Ch. 471..480

Chapter 471

“I’m telling you the truth, miss.” The person in charge showed Rayna the inspection checklist as he continued, “We filed a report and requested for repairs the moment we found out. However, the technician said it couldn’t be repaired, so we put in a request to purchase a new one. The request is still pending approval from our superior.”

Rayna took the inspection checklist over and skimmed through it.

This person is telling the truth. They can’t purchase a new surveillance camera without approval from a superior. Could this really just be an accident?

“I’m really sorry! I didn’t see you standing in front! Are you hurt? Shall I have my husband take you to the hospital?” The pregnant woman continued to apologize.

“You think saying sorry is going to fix everything? If you were going to take the elevator, then why didn’t you watch where you were going? You need to be responsible for yourself as well as others! Of course, we need to get her examined at a hospital! I’ll make you both pay dearly if anything happens to my wife!” Carl yelled angrily.

The person in charge was just as shocked by Carl’s words as the married couple.

“Y-You two are…” the pregnant woman stammered while staring at Rayna.

“I’m pregnant too. He’s worried about my babies,” Rayna explained while pulling Carl behind her.

Since the surveillance camera was broken, she didn’t want to waste any more time arguing.

Rayna glanced at the pregnant woman’s tummy and saw her huge baby bump. As a fellow mother, she sympathized with the woman and said, “Since I’m not injured, we can skip the trip to the hospital and

forget about this.”

“You can’t just let them walk away like that, Ms. Rayna! She’s the one at fault here!” Carl protested.

“Forget it, Carl. Let’s go,” Rayna said.

Since Rayna had said so, Carl could only pout as he grabbed the bags and walked out of the place wordlessly.

The married couple continued to apologize to Rayna as they left the security room, going as far as offering to pay her some money as compensation.

Rayna shook her head and said with a smile, “It’s fine, really. Judging by the size of your tummy, I’d guess you’re due pretty soon, right? How about we add each other on social media? That way, I could consult you for advice on caring for the baby.”

The pregnant woman froze briefly before replying, “This is my first child, so I don’t know anything either.”

Rayna maintained her gentle tone as she pressed on, “That’s fine. We can just be friends, then. You look like a kind person, and I’d love to have you as a friend!”

Unsure of how to respond, the pregnant woman secretly gave her husband’s shirt a light tug.

The husband then stepped forward and said with a smile, “I limit her time on the phone to minimize her exposure to its radiation. How about you add me instead?”

“Sure thing. Here, go ahead and scan my QR code,” Rayna handed him her phone.

After adding each other, Rayna asked, “Have you two decided on the hospital to deliver the baby? I know a doctor from General Hospital. You could ask him for help when the time comes.”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary—”

Before the husband could finish his sentence, Rayna cut him off, “It’s fine! We’re all friends now, so we should look out for each other! Give me your number, and I’ll have that friend of mine help you two out.” She proceeded to tap open her phone’s call function and was so persistent that the husband couldn’t say anything.

The married couple exchanged conflicted glances.

Unable to decline Rayna’s kind offer, he had no choice but to give her his number.

Rayna flashed them a satisfied smile when she dialed it and saw his phone screen light up.

“Where do you two live? How about I give you two a ride home?” she asked.

“That won’t be necessary! We came here by car today, so I’ll be driving us home later. Anyway, just text me if you’re feeling unwell tomorrow or something. We’ll be on our way now!”

He then dragged his wife out of there before Rayna could say anything further.

Instead of going after them, Rayna pulled up the man’s social media page and quickly browsed through it.

Heh, looks like I’ve hit the jackpot!

After saving all of his pictures of scenery and food, Rayna took a screenshot of his social media account and phone number.

She wanted to get the man’s phone number in order to obtain more information on them, such as their identities and home address.

In order to not arouse their suspicion, she chose to get friendly with the pregnant woman first. After that, she mentioned having a doctor as a friend and used that as a reason to ask for his number.

Rayna then put her phone away and gave Lucky a pat on the head. “Thank you so much for your help today.”

Who would’ve thought Curtis’ dog would come in handy like this?

She saw Carl sulking on a bench when she left the room with Lucky.

“What’s the matter? Are you unhappy?” she asked while walking toward him.

“No, I’m not.” Carl hopped off the bench and picked up the bags.

Rayna offered to help carry it, but he refused to let her and continued stomping away while Rayna and Lucky followed closely behind.

They then rode the elevator down to the parking lot.

It wasn’t until they entered the car that Rayna explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to pursue that matter. The surveillance camera was broken, so there’s not much we could’ve done. Even if we did go to a hospital for an examination, the outcome would most likely be the same. If the doctor says I’m fine, they’ll be free of all responsibilities anyway.”

“Even so, we can’t just let them walk away like this! My mom told me that I should always hit back if someone dares bully me! Even if we don’t have sufficient evidence, we’d still have the upper hand in court! With all that pressure on them, it’s only a matter of time before they mess up!” Carl protested angrily.

“Now, now… Stop being mad at me, okay? I spent a lot of time chatting with them so I could get information from them,” Rayna said with a faint smile as she drove out of the parking lot.

“And then what? Lock them up?” Carl pressed on.

“No, Carl. With all that information, we’ll be able to investigate further and find out if it was an accident or a conspiracy,” Rayna explained.

She grew suspicious ever since she was told that the surveillance camera was broken.

“And what if it was an accident? Do we just let them off the hook?”

“Yes. She looks like she’s due soon. It’s common for her to bump into people sometimes.”

Carl was clearly disappointed when he heard that. “There was plenty of room back there. She clearly wasn’t watching where she was going,” he mumbled.

“All right, let’s just put this aside for now. I’ll make you your favorite grilled pork and tacos when we get back, okay?” Rayna comforted him.

“Ms. Rayna, aren’t you worried about my wife at all? I could’ve lost my wife if Lucky didn’t catch you by the shirt in time! How can you still think about eating after something like this happened?” Carl protested.

“So, are we not going to eat tonight?”

Carl let out a defiant snort. “Hmph! Of course we’ll eat! You going hungry is equivalent to my wife going hungry, after all.”

Rayna couldn’t stop laughing after hearing that.

Meanwhile, the pregnant woman and her husband had gloomy looks on their faces on the drive home.

“I can’t believe how lucky she was! She would’ve rolled right down the escalator if that dog wasn’t there to catch her in time!” the pregnant woman exclaimed angrily while peeling an orange.

Her husband let out a sigh as he replied, “There’s nothing we could’ve done. I suppose we won’t get paid now that we’ve messed it all up.”

“That’s fine. We already received one million in deposit anyway!” The pregnant woman then glanced at her husband and asked, “Say, didn’t she add you on social media? How about we find an opportunity to ask her out?”

“Do you even listen to yourself? The fact that she thought of checking the surveillance cameras first indicates that she’s very smart. She acted all friendly and asked for our social media and contact details so she could find out more about us!”

“Then delete her as soon as we get home. That way, she won’t be able to find out much about us. By the way, how was my acting earlier? Do you think she’ll suspect anything?” the pregnant woman exclaimed.

 

Chapter 472

“She will, but there’s nothing she can do since the surveillance camera was broken.”

After giving it some thought, the man continued, “I noticed her eyeing your tummy a few times. She probably thinks it’s normal for you to bump into others with that huge tummy of yours.”

The pregnant woman leaned against her seat and rubbed her tummy. “That’s good to know. I can’t believe we got paid one million for a small favor like this! We really lucked out this time!”

“I think there’s more to this than meets the eye,” the man said with a worried frown.

“Stop worrying about it, Darling! We did exactly what he told us to! Besides, he did say it’s okay if we fail. I’m just glad we still get to keep the one million! Let’s use this money to go on vacation in Moranta! I want to deliver my baby there!”

Unlike her concerned husband, the pregnant woman was planning her dream vacation.

She even dreamt of getting permanent residency in Moranta and using the remainder of the money to start a small business.

“Hey, Darling! Could you apply for our visas tomorrow—”

She was talking so fast that she ended up choking on the orange.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

Noticing that her face was turning purple, the man slowed the car down and looked for a spot to pull over.

While he was busy glancing left and right, he didn’t notice the traffic light in front of him turning red.

A huge truck then came speeding from the left side and crashed right into their car.

Bang!

Although Carl kept telling Rayna that he was old enough and didn’t require babysitting, she spent the rest of the evening with him anyway.

She was originally planning on heading back after he fell asleep, but got a little sleepy at around eleven due to her pregnancy.

Thinking she would have a hard time hailing a cab that late at night, Rayna went to sleep in the guest room instead.

Lucky was sleeping on the carpet beside her bed when she woke up the next morning.

“Morning!” she said while giving Lucky a pat on the head.

Rayna then entered the bathroom and completed her morning routine in a hurry. It wasn’t until she came out to get changed that she realized the scarf was missing.

She turned around and glanced at Lucky as she asked, “Did you steal my scarf?”

Lucky simply wagged its tail and stared at her with an innocent look in its eyes.

Rayna tried threatening it with a glare, but to no avail.

As she still needed to make breakfast, she had no choice but to leave it at that.

After going downstairs, she saw Carl working in the kitchen. The house was filled with the nutty and sweet smell of oatmeal.

“You know how to cook oatmeal?” Rayna exclaimed in surprise.

“Ah, Ms. Rayna, you’re awake!” Carl turned around and shot her a glance while standing on a stool to reach the countertop. “Yes, it’s the only dish I know.”

“Not bad. At least you won’t go hungry if you’re home alone! I’ll wait for you to make breakfast, then,” Rayna said with a smile.

“Okay! It’ll be ready soon!”

About ten minutes later, Carl served two steaming hot bowls of oatmeal.

The little boy shook his legs as he sat down in front of Rayna.

After taking a few sips of oatmeal, he looked up at her and asked, “Has my mom contacted you yet, Ms. Rayna?”

Rayna paused slightly when she heard that, but she was quick to regain her composure. “No, she hasn’t.”

“She hasn’t called me in a long time either. Is Dad really that busy with work? Have they forgotten that I’m waiting for them at home? Ms. Rayna, do you think something might’ve happened to my dad?” Carl asked unhappily.

Rayna felt her heart skip a beat. She rolled her eyes at him and said impatiently, “Your parents are fine, so stop worrying about them. They’re probably just too busy with work to contact you or something.”

She then gave him a pinch on the cheek as she continued, “Besides, isn’t it great to have Mr. Curtis looking after you? He can give you all the nice food and drinks that you want!”

“It is great. I just miss my parents, that’s all.”

Rayna pursed her lips and asked with a smile, “I’ll try giving them a call in the afternoon. If they really are too busy to come home anytime soon, then I will take you there to see them. What do you say?”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right. Have I ever lied to you? The people at Sanders Group are scheming to take over the company while your mother is away. They’ve been spreading rumors about bad stuff happening to your mother, so you mustn’t believe the stuff you hear on the news. Listen only to what I tell you, okay? I’ll make sure to help your mother manage Sanders Group,” Rayna said.

Carl nodded. “Got it. Mommy told me about Sanders Group before. I wish I could grow up faster. That way, I could help relieve some of her burdens.”

As much as it pained Rayna to hide the truth from Carl, she had no choice but to try and play it cool. “It’s fine. Your dad is back, isn’t he? Look, you’re growing just fine. Grow any faster and you’ll steal the hearts of all the girls in the country! Can’t have that now, can we? Just remember to ignore the rumors and trust only what I tell you. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Okay, I trust you, Ms. Rayna!”

Rayna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw how much Carl trusted her.

Carl asked Rayna if she would like to drive the sports car to work, but she turned his offer down without any hesitation.

Almost everyone recognizes Curtis’ Pagani. I will never hear the end of it if my colleagues see me pull up in this car!

With that in mind, Rayna left the residential area and hailed a taxi instead.

On the way to the office, she pulled out her phone and read through the news.

Sure enough, the news of Jasmine’s car accident overseas had made it onto the headlines of various news websites, thanks to the help of some people.

She took screenshots of those headlines, sent them to Ella and Jasmine’s secretary, and had them contact the respective news companies.

On top of that, there was another news article that caught Rayna’s attention.

According to the article, a truck had rammed into a sedan on the road, causing it to flip over. The pregnant woman in the passenger seat died on the spot. The man had been rushed to a hospital and was in critical condition.

While incidents like this were common in the news, Rayna recognized the couple from the pictures published. Their names and the car’s license plate number were revealed, too.

Wait a minute… This is the couple that bumped into me yesterday!

The news shocked her so much that it left her stunned for quite a while.

Just yesterday, she was planning on having someone find more information on them using the man’s phone number and address.

As Rayna continued going through the news article, she found out that the tragedy happened because the man got distracted when his wife choked on her orange and didn’t pay attention to the road.

Rayna couldn’t help but feel sorry for the couple when she recalled how big the woman’s tummy was.

The baby would’ve been born very soon, and yet…

She instinctively rubbed her tummy at the thought of that.

Her babies had been rather active throughout the night and the morning after, but she wasn’t mad at them in the slightest. If anything, it only made her want to protect them even more.

The mere thought of Curtis’ cold attitude upset Rayna deeply. “I’m sorry you three have to come to work with me. Don’t worry; I’ll do my best to protect you all.”

No, these are my babies. I can raise them just fine on my own!

Rayna got really busy with attending meetings and going through mountains of documents upon arriving at the office.

When she did have some free time, Rayna would call Gabriel and ask about the situation in Xyperia.

The first few times she called Gabriel, he would stammer while replying as he was uncertain about the situation as well.

When Rayna called again two days later, however, he told her, “Mr. Faymon has located Mr. Xavier. He’s fine, but…”

“But what?” Rayna asked anxiously.

Gabriel let out a sigh a few seconds later. “Mr. Xavier lost his cool when he found out that Ms. Sanders was still unconscious in the hospital. He then confronted Old Mr. Xavier about it, and the two of them got into a fight.”

 

Chapter 473

After a brief pause, Gabriel added, “Mr. Xavier shot himself…”

“W-What?” Rayna gasped, so shocked that her voice turned hoarse.

Lips trembling, she took a while to regain her voice. “Why did he do such a thing? I-Is he dead?”

“When Mr. Xavier lost control of his emotions, Old Mr. Xavier berated him for how ungrateful he was for falling out with his parents over a woman. Mr. Faymon was right beside Mr. Xavier when it happened. He lunged forward at the sight of the gun, causing the bullet to go astray.”

Gabriel found it difficult to continue the story.

“By the time Mr. Xavier arrived at the hospital, the doctor said that his survival was entirely dependent on his will to live.”

His words gave Rayna a shock.

“H-He’s in a coma too… In that case, what about Carl…” Rayna’s voice was quivering. “He’s still waiting for Jasmine and Mr. Xavier to return. What am I going to say to him?”

“About that…” Gabriel let out a sigh before consoling Rayna. “We’ll keep it from him as long as we can. Mr. York has gone over with his best friend. I’m sure they will be fine.”

“You’re right. With his huge circle of friends, I’m certain Jeremy will think of something.” Rayna gradually calmed down.

Both Jasmine and Mr. Xavier are well taken care of. There’s no need for me to worry. Instead, there’s something else I need to do.

Rayna asked Gabriel calmly, “Did your boss tell you about this or…”

“Cillian did.” Gabriel elaborated, “He went over before the incident and is still there right now.”

“Get him to find out where Mrs. Xavier and Selena is.”

Cognizant of what Rayna was up to, Gabriel remarked hesitantly, “Ms. Garland, it would be better for you not to interfere. I’m sure you know how insidious Mrs. Xavier can be, and it would be terrible if she tried to harm you.”

Rayna threw the question back at him. “What do you expect me to do? Stand idly by and watch Selena bear the child while Mrs. Xavier relishes her victory?”

“Ms. Garland, aren’t you afraid?”

“Of course, I’m afraid, but so what?” Rayna continued in a grim tone. “If I don’t take action now, it’s just a matter of time before Mrs. Xavier and Mark join hands to attack me. Therefore, I’m helping myself by lending Jasmine a hand.”

Gabriel felt the need to dissuade her from it. “I think it’s better for you to leave the matter to Mr. Faymon —”

“No, I’ll do it myself.” Rayna cut him off, not wanting to even hear that name.

“I need to go now. Just tell me Mrs. Xavier’s location the moment you find her.”

With that, Rayna ended the call before Gabriel could respond.

Three days later, she received a message from him: Mrs. Xavier has settled Selena in the Xavier residence for her pregnancy.

When Rayna failed to reach James, she called Cillian to ask if he had any friends whom she could hire.

Upon calling the number Cillian gave her, she ordered the person to put Emma and the Xavier residence on round-the-clock surveillance.

After she managed to nail down Emma’s routine, Rayna ordered her men to break into the Xavier residence and abduct Selena while Emma was away at the beauty salon.

“W-What are you doing?” Selena was struggling when she was dragged into the car. “How dare you barge into the Xavier residence? How bold of you! My mother-in-law…”

Rayna grasped Selena’s petite face effortlessly with just one hand.

Staring at the former’s exquisite features and feeling the soft skin under her fingers, Rayna could tell that Selena was in her early twenties.

She’s beautiful, delicate, and full of vigor.

“You’re referring to her as your mother-in-law even before you’re married into the Xavier family?” Rayna threw Selena’s abdomen a glance.

Selena, realizing that she was being scrutinized, recoiled as she attempted to slap Rayna’s hand away.

However, Rayna tightened her grip, causing Selena’s brows to knit from the pain.

Rayna questioned, “Are you proud of yourself for stealing someone else’s husband and getting yourself pregnant this way? If he knows that you’re pregnant, he’s more than capable of blowing your brains out with a gun.”

“W-What are you babbling about?” Selena exuded an air of arrogance bestowed upon her by her family background. “My marriage to him was dictated by both our parents!”

Rayna sneered, “I can’t believe how shameless you can be to say such a thing!”

Selena threatened, “Let go of me at once! If anything happens to me, my mother-in-law will make you pay!”

“Fine. I’m waiting for her to come and see me.” Rayna grabbed Selena’s hand abruptly and handcuffed it.

“Drive to the hospital at once!”

Selena’s face lost all color. “What are you taking me to the hospital for—”

Finding Selena annoying, Rayna stuffed a piece of paper into the former’s mouth.

Soon, their car arrived at the entrance of a private hospital.

Two men, one on each side, subsequently dragged Selena out and brought her inside.

Once the group arrived at the gynecology department, Rayna found the doctor she had called earlier and pointed at Selena. “Abort her baby within ten minutes. I’ll pay you plenty for it.”

The sight of Selena being held against her will unnerved the doctor. “Will I get into trouble with the authorities?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bear all the consequences.”

With that, the doctor instructed the two men to take Selena into the operating room.

The latter, upon hearing Rayna’s instructions to the doctor, was filled with horror as she wailed and struggled desperately.

Unfortunately, her arms were restrained by the two men so forcefully that any resistance was futile.

Once both of them emerged from the operating room, the doors behind them were swiftly shut.

Just as Rayna stepped aside to wait, she was greeted by the sight of a finely-dressed woman walking rapidly in her direction.

The sight of Emma caused Rayna’s heart to sink.

Who was it that told her about this? I just got here and she’s already breathing down my neck?

Rayna ordered the two men. “Go into the operating room and bolt the door from the inside. Don’t open it until the procedure is over!”

“Understood.”

The two men headed into the operating room quickly.

Emma, who saw what was going on, quickened her pace as she rushed toward the room.

It was then that Rayna stepped forward to stop her.

She roared, “What the h*ll are you doing? How dare you kidnap my daughter-in-law and bring her here for an abortion? Do you have a death wish?”

Rayna scoffed, regarding the older woman with disdain. “Your daughter-in-law? Has your son agreed to it? Mrs. Xavier, your son is in a coma right now all thanks to you!”

However, all Emma could think of was Selena as she frantically pushed Rayna away. “Move aside!”

In response, Rayna grabbed her hand and shoved her back instead.

When Emma staggered backward and almost fell to the ground, her expression drastically darkened. “Know your place, Rayna! How dare you challenge me?”

“Mrs. Xavier, let me warn you that I’m no pushover.” Rayna glared back at her. “If I were afraid of you, I wouldn’t have brought her here for an abortion!”

“D*mn you, Rayna!” Emma trembled from the rage Rayna had sparked within her.

It was then that an agonized cry could be heard from the operating room.

Panic-stricken, Emma threw her bag aside and lunged at Rayna.

As a fight broke out between the two women, they tugged and scratched each other furiously.

All of sudden, Rayna was caught by surprise when she felt someone grab her arm, jerking her back.

Backpedaling from the inertia, she caught a familiar scent in the air before realizing that it was none other than Curtis.

Another man who arrived with Curtis pulled Emma back at the same time.

Before she could regain her senses, she saw another two men kicking the operating room door in an attempt to enter it.

“No!” Rayna screamed as she explained to Curtis, “Get your men to stop! Selena is inside. A few minutes more and the—”

 

Chapter 474

With a fiery look in his eyes, Curtis tightened his grip over her hand.

“Rayna, enough.”

“What do you mean enough? What’s wrong with you?” Rayna struggled vigorously to free herself. “Do you know who Selena is? What are we going to do once Carl finds out—Mmm!”

Curtis restrained her in his embrace while covering her mouth with his hand.

Failing to free herself, Rayna could only watch as Curtis’ men kicked open the door for Emma to rush inside.

All she could do at that moment was close her eyes and pray that the doctor had completed the abortion.

With her heart hanging in suspense, Rayna finally saw Emma emerge from the operating room with the crying Selena in her arms.

Emma was in the midst of calming the latter down with gentle words of comfort.

Nonetheless, it was clear from the relieved smile on Emma’s face that Selena was saved in the nick of time, a realization that caused Rayna’s heart to sink.

Thereafter, Curtis apologized to Emma, “Mrs. Xavier, I’m sorry that you and Ms. Young had to go through such a harrowing experience.”

As her smile faded away, Emma snapped back, “You’re lucky that Selena and the child are fine. Otherwise, her life wouldn’t have been enough to pay for what she has done!”

“You’re right.” Curtis nodded. “My men will send you home.”

“Forget it!”

Emma rejected him outright before helping Selena out of the hospital.

Upon watching both of them leave, Rayna struggled to break free from Curtis’ grip with all her might and attempted to give chase. Unfortunately, before she could even take a step, her arm was grabbed again.

“Curtis, let go of me!”

“Stop it, Rayna.” Curtis refused to let go with a grim look on his face. “The Xavier family and the Nicholson family are very close. If anything were to happen to Selena, the Nicholsons will not forgive you.”

“If we can’t touch Selena, does that mean you’re going to forsake Jasmine?” Despite her entire body trembling violently, Rayna desperately tried to maintain her composure. “Selena is pregnant! Don’t tell me that you’re not aware of how it happened and whose baby she’s carrying?”

Curtis responded calmly, “She’s not going to have the baby. I’ll take care of that—”

“Do you think Mrs. Xavier will make the same mistake twice?” Rayna cut him off. “The first thing she would do now is to send Selena overseas until she gives birth!”

“Rayna, I’m doing this for your own good.” Curtis’ Adam’s apple bobbed. “You should just stay out of this.”

The thought of Jasmine’s tragic accident had caused him to worry endlessly about Emma trying to harm Rayna.

As the Xaviers and Nicholsons were two of the three families who controlled Norwal City’s military, destroying a particular company or killing someone was as easy as a snap of their fingers.

That was the reason why Curtis didn’t want Rayna to get involved.

Oblivious to his concern for her, Rayna retorted, “I’ve no interest in interfering at all. All I care about is Carl!”

Thereafter, she extracted her hand before turning to leave.

“I’ll be taking him in. There’s no need for you to worry about him anymore!”

As his eyes darkened upon a sudden realization, Curtis ran after her and picked her up, carrying her in his arms.

The abruptness of his action caused Rayna to grab his shirt by reflex as she fumed, “What are you doing? Put me down!”

“I’m taking you for a check-up,” Curtis flatly replied before carrying her to the gynecology department.

He wasn’t sure of the authenticity of the video, but he was certain that Jefferson’s condition had left him a few months to live. Moreover, he didn’t get Rayna to take birth control pills during their trip to Jetroina.

Thus, the answer would become clear once he knew when the baby was conceived.

A check-up? What for?

Rayna was baffled. It wasn’t until she saw the gynecology department’s sign that her face turned pale from the sudden realization.

“Let go of me! Let go!”

Recalling the duck stew and the call with Jefferson, Rayna was suddenly filled with fear. She subsequently tried to free herself from Curtis’ arms, knowing that everything would be over once he found out.

I’m not going to let him abort the child. I can raise them myself!

Kicking and screaming, she even left two bloody scratches on Curtis’ face. Nevertheless, the latter didn’t even bat an eyelid as he gently carried her into the doctor’s office.

“Curtis, there’s no need to investigate any further. It’s not yours,” Rayna blurted when she finally calmed down.

Her words finally stopped Curtis in his tracks.

She then flashed him an icy smile. “Just think about the date of our trip to Jetroina. If the baby is really yours, my stomach would be so big that I wouldn’t be able to hide it. But, look at it now. Is the bump obvious? You had better stop with your one-sided fantasies.”

Curtis fell silent for a few moments, and all he could hear was Vivi’s voice echoing in his mind.

Mr. Faymon, Ms. Garland is pregnant, and the father’s surname is “Hamilton!” If she really loves you, would she go to such lengths to hide the fact from you? She’s just playing with your feelings, so you had better not be fooled!

Paralyzed by the thought, Curtis began breathing rapidly while his cheeks twitched.

After a brief pause, he gave the woman in his arms a grim look. “Rayna, look me in the eyes and tell me who the father is.”

Rayna felt a jolt in her heart the moment she locked gazes with him.

Worried that he would demand her to abort the babies, Rayna curled her red lips while suppressing the pain in her heart. “Mr. Faymon, I know very well how long I am into my pregnancy. There’s no need for me to lie to you. As for whose baby is it, don’t you already know?”

After putting her back down, Curtis pinched her chin to force her to look up at him.

With trembling hands, he asked through gritted teeth, “Jefferson?”

“Yes—”

Before she could finish, her throat was grabbed by the man. She staggered backward, slamming against the wall.

Curtis was staring viciously at her with his bloodshot eyes.

“Rayna, you… you…” he murmured in a voice brimming with hatred. His chest was heaving violently as his fingers tightened their grip around her neck.

Strangling her to death was all he could think of at that moment.

Just a while ago, he was still holding up hope that the child was his by calculating the time Rayna got pregnant.

If he was indeed the father, he was willing to let the past slide and not hold her accountable for helping Jefferson. In fact, he would set aside his pride to reconcile with her and maybe even marry her.

But she has once again trampled upon my feelings for her! No wonder the waitress congratulated me when she handed over the umbrella while we were leaving the club. It also explains her sudden affinity for sour and spicy food. Let’s not forget the slight bump I noticed on the flight. This is all because she’s

pregnant, but now, she tells me the baby isn’t mine. All this while, she has played me for a fool by keeping the truth from me!

“Curtis, let me go…” As Rayna began to suffocate, she tried to pry his fingers away with her hands. “Even if the child isn’t yours, there’s no need to be so angry.”

Her words were like a pail of cold water that was poured over his head, causing him to regain his senses.

She’s right. What’s there for me to be mad about? I have always been calm in the face of adversity. And yet, this woman has caused me to lose my sanity to the extent of feeling the urge to kill her. How far have I fallen?

Very quickly, Curtis regained his composure.

Retracting his hands with an indifferent look in his eyes, he declared, “This is the first and last time I allow myself to show such emotion.”

Rayna rubbed her painful neck, her lips pursed tightly while she listened to him speak.

Curtis flatly continued, “After thirty years of being alive, I have learned another life lesson that I will forever remember. Thank you, Ms. Garland.”

No sooner had he finished than Curtis turned to leave.

Within that few seconds, Rayna couldn’t resist looking up at him. The sight of the man’s forlorn silhouette disappearing quickly from sight triggered a painful squeeze in her heart.

 

Chapter 475

Rayna stood there in a stupor for a long while. Only when the two men came out of the operating room and called her did she snap out of it.

The men’s faces were swollen and covered in bruises, and Rayna deduced that Curtis’ subordinates must have shown no mercy.

“Sorry you had to go through this.”

She paid them double and told them they could leave before departing, returning to the company to deal with some matters.

When it was five in the evening, she drove to the residential area Curtis lived in, but instead of going in, she called Carl. “Pack your things. I’m waiting for you at the entrance of the residential area.”

“Sure,” said Carl without asking her why. A few minutes later, Rayna saw him coming out with a suitcase. Lucky was trailing behind the little boy, wagging its tail.

Rayna got out of her car and placed his suitcase in the trunk. Then, she looked at the dog. “He can’t come with us.”

“Why?” Carl really wanted to bring the dog with him, so he pleaded, “Please, Ms. Rayna. Let him come with us. Mr. Curtis never takes him around for walks. That’s just sad.”

For a moment, Rayna wanted to relent, but she gritted her teeth and said with determination, “No. He belongs to Curtis. Take him back.”

“But Ms. Rayna—”

“One more word and I’m leaving you behind as well.”

Taking note of Rayna’s cold expression and her non-negotiable tone, Carl lowered his head and despondently brought the dog back. A moment later, he came back looking dejected.

Rayna took him back to the condominium. She had informed Jessica about Carl staying temporarily in the room next to hers, and Jessica agreed to the arrangement.

After the boy settled down, Rayna was about to take him to Kristie’s place.

Larissa had just returned from her grocery run and was about to make dinner. The first thing she saw upon opening the door was a boy standing next to Rayna. Stunned, she asked, “Ms. Garland, who is this?”

“My friend’s kid. He’ll be staying with me for a while. He might come here a lot, so you probably have a bit of extra work ahead of you.”

Carl greeted Larissa politely, “Hi, ma’am. I’m Carl.”

“Oh, you’re a good boy, Carl.” Larissa patted his head. “Come in. So what would you like for dinner?”

“It’s okay. I’ll make dinner tonight. You can go back now.”

“All right. I’ll be heading back.”

Larissa had expected Rayna to make dinner, so she left after telling the latter there was chicken soup in the kitchen. Rayna would often come to visit, and every time she came, she would insist on cooking for Kristie and everyone else.

Jessica, who heard some noise outside, emerged from her chambers. “Nana? Are you done with your work?”

The change of environment did wonders for Jessica. Her mood improved, her morning sickness had subsided, and she even gained a little weight. After just a short period of time, she looked much better than she was before.

“Yep, and I took Carl with me.” Rayna pulled Carl over to her and introduced, “This is Ms. Jessica. She’s pregnant, and she’s currently staying here to recuperate. This is a secret, so don’t tell anyone.”

“Got it.” Carl nodded. He greeted Jessica with a juvenile voice and asked, “Aunt Kristie is staying here, isn’t she? But I don’t see her anywhere.”

Jessica chuckled. “She’s still sleeping. You’ll see her once she wakes up.”

Rayna asked worriedly, “She’s still sleeping? Is she not feeling well?”

With an amused tone, Jessica explained, “She insisted that I watch a scary movie with her last night, and she got so spooked that she couldn’t sleep the whole night. I saw her still scrolling Twitter when I woke up in the middle of the night. She went to catch some sleep after we had lunch.”

Speechless, Rayna asked, “You should’ve stopped her. Why did you join her? Jess, you’re pregnant. You should at least take good care of yourself. Do you think horror movies are good for your pregnancy? Aren’t you scared?”

“She insisted on it, and she wouldn’t let me sleep either.” Jessica shrugged. “And it was a zombie movie. It wasn’t that scary anyway.”

Words eluded Rayna.

Carl interjected, “Ooh, is it good? I want to watch too.”

“Yeah, it’s quite good. Come. I’ll put it on for you.”

“Okay!”

Rayna watched Jessica bring Carl to the living room before shaking her head with a sigh. She then proceeded to busy herself in the kitchen.

A while later, Jessica entered the kitchen as well. As she helped her friend out, she said, “I thought he was fine staying at Mr. Faymon’s. Why did you bring him here?”

Rayna, who was chopping up some vegetables, paused in her tracks. Pursing her lips, she explained, “I’m worried no one’s going to take care of him. Aside from Mr. Faymon’s dog, Carl had no one else to play with. But if I bring him here, at least he can play with you guys.”

“You don’t look too good.” A momentary pause later, Jessica asked, “Are you all right, Nana?”

“Yes. Carl isn’t, though.”

While preparing food, Rayna calmly related to Jessica about what happened to Jasmine and Theodore. She told Jessica all about Emma sending a woman Theodore’s way, and how Theodore impregnated the woman. Rayna also didn’t leave out the part where she tried aborting the woman’s child but Curtis ended up stepping in, ruining her plan.

The news came as a bombshell for Jessica. For a while, there was nothing but shock and befuddlement in her eyes. Eventually, she snapped out of it. “He should know how she got pregnant, right? So why did he step in?”

Rayna answered, “Yes, he does. He said the Nicholsons and Xaviers are good friends, and that Selena is Noel’s only daughter. If I tried to harm Selena, the Nicholsons would be out for my blood. That’s what he said.”

Jessica mulled it over for a moment and tried to defend Curtis. “He was trying to protect you. He didn’t want you getting dragged into the mess.”

“He tried to make me abort my child.”

Jessica fell silent.

Rayna didn’t look at Jessica’s expression as she placidly recounted, “He sent me some duck stew back when I was filming in Summerbank. The stew was spiked with something that’d cause a miscarriage. He knows I’m pregnant, and he wants me to abort the child. He did it today at the hospital, too. He took me to the gynecology department because he wants to find out how far in I am.”

Jessica gave her a hug and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You don’t have to apologize. This is not your fault.” Rayna smiled. “I’m just trying to say that someone who’s cruel enough to kill my unborn child doesn’t have the capacity to care for me.”

“So what now for you and the baby?”

“I’m raising them alone.” Rayna looked at her baby bump affectionately. “Once everything is settled and the new product is up and running, I’ll be leaving the country.”

“With Jefferson?” asked Jessica.

Rayna’s eyes darted around for a while before she replied, “He’s busy, and I want to live alone.”

Jessica didn’t ask any other questions. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Once I settle down, I’ll try to sneak you out too,” said Rayna. “I’ve gotten someone else to handle the passport. If you continue hiding here, he’s going to find out eventually.”

“All right. I’ll listen to you.”

With Jessica’s help, Rayna managed to finish making dinner swiftly.

After setting the table, she called Carl over for dinner. Seeing that Kristie’s door was still shut, she knocked on it. “Dinner’s ready, Kristie.”

Rayna called her a few more times but didn’t get any response, so she entered Kristie’s room. The curtains were drawn, and the lights were dim. Rayna approached the bed and saw Kristie still asleep. The latter was frowning, seemingly having a fitful sleep.

“Kristie.” Rayna patted Kristie’s cheek.

“Please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me,” muttered Kristie. Her head was tilted, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Thinking Kristie might be having a nightmare, Rayna tried to wake the former up, but she soon burst into tears. Her eyes were still shut, yet tears kept falling down her cheeks. “Don’t leave me. Come back!”

Heartbroken, she bawled, her hands flailing in the air, desperately trying to grab something. “Please, please… Don’t go.”

 

Chapter 476

Rayna didn’t know what Kristie saw in her dream, but it broke her heart to see Kristie cry.

Eventually, Kristie calmed down and woke up. When she saw Rayna, she thought she was dreaming, and she rubbed her eyes.

“Rayna? Oh, you’re here. You should’ve woken me up,” she said, her voice still raspy from all the crying.

Rayna wiped Kristie’s tears away and asked tenderly, “What did you dream of? You were crying.”

“I… I don’t know.” Kristie sat up, a frown creasing her forehead. She tried her best to recall what she saw in her dream. “I dreamt of a guy. He said he would marry me after he graduates, but… but I couldn’t see his face clearly. And that’s not even the weird part. For some reason, I said yes, and we went to pick out my gown and our wedding ring. The wedding was held in a church. But just before we could take our vows, he said he had something to settle, and then he ran away.”

A sorrowful sensation filled Kristie’s heart. “For some reason, I felt my heart clench. It’s like my world got shattered into a million pieces. What if he isn’t coming back? That was what I thought. So I went after him, but no matter how much I cried out to him, he wouldn’t turn back.”

The more she recalled the dream she had, the more distressed she was, and she began crying uncontrollably again. Wiping her tears, she said, “I just felt so, so sad. I couldn’t stop crying. It’s weird, Rayna. I couldn’t even see his face, and yet I couldn’t stop crying.”

Rayna had the answer to that question. Kristie might have forgotten that man, but Rayna didn’t. The former might be hypnotized, but her memories of James were still suppressed somewhere in her mind. She would subconsciously think of him from time to time.

How much does she love him to dream about him even after she lost her memories of him.

Rayna smiled and consoled her, “It’s just a dream, silly. Stop overthinking. I guess he must love you a lot. Maybe someday he’ll come to you.”

Kristie frowned as a look of confusion surfaced in her eyes. “He said he’d marry me after he graduated. So he’s younger than me? I hope he’s not ugly. And I really wish he’s not a manchild.”

“He’s not,” promised Rayna. “He’s handsome, mature, and loving. He’ll keep you safe.”

“Do you know who he is, Rayna?”

“Yes. I know him.”

Kristie inched closer to Rayna and pressed on for answers. “Really? So when’s he coming back?”

Rayna’s lips curled into a smile. “Not in the near future. He’s really busy right now. All right, enough about him. Get changed now. It’s dinnertime.”

“Okay…” Kristie wanted to know more, but Rayna didn’t give her the chance to ask any questions. It was her first time crying over someone she saw in her dream, and yet she couldn’t see his face. I wonder when we can meet each other.

Kristie emerged from her room after getting changed, and Rayna pointed at Carl, introducing him to Kristie.

“Is he really Theodore’s kid?” Kristie rubbed Carl’s cheeks, still in disbelief. “I thought he isn’t into women. And here you’re telling me he has a son?”

Carl protested, “Aunt Kristie, you can’t run your mouth just because you’re pretty. My father never said he’s not into women. That’s just you stereotyping him.”

Kristie pouted. “Hey, don’t blame me. He never had a girlfriend, and he never showed affection to me. All I did was give him a polite hug, and he practically threw me across the room.”

“That proves he has self-respect. It’s always dangerous for handsome men like him, you know? Women like to throw themselves at him. That’s why he needs to protect himself.”

Glaring at the boy, Kristie put her hands on her hips. “What do you mean, you brat?”

“Nothing,” said Carl innocently. “But if the shoe fits…”

“Why you little…” Angered, Kristie tried to pinch Carl’s cheeks, but the boy dodged her easily, and the two of them started a game of chase around the table.

Rayna emerged from the kitchen with a pot of soup in her hands and called them over for dinner, but none of them paid her any attention. It wasn’t until she grabbed them both and smacked them on their heads that they sat down to eat.

Kristie bit her fork. “You’re scary, Rayna. Too scary. Nobody’s going to want to marry you.”

Carl nodded in agreement. He was about to say something, but Rayna shot him daggers. “Did you just nod? Fine, guess you’re not getting a wife.”

Carl promptly shut up and resumed eating without another word.

Right then, someone’s phone rang. Rayna recognized that to be her ringtone and rose from her seat, worried that the call might be about something important. She picked her phone up and glanced at the caller ID, realizing the call was from Ringo.

“What’s the matter?” She took the call. Nervously, she asked, “Is this about Jefferson?”

“No.” A long pause ensued before Ringo spoke. “It’s Dorothy. She’s dead.”

The news shook Rayna to the core, and she took some time to process it. “Hold on. She’s working for Arnaud, isn’t she? So who did it? Who attacked her?”

“It’s your brother. It’s James.”

“That’s impossible!” Rayna snapped, interrupting him. “He sent me a message and told me he was going to Xyperia for some business. And Dorothy wasn’t in Xyperia.”

Ringo answered, “He returned to Yartran three days ago, and he’s been tailing Arnaud. He was going to assassinate Arnaud during the charity banquet last night, but Dorothy stepped in and took the bullet for Arnaud. The bullet hit her chest, killing her on the spot.”

Clasping her phone tightly, Rayna asked, “What about James? Did he escape?”

A momentary silence ensued before Ringo’s voice rang out. “He’s dead.”

It was as if a bomb went off in Rayna’s brain.

In denial, Rayna muttered, “No… That’s not true. He can’t be dead. He’s a smart boy. He must’ve run away. He always has a plan for everything. He won’t act on impulse. He won’t be this rash. He won’t…”

A sigh escaped Ringo’s lips. “Ms. Garland, you should know that Yartran is Arnaud’s base. He had a lot of men guarding the charity banquet last night. Maximum security, so to speak. James did escape, but Arnaud’s men caught up to him easily. They killed him and brought his body with them. All my men found was an emerald pendant in the bushes.”

He’s dead? James is dead? Rayna felt her blood go cold, and her teeth were chattering. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, for she was in a complete daze.

No. That’s impossible. He can’t be dead. Someone like James… He can’t be… He’s smart…

After moments of silence, Ringo said, “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Ms. Garland.”

Rayna dug her nails into her hand, holding out a sliver of hope. “I need to see the pendant. Snap a photo of it. I need to see for myself. I don’t believe he’s dead.”

“Very well. But there’s another thing you might want to know, Ms. Garland.”

“Speak.”

Ringo said, “Mr. Hamilton was worried you might run into danger, so he dispatched a team of bodyguards to protect you in secret. They saw you going to Ms. Winton’s place a lot, so they thought that’s where you were staying. They installed some bugs in the lounge.”

Coldly, Rayna said, “What am I, a criminal? Why are you guys monitoring me like one?”

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Garland. I’ve lectured them, and they’ve already removed the bugs. They were only there for two days. I can send you all the recordings right now.”

“Is that all?”

Ringo hummed in response and said, “It’s also about your brother. I’m sending the file over right now. You should listen to it.”

Rayna told him her email address and kept refreshing the page to see if there were any new mails.

 

Chapter 477

After scrolling for over a minute, she finally found the voice message sent by Ringo.

However, the email was too large to be previewed online.

It took Rayna several minutes to download the audio clip. After reducing the volume, she held the device beside her ear.

The audio clip began with only the sound of footsteps before various other noises joined the cacophony as if somebody was watching television.

Rayna sped the clip up.

After listening for a while, she put the playback speed back to normal when she detected the sound of somebody opening the door to enter the room.

“I bought you some strawberries and cherries, Kristie.” A low male voice sounded from the audio clip, followed by the sound of footsteps. “I’ll rinse them in the kitchen, then watch television with you. How does that sound?”

Kristie hummed her assent.

Having listened to the dialogue, Rayna assumed from Kristie’s state that it was during the interval when Curtis brought her back from Yartran.

Why did Ringo’s people plant a bug in Kristie’s place at that time?

She did not delve into it but instead pressed the phone against her ear and listened intently.

Curtis’ tone was gentle when he spoke to Kristie, but she merely responded with noncommittal grunts no matter what he said.

Rayna could sense how awful Curtis must have felt.

Feeling awful herself, she once again sped up the clip.

After a while, Rayna heard the sound of the doorbell, followed by Jeremy’s and Wyatt’s voices.

The group chatted a little while until Jeremy suddenly said, “Have James come over, Curtis. You saw how much Kristie wanted to see him when I showed her his photograph.”

“That’s unnecessary. I don’t need outsiders to be concerned about my sister.”

Silence befell the group.

“Ms. Garland called me, Curtis. She wants to help Jefferson, but she requires the signatures of the politicians who attended the party. It just so happens I’m on that list too.”

“We have long since severed ties,” Curtis said blandly. “There’s no need to consider my feelings.” A while later, Curtis asked Jeremy, “When is the party?”

“Two months from now.”

“Inform James of the time and place,” the man said coldly.

“Yartran is Arnaud’s turf, Curtis. If you send James, we may not be able to rescue him if he’s captured.”

“Enough! Leave if there’s nothing else to discuss.”

The audio clip ended at that point. Rayna’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

Only then did she understand how James could have gotten such an accurate inkling of Arnaud’s movements and how he had managed to ambush the latter from his vantage point atop the building.

Turns out it was Curtis who told him all of that!

Her phone vibrated at that moment.

Rayna tapped open her new WhatsApp message and felt her head splitting open when she saw the image Ringo sent.

It was a photograph of an emerald pendant smeared with blood.

She had gotten it at the temple for James. She would recognize it even decades later.

I can’t believe he had…

Gazing at the photograph of the emerald pendant, Rayna almost collapsed when her limbs gave way.

It was my mistake for what happened to Kristie. How could Curtis drag my brother into this and send him to exact vengeance on Arnaud by himself? How could he be so wicked?

Rayna’s heart broke when he thought of the man’s cruelty.

She let go of her hand supporting herself against the wall and fell limply onto the floor, startling the others who were eating.

Carl turned around. When he saw Rayna on the floor, he leaped off his chair and ran over. “Ms. Rayna, what’s wrong?”

Seeing that she had fainted over, he calmly ordered Kristie, who was passing by, “Aunt Kristie, hurry up and get a doctor!”

When Rayna awoke, she saw the sun shining outside the window. It looked as if it was already morning.

She remembered fainting the night before.

Prompted by the recollection of the prior night, Rayna scrambled to locate her phone but could not find it despite her prolonged search. When she pulled open the door to exit the room, she ran into Jessica, who was coming in and nearly knocking the latter to her feet.

Rayna grabbed her arm with a look of panic. “Where’s my phone?”

“The screen is smashed. Carl took it for repairs.” Jessica helped her back to the bedroom. “The doctor says you’ve been working too hard lately, Nana. You need proper rest.”

“I don’t want to rest!” Rayna flung her arm away to head outside. “I have many things to do, and I’m going over for a look. Ringo must be lying to me.”

James can’t be dead!

Jessica dashed forward to grab her. “Calm down, Nana. This isn’t good for the baby.”

Baby?

Having returned to her senses, Rayna gazed down at her belly, and a horrible feeling rose from her chest. She blinked, and her tears began flowing down her cheeks.

“What’s wrong, Nana?” Jessica scrambled to wipe her tears. “What happened?”

Rayna hugged her and cried even louder.

Jessica did not ask anymore. She only patted her back in consolation.

When Rayna had cried enough, Jessica pulled her to sit by the bed and poured her a glass of warm water. “What’s going on?”

Shaking her head, Rayna forced a smile. “I just feel horrible at the thought of what happened to Jasmine.”

“Me too, but we can’t do anything to help.” Jessica sighed. “Mr. York is there for them, so don’t worry. Take good care of the babies and yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Get some more rest,” Jessica said gently. “What would you like to eat? I’ll make you some.”

“When did you learn how to cook?”

Jessica’s gaze turned grim. “It’s not hard to cook,” she said with a pout. “It just takes practice. All right, go lie down for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

Jessica left quickly.

Weighed down by the immense burden of her unspeakable secrets, Rayna tossed and turned on the bed without being able to fall asleep.

The bloodied emerald pendant remained stubbornly in her mind’s eye.

She kept telling herself that her brother was too smart to be in mortal danger, and he must have lost the emerald pendant during his flight. The blood must belong to someone else.

Despite her words of self-consolation, she could not stop her tears from falling. She was afraid that she might see the cruel truth.

Unable to fall asleep, Rayna pulled open the bedroom door and went outside, where she vaguely heard Kristie’s indignant voice. “Curt is too much. How could he do this? I’m going to denounce him as my brother!”

“Watch yourself. Nana is still asleep,” Jessica cautioned. “You don’t want to wake her up.”

“Rayna can’t hear us,” Kristie muttered, lowering her voice.

Jessica said, “Don’t concern yourself with that. Besides, Nana has broken up with Mr. Faymon and no longer cares about his life. Do you understand?”

Kristie snatched her phone and said scornfully, “Curt must be blind! This woman is not as beautiful as Rayna!”

“That’s enough out of you! Don’t let Nana see this news.”

Rayna had already come over while they were discussing. “What were you guys talking about? What news am I not supposed to see?”

Kristie whipped around reflexively. Startled by Rayna’s appearance, she hid her phone behind her back. “Oh, just some tabloid gossip!”

“Let me see.” Rayna stretched out her hand to take the phone.

“N-Nah,” Kristie stammered as she took several steps backward. “There’s nothing to see.”

Rayna noticed her screen was still alight and strode over in two wide steps.

Taking advantage of her lapse of vigilance, she snatched Kristie’s phone.

Rayna’s pupils dilated when she saw the news.

 

Chapter 478

Wedding Bells Chime for Mr. Curtis Faymon and Ms. Wendella Sainz. The headline in bold text felt like a thorn in Rayna’s eyes.

Her arms were shaking slightly.

She had thought she would no longer care about that man after returning from Summerbank, but a crushing pain seared through her heart when she saw the trending news of him being arm-in-arm with another woman.

Being the first to regain her composure, Jessica snatched the phone from Rayna’s hand. “Some of these reporters have nothing better to do than to write clickbait articles on the entertainment industry.”

“That’s right!” Kristie, too, had regained her senses and nodded fervently. “They must be writing nonsense.”

“Which company would dare publish things like that without Curtis’ approval?” Rayna’s expression was calm as if the matter did not affect her in the slightest. “Wendella Sainz? Sounds familiar.”

She could not recall where she had heard the name.

“Is she part of your acquaintances?” Rayna gazed at Kristie. “Do you know her?”

Kristie shook her head and tugged on Rayna’s arm. “Don’t dwell on it, Rayna. Wendella is nothing compared to you. I wonder if Curt has gone blind. Don’t worry. I’m on your side. Tell me the type of men you like, and I’ll set you up with someone with my vast connections. Any of them would be a hundred times better than Curt!”

“All right.” Rayna smiled lightly as she tilted her head to the side and considered the matter. “All I ask is that he stands at least a meter eighty tall, is respectful and loving and is able to support me.”

“A-Are you serious, Rayna?” Kristie was dumbfounded. “Are you toying with me?”

Worried that Kristie would say something wrong, Jessica quickly pulled her aside. “Kristie meant to say that respectful and loving may be too general. Do you have any specific demands for their characters or appearances?”

Rayna smiled. “Not particularly. Besides, only men of exceptional characters belong in the same social circle as Kristie. I’ll be happy as long as they don’t think I’m beneath them.”

Jessica pushed Kristie away.

Upon understanding the meaning behind the look she received, Kristie hurriedly said, “Can do. I will look for him for you in a while, Rayna.”

“You guys carry on. I’m feeling sleepy. I’ll head back in for a nap.”

After Rayna disappeared into the bedroom, Kristie spun around to face Jessica. “Rayna is really going through with the search for a man! What do we do?”

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Jessica resumed her task at hand. “Narrow them down and let her choose.”

Kristie became anxious. “W-What about Curt?”

“Stop mentioning him!” Jessica snapped. “They’ve broken up, so he has no right to know who Nana’s seeing. Similarly, she doesn’t want to know about his business.”

Jessica was afraid that Rayna would feel upset when she snatched the phone from Kristie and saw the news. However, Rayna appeared calm, as if the news did not bother her.

She did not know if Rayna was pretending not to care or if she was genuinely indifferent, but she hoped it was the latter.

Kristie pursed her red lips as if to say something when Jessica swiftly grabbed a tomato and stuffed it in her mouth, causing her cheeks to bulge.

“You’ve seen the news. Mr. Faymon has a girlfriend now, so stop worrying about it or Rayna won’t come here anymore.” Jessica’s gaze contained a hint of warning.

Kristie’s shoulders slumped after she heard Jessica’s words, and she dared not utter another herself.

I don’t want to be blacklisted by Rayna!

Rayna did not sleep after returning to the room. She was thinking of the news she had just learned and of the fine-looking couple.

After a while, she rose from the bed and turned on her laptop on the table.

She clicked on the browser, searched for Curtis’ and Wendella’s names, and found many relevant search results.

She found not only Wendella’s personal information but also articles that took the liberty to add details claiming that the pair had long since been acquainted and that Wendella’s purpose of returning to the country this time was for her marriage and that both sides were ready to meet their in-laws.

Rayna scanned through Wendella’s information.

Her mother was a translator who had retired five years ago.

Her father was even more impressive. He was the Minister of Finance. She also had an elder sister who got married in Saintnam.

Wendella studied in Illurasia from elementary school to her doctoral dissertation and became a diplomat at a young age. She had been leading a quiet life in Illurasia over the past few years.

If not for the news, the public would have remained unaware of who she was.

Rayna became lost in thought from reading the articles. With a flick of her finger, she scrolled all the way down and saw thousands of comments beneath the news article, some of which contained her name.

One wrote: What an impressive background Wendella has. She is what every young woman should strive to be.

Another gushed: Beautiful and capable, she is worthy of Mr. Faymon. Together, they’ll be unstoppable.

A third scorned: Look at Wendella, and then at Rayna. Who the heck does Rayna think she is to be with Mr. Faymon?

A fourth disparaged: How could Rayna have been able to study abroad at such a prestigious institution, given the destitution of her family and her mother’s early divorce? Perhaps she has quietly worked her way up.

Rayna’s grip on the mouse tightened as she read the unflattering discussion.

The pain in her heart was unbearable.

After a while, her tumultuous emotions began to simmer down. Calmly, she browsed the comments, perused the news, and again found intimate photographs of him and Wendella.

Her gaze lingered for several seconds on his hand wrapped around Wendella before she shut her laptop.

Those people are right. I have nothing to be upset about. Wendella is a beautiful diplomat, with a background comparable to Curtis’. They are a perfect match. What can I offer?

As soon as Carl returned with her newly repaired phone, Rayna immediately contacted Ringo.

Her reaction was much less adverse than when she heard it for the first time as she exchanged a series of messages with him to ascertain James’ death. In fact, she was unperturbed.

“Where is Arnaud?” she asked Ringo. “I want to bring my brother’s remains back.”

James is dead. I cannot let his remains be stranded abroad.

“He is still at Yartran,” Ringo reported. “Mr. Hamilton wants you to take good care of yourself and the children. He will follow up on the matter, and once an opportunity presents itself, he will send your brother home.”

Rayna felt awful. “I don’t want to trouble him any further,” she croaked. “I want to negotiate with Arnaud.”

“Naomi was everything to Arnaud. Do you think he will look past the fact that James assassinated her? He will strike you down at the first opportunity he gets if you go to Yartran now.”

After a pause, Ringo continued, “Don’t worry about troubling us. You and Mr. Hamilton aren’t just anybody. I have seen how much you have helped him.”

That’s right. When has Jefferson ever treated me as an outsider? He has always been protective of me.

Tears welled up in her eyes when she remembered the quarrel she had at the hospital with Curtis. She clasped a hand over her mouth.

I hate him so much! He brought me to the hospital as soon as I arrived back in the country and ruined my plans by enabling Mrs. Xavier to bring Selena away. Despite everything he said about thinking of me, he ended up with another woman instead. If he cared about me, how could he have thought of ways to get me to abort the child? If he cared about me, he wouldn’t have sold the information to my brother and had him endanger himself. I cannot love him anymore.

Chapter 479

No matter how heated the news was on the internet, Rayna did not have time to read it.

Wilson had already edited the video and sent it to her, which meant Glory’s new products would be entering a promotional period.

The bet between Glory and the other company was not the only thing that depended on the new products’ sales—there was the matter with Jefferson too.

Rayna had to pay close attention to everything related to the new products.

Meanwhile, Jefferson had to deal with the company in Jetroina and deal with Arnaud because of her brother’s affairs. Unable to help with anything, she could only do her best not to let him worry about the company on her side.

Rayna did not watch the video Wilson sent. For one, she did not have the courage to play it.

She was afraid to see the person in the video.

Second, she knew how capable Wilson was, so she sent the video to the marketing department directly to let them deal with it.

Two days later, Rayna received the new products.

Be it the perfume bottles, colors, or even the packaging boxes, Rayna was the one who personally picked them. She was satisfied with all of them.

As she was picking up the new products, she spotted a typographical error on the packaging. Her brows knitted into a tight frown. “How could the planning department let this happen? Why is there a

typo?”

Ella, who had not left, heard Rayna’s words, and she scooted over to take a look.

Upon spotting the obvious error, Ella gasped. “Oh my goodness. It should be ‘do,’ but the designer typed it as ‘done.’ But tens of thousands of packaging boxes have been produced, and the workers are rushing to complete the work…” Ella paused briefly to look at Rayna. “Ms. Garland, what do we do now?”

Massaging her temples, Rayna commented, “How could they make such a rookie mistake? Thank goodness we spotted it. Otherwise, the media’s going to ridicule us when the products are launched.”

Ella hurriedly pulled out her phone. “I’ll contact the factory right away.”

“It’s useless. This batch of packaging is wasted.” Rayna glanced at the packaging and pondered for some time. Finally, she instructed Ella calmly, “I need you to talk to the planning department. Tell them to use the other version of the cover. Make sure they proofread it, then send the design to the factory and get them to work overtime to produce one batch. If the factory owner thinks there’s too little time, discuss with him and give him a reasonable increment.”

Ella wrote down all the instructions. “Got it. Is there anything else, Ms. Garland?”

Rayna added, “Put aside your other tasks for now. I need you to keep an eye on the factory. Once the first batch is out, get the workers to pack them and deliver them to the stores.”

Ella nodded. “All right. I understand.”

Just as they were talking, a knock sounded on the door.

“Ms. Garland, are you in?”

Recognizing it was the voice of the deputy manager of the Public Relations Department, Rayna called out, “I am. Come in.”

In the next second, the door was opened, and in came Suzie Evans, the deputy manager of the Public Relations Department. She stood clutching a folder with a gloomy expression.

“I shall take my leave first, Ms. Garland.” Ella turned around and left.

As soon as Ella left, Rayna glanced at Suzie. “What happened? You look horrible.”

“Didn’t the headquarters call you?” Suzie asked while handing Rayna the folder. “A perfume company called Egret Scents sued us for plagiarizing their company’s old product.”

“What? How is that possible? The headquarters bought the new product from a perfumer and even signed an agreement for it. The perfumer would never try to sell it to two companies unless he had no plans to work in the industry anymore.”

“That’s what I thought as well, but… Ms. Garland, you should take a look at this.”

Rayna flipped through the document.

It was a complaint from Egret Scents. Attached at the back was evidence provided by the company. They claimed their product was launched last month but was plagiarized by Glory before they could have a significant amount of sales.

The reason Egret Scents found out about it was that their company had a worker whose sister was working in the product department of Glory. When the sister found out about the new product, she wanted to try it, too.

To her surprise, she realized Glory’s perfume smelled exactly the same as Egret Scents’ latest product.

In any case, Egret Scents was the one who launched the scent first. Upon knowing Glory’s product smelled the same as theirs, Egret Scents naturally got furious and filed a lawsuit.

While Rayna was looking through the document, Suzie said, “At first, I thought Egret Scents was slandering our company, but when I smelled their perfume, it’s indeed the same. They even made a public announcement, and now everyone knows about it. I don’t know what the details are, either, so I let a small team handle it for now and came to you right away.”

Rayna’s expression darkened after she finished reading the document. “Didn’t the product department sign a non-disclosure agreement? The new product samples are for their perusal. How could they use it to attack our company?”

Back then, Rayna had given Vivi a sample as well because the latter worked in a different industry.

On top of that, five milliliters of perfume were not much. In fact, it would be finished after a few uses. There was no way Vivi could have given it to someone else.

“Indeed. They’re at fault for breaching the non-disclosure agreement, but the product is the more important matter now. Here, I brought you Egret Scents’ perfume.”

Suzie sprayed the perfume on a fragrance tester strip and shook it before handing it to Rayna, whose face fell the moment she caught a whiff of it.

Sure enough, Egret Scents’ perfume smelled exactly like the one they would be releasing soon.

Taking a deep breath, Rayna asked, “Have you called the headquarters?”

“I called them before I came looking for you. The headquarters have contacted the perfumer, but he says he never gave the recipe to other companies. Besides, the incident happened right after he sold

the recipe, so it’s our problem. Anyway, he’s willing to cooperate and provide all kinds of evidence for our investigation.”

Frowning, Rayna asked, “Egret Scents released theirs last month. If it’s not the perfumer who leaked the recipe, then how did it get leaked? Could there be a mole in the company’s management?”

“It’s likely. Ms. Garland, you need to look into this carefully. According to the management, only three of the higher-ups have seen the recipe. And since they’re close to the company, there’s no way it’ll get leaked. They said you should handle it since it happened at the branch company. Apparently, they won’t bother about this. In fact, they’re saying you and the branch company should handle it if anything happens,” Suzie said softly.

Rayna scoffed, “I don’t get any form of reward, yet I have to shoulder the blame? What do they mean by the higher-ups will not leak the recipe because they have a close relationship with the company? That’s utter nonsense!”

Suzie said helplessly, “Egret Scents launched theirs last month, while ours is still in the promotional period. No matter how you look at it, we’re the ones who plagiarized Egret Scents’ product. There’s no way we can clear our name.”

“Contact all the press offices and news websites. Tell them to use other news to distract the netizens for now. After that, carry out an investigation. Screen every employee, including the three higher-ups from the headquarters,” Rayna ordered coldly.

“Uh…” Suzie looked conflicted. “Ms. Garland, I don’t have the power to investigate them.”

Rayna closed the folder and handed it to her, looking calm yet exuding a hostile aura. “Then, tell the headquarters if we can’t find the mole, we’ll be branded as the company that plagiarized Egret Scents’ product. The new product won’t be launched, and we’ll be paying Egret Scents the compensation. Anyway, the headquarters is the one losing more once we lose the bet-on agreement.”

Suzie nodded, secretly impressed by Rayna.

How amazing! She can still give me instructions calmly when such a major thing has happened. She’s not panicking the slightest bit.

 

Chapter 480

Once Rayna was done giving her instructions, Suzie took the documents and turned to leave.

Right then, someone knocked on the door and turned the doorknob.

“Pardon me for the intrusion, Ms. Garland.”

Ella entered with a few uniformed men behind her.

Rayna stood up. “How may I help you?”

“We’re the police from Norwal City,” one of the men solemnly said as he showed her his badge. “Ms. Rayna Garland, we suspect that you’re involved in an attempted murder of a pregnant woman. Please come with us to the station.”

Attempted murder of a pregnant woman?

Rayna was baffled. She had no idea when she was involved in an attempted murder.

“Ms. Garland,” the man continued, fishing out his handcuffs when he saw no response from Rayna, “please come to the station with us. We’ll have to resort to force if you don’t cooperate with us.”

“Sorry. I was lost in thought just now.”

Rayna was genuinely dumbstruck. However, as she was in the office, she did not want to blow the matter up. It would be troublesome if she ended up going out cuffed.

“Could you give me a second to hand my work over to my coworkers?”

At the men’s silent agreement, Rayna then gave instructions about work to Ella.

At the same time, she asked Suzie to find out where Egret Scents had gotten their perfume blend.

Ella asked worriedly, “Ms. Garland, will you be fine?”

“It’s all right. They’re just taking a statement from me,” Rayna reassured with a smile. “I haven’t done anything, so there’s no need for me to be afraid.”

After that, Rayna left with the men.

Once Rayna was out of the office building and in the police car, she could not help but ask the man beside her, “May I know who the person is who said I’m involved in the attempted murder?”

“Be still. You’ll find out when you’re at the station,” the man snapped.

Rayna pursed her lips.

Dozens of minutes later, they arrived at the station.

Upon entering the station, Rayna was reminded of what had happened in the past—about Meredith’s death. Back then, she had woken up at the police station and had been interrogated. She had been locked up for a handful of days before she was finally released.

Then, the thought of how Julian had died shielding her from the bullet crossed her mind, and her heart ached.

If she had not chosen revenge and gone to Heavenly Palace when she found out about Julian and Meredith’s relationship, she would not have crossed paths with Curtis, and the second half of her life would not have been deterred from its course.

One of the men brought Rayna to an office desk and pointed at the chair in front of it.

“Have a seat, Ms. Garland.”

Rayna pulled the chair back and sat down.

It’s a good thing we’re not in an interrogation room, I guess. I won’t be able to stand the glaring lights inside.

As the man opened his book, he pushed a few photos toward her. “Were you the one who gifted this duck stew to Vivi Louden?”

Duck stew?

It was only then Rayna realized what was going on. As it turned out, Vivi was the target in the case.

What’s going on? Did Vivi call the cops?

At Rayna’s silence, the man yelled, “Ms. Garland, answer my question!”

“Yes,” Rayna started, about to give him her explanation, “I was the one who gave her this, but there is a misunderstanding here. I—”

“You were the one who gave her the duck stew, so how could this be a misunderstanding?” the man cut her off. “You intentionally placed herbs that boost blood circulation into the stew and gave it to Ms. Louden in an attempt to induce a miscarriage.”

“That’s not it.” Rayna clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down. “A friend gave this stew to me, but I was too full to drink it. When I saw Vivi’s grandmother, I asked her to bring it back for Vivi. I didn’t know there were such herbs in it!”

“Even if you didn’t know that there were such herbs inside, you were still the one who passed this stew to Ms. Louden. Am I right?”

There was no way Rayna could deny that, so she answered, “Yes.”

The man proceeded to make some notes in his book before returning his sharp gaze to Rayna. “I heard that Ms. Louden was good to you when you were at the homestay. Why did you want to kill her and her child?”

“I didn’t! I didn’t know there was something wrong with the duck stew. If I did, I wouldn’t have given this duck stew to Vivi’s grandmother.”

Then, all of a sudden, the man asked Rayna, “Ms. Garland, are you pregnant?”

Rayna fell silent.

Knowing that she could be charged with the crime of perjury if she were to lie and say no, she pressed her lips tightly together and said, “Yes, I’m pregnant.”

“You’re pregnant, and you didn’t drink the duck stew. That means you knew there was something wrong with the duck stew. That’s why you gave the duck stew to Ms. Louden because you want her to have a miscarriage.”

Frustrated and panicking, Rayna uttered, “I told you I didn’t know there was something wrong with the duck stew. I simply thought that duck stew was nutritious and suitable for pregnant women, and that was why I gave it Vivi.”

The man did not seem to be listening. He asked impatiently, “Who gave you the duck stew?”

Rayna turned quiet again.

At her silence, the man tapped his book loudly with his pen. “Ms. Garland, please answer my question!”

Rayna narrowed her eyes. “Curtis Faymon.”

The man seemed to know who Curtis was, for his hands shook for a second before he returned to asking her questions.

Rayna tried her best to remain calm.

Regardless of how the man was trying to bait her into admitting that she wanted to kill Vivi and her child, Rayna adamantly insisted that she had no idea there was something else in the duck stew.

Approximately ten minutes later, the man ended the interrogation and brought Rayna into a room full of glass walls before telling her to wait there.

The babies in Rayna seemed to be ill at ease, for they kept kicking her.

Rayna furrowed her brows in pain and caressed her stomach in resignation to console her babies.

I’m already tired from all the things that happened today, but the babies still aren’t making it easy for me…

A minute or two later, Rayna finally saw the door across from the glass wall open.

The policeman who had interrogated her earlier came in, and behind him was a woman.

The woman was dressed in thin clothes. Her eyes were dim, and she seemed weak.

Rayna rose to her feet as she stared at that woman in shock and guilt.

Ever since she had indirectly caused Vivi’s miscarriage, Rayna had not been able to bring herself to see her. She went back to Norwal City instead and asked Ella to head to Summerbank to discuss compensation with Vivi. However, Vivi had chased Ella away.

Now, Rayna could see for herself how badly the miscarriage had affected Vivi because she could see no hint of joy on Vivi’s face at all.

Vivi lifted her head, and their eyes met.

At that very instant, Rayna saw Vivi’s eyes narrowing as hatred seeped into them. Vivi looked as though she wished to kill her there and then.

Vivi parted her lips, but she could not say a word at all.

The man leaned closer to Vivi and asked her what she was trying to say. In the next second, Vivi lifted her arm to point at Rayna.

Rayna knew that Vivi was accusing her by reading her lips. She walked over to the glass pane hastily and said, “Vivi, I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was something wrong with the duck stew.”

Unfortunately, the side where Rayna was on was soundproofed, and the two people outside of the room could not hear anything the anxious Rayna said.

Soon, they left the area.

Rayna forced herself to remain composed, but her hands kept shaking.

After a while, the man came back to Rayna’s side.

He said coldly, “Ms. Louden has testified that you murdered her and her child. We have overwhelming evidence for the case. Ms. Garland, you must stay here before the trial begins. We will provide you with a lawyer, but of course, you can make a call to hire a lawyer of your own.”

Rayna closed her eyes.

By the time she opened them again, she had recollected herself. “Okay, I understand.”

It was nothing strange for Vivi to take this to court.

After all, she could not deny the fact that she had indirectly made Vivi lose her child.