Chapter 385 The Right Decision
Rachel was utterly flummoxed, and she could not believe what she had just heard. “Pardon?” “Julian! I said, Julian Peters! You weren’t mistaken.” Jolly emphasized Julian’s name over and over again excitedly. “Can you believe it? Julian is the grandson of Old Mr. Burton, an illegitimate child of the Burton Family.”
Suddenly, Rachel’s hand shook, and the pen she was holding created a tragic scratch on the report.
Not noticing Rachel’s reaction, Jolly continued saying, “Everyone is now guessing who Julian’s father is. Old Mr. Burton only has two sons in total. So his eldest son, Justin’s father, is likely to be Julian’s father. After all, Sue was his sister-in-law. So the story of the affairs between a brother-in-law and sister-in-law is now spreading.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Huh?” Jolly was taken aback. “Why is it impossible?”
“When Justin’s father died, Julian wasn’t even born yet.”
“Really?” Just like those outsiders, Jolly did not know when Justin’s father died.
After that, Rachel explained, “The relationship between Justin’s father and Old Mr. Burton was not very good. He ran away from home and got married secretly in the past. When he died unexpectedly, Justin was only about three or four years old. Later, Old Mr. Burton took Justin home, but because he was young and afraid of strangers, Sue followed him to the Burton Residence to take care of him.”
These are the things Justin told me back then. I still remember them very well.
Jolly said, “Was Sue already married, right? So then, who was her husband?”
“I’m not sure. But Julian was indeed born in the Burton Residence.”
“Could it be that Old Mr. Burton has a third son?” Jolly made a presumption with her overactive mind.
Rachel side-eyed Jolly and said, “Have you ever thought of another possibility?”
“What possibility? If it’s not Justin’s father, doesn’t that indicate that Old Mr. Burton has a third son? There’s no way it was Jason.” Jolly was in a world all by herself when she finished her sentence. However, she realized something when she finished her rant.
She looked at Rachel in surprise. “No way!”
After putting down the pen, Rachel took out her car keys. “I’m heading out for a while.”
“Hey, take me with you!”
“No, you have to go home. Your parents will probably be looking for you once they hear the news.”
With Julian suddenly becoming the successor of Burton Group, they must postpone Carter Enterprise’s acquisition plans for Burton Group. At the very least, they have to figure out the current situation.
Rachel drove out of Hudson Pharmaceuticals alone.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.” Unfortunately, Julian wasn’t picking up her calls.
No doubt, there must be many people who want to call Julian at this hour.
Therefore, Rachel called the hospital again.
The call went through, and Julian’s intern answered the phone. “Didn’t you know? Dr. Peters had resigned from the hospital.”
“When did this happen?”
“Dr. Peters submitted his resignation report half a month ago. Today, the resignation process was finally over, and he had packed up all his things. The hospital also switched several of us to another mentor.”
“Then, do you know where he’s gone?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
“Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“No worries.”
Rachel hung up the phone and drove aimlessly on the streets of Riverdale. She didn’t even know where to begin to look for Julian for a moment. He most probably won’t be at home.
It was already evening. The electronic screen displayed the city planning map of Riverdale in the city center. The real estate development advertisements of ‘The Banks of the Green River’ filled the streets and alleys. Even the billboards on the bus station platform are full of them.
She suddenly recalled something. Then, she drove directly to Green River Street.
After parking the car on the side of the road, she walked along the riverside path in Green River Park for a while. Then, finally, she saw a familiar figure in the distance, and he was sitting on the lawn and watching the children playing in the distance.
“I knew it! You’re really here.”
Julian was a little stunned by her appearance, and he turned his head to look at Rachel. His eyes brightened momentarily, but they immediately turned bleak. Then, he asked faintly, “What brings you here?”
“I heard about the incident at the memorial service.”
“So you’re here to ask me about my background?”
Rachel was slightly startled. “Can’t I ask?
Julian said nothing in response. Instead, he took a white coat from his bag and spread it out beside him. “Have a seat.”
“It’s okay. I…”
“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t need it anyway. I just brought it out as a souvenir.”
Despite what Julian said, she still sat directly on the ground. She picked up his white coat and put it on her knees. As she looked at the Tran-Q’s logo above, she said, “I used to constantly think that you just want to be a doctor and a good one, at that.”
“How about now?”
“I still feel that way now.”
He was slightly taken aback, and he looked at her in surprise.
Based on today’s situation, everyone who knew him would think that he had gained astonishing triumphs, so he could not wait to resign. After all, how could being a doctor be any better than inheriting Burton Group?
However, Rachel said, “If you were that kind of person, you wouldn’t bring this coat out. No matter why you decided to accept Old Mr. Burton’s will and inherit Burton Group, I believe you’ll always be a good doctor. You have your own reasons for everything you do.”
“Everyone is guessing who my biological father is. They all think that I have stayed in the Burton Residence for so many years, all for the sake of today.”
“You are you. He is him. You two are different people.”
Her words made him frown slightly. “You knew?”
“Well, I saw you talking to him on the phone once.”
As he heard this, his facial expression changed.
However, she didn’t care as she continued, “At first, I thought he might be trying to threaten you to get Old Mr. Burton’s information. But now, it seems that it is simply human nature. After all, he is your father, yet you stand on the side of justice in the end. It must have been quite hard on you. Julian, if I had known about this at the time, I wouldn’t have made things difficult for you. For that, please accept my sincerest apologies.”
A trace of complex emotion flashed in his eyes. Shortly after, he attempted a small smile and said, “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. I just did what I was supposed to do.”
“Alright then, a piece of advice? You don’t have to care what others say. Since you’ve made a decision, just keep moving forward.”
She stood up and reached out her hands to him. “Get up. I’ll walk with you.”
The sunset dyed half of the sky red and Rachel’s smile was gentle as if it could heal all wounds.
At that moment, the gloom in Julian’s heart disappeared temporarily. He held Rachel’s hand and smiled. “Okay, let’s go.”
It now appears that I have made the right decision. No matter what was sacrificed, I can only protect the one I love by standing at the pinnacle of power. No matter how much I love being a doctor, I don’t want to look back anymore. I don’t wish to watch my beloved woman being tortured like before while I can only stand there and do anything.
Unknown to the two walking side by side, a black car was parked by the river. The man’s gaze seemingly penetrated the windshield as he sat on the back seat and watched their retreating silhouettes. His temples throbbed fiercely, his cold pupils contracted, and a wave of misery appeared in his usually calm and deep gaze.
