The Substitute Bride

In a cold voice, Charles said, "I don't drink green tea." His self-control, reserve, and aloofness were almost inhuman. His heart was too frozen to care about others.

"It's all right," Rachel replied without even flinching or looking affected by how Charles treated her. She turned towards the waiter. "Please, replace with black tea, and don't forget to add some chrysanthemum in it. Thank you." Rachel looked at Charles and remembered how this suited his taste when they were still lovers.

As for Charles, he wasn't fond of drinking tea. But after becoming the owner of such a big company, he had to engage in some social and business activities. Liquor was out of the options, so he turned to drinking tea instead. Then again, according to Chinese medicine, drinking too much green tea can cause cold syndrome in a person's stomach, so he chose to drink black tea.

Even then, Charles wasn't fond of the taste of black tea, and Rachel knew that. She was very attentive of him, because she added some chrysanthemum into the black tea to make the taste better.

The fragrance of chrysanthemum complimented the rich taste of black tea. Their neutralization made the taste neither too strong nor too astringent. Rachel recalled how much Charles had felt the moment the aroma lingered in his nose and the taste of the first sip in his mouth.

She was about to let the waiter leave as the waiter nodded, following her instruction, but Charles was quick to stop the waiter.

"I don't drink black tea anymore. Please, I would like a glass of soda water," he told the waiter.

"Yes, sir," the waiter replied. He was clever to see who was in charge of the situation and did what Charles had asked without even waiting for Rachel's addition. Still, Rachel wasn't fazed.

"Well, it seems like your taste has changed a lot after all these years." Rachel smiled and continued, "Does that mean I can't treat you the way I used to? Do I need to get to know you and understand you from a new perspective?"

Charles ignored any of her questions. The waiter was back with the soda, and he just took a sip from the glass. He then turned to the rest of the people at the table and said, "Everyone, please. Relax and let's all start to dig in."

Everyone else looked at each other, feeling a bit embarrassed. One replied almost immediately, "Oh, yes! That's the way it should be, isn't it? Mr. Lu, after you, please."

Back in the past, there were rumors and gossips about the love story of Rachel and Charles everywhere, which, of course, created a sensation. Girls were so envious of Rachel for winning Charles' heart. Its influence was not less than that of Sheryl's erotic picture scandal in recent time.

Everyone at the table knew what happened to them, but they weren't aware of how important Rachel was to Charles now. They wanted to know whether he still had feelings for her. Was she still important to him deep in his heart? Was Rachel more important than Sheryl?

Since they still did not know Charles' attitude towards Rachel, they wanted to play safe and did not dare to offend her or make her feel embarrassed.

Rachel had Tarsan Corporation to support her, and even Lance and Dustin also intended to cooperate with her. Now, if Charles was also backing her, then she would be really diffic

lose her face.

After all, those who attended this feast were people of fame and prestige around the city. She was afraid that after this meal, they would all laugh at her and look down upon her behind her back.

Once more, Charles chose to ignore Holley's pleads. He turned to Lance and asked, "Lance, you were once Rachel's boss. Am I right?"

Lance looked at Holley for a moment before turning towards Charles. "Yes. She started her career in Silver Corporation," he confirmed. Deep inside, Lance could not help but feel a faint sense of unease as he could not think of any reason why Charles would ask this question.

He could not help but overthink that Charles was unhappy about this, and that he might decide to punish Silver Corporation. It would place him and his corporation at risk! Beads of sweat threatened to come out of Lance's temples.

Even if Lance did intend to plot some dirty deals, at least he would carry them out in a sneaky way. He also hoped that no one would know his connection with Rachel. However, what Charles had just stated indicated that Rachel was in cahoots with him.

Then again, Lance would not take the blame for Rachel. He thought again and again how to deal with this problem. Before Charles could speak again, he added, "However, Mr. Lu, you know that the entertainment circle has always been the most mobile place for money and people. After Rachel became a popular celebrity, she forgot all about Silver Corporation and the resources we provided her with. If I remember correctly, when our agent tried to renew her contract with us, Rachel didn't give our agent a chance to do so."

Lance did not dare look at how Rachel would react. Besides, he could not care anymore about what Rachel would think of him after hearing what he just said. At that moment, he just wanted Charles to give him a chance to explain and regain himself. He wanted to make Charles stop doubting him, and so he tried his very best to do so.

"So, does that mean, you can no longer influence her, right?" Without any hint of emotion at all, Charles looked into Lance's eyes, and gave him a meaningful smile. Then he turned his attention towards his food and started to eat.