Ch. 611..620

Chapter 611

“This looks like the spring season limited edition haute couture from CL.” Rayna took out her phone and continued, “It’s quite expensive. I’ll text you the exact price.”

Chandler waved his hands. “It’s fine. Moreover, I was the one who stained your clothing. I should be the one to compensate you for a new set of clothing.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know it wasn’t intentional. Also, you’re not a top celebrity, your income is limited, and I don’t like to owe others favors.”

Seeing Rayna’s insistence, Chandler stated an estimate and had her transfer the money to his account.

On the way back to the private room, Rayna’s heel snagged onto the red carpet lining the floor, causing her to lose her balance and spraining her ankle.

She had an old injury at the same spot, which amplified the pain. The sharp pain buckled her knees, nearly sending her to the floor.

Chandler hurriedly went up to her and held her steady. Noticing the pale look on Rayna’s face, he requested a passing server to get some medication for Rayna while kicking the door to a nearby private room open and helping her into a chair.

Before long, the server came back with an ice spray.

Chandler held the spray can to Rayna’s sprained ankle and sprayed the cool mist. He heard a gasp of pain from above and lifted his head in a rush, looking at Rayna with concern in his eyes. “Is it painful?”

“I’m fine.” Rayna glanced at her ankle. “Thank you. You can go ahead to the private room first. I’ll take a break here.”

I can’t return to the room in this state. It looks like I’ll have to go home.

Rayna thought he would leave after telling him directly, so she reached for her phone, ready to make a call.

At that moment, a call from Curtis came, and she urgently connected the call.

“Don’t be mad. I have no choice but to be absent from the celebration dinner. Darling, I accidentally sprained my ankle. It hurts so bad,” Rayna complained in a soft tone.

“Why didn’t the pain send you keeling over?” His voice was deep and carried a sense of resignation. “Where are you?”

“At Gratia—”

Rayna was about to reply with a chuckle when a man’s body intruded on her personal space and wrapped her in an embrace.

“I like you, Rayna,” Chandler whispered right by her ear.

Rayna reacted quickly. To avoid making it hard to explain to Curtis later, she disconnected the call immediately and then shoved Chandler away with force. With a stony expression, she raised her hand and slapped him across his cheek.

Chandler was surprised by the slap. His confusion was reflected in his eyes.

“Chandler, please get things straight. I’m your superior!” Rayna’s chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as she warned, “The company is mine. It only takes a word from me to shut you out from the media!”

He looked nice and seemed likable when he first came into the room. I didn’t imagine he would do something inappropriate!

Chandler’s throat bobbed a few times before he looked at Rayna with helplessness. “I’m sorry, Rayna. I’ve always liked you. I couldn’t help myself when I saw you today…”

Rayna rebuked coldly, “Didn’t you see I was on the phone with my husband? Are you trying to cause a misunderstanding between my husband and me? Are you trying to imply there was something between you and me by hugging me abruptly and saying those words?”

“Rayna, that’s not my intention—”

Rayna interrupted him and cautioned, “I don’t care if it’s toward me or other female celebrities in the company, but I hope you can control yourself! Don’t ruin your career due to a moment of stupidity!”

Chandler dropped his head and clasped his hands together in remorse. “I’m sorry, Rayna—”

“It’s Ms. Garland to you!”

After Rayna cut him off, Chandler quickly corrected, “I’m sorry, Ms. Garland. I won’t do something like this again.”

Rayna pointed at the door. “Get out!”

After he left, Rayna instantly called Curtis back.

However, she didn’t expect his phone to be turned off.

The last thing she wanted to do after returning home was to get the silent treatment from Curtis. She cussed Chandler under her breath and massaged her ankle.

When she tested out her leg and was sure she could still walk, she made her way back to the private room to get her things.

She no longer cared what Larry Wingate and the investors wanted to discuss. She was still going to leave even if they asked her to stay. The most important thing for her was to go back home and coax Curtis.

Rayna hobbled across the carpet without her heels on. She was walking with a limp due to the pain in her ankle.

When she finally got to the private room after much difficulty, she noticed the atmosphere in the room had changed.

Larry wasn’t chatting with any of the investors. Instead, the investors were talking with a man in a careful tone. The celebrities and producers didn’t dare to utter a single word.

Rayna was rooted in place, not daring to make a move. She held her breath, unsure whether she should enter the room.

How did he get here so fast? Did he drive his sports car?

“Why are you standing in the doorway, Ms. Garland?” Larry crossed the room to her and noticed her bare feet. “Did you hurt your foot?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious.” Rayna forced a smile on her face.

“Ms. Garland, we have a new guest. Let me introduce you.” Larry helped Rayna into the room, completely oblivious to her mortification. “Do you know Mr. Faymon from Faymon Group?”

I not only know of him…

Larry moved a chair for Rayna to sit on and introduced Rayna to Curtis. “Mr. Faymon, this is our company’s CEO, Rayna Garland.”

Curtis raised his head and looked at Rayna with a piercing gaze. He had a faint smile on his face.

Curtis didn’t comment. Instead, Taylor Thompson, who was seated to his left, said, “I’m sure you haven’t heard of her, Mr. Faymon. Ms. Garland is competent. She came from a poor background. Every accomplishment she achieves is due to her hard work and effort. She’s a capable woman. Say, Ms. Garland’s company sure is lucky. She acquitted Happy Entertainment and signed a celebrity like Chandler. Alas, Ms. Garland got married too early. Otherwise, the line of men pursuing her would’ve stretched to Frosa.”

The corner of Rayna’s lips twitched uncomfortably as she held her fake smile in place. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to grab Taylor by the collar and throw him out the window.

Is there something that’s keeping his mouth open? Why can’t he just shut up?

Curtis’ gaze traveled to Rayna’s swollen ankle. A frown marred his forehead. “You didn’t treat it?”

“I did, but I sprained it over my old injury. It’s a bit… serious.” With so many pairs of eyes focused on her and Curtis, Rayna felt awkward as she spoke. “I’m just coming back to get my purse—”

Curtis ordered Larry, “Bring her purse over.”

The others in the room still couldn’t grasp the situation.

Don’t the rumors have it that Mr. Faymon had gotten married in secret, has a loving relationship with his wife, and avoids women like the plague? But this situation…

Taylor’s gaze darted between Curtis and Rayna before he finally smiled and said, “I never expected you to be such a gentleman, Mr. Faymon. However, won’t Mrs. Faymon be jealous of you treating other women kindly?”

Curtis unfastened a button on his suit before loosening his tie. “Who is the other woman you’re referring to, Mr. Thompson?” he drawled out.

Taylor was taken aback by his question and answered, “Ms. Garland, of course.”

“Then, that’s only your opinion, Mr. Thompson.” Curtis shot Taylor an icy glance. “She’s not any other woman.”

What is he saying?

Curtis pushed his chair back and rose to his full height. “I’m here to pick up my wife,” he said casually.

Larry had just handed over Rayna’s purse to Curtis when he heard the shocking statement. Larry was dumbfounded as his round eyes darted between Curtis and Rayna.

When his gaze finally returned to Curtis, he saw Curtis had already carried Rayna into his arms.

Rayna leaned into Curtis’ embrace. When she caught Larry’s eyes, despite the bewildered look on his face, she flashed him a smile. “I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m heading home.”

“Sure…” Larry nodded his head stiffly.

After Curtis left with Rayna in his arms, the room fell into a dead silence. Finally, five minutes later, Taylor broke the silence. “Larry, don’t you know about… your superior being Mrs. Faymon?” Larry chuckled. “I’m sure you jest, Mr. Thompson. I’m a talent director. My job scope is to handle company matters. I’m not those reporters from gossip columns who want to monitor my superior’s every move and surveil her private life.”

Another investor sighed. “I thought Ms. Garland didn’t have anyone supporting her. Yet, it looks like there’s more to her than meets the eye. One of them is the CEO of Excellent Entertainment Company, while the other is the CEO of Happy Entertainment. This couple is a powerful one.”

Excellent Entertainment Company had Kristie, who was famous despite not being active in acting for a year. However, following her continuous TV shows premiering, she managed to keep her number one spot on the trending news. Moreover, after the nasty scandal Happy Entertainment had been through, they got Chandler under their wing. With Larry as his manager, it was only a matter of time before Chandler started receiving awards for best actor.

The crowd was stunned by the secret marriage between Curtis and Rayna.

Only Chandler was silently chugging down alcohol. A dejected expression crossed his face beneath his cap.

I have no chance of winning a guy like Curtis.

 

 

Chapter 612

After leaving the hotel, Curtis was about to set Rayna down in the back seat of the car. Seeing the angry look on his face, she swiftly tightened her arms over his neck in a desperate attempt to hang onto him.

Curtis shot her a look and gave in. He took a seat in the back seat with her still in his arms and ordered the driver to head back to the Faymon residence.

“You’re more handsome now after not seeing you for a month, Darling!” Rayna cupped his face and planted a kiss on his lips. After releasing him, she asked, “Did you miss me, Darling?”

Curtis didn’t budge at her praise or kiss. With a scoff, he reached for his phone to make a call.

“Don’t!” Rayna knew what he was trying to do and immediately clung onto his arm, stopping him from making the call. “Chandler is the cash cow of Happy Entertainment. If you suspend him from all activities, won’t my company be in trouble?”

“Do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?” Curtis narrowed his eyes slightly. A scary look flashed across his eyes.

“No! Absolutely not! I just want to talk to you.” Rayna softened her voice. “He only confessed his feelings for me. He didn’t do anything—”

Noticing his face turning darker by the minute, she hurriedly told him the truth and coaxed, “All right. He hugged me, so I slapped him across the face. After he finished a few shows by the company and raked in some income, I’ll let you do whatever you want. You can’t touch him now. Let him earn some money for my business. Is that okay, Darling?”

Rayna gave him another kiss before she complained, “You know about Glory’s lack of flowing funds. I want to invest in Juvili Technologies, but that needs funds. Someone will need to earn that money. Am I right?”

Curtis ignored her.

“Darling…” Rayna wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I already applied for a two-week leave. I’ll spend the entire fortnight with you and the kids at home. I won’t go anywhere, and I’ll prepare all the meals. How about that?”

“One month,” Curtis finally said. “You can’t leave after taking a call.”

Rayna nodded. “One month, then!”

“Make our relationship public.”

Rayna didn’t respond to his demand.

With a cold smile, Curtis lightly pinched her cheeks. “What? Am I that embarrassing?”

“No!” Rayna figured they’d already kept their marriage a secret long enough, and others had already seen them back in the private room earlier. The cat was already out of the bag. “Fine, make it public, then.”

Curtis studied her face, slightly dubious about her giving in to his demand so quickly. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing. Make it public if that’s what you want, Darling.” Rayna reached up and pecked his chin. Her eyes squinted from smiling widely. “This is a chance for everyone to see how handsome my husband is. They’ll be so jealous!”

Curtis snorted.

It was already nine at night when Curtis and Rayna finally arrived at the Faymon residence.

The kids had fallen asleep an hour ago with the nanny’s help.

Seeing Curtis’ and Rayna’s return, Sandy asked if they wanted to eat anything, thinking she would prepare supper for them.

Knowing it was an excellent opportunity to make Curtis happy again, Rayna urged Sandy to return to bed and decided to make spaghetti carbonara for Curtis herself.

After her shower, Rayna applied lotion to her body and changed into her pajama.

She spotted Curtis lying on the bed upon exiting the bathroom. Sneakily, she took off her shoes and carefully climbed into bed. Keeping her gaze on him, she slowly rolled over to him.

Rayna threw her arms over his waist. “Darling, we should sleep now.”

She reached for his hand and placed it over the ribbons on her pajama. One tiny movement from him would undo her pajama. Yet, he retracted his hand and pulled the covers over her.

“I still have some work to finish. Go ahead and sleep first.”

By the time Rayna snapped out of her daze, Curtis was already leaving the bedroom. She continued to watch him leave with a baffled look.

Rayna undid her ribbon and peeked inside. “I still go to the spa every fortnight despite business travels. I know I’m sexy, but why doesn’t it tempt him?”

Maybe he’s too busy with his work?

Rayna didn’t stick to that train of thought for long since the next day was the start of her one-month- long holiday.

She would deal with anything important via WhatsApp. If the issue couldn’t be dealt with through WhatsApp, it would have to wait until the end of her holiday.

The three kids already knew how to crawl, and they crawled really quickly.

Yosef and Yelena were obedient. Only the youngest, Xareni, was a crybaby. She would cry when she woke up and cry again before going to bed.

During her holiday, Rayna started posting photos of her children on her Instagram. She would prepare a lunch box and bring it to Faymon Group when Curtis was in the office.

Curtis didn’t even need to make their relationship public. He merely confirmed having a wife during an interview. Hence, when the reporters caught Rayna entering the Faymon Group with Curtis’ lunch, news about Rayna and Curtis was plastered all over the internet within the next minute.

Rayna had always kept a low profile. Basically, nobody would recognize nor have any dispute with her other than close acquaintances in the entertainment industry.

When her marriage with Curtis was made public, shares of Glory and Happy Entertainment skyrocketed. The shareholders had wide grins across their faces for days.

Two days later, Rayna’s new pajamas arrived. She swiftly changed into it and sneaked into bed at night to show it to Curtis. “Darling, look at my new pajama! Isn’t it pretty?”

Curtis shifted his glance at her pajama and answered with a deadpan expression, “Doesn’t that feel tight? Won’t it feel suffocating when you sleep?”

Before Rayna could respond, he left for the study after saying he had work to do.

After getting rejected twice, Rayna felt defeated. On one fine day, she invited Jessica and Jasmine out for afternoon tea and told them about the situation with Curtis.

Rayna took a sip of her coffee and frowned. “Say, do you think I’m not pretty enough? Or is there something wrong with my husband?”

Instead of answering, Jessica questioned, “What do you think?”

“I think I have a sexy body.” Rayna lowered her head to check out herself, rested her chin on her hand, and sighed. “But ever since we have kids, he doesn’t touch me anymore.”

“Could it be…” Jessica paused a beat before whispering, “He’s getting old?”

Rayna’s expression darkened when she figured that was a possibility. She turned to Jasmine. “Does Theodore act like that too?”

“He already left for over six months.” Jasmine speared a piece of cake into her mouth and replied, “However, I think it’s different for everyone. For guys like Theodore, they have fit bodies, but Curtis…”

Jessica nodded in agreement and patted Rayna’s shoulder. “Nana, men have a hard time bringing this topic up. Make sure you talk it out nicely with Curtis when you go home.”

Rayna was shocked by Jessica’s and Jasmine’s continuous remarks.

Seeing Jasmine had already finished three slices of cake, Rayna asked, “Do you have a sweet tooth recently?”

“Sweet stuff can easily make me happy!” Jasmine stroked her belly and arched her brow at them. “That can’t be helped since I’m pregnant.”

“Really?” Jessica instantly ran over to Jasmine’s side and caressed her belly. “Give me some of your good luck, Jasmine! I’m also preparing for pregnancy lately. I want a daughter!”

Jasmine laughed. “You should be looking at Wyatt if you want to get pregnant. It’s pointless for you to touch my belly.”

“Let me be superstitious for a second! Wishes come true when you’re sincere!”

Jessica and Jasmine started talking about babies while Rayna rested her chin on her hand gloomily. Their conversation earlier kept running across her mind. She figured Curtis truly couldn’t get it up anymore.

After dinner, Curtis went to the study to work. Before long, Rayna came in.

“Darling, I cut up some fruits for you.” Rayna set the plate of cut fruits on the table, walked over to his back, and started massaging his shoulders. Her enthusiasm sent chills down Curtis’ spine.

Curtis turned his chair around and pulled her to sit on his lap. “It has only been a week. Are you already thinking about going back to the office?”

“No, I just figured you must be tired, so I’m giving you a massage to relieve some of your fatigue.” Rayna planted a kiss on his cheek before steeling her spine. “Darling, we’re a married couple. You can tell me everything, and we’ll share the burden. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”

“What am I hiding from you?”

Rayna glanced at him before she hesitantly implied, “Darling, I hope you don’t beat yourself up for not being able to satisfy me. You don’t exactly need energy for that. We can always buy toys from the internet. That’s fun too.”

Curtis’ eyes darkened as he stared at her. “You want to buy toys?”

“I’m good either way. It depends on you.” Rayna contemplated it briefly before adding, “If your body can’t take it, we can have a child after two years. No pressure, though, if we can’t have another one. We already have three children.”

Curtis fell silent for a long while. Suddenly, he carried Rayna into the bedroom.

Throwing her on the bed, he unfastened his shirt buttons with one hand. “I just thought your body hasn’t recovered yet, and work kept me busy, so I’ve been restraining myself. Yet, that gave you the wrong idea about your husband not being able to satisfy you!”

Rayna finally understood the situation and glared at him. “Why didn’t you say so, then? I thought you couldn’t get it up every time you rejected me!”

Curtis bent down and trapped her against the bed. “I’ll show you whether your husband can get it up or now.”

“I love you, Darling.” Rayna circled her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I love you and the kids the most.”

“I like your sweet words, but I’m not going to let you go.” Curtis chuckled. “You have to pay for saying the wrong thing.”

Rayna couldn’t help but burst out laughing and raised her head to meet his lips.

Oh, whatever. I still have a long holiday. I don’t have to do anything. I’ll just let him do whatever he wants.

 

 

 

Chapter 615

As soon as the young man said that, Curtis, who sat at the head of the table, slowly opened his eyes and glared at the young man sharply. “Then what do you suggest to resolve this crisis, Mr. Jameson?”

The young man hummed in his deep voice and tapped on the table.

Then, he pondered it before he replied, “I think the construction unit is responsible too. The non- compliance with construction specifications on the earthwork of the pit wall is another reason leading to this tragedy.”

“Who drafted the tender document for the construction unit this time?” Bruno, a long-time shareholder of Faymon Group, grasped the main point and asked.

“During the tender drafting, our department had done a thorough check of the construction unit. There weren’t any problems,” Hayden said confidently. His gaze traveled from Bruno to Curtis. “Mr. Faymon, I promise there’s nothing wrong with the construction unit.”

“Mr. Farwell, you can’t judge everything on the surface. Jupiter Builders is famous in Yartran, but their base is too far from Chanaea.” Mason chuckled before rubbing his nose. He raised his eyebrow and looked at Hayden. “Mr. Farwell, everyone makes mistakes. It’s normal for you to make a mistake while drafting the tender.”

“Mason Quinlan, don’t think of pushing the blame on me. You have relatives at Jupiter Builders too. Don’t expect that I wouldn’t know about that!” Hayden got angry when he heard Mason’s words that implied a different meaning.

“During the tender review, our department reviewed the tender proposal based on the company’s requirements strictly. What about your department? I think Jupiter Builders has given you a handsomenoveldrama

reward!” continued Mason.

“Mason, stop trying to slander me!” Hayden yelled as he heard Mason expose his identity. His face turned pale, and he kept stealing glances at Curtis. “Mr. Faymon, don’t listen to Mr. Quinlan’s nonsense. I admit I have relatives at Jupiter Builders, but they’re just workers. They don’t hold any position at the company.”

The tension in the conference room had thickened and reached its peak.

Each department started to push the blame on one another. None of them wanted to admit that they made mistakes in the project at Yartran.

Among all the shareholders, a young man wearing a brown jacket with light gray hair watched the situation unfold with crossed arms. He raised his eyebrows before staring at Curtis inquisitively.

“Have you all argued enough?” The calm and collected young man had endured twenty minutes of argument between the managers of the related departments. His expression darkened as his glance swept past everyone. “The goal of today’s meeting is for you to determine the reason and come up with a solution, but since the meeting started, you’ve been arguing and pushing the blame on one another for the past twenty-five minutes.”

The young man’s voice was low, but it was not hard to detect anger resonating through it. “Has Faymon Group been too kind to all of you? Hm?”

The managers of the departments sitting at the table immediately turned pale when the young man said that.

Indeed, things had been smooth sailing at Faymon Group recently. That caused many of the department managers to start slacking off.

Did Curtis know about it? Of course, he did.

Hence, he decided to take advantage of the landslide incident at the real estate project of Yartran to make some personnel adjustments. “Three days. I’ll give you all three days to investigate the reason behind the landslide. Send me a detailed report after that.”

Curtis closed the file and placed it aside before leaving the conference room.

“Mr. Faymon, Mrs. Faymon called you just now.” Robin hurried over to greet Curtis when he saw him exit. “She said she’ll be home late tonight and that you don’t need to wait for her to have dinner together.”

Upon hearing that, Curtis’ expression darkened even more. “Did she say what she was going to do?”

“No.” Robin carefully stole a glance at Curtis’ expression and noticed the displeasure. He then said, “However, when she phoned, I heard someone in the background mention a Beryl Pavilion.”

Beryl Pavilion?

Beryl Pavilion was a new restaurant that recently opened in Norwal City. It was famous among the upper circle of aristocrats. That was because Beryl Pavilion served dishes of premium quality, and the chef had previously worked for Isaac.

When Curtis returned to his office, he noticed the dozens of missed calls and a message from Rayna.

The message was short and straightforward as it wrote: I’ll be home late. Please don’t wait for me to have dinner.

It was only to notify him, but it did not explain why she was going to be home late nor why she was going to Beryl Pavilion.

He held his phone in one hand and took his car keys from the drawer. He then gave some orders to Robin before leaving the office.

In a private room at Beryl Pavilion, Rayna sat alone. On the table was a takeaway box, and inside was her favorite—fish and chips.

That day, when she met up with Kristie and Jasmine, Kristie used an application on her phone to order food for the place of their gathering. Initially, they would only have a few drinks and snacks, but she did not expect Kristie to have ordered fish and chips. They tasted exactly like the ones Jefferson used to make, which caused her to be suspicious.

She thought of visiting the newly opened Beryl Pavilion to see who the chef was.

“Mrs. Faymon, I’m truly sorry, but our head chef is not feeling well today. Please—” The manager of the VIP private room at the restaurant pushed the door open and felt troubled to see Rayna still sitting there.

“He’s not feeling well? Or is it because he doesn’t want to meet me?” Rayna was not stupid. She knew the chef of Beryl Pavilion did not want to meet her.

“Um…” The manager was also troubled but could not force the chef to come. After all, Beryl Pavilion became famous because of him.

“This is my contact number. Please give it to the head chef. If he wants to meet me, have him call this number.” Rayna gave her assistant’s number before picking up the takeaway box and leaving the private room.

After leaving the private room, she walked down the long hallway and looked outside the window to see that it was already dark outside.

Rayna looked down at the takeaway box in her hands and sighed. She then walked toward a nearby trashcan and threw the box inside.

“Mr. Faymon.” Rayna took out a wet wipe to clean her hands when she heard someone say that.

Curtis? Why is he here?

Rayna quickly wiped her hands and made her way toward the voice that called out that name.

“Which private room is my wife in?” Curtis stared at the manager sharply, causing a shiver up the latter’s spine.

The manager of the restaurant was also an observant person. He could sense that Curtis was not in a good mood that day.

 

 

 

Chapter 616

The restaurant manager was about to ask someone when the VIP manager from the private room told Curtis, “Mrs. Faymon just left around five minutes ago. Did you not see her?”

Upon hearing that, Curtis was instantly displeased. He was about to turn around and leave when he noticed Rayna walking over to him.

With a smile, Rayna strode over to Curtis. She naturally grabbed his arm and uttered, “How do you know I’m here?”

“Mr. Yeast heard it when he was on the call with you.” Curtis reached out to brush back a few strands of Rayna’s hair. His sharp eyes immediately noticed her slightly reddened eyes, and his expression darkened.

“Have you eaten?” Rayna blinked at him playfully as she tried to hide her sad emotion.

“I haven’t. I was waiting for you.” Curtis immediately saw through his wife’s actions and suggested, “How about we have dinner here?”

“It’s fine. Let’s go home and eat. I miss my children.” Rayna shook her head. She did not come here to eat, as she was here to meet someone. However, since the person didn’t want to meet her, there was no reason for her to remain here.

Curtis intertwined his hand with hers before walking out of the entrance together. “Okay, let’s go home.”

Behind them, the restaurant and VIP managers looked at their retreating figures and heaved sighs of relief.

“Mr. and Mrs. Faymon have never been to our restaurant. Why would they come here today?” the restaurant manager asked the VIP manager with a warning look.

The manager in charge of the VIP room was a woman similar in age to Rayna. When she heard the restaurant manager’s query, she smiled and replied gently, “I don’t know. Perhaps they heard about Beryl Pavilion’s reputation and wanted to visit the restaurant personally.”

With that, she turned and left.

A man wearing a chef uniform stood in the backyard of the kitchen, staring at the road outside through the fence.

In his position, he could clearly see the cars parked near the restaurant and their respective customers.

Rayna and Curtis got on a black Maybach one after another. After a moment, the car slowly drove out of the restaurant. The man only retracted his gaze when the car disappeared out of his sight.

“The woman didn’t even order this dish, but you purposely made it and sent it to her in a takeaway bag. However, you refused to meet her when she came looking for you. What’s your purpose for doing this?” A loud, piercing female voice with a tint of mockery rang out from behind him.

The man threw his cigarette onto the ground and stubbed it out. He took a deep breath and turned around to face the woman wearing a tightly-fitted suit. “What about you? He’s dead, but you came all the way here with me. What’s your purpose for doing this?”

“You!” The woman clearly didn’t expect the man to retort to her. She scoffed coldly. “Can’t I come to see the place he insisted on coming?”

“Okay. It’d better be just that.” The man cast a sharp glance at the woman before returning to the kitchen.

The woman glanced at the kitchen before looking at the road brightly lit by the street lights and fell into deep thought.

…

Meanwhile, Robin was driving the car while sneaking a glance in the rearview mirror. The two people in the back seats were deafeningly quiet, but he could feel the unbearable tension in the air.

Rayna was sitting on the left seat. She turned to face the window as she considered the potential identities of the person. However, no matter how much she tried to recall, she couldn’t think of anyone.

“What are you thinking about?” Curtis noticed her expression, and his hand tightened his grip on her as he tried to jolt her back into reality.

Rayna regained her senses upon hearing Curtis’ voice. She turned to look at him and fell into his arms. Her head was leaning on Curtis’ shoulder as she questioned, “Darling, do you think a different person can make the same dish with the exact taste?”

A different person?

Curtis caught the main point of Rayna’s words and arched a brow. “Are you thinking of someone?”

Curtis tried his best to control his jealousy as he explained gently, “Even if the same person prepares the same dish every time, it’s impossible to get the exact taste every time.”

Upon hearing that, Rayna nodded in agreement.

He’s right. It is typical for the flavor of a dish to vary even when it is prepared by the same person. How is it possible for someone else to even create the same taste? Therefore, it must be because of the guilt I feel that I am thinking of him.

The anxiousness Rayna felt the whole afternoon dissipated upon hearing Curtis’ explanation. She finally felt at ease.

“Are you tired?” Curtis felt Rayna was less tense than before. Instead, it seemed as though she was dozing off in his embrace.

Rayna answered softly, “Yes, I feel a little tired.”

“If you’re tired, you should sleep for a while. I’ll wake you up when we reach home,” Curtis remarked and extended his hand to grab a blanket to place it on Rayna.

“All right.” Rayna did feel slightly tired. She had gone shopping, watched a movie, and had some snacks with Kristie and the others before she went to Beryl Pavilion alone. It was a long day for her.

Also, she hadn’t recovered from her pregnancy with the triplets yet, so she felt even more tired than usual.

…

When Rayna walked out of the bathroom after dinner, she noticed Curtis standing on the balcony with his back facing her.

“Why haven’t you changed your clothes?” Rayna tied the belt on her nightgown properly before walking to Curtis and hugging his waist.

At this moment, Curtis’ hand was still holding a lit cigarette. When he saw her walking over, he quickly stubbed out the cigarette in one of the flower pots on the balcony. He grabbed Rayna’s hand. “It’s chilly outside. Let’s head back to the room.”

Rayna was only wearing a silk nightgown. The balcony’s windows were open, allowing a cool evening breeze to enter.

Rayna hummed with acknowledgment but didn’t have any intention of returning to the room. She buried her head in his back and said hoarsely, “Curtis, do you think I will be a good wife and mother?”

Curtis was stunned by her sudden question.

“Why are you asking this question suddenly?” Curtis removed her hands from his waist and faced her. He continued, “Did something happen today?”

Rayna placed her hands back on Curtis’ waist and leaned in on him. She choked slightly as she said, “You haven’t answered my question. Don’t change the topic.”

“In my eyes, you are a great wife. Regarding whether you’re a good mother, that will have to wait until the children grow up. You can ask them then. I can’t answer this even if you ask me,” Curtis replied gently as he hugged her back. Affection swirled within his eyes.

Since she was his wife, he could only answer the part about whether she was a good wife. Only the children could decide whether she was a good mother.

“Curtis, we will always be fine, right?” Rayna continued to ask Curtis.

 

 

Chapter 617

“Yes, we will always be fine.” Not only was it Curtis’ belief but also the ultimate direction of his plans.

From his perspective, the hardships between him and Rayna had passed, so blessings awaited them.

“I think so too.” In his embrace, his wife lifted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling with joy.

When the couple returned to the Faymon residence from Beryl Pavilion, the help at home was serving dinner.

Rayna walked over to the dining table. At the sight of the tableful of dishes, she rubbed her stomach resignedly and turned to Curtis, who followed closely behind her. “I ate a lot with Jasmine and Kristie today. The food hadn’t even been digested yet.”

When he heard her words, his brows furrowed imperceptibly. “What did you eat?”

“Takeaway.” While saying that, Rayna stole peeks at her husband every so often out of the corner of her eye. Noticing the slight displeasure clouding his face, she hastily went over to him and took his arm, asserting, “Well, it was Kristie who ordered, not me.”

“Was it delicious?” Curtis lowered his eyes to gaze at the woman in his arms, then reached out a hand and lightly pinched her cheek. Despite his gentle action, his voice carried a trace of warning.

“It was fine. Edible, I suppose,” Rayna replied with a half-smile. Then, she ventured, “How about just leaving some for me, and I’ll eat later when I’m hungry?”

“It isn’t good to eat too late at night. Have some soup, at the very least.” Curtis did not plan on letting her off the hook. After all, they were supposed to have dinner together that night. It was a promise they

made a while ago, committing themselves to have dinner together at home if they were not attending a social event.

At that time, it was even Rayna herself who proposed it in the name of strengthening their familial bonds. Only a few days had passed, but she had forgotten that agreement entirely.

“Sure!” Rayna did not object to that suggestion. Coincidentally, the housekeeper walked out with a big pot of chicken mushroom soup. After placing it on the dining table, she opened the lid. A fragrant aroma wafted into Rayna’s nostrils at once, making her salivate instinctively. “How fragrant!”

Seemingly gratified with her compliment, Curtis grasped her hand and led her to the dining table. He pulled out a chair for her and had her take a seat. Following that, he reached out for the ladle and served her a bowl of chicken mushroom soup. “Here, try some. It’s a bit hot, so be careful when you drink it,” he exhorted while handing the bowl to her.

Rayna picked up the spoon, scooped a spoonful of the soup, and brought it to her mouth. Remembering Curtis’ reminder, she blew on it before drinking. A big pot of chicken mushroom soup was cooked, yet the soup did not taste oily. Instead, it left a faint fragrance in her mouth. In fact, it tasted so good that she felt a touch skeptical. “Is this really chicken mushroom soup?”

She then lifted her eyes and looked at Curtis in surprise. Nodding, the man explained, “The chicken was from Mother. It’s said to have been fed whole grains and reared free-range in the mountains. Thus, it tastes better than the average chicken.”

“I can tell that.” Rayna peered at the chicken in the pot, observing a slight color difference from the average chicken. Nonetheless, she was still a tad dubious. “And this soup was simmered?”

“A specially-invited chef who specializes in chicken mushroom soup prepared it. I noticed that you liked drinking chicken mushroom soup previously. Unfortunately, our chef isn’t up to par, resulting in you drinking little. Hence, I specially engaged the services of a chef from Baykeep,” Curtis admitted frankly.

“Is that chef still here?” Rayna’s eyes lit up after she heard his utterances. She put down the spoon in her hand, eager to head to the kitchen for a look. Alas, Curtis held her back.

Keeping hold of her, he led her back to her seat. “No, he’s not here. He left as soon as he finished making the chicken mushroom soup, saying that it was rare for him to make a trip to Chanaea, thus taking the opportunity to visit an old friend.”

“I see.” Rayna picked up the spoon once more. Dipping her head, she drank another spoonful of the chicken mushroom soup. “It’s so delicious that I really wish to learn from him.”

“In that case, I’ll invite him over again when you’re free next time.” When Curtis saw that she was only drinking the soup, he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. Then, he snagged the disposable gloves at the side, put them on, and started tearing the chicken into shreds for her.

The chicken in the pot was not cut into small pieces. To eat the meat, one had to tear it by hand before enjoying it with a special dipping sauce.

“Here, try this.” Curtis first dipped the chicken shreds in the sauce before plating them and handing the plate to Rayna.

Rayna picked up her fork and took a shred of chicken. The second she placed it into her mouth, the sauce’s savoriness and the chicken’s tenderness pervaded her entire mouth. “It’s delicious.”

She nodded while she ate, not forgetting to take a few shreds of chicken and feed them to Curtis. “You should try some as well.”

The couple finished the entire dinner by feeding each other. Waiting on them by the side, the housekeepers rejoiced over their employers’ close relationship.

After all, their days would only be good when the family they served was in a great mood.

After dinner, Rayna went to the nursery to check on the triplets.

It so happened that the nanny was cradling Xareni, coaxing her. Upon seeing that, Rayna walked over and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Ms. Xareni was whimpering in her sleep just now, perhaps having had a nightmare. I was worried that she’d wake Ms. Yelena and Mr. Yosef, so I picked her up to soothe her,” the nanny explained.

When Rayna heard that, she glanced at Yosef and Yelena, who were in their cribs. Subsequently, she reached out her arms and took Xareni from the nanny. “I’ll do it.”

The nanny replied with a word of acknowledgment. In the next second, Rayna remarked, “You haven’t eaten, yes? Go and eat something first. I’ll be fine here alone.”

The nanny nodded before turning around and leaving the nursery.

There was a massive bay window in the nursery, on which was a cushion. With Xareni in her arms, Rayna sat on it, humming softly in consolation.

Meanwhile, Curtis stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe but saw no signs of Rayna in the bedroom. He left the room to look for her, only to learn that she was in the nursery.

When he gently pushed open the door and stepped into the nursery, he was greeted by the sight of Rayna sitting by the bay window with a baby in her arms, humming a lullaby meant to soothe. It was an incredibly heart-warming scene.

Once he entered deeper into the room, he glanced at the fast-asleep Yosef and Yelena before shifting his gaze to Xareni in Rayna’s arms. “Did she wake up?”

“The nanny said Xareni had a nightmare earlier and was whimpering in her sleep. She was afraid that the noise would wake the other two babies, so she picked Xareni up,” Rayna answered. Throughout it all, she continued rocking Xareni.

Realizing that the man was wearing a bathrobe and emanating a freshly-showered fragrance, she gently urged, “Go to bed first. I’ll head to our bedroom after the nanny has finished having dinner and settled the kids down.”

At her elaboration, Curtis massaged his temples. In a low voice, he proposed, “Let Xareni sleep in our room tonight. If she were to cry at night, keeping Yosef and Yelena awake, the Faymon residence would be awash with cries the whole night. I remember we bought an extra crib at that time. I’ll have the housekeeper move the crib to our room.”

While speaking, he helped Rayna up from the cushion.

Rayna leaned against his chest with Xareni in her arms. As she lifted her eyes to look at him, an unfathomable emotion surfaced in them.

 

 

Chapter 618

Curtis noted Rayna’s emotion. He was aware of her concerns in the past few days, though he had never put things on the table with her.

To him, all three children were his. As such, the issue of favoritism did not exist.

As for Xareni’s name, it was merely a superficial term of address.

Indeed, he harbored some anger within him recently. However, it was not toward the children but his own wife.

Regretfully, Rayna simply could not perceive it. The mere thought of it gave him a pounding headache.

After the couple had brought Xareni back to their bedroom, Curtis went out of the room and ordered the housekeeper to move the crib in the guestroom over.

Rayna gently placed Xareni onto the crib. No sooner had she done so than Curtis came out of the bathroom. He went over to her and offered, “I’ll look after her. Go and take a bath. I’ve already drawn one for you.”

“Okay.” In response, Rayna nodded. When she turned around and brushed past the man, she went on tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you, Darling.”

Curtis pinched her slightly rounded cheek, his lips quirking into a smile. “Go on.”

When Rayna exited the bathroom, the sight of Curtis lying on the bed with a laptop on his lap came into view. He had one hand moving across the keyboard and the other resting on the crib beside him, rocking it gently.

Seeing that she was done bathing, Curtis closed the laptop and flipped open the covers to get up.

Rayna removed the elastic band around her hair before tightening the belt at her waist. “Where are you going?” she asked while eyeing him in puzzlement.

Instead of giving her an answer, Curtis flashed her a faint smile.

She did not think much about it, walking over to the dressing table, where she sat down and took out a comb to brush her unbound hair. About three minutes later, Curtis returned to the bedroom from the living area with a pink brocade box in hand.

“This is for me?” Rayna put down the comb in her hand and lifted her eyes to stare at Curtis, stunned for a moment.

She racked her brain for a while but found nothing special about that day. He’s giving me a gift out of the blue when it isn’t even a special occasion?

“Yeah. Open it and have a look.” Curtis motioned for her to open the brocade box.

After taking it from him, Rayna opened it, and the four pocket watches within came to view. Each was of a different color and style. Most importantly, they were all engraved with a zodiac sign. Hers was different, while the other three pocket watches had the same signs, their designs varying.

One was also of a bigger size, whereas the other three were smaller and made of silver. She picked up the pocket watch with her zodiac sign and opened it, only to find a dancing figurine inside. On the other side of it was a miniature family portrait.

“When did you prepare these?” Imbued with joy, Rayna spoke in a soft and tender voice. “I noticed you’d been coming home late in the past few days. Don’t tell me you’d been getting these together?”

Leaning down, Curtis stretched out a hand and booped her on the nose. His eyes were brimming with infinite love. “My girl is always so smart.”

Rayna reached out a hand and grasped the index finger and thumb of the man’s right hand. Her voice was tinged with a hint of distress as she said the following words. “The wounds on your hand match the pin on this pocket watch.”

“I made them myself. Do you like them?” He caressed her face, his magnetic voice very much seductive.

“Yeah. The kids will love them too.” Rayna placed the brocade box on the dressing table, hooked her hands around his neck, and raised her head to kiss him.

She merely planned to give him a peck to express her gratitude to him, not expecting to spark his desire inadvertently.

Curtis unfastened the belt at her waist directly. When his hand came into contact with her slender waist, the fright almost made her shriek aloud. But in the next second, she remembered that there was still a baby in their master bedroom and swallowed her cry in the nick of time.

“Cut it out.” Her cheeks were flushed from the kiss earlier, rendering her extraordinarily stunning under the illumination of the yellow light in the bedroom. She grabbed the man’s hand that was roaming around her waist, warning, “You’re going to wake Xareni.”

Following her words, a deep pucker formed between Curtis’ eyebrows. He shifted his gaze to the baby sleeping soundly in the crib before bringing his lip close to her ear. “It’s irresponsible to start something without finishing it, Darling.”

That had Rayna’s cheeks flame even hotter, but still, she did not loosen her grip on his hand. “No way. Xareni is here, and it’d be bad if she were to witness it.”

When Curtis heard that, utter regret swamped him. Had I known this would happen, I wouldn’t have suggested bringing Xareni into our bedroom!

“Go and relieve yourself in the bathroom, okay? Please?” As Rayna spoke, she kissed him on the cheek again.

She initially planned on using that kiss to appease him. Unexpectedly, it only fanned the flames of lust within Curtis, who scooped her up in his arms and strode out of the bedroom.

“Where are we going? Xareni is still in the room.” Rayna shot out a hand to nudge him.

He carried her into the bathroom in the living area outside the master bedroom. It was some distance from the master bedroom, and the door’s sound insulation was relatively good, so no noise would be audible if they shut the door.

“It’ll be bad if Xareni wakes up and there’s no one in the room.” Rayna clutched at her clothes tightly, allowing him no opportunity to do anything to her.

“That’s not a problem.” While saying that, Curtis reached out an arm and turned on a screen on the bathroom’s inner wall, which displayed the surveillance footage of the master bedroom. Everything happening in there was indicated on it, and they could even hear Xareni’s even breathing. Taking advantage of Rayna’s inattention as she stared at the surveillance footage, he pulled her into his arms and captured her lips.

Meanwhile, Chandler was on the way home in a minivan after working the entire evening. He gazed out the car window at the streets with few pedestrians. A while later, he asked Nora, “What’s the progress with the matter I told you to investigate two days ago?”

Nora nudged the glasses on the bridge of her nose before taking out a stack of information from her backpack and giving it to the man. “There isn’t much information. This is all the private detective could find.”

Chandler reached out to take the file and opened it. Once he pulled the papers out, he scanned his eyes over a few pages and found the contents similar to everything he had previously learned. However, a photo inside snagged his attention.

The photo was of a young man and woman locked in an embrace, the woman smiling happily.

“Who is this man?” Curtis demanded, pointing at the man in the photo.

Nora took a glance at it before shaking her head. “The private detective couldn’t find anything on this man. It was as though his information had been deliberately erased.”

When Chandler heard that, a flash of something peculiar flittered across his brown eyes.

“By the way, Chandler, I bumped into Mr. Wingate yesterday, and he asked that I relay his words to you. He wants you to focus on your work and not involve yourself overly much in irrelevant matters.” As Nora spoke, she reached out a hand and tugged at the hem of Chandler’s shirt, her gaze falling on the document in his hands. “I think he’s right. Chandler… let’s just concentrate on shooting movies and accepting gigs. It’s enough that we’ve done such a thing once. If we get caught… Well, we can’t afford to offend them.”

 

 

Chapter 619

Chandler put the document away, a glint of a threat flashing across his brown eyes. “No one will know about this matter as long as we both keep silent.”

Nora retracted her hands and placed them on her knees. “But I can’t shake off the feeling that Mr. Wingate seems to know everything,” she remarked, her brows knitting together imperceptibly.

“He knows? Even so, he needs evidence, no?” Chandler dismissed her warning. Subsequently, he ordered, “Show me the schedule again.”

Nora picked up the tablet at the side and handed it to him, casually sweeping her gaze over the army- green backpack behind him. “You can rest for a day today. Tomorrow, we’ll be going to Hawen to shoot the advertisement for YJ’s custom-made suits.”

“Got it.” Chandler scrolled through the tablet, taking a rough look at his upcoming schedule before confirming, “I’ve still got another day off this month besides today.”

Beside him, Nora nodded. “Yeah. You can rest on the last day of the month.”

At that, he turned off the tablet and returned it to her. Then, he took out his phone and reclined in his seat, going through short online clips and Twitter with boredom.

When Rayna woke up the next day, she did not see Curtis on the bed. She brushed her hand against the sheets and found them still warm. After sitting up by the head of the bed, she glanced at the crib beside the bed. Unsurprisingly, Xareni was not in the crib either.

Right then, Curtis was sitting at his desk in the study, handling his work emails. He only wore loose satin pajamas and had a baby in his arms.

Xareni was restless in his arms, occasionally grabbing his collar and toying with it. That aside, she even seized the belt of his pajamas and placed it in her mouth.

At that, Curtis took his belt out of her mouth, swiftly removed it from his pajamas, and tossed it onto the couch at the side.

Xareni was sitting on his lap at that moment. Since she no longer had a belt to play with, she started attempting to stand on his lap. Alas, she could not do so due to the weak bones and muscles in her waist and legs. Thus, she turned around and clutched at his collar. Half-leaning against him, she began climbing to her feet.

With her gripping his pajamas, coupled with the lack of a belt to keep them in place, most of his chest was bared.

Curtis’ fingers deftly moved across the keyboard. After sending the email, he turned off the laptop and stared down at the baby in his arms.

“If you continue yanking at my clothes, Xareni, you’ll strangle me to death.” While saying that, he attempted to pry her hands off. To his surprise, her strength was impressive despite her size.

Wishing to stand on his lap, Xareni grabbed at his face indiscriminately with both hands. Curtis wanted to dodge, but he had no way of doing so.

Such was the sight that greeted Rayna when she reached the doorway to the study. The man attempted to dodge the child’s frantic grabs but to no avail. At the same time, his clothes had been forcefully yanked open, revealing his muscular chest.

“Come over here, Xareni.” Rayna stepped into the study and spread her arms at Xareni, signaling the latter to move toward her.

Xareni glanced at her but made no move to reach out to her. Instead, she looked up at Curtis before her, then lifted her chubby hands to grab at the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Curtis took off his glasses for her to play with. Over the moon to receive them, she started wriggling excitedly in his embrace. Then, she exerted force with both hands and ended up snapping them in half.

Standing at the side, Rayna, who saw the whole thing, cautiously peeked at her husband. As expected, Curtis’ initially gentle countenance had then darkened frightfully.

“Here, I’ll take her.” She reached out to take Xareni, but the latter refused to cooperate. After discarding the glasses in her hand, Xareni clutched at Curtis’ collar, unwilling to let go. When Rayna exerted strength around her, she started whimpering.

Rayna was most terrified of the triplets crying. With three children at home, once any one of them started wailing, the other two would undoubtedly follow suit.

She hastily withdrew her hand before casting a helpless look at Curtis, only to see that Xareni had stuck her finger up his nose. Amused, she failed to stifle a giggle.

Carrying Xareni in his arms, Curtis walked out from behind the desk. At the sight of his bare chest, Rayna picked up the belt from the couch, walked to his back, and tied it for him.

“You’re incredibly sexy, Darling.” While knotting the belt for him, she went on tiptoes, asking him for a kiss.

Curtis crinkled his eyes in a doting smile. Granting her wish, he leaned down and gave her a peck.

In his arms, Xareni watched her parents’ actions blankly before cradling Curtis’ cheek and planting a kiss on it with a smack.

She was exceedingly serious in doing so, even leaving a huge patch of saliva on his face.

Rayna, knowing that Curtis had mild germaphobia, swiftly clasped a hand over her mouth. However, the mirth in her eyes betrayed her.

She threw her daughter an approving look, inwardly flashing Xareni a thumbs-up. How courageous of her!

Just as she thought Curtis would thrust Xareni into her arms, the man uttered, “Wipe my cheek for me, Darling.”

Murmuring in acquiescence, Rayna went over to the coffee table and snagged a wet tissue. “I’ve noticed that all the kids seem more clingy with you,” she remarked as she wiped the saliva Xareni left on Curtis’ face.

Curtis could hear the despondency in her voice, so he carried Xareni with one hand and freed his other hand to hug her. “They’re still young. When they grow older, they’ll only be calling out for you every day.”

“How do you know that?” Rayna lifted her head, bewildered by his unfounded claim.

“From online clips. A few days ago, I saw Robin scrolling through his phone and caught a glimpse of it.” He arched a brow at his wife with all the pride in the world.

Rayna was very much surprised that he would watch online clips. Nonetheless, she did not plan on pouring cold water on him since he was so obviously proud of it. “Many of those are staged, so you can’t take them seriously. But the phenomenon you mentioned earlier is currently common around the world.”

They were chatting up a storm when the housekeeper stopped outside the study. “Mr. Faymon, Mrs. Faymon, breakfast is ready.”

“Let’s have breakfast first,” Rayna said to Curtis. Then, she squeezed Xareni’s chubby fist. “Just hand her to the nanny.”

“It’s okay. I can carry her,” he replied in a low voice.

Puzzlement flooded Rayna, and she kindly cautioned, “You can’t eat breakfast while carrying her.”

Despite hearing that, Curtis seemed unperturbed. He walked out of the study with one hand carrying his daughter and the other holding his wife’s hand.

In the living room, Yosef and Yelena were in their nanny’s arms. The instant they spotted Rayna and Curtis approaching, both stretched out their chubby hands, asking to be carried.

Glancing at the man beside her, Rayna commented softly, “They all want you to carry them.”

Her words were tinged with jealousy.

“Mrs. Faymon, Ms. Yelena seems to be reaching out to you,” the nanny interjected, keenly catching sight of Yelena’s gaze moving in concert with Rayna.

As soon as Rayna heard that, a beam of joy appeared on her face. “Okay, I’ll carry you.” While speaking, she took Yelena from the nanny.

 

 

Chapter 620

Rayna and Curtis sat at the dining table and had their meal. At the same time, Curtis carried Xareni while Rayna cradled Yelena. Only Yosef was sitting on the other side in the nanny’s arms.

Xareni, who was in Curtis’ embrace, grabbed at his arm when she saw him drinking his glass of milk.

“There, there. Be good. This is Daddy’s. You can’t drink it.” Curtis held her chubby arm as a gesture of rejecting her soundless request.

Compared to Xareni, Yelena looked more well-behaved. The latter merely blinked her jet-black eyes innocently while watching Rayna bringing the sandwich and the glass of orange juice to her mouth.

Rayna took a glance at Yelena before turning to the nanny, asking, “Oh, right, are the babies’ supplementary food arranged for preparation today?”

“I’ve already informed the kitchen about it,” the nanny answered.

Meanwhile, Yelena had silently reached out and touched a piece of ham on Rayna’s plate when Rayna was talking to the nanny. Unfortunately, her little ploy failed when the woman caught hold of her hand. “No, you can’t eat this yet.”

With that, Rayna pushed the plate further from Yelena and grabbed a piece of tissue to clean the child’s hand.

When the nanny saw that, she stepped forward and offered, “I’ll get Ms. Yelena cleaned up.”

“Okay.” Rayna nodded and let the nanny take Yelena away.

Xareni seemed to understand what was going on when she watched Yelena being carried away. Thus, she immediately clutched the hem of Curtis’ sleeve tightly.

Curtis, who was peeling his hard-boiled egg, felt his cuffs tighten in response to the baby’s action. He lowered his gaze to check on Xareni and then followed her line of sight to find her staring in the direction where the nanny had left earlier. A subtle smile crept to his lips as he pinched Xareni’s chubby cheeks. “You smart little devil.”

Seeing that, Rayna chuckled. “At first, I thought Xareni would be a quiet girl. Who would’ve known that Yelena’s and Xareni’s characters would switch after just a few months?”

“I think it’s good that she changed.” Curtis did not think there was anything bad about the change. In his opinion, Xareni might have been more or less frightened when she was brought away by Arnaud not long after she was born. It would be bad if she behaved less lively after that incident, which was a sign that she was traumatized.

Curtis was happy with Xareni’s current character.

Rayna felt inexplicable emotions well up in her chest when she spotted the look of affection in Curtis’ gaze for Xareni. However, she was relieved when she realized Curtis had not been treating Xareni any differently.

This should be a good sign.

Ever since Rayna took a break, Ella did the same as well, though the latter would handle work matters occasionally.

One day, when Ella arrived at the office, she was puzzled to see the figure exiting the lobby. “That’s odd. Why is Chandler here?”

Just as she was about to call out to him, a white van passed by her. In the next second, she saw Chandler getting into the vehicle and leaving Glory’s entrance.

As Ella watched the van drive away, she made a note of the number plate.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Right then, the phone in her handbag rang. She pulled out her phone and answered it after glancing at the caller ID. Rayna’s voice came from the other end of the line. “Where are you?”

“I’m outside the office lobby,” answered Ella.

“Okay. Remember to send me pictures of the samples after getting them from the laboratory. Please be careful when you’re on the way here,” Rayna reminded.

“I will,” Ella responded. She then hastily added, “Ms. Garland, I saw Chandler at our company’s entrance just now.”

“Chandler?” Rayna raised her brow at the news. Glancing at the date on the digital clock, she muttered, “It can’t be. He should be in Jazona at this hour shooting a wedding gown advertisement. There’s no way he’s still in Norwal City. Could you have gotten it wrong? Maybe it’s just someone who looks like him?”

“Oh… Maybe I was mistaken,” said Ella while walking. When she arrived at the entrance, she took one final glance in the direction where the van had left. “That’s all then, Ms. Garland. I’ll hang up now.”

“Okay,” answered Rayna before ending the call.

She then sat on the couch, thinking back about what Ella said. At that, she glanced at the date on the clock once again; there was no mistake about it. After mulling it over for some time, she still felt uneasy, so she picked up her phone from the study table and dialed Larry’s number.

Meanwhile, Larry was sitting at his desk in the director’s office on the third floor of Happy Entertainment. He was browsing through the email that contained information about a budding artist introduced by one of his best friends when his phone rang. He immediately answered it when he saw Rayna’s name on the screen. “Hello, Ms. Garland.”

“Hi. What’s on Chandler’s schedule today?” Rayna asked without beating around the bush.

“He’s supposed to be in Jazona today for a wedding advertisement shoot.” Larry glanced at the calendar in the corner, which had detailed notes of the work arrangements for the artists he personally trained.

Hearing that, Rayna felt slightly relieved but still couldn’t relax. “Is Nora with him?”

“Yes. Chandler’s going outstation for a job, so of course, Nora has to go with him.” Larry did not understand why Rayna was suddenly asking such a question, but it was easy to identify that Rayna was upset based on her tone.

Rayna took a sip of her coffee and said, “Could you get Nora to send you a real-time video of the situation there and then email it to me?”

“Sure thing,” came Larry’s response. The moment the call ended, he lowered his gaze and stared at the phone screen with a frown.

Could Chandler have caused some trouble again? No matter how hard Larry thought about it, he could not wrap his head around the reason Rayna made that request. Still, he had no choice but to carry out Rayna’s orders.

Systimpra Villa was Jazona’s most famous wedding shoot location. Chandler and one of DT’s famous models, Gina Stuart, were lying on the grass and hugging each other at the director’s request.

Standing under the awning not too far away was Nora. While she was watching the duo posing for the shoot, the phone that was hanging around her neck rang. Noticing Larry was the caller, she answered, “Hello, Mr. Wingate.”

“Is Chandler with you?” Larry went straight to the point.

“Yes. He’s having a shoot with Gina.” Nora did not think much about the fact that Larry was personally calling to check on Chandler. Hence, she reported everything that was happening at the scene to Larry.

Nora’s words put Larry at ease. The latter then said, “Send me some videos of Chandler at work. Take more if possible.”

“All right,” Nora responded, and the call ended.

At the same time, the celebrities had finished their shoot at that scene.

“Nora! Water!” Chandler ordered as he marched toward the awning. Hearing that, Nora handed him a glass of water. “Here is some plain-boiled water. I added some ice cubes.”

“Why am I not given mineral water?” Chandler frowned at what he heard. He even cast Nora a displeased gaze.