Chapter 83 Then She, the Legitimate Wife, Will Also Show Off
The next morning, after more than a week of clear weather in southern Dawnlight City, the sky was about to change again.
The weather forecast said there would be light snow for the next two to three days.
Rachel didn't sleep well last night. When she got up, it was already 8:30. Looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, she frowned slightly.
She turned and went to the bathroom to freshen up, then went downstairs and walked straight to the dining table. Quinn immediately brought out breakfast.
Although the portions weren't large, the meal was quite rich.
There were sandwiches, a small bowl of oatmeal, two blackcurrant waffles and two fried eggs, plus a small plate of cut fruit.
Quinn said with a smile, "Mr. Martinez specially made this oatmeal and waffles for you this morning."
Rachel looked at the waffles.
Her calm and beautiful almond-shaped eyes showed some surprise. "Did he just learn how to make these?"
Quinn nodded. "When I arrived this morning, it was still dark. Only the kitchen light was on in the whole villa. I thought someone had forgotten to turn off the lights last night.
But when I went over, I found Mr. Martinez kneading dough inside. He failed twice with the waffles and didn't succeed until after 7 o'clock. Try it first and see if you like the taste."
Looking at all of Dawnlight City, which wealthy family man would get up before dawn to knead dough and cook for his wife?
Besides him, there probably wasn't a second person.
For her, he was always willing to put in the effort.
And he was extremely patient.
A ripple stirred in her heart. She paused for a few seconds, picked up her fork and tried a piece. The outside was crispy, the inside soft and fluffy, with distinct layers.
The taste was good.
However, before she could swallow it, a text message flashed on her phone screen.
[Steven delivered waffles and oatmeal to Nancy half an hour ago. Nancy asked for the waffles.]
Rachel's expression froze for a moment.
The calm in her eyes instantly turned frosty.
So it wasn't thoughtfulness for her, but for Nancy.
Hers was just "by the way" again.
How familiar that phrase was.
She laughed coldly, her grip on the fork tightening involuntarily.
All his past kindness, tenderness, and affection toward her had dissipated like bubbles under the blue sky.
Now, he had started cooking for another woman too.
Her stomach churned. Rachel frowned, quickly grabbed a napkin, and spit out the waffle she hadn't swallowed yet.
"Too much butter. I'm not used to it. Take it away."
After saying that, she pushed away the oatmeal too, picked up a sandwich and stuffed it in her mouth, trying to cover up the waffle taste lingering in her mouth.
Quinn was a bit surprised, but thinking that she was pregnant now, this was when she'd be most sensitive to tastes.
She didn't say much more and quickly took those two items away.
"I'll remember that. When Mr. Martinez comes back, I'll tell him. I'll pay more attention to the meals from now on."
Rachel just nodded.
Perhaps disturbed by that waffle, she lost her appetite. She barely finished the two fried eggs before putting down her utensils, not even taking a sip of the milk Quinn brought out later.
She was about to get up and go upstairs to change when her phone rang again.
[Nancy brought the waffles Steven gave her to Stargaze Gallery and shared them with her colleagues, showing off that her boyfriend made them.]
Rachel paused mid-movement.
Showing off?
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Suddenly she found it laughable.
Fine. If Nancy, as the other woman, was going to show off this and that, then she, the legitimate wife, might as well show off too.
"Quinn, how many waffles are left?"
"Mr. Martinez made too many this morning and didn't control the quantity well. He took three portions with him when he left. Besides the one you didn't finish, there are still four portions left."
"Then pack up those four portions for me."
Quinn didn't ask where she was taking them and went to the kitchen.
Rachel went upstairs to change, took the waffles Quinn packed, and went to Stargaze Gallery.
Walking to the exhibition planning office area, she saw several people from Group A, including Hestia, almost finished with their waffles.
She smiled and asked, "Still eating breakfast?"
Everyone stood up to greet her. Hestia replied, "We already ate. Nancy's boyfriend sent these to her. She said she couldn't finish them, so she brought them for us to try."
Nancy said with some regret, though her eyes couldn't contain the pride that was about to overflow.
"Sorry, Rachel. If you'd come ten minutes earlier, you could have tried some."
"It's fine." Rachel interrupted her, looking at her with a faint smile. "What a coincidence. I also brought some waffles. My husband made them himself."
"They look kind of similar to Nancy's. You should all try them. The taste should be pretty good."
With that, she handed the bag to Hestia. "Hestia, share them with everyone. I can't stand the smell of butter."
Hestia came forward to take it, smiling. "Okay."
Rachel looked at Nancy, her voice gentle. "Nancy, it's fine that I didn't get to try yours. You can try what I brought."
Waffles made by Steven?
The color drained from Nancy's face.
Looking at the waffles Hestia was distributing, her heart felt like it was suddenly being squeezed tightly by something. With each breath, fine threads of pain spread through her.
She forced herself to stay calm, trying hard to hide the awkwardness on her face. "Okay, sure."
When she received the waffle from Hestia, her eyes darkened and she bit her lip lightly.
Sure enough, it was the same as the one Steven gave her.
She clenched her fists.
What was Rachel trying to say?
Deliberately humiliating her?
But how did she know?
Was it another coincidence?
While she was thinking, those tasting had already started giving feedback.
"Ms. Davis, these waffles taste just like the ones Nancy brought."
"Yes, even the sweetness seems about the same."
"And they're both blackcurrant!"
Rachel looked at the tension and panic in Nancy's eyes.
She felt it was ironic, but her expression showed just the right amount of surprise. "Really? The same? Nancy, your waffles were made by your boyfriend?"
"I said the other day that your boyfriend is a lot like my husband. Now even their waffle-making skills are the same. What a coincidence. We really must find time for them to meet."
Nancy's breathing hitched.
Meeting everyone's puzzled and probing gazes, she suppressed the hatred and anger in her chest and smiled. "He's from a wealthy family. How would he know how to cook? He can't compare to Steven.
I bought these from a bakery. Do they really taste that similar? Let me try."
With that, she bit into the waffle and praised, "Delicious. Steven's skills are great. This taste could open a shop."
Rachel watched the genuine smile on her face.
She really admired Nancy's ability to think on her feet.
Look at that—with just a few words, she deflected and smoothed over everyone's doubts.
However, her peripheral vision caught Hestia frowning in thought.
Whether others suspected anything now didn't matter. As long as Hestia was suspicious, that was enough.
Rachel brought the topic back. "You're exaggerating. It's definitely far inferior to what your boyfriend bought."
The smile on Nancy's lips faded a bit. "You're being too modest. I think Steven's is just as good as what the bakery sells."
The text notification from Rachel's bag suddenly rang out, interrupting the undercurrent between their words.
Her fingers holding the bag paused slightly.
Since her goal had been achieved, there was no need to continue this charade with Nancy.
"Alright, I'll pass along your praise to him." She smiled. "You all carry on."
Hestia frowned, watching Nancy's figure, involuntarily recalling what Rachel had told her that day.
Stay away from Nancy.
Bad influence.
She looked down at the waffle in her hand, and a bold guess suddenly formed in her mind.
Rachel returned to her office. She took out her phone to check the text.
[Heather is holding a management meeting at Radiant Beauty Spa at 2 PM. Radiant Beauty Spa will reopen in three days.]
Her eyes flickered. Yesterday she was thinking that since Radiant Beauty Spa wasn't open for business, going there directly without a reason would seem odd.
Now the opportunity had come.
At 3 PM, on her way to the spa, she bought a box of pastries and small cakes.
When she arrived, Heather and several management members had just finished their meeting.
Seeing her standing outside, Heather was a bit surprised. "Rachel? What are you doing here?"
Rachel smiled. "I heard yesterday that the spa is reopening in a few days, so I wanted to come see. I also bought some pastries for you."
Heather pulled her to sit down, full of concern. "You're so thoughtful. You're pregnant and managing such a big Stargaze Gallery. Why worry about the spa? Aren't you tired?"
Rachel said, "I'm just a bit worried. How was it during the closure? Was the impact significant?"
Heather poured her a glass of warm water and sighed. "There was definitely an impact. Since we closed, 11 customers have asked for refunds. No matter how I tried to persuade or explain, it didn't help."
Rachel showed a worried expression too. "Time after time, we're losing customers. You're taking it well."
"I have no choice but to take it well. If we're going to blame anyone, we can only blame whoever reported Radiant Beauty Spa. They're truly vicious!"
Rachel paused. She couldn't respond to that.
After all, the person behind the report was her uncle Michael.
She could only pick up her water to moisten her throat.
Less than ten seconds of silence later, Heather's phone rang. She stood up and said, "Rachel, let me take this call. You sit and have something to eat."
"No problem. Do what you need to do. Don't mind me."
Rachel watched her smile and exchange pleasantries with the person on the phone, then put down her water glass and observed the coffee table.
The coffee table was made of two pieces of wood in different heights, white with slatted supports below. If she put a bug on it, someone could easily spot it just by bending down to pick something up.
Can't put it there.
She frowned, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.
But after looking around, things were either unsuitable for hiding the bug or too far away.
None were suitable.
When her gaze returned, she inadvertently noticed the two-tier plant stand on her right.
The stand was walnut wood, with a rose plant on top and an orchid below.
The bottom tray was close to the floor. Even if moved slightly, it would be hard to see what was stuck underneath.
Unless someone lifted the entire stand to look.
Rachel's eyes flickered, locking onto her target.
She took out the bug from her bag, glanced at Heather who was still on the phone, and casually walked to the stand. As if admiring the orchid, she slowly crouched down.
Her hand holding the bug quickly reached into the gap between the tray and the floor, sticking the bug in the middle of the tray.
She had just pulled her hand out of the gap but hadn't yet withdrawn it when Heather hung up and turned to look at her. "Rachel, what are you doing?"
Hearing this, Rachel's spine stiffened.
The hand suspended by her leg also froze instantly. She could feel that burning gaze from behind locked tightly on her, perhaps with probing and suspicion.
It burned her with alarm.
"What's wrong? Looking for something?" Heather walked over, asking with concern.
Rachel frowned slightly.
Whether in tone or words, Heather seemed to be showing concern for her.
But she inexplicably heard a probing undertone in those words.
That "looking for something" reason was like an innocent trap.
If she stepped into it, she'd fall into a bottomless pit of darkness.
She pressed her lips together, her gaze falling on the orchid. She smiled. "No. I was looking at this orchid. The flowers are so beautiful."
Heather also looked at the orchid, then shifted her gaze to Rachel's beautiful, delicate face.
She laughed. "It's actually quite easy to care for. I haven't put much effort into it."
"Really?" Rachel naturally withdrew her hand and stood up. "Next time I buy a plant, I'll come learn from you."
"No need to buy one. There are orchids in The Martinez Manor courtyard. If you like them, just move a few pots home tonight."
"Great, I won't be shy then."
Rachel's face showed a bright smile. As she spoke, her eyes glanced toward the cabinet behind the desk.
It seemed there would be no chance today to get that list of wealthy young men and the evaluation form.
Though she felt some regret, the breath stuck in her throat could finally be slowly released.