Chapter 158

Just as William was about to turn and walk away, Samantha came running over. Her cheeks were flushed, and her nose was tinged with red, giving her an especially sweet and innocent look. Tiny beads of sweat glistened on her smooth, fair forehead.

She glanced nervously at Rachel and William, sensing the tension between them. Cautiously, she reached out and took Rachel’s hand. Her voice was soft.

“Rachel, I swear, there’s nothing going on between me and William. Please don’t get the wrong idea. William isn’t accusing you and Mr. Hunt either. It’s just that, well, you two did look really close.”

Rachel was utterly confused. She couldn’t make heads or tails of what Samantha was trying to say. Was she trying to defend her or stir the pot?

Rachel hadn’t intended to bring up anything about Samantha and William. Since Samantha came over on purpose to make her uncomfortable, there was no need to hold back anymore.

Rachel turned slightly, casting Samantha a sideways glance. She smiled sarcastically.

“Ms. Judd, whatever’s going on between me and William really doesn’t require your input. There’s also no need for you to speak on my behalf either. Our relationship is our own business. We’ll handle it ourselves.”

Her words were direct and matter-of-fact, lacking the warmth she usually had. It came across as cold and distant.

Samantha was the kind of girl who couldn’t be yelled at, scolded, or even spoken to too loudly. So being shut down like this by Rachel hit her hard. Her eyes filled with tears on the spot, and her shoulders trembled as she spoke in a choked, aggrieved voice.

“Rachel, why are you being so mean to me? I meant well. I know I was a little too close to William just now, and I get that you might’ve been jealous. But I didn’t have a choice at the time. If I hadn’t held onto William, I could’ve fallen off.”

Rachel looked at her with an expression that seemed almost approving. “You’re absolutely right, Ms. Judd. It was just a game. There’s no need to take it too seriously. You holding onto William, that was out of necessity. So I’m sure you completely understand my situation just now too. I couldn’t exactly pull away and risk our team losing just because of me, right?”

William’s expression, which had already been grim, now turned even more sour. He was practically looking daggers at them.

Samantha suddenly realized she’d fallen into Rachel’s trap. She had just unintentionally justified Rachel’s actions with Tyler.

Her lips trembled as she bit them hard, covering her mouth as she sobbed twice. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

With that, Samantha ran off in tears.

Rachel watched her leave, her expression somewhat sympathetic. She then glanced at William. “You’d better check on her. She’s rather fragile. If something happens, it could ruin this whole team-building event.”

Her words hit the mark with William.

“I’ll go check on her then.”

Rachel nodded. “Okay.”

She watched as he walked further and further away. She knew exactly where she stood now. In William’s world, only two things mattered: work and Samantha.

Just then, Cecilia walked over. “Rachel.”

Rachel snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask, what happened back there? Why did Mr. Lewis suddenly drag you off like that? Don’t tell me something bad happened?”

“No, it’s fine.” Rachel gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Cecilia still looked worried. “Are you sure?”

“It’s really nothing.” Rachel couldn’t help but chuckle at the concern written all over Cecilia’s face.

“Well, we’d better head back. Dinner’s about to start. Oh, and I heard they’re handing out prizes afterward,” Cecilia said.

“You can have the phone and the laptop. I noticed your old laptop is way overdue for a replacement anyway,” Rachel replied.

She figured she’d just credit the expense to William later. There was no way he could justify buying things for Samantha and not for her. It wouldn’t make sense.

She was going to milk every last drop out of him while she still could.

Cecilia’s eyes glistened with joy. “Rachel, you’re the best! Honestly, having a friend like you is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Chapter 159