My Darling, My Dearest
Chapter 431 An Awkward Dinner

When the group of people heard what Austin said, they all smiled, showing their trust in Jack. And now, the silence was replaced with laughter.

An old lady sitting next to Rachel looked at her. Her eyes fell on Rachel's belly. "Are you Mr. Fu's wife? I am sure he will make a wonderful father. He has been a lovely boss."

Flashing the lady a faint smile, Rachel remained silent. The news about Jack had been released yesterday. It wouldn't do to lie. Sooner or later, the lady would figure it out. However, she didn't have the energy to explain the story. Under the situation, silence seemed like the best choice.

That lady talked about the problems that her daughter-in-law encountered while she was pregnant. Rachel paid attention to her words, hoping to learn a thing or two from it. Just then, the place was overcome by an eerie silence. "Mr. Fu," uttered a man.

With her back to the door of the room, Rachel couldn't see him. But the people surrounding her kept staring at her. There was a strange expression on their faces.

When she was about to look back, she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind. "Jack, are all of these your employees? God! This place is bustling with people." "Yeah, they are. Didn't you say you were bored at home? I hope you will enjoy it here." Jack's voice was particularly gentle, as if he was addressing someone he deeply loved.

Bitterness crept to Rachel's heart. In spite of these strong emotions, she tried hard to hold back her true feelings. Feigning a smile, she sat composed. 'Relax Rachel, this is not a big deal!' she kept telling herself.

Their footsteps became clearer, informing her they were right behind. Although Rachel looked down at the plate in front of her, she clearly felt their proximity. To her relief, they didn't stop. They continued walking.

They didn't sit near her; instead, they sat opposite to her.

It meant that she would have to keep her head down during the entire meal. The thought of facing them brought intense pain. She didn't have it in her to raise her head.

The lively atmosphere suddenly quieted down, and even Austin, who knew about Jack's feelings for Rachel, was dumbfounded. 'What exactly is happening?' he wondered

After all, Jack had ordered him to pick up Rachel. If he wanted to spend time with another woman, why on earth did he do it? Instantly, he guessed something was brewing in his boss's mind. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It looked like everyone present there had several questions to ask. But they knew it wasn't their place to do so. Hence they sat silently.

People's eyes kept flitting from Jack to Rachel.

After calming herself down, Rachel raised her head and tried to maintain a calm smile. "Now that everyone is here, don't sit idle anymore. Pick up the chopsticks and enjoy the dinner!" Then Rachel too picked up a piece of roast duck meat with her chopsticks and put it in her plate. She lowered her gaze and began to eat.

Not paying Rachel any attention, Jack wrapped his arms around Scarlett's shoulder and asked softly, "Do you like any of these dishes? If you don't, I will be more than happy to ask the waiter to serve you something special."

"No, thanks. I'm not a picky eater."

Scarlett was overjoyed. She had never felt this special before.

'I never thought a day would come when Jack would take me to attend a dinner party with his employees,' she thought, trying to hide her excitement.

When they first entered the hall, Rachel's presence caught her off-guard. Her heart trembled, worrying Jack would ditch her. But nothing of that sort happened. All his attention was bestowed upon her. Of course, Rachel heard the conversation between Scarlett and Jack. In fact, he was quite loud. Yet she pretended like she hadn't heard it. Her focus was on the food. Even though she had no appetite, she forced herself to eat.

On top of that, the employees' gaze bore through her. It made her quite uncomfortable. They seemed to be speculating about their relationship.

But it also made the room, which should have been lively, unusually quiet. Only the sound of chopsticks colliding with the plate, and the sound of chewing could be heard.

After a while, the door to the room was pushed open. A fat middle-aged man came in with a glass of wine in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other. He smiled and said, "Mr. Fu, I heard from the waiter that the MK Group employees are having a dinner here. I haven't seen you for a long time. Would you mind if I join and propose a toast to you?"

As he spoke, he walked in, stopping near Rachel. He raised the glass in his hand to Jack and added with a smile, "Is that Mrs. Fu sitting next to you? Lucky man! She is both young and beautiful!" Hearing this, everyone else present felt uncomfortable. They clearly knew Scarlett wasn't his wife.

Rachel's heart sank, but she didn't show it on her face. She still lowered her head and ate the food in her plate. "Thank you for the compliment," Jack answered with a laugh. Heartbroken, Rachel looked up at Jack.

Seeing her watch him, his eyes met hers. There was a smile on his face, but she knew it wasn't a genuine one. In spite of knowing him so well, she couldn't tell the emotion he was feeling.

It was often believed that a person's true emotions could be deciphered from their eyes. Perhaps Rachel's ability in understanding others' wasn't that strong.

In the past, Rachel had thought she knew him well. But with everything he had been doing, she figured her judgment had been wrong.

Either way, it was too late. Nothing good would come out of analyzing him. Realizing this, she shifted her gaze back to her food.

Jack then waited for this man to continue. The middle-aged man was a little embarrassed. He had expected more from Jack.

Another man, aged about forty, stood up at once and said with a smile, "Mr. Wang, why did you bring such a small bottle of wine here? You might need a lot more. Are you here to drink our wine?"

This joke eased the atmosphere. Once again, it became lively and people began to chatter. Mr. Wang revived his earlier enthusiasm.

He looked at Jack and said, "Yes, I am caught. The amount of wine I have is definitely not enough. Will you let me borrow some, Mr. Fu?"

Hearing this, Jack's face lit up. A smile, that seemed genuine, entered his face. He also raised his glass and clinked it with the plate in front of him, making a crisp sound. Mr. Wang gulped down his wine. "Take all the wine you want!" Jack added.

Mr. Wang burst out laughing. He went around and began proposing toasts one after another. Soon it was Rachel's turn.

He bent down slightly. Since he had drunk too much, his body trembled. He asked, "This lady looks a bit out of place. What should I call you, ma'am?"

"Miss Shen." Rachel picked up the tea cup in front of her and gently clinked it with his glass. "I'm pregnant, so I can't drink wine. Tea will do for me."

"It doesn't matter. Whatever makes you happy," he added in a charming way. Instead of going to the next person, he remained near Rachel. With a smile, he asked, "I wonder who is the lucky man?" When she heard this, Rachel subconsciously looked at Jack. But quickly, she drew back her eyes. Although there was a faint smile on his lips, there was also frustration underneath it.

Putting on an indifferent face, she looked at Mr. Wang. "There isn't a luck man. I'm divorced." "What a pity!" Mr. Wang sighed but this news made him quite happy. Perhaps he did what he did because he was drunk. Anyhow, his hand fell inside his pocket. Taking out a business card, he placed it in front of Rachel. He tapped two times on it with his index finger and said, "I'm divorced too. Miss Shen, would you like to meet sometime?"

If this had happened an hour ago, Rachel would have refused without sparing it a thought.

But when she thought about Jack's behavior today, she felt compelled to do something that would catch him off-guard. 'He made me angry, it will only be fair if I do the same, ' she thought, determined. She took the business card and smiled at the man. "Thank you so much. Expect a call soon. It will be fun getting to know you."

The smile on Jack's face suddenly froze. He himself didn't know he was clutching hardly onto the wine glass. Soon, it shattered, rattling everyone present there.

Scarlett exclaimed and reached out to hold Jack's hand. "What happened? Did you cut your hand?"

"I am fine," Jack said distastefully and withdrew his hand. His mood was off now. His cold gaze bore into Rachel's face but she paid him no heed. Seeing she was busy chatting with Mr. Wang, he slammed his hands against the table and stood up.

Among these people, Austin was the one who knew how strongly Jack felt for Rachel. Even though the fact Jack brought Scarlett with him was shocking, Austin told himself his boss properly had a solid reason for doing so.

At this moment, seeing Jack's murderous eyes, Austin knew he had to do something. Standing up, he pulled Mr. Wang's arm and said, "Mr. Wang, you've been here for a long time. Your friends must be waiting for you."

Mr. Wang wasn't in a mood to leave at all. Waving his hands, he said, "It doesn't matter. I've told them it will be a while. Besides, I haven't finished my toast yet."

Since the seat next to Rachel was empty, Mr. Wang sat down and pulled his chair closer to her. One could tell from the way he sat that he had no intention of getting up.

By now, Jack was wild with fury. Scarlett too was unhappy with this man's intrusion. Everything was going fine until he came. She forced herself to calm down, picked up the bottle on the side and filled her glass with win. Smiling at Mr. Wang, she said, "Mr. Wang, since you have proposed a toast to Jack, I'll drink this as a response to you. Please don't refuse my kindness, Mr. Wang."

Her words not only shifted people's attention, but also hinted at the intimate relationship she shared with Jack.

Mr. Wang also looked away from Rachel and smiled. "Mrs. Fu, you're so kind." Relieved at easing the atmosphere, Scarlett sighed in her head.

Rachel, on the other hand, realized Jack wasn't going to correct Mr. Wang. He had no intention of telling him Scarlett wasn't Mrs. Fu. A surge of pain crept through her heart, yet she pretended to be strong. Seeing Jack's glass was empty, Scarlett filled it with wine.

Mr. Wang, on the other hand, had almost finished his drink. Now that he had drunk a full glass of wine, he was losing his mind. Seeing Rachel's soft hand on the table, he couldn't help but feel an urge to touch

it.

Author's note

G°°se fiSEQ

Translator: Scarlett5555