Chapter: 1649

Looking at her with his large, expressive eyes, Joey paused for a moment before asking, “Everything? Does that include Daddy?"

Rachel was taken aback.

"Mommy, is it really not possible for you and Daddy to be together?

Are you planning on cutting off all ties with him? Is that why you've been away so long? Are you going to marry Mr. Jimenez?" Joey questioned.

Since his return, Joey hadn't brought up his father. He suddenly mentioning Victor unsettled Rachel. She couldn't help but wonder if the little boy had discovered something.

"It's not just about that. There are other matters to attend to as well. Joey, I promise you I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?

And as for Mr. Jimenez and I..."

"Mommy..." After a brief silence, Joey spoke up in a small voice.

"To be honest, I don't want you to get married to Mr. Jimenez."

Just as he finished speaking, she received an unfamiliar call. Before Rachel could respond to her son's revelation, the video call ended abruptly.

Rachel cast a glance at the displayed number on her phone, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to pick up.

The call connected, yet she remained silent. The person on the other end of the line remained silent too, and the seconds on the screen continued to tick away.

After what felt like half a minute of mutual silence, a deep voice finally resonated from the other end.

"It's me, Alberto."

Upon hearing Alberto's voice, Rachel wasn't surprised. She had a hunch when she first saw the unfamiliar number.

"Mr. Gibson, what can I do for you?" She had anticipated that this call would arrive sooner or later, just not so soon. Since returning from the auction, she hadn't found a moment's peace.

Besides, shouldn't he be having his dinner with Odin at this moment?

"Can you cook?" Alberto's question was followed by a couple of coughs.

Hearing the cough, Rachel noted the hoarseness in his voice. A memory of seeing Alberto earlier today in the hanging garden crossed her mind. His assistant seemed to be quite concerned about his wellbeing then, and Alberto did appear rather pale.

Recently, the weather in Apliaria had been unpredictable, and Lila had caught a cold. She wondered if Alberto had also fallen ill.

Rachel paused, a bit puzzled by his question, but she still answered honestly, "I can cook a few dishes."

“I'UL text you the address." Without waiting for a response, he disconnected.