The Silent Wife

Meanwhile, at the basement carpark, after Rachel got into her car, the safety belt wouldn't budge even after she tugged at it a few times. Drained of energy, she slowly slumped onto the steering wheel while thinking, Ten years... How many decades does a person have in his lifetime?

Earlier, when she watched how brilliantly Gloria seemed to be shining while surrounded by the children, she felt a sense of shame forming in herself for the first time in her life. That girl was so perfect, and she carried a sense of cheerfulness and brightness which was completely different from herself.

Honk! The sound of her car honk echoed through the parking garage as she accidentally leaned on it. It was so loud that it shocked her and jolted her back to her senses violently.

What am I thinking about? she asked herself. / still haven't avenged my mother, and I'm being sorrowful for no reason over here.

After she cleared her mind, she remembered Justin's words from dinner earlier, and she drafted a text message before sending it to Jefferey. Then, she drove out of the parking garage. Under the late evening lights, Riverdale appeared to be especially lively. However, Jefferey had been staring at the text on his cell phone for a long time with an incredibly sullen face.

"I'm home, Dad!" Amber announced from behind him and hugged him around his neck from the back after coming into the house. "Daddy, I saw a bag I really like today. Will you please buy it for me?" After yanking her hand away, he scolded, "What else can you do besides buying handbags?"

His cold voice boomed through the living room, startling Amber. "What's the problern?"

"Let me ask you this. Where did you get the information about the tender?"

"It's... from Justin's car."ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

"And he let you take it so easily?" The expression on Jefferey's face darkened. "I should have known that you won't be of much help with that intelligence of yours. Great, instead of being any real help, you've pushed me into the fire pit and someone else now has something he can use to threaten."

Never been chided so angrily by Jefferey before, Amber whimpered, "What happened exactly, Daddy?"

"What happened? It's all because of you!" he shouted. "The information on the tender is fake, and Pacific Inc. used this information I gave them to join the tender. They ended up in complete defeat and announced one sidedly that they want to end the collaboration with us. Now, our company has lost its source of funding and we need a huge sum of money. Once the board of directors gets word of this, do you have any idea what will happen?"

"What's gonna happen?"

"I'll be removed from my current position as the president and someone else will be selected to replace me."

All blood drained from Amber's face, and she heard a ringing in her head.

"Calm down, Dad. I-I'll ask Justin for help right now."

"Save it," he spat. "From now on, just stay out of the way. Rachel had already asked Justin for help."

"She's willing to help? Justin will never listen to her!"

"Of course he will since he has something to gain from it. Look at this!" he snapped, showing his cell phone screen to her.

"15%"

After she read the text, her eyes widened. "Burton Group wants to buy up 15% of our shares and even wants to put it under Rachel's name? We can't let this happen!"

"I've already decided to agree to it and to sell the shares under your name. The press conference will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock."

"Dad!" she cried. As she watched his back while he walked away without turning back, she was so mad that she stomped her foot. Why should I sell my shares to that mute? Dad's crazy, and even Justin has lost his mind as well? Furious, she took out her phone and made a call. "Hello, it's me. I can transfer fifty thousand to you today. Just get the things done early as I instructed. Tomorrow afternoon, I don't want to see her appearing at Hudson Pharmaceuticals."

The next day, Justin and Rachel left Burton Group together in a car to head toward Hudson Pharmaceuticals to sign the agreement.

"The fact that Jefferey is willing to cut out a slice of his cake shows that the internal financial situation of Hudson Pharmaceuticals is already very terrible. All you have to do is get a hold of their actual financial situation, and you don't have to do anything else after that," the man said in an aloof voice in the car.

Rachel nodded. I got it.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and she hung up the call without even thinking after seeing the caller ID. Since she was seated next to Justin, she didn't dare to take any risks.

"Why aren't you picking up the call?" he asked.

It's not an important call. Getting business done is more important.

After she explained herself, she turned her phone on silent mode, but at that moment, she received a text message. Hans is hospitalized after getting beaten and needs a blood transfusion urgently. Where Instantly, she straightened her back and grabbed the door handle. The text message was from Janice, and so was the call earlier.

I want to get out

With a frown, Justin asked, "Why?"

Anxiously, she gestured at him in sign language. I'm sorry, but I have to take care of an emergency now. Can you please wait for me to sign the agreement when I'm done?

"What's the emergency?"

Rachel clenched her jaw tightly.

"You can't say it?" The look in his eyes gradually darkened. "Give me your cell phone. Give it to me."

Along with his cold order, the air in the car suddenly turned heavy, and the car slowed down. Facing Justin's piercing cold stare, Rachel gritted her teeth before suddenly turning around and opened the door. "Stop the car!" he shouted, his eyes widening.

The screeching sound of the brakes echoed at the intersection.

Justin caught hold of nothing but air as he stared at the opened car door, for Rachel had already jumped off the car and tumbled onto the street. If it weren't for the fact that the car was already reducing its speed at the intersection, she would have been half-dead even if she didn't end up completely dead after this leap.

However, she had already scrambled to her feet right now and was running away while staggering.

The driver was pale from the shock as he uttered, "President Burton."

The muscles on Justin's face were stiff while he watched Rachel from behind as she limped away into the distance. Finally, he came back to his senses and withdrew his hand, clutching it into a fist. "Drive on. Let's go to Hudson Pharmaceuticals first."

Hurriedly, Rachel took a cab to the hospital, where Janice was pacing around in front of the surgery room. Upon seeing Rachel limping over, she rushed to her and asked, "What happened to you?" How's Hans doing? Rachel was more worried about him instead.

"I have no idea who he offended, but he was beaten up badly. He lost too much blood and needs a transfusion urgently, but the blood bank in the hospital doesn't have enough. I remember him telling me before that you have the same blood type as him. So, you're the only one I can look for."

Rachel nodded and quickly indicated that she was willing to donate her blood.

In her highschool years, when she and Hans became friends, they unexpectedly found out that they shared the same blood type.

In the surgery room, the needle pierced into her vein, and fresh blood flowed through the catheter. Only one thought was going through her mind as she gazed at Hans, who was unconscious next to her. Please let everything be okay.

After the blood transfusion, she walked out with a pale face, and Janice helped her to take a seat. "Sit down and rest for a while. The operation will take some time."

What happened? Why was Hans beaten up?