Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Chapter 2

Now that Fred had managed to find a way to address two issues simultaneously, a broad grin spread across his face. As he settled back into the car, he instructed the chauffeur, “Step on it! Return to the company at once!” … With Rachel’s secretary, Tracy Lauder, leading the way, Tessa made her way into the president’s office at Wealthwave Group. As soon as she laid eyes on Rachel, she was completely awestruck. With eyebrows resembling delicate crescents, skin like smooth marble, a figure that turned heads, and a beauty that could launch a thousand ships, Rachel still carried herself with an air of icy detachment. She radiated a serene and ethereal grace, like an ice queen. She seemed untouched by earthly impurities and held herself with an air of dignified detachment. Tessa often thought of herself as a woman with both beauty and status as the president of a company, and she even took pride in it. Yet, Rachel eclipsed her in youthfulness, affluence, and physical allure. For the first time in her life, Tessa was overcome with a feeling of inferiority and shame. When Rachel noticed Tessa’s silence, she reminded her, “You only have ten minutes, so please get straight to the details of your project.” After realizing that she had spaced out, Tessa quickly said, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Carter. Allow me to introduce myself. I am—” Before she could even finish her sentence, the phone on the desk abruptly rang. Rachel picked up the phone, gestured for Tessa to be quiet, and then answered the call, “Hey, Grandpa! Did you get to meet the doctor?” Fred had planned to wait until they could meet, but the urgency of the situation had compelled him to call Rachel. “Rae! You’ve got to drop everything you’re doing immediately. There’s a life-or-death situation for both of us. You’re the only one who can handle this!” As soon as she heard that, Rachel realized the urgency of the matter. She jumped to her feet and walked toward the door while speaking on the phone. “Grandpa, I’m making my way to the elevator now. I’ll be on my way to you soon. Please tell me exactly what you need me to do.” Fred cut to the chase and said, “I’ve found a promising young man for you! At this moment, he’s single. You should go meet him as soon as possible. It would be ideal if you could get engaged with him right off the bat.” Get engaged? Rachel was instantly taken aback. “You’ve randomly found a guy and want me to get engaged to him? Isn’t that too rash? You shouldn’t worry too much about your illness, Grandpa. We’ll definitely find a way to cure it. “And you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll definitely find a boyfriend soon. Everything will eventually work out.” She assumed Fred was preparing for his passing, so she patiently comforted him. At the same time, it dawned on Fred that Rachel had misunderstood his intentions. When he had realized that Matthew was unfazed by his offer of a billion dollars—a display of composure few could muster—he had understood that Matthew was far from ordinary. At that moment, the most important thing was that Fred didn’t want to die. Although he knew that he wouldn’t live much longer at his age, he still didn’t want to die so quickly. Besides, the Carter family was beset by internal strife. None of Fred’s scions possessed the ability to manage Wealthwave Group, yet they all desired to monopolize it. If Fred were to pass away, Rachel would definitely not be able to withstand the external pressure. As a result, Wealthwave Group would undoubtedly collapse. Fred couldn’t bear the thought of it, so he pleaded, “Please just humor me and consider this my final wish, Rae. I’ve never made you do anything against your will, and you know my intuition has always been spot-on. “I’ve built our business empire from nothing to where it is now, amassing billions of dollars in assets. So, it’s clear that my judgment has never faltered. Please do me this favor, Rae! I’m begging you!” As soon as she heard that, Rachel’s heart ached. After all, Fred had always been a man of immense pride and resilience. Even when he had started his business from scratch, he would rather have sold cheap soda at the station than asked relatives or friends for money. Using the few hundred dollars he had earned from selling soda as capital, he had gradually expanded and strengthened his business. Throughout his life, Fred had never sought help from others. He had always lived his life with great pride. Yet, at that moment, he was actually pleading with her, his granddaughter. Rachel’s eyes grew teary in an instant. With a heavy heart and trembling voice, she said, “Please don’t say that, Grandpa. I’ll do as you say. I’ll get engaged to whoever you decide, alright?” Meanwhile, Tessa was dumbfounded as she watched Rachel leave the office. She had begged her friend to arrange an appointment with Rachel , and it had taken ten days to get this opportunity. Yet, she hadn’t even had the chance to introduce herself before Rachel had suddenly gotten up and left. After a while, Tracy walked in and said, “Ms. Carter is currently unavailable. Please leave.” With a hint of reluctance, Tessa said, “I hadn’t even gotten to the point of my visit! Why did Ms. Carter leave so suddenly?” When Tracy noticed Tessa’s displeasure, she coldly retorted, “Is Ms. Carter obligated to explain herself to you? Please don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s best if you know your place!” Although Tessa felt utterly humiliated by Tessa’s remarks, she didn’t dare talk back. After all, Tracy wasn’t a mere ordinary secretary—she was the secretary of Wealthwave Group’s president. A single word from her had the power to jeopardize Tessa’s position at Lambda City! Hence, Tessa could only apologize with a smile. “Please forgive my rudeness and impatience. I’ve clearly spoken out of turn. May I ask when I can meet Ms. Carter again?” Tracy responded curtly, “You’ll need to make another appointment.” Recalling how it had taken her ten days to secure this appointment, the thought of another ten-day wait filled Tessa with dread. Although she was fuming inside, she maintained a polite facade. With a forced smile, she said, “Oh, I’ll make another appointment then. Apologies for the inconvenience. Have a good day.” After saying that, she immediately left the office, feeling utterly humiliated. … As Matthew returned to Silverbrook Village after three years away, he was overcome with a whirlwind of emotions. Yet, when he spotted a few familiar faces and tried to greet them, they scurried away as if he were contagious. Although the village had remained unchanged and its inhabitants were still the same, Matthew couldn’t shake the feeling that he was now an outcast. Upon seeing familiar faces again, he refrained from offering greetings, choosing instead to trudge home with his head bowed. When he reached his doorstep, he stopped dead in his tracks. A wave of doubt washed over him as he stared at his house, questioning if it was still his home. Besides the collapsed front gate, there was also shattered furniture scattered across the courtyard. Every time he went home, he would habitually go to the faucet to wash his hands. At that moment, he saw that it had been completely destroyed. It appeared as if robbers had ransacked his home! Yet, amid all the mess, his parents, Lillian Lambert and Stanley Grant, were nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t find Lorraine anywhere either. A wave of anxiety washed over Matthew, and he shouted in a panicked voice, “Mom, Dad! Is anyone here?” Before long, the door creaked open, revealing two figures with graying hair. When they saw Matthew, they hurried toward him with excitement, exclaiming, “You’re finally back, Matt!” Meanwhile, Matthew was stunned at the sight of the two elderly people. When he had left, both Lillian and Stanley had had full heads of black hair. Yet now Stanley’s hair had turned completely white, while Lillian’s was streaked with gray. It seemed as if they had aged a decade during the time he had been gone. Matthew’s heart ached with guilt as he fell to his knees, saying, “Mom, Dad, I’ve failed you as a son and have brought you nothing but worry.” Lillian quickly reached out and helped him to his feet. “Why are you suddenly kneeling? Get up quickly. It’s so wonderful to have you back, Matt. You must have suffered these past three years. “You’ve lost so much weight! Are you hungry? I’ll go whip up some delicious pasta for you.” Matthew grabbed Lillian’s hand and said, “I’m not hungry, Mom. Where’s Lori? Is she sleeping?” As soon as she heard that, Lillian’s expression faltered. With much difficulty, she said, “You’ve just been released, Matt. Please try not to act too rashly. Well, you see… Xavier came by and took her away.” Xavier Sanders was Tessa’s younger brother and Lorraine’s uncle. After hearing that, Stanley immediately interjected, “It’s not that simple! She was practically snatched away! Xavier Sanders brought about ten people with him. After they barged in and smashed everything, they forcefully took Lori away! “And as they left, they said if you don’t divorce Tessa, we won’t ever get to see Lori again!” Matthew clenched his fists angrily. “How dare they?” With a heavy sigh, Stanley explained, “You wouldn’t believe what we’ve gone through, Matt. Since Tessa hadn’t been able to see you in prison for the past three years, she’d come to our house regularly, making a scene and demanding a divorce. “She’s vowed to make our lives miserable until you agree. You can see what she has done to our house. What a disaster!” Matthew’s face was contorted with fury. “I’m going after them!” Lillian immediately reminded him, “Please don’t do anything rash, Matt. You’ve just gotten out of prison, so you can’t risk getting into more trouble.” Sensing Lillian’s concern, Matthew reassured her, “It’s alright, Mom. My only goal is to get Lori back. Besides, I’ve already signed the divorce agreement, so I’ve got no intention of getting into a fight with them over that.” Upon hearing the news of divorce, Lillian sighed and said, “Well, it’s probably for the best. Hurry up and bring Lori back.” Matthew nodded in agreement and promptly took his leave. After Matthew left, Lillian was still a bit worried. “When he was cleaning up earlier, Matt had his head down the entire time and didn’t say a word. Oh, I can’t help but worry about him. “Our Matt has always been such a sentimental person. Although he went to jail on behalf of Tessa, all he got in return was a divorce. I’m really worried that this will be too much for him to handle.” Stanley sighed as well. “I’m worried about him too. Maybe getting him back into the dating scene would help him move on. Why don’t you speak to the matchmaker in a few days and see if they have any suitable matches?” While the two were chatting, a luxury car pulled up at their doorstep. Before long, Rachel helped Fred out of the car and walked toward the entrance. “Excuse me. May I know if this is the residence of the renowned miracle doctor, Matthew Grant?” Looking perplexed, Stanley responded, “My son’s name is indeed Matthew Grant, but he’s certainly not a renowned miracle doctor.” After ascertaining they had located the right house, Fred recounted how he had learned about Matthew’s divorce and expressed his desire to arrange for Matthew and Rachel to get married. Stanley and Lillian had just been worrying about Matthew’s emotional state. Hence, they were rather receptive to Fred’s proposal. Besides, they were especially taken with Rachel’s appearance, which further solidified their approval. Still, the matter seemed too good to be true. Stanley couldn’t help but find it all a bit incredulous. So, he inquired about the reasons behind Fred’s unexpected proposal. After Fred explained how Matthew could save his life, Stanley’s reservations disappeared. “We’re on board with this. We can arrange a blind date for them to get acquainted in a few days. Whether or not they hit it off is up to them.” Fred was anxious to receive treatment. Hence, he proposed, “It’s best to strike while the iron is hot. Since your son’s divorce will be finalized tomorrow, I’ll have Rachel waiting for him at the courthouse. As soon as he’s done, Rachel can pick him up for the blind date.”