Chapter 220
My Mute Bride
Rachel drove to the nightclub alone after work. As soon as she entered the private room, she saw the men inside with the nightclubâs hostesses in each of their arms. Mr. Wayne beckoned to her enthusiastically as he said, âCome over here, Chris. Let me introduce her to you guys. This is Chris, Burton Pharmaceuticalsâ sales director. Sheâs a knockout, isnât she?â
âBurton Pharmaceuticalsâ sales director? Arenât you President Burtonâs ex-wife?â
âYou were on the news some time ago.â
The atmosphere in the private room livened up at once. These men were in the same circle, so they knew almost everything about the Burton Family.
Rachel forced a smile at everyone.
Mr. Wayne waved his hand. âWhy are we talking about this? Friendly relations should exist between buyer and seller even if they fail to clinch a deal. Despite their marriage ending with divorce, they still have to run the business. Just look at how magnanimous Chris is-isnât she still working at Burton Pharmaceuticals?
Itâs just that sheâs put to a little inconvenience by having to work under her ex-husband.â
âWow, your heart is aching, Mr. Wayne! What are you waiting for, Chris? Have a drink with him!â
Rachel frowned as a glass of wine was shoved into her hand. âI drove here, so I canât drink alcohol.â
âWhatâs the problem with that? You can just hire a chauffeur to drive your car. There are plenty of them everywhere.â
âSorry, but I donât drink.â
The room instantly went silent. Mr. Wayne put down his wine glass and leaned back against the leather sofa. He then asked, âItâs not like I have to collaborate with Burton Pharmaceuticals. There are so many people here; it doesnât make a difference for me to sign the contract with any of them. Sincerity is best expressed by oneâs willingness to drink, donât you think so?â
Rachel was very hesitant as she looked at the wine glass before her. She knew very well that once one drank a glass of wine in such a social engagement, they would end up drinking even more. Moreover, Mr. Wayne was deliberately trying to make her drunk. Then, as her eyes flickered, she suggested, âMr.
Wayne, do you mean that youâll sign the contract as long as I finish this glass of wine?â
âThatâs not a problem, of course. Am I the kind of person who goes back on his word?â
âThatâs right! What kind of person do you think Mr. Wayne is?â
âMr. Wayne feels sorry for you, so heâs taking you out to help you relax. Youâd better not do it the hard way,â said the toadies around them as they made a fuss.
Rachel raised her glass. âIn that case, thank you, Mr. Wayne. Hereâs to you.â Then, she downed the wine in one gulp in front of everyone. The strong smell of alcohol spread in her mouth, but she showed everyone the emptied glass without letting her face show any emotion.
âYou can drink a lot!â
âCome on, letâs drink another glass.â
âMr. Wayne, about the contract,â
âSince Iâve promised to sign the contract, Iâll definitely sign it. The contract hasnât been drafted yet, right? Have your assistant send it to me tomorrow morning, and Iâll sign it right away.â
âItâs not necessary to go through so much trouble. I brought the contract with me,â Rachel replied. As she spoke, she took a document out of her handbag, uncapped the felt-tip pen, and handed the pen and the document to Mr. Wayne.
The room fell silent once again, whereas Mr. Wayneâs greasy face twitched. Obviously, he didnât expect Rachel to have such things prepared. âIt really is rather professional of you to bring the contract along while coming out for drinks, Chris.â
Rachel replied, âOpportunities are for those who are well-prepared, right?â
âGreat! Youâre simply great. As expected, youâre a clever woman who deserves to work beside Justin Burton.â Mr. Wayne pulled off his tie. Suddenly, he stood up and looked around him. âGet out, everyone.â
Everyone in the private room looked at each other, but none of them dared to say anything as they left, knowing what to do in such situations.
When the last person left the private room, Rachel stood up as well. She asked warily, âWhat do you mean by doing this, Mr. Wayne?â
Mr. Wayne threw his tie at Rachel right away with a sneer. âStop pretending. Why play this trick on me when you donât even bother to pretend? Letâs get even with one another today for what happened back then, shall we?â As he spoke, he unbuckled his belt right away and stepped toward Rachel.
Rachel took two steps back while reaching for her cell phone in her pocket. âWhat are you doing? This is a public place. Arenât you afraid that Iâll call the police?â
Mr. Wayne sneered. âCall the police? You can try to. This nightclub is now under my name, and the signal jammers have been switched on. Iâd like to see how youâre going to call the police.â
Rachelâs expression changed when she saw the words âNo signalâ on her phoneâs screen.
âGod knows how long I have been waiting for this day. Do you know how much trouble the incident back then caused me? I havenât been able to sleep at night all these years because Iâd been waiting to find you!â said Mr. Wayne as he stepped closer and closer toward Rachel.
Meanwhile, the latter kept backing away until she reached the door. She pushed the door handle, only to realize that the door couldnât be opened as it had been locked from the outside. âLet me out of here!â
âLet you out of here?â Mr. Wayne responded as if he had heard a joke. Then, he picked up the remote control, aimed it at the wall opposite him, and pressed a button.
The wall automatically split in two and opened up with a loud noise, revealing the hidden bedroom inside. The sight of the whip and the âinstruments of torture shining on the wall under the purple light made one shudder, but Mr. Wayneâs spirits soared. With a look of excitement and perversion on his face, he asked, âHow is it? Do you remember it now? Is it the same as the room back then?â
Rachelâs face turned as white as a sheet as a tingling sensation mixed with feelings of nausea instantly spread all over her body. What a pervert Mr. Wayne is-heâs simply a lunatic! He actually had an identical replica of the room back then hidden in the nightclubâs private room! she thought to herself.
The instant she came to her senses, she banged the door desperately. âOpen the door! Let me out!â
âItâs too bad that the only difference is that youâre no longer mute now.â Mr. Wayne eyed Rachel up and down. âHowever, it doesnât matter as long as you bite into this!â Then, he grabbed Rachelâs shoulder while holding a spherical object in his hand.
The night was already dark. After having dinner with Charlotte, Justin coaxed her to sleep since Rachel had yet to return home.
Charlotte could hardly keep her eyes open, but she insisted on waiting for Rachel to come back.
âDaddy, why isnât Mommy home yet?â
âMommy is too busy with work. You should sleep by yourself today, Charlotte.â
âIn that case, tell her to give me a kiss when she comes back. Iâll know it in my sleep.â
âAll right, my dear Charlotte.â
It wasnât until he heard the even breathing next to him that Justin got up and left the room. âSorry, but the number youâve dialed is currently unavailable. Please dial again later.â It was already 11.00PM, but he still couldnât reach Rachel on her cell phone. As he recalled what had happened during the day, his face slowly tensed up, and he called Frankie. âWhere is Rachel right now?â
âHasnât Miss Hudson gone back yet? I heard from Lisa that she received a phone call from Mr. Wayne before getting off work. He asked her out to discuss the contract.â
âSend me the address,â Justin uttered before leaving home at once.
The air was sultry in the midsummer night as Justin stood in front of the garage door with the car keys in his hand. After standing for half a second, he pulled the car door open and got into the driverâs seat.
As he gripped the steering wheel, his large hands trembled visibly for a moment, but he clenched the steering wheel and forcibly suppressed the feelings of unease soon afterward. With that, the sedan drove out of the villa area and disappeared into the night.