Chapter 62 Infuriating Ethan
Rachel rubbed her temples and let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, I didn't think she'd have the guts."
She gave a quick rundown of what had happened at the resort, keeping her voice steady even though the memories were pretty unsettling.
After hearing her out, Robert's grip on his phone tightened, a flicker of anger in his eyes. "Rachel, how are you holding up?" he asked, trying to keep his tone cool, but his concern was obvious.
Rachel didn't catch the tension and replied softly, "I'm okay, just a mild concussion. A few days of rest should do the trick."
Robert forced a smile, but his voice still gave away his worry. "That's good to hear. I gotta get to work now. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, take care. Bye-bye," Rachel nodded, her voice warm.
"Goodbye!" Robert said before hanging up. Then he sent a text with a blank expression: [There's something I need you to handle.]
The reply came quickly: [Got it!]
Robert stared at Rachel's smiling face on his phone screen, his thumb gently brushing over it. His usually gentle face had a hint of coldness. He had lived in the shadows until Rachel came into his life. Anyone who dared to hurt her would pay the price!
Over at TriStar Corporation, Ethan was in the middle of a meeting about the first villa district when his assistant burst in, looking anxious. "Mr. Brown, there's a problem!"
Ethan paused the meeting, noting the assistant's serious expression. "What is it?"
The assistant leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
Ethan's face darkened. "Really?"
"Absolutely!" the assistant confirmed, urgency in his voice.
Ethan was livid and slammed his hand on the table. "Rachel is so audacious!" he snapped.
Not only had Rachel snagged the downtown lot he wanted for the villa district, but she also taunted him online. It was a clear provocation, an insult!
"Mr. Brown, what's going on?" someone asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Ethan took a deep breath, barely containing his anger. "It's nothing. Meeting adjourned!"
He stormed out of the room and called Michael, his steps quick and determined. "Michael, did you give Rachel the downtown lot?" he demanded.
Meanwhile, Michael was entertaining Joseph at a club. The room was noisy, filled with laughter and chatter, so he stepped out to the balcony for some quiet. "Did Mandy tell you?" he asked.
Ethan's eyes widened, his grip on the phone tightening. "She knew too?"
"Yes," Michael confirmed, his voice calm but firm.
Ethan was both confused and annoyed. "What the heck is going on? Why did you give the land to Rachel? She even posted the deed online, making it look like praise but with hidden jabs. How am I supposed to save face? Everyone in Summit Ridge District knows I was set on that land. Now, with Rachel doing this, who knows how many people are laughing at me!"
Michael's eyes narrowed slightly. Did Rachel really post the deed online?
"Michael, are you listening?" Ethan's voice rose.
Michael snapped back to attention. "Yeah, sorry, Mr. Brown. I didn't know Rachel would do that."
Ethan snorted, "Tell me, why did you give her that land? Are you still hung up on Rachel? Michael, remember your status. You're Mandy's fiancé, and you two are a perfect match. You're getting engaged at the end of the year!"
Mentioning his engagement to Mandy, Michael felt a wave of resistance. He didn't dig into why, just felt tired and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I get it. I have no interest in Rachel. Giving her the land was for Mandy's sake. Mr. Brown, this time Mandy almost made a huge mistake."
"Oh?" Ethan's expression turned serious, his brows furrowing. "Tell me."
"Mandy poured body wash in front of Rachel's bathroom door, nearly endangering her life. Rachel has evidence and wanted to send Mandy to jail. I used a commercial port and that lot to settle the matter," Michael said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Ethan was silent for a moment, his mind racing. He sighed, "I get it, Michael. Thanks for handling it."
"No problem. But you need to have a serious talk with Mandy. I can cover for her now, but I can't protect her forever. Do you understand?" Michael's face was cold, his eyes complex.
Ethan caught the warning in his tone and realized Michael was fed up with Mandy's antics.
Mandy had always seemed pure and kind to Michael, but this stunt was shocking and disappointing. If there were more incidents like this, Michael would cut ties with her. No man wanted to marry someone who could bring disaster one day.
"Okay, Michael, don't worry. I'll talk to Mandy," Ethan promised, his voice firm.
With a determined look, he instructed his assistant, "Get the car ready, I'm heading home!"
Half an hour later, Ethan arrived at the Brown family residence.
The butler, Matthew Taylor, greeted him. Ethan took off his coat and handed it to Matthew. "Where are Charlotte and Mandy?"
"They're in the room," Matthew replied, draping Ethan's coat over his arm.
Ethan nodded and headed upstairs, his steps heavy with determination.
In the upstairs bedroom, Charlotte and Mandy were sitting at the foot of the bed, flipping through a photo album together.
"Mom, do you remember this photo?" Mandy pointed to a picture of herself, her voice light and nostalgic.
Charlotte gently combed her long hair, a soft smile on her lips. "How could I forget? This was taken when you were six. You played hide and seek and hid so well that I searched the whole world for you. I was scared to death, thinking you were lost, but you had fallen asleep in the attic."
"I remember. When I woke up and came downstairs, I saw you crying and calling the police," Mandy recalled, her eyes twinkling with the memory.
Charlotte's smile dimmed slightly, a trace of barely noticeable hatred in her eyes. When her child went missing, how could she not cry and call the police? Back then, she had thought Mandy had been taken by Henry, too. Fortunately, it had been a false alarm.
As Mandy flipped through the album, a yellowed photo slipped to the floor. She bent down to pick it up. The photo showed a smiling baby, a few months old, very cute and endearing.
However, Mandy didn't like the baby in the photo. She felt disgust, even hatred, but she concealed her emotions and handed the photo to Charlotte, smiling, "Mom, is this my sister?"
Charlotte caressed the photo of her eldest daughter, her eyes moistening, and nodded gently, "Yes, this is your sister Grace."
Noticing Charlotte's longing for Grace, Mandy couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She put the photo back in the album and closed it.
Then, she took Charlotte's arm, leaned on her shoulder, and said sweetly, "Mom, you always get sad when you talk about Grace. Let's not mention her. Grace wouldn't want to see you unhappy."
Mandy thought, 'Even now, she is stealing mom's focus from me. No way!'
Charlotte didn't notice Mandy's thoughts, thinking she was just being considerate, and smiled indulgently. "Okay, we won't mention her."
Just then, the door opened, and Ethan walked in with a grim face.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
