“The entire school found out about it. I had no choice but to transfer to another school. Gradually, the entire fiasco died down. Later, I found out that the teacher didn’t actually go all the way; he just touched me inappropriately. That was the silver lining in all that, I suppose.”

Tyler’s brows furrowed the moment he heard about this, the twitch in his sharp jawline making the air tense.

Rachel’s voice was trembling as she spoke. When she was done, she looked up at Tyler, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Although we’re not truly a couple, that might still affect your reputation, which is why I think it’s better to explain things to you. It doesn’t matter what my homeroom teacher actually did to me. If word spread, it might damage your image. You’ll be at a disadvantage if someone uses this against you in the future.”

How could a darling of fortune like him, always the center of attention, have a girlfriend who was sexually assaulted and a divorcee to boot? That was a double whammy for him!

Rachel could almost hear the nasty rumors spreading. She didn’t mind it, but Tyler had a business to run and a family to care for. Even if he didn’t mind it himself, she wasn’t sure if his company and family would be able to withstand the pressure.

Tyler crossed his legs on the couch and rested an elbow on the arm of the couch, as relaxed as a retiree, while giving Rachel a devil-may-care look.

“Ms. Lloyd, are you looking down on me? Do you really think I’m someone who can’t even deal with something like this?”

“I know you can, but there’s no need for you to. I know you’re in talks with overseas companies right now. You don’t need something like this to distract you at such a critical juncture.”

Tyler lifted a hand and ran his fingers through his wind-tousled hair as he cleared his throat.

“So what? Do you want a breakup?”

Rachel’s heart thumped hard in her chest at his mention of a breakup. Mixed feelings flooded her in that instant. She said almost robotically, “Shouldn’t you call it a contract termination instead? How did it become a breakup?”

“Contract termination, breakup… What’s the difference? Stop being so pedantic with me.”

That was when Rachel realized that she had been reacting to Tyler’s words and going with his flow instead. She didn’t want to waste her breath further on this.

“Whatever it is, that’s what I mean.”

Tyler arched a brow as he fixed his gaze on Rachel, adding an edge to his handsome features.

Tutting, he said, “Rachel, do you really want to break up with me and marry Howard so badly?”

Rachel shot him a strange look and yelled, “Tyler, are you mad? Would you marry Howard if you were given a choice?!”

“I’m not into men. What’s more, I find a philandering bastard like him disgusting. And here you are, having thoughts about him putting his hands on me? You’re so vicious, Ms. Lloyd…” Tyler started teasing Rachel.

“I…” Rachel was about to rebut him when she suddenly remembered her objective and immediately swallowed her words back.

She was letting herself get led by the nose by Tyler.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

“That’s about all I have to say. Think about it. I know you have what it takes to deal with it, but there’s no need to get yourself so invested in this.”

“Rachel, do you want a breakup?” Tyler asked her with an arched brow. “Put aside all other considerations and follow your heart. Do you want a breakup?”