"Humph! Rachel, you left Duke and married someone else back then. Why would you think it's his fault now?" Edward sneered as he gazed at Rachel, his face full of contempt and sarcasm. Just like Jessica, Rachel was obviously too full of herself. Edward felt obligated to help her come back to reality.
"I admit I was too rash back then. But he also lied to me! Why would I choose someone else if he had told me that he is the heir to the Leng family?" Rachel was pissed off while thinking of this. Duke came from a wealthy family, but he never mentioned it to her. She had always thought that Duke was only one of Edward's sidekicks. That was why she left him and married a middle-aged rich guy. It was too late when she found out from the TV news that Duke was actually a prince charming, rather than a penniless beggar.
"You mean you only love Duke's money, not him?" Daisy was surprised how cheeky Rachel was. She was as self-centered and selfish as Jessica! And they both enjoyed playing with others' feelings. Daisy suddenly realized Rachel and Jessica could be best friends if they were introduced to each other.
"Mrs. Mu, are you telling me that there's pure love between you and Edward? Without any strings? Come on! I don't buy it at all. Everything comes down to money in the end!" Rachel snapped at Daisy with a sneer, her eyebrows raised in contempt. She despised Daisy. 'What a condescending bitch! Mrs. Mu? I never knew that Edward got married! How shameless she is to call herself Mrs. Mu! And look at her bastard son! How filthy! And did she just give me a lecture about love trumping everything? What an ignorant and stupid woman! Who cares about love these days? Money is the only thing that matters!' Rachel thought to herself.
"Strings? There is. And it's quite simple. I just want him. Money is not important to me since I won't be needing that much anyway. The only thing matters to me is Edward himself." Staring right into Rachel's eyes, Daisy calmly replied as she casually played with her glass. She wasn't mad at Rachel's accusation, because she knew Rachel was wrong. Not every woman cared only about money; take her for example, she just loved Edward and wanted to be with him.
Surprised, Edward turned to Daisy, his eyes glowing with excitement. Daisy had never told him this before; and he certainly didn't expect he'd get an idea of her true feelings in this conversation. Meanwhile, Edward felt even more grateful to have Daisy in his life. He had never felt more ashamed of himself until this very moment, when he finally realized how pure his wife's love for him was.
"It seems I'm being shallow here. But you know what? I don't care whether he is married; I won't give up on what belongs to me! As long as I want him, he must be mine! I wouldn't say the same about others, but I know Duke. And I know he would want to be with me." Rachel snorted and glared at Daisy, as if Duke was already groveling at her feet.
"Rachel, I don't know why you're so arrogant and think Duke is still in love with you. But I'm warning you, don't ever try to ruin his marriage; or I won't let you off easily. You know I am a man of my word. So behave yourself and don't do anything you'll regret later."
Edward's voice was as cold and dangerous as the look on his face. Duke was his best friend. Rachel had hurt Duke once; he wouldn't give her the chance to do it again. Not to mention that Duke was married to Belinda, Daisy's best friend. There was no way that Edward would stand there and watch Rachel break them up. Daisy would be upset if Belinda was sad; and it wouldn't be easy for Edward when Daisy was upset.
"Edward, are you threatening me? You said I hurt him, but what about the fact that he lied to me? You don't scare me. It's not that simple -- you don't know the whole story. You only saw his wounds, don't you see mine?" Rachel was getting furious. Why did Edward seem to always pick on her? He never liked her; and after all these years, they still couldn't see eye to eye. 'Does he really hate me that much?' thought Rachel gloomily.
"Yes, I am threatening you." Edward frowned impatiently. What on earth did Duke see in her? Luckily she gave up and left; Edward believed they wouldn't be happy if they had gotten together. Duke deserved someone better than her.
"I'm sorry, but I have something else to deal with. Enjoy your lunch." Rachel blurted out a random excuse and stood up abruptly. She really hated it when Edward sneered like this. She wanted to slap him, but she couldn't. Hence she could only leave. She came to Edward because she was hoping he could help hook her and Duke up. Now, after their conversation, the only thing she could hope for was that Edward wouldn't interfere with her plans to get Duke back.
"Sure. Goodbye, Miss Rachel." Daisy felt more than happy to hear that Rachel was leaving. She had no intention to make her stay since she practically didn't know her. What's more, Rachel's return might threaten Belinda's interests, which made Daisy even more angry. But after she talked to Rachel, Daisy actually felt more at ease. She believed Duke would choose Belinda over Rachel unless he was insane.
"Goodbye!" Rachel said as she strode away arrogantly. Gazing at her back, Daisy was lost in thought. She didn't worry about whether Duke would take Rachel back; the only thing that concerned her was whether Belinda would get hurt. Daisy knew Belinda had fallen in love with Duke, and she believed Duke felt the same thing for Belinda. But Rachel's sudden return would definitely cast a shadow over their relationship. And that was what Daisy was worried about.
"Mommy, why don't you eat? What are you thinking about? You seem like you're thinking hard about something." Justin gripped the edge of the table with one hand and waved the other in front of Daisy's eyes, trying to get her back here and now. He had grown used to running into annoying acquaintances in S City. It seemed there was a never-ending parade of them now.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something." Daisy smiled gently at Justin while fondling his head. She noticed another man at the table was also staring at her.
Don't worry. Duke can handle this." Edward tried to comfort her. He knew exactly what Daisy was worried about. He also knew it was Duke's personal life, and there was nothing they could do no matter how much they wanted to help them.
"I know. I just worry about Belinda. You know how reckless she is. By the way, do you guys know anyone who is not nuts?" Jessica was mad enough; Rachel was even more unreasonable. Did Edward and his bros have a type? Did they go for crazy women?
"I'm sorry. Just eat something. And we can do some shopping or anything you like." Edward didn't want to bring up Jessica again because he had nothing to do with her now, and he knew Daisy didn't like her. He didn't want to ruin Daisy's day, so he simply changed the topic.
The FX International Group contributed a lot to the economic prosperity of S City. Right now standing in the MY Mall, Daisy was dumbfounded to see a bunch of senior executives there to greet their arrival. Then she suddenly remembered the mall belonged to the FX International Group.
"Mr. Mu. Are you here to inspect or to shop?" The manager walked up to them and asked politely. The security guards reported it to him as soon as they saw Edward enter the mall. The manager soon gathered up the senior executives to greet Edward. They could still remember the last time Edward came here, and his visit didn't end up well. Hence they were extremely careful this time.
Don't mind us. We'll just look around on our own. Go back to your work." Edward knew Daisy didn't like to be surrounded by too many people, so he told his subordinates to leave them alone.
"Yes, Mr. Mu. Have a good day." The manager figured that Daisy might be Edward's wife; but since Edward didn't introduce her, he wouldn't dare to address her 'Mrs. Mu' imprudently. He simply nodded at Daisy and Justin before stepping aside.
Edward nodded with a frown. Their inquisitive looks made him uncomfortable. He didn't told them who Daisy was because he would save the answer for tonight's party. He would proudly tell the world that Daisy was his wife. Besides, he knew Daisy didn't like to associate with strangers, so he didn't force her.
"Daddy, are we shopping? I thought we were going to the amusement park!" Justin pouted while glaring at his father with discontent. He hated it most to shop with women! And he couldn't even complain because it was his dear mother whom he was going to escort today. Justin suddenly wanted to tell them that he was tired and needed to sit there to get some rest, and when they left, he could sneak into the amusement park by himself!
We're not! We'll listen to mommy says today and go wherever she wants to go. No complaints. Edward read his son's mind. He just didn't bother to pay attention to Justin's desire. He knew Justin would go crazy every time he was in amusement park, and he and Daisy would have to run after him in case he got hurt. The day was about making Daisy happy, so Edward immediately crossed Justin's proposal off the list.