Julian stared hard at the tea set.
Justin had left long ago, leaving only the two cups of tea that neither of them had drunk.
But Julian couldn’t get Justin’s words out of his head. “Rae is my limit”.
His fists remained clenched. Julian used to hate Justin for not saying what he truly meant or expressing his true feelings to those around him. No one could guess his mind.
However, Julian now hated Justin’s completely different attitude. Julian despised the man’s obvious affection, desperate for everyone to know how much Justin adored Rachel.
How can he so blatantly hurt or love whomever and whenever he pleased?
Given his attitude, all Julian’s previous efforts and compromises seemed like a joke now.
“President Peters.”
Julian was snapped back into reality by his assistant’s voice. He took a look at his watch and said, “It’s time, right? Let’s go.”
He had a dinner appointment tonight to discuss a major project.
His assistant, however, responded, “The dinner is canceled, President Peters. President Jones said that he has something urgent to attend to and will not be able to attend the dinner.”
“Something urgent? How about the contract?”
“The contract…”
Noticing that his assistant was hesitant to continue, Julian instructed firmly, “Just say it.”
The assistant then shuddered and said, “They’ve signed a contract with the northern division just half an hour ago.”
Julian’s expression dimmed the second he heard that.
Is this Justin’s warning?
The next day, Justin went to Rachel’s house early in the morning.
He pressed the doorbell, but the man who answered the door appeared to be a bodyguard.
“Who are you? Why are you in Rae’s house?”
A figure sat up on the sofa as soon as he finished his words. “It’s so noisy!”
After yelling, the lady yawned, her eyes bleary.
“Why are you here so early in the morning?” she asked the moment she saw Justin.
Justin was taken aback. He had no idea who this lady was, but after recalling Lionel’s words from the day before, he was able to connect the dots.
“You’re Regina?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Regina did not like Justin at all. She believed that he was the primary reason Rachel refused to leave Riverdale with them.
This young lady in front of Justin appeared young, and she had a sweet-looking mixed-race appearance. However, her gaze was cold, and she looked at people with a condescending attitude, which contrasted sharply with how Rachel was. It was difficult to believe they were sisters at all.
But that didn’t bother Justin. “I’m here to look for Rae.”
And he went straight into the house after his words.
“Stop him!”
Regina jumped from the sofa and yelled, “Don’t let him in!”
Hearing that, two bodyguards immediately blocked his path with their elbows.
Justin frowned and his gaze turned thunderous in response. The two bodyguards trembled a little when they saw his grim expression, but in light of Regina’s instruction, they could only continue blocking his path helplessly.
“Do you think they’ll be able to stop me if I insist on seeing your sister?”
“Stop being so arrogant. My sister does not want to see you at all.”
“I’ve something important for her. Stop fooling around.”
“I’m not fooling around! Are you treating me like a child?” Regina spoke back, her tone scornful. “My sister is going back to Yatruinia with me. If you continue pestering her, I’ll ask them to kick you out.”
Justin did not respond to that. Instead, he stared silently at Rachel’s room door, as if deep in thought.
Rachel normally had light sleep. After all the commotion outside, she would have awoken by now.
Furthermore, the time had passed far past her normal waking hours.
That worried him. “Were you here the entire night?”
“Of course.”
“Rae did not leave?”
“Of course not!”
Regina responded confidently, but one of the bodyguards who had stopped Justin looked hesitant.
“Is that true?” Justin asked him.
And the bodyguard looked at Regina, as if he was in a dilemma.
Regina was stunned. “Why are you looking at me in such a way?”
Justin immediately realized something was amiss. With that, he quickly pushed the bodyguards aside and rushed to Rachel’s room.
“What are you doing?! I’ve said that my sister does not want to see you!”
Amid her yelling, Justin pushed open Rachel’s room door, only to find the room empty.
“Where is she?” Justin turned around and questioned Regina.
However, the woman was equally surprised. “Where is she?”
“Lady Regina, Miss Hudson left early this morning,” one of the bodyguards behind them cautiously said.
Regina’s expression immediately changed to one of rage. “Why did you let her go?”
“You asked us to stay here and keep an eye on the door, but you didn’t say we have to stop her.”
“Why didn’t you shout for me, then?”
“You were asleep…”
“You’re all a bunch of sh*t!” Before she could continue to throw her temper, she saw Justin walking outside and immediately ran after him. “Hey, stop right there! Where are you going?”
Justin, on the other hand, was calling Rachel on her phone while waiting for the lift.
“Sorry. The number you’ve dialed is unavailable.”
Rachel’s phone had been shut off since morning. Otherwise, Justin would not have come here to look for her.
He then headed straight to the Investigation Bureau after leaving Rachel’s house.
“No. Rae didn’t come here for me.”
Janice happened to be at the bureau’s main entrance after parking her car. Faced with Justin’s aggressive questioning, she was at a loss. “I hope nothing serious happened?”
“I’ve no idea.”
Justin continued, his brows furrowed, “I thought she’ll be looking for you.”
“She didn’t; Frankie had come under your instructions yesterday. We’ll get to Enistan later, but what happened to Rae? Frankie did not say much about it as well.”
“I can’t put it into a sentence or two. It has something to do with her biological father who returned for her.”
“Her biological father?” Janice replied doubtfully. “Isn’t Lionel dead?”
“He’s not.”
“What?”
Janice appeared stunned, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
At this moment, a chestnut-brown head poked out of Justin’s car window, her curly hair exploding all over her head. “So, is my sister here? If she’s not, why are you chatting with this woman?”
This lady’s voice was clear and sharp, piercing through the air.
Janice was slightly startled. “Who’s this?”
“Rae’s half-sister,” Justin answered.
“Sister?”
“I have to go. Tell me if Rae contacts you.”
“Sure.”
He then quickly got in his car after finishing his words.
Regina, on the other hand, was sitting impatiently on the passenger’s seat. “Do you really know where my sister is? If you don’t, just look for my dad. He can send his men to search in case it’s too late!”
“Your dad is probably the person least likely to find her.”
“Well, how about you? You said you could find her, but all you’ve done is chit chat with that lady here after going to the cemetery. Where is my sister?”
“Either you stop talking, or get out of the car.”
Faced with Justin’s indifferent voice echoing in the car, Regina had no choice but to shut her mouth and she bit at her lower lip.
She wouldn’t not have put up with such grievances if Justin didn’t seem to be the only one who could find Rachel.
Through the car’s windshield, she could see the road sign indicating that they were on their way to the highway.
They had already exited Riverdale, and Justin was clutching the wheels tightly beside her.
About half an hour ago, he saw a bouquet of flowers placed in front of Nancy’s tomb in the cemetery. Needless to say, Rachel was surely the one who placed it there. Thus, there was only one place she would go now—Somerset Mountain.
