"There is nothing to talk about. If I had been attracted to Lydia, I would have married her a long time ago. But the fact is that I has remained single till I met you." Hiram held Rachel tightly in his arms and said to her in a low voice. "She's like a little sister to me who refuses to grow up. We are brought up in the same family by the same parents. I love her just as I love my mother and father. She is a member of my family. I wish you'd understand that."
Getting out of Hiram's embrace, Rachel looked at him and said, "So you want me to forgive Lydia for everything she has said to my mother?"
"Rachel, she is an orphan. Since my family has adopted her and brought her up, we are responsible for her. Although I accept that she has made a mistake, we can't abandon her. As my wife, I expect you to treat her like a sister and forgive her." Hiram said to Rachel sincerely while kissing her earlobe.
"I would forgive her this time. But what if she doesn't give up her feelings for you and tries to destroy our marriage again? What would we do then? Even if I can find it in my heart to forgive her, what about my mother? Do you expect her to understand the complicated relationship between you and your adopted sister?" Rachel felt sorry as she thought about her mother. Her mother had been quite pleased about her marriage with Hiram. But she was humiliated by Hiram's adopted sister in front of his mother. Rachel wouldn't put her mother through it again.
Hiram shook his head and assured Rachel by saying, "Don't worry. I will have her settled down in the US as soon as possible. I promise she wouldn't get an opportunity to approach you or your mother."
Rachel stretched out her hands and put her arms around Hiram's neck on hearing his assuring words. "Okay, I'll give you some time to deal with her. But if things don't go as you have promised, I'll see what you would do." Rachel said with a smile.
Hiram pinched her lovely face and said, "Done! Let's go and visit your mother tomorrow. I want to apologize to her in person."
She nodded while teasing him. "My mother will be really surprised. Having her respectable and busy son-in-law visit her in person is a rare event for her."
"You are a silver-tongued woman! You don't miss a single chance to make fun of me." It reminded Hiram of his first encounter with Rachel. She was as talkative back then as she was now.
"Do I? Ha, why do you give me a chance then?" Rachel said cheerfully, as she raised her head to look at him.
Although she was trying to mock him, her tender looks betrayed her. Hiram's heart melted when her soft eyes met his.
He bent down to give her a deep kiss on the lips while cupping her face in his hands.
"Well, I'll try my best not to offer you a chance to laugh at me in the future.'' He said after the kiss, and then asked, "Have you eaten yet?''
"Just a cup of instant noodles, '' Rachel replied with a faint smile. She was too tired to cook anything.
Hiram realized that there had been several cups of different flavored instant noodles on the top of the refrigerator since she moved in. "Luke asked me out tonight. I meant to decline it originally. Now that you haven't eaten, you can come with me.''
Rachel thought for a while and then reluctantly said, "But I am too tired. I want to get some sleep.''
"It's not a business meeting. It's just for fun and recreation." Hiram said and then called Luke.
Rachel went back to her room to get changed. Then the two of them left for the date.
Rachel finally agreed to accompany Hiram. Having her meal was one reason, but more than that, she was interested to know how Hiram and his friends enjoyed the nightlife.
She was as tired as she had said. She slept the whole way.
When the car arrived at the destination, she woke up from a nap and noticed that they had arrived at the entertainment center.
The parking lot was lined up with posh cars. When they came in, they were greeted by a row of beautiful girls dressed in cheongsam, saying "Welcome".
Hiram took Rachel by the hand. A waiter led them directly to a VIP room upstairs.
The sound of music was audible at the door.
Rachel entered the room, following Hiram. Luke was sitting in the middle of the couch; a beautiful girl sat beside him. Two attractive girls were also present. They had microphones in their hands. The sound heard at the door was coming from their music.
When they saw Hiram coming in, The girls immediately stopped singing. They nodded at Hiram and said "Good evening, Mr. Rong" into their microphones. Everyone in the room greeted him warmly.
Hiram nodded at them politely.
When Rachel stepped into the room, she noticed a person sitting on the couch placed at another side of the room.
It was a handsome boy dressed in a white V-neck shirt. He was talking to the girl sitting beside him. When he saw Rachel, he was slightly shocked at first, then he stood up.
"Rachel, Is it really you?" The young man was Albert. He looked at Rachel in surprise. He didn't expect to see Rachel here.
Luke worked as the private attorney of Hiram and was flooded with money. Although Rachel didn't know much about him, she was sure that he came from a wealthy family. Could she believe that Albert, a member of a wealthy family, needed to support himself by taking part-time jobs?
Albert's face turned red out of embarrassment. He lowered his head and coughed slightly. "I am a part-time worker at a company. That's true. As for my family, it's not bad.
Are you really married? I have never heard of that."
Rachel didn't answer him right away. Instead, she turned her eyes to Hiram and noticed Luke whispering to him.
"Hiram, are you happy with my arrangement? Being your true friend, I'm always thinking of you."
Luke said to Hiram laughingly, asking the girl to fill Hiram's glass with wine.
"Not too bad, " Hiram replied, taking up the wine glass and shaking it gently.
He figured that Luke deliberately arranged Albert's presence tonight.
He was also quite clear about the reason behind this arrangement.
Luke laughed uproariously before saying, "Being single for all those years and finally now you have a wife. I wouldn't let anyone take her away from you." He drank off the wine in the glass and wiped the corner of his mouth. Then he continued, "If someone tries to take her away, it can't be anyone from my family."
"Ha, take my wife away from me? Are you serious?" Hiram gazed at Luke with a forced smile.
"No, no, of course not. What I mean is to take preventive measures. As the saying goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Luke filled his glass with red wine and clinked his glass with Hiram's.
He still remembered that day when they saw Rachel and Albert together at the restaurant. The two of them were having their meal and chatting merrily. Although Hiram didn't say anything, he dropped Luke by the roadside that night. As Hiram's friend, he knew what he cared about, so he had to do something to show his concern.
He was well aware of Hiram's temper. If someone dared to put him down, he would make his life miserable.
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