“This is the election invite sent over by Riverdale Charity Foundation. The following day, the secretary handed over an invitation to Rachel at Hudson Pharmaceuticals.
“How many candidates are running for the election?” Rachel asked as she glanced at it. “There were three candidates before you went on leave, but there’s four now.”
“Is their support rate high?” “Initially, it was a tight race between the three candidates since they were quite influential within Riverdale. However, after the fourth candidate joined, I heard that a lot of people switched sides and decided to vote for him. If everything goes well, he will probably win the position of vice president during this election.”
“Is that so? Who is that capable?” Rachel asked in surprise. The secretary paused before answering, “It’s President Peters from the Burton Group.”
Hearing that, her gaze widened in astonishment as she thought, Julian is running for vice president of the charity foundation?
“Miss Hudson, are we going to cast our votes for President Peters?” the secretary asked carefully, Everyone in the company didn’t know what the exact relationship between Rachel
and Julian was. Rumors had it that they were getting married, but since they hadn’t met in a long time, everyone speculated that the wedding might have been called off. “When is the election?” Rachel furrowed her brows.
“It’s 2.00PM this Friday.”
“I got it. Let me think about it.” After her secretary left, she leaned into her leather chair while deep in thought. Suddenly, her phone sounded as a reminder she had previously set appeared on the screen. Then, Jolly, who was holding some pastries in one hand, walked in and saw Rachel grabbing her coat and keys, seemingly ready to head out.
“Are you leaving? I’ve bought some cake and was thinking of sharing it with you.” “No, thanks. I need to make a trip to St. Ignatius Church.”
“St. Ignatius Church? Why so sudden? Wait, are you a Catholic?” “What are you talking about? I’m going over there to meet Diana.” Justin was the one who told her that Evan’s stepmother resided near St. Ignatius Church.
“I’ll be leaving now since I also have to do some shopping.” Rachel left her office right after that..
St. Ignatius Church was the most famous church within Riverdale for fulfilling people’s wishes. However, Rachel couldn’t confirm it since none of her family members were Catholic. She had only been there once when she was younger, and Nancy was the one who brought her there because she often got sick easily. Hence, they went over and tried their luck. Oddly enough, Rachel’s condition improved after they visited the church, and Nancy became a devout Catholic since then.
Rachel thought that Diana was probably a Catholic since she stayed within the mountains near St. Ignatius Church. Thus, she wouldn’t be fond of tacky jewelry. After wandering around the mall for some time, she finally decided to buy a purple clay tea set and went home to get some of the finest tea leaves. She believed that those would make a good gift.
It was 3.00PM when she almost arrived at St. Ignatius Church, which was the perfect time for visiting. Her phone also rang at the same time. Rachel answered the phone. “Have you arrived?”
“Yes, I have,” Justin responded from the other line of the conversation. “I parked my car in the parking lot outside the church. It’s pretty spacious, so you can easily park your car here.”
“Alright, I got it.”
“Drive safe. I’ll wait for you here.”
“Alright.” After the call ended, Rachel reset her navigation system and set the destination to St. Ignatius Church’s car parking lot.
Justin was the one who had arranged this meeting. After all, it might seem rude if she went to see Diana directly without prior notice. Besides, Diana might not be willing to meet her. Thus, when he suggested this meeting, Rachel didn’t refuse since she wasn’t in the position to do so due to Hudson Pharmaceuticals’ current situation. She would find a way to return his favor later on..
Soon, Rachel had arrived at the car park in front of St. Ignatius Church. She spotted a familiar figure dressed in casual outerwear, and he blended in with the towering ancient trees around him.
“Get in the car,” she said after winding down her car’s window. “Over there.” Justin pointed in a direction, guiding her to look for a parking spot.
After making a few rounds, they finally found a spot at the far end. When she got out of the car, she looked around and curiously asked, “There are so many cars here. How did you manage to get a spot?”
“I managed to find one after making several rounds.” “What time did you arrive? Have you been waiting long?”
“Nope, I haven’t,” Justin replied nonchalantly as he looked far away. “This area is frequented by tourists, especially in the morning. There isn’t much of a crowd during this time of the day.”
When Rachel heard that, she nodded and suddenly remembered the gift that she had bought after taking a few steps. “Ah, I left Diana’s gift in the car. I almost forgot about it.”
“What did you get her?”
“A tea set and some tea leaves.” Hearing that, he furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong? Is it a bad idea? Or do you think that it’s nothing special?” She believed that it was a decent gift.
“Not really. It’s just that the Holt Family has been involved in the purple clay teapot business for generations.” “What? Would it seem like I’m trying to teach a fish to swim?” “No worries. Let’s not bring the tea set for now) I’ve brought some pastries, which Old Mrs. Holt fancies.”
“It might seem rude if I don’t bring anything for our first meeting, though.” “Old Mrs. Holt wouldn’t mind. You can see for yourself when you meet her.”
“Alright.” Diana’s house was a ten-minute walk away from St. Ignatius Church. Since it was the beginning of winter, the snow-capped mountains looked depressing. However, compared to Riverdale, it was considered vibrant.
Meanwhile, Rachel could see Diana standing in front of a white wall from afar. Her gray hair was perfectly combed, and she was dressed in blue clothing. Although she was old, she was standing upright with her hands behind her back and she seemed to be in high spirits.
The scene in front of her made her remember how Nancy would stand in front of the door every weekend, waiting for her to return after she moved out from the Hudson Residence.
When Diana spotted them, she waved her hand and beamed. However, just as Justin stood in front of her, her expression changed as she scolded, “I’ve been waiting for you all afternoon! What took you so long, and where is my apricot Danish pastry?”
“They are here, but you shouldn’t eat too much of them.” He raised his hand, showing her the pastries. “I have to say that you are naggier than the old madam from my family.”
The next moment, Diana’s gaze fell on Rachel as Rachel stood behind Justin. “Is this the lady that you want me to meet?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Old Mrs. Holt. I’m Rachel Hudson,” she greeted Diana. Diana looked at Rachel carefully before saying, “Not bad. She looks beautiful. When are you planning to get married? By then, invite me to your wedding and I’ll give you a big wedding gift.”
Hearing those words, Rachel was stunned while she looked at Justin in surprise. Did he not tell her about our relationship? Meanwhile, Justin furrowed his brows slightly, and it seemed like he wanted to say something.
