Rachel immediately followed the sound and looked behind to find a snow-white cat on the back seat, ready to jump over her. Then she saw a little boy slowly straighten from under the back seat.
âLukas, I find Joey.â Rachel was relieved to find him in her car.
âHe is in my car!â
âIn your car?! Thenâ¦â Lukas was also surprised âIâll bring him back later. Donât worry. Heâs safe.â
Then, Rachel cut the call, angrily unfastened her seat belt, and got out of the car. In the car, Joey hugged Katie and wasnât sure whether he should get out or stay put. He couldnât make out from his motherâs expression whether she was angry or not.
Joey had planned to follow his mother quietly and find the right time to reveal himself. A time that would greatly reduce the probability of his motherâs anger. He lowered his head and glared at Katie, who was unaware of what she had done.
Joey pulled the catâs ears gently and said, âItâs all your fault. Didnât you promise that you wouldnât make a sound?â Katie thought that Joey was playing with her by pulling her ears, so she purred and licked the back of his hand.
Suddenly, the rear door opened. Rachel looked inside and said, âSo donât you want to get out of the car now? Are you planning on staying in the car?â
When Joey heard this, he knew he was wrong. He hugged Katie tightly and immediately got out of the car. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Joey admitted his mistake.
âMommy, Iâm sorry. I was wrong.â Rachel was stunned.
âAnd?â Rachel laughed angrily. âAnd? What else is there? Shouldnât you touch my head and hug me?
Shouldnât you tell me that I shouldnât do it next time?â
Joey was confused and blinked innocently.
âAndâ¦â
âJoey, I remember that I clearly refused your request to come with me, didnât I?â
In the past, it had not been a big deal. When they were at the allianceâs headquarters, Joey could do whatever he liked. That was because he was safe there. No one would dare to enter alliance to kidnap him and challenge the Red Hackers. But now they were in Apliaria, and Joey had been targeted.
Rachel had to be cautious because she didnât know who their enemies were.
Joey lowered his head sadly.
He could tell that his mother was really angry this time. Before, Joey used to hide in Quintinâs car and follow him all around the alliance island. She had never gotten so angry with him then. However, since he was more clever and sensitive than normal children, Joey could feel that his mother was nervous these days, and he didnât know why.
âMommy, Iâm sorry.â
âMiss Bennet?â
Andy had seen that Rachel drove her car to the Bennet familyâs underground garage, but she hadnât come up yet. He found it weird, so he took the initiative to go down to the garage and see why Rachel was taking so long.
Andy saw her from afar and called out to her. Only when he reached closer did he see a little boy standing in front of Rachel. Andy had seen Joeyâs photos, so he recognized him immediately.
Surprised, he asked, âYouâre Joe Bennet, right?â Only a few people knew Joeyâs nickname, and Andy had just taken his full name.
Confused, Joey raised his head and looked at Andy with a slight frown.
âIâm Andy. Your motherâs lawyer and friend.â Andy introduced himself. Joey remembered that he had once checked Andyâs profile. But the man in the photo had obviously been much younger than the man standing in front of him. That was why Joey had not recognized him immediately. Thinking that his mother was still angry with him, Joey had no interest in knowing Andy now. He turned to look at Rachel eagerly. Sensing the tension between the two, Andy asked, âWhatâs the matter? Whatâs wrong?â
âNothing. Letâs go up.â Because of Andy, Rachel couldnât say anything more to Joey. She decided that once they returned to Sue Garden, she would tell him the seriousness of what he did and not to repeat it ever.
Rachel then turned around and walked towards the garage door.
Joey was distressed when he saw that his mother didnât even glance at him. He stood still and quietly held the cat in his arms. Although Andy was not a psychologist, he became good at psychology since he dealt with different clients every day.
Also, the tension between the mother and son couldnât be ignored. He soon realized that he had interrupted an argument. No, to be precise, Joey must have angered his mother.
âCome on. Follow your mother. She is waiting for you,â Andy said in a gentle voice.
âMy mommy is angry with me. She will not wait for me.â Joeyâs mouth trembled as he felt a little regretful.
Andy smiled and said, âShe is your mommy. How can she be angry with you? Instead, she walked slowly so that you could catch up with her.â
Joey immediately raised his head and looked at Rachel.
Indeed, she was waiting for him at the garage door. His eyes lit up. With eager steps and Katie in his arms, Joey walked to Rachel. He grabbed ahold of her hand and said happily, âMommy!â
Rachel looked at him dotingly and said helplessly, âDonât ever do that again.â
âI promise I wonât. I will be obedient in the future.â Andy, who had been walking behind them looked at the back of Joeyâs head and said in a low voice, âThey really look alike!â Joey really looked a lot like Victor.
Although Victor thought that Joey was Odinâs son, Andy couldnât help but wonder whether they could hide the truth from Victor.
âHow long can we hide the truth from him?â
Once they reached the Bennet familyâs living room, Andy handed Rachel the well-made invite.
âIt was specially sent by the Salazar family.â Rachel took the invite and opened it. The first thing that caught her eye was Susanâs photo. Rachel turned the page and saw the contents.
The party would be held at seven oâclock tomorrow night at Waterfront Hotel.
âCorrect me if Iâm wrong. The Bennet Group and Salazar Group have no business cooperation, right?â
Rachel thought about it for a while and wondered whether she had missed something.
âNo, they donât.â Andy shook his head.
âThe Bennet Group has gone downhill in the past few years. Had it not been for your mother and her father, the Bennet family would have been forced out of Apliariaâs upper class.â
Now, the Bennet family was almost not in the upper-class circle, though. Rachel looked at the address on the invite. Since there were no business dealings between the families, it only meant that the invite was specially sent for her by Susan.
âMiss Bennet, if you would not like to attend, I send the Salazar family your regrets.â âNo, that wonât be necessary. Iâll go,â Rachel said as she closed the invite.