Chapter 337
My Mute Bride
Chapter 337 I Wonât Die, but She Will Rachel drove home in the night without taking any detours. The moment she closed the door behind her, her hands holding the car keys trembled slightly.
âWhy are you only back at this hour?â Jolly had been waiting for Rachel inside the house. âI was so worried. I was about to contact Janice if you still have not returned. Whatâs wrong? Are you okay?â She immediately noticed that Rachelâs complexion was terrible. âWhat happened?â
Rachel tossed the car keys aside and sat down. Afterward, she briefly recounted everything that happened tonight to Jolly.
Jolly was petrified. âI canât believe that they set up a trap within a trap! Wouldnât you have died if you had believed that Lila is Coraline and accepted the phone together with the route map!?â
âYouâre wrong.â Rachel shook her head. âIf I had kept the phone and the route map, I would not have died, but Coraline would have died instead.â
âCoraline? Didnât you say that Lila is not Coraline?â
âNo. She is Coraline.â
Everything that happened tonight from the time she received the note Coraline stuffed in her hand at the entrance of the private room to the blurry address written on the note to the instructions to head to the public phone booth to receive the callâall of these were part of Dillonâs trap.
On the other hand, the route map in the phone hidden at the public phone booth was the trap set up by that âMaster Porterâ.
The trap that Dillon set was insignificant as it was just a foolish one that his father had used as a diversion.
âIn the underground garage, Lila made a gesture with her hand before she pointed her gun at Justin.â
âWhat gesture?â
Rachel imitated the hand gesture for Jolly to see. âThe meaning of this hand gesture is âhit meâ.â
âShe asked you to hit her?â
âOf course not. She didnât actually mean for me to lay a blow on her. Rather, she wanted me to reveal the phone and the route map she gave me to Dillon. She wanted me to turn around and betray her.â
Jolly was confused. âI still donât understand. What does that mean? Sheâll be fine if you expose the fact that she gave you the route map?â
Rachel explained, âI believe that she is being suspected by the higher-ups. Combined with the fact that this âMaster Porterâ wanted to confirm my position, they decided to set up the events of tonight. If I had handed the route map to the Riverdale Investigation Bureau, it proves that I knew âLilaâ from the beginning, which would have exposed her as a result.â
âI get it. Assessing your sincerity and intent to cooperate is secondary because the main point was to confirm whether âLilaâ is a spy.â
âThatâs right. Iâm just a new cooperation partner. If Iâm not suitable, they can just cut off all contact with me. Thereâs no need for them to do anything to me. Thatâs because I donât understand anything about their organization. However, thatâs not the case with âLilaâ as itâs obvious that she knows too much.â
âOh, my God.â Jolly suddenly felt a belated sense of fear washing over her. âIf you had not seen that hand gestureâ¦â
Rachel was also filled with the same lingering fear.
If anything went wrong tonight, Coraline would have disappeared from the face of the Earth forever and the Riverdale Investigation Bureau would never be able to locate her again.
Luckily Rachel was able to confirm one thing when Coraline made that hand gesture. Lila Hart was indeed Coraline Harper. Not only was she still alive, but she was also continuing with her duties as a spy. I have to tell Janice about this.
It took Jolly a while to recover from her shock. As she walked barefooted to the fridge, she took out a beer and muttered, âNo, no. This is too stimulating. I need a drink to calm my nerves.â
Rachel craned her neck. âGet me a bottle too.â
They each held a bottle in one hand, sat on the carpet, and toasted each other.
âWhat are we celebrating?â Jolly was at a loss for words.
Rachel replied, âLetâs celebrate surviving today instead!â After some consideration, she added, âAnd celebrate the fact that Coraline is still alive.â
Her eyes reddened slightly when she said those words. It was precisely because she learned that Coraline was still alive that she didnât have the patience to say anything to Justin even though he was blocking her car. She was impatient to return home and share this good news with Jolly.
As the two of them drank, they gradually relaxed.
All of a sudden, Jolly burst out laughing.
âWhat are you laughing at?â
âNothing. I just suddenly thought about that Burton scum. He suffered a beating for no reason today.
Thatâs karma!â
At the mention of Justin, Rachel frowned slightly.
âWhatâs wrong? Donât tell me you are feeling sorry for him.â Jolly furrowed her eyebrows. âYouâre not allowed to be soft-hearted.â
âNo. I was just thinking about what he said to me today.â Rachel turned to the side and took out a document from her bag. âThis is the list of assets that he gave me.â
âWhat?!â
âHe hopes I will withdraw the lawsuit and surrender the custodial rights over Charlotte to him. I can meet her anytime. Moreover, he will transfer all the assets under his name to Charlotte in the form of a will.â
Jolly was stunned. âAll of his assets?â How many billions is that worth?! Thereâs no denying that Justin really is the perfect father when it comes to his daughter. âDid you agree?â
âI said I will consider it.â Rachel glanced at Jolly, her gaze suddenly becoming firm. âDo you think I can give up on Charlotteâs custodial rights, though?â
Jolly immediately felt relieved. Picking up the beer bottle from the table, she tapped her bottle against the bottle in Rachelâs hand. The bottles knocked against each other and made a muffled sound, which caused the beer head to splash slightly and scatter bubbles. It was as though they were celebrating their victory in advance or to kick off this grand carnival.
â¦
Three days later, the Riverdale Courthouse sent out mediators to formally oversee the out-of-court settlement only to be rejected by Rachel.
Justin had called Rachel multiple times on her phone, but nobody answered. It was not until two days before the court hearing that the phone call was finally connected.
He sounded extremely anxious over the phone call. âWhy didnât you answer my calls?â
She sat in her office with a calm expression and watched the steam rising from her cup. âIâm sorry. I was very busy recently, so I had no time to answer your calls.â
âAre you avoiding me?â
âYouâre over thinking things. I am not.â
Her cold and indifferent attitude had become the norm. He had no choice but to accept the reality and dropped the topic. âDidnât you say you will consider my offer? Why did you reject the out-of-court settlement?â
âI have yet to make up my mind, so I can only allow the necessary court procedures to flow naturally. I donât believe thereâs anything wrong with that.â
âI really do not wish to meet you in court. As you know, the attorneys will do anything to expose the other partyâs shortcomings. Do you really wish for us to be like this? How will Charlotte blame herself when she grows up and learns about this?â
Rachel picked up her cup, blew on the foam at the top, and took a sip. âRegarding your document, I believe there are certain areas that can be revised. If you agree to it, then I can withdraw the lawsuit.â
Justin didnât even stop to think and immediately agreed. âNo problem. Iâll do it.â
âYou havenât even heard my request.â
âI will agree to any of your requests, as long as you withdraw the lawsuit.â
Those words left her feeling stunned. Nevertheless, she quickly recovered and glanced at the calendar on her desk. The court hearing was on the day after tomorrow. âAlright, then. I have some time tonight.
Why donât we meet up for dinner together and have a good talk?â
The voice on the other end of the phone could almost be described as âoverwhelmed by feelings of loveâ. âNo problem.â