"No need, this one's fine. I really like it," he assured her.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead and buy it." Rachel started the online purchase.
As she did, Jeffrey suddenly asked, "Rachel, why are you so good to me?" She bought him clothes and a phone, yet she was always so frugal with herself.
"You're my brother. Of course I have to take care of you," she replied, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But for some reason, the word brother felt kind of off to him. Like… did she really forget that he was still a man?
---
After Silas embarrassed himself at the club, he got home just to get beaten up by his dad, Mr. Shen, and ended up in the hospital.
Even worse, a bunch of business deals between the Ford Family and the Gray Family Group were ruined, causing huge losses for the Fords.
As for the people who went to the reunion that day, they either got fired or ran into serious drama at home. Everyone was pretty much suffering.
---
Mackenzie's legs were shaking as she walked out of the HR department.
She could barely stand. They had just handed her a termination letter, telling her she was dismissed and had one week to finish her resignation process.
Dismissed?!
That word hit her like a truck. She never even thought this could happen to her.
Her family had used so many connections just to get her this job at the City Management Bureau.
It was super hard to get in, and her position there was her biggest flex when it came to matchmaking. Guys she met were only into her because of her stable government job.
If she lost this job, not only would it be tough to find another one, but she'd also lose all face in front of her relatives and friends. And the guy she was seeing?
He'd probably ghost her if he found out she got fired.
When she asked HR why they were letting her go and what she did wrong, they just said, "It's an order from above. You'll be compensated, but you won't be rehired."
Panic hit her hard. She immediately called Vanessa.
"Vanessa, what do I do? I'm getting dismissed from the City Management Bureau! Didn't you say you had connections? Can you find someone who knows the director and help put in a good word for me?"
Normally, Vanessa might've helped Mackenzie out, since she had always been obedient and followed her lead.
But right now, Vanessa was drowning in her own problems.
Her family was in major trouble, a bank loan they'd been approved for suddenly got denied, and their business was about to crash.
They were desperately trying to borrow money, but nobody wanted to help. Her whole family was basically about to go bankrupt.
"I can't help you. Go find someone else," Vanessa said coldly.
"You...how can you say that? I've done everything you asked! You told me to lure Rachel to the private room during the reunion, and I didn't even hesitate. But now that I need just a little help, you're totally brushing me off?!"
Right now, Mackenzie was pissed.
Like, completely furious with Vanessa.
She had just found out from someone in HR, someone she usually got along with, that all her recent problems were actually because of Vanessa messing around and abusing her connections with the sanitation department.
The only thing Mackenzie could even think of was that time she made Rachel deliver some documents.
But that idea came from Vanessa!
"I didn't force you," Vanessa snapped. "You wanted to see Rachel embarrassed, so you agreed. I just gave you the idea. What you did was all on you."
The two of them started fighting like rabid dogs over a bone, both yelling and blaming each other.
After the falling out with Vanessa, Mackenzie's family was beyond mad.
They chewed her out, but they still tried to help her fix things.
They spent money and pulled all the strings they could, trying to find someone who could speak up for her.
But nothing worked. Even the gifts and cash they sent out got returned within a couple of days.
Finally, an old family friend who'd known them forever quietly told them, "Your daughter must've offended someone powerful. I heard from the head of the city management bureau that it'll be really hard for her to get another job, especially a good one."
Mackenzie's parents were shook. As soon as they got home, they started grilling her.
"Who the hell did you offend?!"
Mackenzie was so confused. She couldn't think of anyone big she'd wronged. Her life was just work and more work, she never ran into anyone important.
But then, bam! It hit her.
That night at the reunion.
Jeffrey had stepped in and helped Rachel when things were getting ugly. Was it possible… that Rachel had some powerful support behind her?
Like… Jeffrey?
The thought made her hesitate, but she quickly brushed it off. Rachel had killed Jeffrey's fiancée, Camila, years ago.
No way he'd help her. No way.
It must've just been a coincidence that he helped her out. Maybe Rachel had someone else backing her?
But she was literally just a street cleaner. Could someone like that really have such a strong connection?
Still… the more she thought about it, the more it felt like the only person she could've offended was Rachel.
---
The next day, Mackenzie rushed to find Rachel. As soon as she saw her, tears started filling her eyes.
"Rachel, I'm really sorry about what happened that day. It was all Vanessa's idea. She insisted you come to the reunion, and I just made up an excuse to get you to deliver those documents. I've regretted it every day since. It's all my fault that you were humiliated like that at the reunion. I'm so sorry."
Rachel looked at her coldly, like she didn't believe a single word.
"Rachel, please forgive me," Mackenzie begged.
Rachel stayed calm. "Why should I forgive you?"
"What? I… I already apologized. Isn't that enough?"
Rachel actually laughed a little. "You had me deliver documents like normal. That's just work. So, what is there to forgive?"
Mackenzie froze. What was she even supposed to say to that?
Admit that she purposely tried to embarrass Rachel?
That she planned it?
"But I… I made you lose face in front of everyone. And Silas treated you like trash…"
"That was their choice, wasn't it? Not yours?"
But it was about me! Mackenzie screamed in her head. For the first time ever, she actually wanted to take the blame just to make things right.
Rachel looked at her flatly. "Alright, if that's all, I've got work to do." She didn't even give Mackenzie another glance before walking past her and starting to sweep the street across the road.
Rachel didn't really know why Mackenzie came to her out of nowhere. But either way, she had zero plans of forgiving her for what happened that day.