Chapter 149: It’s Their Loss
In the end, Julian Jennings pulled his hand back, turned, and went upstairs.
When June Jennings saw him return, she couldn’t help but ask, "You’re back already? What did you guys talk about?"
Julian Jennings walked over. "Let’s just let Rachel cool down on her own for today."
June Jennings sighed. "Brother, you have no backbone. Show so courage! Now is definitely the ti Rachel needs soone with her the most. Why are you backing down?"
"That’s enough. We’ll talk about it in the morning."
June Jennings shrugged helplessly.
Rachel Royce didn’t sleep well all night.
She got up. Just as she was in the kitchen getting a glass of water, the doorbell rang.
Rachel Royce put down her glass, went to open the door, and saw Julian Jennings standing there.
"Professor."
Julian Jennings noted her tired expression. "Didn’t you sleep well last night?"
Rachel Royce humd. "A little."
"Get yourself ready and co upstairs for breakfast."
"Okay."
Her complexion really wasn’t good today.
Rachel Royce put on so makeup, got dressed, and went upstairs to Julian Jennings’s apartnt.
"Rachel, hurry and co have breakfast! It’s a rare occasion—my brother is actually the one cooking today," June Jennings called out to her.
"Good morning, Godmother," Stella greeted Rachel Royce.
Rachel Royce walked over, patting Stella’s little head before sitting down beside her. Looking at the lavish breakfast spread, she smiled. "Looks like I’m in for a treat today."
Julian Jennings rarely cooked. They had a housekeeper, but his culinary skills were excellent, as Rachel Royce had discovered on a few previous occasions.
Julian Jennings ladled out so congee, placed it in front of them, and said, "In that case, make sure to eat a lot today."
Having not eaten anything all last night, Rachel Royce was indeed feeling very hungry this morning.
’With company, and with Stella here, it was easy to temporarily forget her troubles.’
After breakfast, "Brother, Rachel, I’ll leave it to you guys to take Stella to school!" June Jennings said, grabbing a thermal container filled with breakfast as she prepared to leave.
Rachel Royce could tell what she was up to at a glance. "Trying to win soone over with a borrowed gift?"
She was going to deliver breakfast to Peter Preston.
June Jennings grinned. "What are you talking about! What my brother makes, I make. There’s no ’yours’ or ’mine’ between us."
June’s cooking was practically inedible; she was the kind of person who couldn’t even manage to cook instant noodles correctly while following the instructions.
Julian Jennings said, "Alright, you should get going. Drive safely."
Stella waved to her mother. "Bye, Mommy."
"Bye, sweetie."
June Jennings changed her shoes and headed out.
Afterward, Rachel Royce and Julian Jennings took Stella and left the apartnt.
They took Stella to school.
Just as they arrived at the school gate,
"Aunt Evelynn!"
Rachel Royce turned to see lissa getting out of a large minivan, with Tristan Sterling carefully shielding her as she stepped out.
lissa ran toward Rachel Royce, while Tristan Sterling followed behind, carrying her backpack and taking long strides.
Their eyes t for a mont.
Then, the man’s gaze shifted to Julian Jennings.
lissa reached Rachel Royce.
Stella greeted her first.
The two little girls held hands.
"Aunt Evelynn, how co Miss June isn’t here today?"
Rachel Royce leaned down to answer lissa’s question. "Because Miss June was busy, Mr. Jennings and I brought Stella to school."
lissa said, "Oh. In that case, can you pick up from school today, Aunt Evelynn?"
Before Rachel Royce could answer, she heard Tristan Sterling say, "lissa, we’re going to Nina’s house tonight."
lissa looked at her father. "Then can Aunt Evelynn co with us?"
Tristan Sterling glanced at Rachel Royce before saying to lissa, "Why don’t you ask her yourself?"
lissa reached out and took Rachel Royce’s hand. Tilting her head up, she looked at her with pleading eyes. "Aunt Evelynn, will you please co with and Daddy tonight?"
Rachel Royce replied, "Auntie is busy with work today, so I can’t go with you, lissa."
"..."
Then, a teacher led the two little girls into the school.
Without looking at Tristan Sterling standing nearby, Rachel Royce said to Julian Jennings, "Professor, let’s go."
Julian Jennings nodded gently.
The two of them turned and got into the car.
It was only then that Julian Jennings spoke up. "Ian ntioned you t with Tristan Sterling last night. How did it go?"
At the thought of it, Rachel Royce felt her mood sink into frustration and resentnt. She took a deep breath and briefly explained what had happened to Julian Jennings.
Julian Jennings asked, "Do you really want to go public with your relationship?"
Rachel Royce let out a long, heavy sigh. "Of course not."
’Going public would just create more trouble, cause more complications, and might even drag the Royce Family into it.’
’What I said yesterday was mostly just to spite that bastard Tristan Sterling. But his smug, superior attitude—like he’d already won—was infuriating.’
Julian Jennings said, "While going public would certainly damage Tristan Sterling’s reputation, it wouldn’t help you in the divorce proceedings. He has the ti and energy to drag things out with you, which wouldn’t be worth the cost on your end. And if it blows up, it will ultimately affect lissa, too."
Rachel Royce knew that, of course.
Right now, she just felt completely drained, ntally and physically.
Julian Jennings glanced at her. "Then just wait for the first hearing. Leave everything for Lawyer Goodman to handle and don’t worry about a thing. Don’t let Tristan Sterling get a rise out of you or lead you by the nose."
Rachel Royce nodded in agreent.
’Julian Jennings was right. She felt like Tristan Sterling was completely controlling her emotions, and she couldn’t let that continue.’
After her talk with Julian Jennings, Rachel Royce’s mood improved considerably.
She spent the day handling her work.
Around noon, she got a call from Thomas Sterling, who wanted to take her out to lunch.
Rachel Royce declined. "I still have a mountain of work waiting for . Let’s try for the weekend!"
Hearing that her voice was much lighter, Thomas Sterling felt relieved. "Okay, then. Let’s go camping and have a barbecue this weekend."
"Okay," Rachel Royce agreed.
As for having dinner with lissa at the Fitzwilliam family’s ho that evening, she had originally planned to make an excuse.
But then she suddenly received a call from Mr. Fitzwilliam.
"There’s a Fitzwilliam family dinner tonight. Tristan Sterling is bringing lissa over, so you should co too."
Rachel Royce hesitated.
Mr. Fitzwilliam said, "What’s there to be afraid of? I’d like to see who dares to give you a hard ti today."
Rachel Royce couldn’t help but chuckle. "I know you’re always looking out for , Mr. Fitzwilliam, it’s just..."
’It wasn’t that she was opposed to visiting the Fitzwilliams; she just didn’t want to see soone she’d rather avoid.’
Mr. Fitzwilliam continued, "They used to look down on you. Don’t you want to rub their faces in it? So what if you’re getting a divorce? It’s their loss, not yours."
Feeling she had no choice, Rachel Royce finally agreed.
That afternoon, she didn’t pick lissa up from school, but she did tell her she would be at the dinner.
lissa was delighted. "Then I’ll wait for you at Great-Grandpa Fitzwilliam’s house, Aunt Evelynn!"
"Okay."
When it was ti to leave work, Rachel Royce packed up her things and left her office. On her way down, she ran into Julian Jennings in the elevator.
"You didn’t pick up lissa today," Julian Jennings observed.
Rachel Royce nodded. "Mr. Fitzwilliam called . I have to go over there tonight."
Julian Jennings nodded. "With Mr. Fitzwilliam there, no one from the Sterling family will dare to give you any trouble. I’ll have my driver take you."
He had a dinner engagent to attend, so he didn’t have ti to drive her himself.
Rachel Royce didn’t refuse. "Okay."
Julian Jennings had his assistant arrange for the car.
After they got out of the elevator, the assistant called the driver.
The car would arrive in about fifteen minutes.
After saying goodbye to Julian Jennings, Rachel Royce waited in the lobby.
Just then, her phone vibrated.
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