“Thank you for the gown. I’ll definitely wear it during the wedding,” Jolly continued calmly. “I should be holding the event overseas, though. Do come if you can make it.”
Julia smiled warmly, though she didn’t agree, nor did she decline the invitation. She realized Rachel had been quiet ever since she came in. All she did was sip on the tea, so she changed the subject, “You seem to get along well with Jolly, Miss Hudson. I heard she’s your assistant?”
“I’m surprised you know so much about my company even though you never socialize.”
“My friend told me that. It seems that this is old news to everyone.”
“True. She is the daughter of Carter Enterprise’s boss. It might not look too good if she’s just an assistant.”
“Hey, your friendship comes first. She’s your best friend, isn’t she? Both of you can help each other out in the future.”
Rachel nodded. “Oh, speaking of which, I need to thank you, Mrs. Bowman.”
“Hm?” Julia cocked her eyebrow in confusion. “For what?”
“I was going through the things my dad left me and found some handwritten records. Someone saved Hudson Pharm a few times before. They even injected a lot of funds into the company too. According to the journal, it was all related to you. I bet my dad was great friends with you.”
“A handwritten journal?” Julia’s face twisted into one of shock, and it was clear that she wasn’t as calm as she was just a moment ago.
“Yeah. It was something my father wrote. He wrote tons of stuff in it, and I’m going through them. Most of them are just trivial stuff, though. It’s like a diary.”
“He mentioned me?”
“A few times. He said he needed to repay his debts. Big debts. He must have been great friends with you, or you wouldn’t have lent so much money to him.”
Mrs. Bowman gave her an appraising look. However, since she was a seasoned businesswoman, she quickly regained her composure thanks to her experience in the business world. “Are you sure he was talking about me? You might be seeing things. He has never taken any loans from me.”
“Is that so?” Rachel lowered her gaze thoughtfully. “Maybe it was a misunderstanding then.”
“I did talk to your father a few times. He was my business partner for a while, too, but no more than that. You might have misunderstood things, Miss Hudson. I know you because you’re Jolly’s best friend.”
Well, someone’s in a hurry to deny everything. Rachel stopped pestering her about the matter. Therefore, she smiled politely as she replied, “Well, it looks like I have Jolly to thank, then.”
“You’re a capable woman. And you took over Hudson Pharm at your age too. It’s impressive. Please, visit whenever you can.”
“I will.”
“What do you think about today’s race?”
“Not bad.” The ladies nodded.
They didn’t get to see too much, though. Steven interrupted them almost right after the race started. They went to the banquet hall after the race came to an end, and then Julia called them to the teahouse.
They made some small talk. Julia asked Jolly about her parents and showered her with concern like some benevolent aunt. If Rachel didn’t know the club had some dark business dealings, she would never believe this soft-spoken woman was a smuggler. Janice said she was going to rid Riverdale of all smugglers. Rachel clenched her fists and resolved to help her out until the end.
“It’s getting late. Please, do stay for dinner.”
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