Chapter 529: Chapter 529

Upon hearing that, Rayna was overwhelmed by mixed reactions.

Before this, she hated Curtis for killing her brother and forcing Kristie to marry. After learning the truth, she realized Curtis did everything in their best interest.

Upon noticing how quiet Rayna was, James asked, “Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m fine.” Rayna regained her composure and grinned at him. “Don’t worry about us. All right, I need to head to the office now.

Let’s talk more tonight.”

James had no choice but to keep mum.

Rayna’s baby bump was growing fast, so even all her loose clothes could no longer hide her belly. Driving had become tedious, so she could only hail a cab by the road.

Throughout the journey to the office, she scrolled through the news on her phone.

Most trending news articles were related to celebrity gossip and weather reports—not a single post about last night’s incident.

Rayna tried keying a few keywords in the search engine but found nothing.

She then checked the other news portals, but all the news articles were celebrity gossip. No one reported on the drama that had happened between Curtis and her.

Rayna heaved a sigh of relief. It seems Faymon Group’s public relations has stepped up its game. It was such a newsworthy incident, yet none of the media published a story about it. It didn’t even impact Faymon Group’s share price in the slightest.

Soon, the cab arrived at Glory Corporation.

“Good morning, Ms. Garland.”

“Good to see you, Ms. Garland,” the employees at the lobby greeted Rayna as she entered the building.

Rayna nodded and responded with a grin. She could tell they were all curious but were too afraid to ask her about what had happened. Even though last night’s incident didn’t make headlines, many people are still aware of it, as the entire session was streamed live!

The thought of how people would make fun of Jefferson and talk behind his back made her feel awful, so she decided to see him in his office.

After knocking on the door, she entered the CEO’s office.

Jefferson was busy with his work, but when he lifted his head and saw her walking in, he adjusted his glasses and looked at her with a gentle gaze. “Belle, you’re early. What can I do for you?”

Rayna walked past his desk, stood before him, and said apologetically, “Jefferson, I’m sorry about yesterday...”

Before going to bed, she made a few phone calls, but he did not answer.

Jefferson placed his fingers on her lips, shook his head, and responded in a gentle voice, “You don’t have to apologize to me. It’s not your fault.”

Seeing how forgiving the man was made her feel even more miserable.

Since the wedding was broadcast live nationwide, at least a hundred million viewers must have watched the procession. Curtis barging into the church and snatching her way was a slap in Jefferson’s face, turning the latter into a laughingstock of the country.

How many people could actually tolerate that kind of humiliation?

Tears welled up in Rayna’s eyes. She embraced the man and leaned against his chest. “Let’s organize another wedding, shall we? I want to marry you.”

“We can hold wedding processions a hundred times, but Curtis will definitely do everything he can to stop us.” Jefferson stroked her hair. “He’ll not let you go since he knows he’s the father to your children.”

Rayna responded anxiously, “Let’s have our wedding overseas. He won’t be able to track us down if we complicate the route by taking a few more connecting flights.”

After stroking her cheeks gently, he cupped her face and made her look into his eyes.

In Rayna’s eyes, Jefferson saw anxiety, worry, and all sorts of emotions, but he did not see himself.

After taking a deep breath, the man looked at her steadily. “Don’t you understand, Belle? You want to marry because you sympathize with me and want to make it up to me. It’s not because of love.”

Rayna did not expect him to see through her. All this while, he knew what she was thinking but had chosen to keep it in his heart.

Words caught in her throat. She pleaded with him, “Give me some time. I promise I’ll fall in love with you.”

“Belle, you don’t love me. I can give you all the time you need...” Jefferson placed his palm on her chest. “But I’ll never have a place in your heart.”

“Shouldn’t we give it a shot?” she said.

Jefferson burst into laughter. “I’ve been trying really hard ever since we reconnected. The outcome is quite obvious, isn’t it?”

Rayna froze for a moment upon hearing that. She was so upset that she started crying. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what has become of me. I don’t know why I still keep thinking about him.”

Curtis hurt her so badly that she wanted to make a fresh start in life, but it was easier said than done!

Rayna hated herself for being such a coward. She wished she could be more heartless and steadier and not waver whenever she recalled the nice things Curtis had done for her in the past.

Her tears had stained Jefferson’s shirt, and Jefferson could feel it. He felt utterly awful seeing her cry so miserably.

After the woman stopped crying, Jefferson said, “It’s okay, Belle. I don’t need to love me. I just want you to know that I’m always with you.”

He loved her more than any other man in the world. That was why he did not want to see her in such a wretched state.

Despite having some evil thoughts in the past, he could not bring himself to harm Rayna because he loved her.

“I know.” Rayna could still recall how Jefferson had stood before her, hugged her, and taken the bullets without hesitation when Curtis fired shots at them.

The wounds from the gunshots still left scars on Jefferson’s shoulder even to this day.

In an indifferent attitude, Rayna shut her eyes and said, “I’ll give the Faymon family the two children after giving birth to them, but I’ll never get back together with him, I promise. I’ll never forget how he hurt me.”

Jefferson wiped away the tears on her face. “Curtis will not let you go easily.”

“Try me.” Rayna’s voice became hoarse after crying for a long time. “I’ll not give in for the sake of the children. And don’t expect me to forget easily what he had done to me.”

“I’ll support you in everything you do.” Jefferson felt bad that she had to steady herself to go through this. “I’ll always be by your side.”

Rayna nodded and said, “Since we can’t proceed with the wedding, and the new product is selling like hotcakes, I wish to take a break. I want to make a trip to Yartran to visit Jessie.”

Many things had happened since Rayna sent Jessica out of the country. She also avoided contacting Jessica because she was worried that Wyatt might tap into her phone to track Jessica down.

“By the way,” Rayna said while lifting her head to look at Jefferson. “Did Jessie manage to adapt to life in Yartran? Did the doctor visit her regularly? Are she and the baby doing well?”

“Belle,” Jefferson said hesitantly while toning down his voice, “there’s something I didn’t tell you.”

As Rayna sensed the change of tone in his voice, her smile froze. She continued asking, “What is it? Did something happen to Jessie?”

Jefferson lowered his head and replied softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t dare to tell you because you had been quite emotional lately. We don’t know where Jessica is, as she disappeared just a few days after arriving at Yartran. I’ve ordered Ringo to look for her, but to no avail.”

“W-What?” His answer took Rayna by surprise. When she realized he was not joking, she raised her voice. “How could she go missing just a few days after arriving at Yartran? Jefferson Hamilton, how can you hide this from me?”

“Calm down, Belle.”

“How do you expect me to calm down?” Rayna was on pins and needles, and her voice started trembling. “Wyatt caught her because she was trying to help me. I didn’t manage to save her uncle and auntie. Don’t tell me I’ll lose her too!”

The panicked Rayna wanted to get out of the office, but Jefferson gripped her wrist to stop her from leaving. “Pull yourself together first, Belle. Your negative emotions are going to affect the babies.”