Female Novel
Chapter 181
Chapter 181
Rachel wanted to scatter the powder that Nancy had given her onto the buttons of the keypad. With amini-flashlight that she brought around everywhere, Rachel ensured that every number on the keypadhad been covered with some powder before she shut the wardrobe and left the room.
It began to rain in the evening, and the skies were dark by the time Justin got home. He saw a figuresitting in his living hall the moment he entered the house. “What are you doing here?”
Rachel looked up from the magazine she was reading and replied in a matter-of-factly tone, “Did youforget that I sent Charlotte back earlier?”
Justin seemed rather displeased. “What I meant was, what are you still doing here?” Charlotte got homehours ago. What time is it now? Justin thought.
“Well, I did you a favor, right? Why can’t you offer me dinner or something?” Rachel said.
“Don’t you have food at home? Do you need to eat here?” Justin was obviously annoyed. “You’d betternot think that you’ll be able to gain control over me just because you managed to win Charlotte’s heart.What happened in the past is in the past. I’m not someone who likes looking back.”
“You’re thinking too much.” Rachel shot a glance at the room upstairs. “Charlotte has a slight fever, and Istayed back because I was rather worried.”
Justin’s pupils shrank a little after he heard what Rachel said. When Rachel tucked Charlotte into bedearlier, she had already realized how the young girl seemed rather unwell. After taking Charlotte’stemperature, Rachel found that Charlotte had a slight fever. It was probably because Charlotte haddressed too thinly for a windy day out.novelbin
g to the room, Justin took the young girl’s temperature once more. His fatherly gaze was filled withtenderness as he gently placed his large palm against Charlotte’s tiny face. Charlotte was half awake asshe let out a soft mumble. “Mommy…”
Justin’s face fell a little. Rachel was too far to hear what Charlotte had said, but she assumed that Justinwas worried because of the grim look on his face. “Don’t worry, it’s only normal for kids to have mildfevers and headaches. She’ll be a lot better after she gets some rest,” Rachel said.
He simply responded with a slight nod. The rain only got heavier by the time they left Charlotte’s roomand went downstairs. “I’ll leave now,” Rachel said.
Justin glanced out the window before he replied, “You didn’t leave when the weather was good earlier,and you’re telling me that you’re leaving now when it’s raining. Are you expecting me to make you stay?”
“Honestly, no. I would’ve left if Charlotte didn’t have a fever, and I don’t need to worry now since you’rehome,” Rachel uttered. “I have food waiting for me at home,” she added to prove her point.
Just then, the sound of a car’s engine rumbled by the front entrance. Rachel took an umbrella from theporch as she walked out. “Can I borrow one of your umbrellas? I’ll return it to you someday. My ride ishere, so I’ll make a move now.”
As Justin saw her walking out with the umbrella, he couldn’t help but follow her to the living hall, wherehe glanced out the full-length window by the side. He could clearly see the woman’s back as she walkedout and got into a car. Someone’s actually here to pick her up, huh? Justin frowned. Could I beoverthinking this?
At the same time, Rachel got into the passenger’s seat of the car. Nancy drove her home at an extremelyslow speed as the wipers could barely wipe off the heavy droplets of rain on the windshield. “The rain isso heavy tonight. This could’ve been your perfect excuse to spend a night there. You might’ve evenmanaged to get some evidence by tonight, right? Why did you insist on getting me to
pick you up?” Nancy asked.
“Even you can tell that this weather is the perfect excuse for me to stay, so don’t you think Justinmight’ve considered that too?” Rachel asked in return.
“Were you afraid that he’d get suspicious of you?” the driver asked.
“Yeah.” Even if Rachel had managed to find a way to stay the night, Justin would’ve been eyeing her thewhole time. Furthermore, he might not have gone to his safebox on the same night, and she wouldn’thave had a chance to do much even if he did. That was how Rachel concluded that there was no needfor her to stay
Nancy sighed. “What a shame. This was a perfect chance. What are you going to do now? You can’t saythat you’re going over to visit your daughter, right? Doesn’t Justin hate it when you get close toCharlotte?”
Rachel tightened her grip on the umbrella handle. “There’ll be a lot of other chances in the future.”
The next day, Rachel paid a visit to Justin’s office after they got out of a meeting in the afternoon.
Knock-knock. “Come in,” Justin uttered from inside.
“President Burton.” He lifted his head when he heard Rachel’s voice.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
She shook the umbrella she was holding in her hand. “I’m here to return your umbrella.”
“I thought you would’ve used the umbrella as an excuse to visit my place again. What’s this? What’s therush?” he asked as he pushed his signed documents to one side of his desk.
“Do I seem to you as someone who’s that desperate to achieve something?” Rachel asked as sheplaced the umbrella into the holder beside the door. “I’ll leave now that I’ve returned the umbrella.”
“Wait,” he muttered.
“Is there anything else?” Rachel asked.
“Are you busy after work today?” She froze after she heard what he said. “Charlotte mentioned that youhaven’t finished teaching her how to bake cookies, so she told me to invite you over after work,” hecontinued. An exasperated look surfaced on his face when he saw how quiet Rachel seemed. “You canforget about it if you’re busy,” he said.
“I’m free,” she hastily replied.
“Well, it’s set then. I’ll see you in the garage after work.” Justin continued to look at his documents afterhe finished his sentence. He only lifted his head again after he heard his door being shut. Confusiongathered between his thick eyebrows as he gazed at the door.
Justin never had a good impression of Rachel. The main reason for this was because she hadcompletely abandoned Charlotte five years ago, so he had always thought of Rachel as an irresponsiblemother. But Charlotte seems to like her a lot, and she does take good care of Charlotte whenever they’retogether. Was my previous impression of her formed due to my personal biases?
Both Justin and Rachel headed home in one car after work. A tiny figure dressed in red was waiting bythe front entrance, and they could see the young girl before they even arrived at the house. “Mommy!”
Charlotte flung herself into Rachel’s arms the moment Rachel stepped out of the car.
Rachel nearly fell backward. “Ah! Charlotte, why are you out in this cold weather when your fever hasn’tgone down?”
“I’m all better now. You can feel my forehead if you don’t believe me.” Charlotte held her head up towardRachel, who beamed and went along with the young girl’s orders. She pressed one hand againstCharlotte’s forehead while pressing the other against her own. “You’re right. It does seem like your feverhas gone down.”
“I wasn’t lying, was I, Mommy?”
“Well, you should still be a little more careful. You should stay home just for these few days.”
“Ahem!”The sound of someone coughing came from behind them while they talked. Rachel didn’t needto turn around to picture the grumpy look on Justin’s face. Instead of looking back immediately, she gaveCharlotte a wink before shifting her gaze to Justin.
Charlotte immediately got what Rachel meant. “Daddy!” The young girl held her arms wide as she rantoward Justin. “I want you to carry me!”
“Isn’t Mommy the only person you care about? Isn’t she the only one you want?” he asked in a flat tone.
“No way! Daddy and Mommy are supposed to be a pair. I like both of you. I like you two equally.”
“Equally?” Justin was clearly displeased at her answer. Rachel hadn’t been around in the past five years,and he had taken care of Charlotte all by himself. How could Charlotte show equal love toward both ofthem?
Charlotte was an extremely observant child, so she clung onto Justin’s thigh the moment she realized thedarkening look on Justin’s face. “Carry me, Daddy! Carry me!” she cried as she looked up at the man.
He couldn’t help but give in when he glanced at his adorable daughter, who looked almost like aporcelain doll. Then, he lifted her into his arms, and she moved toward him immediately. Smooch! OnceCharlotte kissed him on the cheek, all traces of anger melted off his face immediately. “Daddy you’re thebest! My dad is the best dad in the whole wide world!”