My mute bride novel (Rachel and Justin)
Chapter 9

Rachel stayed in the hospital the whole time. However, Jefferey called her again at 10.00PM. She stared at the phone for a long time without answering it, but the screen continued to flash rapidly. In the end, she gritted her teeth and answered the phone.

Jefferey's voice was unusually cold. "I heard from Amber that you left the Burton Residence this morning, so I figured that you must be at the hospital with your grandmother. You should know why I stopped paying the hospital bills, right?"

Rachel pressed her lips together, knowing it was because she had failed to accomplish what he previously told her to do.

Then, she heard Jefferey sneer. He threatened, "Do you not want to go back to the Burton Residence anymore? I'm telling you, Rachel you must go back! If you refuse to return, I'll make all the hospitals in the city afraid to take your grandmother in. You know that I can do so. Of course, if you don't believe me, you can give it a bold try. If your grandmother dies unexpectedly, you'll be the one killing her." Rachel's expression changed; she held her cell phone tightly and breathed rapidly in fear. At this moment, she wished she could speak and vent all the resentment she harbored against this father of hers. Having achieved his goal, Jefferey smiled in satisfaction. "You'd better be obedient, or else you won't be able to bear the consequences."

After Jefferey hung up, Rachel looked at her grandmother as she continued to lie on her sickbed. She thought bitterly to herself, Had I been a little more successful in life, I wouldn't have been at Dad's disposal, nor would Grandma's illness have dragged on until now.

Soon, it was 11.00PM. After taking a deep breath, Rachel took a taxi back to the Burton Residence. The servants had gone to rest by then; since Rachel hadn't had anything to eat since this morning, she walked lightly to the kitchen to grab a quick bite. However, as soon as she reached the living room, she was startled by a dark silhouette leaning against the wall in a corner. Apparently, the man had spotted he as well. Why is Justin here? Where's Amber? she thought to herself.

When he saw her looking around, Justin narrowed his eyes and asked, "What are you looking for?"

Rachel took out her pen and paper and wrote, 'Amber.'

Justin's eyes darkened. Staring at the woman's face, he then asked, "Aren't you afraid that I might replace you with her?"

Rachel was stunned by Justin's question. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Justin lightly flicked the cigarette butt between his fingertips that hadn't burned to the end with his fingers, and the cigarette butt fell to the floor, its sparks dying out bit by bit. Then, he raised his eyes and looked at her. "Amber is staying at the Burton Residence. I hope you'll understand what to say and what not to say in front of her in the future."

Rachel was startled. Was he warning her not to make Amber angry? She slowly dropped her eyes upon recalling how Amber looked like she was determined to win Justin's heart during the daytime. Her sister had always bullied her over the years, so why would Rachel cross Amber on her own accord? If possible, she wished she had no dealings with Amber forever. Unfortunately, things turned out contrary to her wishes.

As it turned out, Amber knocked on the door of Rachel's room the next morning. "Rachel, I heard from Madam Parham that the pond in the backyard is quite a fun place. Would you like to go with me to have a look at it?" She looked at Rachel expectantly like a vivacious and harmless little girl.

Rachel looked around imperceptibly and found that Mrs. Duncan and the other servants were keeping a close eye in their direction. Perhaps the Burtons might say something about me again if I refuse to go, she thought to herself. Therefore, she nodded in agreement.

The two sisters walked together in the Burton Residence's courtyard. It had to be said that the Burton Residence was simply too magnificent, for even Rachel sighed to herself. It was said that Arthur stepped down from his position ten years ago and had been recuperating physically and mentally at the Burton Residence since then, whereas Justin managed everything and was even more powerful than Arthur had been back when he was in his prime. No one could take advantage of Justin in the commercial world, and numerous people were eager to ingratiate themselves with him.

The pond in the backyard of the Burton Residence-the residence of a family with an abundance of manpower and wealth-was as large as an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and there were all kinds of precious fishes swimming in it. Rachel stood on the classical-style bridge with Amber as they looked down and appreciated the scenery.

For the next one or two hours, Amber happily enjoyed the scenery, and both sisters got along well enough without any trouble. However, as they were about to leave, Rachel who had been walking ahead of Amber-was suddenly pushed by the latter from behind. She nearly tripped, but when she steadied herself and looked back, Amber had fallen into the fish pond with a splash. "Help! Help-"

Rachel was stunned on the spot as Amber's cheap trick was too obvious. How could the large Burton Residence not have any surveillance cameras installed? Amber would give herself away once the surveillance videos were checked. However, she had always been a clever one. Could she have not thought about this?