The Substitute Bride

Feeling bored, Rachel rested her chin on her palms and silently gazed out the window, staring absentmindedly outside. It was difficult to make anything out from the vague expression she was making. Was she simply daydreaming? Was she occupied by the whole issue with Miranda? Or was she simply enjoying the night view in the rain?

It started pouring down heavier and heavier, but some sins were just too thick to be washed away by strong rain.

"Ms. Bai, I assumed you would want to discuss this with me. Just tell me. What do you want? I can meet any of your demands with my full capability as long as you destroy any copies of the file and give me the original."

Clearly, Miranda was terrified. How could someone like her allow anyone else to have their hands on something that could be used against her? How could she stand to be threatened?

Although her eyes silently pierced with cruelty, her tone only reflected a soft, pleading voice.

"Mrs. Zhan, you're a smart person. What I want is really simple. I have no doubt that you can meet my expectation as long as you want to. I hope that you can invest profusely in the Tarsan Corporation. You've probably heard by now that my company is going through a tough period these days. I need your investment to help us get through. The moment I receive the money, I will hand the audio file over to you. How's that? It's a fair deal, right?"

Though she scoffed in her mind, on the surface, Miranda answered with careful politeness so as to avoid triggering Rachel, "Alright, I can agree to that. But I hope that you will keep your promise as well."

"You can rest assured. I'm happy to finally strike a deal with you, Mrs. Zhan." After the call ended, Rachel couldn't help plastering a smug smile on her face. It didn't take her much effort to get the company's issue solved, thanks to Bernard. At last, Holley was able to offer something helpful—she referred Rachel to the right person.

'Well… it seems I should treat Bernard for this, ' Rachel decided.

And Holley, who had been eagerly waiting for Rachel to help her get out, was, of course, pushed to the back of her mind.

However, Miranda was not at all elated. In spite of everything, she stood still on her feet because of something on her mind.

The tender, delicately made-up face was flashed with insidiousness.

In her eyes, Rachel's presence was like a bomb that could explode at any given moment. How could a proud woman like Miranda stand to be humiliated like that? 'That bitch knows too many of my secrets!

I can't allow her to go on like this…but…

I still need to craft my plan carefully. I can't me

was clear to him that talking to the selfish and hypocritical woman in front of him was only a terrible waste of time.

The only thing on his mind was the thought of getting back home and seeing the faces of Sheryl and his children. As for Rachel, all he could feel for her was hatred and disdain.

Without another glance or word, he strode towards his car and drove off. From the rear view, Rachel's figure grew smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared.

As soon as Charles left, Rachel seemed to have lost her soul—she was stumbling over herself, down on a road where she couldn't see the end. How ridiculous, she thought.

Even as she was disdained by the man she loved, she was still trying her hardest to capture his heart once again.

Early in the morning, Sheryl got up and was ready for the day. As per her usual routine, she went down to check on her children and lightly smiled as she saw Clark and Shirley still tucked in bed, dreaming away.

Still busy in the kitchen, Nancy noticed that Sheryl had just woken up, still in a daze. "Sher, you wake up so early lately. You don't have to go to the hospital by yourself. There are other people there. You can sleep in a little bit…"

"It's alright, Nancy. Now that Mom is hospitalized, I should take care of her. Charles is really busy. He has whole days of work and then hospital duty at night. I think I should do what I can to help ease his burden." Despite what she said, she still felt a deep bitterness inside.

Day after day, she would prepare soup and other meals for Melissa, but nothing was every accepted—she wasn't even given a chance to talk to her. Whenever she appeared in sight, Melissa would turn extremely agitated in a snap and chase her out with harsh words.