Chapter 93
My Mute Bride
Chapter 93 Acquiring Hudson Pharmaceuticals âAfter your mother passed away, you lost your voice during the huge fire. For the sake of your safety, I told Jefferey that you were the only one who knew about the medicinal recipes. That was why he agreed to bring you back into the Hudson Family. That was also how the public recognized you as an illegitimate daughter of the Hudsons,â Nancy said.
But I donât remember any of the medicinal recipes.
âYour memories are engraved within you, Rachel. Iâm sure you remember everything that your mother had ever told youâyou simply lost your memories temporarily. Youâll recall all of it someday.â Nancy pulled out a picture of Selenaâthe same black and white picture that was on the tombstone.
Rachel felt her heart aching when she saw the picture, and tears trickled down her cheeks without any warning. Nancy teared up as she pulled the young girl in for a hug. âMy darling, if Selena is watching from above, sheâd be pleased to see what a beautiful and kind woman youâve turned into.â
Rachel cried for a long while after that. Whatever she had just heard was simply too much to process.
No matter how harsh Jefferey had been toward her in the past, she had always treated him as her father. She had always believed that a parent would care for their child regardless of how harsh they might be. However, it turned out that he wasnât her father at allâthat explained why he was so heartless toward her. She brushed her tears off as she recalled what Janice had told her. Grandma, do you remember what the person who killed my mother looks like?
Nancy clenched her fists. âIâd recognize that person even if he turned into ashes. He was a vicious killer; he set the whole mountain on fire to destroy all evidence. He nearly killed all of the villagers there.â Rachel hastily unlocked her phone to look for an image of a wanted man before showing it to Nancy.
âHeâs the one. I recall how he had a large mole on his face.â Nancyâs voice was trembling, and her face was pale as she recalled the terrifying memories of her past. Rachel tightened her grip on her phone as she tried to calm herself down. She wanted to avenge her motherâs death, and she wanted these people to pay for what they had done.
The skies were turning dark, and Hans stepped out of the car when he saw Rachel coming out of the building. âAre you okay?â
Rachel shook her head. Grandma told me the whole story. Iâll tell you about it when we get into the car.
âOkay.â Hans pulled the car door open. âLetâs talk in the car.â They were talking when a shrill siren interrupted their conversation. Rachel looked up to see a black MPV on the street opposite them. Her face turned pale immediately.
âWhat is it?â Hans could sense that something was wrong with Rachel.
She didnât have the chance to respond to him as her phone kept ringing in her pocket. Her hands were trembling when she pulled her phone out to look at the caller ID. âIâll give you one minute to walk over and get into the car.â The manâs voice on the other end of the phone was deep and stern.
âRachel,â Hans said when he noticed the car opposite them. He held onto her arm. âIs that him?â
She gritted her teeth as she pushed Hans aside. You should leave now. Iâll text you later. Rachel hurried toward the opposite side of the street after that. Justin was a man who didnât take no for an answerâHans might be in danger if she made Justin wait for a while more.
The man in the black MPV wore an icy, forbidding expression on his face. His still, dark eyes were so terrifying that anyone who looked into it would feel their hearts pounding with fear. Justin stared out the car window to look at the man in front of the white car parked opposite the street.
Rachel got in from the other side of the car. âLetâs go,â Justin ordered coldly. The MPV left the alleyway right after that. Justin didnât utter a single word on the way back, and the silence only made Rachel more fearful. She felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat. The driver didnât head in the direction of the Burton Residence. Rachel felt herself getting more terrified as the roads outside looked increasingly unfamiliar to her.
They arrived at a villa on the outskirts of town. Justin removed his coat and threw it on the couch the moment he stepped into the house. Rachel, on the other hand, hesitated when she arrived at the doorstep. She glanced around to see that the interior of the house was modern and brand-new. In fact, the insides still had the smell of a newly-renovated house. There wasnât a single soul in the large building.
Justin loosened his tie before he abruptly turned to face Rachel. âAh!â She screamed as she felt as if her scalp was about to be torn apart. Justin had grabbed onto a handful of her hair before he shoved her against the wall. âYou disappeared for two whole days because you went to meet that guy, right?â
She was close to fainting because of the pain. Her face was filled with terror as she looked up at him.
âHans Egerton, a Master of Laws graduate from California State University and a relatively well-known young lawyer⦠Why are you meeting a lawyer behind my back? What are you trying to do? Are you going to get a divorce?â
She shook her head frantically as she tried to push him away.
âWhat sort of reason are you planning to give, then? Domestic abuse? Or something else? Huh?â
Justin tugged onto her hair and flung her aside.
With a loud cry, she stumbled and fell onto the couch. When she next looked up, Justin had already stepped closer to her. âTell me, what are you trying to do?â
Rachel edged away from him fearfully. Both her legs were shaking uncontrollably. No. Iâve never thought of getting a divorce.
âWhy are you meeting a lawyer, then?â
I⦠I just wanted to ask him about some other things.
âWhat other things?â
She gritted her teeth as she hastily came up with a random excuse. It has to do with my inheritance in the Hudson Family.
âOh? Is that all?â
Thatâs all.
âReally? Are you sure youâre not hiding anything from me?â Justinâs gaze was stony and graveâeven the last hint of humanity had disappeared. âDoesnât he have any other relationship with you apart from meeting you as a lawyer?â
Rachel jolted with surprise.
âI heard that a womanâs first love is the hardest one to let go of, isnât that right?â The manâs eyes were filled with jealousy. Rachel felt as if she was falling into an endless pit. Her face turned pale as she realized somethingâJustin knew about this all along!
The very next moment, she let out another cry as Justin tugged her up from the couch by grabbing onto her hair. When she fell back onto the couch, he pressed his fingers against both sides of her cheeks as he hissed at her. âYou used Julian as a shield so that I wouldnât find out about this first love of yours.
You sure put in a lot of work just to achieve this!â
She couldnât provide him with any other response apart from wailing in agony. The searing pain in her scalp made her feel as if she was about to pass out, but Justin didnât show a hint of pity toward her as he tore the collar of her shirt open.
âWhich part of you has he laid his hands on? Here? Or here?â Rachelâs figure trembled with fear that seemed to fill all of the bones in her body. Her face was the color of paper as she glared at Justin with her bloodshot eyes. She couldnât make a sound at all.
All of a sudden, she felt a surge of energy coming from within her, and she used it to shove the man off of her. Bang! He fell back against the coffee table, and he let out a painful groan as he tried to sit himself upright. His hand was covered in blood when he reached and felt the back of his head.
For some reason, Justin seemed to calm down as he sat on the ground and stared at his bloody hand.
âThatâs impressive. What is this? Are you trying to protect your own body for the sake of that man?â
Donât you dare come any closer to me. Rachel was shaking, and her hands were trembling as she signed the words that she wanted to say to him. You only got married to me because you want to control the Hudson Family, and I can help you with that.
âWhat help can you provide?â Justin scoffed. âDid you forget that youâre just an illegitimate daughter?
The only purpose you serve is to keep me entertained in bedâyou arenât of any other value to me.â
I can help you to acquire Hudson Pharmaceuticals.