Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

"What do you want?" Joshua knew Andrew would not let him off so easily. He had to pay a price to make him keep his secret safe.

"What do you think?" Andrew raised his brows.

When Joshua did not say anything, he remarked, "Since you are here, I assume you have decided to leave Igor's side and join hands with Samuel."

"How did you—" Joshua widened his eyes in shock. He did not expect Andrew to see right through him.

Ignoring his shocked expression, Andrew added, "To be honest, I had thought you would be the last person to leave Igor's side."

"It's complicated," Joshua pursed his lips. He had been working under Igor for more than six years, it would be a lie if he said that the decision to leave his side was an easy one. But he had to do something that was right. He couldn't continue killing his conscience and working under him.

"Tell Samuel to be careful. Things aren't as easy as he thinks it's going to be," Andrew warned him. Since the day Samuel left Russia, Owen had sent their men to keep a close eye on him. Though they did not have a clear idea of what he was up to, they knew he was going against his elder brother, Igor Petrov.

"Samuel has plans—" Joshua remarked. He didn't reveal much but he knew that if Andrew wanted, he could find out everything.

"And Igor is not dumb," he stated. "Maybe now he has no idea what is going on but it's just a matter of days. You very well know what he is capable of, it won't be hard for him to track Samuel's movements."

Pausing for a while, Andrew added, "Tell him to stop catching the small fishes in the ocean, it's time he grabs the big ones."

Understanding what he meant, Joshua nodded. "I will let Samuel know."

Without saying anything, Andrew grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen.

"Why?" When he stopped in his tracks, Joshua curiously questioned him. "Why are you helping us?" Given the history the Volkovs and Petrovs shared, he found it very odd that the Volkovs were not trying to take advantage of the drift that was slowly broadening between the Petrov brothers.

"We have better things to do than get involved in a domestic fight," Andrew remarked.

"What about me then?" Joshua gulped in nervousness. "Will you tell everyone?"

"Rachael adores you, she has asked me to be good to you," he answered. "Exposing you will hurt many people and she will be one of them. Since you are Rachael's family, you are my family too."

"Wow—" Joshua awkwardly cleared his throat. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You are related to me because of my wife but not to Owen," Andrew smirked. "I can't guarantee that he will let you off the hook."

Joshua: " "

…..

[Rachael's Room]

By the time Andrew came back, Rachael was already half asleep on the bed.

When he got into the covers, she turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What took you so long?" she murmured as she snuggled closer.

"I bumped into Joshua in the kitchen." He wrapped her arms around her and pulled her closer. "We had a little chat."

"About what?"

"Nothing in particular." He kissed the top of her head and gently caressed her back. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was waiting for you." Rachael slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Before I forget again—when you were sleeping in the evening, your phone kept ringing so I received it."

"Hmm, who was it?"

"Your grandfather." When he did not say anything, she added, "He told me to remind you to call him back."

Keeping quiet for a while, he inquired, "What did he say?"

"Nothing out of the box, he just said he will visit us soon." Contemplating for a while, she added, "He also said that you will never take me to Russia to meet your family."

"Do you wanna meet them?"

Rachael immediately shook her head. Andrew had told her before that he wanted to keep her away from his maternal family. Though she didn't know the exact reason behind it, she respected his decision.

"Not Russia but—" He brushed his lips on her chin and smiled. "I'll take you for a honeymoon if you want."

"Keep all your ideas in your pocket mister because I am still mad at you," she snapped at him before snuggling in his embrace.

"You are still mad?" Andrew chuckled. "Your actions and words do not match Rach."

"I am mad but I need your cuddles to keep myself warm," she remarked. "So just because I am clinging onto you, don't get wrong ideas. I am still mad at you for accusing me of so many things which I don't wanna mention again."

"Hmm—so what should I do? How do I make my wife not mad anymore?"

"Think Mr. Collins—" She knocked his forehead a couple of times. "Think."

Thinking for a while, Andrew sighed, "This is hard—"

"Think harder."

"Why don't you make things easier for your handsome husband and tell him what you want?" he pouted his lips and looked at her.

"Let's talk about this when you take me shopping tomorrow," she stated.

When he laughed, Rachael frowned, "What are you laughing for?"

"Why is it that every woman's solution to all her problems is shopping?" he chuckled. "Whether they are sad, mad, upset, feeling down—the solution is shopping."

"Because shopping is therapy," she exclaimed. "It relaxes your nerves and makes you feel good about yourself."

"Okay so whenever you are mad, all I have to do is take you shopping the very next day?" When she nodded, he asked, "So what will you do when I am mad?"

"I don't know." Rachael pursed her lips and buried her face on his chest. "I don't like it when you are mad, you behave so indifferent. It's like I don't know you at all."

…..