Chapter 9
“Rachel, you actually had someone expose my relationship with Yedda! How vicious can you be? Did you even think about the Zevon family when you did this?” Andrew said.
‘See? I’m always the one he blames, Rachel thought to herself.
Rachel retorted sharply, “Andrew, did you think about the Zevon family when you were shamelessly hooking up with Yedda? Now you’re using the family’s reputation to attack me? Have some shame, will you?”
No one had ever dared to oppose Andrew like this. Andrew was so angry that his hands trembled slightly. When he saw the look of disdain in Rachel’s eyes, his anger flared even more.
“What was that again? If it weren’t for the Zevon family. where would you be today?” Andrew said.
“Did the Zevon family make me what I am today, or did I make the Zevon family what it is?” At this point, all ties of affection had been severed, and Rachel didn’t feel the need to hold back anymore.
This statement hit Andrew’s sore spot. Back in the day, the Sampson and Zevon families had been very close. Rachel was the only child of the Sampson family, while Andrew wasn’t the only son of the Zevon family. Moreover, several uncles and shareholders had been eyeing the Zevon Group.
It was only after the Sampson family’s support that he had finally secured his position as the CEO. This was the reason Andrew hated Rachel.
Richard, his grandfather, had given him no choice, arranging the engagement and appointing the heir.
Now, bringing up the past again made Andrew so furious that he stood up from his chair, saying, “Rachel, you’re asking for it!”
He started to lunge at Rachel. Yes, he had been holding back for years. He hated the indescribable sense of superiority that Rachel had.
In the Zevon family, he, the legitimate heir, was treated like a son–in–law who had married into the family, with less status than Rachel. Now, he couldn’t bear to be humiliated by her.
Andrew had only taken a couple of steps when Charles blocked his way.
“Stay out of it! This is between my wife and me. You have no right to interfere!” Andrew shouted.
Charles raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Zevon, don’t you remember that I’m a lawyer? If you commit domestic violence in front of me, the punishment will be even severer!”
Pushed to his limits again and again, Andrew couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached out and pushed Charles aside and then glared at Rachel with a look that seemed to devour her. “Rachel, you—”
Before he could finish, Charles grabbed him by the collar from behind. “Andrew, has anyone ever told you that it’s despicable to hit a woman?” As he spoke, Charles tightened his grip, making it hard for Andrew to breathe.
“Bad guy! Don’t you dare bully my dad!” Tracy stepped forward, swinging her fists at Charles.
“Rachel, you actually hired someone to assault Andrew! This is outrageous!” Yedda was so angry that she clutched her chest.
“What? Can’t take it already? About to faint again? Do you need me to call an ambulance for you?” Rachel said.
“You…” Yedda was speechless.
The purpose of the visit had been achieved, and there was no need to prolong the confrontation. Rachel said, “Mr. Lopez, let’s go.”
As Charles released his grip, he cast a contemptuous glance at Andrew and followed Rachel out.
“About your daughter…” Charles said.
“She really is gone.” Rachel tried to keep her tone steady.
But as a mother, the loss of her daughter was a pain that would never fade. No matter how much time passed, she could never get over
- it.
Charles watched Rachel biting her lip, struggling to stay calm. He took out a handkerchief, but before he could offer it, Rachel opened
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her bag, took out a tissue, and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Sorry, Mr. Lopez. I couldn’t help it,” Rachel said.
“Anyone would have a hard time holding back in this situation. You don’t need to apologize to me,” Charles said.
Seeing Rachel dry her tears and stubbornly endure the pain, Charles felt a strange sensation in his heart. After a while, he asked, “Can you tell me what exactly happened?”
Bringing up the past made Rachel relive the excruciating pain all over again. After listening, Charles fell into a brief silence. The story was just too heavy to bear.
If that little girl were still alive, Rachel wouldn’t have turned out like this, right? The girl must have looked a lot like her, with eyes that curved like crescents when she smiled. She probably had the same soft accent when she spoke. But such a cute little girl was murdered,‘ Charles thought to himself.
“No news from the police station?” Charles couldn’t believe that such a serious kidnapping and murder case would leave no clues at all.
Rachel shook her head. “The officer in charge of the case told me they haven’t given up on catching the real culprit and asked me to wait for the results.”
In reality, Rachel knew it was just a polite way of saying things. If they really had a chance of catching the perpetrator, they wouldn’t still be clueless at this point.
“Do you already have a suspect in mind?” Charles asked.
Sure enough, she couldn’t hide her thoughts from Charles.
Rachel nodded. “I suspect it’s Yedda, but I don’t have any evidence. The police won’t believe me just based on my word.”
“If the murderer was bold enough to do this, they must have been well–prepared. They wouldn’t have left any clues,” he said.
Previously, when Charles had asked her about it, Rachel had thought he might have a way to solve it. But hearing his words now, the light in her eyes visibly dimmed.
From what she knew, Charles was a very capable lawyer. If even he thought there was no way, then this case might really just be left unsolved.
“However, this could be a good thing for you,” Charles said.
“Why do you say that?” Rachel asked.
“Because you don’t have any evidence, so you haven’t accused Yedda. Now Yedda must think she’s done a perfect job. That’s an opportunity for us,” he explained.
Charles took out a bottle of water and handed it to Rachel.
Rachel had no mind for drinking. She looked at Charles expectantly, waiting for him to continue.
“Have some water. You were crying so hard that you could barely catch your breath. This is electrolyte water; it’ll help you regain your strength, Charles said.
Rachel opened the cap and gulped down half the bottle before eagerly asking, “Mr. Lopez, you’ve already come up with a plan, haven’t you? Please help me.”
“I can help you, but you have to follow my arrangements from now on,” he said.
Rachel was too excited to speak and nodded her head vigorously.
Charles took out a photo and handed it to Rachel. “This is your daughter, Jennie. She went abroad for recuperation due to some health issues a while ago and has just returned. Go home and stay with her later.”
The little girl in the photo looked just like Jennie. She was wearing a pink dress and keeping cute braids, and even her facial features were very similar.
But as a mother, Rachel could tell at a glance that this wasn’t her daughter. She just bore a seven out of ten resemblance.
“Why would Yedda target Jennie? You must know the reason. If Jennie were still alive, her scheme would have failed.
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Chapter 5
“Since she orchestrated the first murder, there will naturally be a second one. You’ll announce to everyone that the deceased was a distant relative’s child, not Jennie. Leave the rest to me,” Charles said.
Then, Charles took Rachel to a villa. As they entered, a little girl on the sofa was watching cartoons while hugging a stuffed toy. Hearing the noise, the girl turned her head. Rachel, with tearful eyes, saw the girl, and her breath stopped.
The girl looked similar to her daughter in the photo. But in person, she looked even more alike. For a moment, Rachel felt like her Jennie had come back.
“Jennie… Rachel choked out.
The girl jumped up and ran into Charles’s arms. She hugged his neck and asked innocently, “Sir, why is this lady crying?”
