Chapter 40

Rachel’s heart sank. She saw the flicker of anger, doubt, and displeasure in William’s dark eyes. She narrowed her eyes. He was suspicious–of her and Tyler. What right did he have? After a beat, Rachel smiled casually and said, “It’s nothing. We just bump into each other sometimes and say hi.” As she finished, she patted William’s shoulder lightly as he had done to her. William’s long fingers moved quickly in the air as he signed. “Rachel, the relationship between the Lewis family and Tyler is complicated. Just the fact that his office is right across from Lewis Enterprise shows you how calculating he is. Don’t get too close to him, okay? There are already rumors in the company about you and Tyler. How do you expect me, as your husband, to deal with that?”

Rachel raised her brows, then let out a bright laugh. Her voice was playful, almost teasing. “Oh? So you do remember you’re married. You spend all day with Samantha–have you ever thought about what people are saying about the two of you? One’s your first love, and the other’s your wife. Tough choice, huh?” William didn’t look surprised. He actually laughed and, like always, reached out to tap her nose fondly. “You jealous little thing! I was wondering why you’ve been acting off these past two days. So it was jealousy. I did date Samantha once, but come on–it was just some childish fling. It didn’t mean anything.” Rachel covered her mouth and laughed. “If Samantha happened to be standing outside the door right now and heard that, she’d probably be heartbroken.” Just as she said that, she caught William glancing–briefly and almost subconsciously–toward the door before looking back. “You really are jealous, huh? It’s all in the past. You’re my wife now. No need to compare yourself to some girl.” Rachel’s tone stayed calm. “I was just commenting. Don’t read too much into it. I have some things to take care of at home. I’ll head out–you get back to work.” She knew saying anything more would only mean hearing more carefully crafted lies. William was probably afraid she would be upset about his past with Samantha. Maybe that was why he tried so hard to make it sound like it didn’t matter. But just as Rachel reached for the doorknob, ready to leave, William suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist from behind. He leaned in close to her face and made a small motion, like he was about to bite.

“I’ll make you your favorite steak tonight.” William raised one hand slightly to sign. “Think of it as an apology for not being able to go with you to your mom’s memorial today.” Rachel forced a small smile. Her tone was light, almost breezy, as she replied, “No need. I told Cecilia I’d try talking to you again. But since that didn’t work out, I’ll just take her out to dinner. That can be my way of saying sorry to her. After all, she got into trouble with Samantha because of me. If it weren’t for that, none of this would’ve happened to her.” As she finished, she reached down and pried his hand from her waist. There was a faint trace of mockery in her eyes. Maybe it was better that he hadn’t gone. At least her mother’s resting place wouldn’t be tainted by his presence. Rachel left the office and immediately called Cecilia. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I think I overestimated how much I mean to William. I’ll try to think of another way to help with your job.” Cecilia sounded stunned. “So it’s really that bad? Mr. Lewis won’t even do it for you?” Rachel knew all too well–if other people lost their jobs, they just had to tighten their belts. But if Cecilia had no job and no money, it could ruin her life. Sure, Rachel could help support her for a while, but that wasn’t a real solution. Cecilia needed a job–a stable one. Rachel had made up her mind. Before she left, she would make sure Cecilia had something to fall back on. Once she was gone, Cecilia wouldn’t have anyone else to rely on. At the end of the day, it was Rachel’s fault that all this happened in the first place. “Give me a little time,” she told Cecilia. After hanging up, she quickly dialed the assistant to Trinity Enterprise’s CEO. Rachel had her own way of landing every deal–she made a habit of winning over the assistants first. That was how she got insider info others didn’t. The call went through, and she said quickly, “Hi, Jenny. It’s me. Do you remember a few days ago, when one of our new employees closed a deal with your boss?” “Is that you, Ms. Lloyd?” Jenny Harper sounded surprised. “You can hear me?”