Chapter 30

“Don’t worry, Samantha. Rachel was just busy earlier. She said she'll drink it later,” said William, quickly trying to calm her down.

Samantha’s voice immediately softened, turning playful as she replied, “You’re just saying that. I didn’t see Rachel drink it! William, you’ve got to help me explain. I can be a bit awkward sometimes and might upset people without meaning to.”

Rachel’s skin crawled at Samantha’s sweet, almost flirtatious tone. At this moment, she almost wished her hearing had never returned, if only to spare herself from listening to Samantha flirting with William.

“Don’t worry, Rachel won’t be mad. She’s not the type to hold a grudge. I know her well,” William replied.

“Then, make her drink the coffee!” Samantha’s voice was so bright and cheerful, like a little girl asking for something, making it hard to resist.

William held the coffee out in front of Rachel and leaned it closer to her lips. “You heard her–she’s apologizing sincerely. Surely you won’t hold a grudge against a young lady who queued for two hours despite her injured leg?”

Rachel’s brow furrowed. She had no desire to prolong this farce with Samantha.

Through gritted teeth, she hissed, “I said my stomach hurts.”

“She waited in line for two hours. This is her sincere gesture. If you refuse, she’ll overthink it and lose sleep from guilt tonight.”

William’s grip on the coffee cup didn’t waver, still hovering at her lips. His stance was unmistakably clear.

Rachel suddenly felt as if he was rubbing salt into her wounds. But it didn’t even hurt anymore; she was just numb.

Her lips pressed into a tight line as she shot William a frigid glare. Then, in one swift motion, she snatched the coffee from his hand and drained it in front of them both.

“Happy now?”

William reached out to pat her head in that infuriatingly placating way. “Don’t be angry. Next time, if you don’t want it, I won’t let her bring it to you. But you’re the wife of Lewis Enterprise’s boss, after all. Can’t humor Samantha a little?”

Rachel’s breath caught, but she didn’t argue. She turned and climbed into bed, pulling the covers around her. “I’m tired; I want to rest. Can you close the door behind you?”

“Sure. I’ll be back after my video conference,” William replied.

He had already ended the video call with Samantha.

Rachel’s grip tightened around the blanket. Her shoulders shook as she fought to hold it together. The coffee had worked very well. Her stomach burned, a sharp, fiery pain spreading through her. But it wasn’t just the coffee that hurt. It was that William knew about her sensitive stomach, knew coffee would make her feel ill, and still made her drink it.

All because of Samantha’s two-hour wait for it.

If Rachel didn’t drink it, it would’ve been treated like some unforgivable sin. To make matters worse, her stomach medicine had run out. She had no choice but to endure the pain, only finding slight relief by 5 a.m., when exhaustion finally dragged her into a fitful sleep.

Yet the moment she drifted off, William, freshly finished with work, slid close. His cold hand pressed against her waist as he leaned in, lips brushing her ear.

“Rachel… can we?”

The icy touch sent a shudder through her, reigniting the discomfort she had just barely pushed down. She shoved him away, her body instinctively curling in on itself.

But William was oblivious to her distress. He only dipped his head lower, nipping at her earlobe.