Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Just Friends or a Teacher-Student Relationship
Chapter 291: Just Friends, or a Teacher-Student Relationship?
After dinner,
Tristan Sterling’s driver took Rachel’s car to drive June Jennings and Stella home.
Rachel and Melissa got into Tristan Sterling’s car.
"Jason Sinclair is hosting a small cocktail party for some close friends. Let’s go together," Tristan Sterling said.
Before Rachel could speak, Melissa chimed in, "Melissa wants to go too!"
While driving, Tristan Sterling glanced back at Melissa in the backseat. "Of course we’re taking Melissa with us."
With Melissa present, the atmosphere in the car was joyful the entire way.
Tristan teased Melissa, making her laugh.
Melissa was nestled in Rachel’s arms, laughing so hard she was doubled over.
「Half an hour later.」
The car stopped in front of the main gate of the Royce family villa.
Rachel and Melissa were staying at the Royce residence again tonight.
After they got out of the car,
Tristan Sterling said to Rachel, "I’ll come pick you and Melissa up in a couple of days."
Rachel glanced at him without a word, then turned to Melissa. "Melissa, say goodbye to Daddy."
Melissa waved to her father. "Bye-bye, Daddy! Drive safe!"
"Okay, Daddy knows. Go on inside with Mommy now!"
Rachel turned and left with Melissa.
He watched the mother and daughter until they were in the distance.
Then Tristan Sterling got back in the car.
Just then,
his phone started vibrating. Seeing the caller ID, he answered, "Hello."
A respectful voice came from the other end. "President Sterling, we found what you were looking for."
At this time of night, both Johnson Royce and Florence Preston were at home.
"Mr. Royce, Grandma Preston, Mommy and I are back!"
Upon seeing the two of them, Johnson Royce called out to Melissa. Melissa went over to playfully talk to Bobby. Bobby adored Melissa; whenever she spoke to him, he would giggle happily.
Rachel took a seat beside Florence Preston.
Florence Preston said, "I went to the hospital this afternoon and saw Julian Jennings’s parents. His mother is looking after him now. Rachel, does that mean you don’t have to go take care of him anymore?"
Rachel replied, "With his mother there, of course she’ll be the one taking care of him, not me. I’ll just visit when I have time."
"That’s true. I could tell Julian Jennings’s mother is a gentle and kind person; he seems to take after her. But regardless, he was seriously injured saving you, Rachel. Even if Julian doesn’t mind you owing him this debt of gratitude, we must never forget it."
Rachel agreed. "I know, Mom. It’s just... the Professor has helped me in countless ways over the years. I don’t know how I could ever repay him." Her voice was tinged with a sense of helplessness.
Florence, of course, understood Julian Jennings’s feelings for Rachel. ’A purely platonic teacher-student relationship doesn’t go this far,’ she thought.
’Rachel’s current success in her career is entirely thanks to Julian Jennings’s support from behind the scenes.’
’If Rachel hadn’t gone through such a transformation, would Tristan Sterling even be giving her a second glance now, let alone letting Melissa accept her as her mother?’
’This debt of gratitude is so immense, it’s as if he gave her a new life. It’s something that can never truly be repaid.’
’And what Julian Jennings wants is, simply, Rachel herself.’
Then, she couldn’t help but think of Thomas.
All she could do was sigh internally.
’Both of them are so completely devoted to Rachel. Even if she and Tristan Sterling divorce, whoever she ends up with, the other man will be deeply hurt.’
’She couldn’t bear to dwell on it.’
’But for now, she had no idea what Rachel actually thought of Julian Jennings and Thomas Sterling. Were they just friends, or was it just a teacher-student relationship in her eyes?’
’It wasn’t her place to ask, either.’
’Perhaps this was a romantic debt Rachel had incurred in a past life.’
As Rachel and Florence Preston continued to chat, her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her purse and walked over to the window to answer it.
"Hello, Professor."
