Abby turned her eyes to the ground.She lowered her head and said in a low, guilty voice, "I'm sorry I'm
so useless, Miss Bennet."
Rachel finished applying ointment to Abby's wound and threw the used swab in the trash.
As she turned her head back to Abby, she saw the sad, hopeless expression on her face.
Rachel sighed softly as she said, "Abby, I'm not blaming you for what happened.I just want you to
remember this.Remember how much this hurt.If something like this ever happens again, I want you to
fight back.And if you can't fight, you need to run as fast as you can.Do you understand me?"
"Miss Bennet…" Abby's eyes filled with tears.
"Abby, I can't always be there every time someone you bullies you.The best I can do is punish those
who hurt you.But what happens one day when I don't even know who to punish? I've never expected
you to protect me… All I ask is that you protect yourself," Rachel said earnestly
"I will do my best, Miss Bennet," Abby answered softly.
Rachel gave an affectionate smile, reached out and gently ran her fingers over Abby's head.
"I think you've made great progress.Maybe I'm just being too demanding.Take your time; do things your
way.I have full faith that one day, you'll be strong."
There was no denying that Abby had already started to change for the better.
Rachel could account for that.She remembered that in the past Abby had been too timid to speak up
for herself when she was getting bullied.But she was still worried.
While Abby was making good progress, she needed to learn how to protect herself quicker.
Ever since Rachel had taken Abby and Andy to be her friends, she'd started to care about them more;
to the point where she was always afraid that she wouldn't be able to protect them from getting hurt.
In the past, she wouldn't have given them a second thought.
The Rachel from the past was cold and indifferent.
She wouldn't have cared if someone got hurt or bullied… But not anymore.
Yes, Abby had changed.
But so had Rachel.
Abby and Rachel went to the company's canteen for lunch.
They enjoyed their food and idle banter, and once they were done, they decided to head to the archive
for a little break.
They'd just stepped into the hallway when they noticed a familiar figure standing there.
"Why is Mrs.Jenkins here?" Abby said in surprise.
"Is she here because of what happened to Miss Jenkins this morning? What are we going to do, Miss
Bennet?" Rachel smiled calmly.
In a casual, almost conversational tone she said, "What else can we do but let her do as she pleases?
If she wants to get justice for her daughter, let her.The only thing I'd be able to do for her is give her a
solid slap as well."
"That's allowed?" Abby said and turned to look at Rachel.
She wasn't surprised by what she'd said, and she was also inclined to believe her.
Rachael was different now.
After all the unbelievable things she'd already done, Abby wouldn't put it past her to make good on her
word.
If Rachel wanted to smack her stepmother in public, she probably would.
Rachel just smiled in response.
Abby frowned at her, then looked towards Caroline again.
She took a deep breath to steady her words, and then said seriously, "This time, I will help you.Don't
worry, Miss Bennet."
Caroline spotted them as soon as they stepped into the hall.
She gracefully walked over to them, her elegant, handmade cheongsam hugging her body in all the
ways that were flattering.
"Rachel," she called gently as she approached.
"Are you here to seek justice for your daughter, Caroline?" Rachel asked coldly.
Caroline's hands tightened on her handbag.
She narrowed her eyes at Rachel for a moment, like a predator sizing up their prey, then quickly
regained her composure.She wanted nothing more than to tear Rachel apart at the moment.
The sight of Alice's red, swollen face staring up at her from the hospital bed had been enough to make
her bloodthirsty.
Caroline wanted to hurt Rachel the way she'd hurt her daughter.
Not to mention the fact that Alice's coccyx was fractured because of how hard she'd hit the ground.
It was enough to make her blood boil, and she was only just barely managing to keep her rage
contained.
The only thing preventing her from beating this bitch Rachel black and blue was the baby in her belly.
Caroline put up a good front, soothed her anger, and chose to play the victim.
"I know this was probably Alice's fault.As her stepsister, it's understandable that you'd want to teach her
a lesson every now and then.Alice told me that her fall had nothing to do with you.She said she was
just being careless and ended up hurting herself."
Rachel arched her eyebrows in disbelief.She could hardly believe Alice would say something like
that.But she didn't voice her thoughts and chose to stay silent.
"I'm actually here to ask you a favor, Rachel," Caroline said, and quite suddenly, she started to tear up.
"I know you don't like me and Alice. And because of this, I know you dislike your father at times." Her
voice was strained as she tried to fight back the urge to cry.
The hall was starting to get crowded as lunch break ended and workers returned to their offices.
Caroline was speaking loud enough that it attracted more than a few curious stares.
Some people even stopped to listen; though they did their best to pretend that they weren't
eavesdropping Rachel smiled in a way that would have been encouraging, had it not been for the
mocking light glittering in her eyes.
She crossed her arms and titled her head, feigning interest in what Caroline had to say.
"Your father wants nothing more than for you to go and visit him in the hospital.Rachel, I'm begging
you.Please go and see him.Even if it's just once.I can't bear to see him so upset and disappointed…
Please…"
As Caroline spoke, the tears she'd been trying to hold back slipped down her cheeks. She stepped
forward and reached out to take Rachel's hand.
Rachel stepped back, twisting her body away.
"Rachel…"
Caroline's eyes flooded with tears again as she stared desperately at Rachel.
She looked like she was barely holding back from throwing herself on the floor and kneeling before her.
The onlookers all switched their gazes from Caroline to Rachel.
Their expressions turned cold when they saw how she was behaving.
They'd all harbored secret thoughts that Rachel wasn't a good person, but now she was giving them
more reasons to believe they'd thought right.
Rachel stared expressionlessly at Caroline's pitiful face for a long while.
‘'She's a lot better at playing the victim than her daughter is.What makes her think Jack wants me to
visit him? He's a cold-hearted bastard.I find what she's saying impossible to believe.There has to be
something more to this.Otherwise, why would Caroline and Alice keep trying to convince me to go to
the hospital to see him? Now Caroline has gone so far as to try and manipulate the public opinion to
force me to agree.”
As she stood there mulling through her thoughts, something suddenly occurred to her.She thought
back to the strange check-up from a few days ago that had been arranged way ahead of schedule.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and her expression darkened.
"You said Dad wants me to visit him in the hospital?"
"Yes," Caroline said with a nod.
"You know out of all of us that your father cares for you the most."
She held Rachel's gaze as best she could, trying to mentally will her to look past the obvious guilt in
her heart, and the light sheen of sweat on her forehead.
She was afraid that Rachel had seen right through her lies.When had this bitch's eyes gotten so sharp?
Caroline was starting to find it difficult to breathe through her anxiety.It felt like something was
constricting her chest, and pushing down on her shoulders.
"Okay, I'll go to the hospital with you."
Rachel only agreed because she wanted to find out why Caroline and Alice were willing to go through
so much effort to get her to go visit her father.
"Miss Bennet, I'll go with you," Abby said, feeling suddenly concerned.
She had the suspicion that Caroline and Alice were up to no good, and she didn't want Rachel to go
alone.
"There's no need for that.I'll be just fine on my own," Rachel said.
If something did happen, there was no way Rachel could guarantee Abby's safety.It was better that she
just went alone.
"But-" Abby protested.
"Why don't you go home and cook something nice? I'll be back before you know it," Rachel said, giving
Abby a comforting pat on the shoulder.
With that said, Rachel and Caroline left.
They went outside and hailed a taxi to take them to the hospital.
The drive was awkward and silent.The most interact they had were the intermittent glances Caroline
threw at Rachel's belly.
Rachel was only about a month pregnant.Her stomach was still flat with no bump in sight.
Caroline turned her head to look out the window.
An unspeakable wave of jealous rage rose in her when she thought back to the results on the report.
'How is it that this little bitch is so lucky to get pregnant after just one night of sex? If she hadn't ruined
Alice's plan that night, Alice would have been the one sleeping with Victor! Alice would have been
pregnant with Victor's child.Not Rachel.I would have been Victor's mother-in-law, and grandmother of
the future successor of the Sullivan Group. I would have been the envy of all the other rich, upper-class
ladies..But this little bitch ruined everything.This baby has to go.She can't keep it.She can't! I lost to you
before, Elise.But I won't allow my daughter to lose to your brat.Never!' Caroline's fingers twisted
violently in the strap of her bag.
She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath to try and suppress the wild hatred coursing through her
veins.
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