Betrayal At the Altar by Dolores Delia

Chapter 855

Louis Smith panicked when Rachel Grey read his mind; he immediately denied it.

“No, That’s not true. I-” he tried to defend himself.

“My time is precious. I don’t want to waste time talking nonsense with you, Rachel said without looking at him. “Let

me give you a piece of advice, Louis. Instead of wasting your time and energy on me, why don’t you think about

how the Smith family should proceed from now on?”

Then she walked past Louis and headed to the office.

Louis watched her leave and clenched his fists. “Are you so anxious to cut ties with me because of David Jones?” he

growled, feeling hurt.

Rachel stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him.

Then she casually tucked the stray hair behind her ear.

Rachel was enveloped in the warm sunshine, and the diamond ring on her finger reflected a dazzling glow under

the light that pierced into Louis’s eyes, making him squint uncomfortably.

Rachel’s gesture spoke volumes even though she did not speak a word.

Louis understood what her ring represented, having been in a failed marriage himself.

Louis was confident he could change Rachel’s mind if it were someone other than David Jones. Unfortunately, he

was no match for David on all fronts.

David, the Jones family’s patriarch in Aureliana, also had absolute authority in Seaxas’s underground forces.

That was no way the Smith family could measure up to him in terms of fortune and power.

Rachel gazed at Louis coldly. “Let bygones be bygones, Louis. We will go our separate ways and mind our own

business as we move on. If you don’t listen to me, then…

She paused for a moment, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. “you will end up like the Grey family in

Pollister.

Rachel said nonchalantly; she sounded so calm that no one could detect her genuine emotions.

However, every word that she spoke was icy and bone-chilling. Louis felt trapped in a snow cave, forced to bear the

frigid temperature.

His face turned pale involuntarily; his pupils constricted as he looked at Rachel in disbelief.

The Grey family in Pollister declared bankruptcy in the financial news this morning, caused by its inability to repay

its debts. The banks involved enforced the regulations by freezing the Grey family’s accounts and seizing all its

assets. However, Louis knew fully well that the Grey family’s bankruptcy came without warning; it was a deliberate

conspiracy to destroy the family.

Hans Grey had lobbied tirelessly at the bidding meeting, trying to rope in investments. Although the Grey family was

not as prominent as before, it was in better shape than other families in Pollister. It could not have gone bankrupt

so quickly. When the Grey family was in its heyday, Hans had offended many people and made countless enemies

in the business world.

Now that the Grey family was out of the limelight, Hans initially thought that one of his enemics had sabotaged him

to avenge the family. Therefore, he ended up on the short end of the stick and had to pay the price.

Never in his wildest dream that the instigator was Rachel Grey!

“But, but that’s your father. How could you?” Louis was puzzled.

What good would it do her to destroy the Grey family?

Why did she do it? He wondered.

The truth would surface eventually, no matter what. Was Rachel not concerned that everyone would despise her

for being heartless when that day came along?

Rachel replied indifferently, smiling. “Yes, he’s my father, but I disregarded my feelings and made him pay the

price. What makes you think what I said to you was just a harmless warning, Louis?”

Louis felt as if he had fallen into an ice hole; he trembled uncontrollably and felt hopeless.

He finally realized Rachel detested him and had abandoned him for good.

If he continued to hound after her, she would undoubtedly stop him. She was someone who did not mince her

words.

Louis understood there was no going back between them. Rachel would never forgive him in his lifetime.

He watched as she walked away. Louis reached out his hand slowly as if he wanted to grab hold of something. But

in the end, he was empty-handed.

He smirked self-deprecatingly, feeling sorry for himself.

He had never understood the meaning of the phrase “serves you right” in the past. He finally got it.

Rachel bumped into Linda Galler when she stepped into the office.

The latter must have witnessed Louis Smith pestering Rachel at the door. She looked annoyed as if something

bothered

her.

Rachel glanced at Linda when they entered the elevator. She teased smilingly, “What’s the pouty face all about?

Did you wake up on the Wrong side of the bed?”

Linda instinctively touched her mouth and thought, “Is it that obvious?”

“Did Louis Smith provoke you? Are there conflicts between you two?” Rachel asked knowingly.

“Maybe I’m not used to his presence,” Linda said with a disdain that translated into a contemptuous look as if she

could not bear to utter his name. Even so, she could not help mocking him mercilessly. “He came to the office early

morning to see you; one look at him, and I knew he was up to no good. That bastard left you without a word at the

altar on your wedding day. Now that he found out about your status, he came running like an irritating tramp to

repent his wrongdoings. I guess he must have learned it from his beloved Olivia Cruise.”

When Mary Green told her about how Louis had abandoned Rachel on their wedding day and how the Smith family

had sucked Rachel dry along the way, Linda harbored hatred toward the Smith family and despised them to the

core.

Linda was no greenhorn wither. She had come across countless hooligans since she was young. However, the Smith

family took the cake when it came to shamelessness. They opened her eyes.

The Smith family put on airs of a prestigious background, but what they did was despicably out of this world.

The shameless family took full advantage of Rachel and despised her simultaneously.

“Birds of a feather flock together; the whole family did not disappoint when it comes to shameless deeds!”

Rachel laughed uncontrollably when she heard the disdain in Linda’s remarks about Louis Smith and his family. “My

best friend surely knows how to vent her anger on me!”

Linda lifted her chin proudly. “Of course. This is the least I can do as your best friend,” she said matter-of-factly.

The two walked into the president’s office after they got out of the elevator, one after another.

It was almost eleven o’clock in the morning when Rachel finished her tasks.

She packed her things and planned to have lunch with David Jones.

She called him on the way and found out that he was not in the office today.

Hence, Rachel drove in the direction of Sandalwood Hills.

She arrived at her destination half an hour later.

Mrs. Brown met Rachel when she got out of the car and led her to the back garden.

David Jones, Jimmy Shain, and Landon Walker were seated on rattan chairs afar shrouded in curling smoke; they

seemed to be barbecuing on a grill.

Jimmy sat before the grill and tendered to the ingredients in an organized manner.

When he saw Rachel, he grabbed the barbecued meat in his hand and waved it in the air while greeting her

enthusiastically.

By doing so, Jimmy sprinkled grease all over Landon, who sat beside him; the latter was not amused.

Landon quickly got up and tried to shake it off. With a cigarette hanging off the corner of his mouth, he gritted his

teeth and cursed, “Fuck you, Jimmy! I just bought this shirt. This is the first time I’m wearing it!”

“It’s just a shirt, bro. I’ll buy you another one, Jimmy laughed and said. “Let me off the hook, okay? I’m old and

weak and cannot take your torture,” he joked.

Landon sneered. Then he snuffed out the cigarette in his mouth and stood up to leave.