My Darling, My Dearest
Chapter 205

Eric's life in Ninwell City was all thanks to Rachel's constant care. In the bottom of his heart, he valued her very much. Now, he just didn't know what to do.

It was as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

However, seeing the happy couple in front of him, it was as if he was seeing the protagonist and the villain getting along.

There was a sinking feeling in his chest that couldn't be stopped.

He felt like he was the third wheel.

Eric sat their quietly, without saying a word. He had his head lowered to avoid looking at any of them in the eye.

Jack didn't realize that there was a man sitting beside him until he had finished scanning the document he was holding.

He didn't mean to ignore him. It was just Eric was so quiet, and he didn't behave like his usual self.

Eric was always very loud whenever they crossed paths. It was strange to see him so quiet.

Taking a closer look at Eric, Jack saw that the man was in a trance-like state. His head was dipped as if he was looking at every detail in the sofa. His mind flashed back to when Michael had told him that their company had been busy with a very integral project. In fact, he even asked three departments to let their employees work overtime for more than a week.

He had asked about Eric, but Michael had shook his head, saying that there shouldn't be any exceptions.

Seeing at the man's dazed look, Jack wondered if the one month overtime had made him dull.

He was about to call him when Rachel walked out of the kitchen. She had taken out a box of desserts from the fridge and placed it in front of him. Without another word, she opened the packaging and sat beside him.

Jack recognized the box. It was the one she had taken back from Mosa City.

She had made them herself. In fact, she even studied the recipe with a local cook. The ingredients were all made according to the right proportion, and the flavoring was even better.

She even rolled the dough herself.

Rachel spent the whole afternoon to make these desserts.

Since they weren't that bad, Rachel decided to package them up.

During that time, Jack thought that she just liked desserts. Now, it seemed that she was making them for Eric.

"Do you want to try?" She gazed at Eric expectantly.

She knew for a fact that Eric liked sweets, but something flashed in his eyes when he saw the desserts.

Seeing his hesitation, she pursed her lips. "What's wrong? Don't you want some?"

"Well..." He hesitated as he picked up one of them, analyzing it closely. "They look terrible. Where did you buy them?"

She stiffened. "Terrible?"

Eric didn't know that the small dessert in his hand was created by Rachel. He turned around only to see her lips twitching at his words.

Although he knew that Rachel could cook, he never thought that she could make such a fragile dessert.

Seeing her face change, he just guessed that she was upset to see him not like the desserts.

He might be right, but that wasn't the entirety of the reason.

"I'll give it a try. Maybe it tastes good," Eric quickly said. Rachel's face softened as a smile threaded across her lips.

Under her hard gaze, Eric opened his mouth and took a bite.

The dessert skin's salty and sweet taste grazed across his tongue. Milky fragrance wafted across his face as the mung bead practically exploded in his mouth. He widened his eyes drastically. This was

actually really good!

"Well?" she questioned.

Eric didn't even bother to talk to her as he continued to stuff two bites of the dessert into his mouth. He couldn't wait to take another one, given its deliciousness. Although Jack looked as if he was gazing into the computer, his attention was actually on them.

Seeing that Eric had eaten three desserts, Jack smiled and shook his head.

He was thinking whether he should remind Rachel that Eric had eaten too much at once. However, it seemed that she had already read his mind.

She closed the box. "Okay. That's enough."

Eric was practically salivating over the desserts. He licked his lips. "Although they look terrible, they taste amazing," he praised.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. She didn't take the compliment as it was.

How did they look terrible? She was the one who handcrafted the dough, and the filling which Eric thought was the most delicious part was the one mixed by the cook. Rachel wasn't happy at all. "I mean the filling was great. In fact, it wasn't too sweet or greasy, but the skin's just a tad thick."

Was that sarcasm?

Holding back his laughter, Jack continued to stare into his blank computer screen.

In fact, Eric was right. Given his love for sweets,

he was always so thoughtful in criticizing them.

Facing Rachel's eager eyes, Jack had praised it generously, but she was not a fool. She knew that he would say anything to please her.

She had intended to give them to Eric who loved desserts as if they were his lifeline, but she didn't expect that he'd be so cruel.

When she had tried one of them, she had thought it was delicious.

However, it seemed that no one was willing to actually praise her efforts.

Eric smiled as he drank up another glass of water. He really did like the desserts.

The salty aftertaste was enough to balance the sweetness.

They might look ugly, but they weren't so bad after all.

"Where did you buy them? I should buy a box too," he said cheekily.

Rachel gritted her teeth. "I made them."

Eric was stunned for a bit before he burst into laughter. "Well, no wonder they look terrible!"

"What did you say?" Rachel yelled. In the meantime, Jack, who had just been reading a magazine, just watched Eric being thrown out of their household. The man grinned wickedly as she slammed the door close.

Outside of the apartment, Rachel gave him the rest of the desserts and reminded, "You can't eat all of them in one night, or else you'll get acne."

Eric cared too much for his handsome face. After hearing her words, he smiled awkwardly. "I won't."

Of course, Rachel didn't believe him in the slightest.

The man was obsessed with food. There was no way he could abstain from it.

"It's late. You should go home."

Eric hesitated for a while as he stood by the doorway. Rachel eyed him, feeling as if he still had something to say.

"What? Just say it already," Rachel stated.

"Rachel, are you really with him?"

"Yes."

He hesitated. "Are you still planning to get a divorce?"

Rachel had thought about it for a while, but with everything that has happened between them, she didn't want to get a divorce now. But then again,

who could predict what the future had in store for them?

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on your work, okay?" She managed a smile. "Don't make me worry about you."

Eric was confident that Rachel had already fallen for Jack's charms. He couldn't help but feel distressed about that fact.

"If he bullies you, you can tell me!"

"And then? What are you going to do?"

His ambitious and prideful sprit dissipated in an instant.

Her remark struck him to the core.

How was he going to help her?

Eric lowered his head, looking like a gutted puppy.

"Am I really that useless?"

It was the second time he had asked such a question.

Back then, Rachel would place his hand on his shoulder

and tell him how he was the most excellent cousin she could ever ask for.

However, her silence had proven his expectations wrong.

Rachel hesitated for a while before shaking her head. "No."

Before he could enjoy the overwhelming approval, she continued, "But that doesn't mean you're good too."

Eric smiled sheepishly.

"But you are making some progress. A few months ago, I still remembered ordering you to keep your hands to yourself."

She was referring to the time when he had been sent to the hospital after Jack had taught him a lesson. Rachel had warned him to stay away from Celine,

but he hadn't taken it seriously.

He thought that Rachel was simply being cruel. She, not only, didn't stand up for him, but also rubbed salt into his wounds.

It was not long ago. He couldn't help but shake his head at the thought. How could he have been so short-sighted?

Rachel wasn't afraid of Jack at that time. She was afraid for Eric's well-being.

He regretted what he had done. Rachel had asked him to stay far away from Jack, but she herself had already fallen for his talons.

A part of him wanted to laugh at the irony.

When she saw that Eric had fallen into silence, she thought that what she said had been too much, so she added, "But it doesn't matter. Soon, you'll grow and be more mature in the future."