Chapter 311: Chapter 311: An Out-of-Place Name
Chapter 311: A Name That Stuck Out
「Three hours later.」
The group arrived at the international airport and exited through the business-class terminal. A car was already waiting for them outside.
A wave of heat washed over them as soon as they stepped out of the airport.
They got into the car.
An airport staffer placed their luggage in the trunk.
The car drove off slowly, arriving at a seaside villa in the Corallis scenic area. The villa was registered under Julian Jennings’s name, and cleaning staff and a chef had already been arranged.
After several hours on the plane followed by the car ride, the two children were exhausted.
After lunch, Rachel Royce took them to their rooms to rest.
Rachel, however, wasn’t sleepy, and June Jennings was full of energy. "Rachel, hurry up and change! Let’s go to the beach." Rachel changed into a purple bikini set. It had a bandeau top, and she tied a silk scarf around her waist, putting her long hair up.
The moment June saw Rachel, her eyes widened. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Rachel in a bikini, but the last time was two years ago. Now, she looked even more captivating than before.
Her fair skin had a faint rosy glow, as smooth as jade. She had a slender waist and long, straight, perfectly shaped legs. With her beautiful face, her mature and sexy aura was on full display.
Just standing there, she exuded an indescribable, alluring charm.
June’s gaze automatically locked onto her prominent chest. Suddenly, she felt a warmth in her nose. ’Maybe I’m not that into men after all,’ she thought.
Seeing June frozen in a daze, Rachel walked over and tapped her on the head. "Where are you looking?" June snapped out of it and immediately hugged Rachel, burying her face in her soft, fragrant chest. Grinning widely, she said, "Rachel, you know, we don’t have to be so rigid about gender. What do you think of me?" Rachel pushed her away. "Keep this up, and I’ll report you for harassment." "Well, if I’m already being a pervert, might as well take full advantage," June declared, trying to grab her by the waist.
Rachel sidestepped with her long legs, but June wasn’t giving up.
"What’s wrong with one little hug?" Rachel wouldn’t let her touch her.
The two of them playfully bickered all the way to the beach.
Blue skies, white clouds, an endless turquoise ocean, sunshine, sandy shores, and a gentle sea breeze—everything was so beautiful it was refreshing to the soul.
Rachel couldn’t help but raise her arms, close her eyes, and take a deep breath. In that instant, she felt her spirits lift, completely at ease.
"Rachel, look here." Rachel turned slightly, saw June’s camera lens, and obligingly curled her lips into a smile so radiant it seemed to dim the beautiful scenery around her.
CLICK.
June snapped the photo.
"That’s stunningly beautiful! Change your pose, let’s get another one." "..." This was a private area, so it was quiet, with only the sound of rolling waves echoing in their ears.
Rachel and June swam in the shallow water. June had become Rachel’s exclusive photographer, taking pictures at every opportunity.
Melissa and Stella slept for an hour. The nanny helped them into their swimsuits and brought them to the beach.
Upon seeing their mother, Melissa exclaimed with excitement, "Mommy, you’re so pretty!" Rachel crouched down and stroked her little head. "Mommy just found this seashell. Is it pretty?" Melissa took it. "It’s pretty." Rachel then gave one to Stella.
The two children played in the water by the shore, picking up seashells while June took pictures of them.
They stayed until evening.
The sun began to set.
The entire coastline seemed to be veiled in a layer of golden gauze, looking absolutely magnificent.
They waited until the sun had completely set before heading back to the villa with the children.
Rachel took Melissa to shower and change. Afterward, the four of them sat on the balcony, enjoying a barbecue in the sea breeze.
In that moment, all their worries and fatigue seemed to melt away.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they watched some TV in the living room.
Melissa suddenly said to her mother, "Mommy, I want to call Dad for a bit." Rachel hummed in agreement. "Go ahead!" Melissa went back to her room and took out her watch, just as a call from Tristan Sterling came through.
"Daddy." "Did you have fun today, Melissa?" "So much fun! Daddy, Mommy was so pretty today. Daddy, do you want to come see Mommy?" "..." The father and daughter chatted for over ten minutes.
「Around 9:00 PM.」
The two tired children quickly fell asleep in their beds.
June processed the day’s photos and sent a copy to Rachel. Then, she posted a nine-photo grid to her social media feed: three solo shots of Rachel, three of the children, one landscape, one of their dinner, and a final selfie of her and Rachel. In the selfie, she was leaning sideways against Rachel’s shoulder, a look of pure bliss on her face.
When Rachel saw the post, she turned to her friend and couldn’t help but laugh. "Is this your social media feed or mine?" June grinned. "Hey, can’t I show off a little?" Rachel was exasperated.
The post quickly started receiving likes and comments.
Ian Quinn: Who’s this stunning beauty? How about an introduction, June?
Joanna Sutton: President Quinn, did you have a power outage at home tonight? Don’t forget to pay your electricity bill.
Ian Quinn: My house is brightly lit. Want to come and see for yourself?
Joanna Sutton: Then you should take a good look in the mirror.
...
Julian Jennings: Have fun.
June quickly sent a private message to Julian: Bro, not even a comment?
Julian: Everything’s beautiful.
June: What’s beautiful? The scenery, or the people?
Julian: The scenery is beautiful, and so are the people.
June: What’s there to hide? I won’t laugh at you, and I won’t tell Rachel.
Julian: You’ve all had a long day. Get some rest.
June pouted.
Rachel also posted to her feed. The picture was of her hand holding a glass of lemonade up to the distant sunset, her slender wrist and delicate, jade-like fingers glowing softly in the light. The caption read: Good views are not to be wasted.
They were indeed exhausted from the day’s fun and went to bed early.
「The next morning.」
While checking her phone, Rachel looked through the likes on her post and noticed one name that stuck out: Tristan Sterling.
She then realized she’d never blocked him.
’Oh well, it doesn’t matter,’ she thought.
She helped Melissa get up and wash.
「Meanwhile.」
「At the Sterling Family’s old residence.」
Tristan Sterling slowly pulled his car to a stop in the courtyard. As soon as he entered the house, he saw guests sitting in the living room—it was none other than Mr. Lawrence and his wife.
The events of the past two days had blown up. The public outcry couldn’t be suppressed and was severely impacting the company’s stock price. From the moment the situation escalated, it had spun completely out of their control. The relevant departments had already launched an investigation.
’A mere outsider with this much influence in Kingsland... if there wasn’t someone paving the way for him, how could he have amassed such power?’
There was no way to get in touch with Alexander Sullivan.
Their only option now was to come to the Sterling Family.
"Tristan, you’re back," Madam Sterling said.
Comments