Ch. 461..470

Chapter 461

It started to rain heavily when it was about five in the afternoon.

Even if the windows were installed with soundproofing rubber, Rayna could still hear the water droplets pattering violently against the glass window.

She pulled open the curtains and looked outside the window. It was pitch dark outside, and she could only see the lights coming out of the dining room.

It’s raining so heavily. When will it stop?

She had too much to eat that day, so much so that she didn’t have much appetite at night as well. She even told the kitchen not to prepare anything for her when they called to ask. Then, she sent a text to Carl and asked what was going on back home.

Carl replied that he was fine with the food that he was having, but he still preferred the food that Rayna and Jasmine made. Then, he texted Rayna again, saying that he was fine with any food as long as it was not prepared by Curtis.

Rayna was utterly amused.

She thought Curtis was a decent enough cook. Hence, she was curious why Carl seemed traumatized by his cooking.

Carl sent another text: Ms. Rayna, my mommy has gone overseas for a long time. She hasn’t called me since.

Rayna: Not even a text?

Carl: Yes, my calls always go into the mailbox. Could anything has happened to her?

Just when Rayna was about to reply to him, a sudden loud bang outside startled her. Her vision went dark, and her phone slipped out of her hand.

The phone’s screen went black after it hit the floor.

The curtains were drawn in the room. After her phone screen went dark, so did the room. Rayna couldn’t see a single thing.

Fear crept up her skin right then. Rayna was crippled by the fear that a monster would suddenly come out of the ground and devour her. She anxiously crouched down to feel for her phone but to no avail.

Thunder continued to roar outside. The lightning strikes were like lost souls clawing for lives.

Rayna was so terrified that she dared not even try to look for her phone anymore. Instead, she tried to reach for her bed.

After her legs touched the sides of the bedframe, she scrambled into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Meanwhile, in the room opposite Rayna, Curtis was having a video conference.

Thunder crackled outside the window when he was just a few minutes into the meeting. The room was plunged into darkness all of a sudden, save for the light emanating from Curtis’ computer screen.

The person on the other end of the call was startled as well. “Mr. Faymon, did the electricity go out on your side?”

“It’s all right. My laptop’s fully charged, and my internet is working as well.” Curtis switched on the torchlight on his phone to illuminate the documents in front of him. The blackout didn’t affect his work at

all. “Go on.”

As the thunder continued to boom, Curtis’ thoughts fell into disarray. He suddenly thought about Rayna.

With the rumbling thunder and blackout, he wondered if she was fine.

He was overcome with worry. He put down the documents, said that it was getting late, and told the other person to continue with the meeting tomorrow. Then, he took his phone and headed outside.

It was pitch-black outside his room as well. There was no light source except for the torchlight on his phone. It seemed like there was no electricity in the whole area.

Curtis went up to Rayna’s door and knocked hard.

“Rayna, are you okay?”

A few seconds went by, and there was no answer from her. Curtis became anxious and called her on the phone as he pounded on the door.

To his dismay, her phone was turned off.

He conjured a few gruesome scenarios in his head, one of which was that she was bathing when the electricity suddenly went out. Then, as she stumbled and fell, she knocked her head on the bathtub and bled profusely.

He became more and more apprehensive with the thought in mind and couldn’t wait to confirm if she was all right.

Curtis took a few steps back and shone his phone light on her door before kicking it down with a bang.

He swiftly entered the room after the door was down. Curtis searched every room and shouted, “Rayna, where are you?”

When he opened the door to the second room, he finally heard Rayna’s shaky voice, mumbling something almost inaudible.

“I-I’m h-here…”

Curtis shone his lights into the room and at the bed.

That was when he noticed the bulged-up and shaky sheets. It was not difficult to picture just how petrified the person under the covers was.

Not long after, Rayna fell asleep with Curtis’ comfort.

The next day, a series of banging sounded on the door.

She opened her eyes groggily and looked in the sound’s direction. It turned out that someone was knocking hard on the door.

She could clearly hear the noise as her earplugs had fallen off.

“Who’s there?” Rayna asked loudly while she got out of bed and put on her slippers.

Just then, she seemed to have recalled something and turned to look at the vacant space on the bed next to her. She did not notice when Curtis left.

Rayna yawned as she walked toward the bedroom door before opening it without much thought.

Claire, Vivi’s mother-in-law, was standing at the door.

Rayna wondered why the woman was looking for her that early in the morning. Claire’s face contorted with rage when she saw Rayna and lunged at her before Rayna could speak.

“Return my grandchildren to me! How can a young lady like you be so evil?”

As Rayna was completely unprepared for the assault, she almost lost her balance and fell.

She quickly put a hand against the door to steady herself while using her other hand to block her face, guarding herself against Claire’s continuous attacks. “Mdm. Myers, why are you hitting me? Why are you asking me to return your grandchildren to you? What do you mean by that?”

“Stop pretending!” Claire bellowed hysterically while throwing punches at Rayna. “My daughter-in-law had a miscarriage after finishing the duck stew you had given her!”

 

Chapter 462

She opened her eyes groggily and looked toward the direction of the sound. It turned out that someone was knocking on the door.

She could clearly hear the noise as her earplugs had fallen off.

“Who’s there?” Rayna asked loudly while she got out of bed and put on her slippers.

Just then, she seemed to have recalled something and turned to look at the vacant space on the bed next to her. She did not notice when Curtis left.

Rayna yawned as she walked toward the bedroom door before opening it without much thought.

Claire, Vivi’s mother-in-law, was standing at the door.

Rayna wondered why the woman was looking for her that early in the morning. Claire’s face contorted with rage when she saw Rayna and lunged at her before Rayna could speak.

“Return my grandchildren to me! How can a young lady like you be so evil?”

As Rayna was completely unprepared for the assault, she almost lost her balance and fell.

She quickly put a hand against the door to steady herself while using her other hand to block her face, guarding herself against Claire’s continuous attacks. “Mdm. Myers, why are you hitting me? Why are you asking me to return your grandchildren to you? What do you mean by that?”

“Stop pretending!” Claire bellowed hysterically while throwing punches at Rayna. “My daughter-in-law had a miscarriage after finishing the duck stew you had given her!”

“What?” Rayna looked at Claire in disbelief. “The duck stew caused Vivi to have a miscarriage? That’s impossible. That duck stew was—”

It was given to her by Curtis.

Before Rayna could complete her sentence, she was interrupted by Claire. “The stew contained herbs that are not safe for pregnant women to consume. Knowing that Vivi was pregnant, why did you still give it to her? What were your intentions? Vivi has been so nice to you. How can you be so vicious?”

While scolding Rayna, Claire continued hitting the woman and pulling her hair.

“Did my grandchildren offend you? Why did you harm them? I really regret accepting your duck stew and letting Vivi eat it. I will never forgive you! Bring my grandchildren back to me!”

Rayna was so shocked that her body was shaking, and her mind went blank. Even though Claire was hitting her, she was barely feeling any pain.

What kind of herbs are there in the stew?

Rayna was completely unaware of that and had assumed that it was just a normal duck stew.

As she had overeaten and was feeling bloated, she decided to give the stew to Vivi, who was also pregnant, through Claire.

Since Curtis was not unaware of her pregnancy, it was unlikely that he would instruct the kitchen staff to include additional herbs in the duck stew. Could the kitchen staff have added them on their own accord?

Rayna was thinking about all sorts of possibilities when she suddenly noticed that the beating had stopped. When she looked up, she saw Curtis. He was grabbing Claire’s hand, which stopped the woman from hitting her.

Curtis saw the scratches on Rayna’s face, and his expression darkened. With a crease between his brows, he asked Claire, “What’s going on? Why did you come here to attack her early in the morning?”

“She caused the death of my grandchildren!” Claire tried to struggle out of the man’s grip and continued resentfully, “Let go of me! I must make sure that she pays for what she has done!”

Curtis was momentarily stunned when he heard that. “What do you mean?” he probed.

“Curtis, were you the one who asked the kitchen staff to prepare the duck stew last night?” Rayna asked anxiously before Claire could reply.

She would be relieved if he could clarify that he had no involvement in it.

“Yup. I was there when they packed the stew into the lunch box,” Curtis replied and continued, “Was there a problem with the duck stew?”

At that instant, Rayna’s heart sank.

If he was there, he would have seen the additional ingredients in the duck stew.

Maybe…

Realization seemed to have hit Rayna as a shiver ran down her spine, and she gritted her teeth.

Curtis had a bad feeling when he saw that all color had drained from the woman’s face. “Rayna, was there a problem with the duck stew? Tell me.”

Rayna lowered her head and staggered out of the room as if she did not hear the man talking to her.

Claire ran after Rayna, wanting to continue hitting her, but Curtis pulled her back and repeated the question he had asked Rayna earlier. “What was wrong with the duck stew?”

“There were some herbs in the stew that could potentially kill a pregnant woman!” Claire hollered. “Vivi had a miscarriage and almost died after eating that duck stew!”

Curtis froze in shock.

He finally understood why Claire was so agitated and looked like she wanted to murder Rayna. It also made sense that Rayna’s face had turned ashen after hearing his reply. It was because Vivi had lost her babies after consuming the duck stew.

“Rayna has got nothing to do with it. It was me.” Curtis composed himself and said, “Mdm. Myers, I’m so sorry. I had instructed the kitchen to prepare the duck stew yesterday afternoon, but I didn’t expect them to add those herbs in there.”

Claire was still fuming as she replied, “I think it has got everything to do with her! Otherwise, why would she insist that I bring it home for Vivi instead of eating it herself? She must have had an ulterior motive and wanted Vivi to miscarry!”

Curtis said in a grave tone, “Rayna wouldn’t have done that. I know her character very well. Besides, the two of them are friends. It was indeed my mistake for not inspecting the stew carefully.”

Just as Claire was about to carry on ranting, Curtis continued to speak. “I am really sorry that this happened. I will get the best doctors here to take care of Vivi. Please let me know what I can do to make you feel better.”

Rayna walked out of the homestay in a daze.

The thought that Curtis might have known everything and intentionally instructed the kitchen staff to include those additional herbs in her food gave her the chills.

But I hid it so well. There was no way he could have found out.

Rayna sat down on the bench and took out her phone. With trembling fingers, she unlocked it and dialed a number.

The call went through after a few rings. “Belle, what happened?” the person on the other end of the phone asked gently.

“Vi… Vivi had a miscarriage…” A lump formed in Rayna’s throat as she spoke, and tears started streaming down her face. “Curtis had gotten someone to deliver a duck stew to me yesterday afternoon, but I was too full…”

The woman narrated the incident to Jefferson tearfully.

Rayna was stricken with guilt at the thought of Vivi lying in the hospital after losing her babies. “I shouldn’t have asked Mdm. Myers to send the duck stew to Vivi. I was the one who caused Vivi’s miscarriage.”

Jefferson listened quietly while Rayna spoke.

His expression turned grim as comprehension suddenly dawned on him. He started feeling worried and restless.

Unless it was at the customer’s request, it was unlikely that the chef would include herbs in the stew.

Moreover, there was no way Curtis would have made such a request if he was aware that Rayna was pregnant, knowing that it could be potentially fatal for her.

The only explanation was that Arnaud had planted informants around Rayna and tried to hurt her by adding harmful ingredients to her food after knowing about her pregnancy.

Just as Jefferson was about to share his thoughts with Rayna, the woman spoke first. “He treated me so well and stayed by my side throughout the power outage last night. I thought he still had feelings for

me…”

Taking a pause, Rayna continued, “Why would the stew contain such herbs?” The question was for both Jefferson and herself. “Did he… already know that I’m pregnant?”

When Jefferson heard that, he could not help but feel bitter and resentful.

Although Rayna claimed that she no longer had feelings for Curtis after their breakup, it was clear that she still cared deeply for him. A small act of kindness from the man would be enough to make her happy.

If Curtis was willing to humble himself and give in, would they have already gotten back together?

Clouded by his jealousy, Jefferson said, “Belle, those are definitely not ingredients that would be commonly found in a duck stew and would only be added at the request of the customer. It’s very likely that Curtis has found out about your pregnancy.”

“But I concealed it so well.” Hearing that Jefferson shared her sentiments, a pained expression appeared on Rayna’s face. “Why did he do that…”

Jefferson replied in a deep voice, “Because he didn’t want the babies. He knew that you would not abort them and would insist on raising them yourself. That was why he got the kitchen staff to add those herbs to the duck stew before delivering it to you. By doing that, it would seem as if your miscarriage was an accident, and the responsibility would be on the kitchen staff. That way, he would be able to stay out of the matter completely.”

Chapter 463

No one spoke for a long while after Jefferson finished talking.

The man held his breath subconsciously. He was suddenly regretting lying to Rayna and was worried that he had caused her more agony.

He was about to say something when he heard the woman’s suppressed sobs.

“If he knew, why didn’t he ask me about it…” Rayna tried to stop her tears as she continued, “I really want to believe that it wasn’t him who did it, but he told me that he was there when the kitchen staff packed the duck stew into the lunch box. If that was the case, he must have seen those ingredients in the stew.”

The woman could hardly believe that Curtis had used such despicable means to get rid of her babies. When she thought about what happened, she felt as though she had been stabbed in the heart.

She was capable of raising the kids alone, and it was perfectly fine if he did not want to have any involvement with them. He could have just told her.

Jefferson pressed his lips together and said softly, “He was so mad at you over what happened to Kristie. How is it possible that he would still treat you well? If he still has feelings for you, the two of you would have already reconciled. Belle, just think about it. He’s always so busy with work and has endless meetings to attend, why would he go all the way to Summerbank just to accompany you? It’s because he knew that you were pregnant and—”

“Please stop talking. I’m begging you,” Rayna cut the man off mid-sentence. She was inconsolable and was on the brink of breaking down.

Indeed, Curtis was exceptionally nice to her while they were in Summerbank.

During the flight, he defended her when she was being treated with disdain by the other passengers after vomiting on the plane. He even flew her to the city in his private jet after the plane turned around.

He had taken her on walks and had personally made her a pair of earrings, cutting his fingers in the process. He would also get her yogurt to prevent her from getting indigestion from overeating.

Rayna thought that Curtis’ attentive behavior toward her was a sign of his love for her. However, it turned out to be her wishful thinking.

She remembered how gently he had kissed her when they were filming at Summerbank previously and also how he had stayed by her side during the power outage the night before, just like her guardian angel, but everything turned out to be a lie.

“Belle, please don’t cry.” Jefferson felt his heart aching, knowing how painful it must be for Rayna. “It’s all right if he doesn’t cherish you. You have me. I will always be here for you.”

Rayna hummed in appreciation while her tears continued to fall. “I… I love him so much. It’s so hard for me to get over him… Why did he do that? I’m so sad…”

“Calm down first, all right? If you keep crying, your babies would be sad too,” Jefferson comforted the woman gently. “Are you at the homestay or outside now? Wait for me. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”

“You don’t have to come. Your company needs you.”

Jefferson replied, “It’s okay. Ringo is here. I’m really worried about you and the little ones. I want to be by your side.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m really fine.” Rayna’s voice was hoarse from crying. “I will be returning to Norwal City tonight. I will look for you in Jetroina after I settle down.”

Jefferson was relieved after hearing that and quickly suppressed the sense of guilt he felt over the lie he told earlier.

In a gentle voice, he said, “Belle, it’s not worth shedding tears for a man like him. Promise me that you will take care of yourself, eat well and sleep well, okay?”

“Yup. I won’t ill-treat my babies,” Rayna replied.

Immediately after hanging up, Jefferson put on his jacket and strode out of the house while calling Ringo. “Get me a private jet. I’m going to Chanaea.”

“Mr. Hamilton, there are no routes for us to fly even if we have a plane,” Ringo replied before continuing, “Mr. Montail had instructed the air traffic control center to prevent us from flying. It would be very dangerous if we insist on doing so.”

“Get me an air ticket then!” Jefferson’s expression darkened.

“Mr. Hamilton, you have been banned from traveling by both air and sea. It’s the same for me.” Ringo lowered his voice and said, “Mr. Montail is determined to keep you in Jetroina.”

“Is he trying to trap me here?” Jefferson cursed before continuing, “It would be much easier for him to hurt Belle in Chanaea without me around.”

“Mr. Hamilton, just bear with it a little longer. Our lives would be threatened if we try to force our way back now. Even if you don’t care about what happens to yourself, you have to think about Ms. Garland. I’m sure she wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you,” Ringo reminded.

Jefferson took a deep breath to calm himself down.

After a while, he said to Ringo, “My brother had already tried to kill Rayna and her babies. Get our men in Norwal City to protect her well and make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Hamilton. I will make sure they do everything they can to protect Ms. Garland.”

Jefferson hummed in response.

Nothing else mattered as long as he could keep the woman by his side.

Meanwhile, after discussing compensation matters with Claire, Curtis asked her for the remaining duck stew and got someone to examine its contents.

Then, he headed to the kitchen to look for the chef who was in charge of preparing the duck stew.

“What usually goes into a duck stew?” Curtis asked the chef.

“J-just some normal ingredients.” The chef could feel his scalp tingling when he met the man’s sharp gaze. “I tasted the stew personally when I was cooking it. Did anything happen?” he asked fearfully.

“Can you cook one for me now?” Curtis asked.

The chef did not know what the man’s purpose was, but he did as he asked anyway.

Curtis observed the entire preparation and cooking process carefully, making sure that he did not miss anything.

“Are these the usual ingredients that go into a duck stew?” he pointed to two of the ingredients and asked.

“Yup. They are common ingredients,” the chef replied.

Curtis cast a deep glance at the chef before turning toward the manager who was standing at one side and said, “Get me the purchase records of these ingredients as well as the kitchen surveillance footage from the past few months.”

The manager did not dare to ask any questions and promptly scurried off to do as instructed.

Meanwhile, Curtis stayed in the kitchen and waited patiently.

Soon, Curtis’ subordinate, who was in charge of sending the duck stew to the laboratory for examination, came back with the test results.

Passing the report to Curtis, he said, “Mr. Faymon, these are the herbs that were found in the stew.”

Curtis did not speak as he scanned the report.

A while later, the manager came back with what he had asked for. Curtis checked the purchase records and noticed that those ingredients were not frequently purchased.

From the surveillance footage, he could also see that those ingredients were not usually added to a duck stew.

The man asked the chef with a grim expression, “I noticed that you rarely include these ingredients in duck stew. In fact, the last time they were added was two weeks back. Why would you suddenly use it yesterday?”

“It’s b-because our boss doesn’t allow us to use it frequently,” the chef stammered. “Our boss said that these ingredients are very costly and shouldn’t be used frequently due to the cheap price of a duck stew.”

The manager chimed in, “These are fresh ingredients that would help to enhance the taste of a dish. As such, we would only use them in food prepared for our most valued guests.”

No one else witnessed the scuffle between Claire and Rayna on the third floor that morning, and not many people were aware of Vivi’s miscarriage.

“My manager had made a visit here previously and instructed us to take good care of you. As such, when I saw that you ordered the duck stew, I specially told the kitchen to prepare it carefully.”

The manager paused and looked at Curtis cautiously before continuing, “Mr. Faymon, was there anything wrong with the stew?”

Curtis was not able to find a single loophole in the statements of both the chef and the manager.

He swept his eyes across the two men and noticed that they had steady gazes despite looking slightly intimidated.

It seemed like what happened was merely an accident and has nothing to do with them.

Curtis left, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to find out anything even if he carried on with the investigation.

 

Chapter 464

He knew Rayna was already back at the homestay, though she was not in the best of health. He would like to see her, but an explanation would be a pain, so instead Curtis made a trip to the hospital instead.

He asked the nurse for Vivi’s room and paid her a visit, bringing presents with him. Even before he got to her ward, the sounds of her cries could be heard ringing through the air. A pang of guilt filled his heart.

He came to the ward’s doorstep and saw Vivi crying in her husband’s arms. “No, tell me that’s not true. The babies… I have been carrying them for months. S-So why are they gone now?”

Her husband tried to comfort her, but it had little effect. Vivi only cried harder. “Our babies, darling… Our babies are gone!” It was a truth unacceptable to her and she was on the verge of collapsing.

Curtis waited for nearly ten minutes before he eventually knocked on the door and entered the room.

Vivi remained in her husband’s embrace, crying her broken heart out. She did not seem to realize they had a guest, and nor did her husband as he was busy comforting his wife.

Curtis placed the presents on a cabinet and stood around, watching the couple. If none of this had happened, she would’ve given birth to a pair of beautiful twins just a few months down the line. They would’ve been a happy family.

Curtis lowered his head, apologizing sincerely, “That stew was meant for Rayna. I had no idea she’d give it to you. There was something in it. Good for most people but not for pregnant women. It was… It was something that could cause a miscarriage. I am very, very sorry about your children.”

Vivi raised her head immediately, staring at Curtis in wide-eyed shock. “That was meant for Ms. Garland?”

“Yes.” Curtis stared at the ground. “I asked the chef to make it for her. Worried she might’ve skipped her meal.”

“You give my children back! Give them back!” Vivi shrieked hysterically. She shoved her husband away and leaped out of bed. “You killed my children!” She pounced at him like a tigress, clawing away at him.

Unlike how he stopped Claire in the morning, Curtis let Vivi hit away at him. He was driven by guilt.

Vivi was still crying. No amount of abuse she dished out to Curtis could ease her pain. “They hadn’t even gotten the chance to see this world, and now… Now they’re gone. My heart hurts… It hurts. Why did she give me that stew? Now my children are gone, but she’s still fine? Give them back! Bring my children back!”

Vivi started to cry really hard. She began to gasp for breath, her face pale as a tombstone. Her husband quickly came to comfort her once more.

Curtis remained silent. Once Vivi calmed down a little, he said solemnly, “I can’t give your children back to you, but I can give you something else as compensation. In fact, I’ve talked with your mother-in-law about it.”

Vivi shot him a look of scorn and mockery. “You think you can measure the worth of my children with money?”

Curtis said nothing. He didn’t think the worth of a child could be measured by any standard of wealth, but money was all he had for the bereaved parents.

Cillian gave him a call. Thinking something urgent must’ve come up, he excused himself and exited the ward for the call. “What is it?”

“Sir, it’s Mr. Xavier. Something happened to him,” answered Cillian grimly.

Curtis furrowed his brows. He was about to ask for elaboration, but then Vivi said, “Ah, Mr. Faymon, you might not know this, but… Ms. Garland is pregnant.”

Curtis swiveled around, staring at Vivi in disbelief. W-What did she say?

“You’re being nice to her lately. Trying to get back together with her?” Vivi asked, her voice dripping with the venom of hatred. The loss of her child broke her heart and soul. Rayna killed my child. I’ll ruin her life.

She sneered. “Four months pregnant. An ex of hers by the name of Hamilton sired it. I presume she has been keeping it a secret from you? It’s obvious she’s trying to get back together with you so her child would have a father.”

Curtis was frozen in shock.

Cillian was still speaking. “Sir, this is serious. We need you at Xyperia…”

But Curtis heard nothing. His mind was filled with the bombshell Vivi told him just moments ago. Rayna is pregnant?

…

Rayna made her way to the airport the moment she bought her ticket. And she didn’t even tell Wilson. The events that happened earlier shook her. Even now, her mind was in a stupor.

If Curtis were to find out she was pregnant, he might force her to abort them. Just the thought of it made her suffocate. While she was in the terminal, Rayna made a trip to the restroom and cried her heart out in silence.

She returned to Norwal, though she wondered how she even made it here. It felt like her mind was just telling her where to walk. That was the only thing it could tell her clearly. Everything else was muddled in chaos.

She came back to her home, but Vivi showed up all of a sudden and started abusing her, saying weird things like, “Give me back! Give my children back!” Curtis then dragged her to the hospital. The doctor pinned her down on the operating table, and she was forced to go through an abortion.

She woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, and her chest throbbed in pain.

One whole day has gone by. Rayna made some pasta to fill her belly up. The warmth of her food comforted her somewhat. She could finally calm down and handle everything else life had been throwing at her.

First, she called Wilson. As she refused to see Curtis anymore, it made shooting impossible. Wilson would have to get another actress, but Rayna didn’t tell Wilson the true reason she refused to see Curtis. All she said was her company needed her, necessitating her dropping the acting job.

“My assistant will find someone who looks like me. I’ll pay for all your damages.”

“It’s alright, Ms. Garland. Mr. Faymon has made all the arrangements.”

“I am sorry?”

Wilson answered, “He came to me yesterday. Mr. Faymon, I mean. Said he has something urgent to handle, so he had to go overseas. But he gave me the number of Excellent’s person in charge. I can

pick from their roster. Ms. Garland, I won’t let you down. I’m going to pull out all the stops for the selection this time, and the scriptwriter’s going to change the script a bit. Don’t worry about the money. I’m not famous in the first place, and you’ve paid enough.”

Rayna wanted to refuse. She didn’t want to take anything from Curtis anymore. But then she thought about the matter in another light. Her assistant might not come back with any actor better than the ones Excellent had. Despite her grudge against Curtis, she would never risk ruining the new product’s promo video.

About five minutes of silence later, she relented. “I see. Thanks for your hard work.”

“It’s my job, Ms. Garland.”

Rayna came to work on time every day with a smile on her face like nothing had happened. The truth was she was rather frustrated. She wished the new promo video would just come out right now so she could handle everything else and meet up with Jefferson.

If she remained in Norwal, Curtis might come for her. She was worried he might tell her he didn’t want the babies and force her to go through the abortion just like what she saw in her dream.

Fortunately, a fortnight went by without a hitch. Not once did Curtis come to see her. Wilson texted her, telling her about the wrapping up of the shoot. He was now back at the company, editing the video.

She was about to make a trip to his company and take a look, but then the private investigator called. She hired the PI a while ago to keep an eye on Wyatt. Her gut told her he was lying about Jessica’s whereabouts. He must be hiding her somewhere.

The call was taken immediately. “Any news?”

“Does he own any property in Zenisan Villa?” asked the PI. “I’ve tailed him for a long time now. He’s gone to Zenisan three times this month alone at night, and he went straight to one particular villa. Then, he would stay for the whole night and only come out the next day.”

 

Chapter 465

Rayna knew about Zenisan Villa; it was a high-end residential area. Previously she won a unit there from a wager with Meredith and a few others, but she later transferred it to Jefferson.

Did Wyatt buy a unit there too? She wondered.

Not wanting to miss any lead, she asked the private investigator, “Do you have the unit number?”

“Yes, I’ll email the details to you.”

“All right. Thank you.”

After settling some matters, Rayna checked her email for Wyatt’s address sent by the private investigator. She then notified her assistant, Ella, that she was knocking off early and left the office.

On the way to Zenisan Villa, she called Lopez Group to find out about Wyatt’s whereabouts.

She learned that Wyatt was out of town for a business trip and would only be back three days later.

Upon reaching Zenisan Villa, Rayna effortlessly found the unit based on the information provided by the private investigator.

As she walked to the gate, she took a closer look at the mansion.

The garden was well maintained with blooming roses. She could see the housekeepers busy working in the mansion from the windows.

Given that Wyatt only comes to the mansion a few times a month, it was strange that he had housekeepers staying there to maintain the property. Mmm, someone is living here!

Rayna concluded that Jessica must be staying there. She composed herself and pressed the doorbell.

Soon after, a housekeeper came out from the mansion.

She walked briskly along the garden to the gate. She looked at Rayna warily. “May I ask what’s the matter?”

“Oh, Wyatt asked me over. I heard she’s not feeling well, and I’m here to accompany her,” Rayna answered after a brief consideration.

Afraid that the housekeeper would not believe her, Rayna opened the photo album in her phone and showed a photo of her and Wyatt holidaying in Jetroina to the housekeeper.

Seeing Rayna and Wyatt in the photo, the housekeeper became less wary.

“Please hold on. Let me make a call.”

“You won’t be able to get him,” Rayna said with a smile. “Didn’t he notify you all when he left? He’s on a business trip now. I reckon he must be very busy with meetings.”

“Mr. Lopez did mention he’ll be busy during this period.”

Since Rayna was aware of Wyatt’s schedule, the housekeeper was convinced the former came here under his order. At once, she let go of all suspicion and opened the gate.

As she followed the housekeeper into the mansion, Rayna asked casually, “The weather is so nice. Doesn’t she want to take a stroll outside?”

“Ms. Marsh hardly comes down. She likes to coop herself in the room.” The housekeeper sighed. “She stays in the room all day, and her condition is poor. We’re worried about the baby in her tummy.”

Wyatt is indeed hiding Jessie here!

Rayna suppressed her anger and went along with the housekeeper. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her when I see her later.”

“Thank you so much.”

The housekeeper led Rayna to the third floor and knocked on the door. “Ms. Marsh, your friend is here to visit you.”

A weak female voice could be heard a few seconds later. “Come in.”

The housekeeper pushed open the door.

From the housekeeper’s sigh earlier, Rayna guessed Jessica might not be doing well.

After entering the bedroom, Rayna’s heart twitched in pain when she saw Jessica’s frail body and soulless eyes.

Jessica looked up. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized the person who stepped in was Rayna.

Rayna smiled at her.

She turned her head and said to the housekeeper, “You may leave now. I’ll have a chat with her.”

The housekeeper nodded. “All right. Would you like some biscuits and coffee? I can bring them up.”

“Not at the moment. I’ll call you if there’s a need.”

Rayna immediately closed the door after the housekeeper left.

Jessica had already walked over. Looking mildly excited, she asked Rayna, “When did you come back? You look good. How’re the babies?”

“Why do you keep asking about me? Look at yourself.” Rayna’s eyes welled up as she looked at Jessica. “Why did you become so skinny, my dear…”

She turned her gaze toward Jessica’s stomach and realized there was no baby bump. “Aren’t you pregnant for a while now? How come there’s no baby bump?”

Jessica’s smile faded upon hearing Rayna’s question.

After a long while, she pursed her pale lips and said softly, “Those two babies are gone…”

For the next hour, Jessica related the past happenings to Rayna.

Including how she lost the babies and why she had been staying here.

Rayna’s expression gradually stiffened as she listened to Jessica. At the end of the conversation, Rayna snarled through gritted teeth, her body trembling with anger, “He’s inhumane! To think I trusted him, believing that he’ll treat you well.”

“Well, I owe him. So it’s right that he takes revenge on me.” Jessica laughed weakly, trying to put on a calm front. “Once, I took his phone while he was sleeping and called my uncle. They should be holidaying in Jetroina now. As long he doesn’t touch my uncle and his family, he can take my life anytime.”

Rayna hollered, “You don’t owe him anything! You’re not wrong to avenge your family. He’s in the wrong. Serves him right for having such a father! A person like him doesn’t have any f*cking balls and only knows how to bully women!”

Jessica caressed her stomach and said resignedly, “I’d like to keep this child, but I have no appetite. I’ll vomit whatever I eat…”

Every time Wyatt hugged her to sleep, she would be reminded of what she saw in the study, which made her want to vomit with disgust.

Her reason for keeping this child was not because of Wyatt.

It was because the pain of losing the twins before made her too heartbroken, and she did not want to experience it again.

Jessica looked at Rayna’s baby bump with a tinge of envy. “Have they been behaving well?”

“Not really. They kept kicking me some time ago, but it’s better now.” Just then, Rayna was reminded of the duck stew incident. She felt her chest stiffen and could not continue.

Rayna changed the topic. “Do you have anything important to pack? I’m going to take you away.”

“I can’t leave.” Jessica shook her head. “Wyatt has been experiencing mood swings recently, and I don’t want to drag you into my matters. Further, I’m doing quite well here…”

“Doing well? You got to be kidding me. Look at how skinny you’ve become!” Rayna berated her. Holding back her tears, she said, “Wyatt is treating you like a prisoner. He doesn’t care about you after leaving you here.”

Just as Jessica was about to speak, Rayna intercepted her, “Don’t worry for he dare not do anything to me. I’ll take you to a place where he can’t find you so you can focus on your pregnancy.”

“Nana, let’s forget about it…” Jessica was hesitant about leaving with her.

She did not want to drag Rayna into this mess and end up losing her only friend.

However, Rayna gave no room for negotiation and pulled Jessica out of the room.

When they reached the living room on the first floor, they were stopped by the housekeeper.

“Ms. Marsh, where are you going?”

“Oh, it’s all right. I’m just taking her for a short stroll,” Rayna calmly replied. “We’ll be back in the evening.”

The housekeeper glanced at Rayna and recalled Wyatt’s order. She became wary. “Let me arrange for someone to accompany you then. If Ms. Marsh wishes to do shopping at the mall, there’ll be someone to help carry the bags.”

Rayna declined, “Don’t worry. I drove here, so there’s no need. Anyway, it seems like you don’t trust me?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Well then, why are you getting in the way? I just want to take her for a stroll. Are you afraid that I’ll abduct her?” Rayna chuckled. She dialed a number on her phone and passed it to the housekeeper. “All right then, why don’t you inform your boss about this.”

As the housekeeper took over the phone, she kept apologizing.

The phone kept ringing but nobody answered the call.

 

Chapter 466

The housekeeper glanced at the phone number. It was Wyatt’s number but the call just could not get through.

Since Wyatt was on a business trip, the housekeeper thought that he was probably too busy. Furthermore, she saw the picture that Rayna had shown her. After a moment of hesitation, she passed the phone back to Rayna. “Are you coming back for dinner later?”

“Yeah! Prepare dinner for us.”

With that, Rayna left the mansion with Jessica.

After getting into the car, Jessica gazed at the mansion as it shrank into the distance with an indescribable feeling of sorrow filled her.

She thought that she would stay there forever. Every day, she would do some reading and wait for her baby to be delivered worriedly. Never once did she want to leave.

Yet, she left today.

“Stop thinking about those unpleasant things.” Rayna tossed a bottle of water to her. “Drink up! Your lips are pale. I’ll make sure that you and your baby are doing well.”

Jessica grabbed the water bottle hurriedly. As she stared at Rayna, she felt touched. “Thanks, Nana.”

“I should be thanking you instead.” Rayna’s voice became hoarse as she tried to keep her emotions in check. “Before I left the country, you’ve been helping me all along. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have…”

“All right, that’s enough.” Afraid that Rayna would keep talking incessantly and make her cry, Jessica stopped her in time. “Norwal City is so big! Where can we go such that he can’t find us?”

“Don’t worry. He’ll definitely not be able to find that place.” Rayna’s lips curved into a cold smirk.

The car reached Cerulean Bay after twenty minutes.

“Is this the place that you were talking about?” Jessica was shocked when she saw Rayna bringing her back to the condominium. “If he discovers that I’m gone, he’ll definitely look for me here first.”

Rayna led her toward the condominium and said, “I didn’t say that it’s the condominium we stayed in.”

Jessica was rendered speechless.

When the elevator reached the floor, Rayna walked toward Kristie’s unit and pressed the doorbell.

Soon, the door opened.

“Ms. Garland?” When Larissa opened the door and saw Rayna, she was surprised. “Didn’t you go to work? Oh, who’s this?”

Smiling, Rayna replied, “She’s my friend. Where’s Kristie?”

“Ms. Kristie’s in the kitchen!” Larissa invited both of them into the house and explained exasperatedly, “She loves the biscuits that you made the previous time. Claiming that I don’t bake them well, she decided to take it into her own hands.”

Jessica entered the house with Rayna. It took a while before she returned to her senses. Inching closer to Rayna, she whispered, “Do you want to stay with Kristie? Don’t you know that Wyatt is close to her?”

Rayna patted her shoulder. “The most dangerous place is the safest. Trust me.”

Seeing how confident she was, Jessica nodded and decided to follow her arrangements.

Upon hearing that Rayna had arrived, Kristie stopped everything she was doing and rushed out of the kitchen excitedly. “Rayna! Make some biscuits for me! I love those that you baked the other time. Mdm. Lovett can’t do it well!”

“Okay, I’ll bake some for you soon.” As Rayna spoke, she took off Kristie’s apron. “Tell me if you want to eat something. Don’t try to make it yourself. You’ll get hurt easily.”

Giggling, Kristie said, “I’m afraid that you’re busy so I didn’t dare to bother you.”

From the corners of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Jessica standing behind Rayna. Widening her eyes, she exclaimed, “You’re here too, Jessica? You… You have lost so much weight…”

Jessica squeezed out a smile in response.

“She has already broken up with Wyatt.” Rayna pulled Kristie toward her and whispered, “Jessica isn’t feeling well, so I’d like her to stay with you for a while.”

Kristie nodded and agreed easily, “Sure! It’s boring staying at home alone. I want to film something, but Curt insists on making me rest for a while longer.”

Her voice was filled with indignance.

She had been staying at home for months. Although she could have anything she wanted, it was excruciatingly mundane—almost like she was stuck in prison.

Rayna’s heart ached. Stroking Kristie’s hair, she forced out a smile and consoled, “He’s just worried about you. Wait for a while more! I’ll bring you overseas to have fun in the future, okay?”

Kristie mumbled in agreement before asking quietly, “Rayna, when will you get back together with Curt?”

“I’ll make some biscuits for you.” Rayna changed the topic of the conversation. “Would you like to eat mochi?”

“Of course!” Kristie managed to get distracted by Rayna’s question.

By the time she returned to her senses, Rayna had already summoned Larissa to the kitchen.

Just when Kristie was about to clarify her question with Rayna, Jessica stopped her in time. “It’s very smokey in the kitchen. Why don’t we watch the television?”

While they were occupied in the kitchen, Rayna informed Larissa that Jessica would be staying there temporarily, even describing Wyatt as an evil scumbag to win Larissa’s pity.

She also instructed Larissa to not tell anyone, including Curtis, that Jessica was staying there.

“She lost so much weight despite being pregnant! How pitiful!” Larissa saw how skinny Jessica was earlier and could not help but feel sorry for her.

Although Rayna had exaggerated things a little, Larissa believed her wholeheartedly.

She said that she had a daughter-in-law and knew how exhausting being pregnant was. Hence, she promised that she would take good care of Jessica and keep it secret. When Wyatt visited, she would take extra precautions.

Rayna felt relieved when she heard that.

In addition to making a lot of biscuits and mochi, she prepared a sumptuous dinner.

While eating, Jessica asked Rayna discreetly, “What happened with Kristie and James? When I asked her about James, she asked me who he is!”

“She injured her head when she was filming,” explained Rayna under her breath. “That’s why…”

Since Jessica was already pregnant and having a hard time, Rayna was afraid that she would blame herself if she heard the truth. Hence, Rayna decided to keep it a secret from her.

Jessica was stunned. “A-Amnesia?”

“Yeah. She forgot everything about her time with James.”

“No wonder Mr. Faymon’s stopping her from filming.” Completely oblivious to the fact that Rayna was lying, Jessica asked, “Isn’t Mr. York very skilled? Is he at a loss for what to do too?”

Rayna replied helplessly, “Jeremy’s a researcher, not a doctor. There’s a huge difference between the two.”

“When he visited me earlier, he prescribed me some medicine. That’s why I assumed that he’s a doctor.”

“He visited you before?”

Jessica replied, “Yeah. He visited me when I was feeling unwell. After I got pregnant, Mr. York got another doctor to take care of me.”

A grim look descended upon Rayna’s face. Gritting her teeth, she cursed, “What the f*ck? As expected of Wyatt’s friend! He didn’t tell me about your situation nor did he help you!”

“Wyatt’s temper is unpredictable. He probably doesn’t know how to intervene and doesn’t want to burden you,” analyzed Jessica. “Let’s stop thinking about it and eat…”

Jessica took a few bites before feeling nauseous and running to the bathroom.

Kristie glanced over and asked Rayna, “Rayna, how’s Jessica doing? Is she feeling unwell?”

“Yeah, she is.”

Rayna’s heart ached whenever she remembered how skinny Jessica was. She sighed inwardly.

When she was pregnant, her morning sickness was quite severe too. However, she was not as serious as Jessica, who lost so much weight and felt nauseous with a single bite of food.

I wonder if Jessie’s baby can be delivered safely…

After eating dinner and settling all arrangements, Rayna left at eight.

She drove to a nearby ATM to retrieve some money. Then, she returned to the residential area and informed the management that her ring from Van Cleef & Arpels had been stolen.

Since it was such a serious report, the staff called his manager over to settle it for Rayna.

 

Chapter 467

Rayna followed the manager into the office.

After closing the door, she placed the bag on the desk before the manager could even say anything.

She then unzipped the bag and revealed the stacks of cash inside.

The manager was completely stunned upon seeing that.

“Here’s three hundred thousand in cash. All I need you to do is delete the surveillance camera footage that shows me driving back here today afternoon,” Rayna said while pointing at the bag.

The manager glanced at the money with widened eyes, seemingly wavering.

After thinking about it for two whole minutes, the manager asked, “So, you just need me to delete the surveillance camera footage that shows you returning? Nothing else?”

Rayna nodded. “Someone might come over a few days later to check the surveillance camera footage. He’s very skilled when it comes to IT stuff, so make sure to do a clean job at deleting the footage.”

“No problem. I’ll have someone take care of it,” the manager reassured her.

Rayna took the rest of the cash out of the bag and stacked them neatly on the desk. “All right. Thank you very much.”

She then left the manager’s office and returned to her condominium.

After closing the door behind her, she pulled out a voice recorder and played her conversation with the manager earlier.

This was her backup plan.

If I can bribe this manager so easily, then Wyatt could most certainly do the same. If that happens, I’ll sue that manager for deception using this recording!

A few peaceful days later, Rayna received a short video clip from Wilson.

The thumbnail of the video was a picture of Curtis dressed in a traditional outfit. The warm and gentle vibe of his outfit formed a huge contrast with his cold and distant facial expression.

Rayna felt her heart skip a beat when she saw how attractive he looked.

As much as she didn’t want to see him, her finger had tapped on the play button before she even realized it.

While she did see him in that outfit fairly often while filming the video, seeing the finished product on her phone still felt very impactful.

The camera angles were perfect, and the scenery in the background complemented his outfit really well.

It looked so good that, for a second there, Rayna forgot it was a fictional work of art. The look in Rayna’s eyes also helped make the scene all the more realistic.

When the scene cut to Curtis staring affectionately into the camera, Rayna quickly exited the video.

Even with her phone flipped over, her head was still filled with images of Curtis’ gentle expression.

Ugh… Why am I like this? How long will it take for me to forget about him and move on? She rubbed her temples in frustration.

“I’m sorry, sir. You can’t enter without an appointment. Please cooperate, or I will have to call for security…”

Rayna regained her senses when she heard her assistant, Ella, arguing with someone outside.

She wanted to see what was going on and had just gotten up from her chair when the door to her office was kicked open.

Wyatt then stormed into her office a second later. His suit was wrinkled, and he looked somewhat exhausted as he glanced about, his line of sight falling on Rayna.

“Where is she?” Wyatt asked while walking up to Rayna, the look in his eyes grim.

“Who are you talking about?” Rayna snapped back at him.

She glanced at the broken doorknob and continued with a sneer, “Mr. Lopez, please keep in mind that this is Glory, not Lopez Group. You need to make an appointment with my assistant if you wish to see me. Not only have you barged into my office like a vulgarian, but you also broke my door when you kicked it open. I’ll have to bill you for the repairs later.”

“Drop the act! I checked the surveillance camera footage at Zenisan Villa! You went to see her four days ago, and you took her with you! You really have gotten bolder, Rayna!” Wyatt yelled angrily.

Rayna crossed her arms as she replied, “Oh? Is that so? Why don’t you show that footage to the police and sue me for kidnapping her, then? Oh, wait, you’ll need to have proof of your relationship with Jessie in order to do that!”

“D*mn you!”

Infuriated, Wyatt grabbed Rayna’s collar and pulled her toward him.

Because Rayna was a lot shorter, she had to stand on the tip of her toes.

“Let go of Ms. Garland, or I will call the police!” Ella yelled as she rushed over and tugged at Wyatt’s arm, only to have him kick her in the gut.

It hurt so much that Ella curled up into a ball on the floor.

The look on Rayna’s face turned gloomy when she saw him hurt someone innocent. “Wyatt! My office has surveillance cameras! I will take action if you hurt my employees again!”

Wyatt sneered and regarded her with disdain. He then lifted her even higher off the floor as he snapped back at her, “Yeah? What could you possibly do to me, huh? You’re only successful today because of Curtis, so don’t you dare threaten me! Now, I will ask you this one more time. Where are you hiding her?”

As the material of Rayna’s shirt was rather thin, she had to stand on her tiptoes just to prevent it from ripping.

“Why should I tell you? So you can keep her locked up like a prisoner? So you can torture her every single day?” she asked while glaring coldly at him.

“What I do with her is none of your business! Don’t make me hurt you, Rayna!”

Rayna wasn’t the least bit intimidated by him and replied with a sneer, “Oh, please! It’s not like you haven’t hit a woman before! I’m telling you, Wyatt Lopez. You’re never going to find her!”

The look on Wyatt’s face grew increasingly frosty after he heard that.

“Oh, and you can forget about that baby as well! Jessie is way too frail, so I’ll look after her with or without the baby. I’ll also send her overseas and find her a decent man—”

Smack!

Wyatt raised his hand and slapped Rayna hard across the face.

The slap contained so much force that it left her stunned for quite a while, her cheek burning.

Does Wyatt hit Jessie like this when they get into arguments? Thank goodness I found a reliable private detective and saved her from that mansion! There’s no telling what could happen to her if I rescued her even a day later!

Wyatt’s chest was heaving slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand were bulging beneath his skin.

“Where are you hiding her?”

With her cheek red and still numb from the pain, Rayna looked up at him and said defiantly, “You’ll never find out, Mr. Lopez! Come on, show me what other tricks you’ve got!”

Wyatt shot daggers at her. “So, you want to do this the hard way, huh? I’m warning you, Rayna. You’d better not force my hand, or you will definitely come to regret it!”

He then tightened his grip on her shirt collar as he enunciated every word, “This is your last chance to answer my question. Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” Rayna replied coldly.

Enraged by her stubbornness, Wyatt gave her another slap across the face.

Gabriel, who happened to come in at the right time, shuddered when he saw how violent Wyatt was.

He then ran toward the latter and grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Please calm down, Mr. Lopez! You and Ms. Garland used to date each other in the past, right? How could you hit her like this?”

Wyatt shot him a vicious glare. “Let go of me, or I’ll hit you as well!”

Gabriel continued gripping Wyatt’s arm. “Don’t do this, Mr. Lopez! Ms. Sanders was involved in a car accident, so Mr. Faymon needs you to head over to Xyperia!”

“What?” Wyatt froze upon hearing that.

Rayna, too, was stunned for a few seconds. “How did that happen? Is it serious?” she asked anxiously.

“Very. The doctors at the hospital are currently trying their best to stabilize her condition.” Gabriel let out a sigh as he continued, “I came over as soon as I got the call from Mr. Faymon. The private jet has already been prepared.”

 

Chapter 468

“She’s not married to Theodore yet, so you should go to the Sanders family about this. Why come to me? I’ve got plenty of problems to deal with right now!” said Wyatt, clearly annoyed.

“Because Mr. Xavier is in trouble too.”

The look on Wyatt’s face changed instantly as he snapped his head to the side, staring at Gabriel. “What do you mean by that?”

Gabriel walked up to Wyatt and whispered something in his ear.

Wyatt frowned in concern after hearing what he said.

He then shot Rayna a vicious glare before shoving her off. “I’ll come back for you when this is over, Rayna!”

Rayna didn’t see that coming and wasn’t able to steady herself in time, thus ending up crashing into her desk.

She gasped in pain as her tummy hit the sharp corner of the desk.

Gabriel ran up to her and held her steady. “Are you okay, Ms. Garland?”

As Rayna’s tummy was still pressing against the desk, Gabriel noticed her baby bump and was surprised.

After a brief pause, he came to a realization and stared wide-eyed at Rayna in shock. “M-Ms. Garland, are you…”

“I’m fine.” Rayna brushed his hand off and slowly straightened her back.

It took quite a while for the pain to go away.

She then tried to change the subject by asking, “Tell me what happened. How did this happen to Mr. Xavier and Jasmine?”

“Well… I’ll tell you more about it in the car. I need you to come with me to Sanders Group right away,” Gabriel replied solemnly, dropping the subject regarding her tummy.

“All right.” Rayna didn’t dare waste another second after realizing how serious the matter was.

As Ella was still in pain after being kicked by Wyatt earlier, Rayna had her take the rest of the day off. After taking care of things at work, she left her office with Gabriel.

Gabriel told her the full story in detail during their journey to Sanders Group.

Apparently, Theodore’s father was not injured at all. Emma made up that lie to trick Theodore into going to Xyperia. She had her husband help her out with this. Together, they captured Theodore the moment he arrived in Xyperia.

As Theodore didn’t bring a lot of his men with him on that trip, his father’s men had them greatly outnumbered. After drugging Theodore, Emma sent Noel’s daughter, Selena Young, over to him.

Sure enough, Selena was confirmed to be pregnant ten days ago.

Jasmine, who was heading over to Xyperia, had found out about it as well.

Emma cherished her precious grandchild and feared that Jasmine would hurt Selena because of the baby. Hence, Emma asked someone to take Jasmine out by faking a car accident.

Although Jasmine survived the incident, she was barely alive and was in critical condition at the hospital.

Due to the huge amount of information, it took Rayna quite a while to process all of it.

“Does Mrs. Xavier’s shamelessness know no bounds? That’s her son we’re talking about!” she asked after a long pause.

Gabriel let out a sigh from behind the wheel. “As you know, Mrs. Xavier has always hated Ms. Sanders for being an illegitimate daughter. Now that she has gotten back together with Mr. Xavier, there’s no way she’d just sit by and watch.”

“Even so, she shouldn’t have used such a horrible method! How could she send another woman to Mr. Xavier? That poor woman even got pregnant as a result!” Rayna gritted her teeth.

Jasmine probably had a mental breakdown when she found out about Selena’s pregnancy. It wasn’t easy for her to get back together with Mr. Xavier after five long years, and yet, he got another woman pregnant before they even had a chance to spend some quality time together. If Carl finds out about this…

Having realized the severity of the situation, Rayna asked, “Is Curtis currently in Xyperia as well? Has he contacted Carl about this?”

“Mr. Faymon won’t tell him. Carl is still very young, so Mr. Faymon won’t get him involved in this. As of now, Mr. Faymon is trying to come up with a solution to rescue Mr. Xavier,” Gabriel replied.

“Oh, that’s good to know. In that case, I’ll hurry up and settle my visa application—”

“No need for that, Ms. Garland. You may not be able to leave this country.”

Rayna paused. “What do you mean? Is he not allowing me to go there?”

“As you know, Ms. Sanders is fully in charge of Sanders Group. All of its higher-ups found out about her accident in Xyperia, and they’re all freaking out right now. Her father wants to use this opportunity

to get his hands on her shares and regain control over Sanders Group. He has summoned the board of directors for a meeting today to discuss this matter.”

“He’s trying to take Sanders Group from her even though she’s still alive? How disgusting! Jasmine will have to take orders from him if he successfully takes over Sanders Group!” Rayna exclaimed with a look of disgust on her face.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Garland. Ms. Sanders has already made the necessary arrangements before leaving the country. If anything were to happen to her overseas, you would receive all of her shares in Sanders Group,” Gabriel said.

Rayna was shocked. “What? I’m just an outsider, though! Why would she hand them over to me?”

“Perhaps Ms. Sanders trusts you a lot. I was just as shocked as you when I first saw the content of the document. However, apart from Mr. Faymon, you’re the only other person she could trust who is capable of managing Sanders Group,” Gabriel replied after giving it some thought.

“Why didn’t she put Mr. Faymon in charge, then?”

“I’m guessing she doesn’t want to trouble him because he’s very busy. It’s also possible that you’re special to Ms. Sanders, and you’re the only person she wants to be in charge of Sanders Group,” Gabriel deduced.

That was the first time someone had trusted Rayna so much, so she didn’t really know how to respond. “But I’m not as capable as she is.”

Gabriel glanced at her through the rear-view mirror and said with a smile, “You’re Mr. Faymon’s student and the vice CEO of a company. I don’t know anyone else more capable than you, Ms. Garland.”

The look on Rayna’s face turned cold as she exclaimed, “What are you talking about? I’m not his student! Shut up and keep driving! I don’t want to hear about him!”

Whoa… Ms. Garland’s temper is getting worse. She clearly gets it from Mr. Faymon…

The meeting of Sanders Group’s board of directors was in progress when Rayna and Gabriel arrived at the conference room.

All eyes were on them the moment they came in through the door.

Mark’s face clouded over when he recognized Gabriel. “We’re in the middle of a meeting here, Mr. Tylinski. How could you just barge in like this?”

“I do apologize for the interruption. I’m here today because Ms. Sanders has requested me to help her out.” Gabriel replied with a friendly smile while leading Rayna into the conference room.

“You can drop the act! We know that Ms. Sanders got into an accident overseas! She’s still in the hospital right now, so how could she possibly have asked you for help?” said one of the directors.

Gabriel said with a nod while placing a document on the table. “I see that you are all very well informed. However, Ms. Sanders entrusted me with this task before she went overseas.”

Mark, who was in the main seat, took the document and skimmed through its contents.

A few seconds later, he got mad and yelled angrily, “Nonsense! I am Jasmine’s father, so I should be the one in charge of her shares now that she is in the hospital! Why would she hand them over to an outsider?”

“Sorry, I’m not sure why Ms. Sanders chose to do that, but she has signed these documents, so they are now legally binding. If you’re concerned, I could have the lawyer, Mr. Leatham, come over and explain the details. Ms. Sanders has also spoken to him about this,” Gabriel replied politely.

The directors passed the document around and took turns reading through it.

Just like Mark, they were all unwilling to accept Jasmine’s arrangement.

“It should be Ms. Sanders’ father who manages her shares while she’s in the hospital.”

“That’s right! How could she put an outsider in charge of Sanders Group? We will not accept this!”

 

Chapter 469

Rayna watched them clamor about and guessed that the directors, who refused to accept the documents that Jasmine had signed, must have reached some kind of agreement with Mark.

Jasmine must have gone through a lot of trouble to gain Sanders Group’s shares.

At the thought of those terrible matters that happened overseas and Jasmine’s unconditional trust, Rayna swore to herself that she must keep Sanders Group safe until Jasmine regained consciousness.

Meanwhile, Mark was satisfied to see the directors’ attitudes.

He then pointed at the door and said to Rayna without hesitation, “We won’t acknowledge this agreement, not unless she comes to us personally to affirm the document’s authenticity! Please leave now.”

Rayna smiled. “It’s up to you whether to acknowledge it or not, but the law certainly does.”

Mark and the directors’ faces paled.

Rayna then pulled the chair back and sat down before enunciating, “From the moment Ms. Sanders signed her name on the agreement, Sanders Group belongs to me. Therefore, I have the right to intervene in anything regarding Sanders Group.”

Mark’s expression darkened, and he hissed, “You—”

“Please refer to me as Ms. Garland, for I am the CEO of the company now,” Rayna firmly said to him as she spared him a glance. “If you continue to disrespect me, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Words eluded Mark.

At the same time, Gabriel swiftly moved over to stand by Mark’s side, ready to make a move at any time.

Turning to the directors, Rayna said, “Everyone here holds Sanders Group’s shares because they want to earn some money. Regardless of whether Sanders Group’s CEO is Ms. Sanders or me, our goal is to help the company improve and develop. Mr. Tylinski, please head outside and get me Sanders Group’s financial reports for the last two years.”

“Of course, Ms. Garland.”

During the wait, some of the directors expressed their dissatisfaction with Rayna. They even said they were going to contact their lawyer to take Rayna to court for her supposed unjust enrichment.

However, Rayna kept her eyes fixed on the equity transfer agreement in silence, not even bothering to spare them a roll of her eyes.

A moment later, Gabriel returned in hastened footsteps with a stack of documents in his arms.

“Ms. Garland, these are Sanders Group’s financial reports for the recent two years. Ms. Sanders’ secretary has just passed me a flash drive and told me that this is what Ms. Sanders had left behind. Would you like to take a look at its content?”

Rayna guessed that Jasmine must have a reason to leave the flash drive with her secretary, so she asked Gabriel to insert it into a laptop and show everyone the contents.

Once the video in the flash drive was played, Jasmine’s figure was projected onto the screen.

“I am Jasmine Sanders, the legal representative and the chairman of Sanders Group.” In the video, Jasmine then showed the equity transfer agreement in front of the camera, seemingly wanting the viewers to get a clear view of it. She then continued, “If anything ever happens to me in the future, the

shares I have of Sanders Group will all be transferred to Rayna Garland. This equity transfer agreement and this video are legally valid, and all consequences will be borne by me.”

Mark was not the only one astounded by the video; the directors were, too.

In fact, even Rayna was dumbfounded.

Did Jasmine predict something was going to happen to her when she was abroad? Was that why she made all of these arrangements beforehand?

With that thought in her mind, she found tears filling her eyes.

Suppressing the rising sorrow within her, Rayna then quickly read through Sanders Group’s financial reports.

The training she had been through had gotten her more used to reading documents; she knew which parts to read and how to analyze them.

I should thank Curtis for this. If he hadn’t taught me all these and given me room to learn, I wouldn’t have improved as quickly.

Rayna went through the documents one after another, and soon, she was done with them all.

After closing the file, she took in a deep breath and lifted her hand to gesture the number six. “I will let everyone see this number on Sanders Group’s financial report next year.”

“Are you kidding us?”

“A six percent increase? How is that possible?”

Right as those words were out of Rayna’s mouth, the directors began yelling and clamoring in disbelief.

Mark did the same.

Turning to look at Rayna, he sneered.

“Honey, you’re still young, and you must know what to say and what not to say. Don’t let arrogant words leave your mouth so easily. Sanders Group’s increase in profits has been steadily between three to four percent these years. Even the financial report for this year states a four-point-three percent increase. How can you possibly increase it to six percent?”

Then, shaking his head, he continued, “Ha! If you really end up managing Sanders Group, I’m sure the company will be acquired by someone in no time!”

Instead of getting angry at his remark, Rayna only smiled and said, “You might not understand the market, Mr. Sanders, but we do. You’re not going to like what I’m about to say, but I have to say them. It was fortunate that your daughter was the one in charge of Sanders Group later on, for she managed to increase the profits by a little. If you were the one in charge… Tsk, I don’t think the profits for this year will be any different from the profits of last year.”

Mark’s face turned purple in rage.

Rayna then turned to the directors, her hand still raised. “Today, I will say to you all that this will be the number on Sanders Group’s financial report for next year.”

Right then, one of them asked, “What if that doesn’t happen?”

“Then it will at least be a five-point-something percent increase,” Rayna reassured with a smile. “I know Sanders Group, and I know how big its market is. Oh, right, there’s something else I want to say. I will not be taking any suggestions.”

Everyone’s jaws nearly dropped.

“I have complete control over Sanders Group, and I can decide what to do and what not to do.”

The silence went on.

Gabriel glanced at the looks on the directors’ faces and lowered his head to laugh under his breath.

By the time Rayna was done settling Sanders Group’s matters, it was already three in the afternoon.

While Gabriel was sending Rayna back, he kept showering her with praises. “Ms. Garland, you were amazing. You rendered those directors speechless, and they had no choice but to listen to you!”

Rayna lifted a brow. “They all just want to earn easy money. Targeting their preferences will surely make everything easier.”

Gabriel hummed curiously. “Ms. Garland, the way you do things reminds me of… Mr. Faymon.”

At that, Rayna froze. In the next second, she turned her head to look out of the window. “I won’t be going to Glory. Send me to Mr. Faymon’s residence.”

“Ms. Garland, do you still miss his dog?”

“Carl lives there too! I’m going there to visit Carl,” Rayna gritted out. “Mr. Tylinski, could you please stop spouting nonsense? You’re making me want to block you!”

Hearing that, Gabriel clamped his mouth shut and focused on the road.

After arriving at the destination, Gabriel watched Rayna get off the car and walk away.

Then, he couldn’t help asking, “Ms. Garland, will you be staying here tonight, or would you like me to wait for you here and send you back later?”

Rayna ignored him.

Hence, Gabriel assumed that Rayna was going to stay to keep Carl company.

With that thought in mind, he drove away.

Rayna rang the doorbell. Shortly after, someone came to open the door.

“Ms. Rayna, what brought you here?” Carl asked. Then, realization dawned upon him. “Oh. You must be here to look for Mr. Curtis, right? But Mr. Curtis is currently on a business trip abroad, and he hasn’t said when he’s coming back.”

Rayna was bereft of words.

“I’m here to see you,” she said after a pause. Then, she pulled him into the house and closed the door behind them. “Is Mrs. Verlice not around?”

“Mhm. She’ll only come when it’s half-past five,” Carl told her before fishing out his phone to call Xandra. “Ms. Rayna, please make dinner for me today. The food you make is the best!”

Rayna smiled and nodded.

Lucky was initially biting on a bone, but when it caught a whiff of Rayna’s scent, it ran to her, wagging its tail the entire time.

“You look like you’ve grown larger again.”

Rayna patted Lucky’s head and thought about her own Ragdoll cat.

I’ve been feeding Happy good food too, but why did it lose weight and become even unfriendlier? It’s been facing its bum at me and refusing to let me touch it.

Once Rayna was in the kitchen, she opened the fridge and glanced at the food inside. “There isn’t much of anything in here. Let’s head out to buy some groceries.”

Carl bobbed his head. “Okay.”

On their way out, they spotted Lucky wagging its tail, wanting to go out with them. Hence, they brought the dog along.

 

Chapter 470

Carl did not see Rayna’s car at the entrance. Curious, he asked, “Ms. Rayna, you didn’t drive today?”

“Nope, Mr. Tylinski drove me here.”

“Please wait for a moment. Let me go get the car keys.” As soon as he finished saying that, Carl swiped the front door open and entered the house.

A long silence ensured.

About two minutes later, he returned with a pair of car keys for Rayna.

“When I was at the garage the other time, I saw Mr. Curtis’ flashy sports car. Come on, let’s take it for a spin.” His face was beaming with joy.

Rayna did not know how to react. She stared at the keys in his hand and queried, “Aren’t you afraid of getting punished for taking his keys without permission?”

“Not at all because Mr. Curtis dotes on me.”

Rayna was rendered speechless. In the end, she gave in, took the keys, and headed to the garage.

When she saw the Pagani, she was reminded of that one embarrassing incident when she threw up in the car after getting drunk.

As she had dirtied his car seat, she even had to compensate him with money.

It had been a long while since that happened, and she never expected that she would get to sit in that same car again, let alone drive it.

Rayna felt rather uneasy as the past memories came back to haunt her.

Upon entering the car, she remembered the dog was with them.

Before she could get Carl to lead Lucky back to the house, the dog had already positioned itself beneath the car seat, leaning comfortably on Carl’s lap.

The corner of Rayna’s lips twitched when she saw that. “How did it manage to squeeze itself into the car? That’s impressive.”

“Hurry up and start the engine, Ms. Rayna!” urged Carl.

He noticed Rayna’s bulging stomach after she put on her seatbelt and asked inquisitively, “Ms. Rayna, your tummy looks bloated.”

Taken aback, Rayna looked at her baby bump.

She had been so busy managing the affairs of Sanders Group that she had forgotten how Wyatt pushed her and caused her tummy to hit the sharp corner of the desk.

“Oh yes, that’s right. I’m pregnant, you see.” Rayna replied while igniting the car engine, “I’m not feeling too good. Let’s make a trip to the hospital before going to get some groceries.”

Carl was stunned at first, but he became very excited the next moment. “Really? How many babies are in your tummy, Ms. Rayna?”

“I’m pregnant with triplets.”

“Wow!” Carl’s eyes widened in shock. “It must be hard to carry three babies.”

Rayna flashed him a smile. “It’s not too bad. Are you happy that you’re going to have a wife?”

Carl nodded. Suddenly, he recalled something and asked, “Ms. Rayna, are the triplets Mr. Curtis’ children?”

“Is that important?” Rayna side-eyed the little fellow. “Have you forgotten what you said? Are you going to reject them should they don’t belong to Curtis?”

Carl shook his head vigorously. “No, no. It’s not easy to get a wife these days, especially one who looks as gorgeous as you. Let’s go to the hospital now.”

Rayna chuckled at the boy’s remark.

After arriving at the hospital, Rayna proceeded to register herself with a specialist and waited for about half an hour for her turn.

She informed the doctor about how old were the babies as well as the mishap that happened in the morning.

Meanwhile, Carl was counting with his fingers.

So, that’s how long Ms. Rayna’s been pregnant. In that case, the babies clearly don’t belong to Mr. Curtis. Then, who’s the father?

Carl was dejected.

After an hour-long examination, Rayna was relieved to learn that the babies were all right.

When she was about to leave, the gynecologist stopped her in her tracks. “I should prescribe you some medicines. Make sure you take them regularly.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.”

Rayna noticed that the doctor’s hand was trembling slightly when the latter was using the mouse. “Your hand is shaking. Have you been overworking? Should I get you a nurse?” she asked, her tone laced with worry.

“I’m fine, thank you. I’ll knock off after seeing one more patient. Please proceed to the first floor to collect your prescriptions and make payment.”

Subsequently, Rayna left without saying anything else.

“How’s it, Ms. Rayna?” Carl strode toward her and asked, “Are the triplets healthy and well?”

“They are doing great. Let’s go to the first floor to get the medicine.”

“I have my credit card with me. Let me go get it for you. You must be tired.” Swiftly, Carl took the prescription note from Rayna’s hand and hurried away.

Before Rayna could react, the boy had already run off into the distance.

Carl went to the counter to make the payment first before queuing up for the medication.

Soon, it was his turn. He stood on tiptoes and handed the note over the counter.

The nurse couldn’t see the little boy and looked left and right, baffled.

“Hmm? Where’s the patient?”

Carl tried pushing himself higher above the counter, showing his face. “I’m here.”

The nurse glanced at him and checked Rayna’s note. Shortly after, she went inside to get the medication.

While waiting, Carl sighed and reflected on himself. I must eat well and do more exercise in order to grow taller. Otherwise, I won’t be able to run errands for my future mother-in-law.

Upon receiving the medicine, Carl browsed through them.

There was not much information on the packaging, and he could not understand most of them. Hence, he took a picture of it, thinking of doing some research after they got home.

At that moment, Rayna approached him and asked, “Have you gotten everything?”

“Yes!” Carl kept his phone and passed Rayna the bag. “Here you go.”

She patted his head and asked, “Thanks for doing this. Let’s go to the supermarket. What would you like to eat tonight?”

“I’d love to have some grilled pork.”

“Sure! Let’s go get some pork and I’ll cook for you.”

With that, the duo went grocery shopping for ingredients and some daily necessities.

It was a pet-friendly mall. Anyone could bring their pets along as long as they were on a leash.

Lucky trailed behind the both of them faithfully like an imposing bodyguard.

After shopping, Rayna walked toward the escalator with Carl.

She was carrying two big bags. Before she could balance herself on the escalator, someone slammed into her from behind.

As a consequence, Rayna fell forward.

In the nick of time, the vigilant Lucky pounced forward and snagged her coat with its mouth, pulling her backward.

Rayna had a trench coat on due to the cold weather.

Lucky grabbed hold of the hem of her coat, but Rayna’s heavy body weight made it difficult for her to regain balance. She was not able to get a steady foothold on the escalator. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her trench coat also began slipping off as Lucky continued pulling it backward.

Carl merely froze for a second when he saw Lucky leap in Rayna’s direction. He followed suit and grabbed the leash that was tied around Rayna’s wrist, using all his might to pull the woman toward himself.

Rayna stumbled backward from the impact.

Thankfully, Lucky supported her waist with its body, or she would have fallen flat on the floor.

Carl released the leash and helped Rayna up. “Ms. Rayna, are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m… I’m fine.”

Rayna’s body was still tense as she broke out into a cold sweat. Glancing at the escalator, she almost shuddered in fear.

It was terrifying to imagine the consequences of falling off the escalator—she might be dead or paralyzed.

“Miss, I’m so sorry.” The person who ran into her finally came back to her senses and rushed over to help Rayna.

“I was completely engrossed in a conversation with my husband that I didn’t notice you all. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Get your hand off her!” Infuriated, Carl slapped the woman’s hand away. “Why didn’t you grab hold of Ms. Rayna after you accidentally bumped into her?”

“I… I… I’m sorry.” The woman was on the verge of tears. “I was in a daze and didn’t react in time.”

The woman’s husband kept apologizing to Rayna. “The floor is somewhat slippery. My wife, too, nearly fell down. I’m sorry that I didn’t grab hold of you immediately.”

Carl bellowed furiously, “I think the two of you did it on purpose!”

Rayna’s face was still as white as a sheet.

She gazed at the woman and realized that the latter was visibly pregnant. The woman placed an arm on her waist, seemingly having trouble moving around.

“That’s enough, Carl.” Rayna stopped him from pursuing the matter. “Let’s go and check the surveillance cameras.”

Had it not been for Lucky and Carl, Rayna and her triplets would have suffered a horrible consequence.

Afterward, all of them went to the surveillance room.

The person in charge looked troubled when he learned what had happened. “I’m sorry. The surveillance camera in that area has been out of order for two weeks now. I’m afraid I got nothing to show you.”

Rayna narrowed her eyes skeptically and responded, “What a coincidence! The camera happens to be broken when I request to take a look at it?”