Chapter 80
The rich guys looked at each other in shock, speechless for quite a while.
“When did Kristin start hooking up with Rhett? That’s Rhett we’re talking about!” The woman with pink hair was the first to snap out of it, shrieking in disbelief, her voice piercing.
“Does Vincent know about this? That was his ex–fiancée, for crying out loud.”
“Shit’s about to hit the fan.” Some folks were just there for the drama, but nobody dared to mess with Rhett.
“We might not dare to mess with Rhett, but we can totally spill the beans to Vincent, right? Vincent hates Kristin’s guts. If he finds out Kristin is cozying up to his brother…” One of them said with a sly grin, clearly enjoying the thought.
“I’ve got some juicy gossip.” The woman who was dropping off her kid at school chimed in with a laugh. “Bet you didn’t know, Rhett had a fling with Adrienne’s older sister, Hertha. They’ve… you know…”
The rich guys exchanged shocked glances. “Really? I thought Rhett was all neat–freaky and never touched a woman?”
“Come on, aren’t all guys hypocrites? They act all high and mighty but behind closed doors… If he steered clear of women, would he be into Kristin? Holding her hand? We all think she’s dirty. but Rhett doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Now this is gonna be a hot mess. I also heard the Haywood family’s been itching to tie the knot with the FitzGerald family. Hertha thought she was the one to bag Rhett, and now Kristin’s stolen her thunder…”
They shared a chuckle.
“The Haywood family is probably so pissed to skin Kristin alive.”
“But Kristin’s got Rhett by her side now, who’d dare touch her? Even Vincent might think twice before laying a finger on her.” The pink–haired woman sounded worried.
Kristin seemed to find her reliable support.
“How long do you think Rhett will be interested in her? Who is Rhett? The big fish of Silvergrove City’s business. Sooner or later he’s gonna get hitched, and I heard he won’t get his hands on the FitzGerald Group shares until he does. Do you think he’s gonna marry Kristin? She’s just a plaything. Once Rhett dumps her, she’ll be worse off than she is now.”
They snorted and got into their cars.
These guys loved a good show and never thought the mess was too big. The one thing that united them was making Kristin’s life miserable, but now she seemed to have snagged Rhett’s support.
1/4
11:29
Naturally, they’d try every trick in the book to make Kristin’s life even more miserable.
In the car.
Rhett had a stern look, gazing out the window in silence.
After a prolonged silence, Kristin found the courage to voice her concerns. “You took me away in front of them, could that cause trouble for you?”
“Do I look like I’m scared of them?” Rhett retorted.
Kristin hung her head, saying nothing more.
“Is Spanish cuisine okay?” Rhett asked again after a moment.
“That’s fine.” Kristin nodded.
“Your ear…” Rhett stared at Kristin’s left ear for a while, then reached out to lift her chin. examining her closely with a slight frown.
“I can still hear with my right ear…” Kristin explained nervously, afraid that Rhett would be put off by her hearing loss on the left.
“Adrienne did this?” Rhett knew Adrienne didn’t have the strength to cause such irreversible damage with a slap unless it was from prolonged harm.
“Not entirely.” Kristin’s palms were sweaty from nerves, and her body was stiff.
Rhett didn’t press further. Delving too deep might only bring her more harm.
He could find out on his own.
“Let’s go and get something to eat.” The driver parked the car, and Rhett got out and came around to open Kristin’s door for her.
Kristin was flustered and started to wave him off. “No, no need to be so… courteous.”
To Kristin, Rhett was being too much of a gentleman, which was giving her false impressions.
“Mr. FitzGerald, what do you need me to to do?” Kristin asked, following him with her head down. She’d mentioned helping Rhett deal with Vincent and Nicola, but Rhett hadn’t made his stance clear.
She didn’t know what he really thought.
“Just eat well.” Rhett glanced at Kristin. York had said she was severely malnourished, and the medical reports from Crescendo Central Hospital showed all her conditions were dangerously low, especially vitamin D2.
Feeling self–conscious, Kristin looked down at her frail frame without a shadow of her former self.
Now if she was
thrown out on the streets, she’d hardly get a second glance.
Taking a deep breath, Kristin nodded. “I will eat well.”
11:29
Rhett ordered light dishes, miraculously all of Kristin’s favorites.
“Have some more of the hot soup.” Rhett served Kristin some soup.
Kristin stood up nervously and took the bowl awkwardly. “I can do it myself.”
At the sight of Kristin’s constant vigilance and wariness, Rhett said no more.
Trust wasn’t something that could be rebuilt overnight, especially not for someone with Kristin’s highly sensitive nature.
“Mr. FitzGerald, how come you were near the school?” Kristin took a sip of the hot soup, feeling warmed up, and mustered the courage to ask.
“Just passing by.”
“I… I wanted to talk to you.” Kristin said, almost burying her head in her bowl. “How long do you need me for?”
Kristin wanted a timeline to plan ahead.
Just in case Rhett dropped her, she needed to have a backup plan.
Rhett looked at Kristin and replied, “Until I get married, I need a woman to keep troublemakers at the FitzGerald Group off my back.”
Rhett had been flying solo all this time without chicks around or juicy gossip. As long as he stayed unmarried, the FitzGerald’s shares from Lucius wouldn’t fall into his lap. Besides, his inheritance would just dangle in front of him like a carrot. The old foxes would totally start scheming.
Kristin clenched her heart for a second. Deep down, she knew the score.
Nodding, Kristin looked up at Rhett. “So are there any wedding bells ringing in the near future?”
“If I had marriage on the brain, you wouldn’t be my pick.”
Kristin was clued in, just fishing for information.
“Then… how about three years?” Kristin gripped her hands tight, wheeling and dealing with Rhett.
It was like hashing out another business deal or a trade, nothing personal.
Rhett’s gaze was bottomless, his lips sealed.
“Within three years, if you wanna tie the knot or if some gal steals your heart to take over for me, I’ll bow out without fuss or muss. You won’t have to worry about me gluing myself to you. After three years, whether you’re ready to get hitched or not, just make sure I can make a clean getaway with Summer and Garner.”
Three years should be enough for Summer to stabilize his condition. Kristin should be able to go away with Garner and Summer, never looking back.
11:29
Chapter 80
At the sight of Rhett’s silence, Kristin started to panic. Asking Rhett to stay single for three years was a stretch.
She bit her lip, digging out a medical report from her bag. It was from back in Crescendo Town when Bill had taken her for a check–up, and she’d downloaded and printed it from her phone.
Pushing it gingerly towards Rhett, Kristin barely whispered, clearly lacking oomph. “Mr. FitzGerald, this is my medical report. I’m clean and I haven’t… haven’t been with a bunch of
guys.”
