Chapter 55 Benjamin is in Danger!
As the woman's body sank into the water, she didn't struggle, letting the lake slowly take her life.
Rachel jolted awake with a scream.
The sun hadn't risen yet, and the only light in the room came from a dim lamp by the door.
"What's wrong, babe?" Steven asked, sitting up suddenly and switching on the light. Hearing her shout, his eyes widened with surprise. He quickly grabbed some tissues to help dry her off, speaking softly to calm her, "Did you have a nightmare? It's okay, I'm here, don't be scared."
Rachel touched her neck.
It was sweat.
Her pillow and sheets were drenched.
That dream felt so real, like she had truly walked through water.
Rachel, still shaken, opened her mouth, "Water."
Steven immediately brought her a cup of warm water. She drank half of it before slowly catching her breath.
Steven helped her off the bed, "Babe, you need to take a hot shower and change your clothes, or you might catch a cold. I'll help you."
Rachel had regained her composure, "I can do it myself. What about the sheets?"
"Don't worry about them, I'll change them." Steven looked at her with concern, "Are you sure you can manage?"
Rachel nodded, "I'm fine."
She took a quick shower in the bathroom.
When she came out, Steven had already changed the sheets. She sat down and he held her hand.
"Did you have a nightmare, babe?"
"Yeah, I dreamed about a huge snake." She couldn't talk about the bizarre dream she just had, so she made up a story.
Steven knew she was terrified of snakes and felt deeply for her, comforting her by holding her shoulder until dawn.
Maybe because of the dream, Rachel felt exhausted both physically and mentally that day. After breakfast, she went back to bed and didn't go to Stargaze Gallery.
When she woke up again, it was already one o'clock, and her phone had an unread message.
[Steven has transferred the breakup fee of $500,000 to Nancy.]
She went to his study, logged into his personal laptop to check the online bank records, and sure enough, there was the transfer.
It was made at 10:12 AM today.
The recipient was Nancy.
She stared at the transaction, let out a bitter laugh, then scrolled back through nearly six months of records. There were large amounts, but without notes, she could only guess from the recipient names.
Most were merchants, like in July there were two identical transfers, $19,000 each, just minutes apart.
She guessed those transfers were probably for buying bags or jewelry for her and Nancy.
She didn't bother taking photos of those transactions since they didn't mean much, but she did snap a picture of today's transfer to Nancy.
Downstairs, she noticed the living room was filled with various items.
They were all supplements.
Confused, she asked Quinn, "Where did all this come from?"
Quinn smiled and replied, "Ms. Wilson brought them this morning. She saw you were sleeping and didn't want to disturb you. She gave me a lot of advice and left after half an hour."
Rachel pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and sent Heather a thank-you message on WhatsApp.
Following Heather's advice, Rachel stayed home and ate four small meals throughout the day, getting all the perks that come with pregnancy.
The next day, she went to Stargaze Gallery. As she approached the elevator, she saw Nancy with swollen eyes, looking exhausted.
Carol mentioned that Nancy had taken a day off yesterday, likely crying so much that her eyes were too swollen to face anyone.
"Nancy, haven't you been sleeping well?" Rachel asked, frowning with apparent concern.
Upon seeing Rachel made Nancy's hatred surge. She suppressed it with great effort, not letting the anger show, and lightly shook her head, "I caught a chill on the balcony the night before, my head hurts, and I haven't slept well."
"Did you take any medicine?"
"Yes, I did."
"That's good. The weather forecast says it will snow in the next couple of days, make sure to stay warm. If you're really not feeling well, go home and rest."
Nancy was incredibly annoyed. She had deliberately stayed on the balcony for an hour in her pajamas last night, hoping to catch a cold and gain Steven's sympathy.
Now she indeed had some symptoms of a cold, her head felt heavy, and she had no energy to keep up the act.
She responded briefly and returned to her desk.
Rachel didn't pay much attention.
Wayne and Carol, knowing she was pregnant, tried to lighten her workload.
Except for a morning meeting and a bathroom break, Rachel stayed in her office all day, even having lunch brought to her by Carol.
Around 7:30 PM, she was browsing online for reports and interviews from Leo's previous exhibitions.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the desk, emitting a familiar notification sound.
Rachel paused and picked up her phone.
[Danger! Someone wants to get revenge on Benjamin! They've slashed his tires and are lying in wait in the parking lot! Benjamin will be in the parking lot at 8:09 PM.]