Stuck in you novel Chapter 51

Rachel's wealth had always sparked jealousy from people around her. It was no surprise that many of them had spread rumors that accused her of being a mistress for a wealthy man. But the truth was, she was just rich and no rumor would ever be able to alter that.

Mendes' voice pierced the silence as he shouted, "Lucas!" He dashed off of Rachel's lap and ran towards the direction of the figure entering the room, colliding with his leg. Joyfully, Mendes hugged his leg and gleefully looked at the man with a big smile saying, "Hug!"

Lucas bowed down and hoisted the boy up. Mendes was so happy that he held his neck and kissed him on the face several times.

Rachel felt a tang of envy as she saw how sweet and considerate he was with Lucas. She looked at the happy boy and coyly said, "Wow, I only missed work for a few days. When did you guys start getting along so well?"

Grinning, Mendes rested his head on Lucas' shoulder and replied loudly, "I like Lucas!"

Rachel stood up and walked towards the pair. She pinched Mendes' chubby cheek teasingly and pouted as she asked, "But, don't you like me?"

"Of course, I like you too," he groaned, rolling his eyes like crescent moons.

His funny reaction amused the both of them.

Lucas chuckled and patted him on the back. "You are a clever boy. You always know what to say." He turned to face Rachel and gently whispered, "Don't worry. I've been taking care of him these days which explains why he is very intimate with me now."

Rachel gaped, a little surprised. "Why are you taking care of him?"

Lucas explained that it really was a coincidence. He stroked the boy's soft brown hair and explained briefly, "Our fathers are close friends. His father asked me for a favor to help take care of Mendes on his behalf."

Still nestling his head on Lucas' shoulder, Mendes blinked and curiously asked, "If my father is a friend of Lucas' father, does that mean that I am also Lucas' friend?"

Rachel and Lucas smiled at the boy and replied, "Yes, of course!"

"Ha-ha." With a mischievous smile on his face, Mendes jolted and kissed on Lucas' cheeks. His eyes playfully lit up. "Hey, since we are friends, can I have an ice cream?"

"Nope!" Lucas immediately answered him without any trace of hesitation. In response, Mendes began to pout.

Putting the boy down, he softly uttered, "Stay here for a while with Rachel. Maybe I'll take you shopping later after work."

Upon hearing this, Mendes cheered up and excitedly shouted, "Yeah!" Lucas chuckled at the boy's response and winked at him. Mendes' family had left him behind.

Since he was still a child, eating and playing were of the highest importance to him and as long as he was distracted, he wouldn't miss his parents.

Rachel retrieved her tablet from the drawer and searched up a cartoon for him to watch online.

Lucas approached her and whispered, "You have to take care of him first."

Rachel thought for a moment and pulled Lucas quietly out of the office. The door softly shut behind her, not wanting to startle Mendes. She straightened her skirt and frowned at Lucas with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Lucas, what's going on? Is his family going to abandon him?"

Sadness flashed in Lucas' gentle eyes and for a brief moment, he looked so helpless. But he straightened his posture and replied in a low voice, "Gennady Xu is his father, my father's friend. His daughter has briefly taken an internship but it is ending this month. This means that she will soon go back to school. She can't stay here to take care of the boy.

My father informed me that the boy's father wanted to find a boarding school for Mendes to attend kindergarten. But I think that I could take care of him, at least until his father comes back."

Lucas initially didn't plan to take care of Mendes. But one day, he happened to see Celia and Mendes having a row again.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal if Mendes was obedient. But he was mischievous and loved to stir up trouble. Celia also had a short-fused temper.

After a fight, the boy burst into tears and threw a tantrum, demanding to see his father. Exasperated and angry, Celia also burst into tears, the two of them wailing in the hallway.

Their outcry attracted a large crowd of onlookers. Worried that something grave had happened, they began to ask for help. Luckily, a patient was able to recognize Celia and her little brother and immediately called the head nurse to help them.

After a few minutes, Mindy took the siblings to her office and settled them down. Both of them sat quietly still. They believed that it was an adult's fault for starting everything, rather than the children.

The news had gotten up to Lucas, who came straightaway to the hospital to deal with the situation. Celia continued to wail, despite his protestations for her to calm down. He then took Mendes back to his office, separating the siblings.

Mendes quickly recognized Lucas and did not protest when he came to take him to dinner. Despite Lucas' coaxing, the boy refused to stop crying.

It was then that Lucas' father came over. After one look at the child, he realized that Mendes was the son of his friend.

After deducing the rise of conflict, Lucas' father called Gennady. He knew of the affairs happening in the Xu family, but kept his mouth shut, not wanting to have a say in other peoples' businesses.

However, Lucas wasn't like his father and couldn't leave the subject matter alone. He didn't know what transpired in the conversation between Gennady and his father, but his father decided to offer to temporarily take care of Mendes.

What he had meant by temporarily taking care of him was finding Mendes a suitable and reliable boarding school. But Lucas wasn't so sure. Gennady might come back next month.

That left him only ten days before Gennady came back. As such, Lucas had willingly offered to take care of the boy.

It had been two days since his decision to take care of the little boy. Placing his hands in his pockets, Lucas bitterly smiled. "I thought it was about feeding him, but I didn't expect that he would be short of anything. Are you free after work? I would like to buy him something."

Rachel sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, I'm free. I can accompany you after work to help you choose."

Although neither of them had any experience raising a child, he guessed that women were more considerate when buying gifts for children.

With Rachel's help, he would be able to handle the situation much easier. Although Lucas had decided to take care of the boy, he wasn't always as thoughtful about what Mendes used.

Before Mendes had broken his arm, he had been taken care of by a nanny.

Unlike his biological mother, the nanny didn't spend all her effort to take good care of Mendes.

When Lucas began to take care of Mendes, he found the boy was short of many things.

Since Mendes stayed in the hospital recently, he didn't need any other things. But now that he was discharged from the hospital, things couldn't go on like that.

Feeling relieved, Lucas glanced at Rachel. "Are you feeling better?"

Rachel nodded and asked, "Do I look bad? The nurses keep telling me that I seem to have lost a lot of weight."

Upon hearing the comment, Lucas examined her face more carefully. There was nothing wrong with Rachel's face, except that it was pale. Her charming eyes were as bright as it had been before she got sick.

Her long black eyelashes were thick and well curved. She blinked and stared at him with a smile.

Lucas coughed feeling embarrassed for staring too long. "Not too much, just a little thinner.

Please take care of yourself. I was so scared when I felt you burn like that."

"It was just an accident. I had always thought that I would be more immune to colds." She felt guilty, as she said this to him.

Lucas sensed a hint of doubt in her words. He raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "What do you mean? How did you catch a cold?"

Rachel smiled dryly and waved her hand to dismiss him. "I just wore a little less clothing. I'll be more careful next time," she replied.

Before he could scold her, Rachel made an excuse to go back to her office. It was obvious that she didn't want to tell him the reason why she had a cold. Confused, Lucas stared at the closed door of her office, shook his head and left.

From time to time, Rachel would at the clock waiting for her shift to end.

She eventually calmed down after work. She sat on the chair with a pen in hand, lost in thought.

Lucas came over her office with Mendes, raising his hand to knock on the door. Rachel jumped at the sound, but came to her senses. "Wait a moment," she yelled through the door. "I need to change my clothes."

"No rush," Lucas responded politely.

Rachel quickly got changed and met the pair outside. Upon seeing her, Mendes yelped with glee and grabbed both hers and Lucas' hands, holding it tightly with his chubby fingers.

Infected by his happiness, Rachel couldn't help but smile as well. As they left the building, they bumped into Cara who had just exited the canteen.

When she saw the three of them keep together, she laughed and joked, "Wow, you guys look like a happy family."

Rachel blushed at the comment, while Lucas politely responded, "We're taking him shopping today."

Cara smiled and exclaimed teasingly, "Well, you are in good hands. Rachel is one of the most excellent and accomplished woman in the hospital. Lucas, if you like her, you better seize this wonderful opportunity."

Rachel's face completely flushed red. She bit her lips and nervously asked, "Cara, what are you talking about?"

"Ha-ha, I'm just telling you the truth! Lucas, don't you think so? You two would be a great match!"

Rachel suddenly became a little more conscious and nervous. She turned her head slightly to see his reaction. But she saw that Lucas looked calm and natural as always. He just smiled and courteously muttered, "Cara, you think too much."

Rachel's heart sank and her face turned back to its usual color. She slightly moved her long eyelashes to mask any unusual expression on her face that might hint her disappointment. "You think too much. How could Lucas and I be together?" She uttered those words lightly.

Only Rachel knew what it meant and she tried to mask her disappointment as best as she could.

Cara saw how embarrassed they both were, so she waved her hand. "I'll be having my meal now. I hope you enjoy!"

A force tugged at Lucas' hand, pulling him towards Rachel's direction.

The same thing happened to Rachel. Mendes pulled their hands at the same time and placed Rachel's and Lucas' hands on top of one another.

Rachel felt Lucas' big palm covering her small and slender hand. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath shortened. Mendes gleefully raised his head and said with a smile, "Be together!"

As if she had gotten an electric shock, Rachel quickly withdrew her hand. With a quizzical smile on her face, she looked into Lucas' eyes and tenderly fiddled with Mendes' soft hair. She faintly smiled with the corners of her mouth turning upwards. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's go." Lucas' face relaxed. He tried to comfort Rachel by saying, "Don't take Cara's words too seriously. She was only joking."

Rachel smiled and nodded. Inside, her heart was filled with bitterness.