Chapter 422 Rival in Love
Valentina and Javier were both covered in dust.
Javier's eyes were teary, like he'd just been crying.
Oscar wasn't looking at Valentina; he was glaring at Elijah.
Elijah, feeling guilty, said, "Mr. Brown, I know I messed up."
"You'll handle all the work tonight," Oscar snapped.
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone started moving again.
Valentina had hurt her leg and couldn't walk far, so a soldier carried her.
Paloma noticed and said to Pearl, "I've never seen her before. Looks like they rescued her and her kid."
Pearl replied, "Probably. There are lots of refugees around."
Paloma added, "Why let her join the team with so many of them?"
"Stop talking like that," Pearl said, noting Paloma's bluntness.
On the soldier's back, Valentina looked at Oscar and asked him to catch up.
"Mr. Brown," she called out.
Oscar didn't turn around. "What do you want?"
Valentina said, "I went to find you last night. They said you were resting, so I didn't go in. I talked to Elijah about picking coffee beans. We didn't get much, but it's enough for you."
She wanted to impress Oscar.
But Oscar said, "Don't bother. Just take care of your kid."
"I want to help you," Valentina insisted.
Elijah sensed something was off. He realized he might have backed the wrong person.
"No need," Oscar refused and walked faster, moving next to Pearl.
Elijah suddenly realized she was the woman from last night.
He hadn't seen Pearl's face clearly before, but seeing how close Oscar was to her and how he gave her knee pads, he understood their relationship was special.
Valentina's words didn't seem as threatening anymore.
Paloma, who had overheard, pursed her lips. Even a fool could see Valentina liked Oscar. She said to Pearl, "I thought she went up the mountain for something important, but she was just trying to impress him!"
Pearl was confused. She didn't know there was a woman with a child in their group.
She turned and saw Oscar walking beside her.
It was clear Oscar didn't like being near Valentina.
Elijah caught up, wanting to understand more, until he saw Pearl's profile and was shocked.
"Ms. Harris!"
Pearl turned. "Yes, it's me."
"What are you doing here!" Elijah was overjoyed. "I thought I was dreaming. Now I'm relieved. Seeing you again makes me so happy."
He punched Nicholas in the chest. "Why didn't you tell me earlier!"
Nicholas, clutching his chest, said, "Shouldn't you have known? Do I need to spell it out?"
Elijah felt foolish for doubting it was Pearl when he saw her.
"Of course I knew," Elijah said. "But I didn't get a chance to see her. Where's Barbara? Isn't she with you?"
Pearl's face changed. "Barbara and I got separated. I don't know where she is now. I want to find her too."
Elijah paused. "We'll find her when we can. With her experience, she should be okay."
Pearl was still unsure if Barbara was alive or had escaped. She knew she had to infiltrate RavenWing's territory eventually.
Valentina noticed how close Oscar and Pearl were. She quickly realized Pearl was the woman Elijah mentioned yesterday.
Valentina had been the only woman in the unit. Pearl's presence made her feel insecure.
To draw attention, Valentina looked at Javier.
Suddenly, Javier started crying, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Javier, what's wrong?" Valentina said worriedly. "Put me down quickly. I need to check on my child."
The soldier put Valentina down, and she hobbled over to comfort Javier.
Javier kept crying.
"Valentina, why is Javier crying?" Elijah asked. "Did he get hurt earlier?"
"I don't know," Valentina said with red eyes, then looked at Oscar. "Mr. Brown, why don't you hold Javier? I can't comfort him, and he always listens to you."
"Maybe if you hold him, he won't cry."
Pearl was stunned. She looked at Valentina, then at Javier. It seemed Javier was very dependent on Oscar.
Oscar said coldly, "I'm on a mission. You're his mother. If you can't comfort him, who can?"
Paloma chimed in, "Yes, if you can't comfort your child, who can? Mr. Brown isn't here to babysit. You're going too far."
Valentina quickly said, "I didn't mean that. I just thought Mr. Brown could make him happy. Javier likes Mr. Brown the most!"
"I'll do it," Luciana said. "Don't bother Mr. Brown."
Luciana put down her basket and took Javier.
Valentina hadn't planned for this. She thought Oscar would hold Javier's hand like the first time he saw her.
Maybe it was fate.
Javier lost his father, and Oscar appeared in her life.
But now, a rival had appeared.
Valentina was flustered.
Seeing that Oscar wasn't buying it, Valentina decided to join in. "I don't think I've seen you before, but it looks like you're from the same place as Mr. Brown."
"Yes," Pearl responded politely.
Valentina smiled and said gently, "Hello, I'm Valentina. Mr. Brown probably hasn't mentioned me. They rescued me along the way, and Mr. Brown took pity on me, so I've been traveling with the unit ever since."
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