Samantha greeted Rachel as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.


    “Rachel…”


    Rachel and Cecilia froze at the sound of her name. Who else spoke in that sharinely sweet tone? That voice was the stuff of nightmares!


    Cecilia tugged at the hem of Rachel’s shirt and whispered, “Why don’t we pretend we heard nothing and just leave?”


    Rachel shook her head at Cecilia. “It’ll be fine.”


    She had already fallen out with William and Samantha, anyway. She wouldn’t take any tricks from


    Samantha lying down.


    She and Cecilia stopped in their tracks.


    As Samantha approached Rachel, her gazended on the bags Cecilia was carrying. “Out for a shopping trip, Ms. Young? These don’t look cheap.”


    “These aren’t mine. They’re Rachel’s,” Cecilia blurted out without much thought.


    “Rachel’s… They’re for an elder, I suppose? But why have I been hearing about her cutting ties with the


    Lloyd family?”


    Rachel arched a brow. She fully understood why people say that good news went on crutches, while bad


    news traveled fast.


    How did Samantha even find out about it?


    Rachel used to be able to at least hold a conversation with Samantha for the sake of work. They saw each other all the time, so it wasn’t good to let things between them turn too ugly.


    But now<i>, </i>there was no need for her to tolerate anyone.


    Rachel threw Samantha a cold nce. “What does that have to do with you?”


    Samantha’s face froze. She was clearly taken aback by Rachel’s brashness,


    Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she lowered her head like a disobedient child who had done


    something wrong.


    “Rachel, I was just showing you concern. There’s no need for you to be so harsh.”


    Her words didn’t soften Rachel’s stance one bit.


    “How are we rted, that you should be showing me such concern? To put it in nastier terms, <b>if </b>you


    hadn’te in between William and me, our marriage wouldn’t have turned out the way it did. Is your so- called concern merely a show of pride as a homewrecker who sessfully took my ce?”


    Rachel wasn’t very loud, but she spoke at a volume that passers–by were able to overhear.


    Samantha’s tears came on cue, her eyes reddening like a rabbit. She started tugging William’s sleeve, like a child who got bullied at the yground.


    “William, why is Rachel so fierce to me now? I really don’t mean any harm, you must believe me.”


    William patted her shoulderfortingly. “Alright, it’s fine. Stand aside and keep quiet. I have something


    to talk to her about.”


    Samantha pouted but remained silent, knowing full well the situation before her.


    William approached Rachel, his face dark. He had never expected them to be enemies when they used to be the most loving couple.


    All the more he did not expect the woman who used to im to love him wholeheartedly to one day


    scheme against him.


    “You stole the project with Sky Tech Enterprise, didn’t you?”


    Rachel scoffed. “All’s fair in love and business. Calling it stealing is nder toward me, Mr. Lewis.”


    “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You knew we drew up the proposal ourselves, but you used us of giarism. You know the boss of Sky Tech Enterprise would never allow such underhanded means, given his character.”


    Fire burned in William’s chest as he drew closer to Rachel.


    “You’re screwing me over and driving me to desperation. You’re doing all these on purpose, Rachel! Are you disregarding all seven years of our rtionship?” he roared.


    <i>2/2 </i>