Chapter 32
Rachel glanced at James's bruised and swollen face, let out a deep sigh, and without saying a word, opened the car door and got in.
James slid into the passenger seat, trying to make himself comfortable, but his long legs were all cramped up in her standard model car. "What a piece of junk," he muttered. "Didn't you think to ask my brother for a car when you split up?"
"If you don't like it, get out," Rachel snapped back, not in the mood to coddle him. "Go ride in your brother's fancy car."
James went quiet. They quickly arrived at the underground garage of Starglow Valley Estates. As soon as Rachel got out, James followed her, still running his mouth. "I heard the housing prices here are sky-high. Did you sell the house, or did my brother give you money when you divorced? Are you nuts? No one would blame you for asking him for some cash!"
Rachel ignored him, acting like he wasn't even there. When they reached her floor, she used her fingerprint to get in, and James managed to slip in just before the door closed. Despite his anger, he held back, knowing he needed a place to crash for the night.
Seeing Rachel head to the control panel in the kitchen, James yelled, "I want beef noodles, two bowls!"
Even though he couldn't stand Rachel, he had to admit her cooking was pretty good. Back when Rachel was still with the Smith Family, she used to make his school lunches. After she left, Emily hired a chef who claimed to be from a five-star hotel, but the food was awful compared to Rachel's.
"Plain noodles, take it or leave it!" Rachel didn't even look back, her voice cold. "The first aid kit's in the second drawer of the storage cabinet. Get it yourself."
'What's going on? She just split with Micheal, and now she's acting like a whole new person,' James thought as he grudgingly fetched the first aid kit, sprayed some medicine on his facial wounds, and wandered into the guest bedroom.
He noticed it was empty and then peeked into the master bedroom. There were only Rachel's clothes and cosmetics, no sign of another guy. This piqued his curiosity about Robert. He couldn't resist snooping and found an old tin box on a desk by the floor-to-ceiling window. Inside, he discovered yellowed envelopes filled with letters.
Out of curiosity, James picked up a letter and opened it, revealing that Rachel had been exchanging letters with a pen pal named Paul, telling him funny stories from her daily life and inquiring about his grandmother's health.
James glanced at the date at the bottom of the letter and chuckled. "Rachel had a pen pal named Paul while she was in school? How did she not get scammed?"
'Now it makes sense. Rachel's become so different since the divorce; she must have ever been this restless before the marriage!' he thought.
Rachel's voice cut through the kitchen, sharp and impatient. "Ten seconds, James. If you don't come eat, I'm tossing it!"
'Unbelievable, she's threatening me now!' He crumpled the letter and shoved it into his school uniform pocket, vowing silently, 'I have to get this back to Micheal, to reveal that she was into online dating back in her school days!'
James was fuming but gave in, sitting down to a bowl of beef noodles. As he ate, Rachel asked, "So, why'd you get into a fight?"
"None of your business," James mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.
"Fine," Rachel shrugged. "I'll just call your brother then."
James went quiet, then grudgingly admitted, "There's a girl in my class they bully. Cut her hair. I couldn't just stand by, so I fought them."
Rachel looked at him, surprised. "Didn't expect you to be so chivalrous."
Given James's bad temper and that he used to target her when she was with the Smith Family, Rachel never cared about his affairs, always letting Michael handle them.
James retorted, "I just couldn't stand a few guys bullying a girl." Changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, where's that gigolo, Robert? I don't see any men's clothes here."
Rachel, annoyed by his snooping, coolly replied, "Robert isn't here, but there's indeed a gigolo, right in front of me."
James was stunned for a moment. Then he quickly got her meaning and choked on his noodles.
"You're shameless!" James cursed, his face turning red with anger. "I'm only sixteen, and I'm your ex-husband's younger brother. How dare you think like that!"
Rachel leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "Do I still have an image to uphold in your mind? Don't you already think I want to hook up with any man I meet?"
James was left speechless. After finishing his meal, he stubbornly refused to leave, insisting on crashing on the couch. Rachel, determined to get rid of him, reached for her phone.
Seeing she was dialing Michael, James lunged, trying to grab the phone. "Don't call him, hang up!"
"If you don't leave, I'll call your brother." Rachel dodged, not letting him grab the phone.
James shouted, "Please!"
Rachel insisted, "No way. Either leave, or I'll call your brother."
When the call connected, James managed to snatch the phone from Rachel and hang up, causing her to fall onto the couch. Her head hit hard, and in the tussle, her sweater rode up, exposing a tattoo on her waist. James noticed the letters "Mic."
"Mic?" he squinted, then realized what it meant. "You tattooed my brother's name on your body?"
Rachel, regaining her composure, was about to respond when the doorbell rang.
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