Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Arthur had never seen Donald this furious before. The old man was clutching his chest, struggling to breathe
from pure rage.
Rachel immediately wheeled closer, gently patting his back. “Grandpa, I’m sorry for worrying you again.”
David’s face was dark as storm clouds. “Arthur, you better have a damn good explanation for tonight’s
disaster.”
Arthur’s jaw clenched. “Dad, this is really just family business-”
“Family business?” David shot to his feet, roaring. “Do you have any idea how many reporters were there tonight? You’ve completely trashed the Leroix name!”
Arthur went quiet, shocked. Even when he’d personally sent Rachel to prison three years ago, David had just
sighed and called it “Rachel’s fate.”
Joanne rushed to Arthur’s side, her voice breaking. “Tell me you didn’t mean to hurt Rachel. Please tell me this was just a mistake!”
Arthur stared at the marble floor, remembering the photo frame Rachel had broken three years ago—their
skiing trip in Switzerland, shattered like everything else.
“If Rachel hadn’t bribed Anita to destroy Sophie’s reputation, none of this would’ve happened!” Arthur finally exploded. “She pushed Sophie into the pool first-I was just returning the favor!”
“Shut the hell up!” David’s fury was volcanic. “You’re still making excuses? Anita’s already disappeared-we’re searching for her now. Didn’t anything about her story seem sketchy?”
Arthur hesitated but refused to admit he’d been wrong.
“So what if I disciplined her in public? I’m her brother-when she screws up, it’s my job to correct her!”
David’s kick sent Arthur crashing to his knees. “You worthless piece of shit!”
Sophie burst into tears. “Daddy, don’t blame Arthur! He was just protecting me!”
“Work stress?” Rachel looked at Arthur and Sophie clinging to each other-they looked more like real siblings than she ever had with Arthur. “So work stress justifies pushing your sister into a pool three times?”
A cold chuckle cut through the tension.
Nicolas was spinning the ring on his finger, the serpent insignia catching the light-the mark of Rothschild
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power.
“Funny, Arthur didn’t seem emotionally unstable when he lost six million gambling last month.”
“Mr. Rothschild, this is Leroix family-” David started.
“This became Rothschild business the moment our families got engaged,” Nicolas cut him off coldly. “I don’t care which Rothschild man honors it, but only Rachel Leroix can marry into our family.”
His meaning was crystal clear-he only recognized Rachel as a legitimate Leroix daughter. Sophie was
nobody.
Sophie’s face crumpled as reality hit her. Not only had Nicolas never wanted her-he’d made sure only Rachel could enter the Rothschild family.
“Look what you’ve done!” David turned his rage on Arthur. “You’ve destroyed our family’s reputation!”
“But Sophie acts more like family!” Arthur suddenly screamed, his tie hanging askew. His eyes burned with resentment as he stared at Rachel. “You never learned to be obedient! If you’d just quietly taken Sophie’s place in prison back then-”
A crystal ashtray exploded against the wall inches from Arthur’s head. Donald was shaking with rage. “You fucking monster! You were the one who begged Rachel to take the fall!”
Rachel stood frozen, watching these people she’d once considered family reveal their true, ugly nature.
“Enough!” Donald’s cane slammed the floor. “I should let you all deal with the police!”
David’s face twitched. “Rachel, the company’s already suffering. If this scandal gets out, it’ll tank our stock
price.”
“Yes, Rachel,” Joanne jumped in desperately, “Arthur lost his mind temporarily. I’ll make him do penance. But if word gets out about you being pushed into that pool, think about what that’ll do to our reputation.”
“Reputation?” Rachel’s laugh was ice-cold. “Arthur didn’t care about my reputation when he was humiliating me in public. Why should I care about the family’s reputation? After all, my dear brother personally declared that the Leroix family has no place for me!”
Suddenly, Donald clutched his chest, gasping with harsh, labored breaths.
Rachel was the first to notice. Ignoring her own pain, she stumbled from the wheelchair toward him, her stiff legs nearly giving out,
“Don’t just stand there!” Joanne pushed Rachel aside, trying to lift Donald. “Help me get him into recovery position!”
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“Don’t move him!” Rachel snapped. “Heart attack patients shouldn’t be moved!”
Her fingers found the medication in Donald’s pocket with practiced efficiency-she’d learned about his heart
condition years ago.
As she administered the pills, Rachel realized with cold clarity that none of them had moved to help. Arthur stood frozen while Sophie cowered behind him.
‘Get a doctor!” Rachel’s fury burned hotter than her own betrayal. “Now!”
After the medical team rushed Donald away, Rachel slumped back into the wheelchair, her palms bloody
rom her own fingernails.
oanne approached nervously. “Rachel, sweetheart, your grandfather’s in emergency care and you’re not
vell either. Maybe you should rest in the VIP room?”
I’ll wait until Grandpa wakes up.”
That’s ridiculous!” Joanne’s voice climbed higher before she caught herself. “Your body can’t handle this fter three years in prison and tonight’s trauma!”
Nicolas’s quiet laugh held dark amusement. “Mrs. Leroix seems very concerned about Rachel’s wellbeing all
of a sudden.”
oanne’s carefully applied makeup couldn’t hide her nervous twitch.
Rachel finally relented. “Fine. But when Grandpa wakes up, we’re settling this properly.”
Back in her hospital room, Nicolas handed her a glass of warm water. “Drink this.”
When their fingers brushed, Rachel couldn’t suppress a shiver at his warmth. She took the glass with rembling hands.
Nicolas sat on the edge of her bed, watching her intently. “They’re not worth your energy.”
Rachel gripped the glass tighter, nodding silently. The water’s warmth spread through her body, but it couldn’t match the heat from that brief touch of his fingers.
‘You’ve had enough for one day,” Nicolas said softly, standing to leave. “Get some rest.”
Rachel almost reached out to stop him but caught herself. What was she thinking?
After he left, she buried herself completely under the blankets. Exhaustion finally overcame her, and she fell into troubled sleep.
In her nightmare, she was back in prison. The inmates held her down, forcing her to her knees, demanding
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she bark like a dog. When she refused, Arthur’s face appeared, his mouth moving silently before his foot slammed into her stomach-
“Shit!” Rachel jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
The door burst open as Nicolas’s assistant rushed in, panic written across his face.
“We’ve got a problem! Your grandfather’s taken a turn for the worse!”
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