned, mouth agape.


    ''He''s crazy, '' she thought inwardly.


    ''Jack knew that I had dinner with Gary and Jimmy before, but that was a long time ago. And we have never talked about it since then. What is wrong with him now?'' she wondered.


    She didn''t know what was wrong with him today that he brought it up as soon as he came home. Frowning, she said in a flat voice, "Get out of my way."


    Jack took two steps sideways to give way to Rachel. She walked out of the room and gently closed the door. However, he suddenly held her hand and said, "I need to ask you something."


    Rachel tried to shake his hand off, but his grip tightened.


    "Rachel..." He wanted to increase the strength of his hand, but seeing that her face twisted a little, he couldn''t bear it. In the end, he gently pulled her to face him. He cupped her face in his hands so she would meet his eyes. "I just want to ask you a question.


    Do you have a close relationship with that father and son?"


    Rachel got more confused. She couldn''t understand why the first thing Jack did as soon as he arrived was to ask about Jimmy and his son. Was he out of his mind? She fro


    shed shopping.


    Shock was written all over the middle-aged woman''s face upon seeing Rachel. Her eyes opened wide, her mouth agape. Surprised too, Rachel hurriedly put down the book.


    The middle-aged woman turned around and slowly closed the door. She then asked, "Who are you? What are you doing in our house?"


    "I''m Gary''s friend. He called me and told me that he was alone at home, so I came here to accompany him."


    Rachel stood up and picked up her bag. "Since you''re back, I think I can leave him now."


    The middle-aged woman looked down, and when she noticed Rachel''s protruding belly, her eyes widened again. She pointed at it and asked, "Are you...?"


    Rachel looked down at her belly and said lightly, "Oh. Yes, I''m almost six months pregnant."


    "No wonder," the middle-aged woman murmured and laughed lightly.


    Although Rachel didn''t hear it clearly, she knew that it was not a good idea for her to stay because of her identity. So, she just smiled at the middle-aged woman and left. But when she came out of the community and was about to take a taxi, Tracy''s voice suddenly rang out behind her. "Rachel!"


    She didn''t expect to see Tracy here.


    Tracy was already walking towards her when Rachel turned around. Tracy asked at once, "What are you doing here?"


    "I just visited a friend," Rachel answered with a faint smile.


    At this moment, Gary''s grandmother came rushing to them while shouting, "Miss, you left your phone."


    It was only then that Rachel realized that she put her phone on the couch earlier. But when she left, she only took her bag.

 Chapter 427 It Was Awkward

    "Thank you."


    Rachel took her phone from Gary''s grandma. At that moment, her phone rang. Celia''s cheerful voice was particularly loud.


    "Rachel, are you free right now? I want to buy something for Marcus. Can you come with me?"


    Rachel glanced at her watch. It was still too early for dinner, so she agreed. After ending the call, she said goodbye to Tracy and Gary''s grandma just as a cab pulled over.


    She was about to open the taxi''s passenger door when Tracy''s voice stopped her. "My car is here. I''ll drive you there."


    After a barely noticeable pause, Rachel said, "Okay." She walked with Tracy to her car and got in.


    It was very quiet in the car, and the silence was broken only by the buzz of warm air wafting from the air conditioner.


    Rachel turned her head to look out of the window. After a moment, Tracy asked, "Are you friends with her son?"


    Rachel was stunned. How did Tracy know that Gary''s grandma had a son? After a few moments of careful thought, she failed to come up with a plausible excuse. Finally, she answered truthfully, "His wife was a patient in our hospital."


    Tracy nodded and said nothing. She just tapped the back of the driver''s seat and said, "Play some music."


    Oddly enough, there was no traffic jam even though it was a weekend. Soon, they arrived at the gate of the shopping mall, and the driver stopped the car. Rachel said her goodbyes and got out of the car.


    In the past, she and Tracy had never been close with one another. In the occasions when they had to sit together, they


    awkwardly and tried to pretend as if nothing had happened. "Well, I heard that Jack has already been discharged from the hospital. He should have gone home, right? Is everything okay between the two of you?"


    As a father-in-law, he shouldn''t have been the one to worry about the relationship between his son and his daughter-in-law, but the situation of his family was too complicated. That added to Tracy''s remarks earlier made him worry.


    Although he admonished his wife severely on the spot, her words instilled a shadow of a doubt in his heart. He could only call Rachel to find out her perspective on the matter.


    Rachel didn''t know what he was thinking, so she planned to tell him the truth. However, she suddenly recalled the lawyer''s words when she signed the divorce agreement, so she held it back. She pursed her lips and said lightly, "Jack and I are doing fine, Dad. Don''t worry."


    Jonathan heaved a heavy sigh, concern clouding his eyes. After a few moments lost in thought, he finally said, "Rachel, don''t mind what other people might say. At first, I insisted on Jack marrying you because I wanted someone to take care of you. But if this marriage is making you unhappy, then I will not object to your divorce with Jack."


    Rachel kept silent and said nothing.


    After another long pause in their conversation, Jonathan said cautiously, "Don''t worry. I will not ask for your child to stay in the Fu family. It will be better for the child to grow up with his mother. Just don''t forbid us from visiting the child."

 Chapter 428 Get Out

    A deep frown appeared on Rachel''s face upon hearing Jonathan''s words. All the while, she thought that he always cared about her relationship with Jack. But now, what he said seemed to be leading to their future divorce.


    ''Has he known the agreement I signed with Jack?'' she thought.


    But still, she smiled slightly and said, "Dad, we are good."


    "I''m glad to hear that." Jonathan sighed. "If you feel that you are wronged, don''t keep it to yourself. Tell me anytime. I know that you have always been a good girl. But most of the time, you don''t like to talk. Maybe because when you were a child¡ª"


    "Don''t worry. I will tell you everything at the right time."


    Before Jonathan could finish his words, Rachel interrupted. Although she had already gradually let go of the memories of her childhood, she still felt a little uncomfortable when someone mentioned it.


    Jonathan and Rachel chatted for a while before she said goodbye and went back home. On her way, a lot of things ran through her mind, but she still couldn''t figure out why Jonathan came to talk to her. She already felt a dull pain in her temples, so she decided to give up in the end.


    When she arrived home, Julie was busy preparing dinner. Although the kitchen door was closed, the aroma of the dishes still seeped through the gap, so she smelled it as soon as she entered the house.


    Rachel went straight to her room to change her clothes. When she was about to close the door, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly. In an instant, she was pressed against the wall. Jack held the


    a sudden, Michael moved closer and put his arm around Jack''s shoulder. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought. After a while, with a trace of pity and sympathy in his eyes, he said, "Jack..."


    Jack, who suddenly felt uncomfortable, slapped Michael''s face. He then said disgustingly, "I''m not in the mood to talk nonsense with you today."


    Michael clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Are you in a bad mood because Rachel is pregnant and you''re unable to have sex with her?"


    Rachel was currently pregnant, so Jack couldn''t touch her. Since his desire wasn''t quenched, he drove away and drowned himself in alcohol.


    That was the scene that kept on playing in Michael''s mind.


    Of course, he didn''t dare to say these words in front of Jack. But when he saw that Jack''s face darkened, he shrank back and withdrew his hand immediately. Jack seemed to read what he was thinking.


    Michael touched his nose and explained awkwardly, "This is only normal for husbands who will soon become fathers. Don''t be too anxious. You just have to be patient and wait until Rachel gives birth."


    Upon hearing Michael''s words, Jack drank one glass after another again. With no expression on his face, he took out his phone and dialed a number. He then turned to Michael and said, "Do you think I have no way to satisfy my needs?"


    "You..."


    Michael''s face turned red all of a sudden. He grabbed Jack by the collar and asked, "What do you mean by that?"


    "Nothing. It''s none of your business." Jack shook his hands off and stood up waveringly.

 Chapter 429 The News About Jack

    Scarlett was worried about Jack''s sudden discharge from the hospital. She couldn''t think of a reason that would allow her to stay with him. Thinking hard, she tried to find a plausible solution to her dilemma. The more she thought, the more frustrated she became. Just when she was dwelling on these thoughts, she received a call. Looking at her phone, she saw Jack''s name on the screen. This was quite unexpected and took her by surprise.


    Without giving it a second thought, she changed her clothes and set forth to meet him. Once she was there, she caught sight of Jack standing outside a club. His head was lowered and he was smoking. The cigarette butt in his hand flickered in the dark night.


    She couldn''t hide her excitement and trotted forward. "Jack, I''m here!" she announced.


    Jack threw the cigarette on the ground and pulled her into his arms. In a distasteful tone, he announced, "Let''s go home!"


    Scarlett looked up at him and was flooded with elation. She asked, "Where? Whose home are you talking about?"


    Jack hooked her chin and smiled wickedly. "What do you think?" he asked.


    A blush of shyness spread across Scarlett''s face. She carefully helped Jack into the car, and then drove the car to her house. Deep down, she was glad that her mother wasn''t home tonight. Exciting thoughts occupied her mind.


    The next morning, Scarlett was awakened by the alarm clock she had set last night. There was nothing but resentment on her face. She couldn''t forget the injustice she had experienced.


    Last night didn''t go as she had imagined. She had thought that Jack had finally accepted her. The way he hugged her deluded her into believing he l


    w voice, "Have you taken away the newspaper from my office?"


    Every morning, a newspaper would be sent to her office. Sometimes it would be thrown on the floor, other times it would be laid on her desk. Either way, it was always here.


    However, today it wasn''t around. At first, she had assumed they must have forgotten to send it. But realizing Celia''s oddness had something to do with news, she understood this was her doing.


    She looked firmly into Celia''s eyes. Sure enough, she put her hand inside her purse and took out a newspaper. "Rachel, it''s very likely that this news is nonsense. You know that these paparazzi tend to make up crazy stuff."


    Rachel opened the newspaper and continued to read, paying no heed to Celia''s warning. It was indeed related to Jack.


    When she first saw him with this model, she was in pain. But with time, she had learnt to accept the truth. Rachel smiled calmly, put the newspaper on the table and said in a flat voice, "This is his business. He can be with whoever he wants. I shouldn''t bother myself."


    "But how is this possible, Rachel?" Celia asked, clenching her fists. Her voice was brimming with resentment. "He is the father of your baby. Is it morally right for him to hook up with another woman?"


    Having had no breakfast, Rachel felt fatigue overtake her. She walked towards a chair and sat down. She looked up at Celia and asked in a low voice, "Then, what do you recommend? Should I confront that woman and perhaps fight with her? Should I slap her for stealing my child''s father?"


    "No, that''s not what I meant,"


    Celia replied immediately. The truth was, she herself didn''t know what she meant.

 Chapter 430 Do You Really Not Care

    Rachel smiled at Celia, but her calm face belied the turmoil in her heart. She said slowly, "Well, I can''t confront that woman, nor can I get even with Jack. I should not be angry for the sake of the baby I''m carrying. That''s the reason why I said that this matter has nothing to do with me."


    She flashed the other woman another smile and added, "It''s getting late, Celia. You should go back to your work now."


    In a daze, Celia nodded and walked out of the office. She closed the door and slowly pulled her hand away from the doorknob. Her head tilted quizzically, Celia stared at the door in confusion.


    She came to Rachel''s office this morning to see her reaction while keeping everything a secret from her. Since Rachel had already found out, she was hoping that Rachel could clarify everything with Jack. However, it seemed that Rachel was not going to do so.


    Behind the door, the smile at the corners of Rachel''s mouth disappeared. She picked up the newspaper again and spread it in front of her.


    The bite mark on her lips remained obvious. She gently touched her injured lip, feeling the scab that had started to form over it.


    Rachel barked out a short, self-deprecating laugh. Last night, Jack held her in his arms and asked her why she couldn''t forgive him. In the blink of an eye, he went to another woman, and his news of his latest indiscretion was plastered all over the media.


    How could she forgive him and his behavior?


    Rachel felt a bit stupid for feeling worried about Jack the night before. She even called up Michael and asked him


    orgotten what was written in the divorce agreement?"


    ''How dare he threaten me with this!'' Rachel seethed inwardly, but her face remained mask-like in its serenity.


    She stood up and walked over to stand before him. She said expressionlessly, "I can only spare two hours tomorrow night."


    She didn''t know what kind of dinner she was going to attend or who would show up, and she didn''t ask¡ªshe wasn''t even interested, anyway.


    On the following day, Rachel had just turned off her computer and was about to head out when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it and saw a smiling Austin standing at the door. "Miss Shen, Mr. Fu asked me to pick you up."


    "Ah, thank you."


    In the car, Rachel found that Jack invited several employees to dinner tonight. These people were the ones who were in charge of all of the company''s affairs during his hospitalization.


    The small dinner party was held at a seafood restaurant across from the MK Group building.


    When Rachel and Austin arrived, the two tables within the private function room were already occupied. Upon their arrival, everyone rose to their feet. One of the employees peered at them and said in a disappointed tone, "Austin, why isn''t Mr. Fu here yet? Is he even coming? Are we supposed to pay for dinner ourselves?"


    "Do you really think that Mr. Fu is that kind of person?" Austin pulled out a chair and motioned for Rachel to sit down.


    She noticed an empty seat next to her and guessed that it was Jack''s. He was the one who invited her to this dinner. Why was he running late, then?

 Chapter 431 An Awkward Dinner

    When the group of people heard what Austin said, they all smiled, showing their trust in Jack. And now, the silence was replaced with laughter.


    An old lady sitting next to Rachel looked at her. Her eyes fell on Rachel''s belly. "Are you Mr. Fu''s wife? I am sure he will make a wonderful father. He has been a lovely boss."


    Flashing the lady a faint smile, Rachel remained silent. The news about Jack had been released yesterday. It wouldn''t do to lie. Sooner or later, the lady would figure it out. However, she didn''t have the energy to explain the story. Under the situation, silence seemed like the best choice.


    That lady talked about the problems that her daughter-in-law encountered while she was pregnant. Rachel paid attention to her words, hoping to learn a thing or two from it. Just then, the place was overcome by an eerie silence. "Mr. Fu," uttered a man.


    With her back to the door of the room, Rachel couldn''t see him. But the people surrounding her kept staring at her. There was a strange expression on their faces.


    When she was about to look back, she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind. "Jack, are all of these your employees? God! This place is bustling with people."


    "Yeah, they are. Didn''t you say you were bored at home? I hope you will enjoy it here." Jack''s voice was particularly gentle, as if he was addressing someone he deeply loved.


    Bitterness crept to Rachel''s heart. In spite of these strong emotions, she tried hard to hold back her true feelings. Feigning a smile, she sat composed. ''Relax Rachel, this is not a big deal!'' she kept tellin


    ed Mr. Wang''s arm and said, "Mr. Wang, you''ve been here for a long time. Your friends must be waiting for you."


    Mr. Wang wasn''t in a mood to leave at all. Waving his hands, he said, "It doesn''t matter. I''ve told them it will be a while. Besides, I haven''t finished my toast yet."


    Since the seat next to Rachel was empty, Mr. Wang sat down and pulled his chair closer to her. One could tell from the way he sat that he had no intention of getting up.


    By now, Jack was wild with fury. Scarlett too was unhappy with this man''s intrusion. Everything was going fine until he came. She forced herself to calm down, picked up the bottle on the side and filled her glass with win. Smiling at Mr. Wang, she said, "Mr. Wang, since you have proposed a toast to Jack, I''ll drink this as a response to you. Please don''t refuse my kindness, Mr. Wang."


    Her words not only shifted people''s attention, but also hinted at the intimate relationship she shared with Jack.


    Mr. Wang also looked away from Rachel and smiled. "Mrs. Fu, you''re so kind."


    Relieved at easing the atmosphere, Scarlett sighed in her head.


    Rachel, on the other hand, realized Jack wasn''t going to correct Mr. Wang. He had no intention of telling him Scarlett wasn''t Mrs. Fu. A surge of pain crept through her heart, yet she pretended to be strong.


    Seeing Jack''s glass was empty, Scarlett filled it with wine.


    Mr. Wang, on the other hand, had almost finished his drink. Now that he had drunk a full glass of wine, he was losing his mind. Seeing Rachel''s soft hand on the table, he couldn''t help but feel an urge to touch it.

 Chapter 432 Those Days Are Gone

    Rachel immediately pulled her hand away at the sight. Jack, who was sitting opposite her, frowned tightly and almost stood up, but Rachel was already at her feet, smiling and addressing the others, "I''m afraid that some things require my attention, so I have to leave first. Please enjoy your meal, everyone."


    She turned around and walked slowly out of the restaurant to where a black car was parked in the dark. Wearing a black trench coat, Jimmy stood beside the car and smiled at her.


    Rachel walked over and smiled at him apologetically. "I''m so sorry for asking you to pick me up."


    "Don''t worry about it." Jimmy opened the door of the passenger seat and placed his hand on her head to protect her, telling her to be careful. He walked around the front of the car, got in, and drove away.


    Neither of them saw Jack exit the restaurant and stare after them with a bone-chilling coldness in his deep, dark eyes.


    Inside the car, Rachel sat with her open palms outstretched toward the heater vents. Almost instantly, she felt a lot better. She smiled and said, "You can drop me off at the next intersection. I''ll take a cab home."


    She really didn''t want to stay at that dinner for a minute longer. When she saw Jimmy''s message thanking her for accompanying Gary that day, Rachel jumped at the opportunity for escape and asked him to pick her up.


    Still, she felt a slight burn of embarrassment.


    Jimmy turned his head and saw the apologetic look on her face. With a gentle smile on his lips, he said, "I can drive you to your house. You d


    r shut behind him.


    Rachel felt the onset of a dull headache, and a buzzing sound filled her head. If not for the broken lamp beside her, she would have thought that Jack only appeared to her in a dream¡ªa nightmare, more correctly speaking.


    How could she not care about Scarlett''s existence?


    If she didn''t give a damn, then she wouldn''t have conversed with Mr. Wang and taken his business card just to make Jack angry.


    She didn''t know why, but faced with Jack''s fury, she couldn''t say what was in her heart. All that came out of her mouth were barbs that were designed to hurt.


    Julie woke up from her sound sleep to heed the call of nature. She was about to head to the bathroom when she heard a loud bang from the second floor. She quickly pulled on a coat from the cabinet to take a peek when she heard another loud thud. Not long after, she saw Jack march his way down the stairs angrily and leave without looking back.


    Rachel was about to pick up the broken fragments of the lamp when the bedroom door was gently pushed open from outside.


    She already knew who it was. She smiled bitterly and said, "Julie, it''s late. Why haven''t you gone to bed yet?"


    "I can''t sleep much. It must be my old age¡ªI easily wake up."


    Julie walked over to her side and helped her up so she was sitting on the bed. "Miss, please sit down. I''ll clean this up."


    She went outside to get a broom and a duster, and swept up the fragments. With a sigh, she turned toward Rachel and said, "Miss, is there is something going on between you and Mr. Fu?"

 Chapter 433 Its You

    Before Julie could finish her words, Rachel interrupted her. She knew that Julie wanted to say something. But considering her relationship with Jack now, she didn''t want to say anything that she might regret in the future.


    So, to end their conversation, she smiled and said, "Julie, I''m a little tired. I want to rest."


    "Okay, Miss Shen. You take a rest now."


    Julie had to swallow her words and leave Rachel''s bedroom with the garbage.


    In the dark night, a car was speeding up the road. In less than an hour, Jack reached the neighborhood where he let Scarlett live.


    Scarlett was about to go to bed when she heard the doorbell rang. She hurriedly opened the door in excitement. Seeing Jack standing outside, she asked, "Jack, why are you here?"


    "Are you not happy that I''m here?" With an evil grin, Jack lifted her chin and stared at her eyes. In an instant, the previously cold room suddenly became somewhat ambiguous.


    Scarlett smiled shyly and replied, "Of course, I am happy."


    Ever since she knew Jack, she had tried every means just to be with him. She had longed to sleep with him, but until now, he had never touched her at all.


    But now, she thought that the moment had finally come, so, she proactively pulled Jack inside and unbuttoned his shirt one by one. With a coquettish smile, she asked, "Jack, you are staying here tonight, aren''t you?"


    "Yes, I am."


    Jack bent down and picked her up. Scarlett screamed, but sh


    carlett''s affairs. It seemed that she would never stop nagging.


    Knowing that Lea was upset because she only cared for her, Rachel didn''t interrupt. Instead, she listened quietly with a smile.


    When Lea finally stopped talking, Rachel said, "Are you thirsty? I''ll get you a glass of water."


    "I''m not thirsty." Lea was still a little anxious. "Rachel, don''t tell me that you are not doing anything about this matter. I don''t believe that you have already given up on Jack completely."


    Rachel sighed slightly and said, "Things have happened. What else can I do?"


    "If you don''t want to let go of Jack, you should make it clear to him." Lea took out her phone. "Call him and make everything clear."


    "No, I won''t,"


    Rachel said and held Lea''s hand. "Lea, you know me. I won''t humble myself just to keep Jack by my side. I don''t want him to come back to me out of pity. I''d rather end our relationship completely than do that."


    Her voice was so calm and indifferent as if she didn''t feel anything about the situation.


    But for Lea, Rachel''s every word was like a heavy stone that crushed her heart, making her difficult to breathe.


    She couldn''t hide the pity and sadness in her eyes. Being with Rachel for so many years, she should have known what kind of person Rachel was. The more she thought about it, the more distressed she felt.


    Rachel looked at her and smiled. "Don''t look at me like that. You only make me feel pitiful."

 Chapter 434 The Variety Show

    "I don''t think I am pitiful. After all, I have you and Celia as my best friends who always care for me. And my baby is coming out soon. I think you all are enough to make my life perfect. I mean it."


    Obviously, Rachel wanted to convince Lea that she was okay after everything that happened.


    Lea felt a lump in her throat. All of a sudden, she felt like crying. She tried to restrain the tears that were about to well up in her eyes.


    Pretending to be relaxed, Rachel patted her shoulder and said, "I''m going to work now. Do you mind driving me to the hospital?"


    "Pay me, and I''ll send you there right away," Lea joked.


    Lea drove Rachel to the gate of the hospital. Rachel had already gone inside, but she didn''t drive away yet. After thinking for a while, she dialed Jack''s number.


    Austin knocked at Jack''s office with the minute book in his hand. He then entered and said, "Mr. Fu, everyone else is in the meeting room now. We can start the meeting anytime."


    "Okay. I''ll be right there."


    But as soon as Jack stood up, his phone vibrated. Seeing the name on the screen, he hesitated for a while before he finally answered it. "Hello?"


    Lea yelled at him without greeting him.


    "Jack Fu, what''s wrong with you? When Rachel left, your life became miserable as if you couldn''t live without her. Now that she''s back, you turned and hooked up with another woman. Are you enjoying it?"


    Jack moved the phone away from his ear. When Lea stopped talking, he asked indifferently, "Are you done?"


    "Yes, I''m done."


    Lea took a deep breath. After voici


    rformance. How can you say that?"


    "It''s alright, Jimmy." With a smile, Rachel rubbed Gary''s head. "Tell me what you want. I''ll keep it in mind, so I can give it to you next time."


    "I want Transformers." Gary cheered and jumped up happily.


    Jimmy shook his head helplessly, looked at Rachel, and said, "Let''s go to the restaurant now. We''ll get there on time for dinner."


    Rachel had planned to go home right after the show. But earlier, Jimmy''s mother urged him, "Jimmy, you can''t be so impolite. Rachel took the time to see Gary''s performance today. We have to treat her to dinner no matter what."


    She then took Rachel''s hand and added, "Rachel, if you say no, Jimmy and Gary will be saddened."


    She had triggered Rachel''s weakness.


    Rachel couldn''t refuse such kind gestures. Left with no choice, she nodded and called Julie to inform her that she wasn''t coming home for dinner.


    She thought that Jimmy''s mother would go with them. But as soon as Gary finished his performance, she complained that her head ached and left first.


    Gary raised his head and looked at Jimmy upon hearing him said dinner. He asked excitedly, "Dad, are we going out for dinner again tonight?"


    "Yes," Jimmy replied with a nod.


    Gary jumped up and cheered again. "That''s great! Aunt Rachel, every time you are with us, we can always eat outside. From now on, can you come over to have dinner with us every day?"


    Child as he was, Gary thought that everything was that simple. Rachel and Jimmy exchanged glances embarrassingly at first, but soon just laughed at it.

 Chapter 435 Ill Help You Ask

    The dinner was mainly a reward for Gary''s good performance, so they chose to eat at one of his favorite restaurants. A moment later, they finally saw the waiter approaching with their pizza and steak. The food smelled heavenly! Gary''s face lit up when the waiter finished serving their food. He took the fork and knife, as he sat there eagerly wanting to dig in. Even his feet were swaying back and forth because of the excitement.


    Rachel, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic as him. After taking a few bites of the steak and the pizza, she felt full. Her stomach could no longer take any more of the food, so she set down the knife and fork at the table. Reaching for the napkin, she carefully wiped the side of her mouth. She was not aware that Jimmy was watching her. He asked with concern, "Don''t you like it?"


    She shook her head as she answered, "I like it. But I''m already full."


    "Do you want some fried rice or something else? We can order dessert if you want to," Jimmy asked her as he was raising his hand to signal to the waiter to come over.


    Rachel quickly shook her head to decline politely. "I''m full, but thanks for offering."


    Even as she turned his offer down, Jimmy smiled at her and insisted, "Don''t worry about my wallet. I still have money for this meal."


    In the past, Rachel helped him deal with his wife''s grand, and that was why she was well aware of his financial condition.


    His business went bankrupt and he owed a lot of money.


    Even though he casually offered to pay for the food, Rachel knew that it was the man''s ego that drove him to do so.


    She denied with a kind smile, "If I''m not full, I won''t be so polite."


    Trying to divert the conversation, she asked, "Oh, that''s right. I remember that you discontinued your business. What are you up to nowadays?"


    Than


    he look on her cousin''s face made Scarlett very happy.


    A pile of shopping bags at the vestibule caught Kailey''s attention. She took out a new dress from one of the bags and provokingly swayed it in front of her. "Scarlett, the material of your dress is very comfortable to touch. Something as good as this should not be cheap, right?"


    "It''s okay. This dress is only a little more than five thousand dollars," Scarlett replied indifferently. She acted as if the dress cost her nothing.


    Kailey was shocked. With her mouth agape, she could have been able to swallow two whole eggs. She was thinking, even with her previous work in the hotel, it would take her two months'' salary to buy a dress like this.


    Folding the dress carefully, she put it back into the bag. Then, she walked towards Scarlett with a knowing smile. Smoothing down her clothes, Kailey sat down slowly next to her cousin and gently tapped her. Her mouth twitched in a playful smile as she asked, "Scarlett, you must be tired after shopping all day. Let me give you a massage. Is it comfortable? Is the pressure okay?" She began massaging her cousin''s shoulder like an expert masseur.


    "Not bad," Scarlett hummed in approval.


    She didn''t refuse the pampering. Instead, she sat in a different position and asked Kailey to help her massage the other side of her body. She seemed to quite enjoy it.


    Kailey puckered her lips and threw a disgusted face. Of course, Scarlett couldn''t see it because she was facing the opposite direction. In a split second, she feigned a smile and asked, "Scarlett, you are so rich now. You must have a lot of free money, right?"


    Scarlett halted. "What''s wrong?"


    At the mention of money, she immediately tensed. Her expression turned serious. She stopped Kailey''s massage and motioned for her to sit down.

 Chapter 436 Reached A Business Agreement

    A slight smile played at the corners of Kailey''s mouth. "Scarlett, you know that I don''t have a job right now and just stay at home every day. Recently, I have been discussing with my friends a plan to open a shop, with each of us paying equal portions of money for the capital. The thing is, you know I spend all of my salary each month, and I never got to save anything. Can you lend me some money?"


    Scarlett''s hesitation was evident, so Kailey raised a hand and swore, "I swear, I will definitely pay you back as soon as I make money."


    "But..." Scarlett was still a little unconvinced. After all, that money wasn''t hers to begin with. If she lent it to someone else, what should she do if Jack found out? Would she be the one in trouble?


    Before she could give an answer, Kailey pressed on. "Scarlett, all of my friends now know that you are rich. If I can''t even borrow such a small amount from you...well, it doesn''t even matter if I lose face in front of them. My main concern is that it may reflect badly on you."


    She certainly hit the nail right on the head and tapped Scarlett''s weakness. There was nothing more she hated than to be looked down upon by others, so she agreed without even asking how much. "I''ll transfer the money to you tomorrow."


    Kailey smiled complacently. The doorbell rang at that moment, and she jumped to her feet to open the door. When she saw Jack standing outside with a suitcase, she stepped back, picked up her backpack from the sofa, and said, "I''m leaving. I won''t disturb you."


    Sc


    h better after washing her face with cold water.


    Thus, Rachel completely forgot Jimmy''s request until much later, as she sat on the sofa after dinner and munched on some fruit that Julie cut up. When she received his phone call, Jimmy asked expectantly, "Rachel, what did your friend say? Did he say he would come?"


    She lightly slapped a palm on her forehead and said sheepishly, "I''m so sorry. I was too busy this afternoon to remember it. I''ll ask him tomorrow."


    "Okay."


    Jimmy was about to hang up the phone when Gary snatched it from his hand. The boy ran to the balcony outside and told Rachel what had happened in the school today, such as who hadn''t done homework and was scolded by the teacher, or he got a crush on some girl, among other things.


    When she ended the call, Rachel looked at the onscreen time in surprise. She had talked with Gary for half an hour. When Julie came out of the kitchen, she poured her a glass of water and said, "You have talked on the phone for such a long time. Are you thirsty?"


    "Yes."


    Now that Julie mentioned it, Rachel felt thirsty at the sight of the glass of water. She gratefully accepted the glass and drank the water up.


    She burped and placed the glass on the table. Noticing how Julie was still hovering, she pursed her lips and asked, "Julie, do you have something to say?"


    "Yes." Julie nodded. "Miss, yesterday Mr. Fu carried his suitcase out. Is he never coming back?"


    Shaking her head, Rachel answered honestly, "I don''t know. Let him be."


    "But..."

 Chapter 437 Glasses Of Wine

    Julie lowered her head and looked at her hands. After having thought about it the whole night, she had finally mustered up the courage to speak up. Yet, she felt nervous now that she was in front of Rachel. It was about her salary. "Earlier, Mr. Fu used to pay me my salary. Now that he barely comes here, I was wondering when will my salary for this month¡ª"


    Before she could finish her words, Rachel interrupted her.


    "If Jack won''t give it to you, I will pay you. Don''t worry."


    Of course, Julie worked for her and she wouldn''t make her work without a payment.


    Hearing this answer, Julie breathed a sigh of relief. But at the same time, another question brewed in her mind. "Miss, are you and Mr. Jack...?" She trailed off.


    Standing up, Rachel said, "There''s no need to even include us in the same sentence. There is nothing between us."


    Her attitude was a little different. It looked like she didn''t like Julie''s question. After all, this morning, the paparazzi had taken a photo of Jack and Scarlett coming out of a community. The way they walked out seemed intimate. If they had begun living together, it would only be a matter of days before they got married.


    ''Marriage!'' Rachel thought. She didn''t think the thought of Jack marrying another girl would pain her so much.


    But obviously, that wouldn''t change anything. What she felt didn''t matter to him. As soon as he divorced her, he would marry Scarlett.


    As the days went, their union was getting shorter and shorter. He would soon become her ex-husband.


    Julie picked up the fruit tray and the empty glass on the table and said in a low voice,


    he caught the wall for support. Before he left the room, he turned around and spat, "You are not Rachel. You can never be Rachel!"


    After saying that, he left. Going to the living room, lay on the sofa and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.


    Scarlett followed him out. Looking at him sleep, she clutched tightly on her chest. What happened now had left her feeling humiliated.


    Last time, he wasn''t drunk and he pushed her away. This time, he was out of his mind, yet he wouldn''t sleep with her. ''Why can''t he love me when I love him so much?'' she thought, crying about her misfortune.


    Every time, he would compare her to Rachel. Wasn''t she nothing in comparison to Rachel?


    At first, Scarlett felt lucky that her face was similar to that of Rachel. But now, she realized it wasn''t a blessing but a curse. Her face wouldn''t give her the license to his heart.


    If anything, her face would only remind him more of Rachel. It would be a constant reminder of the fact she wasn''t Rachel.


    ''I curse Rachel! I wish she hadn''t existed!'' she screamed in her heart. She had never hated anyone in her life the way she hated Rachel.


    She went back to her room, but couldn''t fall asleep. Taking her pillow and blanket, she came to the living room and sat down on the floor. As time went by, her hatred for Rachel intensified.


    Jack was awakened by the excruciating pain in his temples. When he opened his eyes and saw Scarlett on the floor, the memories of last night came rushing back.


    He couldn''t get up with her on the floor. Nudging on her shoulder, he ordered, "Wake up." His voice was bereft of any emotions.

 Chapter 438 Treated As A Fool

    Scarlett sleepily opened and rubbed her eyes. Upon getting up, she realized that Jack was looking at her with a frown on his face. She reached out to touch his temple.


    The moment that she moved, Jack took a step back. His frown turned into a look of pure disgust. She sneered, "Do you really hate me that much? If that''s the case, why do you even want me to be with you?"


    The lines on Jack''s face deepened. However, he was not in the mood to stand there and listen to her nonsense.


    He was heading to the bathroom when Scarlett grabbed him by the arm. Tears were streaming down her face. She demanded hysterically, "How come you never touch me even when you''re drunk? What on earth do you want me to do, Jack?"


    Before she could even finish talking, he produced a wallet from his pocket. He took out a bank card from it and handed it to her. "It''s all yours. The password is the same as last time. I don''t want to hear this nonsense anymore!"


    It was happening all over again!


    He behaved just like he had the last time. Still, Scarlett took the card. She tightened her hold on it, and the pain felt good.


    In the cafe, Kailey had already found a seat. As soon as she spotted Scarlett, she raised her hand to call her attention. "Scarlett, here!" she called out to her cousin, who immediately approached.


    She glanced at the menu, then turned it over and slid it across the table. Smiling, she said, "I don''t know what you want, so I haven''t ordered yet."


    Scarl


    ower her voice as they were in a public place. Instead, she spoke so loudly that it seemed as though she was afraid that others couldn''t hear her. "Today, I told my cousin that the goods that I need cost five hundred thousand dollars. She told me she would give me the money tomorrow. I can use so much of it on myself!"


    The two ladies walked away, and their voices faded with them.


    Rachel stood still in front of the fridge, still holding the box of pork. She frowned tightly.


    Julie, who had been staying nearby, had also heard everything. She set the shopping cart to the side and walked up to Rachel. "Miss, should we inform Mr. Fu?"


    "Let''s talk about it when he comes back."


    Rachel was a little hesitant. She didn''t know if speaking up made her the villain.


    After all, everyone knew that Scarlett meant a lot to Jack. It seemed that he valued her even more than he had valued Celine.


    Rachel smiled wryly. She thought that it was rather unnecessary for her to meddle. After all, money was nothing to Jack.


    After the long walk back from the supermarket, Rachel''s legs felt sore. She went straight to her room and planned to get some rest. She found herself picking up her phone and putting it back down. She had not made up her mind about possibly telling Jack about what she had heard at the supermarket.


    On the one hand, she didn''t want to meddle in other people''s business; on the other hand, she really didn''t want Jack to be played like a fool.

 Chapter 439 The New CEO

    In her heart, Rachel knew that Jack was not a fool, nor was he a person who let other people do whatever they wanted no matter how wrong. Why did other people''s impression of him change completely, then?


    Rachel felt uneasy thinking about this matter.


    After several long moments of second-guessing herself, she dialed Jack''s number. Unexpectedly, the call was answered soon after the first ring by a gentle, feminine voice.


    Scarlett glanced at the closed bathroom door, through which the sound of water could be heard. On the other side of that door, Jack was taking a shower.


    Jack usually brought his mobile phone with him when he took a shower. Today, however, he left the phone on the bed. She heard the phone vibrate when she entered the room and was about to give him the phone when she saw Rachel''s name on the screen. Her mind suddenly formulated some mischief.


    Jack''s phone in hand, she stepped out of the room and said in a shy voice, "Jack''s in the bathroom taking a shower. Do you want to leave a message for him? I can pass it on once he''s done."


    At the sound of that sweet voice, Rachel couldn''t say a word. She hung up the phone. With a bitter smile on her face, she berated herself for having free time to worry about someone else''s business.


    Scarlett heard the beep signaling the end of a call and smiled smugly. It was about time for Jack to be done with his shower, so she deleted the call log from the phone and placed it back to its original position


    ore never to interfere in other peoples'' lives. Why was she going against that principle now?


    ''Is it true that she and Jimmy...?''


    At this thought, Jack slapped his palm against his chair''s arm, startling the people who were chatting with each other. They all turned around and looked at him with varying degrees of puzzlement.


    Jack took a deep breath and stood up. "Some matters require my attention. I''ll leave first."


    The driver, who had been waiting in the car for the party to finish, saw that Jack came back after a short time. "Mr. Fu, where are we headed to next?" he asked.


    "The electric appliance store at No. 883, East Ring Road!"


    Rachel saved several files and was about to turn off the computer when her phone suddenly vibrated. She saw an unidentified number onscreen, so she hesitated for a few rings before answering the call.


    "Hello, am I speaking with Gary Yang''s family?"


    "No,"


    Rachel answered truthfully. "What''s going on?"


    The person on the other end of the line said, "I''m sorry, I must have called the wrong number."


    Afraid that the woman was going to cut the call, Rachel said to gain back her attention, "You didn''t call me wrong. I may not be Gary''s relative, but I''m his friend. Who am I speaking with?"


    "This is Gary''s head teacher. I called because he got into a fight with another child earlier. I tried contacting his father, but no one picked up. Gary gave me this number and told me to ask you to come to the school."

 Chapter 440 Let Them Solve Their Own Problems

    ''Fight?''


    After thinking about it for a while, Rachel decided to take a taxi to Garry''s school. When she arrived at the teacher''s office, she saw Gary and another child standing aside, with their heads facing towards the wall. She got a glimpse of their faces. Even from far, she could spot wounds. But fortunately, it wasn''t that bad.


    Just then, a teacher came over. "Are you Gary''s friend?"


    "Yes," Rachel said with a smile. Seeing the stern look on the teacher''s face, she asked, "Why did Gary fight with that child? What''s the reason for the row?"


    The teacher raised the corners of her mouth and let out a helpless sigh. "They had both gone out to play basketball. That boy''s personality is very aggressive, so they ended up fighting."


    Rachel''s eyes once again went back to the kids. She noticed Gary and the child were moving, gradually closing their distance. Soon, they were standing close to each other. With their heads lowered, they seemed to be whispering something.


    Rachel couldn''t help laughing. "I''m sorry to trouble you," she said to the teacher apologetically.


    "It doesn''t matter. All I do here school is take care of these children." The teacher called Gary''s name and called him over. Then she looked at Rachel and said, "I''ve just taken them to the school infirmary. They are okay and the wounds will heal soon. Don''t worry."


    After saying thanks, Rachel walked out of the school with Gary. When she hailed a taxi, she asked, "Are you going home or do you want me to take you to your fathe


    to her and said, "Great! You''re finally here."


    Rachel frowned and asked, "What''s wrong? Don''t keep me in suspense. I am extremely worried."


    A while ago she had received a call from Henry. However, he didn''t give her any details. Instead, he informed her that Lea was in the hospital and pleaded her to come. On the way, she had prayed for Lea, hoping it wasn''t something bad.


    Henry sighed helplessly and said, "I didn''t know what''s wrong with her. She retched two times. I was afraid that something might happen to her, so I brought her to the hospital. Now they told me she is pregnant."


    "That''s a good new!" Rachel was relieved. "Then why don''t you go into the consulting room? Why are you standing outside?"


    Henry scratched his forehead and said, "We just had a fight, and now she''s still angry. I don''t think she will talk to me."


    ''Oh Henry! You called me for this silly reason. I thought something big had happened!'' she thought in her mind. This couple fought constantly. Rachel wondered when they would grow up and act like adults. Looking up, she realized Henry was waiting for an answer. She nodded and gently pushed the door of the emergency room open. As soon as she entered, Lea flung a pillow at her. She took it steadily and pretended to be angry. "Are you trying to hurt me, Lea? That''s very mean considering I am pregnant."


    Lea, who had thrown it thinking it was Henry, was now stunned. "Hey, when did you come here? I didn''t know it was you. I am so sorry," she said, sitting up straight.

 Chapter 441 Saw Through At One Glance

    Rachel walked to the bedside. She put the pillow aside and smiled, "You''re pregnant. Why are you still so angry? When I came in just now, I saw the grievance on Henry''s face."


    "Grievance?" Lea repeated in disbelief and curled her lips. Pretending to stretch her neck, she faced the door and asked in a loud voice, "How could a selfish person show his grievance?"


    Rachel wasn''t sure what to feel with that. Should she laugh or cry? She held her hand and said, "What did he do? How could he be selfish?"


    "I just asked him something about Jack. He said it was your business and that I should stay out of it. Well, what are friends for? How can I just sit by and do nothing at this time?" Lea rambled angrily, only realizing that she might have crossed a line when she noticed Rachel''s expression suddenly darkening.


    She was remorseful for the slip up and it showed on her face. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Rachel, I just said it casually. Don''t take it to heart."


    Smiling lightly, Rachel reached for her bag and took out a box of chocolates. She gave it to Rita who was listening to them even though she couldn''t understand what the adults were saying. She warmly looked at the child and told her, "Rita, go to your dad. I have something to tell your mom."


    "Why? Can''t I stay and listen?" She curiously looked at Rachel with her round eyes.


    Rachel moved closer and stroked Rita''s soft hair. "You can listen to it when you grow up. It''s not the time yet."


    "But when will I grow up?" Rita asked again, holding the


    But Rachel didn''t reply. She lowered her head and began organizing the things she would send to Lea.


    Hearing the commotion, Julie went to her room and brought out the box. She explained hurriedly, "The courier sent it here yesterday. I thought it was for Miss Shen so I opened it."


    Hearing that she took the blame, Rachel looked at her with gratitude. Julie saved her.


    "Since you already opened it, forget it. Just throw it away."


    Rachel couldn''t help but sneer when she heard his words. "Jack, you''re not young anymore. It''s about time you stop doing such boring and childish things."


    It was like something shifted. Her words made the air a little stiff.


    Rachel picked up her bag and walked away without looking back.


    Jack''s face suddenly grew dim. He threw the box angrily. He actually bought this pajama on purpose just to irritate Rachel.


    His heart became full of resentment when he saw her standing next to Jimmy. He didn''t know what was going on. All he knew was he was so mad that he became irrational. He couldn''t think straight so he did such a thing! But what made him more embarrassed was that Rachel saw through his actions.


    Julie was startled. She looked at the destroyed box with her eyes wide open in shock.


    After signing in for duty and informing her colleagues, Rachel went to Lea''s ward. Lea ordered Henry to pack up while leaning against the bed. She scolded him from time to time, but he didn''t argue back. He just continued on gathering their things instead of defending himself.

 Chapter 442 Cancelled Operation

    Rachel chuckled. "Lea, when have you become so hot-tempered?"


    "Look at him. What things can he do on his own?" Lea said defensively. The corners of her mouth twitched in annoyance.


    Rachel handed the freshly-washed apple to her and said, "Okay, eat an apple and calm down. Henry doesn''t usually do these things and he won''t get used to it if you let him do it just once or twice. Your nagging won''t do any good."


    Hearing what Rachel said, Henry turned around and looked at her with gratitude. With a faint smile on her face, Rachel took out some things from the bag and put them in front of Lea. "These are for you. They are good for the baby."


    "Rachel, what do you want me to say? How could you be so considerate?" Tears welled up in Lea''s eyes. She reached out to grab Rachel''s hand and sobbed, as if she was going to cry out the next second. She felt overjoyed by Rachel''s kind gesture.


    "It''s not a big deal," Rachel assured Lea. "Besides, I didn''t buy these especially for you. They are just my leftovers. It''s a waste to throw them at home. I''d rather give them to you as a gift."


    The joke made Lea snort. After wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked at Rachel and Henry with a small smile that broke through her face.


    In the early stages of pregnancy, different women have different symptoms. For Lea, her emotions were heightened and she had a hard time controlling them.


    They were packing her things up when Rachel''s phone suddenly rang.


    She saw Jimmy''s name on the screen. The call was out of the blue, unless something bad happened and it was an emergency. She excused herself, stepped outside the ward and answered.


    e? Can you have a chat with me?"


    Jack didn''t know what say to her. She was being her unusual self. She knew that Jack was not into these small chats.


    He took her hand off and went straight back to his room. The photo of Rachel on the bedside table was very conspicuous. He did not even try to hide it from Scarlett.


    The next day, after her rounds, Rachel said goodbye to her colleagues and went out of work. She went to the coffee shop that Jack and her agreed to meet at, ordered a cup of water and sat quietly for a long time. She waited for him for a while. Suddenly a man walked towards her. She thought Jack would face her, she didn''t expect that he would send Austin instead.


    He scratched his hair and looked a little embarrassed. "Miss Shen, Mr. Fu has something urgent to deal with, so he asked me to come here first."


    "Well, when will he come?" Rachel lowered her eyes to hide her disappointment.


    Austin curved his lips and replied, "I don''t know."


    In fact, Jack didn''t have anything urgent to do at all. Thinking of it now, Austin still felt regretful that he shouldn''t have chosen that time to enter Jack''s office.


    At that time, seeing that there was nothing else at hand, Austin wanted to skip work and go home to have a rest. So he knocked on the door of Jack''s office and asked, "Mr. Fu, I''ve finished the important tasks for today. Can I get off work earlier today?"


    "What are you going to do after work?" Jack looked up at him.


    Austin laughed. "I''m going home to play games."


    ''To play games...''


    The pen rotated in Jack''s hand for a few times. He frowned and said, "Then you can help me with something."

 Chapter 443 Join The Company

    Austin thought that it was something simple, so he didn''t think about it too much. He didn''t expect that the task assigned to him was to meet Rachel.


    From time to time, Austin would look up at Rachel and then down at the coffee in front of him, sipping once or twice from his cup. He didn''t know what to say at all, and the atmosphere around him became a little tense and awkward.


    As time passed, the customers in the cafe had already left one after another. Seeing that the two of them had been sitting silently for quite some time, the waiter came up to them and politely asked, "Hello, would you like another cup of coffee? You''ve been here for a while, so your coffee must be cold by now."


    "No, thanks." Since Rachel couldn''t drink coffee, she ordered a cup of warm water, which was similarly cold as Austin''s own drink.


    She turned her head and looked at the lamp posts flanking both sides of the street. She smiled and said, "Austin, I''m sorry to keep you here for so long. Let''s have dinner one of these days. I have to go."


    "Okay." Austin didn''t know what his boss was up to, but Jack expressly told Austin that he couldn''t say anything before he set out to do his task. He felt uneasy about the entire thing.


    Rachel stood up to leave right after settling the bill. She couldn''t believe how stupid she had been.


    When Austin had appeared, she should have guessed that Jack wouldn''t come. Why in the world did she spend so much time at the coffee shop waiting for someone who didn''t intend to appear? She looked like a


    er know."


    Just as she finished these words, bile came up to her mouth again. With a hand clamped over her mouth, Rachel rose to her feet to head back to the bathroom. The room suddenly swirled around her, and her body was shaking. Julie immediately reached out to support her and walked her to the bathroom. Rachel clutched both sides of the wash basin to support herself.


    She had already digested her lunch and had nothing but milk since then. She had also thrown it up earlier. She stood hunched over the wash basin, and nothing else was coming out.


    Dry heaving was even more uncomfortable.


    Rachel''s pale face had become flushed, alarming Julie. She stepped out of the bathroom and took out her phone to call the family doctor, but nobody answered it after a long time.


    She could still hear Rachel pitifully heaving. Before she could think of her actions, Julie had already dialed Jack''s number.


    At that time, Jack and Scarlett were on their way out of the community.


    Full of excitement, Scarlett sat in the car, straightened her dress, and flashed Jack a happy smile. "The wedding is being held at the hotel. Let''s go there now."


    "Okay." Jack nodded his head, and then leaned back and closed his eyes.


    Inside the car, only the sound of quiet music wafting from the speakers could be heard. Suddenly, Jack''s ringtone sharply broke the relative quiet. When he saw the number on the screen, he answered the call without hesitation. "What''s the matter?"


    After a few moments, he said, "Okay, I''ll be right there."

 Chapter 444 Come Back In A Hurry

    After saying just a few words, Jack hung up the phone. His face suddenly looked stern as he patted the driver''s seat and said anxiously, "Stop the car right now."


    Scarlett, who was sitting beside him, vaguely heard the word "Miss" during his conversation on the phone. She had a bad feeling about it. And before she could even react, she heard Jack''s cold voice. "Get out of the car now and take a taxi going there. I have something important to deal with."


    "What happened? I''ll go with you," Scarlett said, unwilling to give up.


    "No need," Jack replied with a frown. Seeing that she hadn''t moved yet, he got out of the car and turned to the other side. After opening the door, he pulled her out quickly and got back in.


    His car then drove away in a flash.


    Scarlett stood on the roadside alone, wearing only a black off-shoulder dress. Her bag and coat were left in the car. Good thing she was always holding her phone, so it was with her.


    When the cold wind blew, she shivered. Her face flushed with anger now. She gritted her teeth as she stared at the direction where the car had just disappeared.


    It must be Rachel. Only Rachel''s phone call could make Jack that anxious and leave her out of nowhere unhesitatingly.


    It took her a lot of effort to convince Jack to attend the wedding with her. But in the end, she was only abandoned halfway. Rachel always ruined her plans.


    The intense jealousy that Scarlett felt was like a venom that spiked her heart. She curled up on the ground, wanting to scream or beat someon


    e happened to enter the bedroom with a bowl of porridge she had just made. Subconsciously, she walked lightly, poked her head on the bed, and asked in a low voice, "Has Miss Shen fallen asleep?"


    "Yes." Only in a time like this that Jack could look at Rachel unscrupulously.


    He reached out his hand and gently stroked her forehead, trying to smooth the wrinkles on it. But when his fingertips touched her face, her eyelids moved as if she was about to wake up. Frightened, he quickly withdrew his hand.


    Julie put the tray on the bedside table and said softly, "She hasn''t slept well these past few days. She often wakes up around three in the morning and walks back and forth in her room."


    "Why?" Jack turned to look at Julie.


    Julie pointed at Rachel''s swollen belly and answered, "This usually happens in the later stage of pregnancy. Her big belly makes her uncomfortable to sleep."


    Jack stared at Rachel with a frown but said nothing. His deep-set black eyes were full of pity and reluctance.


    Julie didn''t want to disturb the moment that they were finally together, so she picked up the tray and said, "I''ll just bring the porridge back downstairs. I''ll reheat it when Miss Shen wakes up."


    Sleeping soundly, Rachel was not aware that Jack and Julie had talked so much. In her sleep, she was gently floating in the air. But after a while, she got so tired that she wanted to go down. She wanted to find a place where she could lie steadily. However, no matter how hard she tried to land on the ground, it was useless.

 Chapter 445 Hes Back

    Rachel felt like she was slowly carried by the wind to a strange place. She landed in a small room where a lot of people gathered. Lea and Henry were there. Jonathan and Tracy, together with James, were also there. Aside from them, there were also other people that she knew. It seemed that everyone who became a part of her life gathered in this room today.


    She called out their names, but every time she opened her mouth, there was no voice coming out. All of them seemed not to notice her presence in the room. They continued to chat with each other, completely ignoring her.


    All of a sudden, the door opened.


    A man and a woman, together with a little boy between them, walked in. Although she couldn''t see their faces clearly, she could tell that the boy''s height reached the woman''s waist.


    As soon as Jonathan saw them, a bright smile appeared on his face. He waved at the little boy and said, "Come to Grandpa."


    Rachel was stunned upon hearing what Jonathan said.


    Since the boy was his grandson, it meant that he was Jack''s child.


    She suddenly got curious


    who could his wife be.


    She strode across the room to get closer to them. But when she got near them, she still couldn''t see both the little boy''s and the woman''s faces clearly.


    With a bitter smile on her face, she suddenly realized that it wasn''t necessary to see their faces. Whoever the woman was had nothing to do with he


    ss? He must have finally realized that nothing compares to a real family. Just ignore him."


    While reading Lea''s messages, Rachel could imagine her best friend''s facial expression while typing those words. She couldn''t help chuckling. Her gloomy mood suddenly turned bright.


    Earlier, she was really wondering why Jack had suddenly come back. But now, she realized that it wasn''t worth her time and energy.


    To stop thinking about it too much, she decided to change the topic by asking Lea''s physical condition.


    Kailey was about to ring the doorbell when she noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Thinking that there might be some robbers inside, she nervously pushed it open.


    She went to the kitchen to look for something she could use as a weapon. But she was surprised to see Scarlett on the floor like a puppet with a pair of dull eyes. She screamed and rushed over.


    Scarlett was still wearing the same black dress she wore yesterday, so Kailey got more worried. "Scarlett, did you drink too much last night? Have you just woken up?"


    Scarlett didn''t answer. Even the expression on her face didn''t change. She was still looking at the emptiness.


    This time, Kailey felt more scared. She shook Scarlett''s shoulders and called her name several times. It was only then that Scarlett came to her senses. She wiped her face carelessly and pretended that nothing happened. "Why are you here?"

 Chapter 446 Where Are You Now

    Seeing that Scarlett had returned to normal, Kailey breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking about the reason why she came here today, she said, "You know, Scarlett, our bar has been open for a week and is doing quite well. We have already started thinking about opening a branch. Would you like to invest more money?"


    "I don''t have any money," Scarlett said in a cold voice.


    This struck Kailey as comical. As if she had heard a funny joke, she began to laugh. Composing herself, she said, "Come on now, how come you don''t have any money? If you ever run out of money, you can always ask Jack for it. You have to seize this opportunity and make more money. This is the only way for us to become rich. And besides, even if you marry a rich man, you should have a career of your own. Be smart, Scarlett. Secure your future!"


    These words were like needles that successfully stabbed Scarlett''s heart. But she wouldn''t show her vulnerable side to her cousin. Biting her lower lip, she said, "I don''t need a secure future. I just want back the money I have invested in your bar. I will take that and leave."


    Seeing the startled look on Kailey''s face, she continued, "Didn''t you say that you''re making a profit already? You could start paying me back with that money. If not the full amount, at least give me half of it now."


    As soon as Kailey realized that Scarlett was serious about not giving her more, she rose to her feet. With her hands on her head, she cried and begged, "But I need that amount for other things. For example, I have to pay the workers. It isn''t possible for me to give it to you now."


    "Kailey, you must have money with you. Give me some money first," S


    ed to tell Julie to keep our conversations a secret, '' Rachel thought with some annoyance.


    Jack wouldn''t keep the phone. He asked, "Where are you now?"


    Rachel lied, "I''m having a meeting outside."


    But as soon as Rachel said that, Jack''s smiling face appeared before her. Out of shock, she nearly dropped the phone. "So is this where you are having the meeting?" he asked.


    Behind him, she caught sight of Marcus. Rachel understood what was going on. Instead of panicking, she calmed down and said, "I''m going to have a meeting in about ten minutes."


    "But I just called your director and asked for leave for you." Jack shook his phone in his hand.


    "You!" Rachel opened her eyes wide. "Stop bothering me!"


    "I am sorry, but I just can''t do that." Jack shrugged his shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. Seeing Celia and Marcus walking towards them, he quickly put his hand on her waist. Flashing them a smile, he whispered into Rachel''s ear, "If you don''t want your friends to worry about you, then you should look happy, understand?"


    ''Shit! How dare he threaten me!'' But Rachel stopped struggling.


    Deep down she knew he had a point. If Celia noticed something, she would instantly pass the information to Lea. Since Lea was pregnant, it wasn''t right for her to be stressed. If something happened to the baby in her belly, Rachel wouldn''t be able to forgive herself.


    Holding Marcus'' arm, Celia walked over. She had a big smile plastered on her face. Her earlier look of worry was replaced with confidence. When she was with Marcus, all her worries disappeared. "Rachel, Marcus and I are leaving, we still have something to do."


    "Okay, see you."

 Chapter 447 Assembling The Baby Bed

    Rachel''s watchful eyes followed their retreating backs, and once they were far enough for her comfort, she stepped to the side and shook off Jack''s hand. "You can go shopping by yourself. I''m going home."


    "Where''s the fun of shopping alone? Besides, if the baby knows that we brought the baby bed together, it would be really happy." Jack took advantage of the silence before Rachel could even try to refute him, and grasped her hand firmly again. Giving her much slimmer hand a warm squeeze, he led them towards the baby-care shop located downstairs.


    Such displays were very much in line with Jack''s character. He was the type of person who would never be bothered by stretches of awkward silences and judgmental glances. Even if Rachel kept her silence the entire day, he would find it easy to keep the one-sided conversation going.


    Feeling a prickle of annoyance rush through her at Jack''s actions, Rachel rolled her eyes. But when he saw, the edges of his lips tilted upwards in the form of a gentle smile and the fondness in his eyes only increased in intensity. There were no traces of anger towards her eye-rolling. "I want the baby to listen to its father''s voice more, so that it can recognize me the moment it is born."


    The minute Jack finished talking, a voice as clear as a summer day''s stream pierced through the white noise of the chattering crowd. It was a sweet reprieve from the graceless voices that surrounded them, and when Rachel located the source of the voice, she saw Scarlett rushing down the escalator. Her clothes billowed in the breeze in her haste of trying to get to the pair. Upon reaching them, Scarlett wrapped her hands around Jack''s arm in a death-like grip. "Jack, what are you doing here? Are you here to look for me?"


    "Get off!" Jack didn''t expect to bump into Scarlett during his trip to the mall with Rachel. Unease caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up, vigilant against Scarlett''s approach. He took a cautionary glance at Rachel subconsciously and averted his eyes quickly. The cogs in his head were whirring rapidly, trying to think of a solution out of the current sticky situation. He had seen the sliver of disgust in Rachel''s eyes, her gaze fixed at t


    don''t have to do it yourself."


    "But it''s more meaningful to do it by myself, isn''t it?" Affected by the gentleness of their exchange, Jack''s hand rose without his command and habitually tried to tuck Rachel''s hair behind her ear.


    As soon as Jack reached out his hand, Rachel''s eyes swept over him. Their eyes met and he subconsciously withdrew his hand, lowering it to rest beside his hips. He wiped at his trousers awkwardly as silence ensued between them, feeling very much like a pupil who was caught red-handed by the teacher for doing something wrong. He explained in embarrassment, "My hand is a little dirty just now, so..."


    Seeing the embarrassment on his face, she gave him a nod and left. To her surprise, she received a call from Jimmy. "Rachel, do you have time to have a drink with me? I have something to tell you."


    "What is it? Can''t you tell me on the phone?" Rachel asked.


    Jimmy gave a light chuckle. Even though he wasn''t in front of her, she could clearly feel his good mood from the phone call. "Of course I can say it on the phone," he answered, "but I want to express my gratitude to you face to face."


    "Express your gratitude?" Rachel echoed with a frown on her face.


    Although Jimmy had clarified that the incident last time had nothing to do with Rachel, since then, she could sense a trace of emotion from him. When she was in front of him, his attitude towards her was neither cold nor warm.


    Rachel wasn''t stupid, so she naturally felt it.


    But today, it was completely different.


    A wide smile stretched across Jimmy''s lips, although Rachel couldn''t see it. "Yesterday, Jared gave me another call and signed a new contract with me. He said that he would sell electric appliances to us at the cost price, and it''s a contract of ten years. This time, with the contract in hand, they won''t be able to pull out of this at all. I know that you must have been pulling some strings with it the entire time."


    Upon hearing what Jimmy said, Rachel couldn''t help but blink in confusion. After finding out that it was Jack who was behind this, she hadn''t had any contact with Jared.


    She knew if she went to ask Jared for help, she would only be piling the pressure on him.

 Chapter 448 Please Give Jack Back To Me

    Rachel was surprised to hear that Jared had agreed to sign the contract with Jimmy again. Did Jack change his mind?


    She turned her head subconsciously and looked at the next room.


    Jimmy waited for a long time, but Rachel didn''t say anything, so he said, "Do you have something else to do? If you are busy now, I won''t disturb you. I will just come to visit you next time to thank you in person."


    "Okay." Rachel hung up in a hurry. She had to ask Jack to confirm her hunch.


    Jack put the hammer down on the floor and rubbed his finger. He lowered his head to check on it, and he saw that it got blackened after being hit by the hammer just now. But when he heard some footsteps approaching, he hid his hand as if nothing had happened. Seeing Rachel at the door, he asked, "What''s up?"


    "Did you ask Jared to collaborate with Jimmy again?"


    He was a little stunned. "You already know?"


    "Yes. Jimmy called and told me just now."


    "I got too impulsive before, and I know I was wrong. I just hope it didn''t cause too much trouble for Jimmy. If you have some free time, please help me apologize to him."


    His words made her feel a little confused. There was a surprised look on her face. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "But why did you suddenly ask Jared to collaborate with Jimmy again?"


    Although she asked, Rachel could already guess roughly the reason.


    "


    said madly, "I''ve already registered your name downstairs for an abortion. It''s time now, so you must come with me. I''ve heard that you are six months pregnant now. Don''t worry. It won''t hurt. After they injected you with anesthesia, you won''t feel anything. You will recover very soon."


    She then laughed like crazy. Looking at her expression, Rachel couldn''t help trembling. She started to feel scared.


    Out of nervousness, Rachel dialed Jack''s number in secret. But since she couldn''t look down on her phone to check, she wasn''t sure if the call got connected or not. She pretended to look brave as she roared, "Scarlett, this baby is mine. You have no right to force me to have an abortion."


    Jack answered his phone as soon as he heard it ring and saw Rachel''s name on the screen. And he was startled by what he heard.


    ''Scarlett? Abortion?''


    If Scarlett came to see Rachel, the latter must be in danger.


    He hurriedly turned the steering wheel and drove to the hospital. His heart was beating abnormally fast as he kept on muttering, "Rachel, just hang on there. I''m coming."


    Rachel clenched the phone in her hand tightly. Although she wasn''t sure if her call got connected, she somehow felt relieved. While waiting for someone to rescue her, she tried to divert Scarlett''s attention. "Scarlett, the baby is innocent. Let''s talk things over. Calm down first, okay?"

 Chapter 449 Where Is My Baby

    "Talk? What else do you want to talk about?" Scarlett''s eyes became more ferocious. She was already panting in rage. "Do you know what my parents did to me? They forced me to be with Jack so they could pay their debts. But now that Jack has abandoned me because of you, no one would give me money anymore. My father started to hit me since I couldn''t give them money any longer. Look at these bruises when he hit me last night."


    She rolled up her sleeves and showed Rachel the red marks that were still swollen.


    Rachel was slightly taken aback. It never occurred to her that Scarlett was experiencing such a thing. But for the time being, she had no time to sympathize with Scarlett.


    She said slowly, "If it''s all about money, we can easily solve it. Let me go, and I''ll write a check for you. You can then take it to your father so he can pay all his debts."


    But what she said didn''t bring any good at all. Scarlett suddenly yelled, "Are you trying to show off your wealth in front of me? I don''t want your money. It''s nothing compared to being with Jack. He is the CEO of MK Group. If I become his wife, I can be wealthier than you. But that will only happen if I get rid of your baby."


    Scarlett might have totally lost her mind.


    Rachel didn''t expect that she couldn''t lure her. Scarlett was so determined to get rid of her baby.


    Jack stepped on the accelerator and drove as fast as he could. But as soon as he reached a viaduct, he was blocked. He had no


    ved, and her uterus had to be removed.


    At that moment, he wished that he could tear Scarlett apart. But then, he also couldn''t help blaming himself.


    No matter how angry he got, he shouldn''t have resorted to finding another woman to provoke Rachel. Because of what he did, a lot of bad things had already happened to her.


    He kicked the wall hard and growled, "I''m such a bastard!"


    "That''s enough!" Henry grabbed his arm to stop him. "I don''t know what really happened between you and Scarlett. But now that you want to fix things between you and Rachel, you have to start doing something. It''s not too late yet."


    Inside the ward, Rachel had gradually stopped crying. Her eyes were now red and swollen. Lea took a tissue and carefully wiped Rachel''s face. She then deliberately joked, "Since you have cried a lot, your child will also become a crybaby when it comes out. I''m sure you will get annoyed."


    "No, it won''t," Rachel retorted with a smile. Somehow, Lea''s words made her feel a bit better.


    Lea lifted the quilt and sat down on the edge of the bed. She held Rachel''s hand tightly and said, "Rachel, it''s all over now. Don''t think about it anymore. I know that Jack will protect you and your baby well from now on."


    With a bitter smile on her face, Rachel asked, "Protect me? Lea, I don''t want to put myself or my baby''s life in danger ever again. I just want to live peacefully with my baby."


    "What do you mean by that?" Lea asked, confused.

 Chapter 450 Please Dont Send Me Away

    Rachel said faintly, "You very well know what I am talking about, Lea."


    After a long while, Lea sighed and said in a low voice, "Let''s talk about it later. Now your priority is your health."


    Lea had to leave since she was pregnant too. Once she was sure Rachel was fine, she left. Jack came in again and stayed by her bed for the whole night.


    Rachel didn''t manage to have a peaceful sleep. She wanted to forget all about that incident. However, the second she closed her eyes, it would pop up before her eyes.


    Fear was like a net, not letting her get out of its grasp.


    With all these nightmares, she had a dreadful time trying to sleep. Once the nightmare would clutch her, she had difficulty waking up. By now, beads of sweat had formed on her face. Looking at Jack who sat nearby, she felt even more uncomfortable.


    ''Why did a good relationship have to turn out like this?'' she thought, feeling intense sadness.


    She swallowed the bile that formed up and hesitated for a few seconds. Clearing her throat, she said, "Jack, we should break up peacefully."


    Jack, who had dozed off, wiped his face and sat up straight. "Finally you are awake! Are you hungry now? I''m going to bring a towel and wipe your face. Julie will bring breakfast soon."


    One could easily tell he was avoiding speaking about divorce.


    Rachel lowered her eyes and said nothing.


    After a while, Jack came over with a towel in his hand. Rachel wanted to wipe it by herself, but he insisted he would do it. "It''s not convenient for you. Let me take care of you," he said.


    With the towel, he wi


    ned to Julie. She requested her to pack her things and went to get changed.


    The clothes she wore the day before were stained with blood and had already been dispensed into the trash can by Jack.


    As Julie packed her luggage, she asked uneasily, "Miss, do we need to call Mr. Fu and tell him that we are leaving?"


    "No, that won''t be required," said Rachel in a resolute voice.


    After dealing with Scarlett''s matter, Jack rushed back to the hospital. Once he reached there, he noticed they were gone. Now a nurse was changing the bed sheet. He frowned and asked, "Where is the patient?"


    "She has been discharged," the nurse answered him without raising her head.


    Jack hurriedly turned around and left. But when he was waiting for the elevator, a thought entered his mind. His concern for Rachel forced him to meet the doctor. "Doctor, I''m sorry to bother you but I have a question. I''m Rachel''s husband. Is there anything she has to pay special attention to at home?"


    "Achoo..."


    Rachel sneezed, her nose starting to feel like a little itchy. After this, she sneezed three more times in a row. Julie, who had been busily taking things to the room, came to an abrupt halt. Putting them on the floor, she rushed to the kitchen and filled a glass with hot water. "Miss, did you catch a cold? Drink some hot water, that will help."


    Seeing how concerned Julie was, Rachel flashed her a smile. She motioned for Julie to sit near her. "I''m fine. I just have an itchy nose. You don''t have to worry. These are quite common. I don''t like to see you worry over small matters"

 Chapter 451 Ill Make You Change Your Mind

    "How can I not be nervous? How could that woman..." Julie stopped talking when she saw the expression on Rachel''s face change.


    She stood up again and said, "Miss, you didn''t eat anything at the hospital today. I''ll go and prepare some for you."


    Jack''s voice suddenly resounded from the door. "Let me do it, Julie. Please go and help Rachel up the stairs so she can take a rest."


    Jack came in with several bags in his hands. He shot a look full of adoration toward Rachel, who was seated on the sofa. "Let me guess¡ªyou''re probably craving a bowl of fish head soup right now, correct? I just bought some."


    Rachel was surprised at Jack''s insight, which made him guess correctly. Her expression a bit odd, she refused the offer. "No, you don''t need to¡ªI have no appetite."


    With a slight smile on his face, Jack headed straight for the kitchen and began to cook.


    Although Rachel remained aloof, her attitude right now was infinitely preferable to her leaving. Everything that had happened was his fault, so he deserved whatever treatment Rachel saw fit.


    He screwed up, and so he would do everything to make amends, even if it took begging on his knees for forgiveness for a thousand times.


    While waiting for the fish head soup to be ready, Jack sat at the table using his mobile phone to look up articles and references on caring for pregnant women. He jotted down everything he found of note on a piece of paper.


    Steam gradually began to escape from under t


    hearing her husband''s voice. She snorted and said, "I will never agree to that. Rachel doesn''t deserve to be your wife, and I don''t even know if the baby in her belly¡ª"


    Jack cut her off before she could finish the sentence. "Mom, Rachel has never done me any wrong. If anything, I am the one who doesn''t deserve her. I should be the one apologizing to her."


    Jack had never spoken so harshly to Tracy before. Her eyes widened in disbelief. After a while, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Are you saying that I''m wrong? Why am I being so persistent? I just want you to be happy in the future and have someone to take care of you."


    Jonathan''s face darkened at Tracy''s sobbing voice. "They are all adults, so let them make their own decisions on their own lives. We don''t need to worry about them!"


    "At that time, you were the one who decided Rachel and Jack''s marriage. Why can''t I make the same decision now?" Tracy retorted. Jack rubbed at his nose, struck speechless by the low blow.


    He picked up the walking stick on the side and sighed, "Whatever you want."


    Tracy sobbed and wiped the tears from her eyes. She grabbed Jack''s hand and entreated earnestly, "Jack, you must be sensible. I have lived longer than you, and I know how to read people through my experiences. I know who is suitable for you. I''m not saying that Rachel is a bad woman, but she is too cold and indifferent. Your wife should be someone who knows how to take care of you."

 Chapter 452 Nutritious Food

    Jack frowned. He had grown a little impatient, but he still let Tracy finish her words. He then said, "Mom, don''t think about it anymore. For me, there is only one person in the world who suits me the most, and that is Rachel."


    "Son, why don''t you listen to me? I''m telling you, if you send Scarlett away and insist on being with Rachel, then you can forget that I am your mother." Tracy glared at him and turned around. With a sullen pout, she crossed her arms on her chest.


    She knew that Jack had always been a filial son. If she pretended to disown him, he would have no choice but to give in.


    But she forgot that Jack''s so-called "submission" always came with a defined purpose.


    "Mom, if you really can''t accept Rachel and won''t treat her well in the future, I''m afraid that this will be the last time I''ll come here and call you my mother."


    "What?" Tracy turned to look at Jack in disbelief. Fear surged up in her heart as she met his deep-set black eyes. Hoping that she just misheard him, she asked again, "Jack, what did you say just now?"


    Jack gently patted her shoulder. This time, his voice calmed down. "Mom, I love Rachel. She''s the only one I want to be my wife. If you want me to be alone for the rest of my life, it''s up to you. You can do whatever you want."


    His message was clear. He wouldn''t want any other woman except Rachel.


    Seeing his firm attitude, Tracy was silent for a moment. After a while, she sighed slightly.


    S


    h burst into laughter.


    The fish vendor scratched the back of his head shyly and continued, "But young man, my wife was not too picky compared to other pregnant women. What happened to me was not the most difficult a husband could experience when his wife is pregnant."


    Jack was a little stunned.


    It didn''t seem to happen to Rachel ever since she got pregnant.


    Whatever Julie prepared on the dining table, she never complained. If she didn''t like the food, she would still take a bite or two. Jack had never heard her demand anything she wanted to eat.


    He smiled awkwardly and said, "Maybe my wife hasn''t reached that stage yet."


    "Or maybe you just don''t know because you''ve never cared about her at all." Jonathan''s words made him speechless.


    Because of what happened to Rachel''s parents, they got separated. When he finally got her back, she was already three months pregnant.


    And since he paid more attention to his own emotions, he ignored her pregnancy. He got busy messing up with Scarlett to provoke her. Thinking about it now, Jack felt remorseful and blamed himself.


    Rachel had been waiting for a while at home, but Jonathan hadn''t shown up yet. She began to feel worried. Since it was his first time to go to a food market, she couldn''t help thinking that something bad might have happened to him.


    After all, the market was always chaotic. Jonathan wouldn''t be able to move fast with his walking stick, and he might get hurt.

 Chapter 453 Tracy Realized Her Mistakes

    The more Rachel thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. She couldn''t sit still any longer, so she stood up to take a look. Suddenly, her doorbell rang. She opened the door and saw a black car coming in from the outside and being parked in the yard.


    Rachel was about to call Jonathan, but to her surprise, it was Tracy who came to visit.


    Rachel was at a loss for words. After she overcame her shock, she exclaimed, "Mom, what are you doing here?"


    "I came here to see you." Tracy glanced at her and then opened the car door to take out several shopping bags.


    Rachel reached out her hand and said, "Let me take them."


    "No, that''s okay." Tracy refused her offer for help, gesturing at the sofa instead. "Just sit there. You are pregnant, so you shouldn''t be doing these things. Besides, they''re not really that heavy."


    Her attitude was totally different from before.


    Stunned by the solicitous remarks, Rachel fell silent, her mouth twitching. Tracy''s attitude towards her and her doubting words while Jack was still in the hospital were still vivid in Rachel''s mind, as if they had just happened yesterday.


    What brought about this 180-degree change in attitude? Rachel was an incredibly witty person, but even she didn''t know how to react at that moment.


    Tracy placed the bags on the table and started taking out stuff from them. She presented her haul to Rachel as if offering a tribute. "I went to the mall just now and bought a lot of clothes for the baby. I don''t know whe


    rner of her mouth.


    A trace of embarrassment flashed across Rachel''s face. She frowned and said, "Give it to me. I can do it myself."


    "Just sit back and enjoy it," Jack teasingly replied with a chuckle.


    "But¡ª" Tracy interrupted Rachel before she could say another word. "Just enjoy it. When you are pregnant, you are the boss, and you should let Jack do everything."


    "Exactly," Jack echoed, nodding his head wisely. He crumpled the tissue that he had just used to wipe Rachel''s mouth, threw it into the trash can under the table, and said casually, "Dad, Mom, there are only two of you at home. From now on, you''re welcome to come here for dinner whenever you like."


    Jack guessed that Rachel wouldn''t want to go to the Fu family house, but she had no reason to refuse to let them come here.


    Moreover, with Jonathan and Tracy constantly around, he wouldn''t have to bear Rachel''s stony silence and cold face.


    Jonathan had already guessed what was on Jack''s mind. He deliberately ignored the stunned look on Rachel''s face, picked up a piece of fish, and placed it in Tracy''s bowl. "Okay, it''s livelier when more people gather around to eat."


    As soon as he finished speaking, Jack''s mobile phone rang. Seeing Austin''s name onscreen, Jack stood up and walked over to the window to take the call. "How is it going?"


    "She''s already on the plane. They will inform us as soon as she arrives." Austin had just exited the airport after seeing Scarlett off for her flight out of Ninwell City.

 Chapter 454 A Foot Bath

    Scarlett was crying heavily, tears and snot running down her face. She held his hand and begged for the last time. She asked Austin to plead with Jack. She looked very pitiful as she begged him not to send her on the plane.


    However, when he thought of what she had done, Austin was a little indifferent. Her pleas were easier to ignore. He thought, ''How can someone be beautiful on the outside and corrupted on the inside? Her heart was simply terrible. It''s no wonder that Mr. Fu would do such a cruel thing to her.''


    Austin came to his senses and said seriously, "Mr. Fu, I got information that Scarlett''s cousin is looking for her everywhere, and she''s also threatening to¡ª"


    At this point, Tracy''s voice can be heard from the other line, "Son, what kind of call is so important that you have to answer it right now? Say what you need to and finish that call. Come back here. The dishes on the table are getting cold."


    "Almost done," Jack replied, but he didn''t hear the rest of what Austin was saying.


    He lowered his voice in case someone else overheard him. "Well, forget about her cousin. I don''t think she can stir up any trouble. I have something important to do here. I have to hang up."


    After hanging up, Jack went back to the table. Rachel put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth as soon as he sat down. "I''m full."


    Jonathan pointed at the dishes. "But you haven''t eaten much."


    "I don''t eat a lot these days." Rachel stood up and smiled. "I want to go out for a walk before dawn. Enjoy your meal."


    She was lying about wanting to take a


    the time, but he was sporting a silly smile on his face.


    Her cell phone rang again just as she closed her door. It was Lea again and this time, she picked it up. Lea was already shouting a barrage of questions before she could even say anything. "Rachel, tell me honestly, what on earth were you busy with just now? Why didn''t you answer the phone? And then you didn''t even reply to my message."


    "Nothing."


    Obviously, Lea didn''t believe such a blatant excuse. She said angrily, "If you don''t tell me the truth, I''ll come to your house right away and see it for myself."


    "Okay, okay, I''ll tell you." With a helpless sigh, Rachel subconsciously glanced at the door. She pursed her lips and finally admitted the truth. "The thing is, Jack was just next to me. It wasn''t convenient to talk with him around."


    "What did you say?" Lea asked.


    Rachel knew that she couldn''t see, but she still shook her head subconsciously. "It was nothing. He just helped me with a foot bath."


    "A foot bath?" Lea was growing agitated which could be felt through her gradually rising voice. "Have you two made up?"


    Rachel quickly put the phone away from her ear. She couldn''t take the shouting. She only responded when Lea finally calmed down. "No, we haven''t."


    "Then what''s going on between you two?"


    Rachel didn''t know how to answer that.


    It seemed like the two of them had entered a strange phase. She enjoyed being with him, but as soon as she thought of a new start, fear would grip her heart. The terror of considering that thought would always make her timid.

 Chapter 455 Delicious Porridge

    After a moment of silence, Rachel said honestly, "I don''t know either."


    "You don''t know either?" Lea adjusted her posture, stretched out her originally crossed legs, and placed them on Henry''s lap, fully enjoying his massage. She continued, "But he''s doing well now. At least he can help massage your feet. Henry had never done this to me when I was pregnant with Rita. Anyway, I think that you two should stop fighting and get back together. After all, you''ll have a child."


    "I''ll think about it," Rachel carefully replied. Her heart was already wavering even before she spoke to Lea. Now that she had heard her friend''s opinion, her resolve was even more shaken.


    On the following morning, Rachel was awakened by delicious scent.


    It was something delicate and appetizing, which made her stomach growl. She didn''t eat much last night, and she fell asleep hungry.


    Right now, she felt ravenous.


    She lay in the bed and stretched like a cat. She pushed up on her elbows to sit up. The door was gently pushed open from the outside. Jack walked in with a tray in his hand. He smiled like the sun and said, "Perfect timing."


    "What did you cook? It smells delicious." Rachel tied back her hair with a ponytail and peeked at the contents of the tray in his hands.


    Jack placed the tray on the bedside table. "I cooked porridge using the leftover chicken soup from last night. Have a taste."


    Rachel accepted the spoon offered by Jack and blew on its contents first before gulping it down. The porridge t


    good."


    Rachel said, "It''s just porridge with chicken soup. I brought a lot of it. Would you like to have some?"


    "Of course!" As soon as she heard the offer for free breakfast, her colleague stopped clearing up the documents on her desk, took out her own lunch box from her drawer, and followed Rachel into her office.


    Smelling the fragrance of porridge and looking at the fruits in the box, the colleague said with admiration, "Rachel, you are amazing! We have to clock in early for work, yet you still have time to prepare so much delicious food."


    She shoveled spoonfuls of porridge into her mouth one after another and sighed, saying feelingly, "This porridge is so delicious. I used to hate eating porridge with chicken soup the most because the ones I''ve had before tasted really weird, but this is really good. Rachel, can you teach me how to cook this?"


    Rachel smiled and replied, "I did not cook that."


    "Did you buy it, then?" the colleague continued to ask.


    This time, Rachel didn''t answer, so her colleague took her silence as a yes. She suddenly quieted down and focused her attention to the porridge in front of her. Soon, she finished the porridge, letting out a loud burp as she wiped her mouth with a tissue.


    She leaned back against her chair and rubbed her belly. She was about to say something to Rachel when her phone vibrated and distracted her. She quickly opened WeChat and zoomed in the photo she had just received. Her frown deepened the longer she stared at the photo.

 Chapter 456 Shoes For Pregnant Women

    She flipped the phone so that the screen was facing Rachel and asked, "Isn''t this you?"


    Rachel looked up and glanced at the screen. "It seems like it."


    The colleague raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Who is that man, then? Is he the father of your baby?"


    Frowning, Rachel asked, "Why do you have this photo?"


    "It''s a coincidence!" The colleague swiped at the screen with two fingers and zoomed out the photo to its original size. Only then did Rachel realize that she and Jack were not the main focus of the photo.


    The colleague chuckled and pointed at the couple who appeared to be arguing in the middle of the photo. She said helplessly, "This is my cousin and her husband. Goodness knows they fight like cats and dogs all the time, even earlier at the hospital. I asked my cousin why he was so late this morning, and then he sent me this photo."


    After she finished her story, she propped a hand under her chin and asked in a curious tone, "Rachel, looking from the back, I think that the man must be very handsome. Am I right? Looks like you don''t have to worry about what your baby will look like. For sure, it will be a handsome boy or a beautiful girl."


    Rachel listened with a smile on her face and did not say a word.


    Fortunately, this colleague was not the sort to gossip. After chatting for several moments, she noticed that Rachel was not interested in discussing the subject further, so she smartly led their conversation topic to the baby.


    In the shopping mall, two men were walking back and forth in the ladies'' shoes section. Several shop assistants looked at them in confusion.


    Michael


    "Whatever," Rachel said with an eye roll, but the corners of her mouth twitched up. She stood up, wanting to return to her office now.


    Jack took hold of her hands and said, "I need to deal with something in the company this afternoon, so I may be late in picking you up. Just wait for me in the office, okay?"


    "You don''t have to," Rachel said lightly while withdrawing her hands from Jack''s clasp. "I can go home by myself."


    After saying that, she headed straight for the elevator. Looking down at her shoes, she felt touched, hopeful, and somewhat shy.


    As soon as stepped into the office, a sharp-eyed colleague noticed the shoes on Rachel''s feet and said in surprise, "Rachel, did you just go to a mall and buy this pair of shoes? They look really nice!"


    Rachel smiled awkwardly. ''What should I say?


    That my child''s father was worried when he saw me wearing a pair of low heels, so he specially bought a pair of flat shoes and went to the hospital so I could change into them?''


    If she said so, her colleagues might think that they were showing off their love. After all, if she were being honest with herself, she was a little touched by Jack''s thoughtfulness.


    That afternoon, Rachel lost the desire to work. Sitting alone in the office, she recalled how Jack pulled out each box, one after the other, and presented the shoes to her. She couldn''t help the smile that lifted up the corners of her mouth. He looked a little silly and cute, a look which was a marked departure from his usual shrewd and indifferent appearance. It was adorable.


    By comparison, she made no progress with what she was doing.

 Chapter 458 Misunderstandings Between Us

    But Jack insisted, "No, how will I know about your condition if I don''t come in?"


    The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched. She pointed her fingers to the piece of paper that was stuck on the wall. "Can''t you see? This clearly says men aren''t allowed to enter!"


    "Okay then," he said and let out a defeated sigh. But before he went to sit down, he looked at Rachel and pleaded, "If anything happens, call me immediately, okay?"


    Without giving him an answer, she shut the door.


    She shook her head in annoyance once she was in.


    Sitting alone in the chair, Jack checked the time on his watch from time to time. His eyes were glued to the door. Seeing it was still tightly closed, his began to panic. ''It has been twenty minutes since she went in. Why hasn''t she come out yet?'' he wondered. Thinking something horrible had happened, he started pacing back and forth.


    The man who sat beside him happily went to his wife. Embracing her, he said, "How did it get over so fast? It only took you five minutes!"


    Listening to their conversation, Jack''s worry intensified. ''How come it took her only five minutes? Why has Rachel been inside for twenty minutes?''


    The more Jack thought about it, the more anxious he became. He couldn''t wait any longer. Walking towards the consulting room, he was about to twist the doorknob. On seeing this, a nurse quickly rushed towards him. "Sir, you have to sit aside and wait. The pregnant woman is in the examination room. You can''t go in."


    "I know. That woma


    l and wasn''t afraid of showing it. Rachel, who used to refuse his help earlier, resisted less and less. Gradually, she was embracing the love he was pouring on her.


    On fine day, Rachel planned to have a lazy day at home. She decided to spend all her time watching TV, reading books and sleeping. But as soon as she got out of bed, she received a call from Lea who seemed to be in a horrible mood. "Rachel, come shopping with me. I''m bored to death staying at home alone."


    "How could you be alone? Where is Rita?" While answering the phone, Rachel stretched out her hand to get the soy sauce from the kitchen cupboard.


    But another hand gently grabbed hers. Jack was always by her side, ready to help her. Seeing this, Rachel pointed to the table in the hall and commanded him silently.


    Lea sighed and said, "My father took her away."


    "Then why don''t you join them? It will be fun." Seeing that Jack was pouring a lot of soy sauce into the plate, Rachel made a gesture asking him to stop. But he didn''t understand what she was trying to say so he continued to add more. She couldn''t but shout, "Jack, I just want to eat dumplings. You have poured so much soy sauce. Are you planning to murder me?"


    On the other end of the phone, Lea heard her words. Anxiously, she asked, "Rachel, what''s going on? I''ll pick you up right now. You have to come with me and explain the truth."


    Hearing what Lea had said, Rachel let out a frustrated sigh. Perhaps she wasn''t destined to have a peaceful day.

 Chapter 459 Meet A Classmate While Shopping

    Rachel tried hard not to say anything just now because she didn''t want Lea to get more curious and start to question her. As a matter of fact, she had already thought of some excuses to refuse Lea''s invitation. But all of her plans were in vain because of Jack.


    Now, she couldn''t help but roll her eyes at him.


    Jack seemed to have realized that he did something wrong. He silently moved the plate in front of her and said in a low voice, "Rachel, I''ll prepare another one for you. Don''t be angry."


    Rachel was at a loss upon seeing that he was trying to please her. She forced herself not to smile and said, "Then why don''t you hurry up?"


    She had never liked dumplings before. But since she got pregnant, she started to love them. She could even eat ten dumplings at breakfast.


    After finishing the ten dumplings on her plate this morning, Rachel put down her chopsticks. She was about to stand up when she heard Lea''s voice from the door. "Rachel, are you ready? I''m here to pick you up."


    Lea came in and went to the dining room. When she saw Jack sitting next to Rachel, she just glanced at him and turned back expressionlessly.


    "Where is Celia?" Jack asked.


    Without even looking at him, Lea replied flatly, "I don''t know. Why don''t you ask Marcus yourself?"


    All of a sudden, there was an inexplicable sense of embarrassment and tension in the air.


    Rachel''s mou


    asked in surprise, "Are you pregnant?"


    With a faint smile, Rachel replied, "Yes."


    Anna Wu was Rachel and Lea''s classmate in junior high school. But they belonged to different circles of friends, so they weren''t that close. Actually, they never heard from her after their graduation. Today was the first time they saw her again after so many years.


    Rachel didn''t know what else to say after a single word reply.


    So she just stood there silently, waiting for either Anna or Lea to say something.


    However, none of them spoke for a long time. The situation had become embarrassing, so Rachel tugged the hem of Lea''s dress and motioned for her to say something quickly.


    Lea scratched her head and finally asked, "Anna, are you shopping here too? What did you buy?"


    She laughed awkwardly upon realizing how dull her question was.


    But it seemed that Anna didn''t mind at all. She showed them the two shopping bags in her hands and said with a smile, "I just bought two sets of clothes. I am getting married soon."


    With eyes wide open, Lea blurted out, "Really? You look much fatter now than we were in junior high school. I thought you already gave birth and that was why you''ve gained more weight."


    Anna''s smile vanished at once, and her face flushed.


    With an awkward smile, Rachel changed the topic immediately. "Are you getting married soon? Congratulations!"

 Chapter 460 Echo Each Other

    Lea realized that her words were too impolite, so she apologized and asked casually, "By the way, when is your wedding?"


    "Next Saturday." Anna lowered her head and took out two invitation cards from her bag. She handed the cards to each of them and said, "We haven''t seen each other for a long time. I want to catch up with you both, so I hope you can attend my wedding party."


    Lea took the invitation card and said, "Thanks for the invitation. We''ll be there if we are free."


    "You two can take your husbands with you. I want my wedding to be as lively as possible." Anna then looked across the road and waved goodbye to them. "I have to go now. I''ll expect you at my wedding."


    Rachel and Lea watched Anna get in her car and drive away. Lea laughed in embarrassment while opening the invitation card in her hands. She found out that the guest''s name on it was blank.


    Obviously, they were not included in Anna''s initial guest list. Perhaps she was only obliged to invite them because she saw them accidentally.


    Lea shrugged her shoulders. "I was too impolite in front of Anna just now, so I was too embarrassed to refuse her. I think we should really go."


    Rachel shook her head helplessly. "How much are you going to give her? Let''s just tell the driver to send our red envelopes on our behalf."


    "That''s also a good idea." Rachel''s words made Lea realized why Anna invited them.


    tissue and wiped the man''s suit. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean it. Please take your suit off so I can have it dry-cleaned and return to you."


    "It''s okay. There''s no need." The man pushed her aside coldly.


    Kailey bit her lower lip and secretly pinched her thigh hard in the dim light. When she felt the pain, tears welled up in her eyes. She looked pitiful now. "But I stained your suit. I will feel guilty if you don''t let me clean it for you."


    Unfortunately, the man didn''t seem to buy it. He frowned slightly, took off his suit jacket, and casually put it on the sofa. "It''s just a coat. You don''t really have to do this."


    Kailey didn''t expect that her charm wouldn''t work on this man. She thought for a while. When something came to her mind, she suddenly shouted, "My boyfriend broke up with me because I stained his suit. And now you''re telling me that it''s just nothing? Then why did he break up with me?"


    Her voice was loud enough for other customers to hear even if the bar was too noisy.


    Therefore, those who were drinking and chatting turned their heads and looked at them. They exchanged glances as if they were expecting to see a good show.


    Embarrassment was written all over the man''s face. He reached out and pulled Kailey''s arm to let her sit down. He then pulled some pieces of tissue and handed them to her. "Don''t cry. Calm down first, then let''s talk about it."

 Chapter 461 Milk Spilled

    Kailey sobbed. As time went, her wailing became harder. She pretended like she couldn''t bring herself to stop crying. But inside her heart, she was secretly celebrating her victory.


    In the living room, Jonathan was intently gazing at the book in his hand. It was a name book and contained all the best names for a newborn. His spectacles had begun to slide down from the bridge of his nose. "If it''s a boy, we will name him Adrian Fu. And if it''s a girl, Yvette Fu. What do you all say?" he asked, looking at the three of them.


    "No!" Tracy replied instantly. "These names are too ordinary. I think it''s better if we stick to the name I recommended. Moreover, it is the sort of name that will suit both girls and boys."


    Jonathan frowned and snorted, disagreeing. "Do you actually think the one you recommended is good? I am warning you, people will laugh at our grandchild. Do you want everyone to mock us and call us uneducated?"


    By now, Tracy was annoyed. "You are so old-fashioned! It is quite a popular name and you must be living under the rock if you haven''t heard of it. Also, the way you are hunting down names from a book is ridiculous. Nobody does it these days. Forget it! Arguing with you is pointless."


    The two people had their own opinions, and didn''t show any signs of coming to an agreement.


    The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched. She looked at Jack and saw a trace of helplessness in his eyes.


    Tracy had suggested the name Leslie saying that her close friend''s grandchild had the sa


    , he said, "You go and take a shower first. I''m okay."


    The cut was a little deep. Even now, it hadn''t stopped bleeding. If anything, the flow increased. Rachel flinched seeing it. After all, it was all her fault.


    In a strict tone, she said, "Jack, do you want your blood to run out and your hand to be crippled? Or will you let me see it?"


    "Okay, fine." Jack nodded his head and let her inspect it.


    Rolling her eyes at him, she stood up and walked to the living room. Jack followed her. Seeing her get a hold of medicine box from the cabinet, he quickly said, "I can handle it myself."


    Rachel didn''t answer. Instead, she put the medicine box on the tea table and ordered, "Sit down."


    "Okay." He was now an obedient patient. Seeing her like this, he didn''t dare to refuse. He stretched out his injured hand, frowned and let Rachel do her job. She carefully cleaned his wound with alcohol cotton, and then picked up a piece of medium-sized gauze.


    After analyzing his finger, she realized the gauze was a little too big for him. Rachel rummaged through the medicine box for scissors but she couldn''t find them.


    When she was about to stand up, Jack held her hand. He gently pulled her and fell back on the sofa.


    "What are you doing?" Frowning, Rachel tried to pull free from him. But after two failed attempts, she gave up.


    Jack looked straight into her eyes with his dark eyes. "Rachel, are you worried about me? Is that why you came back in a hurry?"


    Lowering her head, she lied, "No."

 Chapter 462 Her Right Eyelid Twitched

    "Then why did you come back so soon? You were angry when I said I didn''t want to treat my wound just now. I can tell, so don''t try to deny it." Jack''s lips had curved into a knowing smile. He was still holding Rachel''s hand; she realized with a start that he had begun to slowly and seductively draw circles on the palm of her hand with his fingernail.


    Rachel shivered. She could feel goose bumps spreading from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. With a pointed glare, she hastily snatched her hand out of his grasp and tried to calm her racing heart. When she trusted herself to speak again, her voice was cool and aloof. "Jack, how many times have we gone over this? You and I both know this is pointless."


    "But if you don''t tell me, I''ll never know what you''re thinking. And if I don''t know what you''re thinking, well, I''ll just have to keep on asking." The secretive smile on Jack''s face widened into a grin. It was obvious to Rachel that her feeble protest had fallen on deaf ears.


    Frowning slightly, Rachel stood up and threw the gauze in her hand onto the tea table, cool as ice. She said flatly, "You can dress your wound yourself. I''m a little tired, so if you''ll excuse me, I''m going upstairs to rest." With that, she turned and stalked up the stairs without another word.


    Just then, Julie emerged from her room, furiously drying her dripping wet hair with a towel. She was surprised to see Jack sitting on the sofa alone. She asked cautiously, "Is something wrong, Mr. Fu?"


    She had been washing her hair in the bathroom when she heard some kind of commotion outside. She had automatically assumed Jack and Rachel had gotten into another argument, and had immediately dashed out of the bathroom with a towel around her wet hair to intervene before things spiraled out of control yet again.


    Jack raised his hand to show her the wound that had started to bleed again. He smiled bitterly. "I cut my hand just now. Help me dress the wound, I can''t put t


    orget to bring Lea with you! Now, if you''ll excuse me..."


    With that, Anna slid her handbag onto her other arm and walked out of the hospital with a satisfied air. The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched helplessly as she watched Anna''s retreating back. She turned to press the elevator button, defeated, when a thought suddenly occurred to her. She frowned.


    She could have sworn that Anna had said that she was at the hospital to see a doctor. And yet, Anna had left as soon as she was sure Rachel would be attending her wedding tomorrow.


    Rachel arched an eyebrow. It was painfully obvious that Anna had made up that excuse about an upset stomach.


    The day went on as usual. That evening, Jack showed up to pick her up as promised, and they drove home under a shy moon that peeked out every now and then from behind the cover of dark clouds. Once they had arrived back home and he had killed the engine, Rachel opened the car door, stepped out of the car, and took the fast food takeout box they had picked up along the way from him in one smooth, elegant motion. She saw Julie standing in the doorway, waiting for them, and handed the takeout box to her. She asked softly, "Are Dad and Mom already here?"


    "Yes. You''ll find the both of them in the living room." Julie turned slightly to point in the direction of the living room.


    She lifted the fast food takeout box to eye level, as if trying to guess its contents by its weight. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What''s inside? What did you buy?"


    "A roast goose." The reply came from Jack, who had followed after Rachel at a leisurely pace, a small smile on his face. He turned his head to look at Rachel, the look of sincere affection in his eyes like a river about to overflow its banks. "Rachel loves it, so I decided to buy it for her on the way home."


    "Oh Mr. Fu, you''re always so nice to Miss Shen." Julie looked at Rachel with a teasing smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

 Chapter 463 Attending The Wedding

    Rachel felt embarrassed when she heard what Julie said. Her face was flushed and she was a little red behind the ears. She quickly turned her eyes to the floor and hurried upstairs to change clothes.


    Rachel headed downstairs as soon as she got changed. Standing beside the stairs, Tracy tugged lightly on Rachel''s dress. "You bought this dress a long time ago, haven''t you?" she asked.


    "Well, I just got this a week ago," Rachel answered in a quiet voice.


    She bought the dress when she went shopping with Lea last time. Her belly grew larger recently, and so the clothes she bought some time ago didn''t fit anymore. She bought this dress a size larger than usual to make sure it would fit. Even still, it already felt a little tight just a week after buying it. The last thing she''d want was another dress left to gather dust in the wardrobe.


    "Just a week ago? Why do I think you bought it a long time ago? How about this? It''s the weekend tomorrow. Go shopping with me, and we''ll get more clothes for you." Tracy frowned.


    Sitting on the sofa, Jonathan overheard the two talking. He took a sip of his tea and urged Rachel to agree. "That''s a good idea. Go with her and buy whatever you like. I''ll pay for it."


    "See, he''s never been that generous with me before!" Tracy grumbled, pretending to be displeased. "Now we can buy all the things we want."


    "What are you talking about?" Bewildered, Jonathan pointed at Tracy. "Didn''t I give you


    a long time for Jack and Rachel to prepare and finally get out of the house. The traffic in the viaduct on the way to the venue delayed them even more. When they arrived, the wedding ceremony had already begun.


    Pastel-colored flowers adorned the backdrop and sides of the white wooden stage. The simple yet elegant flower arrangements gave the venue a rustic feel. The couple was standing on the stage while the emcee narrated how the two fell in love.


    Guests sat on neat rows of white chairs in front of the stage. The seats were already almost full with guests.


    A waiter came over to Jack and pointed to the front. "Sir, there are available seats on the second row in front of the stage," he suggested.


    "Okay." Jack walked behind Rachel and carefully protected her.


    They felt a little weird sitting in the second row because it was mostly family and relatives of the bride and groom there.


    Anna stood at the center of the stage beside her father. She looked beautiful holding a bouquet of flowers. Tears of joy welled in her eyes as she savored the moment.


    In a gentle voice, the emcee asked, "Groom, do you promise to take care of your bride for the rest of your life? No matter how expensive her bag and clothes are, will you follow her and pay for her? Do you promise to be her sidekick?"


    In a usual wedding, these questions would be asked in a solemn manner. But the emcee''s way of asking them helped lighten the atmosphere.

 Chapter 464 Rachel Received Brides Flowers

    The bride laughed through her tears. Without a word, she gazed at the groom, who grabbed the mic and declared, "I do."


    With open arms, she ran to him. He held her tight, lifted her off the ground, and playfully spun her around.


    Rachel joined in as the guests vigorously cheered for the couple. As she was clapping, she heard a soft voice say, "I would also be honored to spend the rest of my life with you."


    Despite the noise, she heard every word clearly.


    She pursed her lips in an attempt to suppress this strange feeling in her heart. Ultimately, she pretended not to hear what Jack had just said. Her eyes remained fixed on the couple on the stage, but she couldn''t help reaching down and holding his hand.


    This only went on for a second, but Jack was exhilarated.


    The emcee''s deep voice brought their attention back to the festivities. "You may now exchange rings."


    The groomsman and bridesmaid promptly produced the rings and stood at their place beside the couple. The bride and groom took out the wedding bands and, unable to hide their smiles, prepared to put them on each other''s fingers.


    The guests, who had been thrilled mere moments ago, were now paying serious attention to the ceremony.


    Again, Jack leaned close to Rachel and whispered in her ear, "I still owe you a wedding."


    Just like that, everything came flooding back: the wedding ceremony, the customized wedding dress, and all the preparations that they had made. Rachel lower


    he did not feel like eating now. She got herself a small slice of cake and found a place to sit in.


    Several women approached her, hand in hand. Rachel thought that they looked familiar, but she couldn''t recall who they were.


    A girl in a floral dress stood in the middle. She pointed at herself and smiled. "Hi! We used to go to school together, and I used to sit in the front row. I was short then. My name is Sophie Chen. Do you remember me?"


    Even if the woman had told Rachel her name, the latter couldn''t quite recall who she was. Still, she nodded and smiled. "I remember. It''s been a long time since we''ve last seen each other."


    The other two women also told her their names. Then, all three pulled out chairs next to Rachel, sat down, and went on and on about everything that had happened in junior high school.


    Even when she had been attending school, Rachel had not paid much attention to the people around her. She had no idea who they were.


    Nevertheless, they were old classmates, and they had had the initiative to approach her. It would have been rude to tell them outright that she did not recognize them.


    She was afraid that if she said that, she would be subjected to endless eye-rolling. Even though Rachel was not that good at socializing, she was smarter than that.


    She picked up her fork and ate her cake while she listened to the women recall stories of the past. When they addressed her, she smiled lightly at them as a response.

 Chapter 465 Two Folders

    Jack found himself in a terrible situation. He had eagerly brought Rachel''s favorite food and was about to sit with her. But he noticed the round table was occupied by four ladies. Looking around, he found an empty seat and sat down. He waited for them to finish their conversation before going there. From time to time, he would glance at her.


    "Hey, Rachel, I see you are pregnant. Didn''t your husband come with you today?" Sophie looked at her belly, getting ready to gossip about it with others.


    Rachel smiled faintly and said, "Yes, he''s here."


    At the mention of Jack, it suddenly occurred to her that it had been a long time since he went to fetch food.


    She looked around and found that he was surrounded by a group of people.


    This was not a surprise because wherever he went, he was always the center of attention.


    "Where is he? Why don''t you ask him over so that we can say hello?" Sophie asked.


    Rachel shook her head as she had no desire to introduce him to Sophie. Suddenly, her phone on the table vibrated. Picking it up, she realized Jack had sent her a message. "Do you want to go home?"


    His message brought her relief. "Yes, sure," she replied back.


    Then she slowly stood up, pulled her coat and smiled. "I have to go back. You guys enjoy your time."


    Sophie hurriedly said, "Hey, it has just been a while since you came. Why are you in a hurry? Stay a little


    Rachel stood up and said in a low voice, "I can take a taxi to the hospital. I won''t need him to drop me."


    "But¡ª" Julie was getting ready to protest but Rachel shushed her. In spite of this, Julie added, "Mr. Fu said it''s not safe for you to take a taxi to work."


    Shrugging her shoulders, Rachel said, "Taking a taxi is better than drowsy driving, don''t you think so?"


    Listening to this, Julie had no choice but to nod her head. Soon, Rachel''s phone rang. It was the taxi driver she had made an appointment with. He called and informed he was outside.


    Rachel grabbed a fruit from the table and walked out.


    Soon after she left, Jack came downstairs in a hurry. Busily buttoning up his suit button, he said, "I''m sorry, Rachel. I overslept today. But don''t worry, I will take you to work right away."


    Unexpectedly, it was Julie who came out of the kitchen. She pointed at the door and said, "Miss Shen took a taxi to work just now. She said you were still sleeping and asked me not to wake you up."


    "How long has it been since she left?" Jack asked but there was a smile on his lips. She had done this because she wanted him to sleep well. But if he mentioned this to her, she would object. ''You care for me a great deal. Just admit it, Rachel, '' he thought while his smile deepened.


    Julie looked at her watch and said, "I think it has only been ten minutes since she left."

 Chapter 466 Hiding Our Relationship

    The taxi driver slowed to a stop at the hospital gate. He turned around and took the cash from Rachel''s hand. He looked at the rearview mirror and said, "Miss, that black car seems to have been following us the whole time. Is he your boyfriend?"


    ''Black car?'' Rachel thought.


    "I suppose so." With a faint smile in the driver''s direction, she reached out and opened the door. Once out of the car, she looked behind her and saw that Jack was also getting out of the black car.


    When she saw him walking slowly towards her, Rachel was a little surprised. "Why are you here? I thought you were sleeping."


    "I had enough sleep." Jack reached out and smoothed back the hair that had been blown onto her face. "I''d be worried if I didn''t see you arrive at the hospital safely."


    "You really needn''t worry," replied Rachel. Although she was pretending that she did not care, she still felt a strange tugging at her heart strings.


    All of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Rachel."


    Subconsciously taking two steps back to keep her distance from Jack, Rachel turned around and saw her colleague running towards her from the parking lot, holding a cup in her hand and smiling. "I got up early this morning and made myself some soybean milk. When we get to the office later, you can have a try. It tastes really good."


    "Okay." Rachel nodded with a smile.


    In the past, unless it was work related, Rachel seldom had any contact with her colleagues. But Celia had caused a big change in her life.


    As she thought about her, it suddenly occurred to Rachel tha


    d he be anxious?


    Rachel had thought Jack might have called her several times, but when she looked at her phone, she saw that he hadn''t


    ''Is there something urgent happening at his company?'' she wondered. Why was he so late? After thinking for a while, Rachel took out her phone and called Jack. But to her surprise, his phone was switched off.


    Frowning, she put the phone back on the table and sat down again. After thinking for a while, she decided that she would just wait a little longer.


    Maybe he was delayed or something. Maybe his phone was out of power and he was on the way to the hospital. If this was the case, it was going to be hard for the two of them to meet up unless she stayed where he could find her.


    After nearly an hour, Jack had neither appeared nor tried to call Rachel.


    Then, there was a knock on the door. She looked up at the door subconsciously. Without even waiting to see who came in, she asked, "Why are you so late?"


    She was expecting to see Jack. She wasn''t expecting it to be one of her colleagues.


    The colleague stood at the door of Rachel''s office. She rubbed her arm and asked, "Who are you waiting for? Why haven''t you left yet?"


    "I just haven''t." The corners of her mouth twitched in embarrassment. Rachel stood up, picked up her bag that had been hanging on the side and said gently, "I was dealing with something and just finished it. I''m going home now."


    "I really envy you." The colleague pouted. "I''m still working on the list. With so many medical records, I don''t think I''ll make it home before tomorrow morning."

 Chapter 467 Jack Stayed Out All Night

    "I''m leaving. Bye!" Rachel said with a smile as she walked past her colleague. Deep inside, she felt upset.


    It was hard to hide the disappointment she was feeling.


    ''Jack couldn''t keep his promise. But that''s not the worst part. The worst part is he didn''t have the decency to make a phone call or send a message!'' she thought with indignation.


    Julie had a light dinner since she wasn''t very hungry. While she was cleaning the table, she heard the sound of the door being open. Taking off her gloves, she walked out of the kitchen to see who it was. Surprisingly, it was Rachel but Jack wasn''t by her side. "Miss, where is Mr. Fu? Why isn''t he with you?" she asked, a bit worried.


    Ever since Jack moved back, they came home together. It was a rare sight to see Rachel alone. He was very careful since she was pregnant.


    Her fear intensified when she realized Rachel wasn''t giving her an answer.


    Dropping the bag on the sofa, Rachel said in a drained voice, "Julie, is there anything to eat in the fridge?"


    "Yes. Why haven''t you had dinner yet?" Julie asked. Once again, Rachel replied her with silence. Feeling defeated, Julie realized it wasn''t right to prob.


    Rachel entered the kitchen and said, "I''m starving. I better cook some noodles."


    "Let me do it. You should be taking rest," Julie offered. She didn''t like to make Rachel work. Julie reached out to pick the egg basket that Rachel was carrying. However, Rachel wouldn''t let go of it. Smiling weakly, she said, "No, thanks. I want to cook for myself."


    Today had been a hard day. She wanted to something that would keep her from thinking about Jack. Moreover, cooking always helped her get rid of negative thoughts.


    he would give for this grave mistake.


    After a few seconds of silence, Rachel said, "Mr. Zhou, I''m here to attend this meeting on behalf of our director. Perhaps I took the wrong document from her desk. I''ll talk to her once this meeting is over and bring you the new list."


    Hearing this explanation, James'' face softened a little. He realized Rachel wasn''t at fault. Waving his hand, he said "I want your director to bring the document to my office by herself."


    "Okay, I will convey your message," Rachel said while trying to relax herself.


    She felt her face heat up from embarrassment. After a while, the meeting came to an end. She was desperately waiting for it to be over.


    When Rachel returned to the executive department, she saw that the director was sitting in the office and relaxing. Rachel heard her hum a tune happily. It seemed like she had no job to do.


    Rachel walked forward with a frown and put the folded document in front of the director. With a serious look on her face, she said, "Director, this is the invitation list. The executive was disappointed with it."


    "Disappointed? What''s disappointing about it?" The director frowned.


    Rachel explained everything that had happened in the meeting room. "The CX Group''s CEO shouldn''t be on the guest list. Now the executive wants you to prepare a new list and send it to his office."


    Rachel''s tone was calm and polite but the director was annoyed nevertheless. She mistook it for mockery. In a cold tone, she said, "What do you mean by asking me to prepare a new one? Didn''t I already hand over the job to you? You couldn''t complete a simple task. And now, you have the audacity to put all the blame on me!"

 Chapter 468 Made A Scapegoat

    The director lied just like that.


    Rachel was stunned upon hearing her words. She stared at the director in shock. "I didn''t know about it before. You didn''t tell me."


    "I didn''t?" The director''s face darkened. She snorted, "Are you trying to say that it was my fault? I have actually noticed that you''re always absentminded these past two days. I don''t know what''s going on with you, but your work has always been in a mess. Possibly, you have forgotten that I told you about it."


    Rachel didn''t expect that she would be in such big trouble. After all, she was only told to attend the meeting on behalf of the director. Now that she was relaying everything that happened during the meeting, the director made her a scapegoat.


    She was at a loss. Looking at the director''s vexed face, she thought that she should be the one to feel aggrieved and angry.


    The director picked up the document from the table and threw it to the floor. She then said coldly, "Why are you still standing here? Go and modify this list immediately. Then I''ll go with you when you report to the executive. I have to speak for you so he won''t get angry."


    This time, it seemed that the director was concerned for her.


    Rachel''s mouth twitched. It was not her fault. Even if the director put a knife on her neck, she would never admit it.


    If she picked up the document on the floor now and followed the director''s order, it would only mean t


    alf of others.


    Since she had nothing else to do in her office and got bored, she came out of the hospital. She sat down on a stone bench in the garden. At first, she browsed her phone. Later on, she dialed Austin''s number.


    As soon as Austin came out of the meeting room, the secretary rushed to him. With a phone in her hand, she said, "Austin, your mobile phone has been ringing for a long time now. Maybe it''s an important call."


    "Thank you."


    Austin took the phone and checked the caller. When he saw the name on the screen, he suddenly felt that his throat dried up. He even wanted to call the secretary and tell her to bring the phone back to his desk.


    However, he couldn''t be such an ostrich when it had something to do with Jack.


    After hesitating for a while, he walked to a quieter place and answered the phone. "Miss Shen, what can I do for you?"


    Rachel said, "Austin, I have something to ask you."


    "What is it?"


    Rachel pursed her lips. She hesitated for a moment. "Where is Jack now? Why is he not answering my call?"


    "Mr. Fu..." Austin paused for a short while before he continued, "Something happened in the branch outside the city, so he went there to deal with it. It may take a long time for him to come back."


    ''He''s on a business trip?'' Rachel thought inwardly.


    She then said with a frown, "Even if he is on a business trip, he can still have time to answer his phone, right?"

 Chapter 469 Director’s Impenitence

    "Well..." Austin scratched his head, at a loss for words.


    Rachel waited for a while, and all that she heard was "Well..." Finally, she interrupted him coldly, "All right. He must be too busy with his business that he couldn''t even pick up his phone. I won''t ask you again. Goodbye."


    At the sound of the call being disconnected, Austin clutched the phone to his chest, raised his head, and said in a plaintive tone, "Mr. Fu, you''re killing me!"


    On her end, Rachel felt a little uncomfortable after ending the call. She was worried, but basing on Austin''s tone during the call, she could at least tell that Jack was safe. However, it was impossible for Jack''s secretary not to know what was taking up his time. Did Jack order him not to tell her anything?


    Why were they hiding things from her?


    Rachel tried to tell herself not to overthink, but her wayward thoughts were difficult to control.


    She was so lost in thought that she almost jumped in shock when someone suddenly tapped her shoulder from behind. She whirled around and sighed in relief when she saw her colleague. "What''s the matter?"


    "The executive is here, and he wants to speak with you and the director in his office." The colleague stared at her as though she could get gossip by looking into her eyes.


    The corners of Rachel''s mouth twitched. She stood up and said, "Okay. I''ll be right there."


    The colleague stretched out an arm and hooked it throug


    ver given me the chance to redeem myself."


    James glanced at her in disgust and quickly looked away.


    Rachel knew that the discussion had nothing to do with her anymore. She wanted to stand aside quietly and watch the scenario play out to its conclusion, but of course, the director didn''t give her that chance. She clutched at Rachel''s arm heavily, and Rachel could still feel the director''s nails pressing into her skin even with the multiple layers of clothing she had on.


    She frowned and pulled her arm back, saying in a cold voice, "You were asked by Mr. Zhou after that meeting to go to his office. As long as you explained your side clearly, everything should be okay."


    James echoed, "That''s true, but I didn''t expect you to be so thick-faced that you would blame Rachel for your actions! What? You think you could make her a scapegoat since you are the director and she is your subordinate?"


    They weren''t speaking in hushed voices, and with James'' angry outburst, the executive department was in a great uproar. People started pressing their ears against the door to eavesdrop on the conversation going on inside.


    Although they didn''t hear it clearly, gathering information in such a manner was preferable to being an outsider who had to guess without any context.


    When Rachel stepped out of the office, everyone else in the entire administration department workforce turned her way, their eyes appraising her.

 Chapter 470 The Directors Eviction

    A colleague, who was a bit close to Rachel, suddenly came up to her and hugged her tight. This sudden act of kindness stunned her. She was lost for words.


    Her colleague drew a big smile and said, "Well done, Rachel! If that was me in your shoes, I''m afraid I would have just taken the blame for her."


    Rachel replied with a faint smile, "You''re giving me too much credit. I owe it much to Mr. Zhou. He saw through all the deception and proved that I was innocent."


    Rachel left her colleague and went back to her office. She slumped in her chair. Her head felt heavy from all that had happened so she tried to rub her temples. The massage seemed to work and she grew drowsy. When she was about to fall asleep, she heard the door to her office open. She sat up with a jolt. It was James. He slowly walked inside the room and made his way to the sofa. She noted how sagely he looked while walking with his hands behind his back. "Were you a little scared just now?" he muttered as he sat on the sofa, smiling.


    Rachel beamed back, "Uncle James, do I really look like a coward to you?"


    "No, of course not, my dear." James shook his head in emphasis. He realized how silly that question was, so he changed the topic and said, "I believe you''re the only one in this hospital who could have handled it."


    "It was not my fault, nor was it my responsibility. I didn''t have to bear the burden,"


    Rachel responded playfully while fiddling with the tea cup on the table.


    James didn''t think more about Rachel''s answer. Unbeknownst to him, her thoughts had drifted to Jack. She thought how this was a bad time to think about tha


    she was not dreaming anymore. After several attempts, it dawned to her that she might be under sleep paralysis. She already wanted to wake up but her eyelids seemed to be shut tight. It was as if her eyelids are glued together by an unknown force.


    Jack stood by her bedside. He was obviously looking, with a frown, at the purple bruises around her neck. His eyes were full of pity and guilt.


    He hadn''t taken good care of her and what happened to Rachel had been his fault entirely.


    Just then, Julie stepped into the room with a lunch box in hand. She gently placed it on the table and said in a low voice, "Mr. Fu, I believe you haven''t eaten anything for today. Please, have some of this first."


    Jack responded hoarsely, "I don''t have any appetite right now. Just leave it there."


    "Well, if that''s the case, why don''t you have some of this soup, then? This will warm your belly up." Julie poured some soup in to a bowl and handed it over to Jack. It was warm in his hands and the aroma of boiled chicken and chives wafted into his nose. Julie remarked, "The doctor told me that Miss Shen is going to be fine. You don''t have to worry so much, Mr. Fu."


    "Okay. I understand." Jack sighed. Despite the nice smell, he put the bowl of soup aside. He reached out and grabbed Rachel''s left hand. He marveled at how delicate and small her hand was. He squeezed it, brought it to his lips, and planted a gentle kiss. A moment after, he gave Julie a very serious look. The intensity of that stare alarmed her a little bit. She slowly opened her mouth and asked, "Mr. Fu, is there anything wrong with Miss Shen? Is she...?"

 Chapter 471 Jack Came Back

    Although Julie didn''t say it, Jack already knew what she wanted to ask, so he smiled and shook his head.


    Julie felt so much relieved. In the past few months that she lived with Rachel under the same roof, they got along very well. She was just a maid, but Rachel had been so kind to her and even took good care of her. As of this time, she had already regarded Rachel as her own daughter.


    She couldn''t help worrying upon seeing Rachel lying in bed. Her face was now as white as a sheet. It was as if she had no blood anymore.


    After thinking for a while, she turned to Jack and said, "Mr. Fu, please stay here with Miss Shen for a while. I''ll go home first to cook some pork liver for her. It''s good to replenish her blood."


    "Okay, go ahead." Jack didn''t know much about nutritious food. But as long as it was good for Rachel, he would definitely agree.


    Not long after Julie left, Rachel slowly opened her eyes. Finally, she had woken up. Feeling a little weak, she closed her eyes again and called Lea''s name. The next second, someone held her hand. However, she could feel that it wasn''t Lea''s hand. She slowly opened her eyes again and saw Jack sitting beside the bed. Her expression changed all of a sudden.


    Seeing him safe and sound, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. But anger also gr


    walked towards Jack.


    But before she could go a little further, Rachel grabbed her arm and pretended to be angry. "If you talk to him now, let''s forget that we are best friends."


    Lea rolled her eyes and glared at Rachel. "Fine! You win."


    The lunch that Julie prepared was delicious, but none of them enjoyed it.


    Lea wanted to say something, but Rachel was watching her, so she felt like she had been on pins and needles all throughout lunch. As soon as she put down her chopsticks, she held Rita''s hand and said, "We''re leaving now."


    "Miss Ye, don''t you want to stay with Miss Shen a little longer?" Julie asked.


    Lea glimpsed at Rachel. "Never mind, Julie. We need to go. Otherwise, she will break our friendship."


    "What do you mean?" Julie asked in confusion.


    Lea didn''t answer anymore. Only she and Rachel knew what it meant.


    Rachel glanced at Jack, who was quietly sitting as if he didn''t hear anything. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she still reached out her hand and gently patted Rita on the head. "Just come back to play with me next time when you have time, okay?"


    When Lea and Rita left, Rachel looked at Jack again. He was just staring at the dishes on the table.


    She pulled the chair beside him, slowly sat down, and whispered, "Jack, can we talk?"

 Chapter 472 Your Aunt Passed Away

    "About what?" Jack finally raised his head, but his voice was so calm it didn''t even waver for a second.


    Rachel lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly. "What do you think?"


    As soon as she said those words, Jack looked away and lowered his head again. He held out his chopsticks to pick on the vegetables on his plate, but he didn''t respond any further.


    Rachel felt like her chest was stuffed with a big mass of cotton, it was suffocating. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Where have you been these past two days?"


    It turned out that asking this question was not as difficult as she thought. That question had been weighing down on her mind for several days and now she was finally relieved.


    Jack closed his eyes for a while. When he opened them again, his clear eyes gradually became a little stormy. They carried too much unspoken emotions. He reached out to hold Rachel''s hand tightly. "Your aunt passed away."


    ''My aunt passed away?''


    Looking straight at into his eyes for a while, Rachel suddenly grinned and laughed. "Jack, are you kidding me? I just had a video chat with Eric and the two of them were laughing happily. How could she pass away all of a sudden?"


    She looked up, withdrew her hand, and pressed it on her forehead. She kept denying what she heard. "No, my aunt is very healthy. How could she suddenly die?"


    "Rachel, calm down." Jack looked at her


    down? Call me if you need anything. I''ll be upstairs soon."


    "We''re just separated by one floor. It''s too troublesome to make a phone call." Compared with yesterday, Rachel''s mood was much more stable.


    She held Jack''s hand and asked, "Have you booked the tickets? When are we going there?"


    "The date isn''t decided yet. Do you want to wait another two days? Let''s wait for your physical condition to stabilize," he said and looked at Rachel worriedly.


    Shaking her head, Rachel insisted, "I''m fine now. Let''s go tomorrow, okay?"


    Seeing that Jack didn''t agree immediately, she persuaded more. "If I don''t go see Eric, I would be restless even if I stay here. Jack, let me go there."


    "Okay." Jack understood her point. There was only one thing in her mind so how could she possibly just sit here and wait?


    What was more, he was actually a little worried about Eric. The psychologist called him in the morning to update him about Eric''s condition. He said that Eric had a tendency to fall into depression and his future condition might be bleak.


    Once things were finalized, Rachel felt that time was moving faster. She sat in her seat as soon as she got on the plane. She tightly held a seal in her hands and whispered, "Eric, you need to be strong. You will be fine."


    Jack gently covered her with a blanket. When he saw the thing on her hand, he asked, "What''s that?"

 Chapter 473 The Funeral

    With a faint smile, Rachel said, "This is the seal Eric had carved for me when he went on a trip."


    Memories flooded her and made her smile wider. Gently rubbing the seal, she continued, "I used to think that he was too old-fashioned. I didn''t expect that this would become my only connection with him."


    "It''s okay. You will find more things to connect with him in the future." Jack let her lean her head on his shoulder. "There are more than ten hours left. You should sleep first."


    Rachel did not feel sleepy at the time, but she knew that Jack would only grow more worried if she refused to take a rest.


    His face looked haggard from tiredness and a profound sadness. Rachel knew that it was all on her account.


    She couldn''t imagine what would happen to her without him by her side. She didn''t know what to do.


    In the hospital, Eric was lying in the bed and staring at the ceiling, his face devoid of expression.


    The psychologist sat by his bedside and said something to him in a low voice, but Eric did not show any reaction. Frustration crept into the psychologist''s expression.


    He glanced at Eric''s empty expression and shook his head slightly. He was about to rise from his seat when a pregnant woman entered the room. He started to tell her that she must have entered the wrong room, but the words were stuck in his throat when Jack followed her into the room.


    Looking at E


    be rented out and a cleaner for hire usually went there to clean up, a tenant could move in at any time. Rachel was really worried about him living at home alone.


    She was afraid that he would think too much once left on his own and end up being unable to get out again.


    Eric knew what Rachel meant, so he stopped walking. As they approached him slowly, he put his hand on Jack''s shoulder and opened his mouth to speak.


    At that time, a police car with sirens suddenly stopped in front of them.


    Two policemen in uniform got out of the car. Almost completely in sync, they flashed their ID badges. The taller of the two said in a deep voice, "You are Jack Fu, correct? You are under suspicion in relation to a drug trafficking case. Please come back with us to assist in the investigation."


    ''Drug trafficking?''


    Rachel''s face suddenly turned pale. She urgently asked, "What drug trafficking case? You must be mistaken. Jack has never done such a thing."


    The other policeman smiled politely and said, "We also hope that the direction of our investigation is wrong. After all, we are well aware of Mr. Fu''s important role in the business field. However, if Mr. Fu were actually involved in the case, it would set a bad example for the people of Ninwell City."


    The policeman turned and opened the back door of the police car, and his face became serious. "Mr. Jack Fu, get in the car."

 Chapter 474 Taken Away By The Police

    "But..." Rachel still wanted to say something. Unfortunately, confusion still plagued her thoughts. Several questions rushed to her mind, but she had no idea what to ask first. Slowly, she closed her mouth and swallowed her words.


    On the other hand, Jack revealed a calm expression. He appeared to have no regard for being taken to the police station for investigation.


    He gently patted on Rachel''s hand but looked straight at Eric beside him. In a deep voice, he said, "I''ll go to the police station first. Please take care of your cousin while I''m away. Don''t fret. I''ll return soon enough."


    The latter half of Jack''s words were obviously meant for Rachel.


    With a nod, Eric took the umbrella from Jack and stood beside Rachel. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they both stared grimly at the police car that took Jack away.


    As she retracted her gaze, a melancholic expression painted Rachel''s face. She grasped Eric''s hand tightly and asked uneasily, "Is everything going to be alright? Has there been any problem with this kind of investigation?"


    Before Eric could answer her questions, Rachel had already called three of Jack''s friends. A sigh of relief escaped her breath when she heard that they were going to Ninwell City to help. Finally, her stiff limbs slowly began to relax. She hurriedly walked to the parking lot and said, "Eric, let''s go back right away!"


    The matter with Rachel''s aunt had just come to an end. Unbelievably, Jack was involved in such an issue again. While she sat quietly in the car, she gently closed her eyes, already


    ''s under investigation, and we would like to ask a few questions. Well, where is the person in charge?"


    The sudden interrogation frightened Benny. He looked at the ground and stood in fear as the police approached. With trembling lips, he answered, "This yacht belongs to our boss, Mr. Jack Fu."


    "Do you know the activities your boss used the yacht for these days?" asked the policeman in a domineering tone.


    After he swallowed a lump in his throat, Benny slowly shook his head. "No, I don''t know."


    However, Benny''s heart suddenly thumped as something jolted his memory. Two days ago, Kailey borrowed the yacht from him to entertain her friends.


    At that time, the two of them were in bed. Kailey was quite persuasive and offered an irresistible allure. Since Benny thought that Jack had no time to use the yacht these days, he agreed.


    But things suddenly turned sour. The police were already investigating the yacht and looking for possible accomplices. As such, Benny would never confess about what truly happened.


    When Benny came back to his senses, the policeman already took out a business card. He handed the card to Benny and said, "Okay. But if you think of something, please notify us."


    "Yes, sir!" Benny answered, desperate to hide his nervousness. As soon as the police left with the criminals, he rushed back and questioned Kailey about what happened.


    During the interrogation, Benny revealed a furious expression. As if she was wronged, Kailey shivered and answered, "I don''t know! Maybe you just don''t realize your boss''s true nature!"

 Chapter 475 Someone Reported Jack

    A trace of hesitation surfaced on Benny''s face upon hearing the question.


    Kailey took advantage of the situation that he was in a light trance. She withdrew her hands and held him tightly. Snuggling down in his arms, she then said in a sweet voice, "I think we should wait and see. If Mr. Fu does something illicit without your knowledge and lets you take the blame in the end..."


    She deliberately kept the remaining words hanging to give Benny some time to think by himself.


    It was more frightening than feeding him with some vicious words.


    In the study, Rachel sat in an armchair while the men sat on the other chairs.


    Before they could even start discussing, Michael yelled deliberately, "Jack, you really value your woman more than your friends. Look at how comfortable Rachel''s seat is while you just let us sit on these cold chairs."


    Jack admitted, "Yes. And you are not the only person who knows that."


    "You should be ashamed of yourself," Michael said jokingly.


    Jack smiled. "It seems that it''s more preferable for you to stand there."


    Michael sat down. "Why will I stand if there''s a seat for me?"


    Because of Michael, the tense atmosphere around them relaxed a lot. Even Rachel was able to smile. But looking at Jack, who was leaning against his desk, she couldn''t help feeling worried.


    A


    smiled bitterly. "You are indeed abnormal."


    Michael did not refute. He stood quietly for a while as if trying to recall what he wanted to say. "I remember it now. Jack, don''t you have someone taking care of your yacht? Where is he now? Have you questioned him about this?"


    "I thought you have come up with a big plan," Eric snorted. He waved his hand and said, "We have already thought of that. But that man has disappeared all of a sudden, and we can''t find him."


    Upon hearing Eric''s words, all of them fell silent again.


    At this time, Julie''s voice was heard outside of the study. "Mr. Fu, I prepared some snacks for you all. Would you like to go downstairs and eat?"


    "Sure," Jack answered. He then held Rachel''s hand and helped her stand up. He looked around the study and said in a low voice, "Don''t worry about it right now. Let''s fill our stomachs first and talk about it later."


    "Later? We don''t have much time left. We should solve this matter now," Eric retorted. But when he looked at Jack, he seemed to be fine, holding Rachel''s hand and walking towards the stairs.


    He was left staring angrily at the couple''s back.


    Marcus stepped forward and patted his shoulder gently. "Jack is always like that. Even if he deals with the most serious matter, he never shows any expressions on his face."

 Chapter 476 Divert His Attention

    Marcus, together with Michael and Henry, walked out of the study together.


    Eric sighed, stood up, and followed them. His initial plan to leave was delayed because of Jack''s emergency.


    That evening, Rachel couldn''t sleep. She just kept on tossing and turning in bed.


    She usually slept on time every night. But tonight was different. She couldn''t sleep, no matter how hard she tried because she couldn''t stop thinking about Jack.


    After lying in bed for a long time, Rachel opened her eyes desperately. Still, she wasn''t sleepy at all. Thinking that a glass of hot milk might help her fall asleep, she got up and went downstairs.


    When she passed by the study, she saw a glimmer of light coming out from the ajar door.


    Instead of going to the kitchen, she stopped and pushed the door to the study open. Jack was standing by the window with his back to the door, his shoulders taut and motionless.


    She knew that although he looked calm on the surface, he was also worried about his current situation deep inside.


    Rachel pursed her lips as she felt a sudden pang in her heart. She gently said, "Jack, why are you not asleep yet?"


    Jack turned around and smiled upon seeing her. "Why are you still up?" He walked up to her and helped her sit on the sofa.


    Rachel looked up to him and stared at his bloodshot eyes.


    Jack had been helping her to deal with Linda''s affairs, so she knew that he hadn''t gotten


    deal with, so she didn''t bother him. She continued to walk quietly.


    However, James suddenly stopped her. "Rachel, wait. I have something to ask you."


    She stopped. "Uncle James, are you here for me? I thought you''re going to the emergency room."


    James shook his head and showed the newspaper in his hand to her. He then asked with a frown, "What is happening? Why is Jack involved in such a group of bad people now?"


    Rachel''s nerves tensed up upon hearing Jack''s name. She took the newspaper from James and looked through the headline. The whole page was news about Jack.


    Almost everything about him was mentioned in the news, including Scarlett. Some were real, but most were not.


    Worse was, it emphasized the mess that Jack had accidentally got involved in this time.


    The content of the news was so persuasive that even the people who initially didn''t believe that Jack could do such a thing might eventually be convinced.


    Since it mentioned a lot of negative things that happened to Jack in the past, it could definitely arouse the readers'' interest.


    Precisely, the person who wrote this news wanted to destroy Jack deliberately.


    Rachel crumpled the newspaper into a ball and tossed it into the trash can nearby. She forced a smile and met James'' concerned eyes. "Uncle James, this is just a misunderstanding. Don''t worry. Jack is dealing with it right now. He''ll definitely handle it well."

 Chapter 477 News Went Viral

    "Really?" James frowned. "Rachel, since you two are back together, you shouldn''t bother yourself with this nonsense."


    "Uncle James, we both know that." Rachel always tried to look calm and happy. But she felt very anxious now. This matter wasn''t supposed to be leaked by the media because they promised to keep it a secret.


    The MK Group was in chaos.


    In Jack''s office, the telephone rang non-stop. Reporters gathered outside the building and called him continuously for a statement. Jack tried to shake some of the tension off by rubbing circles on his temples but to no avail. Finally, he got up and just unplugged the telephone.


    The story flashed on the front page of almost every news website he opened. His frown deepened after seeing the articles. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.


    When the press released the story, he responded quickly by asking the news outlets to take down the articles. But this time around, it seemed that someone was deliberately giving him problems behind their back. The story kept popping up on other news outlets even after the previous ones had taken it down.


    Now the situation was really out of control.


    Sometime later, he heard someone knock firmly on his door. He recognized Austin''s anxious voice call out to him from outside. "Mr. Fu, some of our shareholders have arrived. They want to speak with you in the meeting room now."


    Sure enough, the shareholders did arrive.


    Austin was still standing on the


    want to hear the conversation. But even as he kept his voice down, the house was just too quiet.


    Rachel could hear every word clearly.


    As if nothing happened, he just put his phone down and went back to the table. "Why aren''t you eating? Don''t they taste good?" He looked at the dumplings on her plate.


    With a heavy heart, Rachel managed to ask him, "Jack, did a lot of contracts get terminated?"


    "You heard?" There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, but he tried to smile. "It''s normal for one or two contracts to get canceled."


    Rachel pressed on. "Does it have anything to do with what happened?"


    Jack reached out and patted her head. "It doesn''t matter. Don''t think about it too much."


    In the kitchen, Jack''s phone rang again. He was still smiling, but she saw the fierceness in his eyes.


    He took the call in the yard outside this time.


    From inside, Rachel could see Jack through the tall window. He looked spirited on the phone. As soon as he went back inside, she said to him calmly, "Jack, I''ll be fine here. Go to the company. I think you need to be there."


    "No," he said indifferently. Jack sat down in front of her. He carefully pushed the plate of dumplings to Rachel. "Try these. These have a different filling."


    The dumplings were delicious, but she didn''t have much of an appetite. It tasted like wax in her mouth. But as she did not want to disappoint Jack, she smiled at him and complimented him, "They''re delicious. I love them."

 Chapter 478 The Only Way

    "You should eat more."


    As soon as Jack finished his words, they heard the sharp squeal of braking tires across the yard. Rachel turned her head to see Tracy and Jonathan rushing in.


    Jonathan''s face was pale and drawn. "Something like this has happened, yet you did not tell us?"


    Tears streamed down Tracy''s cheeks as she choked out the words. "Jack, what''s going on?"


    Rachel and Jack looked at each other. They meant to hide the truth from Jack''s parents so that they would not worry. However, the matter had become this serious that it was out of their hands.


    Rachel laid down her chopsticks and slowly stood up with her hands supporting her waist. "Mom, Dad, please don''t worry. Let''s sit down and discuss it calmly, okay?"


    "How can we be calm? Now, all of the shareholders are asking to have Jack dismissed and withdrawn from the board of directors. This is..." Tracy couldn''t continue and was overcome with sobs.


    With her eyes wide open, Rachel looked at Jack in disbelief. "Why in the world did you not say a word about such a thing?"


    However, Jack was not looking at her when he replied, "I didn''t tell you because it would only make you worry."


    He turned to greet Jonathan and pulled Tracy to sit down on the sofa. He said in a low voice, "Dad, Mom, I will solve this matter. Don''t worry."


    "Solve it? How are you going to solve it?" Jonat


    enny seemed to be clamming up.


    Now, the only way to prove his innocence was to find Kailey.


    Michael asked in an agitated voice, "Wait? How long should we wait?"


    Jack, how did you know that Benny didn''t want to tell the truth?"


    Jack chuckled, "He knows the repercussions for everyone, especially for himself, once he tells the does. On the other hand, by not speaking, I''m still implicated in the crime, while he remains free."


    He raised his head and looked at the stunned Michael. "If you were him, which would you choose?


    "Of course, I would choose the latter," Michael all but blurted out without thinking. Scratching the back of his head, he flashed them an awkward smile and tried to change the subject. "By the way, what are you waiting for?"


    Jack frowned and kept silent, but Henry suddenly understood what he meant. He placed a hand on Michael''s shoulder and said, "Don''t talk too much so that no one you''re an idiot."


    Marcus also interjected, "I''m also starting to doubt your intelligence. With how dumb you are, hasn''t anyone in your company ever tried to take over your position?"


    "My guess is he''s totally unaware of the attempts," Marcus said. The two men were echoing each other, so Michael couldn''t win against them.


    Rachel thought it would take them a while to return, but Jack came back soon after. "Where are Dad and Mom?"

 Chapter 479 True Love Blooms In The Midst Of Crisis

    "I told Dad and Mom to go back home. I don''t need a bunch of babysitters. I''m not some three-year old, you know?" Rachel said and took over Jack''s coat. "How is everything going on with the police?"


    "Nothing."


    Since the company scandal, this word had become Jack''s pet phrase.


    There was a time when Rachel would genuinely believe him. Now, she was not so sure¡ªin fact, it almost always meant the opposite.


    "Jack, tell me the truth," she insisted.


    Rachel stared at Jack with such seriousness that he had no choice but to tell her what really transpired at the police station. He gently added, "Rachel, I just don''t want you to worry about me. That''s all, really."


    "But, you and I are a couple. We should be together through thick and thin, shouldn''t we?" Rachel said with a pout. "Don''t make me look like a fool. How can I call myself your wife if I know nothing about this matter? I don''t want our marriage to be over just because of some silly disaster."


    Her calm tone added meaningfulness to her words.


    Jack couldn''t help but hug Rachel tightly. He was overwhelmed with emotions that tears streamed down his face. He felt loved. "I feel so lucky to have you by my side, Rachel," he whispered.


    They hugged for some time. Rachel silently hoped that things turned out well. The gravity of her husband''s predicament dawned on her and it dampened her mood.


    It also didn''t help that the baby in her belly had been growing rapidly these past few days. Her body had grown mor


    as she finished speaking, Michael''s voice came from behind her. "We''re here as well."


    Three well-dressed men marched neatly in a row. Marcus, the one in the middle, reached for the microphone and stated in a deep voice, "We have been friends with Jack for so many years. We know him best. From now on, we reserve the right to pursue legal action against anyone who spreads malicious rumor about our friend."


    "You bet we will!" said Michael.


    Jack, who had always been introverted, inadvertently burst into tears when he saw how fiercely his friends faced the reporters'' questions.


    He realized that it was worth it to have his friends and beloved around him in times of difficulty.


    He tightly held Rachel''s hand while he tapped the arms of his friends. He said sincerely, "Guys, thank you!"


    "You don''t need to thank me. You just have to return the favor in the future."


    Everyone burst into laughter. It seemed to Jack that the intensity in the room turned down a notch or two because of Michael''s joke.


    No matter how difficult and sharp-tongued the questions that came after were, the atmosphere became less tense and chaotic. Jack could only thank the love and support of his wife and friends for his new-found confidence, if nothing else.


    Having sparred with the reporters for about half an hour, Michael rubbed his tummy and glanced at Jack. "I rushed to come over that I forgot to take my lunch. Now, I''m starving to death. Will you treat me to some good food, later?"

 Chapter 480 Find Kailey

    "Whatever." Jack''s mouth curved and a smile began to form on his lips.


    At the right moment, Austin said, "In fact, the press conference is almost over. Mr. Fu, you can leave now. I can handle the rest."


    Jack nodded. When he was about to beckon to Michael and others to join him, he saw Henry standing in a corner. Covering his ear with one hand to stop the noise, he was talking intently on phone.


    While he was at it, they patiently waited for him.


    Henry put away his phone and came over. "Kailey is found!" he announced as soon as he was near them.


    "Where is she? That bitch! I am glad we finally found her," said Michael angrily, rolling up his sleeves like he was getting ready to fight her.


    Rachel flinched at his words. She couldn''t understand how they had suddenly found Kailey.


    Paying no attention to Michael, Henry faced Jack. "A car accident took place now. Luckily, a friend of mine is a part of the traffic police team. He called me and informed that the person in question was none other than her."


    "Where is she now?" Jack asked. He was eerily calm.


    "She is in the hospital. She has regained her consciousness. Let''s go there." Henry turned around and was about to leave but Jack held his arm.


    Marcus, who had braced himself for a fight, seemed utterly confused. "Why aren''t we leaving?" he asked.


    Jack smiled and said, "The police must be there. Our presence won''t be of any help. She is going to spi


    ed, "What are you thinking about? Would you care to share?"


    "No, it is nothing." Rachel smiled. "Now that this matter has been resolved, shouldn''t we celebrate?" She didn''t like it when Jack was gloomy. She wanted to change the topic.


    Since the police would handle Kailey, there was no use in mentioning that particular incident.


    Jack gently rubbed her nose, and then whispered in her ear, "At present, I don''t think you can give me the celebration I want."


    Rachel''s face flushed and she replied in a low voice, "We have plenty of time in the future."


    These simple words brought intense joy.


    Yes, the two of them had a happy life waiting ahead of them. This was just the beginning of this beautiful journey.


    Time passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, the baby in her belly was about to be born. During this period of time, Rachel''s belly had become huge. Her originally smooth belly was tainted with pregnancy marks.


    That night, after taking a shower, Rachel stood in the washroom, and gazed at her imperfect body. "Why is my body so ugly?" she muttered to herself.


    Jack, who had been waiting for her outside the washroom, wondered what was taking her so long. Worrying if she slipped or some mishap happened, he went to see what was wrong. Putting down the book he was reading, he stood up and walked near the washroom door. He knocked lightly and said, "Rachel, are you done?"


    "Yes, I am coming!" Rachel answered.

 Chapter 481 Mystery

    Jack felt relieved that nothing was wrong with Rachel. While waiting for her, he picked up a book from the bed and flipped through a few pages. He glanced at the clock in the nightstand beside him. Thirty minutes had already gone by, but she still hadn''t come out.


    Impatiently, he dragged the blanket to the side and got up again. Rachel shouted from inside the bathroom, "Almost done."


    Frustration got the better of him this time, so he turned the knob on the bathroom door and pushed it open. All of a sudden, Rachel screamed in surprise. She abruptly pulled down the flap of her pajama that she had lifted.


    Terrified, she yelled at Jack, "Why did you open the door without knocking first?!"


    "I just wanted to see what you were doing." Jack frowned and walked up to her. He looked her up and down and said, "You said that you were almost done. What were you busy with?"


    "Nothing," she shot back.


    Rachel quickly turned around barged out the door. Jack was left behind inside the bathroom looking puzzled. As if talking to himself, he mumbled, "But you were the one locking yourself up inside the bathroom. What were you even doing?"


    Hearing this, Rachel replied, "I was taking a shower."


    He repeated the question over and over, but she just gave him the same answer. She cut him off before he could ask one more time, "Can you please just stop asking? I''m going to sleep now. Keep quiet."


    Her mood caught him off


    serable. He leaned against the bathroom wall and just stood there in silence.


    He could picture himself standing alone on a long, snowy road while he watched Rachel walk into the arms of another man.


    Jack tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He went to Rachel so he could ask her one more time.


    Seeing that he wasn''t going to stop until he had an answer, Rachel sat up on the bed. She lifted the end of her pajama to show her pregnant belly. "Look at me, Jack," she told him.


    "What is it?" He didn''t understand what she meant by it. Moving closer, he gently put his hand on her belly. "Is the baby moving right now?" he asked.


    "No." Rachel took his hand off her belly and pointed at the stretch marks. "Have you seen my belly? There are so many stretch marks. I''ve been applying ointment in the bathroom these days. I wanted to see if I can make them fade away."


    "Then why didn''t you just tell me?" Jack asked in a tired voice.


    Lowering her head, Rachel muttered, "I feel so ugly when I look at myself in the mirror. I didn''t want you to see the marks. I''m afraid that you wouldn''t like me anymore."


    ''How could I dislike her? She''s the woman I love, and the mother of my child, '' Jack thought to himself.


    All the anxiety and doubt that were weighing him down finally disappeared. He looked at Rachel lovingly, and then he laughed so hard that his body trembled. Confused, she asked him, "Are you alright?"

 Chapter 482 Rachel Gave Birth

    "Nothing. I''m just too happy." Jack waved his hand and smiled. The smile on his face reached his deep-set black eyes. He was so happy that he almost cried.


    Rachel frowned. She couldn''t help thinking inwardly, ''Is he happy that I''ve gotten so many pregnancy stretch marks?'' All the while, she was worried that he would dislike her if he found out that her belly had become so ugly. She didn''t expect that he would just say he was so happy.


    She tried to figure out the possible reason for him to feel happy about the stretch marks, but she couldn''t, so she gave up.


    The next day, Rachel and Lea had afternoon tea. Rachel casually talked about Jack''s reaction about her stretch marks. "It was my first time to see a man laughing when he saw pregnancy stretch marks. He wasn''t disappointed at all."


    While stirring her coffee, Lea commented, "Maybe it made him feel that you are really pregnant."


    "I don''t know. Actually, I was afraid that he would find out, so I hid them from him. I even stayed in the bathroom for a long time every day to secretly apply anti?stretch mark cream on my belly." Thinking of what she had done before, Rachel couldn''t help laughing at herself.


    At the hospital, she heard a lot of nurses complaining about their pregnancy stretch marks before. Since she wasn''t pregnant yet at that time, she felt it wasn''t really a big deal.


    But now that it also happened to her, she realized that it was indeed a serious problem for women. More serious t


    d forth anxiously and kept mumbling, "I don''t know how Rachel is now. She must be in severe pain."


    Two hours of waiting had quickly passed.


    The door of the delivery room was finally opened from the inside. The nurse walked out and said with a smile, "Congratulations. It''s a baby boy."


    As soon as Tracy heard that it was a boy, she smiled happily and held Jonathan''s hand. "Great! We finally have a cute grandson."


    Jack didn''t mind what the nurse had said. When he saw that the door of the delivery room opened, he immediately walked up to Rachel and looked at her lying on the bed. Her hair was wet with sweat. She indeed looked messy.


    His deep-set black eyes filled with pity. He held her hand and kissed it gently. "Honey, thank you."


    The nurse carried the baby to the crib. He was crying so loud, but Jack seemed not to hear him.


    After a long while, Jack finally came back to his senses. That was the only time that he noticed the baby''s cry. He stood up and picked up the baby from the crib. But then, he frowned and said, "Why is this baby so ugly?"


    The baby might have understood Jack''s negative comment because he cried out loud again. Perhaps, he felt depressed being called ugly by his own father. Jack didn''t know that babies really didn''t look cute at first sight they were born.


    Rachel and Jack named their baby boy Andrew Fu. For his first birthday, Rachel had planned to invite the whole family to dinner with a birthday cake to celebrate.

 Chapter 483 Andy Has A Fever

    Since Andrew was Jonathan and Tracy''s first grandson, they wouldn''t just want a simple family dinner to celebrate his first birthday. As a matter of fact, they had already planned a few months ago to hold a big party. They wanted to introduce Andrew to the whole Ninwell City.


    This evening, Rachel went to the yard after dinner. There, she saw Tracy and Jonathan sitting on a stone bench. They were chatting while Tracy was carrying Andrew in her arms.


    Rachel walked up to them and crouched in front of Tracy. She gently poked Andrew''s cheek and asked, "Andy, what are you laughing? Why are you so happy?"


    Andy was Andrew''s nickname. Jack gave it to him on the second day after he was born.


    At that time, Jonathan and Tracy insisted on giving him a nickname, but the names they had thought didn''t sound good to Jack.


    Tracy even suggested calling him "Baby" as his nickname. Jack refused at once.


    To stop his parents from thinking of funny nicknames, Jack immediately thought of a nickname for his baby. And from the name Andrew, he came up with "Andy."


    Fortunately, everyone was satisfied with it.


    Tracy handed Rachel a piece of paper. It was the guest list she made for Andy''s first birthday. "Check this out. Do you have any other friends to invite?"


    Rachel looked through the long list of names. She actually felt a little dizzy, but she still


    has a fever all of a sudden, and he threw up, so they took him to the hospital. We must go there now."


    "Why is it so sudden? Wasn''t he fine just now?" Jack put on his clothes in a hurry too. He then patted Rachel on the shoulder and comforted her. "Don''t worry. He''ll be fine. I''ll go downstairs to start the car. Just go down when you''re ready."


    "Okay."


    While putting Andy''s stuff in the bag, Rachel couldn''t help trembling. She was not a pediatrician, but she knew that this thing normally happened to every child as they grew up.


    But now that it happened to Andy, she couldn''t calm herself down.


    Jack maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand and held Rachel''s hand tightly with his other hand. Although he was also very anxious, he tried his best to cheer her up.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t work.


    When they arrived at the hospital, Tracy was pacing back and forth in the ward. Andy was crying in her arms. Jonathan stood by the side, holding a milk bottle in his hand. He looked at Andy anxiously and kept asking, "Baby, do you still feel uncomfortable?"


    Rachel walked up to Tracy and took a look at Andy. His cheeks were red all over. She then asked, "Mom, what happened?"


    "I gave him a bath and let him play in the water for a while so..." Tracy''s voice was full of self-blame as she choked. Her red and swollen eyes became misty again.

 Chapter 484 Choose A Kindergarten

    Rachel felt bad for her son, but she still patted Tracy''s shoulder gently to comfort her. "Don''t blame yourself. It''s common for children to have a fever. He''ll get better soon."


    Hearing this, Tracy''s face softened a little.


    Taking Andy in her arms, Rachel rocked him gently. She hummed a lullaby under her breath while Tracy explained carefully what the doctor had just said during the examination.


    Seeing this loving scene, the previously nervous Jack and Jonathan smiled at each other. It looked like Rachel and Tracy were getting along well now.


    They all stayed at the hospital for the night and barely got a wink of sleep. Maybe it was because Andy was not feeling well that he didn''t sleep well. Even when he dozed off, he would wake up just an hour later.


    When morning came, he was crabby and irritable, and his throat sounded a little scratchy.


    Tracy tried her best to comfort him herself, but she was fast slipping back into blaming herself again. She covered her face with one hand and sobbed, "If it weren''t for me, Andy wouldn''t be suffering."


    "Mom, it''s really okay. The fever has gone down. He''s over the worst." Rachel turned to motion to Jack.


    He understood what she meant, so he stood up and walked to Tracy. He put his hand on her shoulder and, through a tired yawn, said, "Mom, you and Dad haven''t rested all night. You can go back first. Rachel and I will stay here."


    "Yes, let''s go back


    "Well, don''t just say that. Go ahead and get him out of bed!"


    One day, Jack woke up early in the morning, but his hands were restless and kept wandering over to Rachel''s body.


    He slowly leaned over, gently brushed her earlobe and said gently, "Honey, fancy a little early-morning workout? What do you think?"


    Turning over, Rachel opened her eyes and looked straight into his. "Honey, I''d love to. But won''t you be late taking Andy to kindergarten?"


    "Why should I be taking Andy?" Jack was puzzled. "Today is Saturday. The kindergarten isn''t open."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the bedroom was pushed open from the outside by a small figure. Andy trotted in on his little legs, wearing a yellow schoolbag on his back.


    He walked to Jack''s bedside and tried to grab his hand, but couldn''t reach. In the end, he had to pull on the quilt. "Daddy, get up quickly. I''m going to be late for school."


    Jack was confused. "What? Isn''t Saturday today?"


    Rachel explained, "Didn''t you hear Andy say last night that the teachers in the kindergarten will be busy on Monday, so they swapped the two days."


    swapped nodded in agreement. He looked at Jack as if he were looking at a fool. "Oh Daddy, you are so forgetful."


    Jack lowered his head at once. His original plan was definitely not going to pan out. Seeing his wife''s beautiful and enticing body, he could not help but feel a sense of bitterness.

 Chapter 485 The New Intern

    Jack lifted the quilt, picked up Andy and walked out. "Andy, I''ll send you to a better kindergarten from next week, okay?"


    "But why?" Andy asked curiously. "Dad, I already have friends here. I don''t want to change."


    "It will be fine. You will be able to make new friends there." Jack''s persuasive voice gradually faded away. Covering the quilt with her hands, Rachel beamed.


    This was the biggest disagreement between the two of them over the years, but Jack was oblivious. And yet Rachel used her way to make him realize his mistake.


    Rachel picked up her phone, and sent him the number of the kindergarten near their home.


    It was not until Jack read the message that he realized he had fallen into the trap set by Rachel from the beginning.


    The problem which could have caused a fight between them was solved like that.


    After she gave birth to Andy, Rachel had transferred to the cardiology department. Since then, she had devoted herself to her work diligently. Therefore, she took over the position of director once the previous one retired.


    On this day, when Rachel was packing up and about to get off work, her phone rang. James''s voice came clearly. "Rachel, are you still working?"


    "Yes, I am." Rachel stopped what she was doing. "Uncle James, is everything okay?"


    "Come


    he was being unreasonable and worrying over nothing. After that day, she continued taking Jay Yang with her every day, and teaching him about real medical cases. She was so wrapped up trying to be a good instructor that she almost forgot about the incident with Jack.


    One day, Rachel received a call from Tracy, who told her she would not be able to pick up Andy from kindergarten as she had something to deal with. Seeing that there was not a lot of work going on in the hospital, Rachel was about to leave when Jay pushed the door in.


    He stood in front of the desk, hesitating for a long time without saying a word.


    Rachel was a little anxious. "Jay, what can I do for you? If it''s not an urgent matter, can it wait till tomorrow?"


    "Rachel." Jay called her, contemplating for the right words.


    Raising her head to look at him, Rachel waited for him to continue. When he didn''t, she looked down at her watch again and said, "Jay, I''m really in a hurry. If you have anything to say, please hurry up."


    "It''s my birthday. I was wondering, if you have time tonight? How about having dinner together?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab the back of his neck. Embarrassment was written all over his face, which made Rachel''s heart beat heavily.


    ''Was Jack right to worry?'' she wondered.

 Chapter 486 Celias Pregnancy

    Rachel forced an awkward smile. She then lowered her head and pretended to pack up. "I don''t have time tonight. I have to get home and take care of my son," she said nonchalantly.


    "Your son?" Jay''s jaw dropped and he gave a look of genuine surprise. "Rachel, you have a son?"


    "Yes, and he''s already three years old. He has just started kindergarten. I need to go back and pick him up from school." Rachel passed him by and added, "Call me if you need help with anything."


    "Oh, okay. But, Rachel, are you really not available tonight?" Jay asked again, almost pleadingly.


    Rachel spun around. She smiled at him and replied, "No, I really don''t have time. Happy birthday, Jay. Have a great one!"


    However, this incident struck an alarm in Rachel''s mind and her chest beat rapidly. She was afraid that Jack would make a mountain out of a molehill if he found out about this. She shouldn''t underestimate his jealousy.


    She didn''t want any trouble with her marriage. A lot of similar things happened in the past and they ended up pretty bad.


    The incident troubled her a great deal. The next day, she summoned Jay to her office and told him, "Jay, I''ve arranged for Dr. Wang to handle your internship. She''s also from the same department. You may direct your concerns at her from now on."


    "But, why?" Jay frowned and asked. "Rachel, did I do anything wrong? Or is it because¡ª"


    Rachel raised her hand and interrupted his speech midway. Her temples were throbbing. ''How should I handle this?'' she asked herself. She knew she couldn''t just blurt out, "I think you have a crush on me. This will not work out well, so it''s bet


    p with her mother-in-law would spell disaster to her marriage.


    This routine had gone on for more than a month. She noticed that she grew tired more easily and her face was paler than usual.


    That night, the four of them sat around the dinner table. Everyone had just picked up their chopsticks when Marcus noted Celia''s pale complexion and asked in a worried voice, "Celia, aren''t you feeling well? Why do you look so pale these days?"


    She shook her head in response. "I''m fine."


    However, as soon as she finished her reply, she caught the scent of braised pork from the table. The smell nauseated her. She dropped her chopsticks, stood up, and ran to the bathroom. Everyone was surprised. Celia, having vomited for quite some time, emerged from the bathroom. She felt much better.


    The sound of his wife''s vomiting made Marcus very anxious. As soon as she came out from the bathroom, he grabbed her by the wrist and led her outside. "I''ll take you to the hospital, now."


    "Thanks, but you don''t have to." Celia freed herself from Marcus'' grip. She stood still and took a moment''s look at her in-laws. Both were still at the dining table. She could trace the annoyance on her mother-in-law''s face.


    She let out a deep sigh and said, in a loud enough voice so that everyone could hear, "I''m not sick. I''m pregnant."


    Her news struck the Ji household like lightning. Everyone was too shocked to react.


    Marcus'' father recovered his senses first. The news made him very happy but he still put on airs. He pretended to cough and said, "Since you''re not sick, come here, and join us. Let''s continue our dinner, shall we?"

 Chapter 487 The End

    As soon as Marcus'' father finished speaking, he picked up the chopsticks and patted his wife''s hand. "Why are you still sitting there? Hurry up and bring the braised pork back to the kitchen, and then prepare something light-favored."


    This time, she didn''t say anything. She nodded and did what he asked.


    Celia bit her lips and felt a little guilty, but the feeling didn''t last long.


    That night, Celia and Marcus lay flat on the bed. He put his hand gently on her belly and said in disbelief, "Celia, didn''t you say that it was still early and you didn''t want to have a baby so soon?"


    Celia''s lips twitched but she said nothing.


    Yes, that was exactly her thoughts before. She had thought that the two of them were still young. She had wanted to enjoy her life for a few more years, just the two of them. But now she realized that was not possible. She had gradually figured out that giving birth would be the only way for Marcus'' mother to open her heart and truly accept her.


    She whispered in her heart, ''Baby, I''m so sorry. I have to use you.''


    Without waiting for her answer, Marcus continued, "Celia, you don''t know how happy I am. I''ve been really envious of Jack and Henry whenever they post their babies'' photos in their WeChat Moments!"


    "Then your dream is about to come true." Celia put her hand on the back of his and held it tightly. They intertwined their fingers.


    She could feel that Marcus'' hand were


    be a bastard even once. Otherwise, how can I deserve two slaps with no reason?"


    He didn''t know what was wrong with him. Usually, he would''ve just turned around and left. He would''ve been eager to cut ties with her. But today, he unexpectedly reached out and grabbed her.


    He felt that if the woman left now, he would definitely regret it in the future.


    Regret? Regret what? Michael didn''t have much time to ponder that sentiment.


    At the same time, his father, who was sitting on the stone bench, saw the whole scene unfold. His earlier gloomy face finally cleared. The driver beside him said timely, "It seems that Michael''s fate has come. You can now rest easy."


    The old man stood up and sighed, "Yes, I''ll just have to wait for a grandson. My friends all have grandchildren. I''m so envious of them."


    In the cafe, time stood still between Michael and the woman. The atmosphere was inexplicably heavy and serious. After a while, she gave in and said, "Let me go first. I''m going to the bathroom. I can''t hold it in anymore."


    Michael believed her words and let go of her. However, she instantly ran towards the cafe''s exit. Before leaving, she looked back and made a face towards him.


    Michael gazed at her figure slowly disappearing in the sea of people and couldn''t help but smile. "Woman, do you think you can escape from me?"


    Maybe the seed of destiny that belonged to Michael was starting to sprout quietly.

 Chapter 488 Thank You Note

    Hi guys. Happy ending! Thanks for staying with us the whole time. We will bring you more interesting stories.


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    All these interesting stories are first released on MoboReader. You guys can download it now at https://www.moboreader.net


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    Here, I would like to highly recommend some interesting ones to you.


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    When her boyfriend betrayed her, all light and joy was gone from Lola''s life. To revenge her ex, she married a Billionaire man.


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    "From this moment on, I will give you what you want," he whispered in a soft voice. Lola thought that she had finally found her happiness, but she had no idea about the dark secrets that were bound to unfold and haunt her forever.


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    2, My Wife is an Aloof Beauty


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    "You''re my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours."


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    Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them.


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    Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!


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    "I''m in desperate need of money to pay Grandmother''s medical fee. I will marry Charles instead of Yvonne as soon as I get the money."


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    When her sister Yvonne ran away from the wedding, Autumn was forced to pretend to be Yvonne and marry Charles. Her only wish was to get a divorce after a year. Charles is rich and powerful. His name had been linked to innumerable ladies. He had different girlfriends for every day of a year. Neither of them had expected that they would fall in love with each other.


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    4, Vengeful Girl with Her CEO


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    Separated from her family since the day she was born, Linda vowed to come back and take revenge on those who had done injustice to her.


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    Brought up in a noble clan, Charles was taking reins and conquering the business world but got beaten up by a woman he had never met before.


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    Stuck with an unexpected betrothal at first, love eventually brought the two hearts together.


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    Pregnant, kidnapped, injured, poor Linda was tossed into a roaring river. Who did it to her? What did they want? Who was the other ''Linda'' around Charles?


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    5, My Mr. Soldier


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    When her boyfriend betrayed her, all light and joy was gone from Cherry''s life. Deserted, bereft of hope, she married a man that she had barely met, but she had never expected him to be her ex-boyfriend''s uncle.


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    Cherry thought that she had finally found her happiness, but she had no idea about the dark secrets that were bound to unfold and haunt her forever.


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    With the help of her husband''s enemy, she ran away from her marriage, but at a cost that she had never imagined she would have to pay. Five years later, she accidentally crossed paths again with the same people that she had fled from.


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    6, Cold CEO Vs. Sweet Wife


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    Growing up without a mother can be hard. For Jean Wen, life became worse when her father, Henry, brings home his mistress.


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    With two half-siblings intent on causing trouble, Jean is shunned by Henry. Desperate to earn his love, she agrees to be sacrificed for familial interests. She marries a rich CEO in exchange for a land her father wants. However, her failure and added complications with her family mean that everyone abandons her. To find out the truth about her mother''s death, she even risks her life. Is it an accident? Or a murder? When her stepmother turns her back on her father, she chooses to stand by Henry''s side and save his company from bankruptcy.


    ?


    Alone in the world, Jean comes across her ex-boyfriend. Will his consideration rekindle her love toward him? Will she be able to make her marriage work? Turn the page to find out more!


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    7, The Spoiled Girl


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    Emily, was a just simple girl living a simple life when one day she received a call from the police that changed her entire life. Everything that happened since then was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride.


    ?


    She soon found out that her long-time boyfriend, Jack Gu, was cheating on her with her best friend. As if things weren''t bad enough, she accidentally ended up in Jack''s uncle''s car, where they ended up ¨C doing it. Soon, Emily found herself in a tug-o-war between her ex, Jack and his uncle, Jacob.


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    8, Take My Breath Away


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    "Drive this woman out!"


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    "Throw this woman into the sea!"


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    When he doesn''t know Debbie Nian''s true identity, Carlos Huo cold-shoulders her.


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    "Mr. Huo, she is your wife," Carlos'' secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, "why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


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    From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.


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    9, The Enchanted Night


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    Four years ago, Cassandra had to marry a wealthy man, though she had no feelings toward him. Similarly, the man whose name was written against hers on the marriage certificate couldn''t care less about her either.


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    Four years later, she was drunk on a cruise ship in Rome and the fate sent her a graduation gift, a steaming hot one-night-stand with an unbelievably hansome man.


    ?


    She had cheated on her husband! And what was worse, the unbelievably hansome man turned out to be her husband''s brother, Rufus Luo!


    ?


    What was she gonna do? How could she live with him under the same roof? What would her husband do to her after he found out the buried secret? And more importantly, how could she resist his boundless charm?


    ?


    --------------


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    10, Happy Together


    ?


    "We''ll be married for only a month. After that, we''ll get divorced immediately."


    ?


    Even though their marriage had been arranged by their great-grandfathers before they were born, he believed that such a rude and noisy woman like her didn''t deserve to be his wife.


    ?


    Little did they know then that they were destined to be together. Hiram, the handsome young CEO who could never be turned on by a woman, and Rachel, the beauty who somehow brought bad luck onto all the men she went on a date with, were getting married, against all odds.


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    11, Waiting For a Girl Like You


    ?


    "You saved my life, and I owe you one. Fair and square."


    ?


    "Is this how you are going to repay my kindness? By sharing my bed? In my own house?"


    ?


    "Fine, then come to my place and share my bed. How''s that, huh?"


    ?


    People always say what the An Family is capable of is beyond imagination. However, Carla Ji has no idea it''s a nightmare only dressed like a daydream until it''s too late to change anything...


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    12, Unbreak My Heart


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    "A cheater and a bitch. They are perfect for each other," Ashley scoffed in her heart, a faint smile climbing up the corners of her lips. Her smile was so dazzling that no one could look away from her.


    ?


    With one swift swig, she emptied the glass of wine down her throat. Never had she imagined that this glass of wine, drugged by her own mother, would bring her to an unbelievably wealthy and handsome man and change her whole life.


    ?


    It had been a night of madness. She lost her virginity to the man she never met before. It felt like a dream that was not real, yet that very dream came to life, and was standing right in front of her when she woke up the next day.


    ?


    "Kiss me!" he demanded.


    ?


    What would happen next?


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    13, Love Crisis


    ?


    After Brian''s once beloved girlfriend leaving him, in the years follow, there is no one who can stir his heart until he meets that girl, a Waitress named Molly.


    ?


    What begins in compulsion becomes true love, and soon Molly finds herself torn between 3 entirely different men, in 3 irreconcilable lives. Yet she knows at the bottom of her heart, from the very beginning, that who is the one she truly loves.


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    As their fates unfold, the turbulent saga travels around the world, from the sunny tropical island to foggy London, and to lovers'' paradise¡ªParis.


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    A story of a pair of lovers, tormented by the past, driven by desires, yet still entangled in a relationship of love and hatred.


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    14, Billionaire''s Gift


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    Mandy is young, beautiful, and rich. She has the perfect life and the perfect boyfriend. But one night, her whole world turns upside down--she catches her boyfriend, Daniel having an affair; she goes to bar where she gets drugged and loses her virginity to Nathan, a man who forces her to have a one-night stand with him; and her father gets arrested by the police.


    ?


    Then, she has no choice but to agree to be Nathan''s mistress for a month so that he would protect her and her family in return. But unexpectedly, Mandy falls in love with him and even agrees to be his girlfriend. However, another girl who likes Nathan is jealous and tries every means to separate them. Can Nathan and Mandy get through this? Don''t wait any more and start reading Billionaire''s Gift!


    --------------


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    15, Apotheosis


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    Falling from nobility, Zen Luo became a humble slave and served as a human punchbag for his former cousins. Inadvertently, he found a way to refine himself into a weapon and a legend started because of that. With a strong belief in never surrender, he strove for revenges and pursued big dreams.


    ?


    Warriors from various clans contended for hegemony and the world was stirred. Relying on the body that was comparable to a powerful weapon, Zen beat his numerous enemies on his way to the immortality. Would he succeed eventually?


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    16, Mighty Soldier King


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    Former special forces soldier Peter Wang is tasked to serve as a security guard in one of Golden City''s top firms to protect his beautiful employer, Bella Song.


    ?


    As a fighter who survived the grueling life in the military, he dismissed the job as menial and simple. Little did he know, he gravely miscalculated.


    ?


    At the heart of a seemingly peaceful city, Peter found himself treading dangerously through vicious gangs and atrocious personalities while winning the hearts of several beautiful women along the way --the elusive Bella, esteemed Amelia, sweet Elaine, youthful Shelly, gentle Lisa, and more.


    ?


    Who can defeat our Mighty Soldier King?


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    --------------


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    17, Rebirth of Martial God


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    Traversing back to the ancient Prime Martial World from modern age, Austin finds himself in a younger body as he wakes up.


    ?


    Yet, the young man he possesses was a miserable dimwit, what a bummer!


    ?


    But it doesn''t matter as his mind is sound and clear. Possessing this younger and stronger body, he will fight his way to become the God of martial arts, and rule the whole Martial World!


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    --------------


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    18, The Legend of Innate Mage


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    "Brotherhood? Clan? It is utterly ridiculous!"


    ?


    They had been bosom buddies, almost like blood brothers. The two young talented masters of Nan Clan enjoyed great respect. However, everything was completely different now.


    ?


    Ricky Nan was not a young talented master anymore, but a jerk in everyone''s eyes. All this was Nate''s fault, despite their close friendship, right from childhood. Nate Nan, set as the successor of Nan Clan, now treated him like a stranger.


    ?


    "Father, I will take revenge for you and get back everything we should have deserved!"


    ?


    --------------


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    19, Lord Of Martial Arts


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    In Lothlann Continent, talent in martial arts won cultivators respect.


    ?


    Darren Chu, a mediocre talent in martial arts, was deemed a loser by everyone. His status changed when a fireball fell from the sky and hit him on the head.


    ?


    He cheated death.


    ?


    Empowered with the ability to assimilate other creatures'' talent, Darren sought to better himself and seek vengeance against those who had wronged his family, including his little sister.


    ?


    "You will kneel in front of me one day," swore the future lord of martial arts.


    ?


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    20, Ascent of Hero on the Dragon Throne


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    Rocky Bai, a young and talented scholar in the field of gene study, ranked number one among his peers. While he was on the flight headed for the venue, an aircraft accident occurred right before he passed out.


    ?


    ...


    ?


    Rocky Bai is reborn!


    ?


    It is not until he saves a dragon that he becomes a spirit manipulator in the Holy Dragon Empire. To his surprise, the dragon''s saliva has a magical effect, which can cure disease and even bring people back from death.


    ?


    With the dragon, Ricky starts a new life.


    ?


    Let''s join in their adventure!


    ?


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    21, Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown


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    Zachary Zi traveled through time and space with the help of his Treasure-hunting Compass, which led him to the Olden World where he took over the body of a young man with the same name. The old Zachary''s clan was slaughtered three years ago and his fiancee had gone missing ever since. Although he managed to survive the ordeal, his injuries had taken away his ability to cultivate anymore. Will the new Zachary be able to fit into his new life?


    ?


    The Treasure-hunting Compass was a mythical artifact that could be used to release many quests. Each time Zachary finished a quest, he would receive a reward more desirable than the last. However, that wasn''t all. With the help of the compass, he also met a variety of beautiful and exotic women. Will they fall in love with him?


    ?


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    22, Addicted Love


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    Amelia''s whole life was a run of bad luck. She was born into a poor family. Her mother took her own life when she was very young. Her stepmother is mean to her. And to top it off, her sister ran off with her boyfriend. But her life changed when she met Lucian. He was wealthy and successful, and she decides to improve her luck by entering into a contract marriage with him. Amelia can afford anything her heart desires, and he gets a wife. But what happens when she finds out Lucian really loves her, and she falls in love with him in return? Read Addicted Love on Moboreader to find out!


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    23, My CEO Daddy


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    After being framed by her boyfriend and best friend, Nicole ended up spending the night with a mysterious stranger. She thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected rendezvous, but when she woke up the next morning, she couldn''t help but feel bad about what she did. All of her guilt, however, was washed away when she saw the face of the man lying next to her.


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    "He''s... beautiful," she whispered, awed by what she was seeing. Her guilt quickly turned into shame, and it drove her to leave the man a bit of money before she left.


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    Kerr was astounded. ''Did that woman try to pay me? Like a prostitute?'' he thought, offended.


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    "Ask the hotel manager for the surveillance video," he commanded his assistant authoritatively, his eyebrows furrowed. He had a determined expression on his face. "I want to find out who was in my room last night."


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    ''And when I find that woman, I''m going to teach her a lesson!''


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    Where will their story go? Find out on My CEO Daddy here on Moboreader!


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    Right, time to wrap it up. I will still be waiting for you here. See you around guys!

 Chapter 457 Pink Or Blue

    As the clock ticked closer and closer to the time when she would normally get off work, Rachel stared at the final word count of the document she was working on. It was a sad excuse for a document, which contained only sixty or seventy words instead of the seven hundred or eight hundred words that it should have.


    The director knocked on the office door and came in after a beat of pause. "Are the documents ready, Rachel?" she asked.


    It was not until then that Rachel came back to her senses. Flustered at her lackluster pace of work, she managed to mumble out an excuse. "I''m still working on it. It''s almost done."


    The director frowned. She sighed and said in a somewhat irritated voice, "The document could have been finished in half an hour. You have been working on it for the whole afternoon, but you still haven''t managed to finish it yet?"


    She raised her arm to glance at her watch and sneered, "I''m leaving in ten minutes. Can you finish it in time?"


    Rachel took a wistful look at the almost empty screen in front of her and sighed. Disappointed in herself, she answered honestly, "I''m afraid I won''t be able to finish on time."


    As soon as she uttered out the negative, the director''s face darkened like the sky when a sudden tropical storm approached. She looked thunderous. "Then you''d better finish it and send it to me as soon as possible. I''ll deal with it when I get home."


    "Okay."


    Since the day Rachel started working here, she had never made such a blunder, not even the smallest of mistakes. Her impeccable record meant that her superiors never felt the need to doubt her abilities. Now, it was because of Jack that such an incident happened. Even she herself was speechless in the face of the situation.


    She patted her face casually in an attempt to freshen up. Rachel gave herself a short break of a minute or so, using it to perform some stretches so that she could focus better on her work. She took a deep breath in and then carried typing on the keyboard. The marathon to finish the document had started. Finally, within half an hour, she reached the minimum word count and clicked "save." Relief rushed through her vei


    uestion and said with a wide smile, "It''s more important to accompany you to the hospital for prenatal checkups." It was as if he didn''t care about the company at all!


    Seriously speaking, this would be the first time that Jack had accompanied Rachel to the hospital for her prenatal checkups. On their way to the hospital, she squirmed in her seat as discomfort bit at her heels. "Jack, I can go for the prenatal checkups myself. There''s no need for you to go with me."


    His hands still gripping the steering wheel, Jack responded with two taps of his finger as he thought. After a moment of silence, he reached out and turned the music on in the car. He hoped the music would be effective in improving her mood. He didn''t want her to feel stressed. Elegant piano music flowed out of the sound system, enveloping the pair in a half-awkward, half-comfortable embrace. "Close your eyes and try to get some rest. We can use this time to give our baby some prenatal education," he said softly.


    Doing what he did best, Jack easily changed the topic to another one that was less laden with emotional landmines. Rachel knew that there was no point in talking more or trying to change his mind, so she didn''t try to listen more to his words. She closed her eyes and rested.


    It was not rush hour, so they were fortunate enough not to be caught up in any traffic jams. They arrived at the hospital without any delays. Once they reached the lobby of the hospital, they took a number card after they registered themselves on the self-registration machine. The two of them walked to the waiting area of the obstetrics and gynecology department and sat quietly without a word.


    After a while, the intercom called out the number on Rachel''s number card, followed by a robotic repeating of her name. Jack quickly picked up the bag beside him and stood up, causing Rachel to look up and down at him in confusion. "Where are you going?" she asked.


    "I''ll go with you," Jack answered as if it was the natural course of things.


    Rachel snatched the bag from his hands and said, "Just wait for me here. I''ll go in by myself." There was no room for arguments in her tone.