Chapter 264
My Mute Bride
Chapter 264 Give You an Explanation âDonât worry, Rachel. I wonât let him off.â Despite hearing the resolute words on the other end of the line, Rachel felt a terrible dull ache in her heart. Over so many years, Janice had been devoting herself to clamping down on underworld gangs, but she was often met with all kinds of obstacles. There were not only external factors but also many on the inside that were shielding these gangs.
Arthur couldnât possibly be the only person who contributed to Jason being cleared of suspicion in Nancyâs kidnapping back then, so it went without saying how many strings had been pulled for this.
Meanwhile, the night was falling, and Justin was waiting on the mountain path. Soon, his personal bodyguards arrived. âYoung Master Justin.â
âYoung Master Justin, this isâ¦â The two bodyguards were Justinâs trusted men. In order not to affect the schoolâs activities, Justin had them stay far away from him when they came, saying that he would call them over if there was anything.
Justin kicked the half-dead henchman lying next to him. He said coldly, âTie him up and put him in your car until I get back to Riverdale.â
The two bodyguards exchanged a brief look. âYes, Young Master Justin.â
âAlso, you two take turns to keep watch near the campsite tonight. Keep your guard up.â
âYes, Young Master Justin.â
After giving the instructions, Justin went back to the campsite.
The bonfire activities had ended, and all the families returned to their respective tents to sleep and save their strength for the next dayâs outdoor sports meet.
Rachel had just finished washing Charlotteâs face. After urging the two kids to get into the tent, she pulled down the tentâs gauze net from the outside and zipped the tent flaps shut.
Just then, Charlotteâs voice sounded from inside the tent. âMommy, arenât you coming in to sleep with us?â
Rachel replied, âIâll be back in a while after washing my hands.â After finishing her sentence, however, she sat down beside the bonfire outside. There was no smile on her face; even when illuminated by the bonfire, her face looked very grim. As she poked at the bonfire, the branches crackled audibly in the night.
Justin came back to see her sitting alone outside the tent. âJust go to sleep. I have somebody keeping watch at a distance, so nothing will happen again.â
Rachel didnât even look at him. âItâs okay. Iâm not sleepy at all.â
âIf youâre really worried, Iâll send you guys back to Riverdale first. Outdoor activities arenât safe in the first place, anyway.â
âPut off by a slight risk, huh? Is that why you didnât let Charlotte go to school?â Rachel finally looked up and stared frostily at the man before her. âSamuel is fine; he has joined a lot of such activities since he was little. But canât you tell how happy Charlotte is to come out here this time?â
Charlotte had joined almost all the activities at the campsite. Not only did she take part in every little game with great enthusiasm, but she even became one with all her little friends. She had never come out and played with so many people at once ever since she learned to speak.
âIf it werenât for Charlotte, I wouldâve left at once.â Rachel took a glance at Justin. âBut you donât have to worry. Obviously, your uncle is coming after me. The kids have nothing to do with this.â
Justin frowned. âOnce we get back to Riverdale, Iâll investigate the matter thoroughly and give you an explanation.â
âNo, you donât have to.â Rachel shot a glance at Justin. âIf you really feel bad about it, then stop following me around. Just spend more time with Charlotte and Samuel during the outdoor sports meet tomorrow instead.â After all, Justin was Charlotteâs father, and Samuel also regarded him as his father.
Therefore, the two kids would be happy to have the man keep them company during the outdoor activity this time.
Knowing that it was useless to say more, Justin could only give her a slight nod in silence.
As the bonfire crackled, the campsite became increasingly quiet, and the lights of the tents were turned off one after another. Rachel curled herself up in the chair with a yawn. Even though she was sleepy, she was unwilling to go back to sleep. She said she didnât worry that Jason might lay a hand on the two kids, but she was nonetheless afraid of the possibility.
After some time, she couldnât stay awake anymore, and her eyes closed.
Charlotte and Samuel were sleeping inside the tent when the tent flaps were unzipped from the outside. Samuel wasnât soundly asleep in the first place, so he looked at the person in a daze after being roused from sleep.
âShhâ¦â Justin took a glance at him before carefully putting down the lady in his arms. Then, he put the pillow below her head and tucked her in. Having done all these, he sat down beside Rachel. As he quietly watched her sleeping, he felt incredibly at ease, and he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
Just then, a little hand came in front of Justinâs lips, and he looked up to see Samuel beside him. How could I have forgotten about this little brat?
Samuel stared at Justin with big, round eyes. He asked warily, âWhat are you doing?â
Justin grabbed his hand and replied impatiently, âWhy are you being so meddlesome? Hurry up and go back to sleep!â
âI will, but you have to get out.â
âAnd what if I refuse?â
âIn that case, Iâll call Mr. Wade over!â Samuel replied while waving his cell phone.
Justin frowned. Both of them refused to budge. After a long time, however, he could only leave the tent in dejection. This brat said he wanted to help me, but all he had come up with were lousy ideas. I wonder if he really wanted to help me or if he wanted to dupe me to get back at me.
When the light in the tent was turned off, Samuel turned over and held Rachelâs arm while looking out of the tent. The figure of the man outside was visible by the bonfire.
Instead of returning to his own tent, Justin sat down in front of the bonfire outside. Every once in a while, he poked at the bonfire, and it seemed that he had no intention of leaving.
At this instant, Samuelâs opinion of the man changed somewhat. Heâs quite reliable, after all.
The next morning, the first match of the outdoor sports meet was the three-legged race.
Rachel and Charlotte had just completed their round. When Victor came over to record the contestantsâ
finishing positions in the race, he noticed that Rachel had been massaging her arm and that something was wrong with the look on her face. âRachel, is your arm okay?â
Rachel didnât tell Victor what had happened last night lest he worry about it. She shook her head and replied, âItâs okay. Which round will Samuel be competing in?â
âHeâll be competing in the next round. Why donât you rest for a while, Rachel? Iâll let him compete a couple of rounds later.â
âThereâs no need to go to so much trouble. Itâs a three-legged race, after all. We donât need to use our arms.â
âLet me do it.â The rope in Rachelâs hand was snatched away all of a sudden as Justinâs voice rang beside her.
âYou?â Rachel looked at him, dumbfounded. She found it difficult to imagine Justin and Samuel being tied together in a three-legged race.
While she was in a daze, Justin had stridden into the distance toward Samuel without giving her the opportunity to say no at all.
âHeyâ¦â Victor yelled with the record book in his hand. Grumpily, he muttered, âThereâs no way heâs doing this without expecting anything in return.â
Charlotte grabbed the lower hem of Victorâs shirt while blinking her eyes angrily. âMr. Wade, why do you hate my dad so much? Heâs very kind.â