Chapter 127
My Mute Bride
Once Justin left, Rachel helped Victor up from the ground.
âIâm fine, Rachel. Are you good?â
As she shook her head, her eyes remained dull.
âIâm sorry for getting you involved!
âJustinâs simply not human! How could he do that to you? You have a child inside of you!â
Rachel peered at him in shock. âHow did you know?â
âWell, itâs a long story. I only knew Justin was coming for you thanks to that crippled lady.â
That crippled lady?
Victor explained the entire incident to Rachel, to which she finally understood what went down.
âShe claimed to be Justinâs sister, and she acted in such an overbearing manner the entire time. Sheâs just like Justin, for both of them are very difficult to interact with. After I got to know about it, I hid in the Burton Groupâs parking lot the entire evening. When Justin finally showed up, I followed his car all the way here, and thatâs how I found you. Donât worry, Rachel-Iâll take you with me tonight.â
However, Rachel shook her head and brushed the grass off his clothes.
âWe canât leave just yet.â
âAlthough they look tough, thereâs no way theyâll be guarding the place the entire night. Iâm certain that weâll find a way out!â
Victor was pretty confident with his deduction.
As she peered out of the living roomâs window, Rachel saw three to five bodyguards standing in a disorganized manner outside. They looked into the house from time to time and safeguarded every entrance and exit Alas, Victor is only a young boy.
As expected, while Victor was on guard in the living room for the entire night, the gang outside stayed around for the same amount of time. When dawn came, he was letting out continuous yawns as his eyes reddened while new batches of guards arrived for the next shift.
âF*ck!â
He clenched his fists and uttered, âThese b*stards!â
When the sun rose, Frankie sent a maid over.
Victor quickly recognized him, and he asked vigilantly, âWhy are you here? Whereâs Justin?â
Since he had no intention of debating with the kid, Frankie simply signaled for the maid to do her job.
âThis is Madam Mary. Sheâll be responsible for taking care of Mrs. Burton from now on.â
However, Victor did not give up and continued, âDo you intend on locking Rachel up in this sh*thole?â
âThis is entirely for Mrs. Burtonâs safety.â
âWhat a load of crap! Do you lock a prisoner up for their own safety?â
Upon seeing how Victor was significantly dumber, Frankie realized that he couldnât be reasoned with, yet he could do nothing to send him out of the house.
Just then, he suddenly remembered the young masterâs order and placed a few books on the table. âIf you have nothing better to do, you can read these.â
âWhat are these?â
âThese are books on sign language. Itâll help you communicate better with Mrs. Burton.â
âYou think Iâd need a lesson from you guys? Why should you care how I communicate with Rachel?â
âWell, itâs entirely up to you!â
Frankie couldnât be bothered with such nonsense, and he glanced upstairs. He knew that Rachel was already awake but refused to come downstairs, so he shouted, âMrs. Burton!â
âDo give me a call if you need anything, Mrs. Burton. Mr. Burton will come whenever heâs free.â
However, he received no response from upstairs.
Victor crossed his arms and scoffed, âSeems like youâve been ignored, you imbecile.â
Frankie shot him a warning glance and said, âHereâs a friendly reminder-donât try anything stupid, and donât even think of escaping with Mrs. Burton. Otherwise, sheâll meet the same agonizing fate as you.â
At once, Victor charged toward the door and yelled, âYouâd better run, you spineless scum!â
Once Frankie left, the door from upstairs could be heard being pushed open.
âRachel!â
After he rushed up the staircase with big strides, Victor went to support Rachel. âYouâre awake.â
Her face seemed pretty messed up with the pair of dark circles around her eyes.
âHelp me, Victor âWhat is it?â
I need to know how Grandma is. Can you go check on her for me?â
âOkay, Iâll go right now.â
After taking a few steps, Victor turned around and asked, âWill you be fine here alone, Rachel?â
Iâll be fine!
Upon being reminded of her grandmotherâs condition, Rachel couldnât sleep well the entire night. After all, her grandmotherâs health was one of her biggest concerns.
âIâll be back as soon as possible.â
When Victor walked out the door, the guards didnât care to look at him as their assignment was to keep Rachel under their watch, so Victorâs departure was rather smooth.
At Tran-Q, Gloria held her cane and pushed the servants that were trying to help her away. âI donât need your help. I can walk just fine by myself. Whereâs Justin? I need to talk to him.â
âYour leg has yet to fully recover, Miss Hochmann. Mr. Burton has specifically ordered for you to stay put in your bed.â
âStay put? What makes you think I can do that? Get me discharged by today!â
As she spoke, she pulled the door open and exited the ward.
However, she carelessly bumped into Julian and staggered as the latter dropped a stack of books in his arms.
In a flash, all the magazines and newspapers scattered on the floor.
âIâm sorry, Dr. Peters.â
As she was about to help him pick up the books, the cast on her leg hindered her from squatting down.
âItâs fine.â Julian stopped her and proceeded to pick them up.
Gloria initially wanted to express her apology, but she was distracted by the headline in the newspaper that was on the floor. Instantly, she frowned and asked, âWhat is this?â
After picking up his magazines, Julian followed her line of sight and answered, âThatâs todayâs news.
Donât you know about it?â
At once, she grabbed the newspaper.
âJUSTIN BURTON, PRESIDENT OF BURTON GROUP AND AMBER HUDSON, FACE OF HUDSON PHARMACEUTICALS TO BE ENGAGED THIS WEEK. ALLIANCE OF THE CENTURYâ¦
As if the gargantuan font size wasnât enough, the editor of the paper had to bold the texts as well.
Gloria was shocked by the news, and she frowned even more bitterly. âIs he really getting engaged to Amber? Let me call him.â
As she stood in front of Julian, Gloria dialed Justinâs number on her phone.
âThe number you have dialed is unavailableâ¦â
On the other hand, Julian had anticipated the missed call. He revealed a calm face with an underlying hint of anger. âIâve been trying to call him these few days, but he hasnât picked up once. It seems like heâs not going to explain anything to me as well.â
âNo way. I have to talk to him! Heâs not the unfaithful man he appears to be. He even got Rachel pregnant!â
As she finished speaking, Gloria clutched her phone with a heavy expression. âIâll go and find him!â
Watching as she furiously walked away, Julian stood still, experiencing countless mixed feelings in his heart.
At that very moment, he realized that he could never bring change to the world as if a personâs destiny was solidified at the beginning of their life. How Justin was always protecting Gloria; how Rachel was always bullied since she was a kid, and the boastfulness of Tina and Amber.
All of a sudden, he received a call from a foreign number.
âHello?â
âIâve given it some thought. There are still some things that need to be taken care of, though. Iâll go as soon as Iâm done with them.â
Riverdale was no longer what it used to be.
âHere are some antivirals, Mrs. Burton. Do consume them before each meal.â
As she stared at the bowl of ebony, medicinal soup in front of her, Rachel chugged them down without any questions.
While the bitterness quickly lingered in her throat, the smell from her exhalation almost made her throw up. Nonetheless, she was able to endure it and swallowed everything down.
âPlease enjoy your meal. Iâll go and clean up the place.â
Except for Rachel and her food, the dining room became hollow.
Meanwhile, accompanying her was the news that was being broadcast on TV.
âYesterday, Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals announced that Justin Burton, the President of Burton Group, has proposed to Hudson Pharmaceuticalsâ Amber Hudson!â
Upon hearing that, Rachel jerked her neck and swiftly lifted her head, peering at the TV as her face turned pale.