Chapter 63

William was exhausted from the mental battle with the old foxes in the meeting room earlier. He didn’t expect to have to deal with Rachel after all that. Usually, Rachel wouldn’t pass up a chance to help him at work.

He held her shoulders and signed to her patiently, “Rachel, I was just putting on an act for the shareholders just now. Don’t take it to heart. You know them. If I hadn’t done that, they would have said something nasty.”

Rachel remained silent.

William crouched and looked straight into her eyes. “If you don’t agree to it, the shareholders will issue a warning. If that goes on our official website, it would affect Samantha’s career prospects.”

Rachel looked coldly at William. “What’s that got to do with me?”

Her words caused the air around them to freeze. William’s face darkened with displeasure. Samantha looked upset, too. She always looked bright-eyed and full of spirit, but whenever she felt indignant, she resembled a frightened rabbit, and it struck sympathy in others.

“Rachel, I know I said something wrong earlier and caused a huge misunderstanding. I’m sure you’re angry at me for it,” she began.

However, Rachel remained unperturbed and didn’t bother looking at Samantha. “Ms. Judd, you’re overthinking. I’m not agreeing to it because you’re in charge of the project. There’s no need for me to take credit for it. Moreover, I’ve been feeling unwell recently. I probably need to take some time off from work to see a doctor. I really don’t want to delay things further.”

Upon hearing that Rachel was feeling unwell, William started signing anxiously. “What? Where do you feel unwell? I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup.”

“I feel rather out of breath recently,” Rachel answered honestly.

“Really? You feel out of breath?”

“Yes, I do. It might be a lung issue. You know that this place is too dusty.” Rachel gestured around the room before coughing twice.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy, I forgot that you’re allergic to dust. I’ll transfer you to another office. It’s my oversight.”

The look in William’s eyes was so tender, a world of difference from when he spoke to Rachel earlier in the meeting room. Yet, she remained indifferent from start to end. All she could see was the cold, brutal heartlessness on his face in the meeting room with the shareholders just now.

She nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Lewis.”

“The announcement will be issued tomorrow. You’ll go to LS Enterprise with Samantha tomorrow and discuss matters with Mr. Hunt.” William said it as an imperative, and not as a question. In the past, Rachel would have put her work aside and prioritized William. William wouldn’t just throw her a command; he would seek her opinion first. Unknowingly, he had lost his patience with her and didn’t even bother hiding it.

Rachel shook her head and said honestly, “I’m going back tomorrow. It’s my father’s birthday.”

William looked at the calendar on his phone, and realization dawned upon him. “Oh, yes, your father’s birthday is coming. I’ll bring you home tomorrow. Let’s buy a gift for him later. It’s about time we paid them a visit. You haven’t gone home for such a long time.” He looked more eager to go back than she was.

Rachel pondered for a moment before agreeing to it. With William around, her family wouldn’t be too nasty. It would also be her last time seeing them, and she didn’t want things to turn sour.

“Sure,” she said. “Ms. Judd, please go ahead and make an appointment with Mr. Hunt. Just tell me when it is.”

Chapter 64