Chapter 66 Do They Want Her to Be the Mediator?
Rachel's face lit up with excitement. "Wow, Mom, that's awesome! Congrats on getting a second store. How's everything going? Got a plan? What about the location?"
"The plan's straightforward. We'll just follow the same model as the main store. Nothing complicated."
Heather stood up to pour some warm water, letting out a sigh. "The tricky part is finding the right spot. Your family used to live in the north part of the city. Since you grew up there, I thought you might have some insights."
Rachel's mind started racing.
Was she trying to rope her into this?
Rachel thought it over and shook her head. "You know, my dad and Matt are hardly ever around. I only see them a few times a year. The area's changed a lot, so I'm not really familiar with it anymore."
Her dad, Louie Davis, was a history professor at the University of Dawnlight and only came home for a few days during the summer and holidays.
As for her brother Matthew, he came home even less often.
After graduating from the School of Foreign Service, he joined the press office and got transferred to the State Department last year, becoming the youngest envoy ever. He's now the deputy director at the embassy in Westerland.
She hadn't seen him in over a year.
With those two rarely at home, it made sense she wouldn't know much about the north side anymore.
Heather looked at Rachel and slowly smiled. "You're right. Silly me, it's not a big deal. We'll find a spot eventually. The Radiant Beauty Spa was only possible because of your three million dollars, and now it's thriving. You deserve a lot of credit for that."
Rachel could sense Heather's ulterior motives.
Over the years, Heather had praised her often, both privately and publicly, always putting her on a pedestal.
Heather, being Gavin's mistress, couldn't possibly lack three million dollars.
Even if Heather had cash flow issues at the time, Gavin would have given her the money if she had asked, even if Maeve wasn't willing.
Rachel didn't want to think about how naive she had been back then.
Heather's sweet smile perfectly hid her claws.
Rachel glanced at Heather, a hint of sadness in her gentle eyes.
She had once viewed Heather as a mother, feeling incredibly lucky to have a loving husband and a doting mother-in-law.
But now, both of these sources of her happiness and contentment had been completely destroyed.
"Mom, you're too kind. This makes me feel a bit guilty. My dividends from Radiant Beauty have been very healthy."
Hestia, who had been sipping coffee, was taken aback.
Hundreds of thousands every six months.
Was Heather's beauty spa that profitable?
Could she get a share of the new store?
She glanced at Heather, then at Rachel, licking her lips as her mind started racing.
Heather deliberately put on a stern face. "If I don't share the money with you, I'll have to share it with someone else. What's mine is yours and Steven's. Besides, you're expecting a baby. How about this: when the new store opens, I'll give fifteen percent of the shares to my grandchild."
Rachel felt a slight tremor in her heart.
Heather really wanted to drag her into this.
But what was her motive?
Rachel quickly cut in. "Mom, no, please. I'm already feeling awkward about the dividends from the main store. How could I take shares from the new one?"
"It's not for you; it's for my grandchild. Why are you so worked up?" Heather gave her a sideways glance but smiled. "It's settled. Once we find a location, we'll draft a contract."
"Mom, it's still really early in the pregnancy. The baby won't be here for a long time. Fifteen percent is a lot of pressure for a baby."
Rachel wasn't superstitious, but there was a saying about not burdening young children too much.
Heather hesitated, aware of this old belief.
As a grandmother, she couldn't help but care for her grandchild.
Since that was the case, there was no rush.
Once the baby was born, transferring the shares to Rachel would be the same.
She smiled. "You're right. The baby is still too young. We'll wait until it's born."
Hestia, surprised, smiled and asked, "Rachel, are you pregnant?"
Rachel met her kind and gentle eyes and nodded. "Yes, a little over a month."
Hestia's smile was warm, and her words were particularly sweet. "Congratulations to you and Steven. You're going to be parents. No wonder Aunt Heather has been so cheerful lately. She's going to be a grandmother."
"You're such a sweet talker." Heather playfully poked her forehead.
Rachel smiled, eyeing Hestia. Was it her own decision to enter the gold-digger training class, or was it Heather's persuasion?
After a few seconds, she slowly spoke. "Hestia seems much more outgoing and talkative."
Hestia looked down shyly and said softly, "Only in front of family."
Heather took over the conversation. "You should be confident and outgoing with others too."
"I understand, Aunt Heather." Hestia smiled in agreement.
Rachel had lunch with Heather and Hestia, then returned to Stargaze Gallery in the afternoon. As soon as she entered her office, her phone buzzed with a text message.
[Radiant Beauty Spa's new location will be at 164 Dreamland Avenue, a five-story commercial building owned by Melissa Blackwood.]
Melissa Blackwood?
Rachel felt a chill run down her spine.
The Blackwood name was rare in Dawnlight City.
She only knew one family with that name.
Her aunt, Melissa Blackwood, was the wife of Michael Parker, the head of the Parker family.
Did Heather know this or was it just a coincidence?
Honestly, she didn't believe in coincidences.
Could Heather be trying to drag her uncle's family into this mess?
The Parker family was a significant player in Dawnlight City's elite circles, leading in real estate and resource development.
Steven had taken over a construction company thanks to the Parker family's influence.
Currently, his company had at least three or four major projects with the Parker Group.
As Rachel's husband, Steven received much guidance from her uncle Michael and cousin Andrew Parker.
Because of this, his construction company never lacked projects and was doing very well.
Now, was Heather planning to use her shady business to disgust Melissa?
How could she dare? How could she even think of such a thing?
Rachel clenched her fists, left her office, and took the elevator back down. The driver was still there, so she got back in. "Take me to The Parker Manor."
The driver hesitated but didn't ask questions, nodding as he started the car.