Category: My Mute Bride Novel (Rachel Hudson and Justin Burton novel)

Rachel panicked at once, and she went downstairs before running out in a hurry. The servants were about to stop her, but Sue stopped them from doing so since she thought that Rachel had run away in a fit of pique after being irritated by the scene of Amber and Justin getting along. She said, “Ignore her. It’s good that she’s leaving!”

On the other hand, Rachel took a taxi to the hospital downtown. Fortunately, her grandmother was already out of danger—a new resident doctor of internal medicine had operated on her.

Lying on the sickbed with her eyes closed was a gray-haired old woman whose faint breaths proved that she was still alive. Rachel’s tears fell in drops as she kneeled before the sickbed while holding her grandmother’s hand. She didn’t cry when her father forced her to marry into the Burton Family, nor did she cry whenever Sue gave her a hard time or whenever the servants looked down on her. However, her grandmother, who had treated her most kindly, was the only thing who could tug at her heartstrings; she would break down if her emotional anchor collapsed.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Rachel looked back subconsciously and saw a young and handsome man in a white coat. “Hello. I’m Julian Peters, the patient’s chief surgeon. You must be the patient’s family. I need to talk to you about her condition.”

Rachel was grateful to the doctor who had helped her grandmother. She wiped her tears, made a few gestures, and gave him a sincerely grateful smile.

Julian was stunned by the lady’s smile. Her eyes, which had been washed with tears, were as extremely beautiful as the rainbow after the rain. “Ahem, you’re welcome.” He didn’t understand sign language, but he somehow understood what Rachel meant. “The old madam’s condition is only stabilized for the time being, and she still needs to undergo another major surgery. In the meantime, please try your best to speak to her ear and spend more time with her. Soothe her emotions and tell her not to be nervous; it will be good for the surgery’s effects.”

Rachel pursed her lips and nodded slightly. Since she knew that the doctor didn’t understand sign language, she merely listened quietly to him while smiling politely from time to time.

Julian felt very well-disposed toward this beautiful lady at first sight, so he made a special effort to tell her some safety precautions. Just as he was about to leave, Rachel stopped him. She took a pen from her handbag, wrote an IOU with her name and phone number on it, then handed the paper to him with both hands.

Julian looked at the beautiful handwriting on the IOU, then at her fair and elegantly beautiful face. He shook his head with a smile and replied, “That won’t be necessary.” He knew that the old woman’s granddaughter had financial difficulties at present, so he had no intention of taking it.

However, Rachel didn’t agree and stubbornly shoved the IOU into Julian’s hand.

Julian turned her down repeatedly but failed, so he had no choice but to accept it. However, he now had a different understanding of this lady’s character and felt increasingly well-disposed toward her.

After he left, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief with a clear conscience. Her grandmother had a tumor in her brain, but no one dared to operate on her since she was too old. She had been comatose for a long time, and a large amount of money was needed to keep her alive. Rachel learned from the nurse that the Hudson Family had stopped paying for her grandmother’s medical expenses. With no one paying the medical bills, her grandmother’s medication was naturally cut off, which was why her grandmother’s life had fallen in danger. If it weren’t for Julian’s help, her grandmother could have died today.

This showed how cruel Jefferey was. Not only did stealing the document cause her to offend Justin, even her father stopped paying for her grandmother’s medical expenses.

Since that’s the case, why should I go back to the Burton Residence? Since Dad won’t pay for Grandma’s treatment, there’s no need for me to go back anymore, Rachel thought to herself.

Amber told Sue the entire story from A to Z in an innocent demeanor, labeling Rachel as a vain and scheming woman who had coaxed her younger sister. As she stood beside them, Rachel watched Amber’s pretentious act coldly with an expressionless face. She didn’t defend herself under Sue’s disgusted and contemptuous gaze, for she knew it was unnecessary to do that. Since Sue didn’t like her, she would never believe her.

As she expected, Sue looked askance at her as though she was looking at something filthy. “No wonder you don’t want to leave—you’re after the Burtons’ family fortune. What a vain and scheming b*tch you are!”

Amber smiled smugly upon seeing this. Then, she moved close to Rachel and whispered in a voice audible to only both of them, “Dad said you must go along with me.”

Rachel turned her head suddenly, and her pupils shrank. What do you want to do?

Naturally, Amber could understand Rachel’s sign language. She smiled and replied in a whisper, “You don’t have to care about that. You just have to go along with me, or else… I’ll tell Dad about it.”

Seeing how the sisters were communicating, Sue looked at Amber and asked in puzzlement, “What did she say to you?”

Amber acted worried as she sighed and said, “Rachel hates me now. I’m apologizing to her since I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Sue let out a cold snort. “What a disgusting woman you are! I have seen many scheming b*tches who try to climb the social ladder by marrying above their station, but it’s my first time seeing such an annoying mute.”

Rachel’s heart had gone numb after hearing so many hurtful remarks.

In the ensuing time, Sue softened her attitude toward Amber, and they soon talked and laughed while chatting. After all, compared to the mute Rachel, Amber was more to Sue’s liking. Moreover, she had a silver tongue and made Sue happy with just a few words. On the contrary, Rachel seemed like an unconcerned outsider.

In the evening, Justin came back. Apart from being dressed scrupulously in a black suit with no creases, he had his short hair slicked back neatly which revealed his attractive forehead. He looked very much like a business tycoon; despite the scary scar on his face, the way he pursed his thin lips looked very masculine and noble.

Amber was stunned the instant she saw him. Rumor had it that Justin was an extremely ugly man, and Amber believed it, but she didn’t expect him to still be so handsome even with a scar on his face!

Amber was overwhelmed with regret. She couldn’t reconcile herself to this; had she known earlier that Justin was so masculine, she would have never let Rachel marry him back then! However, she then remembered what Jefferey had asked her to do… She was in a dilemma, but her own idea got the better of her in the end. I will have both Justin and Julian to myself! As long as these two men fall deeply in love with me, Dad’s objective will be achieved in a different fashion, she thought to herself. “You’re back, Justin.” She approached him while assuming a veneer of maidenly shyness, feeling indescribably smug at the thought that this excellent man had proposed marriage to her back then.

To everyone’s surprise, however, Justin looked at Amber very coldly. The woman was puzzled, and even Sue herself was in disbelief. Justin had personally proposed marriage to Amber back then, so he definitely liked her. Why was he reacting like this?

Is it because Rachel married him in my stead? Is that why he’s angry with me and giving me the cold shoulder on purpose? Amber thought to herself. When she became convinced of this, she felt relieved at once. “I have something very important to talk to you about, Justin.”

The man paused, knowing that Amber had come because of Jefferey. “Come with me.”

She hurriedly followed Justin with a hint of joy on her face. On the other hand, Rachel stood beside the sofa with her eyes fixed on him the whole time, yet he went straight to the second floor without looking at her.

Sue darted a look at Rachel, who had always been practically non-existent, and sneered. “Do you see it? Amber is the one Justin loves, and there is no place for you here. If you’re smart enough, you should leave as soon as possible. Don’t end up in misery and bring disgrace upon yourself.”

Rachel had gone numb after hearing a lot of Sue’s taunts. However, there was one thing that she couldn’t figure out. Before the wedding, the Burton Family had always believed that it was Amber who was going to marry Justin, but why weren’t there any wedding ceremonies or wedding guests? After all, Justin was the one who had asked for Amber’s hand on his own initiative. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to think about this. However strange this was, it had nothing to do with her.

When Rachel returned to her room, she suddenly found that her cell phone had registered several missed calls. When she looked at it carefully, she found that these calls were from Riverdale General Hospital, and she immediately called them back. “Is this Miss Hudson speaking? There’s something wrong with the patient, so please come to the hospital as soon as possible,” said the person on the other end.

Did something happen to Grandma?! Rachel thought to herself.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Hudson Residence was tense. After answering the phone call, Jefferey paced back and forth in the living room with a sullen look on his face.

Just then, Amber came back from outside and was puzzled at the sight of this. “Dad?”

Jefferey smashed a mug in anger. “What an idiot Rachel is! The photos of the contract she sent to me are all fake! She must have been caught by Justin! I was actually careless! The company’s share prices have plummeted, and it won’t be long before the company loses more than tens of millions.”

Amber was so shocked that she dropped the handbag in her hand. She asked hurriedly, “How did this happen? Are there any solutions?”

Jefferey thought for a long time with a grim expression. Then, he looked at her meaningfully and said, “Only you can help me, Amber.”

“Me?”

Jefferey nodded. “Yes. Rachel probably angered Justin by marrying him in your stead, which is why he’s taking revenge on us Hudsons in such a way. Unfortunately, I’m not someone at his disposal! Amber, don’t you fancy Sue’s son, Julian? As long as you can make him side with you, I’ll have a way to help him gain possession of Justin’s entire wealth. By then, wouldn’t everything the Burtons own belong to our family instead? Ha… Since Justin has the guts to treat me like this, I’ll make him pay a heavy price!”

“Can you really ruin Justin, Dad?”

When he saw how his daughter doubted his words, Jefferey sneered and said, “Of course. With Rachel as my pawn, what should I be afraid of? Hence, you must go to the Burton Residence as soon as possible—you must waste no time.”

However, Amber instantly hesitated when she heard Jefferey asking her to go to the Burton Residence. “Here’s the thing, Dad… I have no problem with seducing Julian. After all, I don’t mind doing so since he’s an excellent young man, but… what if that ugly monster named Justin takes liberties with me? I heard that he likes me, so I’m afraid that he might take advantage of me, Dad.”

Since Jefferey knew what she was worried about, he patted her hand and comforted her by saying, “Don’t worry. Butter Sue up first when you’re at the Burton Residence. If Justin does something to you, ask Rachel to come out and act as your shield—she wouldn’t dare to refuse helping you. Moreover, you can take advantage of her to make Julian yours.”
Amber bit her lip in reluctance. In the end, however, she agreed to it for the sake of her family’s business.

…

When Rachel got up in the morning, she found that Justin hadn’t come back all night. As such, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know how to face him at present, so she felt more relieved by not seeing him for the time being.

She was combing her hair in front of the mirror when a servant suddenly barged into the room and took her stuff out of the master bedroom right away without saying a word. ‘What are you doing?’ Rachel signed in confusion. To her horror, the servant replied with a contemptuous smile, “Young Master Justin said that you are to stay in the room in the side wing, and you shall not get close to the master bedroom from now on!”

Rachel was stunned. She didn’t expect Justin to continue holding her accountable for last night, but he had no intention of letting her off easily at all. Now, he had driven her out of the bedroom.

With that, Rachel carried her stuff and went to the furthest room under the servant’s mocking gaze. Since Justin didn’t allow her to get close to him, she would stay as far away from him as possible.

At present, everyone in the Burton Residence knew that Justin had thrown his newly married wife out of the master bedroom, so everyone looked at the woman with mockery wherever she went. Even Sue looked at her gloatingly as if she had already guessed what would happen to her. “How is it? It’s not that easy being the wife of the Burton Family. It’s not too late to leave right now, you know.”

Every word Sue said implied that Rachel should get lost. However, the latter remained silent in her own way, and it felt as though she couldn’t understand what Sue was saying at all. It was her way of using silence as a countermeasure, but Sue gnashed her teeth in anger. “You’re quite stubborn for a mute who can’t speak. I’ll see how long you can hang on!”

No one in the Hudson Family had come to visit Rachel ever since she came to the Burton Residence, and no one even cared or asked about her. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that Rachel was spurned in the Hudson Family, and this made Sue confident enough to bully her as if justice was on her side.

Rachel was in no mood to tangle with Sue, so she stayed quietly in the room in the wing, never stirring from her own turf. However, Amber suddenly came not long after that.

As soon as Amber arrived, she was chased away by a frigid-looking Sue. “How dare you have the cheek to come to the Burton Residence? Get out, please.”

However, Amber’s purpose this time was to win Sue’s favor first. Instead of being frightened, she behaved as if she was at a loss for what to do. “I’m sorry, Madam Parham. It’s my fault for blindly listening to Rachel and agreeing to let her marry into the Burtons. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Sue’s eyes widened when she heard something fishy about Amber’s words. “What do you mean? Make yourself clear!”

After Rachel spent the entire morning doing household chores, she had a dry throat and wanted to help herself to some water. As she walked past the turn of the staircase, she incidentally overheard two servants secretly talking about her.

The first servant said, “I heard that Amber Hudson graduated overseas with a doctorate. Not only does she have a pretty face, she’s very good at dancing as well; she even won the Riverdale White Swan Dance Championship last year.”
The other servant replied, “Isn’t that so? Just look at the woman Young Master Justin is currently married to. She can’t speak and is submissive all the time; moreover, she married into the Burtons without a wedding. She’s so cheap. Just what kind of a madam is she?”

“Well, Young Master Justin has a scar on his face, but he is a man of great capabilities. Besides, he is rich and powerful. A mute woman would never have the chance to be his wife, don’t you think so?”

“Oh, you’re right. I heard that mute people like her are labeled as people with third-grade disabilities.”

Third-grade disabilities… Rachel’s eyes flickered. In reality, she wasn’t born unable to speak. A big fire had damaged her throat when she was ten, but her father was reluctant to spend a lot of money to send her abroad for treatment. Hence, her medical treatment was delayed again and again. She didn’t understand why when she was little, and it wasn’t until she had grown up that Rachel realized this was only because she was not the beloved daughter who grew up by her father’s side. Instead, she was an outsider who had been brought back to the Hudson Family midway.

Therefore, these comments had no effect on her at all. She smiled unconcernedly and was about to turn around and leave when an icy and harsh voice spoke outside. “Who allowed you to gossip about the Burton Family’s matters as you please?”

The two old female servants looked back sharply and saw the frosty-looking Justin, who could freeze someone to death with his eyes alone, staring at them with narrowed eyes. They panicked at once and begged him by saying, “We won’t do it again, sir! It’s our fault! We’ll never shoot our mouths off again! Please let us off, sir!”

However, Justin still looked frosty and was not visibly moved at all. Frankie Beckham, his assistant who had been following behind him, stepped to the front and said to the two servants, “From tomorrow onward, both of you don’t have to come to work anymore.”

The two servants were immediately devastated.

Suddenly, Justin looked in Rachel’s direction. After glancing at the dirt on her hands and the apron on her waist, he knitted his brows slightly. “Why are you doing these things? You’re the lady of the house.”
Rachel was somewhat baffled by the interrogative tone of his voice. Is he really unaware that Sue has been ordering me about?

Justin frowned slightly at her silence. “There are servants in the house, so you don’t have to do these things from now on.”

A myriad of thoughts crossed Rachel’s mind, but she nodded obediently without giving anything away. She untied her apron and put down the broom. As she was about to go upstairs, she inadvertently cast her eyes upon the two old female servants. They had been fired, and they were currently kneeling on the ground.

A thought came into her mind. In reality, this man didn’t do so to help me; he merely did so for the sake of the Burton Family’s dignity, she thought to herself. Cinderella’s story existed only in fairy tales, not in her understanding of reality. Therefore, she wasn’t grateful to Justin since it would be too foolish to do so.

She returned upstairs and had just opened the door to her bedroom when her cell phone suddenly registered an incoming phone call. She glanced at the screen and saw that Jefferey was calling her. After a moment’s hesitation, she answered the phone.

Unbeknownst to her, Justin received a text message from Frankie downstairs. It read, ‘The Hudsons have called Mrs. Burton.’ Justin’s eyes darkened slightly, and his expression was inscrutable.

Rachel, who didn’t know that her cell phone had been tapped by the Burton Family, listened quietly as Jefferey spoke on the phone. He said, “I need your help, Rachel—it’s an emergency. Go to Justin’s study, look for a business contract marked in red with the word ‘Property’, and take pictures of it for me. Be sure to photograph every page of it, and don’t get caught by him.” He spoke like it was an easy thing to do, but it wasn’t a trivial matter at all. Naturally, Rachel fell silent for a moment without agreeing to it. Since Jefferey had expected that she might be reluctant to do so, he added meaningfully in a colder voice, “I know that you’re a filial kid. Don’t forget that your grandmother is still waiting for you.”
Rachel was stunned by the words, ‘your grandmother is still waiting for you.’ Her grandmother was still lying comatose in the hospital, and she knew from her understanding of her father’s cold-blooded personality that he really wouldn’t care about the former’s life and death. She couldn’t bring herself to feel any familial affection toward him since she had long been thoroughly disappointed with such a cold-blooded father, but her grandmother was different. No matter what, she couldn’t ignore her grandmother’s safety.

Which was more important? She had made a choice deep down inside.

When she returned to the room, Justin was leaving with an overcoat in his hand. Before he left, he took a glance at her. There was a dark glint in his eyes that she couldn’t understand, but she didn’t give it much thought and waited in silence until night fell.

After 11.00PM, the servants had gone to rest. Rachel stood outside the door to Justin’s study, her hand already pushing down on the door handle.

Meanwhile, the Hudson Residence was ringing with cheers and laughter. Blessed with incredibly pretty looks, Amber was holding Jefferey’s arm as she pleaded like a spoiled child, “Please buy me a Maserati, Dad. Our family received 10 million from the Burtons, so we don’t have to worry about money anymore!”

Jefferey was sitting on a chair and reading a newspaper. Upon hearing her words, he turned his head and glared at her peevishly. “How could you have the cheek to ask for a luxury car? You refused to marry into the Burtons when you were asked to. I really have no idea what you were thinking about. The Burtons are so rich; would you not have whatever you wanted once you married into the family?”

Amber wrinkled her nose with a disdainful expression. “Dad! Justin Burton looks extremely ugly and is said to have an eccentric character. It disgusts me just to think about him, so I’ll never agree to marry him! Rachel, that forsaken mute, married him in my stead, didn’t she?” she protested before pausing for a moment. Then, she rolled her eyes and smiled slyly. “I would be willing to get married if I were to marry Julian Peters, though. He is said to be a Doctor of Medicine in France. He’s such a handsome and promising young man, which is pretty close to my ideal type of person.”

She’s the apple of my eye, after all—I have spoiled her ever since she was a child. I can’t force her to marry someone she dislikes, but she has become more and more unreasonable as I spoil her, Jefferey thought to himself. He poked Amber in the nose and replied, “Julian Peters is Sue Praham’s son, not the heir of the Burton Family. What’s so special about him? Besides, Justin Burton will not be made a fool of easily. Where was I supposed to find a substitute for you in a short time if it weren’t for her?”

Amber raised her chin disdainfully. “Even if she wasn’t there to substitute for me, there would be someone else. Perhaps she’s only too eager to marry into the Burtons! A mute who cannot speak should simply be grateful for being able to marry into a wealthy family!”

Jefferey merely smiled without saying a word. Only he knew that he had forced Rachel to marry Justin using her grandmother’s life-saving money, but there was no need for his little princess to worry about this. Even though Rachel was also his own daughter, a mute who had been left in a remote mountain village for many years before resuming her relationship with him had no comparability with a beloved daughter who had been spoiled and doted on since childhood. Moreover, unlike Amber, Rachel couldn’t win glory for the Hudson Family.

As the father and daughter were chatting happily, the company suddenly called. After Jefferey answered the phone, his countenance changed all of a sudden. “What did you say? The funding from the Burton Family is empty? That’s impossible!” Then, his face became increasingly grave as the person on the other end said something.

Amber was seated near Jefferey, and she turned ghastly pale when she heard that the money that should have come to their hands was gone. “What should we do, Dad?”

Jefferey knitted his brows as he thought of something. Then, he uttered bitterly between clenched teeth, “What a b*stard Justin Burton is! How dare he play tricks on me? How could he go back on his word after I married my daughter to him?”

“That ugly monster is simply too annoying!” Amber thanked her lucky stars. “It’s lucky that I didn’t marry him. It’s crude for that sc*m to go back on his word!” Then, she looked at her father and asked hesitantly, “What should we do next, Dad?”

Jefferey collected himself and pondered for a moment. “Since he’s being unkind to me, he shouldn’t blame me for being treacherous. Don’t forget that Rachel is now one of the Burtons.”

Amber smiled instantly when she saw how her father appeared to have a card up his sleeve. She thought to herself, Dad has always been wise and resourceful. Well, Justin can only resign himself to getting ripped off!

In the meantime, Rachel was mopping the floor while Sue sat on the sofa and drank some tea, eyeing the other woman in a nitpicking manner. “Be sure to mop the floor clean. As the daughter-in-law of the Burton Family, you ought to manage your household with industry and thrift. You shall sweep and clean up the rooms every day from now on. Mrs. Duncan is an old servant of the Burtons, so we shouldn’t keep overworking her. Share some of her burdens as you should since we Burtons don’t want a lazy daughter-in-law,” she said. She despised this mute, but she couldn’t drive the latter away in a flagrant way. After all, it was mainly out of concern for the Burton Family’s reputation that had lasted for 100 years. Therefore, she wanted to make Rachel back out and go away herself in the face of hardships. “Of course, if you feel wronged, you may leave the Burton Family. All right, I’ll be having afternoon tea with someone else outside very soon. Hurry up and work, and don’t be lazy!” After finishing her sentence, she picked up her handbag and went out.

Rachel watched until Sue had gone out before she heaved a long sigh. She thought to herself, Sue Parham is simply too difficult to deal with, and it’s quite tiring to get along with her.

One night later, Rachel woke up with her body aching all over. However, Justin was nowhere to be seen, and only the slightly cool smell of tobacco lingered in the air.

Rachel dragged her fatigued body to the bathroom and took a shower. She first saw a beautiful middle-aged woman sitting on the sofa after coming downstairs, but the latter simply stared at her coldly with her arms folded across her chest.

Rachel had seen this woman in the photo her father had shown her. She was Sue Praham, Justin’s maternal aunt. It was said that Justin lost his parents as a child and was brought up single-handedly by Sue until Arthur Burton, the Old Master of the Burton Family, brought them back to the Burton Residence. Justin built his own business empire with his own abilities, and he had always been filial to Sue as if she were his biological mother.

At this moment, Sue looked Rachel up and down before saying, “Jefferey Hudson, that old fox, didn’t keep his word. He knew that we wanted Amber to marry into the family, yet he sent you—a mute—instead. Does he think the Burton Family is a garbage recycling center? I always wonder why Justin keeps you around, but since things have turned out this way, you’d better behave yourself. Don’t think you will have a meteoric rise by marrying into our family. We, the Burtons, aren’t fools. All right, go and prepare lunch first. Since you’ve married into our family, you should be a virtuous wife!” The large Burton Residence was obviously not short of servants, but Sue ordered a newcomer who had just married into the family to prepare lunch.

Rachel dropped her eyes in the face of Sue’s sharp gaze. Even though the woman was making things difficult for her on purpose, she couldn’t fight back for the time being. A woman with neither power nor influence could never disobey these people, so she could only avoid trouble whenever possible. As such, she merely turned around and went to the kitchen. It’s just a meal, so it’s not a big deal, she thought to herself.

However, her concession didn’t earn her respect. Instead, Sue took it for granted by assuming that Rachel was weak and could be easily bullied. She let out a cold snort and curled her lips before saying, “As expected, you’re simply unpresentable!”

Rachel paused for a moment and then left as if nothing had happened.

Soon after that, Justin returned from his company. As Sue smiled and asked him to have lunch, he turned around and immediately saw Rachel bustling about in the kitchen with an apron on. He knitted his brows, but Sue lied with a smile when she noticed this. “She insisted on preparing lunch herself. Perhaps she wants us to taste her cooking,” she said.
Justin nodded his head without saying anything else.

Rachel had lived with her grandmother since she was a child, so she was pretty good at cooking and doing household chores. She soon made four dishes and one soup before serving them at the dining table. The servants saw how virtuous and capable she was, yet they had little respect for this newly married wife of the family. In the eyes of the public, only those of the lower classes would serve people; after all, the upper-class people were to be served.

Throughout lunch, every single person including the servants focused their attention on Justin while ignoring Rachel as if she didn’t exist. She felt ill at ease because of this, wanting to get away from such an atmosphere. Hence, she casually took a few bites, nodded to them, got up, and went upstairs.

After Rachel left, Sue curled her lips and complained, “She’s so rude. Does she think she can look down her nose at everyone because she’s mute?”

Justin picked up his documents right away and began reading them without raising his head.

When she saw that he wasn’t responding to her words, Sue rolled her eyes and continued, “Justin, the Hudsons don’t know what is good for them. They have simply insulted us by palming off an inferior and giving us a mute! How dare they expect you to give financial aid to their family business? I think they must be dreaming!” Sue was aware of her nephew’s means and wasn’t worried about the Hudson Family taking advantage of him; she simply couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable at the thought that they had taken such an unpresentable mute as a wife, for it would inevitably cause her to be laughed at by the wives of other families when she went out.

However, Justin still gave no response—he didn’t even have an expression on his face.

When she saw that he obviously didn’t want to talk about this subject, Sue said with an ingratiating smile, “Julian is finally coming back after studying medicine in France for so many years. He can’t call a mute an in-law, can he? People will laugh at him if word gets out about this. Just get rid of that mute after a while. I’ll help you look for someone else to assume the position of Young Madam Hudson, okay?”

At last, Justin gave a response this time. He glanced at her expressionlessly and replied, “I know what I’m doing regarding this matter, so don’t worry, Aunt Sue.”

Sue’s face froze at the cold and distant tone of his voice. After he left, Mrs. Duncan, one of the servants at the Burton Residence, came up from behind and comforted Sue in a whisper, “Please don’t think too much of it, Madam. Young Master Justin said so because he’s worried that you’ll be overburdened with worries.”

Sue sighed with a worried expression. “How could I not overthink it? Justin’s personality has changed a lot ever since he was rescued from the human traffickers. He’s no longer as easily approachable as he used to be when he was a child. Even though I have been living in ease and comfort ever since he brought me to the Burton Residence, I know that he blames me deep down inside. If it hadn’t been for my carelessness, he wouldn’t have been abducted by the human traffickers and suffered so much.”

Mrs. Duncan’s lips quivered, but she didn’t know what else to say. She thought to herself, Young Master Justin has been invincible in the commercial world over the past ten years, but he has also become increasingly unfeeling and indifferent. It’s no wonder the Madam is so worried about him.

On the night of her wedding, Rachel Hudson sat on the edge of the bed with a bitter taste in her mouth that extended deep into the bottom of her heart. Amber Hudson was unwilling to marry the disfigured eldest son of the Burton Family, so her father had asked Rachel to take her place instead. After that, she was carried into the Burton Residence with neither a wedding ceremony nor wedding guests like a bride who couldn’t rise to the occasion, making her utterly disappointed with the Hudson Family.

Just then, the creak of the door being pushed open interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to meet a man’s long, narrow, and sharp black eyes.

It was Justin Burton, her current husband. He was tall and slender but not burly, whereas his angular face and tightly compressed lips made him look cold, arrogant, and aloof—just like a commanding hawk in the dark night. However, his originally handsome face was regrettably marred by a scar. It ran from his forehead to his chin, lending him an air of ferocity.

Rachel subconsciously averted her eyes under his penetrating gaze. Suddenly, he said with absolute certainty, “You aren’t Amber Hudson.” The lady before his eyes was obviously more beautiful than Amber.

Rachel instinctively put out her hands and gestured to him.

Justin frowned. “What are you doing?”

Rachel was startled for a moment. It was only then did she realize with the benefit of hindsight that he couldn’t understand her sign language. After smiling an embarrassed smile, she took out the paper and pen she had brought with her, wrote down a sentence, and showed it to him.

The next instant, she saw the man’s completely frosty eyes. He let out a sneer and said, “What does Jefferey Hudson mean by this? He knows that I want Amber, yet he sent a mute, illegitimate daughter over on purpose?”

The words ‘mute, illegitimate daughter’ caused Rachel’s breath to pause, and she slowly dropped her eyes. The next instant, the man lifted her chin and asked with a voice as chilly as the water in winter, “Does the Hudson Family think I’m so easy to fool?”

Rachel’s tiny hands clenched into fists in her sleeves. He’s furious. Is he going to throw me out right away? If that’s the case, what about Grandma’s medical expenses… she thought to herself. She wanted to explain, but she could only feel her throat tighten under the man’s chilling gaze.

As her eyes slowly dimmed, the man suddenly ordered, “Come here.”

This is… Is he allowing me to stay? Rachel was delighted at first, but she then thought of what she was about to face. She slowly became nervous, and a thin sheen of sweat coated her palms.

Upon seeing her hesitation, Justin thought she had chickened out. He then demanded impassively, “I’m very dissatisfied with the fact that your family has substituted the bride with someone else. But now that you’re already married to me, you have to fulfill your obligations as my wife.”

Rachel bit her lower lip, lay flat, and turned her face to the left. Then, she heard a mocking sneer as it reached her ears. “I’m asking you to wait on me while I take a bath.”

Rachel’s face, which was as white as porcelain, turned red instantly. She swiftly sat up and saw the man coldly enjoying how she had made a fool of herself. Anger filled her eyes, and she thought to herself, Is he having fun while making fun of me?

Justin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice turned grim. “What are you waiting for?”

Rachel suppressed her emotions and slowly walked up to him, but she accidentally scratched his skin with her clumsy fingers. Suddenly, Justin grabbed her wrist and closed in on her. “Did you do it on purpose?”

Rachel was dumbfounded for a moment. Then, she shook her head with confusion in her clear eyes.

As Justin stared at her, another pair of clear and bright eyes unwittingly appeared in his mind, reminding him of the Hudson Family—the chief culprit who had destroyed those very eyes. He promptly sneered and said, “I had no intention of touching you tonight, but since you can’t stand being lonely, I can only help you out.”