"With whom? How did you know?"
"It is here in newspaper! She is the daughter of the Chen family. They come from families of equal
social rank!" In an envious tone, the other one said, "I see. This is on today's news. How lucky she is!"
"Why do you look sad? Such marriages look glamorous only on the outside. They are definitely not as
happy as you and your husband."
"Huh, you didn't have to mention him. The other night I had asked him to clean up the room but he..."
Rachel stopped paying attention to their words. Quickly, she flipped the newspaper, searching for
something. Finally her eyes fell on the content she was looking for. What the two women had said was
indeed true! Her face was frozen due to shock. Unable to believe it, she read it once again, word by
word.
'What if Celia comes to know about this?'
The consequences were unimaginable. She didn't want to think of it.
The next day, Rachel drove Jack's car to the hospital. She rushed to Celia's ward, but was told by the
nurse that she had left last night. Just when she was about to call her, her phone beeped with a
message. "Rachel, I'm fine now. I'm with my father. By the way, I wanted to let you know I've submitted
my resignation letter. Once my father's condition improves, I will go to Joy City."
Rachel had a vague memory of Celia mentioning her aunt who had married and gone to Joy City.
Although she rarely visited her, she called and texted Celia often. Truth be told, Rachel believed it
would be good for Celia to live with someone who cared about her.
'But what about Marcus?' Rachel wondered. She didn't want their relationship to end like this.
While Rachel was engulfed within these thought, someone grabbed her arm. Lifting her head, she
noticed it was Lea.
"How come you are here?" Rachel asked, looking utterly surprised by her sudden appearance.
Lea didn't bother to give her an answer. Instead she said, "I'll take you to watch a good show."
Rachel couldn't wrap her head around what was happening. She opened her mouth, ready to ask
several questions. But Lea held her hand and took her to the car.
Once inside, Rachel looked around and noticed they were on the riverside road. Then, Lea slowed
down and stopped in front of an open-air cafe.
Lea pointed to the coffee shop across the street and said, "I called Eden this morning to come here."
"Why did you do that?"
Rachel asked and opened her eyes wide. "Hurry up. I have to go to work. I don't have time to waste
like you."
"I am not here to waste time. Instead this is an important task. You don't want Marcus to marry this
woman, do you?"
On receiving no reply, Lea looked straight into Rachel's eyes and said, "Celia is not in a position to fix
things. But you and I are capable of helping her. Don't you want to do it? Rachel, are you going to let
your friend down?"
Rachel obviously loved Celia with all her heart, but had no idea how she could amend things. The news
that Marcus and Eden would get married had broken out.
Rachel didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared at Lea, wondering what was brewing in her
mind.
"Lea, you know how much I love Celia. I would have done something if I could do it. But things are
damaged beyond repair. Let's stay out of it, shall we?"
"No, it is not. We will fix it!" Lea squeaked and her eyes lit up. Swiftly opening the door, she got out of
the car, as if something thrilling had happened.
Eden looked at the menu in her hand and said softly, "A cappuccino and a latte, please. Serve the latte
a bit later. As you can see, my fiance hasn't arrived yet."
"Okay." The waiter left with a smile.
She took out her phone and checked if there were any new messages for Marcus. Although the tone
he had used was very formal, it still made her happy. After all, it was the first time that Marcus had
taken the initiative to send a message. 'One step at a time,' she thought to herself, feeling happy.
However, as time passed, her happiness was replaced by frustration. She kept checking her phone,
over and over again. While her eyes were glued onto the phone, she felt a man occupy the seat
opposite to her.
Eden's eyes lit up. "Marcus, here you are!"
But soon she realized her blunder. It wasn't Marcus, but a strange man she had never set her eyes on
before. He was sitting there calmly, like he was invited. "Who are you?" she asked with annoyance.
With a wisp of hair on his forehead, Eric smiled and said, "I saw you alone so I decided to sit down and
have a chat with you."
He snapped his fingers, and then the waiter brought a cup of latte.
Eden's face darkened. Without turning her head, she said to the waiter, "I don't know this man. Please
ask him to leave."
The waiter looked back and forth between the two carefully and said, "But this gentleman just said he
was looking for you."
Eric took a sip of his coffee and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, you can leave now. She is a little
angry, that's all."
Eden wouldn't understand the scene that was unraveling before her.
Eric laughed. "You certainly don't know me, but I know you. Since you are Marcus' fiancee, you are my
rival in love."
His expression suddenly became a little fierce.
Eden was stunned and didn't know what to say. 'What could he mean by that?' she wondered.
This had to be some kind of a joke!
Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Eric decided to up his game. He picked up the coffee cup with his
fingers. Even though he was sitting normally, crossing his legs, his actions seemed a little sissy.
He smiled and reached out his hand to her. "Hello, my name is Carl Chen. Marcus likes to call me little
Carl when we are alone." After this, he blushed.
Eden was so stunned that her mouth was agape.
At this moment, hidden beside the parterre, Rachel patted heavily on Lea's shoulder and asked, "Is it
your idea? It is horrible!"
Lea raised her head and burst into laughter. She rubbed her belly with one hand and said, "Oh, I can't
laugh anymore. My belly hurts. Rachel, I didn't know Eric was such a fantastic actor."
"You are crazy! This is ridiculous. I don't think she will buy it."
Cutting their conversation, a male voice came from behind. They noticed that Eric's face was tight. His
glare was fixated on Lea.
She stood up and smiled. "Eric, I was praising you just now! You shouldn't keep your talents hidden. I
am glad I helped you make use of it."
She had a very plausible tongue.
Seeing them bicker, Rachel didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. She looked around the place and
noticed that Eden had left. Perhaps she believed him. "What was her reaction after you finished?" she
asked.
"She splashed coffee all over my coat."
Grabbing his coat, he flashed it before Lea's eyes. "Do you have any idea as to how much I have spent
on this?"
Lea patted Eric on his back. "I am sorry but don't worry. To make up for it, I will buy you another one."
Eric touched the back of his head, grinned and said, "Forget it. You don't need to buy me a new coat.
But you have to keep your words and introduce me to your colleague."
"Of course, I will keep my end of the bargain." His anger was subdued and they were both back to
being friends.
Seeing this, Rachel smiled at them. Her hesitancy was gone and she too became cheerful.
The three of them sat together and chatted for a while. When they were about to leave, Rachel caught
sight of Marcus getting out of his car. His head was lowered and he was fiddling with the cuff link.
Rachel decided to stay, asking Eric and Lea to leave without her.
Suddenly, Marcus looked up and met her eyes. His face broke into a warm smile.
"Do you have time? I have to talk to you."
He glanced at his watch and said, "I wish I did. But there is an appointment with a friend I am supposed
to take care of. How about another day?"
"The friend you are referring to is Eden, right? She isn't there, she left," Rachel announced.
Marcus frowned but soon relief washed over him. "In that case, let's find a seat to sit down. It isn't
suitable for us to talk while standing."
The two sat down in a quiet corner and ordered their drinks. After the waiter left, Marcus said in a low
and mellow voice, "Rachel, are you here because of Celia?"
The mention of Celia's name surprised Rachel .She thought he wouldn't mention that name anymore.
However, now she understood he couldn't forget her. His thoughts always flitted to her.
Rachel took a sip of her coffee, moistened her throat and said, "Partly due to her. But there is also
another reason. Let me tell you what happened today."
Rachel narrated the hilarious incident that happened between Eric and Eden. She analyzed Marcus'
expression, trying to see if she could spot any anger. "If you are angry about it, you can talk to Eric. We
are willing to explain and clarify things."
"No, that won't be required.
I am okay with it," Marcus said with a smile.
Looking at his unconcerned expression, Rachel understood he had no interest in Eden. If he had to
choose between being called gay or marrying a woman he didn't love, he would pick the former.
Rachel had so many questions in her mind. She knew asking them would be the only way to dispel
misunderstandings.
Rachel felt a little sorry for him. "We were all very shocked when we heard about your break-up with
Celia. Truth be told, we admired and supported your relationship. We didn't want it to end like this,
which is why we did this today."
After all, they had to show their support in some way.
"Yes, Rachel. I am quite happy with what you all did today. You have helped me lift such a big burden
off my shoulder. Will you take care of Celia on my behalf?" he asked hopefully.
"Can you tell me the reason behind your break-up?"
asked Rachel expectantly.
"I need to know. Otherwise my mind won't be at ease," she added.
His dark eyes stared into a distance. It was like he was elsewhere. The loss he felt in his heart was
reflected in his eyes.
The more reluctant he was to speak up, the more she wanted to know. But as a friend, Rachel decided
she had to stop probing.
Earlier, the weather had indicated it would rain. But now it had cleared up.
After a brief conversation, the two of them stood up and were about to leave. Marcus picked up the car
keys from the table and said, "Are you going to the hospital? Let me drive you there."
"No, thanks. It's very convenient to take a taxi from here."
With a smile, Rachel walked out of the cafe and instantly found a taxi. When she got in, her phone rang
and Jack's name appeared on the screen. "Hello? What's up?" she asked cheerfully.
"I'll pick you up after work and we will have dinner together."
"Okay."
When Rachel returned to the hospital, she went to Celia's ward. Rachel saw she was surrounded by
several nurses who were chatting with her. Even though her face was still a little pale, she looked much
better than she did two days ago.
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