Chapter 242 Hoping to Come To a Happy Conclusion
Not long after Frankie stepped out, the originally closed office door suddenly opened a crack as he stuck his head back in and smiled meaningfully. “A bouquet of white tulips for your reservation would be a little drab, President Burton. Shall I have the florist add in a few splashes of color?”
Upon hearing that, Justin was stunned as he glared at him. “Don’t you want to keep your job?” It was noon and after putting her signature on a document, Rachel handed it to Lisa. “You can go and have lunch now.”
“What would you like, Miss Burton? I can bring you back something from the cafeteria.”
As Rachel opened her mouth to speak, her phone vibrated. Taking note of the caller ID, she told Lisa, “It’s fine; I’ll be going down for lunch as well in a bit.”
“Of course.”
The moment Lisa left, Rachel answered the call. “Hello?”
“Are you free, Miss Hudson? I am close to your workplace.”
“Is Old Mr. Burton done considering? Or does he wish to renegotiate terms with me?”
“He wanted me to give you something.”
In response, Rachel narrowed her eyes.
Close to Burton Group was a café. As it was separated from the building by only a single street, the Burton Group logo was clearly visible from the cafe’s window seats.
By the time Rachel arrived, Leon, the Burton Family butler, had been waiting on a booth seat for a while. “Have a seat, Miss Hudson.”
Upon seeing the contract-like document on the table, Rachel knew this conversation would not end quickly, so she pulled out a chair and sat down. “What did you want to give me?” she asked.
“This.” He placed a translucent plastic bag containing a USB stick on the table. “It contains the video and written evidence you wanted of Hans’ murder.”
“What is this, then?” She glanced down at the black document folder.
“This is a document that Old Mr. Burton hopes you will sign.” As Leon spoke, he slowly pushed the document folder over to her. “As long as you put your signature on it, the USB stick will be yours to do whatever you wish with. We won’t interfere whether that’s filing a police report or blackmailing the real murderer.”
“I take it from your words that Old Mr. Burton knows who the real murderer is.” Leon’s expression remained impassive and unchanging despite her blunt question. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get anything from him, Rachel caved in and flipped open the document. As she looked through it, she asked, “What is this?”
“Old Mr. Burton would like you to tender your resignation and leave the Burton Group of your own volition.”
“I can do that,” she answered without hesitation. “But I still have some work to hand over. Does Old Mr. Burton’s resignation deadline include the time I need to pass on my work to somebody else?”
“You’re a smart woman, Miss Burton. Of course you know it’s not as simple as making you resign. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to pay you the damages for breach of contract.”
After all, she was handling many of Burton Pharmaceuticals’ client resources right now, and she was pretty much in charge of the current batch of suppliers. If she didn’t hand those resources over before she left, Burton Pharmaceuticals would be left in chaos.
“I understand. Now, I can sign the document, but I must ascertain whether the video evidence you’re giving me is actually real.”
“I knew you would have such a worry.” He opened the laptop next to him and pushed it up to her. “You can see for yourself.”
As she inserted the USB stick into the computer and was about to open the video file, she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.
“There’s no need.” She lifted a pen and put her signature on the last page of the document.
Ultimately, she knew Arthur wouldn’t try to trick her with fake evidence, for once she was angered, she would disregard the document completely and stick by Justin’s side.
“Old Mr. Burton also says that he hopes this transaction will come to a happy conclusion.”
“Of course.” She picked up the USB stick and stood up. “We each have what we need. I have what I want and he can finally rest easy.” With that, she walked away.
After she left, Leon made a phone call. “I’ve done what you asked me to and had her put her signature on the document, Old Mr. Burton.”
“Good.”
In the summer villa at the other end of the line, Arthur had only just finished writing something in a cursive calligraphy script. Upon answering Leon’s call as he put down his pen, he continued, “Since you’re done, come back here. Don’t stay out too long or something bad might happen.”
“Of course, but there’s something I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Rachel was not at all hesitant about signing her name and she seemed to find no difficulty in leaving Young Master Justin.”
“She wouldn’t use him as a bargaining chip if she found it difficult,” Arthur answered calmly, seemingly having expected such an outcome. “She’s no longer the mute woman from five years ago who simply took whatever came her way. If someone wants something badly enough, ability and temperament come second. Most importantly, they must have one trait.”
“What’s that?”
“Ruthlessness.” Arthur looked down at the sheet of paper on his desk. Right in the middle of it was the word he had just written—‘ruthlessness’. It was full of curves and flourishes, even looking a bit savage, as if it might leap up from the page at any second. “You have to be ruthless to yourself in order to be ruthless to others. And if she was still that woman from all those years ago, I wouldn’t need to fear her so much.”
There was no way he could permit someone so ruthless to stay by Justin’s side.
Meanwhile, after receiving the evidence, Rachel went looking for Janice.
“Have you watched it?”
Rachel shook her head. “No, but it should be real.”
Noting her reluctance, Janice comforted, “It’s okay. There’s no need to force yourself.”
Perhaps it would be too cruel to make Rachel watch the image of Hans from all those years ago. This issue had tormented her for five years and that was long enough; there was no need to add another layer of hurt to her sorrow.
“I’ll import it into the computer for a look. Give me a moment.”
“That’s no problem. I’m not in a rush to get back home.” Looking out of the window, Rachel continued, “Can I go out into the courtyard for some fresh air?”
“Of course. You can wait for me outside.”
Pushing open the screen door, Rachel stepped outside. The courtyard still looked like it did all those years ago. According to Janice, the building remained standing solely because the old tree in the courtyard was now recognized and protected as an ancient tree, bringing the entire place into the spotlight along with it.
As Rachel walked up to the tree, she couldn’t help remembering the scene from all those years ago when Hans, Janice, and herself had sat there drinking tea. At the time, Hans and Janice were doing their best to help her investigate the truth behind her mother’s murder, looking through Hudson Family’s business records and advising her to flee the Burton Family…
In the blink of an eye, five or six years had passed.
“Rae!” Janice called out from inside the room. “Come here and take a look.”
“What’s the matter?”
“The video’s been edited.”
Startled, Rachel stared at the image on the screen for a long time before asking, “Is it missing anything?”
“Part of it has been deleted. Look here… and here…”Janice clicked on the images using her mouse. “These two images are obviously not linked. There’s a part in the middle where a man appeared that has been erased.”
“Did Arthur tamper with the video? Why would he want to do that?”
