Chapter 5: Back To The Bennet Family
Trapped By Tainted Love
âWhatâs wrong, Viola? Have you forgotten about me because you havenât seen me for a long time?â
Rachel asked.
Viola Lyons swallowed hard nervously. For some reason, her feet felt cold.
âMi-Miss Rachel, youâre back,â she stammered.
Rachel took a step forward. âThatâs right. Iâm back, and Iâm staying this time. Viola, go clean up my bedroom.â
Viola lowered her gaze and pursed her lips, unable to respond. âHer bedroom?â Rachel didnât have a bedroom in this house anymore. Alice had already occupied her old bedroom.
However, Viola didnât want to say that out loud. If this had happened in the past, she wouldnât have hesitated to say it. However, it looked like Rachel had changed so much. She had become a terrifying woman, and Viola was so scared of her that it felt difficult to breathe.
âWhoâs home right now?â Rachel looked around and saw that the gardenâs layout hadnât changed in the past two years. Everything was the same as before.
âYour father, his wife, and Miss Alice are all here,â Viola replied.
âGreat! That saves me the effort of looking for them,â Rachel said as she walked through the front yard and entered the house.
Inside the living room.
âMom, which one looks better on me? This one or the previous one?â Alice asked, fiddling with the diamond necklace around her neck.
âSilly girl, the other one is more expensive. Youâre going to attend Mr. Sullivanâs banquet, so you should wear something more expensive.â The middle-aged woman grabbed the necklace on the table. It was embedded with a sapphire, and it looked more expensive and exquisite. Gently, she put it around Aliceâs neck.
Alice looked at the sapphire necklace and touched the gleaming gem. She couldnât resist the urge to smile at how beautiful it looked.
She put down her hand, walking to the other end of the sofa, sat down next to a middle-aged man, and held his arm.
âDad, look at it! Itâs beautiful, isnât it?â Alice asked, blinking her beautiful eyes.
Jack Jenkins looked at his daughter, caressing her head. âMy daughter is the most beautiful woman in the world. No matter what you wear, youâll look divine!â
Hearing that put a smile on Aliceâs face. âDad, if mom hears you say that Iâm the most beautiful in the world, sheâll get jealous.â
Caroline Jenkins chimed in, âWhy would I be jealous? You silly little girl. You enjoy making fun of me, donât you?â
Amused, Jack held Carolineâs hand and chuckled. âTo me, you and your mother are the most beautiful women in existence.â
Alice leaned against his shoulder and smiled, while Caroline lowered her head because she felt a little shy to hear that.
All of a sudden, they heard someone clapping.
The happiness dissipated from their faces when they saw who was at the door.
Rachel tilted her head and put down her hands. âWhat a happy family you all are. I am so moved by this scene. What about you, Mr. Torres?â
On their way to this villa, Andy learned that Rachel had been suffering these past few years. Initially, he believed that even after Elisaâs death, Rachel would live a comfortable life because she was the lady of a rich family, and she later married to Victor, a business tycoon.
Andy was filled with rage when he knew how miserable Rachelâs life was. He just stood there, looking at them with anger.
âRachel! What are you doing here?â Alice was the first to react.
Rachel scoffed at her, walked to the sofa, and sat down.
Meanwhile, Andy happened to hear Aliceâs question. He followed Rachel and stood behind her.
âMiss Jenkins, this is Miss Bennetâs house. If she wants to come back, sheâs permitted to do so whenever she wants.â
âWho do you think you are? Was I even talking to you?â Alice scolded Andy, and glared at him.
Courteou sly, he replied, âI am her personal lawyer.â
Alice snorted with disdain. âEveryone is claiming to be a lawyer these days. Rachel, Victor has thrown you out of his house, and you have nowhere else to go. Do you think you can come back and live here just because you hired a lawyer? No way! Get the hell out of here! Youâre not welcome in this household!â
After saying that, Alice strode forward and tried to grab Rachelâs arm, intending to drag her outside.
But to her surprise, Rachel managed to dodge her. Seconds later, Alice felt a stinging sensation in her neck, causing her to groan in pain and cover her neck.
Rachel, on the other hand, stood calmly as she held the necklace that Alice was wearing just now, albeit it had been stained with blood now.
âHow dare you?â Alice lost her temper. She immediately tried to hit Rachel, but there was an imperceptible smile on Rachelâs face. Just before Aliceâs hand could reach her face, Rachel grabbed Aliceâs wrist, and then she kicked her knee. And then she let go of her.
Alice cried out in pain.
She dropped to her knees, falling to the ground.
âAlice!â Caroline quickly went to her daughterâs side to help her up. She never imagined that this bitch, Rachel, would dare to hit her daughter.
Rachel looked at the necklace in her hand. âIf I remember correctly, this necklace is supposed to be mine, right?â
With a pale face, Alice gritted her teeth, trying to take back the necklace. âThatâs mine!â
However, Rachel withdrew her hand, and sat back on the sofa. âThis necklace is worth at least millions of dollars. Alice, didnât you tell me that you had no money to buy a dress worth only ten thousand dollars? You even manipulated me into buying it for you, remember? When did you become so rich to have a necklace like this?â
That statement made Aliceâs face turn ghastly pale. âThatâs none of your business! The necklace is mine! Give it back, or Iâm calling the police to arrest you for robbery!â
Rachel crossed her legs, leaned back against the sofa, and didnât say anything for a moment. She just looked at the three of them in silence.
Alice was scared by the way she was looking at them. She suddenly remembered what Rachel had told her three days ago. âI will make you suffer for what youâve done to me today!â
âYou see, sapphires are rare. Thatâs why every sapphire is engraved with a special serial number with a laser. Alice, you said that this necklace is yours, so you must know what that serial number is, right?â
Rachel said with derision.
Alice was dumbfounded. The serial number? Did sapphires have numbers? How was she supposed to know that? She just took this necklace from Rachelâs jewelry box that she left at home.
Looking a bit guilty, Alice retorted, âWho will pay special attention to a stupid serial number when they buy a necklace? The number is too long to remember!â
âOh, you donât remember, do you?â Rachel didnât seem to care what Alice had said. She just put on a sardonic smile to mock her.
âItâs okay. Since you bought this necklace, you should have an appraisal certificate. The serial number is written on it too. Once the police come, just take out the certificate and show it to them.â
Alice began to panic. Hesitantly, she stammered, âI- Iâ¦â
âWhat? Are you going to tell me that you lost the appraisal certificate?â Rachel saw through Aliceâs farce, so she interrupted her and continued, âItâs not a big deal if you lost the certificate. The police will look into it.â
Aliceâs face darkened.
At this moment, Rachel paused when she noticed that Alice fell silent. Seconds later, she asked, âWhatâs the matter? Didnât you want to call the police to arrest me for robbery? Go ahead, call them.â