My Darling, My Dearest

Eric was in a good mood and left for the porridge shop. On his arrival, he was happy to see that only a few people were gathered there. He didn't have to stand in long queues to get what he wanted. With a big smile, he requested for two boxes, one for him and another for Rachel.

As soon as he stepped outside, the morning sun began to shine on his face.

It was indeed a beautiful sight! It had been a while since Eric had seen such a breath taking view. Plunging into his pocket, he took out his cell phone. He managed to click a dozen shots of the view.

After going through them, he selected the best one and posted it on his social media account. "Long time no see, the rising sun!" he captioned with some satisfaction. He trotted about in a lifted spirited. At the moment, his happiness was so strong, that nothing could disturb his mood.

Humming a song, Eric strolled towards Rachel's community. When he entered, he noticed a strange car downstairs in the garage.

When he reached the second floor, he couldn't open the door of Rachel's house. Beginning to panic, he started to rummage through his pockets. He desperately searched for the keys but to no avail. All he could find was his wallet and cell phone. Eric patted his thigh remorsefully. He had left the keys at home. ■3

Eric couldn't open the door so he decided to ring her.

In the bedroom, the curtain was closed tightly and the sunlight couldn't penetrate in at all. The big and soft bed made Rachel sleep soundly. Her phone rang and vibrated beside the bed. However, she was in deep slumber and didn't hear the ring.

Her face was glued to the soft pillow. She was tired and her breathing was somewhat heavy. It was obvious that her condition did not improve very much or else she would not have been sleeping at the moment.

The phone kept buzzing for quite a long time, but there was no answer.

Eric tried again after the short break. The phone continued to buzz again, but there was no one to pick it up. The host was in deep sleep.

Hearing the ring, Jack picked up the phone, and spotted Eric's name. Knowing Rachel wasn't in a condition to talk, he switched it off and left the room.

A sweet female voice came from the other end of the phone, "Sorry, the number you have dialed cannot be reached now..."

Eric was dumbfounded! 'What is wrong?

Is it possible that she woke up and went to work?'

He couldn't help but mull over this question. Now that he gave it a serious thought, he realized it was indeed possible. According to Rachel's character, anything was ■3

possible!

When Eric was about to withdraw his hand from the doorbell, the door swung open. A man appeared in front of him.

He was a tall man and had a bathrobe wrapped around his waist. His slightly wet black hair remained stuck to his forehead. He stood at the door and flashed an elegant smile.

Eric froze as if he had been struck by lightning. When he saw the man's domineering eyes, he slowly turned around.

"I'm sorry. I think I have come to the wrong room..."

After that, Eric turned around and went downstairs. Jack left the door open and unhurriedly got himself a glass of water.

When the cup was about to touch his lips, an angry voice came from behind, "Why are you here?"

Jack turned around and looked at Eric, who had already returned and stood in front of him nervously. The sight was quite funny! Eric wanted to sound threatening but fear was all around him. "Why can't I be here?" Jack drank the water with indifference. He looked down at his hand and asked, "Have you brought breakfast with you?"

Eric quickly hid the breakfast behind his back, as if he was afraid that Jack would come and grab it.

The pancakes and steamed buns in the bag were visible. Seeing this, Jack frowned slightly. Ignoring Eric's vigilant eyes, he raised his head and ■3

drank the water in a gulp. Then he said, "Last night, she had been burning. I don't think it is advisable for her to eat greasy food."

Eric's face changed slightly. He began to ponder over the meaning behind Jack's words.

After Jack was done drinking the water, he went back upstairs. On a closer inspection, one would notice that dark circles had formed under his eyes. On top of that, he seemed to be overcome by fatigue. Last night, when Jack came back, he heard Rachel's heavy breathing.

He turned on the light and was stunned to see her face. It had turned into crimson red. Suddenly, he felt glad he had come there to check. 'What would have happened otherwise?' he thought with dread. When Jack was about to send her to the hospital, Rachel used all her strength to push herself away from his arms. She didn't cooperate.

Her determination to pry his hands off her was so strong that Jack couldn't move her. That was when he realized that even in sickness, Rachel was strong! She was always capable of provoking him. Although Celine liked to make trouble out of nothing, she had never been stubborn like Rachel. But this unconscious lady in front of him had a strength that he wasn't capable of fighting against. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take her to the hospital.

Rachel's persistence puzzled Jack. As a doctor, she refused to go to the hospital when she was ■3

dreadfully sick.

In the end, he had no choice but to give up. Jack found some medicine at home and helped Rachel take it.

Besides, he found ice packs that he prayed would lower her temperature. Not giving himself a moment of rest, he worked on her tirelessly. Every time his eyes would blink, he worried about her. In the end, he realized it wasn't advisable for him to sleep. The whole night he remained awake.

In the morning, his hard work turned into fruition -Rachel got better. On discovering this, he breathed a sigh of relief and the sense of guilt in his mind finally faded away.

Deep down, he knew he had to thank his father for this. His father asked about Rachel on the phone. It was because of this Jack had come to check Rachel.

Jack felt guilty, so he didn't dare to answer his question. Instead, he tried to change the subject of conversation.

Realizing that Jack was trying to avoid the question, Jonathan sighed and said, "I know you two have no feelings for each other. Jack, if you really don't like Rachel, I won't force you to remain married. But don' be mean to her. Treat her well.

Try for another year. If it still won't work, then you both are free to go on your own ways."

Jack could hardly believe what he had heard. From what he knew, Jonathan was adamant for this marriage to work. Hence Jack was of the belief his father would never let them part ways. And now, he ■3 almost gave him permission to give up on this marriage!

In the end, the old man said, "I know you don't love her, but please don't bully her."

His underlying meaning was so profound that he immediately associated it with Francis' engagement party.

After hesitating for a while, he came back to Rachel's house. That was when he caught her with high fever.

It was not until five o'clock in the morning that Jack was able to take a nap. At about seven o'clock, his assistant called to tell him that the clothes had been sent.

He stood up to take a shower. Before he could change his clothes, he heard her phone ring which was accompanied by the doorbell.

Eric was still confused. When he saw Jack going upstairs, he quickly strode up and asked, "Where's Rachel?"

Eric raised his eyebrows and glared at Jack. Although there was anger in Eric's tone, he lacked confidence. After being taught a lesson by Jack, Eric was in no position to face something like that again. Just the mere presence of Jack brought him goose bumps.

If it weren't for Rachel, he wouldn't have stayed a second in the presence of this man. Thoughts about her worried him a great deal.

'Rachel and Jack aren't close! Why is this man here?' he wondered. ■3

"She is still asleep." After glaring at Eric, Jack continued to walk upstairs.

Eric realized there was no point in probing. He decided to see it for himself. Slowly, he stepped into Rachel's room.

The person in the bed was still in deep sleep.

The dim light didn't give Eric a proper view of her face. He walked in with breakfast in his hand,

bent over and gently nudged her.

"Rachel! Wake up!"

Rachel frowned before she opened her eyes. She was capable of opening her eyes just partially. Her body was so tired that the presence of an intruder felt like an annoyance. Wanting to rest longer, she grabbed the quilt over her head and went back to sleep.

This scene brought a piercing pain to Eric's heart.

'What is wrong with her? I'm so worried about her, yet she is sleeping like a pig,' he thought.

He retracted his hand. There was a part of him that wanted to shake and wake her up. But he realized that wouldn't be the right thing to do.

In low spirits, Eric sat down on the small sofa beside the bed. It had been moved by Jack last night just so he could keep an eye on her.

Jack didn't sleep the whole night. Instead, he was using ice bag to relieve Rachel's pain. Looking down, Eric caught sight of water and pills on the floor. ■3

It was obvious that these things couldn't be brought by Rachel herself. She wouldn't put them on the floor.

Just when Eric was mentally solving the puzzle, the door opened. As soon as Jack entered the bedroom, Eric instantly looked away from him and sat with a straight face. Anyone could mistake him for a sculpture!

But Jack paid him no attention. Instead, he entered the bathroom with a suit in his hand. Realizing Jack wasn't here to talk to him, Eric breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

'Rachel had a fever last night?'

He was still wondering how sick Rachel must have been. Suddenly, a thought struck him. Instantly, he put those greasy food aside.

After a while, Jack got dressed and came out of the bathroom. He looked down and continued to fix his cuff.

Eric sat straight with a scornful look on his face. In his eyes, Jack was just a playboy.

But the truth was, Jack wasn't as bad as Eric thought. After straightening his clothes, he picked up the coat on the table and said indifferently, "I'll ask someone to bring some light breakfast for her. Once it arrives, wake her up to eat. Those things..."

His fingers went to the package that was lying beside Eric. It consisted of stuffed and deep-fried items. A flash of disgust appeared in his eyes. "Just throw them away. If you let her eat them, her condition will only get worse," he warned.

When Eric saw the disdain in Jack's eyes, he ■3

almost jumped up from his chair! 'What's wrong with the food I bought! How dare he ask me to throw them away!'

At last, before he left, Jack added, "If she's still sick, take her to the hospital. I'll call back later so that you can update me."

Everything that came out of Jack's mouth made Eric want to roar like a lion. There was a part of him that wanted to tell Jack it was none of his business. He wanted to cast a cold glance at him and snort with disdain.

His heart was brimming with vicious emotions, but he didn't dare to say anything. All he did was sit like a statue.

In his face, there was no expression. He didn't make any move that made Jack believe he would defy his orders.

However, Jack was not going to leave before he got a reply. With his scrutinizing eyes, he glared at Eric. Using a patient tone, he asked, "Do you hear me?"