Chapter 40
In the end, two days passed since Rachel last saw Justin.
"Mrs. Burton, Young Master Justin has a meeting so he'll be back later."
The driver explained to her the reason Justin was absent as he drove her to the birthday dinner party.
Meanwhile, she nodded to indicate that she understood. Nonetheless, there was a hint of apprehension on her face.
Rachel was well-aware of her non-existent position in Justin's heart. Furthermore, his instructions for her to attend this birthday dinner weren't even for the sake of celebrating the birthday of his father-in law, Jefferey.
Right after she got out of the car, the butler led her toward the reception area.
"Miss Rachel, the Master is greeting his guests at the front foyer and Miss Amber is in the living room with her friends. I'll lead you there."
Thanks.
As they crossed the main hall, the large semi-outdoor swimming pool was located right past the french doors and there were a bunch of balloons by the side of the pool.
Suddenly, she was caught by surprise and she slowed down her footsteps subsequently.
She could distinctly remember from her fuzzy memories of the first and only time she came here many years ago.
It was during Amber's tenth birthday and Jefferey had spent 1.8 billion to purchase this manor, which was registered under Amber's name. That day, there were many guests in attendance, such as their relatives and elders from the Hudson Family and Jefferey's business associates.
Rachel remembered a ten-year-old Amber being surrounded by the guests and the latter stood right in the middle, standing out like a shining diamond among the children.
"Rachel, if you agree to be my servant then I'll allow you to come and stay with me anytime you want."
"Amber, are you actually asking your sister to be your servant?"
"She's no sister of mine! What kind of sister is she? Do you have a mute sister?"(This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)
"Hahaha..."
At that time, Rachel had just come to stay with the Hudson Family for about two years and she had been quite unwell as she recuperated in the hospital for almost a year. Therefore, the time she had actually spent together with Amber was barely more than six months and the former had merely known that the latter had a straightforward but wild personality.
"You stupid mute. It would be an honor for you to be my servant. Don't you dare act so high and mighty!"
"Let's hit her!"
"Ah!"
"Blood! She's bleeding!"
Just then, Rachel stood by the edge of the french windows and suddenly, she felt a prick of pain on her
forehead which caused her brows to furrow tightly.
"Miss Rachel." The butler's voice brought her back to reality.
"Miss Rachel, what's wrong?"
She revealed a forced smile and shook her head. I'm fine. Let's go.
In fact, she wasn't originally so submissive but she was forced to give in as she was in a less advantageous position. She had come to the realization that remaining alive was not as easy as she thought after going through hardships and experiencing so much pain.
In the living room, there was a group of youngsters gathered around. Most of them present were youngsters from the Hudson clan, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) plus some of Amber's classmates and friends.
"Amber, your elder sister is here."
Standing among the crowd, Amber turned her head and just then, there was a flash of disdain across her face. Half-jokingly, she replied, but there was a serious note to her tone, "My sister's no longer the same as before. She's full of air now. Everyone's here waiting for her to arrive. I guess she's made a good match so she no longer gives any regard to us."
Rachel frowned in response and merely nodded to the crowd as an indication of greeting. Then, she remained silent.
Meanwhile, Amber looked behind her and she purposely raised her voice as she announced, "Rachel, why are you here by yourself? Where's Justin?"
Amber didn't address Justin as her brother-in-law but she called him by his name to prove their intimate relationship.
He's busy so he couldn't make it under short notice.
"What's there to be busy with? Even so, couldn't he take some time to accompany his wife to his father-in-law's birthday dinner?" Someone in the crowd blurted this out and shortly after that, the crowd whispered among themselves.
"I thought Rachel had married well but perhaps her life is not as good as it seems."
"That's quite obvious with her being mute. Furthermore, she married Justin on behalf of Amber so obviously he wouldn't be attracted to her, would he?"
"I heard that the Hudson Family was spared because Amber went to plead for mercy."
Just then, Rachel nervously gripped her bag tightly. She had no intention to explain herself so she turned around and headed toward a corner to avoid the crowd.
However, Amber grabbed Rachel's arm and commented with a condescending tone, "Go and get me a bottle of wine from the cellar."
Rachel frowned and responded, Why don't you go and get it yourself?
"Me?" Amber surveyed the surroundings and replied matter-of-factly, "I need to entertain my guests, can't you see that? If I leave right now, would you be able to entertain them?"
Rachel was unable to speak and she wasn't familiar with these people either so Amber's words were clearly intended to embarrass her. The former clenched her teeth and then she spun on her heel to walk away.
However, Amber raised her voice and shouted, "Hey! Don't you know where the cellar is? If you don't then make sure to ask one of the servants. They can't understand your gestures so you'd better bring a notepad with you!"
At that moment, there were countless mocking laughs that rang out, which sounded quite grating to the ears. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)
Meanwhile, Amber reached out for a glass of wine from a waiter as she looked at Rachel's retreating back, a deep look in her eyes.
The show was about to start.
The wine cellar was located on the other side of the living room and it was one level below so Rachel had to take the elevator.
However, perhaps the elevator was faulty and awaiting repair or for some specific reason, but Rachel waited for ages but to no avail. In the end, she decided to take the stairs which was situated by the
side.
She walked on the carpeted floor in her high heels so the sound she made was soft and practically inaudible over the loud music from upstairs.
As soon as she arrived at the lower floor, she came toward a row of bookshelves and a resting area. The wine racks were placed further inside and the racks were much taller than her. She took a few steps forward before realizing that she hadn't asked Amber which wine she wanted.
Originally, Rachel intended to head back to clarify but in the end, she considered it and realized that she was quite likely to be humiliated by Amber for no reason once again. As such, she decided to grab a random bottle.This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
As soon as she took the bottle of wine in her hands, she suddenly heard some whispers from outside.
Rachel paused in her tracks immediately.
Someone's here?
"Aren't you going to join your friends upstairs and have a chat?" The man had a low baritone.
"What's there to talk about? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even attend this dinner. None of them from the group upstairs are worthy of anything. Their family background is quite normal. The Hudson Family is going downhill too. Otherwise, do you think Jefferey Hudson would have sold off his daughter for a mere twenty to thirty million?"
The woman's voice sounds familiar. Rachel gripped the wine bottle tightly in her hands and her expression tightened. She looked through the gaps in the wine rack and saw that there was a shadow of a couple in a tight embrace by the corner. Tina?
In the corner of the cellar, there were two figures closely entangled with each other on the couch. The woman had a throw covering her body but her bare shoulders were exposed to the air. She looked seductive as she leaned against the man's shoulders and panted. It was quite evident that they had just ended an intense tryst.
Meanwhile, Rachel was significantly stunned and she couldn't believe her eyes.
In fact, Tina was betrothed to the eldest son of the Hindenburg family-Noah Hindenburg. Are they just seeking exhilaration in someone else's wine cellar?
Rachel didn't want to get involved in someone else's matters. After all, it was best to avoid things that
were indecent so she turned around to leave.
She was in a hurry and didn't pay attention to her surroundings. Just then, a loud noise was produced as her dress got caught on the edge of the rack. The ripping sound of material rang out all of a sudden and it was exceptionally grating to the ears in the silent cellar.
The air became still for a short moment and soon after that, someone reacted.
"Who's there?" Tina's voice rang out instantly.
Meanwhile, Rachel's expression changed and she hurriedly grabbed the hem of her skirt to run off.
However, Tina's cold voice suddenly rang out from behind. "Stop!"