Chapter 217: Chapter 217

Dear Sweetheart Chapter 217 Unknowing Reunion 1 Rayna wasn’t a fan of Emma’s condescending attitude, nor did she like the older woman’s tone of voice. “If that’s a sincere compliment, I’ll accept it and thank you for it. If there’s something you want to say, please just get to the point.”

Unfazed, Emma took a sip of coffee, her movements exuding grace and elegance. “I’ve seen your contract with Theodore. Your family is lacking, but you’re hardworking, and I suppose you can be considered befitting of my son.”

“You’ve seen it?” At the thought of Theodore showing his mother their contract, Rayna felt an intense wave of anger burning in her chest. Nonetheless, she tamped down her temper and tried to put a lid on her emotions. “Mr. Xavier was merely joking around with me.”

“I can judge for myself whether it’s a joke or not.” The older woman’s eyes narrowed into slits, and her voice was laced with displeasure. “My son’s too stubborn. He could’ve fallen for any other woman, but alas, he fell for an illegitimate child. Well, that illegitimate child is pretty capable herself. It’s been four years, yet my son still signed this contract all for her sake.”

Her scathing remarks didn’t end there. After a brief pause, she continued, “That doesn’t matter anymore. It’s a pity that someone like Mr. Faymon ended up marrying Jasmine, but I can finally heave a sigh of relief now that they’re married.”

Since Rayna wasn’t close to Jasmine, she had no intentions of sticking her nose in the latter’s business. However, Emma’s tone vexed her, and she couldn’t help but retort, “You can stop calling her an illegitimate child. Haven’t you heard that the Sanders family has acknowledged Ms. Sanders, and she’s now one of the higher-ups of Sanders Group? Moreover, she holds twenty percent of the company’s shares.”

A disdainful smile spread across Emma’s face when she heard that. “She’s capable, so much so that she forced the Sanders family to acknowledge her. Despite that, she’ll always be an illegitimate child in my eyes, and nothing can change that.”

I won’t allow an illegitimate child to taint the reputation of the Xavier family.

At that thought, Emma’s expression dimmed. “Theodore is a smart boy. He had a bright future ahead of him, and if it weren’t for that d*mned illegitimate child, he would’ve taken over his father’s position!”

“Whether you like her or not, it’s none of my business,” Rayna responded as she got to her feet. “I have nothing else to say to you, so I’ll take my leave now.”

Before she could leave, however, Emma reached out to grab her arm, appearing rather friendly and pleasant. “Indeed, I don’t like her, but I have a good impression of you, Ms. Garland,” remarked the older woman.

“I can tell Theodore likes you a lot. Moreover, you’re currently the vice CEO of Hatchair Group, and that goes to show how talented you are. Hence, I believe that with our help, everything you do will be smooth sailing from here on out,” she continued.

Rayna’s heart was filled with disgust.

This woman’s such a drama queen! She acted all high and mighty earlier in an attempt to assert her dominance, but after seeing how I wasn’t intimidated by that, she completely changed her tune and is now acting friendly with me. This is unbelievable!

“I’m not interested in your son, Mrs. Xavier, and I’m sure he isn’t interested in me either.” Rayna withdrew her hand and stood her ground, showing no signs of relenting. “Thank you, but I’ll work hard to get what I want.”

That prompted a subtle smile to spread across Emma’s face, and she tightened her grip. “That’s fine. You can start off as friends.

Maybe your feelings will change after being around him. You’re a good girl, Ms. Garland.”

Rayna was bereft of words.

“I don’t have much to gift to you. This is an emerald bracelet Theodore’s grandma gave me.” As she spoke, Emma removed the piece of jewelry that was adorning her pale and slender wrist.

Before Rayna could pick up what was going on, the older woman had already grabbed onto her hand and slid the bracelet onto her wrist.

She wasn’t as meticulous as Emma when it came to taking care of her appearance. Hence, her wrist wasn’t as smooth as the latter’s. As the bracelet was forcefully placed on her, Rayna felt a pang of pain and took a sharp breath.

Her face contorted in pain, and with great difficulty, she uttered, “Mrs. Xavier, you—”

Rayna quickly held her tongue and inhaled deeply to avoid spewing the profanities that were swirling in her mind. On the other hand, Emma had a smile plastered on her face as she continued to hold onto Rayna’s hand. “It’s nothing much, so please accept it.”

“Well then, thank you!” Rayna muttered through gritted teeth. At that moment, she was focused on the throbbing pain on her wrist and failed to notice the camera outside the window that was pointed at them.

After much difficulty, she finally managed to escape Emma. Rayna had the urge to smash the bracelet into pieces when she saw how red and swollen her wrist was. Afraid the woman might want it back in the future, she dared not act on her impulse and stormed into a jewelry store instead.

“Please take this bracelet off of me. Don’t damage it.”

A couple of employees quickly surrounded Rayna and applied a thick layer of hand cream onto her wrist to provide some lubrication as one of them attempted to slide the bracelet off. Unfortunately, since the bracelet was forcefully slid onto her, even the slightest touch hurt her. In the end, an employee had no choice but to hold Rayna by her arm to keep her still as he pried the bracelet off of her wrist.

The employee carefully placed the piece of jewelry into a box and returned it to Rayna. “The color of the emerald is rich and brilliant. A bracelet of this quality is usually priced at seven figures. You have good taste, miss.”

That had her staring at him in silent disbelief.

I’m so glad I kept myself in check and didn’t smash the bracelet into pieces. Otherwise, things might have turned out really bad.

Rayna continued rubbing her throbbing wrist. Just as she left the mall, she received a series of messages from Carl, asking where she was at the moment. Through his texts, she could sense that he was frantic.

Rayna glanced at the clock and didn’t feel like returning to the office. As such, she sent Carl the address of a restaurant and swiftly made her way there. She had just begun eating when the boy arrived.

“Have you eaten?” she said, sliding the menu toward him. “Order whatever you like.”

“Something terrible has happened, Ms. Rayna!” Carl pulled his mask down, revealing the anxious expression that was plastered on his countenance. “Did you see the news? Mom is getting married to someone else!”

Rayna knew that a boy as smart as Carl would eventually stumble upon the news when he was on the computer. However, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Did you ask your mom about it?”

The boy clenched his fists. “I did, but Mom said she had no choice but to get married and advised me not to worry about it. How can I not, though?” he huffed. “Even if she was left with no choice, she’s getting married, and the whole world knows about it!

Mom told me we’d wait for Dad to come back for Christmas and go skiing at Harfush. She lied to Dad and me.”

Stunned, Rayna looked at him and queried, “She said your dad will be back for Christmas?”

But Carl’s Dad is Theodore, so why would Jasmine say that? Is she lying to Carl, or is she planning to have someone pose as Theodore when Christmas rolls around?

“Yeah, but based on her actions, I can’t help feeling like she’s lying to me. I just want my dad. I don’t want that Mr. Faymon guy to be my dad.”

She furrowed her brows in frustration. “He can’t be your dad either!”

That would be a mess, no?

Carl instantly lifted his head, his eyes sparkling as he glanced at her. “Ms. Rayna, do you like Mr. Faymon? Why don’t I help you two elope?”

“W-What nonsense are you spewing!” Rayna’s face flushed crimson as she choked on the food. After gulping down a cup of water, she hissed, “Who would like that man?”

“Then why did you say he can’t be my dad?” he probed.

Because he’s your uncle!

She put her hand to her forehead, sighing helplessly. “Because he’s not a good man, okay? I’m afraid your mom would be taken advantage of if she married him.”

“I think so, too.” Carl wholeheartedly agreed with that statement of hers and added disdainfully, “He’s not that handsome either.

He can’t even hold a candle to my dad, and who knows where he got all that money from?”

Once again, Rayna was stunned speechless.

“Ms. Rayna, you’re so smart. Don’t you have an idea?” The boy cast a pitiful glance at her, costing her a great deal of self-

restraint to avoid pinching his soft and supple cheeks.

“I don’t. What about you?”

“Me neither.” Carl scratched the back of his head as the gears in his mind began turning.

All of a sudden, his eyes lit up, and he turned to Rayna. “Why don’t we have someone sabotage him during the ceremony and have them accuse him of being a playboy? That way, they won’t be able to go through with the marriage!”