Chapter 45 Severe Turbulence
“I want one million, or the freedom to work. That’s non–negotiable,” said Yvonne firmly.
Norton had never allowed Yvonne to work in the past, but as things stood, she was confident that he would much rather not give her any money. This was a rare opportunity she couldn’t let slip.
“Do whatever you want, I’m not giving you a single dime. But…” Norton paused to fix her with a cold stare. “Don’t go parading yourself around as my wife. Don’t drag my family name down with you.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” Yvonne reassured him. “I’ll make sure no one else knows, apart from those who are already aware of our relationship.”
Norton let out a derisive snort. “See that you do just that.” Then he turned on his heel and strode away without a single backward glance.
Rachel calculated her savings, including the money sent by Yvonne. In total, she had
about 1.5 million. That meant she still needed to raise an additional 500, 000.
Luckily, her business trip to Amberfield was for a huge project. If she managed to land the deal, and add in her year–end bonus, she should have enough with some change to
spare.
Rachel wasted no time and asked Samira to prepare the necessary documents and
travel with her.
They were set to leave when Trey suddenly ran up to them. “Ms. Marsh, you can’t leave me behind while you go on a business trip!”
“You still lack experience,” Rachel replied patiently. “It would be best for you to stay in the office and master the ropes for now.”
“I get what you’re saying, but… Well, you can’t just travel all by yourselves, you two are women! People might give you a hard time at some point. If you take me with you, I
0.0%
x+
23:47
|||
O
Chapter 45 Severe Turbulence
can be your guardian and save you all the trouble. I think I would be a great help in dealing with potential harassment.”
Rachel had to admit that Trey made a good point. Still, she took a moment to think it over before finally relenting. “All right, you can come with us. Go home and pack your things. Meet us at the airport in an hour.”
“Got it!”
The two women went ahead to pick up Jeffrey. For the first time, Rachel opened up about their situation and told Samira everything.
Samira was understandably shocked. “You’re a tough woman, you know? I really admire you. Since you’re like a sister to me, that makes your brother my own as well. I will treat him like my own family from now on. Trust me, I’ll start by looking after him throughout our trip.”
Rachel nodded and gave her a grateful smile. “That really puts me at ease.”
After getting Jeffrey, they headed straight to the airport.
They were halfway there when Rachel received a call from Brian. She stared at her phone for a few seconds before she forced herself to answer, “Hello?”
“Ronald told me you’re on your way to the airport.”
“That’s right.”
“Did you pack everything you need? You didn’t forget anything?”
“Yes and no.” Rachel kept her responses short.
On the other side, Brian bristled in his seat. He couldn’t quite explain the displeasure that had crept into his chest. He didn’t know what had caused it, but it came and latched on to him, and now his nerves were a little frayed.
“If that’s all you have to say, I’m hanging up,” said Rachel.
Brian’s brows furrowed at her businesslike tone. He opened his mouth to say something
else, but no words came out.
“Take care of yourself,” he finally said. “If you need me-” He was abruptly cut off by the beeping tone. Rachel had already hung up on him.
Jeffrey glanced at his sister and immediately noticed her low spirits. He gently took her hand and squeezed it. “Don’t be sad. You’ve got me. You’ll always have me.”
19.4%
23:47
Chapter 45 Severe Turbulence
Rachel pulled him in for a small hug. “Yes, as long as I have you, I can weather.
anything.”
Trey was already at the airport when they arrived. He bounded over to them like a golden retriever. “Over here. Let me help you with your luggage.”
It was Jeffrey’s first encounter with him, though, so he was as good as a stranger to
Jeffrey.
Clutching the cuff of Rachel’s sleeve, Jeffrey hid behind her and refused to come out.
She couldn’t help but feel a little anxious at her brother’s unexpected reaction.
But before Rachel could do anything about it, Trey dropped a large duffel bag in front of him and zipped it open.
Inside were all sorts of toys, ranging from plushies to puzzles and mechanical gadgets.
Jeffrey’s eyes lit up with undeniable interest, even as he hesitated to approach Trey and his bag of goodies.
Trey took the initiative to push the bag closer to Jeffrey. “Hello, Jeffrey. My name is Trey, and these are my gifts to you in honor of our first meeting.”
Jeffrey was still acting shy, but he was no longer afraid. He had even emerged from behind Rachel, though he still clung to her.
Trey spent a few moments patiently calming him, until Jeffrey stepped forward on his own and took the bag.
Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief.
They bundled up their luggage and went through the boarding procedures. Rachel found a moment to pull Trey aside and ask, “How did you know about Jeffrey? You came well
-prepared.”
“Samira gave me a heads–up. She was worried that Jeffrey would get scared of me or think that I’m a bad person.”
Rachel gave them a look of gratitude.
She always cherished the moments when the universe reminded her that there was still some kindness in the world for her and her brother. It wasn’t all cruelty and endless struggles.
42.2%
++
23:47
Chapter 45 Severe Turbulence
As the plane took off, Jeffrey curled up in his seat and closed his eyes. Before long, he was fast asleep.
Rachel was clasping his hand tightly in hers.
Across the aisle, Trey glanced at them and felt his chest tighten with emotion.
“Samira, can you tell me more about them?” he asked Samira in a quiet voice.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I just found out about Jeffrey myself today.. They had a hard time and Rachel really cares about him. That’s why she brought him along–she didn’t
want to leave him alone.”
Trey frowned. “What about their family?”
“Their mother passed away a long time ago, and her father has remarried and now lives with his new family. Rachel has been working hard over the years, just to support herself and Jeffrey. She joined the White Group and climbed up its ranks through sheer grit and hard work. So, don’t cause us any trouble, okay? We don’t want to give her any
more headaches.”
Trey nodded readily before glancing over at Rachel again.
Rachel and Jeffrey were still holding hands, leaning on each other as they both slept.
Seeing them like that, Trey found himself reminiscing about his own past.
Much like those two, he and his sister had also relied on each other since childhood. They had lost their mother when they were really young. If it hadn’t been for his sister, he might have ended up in an orphanage somewhere.
For most of his childhood, he had felt like fate itself hated him. Why did other kids get to have mothers who loved and cared for them? Why did others have happy, complete
families?
He still carried some of that resentment, but looking at Rachel now, it all seemed to
melt away.
He had thought he had been marked with misfortune, but it turned out that there were many others who carried heavier burdens.
Truth be told, if he hadn’t witnessed them with his own eyes, he would have never thought that Rachel was facing such difficulties.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden jolt. They were an hour into their flight, and
62.9%
23:48
Chapter 45 Severe Turbulence
it looked like they were experiencing some turbulence.
Then a flight attendant’s voice came over the speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are going through some unexpected turbulence. Please stay calm, remain seated, and keep your seatbelts fastened.”
It was the announcement that slowly pulled Rachel to wakefulness.
The turbulence was mild at first, and everyone remained calm, barely paying attention to the occasional shaking of the plane.
But just ten minutes later, the plane was practically rattling.
Panic gradually set in among the passengers, which soon morphed into absolute chaos.
People were shouting and crying as they succumbed to their fears. At that point, some hand–carry luggage had fallen from overhead compartments that had unclasped due to the violent shaking.
“What’s going on, Rachel?” Jeffrey stirred awake and innocently rubbed his eyes.
Rachel gathered him in her arms and stroked his cheek. “It’s nothing. You can go back to sleep. I’ll watch over you.”
At that same moment, Ronald burst into Brian’s office. “Mr. White! I’ve just received the news–Ms. Marsh’s plane is encountering severe turbulence. Ground control has lost communication with it.”
