Rachel clenched her fists and her eyes were locked on Justin. He is threatening me.
Justin then scoffed and roared, “Also, make sure that the brat doesn’t ever appear before me! I don’t wish to see him making any contact with Charlotte. He thinks that they are siblings, huh? Who does he think he is?” Then, he tidied his attire and left in a huff.
The words that Justin said right before he left echoed in Rachel’s ears, causing her to tighten her fists. She was well aware that the main reason he had her stay at the Burton Residence had never been to take care of Charlotte—something must have raised his suspicion.
“What? He asked you to stay there?” When Jolly returned to the hall and heard the news, she instantly stomped her foot in anger. “How could he do this? Isn’t this no different from sending you to a lion’s den? You will be staying under the same roof as that man; what if he does something to you?”
Upon hearing that, Rachel shook her head. “That isn’t his motive. The reason he wants me to stay there is so that he can keep an eye on me.”
“Keep an eye on you? What do you mean?”
“He suspects something. He saw me when I entered Old Mr. Burton’s study, not to mention the incident about the safe at the Burton Residence. So, he must be trying to find out what I’m looking for and the reason I returned to the country.”
In order to conceal his real motive and to prevent alerting Rachel, Justin had asked her to stay at the Burton Residence using the excuse of taking care of Charlotte.
Jolly frowned in response. “If that’s the case, that’s all the more reason for you not to go there. Since the evidence is not there, there isn’t a need for you to even go over.”
“No, I must go there.” Rachel held her wine glass and gently clinked it against Jolly’s. “There is always an advantage of being in a favorable position—I’ll get more chances to come here when I’m close with him, no?”
Many might not know this, but Rachel was very well aware that Arthur definitely would not sit back and watch her getting close with Justin.
Meanwhile in the study, the butler of the Burton Residence played the security footage on the screen. “Sir, here it is.”
Playing on the screen was the footage caught by the security camera, in which Rachel and Justin appeared one after another in the living room.
rthur’s expression became cold in the blink of an eye. “Is she here to look for something? Perhaps I should ask if the whole reason for her sudden return to the country is actually to look for something.” “Do you mean that thing?” “I never expected that she is a rather sentimental person—she still held on to that even after five years have gone by.”
“Should I remind Young Master Justin about this?” “There’s no need. Forgetting her is better for Justin. The less he knows about the events back then, the better it is for him.” At the banquet, Jolly was called away by her parents, leaving Rachel on her own. There were quite a number of people who tried to strike a conversation with Rachel, but she maintained a polite yet distant attitude, which further piqued the interest of the gentlemen at the scene.
“It’s impossible to transform from a peasant into a wealthy person over the course of one night. If these men knew that you have a kid, would they still be so courteous to you?” Amber’s voice was heard coming from behind Rachel. Holding a wine glass, Rachel turned to cast her a glance. “You never change, do you? Have you forgotten what happened during the press conference? The fact that I’m Justin’s ex-wife is well-known all over Riverdale. Do you think that they don’t know that I have a kid?”
mber’s expression sank when she heard this. “That’s because they don’t know that you have an illegitimate child. How did you make Justin believe you? That b*stard can’t possibly be his child!”
“Doesn’t your face hurt?” Rachel remained impassive as she warned Amber, “I suggest that you watch your mouth and never let me hear the word `b*stard’ again.” “You—” In fact, Amber’s face still stung. The slap on her face not only shattered her status among the socialites of Riverdale but also humiliated her before the Burton Family. If Arthur ever found out that she had offended the Carter Family, he definitely would not forgive her easily.
When Rachel was going to say a few more words to warn Amber, she caught sight of a figure, which instantly made her skin crawl, and her hand that was holding the wine glass trembled.
“Rachel, you—“ Before Amber managed to finish her words, Rachel suddenly turned around, picked up her skirts and ran off without the slightest hesitation. It was obvious that she was in a fluster.
Upon seeing that, Amber was livid with rage. Now she ignores me?
However, after a brief moment of anger, she spotted a familiar figure as well. In the distance, a man was clinking glasses and having a good chat with the guests at the banquet. The moment she saw the plump figure that could hardly fit in the suit, the reason for Rachel’s sudden strangeness dawned on her. Now I understand why Rachel dashed off from the banquet so suddenly!
“What happened? Did something happen?” Jolly chased after Rachel from behind. It was only when she saw Rachel’s blanched face upon entering the car did she realize how serious the matter was.
And so, she held Rachel’s hand. “Why are your hands so cold? What happened?”
After a while, Rachel finally returned to her senses and it was as if she had had a nightmare. Even so, she shook her head at Jolly. “Nothing happened. I’m just a little tired. I want to go back and rest.”
“Let me keep you company. Anyway, the banquet is ending and my parents are still there.” With that, she instructed the driver to drive away.
“Sleep if you don’t feel well; I’ll wake you up when we reach home.”
“Okay.”Rachel then leaned back against the car seat and watched as the night scene outside the window rapidly retreated backward. However, she couldn’t fall asleep and she could feel her temple pulsing the moment she shut her eyes. When she thought of the man she saw at the banquet, she felt her body shudder involuntarily, and her mind kept on replaying the incident that happened in that house six years ago.
Those degrading and devastating moments when her whole world fell apart before her had been eternally engraved in her mind. Rachel herself thought that she had moved on from that incident but even after so many years had gone by, the past still came back to haunt her the moment she laid eyes on that man. Every detail was as vivid as ever and it was as if it had ‘ust happened yesterday.
The long night went by but Rachel did not manage to get a good night’s sleep, so she felt rather lethargic at work in the morning. fter the morning meeting, Justin asked her to stay. “Other than Chris, the rest may leave.” Everyone in the meeting room looked at one another with a profound gaze. In the end, the crowd dispersed and Frankie shut the door from outside, leaving Justin and Rachel alone in the spacious meeting room.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Rachel asked, to which Justin replied, “Have you forgotten what you promised me yesterday? When are you going to move to the Burton Residence?” “I’m quite tied up these two days, so I’ll head over in a couple of days.” A s if he didn’t hear what she said, Justin then ordered, allowing no room for rejection, “You will move to the Burton Residence today.
I’ll have Frankie help you to move your things.” She fell silent for a few seconds before she gave in and muttered, “There’s no need for that. I don’t have much belongings.” However, Justin coldly stated before leaving the meeting room, “Charlotte is looking forward to your return. Bear in mind not to bring anything or anyone that you shouldn’t.” Upon hearing that, Rachel frowned.
