The guards immediately obeyed.
Two burly security guards dragged Silas to the pool, pressing his head into the water repeatedly, just like Silas had done to Rachel.
The crowd of students who had followed to watch the commotion, including Ralph and Celeste, were all stunned. No one expected things to turn out this way.
The security guards showed no mercy, and Manager Yoder didn't even bother pleading for Silas. After all, the Ford Family was just one of the shareholders in this club. Sacrificing the son of one shareholder would probably please the others.
Finn turned his gaze to Ralph and Celeste. Celeste was the first to regain her composure and smiled slightly. "Sorry to keep Master Jeffrey waiting. We'll go see him now."
"No need," Finn said calmly. "Master Jeffrey said he's not available today. You two should leave." Without waiting for their response, he walked away.
Celeste and Ralph exchanged glances. Celeste gritted her teeth in frustration.
They had finally arranged a meeting with Jeffrey, only for it to be ruined because of Rachel. She would not let Rachel off easily!
Rachel returned to the sanitation department, still a bit shaken.
"Rachel, why are you all wet? Did you fall into a river?" Sister Rivera asked. "Nothing happened while you were delivering the documents, right?"
Rachel took a deep breath and slowly replied, "The documents are fine. I just accidentally fell into a small pond."
"It's freezing out. Change your clothes and dry your hair," Sister Rivera said.
Rachel nodded. Luckily, she had a spare set of clothes here. After changing, Sister Rivera said, "By the way, Griffin asked me to check with you about your preferences for the other one."
"Sister Rivera, I've told you, I'm not interested in dating right now. Could you please tell Griffin to stop focusing on me? It's just a waste of time," Rachel said.
Sister Rivera sighed. "If you're really not interested, I'll talk to Griffin for you. But you know, every girl needs someone to spend the rest of her life with! Or do you plan to grow old alone?"
For some reason, at that moment, Rachel's mind flashed with the image of a handsome face. She thought she wouldn't grow old alone because she would have Jeffrey by her side. She and Jeffrey could be like family, together until the end.
---
That evening, when Rachel returned to their rented room, Jeffrey was already there.
"I'm making dinner now. Just wait a bit," Rachel said, heading to rinse the rice. But Jeffrey grabbed her hand and said, "Sis, your shirt has a tear here."
Rachel looked down where he was pointing and saw a small rip at the collar. It wasn't very noticeable unless you looked closely. It must have been torn when Silas grabbed her at the club today.
"The stitching is loose. I'll sew it up later," Rachel replied.
Jeffrey's eyes flickered with concern. "Did something happen today, Sis?"
"What could happen? Just the usual street sweeping," she said, not wanting to tell him about the incident at the club. It was too dirty, not something he needed to know.
"But your hand is swollen. Did something hurt you?" he asked.
Rachel glanced at the back of her right hand, the spot where Vanessa had stepped on it earlier that day.
"I just bumped it while sweeping. It's nothing," she said casually, not wanting him to worry.
"Really?" Jeffrey looked at her closely. "Sis, if someone's bullying you, just tell me. I'll stand up for you." He meant it.
He'd make those people pay. He'd make sure no one ever dared to mess with her again.
For a second, her heart skipped a beat… like he knew everything.
"I can protect myself," she said.
"And if you can't?" he asked.
If it ever really came to that, telling him probably wouldn't help anyway. But she didn't say it. She didn't want to hurt his pride.
"Don't you want me to protect you, Sis?" His voice came again, low and firm, his dark eyes locked on hers.
She lightly bit her pink lip and thought for a second. "When you're successful and strong one day, then you can protect me. But for now, I'll protect you. I'll make sure no one bullies us."
A flicker of light passed through his eyes, but he didn't say anything else, just answered softly, "Okay."
After dinner, Rachel changed out of her slightly torn clothes. Then she grabbed a needle and thread, sitting down under the lamp to mend them.
Jeffrey sat nearby, watching her in the warm light. Her head was lowered, her medium-length hair falling over her shoulders.
Her hair looked a little dry, probably from poor nutrition. Three years in prison and their current situation had left her skin rougher than before.
Her naturally soft features were still there, but life's hardships had added a kind of worn-out look to her face.
Still… in this moment, as she quietly stitched the clothes, she looked so calm and beautiful, it was almost hard to believe.
He felt like… he could just keep watching her forever and never get bored.
In his world, he never really saw women do stuff like this anymore. Most girls around him only cared about acting elegant or cute to catch his attention.
He never thought something this simple could actually pull him in so much.
Rachel finished mending a pair of pants and looked up, catching Jeffrey staring.
His eyes were locked on her, so intense it made her blush a little. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just thinking about how pretty you are," he answered without hesitation.
Rachel laughed. She knew how much she'd changed since she was younger. She didn't think anyone would find her especially pretty now, just maybe… not ugly.
Still, hearing those words did warm her heart. Turns out, girls really did like being complimented, no matter what.
"By the way, I saw a sweater online earlier when I had some free time. Look, see if you like it." She pulled out her phone, opened the shopping app, and showed him a plaid sweater she had added to her cart.
Jeffrey glanced at it. It was 199 yuan, with over ten thousand sales this month.
"You only have one sweater for winter, and no spare," Rachel explained. "Getting another one means you'll have something to switch with. The reviews are good, people say it's a good deal, and I think you'd look really nice in this style."
"If you like it, then I like it," Jeffrey said.
"No," she insisted, "you have to like it yourself. If you don't, I'll find a different style or color for you."