Chapter 353 He Wasn’t Drunk at the Time
Old Mr. Burton proposed that himself? How is that possible? Rachel tightened her grip on her cell phone at once. “Jolly, come back as soon as possible. I need to go out.”
Rachel hung up before Jolly could finish her sentence. Then, she picked up her car keys and left home without having the time to tell Samuel and Charlotte about it. Because of what had happened to Hans and Nancy, she had been unable to get along calmly with Justin, for she couldn’t help feeling that doing so would be a betrayal to them.
But at the end of the day, she was the actual root of what had happened five years ago. If only the fire didn’t break out over 20 years ago; if only I didn’t save the abducted Justin back then; if only Justin didn’t get abducted; if only… Unfortunately, there’s no way to turn back time.
Hearing the sound of the door being closed outside, Samuel turned to look at Charlotte in the bedroom, saying, “Mommy’s gone as well. What happened to Justin is so terrible. He’s been removed from his position in the company. From now on, he’s no longer the Burton Group’s president. He’s penniless, and he lost both his daughter and his wife.” He threw up his hands and shook his head. “That’s too bad.”
Charlotte was startled at first before her eyes lit up the next instant. “That’s great!”
“What’s so great about it?” Samuel was in disbelief. “Do you hate him that much? He’s your dad, after all! Don’t you feel sorry for him now that he’s in such misery?”
“I believe that Daddy’s gonna be fine. I’m happy because Mommy must have gone to him. There’s still hope!”
“There’s still hope?” Samuel stared at Charlotte with a look of confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You dummy! Mommy will care about Daddy, of course, so they’ll have a chance to make up, which means we still have a chance to not be the kids of a single parent.”
“Don’t you hate your dad? You weren’t friendly to him just now.”
“That was just a ploy!” Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. “Didn’t you notice that Mommy’s attitude toward Daddy improved visibly after I did so?”
Samuel was startled before he realized what had actually happened. “So you’ve been playacting these days?”
“Not entirely. I was quite angry at first.” When Charlotte saw the photos, she had nearly believed that Justin was dating another woman, but on second thoughts, she realized that Justin couldn’t possibly have done that. “Amber stayed around my dad for so long, but he rarely paid attention to her. The woman in the photos looked vulgar at first glance, so there’s no way my dad would take a fancy to her!”
“In that case, why have you been downcast over the last few days?”
“I was worried! The two of them are simply too worrying!” Charlotte shook her head helplessly like an adult in the body of a child.
Samuel was stunned. He had thought it strange that Charlotte had turned against Justin so quickly. After all, Justin had brought Charlotte up ever since she was little. For a time, though, he had thought this was just what Charlotte’s temper was like. “Even I was fooled by your acting.”
“Well, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” Having inherited Rachel’s virtues perfectly, Charlotte blinked her pretty and innocent eyes at Samuel, making him reluctant to criticize her.
Samuel hemmed. “Well, I’ll forgive you. What are you gonna do now, then?”
“One step at a time. We mustn’t be hasty now,” Charlotte said with a thoughtful expression. This time, I’ve got to come up with a good idea. I can’t keep coming up with lousy ideas again like I used to.
Meanwhile, Rachel drove to the Burton Residence alone.
Justin had just arrived home when the doorbell rang outside. When he opened the door and saw Rachel, he was very surprised; he even thought he was hallucinating. “What brings you here?”
Rachel looked at the man, but all of a sudden, she found herself unable to ask the question she had originally wanted to ask. After being silent for a long time, she replied, “I left something in your guest room previously, so I came here to look for it.”
Justin was startled before his eyes flickered with suspicion. “Is that so?”
“Uh-huh. I’ll go look for it,” Rachel said while going upstairs.
Rachel had basically taken all her stuff away with her from the guest room, leaving only a few toys on the table.
“Did you find it?” Justin came upstairs after her. “What is it that you’re looking for? Do you need help?”
Rachel picked up something without thinking. “No, it’s not necessary. I found it. This is it.”
“You mean this?” Justin looked at the pink ribbon hair clip in her hand with surprise in his eyes. “You came here just to look for this?” Charlotte must have a drawer full of such hair clips, he thought.
Rachel put on a bold front and replied, “Charlotte suddenly asked for this one specifically, but I couldn’t find it at home. That’s why I’m here to take it.”
Justin folded his arms across his chest while studying Rachel’s expression. “Actually, you’re not very good at lying.”
Rachel was startled.
“Since you’re here, why not have a cup of tea?” Justin turned around and went downstairs, leaving Rachel alone in the room in embarrassment.
Rachel went out after him with the hair clip in her hand. “I’m really here for this. I gotta go.”
“I didn’t say that you didn’t come here to look for this. Just have a cup of tea before leaving.”
Five minutes later, the water boiled. Justin poured hot water into the glass teapot and brewed tea with adept movements. “You used to make tea for me, but you’ve never drunk the tea I made, right? Come on, try it.”
Rachel wasn’t in the mood for tea, though, so she didn’t taste anything despite drinking the cup of tea.
“How does it taste?”
“Pretty good.” Rachel hesitated for a moment. “I’m here to tell you that Hudson Pharmaceuticals has a development site near Westhill Golf Club. We don’t have enough funds to develop that piece of land, so I’d like to ask you if you’re interested in buying it.”
Justin paused for a moment while pouring tea. “How much money do you need? I have a friend who—”
“I’m not here to ask for investment. I’d like to transfer the land’s ownership to the Burton Group. Well, that piece of land isn’t comparable to the development site at Northlane, but it’s got good potential. It’s suitable for building a holiday resort. In particular, it can be integrated with Westhill Golf Club to create an all-in-one facility for recreation and entertainment…” Rachel elaborated on the development project on her own.
Justin put down his tea cup. “Rachel, since you could talk about the project in such detail, you must have made a development plan, right? And perhaps the development plan has passed the risk assessment?”
Rachel was startled.
Justin hit the nail on the head, saying, “Hudson Pharmaceuticals isn’t short of capital now; it lacks resources. If you give this to me, you’re gonna have a hard time answering to the company’s board of directors.”
No matter what Rachel said, he didn’t give in to her persuasion.
Rachel decided to stop beating around the bush with him. She said with a frown, “I saw the news. You’ve been removed as president.”
Justin looked impassive without the slightest change in countenance.
Rachel continued, “I don’t like to owe anyone favors. I got the land in Northlane by setting you up, so I’m giving another piece of land to you in return.”
“It’s pointless even if you give the land back to me. The motion to remove me as president has been passed.”
“That’s because your grandpa is displeased with me; he is being mad at you because he thinks you’ve been deceived by me. If you go back to him now with a piece of land, once his anger cools, you’ll still be able—”
“Rachel.” Justin suddenly looked at her. “It’s not necessary.”
His words brought Rachel up short all at once.
Justin said in an impassive voice, “I signed the document willingly. I wasn’t drunk at the time.”
“Impossible!” Rachel’s pupils shrank slightly. How was that possible? I even laced his drink with a psychedelic drug in addition to the alcohol that day!
Justin replied, “If you don’t believe me, I can recite the contents of that document right now.” He had always had a photographic memory for documents since he was little, so he remembered every word written on the contract. He had read and understood every clause before signing his name with a clear mind.
All of a sudden, Rachel’s mind went blank.
