She gently combed his bangs with a brush, then picked up a simple pair of scissors and started trimming them little by little.
Her expression was super focused, all her attention on his bangs. She didn't even notice the deep, beautiful eyes underneath quietly watching her.
Jeffrey stared at the person so close to him.
Her cheeks were a little pink from the cold, her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright, a small nose, soft pink lips, and a delicate face that looked even more stunning up close.
Under the light, she seemed to glow with this gentle warmth.
"All done," her voice suddenly broke the silence, though he had no clue how much time had passed.
"Really?" he asked, feeling like time always flew by when he was around her.
"Yep." She smiled and stepped back a few steps to check her work. "Not bad at all. We just saved ten bucks."
She laughed, then used a dry towel to brush off the tiny bits of hair sticking to his face, neck, and clothes.
"Alright, go take a shower," Rachel said.
Jeffrey nodded, grabbed some clean clothes, and walked into the small bathroom.
The warm water poured over his body as he glanced down at the scar on his chest.
Time had gone by, and the scar had faded, but every time he saw it, he thought of that woman, the one who abandoned him and his dad.
This scar was probably the only thing she ever left behind.
Back then, he had actually knelt down, begging her not to leave, not to walk out on him and his father.
But she just pushed him away like he meant nothing and walked off without even looking back.
His chest had been pierced by a nearby iron spike. The doctor later said it came dangerously close to his heart.
If it had been even a little closer, he wouldn't have made it.
From that moment on, he told himself she wasn't his mom anymore.
And after his dad died, he stopped expecting anything from anyone. No expectations meant no disappointment.
However…
Jeffrey turned off the faucet, dried himself with a towel, and got dressed. When he stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes landed on Rachel.
She was sitting at the table, totally focused on something.
When did he start looking forward to seeing her smile?
When did he start caring about her happiness, her gentle gaze, or the way she said his name?
"Jeffrey, you're done with your shower. Let me help you dry your hair," she said, getting up to grab the hairdryer.
He walked over to the table and noticed a bunch of documents laid out. They were copies of the case files from her past.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you looking at?" he asked, though he already knew.
"It's some stuff about my old case," she replied. "Josephine helped me gather it."
"Why are you looking at this again?" he asked.
Yeah, why?
Rachel asked herself that too. It had been three years, and the case still couldn't be overturned.
The witnesses from back then were gone. And what could she even do now, working as a sanitation worker?
"Maybe... there are still parts of the case I don't understand," Rachel murmured.
She didn't get why her blood alcohol level showed she was drunk, even though she hadn't had anything to drink.
She didn't understand why Camila's car had suddenly swerved toward her.
And she didn't get why every witness from that night said it was her fault.
She had no way to defend herself. All the evidence and every single testimony back then said she was the one to blame.
After all, Camila was about to marry Jeffrey. She had everything going for her and no reason to crash her car on purpose.
"So, are you planning to overturn the case, sis?" Jeffrey asked.
Rachel gave a bitter smile. "It's not that simple. Overturning a case isn't easy, and besides, I'm already out. Let's not talk about it anymore. I'll dry your hair."
She put the documents away and picked up the hairdryer, gently drying his wet hair.
Jeffrey's eyes slowly darkened...
—
The next day, Finn noticed something weird about his boss's hair.
It looked freshly trimmed, but he didn't remember Master Jeffrey scheduling any appointment with his usual stylist.
"What's up?" Jeffrey asked, seeing how Finn kept staring.
"Master Jeffrey, it seems like it's been a while since your last haircut. Should I book something with your stylist?" Finn asked.
"No need. Rachel trimmed it for me last night," Jeffrey said.
Rachel...
It was Rachel!
Finn was completely shocked.
Master Jeffrey had actually let Rachel cut his hair?
Usually, only elite stylists were allowed anywhere near him.
Rachel was just a street cleaner now.
Even when she was still a lawyer, she wasn't exactly someone who cut hair for a living.
"She did a pretty good job, didn't she?" Jeffrey said, brushing his bangs to the side like he was genuinely satisfied.
Finn's mouth twitched. Master Jeffrey was known for being super picky.
If those top stylists ever found out that a street cleaner did better than them, who knew how they'd feel?
—
At noon, Josephine stopped by to visit Rachel. The two of them found a small noodle shop near Rachel's sanitation office to grab a quick bite.
"Why didn't you tell me that Celeste made you dig through trash the other day?" Josephine said, clearly annoyed.
She had only found out because it made the news.
"It's no big deal," Rachel replied with a faint smile.
Seeing her like this, Josephine felt her heart ache a little. She still remembered how Rachel used to have it all.
She was crazy smart, always a top student, and after graduating, she got into the best law firm in Shen City.
She even dated the young heir of the Patel Family Group.
Everyone used to envy her. Who would've thought that one day she'd be digging through trash because someone was out to humiliate her?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rachel sighed when she noticed her friend staring. "I'm really fine. It was just a pile of trash, and I knew Celeste was just trying to mess with me, so I didn't let it bother me."
"Celeste is too much. The Howard Family already had people mess with you in prison, and now she's still coming after you even though you're out," Josephine said angrily.
Rachel went quiet. Back in prison, she had gone through a lot. Some of it was from people trying to kiss up to Jeffrey, and the rest came from the ones the Howard Family paid off.