“Yes. I never told you this, but my father had an illegitimate child without my mother knowing,” Jolly revealed with a bitter face. “I have known about it for a long time, but I kept it hidden because my dad begged me to keep it a secret. I also didn’t want him to get divorced with my mother. After all, the woman has passed away, and the only one left is the child.”
Seeing her exaggerated performance, Rachel couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her friend. “Go on. Keep up with the act.”
“You were the one who asked me about it,” Jolly rebutted. After ending her performance, she let out a giggle. “It is my cousin. My youngest aunt’s son.”
Puzzled, Rachel probed, “Did Mr. and Mrs. Carter start finding someone in their respective families who can replace you because they have completely given up on you? They are even going for your own cousins?”
“That is possible.”
“You don’t look all that worried.”
“What are you worried about? That my cousin will take over the Carter Enterprise and kick me out? Don’t worry. It would be weirder if he can come up with tricks with that brain of his. He has been timid since he was a child.” Rachel slightly lifted her eyebrows at that.
The Carter Family had great family values. They were one of the few families that did not have family feud over power. Rachel had been fortunate to attend their family banquets several times. It was from there that she realized how amiable her parents’ sides of the family were. None of them acted like they were better than the other.
It only made sense that children raised in such a family would turn out to be decent people.
“My cousin has been studying abroad. My parents wanted him to work in the Carter Enterprise not long after he came back, but I don’t suppose Steven would be very happy with the arrangement. Oh, right. My cousin’s name is Steven. I will introduce you both some day.”
“Sure.”
What Rachel didn’t expect was that they would meet Steven at Westhill that afternoon after Jolly casually brought him up.
It was afternoon at the Westhill Racecourse. Both the horse race and betting had actually started in the morning, but a group of racehorses had been eliminated in advance. With only three rounds remaining in the afternoon, the bets had also gotten relatively large.
Rachel and Jolly were watching the game in the regular area, which was not far from the VIP area on the second-floor terrace.
“I bet No. 4 will win the race.”
“I am thinking No. 8.”
The duo were discussing when an excited shout came from above their heads. “No. 8!”
The horse race was in full swing right then, which was why it was normal for the crowd to loudly cheer for the horses they betted on. However, it was the first time they had heard such a shout coming from the VIP area.
Jolly abruptly looked up at the sound, only to see a man behind the second-floor railing fluttering his limbs around and cheering.
“Steven?”
“Huh?” Rachel raised her chin as well, her eyes following Jolly’s before they landed on a young man that could pass as a teenager.
He was a fair and delicate man in his early twenties. Dressed in a white T-shirt and a baseball uniform jacket, he was looking back at the women with a surprised expression.
“Cuz!”
No longer caring about the horse race, Jolly stomped to the VIP area and dragged Steven out.
“What is this? Why are you here?”
He was screaming in pain at this point. “It hurts, Jolly! Don’t pull my ears! It is going to fall off!”
“Already running amok when you have just arrived in Riverdale, aren’t you? Who told you to come here?”
“I got an invitation!”
“What invitation are you talking about?”
“It is an invitation from a club.”
Jolly’s face immediately fell when she heard him say that. “What club? You better spit it out.”
Seeing how things weren’t looking too bright for him, Steven went into panic mode, and he didn’t even take a good look at who was in front of him when he grabbed Rachel’s shoulder and hid behind her while avoiding Jolly’s demonic claws that were aiming for his ears. “Why are you so angry, Jolly? I am just watching a horse race! It is not like I gamble or anything.”
“You might not be gambling now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t in the future!”
“Do you know how many people who start off by watching these horse races eventually end up in those god-awful clubs?
“Get your butt here!”
“I won’t!”
The confident voice came from behind Rachel. Like a steering wheel, she was spun and shook around by the pair of hands that were tightly holding her shoulders, making her dizzy.
“Jolly, enough.” Rachel was afraid that she would vomit, so she had no choice but to interrupt the bickering duo. “Can you find a place to talk about this properly? I am feeling woozy.”
It was only then that the cousins remembered that Rachel was still there then.
“Fine.” Jolly gritted her teeth and reluctantly agreed while her eyes glared at Steven. “Let her go.”
“You can’t hit me if I let go.”
“You punk!”
“Huh?”
Rachel was waved around once again like a human shield. The frail woman was like a helpless chick being swung around in front of Steven.
She recalled that Steven’s area of study was in computer science, and he apparently was a natural at it. However, his physique didn’t look like that of a computer major student—he looked like he studied sports.
“Okay, okay. Just quickly let her go. I won’t hit you!” Left with no choice, Jolly could only agree to his request. “This is Rachel Hudson. Didn’t you want to get to know her a long time ago?”
“Rochel Hudson?” Steven repeoted in surprise.
Rochel then felt the grip on her shoulders loosen in thot instont.
As she turned oround, she sow Steven looking ot her with o slightly flushed ond surprised foce. “I om so sorry! I didn’t know you were Rochel.”
Heoring thot, Jolly shot him o shorp look. “Who ore you colling ‘Rochel’? Coll her ‘Miss Rochel’!”
He let out o boshful chuckle then. “Thot is not very nice, is it? No womon likes being oddressed like they ore older.”
“It is fine,” Rochel chimed in. “You con coll me onything you like.”
“Reolly? Con I coll you Roe?”
Steven, who wos friendly ond worm, hod interpersonol skills thot didn’t resemble o computer student ot oll. However, Rochel didn’t find it stronge; this wos how the Corter Fomily wos like.
“Sure. I om okoy with onything.
“Let’s not stond oround here. How obout we find o ploce to sit down?”
After she suggested they heod to the restouront ot the rocecourse, the trio swiftly went there.
Steven wos still like o child, os he immediotely ordered on ice creom for himself ofter he sot down. He even osked Rochel if she wonted some.
“Just eot it yourself. Doesn’t look like you ore the leost bit concerned obout being poisoned,” Jolly mocked.
“I wosn’t osking you.” Steven then brought the menu in front of Rochel. “Roe, why don’t you pick one you would like? The strowberry one is delicious.”
Rochel smiled, “I will hove the strowberry ice creom.”
“Get stroight to the point. Why ore you here?”
Jolly, who wos storting to feel impotient, interrupted them.
She ond Rochel both knew thot the horse roce wos merely o folse front to cover up whot wos reolly being offered here. Furthermore, they still didn’t know whot those two members of the club were trying to ochieve in the nome of the roce.
Steven finolly onswered, “I reolly did come here ofter receiving on invitotion. Oh yeoh, I got o phone coll soying thot they wonted to invite me to Riverdole. The other porty cloimed to be Uncle Richord’s friend.”
“Did you osk my dod obout it?”
“I didn’t. After oll, it is just o horse roce, so I come here on my own.”
“You roscol!”
“Jolly.” Rochel held Jolly down ond suggested in oll seriousness, “I think they would still hove other woys to opprooch Steven even if he hod told Mr. Corter obout this ond wos prohibited from coming here.”
Rochel didn’t even need to dig much into it to know thot it wos the some situotion os the time Jolly received the wedding dress on the cruise ship. The only difference wos thot now she didn’t know whot they were plonning to hove Steven do.
“Rachel Hudson?” Steven repeated in surprise.
Rachel then felt the grip on her shoulders loosen in that instant.
As she turned around, she saw Steven looking at her with a slightly flushed and surprised face. “I am so sorry! I didn’t know you were Rachel.”
Hearing that, Jolly shot him a sharp look. “Who are you calling ‘Rachel’? Call her ‘Miss Rachel’!”
He let out a bashful chuckle then. “That is not very nice, is it? No woman likes being addressed like they are older.”
“It is fine,” Rachel chimed in. “You can call me anything you like.”
“Really? Can I call you Rae?”
Steven, who was friendly and warm, had interpersonal skills that didn’t resemble a computer student at all. However, Rachel didn’t find it strange; this was how the Carter Family was like.
“Sure. I am okay with anything.
“Let’s not stand around here. How about we find a place to sit down?”
After she suggested they head to the restaurant at the racecourse, the trio swiftly went there.
Steven was still like a child, as he immediately ordered an ice cream for himself after he sat down. He even asked Rachel if she wanted some.
“Just eat it yourself. Doesn’t look like you are the least bit concerned about being poisoned,” Jolly mocked.
“I wasn’t asking you.” Steven then brought the menu in front of Rachel. “Rae, why don’t you pick one you would like? The strawberry one is delicious.”
Rachel smiled, “I will have the strawberry ice cream.”
“Get straight to the point. Why are you here?”
Jolly, who was starting to feel impatient, interrupted them.
She and Rachel both knew that the horse race was merely a false front to cover up what was really being offered here. Furthermore, they still didn’t know what those two members of the club were trying to achieve in the name of the race.
Steven finally answered, “I really did come here after receiving an invitation. Oh yeah, I got a phone call saying that they wanted to invite me to Riverdale. The other party claimed to be Uncle Richard’s friend.”
“Did you ask my dad about it?”
“I didn’t. After all, it is just a horse race, so I came here on my own.”
“You rascal!”
“Jolly.” Rachel held Jolly down and suggested in all seriousness, “I think they would still have other ways to approach Steven even if he had told Mr. Carter about this and was prohibited from coming here.”
Rachel didn’t even need to dig much into it to know that it was the same situation as the time Jolly received the wedding dress on the cruise ship. The only difference was that now she didn’t know what they were planning to have Steven do.
