For a moment, the maid was silent.Then she blurted out, "It was Miss Bennet!"
The maid pressed her face into her hands and forced herself to sob even harder.Then she turned her
tear-stained face up to Victor and whimpered, "Recently, whenever I go up to Miss Bennet's room, I
always hear a man's voice.She so rarely comes out that I started to get worried… I just asked her if
there was something wrong, but she started shouting at me.She didn't even give me a chance to speak
or explain.She accused me of being nosy and then…"
Rachel cocked an eyebrow as she listened to the maid's nonsense story.But she had to give her credit
where it was due; the maid did give a very convincing performance.If she hadn't known that the maid
was lying, she would have been inclined to believe her.
Not to mention that the maid had somehow willed herself to be able to sob the way she was.
It made her look even more pathetic.
The maid rubbed her palm across her cheek to try and dry off some of the fake tears, then clasped her
hands in front of her body.
"When Miss Bennet came home just now, I asked her if she'd had any dinner.I knew she'd been out the
entire day and I just wanted to make sure she'd had something to eat.I even offered to make her some
food.I think Miss Bennet misunderstood what I saying, because she slapped me out of the blue.She…
She also said…"
Victor's gloomy face pinched in irritation.
"What did she say?" he asked coldly.
"She also said that she is the mother of the Sullivan Group's successor.She told me that if she so
wanted, she could have me thrown out the Sue Garden, and ensure that I would never be able to find a
job or even a place to stay in Apliaria again."
The maid turned to Rachel and pathetically kowtowed to her.
"Miss Bennet," she started in a trembling voice, "please forgive me! I know I was wrong.I promise I
won't interfere again.Forgive me, please…"
Victor's expression had been getting angrier and angrier the longer the maid had been speaking.
By now he was gritting his jaw so tightly that the veins in his neck and forehead were bulging.
His dark eyes were glinting with malice, and he barely seemed to be holding onto his temper.
"The mother of the Sullivan Group's future successor?"
Slowly, he turned his head and sneered at Rachel.
The maid immediately stopped crying once Victor was no longer looking at her.
A sly smile curled the corners of her lips.
Lukas could see that the situation was rapidly becoming sour.
He couldn't let Victor lose his temper with Rachel because of some story the maid had spun, Rachel
was pregnant with Victor's child after all.
Lukas felt he had to speak in her defense.
"Mr.Sullivan, there has been a great misunderstanding. Miss Bennet was just-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Victor strode forward and grabbed Rachel by the chin.
Rachel did nothing but frown in pain.
She stayed quiet, not even bothering to try and explain what had really happened.
She knew Victor wouldn't have believed her anyway.
"So, you not only want to be the hostess of the Sullivan Group again, but you also want the entire
group for yourself.You truly are ambitious! I was right about you from the very start, Rachel.You are
such a greedy woman! Who said that baby would become the successor of the Sullivan Group? The
mother of the Sullivan Group's successor? Of its future No,you're not."
Victor jerked away from Rachel like she was carrying some type of disease.
Rachel took a few steps back, trying to put some distance between herself and him.She shook her
head to relieve the pain in her chin from where Victor had been holding her.
"From now on,"
Victor said coldly, "Rachel is a servant of the Sue Garden.Her duties are now those of her fellow
servants."
Lukas was horrified.He nearly stumbled over his words as he said, "Mr.Sullivan, please consider this
carefully.Miss Bennet is pregnant.If she works like a servant, she is going to exhaust herself.What if
something happens."
"If something happens, I will tell the doctor to prioritize the baby," Victor said coldly, staring straight at
Rachel's pale face as he said this.
That night, Rachel was moved out the guest bedroom and into the storage room where she used to
live.
As she stood in the middle of the room, taking in the familiar sights, sounds and smells, a bitter smile
curled over her lips.
She sighed softly and whispered to her belly, "I'm sorry, little one.You're having to go through so much
because of me."
A knock at the door silenced any further words she might have had.
"Miss Bennet," Lukas called from the door.
Rachel squeezed through the narrow passage to get to the door.She pulled it open.
"Lukas, what's wrong?"
"I brought you a heater," Lukas said.
"The heating in this room isn't working properly.It gets very cold at night during autumn… I didn't want
you to get cold."
He held his heater out to her.It was very old.He'd been using it for more than ten years already.
"It's a little old, but it works just fine."
Rachel couldn't help but smile.
"Oh Lukas, you shouldn't have.This isn't necessary.You keep it.I'll be fine."
"Miss Bennet-" Lukas tried to protest.
"Take a look inside," Rachel cut him off.
"Do you really think this room is big enough for me and a heater? Anyway, I'm sure I won't get cold.A
pregnant woman's body temperature is higher than normal.I think I'll be alright if I wrap myself in
blankets for the night.Don't worry about me.Thank you, though."
Lukas didn't push her any further.
He could see it would be fruitless; she'd already made up her mind.
He nodded and said, "Miss Bennet, I'm so sorry about this… I'm going to speak to Mr.Sullivan later this
evening and see if I can't get him to change his mind."
Rachel smiled at him again.She didn't try and change his mind.She knew he'd go and speak to Victor
anyway, even if she did get him to promise her he wouldn't.She also knew that he wasn't doing this for
her, but for her unborn baby.
"I will leave you now.Rest well, Miss Bennet," said Lukas.
Rachel nodded a goodnight to him and watched him leave down the corridor.She remained standing at
the door until Lukas had rounded a corner and was gone.
Up in his study, Victor was sitting contemplatively at his desk.
He had his eyes narrowed at the wall, and he was leaning back in his chair.
His mind kept taking him back to what Carson had said to him earlier.
"I think your best bet would be to start investigating the people around you, instead of trying to figure
out the hacker's identity.For example, have you offended anyone recently? I personally don't think the
hacker is one of your opponents in the business world.If he was, I'm sure he'd be more interested in the
group's commercial secrets, rather than something as trivial as a mistress being slapped.Secondly, I
think this hacker is a woman.Only women are interested in this kind of drama."
So, the hacker was a woman with a grudge against him and Alice… Victor closed his eyes in thought.
Suddenly, the image of Rachel's face flashed through his mind.His eyes flew open.
It could have been her.
It wouldn't be the first time she'd hacked into the Sullivan Group's surveillance cameras though.
The previous time she'd done it, she'd been using Ivan's phone.
It would have been easier for her back then because the phone had access to the monitoring system.
But after that incident, Victor had demanded that the monitoring systems be upgraded as soon as
possible.
It had been done overnight.
Up until now, it had been a force to be reckoned with.
No one in their wildest dreams would have been able to break into the system… It was impossible that
a no body like Rachel would be able to get it right.
No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it was impossible, he couldn't deny the fact that he
had a vague feeling that somehow, Rachel was mixed up in this.
Even if she hadn't been the one responsible for actually hacking into the monitoring system, she may
have had something to do with the hacker.
He just couldn't find any evidence.
Someone knocked on his door at this moment.
The sound interrupted his thoughts and destroyed the careful thought process he'd had.
He cleared his throat, sat up straight and said, "Come in."
The door opened to admit the maid Rachel had slapped.
Victor frowned when he saw her.
"What's wrong?"
The maid's confidence faltered when she realized just how intimidating Victor was.
It didn't help that he was staring at her like she was a bug under a microscope.
The self-assured smile she'd had on her face froze for a moment, and traces of nervousness crawled
through her chest.
But when she thought back to how Victor had punished Rachel for her sake, she took a deep breath
and stepped further into the study.
She carefully put the cup of coffee she'd been carrying onto the table.
"Mr.Sullivan, I made you some coffee," the maid said, lowering her eyes to the table.
In a sweet voice she said, "Thank you for helping me earlier…"
"It wasn't a problem.You can go now," Victor said dismissively.
The maid bit her lip and nibbled it nervously between her teeth.
Then she looked up at Victor and felt her heart squeeze at the sight of him.
He was so painfully handsome that she couldn't help but be tempted by him.
She took another deep breath and curled her fingers into her palm.
Now was not the time to back down.
She took a few steps forward and then knelt in front of him.
She reached out a hand towards Victor's thigh.
"Mr.Sullivan, actually… I wanted to offer myself to you.I would like to bear a child for you… Nothing
more.I…"
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