Angeline opened the trunk. She'd just pulled out the wine and burner when she heard footsteps. She turned to see Rachel standing by the car."Still awake?" Angeline smiled at her."Nathaniel's mine," Rachel announced as she stared right into Angeline's eyes.Angeline was taken aback. Then, she laughed lightly. "So…""I don't care what Mr. Hooper Senior wants to see between you and Nathaniel. There's no way I'll let you become his wife.""'Let me?" Angeline noticed the hostility in Rachel's eyes. "I'm not interested in Nathaniel, nor will I get together with him. And as for being his wife… I couldn't be any less interested in it and don't want anything to do with it. I'm not your enemy."With that, she turned to leave."You'd better keep your word!" Rachel clenched her fists tightly as she shouted at Angeline's back. "If it turns out that you're lying to me, I'll make you pay for it! I'll maim your children!"Angeline stopped as the rage shot to her head. She turned to look at R
Angeline wondered if Rachel thought she was a pushover.Angeline didn't say anything else. She dragged Rachel out from between the two cars by her collar. Then, she called, "Nathaniel!"Sean and Kieron, who were by the bonfire, turned at her voice. They saw Angeline throw Rachel onto the pebbled ground. Kieron looked gobsmacked."Nathaniel Hooper!" Angeline called again.When Kieron saw Sean get up to head over to her, he threw the stick he'd used to push the fire logs around aside. Then, he hurried after Sean.Rachel's eyes bulged, for she hadn't expected Angeline to make a big deal out of this. "What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"She was nothing but a woman the Lawson family had adopted. She had to depend on the Lawson family to survive. How could she dare make a big deal out of this? Shouldn't she keep her head down and try not to cause trouble for the Lawsons?"Nathaniel!"Rachel scrambled to her feet, her chest heaving with anxiety. She reached out to s
Jesse's jaw dropped. He looked at how gentle and fragile Rachel seemed, and he found it hard to believe someone as ladylike as her would say something like that.Sean furrowed his brows tightly at the mention of the children. He didn't even bother looking at Rachel—she wasn't worth his time. "Nathaniel, you'd better explain this.""Angeline…" Nathaniel rubbed Rachel's back soothingly. "Is there some sort of misunderstanding here? Rachel wouldn't even swat a fly.""A misunderstanding?" Angeline laughed mirthlessly when she saw him standing up for Rachel. "Why don't you tell your dog to explain what exactly I've gotten wrong."Rachel gave Nathaniel a tearful look. "I just wanted to tell her to stay away from you and not to take you from me. You're mine! Then, she slapped me! She even dragged me out here by my collar! Look at my face…""Angeline, Rachel's still young. Maybe she just blurted out those things in the heat of the moment. She doesn't mean anything by it, so please, don't
When Nathaniel saw that Angeline was seriously pissed, he wrapped an arm tightly around Rachel's shoulders. "Angeline, could you just calm down for a second?"Danny was a night owl, so he answered Angeline's call almost immediately. "What's up, boss? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?""I want you to do a background check on a woman who's always hanging around Nathaniel Hooper. Her name's Rachel White. Yeah… What for? She said she wants to maim my children. What do you think this is about?" Angeline's voice was as cold as ice."What?" Danny almost exploded on the other end of the line. "I'm on it—leave this to me. I'll end her whole family!"Rachel turned to look at Angeline when she heard what Angeline had said. Only then did she start feeling scared. She held Nathaniel's sleeve tightly.Angeline looked at Nathaniel after hanging up. "I hope you'll stay out of this matter when I'm handling it, Mr. Hooper. I wouldn't mind letting Mr. Hooper Senior know about this o
"C'mon… Sean, this isn't your first time seeing Rachel. You know how cowardly she is! How could she possibly say anything about wanting to harm those kids?" Nathaniel was annoyed."Now, now. Everyone, calm down and listen to what I have to say." Kieron stepped forward to ease the tension. He looked at Nathaniel. "Firstly, we all know Angeline's not interested in you. Also… Angeline's just asked someone to do a background check on Rachel, which means she knows nothing about Rachel."Do you remember the incident about the Carrey sisters being disfigured? Think about the lengths you went to keep Rachel out of jail. Even Sean didn't know about that. You and I were the only ones who were aware."I swear on the Steele family's reputation that I've never shared that with a single soul. So… how did Angeline know about that?" Kieron turned to look at Rachel.He was right. Only Nathaniel, Rachel, and Kieron knew about the matter. If Kieron and Nathaniel hadn't said anything about it, who wou
"Go and rest in the car first," Sean said.He picked up the shawl that had fallen to the ground and shook it before draping it over Angeline's shoulders. Watching Angeline angrily enter the RV, he shifted his cold, indifferent gaze to Rachel. Startled, Rachel snuggled into Nathaniel's embrace.Jesse, who had been listening in, was so stunned that he couldn't collect himself.He understood that the elite circles of Krontos often treated human life as expendable. However, when he stood there and heard about the Carrey sisters' tragic fate, he couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy. After all, in terms of social status, Jesse's family was on par with the Carrey family.Although not as influential as the Hooper family, the Carrey family still held some sway in Krontos. Jesse couldn't believe that the family's twin daughters had been harmed by someone close to Nathaniel, yet they remained silent.Zion Carrey had aged considerably overnight. He refused to speak about it despite othe
Hearing that, Rachel became flustered.Nathaniel's hand clenched into a tight fist. "Mandy asked me to take good care of Rachel before she passed away. I have to protect her."Despite Nathaniel's resolve, he wasn't the head of the Hooper Group yet. Sean, on the other hand, held real power at Lawson Global. Rachel was keenly aware of this.Rachel had believed that Sean and Angeline were just like the rumors, fighting tooth and nail for inheritance rights and that Sean would never support Angeline. After all, this road trip was Robert's idea, and Nathaniel and the others were likely compelled to join by Robert's insistence. Little did she expect that Sean would fiercely defend Angeline and her two kids."Nathaniel!" Rachel looked up at Nathaniel with fear in her eyes.Seeing Nathaniel silent, she then turned to Sean. "Mr. Lawson, it's because I love Nathaniel so much that I spoke harshly to Ms. Lawson, trying to intimidate her not to compete with me for Nathaniel. It was just talk,
After watching Nathaniel and Rachel's car drive away, Kieron glanced back at the RV from the Lawson family that followed and then shifted his gaze to Lara's tent.Overwhelmed with his own affairs at the moment, Kieron couldn't afford to spare any thought on what would become of Nathaniel and Rachel next. However, out of their friendship, he decided to send Nathaniel a text.Kieron: "Sean's judgment has always been sharp. You should investigate Rachel. Don't simply trust everything she says."Nathaniel, who was driving, frowned as Kieron's message popped up.Sitting in the passenger seat, Rachel also noticed the message. She clasped her hands tightly around the seatbelt across her chest. "Nate, you have to trust me!"Suddenly, Nathaniel jerked the steering wheel and pulled the car over to the roadside. He reached out and held Rachel's face, forcing her to look at him.He asked, "Rachel, tell me the truth. Did you intentionally disfigure the Carrey sisters? Did you tell Angie you w