Chapter 289

Ever since last month, Rachel hadn’t called him once. She barely even texted.

William couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with her, but whenever he asked, she always acted like everything was normal.

The phone in his palm kept vibrating. Eventually, William gave in and answered the call.

“I already told you I’d be home soon. Dinner’s still going on here.”

“My stomach doesn’t feel right, William. Can you come home earlier? Maybe the baby misses you already,” Samantha’s soft, syrupy voice cooed in his ear.

The irritation in William’s chest eased a little.

He rubbed his temples, forcing down the frustration, and said calmly, “It won’t be much longer. Just hang in there. If it really gets worse, call Arsen and have him take you to the hospital.”

“Please come back soon. I’m scared something might happen to the baby.”

That one line made William tense. This baby wasn’t easy to come by. He’d been hoping for one for a long time.

He used to dream about having a child with Rachel. That would’ve been perfect.

But now that Rachel was possibly pregnant, what about Samantha’s baby?

After soothing Samantha, William ended the call. He retrieved a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The rush of nicotine soothed his nerves for a moment. The bitter smoke drifted upward, dragging his discontent with it.

A couple of housekeepers walked by. They were sweeping the courtyard and whispering gossip under their breath.

William usually didn’t care about chatter like this, but this time, he caught something about Rachel and Tyler.

“Do you think what Mr. Ziegler said is true? That Ms. Lloyd is messing around with Mr. Hunt behind Mr. Lewis‘ back?”

“No way. You remember, right? Mr. Lewis practically begged the old man to let him marry her. Everyone in Yurelia City knew how in love they were.”

“Pfft. That’s old news. Come on, we’re not kids anymore. Don’t tell me you still believe in fairy tales.”

“You’re right. The seven–year itch is real. I’ve seen so many couples fall apart. One of them always finds someone else, or they just fight constantly.”

“Plus, isn’t Mr. Lewis rumored to be seeing that young girl from his office? I heard she was his first love back in college.”

“Wow. If that’s true, it’s not just one of them cheating. They both are.”

“What a tangled mess. Just today there was a post online saying Mr. Hunt and Yvette are dating. Then Mr. Ziegler claims Ms. Lloyd has already slept with Mr. Hunt. Ugh, and the way he said it was just nasty.”

“Good thing Mr. Lewis didn’t hear that. He’d lose his mind.”

“Alright, let’s get back to work. Enough gossip. We’re still broke.”

William stood nearby. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared in the direction the two housekeepers had walked off. The cigarette burned down to his fingers before he realized it. The sudden sting snapped him back.

He flicked the butt into a nearby bin and stormed back inside.

Rachel could tell something about William’s energy was off, but before she could figure it out, he grabbed her by the wrist and started gesturing to her.

“Come with me. I need to ask you something.”