In the afternoon, Rachel intentionally packed up and went home an hour earlier than usual.
“Mommy, why are you back so early today?” Samuel asked as he hopped off the couch with a surprised look on his face.
Rachel then picked him up. “Samuel, I would like to discuss something with you.”
“What is it?”
“I will be staying with Charlotte for some time. Can you live with Jolly for the time being?”
“Sure.” Samuel immediately agreed, which surprised Rachel. She fell silent for a moment before she added, “Samuel, I may be gone for quite some time, though.”
“You can stay there as long as you need to. I’m sure Charlotte must have missed you. Since you have never stayed by her side for a long time before, I don’t mind lending you to her for the time being.”
His words warmed Rachel’s heart and she praised, “Samuel, you are really my good baby.”
Jolly, who returned rather early that day as well, helped Rachel to carry her luggage into the car. “I know that whatever I say won’t be of much help to you since you have always been a more careful and thorough person than I am. Anyway, please be careful.”
“I understand. Please take good care of Samuel.”
“You can rest assured. Of course I will take good care of my son.”
Before Rachel got into the car, however, she asked rather hesitatingly, “Jolly, do you think that I will stand a chance to get Charlotte’s custody if I were to take this to court?”
“You wish to take Charlotte away from him?” A surprised look appeared on Jolly’s face. “Have you thought this through? Charlotte not only has Justin behind her, but the entire Burton Family as well.”
Rachel’s brows were knitted into a tight frown and she murmured, “I know that this will be tough and in fact, it sounds like a fantasy. I’ll drop this for now. It’s time for me to leave.”
“Hold on.” Jolly suddenly stopped her, and the former was wearing a stern expression that seldom appeared on her face. “If you really wish to take this to court, my parents and I will definitely help you.”
“Thank you, Jolly.”
Although Rachel knew that Jolly meant what she said, she did not wish to drag the Carter Family into her private matter, so the thought of taking the case to court remained merely a thought.
Jolly watched as Rachel’s car slowly drove away, and a rare grim expression replaced her usually bright smile as she dialed an international number.
The phone rang for some time on the other end before it was picked up. A sexy male voice then purred down the line, “Hello. Why did you call me all of a sudden, my sweetheart?” The man spoke in an American accent.
“Stop messing around, Hernandez. I have something important to ask you. Aren’t you a lawyer? I would like to ask you regarding a custody lawsuit.”
“Sweetheart, I’m now on leave. If you wish to talk about work, let’s talk in two weeks’ time.”
“On leave, you say? So, are you giving up on dating Chris now?”
“What do you mean?” The male voice on the other end of the call suddenly sounded serious.
Through his voice over the phone, Jolly could even imagine how Hernandez straightened up from his lounging position in a beach chair.
She then continued, “If you manage to pull this off, Chris will certainly be impressed by you.”
Hernandez, however, did not reply.
Meanwhile, Rachel drove her car into the garage of the Burton Residence.
After she closed her trunk, she raised her head and noticed Justin at the garage entrance.
“Are you here to welcome me personally?” She put down her luggage, flashing him a playful smile as she murmured, “I guess I’m pretty important to you.”
“What are you thinking? I’m here to make sure that you don't bring anyone that you are not supposed to bring.”
“Who is this person that I’m not supposed to bring?”
“Stop asking the obvious.” A hint of impatience crept across his brows and he muttered, “Since you have agreed to keep Charlotte company, don’t think that you can have that brat occupy her time.”
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