“Of course not.” Lionel held his younger daughter’s hand. “Your sister has suffered a lot. If I had known about it, I would never have let her grow up alone like that. You see, I owe her too much.”
“Won’t that be solved if we take her back home with us?”
“It won’t be that easy. Of course, it will be best if she’s willing to go with us.”
Hearing this, Regina’s eyes brightened. “You really think so?”
Without waiting for his reply, she let go of his hand. “I’ll take care of this. I will make sure that Rachel comes back with us.”
As she said this, she ran out of the room.
“Regina!” Lionel could not stop her; instead, he glanced at someone beside him. As such, the bodyguard immediately followed her. Since Regina’s status was unique, she had to have bodyguards near her whenever she went out.
His assistant assured him, “Don’t worry, sir. Someone will be there with her.”
“I’m not worried about her but Rae.”
“Miss Rae’s current situation is worrying. You are making the right considerations since these issues won’t exist if she is willing to return with us.”
“I’m just worried that she isn’t.”
“Perhaps there’s someone who can talk to her?”
At these words, Lionel paused as he recalled a person. If there was someone who could convince Rachel, it had to be him.
In the meantime, Justin had been trapped in another room for quite some time. When he regained consciousness, he could only find two men who looked like bodyguards. They were guarding the door, which was the only exit, as they stood as stiff as statues. As soon as they noticed he was awake, they glanced at each other and exchanged some words before one of them left. Justin looked around, but he could not find Rachel as he realized he was lying alone on the couch.
“Where’s Julian?” he asked the man still guarding the door. The man frowned briefly, but did not reply.
“Where’s Rae?” He rose to his feet immediately. “You took me here; at least tell me what for!”
Seeing him approach with an unfriendly expression, the guard ordered, “Stay there and do not move.”
“I asked you—where is the woman who was kidnapped with me?!”
“Stay still!” The guard pulled out his electric baton, looking like he would be aggressive if Justin dared to approach another inch.
At that moment, the door behind the guard opened. As he panned toward the visitor, Justin’s eyes narrowed. “Mr. Brook?”
It was Lionel Hudson. To Justin, however, he was Mr. Brook—an American businessman who had helped him tremendously when he arrived in the northern division of Riverdale. He had also given Justin and Rachel plenty of assistance in Enistan as well.
“Sir.” The guard replaced his electric baton while moving to the side respectfully.
“It was you who took us?” Justin’s gaze was narrowed. That doesn’t sound right; it is Julian who has kidnapped us!
“No.” Lionel sat opposite him. “Have a seat. I have something to discuss with you.”
Justin had many questions and he could not figure them out. However, the man had helped him and Rachel a lot in the past. If he really had been the person who kidnapped them, he would not have wasted this much effort; Justin and Rachel would not have even made it back from Enistan in one piece.
“Well then, where’s Rae?”
“She’s okay now, don’t worry. It was my daughter who saved both of you and she’s now with Rachel. They will be fine since they have someone guarding them.”
Hearing his words, Justin felt slightly reassured and sat down as well. “Mr. Brook, I’ve always had a question before I went to Ensitan. How did you know I was going there? I don’t remember mentioning that to you.”
“Rae’s going, so obviously you will too.”
“Rae?” Justin squeezed his eyes further. “I knew it; you already know who Rae is! So, that’s why Mr. Keaton from Enistan said she looked like someone he knew. That’s also why Nathan called her ‘Miss Hudson’. I was never the person you wanted to help; it was Rae.”
“You are a smart man. Even if things didn’t unfold in Enistan, I think you would realize the truth after some time with me in north Riverdale.”
“Why?”
“Since you already guessed that I did it because of Rae, why don’t you try guessing the reason?”
The man before him was past his fifties with graying hair at his temples. He still looked handsome though; it was obvious that he had been good-looking in his youth. There was something in his eyes that felt familiar the first time Justin had met him. Now that the man was here and had mentioned Rachel several times during their discussion, it was hard not to make the connection.
Justin ventured, “Perhaps you know her biological mother.”
“Make a bolder guess.” The man’s voice was deep and powerful, his gaze dark. “I am from Riverdale and Hudson is my family name.”
Stunned, Justin could momentarily see traces of someone from the man’s face before him. He stood in disbelief as he clenched his fist. “You are…”
Impossible. This is not possible.
With such a reaction, Lionel knew he had already guessed the answer. “Have a seat.”
These words made Justin more convinced of his guess. He stood for two seconds, then sat back down.
“Does Rae know?” Justin did not care about anything else. All he wanted to know was whether Rachel knew that her biological father was still alive.
Lionel nodded. “We just met.”
Remembering how serious Lionel looked when he came in, Justin assumed that the meeting did not go as expected. Lionel continued, “My purpose for returning here is to take her away.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am staying permanently in Yatruinia and I hope she will head there to stay with me.”
It was then a vein jumped in Justin’s temple. He knew that Rachel would never leave just like that. Plus, even if she did, they could probably see each other again. However, he did panic slightly at the possibility of that occurring. “She won’t go with you.”
“How are you so sure of that?”
“She still has things she cares about here.”
“Like what? You?” Lionel’s tone was a little annoyed. “I don’t like how confident you are in knowing other people, especially when one of them is my daughter.”
“I confess that I don’t have that ability. Maybe I do have a place in her heart, but what she probably cares more about is her son, friends, Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and even her home in Riverdale itself. She is a stubborn yet committed person.” When talking about Rachel, his tone was relaxed. He had enough beautiful praise for her, the nearly perfect woman he felt so deeply for.
“But if she stays here in Riverdale, even her basic safety won’t be guaranteed.” Lionel looked at him, calm and wise. “Therefore, I hope you can help convince her to come with me.”
