Dear sweetheart novel (Rayna and Julian) novel Chapter 186

Dear Sweetheart Chapter 186 A Thousand Times Over
Rayna regarded Jefferson disdainfully when she saw how much he treasured a mere piece of candy. “It’s just candy. I can go to the store and get you a whole packet if you like it.”
“It’s okay. Just one will do,” Jefferson replied, feeling extremely satisfied.
To him, just that single piece of candy was enough to make up for all the pent-up anger in his heart.
May I? Of course, you may. I can say it ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times, or even ten million times over.
Assuming that Jefferson was purely curious about how the candy tasted, Rayna brushed the matter off. Then, they continued sitting at the beverage store for a while longer before checking other places out.
Despite the swelling crowd as night descended, none of the people paid attention to Rayna for some unknown reason.
On the contrary, countless young women approached Jefferson enthusiastically with milk candies, asking if he would like to accept their candies, so much so that it exasperated Rayna.
So, she went to an accessory store nearby to get him a mask to cover his face.
“Seriously? I thought receiving a green rose meant I was attractive enough, but none of the men is looking at me. You, on the contrary, are getting a lot of attention from the girls!”
Jefferson glanced at the green rose in Rayna’s hand, his eyes brimming with happiness.
“What’s so funny, huh?” Rayna complained, rolling her eyes. “You’re the reason why no one is interested in me, so make sure you keep that mask on, okay?”
“Sure.”
The sky completely darkened after seven o’clock in the evening, and stars glimmered radiantly in the sky over the buzzing area.
After buying two tickets for a cruise, Rayna went to the pier with Jefferson, waiting to board the ferry.
When she saw the massive crowd in front, she said to Jefferson, “It’s time for you to prove your worth. Make sure you snag a table by the window on the third floor once we get on the cruise.”
Since there was no VIP seating on board, the best seats were available on a first-come, first-served basis, so Jefferson nodded in agreement at Rayna’s suggestion.
Once the gate opened, people swarmed into the cruise, but amidst the throng, Rayna realized Jefferson had her hand held tight as if he was afraid of losing her. Not knowing how to react, she said, “Stop holding my hand. Go get a seat.”
She retracted her hand from his grasp and urged, “Go on!”
Jefferson glanced back at her and vanished into the crowd soon enough.
By the time Rayna managed to shove herself into the cruise ship and went up to the third floor, panting, Jefferson had already gotten a seat by the window, so she quickly ran over to him.
“See? I told you it wouldn’t go wrong coming up to snatch a seat first.” They could see an unobstructed view of the river from where they were, with the cool and gentle breeze brushing against their faces. “Do you like it?” Rayna asked, but she instantly remembered Jefferson’s identity.
“Sorry. I forgot that you might not like squeezing in the crowd with commoners. This is usually how things are for us,” she added awkwardly.
“I like it, actually,” Jefferson replied, pulling down his mask to reveal a face full of smiles. “Crowds and solitude both have their unique charms. Sometimes, I like being part of a crowd.”
The truth was that Jefferson loved getting caught in a crowd both at the subway and on the cruise—he did not mind going anywhere regardless of how packed it would be—as long as he was with Rayna.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. My job is to make sure you have a great time during this seven-day vacation.”
The sparkles in Jefferson’s eyes suddenly faded as he curved his lips, uttering a reply, “I’m sorry for troubling you. This is just the first day. You’ll have to bear with me for the next six days.”
“Let me go check out the drinks,” Rayna answered in haste when she sensed the tense ambiance.
As soon as she scrambled off with her purse, her phone on the table lit up, and Jefferson looked over.
Vexed by the words “Mr. Faymon” on the screen, he grabbed Rayna’s phone to answer the call.
“Where are you, Rayna? Please check your email.” A husky and deep voice traveled from the other end of the line right after the call connected.
“She went to get me some drinks, Mr. Faymon. I thought my girlfriend was on leave. You should just contact the secretarial department instead of calling her,” Jefferson answered.
A brief silence ensued before Curtis spoke again. “Are you guys together?”
It just so happened that Rayna called out to Jefferson, “Jefferson! What about some watermelon juice?”
“Sure,” Jefferson replied, knowing full well that Curtis was listening to them, but he did not mind, for that was what he wanted. “Mr. Faymon, I’ll hang up if there’s nothing else. Time is of the essence for me.”
Curtis’ voice turned chilly and solemn. “Jefferson Hamilton. Don’t toy with her.”
Jefferson sneered, his voice frosty. “You have no right to say that to me, Mr. Faymon. Do you really think no one will see through your tricks just because your plan seems flawless? I know I lied to her, but I have never harmed her. You, on the contrary, are dragging her into the Faymon family’s strife. I would’ve turned you into a cripple for life if I knew this would happen!”
“What could you offer to her, then? The life you can give her is nothing more than a restrictive one. Rayna is clever and gifted. You can never keep her hidden,” Curtis questioned in return.
“I can provide for her and give her a carefree life where she doesn’t have to worry about anything,” Jefferson enunciated as he gazed affectionately at Rayna. “Just so you know, Curtis Faymon, I was the one who groomed her, and I am not letting you have her.”
Jefferson paused briefly and added, “I bet you must have heard that your Uncle Chester had sold Faymon Group’s stocks to me. He said that was the price for cutting off his son’s hand.”
“Jason went missing while he was transiting via Pillere.”
“He didn’t. My men got him,” Jefferson admitted gleefully without hesitation. “I will ensure he can’t get back up after laying a finger on my woman.”
“Are you declaring war with me?” Curtis asked calmly.
Jefferson smiled at the question. “The war between us has long begun. I can easily make Faymon Group bankrupt if I want to. Your stocks will become nothing more than just a pile of waste paper.”
“Really? I can’t wait, but before that, you’d better take care of your own problem—like your elder brother,” Curtis reminded without any sign of fear in his voice.
Jefferson’s tone changed instantly. “I’ll take care of my own affairs.”
“Ha. You’re ridiculous! You’re telling me you’ll take care of your own affairs now that I’ve pointed out your weakness? Rayna works for Faymon Group, so don’t even dream about leaving the country if she gets hurt when she’s with you.”
With that said, Curtis hung up.
Jefferson’s expression was grim, and when he saw that Rayna was returning with the drinks, he quickly unlocked her phone to delete Curtis’ call log before putting the phone back.
“There you go,” Rayna said as she passed Jefferson his watermelon juice. Sensing something was wrong with his expression, she apologized, “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I crossed the line.”
“I didn’t take it to heart,” Jefferson assured, shaking his head with a smile.
Rayna wanted to check her phone, but Jefferson told her that it would be a shame to be occupied with her phone when there was a splendid view before them, so Rayna just put her phone back. After all, the purpose of the trip was to make Jefferson happy, so they just sat beside the window to enjoy the view and the breeze that leisurely night.
Sometime later, Jefferson started bringing up their past. “I remember you had a huge suitcase with you the first time we met. You were perplexed and did not know how to get to your dormitory. Since there were not many Chanaeans at Norham University, I approached you when I saw you. To be honest, I was surprised to find out that you managed to get into the university on your own and that your Ferropenian was amazing.”
“I thought you were the receptionist the university assigned to me. Turns out you were a student, too. It was embarrassing,” Rayna replied. His words reminded Rayna of past memories that she had long since buried in her heart.
Back then, she had mistaken Jefferson for the person in charge of helping her settle down at university, so she asked him to lead the way to the students’ dormitory. After that, Rayna handed him three Anglandurn currency notes when they arrived since it was the local culture to tip, but someone who happened to pass by looked at Jefferson and greeted politely, “Mr. Hamilton.”