Chapter 11
“Mom, I’m awesome, right?” Jenny raised her head and winked at her with a proud expression after finishing.
Rachel’s face was beyond shocked.
Who is Charles, really? What kind of background does he have? He can plan everything for me so quickly! Is he really just a lawyer?‘ she thought.
The next morning, Rachel was woken up by some noise.
“Get up! It’s really late!” Jenny said.
Rachel grabbed a cup and covered her ear with it. “I’m so sleepy. Let me sleep a bit longer.”
Jenny kept hitting a frying pan with a spatula. The clanging sound assaulted Rachel’s eardrums over and over again.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rachel got out of bed. Jenny looked at her with a displeased expression. “I’m hungry!”
Yeah, Jenny is still growing, Rachel thought.
Rachel dragged herself to the bathroom to freshen up. To her surprise, when she came out, she saw a bowl of oatmeal on the dining table.
Rachel walked into the kitchen and saw Jenny standing on a stool, preparing breakfast.
“Now that you’re up, let’s eat,” Jenny said.
Rachel felt a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of her head, thinking, ‘How could I let such a young kid take care of me?‘
She silently vowed to herself to get up early to cook.
Jenny’s cooking skills were so good that Rachel couldn’t help but admire her. Jenny seemed to enjoy the admiring look in Rachel’s eyes.
“Don’t be too moved. If you really want to thank me, give me a good review later,” Jenny said.
Rachel sensed something different in her words. “At your age, shouldn’t you be in school? From the way you talk, it seems like you often help Charles with things.”
Jenny gave a smile, with a hint of mystery and evasion.
Rachel misunderstood. “I’ll have a talk with Charles later.”
“I think you’ve got it all wrong. I chose to follow him willingly,” Jenny said.
This left Rachel completely speechless. ‘Charles is that capable?‘ she thought.
Jenny grinned. “Don’t look at me like I’m some delinquent. I’m a top student, actually.”
Rachel thought to herself, ‘She graduated from college in her teens and still willing to follow Charles?‘
“Can I ask you something? Since Charles is so capable, what kind of background does he really have?” Rachel asked.
Jenny curled her lip, as if to say, “What do you think?”
Rachel was puzzled and wanted to ask more, but Jenny had already put on her headphones and started playing a game.
When Natalie arrived in the afternoon, Rachel had already packed up. Seeing Jenny sitting on the sofa eating chips, Natalie was startled.
After Rachel explained the situation, it took Natalie a while to calm down.
“Don’t move. Let Andrew come. I’m not afraid of him!” Natalie said.
The Yates family had some connections in Belgimia, so Natalie was quite confident. But Rachel still insisted on moving out.
Since they hadn’t lived there long and didn’t have many belongings, it was easy to pack up. Rachel and Jenny moved back to the small apartment near the university campus that her parents had given her.
1/3
“Are you sure this house is yours?” Jenny asked, sucking on a lollipop and looking at the “unique” decoration. It was hard to imagine that this was a girl’s bedroom.
Rachel didn’t say anything. She opened the door to the master bedroom, and Jenny had to accept it when she saw Rachel’s photo. “If it weren’t for this photo, I’d seriously think this was just a storage room.”
Rachel had studied archaeology in college and didn’t like cute things, which seemed quite unconventional to others. But for the only daughter of the Sampson family, it was like carrying on her parents‘ legacy.
Jenny opened the largest south–facing bedroom and saw the dazzling collection inside. For a moment, she thought she had walked into
a museum.
“Seems like your family really had some clout back in the day. If you were so well–off, why did you end up with that jerk, Andrew?” Just like her boss Charles, Jenny had a knack for hitting the sore spot.
“My parents were friends with his parents. We grew up together, and he once saved my life,” Rachel explained.
“Childhood sweetheart and a life–saving favor. No wonder,” Jenny said.
At 15, Jenny was already pretty savvy. She could grasp what Rachel was saying.
After a quick bite, Rachel returned to the room and carefully cleaned and organized the collection.
To the Sampson family, these items were nothing special, but to an ordinary family, any one of them could ensure a worry–free life for the rest of their days.
Rachel sorted through them and took a few photos of the most distinctive pieces to send to Chloe. Since she had decided to get back into the field, she wanted to show Chloe her determination and sincerity.
After finishing up, Rachel noticed a rather inconspicuous vase in the corner with some peeling packaging.
She decided to wrap it up to prevent further oxidation. But when she lifted it, she felt its weight.
She reached in and pulled out a black box.
The vase opening was just big enough for the box to fit snugly inside. Clearly, it hadn’t fallen in by accident.
She didn’t recall ever having such an item. Her parents had given her many things when they were alive. Rachel went through her memories, but she didn’t remember this box.
She undid the copper clasp and found a gemstone pendant inside. It was the wedding gift her parents had given her.
After the wedding, her mother had specifically told her how unique it was and to take good care of it.
Rachel had teased, “If it’s so rare, why did you give it to me so casually? Anyone who doesn’t know better would think it’s just some cheap trinket.”
Her mother must have put it in the box later, and that was why she didn’t remember it.
As an expert, Rachel immediately recognized its value. It was priceless.
‘Why didn’t my parents ever mention this to me?‘ she wondered.
Every time she encountered a collectible, she would discuss it with her father. But they had never said a word about this pendant until their deaths. Rachel couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
The next morning, Rachel got up early, made breakfast for Jenny, and wrapped up warmly before heading out.
She went to a well–known collection gallery in Belgimia. The owner was knowledgeable and surely had studied many pendants.
But after Rachel revealed she was the Sampson family’s eldest daughter, the manager politely said that the owner couldn’t meet with
her.
Undeterred by the rejection, she went to the library’s historical section to look up information. She was determined to find out the origin of the pendant. She had a hunch that it was no ordinary item.
She stayed until the library closed, rubbing her eyes as she left. She didn’t notice the black car that had been following her since she left the gallery.
2/3
She got home, and Jenny wasn’t there. As Rachel cooked dinner, the lights flickered. The next second, the room was plunged into darkness.
This neighborhood had been one of the most upscale back in the day, but after more than a decade, security had clearly loosened.
Rachel checked the electric meter and found nothing wrong, so she went downstairs to find the property management:
After the elevator doors closed, a man hiding in the stairwell, wearing a mask and hat, casually took out a key and entered the
apartment.
It wasn’t long before Rachel came back with a security guard.
