Chapter 284 The Funeral
“I’ll say this once—Hernandez and I are innocent. As for you, have you forgotten about Amber’s relationship with you? Or me for that matter? Have you forgotten that the smuggling case related to Hudson Pharmaceuticals is still under investigation?
I wouldn’t be able to imagine why else would you have to see her other than because you’re still in love with her.” As soon as Justin heard that, he was at a loss for words. “Rachel, I—”
“Don’t touch me!” Rachel pushed his hand aside once again and left by slamming the door after her. Just then, there was a sound of ignition that echoed over.
Instantly, Justin took a few steps forward to chase after her, but he suddenly stopped by the doorway and watched as her car disappeared at the junction of their estate. He tightened his grip on the door frame and there was a flash of frustration that crossed his eyes.
Why has things gotten to this state? But then I really can’t tolerate her being with another man, no matter who it is! Meanwhile, Rachel directly drove off and headed to Jolly’s house.
Jolly was, in fact, fast asleep when Rachel arrived. However, the former came out of the bedroom upon hearing the sound of the door opening, and she saw Rachel walk in with a furious look on her face.
Just then, Jolly rubbed her eyes and she even thought that she was seeing things. “I thought you said that you wouldn’t be picking them up today?”
“I want to stay with you for a couple of days.”
Rachel placed down her car keys. “I’ll go and take a shower first.”
After she had said that, she immediately headed off into the bathroom without even bothering to say another word.
The water gushed out from the showerhead and Rachel lifted her head to immerse her whole face under the spray. She then scrubbed furiously at her face. Not only that, she grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth with all of her might. It was as if by doing so, she could then rid herself of that kiss from earlier.
She truly loathed Justin using such a rough manner to force himself on her just like he did earlier. Each time he did that, she would be reminded of the frightening marriage they had five to six years ago. His domineering and barbaric behavior was embedded deep in her mind.
After her shower, Rachel got out of the bathroom, only to find Jolly waiting for her.
With a thunk, Jolly opened a can of beer and lifted it in Rachel’s direction. “Let’s have a drink?”
Meanwhile, Rachel wrapped the towel she was using to dry her hair on her shoulders and she subsequently took the can of beer from Jolly. After downing half the can of the beer, she then sat down next to Jolly. At the same time, the television was on and there was a variety show playing, which was annoyingly noisy.
Just then, Jolly asked, “Do you feel better now?”
In response, Rachel nodded her head.
“Did Justin do something to you again?”
“No.”
“Stop lying to me. Each time you end up looking like this, it is always because of that guy. He’s such a troublemaker! He’s completely forgotten about the past and he gets to restart his life afresh, but how dare he be so wishful as to turn up innocently and ask to restart a life with you?”
Jolly was straight to the point but Rachel remained nonchalant. “There’s no way we can restart our life together. Everything has ended between us.”
“Is that true?”
“Are you doubting me?”
“I’m not doubting you.” Just then, Jolly took a sip of beer and leaned back on the couch as she wriggled her feet on the coffee table. “After all, he has forgotten about the past, so I was worried that he has indeed fallen in love with you right now and is deeply infatuated with you. Are you sure that you can withstand his romantic pursuits?”
“The moment I see him, I always recall the moment back in the hospital when he instructed his men to break Hans’ leg. Not to mention the time when I begged him to save Grandma, but he refused to.”
Just then, Rachel lowered her head and finished off the entire can of beer. Subsequently, she easily crushed the can and her action resulted in a loud ‘clacking’ noise. Soon after that, she lifted her arm and threw the can into the bin.
“Your worries are unfounded.”
Meanwhile, Jolly lifted her brows, “Okay. You can ignore my words then. How long do you plan on staying here?”
“I’ll stay here for the time being. I find the sight of him quite disgusting.”
At that point, Jolly was quite shocked by Rachel’s words.
Although Jolly realized that she shouldn’t, inexplicably though, she sympathized with Justin the b*stard.
In the end, Rachel stayed with Jolly for a few days until Wednesday, which was the day of Jefferey’s funeral.
Because of the smuggling case, those who had close ties with Jefferey avoided him like the plague so naturally, his funeral was quite deserted. It was only attended by the Hudson Family members and some of the old shareholders from Hudson Pharmaceuticals.
Hudson Pharmaceuticals was on the brink of bankruptcy, and the only solution right now was to sell it and find someone to take over the business.
The burial place was located in the countryside and it was the Hudsons’ private family cemetery.
Getting out of the car, Rachel was dressed in black and she had a white flower pinned to her chest.
Amber stopped Rachel in her tracks with a darkened expression upon seeing the latter walk in. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m part of the Hudson Family, after all, so why aren’t I allowed here?”
“You’re part of the Hudson Family? If you had actually considered yourself to be a Hudson, would you have caused my dad’s death? The entire Riverdale knows that it was Rachel Hudson who sacrificed her own family for the sake of justice and reported her own father to the authorities!”
“You do realize too that I did that to uphold justice. He did make a mistake and should be punished for it.”
“Do not talk to me about all these! He’s my dad! Despite what he’s done, he is still my father after all.”
“Amber,” Suddenly, a cold male voice rang out from behind Amber. “Stop making a scene at the funeral. There’s a lot of people around.”
It was Justin who spoke.
After their fight the last time, Rachel hadn’t seen him at all in the last three days, so it was quite clear why he suddenly appeared at the scene right now.
On the surface, Hudson Pharmaceuticals was a mess right now but in fact, the company had a good foundation so there were plenty of people who were keen to take over the business. Justin was one of them.
“Justin, my dad won’t be able to rest in peace with her around.”
Just then, Rachel came to her senses and she coldly shot a look at Amber. “Don’t worry. I’m just taking the opportunity to speak to the elders present today, then I’ll leave immediately. I won’t hold you up any further.”
Suddenly, Amber panicked. “What are you trying to do?”
Meanwhile, Rachel remained indifferent. “I would like to purchase the shares each one of you possess. I’m willing to pay ten percent higher than the market rate.”
Just then, there was an uproar.
As soon as Rachel finished her sentence, every single shareholder of Hudson Pharmaceuticals, who was here for the funeral, exchanged shocked looks with each other.
Amber’s expression changed in the blink of an eye. “Are you trying to take over Hudson Pharmaceuticals? How dare you?!”
“How dare I attempt this?” Rachel maintained a neutral expression. “Do you still think that Hudson Pharmaceuticals is well sought after? It’s either the company files for bankruptcy or some other company takes over the business, and Hudson Pharmaceuticals will cease to exist in the pharmaceutical industry. However, if they sell their shares to me, then I’ll definitely be able to restore Hudson Pharmaceuticals back to its former glory.”
Just then, all of the shareholders had joyful expressions on their faces.
“Rachel, are you being serious? Do you have a solution?”
“Yeah! Are you seriously interested in buying all of our shares?”
Everyone was quite worried that their shares would end up worthless if Hudson Pharmaceuticals filed for bankruptcy. No one would be interested in buying the shares. However, they didn’t quite know what to do about it because they were mindful of their close ties with the Hudson Family. Now that Rachel was willing to take over their shares, then it was great news for them because their interest was maintained and at the same time, they didn’t have to forsake their relationship with the Hudsons too.
However, Amber’s voice rang out and took dominance over the other voices even before Rachel could respond.
“This is such a joke! We have such a long history in the pharmaceutical industry, so do you actually think that the business would just go bust suddenly?! You’re just saying that you’ll restore the business back to its former glory once you gain control of it. Everyone, please don’t be fooled by her words. She’s just being the representative for Carter Enterprise. She’ll purchase the shares under her name for now but after that, she will definitely merge Hudson Pharmaceuticals with Carter Enterprise.”
