Chapter 266 My Uncle Wants to Kill You?
“Mommy, the veggies are bitter.” “No, they’re not. Only by eating vegetables will you grow taller with balanced nutrition,” Rachel coaxed Charlotte. “Whoever finishes eating the veggies first will get to eat ice cream when we get home tonight.”
Charlotte’s eyes lit up at Rachel’s words. After whisking the vegetables in her bowl into her mouth in several mouthfuls, she slurred, “I finished my lunch!”
“Slow down when you eat.” Rachel wiped the food off the corner of Charlotte’s mouth. “Have some more of the fish.” “Okay.”
Justin was somewhat lost in thought upon seeing how Rachel looked after the kids. I must have been crazy to divorce this woman five years ago. What kind of benefits can compare to having such a wonderful woman by my side?
Victor waved his hand before Justin’s eyes with a peevish expression. “Hey! Have you had enough of watching her?”
Justin knocked his hand off. “I can watch her for as long as I want to. That’s none of your business!”
“I can place my hand wherever I want to. That’s none of your business too!”
“Picking a quarrel, huh?”
“What’s the matter? You wanna pick a fight?”
Justin raised his eyebrows at once. Just as he was about to put down his lunchbox, he suddenly thought of something and shot a dismissive glance at Victor. “I’m not gonna argue with you. Don’t think about taunting me into fighting with you.” Rachel hates me fighting with other people more than anything else. From today onward, I’ll refrain from using violence unless necessary. “Have some strawberries.” He moved closer to Rachel while putting the washed fruits next to her.
Rachel refused to go along with him, though. She darted a look at the lunchbox in his hand, saying, “You didn’t touch the food at all. Are you dissatisfied with the food here? You’d better go back as early as possible lest you be famished.”
“Who said that? I’m very satisfied with the food.” Fearing that Rachel might not believe him, Justin ate a big mouthful of the food. Then, he praised, “You’re so good at cooking. The food you make smells especially appetizing.”
Rachel threw him a disdainful look.
Samuel tugged at Justin’s sleeve next to him while pouting his lips toward the serving tray. “These are made by the cooks of the school canteen.” It’s hopeless that he tried to suck up to her and ended up rubbing her the wrong way instead.
Nevertheless, the two kids had a great time during the outdoor activity. After the activity ended in the afternoon, Charlotte won first prize in the sports meet, and she was beside herself with joy while holding a cartoonish thermos in her arms.
The girl kept talking on their way back, saying, “Look, Daddy—this is my prize! Do you know what prize this is? This is the prize for the person who won first place. I want to take part in sports meets again in the future…”
After a long while, the girl quieted down. When Rachel saw the two kids sleeping with their eyes closed through the rearview mirror, she slowed down the car and shot a glance at Justin next to her. “How did you get the car here? You can’t drive.”
“The chauffeur drove the car here, but I told them to leave first.”
Rachel was rendered speechless by the man’s confident reply.
The mountain road was very smooth with few bumps along the way, so the two kids slept very soundly.
Rachel asked, “Why do we have to go back in your car? Do you also think that your uncle will attempt to kill me again?”
Justin replied, “I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly after we get back to Riverdale. For the time being, the security at home will be heightened, so you don’t have to worry about the kids’ safety. I’m more worried about you.” One could tell from his reply, which evaded the major issue, that he didn’t want Rachel and Jason to come into conflict with one another. After all, Jason was his second uncle.
However, Rachel said, “I’d advise you not to look into the matter or get involved in your uncle’s affairs.”
“Why?”
“There are some things that Old Mr. Burton probably doesn’t want you to know.”
For a company to be as successful as the Burton Group, it had to gain a foothold somewhere. This depended not only on a business prodigy like Justin, but also the protection by some underworld connections. This was because the more successful a business was, the more liable it was to attacks. An expanded business was bound to cause market disputes. The industries of the same trade would come up with an endless stream of competitive strategies, so a careless mistake would cause the company to be uprooted. When that happened, the underworld connections would be of use. Hudson Pharmaceuticals engaged in smuggling and other crimes back then because it could no longer make money on the surface.
Rachel didn’t know what the Burton Group had done in secret. At present, however, it was apparent that Arthur wanted to train Jason to embark on a dark path. Janice had told her that Arthur had the ability to let Jason stay in the Burton Group back then, but instead of doing so, he had Jason change his name and gradually distance himself from the family. After five years, even the members of the Burton Family had almost forgotten about the existence of such a man.
Just then, Rachel heard Justin asking next to her, “What do you know, Rachel?”
Rachel replied, “I don’t know anything.” All she knew was that Jason wanted to kill her at the moment, so there had to be something on her that he was afraid of. What is it, then?
It was already dark when the car reached the downtown area of Riverdale. As soon as they reached the Burton Residence, they saw Dennis and the car parked at the gate from a distance.
With a slight frown, Rachel switched the car’s headlights to low-beam ones and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
Justin was annoyed as soon as he got out of the car and saw Dennis. “Why are you here?”
“Young Master Justin, did you forget about the family dinner today? Old Mr. Burton expressly had me pick you up.”
“Didn’t I say that I wouldn’t be joining the dinner because I couldn’t make it?”
Dennis raised his wrist to look at his watch. “It’s still early, so you’ll still be able to make it if you go right now. By the way, Young Master Julian is also there today. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Justin pretended as though he didn’t hear Dennis’ words, though. Seeing that Rachel was holding Charlotte in her arms, he carried Samuel out of the car and headed straight into the residence.
“Young Master Justin…”
After sending the two kids back to their respective rooms, Rachel stood by the window and lifted a corner of the curtain to take a look. “Dennis is still there. He’s standing at the gate.”
Justin didn’t want to join the family dinner at first, but a hint of chilliness crept into his eyes when he thought of what Jason had sent his men to do. “I’ll come back as soon as possible. Go to sleep early with the kids.”
Rachel sat by the bed and tucked Samuel in without saying a word.
The sound of the car engine downstairs slowly faded away.
Justin sat in the car, his expression darkened. “The family dinner would’ve ended long ago by the time I get back. Did Grandpa insist that I go back because he wanted to say something to me?”
Dennis replied, “I can’t speculate about what Old Mr. Burton thinks.”
“You’re already able to read Grandpa’s mind after working for him for so many years. How could you not know what he thinks?”
“Young Master Justin, you shouldn’t go against Old Mr. Burton no matter what. Old Mr. Burton loves you more than anyone else in the world does. Whatever he does or says, it’s for your own good.”
“For my own good? Is that why he treats me like a fool and tells me nothing about what happened five years ago?”
“Young Master Justin—”
“That’s enough. As it happens, I have something to ask Grandpa about. There’s no need to make up so many excuses just to make me go back.”
Dennis frowned, but he couldn’t say anything else.
