My Darling, My Dearest

Chapter 477 News Went Viral

"Really?" James frowned. "Rachel, since you two are back together, you shouldn't bother yourself with this nonsense."

"Uncle James, we both know that." Rachel always tried to look calm and happy. But she felt very anxious now. This matter wasn't supposed to be leaked by the media because they promised to keep it a secret.

The MK Group was in chaos.

In Jack's office, the telephone rang non-stop. Reporters gathered outside the building and called him continuously for a statement. Jack tried to shake some of the tension off by rubbing circles on his temples but to no avail. Finally, he got up and just unplugged the telephone.

The story flashed on the front page of almost every news website he opened. His frown deepened after seeing the articles. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

When the press released the story, he responded quickly by asking the news outlets to take down the articles. But this time around, it seemed that someone was deliberately giving him problems behind their back. The story kept popping up on other news outlets even after the previous ones had taken it down.

Now the situation was really out of control.

Sometime later, he heard someone knock firmly on his door. He recognized Austin's anxious voice call out to him from outside. "Mr. Fu, some of our shareholders have arrived. They want to speak with you in the meeting room now."

Sure enough, the shareholders did arrive.

Austin was still standing on the other side when Jack unlocked the door and pulled it open. The stress was visible on his face. Jack tried his best to look calm in front of him and said, "Don't worry. Just carry on with your work. I'll go to the meeting room by myself."

"Alright, Mr. Fu," Austin replied quietly. The thought of facing the shareholders in a crisis like this made him shudder. Even if he did go in with Jack, he wouldn't be of much help. Realizing this, he went back to his desk and decided to monitor the trend of public opinion on the Internet.

Going back to work at his desk did not do much to decrease Austin's uneasiness. His thoughts went back and forth from the webpages he was viewing and to the meeting that was taking place. He had browsed a dozen articles or so when Rachel caught him by surprise. "Miss Shen, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Jack. Is he in his office right now?" Rachel was a little nervous.

After talking with James at the hospital entrance, she found it hard to feel at ease. The anxiety was getting to her, so she finally decided to take a taxi to Jack's office so she could see how he was doing.

Austin shook his head lightly and told her, "Our shareholders have arrived just now. Mr. Fu went to speak with them in the meeting room."

"Do you have any idea why they're here?" Rachel asked.

He let out a deep sigh. "I really don't know. But they looked angry when they came in."

The lack of answers was unsettling for Rachel. She put her arms on her waist and stared blankly toward the meeting room. Seeing the worry on her face, Austin quickly shifted the conversation. "Miss Shen, it's not good for you, a pregnant woman, to keep standing around like that. Why don't you wait for him at his office instead? I'm sure he'll be back very soon."

"Okay, I guess I should. Thanks, Austin." Rachel nodded. She couldn't help glancing at the meeting room when she stepped into Jack's office.

When the news broke out in the media, even the shareholders who rarely showed up at the office came for the meeting.

They were not convinced easily. It was not hard for Rachel to pass the time under normal circumstances. But now half an hour passed very slowly as she glanced at her watch again and again.

Finally, the door swung open gently after what felt like hours of waiting.

Rachel got to her feet when Jack entered. In her hurry, she caught her foot on the leg of the table and tripped. He was luckily quick enough to step forward and grab her tightly on the arm, steadying her. "Hey, be careful. What if you fall?" he said with a deeply concerned look in his face.

"I'm fine," she muttered. The pain didn't bother Rachel at this point. Right now, all she could focus on was Jack. She looked at his face intently and asked, "What did the shareholders say? How's the situation?"

Jack ignored her questions on purpose. Instead, he took her hand and helped her to the sofa so she could sit down. Kneeling in front of her, he held her right foot and examined it. He then pointed at her ankle and asked, "Did you stumble over this just now?"

Defiantly, she tried to pull her foot back, but he did not let go. Jack rested it on top of his legs even though she still had her shoe on.

Clearly, she had to say something to make him stop. She didn't want to steer away from the conversation she intended. "I'm fine. I just tripped by accident. It's not a big deal," she said in a low

voice. "Okay." Jack put his fingers on her ankle and massaged it gently for a while. After some time, he set her foot back down on the floor.

She pulled him towards her so he could sit down beside her on the sofa. In a sweet gesture, Rachel brushed the dirt on his trousers with her hand. She felt mixed emotions all of a sudden.

He could always give all his attention to her. It was as if doing this made him the happiest man on earth.

Although Rachel felt moved by this, she couldn't help feeling guilty at the same time. She didn't want to take his focus away from the business.

As she thought more about it, tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her beautiful face.

Jack cupped her face with his hands and gently wiped the tears with his thumb. The tears flowed more freely. She choked, "I really don't want to cry, but..."

"It's alright, Rachel. You don't have to explain. I know that women tend to be more emotional in the late stage of pregnancy." He stroked her hair gently.

Like him, Rachel hated showing signs of weakness. But Jack knew she worried about him too much, and it might be overwhelming for a pregnant woman like her.

Seeing how hard it was for her, Jack wanted to comfort her as best as he could. They held each other tight. Rachel leaned in and put her head on his chest, trying to find solace in the steady beating of his heart. "Jack, no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you," she whispered.

"That's all I ever want."

Jack's voice quavered a little.

The chain reaction caused by the event was more powerful than expected. In the past two days, a story about a male actor's affair covered up the news regarding Jack. In the business circle, however, the damage was already done.

That day, Rachel sat in the living room while reading a parenting book. She curiously kept glancing at the kitchen.

Wearing an apron, Jack was in the kitchen while he made lunch for them.

The shareholders released a statement at the company earlier that day. Rachel asked Jack about it, but he avoided the question. She knew he was purposely doing this so she would not worry too much, so she didn't press him any further.

Unexpectedly, the past two days felt like a vacation. Jack was at home and helped with the cooking. He would even make Rachel her favorite food.

Earlier that morning, Jack told her that he was making dumplings for lunch. He and Julie made the wrappers and meat filling from scratch. They prepared three kinds—steamed dumplings, baked dumplings, and dumplings with sauce.

'It would be good if doing these things keep his mind off the trouble at work, ' Rachel thought.

Jack called out to her from the kitchen. "It's ready. Come and taste the dumplings."

"Okay, but I'm a picky eater." A smile formed on her face. Rachel put the book down and went to the dining table.

Jack's phone rang as she walked over, but he just ignored it. It was unusual for him not to pay attention to his phone. He was usually attentive when it came to business matters. Instead, all his focus was on pouring her favorite condiments and seasonings in small plates in front of her. "Here, have a bite. How do the dumplings taste?" He looked at her with excitement.

Glancing at his phone on the table, Rachel said softly, "I'll be fine here by myself. You'd better answer your phone first."

Nodding, Jack put down the plate and went to answer his phone in the kitchen. Rachel didn't want to hear the conversation. But even as he kept his voice down, the house was just too quiet.

Rachel could hear every word clearly.

As if nothing happened, he just put his phone down and went back to the table. "Why aren't you eating? Don't they taste good?" He looked at the dumplings on her plate. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

With a heavy heart, Rachel managed to ask him, "Jack, did a lot of contracts get terminated?"

"You heard?" There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, but he tried to smile. "It's normal for one or two contracts to get canceled."

Rachel pressed on. "Does it have anything to do with what happened?"

Jack reached out and patted her head. "It doesn't matter. Don't think about it too much."

In the kitchen, Jack's phone rang again. He was still smiling, but she saw the fierceness in his eyes.

He took the call in the yard outside this time.

From inside, Rachel could see Jack through the tall window. He looked spirited on the phone. As soon as he went back inside, she said to him calmly, "Jack, I'll be fine here. Go to the company. I think you need to be there."

"No," he said indifferently. Jack sat down in front of her. He carefully pushed the plate of dumplings to Rachel. "Try these. These have a different filling."

The dumplings were delicious, but she didn't have much of an appetite. It tasted like wax in her mouth. But as she did not want to disappoint Jack, she smiled at him and complimented him, "They're delicious. I love them."

Author's note —

Goose

Translator: Scarlett5555