Chapter 7
Amber told Sue the entire story from A to Z in an innocent demeanor, labeling Rachel as a vain and scheming woman who had coaxed her younger sister. As she stood beside them, Rachel watched Amber's pretentious act coldly with an expressionless face. She didn't defend herself under Sue's disgusted and contemptuous gaze, for she knew it was unnecessary to do that. Since Sue didn't like her, she would never believe her.
As she expected, Sue looked askance at her as though she was looking at something filthy. "No wonder you don't want to leave-you're after the Burtons' family fortune. What a vain and scheming b*tch you are!"
Amber smiled smugly upon seeing this. Then, she moved close to Rachel and whispered in a voice audible to only both of them, "Dad said you must go along with me."
Rachel turned her head suddenly, and her pupils shrank. What do you want to do?
Naturally, Amber could understand Rachel's sign language. She smiled and replied in a whisper, "You don't have to care about that. You just have to go along with me, or else... I'll tell Dad about it."
Seeing how the sisters were communicating, Sue looked at Amber and asked in puzzlement, "What did she say to you?"
Amber acted worried as she sighed and said, "Rachel hates me now. I'm apologizing to her since I didn't do it on purpose."
Sue let out a cold snort. "What a disgusting woman you are! I have seen many scheming b*tches who try to climb the social ladder by marrying above their station, but it's my first time seeing such an annoying mute."
Rachel's heart had gone numb after hearing so many hurtful remarks.
In the ensuing time, Sue softened her attitude toward Amber, and they soon talked and laughed while chatting. After all, compared to the mute Rachel, Amber was more to Sue's liking. Moreover, she had a silver tongue and made Sue happy with just a few words. On the contrary, Rachel seemed like an unconcerned outsider.
In the evening, Justin came back. Apart from being dressed scrupulously in a black suit with no creases, he had his short hair slicked back neatly which revealed his attractive forehead. He looked very much like a business tycoon; despite the scary scar on his face, the way he pursed his thin lips looked very masculine and noble.
Amber was stunned the instant she saw him. Rumor had it that Justin was an extremely ugly man, and Amber believed it, but she didn't expect him to still be so handsome even with a scar on his face! Amber was overwhelmed with regret. She couldn't reconcile herself to this; had she known earlier that Justin was so masculine, she would have never let Rachel marry him back then! However, she then remembered what Jefferey had asked her to do... She was in a dilemma, but her own idea got the better of her in the end. I will have both Justin and Julian to myself! As long as these two men fall deeply in love with me, Dad's objective will be achieved in a different fashion, she thought to herself. "You're back, Justin." She approached him while assuming a veneer of maidenly shyness, feeling indescribably smug at the thought that this excellent man had proposed marriage to her back then.
To everyone's surprise, however, Justin looked at Amber very coldly. The woman was puzzled, and even Sue herself was in disbelief. Justin had personally proposed marriage to Amber back then, so he definitely liked her. Why was he reacting like this?
Is it because Rachel married him in my stead? Is that why he's angry with me and giving me the cold shoulder on purpose? Amber thought to herself. When she became convinced of this, she felt relieved at once. "I have something very important to talk to you about, Justin."
The man paused, knowing that Amber had come because of Jefferey. "Come with me."
She hurriedly followed Justin with a hint of joy on her face. On the other hand, Rachel stood beside the sofa with her eyes fixed on him the whole time, yet he went straight to the second floor without looking at her.
Sue darted a look at Rachel, who had always been practically non-existent, and sneered. "Do you see it? Amber is the one Justin loves, and there is no place for you here. If you're smart enough, you should leave as soon as possible. Don't end up in misery and bring disgrace upon yourself."
Rachel had gone numb after hearing a lot of Sue's taunts. However, there was one thing that she couldn't figure out. Before the wedding, the Burton Family had always believed that it was Amber who was going to marry Justin, but why weren't there any wedding ceremonies or wedding guests? After all, Justin was the one who had asked for Amber's hand on his own initiative. Nonetheless, she didn't want to think about this. However strange this was, it had nothing to do with her.
When Rachel returned to her room, she suddenly found that her cell phone had registered several missed calls. When she looked at it carefully, she found that these calls were from Riverdale General Hospital and she immediately called them back. "Is this Miss Hudson speaking? There's something wrong with the patient, so please come to the hospital as soon as possible," said the person on the other end. Did something happen to Grandma?! Rachel thought to herself.