When they climbed to the top of the mountain, it was already evening. Due to the constant stopping, the original plant to get to the top of the mountain in one hour turned into a strenuous three-hour hike, completely ruining Victor’s plan..
“According to our current situation, we won’t be able to get home before dark.” Victor glanced at his watch. “Let’s just take a walk, a group photo, then take a break before leaving.”
Jolly sat on the stone pier while using her hands to fan herself and criticized Victor, “Why are you being such a tour guide, rushing us to look at attractions and take pictures? We’re not here to be tourists, so what’s the problem if we can’t get back before dark?”
For a moment, Victor was taken aback too. He scratched his head. “Then, everyone’s free to roam about. I’ll check out the stalls to buy something to eat.”
Jolly gave him a dismissive wave, appearing like a wealthy young lady commanding her servant. Leroy chuckled next to her, then used at newspaper to fan her. “If Gloria sees you commanding her boyfriend like this, she’ll pick a fight with you.”
“Do you think I’m afraid of her?”
“You’re not, but we are.” “Hey, where’s Chris?” Jolly looked around. “Where did she go? Why are we the only ones here?” Leroy shook his head. “She was still here just now.”
At this moment, Rachel had walked a little further away with the two children. There was a stream in the red maple forest, where the path was lined with gravel, and a clear mountain spring was in the middle. Charlotte and Samuel rushed over, took off their shoes, and started a water fight in the water.
It was late autumn, so the mountainside was extremely cold. Rachel was afraid that they would catch a cold. “You two, hurry back up after playing for a while. Be careful not to catch a cold,” Justin happened to walk over. “It’s fine. I’ll watch them. Don’t go over. The path below is dangerous,” The path below was either covered in mud or water, so it was indeed hard to walk.
Rachel frowned and said nothing as she thought about what Jolly said when they walked up the mountain. There was still some distance between the hillside and the mountain stream where the children played in the water. Rachel sat down on the slope, surrounded by flaming red maple leaves. It looked like a carpet, and it was very soft to sit on.
Initially, when she was in Montenegro, Ginny was her boss, and she had made things quite difficult for her. Still, she never expected Ginny to be Justin’s fiancée or his partner in a marriage contract since they were children.
Jolly said that the Tuscan Family had immigrated to a foreign country very early on. Still, the Tuscan Family and the Burton Family: were good friends, so the two old men made the marriage contract. Meanwhile, Ginny was a strong businesswoman who had not been married for more than 30 years…
It was no wonder. It was no wonder that Amber failed to become Mrs. Burton despite staying by Justin’s side for five years.
On the one hand, perhaps Justin took into account Charlotte’s preference; on the other hand, maybe Arthur wasn’t satisfied with his marriage with Amber, as he still had the Tuscan Family in mind.
More importantly, Justin gave up the right to manage Burton Group so easily. It wasn’t a logical act to begin with, but what if he was planning to leave Riverdale? Jolly’s words echoed in Rachel’s ears.
“The Tuscan Family is very influential abroad. I don’t even need to tell you that. But, if I’m not mistaken, it appears as if Old Mr. Burton didn’t leave any inheritance to Justin. In fact, he has a part of the Tuscan Family’s shares. So, as long as he marries Ginny, he’ll get half of the Tuscan Family’s business and will be able to rise from the ashes.”
This was one of the reasons why Jolly was so resistant toward Justin before this. Obviously, he was in a contract marriage, and he obviously had a way out, but he still refused to let go of Rachel.
But now, Jolly and Leroy owed him a life debt, so it wouldn’t be good for her to say much. She could only tell Rachel what she knew and let her assess the situation by herself.
“Rach.” Rachel froze, and she was brought back to reality by Julian’s voice sounding from behind her. “Yes?” She recovered and stood up. “When did you arrive?”
“I just walked over. What are you thinking so intently about?” “It’s nothing. Samuel and the two of them are playing in the water over there. I’ll call them. Otherwise, their clothes will get wet.”
“Wait.” Julian suddenly grabbed her arm.
Rachel was caught by surprise. “What’s the matter?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Hmm?” Julian suddenly took out a ring box, then opened it with a ‘pop’ before getting down on one knee in front of Rachel. The sky was full of red maple leaves rustling down with the wind, painting a beautiful autumn landscape.
She unconsciously took a step back, sol surprised that she was at a loss for words. Wasn’t it Victor who was going to propose?
Julian said, “I know this is very sudden and may scare you, but I’ve wanted to do this a long time ago, so no matter what your final decision is, can you let me finish first?”
She was anxious, and from the corners of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of the figure at the mountain stream in the distance and stopped stepping back.
Everyone knew how to find a way out for themselves, and Justin was no exception. Obviously, he had a great future, but he pretended to look desolate, which only made others want to sympathize with him. Rachel clenched her hands and stopped backing away.
Julian continued, “When I first saw you, I knew you must be a kind and simple girl. Although you couldn’t speak, your eyes were pure, purer than anyone I’ve ever seen. For so many years, you’ve always said that I’m the one staying by your side and helping you. But, that’s not the case. You’re the one staying by my side. Life is so long and lonely. I seem to have many friends, but most of them are just casual friends. My family isn’t perfect, and even my mother isn’t a kind person.
You know all this. I long for a family, but the person whom I want to start a family with is you. I even thought that it was fine to just stay by your side all the time as a friend, but as I watch you get better, attracting more and more people-the good, the bad, the ones I can drive away, the ones I can’t control… I’m starting to feel that I can’t just wait like this. Maybe I should’ve done this a long time ago, but I delayed it until today. I hope you can give me a chance to take care of you and the children. Rach, will you marry me?”
Julian’s words were sincere, and he looked at Rachel with sincerity. Yet, beneath his warm and genuine smile, there was a trace of uneasiness.
He didn’t know if Rachel would agree. It was a big bet. At this moment, the two children were still playing in the water in the stream below, and no one saw what happened on the hillside.
There was only Justin, with his heart pounding in his chest, who watched frozen as everything unfolded before him. He wanted to stop it, but he felt that he didn’t have the right to do so. The two people in the distance looked so perfect for each other that he couldn’t even be jealous.
However, even if he couldn’t do anything and knew that he had no right to interfere, his taut expression betrayed his thoughts as he stared into the distance, hoping for a miracle.
Julian said something, then Rachel suddenly took half a step toward him before stretching out her hand. The moment Julian placed the ring on Rachel’s finger, the last glimmer of hope in Justin’s heart was extinguished. He suddenly felt that the mountain and spring water under his feet were as cold as ice, and the red maple leaves in the sky were so blinding that he couldn’t look directly at them.
